The War of Paranoia



"Fear everywhere, there were so many spies, there was so much suspicion. I couldn't trust anybody. It was the first war, it was the worst war."

The War of Paranoia also known as the Endless War or the First War was a conflict fought primarily between Imperia and the Bacseyian Confederacy. It is regarded as the first war in military history, and the rules of combat and warfare (or lack thereof) originate from the rules of engagement established by both sides during the war.

Conflicts between ex-Imperians and Bacseyians still occur (see Imperian-Bacseyian Relations).

Causes
Harau Bacsey and his followers felt betrayed by King Auel of Imperia for the events that had transpired in the founding of Imperia. The Bacseyians had been overthrown in a coup by the Royal Guard and the Royal Army, led by Captain Auel. Many felt that it was their right to rule Imperia.

Harau Bacsey demanded that he be admitted to join Imperia as it's second in command and threatened war in 24 hours if the promise was not fulfilled.

King Auel called a meeting with the officers and nobles of Imperia. A total of twelve were assembled at the meeting. After explaining the situation, a vote was held to allow Harau to join, or to start a war. 6 voted war, 5 voted against war, 1 abstained.

Unbeknownst to the fellow council members, Auel had made an alternate account a noble to gain a second vote and add justification to the war, knowing that there was a high chance of war going through. If this was not done, the vote would have been a draw and war would have likely not occurred.

Auel sought to increase Imperia's power and influence through a war. He reasoned that it would bolster recruitment and expand Imperia to unprecedented heights if the war was won. With the Bacseyians being exiled nobles and the Imperians being highly trained soldiers, it seemed likely that Imperia would triumph.

Harau formed the Bacseyian Confederation to destroy Imperia.

Conflict
Contemporary wars are fought in one large battle that lasts for hours. The first battles were minutes in length. They involved Bacseyian cavalry squads ambushing and killing Imperian officers and noblemen.

A string of Imperian losses caused a loss in morale and desertion, especially from the 5 council members who voted in favor of peace. Anyone who had a problem with Imperian structure left for the Confederacy.

The Battle of Belle Island was the first real "battle" of the war. An Imperian squad engaged Bacseyians. Both sides called for reinforcements. After Bacseyians ran out of troops and left, Imperians claimed victory, establishing the tradition of "Last Man Standing Battles" to settle wars. A lack of diplomacy between the sides resulted in a war of attrition.

Skirmishes continued, especially outside the city where Bacseyians would ambush Imperians and flee. More large scale battles escalated from skirmishes where one party would call for reinforcements.

Espionage and Desertion
Zaer, one of the core members of Imperia deserted for the Confederation and was made the Viceroy, second only to Harau himself.

Spies were employed by both sides extensively. During battle, troops would turn on each other, causing complete chaos and a lack of trust. Spies would result in a lack of recruitment to prevent more leaks from infiltrating.

Due to the high number of spies, certain measures were taken within Imperia to prevent information leaks. Firstly, no vital information would be leaked in guild chat, and all information of importance would be told in meetings or private conversations. Secondly, unless proven otherwise, every and all members of Imperia were considered potential traitors. Finally, all members of Imperia that turned rogue were considered permanently banned from Imperia. Some of these measures would be eased or completely scratched as the war was waged.

The high rate of spies earned the war the name "War of Paranoia" due to the fear of spies.

Imperian Campaign No. 2 & The End of The War
After two months of conflict, there was no end in sight for the War of Paranoia. Imperia was losing members to the Confederacy, and it seemed that it might lose.

King Auel and General Kentiman of the Royal Army devised a way to win the war. Several facts were accepted:
 * The confederacy must be crippled to the point that it could never fight Imperia again, to do this, Harau Bacsey must be made incapable of ever leading something as large as the Confederacy again.
 * A way to effectively deal with spies and espionage must be dealt with that will not cause further panic.
 * Traitors must be re-assimilated into Imperia.
 * Five military campaigns were devised by a council of officers. The only one selected was Imperial Campaign No. 2.

Imperian Campaign No. 2
Imperial Campaign No. 2 formed the Union to oppose the Bacseyian Confederacy. Made up of friendly guilds and ex-alliance guilds, the Union was created with the sole purpose of intimidating Harau into submission.

IC02 also sought to cause Harau's lieutenants to defect, destroying his trust in his officers, making him unable to trust officers in the future and destroying his ability to lead a large guild. This was accomplished by Auel convincing Viceroy Zaer to repent for his sin of betraying his friends in Imperia.

IC02 also called for "zero-fear" policy. Spies were no longer kicked out, but anyone who accused someone else of being a spy was. All information was either public and known to all, or kept absolutely secret among the top ranks or never released at all. Espionage was made ineffective.

The Campaign culminated with Zaer calling Harau to a house alone. While Harau was AFK with Zaer, 30 Union troops flooded the room and surrounded Harau. Zaer publicly betrayed Harau, while surrounded by 30 men mocking him.

Feeling completely hopeless, losing his right hand man and surrounded by 30 men, Harau said on guild chat "Auel is unstoppable, there's no hope," and disappeared for several months.

IC02 was successful. It destroyed the confederacy and made Harau incapable of leading ever again. However, the war had come at great cost to Imperia: even though their enemy was defeated, Imperia was on the verge of collapse from members weary of war.

Consequences of the War
The War of Paranoia left marks on the military community that are still present even today.
 * Most campaigns regarding Imperia and other military guilds would now involve incapacitating the enemy guild leader in a traumatizing and humiliating way.
 * War would be continued to be fought the same way as in the First War.
 * Information would be confidential or available to all.
 * The Bacseyians would be forever considered enemies of Imperia, and they are still feared by certain State members that are aware of the threat of another large war of this scale.
 * The High Officers of Imperia would grow fearful of war and consider it a last resort, while the Imperian Commanders would keep their pro-war views. This would eventually cause tensions between the Imperian Commanders and Auel.
 * Militaries would start focusing more on amassing large numbers of soldiers and less on training soldiers so as to minimize losses in case of another war.
 * Harau's humiliating defeat would eventually lead him to try and destroy the State later on. Click here to find out more.