Listonian Independence

Fires leave acres of Listonian fields in its wake

On February 8th, 2009 - Constitution Day in Sevropia - the sixth and final attempt at liberation begun with simultaneous rioting in the cities of Relusi and Vilines. The rioting was orchestrated by an organization named People for an Independent Listonia (PIL), which had been branded as a terrorist organization by various nations despite adopting a policy of non-violence forty years prior, and their leader, Stapen Evesuni. In the first day, the death total was reported at 237 casualties. That number would balloon over the coming months, as rioting quickly spread to other cities held within the two nations of Sevropia and Dveria.

Listonia (green) Elphana (red), Dveria (brown), Sevropia (mauve) as they were drawn by Todd Leyuski. Vekaiyu gains the Kunnat Highlands.

The following day, Ye'leli was turned into a warzone, announced with an attack on the banking sector of the city. Other cities soon followed suit with the same pattern - financial sectors were generally attacked first, then governmental buildings. Within weeks, rebels were burning their wheat fields by the thousands of acres. The attempt was to cripple the economies of the two nations, which had met initial success early on, though the damage from the crop destruction was minuscule - all destruction took place during the winter months.

The first glimmer of independence came when on February 15th, Ye'leli declared itself an independent free city by the occupying forces of PIL under their leader, Stapen Evesuni, who at that time was a known Vekaiyun sympathizer. Backwash from the crisis in Dveria caused Vekaiyu to be more vocal in the attacks. The first Vekaiyun casualty was reported. Missiles landed near Skendia, a Vekaiyun city. Tensions finally broke on February 16th, when the Vekaiyun 78th and 3rd Listonian Refugee Regiment returned fire from a Dverian missile attack. A Vekaiyun invasion quickly followed, ushered in by Katyusha Rockets, and quickly turned into a war of biological agents. As the agents were neutralized, Vekaiyu seized the Dverian-controlled Listonia and set its eyes on Sevropia, which had been fighting the rebels and civilians alike during the conflict. However, before another invasion could begin, a world summit was declared which resulted in the national lines re-drawn, and the emergence of a free Listonian state, declared on April 4th, with the capital of the new nation seated at Ye'leli.