The Time of Troubles

The Time of Troubles was an over three hundred year time period in which the nation Vekaiyu vanished from the map. The rights of Vekaiyuns and their ability to practice their own culture was threatened when circumstance led to the occupation by Nugala. Through the occupation, Vayan Catholicism took root, and the Unonian language was restored.

Explanation

In 255 A.D., the presiding king, Renuli V, single-handedly destroyed the stable nation Vekaiyu. Powered off by a much more powerful neighbor, Nugala (now present-day Dveria), he accepted the title of High Lord in return for the Vekaiyun lands. This was a move that was clearly designed to only benefit him and his family, as shortly thereafter many vulpine men and woman would die as a result of what would become a series of ethnic cleansings in the region. Eventually, however, Renuli V was killed in his sleep and his family was drowned in the Camuri River. Over the next one hundred years, roughly one half of the original Vekaiyun population would be killed.

Todd McCloud, portrayed by the Artist Kusari, c.1867

It is during this time that very important Vekaiyun figures began to emerge in the occupied nation. St. Aiya brought Christianity to Vekaiyu, though texts and beliefs indicate she was merely an intercessory, working miracles through acts of The Almighty. She continued to spread the religion until her death in AD 315. The religion spread well in the vulpine homeworld and became a symbol of hope for the people there, though heresies did erupt from time to time. Unonian morphed into a new look by means of the works of St. Ignes of Provinsk. The people also clung to their culture, refusing to give into their overlords. For over three hundred years, the people of Vekaiyu endured difficult and tumultuous times in order to maintain survival.

Vekaiyu finally achieved independence when a charismatic leader emerged from humble backgrounds. Todd McCloud organized and strengthened the vulpine faithful, employing unusual but effective tactics as they grew from small bands waging guerrilla warfare to a full-fledged army. This army would eventually meet that of the Nugalan king's, which led to one of the most important and well-known battles of the middle ages, The Battle of All-Souls, in AD 585. Despite the vulpine army being inferior in in numbers, supplies, cavalry, and armor, they were able to defeat the Nugalan might. Historians attribute this to McCloud's selection in the terrain prior to the battle, as a small clearing caused the much larger army to bottleneck. When they attempted to retreat, a powerful rain storm made the terrain very muddy and, since they fought in a depressed stretch of land, the retreating army became trapped and were slaughtered. A final battle, Reignier's Wall, ensured the independence of the Vekaiyun nation, though Todd McCloud had been captured and slain in the process.

Future Consequences

Vekaiyu and present-day Dveria continued to engage in conflicts over the next 1,500 years, ranging from various conquests by the Kral Commodore Fevunik carving into the Dverian lands in the fifteenth century, to Dveria partially partitioning Listonia in the sixteenth century, to Vekaiyu devastating Dveria during the fight for Listonian Independence. Currently, both nations are at peace now that the nation of Warre has declared Dveria a dependency. But it is clear that this peace is probably only temporary at best.