The Revolutionary War

The revolutionary war was a major conflict in northern Terragon beginning in February 1937 and ending in December 1946. The conflict was primarily a civil war between several warring factions within the Commonwealth of Rasvidi, all fighting for increased liberties and freedoms and for the abolishment of the oligarchy that had ruled the nation for hundreds of years. Early in the war, intense fighting was centered mainly on the larger cities, such as Ulyanovsk, Novosibirsk and Gjovik, however there was relatively little damage and only Ulyanovsk was captured for any length of time during this period. Once the United People's Revolutionary Army, the leading revolutionary faction over the course of the war, took control of Ulyanovsk they drove out all rival factions and immediately began production in the intact factories.

By the summer of 1938, the UPRA controlled a large portion of the coast, taking advantage of Ulyanovsk being a primary ship-building city. Saratov fell under their banner, but Krasnoyarsk continued to remain part of the commonwealth due to it's isolated position in the north. Fighting took place primarily in small urban centers further inland, and the UPRA initially were unable to maintain control of these towns against the Commonwealth's superior forces. The lengthy, bloody, devastating "Battle of Ulyanovsk" took place in December 1938 and January 1939. The UPRA emerged victorious in this battle, but around 65% of the city's infrastructure was in ruins and nearly 70% of the population had perished. Nonetheless, this was a decisive advantage for the UPRA as the bulk of the Commonwealth tank division had been sacrificed in the attempt to recapture the historic capital. Production resumed in the factories that had not been destroyed, but Saratov became the industrial center for the UPRA throughout the rest of the war.

Throughout 1939 and 1940, the Commonwealth concentrated on their clear advantage over the skies, as the UPRA possessed no aircraft whatsoever nor had they the capabilities to produce any yet. The cities were periodically bombed, followed by land invasions while the populace was still in shock. At first this was a serious threat to the UPRA, until they initiated a policy of moving the armies outside of the cities in top secret locations, and then moving them back in after a city had been bombed. Despite being the productive center of the revolution, Saratov remained largely untouched because the Commonwealth did not believe the city could be producing so many tanks and munitions, and instead chose to believe that the factories in Ulyanovsk had been rebuilt. As the revolutionary forces began to adapt to the Commonwealth's tactics, they decided to press forward into Kazan, another significant center of production.

The Battle of Kazan took place in July 1940, and wanting to avoid the total destruction witnessed in Ulyanovsk, most fighting took place outside the city limits. This battle was notable for the level of destruction to the surrounding terrain that took place; the area was known for being flat before the battle, but to this day it is very hilly and uneven due to the extent of bombing and shelling that was concentrated on the area. So much ground was tossed around and dug out that hills tens of meters high were created, and the ground in some places dropped just as steeply from their previous elevation. Several large crater lakes were formed after a particularly intense bombing run by the Commonwealth forces. The area remained barren and rocky for over 20 years after the battle, and to this day is only sparsely populated by grass and trees.

Ecological impacts aside, the UPRA scored a significant victory over the Commonwealth and occupied the city. Meanwhile, in the west, the UPRA forces pushed northwards and took advantage of the isolated position of Krasnoyarsk to capture it. The city was notable for being beyond the range of Commonwealth aircraft, and was unable to communicate efficiently with them after the fall of Ulyanovsk to UPRA forces.

After this point, the war was largely a stalemate between the UPRA and Commonwealth forces, as each became equally matched in production and strength. The only notable battle during this period was the Battle of Novosibirsk, which saw even more significant deaths and destruction then Ulyanovsk. Over 90% of the infrastructure was destroyed, and 21 million of the city's population of 25 million (at the time the largest in history) was killed and the majority of survivors received mutilating or disabling injuries. The battle is also known widely within Rasvidi as "The Massacre" and "The Blackest Day". Venedikt Pralnikov was involved in this conflict, and only narrowly survived with significant injuries to his face and torso. The day is noted every year with a nation-wide day of remembrance and mourning.

Millions upon millions of people had died by the time 1946 arrived, and in desperation to end the war, both Commonwealth and UPRA forces began to spill into neighbouring countries. This provoked an almost immediate reaction from Rasvidi's neighbours, with both NX401 and Gracealona entering the conflict on the side of the UPRA. The war quickly ended afterwards, with a clear victory for the UPRA, although Rasvidi lost a large portion of land in the east to Gracealona. After it's conclusion, it was quickly realized that the conflict was the bloodiest in Tiberiam's history, with nearly 80% of the nation's infrastructure gone and over 100 million of the nation's 167 million people dead. Of those dead, nearly 80 million people had been killed in concentration camps and military prisons, with 65 million of those being civilians. It left Rasvidi society in a state of perpetual shock and dismay, and for decades afterwards the economy refused to recover and violence continued on an almost daily basis. It is estimated that a further 1 to 2 million people were killed during this post-war period.