War of the Flags (First Vetthi War)

The War of the Flags (792-796 MEplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigModern Epoch (ME)

The Modern Calendar is a dating system acknowledged throughout the Civilised World. It numbers years from the Modern Epoch, abbreviated ME and BME (Before Modern Epoch). It is also called the Modern Era.

Calendar

This is in a series of articles about calendars and dating systems.OrorrHartheraHMOrorrHartheraOrorrOrorrHMHartheraHMHartheraOrorr), also called the First Vetthi War in Ororrplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigOrorr

Ororr [o-ROARR, ɒ̝rɔ'ɾ], also called the Holy Motherland of Ororr, is a theocratic nation in Anásthias, one of the world's great powers. It the largest nation in the world, perhaps the largest empire in history, occupying the entire northwest of the continent between the mountains and the sea. Ororrlanguagelanguagelanguage, was a conflict between Ororr and the Vetthi Republic over control of the Vetthi Passage.

The 8th century saw a deterioration of relations between Ororr and Hartheraplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigHarthera

The Hartheran Union, commonly named Harthera, is an imperialist maritime nation state dominating the northeast of Anásthias. It is one of the two great powers of the modern epoch, arguably the most technologically and militarily powerful nation in the world, only matched by the vast size and wealth of its neighbour, viridOrorrMEOrorrOrorrOrorrOrorr, with trade relations tense and ships often barred and turned away from each other's ports. Consequently, ships of the Vetthi Merchant Fleet came to monopolise trade between the two nations. A century earlier, the majority of the Vetthi people had been converted to the Therist faith, but refused to accept the authority of the Mother Church, swearing allegiance instead to the Vetthi Republic. Ororr hence considered the Vetthi to be a dangerous heretical offshoot of their true religion.

The 790s saw an increase in so-called pirate activity in the waters between Vetth and the Ororran mainland, with Vetthi and foreign merchant vessels being seized or sunk. Ostensibly these piratesplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigPiracy

Piracy has always been a danger for shipping around the world. Throughout history merchants have been preyed upon by desperate or greedy fishermen, by rogue naval ships acting as privateers, as well as organised fleets dedicated to larceny.

HartheranOrorrHarthera were operating from the lawless Guree Isles, but in truth they were a combination of converted Ororran ships and foreign privateers in the pay of Ororran authorities, harassing the Vetthi Merchant Fleet as well as ships from other nations.

In “response”, the Ororran military, never strong or proficient at sea, moved to seize control of the Guree Isles, in a move designed to force shipping through the “safe” Guree passage where they would be subject to Ororran scrutiny, and avoid Vetth altogether, starving the Republic of trade.

In response, the Vetthi ordered that any ship traversing the Vetthi Passage not flying the Vetthi ensign would be subject to boarding and search. Ororran vessels refused to submit to this, with Ororran vessels being attacked, seized and their cargoes confiscated. Ororran dromonds attempted to patrol the area but many were engaged and destroyed.

Pirate activity rapidly declined, and the Ororrans quietly conceded control of the channel to Vetth, until escalation in the War of 813.

As a legacy of the War of Flags, foreign vessels, particularly those from nations more supportive of Vetth than Ororr, will fly the Vetthi ensign alongside their own colours when traversing the Passage.