Bardonia

Bardonia was a nation located on the continent of Syltör, and historically covered the furthest eastern areas of the continent. It had multiple historical capitals, including Bardonia City, Dorasterrock, New Dorasterrock, and briefly Port Solanaria.

The various previous governments of Bardonia earned the country its reputation as one of the most powerful nations in Rathnir. Multiple times the nation has seen itself play as a continental and global powerhouse, being able to stand up against nations such as Uldarash, Yimmu-Audal, and Viodoxa. Bardonia was often seen as a threat to many nations that it came across, and has been accused for starting many civil wars, insurrections, or decline of the bigger powers that had dominated Rathnir for some time.

By the end of the Traveller's Era, the nation was divided into two hostile camps; namely, the Bardonian Soldier's Republic and the Seventh Empire of Bardonia. Despite efforts to reunite, they were unable to overcome their differences, and the two remained separate until the end of Rathnir.

Etymology
Bardonia is named after the pre-existing discord server of its founder members, which was called "Dank Bard". In Aurlûnoren, it is called "Orchendor", which literally means Dandelion Land.

Geologic History
The oldest rocks in Bardonia are also among some of Rathnir's oldest surface rocks. The Dorasterrock Formation comprises some of the oldest fossils in the world, in the form of many stromatolites about 2,800 million years old. This region was the namesake of the Dorasterrolithic Period, the geologic time period from which these strata hail from. These rocks were subducted further below the surface for a long time, only emerging at the surface after the Varmerian Orogeny some two billion years later. The modern isolated landmass Bardonia sits upon was formed during the Dracian Period, from the ancient supercontinent of Uktarra. This landmass was originally shallow seabed, on and over which lived many marine animals including the fearsome giant plesiosaur Predator Omnibus. These animals' remains are found as fossils in the White Cliffs of Bardonia, a large deposit of Dracian-aged limestone. The area still remained a low-lying region with sedimentary basins filling in over the course of the later age of reptiles, the most famous of which being the Bardonia Springs Formation. This formation has revealed the fossils of the giant dinychid predator Tsartitan and the giant kolonopod Deinobrontus among others. During the breakup of Uktarra during the Cuiciloan Period, southern Syltor would temporarily be disconnected from Nieden & Helmia until the end of the Melwendian Ice Age around 15.4 mya. The triple-junction collision that occured there caused the Varmerian Orogeny, in which the highlands of western Bardonia were uplifted.

Prehistoric habitation by sapient peoples
In the early days of civilization, Bardonia would be briefly occupied by travelling Niedene and dwarves, but human cultures were the first to permanently settle in the area. The earliest people group to inhabit what is now Bardonia is the Orenian Stone Battle Axe Culture, a stone age culture that lasted from 110,000 to 60,000 years ago. This culture appears to have slowly diverged into various others during the last ice age, including early Hyrian Hunter-gather (HHG) peoples, the Potato Pot Culture, and the earliest forms of Farnauese and Masetzu'an cultures known in the archaeological record. The domestication of the potato (Solanum tuberosum) in the wetlands of southern Bardonia and Ryzan about 10,500 years ago spurred a population boom among the peoples of eastern Syltor. The "Solanarian Farmers" were an ancient culture believed to be related to the modern Tontoni or Masetzu'ans. These peoples lived in relatively calm but undeveloped societies; what few Almadoran sources modern historians have on this region describe its inhabitants poorly. The Atlas of Helenis the Wise, composed around the end of the 3rd millennium BCA, describes the area's peoples as "tuber-eating, swamp-dwelling, lazy savages unfit even for slave labor".

Brief habitation of the Phagosian Sea coastal region by Flosism-practicing Faun peoples in ancient times may have contributed to the area's high density of flowers, including dandelions.

Brothian Migration period
The most consequential events in ancient history occurred about 2300 years ago with the first of the Brothian Migrations. The name Brothian or BROthian, a composite of "Bardonian-Ryzani-Olthiac", was never used by these peoples, only by modern linguists and historians; however, these people share a common linguistic and geographic origin as seafaring peoples from the northern continent of Azas. The first wave of Brothian peoples to land in Syltor first settled around modern Carthya, before spreading across the West Bardonian Plain and into the hills over the centuries. Oral traditions hold that ritual divination of dandelions by the early Brothians guided them to modern Bardonia, and the land they came across was well-grown with wildflowers; this appears to be corroborated by the palynological record as well. The Brothians slowly integrated and/or displaced the local peoples, who largely adopted the proto-Brothian language themselves.

Brothian civilization in Syltor was relatively stunted early on, with proto-Bardonian peoples splitting into many tribes with their territories stretching roughly across the modern territory of Bardonia, with a few exceptions along the traditional border with Ryzan (the Carthyans would soon displace the Bardonians living in their modern territory). Eventually they formed city-states and small kingdoms which traded with more developed civilizations such as Almador. Throughout the centuries, many prophets revealed paths of the Dandelions to the peoples, slowly forming the modern Bardonian culture we see today. One of the city-states, Sängta, came to be controlled by a group of senators, and they renamed the city to Bardonia.

Formative era
In 811 ACA, a collection of southern Bardonian city-state leaders would converge in Bardonia City & agreed to unite into a singular state, proclaiming the Republic of Bardonia. Many cities joined willingly, others had a more complex history with the state's formation. The city of Dorasterrock, named after the Jagdasian city of Asterrock, was originally settled by Jagdasians, but was later abandoned due to reasons lost to time. it was later re-inhabited by ethnic Bardonians and has remained such ever since. The city and region of Farnau, a holdout of pre-Bardonian peoples, were warred by the early Bardonian state and completely destroyed.

Searching for riches, they would begin mining in the western mesa under the noses of the Empire of Uldarash. This would culminate in the Bardonian Illegal Mining Incident, and after a failed mediation from the VAWR, Uldarash would declare war against Bardonia. The Great Golden War, initially expected to be a quick Uldarashi victory, was a humiliating defeat for the southern power, with Uldarash suing for peace following a narrow defeat at Bardonia City & the Sacking of Sanctuary. The Golden War established a precedent for Bardonia as a military power, being able to outcompete their southern contemporaries with the assistance of their skilled swordsman, BackToTheHub. Despite governmental reforms, Bardonia would stay quiet on the international stage until the founding of the Trillium Alliance, in which Bardonia was a founding member. Following four decades of unchallenged global supremacy, known as Pax Trilli, Yimmu-Audal would rise up against the Soleannen Empire, assembling a Coalition of nations to fight against Trillium supremacy. The Trillium War was another resounding success for Bardonia, using their new power to attempt world conquest, getting a second Coalition assembled against them. Both sides would collapse however, as anti-war sentiment rose across the world. The majority of the senators, including Uni, would flee as the general public turned against them. Bardonia would rise from the ashes as a short-lived presidential republic, before The Chancellor would return, proclaiming a dictatorship over the nation.

Imperial era
The Chancellor's new Empire of Bardonia would suffer from problems rooted in the fall of the Second Republic, with the Chancellor promising to solve these problems in exchanged for even more powers. Within the next couple days, the new dictator upheld his end of the agreement. Political pressure dissipated and the spirits of Fallen Escharia calmed, stopping their attacks on the citizens of Bardonia. Bardonians stayed in their cities quietly while they recovered from political struggles and the spirit attacks. Despite The Chancellor's efforts the numbers of Bardonians plummeted meeting an all-time low for the once prospering nation. The Chancellor set priority on recovering Bardonian population and building within Bardonia, often seeking help from The Chancellor's Hands to extort money from other nations and keep the nation afloat on his own.

The Empire, once recovered from its internal strife, would embark on a new expansionist foreign policy. This began with the dissolution of the Aurlunoren-Ryzani Empire & the invasion of the Second Tsardom of Ryzan on March 16th, 2021. Ryzan would be partitioned along regional boundaries between Bardonia & the Aurlunor Velande, with Andorn, who was a former subject of Ryzan, also joining the Empire on March 17th. Bardonia would integrate Avalon the same day, with Solitudinem joining March 18th. The newly acquisitioned citizenry had mised responses to their new administrators, with regions such as Andorn peacefully cooperating with the Bardonian occupation, whilst Ryzan violently fought back against the occupation, with the Ryzani Republican Army (RRA) organising terrorist attacks deep into the Bardonian interior in order to achieve freedom. In response to this sudden expansion of territory, Bardonia set up vassal governments to assist in administrating the new territories. This would spread the workload and prevent the government from having an overload of work in regard to administration. The situation in Ryzan would gradually worsen until the Bardonian government agreed to Ryzani independence after 5 years of occupation.

During this period of expansionism & later with the demise of the Sterling Crownlands, Bardonia would establish itself as the northern superpower. With the rise of Entropy raids and the destruction of the moon, the Chancellor would converge with the leaders of Uldarash, Viodoxa & Theios-Essukdal to form the New Guard Pact, a concordant of nations designed to protect Rathnir in times of invasion from external threats, especially Entropy, whom the four nations organised an international crusade against. However, a group known as the Ferrymen would seize territory in Cymru and attack the Bardonian military base of Fort Lee, triggering the Ferrymen War. The Ferrymen established themselves as a formidable foe, slaying the Chancellor during the Battle of Ferrymen Fort. His successor, jacw, would announce that all territories that wished to leave Bardonia were free to withdraw. The subsequent collapse of the Empire would culminate in jacw's assassination at his coronation, with the replacement leader, Mobius, proclaiming a new Empire to ride out the coming political storm.

New Empire
The new government had a rough start. The capital city of New Dorasterrock and the city hosting the Bardonian armoury Auron's Peak had both declared independence in the same day. This left the country a shell of what it formally was. The Empire also lost the provinces of Andorn, Avalon, Heli, Wivamovia, Skjoldrbrodir and Savras, leaving the nation with less land than it ever had in its history. Rumours of a civil war spread across what was left of the nation. Nobody knew what was going to happen to Bardonia and outside thought that it was the end for Bardonia. After negations were made between the two sides (Mobius, Ice and Axyr on one side; Crezyman and ElevenMantis on the other) the war was called off and a figurehead "Chancellor" role with no power was created. The country, being as weak as it was, was still somewhat feared due to the reputation of the previous administrations. War with Valle over the territories of the Sand Republic gave the Second Empire a brief spike in nationalism, but other than that victories for the Bardonian government were few and far between. On top of this, the Second Empire got itself involved in the Andorn Crisis, using its newfound puppet of Wivamovia to struggle with the Ryzani Republic over the territories of Andorn. Bardonia would eventually reconvene with the Holy Syltor Empire, restoring Bardonian control over northern Syltor. Bardonia would continually clash heads with Ryzan during this period, during the Owyddnnor Crisis & Baykonia, culminating in the May 5th Incident, where Bardonia almost went to war over a false attack from the Tsardom.

After Mobius had calmed the chaos of the Second Empire, the last remaining Prophet of the 5 that originally brought Bardonia to Rathnir stepped up. The Prophet spoke to Mobius, showing Mobius visions of a Bardonia in a golden age, walking the Path of Prosperity. Mobius, striving for this future, did anything he needed to in order to make it happen, even stepping off the throne. The Prophet became the Emperor of Bardonia with promises to guide Bardonia into a golden age, an age of prosperity, an age comparable to the Second Republic. The first thing passed was government reforms, adding government jobs and spreading out the workload.

Path of prosperity
Starting immediately after the Prophet came to power, Bardonia began looking outwards towards their neighbours, expanding as part of the Path of Prosperity. Under the Second Empire they had already invaded some of their neighbours, such as Vallia, Halge, Andorn & Heli. The occupation of these countries was not particularly welcomed by the general population, especially in Vallia & Halge. It was during this time that the Third Tsardom of Ryzan, under the Zefirov Administration, began extending their support to nations occupied by Bardonia under the previously established Air Ryzan initiative, a service independent of the Ryzani government transporting weapons & other supplies to rebel groups. While this had previously extended only as far as Andorn, a region which Ryzan had heavy stakes in keeping on their side during the Avaleskei Administration, it now expanded to Vallia, Halge, Baykonia & later Lennox when they were invaded and occupied by Bardonia. Alongside this, Bardonia began extending further support to their allies, the Allium Alliance, to help them grow their influence. They assisted in acquiring Mudrokpektai as a vassal of Niedea, and they expanded their own influence through the Abyssal Isles, Carvay, & Leythe, as well as finally reintegrating Auron’s Peak.

Bardonia would finally invade Ryzan after months of heightened tensions in 873 ACA. The later Nebskoslavian secession would be brutally suppressed, one of the first of many acts of extreme violence against native ethnicities in Ryzani territory. During the month-long occupation of Ryzani territory, the Bardonians and the Westreach government would order one of the largest mass genocides in world history, executing 113,000 ethnic Ryzanis and erecting mass graves across the Vonskyri & Nebskoslavian countryside to bury the dead. Displacement and executions of ethnic minorities also have traces in Lennox, Valle, Baykonia & the former Sand Republic. The killings during this period would stunt Ryzan’s population growth to the point where it would never recover to pre-occupation numbers. With the Bardonians now in total hegemony over Syltor, the Prophet began looking outside of his homeland, to the other continents of Rathnir. The new foreign policy aims were to bring stability to the north and gradually bring the globe under their heel, one nation at a time.

Allium-Coalition War
The Third Empire was a major expansionist power before the war, conquering roughly 15% of Rathnir's land surface at its peak. Such conquests made Bardonia's position very tenuous, as they quickly drew the attention of many of the more established major powers. The actual war almost started several times before the final date, and by 882 ACA, all knew that the war was going to happen one day or another. Bardonia was not only facing problems from outside its own borders. The large number of conquered peoples in the Empire meant that many of its people were not exactly the most loyal subjects, and certainly not ready to fight a war to preserve their own oppression. Facing so much external pressure, the Bardonian Empire's internal governments began to collapse, Kringal, Lennox, Ryzan, and Baykonia declared independence during the Bardonian Spring, while at the same time, Viodoxa, Uldarash, Tortuga, Plagatéa, Alamayn, The Aldovir League, Simulami and Yimmu-Audal declared war on Bardonia.

The Allium Alliance would back Bardonia initially, however, with the number of nations turning against the north, they began to drop out of the war, one by one, until Bardonia was left alone defending New Dorasterrock. During the subsequent Battle of New Dorasterrock, what remained of the Bardonian forces alongside international volunteers would be annihilated by Coalition forces, despite attempts to retake the city by the Hands. Despite the major loss at New Dorasterrock, the Hands would put up a considerable fight against the Coalition at the Pillars of Sun. The Prophet was slaughtered in a sewer during the battle, leaving Crezyman as the incumbent Emperor to oversee what remained of the Empire. Despite the Prophet's initial plans to embark on a guerilla campaign across the Bardonian interior, Crezyman would begin peace negotiations with the Coalition the day following their defeat, signing the Treaty of New Dorasterrock a year later, dissolving the Third Empire in place of a much more southern-lenient Republic.

Dark Age
the Third Rathnir Coalition wished to withdraw from Bardonia as soon as possible, rather than to hold out and reconstruct Bardonia by themselves, especially as they all had different goals for the nation. In order to fix the issue as soon as possible, they meshed together a collection of Viodoxan & Bardonian officials into a new government and proclaimed the Fourth Republic of Bardonia, withdrawing the same day & the Coalition going defunct and later dissolving. The withdrawal was extremely messy and left much to be desired, and the new government was not left with much to work with. A mere week into the Fourth Republic's existence, the democratic system would be abolished. As it became apparent that the Senatorial Government could not work the senators decided to hold a vote. With a 5-1 Vote the Senate had decided to give all of their power to Yazov (The Chancellor). Shortly after democracy was abolished, the Fourth Republic would enter a loose union with the Fourth Tsardom of Ryzan, for mutual cooperation & assistance. The GNC was turbulent from the very start, with the conflicting government systems of the Fourth Tsardom & Fourth Republic, undergoing frequent name changes & diplomatic incidents with foreign countries.

This all culminated with the Fourth Republic making a deal with Yimmu-Audal that would have allowed them to divide Ryzan between each other. This was uncovered by the Ryzani government, which subsequently confronted the Bardonian government on the matter and got Yimmu-Audal & Barbossa to end hostilities towards the GNC. The damage had already been done, however, and shortly afterwards it would dissolve due to ineffectiveness. Because of this ineffectiveness Yazov (The Chancellor) and the Grand Council decided to join the Soleàn Irastre de et Escharii as a Grand Duchy with Yazov as the Duke. Under Escharia, the nation would recover the majority of its core territories, including New Dorasterrock, Auron's Peak & some additional territories in former Raykara. It would not be until the War in Ryzan that Bardonia would return to the world stage, using the war to found the Greater Syltor Empire and reclaim all of their lost mainland territories.

Fourth Empire
After Andorn & Ryzan rejoined the fold, Bardonia would enter a period of steady international progress, gradually improving their relations with their neighbours while the major nations around the world collapsed into civil war & insurrections. Internally, a major population dynamic shift would occur. As Bardonians were sent out to control Syltoren towns and keep them in the fold, they would become assimilated into local cultures. This resulted in Ryzan & Andorn vastly outpopulating their Bardonian overlords, with even other small minorities such as Avertico overshadowing Bardonia in population metrics. During this period, Bardonia would begin supporting Loyalist Uldarash & the Eldham Entente intervention in Uldarash. The Fourth Empire's geopolitical manoeuvring would come to a head with the Mithran-Dandelion War, where the Kingdom of Mithra would be overthrown by Kyydrosil, with the support of the Dandelion Coalition. The war was a quick affair, with Mithra being quickly replaced by the Helmian Federation, forever leaving a dent in Helmian-Bardonian relations. Shortly after this, however, the Empire would descend into turmoil, with the rising Blank Dandelion movement slowly building itself across the core realms.

Black Thursday & it's aftermath
Sudden a coup in Andorn would trigger the Black Dandelion to overthrow the central government, with Duke Azael, infected by the Chancellor's soul, assuming dictatorial control over the government. Initially expecting no resistance, the Black Dandelion was caught off guard when the Fifth Tsardom of Ryzan & other regions of the empire expressed their opposition to the coup. Crezyman would attempt a countercoup, only for yet another coup to cause the conflict to spill over, causing the complete collapse of the Fourth Empire. In the aftermath of the collapse, the Black Dandelion would attempt to persist, only to die down as a movement and be absorbed into new governments. Despite being a minor blip in Syltorean history, it left an impression in Syltorean politics for decades to come.

Great Age of Decline
Bardonia would attempt numerous forms of governance following the fall of the Fourth Empire. As New Dorasterrock once again seceded as a bastion of the Fourth Empire's remaining government, the government would once again attempt dictatorship before settling on feudalism. The Kingdom's government changed over the years, with many changes adjusting the way Bardonia functions, the functions of the way the system works varied from time to time. For most of its existence, a Bardonian Senate or an absolute monarchy ruled the country. Bardonia strived on the title of "Chancellor" so much so that it has even became one of the most prestigious positions in the country. It was run by a monarchy, but the seat of Emperorship is vacant, with the Chancellor being the highest position. The government of this iteration of Bardonia is described as a de facto military dictatorship, where the Dandelion Guard controlled the country, but stood as an absolute monarchy. The Northrosan Secession Crisis was when multiple secessionist movements rose up across Bardonia in response to government inefficiency under the feudal system. In response to the uprisings, Andreas Medici completely dissolved the country along internal boundaries. After this multiple former Bardonian officials came together to try to reform Bardonia under them, most notably Phillip Brewtaker & Crezyman with the Republic of Bardonia and the Bardonian Enclave respectively, and Crinky with The Kingdom of Dorasterrock. These 3 Contestants to the throne would unite most of Bardonia under each other in a matter of days. Even though outnumbered Crinky still proved to be a worthy match to the experienced diplomats, who had ruled many nations before this. In these first few days Crinky annexed Eastreach, Fluenta, House de Medici, Vanerrthya, The Legion & Visimer. It seemed like Crinky was coming out on top for a while until Virolia & Virothen joined the Bardonian Republic and the DVR and The USSE declared support for the Bardonian Republic intimidating Crinky and almost making him give up on his ambitions. Crinky, however, did not give up on his dreams and continued to pursue them, he doubled his military, and appointed numerous advisors to help him govern, not only this but he also tried gathering foreign support, yet this would prove to be unfruitful. What remained of the Bardonian warring states were quickly absorbed into the new Fifth Republic of Bardonia.

Fifth Empire and Soleannan Imperium
The Republic of Bardonia would be one of 4 regions of the Dandelion Empire, alongside the DVR, Oceanum & Eleanor. The following period was a rocky one, the newly formed Senate being inexperienced often came close to committing mistakes, but was stopped by the older and more experienced leaders of Bardonia. Later the Senate, after realizing their own inefficiency, voted to elect Phillip Brewtaker as Emperor, effectively ending the Fifth Republic of Bardonia and turning it into the Fifth Empire of Bardonia. After the unanimous vote of the Senators to form the Fifth Empire of Bardonia, Phillip Brewtaker took power and made crude reforms that forced people into working. A new internal map and lower government reforms have been made by Kyborg, Conquestor started building the backbones of a new road system, joint efforts toward the repopulation and revitalization of Bardonia has been taken. Grand Council and Grand Assembly members unfit for their jobs were fired by Philly and the Senate in an effort to maximise efficiency and lower the effect of internal bereaucracy.

Later on, Phillip Brewtaker alongside Yazov, decided to form the Imperium. The Fifth Empire of Bardonia enjoyed a period of stability before internal unrest would begin brewing as the population stagnated. Phillip Brewtaker's successor, Conquestor, was couped at his coronation by Andreas & Howertt Medici.

Neo-imperial era
After the seccession of Necrazel from the Imperium, it would begin its fast decline. While the growth rate of Escharia and Yimmu-Audal stagnated and fell, a "Bardonian renaissance" would be under way. With power back in the hands of the Bardonians the nation began to recover and rebuild. Dandelism would be re introduced, while many infrastructure projects would begin. Andreas & Howertt quickly consolidated power, and underwent a period of expansion into Nieden alongside Simulami, establishing the Realm of Escharia as a vassal state. Following this, Bardonia would begin the Second West March War, the longest war in Rathnir & Eldham history, as they attempted to conquer Aurlunor-Ryzan. Following the tie of the Bardonian military at the Siege of Tossagrad, the state would enter a series of leadership changes.

Leadership change
After the draw at the first battle and little morale management from leadership and high government, morale plummeted, but Bards continued on. Fingers were being pointed at current Autarch Howertt who hadn't assisted in any preparation besides handing out armor in a disorganized unprepared manner. Andreas, feeling the drop in morale stepped down from his position as Autarch, giving his seat to Yazov. Howertt made a private vote to make peace with Ryzan, according to him most of the high government wanted this. Howertt and Yazov asked for terms from Geo and signed the treaty before it was reviewed by anyone else. The terms specified that Bardonia pay 4 million currency and let Ryzan oversee Bardonia's government. This treaty was released publicly only after the Autarchs had signed, which enraged the higher government and citizens, they wanted peace, not surrender. As the citizens begged the Autarchs to reconsider, even going as far to write responses denying the treaty's legitimacy, Howertt threatened the Bardonians. "If you denounce the treaty, I walk" Howertt threatened. Instead of enforcing his choice, Howertt threatened to leave, which caused the Bardonians to push against Howertt. Yazov remained quiet on the matter besides stating that he didn't read the treaty and that Howertt asked him to sign it, so he did. Andreas, recognizing the mistake he had made, lead a coup which overthrew both Howertt and Yazov, he pulled Crezyman who had just returned to Bardonia into Howertt's seat while he reclaimed the one he gave to Yazov.

Second West March War
The UCS began their counteroffensive on October 23rd, with the first battle to take New Dorasterrock resulting in a hotly contested UCS victory, mainly thanks to the extra assistance of Velerin & Shirokaneza. However, before the second battle for the city, Bardonia announced that they would become a vassal of Velerin, resulting in them switching sides and fighting for Bardonia during the second battle. The second battle was declared a Bardonian victory, which was only won by one point. The decision was argued and contested, leading to stoneworks ownership intervention, recognizing Bardonias win. The 990 ACA Counteroffensive conducted by the UCS & its allies was declared a a mediocre success, and after the collapse of Velerin & the stepping down of Crezyman, some town owners who disliked Bardonia's trajectory at the time began to defect.

Republican secession in Bardonia
After a brief period of peace, Ryzan would go on to threaten New Dorasterrock with a third battle, Crezyman would decide to leave the city to a close ally who could handle the city while he stepped away from most of his public offices, that was also agreed upon with Ryzan, this player was Wrenbee. Shortly afterwards, Wren announced the secession of New Dorasterrock from the empire under the banner of the Republic of Bardonia, as a democratic force calling for reform & closer ties to the UCS. The central government declared the secession as an illegitimate puppet state of the UCS. Over the course of November & early December, more provinces would secede from Bardonia, including Port Solanaria. At this time, Coltmaere, Oxeya-Kazan & the Escharian Realm also departed from the empire, however through peaceful terms.

The UCS announced that following a proposition for peace on the 6th December 2022, they would be going after the capital of Bardonia ,Dorasterrock, and two other important eastern claims. the Bardonians would decline the peace offer, due to Geo demanding ownership of the Bardonians discord, which at the time and currently is the largest nation discord on Stoneworks. And as a result of the declined peace deal, Geo announced they would be attacking Dorasterrock, Prata & Lobopolis at the same time on the 12th December from Carthya, Tossagrad & Sanctuary. The involvement of Sanctuary as an attacking city brought the Horde into the fold, consisting of Vivonia, Lorent & Askonia (who was already supporting Bardonia), who declared support for Bardonia the same day. Despite initial success in the first battle, the subsequent two battle were incredible victories for Bardonia, with the first due to the overconfidence of the Phoenixian Imperium and the thought that Bardonia was on its ends. For the final battle, Bardonia returned with a vengeance and were able to defeat the UCS and gain control over two of Phoenixian Imperium cities Carthya and Tossagrad while the famous city of Sanctuary went to Vinovia. These victories were followed by the immediate reconstruction of Bardonian morale & its border integrity, as the Republican secessionists & other movements rejoined Bardonia over the span of a week, after the loss of confidence in the UCS caused by their military loss in Dorasterrock.

Postwar
Following the failed peace talks, the UCS would seek to continue the war. hoping to win a victory against Carthya from Slouttawa. However due to multiple large logistical failures, and the embarrassing loss at Dorasterrock, only a small number of UCS soldiers and mercenaries were able to attend the battle, and they were immediately met with failure and pushed out of Carthya, they were unable to deal with the overwhelming numbers of Bardonia and their allies, and were overcome. Peace talks were once again initiated after the battle, with the Bardonians pushing for the borders of the original Republic of Bardonia & then their expansions into Tossagrad. However, the UCS would decline Bardonias original peace treaty, which would later put Lhumar under threat of war due to the counter attack Bardonia had available. Emperor Shanks would decided to focus on the ryzani city of Slouttawa instead of Lhumar, and would offer a new peace treaty to the UCS in the meantime. While the following few days of talks are not public knowledge, the treaty was made public & the war ended in 1018 ACA, 42 years after it began, leading to the restoration of the Republic of Bardonia's borders and securing of Tonton and Orenia.

Following the end of the war, Bardonia would support a new government in Ryzan, helping rebuild the war-torn nation. Bardonia also asserted itself temporarily as a global power as part of the Horde and Syltor. However, following the resignation of Shanks Aelarion as Emperor, things would once again to start to go downhill for the Sixth Empire. With the collapse of the Horde & the rise of the Parahands Coalition against the Horde's former states, Bardonia would lose their capital city of Dorasterrock in yet another siege. During this time, New Dorasterrock seceded from the Empire once again as the Bardonian Soldiers' Republic, offering the Bardonian people the potential of peace & democratic freedom. Following this, they would lose their gains in the Second West March War to Parahands, who threatened to death war Bardonia. LeGoods took rulership of Bardonia after Shanks stepping down and would lead it to the best of his abilities, but due to personal reasons he would later step down. After the first battle of Bardonia city by Daelyria backed by Parahands, Emperor Cheese would step up as the new Emperor. Under the new rulership of Emperor Cheese, the Empire would continue to decline, losing more territory around former Auron's Peak & their vassals following the war against Daelyria. With the constant threat of coalitions and wars, Emperor Cheese decided to protect the rest of Bardonias citizens and Cities by ending the Sixth Empire of Bardonia, with a final sendoff speech. Bardonia would then be annexed into the Diarchy of Greater Plagos, dissolving along familial boundaries.

The BSR would continue to persist after the fall of the Sixth Empire, absorbing Hyria and passing new governmental reforms & building up alliance blocs. Following the fall of the Empire, many citizens fled from the countryside to the newer cities of Bardonia such as Virothen and Yuzhen, causing a new boost in population to the now annexed Empire of Bardonia.

Republican Unification
In mid-July, the conflict between the former Empire and the BSR flared up again, due to the former Empire being granted independence from Plagos in a punitive treaty which forbade them from calling themselves an empire and demanded the Cult of Nero be made the state religion. Following that treaty (and an aborted attempt to brand themselves as the "Second 3rd Empire"), the former Empire would be reorganized into the Second Kingdom of Bardonia, under the leadership of Emperor_Cheese. At the same time, the Bardonian Soldier's Republic underwent a significant expansion, absorbing the former territories of Dorasterrock, Fluenta, and Bardonia City from the short-lived 3rd Bardonian State. Though the Kingdom was protected by a war shield from Stoney, the Republic began meticulously preparing for a final war against the Kingdom. This war was averted however, due to the diplomatic efforts of Crezyman, who negotiated a merger under the compromise that in exchange for their loyalty their cities would be protected.

Though there were initial attempts at coups and revolutions, the Bardonian Soldier's Republic lasted relatively quietly through the next few months, though not without controversy. Among the more controversial decisions was the liberal application of bans on individuals deemed toxic, including many former Kingdom officials. A particularly controversial law was passed allowing (though not requiring) the government to ban people under the age of 16, in order to increase the overall age and maturity of the nation. This period was generally also noted for a decline in Bardonia's population, as the compromise merger had the effect of alienating people on both sides of the conflict, causing many to emigrate.

In early November, under the leadership of Capna, the former Kingdom officials who had either been exiled or emigrated made their return to Bardonia. They seized Dorasterrock through a successful diplomatic gambit on the part of their ally Mingal, and subsequently tried and failed to war New Dorasterrock, failing due to lack of equivalent claim to stake on the war. Following this much of the country declared for this new rebellion, which proclaimed itself the Seventh Empire, though it was derisively dubbed the 4th Coalition by the Bardonian Soldier's Republic.

The Final Months
Controversially, instead of pursuing further attacks on the weakened Republic, the Empire chose to pursue a policy of war against the United Crowns of Syltor, specifically with the aim of undoing the results of the earlier UCS-Askonia War which saw Goblin Town annexed into Ryzan. Though initially confident in victory, the Empire slowly floundered, and the war ended in their defeat, and the Ryzani annexation of an Empire town, Gronburg. As a backdrop to this, the Empire and Republic were in slow negotiations at this time for a Republican Capitulation to the Empire, though these never materialized due to the Empire's failure to prove their military dominance.

Critically, neither the UCS nor the Bardonian Soldier's Republic chose to follow up their success in the war at Goblin Town with further military action against the Empire, unwilling to risk their own valuable claims on such a war. As a result, the conflict settled into a period of cold stalemate, and focus was put on negotiations to reunify. Around this time, Capna stepped down as the leader of the Empire, and was replaced by Kronos Azurov. The main issue on the table was the name of such a union. Numerous proposals were floated to see Bardonia reunified, such as renaming to the Bardonian Imperial Republic or simply Bardonia, but for a variety of reasons the BSR was unwilling to abandon their name. As such, negotiations continuously went nowhere, and Rathnir officially ended on March 27 with the two states remaining disunited, and many outlying regions of Bardonia either being granted independence (in the cases of Hyria and Solanum), being annexed by other powers (in the case of Fluenta under Ultima). The small city of Trost also declared itself to be the legitimate government of Neo-Bardonia, and became a vassal of Evermore.

Bardonian Soldiers' Republic
The government of the Bardonian Soldiers' Republic was a provisional organization under martial law. It was separated into the military leadership, and political leadership which is further separated into the State Cabinet, and the Soldiers' Council.

President
The President of the Bardonian Soldiers' Republic was the head of state and primary international representative of the nation. They appointed the Chancellor following elections.

Chancellor
The Chancellor of the Bardonian Soldiers' Republic was the head of government and primary political leader. They formed and supervised the State Cabinet. They were necessary for the officialization of every law within Bardonia.

Grand Marshal
The Grand Marshal of the Bardonian Soldiers' Republic was the head of the national armed forces. They organized the State Tribunal, appointed Officers and Military Officials, and issued Military Decrees. They were appointed by the Chancellor and approved by the State Cabinet with a simple majority, and served indefinitely.

State Cabinet
The State Cabinet was the executive branch of government. Elections were held on the last day of every month, with the first day of the following month acting as the date of the new government being sworn in. Only parties were allowed to run for the elections, seats were given out in line with the d'Hondt method, then each party voted for a single Chancellor proportionally to the number of seats received. The Chancellor then gave out positions and appoints Cabinet Members to staff Ministries within the government.

Soldiers' Council
The Soldiers' Council was the legislative branch of government. It was a direct-democratic institution, made up of all actively serving soldiers and labourers in Bardonia. Membership for the Soldiers' Council was publicly confirmed every month, and included a stated reason for the contribution made to the state.

Seventh Empire of Bardonia
The government of the Seventh Empire of Bardonia was a more traditional system, with an Emperor ruling over the nation with near absolute authority, supported by a Grand Council and High Officials.

Emperor
 * Kronos Azurov

Empress


 * Lyra Nesryn-Evara

Grand Council

High Officials
 * Yuh Azurov
 * Kyborg
 * Nikolaks
 * Karka
 * Mobius
 * Sea Sheep


 * Barmy
 * Atomic
 * Prim

Previous Leader

 * Capna Azurov

Law
When stepping foot in nation of Bardonia, it is expected for all to abide to the Bardonian Law.

During the Third Republic, a national court would see to the trial of criminals as per the Bardonian Law. A judge would be appointed by the senate monthly to oversee all trials for that month.

During the First Empire, The Supreme Chancellor judged cases or hands picked a judge for the trial, if one is offered. The option of trial by combat is always viable, although The Supreme Chancellor decides the type of combat, the gear, the opponents(s), and the arena. If any character dies in a Bardonian trial by combat it counts as a character death.

During the Second Empire, a lawyer and fair trial was always offered although the Emperor was still the ultimate authority.

Culture
In Bardonia you may see masses of Dandelions gathered about in it's towns, Bardonians often collect any dandelion they come across and plants them in their towns or near their roads. The Dandelions are very important to Bardonia and are believed to represent something different to each Bardonian. Bardonians used to refer to themselves as a fishing nation pre-Golden War and made sure each city was stocked with stacks of fish. The Bardonian Empire changed this description and now describes themselves as "The greatest military nation in Rathnir". Bardonians are known to be easy going to their allies. The cultural heritage of Bardonia is seen in their combat finesse, perfecting the art of combat to a repetitive motion and a flexible mind. The Bardonians often perform combat skirmishes amongst each other in preparations of bigger wars. Among their battle preparations is the Bardonian Defense which they used against Uldarash in The Great Golden War where they focus on keeping attackers out and held back by natural blockades, berry bushes, and campfires while they pick them off with bows or flank attackers from behind.

Most Bardonians are known to have a natural lust towards fighting and war, even the builders or farmers can be entranced by Bardonian war culture and leave their cities to participate in a war or raid.

The cultural effects of Bardonian contribution to the arts is far-reaching. Even in music, Bardonians have spearheaded the Rathnir music scene with the release of the debut music disc by B.W.A., "Straight Outta The Peak", which caused international attention due to its salacious lyrics.

The Chancellor introduced The Bardonian Cha Cha Slide during the 1st Empire, he sang the movements and the Bardonians followed. The Bardonian Cha Cha Slide represents Bardonia's trust in their leader and their coordination with each other, on the dance floor and on the battlefield.

The Bardonian National Anthem was created by OneSonOfLoki on the 22nd of January 2021.

Book and Quil Day
On the 3rd of every month Bardonians are requested to write a book with a minimum of 10 pages. A single writable book is usually provided by government figures if requested. If a Bardonian is caught on this day without a book and quil in their inventory, they will be laughed at and called PvP brain by other Bardonians. Near the end of the day the Emperor will read through the books and pick their favorite, who will normally receive an award.

Reunification Day
On the 7th of every month Bardonians celebrate Reunification Day, also called Lesser Reunification Day. The holiday commemorates the unification of the 6th Bardonian Republic and the 3rd Bardonian State, which took place on the 7th of July 2023, it was created following a remark made by FroyoBotJones.

Beef Wellington Day
On the 14th of every month the Bardonians can't consume anything except bread and steak, this includes alcohol and potions. They will play mind games with each other on this day including the cultural knee breaking game of 6D Chess Kneesweeper.

Dandelion Day
On the 26th of every month Bardonians visit a Dandelion shrine or temple, then proceed to place 20 or more dandelions near said shrine. This is important as it's said on this day the dandelion's abilities to amplify are doubled. If this isn't done, it's said to bring bad luck to the Bardonian and their town/city.

Dandelion Festival
On a randomly selected day the Emperor chooses, usually before a great war or during a great period of peace, a Dandelion Festival will be held. The Dandelion Festival usually starts with a feast, then somewhere in the middle is the Bardonian Drunken Fight Pit, and it ends off with the Bardonian Cha Cha Slide which is sang by the Emperor themselves.

Executions
All executions committed under the Republic of Bardonia

Carpicious
Carpicious was the first person to be executed by Bardonia, she was executed for crimes against the Trillium and for leading the Coalition forces that fought the Trillium in The Great Rathnir War.

Ezexus
Ezexus the Prodigy was the first senator to be executed by Bardonia. The 3rd Republic Senate and President executed him for the actions of the 2nd Republic's attempt on World Conquest. He was executed on 01/20/2021 on the grounds of New Dorasterrock.

Dex Og
Dex Og was executed for multiple mass murders and killing sprees, and was previously one of the most notorious terrorists on the server. He was executed on January 16th, 2021, in New Dorasterrock as the final event of the Dandelion Festival.

Great Golden War
Bardonia was the defenders of Bardonia City against the attacking armies of The Empire of Uldarash. Bardonia claimed a crushing victory and used the victory to assert themselves on the world stage. Many say The Great Golden War was one of the best wars that have been fought in Rathnir.

Battle of The Last Bastion
Bardonia on behalf of the Trillium declared war against The Last Bastion which was being inhabited by bandits in an attempt to recover it for Yimmu-Audal and hopes to decrease bandit population. The bastion was destroyed by the bandits and although Bardonia won the battle with a decisive victory, they suffered some loss to their armories and Ezexus's personal vault which was looted using glitch exploits by TheRealJay2.

Bardonian-Rextopian Wars
Bardonia declared war and wiped out Rextopia due to their overwhelming levels of toxicity.

Coalition War
Bardonia fought on behalf of the Trillium during the coalition war. All 5 senators of The Bardonian 2nd Republic lead the Trillium troops in this first world war. Ezexus, and BacktotheHub lead the attacking party, while Unic0rnb0i, Moyye, and Tzseu lead the defending party. The Trillium proved they were stronger than a united Rathnir when they struck the last blow to the Coalition and gained the land of Yimmu-Audal.

Battle of Bardonian Fort Lee
On April 18th 5 bandits known as the Ferrymen raided New Dorasterrock killing a few and managing to escape with some gear stolen and camped outside the walls, later a group of 6 Bardonian soldiers gathered on the walls and prepared for a counter attack. The troops jumped down after Crezyman and Mobius charged down to give chase to the Ferrymen. The fighting began at the construction zone for Bardonian Fort Lee where fighting was intense with cobwebs being placed all over by the Ferrymen to slow down the Bardonian charge, although the Bardonians lost 4 of their 6 troops they managed to force the Ferrymen into retreat and killed 3 of the 5 and managing to retrieve a large portion of their gear. But sadly this was only going to be a skirmish compared to what was about to happen next.

First Battle of Istanboulder
In retaliation the member states of the Anti Bandit League rallied their forces as they prepared for battle against the Ferrymen. In the first attack/raid on the Ferrymen base at the ruins of Istandboulder. In this battle multiple Sewer Mafia members and several Niedene Spirits lead a raid on the Ferrymen tower at Istanboulder using only stone axes and wielding no armor except the skin of Greentomato in honour of him. Although all of the attackers were quickly defeated and killed many Ferrymen reported to have died or have weakened armor. Soon after the first engagement, words of an upcoming war declaration from The Ferrymen on Bardonia spread quickly. As a response to the hearsay, choochie15, a citizen of Vraelea, was requested to claim a Dalatra's Ring around The Ferrymen's tower by Mobius, the leader of The Anti-Bandit League and Grand Lieutenant of Bardonia, and Chancellor Uni. The funds were sent from the Bardonian treasury and not long after, a claimed ring encircled The Ferrymen and their tower. Thanks to the distraction caused by the Sewer Mafia and attention to building on their own land, the Ferrymen did not notice this. Before Bardonia could accept or create a war request of their own, a lands war was declared out of nowhere by ViewedMarquis, Theios-Essukdal's Grand Bashar, with the land of Jirn. This influenced a meeting that was being hosted by Uni at the time to switch from a talk of tactics to a rallying call of war. Nations agreed to unite under a single banner for this next upcoming battle which would decide Rathnir's future. In response to this, the Ferrymen began to prepare for the upcoming battle. An advertisement was placed calling for enlistment into their ranks, offering looted gear to those who joined. Their ranks more than doubled on the eve of the battle. A wall and other defensive structures were added around their original tower.

Second Battle of Istanboulder
On 4/20, at 7:53 EST, the battle of Istanboulder commenced. The Coalition of Bardonia, TE, Uldarash, Viodoxa, Aurlûnor, and many more, gathered in a small stonebrick fort to the southeast of the Ferrymen fort, a large structure of netherrack and wood. Unic0rnb0i organized the fighters into 4 groups of 5-10 people each, as it was noticed from the Ferrymen's youtube that they'd often lure people into groups of 4-5. The Ferrymen brought more players from wherever they come from to assist in the defense. When the war started, the coalition waited for about 30 minutes before attacking. Many Ferrymen sat between their fort and the coalition outpost, one with a large herd of angry dogs. The coalition eventually attacked out, they encircled the fort, and many minor skirmishes occurred. The first large exchange happened in front of the front gate of the fort, which was left open by the Ferrymen, but the attackers never forced their way inside, and the Ferrymen placed blocks in front of the gates to block their way. They broke off more. The longest chase of the battle happened with The60th, who was chased by many soldiers until he was cornered in a river and killed. The coalition sustained many more deaths at the hands of the smaller force of Ferrymen. There was significant fighting in the forest to the north, northeast, and to the south. The battle was won by the Ferrymen who drove back the Coalition. But sadly Unic0rnb0i who was the leader of Bardonia perished as the Ferrymen chased him down and killed him.

Flight from Bardonia
After the dramatic sequence of events at Istanboulder and the battle against the Ferrymen the Bardonian troops returned home grieving for the loss of their chancellor. The former president Jacw becomes the new chancellor and declares Bardonia no longer a Empire but instead a coalition of multiple provinces and city states, he abdicates afterwards for Uni's son Elevenmantis become the new chancellor of Bardonia. But 5 minutes after Eleven's coronation a swift coup d'etat by Mobius that kills Eleven and he is crowned Emperor of Bardonia instead. Soon many cities and provinces including Auron's peak and its surrounding areas, New Dorasterrock and it's province, Helian kingdom and many colonies declare independence from the weakened Bardonia. The long-disputed northern peninsula and its environs on which Volkersts from the Sterling Crownlands had settled (colloquially known as Greater Volkyria), however, remained loyal to the heir of Chancellor Uni even after his death; viewing his as the legitimate Bardonian government.

Many believed at the time that April 20th, 2021 was Bardonia's last day as a true empire although they have now been proved otherwise.

Rebirth
After the flight from Bardonia, many provinces such as Andorn, New Dorasterrock and other former territories eventually return to Bardonia. This sudden return allows Bardonia to function again properly. With Mobius being crowned Emperor, the power vacuum that was once there had been put out. The Emperor brought stability in a time where it was much needed. On the upside, towns would begin to flourish as new citizens had joined. However, as part of his "Bardonia First" initiative, Emperor Mobius ruthlessly persecuted the Greater Volkyrian settlers from Volkhaven to Arlynsburg, forcing their now-once-again unrecognized nation to capitulate and prompting some refugees to embark to found the nation of Illystra in Eldham. The "baptism of fire" they faced during this Bardonian Inquisition would leave a heavy mark on the Volkersts' ethnic consciousness, and they would never forget the wrath of the "False Emperor". That said, after the ban of 36 Ferrymen members there was relative peace in Bardonia.