Phagosian Fortress Incident

The Phagosian Fortress incident was a diplomatic standoff between The Huitca and Escharien over the boundaries of their border on Ocotlan (Phagos) and the placement of military encampments on Tlahatl land. The incident took place between November 30 and December 2, 2020. At the height of the tensions, there was fear of a war breaking out between Escharien and the VAWR, with both sides preparing for the possibility. This came to an end on December 2, when Escharien agreed to honor Tlahatl's borders in exchange for minor concessions.

Origins
On November 27, 2020, the Huitca Federation laid claim to the island of Ocotlan (excluding regions claimed by Escharien). Three days later Jane the Bane circumnavigates the island, discovering three Escharien forts built by Moonman, the owner of the Escharien colony of Fernheim (Westphalz, Nordphalz, and Ostphalz). No one in the Huitca government had ever been informed of or was otherwise aware that there were military encampments on their territory. To this day, no one in Escharien has commented on when or why these were created.

First Settlement
The first settlement was reached when the Tlatoani and Moonman agreed to a compromise. In it, Escharien agreed to hand over the fortresses of Westphalz and Nordphalz, as well as a promise to destroy the previously unknown Phalz Zentrum.

The point of contention was the fortress of Ostphalz. Because it was so close to Fernheim, Escharien claimed that it was nesecarry for the the defense of the Fernheim colony. As a result, it was unwilling to give up the fort. However, it was willing to jointly control the section of the forest around Ostphalz, so as to not control any new territory. The Tlatoani, not wanting to start a conflict, accepted these conditions.

Rising Tensions
This peace would fall apart within a matter of hours. Later that day, Essendor of Carvay found a discussion in the Silver Coalition discord in which Kaiser Siegfried floats the idea of annexing all of Ocotlan. He demonstrated little knowledge of the issues at hand, but only cared that his colony felt slighted by the deal. This can be seen by his proposal to rename the island in his honor, a move that would be purely for his vanity.

This was treated by the government of the Huitca and its allies as a threat. Mere minutes after the screenshot were made public, Empress Dalatra made a public announcement that she would defend the Huitca in the event of a war. This was reiterated by the various leaders of the VAWR, who each emphasized the importance of their defensive alliance. The most notable instance of this was Essendor giving a speech to the citizens of Carvay in which he tells them to begin preparing for war by mining for diamonds and training in PvP exercises. With Yimmu-Audal, the VAWR, and the Trillium Alliace butting heads, there was a risk that any conflict would erupt into a world war.

Fearing that agents from Ferhneim might try to infiltrate the interior of Ocotlan and take up defensive positions in the various fortresses around the island, the Huitca set out to build a wall along the border with Fermheim. This became known as The Forest Wall, since it was built along the line where the forest ends and the Fernian plains begin. Begun by the Tlatoani, the bulk of the length of it was built by Jane the Bane and RedFireRex. The wall would cover about two thirds of the border before being left unfinnished due to time constraints.

Final Settlement
The raising of the wall brought Siegfried and the Tlatoani back to the table over what Siegfried felt was an affront to his nation's honor. Hoping to end the tensions, they negotiated a deal in the morning of December 2, 2020.

The deal was as follows:


 * 1) Escharien would recognize Huitca claims on Ocotlan as listed on Novermber 27, 2020.
 * 2) Escharien would hand over all forresses on the island, and allow the Huitca to decorate them as they please.
 * 3) Fernhiem would have the right to destroy The Forest Wall along its border.
 * 4) Fernheim would be able to log for lumber within the forests of Ocotlan
 * 5) The Huitca Federation would recognize the fortresses on the island as cultural heritage sites, and not destroy them.