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The Traveller Campaign - Firearms (463k spreadsheet) - System Search Campaign Log
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Imperial Library Search Results
Number of like terms found for War: 19 Aslan Border Wars (-1118 to 380) A series of conflicts between various Aslan clans and human systems as the Aslan expanded toward already settled human territory. The Aslan achieved jump drive late(-1999) and proceeded to expand into available territory in their region of space. Contacts along their trailing border necessarily resulted in friction with the human systems in that region. Because the Long Night was already well under way by the time the Aslan encountered humans, there was no central human government to resist Aslan attacks. Since there was no united Aslan authority either, the sides were fairly matched, and numerous small wars erupted between Aslan clans and human splinter states, with alliances between the various powers constantly forming and dissolving. The border between human and Aslan space remained relatively constant, with a few systems changing hands after each war. At this time some clans also launched raids into the interior of the former Imperial domains, where they conquered and settled worlds as much as 40 parsecs beyond the border. Once the Third Imperium expanded into the region(circa 200), its superior organisation and technology gradually put an end to the Aslan threat. The final treaties, known as the Peace of Ftahalr, were negotiated with all the major clans. They established a buffer zone about 30 parsecs wide between the Imperial border and the region of Aslan control. There has been no war since then(380), although the Solomani have violated portions of the zone and incorporated it into their boundaries. See also Aslan Hierate.Bad War/Good War See Good War/Bad War. Civil War (606 to 622) Fought between various factions within the Imperium for control of the bureacracy. It had its origin in the strain on communications within the Imperium caused by the long time lags dictated by the very size of the Imperium. To cite one cause, however, would be simplistic. The diverse backgrounds of the many constituents of the Imperium had its effects, as did rivalry for power by major naval and military commanders and a lessening in the Imperium's expansionist tendancies. The spark which started the Civil War came from the First Frontier War (589 to 604) in the Spinward Marches. Communication lags and a lack of preparedness forced the Marches to conduct most of the war on its own with| little additional help or support from the Imperium. Grand Admiral of the Marches Olav hault-Plankwell forced the war to an end and found solid support for a new government. Marching on Capital with his war fleet, he forced an audience with Empress Jacqueline I, supposedly for recognition of his war effort. In the course of the meeting he personally murdered the Empress, and then proclaimed himself Emperor by right of fleet control. The ensuing power struggle lasted through 18 years and 17 emperors. The fighting in the Civil War was of two varieties: fringe battles for power bases, and central battles for power in the Core. The fringe battles were fought throughout the Imperium as rival factions recruited forces. Once any power block built up enough strength to make victory seem possible, the forces were moved to the Core and used to either seize power or to wrest it away from someone else. But there was also a cheaper, easier route open to many. The dynastic crisis of 244 had produced a precedent for assassination of the emperor if he or she overstepped the bounds of legitimate activity. The concept was introduced to legitimise the elimination of Cleon the Mad and was never intended for any other purpose. Nevertheless, in the turmoil of the Civil War, assassination was introduced and accepted, at least by those utilising the technique, as a way of promoting a succession in government. The line of Emperors during the Civil War came mostly from naval officers, and they are collectively called the Emperors of the Flag. Of these seventeen seven were assassinated and ten were killed in battle; the line was ended by the person sometimes considered the eighteenth Emperor of the Flag - Arbellatra. During the course of the Civil War, the Outworld Coalition (of Zhodani and Vargr) saw that their defeat in the First Frontier War at the hands of Olav need not be permenant. They attacked again in the Second Frontier War (615 to 620). Their defeat in that war had greater effects than they would know. Grand Admiral Arbellatra Alkhalikoi managed the meager forces of the Spinward Marches against the Coalition and forced a second defeat. Arbellatra's strategy after the war was (like Olav) to march on Capital and seize power. She, however, did not make the mistake of seizing the throne. Instead, she defeated the putative emperor and then took possession of power, holding it in trust for a rightful successor. She held the post of regent for seven years while a search for a member of Jacqueline's family could be found to take the throne. In the stability that followed with her as regent, she made an impression on the Moot and succeeded in establishing a broad power base. Ultimately, the Moot approached her to take the throne herself, an end which was probably in her mind all along. With the end of the Civil War, the Imperium entered a period of renewed expansion and consolidation. The express boat system was established to enhance government, commercial, and private communications; the Solomani influence in the Imperium was lessened and replaced with a more cosmopolitan policy; renewed efforts at interior development of existing Imperial territories provided a new focus for the nobles of the Moot. See also First Frontier War, Outworld Coalition, Second Frontier War.Digest Touring Award Outstanding journalism award offered every seven years by the Travellers Digest magazine (a popular magazine with a wide circulation in the spinward sectors of the Imperium, available on either plastic vellum or electronic media). The recipient, who must be a professional journalist living and working "behind the claw", is given honorary membership in the Travellers' Aid Society. (worth one million credits); he or she is then expected to travel through the region during the tenure of the award and to submit a feature article once every thirteen weeks. The intent of the Digest is to "promote understanding of cultural diversity within the Imperium". The most recent winner of the award, in 1100 is Akidda Laagiir an editor of the Mora World Review on Mora (Spinward Marches/Mora 0704 AA99AC7-F). False War See Fourth Frontier War. First Frontier War (589 to 604) The first of the border clashes between the Imperium and the Zhodani, which sparked the beginning of a continuing antipathy between the two major lines of humaniti. With the conclusion of the war, Olav hault-Plankwell returned to the Imperial core with his war fleet and took the reins of government, dispatching Empress Jacqueline and thus starting the Civil War and the reign of the Barracks Emperors. First Interstellar War (-2408 to -2400) The first military engagement between the Vilani of the First Imperium, and the Solomani of the Terran Confederation. This began an on-again, off- again series of wars between these two major human races, which ended in the defeat of the First Imperium and the beginning of the ascendance of the Solomani. See also Nth Interstellar War.Fourth Frontier War (1082 to 1084) Also known as the False War. Short inconclusive war fought primarily in the Jewell subsector (Spinward Marches sector) between the Imperium and the Zhodani Consulate. The war began with initial assaults by the Zhodani against Jewell and Regina subsectors stalled at the borders. Its final battle the Battle of Two Suns, 1084, was waged in the vicinity of Yres and Menorb and resulted in Imperial victory. The armistice was signed before instructions for the conduct of the war were received from Capital. Good War/Bad War The terms "good war" and "bad war" are expressions used by mercenary soldiers to differentiate between small-scale actions, not involving Imperial forces, and large scale conflicts involving Imperial forces, including wars between the Imperium and other states. Small scale actions are viewed as good because generally the Imperial rules of war are observed, preventing, among other things, the use of nuclear weapons. Good wars are usually short and not particulary bloody. A unit in a tight spot need merely surrender and activate its repatriation bonds to be removed from combatant status. Even antiguerilla actions are good, under this classification, because of the fact that although most guerillas usually observe no restraint with captured government forces, captured mercenaries can usually be ransomed to serve as a source of income. A war is bad when no such controls are in effect, and a mercenary unit will be subject to the full horrors of war. Mercenary units are understandably reluctant to accept bad war contracts, but they may be forced into them, especially when near the border areas. Imperial Rules of War To mitigate most of the potentially disastrous aspects of armed conflict, the "rules of war" evolved as an accumulation of unwritten concepts, which were established on a case-by-case basis. The rules of war have never been officially codified, both to prevent them being seen as an Imperial endorsement of war and to keep formal precedent from preventing Imperial intervention whenever the Imperium deemed it necessary. The main aim of the rules is maintaining the economic and military well-being of the realm. They give the Imperium the right to intervene only when local military action threatened this well-being. The primary causes of instability, as viewed by Imperial analysts, have been long-term economic dislocation and excessive extraplanetary influence. A) long-term social or economic dislocation is suffered when a region loses its ability to carry on at its prewar level of activity. B) Excessive extraplanetary influence is even more vague. Historically, the Imperium has tolerated the use of force as a necessary outlet for built-up political and social pressures. In such cases, a short war is deemed preferable to continuing tension, sabotage, political agitation, etc. However, attempts by extraplanetary forces, such as offworld governments or large commercial interests, to seize control of a world's affairs are beyond the scope of the "safety valve" rationale. Assistance is tolerated so long as it is deemed appropriate to the level of legitimate interest in the affairs of the world held by the extraplanetary organization. For example, the Imperium has often tolerated the provision by megacorporations of providing training cadre, arms equipment, etc. on a limited scale, and even of training fully equipped striker units to local governments. However, when it appeared that the primary burden for the conduct of the war has been carried by an extraplanetary power, the Imperium has intervened, claiming the power is using the misfortune of a local dispute as a pretext for aggression. Unlike the above rules, one prohibition is clear and firm throughout the Imperium: the use or possession of nuclear weapons of any type. Imperial Warrant Instrument of power issued by the Emperor, or Imperial Dukes and Archdukes (to lesser extent). A warrant is a written or electronic document on Imperial stationary provided to trusted agents of the Imperium as a method of bypassing the bureaucracy. Typically, a warrant is provided to an individual who uses the power it provides to accomplish some mission of interest to the issuing official. Missions may include establishment of colonies in areas requiring development, the assumption of military command in the midst of a crisis, and the unilateral establishment of new noble lines to administer provinces which have suffered from war or economic collapse. For example, Emperor Strephon sometimes exercises his power through agents rather than directly through the bureaucracy of the Imperium. These instances are rare, although there is reason to believe that such agents are more numerous than it appears. See also Imperial Edict 97.Julian War (175 to 191) A war initiated by the Imperium, under Emperor Martin I, to annex the sectors of Meshan, Mendan, and Amdukan. After nine years of negotiation and diplomatic manoeuvering with the many confederations of the area (each a member of a larger confederation), Martin mobilized the Imperial Navy against these states. In the first three years of the war, Imperial fleets pushed deep into ,lendan sector, capturing the capital world of Lasla and several important industrial worlds. In178, however, a minor bureaucrat in the government of the capital of a confederation in Amdukan sector had risen to power there and gathered around himself an alliance of neighboring confederations. This bureaucrat then proposed a defensive confederation encompassing all three sectors under attack. This state, the Julian Protectorate (named for its founder), fought sporadic battles, doing its best to push back the Imperial fleets. Then, in 185, concentrated Protectorate fleets crossed the Lesser Rift in an end run against Antares, and with deep raids against the Imperial Depots in Antares and Ley sectors. With two local depots destroyed, the Imperium withdrew its fleets to protect its internal communication lines. The Protectorate fleets then concentrated on the Antares cluster, a lightly defended group of worlds, which fell easily to their advances. Using these worlds as a base, the forces of the Protectorate carried the war into the Imperium. In 190 the Imperium lost several battles in attempting to retake the Antares cluster, and Martin I became convinced that the Protectorate could not be pressed into the Imperium, and gave up the fight. However, the war did not end there, as the Protectorate insisted on keeping a hand in the Antares cluster. The peace treaty included the establishment of the League of Antares as a compromise, ending the war in 191 on the Protectorate's terms. Nth Interstellar War Any one of an indeterminate number of inter stellar wars fought between the Terran Confederation and the First Imperium during the Period -2408 and -2219. The First Interstellar War (-2408 to -2400) marked the initial clash between Terra and Vland. The peace that concluded the hostilities was both uneasy and short. The second through seventh wars were marked by seesaw exchanges of territory, mostly confined to the Dingir and Sol subsectors. These initial wars were fought, on the Vilani side, with only the forces available to the Vilani provincial governor; central government was preoccupied with other problems. This was fortunate for the Terrans, as Vilani power, even at this late date, was sufficient to crush the Terrans in short order had it been applied. The Eighth War finally broke open the frontier and ended in the first major Terran victory. Finally, the Grand Imperium took notice, and dispatched major fleet elements to the area, but the time for action had passed. Terran invention of the jump-3 drive made the Ninth War a crushing victory for Terra and forced the Vilani to relinquish most of the Solomani Rim. Thereafter, the Terrans were almost constantly on the offensive. In the centuries after the conclusion of the wars, no consensus could be reached in the academic community as to when the later conflicts began or ended; all were interrupted several times by armistices, cease fires, or shaky periods of peace (indeed, a new war would often break out along the front lines before the existence of a peace treaty could be communicated to the respective capitals). Periods of warfare are lumped together or split apart depending on the historian's individual point of view, and a single war to one historian can be identified as two or more wars by others. The situation is complicated by the fact that for some of the years in question are sketchy. To clarify matters, an accommodation was arrived at which simply labels all interstellar wars after the Ninth with the indeterminate N. Proper usage calls for the war to be defined with the actual years being discussed. Many history texts use this system to refer to all the wars except the first. The Nth Interstellar War (-2235 to -2219) ended the series when the Vilani Grand Imperium collapsed, as much from its own weight, age, and decadence as from Terran victories. The terrans moved quickly to occupy the remaining Vilani territory. See also Rule of Man.Second Frontier War (615-620) Fought between the Outworld Coalition and the Imperium during the period of the Barracks Emperors. Arbellatra (b. 587, d. 666) was named Grand-Admiral of the Marches and led the combined local and Imperial forces to defeat the Coalition, and thenproceeded to restablish the central Imperial authority. She was named Regent in 622 as a result, and Empress in 629. Solomani Rim War (990 to 1002) War between the Third Imperium and the Solomani Confederation during which a large portion of the Solomani Rim sector was returned to Imperial control. Hoping to profit from Imperial preoccupation with the Third Frontier War and the disorganisation which followed upon the abdication of Styryx in 989, the Solomani reasserted their control over the complete Solomani Sphere, including those portions reabsorbed into the Imperium (see Solomani Autonomous Region). The Imperium declared war in 990. The initial phase of the war went very well for the Solomani. Although the Imperium maintained sizeable fleets along the border, they were inferior in strength to the massed naval elements of the Solomani Confederation. In most areas, the Solomani regained the border worlds lost to the Imperium in the last half century and even occupied a number of worlds that had never been part of the Solomani Sphere. However, Solomani fortunes were checked in 993 when a large invasion force attempted to regain the worlds in the Old Expanses sector; it encountered near-fanatical resistance and was repulsed with heavy losses. The period from 993 to 998 was one of stalemate. The Solomani abandoned their plans for further expansion in order to rebuild their forces. However, their policy of inflexibly defending every border world was a constant drain on their resources, and the Solomani were not able to regain the initiative. By 998, the Imperial Navy had achieved strategic dominance as the greater industrial base of the Imperium made its power felt. The last phase of the war, 998 to 1002, consisted of a near continual advance by Imperial forces into the heart of the Solomani Sphere. The basic Imperial strategy was to attack along two parallel axes of advance, with lesser task forces spreading out to create a huge pocket of Solomani territory. Although the Solomani occasionally achieved a tactical success against a task force (such as in the Battle of Kagukhasaggan in early 1002), they were unable to halt the main advances. With the liberation of the Vegan district in 1001, the Imperium gained the secure base envisioned in the reign of Styryx. The loss of the Vegan district prompted the Solomani to embark on a desperate gamble. Recalling the time when the out numbered Terran Confederation was able to defeat the Vilani Imperium, the Solomani consolidated their remaining naval forces into a single fleet and struck at the Imperial fleet that was advancing out of the Vegan district. At the Battle of Dingir, in early 1002, the Solomani Grand Fleet was scattered and substantially destroyed. The remnants of the Solomani fleet fell back deeper into the Sphere and the Imperial forces firmly established themselves in Terra's own subsector. The Imperial high command decided that Terra would have to be invaded in order to end forever all claims of Solomani superiority and thus the use of Terra as a rallying standard elsewhere in the Sphere. In order to invade Terra, a sizeable fraction of the Imperial forces in the Solomani Sphere were assembled into an assault force, which effectively ended the pursuit of the defeated Solomani fleet. The invasion began in the second quarter of 1002, and the hard fought campaign lasted until nearly the end of the year. In the end, the Imperium conquered the planet. However, the battle for Terra had consumed so much of the Imperial military's resources that the Imperial high command felt they lacked sufficient strength to resume their advance into the rest of the Solomani Sphere. Accordingly, they negotiated a temporary armistice with the Solomani military commanders, who were glad to gain a respite to regroup their remaining forces. The war ended on this basis as both the Imperial and Solomani civilian government Although scholars have debated the wisdom of invading Terra, some claim that the battle was a marginal if not a pyrrhic victory for the Imperium. The general consensus has been that the war as a whole was a victory for the Imperium. A substantial amount of the Solomani Sphere was reabsorbed by the Imperium, and a vigorous Vegan Autonomous District was set up to oversee Imperial interests along the new border. Spinward Main A grouping of systems in the Spinward Marches sector, each within jump-1 of another. This grouping forms a corridor that allows jump-1 capable ships to travel to fifteen of the sixteen Spinward Marches subsectors and to 223 of the sector's 437 worlds. Spinward Marches The Imperium's farthest frontier sector, containing 437 star systems divided along a coreward to rimward line by the Imperial border. The region is dominated by two major powers: the Imperial Spinward Marches sector and the frontier provinces of the Zhodani Consulate. In the independent territory between the two powers lie three small states: the Federation of Arden, the Sword Worlds Confederation, and the Darrian Confederation. Each follows its own diplomatic line designed to maintain independence from both the Zhodani and the Imperium. The Spinward Marches has been settled since the 400s and is still a frontier sector. High-tech worlds are scattered among empty, fallow worlds; there is potential for exploration, exploitation, and development for centuries to come. Third Frontier War (979 to 986) The long period of uneasy peace between the Imperium and the Zhodani Consulate erupted into war in 979 with simultaneous blows by the Zhodani in the Querion and Jewell subsectors. Imperial reaction was deficient, and the hostilities continued for nearly six years with little to show for it. The armistice finally signed in 986 gave each side little, and it brought about the abdication of Emperor Styryx in 989. Third Imperium (0 to present): Also called The Imperium. Founded in 0 by Cleon Zhunastu from the Sylean Federation in what is now Core sector. The Imperium grew swiftly during the pacification campaigns and more slowly thereafter until stability was reached in the 600's, by which time the Imperium had absorbed much of the territory of the First and Second Imperiums. Government Structure: The Imperium can best be thought of as a form of feudal confederation. Member worlds of the Imperium agree to pay taxes and obey a few fundamental laws which the Imperium promulgates, known as the High Laws. In return, the Imperium agrees to patrol the space between the worlds, to protect interstellar trade, to encourage travel and commerce, and to arbitrate diplomatic relations between worlds. Beyond this, individual worlds are left to their own devices so long as they acknowledge the power of the Imperium to rule the space between the stars. Imperial power is present on the member worlds in the form of consulates, bureaucratic offices, and bases. Sometimes, larger enclaves of Imperial power are placed where they can enhance the Emperor's strength. The Imperium's territory is divided into sectors, which are in turn divided into subsectors and systems. Groups of sectors, called domains, have been created above the sector level. During the Pacification Campaigns, Emperor Artemsus divided chartered space into six regions, labeled them domains, and appointed an archduke over each of them. To each archduke, he assigned the continuing pacification of the domain's many systems and their integration into the Imperium. The domains were: Sylea (Core, Fornast, lassila, Delphi), Vland (Corridor, Vland, Gushemege, Dagudashag), Gateway (Ley, Glimmerdrift Reaches, Gateway, Crucis Margin), Ilelish (Ilelish, Zarushagar, Reaver's Deep, Daibei), Antares (Lishun, Antares, Mendan, Amdukan), and Sol (Diaspora, Old Expanses, Solomani Rim, Alpha Crucis). Most of the domains were never totally absorbed into the Imperium. In 589, during the First Frontier War, a seventh domain was established: Deneb (Spinward Marches, Deneb, Trojan Reach, Reft). The intent was to appoint an archduke to be responsible for their supervision. However, the Civil War broke out before an archduke was appointed. Following the civil war, the emperors expressed concern about individuals with powers equaling their own, so they moved to lessen the power of the archdukes in the Imperial government. Because of this, no Archduke of Deneb was ever appointed. As a result, the domains came to have little practical significance. Each archduke did retain the power to create knights and baronets. In the years after the Fourth Frontier War, and the problems it presented from lags in communication, Emperor Strephon felt that a strengthened archduke position could enable the Imperium to more quickly respond in the defense of the realm. Against the protests and opposition of prominent members of the Moot, Strephon has reinstituted a number of powers to the domains, most notably the right to collect taxes. War Major violent conflict between nations, corporations, or races. See also Good War/Bad War, Imperial Rules of War. |