Riverlands Rebellion

The Riverlands Rebellion, otherwise known as the first World War, was a global war fought between the Prime Alliance, consisting originally of the Earth Kingdom, Thunder Empire, and Water Dominion, and the Great Alliance, consisting mainly of the Fire Nation, Air Nation, and Riverlands. It lasted from 30 January 592 AG to 10 September 595 AG and resulted in millions of casualties, as well as the near collapse of several of the involved nations. It was one of the deadliest conflicts known to mankind and history, and resulted in the destruction of the world's economy as well as a loss of 15% of the entire world population - wiping out an entire generation to come.

It was a conflict which saw the main participants as the Prime Alliance and Great Alliance. The Prime Alliance, formed just before the outbreak of the war, was made up of the Earth Kingdom, Water Dominion, and Thunder Empire. It was created when the Fire Nation, beneath Fire Lord Arkan, forged an alliance with the Foggy Swamp Tribe (587 AG) in an attempt to allow the small, surrounded nation to claim nearby territory, ending ultimately in failure. The ulterior motives pointed to the Riverlands, an economically rich and massive area of the Earth Kingdom, obtaining an opportunity to rebel, but as this did not occur, the Fire Nation never set this plan into motion. Afterward, the Earth Kingdom and Thunder Empire created a pact: if the Fire Nation were ever to attack again, the imperials would help wage war and defend the Earth Kingdom to the bitter end. The Water Dominion, fearful of the Fire Nation, also joined this pact. When the war began, Union Hold donned its support to the Prime Alliance and beckoned the United Republic of Nations to do the same. The final members of the confederation, the Lava Realm, Spirit Realm, and Storm Realm, after some heavy negotiations, joined early into the first year of the war, completing the league.

On the other hand, the Great Alliance was only formed after the war had begun, and consisted of the Fire Nation, Riverlands, and Air Nation. For years prior to the dawn of the conflict, the Fire Nation had been planning to assist the Riverlands militarily in their rebellion against the Earth Kingdom. The ambitious and idealistic Lord of Riverheart, Deston, wished to proclaim himself King. The Fire Nation entered an agreement with the future nation and waited for the time to strike, also holding a grudge against the Water Dominion for their betrayal in a war mere years before, resulting in the destruction of one of their armies. Together, Deston and Arkan coordinated to spark the Crimson Festival and simultaneous rebellion. When they did so, the Air Nation was offered a part in the alliance, in exchange for the plentiful economic benefits that would result from affiliating with the two extremely wealthy powers. The Air Nation, suffering from such deficit, accepted, creating what would be known as the Great Alliance.

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