Holay War

Holay War
Part of the Constellation Crisis
Date 1960–1990 Location Northeastern Outer Joriscia Result Detente
Belligerents
Kiy	Lutoborsk
Commanders and leaders
Tovora Inab Qumley Kun Daan Bontandis	Dobromir Sillis

The Holay War, also known as the Khuikh War or locally the Longer War, was a long and intermittently prosecuted conflict between the Lutoborsk and Kiy that took place from 1960 to 1990.

Events

Kainish soldiers in fortifications defending an airfield in the 1970s.

In 1960, the imperialist Lutoborian government of Svorad of Nemasy invaded and occupied the 'Holay Lands' consisting of Nodogo, Atsuho, Kadalkhia, and Badgajoghia, whose autonomy under the Knowledge Defence Council and as Kainish vassals had been established at the Blue River Punctation in 1943. Svorad calculated that this would compensate for the limited gains of the Expulsion War, while snubbing the threat Kainish influence posed to a united Lutoborsk; at the Congress of Kethpor he already managed to deny them recognition as marshalates, as Greater Doyotia had gained. Amidst the years without summers, the ensuing Operation Reincarnation saw halting, desultory fighting, but daring maneuvers from Svorad's troops ousted the KDC, seized key ports, and left Kainish troops stranded, forcing Itisban to withdraw its forces in 1961. However, being equally logistically strained, Hremel did not abolish the status of the Holay governments, and simply replaced them with pro-imperialist politicians.

After Svorad was ousted in 1967 by Dobromir Sillis, the Kainish opened negotiations in 1968 hoping to secure a Lutoborian withdrawal and the reinstatement of their interests. This was denied, and in response the Kainish colluded with Terophatic Ascendancy maximalists to introduce the 1969 Lutoborian sanctions over Lutoborian circumvention of the Ring of Silver, which deepened tensions. Terrorism and subterfuge by Kainish agents compelled Dobromir to reinforce the occupation of the north in 1970. Later that year he established the Inquisitional Marshalcy and formally abolished the autonomous governments. Policies to relocate northern industry to the south, in the name of preparing for war with Kiy, conveniently served the Hammer of Knowledge Programme.

Open fighting began in late 1971 after Kiy attempted to blockade the Lutoborsk for establishing the Marshalcy. Kainish forces seized Daskhye in the first of the Daskhye Operations but were eventually forced off in a counter-invasion; a series of aerial and naval battles occurred around the Sea of Tchokbyl. In mid-1972 fighting resumed in the Long Day Uprising: as autonomist rebels stirred chaos Kiy landed an army in support, but the Lutoborians defeated them.

Section of a Kainish nuclear test site.

The new Terophatic administration under Spytihnev VII had already reached a rapprochement with the Lutoborsk, and condemned Kainish aggression. By the time the Uprising was suppressed, the Marshalcy was given even greater powers to govern the north as a garrison state. After the failure of the Uprising, cross-sea fighting was reduced to regular but low-intensity shelling, bombing, and naval standoffs, sometimes known as the 'Vigil on the Tchokbyl'. On several occasions both sides initiated intense missile strikes and aerial bombing campaigns. These intensified into 1975, but ended in 1976, after the first Kainish underground nuclear weapon was tested as part of Operation Rabbit of Clarity.

Shortly after the test Kiy invaded Daskhye again and successfully seized it. The Lutoborian Earth of Ghost-Glass Programme followed soon after in 1977, just as the Lacrean emergency and the Congress of Lesser Pestul unfolded, and fears of another Sea of Flames soon prompted multilateral negotiations. To control the already disintegrating Joriscian interordinate system, Terophan reaffirmed its support of the Lutoborsk, which pushed Kiy into further cooperation with Agamar and other revisionists, whose assistance was already suspected in both powers' nuclear weapons programmes. But ultimately an agreement was reached with the 1978 Shonisuta Punctation where Kiy returned Daskhye in exchange for an end to Marshalcy rule and the re-establishment of autonomous Holay Lands as a neutral zone.

Militiamen of the Dengish Banner in 1984.

Hremel attempted again to intervene in the Holay governments, exacerbating local political clashes regarding imperialism. In 1983 a stridently anti-Hremel government came to power in Kadalkhia. Lutoborian attempts to oust this government failed badly while inflaming anti-imperialist sentiments, and in 1984 agitated radicals seized power to proclaim the Dengish Banner and secede from the Lutoborsk. In response the Lutoborian army first re-militarised the neutral zone, effectively abrogating the Shonisuta Punctation, before invading and occupying Kadalkhia. This alarmed Kainish leadership, with the Computers' Council quickly agreeing to give power to the interventionist diarchy of Daan Bontandis and Qumley Kun.

Dobromir's planned spectacular invasions of Kiy (the Elegy to Dreams Programme) were probably not seriously considered, but clashes did resume over the Tchokbyl. In 1986 Kainish forces approached Daskhye for a third takeover but stood down. More Kainish effort was put into sabotage and support of anti-imperialist insurgencies, but these proved ineffective.

At the end of 1988, Dobromir was overthrown in a revolution known as the Confection. Itisban immediately approached Hremel although its terms to restore northern autonomy were rejected. After weighing its options following defeat in the Borean War and the demonstrated popularity of the new Lutoborian government, the Kainish leadership decided against continuing hostilities and opted for a detente, dropping the Holay issue. In 1990 relations were finally normalised in the solemnly ratified Stravar Concord held in Aushria.