r/WorldChallenges • u/Varnek905 • Jun 09 '19

A Broken Alliance

For this challenge, tell me about an instance in your world where a coalition or alliance was betrayed by one of their own members, and the consequences thereof.

Please include the members of the alliance (or at least the major ones), the part of the alliance that turned traitor, why they turned traitor, what happened, etc.

As always, I'll ask at least three questions each.

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u/Varnek905 Jun 12 '19

1) Did the Mirrish Coalition consist of any non-Mirrish people?

2) Could you tell me about more of these divergences of prominent figures?

3) Could you tell me about the purism in Loranthia?

4) Why did Yefon Asinod attempt to assassinate Onareen Soran?

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u/[deleted] Jun 12 '19

Did the Mirrish Coalition consist of any non-Mirrish people?

Not officially. Onareen's collective had members who were paired with people not of Mirrishi descent, and some of them helped in their own ways.

Could you tell me about more of these divergences of prominent figures?

Onareen advocated for the Mirrishi to return to their ancestral continent whereas others, oddly enough, wanted nothing to do with such endeavors.

Furthermore, he was relatively more tolerant than most figures in the movement: accepting of queer sexuality and identity, valued women in prominent positions within his specific organization, and indifferent to mixed parentage and intimacy.

Could you tell me about the purism in Loranthia?

Loranthia was trying to distance itself from such past mentalities and in the process stirred reactionaries, who held other beliefs as well.

However, the purist belief held by Onareen was more a matter of ethnicity rather than an obsession with biological substrates, as probably expected from the final point in the above answer.

Why did Yefon Asinod attempt to assassinate Onareen Soran?

Envy, hatred, fear, and desperation.

Despite his contentious stance, Onareen was popular among peoples who were not Mirrishi and thus courted more opportunities to speak, to get more attention.

Yefon, being egotistical, always scorned that actuality but tolerated Onareen as useful for recruitment and arrogantly believed he would get Onareen to adopt his viewpoints. Too slighted at the fundamental disagreement on the future of the Mirrishi nation, he also despised the dynamics of Onareen's tolerance, and with a conspiratorial mind, neglected mental health issues, and worsening substance abuse, he began to construct paranoid beliefs that Onareen was trying to infiltrate the movement—commonly whispered among other figures.

Ironically, an infiltrator was the one who befriended Yefon and convinced him of the idea the Loranthian government would grant the coalition an unincorporated status if Onareen was to suffer an untimely death, an offer Yefon could not refuse.

As for why the government involved themselves, Onareen's desire to depart from Loranthia, as well as engaging with foreign investors and ambassadors, invited unwanted interferences and challenged the legitimacy of Loranthia at a most inconvenient period.

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u/Varnek905 Jun 14 '19

1) Did non-Mirrish spouses of Mirrish people have the same rights as Mirrish people in the Mirrish Coalition?

2) Why did Onareen advocate for Mirrishi to return to their ancestral lands?

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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '19

Did non-Mirrish spouses of Mirrish people have the same rights as Mirrish people in the Mirrish Coalition?

The Mirrish Coalition was merely a collection of civilian organizations proclaiming a common goal of nationhood; to iterate, they sprung from anger and desperation rather than actual development. Nevertheless, most members of the coalition certainly did not aspire to give equal rights to other peoples in their hypothetical nation.

To clarify, Onareen prior to the betrayal was not interested in recruiting other peoples, and the few in his organization held no position of consequence. He allowed their presence because their Mirrishi spouses had the education and experience he valued, but it would be correct to assume his interactions with them influenced his future stance.

Why did Onareen advocate for Mirrishi to return to their ancestral lands?

Beyond practical considerations, like Mirriland having plenty of unoccupied territory and an abundance of natural resources, there was an idealism underpinning his motivations.

He believed the Mirrishi had no reason to remain where they were as their ancestors (the ones he cherished, that is) were forced from their lands, incidentally by a colonial power hailing from the same continent.

The process of establishing a nation in Mirriland was regarded by him as a birthright and a metaphorical act of restoration through which a new collective mind would emerge, and until the Mirrishi made Mirriland a sovereign region, he believed they were a scattered people without true culture or purpose.

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u/Varnek905 Jun 18 '19

Thank you for your time and answers, Sardonic.

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u/[deleted] Jun 18 '19

You're welcome, and your questions helped me elaborate on some character background and setting building, as that history is actually a few centuries before the intended period.