The Viridian Crusade

Written by Alj23

Overview
The Viridian Crusade war was a roughly month long campaign that featured a newly formed coalition of factions fighting against age old established factions. Themes of this war included challenging the status quo, betrayal, loyalty, avenging friends, and shaking up the current world order.

Factions and Sides
Two sides were present in the Viridian Crusade; members of the Crusade, and those the Crusade were attacking.

Crusade: Factions being attacked by the Crusade:
 * Auxillian
 * Theralia
 * Avignon
 * Ghsicari
 * Chronikatr
 * Bloodmist
 * Consortium
 * Osai
 * Alamut
 * Algaron
 * 9thLegion
 * Luenna
 * Valyria

Beginning
The Viridian Crusade burst to life on July 4th, 2013, with an attack on the Osai city by Viridian Crusade warriors. Members of Osai were helplessly slaughtered during the initial surprise attack, while cannon fire from outside the Osai faction claim commanded by MonMarty rained fire down on the city. Cannon shot loaded with obsidian allowed items to be burst out of pictures frames and either be looted or destroyed, and cannons loaded with blaze rods set the city ablaze. Viridian Crusade leader Grailen16 can be quoted as saying: "They have truly Become a City of light! - Grailen16"Later that night, a forum post was made officially declaring war on Alamut and Osai by The Viridian Crusade. Alamut and Osai were the first two factions to be declared against, with Algaron, 9thLegion, and Leunna being declared upon at later dates. "They came to the conclusion that for too long had these nations gone unhindered, and unpunished.... No longer will these ""nations be open to spread lies and deceit across Aloria. No longer will we idly stand by as these nations take advantage of the land.' - The Viridian Crusade War Declaration."== Initial reaction == Many players and factions spoke out both in support and opposition of the Crusade's declaration of war, while many also decided to remain neutral, fearing possible retaliation if they spoke against the Crusade.

Initial reactions varied from uninformed commenting, tentative support or opposition, staunch support or opposition, or staunch criticism of the motives of the Crusade.

Strategy of the Crusade
The goal of the Crusade when it come to launching raids was to attack fast and attack hard. At the Crusade's peak, up to 20 members would be gathered for a raid, with the central hub being the tower of Theralia, which housed the Crusade's potion storage, armor and weapon storage, and raid portals. Later in the Crusade would the Magnanimus base located in Ithania be completely remodeled to serve as the Crusade's strategic launching point for all future raids. Crusade strategies seen during the campaign included a brutal overpower of the enemy in terms of sheer numbers, employing the tactical use of cannons, especially in the famous Fourth of July raid on Osai, and using small parties of people to ambush enemies, and then lead said enemies back into a larger raiding party, employed heavily at 9thLegion.

Algaron enters the fray
Shortly after the start of the war, Algaron became involved as a supporter of Osai and Alamut. Future battles would occur in the capital city of Algaron, mainly taking place in the Algaron square and in front of their faction home. Algaron would come to see the first of the 20 versus 20 player battles during the course of the Crusade. With the forces of Alamut, 9thLegion, and Valyria supporting Algaron, defenses would be mounted at against the Crusade. Results of the battles varied back and forth, with the first battle going to the Crusade forces, and future battles varying between successful sieges by Crusade forces and defenses of the city by Algaron and allies.

Algaron yields to The Viridian Crusade
On July 16th, Algaron leadership met with leadership of the Crusade, and a truce was struck, ending the fighting This marked the first faction to yield to the demands of The Crusade, and would be a monumental moment in legitimizing the strength and political prowess of The Crusade. "'In a moment of truly remarkable diplomacy, the men of Algaron and the Viridian Crusade have managed to come to terms to solve their conflict. Both sides agreed that they would be much better off without the constant warring and fighting and with peace they shall both prosper. With Algaron no longer aligned to the Assassins of Alamut rumors have spread that soon the Viridians will attack the evil at it's core, at the Citadel of Alamut. For those who have yet to hear of this Citadel, it is rumored to have never fallen into enemy control but as many more soldiers fill the ranks of the Viridians it would seem as if the end days for Alamut are near…​' - The Viridian Times - Issue I"

9thLegion enters the fray and the Crusade declares war
Sometime before July 19th, 9thLegion forces attacked the faction of Consortium, a member faction of the Crusade. Leadership of the Crusade met, and decided that to protect Consortium and deter further attacks, 9thLegion must be declared upon. While no official war declaration thread was made, the declaration of war was made public in the second issue of The Viridian Times on July 19th: "'After the 9th Legion attacked Consortium, a member of the Viridian Crusade, it has come to the attention of the Crusade Leaders that the Legion has stepped too far. Captain Gandamar made the wise point that 'They stole me booty and all my damned treasure!'. After taking several minutes to calm down the enraged captain, the council of Crusade leaders knew what must be done. Like Alamut, Osai and Algaron, 9thLegion must be put into place. The Legion has long strayed from their set out beliefs and many believe their actions to consistently be rude and childish.​' - The Viridian Times Issue II"

9theLegion will stay neutral!
On July 26th, a forum post by the player Artilles, an officer of 9thLegion, explained that the 9thLegion would be from this point on remaining neutral in all Crusade conflicts, ending their involvements with the enemies of the Crusade:

"'Seeing as our recruits have been harassed endlessly by the Viridian Crusade, we decided to stop it by complying with the Viridian Crusade's terms." "We're now staying neutral/taking distance from the crusade's conflicts.' - Artilled, officer of 9thLegion"On August 1st, news of 9theLegion yielding to the Crusade was announced in The Viridian Times Issue III:

"'The might of the Viridian Crusade is once again shown as thousands of men of the Crusade stormed Roma, the capital city of the Legion. After short spurts of fighting to capture the walls all was quiet as men watched and waited for the Legions next move. As the hours and days wound on, it was clear that the Legion would have to soon break. Thousands of soldiers gasped as the Caesar himself came out from his secured Citadel to address the Viridians. With sorrow in his eyes and resignation in his heart he spoke in a quiet voice to none other than the Honorable Leader himself, Grailen Warith. The Caesar of the Legion announced that he will yield to the Crusade and never cross their path nor aid the Alamutians in return for peace.​" "With this momentous occasion, the Viridians march one step closer towards the complete and total annihilation of the Alamutians. However, as one ally of Alamut falls, another rises.​' - The Viridian Times - Issue III"

The Alamut Citadel laid to siege!
The faction Alamut had fought against The Viridian Crusade from the very beginning, but it was always in defenses of Osai, Algaron, and 9thLegion, or in leading offensive raids against the Cruade at Theralia. Never before had the Alamut citadel, perched atop a snowy mountain in southeast Ellador, ever been successfully attacked, or successfully occupied. During the course of The Viridian Cruade, the Alamut citadel was attacked several times successfully, but never occupied for more than a few hours at a time, and never occupied to the point where factions opposing the Crusade could not stage an successful defense.

The Alamut citadel sat atop one of the highest mountains in southeast Ellador, with a large drop on either side if you were to fall off. The citadel featured several watch towers with full arrangements of cannons, which were used to weaken the raiders. In the center of the citadel sat a small courtyard, which falling into meant almost certain death for raiders as you would be quickly mobbed by several defenders. Almost all attempts to escape the courtyard would fail, as poor thrown pearls that missed the castle and landed in the valley or rivers below take too long to hit the ground to teleport the throwing player out.

Sieges of the Alamut citadel were lead mostly by Grailen16 and Bsavs, while Kapry of Alamut and Ikorloch of Valyria lead the defenses of Alamut. While Crusade forces did see moderate success in the sieges of Alamut, Alamatuian and Valyrian forces saw success as well in their defenses. It is a fair statement to make the it is impossible to determine if either side saw more success than the other, as Crusade successes in battles such as at Algaron and 9thLegion also saw devastating losses at Alamut.

"'The Viridian Crusade has at last taken the fight to the Alamutians! In a struggle of epic proportions, the Viridians were able to scale the mountain and grapple over the Citadel walls. Many men on both side died to the sword as well as to the heights of the mountain. Ikorolch, one of the Sovereigns of Valyria, was able to take down several Viridians down after going in a berserking rage.​"



"Many fine Viridians were lost that day but in the end, this occasion is one of the most important steps for the Crusade. Never before has the Citadel of Alamut been successfully attacked nor conquered but only time will tell if Alamut shall fall.​' - The Virdian Times issue II "

Alamut and forces attack Theralia, dealt second ever offensive loss
During the month long campaign of The Viridian Crusade, one day stands in history as one of the most important days for both the Crusade and one of the worst days for Alamut and the forces opposing the Crusade.

Earlier in the day, a raid had been launched on Alagaron. Due to real life obligations, staging a defense against any attacking party usually involved utilizing a system of skype calls, steam messages, and text messages to garner enough people to mount either an offense or a defense.

As hours passed, the attacking forces of The Viridian Crusade began to dwindle due to player's real life obligations, and the defensive forces of Algaron and supporting factions began to increase as players were able to get online to defend. After hours of waiting, defesnive forces stormed from the Alagron portal roam, overwhelming Crusade raiders by a large margin. Crusade forces were scattered, with most Crusade fighters taking on two men at once. Most of the Crusade raid party died, while a few were able to pearl out and safely teleport home. The Crusade had been dealt a devastating blow.

Alamut and supporting factions arrived at Theralia, killing unsuspecting faction members. Crusade members were contacted far and wide, and enough were able to get online to mount a defense. After gearing up, the Crusade forces climbed to the top of the Therlia tower, high above the city, and pearled down into unsuspecting Alamut and supporting faction forces, beginning the defense of Therlia.

Up to this point, Alamut had only ever lost one offensive raid in their time on the server, which was their previous lost in their attack on Magnanimus's main base in Ithania during The Solaris War. With havoc being wreaked on the unprepared Alamut forces, less skilled raiders were dealt with quickly, while more skilled raiders were double or triple teamed into submission. Kapry was chased into the nearby dense forest by McMuffin55 and BoomedOne, becoming trapped in the undergrowth of the jungle and dying to BoomedOne's axe. Skilled raiders such as Cowboys1919 and DisturbedReaper were dealt with shortly after, and as the last remaining attackers were either killed or escaped within an inch of their life, the Crusade publicly declared the defense a success and news of Alamut's second offensive loss ever began to spread across the server.

Luenna enters the fray and the Crusade declares war
On August 1st, it was made public in The Viridian Times Issue III that the faction of Leunna was being declared war on for supporting and assisting Alamut against the Crusade. "'The war drums of the Viridians beat on as another collaborator and ally of the Alamutians is laid to siege. Rather unexpectedly, the people of Luenna went to the aid of Alamut and as a result are paying the price for such transgressions. The collapse of the small town of Luenna would seem to be inevitable due to the small percent of their population who are actually able to swing a sword. Interestingly though, the people of Luenna remain boldly against the Crusade and even go to such extents of insulting and taunting the Viridians who watch the almost laughable people of Luenna. ​""As Alamut is yet to aid Luenna it would seem that like so many other allies of Alamut they too will have to fight alone, without aid from the foolish 'hashashins' of Alamut.​' - The Viridian Times issue III"

End of the war
By the middle of August 2013, The Viridian Crusade offense had come to a grinding standstill. Reasons for the end of the war can be contributed to a few different events.

First and foremost was that the Crusade had accomplished a lot of what it set out to do. Osai, one of the original targets of the Crusade had their reputation destroyed as a peaceful roleplay factions, news ranging from the release of a skype conversation between OctoberGwen and Tom1804 that revealed damaging information, and an overall distrust of the faction as a whole saw its demise.

Alamut, a long since unwavering PVP powerhouse, had in ways met its match, or at least its equivalent for the second time now in the combined might of The Viridian Crusade, after Magnanimus. Alamut was increasingly looking likes its days as the elite PVP faction were numbered, and the efforts of the Crusade did irreparable damage to their reputation.

Alagaron and 9thLegion had yielded to the demands of The Viridian Crusade, and Luenna had dug in with its few active members refusing to surrender.

What can probably be referenced as the final nail in the coffin of The Viridian Crusade and the war itself would be the issues arising from a conflict between Grailen16 and spectec. After spectec's return, he pledged to rebuilt Magnanimus into an efficient PVP based faction that would also serve as the hub for the extent of the Crusade.

In the depths of Magnanimus, spectec began designing an experimental auto potion machine, one of the first designs on the server. The goal was to create a machine that would run so long as a player was in the chunk of the machine. The creation featured a minecart that ran a track, and a "clock"; the timer that measured the time between dispenses of potion ingredients, which was the minecart falling through cobwebs. Conflicts of opinion between Grailen16 and spectec were evident, and the final conflict that ended spectec's involvement with the Crusade was Grailen16's rumored report to the staff that spectec's potion machine was actually a lag machine.

Staff forced spectec to remove the clock in the machine,the part assumed to cause lag, crippling his machine and any progress he was trying to make for the benefit of the Crusade. Shortly thereafter, spectec left the Crusade leadership skype conversation, ending his involvement. In the coming hours, multiple Crusade members would end their involvement with the Crusade, crippling its ability to mount any offensive actions.

By mid August, The Viridian Crusade had dwindled from a multi-faction conglomerate to a former shell of itself. Without a public announcement or post, The Viridian Crusade, and with it the war, quietly came to an end.

Ramifications
The ramifications of The Viridian Crusade are still felt to this day. The war is is referred to as the second server-wide-war on MassiveCraft, as it involved many different factions, and shaped the environment of the survival worlds we all play in today.

The survival world atmosphere created during The Viridian Crusade is referenced when people argue things such as the merits of a real war, factions fighting for real goals, and how much personal feelings and grudges should play into a war.

The Viridian Crusade War is regarded as one of the best wars on the server, and existed within the year that most people term the "golden age" of MassiveCraft PVP and survival world play, which featured The Imperial War, The Solaris War, The Viridian Crusade War, and The Undead War.