Stenza: Difference between revisions

Little is known of the first inhabitants of Stenzan land or where they came from, with the little history that existed of this time being wiped during the Corummese occupation of the island. It is known that the native population of the island used to live together in tribal communities before the Corummese colonized the land, the tribes forming occasional trade alliances or fighting each other over minor territorial disputes. It is commonly believed that all these tribes shared a common religion, although any history of this religion has been removed in the 19th century.  

=== Colonial Era===

The colonization of Stenza almost stared by accident, when a Corummese vessel captained by [[Xi Haifong]] suffered a major scurvy outbreak and decided to deviate off its course to find land. The land they found turned out to be Stenza, and upon returning home the crew reported of their findings. The land they had discovered was deemed interesting enough for another expedition, and within two years a Corummese community had been found in the [[cape of hope]] on the northwestern part of the island, named after the fact it brought hope to the ill sailors who discovered it. The Corummese called this city Xīwàng (Hope), but is now known as the regional capital Faamoemoe (Hope).

The next three decades were not per se bad for the Stenzan population, who enjoyed all the technological and social developments the Corummese brought to them while their land was still being exploited. Regardless of this progress, the native population was still treated as a second rate class to the Corummese colonizers, who enjoyed considerable wealth based on the labor of the Stenzans.

===Independence and Civil War===

Things changed rapidly for the Corummese puppet state in 1919, when a young Stenzan officer in the colonial army named [[Li Xhipong]] shot his Corummese commanding Colonel and revolted with his mostly native company. Other Stenzan units within the colonial army followed suit, and soon the Corummese and government loyal Stenzan forces were facing a well organized army of ~10,000 Stenzan soldiers who had defected from the colonial army. (The Colonial army at the time was made up of segregated Corrumese and Stenzan forces, with Corummese senior officers leading the Stenzan units at the field level.) This military force, called the [[Stenzan War of Independence|Free Stenzan Army]], retreated into the hills and fought the Corummese forces through asymmetric warfare, raiding military caches and arming willing civilians as they went. By the time the first regular Corummese reinforcements arrived, the Free Stenzan Army counted nearly 30,000.