Christopher Pyne MP
Giver of fish herpes.
Vale: A Two Year Retrospective
Long time readers of this publication may know that the two year anniversary of Vale's takeover by the Iron League soon approaches, with state run tv channels and papers declaring that "the cities will be filled with joyous celebrants" as the date draws closer to the fateful day everything changes. Today dear readers I will give you a brief overview over what happened to our dear neighbors.
Three weeks before the 18th of June, the White Fang attempted to destroy Vale's defenses via an old forgotten underground train network, using detonators to attract Grimm to the city. This act of surprising defiance, in conjunction with previous Dust thefts brought the wrath of the cities more bigoted citizens upon the faunas and spawning a series of anti-faunas attacks in the city slums. This is despite at least two faunas Huntsmen assisting in the successful repulsion of the Grimm and White Fang terrorists.
During this time, it is anyone's guess why the Iron League decided to appear. The theory I personally subscribe to, is that during this time of division in the city, they decided it would be opportune to strike and on the 9th of July, at 3pm, Vale's streets were flooded with black clad figures, armed with the latest weaponry produced by Atlas' Weaponsmiths.
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Pictured Above: Members of the Iron League 12th Shock Battalion, on parade.
The figures took Vale's police headquarters, communication centers and power plant and government buildings. From that point, things get a little fuzzy, but what can be gauged is that all twelve of Vale's ruling council members were either executed or killed in some form of counter attack by their guards. The black clad figures, calling themselves the "Iron League", declared martial law over the radio, and began controlling the streets.
That night, a protest of about twenty students from Vale University walked towards a street block, chanting that this was an undemocratic takeover and the Iron League should announce their intentions. They were shot like dogs and were left to rot in Lavender Square for the next week.
July 10 is when we got the Huntsemen's reaction to the situation, via the defense of Beacon Academy when what is reported to be three battalions of troops landing at the Academy in hopes of intimidating the staff and students there to yield to their rule. From what we can deduce from the stories given by returning foreign fighters for both the White Fang and Iron League, the academy yet stands in a figurative sense, in defiance to this new rule. According to Chernaborg Darrov, an Iron League veteran, and foreign fighter from Mistral who recently quit the organisation after an eighteen month career provided an insiders perspective as to how the Iron League is going in terms of securing its terriory. When pertaining to the supposed "Beacon question" the Iron League continues to divert "thousands" of troops to an ongoing siege. Beacon is subjected to "bombardment daily, and every few weeks the Atlas bombers fly past to try and crack the damned place."
This is also the day we got the first look at Coal Argyle Wilkshire, who used his first public appearance to announce his stewardship of Vale, and the beginning of a new order for Vale. General James Ironwood, the man tipped to stop this madness was present, and to the shock of the crowd, and by extension all of Remnant, announced that the large battle fleet assembled over the city would "Support this new form of government for as long as it takes, in order to stabilize."
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Coal Argyle Wilkshire, leader of the Iron League and Vale during his fist address.
The rest of the world watched in a mix of horror and fascination as a dictatorship once again festered. While the other two kingdoms broke off diplomatic relations, Atlas has continued trade with Vale despite embargoes enforced by its other nation brethren, an action I fully support.
| The Faunas have continue to prove themselves to be a malignant tumor in the otherwise perfectly healthy body of modern society... A tumor, that for the greater good of Vale and our society must be extracted, with extreme prejudice! Coal Argyle Wilkshire- September 12 |
September 12, was when a bombshell dropped. The situation cooled in August, as things appeared to return to a state of normality. That was when Wilkshire returned to the center stage, and delivered a proclamation, the Faunas were, for their own "good" to be relocated to the vast industrial sprawls of Vale, where they would operate the factories and manufacture weapons and goods for "the war effort". It was during this same address, Wilkshire also announced a ten thousand Lien reward for information pertaining to the Huntsmen.
Later over the next few days, according to diplomats and traders in the city, the Faunas district in west Vale was systematically emptied by footsoldiers, and they were frog marched across the city.
October 29, according to sources close to the inner circle of Vale's ruling council, a car bomb exploded outside the unofficial Iron League Military Headquarters in Wilkshire manor. This was latter followed up by a revolt in the Faunas camp Alpha 4, where several hundred Faunas escaped.
October 30, the White Fang claim responsibility for the attack, and declared that they would begin an armed resistance against them. While there had been several other smaller scale White Fang attacks, this one was, according to their statement "The beginning of a new era." which according to military experts meant that there may have been a change in leadership, or they'd gained a new foothold.
<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_12/126b26e782b6837dc1ff880d7c9e69a5.jpg.bec13c2888305b0060332e8c7a4fac3a.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="92407" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_12/126b26e782b6837dc1ff880d7c9e69a5.jpg.bec13c2888305b0060332e8c7a4fac3a.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>
Members of the Iron League evacuate Wilkshire Manor.
November to August was a quiet period, no information came out of Vale from reliable sources, only wild accounts about vigilantes, and more escapes from Faunas camps.
The arrival of September brought a new development, with the arrival in Mistral and other kingdoms, of what could be only described as propagandists and recruiters from both the White Fang and Iron League. Both sides came to recruit among their respective circles, the White Fang among the Faunas and later, to the surprise of everyone, Humans. The Iron League meanwhile was attempting to begin the mobilization of entire “Foreign Battalions”, for the purposes of bolstering ranks, and as speculated by most of the public, propaganda purposes.
This was all very telling of the conflicts stage, it showed that the White Fang were willing to put aside species differences in order to combat Iron League troops, a possible indicator that the group was suffering heavy casualties.
October to January, was a period now known to be called “Operation Scalpel” by senior Iron League and Atlas officers. The campaign report, which was leaked by the hacker N0vA, whose identity remains unknown to anyone, showed the level of determination and collaboration between Atlas and Iron League battalions. The two launched a joint assault against several White Fang held towns in Vale’s agricultural district, which ultimately failed. Coal Wilkshires’ micromanagement lead to the wrong targets being bombed by Atlas, and often having his commanders not pursue retreating White Fang soldiers. This ultimately ended with little land changing hands, and Iron League casualties.
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A graphic showing the current situation in Vale, as of April the 7th.
January to now has been three months of brutal fighting in Vale, with an upsurge in civilian resentment, according to refugees fleeing the kingdom and reports smuggled out by traders. There have been more riots, more civilians burning Iron League property and vandalising it. While official channels say this is the number of hooligans, the arrest of high profile artists and citizens shows that it is otherwise.
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Sable Hannah,renowned artist and one of the victims of the crackdown
We hope here that Vale may finally be free as the resistance against this evil regime, and that this upcoming celebration may be one where they rid themselves of these oppressive shackles.
Written by Weiss Schnee, treasurer of the Free Vale Alliance.
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