Unification of the Earth Kingdom
The Acacian Crisis was a period of sustained conflict in the Earth Kingdom, where Acacian rebels seized a variety of villages in the kingdom. The rebellion ultimately failed, but drew significant international recognition. It was the first time that an independent NPC-led movement sought to overthrow a player-led state.
Origins
Acacians are NPCs from savannah biomes in the area north of the Central Sea. These NPCs lived in small independent communities, with a national consciousness but no organised leadership. The creation of the Earth Kingdom would lead to this status quo being disrupted, as Ba Sing Se and Cranefish Town were annexed. While Ba Sing Se was compliant, rebel brown flags of Acacia were posted in Cranefish Town shortly after. This was to form the beginning of tensions.
Annexations
With new Earth interest in the Western Canal, its borders significantly expanded westwards. This saw the acquisition of Omashu, Gaoling, and Misty Palms. While Misty Palms is not Acacian and thus did not resist, the former two villages were not and did resist. Organising into a single front, these would organise into the Northern Acacian Revolt (NAR), declaring Acacian independence. Cranefish Town joined this revolt as the Southern Independence Front, but was immediately placed under siege.
Campaigns
Seriously outgunned against the powerful Earth military, the NAR began to use terror tactics. At Ba Sing Se's northern gate, a landmine was set off on a bridge leading into the Acacian biome outside the walls. A brown flag was also posted in this area, warning anyone who left the city "You are now entering Free Acacia."
The first Earth expedition with Earth King Ainin leading a campaign to seize Gaoling. This would restore land communications to the village of Misty Palms, and also seriously reduce the distance between the NAR and Cranefish Town. Laying road as they went to ensure rapid reinforcements in the event of a counterattack, the Earth Kingdom forces were able to secure the town and erect a garrison. Acacian flags were burned and royalist flags erected in their place. The NAR retreated to Omashu.
// Acacia For The Acacians //
A Warning To The King of Pebbles:
”Gaoling” is not Acacia, Earth King, and you would do well not to mistake them. Your “victory” is no more significant to us than the bite of a mosquito is unto a giant, and yet in taking our city you slew our brethren and despoiled our riches… that cannot go unpunished. No doubt you feel safe, Earth King, seated as you are in your citadel behind those thick walls. Supported as you are by those water bending milksops… But their time will come… and so will yours, and faster than you think. Know this, Earth King, lord of dust and ruler of nothing… Fortune needs to be with you every day henceforth… she need only be with us once.
-The Big Thinker
A statement released after the fall of Gaoling by a possibly non-existent Acacian leader, known as the Big Thinker
In Cranefish Town, the besieged Acacians began to debate their options. Two factions formed of Moderates and Independentists. The Moderates sought to negotiate a surrender with the Earth Kingdom, obtaining an area of local autonomy to preserve the Acacian way of life without the need for bloodshed, possibly inspired by the consensual governance of NPCs in the Water Tribe. The Independentists disagreed, and believed that the Earth presence was too dangerous to negotiate with, seeking to link up with the NAR to proclaim an independent Acacian nation.
Snowfall Incident
Following the Gaoling campaign, international observers remained wary of who to side with. Chieftain Svetroid of the Water Tribe voiced a tentative support for the Earth Kingdom, much to the rage of Acacians. An Acacian cell, seeking revenge for both this slight and the fall of Gaoling, were able to enter Polaris and steal the Water Tribe ship Snowfall. Adorning this ship with a variety of Acacian symbols, including the national flag of Acacia now used alongside the original brown banner, the ship was packed to the brim with TNT and sailed to Ba Sing Se's southern gate.
// Water Tribe - Chieftain's Office //
The Water Tribe's anti-terrorism team has received intelligence that the Acacian Separatists are mobilizing to attack one of three potential targets: Grand Arsenal of the Earth Navy, Harbor of Ba Sing Se, or Gate of Eternal Stability.
Given the anarchist nature of the separatists, it is our belief that they are going to target the Gate of Eternal Stability.
Water Tribe intelligence passed to the Earth Kingdom fleet after the capture of Snowfall
Due to the miscommunication by the Water Tribe intelligence, the Earth fleet was unable to intercept the ship. The ship exploded, killing the entire cell still on board, on the first of February 2021. Some NPCs on the shore were killed, although the city walls did contain a great deal of the blast. The ship was totally destroyed, as was the nearby port and much of the beach.
Reaction to Snowfall
This event saw the Acacian movement lose momentum rapidly. Acacia was condemned by international observers, previously unsure of who to support, for the use of such destructive tactics against entirely non-strategic targets that were far outside Acacian areas. The Water Tribe, furious at the spillover into its territory, joined anti-Acacian efforts.
The incident drove a sharp wedge between the two factions in Cranefish Town, as the independentists celebrated the incident while the moderates considered it a death knell to their movement and a tragedy. This rift grew to the point of violence, as the independentists condemned the moderates as traitors while the moderates did likewise. This fighting seriously weakened the town's defenses against the besieging royalists. The Earth Kingdom army was able to sweep the town, facing only minimal resistance. This marked the end of the southern Acacian movement, although some brown flags are still visible in Cranefish Town today.
Lull and Omashu campaign
Following these events, the Earth Kingdom had reduced the Acacian presence from about a third of the country to only the small border area of Omashu. Military actions significantly slowed, while Acacians steadily flowed northwards to Omashu. The town was in a consistent state of anxiety at the prospect of imminent invasion, causing food and emeralds to be hoarded. During this time, the Earth Kingdom's focus on military expansion shifted away from land forces, with priority placed on diplomatic initiatives and in particular naval and aerial forces to protect its new canal position.
This lull lasted from the 6th of February (the surrender of Cranefish Town) until the 4th of July. The cause for hostilities to reignite was the expansion of the road network, started by the conquest of Gaoling and now extending to Misty Palms. Builders began constructing northwards to Omashu but encountered heavily fortified Acacian forward defenses. The defenses mostly consisted of stone brick walls, with the defenders armed with crossbows. The road approaching the fort had also been mined. The Earth Kingdom Navy was called in for its first combat mission, eager to redeem itself after it failed to prevent the Snowfall incident.
The ENS Kyoshi was deployed, taking some time to reach the front as it had to sail southwest to access the canal and then north once again. Upon approaching the nearby area, Earth Kingdom Air Force skiffs were deployed to bomb the fortified positions. This almost entirely wiped out the garrison, as the first bombs destroyed the roof and later ones devastated the defenders inside. Following this successful mission, land cavalry was called in to sweep the area of any survivors, and then to rebuild the land so it may be suitable for roadwork once again.
During the lead-up to this battle, the Acacians received their first ever international recognition from the then-new state of Ratzores.
Destruction of the Acacian HQ
Following the news of this defeat, Acacians streamed out of Omashu carrying their goods with them. Many fighters deserted with them. These refugees fled mainly to the north, joining other Acacian villages beyond the frontier. These villages would later fall under the sway of the Khanate, thus leading to the Anti-Khan Revolt.
Fighters from the Kyoshi flew north shortly after the Earth Kingdom army occupied Omashu. Their target was the pillager tower to its north, the "headquarters" of the Acacian resistance. This was promptly annihilated beyond repair, acting as a permanent monument to the power of the Earth Kingdom over Acacia.
Legacy
The Acacian revolt, despite failing, has left an enormous impact on the region. It has fundamentally recalibrated NPC-player relations by showing that NPC resistance was, in fact, capable of defying the rule of the players. The legacy of the destabilisation also left the desert in chaos, as arms flowed towards the Acacian rebels, giving a window for the chiblocker horselords of the Khanate to impose their rule over a vast area.
At present, the Acacian revolt in Earth Kingdom territory has entirely ceased. Revolts against the Khanate rule do carry Acacian elements and hosts many veterans, but does not overlap in any place with the Earth Kingdom rebellions. Cranefish Town has become significantly more connected to Ba Sing Se with the construction of the Earth Kingdom Railway. Gaoling's garrison maintains order over the town even now, and there are rumours of a coming airport to the town of Omashu. It remains to be seen if a lasting Acacian nation will ever be formed.