Cold War (Rislandia-Wyranth)
The Cold War between Rislandia and the Wyranth Empire was a prolonged period of hostility and mutual preparation for conflict spanning Years 298 to 311. According to A History of Rislandia, the period was defined by an arms race, propaganda wars, border fortifications, espionage, and sabotage, yet no open war occurred between the two powers during this time.
History
Origins
According to A History of Rislandia, the Cold War began in Year 298 when King Malaky IX insulted a Wyranth ambassadorial delegation, after which diplomatic relations between the two kingdoms were formally severed. The precise nature of the insult is not elaborated upon in the source.
Course of the Conflict
In the years following the diplomatic rupture, both kingdoms engaged in sustained competition short of open warfare. A History of Rislandia records that this competition took the form of an arms race, propaganda campaigns directed at each other's populations, the construction of border fortifications, and covert operations including espionage and sabotage. The sourcebook states that "both kingdoms prepared for inevitable conflict," reflecting the prevailing expectation on both sides that open war would eventually follow.
Despite these preparations and provocations, no direct military engagement took place during the thirteen-year period of the Cold War.
End of the Period
The Cold War is recorded as concluding in Year 311. A History of Rislandia does not specify the precise circumstances that ended this period of hostility within the sourcebook available to this article.
Legacy
The Cold War represented a formative episode in the long and troubled relationship between Rislandia and Wyranth. The arms buildup and entrenched suspicions cultivated during Years 298–311 contributed to the broader pattern of rivalry between the two powers that would shape subsequent conflicts, including the First Wyranth War and later engagements documented in the Rislandian Timeline.
The reign of King Malaky IX is thus associated with a significant deterioration of inter-kingdom relations, stemming directly from the diplomatic incident of Year 298.