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Conflict Name: Polygamy Wars
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Dates: 409–419 IE
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Location: Primarily Goshen, with later campaigns on Deseret and various other Compact colonies
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Factions:
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Jeffsian radicals (Goshenites)
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The Compact of Humanity in Assembly (including core world defense forces elevated to Compact service)
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The Polygamy Wars were a Compact-wide civil conflict sparked by radical sects from the Deseret colony of Goshen, known as Jeffsians. These fundamentalists enforced a version of forced polygamy, diverging even from Deseret’s own polygamous but consent-based norms. Initially a localized insurrection, the war escalated when Goshenite extremists expanded their “crusade” beyond their homeworld. They attempted to impose their doctrine on Deseret and its affiliated colonies, and eventually began kidnapping women from other worlds in the Compact.
The Compact responded with force, deploying Compact Marines, Navy, Border Guard, and various planetary defense units units. As the Goshenite radicals extended their reach, the war drew in a wide range of veterans who would later play key roles in the Gelt Incursion and the Amargosa Occupation, including:
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Force Admiral Quentin Austin – Later known for leading the failed early liberation of Amargosa. During the war, he was a pilot, call sign “Reaper.”
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Suicide (Cui Yun) – A pilot and resistance leader, widowed by a terrorist bombing on Aphrodite. When her first spouse died in the Polygamy Wars, she joined the Navy as a pilot.
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John Parker – Father of Lizzy Parker, also involved in the defense of Amargosa, a gunnery sergeant during the conflict.
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Quan Jiang – Major in the resistance movement during the occupation of Amargosa. Serving with Parker, was also an NCO during the conflict.
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Lucius Kray – Fought as a Colonial Guard officer but became a self-styled warlord and controversial figure in the postwar years. During the war, he was a young Marine lieutenant. Effective, but showed a disturbing tendency to use Section 11.
Outcome and Legacy:
The war officially ended in 419 IE, following the dismantling of Goshen’s radical regime. However, its effects reverberated for years throughout the Compact. Goshen was effectively pacified by a coalition that included Deseret loyalists, The Caliphate, and Compact military forces. Notably, Goshen’s governance was turned over to Deseret’s governor and his sister wives, a symbolic move intended to denounce the Jeffsians’ twisted doctrine.
Despite the end of formal hostilities, many Goshenite radicals evaded justice. Tyler Wat, a former Goshenite commander who surrendered his forces to Suicide during the final battle, later reemerged during the Amargosa Occupation, ostensibly as an ally of the resistance. His presence remained controversial due to his past, with characters like JT Austin questioning why he escaped Section 11 execution.
Even in 429 IE, during the events of Second Wave, the trauma of the Polygamy Wars remains fresh, influencing public trust, military alliances, and the treatment of former radicals. Some of Wat’s men display lingering attitudes from their past, leading to conflict within the resistance itself.
Appearances: The Children of Amargosa, Second Wave, Storming Amargosa, Suicide Run.