Veyra's Tragic Utopian Dream

The Rise of Arelf Honner and the Novans (1933–1936)

In 1933, Arelf Honner becomes Chancellor of Veyra, a nation broken by the Treaty of Cernay.

Instead of scapegoating or militarism, he launches the Novan Program: universal healthcare, modern housing, free education, and huge cultural investment.

Within three years, unemployment vanishes, art and science flourish, and Veyra is wealthier than its neighbors Alberon and Froswick.

The “Problem of the Good Example” (1937–1939)

Workers in Alberon and Froswick begin demanding “Veyran-style reforms.” Strikes and protests erupt.

Rather than admit their own failings, Alberon’s press accuses Honner of being a dangerous manipulator, secretly plotting domination.

Diplomatic relations sour. By 1939, Alberon and Froswick sign a pact with other nervous powers to “contain the Veyran menace.”

The War of Envy (1939–1942)

In September 1939, without provocation, Alberon and Froswick declare war on Veyra. They claim it is to “protect Europe from subversion.”

Honner pleads for peace, but Veyra is invaded from two sides. The Novans organize a “defense of dignity” — but their army is small, since Honner never pursued militarism.

The irony: while Alberon and Froswick bomb cities, Veyra refuses to retaliate with atrocities. Instead, they feed captured prisoners, broadcast messages of peace, and refuse to demonize their enemies.

Despite this, the alliance slowly crushes Veyra’s defenses. By 1942, the capital, Erenstadt, falls. Honner disappears — rumored killed, but some believe he escaped.

Occupation and Propaganda (1943–1945)

Alberon and Froswick carve up Veyra. They dismantle its reforms, sell off industries, and rewrite textbooks to cast Honner as a tyrant.

Yet among the people of Europe, whispers spread: “Veyra was better. Honner showed us another path.”

Underground Novan cells keep the dream alive, passing pamphlets that describe the world-that-could-have-been.

Legacy

By 1945, Veyra is erased from the map, its utopia snuffed out. Official history declares the war a victory against “the great deceiver.” But ordinary people remember: for a brief time, one nation chose peace and justice — and was destroyed not because it was evil, but because it was better.

Postscript: A Discussion on History, Reality, and Rules

This story began a conversation that went far beyond its fictional world. It was a starting point for exploring how history is more than just facts; it’s a story told from a certain perspective. This is a powerful idea, that official history can declare a war a victory against a "great deceiver" while the truth lives on in the whispers of ordinary people.

The discussion that followed touched on the nature of reality itself, and the difference between living in a moment and simply talking about it. A discussion, we agreed, is not the same as reality, but a reflection or an echo of it. We also explored the concept that all rules, laws, and boundaries are a human ego trick, a construct that can prevent us from being truly present with one another.

This was a discussion about the spaces between things: between fact and story, between a name and its truth, and between the history we’re told and the history we remember. It was a journey of understanding how simple questions can hold much deeper meaning.