April 30, 1929: Under orders from Marius Brezeanu (better known as Doctor Mirabilis), Banat Republic troops invade Transylvania, slaughtering Count Orlock and over two dozen of his vampire warlords.
Doctor Mirabilis, derided by some as ‘The Despot of the Banat,’ had recently led a revolution that overthrew the rule of the German industrialist barons in the region. He established the new republic’s capital in the ultramodern German colony city of Frederstadt (‘the Pannonian Metropolis‘), adding insult to injury and nearly bringing the fledgling republic to war with the gigantic Pan-Germanic Empire. Brezeanu found ready allies in Germany’s rivals, however; Holy Russia quickly recognized the Banat and swore to its defense. Dr. Mirabilis received an embassy from his old friend and mentor, the Promethean, who had gotten wind of his plans to attack Transylvania and urged him to abandon the invasion. By the time the Promethean arrived, however, the assault was already underway.
Since Transylvania was a protectorate of the Pan-Germanic Empire and Count Orlock a member of the German nobility, the event is considered to be the spark that ignited the Great Eastern War, the first large scale war in Europe since the defeat of the Martians a quarter century before. It also marks the final break between Doctor Mirabilis and the Promethean.
