The Incursion was a period of widespread social upheaval across upper Hanaq during the mid-600s AW that ultimately cemented Esperanto's power as the new world power.
What many canopy dwellers initially perceived as merely an elaborate trade league revealed itself as something far more transformative. Esperanto's economic model of offering zero tariffs exclusively on exports from new member states while maintaining fees on imports made Kingdoms rush to join, envisioning unlimited access to the richest markets in Hanaq with no reciprocal concessions required. Only later, when dependencies were firmly established, did Esperanto suddenly 'normalize' trade relationships.
As Esperanto began encroaching on the fringes of Hanaq's upper branches, Armada formally enshrined its power to redistribute wealth through the Levee Act. This unprecedented authority to tax nobility and redirect resources fundamentally altered the relationship between Esperanto and local kingdoms, triggering responses ranging from eager embracement to violent resistance across the affected regions.
The Incursion began when the Troubadour philosophy spread from Hejmen, proposing that artistic expression and skilled craft were society's true sources of value. For many societies, this represented their first encounter with abstract political ideology, leading to dramatically different interpretations when communities tried to implement the movement's vision of a "World of Forms" without traditional economic structures.
The Incursion's most enduring legacy was the establishment of the Bannersairs system, which transformed potential enemies leaders into semi-autonomous adventurers operating within Esperanto's broader framework. By implementing the Ministry of Marque, Esperanto redirected the energy of skilled and influential mercenaries, nobles, and traders toward goals that aligned with its interests.
The Incursion reached its climax when Warden's previous Sovereign made an unprecedented territorial claim on Esperanto's fledgling colony in the upper trunk - a move that shocked canopy dwellers who had previously viewed the trunk as untamable. This aggressive advance toward Hanaq's crown unified Esperanto's fractious members despite their internal ideological struggles. What might have escalated into history's most devastating conflict was narrowly averted when a coup within Warden replaced the bellicose Sovereign with a more calculating successor.
Rather than retreat, the new Sovereign transformed the confrontation into a series of carefully managed proxy conflicts that continue to this day. This calculated stalemate permanently altered how upper Hanaq viewed Esperanto - no longer a mere trade league but the necessary bulwark against trunk expansion. The kingdoms and republics that had resisted centralization now willingly sacrificed autonomy for security, cementing Esperanto's transformation from economic alliance to genuine empire.