The Federation is a fictional organization from the Shannara series by Terry Brooks.
| The Federation | |
|---|---|
| Shannara Association | |
| Intentions | To control all of the Four Lands |
| Enemies | the Free-born, Elves and Dwarves |
| First Appearance | The Scions of Shannara |
Contents |
In the aftermath of the Third War of the Races and Shea Ohmsford's defeat of the Warlock Lord, the cities of the deep Southland realized how close they had come to annihilation. Banding together out of fear, they formed an alliance which quickly grew into a unified government whose goal was to unite the Southland and the race of Man under one government: the Federation. While many of the cities of the Southland accepted the offer to join, there were some, particularly Callahorn, who chose to decline the offer. This led to tension between the Federation and Callahorn, especially when the Federation started to advance towards Callahorn's borders.
The Federation did not respond to threats to the other races unless it directly concerned them as well. For example, when King Eventine Elessedil of the Elves asked the Federation for aid in the war against the Demons, the Federation chose not to get involved unless the Demons directly attacked Federation territory. The Federation also had no role in the battle against the Mord Wraiths. The Federation's skilled metal workers, did, of course, partake in the manufacture of weapons during which the government maintained it isolationist policies.
300 years later, the story was very different; the Federation had succeeded in annexing Callahorn and the other cities that turned down the offer to join it. Seeking to punish the Dwarves for supporting the Borderlands, the Federation conquered them and then subjected them to a genocidal forced labor campaign. The Federation had also taken over the Westland, finding the Elves gone. However, the Westland remained virtually unoccupied, becoming home to the Rover colonies. With many of the Gnomes agreeing to cooperate with the Federation, only the Trolls were left free, which the Federation did out of convenience. The Federation also outlawed magic, and used Seekers to enforce this law. Unbeknownst to the Federation, their Seekers were in fact the Shadowen, a group of magic wielding fiends who stood as successors to the Skull Bearers and Mord Wraiths. Manipulating them was Rimmer Dall, First Seeker and most powerful of the Shadowen.
Despite the Federation's iron grip, there were those who resisted. Among these were the resistance groups of Dwarves and the Free-born led by Padishar Creel. Also, though to a lesser extent, the Federation was tormented by Morgan Leah, who pulled numerous jests upon Federation officials in retribution to the conquering of his home. It was only when the scions of Shannara began their quest that the Federation took action, declaring open war on the Free-born. The Federation and their Shadowen allies also unleashed their forces upon the Elves when they returned to the Four Lands. However, the Federation army was defeated in battle by the combined forces of the Elves, Free-born, and Trolls (who joined the fight against the Federation). When it was regrouping and preparing to attack again, the Shadowen were destroyed by the combined power of the scions of Shannara. This turned the war against the Federation, and it soon had no choice but to abandon all the territory outside its original Southland borders.
130 years later, the Federation attacked the Border country of Callahorn (now under the protection of the Free-born alliance) in an attempt to regain what it viewed as a lost protectorate. Leading them was Sen Dunsidan, the First Minister and ally to both the Ilse Witch and the Morgawr. The Elves and Dwarfs, remembering the horrors the Federation had caused in the past, joined the Free-born to keep the Federation from their lands. For a long period of time the war was at a stalemate, with much of the fighting taking place on the Prekkendorran Heights. Then, a Federation engineer developed a dangerous new weapon: the Fire Launcher. Manipulated by a shapeshifting Demon known as the Moric, Dunsidan unleashed the weapon upon the Free-born. But the prototype Fire Launcher was destroyed in an Elven raid. Eventually the Moric assumed Dunsidan's body and took a new Fire Launcher towards Arborlon (the Elven capital) on board a Federation flagship with the intention of destroying the Ellcrys. The Moric was stopped, however, and in doing so Dunsidan's body was destroyed. This event, coupled with a crushing defeat handed by the Free-born on the Prekkendorran front, forced the Federation to quickly choose a less aggressive Minister and sue for peace. The resulting peace saw harsh restrictions put on the Federation, including the destruction of the Fire Launcher and its plans.