Name of Nation: The Solaran Administration
Capital: The Central Administration (Abbreviated to ‘Central’)
National Population: 88’000’000
Demonym: Solaran
Leaders: The Members of the High Conference
Ethnic Groups: All Solarans are M'azic, but to varying "flavours": Busque, M'azic, M'azo-Orientic and M'azo-Austric.
Busque Solarans are those that live on the southern shores of the Solaran Administration, and their culture is based around fine paintings, theatre and dance. They enjoy the arts, as may be guessed, as well as academic pursuits. State Scientists are often drawn from Busque, as are State Architects.
The Busque are by far the most atheist ethnic group, as for around eight hundred years they were ruled by a merciless theocracy that executed anyone perceived to be a heretic- in other words, a dissident. There were often civil wars instigated by High Chaplains in bids for power, and the ordinary people were often thought of as unruly masses. The Busque were only able to live in relative stability once they were conquered in the Unification.
M’azic Solarans can be thought of as ‘real’ Solarans; they had relatively small outside interference until the Unification. This means that they still have many elements of culture that the original M’azael had; high importance is placed on horses, music is traditional and cities are made of clay brick.
These Solarans are the most religious, and despite the State-wide ban on religion, many still practice it in secrecy. This is helped by the fact that most officials working in the M’azic regions turn a blind eye to preachers, and any found out will not normally be subjected to execution. These people are very militant, and many soldiers are drawn from these regions.
M’azo-Orientic are the Solarans that live in the eastern parts of the Solaran Administration, as their name might suggest. They existed in large, guild-based oligarchies that were headed by High Priests until the Unification. These are the most mercantile people of the Solaran Administration, so most Financial Directors and small traders are drawn from the east. They are also the most accustomed to political freedom, and so there have been some troubles here for a few decades. These are mostly of the terrorist variety, however, and do not have too much domestic support.
The M’azo-Orientic are also by far the most agricultural people in the Administration. Their lands are where nearly all food produced in the Administration comes from, and so is an incredibly valuable area for Solarans- nearly as valuable as the industrial M’azo-Austrics below. This said, it still isn't enough to support the entirety of the Administration; it can support roughly thirty million people. However, this proportion is going down, as more and more people are born or immigrate to the Administration. This is something of a crisis for the High Conference: the Administration is now extremely reliant upon foreign trade to get its food.
M’azo-Austric carries a slightly antiquated term as their name. They are not in fact from the south of the Solaran Administration, but from the centre; Busque culture was once the same as M’azo-Austric, but split off once their High Priest created his dictatorship.
M’azo-Austrics are heavily based on industry. This is the industrial heartland of the Solaran Administration; the vast majority of engineers and pilots are drawn from this region. A large amount of soldiers are also drawn from this region, making it over all the most important region of the Administration.
However, as it contains a lot of cities and factories, this is an area which is being badly afflicted by overcrowding. Slums have started to build up outside industrial hotspots, as Administration facilities fail to keep up with the increased demand. In some cases, the Administration has even had to move people out of the region- a devastating loss of potential manpower. This situation has also exasperated the food shortage crisis mentioned above, and created a burgeoning organised crime scene. People have answered food and goods shortages with black markets, which are among the most cardinal crimes it is possible to commit in Administration law.
Language(s) Spoken: Standardised Solaran- the official Administration name for the trade/common language. This was called Standardised Solaran because some people were at first reluctant to have to change their language to a language originating from another country. In other words, it was a re branding of the language.
Religion(s) Practiced (If any):
Outlawed by State law, but a monolatrilist/monotheist (there are varying beliefs among different denominations) religion system exists by the umbrella name of Azaelism. In reality, this religion is extremely divided on a number of issues, with hundreds of denominations existing with roughly equal power. There is, however, one denomination that is far bigger than the rest: Successor Azaelism. This is due to the Unification of the Solaran Administration (shown below).
National Symbols:
The sun, the colour red, and the bull. The sun and bull represents many things; firstly it represents the name of the first Solaran people, the M’azael (short for ‘Mael al Azael’- Suns of War) with the sun representing…the sun and the bull representing war. The sun also represents a new dawn upon Solaran history, with the Solaran Administration now in control. The bull represents the Solaran people; the symbolism being that they were once cattle under the control of the Successors, but that they showed their horns and fought back.
The colour red, by comparison, is much more simplistic; it merely represents the Solaran blood that was spilt in the Red Revolution, and also serves as a reminder of the colours worn by the Romantic Revolutionaries.
- Flag:
- Colours: Red, Gold/Copper
- Creed: Neither man nor God has right to rule.
(1-5 based on the two sides of the scale.)
Government:
Individual --- State -4 (The State decides what your work is, how you're brought up, what your education will be and where you will live. However, this does not necessarily mean that it is dictatorial- it just means that it funnels people in a general direction. Those who were meant to be brought up as engineers can become doctors if they really want to and have an aptitude for it. For the most part, though, people are reasonably happy to accept the State's final decision. If it puts food on the plate...)
Religious --- Secular -5 (There is a State-wide ban on religion, punishable by a heavy fine for those found practising and a firing squad at dawn for those found preaching. This is however often ignored, as the Solaran Administration used to be very religious- it was in fact a theocracy, as explained in the history section below)
Democracy --- Autocracy -Neither. (When boiled down, the Solaran Administration is ruled by a large and extensive and efficient bureaucracy. There are no boundaries upon who may join or reach the highest echelons of this bureaucracy, although people from families perceived to be aristocratic may find it hard to work their way up the political ladder. All members of the government are reviewed by an independent board every year, including members of the High Conference. This means that it is rare for a high-profile member of the government to remain in a position of power for more than seven years, but any remaining members of high enough power are retired after eight years of service. Nothing is hereditary.)
Dove --- Hawk -5 (Extreme expansionism is employed as a way to convert people to their political beliefs and as a way to gather more land and resources. The military is unspecialised, but extremely extensive.)
Isolationist --- Interventionist -5 (The Solaran Administration always intervenes when it feels it can spread the word of their political beliefs, or when they feel such beliefs are being threatened. They also seek to reinforce possible allies to their political system whenever such a situation arises.)
Economy:
Capitalism --- Communism 4 (USSR style communist, but some capitalism is allowed as an incentive, to allow people to spread some money around. Everyone gets housing, food and a flat payment from the State, but it’s also possible to earn bonuses for good work. If someone owns a small, private business, they have to pay a reasonably high tax- around 70%/80%- but get to keep any other profit.)
Private --- Public 5 (Every large business is State-owned, and fed by very high taxes. Small businesses- those with 20 workers or less- are private.)
Inequality --- Equality 5 (Every measure was at least intended to create equality. It is definitely true that even the members of the High Conference have homes that are only superior to a workers in terms of security)
Society:
Open --- Closed 1 (Borders are open for anyone to immigrate to- after they’ve filled out the relevant forms and been handed a Solaran Passport. Immigrants will then be told where they’ll live and what job/education they’ll be given)
Liberal --- Conservative 3 (People are rather conservative in how they live, but are not averse to new artistic mediums or other such displays. It is entirely possible to state any opinion and not get too many funny looks, but it would be considered brash to do so. Unless, of course, your opinion is against State law, in which case you have an early appointment with a rifleman tomorrow…)
Tolerant --- Intolerant 1 (Tolerance is State-enforced. It is a capital offence to be in any way intolerant of other people for any reason judged to be discriminatory (e.g. not liking someone because they’re loud and annoying is fine. Not liking someone because they’re homosexual will see you with your back against the wall by the morning. This does extend to merely not liking someone, not just to actual action taken against someone. Of course, this enforced tolerance does not extend to religion or more right-wing political beliefs, as they are seen as inherently evil, counter-revolutionary and extremely treasonous.)
Military:
- Coat of Arms: None. This is against State law, as it is considered to be a relic from aristocratic societies. The closest to a coat of arms is a plain red flag, symbolising the blood of the Solaran people (and her allies).
- Size: 3.96 million people, predominantly men in short range units, but both men and women in the long ranged support units.
- Branches: Tactical Legions, Guerrilla Legions, Reserve Legions, Reserve Fleets, Secret Operations Units, City Guard
Tactical Legions: These form the vast majority of the Solaran war machine. They were created with the aim of being able to send them into battle no matter what the situation was, and in the vast majority of locations. They are extremely versatile, but they sacrifice being able to truly shine at any area of combat in return for this. They are, however, cheap and easy to maintain due to their paint-by-numbers construction and the way the Administration is set up.
These Tactical Legions are comprised of:
1’000 Infantry
These are the back-bone of the army. They are comprised of Longrifles, Autocannons and Grenadiers. They are very well trained, with training taking around five years to complete. They are well equipped to be able to deal with any situation as it arises, rather than to be very good at one task. This lack of specialisation unfortunately produces a Jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none effect, but the doctrine remains. The reason for this is that it is often cheaper and more efficient to maintain a large, unspecialised standing army than to train a unit to deal with one very specific function, and leave them helpless in any other situation.
100 Armoured Transport and Offensive Vehicles (ATOVs)
These are medium speed tanks, with a large inside in order to carry ten soldiers and six crew, although it does have space for five more soldiers if other ATOVs are damaged. They have average fighting capabilities, as their primary function is to serve as fast troop transport- hence the name. However, after they have deposited their troops, they are used for suppressant fire and anti-armour support. On the battle field, they often move with accompanying troops.
100 Mobile Howitzers
These are relatively slow, only able to move at a maximum of twenty-five miles an hour on good roads. However, they fulfil a very important function; they provide extremely good quality fire support for the ground troops, able to continually fire for weeks. This- along with the Air Fleets- is where the vast majority of military funding goes. Their operators are sent on frequent retraining courses in order to keep them able to work on their MHs without making a single mistake. The Howitzers themselves are very powerful, and are used firstly as demolitions and suppressing fire during initial skirmishes, and then as fixed barrage lines once the trench lines have been set up.
35 Mobile Anti-Aircraft Platforms
These are almost exclusively kept in reserve until trenches have been set up. Then they are set up along the trench lines in order to curb any air-based aggression.
50 Pikeman Tanks
These are small, fast, manoeuvrable and powerful tanks used for two main purposes: support in urban and similar territory, where it is more difficult for ATOVs to navigate, and as anti-armour weaponry. They have lethal main cannons, able to tear through very heavy armour. Unfortunately, they take a long time to reload, forcing them to be used as precise ways to take down heavily armoured engines once they've been worn down by the Pikeman's other, weaker weapons. Their small size also makes them unable for use as soldier transport, but with the ATOVs they seldom have to, anyway.
10 Frigates with 10 fighters each
These are the ATOVs of the sky, and fulfil nearly the exact same purpose. The only difference is that they are often pulled out to protect convoys of merchant vessels. Plus, they get considerably more funding.
They are fast and offensively capable, able to hold their own against heavier airship classes. This is helped by the large contingent of soldiers that will be travelling in the frigates; they can board other ships or throw off boarders should the need arise.
5 Battleships with 25 fighters each
These are the armoured wings of a Tactical Legion, and the brunt of the Air Fleets. They are used to protect the troop-carrying frigates from attack, and also to provide huge air-to-ground fire support when a trench line has been set up.
They are used as offensive airships when a fleet engages in battle with another fleet. They, while not taking up the majority of an offensive fleet’s forces, are the main component. They are reliable, tough, fast and able to deal with any situation- they embody the entire Solaran war doctrine.
5 Schooners with 2 fighters each
These are scouts for the main Tactical Legion, being extremely fast and very manoeuvrable. They are placed far ahead, behind, above and to the sides of the Tactical Legion to provide information about any incoming enemy attacks. This ensures that the Tactical Legion cannot be ambushed except by very well prepared enemies.
Guerrilla Legions
These are the result of many difficult campaigns in the mountains, forests and cities. They are made up of highly mobile, often mechanised soldiers capable of directing themselves without outside orders for a long time, should they find themselves cut off from other Solarans.
- Readiness: The standing army is always on a state of high alert. Many Tactical Legions will be involved in some war or another, as the State’s strict interventionist policy ensures a lot of involvement in other’s wars.
-Tactics and Strategy: The standard Solaran strategy is to send Tactical Legions into territory by air. This provides a very fast, mobilised force that can travel almost anywhere. These soldiers can then set up trenches and barrage lines in occupied territory, and then advance on foot or inside ATOVs.
Meanwhile, air units provide extensive intelligence of enemy lines, and almost continuously go out on bombing runs. These target industrial cities to cripple the industrial effectiveness of enemy states. Fighters will often harass moving troops in conjunction with the Guerrilla Legions.
If fighting is taking place in predominantly urban of difficult terrain, then Guerrilla Legions will be employed. These are among the very few specialised troops the Administration has, and are trained to fight in difficult terrain and against overwhelming odds. These Guerrilla Legions will also be used in the event of a tactical withdrawal or for elastic defences. They harass enemy supply routes and ambush patrols, weakening the enemy forces.
Reserve Legions/Fleets are where the most powerful and expensive units are kept. They are normally kept behind front lines, and then moved forwards should any major battles be started. The fill out the rank-and-file Tactical Legions with formidable dreadnaughts and siege engines, as well as specialised units that are only moved into battles should specific situations arise.
The Secret Operations Units perform assassinations of enemy officials and commanders, and infiltrate enemy lines/governments. They form a large network inside enemy states, and then attempt to take them down from the inside- either immobilising them through murdering their leaders, or through civil conflict generated by playing high-ranking leaders against each other.
Territory: The wastes, specifically the area surrounding the river (and where it meets the ocean).
- Important Locations: The Central Administration, The Central Bureau (Parliament), All province capitals.
History:
- Internal Relations: The Solaran Administration has had a very bloody history. First formed when the M’azael denomination (the method through which ethnicity was determined by their people- if you worshipped their God Kherem, you were a M’azael) rode down into the plains after a long and brutal journey across the wasteland, in which around two thirds of the original M’azael had died. Then they had to fight and depose the multiple city-states that inhabited the area- not just because they needed some land to live on, but also because the city-states refused to join their religion.
As the M’azael took over more and more land (utilising cavalry-based tactics that were completely new to the almost entirely infantry-based soldiers of the city-states) they grew more and more powerful. They began to wage wars not because of land, but purely to aggressively convert them to their religion. This did not encourage many foreign friendships, but it did ensure that all conquered peoples were unlikely to revolt- they now worshipped the same God as their conquerors, whose priests could excommunicate them. Besides, Azaelism was against the usage of slaves, and taught that as all people lived under the sun (their God), all people were equal. The conquered city-states were often treated better after they had been taken over, not least because all conquered people were considered M’azic if they converted. Of course, many didn’t convert, and these were ruthlessly punished with death for the heretic and their family.
When the empire got large enough, the M’azic Empire collapsed in on itself. There followed a decade of infighting between the various High Priests, but eventually the Empire settled into a group of mutually “allied” states. In the relatively barren north existed around a hundred continually warring denominations; in the fertile south, there existed a vicious oligarchy. To the west were a few occasionally warring kingdoms, and to the east were large theocratic guild-run conglomerates.
The M’azic Empire existed like this for around eight hundred years, and then a M’azic general by the name of Johael Al Ursriel began taking over the northern denominations. He used entirely infantry based tactics- completely unheard of (and dishonourable) in the northern denominations. He managed to completely unite the northern region into one denomination. This would ordinarily have eventually descended into either civil war or stagnation, but there was one difference to the general’s religion that made his denomination different; it believed that there was only one God (Kherem), and that this God had given to the world his Successor-On-Earth; his spiritual continuation, to guide people in the right direction. This successor had been proclaimed to be Johael and all his progeny, inherited by the oldest child.
This meant that all decisions he made were followed instantly. Every other denomination was ruled by multiple priests, giving them slow reaction times. Johael utilised this to his advantage, and using the vast amount of soldiers he had now acquired through conquering the north, he marched to the south and began to conquer all of the M’azic Empire. He eventually succeeded in uniting the Empire in a series of extremely bloody wars known collectively as the Unification (for note, roughly 1/8th of Solarans died directly or indirectly due to the Unification).
Four hundred and fifty years later, a series of unfortunate events (and a larger series of incredible misjudgements made by the reigning Successor) had resulted in a terrified and angry populous. When soldiers were brought in to quell rioters with brute force, the public responded with outrage. This sparked a series of revolutions, which many of the under-paid soldiers joined. Eventually, after half a year of continual fighting, the Cathedral-Palace was stormed. The Successor was shot by a unit of soldiers, and the rest of his parliament was executed later that day. What then followed averted years of bloodshed: the largest revolutionary party, the Romantics, ordered that a joint conference be created by members of each of the parties to run the Administration. This began the process of completely bureaucratising the newly-formed Solaran Administration, which took an extreme stance against religion- which was now seen as a perpetuator of lies. This Administration has been in power for roughly one hundred and fifty years.
TL;DR: Horse-nomads took over city states and formed an empire, said empire collapsed, the empire was united again and then a revolution deposed the ruler of said empire while creating the Solaran Administration.
Industry:
Agriculture: The Solaran Administration has a severe lack of agriculture. It does have an agricultural region, but this can only support thirty million people- around a third of the Administration's population. It relies heavily on imports from other countries in order to feed it's nation.
Goods (e.g. pots and pans, furniture etc.) : Everything in the Administration is mass produced. From the tables and chairs inside a State canteen, to the cutlery on their plates, the food that is eaten there- even the workers who built it were essentially mass produced. And above all, everything is
cheap. This doesn't take away from it's quality, though; everything made is all but guaranteed to last for years. It does take away from it's luxury, however. The tables and chairs will be dull and basic, the cutlery made from tin, the food will be akin to the food served in schools- and the workers will live in small, spartan apartments.
However, due to this factory ethic, huge numbers of these goods are produced every day. This is helped by the Administration's large natural resources of metal: it's not as if the goods need to be made out of beautifully hand-crafted wood, after all.
Luxuries: Excluding hygienic luxuries (which are seen by the Administration as fulfilling enough of a role to justify domestic production), these are not thought of as being a priority in the Solaran Administration- at least, not by the government. The any luxuries in the market will either be foreign, or will be State-funded works of art, in some form or another.
Technology: Industrial and aeronautic technology in the Solaran Administration is of an incredibly high standard- perhaps the only thing in the Administration that can truly be called such. This allows for rapid production and fast transport- both of goods and soldiers. Other technology can accurately be described as average, with priority being put on ease of production, cheapness and reliability. This does not result in ingenious award-winning creations.
Military: A massive emphasis is put upon this form of industry by the Administration, with large incentives for businesses to go into this line of work- not that the Administration couldn't just force them to do it anyway. Like all industry in the Administration, military equipment is cheap, reliable, mass-produced and standardised to every soldier in the Administration.
Raw Materials (e.g. iron, steel, coal, stone): There is a large industry devoted to mining and refining materials. This is not least because it ensures that the Administration can create its goods without having to import the materials required from other nations. The lands of the Solaran Administration are very rich in such natural resources, with a huge number of mines and quarries covering the countryside.
International Relations:
Torvari Federation: Trade agreement. Enough food to feed twenty-five million people/year is sent by the Federation in return for thirty percent of Solaran surplus goods, and permission to build an embassy in the Central Administration.
Dominion of Courbonnais: Trade Agreement. Enough food to feed sixty million people/year is sent by the Dominion in return for thirty-five percent of Solaran surplus materials.
The Crowned Republic of Velldon: Roughly one million soldiers are stationed here, ostentatiously to protect the Republic from the CotM.
The Sultanate of Fahtamis: Shared historical past. The Fahtamis and the Solarans were part of the same proto-nation, until the Solarans lost a religious war and were forced to flee north. Some time later, a group of Solarans called the Baruks rode south to re-take their holy land. They successfully conquered it and made their sect of Azaelism the national religion.
This would normally result in very good relations with the Sultanate of Fahtamis, but since the Solaran Revolution, the Administration has been extremely anti-religion. This is made even more acute considering the fact that the Sultanate of Fahtamis believes in a religion that is derived from Azaelism; it represents everything the Administration hated about their former rulers. This means that the Administration is hostile to the Sultanate of Fahtamis.
SMOKY
