[OOC] Precipice of War - The Big Leagues of NRP (Only generous tippers need apply)

[Dinh AaronMk]

@Keyguyperson

Accepted.

[Keyguyperson]

@Keyguyperson, Aaron also gave you the Spratlys.

@Letter Bee

I'm aware, I just left them off of the map because I wanted it to be less wide. Can't wait to have a big ol' dispute over those.

[Letter Bee]

<Snipped quote by Letter Bee>

I'm aware, I just left them off of the map because I wanted it to be less wide. Can't wait to have a big ol' dispute over those.

@Keyguyperson

Thanks; anticipating that too.

[Lone Wanderer]

Writing papers for uni has been sapping my time, but just to confirm, I'm still interested and maintaining a claim to the British Empire.

[Inkwell]

Caucasia Commonwealth

Name:
Caucasia Commonwealth

Map location:
Sochi and Krasnodar.

History:

After Russian troops withdrew from the eastern front most people hoped that this would be an end to the violence. That maybe peace could once again return to their lives. However this was not the case as the violence was now Russian against Russian with the army brutally putting down any opposition. Bolsheviks in the Caucasus region gained some support but it wasn't enough to stop them from being wiped out by the superior and more equipped soldiers of the empire.

The government began a very well planned propaganda campaign portraying the Czar as the saviour of Russia. Blame was levelled at the socialists for loosing the war and many blamed them for over things as well. However there were still those who did not buy into the propaganda. Many women in Caucasus region had seen the Czar sacrifice their sons and husbands leaving thousands of mothers and daughters to take care of themselves. Many women had ploughed the fields, worked the factories and all number of jobs while men died on the battlefield. Many of them said that the fate of the nation shouldn't be in the hands of one man. They believed that Russia should be a republic. These women also believed that they should be equal to men as they had done very thing that was considered a mans job when they left for war.

However the movement faced a problem as talk like this could get someone locked up or worse. The leaders made the decision to keep the movement underground with a low profile until they had more members and could force the government to listen. The organisation spread mostly by word of mouth with friends bringing each other in. After this step they started handing out fliers with the organisations main beliefs and a message encouraging others to start their own movement/cell. It wasn't long before smaller groups formed all over the Caucasus region. Some even set up pirate radio stations to spread their version of the truth to the masses. Unfortunately they would also face step backs with some of them being caught and arrested with most never to be seen again.

As the Czar took more power and civil liberties away from the people the movement grew stronger. With antimonarchists and republicans joining the movement. However the movement also became more radical with some saying that the Czar had gone to far and needed to be removed by force if necessary. Thankfully the rest of the organisation had slightly cooler heads saying they should wait and build up. They would slowly start gathering weapons here and there from people who didn't ask them too many questions. This lead to dealings with organised crime and gun smugglers. Some soldiers even joined seeing that the Czar had gone to far and they would bring in other soldiers with similar views.

When Nicholas II's time came many hoped that with his death would bring a less heavy handed ruler to the throne in the form of Alexandre IV. Unfortunately even with the the passing of the previous Czar in 1946 everything stayed pretty much the same with some saying it got worse. People were arrested for no reason with some completely going missing never making it to trial. The movement lost some of their own in all off this but thankfully they never divulged anything.

When the ethnic minorities of the Caucasus rebelled the movement had to go extremely silent to avoid detection. It was a brutal put down as the rebels as they were slaughtered. Allegedly alongside some innocents though the government would never it admit it was their fault always blaming the rebels. The movement tried to protect as many of the minorities as they could as most didn't even do anything. However that didn't the Czars soldiers thinking that they were all up to something. Some rebels were also saved by the movement as they began losing many searched for somewhere to hide. That's how the movement found out the minorities had been encouraged and funded to rebel by the communists. The movement switched them to their side arguing that they should not trade a Czar for a Communist dictator. A lot of them joined on and those that didn't were dealt with as they couldn't afford a breech in security.

This people's liberal movement in the Caucasus region finally realised that freedom from the Czar would require careful planing and force to seize power. It would take the right circumstances and the right timing for the movement to work. The conditions proved to be right shortly after the Czar was killed and the royalists were in panic. With the top brass of Caucasus region army meeting to organise it was easy for the rebels to use this to their advantage. Using soldiers who were members of the movement they were able to sneak a reasonably sized task force in taking the generals by storm. One or two fought back but they only got off a few shots before being killed. At the same time several other officers were poisoned by there secretaries or in some rare cases their wives. With their leadership either killed or held prisoner the soldiers gave into the demands of the revolutionaries and surrendered. With soldiers loyal to revolution disarming the rest of the army and arming more of the rebellion things were looking up for a change.

It took several months but they finally managed to piece together a provisional government. The provisional government was made up of the highest ranking military members and the leaders of all the resistance cells. They were also getting ready to release the last group of army captives. Upon release they always gave the soldiers a rifle for every man 1 out of 20 and enough food to make it to a loyalist stronghold before they starved. However that didn't help them much as many would still be killed or captured in a few days by revolutionaries with some even joining the revolutionaries. Many others no one knows what happened to them. In the last group they also sent them away with the generals who they had been holding hostage. Without an army the generals wouldn't be able to just turn around and attack and they would have to leave to survive.

The revolution had been success according to the provisional government but over the next few weeks they would have to deal with the issues and consequences caused by them. For instance the attempted capture of Sevastopol had been a failure leading to the death of the entire organisation in Crimea. Their were also numerous smaller rebellions happening all over Caucasus region leading to further conflict. So they quickly went to work knowing they had to solidify their power quickly so the movement could survive. So they solidified there position in the west of the country ordering there eastern forces to retreat back to there position. It was surprising for some of the resistance as most didn't think other rebellions would occur. With some careful talks other rebellions agreed to join the cause however most could not be reasoned with. Many Russians fled or died during this time of upheaval.

It took about 6 months for the provisional government to get even the basics in place. Finally basic services were working, mines were working and so were the factories. The revolution had trained as many people as they could to sign up no matter what gender they were and letting veterans rejoin as well. This was also the point that other Caucasus revolutionaries started attacking from all sides trying to annex them. Thankfully they managed to hold them off with ease in the south due to the mountainous and hilly terrain. However in the north they started taking heavy loses and losing ground. They only managed to slow them down with hastily made trenches which they would make then fall back from once the next was ready. Often they would leave booby traps to slow them down a little more. Plans rushed for a fort line that would be a more permanent defence underway as soon as possible. They planed out were they could build the fort line so it would be ready. It was also around this time that the first draft of the countries constitution was signed with only the most basic of laws kept. It would stay the same until the new government was elected to update the constitution.

In 1956 the border was finally secured with all troops retreating to the country's state of the art fort line. It took thousands of workers to build it with a large amount of the country's factories and resources were devoted to it. The provisional government thought asking for help securing their borders would make them look weak and vulnerable to other nations. So they had struggled on with many soldiers dying on the front but people also died building the fortifications as fast as they could. It was a month after finally after securing the border that the provisional government announced its upcoming disbanding and the first election of the new council to replace it. They also announced the name for this new country which was the Caucasia Commonwealth.

The new council began its term on January second 1957 and begin its 5 year term. First order of business was a 3 year plan to have the country ready to begin trading with the outside world before the 1960s. They also spent this time approving research and development to improve the country both tactically and economically. The government also set up a new form of currency replacing the work tokens that the provisional government had put in place. Service by requirement was introduced which means anyone under the age of 25 must do at least 2 years of national service unless a case could be put forward that they can contribute more out of the army. So far business CEOs, scientists, doctors and nurses have avoided the draft.

With the year now 1960 the country has grown a very strong internal economy. However in the southern region of the country organised crime had set up in the mountains. The natural terrain and the remoteness helped conceal the illegal operations. Some people from small and vulnerable communities even fled across the southern border in hopes of a better life. In fact many Russians from the north would try and sneak through Caucasia Commonwealth. Some would end up staying finding that the life one could lead in the Commonwealth was of a fairly high standard. Some even realised they could achieve things that wouldn't be possible in other parts of the world. The government now seeks to integrate itself into the international community forming some kind of alliance. To achieve this several ambassadors have been sent to neighbouring countries and an ambassador was also dispatched on a new submarine that will sneak out of the Black Sea. This will allow them to reach out to other countries without travelling through their neighbours. Lastly a large scale military operation is being conducted to root out the illegal operations in the southern mountains.

[Pepperm1nts]

That's a much better draft than the one you showed me in the PM. My only concern is the size and stability of your claim, but that is mostly a nitpick. In the last version of PoW, the Caucasus as a whole were a near-lawless stretch of land controlled and fought over by warlords, with only small areas here and there that were relatively in order. I personally really liked that, because it added to the chaos in Russia and made for some really cool posts when Vilage and Evan had characters pass through there. I even made a post there once when I played as Germany, and portrayed the area as a warlord-controlled territory as well.

Another thing worth mentioning, is that the Caucasus have historically been pretty unstable, with a lot of ethnic and religious strife. In a world without a powerful Russian counterweight to all that, I can only imagine it'd be worse, which makes it hard for me to picture a state as stable as you describe (even with the organized crime bit).

Otherwise, I think the app is fine and I like that you referenced a lot of the stuff that I mentioned in my app. But like I said in the PM the first time, I'm going to leave it up to Aaron and Vilage 'cause I'm not that knowledgeable when it comes to that part of Russia. If they think the size and stability of the state is fine then I have no objections.

EDIT: Although I think Georgia should definitely be independent.

[Byrd Man]

EDIT: Although I think Georgia should definitely be independent.

@Pepperm1nts

The Peach Republic.

[Vilageidiotx]

<Snipped quote by Pepperm1nts>

The Peach Republic.

@Byrd Man

Governed by President Matlock

[Shyri]

That's a much better draft than the one you showed me in the PM. My only concern is the size and stability of your claim, but that is mostly a nitpick. In the last version of PoW, the Caucasus as a whole were a near-lawless stretch of land controlled and fought over by warlords, with only small areas here and there that were relatively in order. I personally really liked that, because it added to the chaos in Russia and made for some really cool posts when Vilage and Evan had characters pass through there. I even made a post there once when I played as Germany, and portrayed the area as a warlord-controlled territory as well.

Another thing worth mentioning, is that the Caucasus have historically been pretty unstable, with a lot of ethnic and religious strife. In a world without a powerful Russian counterweight to all that, I can only imagine it'd be worse, which makes it hard for me to picture a state as stable as you describe (even with the organized crime bit).

Otherwise, I think the app is fine and I like that you referenced a lot of the stuff that I mentioned in my app. But like I said in the PM the first time, I'm going to leave it up to Aaron and Vilage 'cause I'm not that knowledgeable when it comes to that part of Russia. If they think the size and stability of the state is fine then I have no objections.

EDIT: Although I think Georgia should definitely be independent.

@Pepperm1nts

Not to be a party pooper, but...

When we went through designing the map, Aaron mentioned wanting everything South of Volgograd to be that chaotic, micro-state mess. It's why I had to revamp the map so many times, actually.

Edit: Yeah. This is what the area was like in my original fracture-design.


And this is what it became after Aaron asked me to break it up more.


Edit edit: Of course, I'm not the final say. Just letting you know it's something our mighty overlord mentioned wanting.

I also feel your pain, as somebody who originally was going to play a Moscow-based government.

[Vilageidiotx]

<Snipped quote by Pepperm1nts>

Not to be a party pooper, but...

When we went through designing the map, Aaron mentioned wanting everything South of Volgograd to be that chaotic, micro-state mess. It's why I had to revamp the map so many times, actually.

Edit: Yeah. This is what the area was like in my original fracture-design.


And this is what it became after Aaron asked me to break it up more.


Edit edit: Of course, I'm not the final say. Just letting you know it's something our mighty overlord mentioned wanting.

I also feel your pain, as somebody who originally was going to play a Moscow-based government.

@Shyri

Requiring such a specific makeup for that area is arbitrary af

[Shyri]

<Snipped quote by Shyri>

Requiring such a specific makeup for that area is arbitrary af

@Vilageidiotx

I'm not saying "This is it!" I'm just showing what my original idea for it was (4 separate nations), and then how much more I had to break it up based on Aaron's feedback.

Edit: Those maps were actually versions #4 and #5 of Russia. Lot's o' cutting was done. lol

[Pepperm1nts]

I like it.

I feel bad 'cause Inkwell has made like three apps so far, though. If I were you, Inkwell, I'd settle for one of those states and focus my posts around the many factions vying for control of the area. And I'd probably delve deep into the criminal aspect too. You'd have no shortage of things to write about.

I know it's not appealing to everyone, but it's always good to start at a low point so you have something to climb up towards throughout the RP. If you start with everything, you have nothing to work towards. It's like with The_Specter, who originally wanted all of Central America and parts of South America, but ended up settling for just Central America. So now, if he wants a slice of South America, he has to actually post and work towards it.

[Vilageidiotx]

I think people should be allowed to recarve the Russia map so long as they can sell it as a sensible idea. Requiring people to follow the Russian NPC map exactly seems ridiculous.

[Dinh AaronMk]

@Inkwell I may have to side with Hugs on this in that perhaps some clipping might be done, as well as actually taking the map into MSPaint and using the fill bucket tool. I *think* the map up in the OP is the full size one. But if not:



But one thing I'd like to stress on the region is that that part of Russia is fairly mixed, and Russians are either in a minority or are no less a majority than any of the other groups. The region of Russia has had a history of being the center for many different people and even religions: Christians, Muslims, and even Buddhists. And without the sort of interference in the area as the Soviets had ran and the deportations to Siberia/Kazakhstan or entire populations fleeing the southern Caucus and southern Russian steppe as refugees escaping the Red Army much of that diversity would be preserved.

To a point they might operate well, if to depose the weakening Czar and Czarist state. But in settling they'd likely end up forming their own independent states.

That's the reasoning behind having the area broken down so much.

The region - especially in the north - is considerably flat, so even if trench works were dug the geography would have permitted a swift advance by the northern parties and I doubt as you said they would have held them off as well.

[Vilageidiotx]

I'll stay on the record saying that forcing this particular level of division is arbitrary and will only serve to hamper people's ability to organically develop a Russian storyline.

[Letter Bee]

I'll stay on the record saying that forcing this particular level of division is arbitrary and will only serve to hamper people's ability to organically develop a Russian storyline.

@Vilageidiotx

And also turn off people from wanting to join us or play with us.

Aaron has a point about the flat terrain in the north, though.

[Meiyuuhi]

I'd simply argue that such a state as Inkwell is proposing should have the internal strife expected of such an ethnically diverse and conflict-ridden area, if it's going to be so big. There's a reason why I picked the fairly homogeneous Ukraine.

[Pepperm1nts]

I'm cool with letting Inkwell define his territory to an extent. Like, if you look at my map, I took all of St. Pete, but I also took parts of Karelia, Tver, and Novgorod (and that chunk of the Baltic, but I'm talking about proper Russia here). My reasoning was that if the Imperial Army has been fighting since the fall of the Tsar, it is reasonable to say they have made some progress, or have managed to hold on to some of those old territories.

I think the same can be allowed to happen in the Caucus, but I agree with Aaron that it would be best if we kept the Caucus mostly divided and if we all collectively agree that it should be an area that is especially bad as far as lawlessness and faction warfare. So if Inkwell wants to take, I don't know, fuckin' Rostov, but also wants a small piece of Volgodonsk or whatever, he should be allowed to as long as there is a good explanation for why it's in his control and how it has remained that way. That's just an example, though, I'm not saying he should settle for a really shitty claim.

[Shyri]

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[Dinh AaronMk]

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@Shyri

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