An explosion rocked a neighborhood in the outskirts of the capital. In any other country, a cause for major concern. However, this had been a near weekly occurrence for the past year, and before that was even more commonplace. Unexploded ordnance was practically everywhere and new construction and infrastructure projects inevitably unearthed anything from shells to mines. This time, nobody had been killed, but others hadn't been so lucky. It would likely be many years before the land was clear of explosives.
Somewhere near the border
The black-clad party cadre peered over the side of the automobile. It was one of the rare trucks that had managed to be either smuggled in or outright stolen in the war. Without many spare parts, their use was far from commonplace, highlighting the importance of the mission. In total, there were three trucks, each bearing the insignia of the armed forces. To the front and rear of the convoy were four members of the People's Armed Police on horseback and further back along the road were two more trucks and four more armed police officers. They were guarding a delegation consisting of party officials, army officers, engineers, and of course the uniformed woman glancing curiously at the automobile behind her own. She was designated as a liaison to the Central Office of the United People's Government, effectively the representative for the Chairman himself. All told, the delegation itself numbered just over a dozen officials from the government and military.
In addition to the delegation itself there were 48 soldiers from the army and 36 sailors, 24 of whom were from the People's Armed Police and 12 of whom belonged to the Ministry of Hunting and Fishing. The destination of the convoy was a port along the river Yanu which connected UDC to the ocean. The intention was to meet a flotilla that was reportedly being sent from a foreign nation. Already, police units near the border had been put on alert and travel by river was being heavily restricted. The port was close to the border, so the plan was to intercept the flotilla with police vessels near the border and keep the foreigners at arm's length until they could be met by the government delegation.
However, all of this hinged on the convoy actually reaching the port. At this point, the convoy had been delayed three times by mechanical breakdowns and bad weather and the poor condition of the roads was making itself apparent. At this rate, there would not be much time before the described January 25 deadline. Police units ahead of the convoy were clearing out any obstacles they could and preparing checkpoints to push the convoy through as quickly as possible. The foreign delegation could not know this - but their sudden arrival had created somewhat of an emergency for the government.
With the rebuilding of national infrastructure still an ongoing project, it was a miracle that the message even got to the government itself. Apparently the messenger bird had been found by a soldier outside of the capital and fortunately the message made its way up the chain of command until an officer sent the message to a party official who passed it on to the police who passed it on to the government. By the time the necessary people had read the message, several days had gone by and a delegation was quickly scrapped together. They were sent out as soon as possible, with some of the assigned sailors being hastily brought in from the Ministry of Hunting and Fishing and given police uniforms to look a bit more professional. The situation was far from ideal, and making a good impression was likely a matter of national importance.
Through conversation with the officers sitting alongside her, the black uniformed liaison had gathered that pretty much nobody in the delegation knew much about the nation they were apparently being sent to greet. If shown a map, perhaps only one or two of the high ranking military men would find it possible to locate Seidhara on a map. The liaison smoothed out the wrinkles on her jacket. She only owned two sets of suits, neither of which could be considered appropriate for the occasion. She sighed as she glanced over the side of the truck again, pondering the specifics of this meeting apprehensively.
Near the border of UDC's territorial waters - Yanu River
Several patrol boats chugged lazily across the river, waiting for the first sighting of the expected foreign vessels.
K-1 bobbed up and down on the surface. Outwardly there was no sign of activity on the submarine's deck. Her hull was adorned with elaborate patterns, the trademark of Fog ships. Their soft glow was the only indication that the submarine was anything more than a relic. Not too far away was the massive silhouette of Shinano, whose sheer enormity was enough to make K-1 seem like a bathtub toy. All was quiet. At least on the outside.
Inside of her hull K-1, in her mental model form, was wallowing in her liquor. She had only hours earlier left the confines of her hull, but when confronted with the multiple surrounding ships that made up the Phantom Fleet, she had locked herself back in her hull. Her many years at sea had no doubt contributed to how socially awkward the personified submarine was, and now it was a struggle for her to even peek out of her conning tower. Even worse, at times like this, she indulged herself in alcohol, which compounded the issue. While drinking herself into a stupor (gin, this time,) she struck up conversation with the naval mine that sat nestled against the wall.
"Tomaaaa, I tried my best. Why won't they talk to me?! Wouldn't it be really awkward if I just approached them? But...it would also be awkward if they came to me! What am I supposed to do?!"
Seeking comfort in the warm embrace of intoxication and her "friend," Toma, it seems K-1 still has a long way to go.
Mental Model: K-1 takes the form of a small-ish girl between the ages of 16 and 18, dressed in an old Soviet navy uniform (comtourist.com/images/large/wings-of-…) She has short, blond hair, and brown eyes. Her skin is very pale, which is suitable. She is also usually intoxicated, and looks the part.
Personality: K-1 bears no ill will towards any side in the war - mostly due to having forgotten about the war after over a decade at sea and years of bored drinking. As a result of her years of isolation, K-1 is very antisocial when sober, and when drunk she tends to talk to her torpedoes and mines who she ended up naming, talking to, and drawing faces on during her time at sea.
Backstory(details omitted just to expedite getting this thing out): On September 6th, 2040, K-1 sortied to the Arctic Ocean. Unfortunately, K-1's innately bad sense of direction led to her straying far off course. A month into her mission, K-1's communications equipment failed, isolating her from the main fleet. At some point during this time, K-1 encountered an enemy convoy and struck it, destroying three cargo ships and a destroyer. After this, she spent the next decade or so completely isolated. She sailed between the Pacific and Arctic, occasionally spotting an enemy convoy or fleet. However, after about five years K-1 had given up on regrouping with the fleet. In 2053, K-1 randomly received a mental model. As it turns out, her "personality" only compounded her issue. After about a month, she gave up and ceased using her mental model, as the stress of the utter isolation was becoming bothersome. After another few months, K-1 came across the site of what seemed to have been an attack. Debris was scattered across the ocean surface. She surfaced and adopted a mental model to investigate. However, she did not find clues to the whereabouts of her fleet. Instead she came across many floating crates and boxes filled with what seemed to be food and drink.
She then spent the better part of the next decade getting drunk in the middle of the Pacific Ocean before accidentally sailing right into the Phantom Fleet, nearly ramming a few ships before being apprehended. At the time of capture, she seemed to have completely forgotten about the war and the only resistance encountered was just her being plain disoriented.
Extra:
Favorite Liquor: Gin, Vodka, and Whisky are all enjoyed equally.
Good to hear because this RP is all about those three things. There is still room for one more. As for Discord, I haven't made one yet but I will ptobably set one up
Just wanted to express interest. I'm quite into WW2, anime, and ships in particular, so I feel this is right up my alley. Just wanted to see if there's any room left for new characters. Also, I may have missed it but does this RP have a discord or other chat? If so, a link would be appreciated.
Cheers were erupting outside. A woman had accused her neighbor of supporting the royalty during the war. An investigation was undertaken, a trial held, and the sentencing held in public. The verdict was out - the man was guilty of siding with the royalty during the war. Not only that, he had been an aristocrat and inherited vast sums of wealth. The sentence was obvious - death. In tears, the man was hauled by armed soldiers into a carriage amid the cheering, laughter, and of a crowd of hundreds - the fate of this noble had been sealed. No doubt such spectacles would continue for some time; the war was over but their nation would not recover for many more years.
These thoughts idly passed through her head as she glanced out of the window. She was in the government area of the capital, Han'ji. She had been called on by her superior and was on her way to his office. She felt pride in her job, working for the party and the people. Her uniform was a black jacket and trousers with a black visor cap and a red party badge to complete the look. The jacket she wore buttoned up to a smart-looking collar. She passed by multiple similarly dressed men and women in the hallway and greeted them all. Everyone had their hands full, but nobody complained. After all, the burden of building their nation was shared by everyone - it couldn't be called anything but fair.
She stopped in front of a door at the end of the hall. She knocked on it twice and then stood back. After a few moments, the door opened to reveal a man in his late forties. He had a commanding air about him, but he wasn't intimidating or imposing. He was like a kind father and smiled as he welcomed her,
"Come in, Comrade Feng."
She greeted him and followed him inside,
"Good morning, Chairman."
They took their seats at either end of a simplistic desk. The room was neatly organized but there were few decorations to be seen. The only light in the room came from the window, although a candle sat at his desk unlit.
"Chairman Lan, what can I do for you today?"
She was eager to help out the Chairman whom she looked up to more than her actual parents. The Chairman leaned back,
"I've heard reports - there seems to be turmoil among the Monarchies."
She nodded, reading off of a notebook,
"The prince of Rotteburg has been shot and killed in the Tsuljin Khanate."
The Great Helmsman sighed and paused, taking a sip of water.
"And the consequences?"
She looked back at her notebook, reading off of it,
"Yes, well, our scouts report that there is talk of war with Uruk, our imperialist neighbor."
The chairman sighed once more, gazing out the window that overlooked the capital of their nation. Over the rooftops, the red flags of the revolution waved triumphantly still.
"We are still building our nation, we cannot afford war. We must conceal our strength and bide our time. With this said, we would be fools to ignore our imperialist neighbor. What progress has been made on our border with Uruk?"
Feng, his ever reliable assistant, nodded and spoke by memory alone,
"Our border guard along Uruk numbers 32,000, made up of 3 divisions. Fixed artillery batteries of ten guns between 120mm and 155mm are assigned to each regiment, mortars of 60mm size are assigned at company level, and our machine-guns number 600. We have built watchtowers at 1km intervals. Our railroads connect much of our military garrisons to the border. I estimate that in the first days of hostilities, we could mobilize up to 5 more divisions, and 10 more within a week. The rest of our borders are similarly defended, but to our west the railroads are still under construction."
She paused, looking at the chairman for confirmation. He nodded,
"And our rail-guns?"
She flipped through her notes once more,
"A howitzer of 270mm is undergoing trials, a howitzer of 380mm is being developed. Our engineers say the latter will be ready within two years."
"Have the 270mm ready by the end of the month. I want 10 produced and ready by the end of the year. And what of our air-craft?"
She nodded, taking notes. She looked up from her book, adjusting her cap,
"Our engineers say that the air-craft will be ready soon. The engine is powerful enough to push the vehicle to 126kph for 3 hours. When pilots are equipped with grenades, they can hit 10 square meter ground targets with 25% accuracy at 100m altitude. We have built 5 craft thus far." The chairman nodded, pleased,
"Good. Well then, we must tell the soldiers to prepare themselves. Send word out, we must build more bunkers, higher watchtowers, and sturdier railroads."
She took notes, and then put her book down. The two looked out the window at the sprawling capital that had been built by the workers, for the workers. She took a sip of water, a feeling of apprehension coming over her at what was to come. This nation was proof to her that the workers and peasants needed no kings, emperors, or bosses. She wanted to protect this socialist nation, she wanted to protect the people who looked to the party for leadership, she wanted to see a world without masters. For this, she would dedicate her life.
As she finally stood to take her leave, she said,
"Chairman, we will follow your heroic leadership forever."
He smiled,
"You have devoted the best years of your life to building the party, nobody is more of a hero than you are."
Government: One party state, ruled by the People's Unity Party. The government is made up of a legislature, the United People's Congress, an executive branch, the United People's Government, the military branch, the People's Defense Force and the People's Armed Police, the judicial Supreme People's Court, and the supervisory People's Democratic Commission. Voting takes place every new year, and is open to all above the age of 14. The highest positions of government will always be up for election, but often run uncontested. Positions are generally contested by members of lower levels of government, and usually only when someone resigns. The current Chairman of the People's Unity Party and of the United People's Government is Lan At-zen.
While democratic elections take place, the People's Unity Party suppresses minority groups that are considered counter-revolutionary or reactionary. Among those are the remnants of the industrialists and monarchists who stayed behind. Many of the former nobility and their followers who did not escape have been either rounded up in prisons or are closely watched by government minders. In this way, the last vestiges of the old are being stamped out. Those high ranking members of the nobility, industrialists, and other enemies of the Party who were deemed too dangerous were executed behind closed doors, but with overwhelming public support.
Species: Human
Culture: The country's population possesses a sense of suspicion towards outside forces bordering on xenophobia. There is no official religion and all religious practices are closely monitored, with religious heads being state appointed.
The nation is very reliant on its farms for self sufficiency, with its staple food being rice. While the UDC has massive magic potential, there is currently little remaining industry capable of mining and processing its vast reserves, and so its potential goes largely untapped and its people are generally unaware of magic's full potential, with many unaware it exists at all. In the aftermath of civil war, little outside information reaches the people of the UDC, with most news being heavily controlled by government censors. Despite this, the people of the UDC are relatively well educated, with heavy emphasis post-war being put on public education for both boys and girls. In addition, the citizens of the UDC tend to be very proud of their nationalized health service, which was spawned from the vast medical infrastructure set up during the civil war. Most citizens are thus very patriotic and loyal, with a majority being party members. The people of UDC maintain a degree of reverence towards Chairman Lan, with songs, plays, books, and even entire courses in universities dedicated to him and his leadership.
History: United Democratic Changxa emerged only five years ago after a brutal decade long civil war that was waged across the entire country. Ten years prior to the civil war, the country was fractured between competing forces, all laying claim to the same area now known as Changxa: The Kingdom of Akiia, the Kaal Military Government, the Democratic National Front, and the National Farmer-Worker Union. The NFWU was the precursor to the current People's Unity Party.
The Kingdom, originally having controlled the entirety of Changxa, had been slowly whittled away by successive inept rulers, whose policies angered both the working class and peasantry with their exploitation and the industrialists with their restrictions on trade. With a majority of the population either working class or peasant, there was a real threat of a revolution. Anxious about the impending failure of the Kingdom, the Kaal Military Government attempted a coup that was partially successful in seizing key industrial sectors of the Kingdom. Meanwhile, the Democratic National Front, having existed for some time as an attempt by the Kingdom's industrialists to leverage their government, seized about 30% of the Kingdom's urban areas. With the country quickly descending into a state of disarray, far left agitators riled up the already angry and discontent farmhands, who rose up against their regional lords. This was initially named the National Farmer Union, but as the influence of the NFU expanded into industrial areas, workers made up an increasing number of the NFU's ranks and the name was changed accordingly. The NFWU gained the trust of the peasants and workers by sending soldiers to help repair damage caused by fighting and quickly integrated with the isolated villages and small towns that made up the rural sectors of the country. NFWU soldiers even set up schools that, in addition to basic education, also spread socialist theory to the youth of the peasantry. This is what would set the NFWU apart for the duration of the war.
While the situation was undoubtedly dire, there was no immediate war. While border conflicts occurred, the competing factions mostly refrained from igniting an all-out war, as no one side had the military strength to take control of the entire country. So for ten years, a strained peace reigned over Changxa. It was in the middle of Changxa's cold winter that the silence was broken. The King, King Sun-Sa, was found dead in his sleeping quarters. While the Kingdom attempted to keep the situation under wraps while power was being transitioned, a Kaal spy broke the news. In a matter of days, the Kingdom's military was being overrun across a wide front by Kaal forces who were better equipped and more numerous. Almost in the same instant, workers' uprisings took place within both the Kaal Military Government's borders and within the DNF, prompting the then-named People's Red Army to invade both factions. In just one year, the Kingdom's former territory was almost entirely controlled by the military government, while much of the DNF was being overrun by the PRA. The outcome of the war was uncertain.
After the end of the first year of fighting, foreign aid began trickling in, propping up the DNF, which was at risk of being totally destroyed by enthusiastic Red Army fighters. Meanwhile, the NFWU was being pushed back rapidly by the Kaal forces, resulting in much of its key agricultural land being ceded. The DNF and Kaal governments made a hasty alliance against the workers, and the two fronts the NFWU was holding were quickly collapsing. In response, the provisional government of the NFWU drafted nearly every able bodied man and woman within its borders, arming them with a makeshift arsenal of muskets, hunting rifles, and even spears. This measure stabilized the fronts and took back vital agricultural land, key for sustained survival during the harsh winter.
As the fronts stabilized, the fighting calmed down with the coming winter. In the meantime, fortifications were built along all borders in preparation. All sides were suffering from crushed morale and a chronic shortage of supply. When the winter ended, it seemed no side was prepared to continue the fight. Throughout the next few years, the civil war was reduced to sporadic border conflicts with little gained or lost. After five years, the war's staggering death toll became clear. Over 500,000 civilians killed and military deaths in excess of 1 million. During the fifth year of fighting, a sudden surprise attack was launched on the DNF by Kaal forces. The DNF's defences held stiffly, although the military government had new artillery that helped break through the line at key points. Meanwhile, Red Army units that had infiltrated Kaal's industrial sectors rose up and seized land behind enemy lines.
Suddenly, war had erupted once more. A sweeping push was made by Red forces into Kaal territory, seizing almost all of what had been previously lost and then pushing further. As a result, the offensive on the DNF stalled, as units were pulled back urgently to combat the threat in the rear. Advances in automobiles allowed some troops to reach the new front line, but Red forces had already seized land deep in Kaal lines, capturing weapons depots and factories. In addition, soldiers in the Kaal ranks began suddenly defecting to DNF lines, many shaken by the sudden panic caused by the Red invasion. Within the year, the Kaal Military Government had been dissolved, its leadership largely surrendering or defecting to the DNF. And then the front line stabilized once more, with the DNF and the NFWU being the last two contenders for control over the war-torn country. The two armies dug in, and prepared for a long war, digging a massive front line, which was maintained until the final year of the war. It was just when it seemed the war would go on for eternity that fate struck.
A disease had broken out in the rice fields within DNF lines. Officials quickly realized that crop yield would not sustain their forces for the winter. Faced with near unbreakable fortifications in front of them and a looming famine, diplomats were sent to broker peace deals. The NFWU, keen on taking all of the country, demanded unconditional surrender. As a buildup of Red Army stockpiles of food and resources began signifying a large scale winter offensive, which had thus far been avoided by the combatants, DNF leadership began fleeing the country. In a matter of months, the DNF government nearly disintegrated, and its army with it. A Red advance went almost entirely uncontested, with a majority of remaining troops defecting. Thus, on the tenth year of hostilities, the nation of United Democratic Changxa was formed.
It was only later that historians would uncover the true extent of the Red victory. It had been no accident that the King had died, his death was an assassination by a Red Army spy, intended to spark chaos. In addition, it was found that the extent of Red infiltration extended far beyond just hidden militias. Factories supplying enemy troops were infiltrated and dud ammunition was distributed far and wide. In addition, key advisors to both DNF and Kaal leadership had connections with the NFWU, and were instrumental in ensuring that no premature invasions took place. Finally, it had been a Red Army plot to spark a famine in the DNF territory, with farmers from NFWU territory being sent to sabotage rice fields, flooding some areas and draining others, leading to the growth of fungal disease that slashed crop yield. In the end, it had been a success for the Red Army. However, the cost was immense. A total of 2.5 million people died during the war, devastating the country which had a pre-war population of just over 10 million. It would take a massive coordinated effort by the new government to restore order and rebuild the country. After five years, the country had been reorganized, but large areas were still damaged, with entire blocks within the capital still in ruins.
Territorial Claims:
Economy: Socialist, divided between state ownership and cooperatives. There is no international trade and the government enforces strict anti-capitalist policies, cracking down on private ownership and wealth inequality.
Technology: UDC, while not technologically backwards, has an industrial sector that has lagged behind the rest of the world. Its boats are mostly relics of the past and it has not developed the capability to mount weapons on aircraft. Its isolationism has led to it being largely unaware of military developments in other nations, and while it is aware of magic's military uses, there is no emphasis put on developing magic in the near future. The country is still heavily reliant on animals for transport, although a nationwide network of trains is being developed for joint civilian and military use. Automobiles are rare and used mostly for military personnel. As far as civilian technology is concerned, its medical facilities are excellent, with some exceptional pioneers in medicine being produced within its borders.
Army: UDC's army is divided between the People's Armed Police and the People's Defense Forces. The army is roughly 750,000 strong, with a surprising 200,000 made up of female soldiers. As service is mandatory for both men and women, about 1 million men and women with past experience would be easily conscripted. The army is well drilled in mobile warfare, but is largely untested against the combined arms tactics of modern warfare. The armed forces are well armed with equipment on-par with that of other nations, although larger equipment is towed almost exclusively by animals or is carried by train. Machine guns are widely utilized as artillery pieces.
UDC has few “special forces” and most of its army is made up of foot soldiers armed with rifles. While horses are used to transport equipment, cavalry units are largely unheard of. Artillery units are usually integrated into defensive positions, and railway mounted artillery pieces are on the drawing boards.
Navy: The "Navy" of UDC is managed jointly by the People's Armed Police and the Ministry of Hunting and Fishing. It fields around 200 patrol vessels, mostly converted civilian craft. Around 25 of its active vessels are dedicated military patrol boats, while the rest vary from armed sailboats to modified fishing boats. The "Navy" is almost entirely dedicated to internal security, patrolling UDC's various rivers and lakes.
Air Force: The only aircraft in the UDC are a small number of experimental biplanes, still undergoing testing. There is no air force to speak of.
Traits: Politically Loyal: The vast majority of the population approves of the government and would oppose an invading force. Many civilians would put up resistance if attacked.
Political Officers - Many party members are assigned as political officers within the armed forces, encouraging loyalty. This leads to soldiers who can keep up morale in tough conditions, but the emphasis on loyalty can hurt tactical decision making.
Workplace Democracy - Workers own the means to produce wealth and act democratically within their workplaces. This improves the quality of produced items and the workers are largely happy, but the country's production is restricted heavily except in times of war.
Magic Ineptitude - The nation is largely ignorant of the potential of magic. However, there is vast potential and no prior tradition to prevent innovation.
Defense Force - UDC has no offensive ambitions and the role of its armed forces is purely defensive. Its soldiers are highly motivated to defend their homeland, but it will take some convincing to get them to invade.
Fanaticism: Some soldiers are fanatically devoted to their party, and will take measures such as ramming boats and charging machine gun nests in times of desperation. This can lead to miracles, but can also compound an already dire military situation by needlessly sacrificing soldiers.
Foreign Relations: UDC has made almost no effort towards diplomacy with its neighbors and is largely isolated internationally.
Having characters you made yourself is a good thing, you know. There's one person who indirectly *borrows* characters from different fandoms and roleplays with them, so you have that going for you. And since you are experienced, that means all doors are open to you. Welcome!
From what I've seen lurking around, forum RPs have a lot more "borrowed" characters than GModRP, in which the practice is usually ban-worthy. It does seem like the atmosphere will take some getting used to, but I'll be actively searching for interesting RPs.
Longtime roleplayer here, though almost all of my experience is in Garrysmod Roleplay. The GMod scene has mostly died off so I'm a refugee of sorts, and this seemed like the best forum to try out. I tend to be pretty fickle with my roleplay, and most of my characters come from random shower thoughts that I had, though I pride myself in being able to roleplay some pretty mundane stuff. With that said, have a nice day.
