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Not a Step Back - a World War II Inspired NRP

Solmark

The Ash Kingdom of Solmark

Basic Information

Name:

The Ash Kingdom of Solmark
Askriket Solmark

The references to "ash" in most of the country's symbols come from Solmark's historic reliance on the Ash tree for their lumber needs, including for the ships for which they were later known.

Capital City:

Fylkelond

Head of State:

Karol Adolvarg II, Konung av Solmark, Envaldig av Solheim, Jarl av Sudmark

Currency:

The Solmarkish Krone (SMK)

Population:

15,532,303 Solmarkish

Flag

The National Flag of Solmark

The flag of the Solmark is a bicolor featuring an outlined sun cross. The sun cross represents the entirety of the greater Solheimar peoples, with the round halo being an icon of the Sunna religion and the cross representing the breadth of the Solheimar and their eastward ambitions. The blue and red represent the two rival kingdoms, blue and gold being the colors of the seafaring Solheimr kingdom, and red and white for the Sudmark.

Territorial Claims and Major Locations

Claim request subject to approval and unforgiving judgement





Major regions of Solmark colored with gradient from their respective capitals. Solheim (Yellow), Steinholl (Red), Sudmark (Black), Eriksdell (Blue), Jomsdall (Violet), Halland (Green).

Solheim (Capital: Fylkelond)

Solheim is the ancestral cradle of the Solheimar People and the administrative and naval heart of the modern Solmark. The shipyards of Fylkelond are home to the Ashen Fleet, named for the forests of ash covering Solheim's valleys that once were the main building material of their ships.

Once, the Solheimr House Eriksson ruled as Fylkirs of all Agnarrverold ever since the defeat of the Jomsdall and the ascension of Fylkir Agnarr Eriksson I. The entire house was exterminated in the reign of Konung Magnus Adolvarg I during his consolidation of power.

Steinfell (Capital: Karolfeld)

Steinfell's mines supply Solmark with iron and coal to feed the steel mills of Sudmark, though other regions have begun to compete with Steinfell to supply minerals to the foundries of Ulfburg and Konungsund. They are home to the Oak Fleet, similarly named for the oaks that were traditionally used by Steinfellers in their ships.

Sudmark (Capital: Konungsund)

Sudmark was once simply the breadbasket of the old Fylkirike, with the arrival of industrialization; however, it was able to develop into the manufacturing center of the kingdom during the time of the Republic of Halland. With the reincorporation of the rebellious colony, it was forced to compete with Halland as the industrial heartland of the kingdom.

Eriksdell (Capital: Alhus)

With little arable land, except on the southernmost coasts and an otherwise inhospitable climate, the people of Eriksdell resorted to hunting the fabled Northern Mammoth and the great whales of the northern seas. The introduction of steam-driven automobiles has since made their task much, much easier. Eriksdellers are famed through the kingdom as a hardy, self-reliant people. The armies of the kingdom trace the traditions of their light infantry and ranging regiments to the Eriksdeller Veidhrs.

Halland (Capital: Ulfburg)

Once nothing but an agricultural colony founded by adventurous Steinhollers and Solheimers, Halland later developed to become a fearsome industrial juggernaut capable of threatening the rest of Agnarrverold. In 1789, they declared independence and waged a series of devastating wars against the mainland that resulted in a national crisis of identity and the later revolution of 1801.

Jomsdall (Capital: Jomskrone)

The Joms are a mysterious, stoic people. Their folk religion is an ancient form of the Solnish faith widely characterized by solemn ceremonies and heavy collectivistic elements. Rumors even hold that the Jomsnish congregation practice cannibalism, a practice long abandoned by the Solnish clergy. Their Jomsherr armies are infamous for being unbreakable in frontal assaults, and their lands are feared as a frozen wasteland of stony mountains and frozen glaciers.

Unlike the rest of the kingdom, they are not ruled by appointed royal governors but by a synod of priests, of whom one is selected to serve as Jomsfylkir for the remained of their lives.

History

Preunification Historical Fluff

According to legend, the Solheimar spider-people were once nothing more than wandering bands of giant frost spiders wandering the mountain caves of Agnarrverold when in Jomsdall they bore witness to human occultists in a clearing worshipping on the summer solstice. The frost spiders fell on the men on the day of the unsetting sun and devoured them all. The Sun, deprived of its worshippers, gave the spiders a boon. They were made half-men and half-spider, given the power of thought but stripped of their silk and venom. Armed with their new gifts, they left Jomsdall and journeyed to follow the sun to where it would take them. They crossed the mountains and came upon the valleys and bays of Solheim, where sun and sea met, bathing the land in warmth and wind. They settled there with their spider-kin, who would become their livestock - the Vafthrudnir who wove silk for them, and the Kyr who gave them milk and meat.

After hundreds of years, the Solheimar developed a civilization built on the carnivorous conquest of other living beings to feed them. The peninsula was at the time divided into tens of squabbling tribes ruled by Jarilazar. These tribes practiced cannibalism against their fellow tribes in wars of conquest, but the practice began to die out as the Solheimar looked east and began raiding other nations for food and later riches. In 1032, the Jarilazar Erik af Sunnafeld outlawed the practice of eating other sentients and raiding became exclusively for material riches. He initiated wars of conquest to unify the Solheim region under Sunnafeld. Upon his death, his son Agnarr ascended and continued his father's work. He expelled the former inhabitants of Sudmark and brought it firmly under the Solheimar and marched west to Jomsdall, which he conquered for himself. The Joms had expected him to consume their high priest, as was tradition for their people. Instead, the Jarilazar made the Jomsfylkir subservient to him as Fylkir of the Agnarrsverold Fylkirike. Thus he became Fylkir Agnarr Eriksson I. His sons would finish the conquest of the peninsula, defeating Steinholl and forcing Eriksdell to yield.

For eight hundred years this order continued, with the kingdom developing its maritime prowess and establishing colonies on nearby islands and most notably, on Halland. In 1789, this ended with the Hallish War of Independence. The Hallish won and established a republic, with a better-organized state, greater agricultural capacity, and burgeoning industrialization. The succeeding 56 years were one humiliation after another for the Fylkirike, almost leading to the collapse of the kingdom into its constituent feudal states. While the central government continued to crumble, the House Adolvarg of Kathsund initiated colonization efforts in the flatlands south and west of the peninsula. They also began reorganizing their domains and initiated the project of industrializing their home city of Kathsund.

When a rebellion flared up in Solheim against the Fylkirs, an army under Gustaf Adolvarg came to their aid, for which the Fylkirs granted them the title of Jarl of Sudmark. Jarl Gustaf I then sailed to Halland in support of a loyalist faction within the republic and with their aid, restored Agnarverrold sovereignty over them. Seeing their rising power, the Fylkir mustered Solheim against his vassal. Solheim recognized Adolvarg's authority; however, and acclaimed him as their Envaldig. The rest of the peninsula and eastern Solheim resisted, beginning the War of Solheim.

With Sudmark, Halland, and Western Solheim behind him, Gustaf first marched against the isolated Jomsdall. The rest of the Fylkirike fell shortly after, but not without Gustaf's death. His son, Karol Adolvarg rose to become the new Jarl of Sudmark and leader of the alliance. He marched his armies through Steinholl, and then into Alhus. Eight hundred years ended in 1849, with the execution of the Fylkir by firing squad, the founding of the Askriket, and the ascension of Konung Karol Adolvarg I.

Karol Adolvarg I consolidated his power over his new kingdom by abolishing the feudal system and deposing the defeated Jarls. The petty lords who had sided with him were granted pensions in exchange for their lands. The Joms resisted at first, but in exchange for the extension of special rights and privileges such as retention of their traditional government under the Jomsfylkir, the Joms devoted themselves and their armies by oath in service of the Askriket, and the House Adolvarg.

Upon Karol's death in 1881, his son Magnus ascended but not without having to crush the last remnants of the Erikssons. In the aftermath of the Eriksdell Rebellion, the Erikssons and several prominent Steinholler and Eriksdeller families were completely exterminated. Under his reign, Kathsund was renamed Konungsund and further industrialized. Railroads were built linking Konungsund and Fylkelond, and from Konungsund to the rest of the inland colonies. Inland colonies that had long resisted central rule from Fylkelond soon found themselves subjected to the newly centralized absolute rule of Konungsund. Where the railways stretched, armies had gone before them to carve out a path of dread and flames. The last great colonial resistance on the northwest coast was crushed following a three-year campaign from 1889 to 1892. In 1895, local colonial collaborator governments were replaced en masse by appointed royal governors in preparation for Magnus' greatest project: the war to retake Halland. In 1899, Halland was placed under blockade and invaded without a declaration of war. Nearby states decried the Askriket's war of aggression, to which they responded with claims that Halland rightfully belonged to a sovereign Solnish state.

Ulfburg fell quickly, but pockets of resistance persisted in the south, where the Republic had established a government-in-exile. It was here that the 21 year-old Ruthar Adolvarg was dispatched as a field commander in 1900. His experiences on the field influenced his and his son's later pacifist outlook toward governing the kingdom. In 1907, the Halland Republic finally surrendered after the fall of their last hillock. In that same year, Konung Magnus I suddenly died, leading to the ascent of Ruthar I. Ruthar's ascension was accompanied by a large-scale reshuffling of the royal government. He initiated a loosening of controls over the colonies and the instatement of local civil governors, elevating them to the level of the peninsular regions. In a move of reconciliation, the interim military government over Halland was replaced with a semi-autonomous republican government. Further, he began a downsizing of the Royal Army. This rapid series of changes over the course of only ten years (1907-1917) threatened several groups of entrenched elites - including the militarists, industrialists, and nationalists - and thus they conspired to stage a coup to replace Ruthar with the young prince Karol. In 1917, they put this plan into action, initiating the Fylkir Palace Coup.

Ruthar I was accidentally killed in the course of the coup. While Karol II ascended to the throne at the age of 18, the conspirators began plotting against themselves, taking advantage of the king's death in their coup and the parts each played to throw blame at one another. Within a month, no group had emerged blameless. The militarists especially had become especially despised in politics and popular discourse. Using this to his advantage, the young Karol II initiated a counter-coup. Two months after his ascension, the Revolution of 1918 was staged by his student and former aristocratic allies. A popular assembly calling itself the *Nationellforsamling* or the National Assembly was convened with royal assent, made up largely of influential Solheimers and Sudmarkers. They, with the king's authority backing them, declared the Conspirators of 1917 traitors and regicides. In spite of all their power, the conspirators were overtaken by popular uprisings, Karoline loyalists, and the republicans of Halland who had come together in an awkward alliance under the new king.

All the while, Solmark became more and more awake to the fact that a terrifying new foe was knocking at their doorstep. While Karol II juggled the new factions he had built within his nation, he found that their ideals were accidentally more than a fit for what he needed - a united nation capable of stably mobilizing en masse under his aegis. The only problem was actually ensuring those ideals could defeat the personalities championing them, and that these dreams of a united people under a strong central state would actually make sense in reality.

Solmark and the Alfheichen

The Alfheichen expansion coincided with the turbulent ascension and consolidation of the Askriket and the Adolvarg kings were well aware of the genocidal monolith a sea away and they were keenly aware of how the Alfheichen viewed their arachnoid people. Nonetheless, there were more pressing matters at home in their cold corner of the world, and so little attention was paid to the Alfheichen and their conquests. That was until the conquest began coming too close to home for Solmark. The Revolution of 1917 was not only borne of the decay of Karol I's absolute regime, but also of the growing popular sentiment that the rising Alfheichen threatened the entire Solheimr people, and that the petty squabbles in Halland that the government was so fixated on would be nothing compared to their legions marching in lockstep gunning down anything with more than two legs.

In response to the Alfheichen threat, the nation has undergone a transformation into a semi-democratic stratocracy. Conscription laws were passed with the legitimacy of the National Assembly, enforcing a national military service program for young adults and establishing a regular citizen militia to be merged with local police controlled by the monarchy known as the Home Guard or the Heimvakt. Over the course of five years, national redoubts were established in Jomsdall and northern Eriksdell. The greatest military advances made; however, were in the Eclipse Cannon or *Förmörkelsekanon* technology developed in 1906 in the war against the Hallandr. The accumulated development of industrial steel refinement, artillery manufacture allowed for the mass production of long-range heavy artillery that could be used as coastal batteries, or even to bombard targets across the Halnish Sea from Solheim, Eriksdell, or Steinholl.

Recent times; however, have seen a downturn in public enthusiasm for the fortification of the peninsula. Opposition factions in the National Assembly composed of liberal students, Halnish republicans, and emerging business elites, dissatisfied with the slow pace of liberalization in the country, rejection of international diplomacy, and the prevailing influence of the monarchy, have made the end of national mobilization and the defunding of the Heimvakt into their priority policies. They have only grown in strength since the widespread demonstrations of the late 1920s born of frustration from an economic slowdown and perceived backwardness.

In response to several violent flare-ups, the first true national political party was organized in Konungsund - the National Defense Party or *Nationelltförsvarparti*, which pushed for the preservation of the standing political order. Later with the intensification of the wars abroad and a major ideological shift, the party supported the expansion and further militarization of Solmark, though the party is split between those who recognize the need for outside contact, and those who would retreat behind the walls. The former faction is led by the sitting President of the party and leader of the government within the National Assembly, Astrid Eklund. The latter is led by the Prince Karol Gustaf Adolvarga, heir to the throne, long groomed by his father and advisers in preparation for the coming war.

The Heimvakt; however, has firmly established itself as an institution in rural regions supporting local operations and supplanting local power structures. They, along with industrialists and monarchists have become a political force defending the monarchy and mobilization in and of themselves, and vehemently oppose liberals in the National Assembly, even in policies that would allow for greater free trade with their neighbors and thus give them better armament and ration supplies.

Some within Solmark hope that the Reiyk would take up arms against them, before the nation takes up arms against itself.

Pressing Issues

As noted above, Solmark has evolved into a ticking time bomb. The preparation, tension, and fear surrounding a Reiyk invasion must be unleashed *somehow,* whether against the Reiyk it was made for or against the Solheimr that built it.

Not many government militarists realize it but Solmark is not prepared to stand alone. As rich as its mountains are in mineral wealth, it relies heavily on its warmer colonies for food supplies and on foreigners for other raw resources that they cannot field efficiently enough, or at all, on their own.

Regional tensions, especially in the former republic of Halland, the southern colonies, and the strange Joms, still persist.

Though the republicans have largely accepted the protection and autonomy given to them by Solmark, they also are a haven for the liberal opposition opposing the national mobilization program. Halland itself had been hesitant in allowing the fortification and garissoning of their lands.

Notable Strengths

- Despite the growing political division in the National Assembly and growing dissatisfaction from the colonies and Halland, the Askriket still retains a robust and highly centralized administrative setup, ensuring that all provinces are in lockstep and allowing for the rapid implementation of policies within their borders.
- The Heimvakt serves as a well-trained and organized civilian militia specially dedicated to shoring up internal defenses and rapidly responding to threats. They have an especially strong presence in frontier regions, serving as a more reliable second government and infrastructure network for neglected mountain regions.

The Heimvakt and the Standing Army

- The ascendancy of the Heimvakt has allowed for the drastic shrinkage of the standing army formed under Karol I. The standing army, though small, still poses a formidable threat for invaders and dissenters, being largely composed of the brutal and enigmatic Jomsherr regiments.

- The *Vagg* or "Wall" is a defensive network covering much of the Agnarrverold peninsula, being particularly strong around the Halnish Sea. The Vagg, at its most extensive, consists of a convoluted network of concrete pillboxes and bunkers riddled with obstacles atop which sit a complex of heavy coastal and field artillery emplacements, often with at least one Eclipse Gun. The Vagg's physical defenses are supplemented in part by the national railway network, which closely follows much of the wall, allowing for the rapid transport of supplies, troops, and artillery pieces.
- The Solmarkish Navy has been heavily downsized since the rapid expansion under Karol I. Now it is mostly composed of destroyer squadrons complemented by light frigates and torpedo boats meant for reconnaissance and harassment. One fleet of capital ships remains; however, in the Ash Fleet. Stationed at Solheim, the Ash Fleet represents some of the most advanced in Solmarkish gunnery technology that could be slapped on a boat.
- Solmark's gunnery technology remains its greatest point of pride. With a robust metallurgy and mining industry to support it and the finest minds in the nation to develop it, the sounds of thunder are rightly dreaded within their enormous range.

National Priorities

By National Priorities, it is assumed that these are the things the Solmarkish government is putting a focus on at the current moment disregarding internal opposition factions and what they probably really should be focusing on.

The Army
The Navy
Resource Extraction
Industrial Output
The Economy: Internal Trade
Technology
Agriculture
The Common People
The Upper Classes
The Economy: External Trade
Diplomacy
Cultural Issues
Espionage and Intelligence
Ideology

The World Gone Beautiful: An SCP Foundation-Inspired Factional Roleplay

The World Gone Beautiful

In a distant star system, someone watches and waits for our return to the Planet of Hands. Where we will languish handless that they may live in luxury, in love with us fully, truly for our unwilling sacrifice.

In the American Northeast, a mahogany door hides broken chains and one last strained bond. An ancient god of burning red awaits to rule by blood, by concrete, and by the howling. One last child remains.

A plague of clockwork and of the undead waits to be discovered and unleashed upon man. A plague doctor is the last thing one would need, or want.

And somewhere, in an abandoned lair festering with slime and blood and feces, someone blinks and then feels cold concrete on their neck. The last thing they will ever know.

All of this, with no one there to secure it, to contain it, and to protect mankind from the knowledge. No initiative from anywhere willing to crush it. No market-competent deviants ready to capitalize on the opportunities. No one. No one yet.

A plucky militia could rise out of the shadows to deal with these paranormal threats, or better yet, incorporate them to fight for their cause. A scientific organization could dedicate themselves to researching these anomalies, making decades of scientific progress from one peculiar artifact alone. Maybe they could even make the surreal real or force humanity to come to terms with a new reality where they are comically insignificant and present themselves as the sole solution. Or maybe you could do the boring thing and sell them on the black market.

After all, no one's stopping you. No one but you, and your fellow pioneers.

The World Gone Beautiful (WGB for short) is an NRP set in a modern world where the anomalous has begun to emerge from the woodwork. As humanity continues to crawl out from under the shadows of ignorance and into the light, they find that a much bigger darkness awaits them, completely aberrant from the laws of the world they have built from themselves. The player is dropped into the role of a founder of a fledgling organization hoping to harness the newly-emerging world of the anomalous for their own ends.

Anomalies and the general worldbuilding will largely be lifted from the universe of the SCP Foundation, with modifications made so that I don't go insane. In this world, the SCP Foundation and other GOIs will not exist, probably along with their associated anomalies. The world at the start of the NRP will only have a minimal amount of non-intrusive anomalies, with the anomalous becoming more and more aggressive and numerous as time goes on, or as organizations begin to undertake less safe "experiments".

Players will be assigned starting conditions by rolls, modifiable depending on their own plans. The NRP will largely revolve around anomaly discovery and containment at the start, with more complex interactions evolving as the world gets more and more built up.

We also have a Discord server.

So what are you waiting for? The water's warm and probably not contaminated, and 173's looking for someone to hug!

Organizational Sheet Template:

Template

**Organizational Overview**
Name:
HQ and Operational Locations:
General Mission:

**Organizational History**

**Organizational Information**
Key Personnel:
Organizational Branches:
Personnel Hierarchies and Positions:
Anomalous Research Advancements:
Anomalies in Custody:

**Rolls**
Local Government Support:
Financial Resources:
Anomalous Access:
Technical Expertise:

Rolls are modifiable, ping me in the Discord to get your rolls. You don't need to follow the sheet completely, it's simply to give you an idea of what you can (and maybe should) put on for better clarification. Essentially just answer these questions:

1. Who, what, and where are you?
2. What are your general aims? (If you want to keep secrets, feel free to!)
3. What can you do in the anomalous world and why?

The World Gone Beautiful: An SCP Foundation-Inspired Factional Roleplay

The World Gone Beautiful

In a distant star system, someone watches and waits for our return to the Planet of Hands. Where we will languish handless that they may live in luxury, in love with us fully, truly for our unwilling sacrifice.

In the American Northeast, a mahogany door hides broken chains and one last strained bond. An ancient god of burning red awaits to rule by blood, by concrete, and by the howling. One last child remains.

A plague of clockwork and of the undead waits to be discovered and unleashed upon man. A plague doctor is the last thing one would need, or want.

And somewhere, in an abandoned lair festering with slime and blood and feces, someone blinks and then feels cold concrete on their neck. The last thing they will ever know.

All of this, with no one there to secure it, to contain it, and to protect mankind from the knowledge. No initiative from anywhere willing to crush it. No market-competent deviants ready to capitalize on the opportunities. No one. No one yet.

A plucky militia could rise out of the shadows to deal with these paranormal threats, or better yet, incorporate them to fight for their cause. A scientific organization could dedicate themselves to researching these anomalies, making decades of scientific progress from one peculiar artifact alone. Maybe they could even make the surreal real or force humanity to come to terms with a new reality where they are comically insignificant and present themselves as the sole solution. Or maybe you could do the boring thing and sell them on the black market.

After all, no one's stopping you. No one but you, and your fellow pioneers.

The World Gone Beautiful (WGB for short) is an NRP set in a modern world where the anomalous has begun to emerge from the woodwork. As humanity continues to crawl out from under the shadows of ignorance and into the light, they find that a much bigger darkness awaits them, completely aberrant from the laws of the world they have built from themselves. The player is dropped into the role of a founder of a fledgling organization hoping to harness the newly-emerging world of the anomalous for their own ends.

Anomalies and the general worldbuilding will largely be lifted from the universe of the SCP Foundation, with modifications made so that I don't go insane. In this world, the SCP Foundation and other GOIs will not exist, probably along with their associated anomalies. The world at the start of the NRP will only have a minimal amount of non-intrusive anomalies, with the anomalous becoming more and more aggressive and numerous as time goes on, or as organizations begin to undertake less safe "experiments".

Players will be assigned starting conditions by rolls, modifiable depending on their own plans. The NRP will largely revolve around anomaly discovery and containment at the start, with more complex interactions evolving as the world gets more and more built up.

We also have a Discord server.

So what are you waiting for? The water's warm and probably not contaminated, and 173's looking for someone to hug!

The World Gone Beautiful

The roll system is only intended for randomizing your start conditions so don't worry about that hahaha. Though yeah the action loop you have is a good description.

Btw a very barebones discord is up! Behold

The World Gone Beautiful

It is pretty weird and I am having trouble thinking of the smaller things. But so far what I've thought of mrchanically is:

Anomalies will be taken from the SCPs currently on the wiki at my choosing and I'll introduce them to the world a bit at a time so it isn't a total free-for-all at the start. Some SCPs may also need to be modified to either fit with the narrative or to be more manageable such as by shifting dates or adjusting their anomalous properties, thus meaning some anomalies will not be 1:1 copies of their Foundation counterparts.

Each organization will be given rolls or starting parameters and numerical stats to characterize their capabilities in financial resources, manpower, influence, etc. Each may also be given a starting anomaly to play with at the player's behest.

Certain events will increase "heat" and it is in all organizations' interest to maintain the masquerade.

Containing anomalies will consist of the GM putting the news out there that "oh look at this weird thing that does x, y, and z" and interested organizations will have to ID each and then write up a containment narrative that fits with the description, prescribed containment procedures, and the resources available to the group.

The brainstorming process; however, is certainly still very open and I project it'll remain so for about a month. So what do you think?

The World Gone Beautiful

In a distant star system, someone watches and waits for our return to the Planet of Hands. Where we will languish handless that they may live in luxury, in love with us fully, truly for our unwilling sacrifice.

In the American Northeast, a mahogany door hides broken chains and one last strained bond. An ancient god of burning red awaits to rule by blood, by concrete, and by the howling. One last child remains.

A plague of clockwork and of the undead waits to be discovered and unleashed upon man. A plague doctor is the last thing one would need, or want.

And somewhere, in an abandoned lair festering with slime and blood and feces, someone blinks and then feels cold concrete on their neck. The last thing they will ever know.

All of this, with no one there to secure it, to contain it, and to protect mankind from the knowledge. No initiative from anywhere willing to crush it. No market-competent deviants ready to capitalize on the opportunities. No one. No one yet.

A plucky militia could rise out of the shadows to deal with these paranormal threats, or better yet, incorporate them to fight for their cause. A scientific organization could dedicate themselves to researching these anomalies, making decades of scientific progress from one peculiar artifact alone. Maybe they could even make the surreal real or force humanity to come to terms with a new reality where they are comically insignificant and present themselves as the sole solution. Or maybe you could do the boring thing and sell them on the black market.

After all, no one's stopping you. No one but you, and your fellow pioneers.

TECHNICAL PITCH

An NRP set in the world of the SCP Foundation minus the SCP Foundation and accompanying GOIs. Basically a blank slate world of cosmically horrific fun and madness with me as your resident Mad God.

Players serve as burgeoning organizations (and their leaders) for containing/liberating/exploiting/marketing/researching/murderboning the anomalous with limited reach and (human) resources at the start. It is generally understood that you will need to maintain the veil.

Game Master will serve as regulator of the anomalous and governor of normalcy in the world.

Disclaimer: I am not very deeply-versed in more obscure SCPs myself, though I am familiar with some of the bigger ones, including several 001 Proposals. I apologize if I'm an idiot. I am also not affiliated with the SCP Community at large aside from being a member of it. I am also a relatively new GM, though I have some experience under my belt.

I'm aiming for 4 players at minimum. I'll open a Discord on first engagement with this post or a few hours from now, whichever comes last first.

Dulce et Decorum Est - A WWI Inspired Nation Roleplay (Mark II)

The United Republics

Basic Information:

Name of Nation: The United Republics of Greater Alkadion or the United Alkan Republics
Capital: The City of Dastria

Head of State:
Head of Government:

Currency:
The Republican Appunti (Banknote)
Quarssa Dastriana & Pessa la Mare (Coins, 25 Quarssa = 1 Pessa, 10 Pessa = 1 Appunti)

Calendar System:
Year 1 Dastrian Count = Year 1352 PA
Year 563 D.C. = Year 1914 PA

4 Quarters:
Q1, Undame (January-March)
Q2, Duandame (April-June)
Q3, Triandame (July-September)
Q4, Quarandame (October-December)
[Q5], 5 Days for La Fiera

Territory:

The United Republics claim all areas once occupied by the Confederated Cities on the Dastrian Sea, from the old Listran Cities all the way to Ravelia.

The United Republics are so-named for the four constituent nations – the Serene Republic of Dastria, the Union of Listra-Alkadion, the Confederated Cities, and the Greater Northern Territories.

Points of Interest:

The Serene Republic of Dastria
The City of Dastria, Calia Island to the southwest, the Glass Islands to the northeast
Dastria is the beating heart of the Republics, center of all its trade and administrative activities.
To its southwest is the Island of Calia, where the Treaty of Calia Island was signed. Calia is also home to the headquarters of the National Integrated Command of the Carabinieri, the main military force of the Republics. It also serves as home to the Western Home Fleet, guarding the entrance to Dastria from those who would harm it.
To the northeast are the Glass Islands of Casta and Castina. These islands are the center of the Republics’ industrial capacity. These islands are also used by the banks as storehouses for the vast wealth they have collected.

The Union of Listra-Alkadion
The City of Listra, the City of New Alkadion to the north

Listra is the United Republics’ second-most important city, once home to a kingdom rivalling Dastria in dominance over the Dastrian Sea, the city now stands as its partner in protecting and promoting trade.
The City of New Alkadion is a minor city to the north of Listra, once the mythical Shining City of Alkadion, home to the Cults of the Old Gods. The old city was destroyed in a calamity known simply as the Sundering.

The Confederated Cities
The Confederated City of Sazalla and the Anyuevan Cities

Sazalla is a major trade and military port of the Confederation. An age ago, this was where the legendary explorer Edante Cancolo settled with his Fleet of Forty. Today, it is an important stop on westbound journeys as tolls are paid here for passage through the Cancelli Islands to the southwest.

The Cities of Anyueva are Centro Anyueva, and Sallassa. Though often overshadowed by the industrialized cities of the east, and the great financial centers of the northern frontiers, Centro Anyueva is still the yet-to-be-harnessed hearts of a once-great Anyueva, brimming with people and potential. The general indifference of the Dastrians to their Anyuevan territories rapidly disappeared in the aftermath of the discovery and exploitation of valuable resources in the area. That initial sense of optimism faded with the First Anyuevan Revolt; however, and quickly gave way to horrific ethnocultural repression and military occupation.

Wealthy Dastrian businessmen, in an effort to avoid the unstable settled areas of Anyueva, have endeavored to create a new titan in the east - the planned city of Sallassa. Similar projects popped up nearby, sponsored by the Dastrian government to only shelter Dastrian-Anyueva creoles in an effort to control and reshape the archipelago to their wishes.

The Greater Northern Territories
The Cities of Ravelia, Nuovo Volstran, and Norde
Ravelia was once a far-flung trading port of the Confederation. Compared to most cities in the Confederation, Ravelia was small and its surrounding areas were very sparsely populated. Furthermore, there are very few native Dastrian humans in the city, being unsuited to the harsh northern climate. The city holds power over northern trade routes to the New World, serving as a major supply stop.

When the Republican Junta emerged late during the civil war; however, mass migration of old Dastrian elites came to Ravelia, and caused the city to swell with newfound wealth and workers. When the Junta took full control of Dastria, Ravelia rapidly took its place as the commercial and financial center of the new Republic, as well as center for a resistance to the military regime.

When the civil strife moved from Dastria to Volstran, the city once more opened itself to refugees as Voldyuki seeking to escape the unstable superstate moved into the city. Some remained in Ravelia to participate in commerce and trade, others moved further north, to where no Dastrians were used to living, and created the industrial and ecological powerhouse that is now Nuovo Volstran. Yet more moved further north, to what is now Norde. There, they formed the Lupavski Company, legendary winter soldiers and later, the local defense force for the Greater Northern Territories.

Demographics:

The Republics’ territories are populated by two dominant species - humans, and squid-human hybrids known as the Ikalman.

The humans of the Republics’ heartlands are formally known as the “Alkan” after the Shining City of Old Alkadion. It is said that the Alkan originated from Alkadion and spread out in the aftermath of the Sundering. They are generally of lean builds, tan, brown-eyed and black of hair. They are slightly shorter than the average human, but also more nimble. Many Alkans refer to their ethnicities by their home city, though there are few physiological differences between them.

The Ikalman are squid-like humans (or humanoid squids) that are considered a separate biological species from humans, being unable to bear live offspring with them in all but a few rare cases.

There are two important non-human minorities present in the Republic; however. The first of which are the Drowned Listrans.

The Drowned Listrans maintain small populations clinging to the Glass Islands and the ruins of their once-proud city near Listra. Small numbers of deranged Drowned Listrans still wander the eastern fringes of the inland sea, occasionally attacking fishermen and merchants.

The third non-human minority are Golden Men of the Candari Wastes. The Golden Men are an enigmatic people who migrated from beyond the desert wastes of the north into the south until they reached the north coast of the Dastrian Sea.

In the aftermath of the wars of the 19th Century PA, several ethnic groups were brought into the fold. These include the Anyueva and their innumerable former subjects, and the Huitecoya and other indigenous groups in the New World.

In Anyueva, two major ethnicities dominate as far as the Dastrian elite are concerned - the Creolo/a, and the Anyuevo/a, representing the Dastrian-ized colonial elite and the traditional native cultures of the area before the Dastrian occupation. The former are dominated by what were once the Sevanjan group - the Posdalist rulers of the Imperpulau, and are heavily intertwined economically, socially, politically, and culturally with the Dastrian mainlanders.

In the New World, the Republics are represented by the Tuonare, or what were once the Huitecoya peoples. In the aftermath of the Anyuevan Wars, the Huitecoya and their lands were placed under Dastrian control, under whom they still live as a colony to this day.
Government:

The Republics as a whole are a semi-parliamentary federal republic. The overall head of state for all the republics is the Presidion of the United Republics (styled “His/Her Excellence”). They are elected by the College of Electors consisting of representatives sent from all four republics (each republic sending 5 deputies), who represent the results of universal popular elections. They are elected for a term lasting 6 years, with a maximum of 2 consecutive terms for any one President. There is also a Secundus who serves as a backup to the Supreme Consul in the event of his incapacitation. Traditionally, the Secundus of the United Republics also serves as Executive Secretary to the Supreme Consul.

The Head of Government of the Republics is the Grand Chancellor. They and their cabinet are appointed by the President from the ruling party or coalition in the lower chambers of the national legislature - the Chamber of Deputies.

The legislative branch of the Republics is known as the United Republican Congress with two houses- the Chamber of Deputies being the lower and the Chamber of Elders being the upper.

The Chamber of Deputies is composed of a varying number of members and each deputy is elected for three-year terms, with no term limits. The government is selected from among the elected deputies.

The Chamber of Elders is composed of 52 unelected members who sit for life. 40 of these seats are known as the Elder Titles, belonging to members of the old Dastrian oligarchy. 12 are composed of members who sit for 12 years and are appointed by the Supreme Consul, with 3 taken from each Republic. The Elders generally sit as a ceremonial chamber, with most significant legislative activity taking place in the lower Chamber of Deputies.

As of the current year, one large party dominates Dastrian politics - the Federation Liberal Party or the “Partito Liberale della Federassione” (PLF). Ever since the fall of the Republican Foundation Party or the “Partito Repubblicana della Fondatori“ (PRF) 12 years after the United Republics’ founding, the party has consistently held onto power election after election. The Federalist Wing (“Antonii”) of the PLF is the dominant faction, espousing ideals of moderately high taxes, interventionist capitalism, protectionism, heavy militarism, and the decentralization of the republics. Another significant wing is the Liberal Wing (“Marcini”), espousing further decentralization of the republic, the dissolution of the Chamber of Elders, equal rights for all, and social welfare funding. In the shadows; however, another wing is beginning to fester - the National Wing (“Novo Fondatori”), a wing promoting the centralization of the republic under a Dastrian nationalist government.

The PLF is opposed by a broad coalition of parties known as the “General Opposition'' ever since its formation in 541. Dominance in the coalition frequently changes hands between the pro-central government Central Party (“Partito Centrale”, PC), the socialist Social Unity Party (“Partito di Unita Sociale”, PUS), the populist Common Strength Party (“Partito della Forza Comune”, PFC), and the moderate Republican Institution Party (“Partito della Istitussioni Repubblicane”, PIR). Their reputation is that of a disorganized group of parties only existing to oppose the government.

Their popularity has steadily been declining after the Hanged Coalition of 559 DE when they gained an opportunity to form a government, only to collapse within a month. The resulting political fallout also caused the fracturing and final collapse of the PRF, with the remaining members forming the Republican Institution Party.

History:

There are many places that the Confederation’s history could start - the founding of Dastria, the Uprisings of 1 Undame 103, the Treaty of Calia Island, the Voyage of Cancolo, The Civil War of 479 or the Dastrian Catastrophe of 499. This history; however, will be comprehensive. To be comprehensive, this history must go far to the east of the Dastrian Strait.

The Beginning

This history begins where the Shining City of Alkadion ends. For whatever reason, around 700 years ago, Alkadion collapsed in the Sundering and dispersed the Alkan People all throughout what would become the Dastrian Sea. One group settled nearby, founding the City of Listra. Another group settled far to the west, beyond the great seas of sand and into the gates between two halves of the world. There was founded the City of Dastria.

The two cities grew and prospered, taking advantage of their positions in shipping lanes, becoming naval powers all the while. Rival naval powers. After a series of wars, the City of Dastria was occupied and placed under the rule of the Listran Kings. For decades, the Dastrians toiled under their new monarchs until a revolt drove the Listrans from Dastria. The leader of the revolt was declared the First Premier of Dastria, and from then on the Dastrians foreswore monarchy, pledging to never be subject to any kings or foreign powers again. This year was declared the first year of the Dastrian Era, 1 DE (1352 PA).

The Listran War

In the subsequent Listran War, the City of Listra was sacked and its naval empire was shattered. The City of Dastria fully dominated the area over the next century. Then, in 1 Undame (Month 1) of 103, popular uprisings in Dastria, and the restored city of Listra created a common Citizens’ Assembly. By 106, the Citizens’ Assembly seized control of both cities, effectively uniting them. All other polities in the Dastrian Sea joined soon after and by 181, the Confederated Cities of the Dastrian Sea was organized by the Treaty of Calia Island.

In the chaos of the new nation’s birth; however, Luchmairisch raiders attacked and occupied several islands once held by Old Listra, making them some of the first colonies of their nascent colonial Empire. This single move would begin centuries of confrontation between the Luchmairisch and the Dastrians on the high seas

The Early Confederation

For a time from 103 to 313, the Freemen’s Chamber was able to exercise authority equal, if not superior to the Titled Chamber. The Premier-Elect originally held the powers now given to the Grand Chancellor and the Freemen were able to strike down laws passed by the Titled.

This; however, came to a head in 314, when war broke out between the Freemen and the Titled. For 13 bloody years, war raged across the Dastrian Sea. Then, in 327 peace was signed, restoring the status quo. The Freemen’s political power only declined after this; however.

One prominent Freeman, Edante Cancolo, fled Dastria along with several prominent Freemen to found colonies in the west and escape the turmoil in the cities in 330. This mission led to an era of expansion for Dastria and, while the Freemen were busy finding new lands, the Titled slowly seized power. Prominent Freemen families, too busy in the race for colonies, earned the ire of their fellows.

In 377, the Freemen’s Chamber voted to conduct a military expedition against the Elves of Eidolon. Preparations were immediately set into motion. In the following year; however, several prominent Freemen funding the expedition were assassinated.

With the Freemen in a panic, they attempted to redirect the backlash of the assassination toward the Titled Citizens. When they attempted to arrest them in 379; however, the Titled resisted and a civil war broke out as the Titled retreated to Listra. Four years later in 383, the Titled marched troops into Dastria and proclaimed one of their own Grand Chancellor. The Freemen surrendered, their rights to assemble and elect the Premier intact.

The Reign of the Titled and the Sixth Century

In 420, the first Grand Chancellor died and another was elected, securing the reign of the Titled.

Peace and expansion persisted until the year 499, when a crystal vein to the northwest of Dastria was over-exploited and rebounded, triggering the Dastrian Catastrophe. An earthquake and the ensuing fires and tsunami ravaged the western half of the city. In the end, thousands were killed and the nation still feels the wounds of its past. With Listra possessing the only major crystal resource in the Confederation, the Citizens’ Assembly was finally forced to incorporate Listra as a National Territory of Dastria in exchange for their crystal supplies.

The early 6th Century DE was a period marked by unprecedented prosperity for the Confederation, all the while also being an era of massive social upheaval that threatened to tear the nation asunder. The era began with the election of Arrigo Cancolo, and Marcio d’Casta to the seats of Premier-Elect and Grand Chancellor, respectively. The pair unexpectedly formed a partnership that would influence Dastrian politics for the next two decades. Their collaboration would inevitably result in the return of the Freemen to political significance and the rise of the Premier-Elect. This partnership; however, undermined the already-strained relations between Listra and Dastria, as both were Dastrians and represented a political union between Dastrian Freemen and Titled against the encroachment of the eastern cities.

The Luchmairisch Wars

Their first course of action was to push the Naval Reforms of 495, a series of sweeping reforms to Dastrian Navy, making it more meritocratic and abolishing limitations on Freemen and Ikalman promotion. The Eastern Fleet, heavily integrated with the Listran aristocracy, refused to implement these reforms in spite of repeated orders from the College of Admiralty. Any attempt to put these reforms into force; however, was abruptly halted by the outbreak of war between the Luchmairisch, and the Dastrian-allied Bright Tower. The Navy quickly attacked the Luchmairisch outposts in the eastern Dastrian Sea but was repulsed with each approach, while the Bright Tower was forced to hold out amid the Luchmarisch landing. When the outposts were at last taken, the Bright Tower had been forced to retreat from their capital, and defeat appeared to only be a matter of time despite support from the Dual Monarchy.

Meanwhile, in the west, amid the rising prominence of the Anyuevan Empire, Lasagnon Rebels funded by the Dastrian Government rose up against their overlord, the Kingdom of Eisengard. The Dastrian military was forced to move to their aid, with much of the Western Fleet being shifted from the Luchmairisch front to the Mare Reale, but not before fighting a climactic naval battle against the eastern invaders. The Battle of the Vilsine Straits resulted in a hard-fought Dastrian victory. The Admiralty; however was unable to capitalize on this victory due to the care taken to preserve the Western Fleet for war against Eisengard.

Meanwhile, the Freemen and Titled of Dastria celebrated with a feast dedicated to the Sea Saint while Eisengard merchant ships fleeing the Dastrian Sea were halted and investigated in the Dastrian Canal. Amid this celebration; however, several Eisengard ships abruptly burst into flames all over the harbors of the city, taking the lives of hundreds as the fires spread into the feasting city.

The damage caused by the explosions rendered the Dastrian Canal unusable for several days, time which Eisengard was able to effectively leverage by seizing vital Lasagnon fortresses while the Colonial Armada was hurriedly moved into position to blockade them. When the canal was finally cleared, and the Western Fleet sallied out of the Dastrian Sea, much of the Lasagnon had already been subjugated. A single major allied city - Cavitas, remained.

In the east, large numbers of troops were finally ferried across to assist in the liberation of the Bright Tower. Codaigh and Owcan troops were able to slowly gain ground against the Luchmairisch invaders, with the help of the Dastrian blockade. All was going well until the Luchmairisch navy, weakened but not completely destroyed, made a mad rush to land troops in the vulnerable Dual Monarchy. The ensuing Battle of the Luchmairisch Channel resulted in the Eastern Fleet’s defeat despite suffering relatively minor losses. The Luchmairisch Invasion of the Dual Monarchy; however, was at least delayed.

A new front in the east opened. The Burned Order, a Luchmairisch ally, had finally mustered its troops and began marching west, into the Listran Territories. The Carabinieri were pushed back at every engagement, and New Alkadion desperately asked for Leoni reinforcements from the other fleets. None came. Fortunately, the Order’s advance also stalled due to logistical issues and they were forced to halt at the last fortress guarding the city of New Alkadion, putting it to a disorganized siege.

In 504, the First Landing at Cavitas was finally attempted. Leoni troops left the safety of their ships, landing on the beach a few miles from the city. Here, intense fighting began between the besieging forces and the marines. The Leoni, usually intended for quick amphibious strikes against naval facilities, were crushed by the well-trained and well-equipped Eisengard troops. The Lasagnon attempted a sortie to aid their allies, but failed. On the three days of that battle, the Leoni were completely defeated in what is widely recognized as a one-sided bloodbath. After those three days, the remaining Leoni that hadn’t dispersed into the wilderness or had been killed marched back to their ships. The Leoni, once feared as an impossibly fast raiding force against which no shore facility had any chance, had been shattered. Their numbers in the Home Armada were severely reduced, and the College of the Admiralty was forced to consider new options to supplement their land forces. The Western Fleet itself was severely damaged by Eisengard artillery fire. The Western and Inland Admirals’ resignation was demanded and received by the Premier-Elect the next day, cementing his office’s power over the navy. The Eastern Fleet; however, grew emboldened in its defiance, taking their counterparts’ defeat as a sign of their own superiority.

The next year, in 505, another invasion was attempted with Carabinieri divisions in lieu of the Leoni. They suffered several hundred losses; however, before a force led by Captain Isabella Alkadano reached the city. This was only accomplished after the heavy bombardment of the surrounding area by naval artillery.

In the aftermath of the victory, and with the observation of the rising power of the Carabinieri, members of the Western faction of the Titled began discussing the restoration of the Freemen’s political power.

Several Carabinieri units, including the newly promoted Comandante Alkadano’s 13th Dastrian Light Infantry were then moved east to the front against the Burned Order. Only a few months after arriving in 506, they repelled the Order at the Battle of New Alkadion. The success of the Carabinieri convinced Dastrian leadership to consider the creation of a formal land force. Thus, the “Army of the Confederation” was founded out of the units present. Despite her substantial contributions to the defense of her own home city, Comandante Isabella Alkadiano was passed over during the selection of a commander for the new army. Instead, a Listran Officer - Comandante Michel Luminare of the 1st Eastern Guard Battalion was promoted. This contributed to her growing disdain for Listra despite most of the army politically favoring the Eastern Faction.

The Western Faction took advantage of the victory, and during the victory celebrations, concluded a vote to restore the Premier-Elect’s powers at the expense of the Grand Chancellor. The decision was promulgated as enraged Listran representatives left the chamber.

A few moons after, on the last day of La Fiera, elements of the Eastern Fleet, originally assumed to be fighting the Luchmairisch, destroyed the remnants of the Home Armada stationed at New Alkadion. With that, the Dastrian Civil War began. The Eastern Fleet then sailed west to Dastria, beginning their Westward Campaign as the year came to an end. Listra declared itself the “defender of the Confederation and its ideals”, arguing that the unilateral rescinding of their Titled’s authority without their consultation stood against the collegiate nature of all the cities in the Confederation.

The next year in 507, the Glass Islands of Casta and Castina were besieged. The Eastern Fleet completely blockaded the island and landed their Leoni troops to bring the island under their control. The inhabitants of the islands; however, put up a fierce fight and were able to severely delay the advance, holding the Eastern Fleet in place for three months. This valuable time was used to recruit and arm more troops, to fortify the Dastrian city and canal, and to evacuate government officials and important artifacts including the Crown of the Sea Saint. All the while, in Calia, plans were drawn up for a revolutionary warship clad in iron armor instead of wood and powered at man’s whim instead of the wind’s.

Meanwhile, in New Alkadion, the Army of the Confederation lay unused, the Western Faction having been their primary sponsors. Rumors abounded that the army was bound to be disbanded and its remnants folded into the aristocratic Leoni. In response to these, Comandante Alkadano and several Dastrian units defected in the Mutiny of Baluarte de Capitan Antonia, dubbing themselves “The Grand Army of the Republic”. Future historians would regard this as the rebirth of the Dastrian military and the formal birth of the Dastrian Republic.

The Grand Army marched west, leaving New Alkadion and beginning the Long March. Republican troops would find themselves being ambushed by local Carabinieri units, Leoni, and Golden Men. In spite of these; however, they marched on under the leadership of the newly self-appointed Generalissimo Alkadano. The Long March took them through several kilometers of marshy terrain, and the Candari Wastes. One in seven of the 30,000 defectors died along the way. Five months after their initial departure, they found themselves trapped between the sea and the Army of the Confederation. Fortunately, days before, they were able to make contact with defecting elements of the Eastern Fleet which were able to resupply them before the battle began. The Battle of the Candari Wastes between the 25,000 Republicans, reinforced by 750 defecting Leoni and the combined forces of the Army of the Confederation, the rebelling Golden Men, and Listran Carabinieri numbering 45,000 ended in a narrow Republican victory, guaranteeing the Army of the Republic’s survival. The Army of the Republic arrived to a heroes’ welcome in Dastria a month before the conclusion of the Siege of the Glass Isles while the Army of the Confederation was dissolved and folded into the Carabinieri.

By the time the Eastern Fleet was ready to move again, they found makeshift fortresses had sprung up on the coastline, every inch of coastline bristling with cannon bores, forcing them to slowly advance westward, taking one fort at a time. The Dastrian Canal itself was finally closed as the Listrans made their final approach. The Dastrian Battles would last for two gruelling months before the last fortress - the Torre degli Antichi, finally surrendered. By this time; however, every Carabinieri unit in the city, along with thousands of nationalist volunteers had been equipped and rigorously drilled by the Army of the Republic. At the head of all the city’s defenses was Generalissimo Isabella Alkadano. Overall, facing the Eastern Fleet with its 5,000 skilled Leoni, and 45,000 hastily recruited Carabinieri - 20,000 of which were on land outside the city’s northern walls, was a Republican Army 45,000 strong.

The ensuing battle was fought along the outside of the isthmus before Listran ships were able to push further inland and reached the canal which they used to land troops inside the walls. A chain deployed in front of the canal was of little help as Drowned Listrans chewed through the cable. In the canal; however, they found themselves trapped in a kill-zone by several cannons and well-trained riflemen. Concentrated artillery, skillful use of rifles, and urban warfare ensured no Listran troops could gain the slightest foothold into the city. After weeks of fighting, under the cover of night on Triandame 19 of 507, the Listrans withdrew from the city, having suffered 35,000 losses including most of the Eastern Leoni. The Eastern Fleet itself had almost all its constituent ships captured or sunk. The remainder surrendered in a later ambush by Republican light craft.

The collateral damage; however, was immense. The Canal had been battered, with fragments of buildings and ships littering its interior, and several powder caches on the piers had been detonated. The city experienced several fires that were only stopped by artificial firebreaks.

Amid this; however, the Generalissimo delivered a speech from the High Chancery and under pressure from the victorious and resurgent Freeman military, the government on Calia Island declared the establishment of the Republic of Dastria on Quarandame 1, 507. Elections were to be held in Duandame 1, 510. For the moment, the Republic was to be run by the Cancolo Government. Meanwhile, the Army of the Republic elected from among themselves the High Command of the Republic - effectively a separate institution from, albeit subservient to, the national government. The HCR consisted of several of Alkadano’s trusted aides, with her serving merely as Generalissimo, Field Commander, of the armies.

It is useful to note that at this period, the nascent Republic of Dastria was fundamentally composed of two institutions - the growing Army of the Republic led by Generalissimo Alkadano and a clique of her trusted subordinates (which institutionally was technically older than the republic itself), and the civilian government of the Confederation now formally led by the Freemen through the Premier-Elect, but with significant influence left over from the Titled. Institutionally, the Dastrian Republic was little different from the old Confederation, but the military was becoming an active force in the utter destruction of the old institution. This dynamic would come to dominate the newborn nation in the coming years.

Amid this victory; however, was a new coming storm. Their war with the Posdalist Eisengard attracted the attention of the rising Posdal superpower - Anyueva. They had already vanquished their long-time Quat’i enemies and put the Posdalist minority Morrish into power in the region. They turned their gaze to the east.

In Duandame 508, the Cavitas campaign was resumed after it had stalled for several months. The Lasagnon resistance and the reinforcing Dastrians had adapted hit-and-run strategies to ensure the Eisengard could do no more effective campaigning. At the start of the Battle of Dastria; however, the supply lines which had kept the resistance alive were cut off by the meager Eisengard fleet which was by then capable of dispatching the weakened Dastrian ships sent to guard them. Thus, in 508, the government planned to end the war in the west quickly by sending a large batch of reinforcements under Alkadano’s personal command while the Listrans were recovering from their heavy losses the year prior.

There was still one major concern; however - the lack of a proper fleet. In an attempt at a naval engagement between the weakened Home Armada and the Eisengard at full strength off the island of Onnaberg, the Home Armada found itself outmatched by the more maneuverable steam-powered Eisengard ships of the Iron Fleet.

In Triandame the answer to the new Iron Fleet was a ship with an iron hull, explosive shot, and steam engines. The first Dastrian ironclad, the DRS Evangelista was launched on 19 Triandame. It, with the rest of the Home Armada, smashed through the wooden hulls of the Iron Fleet with ease and ended the blockade. The supply lines were restored and the newly-organized 35,000-strong Army of Dastria was landed on the beaches of Cavitas. The Lasagnon Revolt entered a new phase as the new professional Dastrian Army landed. The new army would face a bloody new phase of conventional warfare where they and the new Republican military establishment would learn to wage true, modern war.

The “new military establishment” had become intrinsically integrated into Dastria as the Premier-Elect formally appointed Alkadano to the rank of “Suprema” and Freemen found the army to be a new path to social advancement. The Titled; however, grew increasingly worried by the military’s growing power and some began emigrating to Sazalla under the pretense of fleeing the wars. Meanwhile, two more ironclads which had begun construction before the Battle of Dastria were released - the DRS Difensore, and the DRS Giudice. The new government would then proceed to order the construction of dozens of ironclads.

In the meantime; however, the economy and financial system of the new Republic began to collapse. Wars and blockades had caused trade to be severely strained, and the massive losses incurred in personnel and equipment were draining the government treasury. Massive social unrest ensued, but the coming elections of 510 were presented as a promise of hope. In an effort to keep the government afloat, the Cancolo Government issued the Seditious Properties Decree, authorizing the seizure of properties from Listrans in Dastrian territories. The Societa Mercantile’s Dastrian Offices were raided, and suspected collaborators’ properties were also seized.

To the east, the Listrans arranged a peace treaty with the Luchmairisch after several raids on their easternmost holdings ended in disaster for the defenders. In exchange for secure passage into the eastern seas, Listra was guaranteed enough time to muster their forces and march on Dastria in what is now known as the March to the West. With what remained of their navy close by, the Carabinieri (swelled with volunteers), elements of the Leoni and the Forza, and the Golden Men, marched on Dastrian territory.

The March to the West

Economy:

Military:

The Armed Forces of the United Republics, formally known as the United Forces of the Republics (Forze Unite delle Repubbliche, FUR) is generally divided into three service branches - The Grand Army of the Republics (La Grande Armata delle Repubbliche, GAR), The Navy of the Republics (La Marina Militare delle Repubbliche, MMR), and The Integrated Republican Guards (La Guardie Repubblicane Integrate, GRI)

The Grand Army of the Republics:

The Grand Army of the Republics is the primary land-based service branch of the United Republics. It possesses a rich tradition as the inheritors of the legacy of the Generalissima Isabella Alkadano, or as she is known in the army - La Fondatrice. Compared to the Carabinieri of the old Confederation, the Army is far better equipped, better funded, better trained, and more centralized. Furthermore, the army also serves as an actual armed force instead of as a gendarme.

Doctrine-wise, the Grand Army tends to favor massed assault and superior firepower tactics, supplemented by the GRI and the MMR to provide specialized services such as amphibious operations, rapid strikes, and the like.

Organization

The highest unit of organization in the GAR is the Grand Army (designated A02-XX) led by a Grand Marshall (designated C05-NN). The designation of “Grand Army” is only used in wartime; however, and Grand Armies are dissolved in peacetime. The largest Grand Army fielded was five armies (at the time ~500,000 soldiers) large during the Anyuevan Wars.

The highest unit of organization in practice is the Army (designated A01-XX) led by a Field Marshall (designated C04-XX). Armies are usually made up of ten to fifteen Corps.

Beneath the Army is the Corps (designated U03-XX-YY, where XX is the Army designation and YY is the Corps designation) led by a Corps Marshall (designated C03-XX-YY). Corps are usually made up of six to eight Divisions.

Beneath the Corps is the Division (designated U02-YY-DD, where DD is the Division designation) led by a Division Commander (designated C02-XX-YY). Divisions are usually made up of three to five Regiments. Divisions vary in composition depending on their role, and are the lowest level at which units of differing types mix.

Beneath the Division is the Regiment (designated U01-DD-RR, where RR is the regiment designation) led by a Field Commander (designated C01-DD-RR). Regiments (Infantry Regiments in particular) are composed of two hundred and fifty to five hundred individual soldiers.

Notable Engagements

The Mutiny of Baluarte de Capitan Antonia

The Battle of the Candari Wastes

The Battle of the Dastrian Canal

Unit Composition and Notes

Infantry

The Dastrian Infantry are considered the mainstay of all Dastrian land forces, making up the majority of all deployed soldiers. They are armed with the di Vetro Mk5 (52mm), or the Calia 567 (55mm), and carry light arms.

The Infantry are divided into three groups by tradition - Light, Line, and Grenadiers. Over the years; however, these distinctions have lost usefulness. In contemporary Dastria, these names are simply carried on from the original units.

Cavalry

The Dastrian Cavalry are a fading component of the armies, and are only used as scouts, flanking, or for other high-vulnerability actions requiring rapid movement. They carry di Vetro Carabina Mk3 (50mm) and cavalry sabers as secondary weapons.

Artillery

Artillery are a vital component of the Dastrian military, providing heavy firepower from fixed positions. Artillery divisions are generally armed with 5 field guns per regiment, adding up to around 25 pieces per division.

Engineers

Engineers are soldiers designated to design, construct and repair field fortifications. They also serve secondary specialist roles such as serving as headquarter staff, or manning heavy machinery and weapons.

Corps Roster and Composition by Number of Divisions

Designation INF CAV ART ENG TOT (IN ,000s)

First Army 26 16 27 11 200
01-01 04 02 03 01 25
01-02 04 02 03 01 25
01-03 04 02 03 01 25
01-04 04 02 03 01 25
01-05 02 03 04 01 25
01-06 02 03 04 01 25
01-07 02 00 03 00 12.5
01-08 02 00 03 00 12.5
01-09 02 00 03 00 12.5
01-10 00 00 00 05 12.5

Second Army 26 08 35 07 200
02-01 04 02 03 01 25
02-02 04 02 03 01 25
02-03 04 02 03 01 25
02-04 04 02 03 01 25
02-05 02 00 03 01 25
02-06 02 00 07 01 25
02-07 02 00 03 00 12.5
02-08 02 00 03 00 12.5
02-09 02 00 03 00 12.5
02-10 00 00 04 01 12.5

Third Army 43 00 30 27 250
03-01 04 00 03 03 25
03-02 04 00 03 03 25
03-03 04 00 03 03 25
03-04 04 00 03 03 25
03-05 05 00 03 02 25
03-06 05 00 03 02 25
03-07 05 00 03 02 25
03-08 05 00 03 02 25
03-09 05 00 03 02 25
03-10 02 00 03 05 25

Fourth Army 43 00 30 27 250
04-01 04 00 03 03 25
04-02 04 00 03 03 25
04-03 04 00 03 03 25
04-04 04 00 03 03 25
04-05 05 00 03 02 25
04-06 05 00 03 02 25
04-07 05 00 03 02 25
04-08 05 00 03 02 25
04-09 05 00 03 02 25
04-10 02 00 03 05 25

Fifth Army 26 08 35 07 200
05-01 04 02 03 01 25
05-02 04 02 03 01 25
05-03 04 02 03 01 25
05-04 04 02 03 01 25
05-05 02 00 03 01 25
05-06 02 00 07 01 25
05-07 02 00 03 00 12.5
05-08 02 00 03 00 12.5
05-09 02 00 03 00 12.5
05-10 00 00 04 01 12.5

Sixth Army 43 00 30 27 250
06-01 04 00 03 03 25
06-02 04 00 03 03 25
06-03 04 00 03 03 25
06-04 04 00 03 03 25
06-05 05 00 03 02 25
06-06 05 00 03 02 25
06-07 05 00 03 02 25
06-08 05 00 03 02 25
06-09 05 00 03 02 25
06-10 02 00 03 05 25

Seventh Army 26 08 35 07 200
07-01 04 02 03 01 25
07-02 04 02 03 01 25
07-03 04 02 03 01 25
07-04 04 02 03 01 25
07-05 02 00 03 01 25
07-06 02 00 07 01 25
07-07 02 00 03 00 12.5
07-08 02 00 03 00 12.5
07-09 02 00 03 00 12.5
07 -10 00 00 04 01 12.5
The Navy of the Republics:

Organization

The highest unit of organization in the Navy is the Continental Armada (F03-XX), led by a Grand Admiral (designated N03-XX). In contrast to Grand Armies, Continental Armadas are always organized even in peacetime, but in reality smaller units act independently as escorts, or in patrol duties. Two Continental Armadas currently exist, the Confederate Armada (F03-01), and the Great Northern Armada (F03-02). These two are composed of two and three constituent Republican Fleets, respectively.

Beneath the Continental Armadas are the Republican Fleets (F02-YY), led by an Admiral (designated N02-YY). Fleets are generally accepted to contain at least three flotillas.

Beneath the Republican Fleets are the Flotillas (F01-ZZ), led by a Vice Admiral (designated N01-ZZ). Beneath these are the ad hoc Detachments, led by designated Detach Officers. These units are formed on the fly, led by a single flagship for specific missions. Detachments are the largest units expected to act semi-independently of their main body.

Notable Engagements

Present Situation

Full Roster (to Division Level)

The Integrated Republican Guards:

Organization

Administration

Notable Engagements

Present Situation

Full Roster (to Division Level)

Culture and Society:

Religion:

The Dastrian state religion, as mandated by the Treaty of Calia Island, is the Cult of the Sea-Saint Marcinea, Successor of the Old Gods, Patron of the Waves and Wind, Protector of Dastria, and, as of 391 DE, its Sole Primarch.

Worship is centered around the eponymous Sea-Saint Marcinea, regarded as the successor of the Gods of Salt and Sea. According to state doctrine, Marcinea controls the sea and wind currents upon which the Dastrian state relies. Worship entails mass prayers in local temples, the largest and most central of which being the True Mausoleum of the Sea-Saint in Dastria.
Marcinea is regarded to exist in three inseparable forms - the Evangelist, the Defender, and the Adjudicator, each representing the three values of unity, valor, and justice.
Marcio the Evangelist is said to represent the unity of Dastrian ideals throughout the Confederation, spreading the word of their religion and ideals throughout all their holdings, and all the world. The Evangelist is the patron of the sailors braving the wind and tide to connect the natio. Marcia the Defender represents the nation’s unwavering solidarity to protect its lands. Marcia is the patron of the Leoni del Mare, protectors of the confederation. Marci the Adjudicator is the protector of fairness and justice in the Confederation. Marci is an enigma, working in long, complex schemes spanning decades but ultimately bringing justice. The Adjudicator is patron of merchants and bankers, but also of the common people. In all its schemes, the Adjudicator will always favor the Citizens of the Confederation in the end. The Carabinieri take the Adjudicator as their patron, as protectors of order and justice in the myriad cities of Dastria.
The Sea-Saint is also regarded as father and protector of the Ikalman. According to legend, the first Ikalman were born as the product of the human Sea-Saint and the child of a Sea God in the form of a squid. The children born were considered affronts to nature, and an offense to the Sea Gods. The Sea-Saint was cast from the heavens, his mate slain, and their children banished from the waves but cursed to be forever drawn to it.

Historically, the cult itself was an offshoot of the many polytheistic cults of the Alkadian Empire. After its fall, most of the cults relocated their headquarters to Listra. The Dastrians; however, united themselves around the minor cult of the Savior on the Seas, Marci. The cult; however, was apparently crushed during the Fall of Dastria, when Listran troops looted the old temple to Marci and returned sacred relics to a Listran temple in an attempt to establish religious dependence.

The citizens of Dastria; however, kept the cult very much alive, using it as a symbol in the build-up toward the last Listran War. Soon, the resurgent cult and the Dastrian independence movement were synonymous as cries of “Return the Sea-Saint!” resounded throughout the Listran Hegemony.

The Last Listran War resulted in the return of Marci’s relics, and the elevation of the Savior Marci to Sea-Saint Marcia of Dastria. The Listran temples were subsequently looted and utterly destroyed, as the Sea-Saint had apparently made its superiority above all the old gods clear.

Traits:

The Dastrian Canal

A tiny 15km stretch of land once separated the Dastrian Sea and the west. After many years and many used-up crystals, the City of Dastria linked two halves of the world by the wind and waves.

The Dastrians have taken full advantage of their position since, imposing tolls on all those who would enter the canal and providing services and trade to weary travellers.

Allows ships to pass through the Dastrian Isthmus. Provides economic bonuses to anyone who holds the City of Dastria.

Characters:

Grand Admiral Luigi Campion of the Confederate Fleet (N03-01)

An aging demented relic of some past time? A brainless, spineless buffoon controlling the most powerful institution in the republics? Or a hidden genius biding his time, waiting for the moment to make a single move that could change the world?
Admiral Campion is none of those things, and all of them at once. Though a seasoned theorist and practitioner of naval strategy, he feels above such simple things like the Dreadnought Revolution. For him, no matter what changes, as long as you have more guns shelling the enemy, you win.
There is one thing he believes in; however, that Dastria must rule supreme. The only reason he has not retired is because he knows something still threatens his homeland.
“There is no future for this world but that where Dastria dictates it.”

Corps Marshall Aurelio Isabel Marci of the First Corps of the First Army (C04-01-01)

“I have seen war. I have seen what it has cost. No Dastrian deserves to live in the dark. Not knowing what it costs to keep their empire, our empire, alive. Dastria will stand supreme, but our people must know the price of supremacy”

Antonio Lugarve, Member of the Chamber of Deputies for the Confederated Cities (PLF-Marcini)

“Liberal capitalism, that is what makes our republic great. And yet we the home of freedom actively deny that joy from those we arrogantly call subjects. If the United Republics are to stand, they must live up to their name - to be United, and to be Republics.”

Michelle Cosima d’Casta, Matriarch of House d’Casta, Titled Governor of Il Vetro, Member of the Chamber of Elders for the Title of Il Vetro (PLF-Novo Fondatori)

“My ancestors, my Dastrian ancestors, worked hard to build this empire upon which the sun never sets. I and my colleagues will endeavor to keep it that way - great, productive, and Dastrian. The Dastrians built this nation, and only we can keep it together by force of our arms”

Carlo del Astavia, Founder of Frutti Internazionali Co. (Frutti Internazionali Co.)

“My thoughts are simple - I worked for it, I keep it. A man is the product of his labors, and his labors alone. Thereby it is through self-interest that a common good is achieved. A common good in the interest of the one, and of the all. It is a simple truth, yet some require great convincing to accept it.”

Lucania Mirtosov Giovannovnu Mariovna (Unione di Pane e Rose)

“I hear the call of my homeland, and see suffering brought by the machinery of state. I watch the burgeoning of my newfound shelter, and see suffering brought by the machinery of egoistic interest. They call each other demons, and they are both right.”

Dulce et Decorum Est - A WWI Inspired Nation Roleplay (Mark II)

Work in Progress

Dastria Rules the Waves

Really long sheet

Basic Information:
Name of Nation: The United Republics of Greater Alkadion or the United Alkan Republics
Capital: The City of Dastria
Head of State:
Head of Government:
Currency:
The Republican Appunti (Banknote)
Quarssa Dastriana & Pessa la Mare (Coins, 25 Quarssa = 1 Pessa)
Territory:
The United Republics claim all areas once occupied by the Confederated Cities on the Dastrian Sea, from the old Listran Cities all the way to Ravelia.
The United Republics are so-named for the four constituent nations – the Serene Republic of Dastria, the Union of Listra-Alkadion, the Confederated Cities, and the Greater Northern Territories.
Points of Interest:
The Serene Republic of Dastria
The City of Dastria, Calia Island to the southwest, the Glass Islands to the northeast
Dastria is the beating heart of the Republics, center of all its trade and administrative activities.
To its southwest is the Island of Calia, where the Treaty of Calia Island was signed. Calia is also home to the headquarters of the National Integrated Command of the Carabinieri, the main military force of the Republics. It also serves as home to the Western Home Fleet, guarding the entrance to Dastria from those who would harm it.
To the northeast are the Glass Islands of Casta and Castina. These islands are the center of the Republics’ industrial capacity. These islands are also used by the banks as storehouses for the vast wealth they have collected.
The Union of Listra-Alkadion
The City of Listra, the City of New Alkadion to the north
Listra is the United Republics’ second-most important city, once home to a kingdom rivalling Dastria in dominance over the Dastrian Sea, the city now stands as its partner in protecting and promoting trade.
The City of New Alkadion is a minor city to the north of Listra, once the mythical Shining City of Alkadion, home to the Cults of the Old Gods. The old city was destroyed in a calamity known simply as the Sundering.

The Confederated Cities
The Confederated City of Sazalla
Sazalla is a major trade and military port of the Confederation. An age ago, this was where the legendary explorer Edante Cancolo settled with his Fleet of Forty. Today, it is an important stop on westbound journeys as tolls are paid here for passage through the Cancelli Islands to the southwest.

The Anyuevan Cities

The Greater Northern Territories
The City of Ravelia
Ravelia is a far-flung trading port of the Confederation. Compared to most cities in the Confederation, Ravelia is small and its surrounding areas are very sparsely populated. Furthermore, there are very few native Dastrian humans in the city, being unsuited to the harsh northern climate. The city holds power over northern trade routes to the New World, serving as a major supply stop.

Demographics:

The Republics’ territories are populated by two dominant species - humans, and squid-human hybrids known as the Ikalman.

The humans of the Republics’ heartlands are formally known as the “Alkan” after the Shining City of Old Alkadion. It is said that the Alkan originated from Alkadion and spread out in the aftermath of the Sundering. They are generally of lean builds, tan, brown-eyed and black of hair. They are slightly shorter than the average human, but also more nimble. Many Alkans refer to their ethnicities by their home city, though there are few physiological differences between them.

The Ikalman are squid-like humans (or humanoid squids) that are considered a separate biological species from humans, being unable to bear live offspring with them in all but a few rare cases.

There are two important non-human minorities present in the Republic; however. The first of which are the Drowned Listrans.

The Drowned Listrans are an extremely small population of mermen, once a powerful civilization coexisting with the Alkadian Empire, and later the Listran Hegemony until the Sack of Listra. The destruction of the temples to the Old Gods appears to have driven a significant majority mad, or at least antagonistic to humans. Some; however, particularly those who worshipped the Savior on the Seas retained their loyalty to Dastria. They also retained the ability to communicate with, and to an extent, “persuade” their less amicable kin.

Today, the Drowned Listrans maintain small populations clinging to the Glass Islands and the ruins of their once-proud city near Listra. Small numbers of deranged Drowned Listrans still wander the eastern fringes of the inland sea, occasionally attacking fishermen and merchants. Meanwhile, the subservient Drowned Listrans are employed by the banks, hiding and guarding their vast fortunes in vaults beneath the Glass Islands.

There are rumors; however, that the Dastrian Navy has invested a significant amount of resources into weaponizing the deranged members of the Drowned Listran population.

The third non-human minority are Golden Men of the Candari Wastes. The Golden Men are an enigmatic people who migrated from beyond the desert wastes of the north into the south until they reached the north coast of the Dastrian Sea. Their people, though mysterious, are considered a vital part of Dastrian society, existing outside of the rigid social hierarchy. Their martial culture produces hardened warriors that are vital parts of the Dastrian military. Their culture also places a premium on resource management and thrift, making their mindset of great worth to the navy and the banks alike.

In the aftermath of the wars of the 19th Century PA, several ethnic groups were brought into the fold. These include the Anyueva and their innumerable former subjects, and the Huitecoya and other indigenous groups in the New World.

Government:

The Republics as a whole are a semi-parliamentary federal republic. The overall head of state for all the republics is the Presidion of the United Republics (styled “His/Her Excellence”). They are elected by the College of Electors consisting of representatives sent from all four republics (each republic sending 5 deputies), who represent the results of universal popular elections. They are elected for a term lasting 6 years, with a maximum of 2 consecutive terms for any one President. There is also a Secundus who serves as a backup to the Supreme Consul in the event of his incapacitation. Traditionally, the Secundus of the United Republics also serves as Executive Secretary to the Supreme Consul.

The Head of Government of the Republics is the Grand Chancellor. They and their cabinet are appointed by the President from the ruling party or coalition in the lower chambers of the national legislature - the Chamber of Deputies.

The legislative branch of the Republics is known as the United Republican Congress with two houses- the Chamber of Deputies being the lower and the Chamber of Elders being the upper.

The Chamber of Deputies is composed of a varying number of members and each deputy is elected for three-year terms, with no term limits. The government is selected from among the elected deputies.

The Chamber of Elders is composed of 52 unelected members who sit for life. 40 of these seats are known as the Elder Titles, belonging to members of the old Dastrian oligarchy. 12 are composed of members who sit for 12 years and are appointed by the Supreme Consul, with 3 taken from each Republic. The Elders generally sit as a ceremonial chamber, with most significant legislative activity taking place in the lower Chamber of Deputies.

As of the current year, one large party dominates Dastrian politics - the Federation Liberal Party or the “Partito Liberale della Federassione” (PLF). Ever since the fall of the Republican Foundation Party or the “Partito Repubblicana della Fondatori“ (PRF) 12 years after the United Republics’ founding, the party has consistently held onto power election after election. The Federalist Wing (“Antonii”) of the PLF is the dominant faction, espousing ideals of moderately high taxes, interventionist capitalism, protectionism, heavy militarism, and the decentralization of the republics. Another significant wing is the Liberal Wing (“Marcini”), espousing further decentralization of the republic, the dissolution of the Chamber of Elders, equal rights for all, and social welfare funding. In the shadows; however, another wing is beginning to fester - the National Wing (“Novo Fondatori”), a wing promoting the centralization of the republic under a Dastrian nationalist government.

The PLF is opposed by a broad coalition of parties known as the “General Opposition'' ever since its formation in 541. Dominance in the coalition frequently changes hands between the pro-central government Central Party (“Partito Centrale”, PC), the socialist Social Unity Party (“Partito di Unita Sociale”, PUS), the populist Common Strength Party (“Partito della Forza Comune”, PFC), and the moderate Republican Institution Party (“Partito della Istitussioni Repubblicane”, PIR). Their reputation is that of a disorganized group of parties only existing to oppose the government.

Their popularity has steadily been declining after the Hanged Coalition of 559 DE when they gained an opportunity to form a government, only to collapse within a month. The resulting political fallout also caused the fracturing and final collapse of the PRF, with the remaining members forming the Republican Institution Party.

History:

There are many places that the Confederation’s history could start - the founding of Dastria, the Uprisings of 1 Undame 103, the Treaty of Calia Island, the Voyage of Cancolo, The Civil War of 479 or the Dastrian Catastrophe of 499. This history; however, will be comprehensive. To be comprehensive, this history must go far to the east of the Dastrian Strait.

The Beginning

This history begins where the Shining City of Alkadion ends. For whatever reason, around 700 years ago, Alkadion collapsed in the Sundering and dispersed the Alkan People all throughout what would become the Dastrian Sea. One group settled nearby, founding the City of Listra. Another group settled far to the west, beyond the great seas of sand and into the gates between two halves of the world. There was founded the City of Dastria.

The two cities grew and prospered, taking advantage of their positions in shipping lanes, becoming naval powers all the while. Rival naval powers. After a series of wars, the City of Dastria was occupied and placed under the rule of the Listran Kings. For decades, the Dastrians toiled under their new monarchs until a revolt drove the Listrans from Dastria. The leader of the revolt was declared the First Premier of Dastria, and from then on the Dastrians foreswore monarchy, pledging to never be subject to any kings or foreign powers again. This year was declared the first year of the Dastrian Era, 1 DE (1352 PA).

The Listran War

In the subsequent Listran War, the City of Listra was sacked and its naval empire was shattered. The City of Dastria fully dominated the area over the next century. Then, in 1 Undame (Month 1) of 103, popular uprisings in Dastria, and the restored city of Listra created a common Citizens’ Assembly. By 106, the Citizens’ Assembly seized control of both cities, effectively uniting them. All other polities in the Dastrian Sea joined soon after and by 181, the Confederated Cities of the Dastrian Sea was organized by the Treaty of Calia Island.

In the chaos of the new nation’s birth; however, Luchmairisch raiders attacked and occupied several islands once held by Old Listra, making them some of the first colonies of their nascent colonial Empire. This single move would begin centuries of confrontation between the Luchmairisch and the Dastrians on the high seas

The Early Confederation

For a time from 103 to 313, the Freemen’s Chamber was able to exercise authority equal, if not superior to the Titled Chamber. The Premier-Elect originally held the powers now given to the Grand Chancellor and the Freemen were able to strike down laws passed by the Titled.

This; however, came to a head in 314, when war broke out between the Freemen and the Titled. For 13 bloody years, war raged across the Dastrian Sea. Then, in 327 peace was signed, restoring the status quo. The Freemen’s political power only declined after this; however.

One prominent Freeman, Edante Cancolo, fled Dastria along with several prominent Freemen to found colonies in the west and escape the turmoil in the cities in 330. This mission led to an era of expansion for Dastria and, while the Freemen were busy finding new lands, the Titled slowly seized power. Prominent Freemen families, too busy in the race for colonies, earned the ire of their fellows.

In 377, the Freemen’s Chamber voted to conduct a military expedition against the Elves of Eidolon. Preparations were immediately set into motion. In the following year; however, several prominent Freemen funding the expedition were assassinated.

With the Freemen in a panic, they attempted to redirect the backlash of the assassination toward the Titled Citizens. When they attempted to arrest them in 379; however, the Titled resisted and a civil war broke out as the Titled retreated to Listra. Four years later in 383, the Titled marched troops into Dastria and proclaimed one of their own Grand Chancellor. The Freemen surrendered, their rights to assemble and elect the Premier intact.

The Reign of the Titled and the Sixth Century

In 420, the first Grand Chancellor died and another was elected, securing the reign of the Titled.

Peace and expansion persisted until the year 499, when a crystal vein to the northwest of Dastria was over-exploited and rebounded, triggering the Dastrian Catastrophe. An earthquake and the ensuing fires and tsunami ravaged the western half of the city. In the end, thousands were killed and the nation still feels the wounds of its past. With Listra possessing the only major crystal resource in the Confederation, the Citizens’ Assembly was finally forced to incorporate Listra as a National Territory of Dastria in exchange for their crystal supplies.

The early 6th Century DE was a period marked by unprecedented prosperity for the Confederation, all the while also being an era of massive social upheaval that threatened to tear the nation asunder. The era began with the election of Arrigo Cancolo, and Marcio d’Casta to the seats of Premier-Elect and Grand Chancellor, respectively. The pair unexpectedly formed a partnership that would influence Dastrian politics for the next two decades. Their collaboration would inevitably result in the return of the Freemen to political significance and the rise of the Premier-Elect. This partnership; however, undermined the already-strained relations between Listra and Dastria, as both were Dastrians and represented a political union between Dastrian Freemen and Titled against the encroachment of the eastern cities.

The Luchmairisch Wars

Their first course of action was to push the Naval Reforms of 495, a series of sweeping reforms to Dastrian Navy, making it more meritocratic and abolishing limitations on Freemen and Ikalman promotion. The Eastern Fleet, heavily integrated with the Listran aristocracy, refused to implement these reforms in spite of repeated orders from the College of Admiralty. Any attempt to put these reforms into force; however, was abruptly halted by the outbreak of war between the Luchmairisch, and the Dastrian-allied Bright Tower. The Navy quickly attacked the Luchmairisch outposts in the eastern Dastrian Sea but was repulsed with each approach, while the Bright Tower was forced to hold out amid the Luchmarisch landing. When the outposts were at last taken, the Bright Tower had been forced to retreat from their capital, and defeat appeared to only be a matter of time despite support from the Dual Monarchy.

Meanwhile, in the west, amid the rising prominence of the Anyuevan Empire, Lasagnon Rebels funded by the Dastrian Government rose up against their overlord, the Kingdom of Eisengard. The Dastrian military was forced to move to their aid, with much of the Western Fleet being shifted from the Luchmairisch front to the Mare Reale, but not before fighting a climactic naval battle against the eastern invaders. The Battle of the Vilsine Straits resulted in a hard-fought Dastrian victory. The Admiralty; however was unable to capitalize on this victory due to the care taken to preserve the Western Fleet for war against Eisengard.

Meanwhile, the Freemen and Titled of Dastria celebrated with a feast dedicated to the Sea Saint while Eisengard merchant ships fleeing the Dastrian Sea were halted and investigated in the Dastrian Canal. Amid this celebration; however, several Eisengard ships abruptly burst into flames all over the harbors of the city, taking the lives of hundreds as the fires spread into the feasting city.

The damage caused by the explosions rendered the Dastrian Canal unusable for several days, time which Eisengard was able to effectively leverage by seizing vital Lasagnon fortresses while the Colonial Armada was hurriedly moved into position to blockade them. When the canal was finally cleared, and the Western Fleet sallied out of the Dastrian Sea, much of the Lasagnon had already been subjugated. A single major allied city - Cavitas, remained.

In the east, large numbers of troops were finally ferried across to assist in the liberation of the Bright Tower. Codaigh and Owcan troops were able to slowly gain ground against the Luchmairisch invaders, with the help of the Dastrian blockade. All was going well until the Luchmairisch navy, weakened but not completely destroyed, made a mad rush to land troops in the vulnerable Dual Monarchy. The ensuing Battle of the Luchmairisch Channel resulted in the Eastern Fleet’s defeat despite suffering relatively minor losses. The Luchmairisch Invasion of the Dual Monarchy; however, was at least delayed.

A new front in the east opened. The Burned Order, a Luchmairisch ally, had finally mustered its troops and began marching west, into the Listran Territories. The Carabinieri were pushed back at every engagement, and New Alkadion desperately asked for Leoni reinforcements from the other fleets. None came. Fortunately, the Order’s advance also stalled due to logistical issues and they were forced to halt at the last fortress guarding the city of New Alkadion, putting it to a disorganized siege.

In 504, the First Landing at Cavitas was finally attempted. Leoni troops left the safety of their ships, landing on the beach a few miles from the city. Here, intense fighting began between the besieging forces and the marines. The Leoni, usually intended for quick amphibious strikes against naval facilities, were crushed by the well-trained and well-equipped Eisengard troops. The Lasagnon attempted a sortie to aid their allies, but failed. On the three days of that battle, the Leoni were completely defeated in what is widely recognized as a one-sided bloodbath. After those three days, the remaining Leoni that hadn’t dispersed into the wilderness or had been killed marched back to their ships. The Leoni, once feared as an impossibly fast raiding force against which no shore facility had any chance, had been shattered. Their numbers in the Home Armada were severely reduced, and the College of the Admiralty was forced to consider new options to supplement their land forces. The Western Fleet itself was severely damaged by Eisengard artillery fire. The Western and Inland Admirals’ resignation was demanded and received by the Premier-Elect the next day, cementing his office’s power over the navy. The Eastern Fleet; however, grew emboldened in its defiance, taking their counterparts’ defeat as a sign of their own superiority.

The next year, in 505, another invasion was attempted with Carabinieri divisions in lieu of the Leoni. They suffered several hundred losses; however, before a force led by Captain Isabella Alkadano reached the city. This was only accomplished after the heavy bombardment of the surrounding area by naval artillery.

In the aftermath of the victory, and with the observation of the rising power of the Carabinieri, members of the Western faction of the Titled began discussing the restoration of the Freemen’s political power.

Several Carabinieri units, including the newly promoted Comandante Alkadano’s 13th Dastrian Light Infantry were then moved east to the front against the Burned Order. Only a few months after arriving in 506, they repelled the Order at the Battle of New Alkadion. The success of the Carabinieri convinced Dastrian leadership to consider the creation of a formal land force. Thus, the “Army of the Confederation” was founded out of the units present. Despite her substantial contributions to the defense of her own home city, Comandante Isabella Alkadiano was passed over during the selection of a commander for the new army. Instead, a Listran Officer - Comandante Michel Luminare of the 1st Eastern Guard Battalion was promoted. This contributed to her growing disdain for Listra despite most of the army politically favoring the Eastern Faction.

The Western Faction took advantage of the victory, and during the victory celebrations, concluded a vote to restore the Premier-Elect’s powers at the expense of the Grand Chancellor. The decision was promulgated as enraged Listran representatives left the chamber.

A few moons after, on the last day of La Fiera, elements of the Eastern Fleet, originally assumed to be fighting the Luchmairisch, destroyed the remnants of the Home Armada stationed at New Alkadion. With that, the Dastrian Civil War began. The Eastern Fleet then sailed west to Dastria, beginning their Westward Campaign as the year came to an end. Listra declared itself the “defender of the Confederation and its ideals”, arguing that the unilateral rescinding of their Titled’s authority without their consultation stood against the collegiate nature of all the cities in the Confederation.

The next year in 507, the Glass Islands of Casta and Castina were besieged. The Eastern Fleet completely blockaded the island and landed their Leoni troops to bring the island under their control. The inhabitants of the islands; however, put up a fierce fight and were able to severely delay the advance, holding the Eastern Fleet in place for three months. This valuable time was used to recruit and arm more troops, to fortify the Dastrian city and canal, and to evacuate government officials and important artifacts including the Crown of the Sea Saint. All the while, in Calia, plans were drawn up for a revolutionary warship clad in iron armor instead of wood and powered at man’s whim instead of the wind’s.

Meanwhile, in New Alkadion, the Army of the Confederation lay unused, the Western Faction having been their primary sponsors. Rumors abounded that the army was bound to be disbanded and its remnants folded into the aristocratic Leoni. In response to these, Comandante Alkadano and several Dastrian units defected in the Mutiny of Baluarte de Capitan Antonia, dubbing themselves “The Grand Army of the Republic”. Future historians would regard this as the rebirth of the Dastrian military and the formal birth of the Dastrian Republic.

The Grand Army marched west, leaving New Alkadion and beginning the Long March. Republican troops would find themselves being ambushed by local Carabinieri units, Leoni, and Golden Men. In spite of these; however, they marched on under the leadership of the newly self-appointed Generalissimo Alkadano. The Long March took them through several kilometers of marshy terrain, and the Candari Wastes. One in seven of the 30,000 defectors died along the way. Five months after their initial departure, they found themselves trapped between the sea and the Army of the Confederation. Fortunately, days before, they were able to make contact with defecting elements of the Eastern Fleet which were able to resupply them before the battle began. The Battle of the Candari Wastes between the 25,000 Republicans, reinforced by 750 defecting Leoni and the combined forces of the Army of the Confederation, the rebelling Golden Men, and Listran Carabinieri numbering 45,000 ended in a narrow Republican victory, guaranteeing the Army of the Republic’s survival. The Army of the Republic arrived to a heroes’ welcome in Dastria a month before the conclusion of the Siege of the Glass Isles while the Army of the Confederation was dissolved and folded into the Carabinieri.

By the time the Eastern Fleet was ready to move again, they found makeshift fortresses had sprung up on the coastline, every inch of coastline bristling with cannon bores, forcing them to slowly advance westward, taking one fort at a time. The Dastrian Canal itself was finally closed as the Listrans made their final approach. The Dastrian Battles would last for two gruelling months before the last fortress - the Torre degli Antichi, finally surrendered. By this time; however, every Carabinieri unit in the city, along with thousands of nationalist volunteers had been equipped and rigorously drilled by the Army of the Republic. At the head of all the city’s defenses was Generalissimo Isabella Alkadano. Overall, facing the Eastern Fleet with its 5,000 skilled Leoni, and 45,000 hastily recruited Carabinieri - 20,000 of which were on land outside the city’s northern walls, was a Republican Army 45,000 strong.

The ensuing battle was fought along the outside of the isthmus before Listran ships were able to push further inland and reached the canal which they used to land troops inside the walls. A chain deployed in front of the canal was of little help as Drowned Listrans chewed through the cable. In the canal; however, they found themselves trapped in a kill-zone by several cannons and well-trained riflemen. Concentrated artillery, skillful use of rifles, and urban warfare ensured no Listran troops could gain the slightest foothold into the city. After weeks of fighting, under the cover of night on Triandame 19 of 507, the Listrans withdrew from the city, having suffered 35,000 losses including most of the Eastern Leoni. The Eastern Fleet itself had almost all its constituent ships captured or sunk. The remainder surrendered in a later ambush by Republican light craft.

The collateral damage; however, was immense. The Canal had been battered, with fragments of buildings and ships littering its interior, and several powder caches on the piers had been detonated. The city experienced several fires that were only stopped by artificial firebreaks.

Amid this; however, the Generalissimo delivered a speech from the High Chancery and under pressure from the victorious and resurgent Freeman military, the government on Calia Island declared the establishment of the Republic of Dastria on Quarandame 1, 507. Elections were to be held in Duandame 1, 510. For the moment, the Republic was to be run by the Cancolo Government. Meanwhile, the Army of the Republic elected from among themselves the High Command of the Republic - effectively a separate institution from, albeit subservient to, the national government. The HCR consisted of several of Alkadano’s trusted aides, with her serving merely as Generalissimo, Field Commander, of the armies.

It is useful to note that at this period, the nascent Republic of Dastria was fundamentally composed of two institutions - the growing Army of the Republic led by Generalissimo Alkadano and a clique of her trusted subordinates (which institutionally was technically older than the republic itself), and the civilian government of the Confederation now formally led by the Freemen through the Premier-Elect, but with significant influence left over from the Titled. Institutionally, the Dastrian Republic was little different from the old Confederation, but the military was becoming an active force in the utter destruction of the old institution. This dynamic would come to dominate the newborn nation in the coming years.

Amid this victory; however, was a new coming storm. Their war with the Posdalist Eisengard attracted the attention of the rising Posdal superpower - Anyueva. They had already vanquished their long-time Quat’i enemies and put the Posdalist minority Morrish into power in the region. They turned their gaze to the east.

In Duandame 508, the Cavitas campaign was resumed after it had stalled for several months. The Lasagnon resistance and the reinforcing Dastrians had adapted hit-and-run strategies to ensure the Eisengard could do no more effective campaigning. At the start of the Battle of Dastria; however, the supply lines which had kept the resistance alive were cut off by the meager Eisengard fleet which was by then capable of dispatching the weakened Dastrian ships sent to guard them. Thus, in 508, the government planned to end the war in the west quickly by sending a large batch of reinforcements under Alkadano’s personal command while the Listrans were recovering from their heavy losses the year prior.

There was still one major concern; however - the lack of a proper fleet. In an attempt at a naval engagement between the weakened Home Armada and the Eisengard at full strength off the island of Onnaberg, the Home Armada found itself outmatched by the more maneuverable steam-powered Eisengard ships of the Iron Fleet.

In Triandame the answer to the new Iron Fleet was a ship with an iron hull, explosive shot, and steam engines. The first Dastrian ironclad, the DRS Evangelista was launched on 19 Triandame. It, with the rest of the Home Armada, smashed through the wooden hulls of the Iron Fleet with ease and ended the blockade. The supply lines were restored and the newly-organized 35,000-strong Army of Dastria was landed on the beaches of Cavitas. The Lasagnon Revolt entered a new phase as the new professional Dastrian Army landed. The new army would face a bloody new phase of conventional warfare where they and the new Republican military establishment would learn to wage true, modern war.

The “new military establishment” had become intrinsically integrated into Dastria as the Premier-Elect formally appointed Alkadano “Suprema” and Freemen found the army to be a new path to social advancement. The Titled; however, grew increasingly worried by the military’s growing power and some began emigrating to Sazalla under the pretense of fleeing the wars. Meanwhile, two more ironclads which had begun construction before the Battle of Dastria were released - the DRS Difensore, and the DRS Giudice. The new government would then proceed to order the construction of dozens of ironclads.

In the meantime; however, the economy and financial system of the new Republic began to collapse. Wars and blockades had caused trade to be severely strained, and the massive losses incurred in personnel and equipment were draining the government treasury. Massive social unrest ensued, but the coming elections of 510 were presented as a promise of hope. In an effort to keep the government afloat, the Cancolo Government issued the Seditious Properties Decree, authorizing the seizure of properties from Listrans in Dastrian territories. The Societa Mercantile’s Dastrian Offices were raided, and suspected collaborators’ properties were also seized.

Economy:

The United Republican Military, formally known as the United Forces of the Republics (Forze Unite delle Repubbliche, FUR) has three service arms: The Grand Army of the United Republics, The Navy of the United Republics, and The Republican Guards.

Military:

The Armed Forces of the United Republics, formally known as the United Forces of the Republics (Forze Unite delle Repubbliche, FUR) is generally divided into three service branches - The Grand Army of the Republics (La Grande Armata delle Repubbliche, GAR), The Navy of the Republics (La Marina Militare delle Repubbliche, MMR), and The Integrated Republican Guards (La Guardie Repubblicane Integrate, GRI)

The Grand Army of the Republics:

The Grand Army of the Republics is the primary land-based service branch of the United Republics. It possesses a rich tradition as the inheritors of the legacy of the Generalissima Isabella Alkadano, or as she is known in the army - La Fondatrice. Compared to the Carabinieri of the old Confederation, the Army is far better equipped, better funded, better trained, and more centralized. Furthermore, the army also serves as an actual armed force instead of as a gendarme.

Doctrine-wise, the Grand Army tends to favor massed assault and superior firepower tactics, supplemented by the GRI and the MMR to provide specialized services such as amphibious operations, rapid strikes, and the like.

Organization

The highest unit of organization in the GAR is the Grand Army (designated A02-XX) led by a Grand Marshall (designated C05-NN). The designation of “Grand Army” is only used in wartime; however, and Grand Armies are dissolved in peacetime. The largest Grand Army fielded was five armies (at the time ~500,000 soldiers) large during the Anyuevan Wars.

The highest unit of organization in practice is the Army (designated A01-XX) led by a Field Marshall (designated C04-XX). Armies are usually made up of ten to fifteen Corps.

Beneath the Army is the Corps (designated U03-XX-YY, where XX is the Army designation and YY is the Corps designation) led by a Corps Marshall (designated C03-XX-YY). Corps are usually made up of six to eight Divisions.

Beneath the Corps is the Division (designated U02-YY-DD, where DD is the Division designation) led by a Division Commander (designated C02-XX-YY). Divisions are usually made up of three to five Regiments. Divisions vary in composition depending on their role, and are the lowest level at which units of differing types mix as discussed below.

Beneath the Division is the Regiment (designated U01-DD-RR, where RR is the regiment designation) led by a Field Commander (designated C01-DD-RR). Regiments (Infantry Regiments in particular) are comprised of one thousand and five hundred to three thousand individual soldiers. Their composition varies depending on their role and specialization as discussed below.

Unit Specialization

Regiments, Division, and Corps Compositions vary depending on the combat role they are expected to serve.

Administration

Armaments

Notable Engagements

Present Situation

The Navy of the Republics:

The Integrated Republican Guards:

Culture and Society:

Religion:

The Dastrian state religion, as mandated by the Treaty of Calia Island, is the Cult of the Sea-Saint Marcinea, Successor of the Old Gods, Patron of the Waves and Wind, Protector of Dastria, and, as of 391 DE, its Sole Primarch.

Worship is centered around the eponymous Sea-Saint Marcinea, regarded as the successor of the Gods of Salt and Sea. According to state doctrine, Marcinea controls the sea and wind currents upon which the Dastrian state relies. Worship entails mass prayers in local temples, the largest and most central of which being the True Mausoleum of the Sea-Saint in Dastria.
Marcinea is regarded to exist in three inseparable forms - the Evangelist, the Defender, and the Adjudicator, each representing the three values of unity, valor, and justice.
Marcio the Evangelist is said to represent the unity of Dastrian ideals throughout the Confederation, spreading the word of their religion and ideals throughout all their holdings, and all the world. The Evangelist is the patron of the sailors braving the wind and tide to connect the natio. Marcia the Defender represents the nation’s unwavering solidarity to protect its lands. Marcia is the patron of the Leoni del Mare, protectors of the confederation. Marci the Adjudicator is the protector of fairness and justice in the Confederation. Marci is an enigma, working in long, complex schemes spanning decades but ultimately bringing justice. The Adjudicator is patron of merchants and bankers, but also of the common people. In all its schemes, the Adjudicator will always favor the Citizens of the Confederation in the end. The Carabinieri take the Adjudicator as their patron, as protectors of order and justice in the myriad cities of Dastria.
The Sea-Saint is also regarded as father and protector of the Ikalman. According to legend, the first Ikalman were born as the product of the human Sea-Saint and the child of a Sea God in the form of a squid. The children born were considered affronts to nature, and an offense to the Sea Gods. The Sea-Saint was cast from the heavens, his mate slain, and their children banished from the waves but cursed to be forever drawn to it.

Historically, the cult itself was an offshoot of the many polytheistic cults of the Alkadian Empire. After its fall, most of the cults relocated their headquarters to Listra. The Dastrians; however, united themselves around the minor cult of the Savior on the Seas, Marci. The cult; however, was apparently crushed during the Fall of Dastria, when Listran troops looted the old temple to Marci and returned sacred relics to a Listran temple in an attempt to establish religious dependence.

The citizens of Dastria; however, kept the cult very much alive, using it as a symbol in the build-up toward the last Listran War. Soon, the resurgent cult and the Dastrian independence movement were synonymous as cries of “Return the Sea-Saint!” resounded throughout the Listran Hegemony.

The Last Listran War resulted in the return of Marci’s relics, and the elevation of the Savior Marci to Sea-Saint Marcia of Dastria. The Listran temples were subsequently looted and utterly destroyed, as the Sea-Saint had apparently made its superiority above all the old gods clear.

Traits:

The Banks and Le Forza di Banca

Dastria boasts an impressive network of banks within its myriad territories, allowing for a variety of advantages to its merchants and those of other countries who are willing to accept it.

Furthermore, the banks possess a security force - Le Forza di Banca otherwise known as “Le Forza”. Le Forza originally served as the bank’s security guards but have since evolved, taking on a small fleet to guard shipments of valuables between branches, collecting debts, and becoming the unofficial espionage service of the Confederation as a whole.

Provides economic and relations bonuses to countries that accept a Banking Deal with the Confederation. All banks also conduct espionage within their locales.

The Dastrian Canal

A tiny 15km stretch of land once separated the Dastrian Sea and the west. After many years and many used-up crystals, the City of Dastria linked two halves of the world by the wind and waves.

The Dastrians have taken full advantage of their position since, imposing tolls on all those who would enter the canal and providing services and trade to weary travellers.

Allows ships to pass through the Dastrian Isthmus. Provides economic bonuses to anyone who holds the City of Dastria.

Stado di Mare - State of the Sea

Dastrians’ relative inexperience in land wars and long maritime history have allowed them to grow a large maritime empire stretching from one hemisphere to the other. This experience on the high seas also gives them a strong shipping and shipbuilding industry. Their reliance on the waves; however, forces their settlements and colonies to cling to it for dear life, leaving them with weak raw resource production but also giving them incentive to industrialize.

Justifies and limits the sprawling sea-clinging colonial empire. All Confederate cities are specialized as harbors and/or shipyards. Incentivizes industrialization. Demands a strong navy to maintain.

The Dastrian Merchant Marine

A vast maritime and mercantile empire requires a powerful force to move goods from place to place. This is the work of the merchant marine. Every day, immense ships full of goods set sail, moving from place to place in the Confederation. The merchant marines bring the Confederation’s wares from harbor to harbor, bringing wealth to their homeland. Sometimes; however, they bring far more than wares. In times of desperate need, the Merchant Marine is expropriated by the Confederation Navy and used to transport troops and weapons.

Allows for goods to travel from one harbor to another relatively quickly and safely. May be called upon at times of great need to supplement the navy’s strength

Leoni del Mare - “Lions of the Sea”

In lieu of a powerful army, the Dastrians maintain a vast fleet capable of projecting soft power where needed. This soft power is supplemented by the small but efficient Leoni, the Dastrian Marines, specialized in dealing quick amphibious strikes.

Creates the Dastrian Leoni

New Man's Tomorrow(Solar NRP)

The Belt Syndicates

The Syndicated Traders of the Inner Belt
(The Belt Syndicates)



“Extremitas usque Extremitas”
[End to End]

Basic Information

Capital: Pallas Central

Head of State: Liu Xianyang, Chief Executive of the Syndicates

Currency: The Syndicate Credit Unit (USC)

Government

Government

The Belt Syndicates are best described politically as a corporatocracy, or rather a group of corporations operating in and administering the Inner Asteroid Belt. The Syndicates as a whole are governed by the Commission, a set of twenty men and women (ten elected by the Civil Colonies, and the other ten appointed by the largest corporations in the Belt) with the authority to draft and enact laws enforced throughout the Belt. The Commission is elected once every 10 Terran Years

The Chief Executive of the Syndicates is appointed from and by this Commission to handle the day-to-day governance of the nation. They are given the power to appoint government ministers without need of the Commission’s say. They are also Commander-in-Chief of the Inner Belt Security Force (ISBF). There are no limitations on the number of terms they can serve, and historically they have served many, many terms. The only limitation to their powers are if 15 members vote to depose them through a vote of no confidence.

Within the Belt; however, there is a special territory known as the Vesta Exclusionary Zone (VEZ). The Vesta Exclusionary Zone is an area defined by a 1,000 km radius from the center of 4 Vesta and from its orbit (except where it coincides with 1 Ceres). The VEZ is neutral ground, where no military presence from any nation is allowed, and direct oversight from the central government on Pallas is minimal. The VEZ is ruled by the Prefect-General of Pallas, elected every five years and the Prefectural Council, whose members are elected to serve for life.

Corporations participating in the Syndicate (basing themselves in any of its territories, including the VEZ), are subject to its laws and protection provided that they affirm their participation through their placement on the Pallas Charter. In doing so, they are considered citizens of the Belt, and of the Belt alone.

The original corporations that formed the Syndicates, along with the colonial administrations, are still part of the Syndicate today and form a vital part of its society and economy.

Each Syndicate Colony can be categorized as one of two types - Corporate Colonial Holdings, and Civil Colonies.

Corporate Colonial Holdings (CCHs) are colony-sized stations owned and operated by corporations. These stations potentially had their origins as mining stations, existing as nothing more than a drill extending into an asteroid, or as small shipworks that built escort-sized craft. They would eventually grow and develop into fully self-sufficient habitations, with their own amenities, commercial districts, hydroponics farms, police forces, and civil administrations. Contrary to expectations; however, these holdings aren’t lawless corporatocratic anarchy. Although the owner tends to have a strong influence upon the colonies, sometimes owning a monopoly over all commercial services in the area, the employees tend to also form strong workers unions, and generally have control over the police force and hospitals. Furthermore, though CCHs tend to attract large numbers of immigrants, they are extremely stringent with their acceptance requirements, demanding only the best and brightest to take part in their limited resources. CCHs are also directly overseen by the Syndicated Traders’ Unions (STU), which enforces labor protections, sending inspectors out to suspect holdings and even having moles in some of them. They are given the authority to report violations to the Syndicate Government, and sanctions may include the confiscation of the holding, resulting in its conversion to a Civil Colony. Despite this; however, the CCHs still possess significant autonomy from the central government.

Civil Colonies are structured somewhat differently. A vast majority of them are former CCHs confiscated in the aftermath of the General Syndicated Strike and the subsequent Labor Wars. A few are the oldest colonies established in the Belt, including the 2 Pallas Super-Colony (aka Pallas Central), and the 16 Psyche Colony. At least three, and at most five are organized into Asterisms based in a single large colony. Each Asterism is responsible for public inter-colony transportation, and maintaining a central police force within their respective colonies. They are also required to provide a quota for soldiers and crewmen to be sent to Pallas in times of war. Asterisms are further organized into Constellations, of which there are four (excluding the VEZ, which is also considered a Constellation). These are governed by Constellar Prefects. Each Constellations is responsible for policing the space between them, and resolving disputes between Asterisms. Each Constellation is also given a quota of ships to be sent to Pallas in times of war (and a smaller quota in times of peace). Asterisms are regularly switched between Constellations due to fluctuations in orbital position. Each Constellation elects two citizens to take part in the Commission.

The 5 Constellations are as follows:

Pallas (2 Pallas Super-Colony - “Central”)
Psyche (16 Psyche Colony - “Eros”)
Hygiea (10 Hygiea Colony - “Tala”)
Astraea (5 Astraea Colony - “Chang’e”)
Vesta (4 Vesta Special Zone Colony - “Almighty”)

Major Colonies

Major Colonies

Pallas Central (2 Pallas Super-Colony)

Pallas Central is the administrative center of the Belt, and was the second colony ever established in the region (Ceres being the first). It was formerly an inter-belt transport hub, it being one of the first colonies (having been established by a United Nations expedition). This role; however, has been lost to Vesta Elyon due to its orbital inclination. Nowadays, it is known as the administrative and military center of the Belt, and also maintains close ties with Earth. Its large size compared to the other asteroids; however, allows it to support large-scale hydroponic operations, making it a breadbasket amongst a thicket of dead rocks.
It is considered a super-colony, and rightly so, having the largest population in the Belt aside from Vesta Elyon.

Psyche Eros (16 Psyche Colony)

Psyche Eros is the administrative center of Constellation Psyche. It was originally a major mining center, originally built by the Tsukahara Interstellar Group on what was then, and still is, the largest M-Class Asteroid - 16 Psyche. Tsukahara still maintains most the mining operations on the site despite its influence in the mining sector being overshadowed by the Ngamba Corporation. Today, industry on Psyche Eros has diversified into metallurgy and intermediate goods manufacturing.
Nearby is the station Psyche Helios, the shipyard of the Belt. Helios is the only construction yard in the Belt capable of constructing capital ships (though such is rarely undertaken). Several other stations nearby are also specialized in ship and weapons manufacture, including some corporate holdings, but none are as large or as vital to the region as Helios.

Hygiea Tala (10 Hygiea Colony)

Hygiea Tala, center of Constellation Hygiea, was originally founded by a conglomerate of several prominent universities on Earth. It was intended to serve as a research center, conducting experiments in microgravity. One of those experiments, in fact, almost ignited the carbonaceous asteroid. Later, Hygiea became a center of learning in all fields, becoming a school among the stars. It broke off from its Earth-based owners, and was one of the flashpoints involved in the Belt Independence Movement. It would also be a haven for labor activists and unionists in the leadup to the General Syndicated Strike a decade after independence. Today, Tala stands as a beacon of higher learning among the asteroids of the belt. Two major universities currently dominate the small world, the Tala Institute and the Baodong University, along with many, many more.
It is also home to the Fuyutsuki Robotics Group, a leading robotics company, and the Belt military’s primary contractor for automata and equipment.

Astraea Chang’e (5 Astraea Colony)

Astraea Chang’e is the capital of the Constellation Astraea. It was originally built by the Green Group, an Earth-based environmentalist group that wanted to create a replica of the homeworld before it was all lost to inevitable catastrophe. They accomplished their goal, and built the Chang’e Geo-Preservation Center, a nature reserve taking up 50% of the station’s size.Today, the GPC is run and maintained by the Vesta Genesis-based Ad Astra Incorporated. Aside from the Preservation Center, the colony also boasts a physical library of ancient Earth literature (including classics such as Twilight, Fifty Shades of Gray, and the film “Minions” on a floppy disk), and several museums. Chang’e is also known for a red-light district which sprang up due to the robust tourism sector in the area.

Vesta Elyon (4 Vesta Special Zone Colony)

Vesta Elyon is the center of the Vesta Exclusionary Zone, the heart of trade and commerce all throughout the Belt. Originally one of the first civil colonies established by the government of Earth. The colony grew and evolved as a larger partner to Pallas. While Central became a center for passenger travel, cargo passed to and from the inner system worlds via Elyon. The colonial government; however, began taking advantage of this, slowly easing regulations in order to make Elyon into an ideal location for corporate activities. The corporations that would base themselves at Elyon would later have a pivotal part to play in the foundation and politics of the Belt Syndicates.
Today, Elyon and the 1,000 km radius around it have special protections enshrined by law. Any and all legal income-generating operations at Elyon receive decreased tax rates.]

Demographics

Demographics

Homo sapiens astralis

The Astralis subspecies of “modern” Homo sapiens was first designated by the Tala Institute’s National Institute of Biological Sciences in the late Jump Era to describe standard unmodified humans which had spent a long time off of terrestrial habitats under the influence of artificial gravity and other factors (artificial and natural) which had physiologically modified them to be distinct from terrestrial humans. Artificial gravity especially has a strong effect on their physiology due to the inability of artificial gravity technology to replicate Terran gravity’s full strength until relatively recently, at which point the reduced strength was simply retained. The main differences between them and the Sapiens subspecies are anatomical, with Astralis possessing relatively weaker bones and hearts and taller builds. They are also noted to have slightly weakened immune systems due to a historic background of relatively weak radiation shielding. Humans in the Syndicate compensate for this with sterile internal environments, and a societal reliance on a robust healthcare system.

Astralis make up the majority of humans in the Syndicates.

Economy

Economy

The Belt’s economy is heavily reliant upon its past as a string of mining colonies. Once solely involved in mining operations, over the centuries, the region diversified, specializing in ship-building, manufacturing, and research. Meanwhile, its importance as a transport link from the inner system to the outer system made it into a transport center. All of this attracted more and more people from the overpopulated Earth and the rest of the colonies. The Belt soon involved itself in finance, which based itself in Pallas and Vesta.

Today, the Belt specializes in several fields, from robotics to creative works. Their strengths; however, lie in the following sectors:

Mining and Manufacturing based in the Psyche Constellation; largely dominated by the Adeyemi Mining Corporation, and Castello Materials and Metallurgy

Shipbuilding also based in the Psyche Constellation; largely dominated by Castello Megaworks. Ships are; however, limited in size, with production tending to small, compact and efficient crafts.

Robotics based in the academies of Hygiea Constellation, and relying on the Psyche Constellation’s production; largely dominated by Fuyutsuki Robotics Group, and Solar Dynamics Corp.

Finance based in the Vesta Exclusionary Zone; largely dominated by the familially-structured Almeida Finance Clans, and the more corporate Daofu Group.

The Belt also possesses some strength in the following sectors:

Export-focused Agriculture based in Pallas Constellation, focusing more on cash crops than food; largely dominated by the Narra Botanical Company.

Research and Academics based in Hygiea Tala; largely dominated by Tala Institute and Baodong University.
Tourism based in Astraea Chang’E; with the entire industry indirectly controlled by the station government.

History

History

The Belt’s history began with the first batch of asteroid belt colonies. By this time in the early colonization period, space travel had become commercialized, with large and medium-sized Earth-based corporations able to launch their own expeditions. These first colonies were mining bases, extracting precious minerals to be sent to the resource-starved, and overpopulated Earth. The discovery that asteroids were far more profitable than originally projected led to a gold rush, and prospecting individuals and corporations alike struck out on their own, into the Belt. Regardless of whether the Belt Rush was truly a success for the participating individuals, it was certainly a grand success for the corporations, which continued to enormously expand their operations in the Belt, attracting more workers and capital alike.

As colonization efforts proceeded outwards and into the Jovian planets, the Belt was recognized as a vital refuelling and resupply station. Though Mars was closer and relatively far more developed, there was abundant carbonaceous fuel in the Belt, easily mined and transported to Belt transport hubs such as Ceres and Pallas. At this time, the heart of the belt was Ceres “Station”. It was less of a single unified polity; however, as the “station” was a conglomeration of several independently operating corporate and supranational entities, with confusing legal jurisdictions and property disputes.

An incident during the early Imperial Era known today as the New Halifax Disaster caused a third of Ceres station to be totally destroyed, with billions of dollars in ships and cargo to be lost after several ships with explosive or volatile cargo in Sector Halifax on the Commonwealth United Corporation’s Ceres Outpost detonated in a catastrophic chain reaction. The explosion and debris were then propelled outwards, into the rest of the stations. Power cables, oxygen and fuel lines, and water conduits were severed, exacerbating the disaster. Entire sectors blacked out and ran out of oxygen, airlocks and door systems failed, throwing their inhabitants into space, several sectors were even known to have explosively decompressed. The numerous computer systems running on the station were unable to cope with the massive loads, and sometimes worked against each other, with one rumored to have even gone rogue.

The disaster was only ended after the remaining civilian population was evacuated, and the entire station completely powered down. A third of the station was completely wiped out, and almost all of the rest was damaged beyond usability. Ceres itself was significantly destabilized. The death toll was in the hundreds of thousands, and the number of injured reached a million, straining the entire Belt’s medical sector for several Terran months.

In the aftermath of the incident, all corporations involved were required to pay massive indemnities, and the Imperial Government established the Three Tenets of the Belt Charter. First, no asteroid could have more than one station operating on it. Second, all stations were ultimately under the purview of and subject to regulation by the Imperial Government. Finally, the government decreed that all stations on Ceres, Pallas, and Vesta were to be placed directly under Terran control through the Belt Stations Civil Administration (BSCA).

The Belt experienced prosperity under the Terran Empire, serving as a vital link between the inner and outer worlds of the Solar System. Colonies; however, over time became marred by widespread poverty as corporations continued to tighten their grip over the Belt. This was later remedied by labor and union reforms undertaken by the BCSA during the Late Imperial era. This came to a screeching halt when the Empire fell and the jump gates collapsed.

As the rest of the solar system collapsed into nigh-total anarchy, the Belt faced the apocalypse. War raged closer and closer, and the intensity of the gunfights led to stray shells hitting the stations years after they were fired from the furthest reaches of the system. The economic collapse from both the war and the fall of the jump gates shook the Belt to its core, and completely paralyzed it. Once-major corporations were suddenly light years away, without contact. Entire colonies suffocated, starved, or simply disappeared in the vast expanse of space without their supply shipments. Cases of colony-wide mass suicides were not unheard of.

Through all this, the BCSA was rendered powerless as the Belt succumbed to the dark. In desperation, several colonies surrendered themselves to the new warring factions in the battle for control of the system. Ceres itself was taken over, its population wholly enslaved by Solar Security, and turned into a super-fortress.

After 9 years of political intrigue and struggles against foreign powers, the BCSA fell under the control of Deputy Governor Amon Cavassa. He aligned it and their fleet with the burgeoning alliance against Solar Security. In return, members of the alliance agreed to recognize the administration’s control over portions of the Belt. By now, the BCSA had just barely retained control of Pallas and Vesta. With the destruction of Ceres, Psyche and Astraea bowed before Pallas. A few years later, the colonial administration of Hygiea severed their ties with IMET, and the Belt Stations Civil Administration became the Belt Civil Administration, and declared themselves the United Stations of the Inner Belt (UnSIB). Governor Cavassa then surrendered his position as ruler of the Belt to make way for his successor, Anita Mikatsuni, who would be elected Presidium of the United Stations.

Resurgent corporations; however, still controlled a slim majority of the remaining stations in the Belt. The Castello Materials Cartel, in fact, was the de facto controller of Psyche and its shipyards. Through deft political maneuvering, Anita managed to whittle away the Castello’s fleet, confiscating ships for the United Navy. Years later, she would then use these ships to peacefully force the Castello’s from Psyche in exchange for a seat in the Commission. Other corporations soon followed. With Anita’s death; however, she would leave the United Stations government weaker against the corporations.

Then, centuries later, after ages of workers’ abuse, the Great Syndicated Strike occurred and crippled the Belt. Laborers all across the Belt walked out of their manufactories and staged widespread protests, with some militant groups kidnapping corporate heads and dragging them to Pallas for a public show-trial, other groups actively moved to destroy some companies (such as the Liscada Group, which was completely dissolved by the end). This period of minor skirmishes was known as the “Labor War”. The weakened Union government could do nothing but watch, and secretly was supportive of the movement. Corporate control over the Union was eroded as the Belt was reformed into the Syndicated Traders of the Inner Belt. Corporations were required to be at least partially run by syndicates of workers, with colonial holdings required to be wholly managed by the workers that staffed them. Some high-level corporate officers were eventually freed, but kept under close watch. Several large corporate colonies were confiscated and placed under the civil government’s control.

New Man's Tomorrow(Solar NRP)

Actually, can the asteroid belt be claimed?