Talis — Roleplayer Guild

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|Geographical Location of CLIQUE:| 
The DAP operates almost exclusively within the Highlands of Hankhan, the traditional homeland to the Dhanga people. While the DALP controls only a portion of the region, Insurgents loyal to the organization operate in the neighboring highlands held by Republican and Imperial forces.

|Cities:| 

Jaigaon
Jaigaon functions as the transportation hub of the region, controlling railroad passage south toward republican lowlands and back east to the communist heartland. 
Population: 342,000
Industries: Transportation (rail), Mining (Coal, Iron, Basalt), Ore Refining

Thimphu
A massive mining city built upon the backs of the working class, Thimphu is the center of excavation projects throughout the region.
Industries: Mining (Potash, Iron, Copper, Coal, Phosphorous)
Population: 187,000

Your Warlord:

|Name:| Rinchen Tsultrim
|Title:| Premier of the Dhanga Autonomy Party. 
|Age:|33
|Ethnicity:| Dhanga
|Personal Ideology: | Ethnic Proletarian
Rinchen cares little for the grand ideological scope of communism or other intellectual systems, which she sees as distractions from practical concerns. Her goal is to return the Dhanga's homeland and natural resources to their rightful owners and to secure her people's right to practice their own culture and religion without oppression. She supports the basic communist ideals of seizing production from the autocrats and ensuring economic equality. Beyond that, cooperating with the other communists is a necessity toward achieving her ultimate goal rather than an ideological stand.
|Influence in the faction: | 20
|Personality: | (What kind of person is your warlord?)
|His/Her Virtue: | Bold
Rinchen is widely known for her bold, aggressive tactics and willingness to take unorthodox risks. These tactics have caught her enemies off guard time and time again.  She does not let limited resources stop her from realizing what can be achieved with what is available, instead taking advantage of any hesitation to force her enemies to react to her rather than the other way around.
|His/Her Virtue: | Guerrilla Commander
A veteran with more than a decade of experience commanding guerrilla operations, Rinchen is a formidable commander in this regard. She knows how to make the best use of limited resources, to managed the logistics of disparate groups across vast distances and to deal maximum damage to a more powerful enemy with minimum loss.
|His/Her Sin:| Semiliterate Peasant.
Whatever her intelligence or achievements, Rinchen is still a mostly-illiterate peasant with almost no formal schooling. The finer points of governance such as economics, foreign affairs and lawmaking are beyond her. Ignorance has not stopped her from becoming a successful insurgent leader, but it presents an immense challenge in governing her newly-liberated province.

|History and Background:|
Rinchin Tsultrim was born a nobody - a backwater peasant in a highland Dhanga village. Although her intelligence was apparent from a young age, her life was the same as any impoverished Dhanga in the region; her family raised goats, farmed rice and millet and took odd jobs during the winter to survive. The Minga government showed up only to collect taxes, draft men and punish anyone who did not bow and scrape before them. Their absence was considered a blessing. Life was hard, but livable.

All of this changed in her eighth year, when valuable coal deposits were found in the area. Mines paid more taxes than peasants, so at the request of Quin merchants the Minga overlords "commandeered" the village's lands and granted them to a mining company. None of the local residents had a say in the proceedings, nor would they receive a single cent for the valuable resources their village had been built upon. Dispossessed and with no alternatives, Rinchen's father and older siblings were forced to work for a pittance in the very mines that had displaced them. In the company housing they were forbidden from speaking Dhangan or practicing their religion, forced to dress in proper Quin fashion and take on patrilineal names.

Rinchen's father would never be the same - he was a proud man who had taken satisfaction in owning his own home; the loss of it was too much for him. He turned to drink to escape resentment and sorrow, and that, combined with the coal dust, killed him before Rinchen's fifteenth birthday. The experience would leave a bitter mark in Rinchen's memory, showing her just how little the wealthy and powerful cared for her people.

Desperate to support her remaining children after their father's death, Rinchen's mother did the only thing she could: she arranged for her daughter to marry into another family. At the age of fifteen the young Rinchen married seventeen-year-old Tshering Pema. Like her father, he worked at the coal mines, but unlike him Tshering was a bright and charming young man who shared her opinion about their "foreign" overlords. Together they eventually find and join a local cell of the Dhanga Liberation Front. 

At the time, the front was a loosely organized mob of insurgents attacking targets of opportunity, little more than bandits, despite their fame. Rinchen and Tshering rose quickly through the ranks, first leading their home cell in several daring operations before leaving home to travel the region. Together they gained influence, making connections and coordinating cells. Rinchen was a superior tactician and fighter, personally leading several attacks, but it was her husband Tshering who was the intellect of the operation. He saw the need for organization. Using his connections and influence, he organized the Dhanga Liberation Front into a hierarchical organization, with regional assignments, commanders and logistical support. He also, despite his wife's hesitation, adopted communism as a cornerstone of the organization and forged alliances outside the region. Under his influence the DLF rose from being a minor annoyance to a major threat to government control of the region. Tshering was optimistic and hopeful when the revolution began. The DLF was in the vanguard, liberating mines and attacking imperial patrols in the mountains. With riots in the streets and no manpower to spare, the Empire swiftly abandoned the region.

But this optimism would be Tshering's downfall. He desired a socialist state and rights for his people. By confiscating mines and waging war on the cruel overseers who oppressed his people he earned the ire of the Republic's new elite. He was sued in court and besieged in the halls of governance. He traveled south to argue his cause, but instead of an open forum he found hostility. He was kidnapped on the road and executed by thugs working for their wealthy overlords; the DLF was once again declared a terrorist organization.

Rinchen was furious and distraught at the fate of her husband. In a cold fury she took command of the DLF and reached out to her husband's communist allies. She found sympathy in Wang Huifang. Carefully coordinating their actions, Rinchen and Wang planned their actions. When Wang Huifang launched the General Strike Rinchen's opportunity came. DLF infiltrators in Jaigaon and Thimphu struck with lightning speed, slaughtering the local garrisons and seizing the cities. DLF cells around the country rose up, turning the highlands from a subdued mining region into a liberated province nearly overnight. These insurgents would play a key part in defeating the second republican army by providing Wang Huifang with intelligence and harassing the army on its approach, slowing it and draining its supplies and manpower.

Since her successful uprising Rinchen has bided her time, expanding her network of insurgents across the mountains and planting DLF cells in every village and hamlet. The rich resources of the region now feed the Communist war machine, particular the factory cities ruled over by Wang Huifang. This provides a mutually beneficial relationship: Rinchen gets the equipment and weaponry she needs, and Wang Huifang gets materials for her industry.

|Armed Forces:|

The Dhanga Liberation Front (27,000)
Organized through decades of guerrilla conflict with occupying Imperial forces, the DLF is a widespread organization of guerrillas with a loose organization structure and widely varying capabilities.
At the heart of the DLF is the Zengrav Force (3,000), a hardened cadre of veteran guerrillas fiercely loyal to Rinchen and the party.  They provide a nexus of support, coordinating the provincial forces, supplying them with resources and providing additional manpower for large operations.
Below the Zengrav force are the Provincial Forces (9,000)- Guerrillas organized for the liberation of a specific region. They coordinate regional activities, distributing propaganda, establishing espionage activities and providing equipment and training to local forces.
Lastly, there are the Local Forces (15,000). These units are made of recruits from local towns and villages, trained and supplied by provincial agents. They lack the experience of veterans and generally operate as independent insurgent cells, only joining together when coordinating with the provincial or Zengrav forces for a larger strike. 
All army units include not just insurgent fighters but logistical and espionage functions as well. Promising candidates from local forces are often promoted through the ranks or shuffled between regions, ensuring that the most skilled insurgents have a hand in coordinating the war effort. 

Zhu 75 Mountain Gun
The Zhu 75 is a relatively simple light howitzer designed for ease of transportation. It can be disassembled and carried by infantry or pack animals, then reassembled on site. Different shell types allow it to fulfill multiple roles including artillery support, infantry suppression and anti-armor.

Li 7 Anti-Tank Rifle
A powerful anti-tank rifle designed by the commonwealth. The DLF's rifles are in equal parts imports and domestically produced copies of the design. The rifle struggles to penetrate the thick armor of more modern tanks, but against aging Zengravian designs, or the thin top-armor of most tanks, it is more than sufficient.

Knee Mortars
The DLF uses several illicit designs of handheld mortar, both imported and manufactured. These designs are flexible and deadly, allowing even small insurgent groups to lay down devastating suppression, or even fire mortars directly at enemies.

The Autonomy Party Liberation Army (10,000)
After the liberation of Jaigaon it become clear that something more than guerrillas would be needed to hold the new Dhanga Heartland. The Liberation Army was thus organized with volunteer recruits from the Liberation Front. Uniforms, heavy weapons, gunships and armored vehicles were purchased from other communist forces in exchange for vital supplies of coal, steel and other raw materials necessary for the war effort, and foreign advisers were hired for training. While the HLA has yet to be bloodied in a full-scale battle its recruits are eager and (relatively) equipped for the challenge.

HT-12 "Spider"
The "Spider" is a relatively simple medium combat walker. Its four legs and rugged design make it well suited for rough terrain such as the highlands of Hankhan. The walker is armed with a rotary machine gun and a 76mm howitzer cannon. Original designs called for a 55mm high-velocity anti-armor cannon but production was downgraded due to technical challenges and equipment stress. The current spider's armament is considered adequate for its role as a mobile fire support platform.

Li-12/12T "Vulture"
While not the swiftest or most advanced aircraft, the vulture has three advantages: it has a high altitude ceiling, allowing it to function in the Dhanga highlands relatively well; it is simple to build and thus can be manufactured in communist factories; and it has enormous firepower. Pilots curse them for their janky handling and sluggish response, but they can shred most infantry or armor. The 12T model sacrifices most of its armor and weaponry for transportation space, and can fly a dozen soldiers and their equipment.

150cm FH
Built from a licensed commonwealth design, these towed field guns are simple and reliable. While slightly lighter than other artillery pieces, they make up for it by being slightly easier to transport.

75cm BB "Big Brother"
Irreverently named after the Big Brother of the communists, this is an obvious knockoff of commonwealth mechanics patched together into a serviceable AA gun and advertised as the first "domestic communist weapon design." Servicemen have been known to joke that communism will next liberate patents from the bourgeoisie who cling to them.

|Their finest hour:|

*Clink*

Rinchen gave a final yank on the climbing pin to ensure that it was secure before running a length of rope through it. Then, ever so gently, she let her weight shift onto the rope. 
It held.
Her hands were bitterly cold; the mountain frost bit at them, even through the thick climbing gloves she wore. The thick pre-morning fog and mountain winds made it almost impossible to see or hear. There was nothing but a thin glimmer of moonlight, the rockface, and the knowledge that her companions were out there, invisible, perhaps only a few meters away. She shifted the boxes of ammunition on her back and lowered her foot, pounding on the rock below to ensure that it was secure before taking the next step down. Lungtok had said she was crazy when she told him the plan. She knew better; with careful planning and the right equipment, the climb could be made safely and secretly. 
And no one expected insurgents to enter the city from the cliff face.

After what seemed like an eternity she reached the bottom. First the silhouettes of wooden storehouses emerged from the fog, then spiked climbing shoes met gravel. A dozen figures waited for her at the bottom. Each man or woman was laden with heavy weapons and equipment. Despite the cold their faces were thick with perspiration. Their contact waited in a work uniform until she reached the ground, alert for signs of a threat. A nod, a hushed "this way." The team reached the safehouse without incident. A couple dozen eager faces waited for her instruction.

"We're all here. Good." Rinchen pulled off her hood. "You all know the plan. Lungtok will take twenty of you and capture the armory. Oday here will take city hall; Jetsun, the governor's mansion; Karzi, you've got the rail station; Jigme, cover the west road. Everyone double-check your gear now and memorize who's on your team. It's time to free Jaigaon. For the Dhanga. For our people." For Tsultrim, she silently added. "Now let's go!"

-

The emplacement was perfectly positioned - a forth-story tenement apartment across the street from the barracks. From here they had a perfect view of the yard and barracks gate. Rinchen made sure that the fire team was correctly emplaced and ready. "Don't fire until I do" she told them," then she settled in herself, resting her rifle on the next window. It wouldn't be long now.

An explosion rocked the city. Then another. The tat-tat-tat of a machine gun and the crack of rifles followed. The operation had begun. As she expected, the garrison was not slow to respond. Men poured out the buildings, swiftly assembling. An ornery man with bars on his shoulders, a lieutenant by the looks of him, dispatched a squad out the main gate. 
Wait, she silently thought at her crew, lifting her eye from the scope, Jigme will handle them. More men, then her target. Two stars, the local Lieutenant Colonel. Rinchen squeezed her finger and the rifle gave a satisfying kick. The corpse fell on the stars, blood splattering the doorway behind it in a grisly spray. Beside her, the machine gun opened upon. Automatic fire swept the yard. To Rinchen's satisfaction, the first to fall was the lieutenant. Perforated bodies littered the grounds, while their compatriots dove for cover. On cue, her insurgent team moved in. They rushed from another tenement, taking cover behind innocuous crates put there for the purpose over the last several weeks. A satchel charge blew a hole in the fence. The suppressed soldiers in the courtyard made easy targets for the flanking attack. No reinforcements would be coming from the garrison today.

|Their darkest hour:|

Forms. How Rinchen hated them. They taunted her with their huge numbers and arcane symbols, a magic available to the wealthy but denied to her. Occasionally she could catch a glimpse of meaning - a number here, a word or phrase there, but bereft of context they were but small islands amidst a sea of confusion. 

She'd never cared much about reading before. In the mines or out in the highlands it was never really relevant. She could recognize basic signals and sound out names, and that was about all she needed. Now? Thousands of words, tens of thousands, more than she ever imagined existing. 

"It's not that complicated." Lhakpa was trying to explain, red-faced from over an hour trying to drill the finer details through his superior's thick skull. "We need at least five-hundred more engineers to keep the mines running. Most of them were Shao's people, they fled when we took the city."

"There's plenty of people who know how to run the machinery though. I even did it sometimes."

"They're not certified. If we put them in the mines we'll be putting people at risk and violating policy."

"But that was Shao's policy, why does it matter?"

"Because if we violate those terms some of our suppliers will back out and we'll have to waste time finding equipment!"

"But we took the mines! Why would that matter?"

"Because...!" Lhakpa took in a deep breath. He had to remind himself sometimes that the peasant in front of him had a personal kill count in the dozens and was hailed as the national champion of her people. "Look, the mines have an agreement with supplies for parts. The suppliers like money, so they'll keep supplying us as long as we have certified engineers and follow regulations. We don't have enough engineers. So, we either need more engineers, or we need new supplier for mining equipment. Got it?"

"Okay." Rinchen nodded. That made sense.

"Good, so what do we do?"

Rinchen froze. How in Tong Bhutek's holy ass was she supposed to know? Her instinct was "make more engineers." or maybe "take the supplies anyway." but she had a feeling both of those answers would get Lhakpa yelling at her again. She still wasn't sure why these mysterious suppliers wanted engineers, or even who they were. They sounded like Bourgeoisie foreigners, and while she didn't share her husband's ardent communism, at this moment she really wanted to shoot them. Lhakpa was staring at her, waiting for a response. 

She slumped back in her seat, mumbling "You handle it." The words echoed with hollow defeat. This was her loss: Not some great defeat on the battlefield, not humiliation or torture, just the simple admission that she could not do this. All she could do was trust her subordinates, and hope against hope that they were as honest and competent as she imagined them to be.

|Other Important People inside the Clique:|

Choden Tsultrim - Rinchen's sixteen-year-old son. The two have had a strained relationship since the death of Choden's father. Rinchen has forbidden Choden from fighting on the front lines and put him in the logistics corps instead, while Choden resents that he is not allowed to fight for his people at an age when his parents were already doing the same.

Gregory Clint - Formerly a Colonel in the Commonwealth army, Gregory was dishonorably discharged for behavior unbecoming an officer. He now works as a military advisor for Rinchen, leading a team of Commonwealth officers who are responsible for much of the Liberation Army's tactics and training.

Palden Lhakpa - Palden is a doctoral scholar with a PhD in Engineering who has been with Rinchen since her days with Tshering, one of the few Dhanga whose family was wealthy and influential enough to ensure that he received a full education, even sending him outside the country to study in Commonwealth universities. He is devoted to the communist ideology and has larger taken over the details of running the DLA's new industry, managing factories and ensuring quotas are met.

Lungtok Mon - An old friend who has been with Rinchen since the beginning. He is a no-nonsense guerrilla who has been in dozens of operations. He acts as a close confidante and Rinchen's Second-in-Command of the DLF.

Shereb Yao - Shereb is a bastard child of the wealthy Quin Yao family, born to a Dhanga maid. His father paid for his education and upbringing in exchange for his mother's silence. Shereb resented his father and took advantage of the situation, learning as much as he could about the politics and culture he so despised. He now acts as one of the DLP's chief lawmakers, administrating the region and ensuring that law and order are upheld at Rinchen's bequest.
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