Longtimelurker's Thread of Worldbuilding and other things

[Longtimelurker]

This is where I will be dumping many of my assorted writings, especially those related to worldbuilding. I would very much appreciate feedback, in any form that I can take (even criticism)!

Index of things:

 

[Longtimelurker]

Second Dark Age: Introduction

The New Dark Age Setting is one that I have been toying around with, off and on, for the past few years. I've ran a few RPG campaigns in it, and generally used it as a something to write about. At some point, I've decided it does me no good to endlessly turn it around like Gollum with the ring, and that I should share it and see what other people think.

The General, out of universe Overview is something like this: At some point in the next century, the Modern World goes the way of the Western Roman Empire/Bronze Age Near east and entirely collapses. The centuries after this are called the Second Dark Age. However, the wheels of history don't stop turning, and technologically advanced civilization has recovered all across the world, and beyond. In fact, technology is in many cases more advanced than now - there is permanent habitation all across the solar system!

Earth, the Moon, their orbital space, as well as several of the nearby Lagrange points are called the inner sphere, its permanently inhabited by baseline humans and are relatively well connected to each other. The inner sphere is the most well characterized by the people of the inner sphere, the farther you get from them, the more alien and poorly understood it gets.
The Inner sphere has seen its share of history and intrigues, from the rise and fall of the PanPacific League or long war fought between a Second Tsarist Empire and an alliance between a reborn Commonwealth and a democratic brotherhood of Middle-Eastern Nations, to the conflict and reconciliation between the Union of the Southern Cross and the Sebastian Empire in South America.

As of "Now" the event in the inner sphere is the conflict between the expansionist Phoenix Empire, and a coalition of states who don't want to be conquered, as well as alliance of nonstate actors called the Unbound Sons. Afro-Eurasia is very rapidly being forced to take a side. Meanwhile, the Americas deliberately hold themselves aloof from the rest of the world, as the new alliance between the USC and SEB seek to unite the rest of the continent into a common trading and political bloc.

Beyond the inner sphere towards Sol are the Angels of Venus and the Sheiks of Mercury. The collection of habitats that orbit the toxic gas of Venus were long a focus of colonization during the second orbital Age. As such, they are very developed, mixed, and much more Terran in outlook compared to the other Spacers. The major power in Venus are a splinter faction of the Phoenix Empire. How this will develop, no one will know. The colonists of Mercury maintain the colossal solar collectors around the sun which provide energy for many in the solar system and beyond. Though they are in theory wealthy from it, what good is wealth that cannot be spent?

Mars was always ignored by the great powers, but this has changed. One of the states of Earth called the NAR has decided that they will terraform Mars, whatever the cost. And they are. They will turn Mars into a new home, which will be for their use alone. However, they still operate a great skyhook around Phobos, which connects the inner sphere to Sol, the Belt and far beyond.

The different Thedes of the Belt have had long years of conflict. They were the far-flung colonies of the inner sphere, essentially giant mines, who's populations were only permanent because it was not effective to replace them. With distance from Earth and relative uninvolvement, the colonists of the Belt were able to develop in a way that became typical of Space-born people, but much more strongly. With the turning of the years, and the great distance to earth, the Belters were able to become their own masters. Each Thede struggles with all the rest, seeking to become the hegemon of the belt. Now, it seems that unity has come, as union of colonies in Ceres called the Telluric League have united the Belt under them.

The Spacers live in an environment with no room for error, and have been changed by this. To them, the collective is all, and individual is nothing. There is only the slimmest margin between life and death, and only constant maintenance keeps the population from death. Outsiders are distrusted, and shunned save for a few. The Spacers have also embraced genetic and cybernetic augmentations as tools to help them survive; the Belters cybernetics give them an almost spider-like appearance.

Beyond the Belt is the Trans-Belt, and there be dragons. The inner sphere knows almost nothing about who, or what dwells there. Rumors abound. Some say that the denizens of the Trans-Belt have used cybernetic and genetic technology to change themselves into something that no longer even resembles a human. But the truth may be stranger still.

Generally, the world is a much larger and darker place. Cults, conspiracies, and strange events are common. In the Shadows, Criminals, Cultists, and the Secret Services of many nations and no nation at all wrestle with each other, seeking advantages both temporary and transcendent. And then there is an enigmatic group that call themselves The Savants.

I don't really know what parts I should talk about first. I will talk about whatever sounds interesting

 

[Longtimelurker]

Second Dark Age: The Rise and Fall of the PanPacific League

General Summary Notes: Located in Pacific Ocean, All the way to Indonesia. A sort of U.S./Hanseatic league-type thing with a Polynesian common culture founded by a merger of Hawaii (went neo-Viking with what was left of the U.S. Navy), Aotearoa (New Zealand went Neo-Maori despite demographics being fairly similar), and an Alliance of Japanese remnant states (they collapsed before everyone else). At their zenith, were most likely the most powerful state in the world, from parts of modern-day California, to parts of Southern China, and as far west as Lake Tanganyika (in some combination of member states, directly incorporated, trading posts, client states with heavy influence, and long-term allies with special relationships - most notably a Tamil state that spanned the Palk strait). Have spent the past ~150 years in decline, due to a combination of economic shifts, smaller and more compact states nibbling away at their fringes, centrifugal forces/bad leadership. Currently divided between the Western (or "New") PanPacific League, centered in Borneo/Sumatra/Parts of SEA/Indochina, which is an Ally/Client of The Empire (sort of the Maoism to their Stalinism), and the "Old" (or True/ Eastern) PanPacific league, centered around Aoteroa, Hawaii, much of the Pacific Islands, and New Guinea, which is seeking to join NATO.

By X Years after the Treaty of Cheyenne, the PanPac League had reached its zenith as a polity. It was most certainly the most powerful state in the world, at least as measured through economic activity. It stretched from Modern California to the Great Lakes of East Africa, and from Tasmania to the Yangtze. In its bustling cities, new arts were being made, and the sciences and technologies of old were being recreated. Of course, when a state reaches its Zenith (at least in hindsight) definitionally the only way to go is down, and the PanPacs were no different.

First, its important to understand that the PanPacific League was much closer to the Hanseatic League of North Germany that it was to the United States of Old, being primarily a loose confederation with most of the states being mostly ad hoc members. The decentralization made worse the biggest problem that the PanPacs faced, as the states sheer size and diversity meant that it was constantly being pulled apart by centrifugal forces. Over the course of decades, it found itself losing wars to weaker, but more compact neighbor states. Attempts to centralize also led to members withdrawing to seek their own destinies, most notably in Asia. But finally, the bleeding slowed down, as the PanPacific League was shrunk down to its core of the Polynesian Islands, most notably Hawaii, Aotearoa, and Modern Day Indonesia. The League was smaller and poorer, but it was also significantly more centralized, and for a time, it seemed that it had rebounded from its decline.
However, another problem was bubbling under the surface. This smaller Panpacific league was divided between the old Polynesian part, which was traditionally the center of gravity of the league but had been relatively stagnant and the "New Islands" located in modern Indonesia where much of the new economic growth was located. Though the tensions were ultimately a result of deep ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious differences, it was through the intersections of economics and politics that they found a voice. The "Old Members" resented the relatively recent prosperity of the New Islands, who themselves resented how the Old Members monopolized power for themselves. These tensions were increasingly unsustainable, and eventually came to a head

The Daughters in Waiting were a semi-formal group, somewhere between mutual-aid society, cult, and secret society. As the Western Islands of the PanPacific League grew in economic prominence, so did they, eventually monopolizing the Western PanPac's economic and political life. Though there had always been some unsavory rumors floating around about them, they were always so short on evidence that they were able to claim that they were Conspiracy Theories planted by jealous rivals. And then a dossier was leaked: which in addition to evidence of acts beyond the most salacious rumors, it also showed that the Daughters had deep ties to Phoenix Empire, in fact being founded by a splinter group. Now, this was a casus belli, and as the great league halls echoed with cries of "Abomination", the lines of war were drawn.

The beginning of the Pacific Civil War, as it as called went poorly for the anti-Daughter coalition. Even though their portions of the armed forces were both more numerous and, in many respects, superior, they were less organized and coordinated, and so lost the initiative. Even when this was regained, things did not get better, as even the hardened Polynesian troops, warmed up with Toatanga failed against the addled Adorants that fought for the Daughters. Due to "Indonesian Islands" being at this point superior in industry, long-term trends were also not in their favor, especially as the Phoenix Empire began to funnel supplies and equipment to their Ally.

However, a series of reversals soon ended their dream of controlling their entire league. First, the significant force that was deployed to conquer Sarawak simply … disappeared, seemingly destroyed so suddenly and completely that no record of what happens exists (They were stupid enough to attack one of the Savants Client-Folks). Second, the battle of Malaita, thanks to the sudden intervention of Clan Saynay was a near total defeat for the Daughters. With this, and a few smaller victories, the "True PanPacific League" as they called themselves, were able to stem the bleeding. The Phoenix Empire was forced to scale down their Aid due to several of their own wars increasing in intensity (wars now are more like medieval ones, long periods of smoldering punctuated by more intense conflicts), while other powers began supporting the True PanPacific League. Combined with the failure of the Daughters' campaign in Papua followed by a strategic withdrawal, the war ground to a stalemate. There was, through intermediaries, a ceasefire, and a frozen proxy conflict that remains to this day.

 

[Longtimelurker]

Dueling in the NAR – One of the themes of the NAR is that they aren't as interesting in practice as they sound. For instance, the fact that duels are legal in the NAR is often presented in popular culture as "look at how strange and monstrous the Jonnies are". Of course, in practice things are very different. Under the founding Charter of the NAR, dueling is explicitly allowed, with a special Dueling Court created and a list of Rules called the Code Duello to regulate the practice.
To begin, one has to submit a petition, along with a sum of money to serve as a bond to the most local Dueling Court demanding satisfaction. Part of this petition includes the grievances that the petitioner has. The first stage of the process is the Court adjudicating whether the petitioner has been sufficiently aggrieved as to justify a duel – most cases simply fail this part. Other than a few things, including four specific insults, explicitly described as being so insulting that they justify violence, what is usually required is a repeated pattern of egregious behavior – often with the petitioner at several points attempting to reconcile to no avail, or evidence of a long mutual feud that is in danger of escalating dangerously. Once the court concludes that there is a case to be made, they then investigate, trying to find out if the accusations are true. This usually involves calling witnesses and affidavits. If the accusations can be substantiated, the bond is returned to the Petitioner, and the dueling process begins.
After an additional cooling off period, the court calls in a special Mediator, in one last attempt to make the two parties, if not reconcile, then at least see reason. If this fails, then, after one more cooling off period (usually around 2 weeks), the duel may commence. Each party selects a second, and the Petitioner formally challenges their opponent to a duel. The Challenged party is allowed to select the weapons, and the Challenger a location and time. At the appointed time and place, the two groups meet, along with the Mediator, a medical staff, and a small group of civil guard. As one last attempt by the mediator to get the parties to reconcile, the duel begins.
After all this process, very few people actually end up dueling, and even fewer die from it. That way, in a country with 180 Million People, and Tens of Thousands of Petitions annually, the death rate is usually less that 10 per annum.

 

[Longtimelurker]

Farest Yuggoth – In Universe, almost nothing is known about Yuggoth. Trans-Belter Space is the provenance of rumor, myth, and legend, and Yuggoth is even worse. It's essentially considered not real, even by the Belters, with the phrase "Look for Yuggoth" being slang for a futile, unachievable task. Though the stories change with every telling, there are a few constants: Yuggoth is a planet so far that it is barely part of the solar system at all, and that it is the domain of Gods and Monsters, who have built great spires on it above desolate plains and rivers of flowing pitch, with sciences so advanced that they are as magic.
In truth, the Savants (or at least some of them) rule directly in the Trans-Belt region, with the almost all of the powers their directly swearing fealty to them. Yuggoth is the seat of their empire, nestled away in the Oort cloud. With no need to hide, and the vast resources, the Savants have spiderwebbed the planetoid with a complex series of structures, with spires stretching up from the plains as the bases (the rivers of pitch may have been added). This great web they have filled the structure with great manses, labs, and manufactories, where they are producing… something. (As an aside, many of their assets – including military assets have been transferred there, though the supermajority of it is still in the Inner sphere. Eggs, Basket, and all)
The Regents Throne, Farest Yuggoth: The Regent, First among the Twelve, reigns from Yuggoth. When the great city was completed in the furthest reaches of Sol, it left its old city of Carcosa to rule from there.
If you were to brave the great trek to Yuggoth, and graced (or cursed) with an Audience, this is what you would find. Its throne room is shaped like an irregular Dodecahedron, with one face far larger than the other. The room is large, even considering how spacer Architecture tends towards small rooms, making the impression greater. One side is its entrance, on the opposite side to the largest face. The room is made of Basalt, and each face is covered by surreally decorated hangings of fabric. Little faceless creatures creep out it, and little ones creep in. You would hear great long wet breaths, and then you would see the Regent on its throne. In between you and the largest face lies a plinth of stone on which the regent rests. The Regent is this amorphous creature, covered entirely in cloth of saffron and gold, so that nothing can be seen of it (you can almost see something squirming, but maybe you're imagining it). Behind the throne on it squats on lays the Oculus, a circle inscribing the largest face. It is a window of sorts, the output of a great machine that allows the regent to see far more than it should.
Meanwhile, in the Inner Sphere, baselines, transhumans, and Savants, with all the wealth and power they could imagine … those who, by all accounts live the dream, lie awake and shudder, that the creature at the edge of space might dream of them.
Yuggothian – A genetically modified pan-human species "native" (read as specifically engineered for it) to Yuggoth, specifically the "desolate plains and rivers of flowing pitch part". Similar to most other Trans-Belters in the sense that they look like a hybrid between a snake and a vampire squid. However, the primary difference is that their dermal sheath is full of metamaterials, which serve to make them functionally invisible, provided they keep several flaps that cover things shut. A little bit odd, though decent people when you get to know them. However, they don't really leave Yuggoth – except as sicarians, because you have really pissed off someone powerful in Secret Germany and they want to make an example of you.
However, in Yuggoth and the Trans-belt, they are stereotyped as sensitive, gentle, and artistic types. They produce art-objects sculpted and carved from all sorts of materials, they differ from most sculptures in that they are meant to be touched and felt – in many cases this is the primary way for them to be interacted with. They love making their sculptures out of hardwood – though wood is extremely hard to get (In fact, if one were to bring them some, you would soon make many friends). They also love music, producing many songs, with them especially enjoying reed instruments and Daxophones of many sorts in strange, Atonal concertos (As you could imagine from creatures with entirely different, cultures and Auricular structures, their music is different from modern western music)

 

[Longtimelurker]

Hic Sunt Dracones, Trans-Belter Space – The space further from the sun than the Asteroid belt is poorly characterized by Earth powers, and for good reason. Sustained communication between the Earth and places as far away is difficult, and the Trans-Belter Thedes are nightmarishly isolationist even were communication not so hard. As such, what exactly is going on outside the belt is primarily a matter of speculation, with rumor, hearsay, and guesswork being far too common. What is known is that they possess some advanced technologies, and that extreme modifications, both bionic and genetic are common. The only powers that have consistent contact with the outside are the Nidhoggr, some Thedes in the Trojans, and the Church of the Perseverant Machines

A description of a Trans-Belter: - from the Trojan Asteroids and sort of an Idealtyp:
Dimensions: ~7 Meters long, 2-3 "at the Shoulder",
Mass: ~180-240 kg
Bauplan: Autopsy shows clear human descent. Primary structure called the Trunk, which is a convergence of Head, Neck, Ribcage, and Pelvis into a single structure, serving as the protector for all of the different organs. Below the trunk, spine continues into a tail, which is prehensile. Meanwhile, at the "shoulders" at roughly the top third of the trunk are the ~12 arms formed from the bones homologous to those in the fore and hind-limbs of other animals, and seemingly engineered from the arms and legs of baseline humans. These are long, at more than 5 Meters at the shortest, topped with grasping part, and fleshy (the homologues bones are relatively small and far apart in the limbs proper, especially far from the trunk, with structure being provided by a combination of the Dermal Sheath and semi-flexible cartilage-like organs). These limbs are simultaneously flexible, dexterous (Assistance in this is found on "proto-brains" heavy confluences of nerve ganglia at the base of the limb, similar to that of an Octopus), and extremely strong.
The Dermal Sheath consists of the outside layers of flesh which grow layers of semi-rigid substances, serving almost as an Organic Pressure/temperature suit, which measures between ~10mm at thinnest, and ~200mm at thickest. These layers are undergirded by struts and additional reinforcements to add additional strength, which allow them to resist the rigors of Space without protective equipment at least temporarily (lack of oxygen is the primary problem). Several layers, consisting of thin flaps over a layer of blood vessels/capillaries span between limbs (similar to a cape), or the main body, which serves both to help in Thermo-self-regulation, as well as in locomotion.
Savant Influence in genetic development obvious.

Church of the Perseverant Machine –
Name: Church of the Perseverant Machine
Foundation Date: ~486 Years After the Treaty of Cheyenne
Structure: Formal structure is not known. Speculated that religious hierarchy is similar to other Space-born Churches, especially the Belter ones, due to similar challenges: with day-to-day running of religious affairs handled by one individual, or one council per Thede, possibly with larger Thedes divided into smaller churches. Since monasticism is known to feature heavily in the Church, speculated that monks have much power and authority within the religion.
Adherents: Number Unknown - Almost entirely concentrated in Trans-Belter Space, with small numbers of Iterant Preachers/ Missionaries in the Belt and Cis-Belter space at any given time. Only through them is anything known.
Theology: Little is known about Church of the Perserverant Machine, especially by Terrans - a combination of distance, lack of communication, and hostile/insular polities have essentially kept Trans-Belter Space in "Here be Dragons" territory. The Church of the Perserveant machine is a radical Cybernetic Cult/Religion combining elements from Buddhism, Gnosticism, and Christianity together with transhumanist beliefs. Members of the Church are characterized by pacifism - with a few monks ritualistically allowed to defend themselves and other believers, a mystical view the divine, focus on living devoutly and justly in day-to-day life, concern for other members above and beyond spacers' typical clannishness, and replacing parts of the body with cybernetic equivalents (Matthew 5:30 is often referenced). It is claimed that monks remove much of their flesh, and indeed sometimes even some of the brain and nervous system to better contemplate the universe, and by doing so cultivate a relationship with the divine. Indeed, all Iterant Monks encountered do not even appear to be human, or indeed biological, lending credence to the idea that they are simply a brain placed inside a hulking mechanical form containing life-support equipment. The Church also appears to possess advanced cybernetic and robotics technology - future effort should be spent in attempting to acquire it.
Note: Written from an in-universe perspective

 

[Longtimelurker]

Power Armor: In theory, Power Armor clad infantry have the toughness of tanks and the endurance of vehicles, while retaining the flexibility and low profile of infantry. However, contrary to the fantasies of its designers and boosters, deployment of power armor is limited to a few specialist units. The first reason is simply cost. It takes a large amount of resources and expertise to build, maintain, and operate – as well as requiring specialized training and more than a little natural talent to use in a coordinated fashion. (The lack of human-level sensory feedback, as well as how the movement and balance differ from wearing no armor leads inevitably to clumsiness) Additionally, Power Armor-clad infantry is still vulnerable to Anti-tank weapons, especially shoulder-launched systems.
Users: In terms of national-level actors, the two main users of power armor are the German Union and the Phoenix Empire. Most other nations, barring some tentative developments NATO Countries – especially a new joint-development project, deploy few if any suits due to some combination unwillingness (NAR most likely could do so, but Army Command explicitly considers it a waste of resources) or simply inability. In almost every case, suits are employed in some combination of specialist engineering detachments, with the most common users being in heavy shock assault/urban combat formations. In those situations, power armor is the most useful.
Different Suits and their Users: The most (in)famous operator of power armor is the Phoenix Empire, which prototyped much of their design and tactical use. Suits primarily (and famously) concentrated in the 10th​ Mechanized Legion (Notes: "Legion" is a meaning translation, and the 10th​ has been redesignated several times during reorganizations), nicknamed the "Stormwalkers" or "the Iron Tenth". Other users include independent engineering Units, which are assigned at Front or Army level. Resembles very much "Standard Mil-Sci-Fi Power Armor"
The War Prevention Bureau estimates that the German Union employs the largest number of suits in their forces, but precise numbers or percentages are impossible to know (Notes: Much of the German Union is run as a "Black Box", with inner workings hidden from outsiders – which is exactly how Skoll wants it). From CMI's analysis of the battle of Belgrade <See Appendix D>, it seems that the powered armor that the Union uses offers less protection that the latest models of armor used by the Phoenix Empire, but may be more flexibly. (Notes: Armor is distressingly organic/insectoid in appearance, suiting something that is as grown as their wearers are manufactured)
Another Famous user of Power Armor is the Phoenix Empire's Special Detachment of the Imperial Emergency Medical Corps, with their distinctive Bright Orange painted suits. They were originally a detachment from the 12th Heavy division, which was specially remanded to the Imperial Emergency Medical Corps prior to the Empire's Conquest of the Leopard Kingdom. Though they were not recorded to have taken part in any engagements, they were permanently attached to the Imperial Emergency Medical Corps, as a Special Detachment.
Their Famous Orange-colored Power Armor is a different model to Standard type employed by the Imperial Armor. (Though Originally, they seem to have been equipped with specially modified variants of standard armor) In particular, the suits emphasize CRBN protection, which is almost total, and are hardened against EMPs to a much higher degree than the average suits. Additionally, different gauntlets provide additional dexterity, as well as sporting activatable lights (for both illumination and visibility). This, however, comes at the price of less protection from conventional weapons than standard suits, as well as a slightly higher unit cost.
They are most notable in their actions in the Lagdo incident, where <Redacted> <Redacted>. Though they suffered heavy casualties, several members were given commendations from the Empress. Other campaigns include <Redacted>, <Redacted>, and the Libcar Plague.
Antarctician Armor-skins: Armor-skins are one of the great products of Antarctician biotech, and also an example of divergent pressures creating interesting products. Armor-skins are sophisticated, symbiotic suits of specially cultivated to function both as an advanced armor capable of protecting the user, as well as enhancing their strength, mobility, and resistances, without suffering from any of the problems that traditional power armor suffers from (clumsiness, strain and fatigue with sustained use, the need for special training to operate one, frequent and complex maintenance), and look good enough for formal and informal occasions. You can even eat while wearing one without much difficulty!
All of this comes with a price. Most notably, an armor-skin costs quite a bit more than suits of power armor, and is not interoperable between people. (Switching an Armor-skin to a new user requires Acclimating the User to the suit, which is a time-consuming, specialized process) Additionally, Armor-skins offer less ballistic and explosive protection than standard types of power armor. Most types of standard power armor also have more powerful servos, allowing them to move and carry more.
(The difference between conventional power armor and Antarctician Armor-skins is the difference between a military-type plate carrier and a bulletproof tuxedo – the plate carrier has more protection, but its heavier, and you can't wear it to a fancy dinner party)
However, Armor-skins are perfect for the environment that they were developed to serve in, the cut-throat (often literally) world of Antarctician Oligarchs, where high-society and hideous violence blend together into a strange milieu

 

[Longtimelurker]

The Balkan Crisis: From a Grand Strategic Perspective, the Phoenix Empire is the most powerful state on Earth in terms of population (though this is a bit complicated), and industry - however they are also having the problem of fighting across a broad swath of Afro-Eurasia, which means that it's ultimately much more even in each theatre than the raw numbers would suggest
To begin, Southern Europe and especially was, for most of its history, a Chessboard between the Restored Empire, and the UNHI (claimed to be a successor to the UN). Of course, with the Rise of the German Union and Phoenix Empire, whos growth came directly at those powers expense, many of these powers went looking for new Patrons. Of course, the both powers understood that War between the two of them was a matter of when and not if, and began Jockeying for influence - the Empire in particular wanted a foothold in Europe. The Empires two great allies in the Region were Boeotia (Centered in the Northern Greece, Macedonia, Southern Bulgaria type area), and the Torlak State (Think Big Serbia), both of which were slowly being integrated into the Empire. On the other side, Germany puppetized the former Russian Clients of Arpad (Essentially Hungary) and the United Voivodeships (Essentially Romania). The slowly smoldering proxy war between the two (lots of Irregulars and border raids) eventually turned in German favor - by the end it was what had become Boeotian and Torlak branches of the Imperial Army (backed by Imperial Advisors and "Polite People") versus Ordo Dracul, KRAMPUS, and elements of the German Maria Theresa and Karstjäger "Divisions" (each of those theatres had their own different nightmare associated with it). For the past 18 months or so, the fighting had really been heating up, as the German Union's Armies and pet monsters went on the offensive. Due to the Empire having to put out fires elsewhere, they couldn't really do anything about it as their clients were overrun.

Dominium maris Caraibi – the struggle for control over the Caribbean.
During the New Renaissance, the Caribbean was the site of a massive series of wars and intrigues between URNA, Miami, SEB, Aztlan, and others, with the goal of establishing a Caribbean dominion. Each power had, beyond that, a different set of goals. Miami sought to maintain the broadly status quo, though each state would be under Miamian trading partners. URNA sought to incorporate the Haitian Empire as the "8th​ Republic", with the rest of the Sea reorganized under a similar basis. With the detente with the League of the Southern Cross, SEB sought to flex their muscles, and possibly gain an edge in future conflicts. Regional powers, such as Centroamerica, Cuba, and Yucatan also had their own ambitions to settle.
Ultimately, the conflict ended without any clear winners, though it was in practice a preservation of the Status quo. Haiti was forced, under pressure of bombardment and blockade to sign a treaty in which they forever promised to never join URNA, and indeed had to make territorial and monetary concessions to other nations. Miami could have been said to have won, due to both having the largest navy and the best ability to obtain credit. However, their influence in the Caribbean would wane as well. The loans that Miami had obtained to finance the war were so large that the government was unable to pay them back, made worse by the disruption of oceanic trade. This ultimately led to the Miami Debt crisis and a decades-long period of stagnation in the city-state. Aztlan dropped out of the conflict early to begin their "War for the Liberation of the Indigenous in Central America", which cost them their influence in the Caribbean, as others filled the vacuum that they left. Ultimately, with the other major powers weakened, most of the Caribbean fell into Brazilian influence over the next few years, rendering the whole conflict a pointless waste of effort and resources.

I would be glad to answer any questions about anything

 

[Longtimelurker]

The Incident at the Assessor's Court:
Intelligence services across the world all arrived independently at the same fact – the Unbound Sons made no sense. Put quite simply, the numbers and resources that they had access to were significantly greater than they had any right to have. Of course, the Sons had territories of their own, and many of the Great Powers were assisting them clandestinely – the analysts knew that, but even so. And then there were the groups that no one dared help, such Erlik's Army, the Nihilist League, or the Legion of Publius Decius Musa. Where did they get their funding from?
Like all great mysteries, this question hounded the analysts and planners of numberless agencies, like a gap where a tooth used to be. Whether it was a factor they missed, or some a shadowy unseen force, they must have the answer.
Across the world, spies and killers hunted, fueled by desperate paranoia, gathering clues and snippets of information. From the glowing, debauched palaces of Antarctica, to the feral trading posts of the Great American Wastes, to bars and drug dens in every land, agents of the of every power exhorted information from contacts by force, murdered and stole, or otherwise overheard conversations and conspiratorial whispers. They had found the beginnings of an answer, something almost too vast and impossible to believe. The rumors and whispers spoke of a hundred hidden hands behind the events, guiding them, shaping them. The rumors spoke of proof too, in the Assessor's court, in <Redacted>.
The rain-wracked city of <Redacted>, was once said to be the greatest city in the world, a New Babylon. But not anymore. <Redacted> was a place of miserable, soulless creatures leading pointless, short lives beneath the lash of bureaucracy for all eternity. One day killers descended on <Redacted>. Some had arrived years earlier, embedded as ordinary men. Others slinked amongst the sewers and rooftop gutters of the grey, smoggy cityscape, hungry the answers which would be soon coming. They had each followed their own path to get to this place, each a long story of suffering and triumph. Guided by the clues they had found, they closed in on their target, the Assessor's Court
The Assessor's Court was the tallest building in the city, a great block of filthy concrete that loomed over the whole city. It was there that the City was ruled, there that the taxes were collected, and there that the valuables were stored – including the secrets that the Spymasters wished to find. It was too well guarded to quietly rob, and so they attacked, driven by the fury of those who knew that their hunt was almost over.
A thousand things happened at once. In one of the entrances, the heavily armored soldiers guarding the lobby were suddenly assailed by blood-drenched beasts from Malifi, fueled by crazed augmentation. In the another, teams of killers from Aztlani Military Intelligence and the War Prevention Bureau attacked with a storm of grenades and automatic fire. High above, the windows of the offices high within the great monolith splintered as high-velocity rounds punched through them, pitching scribes and clerks from their feet in puffs of blood and vaporized bone. Some killers followed their bullets through what was left of the windows, falling upon those who were still alive. On the roof, Soldiers of the Phoenix Empire piled out of their VTOLs, and began systematically clearing their way through the building. Inside, office workers turned on their own, pulling weapons from their desks and gunning down anything that got in their way. Though each of the teams thought that they worked alone, the fact that they all attacked at once meant that the building was quickly depopulated.
When the mindless fury was over, those who were left alive coldly began their search. They sought a hidden vault that they knew was there, hidden somewhere in that titanic labyrinth. And seek they did, tearing the interior to shreds, reading every schematic and document left intact, sparing nothing in their desperation to end this mystery. They knew that they all sought the same thing, and so the conflicts between them were suspended, at least for a time. At long last, they found it – a room that was on no plan for the building, behind a metal door hidden by a piece of art. The survivors of the fratricidal violence converged on the vault, spies and killers of myriad nations brought together from expediency.
They cut through the heavy doors with what tools they had left, at this point unconcerned with anything but finding what was on the other side. What they saw was a strange machine, seemingly attached to the air circulation system – with an LED display that began counting down the moment the door was opened. A few of the hunters knew what they were looking at, and fled the building as fast as they could. The smarter ones joined them. The stampede tore through the building, through the doors that blocked them, the corridors which restrained them, the debris that blocked at them. Some even leapt from the windows in their desperation.
The Assessor's Court detonated with a great thunderclap. The cities cloud-filled, smoggy sky was illuminated with the light of a new sun. For a moment, night had become day.
Miraculously, a few of the Agents sent in to the court survived. They tore themselves from the burning rubble, near the crater that was once their dream. A few were simply stunned, speechless from the shock or the pain of their injuries. Others howled in rage and defiance, while others thought only of escape, and a few pondered what this meant – was this a setup? However, each was drawn, one-by-one, to the black-clad, gas-masked figures that had surrounded them. A few moved for their weapons, or flee, or to surrender.
It made no difference. With a single fluid motion, the strange figures lifted their weapons as one, and began to fire at the survivors. The survivors died, one and all, cut down by the figures with a cold and unnatural efficiency.
Only one of the figures did not fire – a creature which appeared to be a man in an American-style suit and square sunglasses. There was a small red pin on its lapel that none of the survivors could make out, nor would they have grasped its significance if they did. It was a creature of a thousand faces, like water, formless, shapeless, untrappable, and unstoppable.

 

[Longtimelurker]

Verkehrssprache: The Empire of the Savants is less of a vast, hegemonic power, and more a loosely organized collection of disparate groups that answer to the Savants (who themselves are hardly well organized. The need to coordinate many different groups of vastly differing languages (and with English being rejected, for obvious reasons), eventually led to the rise of Verkehrssprache, a common tongue for the agents of the Savants. Verkehrssprache (literally, Communication Language, and ironically irregular, as it ought to be spelled Verkersprech), is a German-descended, partially constructed, and highly simplified language that serves as a lingua franca – as the name would suggest. It has also incorporated many different elements, from Yiddish, to Amerikaans, to stranger languages. Now, a Polynesian Murder-Cultist, "Argentinian" New Man, Yuggothian invisible snake-spider creature, Lunar Pandit, and Essentially a Walking Tumor can have a fruitful conversation, if an impoverished one
Government Types - Thumbnail Sketches:
There are broadly three major forms of Government that are dominant: the Party State, Monarchy, and Oligarchy. As a lightning round: NAR is broadly a republic that is simultaneously a Zero-Party state, a One-Party state, and functionally a Multi-party democracy with graduated franchise, avoids disfunction because everyone mostly agrees on the big things. As in, the three main "tendencies" (semi-informal groupings, movements, and cliques that insist that they aren't parties), that together get >70% of the votes/seats all agree on the big stuff, only disagreeing about exactly how pragmatic to be in the short-term. (the least popular tendency is in charge of the institutionalized opposition, which are negative Nancy's by default). Generally speaking, society is extremely cohesive, but also extremely militant and paranoid, only being a few steps short of a garrison state (given their neighbors, you can't really blame them)
Aztlan is a Party-State in the sense of CUP or PRC run by FdlR (the alliance of rebels that kicked out the Americans).
URNA is a federation of several republics, each of which is run slightly differently (some even use sortition as a method of filling offices!) but all sit somewhere on the scale from democracy to formal oligarchy.
Appalachia in theory has a central government that is democratically elected. In practice, the individual clans do whatever they want and only listen to Knoxville when they feel like it. Clans are usually run by older Patriarchs/Matriarchs – and usually the second.
SEB is in theory an absolute Monarchy, but since the official Emperor is St. Sebastian (who's been dead for a long time), in practice run by a Parliament in consultation with the Military, Clergy, and wealthy elites. History characterized by a constant seesaw between the elected parliament and its elected viceroy, and a loose alliance of oligarchs. Recent history has Parliament in ascendency.
The Union of the Southern Cross actually has an interesting Government, so I'll elaborate later.
NYC is a formal Oligarchy run by the "Five Families" (you don't have to be related to be a member, in fact most aren't), who ape the structure and traditions of the (extremely romanticized version) of the Mafia of old. Civic Government operates under a time-share arrangement, where each post with the same term is grouped together, and then each family takes in turn to appoint a member to that post, in a way that the families "rotate through" all of the posts. In practice, the Five "Capos" or heads of the Families, are the important leaders in the city, along with their seconds-in-command / consiglieres. Also important is the Commission, which is a group that serves the adjudicate disputes between the families.
The Temporary Emergency Government of the United States of America (Salt Lake City) is officially, and in theory an American style democracy with all of the trimmings, and some organizational changes "for the duration of the Emergency" – All of the territory is under Utah's Jurisdiction, the Governor is also the "Acting President", and some members of the Legislator are "Acting Federal Congresscritters", which is entirely honorary. (Even after Centuries, White Horse still captures the peoples imaginations) In practice, Deseret is an Oligarchy, run by the Special Services with the consultation of leaders of the LDS Church, with the Legislature just doing as they're told.
Antarctician Confederacy – An alliance of Anarcho-Capitalist City States. Insofar as there are government posts, they tend to be elected on a 1 dollar – 1 vote system (with the money spent being used to fund the government) and/or the Magistrates being required to pay for the services out of pocket. And even then, the powers are extremely limited. Combined with the rampant Transhumanism, this has selected for an Oligarchy in every possible sense. Still has consistently had some of the highest living standards in known space, and a pretty decent environmental track record.
Fourth Rome/Turkestan – Elective Monarchy
USMC – Sparta-esque Stratocracy with the Spartiate class being the decedents of the US Servicepeople and their families + some other "loyal" families + foreigners who are able to pass recruitment into the corps, a freeman class descended from the civilians of Fort Bragg + Immigrants + some other "loyal" families, and everyone else those a Helot.
Greater Miami – Sortition-based representative democracy employing approval voting. Posts are filled by first selecting a pool of candidates via approval voting. Then the results are tallied, and a number of candidates are selected in order of decreasing approval numbers until the total pool is full (depending on the posts, the pool can be anywhere from 2-5 times the number of posts). Then the candidate remaining in the pool with the fewest number of votes is given one token, and the number of votes is written down, which is called the token number. Then, each other candidate is given a number of tokens equal to their vote count / divided by the token number and then rounded to the nearest whole number. Then, the tokens are put in an urn and randomly drawn (with duplicates removed), until the total number of posts are filled. Otherwise uses a fairly standard sortition-based government scheme, with many smaller - local working groups, under larger district legislatures, and a grand congress.
Columbia – think big, extremely religious Switzerland, in that it's a federation of different cantons (called counties, ridings, or free cities), who run themselves day-to-day, with much direct democracy and collective leadership.

 

[Longtimelurker]

Ghoul Country –
Note on Ghouls: Genetically Modified human adjacent species created, most likely by the Savants for reasons unknown. Similar in appearance to the Ghouls of H.P. Lovecraft, (less zombies, more ugly Shaved-Hyaena-humanoid creatures with strange staring eyes and skin with a strange, almost rubbery texture to it, as well as the suggestion of a greenish undertone). Engineered to survive incredibly harsh environments, capable of operating indefinitely in temperature extremes that would kill baseline humans without protective gear (mostly extremely high/low temperature, dust storms, dryness, and lack of food/water). Clan structure, as well as culture that glorifies the ancestors. Their inherent toughness and the harsh environment succeeds in molding them into capable guerilla warriors Seeded into North Africa as part of Gengrat's Garrote strategy – where they are becoming a massive headache.
In the Sahara, the Phoenix Empire is fighting a fairly nasty Guerilla war against the Ghouls. (The Phoenix Empire are fighting fairly nasty wars everywhere they have a land border – think more medieval Marches - so this is not interesting in itself). What is interesting are three things: That their enemies are not baseline humans, that Ghoul Country is so deep behind their borders, and just how hard-fought the whole thing is.
<Secret Lore – The belt of wars of which Ghoul Country makes up the Western End is part of a plan by elements of the Savants – specifically Gengrat and its allies to bleed the Phoenix Empire – called the Garrot. There are similar elements across Eurasia that are also part of this plan, most notably in India. To that end, Ghouls were seeded into the Saraha in greater numbers augmenting the ones fostered by peoples who were mostly destroyed at this point by the Empire>
Their success has really two reasons. First, the Ghouls are essentially the closest thing that exists to the strange creatures of the Fremen Mirage, having been "Fit for Purpose". They are extremely tough, and have all sorts of interesting quirks and tricks which make them close to ideal guerrilla warriors. They can easily withstand the searing heat of the desert, the great sandstorms that are whipped up, and often bury themselves in the sand to evade detection. Second, what also helps is the aid that they get from the Savants – a steady stream of weapons, equipment, and advisors (usually from the Skorzeny Chamber). An ancient network of routes and safehouses, which once brought salvation and revenue to the Savants of old, are now the tools which get a collection of deniable small arms to Ghoul warriors (routes are heaviest through Padania, Andalusia, and the Atlantic Republic) Though they may be armed with a motely collection of small arms, some outdated, their MANPADs are top of the line…
Over the course of the past few decades, the Empire has been steadily pushed back with surprisingly heavy casualties. The Imperial Armies may have the advantage in equipment and numbers (though this may change), but the Ghouls are part of the environment, striking at patrols and convoys and then melting away in the face of reprisals. What also didn't help was how the Council of Strategists (High Command), didn't take the problem seriously enough, early enough. Now that they're on the back foot, they are instead opting for a strategy of containment. Whether this works is anyone's guess.

Random Horrifying footnotes, the "Leopard Kingdom"- Currently defunct. Post collapse African state, with its core in Northern Cameroon and Southern Nigeria. Functionally a theocracy dominated by secret societies which practice a form of Christian-Animist Syncretism. There were wild rumors that true leaders of the state (who were never seen by outsiders), were in fact hybrids of humans and beasts which were too persistent to be dismissed out of hand. Infamous for raiding all of its neighbors constantly. Conquered and destroyed by the Phoenix Empire after the latter made accusations of top-secret biological weapons labs. Unlikely to be reconstituted, as it has been completely "imperialized".