Post by Admin on Jun 4, 2011 19:17:50 GMT -5
The World is separated into two main political entities, the Eastern Confederacy, which encompasses Asia, and the World Adunctio in the West, which leads over half of the world with an iron fist. There are also free places, such as bits of the Middle East and Australia, which are the grounds for the lawless-- the pirates of the sky, as well as many unscrupulous merchants.
Partly to symbolize the lack of travel in this roleplay world and partly to focus the board on the first of what we hope will be many chapters of an ongoing and exciting roleplay, we will be starting off with only a few locations and expanding as time goes on.
The World Adunctio
35 years before the beginning of the roleplay, the World Adunctio was created. Beforehand, the western world was led by wealthy nobles in various warring states. Some of these nobles banded together in a grand alliance and set forth to unite the countries into one. This was accomplished through many means-- bribery, blackmail, murder, war-- and those nobles who capitulated peacefully were given asylum and paradise in Bostonia, the capital city of the World Adunctio from its founding to the present time.
The nobles who resisted were killed, and their countrymen secretly treated as second class citizens within the Adunctio. The Adunctio was initially portrayed as a democracy, but the leaders continually rigged the elections-- the upper class citizens didn't much mind it. But the politicians' reigns were short-lived; a president and many politicians still "head" the Adunctio, but in reality it's controlled by the World Military's General, a man enchanted with the idea of power and "peace". He is the sort of man to brutally silence all opposition, yet the public and even most of the soldiers have no idea he and the higher officers are the men who truly hold power in the Adunctio.
England, America, France, Germany, the North of Africa, Brazil, and Italy, now referred to as general areas rather than independant or autonomous states, are areas of prosperity and places where one might try to further their ambitions within the country. However, Spain, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Southern Africa and Central America are places where the resources are constantly being taken away, and the native peoples therein are being forced into slave labor, mining and farming for the rest of the Adunctio's benefit. There are rumors, even, of the World Military smuggling addictive drugs into these poorer areas and getting people addicted to them, so that they may work for more. Apparently because of that, crime rates in such places are soaring and more importantly flamingo, riots and uprisings have broken out all over, partially aided by self-seeking pirates and the Eastern Confederacy. In times like these, the world seems on the brink of war-- and the regular citizens of the Adunctio have nearly no idea of it, due to the amount of restrictions the country has placed on the people.
For instance, the Adunctio has made traveling so expensive that only nobles, militia men, certain merchants and indentured servants can do so. Stowaways are also popular. Indentured servitude is a popular means of payment, but in the Adunctio where most crimes aren't taken very seriously, certain people can get away with abusing their indentured servants or prolonging their servitude. The Adunctio is a somewhat sexist society, in fact, so this happens a lot more to women than men. Rebels are a lot more welcoming to women in their ranks.
Despite the Adunctio's animosity towards other countries, "second class" citizens and the internal power struggles, the normal civilians live a relatively good life if they keep their paths nice and straight. The preoccupied government doesn't have much time or resources to spend on the normal citizen, so everyone's lives are mostly free within the Adunctio, with some crucial restrictions. However, because of the free governing style and lack of a formal policing system-- there is only the military-- crime is high even in important and free cities like Bostonia. Crime families in mafia-esque styles are present, and at the moment, filthy rich thanks to illicit bars and brothels.
The World Aerial Navy Forces are vastly ahead of any power when it comes to warfare, however. Nearly the best scientists and designers work together to create weapons the World Military can utilize well against enemies of the Adunctio. The Military is the only power of the three that is equipped with smaller planes. Just lately something called a 'radar' was invented within the Bostonia barracks, which merchants, pirates, and the Eastern Confederacy are currently trying to obtain through various methods. As the radar is currently still under wraps, this may be more difficult than it seems.
Pirates of the Sky
They used whatever means possible to get airships of varying sizes and speeds and capabilities-- some were built, some stolen. All pirates follow a vague and unspoken honor code, yet that doesn't stop most of them from being unbearably cruel given the circumstances. They are generally a jovial bunch, and take pleasure in the simple things-- booze, women, freedom. But all pirates vary, there's no telling with them. Most side with the uprisings and the Eastern Confederacy, as the Sky Pirates and the World Adunctio have long antagonized each other. However, some will side with the Adunctio for power or safety, and some will stick to their own sides.
Freelancers like these feel most at home in the corners of the world unclaimed by the main world powers, or in areas mostly uninfluenced by them. Pirates don't try to claim lands for themselves, although some are territorial-- most are drifters-- and so all free lands are, in a sense, "claimed" by pirates but not just one particular crew.
Pirates do have to stop for supplies though: the fuel that makes their airship run, and simple necessities like food. And, since they are pirates, they do pillage and plunder-- there's no other way for them. They use the money from their stolen goods and trades to buy fuel, and the cycle continues. If a military ship sees a pirate dirigible, however, it is required to shoot it down due to protocol, so the pirates live a very dangerous life. On the other hand, they hold a mostly steady alliance and trading partnership with the Eastern Confederacy.
The Eastern Confederacy
The opposing power of the World Adunctio that covers Asia from Mongolia to Philippines to Indonesia to India-- it spans a good chunk of the globe, and the World Adunctio is eager to take its land. Any semblance of civilized diplomacy has pretty much evaporated two or so years ago, and it's no secret that the Eastern Confederacy is funding certain uprisings and tolerating anti-Adunctio pirates within its borders. The country's people are even more free than those in the Adunctio, yet crime is taken slightly more seriously as the Eastern Confederacy has police systems in place in most regions.
It's called a Confederacy because it's many autonomous regions rolled into one state headed by a central government-- in the case of the Eastern Confederacy, by the Chinese Emperor Hong Long and his royal advisors. The surrounding countries are variably close and far from his influence, but all of the regions of the Confederacy are in a surprisingly tight alliance, and all share generally the same policies. Japan is an exception; while it is in the Eastern Confederacy, it is more tolerant and accepting towards Western ideals and people. Many people visiting from the West on official or pleasurable business stay in Japan to avoid the brooding resentment that would face them in many other areas.
However, only a few of these areas have militaries, and the militaries are technologically far behind the World Military. The Eastern Confederacy Militaries don't have airships-- they do not have many resources needed to make dirigibles-- so the clever Hong Long made do and decided to ally with the pirates of the sky and the rebels. Nowadays, the country's strong leader is beginning to grow weary and sick, and a power vacuum may open up in Asia...