[hider=Federated States of Alleghany][center] [img=http://i.imgur.com/9B5zRMM.png] [b]Federated States of Alleghany[/b] [b]Nation's History[/b] Work in progress. [b]Race[/b] The Usonians are a species of sentient near-humans from the eastern hemisphere of Kervan. Although some specimens are rather portly, Usonians are typically powerfully built, with a humanoid body of two arms, two legs, a torso, and a head. Each hand sports five fingers capped by nails. Their skin is typically a shade of bright white, although it can fluctuate from darker to lighter hues and even into tones of blue as their emotions shift. The Usonian face is characterized by two eyes, a central nose, and a mouth. The eyes are proportionally large and came in the colors red, violet, and black. Eyebrows grow above each eye, and the eyelids feature lashes. Their hair, waxy in some, ranges in color from brown through black to silver and white. Regardless of its original color, the hair whitens with age and thins or recedes in some male members of the species. The mouth, lined by lips of a shade darker than the rest of the skin, contains a dark-blue tongue and rows of white dentition; some Usonians exhibit noticeable gaps between teeth. Their throat is sometimes subject to buildups of fluid that required clearing. Separate populations of Usonians exhibit slight phenotypic differences. For instance, the Usonians to the north of Kervan have lower foreheads, narrower faces, and smaller and more narrowly set eyes in comparison to those of the south. The Usonians have two sexes, male and female. Physical characteristics distinguish the two sexes, such as facial hair on men. Because they are extremely similar to humans in their appearance, they are found by members of the human species to be particularly attractive. As such, they often intermarry with the human population on Kevran, despite the fact that the two species are fundamentally different enough on a biological level to preclude reproduction. Usonians are still considered young at age fifteen, and their lifespan exceeds sixty years. Usonians require sleep each night, a period during which they sometimes experience vivid dreams. [b]Form of Government[/b] The Federated States of Alleghany (FSA) is a democratic republic, and its head of state is its president, elected every four years by a group of appointed electors from each of the Federacy’s states and territories. The business of Federacy government officially lies in the hands of the FSA Congress, which retains its pre-Civil War structure of Senate and House of Representatives. In practice, however, the central government holds far less power now that it did before the Alleghian Civil War; the individual state governments are fiercely protective of their right to govern their own territories with an independence of spirit that borders on actual autonomy. It was the issues of government and economics that drove the southern states to take up arms in the previous century against what they saw as the intransigent and high-handed attitudes of the last chancellor of the former Alleghian Republic. The initial flashpoint was a dispute over whether state or central government should have control over the extensive oil and uranium reserves of southern Alleghany – indeed, early on the conflict was known as the ‘Ore War’. However, the clash rapidly became about much broader and more fundamental issues of governance. After several years of bitter fighting, the rebellious states were victorious, resulting in a considerable scaling-back of central government powers. [b]Current Leader[/b] President N'athaniel Adamns [b]Notable Figures[/b] Work in progress. [b]Total Population[/b] 132,000,000 [b]Nation's Location[/b] [img=http://i.imgur.com/FtBfDBd.png] [b]Nation's Geography[/b] Work in progress. [b]Economy[/b] Work in progress. [b]Technology Overview[/b] WIP [b]Military Overview[/b] ___ [b]Population[/b] 7,920,000 [b]Army Overview[/b] The Alleghian Army is steeped in the martial traditions of the old colonial empires and the drive for technology of the new dieselpunk age. Its infantry are disciplined and drilled to perfection, presenting their commanders with a professional force that is capable and fearsome. However, the true power of the Alleghany lies in its heavy use of mechanised armored divisions. The Alleghian tank divisions are the awe of the world; no other force posseses such superbly designed and manufactured engines of war. Monstrous heavy tanks are the tip of the spear in every charge with organised ranks of infantry following them, while the equally massive, albeit considerably slower and stronger, siege tanks bring their deadly payload to bear. [url=http://i.imgur.com/iwbf8q5.jpg]Dogfaces[/url] The Alleghian Army respects talent to a large degree, and mostly does not care about social status, background, and even educational levels (although being a son of a senator wouldn't hurt). With enough talent, even cripples and the unfit have been able to become artillery commanders. With sufficient will power, the vast majority of the proud enlistees are able to become a part of the Alleghian military. The principles of talent above all and the ability of all to succeed have become a foundation of the Federation's equality, and this remains to be so, even if the racial minorities find it difficult to assimilate into this competitive society. In terms of training groundmen, drill sergeants are encouraged to attempt to graduate all candidates, and the principle of “nobody being left behind” is universally accepted by the Federation's training ideology. Around 90% of all recruits become competent members of the Alleghian Armed Forces, or even go further in the armored corps or special infantry squads. These men do their country proud with their discipline and valor. Then there are the dogfaces, the shame of the federal army. They represent the pinnacle of human mediocrity: disrespectful to their superiors, unable to fire their rifles to acceptable standards, too idiotic to understand basic military tactics, and worst of all, do not share the willpower and talent to “take that extra step”. Along with death row prisoners and the occasional immigrant, these misfits make up the dogfaces, the official PBIs (poor bloody infantry) and cannon fodders of the Alleghian Army. Well, to be fair, Alleghany still is quite kind to them as they are given M1-Geralts, which, as the revered general Gaeorges Smiss Peaton had once said, was the “finest implement of war ever devised.” This remains to be seen with the abundance of fully automatic weaponry in the upcoming war, but it can be guaranteed that the dogfaces will at least be able to deliver sufficiently lethal payloads onto the enemy, that is, if they manage to hit their targets. Navy Overview Air Force Overview WIP [/center] [/hider]