[center][h1][i]The Grand Union 
Commonwealth of Sylvania[/i][/h1] 
[IMG]http://i67.tinypic.com/21jrqzq.png[/IMG]
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[u][b]Nation Type:[/b][/u]
Constitutional Republic 

[b][u]Claims:[/u][/b]
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[IMG]http://i63.tinypic.com/35butkh.png[/IMG]
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[u][b]Terrain: [/b][/u]
The GUC has a mix of wide open forests, mountains and fertile (if not irradiated) farmland, allowing for a great number of natural resources. Several rivers both natural and manmade flow through the area letting for easy transport and irrigation. The mountain is now home to long and twists tunnels that are rumored to run straight down to the south. However, the GCU stays within its own tunnels for mining most of the time although there are guards just in case. Many small towns have been either fortified and turned into outposts or looted and picked clean so materials can be sent back to the big cities for materials, some looted towns have trees replanted to expand the forest even more. Several old world harbors and estuaries naturally make for good trading ports and shipyards which the GUC has recently begun exploiting.

Winters can get harsh in the GCU, mostly in the north were unfortunately most of the farms are located. Water ways can also freeze up and cause other transportation leading to the winter sometimes being called the "Frozen Winds" as quite literally everything can freeze up. It goes without saying that winter is the harshest season for the GCU as they aren't nearly as well prepared or equipped to deal with it like their more northern cousins. A GCU saying goes, "If something doesn't work in the summer, we say its broken. If something doesn't work in the winter, we say the Frozen Winds caught it and its lost now."

[b][u]Government Type:[/u][/b]
The GUC runs on a system very close to the modern US, divded into three branches: the Adminstorum (Supreme Court), the Execatorium (Executive) and the Senatorium (Legislative). The Execatorium and the Senatorium are both very close to their actual counter parts (although each senator in the Seantorium can must be relected every 8 years). The Adminstorium is actually the Hold Church of Amercanism who uses the Constitution to see if actions are "allowed by the founders".

[u][b]Capital: [/b][/u]
Independence - Built upon Philadelphia's old city; part city and part fortress.


[u][b]Head of State:[/b][/u] 
President Willian S.J. Tarrot

[u][b]Other Important People:[/b][/u]
Great Iron Lord, General Karakzaw the Slayer of the Steelermen
High Chancellor Alesand Yorland of the Atalanti Republic
Divine Americanism Minister Adams Jenkins Jr. the Pious
Head of the Cabinet Andrew Tillman
Speaker of the Senatorium Diago Ralou

[u][b]Population:[/b][/u]
6.3 Million


[u][b]Attitude Towards Evols:[/b][/u] 
Neutral - Don't really do much against them but also don't actively go out to hunt them down. Kinda don't really care about them if they're doing well or doing bad.

[u][b]Economic System: [/b][/u]
Interventionism
 
[b][u]Resources:[/u][/b]
The Grand Union Commonwealth is rich in natural resources of iron, coal and timber. Through extensive labor, some portions of Pittsburgh have been able to some small steel mills although they are nothing compared to what the City of Steel could once produce. Its many rivers and fertile soil still produce a good number of crops even though it is irradiated, able to feed most of its population most the time. Harsh winters will almost certainly results in famine as not only will crops die, but fishing will be very difficult.

[u][b]Currency: [/b][/u]
Iron Dollar - Excessively in coins and not actually made of iron.

[b][u]Technology:[/u][/b]
Manufacturing abilities uses a strange hybrid of cottage and mass production with each worker hand making a very specific part or set of parts for a larger contraption. Steam engines are a common sight which are used to power vehicles and heavy machinery.

[u][b]Official Religion: [/b][/u]
Americanism

[b][u]Religious Information:[/u][/b]
Americanism worships the founding fathers as gods, namely Washington, Franklin, Jefferson and Adams who represent virtue, knowledge, equality and liberty. The rest of the founding fathers are less deities. Famous revolutionary figures such as Paul Revere are revered as saints. People who are seen as "patriotic" enough are counted as living saints and are held at the same level of actual saints although they are rare.

There are some other religions in the Grand Union territory, the largest of which is Christianity but is only really popular in the more rural lands. A few cults of several various ideals and beliefs are present but are tiny and spread out with the largest being the Forge Father Cult located in Steelermen lands. Some other minority old world religions can be found in small pockets within cities.

[b][u]History: [/u][/b]
The origins of the Grand Union Commonwealth can be traced to the Independence Shelter located under the Constitution center in Philadelphia. As the world ended, people slowly began to go mad due to low supplies, bad living conditions and other environmental factors leading to them worshipping the founding father which had their own exhibit in the Constitution Center.

Upon leaving the vault, missionaries where sent far and wide to try and spread the ideas of Americanism as scholars went to work studying the Constitution to set up a new government. Soon a new nation sprung up in the ruins of south eastern Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth. By reclaiming the old train lines, they were able to spread their reach into the rest of PA before encountering their first real opposition: the Steelermen.

The Steelermen was something of a well organized barbarian nation to the eyes of the Commonwealth, but the then President Thomas Numen realized the worth of these raiders, not only as military units but also their city, the Citadel of Steel in Pittsburgh. Through skillful negotiation, Numen had absorbed the Steel Legion into the Commonwealth and now had access to their industrial abilities. A similar tactic was used in their dealings with the Atalanti Republic, a small south New Jersey republic, thus forming the Grand Union Commonwealth.

With the resources blessed by nature of their state and the blessings of the founding fathers behind their back, the GUC now stands on the debate of its grand plans of "inheriting" the USA.
 
[b][u]Culture:[/u][/b]
Sylvanians are well known to be a blunt and industrious people who try to be as fancy and formal like those in the 1700's however they are also some what hotheaded and are very rowdy when riled up. Steelermen are more so and are much for brutish compared to Sylvanian "elegance". Atalanti are much more reserved and free spirited.

[b][u]Military Numbers:[/u][/b] 
65,000 Professional
15,000 Irregular/Paramilitary

[u][b]Military:[/b][/u]

The Militarium is the military arm of the GCU and is placed under the command of the Execatorium with the President at its head. However, most of the time it is placed under the command of the Militarium Council Commitee instead.

The Militarium is divided into several subunits that goes as follows:
[list][*]Terra Militarium - Foot soldiers, regulars, irregulars, auxiliaries, mercenaries
[*]Equites Militarium - Cavalry and armored units, recently artillery has been listed under their command
[*]Nauticus Militarium - Navy ships and vessels
[*]Datalus Militarium - Experimental weapons and information intelligence
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There are also then two irregular, paramilitary forces: the Militarum Localis (the Militia) and the Adminstorum Adeptus (the Inquisition). In accords to the Holy Constitution, common men and women are used as a "well trained and equipped militia for defense", on paper. In reality, while they are given some training, they tend to use the worse weapons and are treated as more or less meat shields which can also be used for offensive operation. The Inquisition on the other hand is the militant arm of the High Church of Americanism and although few in numbers, are extremely effective at both preaching and fighting who also serve as internal police to assist actual policing forces (who often are just Militia).

For cavalry, the GUC utilizes three categories of cavalry: riders, pattern and armored. Riders are your typical horsemen with lances, swords or a carbine of some sort with leg and chest armor. Patterns is slang for any post-war vehicle either made from scratch or largely rebuilt with each location making its own variations off a basic design. Armored doesn't reference any specific tank or anything, it just means any old work vehicle that didn't not need too much repairs to work and have kept their original designs. Of course, riders and operators of all three categorizes customize and decorate their mounts and vehicles as they wish as long they are not blasphemous or inappropriate.

Artillery is consider a "god of the battlefield" so much so that Molly Pitcher is prayed to before each shot. The CGU uses a variety of mortars and cannons, although it is only the limited number of old world mortar that see active field use. Most other cannons are just for defense due to their heavy, cumbersome nature or mounted on vehicles if made small enough.

In terms of naval capacity, the GCU uses Monitor-styled ironclads of varying sizes. Several types of steam powered river barges and rafts are used both by the civilians and the military to navigate the internal waterways with varying amounts of armor and armaments. Perhaps the greatest ship is the old WW2 vessel, the [i]USS New Jersey [/i]. Despite being an absolute bitch to move around, its guns are understandably devastating. However, its limited ammunition stockpile and the fact almost every bit of the firing process is done manually mean that its rarely used as a proper battleship.


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State Troopers - Standard regular foot soldiers of the GCU, they're often nicknamed "Bluecoats" after their signature blue uniforms which resemble those worn by the Continental Army. Because regiment is raised from a different region within GCU proper (although they can be recruited from Steelermen and Atalanti areas), there is little standardization of equipment. While the uniforms looks close most of the time with minor regional difference, regiments can be equipped with a variety of bolt-action and semi-auto rifles.

Immortals - Steelermen raiders of the finest caliber; these auxiliary units are about as disciplined and professionally trained as Steelermen will get. Although they still wear their wild, crude armor, Immortals are invaluable shock units and CQC specialists who get access to their native melee weapons as well as pistols and shotguns. They also serve anti-tank and anti-fortification roles through the use of their Boomstick explosive javalins which are basically glorified land mines on a stick.

Pathfinders - Elite units of the Terra Militarium who hail from the Deepwater Guards of the Atalanti Republic when it was still independent. Now a days it consists of members from both PA and NJ who have bloodlines that go back to old world military and law enforcement agencies. They are the only ones who get to use refurbished old world equipment. As one might expect, their numbers are lower compared to the other two major unit types and thus are usually bodyguards, shock infantry or special forces. 

Sentinels - Officially they are the "well maintained militia" documented in the Holy Scriptures of the Constitution. However, these soldiers are barely given and training and have some terrible weapons provided even if provided arms; many just use whatever they have at home. There is little wonder in how commanders see them as meat shields for more valuable units and how they're given the name of "Shitinels".

Inquisitors - Warrior priests of the Adminstorium, these guys technically aren't military but a strange quasi-paramilitary force for the High Church of Americanism. They most serve as proper dedicated bodyguards to pious leaders and missionaries.
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