[center][h3]The Free Economic Zone of the Mojave [/h3][/center] [center][b]The Empire of Robert Edwin House[/b][/center] [hr][hr] [img]http://wallpapercave.com/wp/HAmlm1K.jpg[/img] [hider=F.Z.M.] [b]History:[/b] [hider=History] History: After the Second Battle for Hoover Dam, Robert House wasted no time in cementing his empire and his legacy. He knew that he would have to prepare for the NCR and Legion (and perhaps others) to return, stronger than before. House was forced to do this alone – The Courier disappeared suddenly, and has not been seen for almost a decade. He has been assumed dead, and has been largely forgotten by the province which he helped save. As a first act of his rule, House dispatched securitrons to virtually every sector of the Mojave to keep surveillance and protection circulating through the region. With the NCR and Legion gone, and raider activity being pummeled by the sheer killing power of the securitrons, the settlements of the Mojave enjoyed their new era, despite the mysterious mastermind behind the sudden change. Once the security of the Mojave had been achieved, House extended his borders. He unified the settlements of the Mojave as a new nation – the “Free Economic Zone of the Mojave”, an economic empire which is completed by its crown jewel, New Vegas. House then turned to relations with his populace. While he dreaded having to work with the lowly locals, he had to garner support if he was going to survive another Legion invasion. He offered The King a deal he couldn’t refuse – The King would become House’s protégé and instrument in carrying out his future endeavors, and in exchange, The Kings would become a well-equipped police force that would enjoy the benefits that come with having House as a patron. They accepted, and the region started to slowly piece together. North and South Vegas were rebuilt. As Freeside and Westside offer virtually no residential space and are strictly businesses, the outer reaches of Vegas became needed slices of residence. The farmland north of New Vegas has been restored to provide crops and livestock to the FZM. In addition, Sloan was put back to use by paid laborers to work in the quarry, which was instrumental to the rebuilding of New Vegas. Eventually, the entire city became a bright, shining light—not just the strip—and its residents began to enjoy pre-war living conditions. Those who wanted to escape the shadow of Robert House lived out in the countryside, where many settlements such as Nelson, Goodsprings, Novac, and Nipton enjoy their independence. Some locations, such as Searchlight and the REPCONN test site, were specifically occupied by Mr. House with purpose of discovery. House has created hundreds of jobs in both facilities, as he hopes to see Searchlight’s mining efforts and REPCONN’s space-travel research find footing under his regime. The development of the high technology sectors comes with establishing testing sites, and these facilities are among House’s first steps in that direction. In addition, a clause in the FZM’s agreement with the Van Graffs involves being given any robotic research found in Big MT, a formality that has greatly assisted Mr. House in bettering his securitrons. Jacobstown’s mutants relocated to Black Mountain, where they still reside quietly and independently without Tabitha. Dismantling dozens of super mutants from a high-ground base proved to be too tall of a task, so Mr. House simply begrudgingly allowed them to be independent, so long as they did not meddle with House’s affairs. It has now become a known space for unethical dealings (much to the dismay of Marcus, who wants only for it to be a safe haven), as it is the one spot in the Mojave that is completely independent of House’s rule. Mt. Charleston has since been put back to its old use as a high-end ski resort, a favorite of upper-class NCR tourists. Now, in 2290, the Mojave Desert has been unified (with the town of Caliente marking the top-most point of its territory) with a formidable military and cunning economy. Due to House’s major groundwork, the FZM has become a major contender in the days to come, but sits in an awkward position – the Legion waits anxiously on one side of the Colorado and the NCR’s leadership has been painfully quiet. The Mojave Outpost—now used as a border station—has documented NCR tourist flow, yet Robert House is well aware that the status quo is just the calm before the storm…Alongside this paranoia, the FZM still chugs along, constantly working to improve itself from the inside. [/hider] [hider=Population] 150,000 [/hider] [hider=Government/Domestic Politics] Robert Edwin House is the president, C.E.O, and sole proprietor of the Free Economic Zone of the Mojave. He physically owns all lands under his banner and if he were invasive enough to police the private lives of his denizens, he would. He is advised by the leaders of each of the three families as well as his personal protégé, The King. Individual settlements are run by their own respective independent governments, but are kept safe and monitored by the securitrons to ensure lawful rule. Facility-based settlements such as Searchlight, REPCONN, and the New Vegas Farmland are directly overseen by Mr. House. Black-and-white matters are generally dispatched by the securitrons, but House’s personal police force—The Kings—have been instrumental in the dealings of more complicated conflicts. [/hider] [hider=Notable People] Robert Edwin House: Sole leader and visionary of the Free Economic Zone. His unparalleled vision for the future is what has created this economic empire, and he has no intention of resting on his laurels until he has reached the mountaintop. He resides atop the Lucky 38 and only the faithful chosen have had the opportunity to meet him face-to-face. The King: Now at 45 years of age, The King feels as if he is at risk of failing to leave a true legacy. After Mr. House annexed the Mojave, there was no longer a need for the Kings’ scrappy militia presence. They became irrelevant and confined to their school of impersonation. However, the youthful glow of the ‘greaser culture’ the Kings coveted attracted House’s attention, who armed them, gave them immense amounts of cash, and repurposed to be his personal police force. The King now enjoys his own section of the Lucky 38, where he faithfully (albeit begrudgingly) plans a future with Mr. House. General Ivor Owen: The General of the FZM; an NCR deserter who became seduced by the old world nostalgia put forth by Robert House. He is determined, experienced, but a skeptic on what really occurs above him in the ivory tower of the Lucky 38. He spends his days in the Divide, tirelessly working to assemble House's human military. Dean Domino: A notorious, sleazy pre-war celebrity. After hearing of The Courier's disappearance, he emerged, fresh off of staging the heist of the century, and ventured to New Vegas, a shining jewel -- ripe for the taking. He staged a coup of the Tops using only a pistol and a gallon of oil, and now runs the Chairmen. Dean and House co-exist remarkably well; despite being inherently difficult to deal with, he embodies the resourcefulness and pre-war charm that House has coveted in his new world. Kate Rowsell: She has become known as New Vegas' first true starlet -- a gorgeous, glamorous, and resourceful woman from California with an intoxicating set of lungs and a private life that is often the interest of public scrutiny. [/hider] [hider=Military] The bulk of the FEZM’s military comes from its secutitron forces. House can keep close surveillance on the entire wasteland due to his wandering patrols, and each securitron is so formidable that it would take a distinct cunning to be able to decisively best a squadron of House’s creations. In addition, the FEZM’s military forces are supplemented by the Boomers, who provide artillery fire and occasional air support. The former NCR ranger stations have been repurposed as securitron repair stations, each outfitted with a mechanic and a few soldiers. Inside of the FZM’s infrastructure there are small militia forces, namely the armed men and women of the settlements and The Kings, but House has attempted in the recent past to create a formal military, without much success. Save for a support-damaging draft, there has not yet been a clear way to get men and women to enlist. [/hider] [hider=Economy] The FZM’s life cycle is fueled by tourism. While it has an internal, self-sustaining structure, it has become rich and bloated off the money that the NCR’s citizens have poured into it. The population thus fluctuates depending on NCR-recognized holidays. New Vegas is the heart and soul of the province’s economy; a majority of the wealth is flowing in and out of it and to the different settlements of the province. The FZM would survive if an embargo were to occur. Goodsprings, the Sharecropper Farms, and the New Vegas Farmland all provide a great deal of crops and livestock. Sloan’s efforts provide building materials. New Vegas itself now has a great deal of housing, and House has created enough jobs to give a steady lifestyle to most of the FZM’s population. In addition, Mr. House has the ability to raise a sleeping beast should he call upon the neighboring Van Graffs for aid. [/hider] [hider=Culture and Technology] The FZM, like pre-war America, is very diverse in lifestyle. Those who gravitate toward the pull of New Vegas’ sprawling urban landscape enjoy a high quality of life, filled with consumerism and leisure. Those who were unable to drastically change lifestyles stick to what they know, and live out in the countryside in the FZM’s various settlements. House is in the process of creating his own equivalent to the OSI. The Followers of the Apocalypse who did not flee the territory following Hoover Dam II were recruited by Robert House to begin various types of biological research, including medicinal advances and discovery of various nuances to radiation. Technological research is specifically conducted by Robert House, who has put forth an everlasting effort to perfecting his securitrons (a.k.a. turning them into deadlier, more indestructible killing machines than they already are). The FZM abhors slavery and does not condone its use under any circumstances, but surprisingly has not declared open war on the Legion in an attempt to remain strictly neutral in the coming conflicts. Ghouls are openly allowed to live and participate in the FZM’s dealings and enjoy the same quality of life as any other human. Mutants, on the other hand, have to run through a great many tests to be considered a safe resident of the city of New Vegas. They may freely live throughout the settlements of the wasteland. [/hider] [hider=Religion] Robert House has no intention of policing the private lives of his subjects. The citizens of the FZM are allowed to practice whatever they please in private, so long as their dealings are law-abiding. Christianity has resurfaced in various parts of the province, and is practiced by occasional families, but church gatherings remain a thing of the old world. [/hider] [/hider]