[b]Name:[/b] The Republican Empire of Troy

[b]Location:[/b] 
http://imgur.com/a/vwV2r

Capital is [URL=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy,_New_York]Troy, New York[/URL]

[b]History:[/b] Due to its relative unimportance to New York City, the ruins of Troy managed to avoid the worst of the apocalypse long enough for a ragged band of survivors to find shelter and some plots of enclosed but fertile land. This was an unlikely seed for a new society, but a seed nonetheless. Overlooked by raiders and warlord states, the settlers of Troy grew into a relatively egalitarian society, trading what ancient relics they can find, growing food, and, when the natural defenses of the city were not enough, forming a militia for the defense of the community.

Roderick Grey was one of the militia leaders, one who sought not just defense, but knowledge. From passing androids to priests and soothsayers, as well as the occassional trader, Roderic learned that the world was larger than himself and Troy. The young man also learned of the concept of wealth and conquest and realized that the fertile land of the city, as well as the culture of community that made his militia strong, had potential. And so he, emboldened by this knowledge, acquired what weapons he can, hoarded what relics of the ancient world he can find, and led scavenger and raiding parties out, to increase his troops' knowledge of offensive conflict.

He then turned his attention to farming and trade, as well as attracting wise men from all over the land in order to cover his mental weak spots.

And so, in a series of wars, strategic marriages, and bribes, Roderick slowly expanded his Republic, taking large tracts of territory that once secure, were put to the plow. But he was careful to leave provisions for a succession; precedent for a democracy had already been established by his creation of a Senate and a 'House of Representatives', and in order to make sure that his successors did not lead the nation to ruin after his death, he adbicated early, allowing elections to be held among the people who had grown strong and powerful in his administration. After his adbication, Roderick became an elder statesman who supported three freely-elected Presidents until he died of natural causes, revered and loved by all.

Then the Republic took a darker turn. As the territory grew and resistance stiffened among the neighboring tribes and nations, there was also a need for labor in the mines and workshops of the north and the farms and plantations of the south. So the Republican Empire, after much debate, restored Indentured Servitude for criminals and prisoners of war, a system that soon became Slavery by another name.

This led to a period of prosperity and expansion for the Empire, but this prosperity stopped being evenly spread after a while, as a small class of aristocrats began hoarding power and money for themselves. In response, the smallholding farmers who had staffed the Republican-Imperial Army in the past, and who were now threatened by the aristocrats' attempts to reduce them to serfs, threw their weight behind the more humanist elements of society and their sympathizers, creating a fault line in the Republic. Both sides used what they knew of ancient history as a precedent for their actions, and civil war loomed over the horizon. Then, the Republican Empire was contacted by other nations; multiple other nations that were their equals or even betters.

The reaction was Panic. A panic that the Republican Empire was no longer top dog, and that getting taken over by another country was a possibility, especially if the Republic descended into civil war. And so, unity was restored, albeit shakily., so that the Empire can face the other nations. Will it find opportunity or destruction?