[hider=Salian Socialist Union Republic (SSUR)] [b]Name:[/b] Most formally the Salian Socialist Union Republic of Dwarves, Elves, and Humans, otherwise known as the Salian Socialist Union Republic or SSUR for short [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/722336466231099482/877133381740167188/soviet_dwarves.png[/img] [b]Summary of Nation:[/b] The SSUR was born from the flames of revolution tearing down the tyranny of autocratic imperialism. For centuries the human majority, themselves displaced and threatened by conquerors to their east, had encroached upon the deep mountains of the southern dwarves and the forest of the northern elves in the name of their absolute monarch. A patchwork empire of unequal and dissimilar peoples, kept in order only by the ruthless application of force. Inspired by revolution in neighboring Longguo, the people soon rose up, overthrowing their monarch in a brutal struggle that lasted nearly a decade but at last saw the nation ruled by the people. Salia itself stretches from alpine forests in the north and impassable mountain ranges in the south, straddling vast central plains that sweep from the nation's border in the east towards the sea in the west. The nation's demographics roughly follow the same north to south division, consisting of nomadic elves, pastoral humans, and heavily urbanized dwarves. What above ground cities do exist are typically built upon rivers that bisect the great plains, and are relatively mixed in terms of their populations. It was in these that the revolution first erupted, the resulting conflict little noticed outside of their walls for years. [b]History:[/b] [b]Pre-War:[/b] The Republic is relatively new on the world stage, the nationwide civil war that erupted following the outbreak of revolution in 1917 only subsiding in 1928. Prior to this its precursor state, the Salian Empire, routinely waged wars to its east, west, and south, most infamously against Jingguo. The last of these brutal wars, in which tens of thousands died in cramp tunnel fighting beneath the mountains that separated the two nations, eventually led to the outbreak of revolution in both autocracies leading directly to the formation of Longguo and the SSUR. Reeling from the destruction and loss of life of the civil war, which saw factional conflicts both against reactionary forces and between rival revolutionary cadres, the Republic has spent the past decade rebuilding and rearming, originally expecting an imperialist reaction from Aelban. Basing off of a strategic posture that foresaw a seaborne invasion, the Republic spent years strengthening coastal defense batteries, improving the strength of the army, and further industrializing the dwarven fortresses while utterly neglecting the navy, figuring that such an investment would be as good as lost. [b]Outbreak of War:[/b] The fall of the Aelban Empire served only to prove that if anything, those fearful of imperialist aggression had thought too small. Viewing the Reiyk not just a risk to the Union, but to all free peoples, the Salian people swiftly resolved themselves that opposing this new menace was their international duty. Having already taken strides to arm and defend themselves, they pledged themselves to the allies as soon as Longguo was invaded, opening the mountain passes to their former enemies and turning their vast industrial capacity to replenishing what they lost. [b]Recent History:[/b] Those at the highest levels of the Union fully expect an invasion from the Reiyk, and have already begun to mobilize the nation onto a wartime footing. There is little that concerns the Republic more than the possibility of a dual offensive against their own coastline and a renewed push against Longguo, the most catastrophic projections estimating that a focused invasion would see them driven back into the mountains in months. To avoid such a brutal fate, great projects have been started to instill patriotic pride in the hearts of the people to stand fast against the coming storm. [b]Pressing Issues:[/b] The civil war, and subsequent decisions, have left deep wounds upon the people of Salia. With their lands expropriated, the old nobility rallied their retainers and those peasants who either lacked sufficient class consciousness or were swayed by promises of continued domination over the elves and dwarves to side with their feudal masters, setting the stage for the brutal Salian Civil War. There was no peaceful rapprochement, no truth and reconciliation, merely vengeance igniting vengeance until the entire nation was bathed in blood. Recovering from such would be difficult even in times of peace, but the Union has no such luxury. The war has already arrived upon their doorstep, and a single misstep could well see all that the revolution sought to build stamped out beneath an Alfheiches jackboot. [b]Notable Strengths:[/b] Even with a population decimated by internal conflict, Salia remains one of the most populated states in the world due in no small part to the shepherding hand of the snow elves. Though their magic has long faded, the advent of the Union Republic resulted in agricultural secrets long kept secret within their own domains finally shared with the human farmers of the plains, vastly increasing their production. This massive food supply, coupled with the underground wealth deposits that would remain inaccessible to most nations, serves as the basis for the state's plow and pick iconography, the two tools by which they believe they shall seize the future. With both food and mineral wealth secured, the Republic was able to focus not just on expanding its army, but also to ending the specter of starvation from even the poorest of its citizens. [b]National Priorities:[/b] The Union has focused first and foremost upon improving the industrial production of their mountain cities, instilling patriotic zeal into the population, increasing the size of the army, and fulfilling the promises of the revolution by uplifting the common man. By contrast, the societal elite was either driven out (ironically, to Aelban) or executed, a large reactionary element still yearns for the restoration of the monarchy, the navy has been left to languish, and the state remains in many ways an international pariah due to their aforementioned treatment of the former societal elite. [list] [*] Dwarven Mountainhomes: Though the Dwarven Kings have long been dethroned, their great fortresses still remain. Vast cities dedicated to raw material processing and industrial production, they are the beating heart of the Union's war effort. [*] Ideology [*] The Army [*] The Common People [*] Agriculture [*] Resource Extraction [*] Industrial Output [*] The Economy: Internal Trade [*] Espionage and Intelligence [*] Technology [*] The Economy: External Trade [*] Diplomacy [*] The Navy [*] Cultural Issues [*] The Upper Classes [/list] [/hider]