[b]Setting:[/b] Modern Earth + Sotoa [hider=Sotoa (ME)][center][img]https://images4.imagebam.com/ee/c1/9a/MEQ8NWG_o.png[/img][/center] Modern Sotoa used to be inhabited by the ancient Sambians, an old Prussian tribe that existed prior to the 17th century. They were a rich tribe that traded in the amber that was in abundance in the area, though they were conquered by the Teutonic Order in the 13th Century. The tribe succumbed to germanization, and the area was incorporated as part of the Teutonic Order, where they founded city of Königsberg. Since the 13 Years' War, the area became a vassal state to the Kingdom of Poland. In the 16th Century, the area became part of the Duchy of Prussia, and remained until the 18th Century, where it was reorganized into East Prussia after the events of the Seven Years' War, and remained part of East Prussia well into the 20th century. When the Nazis rose to power in Germany during the 1930s, the german Social Democratic Party politically resisted the Nazi takeover until they were ousted from the country. However, a small portion of party leaders saw the dangerous rise of fascism and formed small pro-democracy rebel groups in Königsberg. Those rebel groups were known as the [i]Sotoan Democratic Front[/i], with a phoenix bird to represent their rise from the ashes of the SDP. They remained underground and became a thorn in Hitler's side well into World War 2, and resisted the Soviets when they came to occupy the area. Even when most of the East Prussian residents of Königsberg fled, many in the Sotoan Front remained to resist Stalin well into the 1950s, even when Königsberg became Kaliningrad, and even when East Prussia was split apart by the Soviet Union. The Sotoan Democratic Front continued to resist, though they were forced back underground, existing as small, covert resistance cells well into the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. When the Soviet Union dissolved, Kaliningrad was almost destined to be handed over to Russia. However, there had long since been boiling tensions when most other Soviet states declared independence. Several political groups had been calling for independence, with many resistance cells forming political parties to fight for the ballot. The vote was well within favor of independence, and while the Republic of Sotoa was now an independent Russian-speaking nation, they held elections for the seats of their government very shortly after. [hider=Pathway A: Democratic Sotoa][center][img]XXXXX[/img] [sub]XXXXX Flag Description XXXXX[/sub][/center] In 1992, the Social Democratic Party of Sotoa won their first elections by a slim margin against the National Unity Party of Sotoa, taking a majority share of seats in the newly formed parliament. The new nation saw rapid reforms, mostly in the form of [i]De-Sovieting[/i] the country and granting the basic freedoms the people had tasted during the days of the democratic East Prussia. Discrimination on grounds of ethnicity and gender were soon a thing of the past. The economy slumped for the first few years but when Sotoa's tech sector boomed in the mid 90s, the nation soon saw prosperity. In the time that Sotoa took its steps as a formally independent nation in the 90s, it had joined NATO and the European Union, taking on the Euro as their new currency by popular vote. Infrastructure was improved and expanded over time, and by the 2000s, it had joined most of the Scandinavian nations in terms of human development and civil equality. Their tech industry continued the flourish, expanding from computing to weapons systems and robotics. Sotoa enjoyed a quiet but prosperous history until Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Until 2014, Sotoa's military defenses consisted only of ageing, leftover Soviet equipment. Some of their military had been upgraded to NATO standards, but it had been done at a snail's pace. Since the invasion of Crimea, the Sotoan public had some slight concerns with the idea of Russian occupation. New budgets were allocated for a complete upgrade to their armed forces, which was partially complete by the 2020s. Sotoa had only been participating in minor peacekeeping and disaster relief operations since they started as a nation, though with the rise of threats across the world, they have joined both NATO and UN to keep the peace where they could. [/hider][hider=Pathway B: Authoritarian Sotoa][center][img]XXXXX[/img] [sub]XXXXX Flag Description XXXXX[/sub][/center] In 1992, the National Unity Party of Sotoa won their first national elections by a landslide, beating out the Social Democratic Party. Since 1992, the National Unity Party had handed control over the country to many of its own members. [i]Anti-socialist[/i] rhetoric soon made scapegoats of others, leading to the bans of multiple different political parties, including the Social Democratic Party. The freedoms of many waned as Sotoa officially transitioned into a dictatorship by 1997. The Supreme Commander was a civilian dictator who rose through power by knowing the right people. Many people in important positions became allies of the National Unity Party, putting in new legal measures to suppress opposition. Soon enough, Sotoa was a one-party state ruled by an iron fist by the Supreme Commander and his political cronies. The Republic of Sotoa was still open for business, however. Thanks to its policy on complete neutrality, the tyranny of Sotoa traded freely with nations from all over the world, opening up new factories and office centers that belonged to companies indigenous and foreign. Sotoa was a small industrial powerhouse due to their trade policies, though the lack of human development created a slow stagnation in government and a slow brain drain. Rebel groups, especially from the remnants of the Social Democratic Party, had resurrected the [i]Sotoan Democratic Front[/i] and began fighting a guerilla war in the 2020s to restore their democracy. With their economy in shambles, the Supreme Commander struggles to hold onto his small, fledgling nation. [/hider] [/hider] [color=2040e0][b]Setting Path ===>[/b][/color] Democratic Sotoa, post Soviet Occupation [hider=Nataliya Ivanov (ME Democratic Sotoa)] [center][img]XXXXX[/img][/center] --| [color=6969af]Name:[/color] Nataliya Yakovlena Ivanov --| [color=6969af]Age:[/color] Mid-to-late 20s --| [color=6969af]SpecID:[/color] Human --| [color=6969af]Gender:[/color] Female --| [color=6969af]Sexuality:[/color] Lesbian --| [color=6969af]Height:[/color] 5'5" (165 cm) --| [color=6969af]Weight:[/color] 155 lbs. (70 kg) --| [color=6969af]Eye Color:[/color] Blue --| [color=6969af]Hair Color:[/color] Blonde --| [color=6969af]Ethnicity:[/color] Sotoan --| [color=6969af]Personality --[/color] XXXXX --| [color=6969af]Appearance --[/color] Nataliya's light skin, blonde hair and blue eyes come alive from a fit and trained feminine body. While her clothing can wildly vary, as she dresses to her needs, she usually likes to wear clothes that are practical and maybe a little fun. When she can get away with it, she often dons XXX and XXX. [hider=Image Gallery][img]XXXXX[/img][/hider] --| [color=6969af]Biography --[/color] XXX Childhood XXX Early Adulthood [hider=Pathway 1: Civilian | Actress/Stuntwoman][b]--Civilian | Actress / Stuntwoman[/b] XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX [/hider][hider=Pathway 2: Military | Airborne Response Corps][b]--Military | Airborne Response Corps[/b] XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX [/hider][hider=Pathway 3: Military | Fighter Pilot][b]--Military | Fighter Pilot[/b] XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX [/hider][hider=Pathway 4: Combination | Intelligence Agent][b]--Combination | Intelligence Agent[/b] XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX [/hider][hider=Pathway 5: Combination | Job-Hopping Veteran][b]--Combination | Job-Hopping Veteran[/b] XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX [/hider] --| [color=6969af]Extra --[/color] XXXXX [/hider] [color=e04020][b]Setting Path ===>[/b][/color] Authoritarian Sotoa, post Soviet Occupation [hider=Nataliya Ivanov (ME Authoritarian Sotoa)] [center][img]XXXXX[/img][/center] --| [color=6969af]Name:[/color] Nataliya Yakovlena Ivanov --| [color=6969af]Age:[/color] Mid-to-late 20s --| [color=6969af]SpecID:[/color] Human --| [color=6969af]Gender:[/color] Female --| [color=6969af]Sexuality:[/color] Lesbian --| [color=6969af]Height:[/color] 5'5" (165 cm) --| [color=6969af]Weight:[/color] 155 lbs. (70 kg) --| [color=6969af]Eye Color:[/color] Blue --| [color=6969af]Hair Color:[/color] Blonde --| [color=6969af]Ethnicity:[/color] Sotoan --| [color=6969af]Personality --[/color] XXXXX --| [color=6969af]Appearance --[/color] Nataliya's light skin, blonde hair and blue eyes come alive from a fit and trained feminine body. While her clothing can wildly vary, as she dresses to her needs, she usually likes to wear clothes that are practical and maybe a little fun. When she can get away with it, she often dons XXX and XXX. [hider=Image Gallery][img]XXXXX[/img][/hider] --| [color=6969af]Biography --[/color] XXX Childhood XXX Early Adulthood [hider=Pathway 1: Military | Airborne Conscript][b]--Military | Airborne Conscript[/b] XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX [/hider][hider=Pathway 2: Combination | Resistance Fighter][b]--Combination | Resistance Fighter[/b] XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX [/hider][hider=Pathway 3: Criminal | Smuggler][b]--Criminal | Smuggler[/b] XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX [/hider][hider=Pathway 4: Criminal | Prisoner][b]--Criminal | Prisoner[/b] XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX [/hider] --| [color=6969af]Extra --[/color] XXXXX [/hider] [color=e0a01f][b]Setting Path ===>[/b][/color] World War II Sotoa (East Prussia) [hider=--{ Nataliya Ivanov (ME WW2 Sotoa)] [center][img]XXXXX[/img][/center] --| [color=6969af]Name:[/color] Nataliya Yakovlena Ivanov --| [color=6969af]Age:[/color] Mid-to-late 20s --| [color=6969af]SpecID:[/color] Human --| [color=6969af]Gender:[/color] Female --| [color=6969af]Sexuality:[/color] Lesbian --| [color=6969af]Height:[/color] 5'5" (165 cm) --| [color=6969af]Weight:[/color] 155 lbs. (70 kg) --| [color=6969af]Eye Color:[/color] Blue --| [color=6969af]Hair Color:[/color] Blonde --| [color=6969af]Ethnicity:[/color] Sotoan --| [color=6969af]Personality --[/color] XXXXX --| [color=6969af]Appearance --[/color] Nataliya's light skin, blonde hair and blue eyes come alive from a fit and trained feminine body. While her clothing can wildly vary, as she dresses to her needs, she usually likes to wear clothes that are practical and maybe a little fun. When she can get away with it, she often dons XXX and XXX. [hider=Image Gallery][img]XXXXX[/img][/hider] --| [color=6969af]Biography --[/color] XXX Childhood XXX Early Adulthood XXXXX Sotoan Partisan movement XXXXX XXXXX --| [color=6969af]Extra --[/color] XXXXX [/hider]