December World - game thread

[Kyzarc Fotjage]

The Pacific Press, Your Only Source of News About the Directory and the World

Spoiler Pacific Press 5 :

 

[Belgarion95]

From the Journal of Roderigo Mamani.

Day 3

We finally arrived at Camp Fraternidad; our Airship, slowly listing downwards from the mountaintops, had deposited our Platoon in what seemed to be the middle of the jungle canopy. Little did I know the worlds that lay beneath. What bright flowers! What wondrously dense plants, of shapes, sizes, and colours too incredible if not see with my own eyes! Between the humidity and the dazzling forest, it felt as though I had entered a dream. We were greeted by Aguani (as I believe his name is written) leader of the Hi-Merimã, a surprisingly tall man with a shouldered rifle and accompanied always by a team of attendants, taken to a spacious shelter and given a warm dinner of fish cooked in a large, leathery leaf. Aguani explained over our meal through a recently-arrived translator that he ruled over "many scores of men and women," and that few in the area were known to be as mighty as he. Our translator had spent a few years flying with the AAA, and confirmed Aguani's claims. After he had left, our Captain lead us in a reading of the Compendium of the Circle, though I suspect we were all distracted by the insects, large and small, that had begun to make a meal of us. I had begun to think this intensity of life too much for us simple mountain shepherds when an attendant of Aguani appeared with a salve and a small smoking bowl. What miracles! We found ourselves suddenly free, and at this our Captain laughed.

"Who needs books when the Circle is evident to our plain eyes? Just as the Ancient Commune is the answer in the Andes, so it is here; what good are our machines compared to this harmony? Do you not feel, in your bones, the spiritual imperative to complete our social journey to that which we know to be right?"

Never did I know wiser words to be spoken. I feel still that thrill of enlightenment, this energy which gives our people its power and its righteous duty.

"And this, comrades, is our mission in itself. Imperialists, slaughters and arsonists, have come to commit reckless violence on this place..."

Day 25

I have had but little time to write through all this long journey! We have not stopped moving, or learning, since our first night here. Hedi, a Hi-Merimã man with whom I have become friends, has been teaching me to have "Jungle Eyes," as he calls them, during our endless hunt of the Portuguese. I had not realized the detail I was missing! Birds and bugs, fruit trees and river-markers, I have been slowly opening my eyes. Hedi even says I seem less stupid now, though I suspect he is humoring me. He has also taught me the painting of faces, for scouting and for battle, and I have found its effects vital to improving my focus. The work has been grueling, but combat has so far been limited; most Portuguese are too spineless to do much more than surrender to the "Forest Plague," as it seems they are calling us.

At nights, without exception, we take time to read from the Compendium. Sometimes it is a song of Communal Glory, and other nights an emphatic dialectic on the necessity of violence. We were gradually joined by more of the Hi-Merimã, particularly those who are learning Spanish, and they suggested we try a song of theirs. By DeLuna, I have never felt a greater sense of the Universality of the Communard Man! We stood and a circle, and beat drums and sang, and I knew that all men in their hearts were Communard.


Day 31

The brutality! We came today upon a camp of dead men, in the midst of a burned clearing. We had been warned that the Imperialists were inhuman, but the smell of burning human flesh has yet to leave my nostrils. I cannot guess at what brings men to commit such horror. A scar of forest fire mars the forest and our hearts, and we sing a hymn to their spirits which shall live on in our righteous struggle. Just as the rains extinguished the fire, so too shall we extinguish the Portuguese.

Day 32

We came upon them in the night. Hedi gave the signal, and we took them with our long knives. Their bounty, we discovered, was the jaguar pelts the villagers kept for warmth. We left their corpses to the jaguar in reciprocity.

Day 47

We wear our war paint more often these days; this river valley is lousy with Imperial Paramilitias, as they have a large encampment nearby, and our practiced stealth has become essential. We huddle close, in concentric circles, to recite the Songs of the Circle. We rarely need our Compendium any longer. More often than not we repeat the same songs and mantras;

And the Imperials shall be laid low by their own instruments
Justice is met only through desperate struggle
Amazonia gives that we might protect her
We fight that our brothers might live in peace
All natural men defend the Righteous Circle

We often recite in both Spanish and Hi-Merimã. We shared so much blood, and they are the truest of our brothers in arms.

Day 54

We came today upon a village of some 200 people; speaking some variation of Tupi, our translator was able to initiate a dialogue with their Chief. We had learned of the location of a nearby Paramilitary camp, and requested assistance in ambushing that night. The tribe seemed divided, with many wanting to help, but the Chief forbade action. It was unwise for him to expose himself as an Imperial, and we knew at this stage what was necessary.

We met later with a younger man, Moacir, who had spoken loudly in favor of attack, clearly from a rival family. He had seen the power of the rifle; had seen Portuguese men use them to great effect. We promised him weapons, having recently resupplied at Camp Armonia, in exchange for his aid. He accepted, and following a brief tribal struggle we were back to our mission, reinforced with 50 of Moacir's men. It was lucky that the tribe had been infiltrated with so few Imperials, for Moacir's route led us to the Imperial Militia just in time for nightfall. For the 2nd time that day, the ground was soaked with Imperial blood.

 

[SouthernKing]

joining as Maghreb
(after the update)

 

[DuneBear]

Joining as the Free Boer Republic after the update.

 

[Ahigin]

Welcome to the both of you! Your names are added to the front page.

 

[Zappericus]

Joining as Arab Republic of Egypt

Khedivate of Egypt

 

[Ahigin]

Welcome. Although it's not a republic. It's still a Khedivate, at least de-jure (it's not a vassal of the Ottoman Empire de-facto).

 

[Seon]

story within a story

A Cat and a Dog at the Crossings.

There was a dog living by a place where three railway tracks met. Every day, it woke up when the sun shone upon his face, and trotted to the place where the tracks crossed, where it would sit panting and waiting. There were no guards nor a manager at this railroad crossing, so trot trot trot came in the dog with its frazzled black fur and big brown eyes.


Trains came by every hour, rushing from one track to another, but never to the third, which lead to a village in the forest which nobody cared to remember its name. Occasionally, the the commuters of the train would see the dog, feel sorry for the lonesome creature, and toss it chunks of bread and pieces of meat, and it would live on those for another day.


One day, as it panted and sat by the railroad crossing, it noticed a cat with a green sack hanging from its mouth trudging along the tracks. The dog had lived a long life by this time, and had seen its share of cats, but this cat was unlike any that he had ever seen. It was a calico with emerald green eyes, but its tail was short, almost like a rabbit’s tail instead of a cat’s, looking like a puff of black cotton ball. Besides, whoever heard of a cat carrying a sack? “Halt!” The dog commanded. “Who goes there, and who have done such cruelties to your tail?”


“Oh dog,” the cat responded. “I am but an ordinary cat, but I hail from the land in the east. Nobody have done anything to my tail—I was merely born this way, like so many of my kind in my homeland. I am a simple traveler who came to your lands for I could not find what I sought for in my homeland.”


“Cats are born with a rabbit’s tail in your homeland?” The dog asks incredulously. “We are merely a few times removed.” “Amazing,” the dog spoke. “And who are you, sir dog?” The cat asked, laying the sack to the side and tilting its head. “Why do you sit at these crossings? Where is your master? Your allies?”


The dog puffed up its chest, sitting tall and proud. “I am a witch’s dog,” it spoke. “I have no need for allies, for my mistress is great. She and I wandered the world. We stole children from their crib, spread curse and blessings alike upon the lands, and wandered through the forest to meet with elves and fairies. We hunted proud yet fearful men in the night, punishing them for their wickedness. I know a hundred different tricks and spells from my years learning from my mistress.”


“One day, my mistress felt tired from our adventures, and went to the cities, where I could not follow. She left me here to await her return. When she does, we will resume our adventures and travel across the world.”


The cat was impressed by the dog’s tale of loyalty and magic, and was leaning forward to better hear the dog’s boastings. It purred and meowed in excitement when the dog was done. “And how many years have you awaited her?” “Decades,” the dog admitted. “But my memories stretch back for centuries—this is merely a short delay.”


“Perhaps then you know the object of my quest!” The cat bobbed in anticipation. “Perhaps I do indeed!” The dog nodded sagely. “What do you seek, little cat, so far away from your home?”


“I seek Ulthar!” The cat meowed. The dog frowned. “I apologize,” it said. “But you may need to refresh my memories—what is Ulthar?”


“It is a place where cats like me live free from the wicked humans and their ways,” the cat purred. “It is a great city with no dogs—no offense intended—and where there are no trains or cars and their awful noises. It is a place ruled by a sage and wise king of the cats on the last of their nine lives. It is a place where those who are cruel to my kind are punished as they deserve.” The dog laughed.


“You silly kit!” The dog cried out in between howls and fits of mirth. “There is no such place! Cats do not have nine lives, and do not live together in great cities, and cannot build them in any case. How could you have come so far away from your homeland in search of such an outlandish lie?”


The cat huffed, picking up its sack once more. “Well, if you have nothing to add for my quest, I’m afraid that I must leave.”


“Oh but stay!” The dog said. “Why should I, when you mock me so?”


“For I am bored, tired, and much greater and larger than you,” the dog responded. “The decades may be short for my life, but I have grown weary of seeing the same scenery every day.”


“So tell me a story,” the dog demanded. “Tell me a story, and I shall allow you to pass through these crossings to your next destination. Where have you visited? What have you found?”


The cat sighed, and dropped its sack. It climbed onto a small rock so that it could sit at eye-level with the great dog and cleared its throat. “I hail from the island of Aoshima, where cats outnumber men upon the island. It is a quiet place without much, but humans of my homeland believe that we shall bring them good fortune, and care for us greatly.”


“One day, I snuck aboard a fishing boat to Korea and began my journey. I wandered across Cathay. I saw dragons fall where a new god arose. In India, I saw brother eat brother and old gods struggle to be remembered.”


“In Africa, I saw lights and heard screams in the forest, where exactly I do not know. The people pray to old gods, but the new god of the west brings burning braziers and torches. I ran to a place where I could board a ship to Europe”


“Here in the west, I saw my fellows dig through mounds of junk to pass by, relying upon the uncertain kindness of strangers just to persist. I walked along the tracks stretching across dying towns and lit cities, dodging hounds and cruel men. And then I met you.” The dog was confused upon hearing all of this. “Why would you leave Aoshima?” The dog asked. “It sounds like a paradise for your kind.”


“I was looking for Ulthar.”


“Ulthar doesn’t exist, you foolish child. Return to your homeland! It is as close to Ulthar as you will get!"


“But it is not Ulthar, and so it must be elsewhere,” the cat insisted.


“You milkdrinker! You hungry hunter of mouse!” The dog continued. “How much will you need to travel before you acknowledge that Ulthar simply cannot exist?”


“About as long as it will take you to realize that your master may never return,” the cat shrugged. It leaped down from its stone to pick up its little green sack. “May I go now?” The dog stood dumbfounded, but made no reaction as the cat trotted off along the tracks.


As the night fell and the last of the trains passed by the hound, the dog wondered if it had waited for its mistress long enough. Few days later, the dog walked into the forest and didn’t return to the tracks. The commuters on the train who threw him bread and meat briefly wondered where he went, but forgot about him in a few days.


The dog chased rabbits and fairies through the forest. It met a beautiful she-dog and came to live in a village in the woods where dogs like him are treated with grace. It raised a litter of pups and lived happy to the end of his days.


The cat continued on its path. It never found Ulthar, but lived happily nonetheless.

 

[Crezth]

Ahigin has told me that I may join as Commune française after the update.

 

[Ahigin]

That's true, and welcome back.

 

[Kyzarc Fotjage]

A Brief Overview of the History and Development of the Modern Pacific Directory

Spoiler Brief Overview of the Pacific Directory :

The Pacific Directory in its current form as a semi-independent client state of the Russian Commonwealth formed during the chaos of the Second Time of Troubles. In 1849 the ongoing civil wars wracking western Russia caused a near-total collapse in their authority in Siberia, forcing the Russian Far East (including the struggling colony of Alaska) to fend for itself. General-Governor Nikolay Muraviev, fearing the possibility of the Opium Wars spilling into the largely undefended Far East, organized a military junta under his rule that, while calling itself Russian, was de-facto independent. The backbone of this junta was the navy, which though small far outclassed anything the Qing or even Japan could effectively field at that time.


As the Russian government continued its collapse a great many who could fled eastwards, settling in the sparsely populated Alaska and turning around the colony’s flagging economy, until then entirely dependent on the nearly depleted fur trade. This naturally caused a great deal of friction with the indigenous populations of Alaska, who had hitherto been largely unmolested by the Russian government so long as they kept supplying furs, culminating in the Kenai Fur Wars of the 1860’s. While the wars were by the standards of larger countries more a series of minor skirmishes between Russian trappers and the Dena’ina natives, the former of whom occasionally called for the support of the marines, for the Pacific Directory they were viewed as an existential threat. With the Russian population of Alaska being outnumbered by the indigenous population by roughly twenty to one, a full-scale native uprising would’ve been prohibitively expensive to combat and crippled the Directory’s vulnerable economy. The conflicts were ended decisively with formalized treaties which firmly established bounds for Russian settlement, set minimum amounts of trade and, perhaps most importantly, established the ongoing doctrine of co-dependence between natives and the Russians, with the Russian population providing tooling and bulk transportation while the tribes provided much of the food and trade goods that kept the Directory solvent. This policy would lead to a great deal of miscegenation between the Russians and the natives, further tying them together both physically and culturally.


The Pacific Directory’s independence came to an end in 1861 with the ending of the Time of Troubles. As the Popular Assembly was hammering out the Directorial government which would become the Russian Commonwealth and first of the three Directories, representatives of both the Siberian Popular Assembly and the Pacific Directory attended, negotiating for quasi-independence in exchange for their support of the fledgling government. As part of the exchange of guarantees between the three formative members of the Commonwealth the Russian Directory had the right to choose the head of the Pacific Directory if a new Chief Director is needed, though not remove one, this acting as a guarantee of a distinctly pro-Russian stance to the Directorial government. Further Directorial Russia has guaranteed use of the limited ports of the Pacific Directory for projection of Russian might into the Pacific, largely supplanting the Transpacific navy for defense purposes.


After the Kenai Fur Wars ended the Pacific Directory began extending its influence southwards into British Columbia and the Oregon Territory through trade and acting as an intermediary between the British and American governments, tensions between whom were steadily rising as the issue of slavery dominated American politics and there was increasing talk of secession.When the Atlantic War finally broke out it took over a year for the effects to become known on the West Coast, with the garrisons of both American and British forts along the border doing little more than posturing, when the Iron Confederacy effectively split Oregon, the remainder of the Washington Territory (effectively the Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula), and British Columbia from the Coast Range westwards off from the rest of the Union and Canada. While Oregon declared its independence with northern California as the Mormon-dominated state of Deseret, Western Washington and British Columbia turned to the Pacific Directory, and by extension Russia, for protection from the upstart Iron Confederacy, fearing retaliation for the massacres that marked the Manifest Destiny period of American westward expansion. The Pacific Directory, eager to expand its territory into warmer climes, agreed and began formal negotiations with the Iron Confederacy over the territory.


The relatively equitable relations and close trade ties between the indigenous populations of Alaska and the Russians meant that the border tribes with the Iron Confederacy were reluctant to break away entirely, leaving a fluid northern border between the Pacific Directory and the Iron Confederacy. This contrasted heavily with the southern border, going from the center of the Coast Range southwards to Deseret, which was officially pushed far to the west in the initial negotiations before steadily making its way back to the eastward slope of the mountains over the following decade as it became apparent that the new Russian government did not want to take their newly won lands, with native tribes straddling the border to better take advantage of trade through Russian ports. Even after the Atlantic War ended, rebuilding and ongoing struggles across the world prevented the Union and British Commonwealth from reclaiming their old territories which were rapidly assimilated into the Directory.


While it made tremendous territorial gains in the Atlantic War, there was a great deal of discontent amongst the military government beneath the Russia-appointed Chief Director Johan Furuhjelm, whose policies of appeasement to the indigenous population was seen as coming at the expense of the Pacific-Russians who made up the backbone of the Directory. The Transpacific military, never large, steadily shrank during his tenure, supplanted by a reliance on Directorial Russia’s protection, and the rising power of the Taiping Mandate and Shogunate were being effectively ignored in favor of the largely-inconsequential events in the Americas. In 1889 he was ousted by a bloodless coup and a replacement was called for. In January of 1890 the replacement arrived: Chief Director Grigor Volya.


Grigor Volya’s appointment to the Chief Directorship of the Pacific Directory was done primarily as a way to remove a politically inconvenient businessman, Lord Vitus Demidov, from Russian politics without causing a scene. The complete lack of military experience for both the ostensible Chief Director and Lord Demidov was expected to see them both ousted within a year, at which point a proper replacement could be sent. Instead the pair began a sweeping series of reforms which would transform the Pacific Directory from a convenient way to manage the Commonwealth’s Pacific ports into a member equal to the Siberian Popular Assembly. In the first year of his tenure he created the two programs which would become the hallmarks of the Directory and its greatest tools: the Civil Conscription Corps and the Pacific Press.


The Civil Conscription Corps was a massive work program that guaranteed employment for the thousands of immigrants entering the Directory while providing the labor required to power whatever project the Director wanted done, whether that be mass logging for the Iron Confederacy, providing bulk labor for government-favored artels, or infrastructure projects. The program also allowed the Directory some degree of control over where people moved to, with areas that needed a greater Russian presence being targeted for improvement and conscripts being offered early ends to their contracts if they stayed there. The Corps would also be used a testbed for new technologies, methods, and organizations as everything about their lives could be controlled by the state. The conscription of the entire population into the national reserve in


The Pacific Press began as the state-run newspaper, available everywhere in the Directory at cost and providing mostly accurate news to people who would otherwise have to rely on word-of-mouth or poorly translated Taiping pamphlets. Within two years it would grow into the sprawling media apparatus that exists now, including two dozen separate periodicals on topics ranging from Moscow gossip to mail order catalogues to scientific articles and a thriving Swiss-run publishing house, Tipografia Elvetica, which produces Russian-XXX phrase books (including the infamous Koreyskiy, Poskol'ku Ona Govorit), translations of many classics both Oriental and European, and textbooks. While initially a blunt instrument of propaganda, experience has taught the editors some degree of moderation and most of the blatant propaganda pieces focus on putting pro-Russian spins on foreign affairs rather than outright lies. Its effect on the cultural landscape of the Directory is incalculable, both from acting as a piece of common ground between the numerous immigrant groups and indoctrinating them to think of themselves as Transpacific Russians rather than citizens of their country of origin.


Beyond the deliberate policies instituted by the Chief Director, the Directory also benefited by a massive influx of European artists and philosophers whose relentless optimism and hard work turned the Directory from a cultural backwater to a shining beacon of European culture in the Orient and, eventually, into a fusion of the two worlds. Their efforts, encouraged and aided by the Pacific Press, shaped the culture of the Directory into a fusion of the two-dozen distinct culture groups who composed it. This coincided with a steady flow of European engineers who began the slow work of updating Transpacific artels to be competitive with their European counterparts, both helped and hurried by the arrival of the Trans-Siberian Railroad in 1894 with its access to the markets and rivals of Europe. While the Directory is known for its untapped natural resources, its artels have organized and grown immensely over the past half-decade and are starting to garner a reputation for producing reliable, hard-wearing equipment, especially firearms.


The Transpacific army, a long-neglected part of the Directorial military under Chief Director Furuhjelm and Colonel Chenkov, was likewise revolutionized under Chief Director Volya. Colonel Chenkov’s army was aligned along similar lines to classical European armies, with the focus being on entrenchment, steady lines, and artillery, but lacked the equipment and ability to resupply of their European counterparts. After Colonel Chenkov died in a tragic accident in mid 1890, not long after his first meeting with the new Chief Director, his immediate subordinate Lieutenant Colonel Rogvolod Kasteen assumed the position of Director of Terrestrial Affairs, being given the rank of Lieutenant General, and began sweeping reforms to the Transpacific army. It was under him that the army’s focus shifted from holding territory to bleeding out the enemy over long stretches of effectively worthless territory, with losses being replaced with a large national reserve which would come to encompass the country’s entire male population. The rigid command structure was loosened up to allow for individual commanders to act independently of their superiors and training gradually supplanted equipment as the army’s go-to solution, paving the way for Lieutenant General Kasteen’s ultimate goal of an army that can act completely effectively when behind enemy lines without supply or communication. In stark contrast to the recent mechanization of European and Asian armies, the Transpacific army relies on horse and dog-pulled carts, operating under the assumption that in the event of an invasion the Directory’s fledgling industry won’t be equal to the task of keeping a fully mechanized army supplied. This should enabling independent companies and even platoons to operate without dedicated supply lines with only a minor loss in capability, allowing them to operate fully behind enemy lines and destroy their own supply lines, expected to be stretched out over hundreds of miles of sparsely inhabited wilderness.


The Transpacific navy, by comparison, underwent very few changes under the tenure of Director-Admiral Fyodor Stravinsky. Unlike the army, its always been ably commanded and well disciplined to deal with the stormy waters of the Northern Pacific and fully aware that the Russian Pacific Fleet wouldn’t be able to assist to nearly the same extent as the Russian army in the event of a war. As such they’ve been keeping abreast of doctrinal developments in potential enemies, notably the Shogunate as the premier naval power in the north Pacific, and the Anti-Imperial alliance of France, the Union, and the Boer Republic, who have been at the cutting edge of naval development since their loss in the First Atlantic War due to British dominance of the Atlantic. Their efforts instead have been focused in the Arctic in the Eastward Push, the establishment of Transpacific hegemony over the Inuit and Na-Dene tribes of northern Canada through exclusive trade agreements and three small forts. The troubles the Canadian Expeditionary Squadron encountered in the icy waters of the northern shore of Canada would push Director Stravinsky, with the encouragement of Chief Director Volya, to establish a shipyard in Ryabachy for the purpose of developing new designs and experimental ships for the Directory, beginning with the development of a ship which could break up seapack and allow other ships follow in its wake.


Hand-in-hand with the immense social and military changes under Chief Director Volya’s tenure were dramatic shifts in the political climate. In mid 1892 Volya restricted the right to hold political positions to property-owning members of the military, a situation that was already de-facto mostly true, which along with the formation of the National Reserve enabled him to conscript all property-owners into the military. While this raised some eyebrows amongst established business-owners, most were willing to go along with it as the likelihood of being called up was vanishingly small so long as the Commonwealth protected the Directory. That this would bar the increasing immigrant population from drowning out their say in the government helped a great deal. This was followed in 1893 by the mandatory enrollment of all reservists in the Civil Conscription Corps for two days a month, helping maintain and expand their communities and a much greater government presence in the economy, partially a result of top-down directives and partially artel members jockeying for a high enough position in the reserves where they can stay inside during their two days of labor a month. This eventually took the form of a sort of nationalistic pride for service, where social standing was partially derived from one’s performance during the service weekends. In mid 1893, in part to find competent personnel for the rapidly growing government, officer commissions were opened to all male citizens of the Directory, whereas before only Russian-born men could hold a commission. This move towards inclusion was followed in late 1893 by the open enrollment of women into the military, albeit in limited support capacities. While both of these moves were controversial amongst the Russian-born old guard who had dominated the military, with both Directorial mandate and rising numbers of non-Russians in the military they were ill-positioned to do anything about it.


All these changes were merely building up to the massive governmental overhaul of 1894, where a new constitution was drafted that formally divided the government into two bodies: the national Directory and the regional Krais. The Directory is concerned with national matters, including but not limited to laws which are enforced across all krais, any foreign affairs, all matters concerning the military as an organization, management of the increasingly misnamed Yukon Territory and setting overall policy. The Krais are concerned with regional laws beyond the national laws, education, maintenance of waterways and other necessary infrastructure, regional expansion and exploitation, and providing necessary local services (such as law enforcement and fire brigades). The Krai governments then delegate many of these responsibilities to local governments, though they still hold ultimate responsibility. The primary difference between the two sets of government beyond their responsibilities is that the Directorial government is entirely composed of active duty military personnel who are appointed to their position by their superiors, following a chain up to the High Board of Directors and Chief Director Volya, while the major positions in the Krai governments are by-and-large elected and held by inactive personnel or reservists.


The climate around this shift was one of bizarre pseudo-nationalism and unprecedented economic growth brought by the arrival of the Trans-Siberian Railroad and a German-led reorganization of the local artels. While Director Vitus had been not so subtly pushing the Directory into a more cohesive whole for several years, it was in 1894 that his efforts not only bore fruit but did so beyond anyone’s expectations. Immigrants, often fleeing persecution in their homelands for unpopular views with their governments (especially the case with the French Doves and Korean ex-pats fleeing their homeland), were eager to establish themselves as citizens of the Directory, whose avoidance of any major conflict for over two centuries and near-complete social and economic mobility were appealing. Many of them, seeing the government emphasis on military service without actually being involved in armed conflict, took that as a risk-free way of moving up in the world and, as a result, the Pacific Directory has one of the most armed and combat-trained civilian populaces in the world with a military that is nearly completely racially integrated on the lower levels. The higher levels are still predominantly Russian, though the recent expansion of the army has led to several Inuit and Aleut who served during the Kenai Fur Wars to be promoted to captainship (with accompanying authority over Russian subordinates) and the former Qing army officer Yuan Shikai being given the rank of Major, though he’s been posted in the Vankuver Krai to avoid possible diplomatic incident, amongst several Europeans of non-Russian descent.


The German reorganization was timed perfectly to tie into the mass immigration greatly inflating the available workforce, and was followed up by an influx of Confederate manager-trainers, allowing for the entire system to be reworked with minimal shock to the economy. The veteran members of the Russian-dominated worker collectives took up managerial and mentor positions over the fresh immigrants, many of whom needed to be retrained for Transpacific manufacturing or fishing methods, aided by Dixie teachers who came up in early 1895. The immigrants in turn helped revolutionize Transpacific industry, bringing with them electrical expertise, ship-building expertise, and cutting edge metalworking techniques. As jobs became scarcer than qualified personnel the CCC shifted its efforts to mass infrastructure efforts, including the volcano-proofing of ‘Little Pompeii’.


No overview of the political climate of the Pacific Directory would be complete without mention of the Fishermen, the Pacific Directory’s intelligence arm. The group who would form the core of the Department of Clandestine Affairs made their first appearance on the world stage during Operation Tiger Hunt in Berlin, an attempt to catch the serial killer Sebastion Moran, who’s suspected ties to international criminal syndicates marked him as a potential threat to the Directory. Upon their success and return to the Directory Chief Director Volya made them a full department of the Transpacific government, tasked with law enforcement and espionage/counter-espionage, and folded the military police into them. They now stand as a potent espionage and internal police force on-par with the German Federation’s infamous state police from whom they drew inspiration.

 

[theDright]

Do yoy have any recommendations for states, Ahigin? Don't really know what is most critical since most of the big guys are filled. I would be willing to play a secondary or minor power.

 

[JohannaK]

Britain is an NPC right now, but they are also fighting something like two wars on three continents against half a dozen fairly sizeable powers. There is also Spain, Persia... Many...

 

[Kyzarc Fotjage]

Austria-Bavaria, Hungary, and Gran-Paraguay are all pretty strong powers that aren't in terrible diplomatic situations. Gran-Paraguay in particular can dramatically turn the war between its neighbors if it so chose. Portugal-Brazil is strong but getting into a slug-fest with several others. Britain is in the same boat as Brazil only worse in every possible way. Ukraine and Iberia are decently strong, but are also under the hegemony of other regional powers. I dunno if Siberia or the Netherlands actually have players, but if not then Siberia is a fairly strong power who's on the winning (ie: Russian) side. You'd be under Russian hegemony, but its a pretty sweet deal. Russia-Sempai protects us all. Netherlands on the other hand is undergoing governmental collapse and possible civil war. Minor powers are a slow grind where you can't do much to effect the world, but there's a handful that have something to build from (namely Switzerland and the Baltics), and if you're willing to play ball with a European power or Taiping then turning an African nation into a regional power would be both possible and hilarious

 

[Seon]

Do yoy have any recommendations for states, Ahigin? Don't really know what is most critical since most of the big guys are filled. I would be willing to play a secondary or minor power.

Most critical nations in need of players is Porto Brazil and Britain, but it would need some strong commitment on your end for the game to work.

Gran Paraguay have a relatively strong economy currently and is eyeing both its northern neighbors for conquest or influence.

AB have myriad of international obligations it is currently part of.

Sweden is a good secondary power with avenues for expanding its influence in Scandinavia—perhaps even unifying the region peacefully and becoming a great power onto itself.

 

[Shadowbound]

Do yoy have any recommendations for states, Ahigin? Don't really know what is most critical since most of the big guys are filled. I would be willing to play a secondary or minor power.

You should play Gran Paraguay.

 

[Ahigin]

Sorry, I was really swamped with work.

If I were a Start New Campaign screen in a Paradox Interactive game, I'd say this:
Major powers:
British Royal Commonwealth - very hard difficulty
Portugal-Brazil - hard difficulty
Austria-Bavaria - medium difficulty
Hungary - medium difficulty
Gran Paraguay - low difficulty

Secondary powers:
Sardinia-Piedmont - very hard difficulty
Netherlands - very hard difficulty
Iberian Republic - medium difficulty
Siberian Popular Assembly - very low difficulty
Ma Dynasty - very hard difficulty
Ukrainian Hetmanate - low difficulty

Medium powers
Sweden - medium difficulty
Finland - medium difficulty
Switzerland - medium difficulty
Denmark-Norway - medium difficulty
Moravia - low difficulty
United Baltic Duchies - low difficulty
Dai Viet - medium difficulty
Khiva - medium difficulty
Basmachi State - medium difficulty
Oman - medium difficulty
Caucasian Imamate - hard difficulty

Everyone else is minor powers, and playing them depends on your ambitions. It's easy for them to survive if they don't stick out, but they're a choice for the patient player. However, as Pacific Directory proves, they, too, can into space.

 

[Masada]

I’d be okay with creating an independent Ghana for someone to play.

 

[Masada]

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

We do affirm! We do affirm!

Claps and cheers from the crowd

Thank you, comrades. Thank you.

The real decision which the people of the world are called upon to make is one of values. Our values are all those which create prosperity, uphold order, promote peace and encourage virtue. These are the foundations of civilization and the natural order of all things.

Without these values the people will be poor, the state disordered, injustice flourish, peace become an idle dream and the wicked gain advantage. Those who live these values ought to lose in all eyes their humanness.

We hold that the purpose of all governments to give leadership and direction so that all citizens by their work and industry may contribute to their welfare and the common welfare of society.

As things stand, we enjoy unparalleled success at home in these matters. Yet we are confronted by grievous distress among the myriad peoples of the world burdened with war, stooped low under the lash of the powerful, sundered from the comforting word of God and we grieve at this waste of human potential.

These others claim that the present state is the best state that can be found in this world. It is on this premise that they justify their rule. They postulate that they are prosperous, peaceful, orderly and virtuous nations.

We say positively that these others are in error and we wish that the great masses of their people would emerge out of the darkness and see that a new sun rises in the East!

We ask the workers if they enjoy these fruits of the natural order that God hath wrought? We put this question to the peasant? We put it to the middle classes? And in each instance the answer is a negative.

But if we put the question to the powerful; to the landlords; to the merchant class; to the industrialists; to the bankers; to the arms dealer; in sum to the all the men in top hats, then the answer would be in the affirmative.

We view prosperity not from the perspective of the rich, but from the perspective of the toiling masses!

Not for us do we give preferential regard for the wealthier sorts, rather it is our policy that the future be for the people and our policies for the future are towards the same purpose!

So let us all shout for joy to the Lord, and let us pray that all the earth will one day burst into this jubilant song!

The east is red, the sun is rising.
From Heaven comes Lord Hong.
He strives for the people's happiness,
Hurrah, is the people's great savior
He strives for the people's happiness,
Hurrah, is the people's great savior

Lord Hong loves the people,
He is our guide
To build the Kingdom of God
Hurrah, lead us forward!
To build the Kingdom of God
Hurrah, lead us forward!

Lord Hong is like the sun
Wherever he is, it is bright
Wherever Lord Hong is praised
Hurrah, the people are liberated!
Wherever Lord Hong is praised
Hurrah, the people are liberated!

The east is red, a new dawn comes.
From Heaven comes Lord Hong.
He strives for the people's happiness,
Hurrah, is the people's great savior
He strives for the people's happiness,
Hurrah, is the people's great savior.

Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

[Masada]

Savant Möller. Minister De Vries. Marquis de Villareal. Sirs, I must say, you do me a great honor being here. Ministers, Magistrates, Scholars, Civil Servants, Officers Cadres, Soldiers, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentleman, Countrymen.

Before I begin my talk with you, I want to spend a few minutes talking about something dear to my heart: I want to thank all those old veterans here, and I know there are many of you, who stood beside me before the gates of Shanghai, who walked in the same trenches before Changsha and who held their ranks at the Battle of Canton. It is because you that this wily old peasant has been given a chance to serve at the highest level in our great undertaking. I shall always owe those who gave me that opportunity to rise so high.

I shall forever remember that moment when I beheld the light... that morning I rose as I often did before dawn. In those days I was a rice farmer. My plot was small. On the side of a hill. But it was near the road so I got to speak to travelers. I might have been poor but I was not lonely or starved for news. That morning I saw a handsome fellow, a scholar I saw him to be by his dress, walking down the road in front of me.

I did not know then who he was so you must forgive me, as he forgave me, because I said with cheek "you look like a lost child, young master" to which he replied "aye I was but now I'm found" and, again you will have to forgive me comrades, because I was convinced that this handsome strange must be mad because I had never heard words such as these.

I hope you'll forgive me a few minutes more of remembering.

You see this fine fellow stopped in my village. We had not had a scholar talk to us before. It was a novel experience. We had seen them certainly, but to talk to us? Well that was new. I understood not a word he said, the language was all new to me as I'm sure was the case for many of you. But I knew then that whatever he said was spoken from honest conviction. It was then that I decided that I would stand together with this man.

I would be remiss to mention the reaction of my wife. Before I begin I must thank her for her patience, support and loyalty over these great many years and there is no man living who does not owe it to his wife more than he can repay, and I want her to realize that. My wife, you see is fierce, her grandmother was Miao... yes... hotblooded... mercurial... you understand... well she threatened to kill me and had the knife in her hand to do it! As luck would have it she was just cooking. It was not a serious threat. But I was afraid. So I fled to my new teacher and asked him to please come and talk to my wife. He returned and with a few words and a kind gesture disarmed her literally and figuratively. After that she was his most devoted servant and became in fact his personal cook.

This is my day, I have been told. I am not sure when I was born honestly. My mother was not literate and she was not sure the precise day. It might have been today all those years ago or some other day. On this day as on any other, I feel a deep obligation to renew my pledges, my covenant with God, who I saw walk this very earth.

God once said to me that duty is the most sublime word, and I have come increasingly to realize what he meant. It has taken a long time but you must forgive this old peasant his dull wits. I shall do my duty you, God willing, as I would to every man, to every woman, yes, and even to the children of in his future kingdom! I shall fulfill my duty to you in keeping with the fullness of the Gospels and our God's teachings! Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

I have said to you that I would eliminate the criminal elements in this nation to advance his heavenly peace. I am happy to report to you that this very moment there are thousands of one-way tickets and stamped on these are words "for gangsters... destination anywhere but China!" I am happy to report to you that the days of these drink demons and card pushers are over that the peasant in the field, the toiler in the factories have decided that their money can be better spent to help the cause of building factories, of educating our children and of helping our elders! God has put me into this sacred office, comrades, and I have done His will.

I shall continue my efforts to build the nation's strength, not only through maintaining a sober and honest policy but by using my strong right hand to direct the economy in a way that cannot help but inspire confidence in the toilers! Our people will have jobs, our people will have industry, our people will have goods, our people in time will also have ease! We shall provide a better life for our children by God.

I shall not forget the elderly who have given so much to this nation. They deserve to live out their lives in comfort and dignity. The same consideration will be extended to our sick, both mental and physical, and it is in the care we show for our most vulnerable that the greatness of our God will be shown. So I ask you all comrades to remember his teachings and do right by the poor, the weak, the mourning, the hungry and the thirsty!

The peasant knows that this government is his comforter under whose crook they have seen their incomes rise, his markets blossom, and his life improve. I want the labouring man to know that he also has a friend in this government and that he his striving is not in vain! I also want to assure that every child in this state will be able to get an education, that they might rise alongside the nation! We hold as an absolute truth that birth ought not to matter in this country and we are putting into practice the means to ensure that.

Today I have stood, where once God stood, and took an oath to the people. It is very appropriate then that from this cradle of the Kingdom, this very heart of the restoration of Christianity to the heart of China, that today I can speak to you about the progress that we have made and the bright future that we look forward to. We shall surpass our ancestors, we shall surpass everyone and we shall replace the world as it is with the world as it should be - a God ordered world! Let us rise to this divine call - let us hear the trumpets that call from on high and send our answer with a resounding cry! In the name of the greatest people on this earth I draw a line, when I say not one step back, progress now, progress tomorrow, progress forever!

Now comrades let us acknowledge that the Lord is our strength and our shield; that in him our heart trusts, and we are helped; and let our hearts exult and with this song we will give thanks to Him:

Depth of mercy! Can there be
mercy still reserved for me?
Can my God his wrath forbear,
me, the chief of sinners, spare?

I have long withstood his grace,
long provoked him to his face,
would not hearken to his calls,
grieved him by a thousand falls.

I my Master have denied,
I afresh have crucified,
oft profaned his hallowed name,
put him to an open shame.

There for me the Savior stands,
shows his wounds and spreads his hands.
God is love! I know, I feel;
Jesus weeps and loves me still.

Now incline me to repent,
let me now my sins lament,
now my foul revolt deplore,
weep, believe, and sin no more.