Vulkan Republic
On the political stage of Bysia, the Vulkan Republic is young relative to its time-worn neighbors. Somewhat chauvinistically referring to itself as "the Republic," its people defend their beliefs with ferocity, the source of which is quite easy to discern from its history.
Public Agenda
It has been difficult to preserve the freedom and security that the people of the Republic deserve. The distinction between propaganda and truth is blurry, with scholars dedicated to sanitizing contradictory records and undesirable news. Children are tested for markers of magical potential, with grueling and sometimes fatal training awaiting any undiscovered mages. The massive standing army consumes a correspondingly massive share of the budget, and the bloody nature of its intelligence apparatus' work is an open secret glorified in Vulkan moving pictures. These choices were not made lightly, privately acknowledged by many to be violating the spirit, if not the letters, of their Constitution, but the Republic has long since internalized the understanding that in such a harsh world, the ends justify the means. Guilt may gnaw at consciences, but kind words and merciful acts mean little in the face of fate.
Many years have passed since militiamen held the Second Line during the Cataclysm, and many more since bearded heroes arrived bearing steel, coal, and political support. Today, the Republic leads the North-West Bloc, proudly flying its standards by those of its allies. Republic policies of ideological assimilation and interventionism have locked the Republic into a decades-long war with the Kuran Empire, with Navy and Air Command elements a crucial lifeline for the outnumbered forces of the Savoi Nations. The Remnant remains the North-West's most powerful rival, however, as several decades of skirmishes and espionage have shown the New Order to be alive and well.
Vulkan analysts struggle to navigate the politics of the Bysian Realms and the Utar Confederacy, and certain movements have spawned heated controversy and unparalleled cruelty over the treatment of mages and non-humans in a land where all peoples were created equal. It is unclear how, or if, the Vulkan Republic will survive the Fourth Age, as a nation forgotten by the few recorded prophecies of the sages.
History
Once upon a time, the states of the Republic were colonies and agricultural sectors in the Kingdom of Decia, fed up with their violent oppression and exploitation by uncaring masters. Ironically, in rebellion farmers and colonists were joined by the same people ordered to suppress them: Mages and soldiers sympathetic to the starving workers and sickened by orders to cut down civilian crowds. Peace, though an uneasy affair, was quickly achieved with the loyalists driven from their homes and Decia unwilling to be further drawn into an unwinnable war.
The victorious revolutionaries rapidly built a fledgling nation, learning in the messy business that half-measures would not suffice. The Kingdom's pride was capricious, and the new Decian Remnant foamed at the mouth to crush Vulkan under its boots. Thus, it came as a huge relief when the Appachian Strongholds recognized the Republic. Swarmed by dwarven aid and recruits, battle-hardened veterans drilled the eager volunteers into fighting shape. In exchange, the Republic merely had to provide a steady food supply and help deter their mutual enemies. Despite the passage of decades, the fears of inevitable betrayal proved unfounded, instead confirming that Dwarves are rather stubborn about grudges.
In the years since, the Vulkan Republic has been officially at war with one foreign power or another for well over half its existence.
Military
The armed forces of the Vulkan Republic are a reflection of their status as a highly-industrialized nation, relying on a vast standing army equipped with mass-produced equipment.
Innovating on Appachian doctrine, every Vulkan landship is a spearhead backed by artillery batteries, airships, and Vulkan triggermen who have made open order tactics and combined arms maneuvers infamous. Almost as infamous is the G3 crossbow's standard explosive bolt, enchanted to pierce armor before detonating its filler in a display as brutally effective as the Army's newer break action rifles.
Admittedly, their seagoing navy is outgunned by the Remnant Royal Navy and outnumbered by the Kuran Empire's, their Airships less sophisticated than Savoi and Appachian counterparts, their magical aptitude inferior to the wizened mages of Nova Speranza and the Elves. But a century of perpetual fighting have produced a cold and efficient war machine ready for deployment at a moment's notice, forcing allies and enemies alike to keep a close eye on the nascent superpower.
All of this has been made possible by the budgetary black hole that is the Vulkan military-industrial complex that warhawks tout as a deterrent against Remnant invasion.
Type
Geopolitical, Republic
Alternative Names
The Republic
Demonym
Vulkans
Government System
Democracy, Representative
Power Structure
Federation
Economic System
Market economy
Parent Organization
Location
Neighboring Nations
