Upēsis
Home to Fish and Rubble
Sometimes I wake up in the morning and contemplate the existence of the colony and my purpose here. All we've got around here is fish... a lot of damn fish.Upésis is a fledgeling colony established by the Republic of Taisas on the banks of the Ravil, a wide river known for its incredibly diverse freshwater ecosystem. The colony's primary function is to serve as a fishbarrel for the rest of the country, providing its citizens with enough food. A large portion of the settlement lies within the ruins of a massive library that was at some point in history bombed, leaving only half of the building standing.
Government
The Colonial Congress
The colony's government consists of ten members of the Colonial Congress. Every five years the colony holds an election where the people who live there get to choose their representatives. The Colonial Congress is led by a Mengāusas, an individual selected by the central government of the Republic of Taisas who has to represent the country's interests, send reports back home, and to make sure that the goods from the colony arrive back in the main settlements in time.
The Burgundy Bunker
When the government of the colony was established, they unanimously agreed to work underneath the ruins of the massive library that the people had begun to call Prisās. There beneath the structure was a secure bunker with dull and grey reinforced concrete walls, and oddly enough, the furniture was comfortable and all of it was the colour of burgundy. Because of this, the seat of the colonial government became known as the Burgundy Bunker.
Defences
Sunrise in Forest by Krists Luhaers
The garrison has six watchtowers around the ruins of the old town. Two soldiers have to be on watch on each of the towers at all times. Each of the towers is equipped with a spotlight, a stockpile of extra ammunition, a portable stove, and several flares that the guards are supposed to use when they see a threat approaching the colony. One of the towers next to the river also has a machine gun attached to it.
History
Search for Sustenance
As the country's main settlements expanded, its leadership grew more ambitious, but the people began to demand better food and living conditions. At first, the protests were violently suppressed on the orders of Valler Keila of Taisas, but after a while, she saw an opportunity.
Early in the morning of a cold spring day, the Taisari Defence Force arrested the main leaders of the protests and brought them to the Valler while a large crowd observed from a distance. She presented them with an offer. They could serve the country and the people they claim to care so much about, by going out into the wilderness in search of a good source of food, or they could all face the firing squad.
Early in the morning of a cold spring day, the Taisari Defence Force arrested the main leaders of the protests and brought them to the Valler while a large crowd observed from a distance. She presented them with an offer. They could serve the country and the people they claim to care so much about, by going out into the wilderness in search of a good source of food, or they could all face the firing squad.
New Nourishment
The dissidents accepted the task, much to the chagrin of a few who were looking forward to the public spectacle. The group received warm clothes, rations, rifles, ammunition, a single flaregun, and roughly repaired snowmobiles. One of them figured that their group should move south.
From what they had gathered from the ancient texts, the lands to the south were warmer and the ground in those regions was fertile. A perfect solution to their food crisis. As they kept exploring and the days turned to weeks, the group had found itself stranded in the hills without any power left in their vehicles. By the next morning, the snowfall had stopped, revealing the ruins of a small town next to a river.
From what they had gathered from the ancient texts, the lands to the south were warmer and the ground in those regions was fertile. A perfect solution to their food crisis. As they kept exploring and the days turned to weeks, the group had found itself stranded in the hills without any power left in their vehicles. By the next morning, the snowfall had stopped, revealing the ruins of a small town next to a river.
We had lost ears and fingers, our faith in the mission and ourselves was wavering, and we were ready to give up and face the consequences, but by some miracle, we had stumbled across our salvation.
Fresh Fish
The group approached the crumbling ruins of what looked like a cosy small town. The first building that had caught their eyes was the library, a colossal structure that had been severely damaged at some point. With the intention of exploring the building, the group moved through the ruined streets until the heard movement. Out of the corner of their eye, one of them spotted a man in rough, white furs, walking around with a crude rifle made of scrap. As they considered what to do, the stranger spotted them and readied his firearm.A tense standoff ensued and more of the strange fur-covered men joined in. Eventually, after minutes had passed, one of the strangers approached without a weapon as the other covered him from behind. The oldest of the dissidents, Kaupos Belaris leaned his rifle against the wall of a collapsed apartment complex and approached the unarmed stranger. The two tried to talk but proved to be difficult. Eventually, by using mutually understandable words and body language, the two were able to communicate.
The locals and the Taisari explorers explained who they were and after the two men had introduced themselves, the tensions eased. The leader of the locals introduced them to the crumbling ruins of the ancient town. As they approached the river the explorers asked the local leader for potential trade agreement in hopes that he could learn what resources the new land had. The fur-covered man was eager to discuss business and he claimed that they had a massive surplus of fish.
There ain't much to do around here. It's all about the fishing and even though some of the workers might complain about the lack of entertainment, they all know that the work they do and the fish they provide for the rest of Taisas is incredibly important.
Flag of Upésis by Mihkel Rand
Alternative Name(s)
The Barrel
Type
Village
Population
648
Inhabitant Demonym
Upési
Location under
Included Locations
Owning Organization
Tribal Troubles
The arrival of the Taisari had caught the local tribes and gangs off guard and they were forced to flee the ruins without putting up much of a fight. For a while, they were content with leaving the strangers to live in the crumbling town but the situation changed when less and less fish were ending up in their nets. Eventually a group of fishermen from the nearby Sei Tribe travelled up the river to investigate the problem.Upon reaching the territories that had been abandoned and left to the foreigners, they saw over a dozen Taisari fishing boats casting and pulling nets in and out of the river. Furious, the tribesmen approached and attempted to fire upon the fishermen with their crude rifles. Caught surprised, the Taisari took cover, grabbed what weapons they could find, and returned fire.
After taking a few casualties and seeing the colonial garrison rush into the fray, the tribesmen began to retreat. Only a few of them made it back home alive. They explained to their people what had happened to the rest and to the fish. The news disturbed the people and within days, every nearby group had heard the news.
View of Ice Bergs by NastyaSensei Sens
Enjoyed this read! The beautiful images and timeline were lovely additions! The timeline also helped me to make sense of the world; I love the layout choices you've done, but it got a little confusing to me about when what happened where...so that extra clarity was welcome. The maps especially I covet, they're wonderful; though simple, they give a nice sense of scale to the world. I appreciate how the quip at the beginning created an instant sense of atmosphere and character to the place, supplemented by the other narratives.