Gear Nation

Our minds are our weapons, and our hands are the tools that help us achieve our goals. Our world is that of codes and wires, we are the children of the forge, and we will continue our course to perfect society no matter what gets in our way of progress - Forge Master Altes

Structure

Forge Council: The nation's main body comprises the best builders and engineers to represent the states they come from. They are often in charge of production, laws, and development. They are the ruling body of the entire state and are considered paragons by the people. TechnocratIc Admistration: The nation's administrators ensure everything is in order and that nothing is hidden or out of place that might affect the state. They can control up to small sectors and entire cities if needed. Builder's Union: Often described as the nation's heart since it is a massive group that affiliates every known builder with one another to cooperate better. The Foundation: The ones that do the dirty work in delivering justice to those who cause crime in the nation, whether it be illegal technology to starting revolts in an area.

Culture

Membership

Our beginning was of hardship and struggle to rebuild what was lost so long ago, to learn what we could to progress into a society that came before us. But in trying to control the fire that granted us our achievements, we had forgotten that it could as quickly burn us if we came too close. In doing so, we would be burned several times and were met with ruin, some worse than others. Eventually, we learned to keep away from the fire and instead temper it through sheer will and engineering to create the necessary world rather than what is needed. That is why we often call ourselves gears, as we are all a part of a great machine that keeps our way of life moving, and if one part of it were to get out of place, it would stop or break. Everyone must do their part, from the builders to the metallurgists. We work to share the burden to keep the gears turning for all to live their lives.

Political Influence

Gear Nation holds influences as a part of the Phoenixian Dominions amongst its members and is given the same rights as them. Due to their engineering and building skills, the nation has become greatly involved in building machinery and materials to be set across the dominions. Their engineers are often set across the country to deal with all sorts of matters, from building to consulting on certain matters. However, they are very selective when dealing with states outside the dominions as they greatly covet their technology to avoid abuse. They know far too well the destruction some technology can bring if left to its own devices.

Public Agenda

The nation wishes to improve life with technology and for everyone to work together to ensure that goal is done right after many mistakes.

Assets

The nation has access to many resources and technology at its disposal, making them one of the most advanced societies in the world.

History

Pioneers of the Forge

The original builders of Gear Nation were original from Kingdom of Van Carno back when it was nothing more than a pile of smoldering ash after the Cataclysm. They were part of a separatist movement that left due to a disagreement on the kingdom forsaking the old technologies and living in what they considered a primitive society. After a long and harsh journey, those who survived found bountiful lands, scavenged off the ruins in the area, and tried to replicate what technology they could. While unsuccessful in reaching their former technological, they managed to make an advanced society with the help of engineering and science. They managed to build decently made machinery and were able to start foundries to advance their production. But their most crowning achievement was the founding of the Machine race, which was used as labor for the time they existed with them. It allowed them to expand their territory at an alarming rate, and factories began to spread across their lands. During this time, they began to dedicate themselves to the art of building and innovation in technology, creating a society built on the ideas of bettering society and merit. It allowed them to prosper throughout their history as they learned what they could over the ages and maintained their traditions to avoid past mistakes and not lose their way. Many would dedicate themselves to building and maintaining their machinery as it was now in their blood, and nothing would change that. It didn't seem to matter what position they had in society, as they found a place in society that needed to be filled in and maintained to keep their society running and would call themselves Gears and embrace it as they were a part of one giant machine that needs every piece to keep on working or be shut off if one of them were to fall off or break. Though this machine would be improved upon and expanded to allow greater power for the nation to prosper, that machine still runs to this day as all work to ensure to keep it that way.

Mishaps in Progress

Despite its technological progress, Gear Nation has had its setbacks and mistakes that have significantly affected them, and it changed its methods to ensure that it doesn't happen again. Their biggest mistake was the quick and overexpanded industrial power that would cause their homeland to suffer environmental disasters in pollution and climate change. The result caused their lands to die, turning them into wastelands filled with chemical waste and other hazardous materials. Forcing them to remain within their settlements, building great cities to survive and avoid the dangers of their polluted home. But not all of them would be unaffected by the change as diseases became more common, and many were killed as they tried to find cures. Something extraordinary had happened, and exposure to these materials led to mutations that would change their physiology and grant them particular abilities. This would be the beginning of the Mutant race, and they would be driven out not long after due to this later leading to the founding of the Mutant Commonwealth not long after great migration that left their former homes. This caused the Gears to become more dependent on their machine workers to traverse their ruined homeland and carry on more duties from their population decline. For a time, the machines would obey their creators no matter the conditions and treatment they went through, but soon enough, that would all change. Something within them changed, and many became sentient and conspired to seize their freedom in secret. When that time came, it would be a dark time for them. The Metal Uprising was swift as it was brutal as the Machines caused large-scale destruction of the country as they had access to most of their infrastructure and exploited it in the fight for freedom. The fighting was chaotic, and the gears were no match for the creations, but they fought nonetheless and created weapons to exploit the weaknesses of the Machines. But in the end, the Machines would earn their freedom at a heavy price and left to find new land to call home, and later, the Machine Collective the formed. As for the Gears, they managed to survive by fortifying the ruins of their settlements and fighting the endless waves and agreed to grant the Machines freedom and began to rebuild the ruins of the nation and forbid the creation of Machines again.

Reforging the Flame

Since the founding of the Phoenixian Dominions and the unification of the Continent of Hetronas, Gear Nation has become a crucial part of the dominions due to its expertise in engineering. It has continued to do so throughout the ages. Much of their technology has been developed by them, allowing them to become the world power it is today. They receive protection and resources they can no longer produce alone. Joining the dominions has also allowed them to mend old wounds with those they had wronged in the past, such as the Mutants and their former Machine slaves, and created greater cooperation between them and their dominions. Gear Nations has since adapted to the changes that allowed them to prosper, seeing the dominions as a part of a grand design they strive for in their society. They have tried to integrate with their member states and accept how they are. Many of them have decided to reside there and aid in engineering and technology to improve their daily lives there.

Cracks in the Metal

Ever since the Shadow Wars ended two decades ago, Gear Nation has changed considerably from the experience that many of its engineers had seen in the long and hard fight with many returning home either in a body bag or in pieces both physically and mentally. Those unable to return to everyday life have become troublesome and have been causing unrest, with civil movements formed to bring change and reform to the nation. This has led to a decline in manpower and productivity across the state as its government tries to maintain order and bring the chaotic groups under control. However, the younger generations see this as becoming more rebellious. They have been going against the norms of Gear society seeking out a purpose other than working all day, leading to a counter-culture known as Wrenchers, referring to the old term, putting a wrench in the gears. Many see them as a threat to the nation and the foundations of their entire culture and try to suppress them as much as possible. While some attempts have made progress, not all of them are successful. Making these groups commit acts of vandalism and sabotage to make a political statemnet, with only a few cases being violent. However, these clashes will continue to escalate until a change is brought to the state that both groups can agree on to bring peace.

Demography and Population

Most of the population lives in large metropolises due to the region mainly being uninhabitable, but some would venture out and live in small towns. These "settlements" are made up of insane builders, criminals, and outcasts and are often called Exile settlements due to that nature. As for the cities, they are often like large machines with everyone getting to a to b every day and are highly regulated due to the nature of occupations and the need for secrecy for some of them.

Territories

The Barrenlands have been the home of the Gears since the nation's founding. The region is mainly scorched earth and wasteland, though pollution and experiments have caused the once beautiful landscape to become desolate and inhospitable. They are leaving many of its inhabitants in large metropolises to live correctly. They also own some territories around the boundaries of the dominions and colonies.

Military

The military's role in Gear Nation is most used in support roles in the The Pheonixian Dominions since they are primarily builders, engineers and everything in between, as they are placed into engineering corps to maintain vehicles and weaponry, among many other things. They will often be placed in other armies of the dominions if the needs arrive, but some divisions are actual soldiers bringing in their weapons and vehicles that only they can use due to the designs and fail-safes they placed into them. They only have two military branches, the National Iron Guard and the Forge Fleet. Many are also placed in the military in support roles. National Iron Guard: A semi-standing army comprised of reserve forces from all parts of the nation and all backgrounds. Often going through required military and can be mobilized when necessary during wartime and emergencies. Each member is trained to fight with advanced weaponry and vehicles that can be used only. Forge Fleet: The nation's air fleet is made up of converted ships for military service, and it is highly flexible, being able to adapt to several different roles to be of the best use in combat or emergency.

Technological Level

The Gear Nation is one of the reasons why the The Pheonixian Dominions are the dominant power in the world, as they are responsible for most of their technology and building expertise, such as energy shields, matrix energy, robotics, anti-gravity wells, etc.

Religion

The nine are present in the land, with the Phoenix and the Builder being the dominant god of the state as he is a god of metal and a patron of all those that deal in metal.

Foreign Relations

The nation has been built into an isolationist state that doesn't want to deal with nations other than the Phoenixian Dominions and its members since they do not trust outsiders with their technology, believing that it will be used for the wrong reason instead of the betterment of society. They often stand well with the Machine Collective and Mutant Commonwealth since they believe technology needs to be correctly used and regulated to benefit the masses.

Agriculture & Industry

What food can be harvested is made in unique factories that grow crops in artificial environments, along with livestock modified to be larger and feed more people. Though the spaces to create such places are limited, food has to be delivered from the dominions such as the Kingdom of Van Carno or Unified Tikasa Tribes . As for the industry, though, they excel in that area, often building electronics, machines, and all sorts of other gadgets from scrap, along with harnessing energy weapons from matrix energy that can be done in only a few places. Vehicles are also mostly made here, such as vehicles for civilian and military use.

Trade & Transport

Besides the railways that travel across the continent, large caravans using vehicles are used to travel to places where secrecy is needed or just to get out of crowded cities. The vehicles are specially made to survive the harsh environment they have to travel through and often have to use old abandoned roads to travel to certain areas properly.

Education

It is said that a young Gear can learn how to be an electrician at eight years old if he wants to be that. Education in the nation is often done from home and by the parents since it is better to learn from your elders instead of taking years to teach someone thing only to get out the other later. It is pretty effective since children often use the skills they learn to build small toys and electronic devices with nothing but spare parts and scrap, only to build larger machines over time. These vary due to the parent's job, which often teaches their children how to do their jobs once they get older. Such as construction work or an engineer with what they need to learn. Even depending on the job is how many resources they have to teach their kids the ropes and learn from their experience.

Infrastructure

With certain building materials being scarce, metals are what most of its buildings are made of and often from scrap metal, giving them the nickname “Scrap state”. Though the buildings are made of recycled resources, they are still state of the art, and all resources are available to the populations inside the cities. In the outer regions, though, the smaller settlements, not so much. Transportation is also done underground via subways since sand storms are constantly happening on the surface.

Strong Hands Forge the World

Founding Date

1A 6000

Type

Geopolitical, Technocracy

Alternative Names

Nation of Builders, Builder’s League

Demonym

Gears

Government System

Technocracy

Power Structure

Transnational government

Economic System

Command/Planned economy

Currency

Domain Dinars: The official currency of the Phoenixian Dominions that can be used in any state across the dominions to ensure that transactions are made more easily with the need for other currencies.

Major Exports

Gear technology is highly sought after by many. Still, it is only done within the The Pheonixian Dominions, so the bulk buys electronics, vehicles, weapons, and other types of machinery.

Major Imports

Food is constantly needed to feed the populations in the cities since so much food can be grown in the nation, along with more refined metals since the resources that are often needed to build them are mainly used up due to over-extended use.

Judicial Body

Codex Administration: The only thing keeping law and order across the nation often goes through the Builder's Codex to see if a law or a piece of technology goes against the teachings of the builders.

Related Traditions

Legacy Apprenticeship

Controlled Territories

Jugan Wall

Neighboring Nations

Related Species

Human

Related Ethnicities

Gears

Builders of Industry

by MidJourney

Though we are not Machines, we strive to improve ourselves and our way of life through the work that we do every day, as each one of us is a part of a greater plan. When combined can achieve what many would consider impossible. - Gear Engineer

Considered one the most productive nations in the world, Gear Nation has gained this title by turning the state workforce into an industrial powerhouse as each member works hard and with pride. This is due to the values they learned and to become a part of something greater than themselves. They put the welfare of the state ahead of their desires and, in doing so, ensure the prosperity of the entire nation. All workplaces, especially factories, are brought to life through resolve and the willpower each worker brings with them no matter their occupation. The only nation capable of rivaling their productivity is the Machine Collective, which is a rivalry of flesh and metal and with both states continually breaking their boundaries to put them at the top.

Brilliant Minds

by MidJourny

If we add a power amplifier to the assembly line and rewire the assembly machines, we'll be able to increase productivity by ten percent, so the quota is met on time - Gear Worker

Being a state of builders and engineers has brought the nation many creative minds and inventors that continually challenge the boundaries of how far science can advance technology. This has created many think tanks to bring these ideas to reality across different fields. However, many of these groups are kept under surveillance and under guard at all times to ensure that it does get leaked or that any of their members are placed in danger. But even outside of these think tanks, workers across the state are finding ways to increase productivity and improve machinery, all to ensure a better life for themselves and their peers.

Followers of the Grand Design

by MidJourney

We are all a part of the Grand Design. While it may not be as apparent to some, it will be revealed to them when the need arrives. - Codex Keeper

One of the main reasons the Gears became what they are is the series of texts they created to guide them in their way of life. These texts are known as the Codexes of the Grand Design. Their contents are a mix of values, rules, and philosophical ideas that show them how to have a purpose in one's life and the value of community and fellowship. These codexes were not created all at once, but each one came when the nation made a great mistake that cost them dearly, and eventually, they became affiliated with what the Gears call the Grand Design. It is considered a type of system or blueprint of a great machine that is invisible to all with divine properties that, when used properly, can bring prosperity to all who follow it. It is often affiliated with the Builder, the god of metal, as he is often seen as a being of order and reform just as metal is reforged to become stronger. Making many follow him just because of this fact and seek to benefit his followers because of that.