World of Lostoria

RP

Prologue: Eve of the Second Cold War

The Second Great Northern War began in 2039 after being initiated by Astraeos against Hipearia and its remaining allies following the end of the LTO and after eleven long years of fighting and a combined total of tens of millions dead on both sides it's finally over following a Hipearian declaration of victory over the Steel Pact. The ending of the conflict came about in mid 2049 when President Kristina, upon hearing the casualty counts given to her following the Siege of Gaius, the capital of Astraeos, threw herself into a fit of rage evidently upset over the extreme loss of Hipearian life and was angered by the stubbornness of those "b*stard dwarves" who refuse liberation. The President after calming down ordered the ground forces to seal off the remaining subterranean cities and tunnels within Astraeos after releasing a previously unknown biological warfare agent kept on ice in Hipearia into the cities, we would never again fight underground in such bloody sieges such as Gaius, Hipearian forces would spend the next nine months mopping up remaining enemy forces on the surface, the enemy chain of command now shattered and the military collapsing under constant aerial bombardment as the tunnels are no longer a place of safety. Victory was declared in early 2050 over the forces of the Steel Pact, victory came at a huge cost of life and international reputation.

The cruelty of the Hipearian actions used to end the conflict greatly shocked and disgusted the world, isolating it further internationally, no one expected the Federation to use biological weapons on their enemies, let alone civilians. While the exact specifications of what biological weapon used on Astraeos is unknown at this time to the rest of the world it is known to the world that anywhere between 70 and 80 percent of the global Dwarven population is dead following it's use and the nine months of the military hunting down surface survivors contributed to this figure, this information is backed up by the WA further showing it's authenticity. These actions fueled protests and riots within the occupied zones although would be swiftly beaten down and choked out by the Hipearian military police using batons and tear gas. The younger generations in Hipearia who grew up under the hardship of war would celebrate to a great extent, blinded by nationalism and loyalty to what Hipearia had become, the older generations, those who knew what Hipearia used to be like silently watch on as bystanders as they reflect on how many of their civil and political rights got eroded in the name of state security during the war. Remaining Dwarves and disgruntled Hipearians have since formed minor resistance groups, although large actions besides terrorist attacks and demonstrations aren't possible at this time due to extensive state surveillance backed by advanced AI and no distraction of a major war existing. The federal government is able to conduct all these actions with impunity due to President Kristina's current abilities granted due to emergency war powers that was given to her during the war and with state representives currently backing her there's currently no end in sight to those powers, as such she is essentially a dictator at this time which draws mixed views from the population depending on the generation and political affiliation. Hipearia's aforementioned advanced AI is currently known as "Aurora" and was created to assist the state with tasks such as economic management, state surveillance and battlespace management as some of the few main goals but also as a way to hopefully outwit Velkrieg's own well known AI known as Omicron and protect the internet and electrical grid, Aurora does not currently have sentience.

As to what's been done with the new territories is rather simple, northern Vasmein and several Vasmeinian port cities were annexed directly into Hipearia, with the port cities mostly functioning as naval bases along the Orientale Ocean. Southern Vasmein was kindly ceded to the nation of Valparta, this territory included their pre WW2 lands plus a little extra. What remained of Vasmein was turned into an occupation zone as the federal government in Növåra works on deciding what to do with the territory, in the meantime an area of land about the size of a national park has been designated as a weapons testing zone for the Hipearian military, not many environmental concerns are brought up as the land is already pretty devoid of significant life. Now with Astraeos the northern half of the nation has also been directly annexed into Hipearia, included in this area is the Great Basin which was of great interest to Hipearia due to it's potential for settlement, the remaining half of Astraeos was turned into an occupation zone and remaining Dwarves from the northern half now owned by Hipearia are being displaced and forced into the occupation zone in order for Hipearian colonization to be made easier, the occupation zone's future is also currently under consideration but at this time is essentially a nation sized internment camp for Dwarves. All of the former hive cities within the mountains are to be abandoned for an indefinite amount of time, with only permitted government teams able to legally enter, the government excuses this saying it's due to former industrial pollutants, regardless, every hive city maintains an exclusion zone in a radius of 20mi (32km) around them with 24/7 surveillance.

When the nation of Velkrieg invaded Hipearia's brother nation of Landkrei, Hipearia was in the middle of a conflict fighting for survival and wasn't able to back Landkrei in it's own struggle for survival, by the time Hipearia had come out of conflict Landkrei had already fallen to Velkrieg's regime and was completely dismantled as a nation. President Kristina was rather upset at this development, Landkrei before being invaded greatly assisted Hipearia in the second great northern war with material aid and volunteers, now Hipearia couldn't repay Landkrei's gratitude and it put a stain on the national consciousness. They had lost their only ally related by blood and ancient feuds and with Velkrieg conducting a cultural genocide against their fellow Kreisens they couldn't just stand idly by and watch half of the former Kreisen Empire's memory get wiped away by an external power, however they had to think logically, Hipearia couldn't rush head first into another huge regional war to liberate Landkrei after having just fought for eleven years, public opinion of a second major conflict immediately after the war couldn't be counted on to be positive and it was naïve to assume so. Hipearia would have to engage Velkrieg just as it had engaged Astraeos during the first cold war, through proxy conflicts, economic influence, alliance building, preparedness and espionage which Hipearia has decades of experience in since the late 1940s. It was estimated that Velkrieg would struggle early on with diplomacy as they don't have much experience dealing with nations in Lostoria besides using violence and aren't known to have any embassies in foreign countries, to make it even more challenging many of the democratic nations around them already have Hipearian influence and financial institutions embedded in their countries and back their currency with the Hipearian kronor. Hipearia currently maintains the most influence within the nations of Valparta, Frankia, Mordovlakia and Vereenland.

Hipearia decided that in order to prepare itself for a cold war against Velkrieg it needed to improve it's positioning and add a buffer between Velkrieg and the homeland before Velkrieg gets the same idea. Hipearia leveraged it's deep influence within Aetheria to annex the nation directly into the Federation as it had effectively been a satellite state of Hipearia for a few centuries now, only independent on paper, now that arrangement was no longer needed. It was then determined that even after a major war that the battle hardened military could invade the relatively weak and technologically backwards nation of Elaris. In march of 2051 Hipearian armored units and motor rifle brigades supported by air and naval support crossed the northern border into Elaris at a lightning pace, until a series of bad rainstorms attributed to it being spring turned the dirt roads into mud which slowed down the advance significantly. Until the rain let up and the ground dried up Elven forces conducted guerilla warfare from the trees using primitive traps and arcanic tipped arrows to improve the piercing power against modern body armor, to retaliate against these foes the Hipearian air force resorted to napalming large stretches of woodland. Engthedein having already cut its alliance with Hipearia after it's use of biological weapons against civilians drew the line at the seemingly unjust invasion of Elaris which was neutral and joined the war on Elaris's side against Hipearia and struck unguarded southern Hipearian port cities across the channel from it's northern coast with kamikaze drones, attacker jets and missiles, thus this conflict became known as the Occidental War. The initial Engthedeinian strikes were technically a victory however it was shortly lived and Hipearia locked down the airspace and ocean surrounding Engthedein with it's greater fleet and air force, Hipearia would begin orbital bombardment of strictly military sites within Engthedein using it's rods of god. Once the soil dried in Elaris the invasion continued and although surprise was gone it hardly mattered as the sheer technological difference forced Elaris into a swift capitulation as Hipearian forces blitzed southward until they reached the capital, other Hipearian units reached the coast of Elaris along the Centrale Sea and on the horizon was able to faintly see the landmass of Velkriegian occupied Landkrei across the narrow strait, Elaris following surrender would be put under a military administration while the federal government decides it's future. Hipearia's AI Aurora effectively managed the battlespace against Engthedein and launched aggressive cyberattacks against Engthedeinian infrastructure such as it's power grid and internet access, meanwhile the Hipearian navy blocked all civilian shipping from entering Engthedeinian ports and Hipearian marines were able to seize multiple of the smaller islands. Engthedein was offered surrender terms that would result in the loss of no territory, would be able to maintain it's military under Hipearian oversight and would have a pro-Hipearian political cabinet seize leadership of the Imperial Federation. Under the threat of continued bombardment, naval invasions, loss of imports and the morale loss of Elaris surrendering Engthedein would capitulate to Hipearia and would become the Reorganized Federation of Engthedein effectively becoming a Hipearian puppet alongside Elaris unable to make choices outside of internal matters, with Hipearia controlling all foreign matters. The Occidental War was over by November of 2051 with the war only lasting about half a year. In December of 2051 Hipearia would form the alliance called the "Organization of Free States" (OFS) between itself and it's puppets, with negotiations currently ongoing for Valparta's ascendency into the alliance.

Now the year is 2052, Hipearia's primary goals are as follows: contain and curb Velkrieg's influence in a way that gives plausible deniability, prepare for a possible war against the Southern Security Accord, rebuild the nation after the second great northern war, maintain and raise stability in the homeland and puppet states and maintain its globally renowned military and economic status. Hipearia is not comfortable with not being Lostoria's sole hegemon, they had beaten Astraeos with the hope of emerging out of the war as the world's sole superpower and even after that Velkrieg had the gall to maintain the status of the world being multipolar by becoming a superpower themselves, this can't be tolerated and challenges our very existence alongside our legitimacy to being the Kreisen Empire of the modern era. Neither Hipearia nor Velkrieg are able to conduct war against each other in any real capacity at this time due to both nations still freshly recovering from a decade long war with each of their rivals, this gives both nations valuable time to prepare for the future and see if war is inevitable or avoidable between the two blocs.

tags

Landkrei
Velkrieg
Astraeos
Valparta
Vereenland

Blessed are His Angels
July 5, 2052

It's a cold morning in the village of Hohenreid, lying within Velkriegian-occupied Landkrei. Mildew layers atop the glass of cars and house windows. A middle-aged man, Matthias Falkner, awakes from his slumber. He rested well the night prior, next to his wife. He looked at the digital clock sitting on his bedside table, it read "6:48 AM". It was fairly early, but Matthias was well-rested and had work that day. He planned on using his spare time to comfortably get ready for the day. He thought to himself that perhaps he could even surprise his wife with a nice breakfast, as she too had work that day and was disgruntled after what she thought was a tiring weekend with the kids. As Matthias walked downstairs to enter the kitchen, he suddenly stopped. He thought he had heard something. Cautiously, he began moving again and slowly walked and looked around the hallway as he entered the kitchen, checking for anything that could be causing this sudden worry. Once he entered the kitchen, he.. was suddenly tackled onto the floor. His nose broke as it slammed against the tile. "Get on the ground! Don't move!" was yelled practically right into his ear. He turned his face so that his cheek rested on the tile and he could get a glance at who was pushing him down. He couldn't discern how many there were, but there were multiple black-clothed, masked men holding what appeared to be rifles. "I'm not resisting! I'm not resisting! I'm not doing anything!" he frantically screamed. He heard footsteps rapidly come downstairs, it was his wife and two children. He heard the masked men yell for them to get against the wall and cuffs being placed on them. Once done, Matthias was brought up from the ground, cuffed and bleeding from the nose. One of the masked men walked up to Matthias and said "Matthias Falkner?" Matthias replied, "Yes, that's me." The man calmly wiped the blood from Matthias' nose and said "We have a warrant for your arrest, you're going to be coming with us to the detention facility in Grünental." Grünental was the next town over, larger than Hohenreid by approximately 20,000 people. Before Matthias could reply, the man roughly placed a metal mask around his mouth that quickly whirred as motors locked it around his head so that he could not speak or get it off in any fashion. Two of the men grabbed his arms and lifted him up to take him out of his house. His feet dragged on the floor as his heart pounded. He thought of his family, his home, his life. He had spent over 30 years living in that same neighborhood. He bought that house so that he could live across from his parents, who he knew were soon going to retire from old age. He met his wife in that town, and his children were born in its hospital. Unfortunately for Matthias, an LHP underground recruiter had reached out to him the week prior to this incident. Matthias was sympathetic to their cause, torn apart by overwhelming grief for his country following its defeat in the war. He kept in touch with the recruiter as a result. As it turns out, the recruiter was not a member of the underground LHP movement but a Velkriegian decoy whose job was to unearth potential rebels. Matthias was placed in the back of a truck and immediately moved to Grünental where he would reside two weeks in a detention facility. Matthias wasn't a noticeably strong man, he hadn't done much manual labor throughout his life and he certainly didn't have time to go to the gym. The detention facility was intentionally kept unwell, sparking conflict within between prisoners as a secondary way of punishment for their assumed crimes. This meant that, while Matthias was in the detention facility, he was regularly beaten and assaulted. Not only by other inmates but on occasion, guards. Following his two-week stay, Matthias and the rest of the inmates were brought en masse onto an execution ground in the center of town. As Matthias walked out, he saw his wife, his two kids, his parents, and nearly the rest of his extended family in the crowd. They had assumed that Matthias would somehow be proven innocent of his crimes and let go, back to his life. However, they were wrong. One by one, each inmate was propped up on a pole and flayed by a carefully working machine. The entire time, Matthias looked to his family, and mouthed "It's okay. I love you. Everything is going to be okay." Before it was his turn, he saw his wife turn her head and cover his children's eyes as the rest of his family watched, attempting to comfort him. Matthias screamed noticeably louder than the rest. Though eventually, it was over.

The next day, Omicron prepared diplomatic groups. Ambassadors of Velkrieg had slept well the night prior and were ready to exit their suites and board specially prepared flights to Rusvenia, Turanka, Ispanova, Portalia, and Bulgaron respectively. For each mission, the following goals were to be achieved:

Rusvenia
The ambassador would meet with the Rusvenian government, but also with Rusvenian oligarchs. To the government, he would carefully place threats in his request for Rusvenia to officially join the Southern Security Accord (SSA), claiming it would greatly benefit their economy and help them to reduce costs for their aging military. To the oligarchs, Omicron had made deals with the megacorporations of Imperatoris Voluntas to purchase the Rusvenian oligrachs' assets, giving Velkrieg indirect control over the nation just as the oligarchs did.

Turanka
Similar to Rusvenia, the ambassador emphasizes the natural need for their nation to join the Southern Security Accord (SSA) or atleast work with it. The Greater Syntharchate of Velkrieg is a powerful ally to have and Turanka could finally step on the world stage. Though, if they don't want to.. who knows what could happen, really?

Ispanova
The ambassador sent to Ispanova exaggerates the crimes of Hipearia. They had invaded nearly all of Ispanova's neighbors, and Ispanova was considerably weaker. Ispanova was backed up on the coast, and needed a friend. That friend could be Omicron. We can replace its aging military and give its people greater incentives. Life in Ispanova could be safe and prosperous. All that's needed, is for them to align with the Greater Syntharchate of Velkrieg.

Portalia
The ambassador to Portalia shares similar statements to the Ispanovan ambassador. Portalia was a very, very small country and was surrounded by Ispanova and water. Who sits across that water? The Greater Syntharchate of Velkrieg. The ambassador stressed that obviously Ispanova was going to take our side, and what then? Can Portalia defend itself? Of course not. Naturally, the Portalians need to do the only thing that will ensure their survival; formally entering into the Southern Security Accord (SSA).

Bulgaron
The ambassador to Bulgaron emphasizes its size as well as its irrelevance. Hellenia to the North is clearly leaned towards the Hipearians, so who should Bulgaron side with? Their enemy would thrive unless Bulgaron were to join forces with the Greater Syntharchate of Velkrieg. Velkriegian forces can enter their nation and bolster their lines against the north as well as offer trade securities and naval support.

Omicron will be updated in real-time as the replies of each country come in. Meanwhile, internal operations continue regarding reconstruction efforts and the crackdown on resistance movements stirring especially in Landkrei. Interestingly, the Imperatoris Voluntas Research & Development Division and Department of Fabrication have been receiving a sharp rise in government funding.

"Blessed are His Angels, the Emperor's cherished legions."

RP

Outreach

Mid August through Early September of 2052

President Kristina who is currently unaware of Omicron's diplomatic efforts has also issued orders for Hipearia's diplomatic corps to begin diplomatic missions to the following nations:

Valparta
Valparta is already expected to join the OFS however the mission is to speed up Valparta's entry into the alliance and to negotiate with Valparta allowing the stationing of Hipearian hypersonic missile batteries and radar stations across the lake from Mordovlakia which would put occupied Austerra within range of intermediate range hypersonic missiles.

Frankia
Frankia is already deeply aligned with Hipearia as the two states share a similar ideological upbringing in the form of Republicanism, Hipearian military support in the past saving them from Landkreian occupation and Hipearian banking influences important to the regional economy. Hipearia aims to get Frankia to join the OFS through peaceful means and promises them territorial gains in Ispanova in the event of conflict. Hipearia stresses to Frankia that with Hipearian rule over the seas being an undisputable fact it would be beneficial for Frankia to align itself with the nation capable of keeping it's vital sea lanes open in the event of conflict.

Mordovlakia
Hipearian goals in Mordovlakia mostly revolve around it either joining the OFS or having the nation maintain it's formal neutrality. Secondary goals of this diplomatic mission involve Hipearia gaining the right to conduct military reconnaissance flights within Mordovlakia's airspace right up against Velkrieg's northern border and improving Hipearian reputation following the end of the Second Great Northern War.

Hellenia
Hipearian diplomatic efforts don't have to be as extensive within this nation as with other nations as regional rivalry's between Hellenia and Bulgaron already appear to be blowing the two nations into either camp, with Bulgaron evidently aligning itself more with Velkrieg's SSA it's almost certain Hellenia will align itself with the OFS against an ever aggressive Bulgaron.

Vereenland
Hipearian efforts are aimed at further aligning Vereenland with the OFS and if the nation won't outright join Hipearia, theres at least hopes to get away with achieving the rights for Hipearian naval vessels to dock and resupply at Vereenlander ports and open up new economic trade deals between the two nations in order for Hipearia to help modernize Vereenland's military alongside improving both nation's economies.

Ispanova
Hipearian diplomatic efforts are most heavily concentrated in Ispanova, with Hipearia aiming to steer the nation towards joining the OFS and with the secondary goal of getting mineral rights to several sites in northern Ispanova in return for Hipearia sending experienced military advisors and military hardware to ispanova to help modernize the nation's aging military. Hipearia also hints at opening land based trade corridors between Ispanova and Hipearia's occupation zone in Dvergvaria to allow Ispanova to benefit from the huge amount of raw materials being gained in the north's extensive mountain range, which would in theory turn the woes of the Ispanovan economy around and finally allow for economic resurgence, it's of course left out that this would make Ispanova reliant on exports coming out of Hipearia, essentially making them a puppet economically if accepted.

Other nations deemed not as important to mention extensively
Hipearian efforts in Portalia center around Hipearia supporting their neutrality and just like with Frankia assuring them that Hipearia can keep Portalia's sea based trade routes open in the event of conflict, Hipearia would rather see Portalia function as a neutral merchant hub than be militarized. Hipearia doesn't need to try so hard in Veskovia as it's expected for them to align with the OFS regardless as their close partner Valparta is in the progress of joining the alliance. Rusvenia is suspected to be a waste of time and not many efforts are made there, Hipearia has no intentions of protecting a corrupt nation cornered on essentially all sides by the SSA and with a heavy heart leaves them to their likely fate. Hipearia again doesn't make much of an effort to steer Bulgaron as they have already shown their true colors, instead a warning is issued to them warning against an invasion of Hellenia. Hipearian efforts in Turanka are only steered towards convincing them to maintain their longstanding neutrality and aligning them economically with the north. Hipearia maintains an interest in Magyara due to their close ties with Valparta however is also wary of their territorial intentions within Mordovlakia, as of now Hipearia is attempting to have them maintain neutrality.

Surveillance, Home and Abroad

November and December of 2052

Snow softly begins to fall across the nations in the OFS as this year's winter storm approaches, colder temperatures expected this winter as less greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere following the dismantling of Astraeos and it's heavily pollutive industry. Global temperatures were never expected to decrease in the modern era although this unexpected trend is welcomed as it reduces the severity of the climate crisis. For others though the approaching winter is seen as a bad omen as surveillance usually increases during the colder months when people are held up in their homes and don't have much to do except be online and potentially be radicalized against the state, a trend federal forces have noticed and picked up on, as such Aurora has been given the task of monitoring internet traffic for suspicious activities within Hipearia and it's puppet states. Alongside Aurora "patrolling" the internet, Hipearian military police regularly patrol the occupied regions, usually on foot or with the assistance of armored cars, accompanying them are moderately large, loud and intimidating recon drones with a thin coating of metal as armor, four propellers for agile flight and a small 3.7x65mm self defense gun mounted on a swivel underneath the body of the drone with 75 rounds of ammo, these drones also fly in packs of two in hard to reach areas such as the northern mountain range.

The Hipearian president back in September had the Hipearian Naval Forces begin drafting up a plan to begin surveillance against the SSA and it was finally time to set it in motion, the mission goes as follows:

Hipearia would send a fleet of five icebreakers southward towards the cold waters of Landkrei's and Vistulania's southern coast, which tends to get icy in the winter months which cause icebergs to form, Hipearia would maintain that this is routine to keeping southern sea lanes open in the winter months, a pretty good cover story. These icebreakers would appear civilian in appearance however would be refitted and equipped with advanced surface search and aerial search radars, active and passive sonar and would have equipment to pick up and spy on radio signals and broadcasts on the SSA's southern coastal areas aswell as monitor the Landkreian warlord states. These vessels would each have two deck mounted 25mm rapid firing cannons, one mounted starboard side and one mounted port side, these were to be covered and kept hidden to avoid suspicion but could have their covering removed if the situation called for it, giving the vessels a good point defense option against light vessels and slow flying aircraft. The icebreakers would also carry several sonar buoys that can be dropped and left in the sea for an extended period of time, these will allow us to have a better shot in the future at detecting possible enemy submarines in the region, additionally, these ships would also carry several noisemakers that are capable of diverting homing torpedoes away from the ship if attacked by a submarine or motor torpedo boat. Chaff launchers would be built into the deck to deter radar guided anti ship missiles away. These ships would be crewed by members of the Hipearian Navy and Hipearian Merchant Marine and would have an armory onboard below deck to further bolster defensive capabilities which would include personal defense weapons, shoulder mounted anti air missiles, shoulder mounted guided anti tank missiles and additional ammo for the deck mounted 25mm guns. Joining this fleet of five icebreakers would be two nuclear stealth submarines for added security, which would stay under the surface for the duration of the operation and maintain strict radio silence and minimal active sonar use as to not alert the SSA of their presence, these submarines are armed with 12 homing torpedoes each and contain VLS cells with an array of guided missiles should the need arise to protect the icebreaker surveillance fleet. The fleet of five icebreakers and two submarines will sail southward in mid November and maintain surveillance operations in the southern section of the Occidental Sea until late February when the ice melts and the excuse for being there disappears, all vessels are to maintain bearings that will keep them firmly within international waters during the duration of the operation. The results of this operation and the potential intelligence to be gained shall be seen in the future.

Tags

Velkrieg
Landkrei
Valparta
Vereenland
Mordovlakia
Astraeos

Ok time to be serious cuz we love to larp larp sahur 67 foids and moids

RP

Vereenland's response

With the Hipearian efforts and their diplomatic advisors making their efforts in Veerenland, and due to the current state of the world, they have accepted their proposal. A more modernized military in exchange for docking rights were a good enough deal for the nation to accept them. Though Vereenland's position in the world is nothing large, they do possess connections to Blauer Fluss and are In their economic alliance sphere known as "Verenigde Economische Alliantie" or VEA. The pact started by Blouwrivier was aimed at bringing in nations to their sphere, and due to the large economic base and insanely large natural resource abundance in their lands, it was more than a suitable thing to do, as an alternative to the now disbanded LTO.

Vereenland accepts the Hipearian proposal, and allows them to have full docking rights in all of Vereenland's ports alongside its leftover overseas colonies, though not many, they still do exist and are being used well. For a safer, and stable future, the nation hopes that Hipearia, with its aggressiveness and undemocratic means of gaining "strength" will leave Vereenland out of its destruction, and obeys their word of a mutual agreement. As for now, Vereenland stays neutral, and will not join any other alliance, but it will align itself with the lesser evil and accepts Hipearia as a partner.

As an extra measure, Vereenland have sent their own advisors and diplomats all the way to Blauer Fluss to secure a more predominant and secure alliance with them. Their history alongside with Landkrei stretches for hundreds of years, and Blouwrivier is especially attached to Landkrei, from their former colonial overlord to a massive trade partner, Blouwrivier has publicly shown support to the Landkreian rebels fighting to take back their country, and perhaps soon the rebels will have the strength of the VEA backing them. For now, Vereenland has aligned itself with Hipearia, through a stopgap measure.

Voor ons vaderland! Voorwaarts, Vereenlander!

And He Saw Their Works
January 18, 2053

The Velkriegian Foreign Ministry has issued a formal response to the Vereenlander government following its agreement with Hipearia. Despite the expansion of Hipearian naval access, the Syntharchate will continue to recognize Vereenland as a neutral state and has made no changes to existing diplomatic or economic relations between the two countries.

Velkrieg has, however, requested clarification regarding the extent of the agreement. Temporary docking, refueling, resupply, and other ordinary port services provided to Hipearian vessels will not be considered a violation of Vereenlander neutrality. The permanent stationing of Hipearian forces, construction of military facilities, deployment of strategic weapons, or use of Vereenlander territory for operations directed against Velkrieg or an SSA member would be treated differently. The Vereenlander government has been informed of this distinction privately, without any accompanying ultimatum or demand that the existing agreement with Hipearia be terminated. At the same time, diplomatic representatives have been sent to members of the Verenigde Economische Alliantie. Unlike Velkrieg's recent missions concerning the expansion of the SSA, these delegations have not been instructed to pursue military agreements or alliance membership. Instead, Velkrieg has proposed a series of economic arrangements centered around trade, industrial cooperation, shipping, and the purchase of natural resources produced within the VEA.

Blauer Fluss has received a separate diplomatic delegation. The delegation has offered expanded commercial relations and has also addressed the government's public support for Landkreian resistance groups. Velkrieg has made no request that Blauer Fluss alter its public position regarding the former Landkreian government, nor has it demanded recognition of Velkriegian sovereignty over the annexed territories. The Syntharchate has instead drawn a distinction between political support and material involvement. Public support for Landkreian independence, diplomatic criticism of Velkrieg, and private humanitarian assistance to Landkreian populations will not affect relations between the two states. The transfer of weapons, military equipment, intelligence, funding intended for armed organizations, or personnel to groups conducting attacks within Velkriegian territory will be considered direct foreign support for an insurgency. No sanctions or retaliatory measures have accompanied the warning. Velkriegian trade with VEA members will continue normally, and the Foreign Ministry has indicated that further economic agreements remain available regardless of political disagreements between their governments and Imperatoris Voluntas.

Separate instructions have been issued to the Velkriegian Navy concerning Vereenlander waters. Vereenlander commercial shipping is to remain unaffected, and Velkriegian vessels have been ordered to continue recognizing Vereenland's territorial waters under the same procedures used prior to the Hipearian agreement. Hipearian vessels entering or leaving Vereenlander ports are not to be interfered with solely on the basis of their presence there. This leaves Vereenland's existing agreement intact while establishing the limits under which Velkrieg will continue recognizing its neutrality.

Meanwhile, the results of our diplomatic missions to Rusvenia, Turanka, Bulgaron, Ispanova, and Portalia have returned. For each:

Rusvenia
Rusvenia's government has been dissolved and replaced by a fascist dictatorship, now famously known as an Overlordship. Gaining control of the oligarchy within Rusvenia has delivered us the political power required to do this. The Overlordship of Rusvenia will be admitted into the Southern Security Accord (SSA) as well as have its territory reduced, split between the Overlordships of Ramoria & Vistulania. Meanwhile, the assets purchased by the megacorporations of Imperatoris Voluntas in Rusvenia have been purchased by the state. The Greater Syntharchate of Velkrieg will oversee most projects in Rusvenia and handle its affairs.

Turanka
Turanka has responded positively to our diplomatic mission and has agreed to cooperate with the Southern Security Accord (SSA). They will work with the Greater Syntharchate of Velkrieg economically but as of now have not yet decided whether to join the Southern Security Accord (SSA). The ambassador to Turanka will remain in place there until this decision can be made. Otherwise, we can expect Turankan support whether it be minor or major.

Bulgaron
Bulgaron has made the decision to formally join the Southern Security Accord (SSA) as an independent state. This marks the first time that a non-overlordship has joined the alliance. Their rivalry with the Hellenians to the North have made it possible for us to fully expect their support. VAF military assets are at present being transported to Bulgaron's territory and military installations are being put in place.

Ispanova
See next post for information.

Portalia
Portalia has agreed to join the Southern Security Accord (SSA). In exchange, the Greater Syntharchate of Velkrieg will fully back the nation economically and militarily. As with Bulgaron, VAF military assets are currently being transported by sea, air, and space and military installations are being constructed around the country. To sweeten the deal, Omicron has authorized an economic aid package to be sent to Portalia. Their national military expenditures will be reduced as their armed forces are gradually lessened to make way for the Velkriegian Armed Forces.

Magyara
Magyara has not had an ambassador sent to them, but the Velkreigian Foreign Ministry has notified them that the Greater Syntharchate of Velkrieg will respect their neutrality and continue cooperation economically. We will not tolerate any Mordovlakian nor Hipearian influence within their borders, and should they need support: we will offer ours.

Following the end of this winter season, the Velkriegian Foreign Ministry will notify the Federative Republic of Hipearia that their icebreaker fleet will no longer be required to sustain sea routes, and the state will be employing its own naval vessels as well as contracting domestic shipping corporations to handle icebreaking operations.

With the enlargement of the Southern Security Accord (SSA), the alliance will be formalized to include a structure of collective defense, economic cooperation policies, military interoperability, intelligence sharing, preferential trade agreements, and more. As well, propaganda will be spread in the respective overlordships of Vistulania & Ramoria to brighten the Velkriegian image domestically as their territories are enlarged by strips of territory given to them after the subjugation of Rusvenia.

The Ispanovan Situation
January 18, 2053

The Ispanovan government has received two separate diplomatic missions from the Federative Republic of Hipearia and the Greater Syntharchate of Velkrieg. Hipearia's mission has focused on the fact that, should we work with the Hipearian government, we may yet face an economic resurgence. Velkrieg's mission has focused on the fact that, we are surrounded by Hipearia, and we will surely be forced into an unfavorable position eventually. The Ispanovan government has thoroughly reviewed both cases, and we are at an impasse. The Ispanovan parliament is split in half. The Alianza Nacional Ispanova (ANI) has declared support for the Greater Syntharchate of Velkrieg, claiming that their undoubted military strength would surely deter the Federative Republic of Hipearia from seeking gains from the Kingdom of Ispanova. Meanwhile, the Unión Democrática Isapnova (UDI) has declared support for the Federative Republic of Hipearia, claiming that Ispanova is in dire need of an economic resurgence, and that regardless of how it might turn out politically, they need to think of their people. These two parties' respective alliances in government have split the nation nearly in half. Geographically, Ispanova's mountainous north is fond of Hipearia's offer. This would bring valuable economic opportunity and expand the job market in the region. Ispanova's flatter, more coastal south is in favor of Velkrieg's offer. If the Kingdom of Ispanova accepts Velkrieg's offer, the South would likely gain the most immediate support both economically and militarily as the ports of Velkrieg are across the Centrale Sea. As well, Portalia has formally entered into the Southern Security Accord. If Hipearia's offer were to be accepted, the South would be on the frontlines of a potential conflict.

The government's split decision has led to many protests in the cities of Ispanova. Ispanovan hardliners and nationalists have grown more aligned with Velkrieg, while the softer, more liberal citizens of Ispanova have aligned more with Hipearia. Nationalists argue that Velkrieg is a conquering nation. Time and time again they have defeated their enemies, and if Ispanova does not side with them, they will be in great danger. Ispanova will be great with the support of Velkrieg, and Hipearia would not dare attack then. Liberals argue that Hipearia is free and democratic, and would not seek to put Ispanova in any position where it could be hurt. Ispanova needs the opportunities that could be given to them. Ispanova has been economically declining for years, and the people need work. Opening up the resource rich north could be the solution they've been looking for. These two groups often clash on the streets, riot police requiring dispatching in order to return peace and order. However, more and more often the police have been deterred. The rioters numbers' grow too large, and there is nothing that can be done. Several cities have been set alight, and it would soon escalate further.

On February 4, 2053, in the city of Solamar, extremist nationalist groups would bring firearms to their demonstrations in the city square. Liberal UDI members would vocalize their disdain and harass the members, who were aligned with the ANI. A group of young men on the ANI side would raise their guns at the opposing demonstrators and threaten to fire unless they stopped their demonstration. The UDI members, unphased, would continue their demonstrations and yell insults at the ANI side. Keeping their word, the young men would open fire. Soon, the entire ANI faction in the city would be in open rebelliion. The gunmen would enter the City Hall and seize control of the local government. The unarmed UDI citizens would be shot in the street, and soon a mass execution would take place. This day would be known as El Llanto de Solamar, or "The Weeping of Solamar". In parliament, the Alianza Nacional Ispanova (ANI) would shockingly express support for the actions of their members in Solamar, naming them patriots of their nation, doing away with the weakness of the Unión Democrática Isapnova (UDI). Tensions in the Capital turned heated enough that it too broke out into conflict. Members of Parliament beat each other in the Capitol building, and supporters on both sides would clash outside of it and on the streets of the city. The King, afraid, would vacate the Capital and be caught at the border by Hipearian border guards in Elaris.

Internal tensions spiraled out of control, and within weeks the Kingdom of Ispanova had been essentially dissolved. The Alianza Nacional Ispanova (ANI) reorganized into the Frente Nacional Ispanovo (FNI). The FNI took control of Southern cities and the majority of the Armed Forces. Establishing the State of Ispanova. Oppositely, the Unión Democrática Isapnova (UDI) reorganized into the Coalición Liberal Republicano (CLR) and established the Republic of Ispanova which controlled the mountainous North. The monarchy was dissolved by both states. The State of Ispanova was led by fascist dictator Alejandro Valcázar. The Republic of Ispanova was led by President Sofía Calderón. The State of Ispanova declared public support for the Greater Syntharchate of Velkrieg and requested immediate, direct military involvement. The Republic of Ispanova declared public support for the Federative Republic of Hipearia and, as well, requested immediate, direct military involvement. At present, the two nations are in open conflict and neither side has gained a majority over the other.

For Ispanova, we pray that this conflict ends swiftly, and that the nation can return to stability.

RP

The Fruits of Our Labor

Throughout January, 2053

Hipearian diplomatic efforts have so far bore fruit in some of the nations we negotiated with. In Vereenland, Hipearian naval vessels have already been seen operating in the area and the option to resupply in friendly ports extends our range in the Centrale Sea, Hipearia has already begun to honor it's side of the deal by assisting the small nation in modernizing it's military via the construction of arms factories that will produce weapons in house, Hipearian weapon imports and with the technical assistance needed to design and manufacture domestic equipment alongside sending Hipearian officers to the nation's officer academies to provide instructions in defensive and counteroffensive warfare. Hipearian diplomats have also reached out to the VEA to spark up good relations and hopefully gain them as an ally in the future, so far these diplomatic ventures just pertain to establishing and expanding economic and trade ties.

Hellenia has opted to join the OFS following Bulgaron's ascension into the SSA, although not an exceptionally strong nation in the bigger picture they still offer Hipearia strategic positions to work with, with Hipearian naval vessels already utilizing Hellenian ports and Hipearian forces being deployed and stationed within Hellenia to bolster it against a possible invasion from Bulgaron. Hipearia also has intentions of setting up hypersonic missile bases within Hellenia by July, with the range of said missiles allowing Hipearia to threaten the valuable SSA oil fields and refineries in Ramoria.

Negotiations in Valparta have wrapped up favorably, Valparta has joined the OFS against Velkrieg and have agreed to host the Hipearian armed forces within their nation, the Valpartan representatives also happily agreed to letting Hipearia set up hypersonic missile bases and radar stations near the Mordovlakian border, the missiles have a range capable of hitting targets in Velkriegian occupied Austerra should they unfortunately need to be launched.

Negotiations are still currently ongoing in Mordovlakia, the nation seeks to maintain it's neutrality at this time but Hipearian diplomats won't give up so easily on trying to steer them towards the OFS, however if neutrality is indeed the only option it will be respected. Further intelligence gained indicates that Mordovlakia also just got done with a "purification" of people within it's own borders, targeting those who follow pagan religions in particular, these actions don't concern Hipearia at this time and it wouldn't benefit them to protest against it as of now.

Diplomatic negotiations in Frankia are also going in a favorable direction, although they haven't begun the process of joining the OFS yet they have indeed aligned themselves heavily with the alliance. Frankia did however agree to Hipearian offers regarding Ispanova and pledges support to Hipearia regarding any actions taken there in the event of conflict. Frankia has also begun the process of strengthening it's armed forces and have requested Hipearia to send advisors to train Frankian officers on the new tactics of modern warfare, given that Hipearia has the most experience in war as of recent, Hipearia has agreed to this request and looks forward to informally working alongside the Frankian military.

Hipearia has continued to negotiate with Turanka regarding it's neutrality and the idea of economic assistance, although both the OFS and SSA are negotiating with Turanka, they haven't chosen a side yet and may be content with playing both sides for their own gain. Hipearia doesn't maintain as much interest in Magyara as other nations, they're just fine with Magyara being neutral however Hipearia will maintain a small amount of surveillance on them, worrying that Magyaran claims on Mordovlakian territory may flare back up and result in a small regional conflict. Veskovia although not joining the OFS formally has aligned itself with the alliance further following Valparta's entry into the alliance, they also have given Hipearia access to it's ports which allow Hipearia to supply Hellenia easier in the event of conflict between Hellenia and Bulgaron, Hipearia now effectively has control over a vast majority of the Orientale Ocean. Following Portalia joining the SSA, the Hipearian government cut all ties with the nation and ceased all imports into the small nation, seemingly upset with the SSA now having a forward operating base across the Centrale Sea. The sudden cancelation of trade relations between Hipearia and Portalia was immediately felt within the small nation as it's economy began to fall sharply and shortages of goods were beginning to show in Portalian markets, Hipearia was a huge economic partner and with them gone it left a large void that needed to be filled if Portalia's economy was to survive and for the nation to remain stable. Hipearia disrupting Portalia's economy was also done as a dirty play against the Velkriegians, who would now likely have to pick up the burden of exporting goods to the small import reliant nation, this could of course be beneficial in the long term for Velkrieg but in the short term would result in Velkrieg needing to divert goods away from itself and it's allies to the struggling nation across the Centrale Sea. As for the peaceful takeover of Rusvenia conducted by Velkrieg, this was not a huge shock and frankly there wasn't much the OFS could do to prevent it, the new situation would unfortunately be accepted begrudgingly.

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Early March to Mid April, 2053

In a horrifying turn of events in the past several weeks, our large southern neighbor Ispanova has exploded into a large civil war due to political meddling and violence which threatens regional security greatly, already a WA peacekeeping mission has been deployed in the warring nation, attempting to prevent further battles from occurring and handing out humanitarian aid to civilians caught in the crossfire of war. The WA peacekeeping mission in the country is stretched thin and faces the possibility of pulling out as some forces on either side target them, seeing them as getting in the way of the conflict and sometimes as a way to gain WA resources in the form of rations or ammo. Hipearia currently hosts the Ispanovan king in exile and negotiates with Republican forces to allow him to become a constitutional monarch with limited power, allowing Ispanova to retain some of it's past traditions, the main goal of this is to hopefully win over more traditional mid right leaning conservatives and centrists to support the Republican side. The Hipearian Armed Forces have been put to an increased readiness status following the beginning of the conflict, with ground forces being deployed along the entire length of the OFS's border with both forms of Ispanova to increase defensive posture and be ready for intervention including some notable forces such as the 1st Armored "Bulldogs" Division, the 3rd Mountain Infantry "Tumbler" division and the 1st Velkriegian Volunteer Air Assault Brigade, whose ancestors participated in Hipearia's raid in Eqrona, Valparta, centuries ago, being present and ready for confrontation, these units are not expected to be used offensively unless Republican forces near defeat, in which Hipearian forces have drawn up plans to seize the northern resource fields in a rapid advancement, if attacked on a large scale by fascist forces and finally if Velkriegian forces directly enter the State of Ispanova to assist them in their conflict. Hipearia has already begun funneling military aid into the Republic of Ispanova, handing over large stocks of captured Astraeosan weaponry and munitions from the past conflict alongside older Hipearian equipment that would see better use in a battlefield than in a scrapyard, another way Hipearia has pledged support for the Republicans is with the deployment of Hipearia's PMC "Rapture" into Republican Ispanova, Hipearia gets away with sending these forces into Republican Ispanova against the Ispanovan State by stating that these forces are a private company not affiliated with the Hipearian government nor it's armed forces and had their services simply bought by the Republicans, although behind closed doors Hipearian high command and Rapture's CEO discuss battleplans as Hipearia steers them to complete certain objectives in the field. The deployment of the Hipearian ground forces on the border between occupied Elaris and the State of Ispanova has not been without consequence, limited skirmishes have occurred between Hipearian and fascist Ispanovan forces with occasional firefights and artillery exchanges between both sides and in one instance a Hipearian attacker aircraft dropped high explosive munitions on an Ispanovan forward operating base near the border in response for an Ispanovan MLRS barrage on the Hipearian side of the border, the attacker aircraft was nearly shot down with a MANPAD although managed to escape using flares, this represents the continuing escalations of the civil war's spillover into Hipearian territory, casualties on both sides of the skirmishes are currently minimal with slightly more on the Ispanovan side. Hipearian delegations are currently reaching out to diplomatic representatives of the State of Ispanova and SSA to end Ispanovan-Hipearian skirmishes in Elaris, this is one of the hottest moments so far in this conflict and needs to be managed carefully to prevent further escalation. The Hipearian Department of Foreign Affairs has already released a statement condemning the "The Weeping of Solamar" and the Ispanovan probing of Hipearian forces and threatens further more direct involvement in the conflict if the State of Ispanova doesn't tone down their actions. Backing up the Hipearian threat is the announcement that the Hipearian navy is deploying two full strength carrier strike groups in the Centrale Sea off the coast of the Ispanovan-Elaris border in international waters, with one more carrier strike group being deployed and parked just outside the Centrale Sea ensuring that the sea lanes remain open. This threat should be taken seriously by the State of Ispanova, further escalations will result in the Hipearian navy launching a devastating air campaign against their forces and the fleet maintains high readiness against the threat of submarines or anti ship missiles. Additional land forces have also been moved to the border, more land based aircraft are moved to closer bases in Elaris and the Hipearian Space Forces are currently plotting targets for bombardment should the need arise however that measure in particular would require significant escalation. Frankia too would deploy troops along their border with Ispanova, ready to follow up on Hipearian promises should the situation call for it although they haven't had skirmishes with Ispanovan forces and it's unlikely they will given that Frankia isn't in the OFS, they maintain a high readiness status just in case.

This is the first large scale proxy conflict between the OFS and SSA, if not managed carefully it has the potential to spark a wider war both blocs aren't ready for, there are several ways this conflict can end, it shall be determined which ideology and alliance comes out on top. God help us all if this escalates beyond control.

Tags

Velkrieg
Ispanova
Vereenland
Mordovlakia
Valparta
Blauer Fluss