Second Dawn IC [Open & Accepting]

[Kazami42]

Pionerskaya, Mother russia
The great leader of the union of pionerskaya, Anastasia Petrovna, would be in large room with a makeshift podium in front of her. She was here for another morale speech, and previously had sent stalkers up to the surface [3] in radiation suits to scavenge. The room had banners upon the sides of the room having the union's flag upon them. After Anastasia had a drink she would walk up to the podium, and prepare a speech. She was not exactly great with talking to people, but since the union needed her she had no real alternative. Wearing ragged clothing, a red sweater and black pants. Anastasia would then walk up to the podium and rearrange her black hair, and begin her morale speech. "For fifty years, we have been sealed underground in the metro... We have survived the entire world being ended, we have survived each other, we have survived the endless onslaught of mutants every day and night, and we have survived for more than 40 years in the most impossible of conditions. While the rest of the metro has fallen, we have survived without outside help and was self-sufficient. The mutants had cleared out our stations, and we had cleared out their lives. Duscha Petrovna, Our greatest leader and savior. She had a dream, that one day we will rise from the underground and march to our salvation of saint petersburg. I have a dream that one day we will no longer be plagued with the worry of mutants, and the slaughter that comes along with them. I have a dream that that we will have our salvation, and no longer deal with overpopulation and nests of mutants in our midst... I have a dream that one day we shall truly free from the limitations of the land, and live upon the surface yet again as we use to!" She would pause as she had gotten too immersed. Anastasia would simply readjust her collar again and continue.

"We are not a weak nation that simply collapses to anyone who dares try to annihilate us, we are the farmers, the soldiers, the workers, the engineers, and the heroes of the union of the metro, and we do not give up nor surrender to our foes! We will always survive in one form or another, and our legacy shall continue for centuries! For if one of us survive, we all shall survive. Nobody will be forgotten, left behind, or alone in the dark. For we are the Pionerskaya union, and we will never surrender!" After her speech had finished, she would proceed to leave to return to her home. The crowd simply just cheering, and a few people were also nodding.
----------
The surface.
The stalkers would have started to leave the metro to the surface, being extremely vigilant to their surroundings. They were sent up for another scavenging run and consisted on individuals chosen by the leader herself. Yuri Petrov, Alexi Gagarin, and Marina Stanislavovna. All of them besides the "leader" of the team, Marina had shotguns while Marina had a preved rifle. There was not officially a leadership structure within the stalker core, and thus team leaders for a actual group would primarily be chosen for the most experience. They were instructed to attempt ignoring any possible surface mutants if possible, and keep themselves concealed should anyone still be alive. "It is too quiet for my liking..." Yuri had said, looking around the environment. "It has been a month since we were last here, I did not hear you complaining when you nearly got your ass ripped off." Alexi joked. "Silence you two, we cannot risk blowing our cover to anything still up here. We will not be going back home if we are discovered because of this." Marina ordered the two. Just in case they were attacked, they had backups such as string for some forms of traps upon the way among other mandatory equipment. They would also be given 5 filters for replacement should they actually need it. The team would also focus upon rearming/setting any traps they had left prior, should they have been triggered.​

 

[Albion]

The Emperor knelt in the Hagia Sophia, head bowed in prayer in front of the Ecumenical Patriarch. Rising slowly, the Emperor looked the Patriarch in the eye. "It has come to my attention that Mutants are growing to be more of a problem. It is evident to me what I must do, and I believe you will agree." The Patriarch paused, waiting for the Emperor to continue. "I, Emperor Alexios Komnenos I, will attempt to reconcile Christianity in the face of these monsters." The Patriarch nodded his head, speaking in a deep, almost raspy voice. "Of course, My Emperor. I would recommend first sending envoys west, to Roma and the Vatican, as well as Moscow, the former head of the Orthodox Faith." The Patriarch paused, then.

"Let it be done."

Three days later, five men on horseback rode off - three heading north to Moscow, and two heading west to Rome. The next decision made by the Emperor was to send ships west to map out the coastlines that had been lost. Kazami42 Pat Boethiah

 

[CharmingCthulhu]

Spoiler

Andorra la Vella - Alfonso's Manor - Celebration of Eastern Pyrenees
Alfonso raised a glass in a toast, his advisors and the rest of his court repeated the gesture. The entire nation of Andorra was lively this night, the mass of the army had returned from the successful taking of the eastern side of this mountain range known as the Pyrenees. Of course there was still the souls stationed along the previously built watch and signal towers, but they too were lively with celebration, at least that's what Alfonso hoped. Nevertheless it was a time of celebration, not worry. One of the courtiers asked Alfonso drunkenly, "What is it we'll do now oh great and wonderful king?". One of his advisors, most likely Ian responded, "Don't bother the boy with such matters, it's time for celebration!" With that there was a cheer and the merry group began chatting amongst themselves again. Alfonso sat there for a short while, then stood up, the entire room silencing. "Tomorrow we will being our march on the rest of Pyrenees, if we're to every truly start this Reconquista, we must have good footing." The room grew even more silent, the only noise being the crackling of the large fire. Much of the courtiers were worried, the taking of the Eastern Pyrenees was no simple task, it had taken months to successfully banish the mutated marmots and birds that populated the area. And according to scouts, the west was even more populated than the east. After what felt like hours, but what was really only a few minutes, Alfonso sat down. "Of course this doesn't mean we can't celebrate tonight!" Alfonso hollered, raising a glass in toast, the rest joining him and the room becoming once again lively.

Spoiler

The Gathering of the Army
Alfonso sent out messengers to all the barracks throughout the Pyrenees, within 2 days time the army was amassed, of course leaving garrisons to protect the country while the army was busy doing the dirty work. Alfonso announced to the men the task of reclaiming the rest of the Pyrenees, for a better footing. They all responded with a cheer, the heavy clunking of feet and weapons acting as a response. Ian and Samuel would lead the army, splitting it as to cover the most ground possible. Alfonso and Sebastian would stay back in the capital of Andorra, watching over the nation and waiting for messengers to be sent back declaring areas were safe. Once declared safe, a small dispatch of engineers and a handful of soldiers would be sent as to build a watch and signal tower. These areas are estimated to be established within a weeks time, allowing the armies to have clear staging points to rid the Pyrenees of these mutated creatures and occasional raider hordes.

Spoiler

The Taking of the Western Pyrenees
The conquest was grueling, and slow going. There were no great casualties, rather the mutated beasts seemed to be cropping up from every inch of land possible. This made things tedious and slow. But once these towers had begun springing up the mutants slowly started to either recede into their wretched hiding places or were swiftly cut down by the men-at-arms. The skirmishes throughout mostly consisted of large packs of marmots facing off against the soldiers, or the occasional bandits taking potshots and then running away as they realized their men were being struck down. The only true instance of casualties was when a handful of infantrymen were sent to eradicate a small nest of marmots, and were ambushed by a small raider gang. Though taking causalities the group was able to scare back these raiders, though the losses, minuscule to larger nations, was devastating to Andorra. Nonetheless the army was finally able to take the Pyrenees, and establish these safe areas with signal and watch towers.

Spoiler

The Establishment of Civilization in the West
Once the army returned, and Alfonso heard of the losses, he grieved. Such manpower was vital to the nation, to the reconquista as a whole. To try his best to balance out the losses, Alfonso enlisted Samuel on yet another recruitment run. Samuel obliged and began sending out messengers to the nomadic tribes and gangs he had seen while out in the field. Though not all truly joined, there were definite numbers from this recruitment. The battle for the West was not in vain, more land was gained, the manpower somewhat replenished, and much of the resources were beginning to fill the warehouses. Alfonso himself decided to travel the Pyrenees, meeting with any peasant he could, trying his best to make sure they were happy and content with his ruling, that they would follow his will to the end.

Spoiler

Outside Powers
Once the nation of Andorra finally controlled the interiors of the Pyrenees, Alfonso set his mind to another matter. Though simply rumors among the populace, there has been talk of similar small countries rising up from the ashes of the wasteland. To Alfonso and his advisors not all this were rumors. In fact an emissary from this nation called "Rome" had arrived offering a seat in their republic. Alfonso , respectfully declined the tempting offer, sending the messenger off. This encounter was no doubt an eye opener to Alfonso. For if this Rome had found out about the mountainous nation of Andorra, there will no doubt be others who will hear the rumors of this land, and it's extremely probable that they won't be as well-mannered and civil as this Rome. Not wanting to be left in the dark, Alfonso sent small bands of scouts to basically patrol around the Pyrenees, and if any sign of an organized power was seen, it would immediately be sent back to Alfonso.

Spoiler: After Action Report

Men lost during Conquest of the West Pyrenees - 60

Men gained during recruitment - 90

Total Population - 1,791

Total Military Manpower - 1,597

Net Gain - 30 Population

 

[Locklaklazarii]

Upon the Sea

The Roman navy, newly appointed Princeps Senatus at it's helm, Upon the coast it struck deals with small tribes and fishing villiages to Join the Roman Republic. Many were eager to join as tgey were proud of their Italian heritage and some simply for the benefits and rewards that could be mined through such a venture. Though they found many small bands with tools and boats they mounted as little gain for the New Republic, but little gain soon turns into prosperous reward. Many such ventures were flowing from Rome in order to get many through peaceful offerings. Many did refuse, but the same Accepted balancing the Scales. While out on the Journey they recieved word from those around Genoa of a power in Milan they docked a small clutch of men, Tullius included, marched to the city to offer a spot within the Republic, they shared some gifts of wine and bread intending to intice the power into joining the Republic.

Within Rome

Some of those within the senate were outraged at the killing of the messangers. In return they sent four men 2 to be given to Constantinople as compensation along with a small chest of Asses (Roman Coins). The other two men were there to explain that Rome would indeed like to have discussions with the Leaders of the great city as to the Future relations with Rome and it's Neighbor.

 

[Rysesaka]

Empire of Aquitaine

​

Place de la Bourse, Bordeaux, Imperial Aquitaine

Almost a year ago, the Aquitaine imperial military was able to capture Place de la Bourse; a mayor resident building of Bourdeaux during the last days of the French Republic during the so-called "Aquitainian colonization in the surface". The Place de la Bourse became the imperial palace or the resident building of the Aquitainian emperor which the first and current emperor of Aquitaine; Enzo of House Moreau, resides there.

Today, the Emperor invites all generals of the Aquitaine imperial military to discuss about the internal affairs and external affairs of the Empire, especially about the rumours of nations, rising from the ashes just like Imperial Aquitaine.

"Your grace, the Imperial Navy have just struggle to embark on the tip of this city, we must control the western coast as soon as possible." the navy general replied. "I thought we already control the western coast of this city?" Emperor Enzo replied. "The mutants and the bandits control the western coast, your grace. Our settlers are having difficult to colonise the western lands because of the hostility." the navy general replied. "Then we'll clear the western coast for the sake of our navy." all of the generals nodded at Emperor Enzo's remarks. "Anything else?" the Emperor asked the generals.

A high-rank officer said, "There is an outsider, your grace, we detained him, saying that he is a messenger from Rome." the Emperor raises his eyebrows, "Rome, you say?" the Emperor said. "Yes, your grace, Rome." the Emperor paused for a moment, "Tell the guards to watch the so-called messenger, I will ask him personally." all of the generals nodded at Emperor Enzo's remarks.

Another high-rank officer said, "And your grace, our spies in the south said they found a settlement in Eastern Pyrennes. It's called Andorra, your grace." Emperor Enzo looked at the high-rank officer, "Andorra is a pre-war nation, are you sure they are Andorra?" the Emperor asked. The high-rank officer nodded. "We'll send a messenger to Eastern Pyrennes, hopefully, we could establish a contact with foreign nations after all these years." the Emperor stand up and all of the generals stand up. "Glory to Aquitaine, gentlemen!" and the generals shouted, "Glory to Aquitaine! Hail Moreau!" and the Emperor said, "Dismissed." and then the generals left Place de la Bourse to do their things. Emperor Enzo decided to go to Centre Pénitentiaire de Bourdeaux-Gradignan to meet the messenger from Rome.

Centre Pénitentiaire de Bourdeaux-Gradignan, Bordeaux, Imperial Aquitaine

Emperor Enzo arrived at the Centre Pénitentiaire de Bourdeaux-Gradignan, accompanied by his elite guards. Most of the prisoners were the enemies of the Empire and communists. As Emperor Enzo passed by the hallway, the guards would automatically say, "Glory to Aquitaine! Hail Moreau!" which was a common greetings in the Aquitainian society. Surely, the young and sharp-minded Emperor truly change the Aquitainian society. The warden of this city jail approached the Emperor and does the common greeting of an Aquitanian. "Your grace, the messenger is at the interrogation room, follow me." the Emperor and his elite guards would follow the warden until they arrive at the interrogation room. The Emperor would enter the interrogation room while the warden and the Emperor's elite guards would watch outside the interrogation room (since there is a mirror, yknow). The Emperor would stand 5'11 ft tall with a fantastic noble suit and an armband of a Aquitainian lion's head on his right shoulder, looking at the messenger.

The Emperor said, "You're a messenger from Rome, yes? Welcome to Aquitaine, outsider. What were you doing here on this lands?" Locklaklazarii

Western Coast of Bourdeaux

General Adam was appointed by Emperor Enzo of House Moreau, to capture the Western Coast of Bourdeaux so that the the Aquitainian settlers could settle in the western coast of Bourdeaux, Aquitainian Imperial Navy could embark in the western coast and has its own headquarters since the port of Inner Bourdeaux is occupied by many ships, especially the traders and merchant ships from nearby settlements. General Adam and his 1,000 men would march to Weatern Coast of Bourdeaux to eliminate all mutant creatures and bandits who are roaming the western coast of Bourdeaux. The skirmishes would start between the bandits and General Adam's army and would last for several days, that includes for wiping out the mutant creatures also.

After the deadly Aquitanian conquest of the Western Coast of Bourdeaux, the armies of General Adam would return to the capital city of Bourdeaux, and the people would celebrate General Adam's army, hopefully, the Emperor would give him a marvellous reward. The Aquitainian settlers could now occupy the western coast of Bourdeaux and the Aquitainian Imperial Navy would leave the port of Bourdeaux to move from their new headquarters from the western coast of Bourdeaux.

Effect:
- Empire of Aquitaine now controls the western coast of Bourdeaux
- Remaining bandits would be sent to Centre Pénitentiaire de Bourdeaux-Gradignan
- Estimated three hundred Aquitainian soldiers would be slained in the conquest
- Mutant creatures are eliminated in western coast of Bourdeaux
- The Imperial Navy HQ would be transferred to the western coast of Bourdeaux.
- Aquitanian settlers finally settled in western coast of Bourdeaux.
- Population increased to 600 (Total population 40,600)

Eastern Pyrenees, Kingdom of Andorra

A week later, the Aquitanian messenger would finally arrive at the nation after trekking the harsh Eastern Pyrenees mountains. The messenger awaits for any response from the Andorrans. CharmingCthulhu

 

[Locklaklazarii]

The messanger so Replied: "I am for all who still survive, that they may seek a place within the Roman Republic. And give voice that large peoples such as you are would be given equal footing within the Senate, and keep control of thier lands." The man was nervous yet brave "what news should I bring back?"

Rysesaka

 

[Rysesaka]

The messanger so Replied: "I am for all who still survive, that they may seek a place within the Roman Republic. And give voice that large peoples such as you are would be given equal footing within the Senate, and keep control of thier lands." The man was nervous yet brave "what news should I bring back?"

Rysesaka

Centre Pénitentiaire de Bordeaux-Gradignan, Bordeaux, Imperial Aquitaine

The Emperor would smirk and looked seriously at the messenger. As the Emperor approach, he said, "Roman Republic, eh? It seems history repeats himself, huh-.." the young and sharp-minded Emperor would continue as he moves closer to the messenger, "What news should you bring back? Your body, of course. You will never get here alive because if I let you, you will tell your ancient fanatic friends to invade our glorious nation!" the Emperor would unsheath his combat knife, stabbing the messenger in the stomach and chest ten times. Things are bloody messy and the Emperor's suit was covered by the messenger's blood including the interrogation room. The Emperor said, "Glory to Aquitaine, my friend!" the Emperor then sliced the messenger's throat which the messenger died.

The warden and the Emperor's elite guards were shocked. The Emperor calls his elite guards to clean the mess and to lift the messenger's body, the warden entered. The Emperor said, "Send this corpse to Rome, I will give them a reward and a letter of course." the Emperor would chuckle. The warden said, "Yes, your grace-.."

The Emperor left a note to the messenger's body. The message is in French, written in blood. The messenger's blood (which the Romans couldn't understand unless one of them speaks/knows the French language):

"L'histoire se répète, vos dirigeants ou vos descendants sont bons dans l'histoire, vous savez? Ils sont en mesure de relancer la République romaine et nous sommes là, votre messager stupide est mort car nous connaissons vos méthodes. Vous ne vous mettez jamais à pied sur les terres françaises. Gloire à Aquitaine, Hail Moreau!"

English translation: "History repeats itself, your leaders or your descendants are very good at history, you know? They are able to revive the Roman Republic and here we are, your foolish messenger is dead because we know your methods. You will never ever set on foot on the French lands. Glory to Aquitaine, Hail Moreau!"

After that, the messenger's body is covered with dirty towel and with the French letter written in blood, would be sent back to Rome accompanied by a caravan. It is estimated to arrive for two weeks.

Locklaklazarii

 

[General Deth Glitch]

Konungariket Sverige

The blood that covered Uppsala was already washed clean by the rain and the efforts to help. As expansion continued the Queen knew that they needed allies. She knew they were incredibly unlikely to find any organised governments willing to cooperate rather then simply fighting for domination. She hoped, however, that there would be some, further afield, willing to work together so that each may both dominate their own regions. The Queen left the council in charge until her son returned to take over the mantle. She set off with her floating palace, the two firing platforms and a transport full of troops. They set off north, following the coastline. They were not planning on crossing the Baltic and risk facing the demons the lie within. They would eventually travel back down the other side. Hoping to find potential allies in Finland or the Baltic states.

Up in the Swedish foothills the Prince was loading a truck to return south. The bear had been hauled down from the mountain attracting many animals to seek its carcass for food. Most avoided the group, however a large, but fearful wolf followed them. It was as big as growing teen and would be more then capable of taking down a man had it had a pack. But it was alone. The Prince offered the wolf some food. Hesitantly it stalked over to him. It grabbed the food and then disappeared into the trees. They continued rigging the bear up into the pickup, a tedious job considering the size of the beast. As they were about finished the wolf returned. The party had two pick ups, one for the catch and the other for the men. The Prince put food on the other truck and the wolf eventually went for it. They finished securing the bear and the wolf was still sitting on the bay of the pick up, eating the food offered to it. The guards were about to scare it away so they could get going but the prince motioned them to stay. He crawled onto the back with it, slinking forwards slowly. The wolf saw this and began to back away and cower. Then it looked like it had found some deep confidence and moved forward, nuzzling the prince. He ordered the guards to take three men in each cab and said that he would ride in the back, with his new friend "Take us back slow, avoid the worse trails and if we are lucky then we get this beautiful creature home. If we do that surely it is a sign from the gods that we are favoured!" he called to them. Soon they set off, on alert for danger and ready to fight anyone that tried to stop them. Luckily it was only a few hours back to Stockholm.​

 

[guul66]

Rapla​

Protective Allies, along with some of the Recruits who voluntarily joined the mobilization, march towards Rapla. They rested the night a little down the road from the town, before approaching it in the morning. After a brief negotiation with the Raiders, the enemy army was split into two factions. A few of them were crazy enough to attack the army that vastly over-numbered them, while the rest wanted to take things peacefully and either leave or join the Union. In the end it resulted in a small battle between over a 100 Livonian troops and 17 raiders, most of whom end up dying. 6 of the BU troops got somewhat larger injuries and 1 was killed.
Soon after the battle the Livonian army mostly withdrew, leaving 26 troops to guard the town, along with a stash of weapons for any locals that wanted to join the militia. Any raiders that weren't killed in the battle or wanted to join Livonia instead of leaving were taken as prisoners and were soon put to do forced labor.
An election was set up in the region, where the people voted in a (temporary) leader for the area. An well-known pro-Livonian farmer won the election and soon started work on integrating Rapla into the Baltic Union. It also didn't take long for a trade route to pop up between the two towns.
With the newly granted freedom, a few people from the region decided to migrate to Pärnu. This was slightly counter-balanced by a few people from Pärnu migrating to Rapla to claim any free land for their own farming and the soldiers garrisoned there. The garrison soldiers also started training the local Militia to get a level of skill that'd match the average Protective Ally.

Tallinn​

The scouts had continued on their way after Rapla, reaching Tallinn. The town and the way to it was quite irradiated by the fallout, multiple mutated beasts had attacked them, but the scouts had managed to shoo or kill them off.
The city itself was in chaos, gangs and raiders ruled the street, with no larger ruler existing over the area. The scouts also found a few bands of peaceful survivors, but there wasn't any group big enough to fight against the raiders and bandits in the area. It was clear that without the help of an outside power, there was no way this town was going to become any less bloody.

Riga​

As the scouts reached Riga they were, surprisingly, met with large walls protecting the town. Turned out, that Riga, while now smaller than in population than Pärnu, had managed to build up a mostly working society. It was directly ruled by the people - the town was guarded by a militia force of around a 1000 volunteers, who acted as both the police and the military. They also had a small courthouse where larger disputes were settled. The economy consisted of free, untaxed, shops, farms, etc.
It didn't take long for trade caravans to start frequenting between Pärnu and Riga.

Spoiler

Population increase: 8884 + 111 = 8995
Active Army decrease: 678 - 1 = 677
Rapla liberated from Raiders.
Rapla becomes Dependent-State/Vassal State for Livonia.
Rapla population decrease: 112 - 3 = 109
Rapla garrison increase: 0 + 26 Protective Allies + 21 Militia (untrained locals) = 27 Total
Pärnu population increase 8884 + 2 = 8887
Pärnu garrison decrease: 678 - 27 = 651 Protective Allies

 

[CabalAnomicPotato]

Portman had been happy when he got word that Sumy had been captured, and would sit in his office to celebrate with wine. The best part wasn't even that, no, after destroying the 400 strong mutant clan, they had managed to capture a plane, a Cessna 152, it was, and with this, scouting the lands would be easier, and more efficient. Plus Portman had plans, plans to scout over Russia and check the city of Moscow. "If the rumors were true, then bunkers had been built there before everything had went to shit, and those supplies could change my efforts for the better" he mumbled to himself, now calling his guard over, "send word, yes, that the scouting mission would be a go" he finished, waiting for the guard to close the door, putting his feet up on the desk.
~
Soliers received news almost immediately that the scouting mission was a go, and the commander had things speed up. They had to paint the plane first, black with a red stripe on each side, "UF" (Ukrainian Federation), painted on white in the stripes. The plane would be flown by two advanced, one with a telescope to see Moscows current state, then a convoy would be sent if decided.
Captured Sumy, Ukraine
A plane would be seen from Moscow
Pat

 

[Pandaman]

Charles rubbed his temples as he looked at the reports. No matter how he looked at it the problem would not change, their oil supplies were running drastically low. For the past forty years the BSC had run without a hitch. They had built fruit groves, ammunitions factories, simple pipe guns, and a protective wall.


Sure they had had their fair share of problems like figuring out how to pump water into the city from non irradiated rivers and streams, or the flu outbreak of 2047, but this was by far their biggest problem yet.


Without oil and gas they can’t run the pumps for the water systems, they can’t fuel the patrol boats and Gunships, they can’t run the wielders for the gunsmither. They needed oil or else they would not be able survive.


Before him sat a map of Europe. Every oil field was marked out on it with big black circles. In the netherlands there is Schoonebeek, but it is so far away the oil received from it would be too little.The oil fields in germany were even worse off, but england the oil fields in England are close enough to work.


Looking over england he sees his salvation, Kimmeridge. It's just across the channel, and close enough that a cargo ship could be outfitted with tanks, and shipped across then be back in just a day or two.


He had decided, they would take the oil field, they had to.

 

[Pandaman]

The waves crashed upon the deck, the seas were rougher than had been anticipated but they had made it. The ship's captain looked out at the shore and shook his head. His scraggly grey beard dipped with salt water. He picked up the ship's com system and it rang with a melancholy scree. He waited a moment before his stiff old voice announced, “We will have to postpone the landing until the weather clears up. No landing can be done in this storm.”


He shook his head as he placed down the mic. The survival of the commonwealth depended on this journey. Every last bit of fuel was pumped into this journey if they didn’t get this oil they were doomed, they had brought 500 men of the CPM and 2,000 of the militia. A full contingency force, but now here they sit waiting for the rain to subside.

Axel The Englishman

 

[Pat]

Moscow Union​

The ride into Tver was less eventful than Roman envisioned. He imagined an organized resistance of sorts, the fight you would expect from a cornered animal, one that bites and claws until it kills it's Hunter or dies. But as his railtank and those that followed rumbled into the city, the few humans that had witnessed their arrival disappeared indoors. Coming to an intersection in the railroad tracks, he raised his voice above the din of the engine and hopped out of the vehicle, his boots thudding and knees buckling at the sudden contact with the ground. Quickly switching the tracks over, he climbed back into his shell and continued onwards. The scouts had mentioned the Metahumans were concentrated around the airport, and to the airport were they going, but this silence was worrisome to the tank commander. Not a single vehicle that the Moscow Union operated ran on anything but diesel. Diesel engines had a ton of advantages over gasoline ones. They went farther on the same amount of fuel. They were easier to maintain. If hit, they were less likely to explode into flame. But they didn't run clean. If the Metahumans could put two and two together and connect these odd black plumes with the appearance of railcars... Roman shuddered to think what they could do with that information. It scared him witless that they might already know and think and be thinking about those odd humans from the ground beneath Moscow. From what he knew, they had thought. Maybe not as clear, maybe not as concise, but thought nonetheless. Mind power simpler than that was what put the ancients on the top of the heap over the bears and wolves. Give those freaks a good few centuries and millennia and they too could outnumber the species that had destroyed the world that they now prosper in. Roman sighed as his railtank made the final approach to the airport. Thankfully the last stretch of tracks were uncluttered with debris, for getting out here would be a death warrant. In the distance he could see the hulking forms of a pair of Metahumans and a cold dread settled into his heart. The pair spotted the railcars around the time he sighted them and their visages contorted into that of unimaginable hatred and primal desire to kill. Peering down into the fighting compartment, Roman gave his orders for the upcoming battle. "Vaughn, stop here. Only fire when you make out their eyes. Boris, keep Dushka cool and supplied with enough ammunition to satisfy her hunger."

"Da." They replied in unison, setting about their assigned tasks. Roman looked into the distance, beyond the small-though-growing stream of abominations that now poured out from the depths of the airport. On the other side another group of railcars had split off from the main party and were flanking them, but no reports of gunfire had yet reached his ears. In all, they had tens of railcars, and about three hundred of some of the finest soldiers the Moscow Union could assemble. As the ranks of their brethren surged forward to their aid and formed a proper firing line, he worried how much more the Metahumans themselves have changed since their last encounter nearly eleven years ago.

 

[CabalAnomicPotato]

"Hell yea! How's the view back there!?
"Still no Moscow" the equal ranked advanced said, although more focused on his job, the flyer had enjoyed his position, and only calmed himself apon refueling. As far as he could see, the wasteland didn't just occur in Ukraine, and what he looked at proved it, as he saw rubble and weird landmasses, parts of buildings. It was ironically enough when they were flying above Moscow, that the piolet spoke "the hell, are you seeing this!? It's live" he finished, as the passenger readied his telescope to see guard towers and live structures....including an abundance of railcars and railroads. "He needs to know about this" the passenger said, watching as the piolet nodded in agreement.
Pat

 

[Kazami42]

Moscow surface:

The team had slowly and carefully walked the surface, resetting some basic tripwire bullet traps with the bullet primarily being the makeshift shotgun shell on the ground for foot injury. It was slightly more difficult to rig a shell in this way, than the normal way back in the metro but it was not impossible. However, a few people had died previously attempting to do the same due to triggering it themselves. After they were done resetting some of the traps, they would begin moving again. The purpose of the traps were thought to be attempting to scare away intruders, but also act as a alarm should anyone actually be in the area. They would then hear something unknown to them, "What the fuck is that?" Yuri asked as a sound overhead was heard. "Get inside. Now!" marina had ordered them as they would quickly take cover in the nearest ruined building. Alexi simply crawling on the ground after quickly getting down, eventually getting inside the building as well. They would just wait it out, and keep looking around the building should anyone be around. "I'm going up, stay here and do not alert anyone that we are here if you want to live." Marina ordered again, climbing up the stairs with her scoped preved rifle to see what was happening. They would also attempt being quiet, as they were unsure if anyone or thing was inside the building with them. Alexi remaining near a window, and Yuri beginning to check the structure by himself. While Marina was upstairs, she had discovered that a outpost was nearby which unsettled her slightly. Having to deal with whatever was coming from the skies, and possibly someone else being here. After a few minutes, Alexi had also come up stairs to check if the team leader was alright. She had showed him that a outpost was in the area before taking her gun back. "We may not be the only ones alive up here, but we cannot risk finding it out." She said to Alexi, then trying to find the source of the noise. Alexi simply nodding and just going back downstairs again, and then changing out his gasmask filter.
Pat CabalAnomicPotato [Would I hear this actually? if not I will just edit the post and make it longer.]​

 

[CharmingCthulhu]

Andorra la Vella - Alfonso's Manor - Celebration of Western Pyrenees
The Kingdom of Andorra was again celebrating. This time for a similar but different reason. The entirety of the Pyrenees was under the Kingdom's control. The entirety of the Kingdom was alive this night, mainly the capital Andorra la Vella, but many of the villages within the Pyrenees were too celebrating. Even Alfonso and his Advisors loosened up and were celebrating, drinking with the courtiers and stuffing their faces full of the roasted marmot and extravagant fruits. Everything was going swimmingly, Alfonso gave a drunken speech slurring every word, "This is jsut the beginning! We now have a foot hold, and soon... Soon all of the Iberian Peninsula will be under our control!" The court cheered and continued on with the celebration.

The Beasts of Night
Though the celebration went well into the late of night, it eventually began to die down, each courtier leaving the hall in a stumble to their own rooms or homes. The court was practically empty now, all that remained was a few passed out courtiers who were being carried off to their rooms by the maids, the King's guards, and Alfonso who was in conversation with Ian. They had walked out onto a balcony, which overlooked most of Andorra la Vella, the signal towers standing out on the mountains in the bright sky. Ian patted Alfonso on the back, "Your father would be proud." Alfonso sighed and took in the night breeze, the distinct almost acidic aftertaste that came as a consequence of the nuclear war. "That he would be Ian. That he would be, " Alfonso took another breath and was about to continue what he was saying when he saw Ian peering off to the distance. Alfonso followed his eyes and in the distance, saw the signal towers begin to light one by one. Alfonso's smile faded, "The Romans..." Ian grabbed Alfonso by the shoulders, "Romans!? What is this talk!?" Alfonso broke from Ian's grasp running out of the court and to his quarters, "It's a long story, alert the towns folk, assemble the army!" Ian stood there dumbstruck, seeing the candlelight and lanterns of the village slowly beginning to flicker illuminating the street.

Daybreak
Alfonso emerged from his chambers, tightening the buckles of his father's cuirass. He hurried down the halls, the commotion from outside emanating and echoing throughout. As he opened the front door, stumbling while strapping his father's basket bastard sword, Ian and Samuel greeted him as he walked out, along with a small contingent of the army. "Where's the rest?" Alfonso questioned, peering to the sun beginning to rise over the peaks, the first still visible in the signal towers. "Sebastian has them organized near the center, waiting for your command." Alfonso set off towards the center his armor clanking with every step. Soon the center was reached, and Sebastian greeted the king. Alfonso stepped up to the elevated position, overlooking the cramped center filled with knights, infantrymen, archers, and the onlooking civilian or child. "As you all know, the fires have been lit, something is wrong, and I have reason to believe... we might be getting attacked by an outside force..." Alfonso paused, allowing the messengers to run around and relay what he said to the parts of the army that couldn't hear him, all the while the army whispered amongst themselves. "We will follow the towers to the source tower, and see what's amiss, and if need be, remove this source of worry from out great kingdom!" The crowd cheered as the commanders began rounding up there forces, Alfonso joining them.

The Hunt
The army began marching to the West, not knowing what troubles may lay ahead of them, simply following their King's orders. Sebastian had stayed back at the capital to watch things over while the King was away. The army had been split into smaller bands as to quickly cover ground. A force would approach the towers asking if they were the source, and if not the tower guards would point them towards the tower that set their light before theirs. This went on for awhile, the second day just rising over the horizon. Alfonso was no doubt afraid of the possibility that the well mannered Romans could have betrayed them. He was marching with his band of knights, archers, and infantrymen, numbering around 60 in total, him being the commander. As they marched they saw coming at them a messenger, waving towards Alfonso and soon catching up with the band. "Your majesty, a contingent found the source tower, they're waiting for you, you'll want to see this." Alfonso immediately asked the messenger to lead him to the contingent, and he sent his own messengers to the locations of the other parts of the army as to have them gather at the source tower. They soon arrived, and what Alfonso saw would forever haunt his memories. The tower laid destroyed before him, mangled corpses and wooden logs lie everywhere. Large footsteps and broken arrows litter the ground, these were large creatures, larger than any Alfonso had known. it was silent, the broken flag of Andorra waving gently in the wind, when, one of the soldiers called out, "Can you hear that?" Answers of What and similar questions arose, but eventually everyone began hearing the same thing. Large thuds, the ground began to shake, something big was coming, and fast.

A Battle Like No Other
Alfonso thinking quickly began yelling orders at his minuscule force of 70. He positioned the 20 something archers on nearby high ground, the infantrymen placed between the archers and the direction of the sounds. The 10 odd knights stationed behind the infantry men, to join in the melee once the first blow had been struck. All was silent besides the thuds for what seemed like hours when an archer called out, "What in gods name!?" As he called out a roar erupted from beyond the ridge that contingent was facing. Alfonso hurried to where the archer had been and peered over, seeing a creature like none other. A large furry creature, with what looked like a bony head and legs, the front part being much more elevated than the back most likely due to the odd legs. Alfonso first questioned his sanity but then screamed, "Archers fire on my command!" Each archer notched an arrow as the creatures, counting about 2 larger ones and 2 slightly smaller ones, became much more visible. These creatures were charging, fast, they were not going to stop for any soldier, Alfonso knew he had to stop his men from stacking to limit casualties. "Infantry disperse to higher ground!" A horn range out, signalling the order and the infantry began doing as told, dispersing to higher ground. As the creatures became closer it was evident that these things were armored heavily in the front, an almost chitin or bone like material covering the majority of their front facing legs and head. There was no way his archers could land even an injuring shot on these creatures from the front, so, in an act of risk, he ordered about 15 infantrymen to drop their weapons and run to the right flanks of the creatures. They hesitated, but began running, eventually they were to the right of the creatures, and one of the larger ones turned to face these unarmed men. "Fire!" Alfonso screamed not waiting a second more. A hail of arrows erupted from the hilltop positioning, many landing squarely on the open creature, enough to set it off balance and force it to fall on it's side. This did little more than to anger the other two, one of which began charging at the infantry on a nearby hilltop, and the other charging directly at Alfonso. Before drawing his sword, "Attack the rear where there is no armor, hold these creatures back, reinforcements will come!" As he said that on the nearby hilltop the large beast made connection with the infantry, it's charge sending a few back while quashing some unfortunate souls. "Fire at will!" Alfonso yelled while charging to meet with his nearby infantrymen, one of the beasts still charging at him. A small band was quickly able to thrust their swords into the creature on it's side, though it kicked for a bit, it soon went still but the other two were very much still a threat. On the nearby hilltop the creature had stopped charging, giving the men chances to stab at the rear legs. This kiting tactic worked relatively efficiently though it was hard to tell if this creature was even getting wounded. On the other hand the other beast was still charging directly at Alfonso, he had nowhere to run, so thinking quickly he stood still plating his feet firmly into the ground. He ordered his archers to move to his right flank along with the infantrymen. Once the creature became increasingly close, leaving it's side completely open to the archers and pikemen, he ordered them to fire. The beast was obviously shocked by the sudden impact of the arrows and the thrusts of the pikes, it began to stumble but what still charging at high speeds towards the King. As luck would have it the creatures right leg became hooked on a boulder and it tripped, landing with a great thud and skidding on the ground it's armored skull still hitting the King knocking him back with a loud thud and a groan. As the light faded from Alfonso's eyes he could hear the horns of an approaching contingent, and then it all faded.

The Aftermath
Alfonso awoke with a pounding headache and an aching breath. He had been laid on a bed of furs near the battlefield, his armor removed and his chest bandaged. He sat up and surveyed the area. The three beasts lay slain and among them, countless soldiers laying still. He began to feel his vision fade as he laid against the furs again, allowing the softness to ease his headache into slumber.

Back Home
Alfonso awoke yet again, this time with a lesser headache, easier breathing, and within his own bed. He stumbled out of bed, slipping on some trousers, being careful not to touch his bandaged chest. He stumbled out of his quarters and into the court. There sat his three advisors talking amongst themselves. When they three saw him they offered for him to join, that he did. They began to fill him in on what had happened while he laid asleep. The third beast was finally able to be taken down, many losses were counted on the battlefield. Alfonso began to mourn, there was no good news, these lives had been lost for nothing. That's when Ian spoke up. Apparently another contingent of scouts had found a nearby cave, and in that cave were what to be assumed were the offspring of these beasts. Docile when approached by the men, Ian decided it would be best to bring these creatures back. It was a pain no doubt, but eventually they were able to herd a sizable amount, count 11-14, each varying in gender. Samuel had suggested we could use these creatures as a livestock of sorts, while Ian had the crazy idea of putting knights atop the beasts, to act as a sort of cavalry. Alfonso favored this idea of men riding atop these great beasts, he saw what they could do, he knew what type of power his military would have even if only 20 odd knights were riding these creatures. Of course this was only one herd, there were many more out there in the mountains. Aswell taming these creatures would not be an easy feat, but Ian dedicated Sebastian dedicated himself to the task, while Ian would organize military contingents to hunt out the lairs of these creatures to hopefully ring them back to the "stables" outside of the city near the training grounds. As these ideas were being talked about between the four, a guard interrupted, "Your majesty, we have a another messenger, a man claiming to be from an 'Empire of Aquitaine'. He wishes to discuss with you my liege." The four sat for a moment looking at each other and then Alfonso said, "Bring him in... But keep your eyes on him." The guard nodded and left the court, reappearing a few moments later with a man. Alfonso had him seated across the table, watching him intently.
"What is it you'd like to speak about, messenger of Aquitaine?"​

Rysesaka

Spoiler: After Action Report

Men lost during Battle of the Beasts - 15 (In tower) - 50 during battle - Total 65

Creatures gained (Not yet tamed) - 14

Total Population - 1,726

Total Military Manpower - 1,282
-250 from "Taming of the Beasts" led by Ian

Net Gain - 14 Beasts

 

[Rysesaka]

Back Home
Alfonso awoke yet again, this time with a lesser headache, easier breathing, and within his own bed. He stumbled out of bed, slipping on some trousers, being careful not to touch his bandaged chest. He stumbled out of his quarters and into the court. There sat his three advisors talking amongst themselves. When they three saw him they offered for him to join, that he did. They began to fill him in on what had happened while he laid asleep. The third beast was finally able to be taken down, many losses were counted on the battlefield. Alfonso began to mourn, there was no good news, these lives had been lost for nothing. That's when Ian spoke up. Apparently another contingent of scouts had found a nearby cave, and in that cave were what to be assumed were the offspring of these beasts. Docile when approached by the men, Ian decided it would be best to bring these creatures back. It was a pain no doubt, but eventually they were able to herd a sizable amount, count 11-14, each varying in gender. Samuel had suggested we could use these creatures as a livestock of sorts, while Ian had the crazy idea of putting knights atop the beasts, to act as a sort of cavalry. Alfonso favored this idea of men riding atop these great beasts, he saw what they could do, he knew what type of power his military would have even if only 20 odd knights were riding these creatures. Of course this was only one herd, there were many more out there in the mountains. Aswell taming these creatures would not be an easy feat, but Ian dedicated Sebastian dedicated himself to the task, while Ian would organize military contingents to hunt out the lairs of these creatures to hopefully ring them back to the "stables" outside of the city near the training grounds. As these ideas were being talked about between the four, a guard interrupted, "Your majesty, we have a another messenger, a man claiming to be from an 'Empire of Aquitaine'. He wishes to discuss with you my liege." The four sat for a moment looking at each other and then Alfonso said, "Bring him in... But keep your eyes on him." The guard nodded and left the court, reappearing a few moments later with a man. Alfonso had him seated across the table, watching him intently.
"What is it you'd like to speak about, messenger of Aquitaine?"​

Rysesaka

Eastern Pyrenees, Andorra la Vella, Kingdom of Andorra

The young and good-looking Aquitanian messenger was amazed that a pre-war nation survived the bombs due to its geographic strategic location. He followed the guard to the court and saw the King of this nation, he also glanced at the guard as he left the court. The Aquitanian messenger was wearing a noble-like suit with an armband of a Aquitanian lion's head on his right shoulder. He then looked at the King. He then speak with a Aquitanian/Southern French accent.

"Greetings your highness, our Empire is seeking trade and a friendly relationship, or possibly an alliance. This is the second time we've encountered another nation. The reason why we want to establish contact with other nations because others are rising from the ashes such as Rome. And our great Emperor, Enzo of House Moreau stated that Rome will be the threat to our great nations in the future. We are your northern neighbor, your highness. If you're asking where our Empire is located, we control the southwestern chunk of former Francia." CharmingCthulhu

 

[CharmingCthulhu]

Andorra La Vella
"Ah well, we have spoken to these Romans, and I had received no ill-intent from these men. But to each their own. And, same as with how I responded to the Romans, I will have to respectfully decline any approach to an alliance as our nation would like to stay neutral and independent, but trade could be possible. The only thing is, we aren't exactly a valuable Kingdom, we have all the essentials re require, but no true luxuries. For now, why don't you go back to Aquitaine and tell your leader that we acknowledge your existence and possibility as allies, but currently we are hard pressed with different matters. Thank you for relaying this message." With that Alfonso ushers towards the guard to have this somewhat lavish messenger escorted out.
Rysesaka​

 

[Kent]

Kingdom of Madrid

Outskirts of Zaragoza, New Spain

Two M1130 Command Vehicles were present in the temporary military post. The officers inside it would be taking command of the operation. The King specifically ordered them to minimize the casualties as possible and try to deal with the bandits in a more humane way. Avoid genocide and engage with them diplomatically. This would ensure that there would be little casualties in the MDF and would also earn them new friends.

After a few hours, the scouts came back and reported that there are 5 bandit groups with different leaders. All groups are assumed to be independent. The scouts also estimated around 500 mutants scattered all around the city. All 25 snipers were first positioned in the roofs of buildings across Zaragoza, then a squad would be sent to each of the bandit groups. The squads were given gifts to Give to the bandits. The squad leaders were brought to the bandit leaders. The bandits asked why they were given gifts and the soldier replied that it was a sign of goodwill. The soldiers also gave them an offer to join the Kingdom of Madrid. They would be well taken care of while still living in Zaragoza. They would still also be able to govern their respective territories. The soldiers also offered to clear the city of mutants. The bandits agreed. The Green signal was then given for the military to begin their cleaning operation on Zaragoza.
---
The snipers on the roof were given the go to open fire on all mutants they see. Their sniper rifles were equipped with suppressors so the noise is minimized and they will not attract a large horde of mutants. The mutants were oblivious that the mutant next to it were shot directly in the head. The snipers continued to lessen their numbers.
The Spec Ops were also tasked in infiltrating multiple buildings and clear the mutants inside it. Half of them were armed with suppressed ACR, while the others were armed with supressed FN Scars. They would also try to snipe the mutants from windows if need be. After the mutant numbers has been lowered, the ground forces began to move in. The ground forces encountered 5 6 feet tall green mutants in the airfield. The green mutants were invulnerable to rifles, so the tanks took care of them with High Explosive shells. The city was eventually cleared of mutants. A Eurofighter-typoon, cesna 172 and multiple plane parts were found in the air base. The parts were estimated to be enough to assemble another eurofighter-typhoon. The found arsenals were brought back to madrid. The MDF also found the 5 soldiers from Barcelona.
---
Effects:
6 Casualties
Acquired a Eurofighter-Typhoon
Acquired a Cesna(172)
Acquired multiple plane parts, enough to build another typhoon
500 mutants killed
1,500 bandits join the Kindom of Madrid
5 MDF soldiers rescued
GM Approved
---
Royal Palace of Madrid
"That was what I was talking about. We reduced casualties because we were more humane and engaged with diplomatic talks with the bandits. They even joined our side." Said the king. The woman infront of him nodded.

"The Military also acquired new arsenals. They are gonna be useful in future operations."

"Exactly. I want Moron Airbase and Rota Naval Base next. After that, Valencia, the rest of Cadiz and them barcelona. After securing strategic locations, we will then focus in manufacturing and industry. We can't keep using up our supplies." The King said.

"As you wish, I will send the word to the Headquarters." The woman then left. After she left, a man in a military uniform entered. He looked like a high ranking officer.

"John." Said the king. "Tell me the specifics. What happened in barcelona?"

"The scout team was captured by the bandits. I don't know how, but they did it. The building were they were in was then raided by well equipped and trained soldiers, similar to our Spec Ops. They released our soldiers in the rooftop and they took of in a VTOL aircraft. "

"So, it is true. There are many survivors all across europe." He said. He then looked at the general.

"A couple of months ago we received a report that there is rumored to be a nation state in andorra. Please investigate further."

"As you wish your majesty."
---
A squad of 5 in an amored transport vehicle was sent to Andorra to investigate. If the rumors are true, then they will engage with them diplomatically and bring them the message from the king.
CharmingCthulhu ​

 

[Axel The Englishman]

A vehicular patrol took place along the northern edge of Old London. Sometimes there occasional Mut would stray from the G-Zone. It was common sense to remove any potential threats. It would be far too risky to allow for a mob to build up.

Ferdinand took the wheel - one foot carefully placed above the throttle. Walkers had been situated right by the turret. Armed and loaded for Mut encounters, of course. It was their job to clear out any wanderers, of course. Luckily, a wandering Mut was normally a rare occurrence - saving both the effort and the ammunition.

"A bit muggy out 'ere, would you say?"

Walkers made a daring attempt to strike up a conversation. Ferdinand wasn't exactly famous for his extroverted personality. Well, if he had one of course.

"At least it's not pouring it down." A form of reply came following afterwards.

The Coyote continued its course. It awaited potential threats to arrive. Though, none had made them self present. The lack of sound - other than the hum of the Coyote's engine - had only made everything far more unnerving than it already had to be.

 

[Lordvader59]

The New Russian Empire
The City of St Petersburg was alight. In commemoration of the Tsar's rise to power over the first Imperial Faction, a great parade was held in the street, with the Tsar's own as well as a sizable portion of the Imperial Army marching. This also marked the beginning of the Empire's expansion beyond St Petersburg. Three truck convoys were sent out to being scouting. One headed to Riga, one to Moscow, and one to scout the near south vicinity
Pat Kazami42 guul66

 

[Rysesaka]

Empire of Aquitaine

​

Place de la Bourse, Bordeaux, Imperial Aquitaine

The young and sharp-minded Emperor, Enzo Moreau, woke up on his bed. He stand up and stretches his body, he changed his red robe to a noble suit and puts the armband of an Aquitanian lion's head on his right shoulder. He then went to the kitchen to make some coffee and after that he went to the living room to take a drink of his coffee and read a newspaper called Époque Aquitane or Aquitanian Times.

As he takes a sip from his coffee, he read a topic one by one, the most popular topic was the capture of western coast of Bordeaux which many people have settled there because of its environment and the Aquitanian Imperial Navy HQ transferred to Soulsac-Sur-Mer, the northernmost city of Imperial Aquitaine located on the northwest of its territory and last but not least is that the Empire of Aquitaine have established a contact outside of its borders named "Kingdom of Andorra" whom is a nation before the war, survived in the bombs. Enzo was glad that the killing of a young Roman messenger wasn't on the newspaper, he then sigh on a relief. He was thinking that would be the reaction of those poor brainwashed people that a corpse was brutally savaged by Enzo himself. After that, he takes a sip of his coffee once again.

Someone rang a doorbell. Enzo shouted, "Who is it?" the young Emperor would stand up to open the door, as he opened the door. Enzo was shocked, it was his fiancée, Suzanne Bianchetti; a beautiful Aquitanian-Genoese woman (or French-Italian). Suzanne quickly hugged Enzo tightly, saying with a Genoese accent, "I miss you, Enzo" and Enzo was completely shocked. Both of them shed their tears. "Suzanne, I-.. I thought you were dead?!" Enzo said as he sobs. "No, my love, me and my father escaped to Genoa during your revolution against the corrupt government, after all these years, I didn't know you will become a leader of this nation that your great-grandfather built." Suzanne said. "What matters is that you're alive, Suzanne." Enzo replied. They both hug tightly once again.

After that dramatic moment, they went to living room to discuss about their lives. "So, how is your father, Suzanne?" Enzo asked her. "He's good, he became a politician in Genoa." Suzanne replied. "That's good news! Well, is Genoa still an isolationist?" Enzo asked her once again. "Somehow, but things have changed over there, they became a vassal of some city-state, calling themselves as Duchy of Milan." Enzo realized that these rumours about smaller nations rising from the ashes isn't even a rumour anymore, it's the truth. "It seems the rumours about rising nations is true, yeah?" which Suzanne then nods at Enzo's remarks.

"By the way, have you heard of Rome? I meant the ruling government on that city." Enzo asked her fiancée. Suzanne said, "Of course, Rome is a hot topic on Genoa right now, saying that they are ruled the same as the ancient Rome did." Enzo was thinking about how ancient Rome was revived in this new world. "I was thinking how Ancient Rome was able to revive in this new world they live in-.. I was thinking that their Senator or whatever is some sort of a historian professor before the war." Suzanne was amazed by Enzo's remarks. "Makes sense." and then the two decided to take a tour on Enzo's new house.

"This is Place de la Bourse, yes?" Suzanne asked Enzo as they walk around the Place de la Bourse. Enzo just nodded. "This place is full of mutants once, you know, good thing you ordered your men to get rid those vile creatures." both of them chuckled. "I guess you could say that." Enzo said. Enzo would then notice the picture frame of his great-grandfather. Suzanne asked, "That's Alain Juppé, the last mayor of Bordeaux before the war, my grandmother used to talk about him, saying he ruled France democratically and made France a great nation." Enzo replied, "That's my great-grandfather. He was a fierce nationalist, I never met him as he died many years ago. My grandmother used to talk about him also." and Suzanne raised her eyebrows, "No shit, Alain Juppé is your great-grandfather? From what side?" and Enzo replied, "From my mother's side." and Suzanne chuckles, "I didn't you have a pre-war blood of a famous politician, my love." and both of them chuckled. "Don't you know that my grandmother was an actress before the war? Her name was Barbara Schulz, born in Bordeaux, a pure Aquitanian." Suzanne said as she flips her hair playfully. "Of course your grandmother is an actress, you're beautiful tho." Enzo said it as a move, the truth is, he doesn't know the French actress before the war.

And after that, Suzanne said she might stay in Aquitaine as she is bethroted to the first Emperor of Aquitaine, Enzo of House Moreau. They then sleep with each other after that..

The next day, they woke up and does the morning routine. Someone then rang a doorbell and when Enzo opened it, it was the messenger who was sent to Andorra. The messenger would say, "Glory to Aquitaine! Hail Moreau!" and then the messenger would bow before the Emperor who is wearing red robe. Enzo let the messenger in and discuss about Andorra. "So you've talk to the King of Andorra?" The young and sharp-minded Emperor questioned the lavish-looking messenger. "Yes, your grace, they accepted our trade offer but they declined an alliance offer, saying that they want to be neutral and independent." The messenger replied. "Independent? But they're already inde-.." and then the Emperor's fiancée would interrupt their conversation as she says, "My love, here's your coffee." Suzanne would put the coffee on the table and after that they kissed each other on the lips. The messenger was raising his eyebrows as he looked at the beautiful woman. Suzanne looked at the messenger and she said, "Who is this fine gentleman you're talking to, Enzo?" Enzo would look at Suzanne and then to the messenger. "He's one of the messengers who swore loyalty and perform his duties to the Empire." Enzo continued, "By the way, what's your name, gentleman?" The messenger replied, "I'm Acel, your grace.." Enzo nods and then Suzanne said, "I'll be right back." Suzanne then went to the kitchen. "That girl brings me headaches." Enzo said in a sarcastic way. The messenger Acel would chuckle. "She'll be the first Empress of Aquitaine and House Moreau would be finally complete." Enzo continued, "Anyways, about Andorra, they're already independent. It's not like we could vassalize their nation-.. or can we?" Enzo would chuckle as he takes a sip of his coffee. The messenger was silent. "Anything else?" Enzo questioned him. "Nothing else, your grace." the messenger replied. "Alright, you're free to go. Glory to Aquitaine, take care." Enzo said. "Glory to Aquitaine, Hail Moreau!" and then the messenger would left the Place de la Bourse.

"Hail Moreau?" Suzanne was laughing at Enzo. Enzo said, "What's with the laugh, my love?" Enzo approached Suzanne and kissed her forehead. "It's like they treat you as a god." Suzanne replied. "Maybe but it's a respect, I'm the only one who led the people out of the underground train stations, you know." Enzo said and Suzanne would nod. "By the way, I'm going to do a nation address tomorrow, you should be there as you are the Empress of Aquitaine. Suzanne of Aquitaine, get it?" Enzo would chuckle. "Okay, my love, as long you're here by my side." Suzanne would giggle. "By the way, how about we go shopping?" Enzo asked her. "There's shopping here in Bordeaux?" Suzanne raised her eyebrows and Enzo simply said, Yeah." and then Suzanne went to the bedroom to get changed and Enzo went to the wardrobe to dressed his noble-suit with an armband of the Aquitanian lion's head. After that, they were dressed. "Let's go?" Enzo said as he offered Suzanne a hand. Suzanne accepts it as she said, "Yes, our journey would be Genoa two point zero, huh?" and both of them laugh.

Spoiler

- Enzo Moreau is a descendant of Alain Juppé, the last mayor of Bordeaux before the war and possibly the last descendant of Eleanor of Aquitaine.
- Suzanne Bianchetti is a descendant of Barbara Schulz, a French actress before the war.
- Enzo acknowledges the Duchy of Milan and Genoa because of his fiancée, Suzanne.

Aquitanian Imperial Navy HQ, Soulac-Sur-Mer, Imperial Aquitaine
95km to Bordeaux

After the Aquitanian forces headed by General Adam are able to annexed the western coast of Bordeaux. The Aquitanian Imperial Navy HQ was transferred to Soulac-Sur-Mer, a northwestern coastal city of Imperial Aquitaine, facing the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic Ocean. The naval forces of Aquitaine are able to embark in this new naval headquarters. The navy general Hugo Martin and other naval officers were discussing about patrolling into the Bay of Biscay and most of the naval officers agreed.

"Bay of Biscay would be alive again, there would be ships but soon, the Bay of Biscay would be the gateway to Bordeaux when it comes to trade routes." The navy general Hugo Martin said. The navy general also discussed about discovering a new lands for the sake of the expansion. The navy general knew that the Emperor would addressed the nation about expansionism sooner or later.

The five ships of the Aquitanian Imperial Navy; AIN Champlain, AIN Bougainville and AIN La Mouqueuse, AIN La Glourieuse, and AIN Monge would be sent to the Bay of Biscay for the first time. Their goal is to patrol the Bay of Biscay and possibly to find new lands for expansion.

Effect:
- Bay of Biscay is now under the territory of the Aquitanian waters.

 

[namama]

The Duke grinned as another bout of fireworks flew up and exploded. The fireworks paused momentarily for the nine gun salute of the MSS Sforza's Vengeance, firing off balls made from scavenged styrofoam so as to not hurt anyone too badly. A cheer went up from the crowd of Milanese folk. Today was Unity Day, the anniversary of the day thirteen years ago when Genoa and Milan had been united after the Battle of Sweetwater village, where the two armies came to clash after trade disputes and instead united when a large number of mutants, attracted by the gunfire and sounds of battle attacked. But today was also the day the MSS Sforza's Vengeance and two of the frigates would head west to scout the coastline and find any viable cities to settle. In the mean time, however, two thousand soldiers would be marching west to take Turin.

 

[guul66]

Riga​

When the trucks arrived the people of Riga were somewhat conflicted in opinions. They trusted Russians less than they trusted people of the same ethnicity, as most of the scouts were Latvian. They stopped them at the gates and asked their business.

Meanwhile the Livonian scouts managed to negotiate an ambassador into Riga. The ambassador would still have to work to get his daily food, but they offered to give a small free farm for any ambassador that would arrive.
The chosen ambassador was an well-known member of the Pärnu community and had been just a few votes away from joining the Linnakogu last elections. Him and his family relocated to Riga barely a week and a half after discovering the settlement.

Pärnu​

With the increasingly sunny relationship with Riga, the Linnakogu and politically active citizens were discussing on how Livonia should interact with the town in the future. Some proposed trying to establish some sort of government over the town forcefully, while the others saw it better to just improve relations as much as possible and get them to ally with Livonia. The latter option was more popular, as many people didn't want to take any chances of bloodshed with another Baltic faction.

Rapla​

It didn't take long for Rapla to join in an official alliance with the Baltic Union. A few Linnakogu members and the recently elected leader of Rapla signed an "Agreement of mutual aid and defense" right in front of the town hall of Rapla and the few bored farmers that showed up let out a cheer that didn't seem very powerful or passionate. Some skeptical nerd-farmers of Rapla pointed out that the name sounded a lot like the Base Agreement between the Baltic States and the Soviet Union back in 1939, but most people of Rapla saw only positives in the agreement.

Spoiler

Ambassador in Riga.
Rapla also an Allied State (next to Vassal/Dependent State)
Pärnu population decrease 8887 - 5 = 8882
Loose population increase 0 + 5 = 5

Lordvader59

 

[General Deth Glitch]

Konungariket Sverige

The Queen.
The Queen made her way down the Finnish coast. She had a discussion with some of the advisers and, of course, the 'admiral' of the 'fleet'. This discussion was over whether they should risk it, save hours or even days of travel and cut across the Finnish gulf or play it safe and take the long lumbering trip around. After a small Sea Vidunder bashed the side of one of the ships, only to be fished onto the deck of one of the yachts and prepared as a meal, they decided not to risk it. Instead risking the small number of raiders that travel the sea. The few soldiers with them armed with guns should be more then sufficient to stop any such threat. This was proven when a small fishing vessel began to approach them, when the could see the solders armed and ready they headed back to the Finnish coast. After a few more hours of travel they came across an area. There were great long sand banks restricting travel in or out. However they shallow Yachts and Ferries could pass over the ruined bridges. While the Queens own boat had to remain outside. Not knowing what to expect she sent some advisors and a contingent of troops to go in and look if there was anything worth her time and, most importantly, if it was safe. The rest of the ships remained with the Queen as they set off. The ferry is topped with soldiers, peering out and guns ready as they travel further in. Seeing a hub of activity they prepare to meet a potentially civilised group. Lordvader59

The Prince.
As the convoy approached the town of Avesta, a town well known for its small community willing to buy food and trade with the Swedish soldiers out on hunt, the Prince was sleeping. He was curled up with his new friend, his snowy pup that he had yet to name when a shot rang out. The Truck ahead of them swerved and so the truck transporting the Prince had to adjust similarly. He awoke with a start just as he heard the thud of the driver from the other truck's body hitting the ground. They had yet to see their assailants but they backed up to the Trucks, hopping in the back with the Prince and his pet. The two armed with guns were ready to fire and the others kept their eyes open, ready to point out any movement. Soon after noises could be heard from the roadside and a firefight began as the two armed soldiers attempted to suppress and kill their assailants. With the pup cowering in a corner the Prince grabbed his axe and leapt from the Truck into the underbrush. As he landed he rolled, standing up right next to one of their attackers. The women tried to bash at him with the but end of her gun but the Prince parried with his Axe and then embedded it into her neck. Not waiting to remove it he grabbed her rifle and began crawling through the bushes. He came across a few dead bodies and a pair of men, one turned to shoot him and the Prince fired a deafening shot through the bridge of his nose, not generally a good place to aim but at this range it did the job and the mans brains flew all over the trees behind. The other just began cowering in fear. The Prince could see no other threats so he grabbed the man and pushed him out into the road as he ordered his men not to shoot at him. There was still the issue of the sniper that apparently took out one of his guards. When he passed from the greenery he found that in the battle another guard lay dead. "Take this man. Tie him too the bear. Let his feet drag against the road." He ordered as he looked to the distance. Just as he did it lit up with gunfire. Who ever was out there was fighting someone. He ordered his men back onto the truck and had his two dead guards hurriedly tied down in the truck, awaiting a time they could be properly put to rest. When he arrived at the distant firefight it was over, dead on both sides but it turned out that the victors were people of Avesta who had heard the fighting and went to investigate. It was one of their own trying to use the well travelled road to take his own profit. He gathered a small following and tried to attack them. Pity they put themselves up against the Prince or they may have made quite a name for themselves. He was offered a free place to sleep, they filled his fuel with as much as they could spare, apologised and begged that the Kingdom not seek revenge for this, as it was not their wish for it to happen. He assured them of his forgiveness and asked for something to wrap his dead in so they would not be left to the elements. He gave them the prisoner, whose feet were already badly burned and cut, and in return they offered a beautiful Shield maiden for his guard, though what purpose he would have her serve neither he or they knew. He tried to decline but she was as insistent as the people and so they travelled back to Stockholm. When he arrived he was greeted with news of the victory over Uppsala and a ceremony would be held to celebrate his great kill. The young women that offered herself to his service seemed to be following him about as loyally as the puppy. The Puppy he named Loki and later he learned his other follower was named Freyja.​