Nightlands

Nightlands
Full Name	Nightlands
Capital	Nightlands
Information
Official Languages	English
Government	Autocracy
Head of State	Overseer Suzerain
Formation	3000
Population	200,000
Demonym	Nightlander
Ethnic groups	Nightling (66.67%) Human (33.33%)

The Nightlands, also officially known as the “Northwestern Mountain Republic” is an industrializing nation inhabited primarily by nightlings, which are a people of humans genetically modified for war that rebelled against their corporate masters who are all now dead, enslaved, or transformed into nightlings.

Previously, the Nightlands was largely decentralized, with countless warlords and bosses squabbling to compete for territories and recruits. The strongest warlords being the Overseers, a council of especially powerful autocrats who gained their power through their contributions in the rebellion against their creators and former enslavers Chromotech. In recent times however, Overseer Suzerain’s rise to power above all the other Overseers had him forcefully reorganize the entire country, maintaining order with the collaboration of Overseer Subjugator. Despite extremely violent unrest bringing the nation into the brink of civil war, Suzerain was able to keep the country together through sheer brutality as well as careful maneuvers to placate and persuade the warlords and bosses of the opposition.

Under Suzerain’s new revolutionary economy, most regions still enjoy relative autonomy, with leadership and local governance of factories and districts still being decided by whichever strongman gathers enough power to lead the territory. Whoever the boss in office may be at the time, as long as they follow orders from the Suzerain Government, they are free to do as they wish.

Although the organization of land remains traditional, the nation has since skyrocketed in development as Suzerain makes deals with foreign governments, and spearheads economic projects. There are however a fair variety of emerging factions within the country in response to the rapid changes nightling society faces, with members working and organizing together to an extent never witnessed before in the region. Each with their own vision for the Nightlands’ future.

Factions

Centre Loyalists / Established Order

National Liberal Party of the Northwestern Mountain Republic

Also known as the Suzerain Government. Maintaining power through their monopoly on the professional military of the state, Overseer Subjugator’s nationwide surveillance system and loyal enforcers, and Overseer Suzerain’s Pale Knights and careful manipulation of the different factions of the Republic. They take upon themselves the responsibility of bringing the Nightlands to the level of all the other nations of Doggerland.

The National Liberals welcome every helping hand, including human and alien ones, with their one and sole priority being the prosperity of the nation state. While not strongly aligned towards any particular ideology, they may wear a mask of whatever philosophy their international partners believe in.

Ideal Government

They seek to maintain the status quo governance of an internationalist aligned head of state with absolute power, backed by both the military and police, in order to pave the way for internationalist reforms to open the country up to foreign technology and investments.

Interest Groups

Major support from the Army.

Minor support from the Academia, Urban Warlords.

Should the religious institutions of human religions find themselves entrenched in the Nightlands, they will act as major support for the National Liberals

Associates

Overseer Suzerain and his supporters, leading the nation.

Overseer Subjugator and his supporters. He seeks to control his people and make them more human.

Overseer Benevolence and his supporters. Highly interested and sympathetic to the Pontifical States.

Pale Knights - an organization of elite warriors, led by Suzerain

Sentinels - police force of the Nightlands, organized by Subjugator.

Left Opposition / Emerging Orders

The Syndicate

A union between the nationalist-religious aspects of nightling society, the intellectuals of the academic districts and of the Science Fortress, as well as the industrial workers employed by The Fortress Guild’s warlords and bosses. Being the thinkers of society, or systematically oppressed in the national economy, brings them all together with a shared interest in solidarity. All of them seeking an ideal world better than the last, they call upon the liberation of oppressed peoples of the nightlands, as well as an emphasis on the suppression of the nightlings' inclination to war and brutality, urging self-control and discipline as an important aspect of nightling society.

Tightly organized to protect one another, the Syndicate is the most robust and well organized opposition faction within the nation. As the country further industrializes, the academic system expands, and the people become more deeply involved in the national economy, the Syndicate furthers its position as the center of philosophy and political(ly correct) debate, charities and independent social services, and as the combined front against the exploits of both the Fortress Guild and Suzerain Government.

Ideal Government

They call for a democratically organized society, where regional communities may autonomously govern themselves while sending their elected representatives to attend in a nationwide council for cooperative decision making and resource organization. Although it is similar to the old pre-industrial nightling system, they believe that this time, a strong, educated conscience, and brutal ruthlessness to destroy reactionary elements, will prevent the rise of new warlords and the centralization of power under single names. Believing that power will be held among all nightlings collectively.

Interest Groups

Major support from Academia, Calignist Clergy, Urban Workers.

Minor support from Rural Workers.

Associates

Dames - Democratically organized militia.

Overseer Eruditus and his supporters. Seeking revenge against Suzerain.

Calignist Temple - Clergy of an esoteric religion obsessed with self control and self sacrifice.

Science Fortress - A self-managing underground fortress focused on education and technological development. Officially owned by Eruditus.

The Fortress Guild

Previously mere warlords and bosses who managed to take rule of industrial centers, they quickly realized that their new territories offered great material opportunities through its connection to the national economy that was never seen before in rural regions. Allied together for trade, monopolization, crushing rebellious workers and competition, and to expand, maintain, and defend profits by any means necessary.

Not necessarily popular, they are however plenty with members, most of which are employees, mercenaries, and debt slaves of industrialists. Their united pool of wealth offers no shortage of recruited thugs for themselves, and bribery to the Suzerain government.

Masters of the mines, military industry, consumer goods, and generally the vast majority of the national economy. Suzerain has no choice but to constantly concede privileges, concessions, and promise their protection, as they exponentially grow in power and relevance to the Nightlands’ prosperity.

Ideal Government

Not ideologically committed to a specific governance, they only seek unrestricted freedom to attain their opportunities and expand their industries, and in the Nightlands, they believe the best way they could achieve this is through an oligarchic government made up of the wealthiest warlords, with a strongman leading among them to enforce consensus. They seek to completely eliminate all obstacles to personal profit. Naturally, this means the complete dismantlement of all economic regulations and the privatization of most public sectors, while still using the state as a tool to organize their economic (and violent) warfare against both the workers and feudalists.

Interest Groups

Major support from the Urban Warlords.

Minor support from Bosses.

Associates

No significant associates.

Right Opposition / Reactionary Orders

The Freedom Front

A coalition between gang bosses, local governors, smaller warlords, and the rural workers who are largely isolated from the national economy. Common people who do not benefit from charity and solidarity, or those who already have power and wealth but are undermined by authority. They all share the same interest in the expansion of their personal opportunities. They desire the empowerment of the individual, as well as the abolishment of the privileges and concessions provided to the bigger rural warlords and industrialists in order to open competition for themselves, or if they are a rural worker, freedom from feudal servitude. But most of all, they are all united in xenophobia against the human outside. They are collective in their desire for a return to the Nightlands’ former isolated state. Their hatred of humanity rooted in the Nightlands’ foreign technological exchange that empowers the already unfairly powerful, or for rural workers, destroys their familiar subsistence lifestyle and relative autonomy in place of relentless flesh rending industrialist exploitation that dwarfs what any feudal warlord is capable of.

While the least organized and most divided of the factions, they are certainly not a threat to be ignored, for they wear the nightling spirit without shame, being the leaders of brutality, cruel militarism, and frenzied patriotism, they wield the strength of the nightling heart to its full potential.

Ideal Government

They believe in a powerful head of state with the absolute power to enforce consensus nationwide.. Seeking a return to the system of the good old days, but without the feudal warlords, means a return of the old anarchic, might make right order. However, this time it will all be centralized under a single Overseer who would guarantee their safety, freedom, and exaltation. Human slavery will be abolished in place of a complete focus on their assimilation into nightlings.

Interest Groups

Major support from Bosses, Emerging Warlords, Rural Workers.

Minor support from Urban Workers, Calignist Clergy.

Associates

Overseer Progressor and his supporters. Seeking global domination and nightling supremacy.

Old Calignists - an offshoot of Calignism that believe hedonism is the path to self control.

The Great Assembly

Slavers, landowners, and warlords. Once the dominators and masters of old nightling society, now merely an afterthought. As they pocket the majority of their already relatively little produce that they extort from the rural workers, they hardly contribute to the national economy, and thus they are relentlessly targeted by Overseer Suzerain in order to make space for industrialists, all while kept quiet and divided with just enough bribes and privileges to just fold and take the hits. But as the old system withers, and nightling society reaches a point of no return, desperation takes hold. An alliance between all the proponents of old might, with all of their levies, banners, and slave soldiers ready to muster in a single horn’s blow, more than enough to keep the Industrialists and Suzerain at bay.

Their days may be over, but that won’t stop them from seeking the return of the old system. The new industrial economy might seek their destruction, but they have decades worth of experience killing each other to prove they are not so easily undermined.

Ideal Government

(WIP) feudalism stuff

Interest Groups

Major support from Warlords

Minor support from army, rural workers

Associates

Overseer Reticence and his supporters. Seeking to revive the old nightling order and reestablish human slavery.

Overseers

Descriptions of their appearances are WIP and will be added in the future.

Overseer 1: Founder

“We’ve achieved it. Utopia. What else is there to do but to lay back, and enjoy the view?”

A dead nightling, but the hero of the Nightlands. The greatest contributor to Chromotech’s defeat, former leader of the Overseers. Unfortunately assassinated by Overseer Suzerain to allow his rise in power.

His speeches have inspired many nightlings, even being treated as a preacher of some sorts, unintentionally leading a religion of utopianism and servitude towards humanity to build good morals.

Though he is seen as the greatest nightling by the public, in reality after the Overseers’ victory against Chromotech, he has barely done anything productive, living in hedonism and doing whatever he wishes for entertainment, which partially contributed to his assassination.

Overseer 2: Benevolence

“We know nothing but violence and depravity. I want to believe nightlings can do better. I want to believe I could do better.”

Nightlings say, if you couldn’t see his face, you’d think he’s human. They say he thinks like a human, he talks like a human. How do nightlings know what human speech sounds like when they’ve banned their slaves from talking? They don’t, they just ostracize the Overseer. Nightlings do not see Benevolence as one of them, nor does Benevolence see himself as a nightling. Despite this, the Overseer serves the Nightlands out of obligation. And his followers serve him because of his past achievements.

The calmest, and most peaceful of the overseers, his territories find tranquility and harmony. Among his workers and subordinates, he emphasizes the importance of alien concepts such as workplace safety, healthy lifestyles, honor, and virtue. His humanistic ideology seemingly makes him the only compassionate Overseer in the Nightlands.

While he claims to hold deep respect and care for humanity, he seems to be neutral to human slavery. In fact, he seems to be neutral towards everything. Even when he showers his followers with gifts and charities, he does so with empty eyes that could not care any less for anything. He merely does his best to make the Nightlands a better place, while collaborating with Suzerain’s military dictatorship to defend his properties from all the opposition factions.

Being formerly christian, and luckily retaining much of his memories before he was assimilated into a nightling, religion keeps a profound place in his heart, he isn’t sure if its because he is faithful, or because it reminds him of his old, virtuous, human self. He worries that every day, he loses more and more of his human self. Religion is one of the few things he genuinely cares about and isn’t neutral for. Should the conditions in the nightlands worsen, and he be forced to side with either his God, or the nightling people, it may permanently change him, bringing further uncertainty to the future.

Overseer 3: Reticence (WIP)

He likes Feudalism and slavery.

Overseer 4: Subjugator

[“We fear the world, for we know the world is afraid of us. We are monsters, and there is no pride in it. Humanity will seek our destruction, and they are righteous to do so. We must be ready. Strike first if need be.”]

A self-hating “race traitor” as some would describe him. But in his own perspective, he sees himself as the only sober nightling in all the realm. Meticulous and methodical, he watches and listens from every device, every camera, every helmet. It would not fault one to assume that Subjugator knows every rumor and event that unfolds in the country, for he is the unstirring observer of all the Nightlands. His overbearing obsession, a product of his bottomless hatred and distrust of his own skin and kin.

For those who do not know any better, he is a bodiless ghost possessing dozens of hulking exoskeletons scattered among the nightlands. But for the very few he trusts to witness his true form, the sight of a malnourished nightling, barely even capable of standing, more skin and bones than a supersoldier, will burn itself in their minds. For Overseer Subjugator hates and distrusts his own flesh so much, that he eats and breathes as a human, choosing to rather starve and suffocate than become one of the monsters he fears and hates.

To control the beasts that are his people, that is his only desire. He has watched his own people indulge in endless cutthroat and infighting even as they faced their creators who threatened to enslave and destroy them. He will never let his own people make the same mistake ever again. In fact, he will never let his own people make any mistakes. Should nightlings prove ungovernable, and the Nightlands reach intolerable levels of chaos, he does not reject the possibility of subjugating his people under a human nation.

Overseer 5: Progressor (WIP)

He likes racism and genetic modifications.

Overseer 6: Suzerain

“What is there to fear of the outside world? It is bountiful in technology, resources, and slaves. We can build a better home. A better country for all of us. Yes, all of us. Be you a nightling, human, or one day, maybe even tauran. We just need to be braver, so that one day, we too can become the oppressors.”

A pragmatic autocrat. Suzerain is the Grandmaster of the Pale Knights, and the ruling autocrat of the Nightlands. To him, power and wealth means everything. Unbound by instinctive distrust and superstition, he is willing to lend an open hand to anyone and anything should they be useful to the realm. Humans, nightlings, tauran, it matters not to him, as long as they can do their part.

As a result of his unconscious submission to the original purpose his kind was created, his loyalty lies not to his people, but to his nation. Nightling or human, they are both the same in his eyes. Should any sentient dare threaten his home, he will not hesitate to hack them down. For he has only one mission, to bring glory and prosperity to his home and country, as any “good” nightling desires.

Overseer 7: Eruditus

“Mmm… communism… mmm… democracy… mmm… liberty. I like the sound of that. Why can’t we have that? Every nightling deserves to have that. We don’t need lordships of lords to lord over us, we have ourselves, our friends, and our slaves (who we will free in the future) to accompany us!”

A loose cannon, mad, yet sane. Broken, yet stable. Somehow, he is of one mind, but a childish one. He is an example of a terrible rebirth, assimilated without even a shard of his memories and instincts, a rare but horrible occurrence, taken and raised by Overseer <1>, he was taught how to breathe, how to count, how to read, so on and so forth, till he was learning how to execute slaves and manage domains. But he never grew up, he was still a child’s mind in the body of a ravenous monstrosity.

One would assume he is incompetent, but not quite, for he is the grand inventor of the Nightlands. His alien thoughts and incomprehensible impulses has made him one of the greatest minds of technological development in the Nightlands. Although he blows himself up as often as he blows innocent bystanders up (he does it on purpose sometimes), one would not be wrong to credit most of the pre-industrial advances of the nightlands to his brilliant yet chaotic mind.

Since his de-facto father Overseer <1>’s unjustified execution however, a darkness has been brewing in his heart. Although he only sided with The Syndicate in order to avenge <1>, he is still a well appreciated ally, but if he sees The Syndicate the same way is uncertain. His only interest is vengeance, and should his own comrades become obstacles to his goal, he may become more unpredictable than he already is.