Esper Union

The Esper Union was once among the Web of World's Great Powers, but its standing and might have declined steadily since the end of the Leviathan War. It was originally nearly dimension-wide nation, which united the disparate city-states and kingdoms of Esper III into a single nation. It became a fascist, authoritarian regime under its most famed and most successful leader, Hannibal de'Zama; however, after losing the Leviathan War, it shifted into a pseudo-democratic oligarchy. The current Union has lost many of its holdings in the Leviathan War and ensuing Doman independence movement, and is gripped by widespread corruption and political stagnation from an oversized bureaucracy. Esperian nationalism has waned into the 50's WR, as stagnation and the rise of the Imbued has caused great difficulties for Esperian society.

Geography

The Esper Union still includes the large majority of Esper III in the Esper Dimension. Its holdings are centered on the Solthai continent, though it shares this with the People's Republic of Greater Tzen and Albrook. The serpentine continent is the heart of the Esper Union, housing the capital of Nikeah, in addition to the cities of Hosluftgrad and Mobliz. Solthai makes up the Esper Union's heartland in agriculture; farming around Mobliz, especially, provides much of the grain for the rest of the Union and some of the best beef in the entire Web.

Kohen is a northwestern continent, which centers around the city of Kohinglen, but also the large island that houses the Kingdom of Figaro. This region is dry and dusty in the parts that are not a desert. Manufacturing at Kohinglen is the workhorse of the Esper Union; the immense industrial compound known as Kohinglen Newpound occupies some twenty city blocks and has been leased out to Esperian government corporations and Tasnican corporations alike. Figaro, conversely, has a more specialized high tech industry. Heavy Tasnican investment has bolstered Figaro and South Figaro, and high tech electronics are the staple export.

Galedo is a southwestern continent and the most heavily urbanized part of the Esper Union, with the largest population center. The cities of Jidoor, Maranda, and Zozo are modern metropolises with powerful financial centers. Jidoor and Maranda have eclipsed Nikeah in quality of life, though not population. Zozo lags behind, with criminal syndicatyes still posing a problem for it. Maranda, in particular, has beaches that remain a popular vacation destination for Esperians and travelers from other parts of the Web alike.

Letia is a northern continent. This cold, mountainous region claims the mining city of Narshe as its capital. Magilyte is still mined here; however, quality of life is rather low, and Narshe has experienced difficulties because it exports raw materials ton the rest of the Union and the Web. Unemployment is on the rise and Narshe has become a hotbed of Neo-Returner activity, thanks to its economic difficulties.

Sometimes, the holdings on Esper III are collectively referred to as "Alderia," the name of the supercontinent that included all of Letia, part of Solthai, and part of Kohen prior to the Ruin. This is a somewhat poetic term preferred by Esperian nationalists.

The Esper Union has also established colonies throughout the Web; these have not been lost, by and large, as the Sky Riders Aerospace Navy remains the strongest part of the EU's military forces and relies on these colonies as fueling bases. The heart of Esper Union space presence is in orbit around Esper IV, which houses the Guardian colony of Testament: Space Fortress Eidolon. Eidolon is a massive asteroid base, which acts as the headquarters of SRAN. Large gravitic pulse engines make moving the immense asteroid base possible but difficult.

It also maintains colonies on the moons of Esper V, Esper VI, and Esper VII. Beyond the Esper Dimension, it has colonies on Light IV, Light VI, Light VI, on one of Crystal V's moons, one of Crystal VI's moons, and Crystal VII's largest moon. It also has a prison colony on Merge VII's largest moon, dubbed Hellmarch. Esperian mining operations are spread across the asteroid belts of all of these dimensions, with forays into the Carrion Belt, too.

Population

The Esper Union has a large population across numerous industrialized cities. The loss of Doma, the Veldt, and the southern part of Solthai have reduced its total landmass, but industrialization and urbanization means that the EU still has the highest population in its history. Most of this population is human; there are some immigrants of all races, but only Moogles in Narshe make up a notable non-human presence.

Religion

The Esper Union has largely adopted worship of Rainere; this began to spread in the mid-40's WR, and has since taken hold throughout the Union. It is most common in Solthai and Galedo. Worship of the Light Gods is not uncommon, either. A few fanatics venerate Mic Hosluft and Hannibal de'Zama, the founders of the Esper Union, as gods. These are largely considered eccentric (and sometimes dangerous, given their ties to terrorist movements), but they are not repressed. The government remains largely hands-off on matters of religion.

Magic

There is a stratification of individuals based on their natural and gifted capacity for magic. Magitech infusions, which granted the ability to cast spells, were common from the pre-Union days of Nikeah and Mobliz until Grand Marshal Halberg became de facto leader in 40 WR. This led to roughly fifteen years of very common infusions, which could be purchased by the wealthy, and infusions being given to government and military officials ever since. Individuals with magitech infusions are often referred to as "infused," but as the power of magilyte infusions fades over time, these would not have made them stand apart save for one fact: their children inherit their magical capacity and don't lose them.

The Imbued are the children of individuals with magitech infusions. The oldest are thirty, but most are twenty-five years of age at most; many more will come of age. Imbued are capable of using magic naturally, without the danger of neurological disorders from infusions, and with their infused parents, have risen to the top of all aspects of Esperian society. At the moment, the infused are at the very top; the Imbued are perceived as destined to take their places, and likely retain them into the future. The result is that Esperian society is becoming a magocracy. Imbued and infused alike have come to be addressed as "my lord" or "my lady," and some very high ranking officials are referred to as "your grace."

This caste system began to emerge in the early 50's WR. It is not legally codefied, but it is hard to ignore that infused occupy every position of power in the government and national corporations -- and Imbued are not far behind them as middle managers, rank officers, and mid-level bureaucrats. Imbued, however, are often resentful of being stuck between their parents and the non-magically capable public, creating tensions on multiple levels.

Economy

The Esper Union is largely a manufacturer. The economy is essentially ran by several state-owned corporations, which have been granted a surprising amount of independence while receiving state resources. The government has also forged similar deals with Kuat Consortium, Saeder-Krupp, and Forge Mechanicals. These corporations are often given lucrative defense contracts, have cooperative ventures forged with state corporations. This manufacturing includes state of the art research and development, fueled in part by military funds; most of the state-owned corporations function as dual civilian and military contractors.

Despite the use of the state-owned enterprises, the Esper Union does not closely approximate a socialist model. The corporations are protected by the state, but still expected to make a profit. The state generally favors business over individuals in law-making, though public services and the public sector are still quite large compared to most market economies.

The state, through either its bureaucracy, military, or state-owned corporations, employs a staggering sixty percent of the population.

Government

The Esper Union is effectively an oligarchy. It is headed by the twenty-five man Sovereignty Council, with the Sovereign Chair acting as the head-of-state. The Chair changes every year, approximately, due to internal competition; each bureau gets one seat, with the Esperian United Soldiery and Sky Riders Aerospace Navy getting six seats each. The Sovereignty Council sets the laws, appoints individuals to positions throughout the Union, and technically commands the armed forces. In reality, the bureaucracy and military have a high level of independence. The Sovereignty Council is rightly seen as tremendously ineffective.

The Sovereignty Council creates laws with informal checks on laws' passage by the military, bureaucracy, and corporations. The laws are implemented by courts unevenly in general, the Esper Union's laws are ineffective, mildly repressive, and inconsistent. They typically favor the state and corporations over individuals, and wealthy individuals are capable of bribing their way through the system.

Politics

Internal Politics

The Esper Union's internal politics are dominated by four factions: the Esperian United Soldiery, the Sky Riders Aerospace Navy, the bureaucracy, and the corporations. They compete on the Sovereignty Council, fighting to set who represents them on the council. These four factions do not, as a rule, get along or cooperate. Competition between the EUS and SRAN is very high; the bureaucracy and corporations are capable of more cooperation, but getting all of them to act is difficult. In general, very little gets done in the EU.

Local politics tends to matter more. Here, there is a modicrum of democracy; mayors of cities are elected, though Tasnican election monitors are horrified by Esperian election practices. Open bribes, intimidation of voters, and disenfranchisement are common. Some cities have better practices than others: Maranda and Jidoor have fair, democratic elections locally, while Zozo and Nikeah are infamously violent and rigged. Imbued are usually the only candidates for mayors who win; they often dominate city councils.

Foreign Politics

The Esper Union retains cordial relations with its traditional allies. Its closest ally is the Kingdom of Guardia, which some Esperians have (not so jokingly) referred to as their big brother. However, relations have been strained at times; the Esper Union did not assist the Guardians in their war against the Communists or White Cell, and the Sovereignty Council has proven incapable of honoring its alliances. This has led to the former Fascist Pact alliances to effectively dissolve; aside from independent SRAN initiatives, Toroia and Fabul have strained relations with the EU. If it weren't from problems at home, they would likely demand the surrender of their colonies in Crystal.

The Esper Union is joined to Tasnica economically, but it is not an equitable relationship. Tasnican corporations profit off Esperian manufacturing, but they have little reason to invest in the EU. This has led to growing feeling among the Esperian population and government that Tasnica is taking advantage of them. This resentment strains relations with the Republic of Tasnica, but the economic relationship is too strong to be dissolved, and the Sovereignty Council lacks the will to do so.

Their greatest enemy is the People's Republic of Greater Tzen. The Esper Union views Tzen as a part of the Scandian League and an occupied zone; there are no diplomatic relations between the two, and they have an armed border with them at Hosluftgrad. Despite this seemingly aggressive stance, the EU lacks the ability to move to war, despite the desires of the Soldiery.

Military

The Esperian military is divided into two organizations, the Esperian United Soldiery and the Sky Riders Aerospace Navy. The loss of the Aerospacy and rejoining of the Sky Riders did not result in a unified command; instead, the SRAN insists on being equivalent to the EUS. This leads to a very high level of inter-service rivalry. In addition, the Grand Order of Phoenix Knights makes an important faction within the Esperian military. While they are technically under the command of the Esperian United Soldiery, they have shown a high level of independence and importance in Esperian society.

Esperian United Soldiery

The Esperian United Soldiery originally was the unified command structure for the entire Esperian armed forces. However, the loss of the Aerospacy -- which mutinied and sided with White Cell during the Grand Army Civil War -- has reduced the Soldiery to the Esperian Ground Forces and Esperian Naval Forces. It is commanded by a Field Marshal, which has been filled by the Leviathan War hero, Garen Damascus, since 42 WR. The Soldiery has felt slighted and shamed since the mutiny and loss in the Leviathan War. The Soldiery's commanders have pushed for a resumption of hostilities with the Communists for over a decade. This has led to a large level of discontent within the Soldiery, and a number have supported the Neo-Returners.

The Esperian Naval Forces are largely a support navy; they utilize half a dozen aircraft carriers and fighter support to express power, with supporting fleets of cruisers and destroyers. The Esperian Ground Forces are by far the largest. They include heavy infantry forces in the form of the Regulars, which are armored but not mechanized infantry. They utilize modernized magitech armor and wheeled, cannon-bearing light combat vehicles (LCVs) as support. The armored contingent of the ground forces are the Kohinglen Newpound mecha; these bipedal machines are famously versatile. The KN Garrison is still the workhorse mecha, though it is now over a decade old. The replacement, the KN Sentinel, has yet to be integrated.

The Esperian Ground Forces integrated about a tenth of the old Aerospacy's forces. The Esperian Ground Forces Aerospace Corps is effectively one battlegroup of aerospace ships, with fighter support.

Sky Riders Aerospace Navy

The Sky Riders Aerospace Navy are the original aerospace force of the Esper Union, predating it considerably. They were founded by Mic Hosluft in Nikeah, originally as a trade union for independent airship pilots. They grew into multinational fleet under the Fascist Pact, which separated entirely from the Esper Union after its government was decapitated during the Leviathan War. The SRAN's golden age was during the 40's WR, where it received support from the nations of Crystal, the Esper Union, and Tasnica. However, the Grand Army Civil War gutted the SRAN; a third of their forces departed to the extrasolar colony of Unity, four light years from Esper III, and they lost half of their remaining forces in the Battle of Dragonspace.

The remaining Sky Riders chose to reintegrate into the Esper Union afterward; Toroia, Fabul, Baron, and occupied Damcyan combined their resources to form the United Crystal Space Force, while Tasnica could no longer afford membership in the SRAN and supporting its Republican Aerospace Fleets. Despite this, they retain traditions of ten years' worth of independence. The SRAN is commanded by the Admiral of the Fleets, Alver Maldozo, a war hero of the Battle of Dragonspace. However, they have a governing body from their days from Hosluft's tenure: the Congress of Captains, where every commanding officer of a vessel has a vote.

They regard themselves as a superior military force to the Esperian United Soldiery for having fought in the Grand Army Civil War and operations in the Fringe. While they are under the command of the Sovereignty Council, they have retained a high level of independence; SRAN forces have operated effectively as mercenaries for Tasnican corporations and play a central role in forcibly putting down resistance movements in the Fringe. They also retain the Foreign Fleet, which takes volunteers from across the Web into the ranks of the Sky Riders.

The SRAN uses its traditional naval model in space, organized into battlegroups based around battleships and carriers. It has adopted the KN Garrison Space-type mecha as its principle mecha for space actions; otherwise, it retains its traditional fighter and powered armor approach. It is renowned most for its tremendously powerful battleships.

The Grand Order of the Phoenix

The Grand Order of the Phoenix is a knightly order founded in 51 WR. It was allegedly founded on Guardian principles, though it has no small resemblance to the knights of the pre-Ruin empire. Phoenix Knights consist almost entirely of Imbued; the upper ranks are former Sorcerous Tactical Operations Reconnaissance Marines (STORM), which the Phoenix Knights have replaced. They act as the elite forces of the Esper Union, claiming that they represent the best of Esperian values and ideals. They are sworn to a code of honorable behavior; many, however, are careful to emphasize their importance and put on an attitude of arrogance. They are equal parts beloved and represented in Esperian society.

Phoenix Knights act as elite infantry on the battlefield. They are capable of using powerful spells to both enhance their abilities and to attack their enemies. They are also skilled melee combatants, with some emphasis on firearms but preferring spells for such combat. They utilize body armor that has been heavily reinforced with spells; while there is no mechanical component, a Phoenix Knight's armor is functionally equivalent to a battlesuit, able to effectively shrug off small arms fire and use heightened strength and reflexes. This allows them to use their similarly enchanted swords (and other melee weapons) to great effect.

Phoenix Knights typically wear helmets with full masks that enclose the face. These helmets are often styled after a monster and individualized to each knight. Knights often become known by these masks. For example, the current Lord Commander of the Knights, Hadrian Casterian, is often known as the Wyvern Knight. His daughter, Lera Casterian, is called the Aevis Knight. The young man considered by some to be the titular king of Figaro, Caldus Agaro, is called the Behemoth Knight.

Hadrian Casterian has been the Lord Commander since its founding; he was previously a STORM. He is second to the Field Marshal of the EUS in command of the Soldiery and always has a seat on the Sovereignty Council.