Death and Taxes

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Death and Taxes; Primeres..Spring Break?
Topic Started: Mar 23 2008, 10:54 AM (219 Views)
Ozmodious	Mar 23 2008, 10:54 AM Post #1
Ignorance Is Bliss. Posts: 283 Group: Members Member #20 Joined: June 7, 2007	I may or may not be coming back during spring break given the fact my brother will be off in New York and New Jersey for a greater part of the week. I had an offer or two to travel out of state by car, but if any of you have before you probably know that unless you get along with the people your travelling with your going to get really comfortable with the phrase "Forced isolation." Anyway, like what happened last night, I don't like the idea of being caught with my pants down so I'm going to be planning ahead so when I do come back, I can just make the game and hit the ground running rather than wait to all hours of the night to get the midnight shuffle. Either way, this thread is probably a good way to get my thoughts organized. If anyone wants to chime in and see what they can add so that when we start we don't have to awkwardly move between ideas, feel free to post. IF IT TURNS OUT THAT THIS RP FAILS ON WC3, I WILL BE CONVERTING IT TO A TEXT ON THIS FORUM, SO INVESTMENT IN THIS IDEA IS WORTH IT. ------------------------ FOREWORD: The isolated, one-horse town of Lamm sits upon the edge of civilization and at the entrance of the badlands where few venture to make a profit and even fewer make it out alive. Having been around for almost fifty years, the town is governed by a wayward, corrupt mayor and a sheriff whose known more for his black and white view of the law than his ability to see between the lines. Polar opposites, the pair have not seen eye to eye for years since the mayor, Joseph Holland, and his band seized control of the city and have been working it for money and resources ever since. Pulling from its few resources that it has, the city of Lamm has been plagued with a gambling ring and series of smuggling ranging from coal from the mines up north to slavery as townsfolk are beginning to disappear without a trace. All of this seems to center around the Abraham, the only saloon in town, where the burlesque dancers are as beautiful as the price to obtain them and the booze runs on tap for a meager fee. Whatever the case, the saloon itself doesn't net the run-in with the law, but rather the mayor's men who have used it as a springboard for their connections with the criminal underworld. Lamm sits upon fertile ground near the Carob river that links both the west and east, serving as the only link to the outside world aside from those who would try to conquer the unfinished bridge at Rockwell bend held fast by the cruel, savage band of natives known only as the Opawatee. Although far from civilization, Lamm has spent a better part of its years as a part of the supply line in which logging and mining companies ferry supplies down the river to their workers, bringing in big business and making the small town fairly wealthy as it prepares to expand its reach into the Nagota badlands. As the town prepares to build up and out for the first time in almost two decades since the Blueridge Massacre, the people of Lamm have spent time training a militia to defend it from the wilds and savagery of the unknown. Outlaw and lawbiding alike are looking to the sheriff, Paul Garrick, and his deputies once more to bring law and order back to the little town as they prepare to move east and into the unknown. Only time will tell. --------------------------- Setting: Western/Badlands (although, I'm not picky on the time period others choose to have their characters at when they participate, so long as they know I'll be using guns.) Style of weaponry: Up to the 1920s with guns and armaments. Map of Choice: Preferably Elune, but I'm willing to expand into Cotm v1.1 or LoK once we move out of the badlands and into the east. NOTE: For those of you who are worried about whether or not this is set on Earth, it isn't. I'm just tired of having to do medieval, dark ages crap and figured that if I could get a saga like this down, it'd be nice to add to my collection. What you choose to bring to the party is up to you.



Ozmodious	Mar 26 2008, 07:32 PM Post #2
Ignorance Is Bliss. Posts: 283 Group: Members Member #20 Joined: June 7, 2007	Characters: Main: Name: Karl Morris Age: 31 Height: 5''11 Weight: 182 lbs. Gender: Male Race: Caucasian Occupation: Outrider Description: Once serving as one of the fastest scouts on horseback during the War, Morris has long since left the service after an injury on the battlefield left him with a permanent limp. Using his expertise and knowledge of the uncharted East, he has made a career as a scout-for-hire and doubled as a postman once or twice for the pony express in the Coal Belt up north. Journeying for the first time to Lamm, Morris is on a mission issued from the city-state of South Camaras that could make or break the town's plan to expand eastward with a single letter. Weapons: Spencer Repeating Rifle, 1858 Colt Army Revolver, 7'' Boot knife. Name: Charlie Yu Age: 29 Height: 5''2 Weight: 132 lbs. Gender: Female Race: Half Caucasian, Half Oriental Occuptation: Armorer Description: Aloof and quiet by nature, the short Armorer speaks very solemnly when the rare occasion arises, but usually prefers action over words. Early on in life, Charlie had lived in the tattered remains of a long lost country held under the reign of brutal civil war. In that time, she had lost her two brothers who had served as soldiers, one taken by trenchfoot and the other killed after a case of soldier's heart. Only her mother remained unravaged as the war claimed one last victim before it was snuffed out; her father. Mr. Yu had been a high-ranking general, and once the war had ended, the government he had served had collapsed and he was the first in line at the gallows. Ushered out of the country by her mother and onto the first boat that would take her, Charlie had never forgotten what had transpired at her homeland and vowed she'd never let anyone she ever loved feel that kind of pain. The Armorer had gotten into the business after crossing paths with the legendary gunslinger, Solomon Bo, and learned if there was one thing she was good at it was knowing and maintaining firearms. To this day, the aloof gunsmith has made a killing shipping and selling arms and has traveled hundreds of miles to the city of Lamm where she hopes to meet a gun runner that could expand her market into the untapped vein of the continent that could make her weapons a household name; the natives. Weapons: Customized Semi-Automatic 1847 Walker .44 CAL, 1866 "Yellow Boy" Rifle equipped with a brass scope. Name: Wayne Crawforde Age: 51 Height: 5''8 Weight: 213 lbs. Gender: Male Race: Caucasian Occupation: Conman Description: Older than most people realize, this snakeoil salesman has been about the beaten path a couple times. Wayne, if that is his real name, has made a living conning and shortchanging his way up and down the West until his past finally caught up with him. Having cheated one too many miners or compulsive gamblers out of a week's pay, the town of Amon has put out a wolfshead on this slob and hired a private firm known only as the Sabien Detective Agency to hunt the conman down and bring him back kicking and screaming to face his just desserts. Feeling the pressure growing intense on the western seaboard, he hitched the first ride upon a trading caravan he could find and ever since then has been heading east. With the legendary Sabiens hot on his trail, the conman knows his days are numbered, but having taken refuge in Lamm, he is preparing to disappear some how. Whatever way he can. Weapons: Davis D-22 Derringer with ebony finish, 8 in. switchblade. Support: Name: Sheriff Paul Garrick Age: 41 Height: 5''7 Weight: 173 lbs. Gender: Male Race: Caucasian Occupation: Lawman Description: Black and white are the only colors this sheriff seems to see, and he isn't the type who has a whole lot of sympathy for those who cross the line. Putting his faith in his handpicked deputies who often have the sort of facist view of how life should be lived, Garrick and his posse are probably the sole reason why Lamm has not yet fallen into anarchy. Standing of average build, this rugged sheriff forces his will upon the townspeople and is prepared to do it at gunpoint if it means it will preserve order. Weapons: Two cap-and-ball Colt Navy Revolvers, an Arkansas Toothpick, and a Henry Repeating Rifle. Name: Deputy Edmund White Age: 27 Height: 5''10 Weight: 264 lbs. Gender: Male Race: Caucasian Occupation: Lawman Description: Clean cut and far more orderly than Garrick could ever hope to be, White has been known as the sheriff's right hand man when it comes to preserving order, no matter what the cost. Cruelty is something the deputy is known for the world over, using methods of torture and crossing the line from right under the nose of his superior officer, White has made a career of treating the citizens of Lamm like dirt and tempering his brass badge with the essence of terror. White is in Garrick's good books for several reasons, but if it weren't for the fact that he kept one of the sheriff's darkest secrets, there is a good chance he'd be swinging from the gallows by sunset. Weapons: Browning Auto-5 1902 Semi-Auto Shotgun, Spiller and Burr .36 CAL revolver. Name: Deputy Carol Grey Age: 47 Height: 5''9 Weight: 156 lbs. Gender: Female Race: Caucasian, some Opawatee Occupation: Law-wo-man Description: Little is known about this deputy other than she possesses the kindness her other two compatriots scarcely lack, and has put more time in mending broken fences with the locals than hunting outlaws. Carol has a knack for shooting and has proven it time and time again when a crisis boils down into a shootout. Although interracial marriages between the Caucasian and natives have long since been taboo, it is obvious that Carol is mixed, but nobody in Lamm, not even White dares to call her on it. Rumors have been spreading that Waye has been having an affair with the local gunsmith, Hermann Cole, but then again those are just rumors. The deputy is rather lanky in physique. Weapons: 1873 Winchester Rifle, Opawatee Tomahawk. Name: Mayor Joseph Holland Age: 48 Height: 5''2 Weight: 148 lbs. Gender: Male Race: Caucasian Occupation: Business Tycoon, Part-Time Politician Description: Back in the old days it didn't take much to become mayor of a town; you either needed to be liked by the citizens to become elected or have enough firepower and deep pockets to make them like you. Sidewinders and rattlers give more warning than Mayor Holland when they feel they are being encroached upon. The quiet, taciturn man has had his grip on the town for almost a decade ever since he first walked into town with his entourage and took the town by storm. It wasn't before long that Holland had his claws in every business inside the city and rallied enough support that Lamm enacted its first impromptu election and booted his predecessor out in less than six months after he had arrived. Having made a fortune in the arms business, the tycoon turned to politics when he realized that the only way to defend his war trade was to be able to stand with the best of them. One of very few words in private, the new mayor is noted for his interest in profit and his greed has run so deep that there is word he has had a hand in the new slave trade that has given rise over seas. Having butted heads with Garrick and his posse for almost a decade, Holland has made a reputation of himself as being the only man alive who has ever gotten the lawbringer to back down, but for whatever reason it still remains a mystery. Despite his flaws, and there are many, Holland was and is the sole reason Lamm has turned from a one-horse village to a boomtown in less than a decade. "Love me or hate me, I've made this town and brought it out of the dark. The people only have to turn to me to realize that Lamm will be the first town to break the Eastern border and into Injun country. . ." - Joseph Holland, excerpt from the local newspaper, On the Lamm. Weapons: LeMat Revolver. Name: Cassius "Sweets" Frye Age: 39 Height: 5''7 Weight: 194 lbs. Gender: Male Race: Caucasian Occupation: Bodyguard Description: Having been in the employment of Holland since the tycoon had made his first landmark deal during the War, Frye had been hired on as a replacement for one of the most notorious and deadly jobs around; Holland's bodyguard. Having over thirteen different predecessors from every walk of life around, the enforcer had a lot to live up to and it wasn't until he singlehandedly bested Solomon Bo that he got the reputation for being one of the best gunslingers around. Often known as the mayor's right hand man, Frye will shoot without hesitation and has been known around Lamm for being as rutheless as Deputy White. Having an achille's heel for sweets, it earned him his nickname for having not been seen without a sucker in his mouth. Being the brains of the goons that followed Holland into town, Frye both endorses and 'collects' from all of the illegal trades around town and is the sole reason why the Abraham hasn't closed its doors. Weapons: Colt 45 Revolver, 1897 Winchester-Style Pump Shotgun. Name: "Omar" Age: 34 Height: 7''3 Weight: 313 lbs. Gender: N/A Race: Black Occupation: Bodyguard Description: Ham-fisted and damn good to have on your side in a brawl, this behemoth was the top heavyweight boxer in North Camaras since he was sixteen years old. Possessing herculean strength and the aggression with it, the courts of Camaras had him castrated after a rampage through one of the main streets that left over twenty people dead, and it was in the hopes it'd calm him down enough that the eunuch would no longer have the will to fight. And it worked. Sort've. It had only managed to calm him down a little, and having no need to protect his haunches any more, it made Omar a powerful bruiser in the criminal underworld. Having bounced around jobs until he was in his late twenties, it wasn't until Holland had heard of him that the eunuch was hired on as his personal enforcer and there isn't a man or woman around that would say the money was ill spent. Unable to use conventional weaponry, Holland had a hand-cannon personally crafted for the giant and is one of the biggest handheld firearms to date. However, Omar prefers to let his fists and sledge do the talking when the going gets rough. Weapons: Blackpowder Tuscan Hand-Cannon, Sledgehammer named "Lucy". Name: Hermann Cole Age: 45 Height: 5''6 Weight: 167 lbs. Gender: Male Race: Caucasian Occupation: Gunsmith, part-time blacksmith Description: Son of one of the first settlers to have taken up residence in Lamm, Cole has made a livelihood converting his father's blacksmithing shop into that of one that produces firearms. Although he prefers to keep to himself, the gunsmith has made a reputation for fine craftsmanship and has been offered by several firearm companies to design and invent new styles of weaponry that could make somebody a sizable fortune as civilization continues to roll into the East. However, Hermann didn't learn the smithing trade to divulge his secrets, and has preferred to stay out of the limelight and help Lamm in its fight to expand into the unknown. Preferably with a signature Cole firearm in their holster. Weapons: 1873 Border model rifle, 1836 Patterson .36 CAL. More to come!



Ozmodious	Mar 29 2008, 02:12 PM Post #3
Ignorance Is Bliss. Posts: 283 Group: Members Member #20 Joined: June 7, 2007	Local Map: Posted Image



Ozmodious	Mar 29 2008, 05:38 PM Post #4
Ignorance Is Bliss. Posts: 283 Group: Members Member #20 Joined: June 7, 2007	Continental Map: Posted Image Continent Name: Karas City States: 1) North Camaras (NC) 2) South Camaras (SC) 3) New Ramos (NR) 4) Mirodin (MN) 5) Ordia (OA) 45) Tauras (TS) *48) Jericho Territory (JO) Forts: 12) Fort Wurth (NC) 13) Fort Laurence (SC) 39) Fort Reno (TS) 53) Fort Minos (NC) Towns/Cities: 11) Perdition (OA) 14) New Hope (NC) 18) New Port (NC) 19) Orwell (SC) 20) Hamilton (MN) 21) Terrace (MN) 22) Harrison (NC) 23) Lawerence (OA) 26) Concord (OA) 27) Marin Falls (NC) 28) Tuscan (SC) 29) Cairn (TS) 31) Mornwell (MN) 32) Lamm (NC) 33) New Liberty (SC) 34) Dumoth (SC) 35) Erris Isle (SC) 42) Carson City (NC) 43) Drift (OA) 49) New Camaras (JO) 50) Perfection (JO) 52) Tombstone (JO) Mountains/Hills: 6) Lamance Mountains 10) Black Hills 30) Caspen Rockies 40) Black Mesa 46) The Coal Belt 47) Wolfe Peak 44) Nuoth Sierra 54) Blueridge Bodies of Water: 7) The Imiset Ocean 8) Rocke Lake 9) The Toros Sound 15) Marin Lake 16) Nissimmi River 17) Onami Bend 24) Snakeway River 25) Carob River 41) Chukuka Lake 51) Miros Sea Forests: 36) Wolf's Run 37) Blue Vale 38) Parmas Woodlands



Ozmodious	Mar 31 2008, 04:44 PM Post #5
Ignorance Is Bliss. Posts: 283 Group: Members Member #20 Joined: June 7, 2007	City-States North Camaras Formally Known As: The Republic of Northern Camaras (The R.o.N.C) Form of Government: Federal Republic Leader: Chief of State Douglas Thatcher Capital: Camaras National Religion: N/A, Seperation of Church & State Focuses on: Business & Free trade Economy: Capitalism Form of Military: Private Military Allies: New Ramos and Ordia. Neutral: Mirodin Enemies: Tauras, Jericho, and South Camaras Description: Northern Camaras is the sole authority when it comes to exporting and importing goods from other countries and makes most if not all of its amassed wealth through free trade. Normally, such dependence on trade would be a bad thing with little to no industry to fall back on, but the city-state also has made phenomenal leaps in technology that it has created the largest navy that Karas has ever seen, protecting the country's interests when the need arises. As well as private armies making the bulk of the nation's military, Northern Camaras' only issue is how much money needs to be spent and where. Having countless financial giants shipping and moving enormous amounts of product from country to country, the fractured city-state acts a veritable hub for business and as long as it stands the promise of fortune will never dim. History: Argued by it's citizens to have been the original 'seed' planted in Karas that sparked the rampant growth of civilization over the last hundred-and-fifty years, N. Camaras has acted like a heart used to pump the lifeblood necessary to keep the other city-states thriving and without the merchant's paradise, they'd have been driven off by natives like the Opawattee long ago. Living in the fast lane, N. Camaras considers itself to be the Alpha and Omega of Karas, an attitude which is shared by its bitter sister city-state, South Camaras. Anybody will tell you that the best part of N. Camaras is that it holds no limitations on free trade and considers anything that would bolster the economy warmly welcomed. South Camaras says that is its very problem. The city-state's lack of morals has driven it deep into the reaches of trade such as slavery, arms dealing, prostitution, murder-for-hire and other sinister forms that have left the country morally corrupt and widely held to be 'The Black Market' of Karas. Once known simply as Camaras, the city-state was once the biggest nation on the block, and had been for a good 132 years until it was fractured by war. Though the dispute is of public knowledge, N. Camaras was said to have underpaid and double-crossed it's southern brother to dispicable proportions it is hard to argue the point at which either city-state contends with as it erupted into civil war; Slavery. Although either state had eagerly participated in the purchasing of slaves, it was the argument of treatment and the price of freedom that had caused many of its citizens to have been considered in the same shoes as their serfs and drove S. Camaras to cut ties with their brothers. Knowing the majority of its agriculture and industry lie within the southern border, in less than a week N. Camaras's leader, C.O.S. Douglas Thatcher, declared war upon its fellow countrymen and launched it's first strike by sea with its amassed navy and utterly destroyed the majority of South Camaras' ports and munitions factories (the area which is presently known as the D.M.Z. between the countries), crippling the country to such a degree that the rest of the world thought the war would've ended right then and there. But nobody ever expected the South to have freed it's slaves. With a population ratio of 20 to 3 in the slave's favor, the nation felt its only fighting chance would be to release their slaves into the hands of the militia and bolster their military. As of ten years ago, S. Camaras' national militia numbered over 45,000, but now present day it finds itself at an overwhelming 305,000 strong, making it the largest ground force ever assembled upon Karas' soil. Still trading blows, the two countries wrestle for dominance as the world can only watch while N. Camaras holds the other city-states hostage as it threatens to embargo each who interfere, a veritable death sentence to any country so largely dependent on the Republic's ports. South Camaras Formally Known As: The Southern Camaras Union (The S.C.U.) Form of Government: Federal Democracy Leader: General Fredrick Horris Capital: Haven National Religion: N/A, Seperation of Church and State Focuses on: Agriculture & Industry Economy: Capitalism Form of Military: National Militia Allies: Jericho Neutral: Mirodin and Ordia. Enemies: North Camaras, Tauras, New Ramos. Description: Simple and blue-collar by nature, the majority of the citizens are either farmers or factory workers and in S. Camaras they have learned to live in poverty and the War has only strengthened their resolve. Still recovering from the collapse of their economy, the city-state has bolstered its army and began to move east in an attempt to increase it's grasp upon the land and the possibility of new allies and give it a fighting chance against their hated brothers. To see Southern Camaras today and to compare it to N. Camaras would be like comparing apples to oranges. Where the Republic has skyscrapers and thriving cities, the Southern Union has only shantytowns and one-horse towns. Where one has thrived, the other lacks and it is to this end that Southern Camaras finds itself in such desperation with its inability to trade by sea, that unless they can unite the other city states as a whole, it'll be only a matter of time until the North has starved them out. History: Easily recognized as 'The South' in Karas, it's country roots are found deep within the continent's soil, having possessed the first colony to have settled upon the country's shores, Haven. Having taken the moral high ground with its fight against it's oppressor, Northern Camaras, the state has managed to leapfrog back from the brink of collapse when the majority of it's factories and industry were pulverized in N. Camaras's first strike. Pooling most of it's resources from itself and it's brother, the city state was forced to fend for itself as it moved East in search of more fertile ground, mines and lumber to harvest, and more territory to house it's overwhelming population. Although the war had started over slaves, The Southern Union has held that this was a long time coming since the Republic had control over its vast industry and virtually starved the city-state of its resources, blackmailing the South to do it's bidding during The Great Famine more than fifteen years ago. With the largest army in Karas, one might say the Union holds the advantage, but to gain a foothold in the North where resources and men can always be replenished with supplies from over seas, the city-state finds itself in a fight just to keep it's borders open. Unable to stay in such limited territory, much of the nation is in a state of upheaval as many of it's citizens began to move both East and South in search of peace of mind and a future, becoming refugees. Unable to staunch the flow of its hemorrhaging population, the Union took the initiative and began to move its forces in either direction, helping to protect towns and fortify their position against North Camaras against it's allies. What timing they must've had because as they moved East, the facist city-state of Tauras was already on the brink of collapse as it's oppressed citizens revolted with a bloody coup detat and formed a rebel city-state simply known as Jericho. Unable to get enough coal for fuel or enough weapons for their militia, South Camaras fell in quickly as allies with the rebels and managed to cut off New Ramos, Tauras' only ally, from the fledgling nation and saved it from assured destruction. Combining forces, the two city-states may operate on seperate ends of the continent, but each country has what the other lacks in order to defeat their enemies which makes their pact so necessary for either nation to be able to establish peace within their respective regions once more.



Ozmodious	Apr 2 2008, 09:23 PM Post #6
Ignorance Is Bliss. Posts: 283 Group: Members Member #20 Joined: June 7, 2007	Tauras Formally Known As: The Tauras Protectorate Form of Government: Facism Leader: Field Colonel Dwight Sherman Capital: New Province National Religion: N/A, Banned Focuses On: Industry Economy: Capitalism Form of Military: Private Military Allies: New Ramos Neutral: North Camaras Enemy: Jericho, South Camaras, Mirodin, Ordia Description: Ruled by an iron fist, the city-state of Tauras has been under the thumb of a company of soldiers that had splintered from New Ramos for almost twenty years. Once a cluster of one-horse towns, villages, and stations, the region has long since been broken and rebroken to fit the mold willed by the domineering General, Harry Sherman. Since the hostile take-over, the region's borders have been closed, walls have been constructed around the various townships, and most areas have been transformed into smog belching factories or abominable labor camps that thousands have been sent to to their deaths. The only difference between New Ramos and Tauras these days doesn't seem to be the form of government, but rather the direction either seem to be going as the city-states demand complete loyalty of their citizens-- whether they are willing to or not, is another matter. Once known for its ability to produce massive amounts of munitions, armaments, and weapons of war only days after the order had been placed, Tauras is virtually unrecognizable as its own citizens have risen up and ravaged it through revolt and rebellion en masse. History: Twenty years ago, a small company of soldiers was dispatched by New Ramos on a mission sent to quash a rebellion in the country's newly founded townships out East near the Northern Rockies. Led by an old New Ramian hero, General Harry Sherman, the despotic leader had soon arrived in the region where he found it to be in utter chaos. Riots ran rampant and blood sullied the streets as woman and child scurried every direction they could and squeezed into any hiding place they could like fat, hysterial rats. Not one to deal with anarchy complacently, the General sent a scouting party from their newly constructed fort to find the most lawless town in the region. It took a day-and-a-half before the scouts returned from their search and declared the town of Jericho to be at the heart of the dissidence. Taking one look at his map, Sherman, Sr. turned back to his men and ordered what he thought would put down the insurrection in one fell swoop. As ordered, Sherman's soldiers swooped into town on a dark, cloudless night and boarded every man, woman, and child in their homes. Then, once they were sure they had gotten every citizen fixed in place, they moved back to the outskirts and set the town of Jericho aflame. Made entirely of wood and mortar, the small town of Jericho became kindling in a matter of minutes as every man, woman, and child was burned alive, and those that tried to escape were shot by Sherman's men and then thrown back into the fire. Like Sherman had predicted, as soon as word had gotten around, the chaos had stopped and the tragedy of Jericho was just the beginning as the General made the fateful decision to declare to his superiors that the region was now under his control and thus began his rule upon the ashes of those he had destroyed. Although he was sure that an instance of such lawlessness would never happen while he remained, General Sherman took radical measures in order to maintain his authority in the region. His first order was to execute all persons that traveled upon Jericho soil, next he instituted a curfew for all citizens, and it wasn't before long that he banned both books and religion. Attempting to root out any form of individuality he could, the tyrannical ruler became Tauras's worst nightmare as he transformed it from a rocky, fertile grassland into an industrialized wasteland. In a period of ten years most of the land to the north had been stripmined, entire towns were razed and munitions factories were built on top of them. Any and all citizens who remained were either forced to work in the factories, ushered into work camps, or trapped in their homes under the threat of Sherman's roving death squads. Two years later, New Ramos and the rest of the public lost contact with both Tauras and the tyrant who attempted to govern it. Another four quickly passed under Sherman's unrelenting grip, and it wasn't until morale and hope of rescue for the citizens had been quickly snuffed out that thoughts of rebellion and revolt began to surface. Unable to stand the thought of sitting through another period of anarchy, once the General had gotten word of the notion of insurrection, he sent thousands to their death as he attempted to pluck out those unwilling to live under his rule. What remained of international contact was limited to private contracts issued by other city-states that had gotten word of Tauras' various leaps in war production and distribution. It wasn't until another six years passed that the first rebellion was sparked the fraticide of soon-to-be Jericho's rebellious leader, Jacob Edwards's brother. Once the Tauran Liberation Army had been formed, the region soon fell like dominoes. Factories were burnt to the ground, entire labor camps rose up and slew their overlords in the most gruesome ways possible, later crucifying the leaders for public display, and entire sections of the new nation were blinked out as the General gradually lost control. As Sherman and most of his men raced into the region to put down the uprising, Fort Province was left understaffed and vulnerable to attack. It wasn't until they had returned to find their fort in flames and the men who had been left behind hanging from every tree around the fortress that Sherman and his men found themselves surrounded by the entire T.L.A. which now outnumbered and outgunned the dictator and his men. General Sherman and his top officers were executed hours after they surrendered, the citizens, now a mob, ripping apart his body and displaying parts of it in different cities and towns for all to see. Forsaking the desolate North as pockets of Sherman's men clung to whatever structure they could for support, the T.L.A. and it's citizens moved south and set roots in an entire region they named after the first town to have fallen under General Sherman's rule; Jericho. With Tauras in a state of collapse and rebellion now rampant within the rocky north, the fledgling city-state of Jericho began to set up base camp when word reached their leader's ears that Sherman's son, Field Colonel Dwight Sherman, has left his settlement in the East when word had spread of his father's demise and was quickly moving back west to put down the rebellion. Since Sherman, Sr. and his men had splintered from New Ramos twenty years ago, the relations between the falling Taurus and the city-state back west were icy at best. It wasn't until Colonel Sherman and his two companies broke through Jericho's fortifications and into the North that New Ramos found it fit to send more men forth in an effort to help quell the revolt. Forming it's capital on the ashes of Fort Province, Tauras is still in a state of anarchy and it seems as if it's fate had been sealed once General Sherman had walked within its respected borders. The only question now is how dangerous will Tauras be and how far will it reach when it decides to lash out to the rest of the world? More to Come! Jericho Formally Known As: The Liberated Jericho Republic Form of Government: Democratic Republic Leader: Premier Chuck Hammond Capital: Riven National Religion: Any Focuses On: Industrialized Agriculture Economy: Socialism Form of Military: National Militia Allies: South Camaras Neutral: Mirodin Enemy: Ordia, Tauras, New Ramos, North Camaras Description: Born in the blood of patriots and tyrants, the citizens of Jericho have proven themselves to be both resourceful and clever and possessing the sort of iron will needed to govern themselves from under the boot of their fiercest oppressor, General Sherman. Spoken with disgust, the name echoes the sort of malice and calculated genocide akin to monsters who've sullied the pages of history with blood. Located in the rich and fertile grasslands to the south, Jericho has made a home for itself that is both prosperous and fortified in such a way that the only worry is always due north. Having stationed the majority of it's cities and townships near the inlet basin, Miros Sea, the fledgling city-state has made a bold effort to both colonize the region and cannibalize any resources their dictator might have left behind in his death throes-- ranging from salt and silver mines to even small munitions factories. With the ravages of war approaching from every corner of the continent, Jericho continues to rise up to meet the challenges it faces and has proved in the past that it could push back from the brink. History: At one time, the region of Tauras was a group of settlements and colonies established from the city-state, New Ramos, in an effort to get a tighter grip on the Coal Belt up North which since then Ordia has made a king's ransom off of. At first, things seemed to look up as settlers and frontiermen with their families poured into the region from the West and the colonizing and taming of the wild began. Little did many of the settlements know that they sat upon gold veins upon every bluff and behind every rock. As human nature goes, once it was discovered prospectors quickly scurried to and fro to establish their claims and mine the riches away and it wasn't before long that those that did get their share began to hoard. Soon it seeped into greed, and when gold became the sole export of the new region it didn't serve anybody any good when the region became a dustbowl and famine began to spread across the landscape. The only thing greater than greed at times is desperation, and when the people of Tauras found out there wasn't enough gold being exported to import enough food to feed the overpopulated city-state, they panicked. In less than a month a spike in crime steadily rose as the rate of deaths attributed to famine began to soar, and soon total anarchy erupted. Those that starved took from the rich, and the rich began to take more from the poor until finally it spun out of control. Entire towns were burnt to the ground and were pillaged as refugees began to reclaim what was there. It wasn't until the tragedy of Jericho happened that they were in for a rude awakening. Sherman may have been a lot of things, but what he could mostly be attributed for was that during his rule he had mistakenly reunited the people of the region who would later overthrow him. Pulling together, rebels under the banner of the T.L.A. used guerilla tactics and total war to turn Sherman's world upside down. It wasn't until Sherman had been disposed of that the people truly began to realize how unsteady the ground they stood on was. Having lived in the desolate wasteland that had once been a paradise of riches and prosperity, the rebels soon migrated south and into a territory they later named Jericho. Seizing any resources they could from the fringes of the North, the nation began to expand its reach and conducting mining raids in the Coal Belt for fuel, soon being capable of re-opening the munitions factories and other machinery that would help aid them in the fight with their former nation. Having scurried out from under the collapse of Tauras, Jericho made an enemy of their former country, New Ramos, that had absolutely no tolerance for rebellion and those who didn't respect order. When word spread that New Ramian forces were approaching from the West, the people of Jericho steeled themselves once more and moved from their trenches North that had failed to keep Sherman's son and his band of soldiers from breaking through into Tauras and aiding his father's compatriots. Having the most superior military at the time, New Ramos would've crushed Jericho with the combined forces of Sherman and the estranged soldiers. But once South Camaras entered the fight, it had turned the entire war on its head. In exchange for weapons, coal, food, and the promise of an alliance, the Union beat back New Ramos and established its authority as the presiding military power on the continent. Although willing to fight, the majority of Jericho's population were farmers, and because of that it left them in a radical position. With such fertile grounds and backing from the Southern Union, the city-state would eventually began the biggest farmland in the East as they used their industrialized resources to both protect and enhance their production. Being the only region so close to becoming self-sufficient, Jericho may not be able to completely defend itself but at least it's allies have given it a fighting chance.


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