Norograd

The Republic of Norograd
Anthem: "Hymn of the Workers"
Capital and largest city		Andel
Official languages		Axdan Staynish
Demonym		Norogradian
Government		Socialist State
-	General Secretary	Kiet Narvga
Population
-	1996 census	65,000,000
GDP (nominal)		1996 estimate
-	Total	♅1,081,382,088,150
-	Per capita	♅15,795
Currency		Kirib (♅)
Date format		DD/MM/YYYY
Drives on the		the left

The Republic of Norograd was a socialist state founded in 1970 after a revolution overthrew the colonial status of the Kormistazic Principality under the Morstaybishlian Empire. It gained independence from the empire after the outbreak of the Auroran imperial war, and fought on the allied side alongside Ethalria and Nilovia. The nation collapsed in 1996 after the two year long Norograd civil war, which resulted in the collapse of the nations administration and the ascendance of the Axdel coalition to power with Staynish support.

History

Pre-Independence

Norograd was conceived in 1923 after a popular vote resulted in the renaming of the western Morstaybishlian principality of Kormistazm. This happened after years of cumulating spite towards the overarching, oppressive Morstaybishlian monarchy, and the rising popularity of prominent communist and socialist philosophers in Kormistazic society. When realising the threat to their

Auroran Imperial war

During the war, Norograd constructed a tactical orbital kinetic bombardment weapon know as Kevatuul. It was Intended to be used to pummel the weakened Morstaybishlian empire with precision strikes on military installations, allowing Norograd to easily conquer the land where South Staynes now resides. However three Emberitian intelligence agents were discovered after attempting to sabotage the weapon via an undisclosed method. As Ethalria-Norograd relations were decaying at the time, and the fact that the agents were female, it was falsely assumed that the agents were Ethalrian. This caused a major panic in the military command structure, and thus an order was put through to drop all eight rods onto the Ethalrian city of Rivendale and its military installations. This was later found to be against the orders of Keit, who quickly found out that the agents were Emberitian and would've fired it at several Empire cities and the Emberwood capital of Aura. The Four rods that impacted Rivendale created intense seismic shockwaves which caused devastation in the city centre, collapsing skyscrapers, killing thousands of civilians and military personnel, as well as many armoured vehicles. The weapon inadvertently gained the attention of numerous world powers, notably Vekaiyu and Packilvania. This threatened the sanctity of the continent, ultimately leading to the formation of the Auroran Continental Assembly to combat the greater threat. Kevatuul was promptly de-orbited and discretely recovered, most of its remains now currently being on display in the Axdelian science museum.

Civil War

see also: Axdel, Norograd civil war

At the dusk of the 1980's, Norograd entered its first stages of decline. Organised protests across the nation demanding national reform became more commonplace, violent, and twisted, occasionally evolving into riots. Worried by these events, Kiet Narvga initiated a scheme to increase national cohesiveness via passive eugenic programs. Such programs were inspired by similar successful implementations in other nations across Urth. The programme was kept out of the public eye, and involved 'diagnosing' undesirable individuals in the population with an obscure disease, and then sterilising them with false medication. Targeted individuals were those that showed association with violent 'freedom fighter' groups, as well as those with chronic genetic disorders and poor mental acuity. The ultimate goal was to make Norograd a cohesive, intelligent, and stable society capable of surviving for centuries, even without a centralised state as Kiet had hoped for future Norograd.

In 1994 however, an as of yet unidentified hacker operating from a public library broke into Norogradian government files referencing the Eugenics program, as well as revealing the existence of bio-warfare divisions and research on engineered bioweapons that was also occurring at the time. Shortly after the breach, the information was leaked to the public, causing an outcry among the freedom fighter groups, many of which were specifically mentioned as targets of the sterilisation program. Occurrence of organised riots spiked across the nation, and within months of the leaks, several organised militias had emerged, most notably the anarcho-communist Norograd Armed Rebels (NAR - not to be confused with the Norograd Armed Resistance terrorist organisation). It was at this time that a coalition of democratic politicians and sociologists known as the Axdel coalition began making efforts to stabilise the nation. However, they were overshadowed by the armed militias that had begun amalgamating into the NAR to form a single paramilitary force.

On new years eve 1994, Keit Narvga declared martial law in Norograd, and civilian police patrols were replaced with armed convoys and military units. The NAR had become incredibly entrenched within society, making it extremely difficult to counter conventionally. In 1995 alone, there were half a dozen assassination of key generals and political figures, notably Darius Finch, Narvga's right hand man since the 60's. Keit himself was targeted many times, albeit all were unsuccessful. Emigration from Norograd spiked as law enforcement became more drastic. Soldiers in city streets could expect to be hailed by gunfire from windows and alleys. Tens of thousands died during this period, with many hundred of thousands fleeing the country, primarily to either Emberwood coast or Staynes. At the same time, the Axdel coalition was gaining presence, and was in constant communication with the Staynish government requesting the resources and funds that would be necessary to sway the Norogradian populace over to their cause. Small democratic militias were being recruited to disperse food, medical supplies and water to those who needed them most, and radio stations constantly broadcast messages from the coalition leaders to inform the citizenry of where to find them.

In Spring 1996, another data breach hit Norograd, this time revealing military locations and stockpiles. This breach was unlike the first though, because it went undetected for months, and was orchestrated by the NAR directly. The NAR, using the information retrieved from the hack, plotted a takeover of a 1970's Kilkati military bunker complex used for mass storage of rations and weaponry; exactly what the NAR needed to wage a war against the government. On the 6th of April, the assault on the complex took place, and armed with in-depth knowledge of the facilities security and its flaws, the NAR were successful in capturing it. Military forces attempted to retake the bunker, though were unsuccessful and were driven back from the land surrounding the entrance. From this point on, it was all out war between the NAR and the Governmental forces, with a major offensive being lead against the capital, Andel.

Several months passed, and the campaign into Andel had devolved into guerilla warfare and deep incursions into enemy territory from both sides. However, the NAR seemed to be prevailing, and by late august, the rebel forces had the government forces under siege within the city center. In other cities across the country not heavily involved in the conflict, the Axdel coalition and its Staynish assets began coordinating massive relief and rebuilding efforts, providing food and water to those in need and aiding neighbourhoods. At this point, Kiet Narvga knew he had lost the war. On the first of September and without warning, he managed to smuggle himself out of Andel, and was presumed to have emigrated to Staynes under a new identity. The NAR and governmental remnants promptly declared a cease fire the next day, both sides weighed down by heavy casualties. Now, the freshly formed Axdelian Government asserted control over the capital, beginning cleaning and rebuilding efforts. It declared itself the legal government, which the United Kingdom quickly recognised. soon after, the Axdelian constitution was then decreed, and with it the laws and rights of citizens were lifted from military junta, forming modern-day Axdel, and declaring the end of the civil war on September the 11th 1996. Civil unrest continues to this day, as NAR splinter factions and Norogradian Government supporters stir occasionally, though it has significantly declined over the years. The identity of the hacker that initiated the war and the country from which they originated remains unknown.