Falkre Republic

Sprit	Notes
Industrial Juggernaut [+]	The abundance of mineral wealth within Falkre has long been a standing strength of the nation, with trade guilds specializing in high-quality precision manufacturing dating back centuries. Ready access to plentiful raw materials and the industrial capacity to engineer and manufacture high quality goods has historically been the nation's strongest leverage in trade.
Convoy Expertise [+]	Long tasked with protecting the mercantile interests of the Trade League and Republic alike, the Republican Navy and Sjöflygvapnet have cut their teeth in the practice of convoys, convoy escort, and anti-submarine warfare.
Open Borders [+/-]	The egalitarian Republic has historically been receptive to taking in immigrants and refugees. While this has provided a steady labor force of people motivated to make a better (or just new) life for themselves, this has also implemented no shortage of cultural clashing as well as additional stress on social support systems.
Extensive Welfare [+/-]	The Republic has invested heavily into social welfare programs, including socialized healthcare and a universal basic income for all citizens. While this is good for the common citizenry and promotes economic growth and investment, it is also a considerable burden on the national budget of the Republic and a controvercial subject politically.
Dirigism [+/-]	In an effort to keep the economy of the Republic focused and efficiently chugging along, the Republic takes a strong directive role in its own economy, rather than a purely regulatory one, utilizing indicative planning, state-directed investment, and the use of market instruments to incentivize market entities. How effective this system is comes down to the elected officials in question.
Scattered Resources [-]	While Falkre possesses no shortage of material and mineral wealth, it's almost universally spread out and compartmentalized. Most regions possess limited flexibility, meaning that the myriad prefectures of the Republic are dependent on one another - and the logistics network connecting them - to make sure essential needs are met.

National Language

The Falkre Republic has three primarily spoken languages: Falklari, Unilari, and - for lack of a better title- English (or whatever the international common language is called). Falklari is the historical native tongue of the area, reminiscent of modern-day North Germanic or Nordic languages. Unilari is a constructed language most closely analogous to Esperanto in concept, blending elements of Falklari with other major languages of the world with the intention to create a universal language. Of course, the international common tongue is also widely spoken and receives at least cursory coverage in public education.

Capital City

Saskalå is the capital of modern Falkre, the seat of the Republic and the largest single municipality in the nation. Located on the northern coast of Falkre, the oldest parts of Saskalå are spread across an archipelago situated between the inland Skesjö sea and the ocean. Saskalå has long been one of the economic powerhouses of Falkre, as its location allowed access both to inland sea routes and the open ocean. This allowed merchants to easily move goods across a large swathe of northern Falkre as well as engage in trade abroad. Saskalå’s nature as an economic gateway in and out of the rest of Falkre made it strong and prosperous, and it was the first to organize itself and the outlying towns and villages into a proper municipal area of sorts - the same organizing that ultimately propagated and lead to the formation of the Saskalån Trade League, an economic and (later) political union that stood for some 700 years before transforming into the modern Republic.
    Central Saskalå is beautiful, with many of the historical buildings having been preserved over the centuries, featuring classical stone architecture and elaborate masonry work everywhere from the streets to the bridges, all spanning the interconnected network of waterways splitting up the archipelago. This is often juxtaposed against more modern high-rise construction further out, as well as more modern bridges installed to accommodate newer, larger naval traffic.
    Saskalå is home to one of the Republic’s main naval yards, responsible for overseeing the bulk of the construction, maintenance, and upkeep on most of the Republic’s oceangoing naval assets. It is built further out against the coastline, to minimize disruption to traffic through the archipelago’s waterways and draft issues with larger vessels.
    Also located in central Saskalå is the Grand Council Chamber, the seat of the Republic’s government and where day to day operations are carried out. Though repeatedly renovated over the centuries, it is - at its heart - the same grand hall built by the STL in the 13th century. One of the more prominent additions in modern times is the Falkrian Historical Museum, a large wing that operates freely open to the public, preserving and displaying many objects and documents significant to Falkrian history, including an example of the original STL charter.
    The greater Saskalån metropolitan area is the most densely inhabited area of Falkre, home to some three million people spread across the higher density parts of Saskalå and its sprawling suburban districts. It is still a significant center of commerce today, for much the same reasons it was historically.

The Republic boasts a population of roughly 73.5 million people, spread between major urban centers and the more rural towns. Of that number, roughly 29 million are of foreign descent, nearly 40% of the total population. Perhaps the largest single portion of that is Nykean, a trend that exploded with the institution of debt slavery by the monarchy of that nation and only somewhat reversed after their revolution. That being said, there is also a notable demographic of Arcadian descent, and smaller demographics from sometimes far-flung nations, as people made the journey back to Falkre alongside long-range merchant ships over the centuries. As outlined elsewhere, the prolonged intermingling of outside cultures on Falkre has led to something of a melting pot effect, though with Falkrian descent still being the majority, their native culture and social norms have not seen overly considerable erosion– broadly speaking, there is more of a positive intermingling.

Government

The Falkre Republic operates as a Social Democracy with a strong government similar to the modern Nordic model, with a bicameral central structure consisting of the National Assembly and the Representorial Council. The National Assembly is the lower of the two houses and is responsible for the greater part of the Republic's legislative duties. Its legislators are directly elected proportional to population, for five-year terms; no individual is permitted to sit in the Assembly for more than two terms total. The Representorial Council is the upper house and is composed of a host of technical and trade experts nominated from the various regional prefectures, based upon broad policy direction established by the Assembly (though, conventionally speaking, this direction is informed by the opinion of the outgoing Council). Appointments to the Council are a yearly position and expected to rotate according to need, and while there is no lifetime term limit, individuals are forbidden from being seated on the Council for more than two consecutive terms. The responsibilities of the Council are largely wide-scope and advisory in nature, utilizing first-hand experience and technical expertise to inform legislation on matters of industry, technology, military, and economic policy.
    Descending from the national to the regional government, Falkre is divided into a number of semi-autonomous prefectures, each of which has their own locally elected Administrative Council responsible for overseeing the local operations of the prefecture. While ultimately beholden to the national government, the prefectures are given latitude in any matter not directly ruled by the central government -- after all, policies good for heavy industry and manufacturing may well be counterproductive for agriculture, and vice versa. In cases where a prefecture ruling is contested, or in a conflict between prefectures, the matter may be elevated for resolution with the National Assembly.

Economy

The Falkre Republic operates on a mixed-market capitalist system with a considerable degree of private ownership, coupled with a degree of Dirigistic indicative planning issued out from the central government. The economic policy of the Republic is often touted as "simultaneously cushy and unabashedly brutal"; while government grants and stimulus are regularly available, an eye is kept on performance metrics and finances across the board. Companies that prove themselves effective and responsible will find themselves receiving resources, but the government will happily let even iconic, well-established companies wither and die if their business model is proving ineffective and they don't make use of the information available to them to change course. Government aid is a finite and valuable resource, and the Republic ill-abides having its people’s money squandered.
    The Republic has implemented no shortage of central-level regulations to prohibit problematic conduct by business interests that would result in perceived long-term instability; insider trading and price fixing are illegal, and formation of monopolies or cartels is strictly forbidden. While the government tries to avoid intervening in activities outside of outright legislation, both central and prefectural Economic Oversight Committees have the power to step in on a case-by-base basis if a case can be made for an excess of anticompetitive activity such as predatory pricing, levying warnings and fines and - in the case of central government EOCs - even outright cease and desist orders.

Centralization

Governmental authority in the Republic is split between the central government and the various regional Prefectures. While the central government retains the bulk of upper-level authority and decision making power, a lot of the day-to-day operation of the country is delegated to the Prefectural level. Historically, these areas were very independent, and even as the Trade League centralized into the Republic they maintained a considerable degree of their autonomy. While there are standard laws, taxes and so on imposed by the central government, each prefecture has the latitude to impose their own additional laws, taxes, and policies on the basis that anything not already established or forbidden by the central government is left to their discretion. Additionally, each prefecture has its own Prefectural Assembly and associated Representorial Council in mirror of the central government, responsible for the Prefecture-level decision making; it is generally (but not always) from these bodies that prospective politicians running from the National Assembly stem; as the central government is composed of elected officials from each Prefecture, there is a certain degree of inherent balancing as the various officials are representing their home Prefecture and it’s interests as much as the Republic as a whole.

Government Cohesion

All in all, both the Prefectural and National governments co-ordinate and work together fairly well; the various city-states and their associated spheres of influence (now the Prefectures) have been coming together for mutual survival since antiquity, and understanding how to get along and make compromises as needed is a time honored tradition. This isn’t to say there is no friction, of course; disagreements can and do arise, and the Mjölstuna Prefecture in particular is known to disagree quite vocally as of late, often striving to do things their own conservative way in defiance of the rest of the nation.

Terrain and Climate

The terrain of Falkre is highly varied, an uneven country split either by inland lakes and rivers, or mountains and treacherous canyons. The center of the country in particular is dominated by the mammoth Ulkår mountain range, which when combined with the Ossöholm bay, makes navigating the center of the country by land difficult. There have historically been a few mountain paths that make it from one side to the other, and in modern times there are a few rail connections brute-forced from one side to the other, but the bulk majority of traffic from one side to the other is marine in nature, either by short range ferry or by larger ships either following the oceanic coast or jumping across the Carinidal Sea.
    The northern half of Falkre is crowned by the Skesjö Sea, a large inland sea that connects to the ocean through the Saskalån archipelago. The Skesjö facilitated easy travel over the otherwise rough terrain of northern Falkre, as well as providing a source of food. Its position at the connection between the sea and the ocean is one of the factors that made Saskalå a dominant powerhouse through Falkrian history.
    The Falkrian heartlands lie to the south of the Ulkårs, a fertile breadbasket from which the majority of the nation’s food supplies stem. There is a degree of agriculture in the northern half of the country, but that land has often proven contested and difficult to hold, as the Republic’s punishing loss in the 1828-1830 Örehälla War demonstrated. The heartlands are mostly rolling planes, with forests beginning to appear as they transition into the foothills. Most of the heartlands have direct access to the Carinidal, and this makes both fishing and direct trade of excess food stores an easy prospect.
    The ocean-facing coastline of Falkre is often rough but contains a few scattered archipelagos, the larger and more stable examples of which often became home to large - if somewhat spread out - cities. Both the capital of Saskalå and the major trade hub of Mjölstuna to the west are examples of cities built up across these archipelagos.
    In terms of climate, Falkre tends to be stable and on the milder side, though there is a noticeable split between the northern and southern side. The northern half of the country tends to be cooler, but with somewhat less stable temperatures, particularly in the winter months. It also receives less rainfall. The southern half of the nation has fairly consistent temperatures, though with greater humidity and higher rainfall on average. In the north, one can generally expect temperatures around 16-20°C, and 20-25°C in the south, though this is in some ways an oversimplification in light of factors like seasonal shifts and elevation.
    The nation has fairly pronounced wet and dry seasons, with the majority of the country’s rainfall occurring from June to October. It is also heavily varied based on region; some areas might receive only 600mm annually, while some of the wetter lowland areas might receive in excess of 1,250mm.

Major Cities

In an attempt to keep the character count of this document reasonable, this overview will be kept to a brief list.
- Saskalå: Capital city to the north, seat of government and major trade hub. Significant naval presence.
- Ludviken: City on the south coast of the Skesjö Sea, trade hub connecting much of central-northern Falkre to Saskalå. Significant fishing industry, secondary regional food provider.
-Granhälla: Major industrial and manufacturing center east of Ludviken. Also features a military base and airfield.
- Öskedal: Port city situated in the Ossöholm Bay. Main Falkrian trade and naval hub for the Carinidal Sea, heavily fortified.
- Sostrefjord: Major mining and industrial hub in the foothills to the southwest.
- Upplänge: Port town on the south-east coast of Falkre, built into a small archipelago in the Carinidal. Major commercial hub and civilian harbor.
- Skegård: Bustling hub city in central-southern Falkre, east of Mjölstuna. Industrial powerhouse in its own right, also a trade hub for goods flowing in and out of the mainland into Mjölstuna. Also home to a major airbase.
-Kungssand: Port city bordering the Kingdom of Arcadia. Minor trade center, major military presence, both army and navy.
-Mjölstuna: Trade and naval hub on the southwest coast of Falkre. Centered in a large archipelago off the immediate coast, almost an island in its own right. Trade and economic powerhouse, closest competitor to Saskalå. Notable for being extremely conservative compared to the rest of the Republic proper, and for being one of the last holdouts pushing Falklari over Unilari.

Major Ports and Harbors

The Falkre Republic has a large number of ports, being a nation that’s bordered by water on more than two sides. Saskalå, Ludviken, Öskedal, Upplänge, Skegård, Kungssand, and Mjölstuna are all major cities with ports - either to the greater ocean, the Carinidal Sea, or the inland Skesjö Sea - and this doesn’t even begin to cover the countless smaller coastal towns with lesser ports themselves. Maritime trade and travel have been an important factor of Falkre’s success for most of its history, and in some cases a necessity just to survive.
    In modern times, all of these cities have the road and rail connections needed to sustain a bustling economy, though some are larger than others. Saskalå and Mjölstuna host the largest ocean-facing ports and are the central ports for the Republic’s oceangoing navy, as well as the main entry ports for anyone or anything coming in through the water from the rest of the wider world. Öskedal and Kungssand are both mainly military ports servicing the Carinidal Sea, though they do see some civilian and commercial traffic; Skegård and Upplänge service most of the commercial and civilian Carinidal traffic, Upplänge in particular having a huge capacity given its status as an archipelago allowing ample room.
Provide information about the major civilian & military ports/harbors that play a vital role in your nation’s trade and connectivity. Include the names of these ports, their geographic locations, & a description of their primary trade activities. Highlight the infrastructural capabilities of each port, such as docking facilities, storage capacity, & transportation links (roads, railways, etc.). Additionally, share any historical context or significance associated with these ports, as well as their role in your nation’s economic development. This information will give us insights into your nation’s maritime trade networks, logistical strengths, & potential points of interaction for future events involving trade, transportation, or naval activities.
National Resources & Economic Produce: The Republic is blessed with a considerable amount of mineral wealth, particularly locked away within the Ulkår mountains, with the biggest headache being actually getting to it. The Ulkårs contain plentiful amounts of both valuable metals and precious gemstones, with much of the trouble being actually getting to them. There are decent amounts of fissile material buried deep within them, though as of 1947 the Republic has yet to access them. The nation also possesses bauxite deposits to the north-east that provided ready access to aluminum, among other materials.
    Agricultural resources are largely split between farmland - both crops and livestock - to the south, and fisheries to the north. The Skesjö Sea is the focal point of most of said fisheries, serving as a wide source of food distribution throughout the northern half of the nation as well as shipping food to the south.
    Coal is prevalent and largely retrieved from the smaller parts of the Ulkårs. The bulk of the nation’s oil deposits are located in the south, and to the far north-east, with the southern deposits comprising the bulk of the nation’s current utilization.
Please share details about the natural resources & economic produce that you believe should be present in your nation. Describe any significant mineral mining; such as ores, metals, or gemstones, that are available within your nation’s territory. Explain the types of agricultural products that your nation produces, such as crops, livestock, or fisheries. Discuss the availability of energy sources like fossil fuels, renewable energy, & any other energy-related resources. Additionally, highlight any other economic assets/exports or unique products that contribute to your nation’s economy. If there are any factors affecting the extraction, utilization, or trade of these resources, please provide relevant insights. This information will help us understand the economic strengths, starting GDP, & potential events related to trade, resource management, & economic development within your nation.
Economic Boons: Falkre has long prospered off two core things: the strength of its trade, and the strength of its industry. Even setting aside the nation’s long-standing push for technological innovation, the Falkrians have long taken pride in their workmanship as a matter of culture; many guilds lived or died by the quality of work they could put out. Centuries of this practice has led to Falkrian machining and fabrication to be some of the best in the world. On top of this, the Falkrians have been pulling high quality ore out of the Ulkår mountains for centuries, and have honed their metallurgy to a fine art. “Made in Falkre” is usually a sign that what you’re buying is well built and made of quality materials.
    Of course, it also means it’s expensive. While qualities and grades of materials often varied simply as a requirement of doing business, for the best goods Falkrian traders were often able to name their price. This is a quality that has only been exacerbated in the modern age, as design and manufacturing has grown more and more complicated and intricate. A well trained and educated workforce, and shrewd direction from government economic policy has helped maintain this edge, and the industrial and manufacturing arm of the Republic is a juggernaut to behold.
    Likewise, Falkrian merchants haven’t lost their edge over the centuries and ply their trade both within the Carinidal region and abroad, moving goods and striking deals to bring money into Falkre wherever possible. It is often joked that if the Republic tried moving to outright communism, the ghosts of the Trade League would rise up and strangle the leadership for even thinking about it - there is a hint of truth to this joke, for the economic power the traders wield does more than its fair share to sustain the Falkrian economy, and it is doubtful the nation would be anywhere near powerful as it is if this trade were to collapse.
Please provide information about any economic boons or flourishing industries in your nation. Describe sectors that have experienced substantial growth & contribute significantly to your nation’s economy. Highlight industries such as tourism, entertainment, home technology, manufacturing, agriculture, or any other sectors that have gained prominence. Explain the factors that have led to the success of these industries, such as government incentives, natural resources, skilled workforce, favorable region, or favorable market conditions. If there are any challenges or potential opportunities related to these economic booms, please feel free to share. This information will help us understand the diverse economic landscape of your nation & potential events related to economic development, trade, & industry-specific challenges/collaborations.
National Economic Struggles: A major problem for Falkre dating back centuries is the widely spread out nature of resources in the country. Due to the rough terrain and geographical layout, many regions in Falkre will have an abundance of something useful, while lacking other necessities. This made prosperous self-sufficiency hard, and necessitated co-operation between the various settlements and city-states of the land in order to ensure everyone had what they needed. Trade was as much a necessity of life as it was a way to generate wealth. In modern times, this still holds true, and ensuring there is a sufficient logistical system in place to connect and support all of the entirety of the nation is a matter of great importance. Nominally speaking, there are sufficient road, rail, water and air connections to keep things running smoothly, but accidents, breakdowns and other disruptions can - and do - happen; this can cause anything from minor headaches to huge problems, often leaving regional distributors scrambling to improvise a solution.
    Furthermore, the upfront need to ship so much material around the nation does add an extra layer of expense, complexity, and sometimes outright delay to many industries writ large, an expense which is inevitably passed on to the end consumer.
    A deeper but currently potential problem for the Republic would be the collapse of outside trade; while the nation does strive to be self-sufficient, a lot of its GDP comes from export power; in the event those deals failed, the nation would surely suffer.

Technology Level

The Republic has historically placed great value on staying technologically ahead of its neighbors, with the thought that technological superiority facilitates superiority in other facets. This being said, the Republic still falls short of the global superpowers in many regards, lacking the raw scale of resources and manpower to dedicate to any given problem. Military technology is a centerpiece of research and development, with the flourishing military-industrial complex within the Republic being a source both of national defense and income; export sales of aircraft (or essential components like engines) is a lucrative market; furthermore, having a more effective armed forces allows for a smaller armed forces for a given effectiveness, allowing a reduction of upkeep expenses and fewer lives in the line of fire.
    Of particular note in terms of military technological development is a vested focus in guided weapons systems, especially air-launched. The Republic developed MCLOS guidance systems somewhat earlier than their peers, and put them to great use in guided bombs and rudimentary anti-ship and similar missiles, the Sjoflygvapnet proving fonder of anti-ship missiles rather than torpedoes once they were available.
    Medical technology is also a matter of great interest to the Republic, both for increasing the overall quality of life of its citizens and for treating the maimed and wounded coming back from the front lines of the Great War. There isn’t as much money to be made in raw profit terms in this field - the Republic does have a socialized healthcare system, after all - but government subsidies regularly support the development and adoption of new medications and therapies. Particularly, the number of maimed soldiers coming back from war provided a great impetus to look into prosthetics advancements that could provide as much quality of life back to impaired individuals as possible; being that this is still the late 40’s, there’s only so much they can do, but it will doubtless improve in the decades to come.

Education and scientific research are a major focus for the Republic's government and economic policy. Education is highly incentivised among the populace, and the Republic legally mandates public K-12 education for all children. This primary schooling goes from approximately 5.5 through 18 years of age, and teaches all of the fundamentals - language arts, mathematics, history, civics, economics, science, and so on. While some do graduate straight from primary education into the workforce, secondary education is readily available and highly encouraged both from a cultural and an economic standpoint. While secondary school is not free, it is not prohibitively expensive, and there are both loans and grant money available to finance one's way through university. There are also vocational trade schools for a variety of industries, as well as a small number of military academies for those interested in a career as an officer.
    The Falkrian government offers up considerable funding to universities and technical laboratories alike in order to continuously fund cutting-edge advancements. Above-average technical literacy and manufacturing capabilities have long been a point of pride for the Republic, and this translates to both economic and civic benefits. Falkrian factories pride themselves on their efficiency and the quality of products they make, and Falkrian medical technology and capabilities tend to be above-average. This translates to the military sector as well; the Republic threw their full scientific and industrial might behind the RVS during the Great War and managed to punch well above their weight accordingly.
    While research into subjects that bear an economic or military benefit are often kept somewhat close to home, the Republic has no compunction about sharing research data on anything less sensitive, openly encouraging a scientific forum for fields such as biology. Advancements that can bear an arguable benefit for the human condition globally, such as agricultural advancements, are to be freely shared for the benefit of mankind.
    All in all, the Republic places great emphasis and pride behind their education and research efforts. Possessing a technological edge has often been one of the key advantages to the nation's military and economic status. Their military might not be massive, but it is well equipped. Their manufacturing might not be the cheapest you could find, but the finished product will be some of the best you can find.

Military Strength, Composition and Focus

The Republikens Väpnade Styrkor (RVS, lit “Republic’s Armed Forces”, more formally “Armed Forces of the Republic”)  is the overall standing military body of the Republic. It employs roughly 920,000 active duty personnel, about 1.25% of the population, across three branches, with the Regular Army, the Navy and the Air Force (the Reguljära Armé, Marinen, and Flygvapnet, respectively). The Navy does maintain ground-capable forces of its own analogous to a marine corps. The three work together in concert, trained around a doctrine of aggressive and highly mobile warfare. Front-line infantry are almost exclusively mechanized, and operate alongside mobile armor, backed up by artillery and close air support. The RVS’s combat doctrine focuses on aggressive maneuver warfare, utilizing offensive momentum and overwhelming force-on-force firepower as well as strikes against supply lines and other vital logistics systems. Properly executed, this strategy can be brutally effective so long as the RVS can maintain their momentum. It does, however, fall apart if the RVS is forced on the back foot; their focus on maneuver warfare and striking at flanks does not fare so well when forced to hunker in one place and let the enemy come to them. Even in defensive situations, the RVS prefers to fight proactively and prevent being forced into static positions.
    As a notable sub-branch of the Navy, the Interior Guard is tasked with patrol and peacekeeping in both the Skesjö Sea and the greater Carinidal Sea. The Interior Guard generally operates older vessels and with less logistical support out-of-port, given the ships of the Guard are never more than a few days from port at most. While they have occasionally seen proper combat in their history, the Interior Guard’s duties usually fall closer to that of a Coast Guard (though the proper Navy handles such operations on the ocean-lying regions of Falkre, which can lead to some interesting bureaucratic incidents from time to time!).
    The last branch of the RVS is known as the Republican Guard, which acts as a single collective unit for special forces from all branches within the RVS. Appointment to the Republican Guard is a prestigious honor, and almost universally stems from consistent portrayal of exemplary skill and valor in combat. The duties of the Guard vary; in peacetime, they act as a training unit, working to share their experience and expertise with promising units from the regular military. They also act as a parade unit, showcasing Falkre’s best and brightest whenever needed. In wartime, the various units of the Guard are deployed piecemeal across a theater wherever they are deemed to be needed, acting semi-autonomously both to maximize individual impact and to keep the enemy guessing. Units of the Republican Guard are notorious for deploying into combat in parade colors (excepting infantry units); while unadvisable from a stealth standpoint, the highly visible madder-and-black color scheme both marks them on the battlefield as a paragon of Republic ideals for friendlies to rally behind and (ideally) acts as a morale blow on the enemy.

Military Struggles

The RVS is not an organization without its fair share of troubles. Two key, interconnected problems present themselves, and the first belies the second. Firstly, the RVS’s ordinance department (and other bodies responsible for adoption of new equipment) have a bad habit of chasing the newest, shiniest, most bestest thing; this is due in part to the rapid innovation and development of new hardware by the Republic’s military-industrial complex, and also no small part of constant competition and advertisement of said new equipment (and, if the more cynical among people are to be believed, the occasional instance of outright graft). What this amounts to is a military that, while well-equipped, is constantly training and relearning on new hardware.
    Hand-in-hand with the prior problem is the issue of actually outfitting the entirety of the military with said equipment, particularly the reserves; the Regular Army’s reserves alone are larger than the entire active armed forces, and though the higher commands would never admit it outright, there are serious concerns about being actually able to properly outfit that huge volume of personnel should the reserves need to be activated. For instance, the standard-issue doron laminate body armor used by the Regular Army requires chemical resins that are imported from Sulzen; suddenly having to amplify production by an order of magnitude might be simply impossible.
    The regular adoption of new equipment, as well as the inevitable delays in spinning up mass production and distributing said equipment throughout the military, produces a situation where hardware seldom has an opportunity to find itself tested and true, or to build up a reputation with the troops using it for very long (with some marked exceptions).

National Welfare

A notable hallmark of the Falkre Republic is their extensive and robust social welfare system. It is broadly expected in the Republic that none should go hungry or homeless while there is enough to go around, and there are programs for housing, employment and general financial difficulties available at the prefecture and central level. Broadly speaking, receipt of government assistance comes with placement in reconciliation programs intending to find the root cause. This can be as simple as being enrolled in a job agency in order to find individuals work when they are unemployed, but can also involve more in-depth investigation by social workers with the Internal Census Bureau to identify pitfalls such as wage inequality, lack of available housing, or other sources of economic instability so that these matters can be identified and corrected.
    The Falkre Republic places significant importance on quality of life. Falkre boasts a robust socialized healthcare system subsidized through taxes, with special attention given to preventative care and general wellness; sickly people are neither happy nor productive. The Republic also has a free, public K-12 education system, as well as affordable access to higher education. Having an intelligent and well-educated population is considered a priority by the central government, both due to the national focus on technology and industrial advancement as well as the simple reality that a well-educated population will (probably) exhibit better judgment in terms of elected officials.
    Of considerable note is the Republic's adoption of a (still experimental) large-scale universal supplemental income policy. Every individual enrolled in the Republic's selective service program (which is to say, over the age of 18) receives ₽5 monthly. While this is, at face value, a not inconsiderable drain on the national GDP (costing something to the effect of ₽3.5 billion annually) it also comes with considerable stimulating effects re-circulating that money within the economy, promoting economic security and encouraging citizens to spend money rather than aggressively save it, particularly among the lower classes. This policy is not without criticism, and opponents argue that the considerable sum invested could be better spent elsewhere, even in other social welfare programs.

Culture and History

Falkrian Early History (Note that this document is still highly work in progress and, at this time, is largely unfinished. To give a very brief summary of what’s planned, many guilds and settlements come together to form large city-states with considerable spheres of influence, these eventually band together under the STL, which does loosely confederated trade league stuff for like 5-600 years until the modern era proves the loose power structure of the League is untenable and it reforms into the vastly more centralized Republic, with the spheres of influence of each city-state settling into the various Prefectures the Republic has today.)

Modern Culture and Society

Modern Falkrian society is, much as one would expect from its melting-pot of various cultures, something of a messy amalgam in many regards. Everything from art to food to music sees influence from a myriad of sources all blending together and co-existing to a greater or lesser extent. On the other hand, there are calls to preserve native Falkrian culture and norms, largely from the older generations. Ironically, one place where native Falkrian culture has very much bled through is in the meritocratic streak that pervades many areas of society; the modern Republic might be a place of social equality, but it is also very competitive and sometimes borderline cutthroat, with considerable emphasis placed on pulling one’s weight and excelling at whatever it is you’re doing. While the average work-life balance has remained in a reasonable state, many industries - and indeed, much of the workforce itself - find themselves in flux as the Republic transitions back out of a wartime economy. This also rears its head in academia, with students entering advanced courses ever earlier in life in an attempt to get ahead of the pack.
    This being said, however, the Republic is exceptionally egalitarian in its structure, as has been outlined elsewhere in this document. Falkrian culture has long espoused taking care of their own, and the idea of mutual labor leading to mutual prosperity, and even the most conservative of Falkrians’ arguments boil down to fighting over definitions of who counts as “their own”. Prejudice and discrimination are greatly looked down upon as a whole, and it is mostly held that the measure of any single person is how hard they’re willing to work to make something of themselves and do their best. This isn’t to say that Falkrian culture is without judgment, however; qualities like laziness are frowned upon, and in some cases this has demonstrably created cases of people going out of their way to work inefficiently and play things up for the sake of appearing busier than they are in the hopes of earning approval. It can definitely be something of a mixed bag; you’re not liable to be judged for who you are, but you will most certainly be judged for giving less than 110%.
    The Republic is notorious for its behemoth bureaucracy, and becoming accustomed to how much red-tape, paperwork and government influence there is indeed no small source of contention for many prospective immigrants. To their credit, however, the Falkrians have proven adept at building bureaucracies and systems that work, ensuring that everything is processed and followed up on accurately, and that anything that is causing problems or bottlenecks is addressed. Republic record-keeping is thorough and meticulous, and the fact that the system is kept running so well, for the benefit of the people, is a point of national pride. This detail-oriented, get-it-done mindset tends to be either adopted or shared outright by the bulk of the population as a result, and is another source of the nation’s economic and industrial effectiveness.
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Religion

The Falkre Republic does not maintain any officially established state religion, however it does not prohibit anyone from practicing their faith as they see fit, as long as it does not interfere with the personal rights of others or violate otherwise established law.
    Historically, the region was dominated by a singular faith known as “Världssjäl”, or “Worldsoul”, an Animist religion that held the belief that everything had some sort of soul or spirit to it, from plants and animals to places and things. Anthropologically speaking, it’s suspected that this arose as an explanation for why things did or didn’t work a certain way; poor farming practices angered the spirits of the land and crops, or a sloppy mine that collapsed disrespected the earth enough that it lashed out. Indeed, even the propensity for quality craftsmanship and artisanry finds its roots here; shoddy handwork was an insult to the materials and end product alike, and the act of making a truly superb product or art piece is as much an act of worship as creativity. Those who hold to the old faith in modern times have seen little change aside the scenery, as placating prayers to the spirits of troublesome machinery or malfunctioning hardware are all too common.

Civil Struggles

In spite of its social equality, progressivism, and high quality-of-life, there is a significant degree of political, sociological, and ethnic tension within Falkre. For starters, the country has taken a sharp turn leftward politically and economically in the aftermath of the Great War, and along with that sharp leftward turn has come an increasingly vocal wave of discontent from the more conservative elements of the Falkrian citizenry. This is made even worse by the ease of immigration and obtaining citizenship and the establishment of things such as Unilari in place of traditional language and cultural traditions, seeing the changes of the last decade and a half as a "voluntary erasure of Falkrani ethnic and cultural identity". In some regards this is not entirely false, as the country's now considerable immigrant populations have brought a wide variety of different cultures and social norms, which has turned modern Falkrani culture into a thorough mixing pot.
    This trend has not been unnoticed by the Republic, which has made thorough efforts to instill a sense of common identity among the populace. The creation of a society with a universal language and policies focusing on social and economic equity come together with curriculum in the education and immigration systems to present an image that everybody is equal regardless of things like their social class or where they're from: in the end, we're all Falkrani.
    All the same, many conservative elements claim this is missing the point entirely, their homeland being swarmed by foreigners and their identity entirely subverted by a government all too eager to bend over backwards to accommodate them. This has led to no small amount of conflict, sometimes even outright racially-fueled violence, between native Falkrani and immigrant populations within the country.
    Furthermore, the left-leaning economic policies of the modern Republic have proven less than popular with many with more laissez-faire views, especially those of a libertarian bent. With memories of the horrors of Great War fresh in the mind of many, there have been a non-trivial number of people displeased with the amount of money being spent on investing in social support programs and infrastructure at the cost of national defense and military spending (the UBI was real popular with these sorts).

Foreign Relations

The Republic, generally speaking, tries to maintain amicable relationships with as many nations as it possibly can; after all, ostracizing possible customers is bad for business. Furthermore, its trade and economic power are its first ‘hard’ point of leverage in diplomatic negotiation; if talking fails, sanctions and economic pressure follow, with actual armed conflict reserved for self defense or extreme circumstances.
    The bulk of the Republic’s foreign political priorities focus on safeguarding its trade positions and ability to conduct commerce, though the nation is known to speak out in cases of human rights violations or the like. The Republic tends towards soft power, as stated above, and generally leans towards diplomatic and economic methods of imposing its will beyond its borders.
    That being said, while the nation would never publicly admit it in most cases, the Republic has quietly backed several revolutions and uprisings throughout greater Carinidal, each against authoritarian and belligerent powers. While it never took steps to incite these movements, it most certainly did keep a covert eye on them, and take steps to provide them material - and in some cases, outright training - to support them. While this had potential to blow up into a huge political issue, it thus far has worked out favorably each time. This has earned the Republic a reputation for being both cunning enough to simply wait out its opponents and tip the odds as needed, but also a reputation for being cutthroat and less honorable than the clean, goody two-shoes image they put on (mostly from their detractors).
    At a regional level, the Republic is part of the North Economic Carinidal Organization (NECO), an open agreement between several powers in northern Carinidal to facilitate open trade and better international standardization and logistical co-operation.
    Globally, the Republic is a proud and avid member of the Dario Economic Bloc, having a seat as an Inner Core state. The Republic was broadly on the losing side of the Great War, and worse found itself at home neither in the Tasharkan Pact nor the fledgling Solair Pact. Fortuitously, its industrial capabilities and mercantile disposition made it naturally at home within the DEB, serving as the face of the alliance within northern Carinidal, as well as a major manufacturing and distribution hub.

Border Statuses

The Republic shares two direct borders: the Workers’ Syndicates of Nykea to the east, and the Kingdom of Arcadia to the South. As of 1947 the border status is rather peaceful and altogether amicable, though historically this has not always been the case. Royalist Nykea often ran into conflict - sometimes outright war - with the Falkrians, and the border between the two nations was built up quite substantially as a mutual deterrent. While the nations are on better terms nowadays, many of the original border fortifications remain.
    The Republic has largely enjoyed positive relations with the Kingdom of Arcadia to the south, engaging in considerable trade. They also engage in mutual training exercises within the hills bordering the two nations.