Georgia

Georgia was a trans-oceanic empire located on Earth, reigning from 594 BB to 100 BB. In its early days, it existed as a small kingdom in eastern Europe, however, after the Great META War destabilized the United States government, Georgian forces moved into and occupied the American Penal Colony, Atlanta, and renamed it to 'West Georgia'.

### Powerful Times: 594-347 BB

Georgia was first united into a kingdom by the Good King Bagrat III of Iberia and Colchis. The king and his armies traveled eastward across Europe, winning the good tidings of many small city states which dotted the region. Eventually, he united them under one banner, calling this new nation 'Georgia', meaning agriculture in Greek.

This was an apt name for this new kingdom, as it became a powerhouse in the European crop scene. Wheat, barley, and Shetland Potatoes were all grown most successfully in the plains and river valleys of Georgia. Georgia controlled the western land passage between the Caspian and Black Sea, and profited heavily off of trade between the Middle East, Byzantium, and Russia.

#### Tourism Industry

Georgia's harsh mountain passes became popular attractions for the rich and wealthy of Europe, and a tourism industry was erected by King David E. Markarth IV in 501 BB. The industry began booming, and, following the general disappearance of the Boob Tonic Plague from Europe, even the poorest and most pathetic of Europe's serfs were able to visit the icy mountains.

Georgia's booming agriculture business expanded into clothing, too, and the townsfolk of the region began handcrafting leather and knit winter clothing items for visitors. This continued along prosperously for many years, however, in 422 BB, King David E Markarth V passed away unexpectedly, and his only daughter, Elizabeth Markarth I, rose to power.

### Uncertain Times: 422 BB-201 BB

Elizabeth was a mere nine years old at the time of her ascension to power. As you can expect, she had no real grasp for ruling at this point. Other kingdoms and nomads heard about the nine-year old's ascension to the throne, and immediately began invading the outer regions of Georgia.

Her father's closest advisor, Grimm Thong II, began formulating a coup attempt against the girl. As the Georgian armies were rapidly beaten back by the combined forces of Russia and the Dim Caliphate, Thong began accelerating his plans. After rallying the palace guards and military leaders to his cause, Grimm traveled to the throne room and captured the young girl. She was extradited to France, where she would live out the rest of her life working in a baguette shop.

Grimm Thong set to work demolishing the kingdom's parliament and republican institutions. He reorganized Georgia into an empire, and decreed that the nation was the best in the world. Grimm Thong became the first Georgian Emperor, and declared that Georgia would destroy any and all threats which faced it. At the time, the biggest threat was the Dim Caliphate.

#### The Iron Dome Incident

Grimm ordered the construction of three thousand catapults, forged from iron mined in the high mountains of Georgia. These catapults were technological marvels, spanning several hundred feet long and dozens of feet wide. They were designed to inflict maximum damage on the target, and the ammunition used was packed snow, as Georgia had an abundance of this material to the north and east.

In January of 402 BB, the snow was transported in the dead of night to the southern border, where the catapults were waiting. The catapults were arranged in a circle shape. Ten thousand horses, mules, and donkeys were attached to the southern side of this spectacular catapult contraption.

Then, Emperor Thong gave the order.

The monstrous Iron Dome began rumbling down into the Dim Caliphate, awakening unsuspecting civilians. By the time they awoke, it was too late, for they had been snowed in by the Georgian armies.

### Grimm Thong's Dark Deeds

The Iron Dome advanced to the Dim Caliphate capital city of Dim City, which, after several minutes, was completely buried in roughly thirty feet of snow. The entire populous suffocated, including the Caliph, Mohammad Abdul IX. Emperor Thong and the Iron Dome then retreated to Georgia. Many historical accounts debate what happened next.

Some claim that Emperor Thong attempted to conquer the Dim Caliphate, but was convinced otherwise by his military advisors. Other historians claim that it was the other way around, and that Emperor Thong warned his advisors that returning so soon to the suffocated city would make them look guilty.

The Georgians were never publicly known to have been guilty of destroying the Dim Caliphate, and it was summed up at the time as to have been a freak snowstorm which destroyed the kingdom. The Iron Dome was rolled into the Black Sea, and the builders of it were warned that ever speaking of their technological monstrosity would result in their throats being slit.

#### Gliding over All

For the next few hundred years, the Georgian Empire slowly gained more territory, becoming a highly influential power in European politics. They established strong diplomatic ties with Greece, Russia, and France. Georgia was set up to be one of the most successful empires in Omniversal history; however, things were about to take a turn for the worse.

### End Times: 201 BB-100 BB

The Fifteenth Emperor of Georgia, Lawrence Ganesh XII, was a military genius, and was as power hungry, if not more so, than the late Grimm Thong II.

#### Make Georgia Great Again

When he rose to power in late 201 BB, Georgia was as large and powerful as it had ever been. The military was comprised of nearly 500,000 willing (or unwilling) troops. Lawrence had prepared them for war. He had prepared a grand plan of attack to conquer Europe and the Americas.

Several months later, as the news of Combine invasions across North America began making their way to the desk of the Georgian Emperor, he decided to alter his plan of attack. He had his closest advisors draw up a map of the United States. Their least fortified area, he noted, was the penal colony, Atlanta. Lawrence prepared the Georgian Navy for battle, sending 400 ships from the Black Sea, through the Mediterranean, and finally into the Atlantic.

Lawrence was readying to board the Emperor's ship when a rogue Combine missile struck the water next to him. Lawrence and his men fought against the ensuing tidal wave, preventing the ship from capsizing. The men were anxious to set sail, but Lawrence told the captain to hold off on leaving the harbor. He told his men he heard a peculiar sound when the missile struck underwater. He noted it had taken significantly less time to impact than he'd expected. Peering over the boat's rails, Lawrence spotted a rusty metal beam under the water. He immediately ordered his men to get out, his heart beating in his chest. Lawrence's father had told him legends of a mythical 'Iron Dome', a massive contraption of Catapults created by the first Emperor of Georgia. This story had passed along the Imperial bloodline, all the way back to Grimm Thong II, who had told the story to his son while inebriated.

In several month's time, the Iron Dome was recovered from the Black Sea, and was reorganized to fit around the Georgian capital city of Tblisi, a massive, impenetrable Iron wall of catapults.

Confident that these defenses would protect his city from further harm, Lawrence readied, once again, to set sail for North America. Before he could leave, however, his men returned, bringing him good news: Atlanta was theirs.

#### West Georgia

Lawrence was proud of his men; they'd simply strode into the Penal colony, convinced the prisoners to rebel, and watched from the sidelines as a coup was completed. Commander Micah Undys VII became governor of this new colony, and had set to establishing diplomatic relations with the United States. The United States Government was completely unaware that the uprising had not, in fact, been executed purely by the prisoners of Atlanta, but in fact had been a foreign invasion.

This new territory became known as West Georgia, and became a major hub for trade in the Georgian Empire, being their home base in the Western Hemisphere.

##### American Civil War

During the American Civil War, West Georgia was initially neutral, but ended up siding with the Combine-Aligned Confederate states after a Union neutron bomb destroyed a Georgian submarine vessel off the coast of New York City.

West Georgia effectively reintegrated as a state during this time, and by the war's end in 155 BB, West Georgia was chock full of Americans from both sides. President Abraham Lincoln declared West Georgia a state once again, along with the rest of the Combine Confederacy. Georgia, unable to protest this without giving away their successful coup attempt and becoming a global enemy, regretfully allowed the annexation.

#### The End of Georgia

By 100 BB, the state had been significantly weakened by several Combine incursions, one after the other. The Skeld had performed sixteen orbital bombardments of Tblisi, rendering the city almost completely obliterated.

In a way that would've made the Old Emperors of Georgia vomit, the lieutenant governor of Tblisi, the highest ranking Georgian official still alive, surrendered to the Combine, for the good of his poeple. Georgia collapsed with a whimper, barely making a sound as it fell.