PACYOA:TE Lore - Political and National Governance

The lore behind the many national and militaristic entities following the initial invasion are recorded here. **THIS LORE IS SPECIFIC TO PACYOA:TE AND IS NON-AFFILIATED WITH PACYOA:AD.**

**NOTE: WITH THE INCLUSION OF THE BRIGHT OFFENSIVE, THIS INFORMATION IS ONLY CANON FOR THINGS NOT SPECIFIED. THIS LORE HAS BEEN UPDATED. THE SPECIFICS OF EVERY REGION CAN BE FOUND HERE.**

## *Political and National Governance*

After the initial invasion of the
Vannai, in which an insurmountable and generally unstoppable force of men and
women given weaponized energy and equipment were controlled to destroy
infrastructure and target national and global stability, the vast majority of
"self-governing" suits awoke to find a destroyed planet before them
where there was once a normal, mundane world. Very little is known of the
initial invasion of the Vannai, but evidence suggests that instead of a
refined, well-coordinated strike, the actual invasion was instead a massive,
indiscriminate surge of energized damage and unstable weaponry. The amount of
damage done to the planet and the structurally integral sections of society would
suggest that the massive imbalance between the antagonistic and protagonistic
sides (Tumblr and Reddit vs. 4chan, respectively) was balanced by swathes of
death on all sides of the conflict, regardless of suit or mankind. By this
logic, controlled suits drawn from Tumblr and Reddit would eventually balance
with suits drawn from 4chan, which would explain why the
"protagonistic" suits came online at a certain delay. *(Using generalized and compiled statistics*
*from Quantcast, Google Analytics, and Alexa - average unique users between 2013*
and 2014 for both sides would be Tumblr (~35mil) and Reddit (~27mil) in
opposition of 4chan (~350K).) *The millions of early-deployed suits had very*
little in the way of structure or reliability, but using early-onset opposition
(those who awoke early) weapons were developed and utilized against the general
global populace.

The massive war for what would
eventually become the planet itself waged for about three weeks. During these
three weeks, humanity utilized millennia of military technology, grand
strategy, public campaigning, and human nature to fight against the otherwise
unnaturally aggressive and inhumanly advanced power suits. This war, for all
intents and purposes, is very poorly known and there is little evidence to
suggest specific events or certain battles. Survivors of the conflict can
attest that there was a massive, global war and that the nations of the planet
did indeed fight back at full force. But with every weapon used against the
Vannai, the Vannai could utilize what had defeated them and reengineer it with
the high amounts of energy contained within Sludge, giving them exponentially
better weapons over time.

Following the "protagonist"
suits coming online and developing a basic organizational system (PACYOA:TE),
the nations of the world could no longer play a major role in global affairs,
and could very rarely play a role even in their own territorial affairs.
Governments and militaries went into effective hiding and fortification, as
Vannai-controlled suits (now three weeks smarter and stronger) continued to
move on hunter-killer operations. The war itself, a colossal, destructive
oblivion upon the planet, had not only affected the planet's nations. The first
war was a learning experience for the Vannai, thereby shrinking an attack force
of anywhere between 60 to 45 million suits to about 500 thousand. The
approximate 300 thousand "protagonistic" suits were deployed and
given some leniency by redirecting "antagonistic" suits towards
protecting the interests of the Vannai (certain substances, doomsday-type
suits) or simply causing more internal planetary damage (discriminately killing
civilians).

The nations that remained structurally
sound enough to continue operating somewhat were ones that had relatively lower
populations and lower militaristic/technological power on a global scale (New
Zealand and Mauritania). The nations that had taken extreme amounts of damage
(The United States, The United Kingdom, China, Japan, Russia, France, Brazil)
no longer held any influence or sway in global policy. Some nations came to
harbor what were discovered to be non-aggressive suits, giving land and support
in exchange for national defense, while others pulled together remaining
resources and became massive hubs of weaponry and dens of martial law. Things
began to change, however, when the suits of the newly christened and steadily
increasing force that was Armor Corps discovered a young woman who explained
that the technology and greater scheme were all extraterrestrial in nature.
This knowledge, paired with a resurgence in humanity thanks to
humanity-affiliated suits and the revealing of the formerly neutral faction of
Tumblr Engineers, split the now massive Armor Corps into separate factions, as
all sides began to look for different solutions to deal with the Vannai threat
(PACYOA:TE - ATT).

Nations are slowly but surely exiting
their self-exile and intending to reinstate former nations through the
remaining military and governmental forces presiding over large swathes of
refugees. Australia has begun assisting the major suit faction Armor Corps and
their neighbors of New Zealand in retaking their native homeland and the rest
of Oceania. The Holy Federation of Western Asia (HFWA) has survived by keeping
contact with surviving African military hubs (such as Mauritania) and securing
weaponry and funding through foodstuffs and other general goods.

## *North America and the United States/Canada*

One of the worst hit locations on the
planet was the United States of America. Both the possessor of the former
planet's largest military and one of the most technologically connected
countries on Earth, the United States was hit by the largest wave of enemy
suits that adapted and utilized weaponry faster and better than any other place
on Earth. This extended up into Canada, where both US and Canadian forces were
crushed early-on by sheer attrition, and later by superior technology and
weaponry. Major US and Canadian cities were essentially leveled by early
attacks, causing many to evacuate. By the end of the first Vannai invasion, the
United States and Canada were empty husks, with both governments seemingly
vanished into thin air.

In the United States, nearly all major
cities are decimated, and minor towns are usually perfectly intact but
otherwise completely deserted. Canada was affected somewhat less, with certain
major cities surviving in terms of damage, but otherwise remaining empty and
dilapidated from inactivity and surrounding elements of violence. Mexico, along
with the majority of Central America, shows signs of an inner struggle. Central
American countries are torn apart, with cities and towns alike showing
aftermaths of bloody and brutal battles against strangely primitive enemies.
Mexico is the only nation that has a government willing to speak and keep
contact with suit factions, but they have very little to offer. The United
States government is highly xenophobic and dislikes suits of all types from the
jarring and rapid nature of the invasion. The Canadian government refuses
contact with most suit groups, but holds no apparent ill-will.

Exceptions are found within North
America, albeit being few and far between. Chicago, known to the suits best as
"the Windy City", has kept some of its civilian and law enforcement
elements. The city struggles every day for survival, and receives very basic
protection and aid from Armor Corps. It is, however, a functioning city-state,
and is more than willing to do business with suit factions, as well as
assisting the suits any way they can. Chicago no longer holds ties to the
United States, adopting a true city-state mentality. The Canadian city of
Edmonton runs a massive underground network beneath the Vannai knowledge. They
are willing to give information, and function as a city-state somewhat, while
really appearing more like a massive tribal union. Rumor is held that New York
is developing in a similar manner to Chicago, but the amount of damage the city
received paired with regular attacks from Tumblr Armor would suggest otherwise.
Other cities supposedly following this pattern are Dallas, Anchorage,  Halifax, and Salt Lake City.

### *Mexico and the Sinaloa Federation*

Mexico has been shown to have a deep
connection at a governmental level to the Sinaloa Federation, a coalition of
cartels that continues to function into the post-invasion world. After
destruction of the United States and Canada, respectively, Mexico had to rely
on the cartels for funding and weaponry. The cartels, realizing that their drug
trade would be worthless if the human species was wiped out decided to
reappropriate their resources to defending Mexico. The Mexican government has
given the Sinaloa Federation access to the political and economic sectors of
the planet, and the Sinaloa Federation protects the Mexican government as best
it can. The Sinaloa Federation is the closest thing to a "criminal
power", but is very reserved on its illegal activities so as to stave off
an attack by Armor Corps or the Green Initiative, both of whom would utterly
crush the cartel.

## *South America and Brazil*

South America had a special
relationship with the massive initial invasion. Due to a number of factors in
both retrograde technology and unbalanced militaristic and governmental forces,
South America championed for a while as a somewhat stable continent following
the first week or two of the invasion. As North America, Europe, and Asia fell
to the masses of destruction and violence, South America pooled resources
together to attempt to keep afloat. South America's legacy during this time is
somewhat known through the survivors of the conflict, but this economic and
political stability did not last.

Brazil, the largest country in South
America, had been hit early-on by the initial invasion. Possessing a modernized
military and a large number of cities, Brazil was hit hard and fast by the
invasion. With some assistance from its neighbors, though, the Brazilians beat
back the initial week of large mech suits bombing cities and killing civilians.
As the second week passed, however, Brazilians reported that the normally large
and heavily-armed suits had become rarer, and they began reporting a
never-before-seen type of suit within the rainforests and jungles of the
Amazon. These suits, apparently skintight to the users, bent light and allowed
the suit to become invisible, effectively blending in with the environment and
quietly taking down military bases and communication relays before the Brazilian
military could react.

South America was soon infested by
these sneakier, deadlier suits, who used jungles and water bodies to hide
themselves and strike from seemingly nowhere. These tiny-sized suits began to
pop up around the planet, being reported in North America and Asia, then
globally. South Americans, now falling apart with military forces and
communication falling dead faster than it could be repaired, made a final
effort to destroy as many suits as possible by firebombing the rainforests and
destroying as much wildlife as possible to destroy whatever cover was left. Not
much is known about the specific fall, but South America is deserted, and
locals have had difficulty surviving off the ruined, beaten and tarnished
landscape.

The Green Initiative has placed their
headquarters within Amazonas, Venezuela. Being one of the only preserved
sections of wilderness, GI have found that this section is both viable for
their secrecy and valuable for its natural beauty. The government of Venezuela
has agreed to give the Green Initiative the land and support they need, but
Venezuela, just like most nations in South America, is in hiding and cannot
support its national borders.

Venezuelan survivors have said that
you must never go to Brazil. The meshes were created there, but there are
rumors that meshes were not the only thing that killed Brazil so fast.

## *Europe and the UK/France*

Similar to their North American
cousins, Europeans were caught off-guard by the rapid and massive invasion, and
suffered extreme losses because of it. The violence of the initial invasion was
similar in intensity to North America, however Europe suffered in certain ways
that North Americans did not. Europe, according to survivor testimonies, was
the first continent on the planet to feel the wrath of flame weaponry and
firebombing. Due to the densely packed nature of European cities and counties,
this firebombing caused mass panic which would eventually lead to some of the
highest casualty rates in the very first week. European countries came together
to try and utilize military dominance, especially through air superiority, to
try and beat back the commonly ground-based suits.

The unintended and unfortunate
consequence of the European air campaign was a rapid development by the TA in
which suits began utilizing advanced flight technology and aerial effectiveness
to counter the European jets and attack helicopters that had tried fighting
back. Suits began to use this aeronautical strength and paired it with
reengineered military concept stolen from the humans: drones. European suits
used both flight effectiveness and drone masses to destroy the remaining
European nations that remained willing to fight back. Survivors would later
comment that Armor Corps suits seemed eerily similar in their approach to
certain missions.

The United Kingdom, in a very similar
vein of the United States and Canada, was one of the hardest hit nations in
Europe. The government is said to still be around, but nothing can be proven as
of yet. The Royal Family is said to be in protection with the English
government, and rumors are circulating that the remains of the British Isles
are holed up in Northern Scotland or the Isle of Man. Villages, towns, and
cities alike have been leveled. No contact has been successfully made.

France was hit very hard by the
swathes of destruction, but the remains of the nation are shockingly unique in
contrast to not only European nations, but nations across the planet. The
government of France is not in hiding, as governmental forces have either
evacuated or were unfortunately killed off completely. France has become a
somewhat anarchistic state, with cities and towns carrying bands of roaming
nomads. France holds no central authority, and only larger survivor groups can
be contacted, all of whom claim they are functioning as "the French
government". It would be hard to fly over France without seeing flames.

Most European countries fall into the
standard set by other nations, save three. Germany, now the sponsors of Hanse
Behorde, are a government in hiding that remains functional at a global level.
The Germany military very rarely sees action, but German political and economic
agencies are stepping forward and are more than willing to work with suit
factions on behalf of Hanse. Spain has kept certain aspects of its government
running post-invasion, and has apparently secured hidden farmland and grows a
large portion of Eurasian food rations, which it distributes in conjunction
with Hanse. Italy is willing to speak with suit factions, and has offered many
contracts in securing Italian masterpieces and artifacts. The Green Initiative
and Hanse Behorde have had increased tensions over Italy's loyalties.

## *Africa and Mauritania/South Africa*

Africa stands as being the
least-damaged portion of the globe following the first invasion. Due to their
lack of technology, the population of Africa was overlooked by the Vannai
somewhat due to their lack of connection through digital means. However, after
the invasion, African nations began forming coalitions in defense against the
suits. TA, busy destroying communications and infrastructure, largely ignored
the growing African resistance. Because of this, the coalitions soon became
hotspots for fleeing refugees, which was a grave mistake.

TA noticed the influx of civilian
elements to sections of Africa, and engaged to new campaign in which suits
launched a major offensive (largely through flight from Europe and general
attrition) into Africa. The events within Africa are poorly documented, but
give the impression of massive battles and deaths ranging anywhere from 30 to
70 million per hour at some intervals. By the end of the offensive, suits
pulled back from the African continent, leaving many of the global refugees
massacred.

Mauritania, a country formerly known
for having one of the lowest standards of life on the planet, fell under
martial law as it reconfigured itself and used dominance and influence to pull
in the remains of the other coalitions. Securing masses of weaponry,
technology, and violent hatred for suits in general, Mauritania became a
weapons hub, fortifying itself and falling under a militaristic, dystopian
society. Mauritania has held off constant TA raids and attacks, and
Mauritanians are some of the most well-versed anti-suit combatants that
humanity has. They serve as potential assistants in getting into the Middle
East or Europe, but safety is not guaranteed.

South Africa was lucky in being a
fairly well-structured nation, but also benefiting from the low priority set
upon Africa by the suits. South Africans were attacked during the initial
invasion, and the offensive into Africa did reach parts of South Africa
eventually, which would go on to force the government and military into hiding.
However, with the resurgence of humanity-aligned suits, South Africa has
started pulling itself back together, and has begun offering refuge and
resources to suit factions in exchange for protection and food. Of all nations
on the planet, South Africa has one of the most open attitudes to suits, in stark
contrast to Mauritania.

## *The Middle East and the HFWA*

The Middle East had a unique
relationship with other countries during the invasion. Already a hotbed for
conflict and warring, the Middle East had to reevaluate its own structure as it
was attacked seemingly out of nowhere at a strangely high priority. The Middle
East was attacked in waves, with more and more of the region falling to TA
control. Militant groups, now seeing a higher and more terrifying danger than
what they had fought before, began to graciously offer refuge to people of all
types, even those they once fought against.

Developing advanced underground
networks, the Middle East was destroyed at surface-level, but remained
semi-functional under the radar. Governments from surrounding nations pooled
together resources and weaponry, taking a predominantly defensive stance on the
conflict and avoiding whatever engagements they could while they could still
avoid them. As the fighting died down, however, and humanity gained suits of
its own, the network rose from the tunnels and reoccupied Yemen, a nation that
had seen more evacuation than fighting.

Adopting the title of Holy Federation
of Western Asia, the nations of the Middle East developed the most stable
post-invasion government on the planet, forming ties with surrounding "nations"
and befriending Armor Corps early on during Middle Eastern scouting runs. The
Holy Federation of Western Asia has protected itself from TA attacks for a good
portion of its lifetime, but after making very friendly ties to Moqaddas and
following the set up of God's Beacon, the HFWA has only grown stronger. The
HFWA very rarely offers military assistance, but is willing to provide
resources and funding where it can.

## *Asia and China/Japan/India*

Asia suffered the highest amounts of
deaths overall from the first invasion. With a majority of suits coming from
Japan, South Korea, and China, the Asian continent was slow to fall to the
Vannai, as it fought back against TA with as much firepower as it could
possibly muster. However, as suits began to move in from Europe, Asian
countries began evacuating in an effort to preserve as many human lives as
possible. China, fighting attrition with its own attrition, put up a very
powerful fight against the TA, and held off many of the suits while its
government scrambled to ensure civilian safety and preserve national treasures.

It was around the second week that the
Chinese began giving hurried warnings and very desperate pleas for assistance,
as they reported that the suits were rapidly increasing in size. They reported
massive suits, some described "as large as a walking fortress", that
were destroying Chinese cities en masse with extremely powerful weaponry. These
nigh-unstoppable suits could take heavy amounts of damage, and wore down the
final bastion of Asian continental defense. After the third week had passed,
anywhere from 3.6 to 4.1 billion people had been slaughtered.

Since then, China has continued
operating as best as it can. Chinese government officials have worked to try
and retake whatever parts of China they can, but these attempts have been
almost unanimously unsuccessful. With the inclusion of suit factions, the
Chinese are willing to negotiate contracts in exchange for resources and excess
populace. Armor Corps (and now other factions such as the Tumblr Engineers and
Hanse Behorde) have avoided operations in China. The amount of bodies and
carnage across China in cities and farming communities have warranted AC, TE,
and Hanse to refrain from performing regular missions in order to keep pilots
from having nightmares and out of therapy.

Japan was one of the first countries
on the planet to get hit, and they were hit first in their infrastructure.
Japan lost communications and a large majority of utilities nationwide halfway
into the first week. Japanese cities have since fallen into complete disrepair
from huge evacuation efforts (leading many evacuees to simply be killed in
China). Japan stands quietly as a ghost nation, with even some major cities
being in near-perfect condition outside of military bases, electrical
facilities, and communication relays. These cities are eerily pristine, and
eerily quiet. The Japanese government has remained in hiding since the end of
the second week. Tumblr Engineers have kept frequent contact with them, and
have begun to harbor Japanese survivors and refugees.

India was not hit very hard early on,
but after China fell, there were large amounts of death and destruction that
spread throughout the Indian subcontinent. Due to the resourceful nature of
many of the poorer citizens, however, Indians established specialized
city-states. The Indian government no longer functions as a central governing
body, and instead is made up of hundreds of governing bodies that work in
conjunction with each other. The Indians have very little to offer materially,
but have ingenious solutions and knowledge for those without resources.

## *Oceania and Australia/New Zealand*

Oceania, being a smaller continent and
general region, took less overall damage and fewer overall casualties that
other continents, but remained to fall under extreme violence. The Australians
had a massive attack force attack during the initial invasion, and major cities
fell rather rapidly to attrition. Those who survived the Australian assault
moved themselves deeper into the outback, where, under stress and increasing
hostile wildlife, perished in the infrequent final attacks on survivors in the
heart of Australia. Indonesia, as well as Singapore and the Philippines, felt a
good amount of damage from the aftermath of the Asian invasion, and were
crushed as forces moved up from Australia. For the most part, these nations are
in hiding.

The Australian government has seen new
life provided in part by the increased efforts from its neighbor, New Zealand,
and the major suit faction they harbor, Armor Corps. Australia's government and
military, small in comparison to others but no less equipped or trained, have
been pulling together plans to retake Australia and Oceania with JORN now
functioning. Australian cities are ruined, but survivors can still sometimes be
found in the sewers or subway systems. The Outback has some traces of
survivors, but it's not easy getting out there.

New Zealand, best known for having
sheep and being the location of the Lord of the Rings movies, has skyrocketed
to being one of the most dominant nations on the planet, next to the HFWA.
After harboring suits during the latter half of the invasion, New Zealand
became the location of the headquarters for Armor Corps, which provided ample
security and supplies. As a country, New Zealand has the highest population in
Oceania, potentially on the planet (this may be rivaled by the HFWA, Chinese
and Indian remnants, Mauritania, and Germany). The cities of New Zealand are
relatively safe, and the government acts openly with its borders now
well-secured by the massive friendly suit presence.

## *Specific Locations*

### *Russia*

Russia was unique in its situation in
relation to the invasion. Suffering from political and economic instability
prior to the invasion, the problems affecting the Russian Federation only grew
worse with the initial attacks on humanity. Utilizing one of the largest
militaries on the planet, the Russians put up an impressive and extensive fight
against the TA, with battles spanning from Western Russia all the way to the
Far East. The Russian government, effectively seeing what was becoming of other
nations and their populations, began preparations to move into hiding. The
Russian populace, for the most part, was uninformed of this, and militias soon
found themselves completely abandoned out of seemingly nowhere.

The government and central military
fortified themselves in hiding, with expectations that the country would fall
in the same manner as countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom,
and China. However, the Russian populace, being a hardy and tough-skinned
people, continued to survive even into the third week of the invasion. Across
the central and eastern sections of Russia, communities formed in villages, all
spread out quite thin across the wide lands of Russia, forming communities.
These communities, all self-governing, relied on their own abilities to remain
hidden as well as their weapons and the environment itself to survive. The many
communities of Russia, all with their own administration, have extremely varied
ways of functioning. Some communities are suit-loving, some will shoot any suit
on sight. Some communities support free trade and capitalism, some support
communal development and socialism. There is very little that can be generally
attributed to the communities as a whole, however the communities are very
tightly knit with each other, even if they disagree on certain things. These
communities are very hard to find and make contact with, but if contact can be made
there is a chance of getting help.

Western Russia, however, received a
significant majority of the violence and death from the initial invasion. The
major cities and hubs across Western Russia fell quite hard after the third
week, leaving completely destroyed cities in the wake of the invasion. The
government, however, has come out of hiding somewhat and has been scouting
around Western Russia to try and reestablish dominance from the TA. Hanse, in
quiet contact with the Russian government, has put forth some assistance in
funding and equipment to try and rekindle global stability as a whole. Russian
citizens, though, were not all killed by the fighting. Those who survived and
made a tough, hidden living in Western Russia have discovered that the government
abandoned them, and are heavily against the Russian government restructuring
itself, claiming that they are the new government of Russia. The Green
Initiative, in quiet contact with the Russian rebellion, has given weapons and
information to the rebels to institute a new government in place of the corrupt
one.

Neither Hanse nor GI have officially
come out as supporting either side to refrain from increasing tensions between
each other, so as to focus on the bigger threat, the Vannai. The government and
rebels, however, have begun talks of a war for Western Russia. The Whites,
government entities, hope to restore order so as to restimulate the global
economy and potentially restructure Russia with the resources available. The
Reds, rebellious groups, hope to control Russia and establish a more idealistic
government to stave from the problems that lead Russia to political and
economic instability in the first place. The issue is complex and AC, TE, and
Moqaddas have refrained from taking sides.

### *Israel*

Both Armor Corps veterans and Moqaddas
have given ample warning of Israel. Little is known of exactly what lurks
there, but there is rumor that it is the Vannai landing point. The substance
from Water Main was transported after research in Israel. The Vannai touched
down in Israel first. All factions have unanimously agreed to ban all
operations there.

(Israel is the only place on the
planet that cannot run missions. Any missions here have to be canonized by M695
*SPECIFICALLY*.)

## *TL;DRs*

North America: It's fucked up. Chicago
is its own country now.

South America: It's fucked up. GI have
their headquarters there. Nature got fucked up. Stay away from Brazil.

Europe: It's fucked up. Hanse have
their headquarters there. France is like Berlin from Shadowrun.

Africa: Not as fucked up. Mauritania
is a massive totalitarian shithole. South Africa is nice, too.

Middle East: Fuck up status is
debatable. Moqaddas have their headquarters there. The HFWA is rich and
powerful.

Asia: It's fucked up. TE have their
headquarters there. There's lots of dead people.

Oceania: Not as fucked up, I guess. AC
have their headquarters there. New Zealand is a pretty cool place.

Russia: Lots of shit going on there.
Full of hidden villages. Western Russia is fucking crazy.

Israel: Stay the fuck out. **Seriously.**