Polish ASSR

### Full Name

Polish Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (formally), the Polish Republic (colloquially)

### Population

47,000,000

*How many times have we been invaded? The answer is 'yes'.*

- Felix Hodor on Polish history

Upon the rolling plains of Eastern Europe lies the nation of Poland, or whatever has remained of it after centuries of struggle. For the last seven decades, it has remained within the grip of foreign rule, but even so, its people remain fiercely independent.

As if to prove a point, Poland is one of the more esoteric realms within the NUSSR. While it has technically advanced like the rest of the Union, it differs in that it also consistently uses magic in its arsenal, especially necromancy.

Poland as of late is a middling power, obviously dwarfed by Russia to the east, but still powerful enough to serve as an effective buffer state against any aggression that might have broken through its neighbor, East Germany. With the shattered state of Western Europe, however, it may seem that the paranoia that has gripped Polish leadership is unfounded...

## Government

The Polish ASSR is one of many autonomous vassals subservient to the New Union of Soviet Republics, though it is afforded greater autonomy and privileges due to it being what could be called a 'good vassal'. It follows a classic Communist one party system, with all power being centered into the Polish Communist Party that has hold over every strata of government. Other parties, such as Solidarity and the Social Democrats, have been relegated into a position of insignificance, and in many cases, their existence is merely a formality giving out the illusion of a multi-party system. The elections are merely a farce; they might as well not exist.

The Communist Party, however, is dominated by one clan: the Sierakowskies. This dynasty of metahumans has been in the forefront of Communist influence ever since the Millennium Coup, though it is suspected that their background as leaders of the Polish People's Army makes their power go as far as the 1950s, well before its current patriarch, Kondrad, had even come to power.

## Society

Poland hasn't changed much from before the Coup placed metahumans in power. One key difference, however, is that the Sierakowskies have allowed the return of religious practices in public, as long as there are no 'rallying cries towards anti-government revolution'. This somewhat sets the nation apart from its neighbors, especially the likes of East Germany, which is a surveillance state. The Polish people, while still under the power of the Soviet Union's successor and ruled over by a dynasty that seems to subscribe to Communism, have at the very least seen vast improvements of their lives in contrast to the past. Most people are able to afford food and shelter thanks to the technological improvements brought on by the results of the metahuman hegemony, though slums still exist in the outskirts of large cities. There are also numerous cases of 'hauntings' reported, especially in areas where the Spirit Seers are highly active, though these are often quietly kept under wraps.

Mundanes and metas are treated equally under Polish law, though there are great incentives being offered for intermarriage between the two groups. It is believed that the Premier wants to create a 'state where everyone is equal, a nation of the strong'. Either way, there is a high rate of interbreeding, as education and other privileges are guaranteed for the children of such unions.

Demographically, the country is highly homogenous, with more than 90% of the population being ethnically Polish. There are numerous Ukrainians, Russians, Lithuanians, and Hungarians residing in the country, which comprise most of the other 10% of its populace.

## Economy

Being a Communist state, industries are fully nationalized by the government, though this is usually only in name as government officials in charge would often act like corporate overlords not too dissimilar to the likes of CEOs in the North American Union. Recent technological advancements have improved the economy on many aspects, but poverty still poses a significant problem in urban areas.

The Polish ASSR trades with a wide variety of nations throughout the globe, most notably its neighbors in Eastern Europe, the North American Union, and the stable states within Western Europe, such as Albion and Italy.

## Military

The Polish military has the three classic divisions: the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. The most significant branches are considered to be the Army and Air Force, as the Navy was relegated to merely guarding the Baltic Sea, a region that has become less and less patrolled due to Scandinavia being a total hermit state, and Russia being its overlord. In addition, the nation had been invaded many times in the last five hundred years due to its flat terrain, so emphasis has been placed on fast, mobile forces that could quickly respond to threats being detected in its long land borders.

Years of military R&D have created many fearsome weapons for the Polish army to wield. With the inclusion of necromantic metahumans during the Cold War, two whole new subdivisions with the army were born: the Duchowi Rycerze (Ghost Knights), which are powerful robotic constructs made from a mystical material summoned from a different dimensions, and the Widzący Ducha (Spirit Seers), who are, in turn, responsible for the creation and control of said constructs. Collaborations between Widzący Ducha and the Military Research Division has yielded the PT-97 Orzel, a tank armed with a laser cannon capable of engaging all ground targets and is controlled by the ghosts of the dead; missile destroyers and cruisers guided only by a ghostly sentience, and differing kinds of Ghost Knights. The latter range from the deceptively human-like Watchers, who clothe themselves in a silicon skin to appear inconspicuous; the Wrath Walkers, intimidating and powerful warriors that serve as the personal guard of the Sierakowskies; and the Great Eagles, flying symbols of the nation itself that swoop down and slaughter their prey like their namesake. This is all thanks to the ubiquitous and highly versatile nature of Darkstone, which allows for a great variety of constructs to be created.

## Geography

Poland is, for the most part, mostly a flatland composed of rolling plains dotted with forests and lined with rivers. As such, it is highly vulnerable to invasion, and the main way that it has remedied this geographical weakness is the 'alliance' it has with the rest of the NUSSR's vassals, effectively protecting it all from sides.

There is a small area called the 'Treacherous Moor', which hosts a dimensional rift that occasionally spews out undead creatures, only for them to be immediately culled by sleepless Ghost Knights that stand in an eternal vigil. Classified documents reveal that this location is where the Spirit Seers were created, using the metahuman powers of Kondrad Sierakowsky as a template. Though the project was a success, it created a rift to another dimension and destroyed the facility itself after several months in a great explosion. The dark energies seeping from the rift has killed all plant and animal life within ten kilometers, leaving only the undead forces under the Polish army to guard it.