Republic Federal of Courmont under NOSTRUM

The **Republic Federal under NOSTRUM**, commonly **NOSTRUM**, is the continuator state of the Republic Federal of Courmont operating out of Iron Mountain in the Province of Ponomia. Though NOSTRUM claims de-jure sovereignty over the entirety of the 43 provinces, it's de-facto control is limited to Iron Mountain and a few remaining external facilities.

The Republic Federal of Courmont transitioned *under NOSTRUM* on 15 Pluviôse 1981, when Iron Mountain's Executive Officer Xavier Thévenet invoked Protocol NOSTRUM.

The government under NOSTRUM is the Administration-National for Recovery, lead by the Acting-President of the Republic Federal of Courmont and the Council of Ministers.

NOSTRUM is the most advanced society in Courmont, with consistent access to electricity, clean water, medical treatment, and education. Iron Mountain has an pseudo-economy based on scarcity since the majority of NOSTRUM stockpiles are located outside of Iron Mountain at Caches and can only be brought in limited shipments. Jetons are issued as wages and can be redeemed at the Commissary for immediate goods or for requisition orders from a Cache.

NOSTRUM society is hierarchical, divided both between strata and gender. Men and women are generally assumed to train to replace either their father or their mother, leaving little room for social mobility. Men and women are generally segregated to ensure population control measures and controlled birth cycles; men and women work in gendered teams and shifts which are structured to not coincide.

## History

### **Conception**

*Main article: Systems Assessment Committee*

NOSTRUM was first conceived in 1952 by President Abelin Kramer. After a meeting with top-level contingency planners, Kramer believed that any attempts to maintain a continental central-authority were doomed to fail. He set up the Systems Assessment Committee (SAC) to determine feasibility plans for a secondary COG plan that could be activated in the event that the primary plan failed. SAC drafted the Protocol NOSTRUM legislation that was covertly enacted but not referenced.

Kramer remained the chairman of the SAC even after leaving the office of the President, and the organisation remained as an obscure and secretive committee in the background of succeeding administrations. Membership of SAC was determined by the committee chairman and typically included some senior-level officials and well-placed sympathisers in the mid-tier. SAC engaged in rogue, and illegal, behaviour through-out it's existence including blackmail and assassination to cover-up its agenda.

### **Preparation**

SAC prepared for the apocalypse by constructing numerous facilities through-out the largely mountainous and sparsely population region to the north-east of the capital city of Grutstêd, primarily in the Province of Ponomia. Many of the facilities were built under false pretences, with Iron Mountain itself being initially built as a storage facility for low-level radioactive waste. Shell and dummy companies were used to buy vast amounts of materials that would be required to supply for the bunker for over a century.

The SAC conspiracy grew gradually as the cold war with Vandayar edged increasingly closer to war. Positions in the bunker were sold to wealthy and powerful business leaders whom were promised positions of authority in the aftermath of the conflict. It was eventually required to bring more of the military on-board with the plan as the various facilities neared completion due to the nature of the sensitive and military-grade equipment that had to be installed in such locations.

### **Conflagration**

   On 8 Vendémiaire an 1978, then President Gerbrandt Vasseur activated COG as the prospect of war with Vandayar became likely. SAC, chaired by former Presidential Chief of Staff Xavier Thévenet, mobilised around 4000 personnel  from the armed forces, mid-tier civil servants to Iron Mountain, and their families. Once everyone had been accounted for, the bunker was sealed. At 02:36 EST, 11 Vendémiaire an 1978, the nuclear exchange began.SAC assumed leadership of the Iron Mountain personnel with Xavier Thévenet assuming the role of Executive Officer. After the exchange was concluded, the nature of Iron Mountain was revealed in-part to the staff.

Iron Mountain would use its array of communications equipment to monitor signals traffic and radio responses from the outside world. The Presidential bunker had been destroyed during the exchange and the remaining facilities were struggling to maintain cohesion. Signals traffic gradually diminished over time as mobilised military units deserted, and supplies were exhausted. On 15 Pluviôse an 1981, SAC formally invoked Protocol NOSTRUM and Xavier Thévenet was appointed Acting-President of the Republic Federal of Courmont.