New State

From the ashes of the old world rises the morning star of the new.

The New State (French: Nouvel État, Metropolitan: Nûell Etah) is a post-war country in western Europe, and the successor state to France. Risen from the rubble of the third French republic, the New State saw fervent nationalism as a dangerous source of violence and extremism, and sought to re-imagine what it meant to be a country without the constraints of national identity. Its capital is the purpose-built city of Centre, just west of Nevers.

Compared to most of the world after the end of the Great war, the New State shines as a beacon of safety, prosperity, and in their own words, "normalcy", in a broken and dangerous world. However, its future may not be as bright as it seems.

General information
The national symbol of the New State is the "morning star", which can be seen in many places like uniforms, flags, buildings etc. It symbolises the bright future of the country having risen above the dark past of the Great war.

The population of the New State in 1949 is around 32 million, which is less than that of France's pre-war population of around 40 million. Its currency is the Devise, which just means "currency".

A large chunk of the eastern part of the country is covered by the Western European Deadzone, which mostly straddles the Seine river, and which includes the ruins of Paris. The Deadzone is a constantly present thorn in the side for the country, which struggles to deal with the post-war paranatural world, a struggle the New State shares with many regions of Europe.

End of the Great War
Like in the rest of the world, 1923 was a year of change, and is mostly agreed as the year in which the Great war ended - such a thing is not easy to define, as the war did not have a clear "end", but rather faded away and ceased to be a thing over the course of months as participating countries succumbed to domestic issues. The mysterious "corrupting influence" which was blamed as the leading cause for the brutality of the Great war is considered to have faded away early the same year, or possible in late 1922.

Sometime in late 1922, Raymond Reynard was musing over the war and the country from his military hospital bed after having lost a leg in combat. He concluded that the war had brought humanity to outmost depravity, and that this descent into madness had been fuelled by the fervent nationalism of the worlds great nations, including France. He began advocating for change, realising that only the people could bring themselves out of the hell they had created, and he quickly garnered a following in the hospital from his fellow soldiers, but also the nurses and administrators.

As Raymond recovered, his ideas began to attract attention all over the country. It was clear that the "corrupting force" had started to loosen its grip: soldiers were sick of the death and destruction and began to ignore orders, and civillians were tired of the starvation and disease and began to riot. The government resisted his ideas and this sudden resistance against the war, but was powerless to stop it as even politicians in the higher echelons began to turn on the leadership. As a last resort to quell the mounting unrest, the government ordered the arrest of Raynard and his closest accomplices in the spring of 1923.

The Revolution
The arrest warrant was a disaster move by the government. Police and military refused to follow the order, and violent riots would erupt in Nevers, the temporary capital. Still-loyal elements of the military would answer in kind, turning the streets red with blood as Nevers burned, but it was not enough: as Raymond and his supporters arrived in the city, revolutionaries overwhelmed the remaining loyalists and began a hunt for the French leadership. With no friends left, they were soon found, and only through Raymond's insistence were they spared from being lynched.

Rise of the New State
After the overthrow of the government, Raymond could confidently proclaim himself "interim president" with popular support, and immediatly went about the process of re-shaping the country. First and foremost, he officially ended any offensive plans for the war, and would in fact order the withdrawal of the military as the remains of the German army did the same. This was a gradual process that took months, but was somewhat expedited with the apperance of paranatural phenomena in the old battlefields of the war.

At first, Raymond did not act alone. He invited the "best and brightest" of the country to help him formulate a new course for the state. But here he saw nothing but dark omens. People may have claimed to have supported his ideals and ideas, but when it came down to business, Raymond could only see greed and selfishness. He increasingly took control of leadership, firing those who he deemed to be threats, and eventually came to the conclusion that the only way forward was a radical one.

In 1924, dissenters - mostly French nationalists - had gotten to know of his plans, and attempted to stage a coup, which failed spectacularily. The perpetrators fled to the Deadzone, and Raymond, now confident that his way was the only way forward, publically proclaimed the end of the French nation as a concept, and the formation of the New State in its stead. No longer would dangerous ideas such as nationalism and militarism dictate the course for the country, but rational thought and peaceful coexistance. The New State was born, and France died.

To facilitate the radical changes necessary, a clean slate was needed. A new capital, Centre, would be built west of the smoldering ruins of Nevers. A new currency would be introduced, and a new "universal" language named Metropolitan would be created. The military would be reduced to the bare minimum, social security would be guaranteed, a ministry for the paranatural would be established (the Argent Office), and together the citizens of the state would strive for a better tomorrow.

Raymond proved himself a capable and intelligent leader. As "Patron" of the state, his policies and projects quickly began to rehabilitate the country. The region around the Deadzone was evacuated, farms were established and farmers subsidized to ensure ample food supply, homes all over the country would be re-built, and new roads and high-speed rail would connect all corners of the state. Life improved at a rapid rater: the starvation and disease which had long haunted the last years of the French republic began to disappear, and across the horizon, all citizens could see the rising morning star of hope.