Unified Governorates of Benacia

Unified Governorates of Benacia Realm of the Black Legions
Flag Coat of Arms
Motto: Faith and Endurance surpasses Might
Anthem: Obedience is Salvation
Map versions	16.5.0 – present
Capital	Merensk
Official language(s)	Praeta, Istvanistani
Official religion(s)	Holodomatic Cedrozurvanism
Demonym	Benacian
- Adjective	Benacian
Government	Stratocracy
- Szodan	Constantine Loup
- Chief of the General Staff	Mog Selfaþloþ Olnur
- Legislature	Benacia Command
Establishment	05.VII.1671
Area	N/A
Population	Core Territory: 14,265,323 Mishalan: 3,678,431 New Blackstone: 983,316
Currency	Natopo (₦)
Calendar
Time zone(s)	CMT -10
Mains electricity
Driving side
Track gauge
National website
National forum
National animal
National food
National drink
National tree
Abbreviation

The Unified Governorates of Benacia (UGB) is a military governance system established following the Kalirion Fracture of 1671 AN, in order to govern the civilian population of the Isle of Benacia, Lachmeren, Lywall, Malarboria, Mishalan, and New Blackstone. Alongside the rival states of Inner Benacia and Kalgachia, the Unified Governorates controls roughly a third of the territory of the former empire of Minarboria. The governance of the territory is based upon a modified variant of Elwynnese, Imperial, and Modanese law, informed by Humanist political theory and syncretic religious practices. The UGB is a subject of the Raspur Pact and a member of the informal Natopian currency union which now dominates the economic life of the Benacian continent.

Culture

"I converse with my magisters in Praeta, my advisers in Istvanistani, and my lenders in Babkhi. The wife chides me in Elw, whilst my mistress whispers into my ears sweetly insincere nothings in the most beguiling Cisamarrese lilt. My dog responds to being told to 'fuck off' in Lach with a certain alacrity."

—Constantine Loup, Merensk (1673 AN)

The culture of the Unified Governorates is, in large measure, determined by the nature of the peoples who comprise its society and the historical and material circumstances that have had, and continue to, acted upon them.

The Governorates, taken in an overview, are very much a colonial frontier society, being founded upon the successive ruination of Ashkenatza, Minarboria, and the fleeting moment of Shirerithian Imperial overreach into the region which has – with some justice – become known as the graveyard of empires.

The base population of the core territories of the Governorates, centred around the capital, Merensk, and comprising of the governorates of Lachmeren as well as Lower and Upper Lywall, consists of a substrata of Lywallers and Tellians, the near indigenous ethnicities of the region, alongside whom live the ever ubiquitous Lach, whose fractious clannishness bisects this invasive race, splitting them into Black and Red confederacies. In spite of persistent Imperial and now Gubernatorial efforts to suppress and reform the Lach through collective reprisal, selective incentives, and mass re-education, the legendary brigandry of the Lach remains endemic along the lesser patrolled minor roads of Upper Lywall.

Of Lywallers themselves there is little enough to say, their nature inclines them towards flippancy and contrariness. It was somewhat indicative of the scant regard in which Minarboria and Kalgachia held the rest of the world that these Lywallers, with their peculiar insistence upon forced 'jollity' at the most inappropriate of moments, were at one point put forward as candidates for diplomatic postings and service as regime mouthpieces. More than one serious international incident was triggered by a Lywaller with nominal authority “flying off the handle” at some routine activity, such as a military exercise in a neighbouring country. This tendency towards the histrionic may in some part have derived from the transfusion of migrants from the notoriously labile populace of Lunaris in Shireroth into the youthful body politic of Minarboria at the time of its foundation. For this reason those Lywallers still found within the bounds of the Unified Governorates tend to be rebuffed from state service and struggle to find guild accredited placements in all but the most menial of roles. A similar attitude eventually came to prevail in neighbouring Kalgachia when the armed forces there stepped in to end Lywaller maladroitness in the administrative and diplomatic spheres.

Government

Office	Rank	Office Holder	Portfolio
Szodan	Frumst Frainan	Constantine Loup	Head of State
Board of the General Staff
Chief of the General Staff	Frainan Streïakeï	Mog Selfaþloþ Olnur	President of the Board of the General Staff
Frainan-Heszlin	Frainan Hohmin	Aumon Sclavenius	General Inspectorate of the Black Legions
Commander, Central Banner Group	Frainan Streïakeï	Aodh bi Uaneill	Military Operations – Inner Benacia Kalgachia Tellia Unified Governorates
Commander, Eastern Banner Group	Frainan Hohmin	Selardi Jen Daniyal	Military Operations – Sovereign Confederation Imperial Regency (Goldshire)
Commander, Northern Banner Group	Frainan Hohmin	Mihrzād Gushnasp	Military Operations – Amokolia Elwynn Imperial Regency (Shirekeep)
Commander, Southern Banner Group	Frainan Streïakeï-bi-Mari	Ryabin Chryseoï	Military Operations – Drak-Modan Guttuli Protectorate Imperial Regency (Brookshire & Jadid Khaz Modan) Sanama
Commander, Western Banner Group	Frainan Uihmanzis	Jeremiah Avon-El	Military Operations – Batavia New Blackstone Nova England
Director (D1)	Frainan Uihmanzis	Karekin Bolkvadze	Information Technology
Director (D2)	Frainan Uihmanzis	Ermanaric Parsamyan	Logistics
Director (D3)	Frainan Uihmanzis	Ardashir Mooshian	Manpower
Director (D4)	Frainan Uihmanzis	Abdollah Abbasi	Planning
Director (D5)	Frainan Uihmanzis	Rudolf Maisuradze	Operations
Director (D6)	Frainan Uihmanzis	Herlot bi Merensk	Military Intelligence
Director (D7)	Frainan Uihmanzis	Vüqar Rugahi	Political Affairs
Civil Executive
Steward	Ahmst Bræþstranin	Shiv Bormann	Executive Bureau
Marshal	Ahmst Bræþstranin	Aurel Dietrich	State Guard
Commissioner of Allocations & Appropriations	Ahmst Bræþstranin	Sigibert Behrends	Fiscal Policy Revenues Finance
Commissioner of Public Order	Ahmst Bræþstranin	Berthold Forst	State Security Territorial Command Public Order Troops Aviation Police Coast Guard Bureau of Investigative Affairs
Commissioner of Information	Ahmst Bræþstranin	Klaes Schultheiss	Communications Information Technology Media Coordination
Commissioner of Services	Ahmst Bræþstranin	Marius Hofmann	Citizenship Education Health Local Government Protected Persons Reeducation & Rehabilitation Unlawful Persons & Aliens
Commissioner of Works	Ahmst Bræþstranin	Friedemann Beringer	Agriculture Fisheries Five Year Plan Forestry Industry Infrastructure Mining Technology Transportation
Commissioner of the Circuit of Benacia	Ahmst Bræþstranin	Hieronymus Brantley	Lachmeren Litel Siyacha
Commissioner of the Circuit of Jadid Khaz Modan	Bivarhins Frainan	Rofolo Nur Pinito Kasha	Cosimo Sea Isle of Benacia Sabatini Isle
Commissioner of Lywall & Tellia	Ahmst Bræþstranin	Kiran Lylow	Lywall Tellian Mandate
Commissioner of New Blackstone	Frainan Uihmanzis	Jeremiah Avon-El	Great Western Sea New Blackstone
Non-Executive Portfolios
Deputy-Director for Sport	Ahmst Bræþstranin	Uri Segler	UGB Bureau of Sports
Deputy-Director for Internal Security	Salbnan	Bruno Rambert Strohkirch	Internal Security Bureau

Foreign relations

State	Relation	Established	Basis
Amokolia	Neutral	1672	Contact established along Inner Mishalan border. Trans-Benacian Railway reopened.
Batavia	Neutral	-	No formal relations.
Constancia	Friendly	1672	Raspur Pact. Creditor.
Drak-Modan	Friendly	1672	Raspur Pact. Military assistance.
Elwynn	Friendly	1672	Raspur Pact. Military assistance.
Inner Benacia	Hostile	1671	Border conflict.
Kalgachia	Neutral	1673	Divergent interests in Inner Benacia.
Natopia	Friendly	1672	Raspur Pact. Creditor. Technological and industrial assistance.
Sanilla and Amarra	Friendly	1672	No formal relations. Oil for arms trade agreement.
Shireroth (Regency)	Friendly	1672	Raspur Pact.
Shireroth (Verionist)	Neutral	-	No contact. No formal relations.
Sovereign Confederation	Friendly	1671	Raspur Pact. Military assistance.
Tellia	Neutral	1672	No formal relations. Non-recognition of Tellian zone of control.

Defence

Main Article: Black Legions

Religion

"By Our Faith! We Understand! We Only See as Zurvan Commands!"

—Chant of Cedrozurvanite devotees celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Auspicious Occasion., Merensk (1671 AN)

History

The history of the Unified Governorates can be traced back to the rise of Human Supremacist ideology in the backwards "3M region" in the wake of the collapse of successive attempts at establishing civilised governance in the area. The Kalirion Fracture would see the precarious settler communities become the base of operations for that portion of the Shirerithian Imperial Forces which remained loyal to the Raspur Pact after loosing faith in the ability of Shirekeep and the Kalirion Dynasty to restore control of the disintegrating empire.

1640–1669

• 1640-1644: Harvestfall Revolution in Minarboria draws attention to the deteriorating phylacteric field sustaining Liches (Revenants) in Lichbrook. Paralysis and disintegrations increase year on year by an order of magnitude.
• After the failure of the Lich-Queens could no longer be denied, Lichbrook was administered in their name by the Crown Council, established in the year 1644 by Decree of the Nobles of the Realm sealed by the Kaiser. The Council operated on the principle of the round table with the Countess of Amarr representing the Undead and The Dirigent of Musica representing the Living.
• 01.XII.1644: Underkeep Massacre shatters residual faith in Imperial Government. Deep Singer Mass Emigration to the unknown and subterranean portions of the West. Minority comprised of Biological Containment Corps and the Lifemesher and Wayfarer clades form an underground, in every sense, anti-human resistance movement in Shimmerspring.
• 1648: Final collapse of the phylacteric field. Virtually all Liches disintegrate over the course of the year. Surviving revenants scarcely number above triple digits. The loss of Liches and Deep-Singers within the same decade causes the population of Southern Benacia to be effectively halved.
• 1649–1651: Failure of the Crown Council sees Lichbrook demoted to Imperial Dominion. The Countess of Amarr stages an unsuccessful revolt. The ensuing Struggle for the South sees the State of Malarboria formed by Imperial interventions amidst the ruins of Lichbrook and Eastern Minarboria.
• 1651: Auspicious Occasion sees Elwynn purged of Vanic population and its peripheral territories dismembered. Most of Angularis is passed to Malarboria.
• 1651-1660: Reconstruction in Malarboria is hampered by poor relations between the Daemonically influenced “Coven of the Sun” and the Imperial Government. *The War of Lost Brothers (1653–1657) sees scarce capital resources diverted to sustaining the increasingly unpopular war effort.
• 1660: The Loyalist Legion, the mass participation party established to give the Coven of the Sun a vehicle for participation in imperial-level politics, suffers a humiliating defeat in the Folksraad election of that year to a coalition of humanist, separatist, and minority ethnic parties grouped together under the 'Coalition 1660' banner. The election signalled widespread and increasing dissatisfaction with the regime of the Daemon-Queen amongst denizens (free subjects of the state without Imperial citizenship).
• 1661: The Nationalist and Humanist Party lends its support to an uprising by Coalition 1660 activists by staging two simultaneous invasions; first consisting of Elwynnese rebels from the Army of the Southern League attacking via Angularis and Highpass, and secondly by an amphibious landing of troops from the islands of Jadid Khaz Modan in Amarr.
• 11.X.1662: Convention of Drakorda permits Kizzy Drakland, her daughter, and her daemonic familiars to evacuate from the country of what was now proclaimed as Modan, in return for surrendering the Sword of Fire to Daniyal ibn Daniyal Simrani-Kalirion.
• 07.XII.1662: Constitution of Drakorda is promulgated. Daniyal Simrani-Kalirion proclaimed Prince of Modan. State of Modan established.
• 10.XIII.1662: The State of Lywall, a protectorate established in the former Minarborian Empire, along with the islands of Amity, Miriroth, and So-Sara, are formally ceded by the Imperial Government to the State of Modan. Yardistan meanwhile is ceded to Brookshire.

1670's

• 13.V.1671 - Establishment of Benacian Stabilisation Force
• 05.VII.1671 - Fall Luikur
• 11.VIII.1671 - Death of Kaiser Ayreon IV
• 06.XI.1671 - Merensk Command Conference
• 15.XI.1671 - Declaration of Merensk
• 24.XI.1671 - Celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Auspicious Occasion held in Merensk. Protected persons of mixed-ancestry fathered in the camps who have come of age are distributed, along with grants of land in Lywall, to veteran ex-Imperials, on the occasion of their honourable discharge from the Black Legions. Festival concludes with the veterans re-enlisting as officers at the invitation of the Commander-in-Chief. The tradition is begun that all veterans of the Black Legions will receive land and wives on the Auspicious Day in the year of their discharge from service.
• 18.XIV–06.XV.1671: Phase II of Fall Luikur sees the occupation of the "Gloomburg Corridor" linking Lywall with the disputed industrial heartland of Mishalan. Two legions pass over the Republic of Inner Benacia, sowing death and destruction in their wake, as an abject lesson to the emergent Black Lach confederacy of the futility of continuing incursions into territories incorporated into the Unified Governorates.
• 25.XIV.1671–03.VIII.1672: Operation Massive Wedge - Black Legions return to MoMA Station Sabatini and completes the Occupation of Port Benacia.
• 21.IX.1672:
  • Ahmst Mairstranin Bardaisan Porphyry received a crimson banner from the Frumst Frainan and a commission to recruit amongst those Red Lach whose chieftains had signed the covenant issued in former times by the Prince of Modan. An ESB Purser with sufficient bullion and Natopian script to cover expenses, as well as a regiment of Inspectorate Troops to protect the strong boxes, would accompany him.
  • Waldemar Tarjeisson is brought out of retirement to lead the Litkov Expedition with the triple objectives of repelling Black Lach incursions into the Litkov Salient, securing the assets of the Imperial Mission in Kasterburg for the Black Legions, and re-establishing contact with the surviving followers of Adin ben Shmuel, the former leader of a puppet state in Nackholm. Waldemar's request for the support of a legion is refused - with a shortage of available fuel cells cited as the cause. Instead he was instructed to assemble such forces as he could muster and to depart for Litkov by no later than the 1st day of the twelfth month of 1672. A meeting with the Board of the General Staff held on the following day only secured a token release of manpower and equipment in return for the ESB Group agreeing to underwrite costs.
• XIV.1672:
  • Southern Mishalan is occupied by the Black Legions in conduction with the forces of Amokolia in the west and Elwynn in the north. The Imperial Regency is obliged to acknowledge the fait accompli.
  • During the year to date, Tyrannocricetus aliger attacks in Upper Lywall had resulted in 14,000+ deaths. As a consequence, an entire legion is assigned to the task of ensuring their complete extermination in the territories of the UGB.
• I.1673:
  • 10: Sixteen aldermen in Merensk, convicted of appropriating the infrastructure maintenance budget of their district for personal gain, are hung - the Commissioner of Works waiving his rights to receive the condemned for labour service - from gallows erected in the city's Zitadelle. A selected audience drawn from corporate, military, and political cadres are obliged to attend so that the lesson is fully imparted and absorbed.

The polity that would become the Unified Governorates began as the Benacian Stabilisation Force, a subordinate formation of Benacia Command's Central Banner Group. Initially formed to relieve IBFOR elements trapped in Republic of Inner Benacia after a revolution there directed against Shireroth and the Raspur Pact. However, as the contagion of revolution spread rapidly across Benacia, causing a fatal unravelling of the institutions and authority of the Imperial Republic, the Benacian Stabilisation Force was forced to widen its remit to include the pacification of the rearwards sectors of its zone of operations and with the implementation of the Fall Luikur directive by Benacia Command assumed responsibility for the seizure of as many of the facilities and depots of the Imperial Forces as it could secure. In practice only those officers formerly affiliated with N&H cadres, the ESB Group or the former Modanese regime rallied to the cause. As the officer corps of the Imperial Army and the Western Armada of the Imperial Navy had already been substantially purged during the administrations of Steward Soraya II of Octavius-Parini the legions and the banner fleets could not, for the most part, be relied upon.

As it was, the support of the air force, in-shore forces, and the auxiliaries, facilitated an attack on the MoMA Stations of Sabatini and Sagittarius in the so-called "First Island Chain" of Khaz Modan. This action, taken against confused and demoralised comrades-in-arms, however presaged the collapse of the Imperialist forces throughout the Khaz Modan archipelago, as a Yardistani led insurgency swept across the islands.

Because the Benacian Stabilisation Force lacked the strength to restore order across the entire continent its present priority comprises of establishing and preserving itself as a force in being, able to exert influence in the calculations of others by virtue of its existence. Where it has not been able to establish firm territorial control, which is to say everywhere outside of the Merensk-Smoxala bridgehead, one possibility under consideration was the "hiring out" of the Black Legions to the residual Imperial Republic as well as to those other "Vulture States" in need of shock troops in return for access to the necessary provisions and hard currency required to sustain its operations.