NEW CHAPTER SCHEDULE:
Main Chapters: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
Lore Drops: Wednesday, Sunday
FROM THE FILES OF THE CARD ENFORCEMENT AGENCY
[The following file is a selection from the official readings offered to Potential Cascadian Citizens (PCCs) who immigrate to the Nation of Cascadia, as a part of the process of preparing them for Cascadian Citizenship. PCCs are required to take a comprehensive citizenship test with a minimum pass rate of 75% to continue the process, with the test covering material equivalent to the lower level Civics and History courses required of all students. To assist PCCs in their transition the Cascadian Government offers a variety of preparatory educational readings in a variety of languages, with some high schools offering special night classes to teach PCCs the relevant material. High School students get extra credit for serving as teachers assistants in the class, as well as additional consideration in college admissions. It is considered an important civic duty in Cascadia to interact with PCCs, as the nation continues to rebuild its prosperity and population following the First War and Insurrection].
Welcome to Cascadia. The journey you are about to embark on - becoming a Cascadian Citizen, with all the rights, privileges and responsibilities included - is a difficult one, but one that many have undertaken before you. There are many things about Cascadian history, culture, and society that you will need to learn in order to fully integrate into the nation, but the Cascadian Government is here to help you in any way that it can. We know that it is a lot of information to learn in a short period of time, and encourage all immigrants to take advantage of the multiple educational opportunities provided. Night classes are available in a variety of subjects ranging from English Language Proficiency to Cascadian History - all of which will make it easier to pass your citizenship test, and fit in with your fellow (future) Cascadians. By choosing this short guide article you are already choosing to use some of those resources, and we encourage you to read more in the guide article series; copies are available at all Cascadian Libraries and most educational institutions.
This guide article is meant to acclimate you to the continent Cascadia is located in - North America - with a specific focus on three of the states which were founded following the appearance of the cards 50 years ago. The three nations discussed in this article are presented in the order of their declarations of independence, not in the order of their recognition by international bodies. Each of the three nations has a brief description of its independence movement along with a few key facts to know. This guide - along with the other two in this series - will not include the Central American and Caribbean states; if you are interested in learning about those, please pick up the relevant guide articles from your local branch of the Cascadian National Library System. This guide is not meant to be comprehensive, and instead is meant to give an introduction to the nations included. The material presented here will be on your citizenship test, so study it carefully.
Quebec
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: French
CAPITOL: Quebec City
RECOGNIZED DATE OF INDEPENDENCE: November 27th, 42 Years Ago
Despite being the third nation to declare its national sovereignty during the First War, Quebec has one of the longest histories of self-determination on the North American Continent. The independence movement of Quebec has its origins in the mid to late 18th century, remaining a popular point of discussion within the region for several hundred years. The nation is a representative republic with three distinct branches of government, which allocate duties in a similar manner to a majority of the other nations in North America: A legislative branch (consisting of a unicameral parliament), a judicial branch (consisting of the supreme and lower courts) and an executive branch (consisting of the Premier and their cabinet and agencies). On the North American continent it is the only nation with a Francophone dominant population; the official language of the country is Quebecois French, with English slowly fading into a minority language in the territory. Due to this mixed language history it is also the nation with the highest degree of bilingualism on the continent, even as English slowly becomes less relevant in daily Quebecois life. Quebec is closely allied with Cascadia, the California Republic, and the Lone Star Republic, and was a participant with the other three nations in the First War.
Quebec officially declared independence 46 years ago as a part of a coordinated independence effort with Cascadia and the California Republic. This declaration occurred roughly two years after the First War had begun, though independence activists had intended to do so alongside the other two nations at the start of the First War. This simultaneous declaration was prevented due to an ambush by Canadian authorities, in an event known as the Montreal Massacre. Unbeknownst to the freedom fighters the Canadian authorities had managed to infiltrate the independence movement, resulting in their first battle plans being leaked and quickly thwarted. Large amounts of revolutionary forces were either detained or killed in firefights throughout Montreal and Quebec City, while the majority of political leaders who supported independence were swiftly arrested and put on trial. Despite this setback the remaining independence activists managed to regroup, and spent the following two years supporting Cascadia and the California Republic via intelligence and guerilla warfare, as well as supplying logistics and armament to the other nations.
During those two years the independence movement spent a considerable amount of time rallying support amongst the Francophone populace for self-determination, as well as stockpiling and preparing the weapons needed for its eventual independence. In a surprise move the freedom fighters seized the capitol of Quebec City 46 years ago, freeing their political leaders and beginning their process towards achieving sovereignty. This seizure was paired with protests in every major city against Canadian rule, and the nation-wide dissemination of pro-independence materials. This created a multi-front war for Canada as it was already fighting against the Cascadian revolutionaries in the West, a fight that was made more difficult a month after Quebec declared independence when the Lone Star Republic seceded from Canada’s closest military ally, the United States. Together these nations - Cascadia, Quebec, the Lone Star Republic, and the California Republic - became known as the “Big Four Revolution”, successfully dividing the attention of the large existing nations and allowing all four independence movements to ultimately succeed.
The First War raged throughout the continent for eight years, with Quebec achieving its sovereignty six years into the conflict (four years after they joined the war). The nation gained its independence after two decisive military victories in the Battle of Montreal, and the Naval Victory of the St. Lawrence River. In these battles Quebec successfully seized control over the largest city in the nation - where the revolution had initially intended to start - and broke the Canadian blockade at mouth of the St. Lawrence river. Following the kidnapping of their Prime Minister Canada quickly capitulated, granting Quebec its freedom of self-determination in the Treaty of Ottawa. This treaty also forced Canada to declare official neutrality in all military conflicts on the North American Continent, effectively removing them from the final two years of the First War. This neutrality significantly helped the final nation of the Big Four Revolutions - The Lone Star Republic - in its conflict with the United States of America, by depriving the nation of one of its strongest allies. Like all other nations of the continent Quebec was a signatory to the North American Continental Security Agreement 33 years ago, and has been an active participant in the military capabilities of that agreement in the years since.
Following its independence Quebec quickly became known as a naval powerhouse on the continent, with the Special Operations and Submarine forces of the Marine Quebecois becoming known around the world. Quebecois navigation in particular is lauded due to their extremely precise navigational charts of the North American and Arctic regions; the nation takes great pride in its maritime strength, viewing it as their primary deterrence to invasion. Unlike the other nations of the continent Quebec largely kept the majority of its infrastructure intact throughout the First War - relying mostly on asymmetric guerilla tactics that reduced large-scale damage and fighting - resulting in their ability to shift focus to technological and cultural development during their reconstruction. They are known for having a varied and thriving economy and culture, with the city of Montreal sometimes being known as the “Francophone Hollywood” due to the explosive growth of the French-Language cinema produced. It has become well known as a proud and strong nation, and has provided the backbone of the North American Maritime Defense in the decades since the NACSA agreement was signed.
The Lone Star Republic
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: North American Vernacular English
CAPITOL: Houston
RECOGNIZED DATE OF INDEPENDENCE: January 1st, 40 Years Ago
Similarly to the nation of Cascadia, the Lone Star Republic has a long history of self-determination, dating back to the first Republic of Texas of 1836. The Lone Star Republic is one of two nations on the North American Continent to have regained it’s national Sovereignty - alongside the California Republic - and is the only member of the Big Four Revolutions that did not declare its independence as a part of a coordinated effort. Like the majority of North American nations, The Lone Star Republic is a representative democracy split into three governmental branches: Legislative (represented by the Lone Star Congress), Executive (represented by the Lone Star President), and Judicial (represented by the Lone Star Supreme Court). The nation is known both for its computational power and loose regulations, containing a majority of the North American fuel refineries and data centers. The country has developed a reputation for exceptional patriotism and pride of history, with a government and populace largely described as to the right of the political center.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
The Lone Star Republic declared its independence from the United States of America in a surprise declaration 46 years ago, announcing it exactly one month after fighting began in Quebec city. The nation gave no advance notice to any other countries of the continent, though they quickly sought to join the loose alliance between Quebec, Cascadia, and the California Republic. Together with those three they became the final member of the Big Four Revolutions of the First War, and focused their revolutionary efforts on fortification of their home territory. As the United States had redirected much of its military personnel and material to their ongoing conflict with the California Republic, the Lone Star Republic was able to quickly seize the majority of the major metropolitan areas of the existing US State of Texas, with the governor and state legislature surrendering without a single shot being fired in the capitol city of Houston. Independence was strongly supported by the majority of the Lone Star Republic population, as the nation spent the early years of the First War laying the foundation for independence and national sovereignty, watching the efforts of the California Republic and Cascadia closely. The seizure of Quebec City proved to be the final straw that broke the camels back, demonstrating to the people and government of the then US State of Texas that independence was possible.
The efforts of the Lone Star Republic were significantly assisted by the additional secession of the New Confederacy from the United States of America 45 years ago; this Confederacy attempted to recreate the original secessionist Confederate States of America from the mid 19th century, relying on the same benchmarks of self-determination that the Lone Star Republic had. The New Confederacy joined the conflict roughly halfway through the First War and requested assistance from each of the nations of the Big Four Revolutions, though they were strongly rebuked by the other revolutionary states. The Lone Star Republic in particular sent a scathing rebuttal of the proposal for an alliance with a strong emphasis on the history of the confederate movement. This rebuttal would form the basis of peace negotiations with the United States, who spent the majority of the conflict attempting to law siege to the Lone Star Population centers. The United States however was never able to gain a significant foothold in the emergent nation, as it developed itself into a fortress state. Throughout its campaign for independence the nation relied upon a fortress strategy, with its military rarely straying outside of its national borders and instead focusing on securing their existing territory. Unlike the other nations on the continent the Lone Star Republic completed eschewed the use of cards in their armed forces, relying fully on conventional weaponry.
This policy of fortress isolationism changed completely 40 years ago when the representatives of the Lone Star Republic met those of the United States in a series of secret meetings designed to decisively put an end to the First War, and all ongoing military engagements on the country. Both nations were facing significantly drained resources, especially as battles continued to rage between them and the New Confederacy. Maintaining the utmost secrecy the leaders of both governments signed the Alamo Accords, an agreement which established peace between the nations in view of a common enemy. The Accords created the temporary Anti-Dixie alliance, and in a surprise move the armed forces of the Lone Star Republic swept across the western border of the New Confederacy in a coordinated strike with the United States. The New Confederacy fell within a month from the surprise escalation, with the Lone Star Republic annexing the territories formerly belonging to the US States of Louisiana and Mississippi as a part of Alamo Accords. Peace was publicly declared the day after the capitulation of the New Confederacy, marking the end of the First War on the North American Continent. Like the other North American Nations the Lone Star Republic was a signatory to the North American Continental Security Agreement 34 years ago, and has been an active participant in North American defense in the years since.
Internally, the Lone Star Republic faced significant challenges in reconstruction due to the firebombing campaigns of the United States Military, and due to the active hostility from the populations of the former states of the New Confederacy. For over a decade the Lone Star Military had to station troops throughout its own borders to maintain security and stability, a stationing which sharply contrasted with its strongly libertarian legislature. The Lone Star Military frequently had to put down uprisings in the occupied territories, with some areas still showing strong anti-Lone Star sentiments to the present. This stationing resulted in a highly trained and heavily developed ground force, which has provided the backbone of terrestrial defense within NACSA. Legislatively the Lone Star Republic is otherwise known for significantly looser regulations on everything from environmental protections to private firearm ownership than the other countries of North America, and the country has a strong reputation for national pride. The nation officially adopted many of the symbols of its earliest revolution - including the Burnet flag - immediately upon its independence, and is geographically one of the largest nations of North America. Their economy has become reliant on fuel reserves and data centers seized during the war, with a significantly growing tech center based on computational innovation. The nation plays less of a role on the larger international stage, preferring to stick to internal and North American affairs.
New Aztlan
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Nahuatl, Spanish
CAPITOL: Nuevo Tenochtitlan
RECOGNIZED DATE OF INDEPENDENCE: September 3rd, 34 Years Ago
CARD PRODUCING NATION
The most isolated and unknown of the nations of North America, New Aztlan declared its independence from Mexico 46 years ago in a surprise uprising within the Mexican capitol. The nation is highly isolationist, controlled by a military dictatorship led by the Mexica Emperor. Internally it refers to itself as the “New Mexica Empire”, though no other nation has formally recognized it under that title as of yet. It has focused strongly on a massive military buildup, though has not yet indicated any hostilities towards any nation other than Mexico. The country is highly secretive, with communications and information regarding the nation heavily controlled. As such, little is known about its current state outside of what can be gleaned from external intelligence.
The independence movement of New Aztlan began 46 years ago with a series of uprisings in the capitol city of Mexico, Mexico City. Since the cards had appeared conditions had worsened significantly throughout the nation, with access to card and non-card based resources diminishing. This crisis had deepened as Mexico’s closest trading partners - The United States of America and Canada - both dissolved into chaos during the First War. Activists throughout Mexico City and the surrounding regions began calling for a “New Mexica state”, and the abolition of all remaining legislative and governmental institutions dating from the original Spanish conquest of the country. These activist movements were met with gradually increasing shows of force from the hardliner Mexican government, which erupted into a full uprising during the Battle of Templo Mayor, when the Mexican military used live rounds against a crowd of several hundred thousand demonstrators. The demonstrators fought back, and after a bloody several hours forced the Mexican Military into a retreat that left hundreds dead and thousands injured. Riots and demonstrations filled the streets, rapidly escalating into a full on uprising within a week of the first violent clash. This uprising was exploited by several small, existing revolutionary groups, who used the chaos to seize the capitol and ancient sites of the city. Declaring the city Nuevo Tenochtitlan, they proclaimed a new state of Mexico, and forced the existing government to flee the capitol.
The Mexican government moved quickly to react, sending a significant amount of troops and heavy war material to attempt to end the conflict rapidly and avoid the First War from spreading into the Mexican states. These troops were defeated in a surprise victory when New Aztlan revealed an elite casting corp. of its own military, summoning massive creatures that destroyed much of the ground and air forces that had been sent to reclaim the city. These casters were being supplied by a card machine seized by one of the revolutionary groups in secret from a Central American state (currently suspected to be Belize), turning the tide of the conflict. While Mexico scrambled to equip its own casting corps using cards sourced from multiple international partners (including the United States and Cascadia), the revolutionaries of Nuevo Tenochtitlan began to march outwards - expanding the borders of their tenuous country to several of the Mexican states that surrounded them. While the revolution spread, the first Free Congress of the Mexica met in Nuevo Tenochtitlan to solidify a system of governance for the emerging country, creating the current constitution over a tumultuous period of six months.
While gaining significant territory in the early days of the revolution the war eventually stalls, with both sides digging out battle lines reminiscent of old forms of European Trench Warfare. For a decade the conflict continues with almost no changes in borders, as the two groups fight over the valley of Mexico and its nearby states. The conclusion of the First War in the north provides significant military and economic resources to Mexico, but the nation is unable to advance against the hardened forces of Nuevo Tenochtitlan. New Aztlan refuses all foreign assistance, and ignores most efforts for international communication. Peace is finally secured after the head of the largest military faction within Nuevo Tenochtitlan - the Imperial Mexica - initiates a coup, assassinating the existing leadership of the Mexica movement and seizing control of the fledgling territory. Negotiations for a truce began shortly thereafter, brokered by the neutral Island Nation of Cuba. A Cease Fire is signed 34 years ago, with a temporary treaty of truce signed shortly thereafter. The nation of New Azltan largely retreated from North American affairs following this, and despite multiple offers it remains the only nation on the continent not to have signed the North American Continental Security Agreement.
After the war concluded, the head of the military leadership initiated a purge within the ranks, declaring themselves the New Emperor of Tenochtitlan and shutting the borders. Since then information has been scarce about the country and its operations. Satellite imagery and intelligence has identified a significant buildup in military defensive installations, and massive reconstruction efforts throughout the country. Outside of this little else is known; travel is extremely restricted, and all forms of communication with outside nations have been removed for both the majority of the government and its civilian population. Each of the seven other nations of North America has maintained small offices attempting to establish diplomatic communications with the nation, to no avail.
Taken together, Quebec, the Lone Star Republic, and New Aztlan represent the final three major nation-states to be created following the appearance of the cards. Each of them took a different direction in governance and their path to freedom, and are important parts of the larger North American community to which Cascadia belongs. Just as it is important to know the neighbors who call your communities home, so too is it important to know the international neighbors which border you. As a Potential Cascadian Citizen you inherent a legacy of international cooperation and respect, a legacy we hope you will build upon in your new home. By passing your citizenship test and taking the official Oath of Cascadian Citizenship you pledge yourself to being a participant both in your national and international community, helping to build the nation and continent into one to be proud of. We encourage you to research the nations in this guide and the others in this series further at your local Cascadian Library branch, and to discuss your lessons with your soon-to-be-fellow Cascadians. If you have any questions do not be afraid to ask you Cascadian Librarians, or take advantage of the multiple educational opportunities available to you.
WCS Ceasarion - but eventually I’m sure characters hailing from each nation will at least get a mention in the series. These nations aren’t integral to the plot to the same degree as Cascadia, and get a bit less attention both in-universe and out. Their histories are a bit messier and less concise than Cascadia and California's (especially when it comes to New Aztlan), an aspect I hope to explore a lot more in future books. Next Lore Drop will cover the final 3 countries of the North American Continent: United States of America, Canada, and The United Mexican States - all of which predate the appearance of the cards, and exist in the real world. The drop will focus primarily on their history after the cards appeared, and their responses to the cards.
but so do I. I am adjusting the release schedule again to try and make it more manageable: Main Chapters will keep being released on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Lore Posts will now be released on Wednesday and Sunday.
trust in the cards…
