Bakaran Republic



Bakara is one of the oldest democracies on Griffonia, its system having survived many years of conflict and wars. It's naval traditions are second to none in the Riverlands, with a history of being a seaborne power. A proud member of the River Coalition, it stands in harmony along with the other nations in the Riverlands, working towards a unified Federation. However, with the rise of radicalism all over the world, Bakaran democracy will be put to the test in the upcoming elections. Will the status quo remain once more? Or will the ancient republic fall to the radical ideologues of Supremacists and Communists?

Lore
The history of Bakara proper starts in 357 ALB as the River Empire, founded by Grand Prince Blessed Sword from modern Lake City in 66 BLB, shatters after 4 years of civil war and the provinces of Rijekograd, Wittenland, Nimbusia, Bakara and Zaphzia gain independence.

Early in its history, the country would quickly start to form some of its oldest institutions, notably establishing a Republic and turning much of its attention towards shipbuilding. This would allow Bakara to prosper, as many of its citizens became renowned captains and traders in a land that allowed the average pony to engage with the political system.

Bakara would be an early proponent of the Treaty of Coltstream of 898, a defensive treaty signed between Bakara, Lake City, River Republic and Nimbusia after the bloody invasion carried out by Emperor Grover II just a few decades prior. and the incessant raids by gryphons from Hellquill, Longsword and Gryphia. The treaty would soon come to incorporate most of the Riverlands as Wittenland, Diamond Mountain, Pònaidhean and Deponya chose to join the alliance.

In 1007 the ancient republic finds itself torn from inside. For a long time, Bakaran sentiment against the River Coalition has grown, as many citizens see it as a failure for allowing slavers, such as the dogs from Diamond Mountain and the ponies from Nimbusia, to take part in a treaty with free nations. This is election year, and it promises to be the bloodiest in known history, with tensions ever-climbing between harmonists, communists and supremacists, some in the ever-powerful navy may find it necessary to intervene if the nation is to remain as one...

Starting Situation
Bakara is a small nation in the Riverlands with a decent population, 11 factories (2 military, 5 civilian and 4 dockyards) and a small number of resources, including a notable 20 oil.

Military
Bakara starts with 5 divisions, including 3 pure infantry divisions and 2 marine divisions for a total of 37.6k ponypower in the field. They have a navy of 13 ships, two of which are capital ships, thus putting Bakara as a dominant naval power in the region.

Threats and Opportunities
As a member of the River Coalition, with allies on all of your land borders, you should be safe for all of the early and mid-game. This does, however, also limit your expansion opportunities.

Should you follow one of the paths that leaves the River Coalition, you will likely have to clash with your former allies sooner rather than later, this may be a hard war, but you will come out as a significant power should you defeat them.

The Presidential Race
1007 is an important year for Bakara, the most vicious election in its history is happening and it is in your hand to guide its results.

From day one you will have to choose one of the parties to support. The Supremacist BFZ, the Communist ZDS, the Non-Aligned BSP or the incumbent Harmonist SDH.

After selecting the party you wish to support 4 new decisions will appear. Three of them will allow you to lower the support of one of the opposing parties while raising your own, it will also raise electoral unrest by 5%. The last decision will lower it by 10%.

Throughout the year a series of events will happen which will make the support of the parties change and raise electoral unrest. The result of the election will happen in 330 days. Should the electoral unrest be at 70% or should the communists be elected, the admiralty may attempt to coup the republic. If you wish to avoid this you will likely have to lower the unrest thrice, the initial focuses of the River Federation Tree can be useful if you find yourself in need of political power.

National Focus
Bakara's initial Focus Tree can be divided into three sections, industrial, military and the generic tree for members of the River Coalition. Once you have gone through the elections, a new political tree will load depending on who is in power.

Like Lillies in the Rain
Should Water Lily be re-elected, she will receive this tree. Her tree is dedicated to improving the lives of the ponies and bringing the River Coalition closer together.

On the left branch, you can quickly acquire a research slot, you will also receive 2 Civilian factories and unlock decisions to curtail communism and fascism. The middle path will give you one federation standing and give you a decision that will allow you to instantly complete one of the focuses of the Federation Tree.

The right branch will improve your Science Base, give you a Military Factory and give you decisions to build railroads on the core lands of the Coalition, after building them all, you will receive one federation standing. You will also receive a series of bonuses such as +10% Construction Speed, +20% Monthly Population, +1 Operative Slot and +15% War Support.

Pure and Simple
If the non-aligned party win, Tea Drip will take power and she will receive this tree. Her tree involves economically developing the country and influencing the River Coalition.

In this tree, you will receive 4 Civilian Factories, 1 Military Factory and 2 Naval Dockyards. You can also receive a Research Slot, improve your Science Base and set your trade law to Free Trade. There are also a few bonuses such as: +1.5% Recruitable Population, +5% Division Recovery Rate, +1 Operative Slot, -3% Consumer Goods Factory and +10% Factory Output.

The two focuses on the right will also allow you to complete one Federation Tree focus at will and to block others from doing Federation focuses for 70 days.

The ZDS Ascendant
With the triumph of the communists and the failure of the coup, the ZDS will be in power under Bray Foam and you will automatically leave the River Coalition. Bakara will be in shambles after the elections and as such, much of the early communist tree focuses on putting the nation back together so that you may eventually spread the revolution to the rest of the Riverlands.

The left branch focuses on the military and will give you a series of choices, you may get rid of admiral Sea Lily; you will have a choice between working with the moderates or re-educating them; you may also choose to commit a great military purge, which will give you severe debuffs for 210 days, or try to make your officers loyal without bloodshed.

Meanwhile, the right branch focuses on the Bakaran economy. In it, you will have some options which will give you varying bonuses related to factories as well a potential +10% Recruitable Population. If you have gone a harsh route of centralization, the final focus will give you 2 Civilian and 2 Military factories.

The central branch will give you stability, research speed, infrastructure and increase support of communism. In it you may also acquire a research slot and improve your science base.

Upon getting into power, should Caramel Haze rule in the River Republic, you will receive a National Spirit called "Revolutionary Orthodoxy", which starts at 100% and grants a few buffs, throughout the tree some events and focuses will lower said orthodoxy. After you have finished all three trees you will have a choice on how to proceed, two of them require Caramel Haze to be in power in the River Republic. If you have 50% or lower Revolutionary Orthodoxy a split between him and Bray Foam can happen, if it is at 50% or higher, you may unite the nations leading to a game over.

After this buildup, the time will have come to finally attempt to unify the Riverlands. The Great Patriotic War of Unification will make you declare war on all the original members of the River Coaliton, regardless of whether they are still in it, this will be a hard war where you will likely need to fight with much smaller numbers. If other nations are communists they may opt to become your puppets. Should you succeed and annex or puppet your enemies, you will gain cores on all of the Riverlands and become known as the United Socialist River Republics (U.S.R.R).

In the immediate aftermath of the Great Patriotic War, you will receive a series of debuffs which will have to be removed with the following focuses of the tree. Once those issues are dealt with, you may work to spread the revolution further, declaring on and being able to core both the Hillponies ( Farbrook, Firtree Villages and  Watertowns) and the southern states of  Barrad Magocracy,  Kása Free State and  Austurland. You will also receive Puppet War Goals against Ordensstaat Hellquill,  Longsword,  Free Towns of Gryphus and the  Gryphian Host.

A Flame the Ages Shall not Extinguish!
A victorious supremacist party will see Firm Scow lead the nation, Bakara will leave the River Coalition and this tree will be loaded.

Following the left branch will allow you to improve your economy, receiving a number of factories, a research slot, improving your science base as well as gaining some notable bonuses such as -4% Consumer Goods Factories, +7.5% Production Efficiency Growth and +7.5% Factory Output.

The right branch deals with politics and will improve the popularity of your party and give you stability and political power, as well as -7.5% Division Training Time and +7.5% Division Recovery Rate. Depending on a few choices you may get Construction Speed, Minus Consumer Goods Factories or Resource Gain Efficiency, among other bonuses.

Once the focus A Flame the Ages Shall Not Extinguish! is taken, you will declare war on Lake City,  Deponya,  River Republic,   Nimbusia,  Kingdom of Wittenland,  Diamond Mountain and  Ponaidhean. Should you win you will be able to core all of those lands, you will also have a series of issues to deal with. Later you will be able to attack and integrate Farbrook,  Firtree Villages,  Watertowns,  Barrad Magocracy,  Kása Free State and  Austurland.

In Defence of Democracy
If the communists win the election, you will be given the option to coup the government as Cobalt Wind.

The first focus on the tree will choose who the admiralty shall work with, the harmonists or the non-aligned. If the former is chosen the left branch will be unlocked, this path will help you restabilize the republic and increase the popularity of harmony, you will also receive a Military Factory and a few bonuses such as +7.5% Resource Gain Efficiency, +7.5% Construction Speed and +20% Monthly Population.

Should you choose to work with non-aligned, the right branch will be unlocked. Here you will gain stability and political power, you will also gain 2 Civilian Factories, 2 Naval Bases and 2 Naval Dockyards. Your trade law will be set to Free Trade and you will gain -3% Consumer Goods Factories and +10% Factory Output.

The initial central branch is short but will give you nice bonuses like the ability to curtail extreme ideologies, +1.5% Recruitable Population, +1 Operative Slot, a Research Slot and an improvement to your Science Base. Once it and one of the other branches have been finished, you may take A Republic Reforged, giving you significant stability and +20% Recruitable Population Factor.

From there you will be able to declare war on Diamond Mountain, which won't be able to call in the River Coalition for 90 days, coring Dit-Kazar and releasing a puppet in the rest of their lands. You will also be able to war and core Greneclyf and obtain 3 Naval Dockyards and 3 Naval Bases. Finally, you will receive especial espionage operations against the Hillponies as well as attack  Farbrook and core their states.

To Save a Nation
Should electoral unrest reach 70% or more, Cobalt Wind may choose to seize power, leading the new supremacists, the Bakarski Admiralitet and leaving the River Coalition.

Following the left branch, you will gain some stability, lower the popularity of other parties and gain some espionage bonuses. You will also be faced with a choice, in which you may invest in the military, receiving 1 Military Factory and up to +2% Recruitable Population, or invest in the civilian sector, granting you 1 Civilian Factory and production bonuses. The left branch follows a similar vein, stabilizing the nation and giving you a choice between the military and civilian industrial sectors, you will also improve your Science Base.

The central branch will give you some choices. You may either hold new elections (overseen by the admiralty) or elect to enact Emergency Powers, Cobalt Wind will remain in power regardless. You may also influence the media or allow minor opposition talk. This path will also give you a Research Slot, +10% Defense and Attack on Core Territory and +1% Recruitable Population.

Once the nation is stable you will be able to look outwards, attacking Diamond Mountain (which won't be able to call the River Coalition for 90 days) and coring Dit-Kazar while setting up a vassal in the rest of their states. You will also be able to war and core Greneclyf and  Farbrook.

Industrial Tree
Bakara has a strong industrial tree which allows the nation to quickly develop itself technologically and industrially. Some notable focuses: The tree will also give you several small bonuses, some factories and various one-off research bonuses, in particular the last focus will give you a one time 300% Research Bonus for Nuclear Technology.
 * The Ponies are the Future can be completed very early, it will give you a decision which can be taken twice and will raise your Literacy Level to Negligible Illiteracy.
 * National Geology Survey will give you the possibility to prospect for resources, you will obtain more oil, chromium and steel in your lands.
 * Both Technology Over All and The Workshop of the East will improve your Science Base and give you some small bonuses.
 * Completing either of the previous will allow you to Create the BNAPZ, granting you a Research Slot.
 * Synthetic Crystal Manufacturing will make your Synthetic Refineries produce crystals and Adopting Modern Steel Milling Methods will make your Civilian Factories produce steel.

Military Tree
After its initial focus, which will give you +5% Base War Support and 15 experience of all types, the tree can be roughly divided into three sections, one for the airforce, one for the army and one for the navy.

In the airforce branch, you will have an early choice between Naval Bombers, Close Air Support or a bonus to Doctrine Research Speed and Air Experience Gain. You may gain 2 Air Bases, 1 Radar Station, 20 Experience and a small stockpile of planes. There are also several one-off research bonuses, in particular +300% Jet technology at the end of the tree.

The army branch will give you several choices. Lower production cost for Infantry Equipment or Soft Attack and Reliability, a strong offensive or defensive Chief of Army, more or better Special Forces and finally improving or scraping the Militia System. You will also improve all of your army leaders, receive 2 Military Factories and a small stockpile of equipment as well as various one-off research bonuses and small improvements to non-mechanized land forces.

On the navy branch, you will receive a large number of one-off research bonuses, with the first focus granting you 3x 100% Research Bonus for Naval Doctrine. You may also obtain 4 Naval Bases, 4 Naval Dockyards as well as obtain two marines divisions and the possibility to obtain the Torpedo Cruiser technology.