The Western Frontier Protectorate (WFP)

The Western Frontier Protectorate has always been known by the stereotypes — a land of  hard-drinking, hard-fighting men and women toughened by the environment around them until they no longer seem fully human. A tiny league caught between the major powers of Terra Nova, the WFP has always seemed powerless and ineffectual in the halls of the politicos.  Westerners are drastically shaped by their environment, that much at least is true. The sprawling farmsteads and slow speed of rural life turn the focus of life away from such things as business and profit, inwards to the home and family. The honor of the clan is paramount, and the good of the group is necessarily regarded as more important than the good of the individual. For when the sands of the desert rise up to swallow you, you had better hope that your family stays at your side to protect.

A MATTER OF HONOR Helios’ light had barely begun to tint the eastern horizon when the crowd began to gather, beads of dew still evident on the trees and shrubs of Fort Henry’s Jardines del Sol. The pre-dawn gloom lent the proceedings an air of gravity, though this was lost on most of those gathered on the broad lawns, who insisted on chattering to one another. Cristobal Alonzo felt it, as did his brother Miguel, but then Alonzo was the center of attention, not an observer. This morning’s gathering had one purpose alone: the removal of a stain from Alonzo’s honor and that of his clan. The whole situation had arisen over a series of injudicious comments made at a social gathering in the Maderas compound. Alonzo, a decorated colonel from the War of the Alliance, had argued that the conflict served no useful purpose other than advancing the personal goals of the CNCS' social elite. The young Vega Dugan, as might be expected of a Zuccite pawn, denounced Alonzo’s stance and went so far as to call him a coward. With the charge made in front of almost a dozen witnesses, Cristobal had little choice but to demand satisfaction. That had been two days ago. Alonzo would happily have resolved the matter there and then, but the Protectorate’s dueling conventions stipulated a 36-hour cooling-off period before any combat could take place. Officially this was to allow the participants to reconsider their positions, though few Westerners would subject themselves to the ignominy of backing out of an honor duel. Instead the time was used to assemble the relevant number of witnesses to attest the fight was carried out fairly, and medical staff to deal with the wounds that would ensue. “Is Cristobal Alonzo present?” He stepped forward and bowed formally, followed a moment later by Vega as his name was called. “Cristobal Alonzo. You are the wronged party and have the choice of weapons. What do you choose?” Alonzo had made his choice within seconds of issuing the challenge. Not for him the impersonal pistol. Rather he would use the weapon of the true Westerner. “Saber.” Murmurs rustled through the crowd but Vega seemed unfazed, going as far as to nod in Cristobal’s direction. The kid has cajones, if nothing else. As defender, Vega’s faction supplied the weapons, his second holding up a large case in which lay two ornately decorated swords, one inlaid with gold, the other with silver. Passing his coat to Miguel, Alonzo tried one then the other, eventually deciding on the silvered weapon. If the choice bothered Vega he didn’t show it, instead taking a number of practice swings with the gold. “Duelists, as required by law I call on you to halt your actions. Do either of you wish to apologize?” The chief witness' question was rhetorical. “Then may the best man win.” For a moment there was deathly quiet, then Alonzo lunged forward only to be parried by a twist of Vega’s wrist that sent the blade wide. Vega disengaged and immediately launched a riposte that Alonzo deftly avoided. Vega fol￾lowed up with a series of slashes towards Alonzo. Alonzo parried and charged forward with a flurry of counterat￾tacks that mesmerized the observers. Vega was good, but Alonzo could see his preference for parries to the left. He was marginally slower at responding to attacks in the lower right quadrant. A series of attacks high and left established a pattern; seizing the opportunity, he reversed the attack and struck at his opponent’s right leg. He didn’t feel the pain at first, just a weakness as Vega sidestepped the thrust. Glancing down, he saw the gold saber pull free from his chest, smeared with the blood that quickly spread across his shirt. His knees gave way and he sagged to the grass. Then the pain began and Alonzo screamed. Vega Dugan, blademaster of Clan Vega and duelist for the 1st Western Brigade, cleaned the blood from his saber. “Like I said, a coward.”

1.1 FAMILY VALUES The smallest of the three Arctic leagues, the Western Frontier Protectorate is often overlooked by outsiders, deemed too small and insignificant to be worth closer examination. Those who do make the effort discover a strong and vibrant society which places considerable emphasis on family values and martial strength. Though small, the Protectorate has influence far beyond its size, casting the tiebreaking votes in the CNCS councils. As a consequence they are courted by both the NLC and UMF, each seeking to use the WFP to further their own goals, little realizing that they may be the ones being used. Family life is very important to Westerners and the principal unit of society is the extended family, or clan. There are thousands of clans in the WFP, bound together by complex webs of loyalty, debt and feud. Numerous clan alliances color Protectorate politics, ranging from infor￾mal coalitions in outlying communities to the massive Maderan and Zuccite factions that domi￾nate league politics. These large alliances wield immense power and are capable of influencing almost every aspect of society. Unfortunately, clan politics and the goals of the Protectorate do not always mesh, leading to a number of disputes and clashes throughout the WFP’s short history. The WFPA in particular treads a fine line through the convoluted politics of the clans. The military has played a major role in Protectorate life since the early days of the league. It pervades all levels of society, from the ruling councils to the architecture of the city-states and outlying settlements. Indeed, citizenship in the WFP is a privilege, not a right. It must be earned by military service, and thus the millions who will not or cannot undertake such service — usually around three quarters of the population — find themselves relegated to the status of resident. Residents are not mistreated in any way, but only citizens have the right to vote during the elections for the military councils that rule each city-state. Militarism and nationalism are the prime motivators of Western life. After being dominated by the NLC for so long, the freedoms gained in the wake of the War of the Alliance have proved intoxicating, and they have combined with the realization that the Protectorate holds the bal￾ance of power in the CNCS. This has been exploited mercilessly by the senior proconsul, Zucco Adamo, creating frictions within the alliance but strengthening the Western position by making numerous concessions. The military-led Protectorate played a major role in the run-up to the Interpolar War, seeking redress against the South for long-held grievances. More than anything else, the war has divided the clans. Some call the confrontation a matter of honor, while others see it as a senseless bloodbath that will once again cost the Protectorate the cream of its youth. The latter also argue that the war is a product of Norlight and Mercantile ambition — religious and economic, respectively — in which the Protectorate is a tool to be discarded. Bloodlust has seized the people and there is no end to the confrontation in sight.

THE GATHERING STORM It was a simple mistake, not latching the gate properly and allowing the clan’s prize stud springer to wander off. Papa had been really angry, and Maretta had thought that he would hit her, but instead he sent her off to find the stupid animal. Tonight was supposed to be her turn with the trideo, and she was sure dumb Lewis and little Janie wouldn’t let her take one of theirs. It was so unfair. At first she’d been really angry, but after an hour she decided she didn’t hate her dad. He’d only been treating her like a grownup, giving her the responsibility she’d been demanding for seasons. After all, she was thirteen, almost an adult. That was before the storm. It came out of nowhere, one of the great tempests that brewed in the Barrington Basin and which struck without warning. She should’ve checked the weather forecast before setting out, but she was only going to be gone an hour, right? She had finally run the randy springer to ground and was in the process of roping it when the winds rose and a veil of sand obscured the newly emerging stars. She had two choices, a dash back to the farmstead or attempting to find shelter. Her instinct said run, but she knew she wouldn’t make it the dozen kilometers home before the full force of the storm broke. Instead, she pulled out the tarp she carried behind her saddle, part of the survival kit everyone here on the desert’s edge kept within reach from the moment they could walk. She struggled with the flapping sheet against the buffeting winds, eventually managing to peg one edge to the dry ground. That proved to be the easy part. The springers were scared, and while her well-trained mount allowed itself to be lain down and covered with the tarp, the prize animal was beyond persuading and was too big for her to force down by its neck. In the end, she was forced to hobble and trip it. Scared beyond belief, the beast squealed piteously, rolling its eyes back in its head. Fastening a second edge of the tarp proved almost impossible and she struggled for several minutes before her rudimentary shelter was in place. That task completed, Maretta wriggled between the two animals, reveling in their warmth; as the sun had gone down the temperature on the plain had plummeted. Despite the howling wind, she quickly fell asleep. It was still dark when she awoke, but the storm had passed. Prodding the tarp stretched between the two recum￾bent springers she could feel the mass of sand covering the shelter. She carefully extracted the entrenching tool from her pack and dug her way out. Light from Hope penetrated the thin cloud cover and illuminated the scene, a desolation of broken trees and sand drifts in which the shelter was little more than one of many small mounds. Piece by piece she scraped the sand away and released the pegs, allowing the two springers to rise. Freed of his hobbles the stud gambled about excitedly, burning off nervous energy. The riding springer was more restrained, nuzzling her hand in a quest for food. “Sorry girl. I don’t have anything, but I’ll rustle up some nice sand-beet for you when we get home.” Catching the errant animal a second time proved easier and she tied off the rope on her saddle pommel before gingerly leading both animals through the soft, newly deposited sand. After a kilometer the ground was solid enough for her to mount up without risking breaking the springer’s legs, and they made good time back to toward the farmstead. As they approached the last ridge before the settlement Maretta allowed herself to relax. Her parents would be worried for her, but they would also be proud that she’d survived the storm and recaptured her quarry. She was looking forward to a hot bath and warm food and could already see the flickering orange glow of the farm’s floodlights reflected from the clouds. After a moment she realized there was something odd about the scene. The floodlights were usually white. “Prophet wept, no!” She spurred on to the hilltop. Below her, the farmstead was wreathed in flames.

2.1 GEOGRAPHY The smallest and least diverse of the CNCS leagues, the Western Frontier Protectorate is nonetheless a home to widely divergent landscapes, flora and fauna. The league occupies the fertile Great Western Plain, the northern extension of the Barrington Basin encircled on three sides by the Westridge and Serpentine Ranges. These mountains play a major role in the Protectorate ecology, inducing precipitation that irrigates the northern latitudes and feeds the McAllen Network. Unfortunately, they provide scant protection from the massive storms that form in the Barrington Basin and which frequently ravage communities along the Badlands fringe. Indeed, an average of one settlement a cycle is lost to these great tempests whose winds, which can exceed 250 kph, scour the landscape. Predicting such killer storms has become a major industry in the Protectorate, and the residents of many rural communities have developed a strong weather sense in order to survive. 2.1.1 THE PAMPAS There is no solid boundary between the dune-sea of the Barrington Basin and the Great Western Plain. Instead there is a slow transition between the Badlands and the fertile farmlands, sandy erg giving way to arid scrub which increases in density the further north you travel. Below the 20th parallel, the aridity makes arable farming difficult and thus ranching is more common among the communities scattered along the Badlands fringe. These tight-knit groups typify the Protec￾torate’s clan structure, with each fortified farmstead usually home to a single extended family. These work together to manage the estates, everyone from the youngest children to the elderly playing an important role in the community. Though rain is scarce across the Protectorate, numerous small streams and rivers — mostly seasonal — as well as the McAllen Network irrigate the territory above the twentieth parallel. Only in the far north do permanent watercourses and lakes exist, most notably the River Guadalquivir that rises southwest of Fort William. Spared the worst of the tempests, the soils across the region, named the Pampas by the locals after a similar area back on Earth, are deep and rich, ideally suited to agriculture. Indeed, the alluvial soils in these river valleys and around the lakes are among the best farmlands in the CNCS, and ownership of such land is highly prized and the subject of innumerable inter-clan disputes. Johar is the staple crop and in the later summer the harvesters appear to be tiny ships afloat on a grass sea.  Flora and Fauna Grasses and scrub plants form the bulk of vegetation in the Pampas, increasing in size and diversity with distance from the Badlands. Lichen and rugged desert plants like waterroot and sand-beet dominate the arid southern regions, but these slowly give way to johar and its relatives like the thorny poker bush. The land around fringe settlements is a notable contrast to the dominant vegetation type, often irrigated with water collected from moisture traps and forming an oasis in the desolate landscape. Further north the land is verdant, particularly in the valleys, but the dry climate inhibits the growth of large vegetation and thus, save for the saguaro that line many watercourses, trees are rare. Only in the furthest reaches of the Protectorate, the foothills of the Serpentine and Westridge Ranges, do true forests exist, a mix of Terranovan pine, valuable eucalyptus and cork oak genetically modified from their Earth forbearers. Grassrunners are common in the WFP but together with rock crabs are regarded as major pests, and runner￾hunts are a common pastime in rural areas. Sandhoppers are also common, but unlike ‘runners they are domesticated and play a major role in the rural community, serving as a source of food and hides. Herding springers and Tamaru (Western Barnabus Iguanas) dominate the stock of ranches on the Badlands fringe, but a few homesteads farm Terran cattle. Horses and riding springers play a major role in the ranching culture, the terrain frequently being unsuitable for vehicles. Dawgs and prairie jackals are the dominant carnivores in the WFP, regarded as much as a curse for their predation against livestock as a boon for their keeping the ‘runner population in check. Domesticated dawgs are common in many homes, rural and urban alike. The dawg’s smaller cousin, the sand fox, is widespread on the Badlands fringe.  Climate The climate of the WFP is predominantly warm and dry, verging on aridity in the south, but with high precipitation in the northwest. Much of the Protectorate suffers from drought conditions during the late spring and early summer, and moisture traps are a permanent requirement for settlements along the Badlands fringe. Together with careful recycling, they provide sufficient water for irrigation and daily life. Most rainfall occurs in the winter, but vicious electrical storms often occur in the late autumn. Most farmers hope for late storms as rainfall too early in the season can have a detrimental effect on the johar harvest. Temperatures in the WFP average 28o   C, though this rises to almost 40o  C on the desert fringe and as low as 20o  C in the mountains around Fort William. As with much of the north, the the varying topography and vegetation  produce considerable local variations.

2.1.2 HILLS AND MOUNTAINS Mountain ranges bound the WFP on three sides. Having crossed the Badlands, the low and narrow Serpentine Range forms the league’s western boundary before merging with the Westridge Range in a convoluted series of ridges and valleys south-west of Franklin Harbor in the NLC. The higher and broader Westridge Range forms the eastern border, dividing the Protectorate from the UMF, and then arcs around to define the northern border with the NLC. Though in many cases WFP territory stops short of the encircling mountain ranges (the notable exceptions being around Fort William, where WFP control extends across the range, and the border with the UMF where, for the most part, the watershed marks the boundary between the two nations) their foothills form a distinct area of the Protectorate. Water is more readily available in these areas than in much of the WFP, a combination of increased precipitation and run-off from the mountains. The wooded hills and valleys in the north-west of the league, a region known variously as the Crescent or the Colina Aterriza (hill lands), form a distinct topographic and climatic zone, mild and humid, more akin to the NLC than the rest of the Protectorate. This region is dotted with many small lakes and rivers that teem with life, and on whose shores many of the First Clans have summer hacienda. While the area is fertile and holds abundant resources, the government has maintained tight controls on immigration to the region and though a host of small towns and villages dot the region, few exceed 20,000 inhabitants. The Grazalema Proclamation ceded control of the Pacifica Range and its mineral resources to the NLC. Unfortunately, the control of the Westridge Range and its strategic passes has long been contested with the UMF. One of these routes, the Cajun Pass near Mainz, was the target of UMF biological weapons during the WFP invasion of the Federation in TN 1570. The agents used were so virulent that no cleanup operation has been effective, and the pass has remained closed to civilian traffic. The highest mountain in the Protectorate, Mount Mulhacén, is located in the Westridge Range south of Fort William, and the mountain and those around it are the few areas in the league where snow can be found. Indeed, the mountain and the Cordillera that surround it are regarded as a distinct environmental, climatic and economic region. 2.1.3 THE MULHACÉN CORDILLERA The Mulhacén Cordillera is comprised of the mountains and valleys of the Westridge range south of Fort William. The plains surrounding the city-state itself are also generally considered to be part of the Cordillera. The region is the wettest in the West Frontier Protectorate and agriculture is common on the valley floors and the plains. As good land in the area is at a premium, many residents also eke out a living herding rockspringers and Mulhacén Cabra (a type of genetically engineered old Earth goat, capable of feeding on the hardy Terranovan vegetation) on the steep valley sides. The region is the principal source of the Protectorate’s mineral riches and raw material, including iron, tin and zinc, and both deep-shaft and open cast mines are a common sight. The Cordillera is also the heart of the Protectorate’s small but vigorous outdoor pursuits industry. Storm Warning  The great tempests that sweep across the Barrington Basin and into the Protectorate wreak havoc on ranches and farmsteads alike. Many farmsteads and settlements include weather stations that provide data to a central processing center in Fort William that monitors the growth and progress of weather systems. The center also gathers information from geo-stationary satellites above the Protectorate and the Badlands, issuing regular bulletins along with special storm warnings to areas at risk. Monitoring these broadcasts is an essential part of daily life in rural communities, though many farmers and ranchers have become familiar with the local climate and can predict a wide range of weather conditions. The Great Western Plain has little protection from Badlands-born tempests, many of which rise in the Barrington Basin and cut up into the Protectorate. These storms can have a devastating effect on the landscape, alter￾nately stripping the topsoil and depositing large quantities of sand. In an attempt to combat this erosion and the steady encroachment of the desert, the government provides incentives for farmers to plant trees and other vegetation. Unfortunately, many simply take the government’s money and do nothing, leaving their lands exposed. Tempest warnings are rated one to ten. Force one storms are little more than strong winds while a rating of force ten implies winds in excess of 250 kph that are often accompanied by chain lightning. Such storms are capable of damaging even the most solid buildings. Consequently, most Badlands fringe communities are built to withstand the tempests, adopting the oasis tower construction common in the equatorial regions. Most Pampas farmsteads are built on more traditional lines, though many have a storm shelter, a well-equipped bunker containing foodstuffs and medical supplies in which the residents can escape the worst of a tempest. Fortunately, most storms rarely exceed 150 kph (force six).

2.2 WESTERN FRONTIER PROTECTORATE HISTORY The early history of the Western Frontier Protectorate is a convoluted mass of alliances, feuds and warfare, providing the impetus and mechanism by which loose associations of people came together as a modern league. The early colonization effort identified the Great Western Plain as having considerable potential for agriculture, and set about exploiting the land. Rather than turning the land over to large agricultural conglomerates, as had been done elsewhere, the decision was made to allow private groups to settle the region, with land parceled out to individual claimants on a first-come first￾served basis. Many of the early colonists were able to claim large areas of land in the Western Development Zone, amassing considerable wealth and power and becoming the progenitors of the First Clans. The Western clans themselves grew out of these farmsteads, each owned and operated by an extended family that usually included members of four or even five generations. 2.2.1 WITHDRAWAL AND FOUNDING (TN 1454-1527) The loose structure of the settlements on the Western Plains was both a boon and a curse in the cycles immediately after Earth’s withdrawal in TN 1454. Few settlers were evacuated from the Western Development Zone; the costs were simply out of the reach of most. This combined with the largely self-sufficient nature of the population to allow life to continue much as before the outbreak of the Colonial Wars. There was simply no infrastructure to break down. Though largely self sufficient in terms of food and the like, the lack of unity among the farmsteads did expose them to the predation of raiders in those chaotic cycles. As the attacks grew in size and frequency, several of the farming communities began to band together in local defense organizations. These maintained regular communication and shared intelligence on the activities of raiders and other city-states, providing a deterrent against all save the most determined opponents. This network of allegiances slowly grew, encompassing several city-states and creating a network of mini-leagues on the Great Western Plains and the surrounding territories. By TN 1485 the clans of the Great Western Plains were working together as a loose confederation, brokering trade agreements with Exeter and Franklin Harbor. Things were going well for the settlements, but events in the early TN 1500s prompted Westerners to re-think their strategy. The plains had escaped the worst of the chaos of reconstruction, but expansionist city-states like Livingstone sought to dominate their neighbors, prompting the Westerners to strengthen their internal ties. A formal alliance would likely have happened eventually, but the formation of the NLC in TN 1525 provided the impetus for the clans of the Great Western Plains to gather and discus their future. Many were involved in the organization of the meeting, but the most prominent was Gutierez Raoul, administrator of the city-state of William, who agreed to host the gathering. The conclave began on 13 Winter TN 1527 and though petty rivalries caused considerable problems, it quickly became apparent that the consensus was in favor of a formal alliance between the clans. It took barely ten days to hammer out the details of their pact and their system of government and, after approval by the gathered clan heads, the Western Frontier Protectorate came into being on 31 Winter TN 1527, ruled by a senate of over 1000 clan heads. The first action of the new government was to bolster the defense of its settlements and a rolling program of fortifications for both city￾states and farmsteads began before the end of the cycle. Furthermore, major industries would be concentrated in the league’s four principal city-states, affording them considerable protection against outside agencies.  Cristobal Rob Born in Fort Henry in TN 1502, the second son of Perez Madeline and Cristobal Victor, Rob grew up knowing all the privileges of a member of a First Clan. Unlike many of his siblings he was not seduced by riches and power, preferring instead to spend his youth in the pursuit of knowledge. Seeking to aid in the defense of his city against attacks from Badlands raiders, he joined the Fort Henry Militia in TN 1530 where he quickly rose through the ranks, commanding a light company against the infamous Desert Wind brigands in TN 1535. Rob was one of the earliest transferees to the WFPA and his sharp intelligence and analytical mind quickly won him a place in the command structure, serving as XO and then commander of the 1st Border Regiment based in Fort William. Though considerable resources had been devoted to fortifying the cities and farmsteads, Cristobal found the lack of political will regarding the formation of a unified military disturbing. The paralysis that had affected the senate since its inception was an anathema to the military mind, and he vowed to one day do something to resolve the situation. That "something" was nothing less than a drastic restructuring of the league’s government in the wake of the loss of Fort Charles to the UMF. With the government in chaos, Cristobal led a coup that deposed the senate and placed governance of the league in the hands of the military. Though he tendered his resignation once the new government was in place, the High Council refused to accept it and in TN 1555 he was persuaded to stand in the Fort Henry elections, becoming Proconsul of Fort Henry, a post he held until TN 1667. He continued to serve as Field Marshall of the WFPA until TN 1570 when he died in the Cajun Pass at the head of the expedition to liberate Fort Charles. 2.2.2 RISE OF THE MILITARY (TN 1527-1560) Though the WFP was now a united political entity, its governance was far from smooth. Many clans argued over the right to representation in the Protectorate’s senate and this delayed action on a wide range of issues, key among which was the formation of a unified military. Though fortification was proceeding apace, the Western army was little more than a collection of militias, police forces and armed clansmen. Warnings from Hawkins Jess, the Fort William police commis￾sioner, were largely ignored as she came from a small and powerless clan. It took heavy raids on Fort Henry in TN 1536 to spur the senate into agreeing to the formation of a unified command structure and another two decades to forge the disparate groups into a viable force. Unfortunately, this weakness corresponded with the rise (and demise) of the Lyonnesse League, based around the former corporate holdings of the Marathon Basin. Relationships with the League had never been warm, but there was extensive trade between the two powers, particularly between Fort Charles and Baton Rouge. When the Lyonnesse League collapsed in TN 1550 the WFP senate was concerned, but more for their trade revenues than their physical security. The lightning assault on Fort Charles by the league’s replacement, the United Mercantile Federation, took the Protectorate by surprise and few military units were in a position to contest the action. The assault threw the senate into chaos, with some factions proposing a massed assault to regain the lost city-state while others advocated peace. As had happened so often over the cycles since the league’s founding, the senate‘s size and the diverse views of its members rendered it impotent. This squabbling deeply disturbed Cristobal Rob, Field Marshall of the WFPA, who knew that any sign of weakness would encourage the UMF, something that would likely lead to the annexation of the Protectorate. Weighing up his oath of loyalty and his duty to the league, he acted. On 4 Winter TN 1552 Cristobal ordered the senate disbanded, using troops of the First Border Regiment to enforce his decree. In its place he ordered the formation of military councils in each city-state, the senior officer of which — known as the Proconsul — would also sit on the Protectorate’s governing body, the High Council. Distinct from the normal WFPA chain of command, the High Council’s power would be absolute, overruling even that of the WFPA Field Marshal. His reforms did not stop at that. Support for the military was lackluster and he sought to encourage enlistment by providing tangible benefits for those who chose to serve their country. His solution was the Citizen Act, which decreed that only those who had served at least five cycles in the WFPA could claim full citizenship of the WFP and be eligible to vote in elections. The remaining population would be residents, entitled to the protection of the league, but not allowed influence in its governance. 2.2.3 FIGHTING THE FEDERATION (TN 1560-1670) In the cycles that followed the coup, the Protectorate military grew, but also suffered a number of losses in skirmishes against the forces of the NLC in the west and the UMF in the east. Though disheartening, these losses spurred on the formation of the WFPA and hid its true objective, training for the liberation of Fort Charles, now renamed Mainz. The Protectorate bided its time, building up its strength and waiting for an opportunity to strike. That opportunity came in TN 1570 when the main body of the UMFA was busy consolidating its hold on the former Tershaw Cooperative Alliance. The Protectorate launched a massive invasion of the UMF, driving through toward Mainz. Brushing aside early resistance, the WFPA reckoned without the tenacious defense of the Cajun Pass by a small group of volunteers. This small force held out for three days and when it became apparent that they would be overrun, their commander called in a strategic weapons strike on his own position. The virulent Kesran bioweapon killed most of the Protectorate troops, and the few survivors limped back across the Westridge Range. The WFP and UMF ended hostilities with the Cajun Pass Treaty, acknowledging UMF possession of Mainz and the current borders, but tensions in the region remained high. There were numerous clashes along the border as each league sought to undermine the position of the other, though much of this war was fought by proxy. The most notable clash came in TN 1650 when the oil-rich Badlands settlements of Vladivostok, Bannerton and New Yukon — collectively known as the Tricity — imposed sanctions on the WFP in an attempt to drive up the prices of their products. The UMF backed the action and, after suffering severe shortages and the near-collapse of their manufacturing and transport industries, the WFP capitulated. Encouraged by their success, the UMF continued their plans for dominion over the arctic. In TN 1667, the Federation launched a simultaneous invasion of the WFP and NLC that led to the siege of Fort William. Though the Mercantile troops were expelled, both the Protectorate and the Confederacy realized something had to be done to curb Mercantile ambi￾tions. The two powers signed a secret pact, the Northern Alliance Defense Organization, creating a joint invasion force that they hoped would shatter their aggressive neighbor. Luring the UMFA to the region around Lyonnesse, the coalition struck at the high-arctic city-state of Pioneer, which they expected to be a weak point in the Mercantile defenses. Instead of falling quickly as expected, the expeditionary force was repelled by an ad-hoc unit of armored walkers. Nonetheless, the assault convinced the UMF that its interests would be better served in the Badlands rather than fighting its neighbors. 2.2.4 BLOOD OF INNOCENTS (TN 1670-1729) In the cycles that followed the Battle of Pioneer the WFP exercised considerable restraint, but in TN 1679 the UMF’s field tests of its new Hunter Gear in the Badlands near Red Sands proved too much. An elite WFPA force disguised as rovers was tasked with acquiring the P5 prototype, something they duly accomplished, transporting their prize to the WFP Military Testing Compound near Fort William. Unfortunately, the WFPA did not maintain possession of the P5 for long; it was in turn seized by the Southern Republic’s Legion Noire and used to kick-start the Republican program. Nonetheless, the WFP had gained detailed Gear schematics and broke the Mercantile monopoly on the technology. Partly in response to this affront, the UMF stepped up its trade war with the Protectorate, seeking dominance in the Westridge Trade Zone, control of which would give them an economic stranglehold on much of the WFP’s trade. The Mekong Dominion also sought control of the region and the Mercantile action brought down the wrath of the newly formed AST, resulting in the First Merchant War (TN 1686-1688). Though a non-participant in the conflict, rumors circulated of covert Protectorate assistance to the AST forces, notably intelligence on Mercantile troop movements that allowed the Southern confederation to defeat the Mercantilists and thus helped the WFP to retain its independence. No conclusive evidence of Western involvement in the war was ever uncovered, though the subject remains a favorite topic of conspiracy theorists across Terra Nova. The AST victory provided the final impetus for the Arctic leagues, resulting in the formation of the CNCS in TN 1692 though relationships between the member states remained cool. Indeed, only the intervention of Western mediators prevented disputes between the NLC and UMF from tearing the CNCS apart in the TN 1720s. As with so many fragile alliances it was an external crisis that bound the CNCS member-states together. Battles between the CNCS and AST over control of the wreck of the HCS St. Vincent released a deadly plague that killed large numbers of children across Terra Nova. While the plague was horrific to all Terranovans, to the family-dominated Protectorate it was an attack on their entire way of life. Blaming the AST for the death of five percent of its children, the WFP sought to avenge the loss of its youth and as a nation entered a collective frenzy, playing a major role in plunging the two confederations in a bloody world war that lasted until TN 1729. Though Westerners were horrified by their own actions in the war, there was no sense of closure after the conflict and disdain of the AST became enshrined in the Western psyche. Though this trait has ameliorated over the cycles and centuries that followed, most Westerners remain suspicious of people from the Southern Hemisphere, particularly the Republican government, despite the cooperation between the two powers in the War of the Alliance.  The Children’s Crusade Occasionally referred to as the Children’s Crusade, the Protectorate’s involvement in the St. Vincent’s war was typified by fury and brutality. The public outcry caused by the war led to a huge show of support for the Protectorate's military forces, which allowed the small league to field concentrations of troops at least as important as the ones of their much-larger neighbors. Many citizens volunteered for military service, swelling the WFPA far beyond its normal size and posing major problems for training and logistics. Local boot-camps were established to weed out those lacking the resolve or aptitude for military service, but a surprisingly large number were pronounced fit and sent to the front. Those who were not sent to combat units were made to feel useful with employment in the logistical, administrative and medical corps. During the conflict Protectorate troops undertook dangerous and often suicidal missions to assuage their demands for retribution against the Republicans who had “perpetrated this vile crime.” They struck deep into the southern territories, attacking targets as far south as Yung An and Port Oasis, often with little thought of escape. Their prime concern was causing large-scale damage, paying the Republic back for the suffering inflicted on the north. Attacks against civilian targets were deemed acceptable, resulting in a number of atrocities that would tarnish the image of the Protectorate for cycles to come — all in the name of revenge. The brutality of the war had a detrimental effect on Western morale and the army’s command structure. The nihilistic attitude of many soldiers hampered their operational effectiveness, and lives were thrown away needlessly on several occasions (the assault on Hill 654 remains especially infamous today). Disobedience and insubordination became commonplace as military procedures, tactics and the desire for vengeance clashed head on. Military Police took on an increasingly important role over the cycles, attempting to maintain order in what remained of the WFPA. By TN 1727, the full horror of their actions had effectively crippled the WFPA. The Protectorate attempted to extract itself from both the war effort and the Confederated Nothern City-States, only to be threatened and cajoled into continued cooperation by the other CNCS leagues. When the cease-fire was finally announced in TN 1729, the Protectorate breathed a sigh of relief, though a lingering hatred of the south remained and many and many  Westerners continue to hold a grudge against the government of the AST.

2.2.5 REBUILDING AND RETALIATION (TN 1729-1913) The economic collapse that ended the St. Vincent’s war crippled the Protectorate’s military and industrial system, but as with the Earth withdrawal almost two centuries earlier, the effect on the rural economies was minimal. Occasional outbreaks of the plague continued to trouble the most isolated regions for more than a decade, but by the 1740s the league was well on the way to recovery. The war had taught the tank-dominated WFPA many lessons, not least of which was the importance of the Gear on the modern battlefield. Several homegrown designs like the Mad Dog entered service, though the Protectorate’s lack of experience prevented them from exploiting the market. R&D efforts were soon scaled back in favor of imported equipment from the NLC and UMF. Already well developed, the Protectorate’s weapon manufac￾turers were able to edge their way into the industry as weapon and component suppliers. Much of this new hardware was used to defend against Badlands raiders, who had become increasingly active since the war, but the WFPA also used its newfound strength to undertake a series of missions deep into the AST, striking at military targets in the Mekong Dominion and the Southern Republic. For many cycles the CNCS turned a blind eye to these pin￾prick raids, but when a mission against the MILICIA facility at Aquitaine went disastrously wrong in TN 1771, resulting in the deaths of more than a dozen civilians, pressure was applied on the Protectorate to limit its activities. Even before the league’s founding in TN 1527, the inter-clan politics had been an ever-shifting morass of alliances and feuds, the sheer volume of clans working against efforts to create a consensus. These groupings became more pronounced as the Protectorate matured, particularly in the wake of the disbanding of the senate that robbed them of a direct say in government. By the 1850s there were seven principal groupings, representing a wide range of geographical, political and philosophical views. By TN 1873, these groups had fallen under the influence of two of the most powerful First Clans, the Zucco and the Maderas, forming political blocks that have changed little over the cycles. The rise of these groups paralleled the deterioration in relationships between the members of the CNCS. The Protectorate’s militarism contributed greatly to the tensions, and the so-called Judas Syndrome took the Confederation to the brink of civil war. 2.2.6 WAR OF THE ALLIANCE (TN 1913-1917) The surprise arrival of troops from Earth ended the threat of civil war. The CNCS leagues put aside their differences and even agreed to work with the AST against the invaders for the good of Terra Nova. Though not a principal target of the CEF, the Protectorate saw its fair share of the action. Its cities came under attack, the invaders occupied many Badlands fringe communities, and collaboration, though not common, occurred in much of the occupied territories. The WFPA was very active, in its own territory as well as that of the UMF and the Badlands. Indeed, it was a Western officer, Brigadier Lang Regina, who commanded the CNCS contingent at the decisive Battle of Baja. The War of the Alliance did much to ease relationships between the Protectorate and the AST, particularly among the WFPA troops who fought alongside the Republicans at Baja. These soldiers realized that for all the propaganda, Southerners were little different from themselves, with dreams, aspirations and ideals. Despite this, many Westerners continued to keep a wary eye on the south, looking for any sign of treachery. This lack of trust would play a major role in the descent to another world war. War and Peace  The WFP sustained major losses at the hands of the CEF, with large tracts of the Protectorate occupied by the Earth forces. With the major axis of advance targeted against the UMF and the Mekong Dominion, the CEF lacked the resources to “crack” the forts, though this did not stop them from trying. Both Fort Henry and Fort James were besieged for protracted periods, subject to artillery and orbital bombardment as well as infiltra￾tion by GREL troops. Sabotage was rife, often in preparation for covert assaults. Compared to the attacks on Ashington or Mainz these were small-scale affairs, but they served to keep the WFPA pinned in place for the early cycles of the conflict. The balance of power shifted when Colonel Felix Stoessel took command of the forces encircling Fort James and ordered a new attack (the ninth). Using a feigned assault on the northern industrial sector as cover, commandos infiltrated the southern enclosure and succeeded in seizing control of the Barrington Gate, site of many previous battles. With this in their possession the CEF troops succeeded in entering the city, but found themselves bogged down in a bitter street-to-street engagement between Gears and GRELs — the CEF hovertanks were totally unsuited to urban warfare. At their greatest extent the CEF held two-thirds of the enclave, but were slowly forced back and on 3 Summer 1915 the last CEF troops were expelled from the city. The battle cost almost a third of Earth’s troops in the region and continuing the siege became impractical. Stoessel ordered his troops to withdraw south towards West Base. This freed up WFPA forces to relieve Fort Henry and begin the liberation of the Protectorate. By the end of the cycle the WFP was on the offensive against the CEF and Western troops were a logical choice as the northern contingent in containing the new CEF landings at Port Baja, ensuring victory against the Earth forces.

2.2.7 CALM BEFORE THE STORM (TN 1917-1936) Once again, the WFP was forced to rebuild, politically as well as economically and militarily. The Protectorate troops had proven decisive in the war effort and the league could no longer be regarded as the junior partner in the CNCS. The Proconsuls sought a larger role in CNCS affairs and the new Norlight President, Anders von Breslau, who had served as Grand Marshal during the war, was willing to see all the CNCS members play a role in determining alliance policy. This played well to the fiercely independent Westerners, who asserted themselves more and more often. Though historically closer to the NLC, the Valeria government’s actions during the Judas Syndrome had alienated many in the Protectorate, Norlight paternalism in conflict with Western independence. It soon became apparent that though their votes were too small to have a direct impact on council decisions, the Protectorate often held the balance of power between the NLC and the UMF. They were thus able to wield power far beyond their size, constantly courted by their neighbors and able to extract wide-ranging concessions. The ascension of the militant Zucco Adamo to the Protectorate High Council in TN 1926 exacerbated this situation. His extreme policies concerning the Badlands often placed the Protectorate in a difficult position with the CNCS. Zucco supported the concept of a “thin tan line,” a zone of Badlands settlements intended to buffer the Protectorate’s weak southern border in the event of hostilities. Neither the CNCS nor the settlements in question regarded the plan favorably, but that did not stop Zucco from exercising the WFP’s political and military muscle to make the zone a reality. Aggressive patrolling of the zone prompted a rise in tensions in the Barrington Basin as clashes against rover gangs, smugglers from Wounded Knee and even the Arthurian Korps became commonplace. Though this action brought condem￾nation from the CNCS, the Protectorate knew it was too important to the alliance’s war plans to suffer any sanctions and the acquiescence of their northern neighbors only seemed to bolster nationalist fervor in the Protectorate and increase stresses within the CNCS. The assassination of Thor Hutchison rocked the Protectorate. Though not as devout as many in the NLC, most of the Westerners were Revisionists and they mourned his loss. The long history of bad blood between the nations meant it took little to convince Westerners that the Southern Republic was to blame for this atrocity, and Protectorate citizens were among the most vocal in calling for action against the South. As such, WFPA troops were already at a high state of alert when the battle at Rahnguard Oasis plunged the world into a new Interpolar War. 2.2.8 THE INTER-POLAR WAR (TN 1936-PRESENT) The WFP became the staging ground for CNCS troops engaged in operations in the Mekong Dominion and the western Southern Republic. Proconsul Zucco Adamo reveled in the opportunity to strike at the long-hated AST, but his chief rival, the Proconsul of Fort Henry, Lang Regina, argued for caution and restraint, citing the CNCS invasion plans as ill advised. Given that Lang’s wife is Victoria Edden-Smyth, Grand Marshal of the CNCS, these were strong words and oddly prophetic. Intelligence gained from the UMF suggested the Mekong Dominion would withdraw from the AST and support the CNCS. Unfortunately, this proved erroneous and Northern Guard forces sent south to occupy strategic sites in the Dominion found themselves engaged in a bitter conflict. The entire Barrington Basin became a war zone, with troops from both alliances playing a deadly cat and mouse game, punctuated by deadly engagements. Several Republican and MILICIA units reached the border of the Protectorate, including the Victoire battlegroup which waged a successful harassment campaign against Northern and Western troops throughout the late autumn of TN 1936. Save for raids on merchant convoys, the Protectorate has remained largely untouched by the war, and to all appearances life continued as it did before the war. So far...