Where civilization began, it will begin anew

Name: Indus River Confederation

Flag: https://imgur.com/xhS04wP

Location: https://imgur.com/a/SqAEusE

History: With the absence of WWII, and therefore the humiliating British defeat at Singapore, the Indian independence movement would never grow to be as strong as it did historically. Subhas Chandra Bose, the Indian pro-independence leader who won the support of Japan, was instead eclipsed by Gandhi and Nehru, who sought dominion status rather than full independence. At first, the British cracked down harshly, but after one too many bloody rebellions they realized that Dominion status would allow for a continuation of strong influence over the subcontinent, while also removing much of the internal pressure.

This new balance worked well for the growing empire, who used the region as a major bulwark against the expanding influence of the Soviet Union. In exchange for cooperation and investment into massive infrastructure development, the British Raj, now the Dominion of India and Pakistan, would serve as a beacon of development and refuge for those in the Soviet Union and even the Greater Empire of Japan who were looking for a less restricted life. That is, until the time of fire.

For years leading up to the Great Burning, war seemed to be an inevitable and constant threat. Regular drills saw people taking shelter in underground shelters in the subway systems of large cities, smaller towns pooled money for large bomb shelters, and rural communities stockpiled non-perishable foods. So when the sirens rang for the last time, nobody knew that this drill was real, and that they would not see the surface for another 25 years. But those fortunate enough to escape to these shelters were spared the horrors of the surface, where fires raged through the massive cities of the subcontinent for weeks.

Eventually supplies ran low, and water purifiers became scarce, forcing expeditions to the surface. What those in the former region of Punjab found was nothing less than a paradise. The Indus river valley, once overworked and often barren, was now teeming with plant and animal life, unhindered by human expansion. The river had washed away most traces of radiation, and was once again a fish-filled food source. Hearing of this new surface paradise, Waazir Navathe - leader of the major Muslim faction in the Lahore subway vaults that would eventually become know as the Tunnelers - set out with 100 of his best fighters to stake claim to their new home.

Unfortunately, they were not alone.

Leaving the ruined city and scouting north, they were quick to discover that two other groups had staked claim to this green valley. First were the Bunkers, as they would become known, survivors of the Great Burning who had retreated to private bomb shelters and even underground communities. Almost all were members of the upper class before the war, accustomed to ruling others and indulging in the finer things in life. Their bunkers provided a comfortable way to ride out the disaster, and were often stocked with symbols of their wealth, as well as what would now become incredibly important survival technology - blueprints for water purifiers, radiation detectors, and large stockpiles of weapons. They were lead by Ramaeshwara Bajpeyi, the son of Hindi Governor Prakash Bajpeyi who had run Punjab Province before the war.

The other group, known as the Hutters, were survivors of the war who had not been so lucky to have a place where they could retreat. Stuck on the surface, often in rural communities far from the major cities or in primitive survival shelters built by their towns and villages. Many had died from the Long Winter following the Great Burning, either through radiation poisoning, starvation, or through violence - raiding others for survival, or they themselves being raided. While not as well provisioned as the Bunkers or the Tunnelers, Hutters were often much more hardy than their underground brethren, and seemed to have both a slightly higher resistance to the radiation they had survived, and an almost sixth sense at detecting it. Their leader, Rekha Dayal, was known as the fiercest fighter in the Indus river valley, her rage a result of losing all three of her children to a raiding party early in the Long Winter.

Over the next 65 years, these three groups - the Bunkers, the Tunnelers, and the Hutters - would become the three largest and most powerful groups in the Valley. The Tunnelers quickly established control of the Lahore ruins and sent parties to seek our survivors in the other urban centers of Faisalabad, Gujranwala, and Ludhiana. These survivors were folded into the Greater Tunnler Confederacy, acting as independent city-states linked by trade networks, defensive alliances, and respect for their President, Wazzir Navathe. The Bunkers, having established basic telecom connections via restored telegraph cables, coalesced around the Pong Reservoir at the foothills of the Hymalayas, where one of their largest and best-stocked underground communities was located. There, they wrote a constitution forming the First Punjabi Republic, a government based off the ancient Roman Republic, with the Senate (the most respected of the upper class) appointing Ramaeshwara Bajpeyi as Dictator en perpetuo. Old bunkers were turned into military and trade outposts, and the Republic quickly solidified direct control over its surrounding territory. The Hutters, under the stewardship of Chairwoman Rekha Dayal (or Sisterly Leader and Dearest Mother of the Waterways to her closest friends), began a series of agricultural projects that quickly made them the most important food providers of the Valley. Using plans and technology gathered over time (that may or may not have been stolen in raids on Republic bunkers) the Indus People's Republic repaired irrigation systems, cultivated the land, and began re-domesticating animals for the first time in 30 years. Food and water is distributed in accordance with need, and while this means that people often have to get by with little, it is more than they had to look forward to during the Long Winter.

While the situation between these factions was relatively peaceful at first, entrenched powers and limited resources always lead to conflict. While minor border skirmishes had always been a reality, the first major conflict was the Jalandhar War. A unit of Bunker special forces were sent in to seize control of Jalandhar - a minor city less destroyed than most other major urban centers that had become an important source of scavenge for the Confederation. Their goal were scrap metal and manufacturing equipment necessary to repair the hydroelectric systems of the Pong Reservoir Dam that Tunneler traders had been raising the price on. Underestimating their connection and resolve, the Bunkers expected minimal long-term resistance after taking control of the city. Yet within just a few days, a massive Confederation force had coalesced outside Ludhiana, and swept in to reclaim the area. Fighting was bloody and bitter, and with both sides suffering heavy losses the Republic eventually accepted peace with their neighbors, agreeing to a full withdrawal and acceptance of Confederation control over Jalandhar in exchange for lower scavenge prices.

This peace would be crucial, as both sides would soon be forced to join forces to fight back a massive insurrection backed by the Indus People's Republic, who looked to "free the lower class from oppression" by their leaders in the Republic and Confederation. This fighting would last for years, finally almost coming to an end by the spring of 2023 until the Tunnelers decided to take advantage of a weakened Republic and attack Bunker outposts to secure territory and access to resources. A short burst of fighting saw half of the seized outposts returned, but a state of cold war now existed between the three major factions of the Valley. Conflict and raids would come and go, sabotage was constant, and people lived in fear.

Unfortunately for them, this fear was misplaced.

Bunker, Tunneler, and Hutter scavvers had long made the journey to the New Delhi ruins in the east, often bringing back incredibly valuable salvage for manufacturing and development. Sometimes these scavvers would not return, and their disappearance was attributed to the dangerous nature of their work. That is, until one Tunneler scavver returned home with tales of silent warriors, dressed all in black, riding mechanical beasts and breathing fire. He was considered mad with shock over the deaths of his friends, until the first Motorcycle Raids. Survivors from the east, whose proximity to oil wells and refineries allowed them to build up a fleet of working motorcycles for long-distance scavenging, had encountered Valley scavvers while searching the ruins of New Delhi. Taking them in for interrogation, they learned of the vast agricultural and manufacturing resources of the Valley, as well as the constantly depleting war resources that they wasted on fighting eachother. Building a force over a thousand strong, they rode into the valley armed with swords and flamethrowers, seeking to raid what they could take, burn what they couldn't, and ensure tribute from the Valley.

The Bunkers bore the brunt of the initial attack, with Republic outposts unable to contend with the speed of the Fire Riders. Many died, and important manufacturing pieces were lost. The Tunnelers and Hutters soon faced their own raids, however, and they knew that their only chance at survival was to join forces. And so, on the 6th of May, 2051, the Indus River Confederation was born. Joining forces proved fruitful in more ways than one - a free sharing of technology allowed for the expansion of basic telegraph and electrical grids from former Bunker territory to Tunneler manufacturing centers, which in turn was able to provide both weapons for the Confederation forces and tools for Hutter farmland. An agricultural revolution followed, allowing for easier access to food across the Valley, and most importantly for Tunneler canneries to create preservable food to extend the supply range of Confederation forces. With this newfound cooperation the Fire Rider raids were repelled, and the Valley demonstrated their strength as a major player in in the post-war subcontinent.

50 years have passed since then, and while the Confederation has stood, tensions remain between the three founding groups. An anocratic nation, intrigue, sabotage, and wars of influence are constants both in the capital of New Lahore, and the minor capitals of the three constituent states. Expansion is always followed by internal political fights over division of land and resources, and it sometimes seems as if it is only the constant threat of the Fire Riders that holds this fledgling nation together.

Important people:

• Mohun Barvadekar - President of the Congress of the Confederation. Holding the highest office in the Confederation comes with less power than one would expect, but is not without immense responsibility. Governing over the Confederation Congress is nearly impossible, with every bill passed seen as a miracle. And with constant disputes between the three constituent states, there is never not a disaster that needs attending to. As the first Bunker president, he was met with intense skepticism by much of the population, but has proven himself adept at handling crises impartially. Despite only being in office for two years, Mohun has appeared to have aged twenty, a common feature in his office.

• Chamunda Dayal - Chairwoman of the Indus People's Republic. The great-granddaughter of the revered founder of the People's Republic, Chamunda now oversees all internal matters of the IPR and appoints its members of the Confederation Congress. Seen as somewhat of a reformer compared to her ideologically intense predecessors, Chamunda prefers to build good trade relations with the other states in order to provide for her people. This has lead to a slight dip in income for some of her people as she lowers agricultural prices somewhat, but trust in the Dayal's is strong, and it would take a major slipup to lose her popularity.

• Vineet Pavagi - Dictator en perpetuo to the Republic of Punjab. While the name may have had a bad connotation before the war, RP dictators have long proven themselves as shrewd diplomats and efficient administrators. The RP Senate has remained in the hands of the elite families that started it so many years ago, to the chagrin of those lower in status that want a say in the administration of their state. Vineet, entering his 15th year in office, has long ignored these cries for representation, a stance he appears unwilling and unlikely to change.

• Arpita Kusari - President of the United Cities of the Indus. The UCI formed as a successor to the original Confederacy, as their state required a more coherent body to represent them in the new Indus River Confederation. Arpita was elected to her third consecutive term last year, and is much beloved by her citizens. Presiding over the majority of the restored urban centers in the Confederation, the UCI has both the highest population of any constituent state, and the highest reliance on the other states for materials and food. This has made UCI representatives impressive traders and dealmakers, with a sharp sense for value and need. Presidents of the UCI have long argued to the Confederation Congress that expansion to New Delhi should be a strategic priority, and Arpita is no exception. However, this has been met with much skepticism by the other states, as they worry that the UCI would gain too much power through such a move.

Mission Statement: To protect the sovereignty of the constituent states, to ensure the safety and well-being of its population, and to rebuild the world we have lost.