March 3, 1906
Assowolf and its people, since its independence in 1845 from its colonial master, the Xagrurgian Republic, has always had dreams of becoming an imperial power like their neighbors west of them on Aurora and becoming a power to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, the Xagrurgians had reversed their peaceful policy of trading and interacting with the natives in the 1500s in favor of a more aggressive policy of expansion and looting, which angered the inhabitants of the lands. In an ironic twist of fate in the 1810s, the Xagrurgians were dragged into an overseas conflict in another continent, far away from Acturia, resulting in them having to pull some forces out of the Assowolfian colony and across the seas. They immediately took advantage of this pull-out and began demanding self-rule and determination. Xagrurg, paralyzed between the war and their colony, were forced to accept some of their reforms as the Assowolfian National Congress was created and the Government of Assowolf Act was passed, allowing the creation of a self-governing state. They were still not satisfied however, and demanded actual independence. With the support of Assowolfian military veterans and educated clergy, aristocrats and artisans backing the independence movement, this came to fruition with the granting of independence in 1845. Many of the former colonials celebrated their newfound freedoms, though the path to power would be a long and difficult one. The strenuous colonial policy on their lands was less-than-kind and a lot of resources were taken and a lot of the native inhabitants were displaced, but they still had a positive factor going for the fledgling nation; during the time of their colonial subjugation, Xagrurgian businessmen and the republic heavily invested into Assowolf, with many schools, roads, administrators, and factories set up. The first chancellor of Assowolf, Johannes Nixberg, proceeded to take an assertive role in setting the foundations of his new nation, starting the Takneyian Reforms which involved: sending students and people overseas to receive a foreign education and observe their systems of governments and cultures, most notably Xagrurg and other republics; subsidizing the creation of railroads and industrialization; creating a constitutional government and remove the powerful aristocratic factions; and creating a national sense of pride for Assowolf and modernize their military. They were largely successful, making Assowolf a regional powerhouse by the 1870s and gaining the respect of their neighbors and even some Auroran nations. Confident in their strength, they sent settlers northwards with the mission of civilizing the inhabitants of the north and bringing glory to the Assowolfian Republic.
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Port Kharough, Republic of Assowolf
The streets are bustling, children singing, and the dainty women frolicking; alls well in the prospering city of Port Kharough.
On a farm on the outskirts
Honey, do you think this is a good idea?, said a woman, standing in the front doorway.
Of course it is Sarah, the people of Assowolf needs brave men to expand the reaches of our civilization and protect our livelihood, said a burly and stout man, built from years of tilling land and other farm chores.
Alright Sam, whatever you say; I trust you, said Sarah.
They finish packing their old horse carriage with their luggage and supplies and head off into the main city to pick up their papers at the city hall and meet up with other future settlers and frontiersmen, excited to see whats northwards.
(After a couple hours of galloping through the countryside)
When the couple finally reach the city, they are amazed at what they see. Buildings that soar into the sky, moving mechanical machines (trams) through the streets, jam-packed streets, and unfortunately for them; traffic jams. Taking a turn on Garfield Street, they reach the Department of Colonial Expansion building where they see hundreds of men lining up to the building, stretching to the street and even around the block. Oh jeez, this is going to take a while, Sam thought to himself. Sarah, mesmerized by the modern technology of her surroundings, purchases a newspaper and reads its headlines:
Aurora: Future Battleground of A Great War?
Billie Joel Makes It Big On Talkies!
Charles Chopin Does It Again!
Assowolf: A New Challenger on Acturia
Having to do a lot of shopping at the general store back at the village, she had to learn to read and count fortunately. Ooooo, Charles released a new talkie today and its on at the theater; honey, can we go watch it later?, asked Sarah. Im sorry Sarah, last years harvest didnt pan out so we have to save every expense, apologized Sam.
(A couple more minutes of conversion Sam zones out on)
(Sarah slaps him across the face)
Ow, what was that for?, asked Sam while rubbing his now-red cheek.
That was for spilling the milk bucket all over my new shirt you animal!, yelled Sarah.
This is going to be a long day, thought Sam, sighing.
(An hour later)
They finally reach the desk with the receptionist who asks for their names and personal information. Alright Mr. and Ms. Sullivan, heres your papers granting you frontiersmen rights, just sign here and here to formalize it. After a couple more minutes of signing papers and general bureaucracy, they finally finish their business at the office and walk out. When they do, they notice its sunset. Sam, wanting to make it up for the day, knew what to do. Hey honey, instead of going back to the farm, lets do something else. Like what? asked Sarah, curious. Youll see, teased Sam. They reach a secluded cliffside from the city, isolated from the busybodies and rushing of modern life. On the cliffside is a view of a beautiful sunset, glowing a warm, amber shade and the pristine blue sea shining brightly. Its beautiful Sam, said Sarah quietly. I know it is, said Sam.
While Sam and Sarah are enjoying their breakfast meals of eggs and ham, the rest of the room is bustling of activity with travelers and other future settlers for the north. A particularly jolly and stout frontiersman decided to approach the couple and greets them heartily. Hello friends! How is your day on this fine morning?, he asks. Sam, taken by surprise at the sudden greeting, nearly drops his bowl of cornmeal. After he sets the bowl back down on the table, he replies, Mighty fine I do say so myself, and how do you do Mr…? Mr. Fwensau, Francis Fwensau, the jovial man identifies himself. Im a blacksmith who owns a shop in one of the villagers on the outskirts of Port Kharough. Im one of the settlers that decided to sign up for the northern expedition, he continues. Same here my good fellow, Sam replies, taking a sip of his glass of orange juice. Im planning to leave for the one of the already-established settlements by the coast today; do you plan to as well?, Francis asks. Aye, me and my lass here are planning to leave after we finish up breakfast here, Sam replies. With that, they part ways and Sam and Sarah wave to Francis as he rides off down the road. They also get on their horses and begin riding for the settlement Francis talked about, hoping to reach there within the week.
At the border checkpoint
After waiting many hours on the busy road, they finally arrive to the checkpoint and present their papers which are stamped and begin making their way to the Wild North, wondering what their adventure will look like.
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Port Kharough, Presidential Palace
Chancellor Johnan Limbruke sits at his desk, continuing to write documents to extend the Takneyian Reforms set in motion many years ago by his predecessors. Currently, he is pondering on whether to draft a letter to the Xagrurgian government for a possible economic alliance: in theory, the economic expertise and foreign investment would lead to a economic boom for Assowolf while on the other hand, this opens up the possibility that Assowolf will be essentially become a Xagrurgian economic puppet and its own domestic industries forced out of business. With this in mind, he shelves it away for consideration for another time and instead begins writing a document to extend Assowolfs foreign influence, naming it after the all-so-great Johnan Limbruke, the Limbruke Doctrine: this would guarantee the independence of Acturian nations from foreign influence and grant them protection under Assowolfs military. While he does plan on actually enforcing it, he recognizes the fact that going against the Morstablysian Empire is suicidal so hes a bit selective with the cases of foreign intervention that will occur during his administration.
After several months of internal bickering within the Assowolfian Parliament and planning
Chancellor Johnan Limbruke finally managed to convince his opponents on the other side of the parliament to agree upon his plans of colonial expansions to the north, mobilizing the military to aggressively expand their borders towards the north. Unfortunately, this also included displacing any natives who previously lived along the northern coastal areas and instead settled Assowolfian settlers in their place. Being quite bloody, the Assowolfian troops took many casualties seizing control of the coast as the native resisters were armed with rifles acquired from settler towns and weapons dealers. However, inevitably, the natives were to lose against the Assowolfians, their military superior in training and equipment, who had military advisors and equipment from Aurora. The natives, who were Vulpines, had either two choices: stay or go. Many left their old homes, either fleeing the new borders of Assowolf and into the tropical jungles of Aurora, or south into the more urban parts of Assowolf, hoping to find new lives there. Those who stayed were subject to mistreatment, discrimination, and even death threats, some unfortunate native Vulpines even lynched by the new settlers from Assowolf, causing strife between the two cultures. Many mainland Assowolfians turned a blind eye towards this brutality, justifying that Assowolf needed to be strong and ruthless to survive this new age. However, not all agreed to this policy of harassment.
In the previous few months, Sam and Sarah traversed the rough terrain and dirt paths to get to the northern coastal settlements alongside fellow settlers from the south. While on the way to one of the settlements Francis mentioned at the inn, they noticed several tribal Vulpine villages and stopped by one of them to trade for supplies. While Sam was bartering with one of the Vulpine traders at the village, Sarah noticed a crying mother and child near one of their huts. Curious, she asked the mother why they were crying. In broken Codexian, the mother responded, Evil white men kill father during hunt, gesturing towards her baby in her arms. Who are these white men you speak of?, Sarah said, concerned for them. With anger, the mother responded, Your people, they take our land and treat us poorly. Now go away!, snapping at Sarah. Not wanting to provoke her further, Sarah slowly backed off and headed back towards her truck with Sam who finished trading with the merchant, acquiring corn and fish. While back on the road, Sam noticed a troubled look on Sarahs face. Whats wrong Sarah?, he asked. Apparently our government has been killing these poor people and taking their land by force, she turned to him and said. Well, Im sure they mustve had reason, our troops moving northwards are bound to encounter resistance by these primitives, he said while looking at the road. I dont know, theres just something off about this, Sarah said, her face still troubled. Set it aside for now, I believe were approaching the settlement that gentleman at the inn said up ahead.
Carpe Diem, Wild North AKA Northern Assowolfian Territory, 5 years later
Sam and Sarah, now permanent residents of the new territory, settled into the newly-established settlement/village. Albeit a bit rundown at first and unorganized, over the years, it eventually sprawled to amass more and more people and gain more resources to spend on improving the towns services, establishing electricity, telegraph lines, railways, and more. Eventually gaining over 35,000 thousand people, all from different areas of Arcturia and even from other continents, Carpe Diem eventually became the new capital of the Northern Assowolfian Territory.
Other settlements set up by the central government from the south originally also sprawled, mainly from the commerce from the bays wayfarers. The coastal Assowolfian settlements gained prosperity relatively quickly from the commerce and initiatives from the central and territorial governments, such as the creation of public schooling in towns, infrastructure improvements like the construction of ports, railroads, and roads, and the flood of entrepreneurs seeking to exploit the untapped resources of the north. All of this came to a price though for the Vulpine natives to the area. The governments, wanting to improve their economy, prestige, and military might, allowed for the discrimination against Vulpines and promoted human superiority in all aspects of society, whether it be in the government, economy, or culturally. This led to the decline of the native Vulpine races, many of them dying out or integrating with Assowolfian society, leaving only few tribes standing, living in either government reservations or in the dense forests.