"Ein
Reich, Ein Volk, Ein Führer"
The Sable Intelligence Service currently has a significant intelligence
gathering operation in the recently-encountered Weimar Republik. This is being co-ordinated directly
by General Lord John Graham, who has undertaken responsibility for disseminaton
of any information gained. Information contained herein should be considered OOC,
until such time as characters are read into RED EAGLE.
It has now been confirmed that the Reich is aware of the Weimar Republik, and
that the two countries have diplomatic relations in place. This is a worrying
development.
Geography
At its height, the Weimar Republik had full control of eight worlds, and partial control of a another fourteen. However, following the actions of a combined team of Sable/Technocracy agents in September SY156, the Weimar Republik has withdrawn from significant numbers of its previously conquered Shadows. Sable and the Technocracy have been working togehter to help the newly-freed Shadows with reconstruction and stabilisation.
The Weimar Republik currently only has majority command four Shadows, all of which directly border it. Six Shadows remain in a locked away "quarantine zone" (named in red). Three other open Shadows still have some Weimar influence (Sarenden, Tankarat and Valedevar), however the Reich has begun moving into those worlds to fill the void.
Weimar itself comprises one major continent, about the size of Europe and Russia, at northern hemisphere latitudes. There are also four minor landmasses, further to the south. The climate on Weimar Continent is much the same as Europe, although some of the southern landmasses are distinctly hotter and drier. The population is human, and totals around 250m on the main continent, with a further 200m scattered across the smaller landmasses.
Weimar and the remaining Occupied Territories are running roughly 1.2/1 relative to Sable. It is also apparent that whatever the natural day/time cycle was on the Occupied Territories worlds, it is now 365/12 standard, matching Sable and the Reich.
Politics and Military
Politics
The Weimar Republik is a military dictatorship under Führer Ernst Keller, and his two most trusted advisors: RFSS Sofia Halbeck and Dr Dirk Weber. The current working theory is that it was established during or around the Reich campaign against Manira, led by then Obergruppenführer Andreas Delatz, in SY 121.
As far as Sable agents have been able to determine, it was established about forty years ago, local time, and Keller and Halbeck have been there since the beginning. Weber appears to have come onto the scene about five years later. The fact that all three of the had close links to Andreas Delatz in his earliest days in the Reich is a matter of both concern and speculation to the SIS, as is the triumviral relationship of the key players.
The government is run under the auspices of the Nationalsozialistische Weimar Arbeiterpartei, under the Party Chairman, Dr Hans von Karlstein, a career lawyer and politician, who seems to be a Weimar native - there are no records of anyone of his name and profession within the Reich, as far as Sable has been able to ascertain.
The nation appears isolationist, working for self-sufficiency through the conquest of the surrounding Shadows. The fact that they have conqured as much territory in such a short space of time - far faster than the Reich itself - is another matter of concern.
Currently the only outside nation with which it is known to have diplomatic relations is New Oceania, and these were established recently: since the somewhat abortive state wedding in San Carlos in September SY155 (Sable calendar). The Ambassador's name is Bernado Urbino. The Reich also established a Forstapo office in the Weimar capital, although it is uncertain what the status of that currently is.
Military
The Weimar military is exclusively Waffen-SS, under Obersgruppenführer Lena Steiner. There is no Wehrmacht muddying the waters. All men are expected to do two years of military service between school and university, unless they can come up with a bloody good reason why not. Women can also opt to do military service, and roughly 25% choose to do so. Men or women who choose to stay on after state service, or agree to rejoin the armed forces after they’ve been to university, get preferential treatment when new land is parcelled out, either on their home world, or on the worlds they’ve conquered.
The Weimar-SS has mirrored the Reichs-SS department structure, with three major exceptions: there is no separate Ahnenerbe, which comes under the RFSS’s personal staff; no Arcane Defence Group, although Sable agents have reported the use of anti-sentience wards on at least one Forstapo facility; and the Auslands-SD isn’t a separate division. The current head of the Reichssicherheitshauptamt is Oberstgruppenführer-SD Fabian Auer.
Social Structure
The population of Weimar is split into three categories.
Ubermensch
The Ubermensch are pretty much 100% Aryan,
and account for roughly 50% of the population. Many of the higher class are
involved in government, commerce, education. management and the military.
Others work as warrior farmers in the Occupied Territories, following the Himmler ideal for the East.
Only Ubermensch are allowed to be taught and use magic.
Untermensch
These are subdivided into those who are of non-Aryan
European (eg Slavic,
Celtic, Mediterranean) or North African descent, who work as cheap labour for the benefit of the
Ubermensch, although they do have access to basic housing, education and healthcare;
and those who are even further from the Aryan ideal, who are
primary used for slave labour.
Shapeshifters
The attitude to shapeshifters within the Weimar Republik is even more hostile than the Reich in the old days. As worlds are conquered, all shapeshifters are rounded up and sent to the camps, where they are exterminated. It is believed that a shapeshift inhibitor is part of the Zyklon-S gas. Camps are established once the Weimar Republik has 50% or more control of a world. They are in the process of establishing the camps on Tijaard, and it is known that they already exist on Yavor.
The only exceptions to the automatic kill sentence are Dr Dirk Weber and the Forstapo. It has not yet been ascertained how the Forstapo recruit new members.
Powers
The feel of the place has distinct elements of the Maniran Broken Pattern (and the Reich Black Pattern) in it, but is obviously something different to both that and New Oceania. The underlying Power here seems more complete than the original Maniran one, and is certainly more stable, with no sign of the growing pains which have been experienced with the worlds around New Oceania. It is very much what New Oceania should have been if something hadn't interfered with its development in a nearly cataclysmic way. However, it isn’t as strong as full Pattern or Logrus.
The New Oceania Power is fully functional there. Pure Machine isn’t, as the Republik falls within the Exclusion Zone, but Machine/Technocracy hybrid tech is, and has been incorporated into the higher-tech worlds in the Weimar Shadows. Pattern is limited to Broken Pattern ability, due to this being a Primal Realm, which is of concern, as such a restriction would have needed a great deal of Power and ability on the part of the person who put the restriction in place. Regular Logrus is limited to Piloting for the same reasons, although there is evidence that hybrid-Logrus is less affected.
The surrounding worlds which were previously fully under Weimar’s were bootstrapped up higher tech levels (1990s in the security zone; 1980s in the more fully controlled worlds; less in worlds which are still being placed under control), often by twenty or thirty years. This significantly helped Weimar's conquests of these worlds, as they could then bring higher tech equipment onto lower tech worlds, knowing that their opponents will not be able to match them. However, that control has slipped in a lot of the Shadows it had previously conquered, so they are slowly drifting back to the native tech levels. The main exceptions are the six worlds immediately surrounding Weimar, and the worlds that fall within the Weimar quarantine zone (labelled in red).
Magic and Technology
The tech level remains in the early-2000s in the Weimar Republik itself, and as previously noted, somehow Weimar operatives are raising the tech level in the Occupied Territories up towards that level, regardless of their native tech.
Unusually for such a high tech world, magic is both known and active, and works with efficiency, which suggests that technology may not be the only thing that has been artificially changed. Access to magical training is strictly limited at anything above basic level, and not available at all to the underclass. Roughly 1 in 1,000 of the population have some degree of sensitivity or Talent. Of those, maybe 1% are able and allowed to be taught the higher levels of magic.
Certain Sable agents have learned that transport magic can be a little unpredictable: on two occasions, on the world of Yavor, teleports made in haste have ended up with the the mage teleporting into solid matter, which should not be possible. Therefore, agents will be advised to exercise caution when using magic in the area.
Prior to the attack by the Sable team, computer technology across both the Republik and the Occupied Territories was at the top end of the range, at around early-2000s. Portable computing and smartphones remain available among the upper echelons of the Party and Military, but are restricted below that. The networks and systems are largely technological, but with magical elements, and it is obvious that much of the infrastructure backbone has Technocracy/Machine elements. Within the central worlds there was previously a full cellular network system, and it has been proven that certain Nexus initiates can tap into this. This proved to be a major vulnerability, which allowed the Sable team to insert the Namenlos virus into the core systems. However, no Sable or Technocracy agents have managed to return to Weimar to check what's happening.
Weimar previously had a fully implemented ID system, which was years ahead of the one used in the Reich proper, and was far closer to the Aurellian one in its extent. This had a technological twist to it, as well as just a magical one, which was recognisable as having been influenced by the Machine. Until the virus was released, the system had full coverage on Weimar itself and the fully controlled worlds, with the encryption far higher on ID originating from Weimar itself. It is unclear how effective this still is on Weimar itself, however, at this point in time, some varient of the ID system is fully implemented on four of the six Shadows adjacant to Weimar, while the quarantine zone is sufficiently blocked that it is uncertain what is going on there. The ID infrastructure is no-longer in operation on any of the other Shadows previously held by Weimar, including Sarendon, Tankarat and Baledevar, the only remaining Shadows outside the quarantine zone where Weimar has a significant presence, and that is being supplemented by forces of the Reich.
Key Players
Details about all the key players are currently sketchy, however, further intelligence is being gathered.
Ernst Keller, Führer of the Weimar Republik
Born in RY 050 in the Reich Berlin Lebensborn Centre, Keller was a dedicated and promising student, becoming leader of his Lebensborn Platoon at a relatively young age. He was identified as Talented and sent for training at the SS-Schule Haus. After graduating with a Bachelors in Magic he went into active service, proving himself to be an excellent leader, who could inspire a great deal of loyalty and respect in his men. During his service he was given the opportunity to return to the Schule Haus to study for first his Masters and then his Doctorate. He is listed in the Reich records as being a combat and defensive specialist.
He rose to the rank of Obergruppenführer, and was expected to become a Knight of the SS, although that never, in the end, came to pass. He served as 2iC of the Maniran Campaign which Andreas Delatz led for the Reich, leading the Waffen-SS forces during that engagement. He supposedly died in a mortar attack on their field headquarters towards the end of the campaign.
Has been Führer of the Weimar Republik since its establishment.
Sofia Halbeck, Reichsführer-SS
Born in RY 077, Halbeck was an acknowledged daughter of the then head of the Waffen-SS, Joachim Peiper, and followed her father into that branch of the SS, where she served with distinction on several fronts. She was present when her father died in battle in RY 103, and was responsible for bringing his body home to the Reich. She is known to be Talented.
After Peiper's death she transferred to the SD, and after Andreas Delatz arrived on the scene, she was appointed to his personal staff. She accompanied him to Manira, where she was reported killed in battle.
Doktor Dirk Weber,
Oberstgruppenführer Commanding the Forstapo, KSS
Weber was born in RY 030 at the Bremen Lebensborn Centre. He was one of the early luminaries of the Reich Forstapo, rising to become 2iC behind Johan Hartwin, and was appointed as a Knight of the SS in December RY 117. He was one of the top choices to take over as commander of the Forstapo when Hartwin stood down in RY 118, and was somewhat displeased when the job was given to Dominik Gerlinde. From that point onwards, a falling out between them was probably inevitable.
In the end, Weber lost the power struggle. Andreas Delatz kindly offered to assist Gerlinde by making sure that Weber was disgraced and executed, and the latter was declared dead in Autumn RY 125. Gerlinde took his place in the KSS at Winter Solstice.
It has recently been confirmed that Weber is a previously unknown son of HRH Duke Michael of Sable. He has been observed to exhibit substantial abilities as a shapeshifter, and from what has been learned about him, he makes Dominik Gerlinde look positively civilised.
Reichsprotektor Helmut Eckart,
Following the destruction of the shapeshifter KZ on Yavor, Helmut Eckart disappeared from the Shadow. It is not know if he was recalled to Weimar and executed, or if he's off somewhere making his own plans.
Prior to his disappearance, Eckart held the rank of Obergruppenführer in the Weimar Waffen-SS. His specific origins and parentage remain unknown. However, at the height of Weimar's expansion, he was notable for having been the first Reichsprotektor of multiple worlds which had been newly-conquered by Weimar, so at that time, at least, he was obviously high in the confidence of the Führer.