Das Kaiserliche Soldatenreich

In the Kriegsgebiet, only the strong survive. And that was what Heimo der Vereiner sought to be, polishing his skills with blades and rifles in the blood of his enemies, serving under a warlord whose name even he has forgotten. Eventually, he found himself seemingly alone at the top of martial prowess, and reflected upon his experiences. He saw the meek, and the way they survived through servility and supplication, and it disgusted him that such should seem their only choice. Their acceptance of those above them could not make a flourishing society, not here in the Kriegsgebiet, and so Heimo offed his nameless boss and set forth to make a society not of citizens and soldiers, but of citizen-soldiers. Conquering numerous other warlords, he established his kingdom of spartans, forming a constitutional monarchy inspired by old Rome, wherein "citizen" describes one who has served with distinction, and thus is offered the right to run for election and vote in the Landtag. The most bold aspect of the Soldatenreich, however, is its universal military training. To ensure that all of its citizens are capable of standing up for themselves, training begins for both boys and girls at age eight, and slowly continues until they are sixteen. Only time will tell, however, if this militarization of society will make it thrive in the harshness of the Kriegsgebiet, or if it will crash like all the rest.