The Kingdom of Vacuo

The Fallen Empire

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Introduction

Despite winning the Great War, Vacuo has been declining in significance and power for the last century. This is mostly to due to Vacuo drying up more then usual with yearly losses in rain fall. Various other ecological disasters, terrible economic and government policy. Vacuo has also been ruthlessly extorted by the SDC with it worsening the most under Jacque Schnee. About 10 years before the fall of Beacon, Vacuo slid into civil war between the Kingdom and the White Fang.
Since the fall of Beacon, the Kingdom has been nearing it's demise as the White Fang Undeterred by the Black Fang get closer and closer. Even the SDC has abandoned the fallen Kingdom, turning much of the desert wastes into endless warzone between competing factions and Raiders as well as regular Grimm attacks. Despite it's condition, regular expeditions are made into Vacuo to explore it's ancient ruins and pluck it's heritage for foreign museums.
The world has taken all it could from the Kingdom, and now the world indifferently watches it die, bit by bit. Only One Man, One Academy and One Dream is enough to take this Hopeless situation and reforge what used to be one of the Wealthiest, Diverse and Beautiful Nations in the World.

Government

No such thing really exists any longer, since the fall of the Noble Houses and the loss of Vacuo's Riches. The Schnee Dust Company has been unofficially ruling the Kingdom via Proxy Government but has since abandoned it wholly. Since then, Vacuo has been scrambling to maintain some level of organisation managed by exclusively Shade Academy with Vacuo possessing no Council nor any ruling family. As such it is a loose confederation of Provisional and Transitional Governments. Their Best allies is Vale however Vale routinely thinks more about itself since the Days of the Great War then the health and wellbeing of it's once powerful neighbour.
As such, Vacuo treaties more with Menagerie and unintegrated Vacite City States like New Vacuo.

Shade Academy and Theodore

To Explain, Vacuo is a recently abandoned Colony which was a process that started long before Volume 1. When the Government collapsed, Warlords attempted to take over the Nation and in certain places that did occur but in Vacuo, One Man stood up and took over and that was Theodore of Vacuo. He and a list of other Academy Staff transitioned into a Provisional Government and used their hunters to defeat the Warlords taking over Vacuo City and from there Theodore has been coordinating the reunification and reconstruction of Vacuo which is why he is seemingly absent from the Story's Events and the fight against Salem.
In reality; Salem already retrieved Shade's Relic in the Chaos and has already dedicated a force to destroy the Kingdom. Meaning for most of the Volumes, The Government and Shade is concerned exclusively with holding off the Grimm, the Civil Wars, the Warlords and any other disaster. Even without the Relic, Vacuo is a vertitable beacon of hope within the Nation as it is one of the largest and healthiest factions in the Fallen Empire. That said, the Interim Government struggles with corruption and sedition regularly.
This is why Theodore has a low opinion of Ozpin because he sees the continued Failure to aid Shade Academy as Evidence that the Secret Order protecting Remnant don't truly care for Vacuo and more care for it's Relic. Whitecliffe Strategic Anyalysts have stated however, that Vacuo's Defences would make it an optimal Last bastion should the Grimm ever overwhelm Humanity due to it's sloped terain, effective layered defences and finally it's wealth of water, materials and nearby Dust Mega Extrators.

Economy

Vacuo before the Civil war made about 70,000 Lien of GDP, after the fall it barely makes a single coin. The Economy is entirely barter based or just straight up Raiding and pillaging. No major companies exist outside of a dwindling list of local companies still alive, trying all they can to turn some kind of profit. Mass poverty plagues the Kingdom only making civil war last longer.
Even many of the occupied regions are still full of warlords and insurgencies trying to free themselves or slaughter each other. The factories have barely been running and most things are handmade with a worsening food and water crisis only making the fighting worse. The Grimm also choke out what little wealth the country once had, by overrunning it's mines and preventing people from getting new ores or getting more Dust.

Economic Aid and Investment

By Late Volume 6, Whitecliffe and Mistral intervene on the Vacuo Situation by collaborating a Economic Aid package worth a few billion Lien to directly inject into the Vacuo Economy. Despite troubles, Team CFVY and SSUN Actually do manage to guard the transfer with security and immediately the money was put into rebuilding defences and infrastructure as well as reviving the practically dead Markets of the City. With the Various Enclaves and Bastions also seeing some investments, the Kingdom has put a lot of money into making Vacuo City the best City in vacuo.
Some Railway investments have also been made with the Line between Vacuo and Shady Sands on the Vale Border being revived via Contractors from Whitecliffe. Still despite the Aid, most experts believe it'll take 20 years before Vacuo as a Kingdom can reach a balanced Income - Cost Ratio and even longer for the Supplyline to fix.

The Shade Model

The Shade Model is an Economic plan devised by Mistriss Xanthe Rumpole which works with the new barter and trade Economy of the Kingdom by establishing the currency and using it to invest in the guilds which make the products that is sold in the markets. The Shade Model is designed to be a Multi-leveled Mixed Market System that focuses on Development-in-Depth. Rather then rushing to rebuild an entire country from scratch, they are rebuilding Vacuo City and then it's surrounding areas. The Hope is that by Developing areas in Depth, the Domino Effect will naturally expand and better the rest of the Kingdom's Future.

Military

Vacuo used to house a great Army in the Great War but since then, Warlordism, Civil Wars, infighting and the Grimm has eroded that army into dust with the Shade Huntsmen and Huntresses being the last vestige of that army. Nowadays Vacuo is protected by a large number of Isolated Militias and Groups with Vacuo City itself having it's own Shade-Led Paramilitary group called the Sandshaper Militia that defends the city so the Hunters can focus on the grimm and other settlements. The Militaries normally use Asymmetrical Warfare with Highly fortified locations dispersed around the territory for area control.
The Technology of these Militias also tends to vary but most if not all are using Scav-Tech taken from SDC wrecks and Supply Caches. As such the Vacite Soldiers tend to seem unadvanced compared to the highly futuristic Militaries like Whitecliffe and Atlas but they're still very capable fighters. If only these Militias didn't have a tendency on fighting each other for power, wealth and resources.

Demographics

Vacuo for a century has had rising birth rates and decreasing amounts of opportunity and available resources leading to waves of severe refugee crisis' and unbelievable amounts of in fighting, crime and instability. About 23 years ago the Vacuo census stopped being held as there was far too many people to count in such densely packed areas and far too little means to count and question them all.
It's believed that about 160 Million - 370 million people are stuck living in the Kingdom all left with nowhere else to go but somehow scratch out a living for themselves. Vacuo is also home to the 2nd highest Faunus Population in the world with Menagerie beating them out. Because of all these Factors, it is likely that the average age in Vacuo is somewhere around 25 Years Old with many people dying by mid to late 30s. This is also the nation that regularly (and Understandably) Generates the most refugee Crisises in the world, with thousands per day either flooding the Vale Border or trying to get to the Major Cities like New and old Vacuo, Schist, Kenyte and a few others.

Geography

The long history of mismanagement, decadence, extortion and exploitation has left the once lush and rich Kingdom in total ruins. The land is now populated with vast dry deserts, large craggy rock mountains and ever dwindling oasis's. What made Vacuo so powerful in the past is it's massive Dust veins however the Grimm have largely cut these off from any attempt to acquire it.
Even if Vacuo got it's self together, somehow overcoming the terrible geography, the environmental catastrophes and the ever-growing numbers of Grimm. The Dust embargo would make profit completely impossible. Their Proximity to the fallen Kingdom of Astora also makes them 80x more likely to be attacked by Grimm. Luckily the terrain lends itself quite well to defence. This is done by building settlements usually on raised terrain where Defenders can use the slopes to defend easier. Many Settlements are also built on Rocky Formations, so Blind Worms tend to harass them less.
Long Winding Roads tend to stretch along the coasts with the railways which suits just fine because Desert Greenery tends to blossom here leading to more wildlife and enabling Hunters and farmers some space to produce goods. Finally, the Kingdom still has massive reserves of untapped subterranean water that is often patrolled by Underground Grimm but providing a faction can hold them off, a Gorup can become very wealthy Water Merchants and sell it to others. So while Vacuo is a very hostile place, there is ways the prospecting and persistent can make a living.

Culture

"Vacuo: The Wrong Place at the Wrong Time" and "A Terrible Place to Visit, but You Wouldn't Want to Live Here."

A lack of formal governance for most of their history has given Vacuans a disregard for laws and order. However, they live by the philosophy that anyone who is able to survive the harsh conditions of Vacuo is welcome to live among them, though there is a limit to this. When Fox's uncle Copper was murdered, the other members of their tribe killed the murderer upon catching him. This acceptance may also extend to Faunus, which could indicate that there is less racial discrimination in Vacuo compared to the other Kingdoms.
Additionally, Vacuans often form settlements and nomadic tribes, to avoid Grimm. Tribes can become extended families, such as Fox's tribe, Kenyte who raised him communally after his parents were killed and whom he explicitly thinks of as "his family." Despite their general disdain for official legal structures, the realities of so many people living together can force them to pick a leader from among them, such as Slate, the mayor of Tuff. These tribes occasionally merge to move in large groups. The Outwards displays of emotion are looked down upon by nomads, as they attract Grimm.
Certain phrases have different meanings in Vacuo, for example, "I'll take a rain check" is the equivalent to the phrase "when pigs fly." Additionally, Vacuans use expressions when talking about natural conditions, including: Wasting Winds (sandstorms), Misery's Kiss (sunstroke), Lasting Regret (food poisoning), and Sudden Demise (giant sinkholes).
However, in the City of Vacuo, the locals tends to have a different shade as compared to the nomadic desert tribes. Reminiscent to the Great War, citizens within the city are resentful towards other Kingdoms, only begrudgingly accepting people from Vale. This is particularly notable in Shade students, who caused an uproar at Professor Theodore opening Shade to more students from fallen academies.
Source: https://rwby.fandom.com/wiki/Vacuo
Progress has been slow with Professor Theodore working hard to bring his profession new life. Still most Hunters do not go to the academies and still train the olden ways.
The phrase "This is Vacuo" or "TIV" as well as "No Future" has become potently relevant in Vacuo as most accept, regardless of who controls what, This is Vacuo and there is no hope for change.

Festivals & Practices

Despite the dire situation of the Locals, there is a pretty active culture. Complete with musicians, Artists, Writers and Thinkers. Holidays in Vacuo tend to be sporadic and vary between settlements. For instance when a Town survives a major Grimm Attack they tend to make that day Their Survival anniversary Day until the next big attack. Vacite Culture is often experienced in the big public places such as Bazaars, Plazas, Temples and Bars. When Celebrations are had, it is not uncommon for Vacites to dress in big popping colours as many Vacites still love and value Expressionism and colours in their culture and many of their Festivals resemble that.
Interestingly, due to the fragmented nature of Vacuo, cities and Enclaves tend to develop their own culture and practices over time. For instance, Yuodana engages in Free Marriage and Polyamory while places like Kenyte do not. Vacuo itself is often a mishmash of these various cultures as it has a bunch of Settlements surrounding it called 'Enclaves' and 'Bastions' which is basically what happens when you have refugees stuck in your city, it goes on so long that their Shanty towns and camps become so formalised, so developed that they just become a part of Vacuo.
Vacuo tends to be a very accepting place, with problems normally being about your Alignment with certain factions rather then things you cannot alter or change. Vacuo is one of the least racist Nations out there and as a result they are pretty much the number 1 source for growth when it comes to Faunus peoples as Vacuo doesn't engage in the same sort of practices used by other Kingdoms to suppress minority groups.

The Tradition of Hunting and Surviving by Your Own Means

May you find peace within the sands...

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Capital

Vacuo

Alternative Names

The Free Kingdom, Fallen Champions, Fallen Liberators, Corporate Property

Demonym

Vacuans

Ruling Organization

Shade Academy

Leader Title

Interim Governor

Head of State

Theodore of Vacuo

Head of Government

Mistress Xanthe Rumpole

Government System

Democracy, Presidential

Power Structure

Provisional government

Economic System

Barter system

Currency

Lien, Mostly bartering

Location

Founder's Oasis

Official Languages

• Vacite
• Valish

Related Professions

• Hunter

Neighboring Nations

• The Kingdom of Vale

Notable Members

• Nolan Porifiro
• Theodore of Vacuo

Related Species

• Faunus
• Humans

Related Historical Events

• 72 AGW
  Vacuo Financial Crisis
• 4 AGW
  Vacuo's Great Depression
• 0 BGW
  The end of the Great War

Vacuo was once the host of one of the most powerful Nations in the pre-Great War Period with vast deserts concealing these ancient ruins, relics and statues. Archaeologists have spent billions of Lien retrieve this archaic knowledge and record though in recent times, the Friction between Vacuo and the White Fang and ongoing Raider problems have led most of these ruins either becoming fully abandoned, Grimm infested or bases for Insurgent and Militant groups to use in order to grab their slice of this Dead Empire.

Vacuo as a Landmass has use of Modern Remnant Technology but it is different from the Cold-Mass manufactured technology of the SDC. Rather, Vacuo's Tech production comes from the Wrenchers. A Series of guilds that scavenge, put to together and sell technology. There is also a widespread tradition of Scavving within this culture meaning that everyone is highly likely to have various sets of skills. A commonly famous saying for Vacites is, "If you can Think it, you can Make it."

Vacuo used to have a large connected network of Oasis and Rivers that fed water across the desert and made the environment much Greener but due to various circumstances many of these legendary sites have dried up with some not even knowing where the Rivers originally wrested. Water is a much more precious commodity in Vacuo these days.

Though Vacuo hosts its own Hunter's Academy, about 72.8% of Hunters have not received or did not complete a full education and were trained by experience, Veterans and from scratch. As such, it is not uncommon for Vacite Hunters to use very hodge-podge and mixed equipment and semblances. 
They also have some of the toughest Hunters in the world with the 2nd Highest K:D Ratio of all the National Hunter Statistics but this makes sense as Vacuo also has the smallest number of hunters in the world with many who are not cut out for it dying or stepping away for other life paths.

Throughout the Course of the Stories from Vol 1-6 , The SDC is withering in Vacuo, despite ludicrous amounts of investments from Dust Mega Extractors to manipulation of the Government. The simple erosion of time and instability in Vacuo sees the SDC fully depart Vacuo leaving behind abandoned, Occupied or reclaimed Facilities. Some Groups leverage these facilities to the Vacuo Government to produce power in return for Food, water and weapons.

Grimm Blind Worms are very common in Vacuo and recently surrounding Sandy areas, often carrying Grimm pools and deploying groups of enemies. The Vacuo Hunter always dreams of fighting these creatures for their Crimson Pods, which can be used to Breed Grimm and give Vacite Beastmasters a new army. When not being hunted, Grimm Worms often menace groups trying to cross the deserts which is why most railways and major roads run along the coasts as Blind Worms tend to not like water. Some experts believed that Blind Worms used to not be that common back when there were Lakes and Rivers in Vacuo.

Beastmasters are somewhat Unique forms of Hunters in Vacuo, they tend to use Nature and the Elements against the True enemies including and more rarely, specially bred and modified Grimm that can be used to sense and hunt other Grimm. Beastmastery according to legend comes from the times of the Silver-Eyed Warriors where one legendary Vacite Hunter, Named the Sandstrider used his wits and powers to manipulate and use nature against the Grimm. He is said to be the inspiration though few don't know when the first Grimm Beastmasters came about. 
The Practice is often attributed to Burkis the Foolhardy who rode a Grimm Beowulf to and From Vale and Vacuo on regular hunts before being slain by the Great Sleeping one, A Giant Legendary Blind Worm said to be in the deep dunes.

The Conclusion of the Great War was fought in the Great Dunes before Vacuo, to this day, a Statue of King Arthur Lionheart. The last Great king of Vale is standing there though highly damaged from stand storms and the passage of time. There is also a lot of Stone formations nearby that used to memorialize all the soldiers and people who gave their lives to bring the world peace. Sadly much like their Statues and Memorials, their Sacrifice has been spurned by the modern world.

Investment & Tension

The Republic of Whitecliffe

50

The Kingdom of Vacuo

10

Whitecliffe pours lots of Lien into development and aid into Vacuo even if it has a muted effect due to circumstances in Vacuo. Vacuo however doesn't trust Whitecliffe due to their Counter Terrorist interventions and ideological approach to Geopolitics.
Many slavers in Vacuo are also infuriated over Whitecliffe's hard line stance against Slavery.