The establishment of the Iluminado State

[V The King]

The currently unoccupied city of Rio de Janeiro, with several Iluminados vessels anchored or close to the city's port.

"Yeesh, this city sure looks empty.", exclaimed Pedro Russo, a tall, muscular and rather tanned figure with a slightly more pointed ear than usual.

"Humans are usually not that fit at maintaining their own environment.", said di Cavalcanti, a creature looking much alike Pedro, although being somewhat slimmer and smaller yet having the same peculiar ears. "Unfortunately so. Hopefully, we'll be able to turn around this one and at last establish ourselves, ja?"

"Aye, sir. Rio de Janeiro has a majestic scenery, plenty of fertile land by the west of the city, located in a good defensible position due to its hills and has plenty of room for expansion. And it has some decent infrastructure on it, though most of it desperately need repair and/or re-evaluation. The city grew inefficient when it expanded to its height, and I don't think we'll repeat the same mistaken as the Cariocas."

"Of course we won't, Pedro. Anyways, we also have all of those skyscrapers unoccupied, and a plethora of slums to be removed, since they are located in dangerous locations and are full of poorly engineered buildings, anyways. We better get working soon."

The men, who were walking along an abandoned street of Rio, chatted for a little longer in regards to the future of their people as the tropical sun shone in their green suits. Once they seemed to reach a consensus, di Cavalcanti commanded Pedro: "Heed our people". And thus, Pedro moved out a dozen meters, reaching the city's beaches. There, hundreds of thousands, looking somewhat similar to the two previously presented men, crowded the sands. He lifted a megaphone he had with him and spoke very loudly in order to ensure all of his povo heard his call.

"Please, may I have your attention?", The whole of the crowd silenced itself and faced towards him "di Cavalcanti and me have reached a consensus. We shall establish ourselves in Rio de Janeiro. After all, it's empty right now. I'll let you all know we have plenty of work to do - this former metropolis is currently in disarray - roads need to be repaired, residences need to be cleaned, an educational and hospital system must be set, a bureaucracy and whatnot. However, if the whole of us mobilize at once - we can make this a distinct city of ours very swiftly. Oh - Sorry for the abrupt interruption, but I'll now pass the megaphone to our beloved leader, di Cavalcanti. Thanks."

The crowd cheered as Pedro spoke what he had to say, and clapped when di Cavalcanti took the megaphone. Enthusiastically, he initiated his energetic speech.

"My dear people, as my right-arm man said, we still have plenty to do here. Rio de Janeiro must be repaired in order to suit our needs and we need to lay the foundations of our nation here. However, since there are so many of us here, we also need to think about expanding beyond the limits of this human municipality. We need minerals to fuel our industries, fields to yield crops and feed our people, timber to build furniture and homes, and so much more. Once we are one as a nation, then we will march and spread our people to more lands. Keep in mind our current supplies are vast, but will not last forever. Let's get moving! Find the green-suit man closest to you - he'll instruct you on what to do for the following days - onwards, Iluminados!"

All of those present cheered and clapped vigorously. After a minute or so, the applause faded and men, women, boys and girls sought for their respective "green men" - who would then instruct them on what to do next. Instructions included but were not limited to repairing roads, cleaning apartments and houses, demolishing buildings in poor conditions and constructing new ones, removing wastes from the streets, getting power stations or hydroelectric plants online and much more.

Many weeks later...

The efforts by the people produced excellent results: the vast majority of the city had sufficient infrastructure, and nearly all of the folks were in residences - the city that once hosted 10,000,000 humans now has a population of roughly 3,000,000 million Iluminados - a population that is rapidly growing (OOC: Keep in mind that with the multiplier, I can have up to 11,500,000 people, but they'll keep coming till the number is reached) as more Iluminados land in the shores of Rio. Superfluous goods, however, such as TV's, fridges, etc. were scarce though those would be produced as the expanding goods industry established itself - radios, though, were already universal. And this is how the people heard di Cavalcanti's voice, again:

"Thanks to your efforts, the Iluminados now have a functioning living place. And more importantly, our own nation's foundations have been laid - it is with extreme enthusiasm that I formally proclaim the former municipality of Rio de Janeiro the capital of the Estados Iluminados, the whole of the former state of Rio de Janeiro as a political identity of our nation and announce our interest to expand to the frontiers of the former Southern and Southeastern Brazil. Glory to our people!"

The capital is number "67", in brown and the whole area encompasses the Estados Iluminados.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...iodeJaneiro.svg

Localization of the Estados Iluminados within the former Brazilian state - the Estado has asserted Brazil's Southern and Southeastern's boundaries to be within its sphere of influence.

[Maelstrom Vortex]

ooc: Welcome aboard V. Your nation has been sanctioned and Canonized, make sure your claim is staked in the map thread.

Edited February 13, 2009 by Maelstrom Vortex

[V The King]

OOC: Thanks, Mael.

IC:

Inside a small conference room somewhere in downtown Rio, di Cavalcanti, Pedro Russo and several trusted advisors were deciding what exactly the newly founded State was going to do. The furniture-less, white-walled room forced the men inside it to do nothing but think and discuss the future. Hours were spent doing such, and a consensus was eventually reached. At the end of the meeting, Pedro Russo summarized the outcome.

"Alrighty, folks. So, the plan is as the following: we must spread our population all over the Estado in order to reinforce our claims to the region, and additionally, to extract natural resources and such. We've done a fair share of scouting, and discovered most of the state was vacant. However, there are several key cities that are still occupied by Humans (who seem to be facing anarchy), who were extremely hostile to our scouts and opened fired against them (though we had no casualties). Hence, we must dispatch troops to those areas in order to secure them for ourselves and either convince the humans to cooperate or face war and be forcibly expelled from our lands."

"A mostly sound plan.", commented di Cavalcante

"Oh, and one more thing.", Pedro reminded the listeners. "Remember I've mentioned that I sent a few men, who looked just like humans, to infiltrate the occupied cities and inform us of their status? I do have radio contact with them. Shall we hear what Bruno, the field commander of the operation, has to say?"

The audience nodded their heads.

"So, allow me to get their signal." Pedro removed a radio receptor from his jacket and placed it in the table. The signal was weak, however, and static was commonplace.

"Bzzzt"

"Bzzzt"

"Bzzzzt... Contato.. Fun...cionando? Bzzt"

"We can hear you, Bruno."

"Th...at's good! Well, what can I... tell Bzzit... you, Pedro?"

"di Cavalcanti and our advisors can hear you. Tell us what is the status of the still occupied cities: Macaé, Resende, Itaperuna, Campos and Teresópolis"

"I see... Well... Macaé seems to be... Bzzt... in a piss-poor condition. Residents have low morale, though they have some... Bzzzt... static artillery... doubt they... have...Bzzt... shells, though. Will fold easily. Likewise with Itaperuna and Resen... Bzzt...de, morale is very low and citizens are ill-equipped. Tere...Bzzt...sópolis is well defended with fortifications and loca...Bzzt...ted in a mountain, though...Bzzt... the inhabitants are very low... Bzzt... on supply. Campos... will be the toughest... Bzzt... nut to crack... plenty of firearms depots... Bzzt... and morale is fairly decent... Bzzt..."

"Which ones shall we strike first?"

"Bzzt... the easiest ones, of course... Bzzt... then move on to Teresó...Bzzzt...polis, and lastly, wham on Campos... Bzzt... we can use our mighty navy...Bzzt... to raze them."

"Great, thanks a lot for the information, Bruno. Keep in touch with your agents. We will need you when we carry out the attacks. I'll contact you when needed."

"Aye, sir. I'll... Bzzt... end the conversation... 'Till later!"

"Bzzzt"

Those present were quite amazed to see that Bruno managed to acquire valuable information in regards to the occupied cities, and more so at his ability to sum them up well. Indeed, now there was little more to be said.

"Well, di Cavalcanti?"

"It's time to move out. I'll assemble our Army, Air Force and Navy. We will simultaneously attack Resende, Teresópolis and Itaperuna first, then move out into Macaé and Campos. It'll be easier to supply our forces that way - and they'll be shorter apart. You'll come with me, Pedro. Expect Resende and Itaperuna to be a walk in the park, but Teresópolis might be harder."

"And, our dear advisors, keep the civil government running while we're gone. Ja?"

"Yes, sir.", they collectively stated in unison.

...

On the following day, roughly 100,000 troops and 2,000 tanks left Rio de Janeiro for Resende and Itaperuna, and another 100,000 and 2,000 for Teresópolis. The Air Force would give significant support for the troops in the former cities, while it'd heavily attack the later, since it had stiffer defenses. On the meanwhile, the Navy would in advance soften up and potentially induce the surrender of Macaé and Campos.

[V The King]

OOC: RP'ing something else on the meanwhile

IC: The Iluminados are descendants of elves and humans who lived together in a region called Luz do Dia (judged to be Southern and Southeastern Brazil), thus making them half-elves and half-humans. The vast majority (98%) are mixed between the two races, while there are a few distinctly elfish (1%), and several distinctly human (1%), though fully associated with the Iluminado way of life.

Mixed Iluminados, a common sight in the Iluminado state

Elfic Iluminados

Portraits of ancient and modern Human Iluminados

Due to the overall fusion of the two races, the Iluminados generally have some traits unique to both elves and humans embedded into them. Per instance, they live and remain younger for longer than usual humans, but do not outlive regular elves. They also have keener senses, are more spiritual and are more adaptable to night conditions. However, the mixing with humans mostly eroded their original strong empathy with nature, and are very urban. Though the Iluminados still have great concerns about the environment, nature and animals, they are nowhere near as close to nature as regular elves are.

The Iluminados are renowned for generally being peace mongers, keen architects, great thinkers and quite conscious about nature when considering non-elvish races. However, as of now, the Iluminados are waging war against humans still occupying the claimed Estado Iluminado, though first pursuing their surrender.

[Shadowsage]

OOC: Welcome to South America! I hope you're not claiming any more of my territory?

[V The King]

OOC: Welcome to South America! I hope you're not claiming any more of my territory?

OOC: I'll tag along by the south, I don't think I'll claim any of your territory.

[Shadowsage]

OOC:

Since you're the only other South American Nation, can I expect good relations? Or will you be totally creeped out by my people?

[V The King]

OOC:

Since you're the only other South American Nation, can I expect good relations? Or will you be totally creeped out by my people?

OOC: Certainly. My dudes are chill with other races, though some may look like Godzilla.

Anyways, enough OOC.

[V The King]

Battle of Resende

The city of Resende

"Rendam-se, ou serão bombardeados, invadidos, derrotados e submetidos! (Surrender or you'll be shelled, invaded, defeated and submitted!)"

That was the sole warning General Carlos Dutra gave to the citizens of Resende through a highly amplified megaphone and radio transmissions, beforehand, pamphlets were airdropped warning of the arrival of the Iluminados and asking the population to surrender.

When no one came forward, or left the city, or contacted General Dutra, or did anything, he ordered the dozens of MRLS's surrounding the city to open fire against all possible points of defense and production of supplies. In a matter of minutes, the city's heavy industries were highly damaged, and most of the frail fortifications within city limits were little more than rubble. Moments after the strikes were called off, a small convoy of jeeps bearing a huge white flag drove off the city, and sped towards the Iluminado Army. It was the city's mayor.

As the mayor met Dutra, peace negotiations were carried out, and a settlement was soon reached. The whole current population of the city would be expelled to Goiás, some 1,000 KM away from their current location, though the Iluminados would provide vehicles and supplies in order to speed up the re-location. The citizens of Resende had a week to move off the city. Victory was declared within a few hours.

The non-Battle of Itaperuna

The city of Itaperuna

Colonel Machado, surprisingly enough, had an easier time than his higher ranked counterpart in Resende. All he had to do in order to secure victory was to enter straight into the city with his 50,000 odd men and hundreds of tanks, for he knew resistance would be frail, and he might even not need to put up a fight that day. He marched all the way to the city hall without firing a single shot. In front of the building, he delivered a swift speech, promising that the humans residing in the city would be compensated if they all also moved to Goiás. The mayor, knowing fighting would be utterly futile, reluctantly accepted the proposal of receiving a reasonable amount of funds and basic goods in exchange for the evacuation of the city, within the typical a-week time frame.

Machado conquered Itaperuna without having to cause any loss of blood - or not - he slit his right index finger when he poorly handled the sword he rose high in the air in order to signal victory.

The Battle of Teresópolis

The city of Teresópolis

This time, the Iluminado Army met some resistance.

General Túlio marched up the Serra dos Órgãos in order to reach the city. The march was slow due to the narrow roads, which allowed for little maneuvers and speed. After many hours, though, most of the army had made their way to the outskirts of the city. At first glance, it looked like the occupation of Teresópolis would be just as easy as the former two, since no citizen fired a shot. However, as Túlio's men marched closed to the city's center, machine gun nests, road blocks and even a sizable artillery piece were set up in the upcoming streets. This meant that the humans in the city were not willing to giving their homes.

Túlio ordered the careful advance of his troops through the city, and attempted to spare as many lives as possible. Bitter house-to-House fight ensued, which ended up resulting in many casualties for the defending side anyways due to greatly inferior technology and poor combat skills. Air strikes were ordered to take out exposed nests and barricades, while a special team would capture the city's artillery piece.

Firefights were very intense throughout the day, with many homes being heavily damaged as a result of intense shelling by small arms and occasional strikes by tanks or bombers. Casualties on both sides piled up, and the city's infrastructure ended up being quite damaged by the air strikes on the streets. At the end of the day, roughly 102 enemy combatants died while 998 were injured, while 9 Iluminados died and 229 were injured, according to official numbers. The city's mayor broadcast a message to General Túlio, asking for a peace negotiation. The General offered the very same terms as his colleagues did beforehand, and the settlement in Teresópolis was the same as in Resende and Itaperuna.

Towards Macaé and Campos

Now, the human populations had to be supervised while moving into their new home, far away from the Iluminado State. 40,000 troops in total will occupy the cities while the citizens pack up, and in a coordinated effort, nearly all of those will escort the residents to Goiás at the end of the week. while a few garrison the cities, which are to be occupied and revitalized by Iluminados as soon as the former residents take their leave.

Now Dutra, Machado and Túlio are all marching towards Macaé while the Navy softens up the city, which is expected to fall on the following day. However, Campos is expected to not capitulate so easily. It is estimated at least a week will be needed in order to submit the city.

Black: Dutra's Army

Orange: Tulio's Army

Pink: Machado's Army

Red: Nau Iluminada

[Subtleknifewielder]

OOC: Another using elf/human hybrids, eh? but they are a significantly higher portion of your population--in mine they're only about 5%. I can't remember the exact figure.

[V The King]

OOC: Another using elf/human hybrids, eh? but they are a significantly higher portion of your population--in mine they're only about 5%. I can't remember the exact figure.

OOC: I see. I RP a centuries-old society of humans and elves, hence the extremely high proportion of those.

Also, I totally forgot to carry on this RP. trouble in CNRP.

IC:

Macaé:

The city of Macaé as seen from the sky

The sheer strength of the Iluminado army, the shore bombardments and the encirclement of the city led to an easier-than-expected victory over Macaé. The city's defensive emplacements and factories came under heavy artillery, bomber and battleship fire, crippling the defender's ability to fight back. As troops moved into the city, white flags could be seen all over - it was clear that the humans did not wish to fight against an exponentially strong enemy. Soon, a peace recognition was signed with Macaé's ruling council, giving them exactly the same terms as the previous cities. Although personnel casualty on both sides was small, the city's infrastructure was left heavily damage - maybe not a great move for the Iluminados, since their expectations was to occupy and make use of the city.

Campos:

Campos dos Goytacazes, before being burned by its retreating citizens

After securing victory at Macaé and leaving a small garrison behind, Dutra, Tulio and Machado marched on together towards Campos, the last non-Iluminado stronghold in the State. After hours of march, the army made it to the city. To the generals' surprise, however, the city was found to be wholly abandoned and burning - not a single living soul, aside from insects and lesser animals, roamed the city. It is assumed that the humans were warned beforehand of the Iluminado advanced and in order to avoid potential deaths and defeat, they retreated somewhere, taking what they could with them and set fire to most buildings so the State could not take advantage of them.

The generals decided to let the fire run its course, while preventing it from spreading out to the wilderness - they'd rebuild the city in full - there was no use on saving burning buildings - it'd be less of a hassle to build modern constructions over them than combat the fire than do repairs.

Back to Rio:

With another garrison left behind, the army made its way back to the capital. The complete take over of the area was announced, and the army paraded through the streets of Rio de Janeiro as an enthusiastic crowd cheered wildly, content that their military supremacy over the region has been confirmed - and isolated cities could not fight against such a superior race.

Now, with RJ secured, it was time to move on - towards the whole Southeast.

The Reconquista:

In the following days, the Iluminados assembled a 400,000 strong army, dozens of squadrons of modern fighters and bombers plus the Nau Iluminada. Such a strong force was needed to ensure the swift conquest of the Southeast. It included three former states: Espírito Santo, São Paulo and Minas Gerais. All of them are considered to be "holy" to the Iluminados, as it is widely believed that it was on those areas that their society was born.

The same generals were to command the army. Túlio was assigned to conquer Espírito Santo and the most remote areas of Minas Gerais with 70,000 men, 20 vessels and 15 air squadrons (Grupo Iluminado do Leste - GIL). Machado was assigned to take over the rest of Minas Gerais with 150,000 men and 40 air squadrons (Grupo Iluminado do Norte - GIN ). Lastly, Dutra ended up with the biggest fish, being assigned 180,000 men, 55 air squadrons and 45 vessels in order to claim São Paulo (Grupo Iluminado do Oeste - GIO ).

The grand plan was simplistic: each army group would first seek to deal decisive blows to major population centers and force surrenders in order send a clear message to the rest of the given state that resistance against the Iluminados was futile - it is then expected that most mayors/leaders/whatever across the area would communicate with the generals in order to surrender in peace. Then, those resisting would be dealt in the same fashion as before - a major show of power in order to convince surrender. Bloodshed would be avoided as much as possible in order to not incite patriotism and feelings of revenge, while material damage would be maximized in order to force surrenders and reduce morale.

1) GIL

2) GIN

3) GIO

Expected Iluminado control by the end of the operations