“Ein Reich, Ein Volk, Ein Führer”

The first signs that there may be an enemy presence of Reich-like inclinations, relatively close to Sable, were first spotted in May 152, when a small force staged an incursion on the world of Canchester. At that time, Sable forces were unable to take any prisoners. Further attacks on both Sable and the Reich were recorded in the years that followed, causing both realms to double-down on their efforts to identify the origin of the perpetrators.

The Weimar Republik, and associated Weimar Bloc were discovered by Sable agents in September SY 155. Preliminary investigations ascertained that the Weimar Republik had taken control of eight worlds, and had a significant presence in another fourteen. The core of the Bloc was Weimar itself, and the six Shadows adjacent to it. Weimar was protected by an impenetrable arcane/technological hybrid barrier, with elements of both the old Maniran Broken Pattern (which is now assumed to be the New Ocenia variant) and the Machine, and secondary barriers had been erected around the six adjacent worlds.

A serious intelligence gathering operation by the Sable SIS ensued (with the Reich beginning its own investigations in Spring 156).

By December 156, Sable and the Technocracy had established a military presence in the area, while the Reich took the alternative route of establishing an official government Consulate and a Forstapo branch office.

The information below was accurate as of 31 January SY 158. The situation post 1 February SY 158 is less clear.

Recent Developments

Brief History

The Weimar Republik was set up in Veil 22 by Ernst Keller as Führer  and Sofia Halbeck as RFSS, two previously unacknowledged scions of the Sable/Reich royal families,  assisted by Raymond Syke and a representative of the remains of the Brotherhood of the Marytr, names Carlos de Real. It was an off-the-books, private operation which he ran to see how it might develop away from Rupert’s influence.

To solidify the Republik further, Keller and Halbeck, helped by Syke and de Real, devised a way to build a central Power, using ritual magic, Blood, and the channelling ability of the Maniran Broken Pattern, which they believed would not be detected by King Robert or RFSS Delatz. In the event, they were proven correct, and inscribed the Muster at the heart of the Weimar Republik: a serviceable, relatively complete Power that was not locked to a particular Bloodline.

Once the Muster was created, Weimar started to expand, moving onto the Shadows around it, and formed a Reich-style nexus out in Shadow (see External Landholdings ). It was around this time that Helmut Eckart came to prominence as an “arcane consultant” to Keller and Halbeck, and over the years, he edged out Carlose de Real in that position. De Real did remain involved to a lesser degree, as did Raymond Syke. In  subsequent years, Weimar remained an isolationist nation, working for self-sufficiency through the conquest of the surrounding Shadows.

At the time of its discovery by Sable forces, it continued to believe that Sable is the enemy, and also showed some hostility towards the Reich, due to mistrust at the signing of the Sable-Reich Armistice.

By the end of January 158, it had become apparent that the balance of power had changed among the three key players. Keller, Halbeck, Eckart and de Real continued to co-operate, but Syke had departed from the picture and his whereabouts are unknown. Keller and Helmut Eckart was based mainly on Weimar itself, while Halbeck and the Waffen-SS under Lena Steiner were active in the Shadows around it. The two worlds adjacent to Weimar itself that were previously in the Quarantine Zone, Lichtenau and Todtnauand, were recaptured.

Geography

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.

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.

There is something of a Kuche, Kinder, Kirche attitude to women in certain circles, but women certainly aren’t prevented from rising to positions of authority, as evidenced by RFSS Halbeck and Waffen-SS commander Steiner.

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 Gruppenführer Johannes Hirsch and the Forstapo. It has not yet been ascertained how the Forstapo recruit new members.

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.

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. 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.

Politics

The Weimar Republik is a military dictatorship under Führer Ernst Keller, and his two most trusted advisors: RFSS Sofia Halbeck and Helmut Eckart. 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.

Other important personalities include:

  • NSWAP Chairman, Dr Hans von Karlstein
  • Waffen-SS Oberstgruppenführer Lena Steiner
  • Johannes Hirsch, Gruppenführer Commanding the Weimar Forstapo
  • Doktor Alfred Weber, Forstapo Genetics Consultant
  • Carlos de Real

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.

As of 31 January 158, New Oceania had full diplomatic relations with the Weimar Republik, and the Reich had established a small Consulate.

Military

The Weimar military is exclusively Waffen-SS, under Oberstgruppenführer 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 afterwards, 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 Ausland-SD isn’t a separate division. The current head of the Reichssicherheitshauptamt is Oberstgruppenführer-SD Fabian Auer.

The Weimar Republik is a strongly expansionist power, and the military, in combination with wielders of the Weimar Power, had conquered a number of Shadows in the thirty-odd years between establishment of the Republik and its discovery by Sable agents.

Further details on its External Landholdings from its discovery in August SY 155 to 31 January SY 158 can be found here.

Information gleaned after 1 February SY 155 can be found here.