Chicago Kingdom

The Chicago Kingdom is one of the most powerful nations in the world after the outbreak, as of 2028. It was founded in 2026 on April 27th, during the sixth day of the outbreak, when Illinois - which in the 2010s switched its capital to Chicago - seceded from the United States. At the time, it put Governor Charlie Moore in charge, making him the first king. It was the first of the nations to form that then survived into the post-outbreak age, and has a large army. It also has developed a unique culture, even though it has only had two years of existence, about.

History
The Chicago Kingdom was founded by Charlie Moore on April 27th, 2026, six days after the Plague of Death﻿ began. It was not recognized by the still collapsing United States, but in May 2026 began to expand out from Illinois. By May 14th, it expanded north, conquering Michigan and Wisconsin, which were in a state of anarchy at the time. The expansion of the Chicago Kingdom was rapid, but in late May, the outbreak hit Chicago, the capital. In response, the capital relocated to Springfield temporarily, but it was still known as the Chicago Kingdom.

By June 2nd, the Chicago Kingdom had conquered Minnesota and Iowa as well, in the west, and was expanding north into Canada. To the east, it was also spreading, and by June 10th it had as far east as Ohio. Unfortunately, not all these newly conquered people, who for the most part were in anarchy but some had been forming city-states, were happy with the Chicago Kingdom for its rapid expanse﻿. This resulted in a successful assassination of King Moore on June 14th, The next king was the current king, King Austin Adler, who was at the time the son-in-law of King Moore. King Adler was more aggressive in his expanse, and ignored the sovereignty of Quebec, sending the Chicagoan Army north to conquer north, through former-Ontario up to the Hudson, and then conquering Quebec as well. He sent his army east to the sea, before the Congressional Meeting of July 2026 voted a stop of the expansion, claiming that the army had spread too thin.

It was during July 2026, that Chicago fell to the outbreak. In the first week of August the 14th week of the outbreak, the group from "New America" (New America itself has never been found by any scouts from the Chicago Kingdom, and is believed to have collapsed or been destroyed at one point or another. It has been rumored to be between Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, but there has been no official report on its location, or even official evidence of its existence) named Group 13 had entered the city. They found the city overran on August 5th, and after regrouping attempted to find any citizens left. However, in the process, they destroyed the Willis Tower, and upon their departure a carpet bombing from unknown origins took place, which has been attributed to The Remnants when they were made contact with later that month, and reported to have several weapons.

The bombs dropped on Chicago had at least two nuclear bombs, resulting in fallout in several parts of the city, but the Chicago Kingdom had several radiation suits, that it gave to its army to rebuild the city. Within four months, New Chicago had been built on the ruins of Old Chicago, and the New Chicago Police Department was formed by Commander in Chief Jack Lee. When the capital was moved to New Chicago, King Adler and his Congress managed to create the first province lines for the Kingdom, splitting it into several provinces. The Provinces were:


 * Map_of_the_Chicago_Kingdom.pnggo, which is darker green


 * Michigan, the lighter green


 * Iowa, the darker blue


 * Wisconsin, the lighter blue


 * Hudson, which is partly Manitoba and Ontario, north to the Hudson


 * Ontario, the gold


 * New York, the purple


 * Maine, which covers more Canadian land than Maine


 * South Quebec, in red


 * North Quebec, in orange

This dividing process resulted in a new system, where the government had a new sub-division - the Cabinet, which included two men or women from each of the Provinces. King Adler did not give up any power though, and the Cabinet merely gave input to him from the perspectives of his subject. King Adler's birthday, on October 23rd, was celebrated as a national holiday in the Chicago Kingdom, and he declared that "King Day" would always be on the birthday of the current king, in the Chicago Kingdom. It was the first National Holiday in the Chicago Kingdom.

It was the winter of 2026 that scientists in the Chicago Kingdom found that the majority of infected of Walkers Syndrome hibernated during the winter, and this was taken advantage of. Parties were sent out to find hibernating zombies and kill them before they woke up. This effectively killed off the majority of the infected in the Chicago Kingdom, leading to great strides in progress in 2027. During 2027, King Adler made new laws to allow trade with foreign nations, after contact was made with Rapid City, which was a fairly independent and powerful city-state. In three months, slavery became the main import in the Chicago Kingdom, and the Rapid City traders purchased massive amounts of technology from the Chicago Kingdom. The hedonistic ways of Rapid City attracted tourists from the Chicago Kingdom, resulting in massive economic partnership with the two nations.

In a single month, Rapid City was the Chicago Kingdom's version of Vegas, despite its independence. The nation of New Central Canada was also forming about this time, and King Adler sent envoys there to form alliances. New Central Canada agreed on the borders that King Adler set up, and became the first nation with a true border with the Kingdom, and as of now, the only. This was one of the more peculiar instances in the history of the Kingdom, the treaty for a trade alliance being signed December 28th of that year by the government of New Central Canada, but not signed by the Kingdom until early in January of 2027.

The winter of 2027 resulted in another period of wiping out hibernating infected, and the summer of 2028 had the most bountiful harvest in the Kingdom's history. With the Infection nearly wiped out from the Kingdom's territory in 2028, King Adler began to build up his military again to push north and west soon, while leaving New Central Canada alone. His Cabinet had said that New Central Canada was an ideal partner for now, and could assist in future wars against other developing nations, such as the Dominion of the South and The Remnants.

Currently, the city of New Chicago is going through a series of murders by a man known only as "The Deserter" and has not been caught yet. The cannibalistic murders of his have been the first major crime in the past two years, and slavery is still on the rise in the Kingdom. King Adler is preparing to send troops west to Rapid City, but whether or not he will truly conquer them, instead of just build borders out that far and around them, is debatable.

Government
The Chicago Kingdom's government is a Constitutional Monarchy, with a King who is the head of all domestic affairs, a Prime Minister, who mainly manages government offices, and a Commander in Chief who runs the army. The Constitution of the Chicago Kingdom was drafted on April 26th and finalized and signed on April 27th of 2026, overwriting the constitution of the state of Illinois.

A Congress proposes laws, although the King has to approve of them before they are passed. The Congress makes up 90 people, ﻿ten from each of the provinces. Before the provinces were separated, it was 50 Congressmen from across the Kingdom randomly, voted in monthly, but due to the ineffectiveness of this system, the current one was designed. The current Congress has the duty of running individual provinces with the rights the provinces have, and making national laws when needed.

The King's Cabinet exists with 2 people from each province, making a total of 18 Cabinet members as of now. They make suggestions to the King, and take input from his subjects. The Cabinet has no true authority or power, and is merely a system of idea-making.

Geography and Population
The Population of the Chicago Kingdom has been on a steady rise since it was founded, even with the virus. Winters allowed it to readjust, and the population is densest in the Great Lakes Region. Geographically, they are very diverse, with the Appalachian mountains at the southeastern area, and plains in the west. The majority of people live in cities or towns, very few living in rural areas. The most populated cities are:
 * 1) London, Ontario
 * 2) Toronto, Ontario
 * 3) Quebec, Quebec
 * 4) New Chicago, Chicago
 * 5) Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Economy
The Chicago Kingdom has a unique economy, ﻿in which individuals have the right to make their own businesses under the pretense that they have a government license. Industries are then able to make and sell whatever they choose, and services (such as prostitution, gambling, slavery) are able to be sold by anyone with a government license. Farming is government sponsored and controlled, and the farmers get free everything, provided by the government. This economy, however, is temporary until conditions can improve, but the temporariness is also debatable.

The Chicago Kingdom has a GDP of $12,000,000 in total and has a GDP Per Capita of $4,900. It is highly industrial, with industry making up 60% of the economy, agriculture 20%, and services 20%. The oil supply is not the largest, and alternative energy such as solar and electric are more common than oil. Most families own one car, and public transportation is common.

There are five hundred trade boats used by merchants, and twenty-three small, personal-use biplanes in use for spraying crops. Mail is delivered once a week, and radios are broadcast on frequently, all families owning a mailbox and a radio, at the least, both being mandatory per family. Mail is paid for from taxes. There is only one tax, merely called "Tax" by the government, which takes 15% of all money, food, and materials (combined into one grouping) from a family once a month. Many have taken to calling this "Life Tax" as failure to pay results in execution, in a public meeting square.

Military
The Chicago Kingdom, as a mighty power in post-outbreak America, has a considerably large army, even for the pre-outbreak world. It also is the first of the post-outbreak powers to have an air force, ﻿although with highly limited military applications. With 1 million fighting units, several salvaged nuclear warheads, and around 500,000 tanks being used for patrolling the borders, the Chicago Kingdom has numerous divisions in its military.

Army
The Army of the Chicago Kingdom is its largest branch, and extends to a royal police network as well. The Army has 700,000 men and women ready to fight on a given notice, with 200,000 trained as tank operators, 10,000 trained as medics, and all trained for combat against living and infected combatants.

The Army of the Chicago Kingdom is the largest fighting force in the post-outbreak world, and is spread throughout the kingdom to keep the nation protected at all times. Currently, though, troops are being moved to the western border.

Their motto is "For King and Country".

Navy
The Navy of the Chicago Kingdom has 150,000 men and women in it, and is the second largest navy in the post-outbreak world, the only larger navies being in the south of North America. Its navy is salvaged from boats used in pre-outbreak times by the United States, which were left at harbor by the US Navy when the quarantine was put in place. It is not the strongest navy, by far, but has several submarines and ships, being maintained by its men and women.

Their motto is "By Vigilare Maris", Latin for "By Sea We Stand Watch".

Air Force
The CRAF, Chicagoan Royal Air-force, is the smallest division but the only air-force in North America in 2028, with 50,000 men and women, half of them pilots, the other half as radar and ground crew. As the only air force around, the CRAF is incredibly powerful and will win many battles for the Chicago Kingdom in years to come. However, most the aircraft is for recon, the fighter-jets being deemed too valuable to use up now, before fighting with a major power.

Their motto is "Aeris Servans", or "Guarding by Air".

Necro Force
The Necro Force is a new division of military, unprecedented. It is assigned with taking out infected individuals and eliminating the virus in the territories of the Chicago Kingdom, and makes up the remaining numbers of the military, accounting for 100,000 men and women. The Necro Force is highly trained, and each member of them is as talented as the legendary Group 13's members are said to be. With expert skills in taking down all forms of the virus, the Necro Force is an essential part of the Chicago Kingdom's well being.

Their motto is "Viventes enim damnantur Defunctorum", or "For the Living the Dead Are Damned."

Culture
The Chicago Kingdom is a unique culture, with adapting new ideas rapidly. As a Constitutional Monarchy, the King is revered as God's embassy on Earth, and is the head of the Church of Chicago, which is a mix of beliefs from numerous faiths and mythologies, constructing a new faith. The people readily gave up their old traditions and lifestyles for the good of their children, who will eventually be upraised in this world with a zombie pandemic still continuing, likely. Christmas is still a major holiday, and is more about making it halfway through the winter, a dangerous time for the lack of stable heating, pockets of hibernating zombies, and crippling snowstorms in parts of the Kingdom.

Slavery is accepted for the most part, which would seem shocking to many, but the reasoning is solid. Work has to be done. And sometimes, to get the work done, undesirable options are taken place. The slavery in the Chicago Kingdom arose from necessity, and from trade with Rapid City being impossible otherwise.

Death has become sacred and holy, and funereal ceremonies are different now. A shot in the head before the coffin is closed has become customary, and cremation is surprisingly unpopular, people believing that the dead will arise. The virus explanation the government used was dismissed by many, with churches screaming that this was God's new Deluge, and thus led to many taking a more superstitious belief towards death.

Involving the Death, many citizens are taking to a new system of time keeping, calling the events before the outbreak "Before Deluge" and "After Deluge", or BD and AD, taking their superstitions that the virus was the wrath of an angry god to new levels.

Appearances
The Chicago Kingdom, despite it's size, has only appeared in "The Deserter" so far - however, more stories taking place in it are on the way.