Hey all. Here's my write up for the city of Bastok, gotta give props to my old stompin ground, werd. Much love to Deidogg and Medicine Eagle in the Mines. Tami love ya Babe! *gets dragged off by Kaliet and thumped, returns* Ow.. yeah so anyway like the last one this is just for guideline feel free to disagree with me and send PMs and what not telling me how much I need to get shot for making Bastok more awesome than Sandy.. I mean.. yeah.. *runs* Oh also giving credit where credit is due, a good portion of my information came from: http://www.shadow-ffxi.com/HistoryofVanadiel/ Respect!

And now I present to you: The People's Republic of Bastok!

Brief History of Bastok… well maybe not so Brief.
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The history of Bastok begins when wandering tribes of humes encountered Galka who had settled in Quon after the destruction of their own lands in Kuztoz long ago. It was here that both peoples would unite, seeing how each complimented the other, and formed the nation of Bastok. With the physical strength of the Galka and the ingenuity of Humes, Bastok quickly became wealthy on the natural mineral wealth of their surrounding lands. Bastok did not wait long to turn its eyes to north and on the Empire of San d'Oria. San d'Oria had never given much of a thought to the lands of southern Quon seeing them as inhospitable and the Hume inhabitants viewed as to little a threat for notice, not even bothering to claim the region under their control. It was quite surprised then when a force consisting of Humes and Galka appeared under the Bastokan flag. The first Battle of Konschtat lasted for days, each side never really making real headway. Finally San d'Oria gave one last push to drive Bastok from the Highlands under the leadership of their first woman officer: Lady Eldie Mantiant, the Empire succeeded but at a steep price, all of their legions had been wiped out. Bastok retreated back to their own borders to lick their wounds and it was during this time that the nation made a technological breakthrough in Firesand. The iron workers, and craftsmen quickly developed this new discovery into weapons called Firearms. Bastok once again marched into Konschtat with their newly trained Musketeers. Quickly, the battle became a massacre as cannons and muskets mutilated and killed knight and knight. San d'Oria unsure how to deal with the new threat retreated into its capitol, the Bastokans shocked and horrified by their own power, stopped their advances at Konschtat and waited for the Empire to counter. However, no further attacks from the Empire would come.

It was then that Prince Fellenant of San d'Oria approached Bastok with the offer of a permanent peace between both peoples if the Bastokers would help him usurp the throne from his brother. Bastok agreed and supported Prince Fellenant through the San d'Orian civil war. Fellenant attained victory and the Empire of San d'Oria collapsed back into a small kingdom. True to his bargain King Ranperre declared peace with Bastok. With the empire gone, and peace between both nations, Bastok began to grow quickly and declared itself a Republic of the People in 494 c.e. The first president was a man named Mayer who was elected for life. Mayer formed the diplomatic foundations with the other nations and with the help of a newly formed senate drafted the nations first constitution, sadly his presidency was cut short when was a assassinated after only 9 years in office. During Mayer's presidency however, Bastokers armed with technology and goods, spread across Quon and Mindartia forming trade routes with Windurst and their former enemy San d'Oria. It was during this time that Bastok founded both Selbina and Jeuno as fishing villages in an attempt to help feed their rapidly growing population, and fuel trade. Although Jeuno generated less money than Selbina, it was at a major crossroads that all three nations used, and was the decided upon for the site of the Conference of Nations, as well as the Conquest Evaluation Assembly.

In 684 c.e. the Gold Musketeers struck mythril in Palborough Mines. The area had a heavy presence of Quadav however and the current captain of the Gold Musketeers at the time, a woman named Friese, lead a brutal campaign against the shelled beastmen using a devastating weapons only known as "Dancing Flames". The campaign was successful but would create an eternal enemy for the Republic. It would also be during this period that the animosity between Humes and Galka would appear as more and more Humes would become richer, while Galka would continue to be worked in the mines sometimes in very poor conditions. Bastok would continue to prosper for sometime until a great fire ravaged the town, which at the time was predominately made of wooden buildings, and nearly destroyed it, also killing current the president. Bastok's treasury had recently taken a hit to its stores, having lost the wealth generated by Jeuno which declared itself a nation, and investing so much into new technologies. One of the senators at the time Karst, would propose to ask the citizenry for donations to help rebuild the city. Initially this idea wasn't received well until Karst declared his intent to rebuild the markets and merchant homes a priority. This idea would quickly kick start the rebuilding of Bastok, but also didn't sit well with the citizenry. Despite this though, Karst won the election for president with the backing of High Engineer Cid, and continues to hold office to this day. However just as the nation was getting back on its feat from the fire things once again changed.

The Crystal War otherwise known as the Great War of 20 years ago had begun. Through the coordinated efforts of the Shadow Lord, Quadav had dug tunnels from their strongholds in the north into the heart of Bastoks key mines and began to strike. Meanwhile the ancient Anticans, the Galkan enemies of old, began to attack the nation through the old tunnels which brought the Galka from Kuztoz. Bastok quickly realizing that it had been cut off from the rest of the war, and its allies knew it had to defeat two armies. Bastok began to use its technology to seal off the mines and tunnels their enemies were using against them, they were able to stop the Anticans from advancing on the mainland, and push the Quadav back to their own fortified territories. Though these tactics worked countless Hume and Galka soldiers lost their lives ensuring that the mines and tunnels were sealed. Throughout the continuation of the war, Bastok would send what aide it could but was forced to spend nearly all of its resources on securing its own borders. However Bastok did contribute in other ways, High Engineer Cid along with a team of scientists from Jeuno were working on a technology to replace the Hot Air balloons Bastok had been using, though to little effect. The combined efforts of Jeuno and Bastok produced the Airship, but this weapon would never seen combat as the allied Forces of Light would make a push to the Obsidian Throne and the bastokan hero Volker would bring defeat to the Shadow Lord. Which brings us to the current age.

Post War Bastok
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There is great conflict in Bastok after the war. Karst's control on the presidency seems to be slipping as more and more people find dissatisfaction with the way things are run. All public works are behind schedule, and the Department of Industry is forced to pick up the slack. The Senate continues to push and push to have the people vote a new president in, but the common man still sees Karst as the reason Bastok was rebuilt so quickly, and he has the High Engineers support still. Galka and Hume tensions are on the rise as the Galka Talekeeper was lost before the war, with this development the Galka are finding it hard to maintain their racial identity for the next generation, and many are beginning to believe that its time to separate from their long time allies. Also, things are still bad between Bastok and the Quadav as the beastmen have a continued presence in the mines which disrupts the Bastok economy on occasion.

Bastokan Culture
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Art - Most of the artistic drive in Bastok comes from the Goldsmithing guild who use precious metals and gems to create exquisite pieces sought after by any person who has the gil. More practical Galka and Hume craftsmen carve intricate designs and patterns into the goods they fashion, most people finding the idea of having something purely for decoration to be wasteful, though in contrast to this many people do have wall hangings of scenery often times to make up for the lack of windows most homes have.

Architecture - The buildings of Bastok are primarily made of stone, a testimony to a fire that nearly wiped out the city. Waterwheels through the city provide an energy which fuels the lights found in the Metalworks and outlaying districts. This is a system developed by the High Engineer which plays on the mechanics of the crystal engines used to power the Airships. Nearly all the ground water of the Gustabergs is found under Bastok, which brings up this water using pumps and channeling it in the many waterways found through the city. With recent economic and political developments, the Galka have begun to convert the Mines district to a city within a city, opening up their own shops selling goods that directly compete with the rest of the city proper. It is becoming a tougher and tougher neighborhood by the day and the presence of few Hume officials has allowed various shady types to operate more freely in the District than they could elsewhere.

Cuisine - The harsh environments of the Gustaberg are very unsuited for any sort of crop. Bastok largely imports its foodstuffs from other nations and recently an explosion in the population is starting to create slight shortages. Bastokans are resourceful people however and many are turning to self-sufficient means such as gardening and fishing for their meals. Bread is a very large part of the typical Bastoker's diet, due to the nations control of the windmills in Konschtat and the control of flour milled there.

Education - Typically a Bastoker will learn how to read and write from their parents at home, after that depending on their chosen occupation a commoner is either apprenticed to a craftsmen, enrolled at a guild, or thrown into the mines with a pickaxe. Though the latter is often more forced upon Galka than the other two. Though many humes still work the mines and are proud to do so.

Fashion - Bastok styles tend to be very plain, or have more of a copycat feeling with whatever is currently being worn in Jeuno. However one little girl who lives near the Marketplace has been known to be causing quite a stir with her daring outfits she plans for adventurers. Typically Bastokers favor earthy tones, and styles that are easy to work in.

Foreign Relations - Bastok is very open compared to the other nations, allowing citizens of other nations to blend in with the crowd. San d'Oria views Bastok as lacking in tradition and history due to the nations young age, many San d'Orians continually harbor a grudge over the Second Battle of Konchstat, as well as the Republics part in the Civil War, though grudges over that tend to only occur from the loosing side. Windurst sees Bastok as misguided and a bit on the violent side, as the Republic continues to mount brutal raids against their Quadav enemies. This contradicts the Windurstian belief of attempting to befriend the beastmen and make former allies of enemies. Jeuno acknowledges Bastok as its parent nation, but outside of that has very few ties to the Republic.

Military - Military campaigns are designed by the Dept. of Defense but are approved by the Senate and President. The army as a whole is an organized Militia with the bulk of soldiers being citizens and adventurers who join as part of a conscription system. Even most of the soldiers who are in the legions that make up the core of the army tend to not be career soldiers. The smallest unit of a legion is called a contubernium, and consists of ten soldiers led by a Decurian. Ten contuberniums form one centuria led by a Centurion, and a cohors (led by a Praefectus) is formed by nine centuria plus a unit of Musketeers. A single legion (led by a Legatus) is formed with seven cohors plus three thousand extra soldiers, including: heavy infantry, cannoneers, and supply troops. In times of peace one legion and one naval unit are all that is active with anyone of less than Decurion rank held in reserve. Also a person can have another take their place for active duty, and there are many cases of Humes offering to pay the poverty-striken Galka to stand in for them, these Galka become career soldiers and ultimately strengthen the legions. The branches of the military go as follows:

* Iron Musketeers: These are a permanent unit commanded by the Trade Defense section of the Department of Industry. Originally developed to protect established trade routes in and out of Bastok, it spends much of its time these days battling the Quadav. A company is led by a Musketeer Commander, and is made up of ten Senior Musketeers, and thirty Junior Musketeers. Currently there are roughly one hundred companies, all of their members pulled from the best soldiers in the Republic's legions.

* Gold Musketeers: A permanent investigation unit commanded by the Surveyor Section of the Dept. of Mining, the Gold Musketeers are charged primarily with discovering promising seams of ore. Often the Gold Musketeers are called up on to scout foreign lands and enemy territories usually by hook or by crook.
Often finding themselves in remote areas with little supplies and communication with their company and Bastok impossible, each gold musketeer is rigorously trained to be self-sufficient. They are similarly structured to Iron Musketeers and currently sixty companies are known to exist.

* Darksteel Musketeers: Although unconfirmed, it is rumored that there is a branch of soldiers that answer only to the Senate. These rumored Darksteel Musketeers are allegedly assigned to jobs involving assassination, espionage, blackmail, and sabotage. It is said that this branch of the military is made of adventurer volunteers of all nations who receive excellent monetary compensation for their services to the Republic.

Noted Notables
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High Engineer Cid - The Brains Bastok's most recent discoveries. Cid is the mastermind behind current crafting techniques, airships, and firearms. Many bastokers feel that when Cid is not working that their entire progress as a people fall behind. He is a good friend to any adventuerer seeking aid.

President Karst - The current President of the Republic. Under his control Bastok has revived as an economy powerhouse and has become a hub for craftsmen across all of Vana'diel. However outside of this Karst's regime is faltering as many internal projects have suffered and been delayed due to his inability to focus attentions inward.

Senator Alois ­- Currently one of the most influential Senators in congress, he takes every opportunity to bad mouth Karst and advance his own agendas. He would like to see Karst out of office by either a vote of no confidence, or worse.

Volker - One of the heroes of the Crystal War who defeated the Shadow Lord, he comes from a long line of heroes. He is the current leader of the Mythril Musketeers and the Hero of the Republic.

Iron Eater - Known amongst other Galka as Pagado, Iron Eater is a Mythril Musketeer whose current duty is simply being the President's bodyguard. A job that he as performed quite admirably.

Naji - One of the Mythril Musketeers, Naji is constantly viewed as a 'doorman' by adventurers and even his own grandmother. His official role is to be a liaison between the Senators and the Townsfolk.

Ayame - A skilled samurai from a young age, Ayame holds the highest rank of any woman in the military as a Mythril Musketeer, she is the representative of Bastok in foreign negotiations.

Zeid - Believed to the strongest Galka swordsman, Zeid disappeared during the Crystal War and is the 5th member of the Mythril Musketeers, his position is still filled by him should he ever return.

Echo Hawk - A Galka who lives in the Mines district, although not known for major accomplishments, people in the know are aware that somehow anything that's happening in the mines doesn't go unnoticed by this Galka and he keeps his very big ears to the ground. A good source of information.The Freeguard