Manda’s (Amachan) Frozen Northern Wastes

More updates on the narrative for my post-apocalyptic setting.
First of a couple of changes happened to Finland in Chapter 1, like I mentioned before.
And then I started on Chapter 2, for now it is named the Siberian Wars, this may change to something that I feel suits the narrative better. But this is 1 of the building blocks for my apocalypse. This will not be your traditional nuclear apocalypse that you often see depicted.

On the 30^th of June 1908 near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Siberia a 12-megaton explosion occurred. Due to the isolation of the area and the political situation in the Russian Empire at the time, it was not until 1921 the first expedition to the area took place. Leonid Alekseyevich Kulik (Леонид Алексеевич Кулик), Russian mineralogist led a team to a basin near the river. They didn’t get close to the blast area, but gathered local accounts of the event. This led Kulik to believe that it had been caused by a giant meteorite impact. He persuaded the Soviet government to fund an expedition to the blast site and led a scientific expedition in 1927. The expedition arrived at a local town called Vanavara where they prepared to go out and when they left that was the last that was heard from them. Over the next 20 years reports of people missing started showing up more and more, until in 1946 all contact with the small town of Mutorai, northwest of the impact site was lost. Of course the Soviet Union kept all of this quiet. It was not until Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (Ники́та Серге́евич Хрущёв) took office in 1953 that there was any serious investigation into these disappearances. The first teams leading the investigations disappeared quite quickly without any trace.

In 1950 Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov (Георгий Константинович Жуков) established the first 46 Spetsnaz companies after they were mostly abolished after the end of the Great Patriotic War (World War II). Khrushchev ordered in 1955 a specialized Spetsnaz unit was set-up, one that was 100% loyal to the Union, prepared for survival in Siberia and also capable of assessing any biohazard or environmental contamination. The team arrived in Miryuga and when talking to the inhabitants they heard that it has been months since they heard anything from Oskoba, A town roughly 60km to the east of Miryuga. The unit decided to set-up HQ in Miryuga and sent out 2 reconnaissance teams to the east. It was not a week later when both teams got close to Oskaba and team 1 saw a strange creature walking around. The creature was described as a large bug like creature with a dark green carapace that has a purple shine, black flesh and bright red eyes, walking on 4 scythe-like legs. Quickly the creature noticed team 1 and a total of 3 started charging them. Team 1 opened fire with their AK-47s to try and stop them, but most shots just bounced off of its carapace, but they didn’t stop it. Team 2 was close and heard the gunfire and immediately approached team 1’s location only to see team 1 being ripped to shreds by the 3 creatures. Team 2 decided to quietly and quickly retreat in order to get this information to HQ.

All characters and events in this narrative, even those based on real people, are entirely fictional.

I have added the final bit for the first chapter of my alternate history, post-apocalyptic setting. The last part was at first named Sweden, this is now the Vienna Meeting. In a later chapter I will go on further with this, but first I will need to set-up a couple of other things that are happening or have happened in the mean time. So that is the first chapter done, apart from some minor changes that may happen in order to suit further narrative and maybe a couple of minor additions to the Finland situation as provided to me by one of the comments.

I am also really happy with the comments I have received so far, they are really motivating and give me some great ideas as well.

I just want to talk a bit about my usage with AI in this project. Yes, I have been using AI, but I have been writing everything myself. My usage for AI is as a tool to get ideas rather than have it do the work for me. I ask it about things that I can add, it gives me a list of things with some reasons for it and then I research that subject myself and weave it into the story. It really helps me find a direction in which to look and what to research. I have been using ChatGPT and DALL-E for some artwork.

However, I was planning a new playthrough of Wasteland 3 and I wanted a group of characters. This group of character I may want to kitbash miniatures for for This is Not a Test. So I asked ChatGPT to generate me a group of 4 characters and a small bit of narrative for them. And after a bit of tinkering I think I got a great list to start of with, you will very likely see these in miniature form if and when I can do so.

Hailing from Sweden, Matilda “Mattie” Nilsson exudes strength and a spirit of defiance. A tech-savvy genius and computer expert, her skills are matched only by her natural leadership abilities. She’s the guiding force that emerged after the apocalypse, driving her group toward survival and progress.

Mikhail Ivanov, a proud Cossack from the Soviet Union, stands as a testament to his heritage. With a strong affinity for his roots, Mikhail is not only a skilled mechanic, weapon expert, and explosives specialist but also a living embodiment of the Cossack spirit. His ex-military background, combined with his unwavering loyalty to the group, makes him a stalwart defender and a valuable asset in their struggle for survival.

Emilia Lundgren, a Swedish nurse, is a unique blend of compassion and a mischievous spirit. She may appear submissive on the surface, but beneath that facade lies a streak of rebelliousness and brattiness. Emilia’s partnership with Matilda, the strong-willed leader, is an intriguing dynamic of opposites attracting. While her nursing skills remain invaluable for the group’s survival, Emilia’s tendency to challenge norms and authority adds an unexpected edge. Her actions often carry an air of unpredictability, keeping her fellow survivors both amused and on their toes. Amidst the chaos of their post-apocalyptic world, Emilia’s blend of compassion and brattiness becomes a source of both camaraderie and occasional exasperation.

Svetlana Volkova, hailing from the Soviet Union, was moulded by her past as a member of the feared Spetsnaz. Her authoritative presence and combat prowess instil both fear and respect in her fellow survivors. In a world where strength is synonymous with survival, Svetlana’s skills in tactical planning, hand-to-hand combat, and survival tactics make her an indispensable asset.

In the aftermath of the apocalypse, the threads of fate wove together an unlikely alliance of survivors, each with their own unique qualities. Matilda “Mattie” Nilsson emerged as a beacon of strength, embodying a spirit that upheld an alternative course, a guiding force that led the group with unparalleled determination.

Mikhail Ivanov, a proud Cossack mechanic, brought his heritage and technical expertise, uniting the group with his loyalty and skills. Alongside him stood Svetlana Volkova, an imposing ex-Spetsnaz operative, her authority and combat prowess making her the backbone of their defence.

Then there was Emilia Lundgren, a Swedish nurse with a twist. Her compassionate nature was blended with a streak of brattiness that occasionally raised eyebrows among her companions. The dynamics between her and Mattie, the assertive leader, formed a unique bond that juxtaposed strength and playfulness.

Emilia’s unpredictable actions and tendency to challenge authority added both humour and occasional exasperation to their tight-knit group. However, her nursing skills remained invaluable for healing both physical wounds and the battered spirits of her companions.

United by their shared will to thrive in a world turned upside down, Mattie, Mikhail, Emilia, and Svetlana showcased the power of diverse strengths harmonizing to overcome adversity. As their paths intertwined, these four individuals demonstrated the resilience of the human spirit and the unexpected ways in which connections could flourish amidst the chaos.

Another update the alternate history of my post-apocalyptic setting, the history is now officially named Chapter 1 – The Political History. The entire document I am working on has as of now 4 chapters planned. Yes I am writing this as an entire document, just sharing parts of it as I have worked on them. I have also started subtitling parts of the narrative.

Secondly, I also added reasons for Sweden to join NATO in 1952 as I feel like this will help me build up a better scenario for war and the possibility of an all out nuclear conflict.

I posted an update to the history of the lore of my post-apocalyptic setting, while I made several small changes, I expanded on the Soviet space program changes. Since space flight and its history is a subject I really love I may have gone a bit too far into this and gave a new breath of life into one of my favourite launch vehicles that sadly never flew successfully.

Over the course of today I have started writing a bit of the history behind the setting that I am making. I want to ground this into reality as much as possible and thus I have done way too much research into the history and politics of some of the material. I would like people to read and share their thoughts with me, things that I can improve, this that I need to change and so on. This is by no means the final product and the post will change over time. That is why I am writing a separate post to update on things.

Please let me know what you think so far.

This is just going to serve as a good strong base for me to build on. Lots of sci-fi stuff will be added to it over the course, but I want a good strong base grounded in reality to start with.

On the 4^th of April 1949 the North Atlantic Treaty was signed and NATO was officially created. Sweden at this time was afraid it could provoke the Soviet Union to invade its friend and neighbour Finland if they joined and thus stayed out. During the Finnish War (1808-1809) Sweden was given a beating by the Russian Empire as they overrun all of Finland, after this Sweden adopted a policy of neutrality. This policy is why Sweden didn’t join NATO at the time. The Korean War in 1950 however, displayed the threat to the sovereignty and stability of nations such as China and the Soviet Union. This really gave the Swedish people and government more thought about their own security. The Swedish government didn’t want a repeat of the Second World War where they were stuck between two major powers, limiting their trade and security at the borders. In 1951 a bill was put forward in parliament for the abolishment of neutrality and joining NATO. A public vote was called and the vote to join NATO got a majority and thus Sweden alongside Greece and Turkey joined NATO in 1952.

On the 14^th of October 1964 Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (Ники́та Серге́евич Хрущёв) was removed from office and Alexander Nikolayevich Shelepin (Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Шеле́пин) took his place. As the former chairman of the KGB was aware that gathering intelligence is half the battle if NATO were to attack. So he directly increased spending in the Soviet space program, however he had no goals of reaching the moon, but rather building a network of satellites that can be used to spy on the USA and the rest of NATO. Shelepin put more pressure on Sergei Pavlovich Korolev (Сергей Павлович Королёв) to focus on making the R-7 Semyorka (Р-7 Семёрка) more efficient and more reliable in order to set-up a satellite network. He also wanted the plans for the N1 launch vehicle to be altered so it can provide reliable heavy lift possibilities to low-Earth orbit. This meant that the Soviet Union could potentially build a space station as it might provide better observation with the limited electronics available at the time. Sadly Korolev’s health failed him completely in late 1965 and passed away in early 1966. His successor at the OKB-1 design bureau Vasily Pavlovich Mishin (Васи́лий Па́влович Ми́шин) felt that due to the change of the plans for the N1 launch vehicle to no longer carry living beings, the suggested rocket engines provided by Valentin Petrovich Glushko (Валенти́н Петро́вич Глушко́) that use more toxic, but more reliable fuels was far more acceptable.

Shelepin also started to strengthen the military forces of the Union for fear of a NATO attack. He did this by increasing the spending on military technology development and even giving some to some more experimental ideas. However in 1969, weeks before NASA landed on the moon, Shelepin was assassinated. No one was obviously coming forth to say it was their work, but most of the world suspected that the USA was involved in this. He was then succeeded by Viktor Prokhorovich Zavoevatel (Виктор Прохорович Завоеватель) a strong military leader who would be an even bigger threat than Shelepin would ever be.

On the 6^th of April 1948 Finland and the Soviet Union signed YYA treaty (Ystävyys-, yhteistyö- ja avunantosopimus) also known as the Agreement of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance. Under which Finland was obliged to resist armed attack by Germany or its allies against Finland or against the Soviet Union through Finland. It would also guarantee Finland’s neutrality during the cold war. In 1966 Aarne Armas Saarinen became chairman of Suomen Kommunistinen Puolue (SKP) (Communist Party of Finland). He however, was very sceptical of the Soviet Union. A plan was set-up to remove Aarne Armas Saarinen and replace him with Taisto Jalo Sinisalo as the head of the SKP. Sinisalo was a hard-line pro-Soviet MP of the Suomen Kansan Demokraattinen Liitto (SKDL) (Finnish People’s Democratic League) of which the SKP was its largest member. Shelepin and Sinisalo worked together closely together to get Sinisalo in power as soon as possible. A plot was hatched to assassinate the at this moment president Urho Kekkonen and then put forward a smear campaign on the Suomen Keskusta, the Centre Party of Finland, in order to call forth another election. These elections were held in 1970 and with the help of Zavoevatel the election was rigged so that Sinisalo would become president and the SKDL would have a majority stake in the parliament. It was a great success and Sinisalo would become the Finnish president in 1970.

Sinisalo and the SKDL worked hard to enhance military cooperation between Finland and the Soviet Union, strengthened pro-Soviet voices in Finland and enhanced trade and economic cooperation with the Soviet Union. However, not everyone in Finland agreed with this approach. It started as just voices of discontent, but those were silenced. Until in 1973 the first anti-Soviet riot in Helsinki took place. The police and the military were both mobilized to stop this riot with a degree of success. However, this was just the start. This all led to a civil war in January of 1975 that was meant overthrow the government as in the year before Sinisalo and the SKDL still held power through another rigged election in 1974. This civil war was seen as a major threat to the security of the Soviet Union’s border with Finland and thus the YYA-treaty was “enhanced” to allow Soviet forces on Finnish soil to help the SKDL gain victory in this civil war and regain control over Finland. This was a hard fight for the Soviets as the Finnish were well versed in the art of guerrilla combat. However, the lessons learned from both the Winter War and the Continuation War meant that the Soviet Union was well aware of the tactics used by the Finnish revolutionaries and made sure that this time they’d achieve victory.

In 1977 the civil war finally came to an end after 2 years of fighting. The SKDL and the Soviet Union were victorious and in order to move forward would form even closer ties and cooperation. Until in 1979 Suomen Sosialistinen Tasavalta (Социалистическая Республика Финляндия), or as known in English speaking countries as the Socialist Republic of Finland, was formed. This meant that from now on Finland was a full member of the Soviet Union. During all this conflict the NATO powers stood by in disgust, but didn’t act in fear of an all out nuclear war.

This put the Soviet Union’s borders right up against those of Sweden. Tensions were rising until in 1981 minor border skirmishes between the Soviet Union and Sweden took place. With Sweden being a member of NATO, this increased tension increased military presence all along the borders of NATO and Soviet territories with the main focus being around the Swedish and West German borders. A meeting was held between NATO and Soviet powers to hope to prevent further escalation to a full war. It was decided that this meeting would be held in Vienna, as Austria still upheld their neutrality in this conflict. The then US president Ronald Reagan was present among all of the leaders from the various NATO countries. However on the Soviet side it was just Zavoevatel and a small Soviet delegation. It was especially noted throughout the media on the NATO side that no one from Finland was present at this negotiation. A somewhat heated discussion went on between Zavoevatel and Reagan over the annexation of Finland as Reagan called it. Zavoevatel stood firm that this was a choice made by the people of Finland. The most important part of the negotiation was the current tension between NATO and the Soviet Union. While clear rules and guidelines for communication were set and the skirmishes came to an end, tensions and military presence along the borders remained high.

All characters and events in this narrative, even those based on real people, are entirely fictional.

Due to my health problems and not being able to do any physical hobby, I have decided to start another hobby project that I can work on. In this project I am going to start off by building my own post-apocalyptic setting for tabletop wargames and maybe roleplaying games. For this I am drawing inspiration from many sources including, but not limited to the Fallout, Wasteland and Metro universe. Also video games like Generation Zero and stuff like Tales from the Loop. That and much more is all going in my twisted little brain and blend something new out of it.

The plan for now is a frozen post-apocalyptic setting set in Sweden roughly 50 odd years after a cold war gone hot scenario in the 80s.

The above artwork was AI generated by DALL-E and I added the text to it myself.

The plan for now is to make this setting for a campaign for This is Not a Test, however depending on the OTT WAR project I may adapt that system for this instead. And of course it will have many other uses as well.