An Insurgence of Dragons
THE FACTIONS
THE PATRIOTS:
The Patriots, or the Continental Army, (and the Continental Air Force) are made up out of the colonists who settled in the 13 colonies. Fighting for their freedom and liberty from the British, the Patriots overall view the British as unfair rulers: a government that was too controlling and did not give the individual freedom. They believed the crown was tyrannical, overstepping its boundaries, enforcing taxation without representation, being intolerable without justification. There is a strong sentiment among both soldiers and civilians that the British have been treating the colonists unfairly and unjustly. Patriots do not not appreciate loyalists (Tories; colonists who believe the British are in the right) within the Americas and wanted to have equality and a balanced government instead of a King. They are however in alliance with the French and, by extension, the Spanish.
Tension started when the Patriots provided substantial support to the British during the 7 Years War previously. However, after the 7 Years War, the British continued to occupy the colonies, causing pressure that only increased when the British taxed the colonists to make up costs for the 7 Years War. Such Intolerable Acts from the British has led to the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party, riots that ended up in severe punishment by the British. The Continental Congress acts as the new governmental branch, and war has arisen after the battle of Lexington and Concord and the Proclamation of Rebellion, a British text stating the British could do whatever needed to quash the rebellion. The war is on.
Currently (1776), the Patriots are busy shelling the British in Boston. and the British blockade keeping the port locked. Recently, the Loyalists in North Carolina have been defeated, and the Patriots have seized control of the state. The newly made Continental Air Force are the Patriot Aviators, and currently hold coverts in the country near Philadelphia and Boston. Typically, the Continental Air Force follows the English method of caring for dragons as described in the Temeraire novels. Emphasis is placed on formation flying and dragons live in coverts. While the amount of dragons at their disposal are limited, the Air Force uses mostly British-bred dragons with a smattering of dragons native to the Americas, and gifted dragons from the French. Dragons are typically named in the British manner (Latin names) or the French manner (after ideals such as Liberte) though dragons originating from Native America may take on two names, a given name and a name denoting the tribe that bred them (eg: John Wampanoag).
Ultimately, the Patriots want freedom and independence.
THE BRITISH:
The British Empire or the Loyalists (His Majesty's Royal Aerial Corps) are a current powerhouse in Europe and in the Americas. With an extremely strong and disciplined military, and a powerful Navy, the British rule many colonies and bring in trade from the Caribbean and Indias via their East India Company. Suffering from the costs of war after the 7 Years War, the British have decided to tax the Patriots for tea, sugar, stamps and other materials to pay for the debts. After the Boston Massacre, the British put into place acts known as the Intolerable Acts, laws that meant to force the Patriots to come to heel. Soon after the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the British released a Proclamation of Rebellion, allowing officials to use whatever abilities they needed to in order to quash rebellious actions.
Overall, the British, during the beginnings of 1776, view the Patriots as a ragtag, inferior force, who could never have any hopes of winning. The British perceive the American colonists as individuals who owed them for the protection they received during the 7 Years War. A lot of resentment has built up in general, the and British typically the demands of the Patriots were quite unrealistic - whiners who don't understand how the world works. Many British were surprised when the war started in the first place. And as Britain could no longer tax the colonists, they had to turn to their own civilians. This made the price of living in Britain slightly harsher. The majority of merchants and civilians of Britain would rather not have the war for the huge economic issues it caused. As for the Loyalists, they are colonials who believe that the Patriots are fools for attempting to fight Britain - as their name suggests, they are loyal to Britain. Aligned against the Patriots and their allies the French and Spanish, the British only have the few Loyalists and some Native American tribes as allies (namely the Cherokee).
The British Aerial Corps also has a smaller presence in the colonies, given that most of the Corps is back at home in Britain. Many dragons in the Corps were brought here from Great Britain via dragon transport, with a few born in the colonies. Although most of the dragons in the Aerial Corps are British born, occasionally one will see a few traded French dragons in their midst, or native dragons gifted to them by the Native American tribes. Formation flying is still quite important to the British, typically in arrowhead formations. Dragons are typically housed in coverts and the public is protected from them, with the belief that normal civilians would not be able to deal with dragon company, and are traditionally named with impressive, Latin names. Despite the smaller presence of the Aerial Corps in the colonies, the British has a much stronger aerial force than the Patriots as of current.
Ultimately, the British want to quell the rebellion, and ease the economic issues from the 7 Years War.
THE FRANCO-SPANISH ALLIANCE:
The French have a lot of reasons to resent and hate the British. It is no wonder they allied with the Patriots as they wanted revenge for the 7 Years War, wanted to overtake the British and become the strongest country, and greatly admired enlightenment ideas (of which the Revolutionaries were expressing). In fact, not long after the American Revolution, the French staged a Revolution of their own. France has not yet taken part in the war during 1776, however, Benjamin Franklin has made his way to France in order to gather support. The French have welcomed him and he began to work his way into gathering, at the very least, resources. This worked, and like Spain, France began to covertly send money and materials, but mainly gunpowder. A few dragons of the Grande Armee d'Air have been sent as well, to give aerial support to the scant Patriotic aerial force. Soon, France will announce a formal alliance with the Patriots.
Spain joined the American Revolution mainly as a way to gain supremacy over Britain, attempting to become even more of a powerhouse than Britain itself. It mainly aided in resources and cash, however, the country is also providing some naval support and some troop offenses down near Louisiana, Florida, and the Mississippi. During 1776, the Spanish gave supplies to the Patriots through 4 routes, but one of the more notable locations was the port of New Orleans. It was covert smuggling, as Spain does not yet want to be involved in a war they weren’t prepared for; and thus have only formally allied themselves with the French. Mainly, at the beginning, gunpowder was what the patriots needed and Spain helped with that. They are not quite a presence yet, but the resources were certainly helpful on many levels.
The Grande Armee d'Air (and in a much lesser case, the Spanish Aerial Army) has sent a few dragons in support of the Patriots at this point, and these are typically housed in the Patriot coverts. There is also a dragon presence in the ports as well, where the dragons typically stay on the huge dragon transport ships that brought them.
Ultimately the French and Spanish want revenge on the British for the 7 Years War, and helping the Patriots - ensuring the loss of the Americas as British territory - seems to be the best way to do it.
NATIVE AMERICA: THE CHEROKEE AND IROQUOIS
CONFEDERACY
Overall, the Native Americans are allied with Britain as a whole; the two main Native American factions focused on in Insurgence of Dragons being the Cherokee Tribe and the Iroquois Confederacy (consisting of the Mowhawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, Tuscaroras and Seneca tribes).
The Cherokee are located in the South/Southwest, where present day Tennessee is, as well as the western part of the North/South Carolinas, while the the Iroquois Confederacy is located in the upper Appalachian area, particularly near where the Finger Lakes are today, Western Pennsylvania, Upper Western New York and pockets of Delaware. In general, the Native Americans wish to be out of the conflict, and to have their lands and trade be left alone and in peace. Generally, they believe the best way to do so is to ally themselves with the British, whom they already have treaties with. Any player making a character should read more thoroughly on the Iriquois Confederacy and/or Cherokee Tribe and their culture to ensure a historically accurate depiction.
The British have kept the Patriots thus far from encroaching on reserved Native American lands along the Appalachian Mountains and further west, which suggests clear support for the British; however, should the Patriots win their struggle, such an allyship will not bode well for those that helped the losing side. At the current state in the Revolutionary War, the Cherokee are allied with the British, while the Iroquois Confederacy is unaligned/neutral. However, conflict is brewing within the Confederacy, as there is tension on whether the tribes should align themselves with a side, and to whom? (Unbeknownst to the Native American civilizations, in 1777, the Confederacy peace is dissolved as the Oneida and Tuscaroras tribes join the Patriots and the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, and Mowhawk tribes ally themselves with the British).
The Native American tribes treat dragons in a notably different way than the European-based societies (Patriots, British, and French). Instead of being isolated in coverts, dragons are heavily integrated into Native American society and mingle among the tribe like the tribesmen themselves. It is generally believed that domestic dragons are the embodiment of the Great Spirit's smaller manifestations - forces of nature unto themselves. Upon hatching, dragons may walk among the tribe and after a few weeks, a dragon will pick a family to protect and bond with, and join that family for the rest of their lives, protecting it throughout generations. While the system of "Captains" is not present in Native American society, the dragons will often bond more closely with one particular of the family they have chosen, and that one member becomes the primary partner and caretaker of the dragon. Native Dragons engage in many activities, unlike their European counterparts that are mostly used for fighting - they may farm, specialize in hunting, messenger service, etc. instead of warfare.
The typical naming convention for Native American tribes is to name a dragon after the spirit it seems to embody - names are usually given after a few weeks of life when the dragon bonds with a family, with the family name taken as a "last name".
Ultimately, the Native American tribes want to be able to trade freely with the colonists but have their lands be left alone, without European encroachment.
"We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately."
- Benjamin Franklin