Alucard - The city in the sea
The Atlantic ocean had been receding gradually through the nineteenth century, In the early 1900's this process increased rapidly until an area of over 200 000 square miles were exposed to the air 300 miles off the coast of Spain. This stabalised area was known as the Acheron Depression due to the large land surface that had been discovered amongst what was previously underwater mountain ranges. In the 1920's the land was used by the British and Americans for oil and mineral prospecting (although the Latin countries and newly-formed North African cartels lay claim to the land as well). During the Second World War masses of refugees flooded into the area, these people were Jews, Slavs and gypsies and set up primitive colonies. After the war, when alliances between the Western and Eastern world broke down and the new 'Sovian-syndicate' replaced the previous USSR, land hungry Western corporations moved into the area, pushing the largely Slavic population South to the what was called the Dionovich plains, whilst the Westerners began the construction of 'paradise cities' such as Arkham and Remas. By far the largest of these was Alucard whose borders stretched a massive 16 000 square miles. Meanwhile the Sovian states provided money for the construction of Tchalis and Tzilea, Slavic cities to the South. Alucard and the western cities formed the Atlantic Union agreement which safeguarded continental trade within the region. As the ground to the South was far less prosperous, the Sovian, Eurasian and North-African governments tried to persuade the weakened Slavic cities to disrupt this system.
Despite worldwide protests at the corporate guerrilla-style warfare between the two factions, they remained at loggerheads until 1984 when, in an act of frustration the Sovian -syndicate launched over 500 independent nuclear warheads at the region. International outrage halted the attack almost immediately, but the cities of Tchalis, Arkham and the others were destroyed. No accurate reports exist of the death toll but the figure is estimated in the billions. Due to prior nuclear defence initiatives, the wealthy city of Alucard was able to survive relatively intact, even so, an estimated 11 million died, mostly from radiation sickness after what came to be known as the 'Blitz'.
Trade from the area was now almost impossible, all essential facilities were cut off or contaminated and those who could not use the underground metro's to escape to the continent faced a slow, lingering death. Sovian offensives in the Pacific prevented large-scale international aid; Alucard was on her own.
One of Alucards' few remaining operational companies, Hydrocon plc., introduced a water purifying system they had been working on for several years previously. Not only could the citizens have fresh drinking water, but when all hydroelectric generators were installed they could have power as well. Lewis Eldritch, the Managing Director of Hydrocon was hailed as a saviour of the city.
The incentive remained strongly with Hydrocon when they took over the company Rad-Guard, installing their revolutionary 'Opaque' cannons on the borders of the city. These massive machines, placed at sporadic intervals around the city borders, provide an invisible air-borne shield to halt drifting air contamination.
With the borders of all seven of Alucards remaining Sectors safe, the citizens could start the long journey back to civilisation...
ALUCARD - twelfth city of the Atlantic Union
Alucard is located on the border of a vicinity known as the Acheron depression, to the North, West and Northeast it is bordered by extensive deserts. However further East the terrain and climate becomes more sub-Tundra until it reaches the vast Acheron Mountains (From which the Acheron and Renkov rivers both spring). In the South, Taiga forests cover a belt of land stretching across the landscape until they reach the Dionovich plains far South-East of Alucard.
The city, primarily Western populated, along with Arkham (SW) and Remas (E), belong to the Atlantic Union formed 28 years ago, an agreement that secured Continental trade in the region. Opposing factions to this agreement attempted to persuade the Slavic cities of the region, (Tchalis (S), Tzilea (SE)) to disrupt this system, however they remained neutral. Frustrated, the main antagonists, the North-Africa cartels, formed a pact with Eurasian military forces to form the Sovian-syndicate. Despite protests from other country's the two unions remained at loggerheads until three years after the Atlantic Union was formed, Alucard came under nuclear attack.
Due to previous months of guerrilla warfare on both sides Alucard authorities had foreseen such an attack and installed high-tech SDI emplacements and command centres. The Sovian-syndicate launched over 500 independent warheads specifically at the region.
Arkham was destroyed, but so were the neutral cities to the South, billions died.
International outrage halted the attack and despite losing over 11 million inhabitants, Alucard was saved.
However trade from the region was now out of the question, a further 3 million people were believed to have died in the months after, when all essential facilities were cut off or contaminated before aid arrived.
It is now the 21st century, and Alucard stands largely alone in the Union struggling against the poison from both outside and in. The lack of regular contact with the outside world. (Alucard citizens are subject to stringent quarantine laws if travelling) has meant that the cultures and people have become self-absorbed living out their own lives, dangerously close to anarchy.