Bundschuh

Bundschuh
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Origin	Rheinland
Alignment	Unlawful
Profile
Date of founding	672 A.S.
Founder(s)	unknown
Base of operations	Bruchsal Base, Frankfurt
Primary role
Overthrowing the Rheinland government

The Bundschuh are a populist political faction that has been declared "enemy of the state" by the Rheinland Reichstag. Attempts to gain amnesty from Chancellor Steller after the Nomad War have failed, and while many are still faithful to their political goals and ideas, others have turned away from the Bundschuh to piracy and terrorism as a desperate attempt to cause damage to the government.

History

Believed to be founded by a group of New Berlin University students in 679 A.S., the movement had much support among the liberal elite of New Berlin, tired of the corrupt practices of the government that had led them to financial ruin near the end of the 80-Years War. During the Dresden rebellion of 700 A.S., the Bundschuh found their first official cause -- shipping supplies "liberated" from Frankfurt to the Kruger and Daumann rebels. Three months after that, sympathetic maintenance workers started sabotaging Daumann manufacturing operations in New Berlin. The industrial heart of Rheinland stopped beating, and the Popular Revolution had begun.

Five years later the Emperor was overthrown, and a new coalition government was established in its place. While the Bundschuh initially pushed for a full investigation into the activities of companies such as Kruger Minerals and Daumann Heavy Construction, more pragmatic elements within the government decided that for the newly formed Rheinland Republic to succeed, its needed the support of the aristocrats who controlled those and other major companies. Both Kruger and Daumann were eventually required to pay substantial reparations intended to "improve the Rheinland Republic for the good of all people," and all Rheinland companies were forced to comply with a newly ratified Workers'Rights Convention.

By 715 A.S. business in Dresden had more or less resumed as usual. The Bundschuh were driven underground, an impractical brand of idealism ill-suited to building a consensus among the many different government factions and the aristocrats who controlled the purse strings. The Bundschuh took the ideological high route, attracting the purists dedicated to overthrowing the corrupt Rheinland regime represented by government, Daumann, and the Republican. The Red Hessians adapted the more pragmatic approach of stealing and plundering in the guise of fighting the powers that be. As a result, the Red Hessians ranks swelled, and the Bundschuh dwindled.

Diplomacy

The Bundschuh have always looked to the Unioners, LWB, Red Hessians, and disgruntled Republican, Daumann and Kruger workers for possible recruits. So they maintain a distinct note of neutrality towards the criminal groups, although they find the Red Hessians practice of indiscrimate piracy distasteful. They prefer to focus on Daumann, Republican, and military bases, although they do raid a ship in occasion for supplies, preferably Samura or Kishiro, as they have no more love for Kusari than the rest of the Rheinland.

Allies

Red Hessians

Enemies

Rheinland Federal Police

Rheinland Military

Bounty Hunters

Corsairs

Synth Foods, Inc.

Known Bases

• Bruchsal Base, Frankfurt

Player Factions

VF) - Volksfront

The Volksfront is dedicated to protecting the Rheinland people at any cost, from enemies within or without.