The Gitmo Territory
- System of Government: Thalassocratic Semi-Secretarial State
- Head of State: The Base Commander (elected amongst the Council of Admirals)
- Population: 720,000
- Official Religion: Non-Denominationalism, amongst others
- Totemic Symbol: The Golden Eagle of the Marines
Amongst the savage war-torn isles of Greater Cuba, one can find the fearsome Santiera necromancers, the dreaded Comunista marauders, and the bloodthirsty barbarians of Maya. But within this heathenous land stands a shining brotherhood, dedicated to upholding the holy principles of Christ, civilization, and liberty. From the Windward Passage to the cays of Sabana-Camagüey, the Gitmo Territory has stood firm throughout the centuries, defending the homeland from those who would seek to rape and pillage blessed Americana. But as one of the most distant tributaries of the USA, Gitmo is seen as a strange land by many, influenced by the cruel thraldoms of Antilles and traditions of an ancient enemy lost to time.
After the regression, thousands of soldiers, sailors, and servicemen across the Guantanamo Bay were cut off from Washington and banded together to survive the coming anarchy. After years of fighting against raids sent by Havana and preserving naval traditions from before the Regression, Gitmo would begin to develop a deep-rooted martial culture, eventually becoming a sort of Sparta-on-the-Caribbean. The fisher lords of Caimanera would quickly fall under the yoke of the Golden Eagle alongside the cotton reapers who lay inland. But while the warriors of Gitmo had become hardened through conquest, the southern coastal plain would grow fallow without any hands to till the land. Thankfully, Gitmo was filled to the brim with a large source of cheap labor, from within its prison walls.
From the earliest days of the regression, the peculiar institution of slavery had always remained commonplace within that southern Cuban bay. Unlike what happened in Kuluradu, the prisoners of Gitmo would not overthrow their kafir masters in a Great Jihad, but were instead put to work in the farms and whipped until their backs broke. As Gitmo was put on the warpath against its savage neighbors, the prison population would be flooded with new inmates captured from the frontlines. Left desperate by the cruel tortures of their masters, the prisoners of Gitmo would begin to take up the teachings of the old helots from before the regression. It was those bygone
Imams who oft spoke of a great man from the east who struck down the western devil and the blessed land of the black stone, where all pious souls would arrive after death.
As time went on, the galleys of Gitmo would soon rediscover the remnants of the USA at their trading ports in Miami and Jacksonville. During this time, Base Commander Harlan Crane converted his captains to the Non-Denominational faith and asked that Baltimore make Gitmo an American tributary state. This request was not only done out of Gitmo’s adherence to old traditions but also desperation. From Havana,
Secretario Raúl III “the Petty” had recently recaptured Santiago from the Golden Eagle, while waging a genocidal campaign against the rebellious mountain tribes of Sierra Maestra. Growing apprehensive at the
comunista incursions upon the Florida Keys, the Senate quickly agreed to take up the Commander’s offer while the Chief Justice declared a Caribbean Crusade against the Red Menace.
Quickly, thousands of Southron knights claiming descent from Cubans exiled from the House Castro sailed south in their war against the great heresy. In the aftermath of the Crusade, a few island chains on the northern shore fell to the Gitmo Territory as the
Secretario’s armies were left bruised and battered. While the
Comunistas would not be completely subjugated by America’s conquest, the aftermath of the war left the Republic weakened and unable to control their rebellious serfs. This would lead to Cuba’s catastrophic defeat during the War of the Saints, forcing House Castro to flee to the Isle of Youth. Soon enough, Gitmo would become incredibly important for American interests as the Caribbean Empire rose and fell, sending ripples across the Middle Ocean.
As of now, the ruling class of captains and slaveholders rule over a massive indentured population, in a fashion similar to the other secretarial states of the Caribbean. While one can find the slaves speaking Spanish, French, Dutch, Lucumí, Arabic, or a strange creole of all five, the elite continue to speak the civilized tongue of English, similar to how the Capos of Novo Giorsi preserved the language of the Old Country. But the very upper crust of the elite lies a Council of Admirals, who are tasked to decide who to rule Gitmo after the Base Commander’s death and how to deal with the rising threat from N’awleens. In a sense, Gitmo is quite literally a navy with a nation, dedicated to preserving American hegemony in the Caribbean.
And of course, America remains dedicated to Gitmo for its steady supply of delicious sugarcane, coffee, and other southern treats. But while these crops remain valuable, Gitmo’s most profitable export by far is none other than its plentiful population of slaves, procured from those barbarous diseased jungles. From the Forgotten Coast to Cape Fear, the galleys of the Golden Eagle are a welcome sight amongst the Southern folk, as hordes of slave-drivers auction for the fittest slaves in the lot. Meanwhile, the CIA continues to prop up their loyal vassal by occasionally sending experienced bureaucrats, ensuring that the southern trade remains well run thus providing the Gulf with a cheap supply of peons and handmaids.
Unfortunately for the slave-merchants of Gitmo, it would not be uncommon for a few indentured folk to rise against their cruel masters every now and then. But time and time again, these rebellions had been put to the sword while the instigators would have their spirits broken in the black dungeons of Camp Delta. While the torturers of Gitmo remain ever so fierce, the slaves continue to cling tight to their hidden faith of
Yihadismo. Deep within the plantations of the Antillies, one can find a hidden congregation of slaves praying for the Prophet to free them from their shackles and return their accursed souls to the blessed paradise of
Afghan. But as of now, Gitmo continues to stand strong against the creeping tide of Voudoun and Mexican heresy as a shining city upon a hill.
