Sopron Frontier Territory (1983: Doomsday)

The Sopron Frontier Territory is a small eastern border region that is part of the Alpine Confederation. Largely surrounded by neighboring Burgenland and under the jurisdiction of Austria, it is based from the intact city and vicinity of Sopron (German: Ödenburg) and has nominal jurisdiction over the areas along the Austro-Hungarian border currently under Alpine control. But due to its proximity to the Hungarian wastes, however, it has also been for the longest time a militarized frontier due to the significant presence and influence of Alpine military forces.

Although the Frontier has long been part of the Confederation, its status serves to validate a long-standing reality as an defacto Austrian protectorate, which has lasted for over a generation. And while the Frontier as known today can trace its origins to as far back as 1984, most use the defacto Austrian protection guarantee of 1987 as a landmark moment in its young history.

Post-Doomsday History
Despite the town's long-standing existence, its origins going as far back as Roman times, Doomsday ironically proved to be the turning point for its true rise to prominence. Although the "ever loyal town," as it was also known since the breakup of Austria-Hungary in 1918, was not targeted when the bombs fell, the effects were felt almost immediately. Local Communist Party members and their Soviet minders attempted to establish a forward base as part of a campaign to invade Austria, though it became apparent that there was no real power base to work on. This proved to be a breaking point as both local citizens and soldiers rose up in a successful coup against their increasingly unpopular masters. The move was supported by Austrian garrisons along with a handful of Swiss reinforcements moving across the border following the failed Soviet invasion launched during Doomsday. Yet Sopron's problems had only begun.

A Provisional Authority, predecessor to the current Frontier Authority was proclaimed on February 1984, officially bringing an end to Communist rule in their corner of Hungary; although one of its first acts was to declare an indefinite martial law. Yet even the most fervent patriots at the time were uncertain as to whether there was still a "Hungary" to speak off. With rogue Soviet soldiers rampaging through the countryside beyond the immediate vicinity of the town and the collapse of a functioning communications structure, contact with Budapest or any other section of the country had effectively been cut off. It wasn't long, however, before stories came of mass upheaval, death and utter devastation from those swarming into the region or at least those fortunate enough to have escaped the roving bands. As fallout spread from areas targeted during Doomsday, cases of radiation sickness rose tremendously over time. Eventually, it became increasingly apparent that despite their hopes, the people of Sopron were on their own. Nonetheless, It quickly gained a reputation among refugees as a "beacon of light" in the wastes.

By 1987, soldiers from the then Austro-Swiss Union increasingly became a common sight around Sopron, although the locals welcomed them; their presence prior to that point had been among the reasons why the region had not fallen to the same chaotic breakdown that occurred across the former country. Over time, the Frontier (as it has already begun to call itself) had managed to secure additional territory, miniscule it may have been until stable border was established, to this day marking the furthest point of official Alpine control. Trade and communication had also solidified with neighboring Burgenland as more German speakers flocked to the region seeking both charity work and new opportunities. By the early 1990s, Austrian charity groups and companies had begun to establish themselves within the city proper.

But it was not until later that the Frontier came to the attention of the Linz authorities and to a degree the rest of what was to become the Alpine Confederation. While most Austrians were already in favor of the region, the Swiss and Liechtensteiners generally saw it at first as little more than a "glorified refugee camp," which became for a time a contentious topic though quickly died down towards the end of the 1990s. Referendums were held several times from 1997 onwards; all were generally in favor of staying as either a protectorate or autonomous entity. Although it wasn't until 2009 that through Austrian support, Sopron was recognized by the Confederate Council in Vaduz even if it was little more than a formality by then. Its ties to the rest of the Alpines, which had improved over the years, remains strong until the present.

Language and Culture
Due to its historic background and connections, Sopron has historically been both Hungary's most Austrian town and Austria's most Hungarian. It was, and still is in many ways symbolic of the long-defunct Habsburg Austro-Hungarian Empire. Whether it was trade, culture or ideology, its people felt themselves at once one with and apart from their nationalities. The Dual Monarchy may be long gone, but that legacy lives on among the present inhabitants. In such an environment the region had since begun to develop its own identity through blending both elements, giving a distinct character from the rest of the Alpine territories. Although to this day, social life still retains an image of being a stronghold, due in part to the many military installations lining the official border.

The majority are of either Austrian or Hungarian descent, a significant proportion of the latter coming from refugees fleeing the chaos before and after the infamous border closures that followed Doomsday. Due to Sopron's proximity and historic value, Austro-Swiss officers considered the lands that would more or less one day comprise the present region both a viable base of operations and a relatively suitable place from which to process and settle down these refugees until more proper places could be found; given its at-the-time grey area status, the border closures were not as enforced within the town's vicinity. While there were those who eventually moved on to live in other parts of what became the Confederation, many of whom would settle in Burgenland, the majority still chose to stay, serving only to bolster the city's reputation as a beacon of safety. For a short time in the early 1990s it developed another reputation as a "glorfied refugee camp," though this was not necessarily seen as a negative term following efforts to make amends for those controversial early years. But to this day, the Frontier remains a major haven for Magyar refugees within Alpine territory or at least those who had long settled down there.

It comes as little surprise therefore that German and Magyar are the two main languages in use, of which locals are increasingly becoming bilingual of. Many signs and local publications are made in either or both tongues, a policy which continues to be supported by the Frontier Authority. Some believe that this is reminiscent if not proof of an old line bearing fruit: Indivisibiliter ac Inseparabiliter.

Politics, Military and Government
Formally run by the locally elected Frontier Authority, it is directly answerable to the Austrian government in Linz. Local laws and customs are derived from Alpine standards as well as elements from the pre-Doomsday Hungarian constitution. The region is largely left to govern itself in civil affairs, though benefits considerably from Alpine citizenship despite not formally a full member, including aid and other services. But due to the small size of its territory, already putting into account other Magyar border areas, it is strongly reliant on their Austrian liasons and through them the Confederate Council in Vaduz.

Militarily speaking the Frontier's borders as well as its wholesale defenses are under the jurisdiction of the Alpine Military, with provisions for local Alpine-trained militia. Although it remains primarily manned by Austrians from nearby garrisons, other units from across the Confederation have increasingly been stationed here. To this day the military remains a significant influence in local affairs, the local Frontier Headquarters wielding power all but supplanting those of the nominally civil authorities. This is due in part to its strategic importance as the Alpines' main base of operations in its corner of western Hungary. It has also been the primary base from which government-sponsored expeditions have been launched into the lands beyond the officially-recognized borders, although their funding has largely been inconsistent, especially with the situation in Sicily. These survey missions, which had been ongoing since at least the 1990s and observed by the WCRB, had verified the devastation left behind in the aftermath of Doomsday as well as the existence of scant communities still holding out in what some had called the "Hungarian wastes." A 2009 update released by Alpine officials confirmed among other things the stretch of decaying ruins and "sea of glass" that had once been Budapest.

At present, it is expected to remain within the Confederation for the immediate future. Meanwhile, the small but noticeable influence of neo-Hungarian nationalist circles from across the political spectrum, as well as contact with Partium have opened intriguing questions about the Frontier's future within the Alpine Confederation. Nonetheless, independence groups, especially those of far-left and far-right leanings remain in the fringe, lacking any popular support. While its territory nominally includes other border areas under Alpine control, the locals had taken Confederation claims to all of western Hungary to heart, while hardliners more controversially suggested "reintegrating" parts of the Austrian state of Burgenland to Sopron for "historic reasons" dating back to the Treaty of Trianon at the break-up of Austria-Hungary. Much more contested however are its claims of being a legitimate successor to the former Hungarian Republic. With Partium in the eastern half internationally recognized as such, Alpine authorities have made no official recognition of Sopron's status as a fellow successor; although public and informal sentiment especially in Austria tends to be at least simpathetic.