Twilight 2000 Nordic Sourcebook: Countries

[John Farson]

Most Nordic cities and towns are independent or isolated, though wide swaths of organized areas can be found in the southern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland and throughout Denmark. The war-torn Lapland region is destroyed, occupied, in anarchy or disputed (The Narvik area). The area of the Kingdom of Sweden is considered occupied. The area of the Republic of Sweden is considered occupied or organized depending on the local administration. The Stockholm area is disputed. Northern Finland (from Tampere to the border of Lapland province) and eastern Finland is the hunting ground of numerous raiders and in anarchy or terrorized. The administration of military units extends to their immediate jurisdiction and is considered occupied.

[John Farson]

Finland

Finland was spared from major destruction during the war. Helsinki was the only major city to be attacked with nuclear weapons and parts of it lie in ruins as a result. Ivalo and Inari were severely damaged during the fighting. Certain cities near military bases have also been bombed with conventional weapons. As both sides destroyed each other’s as well as the world’s oil resources, tactical nuclear weapons were launched at neutral nations. Naantali and Porvoo are the largest places in Finland that have been destroyed in these attacks.

Fishing has become the most important livelihood in the lake region. Perch, pike and roach have become the staple foods. A family fishing with nets is a highly common sight in the Finnish lake district. Large amounts of fish are transported as food to Ostrobothnia in the west and Uusimaa in the south. Farming is concentrated in Uusimaa, Varsinais-Suomi in the southwest and Ostrobothnia. A substantial portion of grain is used in the production of ethanol, which is the most important export in these regions. Farming is also practiced in the Åland Islands, though fishing is naturally the most important livelihood there. Strong trade links with the Baltic Company have turned the Åland Islands into Finland’s most important province.

Hunting and animal husbandry are the most important livelihoods north of Oulu and Kajaani. Reindeer herding is extremely important in Lapland, which is why venison is consumed daily throughout the Cap of the North (Finnmark, Nordland and Troms in Norway, Norrbotten in Sweden and Lappi in Finland). Lapland trades with the Norwegians and Russians for fish from the Norwegian Sea.

Nuclear targets: Helsinki (2 x 10kt) Santahamina and Upinniemi military bases and the Herttoniemi oil facilities. Naantali (50kt) Oil refinery. City burnt to ashes. Porvoo (10kt) Oil refinery. City suffered heavy losses from the blast and fire storm.

[John Farson]

Sweden

Wrecked by civil war, Sweden has suffered greatly from the anarchy gripping the countryside. The Kingdom of Sweden, which covers the southern quarter of Sweden, is in a better position with regards to food and industrial production. On the other hand, large raiding bands from the north have lately begun to plague the rural areas.

The fertile regions of Scania and southern Sweden are vital for both sides in the war, and their grain is sought after all over the Baltic, particularly in Norway. The small factories and workshops operating in the Gothenburg and Stockholm areas satisfy most of the Kingdom’s needs. Fish is an easily available resource in the Baltic these days, which is why there are many fishing communities in the islands of Gotland and Öland. These islands also contain vibrant trade ports. The Republic of Sweden, located in the north, suffers from a difficult food situation. Although fishing in the Bay of Bothnia and Kvarken has alleviated the situation somewhat, the farms of northern Sweden simply don’t yield a sufficient harvest. Reindeer herding has become the most important source of food alongside animal husbandry in general.

The Republic of Sweden has made a number of trade treaties with other countries with regards to the accusation of grain. Industrial production is still meager, but local authorities have been continually promoting it and small workshops have begun to arise along the coast of the Bay of Bothnia since 2000. A chronic shortage of industrial tools and machines hinders industrialization, however. As a result, many merchants have begun to transport spare parts and other necessary industrial products to Umeå and Haparanda.

Stockholm has been burned almost completely to the ground but people have returned there, hoping to scavenge useful things from the ruins. Many of Stockholm’s industrial facilities have also restarted, albeit on a very small scale. Gothenburg was damaged somewhat in the nuclear attack and rioting, but it has now become Sweden’s largest city. Year after year its importance increases as the rebuilding of Stockholm has been shelved due to the fighting.

Nuclear targets: Gothenburg (50kt) Oil industry. The missile missed its target and damaged the refinery. However, the city itself did not suffer major loss of life due to the missile missing the main part of the city. Nynäshamn (20kt) Oil industry. It was the destruction of this city that caused massive panic in Stockholm. Malmö (20kt) Oil industry and port. Port completely destroyed. Sunken wrecks are explored continuously in hopes of salvaging cargo. Linköping (50kt) Fighter jet plant. City completely destroyed. Karlskoga (50kt) Arms factory. City completely destroyed. Bofors (50kt) Arms factory. City completely destroyed.

[John Farson]

Norway

Norway suffered horribly in the Third World War. Half the country has been reduced to a battlefield and numerous cities and towns in northern Norway are almost piles of rubble. Most of the country’s industry as well as all major military bases were destroyed in the nuclear attacks. Before the war Norway’s greatest source of income was its oil industry, which has collapsed as a result of the Russian nuclear strikes. What remains of Norway has managed to partially avoid running out of supplies – a real and present danger thanks to the near total destruction of industry –due to government support of small workshops.

The national food situation is almost catastrophic. Norway had never been self-sufficient in grain and other agricultural products. After the nuclear war, Norwegian agriculture has only managed to produce sufficient food to meet local, regional needs despite all efforts. Hunting has alleviated the situation somewhat. Norwegians’ true source of nourishment has always been the sea. Fishing vessels move about the Norwegian and North Seas regardless of the weather. Norwegians sell fish to the Swedes in exchange for Swedish grain. As a result, the remaining warehouses near Oslo are these days usually filled with smoked fish.

The Lofoten archipelago near Narvik is famous for its good fishing waters, but the closeness of the front makes any fishing journeys there a highly dangerous enterprise. Nonetheless, Russian fishing vessels move about these waters without caring about the Norwegians. Indeed, many nightly skirmishes have been fought in these rocky waters between Norwegian and Russian vessels. So far the Norwegians have held the edge thanks to their local knowledge of the islands and the surrounding waters. Despite the losses both sides are more than willing to fight over these islands.

Nuclear targets: Oslo (1Mt) Political and industrial center. This attack killed the entire government as well as the King, leaving Prince Jungi as King Haakon VIII. The ruins are being bulldozed in order to secure supplies. Bergen (100kt) Military port. Base and port area completely destroyed. Strong radiation still in the area. A U.S. nuclear submarine containing 16 Trident II missiles sank in the harbor. The radioactive material spewing from it continues to contaminate the city’s environs. Stavanger (100kt) Oil industry. City burnt to ashes. Drammen (100kt) Oil industry. City completely destroyed. Radiation from the blast also spread to Oslo. Horten (100kt) Naval base. City completely destroyed. Harstad (100kt) Naval base. City completely destroyed. Tromso (100kt) Naval base. City completely destroyed.

[John Farson]

Iceland

Generally speaking, Iceland made it through the war better than most countries. The country’s small population and remote location shielded it from the worst destruction. Icelandic agriculture suffered a severe but momentary disruption due to fertilizers running out, but since then agriculture has been able to meet the population’s needs, though local shortages do occur every now and then. Fishing is Iceland’s lifeline and its fishing vessels contribute the most to the peoples’ daily bread. Iceland’s waters are abundant with fish, and the country’s economic situation appears to be secure in the long run.

Nuclear targets: Keflavik (100kt) Naval Air Station Keflavik. The Keflavik air base was Iceland’s largest and only military facility. The precision nuclear strike completely destroyed the base and adjacent airport, with the surviving Americans evacuating from Iceland soon afterwards. The effects of the mild nuclear fallout over Reykjavik will only be noticeable once someone is crazy enough to have babies in this ruined world.

[John Farson]

Denmark

Denmark’s low-lying plains are gradually becoming the bread basket of the Nordic countries. It avoided any major nuclear strikes in the war, though Copenhagen was bombed almost to smithereens with conventional weapons. Even there small-scale industry is arising thanks to the port (or what is left of it).

The growing Baltic trade has made the Danish straits an important route to the Atlantic and vice versa, which the remnants of the Danish Navy exploit as much as possible through tariffs and other tolls. Sea traffic is hindered by the mines that infest the entirety of Denmark’s territorial waters and only the Navy has some kind of idea about the safe routes to the Atlantic. Nonetheless, almost daily there will be some stubborn seadog who refuses to pay the naval tolls, goes his own route… and blows up to kingdom come together with his ship.

Above all else Denmark is wheat fields and farm animals. All farms have to be able to fulfill the state’s production quotas or else the farm household finds itself homeless and another family is settled in their farm instead. The requirements aren’t unreasonable, however, and by the standards of the early 21st century farming ensures quite a good income for an entrepreneurial farmer. The labor shortage caused by a lack of machinery has been solved by putting the urban refugees and other unfortunates to work at the farms and fields. As horses have again gained in value, horse breeders can also enjoy a secure income. Colorful country fares with their horse markets have already become an integral part of the Danish way of life.

The riches of Denmark lure all sorts of raiders and bandits, however. This plague is nonetheless kept under control thanks to the vigilance of the Danish military and generous bounties for raider chiefs. There is so much work, however, that like in the Wild West bounty hunting in Denmark has also become its own, dark profession. As the situation in Central Europe worsens more and more people are migrating to Denmark, especially from Germany. Some of the illegal immigrants are put to (forced) work at the farms or cities, while others are turned back.