Welcome to District Thirteen

Past presidents made promises that were not kept, leading to discontent amongst Thirteen’s citizens. Additionally, they struggled to balance Thirteen’s immense weaponizational strength, growing military, and exploding population due to large waves of wanderers immigrating to the underground district. To sum it up, past presidents failed to exercise their power in a way that satisfied the people and it was no secret that they would be ousted by the time the next election came around.

Thirteen’s people were seeking something stronger - policies to better themselves and that would withstand not only the test of time, but intensifying Capitol threats. Growing civil unrest meant that the new candidates needed to be bolder and braver than ever before, resulting in a divisive split, separating militia management from presidential power. Previous presidential attempts were seemingly ineffective and faulty at best, so the new political agenda dedicated itself to strategically manoeuvring and maximising the power of the people’s freedom and their restraints. It was decided that one president would be devoted to the people and one president would be devoted to the people’s protection - a manifesto that proved successful in winning the favour of Thirteen’s citizens.

Nova and Cormac Verlice were thus elected to power and proposed big changes to the societal structure of District Thirteen. The Verlice siblings found themselves at the top of Thirteen’s hierarchy and were determined to prove they were worthy and unafraid of the power that came with their co-presidency.

Since their rise to power, the Presidents have handled changes with swiftness and attention to detail, quickly addressing the major problems plaguing Thirteen and taking opportunities to advance and evolve the District itself.


REDUCED IMMIGRATION

Thirteen’s borders have closed for the time, plateauing the immense population growth while Thirteen regains itself and realigns its priorities.


INCREASED QUARANTINE

In addition to reduced immigration allowance, wanderers and other refugees are undergoing much more intense questioning procedures. Whether they make it out of a Thirteen’s Isolation Facilities and are allowed to join Thirteen again is anyone’s guess…


SEE EVIL, HEAR EVIL, SPEAK EVIL LAW

Encouraging the reporting of illegal activities, reducing the outbreaks of fear and crime that had risen through past President’s terms.


AAA (ARMAMENT ACADEMIES ACT)

Although initially military and survival focused in its creation, Thirteen’s focus on its military had gradually dwindled after its creation. However, with the new rise of Cormac Verlice, mandatory military terms for the youth of Thirteen have been increased and expanded, with a larger focus of resources put into the strengthening of Thirteen’s military academies.


THIRTEEN PLUS ONE PROJECT

Increased nuclear bomb construction has started, under the guise of weaponizing Thirteen to its full strength again. Whether this turns out to be necessary is up to chance.

Under the constant threat of Capitol recapture, numerous training facilities came to life soon after District Thirteen’s underground facilities creation. Initially created to house and supply the remaining military forces of Thirteen leftover from the constant fighting of The Dark Days, it wasn’t long before District Thirteen’s militaristic and defensive priorities led to more and more funds directed towards these military and defensive facilities. As Thirteen settled and a new generation of youth were born into the underground, the patriotism associated with being the only District to earn its freedom and the learning of Thirteen’s history (however revised it may have been) led to many youth striving to serve in the protection and safety of Thirteen. What resulted was a period of rapid expansion and growth, marked by the rise of a myriad of different military academies for the youth of Thirteen, training them in the skills of both survival as well as warfare, framing service to the District as a badge of bravery and honor. It wasn’t long before mandatory military service for the youth of Thirteen was put into law, met with widespread approval from the citizens themselves.

As time went on, the numerous facilities and academies narrowed and thinned, eventually settling into two distinct entities: Kostas and Ames Academy. Named after two notable heroes of the wars of the Dark Days, these two academies quickly rose in respect amongst the citizens of Thirteen, with many of Thirteen’s citizens considering them with high prestige. The continuous rise of these two Academies naturally allowed an intense yet friendly rivalry between the two schools to form, emphasized and encouraged by the militaristic culture that had grown in Thirteen since its creation. The Academy’s close proximity to one another as well as numerous opportunities to display their respective dominance over the other has only served to grow this rivalry, leading to distinct showings of pride by many of the youth of Thirteen who enter such Academies.

Although military and academy recruitment numbers remained steady, the intense patriotism that birthed the academies gradually began to waver throughout the decades. However, with new transitions of power throughout the last ten years came a larger influx of propaganda and recruitment material aimed at returning to form the mentality of Thirteen’s youth, using the difficult times the District had fallen into to augment the need for Thirteen’s military to strengthen itself. As a result, the Academies have quickly grown again, resembling what they once were at the time of their creation.