Aliya Reis

Commander-Organiser of the Black Army Aliya Reis Antithesis of Fascism
Picture, taken before EW2 in 1936, of Aliya Reis.
Native name	ᛆᛚᛁᛦᛆ ᚱᛂᛁᛋ
Nickname(s)	Lady Black
Born	(1900-07-11)July 11, 1900 Rykborg, Faldarun
Died	November 4, 1982(1982-11-04) (aged 82) Auðugurhöfn, Faldarun
Allegiance	Template:Country data Faldarun
Service/branch	People's Defence Forces Army
Years of service	1917-1960
Rank	Commander-Organiser of the Black Army
Battles/wars	Faldarunic Civil War Second Endwar
Spouse(s)	Gabriella Leifsdóttir

Aliya Reis (Faldarunic: ᛆᛚᛁᛦᛆ ᚱᛂᛁᛋ; 11 July 1900 – 4 November 1982), was a Faldarunic revolutionary, partisan, soldier and officer, who fought as a revolutionary soldier during the Faldarunic Civil War and as Commander-Organiser of Faldarunic forces during the Second Endwar. She is well-known for organising the Faldarunic contribution to the Second Endwar, in which Faldarunic troops and materiel helped primarily the Nerotysian-led Comintern in it's war against the Tartaro-Neptic Axis, in addition to helping Meriadni partisans resist the Kolish occupation.

Early life

Born to a Jewish-Faldarunic family in the Konungs district of downtown Rykborg at the turn of the century, Aliya was introduced to the tyranny of Imperial Faldarun at the age of ten, as her family was on the receiving end on one of the anti-semetic pogroms encouraged by Kristján I and, to a lesser extent, his successor Vilhjálmur II. Her father, Abraham Reis, was killed in the fighting, while her mother Kaila was heavily wounded. Aliya herself was saved by Dante Leone, a Capognian immigrant who was affiliated with the rising Black Liberation Army. After that day, she helped herself and her mother survive while also attending early anti-monarchy rallies and strikes.

Revolution and military career

When the First Endwar broke out, Aliya was at the anti-war marches, but nevertheless ended up working for the war effort. During the blockade, Aliya downed her tools along with her coworkers and joined the demonstrations against the war and the monarchy. In the aftermath of the assassination of Vilhjálmur II, Aliya joined others in fighting for the revolutionary cause, and helped to establish the Rykborg Commune. In the ensuing civil war, Reis became an active revolutionary soldier within the Black Liberation Army, and would rise to become one of its most feared soldiers, in addition to becoming the face of the mid-war recruitment drive. When the war came to a close, Aliya joined others in the Constitutional Convention of 1919, and was one of the most outspoken advocates for women's rights and religious freedom at the convention.

In the inter-war years, Aliya rose through the ranks of the newly-established People's Defence Forces, becoming a commanding officer in the People's Defence Forces Army. By the outbreak of the Second Endwar in 1936, Reis was one of the most influential officers in the PDF, and fervently pushed for Faldarunic intervention against the Tartaro-Neptic Axis. When Dagmar Jóhannsson was elected as Lawspeaker in early 1942, public opinion had shifted to her side, and Faldarun declared war on all members of the Axis. During this time, she became known as the Commander-Organiser of the Black Army, and was essentially responsible for the entire military side of the war effort. She sent seasoned veterans of the International Volunteer Legions to Meriad and other occupied territories to inspire resistance movements, while also sending large PDF contingents to the Nerotysian Front and, later, the Escari Front.

Personal life

During the Faldarunic Revolution, Aliya met another female revolutionary of roughly her age from the city of Vesturfalla. The two fell for each other eventually, and by the end of the civil war they were in a relationship. The girl, Gabriella Leifsdóttir, would later marry Reis twice; in a secular wedding and a Jewish wedding.

Legacy

Elsewhere in Ordis

In Meriad, where Reis sent members of the International Volunteer Legions in order to train and aid Meriadni partisans fighting against the Kolish occupation during the Second Endwar, the commander is favourably remembered as Sørjager; the Warrior of the South. There is a statue dedicated to her in the Meriadni town of Ingalundur, Islagskogen. Additionally, as a supporter of the creation of the Nordic Congress, Reis is honoured by that organisation also. Despite fighting against Kolintha in the Second Endwar, Lady Black is remembered as an honourable and worthy opponent, and is widely respected among Kolish generals for her martial prowess.

In popular culture

• The PC Game, Stjórn og Sigra: Rauður Neyðar, set in an alternate history, features an enthusiastic but naive Faldarunic rebel commander named Eliya Rós, a humorous caricature of Aliya Reis.
• The FSS Reis, an Envoy-class starship, is referred to several times in Planet Wanderer: The New Range.
• Keisaranríki, a popular user modification for the EW2 grand-strategy game Minds of Steel in which the Faldarunic and Kolish Empires manage to win the First Endwar, features Reis a potential "Revolutionaryist" leader of Faldarun if the monarchy is overthrown during the course of the game.