Nations Name: United Vanjanan Empire (Vanjana)
Flag:
Form of Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Describe the System: (Describe how your country is run in some more detail.} Leadership of the UVE is passed down to the oldest child of the dead monarch, no matter their gender. The nation's leader is referred to as a "Jade", as the throne in the palace is made out of jade (earning it the name "Jade Throne"). Working with the Jade is the Common People's Representative House (More often referred to as the "Representative House". The Representative House has less power than the Jade, but is able to vote for or against the Jade's decrees and extend such voting periods in the hopes the the Jade will see their reasoning. However, the Jade reserves the right to veto any law passed by the Representative House two times, after those two times the law cannot be voted on until someone involved (Either the monarch or a representative) is replaced by a successor.
Location on Map Desired: A decent-sized peninsula sprouting off to the east of Lancian Empire territory (preferably with a border between the UVE and HLE)
Capital: Kwedolobhakalle (Central position in the nation, on the coast. Trade center of the nation.)
Important Settlements:
Kasta (North of Kwedolobhakalle, also on the coast. Major trading port.)
Spexhult (South of Kwedolobhakalle, on the coast as well. Major trading port.)
Vermerud (West of Kasta, on river, trading port.)
Vialla (West of Spexhult, on river, trading port.)
Stad av Rök (Southeast of Vialla, covered in smog from the abundant factories)
Description: Cities in the United Vanjanan Empire are huge metropolises, fueled by the immense wealth brought in by trade. They have an ingenious sewage system, instead of dumping chamber pots out into the streets, houses in the city are connected to pipes that run above the roads. Charberpots are dumped into those pipes through openings outside of windows, and the wastewater is carried down to a collection point where it is left to evaporate. This tones down the horrid smell present in the cities of other nations, and keeps human waste off the streets. To complement this, there are dedicated street sanitation teams in all major cities that clean up the horse waste that once seemed like pavement. The United Vanjanan Empire also has a highly developed cobblestone road system for the transport of goods.
In Vanjana, the four-point star is considered a symbol of hope and good luck, explaining their flag and national anthem (titled: "Look up at the Four-Pointed Star"). Jade (the rock) is also important to the culture, signifying perseverance despite the situation and the ability to do good no matter the consequences. Women and men are considered completely equal, and tolerance is a core value in Vanjana. The believe in strength through quality and they believe quality comes from diversity, thus it is a popular immigration target. In contrast to other nations, women are allowed to join the military and most higher-ups are female, this is most likely just chance.
Different religions sprawl all over the UVE, but the largest is known as "Anhängare av Stjärna Frö" (after the title of their leader). Those who follow it seem worship the stars, in an extremely odd departure from most modern religions. If one dives deep enough into the mythology, the find multiple texts that are often referenced by "Abundant Life" theorists (those who believe that the stars are also worlds, and have their own human inhabitants). The most famous lines are "Thus, our forefathers were sent forth from their comfortable home, bringing with them their eternal mission of salvation for all life." and "Those pure in heart need not heed our call, for they will naturally find their way back to the halls of Yagdasradich."
Anhängare av Stjärna Frö believes in two forces: Yagdasradich and Cadzigrara. Interestingly, neither are supernatural. Both are believed to be simply groups of extremely powerful mortals. The Yagdasradich are the "Good" force, standing for equality, liberty, justice, and above all else, salvation. The Cadzigrara are the "Evil" force, standing for oppression and the destruction of all who do not follow their path. The Yagdasradich and Cadzigrara are said to be locked in an eternal war not unlike those waged in the world of Edoniras. However, the words of many a Stjärna Frö over the years describe the battles waged in this war as "Astounding in scale", those taking place in the sky containing hundreds of thousands of airships carrying "Cannon of unbelievable power". All land battles are said to utilize "Land warships standing on invisible wheels" and "Muskets firing bullets so fast they leave behind a trail of blue fire". Naval battles are always said to be simply battles between gigantic transport fleets supported by airships attacking land-based defenses. Those who are pure of heart are said to be descendants of Yagdasradich soldiers who visited Edoniras long ago. In fact, nearly all churches of the Anhängare av Stjärna Frö use military titles to refer to their members, considering themselves to still be soldiers.
Despite the great detail in which the beliefs are described, many consider them to be a bunch of crackpots and people who just want something to believe in. Interestingly, the Anhängare av Stjärna Frö harbor no hard feelings toward those who believe they are wrong. In fact, anyone who is pure of heart is considered a descendant of the Yagdasradich soldiers, regardless of belief or actual family history. Though the UVE tries to not show favoritism to any religion, Anhängare av Stjärna Frö beliefs have slowly crept into everyday life. Gender equality? Anhängare av Stjärna Frö belief. Four pointed star? Home of the Yagdasradich. Jade? Yagdasradich airships are said to be painted green. However, nobody really realizes this, and the Anhängare av Stjärna Frö have never actively tried to push their beliefs on anyone not willing to listen. They do, however, believe that belligerent people who refuse to listen are descendants of the Cadzigrara. Members of more extreme sects who fully embrace the idea that they are soldiers are not allowed to serve in the military or own a weapon, so as to avoid any incidents.
There are multiple languages in the United Vanjanan Empire, but the most used is Vanjanani (Similar to Swedish). Ancient Vanjanani is used in the anthem, however, and most know at least those words. The currency is the Fyrapoängstjärnamynt (Often shortened to Frya). There are quarter Frya coins, half Frya coins, one Fry coins, two Frya coins, and four Frya coins. The coins are gold in the center, surrounded by wood. As the value rises, so does the size of the gold in the center and the wood surrounding it. They are made in such a way that the wood's buoyancy counteracts the weight of the gold to varying degrees, allowing merchants to drop coins given to them in water to determine their legitimacy.
The United Vanjanan Empire has already gone through its industrial revolution, despite this, their old architecture still remains. Most Vanjanan buildings have tall, decorative spires with multiple areas on all floors having no walls, only a roof supported by columns. Factories are no exception, with the open areas often being used as manual labor areas and the indoors used for the steam machinery. The spires are almost always used as smokestacks. Most architects add an artistic flair to the spire smokestacks, putting multiple smaller smokestacks in specific positions so as to create mesmerizing spirals of smoke (sometimes they even go so far as to add specialized dye to color the smoke, usually blue or red). Some factories keep the workers inside, and put the steam-driven machinery in the exposed areas. This causes some factories to be covered in a haze of smoke.
Despite the fact that they have already accepted steam power, the United Vanjanan Empire's cities are mostly free of smog. Due to a desire to appear clean, a law was passed that forced all factories to be built away from cities. Hilariously, this created new cities covered in smog (the very existence of which was illegal), and multiple unhappy production companies forbidden from upgrading their factories to steam power. The law was changed so that it only gave tax breaks to factories away from port cities, causing a huge explosion of development in the new "Smog towns". Anyone living in one of these cities is given a smoke mask by the government and their employer provides them with housing, which is strictly regulated by the government to be completely free of any smoke. These cities, when combined with the ports, form the backbone of the Vanjanan economy.
The capital of Vanjana is considered a jewel by nearly all, its skies are free of smoke save for beautiful works of "smoke art" rising from rare factories. Sea and air ships come and go, all of them carrying goods in and out of the city. The buildings within are grandiose, even the poorest households can find elaborate decorations to put up, showing the Vanjanan love of art and beauty. The richer households are opulent mansions, covered in Jade sculptures and containing carpets dyed purple using the ancient, more expensive methods simply because it is possible. The palace itself is a wondrous building, boasting everything the mansions do, but more of it. Combined with this more universal decoration are the twenty smokestack spires, which constantly spout blue smoke manipulated by steam-driven fans, coming together to create a thin spiral of smoke that rises into the clouds, painting the sky of the immediate area a soft yet dark blue. The smoke put off by these spires is not left unharnessed (even though quite a lot of it goes to driving the fans). Anything not used to drive the fans is actually used in a complicated system of doors that open seemingly on their own. These doors are operated by a group of people (who probably have the most boring job in Edoniras), who constantly look through dozens of periscopes that show the heavily degraded images of doorways. If someone is there, they will pull the lever corresponding to the door, letting them through. These people are held high for their great reflexes and speed, as many soors open almost instantly.
Important Characters: Admiral Brita Veronika, General Charlotta Aslög, King Sigfrid Halvar.
Traits:
Trading Hub: Your country is a nation of traders and merchants, many coins pass through the fingers of your citizens every day, especially through your own after taxes. -3
Strong Industry: Your craftsmen and labourers are good quality and hardworking making some of your nations goods very reliable, sometimes fetching a high price from a market. -2
Free market: Your economy is not controlled by the state, it can fluctuate completely freely. This means that it can rise incredibly quickly making you very rich, however you are vulnerable to recessions and collapses. -1
Landlubbers: Your sailors don't exactly train on a boat, boarding and marine forces perform slightly worse due to the moving deck. +1
Small Army: Your nation maintains a relatively small number of troops, when fielded in battle against another nation your forces are almost always outnumbered. +2
Ambitious Generals: Your generals all want a piece of glory. Sometimes even going to backstabbing each other and arriving to another’s aid ‘late’. +1
Dreadnoughts: The largest ships to fly in the air, vast hulks that require ungodly amounts of resources, but your nation decide to take these on. -2
Basic points +4
Army:
Navy:
GDP:
Stability:
Percentage of Population in: (This will be rolled by me as well.)
- Industry:
- Farming:
- Mineral Production:
