nulli secundus

The Free Republic is governed by directly elected representatives in the Grand Council made up of two hundred Councilors, who then elect an executive Small Council, made up of 12 heads of particular branches of the government. As there is no executive branch, the politics of the Small Council are cut-throat and frenzied, with councilors jockeying for power. The Free Republic is a new nation, recently formed from rebellion against a monarchy that previously ruled the people of Acier. It is a nation with a unified culture, with a focus on individualism and personal achievement, and a history of industrial progress and a proud military tradition. The Free Republic is very overtly expansionist, demanding land and resources to fuel Progress, and to spread the freedoms within the nation to the rest of the world. The nation has a very small amount of Elan available to it, and has set its sights on other nation to supplement this natural weakness. Liberty is the chief virtue of government in Acier. The people are beholden to no one but the government, and the State takes a very lax role in internal policies. There are almost no restrictions on industry, freedom of speech is guaranteed, voting is open to every citizen, and there is legal gender equality [the common person still believes in the dogma of women being subordinate to men, however] along with property rights and freedom of religion. The one area in which the freedom of the people is compromised is in the military: there is a three-year mandatory military service for every able-bodied man, with certain aspects of the government pushing to extend this requirement to women. The Free Republic is as capitalist as a nation can be. There are almost no restrictions on industrialists, many of whom have created vast manufacturing empires within the small borders of Acier. Taxes are very light, with the government relying on the private sector to service its people with services such as roads, utilities and healthcare. Trade is unrestricted, with merchants of all stripes visible in the bustling markets of the nation. Technological advancement is prized by the Republic, and in the military especially the Republic is one of the technological frontrunners. The drawback of such things is that there is massive income disparity, with the poorest citizens living in abject poverty in the dirty shanty towns outside the major cities, and the wealthy industrialists living in opulent decadence. Opiates have begun to be mass produced by a few of the more avant-garde captains of industry, and the Grand Council is divided as to whether or not it should be banned. It would be the first non-military good to be banned by the government, and the balance of power changes daily, with most favouring its production. The Small Council holds a great deal of power, having massive pull in the Grand Council as well as having the traditional powers of an executive branch. The Councilors are: High Justice Francois Piat: Head Justice and representative of the Judiciary on the Small Council, Abel is a hard-line liberal, fighting tooth and nail against the last few jobs of the government, to in his mind “free the people from the Tyranny of State” High Consul Louis Montefleur: In charge of foreign policy, he is an ardent expansionist. He dreams of massive tracts of land and resources to fuel Acier to international glory. Field Marshal Petra Lysette: The only female member of the council, in addition to being the youngest, she is in command of the nation’s land armies and is a firebrand nationalist. A talented orator, she holds a position as a hero of the people, and the accompanying massive popularity. She has so far stood apart from the expansionism issue, and is expected to be the swing vote. Fleet Admiral Claude Bernadette: A new role on the council, he has become unpopular among his fellow councilors for his constant demand for a larger navy, which he sees as a severe deficiency in the nation’s national defense. Lord Chancellor Arthur Gabler: A second-generation immigrant, he is in charge of the spending and collecting of the relatively small tax income of the nation. He is a close ally of Marshal Lysette, and supports the military more than other councilors would deem responsible High Chamberlain Jean LaGarre: Speaker of the house and in charge of politics and bureaucracy, he is a traditional liberal deep in High Justice Piat’s camp, and strongly against the expansionist faction Minister of Technology Gunther Farber: A new role, put in place just last election, he is in command of the national scientists, and plays the middle ground between the two major Councilar factions. His technological goals are focused on working around the severe lack of Elan in the nation, in both the private and military spheres. Important Locations: Lutte: The Capital city of the Republic and the largest city by a fair margin, Lutte is a city clouded with the smoke of industry. It is the manufacturing centre of the nation, with factories sitting side by side with governmental building and palatial mansions, while in the slums the poorest of society fight tooth and nail for food, shelter and safety. Foirture: The major port of the nation and the second-largest city, Foiture is dominated by it massive market district, where items of every shape and size are traded for every coin under the sun. It has less industrial potential than Lutte, but is home to the small but quickly-expanding Grand Fleet, and sailors on shore leave are common sights. The people of Acier value family and their rights – freedom is enjoyed by all classes of society, and the people make the most of it. The Press is a very popular institution, with cheap pamphlets distributed to all walks of life detailing everything from foreign policy decisions to fictional adventures of heroism and romance. There is no state religion, but the vast majority of people are [to be addressed later: probably some shitty Christian expy]. Family is important to the people of Acier, and large family gatherings are very common on feast days or national holidays. Families rely on each other, and most families are governed informally by the patriarch, though that is not without numerous exceptions. Most of the people are highly patriotic, the nation being very new. Many desire expansion and greater glory for their nation. Military service is very respected, and war heroes are rated on the same lines of fame as sporting legends and famous musicians or writers. Sports are also very common, especially among the rich, and inter-collegiate leagues are the largest venues for such competitions. Every citizen is required to own a weapon, and with the police being privately run under government oversight the average citizen defends this right before many others. The Army is the focus of the Republic, and it is where most of the money and manpower goes. Infantry doctrine has faced massive upheaval in the last few years, with jacketed rounds and smokeless powder making massed infantry combat pointless and horribly bloody. Infantry doctrine now focuses on small units of a few dozen of men working independently, a Koch machinegun attached to every squad. The average infantryman is equipped with a bolt-action rifle. The Dupont rifle replaced the earlier lever-action variants in the interest of prone-firing and extra reliability. Grenades are standard issue in every squad, and the general plan of attack against civilized nations features infantry charges prefaced by grenades and artillery strikes, covered by pre-set machinegun and mortar emplacements. Bayonets have become largely useless, especially on the attack, with grenadiers clearing fortified positions. The Army take the lessons of modern military thinkers very seriously, focusing on very mobile warfare around fortified positions, aiming to outmaneuver on the attack and interdict on the defense. Mounted infantry regiments are a favorite of Republican generals, and are used extensively in aggressive operations The officer corps is entirely professional soldiers, and so has a great deal of experience, fueling the army to push the envelope of combat doctrine, but the nature of a draft army is that many untested units will have a lack of real military knowledge. The Artillery Corps is attached to the Army and is crucial to its success. Field artillery is a staple of Acian attacking and defensive strategy, air-burst shrapnel shells just now coming into use. The Artillery Corps’ newest responsibility is Air Defense, and their new anti-aircraft guns are designed to fix the severe lack of air power in the Republican military. The Republic’s navy is no less professional, but significantly smaller. Despite the urging of the Fleet Admiral, the navy’s main jobs are protecting shipping from piracy and external threats, and safeguarding transport fleets for the Army. They have few battleships, several cruisers and a large number of destroyers, which rely on massed torpedo attacks to combat the floating Elan Fortresses of the other civilized nations. The Republic’s Air Force is tiny, and there is no getting around it. They have two Elan-powered Flying Battleships, mostly for prestige. They are not intended for use against other civilized nations, but against southern Savages who do not possess anti-aircraft guns. The battleships are specifically designed to be able to be transported by sea, to reach the southern continent where their work can begin. Acier was a paranoid state before the rebellion, and the old forts that lined the border with Lumenor and Kolkavia have been kept up to date with deep concrete bunkers and new pieces of artillery. Ironically, the only border that is not well defended is that with Masovia, with which the nation has the worst current relations. Shore defenses are also prevalent, and in lieu of advancing naval power projection the Artiller Corps has updated many of these shore batteries to be formidable, especially on port towns through which trade flows. Allied with Rinland Allied with Talania Attempting to gain trading rights with the Red Dragon Defensive Alliance with Kovalka Attempting to gain Non-Aggression Pact with Lumenor Difficult Relations with Masovia and AUNS

Army: Rifle: Dupont 7.92x51mm bolt-action, box-magazine fed w/bayonet Side-Arm: Bisset .45 6-round revolver Grenade: Pince Stick Grenade Machine Gun: Poisson 7.92 belt-fed, recoil operated machine. Mortar: Singe 3-inch man-portable tube mortar Artilery: Field Artillery: Coltza 80mm deBange-operated Siege Artillery/Counterbattery Canon: 155mm deBange Anti-Aircraft Gun: Faucon 75mm Long breech-loading impact-fused HE shells Coastal/Fortress Defense: Marteau 254mm Dissapearing turreted cannon [modified to be able to function as anti-aircraft guns by being able to theoretically shoot at 89 degrees] Ships: 3 Battleships 11 Cruisers 47 Destroyers Transports sufficient for one Army Aircraft: 2 Heavy Rocket Battlefliers Purchase of commissions has been outlawed once the revolution was over - soldiers either enlist as privates or enter the officer corps as 2nd Lieutenants. Infantry is divided squad /section /company /Battalion /regiment/brigade. Mounted infantry is common for aggressive maneuvers, though there is almost no dedicated cavalry. Artillery is never attached to infantry individually, artillery works in no groups smaller than batteries unless extenuating circumstances arrive.

The Autonomous Union of Northern States (Nicknamed 'The Red Corridor') The Autonomous Union of Northern States proclaims itself as a 'Revolutionary Worker's Republic' based on the doctrine of Communalism. The Central Committee and the Noritburo are the highest offices of power within the Union and hold absolute power over the economy and military. The Union also follows the doctrines of 'Tao Thought' which was founded by famous, and deceased, Southern Revolutionary 'Tao-Lin-Zong'. Tao Thought describes both the revolutionary state and the revolutionary army being one in the same on all accounts, meaning that with each shot fired at the enemy, the state of the revolution grows stronger. This, of course, means that a large portion of both the Central Committee and the Noritburo being made of military figures and former 'red-guards', which has led to anti-communalists decrying the state as 'A Military Dictatorship'. To counter-act these claims, the formation of 12 'People's States' were founded across the Union, each state having a People's Committee of it's own with one or two members being within the Noritburo. The issue remains, however, that the People's Committees lack almost any power in changing laws or regulations within their own states, making them nearly void to the power of the Central Committee. In matters of Law, the Union formed The Revolutionary People's Red Guard, or simply the Red Guard, shortly after it's foundation to ensure that reactionaries and all others who supported a reformation of the Northern monarchy would be dispatched or sent to justice within the People's Committees. It is merely rumor by counter-revolutionaries that these trials in the Committee are 'show-trials' and that more often than not enemies of the state are executed or sent to 'Northern Prison Camps'. The North-Eastern lands have been plagued with arctic temperatures and blizzard, the more spiritual say that there is even a snow deity that rules the land and brings down his wrath upon it. Regardless of these claims, the North is far from an economically stable region, with famine being a constant fear in the hearts of all. This has led to the previous North-Eastern Kings taking a strong laissez-faire approach to economics and especially trade. For ages western and southern fat-cats became rich by selling the North food in return for their precious and valuable wood supply. Labourers and Millers would spend all their lives working for men who never knew their names and lived far south or far west in a cozy manor while the Northerners worked through the cold to feed their families. The Revolutionary Party of the North saw an end to all of it. No longer would a fisher fish for anyone in the South, or a Miller chop wood for anyone but his comrades. In a swift move shortly after taking power, the Northern land-owners and fat-cats were taken into custody, their 'southern-inspired' manors razed and given back to the small farmers, fishers, and millers. Collective Farms and Fisheries became mandatory and all industries in the North were swiftly nationalized and centralized into the Revolutionary Union of the North, a state created union made specifically for the northern labourer. Of course, with these swift actions in ending the cursed 'invisible hand', a great amount of luxury goods were lost and many traders were forced from their ports with all of their goods quickly taken by the state. Investors in Northern 'modernization' lost hundreds upon thousands of coin in the brutal actions of the new revolutionary nation... But life went on nonetheless. The North-East was no longer safe for trade, and protectionism became the norm. The vast arctic fisheries known as 'The Iron Stream' became a solitary entity for the revolutionary state, and now supplies much of the 'metropolitan' Northern cities with fish for the people. The southern mills, famous for their cold and hardened northern wood, now create only for the people. The Revolutionary Party of the North Important People: Premier Jorval Starling: Leader of the Party and Central Committee and controversial Leader of the AUNS. Hans Larson: Current Leader of the Liberation Army and fanatical Starlingist. Koscol: In the metropolitan South-East lies directly on a strait known as 'The Northern Steps'. A series of small islands that look like stepping stones that could connect the western half of the state with the eastern half. Koscol is the political capitol of The AUNS and serves as home to the Revolutionary Party, the Central Committee, and of course Premier Starling himself. The City's greatest defense against foreign invaders remains to be the fact that, besides for the eastern front, it is entirely surrounded by the eastern inner-sea. Vorstan: Perched on the tip of the South-Eastern Peninsula, Vortan is the economic capitol of The AUNS. It's southern shore-line and it's small islands hold countless small fisheries which make the region known as 'Fisherman's Bay' by many. The northern Vorstani area holds vast Northern Mills that produce twelve percent of the national wood used in building fishing boats, weapons, and common furnishes. Torlargrad: On the great North-Western river known as 'The Skold', Torlargrad is the pride of the Union, being named after famed revolutionary Artold Torlar, it formerly was simply known as 'Czaringrad' for it's tradition of being the throne of the monarchy. Now the city has become a symbol of the success of industrial Communalism and Miltarism. Due to the almost fortress like nature of the city and it's strong military presence, it has been nicknamed 'Starling's Fortress'. While the South can preach of the greatness of their technology, the North men rely on their sheer strength and will. While The AUNS is far from a uncivilized state, it does not rely on luxuries held by the capitalist southerners and westerners. The average Northern family holds a very common and simple lifestyle, filled with wooden and steel work-tools and manually operated labour. However, due to the difficult nature of ice-fishing, the creation of steam-drills is a national beauty of Communalist technological growth. The Liberation Army of The AUNS relies entirely on the doctrine of People's War as described by Southern revolutionary Tao-Lin-Zong. Instead of using the steel war-machines that became common-place with the development of steam technology, the Liberation Army relies on the vast northern population to create a mighty army of peasants and farmers. A revolutionary state requires a revolutionary people's army, and the NLA is that army. In terms of weaponry, the NLA is known for it's mass-built 'Rogin M51' bolt action rifle as the main weapon of the armed forces, with officers receiving a 'Sagant 85' revolver and a steel officer's saber for close-combat. While the north frowns on the steam operated war-machines of the South, calling them 'cowards cover', these machines still find their place within the Liberation Army, especially within the 'Northern Bird Brigade'. The Bird Brigade is a prestigious branch of the Northern Liberation Army and serves as an early form of an aerial combat force. Hulking warships based largely on models of their water-based counterparts travel the Northern skies in War-games on a regular basis. One can only imagine the feeling of lying in ones trench, only to see the great sky-bombards of the Union coming down upon their reactionary foes.

Nation Name: The Valkyrian Empire Flag: Government: Constitutional Monarchy in theory, in practice the military hold majority of political sway and authority in the Empire. Economy: Mixed Economy, the government exists to support and set economic policy just as it does diplomatic and military policy, and businesses are expected to coordinate long-term plans with the government. While largely hands-off during times of peace, provisions and bureaus are in place for large-scale war mobilization as needed. Major Imports: Technology, advanced steam engines, inventions, expert specialists, Major Exports: Luxuries, bicycles, steel, high-grade anthracite coal, iron Leader(s): Empress Presilla Dalones Corvo-Valkyron, nominal leader of the Empire but still a young teenager and not of age to rule due to the early death of her parents, but beloved by most of the country as a progressive leader regardless. Her neophilic mindset makes her very aware of the changing tides of technology and society, but still somewhat naive in political or military settings. Supreme Commander Adrian Weiben, supreme commander of the Valkyrian Empire military and de facto leader of the country. Ruthless in action and thought, but extremely loyal to the Empire and Empress. Tethys Zevos, Chief of Administration. The master of coin, policy, and bureaucracy, meaning he’s perpetually overworked and angry at everything. But for all his grousing he is also very good at what he does. Coups may happen, political tides may shake, technology can bring change, but Tethys will keep the Empire chugging along no matter what. Important People: “The Tycoons” The five most powerful industrialists and businessmen in the Empire who built its foundations of economic and industrial power. While profit-seeking capitalists to the core, their interests presently align with that of the royalty and government in regards to the New World, and are pledging their assets for a cut of the take.

The Valkyrian Empire can be equally described as a nation of militants and a nation of consumerist hedonists. Its army is large and prestigious, with every man required to serve five years in the military starting no later than the age of 20. Women may volunteer, unless they have families to maintain. Immigrants, non-citizens, and foreign vassals may earn citizenship through meritorious military service. Loyalty to the nation and crown is a core element to life within the Empire, and there is a undercurrent of condempt for nations that have not accepted the ways of the Empire. But all will become one with the Valkyries one day... For all its high militarism and nationalism though, the Empire also practices rather hedonistic social customs. Public baths, legal same-sex or polyamorous relationships, public arena games, conspicuous production and consumption of luxuries from across the continent, and a very active night-life that often crosses over into day-life. So long as it does not compromise one's abilities to produce, serve, or obey, the Empire is rather loose on what people do in their spare time. This has led to a surprising degree of tolerance of other religions, social customs, and fashions for a imperialistic state. In short, Valkyries Work Hard, Fight Hard, then Play Very Hard. The central religion of the Valkyrian Empire is Yiggidism, the worship of the holy Valkyries as goddesses that saved the world from a great evil from the underworld, taking the bravest warrior souls with them to the celestial realms and giving the gifts of civilization to the peoples that would become the Empire. Primarily a martial religion, demanding that one could only join the honored ancestors in heaven through meritorious service in battle and loyal service to the crown supposedly descended from Valkyries themselves. Large cathedrals and religious monuments have been built to honor the Valkyrian legacy, although the majority of the religious fervor when it arises goes into military campaigns.

Technology Overview: The Valkyrian Empire isn’t on the cutting edge of technology for the times, being slower to adopt Elan, airships, and latest-iteration steam engines due to its size and lags in spreading new technology across the whole empire. But for what last-generation technology they have, they produce and use in bulk to try and compensate for their disadvantages. For what they can’t, they try and import foreign designs and inventors. Railroads have been the focus of two kings and a succession of military administrators, resulting in lines upon lines of heavy-gauge railroads spanning the Empire’s major cities and connecting its industries. Enabling fast transit of cargo and troops when and where needed. Usage as a passenger system is a more recent addition, and something they are still working on. While not a major innovator in technology or steam engines, the Empire is remarkably advanced in policymaking, administration, and communications technology, due to the need to administer a sizable empire prompting bureaucrats to capitalize upon any means possible to ease the colossal task. The Empire was one of the first to adopt telegraph at large to supplement its chains of courier riders and still offers sizable rewards for any inventor of any country to further improve distance communication technology. Its bureaucracy, while extremely sizable, is more efficient than can be expected for such a large domain and able to keep up with changing scenarios and situations. In a curious quirk of technological development, bicycles are popular in the empire due to the Royal Family’s current preference for bicycles over horse-riding. Which in turn resulted in a sudden spree of bicycle advancement, from well-sprung cycles for nobility to peddle in comfort, to six-person chain-gang cycles for transit of labor crews, and more recently folding bicycles for mobile infantry. Bicycles are a major export of the Empire despite its last-gen industries.

The Cavalry Corps are the vanguard force of the Army. Well-equipped, well-trained, and led by aggressive and highly able leaders. Generations of breeding has yielded strong warhorses and meritorious leaders. But whether they can stand up to the changing mechanizing battlefields of the future is beginning to come into question even among conservative generals, and they are gradually being moved to a flanking role as the infantry grow in primacy. The average cavalry soldier is equipped with either a cavalry saber (light cavalry) or halberd spear (heavy cavalry), alongside a sidearm revolver or pistol and a lever-action carbine.

The Infantry Corps compose the bulk of the Valkyrian Army. More than three-fourths conscripts, they are seen as second-line troops more for garrisons and line-of-communications work than frontline fighting. With recent technological advances and the implementation of the income tax, efforts are underway to modernize the Infantry with automatic weapons, mortars, newfangled rockets, and better training for standing force elements. But so far efforts are slow and piecemeal due to the large size of the infantry. Various divisions of the growing infantry Corps include: 1st Mobile Infantry Division: A radical new concept emerging from the central territories of increasing an infantryman's speed, marching endurance, and load capacity through the usage of specially made folding military bicycles, the 1st Mobile Infantry were first conceived as a parade division for the amusement of the neophilic Empress and to show off the Empire's own technological advances. But after initial wargames, the 1st Mobile Infantry took a far more serious turn when their improved mobility proved to be an operational advantage. While plans for expansion have been stalled due to production bottlenecks in military-grade penumatics, there is serious talk of expanding the mobile infantry corps to give almost-cavalry level mobility to infantry while retaining their operational endurance. Trencher Infantry Corps: A full third of the Empire's infantry forces are made of trenchers, trained in siege, trench, and shock warfare. While its brutal work for the men of the Trencher divisions who willingly charge into the guns of the enemy, its equally brutal to be on the receiving end of these hardened trench fighters. Alongside their Armory Rifles and trenching spades, the Trenchers are getting new tricks like man-portable mortars, clockwork gatling guns, barbed wire, and rifle grenades to become even more deadly. Their weaknesses are in open-field battle and mobile fighting, with Trenchers dependent on digging fixed positions to fight from and mount their weaponry.

The Navy has always had a second-string role in the Valkyrian military, serving to support the Army rather than operate as a force unto itself. Thus they have naval infantry rather than marines, and ships are assigned on an as-needed basis to army groups during campaigns. With the discovery of the New World, the Navy is receiving new funding and expansion, but are still facing manpower shortages for their explosive growth. The Valkyrian Empire favors building large numbers of cruisers and destroyers over big-gun battleships, and its current expansion plans to protect the troopships to the New World reflect this with a wide range of specialized and generalized cruiser classes, backed by squadrons of mass-produced destroyers. While a few "pocket battleships" have been built, they are built as coastal bombardment platforms than ship-to-ship weapons to crack open fortresses and beach defenses.

The Valkyrian Air Force is a new and rather underutilized asset. Like the Navy, they are considered an extension of the Army and subordinated under Army command. With limited Elan supplies the Empire can't field large sky battleships even if it had the inclination to do so. Instead local supplies of Elan, hydrogen, and helium are allocated to the production of medium-sized airships designs for reconnaissance and ground fire support. As the risk of enemy airships grows, some are being refitted or built purpose-made for air-to-air combat with large numbers of machineguns and "pom-pom" clip-fed light cannons. Recently, proposals are being made for the deployment of infantry from airships via fast-roping and parachute. Invoking imagery of the Valkyries descending from above, and the interest of the Empress in the fast-moving Skytiger airship designs, the "Paratrooper" concept is beginning to take sway in the Empire. Whether it will stand the test of time and war remains to be seen for the two paratrooper regiments raised have yet to see battle.

Nation Name: The Consanguinity of the Dratha Flag Government: Clan Confederation/Feudal Military Dictatorship Economy: mainly agrarian/feudal, with pre-modern industries centered in the cities. Leaders/Important People: The Court of the Moon: A council of priestess residing in the Palace of the Moon and Stars, they are considered the representatives of the Heavenly Court and have extensive ceremonial and political functions. Vaos daz Nagath, the Foremost Dictator, Commander of the Lesser Commanders, the Sword of Heaven: The Foremost Dictator is head of state, nominally elected by a council of Clan Fathers and confirmed by the Court of the Moon. In practice the Dictatorship has remained in the hands of the most powerful clan for as long as they have been able to inspire loyalty and fear. The Dictatorship was previously held for two stable centuries by the reactionary Odros Clan, who were overthrown by the Nagath Clan and its allies in a recent civil war known as the Necessary Reorientation. Vaos daz Nagath is a modernizer, a deft political operator, and a ruthless warlord. Onas daz Yen, the Second Greatest Dictator: the head of the Consanguinity's internal spying/police apparatus, known as the Subtle Office. Responsible for domestic policing and internal espionage, anti-corruption measures, and monitoring foreign influences. Vo daz Sygo, the Least of the Several Dictators: directs economic policy and is responsible for collecting taxes from the Clan Fathers. Ixus Zo, Greatest of the Lesser Commanders: commoner raised to high office, Zo is a talented general and military modernizer and in command of the Foremost Dictator's standing army. Colonel Gerholt Augustin Ramlacht Odlesmann von Unglestrab-Lingen, Tolerated Outlander In Recognized Service to the Foremost Dictator: Renowned Old World adventurer, mercenary, and drunk, formerly a colonel in the [insert old world army! any takers?]. Currently in the service of the Foremost Dictator, training the Drathan Army in the use of modern weapons and tactics. He also leads a large contingent of Old World mercenaries now working for the Drathans. Mister Caractacus Fysh, Esq. Tolerated Outlander In Recognized Service to the Foremost Dictator: the representative of the immensely powerful, international, old world financial house of Barrow & White in the Drathan Union. He is working with the Foremost Dictator to modernize the Consanguinity's economy and infrastructure and attract foreign investment and trade. Barrow & White wields immense influence among the elites of the otherwise famously xenophobic Consanguinity, and Fysh is referred to by many in the Old World as the 'King of the Drathans'. Clan Father Sygo Clan Father Yen Clan Father Odros Clan Father Nissok-Ba Clan Mistress Ruq Desired Map location: [Southwest corner of southern continent, with the Chee to the north.] Important Locations: Zar Dratha: Capital city, hugely populated trade center near the coast, situated on the Ovos River. Zar Dratha has long outgrown its crumbling walls, with the upper castes living in the Old City, a dense conglomeration of ancient pagodas and towers dominated by the Dictator's Fortress, while the Outworks are a sprawl of clay and plaster dwellings stretching out from the Ovos river in all directions, eventually petering out into rice paddies and fungus beds. Non-Drathans are confined to the city's famous Foreign Quarter, an overcrowded center of the world-wide black market, filled with ex-patriots, exiles and lowlifes from every corner of the Old World. Zar Pellos Zar Aryon Zar Uln: major port city located on Half Moon Bay, controlled by the powerful Sygo Clan. Zar Uln is the second most populated and the most 'modernized' city in the Consanguinity, with a large foreign presence and Barrow & White factories springing up among its pagodas and clay-brick slums. Outside the metropolis, mining and drilling operations are being set up by Barrow & White personal amid the terrace farms and wayside shrines of the countryside. New Gapos: Stinking, malarial enclave of old world merchants on an island just beyond where the Ovos Delta empties into the sea. It is the major refueling station for steam powered ships the region. The New Gapos coal mines, also on the island, are infamous for their horrendous conditions. The Mayor of New Gapos technically answers to the Consanguinity, but the town is mostly a lawless, seedy mishmash of Old World and Drathan exiles. Palace of the Moon and Stars Cultural Overview: The Consanguinity is composed primarily of Drathans, a sub-species of humanity physiologically altered by its prolonged exposure to the large liquefied elan deposits just beneath the surface of their ancestral lands. Elan, called 'Ichor' by the Drathans, is omnipresent in their society- used in medicine, liquors, and to power various ingenious mechanical devices. The local water supply is heavily contaminated with elan residue, and most non-Drathans find the taste alarming, though they can drink it without harm. Drathans, in contrast to other humans, have dusky, bluish skin of a variety of hues and generally have dark eyes and hair. The products of an ancient culture, they tend to be conservative and highly xenophobic. Drathan religion is a messy combination of folk ancestral worship, astrological veneration of the moon and stars as deities, and sophisticated philosophy and metaphysics translated in various ways into religious parlance. Drathan worship, therefore, is not particularly unified nor consistent, especially given the steep class divides within their society: local shrines to ancestral figures and historical heroes and sages do the country side, while in larger towns and cities elaborate temple-based liturgies to the celestial deities take place for the moneyed castes. At universities, a sophisticated and ancient tradition of speculation is encouraged on the nature of causality, rationality, and the divine. Drathan society is highly stratified, with the vast majority of the population living as serfs cultivating crop paddies, fungus farms, and livestock. The warrior-aristocracy generally occupy castles and fortified estates on their land holdings. Slavery is openly practiced in some clan holdings, especially those in the North where battles with the Chee result in plenty of captives. The Consanguinity's territories range from arid to tropical, with dense jungles and mangroves along the coast, and local cultures and practices vary across the extensive dominions governed by the Foremost Dictator. Technology Overview: While very few of the richest and most powerful members of the Consanguinity possess some Old World technology, the Dratha as a whole are technologically backwards. While they possess sophisticated [medieval and renaissance era] machinery, building techniques and agricultural methods, they almost totally lack the mass-productive steam-technology that characterizes the Old World. For the most part the conservative Dratha view such innovations with suspicion and hostility. Military Overview: The Consanguinity can call a very large number of soldiers to arms. Unfortunately, those arms mostly consist of spears, swords, crossbows, flintlocks and outdated rifles and cannon imported from the Old World. Centuries of internecine clan warfare and battles with the Chee have made the Drathans into formidable warriors, and the Foremost Dictator commands a sizable professional fighting force permanently under arms. The Foremost Dictator is scrambling to import modern weapons and train his men in their use before the Old World powers descend on his elan-rich nation, but the lack of an industrial base and native hostility to dishonorable innovations makes even most modest modernization efforts difficult. The Dratha have a fairly large navy of cannon-armed junks and galleons, almost totally useless against modern navies.

Flag: The Head and shoulders of a Golden Dragon on a red backdrop with twin dragon-like silver serpents coiling around it. Government: The Kingdom of the Red Dragon is not actually a Kingdom, not since the fall of the empire with the same name. The Government is in fact a Republic with the elected leader being elected from the male siblings of the previous ruler. The Red Council is made of representatives that largely hail from the powerful merchant families and guilds. While the Red Council is officially elected by the people, all that means is that those with the biggest purses get in and those that don't make space for themselves. The Red Council holds all the power of the Kingdom but the Dracos Inquisitos, the 'ruler', is the only one allowed to declare war and can force a three month trade embargo on any family or nation without having to consult the Red Council, after the time frame he must have their approval to continue it. The Council can, however, replace the Dracos Inquisitos with one of his male siblings if they have a 95% majority in the favor of a single sibling, thus keeping the moderate balance of power and allowing them to both keep the other in check. Structure: Top: Dracos Inquisitos Next: Red Tradracos (Minister of trade), Red Diplomacist (Minister of Foreign affairs effectively) and Red Guild-master (Minister of Guilds) Below: All the other 60 members of the Council split unevenly between the three ministries To counter the purely mercantile Power of the Red Council there is also the Dracos Imperium, generally lead by a relative of the Inquisitos purely due to the Dracos Imperials wanting to keep in favor with the ruling family so they may remain unhindered in their work. The Imperium is the religious arm of the nation and holds the power of the commoner levels of society even if most of its members have help their positions over generations as it is a very tradition orientated form. The Imperium has two tasks, that of spreading the faith of the kingdom and that of moderation over the Religion and its restrictions, the Imperium being able to ban or restrict such things as forms of technology and set the Laws of the Religion, which even the Red Council dare not go against, and vote for which tribes or clans, etc. are suitable for the Kingdom to make dealings with in the eyes of the 'Red Dragon' their diety with the Dracos Imperlius (leader of the Imperium) holding the power to stop any vote in the Imperium. Economy: The Kingdom of the Red Dragon is effectively a merchant republic and so the vast bulk of its economy comes from trade with the north Andarans as they are the only 'northern' power that has effectively set up shop on the southern continent. This allows them to hold a monopoly over trade between the two continents after having gained the trust of most of the local tribes, nations and other such powers. Leader(s): Nicoli Vacialtali - Dracos Iquisitos Serge Vacialtali - Dracos Imperlius Important People: Flavius Medici - Imperial Admiral Giuseppe Calcalius - Red Tradracos Lucius Medici - Red Diplomacist Pasquale Oridentalis - Red Guild-Master Desired Map location: Important Locations: The City of Dracos, A city entirely floating in the bay, the Capital hosts floating docks stretching as far as the eye can see getting luxuries and necessities from, and sending luxuries to, the northern continent. The City of Dracos holds the Red Council and its center is dominated by the 'District of Trade', effective an excuse to keep all the rich away from the poor and allow those who hold the power a way of avoiding those they 'serve' the center of this district stands the Red Palace, where the Ruling Family (currently Vacialtali) reside and the Red council meets. The Gate to the South, The 'Gateway' to the city but almost a city in its own right. In an attempt to keep the populance of the Dracos 'pure' this fortified menace keep those who don't appear to be 'pure' (not of the North) out of the city but, to keep relations with the numerous tribes around the Kingdom, not to actually restrict those who have good reason to be there (they get an armed 'guard' to keep them 'safe'). Because of its strategic importance as the gateway to the Capital it is the main barracks for the Kingdoms small military. The Temple of Dracos, situated on the edge of a steep cliff overlooking the bay this temple has been restored from a local ruined temple and is the home of the Dracos Imperium. Weapons are strictly not allowed and so the temple is protected by a significant portion of the army, but even they are restricted from entering the temple if they have a weapon equiped. Cultural Overview: The Kingdom holds two 'feast-avals' a year, one is held on the Inquisitos' birthday with the other being held on 'Dark Dragon Night' which coincides with the winter solstice. On these events the commoners celebrate with national holidays, often spending time with their families and the upper classes are all invited to attend a Feast in the palace where some of the most exotic foods known to man are consumed. There are also a whole host of religious occasions throughout the year, each and every one providing a national day of rest to all who feel they can afford to take it and a bit of upped pay for those who can't. The other main festival of the Kingdom is held biannually and is the Floating of the Dragons, its foundation is in the praise and worship of their god the 'Red Dragon' but its main use is to show of the navy to the nearby tribes to act as a deterrent to any hostilities from them, all the tribal leaders are invited to the palace to watch from its upper floors while the majority of the festivities are held outside the city with large expanses of agricultural land being turned into a large party where money is spent, wares are traded and many drunks are fined, providing more wealth to the Kingdoms overflowing coffers. The main event of the 'Floating of the Dragons' is the massive show of their navy with a glorified fishing boat being set alight and guided by other ships to make sure it sets nothing on fire and sinks in the ocean. Technology Overview: The Kingdom has all of the finest technology that money can buy but develop little to none of it themselves, purchasing any technology from the old world they feel can make their lives easier, safer or more profitable. The Kingdom relies almost completely on trade, with food being supplied by the more trusting tribes and large stores of grain being imported from the north to keep the city stockpiled in the case of a war, be it with the north or the south. Outside of the city the technology, other then that of the army, is fairly basic with very little setting the Kingdoms own farmers apart from that of the tribes surrounding it. Military Overview: The Kingdoms army is very well equipped but hosts an outdated organisational system, with each Guild hosting its own troops with the Dracos Inquisitos fielding one man for every one the guilds field so as to keep a Guild from taking over by force. Their navy is also well equipped but, with the distances concerned the ships hulls are also pretty outdated, with newer guns and things being 'upgraded' from the ones existing since very few northern countries are willing to sell their newest ship designs, even to the highest bidder, therefor they must make do with slightly older warships (even if there trade-ships are the finest money can buy). Their airborne forces consist of a small number of weakly hulled elan powered airships with powerful guns that spend most of their life floating on water rather then air as the distances and costs involved in the elan supplies are currently not considered worth it by the Red Council and the Imperial Admiral, the Imperial Admiral being the sole chosen by the Inquisitos to lead his Navy and, more recently, airborne forces, while allowing the Inquisitos to command his own land forces.

The Ossman Empire Government Power in the empire is split between the Achmod, a family of generals who hold all of the military power, and the emperor, who acts as a religious and political leader. Vassals hold inherited lands and provide military service and homage to the Achmod, much like feudal Europe. The Ossmanese government further divides feudal power between the Achmod and the eleven provincial domains throughout the country, who enjoy a high degree of sovereignty and are allowed an independent administration of their own people without the emperor's interference in exchange as well for loyalty to the Achmod, who're solely responsible for foreign relations and national security. Both the Achmod and other nobility, such as those in charge of each province, each have their own bureaucracies, policies, and territories, along with independent taxation. Economy The majority of the Ossmanese population are nothing more than cattle breeders who sell their products to the numerous trading ports along the Ossmanese coast, where goods arrive from both the country's farthest stretches and the Old World. These lively coastlines have in response spawned many large and beautiful cities, each with their own markets, tanneries, and mills, and act as centers trade, agriculture, and artisanry for each province. The northernmost towns are renowned for their of wine, tobacco, and fruit cultivation while in the south, oriental rugs, weapons, silk, and honey see extensive production. The slave trade in captured natives, immigrants, and prisoners of war is one of the major sources of income for the Daichin and similar nobility. In this process, government-appointed raiding parties go out and capture the many foreign peasants living in the country who're attracted to the freedom offered by the expansive empty steppes located in the center of the country. This has contributed to a hatred for the Achmod among the local populations that transcends political or military concerns. Leader(s) Emperor Dkehshet the Magnificent Important People Will be discussed in the ICC. Location Here. Important Locations Cermakye, on the north Ossmanese coast, is the largest city in the empire, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With a population of nearly 875,000, the city forms the largest urban agglomeration in the New World. The city's vast size is coterminous with the Cermakye Province, of which the city is the administrative capital. Cultural Overview Ossmanese culture is known for its extensive ethnic and cultural diversity. The black majority still has a substantial number of rural inhabitants who lead largely impoverished lives, though their cultural traditions survive most strongly. However, due to the rise of trade as a worthwhile market, the Ossmanese black culture has increasingly urbanised, thereby leading to a slight decline in traditional culture. In addition to the eleven or so official languages of the empire, speakers of Old World tongues are becoming increasingly common, especially among those who live near or on the coast. Likewise, members of middle class, who're predominantly Old World immigrants but whose ranks include growing numbers of native Ossmanese, have lifestyles similar in many respects to, as you might've guessed, that of people found in the Old World. Members of the middle class often study and work abroad for greater exposure to the markets of both continents. In general, all racial and ethnic groups in the Ossman Empire have long-standing beliefs concerning gender roles, and most are based on the premise that women are less powerful, and thereby less important, than men. Most traditional social organisations are male centred and male dominated. Technology Overview As a result of many years of isolationist reforms, technology in the empire is largely reliant on horses and considerably lacking behind that of the Old World. Whatever few guns, especially those produced in the last decade or so, are reserved entirely for either the Achmod or the emperor, and usually serve only to represent their owners' power. Anything else of such nature is reserved for the Military Overview The organization of the Ossmanese military retains many of the features that have sustained it for centuries. The core of the army is still reliant on the elite Savaschi infantry, whose composition and role remain nearly identical to that of their centuries-old prototypes. The Savaschi are trained as swordsmen, and some regiments have recently begun to act as defenders of naval units. Savaschi regiments are largely self-sufficient organisations, and even include their own medical and logistic services in order to better sustain themselves on their usually independent missions. Alongside the Savaschi, the bulk of the Ossmanese armies are made up of Ahmet regiments – enlisted light infantry given basic training and equipment, and which form the mass manpower of the both the emperor's armies and the Achmod's bodyguards. Along with the regular Ossmanese forces, the emperor's military is also comprised of numerous irregular divisions from the empire's extremes, such as the steppes' nomads, who fight more or less as guerrilla forces. Ossmanese commanders allow such troops a high degree of autonomy, being well aware that such groups work best without interference from the considerably bulkier and consequently disorderly national forces.

Nation Name: Holy Vanjanan Empire Flag: Government: "The King should answer to none, so why does the Church expect me to answer to them?" -King Kalle XII, "Behovet av Regeln" The Holy Vanjanan Empire is an Absolute Monarchy, where the oldest remaining child of the monarch is heir to the throne. The monarch holds all power, and disobeying an order from them is the exact same thing as treason. Whether or not that charge of treason results in death is up to the monarch, as they can override any decision made by anyone else in the empire. The philosophy behind this is that by making the will of the Empire the will of its monarch, corruption and internal competition would be eliminated, thus creating a stronger nation. Whether or not this was correct can be debated, but the outcome of the Great Nordsjön War is usually referenced as proof of the government's effectiveness. The monarch is also in complete control of the Empire's religion, a tradition that started with the current King Kalle XII Storen. Vanjana had long been entrenched in their religious beliefs, with the monarch always answering to the church. Kalle, however, refused to be crowned by the church. Instead, he claimed to answer to none other than God himself. After the Great Nordsjön War, the church found it hard to disagree. Kalle Storen himself is famous for his genius, both political and military, as he proved during the Great Nordsjön War. His is known to be cruel to anyone who opposes him, to the point that he has many executed for daring to question the simplest of decisions. He holds a firm belief that to oppose him is to oppose the Goddess. However, this also means that to follow his orders is to serve the Goddess, and thus he is known to greatly reward those that do not question him. Because of his belief that his will is that of the Goddess, he will almost never change his mind, and refuses to accept that anything he does could possibly be bad. However, there is more to him than his arrogance, and he has been known to change his mind if someone gives him an extremely good reason to. These people always earn his respect, as finding a reason good enough to make him change his mind is nigh impossible. Economy: "If a nation is a steamship, then the economy is the boiler that gives it the power to move forward." -King Kalle XII, "En Arbetare är Värt" The Holy Vanjanan Empire has a strong tradition of capitalism, going back to long before its rise to power. The industrialization meshed well with their philosophy of using every centimeter for some kind of production. They adopted the new steam-powered machines with great enthusiasm, quickly building up factories and train routes in an effort to increase their production ability. Subsidies are provided for new factories, which now form the backbone of the Vanjanan Economy. With the aristocracy eliminated during the absolutist reforms of King Gustav II Storen, the bourgeoisie quickly became the leaders of the Vanjanan economy, establishing themselves as the owner of all the factories, railroads, and shipping companies. The Holy Vanjanan Empire exports almost exclusively manufactured goods of all types, which they produce in great quantity. They do export raw materials, but even the most common export (Lumber) is an almost trivial percentage of total export profits. Elan is abundant in the northernmost part of Vanjana, and the captains of industry quickly developed it in order to export it to other nations. However, the King stepped in and took control of all Elan mines, securing the supply for the government and outlawing any unauthorized exports. In the present, Vanjana does not export any Elan, and the only possible way to import Vanjanan Elan is through negotiating a trade agreement with the King himself. Given the vast Elan reserves, such a trade agreement would surely be beneficial. Leaders/Important People: "The best of troops are useless without a general to command them, so how can anyone expect a nation to succeed without a King to lead it?" -King Kalle XII, "Behovet av Regeln" Desired Map location: "The Goddess smiles upon the north, for the north smiles back." -Unknown Vanjanan Monk Important Locations: "Our cities are thriving, our fortresses are impenetrable, and our monuments stand tall. Never before has the North seen such glory." --King Kalle XII, "En Arbetare är Värt" Heligastaden: The capital of Vanjana, this city is both a bustling port city and a center of industry, a thick cloud of smog constantly hanging in the sky. The classes are highly visible here, with the rich living right on the coast and the housing getting progressively worse as one journey's further inland. Since the factories are far from the rich, the city seems relatively clean from the coast. However, venturing too far from the docks will land you in a smog-filled, gang-run hell. Oövervinnligafästning: The center of all Vanjanan military operations, this is a massive citadel on Vanjana's coast that contains facilities for all four military branches. It is connected via telegram to all other military installations, able to command any force, anywhere in Vanjana. Its defenses are certainly not trivial, with a division of Vanjana's best troops stationed there at all times and many of Vanjana's Naval fleets calling it home. It is where the main Elan Ship fleet is stationed as well, and has a dedicated AA system to support them in the event of an aerial attack. It is said that even if the cities of Vanjana are reduced to rubble, Oövervinnligafästning will still be standing. Palatsavdenlord: The royal palace, located in the countryside near Heligastaden. It was built quite recently by King Kalle XII himself, as he had come to hate the smog of the city. It is famous for its extravagance, which the King has many times asserted is only to impress diplomats, insisting that he would have rather spent the money on something more practical. Whatever he claims, it is still true that the palace is a perfect example of badly allocated funds. Funnily enough, with the constant expansion of industry, the King had to officially order that the land around the palace be kept rural so as to keep the smog away. Vanjana: The central part of the nation situated in-between Varmland and Nordsted, this is the location of the capital, royal palace, and Oövervinnligafästning. It is the seat of the Empire, and its inhabitants are by far the most loyal. Industry is abundant here, as the Vanjanan Kingdom that became the Holy Vanjanan Empire was quick to embrace the industrial revolution. Nordsted: The norther part of the Empire, this is a territory conquered fifteen years ago in the Great Nordsjön War. It is a frozen and mountainous land with many deposits of resources such as iron, coal, lumber, and Elan. It is were the majority of the Empire's resources come from, and tends to be cooperative with the Imperial government thanks to Kalle XII's political maneuvering convincing them that he was liberating them from a corrupt government. Varmland: The southern part of the Empire, which is across the Lägre Nordsjön and borders Rhinland. It is by far the most rebellious, though every attempt at freeing themselves from Vanjanan rule has been met with failure. They are kept in line only with fear, and most inhabitants of this land are simple farmers, with no way to get effective weapons. They provide most of the food to support Vanjana and Nordsted, but are nonetheless treated as second-class citizens due to their rebelliousness. Cultural Overview: The people of Vanjana proper come in two types: The extremely rich and the extremely poor. Almost everyone lives in a city, and all cities have clear class separations. The rich live in the middle of the city, and as you go further out, the buildings get more rundown and covered is soot from the factories. Sadly, there is no sign of this changing, as even the poor workers are content with it. They have a "There's no point in trying" attitude towards change, and settle for their meager wages and constant bombardment of smoke. While these poor men, women, and children slowly kill themselves in the smog-filled hellhole of the outer city, the rich throw extravagant parties in the inner city, not caring at all whether their workers live or die so long as they get their profits. Even in the hell in which they live, the poor can find the time for fun, and it is not uncommon to see people of all ages playing various sports during off-hours. In Nordsted, the same society as Vanjana proper continues until a point at which the hills end and the mountains begin. Past that point, there are no rich or poor, only people. They may be employed by the rich of Vanjana and the King himself, but the rich rarely come to the mines, and thus they live a much better life than the poor of Vanjana proper. The only steam-powered machines in the mountains are mining lifts, which don't cause nearly enough pollution to create the hellish conditions seen in the cities. Those in the mining towns are famous for their "Festival av Frihet", which is an annual festival celebrating the day Nordsted was conquered by Vanjana. They see that day as their day of liberation, as the mines were formerly harassed by bandits until the Vanjanan military wiped them out. Even the rich in the cities allow their workers to travel to the festival, as doing so gets them in well with the King, who obviously likes the fact that the festival exists. In Varmland, there are few cities, and most of the land is dotted with farms. It holds the vast majority of Vanjanan food production, as Vanjana proper and Nordsted have little arable land. Even more so than Nordsted, its people are free from the tyranny of the rich, with each farm being independent of any larger organization. Despite their relative freedom, they are the most rebellious, still holding on to their nationality. However, very few will publicly display their ideas, as the freedom only extends to those who do not oppose the King. The Vanjanan military puts down any revolts, and the people of Varmland live not in fear of the rich, but in fear of the King. The dominant religion in the Holy Vanjanan Empire is "Aätt av Atjärnan Ljus", and its followers are known as "Soldater av Stjärnan Ljus". They believe that all the universe is in a constant struggle between good and evil, and that there are an infinite number of gods and goddesses constantly battling on each side in order to secure victory. They believe that the stars are worlds just like Adara, some of which are populated by mortals, and others which are wastelands created from the endless war. It is believed that all mortals were created by goddesses (and only goddesses) on both sides to do battle for them. As such, it is an incredibly violent religion, known for seeing anyone who refuses to convert as a mortal created by an evil goddess. The Soldater av Stjärnan Ljus worship one goddess in particular, who they simply call "The Goddess". She is believed to be the goddess that created the good humans, and is said to grant her power to only the best of people. King Kalle XII claims to be one of these people, going so far as to say that he is the avatar of The Goddess' will. There are many Monks and Nuns who have spent their entire lives devoted to worshipping the Goddess, hoping to be chosen to gain her power in their next life. There are multiple languages in the Holy 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 Frya coins, two Frya coins, four Frya coins, eight Frya coins, and sixteen Frya coins. The coins below one Frya are made from silver, their thickness determining their value. Above one Frya, the coins are made from gold, with their width determining their value. All are stamped with the face of Kalle XII. Technology Overview: Vanjana is highly advanced in aeronautics, thanks to their large supply of Elan to experiment with. They are on the frontline of aeronautical advancements, constantly finding new ways to extend airship efficiency and effectiveness. They view the sky as the future, and are eager to reach it. Their cities are all connected by rail and telegraph lines, and they laid a telegraph line across both the Lägre Nordsjön and the Övre Nordsjön to enable telegraph communications between Vanjana proper, Nordsted, and Varmland. Industry in Vanjana is also quite advanced, with Elan being used more commonly than in other nations. Vanjanan airships use a special type of ammunition in the mains guns. Known as "Elan Shot", this ammunition burns a small amount of Elan to reduce its weight when fired. There are different types of Elan Shot for different distances, as they are meant to run out of Elan before hitting the target. The antigravity effects of Elan allow a higher velocity to be achieved for these projectiles, and have the side effect of leaving behind a trail of Elan smoke. One can always tell when a Vanjanan airship is firing from by looking for those trails of smoke, but they have a larger destructive capability thanks to their velocity. Military Overview: 'For the glory of the Goddess!" -Vanjanan battle cry The Vanjanan military is split up into three divisions: The Holy Vanjanan Army, the Holy Vanjanan Navy, and the Holy Vanjanan Air Corps. Out of these three, the Navy is by far the weakest, as they are the smallest in number. They van hold their ground given a good leader, but without one, they'll find themselves easily overrun. The Army has been the pride of Vanjana for decades, with well-disciplined and well-trained troops that hold their own even when vastly outnumbered. However, it is the King that truly makes the Army shine. It is believed that if the King is leading a battle, the Goddess herself is fighting with the Vanjanans. The King certainly does his best to reinforce this idea, as he didn't lose a single battle in the Great Nordsjön War. The Airborne Corps is the most advanced division, with highly efficient Elan Drives and their Elan Shot. However, they are inexperienced in air-to-air combat, as war games can only account for so much. If the enemy uses a strategy they practiced for, they could most likely easily crush them. However, if the enemy Admiral invented a new tactic, they could very well be defeated unless their own Admiral came up with a way to counter it. The Airborne Corps is, however, one of the largest air fleets in the world. If all else fails, they could resort to sheer numbers. If they reached that point though, it likely means that they'll either lose anyways or take heavy losses winning.

Kingdom of Lumenor

Government: Lumenor is governed as a constitutional monarchy. The Kuunin, Lumenor's King, is a largely ceremonial figure, serving as a figurehead, a symbol of national authority, and a balance of power against the more democratic institutions of the Lumen state. Most real legislative power in Lumenor falls upon the Vanha Suuri, a unicameral legislature composed of a mixture of appointed civil servants from various aspects of the state apparatus, as well as elected representatives of the (male) citizenry. The Vanha Suuri is decidedly lacking in intrigue and excitement; corruption and other unscrupulous acts are strongly despised by the Lumen, and vigorously prosecuted when suspected to have occurred. The parliament also has a reputation for reactionary action, even among its more liberal members. Itself a product of ancient history, the Vanha Suuri and its members—called Vansuurs—are fiercely protective of the cultural and historical institutions of the Lumen state. Times change rapidly in Lumenor, however, and the possibility of the Vanha Suuri changing along with them grows ever more likely with each passing day. The Vanha Suuri's parliamentary powers, unlike in most monarchies, precede the rise of Lumenor's Kuunins. It was the Vanha Suuri, in fact, that appointed Lumenor's first Kuunin, over a millenium before the current day. The Vanha Suuri's history lies in the history of the pagan Lairreen people, to whom the Vanha Suuri served a religious purpose as the echoing of the Gods. The people of the Lairreen tribes would select the most devout among them and gather them together in the precursor to the modern Hall of Elders to hear the desires of the Gods. It was such a convening, the very last that the Vanha Suuri ever held as a religious body, that resulted in the appointment of the first Kuunin. The Kuunin's purpose was to politically unite the Lairreen people, and to forge an army from them capable of casting back the Lansi, an invading people originating from the west. The Lansi were a strongly militaristic folk, descended from the same family lines as the people of modern day Acier. They were united under a powerful emperor, Soturi III, the grandson of a former Lansi chieftain who led his tribe to conquest against the other Lansi tribes, and in the process forged himself a powerful, centralized Lansi empire. The Vanha Suuri and the Kuunin were ultimately unsuccessful in their attempts to cast back Soturi III's invasion. After a horrifically bloody struggle, the Lairreen eventually found themselves a subject people of the newly implanted Lansi. The Lansi, out of respect for the tenaciousness and ferocity of the Lairreen, and in an attempt to pacify the land and avoid future rebellion, came to adopt many of the Lairreen practices as their own, morphing them as necessary to accommodate their traditional Lansi practices. Soturi III adopted the title of 'Kuunin', and had it passed down by his sons over the following generations, as was the custom under the Lansi empire. In the decades and centuries that followed, the Lairreen and Lansi gradually merged into one cohesive people under the leadership of the Kuunin, merging together over the years into the Lumen of today. For its role in creating the title of Kuunin and mediating the Lansi takeover of Lairreen society, the Vanha Suuri is considered to be responsible for the creation of Lumenor. Economy: Lumenor's economy is strongly centred around manufacturing. All manner of products, though especially those produced mostly or entirely from metals, are fashioned and assembled in the numerous factories dotting the industrial centres of the country's south. The economy of the north, meanwhile, is mostly focused on the production of the metals themselves. The mountains of northern Lumenor are abound with mines of varying sorts, and their bounty's extraction to fuel the industry of the south compromises most of the north's economic activity. Also of note in Lumenor's economy is the country's fiscal probity. Both cultural and legal measures contribute towards Lumenor's strong fiscal standing, and this monetary expertise has resulted in the emergence of a rapidly expanding financial sector in Lumenor's southern population centres. The Kingdom of Lumenor is strongly protectionist, weary of growing overly dependent on foreign goods and services. Protectionist policy is a long-standing fact of life in Lumenor, and has over the years made a lasting cultural impact on the Lumen people. Lumen are distasteful towards the idea of purchasing goods from abroad, and buy locally whenever possible both because of the effect of government policy and simply out of habit. This trend towards mercantilism extends doubly to products arriving from colonial possessions; rather than merely being heavily taxed, import of resources from colonies on the southern continent is illegal. Export of domestic materials in Lumenor of unique or special value, such as Elan, is equally illegal. Leader(s) and Important People Naavalor IX Kuunin; Born Jarrd Eskven, Naavalor is Lumenor's current sovereign. A native of Pientila, Naavalor was born in the purple, and has been preened for leadership since his birth, fifty-two years ago. Naavalor took up the title of Kuunin after the death of his father, who was the longest reigning Kuunin in the country's history. He has one child, Yarnal Eskven, a son of age twenty, born to a wife who took ill and died shortly after her son was born. Jarrd is an old man who has long since been made bitter from his wife's death and his son's constant escapades. He doubts that he will ever live long enough to outmatch his illustrious father, and has taken it upon himself to outdo in accomplishment what he cannot outdo in longevity. Naavalor has colonial ambitions, and his desire to achieve prestige in this manner has resulted in his stepping increasingly outside of the bounds of his constitutional powers, to suppress naysayers of the Lumen Empire. Although intended to be apolitical, Naavalor's desire to be known in history backs as the man who brought Lumenor into the new age has resulted in his being an illicit supporter of the modernist factions within the Vanha Suuri since his ascension. Maat Vinter; Lumenor's Head of Government, and the leader of the Auld Stripe: the traditionalist faction of the Vanha Suuri. Maat's family line, the Vinters, are a leading industrialist family in Hoportti, Maat's place of birth. Members of their family have held office in the Vanha Suuri for hundreds of years, and they're heralded as the first family to bring the wonders of the Industrial Age to Lumenor. Maat has five children with his wife, Brigitte Vinter, who is a relative of the exiled royal family of Acier. The couple life in a manor in Hoportti, but own a second home in Pientila for Maat's work in the Hall of Elders, and a summer home in the mountains in Lumenor's north-east. Maat's political party, the Auld Stripe, is the largest faction within the Vanha Suuri. The Auld Stripe is a long-standing formal alliance of social conservatives and other traditionalists. They strongly opposes Lumenor's entrance into colony-building, and voraciously defends Lumenor's protectionist policies, which incidentally keep industrialist Auld Stripes like the Vinters from having to compete with foreign enterprises on equal footing. The Auld Stripe is supported by the vast majority of the appointed seats in the Hall of Elders, 39 out of 50, signifying their support by most of the country's generals and lawmakers. Of the 150 seats in the Vanha Suuri which are elected, the Auld Stripe hold 60, giving them just over a third of the country's popular support. This discrepancy between support by appointed seats and by the electorate has long been criticized by modernists as a mechanical bias in favour of traditionalism. Tuuli Vanska; The second most noteworthy politician in the Vanha Suuri, and the leader of 'Usikun', the largest of the modernist factions in Lumen politics. Tuuli is the founder of Usikun, which she formed in an explicit attempt to unite the modernist movement and remove the Auld Stripe from power. Her successes have been partial, at best. Though Usikun is the second largest party in the Vanha Suuri, it has failed to annex the other modernist parties, and is even divided from within. Various different elements from republicans to extremist monarchists find themselves together within Usikun, united together more or less by only one thing: a desire for serious change, in one way or another. The only policy which all members of Usikun support is ending the practice of granting high level civil servants appointed seats within the Vanha Suuri. That, and a general dislike towards the Auld Stripe, is the glue that keeps Usikun together. Tuuli herself is an imperious woman, tall, and exuding an aura of calm. She is relentlessly confident, even in the face of stacked odds, and devotes herself entirely to her political work. This devotion has resulted in her becoming something of a social recluse; she has never married, and though she was born in a small village in the country's mountainous north-east, she has never been there since she first left for Pientila to pursue a career in politics. Tuuli is the first woman to achieve notable political office in the Vanha Suuri, and one of the changes she seeks to enact in the country is the expansion of rights for women. Sarko Voros; A famous (some might say infamous) Lumen explorer. Sarko was born in the mountainous north-east of Lumenor, but left quickly upon reaching adulthood, seeking a new home as far removed from his old village as possible: the coastal metropolis of Hoporrti. It was in Hoporrti that Sarko began work as a merchant, establishing his business, "Voroseskso", as the premier vendor of exotic goods in Lumenor. Sarko's attempts at acquisition of rarer and rarer wares eventually led him to launch a large-scale exploratory expedition to the southern continent. Upon his return, Sarko told tales of a land untouched by modernization, where the rarest of all goods can be found in bountiful abundance. The Voroseskso expedition ignited a curiosity in the Lumen of what might lay in store for them in South Adara. This curiosity, however, has been tempered by the tentativeness of the Auld Stripe. Although Sarko's merchant fleet's activities are technically legal, as he is a Lumen citizen, and the goods he exchanges in Hoporrti were not purchased from any foreign state recognized by the Vanha Suuri, his quickly expanding trade networks are a threat to the dominance of the Auld Stripe's ideal of isolationism, and their Vansuurs' tight control over the Lumen economy. King Naavalor, arguing for the precise opposite of the Auld Stripe's demands for Vorosesko's abolition, has been in talks with Sarko to turn Vorosesko's southward trade missions into missions of colonization and territorial expansion. Televa Tikari; A loyal ally of King Naavalor, and one of Lumenor's greatest foreign diplomats. Mr. Tikari was a man born into squalor in the slums of Pientila's south, and found himself completely without family before reaching adulthood. King Naavalor's illustrious father took Tikari in from the streets, and educated him in the ways of the statesmen, grooming him to become one of his finest and most dedicated aides. Upon Naavalor's assumption of power, Tikari's loyalties turned to him, and his actions to furthering his ambitions. Although he presents a calm and tactful presence, Tikari is devious man, and without emotion. He thinks nothing of doing all that is necessary to accomplish his goals, and strikes only when he is sure he is capable of delivering a fatal blow. Desired Map location Important Locations Pientila Lumenor's capital city, and home to the Hall of Elders (the Vanha Suuri's Chambers) and the Royal Residence of the Kuunin of Lumenor. Pientila is Lumenor's second largest city, and is situated along the north coast of Lake Vanha, in the nation's south. The modern day city is built around a historic core that dates back to before the foundation of Lumenor. Many historical sites such as churches and ancient fortresses and villas have been preserved in Pientila, including an imposing medieval wall that encloses the historic city centre. It is this centre, the Historic Quarter, which is home to the Kuunin's Palace and the Vanha Suuri. Outside of the Historic Quarter, the city is notable for being home to a great many public parks and low-density housing projects. Many of Pientila's poorer residents live in the city's extreme south, which is home to a number of branch plants developed by industrial enterprises based out of Hoporrti. Pientila is an ancient city, its founding preceding the arrival of the Lansi into Lumenor by several hundred years. The settlement, merely a large town at the time of the Lansi Conquest, was the place where the Vanha Suuri submitted themselves to Soturi III, ending the conquest with a decisive Lansi victory over the Lairreen. The Vanha Suuri's surrender was encouraged by threats made by Soturi III against the town should they persist in their defiance; if the Vanha Suuri did not surrender, Soturi III had threatened to burn down the settlement entirely, and slaughter every single one of its residents. The surrender of the First Vanha Suuri avoided this fate. Instead, it was only the Vanha Suuri themselves who were burned, their Hall of Elders set ablaze with the Vansuur locked inside by the Lansi victors. On the ashes of the Old Hall of Elders, Soturi III built a new Hall, in the Lansi style, which has stood (albeit with extensive renovations) to the modern day. Hoporrti The largest city, main trade port and industrial and financial centre of Lumenor. Hoporrti rests along Lumenor's southern coast, at the tip of the Kast peninsula. Originally a small fishing village, Hoporrti experienced an exponential population boom upon the arrival of the Second Industrial Revolution, and its rapid outward expansion led to it administratively annexing numerous other neighbouring towns, which now serve as neighbourhoods of Hoporrti. In significant contrast to the historical buildings and wide open spaces found in Pientila and most of Lumenor's small settlements, Hoporrti is both densely urbanized and starkly modern. The city is home to start-of-the-art infrastructure to facilitate public transportation—including an underground railway system—and its tall, gleaming buildings and polished streets act as a statement to the rest of the world of the wonders of the modern age. Hoporrti downtown core is home to most of Lumenor's rapidly growing finance sector, and the rest of city is largely what gives Lumenor its industrial might: Hoporrti's industrial enterprises are a Goliath of Adara's manufacturing industry, and their factories pump out products twelve hours a day, earning vast wealth for their owners, and a fair slice of the pie of prosperity for the hard workers that man them. The Hoporrti Docks, from which the metropolis originated, are home to much of Lumenor's naval presence, and also serve a role as a major commercial shipping centre and trade area. Cultural Overview: The Lumen are an orderly and just people, famed for their calmness and their somewhat superfluous formality. Crime and other instruments of chaos are rare sights throughout the domain of the Lumen, and the Lumen love of order permeates even into their art and leisure. Lumen enjoy highly regimented sports, and are masters of artistic styles demanding strong adherence to boundaries, and representing realistic concepts. Lumen are also infamously introverted. Social events, though not by any means rare, and almost never spontaneous. Public displays of emotion are typically restricted to special events, and are more often that not displays of patriotism. The state itself, in particular the Kuunin, plays an important role in Lumen national identity. The state existed, as a union of the Lairreen and Lansi, before the Lumen did themselves. Another, relatively unique facet of Lumen culture is its secularity. The traditional faith of the Lumen's precursor peoples was extinguished long ago, and although Lumenor permits free religious practice, the vast majority of the Lumen are irreligious. Technology Overview On the whole, Lumenor's technological development could be best described as 'average'. Domestic Lumen ingenuity is counteracted by protectionist policy and a more than healthy degree of technological conservatism, preventing foreign technologies from being rapidly adopted. The exception to this rule is the city of Hoporrti, which is home to the very latest in infrastructural developments and other instruments of civilian import. This is due mostly to the extremely high focus placed on R&D by Hoporrti's ruling industrialist families. The need to preserve isolation from foreign economies is matched by the need to keep up to date with them, ensuring that much of the profits earned by Hoporrti's (and thus Lumenor's) most wealthy go back towards furthering technological advancement. Military Overview Lumenor's tradition of isolationism demands for a strong defensive-oriented military. Land fortresses, either newly constructed or newly renovated mark the eastern and western borders of the Lumen homeland. The Lumen Royal Navy, though lacking in experience at long reach operations, excels in defensive actions, and patrols the Lumen northern and southern coasts as rigorously as the Lumen army casts eyes and aims rifles over the land. The importance of military self-reliance is not lost on the Lumen, and all Lumen military ships, weapons, ammunition and supplies are all conceived and manufactured within the confines of the state. As with civilian technological advancements, this results in Lumenor being unreceptive to foreign inventions. Unlike with civilian technological advancements, however, the militaries of Lumenor's neighbours likely would not be fond of sharing their technological secrets with foreign states in the first place, making isolationism more effective in the military sphere than in the civilian sphere.