Nation Name: Holy Vanjanan Empire Flag: (Image or description is acceptable) 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 God. However, this also means that to follow his orders is to serve God, and thus he is known to greatly reward those that do not question him. Because of his belief that his will is that of God, 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: "God 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: WIP (What do your people enjoy? What do they hate? Religions or festivals of note? The more in depth the merrier) Technology Overview: WIP (Is your nation on the bleeding edge or is it more conservative? Is there any special technologies or area of expertise for your nation?) Military Overview: WIP (Now here's the stuff we really want to get to. Go as nuts as you see fit)