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.