I don't like it, makes it impossible for nations without dwarves or racist attitudes towards them to get tungsten/adamantite.
Tungsten is a material that is only going to get more important as time goes on, and already is important by ww2 standards.
Acquiring tungsten aka adamantine is possible for anyone. Adamantium would be a certain fantastical adamantine alloy which somebody may use for ludicrously expensive superheavy tanks or something more creative.
Also I am pretty sure that practically every nation in Verusa has a population of dwarves in it. And our prime suspect for racism is actually supportive of dwarves.
BTW, how's everyone with the fact Yllendthyr would use biodiesel? Technically the equipment were more or less already there, especially if I have fairies make my filters. The fact there was a great interest for biodiesel in the 20s and 30s. Basically my colonies would be filled with seemingly endless plantations which will be delivered to large plants. In WW2 Germans used coal to gain J2 fuel so it could work. Perhaps I might be blending it with mineral diesel when the latter is in sufficient stock.
BTW, how's everyone with the fact Yllendthyr would use biodiesel? Technically the equipment were more or less already there, especially if I have fairies make my filters. The fact there was a great interest for biodiesel in the 20s and 30s. Basically my colonies would be filled with seemingly endless plantations which will be delivered to large plants. In WW2 Germans used coal to gain J2 fuel so it could work. Perhaps I might be blending it with mineral diesel when the latter is in sufficient stock.
I've actually never heard of biodiesel until now, and at a glance it doesn't look so abnormal. What exactly is so odd about it?
I've actually never heard of biodiesel until now, and at a glance it doesn't look so abnormal. What exactly is so odd about it?
That it somewhat eliminates my need for crude oil. Granted, maintaining huge fields is almost as difficult or maybe even moreso. There's also the fact that in our world biodiesel was never truly caught on until the later few decades. But yeah, the process is damn simple and I'd dare to say hardly any more difficult than regular oil refineries. The method is known since mid-19th century, the machinery needed are simple, chemicals are simple and well-known by this time and the desire is there. The problem probably was to establish a whole new kind of industry. And well, the fact nobody until the 70s took the effort to put all these together, even in theory. There's probably a good explanation if I'd do a more through research but this is a fantasy game anyways. If we allow mechanical horses, this should be a piece of cake.
Well so long as you're taking the massive amount of potential food you need to redirect into account.
Also, me you and Volt need to talk Willy, work out the state of the colonies and all that. Given we are the three main colonial powers, with clock being there too.
Another suggestion, can we change tungsten to adamantine? Basically it has nearly the same properties as tungsten (albeit literally diamond-hard) but in our world it's called Adamantine. Otherwise it's roughly as rare as real life tungsten and perhaps we'll see them in composite shells in later war cannon munitions. There'd be another material called Adamantium which is a type of adamantine alloy created by dwarves. It's dense and hard but also has some more elasticity thus it's more enduring overall. Dwarves guard the secret to the proper creation of this alloy and technically each clan has their own variation on Adamantium (with various minor differences).
What do you think?
Meh. I think that I'm the only one that explicitly has a lot of dwarves (They are probably something like 15-25% of the population) and I was considering something similar as a unique material, but decided that like in the last RP my nation won't have any unique materials.
Last game Tin was already a superpower because of its absurd size, and this game the Commonwealth is both big and diverse. Its comparatively huge dwarven and gnomish population are like a unique resource, since they have made the place lead the way in terms of technological development for heavy industry, ground vehicles, and to a lesser extent chemicals.
And yeah, to refute the inevitable counterpoint that this wouldn't be a "unique material" to just me, nobody else seems to have that many dwarves. And also, since this is a rare and expensive metal, I'd assume that the Commonwealth with its habit of building gigantic vehicles and war machines (and tons of dwarves to work the adamantine) would be using the metal far more than anybody else.
Also, me you and Volt need to talk Willy, work out the state of the colonies and all that. Given we are the three main colonial powers, with clock being there too.
Thanks for making me feel like a fourth wheel here guys...
Meh. I think that I'm the only one that explicitly has a lot of dwarves (They are probably something like 15-25% of the population) and I was considering something similar as a unique material, but decided that like in the last RP my nation won't have any unique materials.
Last game Tin was already a superpower because of its absurd size, and this game the Commonwealth is both big and diverse. Its comparatively huge dwarven and gnomish population are like a unique resource, since they have made the place lead the way in terms of technological development for heavy industry, ground vehicles, and to a lesser extent chemicals.
And yeah, to refute the inevitable counterpoint that this wouldn't be a "unique material" to just me, nobody else seems to have that many dwarves. And also, since this is a rare and expensive metal, I'd assume that the Commonwealth with its habit of building gigantic vehicles and war machines (and tons of dwarves to work the adamantine) would be using the metal far more than anybody else.
Adamantium is basically just tungsten which you can actually use as plain armor, which normally wouldn't be the case. It's the kind of tough material we wish tungsten could be given its popularly known properties but in reality it isn't. Also pretty much everyone would have at least a notable dwarven population. There's no reason why dwarves cannot be found anywhere within the same continent. As for making large vehicles out of this? square-cube law may be your bane in it. Not to mention how ludicrously expensive it is. You don't see warships built on tungsten hulls, either. And adamantium would be considerably more expensive. Also having a rare but super tough vehicle is a fun narrative element, IMO.
As for adamantine, it's just tungsten on a different name. Just like how Mithral is a variation of Titanium but on a different name. I thought it would fit the theme.
Nation Name: Menel Ndor en'Yllendthyr (Heavenly Empire of Yllendthyr) - empire name Nórë en'Yllendthyr (Country of Yllendthyr) - mainland name Centautë en'Galhonore (Galhonore Commonwealth) - vassal via personal union
History:TBA
Territories: Yllendthyr is situated at the upper half of the Sotoa Penisula, Verusa. The mainland occupies 5.28 million square kilometers. In addition 3 large islands at Yllendthyr's waters known as Nili Aiqua Archipeago. Down on the same Sotoa Penisula les the Galhonore Commonwealth which is in personal union with Yllendthyr for centuries (although the relation is closer to that of a vassal). As such effectively the Heavenly Empire of Yllendthyr controls all 8 million square kilometers of the Sotoa Penisula.
Of course as a colonial power that's not all where Yllenthyr's territories end. Around the equator they made a foothold in many worlds, owning sizable lands in both Usea and Osea, including the Syren cannal, one of the two routes allowing ships to travel through Osea without making a long detour.
Climate: Yllendthyr is generally in the tropical-mediterraean zone, blessed with fertile lands and lush forests. Albeit the latter is the recent victim of the Empire's accelerating industrialization. The Galhonore Commonwealth has similar conditions albeit the bottom of the country overlaps with the moderate climate zone more.
Population: According to the last year's census the country of Yllendthyr has the population of 110,027,188. Majority of them are humans (62%) and then elves (27%) while the remainder are other races (11%: dwarves, gnomes and trolls). Due to their petite nature and massive fertility the fay are counted on a different scale counting around 92 million within Yllendthyr alone. As fellow elvish country the Galhonore Commonwealth has similar demographics and the population around 42 million (again, not counting the fay).
The population of colonial territories have yet to be accurately measured. Instead the latest census recorded that there are over 10 million Yllendthyr and Galhonore citizens who asked for permanent residency in off-world colonies.
According to the studies of Charles Dwarfling from the last century elves evolved from the prehistoric birds an they said to share a distant relation with the various Griffin species. Archeological finds identified one of the ancestors of Elfkind named Homo Auger AKA "bird-man". Other studies theorize a more complicated origin for elves potentially including crossbreeding with prehistoric human species. Their main argument is the fact humans and elves could sire a child from one another (even if with extremely low probability).
In terms of physical characteristics elves are slenderly built and tall, averaging at over 6 feet. In contrast their slim build and hollow bones make them weight only 60% of an average human. Compared to humans they are fast and nimble, further supported by their amazing sense of balance. This is partially because the elves are said to possess something akin to "organic gyroscopes" and indeed their kind can precisely position without assistance of devices. In addition the elves are gifted with senses akin to wild animals, most notably their sight and hearing. Lastly elves have tough immune system and can theoretically live up to 300 years. They are resistant to many toxins and can recuperate from wounds faster than humans. While these qualities may make elves seem superior their advantages come at a cost. Elves are thinly built and can only carry half as much weight as a human could. Also their lightweight bones are made to withstand strain only from certain directions. Bone fractures are common, especially for young elves. For this reason during their youth elves learn to move with precision and grace to avoid accidents. Similarly their fragility means that car crashes and such could leave elves with at least grievous injuries if not outright lead to death, lucky accidents are almost unheard of. The heightened smell and hearing also makes elves more sensitive to loud noises or repugnant smells. Their sense of touch makes everything feel rougher so a cloth of wool may as well be sandpaper to an elf. While elves can resist many poisons better than humans the ones which they couldn't are extremely dangerous to them. Elven immune system is more robust but less adaptable than a human's. Lastly elves are plagued with low fertility and more frequent miscarriages. while modern medicine aided them considerably elven population growth is still drastically lower than human's. In addition elven children grow slower with youths turning to adults only at the age of 30 (and even then they are only at the physical development of a 15 years old by human standards).
Humans and elves are capable of interbreeding, siring a half-elf. Albeit 9 out of 10 such pregnancies generally result in a miscarriage and may even threaten the mother's life. There are several complications like the half-elven child being too much of a burden on an elven mother or in reverse the child requiring and producing chemicals which the human mother doesn't have. Yet scientists found out these problems are minor compared to what came down to simple compatibility. A percentage of elven population and a percentage of human population are capable of successfully siring an offspring. Even among them there are people with high chance of conceiving a halfbreed and those who may succeed but the risks are higher. Studies show there's no clear cutoff line. Since genetics are only at the developing stage Yllendthyr has no known means to identify an "ideal mate" neither the current government is interested in such research.
That is because the topic of half-elves is a sorts of taboo. Officially no half-elves exist in Yllendthyr. They're either classified as humans or elves within the records. Half-elves of noble birth retain their status while others are considered the same as humans, if not worse. Half-elves of low status are outcasts, often shunned by both humans and elves alike. Albeit there's a certain way to change that. Half-elves who marry into noble families or otherwise gain fame or higher status can earn the right to become "honorary elves" thus jumping straight up on the social ladder. As such many half-elves pursue military career and they're often rather good at it. Half-elves can randomly inherit the abilities of both elves and humans, they're a mosaic race of both. As such it's possible for a half-elf to inherit a human's strong physique along with the senses and physiology of his elven ancestor, albeit certainly not the norm. Half-elven lifespan is difficult to determine. In general it lies somewhere between that of a human and elf. Although it worths noting that their mixed genes make half-elves susceptible to some quite dangerous genetic disorders.
Culture:
Yllendor is part of the elvish language family specifically practiced in Yllendthyr. It's a difficult and melodious language with many depths and hidden meanings. The reason is because Yllendor is actually a simplified language developed to communicate with people outside their culture. Their original language (called in a simplified manner as Yllwé or Old Elvish) is lengthy and complex, with each name being unique as the speaker describes its features and past. Simple conversations on Old Elvish can last for hours because it literally doesn't leave anything to interpretation. Back in the old days elves could allow this luxury but as time went on they were forced to rely on Yllendor more and more. Many of the lower class elves don't even learn Yllwé and only know Yllendor. Nowadays old elvish is only used for ceremonial occasions and for honorary titles. Since the length of one's name in old elvish is directly equal to one's fame and importance elven nobles often make sport of comparing the length of each other's name. Of course no elf has longer name than the Emperor himself. Thankfully this habit doesn't translate to Yllendor at all.
Government: Yllendthyr's governmental structure is rather complex and maybe even confusing for the outsiders. The mainland of Yllendthyr is a federal semi-presidential constitutional monarchy. Their ruler is technically the Ymheodr but effectively it's lead by the Chymanfa (Parlaiment) where the governors and representatives belonging to the 27 states of Yllendthyr meet. Colonial governors and Galhonore's representatives are normally not present in the Chymanfa but they could be summoned if a certain decision involves them. The Ymheodr's role in politics is minimal and save for rare circumstances his presence in the Chymanfa isn't required. His authority is limited by the constitution and his duties are divided to various Wleidyddion (ministers). The Chymanfa is generally led by the Cyntwleidyddion (Prime Minister) although due to his busy schedule it's often taken over by the Fyswleidyddion (Vice Minister). Also it worths noting that the constitution technically allows the Ymheodr to veto nearly any decision in the Chymanfa, albeit none of them lived with this right yet. Another interesting note is that as a federal system each state of Yllendthyr has its own governor with unusual level of independence. Some states switched to entirely republican management and their "governor" is essentially just another representative.
While effectively a vassal to Yllendthyr the Galhonore Commonwealth is still a politically independent body with its own government. Like Yllendthyr it's a constutional monarchy ruled by the same emperor. On the other hand they have their own pairlament and prime minister with an overall semi-republican government. That being said the Chymanfa's decisions in Yllendthyr can bear weight on Galhonore, too. Even though Galhonore's representatives are invited to any decisions involving them their inferior numbers mean they can be overruled by Yllendthyr's majority.
Lastly the colonies are similarly split to smaller bodies and lead by a governor each. While the colonial governor is the representative of Yllendthyr and its emperor these effectively end up being small kingdoms lead by an influential noble each. Aside from occasionally reporting back to mainland and upholding Yllendthyr's empire-wide laws they're otherwise given full reign.
Cyntwleidyddion (Prime Minister) and thus effectively the leader of all Yllendthyr, Radidnahr is a well-dressed polite gentlemanly elf who will be holding his 182th birthday in the 4th of July. He's experienced, diplomatic yet also a rather shrewd politician who contributed a great deal to the current face of Yllendthyr. Radidnahr has been elected Prime Minister seven times and effectively governed Yllendthyr for over a century now. Unlike most high nobles Radidnahr has a positive opinion on humans and views them as the future for Yllendthyr. While other noble armies are practically all-elven, his Aramegyr has over 30% human soldiers and almost 4% from other races. His openness to human or cross-racial relations in general started a revolution in Yllendthyr's then isolationist politics and directly contributed to the large technological boom the empire was experiencing during the last century. In comparison Radidnahr is a a strong believer in Arvandor and views Yllendthyr's emperors almost like physical gods. He's also quite prideful and has his own channels to take revenge on anyone who dared to dishonor him. Given his degree of influence it isn't surprising that Noss Gosodnelh is currently the greatest noble family in Yllendthyr.
Religious and Other Beliefs: Elves refer to the planet as "Arda" which (along with the universe) was created by Eru Illuvatar and its chorus of Ainur. Arvandor was originally a branch of this religion practiced in Yllendthyr but in the recent few centuries became the world's main elven faith. Its head are the ever ruling dynasty of the Empire and the organization is otherwise mostly reminiscent to Roman Catholicism. By using the excuse that Eru Illuvatar created Arda with the assistance of uncountable number of Ainurs Yllendthyr acknowledges the existence of all the other "gods". This effectively gives near-complete religious freedom within Yllendthyr. In spite of that 96% of the elves and in total over 78% of the population are following the Arvandor faith. As the head of religion within Yllendthyr the emperor also has complete authority to decide matters related to any faith. Albeit to avoid conflicts all emperors practiced this right with great care and only used it as the last resort.
Cities, Bases, etc.:
- Yllumírë: The Shining Star of Yllendthyr. Home to the Ymheodr (Emperor) this extravagant city was built by sparing no men or resources. It's a spiraling city built on a hill plated by brilliantly polished Mithril to shine even from hundreds of kilometers away. Yllumírë used to be the capital of Yllendthr and some still consider it as such but after 1650 the focus gradually shifted to the new capital Yllendthirith. In spite of that if anything the coming centuries made Yllumírë even more imposingly beutiful with the Royal Family now focusing much of their efforts into their beloved castle. As always Yllumírë is the symbol of Yllendthyr's might and glory, considered one of Arda's wonders.
Technology Overview: The status of technological development in Yllendthyr is somewhat unique, to say. Elves live long and there are large gaps between generations. Any change in their society is slow compared to other nations. For example Yllendthyr haven't officially adopted firearms until 1728. Although with the increased involvement of humans since the uprising in 1648, this trend is on the decline. Given the radical changes which occurred in the last few centuries, if weren't for the humans Yllendthyr may had already lost its status within the world's leading powers. This is something accepted by even the most snobbish elf, if only begrudgingly so.
Aside from technologies borrowed from others the elves of Yllendthyr also developed their own unique creations. As it turned out the elven physiology gave them great talents as engineers. Nobody could understand motion and work with precision machinery better than an elf. This combined with their longevity meant elven scientists could work on their inventions for even hundreds of years. Elven clocks and watches are expensive and sought-after novelty item by nobles worldwide. Their experience in aviation is a well-known fact and recently they became pioneers in rocket engineering. They are also made various breakthroughs in electronics, especially in batteries and electric motors. Yet when people mention Yllendthyr's unique technology they usually think of two terms. Alchemy and Mithril. Unlike most nations, Yllendthyr officially acknowledged alchemy and uses it as an integral part of their industry. Mithril is the most well-known product of alchemy. It's almost comparable to steel yet weighs less than a third of that. Foreign nations attempting to reproduce mithril got disappointing results. As such outside of the borders of Yllendthyr, mithril is rarely used. On the other hand Yllendthyr have mithril replace almost any use of steel.
Ancient arts and workmanship combining artisan skill, science and mysticism. During the Early and Middle Ages the alchemists were found everywhere but with the industrial age their numbers rapidly declined. Yllendthyr rose from a tiny state to a giant empire partially thanks to the help of alchemists and this is reflected in their flag prominently. As such the alchemist earned special rights in Yllendthyr and their influence could be felt even now.
Alchemy is a secretive art which uses various codes, mystic symbols and rituals. On the other hand what they do is clearly methods of science, they just make a number of unnecessary steps on the way. Prime example is mithril, mithral alloyed with carbon-nanotubes and other elements. What they created is plausible by science but the way they did was a complete accident... which they then recorded and able to reproduce even now. An alchemist does everything in a strange and runabout way. As such their processes are slower than methods derived from real science but since they were lucky and kept their success a secret they have knowledge which people outside their clique don't. Of course the alchemists also have the way to keep their secrecy even if someone would attempt to interrogate their peers. As such nobody, not even a single person from Yllendthyr, outside their cult shares their knowledge.
Based on Mithral ore the Mithril is a family of metal alloys and compounds popularly used by Yllenthyr. Its density is between 2.3-2.5 g/cm^3 yet its strength is comparable to steel. Mithril is naturally immune to corrosion, more ductile and conductive than steel and has better elasticity. On the other hand Mithril bends easier and can support less weight by volume than steel. Mithril gunbarrels generally can handle less pressure without than impacting the weapon's performance thus necessitating larger bore diameters for similar effect. High-strength steel alloys developed nowadays are also having an edge over mithril. The same thickness of military grade steel can resist a bit more than military grade mithril. Lastly due to its compoundish nature most types of Mithril cannot be just melted down and recast into different products. The heat would destroy the carbon-nanotubes. Albeit the alchemists have means to "heal" these Mithrils thus making the issue less problematic for Yllendthr itself.
Economy: Yllendthyr has a rather stable economy maintained by their domestic products, trade and the abundant resources from the colony.
Agriculture:Yllendthyr is gifted with abundant lands thus their agriculture is rather decent. Albeit this is one of the reasons behind the country's growing deforestation. Another is the growth of industry.
Industry: While somewhat late in joining the industrial revolution Yllendthyr caught up fast and became part of the leading powers in industry. Unique to them many factory lines are directed by alchemists which can have issues on their efficiency, given how ritualistic alchemy could be. This could reduce their output compared to similarly developed nations at times. special mention goes to mithril, until an experiment in 1820 mithril could be only made under the moonlight. Yet after a series of conclusive experiments it was proven that mithril could be made regardless the time of the day. Rituals which might be needless are still slowing down mithril production and in general steel in other countries' factories is produced twice as fast compared to mithril in Yllenthyr. Another interesting bit is that Yllendthyr relies almost entirely on biofuels. Their colonies have neverending palm fields dedicated to produce hundreds of thousands of tons of oil each year. The palm oil then filtered and refined into biofuels and other oil products. When used in engines biofuels smell cleaner but its association in other countries with fries and other boiled meals lead to further propagate Yllendthyr's reputation of eccentricity. Lastly, Yllendthyr has centuries long relation with Setra and its fairies, many of them even living in the country. Their small size allows them to work on small mechanisms and other miniature goods well thus Yllendthyr's industry relies on them.
Currency: Physical money is still technically the chief currency in the Empire. Elen are small coins made of mithril, they are the smallest currency. Ithil are made of silver and worth 10 Elen. Anor are made of gold and as the most expensive coin they're worth 10 Ithil. Yet effectively coins are almost never used and instead they rely on banknotes which signify a prescribed amount. The biggest is currently the 100 Anor note. Signature of the current Ymheodr and various alchemical procedures are employed to make these banknotes almost impossible to copy.
Main Imports: TBA Main Exports: TBA
As expected from an empire with strange political structure, Yllendthyr's military is also strange and split into no less than five different organization bodies.
@Voltus_VentusMind if I post my nation profile in the characters tab? It's still incomplete but provides enough information to be useful. EDIT: Oh well, why am i even asking? It'd end up on the characters tab sooner or later anyways. Not like there's any limit on editing your post.
@Voltus_VentusFurther updated my profile. I'll add more but aside from perhaps history I pretty much gave everything people need to know about Yllendthyr. Also when do we start with the IC. Like others I worry we end up the same as with the previous game, tons of OOC activity yet the IC ends at the second page. God, I hope it won't happen.
I am kind of a reactionary type. Perhaps I can write up a story about Yllendthyr diplomats visiting the Commonwealth but everything in time. I first wish to make an intro like post to give you a right impression about my nation. And well, like I said I need material for that. So yeah, I'll wait for a while. I was hurrying people out of the game's concern.
