[hider=Nation 11] [center][h1][b]NATION 11[/b][/h1] (Filler Name)[/center] [b][h2]Location/Geography[/h2][/b] [hider=Map Claim(Gold)][img]http://i.imgur.com/9ENGg5A.jpg[/img] [/hider] The geography and topography of this area is very particular. The most obvious landmark is the dominating forest that covers the entire region, except for the high rocky coast or where it spreads into light copse of twisting apple trees and black trunked maples around the edges of the forest. Hamlets dot this ring of fertile and shaded land, with the soil pulling most of it’s moisture from run offs that soak in from the dense forest beyond the boundary of apple farms and quaint villages. The forest itself is another monster all together, and it mostly avoided by those who have no business inside of it. The Hamlet dwellers of the apple lands and copses tend to stay clear of the “fringe dwellers” who live solemnly in the swampy fringes of the great wood. Armies of headstones and moss conquered statues mark the official boundary to the dark trunked forest. (Send personal request via PM for further information about the interior of the forest -- until I format the old description to fit this setting) [b][h2]General Introduction[/h2][/b] Fringe dwellers aside, the people of the apple lands have a running trend to send out their young men and women from their tiny farms to study and enjoy the world. The more popular the country is, the more likely the adventurous emissaries are likely to go there, especially if it is a profit of knowledge or of any other sort. These emissaries are expected to help their hosts, and study the culture of their current location with extreme detail. Often the emissaries return home to retire after compiling great works and massive tomes of information, and even more often bringing the culture and its ways back home to the tiny hamlets. It is not uncommon for priceless art or foreign architecture to be portrayed in the small villages, giving a strange non uniform appearance to the more successful emissary’s home hamlets. [center][u]List of relations[/u] City States of Brescia -- These City States are among the most popular for new Emissaries, as for many years they have been welcomed with open arms and copious amounts of gifts, not including the Brescian religion and masterful artwork. Their architecture has made its way into the apple lands, and quasi cathedrals of Brescian style with it. What few migrants of the apple lands there are tend to gravitate here due its long standing generosity to the emissaries. If there is a fancy and well stocked hamlet full of alien artwork, chances are a retired emissary of Brescia lives there. The Kingdom of Ardonia -- This wondrous and strange land prompts many young men and women to pick here as the location of their adventurous emissary years. Similar to Brescia, Ardonian religion made its way back to the apple lands, but with far less gifts and much more cultural notes and tomes of information. Those willing to take the trip even sometimes trade small wares with Ardonian’s albeit rarely. Many emissaries out to find the most interesting landscapes or variety in a nation travel here to study, as not a note of the many cultures goes unheard by the ever hungry adventurers. Zhodul -- Similar reception was found in Zhodul as in Ardonia, with the fancy addition of gifted scales from authoritarian figures. This relation increased the presence of Ardonian religion due to its presence in Zhodul as well as the original location. A fine choice for any emissary looking for something different. Kingdom of Myrstrost-- For those seeking adventure and stories instead of raw gifts or fanciful depictions of culture, this is where the most adventurous emissaries go to prove their mettle. The curious nature of the inhabitants and their attention to dangerous adventures and prying thoughts to the darker sides of “what-if” bring the hardiest Emissaries to test their own danger-sense and hopefully bring home tomes of great knowledge, if not a traditional dungeon crawlers treasure. Also the toast here is phenomenal. Empire of the hidden -- A unique place for emissaries unwilling to do too much traveling to get their tomes filled with information and pockets with memoirs. The government of the Empire has been generous enough to offer a house for visiting emissaries, and even seats at local academies. This combination made the number of emissaries limited, but longer lasting in presence. Upon return the apple pickers of the hamlet lands are always glad to hear about the latest medical news and new forging techniques presented by the Imperial Academies. TBA [/center] [b][h2]History[/h2][/b] Beyond apple picking, basic farming and being simple, this land doesn’t hold much history past the many exploits of its esteemed emissaries -- at least not to common knowledge. (more to come) [h2][b]Government & Society[/b][/h2] This simple and primarily human nation is unique in its government in only that it doesn’t have an official one. United solely by familial ties, topography, and culture, the apple-picking hamlet dwellers, and fringe dwellers are technically an “autonomous collective” with no formal system of law or unification among the many hamlets or swamp settlements. Because of the lack of government, family is the leading authority among individuals and law is often taken upon the elders of a hamlet to dish out. While the apple hamlets tend to be quiet, when a criminal does strike, it is usually either met with indifference if minor enough, or a mob attempting to run the criminal out of the local area. Families tend to be large and with many children. Direct family tends to live in the same hovel, sometimes shared with other families. Distant family members can usually be found in the next hamlet over, or across a darkened field of twisty apple trees. Almost everything used or conceived here was handmade by the families that use them, save gifts from emissaries. In the little down time found in such a life of work, stories from past adventures are used to entertain the youth and grant nostalgia to the retired adventurer elders of the hamlets. When a horror story is needed, the youth in turn grant the elders darkened tales of beyond the ring of headstones, either lying or boasting their own steps into the forbidden realm past their small ring of apple farms, usually to be scolded. Many of the hamlets look like a strange mix between simple farms and bizarre libraries, brimming with past emissaries works and treasures (relevant to an apple picker). Stranger still, foreign religions brought back by emissaries can be found in mimicking places of worship, to which most are thankful for the lax approach to the newer religions and ancient tolerance of their own. (more to come) [h2][b]Economy & Industry[/b][/h2] The normal appearance of the economy tends to be simple barter among neighbors and tradesmen and farmers. Foreign trade is rare due to the lack of cities, or excess goods. The only influx of wealth comes from returning Emissaries who had received many gifts from their hosts or where graciously taught a new skill of luxury. Sadly, a portion of the most expensive and ancient artifacts or tomes of information that might be brought back are sometimes snuck into the dark of the lingering forest for some reason or another, some claim it’s for a great and hidden library, others claim a strange form of sacrifice or ceremony. All the trades of the dirt are found among the hamlets to keep them running, and hard workers are abundant in a world where sloth leads to starvation. [b][h2]Military Overview[/h2][/b] Any formal sense of a military is nonexistent, these are simple farmers, tradesmen, and retired adventurers. [/hider] Just putting this here. If I haven't approached you about receiving my Emissaries, feel free to PM me if you are interested.