Name of Nation: Etresna, the Enlightened Realm



Government: Enlightened Despotism - ruled by a monarch with great power, the governing principles of the state stretch back for eons, each Raijen or Reijen - the female or male rulers of the nation, is chosen by an elected council of ostensibly the wisest minds in the nation. The system has worked well thus far, the scholarly nature of much of the elite leading to a burgeoning technological paradise. The state pours much of its budget into the sciences and into engineering, determined to maintain its technological lead in the world.

[url=http://]Map of Etresna[/url]


Positioned on the eastern coast of the Narrevian continent, the populous nation of Etresna benefits from the significant rainfal brought by the equatorial westerlies and summer monsoons, the northern section of the nation playing host to a significant rainforest, and the heavy rainfall facilitating widespread rice cultivation in the central regions. Much of the agricultural industry of Etresna is managed by the central state in the interest of maximum efficiency, with the remnants of the Lowlands’ former inhabitants working as tax free, almost independent farmers on vast rice plantations in the north, and even more vast wheat fields on the prairies in the nation’s center. Much of the large population is situated along the coast, the vast and numerous rivers within the nation, in the massive mountains, or the foothills of those mountains where water pools and collects from mountain runoff. Population is concentrated heavily in the nation’s major urban centers, with much of the countryside either all but uninhabited or devoted to the vast agricultural plantations that feed the large urban centers and much of the world beyond. To some extent, the mountains are an exception to this rule, with much of their population distributed widely across the expanse, in mining towns or fortified mountain redoubts. The people of the mountains are responsible for much of the nation’s mining industry, the large and imposing natural defensive barrier doubling as a cornucopia of natural resources. Industrial production is primarily centered in the cities.

Dramatis Personae:
Anukadi “Anu” Firulkh Dashyrr: The current reigning Raijen of the Realm, elected thirty years ago by the grand council. Before her election, Anu was a distinguished civil engineer and public servant, responsible for overseeing the implementation of a modern electrical grid in the Realm’s southern coastal cities. Under her reign, the Realm has seen vast investment in the sciences and in public works, but sometimes at the expense of lower military investment, the Raijen putting faith in the Realm’s naval prowess and land forces to keep the Realm’s borders secure.

Azhis Dahtkah Fyrra: Occupying a position analogous to Commander in Chief of other armies, Azhis represents the strategic mind behind the Realm’s military forces. An enigmatic figure of dubious age, Azhis has nonetheless managed to keep the Realm out of the costly land wars the people wish to avoid. Investment in the navy and defensive capabilities on land has been her primary focus.

Species: Etremaden - A tall, grey skinned race, with similarities to the fae peoples of other nations, the Etremaden are nevertheless a distinct people from their long removed cousins. Males standing on average 6 feet, or 1.8 meters, and females standing but a few centimeters below. As with other fae peoples, they sport tapered ears, and some refer to them as ‘dark elves’ - a term the Etremaden themselves are none too fond of. Divergent from the usual strain of intelligent bipedal peoples that dominate the planet, the Etremaden are still humanoid, but with some unquantifiable sense of being ‘off’ to outsiders, this is far more prevalent and pronounced among the mountain dwellers. Unlike other humanoid species, their musculature between the sexes is considerably more equal, with both sexes sporting muscle mass nearly identical to each other.

Ancient records indicate the Etremaden originated in the same mountains from which their nation sprang, the people from which they came lost to history. The mountains of the Realm are host to a vast font of magical energy, but wholly different from that of the norm. Steeped in Eldritch influence, a strain of magic made infamous by the Dark Empire of old, one the Etremaden themselves were crucial in the destruction of, the mountains slowly changed their inhabitants, giving rise to the modern day Etremaden. This origin, coupled with their emnity with Kratoria, has lent them ill repute in many regions of the world, those dominated by old magic and old orders, who see the Etremaden and their origin as corruptions, dark blights upon the magical order of the world.

Population: 273 million, still rapidly growing. The realm is still nowhere near its potential, the vast depopulation of the land in the mid 1400s still has a marked influence on the population size to this day.

Culture: For much of their earlier history a relatively inward looking people after their conquest of the lowlands, and repulsion of the Kratorian Empire’s attempt at annexation, the people of Etresna have cultivated a simultaneously scholarly and militaristic culutre, idealizing the warrior-scholar of old. The nation is heavily armed, with around 66% of the population owning rifles, pistols, machine guns, and other ordnance - a holdover from their history of constant warfare and citizen military participation. At the same time, there is a love of the arts, the sciences, engineering, and philosophy, and it is common sight to find a military artistic exhibition, showcasing the works of local military personnel, sponsored by the general or some affluent individiual, and the comparatively small army is frequently seen assisting in public works and engineering projects. There is much distaste for the state militarism prevalent among many other nations - Among their own people, there is a strong sense of egalitarianism among themselves - there are very few or no restrictions upon the rights of fellow Etremaden in regards to sex or other characteristics. Other peoples are generally judged on a case by case basis, and will usually be held to be ‘lesser’ until in some way proving themselves.

Economy: A global powerhouse, Etresna’s economy is heavily focused around a major service sector augmented by powerful manufacturing, fueled by vast raw material reserves in their mountainous nation, alongside the agricultural heartlands in the central plains and northern rice paddies. The nation has advanced leaps and bounds in many areas, and produces many excellent doctors, scientists, engineers, mathemeticians, others. This lends the economy a considerable service sector bent. Despite this, there are movements within to increase manufacturing prowess to compete with the global market, rather than merely supplying their own needs.

Despite its large population, Etresna is a net exporter of grains, shipping food abroad in great quantities - primarily and wheat - the centrally planned and overseen wheat prairies and the vast rice paddies of the northern river deltas providing frequent bumper crops with the advent of modern fertilizers and the mechanization of farming equipment. These agricultural lands are sparsely populated, with the predominant population being the remnants of the erstwhile inhabitants of the coastal lowlands, a people with a unique position within the realm. They live tax free, barely regulated at all beyond baseline codes of conduct, and in turn manage the realm’s agricultural engine, having recently been subsizied in a switch from pack animals and degenerate beasts of burden to an almost wholly mechanized farming system. Even so, engineering works are constantly underway to further expand the nation’s agricultural prowess.

Technology: For much of its history a technological powerhouse, Etresna has continued to lead the world in technological advancement, all of its cities sporting modern electrical grids and transportation hubs, with a sophisticated rail network linking every part of the country together. The military as well benefits from this technological lead, many warships outfitted with advanced targeting aparatuses, though much of their fleet is of older make, and not as modern as their grand fleet would indicate. On land - while their individual equipment is still focused around tried and true technology - the bolt action rifle, the revolver, and so on, these weapons are produced of high grade steel and can sustain higher cartridge pressures than those of most competing nations. And even so, there is constant pressure to innovate both in private arms companies, and governmental arsenals.





Air Force: The air force of the Realm is a mediocre force, all told. What planes they do have are small in number, but well maintained and are continuously upgraded and updated with the latest technology available. Primarily used in scouting, there have been limited investigations into the use of aircraft for offensive purposes as well, such as machine gunning infantry formations in pursuit operations.

History of the Realm

Rolls:
12 + 6: Territory - Your nation is magnificently sized, a premiere empire of the day. There are vast lands to go around.
20 - Tech: Your nation is the premier technological leader of the day. One of the earliest adopters if not the creator of industrialization and modern scientific research, your nation leads the world in technological advancement.
11 - Army Size: Your army is decently sized, and is maintained year-round.
17 + 3 - Economy: Your economy is world-class, and the nation is in the middle of an economic boom. You are seen as a land of opportunity. The nation can fund anything it wants, almost.
14 - Production: Your nation is somewhat majority industrial, with decent resource exploitation.
17 - Navy Size: Your navy is of respectable size, with a large merchant train and a large military portion.
7 - Airforce Size: You have a few biplanes.
17 - 5 - Magic: Your nation is above average. Nothing exceptional, but you stay ahead of the chaff and other low liers. You may be advanced in theory but lack the means or structure to implement - or you may have ample capacity for production, and limited sophistication in doing so, or anything else.
1 + 1 - Mobilization: It takes the good part of a year to mobilize.

Traits:
A Nation of Learning: Tracing back to its ancient roots, the Realm, its people, culture, and even most of the cultural elite, have embraced science, the arts, and learning in general. Today, as it has been for millenia, the Realm devotes vast sums of money to research and development, to sponsoring the arts, schools of engineering, and more. The Realm is the technological leader of the world, and is determined to maintain their lead at all costs. Etremaden sciences - hard and soft, engineering, arts, and more are renowned. The nation advances technologically faster than its rivals, their prowess with technology a match for the formidable arcane might of the empires of Kratoria and Anvegad.

Masters of Artillery: For centuries the cornerstone of the Realm’s military might, the artillery has continued to play a crucial role in the Realm’s land forces. Much of the military infrastructure on land is devoted to training, supplying, and equipping the nation’s artillery corps, Etremaden engineering producing the finest guns in the world, and their schools producing the finest gunners. However, this comes at the expense of much of the rest of the army, the regular infantry representing a far smaller proportion of the army than their contemporaries, and militias - decently trained but not full time professionals - make up the bulk of Etresna’s foot soldiers.

Honor Code: The Etremaden are known for almost fanatical fervor in combat, rarely if ever fleeing, surrendering only if all hope is lost and resistance is futile. To surrender when one could have fought on and forced the foe to pay for their victory in blood is a great shame - to surrender without fighting at all is the greatest of shames. The Realm’s soldiers will retreat, given the order, but a foe rushing their trenches will rarely find their forces fleeing, and even more rarely will they surrender. A platoon of soldiers, lost within enemy territory, is expected to fight their way back to friendly lines, or to inflict as much damage as possible - unless such an attempt would result in naught but their own deaths. This culture of honorable surrender and its intricacies are often lost on foreigners, who know only of the terrible treatment often suffered by prisoners taken in what the Etremaden deem dishonorable circumstances, and many foreign soldiers too will fight to the death to avoid capture.

Armed Populace: The people of the realm, the non-uniformed, arms-bearing citizen militia, make up the vast bulk of the Realm’s ground forces. Well over half of the population are well armed, with rifles, pistols, and even machine guns, and do not shy away from using or threatening to use them. An invader of the realm would find a rifle behind every blade of grass, every tree trunk, a hundred fifty million barrels aimed in their direction - but the same is true of the government. Widespread public outcry, opposition to an unpopular government policy, or anything else will almost certainly result in the government backing down. The Raijen is hard pressed to lead her nation into a war it no longer desires, unless the people can be made to seek war once more.

Infamous Origins: Dark mountain stuff, will finish later. Established magic people dislike them.
:

Foreign Relations:

Name of Nation: The Kratorian Empyreum, The First Civilization, The Heirdom of Heaven, The Kingdom of Kingdoms, The Pantheon Realm (Edits in progress)

Name of Nation: Cethos

Government: Absolute Monarchy (Ruler: Matra Prunak ‘Mother’s Protector’)

Species: Humanoid fish people with primitive gills allowing them to breathe under water (in both fresh and saltwater) for up to 10 hours, webbing in their hands and toes to swim better, able to dive to depths of 130ft (40m), and have a clear, third, eyelid that allows them to see underwater. 'Cethosi tears' are often used to describe fake tears, as they get rid of salt build up via it leaking out of their eyes with water. They lack hair, instead having vestigial fins on the top of their head that start brightly colored and can be large, but dull with age. Indeed, that is the only sign of age.

Cethosi women are larger than Cethosi males, by an average of five inches. There is no noticeable difference in physical attributes, though the men are typically faster swimmers.

Population: 40 Million

Culture: Cethosi culture, unsurprisingly, is tied to the ocean. From it their demi-gods were born, on it they expanded and united the Cethosi tribe, and it gives them life and sustenance daily. They have a deep respect for the ocean, and go to great lengths to ensure that it is respected as well. The Mother gave us life, but she is a force of nature that will never be tamed, never forget that.

Every Cethosi is first and foremost a sailor and a fisherman, and every single one of them is a powerful swimmer.

The Cethosi honor code is fairly simple, with every man's word being his bond. If a Cethosi gives you their word, they will hold to it until it complete or they are dead. If it becomes known that someone is an oath-breaker, they will be shunned by the community at large, until they are forced to leave. Most leave the islands entirely, as any ship they take to another island will spread the word of how untrustworthy they are to wherever they land.

Cethosi practice exo-cannibalism, believing that if they eat their slain enemies they will gain their enemies strength. In war, to prevent vicious last stands that will result in more casualties than necessary, Cethosi go to great lengths to make it clear that anyone who surrenders and any wounded are safe from being eaten. Everyone who fights and dies against them, however, is fair game.

Cethosi believe that when someone dies, their power is spread throughout their family. Being descended from Demi-gods, every Cethosi thus has part of divinity in them, no matter how minuscule. After someone has died, their family thanks them for the power they are leaving. They are then given back to the ocean, to nourish that which has nourished them their whole lives.

Tattoos play an important part in Cethos culture, denoting rank, accomplishments, tribe, and which of the long gone Matra Tu they worship. It is rare to find a Cethosi that doesn’t have some form of tattoo on their body, and many tribes view it as a disgrace if you do not.

Geography: By and large, most Cethosi islands are pleasant tropical islands. Some have sheer cliff spaces or extremely shallow waters very close, limiting where ships can dock and land, but they are all clear waters and pleasant weather.

The main cluster of islands in Cethos is starkly different to the rest of the islands. Instead of easy, clear, waters, the approach is filled with dark, choppy waters with large rocks jabbing out at frequent and seemingly random intervals. All around the island are 'ship graveyards' where entire invading fleets met their doom or the royal family forced the rebels to enter the island on their defenses, sinking what remained the royal navy around the island. There is one main path through all of this, and that leads straight into the teeth of the island's defenses

The waters of Cethos are filled with exotic and magical creatures: huge fish whose scales shine with every color of the rainbow, mermaids playfully calling from the sea, giant squids sinking under the waves, talking turtles with gold growing on their shells, etc etc.

History: Descended from the many Demi-Gods ( Matra Tu ‘Mother’s Children’) of the ocean, whose final decree was that no impure would set foot on their holy islands, the people of Cethos have always preferred to isolate themselves from the rest of the world. The only recorded time in Cethosi history, before modern times, that they ever left their islands as a nation to interact with the outside world, was when Kratoria reached for allies against the Chan Ak Su-na the ‘Dark Invaders From Afar’ (often shortened to simply Chan).

Known as the Black Empire, the Ap Morgi, The Morghul Dominion, and a thousand other names in a thousand other tongues, the Chan had already gained a foothold on the Cethosi islands, and were embroiled in a bloody war of conquest against the Cethosi and the Matra Tu. The Cethosi and their gods were losing ground every day, only slowing the Chan at a terrible cost. The Kratorians landed on Cethos’ shores, and offered an alliance. With nowhere else to turn, the Matra Tu accepted. Together, they forced the Chan off the islands. Thus began Cethosi involvement in a centuries long war that would claim the lives of thousands of Cethosi and dozens of Matra Tu.

When the war was finally over, and the Chan finally defeated, the Cethosi retreated to their isolation again. The Matra Tu bid their former allies farewell, and settled into their isolated kingdoms, ruling over their islands.

It was only a few years later that Kratoria would return, demanding Cethos allegiance and servitude to the Kratorian Empire, a new power filling the void left by the destruction of the Chan. The Cethosi and their gods refused, and threw the Kratorian delegation off of their islands. Within days, a Kratorian fleet sailed across the ocean, intent upon conquering the isles. The Matra Tu would unite their islands again, and meet the threat in open battle in the sea. In the centuries that followed, the Matra Tu would engage the Semideums in titanic battles, entire fleets being shattered on both sides, and the Cethosi tribes awaiting to battle any Kratorians that made it to the Islands. The Empire never achieved its dream of conquering the Cethosi Islands, but they did inflict severe blows to the Cethosi population and morale. Bit by bit, year by year, the Matra Tu were being eradicated. History debates and wildly speculates on the cause, some claiming a curse from the Chan Ak Su-na, others from the Kratorians, still others simple old age, and yet more others that the Kratorians had poisoned them. All agreed that the war with the Kratorian Semideums aggravated the issue, and the results are all the same. Eventually, the Matra Tu were extinct as a race. Cethos was left without its defenders, and Kratoria wasted no time launching another invasion fleet. This one without Semideum, as they were needed for the war against Etresna and knew it to be below them to battle ‘island savages’.

The Cethosi, still united despite the death of their guardians, met the fleet in open waves. It was a desperate last stand. They knew that if the Kratorians were allowed to gain a foothold, they would be conquered within months. So they threw every ship they had at the Kratorian fleet, and did everything possible to destroy it. Ships were lit on fire and rammed into the enemy. Cethosi crews would madly rush aboard Kratorian ships with oil and fire, throwing it everywhere as they were cut down. Cethosi ships were thrown in front of advancing Kratorian ships to slow their advance to the island.

Hundreds of Cethosi ships were sacrificed, and thousands died. But it worked. Most of the Kratorian fleet was destroyed and those ships that weren’t slinked back to Kratoria. Another invasion never came, as Kratoria became ever more obsessed with defeating Etresna and lost its grip on the rest of its holds.

The Cethosi leadership that had united them during this battle all perished, and the tribes of Cethos fractured again. They only unanimously agreed to keep the Islands free of outsiders, and then went to their separate islands to live how they believed their Matra Tu wanted them too.

Even during the unification of the islands in the years 1650-1660, Cethos kept outsiders as much out of their islands as they could, even going so far as to execute those they found twice. Up until 1880, the islands kept as minimal contact with the outside world as they could. Their sacred decrees were everything, and they would not break it. When the year 1880 finally arrived, the Cethosi Civil War broke out and ravaged the islands for twenty years.

An officer of the Cethosi Navy, Gharn Lashk, had become the leader of a faction pushing for Cethos to open its borders and to increase contact with the outside world. Cethos, he argued, was falling behind in the arms race of the world and it would only be a matter of time before a stronger nation came and conquered them. He had seen the technology Etresna possessed, the armies of the nations that were only a short sail away, and new that his beloved Cethos would not survive a war with any of them.

His warnings were ignored, and he kept pushing. He kept pushing for their borders to open, for trade to be allowed, for them to become modernized quickly before someone took advantage of their weakness. After being stopped time and time again, stopped by his superiors and his king, Gharn took matters into his own hands. He had amassed a strong following, especially among the peasantry of the islands, and he could seize control. Gharn attempted to assassinate his king and the royal family. The attempt failed, and Gharn barely escaped with a handful of his followers. He vowed to return, and finish what he had started. The Cethosi Civil War had begun.

What would follow was twenty years of vicious naval battles, bloody beach assaults, and the massive ramp up of modernization and defensive fortifications on the islands. Ships and guns became more and more modern as both sides bought from outsiders, islands became entrenched on all sides awaiting the next assault. Gharn got all that he wanted and more. He only had to bring half of the islands under his control to complete his dream. He couldn't afford to let them destroy each other any longer. He needed to end the war quickly, so he reached out to the outside world. Specifically he reached out to Etresna, and made their alliance stronger. In return for Cethos' naval aid and keeping some of the islands they take, Etresna will help him win this civil war. Etresna fleets and military soon deployed in aid of Gharn's rebellion, and their aid proved invaluable in winning Gharn the war.

As Etresnamaden and Cethosi Rebels stormed the palace of the main island, the royal family and their last loyal troops barricaded themselves in the palance. It was a magnificent structure, made of ebony wood, that had been apart of Cethos history for hundreds of years. It was said to have been a gift from the Matra Tu, before they died. Gharn gave them one chance to surrender, to join him. They refused. Gharn set fire to the entire palace with everyone inside. As the Royal family burned alive, the flames of the old ways flooding the skies with black smoke, Gharn was crowned the new Matra Prunak of Cethos.

Ten years have passed since then. Gharn's reconstruction of the military and its fortifications on all the islands, in addition to Cethos acquiring two client states, has left the economy perilously weak. If not for its tight alliance with Etresna, Cethos would have no doubt been stuck with its devastated army and navy. The economy has slowly been built back up, exports previously kept within Cethosi borders being shipped out to other nations. With their navy strong, their army dug in, and their alliances sealed, Cethos stands ready for whatever this new era brings.

Territory Claims: All of the pink islands off the coast of Etresna.



Economy: The Cethosi economy is perilously weak. After the Civil War and the military rebuilding, the economy had no trade beyond Etresna to fall back on. While that was enough to prevent complete economic collapse, Cethos simply doesn't have the funding to increase and improve many things. With the recent discovery of oil on and off their main islands, the outlook is better. As trade opens and things previously kept from the world are sent out, their economic weakness might change. As of now, Cethos is tightly tied to Etresna for economic support.

Technology: While by no stretch of the imagination a leader of the pack in the technology arms race, Cethos has, with the help of their allies Etresna, kept themselves effectively modern.



Army: The Cethosi Army is divided into two divisions. The Islands Defense Force, IDF, is a small and purely defensive branch of the military. Numbering only 120,000 in total, the IDF is spread out across the island holdings of Cethos, entrenched in the fortifications built during the Cethosi Civil War, and repaired to modern specifications in the past ten years. Every island has some form of fortification, the smallest having pitfall trenches, barbed wire, and machine gun bunkers, the largest having coastal artillery emplacements, sea mines (not deployed), barbed wire, pit falls, machine gun nests, etc. The vast majority of active duty soldiers being veterans of the Civil War, the IDF stands ready and able to repel any possible invasion of the islands.

The Second Division of the Cethosi Army is the Islands Army. Numbering 180,000 standing members with another 100,000 on reserve the Islands is the projection force of Cethos. It is the force that will be sent forward alongside the marines to support allies or attack enemies.

Navy: With 600 war ships the Cethosi Navy is one of the largest navies on the seas of Narrev, if not the largest, and Cethos goes to great lengths to maintain their naval supremacy. As such, and due to their heritage and culture with the ocean, the Cethosi naval forces are much larger than that of other nations. The Marine Corps alone contains 980,000 active duty members and another 150,000 on reserve. These active members are spread across the navy ready to form a beachhead for allies, or help defend. The Marine corp is so large in its own right that it is more akin to the army of other nations, though they lack artillery, and as such are trained in land operations as well.



The Cethosi navy, technically, has access to thousands of other ships from centuries of Cethosi naval aspects. The Byuna Vasha are possessed ships with crews from centuries in the past, ranging from simple ramming ships to massive manowars. The vast majority of them are scuttled on the beaches, those with cannons and ranged weapons facing towards the sea for defence, and are more like to temples than actual warships.

The Cethosi Army and Marine Corp weapons designs are based off of Etresna, using the same base design as the make and models from the Etresnamaden military. The standard Cethos rifle, the Matra Wuban ‘Mother’s Wrath’ is based off of the Etremaden ‘Atassidaiir Vyye 1903 - Repeat Firearm Model 1903’. The Cethosi design was built with durability and functionality in mind, capable of operating even after submerged underwater for hours at a time or being used as a makeshift club, at the cost of some range. Every Cethosi soldier or marine comes with a dagger attached to their hip, and their bayonets are longer than traditional bayonets, making their guns looked more like spears than rifles. Melee combat and styles vary from island division to island division, as each culture has its own take and preference on how to fight.

Air Force: With no money to fund this innovative technology, Cethos has no airforce to
speak of.

Magic: Cethosi magic is tightly tied to blood, flesh, and the consumption of it. Those two things are major factors amongst the mages of Cethos, as is ancestor reverence and worship. It is not uncommon for a modern day Cethosi mage to discuss things with the spirit of a mage who existed centuries ago, during the times of the Matra Tu. As an organization, the mages of Cethos are only loosely united by their investigation and cultivation of magic. Aligning themselves more according to their tribal lines than their universal similarities, there is no overarching organization to govern them. It is generally accepted, however, that the mages in the service of the crown have the power to shut down any research or development they deem dangerous to the Isles.

Cethosi magic is most well known for its use of the bodies of the dead. In various factories and special buildings across the islands, mages and those that work for them process the blood and flesh of the dead (enemies or volunteers) into vials of blood or packets of meat to be consumed. Upon consuming these, the Cethosi gains the physical attributes of whoever was processed into the vial or the packet. If a Cethosi was to drink the vial of blood, they would experience increased attributes for a few hours (a max of five, but it also depends on physical activity, with the shortest amount of time being an hour). If a Cethosi eats the package of meat they would experience increased attributes for a little longer than a day ( 28 hours max, but it also depends on physical activity, with the shortest amount of time being 20 hours).

Because of this, bodies of certain races are valued highly by Cethosi mages. They’ll pay top dollar for Uruk, minotaur, and elf corpses, and will pay any amount demanded if someone were to somehow get their hands on a semideum corpse.

They can get this process down to only a specific trait, used primarily with animal corpses. For example, an eagle’s blood would only lend the eyesight of an eagle to whoever drinks it, a bear’s blood would only lend the strength of a bear, so on so forth. These vials, while much more powerful, are much shorter lasting. They only last for a max of thirty minutes, depending on the physical activity, with a max of 15 minutes.

The Cethosi have developed a liquid, made from blood of course, that their bullets can be dipped into. When this liquid comes in contact with blood it causes the blood to turn acidic, making anything it touches burn in agony and, eventually, death (time frame depending on how fit and healthy the victim is). If the wound is washed out quickly enough, the effects are cancelled.

Cethos has also figured out how to tie the souls of dead sailors to ships they served on. These Byuna Vasha ‘Blessed Vessels’ have the souls of crewmembers who had been on the ship for years, and sailing in war vessels for decades. While the spirits are incapable of touching or interacting with the living world, they can possess the ship to tell the crew the max they can push it beyond recommended levels, they do not need rest or feel the elements (making them excellent look outs and guides through storms), and can tell the living crew the best way to set up things for the fastest and most accurate firing.

The same process is used to bind the souls of ancestors to buildings, allowing for their wisdom to be accessed for centuries to come. It is particularly popular amongst the cethosi mages.

Cethos has designed submarines made out of the corpses of dead sea leviathans. While these submarines are much more fragile and easily destroyed than normal submarines, they can stay under longer and move faster than their technological counter parts.

Cethos has developed a bone armor that covers the torso and head. Covered in blood runes and flexible, the bone is weaker than steel, but also much lighter. Incapable of blocking bullets at anything except extreme long range, it is more than capable of blocking melee weapon attacks. For that reason, and its lightness, most Cethosi soldiers come equipped with this light armor.



Traits

Masters of the Sea- Every Cethosi has been in a boat from the earliest time they can remember. They’ve been swimming since before that. They know the ocean, and all her fickle moods. As such, Cethosi ship crews are the most efficient in the world, getting that extra knot from their ships, firing those couple of seconds faster, etc etc. When in water, regardless of whether its swimming, beaching operations, or any other operation in the ocean, they’re much more at ease and skilled at it than other races.

Cannibals- Cethosi are exo-cannibals, meaning they only eat enemies slain in battle. However, their reputation as cannibals has rapidly distorted out of proportion. Enemies who face them are understandably afraid of this fate, making them more likely to break if they see defeat (and being eaten alive) rising. However, if they have nowhere to run this same fear makes them more likely to fight to the death instead of surrendering. The knowledge of the Cethosi honor code has eased some of these fears, but not many.

Battle Forged- Cethos only recently finished a brutal civil war that soaked the islands in blood. As such, all but the very young and the very old have experience in combat and war. The Cethosi army and navy is filled with experienced and hardened soldiers and sailors, ready from their time in the war. A large amount of the factories that they have are geared towards building weapons of war still. However, this has left their economy perilously weak, and there are still dissenters from the losing side, hidden away.

Naval Traditions- Cethos has always been a nation and a people that emphasizes navy and seagoing traditions over most others. As a result, it is only natural that most of their volunteers are for the navy and marine corp, making those military factions much larger than other nations, more akin to actual armies in their own rights. However, this also means that their army and artillery corps are much smaller than other nations.

Unfettered Ambitions- Cethos is playing catch up with the rest of the world. While they were being isolationist, the rest of the world was making advances in industrial and technological sectors. Now that they have reentered the world they are only kept afloat by their ally’s technological superiority and economic might. To stop that, any and all money Cethos can spare is going to creating a thriving and modern industry in within the nation’s borders, at the cost of other sectors.

Client States





Other:

Alliances

-Etresna

-Nahs'rahk

NATION NAME: Khagnuzg'Uruk (Uruk Lands of the Khagn, often translated as The Uruk Empire)
GOVERNMENT: Imperial Parliamentary Monarchy
RULER: Khagn (equivalent of the Emperor), Kri-Vizaarz (equivalent of Prime Minister)
PRIMARY SPECIES: Urk/Ork/Orc (either spelling is fine, albeit Urk is the most correct)
PRIMARY RELIGION: Dorzai (believes in the god Zot and remembers its first herald Kudarsh)
POPULATION: 388,690,528 (last census data)
The Uruk Empire is large nation occupying the central portion of Narrev. It's known for its warlike ork inhabitants. It arguably has the largest continental army in all of Narrev yet owns a disproportionately slim influence over the seas. Its complex politics and constant wars make the Uruk lag behind technologically the other great powers but they're making a steady effort to modernize.


Lacking record-keeping methods the early history of the orks is shrouded in mystery. It's known that orkish tribes were scattered around the central Narrevian steppes before even the Common Era. Their resilience and warlike qualities eventually caught the eye of the steadily expanding Kratorian Empire which captured them and initiated a long breeding program to create a slave race of soldiers fit to their needs. The Uruk soon became their feared shock troop on the continent. They were powerful, disciplined, relentless and loyal. They revered the Semideum as physical deities who could never do wrong and followed them blindly regardless of what they were told. Their official name became the Ordus, a mutation of the Kratorian word meaning "rank, file" or also meaning "order, command". Both meanings fit the Uruk well. Orkish culture remained but drastically altered to reflect Kratorian beliefs and their overall status in society. Yet the glory of the Kratorian Empire was about to take a sharp turn. In the Common Era Year 1448 the Empire spread far and wide, almost covering the entire Narrevian continent, it was only natural they'd turn for Etresna. Lytonius as the Empire's herald visited Etresna, demanding their prompt capitulation. It was a moment of arrogance and outright ignorance, product of time when no one could stop the Empire. On the other hand Etresna idolized valor and could never agree to bow without a fight. Insulted with the demands Lytonius was tried and later brutally murdered in response. Shocked and infuriated the Kratorian Empire hastily declared war on Etresna and legions of men, orks, demigods and other races marched up against the comparatively tiny nation. Arrogant and unprepared for what's to come Kratorian Army completely fell for Etresna's scorched earth tactics and guerilla attacks. The seemingly swift war turned into a meat grinder of attrition, slaying millions and killing numerous Semideum in the process. Experiencing failure for the first time, the Uruk's faith in the Semideum wavered. With many of their masters dead they rose up and their rampage engulfed most of Narrev in flames.

The uprising of the Ordos was sudden yet relatively spontaneous. While the orks took over most of the mainland the territory was split between numerous warlords. Great cities burned and many of Kratoria's accomplishments met this new age of ruin. With their numbers, military knowledge and natural-born ferocity the entire continent was defined by the orcish wars.
[To be continued...]


TERRITORY CLAIM:


There are three main social layers within the Empire. Ushatar, Shara and Snaga. Ushatar are orks who descended from the original Uruk culture, Shara are the free people of lesser orks or other races while Snaga are the enslaved population. The law applies differently between these three groups and their various interactions. Uruk's laws in general are strict, precise and applies everywhere within the Empire. On the other hand Uruk laws are not everything and provinces have considerable degree of autonomy. Uruk laws were revolutionary at the time but their structure is nowadays in the age of centralized states could be more of a hindrance.

As descendants of their warlord ancestors the Ushatar are the unofficial ruling class within Uruk. Among them you can distinguish 3 castes, each with different social status and upbringing. Pashtar are what most people recognize as the "Ushatar": Strong and militaristic. They are born for battle and high quality troops or the low ranking officers are generally selected from them. Dathuurz are warrior aristocracy usually capable of tracing back their lineage to various famous warlords. They are born leaders and aside from their military skills they take pride in the purity of their bloodline and take this matter dead seriously. Lastly you have the Laguurz, a caste of shamans who did not abandon their traditions. They are religious polyhistor offering their guidance in faith, record-keeping and sharing their wealth of knowledge with those who are worthy to it. Laguurz also have families with long spellcasting tradition and their influence in magic research is quite noticeable.



Uruk is an unique combination of antiquated and modern as it's yet to benefit in full from the industrial revolution. Rural populations at times live in borderline medieval societies while cities are very similar to the standards of the civilized world. Lacking large sea routes the center of Uruk development are connected by railroads. In spite of its size the density of rail lines almost approaches that of the other major powers. Uruk has a number of academies with some earning international fame. Urukian technology is known for its ruggedness, relative simplicity and raw power. The so-called "Orc-Steel" (Oflsong) is well-known for its toughness and consistent quality even if at the cost of extra weight. In contrast orkish industry faces issues at producing fine machinery at large scale. With their struggling economy and prior investment in steam engines this resulted in Uruk being far slower at adopting internal combustion engines. Almost all orcish vehicles rely on steam instead of gasoline with aircraft being a major exception.



While never particularly amazing in this field Uruk has a long tradition of magical practices. This is strongly tied to their shaman caste and in particular the Laguurz. Those who receive official papers for spellcasting rights are colloquially referred as the Duushuurz. One problem for Uruk's magic research is exactly their attachment to the religious shaman caste which puts most of their effort in the development of their own branch of magic rather than gathering knowledge from a wider scope. While other schools of magic are known and even analyzed it is always in the view of how to improve shamanistic magic through them. It does mean most spellcasters know little aside from shamanistic magic which limits their options. For example the Uruk never developed spellcannons nor uses spellpowered engines.

Shamanistic magic itself centers on the knowledge of the elements and the use of nature spirits. With the world depleted of magic it is the shamans' belief that the spirits flowing through the world only retracted to the secret folds of reality, content to watch. Whether this theory is correct we have no way to confirm but at least the shamans believe they can still communicate with them. By contacting the spirits shamans can ask them to send avatars of their being to manifest within the magical crystals. Other schools outside of Uruk teach that the shamans create artificial spirits from the crystal's magic which then cast spells by their own volition. Whichever is actually true the result is the same, shamans make spirits inhabit the crystal to cast spells rather than turning the magic directly for spellcasting like other schools. This is of course inefficient use of the already sparse magic power albeit with the side benefit of more complex uses. Although when you add up the wilful nature of the inhabiting spirits most magic users consider shamanism too bothersome to be practical. Instruments that use spirits are referred as charms, talismans or totems. Charms are constantly active and can have various effect, usually of beneficial nature. Talismans are magic tools that allow invoking the spirits for spells. Totems are the closest to spell engines of other nations as they have a spirit doing a specific task, albeit they are just as often function akin to larger charms.

Aside from the shamanistic magic, Laguurz also made decent advances in the field of alchemy. More importantly they have their own special form of communication using charm-papers and their own limited reserves of power. Depending on the sophistication of the charm paper it might only be capable of making simple signals like color changes up to even displaying entire sentences. Nobody knows when the orcs developed charm-papers but some theorize they existed even before them serving the Kratorian Empire.


Uruk economy is under central control with only limited private enterprises. Larger industries are generally under the authority of the Khagn, even if in just name. The government obviously also prioritizes war materials over civilian goods. Combined with the lackluster industrial development compared to their neighbor this means the Uruk mostly focus on internal trade and being a tariff state between multiple international land routes. Uruk products otherwise have a hard time to compete with others which does set back their economy.

Uruk does have a few ports but barring the naval docks of Ogbed they have little shipbuilding activity. Rather than sea routes Uruk put high emphasis on the development of their railworks, connecting the entirety of the empire. Off the rails though the situation is less optimal with the main form of transportation being animal-drawn carts and wagons. Although steam powered vehicles are widespread, especially for jobs that require more power like bulk transport or farm equipment. Gasoline and diesel powered vehicles are relatively rare, though. Uruk lacks the industry to build high-quality engines in huge quantities so aside from Grazob Motors Co. in the capital and a few tiny companies the only option for automobiles is to import them from foreign countries. On the other hand motorbikes enjoy a strange popularity, both import models and locally produced ones. Bikes made for orcs are usually made in the empire and in order to account for the weakness of import engines they use two of them. There are a limited number of bikes made entirely in Uruk, engine and all. Airplanes are rare in civilian use, the imperial administration turns what few planes they could get for transport and mailing duties. Of course if they aren't given outright to the military.


The Ushatar forms the core of the Uruk military, practicing warfare and the tradition of warg riding from youth. They are learning how to fight from their parents and private teachers and upon the age of 13 they are sent to the military academy. This very much reflects the culture of knights in other nations. Ushatar are classically the officers and cavalry while the Shara does the grunt and logistics work. Snaga are not considered worthy of military duties nor wise to allow them to take arms thus they are almost entirely excluded from the military. In spite of the inherent caste system the military is overall a meritocratic organization where rank means more than status. Uruk troops are ferocious yet also highly disciplined. Punishment for misbehaving soldiers could be brutal and the leadership commands through rank, fear and a mixed sense of respect. Camaraderie is extremely valued and since ancient ages members of the same unit shared tent and were encouraged to work as a group. Aside from the imperial troop, which currently on average readiness numbers 12 million, they also have various defense forces created by the local governments and tribal lords. Outside of war the Uruk military is also important for maintaining public order and performing punitive raids against provinces that refuse bowing to the Khagn's will. Raids against neighboring countries are also common, using these occasions to keep their troops combat ready while also spreading fear to the borders. Doctrine wise the Uruk mostly follows the trends of Narrev, albeit with a strong preference for rapid strikes with mobile light forces before the main army mows down the rest. In this sense their warg riding cavalry still finds a lot of employment.
Infantry
Like every army in Narrev the orcs also rely on infantry as their main fighting force. Gijuurz is the name reserved for common infantryman which means "blooders", a word that does not seem to have a meaning until put into context. Infantry has the job to kill and to be killed on the battlefield with blood figuratively being their common currency. They are also connected by the blood and form something of a kinship in the process. As such in a sense Gijuurz can both mean "cannon fodder" and "blood brother", a respectful and dismissive term at the same time. Uruk infantry is known for their strong bonds, discipline and feared for their ferocity. What nobody associates the orcish troops with is marksmanship, all because of their doctrine. Uruk does not strive to make their infantry excellent shots, they are excellent soldiers. They are reasonably accurate up to 200 meters but once bullet drop and wind effects get in the way their lack of skill shows. In general orcish infantry won't even bother shooting targets from 500 or more meters, it would be just a waste of munition. Instead they are taught to rely on their support teams to bridge that gap by machinegun fire, rocket barrages or actual marksmen. Speaking of which every platoon has a marksman, a medicine man and a shaman. The latter two traces back to Uruk customs for shamans tending the camps and giving both their knowledge and religious support. They also keep records of the unit's deeds, less like a report and more as their personal tales.

Cavalry
Since its birth as a nation or even before Uruk always prided themselves on their warg cavalry. They have long traditions of breeding and taming wargs, treating them almost like family members. By the modern era of course these traditions are slowly eroding while animal power is becoming more and more expensive in comparison to machines. In spite of this, most Ushatar families retained their cavalry traditions and they form the core of the Uruk mobile forces along with their large retinue. Wargs are also essential as beasts of burden, be it carrying supplies or towing artillery. While steam trucks and tractors are slowly spreading when off the rails the chief method of transport are still wargs and various contraptions towed by them. As for the cavalry, the new age also inspires the Uruk government to experiment with motorized measures. Motorbikes in particular are gaining popularity with dozens of regiments centered on them.



Artillery
Uruk never neglected the role of artillery and until the 19th century they were among the leaders on the continent. During the last century though the Uruk were always playing catch-up and nowadays their tubes are considered inferior to the guns employed by Etresna or Rotteburg. While lacking in quality they do make up with quantity and especially in terms of lighter artillery they have no shortages. Rocketry is also an unique face of the orcish artillery, light rocket units are even assigned on the company level. Light artillery in general makes use of wargs for transport and the so-called "warg artillery" is still a popular doctrine within the Empire. Advances to maps, signals and mathematics also help. Forward observers and map makers are the key elements of the new indirect fire based artillery. Uruk doctrine puts more emphasis on mobility and thus for most engagements light artillery is all they could employ. During prolonged battles or preparing for sieges they might deploy heavy artillery. These are either towed by steam wagons but more commonly disassembled into parts and carried by wargs warg carts prior to setting them up. A relatively innovative portion of Uruk heavy artillery are their collection of railway guns. These elongated train cars house some of the greatest artillery pieces the Uruk have ever made, comparable to their coastal defense batteries. Indeed, at least some of them are originating from naval projects.


Air Force
Given their dated technology and economical problems you might be surprised to learn that Uruk does have an air force. If anything Uruk has a long history of balloon corps for recon and observation and maintain a fair number of these. Blimps are essential for mapping and observation of enemy troops. In contrast their adoption of airplanes was... troubled, to say the least. Uruk recognizes the value of aircraft but currently lacks the industry and skilled labor to produce them in large scale. Uruk does posses biplanes which usually do recon and messaging duties but they also have an experimental squadron of modified planes specializing to hunt down enemy balloon observers.

Navy
As a mostly landlocked nation the orcs never had a formidable naval force. That being said it doesn't mean they didn't try naval invasions before and given the present geopolitics the fear of the Etremaden and Cethosi navy did inspire them to modernize. Uruk navy due to its tight budget currently has only two objectives. First being coastal defense against a potential naval invader and second being the patrol of their territorial rivers, special notion to Kukulum (Ruby River) which crosses the Empire. As such most Uruk ships are not rated for open sea warfare and they generally focus on small vessels. Torpedo boats and mine warfare are particularly attractive while monitor class vessels tend to be the common "warship" to the Uruk fleet. Uruk is in the possession of only one dreadnought, built by their Kyrennosi vassals.


- War Masters - Positive Trait: Uruk is a warlike nation built on conquests. Military prowess is at the forefront and they have a long tradition of warriors. While far from having the best troops or the most advanced military the Uruk government excels at recruitment of soldiers, procuring equipment and supplying them with adequate logistics. Thanks to this they can afford a huge yet highly disciplined army that dwarfs most nations.

- Greenskin Genes - Mixed Trait:Greenskins or orcoids are a diverse mashup of races sharing similar outward characteristics and a particular list of genes. The strange part about greenskins comes up when they interbreed with other races, almost invariably siring another greenskin. Over the millennia the greenskins spread through the continent and now form a sizeable portion of the population, only ever growing. This and their reputation of savagery often makes them targets of prejudice.

- Shamanism - Mixed Trait: Uruk practices the ancient orcish spellcraft and religion known as shamanism. They believe in nature spirits who belong to either of the four elemental categories and skilled shamans are known to be calling up their aid. Shamanism is nuanced and works indirectly through the acts of "spirits". This makes shamanistic magic less predictable but capable of more complex deeds. While Uruk studies other forms of magic the government and the public only accepts shamanism which somewhat hinders their magical development.

- Foreign Stockholders - Mixed Trait: Uruk is a poor but rapidly developing nation with lots of promise. That and the existing alliance systems made the empire's industries quite attractive to certain investors like those from Sidara and Faenaria. This pumps money into the otherwise weak economy of the empire to further improve their technology and industry yet on the other hand it also means foreign powers can have strange influence over Uruk.

20 (18+2) - Your nation is the cream of the crop, and up to a quarter of the globe is under your command. Vast lands are yours to command.
11 (10+1) - Tech - Your nation is a mix of antiquated and modern, as modernization efforts are in full swing.
20 - Army Size - A worryingly large amount of your population is active-duty military. It is maintained year-round, and seems almost infinite.
5 (2+3) - Your economy is weak, and is teetering on a recession
12 (11+1) - Production - Your nation is somewhat majority industrial, with decent resource exploitation.
5 (2+3) - Navy Size - You have a tiny navy. It is largely simple merchant vessels.
7 (9-2) - Airforce Size - You have a few biplanes.
12 (13-1) - Magic - Your nation is above average.
14 (16-2) - Mobilization Ability - It takes a month to mobilize.

Name of Nation: Shahdom of Kera-Bijan

Government: Constitutional Monarchy - While the shah is a hereditary title, the satraps under him are elected by the common people, as part of a series of liberalization reforms placed by previous shahs. Succession is a difficult matter, with sister assassinating brother for a place in line for the crown and civil wars brewing mere hours after death.

Species: While the overwhelming majority of the Kera-Bijani are regular humans, there do exist a large majority of oddities within the outlying regions of the shahdom. There are places where magic is strong, and the climate harsh, so much so that the settlers there have begun to change form to adapt. Those living in the plateaus have become short and thin, so much so that an adult of the mountain people is about the size of a child in the cities. On the other end of the spectrum, those that settled in the steppes have grown into giants, easily reaching three meters, and have gained the ability to subsist on the grass itself. All three races identify strongly as human.

Population: The population tends to hover around 50 million people, held steady by the unforgiving environment and the constant border disputes between satraps. While the colonization of the region did cause a population boom, the occupying forces have by and large returned to their homes.





Traits
Society of Purity: The Kera-Bijani people find that the purity of the body is the highest state of being one may strive to be. They shun intoxicants, such as alcohol and drugs, so as not to corrupt their own bodies and invite evil to fester within. The society strongly looks down upon both excessive gluttony or excessive temperance, and the food is never inflicted with preservatives. Purity of the body is only as strong as purity of the mind, and thus the Kera-Bijani reinforce their purity of mind through good works. They dare not speak dishonesty for fear of weakening the integrity of the universe, and treat their neighbors with respect and good spirit. Most importantly, they keep their environment clean, minimizing waste within the things they use and caring for the living things, for it is they who hold up the five gods.

Might and Magic: Although the technology sector of the Kera-Bijani world flounders, its magical world flourishes. Ley lines stretch across the nation, allowing instant contact between the shah and his satraps as far away as the steppes and as high up as the tallest plateaus. Water, scarce on the surface, is willed up from deep reserves where other peoples would have to drill for it, seeping through the ground upwards to where crops may access it. Magic pushes the pistons that make Kera-Bijani ships go, and enables the deadly fire cannons that keep the navy strong. It is because of this power that the shahdom is still has voice in the world, and its neighbors would do well to listen.

Brotherhood Among Humanity: In many respects, the life of the city people and that of the steppe and mountain peoples are vastly different. The city people are content to build, develop, and trade with foreign species and races. They are proud of their communities, and live social lives. The other two are anything but. The steppe peoples have a long history of conflict with their neighbors in Faenaria, often raiding over the borders with the intent of killing the non-humans. They do not tend to build anything larger than a yurt, and live nomadic clan-oriented lifestyles. The mountain people are even more hostile to outsiders, living either alone or in small family units. They, unlike the herbivorous steppe people, are strictly carnivorous, and raise great herds of mountain goats to eat and trade with the city people. The city people view the mountain people and the steppe people as brothers, and the feeling is mutual, but the mountain people and the steppe people each regard the other as something alien, and thus tend towards animosity regarding one another.

Foreign Relations
Faenaria: Excellent. They are Kera-Bijan's primary trade partner.
Etresna: Good enough. They have a working trade relation.
Kratoria: Fair. Since the conquest, there has been some diffusion between the two.
Qaroitn: Very hostile. Kera-Bijani are honor-bound to kill Qaroitn on sight.

A Timeline of the Faenarian Peoples and Nation

~3000 BCE: The Rahuri human tribes are first mentioned in the histories of Kera-Bijan's ancient city state of Neo-Giranal. A clay tablet from an excavation contains a writing from King Ashurnazziban issuing a royal decree, noting the presence of a "Rahurana Prince" attending a religious festival.

1090 CE: The Clan of Faenar rises to prominence in the Cethosi isles when their original clan leader, Giran Fonola, perishes without heir or issue. The Faenar establish themselves as rulers on the isle of Ishanadar, building a powerful but aloof clan.

1510 CE: The Cethos of Faenar are called to the Wars of the Empyreum on behalf of the Cethosi Royal Family. Tirana Faenar, Clan Mother, receives the call and answers with her clanguard setting sail to war.

1511 CE: The Clanguard of Faenar are decimated in naval battles with the Imperial forces. Cethosi numbers and skill does not win out against Imperial discipline and coordination. The Cethosi Royal Family immediately demands a new flotilla be raised by the Faenar to replace their losses in battle. Tirana agrees to begin building new ships.

1512 CE: Tirana Faenar's eldest son, Yisan, is killed in battle with Imperial forces.

1517 CE: Tirana Faenar's second son, Hasal, is killed in battle with Imperial forces.

1519 CE: Tirana Faenar makes her displeasure known when an entire warband of Faenari are lost in battle while ambushing the Empire's second fleet. The battle should have been easily won, but conflicting orders, quests for recognition by the Cethosi King, and poor logistics ensure the warband is nothing but shark food by the end of the engagement. Tirana is summoned before the Cethosi King and answers for her complaints. She is locked in his dungeons on charges of disloyalty to the Cethosi people and crown. Like-minded nobility is cowed and continues to support the war. Her youngest son, Loanost Faenar, is empowered over the clan, though a regent loyal to the crown reigns during his young life.

1520-1522 CE: Tirana Faenar perishes in the dungeons of the Cethosi Crown. Historians debate the year of her passing to this day, though her remains indicate a death from blunt force trauma to the skull and ribcage.

1535 CE: Loanost Faenar succeeds the regent to rule Ishanadar. The war with the Empire begins to intensify beyond skirmishes and pirate actions. Faenar petitions the crown for a pardon from the Conscription to war, arguing that Ishanadar has the wealth and resources to build a great armada, capable of defending the isles from invasion. The King of Cethos accepts this proposal.

1543 CE: The Great Armada is completed. One-third the size of the entire Cethosi fleet- from the greatest warship to the lowliest fishing vessel. Loanost Faenar presents the fleet to King Cethos as a token of his loyalty. King Cethos accepts the fleet and orders Loanost Faenar to crew the vessels himself.

Loanost is taken aback by this request. To crew the fleet will require every man, woman, and child aboard Ishanadar to answer a call to the waves. Ishandar would be left empty and they may still not have enough hands to set sail. Moreover, it gives credence to rumors that King Cethos will soon attempt to invade the Empire.

1544 CE: King Cethos commissions a great invasion of the Imperial City of Ilium. Forces from every island answer the call to battle. A war that began as little more than a coordinated campaign of piracy begins to resemble a true barbarian invasion. The Faenarians use their great fleet to move many soldiers to the mainland and support the attack on the city.

1546 CE: Ilium withstands the siege under the leadership of Princess Dissaria and the Cethosi are forced back to the isles. The noble families are left weakened. King Cethos conducts a purge of the nobility to ensure he will not face rebellion for the disaster. Loanost Faenar is recalled to the Home Isles to face the same purge. He refuses the call, citing the impending birth of his child. King Cethos is openly defied by his most powerful vassal and he does not have the soldiers to bring him to heel, fueling harsher crackdowns on those families that did answer the call.

1548 CE: Emperor Hektor of Kratoris prepares a punitive invasion of the Cethos Isles. Those legions not actively engaged on the Empire's frontier are summoned to Ilium. Princess Dissaria is given command as a test of her ability. King Cethos calls the banners of the nobility to resist impending invasion and slavery. The noble houses are decimated from decades of intermittent warfare and the purges after the attack on Ilium but answer the call, conscripting their remaining peasants.

King Cethos orders Loanost Faenar to put the Great Armada to sail in defense of the isles. Loanost Faenar recognizes that he commands the largest assembly of warships in the isles by far, and that the entire nation is being mobilized to fight. His clan will be thrown into battle first, but the ships will not be crewed by soldiers but by his peasants. If he fights, his people will die. If he refuses the call, the Cethos will be conquered. He answers the call, but continues to slowly mobilize.

June, 1548 CE: King Cethos leads the Cethosi armada into battle with the Imperial Expeditionary force. Every seaworthy vessel takes to the waves in defense of the homeland. Imperial Marines land on the island of Gonala to establish a base of operations and supply depot. A palisade is erected and command center built. Cethosi conscripts will battle legionaries on the shores here until the battle's end.

King Cethos continues battling the Imperial ships daily. Loanost Faenar arrives to battle with his entire people in arms, anchoring behind the King's flotilla. King Cethos demands Faenar lead the armada in a great charge toward the heart of the Imperial navy. Faenar responds he will lead his people to battle at his own pace, challenging King Cethos to attack with his remaining professional soldiers. King Cethos promises to raze the isle of Ishanadar, leaving none of his subjects or family alive on its shores if Faenar does not immediately enter the battle to save Cethos. Faenar's reply is disputed, but apocyrpha holds his reply to the King's messenger to be "The King's threat has already been carried out. There are no Cethos left alive on Ishanadar. They are all here with me." Faenar gives the order to take sail and leave. The clan of Faenar never again returns to the Cethosi isles.

July, 1548 CE: The Battle of the Isles is ultimately inconclusive. Cethos maintains its independence when the Imperial fleet abandons the campaign due to lack of sufficient fresh water supplies. The number of dead Cethosi is incalculable- modern scholars debate whether it may be classified as a genocide. The Cethos do not attempt to attack the Empire for generations. Princess Dissaria is hailed as a hero for her defense of the Gonala palisade and she cites the weakness of the Imperial Navy for preventing the ultimate victory. While she is lauded publicly, Imperial histories claim she begins to suspect there is a whisper campaign to smear her reputation in secret. From this point onward, she begins to demonstrate questionable mental stability in private.

1549 CE: The Faenarian flotilla island-hops for months, searching for a land capable of supporting the many thousands of Cethosi aboard the ships. Hundreds are lost to storm, disease, battle with pirates, and deprivation. A portion of the flotilla disputes the leadership of Faenar and breaks off from the fleet under Tirala Yinan, striking out to the east.

1550 CE: Loanost Faenar encounters the Rahuri in their Outer Isles while his peoples' ships begin to founder and wreck within the Great Mithril Reef. Rahuri ships guide the fleet safely though the reef and to landfall in the Outer Isles. The Isles cannot support the many thousands of Faenarians on the waves, but an effort is made to repair the ships, nurse the worst of the Faenarians back to health, and spirit them onward to the Great Island, Loa Nota, where they can find some succor.

A Council of Caciques is called by the Rahuri to discuss the appearance of these visitors while the exiles are permitted to disembark and tend to their sick and wounded. Loanost Faenar orders his people to remain within their vessels while the council deliberates the fate of the Rahuri. The Council of Caciques debates for days, listens to the story of the Faenarians, and considers their own position on the waves and how such a great fleet may challenge them. Faenar, his children, and his captains are summoned and interrogated by the council regarding their ultimate intentions and what would be expected of the Faenarians in order to find succor and homes in the isles.

An accord is struck, called The Great Compact. This Compact will become the basis of the Faenarian Constitution, and its opening declarations are as follows:

- The Faenarians must swear never to raise arms against the Rahuri.

- The Faenarians must swear never to abuse the hospitality of the Rahuri.

- The Faenarians must pledge to be accepted into a household of the Rahuri, binding them to the people of the isles as family.

- The Faenarians must pledge to share their catches, spoils, and discoveries with the Rahuri.

- The Faenarians must hold no kings or claim of rulership over the Rahuri people. The Scions of Faenar may hold a place of privilege as the living embodiment of this pact and command their own ships and people in battle.

- This list of pledges may be added to by the Council of Caciques as they please, so long as a Council is called to the Home Island where its additions may be added to by the Council in full view of the Rahuri.

- The Faenarians shall hold a place of brotherhood within the tribes, and shall be accepted as equals among them.

- The Faenarians shall be entitled to hold all property they brought with them on their exodus as their own.

Loanost Faenar consents to this arrangement. His family is given the title of Autocrat by the Caciques, a living embodiment of this pact among the tribes and his people. He formally titles his people "Merfolk" after creatures of Rahuri mythology to cut ties completely with the Cethosi isles and as a sign of his willingness to integrate with their new hosts. The fleet disperses to the rest of the isles, though the majority of the Merfolk remain on Loa Nota and begin to construct The Coral City. The first Merfolk artisans discover the orichalcum deposits within the volcanoes of Loa Nota and begin experimenting with its use, creating what is now known as "Water Glass." Sheets of crystal forged in the pressures beneath the waves, the glass holds the appearance of shifting waves. Baubles- from liquor decanters to mirrors- are forged using this technique and begin to be sold elsewhere.

1551 CE: The Breakaway Fleet limps to the shores of Luminaria. Tirala Yinan and her followers are accepted among the Luminarians and establish Yinan Province, integrating with the nation over the next ten years.

1558 CE: The Rahuri Isles are stricken with famine, with many believing the Merfolk are to blame for the scarcity. Loanost Faenar approaches the Caciques with a proposal: His people will crew their vessels again and launch a trade mission to the Shah of Kera-Bijan to bring back food and crops. The Caciques consent to this and the fleet is launched to the mainland.

The Merfolk come to the court of the Shah with Rahuri tobacco and Merfolk Water Glass to trade for grain, fruits, and meat. The trade is established and the people of the isles return to a time of plenty and building.

1560 CE: The Shah and his wealthiest Satraps increase their demand for Water Glass, and begin to trade gold and luxury goods for it rather than just food. The Merfolk are invited to establish a settlement in the north of Kera-Bijan, Locha Noa. The colony helps to ease the burden of feeding the Rahuri in the home isles while enriching the Merfolk. The wealth is brought back to the home isles.

1565: The Linana Clan of the Rahuri announces that they are dissatisfied with the changes brought by the Merfolk and the rapid growth of the Coral City. The Rahuri Civil War begins. Loanost Faenar decrees that no Merfolk should fight in the war, holding to the decree of the Caciques not to bear arms against the Rahuri- if the Rahuri decide to expel their people, it will be honored. He secretly orders his lieutenants to fortify Locha Noa as a new homeland. Merfolk quietly evacuate the isles and settle in the new city in greater numbers.

1568 CE: The Steppe Tribes of Kera-Bijan attack Locha Noa, hoping to pillage its wealth. In cooperation with the levies of the Shah, the attack is repelled. The Merfolk replace the crude palisades with shaped coral walls in a great undertaking. The work will not be complete until 1574. The Glass Bank is founded in Locha Noa to handle and take account of the material wealth of the Merfolk in this time of upheaval. The bank is so named because the bank charter is signed within a Water Glass workshop, and the wealth of the people stored in its Warehouses.

1569 CE: The Rahuri Civil War ends in defeat for the Liana clan. They are welcomed back into the family of the Caciques as wayward brothers rather than rebelling tribes, and the Merfolk are invited back to live in the Coral City in safety.

1573 CE: The Rahuri and Merfolk launch joint trading expeditions to establish relations with the old world. One fleet heads far to the East, another West to make contact with the Kratorian Empire. Their holds are filled with Water Glass, tobacco, pepper, silks, and sugar, along with soldiers and marines to defend the ships.

1574 CE: The Westerly Fleet makes contact with the Kratorian Empyreum. The vessels surrender their cargo in a sign of goodwill, and a diplomatic conference is held with the Admiral of the fleet, Ritana Faenar, daughter of Loanast. Guarantees are made toward good intent and customs houses are established in the coastal cities of the Empire. Sugar, Tobacco, Water Glass, and Silk flows freely into Imperial ports. Rum soon follows (much to the dismay of captains of all stripes in the Empire).

1578 CE: The Easterly Fleet makes contact with the Merfolk of Yinan Province in Luminaria. The Admiral is overjoyed to find their wayward brothers and sisters, but troubled by their peaceful, almost fanatical subservience to the Luminarian way. Suspicion of a magical compulsion breaks out amongst the crews. Persuasion fails to bring the merfolk home to the Isles. Armed attacks and kidnappings take place, but the Merfolk of Yinan resist. The Easterly fleet splits in two- one half returning to the Isles to report what has been discovered, one half remaining off the coast of Luminaria, operating as pirates to try and "liberate" their kinsman.

1589 CE: Loanost Faenar perishes on a shark hunt. He is entombed within the great vaults of the volcano beneath Loa Nota, along with other Rahuri Caciques. Ritana Faenar succeeds her father as Autarch of the Isles.

The Easterly Fleet is subjugated by the Luminarian Navy. Its Admiral taken prisoner and their ships beached. Diplomatic envoys leave for Faenaria seeking reparation for his acts of piracy and kidnapping, but also peace.

1590 CE: The Bank of Glass moves its headquarters and Wealth to the Coral City. Representatives of the Imperial Marble Bank begin making the voyage to the home isles to assess the true wealth and capability of the institution. The two begin sharing theories on practices of wealth management and record keeping, leading to an informal friendly (if competitive) relationship between the two. The Marble Bank introduces wealthy imperials to the Glass Bank, contacts that the Faenarians would otherwise never interact with. The Glass Bank opens an official vault for the Emperor and Empress. Sentimental items are stored here, but the security of the vaults compared to those tainted by the bitter politics and corruption in the Empire leads to greater cooperation.

The Luminarian delegation arrives. The Caciques and Ritana Faenar accept their requests for peace and pledge to discipline those who remained in the trade fleet, claiming no knowledge of the extent of their actions. Historians dispute this, citing the return of half of the fleet years earlier. Some argue that Ritana was unaware of the extent of the piracy and attacks, other that she hoped to extend Faenarian control to the isles off the coast of Luminaria.

Ritana consents to allow the Merfolk in the fleet to be subjected to Luminarian justice, though the Rahuri ask that their people be returned to the isles. The Luminarians consent to this request.

1600 CE: Princess Dissaria becomes Empress of Kratoria. She begins her reign by announcing grand expansions to Imperial art, architecture, and armies- paid for by taxes on the Senate and Primarch households.

1604 CE: Members of the Imperial Senate open accounts in the Glass Bank to secretly stow wealth for their families out of reach of the Mad Queen's tax increases. Back channel communications are established between the Marble Bank, the Faenarian Customs Houses, and the Glass Bank to facilitate the transfer of wealth outside the view of the Mad Queen.

1611 CE: Princess Athena of Kratoria is born.

1632 CE: 1632 CE: The Bank of Glass begins to finance regular trade fleets. Enormous treasure armadas begin to set sail monthly, banding together to share supplies and fight off pirates and sea monsters. Many of these treasure ships head to tried and tested ports, like those of Kratoria, but others exhibit an adventuring spirit and head into the great unknown.

In late summer, one such treasure fleet makes first contact with Sidarid fishermen. The clansfolk are stunned by the creatures of myth aboard the ships. Despite the language barrier, the fishermen manage to lead the fleet towards Glenmagar, from where the young Bhaenrhig Parhaigen ruled Sidara. The language barriers were soon traversed, for an Arwyndyn who knew the Cethosi tongue was quickly found. The young Bhaenrhig and many Sidarids were stunned by the craftsmanship and luxury items that the Faenarians brought. This would mark the beginning of the first phase in Faenaro-Sidarid trade. The Faenarians enjoy a near-monopoly on imports and exports (limited in nature as those naturally were at the time) for some time. Despite Anvegadian attempts to disrupt this trade and newly-forged relationship, trade and commerce between Sidara and Faenaria would continue uninterrupted until the Faenarian Banking Crisis in the Isles decades later.

The initial encounter, short-lived though it was, would have a lasting impact on Sidarid approaches to business and trade, and would contribute to the the Sidarid Enlightenment of the eighteenth century and the eventual creation of Clan-Companies.

1641 CE: Princess Athena rises to a formal position within the Imperial Court. She accompanies a goodwill delegation to the Isles of Faenaria, renewing vows of friendship between the two nations. Ritana Faenar and the Caciques receive her on the Home Isles. Formal discussions about trade policy and taxation are secondary to the relationship established between the two. Ritana and Athena begin a long written correspondence, some of which survive to this day- many have been transcribed, most notably those by the Imperial historian Horus under the title "On the power of Queens and the State." Topics range from monetary and military policy to cuisine critiques and political maneuvering.

1651 CE: The Kratorian Civil War begins in the outer provinces. Primarchs and Senators rally around Princess Athena as a figurehead to resist the actions of the Mad Queen. Alliances, territory and allegiances change regularly. Only the increasing brutalities of the Mad Queen keep the war raging.

1662 CE: Wealth from trade to Kratoria dries up as the civil war drags on. The Bank of Glass releases more and more wealth from the vaults in an attempt to alleviate the economic downturn. This triggers runaway inflation in the isles that affects Kera-Bijan. Faenarian gold and silver from this recession has been traced to Etresna, the Sidarid Isles, Luminaria, and even as far away as Uruk.

1663 CE: The Caciques call a council to deal with the continued economic fallout of the opening of the Vaults. Citing the original pledge of "Sharing Spoils" established by the original council of Caciques and Faenar, they demand an input on monetary policy and ownership of the Bank of Glass- it becomes plain for all to see that the Caciques will attempt to seize the bank outright. Ritana Faenar rallies her own supporters and prepares a counter offer. The Isles have been held together for a century under an informal policy of "two races, one family." She proposes the creation of a nation state akin to Kratoria, Kera-Bijan, and Luminaria.

The wealth of the Bank of Glass will be managed directly by this new Nation rather than any one race or people. The merfolk will continue to build and crew warships in defense of the waves and their trade, while the Rahuri will raise armies to defend the islands and administer justice themselves. The Merchant Compacts of the trade fleets petition for a second, private institution to manage risk to their own personal ventures- establishing the original Coral Exchange in a beachside rum tavern. Ritana asks that the new nation be formally titled Faenaria, as a pledge from the Caciques toward their own good faith. The Caciques consent to these arrangements.

The Caciques assemble in the great hall of the Palace of Faenar to hold debates, counsel one another, and give consent to actions by the Autarch on the waves. The Rahuri 'Vanata, Banker from Coral City' is elected the first Cacique of the Vault to manage the wealth of the Glass Bank and set monetary policy. Vanata counsels that taxes should be raised to remove coins from circulation and employ citizenry with a program to build a new fleet for the nation's navy, replacing the original Coral Shaped vessels the Merfolk took to sea on.

1670 CE: Monetary records mark a downturn of inflation; scholars mark this as the end of the Faenarian Banking Crisis in the Isles.

1691 CE: The Kratorian Civil War grinds to a halt with the threat of Etresnan intervention. Kratoria lies in ruin, the Mad Queen still commands the heart of the Empire while Athena's core army remains intact. Neither side can feed or pay its soldiers in adequate numbers. A delegation of Senators and Primarchs smuggle the remaining wealth of their households out of the Empire aboard a Faenarian trade fleet and makes their way to the isles. They offer up the wealth of ancient Imperial Households as collateral. They request formal loans from the Glass Bank to finance the war effort and purchase arms, supplies, and mercenary companies.

The Caciques call a council as there are fears that the money requested could trigger another Banking Crisis, much less war and invasion of the isles. The debate is settled by rules of the Glass Bank's charter. The Primarchs agree to accept a reduced loan from the bank "for personal use" while the remainder of their funding is secured through the Coral Exchange. The loans appear as nothing more than a refinancing of properties and investments in Kratorian Villas. The Primarchs return home with a treasure fleet to carry their funds to Princess Athena, along with an aged banker Vanata, First Cacique of the Treasury, long since retired from her position at the head of the Glass Bank. Vanata assists in the disbursal of funds alongside members of the Marble Bank to prevent rampant inflation.

Mercenary companies and merchant caravans begin to converge on the Rebel encampments, hearing that there is coin to be had. By the turn of the year, the IVth Legion finds itself being paid in barter goods. They will desert their post and declare allegiance to the Princess.

1692 CE: The Mad Queen continues to lose soldiers as the rebel provinces enjoy a return to prosperity. Ilium falls to the rebellion after a popular uprising.

During the summer campaign, rumors circulate in Loyalist cities that Faenarian Customs houses are actually great repositories of gold and silver, hidden from public view. There is debate among historians whether the Mad Queen actually believes these rumors or used them as a pretext to punish the Faenarian Glass Bank for aiding the Rebellion. Loyalist troops seize the Faenarian customs houses and confiscate their goods and coin. Merfolk and Rahuri are killed in anti-Faenarian pogroms while the Summer Trade Fleet is attacked by the Imperial Navy- nine of the twenty-seven ships are sunk, five are captured, and thirteen are forced to retreat, eventually finding their way to the Sidarid Isles for aid and reconstruction.

The Anvegadian Military-Governor Whiteforge, known as the Cannon-Forged Governor, was by this time old and ailing, not entirely in control of Sidara. The more politically intuitive and fiercely intelligent young Rhig Aenfys had managed to run rings around the old man, while deluding him into thinking of Aenfys as a pliable and loyal puppet. The Faenarian fleet is welcomed at Baena's Bay and every help and luxury that could be afforded them is provided. This proved an excellent opportunity for Sidara to re-establish relations with an old friend and secretly study Faenarian ship designs to improve upon the fleet they were building right under Anvegad's nose. Once the Faenarian vessels were repaired and their sick and injured had been cared for (those that were not beyond saving, of course), they are sent home laden with gifts and messages of friendship and goodwill. Due to the events that followed, the newly rekindled relationship could not, unfortunately, be maintained.

By Autumn, the Summer Fleet returns to Loa Nota. The Caciques call a council of war. All signs point to an eventual victory for Princess Athena, though there is a debate about how long that victory will take to win. An aged Ritana, nearly one-hundred years old, asks for permission to sail the Golden Fleet in defense of the Merfolk and Rahuri. The Caciques vote 17 to 8 for war. A messenger departs for rebel territory, carrying a message of intent:

- Faenaria will soon enact a blockade of the Mad Queen's coastline. Any ship flying her banner will be boarded and their cargo taken as a prize.
- The Faenarian fleet will engage the Mad Queen's ships where practical and attempt to sink the Imperial Fleet.
- The Faenarians will attempt an invasion of two coastal cities, opening up a new front.
- Any territory, prisoners, or ships seized by the Faenarians will be administered under Rahuri Law, but will be returned to Princess Athena or one of her loyal Primarchs.

The Golden Fleet embarks on a punitive expedition at the start of winter, lead by the Rahuri Gidall, Warleader of Loa Cana. Gidall engages the merchant compacts to arm their own ships and harass Loyalist vessels. This marks the first sailing of the Privateer Fleet.

1693 CE: The Golden Fleet arrives off the coast of Kratoria and begins its campaign in support of Princess Athena.

1699 CE: The Mad Queen is deposed by Princess Athena. Popular legend in Faenaria has it the Queen died after drinking a draught of mercury and orichalcum in an effort to attain otherworldly power. The Faenarian occupation of the Imperial coast ends.

---

1865 CE: Etresna and Kratoria enter a conflict with global ramifications. Kratorian Senators approach Faenaria with requests to join the war on the waves. Yarana Faenar, knowing that he does not have the support of the Caciques to enter the conflict, offers mercantile contacts to help fund the Kratorian Empyreum.

1867 CE: Etresna engages in a program of land seizures, infrastructural development, and population transfer on the Nine Isles it conquered from Sidara. These 'undeveloped' lands that Etresna seizes are in fact clan lands. The Etremaden do not understand this, and the subsequent outrage from the local population as well as the Sidarid government is not given much notice. Sidara begins aligning itself with Kratoria, contacting Faenaria for support in its efforts to build-up for a liberation war, and attempts to woo Uruk's favour by investing in its arms and heavy industry.

1868 CE: Yarana Faenar again approaches the Caciques behind closed doors to woo them for the votes to war. The Coral Exchange, normally his chief political sword and shield, has been much diminished by the war on the waves. The Glass Bank and trade with Kera-Bijan is singlehandedly buoying the Faenarian economy. The peril of Sidarid being conquered and the Clan Companies being wiped out with their debts unpaid causes no end of stress among the bureaucrats and politicians.

The Caciques vote 14-11 to abstain from war. However, a clandestine money-funneling program begins unloading Guilders into the Sidarid Isles, helping them to finance the creation of a modernized military. At the same time, the Coral Exchange merchants begin cashing in their Etresnan government bonds and private stocks in a mass selloff. Loans are called in. Credit is constrained on the mainland. The initial effect of this on Etresna is negligible. Etresnan hard currency makes up for this loss.

1873 CE: Sidara's navy and armies are fully prepared to join Kratoria in its war against Etresna, and Sidarid technological support and economic investment means the Uruk military has developed rifled weaponry and more modern war tactics.

The Faenarian Caciques are carried to war in a 13-12 vote in the Assembly. The Golden Armada sails to the coast and begins a policy of containment of the Etresnan fleet. Etresnan industry begins experiencing a Credit Crunch as more and more businesses cannot obtain secure loans from the Glass Bank or the Coral Exchange. Etresna experiences stagflation. Despite the fact that their military is fighting off no less than four superpower-class nations (and winning on several fronts), popular support for the war begins to erode.

1876 CE: The Kera-Bijan trade route experiences a downturn in demand. The Faenarian Coral Exchange experiences a collapse. At the same time, Etresna goes from a Recession economy to a Depression. Preliminary peace talks begin behind the scenes as the financial contagion spreads beyond Faenaria and Etresna.

1877 CE: The Etresnan political class sues for peace with the Fourth Coalition. The Etresnan military is deployed to quell bread riots in several cities, while in others they are greeted as heroes with great parades and celebrations.

The Sidarid Isles are reunited and whole once again.

Territory: 8 (+4) Faenaria is decently sized island nation, with room for cities and lots of farmland to support its population and mercantile imperialism. Much of this comes from recently acquired colonies in the Sea of Segon and the Sunlands far to the east. While the islands are few and far between, Faenaria claims the seas around them as dominion.

Tech: 8 (-2) Faenaria is still antiquated in its methods of production and machinery, but modernization is about to begin or in its beginning stages. Due to the needs of the Merfolk for clean waters, the nation has opted to lean into magical innovation rather than industrialization. Most modern technology is imported from the Empire or the Sidarid.

Army Size: 5 (+4) The citizens of Faenaria are unofficially divided into two castes- the Cethos outcasts and the human tribes. The humans of Faenaria, being the only peoples suitable for extended land-based combat, make up the core of its armies. Most are adequately trained in modern combat tactics but their small division sizes mean they cannot hope to invade a land-based nation without the concerted efforts of the Navy to support them or the help of an allied power.

Economy: 20 The wealth of Faenaria has been steadily built since the exile from Cethos in the 1650s. Exile from Cethos saw them turn from their culture's more insular ways to more worldly concerns, and they took to integration with the modern world like... well, fish to water. While they began as a trade empire, the rapid buildup of wealth quickly required the development of a competent banking system to prevent inflation and financial ruin. Faenarian ports are cosmopolitan centers of commerce, and their Coral Exchange is synonymous with banking and investment in the east; many newspapers run summaries of the day's trading to keep the wealthy appraised of their investments. Additionally, the Glass Bank, founded in 1682, is a contender for the oldest bank in the world. An official government lending institution, the bank's vaults extend deep under the island of Loa Nota, in waterlogged chambers and dry ones as well. Nations and royals alike can store their wealth within and feel safe knowing that their enemies cannot touch their previous gold, silver, or mithril bouillon. Not the smallest source of this wealth has been their Colony of Locha Noa in the Sunlands. Exclusive trade rights with this province of the continent continent has produced vast amounts of coinage as they sell silk, nutmeg, peppers, rice, and half a hundred other exotic substances on the international markets.

Population: 12 Faenaria boasts between 60-61,000,000 living souls. The most recent census, four years prior to present day, had a population documented of 60,157,891 citizens. Of those, 28,402,081 were sea dwellers, while 31,755,810 were human. There is a small but prosperous enclave of Fae creatures from the Kratorian Empyrium that call the islands home.

Production: 6 (+1) Faenaria is still a largely untouched island empire. Many cities are devoted to Agrarian pursuits with its industry (and major shipbuilding operations) all headquartered in the city of Locha Ele. This has suited them well for three centuries, but now it has become clear that they are falling behind most other industrialized nations in the area of production. They move raw materials and luxury items across the waves. Factories have a tendency to pollute, something which they cannot abide when they have so little acreage to call their own.

Navy Size: (18) The Faenarian navy is perhaps the largest merchant fleet afloat- if it is not now, it most certainly once was less than a century ago. Were the Autocrat to order all ships to return to the home port, it could trigger a recession in most small nations dependent on some form of international trade. Their army, with its small divisions and recent equipment acquisitions from Etresna's mainland, still cannot hold a candle compared to the ships of the Golden Fleet. Every Lightning and Water cannon, every Magus Boiler, every armor plate, is built to defend the islands from invasion and project power abroad. Faenarian Marines, armed with Magic-forged coral blades and small arms, are capable of limited land based operations when called upon to supplement the army.

While the Golden Fleet is comprised of cruisers, battleships, and a handful of dreadnoughts, it is supplemented by the Privateer Fleet. Building regulations for Faenarian merchant ships, especially those which want to carry cargo of sufficient value, must be built with the speed and armor of a modern Destroyer to have their voyages insured by the Glass Bank. The Autarch of Faenaria holds the right to nationalize these merchant ships, ordering all vessels currently trading with a belligerent power to return to port for armament in service to the nation. All agreed upon trade contracts with the belligerent nations are forfeited, their cargoes seized, their wealth in the Coral Exchange and Glass Bank frozen. Cargo being moved to these nations by third parties can expect to be attacked by the Privateer Fleet, as their goods can be seized by enterprising captains as booty, protected by the might of the state. This is an economic weapon that holds disastrous foreign policy implications, but also acts as a deterrent in place of a fearsome army.

Airforce Size: (2) "You fly like a Faenarian." A common insult from one pilot to another. There are literally a handful of planes in Faenaria, all trinkets of the idle rich. None of them is owned by the military.

Magic: (16) While Faenaria is lacking in modern technical power, it still competes with most superpower nations in the realm of Magical development. Their time integrating with the human tribes, coupled with impressive deposits of magical ore and ley energy, means they have developed tools and production facilities that lend their cities and ships an air of opulence and arrogance. A Faenarian frigate is shaped through these naturally occurring magical forces- not built. From the outside, it resembles a gaudy trading vessel with the texture of a seashell- sharpened coral railings to help repel boarders, cannons that can fire pressurized spheres of water striking with the force of wrecking balls rather than explosive shells, and a hull that cuts through waves and shoals with ease. Cities are likewise built with an attention to the use of magics- streetlight is provided by powered crystals rather than gas lamps, steel is forged with magical applications rather than chemical, and waste burned with smokeless fires.

Mobilization: (7; -2) Mobilization efforts in Faenaria have fallen behind their prior abilities during the age of sails. The army has fallen to the wayside in favor of naval modernization, and even then, the navy is at its peak when supplemented by the Privateer Fleet. Most cities have active garrisons of professional soldiers on alert to assist in search and rescue operations after storms strike, but to call the people to arms is a lengthy and expensive affair.