- President Aarne Styke, executive leader of The Republic of Avalia - Field Marshal Joni Aake, Leader of the General Staff and commander of Avalian Armed Forces - Hilppa Karlsson, council member, Head of R&D - Benjam Hollo, Head of the Tears of the Sky Labor Union - Jari Karvinen, Head of the Socialist Party - Niklos Gallen, Head of the "Republican Movement" Conservative Party
Unique Technologies Avalia enjoys an advance specialization in aerospace research and development, boasting of a robust and sizable air force and airship fleet. For further details, see below in Economy and Military sections
Vast Hydrium Refineries cover the coast and inland of Avalia. Considering the nation's heavy reliance on airships in both military and civilian worlds, Avalia has developed a world class Hydrium industry to support its massive air fleets.
Economy/Technology: Thanks to the progressive policies set forth by the preceding monarch, the Avalian economy has done well to modernize and industrialize to a point of being on par with most modern powers. This is also thanks to in part the large systems of navigable rivers that snake through the nation, generating a far higher ceiling for potential capital wealth. In fact, with trade and transport relatively easy, the resulting canals and railways only furthered this rise in both credit and capital. With a growing middle class and a easing of acquiring credit, this has led to a boom in entrepreneurship and innovation. Despite this industrialization, and with it, urbanization, some of the main exports come from agriculture, being namely cotton and wheat. Salt, coal, and Hydrium also remain high on the export list, thanks to the very rich low lying mountains that make up part of the eastern border. The largest imports happened to be sugar, coffee, silver, and spices.
The lack of a proper merchant marine and the domestic problems at home as created a highly centralized economy within the nation. Large unions control vast swaths of labor, unions who have struggled to remain in the rising wave of nationalism. Various ideas of Social Liberalism and Market Liberalism are practiced within by said organizations as the government itself has yet to take any true hard stance on the matter. Regardless, the Republic most certainly practices and endorses capitalism and only seeks to modify the system, not outright replace it with an entirely different system. This has lead to an explosion of a middle class and with it, a internal consumer market, creating a healthy tax base that has been more than useful in stitching the country back together.
The nation’s military and civilian benefit from cutting edge communication technology which when combined with their complex railroad, road, and more recently canal efforts have lead to a nation where a message from one end of the nation could be spread to all the far corners in merely hours or days.
Among many of the innovations, none of have causes as much of a stir than in heavier than air flight. For the past few decades, the modernized army had utilized a wide variety of aerospace technologies, ranging from military and commercial airships to a cutting edge aircraft design and production industry. It is needless to say that technological innovation stems from the focus of returning to their natural homes in the sky. As a result, not only do Avalians enjoy an incredibly advance air force in both doctrine and equipment, but also the branching techs the allow such things to be possible such as advance long range radios and communication devices.
Hydrium is a naturally occurring substance in our world, seeping out of vents in the planet's crust or contained in pockets and chambers. This substance is naturally lighter than Hydrogen and far safer, allowing safer and more practically viable airships. Often being described as smelling of mangoes, Hydrium can be refined into higher/"sweeter" grades of gas, allowing more efficient lift capacity. The process in which to properly harvest, refine, and use Hydrium can be very intensive to set up, requiring large amounts of infrastructure and capital to make worthwhile. While one could, theoretically simply slap a nozzle on a natural vent and call it a day, it would be far more worth while to process the stuff into something far more efficient. This also means, due to its gas nature, that transporting and trading Hydrium can be a difficult endeavor, as both traders would need to have the infrastructure and facilities to receive and store the gas. (Think of it to being similar to the production and exportation of Natural Gas, but maybe a little less intense). As a result, Avalia is covered in a network of pipelines and storage facilities for Hydrium used by both military and civilians alike. Some of the major Hydrium refineries in the world exist along the coast of Avalia, for ease of transport and trade.
Primary Species: Humans
Valkyrians, Valkyria The natives of the lands of Avalia are known as Valkyria. In terms of their physiology, they are fairly similar to humans, but with very notable differences. First and foremost is their bird like features.With their large wings and feathered tails sprouting from their lower backs, giving them the natural ability to fly. For a Valkyria, flying is nearly no different from walking or running, making them incredibly mobile creatures. For the rest of their physiology, Valkyrians stand at a modest 5’2 to 5’3 with rare exceptions, normally possessing hair/feather colors of black, white, and brown. Valkyrians also seem to naturally perform better at high, thin air altitudes, where normally humans would have difficulty breathing, making them right at home in the sky.
Population: 51 Million
Culture: For much of Avalia’s history, a strong divide between the nobility and the peasantry has existed. Between the ethnic origins of the Valkyrians and Humans to the infamous book “The Peoples of Law”, a strong sense of servitude and noble birthright had been enforced. This all changed, however, with the rise of King Holfgar the VII, otherwise known as the “Iron King”. His radical changes in both power and economic structure has lead to a growing sense of self determination and hatred for the nobility. Even as the merchants coffers grew, they were still held by tradition to be subservient to even the poorest of the noble families, as was their noble blood.
This has radically changed over the past decades since the revolution, as now Avalians are filled with a strong sense of indepence, self determination, and sense of freedom. While racial divides are still prevalent, the nation as a whole has enjoyed a slow but sure move towards further equality by the two races, gradually shifting its focus to the class divides that nation faces rather than the racial ones.
Religious and Other Beliefs: While many in this growing age of rationalism prefer to merely believe in the natural order of the world, some still speak of the ancient prophecies and traditions that swirl around the original peoples and the mysterious “King of the Skies”. Some call him a god, others merely think he was a powerful ruler of the time, but no one has yet known for sure what to make of it. Aside from that, various major religions are practice without much fuss for now.
Location/Territories: Dark Green
Climate: Fair temperate, experiencing warm summers and cold winters.
Military:
"Join Today! For Honor and Duty"
The Avalian Military Forces are split between three distinct branches of operations. These are the Avalian Ground Army, The Airborne Forces, and the Coastal Defense Forces.
The Avalian Ground Army is comprised of much of the regular infantry, motorized, and armored divisions of the Avalian military. Both Humans and Valkyrians serve in this branch, often mixed together rather than separated to provide more tactically flexible infantry. Avalian armor is still relatively new and untested, relying a doctrine of light cavalry tanks and infantry support vehicles. Within the army is a traditional, ancient order of troops known as “The Mountain Watch”.
Standard Avalian troops are moderately trained and are equipped with semi-automatic rifles, light and heavy machineguns, and occasionally sub-machine guns. Infantry utilize company based radiomen to access fire support from either the air or ground, allowing the potential firepower per soldier to rapidly increase.
The hardy, traditionally oriented mountain peoples have their own special infantry known as "The Mountain Watch". Their centuries old duty is to guard the mountain passes and border of Avalia, existing in both Kingdom and Republic. Sometimes, however, divisions of Mountain Watch soldiers will be used elsewhere, particularly in rugged environments. These soldiers are considered a step above the regular infantry men, but are much fewer in number than the standard conscript.
The Avalian armored divisions, much like the Coastal Defense Forces, are seeing rapid and sudden improvement thanks to the new government. Currently, the Avalian armored divisions consist of light Calvary tanks sporting 47mm cannons and coaxial machine guns. They are relatively fast with a top speed of 20mph on flat terrain and enough armor to stop low caliber cannon rounds from the front. Its most beloved feature by crewmen is its ease of maintenance and reliability. A problem that plagued earlier and heavier "infantry support" tanks in the past.
The Airborne Forces consist of most of the aerial assets of the Avalian military, including aircraft, airship fleets, and the infamous “Winged Fusiliers” elite Valkyrian infantry. They are often used in support of ground forces, and practice a specific doctrine using airships as mobile, forward bases from which aircraft and infantry alike can be deployed to support advancing or defending ground and naval forces. As a result, many airships are lightly armed as opposed to some ironclad contemporaries, as they are not expected to engage directly in ship to ship combat.
Air Group One on the move
Aigie Class Carrier
A cutaway of a standard Avalian troop transport
The Airborne Fleet consists of a variety of support vessels. The largest class can carry up to ten aircraft of either fighters or attackers while smaller classes carry companies of Winged Fusiliers and all Valkyrian infantry divisions. None of the classes of airships sport heavy cannon, however, plenty carry both short range and long range anti-air weaponry. None the less, Avalian Air Fleet doctrine is to rely on the much faster, long range aircraft and anti airship units to engage enemy airship fleets.
The Winged Fusiliers are a veteran force of the all Valkyrian infantry divisions that serve in the Airborne Fleet. These soldiers are armed with a variety of specialized weaponry and are used as shock troops in combat. In both experience and tactics theses are far from normal infantry.
The AI-3B "Pekke" is the standard airship interceptor that is used in tandem with attacker aircraft. Sporting a large, high velocity 57mm cannon, it aims fill airships with armor piercing explosive shells with precision. Due to the size of the cannon, the aircraft is somewhat unwieldy and cannon fire can be inaccurate when sustained.
Anti Tank cannons are also a part of Winged Fusiliers specializations. Utilizing this 14.5mm gun and assisted propulsion modules, a Fusilier can deliver pinpoint fire against either enemy armored ground forces or air.
An A-15A featured in the center of a dogfight The A-15 is the main fighter and work horse of the Avalian Air Force. Sporting four 12.7mm machine guns and a top speed of 370mph on average, it makes for a durable dogfighter. Its main advantages lay in its sturdy air frame and rugged design, allowing it to take plenty of punishment while being able to return the favor. Due to this, however, it isn't particularly great in turning, instead, being more reliant on its speed and power to gain an edge.
AT-17A is the premier ground support aircraft of the Avalian Airborne forces. This two seater plane features two forward facing 12.7mm machine guns and four rear facing 7.62mm machine guns. The aircraft is built much like its fighter counterpart, with durability and engine power in mind. As a result, it still has a favorable speed of 330mph and usually carries has 5 hard point that can carry up to 1000lbs of bombs. A major drawback, however, is that it is too heavy to be airship based, and instead must rely on airstrips.
ATT-18B A step in a slightly different direction, the ATT-18B is a multi role attacker that airships carry. Designed with a lighter air frame and armament, this aircraft focuses on taking out enemy vessels in both the air and the sky. It can be equipped with anti-airship rockets, torpedoes, or up to 1000lbs of bombs. Thanks to its weight, it is far more agile than its counterparts, at the cost of being somewhat more vulnerable to fire. It also is the slowest of the single engine bunch, reaching a max speed of only 270mpm.
BM-12 The BM-12 is the heaviest bomber currently in service in Avalia. Its strange middle wing design allows it a substantial bomb load of 3000lbs. While not as widely made or used, there are "interceptor" variants designed to bring down airships, equipped with heavy cannons or anti airship rockets.
The Coastal Defense Forces is the most rapidly changing branch of the three, and handles most of Avalia’s naval needs. Due to the nature of its land bound neighbors and recent events, Avalia has never had the luxury of affording or focusing on a proper naval force. Now with the nation’s recovery in full swing and movement towards expansionism, the Coastal Defense Forces are rapidly undergoing refitting and rearming. For now though, the naval forces are merely made up of a combination of heavy cruisers, destroyers, and light patrol vessels alongside a number of strategically placed coastal fortifications. - - -
Magic Prevalence/Usage: Magic was outright banned from the masses centuries ago and has remained so ever since. Only the Royal Cabal of Sorcerers are allowed to practice. Every year “Dousers” go through the cities and farms to find those who contain large magic potential, and then are whisked away to become incredibly powerful sorcerers who serve the nobility, in particular, the king. Thus, while powerful and skillful users exist, they are very few in number, and solely serve the king. When they were outright slaughtered, magic within the nation died with them. Perhaps with the vacuum and changing times, it may return.
History/ Background Info:
Where All Things Must Begin “Welcome the people of the sky, and they shall serve well.” -A common phrase found on artifacts of the region.
Much of the early history of the native Valkyrians to this land has been lost to time. What remains is mostly speculation, as recorded history of the region only begins after migratory human tribes began to settle the region, and consequently interact with them. Full integration was suspected to have occurred during the raider invasions of around 400 BCE. These invasions are to have supposedly created a deal among the two races, in which the more fortified human communities allowed shelter and safety so long as the peoples of the sky served them loyally . Many radicals point to these events as evidence for human superiority, but with recent trends and archeological digs, the evidence seems to suggest a far more symbiotic relationship than previously thought.
The Rise of a Kingdom “Those of noble blood, of noble mind, and of noble heart are the true heirs of this world!” -King Aaden Holfgar’s coronation speech.
The Kingdom of Avalia was created when a man only remembered as “The Sky’s King” had binded the small fiefdoms surrounding his land under his rule through marriage, blood, and war around 200 BCE. Centuries of monarchy lead to a growing gap and disconnect from the peasantry and the nobility, particularly the Valkyrians, as the various families competed to gain favor with the high courts of the Royal Family. The Valkyrians and human peasantry began to become further agitated, and in response to the growing unrest, King Enar the III requested aid of the scholars of the high court. In response, a cabal of powerful sorcerers arrived, swearing loyalty to the crown and nobility. After a demonstration of their powerful magic, the masses became quite once more.
This was further emphasized when in the early 1700s, a book was published titled “The Peoples of Law” detailing the necessity of the nobility. The very survival of the kingdom, the peasants, and the Valkyrians depended on the continued leadership of their King and his rulers, less the great and powerful forces and evils of the world, raiding from the sea and invading from the land, would destroy us all.
The book became widespread and soon was taught to many dukes and duchesses, as well as preached to the common folk of the land. A mentality soon set in among many, that the nobility and their blood were of a special breed, a higher quality crop, then that of other lesser peoples. From noble to peasant, it was all sincerely believed for hundreds of years that this held sway. Having good harvests and generally staying out the major wars waged seem to justify, validate this belief. However, as the century began to turn, so to did Avalia’s history, and culture.
A Man of Iron “One man always makes a difference. Sometimes it’s a small one. Other times, he tips a war.” -King Harold Holfgar the VII to his advisors upon promoting Field Marshal Adron
The Kingdom of Avalia had more or less stagnated under monarchic rule. Series of unimpressive kings and queens had lead Avalia to the edge of outright decline in the 18th century, but soon one of the most ambitious men of Avalia’s history would take power. King Harold Holfgar the VII was crowned on May 3rd, 1820 at the age of twenty five years. This was a man with an insatiable appetite for power, and was the first of many to begin turning the nation towards total domination. For the first time, instead of seeking favor from the courts of nobles to achieve power, he sought to distance himself from it, to make it clear he was the one in charge, not the high court. Of course he was not public with this goal or idea, but began to make subtle changes to how the throne interacted with the noble families.
First and foremost was the banning of the once treasured book “The Peoples of Law”. While it was seen significant, it was already falling out of favor with recent discoveries in the fields of science and biology, and merely served to encourage the nobility to empower themselves rather than the king himself. Secondly, in private, he ensured the total loyalty of the royal cabal of sorcerers to further secure his personal protection. Using them, he began to strong arm noble families into attending conferences, balls, and festivals hosted in the capital itself more often, all the while displaying his vast wealth to show who really ran the kingdom. Any who showed a hint of disloyalty was imprisoned while any who proved their loyalty gained favors and reward. Very soon he had much of the nobility behind himself.
Once he had his house in order, so to speak, he began to work upon the nation itself. A century of near total stagnation had originally left the Kingdom of Avalia behind in many fields, thus he sought to change that. He invited merchants and artisans onto his council and together they began to re-industrialize the kingdom. Factories went up, mines were dug, and rail laid. A complete rework of the tax system fostered a great deal of easily acquired credit that, after the “adjusting” of a few laws, made it so those of lower class could acquire far larger loans than originally allowed.
Soon private ventures were establish and a growing middle class began to form. While originally the noble families protested such moves, they soon grew quiet as their own coffers grew thanks to the booming economy and industry. King Holfgar even established an official “Royal Research Division” and injected his own funds into the University of Avalia to foster a more common form of education. These particular actions and his strong control over the nobility earned him his title “The Iron King”. While he never formally accepted this name, he certainly didn’t stop people from calling him such.
With his economy pointed firmly in the right direction and modernizing, he turned his gaze towards the military itself. Previous kings had done little in the way of modernizing, but had at least created a professional standing army years ago. In this army, only the nobility could rise high in the ranks. It was unheard of, and almost illegal for a commoner to even become an officer, let alone a captain. Thus, it was a place were many of the noble families simpled dumped their bastards, sons, and daughters who were not being groomed to take over the house. As a result, the commissioned based system of the Avalian military had also lead to further stagnation.
The Iron King sought to change this immediately, but he needed an example. An infallible man who demonstrated, no, commanded authority, regardless of his birth. That man was Robert Adron. Adron had entered the military at the very bottom, and through courageous valor in the new world, cunning, and quiet a few duels of honor, had risen through the ranks as high as captain. That seemed to have been as high as he could go, as a noble family conspired to prevent him from climbing any further as revenge for shooting their son’s ear off in a duel. After reading through the seemingly endless pile of recommendations, commendations from both peers and officers alike, the Iron King stepped in personally and resolved the matter. Acting as a sort of not-patreon-yet-totally-a-patreon, Adron was able to rise higher and higher until becoming Field Marsha himself in 1880. With this promotion, Adron went about further modernizing the military, completely banning the noble commission system, reforming conscription laws, and modernizing both the military tactics and logistical systems.
It seemed that the Iron King had found his strong man general, and was just about to finally begin plotting his endgame. . .
Where All Things Must End
On September 8th, 1888, King Holfgar the VII died due to a sudden heart failure. His one and only heir, now King Holfgar the VIII, was more interested in his women than in his country. The royal court practically seized power and began to undo much of the Iron King’s work. Many loudly protested, and none louder than Adron and his wife. They both accused, quiet openly, that the nobility would rather see Avalia outright absorbed into the noble families own holdings than care for its citizens. The nobility, at the height of their power, thought to teach Adron like a attack dog why he was to obey the hand that fed him, not bite it.
On a warm, spring day in 1891, the nobility in quick succession with both the royal cabal and King’s Guard arrested, tried, and beheaded Adron’s wife while he was away inspecting a military post. He was mailed his wife’s head in a box. From then on, it seemed the old attack dog had learned its lesson with Adron quieting down.
This was the final straw, both for Adron and the nation. Within ten years of scheming and planning, Adron overthrew the monarchy in a bloody coup that saw the entirety of the nobility slaughtered and beheaded. Shockingly, however, he did not seize direct power. Instead, co-conspirators worked together to form a proper representative government while Adron safeguarded the nation from both internal and external foes alike.
After a long and arduous career, Adron finally retired and soon died in 1905 at the very old age of 82 years, leaving a growing, newly renewed nation behind him. Since them, his martial legacy has lived on in the Avalian military and the government itself now at full strength promised to continue his dream of a strong, safe nation made by the people, for the people.
Forward into the Century of Ash
Following the cataclysmic event that was the eruption and start of the “Century of Ash”, Avalian government faltered as it struggled to keep its population fed during the years of long winters. The economy was hit hard as a result, and nearly collapsed when a socialist president’s well meaning relief plan backfired horrendously. Total collapse was avoided, however, thanks to the newly elected conservative president Arne Styke. President Styke’s quick action and rallying radio show held the nation together until it could properly recover from the disaster. Now in his second term, he looks to do more than simply rebuild the Republic, but expand it into the greater horizon and take advantage of the power vacuum left in the wake of the eruption. With strong political backing and a rapidly revitalizing economy, President Styke sets his sights on a new age. An Avalian Age.
Head(s) of Government: General Commander Ovald Regix
Population: 25,000,000 registered citizens and an unknown number of non-citizens including other races.
Climate: Mostly an arid desert, with small spots of savannah and oasis sites and a dry shurbland in the North-Eastern part of the nation where most of the urban centers and settlements are situated.
Religion: Multitude of religions.
Magic: Only techmaturgical (technology running on magical source)
Nation relationships: Soven-Ampara - Acrad struggles to maintain cordial relationships with Soven-Ampara in order to cast more and more influence over the neighbour. They represent a strategic flank and an economic source of food from their fertile lands.
Fenice - Economic trade routes and anti-piracy pact.
Hastur - Uneasy, hostile tensions between the two nations due to long history of Hastur aggression and republican propagandistic demonization on them and their culture. Regional competing political power. Threat to southern security, and oil rich land ripe for conquest.
Andria - Historical disputes over small pockets of border territory, in the present Andria and Acrad maintain a neutral-friendly relationship out of economic necessities for both nations.
Vaesen - Unrecognized territory. Not aware of existence.
Acrad's few cities are great sprawling idustrial powerhouses, where hundreds of workers toil each day in order to fulfill the consumeristic lives of it's citizens. Capitalism is a major economic aspect, however certain institutions require heavy government regulation and centralization, mainly the military, governmental and educational sectors, but even then, they are subsidized by business conglomerates. Low class citizens are forced by circumstances to work, sometimes in awful conditions, in order to support them and their families. There has been increased anti-corporatist sentiment growing among the lower and middle class workers, with only the heavy consumerist society standard keeping them at bay. The economic aspect is very fragile, and any economic catastrophy could lead to a more unstable society. The relatively few areas that are fertile enough are designated by decree as industrial food sectors, dedicated only to growing hardy crops and food in order to sustain the nation's settlements. Techmaturgy plays a role in sustaining the remaining fertile land, where it needs. Greenhouses dot the landscape of the industrial food sectors, protecting the precious harvest from outside sandstorms and other enviromental threat and providing a safe and stable internal ecosystem for imported exotic crops. The many minerals that are used for the manufacture of all manner of good come from the various crusts that dot the desert and the northern mountain section where many mining facilities and towns have been established, their purpose resuming mostly to procuring the precious metals and non-metals, precious or non-precious ones. Lastly, the most vital economic resource that Acrad has been blessed with is the oil rich soil of the desert. Indeed, the oil has become a symbol for Acrad, the hundreds of oil rigs and facilities pumping oil all across the desert. However, the "black gold" is a resource sought by many, and the Wasteland is plagued by savage groups of marauders and raiders, gangs of drug addicts and selfish warlords. The railway system across Acrad and the oil rafineries are subject to numerous raids by the "Desert Rats" as they are commonly known, promting the government and the gangs into a constant cat-and-mouse game of warfare.
Exports: - precious and non-precious metals - oil and other fuel - all manner of weapons of war - various manufactured goods
Imports: - food - water - luxury goods - magic related resources for techmaturgy - rare materials/resources
- T-1000, a series of enormous heavily armoured diesel powered fortresses that are used for both military issues and transportation across dangerous desert territories. Due to the enormous size of those 1000 tons tanks, they are useless out of the desert's plain terrain.
Located right in the middle of the city, it's the oldest district of the city. It's limited within the original fortified walls of the old Windolia, which was once the capital of the greatest human nation of Acrad, the Windolian Empire. District One is home to the wealtiest population of Windolia, towering skycrapers rise from the ground level, housing countless corporations and businesses offices. Each building is more lavish than the last, and streets are clean and orderly. Many of Windolia's core organizations reside here, including the Council, the Enforcerer Headsquarters and the megacorporations.
Also known as the 'middle district', District Two is home to a great amount of leisure accomodations such as theatres, cabarets and pretty much anything you could imagine, for the right payment of course. Streets are crowded and busy almost anytime, especially at night. Many wealthy people flock at night from District One to Two, for the nightlife and decadent indulgences. The population is mainly composed of above average middle class workers and petty business patrons.
Much of the population is cramped inside the third district, where the middle class clashes with the poverty of the lower class, where the crime rate is so high that many soldiers patrol the countless streets of the third district in power armors in order to deter criminality, at least in the main boulevards. District Three is home to much of the underground criminal organisations and a blackmarket flourishes among the shadows. Residents of this district are typical average working people, many working in the factories of the corporations and so on, who live in small apartments or slums in towering residential buildings.
The settlements surrounding the great concrete outer wall of Windolia, home to the desperate and the non-citizens. This is the home of those who cannot enter the city, either due to non-citizenship. Among humans, the slums are home to those races that for countless centuries mankind has harboured racial bias and hate: orcs, goblins and dark elves. Misery and poverty are a hard reality on these people, and crime is rampant even by the standards of the third district, disease kills many and infrastructure is almost non-existent. It is not impossible to enter the city, however, as every year a fixed quantity of 100 people are selected, after a careful evaluation and trial, to be granted citizeship and access to the city.
The Republic's finest are it's citizens, who have achieved citizenship in the aftermath of serving their obligatory 5 year military term from 18 to 23 years. From a young age, up until 18 years old, children of citizens are granted the right of attending state-funded educational facilities, learning the basics of what they would need in life. The 5 year military service is viewed as a rite of passage to every young man and woman, before they are given the choice of continuing the military career or follow a workforce educational programme, where those fresh off the military service can learn technical notions in order to pursue essential careers for the benefit of the Republic. There are those that can choose neither, and follow a non-state funded education and pursue a more specialized career, such as lawyers, businessmen and other non-essential jobs. Only those who can pay copious amounts of money can afford this option.
Military:
Estimated number of active personnel: 500,000 Estimated number of potential personnel based on the population (18-45): Over 5,000,000
Primary military figures:
General Commander Ovald Regix
Commander Trouvon Yexen
Commander Answon Wileh
Vonstok Anheb
Rokton Levy
Since citizenship and it's benefits revolve around militaristic aspects, the republican military is heavily complex and organized: From lowest to biggest military units: -Cell: 5 soldiers, led by a Sergeant -Squad: 10-15 soldiers, led by an Officer -Battalion: 500 soldiers, led by a Captain -Regiment: 3,000 soldiers, led by a Colonel -Division: 5,000 soldiers, led by a Petty General -Corps: 50,000 soldiers, led by a Major General -Army: 100,000-500,000 soliders, led by a Commander -War Theatre: 500,000 - +5,000,000 soldiers, led by a General Commander and High Command.
Rifleman x1 Standard Ensig-T1 bolt action rifle, utilizing 7.92x57mm rounds and having 6 rounds cartige. x2 F1 grenades, called "pocket artillery" by the soldiers
Grenadier x1 Standard Ensig-T2 semi-automatic rifle, utilizing 7.92x57mm rounds and having 12 rounds cartige x2 F1 grenades
Engineer x1 Ensig-T3 Anti-Tank rifle, utilizing 12.7x108mm rounds, carrying up to 3 rounds per magazine x1 W.4 Satchel Charge used for demolition on obstacles, metal doors, etc. X1 HDMC (High Demolition Magnetic Charge) grenade, used to destroy or knock out mechanized targets
Machine Gunner x1 Dunrey MG-02 with bipod, utilizing 7.92x57mm rounds with 50 round drums or 250 round belt x1 Ensig Pistol K Model, utilizing 9x19mm rounds holding 8 rounds per magazine x2 F1 grenades x1 Binocular
Sergeant x1 Standard Ensig-T2 semi-automatic rifle, utilizing 7.92x57mm rounds and having 12 rounds cartige x1 Ensig Pistol K Model, utilizing 9x19mm rounds holding 8 rounds per magazine x2 F1 grenades x2 F2 smoke grenades x1 Binocular
Officer x1 Dunrey SMG-01, fully automatic utilizing 9x19 rounds with 35 rounds per magazine x1 Ensig Pistol K Model, utilizing 9x19mm rounds holding 8 rounds per magazine x2 F1 grenades x2 F2 smoke grenades x1 Binocular
The army is split into two main divisions: - Rangers: proper military, most numerous. - Enforcerers: garrison, patrolmen and general settlement para-military.
The Airforce Corps have undergone a heavy modernization in the last decade, forced by the fact that air warfare has became increasingly present in many nations arsenal. While not as developed as other nations, the acradian Airfoce Corps are a force more than capable to demonstrate their effectiveness in the modern times.
The Mechanized Corps have a tradition of more than 50 years of tradition in fighthing the Wastelands' worst, with some saying that the Mechanized Corps have more prestige than the Landforce itself. The Mechanized Corps have a great deal of different vehicles at their disposal, together with artillery divisions and the elite mechanized infantry.
Roughly 200 years before the current events the Acrad Realm, as the territory of today's Acrad Republic was known geographically, was inhabited by a multitude of nations: city-states, kingdoms and empires. Back then the land was lush and fertile, capable to support a considerate amount of population. The Acrad Human-Elven War was an event that signalled the downfall of the old civilizations and the proclamation of the Republic of Acrad.
The two major political players in the Acrad Realm were the human Empire of Windolia in the west and the eastern dark elven Halzdruun Empire. Racial, economic and cultural differences led to outright war between the two great nations, gradually dragging the petty nations around them in alliances and pacts. Newly introduced industrial warfare, coupled with severe magical abuse in warfare from the elves crippled the lands, engulfing the Acrad Realm into a magical calamity that turned much of the territory into an arid desert enviroment known as the Wasteland.
In the aftermath of the calamity and the war, the dark elven nation was eradicated from the political landscape, and the phyrric victorious Empire of Windolia soon succumbed into civil unrest due to famine and weariness. The emperor was deposed in a coup forged by a coalition of his generals and the Acrad Republic was established with political stability and a militaristic democratic zeal, paving the way for their eventual War of Reconquest.
Over the course of 50 years, the Acrad Republic subdued all the surviving settlements, city-states and nations across the Wasteland, becoming a major political entity on the continent. The industrial aspect of the new age has given rise to the domination of corporate conglomerates in the cities, encompassing all manner of conventional and unconventional businesses, playing a big role in politics. Infrastructure was heavily expanded and centered around the surviving cities, most of them located within the Western Acrad Realm, where the effects of the calamity weren't near as extreme as the easternmost part. Pacification efforts continue to this day as the Republic has been in the process of continue expansion, both politically and economically. However, the recent vulcanic eruption has diminished the amount of food imports, resulting in a stalemate regarding further plans for internal development.
Most of the Acradian Republic is composed of large arid plains and hills with occasional sandstorms, where survival outside settlements is a daily luxury. Remnant memories of the old world still linger in the Wasteland, once mighty towns and cities now crumble in ruins as they are engulfed further into nothingness day by day. Many such ruins are subject to constant looting, many venturing into the danger in order to find anything of worth, from old elven cultural relics to salvage. Legends and tales surround the elven ruins, ranging from sinister cannibal religious cultists to the twisted ghosts of the city who still whisper and relive their lives seemingly trapped in an neverending magical purgatory.
The vast Wasteland does, however, still retain a sign of civilization in the form of great railway systems that connect the remaining urban centers all across Acrad and are maintained and guarded at all times by the military of the Republic. Oil rigs and pumping stations have become a symbol of the Wasteland, with many such structures dotting the oil rich areas, and many of those attract wastelanders that establish great settlements outside the fortifications of the oil rigs. Still, only the hardiest creatures survive in this enviroment, and they are subject to constant hunt from the scattered Desert Rats. The infamous bands of marauders and raiders, known as 'The Desert Rats', constantly harass every sign of civilization they encounter, from trade caravans to settlements. These scoundrels, although scattered in petty raid bands, are a force to be reckoned with for they employ fortified and armed cars and aircrafts, fueled by the precious diesel fuel pumped raw from the many oil fields across the wasteland. Aside from the Desert Rats, the Wasteland is also home to magically mutated creatures that prey on any and all, a testimony to the magical abuse of the past, and monster hunting is a booming industry.
Nation Name: Bjergavjern Type of Government: Volkist Fascism Head(s) of Government: Staatfuhrer Economy: Heavily industrialized due to an abundance of iron, silver, gold, copper, nickel, tungsten, chromium, aluminium and other metal ores and precious stones found in the mountains. Has a growing agricultural base due to the 5-year plan developed by the Volksfacistikefurband av Bjergavjern (VFFB), the ruling party of the nation. Has 120,000 miles of railways and nearly 60,000 miles of paved roads. Unique Technologies: Ball Tanks: Spherical armoured vehicles that carry two or more armaments at any given time. Can travel up to 26 mph on road or 13 mph off-road.
Armoured Bears: Big, ferocious, and cladded in armor, these warbeasts serve as a for a heavy cavalry for the military.
Heavier Artillery:
Primary Species: Dwarves Population: 90 million Culture: The dwarves of Bjergavjern are short and stunted in nature but possess an extreme degree of durability, endurance, strength, and stubbornness akin to a stone slab or an entire mountain in which they ive in. Most dwarves stand about 3 or 4 feet in height and have very strong and thick arms, broad shoulders, and short but powerful legs. Female dwarves share a similar body but only more curvaceous and instead of beards they fashion braids as a sign of age and status. Being short and strong makes dwarves natural inhabitants of the mountain's cramp environments. Being excellent miners and diggers makes them all the well suited for industrial work.
For a young dwarf, the rite to adulthood begins with military service or mining and ends when they are allowed to pursue their own careers. And they began growing their beards at an early age as beards signify status in dwarf society. The longer the beard, the greater the respect the dwarf receives from his peers and the rest of society. The life expectancy of dwarves are average 213 years though the select few are as old as 281 years old with magnificent beards to prove it.
Interesting note, Bjergavjern dwarves are famous for being alcoholic drinkers as beer halls and brewers are seen as respectable establishments and as a career choice. As such with their strong intake of alcohol, the Bjergavjern dwarves developed a rather resilient liver. Honor and oaths are another important aspect of dwarf society as the saying goes "Never make a pact you don't intend to keep." Such value is placed upon honor and oathkeeping that civil wars in Bjergavjern practically nonexistent.
To increase production output, weapon reliability and for better overall communication, the dozen or so dwarf guilds and have been combined into separate branches called "Genossenschaften". The Militärgenossenschaften contains the guilds of weaponsmiths, armourers tank, artillery, warplane, warship, and veterans. The Industriella Genossenschaften contains the guilds of miners, engineers, carpenters, metalsmiths, jewelsmiths, goldsmiths, stonemasons, and craftsmiths. Zivilgenossenschaften contains the guilds of farmers, herders, artisans, brewers, doctors, educators, mages, runesmiths and low level administrators and bureaucrats.
Religion and Other Beliefs: Ancestral Worship. The Bjergs believe highly in the importance of oaths and honor in order to uphold the integrity of the family name. There's no greater shame than ruining the future generation of dwarves than disgrace of the family name. Location/Territories: The red nation in the west.
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Climate: The mountains and valleys of Bjergavjern are one the most sensitive ecosystems of the world affected by the climate change caused by the volcanic eruption. Being the main supply of freshwater and a source of hydroelectricity, the mountains experienced a greater increase in glaciers and the inhospility of the local fauna. Basically more dry and cold than before yet the ash from the volcano gave in an increase in soil fertility for future farms and ranches. The mountains themselves affect rain and wind on both sides as they block air coming from the west and from the Great Othean Ocean. Military: Ever since the bloodless fascist coup at the capitol, the military of Bjergavjern has been in the process of centralization ever since. The obsolete bolt action rifles were phased out and replaced with semi-automatic rifles and smgs. 10 dwarf squads were given two machine guns to increase mid-range firepower. Assault troopers were finally formed armed only with smgs and satchel charges. Most importantly, a General Staff was created which was something lacking in the decades prior.
The battle doctrine the Bjergavjern chosen to follow the Shock and Awe doctrine where every battle hinged on the importance of heavy artillery and combined arms support. Where every victory is achieved as quickly as possible and as brutally as possible by blowing the enemy to pieces. This also meant that the military is more defensive leaning by fortifying the mountains with flak Towers, concrete bunkers, and heavy siege equipment and weapons.
The primary goal of the air force of Bjergavjern is to maintain air superiority over the battlefield through its use of heavily armed fighters and coordinated attacks with ground AA. Just like the Superior firepower doctrine the army uses, the air forces extensively uses bombers to carpet bomb enemy positions and cities into submission once air superiority has been achieved. Industrial complex, railway junctions, and enemy bunkers are primary targets for strategic and tactical bombers.
The Navy is currently a coastal one. Mainly filled with submarines, destroyers, and light cruisers. Magic Prevalence/Usage: Used in runes put into charms and trinkets. Mainly used to increase the reliability and durability of items and tools. History/ Background Info: Originally, Bjergavjern was a confederacy of kings ruled by a High King as the nation's leader. Technically speaking, the High King rules Bjergavjern without question but in reality, he rules at a council of advisors to cool his temper and to help him make decisions. The title of the High King is hereditary unless the throne is vacant of the heir in which a new royal line is elected.
The lesser dwarf kings rule their own clan and territory with complete authority yet they still have to obey the edicts and rites issued by the High King. This allowed for each clan to create their own army equal to the High King's own. This system soon found itself obsolete when Bjergavjern suffered a military defeat at the hands of Fenice. With each dwarf king his own commander in chief of his army, there was no coordinated assault or defence against Fenice. The island was lost and the dwarves retreated to the mountains.
When the volcano erupted and covered the mountains with ash, a food crisis occurred in Bjergavjern yet the government was paralyzed due to the fact that none of the kings could decide on what to do. The crisis was growing dire by the day as food was quickly running out until a fascist coup happened at the capital. It was a shock to the nation chose to flee instead of denouncing the act.
It was then did the fascist party immediately embarked on a centralization process to restore order and to unite the nation where the dwarf kings failed. The party, called the VFFB, championed the idea of "Volkism", that no matter what social rank the dwarf holds, everything depends on the advancement of dwarf-kind. Despite winning a two thirds majority to keep the fascist party in power, there were still plenty of monarchist sympathizers and supporters within and without the fascist party. Only time would tell if the Staatfuhrer would do anything to about it. Nation Relations: The Pact of Steel with the Western Neigher to divide the individual states between each other. Also establishes a DMZ for 50 years. Tension with the GCR over treatment of the Bjergavjern dwarves inside their territories. Currently, the VFFB is doing a campaign to get the dwarves to immigrate back into the home mountains.
(ATTENTION ALL ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE SO IF YOU DONT LIKE IF IT IS WRONG PUNCTUATION OR IF YOU DONT UNDERSTAND PM ME BUT IF YOU DONT LIKE WELL I WOULD RECOMMEND GO TO HELL) Flag:
Nation Name: Empire of Oswaria
Type of Government: The government of Oswaria worked in the form of an elective monarchy, where the ruling dynasty would have one of their members elected into the position of the emperor. Until recently, the position of Chancellor was also one that was voted on, however, due to the reforms of the previous Empress, the Chancellor is appointed by the current ruling monarch. Both these positions are held for life.
While the nation claims to have a parliament, this branch of government is more for a show, with many of the decision being made by the Imperial Council instead. After the Ascension of Emperor Evandro and the increase of Imperial power, many expect a new constitution to be finally sent after the ashes have settled.
Head of Government: Emperor Evandro Ventura Rosário. Government Chancellor: Emperor Evandro Ventura Rosário. Emperor Evandro Ventura Rosário is the third emperor since the recentralization of the empire. He is an ambitious man that used his already existing power to give him unlimited power over the nation, ruling with an iron fist but with a deteriorating health
Imperial Regent: Agildo Takeda Moreira
Minister of Research and Development: Lucas dos Santos Bernardino
Secretary of Economy and Commerce: Teresa Galán
Head of the Special Investigations Agency: Darcy Peres Higashi
Minister of Defense: Pablo Gutiérrez
Minister of Foreign relations: Alessandra Reis Boaventura
Economy: The empire's main economy is heavily focused on industry, having major industrial centers around the Jade Sea, and also along the rivers that flow into the sea, allowing easy river access to the interior. Thanks to this infrastructure, the nation began to industrialize after a few decades with relative ease. Oswaria had major monopolies, after the Constitutional amendment 32 was created and enforced by the Emperor, the industries were then divided into a series of oligopolies. The biggest industries are Refining, machinery, and weaponry. The food and electronics industries have gained attention from both government and the private sector. To a certain degree, Oswaria is self-sufficient in iron allowing robust steel industry.
After the volcano eruption, the farming industry collapsed leading to nationwide starvation and crisis. This led to the adoption of a rationing system, however, the damage was done and millions starved to death. The Empire established martial law to hold the nation together until the agricultural fields finally began to recover.
In the past, mana crystals had to be meticulously created by skilled artisans. However, in recent years, lead magicians and engineers were able to create a method that allowed for the mass production of these crystals.
Main exports: Military equipment, Food, Mana Crystals, steel, Manufactured goods, Machine Parts, Heavy Machinery, and computers. Main Imports: Oil, raw materials, luxury materials.
Unique Technologies: Mechs and spider mechs: Oswaria has taken great interest in mobile, leading to the mech projects that now make up the armed forces.
Magical powered Airships: Using magical crystals to power airships this technology allows the ships to fly far and high. This allows the creation of flying dreadnoughts and aircraft carriers.
Majority Species: Human Population: 68,943,431 Minority Species: Elves Population 843,234
Culture: The Oswarian origins date to the birth of mankind in this world first coming from the south of the continent and settling in the regions of Trienga,their culture has developed into first a form of Meritocratic Nobility,were a dynasty of an individual,would be elected to a position of power,even having merchants and poor people receiving jobs of power,early on as their culture settled their people prospered with occasional fights between kings and independent warlords and even inner fights, between pantheons this division made then don't think like a single people, for a time yet having a unified ethnicity and even faith to a certain extent. "One people One Nation Undivided" After the unification of their empire, the Oswarian have a high sense of nationalism together even the Elfic minority that lives in the empire saw support in this movement maintaining a sense of unity in the empire.
"The Other races are not to be trusted but some seem fine" Due to the ancient fights between humans and dwarves for the control of the straight for millennia the people of Oswaria see the dwarves as an arch-enemy of their´s creating xenophobia towards their race, the elf minority that once lived in the region after time after the migration they become more tolerable in their society as a whole.
"All Oswarians are soldiers" In the concept of militarism is considered an honor to join the military ranks for all citizens the concept of conscription although 1 century new it is considered an honor for many with certain nobilities sending 1 of their children to serve in one of the army branches.
"All are equal" According to many traditions, it is believed that that by the eye of Gods all men and women are equal it is unknown when this practice started either in the migration or in the time of swords but after a while woman become in equal footing as men.
"Is this the right path?" Although the nation exist under a nationalist militaristic society it was mostly formed under centuries of constant prosperity but when the volcano erupted together with Emperor Evandro and his extreme reforms, with the age of prosperity ended and now the people of Oswaria find themselves in doubt, about the future of their nation with many protesting for better Conditions since the volcano covered the land with almost 4 foot tall ash the people and the government,now faces a new challenge people now seek an answer to how the nation should go this answer,only time can answer but now for the Oswarian the future is Uncertain.
State Religion: Due to 3 pantheons existing and with the works of Gabriel Santos that suggested a separation of state and church the government adopted Atheism as the state religion Religion and Other Beliefs: The faith of Chaos, Order, And Equilibrium or The Faith Zyrogar The faith Zyrogar is the nickname given to the followers of a religion with 3 existing pantheons of gods more specifically The gods of Ynthar, Amos and Phiaris this religion involving many pantheons derives from the fact that the 3 pantheons evolved together consequently they are all interpreted to be real with members of one faith disrupting the other faith activities. Over the centuries this 3 pantheons crystalized believing it to all be real with members of society choosing one of the pantheons that most suits than in their beliefs this level of decentralization allow people to think what they want most of the time the most popular being the Pantheon of Phiaris that has attributes from both pantheons.
Location/Territories: The western peninsula of the northwestern continent west of the mountains.
Climate: The empire consist of mostly plains and fields having a temperate climate as a major climate and also having some hot zones thanks in part from the hot waters of the sea.
Military: The Imperial Army is divided into 3 branches that form the bulwark of armed forces been named The Legionary Land forces, Imperial Royal Air Force, And The Sea Lions.
The Legionary lands Forces Utilize as a major military doctrine is The Rogérop Doctrine a form of mixing of mobile warfare and Superior Firepower having infantry, motorized and armored as a backbone of the army.
Infantry/Engineer unit, using as primary infantry equipment they use Automatic SV-25 rifles and Shotguns together with Anti-personal grenades and a Gas mask.
Assault Units are equipped with Sub-machine guns AR-31 and others are equipped with combat shotguns containing Antipersonnel, gas masks and anti-tank Grenades.
Anti armored Units Are equipped with Anti Tank Grenades grenade launchers, Anti-tank sniper rifles, and pistols using and binoculars.
Sniper Units are equipped with pistols, binoculars, sniper rifles, and Antipersonnel grenades.
Radio Units are equipped with pistols, radio transmission, and generally, they are deployed at all units to increase cohesion
The battle mages serve as a form of support force an offensive force due to their ability to manipulate energies of the arcane this ability mostly present in the Elven population made then suitable for this job but also in the human magic population that allows them to use their powers.
Armored divisions of the Empire has many different types using mechs, spider mechs and tanks having different kinds of armored for different situations.
The Titan is the heavy armored infantry containing a flamethrower and 2 heavy machine guns that can penetrate armored divisions due to slow its put together with infantry divisions. These units are often made up of “penal” battalions due to their risky design.
T32 Or the spider is a form of self-changing tank capable of changing from legs to tracks for needed terrain having a 57mm gun turret and machine guns.
ST- 21 is a mech build to be an anti-armor unit having 4 57mm guns attached to it.
ST- 24 is the more close range mech projected to fight in the harsh train having machine guns and artillery turrets.
ST-8 is the more available to the army crewed with one soldier inside an armored Carapace and sometimes the pilot is protected by a front armor only.
The Mercury class is the most powerful military class due to its size weaponry having the having 5 turrets, 55 machine guns, and 4 Heavy AA guns, due to its extreme agility is considered a threat to many and its ability to navigate in harsh terrain makes it very useful for all situations, the skirmisher on other hands smaller but more faster and agile makes it a good candidate for attacks containing only 1 turret and 4 machine guns
The sea lions Are the naval force of the Empire of Oswaria having a Medium navy at their disposal, the fleet consists of carriers, battleships, Battlecruiser, Heavy cruisers, dreadnoughts, destroyers and submarines the Sea lions favor a stance of a bigger fleet together with carrier primacy
The Imperial Royal Air Force consists of airships powered by magical crystals these airships form the principal force of the air military force having battleships and even Aircraft carriers having a more battleship emphasis on air the royal air force likes to use them to gain air superiority thanks to their high levels of firepower.
The more used force of the Imperial Air Force is the fighters and bombers of the Empire used to create havoc in ground forces and have close air support and also air supremacy but also serving to a strategic bombardment of enemy positions and infrastructure the Royal air force put more Emphasis in a mix of close support and air superiority.
Magic Prevalence/Usage: Magic although not common but not rare is defined for being hereditary with certain families even practicing incest to protect the magical lineage inside the family their powers range from abilities of healing and even conjuring elemental powers another kind of magic force that has been discovered over the years is Mana crystals that are synthetically made used mostly to certain extent some spells and even flying. The source of magic has yet to be discovered but thanks to scientific endeavors were able to create a small quantity of magic without someone of magical descent indicating that magic is not restricted to blood. The schools of magic taught are the schools of order, chaos and balance these schools are taught because the way they tap the arcane power and most of the time to discover what kind of magic you can tap.
The abilities Chaos allows the usage of more extreme kinds of magic such as Elemental and destruction spells the abilities of chaos are more aligned with warfare such as casting of fire, earth bending, lightning, and others, these abilities are generally the more used in the army and in civilian levels it can create problems, after all, a fight between two drunk mages can create a number of problems these abilities generally are considered dangerous and the practitioners must always keep their powers on check their powers generally are limited to how much the body can handle before getting too these traits trait is similar to all three powers when handling their abilities.
The abilities of Order are more considered abilities of illusion, enchantment, and agility, the spells of Order allow the users to create illusions such as fogs monsters and even the more skilled nightmares others can enchant certain items to give some powers but due to the user's energy usage some of these enchantments don't have much power and some are even temporary, some spells can even upgrade the body itself such as increased stamina and strength.
The abilities of Balance are rather rare on to be inherited or simply be born with once you discover you have the ability to use magic this power is rather mysterious but like the gods it appears to be able to use both sides of the magical specter but what makes it more intriguing is the fact that the user of this kind of magic has the ability of restoration or simply healing this kind of spell is barely understood except the fact that the user can heal itself and others.
The fourth ability is considered illegal due to its way to achieving they are some events were a individual can tap into the power but not use not even the 3 spectres but rather use the extremes of order and chaos the last good example was the vampire uprising of almost 600 years ago where magicians that could control the human body by literally absorbing life force although this kind of magic is more extreme of rare it is undocumented of what it can do and the vampire uprising and what such magic can do was lost to history mostly because of document burning of the region what such power can do is mostly considered unknown.
History/ Background Info: The Oswarian people first arrived in the regions of Trienga about 8000 years ago with its people living between many kingdoms and warlords settling the lands and making the Isarian Ethnicity spread across the western mountains having to coexist with the elves and dwarves. The Empire of Oswaria first was born almost 3000 years ago when Emperor Varsius, formed his nation after a few centuries he empire decentralized after losing conflicts against Elves and Dwarves, although in more than 400 pieces the empire maintained a sense of union working together to achieve goals such as defense against invasions and even collaboration of economic aid. The Age of swords was the time when the empire was under a newly religious fervor and also expansionist growing to the greatest size it has been from the western sides to many zones in the mountains this time, unfortunately, didn't lasted forever as in question of a few centuries the recently conquered territories had gained independence or were conquered by other powers in that time the empire begun to decentralize. The Second renaissance was the time when a cultural and nationalist boom in the Empire in this moment the first reforms that initiated the centralization of power to the throne once again this moment that lasted almost 120 years allowed the end of the Imperial confederation and the reformation of the Empire the reformation was established with the House of Rosário to assume command of the nation and establishing a tanistry succession system in a example of the ancient ways. After the death of empress Sandra Ventura Rosário the throne was succeeded by emperor Evandro Ventura Rosário at first he was charismatic and maintaining the chancellor of her aunt but after his death he appointed himself as chancellor and passed laws increasing his power and giving him absolute command over the nation leading the nation over 4 decades of totalitarianism. When the volcano exploded and food runed short the Emperor started to impose martial law as revolts spring up and many died as part of his plans to continue in power after many deaths the revolts finally begun to slow down over the years before the ashes settled many died of starvation or by Evandro actions after one decade after the volcanic explosion the decade long winter finally begun to end now with a world full of possibilities only the gods know what will come next.
Nation Relations: Oswaria likes to keep diplomatic relations with main power in an attempt to preserve peace On its main continent at the same time negotiating trade deals for resources.
S'laaeth: The Empire of Oswaria and S'laaeth have a certain cordial relationship with the Empire supporting their claim on the straight.
Bjergavjern: Bjergavjern as already existing monarchy state for years has been kept under the constant watch of the empire mostly because of the existing tensions between their races, religion and extreme government Oswaria in an attempt to ease tension made the pact of steel seeking to lower tension and increase commerce between states and also a formation of a possible DMZ in case their borders touch one day
Chirian People's Republic: The Chirian Republic although not like by the government due to its communist nature the need for their natural resources has let the Empire accept trade deals to receive needed ores and oil the Republic in Exchange decided to import machinery from the Empire for the Inner circle the republic is the only nation that seems to need the Empire and the Empire needing her.
Divine Empire of Hastur: The divine empire although backward has potential consequently the government send out a military/industrial mission to Hastur.
The Republic of Acrad: The Republic and the empire has a certain level of relations considered barely cordial although there is a envoy going to Acrad to negotiate a possible trade agreement.
Volssini Empire: The Volssini Empire together with The Oswarian Empire contain cordial relationships having more notably from the perpective of the Empire a import of coal and a export of food and Hevy machinery.
Flag: Nation Name: The Volsinii empire Type of Government: Absolute Monarchy Head(s) of Government: Emperor Messor Aetius Empress Lusia Aetius Emperor-elect Syra Aetius Imperatoris Marcus Tybal Procurator Euclio Bruccius High Justiciar Virgo Siculus
The economy of the empire is heavily based on industry. With the imperial government having a hand in a managing the economy. With several industries being nationalized as they are considered highly important to the empire for example the arms industry. With major cities forming around the many rivers to help facilitate the flow of good through out the empire. Making easier to transport material between cities. Most of Volsinii is industrialized thanks to the efforts of imperial government to keep the empire competitive with the other states of the world. Labor unions are banned being labeled as a threat to national security. The main imports of the empire are food due to the industrialization of the empire along with the destruction done by the volcano. Along with luxury goods, oil, and more exotic goods. The exports of the empire its manufactured goods, weapons, and raw material.
Unique Technologies (the more exotic or interesting stuff your nation uses or has come up with): Telsa weapons: The Volsiniins created weapons to harness electric forces harnessing them as weapons. Mounted and use by various Volsinii units. From small squad weapons to larger ones mounted on there skyships. Used mostly against lightly armored and infantry. Coal liquefaction: The demands for resource during the imperial civil wars require more creative methods to create what they needed. Due to this the Volsinii created the process of Coal liquefication to maintain their supply of oil with importing large amounts of it from abroad. After the wars the production was scaled down for peace time demands.
Primary Species: Human 67% humans 13% orc 10% forest elf 5% dwarf 6% other races
Population: 39 million
Culture: The culture of the empire had gone through major shifts in the recent decades become far more focused on the national identity. The explosions of nationalistic art, music, and monuments inspired by the imperial victory. The values that are held in high regards in the empire are hard work and self-sacrifice to the state. Sacrificing one’s self towards the betterment of the state is consider the highest value of a citizen. Attitudes towards the many races depends on the side they chose during the civil war. As the groups who fought on the side of the imperial throne are greatly respected. While those who did not are discriminated and treated with suspicion or outright hate.
Religion and Other Beliefs: The Main state religion is the worship of Virmar the legendary hero who founded the empire centuries ago. Often time referred to as Virmar Dragonslayer. The stories of the first Emperor ascension are widely told and intergraded into the official records. Shortly after uniting the Vosta under his banner a force of dragons invaded the northern lands. The emperor united his forces and fought back the dragons. As he slew them he could take their power and use it against the dragons. Eventually he was able to drive them from the north. Not before the fighting the elder dragon leading the invasion. In the titanic clash between the two Virmar was mortally wounded. Calling upon the power taken from the other slaying dragons to launch a final attack. The attack slew the dragon its power was drained by the dying emperor. The result was upon him death he ascends to godhood. While the other faiths of the other members are tolerated the pantheon of the elves have been banned due their decision to side against the empire during the civil war.
Location/Territories:
Climate: Cold with mild summers and long winters.
Military:
The modern imperial army was heavily affected by the Imperial civil war. The strain of the war forced the empire to adopt newer technology to give them the advantage. The heavy fighting let imperial officers test out new tactics with the newer weapons to create practical doctrine. The Imperial army consisted of mostly infantry and artillery. Legions are raised from there home province and received there name from there. With its armored forces being built up more. To mechanize the empire’s army to a larger degree. The armies of Volsinii is organized into legion numbering about 150,000 men lead by a marshal. The main method of recruitment is conscription with every male citizen of the empire between 18-40 required to serve in the military when called upon.
The back bone of the imperial army armed with semi auto rifles with assault units armed with combat shields. The soldiers of the imperial army are heavily discipline and trained to create a world class force. There are several elite formations within the imperial army that fill specialize roles. Such as paratroopers or assault squads. They are given different equipment to fulfill their missions.
The newest branch of the imperial army. They field a medium tank called the TM-12 that functions as both cavalry and infantry support tank. To do this its armed with a 70mm cannon an armored with 3.1 mm of plating. It can reach speeds of 15 mph.
The imperial navy is divided between the air fleet and a coast guard. While the coast guard is a small force meant for hunting pirates and smugglers the Air Fleet is the main recipient of the naval spending. Based on doctrine of heavy ships of the line in directs engagements. For there airships Hydrium is used to keep the armor hulks floating in the side. And to keep the ships viable in combat. Both groups make use of marines who are equipped to the same degree as the army. But the marines have far more heavily train and are often used in other combat operations.
The imperial air force it’s an important force in the modern war-machine. Due to the imperial economy lead to creation that must fill many different roles throughout the imperial military. From naval fighters to army bombers.
IAS-m23 is the main imperial fighter armed with 2x 20mm cannons and 4x 12 mm machine guns. It has a sturdy frame making it a durable dogfighter. It’s been designed to operate from both airfields and decks of carrier.
AF-M14 was designing to fill multiple role in both army and navy. From attack enemy formation to taking on opposing ships. The main different between the two variants is that the one for the army has the additional cannon while the navy variant has racks for bombs and torpedoes.
The HB-m34 is the main imperial bombers. Meant for carrying 2,000 lbs of bombs meant for carped bombing positions or preforming strategic bombing campaign. Armed with several machine guns located through out the bomber. But mostly relied on fighter escort for protection.
Magic Prevalence/Usage: The use of magic is restricted to priesthood. Other forms are hunted or repressed.
History/ Background Info:
The empires history begins in the turbulent region later to be known as the Vosta in the far past. In the early chaos of the region as the city states rose and fell rapidly. During this time the first emperor rose to power. Not much is known about the first emperor due to a mixing of religious doctrine and propaganda. After the series of wars could unite the Vosta under one banner. Then under successive emperors they expanded their realm absorbing many of the local kingdoms and tribe in-till the Volsinii empire was the size it is today.
The empire weather the following decades with little problem in till 40 year before the present day. During the period the current emperor at time Cyamus Aetius following the notion of his predecessor attempted to enacted major land reforms to shift the power away from the nobles. A long with modernizing his nation. The nobility realizing the amount of power they stood to lose revolted. Emperor Cyamus was too weak to be able to whip them into line before they could rise armies to fight the emperor. For the next three years the loyalist forces fought a losing battle against the rebels eventually resulting in Emperor Cyamus death on the battlefield.
He son Messor Aetius was soon coronated. Messor unlike his father was a far more capable emperor. Taking helm of the shattered imperial army, he reformed it into a new fighting force. With new technology and doctrine, he took back the initiative defeating the noble’s armies. Retaking the territories loss within first years of the war within months. Then going to crush the remain nobles hold outs. Despite this revolts and other rebellions flared up over the empire. Spending the next decades on campaign to keep the empire together. At the same time the empress oversaw the industrialization of the empire. But as the empire was stabilizing once again the super volcano erupted. The eruption completely devastated the western provinces and did considerable damage to the rest. The elves native to the southern parts of the empire took this a divine sign and rose up in revolt. Forcing the empire to split vital resources in fighting the elves and rebuilding the empire. Although the empire faces a great charge it was able to rebuild it self thanks to Volsinii determination. Although the empire is still involved in the brush war in south of the empire.
Nation Relations: The Republic of Avalia: Long standing rivals for most of there histories. Fenice: There is a mutual dislike between the nations. Due to past conflict and territorial loss to the empire. Empire of Oswaria: trade partners.
In the early years, the royal house ruled with absolute authority and could take possession of anything they wanted at a whim. After a revolution which led to the deposition of Thonjolf the First of Elyr, replaced with his rather young daughter Minette who was forced into signing "Carta iura Gentium" (Charter of Rights) which introduced a parliament and reduced the power of the Monarchy.
The Monarchy calls the parliament to assembly every 2 months where they convene and discuss current affairs; laws, taxes, international relations, etc. Emergency parliaments can be called, and decisions made even without full attendance in times of crisis. While officially the parliament is elected into their positions, and the reigning Monarch should listen to the will of the people, they are permitted to veto a decision if they believe with absolute certainty it is not in the best interest of the Kingdom.
Head(s) of Government: Bree the Second of Elyr. Viewed as a fair ruler by her people, she was the woman responsible for permitting refugees from other nations asylum when needed. To foreign delegates she is a kind and gracious host. Whilst appearing as a kind older lady (which she is in droves), she possesses a mean streak seen only by those who cross her. Her rule over the previous 40 years has had many ups and downs, but overall she is much more successful and has advanced her country so much more than many of her predecessors. The main controversy surrounding her rule was her decision to elect a Magi as her húsceorl (personal bodyguard), leading some to believing her decisions forward of that event are being clouded or influenced by *something* of magical origin.
Exports: Stone Wood (and things made of, including furniture and rifle stocks) Raw Ores and Refined Metals Small arms (to Allies) Sea products (fish, seaweed, salt, etc) Native herbs/ poultices/ medicines made of.
Industries: Advanced small arms manufacture. Simple MoW production Small quarrying facilities Construction Forestry (large industry) Small mining & refining facilities Education Moderate Medicine production facilities
Unique Technologies (the more exotic or interesting stuff your nation uses or has come up with): Unique Chrome-alloy lined rifle barrels – the use of non-corrosive materials allow for a rifle to stay cleaner and more accurate for longer without heavy maintenance, especially in warmer, more humid conditions where rust forms more easily. Allows use of different types of ammunition that would cause the barrels of other weapons to deteriorate quickly.
DDragonfire - Specially designed and hand crafted, packed with small amounts of combustible powder to leave a trail of flame behind the projectile. Due to the nature of the cartridge it requires a stronger, non-corrosive barrel otherwise it will cause the rifles condition to deteriorate much more quickly.
Dragonfire mk1 acts purely as a tracer round as when fired a trail of fire follows the bullet, providing slight illumination before burning out, and allowing for shooters to adjust badly aimed shots more easily as they can follow their aim.
Mk2 contains an explosive charge in the tip, which rapidly combusts at metal melting temperarures on contact. This allows higher penetration into metal surfaces, such as tanks and/or aircraft, and potentially life threatening burn injuries to those who are unfortunate to be stood too close.
Primary Species: Human, couple Elven fortresses that mainly keep to themselves, and anyone who crosses into their borders and wishes to reside.
Population: ~35,000,000 Human Citizens, with an unknown number of Elven neighbours (estimated at only a few thousand).
The provinces of Endrea, Lutra and Yespium, the 3 states that form the mainland of Elyr, share very similar cultures, developed together through the last 900 years and along side each other before that. Generally a kind people who seek to help those in need when they can, sometimes even at the expense of themselves. Even enemy combatants would be rescued from the battlefield, healed and treated well until the end of the conflict. Architecture varies a little from province to province, with the majority of Endrean and Lutrian dwellings being well decorated, and framed with beautiful lengths of timber, whilst the dwellings of those of Yespium are well built and study - being built either out of quarried stone or burrowed directly into the mountain side itself; it is for this security that the current seat of Elyr is housed within the Yespium province.
Rorik, the province which encompasses the two islands to the east, is rather unlike the rest of Elyr. Rorik has been slow to embrace new technologies, preferring to rely on traditional 'tried and true' methods of survival and as such no industry existed on the islands until very recently; tea plantations, fish farms and (recently) algae refining being the only industries that exist. These islands are home to fierce and proud people, willing to drop everything for the protection of the nation. Unlike the rest of the country however, they worship a seperate set of deities and their shamans burn offerings as an act of worship. Even in death, they burn the dead on funeral pyres as offerings for the gods so that their relatives can meet and serve their creators. These people have a natural affinity for the ocean, willing to serve the the nation as merchants and seafarers in the name of Elyr. Architecture here is limited, mainly relying on natural resources such as trees to built simple huts.
Elyr possesses temples to many different Gods, and permits any form of worship within its borders due to the amount of refugees within seeking political asylum (such as Magi from anti-magic states).
The native religion however is the belief in the "Tritheism of the Bodies", a belief of three deities creating the universe named Nithos, Ather, and Othea.
Othea sacrificed her body and consciousness, forming the world. She is the Mother of all who walk upon her, and Goddess of the world and families.
Nithos too gave up a solid, corporeal form all together, forming the gaseous sun in the sky. Out of love for his sister, he watches over her during the day, keeping her warm and allowing life to thrive. He is the God of love, light and life itself.
Ather on the other hand waited, and watched his siblings in the coming years. He saw creatures come and go, always seeming so fleeting, he enjoyed watching the world at peace, but was saddened with the parting of every creature beneath his eye and his tears formed the oceans. Like his sister, he gave up his body, but wished to remain to watch life progress. He became known as the Night Watchman, the Harbinger of the Night, and for each child of his he sees pass on, he invites them to join him and lights a star in their name. He is viewed as the God of the Afterlife, and the Seas.
Location/Territories: Southern area of eastern landmass, with two small islands off the south east of the mainland. Split into four provinces, each has it's own specialised are to which it has been suited to over the years. The westernmost province, spanning the plains, focuses on arable growth, with the city there focusing it's resources on export and import through their ports. The eastern province deals with the political aspect of the nation, hosting delegates of other nations and acting as the house where the parliament is held. In the north lies a city on the mouth of the river which engages in trade with their northern allies. The Imperial Academy, lying due north of the Imperial city itself. Limited quarrying, mining and refining facilities found here, along with smaller factories on the outskirts. The central province is the seat of the forestry at Elyr's heart, along with an important source of food hunted and sold by those in the Elven fortresses. The Islands' province lies to the south east, on the opposite wide of the mountain range. Mainly independent from the rest of the nation, they grow exotic herbs, spices and tea for export. Climate: Temperate mainland with two subtropical islands.
The military of Elyr focuses primarily on small units tactics, deterrence over defence, and the concept of 'Bitzkrieg' due to the limited military strength of the nation and the disastrous economic impact of a prolonged conflict. In aid of the concept of a quick campaign, the Kingdom has a small amount if allies, sympathisers and spies spread across various nations - their watchful eyes tracking the movements of threats.
In peace time, there are very few actual soldiers, just enough to keep watch upon the northern border and defend political officials (both domestic and visiting foreign delegates). Because of this, Elyr relies largely on a big reservist force, however prolonged conflict would have damaging effects to the economy due to amount of citizens pulled from their normal jobs and into military service. When war does come, the country reacts swiftly and aims to remove the threat quick and effectively; through well thought out operations and superior infantry attacks.
On the offensive the main aims are to strike fast, taken strategic targets sequentially without stopping and allowing enemy forces to plan and reinforce the next position in the 'line of fire'. On the defensive however they rely on knowledge of their home turf, and make use of guerrilla tactics to overwhelm and confuse enemy combatants, scaremongering to weaken then enemy moral.
Weapon wise Elyr has in its possession a collection of small arms, ranging from select fire pistol-carbines and rifles, accurate light machine capable of extended fire, and a series of anti-tank rifles. With the vast majority of these weapons designed ‘in-house', repairs and replacements are quick to reach the frontlines where they are needed, and with most using proprietary cartridges it makes it difficult for invading forces to use Elyrish weaponry again them.
Light machine guns are rarely seen upon the frontlines, reserved mainly for defensive positions and encampments. Fulfilling the role of of sustained fire on the frontlines are normal infantry rifles constructed with more dense and thicker metal barrels and extended magazines to allow for extended periods of fire.
Positioned in strategic areas around the country, many casemates containing artillery pieces also line the mountains and hills surrounding the capital city, maintained and kept well stocked with replies in order to be able to respond to threats. These however are mostly imported, however often adapted and rechambered for ammunition easily available for the Elyrish to produce. Along with this Elyr imports all but the most basic of aircraft and vehicles from other nations, with poorly designed and built MoW's forming the majority of their armoured cavalry and airforce.
Whilst mainly serving in auxiliary roles such as field doctors and nurses, there are a fair number of mages who are willing to take to the front lines and fight offensively with their brothers, and combat medics to accompany them onto the battlefield. Unlike some nearby nations, Elry has made an effort to incorporate magical talents into their military, each unit trained slightly differently according to the skills of their magi-in-arms.
^Model of 1898 Infantry Rifle M-98 Infantry Rifle (1898) - Accurate, good old fashioned bolt action rifles. Many years out of production, mainly used as a training tool to teach younger soldiers how to shoot accurately and take their time with each shot. Enough of these exist as wall hangers to be emergency weapons, and are easy enough for anyone to use. Internal 10 round magazine, fed with stripper clips. Chambered in 7.62 Elyr.
^Model of 1935 Automatic Rifle (standard) M35 Automatic Rifle - Select-fire conversion of the old M98 bolt action rifles, using a different housing however. Using a cam connected to a gas piston to automarically cycle the bolt after each shot. Using this operation method, the rifle can fire at roughly 600 rounds per minute in automatic. In battle this rifle functions as both a precision rifle, accurate over long distances and also, to a lesser extent, a light machine gun - acting much more portable and manoeuvrable than the latter. When used in an light machine gun role, squad rotates the rifle in use between available weaponry to prevent heat build up. Issued with 4 magazines (25 rounds each). All rifles of this model feature a magazine cut off to allow dragonfire or blank cartridges to be loaded individually instead of having to have a dedicated magazine for each.
M-35G (Grenedier's Rifle) - Exactly the same as the base rifle, except with the addition of a 'spigot' rifle grenade mount attached to the muzzle of the barrel. When used in combination with blank ammunition, the grenade is projected towards enemy encampments before exploding on impact. Features a grenade sight on the left side of the rifle which the infantry man uses to aim towards enemy positions. Issued with 4 standard magazines, along with 7 rifle grenades.
M-35H (Heavy Rifle) - Almost exactly the same as the base M35 Automatic Rifle, however featuring a heavier, 'finned' barrel to increase surface area and cool down. Each squad is issued at least one of these rifles to use when prolonged firepower is necessary. Comes with an extended magazine, however is also interchangable with regular magazines in a pinch. Issued with 2 extended magazines (40 rounds) and 2 standard magazines (25 rounds).
^Model of 1933 Stock* Repeating Pistol M-33S* Repeating Pistol. - Standard sidearm of the Elyrian military. Like the M33S RP the S* features a detachable stock, used to increase controlability whilst firing, and also possesses a selectable firing mode incorporated into the stock. While less effective than an ordinary submachine gun, the M33S* functions well enough in both is role as a sidearm and as a close quarters 'spray and pray' weapon when paired with it's 50 round drum magazine. Issued with two standard 10 round box magazines, three 50 round drum magazines, and the military style stock (compatible with only the S*). Fires at roughly 500 rounds per minute. Chambered in 10mm Elyr.
^Model of 1918 Marksman Rifle. M-18 Marksman - The M-18 makes up the primary force behind Elyrian sniper forces. Built originally as a semi-automatic rifle, with a 'fall back' manual bolt in case of carbon build up or other faults with the piston mechanism; the Elyrian army use them slightly differently, with the bolt action firing mode intended for sniping, and the semi-automatic firing mode intended for personal defense during repositioning or extraction. Issued both with and without optics, due to the initial struggle in developing side mounted optics that didn't fall out of zero when fired. Features a magazine cut off to allow single feeding of ammunition and is issued with one 20 round box magazine and a two 10 round magazines. Chambered in 7.62 Elyr.
M-35M - Semi automatic locked version of the M-35, with stricter tolerances on components to boost accuracy. Issued with smaller 10 round magazines and a foregrip with a shallower angle to allow more comfort when firing in the prone positions. Features magazine cut off and is issued with 3 magazines.
M-99M - Modification of the M-98, with tighter machining tolerances. More accurate than the base model and allows more precision in battle. Largely discontinued, but preferred by older soldiers who trained whilst they were prominent. Features a magazine cut off and is issued with three ten round magazines. (Can also be fed by stripper clip through open bolt)
M-37 - Internally suppressed, the M-37 is a short carbine issued to special forces of Elyr. Using the same subsonic 10mm ammunition as the M-33 pistols. Extremely quiet compared to other rifles, silent at distances of 50 meters, and effective at ranges up to 20 hundred meters. Folding stock allows for hire portability and allows easier concealment by special forces.
^Eighty-Eight Mobile Platform Mk1 M1 Eighty-Eight. Following the development of the current battle tactics of Elyr, which rely on swift movements to overpower and out-manoeuvre your enemy, it was realised that standard anti-tank and anti-air pieces were commonly slow to move. Using the adapted chassis of a cargo hauler, the Elyrian military mounted an 88mm aa/at weapon onto the back, and added retractable stabilisation legs on each side to help prevent the truck tipping on firing.
The gun is extremely effective, served by a 6 man crew, not including a driver, and can penetrate up to 118mm of armour at 1000 meters with APCBC ammunition, with access to a HEI shell for more exposed targets, e.g. open top vehicles, zeplins, bunkers, etc.
Magic Prevalence/Usage: Magic is a fairly common day to day occurrence in Elyr, with an estimated 9% of it's native population having access some sort of magical potential. Magisters are required to be enrolled into the Imperial Academy of Magical Arts to be taught control of their abilities (in order to protect themselves and those around them from harm), and encouraged into fields befitting their skills/ that most benefit Elyr.
The Imperial Academy is sited in the Eastern province, a stones throw north from the capital city which lies nestled in the foot of the mountain range. A beautiful stone building, with magnificent coloured glass stands alone in the forest, with large grounds mostly cleared of trees within its walls. Built with magically reinforced stone, it can withstand all but the most explosive catastrophe, and is the safest place in the country, if not the continent, for a young mage to learn self control, and be taught the necessary skills in order to get through life.
Post education, students are encouraged to join professions to help the advancement of Elyr, such as medicine, research or the military; however they are not forced into a life they don't wish to live amd are permitted to return home if they wish once they have completed their training.
Over 900 years ago, Elyr lied as four seperate states, each with varying degrees of economic success and military strength. None however, could match the strength of Endrea, the westernmost province of modern day Elyr, led by King Talsnnir. Over a series of campaigns, drawn out over 4 years of conquest, the forces of Endrea conquered the southern portion of the continent, from the eastern shores of Endrea itself to the western shores of the Isles of th Rorik people. With each piece of land he gained control of he forced the lords either pledging their allegiances to him, or be replaced and be given the opportunity to run.
Despite growing on in years, the king still saw fit to wage war upon nearby nations, soon turning his eyes northward, towards the nation of [redacted] and their rich arable land; arable land being something much needed during to the denser forests that then existed. Talsnnir himself met his fate on the battlefield, fighting for the country he fought hard to create and maintain; his last breath spent on a prayer to Ather for a safe journey to the stars. With no King the offensive was deserted, soldiers returning to their homes, leaving the Queen and the King's son to sign a peace treaty, commonly referred to as the 'Treaty of the Lands', which agreed that [redacted] would not invade the Kingdom of Elyr in exchange for some of the little arable land that Elyr had in the north, and control of the northern bank of the Grey Beck.
It was this defeat, and realisation of Elyr's natural disadvantage in the way of infantry numbers that the Crown later created an official military force for Elyr relying on career soldiers rather than whatever militia could be whipped up in the moment, and as such allowed the country to truly train and prepare for warfare, mainly utilising what came to be known as small unit tactics and 'lightning war'.
1349, Treaties of the Arbori' was signed as a pact between the Crown and the Elven strongholds. It acted both as a mutual defense agreement, from both internal and external threats, and the beginnings of trade relations between the isolated city states and Elyr.
Years turned over, monarchs died (or killed) and were replaced. In the year 1476 Thonjolf the 1st of Elyr was overthrown by the peasantry (with some disguised support from disgruntled nobles) after a bout of poor decisions which led to a series of deaths, monetary loss and high taxation rates. The peasants managed to get to the King, depose (and later, dispose) of him and replace him with his young daughter Minnette who officially acted as head of state, but effectively had her decisions controlled by other 'more experienced' lords and forced to sign the "Charter of Rights" which restricted the Monarchy's power and forced them to have a panel of the elected to act as advisors.
When the age of industrialisation came however, Elyr was rather behind economically. After putting down a civil war, few men were in fit state to work in factories, and the Crown in even less of a state to finance the advancement of the narion. So to begin with it started small; a factory here, a factory there, slowly growing up the infrastructure as and when it was afforded. A high priority remained on the production of weapons and equipment of war, as the Crown was paranoid of being colonised or invaded.
1840, the Crown realised the growing issue of 'magi related incidents', forming the Imperial Academy of Magical Arts in order to combat and control this growing danger. Mandatory for all magi-in-residence to attend, it taught self discipline and control to the students; fostering an atmosphere of nurturing and giving the students the ability to grow in both magical prowess and in themselves.
When the 'Fire Mountain' erupted, the state was unprepared to deal with the aftermath. With many seasons of crops failing, combined with the small amount of arable land actually available, Queen Bree the Second of Elyr entered into emergency agreements with the Elves for the 'import' of fresh meats for her people and requested research done into alternative food sources and found that sea algae and sea weed could be refined using age old methods from the Rorik tribals to form nutritious and filling meals.
Nation Relations (Can be as simple as a brief two line summary for your neighbors): Neutral trade partners with the Hastor, with held tongues over their treatment of none-religious Magi. (Vicker)
Imports of weaponry from the Republic of Acrad, in exchange for exports of fish, construction materials, and sea algae; trades facilitated by Anglonia-Eirein who protect the trade routes. (Roby, Jolt)
After encountering the people of the Flotilla eight years ago, Bree the Second came to an agreement with the Assembly. Both nation would pay for two docking locations, one to the east by the capital, and one to the west by Elyr's port town, and would work together in trade. Elyr also takes mages, viewed by the Flotilla as a danger, and train them up and give them a new home. (Lord)
Name: Fenizia Dominiqua dell'Dio (Phoenix Dominion of the Sun, often abbreviated as Fenizia/Fenice) Government: Constitutional Monarchy (transforming into a theocratic-military junta) Head of the State: Maestralto Vettorio da Vigo (regent) Dominant Species: Calavenyr (Sun Elves) Population: 55 million
Previously a great power Fenice had significant ambitions with influence in several portions of the Othea. Their momentum came to an abrupt halt when the supervolcano Vesvius erupted, covering most of the main islands in a thick layer of ash. Losing their capital and nearly the entire royal family Fenice is at the brink of collapse yet still intent on retaining their former status.
History
TBA
Territory
WIP
Fenice is an empire with its domain stretching across the globe. Their mainland Fenizia consists of three islands: Albator, Falcola and Yelinor. Used to be an abundant land with nearly 90% of the Dominion's population the supervolcano reduced most of these into borderline unlivable wastelands. Even the neighboring island of Giazol bathed in dense ash, although its inhabitants of hardy trolls managed to survive. Even after the catastrophe Fenice retained considerable control over the Verronto Sea with a couple of territories held near the shores. As far as the Western continent goes Fenice has two major holdings in Firoir (North) and Kazatrea (South), the latter currently being the largest agricultural region of the entire Dominion.
Demographics
Fenice is an empire ruled by the Sun Elves. Their magical prowess and overall positive attitude defines the nation. Only a decade ago they made up the majority of the Dominion but after the catastrophe they are forced into a minority rule of only 47% of the population. The second most common race are the humans, of course. Forest elves also compose a respectable portion of around 5%. Trolls suffered great loses during the disaster but thanks to their fertility and massive government aid their numbers are steadily growing back, their strength and resilience finds great use within the Ashlands. With colonies nearly everywhere it could be said that Fenice has minorities of nearly every species from Othea.
Distant descendants of the more widespread forest elves (or just elves for short). It is actually uncertain how they came to be and curiously why their populations are exclusive to Fenice. Many creation mythologies exist with the most popular taught by Dionist clergy. According to this the Calavenyr used to be common elves who answered the call of the Phoenix, mythological entities considered the closest to the Sun. Rewarding such devotion these elves underwent a divine transformation, receiving the Sun's blessing. At first glance there are no obvious marks distinguishing a sun elf from their forestry ancestors. Sun elves tend to have brighter eye and hair colors like blonde or various shades of red but this isn't universal. Their tendency for less pale skin is also dependent on lifestyle. Yet interacting with a sun elf the difference is immediately obvious. Most elves are aloof and distant with outsiders. Their pride does not allow them to acknowledge others like equals. While equally prideful a sun elf has no such restrictions and actually are considered quite open and warm personalities around. This is of course cultural and so is their focus on family. While the bloodline is important for all elves only a sun elf could speak hours about their family, at times even when nobody asked them to. They love to talk and curious to meet new people, an elementary part of their culture. Overall sun elves are possessed by a sorts of "energy" none of their other brethren do. Dionism teaches this to be a divine inspiration permeating their race but more rational minds explain it as a side effect of their high magical aptitude. Elves tend to be more magically capable than humans but even among them magical talents are uncommon. For sun elves the ability to use magic is universal and innate, they earn it at birth. Their gift is so abundant it actually turns into a curse. Without proper training sun elves are doomed to be killed by their own errant magical powers. Sun elves are universally adept at casting spells. One would think this naturally mean they became pioneers in magical research yet the reality is slightly different. When everybody is special, nobody is. Calavenyr revel in their talents but also consider them a natural part of their lives. They don't fear magic and don't really seek it, either. It's already there for them. Thus while most nations have tales if not historical documents about mighty wizards abusing their great powers, Fenice consider this idea almost entirely foreign. This is partially because their power is also designed to be a sun elf's downfall. Amassing more power invites the risk of losing control to disastrous results. Even with temperance at average sun elves only live for 70 years compared to the forest elves' 200. They are not long lived like other elves, although they are gifted with eternal youth. No sun elf ever grows old, although strain and magical mishaps can cause effects like whitened hair or health complications. That being said sun elves rarely if ever envious to the longevity of other elves. This is rooted in their faith and the Dionist creation myth. The Mighty Phoenix gave them short lifespans as a mercy, a gift to allow faithful Calavenyr to reunite with the Sun earlier. This also changes their attitude towards death, while they do mourn their loss and protect their families with fervor in the personal sense they view their own death like a glorious event. Fenician philosophy is to live one's life to the fullest and pass away in glory. It goes without saying that sun elves are considered "weird" and unusual to both elves and humans alike.
Trolls are the indigenous life on Giazol, albeit different species of trolls can exist in other parts of the world. Before interacting with Fenice they were tribal hunter gatherers which gradually became a monarchy. Trolls (or Hruogi as Fenicians call them) are massive, at times 3m tall, and possess a weirdly overdeveloped upper body. They are known to be simple and not very dexterous but excellent for physical labor. Even before the catastrophe many trolls wandered out of their island either as mercenaries or laborers and this only intensified since then. After Vesvius' eruption Giazol was covered in thick ash but thankfully their hardy nature saved them to suffer the same massive fatalities as the Calavenyr. Regardless they were left with practically no food and were at the mercy of Fenician aid. This in turn meant them sacrificing even more of their previous independence, giving room for new Fenician industries and agreeing to worker quotas that are constantly being shipped for mainland to do heavy labor. 10 years since the catastrophe and troll workers are a common sight on the ashen wastes. They work in mines and other resource extraction attempts. Their homeworld is also engaged in similar activities. There are also over a million trolls who have effectively became factory slaves. Working 12 hours a day for not even minimal wage. While many trolls are resigned to their fate or even embrace the change there's a rebelious minority which causes unrest, crimes and various other trouble to the government. Given the financial standing of trolls at large it is unknown how they acquire their equipment but their activities are seemingly intensifying.
Fenice has a state religion and it's called Dionism, named after the Sun. It celebrates the Sun and views it as an abstract meaning for all that is good in life. Dionists are taught to revel in the daylight and despise darkness. This of course goes beyond just celebrating the day, to a Dionist the Sun symbolizes enlightenment, revelation, cleanse and purity. They also view fire as an extension of the Sun and respect it accordingly. Although they similarly accept other sources of light. While in theory religious freedom is allowed (since the 18th century) in practice Fenice offers considerable benefits to Dionists and has various restrictions on the temples of other faiths. That being said Dionism is flexible and accepting of other dieties. In order to quickly assimilate other beliefs they allow these religions to be part of Dionism. They retain their traditions while also adopting Dionist system, gradually becoming similar to the main Dionist faith. As such there are dozens of sub-variants to Dionism, even a type that outright denies the existence of god. This so-called Atheist-Dionism is gaining traction among various Fenician thinkers. Altogether it can be said that over 95% of the empire is practicing some form of Dionism. The leader of this faith has the title of Genitrix and always assumed by a woman. As the symbolical Mother of all Dionist she commands considerable influence and growing sway over the politics.
Government
Fenice is technically a Republican Dominion, a form of democratic republic turned constitutional monarchy ruled by the Imperator. While the duty of the Imperator is somewhat ceremonial in effect he or she has almost complete control, only delegating his authority to various ministers and the Senate. The Senate itself is democratically elected although validated by the Imperator. In turn the Senate has the right to accept a new Imperator among the heirs. Unfortunatelly the current Imperator is only 10 years old, born not long before the catastrophe. Until Imperator Bonaccorso Dietto de Alberinis is of age (20 years) he's under the tutelage of Vettorio da Vigo, Maestralto (Grandmaster) of the Phoenix Order of Holy Knights (Ordine Sacro Fenicio). Thanks to that and the dire times the military is gaining steadily in influence, threatening to turn Fenice into a military dictatorship. Since Vettorio is a regent and not the Imperator the Senate is powerless against him.
Magic
Sun elves are gifted with magic from birth and thus magecraft is part of their everyday lives. Neglecting that the errant magic energies are bound to result in health complications and random accidents. Sun elves regularly channel their powers to some purpose and this lead to a fruitous industry of enchanted household items. Fenice used artificial lights run on Solarite centuries before the invention of lightbulbs and if you show them a lighter they might laugh at its flimsy design compared to their magical firestarters. This does not lead to technological leaps but does result in the average Fenician having more conveniences than others.
True to their religion Fenice is almost enamored by the element of fire. Also dubbed as the plasma element they excel in magically producing or controlling heat energy which can be channeled to various utilities, usually with Solarite as the medium. Fenician Blaze Masters are known for their dreadful destructive potential in battle although at home they are more often viewed as weirdos. In truth sun elves view magic as a tool, an utility. They view it as a gift and rejoice in its use yet don't feel particularly empowered by it. Thus Fenice had rather limited emerge of mighty magic users with agendas and delusions of grandeur. It is just not something in their culture.
Economy/Industry
Fenice used to be powerful merchant nation and its wealth lead to early industrialization. Yet unlike elsewhere Fenice approached industry in moderation, unwilling to sacrifice their beautiful landscape for more output. This didn't stop them to create massively successful industries and they certainly had less reservations from exploiting territories outside their mainlands. After light industry flourished Fenice focused their efforts on steel, became known not for the volume but the sheer quality of their production. Fenician metallurgy is still sought after in many parts of Othea. Given their overall obsession with fire and other energetic events they quickly adopted steam and gradually other types of engines. Turbines in particular are Fenician inventions, although the original required the cooperation of fire elementals to function. Of course magical enchantments in both the production and the function of the goods is standard in Fenice. Electricity itself was understood in Fenice but treated like a curiosity rather than something practical. It took decades of rapid development in the field for Fenice finally deciding to adopt electric devices and they only really began using lightbulbs in the last 10 years.
Of course in their recent history the event with the single greatest impact to their economy is the supervolcano catastrophe. Half their entire population dead, 80% of the mainland covered in ash. Even after massive restructuring Fenice only has 40% the industrial capacity compared to 1927. Fenice's once prosperous light industry is in ruins and since the government focuses on rebuilding their heavy industry first it continues to erode. Agriculture is restructuring but still insufficient to sustain as many as 55 million men. The treasury is bleeding away money at record rate and it's unknown if it could be stopped before the Dominion goes bankrupt. Yet outwardly Fenice maintains a strong front, presenting its best side.
Also referred as sun-metal it takes the form of faintly glowing crystal with the ever changing color of fire (when refined). Usually found in areas with volcanic activity Solarite has the capability to store light and heat radiation and also transfer it rapidly given the right impulses. It's a convenient energy medium and modulator material with plethora of potential uses. Fenice of course doesn't have monopoly over Solarite yet given their expertise and already extensive industry they hardly have any competitors in the field.
Technology
As an island nation populated by the eccentric sun elves Fenice took unique approaches to developing their science. For starters magic is part of the common domain and its use is an everyday practice. It comes at no surprise that Fenician inventions very often include magic in their operation. This doesn't make them inherently superior, though. Fenice juat views magical solution the same as you try to choose between different engine types or other mechanism. Speaking of engines Fenice developed blaze turbines that since then spread everywhere in more limited quantities. The obvious advantage for a blaze turbine is their compactness as they are powered by a huge solarite core heating up a steam or occasionally gas turbine. While compact they are also having limited range and outside Fenice they are considered expensive. Various hybrid blaze systems are developed for more economical uses, including the blaze engines where an internal combustion engine's performance is supported by a solarite energy for compact performance. Aside from engines solarite has widespread use in many applications, most notably heaters and light sources. While electric lights are nowadays more affordable solarite lamps are still in use. Aside from solarite Fenice is also known for using elemental devices, an offshoot of golem tech. While golems require the creation of artificial souls Fenice sidesteps this by calling spirits to inhabit their objects. While technically cheaper this method relies on delicate spiritual contracts and personal compatibility, for example inheriting an elemental device could be tricky. Based on this Fenice developed semi-elemental controls but due to its reliability issues everyone else rather uses the more stable pseudo golem system.
Nation Relations
As a major power with presence all around Othea Fenice often invokes polarizing opinions. Their ideologies are also strong enough to provoke this. Fenice views magic as an absolute good and evaluates others by their capacity to it. Their theocratic stance in the enlightened world is also somewhat controversial. They also used to be opponents to overindustrialization and corporate overreach, although their stance weakened considerably. In addition several countries have territorial claims to the Dominion which of course provides tension if not outright hostilities. On the other hand making enemies also resulted in them making unlikely allies to which Fenice makes full use of.
- Volsinii Empire: Fenice abused the Volsinii civil war for territorial gains while also providing support to the elven side. The occupied territories were put under elven leadership and treated humans like secondary citizen. Both garnered resentment from the now human-dominated Volsinii. Although elvish elements still provide partisan support and many of their important people fled to Fenice.
- Hastur: The great empire shares many ideologies with Fenice yet the two nations focus more on their differences. This is partially thanks to Fenice's approach towards Hastur as a bounty, a land to exploit. After their near-collapse 10 years ago Hastur struck back and now provide non-stop trouble.
[to be continued...]
Military
Fenician military is sworn to protect three things: the emperor, the senate and the Dionist faith. While there's a state army in effect they are often split up between Fenician militant nobles who treat them like retainers. Thus even above these three the soldiers tend to be loyal to their Lord and his/her family. All lords own "castles" that are mobile fortresses while also acting as their living quarters while in action. These "fortresses of war" (rocca di guerra or roguerra in short) can take the shape of armored trains, air cruisers or most commonly giant naval vessels. This keeps Fenician army constantly on the move with a complex yet flexible line of logistics to maintain it. This is the natural evolution of their fighting style adopted for securing territories as the first priority while requiring relatively small active forces. Indeed the Fenician military focuses on quality of soldiers over the numbers, although recent events lead to a rapid expansion of their forces.
Infantry Fenician infantry unites the style of old and new. Their soldiers wear high-quality steel armor to protect the vital areas while altogether adopting modern equipment. This is partially due to their traditions and appearances but also because of the value in each soldier. They consider armoring up troops cheaper than training new ones.
- Carbina Modello 24 "Rombo": Self-loading carbine firing 6x60mm cartridges using a 24 round helical magazine hidden within the stock. The gun is relatively compact yet features a long barrel and has great accuracy thanks to the high velocity projectiles. Rombo carbines need proper care and do not tolerate amateurish handling. Their choice of magazine also forces soldiers to carry spares in "quivers". Although most of the extra ammo is issued in 6-round stripper clips with conversion kits to even feed these into ammo belts. Lastly the rifle is designed with the intention to also fire rifle grenades and can fire up to 200 meters.
- Revelioni Arch.P. 30M "Gigantosso": Large caliber semi-automatic gun originally invented for the police against trolls. It fires 13mm medium velocity smoothbore rounds from a 5 round tube magazine. Essentially an elvish shotgun for riot control but also seen service in the military. People occasionally dub this gun the "trollslayer".
- Franchii 19M "Contesa": The most popular variant of Franchii's series of sporting pistols. It has a relative bullpup design allowing a longer barrel in a more compact package. It can accept various magazines available both in tubular and helical style. It's originally chambered in the long 5x40mm Franchi cartridge but can also accept the newer 5x30mm Auto cartridges more popular for military pistols. Due to its cost the 19M is mostly found with officers.
- Franchii 28M "Fulminare": A simplified and cheaper version of Franchii's sporting pistols, accepted for military service. It fires 5mm Auto rounds that are light but posses great velocity (for a pistol) and its helical magazine can hold 25 rounds.
- Scioppo Modello 29: Submachinegun chambered in 5mm Auto issued for assault troops. It has a top mounted helical magazine available in 50, 100 or even 200-round variants. The reinforced barrel and action allows sustained fire and the heavier variants can be considered ultralight machineguns designated for fire support alone.
- Revelioni L.Mtg.F. 21C: Belt or magazine fed light machinegun which uses helical chambering to allow phenomenal rate of fire. It can fire 1440-1800 rounds per minute but due to safety concerns it's limited to only semi-auto and 6-round burst. The underlying theory is that the rapid spray of 6 rounds allows more likelihood to cause damage but this also limits the gun's usefulness at close range or anti-air.
- Franchii Modelo 11: Medium machinegun chambered in the same 6x60mm round as service rifles. It has a rather standard blowback mechanism and rugged design that allows 600RPM. Like its designation implies the M11 is a bit heavier than more modern machineguns, in the excess of 15kg without the tripod and ammo belts, thus more frequently seen in fortifications or as vehicular mounts.
- Revlioni Ri.P. 33 "Stretta": Compact anti-tank rifle using the same shells as the common 14mm anti-aircraft and tankette cannons. For this purpse it uses a recoilless mechanism and single shot configuration which might sacrifice stealth and second shot accuracy but gives an easily transportable and powerful weapon to the field. In addition since based on the 14mm shells it can fire high explosive warheads or other types of ammunition than just AP. Due to its success even 14mm starshells were invented to shoot inside windows.
- Lancirazzi Modello 32 "Pugilo": Versatile rocket projector used both as mortar and direct artillery. It launches a 60mm rocket that can reach 3km indirect and 400m in direct fire mode (though accurate hits are only guaranteed at 100m). Intended for fire support and to storm bunkers, the latter is accomplished by starshells (thermobarics). The launcher is light enough to be carried by one man and can be broken up into two pieces for easier transportation.
Armor Due to Fenice's history of golem usage they became enamored with walker vehicles rather early. Thus their AFV development quickly shifted for creating legged vehicles, relying on their semi elemental technology and dubbed Camminarmato (abbreviated as CA, roughly translates as "armed walker"). Initial models were slow which was frequently criticized by the cavalry branch. To answer this they created the "rolling legs" concept where the legs housed either wheels or track propulsion along with the capability to shift their posture and lean on said surfaces to behave like conventional vehicles. While added complexity the system ultimately allowed faster and more economical travel while giving it rough terrain capability uncontested by wheeled vehicles. An offshoot of this development are the non-bipedal Passarmati (PA) that are quad-, hexa- or octopod designs made for stability. Passarmati can be also a collective term for all walker machines used for combat, including those used by other nations.
Name: Camminarmato Modello 04 Genera H "Lancaris" In Service: 1913- Height: 3.77m (maximum in walker mode), 2.1m (tracked mode) Length: 1.87m (walker mode), 2.95m (tracked mode) Weight: 4.2 metric tons (older variants are around 3.3-3.8 tons) Top Speed: 16 km/h (walker mode, 12km/h for older variants), 30km/h (tracked mode) Armor: 5-16mm (older variants only have 10mm) Armament Options: Obice da 30/24 M18 (Howitzer, 120 rounds) CC-14/120 M25 (anti-tank gun, 250 rounds) Mortario di 60/13 M21 (light mortar, 60 rounds) Lancifiamma M14/M29 (flamethrower types for special use) Secondary Armament: Franchinii M11 machinegun Crew: 2 (sergeant/commander/knight and assistant/driver/paige)
Golems were a staple of Fenician military but they never became very common. Their magic hungry nature limited their applications so with the advent of motorized vehicles and pseudo golem mechanisms it soon became a race between Fenician companies who could produce the most capable military walker. While initial models were not very successful after studying foreign designs it eventually lead to the Lancaris (archaic Fenician word for lancer), a walker and light tank hybrid intent on becoming the modern cavalry. Initial models had poor reliability and construction, only serving really as a training model rather than a serious vehicle. The B variation continued this trend but introduced a stable and very streamlined design which became the foundation for future upgrades. In 1919 the Generation D introduced cannonry for the first time, its 30mm howitzer was engineered explicitly for vehicular use. During the chaotic year of 1927 Lancaris I Gen. E formed the backbone of the military. The wars exposed the walker's newfound vulnerability to anti-tank rifles, hence first the F model with add-on armor and then by 1930 they introduced the G model with a new chassis and hull structure, although many D, E and F variants were also upgraded to the new standard with varying success. The current variant is the H model with improved powerplant and various other upgrades inspired by the Lancaris II. With the introduction of the new battle walker the Lancaris I of course is being rendered obsolete yet their lightness means they can be useful for second grade military units and local security. Their low fuel consumption makes them viable to run until their expiration.
Name: Cavarmato Modello 14 Genera C "Lancaris II" In Service: 1932 Height: 4.27m (maximum in walker mode), 2.7m (tracked mode) Length: 2.28m (walker mode), 3.75m (tracked mode) Weight: 9.2 metric tons Top Speed: 25 km/h (walker mode), 50km/h (tracked mode) Armor: 12-36mm Armament Options: 14mm Autocannon (fed by 60-round helical magazines, 9 magazines plus 140 loose shells total) CC-30/90 (anti-vehicular gun, 90 ammo) Obice da 60/24 (howitzer, 50 ammo) Secondary Armament: Franchinii M11 or Revelioni L.Mtg.F. 21C Crew: 2 (knight and their paige)
Second generation cavalry walker based on both the lessons of previous theaters and technological advances through the decade. It features a larger turret encompassing half the upper hull to allow greater depression and elevation. This larger turret is driven by a blaze-electric mechanism to make it responsive. Armor wise the Lancaris II received a massive improvement, its pike shaped frontal plate can resist surprising amount of firepower thanks to its metallurgy and steep angling. Overall though the Lancaris II is still a light AFV, not meant to take heavy fire. Some of the components are still vulnerable to machinegun fire, potentially crippling the vehicle without requiring to pierce its armor. Side protection is also weak, still vulnerable to anti-tank rifles. Regardless the vehicle is highly successful with battle proven performance in multiple theaters. While some argue the Lacaris II is inadequate against future threats currently there's a strong opposition to replace these walkers. Given the meager industrial power of Fenice the replacement of thousands of battle walkers would also require considerable time.
Name: Cavarmato Modello 19 "Battiste" In Service: 1936 Height: 5.27m (maximum) Length: 2.98m (for the hull, 5.89m w/ gun forward) Weight: 22.7 metric tons Top Speed: 25 km/h (walker mode) Armor: 15-55mm Main Armament: CC-60/75 (modified 60mm general purpose gun, 80 ammo) Secondary Armaments: Revelioni L.Mtg.F. 21C (top), Franchinii M11 x 2 (one co-axial and one for bottom) Crew: 3 (knight/commander, gunnery sergeant, paige/driver)
Heavy battle walker under testing by Fenice. It features a strong combination of armor and firepower along with a number of revolutionary features. The upper hull disappeared, replaced by a huge turret. Its main cannon is the same 60mm general purpose gun that Fenice adopted widescale). Unfortunatelly the walker is subject of controversies both due to being a heavy battle walker and for the multiple compromises the designers had to do in order to create these. For starters it's heavy and lacks the rolling leg design, limiting its strategic mobility. The three man crew also introduced complications as for decades Fenician knights were used to fight in pairs. The fact the knight could no longer fire the main gun but rely on another assistant is loathed by many, feeling like they had been reduced to supporting roles. Lastly while the 60mm cannon is powerful many blame this weapon for requiring such a huge vehicle and thus many of the inherent faults. A lot of people argue that a hexapod design could've accomplished this far easier. This obviously slows down the adoption of the Battiste.
Nation Name: The Great Storm Empire of Naqatl, commonly just the Great Storm Empire National Demonym: Naqatli Type of Government: Elective Theocracy. I'll explain below. Head(s) of Government: The Rain Emperor. Each Rain Emperor is elected from amongst the priest-kings that themselves rule each city-state that makes up the Great Storm Empire. Each individual reign is five years long; if another Rain Emperor is elected, the previous one is ritually sacrificed to ensure prosperity for the new Emperor. Unlike blood sacrifice in our world, this actually works. Most of the time. Sort of.
Exports:-
Precious metals (gold, silver, platinum)
Gems
Jewellery and similar prestige goods
Tropical hardwoods
Rubber
Hemp
Dyes
Maize
Electrical Goods. Yes, really.
Imports:-
Machine Tools
Steel
Chemicals
Natural Gas
Canned Goods
Health And Safety Legislation (they don't actually do this, but they probably should.)
Thunderbolt Pyramids: The stepped temples of the Great Storm Empire are focal points not just for the populace of the cities, but also for works of magic. Mass blood sacrifice is fairly common, though the blood of noble or powerful families is more prized by the mage-priests for their craft. The blood magic of the Thunderbolt Priests keeps the harvest bountiful and the mines safe-ish, as well as control the weather. When the volcano erupted in the north, the reigning Emperor co-ordinated over a hundred simultaneous mass sacrifices, including his own, to protect the land from its ravages. The nation runs on blood, and the Thunderbolt Pyramids have thus become a combination of a magical research laboratory, temple, seat of government, power station, and factory. The central discovery was this: all living beings contain some minor portion of magic. Extracting that magic is easy; extracting it without killing the being is far harder. Mage-priests have powerful affinities for magic of various types, and form a caste analogous to the scholar-bureaucrats of our world's China; they build great machines that are powered by the mana extracted from the sacrifices, as well as store that mana in elaborate carved stones that burn with a wine-dark power.
Butterfly Heroes: The butterfly is a symbol of inner strength among the Naqatli, for it lives but a short time and yet creates beauty from its own flesh. Thus is something seen as pretty wimpy in other cultures a symbol of martial prowess in the Great Storm Empire. When the Empire first encountered mecha from across the world, it worried them greatly... because it meant that the world was catching up. The priest-kings often created giant warriors, hewn from black stone and equipped with mighty weapons, as symbols of the power of blood and of their cities. After the advent of gunpowder weaponry and artillery, they became mobile gun platforms, a rifleman armed with a tank gun. How were they powered? A squadron of soldiers, ruthlessly drilled over the course of a whole year, was immured in the central atria of the Butterfly Hero in devices akin to iron maidens. Now, of course, the priests are beyond such trivialities; while there still isn't exactly a standardized model, the Great Pink Emperor (the standard line-of-battle mecha-equivalent) is made from concrete, inscribed with microscopic precision, and with over a hundred trained soldiers immured within. For ranged combat, they field a variety of weapons, ranging from cutting-edge anti-tank cannons to machine "pistols" that spew heavy-calibre bullets in monstrous numbers to honest-to-God bows and arrows; the only common theme between one Butterfly Hero's armament and another's is that they're crackling with blood-powered magic. For melee combat, the fact that it's a fifty-foot concrete statue tends to suffice, though certain cities still arm their Butterfly Heroes with giant maces or axes to clear paths through the jungle... or just bash people apart. The thing about the Butterfly Heroes is that they don't really fight like conventional mecha; they fight like really big warriors. They're fast, they're nimble, they're agile, and they have an incredible range of motion. They're also painted in eye-searingly fluorescent colours; let people who can die when a bullet hits them wear camouflage. This is a Hero, and Heroes must be seen.
White Gardens: While one might think that blood magic is inherently the magic of death, it's really not; at least, not to the priests of the Great Storm Empire. The enormous amounts of blood-drained corpses generated by their sacrifices don't go to waste. Instead, the bodies are taken back into the temple complex and rendered down into fertilizer for the great floating gardens within the cities. A kind of primitive hydroponics system, these are huge fields around a lake or body of water that are actually on the water itself, and these magically-drained corpses are a wonderful source of nutrients for an already rich soil. Maize is a reasonably common crop, and it's a staple of the local diet; other crops include chili peppers, tomatoes, squashes of varying types, and cocoa beans, but the staple crop has always been amaranth. Not only is it a highly nutritious cereal crop, the leaves, roots, and stems can be eaten as well, and they also have the effect of attracting hummingbirds. These brightly-coloured birds are seen as proof of the gods' favour for farmers, and are also seen as a delicacy and proof of a woman's skill at farming.
Primary Species: Papalotli The papalotli are roughly human in shape, though taller and more lissom than most humans who aren't catwalk models. Their wrists are ball-jointed, like a gibbon's, giving them extremely fine motor control; they also have quite dense muscle mass, especially in their legs. The most obvious inhuman characteristic about them, however, is the wing membrane that stretches from their forearmsto their ankles. Not only is this, y'know, an enormous flap of taut skin, it's also bedecked in dazzling colours with psychedelic patterns. The papalotli can glide short distances with these membranes, and it is something of a sport for them. The wing membranes do fold down, allowing them to wear clothes; not that they tend to cover up much, except to keep the rain off. A waterproof poncho-looking thing made of capybara wool impregnated with rubber is about as much as they tend to wear, aside from jewellery in a variety of styles and places. They're a short-lived species, with the oldest in their ranks tending to pop their clogs at around fifty, and that's a recent development involving experimental blood magic; however, they make up for this by being fantastically fertile. It's not uncommon for papalotli women to have half a dozen children in a single litter. They're also not exactly maternal; papalotli children are seen as expendable, and a priest sacrificing a young boy to bless a harvest or a young girl to protect a warrior is a familiar sight in the fields. Thankfully for the children, they mature fast, arriving at adulthood by around three or four.
Population: ~317,270,000 souls ~302,240,000 million papalotli. I said there was a lot of them. ~12,800,000 humans ~1,500,000 sun elves ~650,000 dwarves ~80,000 dark elves
Culture: Naqatli culture is extremely sophisticated, with architecture and sculpture seen as the primary art forms. They use an alphabet of 40 symbols and use both paper and stone tablets - stone for things that they really want to last, such as government proclamations. There's also the whole "blood all over the fucking place" thing, but we've covered that in detail already and I don't want to bore you with more talk of brutal blood magic rituals. =]
Religion and Other Beliefs: A huge pantheon of gods which this margin is too narrow to contain. However, the king of the gods is Huas Li, the Lord of the Rainbow. Huas Li is the god who judges souls before guiding them to the afterlife; those who died as sacrifices are taken to the Great Garden, wherein they will be at ease for the rest of time. One imagines it's a bit crowded. Those who led bad lives, however, are brutally assailed by him, and ground into dust by blows from his enormous star-headed mace whilst still conscious enough to scream. It's a common bedtime story.
Location/Territories: The Great Storm Empire stretches from the Irridane Strait in the north to the Green Sea in the south, from the Chain Islands in the Great Expanse in the east to the Long Cloud mountains in the west. The Empire itself is a patchwork of territories, each centred around a temple-city rich with gold and blood. To list them all would be a Herculean task.
Climate: Sweltering, humid, and kept that way by blood magic.
Great Storm Heroes: 100 mechs NB: This is a rough estimate for the standing army under (for want of a better word) federal control; while the city-states all declare war whenever the Rain Emperor does, they are under no obligation to field more than a token force. However, Imperial military doctrine is based on three words: We. Have. Reserves. This is helped by the fact that as soon as papalotli boys reach adulthood, and sometimes before if they're big enough, they begin training as fighters. While individual city-states tend to have comparatively small standing armies, almost every male papalotli and quite a few of the female ones is essentially a reservist à la the Swiss military in our world.
Equipment:- Standardization? In the Great Storm Empire? Don't make me laugh. While equipment tends to be based on a pattern (unless the priesthood of that city lacks the resources to make or maintain it), each city-state within the Empire has its own armouries and weapon development programs and even fighting styles. On top of that, individual soldiers are not only permitted but actively encouraged to customise their gear if it means they fight better. The one commonality is the use of pneumatic weaponry.
As far as the individual infantryman goes, the Great Storm Empire's boots on the ground are almost comically under-equipped compared to almost every other major polity in the game. I remind you that this was also true of the Red Army during World War II. Most cities use a variant of the Monsoon-pattern "windrifle" as the primary firearm, a rapid-fire weapon that uses compressed air to propel a bullet rather than an explosive charge. The original Monsoon windrifle fires a .75-calibre lead ball with an approximate muzzle velocity of 500 metres per second; it also has a quite ingenious system of recoil compensation along with a handy bullpup configuration to make it pointable and not break the shooter's arms. It takes a 50-ball magazine, which it can discharge in a semi- or fully automatic manner, and the pre-charged gas bottle is good for approximately 200 rounds at full power and 200 more at diminishing levels. It's also damned near silent compared to similar chemically-propelled firearms, and produces neither smoke nor muzzle flash; the most you'll get is a fine mist of condensing air. Overpenetration is obviously something of an issue against light infantry, but there's a reason they're not dropping to a mid-powered round - Naqatli warrior culture deems it a far greater expression of prowess for a soldier to take captives than to kill the enemy, and paradoxically, overpenetration in that regard makes it more likely for the person struck to stay alive.
Compressed air weapons come in other variants too. A common support weapon for naqatli infantry is a Howling Gale-pattern (subject to customization and so forth) heavy machine gun that requires a three-man team to operate; two to control the weapon, and a third to carry the gas tanks and charging equipment. The HG is capable of laying down a truly withering amount of fire from its single smoothbore barrel without much in the way of wear and tear. It's also far from a marksman's weapon, opting instead to hose down the enemy with lead and hope someone gets hit; given that it's a 1.25" ball round with a very high muzzle velocity, anything that gets hit? It fucking stays hit. This includes vegetation, which has given it the nickname of the Lawnmower among the naqatli military. Also not a marksman's weapon is the Cloudburst super-light mortar, which fires a 50mm grenade made of converted mining explosives and earns its name by weighing all of about eight pounds. The Cloudburst is seen very much as a scout's weapon and is given in large numbers to the forward operations units. Uniquely among the world's infantry, these forward ops units are entirely mounted... on collapsible-framed bicycles. Stop laughing. Bicycle infantry of this kind are a potent force in the dense jungles of the Great Storm Empire. Faster than a man on foot, more nimble than a conventional off-road vehicle, and much quieter than a motorcycle, the bicycle scouts of the naqatli military machine allow commanders to harry enemy supply lines and camps with barrage after barrage of 2-inch grenades, almost silent courtesy of their compressed-air propulsion. Finally in the "common support weapons" category comes the Roaring Elephant-pattern anti-materiel rifle. Its "dump tank" technology makes it just about the most powerful compressed-air weapon in the arsenal of the Great Storm Empire, as it fires a rifled steel-cored 2-inch round weighing in at approximately 6lbs and possessed of an insanely high muzzle velocity. It's designed to take out hard targets and burst through vehicle armour, or at least cause enough spall to shred the crew inside. Interestingly, it's one of the very few pieces of naqatli wargear to have been designed by a non-papalotli, in this case a human woman originally from Southern Verdasou; this is probably the originator of the rifle's nickname, "Mrs. Carruthers".
Magic Prevalence/Usage: The Great Storm Empire runs on the mass blood sacrifice of the naqatli, and while this has led them to do some remarkable things, it's not exactly designed for the battlefield. It starts from this basic premise: all living things contain magic, in some quantity or another. Successfully extracting, capturing, and storing the magical energy of a living being is possible; if anything, it's quite easy, especially en masse. The problem is that doing so without killing the person is as close to impossible as makes no difference. The other problem is that the capture of this energy is almost impossible to do in the field, so to speak; doing so in an efficient manner requires an elaborate capture device, built preferably from a material that was never alive (such as stone or metal), that raises the sacrifice above the treeline (to prevent interference), and yeah okay it's a big temple. Storage is even trickier, requiring a permanent repository of non-living material as well as an output point for priests to call upon it. This isn't the kind of magic that leads to beardy blokes in pointy hats slinging fireballs around the place. It is a magic of rituals and of slow, grinding power, the magic of a factory and the magic of an engine.
The other problem is one of scale, specifically scaling down. While it's possible to create magic items in the conventionally understood sense, it's very difficult for them to stay that way. The magic used to power their special effects can burn out rather fast... for human- or papalotli-sized items. Naqatli blood magic works waaaaay better when powering large objects (there's interesting research going on into why that is even now), but it's also easier to have ancillary power sources in a large weapon. Basically: no magic swords for anyone except Butterfly Heroes. Magic-powered motor vehicles also struggle to be efficient until we're looking at things on the scale of tanks and articulated lorries, and those tonnage requirements mean that flight would be impractical unless you wanted to build, say, an entire floating temple. However, since the papalotli have no cultural imperative to fly - being essentially someone's sugar glider fursona - this hasn't happened, for which we can probably all be quite grateful. As things stand, magic only really powers the Empire's much-depleted naval assets, and even then it's as a secondary power source.
The greatest piece of magic ever worked by the naqatli was just after the Eruption. With ash clouds blanketing the landscape and choking the sun from the skies, the forests of the Great Storm Empire began to die. This was most keenly felt in the northernmost cities, the ones along the coast of the Strait of Irridare. Reports began trickling in of harvest failures and crop die-offs, and the spectre of famine, once thought banished from the Empire, crept back into their world. The usual blood rituals to secure the harvests simply weren't powerful enough to meaningfully aid in the farmers' plight, and several coastal temple complexes descended into violent, bloody insurrection. Realizing that they had to do something, the reigning Rain Emperor issued something rare to the point of unheard-of in the Great Storm Empire: a nationwide, binding, peacetime decree. The impact of the worldwide winter was making itself felt across the Empire, the decree said. It had poisoned the very skies against the naqatli. A great sacrifice would take place. Two boys and two girls from every family in the kingdom - every single one - along with millions of adults were to be sacrificed at the same time, under lunar auspices and with the national co-ordination of the entire priesthood. The resultant spell would be based on the typical harvest ritual, but burning blacker and more powerful than any attempted in the history of the Empire. If the spell was not cast, the sheer volume of mana released could cause temples to literally explode up and down the country. The future of the naqatli was more uncertain than ever, but one thing remained true: it was a future of magic, inscribed in stone and written in rich, red blood. Even then, even then, it was a stopgap, a few years of borrowed time while refinements were to be frantically carried out on the harvest spells of the nation. It wasn't a good plan, but it was the only one that a panic-stricken nation even had.
In all, adding in preliminary sacrifices to prime the pumps and other complex rituals to fortify the central temple complex of the imperial capital against detonation, roughly 15% of the total population of the Great Storm Empire was killed to power the Great Ritual of the Emperor's Tears. The life force of tens of millions was wicked away to provide a kind of umbrella, keeping the jungles warm and the harvests coming. The priesthood returned to the northern cities, and indeed the next Emperor was elected from one. Blood and power washed the nation of ash, and still does... for a time. Now, the spell is beginning to fade. The weather cools, the ash comes, the north grows restless. The population cannot sustain another casting of the Emperor's Tears. What happens now... who can say.
History/ Background Info: Later.
Nation Relations:- S'laaeth: Never trust a lizard. At least a priest'll stab you in the front. And also pull your heart out and call forth all the mana in your body to leave in a blue spiral. Bjergavjern: We have a sizeable dwarf community because they thought there was a better chance of them not being killed here than in their home country. Here. Think about that. Verdasou: Very cordial relations. After all, they keep sending us gifts of warriors to be sacrificed! Oh, they might say they're invasion forces trying to loot and plunder our gold reserves, but that's pirates for you, eh? Always playing so coy...
Nation Name: The Greater Chirian People's Republic (GCR)
Type of Government: Worker's Republic
Head(s) of Government: Nikolas Kussainov: First Secretary of the Chirian Central Committee Nyshan Ibrayev: Security Secretary of the Chirian Central Committee Akmaral Zhaksylyk: Technical Secretary of the Chirian Central Committee Sadir Imanbaeva: Economic Secretary of the Chirian Central Committee Erlan Rybalko: Defense Secretary of the Chirian Central Committee
The GCR functions as many would consider a Socialist State to function in the way of economy and industry. The Party maintains direct control over the larger businesses and industries of the nation, setting quotas, enforcing prices of goods, and determining production lines and output numbers. Despite these the GCR has allowed small business and industrial ventures to remain privately owned in an effort to stave off economic collapse, imposed early on in their consolidation of power among the old nations of the region of Chiria.
The GCR is still in the early stages of industrializing their nation as a whole, and as such production capabilities for more advanced materials and goods are low or nonexistent throughout the nation. Due to this their military power is far smaller than many of its neighbors, relying namely upon exports of more complicated machinery and items to create their weapons of war at blisteringly slow paces.
Steam Heated Rails: Utilizing a system of steam generating power plants, the GCR keeps its rail lines open even in the most frigid of Winters by pumping steam through piping along the rails to stave off ice and snow build up.
Swrromagiya Crystal Refinement: Swrromagiya (Surrogate Magic) Crystals are crystals that have been artifically imbued with magic. The exact process is a State secret and closely guarded by the Security Services. The crystals can be used as portable sources of energy or fuel, and are often used to power complex machinery that larger diesel or coal engines would make unwieldy or unviable. Swrromagiya are in low supply and high demand with in the GCR, the process it takes to create and refine them being exhausting on resources and time not helping in increasing the supply in the slightest.
Cities in the Ice: Created sometime before the Century of Ash, a handful of nations in the Chirian region have utilized tunneled cities in the ice of their arctic lands as living spaces. Entire cities connected through tunnels and caverns in the massive layer of ice and permafrost that dominates their land. These cities are warmed through use of steam power much like the rail system is.
Hydroponics: Hydroponics has been a mainstay of Chirian food production for as long as the cities beneath the ice have been around. The sub-zero temperatures of the Chirian wastes made it unfeasible to farm in mass quantities above ground, and as such the people of the land innovated to create farming indoors. Through the use of complicated irrigation systems, multilevel farming apparatuses and carefully controlled light sources the Food in the GCR is produced below ground enmasse to feed its population. Due to complications in hydroponics and limitations faced by the GCR, the crops grown are very limited and along with fish farming the majority of a Chirian diet is repetitive and bland. But they eat.
Jeke Qalqan: Jeke Qalqan, or "Personal Shields" are an ingenious feat of magical engineering, used only by a select few to carry out the GCR's most important tasks. The Jeke Qalqan, powered by 20 special mana crystals, protects the user from most forms of fragmentation and projectiles. Weapons such as small caliber firearms, rifles, and flying fragments from explosives will be deflected and absorbed by the shield which is projected in a 270 degree sphere in front of the user. However, should the user be assaulted by multiple projectiles, the shield will falter and fail from being overwhelmed. Additionally, while a bullet may not find its mark, forces behind the explosions or sufficiently weighty and powerful projectiles shall pass through with ease, making the user no different from a regular individual who has a mortar go off on top of him, is hit by the equivalent of a train, or a grenade explode beside him.
Jeke Qalqan have a tendency to become extremely unstable if any damage is sustained to the actual case containing the crystals, as well any attempts to loop more than 20 crystals together at a time results in a similarly volatile stability. The simple act of moving a damaged Jeke Qalqan or an interlocking of 21 or more crystals from one place to another will certainly result in a catastrophic magical discharge. This discharge has the unique affect of turning all in a ten meter radius into anything that normal magic could manage, from sand to flowers, trees or piles of meat. If a magic user can do it to someone, so can the discharge of the crystals.
Primary Species: Humans
Population: 39 million Registered Citizens
The culture within the GCR is an amalgamation of the different nations that were absorbed during the Century of Ash, and because of such it can be simple to go from one area of the nation to another and find yourself surrounded by completely different styles of buildings and regional languages. However, the GCR has been pushing hard over the past twenty four years to create a new national culture, one inspired by the never ending People's Revolution and emphasizing those facets of life that directly reflect in the Revolution itself.
Below are some of the key cultural values and specifics of the GCR Chirians: The people of what was once known as "Lesser Chiria", a relatively small autocratic state located in the Chirian region of the Western continent. Having been the founders of the Greater Chirian People's Republic and the spreaders of the People's Revolution when the opportunity presented itself, they are very much devoted to The Party and its cause. The core populace of the nation, they hold many high positions within The Party and all facets of the state.
Odishans: Odisha was the first nation to fall to the "People's Revolution" as is spread out of Chiria and into its neighbors during the ten years of darkness following the eruption. Odishans have assimilated well into the new national culture that The Party has been pushing, forming a new and welcomed addition to the loyal populace of Chirians within the GCR.
Dombarians: The nation of Dombaru peacefully submitted to the People's Revolution after the tragic death of its entire royal family at the hands of a "mob of nobles" that were, according to public reports made available by the National Information and Data Collection Bureau, "attempting to stop the Royal family from leading their nation down the correct path of the Revolution." As the nation fell into chaos shortly after, the arrival of the Blues was a welcome sight and the people rejoiced, quickly agreeing to join the fold of the GCR. Dombarians are among the greatest of metallurgists and engineers within the GCR, with a grand history of fine armors and weapons spanning centuries before they were truly a free nation. Dombarians are watched closely by the Security Division as it is a well known rumor that many do not believe the story given by The Party about the death of their beloved royal family.
Ranians: The most recent nation to join the GCR is that of the Federated State of Rania. A forward thinking and progressive state known for artisans and thinkers. Added to the GCR only a year and a half ago, there are still those within its now defunct borders that believe they are still fighting a war against the GCR. Ranians are distrusted by even the Dombarians, and many are suspected of aiding rebel groups or even being members of them. Currently the most persecuted of the different ethnic groups of the GCR due to their regions continued rebellion against the GCR.
"Party. Member. Self." Adhering to a strict belief that everything a citizen does is for the betterment of the Party and the members around them before they are to do anything to benefit themselves. The idea behind such a notion is that in benefiting the nation and your countrymen, you are indirectly benefiting yourself as the Party works in your best interests. That is at least, the theory.
"Enemy Within" Citizens of the GCR live in a state that breeds some of the worst traits in a person. Chief among these is the constant paranoia and distrust that members of the nation live with. It is caused by the Party-led idea that any and all subversive activity is to be reported to the Security Service with all haste, any failure to do so will result in not only the subversive individual coming to justice but the one that failed to report as well. Students report professors, children report parents, brothers report sisters. No one is safe in the GCR, not even close family can truly trust one another with any degree of certainty.
Party Members: Only humans maintain membership within the Party in the GCR and are considered as “Registered Citizens”. Other races, though not enslaved or in any form of serfdom, do not hold the level of a “Party Member” and are thus not entitled to all of the benefits that come with being such. Instead they are what could be considered as second class citizens. Protected in some forms under the law but in others completely let down by the Party. How much of a difference this actually makes between your average member and day a dwarf is very much up for debate, though in reality there is little difference in the eyes of the Party between a member and a dwarf.
The GCR outlawed all forms of religion following the Parties rise to power and subsequent expansion into the faltering and collapsed nations around them. This move has helped them to maintain control over the populace, leaving the masses little to think about beyond their indoctrinated lifestyles and constant pro-Party Propaganda.
This is not to say that religion isn’t still practiced as it very much is, just hidden away and in secret from the Party.
Climate: Polar/Sub-Polar Zones. Small area of Temperate Forest. The GCR is the kind of place that could be described as "Hell frozen over". Barren icey wastes, hills of shale and protruding ice spikes in uncanny ways. Average temperature is barely above freezing during the day in the Summer months and well below during the Winter.
The military arm of the GCR consists of two of the three branches that can be expected of a nation and a third less common branch.The first of the branches being the GCR Ground Army followed by the GCR Aerial Forces. The uncommon branch of the GCRs Military arm is that of the Security Forces, a Paramilitary Organization that answers directly to the Party and acts as a sort of Secret Police to carry out the Parties commands. The GCR, having no ports that are available all year round due to ice do not form a true navy, only sporting a few harbor patrol craft in larger ports that are nominally controlled by the Army Garrisons in those locations.
Currently one of the hardest hit aspects of the GCR in relation to their attempt to industrialize. The Military forces have seen a noted down-tick in the Parties willingness to spend on even the most basic aspects of a soldiers lives like uniforms and even food in some cases. This has caused supply issues at all levels within the military and many units, squadrons, and ships are without the parts and supplies to operate effectively or even at all in some cases.
The Ground Army of the GCR consists of mainly infantry that are considered to be regularly trained and poorly equipped. With mostly semi-automatic and bolt action rifles, the GCR is certainly lagging behind compared to many of its neighbors in equipping its army. Popularly dubbed as "The Blues" or "The Blue Army" by the populace due to their standard color scheme.
A recent shift in GCR strategum has seen the introduction of artillery in mass to military formations. No doubt an idea stolen from the Eastern Continent. Radios are available at the Company level but no lower, this is mostly due to the fact that the GCR is unable to create Radios at a fast enough rate to supply anything lower than a Company Commander and their unwillingness to use mages as a means of communication.
Standard Infantry Well equipped to deal with the freezing temperatures of their homeland, Standard Infantry sport an average amount of training and discipline, but are bogged down by their poor weapons and other equipment.
Support Infantry Other than Commissars, the presence of Support Infantry is likely to be one of the only other factors that keeps a standard infantryman from breaking and running in the face of the enemy. Sporting far better ballistic protection than the average infantryman, the Support Infantry are the heavy weapons experts of an infantry unit. Sporting crew-swerved weapons and anti-material rifles, they lay down the heavy and incessant fire that their bolt action counterparts simply can not provide.
Commissars and Security Forces Commissars
Commissars: The disciplinary backbone of the Ground Army, Commissars function as competent and well trained battlefield leaders and swift judges during battle and downtime. Able to rouse their troops to action with speeches for the Party or the threat of violence, a Commissar is an important part of any infantry action and a Commanders go-to tool when the troops disagree with orders. Very regularly better equipped than standard infantry, with higher grade armor, submachine guns, personal radios, and large caliber handguns. Security Forces Commissars: Sporting the same uniform as a standard Commissar and holding the same ranks, the only difference between the two is that Security Forces Commissars do not fall under the Ground Army and instead the Security Forces of the GCR. They act as the secret police of the state and are the ones that, in accordance with the rule of law, carry out judgement on dissidents and subversive groups, interrogate opposition, and enforce Party unity with their mere presence.
Security Forces Troops Among the elite of the paramilitary forces that the Party deploys. Security Division troops are some of the best equipped troops in the GCR, standing only behind the Heavy Shock Infantry of the Ground Army. With armor created with close quarters in mind, and standard equipment consisting of submachine guns and squad level radio communications, the Security Forces Troops are fielded with the tight confines of the ice cities and their cramped structures in mind.
Şabwılşılar The elite of the Ground Army, Şabwılşılar (Storm Troopers, often referred to as "Heavy Shock Infantry" or "Heavy Shock Troops"), operate as the spearhead to the most dangerous of undertakings, and the units that react to situations requiring speed and brute force all at once. Kitted in an armor carapace that protects the user from most forms of small arms fire where it is present, rocking a belt-fed hip mounted .20 machinegun, squad level radio communications, and the famous Jeke Qalqan as a single use damage absorber when things become too intense for their armor alone.
Flame Troops A vital part of any action taken out in the ice cities, Flame Troops are an offshoot from the municipal work crews that use flame throwers to maintain areas of cities from being overgrown by encroaching ice. Somewhere along the way someone figured that strapping a larger tank to a mans back and armoring him would be a good way to toast dissidents and enemies alike. Their availability is rather limited within the Ground Army, and are normally held in reserve as to not waste their potential in initial assault actions.
The Air Force of the Chirian People's Republic is the power projection arm of the state. Consisting of airships of varying designs and aircraft ranging from the preposterously monstrous to the more reasonably sized fighers. A beloved part of the populace and commonly referred to as "The Sky Navy". Those within this branch of service are normally referred to as "Skyers".
The GCR, having a climate unfit for the keeping of airplanes and airships on open runways uses airstrips and "ports" located within the ice itself, hollowed out and supported areas like hangars the size of airbases exist spread throughout the GCR for it's Air Force to call home. Many are eerily empty given the severe lack of equipment that the GCR currently faces, their guards the only ones calling them any kind of home. An example of a single ship resupply port
Just as in the Ground Army, the Air Forces do not get away from The Parties influence and indeed must cater to special squadrons of Security Division units and airships.
(All planes are propeller driven)
A-2 "Stork" - Ground Attacker - Mainstay close air support aircraft of the GCR. Thirty currently exist in the GCR.
F-3A Model II and III- Mainstay fighters of the GCR. Foreground is the Model III and background is the Model II, referred to by "Model II" etc. To be replaced by the finished product of the under development XF-12B/D. A total of 62 F-3As are currently flying for the GCR.
XF-12B/D - Newest fighter plane of the GCR, currently in limited numbers and still undergoing testing. Greater performance than it's predecessor, more durable, reliable, and heavily armed. Two prototypes exist. Manufacture of a third XF-12B/D is currently halted as the cost of acquiring more advanced materials and parts from Oswaria has become untenable for the GCR.
P-4 "Heron" - Airship Interceptor/Attacker - A fast and maneuverable aircraft when not weighed down by the "airship killers" they carry on larger attacks, slow and lumbering with them attached. Nominally used for strafing runs of airships with their forward mounted cannons, but are able to carry massive rocket propelled bombs attached to their bellies. These weapons are extremely heavy and thus make the aircraft slow and hard to handle, leaving any sort of defense up to escort and the will of a higher power. A tendency to explode magnificently when the "airship killer" is hit directly by larger munitions. Currently 14 Heron's exist, though only 4 of their airship killer munitions are available for use.
P/A-6 "Storch" - Medium Airship Interceptor/Ground Attacker - A medium armored and armed aircraft that sees use in airship interception and attack as well as ground attack. Armor piercing unguided high explosive rockets and their four indwelling and two outer cannons are their mainstay anti-ship weapon. Can be swapped for bombs or standard high explosive rockets for ground attack. 22 Storches are in use within the GCR, though 3/4 of them are currently grounded waiting for parts.
B-91 "Piper" - Super Heavy Bomber - Among the only aircraft capable of long range-high altitude bombing in the GCR arsenal. Only 3 exist at present. With a command crew of five and a defensive crew of thirty three, it is heavily armed with defensive weapons and able to carry a considerable payload. Untested in combat. Rarely flown due to fuel costs and the ungodly maintenance turnaround required per hour of flight.
T-12 "Firefly" - Medium Gunship/Transport - Used for point defense in large formations and unpractical ground support as a gunship. 42 exist, 10 are armed as the other 32 have had their weapons moved to other T-12s to keep them combat ready as maintenance issues arise.
T-222 "Gargants" - Super Heavy Lifter - Largest, most capable lifter of the GCR. Capable of cross ocean flights without refueling stops. The GCR maintains 10 Gargants, with plans to build 4 more currently stalled as the many vast entities of the state vie for the materials that had been set aside for their construction.
C-232 "Piper" - Vertical Lift Capable Transport - Used mainly for important personnel transfers aboard airships, the Piper has recently seen a shift to work for the Security Division serving as a transport aircraft for higher-ups and Security Force strike teams combating radicals. Only 14 exist, all but two of which were seconded from their airship postings to served the Security Division.
The GCR currently possess no airships that could be considered as battleships in comparison to an ocean-going Navy.
Prion Class Hunter - Airship Escort/Lone-wolf Attacker 3 total
Barion Class Destroyer - Ship of the Line and Escort 6 total
Charion Class Cruiser - Ship of the Line, comes in both a "Heavy" and "Light" version, referring to armor and armaments. 2 Heavy, 3 Light
Umbra Class Carrier - Aircraft Carrier and Resupply Ship 1 total
Hyperion Class Command and Control - C&C ship of the GCR. Only two exist, both part of the Security Divisions squadrons.
Magic has been outlawed for personal use in the GCR. Any use of magic for the State is monitored thoroughly at all points of its use.
State Sanctioned Mages: The State takes complete control of all magically capable individuals upon learning of their sensitivity. These "sensitives" are brought to places of learning known as "State Sanctioned Institutions for the Magically Adept" or "SIMAs" in short. Here they are taught to harness their powers for the good of the Party and their countrymen. Sanctioned Mages are then used by the State for any number of completely humane tasks, all of which are done in total secrecy.
To the outside world the GCR appears to be a stricter yet tolerant nation in relation to magically sensitive individuals, though in practice that is very far from the truth. The Party goes to great lengths to ensure that it’s true and terrifying treatment of magic sensitives is kept from the world in order to maintain diplomacy and trade with the rest of the magically tolerant nations for the goods they so very much require.
The GCR in reality imprisons, experiments, and harvests the magically sensitive to create their Swrromagiya Crystals among other uses. Possibly one of the most closely guarded secrets of the state, as any word of such getting out would surely see the world turn against them.
Bjergavjern To say that the water is warm between these two nations would be an understatement. Having gained land once ruled by dwarves before the Century of Ash, the GCR has found itself in control of a sizable population of dwarves and the mountains and land they used to occupy as their own. This has brought the ire of their closest neighbor, dwarven Bjergavjern. While there are no open hostilities between the two nations, tensions flare rather randomly and relations can be considered volatile at even the best of times.
Empire of Oswaria Though the two nations are diametrically opposed in their ideas, they can not deny the dependence they have on each other to sustain their nations. Currently the GCR trades raw materials such as unrefined ores and oil in exchange for refined items like machinery parts that they are unable to create themselves. The GCR very much depends on the flow of goods from Oswaria to help in its push to become a fully industrialized nation. As such it is more than willing to protect its more powerful and technologically advanced neighbor in order to defend its own future interests.
Southern Verdasou A thorn in the side of the Party. Their ideals directly clashing, they are far from friends. Add to this the fact that a good deal of the Chirian Royal Families gold is stored within the Bank of Glass and refused from being released to The Party after the death of the Royal Family in an airship accident, and you have a nation that is entirely drawing upon the most professional ire of the GCR.
Economy Flotilla has a completely different economic system from the rest of the world because of their limitations. For example, there isn't an official form of currency. Due to small spaces, the people of Flotilla value have to barter items to others within the Flotilla and outsiders. Even without a currency system, the government saved various types of currencies as payments to other countries for refueling and stocking up on valuable supplies. However, they were known to also barter with other countries whenever possible. They were sought after because of their crafts along with exotic goods, machinery, and electricity.
Unique Technologies Civilian Airships are airships that are completely different compared to military airships. It was thanks to advancements in airborne machinery that it was possible to construct airships designed for farming, housing, or industrial.
Primary Species Humans
Population 1.5 million
Culture In the eyes of the government, foods, medicines, and things people took for granted were deemed luxuries. If the government has proof that a person was being wasteful, then they were exiled and placed in jail until they were release. Prisoners were often traded into the slave market if nations had one. If nations abolished slavery, then they usually were released them into the public. Laws are some of the strictest in the world compared to other nations due to their situation. Criminals found guilty of felonies were usually sent to death by firing squad or pushing them off of the airship. Exile depends on the crime and context of said crime.
Religion and Other Beliefs Most of the citizens didn't believe in God or any religion while the government officially accepted all kinds of religions.
Military Airships made up almost the entirely military for the country given that they lacked any land or water for a proper military and navy. Their organization was divided into three different groups: Scouting Fleet, Civilian Fleet, and Heavy Fleet. The Scouting Fleet made sure that the entire Flotilla was safe by scouting ahead while they also request docking permission and permission for their Flotilla to float above their city. And they also secured passage and diplomatic ties before entering another nations airspace. Then, there were the Civilian Fleet. Their purpose was to house the civilians while providing them with food, jobs, and places to trade. Often enough, you saw all of them in one civilian airship; however, large scale farming and industry have their own civilian ship. And finally, there were the Heavy Fleet. They were the navy and only main source of protection for the entire Flotilla. People saw the strongest ones surrounding the capital ship, which housed the Assembly.
However, there were the Flotilla Marines tasked with naval-infantry and police operations. The citizens saw them as the police force that were trained to handle invasions if the enemy boarded their ships.
Magic Prevalence/Usage Magic users were forbidden because of their uncertainty and the risk of accidentally blowing up an airship. Usually, they were exiled from birth; however, it was the case that they were traded off to Elyr.
History/ Background Info The formation of the Flotilla began shortly after the volcano erupted and covered much of the world in ash. Fearful that a government collapse was on the way, the high-ranking military officials and the influential wealthy class gathered to discuss plans of leaving before chaos took over. With their airships ready, the respected military and the remaining wealthy class abandoned their nation and decided to live in the skies until things on the ground calmed down. But it took a while before that could happen.
The wealthy tried to overthrow the military and failed. As a result, they were either executed or traded off into the country with slaves. Thus, they were granted access to their docks for refueling and stocking up on supplies. Eventually, they went on to build several more ships with the supplies given designed to be farms and houses for citizens. And the stories of flying cities began spreading across the world and people wanted to join the Flotilla. It was when the Assembly announced that people can join the Flotilla only if they give them gifts like resources, technologies, and even airships.
Nation Relations Since Flotilla don't have any borders and land, they kept logs of trading with several nations throughout the world. The Divine Empire of Hastur was their first official trading partner and the only nation that had an active slave market. With an agreement agreed upon, the Flotilla sends their prisoners to become slaves from Hastur in return for.... While they traded their magical people away to Elyr. (also need to talk)
-Neusian -Grand Overseer of Usoma -Kedican is the 4th Grand Overseer of Usoma, nicknamed The Ready for recent handlings of food shortages across the country. His wealth, prestige, and young age has made him considered a successful ruler so far, and he often keeps a small retinue of personal servants, advisers, and councillors in his care. His great modiviation is to grow Usoma into a truly modernized country, one in which will one day surpass its neighbors and become a power on the world stage, an ambition which is only stopped by the concerns of the Wrad, Tribals, and new social factions which have propped up.
Ivory Fur Iron Stone Winter Cloths Winter Supplies Coal Ship Supplies Magic Foci
Northern Industries Usoma is home to a number of native industries, most of them expanded and exploited from Kevian, Okan, and Tusab economies. While fishing and whaling is the more traditional industries, Neusian cities provide almost everything else, having large factories and workshop districts which help Usoman life continue. Normally, these facotries are built together, so a factory which may produce tools may also be close to a factory which processes sheet metal. Usomans hold high value to recycling and replaceable parts, and the trade goods they produce often reflect this. Usomans tend to produce an abundance of ship supplies. Interestingly, one of the more successful industries in Usoma is controlled primarily by Usoman Wrad, who fund their tireless research by creating and selling magical foci on markets. Dependence Taxation There really isn’t a obvious currency in Usoma, with most cities and towns having their own currency system. Instead, the universally accepted currency are ‘dependence tokens’. These tokens are spent on food and the ability to shelter within the cities, and if someone runs out or is unable to pay, they are likely to be thrown out. The government at the end of every year produces more tokens and distributes it amongst the people in the city, and bring a couple tokens back every half year as proof of work ethics and dedication. Ever since being introduced back into the world, dependence tokens are often used as barter, even though most Usoman merchants keep bags of other currency for trade since it's more likely most foreign merchants do not look favorably on the metal tokens. Usoman Trade Usomans did not have a real means of interacting with the outside world only until recently, and most of the cities of Usoma were built over the only civilizations who would trade with them. Trade is often only conducted within the ports, within trader enclaves which allows foreigners to stay but are often on the short end of supplies. Most Usoman traders are encouraged to stay and trade within Usoma, with overseers fearful that they will leave for foreign shores and never return. Usomans are normally gullible with trade, and tend to do poorly with most transactions due to their culture and history. Trade often is very simplistic between Usoman cities, trading one train of supply at face value for another for the needs of survival or for comfort. While most trade goods are legal, addictive drugs are brutally cracked down upon by the Militia.
Unique Technologies
Wightpower/WP-33 The Wrad control the monopoly that is Wightpower, a form of enhanced coal with very strong, and extremely deadly, magical properties which glows with a pale blue light when burned. WP-33 is used in many more advanced materials and in some weapons. The magical coal is slow burning, and when touched or interacted with, it can swiftly and suddenly freeze, poison, and necrotize living flesh which is why only the Wrad handle it. When used as fuel in engines, they can create powerful freezing auras which bite through even winter cloths, or if handled correctly, can be used as strong fuel which can last for hundreds of years. The process of making WP-33 is mysterious but also dreadfully slow, and often requires loads of coal to make a single piece.
Primary Species Kevian (Human) -Kevians are a pale skinned people which dwell as a native human culture which is dominant in the north. Kevians, due to having lived in the harsh lands which is Usoma for so long, have adopted a very basic and tribalistic lifestyle dedicated to survival in the cold wastes. However, intergration policies have essentially made them a second class people despite being a very heavy majority, but are above the role of slave. Kevians hold no love or affinity for the Neusians, whom they view as cruel, weak, and decadent with their coal engine cities and walled settlements. Kevian is a divided culture, with hundreds if not thousands of sub cultures based around smaller tribal groupings. Neusian (Human) -Neusians are the face of Usoma despite having the smallest percentage of the population, which dwell primarily in cities. Being white, but not as pale as Kevians, they are a people dedicated to living and profiting from their northern burrows. Neusians are deeply connected to Usoma but do not consider themselves a happy or superior people. Most Neusians are very authoritarian minded due to their nation’s history of dedication through organization, and due to their mistreatment of most non-Neusians who dwell in their society. Neusians themselves value both survival and organization, and most are culturally are very experienced engineers.
Population -35 Million -Kevian (63%) -Okan (9%) -Wildar (9%) -Tusab (8%) -Wrad (6%) -Neusian (5%)
Okan (Beastfolk) -Okan are a small peoples, only about 3’5 feet tall at best, and have a strong resemblance to sea otters in both appearance and in phycology. Okan have thick fur and can swim with gliding motion in the open water, and are thus very much a coastal people. Okan are emotionally very playful, curious, and have very pacifist in their beliefs. Okan are culturally very familial and were the most advanced society in what is now Usoma, their destroyed cities were made the bedrock of current Usoma cities. Most Okan are now mostly slaves or servants, used mostly as fishers which feed the cities themselves.
Wildar (Beastfolk) -Wildar are large creatures, around 7’5 feet tall on average, resembling a cross between wolverines and bears. Wildar are thick furred and are nearly immune from most arctic conditions, and are immensely strong, known to hunt large predators or food and furs regularly. Wildar are by their own nature immensely pious, deeply distrustful, and are arch enemies of most races in the Usoma. Culturally, Wildar are nomadic, their tribes mostly travel between groves and are more likely to fight amongst themselves unless a common threat destroys a tribe or threatens their balance. Usoma often raids the tribes for slave labor, mostly used for construction or heavy labor.
Tusab (Beastfolk) -The Tusab are the most humanoid of the Usoma Beastfolk, but not by much comparison. They resemble Walruses with humanoid features, having legs and arms which are proportionate to their already very heavy bodies. Tusab have large tusks, and much of their body is made of flubber which keeps them well conditioned for their arctic home. Tusab are culturally a martial tribal society, with mostly coastal settlements which they hunt penguin, seal, and whales. Tusab are very closely related in culture to the Kevians, their people however are much less reliant on warm cloths and the Tusab are far more likely to raid and challenge their ancient enemy, the Wildar, in raids. Tusab however have a fatal condition in which when one of their peoples become overly stressed or is put into a heated room, they are likely to overheat and swiftly die. Due to this condition, Usoma is authorities are more likely to hire out Tusab tribes as whalers, unless technology or magic allows them to get around their fatal condition, then otherwise their fate is much more similar to that of the Wildar.
Wrad (Undead) -The Wrad are a mysterious and disturbing race of wraiths which specifically dwell in the middle country of Usoma, amongst many stone ruins and within small enclaves. Little is known of them except that their physical forms have long since perished, and only visible by black cloaks and silver armor which ‘bind them’ to the world. As Wraiths, Wrads are immensely gifted mages and even more experienced necromancers who ‘procreate’ by corrupting others. Those of the highest skills in their magic grow stag-like horns and become rulers amongst them. Wrad thrive off arctic temperature and rarely leave their undead homes. Culturally, Wrad often tend to live solitary lives through intense study, and live in a strange stuck loop which dwells between a medieval peoples to modern urbanites. Usoma employ many Wrad as mages for their gifted magic, as the Wrad have only ever been diplomatic with the Usoma government.
Culture
Appearance Usomans are in a constant winter wasteland, and are always at any time well clothed for such conditions. It isn’t abnormal for Usoman commoners to wear two sets of winter coats. Most Usoman dresses have lamp lights attached to them, making it easier for them to be spotted, which can be critical during a devastating snow storm. Usomans are not known to bathe well, nor shave, and tend to grow long and unkept beards and hair. Commonly, most Usomans are typically very fit, with very limited if eradicated signs of obesity. Due to how little most outsiders see in most Usoman dress and common wear, its considered both weird and a sign of wealth for a Usoman or outsider to go around their city in little more than common suits or comfortable clothing. Craftsmanship Usoman cities are very tight nit, well insulated, and are made with very limited resources. Due to the climate they survive in, Usomans are near religious in their demands for organization, and will accept nothing less in both their building and craftsmanship. If a resource can be saved, then the Usomans will take it. Buildings tend to be made from a splash of different materials, with Kevian settlements often made from seal skin and whale bone, and more advanced Neusian cities made from local stone, wood, and metal. Usomans value neither quality nor quantity, but they do favor cheap and replaceable goods over ornate or half broken equipment. Rifles, tools, and artifacts made in Usoma tend to be of average quality and is made specifically to be resistant to arctic temperatures. Traditions Usoman traditions is a blend of the Neusian and Kevian survival tactics which had helped both cultures survive. Usomans rarely if ever bury their dead, but still are uneasy with abandoning bodies. Usomans will instead use a old Okan burial system, often throwing the dead into the sea and letting thme sink to underwater graves, where their remains can be used as fish bait. Usomans do not marry as much as simply declare partnership, with any rituals revolving around love often being very limited. Usomans of Kevian descent tend to go on long hunting trips which can last years, which partially acts as spiritual journeys to explore their homeland. Most Beastfolk who live as slaves often lose their culture and are caught up in the general Usoman culture, but they hold more intricate, but yet still basic, traditions from their own people’s past. Family Usoma is a cruel place, which can quickly kill if one isn’t careful. Due to high mortality rates regardless of growth or healthcare, Usoman family life is not one to be desired. Most are contained to small families, but concepts such as bloodlines is quickly lost, and is more based on simply who lives within the same apartment. Slaves, neighbors, and vagabonds living in the same space can be considered ‘family’, with a high emphasis on adoption. Usoman family units favor bright and best, and are very quick to abandon cripples, weak, and dumb. It isn’t uncommon for children, especially cripples or mentally challenged, to be simply thrown out of their homes. Ideas of kinship usually only survive in richer residences and amongst very familial Beastfolk communities. Rights Usoma is a deeply authoritarian society, with rules and laws which directly influences most lives and commands them like pawns. The idea of ‘rights’ is a laughable notion, but it doesn’t mean Usomans do not look for it. With Usoma being a ordered society, there is a racial hierarchy with the Neusians solely at the top, and everyone else being little more than slaves. Usomans treat their women with equality, but there is limitations to certain fields for Woman, such as soldiering. Due to beliefs that complications with sex and pregnancy can greatly impact units abilities to fight, woman are normally barred from the army, but many serve in supportive roles. Homosexuals, atheists, and those of differing religions are tolerated but are discouraged from speaking publicly. Those who oppose the government are persecuted harshly. Laws Laws in Usoma are protected by a group of local Militia, and each city has different militias, with different rules attached to them. While some practice due process to the letter, others are cruel and corrupt in policy. Most city centers have makeshift public halls which act as courtrooms in which defendants often have to defend themselves from the fury of the Militias, and if proven guilty, crimes can range from permanent enslavement to slow and torturous execution. There are two favored methods of execution, one in which victims are given only their undergarments and are tied to frozen posts outside the city; and another in which they are dunked into a waist high water pit with frozen temperatures. Phycology Much like how Usoma is a cruel and brutal place to live, so are the Usomans a cruel and brutal peoples. Neusians and Kevians both consider themselves a superior peoples for having survived in the frozen hell, and are both proud (in very different ways) of the success of building civilization here. Usoma’s long history of defeating the non-human peoples has paved a way to a general belief of the inferiority of Beastfolk and Undead, a opinion shared by many Beastfolk slaves. Usomans are not however very proud that they feel very debased, feeling almost unbelonging to the world, and while there are lands clearly with warmer climates, they are far too attached to the nation they built. Many also are overly proud and stubborn, mostly brought on by propaganda. Entertainment Believing themselves pragmatic, the Usoman culture is very reliant on pub life which revolves around cheap liquor. Pubs become centers of many forms of culture, being large and expansive structures dedicated to all avenues of entertainment. Brothels, pubs, theater, music centers, all is seen within Usoman tavern. The only thing not found in Usoman taverns is bloodsport, but fighting pits are especially prevalent amongst military camps. Most Usomans, if asked, tend to enjoy ranging out in the cold, hunting and sledding in the free cold air. Education Education is a bit of a tricky issue which has its ups and downs, and is entirely dependent on the city. Most cities don’t have dedicated education centers, as most teaching is done between parent and child, or between master and apprentice. Since most children end up in their caretaker’s career, it's a issue which isn’t fully explored. However, the richer coastal cities do have universities and school systems, which specialize in engineering fields, military history, and political pragmatism. Educational elite however are very ill trusted by overseers, and normally it is teacher unions who end up forming powerful political factions which prop up issues. Slavery Slavery was adopted very early in Usoman history as a means of dealing with the native Beastfolk. Most if not all non-humans within Usoman society are slaves, being branded on the cheek with the city’s symbol, given a rope loop as a collar with a metal tag for identification attached to it, and are housed in special enclaves or are chained to their work benches in order to do gruelling work hours. Personal servitude amongst slaves is preferable, but is extremely rare. Most slaves, depending on their race, are divided amongst different labors. Okan are used for fishing, farming, cooking, and mundane tasks. Wildar will be used in heavy construction and heavy labor, and are sometimes joined by Tusab if they somehow are bought and do not die within 24 hours due to heat stress. The only race not ‘truly’ enslaved are the Wrad, who are often given their own specialized enclaves to aid in unique technological research, and are more or less treated as allies by some cities. Individual ownership of slaves is very rare, often only reserved for the richest, and for merchants. Slaves are never sold, but they can be bought if there is another nation selling. Food Arctic living doesn’t often do well to the most balanced diets, especially to those who do not have a great deal to go on. Most non-humans have very simple diets, often consisting of meat or fish, with some winter berries. Human cuisine is however at least cooked, often lacking in spices. As depressing as the food is, Usoman policy often demands quick and cheap meals, so most cuisine is often limited to soups. Only the very rich tend to buy outlandish food from other nations, and there is always a high demand for better food from the more richer cities. It is a stereotype that Usomans will cannibalize, a rumor which is very clearly false. Transportation Cities do not have a means of transportations outside of walking and hiking, and in the honest truth often is that any form of transportation in Usoma is underdeveloped. Snow vehicles are at best used for military purposes, usually with reinforced snow treads with plow attachments. The fastest and most effective way to travel is either by skiing or by sledding from place to place. Several cities are connected by a cable system which allows quick transportation of goods and people, but most outline outposts and settlements can only be reached via long hikes. Banditry amongst these routes are very high, especially with threats from Wildar raiders who steal supplies and eat Usoman scouts. Language Neusian language is a very odd mix of their old language with Kevian coastal languages, giving them a very gutteral speech. The main language is Neusian, but there is several ‘secret languages’ used by the rich, overseers, and military officers. The Wrad’s ancient and dead language is taught by local Neusian military officals and is used by their language corps for coded messages, since the Wrad language is by all means considered mostly dead and kept by the Wrad themselves. Beastfolk languages are often in the hundreds in terms of dialects, each Okan civilization having had their own language which is still practiced even to this day. Pets and Companionship Pets are considered rather wasteful if they aren’t being used for a specific purpose. Cats and dogs are preferable pets for Usomans, with cats hunting rodents, and dogs being used for hunting. Usomans will not think twice with eating their pets in times of emergency, an unfortunate reality. Beastfolk, oddly enough, keep very specific pets pending on their race. Tusab will nearly always keep domesticated penguins and tamed polar bears, Okan tame sea otters and seals, and Wildar tend to herd wolverines. While slaves in Usoman cities are not allowed to keep pets, this rule is overlooked by fishing guilds who keep Okan, and tend to even supply Okan with sea otters and seals to train to help herd fish into their nets.
The Shadowed Faith
Religion The Shadowed Faith is a northern religion which descends either from the Wildar or Wrad, no one is truly sure, but nearly every pious man in the north knows and worships the pantheon of gods there. Usoma does not have a strong religious bias, and many overseers themselves and higher officials are cynical at best, and rabid atheists at worst, but many often see value of religion in their society and thus allow them credence. The faith is often considered incredibly occultish due to their often secretive and morbid rituals, and communion with outworldly forces. Very little is known about the faith, even to most of its practitioners, and there is certainly no sense of unity amongst its followers. Gods There are three primary gods in the shadowed faith; Azan’ag, Ishala, and Zuuldrick. Azan’ag, the father of the gods, is depicted as a wraith itself which covers itself over the whole of the world, a god of peace, afterlife, death, finality, and magic. Ishala is the goddess of winter, healing, and is considered the mother of civilization and a caring god. Zuuldrick is a war god, often depicted as a monstrous sea crustacean, worshipped as a god of blood, destruction, reckoning, war, and justice. All three gods are never depicted as evil or having malus towards mortals, but the gods are often demanding and just. In spite of Azan’ag being the chief of the gods, most Usoman clergy favor Ishala and her schools of magic. Beliefs The Shadowed faith is a form of religion which is very meditative on the philosophy and purpose of life, and many general beliefs resound in such ways. Shadow worshippers do not believe in persecution unless harm is directed towards them, but they are not outside of pacifist by any means. Shadow worshippers believe they are always being punished in a mortal way, and the only way to achieve peace is by following a path of honor, truth, and glory. Those who die are said to be taken by either of the gods and is often pending on their death. Azan’ag is said to visit those dying and brings them to the peaceful Beyond Lands, a place of sleeping souls who live beneath warm trees and the sun. Those taken by Ishala are said to see a bright light and had lived innocent lives, such as children and young soldiers, and are taken to her winter forest palace where they dwell with their families. However, those who had done wicked things or were direct worshippers of Zuuldrick are taken to his watery home beneath the abyss where they serve him in eternal fighting and dying. Rituals Ceremonies are mostly rare for those who practice the shadowed faith, but rituals do exist. Services are often very personal, where the local shadow shaman will help with a birth and cover houses of newborn pious families with pine cones and ashes for protection against evil spirits. Warriors who wish the gods blessings also visit shadow shaman's for guidance and drugs to aid them if they are killed. Sacrifices are not openly practiced except by free Tusab clans who primarily worship the god Zuuldrick, sacrificing prisoners and slaves for his favor. When children grow into adulthood, it is expected of them to make a journey to the lair of a shadow shaman and receive the gods guidance along with advice from their blood ancestors. Shadow Shamans Those who are gifted in magic become shadow shamans within the shadowed faith. Slave or free, peasant or noble, any who show signs of early magic give their children to shadow shaman's to train as new shadow shamans. Shadow shamans live in poverty and are reliant on the food and aid of others, but their services in both ceremony and magic is worth the effort. Despite being looked on as necromancers, most shadow shamans use differing forms of magic which ranges from hydromancery to the arcane, necromancery is more or less considered a known but ill used art. Shadow shamans who set off beyond communities to practice their arts become necromancers, and are considered more or less outcasts rather then heretics. Liches The most powerful and skilled shadow shamans are called by their gods in dreams to make their journey into icy wastes on spiritual hikes. Those who return become Liches, ascending beyond death and becoming masters in the the arcane arts. Liches are not considered enemies as much as they are powerful beings who roam the land of Usoma and occasionally aid them, but their aid is often rare and reserved for the truly pious. Liches are however incredible masters of necromancery, and often hold themselves up in isolated ruins to continue their studies. Liches are regularly known to be both stupidly unhelpful or vague on most things, even with basic questions, and those seeking their immortal advice often leave far more confused than when they first asked. Horned Wrad are Liches by some extent, at least those who had retained their physical frozen bodies before having become wraiths. Temples Most temples of shadow worshippers are homes to the shadow shamans, and act as burial grounds for them as well. Most temples are teepees in which lay the remains of shadow shamans who had served in the community, revolving around a fire. Those who enter are said to commune with the dead and receive their advice. More modern temples are more like shrines, dedicated to Ishala, are located in the Usoman cities which act as homes for their priesthood.
Territories Color: Dark Green imgur.com/Oy9nBM7 Capital City: Ugolanbrav Cities: Tenmarnan, Sigrad, Ghustbov, Okadius Tusab Major Tribes: Bloodtusk, Bloodaxe, Wrecktusk Major Wildar Tribes (Nomadic): Greycloak, Whitecloak, Blackcloak, Whitemane Major Wrad Settlements: Cirul’olfa, Taga’suga
Climate Usoma is a arctic wasteland made up primarily of snow laden hills, several tall mountain ranges, and a vast expanse of snow, ice, and protective forest groves scattered throughout. Wind chill can easily go down to -40 degrees, making much of the land hardly hospitable, but certain mountain ranges and coastal areas block out this hellish weather, making life much more bearable. Much of Inner Usoma is utterly impossible to thrive in, even for hardened races immune to the brutal cold, some temperatures around the Wrad ruins can go far below negatives, and blizzards are a regular occurence.
Military
Recruitment Due to the extreme authoritarian mindset of Usoman government, finding recruits for her armies is a easy enough task. Most citizens who do not have jobs outright are drafted quickly, mostly coming from Kevian background. Officers gather armies in a almost medieval style, often going between outposts and city districts to collect conscripts and bring them to the barracks to organize into a effective unit. Only richer cities have more disciplined and permanent armies, and even then, most of those are made up of elite militias. It is expected on some level that all Usomans know how to use a gun and to survive in the cold arctic tundra, with yearly training sessions mandatory for all citizens since the age of 12. Only the elderly are truly exempt from military duties, and slaves, women, and even prisoners often used in support roles and camp duties. Organization Usoma has a small population, and as such, the Usoman army is very small, disorganized, and is more adopt at facing far more passive threats then real armies. Having had no real threat besides themselves, the Usoman military core is made primarily of small elite units, and to conserve on ammunition, most units are more likely to be trained for accuracy. Usomans pride themselves on their elite winter units, and are commanded equally by proud officers, which is more of a curse then a boon. Usoman officers are well known to be cruel, ambitious, and stubborn. Usoman armies are divided amongst how many units a single city can field, not including local militias. In desperation, Usoman cities will hire out Beastfolk mercenaries, medieval troops who rely on tribal tactics. Infantry
Usoman Marines The most basic infantry supplied by Usoman armies are the Usoman Marines, which are armed with rifles and brown overcoats. Marines are trained alongside White Guard as support units, and are supplied more or less for holding defensive positions. Usoman Marines are armed typically with large knives, used officially for hunting and chopping up meat on the move, and unofficially used for close quarters combat. Usoman White Guard The White Guard is the elite forces of Usoma, keeping their barracks within the richer cities. White Guard are granted white coats to camouflage into the arctic tundra, and are granted long range rifles and are trained for sniping and ambushing. Most White Guard units are armed with skis, along with having a usually a number of explosives and tools on their person. White Guard are used primarily for assaults and quick skirmishes on the open arctic snowy hills. Usoman Grey Cloaks Grey Cloaks are a secondary elite force used primarily for defense, identified by their long grey cloaks and iron armor. Grey Cloaks carry machines guns and handle most heavy equipment, Grey Cloaks belong to a special caste of scouts and marines who primarily handle Wildar, both in terms of bounties and capture. Due to their dangerous profession, most Grey Cloaks are allowed higher access to more advanced equipment, and it isn’t uncommon for overseers to grant them anti-tank rifles to help in their hunts. Wrad Black Guard More like allied mercenaries, Wrad wraiths have no real love for modern equipment, but when called upon to help fight for Usoma, they are seen from time to time as a elite unit upon the battlefield. Wraith infantry often tend to keep equipment more similar to that of marines, but they use magic to enchant their cloaks and weapons. Being hit by Black Guard bullets can have the infliction of necrotic poisons or freezing wounds. Black Guard, being wraiths, are also very durable but are thankfully rare.
Armaments
Scouting Sleds Most units of Usoma get around both their arctic home and the battlefield on powered sleds, which allows them to not expend energy or time on reaching their destinations, but it also allows them to drag along supplies with better ease in the arctic wastes. Trek Gunner Treks are large covered infantry vehicles designed to go onto the snow and ice, being light enough to crash into it and heavy enough to act as armor. Trek Gunners have machine guns or bunkers attached to them, allowing them to fire on the move, more useful for fighting the hostile forces of Usoma. Wendigo Tank Only one kind of tank is produced in Usoma, the Wendigo Tank. Wendigo Tanks are light tanks with heavier than normal armor, heavy insulation, and a very light gun. Wendigo Tanks have a large plow on both their front and back, allowing them to shovel heavy amounts of snow. Wendigo tanks are not very fast for light tanks, but are often used in defensive strategies. Usoman general tend to hide tanks underneath snow and camouflage them with white sheets. Mortar Teams Artillery teams are a common sight amongst Usoman armies, both on the defensive and on the attack. Mortar teams are often commanded by groups of marines, and are guarded by trenches or pits. Trek Gunners will sometimes gut space for a more mobile mortar team, but it greatly sacrifices their mobility.
Navy Usoma supports only a small, but very important, fleet. The richer Usoman cities have their own war ports where several more modern ships had been bought and outfitted with proper gear which allows them to dredge through the arctic coastline with ease. These ships are used primarily for defense of their ports, and is used to help protect fishing lanes from Tusab raiders and their vast fleet of ships. War Mages
Arctic Magi Of the military mages, the Arctic Maji is the most useful. Arctic Maji are priests of Ishala and thus command primarily powerful hydromancery and healing magic. Arctic Maji conjure waves of freezing water, can bind frozen elementals to their whim, and animate snow golems from the frozen ice around them. Outside of battle, they can spend their time healing many minor wounds and sucking away frostbite from soldiers. Most armies employ at least one Arctic Maji for the medical capabilities and to even lessen winter snows in Usoma to help drive the army forward, or make hellish conditions for their enemies. Osulan Occultist Occultists are members of an elite inner circle of warlocks dedicated to the god Zuuldrick, selling their immortal souls for his powers. Occultists outside war are researchers and elites, but are conscripted for their dark magic prowess. Occultists can conjure beasts from the sea, summon madness upon enemies, curse lands with dark magic, and perform dark rituals to summon forth evil spirits to manipulate the reality around them for a short time. However, the use of these powers is usually very limited, and can very quickly backfire. While an occultist can turn the tide of a battle with his magic, it can also spell doom if misused, resulting in the utter annihilation of the Usoman army. Wrad Herald Wrad shadow shamans and Liches who join the ranks of Usoma come in their own special variety known as Heralds. Heralds ride upon undead steeds of fallen polar bears, and wield medieval weapons enchanted with only the most fouled magic. They conjure powerful freezing magic and necromancery, very much capable of decimating small units single handedly and raising them as their slaves. Heralds are thankfully as rare as Wrad infantry, and their presence only inspires fear. Heralds always bring forth entire armies
Magic Magic is heavily used and is well accepted in Usoma society, and the darker forms of magic such as necromancery and blood magic has been tolerated, even though many are sickened by it or simply do not know how prevalent it exists within their country. The Shadowed Faith and its practitioners, despite being bound to necromancery and it’s dark arts, and their friendly relationship with the Wrad, Usomans do not interact with these elements often, and if they do, they don’t always really mind it. On some level, every race and peoples in what is now Usoma has interacted with the dark magic of the Shadowed Faith, and most do not flinch at the sight of their morbid arts. Magic is yet still deeply distrusted by high society, and is regulated on some level by local overseers.
Wrad live in specialized towers and centers which they perform their dark arts to produce WP-33 and craft magical foci, materials, and create defensive rituals for the Usomans. Usoman Wrads keep their undead servants and themselves locked within cryogenic haunted towers which allows them produce their heavy industries and aid in town management. These Wrad are separate and considered traitor by their fellow Wrad who live within the great ruins, and have a strong loyalty to the Usomans. However, the Usomans deeply distrust the Wrad, but dare not act out hostility towards the wraiths.
Limitations of Magic While the power of dark magic and necromancery sounds on paper to be grandoise in it's design, there are large limitations to it. Magic to Usomans is exhausting, the more power one puts into spells and rituals exhausts them quickly and if unprepared, can ultimately kill the mage. The dead in Usoma are many, but finding the bodies and using them is a different issue all together. While for the Wrad this task is simple, not every shadow shaman summons undead minions, simply due to the fact that even in a culture where necromancery is accepted, it remains taboo and rarely used. Only the hostile Wrad kingdoms will use necromancery on a grand level to bolster their economies and armies. There is also yet another danger, which is the miscast of spells. Spells always have a chance, especially the blood magic of Zuuldrick, to backfire horribly upon the caster and their allies. Powerful summons can quickly turn on their masters, conjurations of sudden madness can instead inspire bloodlust and courage, and so on. Due to these limitations, magic is used only in hard or desperate circumstances and with a great deal of care. Younger apprentices are simply forbidden from being put into armies out of fear their wild conjurations can quickly turn a victory into a defeat.
Schools of Magic
Necromancery Necromancery is the school of animation of what was once living, such as raising the dead into wraiths, revenants, and skeletal beings. Necromancery is also the school of communing with spirits, or using them to aid in various tasks. Just as necromancery is used to summon a small hoard of undead workmen or soldiers, so it can be used to haunt and empower ghostly engines and devices. Hydromancery Hydromancery is the magic school directly associated with water, and thus those who practice hydromancery can manipulate about any source of liquid and water to a reasonable degree. Dark Arcanic Dark Arcanic is a powerful, but also poisonous, magic school. Dark Arcanic is a necrotic school of magic, allowing those to combine shadowy magic to burn enemies, teleport, or create bubbles of protection. The school is similar to other arcanic schools in spellwork, but their magic uses a shadowy form which occasionally poisons its user over time. Plague Plague is a very rare spell school found in Usoma, but it does exist amongst practicing shadow shamans. Plague spells manipulate viral infections and deadly plagues, either moving them, improving them, or removing them. The latter is far more used then the former, making those who use it excellent healers. Frozen Frozen schools is the magic school, as the name implies, the school of lowering temperatures, summoning blizzards, and conjuring ice. Lunar Lunar magic is a rare magic school, which while it does sound arcane, Lunar magic in Usoma correlates with rune making and the night. Lunar magic is used to empower objects to work better during the moon's cycles. Lunar magic is also used to conjure beams of burning light during the night at enemies, but the magic is only known to the Wrad Heralds who use runic magic in their weapons. Blood Magic Blood Magic is the primary school of magic for occultists and the priests of Zuuldrick. Blood magic uses a large variety of magic, which is empowered by blood or uses blood in some capacity. Blood magic can be devastating, but its use is risky and devastating to the long lived. No undead being uses blood magic and is blocked from using it. Conjuration Conjuration is a magic school of conjuring beings from other places beyond reality into the known reality. The more powerful the summon, the more taxing it is, and even then most summons require special rituals for them to remain under someone's control. Far Sight Shadow shamans practice a magic school of far sight, or the ability to see into the future and have true sight to some degree. Far Sight is a double edged sword, much like conjuration, because what is seen in the future may not be the same series of events.
Undead and Summons
Skeleton (Undead) The long decayed dead are easily frozen in the arctic lands of Usoma and thus are often prime candidates for apprentice necromancers to dabble in. Skeletal warriors are fragile, frail, and easy to overcome for most peoples. Skeletal beings are less likely to retain intelligence unlike Revenants, and thus are not relied on for most purposes. Using skeletal warriors are however very good for most infantry positions if tolerated, due to the rare instance of them crumbling being shot from afar. Dark Ranger (Undead) The ritual work for dark rangers is a terrifying one, requiring a great deal of materials to make. Dark Rangers are skeletal beings who can 'glide' between shadows, capable of small forms of teleportation so long as a place is dark, and fire ranged weapons from a distance or stab their enemies in the back. The functionality of dark rangers makes them more like constructs then undead, being very methodical in their movements and targets. Revenant (Undead) Revenants are frozen zombified humanoids raised into undeath, retaining much of their own intelligence at some level. Revenants are incredibly durable and survive in frozen terrain, and become the common footsoldiers for most Liches and Necromancers. Due to their ability to retain intelligence, they are enslaved by magic to do military and civil tasks. Most Revenants decay very slowly due to Usoma's weather, and the spell work put into retain their internal temperatures at freezing. Ice Golem (Construct) Ice Golems are constructs, summoned into the world by hydromancers, from ice and tundra. Ice Golem spellwork has two known levels, sudden and long lasting. Sudden ice golems are short lived, often melting away eventually or decaying over time, and are typically haphazardly made from different chunks. Long lasting ice golems on the other hands are made over several months of dedicated spell work to keep their temperature magically secure to prevent decay. Regardless, these tanking constructs pound their enemies with icey fists. Wendigo (Fae) The strongest Liches are known to summon into the world horrors known as Wendigoes, horrifying stag-like creatures which walk on their hind legs, are constantly decaying, and have massive rending claws. They are summoned into the world by Liches in times of battle and death, and disappear when the fighting ceases due to their nature. Some Wendigoes may stay for long periods of time, but they view the physical world as 'barren' and 'lacking', and prefer to return to their own realm. The creatures in physical combat are durable and can rend armor with ease, but their secondary effects are most terrifying. Wendigoes constantly emit a aura of undeath which slowly but surely raises the dead around them into their service, and their aura also emits a powerful blizzard which engulfs those around them. Outside of battle, they eat the dead and others ceaselessly in everlasting hunger. It is known that Wendigoes tend to be immensely cruel, corrupting pregnant women with their blessings to turn their children into strong cannibalistic creatures, sharing long life and stag horns, along with a natural gift of necromancery. Most of these abominations do not last long out in the real world, and are called Yul'Wendigo. Spawn (Fae) Those who commune with the god Zuuldrick sometimes can conjure into the world unearthly semi-aquatic horrors known as Spawn, the children of Zuuldrick. Spawn are abominable creatures with the head of a hermit crab, the legs of a goat, the body of a fish, and wings like a bat. These very strong and fast swimming horrors are often in a constant state of bloodlust, attacking anything within sight with rending claws. Spawn are much however like a two edged sword, and can just as easily turn on it's summoner and their allies. Spawn do not truly stop fighting till they are either dead or 'appeased', which is usually a demand of blood sacrifices to appease their 'father' and the submission of the community, and the death of the summoner who summoned it. Those who peacefully negociate with it are rewarded with endowed strength and a cure for their diseases. Humanoids who can go toe to toe alone with Spawn are often spared by them, and are offered 'gifts' by them to bring them into Zuuldrick's bloody embrace. Ghast (Undead) Ghasts are ghostly beings which are bound souls, normally passively made by necromancers due to their power and rituals. Ghasts are whispering spirits who commune in places of strong death or intense anguish, granting advice and curses alike to those they deem fit. Ghasts are immortal but otherwise powerless except for those who directly harm their 'homes' from within their sight. Those who are cursed by them become haunted, with the ghasts attempting to kill them by turning them to madness or weakening them to the point where they can be possessed. Wraith (Undead) Wraiths are undead beings who's soul had become attached to the world, and must rely on a set of cloths or armor to give them a physical form. Without this form, the wraith will decay and die, and are otherwise completely invisible to the naked eye. Wraiths are powerful beings who cannot be harmed by normal weapons, and are inherently gifted in magic. Wraiths also retain nearly all of their intelligence, but their personalities are gone completely. Wraiths can range in power and in skill, but those who were able to retain their old physical bodies often become corrupted by their magic, taking on a almost warped appearance, and also are gifted with a more powerful form of magic. Ursa (Fae) Priests of Ishala and Zuuldrick are known to conjure spells of the Ursa, powerful ursine spirits which dwell as guardians in the arctic north. Ursas are powerful, durable, and fast ursine-like beasts which are conjured by shadow shamans in desperation to defend communities, but at a considerable price for the shadow shaman's own life. Ursas are nearly resistant to most forms of physical weapons, and can conjure arctic mists to hide their movement. Ursas will guard communities, families, and cities if need be until they are truly defeated, and will stay with these communities forever. Ursas often provide boons to these peoples as well, conjuring schools of fish during times of famine or chasing away other predators and summoned horrors when they prowl the community. Ursas are the hated enemy of the Wendigo and deeply despise them, and will often attack them on sight. Ice Witch (Fae) Ice Witches are fae horrors which are conjured by Liches for the rare purpose. Ice Witches resemble blue, beautiful, women of various humanoid races. These creatures can provide much, bending what they need to to provide a reasonable wish granting fulfillment, but they come at terrible prices. Ice Witches often require blood to perform their rituals, specific blood in fact. If a Ice Witch is displeased, they have full reign to take one's soul as their own, and their magic is on par with that of Liches. These cretans tend to live for long periods of time in caves and ruins when summoned, preferring to 'gather' from local communities. However, due to their nature as trouble makers and soul stealers, often providing haphazard wishes, they are hunted down by nearly every race when given the chance. Liches are the only ones known to summon them, and even then most do it out of desperation.
History
Okan City States The first civilizations in what is now Usoma were normally nomadic tribes and tribal settlements along the coasts, but only the Okan seemed to build civilized walled cities and traded with the outside world. Wrad attacks on the cities were constant, and the Wildar, Tusab, and Okan joined forces to defeat the wraiths and drive them back into the inner arctic. In the later age, humans arrived in steady droves and began to live among the northern settlements as a tribal people, becoming the Kevians. The Kevians grew rapidly in number and settled much of the land and disrupted the land’s balance. Attempts to drive them out failed, and their culture settled close in relationships with the Tusab. First March From an unknown nation, a large force of colonists with impressive technology landed in what is now Ugolanbrav and set up camps, seeking to exploit the huge fur and ivory trade in the region. The colonial government started as only a few settlers and missionaries, but soon grew to be populated with merchants, hunters, and craftsmen. However, a federation of Okan cities began making demands of the colony, and some high nobles raised armies to claim the human settlement, and the assaults on Ugolanbrav failed due to bad weather. Believing their city threatened, their parent nation sent in a massive amount of reinforcements to the colony and began laying siege to several Okan city states and destroyed them, and took many of their people as captives. When Tusab and Kevian armies of tribals were raised, both forces met in the Battle of Ikar Pass, where a chokepoint prevented Usoman forces from being overrun and protected them from the weather, and wiped out the tribal army. The colony expanded further, and its successes in battle granted the colony further prestige and immigration. Seperation At the height of the colony’s power and the start of it’s industrialization, the colonies were hit by a sudden blizzard which blocked off all trade routes and overland passes, trapping the Neusians inside the winter city of Ugolanbrav. Wide spread disease, famine, and rioting led to the colony’s near collapse, and only the intervention of a very strong handed militia saved it from total annihilation. Unable to break through the ice caps which blocked trade, and likely abandoned and thought dead, the colony dedicated itself to their own survival and began building barriers and using available resources to survive the arctic land on their own, while keeping their own civilized society. Yet, drastic actions made generations of Neusians more authoritative, barbaric, and cruel as they became more aggressive towards their tribal neighbors who harassed them in their weakness. Only a strong fortress and guns kept the tribal armies at bay. Survival Over the course of several generations, scraps of new technology trickled into Usoma as the survivalist cities expanded under new overseers. With no real access for trade, a demand for total population control and organization transformed their society. In desperate need for new bodies, the Usomans began kidnapping and integrating Kevian tribals and using enslaved beastfolk to work their cities. Day by day was a need for survival, but their tactics did work and allowed them to survive brutal snow storms that would have otherwise wiped out their society. Having long since forgotten their old faith, the Usomans brought the faith of the natives to their own people to access their use of magic, and send out explorers back into the open world to bring back new technology and attempt to keep contact with the open world. After many failures to re-establish relations with the world around them, the Usomans had simply given up and spent their resources expanding their own cities and fighting off tribal raiders. Okan-Marcher War Ugolanbrav did not openly seek expansion, but under Overseer Tomas Brokov, the Usomans looked enviously at the Okan city states which had remained neutral during the first march. Facing a supply shortage of food, which the Okan could fix, the Usomans attempted to negotiate with the Okan. However, the envoys sent to the beastfolk were attacked by Kevian ambushers allied to the Okan city states, and survivors placed the blame on the Okan themselves. A army was gathered in Ugolanbrav and marched on the remaining Okan cities and decimated them. However, the walls of these cities were kept up and repaired, and the Okan people were not butchered, but rather enslaved. Many of these Okan city states were repurposed as new Osoman cities. The end of the Okan cities saw the Okan reduced to a slave race, a fact not forgotten by the Beastfolk tribes. The White War Several years after the Okan-Marcher war, a federation of Tusab, Wildar, and Kevian tribes united under the common purpose to drive out the Usomans and restore the Okan cities. The war was a utter disaster for the federation, as during this time, democratic movements and religious zealots had planned to rise up against the authoritarian overseers but were instead silenced by the invasion. The tribal armies, while brave, were slaughtered by superior guns and tactics of the Usoman troops, who employed their first White Guard units to assault the tribal sieges and successfully prevent the destruction of their cities. Pushing back the tribes was costly and the victories ended up being futile. The same new authoritarian pushes enslaved and butchered prisoners, only enhancing the binding of the tribal federation to keep fighting the Usomans. While ultimately victorious against the tribes, the Federation remained a large and real threat and a major rival of the country. Defense of Sigrad Sensing weakness, shortly after the White War, the Wrad summoned their own host and began raising dead to destroy the city of Sigrad and were nearly successful in purging it. The Wrad’s undead host met weakened and injured troops, and their fresh hoards of undead were very close to overrunning the city. Yet, stubborn and suicidal bravery won out and the line held against the vast undead push on Sigrad, which was able to call for reinforcements. Several elite and experienced armies surrounded and crushed the Wrad forces in a close battle below the city, and killed a Horned Wrad with the aid of the legendary Arctic Magi, Kulvin Byr. After success in the defense, the society became ever more paranoid and ever more enthralled beneath the hand of the overseers who declared the victories. Any sign of disobedience was swiftly removed, and the new influx of slaves from the captives of the White War gave a large economic boost to their country for years to come. Second March Many years later, after a large scale industrial revolution which transformed and greatly expanded Usoman cities and societies, the country became comfortable enough to challenge the Northern Federation for full control of the territory. Under the leadership of Overseer Kulban, several combined armies of Usomans destroyed the major outposts and groves of the Wildar and all but annihilated the last free holds of the Kevians, and brought both into slavery. Kulban used diplomacy and intrigue to crush the federation rather then his already impressive military might, using spies to sow distrust between the Tusab and Wildar who were natural enemies. The second march ended in victory and the federation was disbanded. Usoma was formally remade into a more unified country under Kulban, and quickly asserted himself as Grand Overseer in Ugolanbrav. The Wrad Civil War During the midst of the second march, the Wrad had begun a mysterious and little known civil war which broke their entire civilization in half. A faction of Wrad challenged their king over political and religious issues, and of the two major Horned Wrads who rebelled, only one and their followers escaped a purge of their cities. This group fled, in desperation, to the Usoman capital of Ugolanbrav and demanded sanctuary. Overseer Kulban banished the group and nearly chased them out, but the group found safety within the city of Okadius, who’s overseer became intrigued by their magic and profited from their crafts. The Wrad rebels became the Usoman Wrad and were accepted slowly over time after Kulban’s passing, and eventually became a regular sight amongst the richer cities. Reintroduction Only recently did the eternal blizzard which blocked the sea and land routes to Usoma become heated and explorers began to go beyond their cities to rediscover the world. Their first contacts were limited, but they quickly reinvigorated trade and relationships with the outside world, trading their huge supplies of coal, fur, and ivory for new technology and trade goods. Unwilling and unable to expand, the overseers have retained a neutral position with the world, but many looks to warmer climates with worry and envy.
Nation Relations Universally, the Lands of Usoma is deeply uninterested with the affairs of other nations, normally being dedicated to their own survival, but the warmer world has been a fascination in spite of propaganda presented by the government. Usoma is not at all hostile, and instead, are very often interested in trade and technology of others. Usoman leadership is always looking for a way to increase comforts of home so their people do not leave for warmer lands and outright bar immigration to other countries.
Flag: Nation Name:Hsir Confederacy Type of Government:Republic Head(s) of Government:Speaker Angor Economy (Main imports, exports, industries, etc.): Imports:Wood, Meat, Leather, Cotton, Sugar, and Fish Exports:Heat Crystals, Precious Metals, Ice, and Stone Industries:Mining, Metal refinement, and Underground Farming Unique Technologies:Heat Crystals and Cores Heat Crystals:Quartz crystals charged with fire magic that when stimulated by electrical current produce light. The crystals can be recharged with fire magic when it runs out but every subsequent recharging increases likely hood of the crystal shattering. Cores:Intricate metal cylinders that act as heat source for heating, and cooking primarily. They are charged by fire magic and sort of like a magic battery. Due to durability of being metal they can be recharged much more then Heat Crystals. Primary Species:Ragors Population:67 Million Culture:The Ragors have always had a mistrust of outsiders and that has lent the Hsir Confederacy to rely on isolation. If a idea or technology from outside mountains is discovered the Hsir are ready to determine if it is useful then incorporate it if beneficial. The alphabet used in Hsir Confederacy is that of the native dwarven population of mountain that are long extinct and the spoken language has many dwarven words. Hardwork, family, tradition, religion, and fearlessness are trademarks of the Hsir Confederacy people. Every home has a shrine dedicated to prayer and multiple generations will live in same home together. Religion and Other Beliefs:The religion in Hsir Confederacy is ancient having first developed in ancient jungle home when the Ragors were tribes. It is rooted in darkness and death worship with pit caves greater then 300 meters in depth seen as great holy sites. The ancient creation myth of the Ragors is that they simply rose from the darkness. Darkness is seen as something that is protective and safe. The shrine in each home dedicated to religion is a room that is without any lighting. The death worship is more so death isn't seen as a large negative. Souls of the dead will simply join ancestors in the darkness where light does not touch. The great holy sites that are deep pit caves are seen as where one can commune with spirits of ancestors. Location/Territories:Karakus Continent largest mountain range Climate:Mountain Military: Due to the topography of mountains Hsir Confedercy call home the military is primarily ground forces. The ground forces divided into three groups within the Hsir. First are the armored divisions which operate artillery and tanks of the Hsir. Secondly is the infantry which rely on the third group motorized for transportation. The motorized section of ground army also have many civilian roles which them being in charge of maintain the network of train based transportation that run above and in the mountains. Second most numerous portion of military are the wyvern riders. The geography of Hsir Confederacy has made development of any airports difficult so instead wyvern are still ridden for air combat. A wyvern will usually have a rider and then another on the back with a high caliber rifle. In the past mages would also ride wyvern and through them casting magic the wyvern could breath fire but its a dying skill not actively trained anymore. Lastly the Hsir have a very tiny handful of ships meant mostly for protecting what little trade does come to port. The ships are poorly maintained and mostly meant for show as the real defenses on coast are artillery and other static defenses. Magic Prevalence/Usage:Magic is part of life, every individual of the Ragors species can use magic. Without magic the Ragors would of likely never been able to live in the mountain range. The magic that average member of Ragros can wield is simple fire magic where they can channel its energy but not preform a spell like creating actual fire. True mages are distinguished by having wings and are capable of great magical feats like summoning fire out of thin air. History/ Background Info:The Hsir Confederacy was founded 8 years ago after the great cataclysm rocked the world. Old trade routes to various nations and city states in mountains dried up causing mass famines. To avoid total collapse of civilization created by Ragors the mountains were forced to unite into a confederation. The name Hsir was chosen as the ancient holy city of Hsir was chosen as the capital. Some estimates put the deaths from famine in the millions. Nation Relations (Can be as simple as a brief two line summary for your neighbors): Isolation has served the Hsir Confederacy well in solidifying its power. Trade relations have been kept minimal, especially with Hastur where the border is almost closed completely. Immigration into the Hsir Confedercy has been outlawed since its formation. However is a desire for more trade to import resources not within mountains so the Hsir are open to talks with neighbors except for the Hastur.
Imports: Food Sea Food Working/Military/Farm Animals (to a small extent, mainly to experiment with using other animals) Precious Metals Vehicles
Exports: Anglonian Horses (strong all-round working horse with exceptional strength. Working horse to pull and carry equipment) Fleet Horses (fast horses with less strength, but better stamina, used as transports and racing) Eireinian Pegasi (swift, agile, and daunting flyers; 1 or 2 sterile pegasi traded to nice foreign leaders, otherwise UKAE holds a 'monopoly' of them) War Machines (quite recently, and mainly to Southern Verdasou) Small Arms Exotic/Luxury Goods Wood
Having industrialized only in the later half of the last century, many would think that the UKAE would be a bit behind, or have just caught up. But it is not as simple as that. Instead the nation has advanced certain areas at the purposeful expense of others. Their knowledge and abilities are up to date, they have vast factories and docks for civilian, army, and naval use. But the nation is resistant to vehicular modernization: horses and pegasi are used almost exclusively outside of the military due to both their versatility and people having bonds with them. In the military, there is still an overwhelming amount of horses, though a transition from traditional cavalry to mounted infantry and powered armor cavalry has taken place. The government sees no reason to change how things are. Horses mean a more mobile army, literally down to earth populace, more fuel to the military, rougher roads that would hamper invading forces (except for the few roads that the UKAE uses for its own tanks), the list goes on. The main problem with this concept is that the horses are best suited for the UKAE and surrounding territories, prompting development into quality naval vessels, and trucks that would take over transportation duties overseas. Also large tracts of land have to be dedicated to providing for horses, which prompted, especially in the aftermath of the explosion, foreign human food importation.
Unique Technologies (the more exotic or interesting stuff your nation uses or has come up with):
Talisman-men: Soldiers equipped and trained to pass messages between magical/spiritual slips of paper. More reliable than radio, depending on only a man instead of a man using a radio, and no risk of hearing messages wrong, while still being instantaneous. Though not the most powerful weapon on the field, it is not only common in the UKAE, but can only be found in it. Its possible to strike deals where talisman-men are traded to serve in other nations, but even if this does happen they will never reveal how they do it, only serve. There are rumors that something magical/spiritual physically prevents them from revealing their techniques to foreigners.
Principal Armor Cavalry: In this day and age, mounted infantry is as far as you can get with horses on the battlefield, and in some cases not even that. And for a nation with such a long history of horse culture, that wasn't going to cut it. Enter Principal Armor Cavalry, or PAC, named during the transition period where this armor was replacing lesser outdated cavalry. PAC units armor the horse and the rider, with armor that is not only protective enough to shrug off small rounds, but enhanced with spiritual energy. A talisman is attached to both the rider's and horse's armor that not only relieves the weight of the armor, but actually improve the speed and performance of the wearer. Overall cheaper than armored vehicles, more maneuverable, and reliant on food and talisman instead of oil, PACs are the dominant unit in the army. With the trade off of not being an actual tank, PACs, when equipped with the right weapons, make very good modern day cavalry, especially for taking care of infantry and tanks. Due to their weight, they are harder to transport overseas than normal mounted infantry, which in turn are harder to transport overseas than normal infantry.
Primary Species: Human Population: 20,422,845 Human 17,654,321 Horses 6,543,210 Pegasi
Culture: Horse culture is extremely prevalent in the nation. Not only does each family have a horse, but many families have multiple horses, or even personal steeds. Every part of the horse is enjoyed by the people: the personality, the convenience, being in nature, and horse milk, blood, and meat. Horses are in fact one of, if not the definitive reason why Anglonia and Eirein could successfully unify. It is often said that a Anglonian/Eireinian is only half a man without his horse, but equal to two men with it. Horses come up in conversation as often as mentioning friends or hobbies do. When a Anglonian/Eireinian is far from his horse, one of the few things that can make him feel comfortable is to be out at sea, where the openness of the oceans parallels the openness of the steppes. The sky as well is open, even more so, but it is romanticized less often than the steppes or seas, and has led to a relative lack of aircraft use.
It is considered unprofessional, and to some people rude, insulting, or mocking, if you refer to the current nation-state as Anglonia-Eirein or AE. This has led to the common names for the country being the 'Second Union' or the 'United Kingdoms'. Even more awkward is the demonym for the whole nation being 'Anglonian/Eirienian', and the official shorthand being 'UKAE'.
The most mildly disrespectful and casual way to refer to the nation is Anglonia/Anglonian. Few raise a verbal issue with this, but it is standard for Eireinians to grit their teeth in annoyance for a few moments afterwards. This Eireinian annoyance is felt most strongly when someone more familiar with the region's history, mainly Pandyssians, say it, as it is thought that they are underhandedly referencing the dreaded Anglonia-Eirein and pretending to be talking casually.
Religion and Other Beliefs: The main religion centers around one god, Uldan, he who birthed the universe into creation, and his son Glonchaun (pronounced 'Glon-chon' or 'Glon-Con' depending on regional dialect), a telepathic centaur being that reminded people the true, deep value of humans and horses, and even a look into nature itself.
Location/Territories: Dark Green in the southwest.
Climate: A mix of tropical and sub-tropical, flat/grasslands and forests, along with the greater part of a mountain range. Despite many being directly descended from nomads, a group that is not associated with tropical climates at all, the people and horses are well adapted to the region.
Military: Royal Union Army- Mounted Infantry and PACs form the backbone, with foot soldiers, medium tanks, light artillery and Anti-Tank, and AA making up most of the rest. Token amounts of heavy artillery and anti-tank guns can be fielded to attempt to stall until the production of more heavy guns or allied assistance. Horses and pegasi, coupled with some trucks, fulfill the transportation necessities. Royal Union Aerial Army- Aware of the UKAE's lack of focus on aerial warfare, the Aerial Army puts its efforts towards air superiority, and as such there are a decent amount of fighters and fighter-bombers, and multiple different types mainly depending on speed, maneuverability, altitude, and durability, but few if any of other types of aircraft. Seeing an airship in the UKAE is as common as meeting someone with the same birth month as you. The Aerial Army is part of the Army. Royal Union Navy- RUN is what you should do upon confronting this Navy. Although perhaps not the most innovative, there is both quantity and quality to be found, enough to rival other naval powers. There is a preference to subs, destroyers, and light cruisers due to their versatility and speed, but the Navy is not opposed to having a few battleships and aircraft carriers. Royal Union Aerial Navy- Taking off from both the coasts and carriers, the Aerial Navy is made up fighters and torpedo bombers. The torpedo bombers are mediocre at best, but serve well to distract and sometimes score a hit on enemy fleets. Royal Union National Defense- A large branch, divided into the Royal Union Coastal Guard, and Royal Union Home Defense/Militia. Notably divided between these divisions are large, powerful coastal artillery guns. The Home Defense mainly deals with preparing for an invasion of the UKAE penetrating inland, while the Coast Guard is mainly there to help anyone having ship troubles near the coast, or is overboard or about to be and needs water rescue.
Magic Prevalence/Usage: The people do not believe they use magic, and believe the word sounds fake, but instead believe in spirituality, power of the soul, and connectedness to the earth and nature. They call it Inner Ability, or Spiritual Energy. This spirituality is not mingled with technology like how many others use magic, but instead often used completely on its own. For the common man, they might channel it to increase their physical abilities, or use it on their horse if its starting to tire out, if the person is strong enough to even use it in the first place. There are some other uses, but few are notable. In the military the uses increase: superior communication system, shotgun-like blasts of energy, prolonged survival underwater, etc. Whatever the ranking of UKAE's magic is in the world, it is probably one of more straightforward and intimidating. Depending on what direction the government takes, magic use has a chance of declining, but quite unlikely due to the populace not believing their Inner Ability is magic.
History/ Background Info:
Ancient History: About one and a half thousand years ago, four khanates formed from the loose collection of nomads, sedentary tribes, and city states in the region. -The Santeyla Khanate flew a flag of red and focused on being a united collective. One by one, both violently and peacefully, all of the constituent groups surrendered their former identities and became one with Santeyla. Some believe the beginnings of socialism come from here, while others dismiss the claim. -The Kantar Khanate is the most mysterious of the four. It is thought that they were the most nomadic and least materialistic, and the main proof that they existed at all comes from other khanates' documentation, which can often contridict each other. -The Gloucast Khanate formed the basis of later concepts of religion and kingship. They are revered by priests, who claim they feel an ancestral link to them. -The Lakhher Khanate was the fiercest of them all, forming a nomadic empire the stretched across the plains and the mountains. They struck fear into their enemies, and in 947, completely absorbed the other khanates into their own. Repeatedly successful at expansion and repelling invaders, their reign lasted for two more centuries. After the loss of a crucial fleet carrying thousands of warriors, tactics of neighbors adapting to counter cavalry charges and mounted bowmen, and a succession crisis, the Khanate fell apart. From the collapse came reforms, the archaic tribes were swept aside, and the new kingdoms of Anglonia and Eirein emerged.
Modern History: Hundreds and hundreds of years back, Anglonia and Eirein were enemies that would fight tooth and claw to gain an advantage over the other. They formed their separate alliances and conquered separate nations, but still fluctuated between unfriendly rivalry and war.
There was even a period, many, many hundreds of years ago in medieval times, where a kingdom called Anglonia-Eirein emerged. It was a complete mess, where Anglonia tried to rule Eirien as part of its own, without accounting for Eireinians and even some Anglonians not wanting to be considered one people at the time. To add on to it, the Union was proclaimed too early, before the last strongholds of Eirein had even fell. Full of rebellions from professional soldiers, and complaints and uprisings from peasants and nobility, Anglonia-Eirein limped along until it finally collapsed about twenty years after its formation. This past state is usually referred to as the First Union, though it also appears as Anglonia-Eirein and AE in the history books.
Despite this interruption, Anglonia and Eirein still traded frequent blows with each other, trying to instead make the other nation subservient instead of outright annexation. One of the main alliances was that between the fierce but outnumbered Eireinians and Southern Verdasou to counter Anglonian aggression against its neighbors. It was only in the past century that relations began to slowly cool, and an easy peace fell upon the land only in the last few decades. With the hardship of the decade of ash blanketing every inch of the flat grasslands, Anglonia and Eirein made the huge leap of unification. Now, however, the nation is at a crossroads. The two nations are still quite separate, and though people are citizens of the union, there are vastly different laws in each nation. They are different kingdoms, even in name. Some argue that an even stronger monarchy is needed to solidify a powerful leader, while others advocate for a parliament to represent both nations fairly, while still more suggest a shift towards the far right to boost united nationalist, and a somewhat notable but very small few suggest a shift to the far left.
Nation Relations (Can be as simple as a brief two line summary for your neighbors):
Southern Verdasou- Formally an old alliance between Eirein and Verdasou to counter Anglonian aggression, in more recent years relations have smoothed out between all three nations, and with the formation of the UKAE, there exists a friendly rivalry and healthy trading partnership between the two nations.
Elyr and Acrad- The UKAE is one of the nations that facilitates and guards trade between the two nations in exchange for payment. Intimidation of would-be attackers and individual cases of defending merchant ships are on the table, but the UKAE is not required to get involved in wars.
Flotilla- First physical contact involved a police officer (mounted, of course) finding a Flotilla citizen who was digging through a UKAE dump. Relations only deteriorated from here. The more that was learned about the Flotilla, how incredibly restrictive and brutal they were, how unconnected to nature they were (living couped up in airships), and how they sold people into slavery, the more the government felt torn between shunning these sky nomads and helping them get past their old ways and settle down on land. The latter was chosen, and lasted a very short time, before the UKAE realized the Flotilla could not be converted nor persuaded to change anything major. In response, Ula-Williamson I drew in a deep breath, calmly exhaled, and peacefully demanded that the unnatural sky scum were to never be within UKAE airspace again. There is some talk going around about what kind of force the UKAE would use if there was a airspace violation by them, but considering most of the UKAE's planes are fighters, it would be much easier to shoot them out of the sky than figure out a way to safely send people up into the Flotilla.
Dyvonia- Some kind of deal to be determined.
Saraya- Mutual friendship and understanding. Not the deepest bond, but some think it has potential. Modernization is something both have held in common and assisted each other with.
Type of Government: Parliamentary (Plutocratic) Monarchy
Head(s) of Government: Gishath, Minister of Agriculture Nezahl, Minister of Defence Vona, Foreign Secretary Tishana, Chancellor of the Bank of Glass (Prime Minister) Kumena, Queen of Verdasou
The Verdasoun Economy was once driven by the Privateer Fleet. Its ships once moved luxury goods like spices, shaped coral, and pearls in enormous fleets for great profit. Pre-calamity, they had reached a point where they were moving private cargo between ports for corporations both foreign and domestic for a modest markup, protected by the guns of the Golden Fleet. The Privateers no longer rule the seas unchallenged, but their influence is still felt in the Coral Market. When the convoys of Merchants began returning from long voyages unchallenged during the Age of Piracy, their wealth was jealously guarded by Verdasouns and re-invested. Banks and vaults in Verdasou hold accounts for corporations, rulers, politicians and oligarchs from across the world. The Verdasoun Guilder is one of the primary trade currencies against which other forms of cash are measured against. Indeed, it's a joke among political circles that most Government Ministers of the Economy have direct lines to a one of the Glass Bank's branches rather than an official embassy.
The two primary entities of the Verdasoun Finance industry are the Glass Bank and the Coral Exchange. The Coral Exchange is a stock and bond market that is managed by private corporations, though interest rates and trade taxes are managed by Verdasou’s Minister of Finance.
The Glass Bank is a government run institution. It provides loans to nations and corporations alike (the latter are overseen by the Minister of Finance, the former by bureaucrats), and holds enormous wealth in underground vaults. Bouillon from nations, kings, emperors and private individuals are stored on the remote island under intense scrutiny. While it is not readily available, nations and leaders sleep soundly knowing part of their nation's gold supply is secure deep within the Sunrise Sea.
Finally, the Sunset Shores provide a route for luxury goods that back up the Verdasoun Guilder. Spices, tobacco, and sugar are shipped out from their colony regularly to supply the world’s appetites.
Unique Technologies: Verdasoun technology relies heavily on their magical innovations. Rather than producing explosive gunpowders, their Water Shapers engineer shaped cannons that fire pressurized blasts of water, striking with the force of wrecking balls against concrete and steel when they hit home. When they must rely on modern technology, they import it from trade partners.
Similarly, hulls of ships- both trade vessels and warships- are grown from a fusion of coral and water glass. Such large undertakings require multiple master shapers working for months at a time, so the growth of the navy is directly limited by how many shapers are available at any given time. Warships of the Verdasoun Navy are built with the express purpose of being crewed by Merfolk so that they may double as submersibles.
Make it look more WW1 era, less futuristic, and this is what you get.
The shapers are also able to manufacture an artificial crystal substance called "Water Glass" to market for sale, a clear crystal with the strength of some basic steels. While a potent luxury good of aristocrats during the old era, now this skill has fallen to the wayside in favor of more industrious uses of their shaping skills. Shapers are put to work building hulls for the navy and private shipping conglomorates
Primary Species: Merfolk, Human
Population: 17,000,000
Culture: Verdasoun culture is that of two peoples that have joined as one. Having abandoned the madness of their North Verdasoui ancient homeland in North Verdasou before its collapse, the Merfolk were adopted by the human tribes of the Sunrise Shores. This is both literally and metaphorically- the Rahuri tribal law allow any fit adult to adopt an individual into their family. As part of the price for their settlement, the Merfolk had to consent to being joined as family with their new hosts. This Great Joining of peoples gave the Merfolk hope and purpose by adopting the ways of their new hosts.
Rahuri art and culture reflects struggle against the sea- its storms, its monsters, and its deprivations. The worship two deities. Mama Tortue, the Great Turtle, She who Shepherds and Protects. And Tiburon, The Protector, The Shark Whose Maw Consumes. They also practice a form of ancestor worship, seeking guidance from those who came before.
Rahuri hold hospitality sacred. Denying shelter to one who means no harm is a grave taboo, but it is acceptable to shut one's door in the face of danger. They also place special emphasis on curiosity and exploration. The normally insular, isolationist and proud North Verdasoui were content to shut themselves off from the world until their realm was consumed by great Doom. The Merfolk have gone a full one-hundred-eighty degrees in the opposite direction.
Households are made up of a mixture of humans and the adopted Merfolk. The heads of the household can be either male or female, and same-sex couples do exist within these households as a legal holdover from the Rahuri.
Rahuri surnames are tied to location and profession. Rather than Joe Smith, a Rahuri would be titled "Joe, Car Mechanic from Brooklyn."
While the Verdasouns have maintained the culture of hospitality among themselves, their Golden Fleet has brought wealth and splendor unheard of in the past hundreds of years. The Merfolk arrived as beggars, desperate for a homeland. Within a century they began to build the South Coast into a nation-state. The Rahuri and the Merfolk chafed at these rapid changes, but so far the Rahuri have not repudiated their Hospitality. The Caciques have formed a full Parliament in response to the crisis of the Great Eruption to the north, utilizing their power as farmworkers and fieldhands to demand additional political power. This Parliament was granted to prevent a full civil war from breaking out, and the Merfolk Autocrat, the direct descendant of Galina Verdasou who holds the sacred pact of adoption via her bloodline, now gives her Royal Consent to its laws and mandates.
Religion and Other Beliefs: Among the human tribes, ancestor worship is still common and regional folk gods and goddesses are revered in local shrines and temples.
Among merfolk, the people revere two great deities- Tiburon (also called the Great Shark) and Zacama (the mother turtle). Worship of these deities tends to drift with the times. Tiburon is a protector and war deity, a great shark who appears to lead the merfolk in times of unrest and conflict. Zacama is a nurturer and provider, a turtle who helps shepherd the merfolk through times of plenty and calm.
Location/Territories: Across the great ocean from the Empire of Hastur, Southern Verdasou lines the coast of the great jungles of the southern continent. While they claim dominion over the entire southland, the reality is that their control is limited by the travel of the navy.
Climate: Tropical/Sub-tropical. Southern Verdasou regularly suffers from autumn flooding and summer tropical storms.
Military:
The Royal Verdasou Army is a standing army of roughly 132,789 infantry. Trained in jungle and hill warfare, equipped with semi-automatic rifles and grenades, the Army has not been deployed overseas in living memory. Still, it stands ready to defend the nation's jungle borders and ports. The Verdasou Air Corps, such as it is, is a component of the army and is comprised of 322 aircraft deployed in three squadrons- North Division, East Division, and Inland Division.
The Royal Verdasou Navy keeps a standing force of merfolk crewed vessels rating as follows: - 17 Battleships - 61 Cruisers - 182 Destroyers - 43 Patrol Boats and Costal Cutters
The hulls of naval vessels are shaped over a period of years by Merfolk Water-shapers, combining Water Glass, Coral, metals, and other materials to form ships capable of standing in combat against others. Their merfolk crews, construction process, and the Royal Combat Doctrine means that these ships are capable of submerging beneath the waves before surfacing to engage the enemy.
The Golden Fleet (Privateers) is a division of merchant cartels that voluntarily build their ships to Destroyer specifications. During times of war, they may voluntarily take up arms to harass enemy shipping and defend the homeland. While the ships are undoubtedly out of date by modern standards, they do allow the Royal Navy to deploy their dedicated combat units further afield without fear of the home seas being completely undefended.
Magic Prevalence/Usage: Magic is used in the construction of coastal cities and the grand Coral City. Cities rise and fall beneath the waves, but Water Glass tunnels allow both Merfolk and Terrestrial individuals to travel the streets in safety when floods and storms strike. Likewise, the ships of the Royal Navy use cannons that fire pressurized blasts of water, heavier and more dangerous than the pressures found in the deepest oceans and striking hulls with the force of a wrecking ball.
History / Background Info: TBD
Nation Relations:
Unitary State of Coreshaw - The closest ally of Verdasou, the people of Coreshaw and the Merfolk of Verdasou both seek a return to normalcy on the international stage. Where Coreshaw's diplomats go, they can always count on unspoken support from Verdasou.
Fenice - The one-time colonizers of the Pandyssia have had a complicated relationship with Verdasou. The human tribes and merfolk both were unable to prevent the establishment of their colony by force of arms or diplomatic intervention, and so they began to intertwine their economies and diplomatic systems in order to promote trans-oceanic trade. After the devastation of Fenice by the great volcano, the colony is becoming host to more and more refugees from Fenice's mainland. For now, Verdasou supports them in their exile- but they are definitely looking to leverage this generosity for political favor in the future.
GCR - The so-called Greater Republic represents a threat and an opportunity in the eyes of Verdasou. Their economic and social system is a barricade to a restoration to the world prior to the great eruption, and the Royal Family's gold reserves remain secure in the vaults of Verdasou's Bank of Glass. Verdasou's diplomats hold a winning hand so long as they hold these gold reserves, and they still don't know what they will demand in exchange for their release- but it will be substantial.
The Divine Empire of Hastur - The Divine Empire is a burgeoning market for the newly opened Coral Exchange, and the modernization of has been fueled by Verdasoun currency. The market has gotten so lucrative that some shipping cartels are buying and selling stolen goods, seized by Hasturian warlords from Arcad, with nary a thought to the consequences. Should Hastur and Acrad go to war, the Verdasoun stand to lose much from their aristocrats.
The Republic of Acrad - After the parliament of Southern Verdasou spent so much time and capital trying to reopen the Coral Exchange, the first international buyers of stocks and bonds were the oligarchs of the Republic. Her Majesty's Government looks favorably upon the Republic, even as regional tensions are on the rise. With so much money in the Coral Exchange, there could be an argument made that any attack upon Acrad's ports would, in the best case scenario, lead to severe disapproval from Her Majesty's Government. Worst case? Blockade and war would ensue.
Royal State of Unified Saraya - Her Majesty's Government had long-standing agreements and relationships with the prior monarchy of Saraya. High King Padvia IV fled to his estate within Verdasou, claiming refuge by using prior familial marriages with Rahuri tribes as justification for citizenship. The newly empowered Parliament went to bat for the exiled King and he remains a private citizen, constantly lodging complaints and courting favor to return to his throne.
High King Padvia will be waiting a long time. Due to rising tensions with the Sovereign Istian State, along with "bandit" raids on Rahuri border settlements, the Ministry of Defense has engaged in limited joint defense operations to deter Istian aggression. Her Majesty's government already shares a border with one militaristic tyranny. They have elected to reserve judgment upon High King Angara Kassaji I until they have taken his measure as a ruler. Verdasoun intelligence operations have stepped up their monitoring and fact-finding missions within Saraya at an alarming rate. Should he swing toward outright fascism, Her Majesty may elect to use King Padvia to stage a coup and remove a dangerous element from Her border. If Angara demonstrates a respect for liberal values and the international order, King Padvia will remain in his private abode, politely ignored and rebuffed by the official diplomatic channels. For the moment, Her Majesty has seen Kassaji can be trusted to keep his word, and may be a future partner in much more important endeavors.
Note: Verdasou is being written as a hotbed of political intrigue and espionage. This is where the sausage gets made, so to speak. I intend to not write martial conflict as it's not my preferred cup of tea.
Nation Name: Divine Empire of Hastur Type of Government: Absolute Theocratic Monarchy Head(s) of Government: The Radiant Emperor
Economy (Main imports, exports, industries, etc.): Hastur is a relatively traditional nation of artisans rather than industrial workers, still, due to its sheer size it can be independent from the outside and doesn't suffer from foreign competition against the domestic goods. This tendency to fix prices and at times simply nationalize certain sectors of the economy has been good for the people in general, but dysmal for industrialization. There are a couple state of the art factories but they are almost exclusively ran by the state and are generally 'non-profit' as they for example aim to deliver weapons for the armies, not to sell them to it.
Unique Technologies: -The Ontology: The rules of magic in the world have been established for quite some time as it being a power from within. But The Ontology of Hastur is different, for it is a power from without. This has been hailed as a proof by the philosopher and clerics of Hastur that Hastur alone is a true God and that these are not the works of magic, but true divine miracles! One may notice that the 'powers of a god' seem in many ways more limited than that of a mage in how it must be casted using precise incantations, movements and wearing specific items in certain holy places, but its effect is undeniable for in this global crisis Hastur has for the most part, thanks to The Ontology, always received bountiful harvests.
Primary Species: Humans
Population: 150,000,000
Government: For all of its known history, Hastur has always been founded around a powerful bureaucratic administration that was generally meritocratic. Through the centuries however, instabilities within the Golden Palace led to the Janisi caste getting increasing influence within the administration until it took it over. Janisis are educated castrated slaves that have either been captured very young or are of second generation. It is a well kept secret, but the blood of the bearers of the Golden Mask has been foreign to Hastur for many generations now.
The Palace is a microcosm of its own where its all politics as a lowly eunuch cleaning the marble floors can rise to become one of the most powerful person of the world if he is cunning enough. This makes Mask Bearers ruthlessly good at internal politics, but maybe makes them focus too much on that. Very little bearers have taken interest in the outside world lately, too busy dodging plots and poison to care.
It doesn't mean this attention is unwarranted though, for outside the Golden Palace are the local governors and the Warlords. The governors have mostly been neutered as the semi-democratic selection process where landed men may voice their opinion to select whom they think should serve as governor is generally decided by the Palace as it'd be very hard to get the landowners to vote for a conclusive choice that isn't the Palace's. In addition to this, the post of governor comes with great priviledges such as a Janisi administrative cadre, bodyguards and a harem that should in theory be loyal to the governor alone but who of course spy for the Palace (To be sent to work away from the Palace in the Provinces is seen as a punishment by most and as a way to keep enemies far for some, though one shouldn't underestimate how much power a Janisi away from the Palace and with the ear of a powerful Governor can get. Many 'usurpers' were ousted from the Golden Palace by outsiders.)
And then of course, there are the Warlords. The meritocratic system of Hastur extends to its army as well where trained military academy students get junior posts along with promoted soldiers showing potential. Promotions get approved from the top down but this gets complicated when the title of 'Warlord' needs to be given. The process is that the upper officers of the army in question join to select one of themselves to take the title and then ask for approval of the Palace. The Radiant Emperor can of course refuse and appoint whomever he chose but military men tend to be independent minded and choosing an outsider generally leads to an assassination marathon and 'accidents' to happen.
The Golden Palace thus does whatever it can so the Warlords position remains precarious, its main balancing tool being the relentless competition between the Military Academy officers and the Promoted Grass-to-brass ex-grunts who tend to hate each others.
Culture: Hasturian culture has been shaped massively by its religion and the quest for perfection and betterment, both personal and through the generations and that purity of thoughts and actions lead to health and a long life. The culture thus has a somewhat superficial aspect to it in the fact that good and healthy looking individuals are prone to be seen as better at making choices while a successful person that is say, ugly or afflicted by cancer will be suspected to have achieved his success in dishonorable a fashion by exploiting the people under him and so forth.
While this is a stereotype, it doesn't mean any good looking person just waltzing in is certain to get a prestigious job for at the same time, betterment of the mind and education are also held in high regard, making the Hasturian society quite educated.
Why then, would they keep believing in such baloney as an immortal emperor that got unmasked and killed publicly dozens of times through history?
This baffles outsiders but what a lot of them fail to understand, prefering to think themselves superior to Hasturians most of the time, is that the 'Divine Mandate' of the Radiant Emperor is a white lie that everyone silently acknowledge because its better for stability. Indeed, why has the Empire grown to such heights and population in a world ravaged by warfare? Because of the silent agreement that when two rulers with equal right to rule should rise, then you just side with the one that treats the peasants better and say 'Hail the Radiant Emperor' to just like that be on the right side of history and get on with life without having to go through a devastating civil war. Hasturians simply don't care a whole lot for Palace Intrigue and the Great Game of politics, just going along with whatever's happening currently as not to ruin something good.
And likewise, the Palace prefers not to intervene too much in mundane affairs, except of course to extract wealth out of it. The taxes tend to be flat across the board, a successful merchant not paying a whole lot more than a landless peasant and said taxes would be considered quite high if it wasn't for the value of human lives. Indeed, a household (as determined as everyone of the same blood living under the same roof) may pay its taxes with a life. This means lower income households often pay their entire taxes every year with their offsprings, providing a massive supply of new slaves that will go to the Janisi Academy to either succeed and move to greater things or fail to then grow the ranks of the Central Army or to serve in the state owned industries, mainly the exploitation of deep and dangerous mines.
This system where a massive part of the males are castrated and used as cheap muscle also permits the Empire to allow polygamy as it has a healthy surplus of women. It is judged as a good factor as less successful families will tend to go extinct by selling their young males into slavery and females for dowries, insuring society betters itself. Beware to the households who have neither gold nor young children to pay for the taxes else the tax office may declare them bankrupt and defunct, all assets being seized and people enslaved. Any non child has considerably less value as a slave as they can't take the Janisi exams and are automatically sent to hard labor.
Religion and Other Beliefs: 'In the beginning there was only the chaos of everything that was and could be, changing at every moment. For aeons, the darkness that creates and destroy pointlessly created and destroyed, that is until Hastur was made and he could not be destroyed. Hastur then separated things from the everything and from things made the world as we know it. To keep things orderly while he busied himself creating the universe, Hastur created life, a thing chaotic by nature but the only thing capable of repairing the damages caused by entropy, the Crawling Chaos that hides everywhere, and so it was good.'
'It is the ideal of any sentient being to change itself for the better to try and reach artificially what Hastur is naturally: Perfection. The Radiant Emperor, steward of Hastur on this world, is by far the most touched being on this planet. Immortal and above the power of any and all on this earth, his flesh is of solid gold and to witness it would be sure to leave a man blind. His cunning and intelligence is also beyond that of any mortal and as such, to question his actions is futile and one must know that in the end, it is all part of the Grand Plan to instill perfection on this earth and build paradise.'
'There is only one way to perfection and a single wrong action leads to failure and chaos, for a perfect being would never have made a mistake. The way to perfection is uncertain for the only being who never made a mistake ever is the Radiant Emperor but to be placed in the care of his chosen educators is certainly a safe choice to give your offspring a better chance at perfection.'
'Failure to achieve perfection is most likely and so most are destined to return to the Crawling Chaos. But do not worry, for Hastur works tirelessly to separate things from everything so in time, you shall have another chance as you are reborn pure and without the dark mark of mistakes.'
'Outsiders will say that through history, the Radiant Emperor has been ousted from power and unmasked many times, but it is important to look at history in hindsight. The Radiant Emperor always returned triumphant and that is because every event in history was part of the Grand Plan, for the Radiant Emperor never once did a mistake in his existence. At times the Grand Plan demanded body doubles to be put in place and traitors to be allowed to fake being the Emperor at times. If you ever ask yourself 'If the Radiant Emperor is perfect, how could he have known failure?', you have already failed on the road to perfection but should know that your feeble mind simply cannot understand the Grand Plan. For example, if a people is becoming weak and effeminate, then the harshness of war and devastation will whip them back into shape and closer to Perfection. There is always a point to what the Radiant Emperor does.'
Climate:
This country that should in all certainty be dry and hot at all times benefits from a bountiful wet season where suddenly rivers and green sprout in the harsh wasteland, allowing for bountiful harvests and beautiful flora to exist for a bit less than 6 months before the heat returns and everything dies again. This is the cycle of life and most inhabitants of the empire live with it, busying themselves with farmwork during the monsoon and with craftsmanship during the dry season.
Military:
-LAND:
Military affairs of the empire have historically been a large and complex affair without the existence of radio or telegraphs and as such, the distant provinces of the Empire were assigned commander given practically unlimited power as to the recruitment, training and deployment of his forces, many wars were fought in the pass without a single word of the Emperor as the Warlords have also diplomatic privileges and the duty to protect Hasturian interests whenever they can. Today things are slowly reforming with the creation of a central military academy but still the regional commanders have extreme powers compared to any military officer of any rank in most nations.
-The Border Armies are poorly equipped with overstock last generation bolt action rifles and the likes from more advanced nations and their training ranges from decent to lackluster depending on which of the four armies they are from.
The Septentrional army led by Warlord Selim Al-Facil is reputed to be a hardened fighting force with much experience behind it fighting Acradian forces in constant border skirmishes involving them punching way above their supposed strength against a superior enemy. The north however holds some of the poorest provinces of the Empire and is where the monsoon ends, leaving only desert, as such it isn't the most numerous army, which isn't helped by the fact that Al-Facil is reputed to be confrontational and critical of the Golden Palace, which in turns try to limit his power as much as possible.
The Oriental army led by Warlord Alaydin Al-Mansul guards the eastern coast and a large part of the front behind the Septentional army. These two bodies should ideally work together if they'd hope to have success in the northern operations but Al-Mansul is a known stooge of the Golden Palace prefering much more to spend his days with concubines and enjoying the benefits of his position than really lead his men. As such his army, while sizable and in theory well equipped and supplied, has grown complacent and lazy, anyone competent being held back to lower ranks as not to menace the position of the Warlord.
The Occidental army led by Warlord Sheik Mustafa Al-Bagreb has always been considered 'Old and reliable' like the general leading it. Al-Bagreb himself is far from a tactical genius but is yet considered an excellent Warlord due to his ability to remain calm, identify good ideas and manage inter-officer relationship within his Staff as well as temper the expectations of the Golden Palace. He doesn't hesitate to say he owes his long and succesful carreer to his ability to avoid praise and that his greatest trait is humility. His forces are thus kept at robust efficiency though innovation maybe isn't his strong suit.
And finally, the Meridional army led by Warlord Simbel Beiyang, alone in the south. With the relations warming with Alvaria and Hsir while in the north things go to hell, the Meridional army is considered the least important of the 4, but if anything this just leaves more room for Beiyang to further his expertise. The man went to the military Academy and was trained by foreigners, having already travelled the world to get lectures from the best modern generals and taking his job very seriously, he constantly studies both the latest in military news and all military history he can gets his hands on. Knowing not to let bodies grow idle, he spends his and the time of his men training and preparing for fantasy invasion scenarios by the neighbors, knowing preparation, while it doesn't survive contact with the enemy very often, is still key to success.
Then, there is the Central Army. All of the wealth the empire receives amasses itself in the Golden Palace and the Central army has historically been the most likely to march on the palace to 'remove usurpers' and as such it is always kept under tight control and a short leash. This army is also the one to intervene should a Warlord or provincial governor get upity and defy the Radiant Emperor and as such, it gets the benefits of all the advanced weaponry and training offered by the rest of the world to Hastur. Its troops are capable of great things, remains to see if he who will lead them will get his post due to competence or nepotism for lions led by a sheep are a menace to no one.
And finally at the core are the personal troops of the Emperor. In the palace, the Key Masters and their Underlings guard specific doors of the Palace, some obvious some secrets, but their role is mostly ceremonial, the body guards are Elite Janisi indoctrinated from birth to fear only the eternal hell that awaits them should they break their oath not of protecting the emperor's life (for he is immortal and his intellect so great he'd never get caught in a disfavorable position in the first place), but to protect his divine sight from things so displeasing as someone foolish enough to even try the impossible!
-NAVY: Curiously, the navy (or rather navies as East and West are almost completely dystinct), despite being the subject of the least attention from the capital in term of reforms, is easily the most effective force of Hastur and indeed is considered frighteningly powerful by many, Fenice especially who in the lat ten years saw the Western Navy being considered a bunch of pirate rabble to a near-peer menace that manages to cause considerable military loses and crippling civilian ones. This is mostly due to a lack of oversight from the Golden Palace (You can't sail a ship to the Palace to make a coup) that allows true meritocracy to be achieved along with with a prize system giving out generous rewards for capture and destruction of enemy ships making the post of Sealord one the most lucrative enterprise in Hastur at the moment without counting the monstrous profits to be made in capturing freight and slaves.
The Western Navy under Sealord Mistral Grel, a demi dark elf exodite from Acrad, has grown legendary for its boldness and balls-to-the-walls raids on Fenice, the best known of them being how a slave raid on the island of Djin that had been held by Fenice for centuries turned in a liberation thought impossible just because Grel saw an opportunity and took it. He is now the wealthiest man in Hastur and attracts countless wannabe mariners with his generous gifts of prize money to the best crews as he now focuses on vanquishing rather than just fighting back the Fenician navy using a doctrine of combined surface, submarine and air ships to try and crack open their battlefleets, sink their sea castles and retake all of the land lost to foreigners and their navy for the Emperor declared he'd reward the person responsible for such a feet with a wish of anything one might desire. What Grel desire is for the Emperor to command his armies to march on Acrad and liberate his homeland from the boot of the humans there, make this land a province and make he, of course, governor.
Where the western navy and its Sealord are reputed for boldness and aggression, Sealord Nizar Al-Reef is liked by his men for being a no-nonsense and eerily silent type. A friend of the merfolks and other undersea humanoids that make a significant part of his crew, he prefers to leave slve taking to others as he just sinks his targets and pillage them from the sea floor. Reputed to be a frustrating enemy, he always seeks to not lose before trying to win and isn't one to take baits or being forced in a corner.
-AIR: Sealords and Warlords all have their small auxiliary flying units but there was never a true Air Force, united in its command until recently. The newly appointed Skylord Seung Lafla was top of his class along with the now Walord Beifang in his class of the Military Academy. It was unofficially built thanks to the effort and material of Avalia but isn't stuck within the framework of its doctrine either as Avalia never did bother to make this training official. Still, the fleet is relatively modern and its officers and crew well trained and eager, the next step is to create a native design produced within Hastur.
Magic Prevalence/Usage: The use of magic (as opposed to miracles done using the Ontology) was always borderline heretical if only for the fact that mages tended to try and call out priests as just doing magic the same way they did, which is heretical, but there never were purges. There is even a small but prosperous mage's guild in Hastur promoting responsible and above all, discreet, use of magic. Recently however things changed. On one hand it seems like mages are more in demand than ever with the Coreshaw delegation building prototype magic powered factories but on the other, it is rumored slaves with magic and the poorer mages are disappearing to... somewhere.
History/ Background Info: Hastur has been there since recorded history (which conveniently starts about 3000 years ago, anything older being impossible to find) and it is said that before there were only tribes of men obeying the will of powerful witches and wizards calling themselves dieties until Hastur revealed itself to the Radiant Emperor. With the power of the almighty Hastur, the 'golden man' defeated all who opposed him, enslaving and neutering the men and marrying their women to insure ethnic unity (and indeed, the generic 'Hasturian' people are the largest single ethnicity of the world) and would go on to conquer, having a massive magical edge over its enemies.
At times Hastur was closed on itself, at others it became resurgent but always its enemies feared its armies, unending and with the backing of a numerous population to equip and pay for it. Even as firearms revolutionized warfare, it only seemed to make Hastur stronger for its craftsmen were eager to show their expertise to the world! When the industrial revolution came around however, Hastur did not partake in it with the same enthusiasm. It was anathema to the culture of self perfection Hastur had always preached, one of the things that made it strong in the olden times as the men strove for perfection while others wallowed in contempt of their own situation. It is impossible to become a master of anything if you work in a factory hitting the same nail on different shoes, over and over again.
Then, trouble began. Foreigners saw the weakness of Hastur, but still it had the gold of its past glories. Foreigners demanded concessions, unequal treaties and gold, meanwhile the Radiant Emperor dodged conspiracy after conspiracy, many armies unmasking false emperors and placing others on the golden throne. It was 50 years ago that the downward spiral seemed to slow down and stop, the Emperor having changed his strategy from uh... letting the fakes fight one another, to then return on his throne and stay there. It was 10 years ago however that Hastur rather than recover, once again began to expand! The volcano was a curse sent by the Emperor on Fenice for their hubris and with the north falling apart, the dark elves of Acrad who had so long resisted the emperor came to beg him for safety that he provided, in the south more tribes were annihilated and overall, Hastur stands greater than ever and not at all overextended. In fact, it hungers for more.
Nation Relations: -Republic of Acrad: Acrad in its multitude of states had been for the last couple centuries the bulwark of the north, the enemy with which Hastur traded blows for generations. Hastur cheered as the nations of the desert collapsed and indeed secured territories out of the whole ordeal but they didn't foresee that it would actually come back from this chaos, much less that it would do it so fast. Maybe energy spent fighting Fenice would have been better used putting Acrad out of Hastur's misery once and for all but what is done is done. Everyone knows Acrad and Hastur will fight again, but its a question of when.
-Hsir Confederacy: Back in the days, Hsir seemed the weak link of the chain around Hastur, an easy target. The reptiles proved the Empire otherwise. Hostilities between the nations really kind of... stopped. One day it was war, the other Hastur was too busy elsewhere. Warlord Beifang and the local governors didn't push the issue, it seemed these folks were contempt staying in their mountains and so they'd leave them. Whatever they had of worth was easier to trade for that to take by force.
Name: ??? (The Radiant Emperor)
Age: ??? (It is theorized the first Radiant Emperor destroyed all recorded history of Hastur over 2500 years ago to create the religious narrative Hastur is known for today.)
Psychology: His Radiance seem to have decided lately that the Grand Plan demands modernization and an end to the centuries of isolationism the Empire's been in. Hastur will unite all, but pragmatic deals with other temporal leaders who think somehow they'll conserve their authority on the long run shouldn't be discarded either.
Physical Description: ???
History: ??? (Looking for a princess to have been captured and enslaved by Hasturian forces and have sired an offspring that would be the current person behind the mask.)
Economy: Economic developments are regionally aligned. Mining and heavy industrial outputs are concentrated around the western border and the mineral-rich mountains and hills. The southern coast is referred to as the industrial heartland, with shipbuilding and heavy industrial factories prevalent there. Service-based, modern economic functions like banking and finance exist in the central coast near the capital and other affluent cities. Education and other service sectors are most prevalent in the central and northern cities, which form an urban corridor along the coast. Farming and agricultural production is centered along the river valleys and in the central grasslands of the country, while lumber and forestry is focused on the jungles to the northeast.
Unique Technologies: I guess I’ll figure this out.
Primary Species: Human
Population: 27.7 million
Culture: Sarayan culture is generally described as mellow. Laid back and relaxed, it is usual to find coffee and conversation in cafes and households across the country. There is an intricate respect-based system of nicety and politeness, derived from beliefs of equality and humility and supported by the religious pantheon. There is little racial or gender-based difference in society, as the country was formed from a quorum of tribal entities that brought diverse viewpoints and experiences into a melting pot. Gender roles do exist in the world but are typically flexible and it is not unusual to see working women or stay-at-home men. Most outright discrimination occurs with non-human outsiders, but centuries of dealing with the Verdasou have nullified problems with “humanoid” races such as the mer-creatures. The official language is Sarayan, also known by its dialectical name of Jazadi (after the capital city of Jazad.)
Religion and Beliefs: The official Sarayan religion is referred to as the Navari Pantheon. The Pantheon consists of the worship and written lore of a dozen deities and their stories. The Pantheon is heavily-based on the ancient writings of the Old Sarayan tribes, who focused their worship towards fire. As a result, most temples are fire temples and many of the gods have a direct connection with fire despite representing facets of the world. Magic use is directly related to the Navari Pantheon, as it is related to the ceremonies and miracles of the gods. Clergy often occupy important roles in the tribal and rural areas of the country, and function as local mages and miracle-workers for villages and towns.
Location and Territories: Southwest Pandyssia, south-southwest of Verdasou and directly east of Anglonia-Eirein. Stretches inland for about a sixth of the continent. (Plot #9.)
Climate: Coastal temperate leading inland, with lush river valleys along the two main river inlets leading towards dry, semi-arid grasslands on and beside the mountains in the south and western edges of the country with the border to Anglonia. While not type-classified as mountains, sizeable hills break up the topography before jungle begins at the western border. To the north, forests turn to tropical jungle environments along the Verdasou border. The interior is mostly calm and temperate with lush forests and wider grasslands. Many of the tropical storms arriving in Verdasou make their way towards the northern regions of Saraya but are usually weaker after spending some time over land.
Military: The Royal Sarayan military is based around modern principles focusing on the Land Forces, Sea Forces, Air Forces, and National Gendarmerie. The Land Forces maintain their area of responsibility for defense of the national borders and land-based foreign expeditions. The Sea Forces patrol the coastline and international waters, while the Air Forces provide air-based support to all of these services. The National Gendarmerie focuses on internal law enforcement and domestic security at the national level. Specialized units like the Border Corps, Amphibious Corps, or Royal Guard Corps are typically sub-unified branches roughly attached to parent services yet with their own independent structures.
The regular military is commanded by a quorum of Joint Service Chiefs with a head picked by the government while royal units (particularly the Royal Guard Corps, as authorized by the Constitution) are commanded by the High King. Various lower-level structures exist, including a national conscription reserve and militia element used to raise tribal levies on demand for conflict. These function as inactive parts of the regular military. Imperial tradition has resulted in the presence of several “elite” units generally independent of central authority, despite constitutional attempts to nullify the High King’s power over them. They have been mostly merged into the Royal Guard Corps, but subdivisions remain as independent regiment-sized elements across the country.
Magic Prevalence and Usage: Magic is heavily present in religious ceremony and cultural events. Many of the Navari clergy are adequate magical users, using them from summoning spirits at sermons to healing and providing alms. Gods of the Pantheon have imbued or dispersed magical powers, blessings, and abilities, albeit somewhat mysteriously. Average people are exposed to magic in their daily life as professionals such as doctors use it alongside traditional forms of medicine. It is taught in universities or special mage collages. The military has an organized training program for battlemages in combat and support roles. Usually most effective in the hands of the appropriately studied and skilled, magical power and imbuement finds a way into every facet of society from construction to entertainment.
History and Background: Saraya has a long and complicated internal history. Shielded by jungles to the west and mountains to the south, tribal culture and governments have existed since antiquity. In the early years of the 1st millennium, however, High King Yahani the Unifier established an alliance of tribes under the banner of his council. This alliance established a kingdom, dubbed Saraya after visions of the deity fire queen of Sara (referring to the head) encouraged acceptance and unification. The kingdom thrived on the southern coast of the Pandyssian continent for hundreds of years, establishing a national identity and embarking on campaigns to penetrate deeper into the heart of the continent in search of territory and imperial glory. Dynasties thrived, rose, and fell as the ages passed.
Ancient Saraya most famously clashed with the jungle-people in the center of the continent in a massive war. After decades of war, their victory was decisively won when an ancient Sarayi army descended upon their capital and razed it to the ground, going so far as to carry the very bricks of their buildings back to Jazad to form a new wing of the High King’s palace. The jungle eventually reclaimed whatever was left of their civilization, and the rest of their identity was lost to history. The only records that remain name them as the Rustosi, but much of their way of living is now so obscure and shrouded in lore and mystery that scientific and archeological evidence is difficult to prove.
Eventually, a national Sarayan identity was formed and used to rally nation-state ideals around. Tribal powers were quickly subsumed into an ever-more powerful High King, who ruled as an absolute autocrat for hundreds of years. Through good and bad, development of the country stalled and stuttered or progressed with the influx of new technology and ideas. Yet in the mid-1500s, the first of the Sarayan Revolutions was ignited by a belief that the monarch had consolidated too much power and the rest of the country was corrupt and undeveloped. Tribal forces rose against the High King and deposed him by 1564 after a decade of brutal fighting. Left scarred and ruined, the Sarayan people began the road to recovery with a new dynasty of tribesmen promising to pick up where the former king had ignored them.
A distrust of foreign power had developed as foreign influence crept into the country. These tensions simmered for centuries, sometimes breaking out into small conflicts that left Saraya utterly humiliated yet never totally conquered. These decimated the military and prestige of the new dynasty, forcing the country into its century of shame. Trade and openness eventually petered out, before the country closed itself off for the first fifty years of the 18th century. Eventually, internal strife forced the monarch to reopen the country in order to secure food and resources for a growing population, but a strong distrust of foreign powers remains to this day.
This dynasty survived for another two hundred years, before falling into the same traps as before. Just as the previous cycle fell, the second Sarayan Revolution established the Constitution of 1800 and installed the Padvian dynasty as rulers bound by oath to a new government. This was seen as a highly progressive move at the time, generated as new ideas surrounding democracy and government power were increasingly in vogue. These Padvians would rule an increasingly modernized empire as technology and money flowed from newly-opened trade between Anglonia and Verdasou. Jazad became a modern capital and the north coast of Saraya turned into an urban corridor. Industrialization took hold as the Padvians declared a strong military and industrial base the future security of their regime against foreign power, departing from tribal relations and magical-based might.
1927 marked a change in world power as the volcano explosion utterly decimated the northern hemisphere. In the south, the damage was not as severe, but climate change and a collapse of the international system led to hunger and internal unrest. The Padvian dynasty abdicated in early 1929 after two years of famine and rioting led to an attempt on life of the king that left him scarred and deformed. Almost a year of struggle led to the installment of High King Angara Kassaji. Kassaji, formerly a general officer in the Padvian military forces, utilized his connections to regiment and distribute food and resources to the people in the rural areas before marching on Jazad with an army of defectors and peasants. Kassaji declared the empire “Unified” again in December of 1929.
The climate began to normalize and the situation improve, while Kassaji managed a reconstruction effort. Bound by the Constitution, revived in 1930 after falling by the wayside with Padvian corruption, Saraya is poised to compete with the Pandyssians as the north proves prime territory for foreign intervention. Relegated to a second or third-rate status for most of their history, High King Kassiji and the Sarayan people welcome the destruction of the north as an open door for their country. Millenia of lore and identity have coalesced into a resurgent state, their people hoping and trying for greatness in a new era.
National Relations: Saraya retains diplomatic relations with several countries.
Southern Verdasou: Southern Verdasou is an important trade partner to the north, providing significant loans and economic support to the Sarayan industry. However, diplomatic disputes around the presence of the former High King Padvia IV in the Coral City have been a friction point in the relationship. While technically not seen as a threat or issue by the Kassiji throne, Padvia maintains a residence there that is often the subject of protests and disruption. The new Kassiji dynasty is also met with some skepticism by Verdasou's government, who are still assessing the new regime. However, positive progression in recent years with racial acceptance have smoothed previous issues regarding immigration and discrimination that was marred by allegations of human favoritism.
Anglonia-Eirein: Sarayan and Anglonian relations have typically been distant, yet amicable. While there is significant overlap in ethnic population, especially near the border, internal disputes in both countries have resulted in more of an internal focus. Despite this, they maintain a mutual understanding as they both have undergone significant modernization in order to reduce their vulnerability to outside partners. They have participated in trade, technology, and doctrine exchange to further "northernize" their economies and strengthen the political power of their nation-states.
The Flotilla: The Flotilla maintains a docking and trading agreement with the Sarayan government in the southern city of Kuzom, which has constructed docking infrastructure and logistical support networks significant enough to take on the massive fleet of airships. Flotilla citizens are allowed in this exclusive economic zone but are typically met with hurdles if they try to travel throughout the rest of the country.
Military: - Amsar Kandeh: A team leader freshly transferred to the Royal Guard Corps in Javad. After a career of excellence with the Land Forces, he seeks new opportunity in the elite Sarayan military forces. Introduction. - Marko Avordani: Another team leader with the Royal Guards, and a longtime comrade of Kandeh. Younger and more assertive, his risk-taking behavior is particularly worrisome to his much older friend. Introduction.
People: - Azmat Sadari: A truck driver in the northeast, working the roads as the security situation in the jungle deteriorates. His desire to make a simple, honest living clashes with the newfound challenges of the political scene. Introduction.
Head of Government: Lady Marie Ira II representative of the division of Rina, Governor General of the National Legislative Council Aran Cerang, Prime Minister of the People's House
Economy: The Commonwealth’s chief exports include iron and silver ore mined in the nation’s mountains, although the amount exported has been steadily decreasing in favour of more sustainable ventures. Other important industries include the agricultural sector, which mostly produces spices and paper. There have been some attempts to create a larger tourism sector but the results have been mixed. The Commonwealth often imports food, glass and other raw materials.
Unique Technologies: The pride and joy of the Ocrese Commonwealth is the Grand Railway. The Grand Railway is a large railway network connecting every town throughout the country. It travels at high velocity, powered by magically augmented engines. The network has been equipped with large underground tunnels that go through the mountains.
The railway tunnels are also connected to the war bunkers. This extensive system of bunkers that could shelter the majority of the population should the country come under threat. In addition, some of the trains have been outfitted with artillery that could be sent as a defence in times of war.
Primary Species: Humans, Goliaths, Half-Goliaths, and a notable Orc minority
Population: Approximately 13.5 million people
Culture: The people of Ocreau had to learn to survive in the arid rain shadow of the mountains that make up most of the country. This lead to the formation of many festivals and rites designed to bring about good harvests. The climate also encouraged the use of many different spices in Ocrese cuisine, several of which were considered to be so valuable that the tribes fought over their sources long ago. The people value resilience and an even temperament. There is a strong focus on family and on the local surroundings.
The most common spoken language is Ocrese, which is a creole of the old languages of the human settlers and the languages of the Goliath. Orcish is often spoken by the Orc minority in the south.
Religion and Other Beliefs: Many of the religious Ocrese combine the beliefs of various world religions with traditional local customs, forming a hybrid belief system with a basis in the world religion but festivals and customs from indigenous sources. Several still adhere solely to these customs which encourage the worship of spirits at shrines, many of which are centuries old.
Location/Territories:
Area no. 20
The country is split into 17 divisions, with the capital of Ereaux being located in the division of Rina which is in the mountains.
Climate: The climate of the Commonwealth is generally dry and arid, with the eastern coast having a warm climate with lower than average rainfall. The land near the base of the mountains is fairly fertile and is fed by snowmelt. The mountains get quite cold, with the highest mountains having permanent snow caps.
Military: The Commonwealth has a decent defensive force with several static and mobile defenses. Remnants of fortresses built during the warring states period have been retrofitted to serve as more modern bases. These are mostly found near the coast as the largest inland border is protected by mountainous terrain.
The army consists mostly of infantry with support from armoured vehicles built using the iron found in the mountains. Although the army is hardly the most advanced on the continent, it makes up for it with training and discipline.
The navy has been built up over the centuries as sea trade was vital to the fledgling Commonwealth. The nation has been investing in warships and its coast guard. It also has a large merchant navy. The navy has been researching aerial combat, but not much has come of it so far.
Magic Prevalence/Usage: Magic in the Commonwealth was once viewed with awe, many magi would act as village elders and would be vital advisers to the ancient leaders. The local magics are druidic in origin, focussing on nature and spiritual magic. Now, magic is regulated by a government ministry in an effort to keep the peace in the country. It is taught by schools, many of which are publicly-owned. Despite this, magical abilities are still fairly rare and those with them are greatly respected.
Magic also plays a role in festivals and rites, and is used to bring about several different effects. For example, a rite might be used to encourage a good harvest or to drive away evil spirits. Traditional talismans are also used as sources of easily accessible magic.
History/ Background Info: The lands that are now called Ocreau were once inhabited by 10 different Goliath tribes. These tribes were mostly confined to the mountains and were largely isolated to the outside world. Not much is known about this period as much of the Goliath’s oral history was lost to the ages. It is widely believed that these tribes lived largely separate from each other. Archaeological evidence suggests that there when the tribes did meet, it often ended in bloodshed.
Centuries later, the first human settlers arrived in Ocreau. The humans mostly settled the coastal wetlands as these provided convenient sources of food. It wasn’t long before the two peoples met each other. Old writings made by the humans suggest that while many of the Goliath tribes were open to trade, there were a few that fought the humans over land.
This period of history continued until the founding of Qae, the first Ocrese city-state. The first warlord of Qae rose up and conquered the surrounding tribes. Qae was soon followed by other states, ushering in the Warring States period of Ocrese history. During this period, the first Orcish settlers appeared and formed their own city state in the south of the country. Approximately 21 states were formed during this time.
This period ended with the formation of the 17 modern states. The end of the warring states period forged three uneasy alliances that would shape modern Ocreau. The first alliance was under the division of Qae which controlled the northern mountains. The second was under Rina, which controlled the southern mountains. The third was under Mar, which controlled the central coast.
These three alliances were constantly trying to undermine each other, but there was very few outright wars between them. Each knew that a war with its neighbours could spell the end of their de facto state. The three was finally unified into the Commonwealth of Ocreau with the leadership of Ira of Rina. Ira saw the power of the neighbouring countries and saw that only a unified Ocreau could hope to survive. As the warlords of the constituent divisions and the leaders of the alliances saw the expansion of Fenice and worried that it threatened to take the lands upon, they met in the city of Ereaux and forged the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth was officially formed 150 years ago with the founding of the National Legislative Council, which took a representative of each of the states (now called divisions). All of the divisions elected their representative democratically, while some still retained ancient dynasties.
Although the eruption initially had little effect on the Commonwealth, other than some trade disruption, the following years of ash-induced darkness had a devastating effect on the agricultural industry. The government set out drastically subsidising farms and reforming agricultural laws so that they would not starve. The famine did cause a drop in population and some of the more agricultural-focussed divisions required grants to prevent bankruptcy.
Once the ash cleared, the agricultural industry began to recover and Ocreau saw a boom in the spice industry. Lady Maria Ira II, who is distantly related to Ira of Rina, became the 71st Governor General of the Commonwealth 2 years ago.
Nation Relations:
Ocreau generally has little interest in the politics of the nations around it, except when their decisions have effects on the Commonwealth. They generally take a somewhat defensive approach, but will trade quite happily with those around them.
Republic of Acrad: Ocreau is aware of the Republic’s existence and wishes to pursue trade deals with them, mostly in oil.
Andria: Ocreau is interested in trade with Andria.
Republic of Avalia: Ocreau trades in spices, and as long as Avalia wishes to buy spices then relations between the two will be favourable. Ocreau has recently shown some interest in the uses of Hydrium.
Divine Dominion of Fenice: While Ocreau generally wishes to trade with the Dominion, they are wary of their territories around the globe and privately disapprove of their acquisitions. Some Ocrese fear that Ocreau may, one day, become a colony of the Dominion
Divine Empire of Hastur: The Hasturian religion has a few followers in the Commonwealth and Ocreau tends to remain silent on matters of the Emperor and the Empire. It is wary of the sheer size and strength that the Empire wields. There is some trade between the two.
Type of Government: Autocracy Head(s) of Government: Lord Chancellor Zelimir Bartos Economy: Due to the Ongoing Unification War, Talania has slowly become more militarized, focusing more on Arms Manufacturing, Heavy Mining and Extraction of Metals, Minerals, and Hydrium. Unfortunately, Oil is more scarce in Greater Talania, having to be imported from their new ally, Hastur, as well as other necessitates such as food stuffs, and luxury goods, and in exchange, Talania ships it's surplus of weapons to the Empire. Primary Species:
Population: 72 Million Culture: Religion and Other Beliefs: Location/Territories:
Climate: Military:
The Mighty Sword and Shield of Talania. The Talanian Army is by far the most well-equipped, and most numerous out of both the Navy and Air Corps.
The beating heart of the Talanian Military, these valiant patriots proven to be the most versatile, fulfilling whatever roles that are needed on the battlefield.
Standard Gear
Winter Gear
Officers
Desert Gear
An Elite formation within the Army, the Talanian Stormtroopers act as elite shock troops, utilizing thick combat armor and higher grade weapons compared to the army regulars.
Stormtrooper Light Combat Armor
Stormtrooper Heavy Armor
Established after the declaration of the Unification War, Bartos was inspired by the Rankani's use of magical shock troops during their invasion, their use partially the cause of such massive pushbacks. However, once Talania moved on the offensive, Bartos gathered many volunteers strong in magic, using their talents to great effect. However, as the years pass, Magic became more increasingly nationalized, the Lord Chancellor forbidding magic outside the Military's control. Eventually, Magic users were no longer given a choice, and forcibly conscripted into the Military's Arcane Divisions.
AC-15
AC-19
T-24
T-60
The Talanian Air Corps lie between the threshold of the Army's favoritism and the neglected Navy. Like the Navy, the Air Corp is a far smaller beast compared to the army, however, recent military innovations have made the Air Corps something to be feared and respected with the advent of aerial warships, Talania trying their hand at such marvels of warfare, able to go where the Navy simply cannot, and rain death upon Talania's enemies. F-25 Razor
FB-12 Talon
HB-30 Claw
Peacemaker -class Support Airship
Supremacy-class Aerial Battleship
TT-2 Mini-Zeppelin Transport
Although years of warfare has severely reduced Talania's naval capabilities, but even in such a reduced state, the Talanian Navy can still make a formidable foe, fulfilling its basic goals of coastal domination over their immediate neighbors. Dominance-class Battleship
Unity-class Cruiser
Patriot-class Destroyer
Lance-class Corvette
An Elite, near-fanatical Corps separate from the Army, the Talanian Republican Guard serve as Bartos' chief enforcers in Talainia, with the aid of the National Militia, the Republican Guard keep the citizenry in line and are to crush any semblance of rebellion.
Alongside the Republican Guard, the National Militia act as Talania's last line of defense in the case of invasion, acting both as a military force, and as law enforcement, although not as well equipped compared to the Army, the Militia make up their failings in their devotion to the Chancellor and Country.
Magic Prevalence/Usage: Magic is quite abundant in Greater Talania, however, its usage in the hands of ordinary citizens is outlawed, and any person gifted with magic is to be immediately collected and conscripted into Talania's Arcane Divisions. History/ Background Info: The current state of Talania can be traced over twenty five years ago, the young, fledgling Republic of Talania struggled through years of warfare against their larger, more aggressive neighbor, The Rankan Empire. The leadership proving ineffectual in the face of such a dire opponent. As the conflict drew on, famine had plagued the land, not unlike the one that would be suffered years later. All seemed lost, until a General in the Talanian Army, Zelimir Bartos, grew tired of the chaos, set in motion his own plans that would effect both the war, and the nation as a whole.
General Bartos, along with his loyal troops, instigated a bloody coup in the capital city of Sajoszgrad, storming the streets, gunning down any who would stand against them, and had managed to rally desperate citizens who saw this coup as their salvation. Before long, Bartos and his men stormed the Parliament building, executing all members of the previous government, and declaring himself Lord Chancellor of Talania.
With a renewed sense of vigor and morale, Talania within a year, had managed to push out the Rankani past their border, for some, this would be more then enough, however, Bartos had other plans. The next day after their great victory over the Empire, Bartos had personally traveled to the border, gathering several army groups and citizen militias for a grand speech, many assuming this would be the sign of the war's end.
However, it was far from over. Bartos stood, given speech of a long lost legacy of the old Kingdom, how it once stood as a powerhouse in the region in ancient times, the King himself declaring the land as part of Greater Talania. The patriotic need to honor that legacy permeated the soldiers witnessing the speech as Bartos became more and more passionate. It was then and there, the war would never be over until the Old King's decree was finalized, until the land would at long last be united under the banner of Greater Talania, no matter the cost.
It was there that Bartos declared this a War of Unification, a war that would wage on to this day. For the the next decade, Greater Talania, fought battle after battle against their neighbors, first to fall was the Rankani Empire, their smaller, weaker neighbors were to follow and for the time being, both sides were in a fierce stalemate, however, the Century of Ash would change it all for the worse. For over a decade the world was covered in ash, crops withered and died, temperatures dropping, the war became a desperate fight for survival.
Several attempts at a truce would repeatedly be ignored as the talanians made their advance, even as people starved, Bartos kept the war going, convincing his generals that this crisis was the ample opportunity they needed, even if the Talanians suffered the most.
Nation Relations:
Hastur: Relations within the last century had been turbulent, the defunct Kingdom of Talania participating in a Crusade upon a weakened Hastur, besieging and occupying the Port City of Merzifon. For over a century the the previous governments and for a limited time, its current successor had held the city until Hastur took an opportune moment and retook the city amid the chaos of the Century of Ash. In the aftermath, the Hasturi leadership, impressed by the efforts of the talanians, had hired out the services a number of veterans of the battle to train their soldiers.
Soven-Ampara: Relations with Soven and Ampara are rather poor, both countries forming their pact in response to Talania's imperialistic ambitions, Soven more so, as they lay within the drawn borders of "Greater Talania".
Andria: Like Soven and Ampara, relations between Andria and Greater Talania are poor, moreso for Andria as currently, the two countries are in a state of war as Talania invades Andria's shores.
Usoma: Due to their frigid climates, and the strain of decades of war, Talania uncharacteristically is in open talks with the Usoman Empire, of course, such attitudes are but a temporary facade as Talania bids her time when the resources are more readily available to strike.
Ocreau: For now, Talania has very limited contact with the Ocreau Commonwealth, but once the opportunity rises, the Commonwealth too will fall under the banner of Greater Talania.
Acrad: Although parts of Acrad lie within the Greater Talanian Region, Talania has formed a Non-aggression pact with the Acradian Republic, and have agreed upon a partition between Soven and Ampara if victory over the Federal State is achieved.