[OOC] Ashes of the Old World (A Dieselpunk Nation Roleplay)

[Skepic]

“And in the distance I saw it, the future. Bright and filled with fire and violence, spreading across the world so rapidly, so swiftly, nobody could have ever hoped to escape it. It was the end of times for certain. “ -Unknown journal entry, detailing the beginning of the Century of Ash

ALL TERRITORY HAS BEEN CLAIMED AND WE ARE STARTING! FOR THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING NOW, YOU MUST SELECT THE TERRITORY OF AN NPC NATION! BE WARNED THAT OTHER PLAYER NATIONS MAY ALREADY BE INTERACTING WITH NPCS!

For over ten years, darkness had enveloped the world. A sudden and massive eruption of a volcano in the northern hemisphere created an ash cloud that covered most of Othea. The world cooled and for those ten years, famine and internal strife became the norm. Empires shuddered or outright crumbled, governments collapsed, and in some cases, entire species were eradicated.

From the ashes of the old world, now comes a new reshuffling of the world. New ideologies have taken hold of governments, backwater nations suddenly having the room to expand once more. The world is now stepping into a new age, filled with fire, steel, and smell of exhaust from the engines of war!

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**BE NICE**
Whether we disagree or not, don’t get personal, don’t get mean. We’re here to have fun first and foremost, not stress each other out. Make sure to treat your fellow man with some respect please

**BE FAIR**
This RP is a story driven, character focused nation roleplay. You may have noticed from the nation template that there is no real stats. This is because this isn’t about winning a game, but building a fantastical tale with friends. As such, it is expected that you do not meta-game, create a mary-sue nation, or anything of that sort. Battles will be collaborative efforts between players to achieve the coolest, best outcome! Maybe the underdog will grab a unexpected victory from the jaws of defeat, or perhaps a rising empire will crush all who dare stand before it! These are the moments that we all enjoy, so make them enjoyable for all!

**STAY FOCUSED**
We like to go down rabbit holes when discussing various aspects of the setting or story of RPs. For the sake of time and ease, let’s make sure we stay focused on the RP itself. Remember to get shit done!

**STAY ACTIVE**
Due to the nature of this RP, nobody should expect you to post every day or what have you. However, baring some sort of life related complications, post at least once a week! This will be enforced strictly, so make sure to provide a reason for any delay at the earliest convenience. Real life always takes priority, but it is rude to just go radio silent with no explanation. In the event that a player drops out whether willfully or not, the nation will be temporarily taken over by the GM/Co-GMs for the sake of continuity in whatever story that’s been established. Any requests to rejoin the RP will be reviewed on a case by case system.

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Maps of Othea

Geography Maps


Climate Map


Political Map (subjected to change, so check often!)

**RULE OF COOL**
One of the most attractive aspects of this genre of RPing is seeing some cool stuff come to light! I’m talking viable airship fleets, fireball slinging shock troopers, and diesel powered mecha! This and whatever else you can come up with is free game! However, this plays into the rule of “Be Fair”. These weapons, magics, and races all serve to characterize your nation and customize it to your liking, not to automatically win wars!

**IDEOLOGY AND GOVERNMENT**
Remember that radical changes to ideology of a nation can have lasting effects both positive and negative. No one form of government is perfect! Aside from that, go nuts! Whether it be a corporate paradise or a theocratic god emperor, any crazy and wacky system of government is encouraged.

**CLAIMING LAND**
Claiming land on the political map is a first come, first served system. Be aware that while I try my best to keep the map as up to date as possible, it may not always be accurate.

**PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR ENVIRONMENT**
Make sure you’re nation makes sense in regards to the environment it finds itself in. Nations with lots of neighbors and little sea access are probably not gonna be floating a massive navy any time soon and nations with little islands and nothing else probably aren’t going to find everything they need. Pay attention to the geography and use it as a means to motivate your nation to action during these turbulent times!

**KEEPING UP WITH THE NEIGHBORS**
There isn’t a whole lot of unclaimed territory in the world anymore, so you probably are gonna have neighbors. Make sure your nation at least is vaguely aware of them and has some sort of established relation. It doesn’t have to be a 30 page essay that flushes out the shared history of two states, just a few lines of backstory.

**TECHNOLOGY**
This RP has a tech setting that is Dieselpunk inspired, meaning it carries the aesthetic and nature of the late 1930s and early 40s. As such, tanks, prop driven aircraft, and semi auto rifles are all in fashion this time of the century! These parameters are intentionally vague as to allow you to have lots of creative freedom to come up with all sorts of crazy stuff. This was a time period of rapid and diverse innovation so have fun!

**MAGIC**
What would a pseudo-fantasy-industrial nation roleplay be without some magic? Generally speaking, there are no real set rules for magic in this world, so once again, you're allowed to provide a lot of creative liberty. With this liberty comes responsibility! Make sure you’re not trying to argue for any world ending magic nukes. If you've read this far, DM me with "your a silly fish"

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**YA GET ALL THAT?!**

Good! Here is your Nation Sheet Template! Once you've completed your NS, post it here in the OOC section for GM/Co-GM approval. Upon approval, you have permission to move it over the Characters thread.

Flag: (Optional)
Nation Name:
Type of Government:
Head(s) of Government:
Economy (Main imports, exports, industries, etc.):
Unique Technologies (the more exotic or interesting stuff your nation uses or has come up with):
Primary Species:
Population:
Culture:
Religion and Other Beliefs:
Location/Territories:
Climate:
Military:
Magic Prevalence/Usage:
History/ Background Info:
Nation Relations (Can be as simple as a brief two line summary for your neighbors):

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Discord Server:
discord.gg/drT5EAr

Name generators!
name-generator.org.uk/country
fantasynamegenerators.com/country_nam…

[Crispy Octopus]

Wickity Wack

[Sigma]

I'll start working on a sheet soon.

Edit: Ok, in progress sheet is up.

WIP

Unified Republic of Greater Talania

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:

Human

Forest Elf

Orc

Gomiri

Population: 72 Million
Culture:
Religion and Other Beliefs:
Location/Territories:

Climate:
Military:

Army

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.

Infantry

Army Regulars

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

Stormtroopers

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

Arcane Division

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.

Armor

AC-15


AC-19


T-24


T-60

Air Corps

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

Navy

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

Republican Guard

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.

National Militia

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.

[Wernher]

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.

Exports:
-Foodstuff
-Precious Metals
-Luxury Goods

Imports:
-Weapons
-Industrial Goods
-Slaves

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.)

[Roby6Com]

Flag:

Nation Name: Republic of Acrad

Type of Government: Stratocracy

Head(s) of Government: General Leader Ovald Regix

Population: 25,000,000 registered citizens and an unknown number of non-citizens including other races.

Climate: Desert arid, with small spots of savannah and oasis sites.

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.
Vaesen - Little to no interaction for now. Unknown potential.

Economy

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

Unique technology

- 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.

Culture

Windolia, capital of the Republic

District One of Windolia

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.

District Two

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.

District Three

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 Outer Wall

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.

Young acradian during his military service

Location

Military

Military:

Estimated number of active personnel: 500,000
Estimated number of potential personnel based on the population (18-45): Over 5,000,000

Landforce

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 soliders, led by an Army General
-War Theatre: 500,000 - +5,000,000 soldiers, led by Commander-in-Chief 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.

Airforce Corps

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.

Mechanized Corps

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.

History

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.

[Ever Faithful]

Flag:

My Hider

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.

My Hider

Armoured Bears: Big, ferocious, and cladded in armor, these warbeasts serve as a for a heavy cavalry for the military.

My Hider

Heavier Artillery:

Super Heavy Siege Cannon

60 cm mortar

12.8 cm Flak cannon

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.

Consolidation of the Guilds:

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.

My Hider

.

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 Superior Firepower 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 SMG MP 39

The MG 36

The HAG 38

Armored Dwarf Machine Gunner

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.

[Slamurai]

Andria

Andria

Type of Government: Absolute Monarchy
Head(s) of Government: Queen Eldanorré IV
Politics:
Andria is both an absolute monarchy and magocracy. Executive power is held by a hereditary monarch and a council of sorcerous elites simply referred to as the Circle. High-ranking mages form the country’s nobility, lording over the non-gifted populace.

The reigning monarch is Queen Eldanorré IV, of the Ardise familial line. The Ardise line has had a stranglehold on the throne ever since Andria’s founding. The monarch’s chief duties include commanding the army, overseeing religious matters and managing diplomatic affairs and treaties. The monarch has the final say in the passing of laws and may appoint individuals to the the Circle.

Succession in Andria is hereditary and observes primogeniture. The sex of the firstborn has no formal bearing on succession. The Council has the power to nominate a monarch, if the reigning one dies without an heir, but this has been a non-issue since the Ardise line first reigned.

The Circle is the most powerful political force in Andria, next to the monarch. The Council is a collection of individuals sworn to aid the monarch in governing the kingdom. Membership is restricted to magisters, the highest-ranking magical adepts in the kingdom.

Andria has several administrative districts acting as intermediaries between the central government and wider populace. These were established following the dissolution of the impractical general assembly. Each district is responsible for at least one major city and the surrounding villages inside its borders. These districts carry out nationwide legislation from the central government and bring local affairs to executive attention.

Economy:
TBA

Unique Technologies (the more exotic or interesting stuff your nation uses or has come up with):

Primary Species:
Andria is a predominately human nation. Only humans may hold political office, and only mages at that.

Population:
38 million

Culture:
At a glance, foreigners might think Andrian society is divided into two major groups - the mages and non-mages. The reality is more complex, as all nobles are mages, but not all mages are nobles. Likewise, occupation and daily life bring mages and the non-gifted populace in constant contact. Social classes are stratified, primarily according to magical ability.

Common citizens, those born without magical aptitude, make up the vast majority of Andrian society. Commoners are independent, have the ability to decide their own lives and make their own wealth. In most regards, they are allowed similar freedoms in most other countries - they can own property, own and manage businesses, serve in the military, allowed education, have inherent human rights and legal representation, and so on. However, they have little to no say in the nation’s governance and are unable to hold office at anything beyond a basic local level. It is highly desirable for commoner parents to conceive a magically apt child. This increases their standing and affords them some degree of social mobility. This hope, however small, goes a long way to keeping commoners complicit with their lot in life.

Most mages belong to the intermediate class, between the commoners and the high-ranking nobility. Intermediates are mages without an esteemed lineage, sometimes born of commoner parents. Their families may have been commoners up to this point, or have birthed mages for generations, but have no ties to the upper echelons of magical society. While not as privileged as nobility, intermediates have many opportunities available to them and can reach high-ranking positions through perseverance and effort. The difference between an intermediate and commoner is perhaps greater. It is an unspoken courtesy that commoners defer to their magical peers. Crimes against mages are punished more severely than those against commoners.

The nobility of Andria are mages all. Their familial lines are held in esteem, going back centuries, if not millennia. Many are descendants of legendary Andrian heroes of yore, or claim to be. They will go to great lengths to record and preserve these genealogical histories. It is the nobles who hold the majority of Andria’s most powerful positions, and are likewise often the most high-ranking mages in the kingdom. Noble families will spend great sums on magical education to expand their repertoires and legitimize their positions. The nobility is competitive, each trying to accrue and maintain the favor of the monarch and their positions within society.

Even with the emphasis on magical ability, high aptitude is not necessarily a requirement for many roles. The courts that oversee commoner cases are generally staffed by low-ranking mages to better bridge the gap between the mundane and the gifted. Plenty of powerful political roles are held by low-ranking magicians. Aptitude always helps, but so does knowing the right people, being in the right place at the right time.

Andrians are generally dark-haired, with olive skin and aquiline noses. It is commonplace for scented oils, waxes or lotions to be applied to hair. Women wear their hair in elaborate braids, piled on top of their heads, or in ponytails, while men keep theirs cropped short. Wool is worn during the winter, and linen in the summer. Commoners typically wear clothing dyed in bright colors or kept white. Black robes are telltale signs of a mage and magisters wear these trimmed in gold with a badge of rank. It is fashionable for wealthy women to wear garments of incredibly sheer, almost transparent linen.

Dancing and music is incredibly important to Andrian culture. There are over two-hundred distinct dances, covering purposes such as war, humor, athleticism, religion, holidays, weddings, funerals and other causes for occasion. A sought-after traits in both sexes is a partner practiced in either dance or the music to accompany it. Lyres, flutes, tambourines, cymbals and castanets are the most widely played instruments accompanying these dances. A well-practiced commoner is a sight to behold, but a mage can dazzle and move an audience like no other. Tendrils of magic whip in the air as a mage dancer whirls and magic-infused music elicits the deepest sensations in its listeners.

Religion and Other Beliefs:
TBA

Location/Territories:
Andria is located in southeast Tyviern. It is bordered by Soven-Ampara directly to the south, the Republic of Acrad to the southwest and the Talanian Sea to the east, etc.



Climate:
Much of Andria is vast grassland and rolling hills. By and large, the country has a Mediterranean climate. Winters are mild and wet, while summers are hot and dry. Andria boasts rich farmland in its fertile lowland valleys. Olives and oil extracted from them are a major commodity of the region. The country is most densely populated by the coastline and its capital rests there. In the southwest, Andria’s border with Acrad is characterised by rocky mountain range. Here, irrigated agriculture produces goods such as wheat, barley, cotton, and tobacco. Many basins are located here, the result of inland drainage or erosion. These basins drain out to sea along rivers that stretch through the country. What forest there is is confined to the north and northwest.

Military:
Service in the Andarian Armed Forces is voluntary and open to both mages and non-mages. Non-mages make up the vast majority of enlisted personnel and frontline soldiery. They can rise to NCO and low-grade officer ranks, but nonetheless are expected to defer to mages, who undergo officer training upon enlistment. Mages form both the leadership and force multipliers of the armed forces. Doctrine expects them to issue orders and formulate strategy, but also to bolster the fighting capability of the soldiery through destructive magics.

The standard army infantryman's uniform consists of a grey-green tunic and matching trousers. Black marching boots are worn in harsh weather, whereas a more traditional style of Andrian shoe is worn when it is dry. Grey greatcoats are worn in cold weather, or otherwise rolled up in a soldier's pack. Ranks and unit designations are marked by the piping of shoulder straps and the collar. The standard service rifle is a straight-pull bolt-action rifle chambered for a .303 cartridge. It combines a respectable rate of fire of 20-30 rounds per minute with great reliability.

More TBA

Magic Prevalence/Usage:
Magic is everything in Andria. It legitimizes mages and magisters as the ruling body and the monarch as ruler of the nation. It is quite literally the backbone of Andrian society. Aptitude for magic can both be inherited by genetics and can be a spontaneous gift. Commoner families hold out hope they might bear a child with magical aptitude and reap the benefits of increased social standing. The children of mages are near-certain to be mages themselves. This encourages the magically-inclined to breed among themselves, and magical skill is seen as a desirable trait in a partner.

Beyond the socio-political realm, magic is found in all levels of daily life. Street lamps are powered by magically-charged stones, boilers and ovens fuelled with magic blazes, the sick and injured are treated with magical cures, agriculture is nourished with magically-altered climates and weather. The consensus is life is plainly better with magic around, and all classes of Andria can point to the benefits. Mages are not only rulers, but healers, scientists, and scholars as well.

More TBA

History/Background Info:
TBA

Nation Relations:
TBA

[eemmtt]

I am interested in this. I'll start on my CS.

[Trinais]

Very interested! Time to salvage a nation from one of my favorite cancelled RPs!

Southern Verdasou - WIP

Southern Verdasou

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

Economy:
- Imports
* Heavy Weapons
* Manufactured Goods
* Luxury Items

- Exports
* Food
* Shaped Coral
* Financial Services

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 coral. 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.

Similarly, the shapers are able to manufacture an artificial crystal substance called "Water Glass" to market for sale. 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.

Primary Species: Merfolk, Human

Population: 22,000,000

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.

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.

[Ben1730]

Nation Name: Fadrus, Mare Impero

Flag:


Type of Government: Unitary states, led by a Monarch. Where provinces have a certain degree of autonomy, while the central Government has absolute power. Ex (The U.K.)
Head(s) of Government: Akinara Pascucci I (King)
Primary Species: Humans, and Merfolk.
Population:
Humans: 52,769,325.
Merfolk: 60,542,436.
Religious and Other Beliefs: God of the Sea.(expanded upon later if relevant)

Location/Territories: Midaden Enclave Islands

Climate: Tropical, Subtropical, and Temperate. Hurricanes, and tropical storms are frequent in the seas around the islands however they typically don’t strike the islands unless the storm is unusually strong.

Military: Mainly focusing on Naval and Air power the land troops have been lacking in recent years. Numbering 4,000,000 men across the branches of military.

The Navy is mostly composed of a motley assembly of older ships, some dating back over a hundred years. Fleets Composed of old sailing ships with simple field guns on deck, and ranging to the latest battleships. The majority of the ships sunk by the Fadrus fleets are retrieved from the seafloor by the merpeople and brought back to the islands for either salvaging or repairs. The entirety of the navy makes up over 2,500,00 men.

The Air Force on the other hand has seen a lot of growth in recent years. Almost the entirety of the air force is centered around the dirigible carriers. Which are capable of deploying up to 45 aircraft from their interior landing strip. These B31-Carriers are capable of extremely long distance flight. Other Aircraft include the D351-class defence blimps, which are armoured and armed against any air incursions. And of course the planes, most notably the FR.32 Fighter (Discontinued), F.200 Fighter Bomber, Fc.135 Medium Bomber, and F7A Fighter (Replacing FR.32’s).

Magic Usage: The most common types of magic found on the islands are Air and Water magic, the Air magic is more prevalent in the humans, while Water magic is more prevalent in the merfolk. Other types of magic are found but much less frequently than these two types. Those who do show some aptitude for magic are sent to a special university to hone their skills, and later are encouraged to join the armed forces.

History/ Background Info: The islands were discovered by Anastasio Pascucci, who was shipwrecked on the island by a tropical storm hundreds of years ago. He was saved by the princess of the merfolk and was brought ashore. Anastasio went on to marry the princess and encouraged mainlanders to come and colonise the islands. Years later when piracy was becoming a problem, King Anastasio, became concerned that the essentially free trade policy that he had would be affected severely by these pirates. However instead of pursuing the common solution to the piracy problem he came up with a different plan. First he dispatched a number of people to known pirate ports with a message, it read as follows:
“Privateers, in light of recent expeditions by other nations to hunt you down. I invite all privateers to the port of Fano on the 23rd of June to the River Stone and discuss your situation, and possible cooperation. Signed ~Nightmare”
“Nightmare” as he was called by his fellow privateers would go on to negotiate the Articles of Protection. Which would govern the interactions between the pirates and the Kingdom of Fadrus and her peoples.

Over the years the Kingdom’s trading prospered, and became one of the best mercantile states in the world. By the time of the volcano eruption Fadrus became home to 20% of world trade, passing through its ports. Even after the eruption due to Fadrus’s geographical location it was minimally affected by it. Once again giving the small state a very effective position on the global stage.

Culture: The Fadrus culture dates back to 1563, when the country was established. The culture while still focusing on olden traditions, is still modern to some degree. The core of the Fadrus culture revolves around the state, and it’s monarch. The state is the protector of the people, and the monarch is the great leader that has taken advantage of global conditions time and time again to help the country prosper. After the state the next group of importance is the family unit, in which traditionally the father provides for the family. However with the recent industrialization in the islands women are beginning to find work in agricultural,and industrial fields. Finally the core personal beliefs of the people revolve around the lack of a class system, they are only limited the amount of effort they choose to put in to advance in society.

The culture of the merfolk is vastly different when compared to the human culture. The merfolk mostly focus on themselves to the extreme of being almost isolationist towards all others except the humans on Fadrus who they see as fellow sea faring people, while the rest are land lubbers.

Economy (Main imports, exports, industries, technology level, etc.):
Exports:
Fish,
Rare Metals,
Helium

Imports:
Building Materials,
Food,
Coal,
Oil,

Industries:
Ship Building,
Underwater Mining,
Fisheries,
Salt pans,
Fruit Plantations,
Small scale Farming.

[Blenheim]

This seems kinda interesting! Never tried this type of roleplay before (contrary to what it appears, am a previous member returning from a six month hiatus as college got busy), but sure am interested to give it a go. Whilst I spend a couple days putting together a 'character' sheet, could I possibly reserve the small islands to the south east of the Eastern continent, the mountains to the west of it, the forested area and a small amount of plains to allow for a small amount of arable farming please?

Edit: currently called Elyr (Eh-Lyre)

[Crispy Octopus]

Soven-Ampara WIP

Federal State of Soven-Ampara

Type of Government:
Constitutional Monarchy

Head(s) of Government:
King Alejandro Belmonte the Fifth

Politics:
The politics of Soven-Ampara are dominated by the interplay between what were the elite classes of two separate nations prior to unification. The Soveni elite, a group dominated by the nations aristocracy, have relentlessly pursued a platform of integration wherein the current federal structure of the government would be superseded by a unitary system. This, given Soven’s clear population advantage, would grant the Soveni elite near total control over the nation.

Conversely the Amparan elite, a group composed almost entirely of the nouveau riche, have sought to maintain the federal structure of the nation. In recent years the nations politics have become tremendously fractious with the Soveni elite utilizing their nations recovering agricultural sector to dominate the political battlefield. The threat of what would amount to total annexation has driven many Amparan elites to advocate the dissolution of the union and the restoration of sovereignty, a view that has become increasingly dangerous to have.

Economy:
The economy of the federal state is as diverse as the land it occupies. In southern Ampara agriculture and resource extraction take precedence whereas in the northern Soven industrial machine and chemical manufacture is more common.

Unique Technologies:
Soven is renown for its production of exotic chemicals and drugs. From pharmaceuticals capable of temporarily enhancing ones intellect to synthetic substances that can provide near frictionless lubrication of machine parts, Soveni chemical manufacturing is the nations industrial cornerstone.

Primary Species:
Human

Population:
28.77 Million - Soven
8.45 Million – Ampara
37.22 Million – Total

Culture:
WIP

Religion and Other Beliefs:
WIP (Probably the same as Aristo’s)

Location/Territories:
Soven- The northern member of the union Soven has long been a developed industrial and agricultural power. The calamity ten years ago caused up to three million deaths in Soven alone, shattering the nations economy and paving way for the union with Ampara.

Ampara – The southern member of the union Ampara was once a wild river delta filled with a plethora of native groups. Several centuries ago Soveni traders established port cities and colonies in the region, which led to significant settlement and displacement of the local populace. Widespread intermarriage between settlers and natives eventually led to the development of a national identity and the independence of the region from Soven.

Climate:
Soven-Ampara has a number of climates, from rolling plains and forests to deserts and jungles.

Military:
The military of Soven-Ampara has been equipped and trained for one reason, the destruction of any Talanian force that crosses the sea. The military espouses a doctrine centred around rapid response units and mobile firepower with the goal of containing and destroying any Talanian beachhead that emerges rather than preventing such beachheads outright.

Air Forces:

A-3

The A-3 is the older model fighter in service with the military. An oversized engine and semi swept wings mark this aircraft as a high altitude attacker. Used in dives on enemy formations the A-3 is capable of reaching high speeds before engaging with its four machine guns.

A-6

The A-6 is the newer model fighter in service with the military. Designed to be capable of high altitude dives as well as high speeds in level flight the A-6 represents the latest in aviation technology in the Federal State. It sports two cannons and four machine guns.

HA-4

The NA-4 is the only heavy fighter in the air forces. Designed to climb to bomber altitude and destroy larger aircraft the NA-4 is almost always supported by other aircraft. Buying into the same reliance on speed seen in other military aircraft the NA-4 sacrifices some firepower, having only one cannon and four machine guns. When flying lower altitude missions the aircraft can carry bombs and torpedoes.

BA-7

The BA-7 is the brainchild of those in the army that believe Talania cannot be allowed to strike with impunity, and that destroying beachheads as they emerge is insufficient. A bomber with a truly obscene ceiling the BA-7, which is uniquely a pressurized vehicle, is designed to be flown far above Talanian defenses.

Army

T-11

The T-11 is the heaviest tank the army can bring to bear. Armed with a capable main gun and well armored the T-11 was designed to repulse a Talanian force that has managed to bring armor across the sea.

T-9

The T-9 is a tank designed to operate far from infantry support. Meant to race towards an enemy landing and destroy it before it organizes the T-9 is light and has a moderate armament meant to fire HE and AP.

AC-23

The AC-23 is an armored car with a heavy machine gun. These cars are widely available.

Navy

Magic Prevalence/Usage:
Magic exists, but is not utilized in an institutional way. There are a number of laws concerning which magics are legal or not, but beyond that mages are left unmolested. Private interests often hire the magically inclined for any number of reasons.

History/Background Info:
WIP

Nation Relations (Can be as simple as a brief two line summary for your neighbors):
Talania- Relations are poor, and war is expected. The federal state was formed to check Talanian expansion in the wake of the calamity.
Andra- WIP
Arcad- Arcad is seen as little more than a check to Hastur. Largely seen as a barbaric nation incapable of reigning in its malcontents Arcad is rarely taken seriously in diplomatic circles.
Hastur- Hastur, once a distant threat, has been seen as little more than a chaotic pseudo state for centuries. Often it is seen as a collection of warlords, rather than a real nation.

[FrostedCaramel]

Flag:


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

Economy:

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.

Imports:
-Machine Parts
-Manufactured Goods
-Heavy Machinery
-Electronic Components
-Wood
-Sand

Exports:
-Crude Oil
-Coal
-Raw Ores
-Crystal
-Ice

Unique Technologies:

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

Culture:

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.

Religion and Other Beliefs:

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.

Location/Territories:

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.

Military:

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 Greater Chirian People's Ground Army

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.

Regular Infantry

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.

Specialist Infantry

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.

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The Greater Chirian People's Air Force

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)

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Airships and Planes

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Planes

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.

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Airships

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 Prevalence/Usage:

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.

History/ Background Info:

Nation Relations:

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.

[Skepic]

@Blenheim

Welcome! Make sure to join the Discord as a majority of the discussion happens there. As for your claim, sorry, I think the area you're referring to is claimed already. Make sure to check the political map often for map updates.

[LordZell]

Ignore...

[eemmtt]

First draft of CS.

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

Economy (Main imports, exports, industries, etc.):

Imperial Economy

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:

Imperial Army

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.

Imperial infantry

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.

Imperial Armor

The newest branch of the imperial army. They field medium tanks to 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.

Imperial Navy

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.

Imperial Air Force

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.

Fighter

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.

multirole attack craft

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.

Bomber

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:

Imperial History

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.

[Vega7]

Flag: (Optional)

Nation Name: the Unitary State of Coreshaw

Type of Government: Oligarchic Magocracy

Head(s) of Government: Mage-King Sola-Gore represents the Council. The Council's current membership consists of Tech-Priests Qin-Tetra (a rare female mage skilled in all things violent), Zo-Khan (in charge of internal policing), Per-Ahkin (head of industry), Lin-Quan (an adjudicator), Dek-Jay (who, along with his partner, lead the agricultural and housing corps), Nen-Koo (Dek-Jay's partner), Tarano-Shay (the chief educator), Ivi-Col (distributor of resources to the people), and Ben-Dane (Ivi-Col's partner). Formerly the head of government was Queen Cavo-Shin, but Sola-Gore lead a revolution during the ashen years, overthrowing her. While theoretically the Council has no set roles for its members (and thus no additional titles), each one has their own niche and specialty.

Economy: Their main imports are various metals (though they do have some of their own), various chemicals, and weapons such as rifles (though most of their more skilled soldiers rely on magic). Exports include various medicines, wood (mostly of the magically reinforced variety), various foodstuffs, and enchanted tools.

Unique Technologies-
Simulacrums: Coreshan mages, specifically industry mages, tend to pass down the ancient art of artifice-crafting. Simulacrums vary wildly, from horse-equivalents to giant turtle-equivalents to human-equivalents. Their intelligence is rather basic; while they certainly tend to possess a cunning animal intellect, they aren't too hot at complex problems and don't have prominent personalities. Some simulacrums are laborers (as long as you make sure to give them specific orders they usually won't break things), though this is mostly obsolete when compared to Priest-Factories. There is a certain section of mid-powerful mages who animate wooden (with light metal reinforcement) horned horse-equivalents, which they use to hunt (on occasion), scout, and attack (considering simulacrums don't feel pain they make for effective cavalry).

Primary Species

The Coreshans

Image

A naked Coreshan.

Coreshans are insectoids that usually come in dark colors and invariably black eyes. They stand about the size of an average human. They do not possess hair of any kind, nor any visible hearing organs (though they are capable of hearing). They use to live in aboveground 'hives', though in recent times the colonies are changing to fit a modern, 'urban' aesthetic. While they still magically grow colossal trees and create tunnels and rooms inside them, they've started a little clearing room for modern buildings (partially for outsiders) and incorporating metals into their hive-trees. Coreshans possess efficient dark light vision. Females tend to be taller and stronger, while males are more frail but usually considerably more proficient in magic (and are more often born with natural magic).

Population: Roughly 26 million at the moment.

Culture: Coreshans in general are very sensible or at least try to be; pragmatism, efficiency, and common sense are valued among them. They love any form of entertainment and learning about foreigners (even if they can be a bit racist sometimes). Magic is highly valued among them as a symbol of status, power, and skill. Most of them are very cooperative, friendly, and good-natured; however, the more intelligent ones, for whatever reason, tend to be a bit more morally grey, usually being of the coldly logical variety. This moral greyness and willingness to do wrong things for the greater good is also seen as a trait of a good leader. Most Coreshans are very obedient to their percieved superiors, tending to obey laws to the letter and spirit (unless they think it is absolutely necessary to break them). The Coreshans that are the percieved superiors are a bit prideful and consider them above other Coreshans. They recently have become enamored with technology and the idea of 'forward progress', seeking to gather any pieces of tech they consider useful, interesting, or cool. This trend is even extending to the magic-proficient leadership. Coreshans are also enamored with foreign cultures. Not necessarily mimicking them, but learning and adopting certain aspects.

Religion and Other Beliefs: Coreshans believe in a nature god, referred to simply as Kkrikak (loosely translating to permanent yet changing) or sometimes End. In a way he could be percieved more as a god of entropy. He embodies the uncaring nature of things, how things will always happen even once life is gone and how things move inevitably towards an irreversible state of unbeing. In other words, he doesn't represent life-nature, but universal-nature. The Tech-Priests simultaneously worship him and work to slow his blossoming grasp on this world.

Location/Territories:

Climate: A tropical climate, though their huge hive-trees of the past have made certain trees considerably larger and changed the local ecosystem a bit.

Military: Their military is very loosely organized. They've gotten this far via magical excellence, though technology makes it harder nowadays. Technically the Commander-in-Chief is Mage-King Sola-Gore, but in practice it is lead by Tech-Priest Qin-Tetra, who is what one might call absurdly violent. Officers tend to be mages or very skilled baselines (the nickname for Coreshans with no magic). While in modern times they have begun a basic navy and competent air force, they've always preferred land conquest. Navy and air forces are built almost completely to counter the enemies forces instead of actual offensive use, (i.e. lots of AA guns and stuff like that) forcing the enemy to engage them on ground, where the mages have an upper hand.

Magic Prevalence/Usage: Magic is heavily prevalent in Coreshaw. All the major leaders are proficient mages (and tend to be former soldiers), and magic-gifted Coreshans are usually well-respected and make for useful factory runners and military officers. The government does regulate magic to prevent another uprising or perhaps some experiment gone wrong, but only truly interferes when an individual is designated a High-Risk mage, whereupon they are conscripted into the Tech-Priest order. Coreshans, compared to other races, have plenty of magical power and an absurd amount of control over it.

History/ Background Info

The public history of Coreshaw is as follows:

Recorded history begins with Queen Velva-Gir, leader of the largest clan in the area, said to be the first Queen. It's said that she had many daughters, who went on to become rulers in their own right in other clans. Then, as she lay dying, she called her daughters to her bedside. When they arrived, the Queen made all others leave the room, and then, in what must have been an amazingly persuasive speech, convinced her daughters to consolidate the clans with the eldest daughter as the second Queen. This came about surprisingly well, though to be honest, the clans had already been very cordial with one another and mergers had happened in the past. This is around the time the Coreshan language formed more solidly from the different clans' dialects and an early form of paper scrolls were established, mostly used for record-keeping.

The second Queen, Sela-Gir, was slightly more aggressive. She instituted a controversial law demanding that all mages, who were formerly seen as 'medicine men', farmers, and hermits, be registered, some drafted, and others to continue crop-growing, tree-shaping, and medicine-making. Mages became a primarily military-inclined people, while the females, while more physically imposing, were inclined towards government.

The general history is rather peaceful and isolated due to their self-sustaining abilities. It's only in modern times, when the volcano erupted, that things really changed. The magi, sick of being constantly demeaned and used for labor, decided to use the ashen years as an opportunity. At this point the regular citizen off the street might've suggested more mage rights, considering they were almost singlehandedly responsible for the continued life of the crops. Queen Cavo-Shin didn't care for mages in the least, even if they were doing good. Thus the first unofficial Council meeting took place. Together some of the most powerful mages plotted to kill Queen Cavo-Shin. Tech-Priest Qin-Tetra helped lead the assault on the Palace-Tree, where Sola-Gore is said to have personally pierced the heart of Cavo-Shin.

Since then, while there has been controversy, the mage administration is considerably kinder than the matriarchy.

Nation Relations:
Southern Verdasou - Cordial. It's rumored that the Magi Coup was partially financed by their Queen. There is a mutual respect between them, and they both have influence in each other's lands.

[Blenheim]

Kingdom of Elyr

Kingdom of Elyr information

Nation Name: Elyr (Eh-Lyre or Eh-Leer)

Government and the Ruling Elite

Type of Government: Monarchy-cross-Democracy.

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.

Economy

Economy (Main imports, exports, industries, etc.):
Imports:
Foodstuffs
‘Large Arms’ (eg, Artillery).
Advanced ‘Machines of War’ (eg, advanced planes, armoured vehicles, etc).

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 Technological Advancements

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.

Dragonfire – Specially designed and hand loaded cartidges with small explosive charges, some types of rifle and pistol ammunition have the ability to combust to metal-melting temperature on contact. Allows for higher penetration of mechanised vehicles and airships/planes, and devastating, potentially life ending injuries to those standing too close.

Population and Species

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).

Culture

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.

Religion and Beliefs

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 and Climate

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.

Military Strength and Doctrine

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.

Magical Prevalence

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.

A (very) Brief History of Elyr

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.

International Relations

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)

[Super Meteor]

Please be aware that this is very much unfinished.

The Great Storm Empire ***WIP***

Flag:

Mind your eyes

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.

Economy Tab

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.)

Primary Industries: Agriculture, Cash Crops, Mining, Aquaculture

Currency: ez (1 ez = 100 eztli), backed by gold

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Unique Technologies

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.

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Demographic Information

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.

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Might and Magic

Standing Military:-
Army: Rough estimate

Infantry: 280,000
Artillery: 15,000
Logistical Support: ~170,000

Navy: Even rougher estimate

Coast Guard: 265 light ships, 600 patrol boats
Brownwater Navy: 135 river monitors, 200 fast attack hovercraft
Littoral Navy: 80 dreadnoughts

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...

[Skepic]

Alright, we're going to be closing applications and starting on February 15th, so make sure to get you nation sheets completed or in working order by then! Make sure to have either myself or the Co-GM review your sheet before posting it in the characters tab!