Milkman

The Age of Nations

Cool map :D

I would love some more detail about the Neighbors of Amazonia ;)

The Age of Nations

I've followed Lone Wanderer's lead and added relations with The Queendom of Amazonia to my sheet. Needless to say that the relations are rather hostile as a conflict is brewing in the western sides :)

The Age of Nations

Maybe I should have send female diplomats instead XD

O well, new world is still much of undiscovered territory^^

The Age of Nations

<Snipped quote by Milkman>

Someone has to stand up to you colonial powers.

@Dedonus

Enjoy your freedom while you still can. It is the fate of the new world to get colonized. One day you will have to accept old world dominance muhahahaha :P

The Age of Nations

Western Sides, Bay of Amazonia, near the Thermodon river mouth

Admiral John Gortan watched how a rowing vessel moved in on the shore. On board of the boat where Westers Sides Company diplomats Hugo Mcvain and Arthur Rochier. Their job was to deliver Nehalenia's terms to settle the situation and in the case of disagreement, discuss different terms. The road to the Queens castle was pretty much unclear. In the old world, Amazonia was pretty much uncharted territory. Not much was known about this civilization. None the less, the Nehalenians regarded them as inferior barbarians, like every other civilization they have encountered in the new worlds. Even some old world powers like the Sanguine Empire where viewed as substandard and underdeveloped.

As the admiral watched his diplomatic party approach the Amazonian shore the captain of the RNN Nehalenia nodded “Do you think these uncivilized barbarians will agree to the terms, admiral?”

The admiral remained silent for a few seconds and then spoke. “No, my expectation is that the entire diplomatic party gets executed. That is why I only send a small 8 men escort with them. After that we'll search the coast and see if we can find the” RNN Victory and recapture her by force. If not, we'll shell some coastal towns in retaliation and go home. No point In going to war over a single ship. The costs of such war will be greater then to build a new ship. It is more a matter of prestige. I am willing to accept the loss of some prestige. That is what you get if the WSC board is putting incompetent men in command of prestigious ships just because he's the son of a board member.

Admiral Gortan was refering to Percy Duvail, captain of the RNN Victory and son of Argibald Duvail on of the 5 board members of the Western Sides company. Percy Duvail did graduate from the Royal Nehalenian Naval academy but was generaly considered average at best. Under normal circumstances men who just graduated from the Naval Academy would be enlisted as an officer on a navy or trade vessel and gradually rise across the ranks until they where experienced enough to become captain of a ship. In Percy's case, his father pulled some strings to make sure he would become captain of a prestigious first rate ship. The consequences of this action proved to be a disaster. Percy Duvail managed to ran his ship aground on his first voyage and was never heard from again. Only through a long search throughout the Western Sides the RNN Victory was found as in possession of the Amazonian Queen. After that the board hastily ordered a recovery operation.

The diplomats Hugo McVain and Arthur Rogier carried the following letter for the Queen of Amazonia

To the great Queen of Amazonia

Word has reached the Nehalenian king that armed forces of the Queendom of Amazonia has seized the Royal Nehalenian Naval ship RNN Victory. This is an action that could be considered an act of war. The Western Sides Company has been authorized by King George Therus III of Nehalenia to conduct all diplomatic matter in the Western Sides. By this letter the board of the Western Sides Company would like to inform the Queen of Amazonia that such actions against Nehalenian interests are not tolerated. However the board still sees room to avoid bloodshed and war.

By authorization of king George Therus III of Nehalenia the Western Sides proposes the following solution:

The Queendom of Amazonia will comply with the following terms:

1. The immediate release of the RNN Victory.
2. The immediate release of all officers and crew members that where captured.
3. The payment of 100.000 Nehalenian pounds as reparations.
4. The Queendom of Amazonia will refrain from any form of hostile action against Nehalenian shipping and trade interest for the next 50 years

If these terms are not acceptable for the great Queen of Amazonia, the diplomats Hugo McVain and Arthur Rogier are authorized by the board to discus changes to these terms.

The Age of Nations

@Milkman What have you done to piss of so many people?
Perhaps the above has something to do with it...

@Lone Wanderer

No clue really. Guess lots of people like me as their enemy :)

Edit:

I haven't send any Ultimatum to the Queendom yet. I just stated that a task force is on its way. In my next post I'll land a diplomatic party with a proposal to settle the situation :)

The Age of Nations

<Snipped quote by Milkman>

Those sound like fighting words!

@Dedonus

No, just diplomacy conducted with 32 pounders ^^

The Age of Nations

Ostara, Nehalenian capital Januari 4th 1836

Treaty of friendship between Nehalenia and Thennia

1. Nehalenia guarantees the independence of Thennia. Any hostile move or invasion against the state of Thennia will give Nehalenia a casus belli against the aggressor. In case of war against Thennia, Nehalenian forces are allowed to cross the border into Thennia to support its defense.

2. Nehalenia and Thennia agree to unrestricted trade between the two countries.

Signed by:

[X] King George Therus III of Nehalenia
[] Monarch of Thennia

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Western Sides

In the summer of 1835 the Nehalenian first rate ship RNN Victory had run aground in shallow waters near the lands of the barbaric Amazonians. A mission was dispatched to pull the ship out but the ship was gone when the relief ships got to the scene. Investigation had shown that the ship was captured by the Amazonians. To lose a first rate ship to some underdeveloped barbaric nation is a serious blow to the nations prestige. The Western Sides Company board considers this an act of aggression against the Kingdom of Nehalenia by the Queendom of Amazonia. Therefor the board has send out a mission to the Queendom to recover the ship and settle the situation.

Admiral John Gortan currently sails with the following force towards the Queendom of Amazonia
* RNN Nehalenia, flag ship (First rate)
* RNN King George (Second rate)
* RNN Ostara, (Second rate)
* RNN King Phillip (Second rate)
* RNN Valhal (Third rate)
* RNN Yotan (Third rate)
* RNN Overload (Third rate)
* RNN Destroyer (Third rate)
* 5000 royal Nehalenian marines

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ostara, Nehalenian capital, Januari 17th, JARELIAN INDEPENDENCE CRISIS

Official statement by King George Therus III of Nehalenia

His royal majesty deeply regrets the violence that has broken out in the kingdom of Murelia. Human lives are on the line and many are sufferering. Nehalenia urges both sides to resolve this matter with diplomacy rather than military force.

With anarchy raging on the Murelian coast Nehalenia is forced to dispatch a naval squadron to the Inner Sea in order to protect her trade intrests. The kingdom of Nehalenia will not tolerate that any party compromises her ships, docks and storehouses in Murelia.

Admiral Johnatan Orwell will take command of a squadron of 5 ships and patrol the coast of Murelia in order to protect Nehalenian shipping in the region.

The Age of Nations

Nation Name: The Kingdom of Nehalenia
Brief Nation History (No need for any history before 1700): The kingdom of Nehalenia was founded back in 1132 when Richard Valhal unified the 7 kingdoms of the Nehalenian peninsula and declared himself king of Nehalenia. The house of Valhal managed to maintain in power until the merchant revolution of 1389. During the 14th century a new social class emerged in the kingdom, the merchant class. Regular citizens saw the opportunity to gather wealth by sea based trading. By the 1385 the wealth of the merchants vastly exceeded that of the traditional landowning nobility. Jealous of the wealth and influence of the merchants, the high ranking nobility started to pressure the king to decrease the merchants influence and shift wealth towards the nobility. The king soon adopted new laws that vastly limited the size of merchant guilds and heavily taxed trade. This led to a revolt as wealth merchants hired mercenaries and defeated the kings forces in the battle of Valhalia.

With the kings forces defeated, the house of Valhal was exiled to Thennia and the merchants put George Therus, leader of the wealthiest merchant family of Nehalenia on the throne. The King George quickly turned back all the laws against the merchants and started to reform his country towards a trading empire. One of his first acts as king was the establisment of the Ostara Naval Engineering Academy, a University dedicated to develop the most modern sailing ships in the world. The second act was to actively promote and finance the exploration of the world. However, it was under the reign of king Philip Therus in 1492 that Nehalenian explorers discovered the Western Sides.

In order to explore and exploit these new lands the Western Sides Company (WSC) was formed in 1550. The WSC was granted the state monopoly for trade with this new world. Initially the WSC setup trading posts along the New worlds coast in order to trade with the local population. In 1604 the first settlers arrived and the colony New Nehalenia was formed. From this point on the WSC would gradualy colonize more territories in the Western side.

It was back in 1741 that the king ordered the foundation of the Serrantia Trading Company (STC) for th trade and exploitation of the continent of Serrantia. The first colony was established only 5 years later. Throughout the 18th century the Nehalenian monarchs and merchants continued to further expand their colonial holdings in The Western Sides and Serrantia. They continued to strive for a monopoly for the trade between the old world and these newly discovered continents. This lead to some violent clashes with competing old world powers such as Kunania. The second Nehalenian-Kunanian war of 1785-1788 saw many naval engagements and eventualy lead to Kunania giving up some of its Western Sides colonial territories to Nehalenia.

Nehalenia strives for domination of the valuable sea-based trade between the new worlds and the old ones. It tries to maintain peaceful relations with the other great powers while expanding their colonial influence throughout the Western Sides and Serrantia.

Government: Absolute monarchy. The monarchs power is absolute. However he does not rule alone. The king picks a cabinet of ministers to govern the daily affairs of the nation.

Monarch: King George Therus III

Minister of the interior: Clive Rogers
Minister of foreign relations: Herald Omen
Minister of colonial affairs: John Entwistle
Minister of the army: Richard Bonaparte
Minister of the navy: Justin Valor
Minister of economic development: Donald Torrin
Representative of the Western Sides Company:
Representative of the Serrantia trading company:

Political and social classes:
- The royal family is by far the most richest family of the kingdom. They have monopolized the trade with the new world on two state run companies. This gives the state a vast amount of revenue but a good sum of it flows into the private pockets of the royal family.

- WSC is headed by the board of directors. A council of 5 experienced merchants chosen by the king himself. On paper this gives the king a great influence on the WSC but in reality they act mostly independant. By law the WSC is granted the right to raise its own army, navy and conduct diplomacy with new world civilizations in The Western sides. The WSC appoints the governors of colonies and can choose to expand the colonial empire without the permission of the king.

- STC is a similair organisation as the WSC, only focussed on Serrantia. In terms of organisation and political powers they are granted the same rights on Serrantia as the WSC has on the Western Sides.

- The Union of Independant Merchants is a political organisation that represents the interests of the merchant class. The merchant class is the class of wealthy citizens, entrepeneurs in trade, industry and banking. These class has become increasingly unhappy with the policies of the monarchy. Especially the fact that the colonial exploitation is organised in a state monopoly. Entrepeneurs and independant traders cannot benefit much of the wealth the colonies have to offer.

- The nobility are the greatest losers of the revolution. A noble title no longer commands respect within the Nehalenian society. It is all about who has the most gold in their pockets. Prior to the revolution their political influence and wealth was great. As the Nehalenian economy became more trade focussed their wealth decayed and most where forced to sell much of their lands to agricultural entrepeneurs. Now the nobility is a disgrunteld relic from the past that longs for the glory and recognition of the middle-ages.

- The peasants are the class of the landworkers, carpenters, small farmers, craftsmen, factory workers, beggars, soldiers and sailors. Some manage to make a good living while others struggle to feed their kids. Only a few manage to climb the social ladder but most can only watch in awe how the merchants manage to gather more wealth for themselfs every day while they struggle to get by. With the industrial revolution kicking in, this class will once more learn the hard way that they are the slaves of the merchants and captains of industry. If only two philosophers would write down the challenges and solutions for the working class into a political manifest.

- The colonial subjects are the native population of the Nehalenian colonies and are by far the worst off in Nehalenian society. The Nehalenian system of taxation and currency was forced down upon them destroying their traditional tribal ways of live. Once they became subjects of the Nehalenian king they we're forced to pay taxes to the WSC and STC. They are locked in a system where they have to work in order to pay their boss. They are often forced into labor on plantations and mines. Wages are so low that colonials never can pay for education and thus never can rise on the social ladder. The colonial system only serves to enrich the Nehalenian state and citizens.
Landmass:

Map of Nehalenia

Map of Western Sides colonies

Foreign relations:

Major powers:
* Boletarian Commonwealth: Trading partners / Neutral
* The Kingdom of Skeptoni: Is seen as potential rival / Neutral
* United Kingdoms of Dalatrum: Neutral
* Zellon Empire: Is seen as a potential rival / Neutral

Minor old world powers (NPC):
* Kunenia: Kunenia is a former enemy and colonial rival. In the war of 1785-1788 Kunenia suffered a series of defeats at the hands of Nehalenia and seceded most of its colonial holdings. Relations normalized in 1801 and continued to improve over the last years. Former rival / Friendly
* The Kingdom of Thennia. The relations between Thennia and Nehalenia have been friendly for a long time. Thennia is one of the main suppliers of lumber for the Nehalenian shipbuilding industry. Nehalenia recognises the value of the relationship and is currently in the proces of formalizing the friendship with a treaty where Nehalia guarantees the independace of Thennia.

New world powers
* The Queendom of Amazonia: The Western Sides Company suspects the Queendom of seizing one of their ships without warning or declaration of war. The WSC leadership has dispatched a task force on a diplomatic mission to recover the ship and her crew. The current relations can be best described as rather hostile.

Landmass:

Map of Nehalenia

Map of Western Sides colonies

Spend points here
-- Population: (3 points) 22.000.000
-- Martial Prowess: (5 points) 179.000 moderately trained soldiers
-- Cultural Unity: (0 points)This gives historical claims to your nation, making it easier to expand, grow and maintain cultures within a growing empire.
-- Navy: (9 points) 27 third rates, 20 second rates, 10 first rates
-- Colonies: (8 points) 2 Colonial holding, 1 in Serrantia, 1 colonial holding and 1 major holding in The Western sides.

The Age of Nations

@Dedonus,

The GM wrote that you aquired your ships through raids. Considering 1 of them is described as a Nehalenian First rate my nation might want it back ;)