Good, now I'm done. Definitely not Sweden will rule everything but the sea because they don't like water. [hider=Holy Vanjanan Empire]Nation Name: Holy Vanjanan Empire Flag: [img]https://www.nationstates.net/images/flags/uploads/random_test__44771.jpg[/img] Government: "The King should answer to none, so why does the Church expect me to answer to them?" -King Kalle XII, "Behovet av Regeln" The Holy Vanjanan Empire is an Absolute Monarchy, where the oldest remaining child of the monarch is heir to the throne. The monarch holds all power, and disobeying an order from them is the exact same thing as treason. Whether or not that charge of treason results in death is up to the monarch, as they can override any decision made by anyone else in the empire. The philosophy behind this is that by making the will of the Empire the will of its monarch, corruption and internal competition would be eliminated, thus creating a stronger nation. Whether or not this was correct can be debated, but the outcome of the Great Nordsjön War is usually referenced as proof of the government's effectiveness. The monarch is also in complete control of the Empire's religion, a tradition that started with the current King Kalle XII Storen. Vanjana had long been entrenched in their religious beliefs, with the monarch always answering to the church. Kalle, however, refused to be crowned by the church. Instead, he claimed to answer to none other than God himself. After the Great Nordsjön War, the church found it hard to disagree. Kalle Storen himself is famous for his genius, both political and military, as he proved during the Great Nordsjön War. His is known to be cruel to anyone who opposes him, to the point that he has many executed for daring to question the simplest of decisions. He holds a firm belief that to oppose him is to oppose the Goddess. However, this also means that to follow his orders is to serve the Goddess, and thus he is known to greatly reward those that do not question him. Because of his belief that his will is that of the Goddess, he will almost never change his mind, and refuses to accept that anything he does could possibly be bad. However, there is more to him than his arrogance, and he has been known to change his mind if someone gives him an extremely good reason to. These people always earn his respect, as finding a reason good enough to make him change his mind is nigh impossible. Economy: "If a nation is a steamship, then the economy is the boiler that gives it the power to move forward." -King Kalle XII, "En Arbetare är Värt" The Holy Vanjanan Empire has a strong tradition of capitalism, going back to long before its rise to power. With the aristocracy eliminated during the absolutist reforms of King Gustav II Storen, the bourgeoisie quickly became the leaders of the Vanjanan economy, establishing themselves as the owner of all industry. The Holy Vanjanan Empire exports almost exclusively manufactured goods of all types, which they produce in great quantity. They do export raw materials, but even the most common export (Lumber) is an almost trivial percentage of total export profits. The Vanjanan economy is unremarkable aside from its strong industry. A completely and absolutely average number of ships pass through, taking on an average amount of products, and paying an average amount of cash before finally leaving after paying an average tariff. Due to this, a major part of Vanjanan industry is dedicated to producing things that will be used by the nation itself. Among these products are weapons, the quality of which is considered unmatched within the Empire. Leaders/Important People: "The best of troops are useless without a general to command them, so how can anyone expect a nation to succeed without a King to lead it?" -King Kalle XII, "Behovet av Regeln" King Kalle XII Storen: Now in his mid 30's, Kalle XII has reigned ever since he was fifteen. At that young age, he turned a defensive war into an offensive war and conquered two nations in the Great Nordsjön War. He is beloved by his followers, who believe him to be the voice of the Goddess' will. His arrogance is famous as is his cruelty to his enemies. If you follow him, he will love you. If you oppose him, he will hate you. There are very few, if any, things and people he is neutral towards. During the Great Nordsjön War, he took command of the Vanjanan armies and crushed the nations of Nordsted and Varmjord in a series of miraculous Vanjanan victories. This earned him the respect of the church and the love of his people, but he wasn't done yet. He cemented his rule in Nordsted through political maneuvering, making the people see him as a liberator instead of a conqueror. In Varmjord, he decimated any rebels that would dare rise up, keeping his rule safe simply out of fear that he was invincible. He currently has no heir, more than likely because nobody sane would marry such a man. Marshal Mathias Holger: Mathias Holger is the command of all Vanjanan forces, in an odd move by the King. Up until the end of Great Nordsjön War, he himself command the entire army (Inventing the rank of Marshal for himself). Mathias was just a general under his command, but when he took command of three separate armies and captured the entire northern coast of Varmland, the King took interest. After the war, the King ran him through a series of trials based off of his own strategies, all of them on a theater-wide level. When he managed to beat every single one, the King immediately declared him to be the Marshal of the Vanjanan Army, believing that he was chosen by the Goddess to assist him. He now commands the movement of the entire Vanjanan Army, assisted by a network of mounted messengers. He has become the pride of Vanjana, as this kind of widespread control of multiple armies at once is almost unheard of. Captain Helmi Lisbet: Helmi Lisbet was born in Nordsted, and is nothing more than a Captain in the Vanjanan Army. By "Nothing More", we mean "Nobody promotes her because she's too good of a Captain". Her force of 250 soldiers is under direct command of the King himself and serves as his royal guard, as well as his fist. Whenever a rebellion rises, her force is the first there, and the other forces to arrive often find that there is no longer a rebellion. She doesn't solve things like most of the Vanjanan army though, where others would execute as an example, she shows mercy. She is unflinchingly loyal to the King, mainly due to her heritage. Being from Nordsted, she sees the King as the liberator of her people. Interestingly, she has little contact with him, and only receives orders from messengers he sends. She prefers this, as she would rather not confirm the rumors of his arrogance and cruelty by meeting him, instead choosing to live in ignorance of everything he did except for "liberating" Nordsted. King Nikolaus I Keld: Nikolaus I was the leader of the Varmland rebellion three years ago, and his uprising seemed promising until Helmi Lisbet arrived. He was the Prince of Varmland before the war, and this has earned him the support of the people, who supply his rebels with everything they can without getting caught. People often fake their own death in order to join his army, being brought to one of his hideouts through a complex series of safehouses and forgotten roads. There are other rebel groups, but his is the most well funded, with rumors saying that he even has a naval force. There is little known about the man himself, but it is a well known fact that he despises Kalle XII. He sees him as a manipulative and power-hungry tyrant who gains loyalty through word instead of action. His critics call him a useless idealist with his head in the clouds, thanks to his promises of democracy despite being a royal himself. Desired Map location: "The Goddess smiles upon the north, for the north smiles back." -Unknown Vanjanan Monk [img]http://i.imgur.com/J3va2OM.png[/img] Important Locations/Settlements: "Our cities are thriving, our fortresses are impenetrable, and our monuments stand tall. Never before has the North seen such glory." -King Kalle XII, "En Arbetare är Värt" Heligastaden: The capital of Vanjana, this city is both a bustling port city and a center of industry. The classes are highly visible here, with the rich living right on the coast and the housing getting progressively worse as one journey's further inland. Since the houses of the rich are on the coast, the city looks quite nice from the ocean. However, venturing too far from the docks will land you in a smog-filled, gang-run hell. Stadenavguld: The regional capital of Nordsted, this city was once known as "Byavgull", but the name was translated into Vanjanani after the war. It is a center of trade between Nordsted and Vanjana Proper, with nearly all of Vaanjana's goods and Nordsted's resources passing through it. Stadenavbröd: The regional capital of Varmland, this city was constructed entirely by Vanjanan forces and is less of a city than it is a military outpost. Its people are policed by an army regiment stationed there, which outnumbers them greatly, and the city acts as a connecting point across the Lägre Nordsjön to Vanjana Proper. Its name comes from the fact that nearly all goods going from Varmland to Vanjana Proper are food products. Oövervinnligafästning: The center of all Vanjanan military operations, this is a massive citadel on Vanjana's coast that contains facilities for both the Navy and the Army. It is connected with roads to all other military installations in Vanjana Proper, able to command any force, anywhere in the mainland. Its defenses are certainly not trivial, with a division of Vanjana's best troops stationed there at all times and many of Vanjana's Naval fleets calling it home. It is said that even if the cities of Vanjana are reduced to rubble, Oövervinnligafästning will still be standing. Palatsavdenlord: The royal palace, located in the countryside near Heligastaden. It was built quite recently by King Kalle XII himself, as he had come to hate the city. It is famous for its extravagance, which the King has many times asserted is only to impress diplomats, insisting that he would have rather spent the money on something more practical. Whatever he claims, it is still true that the palace is a perfect example of badly allocated funds. Vanjana: The central part of the nation situated in-between Varmland and Nordsted, this is the location of the capital, royal palace, and Oövervinnligafästning. It is the seat of the Empire, and its inhabitants are by far the most loyal. Industry is abundant here, as the Vanjanan Kingdom that became the Holy Vanjanan Empire was a major trade power in the North. Nordsted: The northern part of the Empire, this is a territory conquered fifteen years ago in the Great Nordsjön War. It is a frozen and mountainous land with many deposits of natural resources. It is were the majority of the Empire's resources come from, and tends to be cooperative with the Imperial government thanks to Kalle XII's political maneuvering convincing them that he was liberating them from a corrupt government. Varmland: The southern part of the Empire, which is across the Lägre Nordsjön. It is by far the most rebellious, though every attempt at freeing themselves from Vanjanan rule has been met with failure. They are kept in line only with fear, and most inhabitants of this land are simple farmers, with no way to get effective weapons. They provide most of the food to support Vanjana and Nordsted, but are nonetheless treated as second-class citizens due to their rebelliousness. Description: The people of Vanjana Proper come in two types: The extremely rich and the extremely poor. Almost everyone lives in a city, and all cities have clear class separations. The rich live in the middle of the city, and as you go further out, the buildings get more rundown. Sadly, there is no sign of this changing, as even the poor workers are content with it. They have a "There's no point in trying" attitude towards change, and settle for their meager wages. While these poor men, women, and children slowly kill themselves in the hellhole of the outer city, the rich throw extravagant parties in the inner city, not caring at all whether their workers live or die so long as they get their profits. Even in the hell in which they live, the poor can find the time for fun, and it is not uncommon to see people of all ages playing various sports during off-hours. In Nordsted, the same society as Vanjana proper continues until a point at which the hills end and the mountains begin. Past that point, there are no rich or poor, only people. They may be employed by the rich of Vanjana and the King himself, but the rich rarely come to the mines, and thus they live a much better life than the poor of Vanjana proper. Those in the mining towns are famous for their "Festival av Frihet", which is an annual festival celebrating the day Nordsted was conquered by Vanjana. They see that day as their day of liberation, as the mines were formerly harassed by bandits until the Vanjanan military wiped them out. Even the rich in the cities allow their workers to travel to the festival, as doing so gets them in well with the King, who obviously likes the fact that the festival exists. In Varmland, there are few cities, and most of the land is dotted with farms. It holds the vast majority of Vanjanan food production, as Vanjana proper and Nordsted have little arable land. Even more so than Nordsted, its people are free from the tyranny of the rich, with each farm being independent of any larger organization. Despite their relative freedom, they are the most rebellious, still holding on to their nationality. However, very few will publicly display their ideas, as the freedom only extends to those who do not oppose the King. The Vanjanan military puts down any revolts, and the people of Varmland live not in fear of the rich, but in fear of the King. The dominant religion in the Holy Vanjanan Empire is "Aätt av Atjärnan Ljus", and its followers are known as "Soldater av Stjärnan Ljus". They believe that all the universe is in a constant struggle between good and evil, and that there are an infinite number of gods and goddesses constantly battling on each side in order to secure victory. They believe that the stars are worlds just like Adara, some of which are populated by mortals, and others which are wastelands created from the endless war. It is believed that all mortals were created by goddesses (and only goddesses) on both sides to do battle for them. As such, it is an incredibly violent religion, known for seeing anyone who refuses to convert as a mortal created by an evil goddess. The Soldater av Stjärnan Ljus worship one goddess in particular, who they simply call "The Goddess". She is believed to be the goddess that created the good humans, and is said to grant her power to only the best of people. King Kalle XII claims to be one of these people, going so far as to say that he is the avatar of The Goddess' will. There are many Monks and Nuns who have spent their entire lives devoted to worshipping the Goddess, hoping to be chosen to gain her power in their next life. There are multiple languages in the Holy Vanjanan Empire, but the most used is Vanjanani (Similar to Swedish). Ancient Vanjanani is used in the anthem, however, and most know at least those words. The currency is the Fyrapoängstjärnamynt (Often shortened to Frya). There are quarter Frya coins, half Frya coins, one Frya coins, two Frya coins, four Frya coins, eight Frya coins, and sixteen Frya coins. The coins below one Frya are made from silver, their thickness determining their value. Above one Frya, the coins are made from gold, with their width determining their value. All are stamped with the face of Kalle XII. Traits: Elite Army: Your nation’s army is a well oiled machine capable of easily wiping out the Veteran’s of other nations, it is hardened by years of battle and it’s Generals well versed in strategy. -6 (S) Water is Hell: Your nation has become so afraid of naval affairs that they are even scared of getting near the coast, and going out on even just a small trip down river is considered a death sentence. Those not afraid of venturing out into the sea are often treated as abnormal and sometimes as witches. +6 (Adds Stability) Rotting Hulls: Your nation views ship maintenance as an unneeded cost and so many of your ships have weak wood and the sails are torn and with holes in them. They will not perform well at sea. +2 Strong Industry: Your craftsmen and labourers are good quality and hardworking making some of your nations goods very reliable, sometimes fetching a high price from a market. -2 “I’m not a racist but…”: Your people look down on those from outside their own street, let alone those from another country. If you wish to attack another group of people you will be backed 100% of the way however foreigners are very loathe to come into your country. +/-0 Free market: Your economy is not controlled by the state, it can fluctuate completely freely. This means that it can rise incredibly quickly making you very rich, however you are vulnerable to recessions and collapses. -1 Large Army: Your nation maintains an army of many men that can dwarf many of the smaller nations. -2 Militias: Local town and cities employ militias meaning that during times of war they are able to provide a small garrison of men in their defence. -1 Army: Navy: GDP: Population: Stability:[/hider]