[center][IMG]http://i66.tinypic.com/2ch53f6.jpg[/IMG]

[h3]Jodesia and the Westerijk:[/h3]
[img]http://i68.tinypic.com/vdmpgk.jpg[/img]
The Jodesian Star[/center]

[b]Aka:[/b] The Jodesian Rijkdom (to refer to both Jodesia and the Westerijk)
[b]People:[/b] Jodesians (both in Jodesia and the Westerijk)
[b]Population:[/b] [sub]will scale according to what others have, as applicable[/sub]
[b]Races:[/b] Human
[b]Government Type:[/b] Dictatorship
[b]Head of Government:[/b] Keizer Maximor III and Regentes Maximor-Alfona
[b]Government Structure:[/b]
[indent]Jodesia is ruled over by the House of Jodan, a dynasty roughly dating back to the original warlords. The title of Keizer is passed, typically, down the bloodline, just as in monarchies, although, just as in monarchies, it has been known for other family members to ‘intervene’ in who gets the top job. The name Jodan, however, has always stuck.
The Westerijk, despite being so far away, is no less ruled by the Keizer, although it has its own puppet-ruler and figurehead, in the form of a Regent. The Regent has very little power of any kind.
Both the Keizer and the Regent are advised by a single council known as the Rijksraad, which is mostly located in Jodesia. Its function in Jodesia is to guide the Keizer, while, in the Westerijk, it [i]instructs[/i] the Regent according to the Keizer’s wishes. The Rijksraad is formed of around thirty people in total from the ruling elite, and typically also connected to the House of Jodan. In Jodesia, these people represent specialist fields and regional interest, while in the Westerijk, where there has never been more than five members of the Rijksraad, they are typically people as close as possible to the Keizer, regardless of any specialism.
The Rijksraad always had, up until the past ten years, much more power than the Keizer, and the Keizer’s dominance is a relatively new throwback to much earlier Jodesian history.[/indent]
 
[h3]Geography and Culture:[/h3]
[indent][b]Geography of Jodesia:[/b][/indent]
Jodesia is a very low-lying country, much of which is technically below sea-level. This has been a huge challenge to the country, although one which they have been forced to respond to admirably. Controlling the flow of water across Jodesia is possibly the most significant technological development in the nation’s history, and one of the stand-out global examples of having done so. The country, particularly in the North where there’s also the actual sea to contend with, is littered with world-leading dams and canals.
Even with these measures in place, however, it’s nevertheless a very wet country, and, particularly in West Jodesia, so wet as to be boggy and marshy and borderline uninhabitable. Settlements in the West tend to be few and far between and centred around the highest regions and arable land.
Things are somewhat less difficult the further East one travels, where marshes give way to lush forests and then to open, sweeping, arcadian valleys and hills. Here, settlements are somewhat more organic, and small villages and towns are commonplace, instead of periodic, large cities.
Given the benefits that canals offer, extensive canal networks have nevertheless been constructed as transport links to the East; there are a few railways, but the network is far from convenient, with only the most important destinations connected in this manner.

[indent][b]Culture of Jodesia:[/b][/indent]
The culture of Jodesia, much like its settlements, are divided into typically urban in the West and typically rural in the East, and the two share a hugely symbiotic relationship. The West Jodesian, due to their more metropolitan surroundings, is typically more highly-educated and more driven, with more reference-points than just their own little village; East Jodesia, populated almost exclusively by peasants and farmers, is much more introspective and very poorly-educated. Without the rural expanses of the East, the West would starve, and without the advancements and reasonably beneficent rule of the centralised government of the West, the East would barely have advanced beyond the notion of crop-rotation and more than likely have been invaded by somebody else.

Full modernisation has reached Jodesia very slowly indeed, and now it is trying to keep up with the rest of the world. Its leaders are envious of other nations’ well-defined cultures and artistic heritage, while it has simply focussed on functioning at all; a certain nationalism, designed to gee up the (particularly) Western Jodesian to contribute to the nation’s glory-to-be, is being rolled out with some success. To that end, foreign cultural imports are discouraged, although, at the same time, foreign cultural imports are also desperately in demand, mostly as an indicator of what Jodesians [i]could[/i] be achieving.

While a certain amount of loyalty toward the Keizer has long been embedded into the highly hierarchical society of both West and East Jodesians, the amping up of national feeling over the past decade has only amplified the feelings toward the Keizer and the regime, to the point where any criticism of him is not only censored, but all but illegal - and, one anticipates, will become [i]actually illegal[/i] shortly. At the same time, Jodesia has been heavily investing in its military as well as, to a lesser extent, the modernisation of the whole country, including, in particular, the expansion of electricity, telephone and radio access. Plumbing for the practically-aquatic nation has never been an issue, of course. These public investments have called for higher taxes, somewhat exaggerating the gap between the richest and poorest in society, although at least the under-employed can now earn a little more public kudos and (minimal) extra funds by enlisting in the paramilitary organisations available to them.

[indent][b]Geographia of the Westerijk:[/b][/indent]
The Westerijk is a small island off the coast of IRL North America, which is both temperate and actually rather lovely. The very centre of the island is dominated by a very small mountain range that could barely be considered tall hills, while the coast are lined with rather impressive, bustling cities, the largest of which genuinely qualify for metropolis status, if not in size, by culture.

These cities, which form a ring around the island, are connected by a decent but not entirely reliable rail network.

[indent][b]Culture of the Westerijk:[/b][/indent]
As far as Jodesia is concerned, the Westerijk is basically a cash-cow. Established as a colony just over two hundred years ago, it, almost accidentally, evolved into a natural port between one side of the Atlantic and the other. Originally, lax trading laws made the place a hugely popular destination for traders, and, basically, it has stayed that way.

Now, it is, if anything, more popular than ever, and almost 70% of the inhabitants in urban areas comprise foreign nationals, who, due to the wealth of art and technology and, well, wealth, that they bring to The Jodesian Rijkdom as a whole, have pushed actual Jodesian citizens into almost a sub-class; they now find themselves in the service industry, in the military, or simply priced out of the cities entirely.

In the Westerijk, money makes the world go round. While the Jodesians have a reputation for being standoffish to outsiders, there is a mutual understanding that foreigners are valuable, and therefore, can get what they want - although sometimes a bribe is extorted along the way. Apart from anything that actually subverts the Keizer’s authority, almost no crime or indiscretion can’t be paid away, and, subsequently, the Westerijk is also a thriving black market, tax haven, and even hideout for seriously-wanted criminals. Of course, with the right incentive, the Westerijk is more than happy to rat out any ne’er-do-well that finds peace on its shores, or simply make them disappear altogether.

In order to cement the Jodesians’ loyalty to the Keizer and to give them a sense of pride and purpose in a country that almost exclusively chases foreign capital, the militarism of Jodesia is even more intense in the Westerijk. This is actually one of the key selling-points of the Westerijk, which has a well-deserved reputation for being incredibly safe and well-run; the paramilitary has a hand in broadly everything and any civil disobedience is instantly quashed. It may be true that the military displays and parades set some people’s teeth on edge politically, it does make for great national feeling, at least for now. The byproduct of this all, of course, is that the Westerijk is essentially stranded, and the clear displays of strength should hopefully discourage any aggressors.

[h3]Important Persons:[/h3] [sub]onging WIP[/sub]
[indent][hider=Maximor III][center]
[url=http://mrsmarymorstan.tumblr.com/post/116259214649/hattedhedgehog-modernthorin-king-of-erebor][img]http://40.media.tumblr.com/cf9922e382b8f02463408c23d78ebd0a/tumblr_n5h09dDa5d1s20q1fo1_500.jpg[/img][/url][/center]
[b]Keizer Maximor Filon Jodan III[/b]
King Maximor III is a popular Keizer, even by Jodesian standards. He has a reputation for an earthy wisdom which sets him apart from his somewhat loftier predecessors. While he is no less utterly demanding of his subjects' loyalties (he is, if anything, [i]more[/i] so) he perhaps does more to endear himself to his people, partly because more modern technology has enabled him to visit The Westerijk more frequently and be in touch, via radio transmissions, with even the more rural communities of Eastern Jodesia.
He ascended to the throne aged eight years ago, aged thirty-eight, and is now, not surprisingly, forty-six. Though careful guidance from the Rijksraad - to which he does begrudgingly listen - has given him the air of a wise ruler, he is privately known to be impulsive and easily-infuriated. His primary project is to somewhat modernise Jodesia, without empowering his subjects beyond their station.[/hider]

[hider=Keizerin Marmora (deceased)]
[b]Keizerin Marmora Farida Jodan[/b]
Queen Marmora, Maximor's aunt, who neither married nor had children, was the previous Keizer of The Jodesian Rijkdom. While criticising any Keizer, and certainly insulting her memory, is still not acceptable under any circumstances, she is perhaps regarded as [i]less[/i] wonderful than others, possibly because her extensive reign of sixty-two years and her disinclination to interact or engage with her subjects on any level. However, she is considered by scholars to be instrumental in cementing The Westerijk's position as a trading powerhouse of the West due to careful and skilled politics. She ruled until her death eight years ago, aged eighty-four.[/hider]

[hider=Regentes Maximor-Alfona]
[center][url=http://www.deviantart.com/art/White-Fairy-II-482678705][img]http://orig07.deviantart.net/c6d1/f/2014/259/a/6/white_fairy_ii_by_la_esmeralda-d7zdh9t.jpg[/img][/url][/center]

[b]Regentes Maximor-Alfona Laran Vigones[/b]
Born simply Alfona Laran Vigones, she took the name Maximor for the Keizer that appointed her - and whose mistress she is. The status of Regent, essentially political eye-candy, was taken rather more literally by Maximor III, who highly values her physical appearance, both as his mistress and as somebody that reflects well on the land under her stewardship. Their relationship is something of an open secret, broadly known about in the ruling classes but never [i]ever[/i] mentioned by any (still-)living soul.
Being beautiful isn't all that Alfona has going for her, however. She does actually have a good head on her shoulders, and thinks critically about her lover and King. She does care for the Jodesians under her stewardship, knowing more about them than the King ever will, and at least partly maintains her relationship with Maximor in order to tacitly influence him - though also out of fear. She was appointed four years into Maximor III's reign and they began their affair shortly thereafter and is now aged twenty-eight.[/hider][/indent]

[h3]History:[/h3]

[indent][b]Origins:[/b][/indent]

The House of Jodan is a very, very old bloodline with roots in the warlords in the Age of Restoration. When all that was to be said of what became modern-day Jodesia was that it was a series of tribes doing their best to function in the marshy Western territories and not to be pillaged, many of the cities of present-day were formed, although obviously they were very rudimentary settlements back then. The House of Jodan was simply the most successful tribe, and did the best pillaging, brokering successful alliances, conquering the conquerable and laying siege to those who would not be conquered until there was nothing left of them. These myths are remembered fondly by Jodesians, who, as a result, consider their heritage to be one of survival (if not militarism) and pragmatism.
By about 700 by the Restoration Calendar, the roots of Jodesia were formed, then a much smaller country. Between 700-1200, the Jodesian territory expanded piecemeal to the South and to the East, much of which was in fact voluntary. Jodesia was not too terrible a nation to belong to, and much smaller states and principalities stood to gain from the association much more than they stood to lose by fighting it.
There was a stagnation in this amassing of land between 1200-1350, until Jodesia sought to invade both Lamiria and subsequently Lamonia, slowly encroaching their territories until they were simply swallowed up in 1389. Since then, those tensions have actually broadly dissipated, since the primarily rural denizens of Eastern Jodesia didn't overwhelmingly notice the difference; they were always importing agricultural produce to Jodesia anyway, except now the were being paid slightly more directly, rather than having their former nation's administrations cream off profits for themselves.

In 1399, Jodesia discovered the political value of what was then known as Yamont, an island off the coast of the Americas. Seeking treasures for what he hoped the be an Empire, Keizer Galgorius ordered its colonisation, and was shortly followed by a similar move from the NAU. The two nations, between them, successfully butchered the entire population of the native peoples and began constructing and consolidating their respective territories by the 1430's, with brief but minimal flashes of conflict erupting between the two invading parties. To Jodesia's good fortune, a market crash in the NAU withdrew investment into the establishment of its territory, and the whole of what became the Westerijk fell into Jodesia's hands.

[sub]More to come[/sub]

[indent][b]Modern Political History:[/b][/indent]

WIP. Hopefully something along the lines of:
"Jodesia waded into/was dragged into the Great War, was roundly fucked and forced to sign a treaty incurring a loss of territory and particularly dignity. Political repercussions at home and machinations by the House of Jodan crippled the Rijksraad's influence and maximised the influence of the Keizer."

[h3]Military:[/h3]

[indent][b]General:[/b][/indent]
The army of the Jodesian Rijkdom is divided into two sections: The Rijksguard and the Krijgsguard. The former is a paramilitary organisation, and the second is the army proper. The resources available to the military in Jodesia are incredibly limited according to a treaty signed in the aftermath of The Great War, although, among one of many loopholes, it does not apply to the Westerijk. Much of the Jodesian Rijkdom's equipment is purchased from the NAU.

[indent][b]The Rijksguard:[/b][/indent]
The Rijksguard is a paramilitary organisation founded under Keizerin Marmora, but has utterly flourished under Keizer Maximor. With the standing army officially castrated under the treaty signed after the Great War, with numbers [i]highly[/i] limited, Jodesia uses a legal loophole to bolster its numbers with this paramilitary organisation. Equipped with only basic weaponry but well-disciplined, the Rijksguard protects public buildings and maintains law and order (to the disbanding of the police force) in both Jodesia and the Westerijk. Technically, there is no reason for the paramilitary to exist in the Westerijk, since the treaty doesn't cover that jurisdiction, although it is a useful tool for keying up nationalist spirit in the citizens there, and it prevents the country from too-overtly being swamped with military personnel.

[hider=Concept for Rijksguard][url=http://www.toysoldiersunite.com/propaganda/uniforms/toy-soldier-uniforms/][img]http://www.toysoldiersunite.com/wp-content/uploads/lvl.1-Toy-Militist.png[/img][/url]
The uniform of the Royal Guard will be based broadly on this design, though obviously less grungy and rebranded to my purposes. It'll emerge in the IC, I'm sure, so I shan't go into excessive detail here.[/hider]

[indent][b]The Krijgsguard:[/b][/indent]

The standing army proper is limited to incredibly small figures in Jodesia so that the country can conceivably defend itself but not pose any credible threat to any other nation. Therefore, per capita, it is fairly well-equipped. If scaled-up, it would potentially be an invasion-force to be reckoned with.

[hider=Concept for the Krijgsguard][IMG]http://i65.tinypic.com/23m918n.jpg[/IMG]
Design is based off SeeD concept art from FFVIII.[/hider]

[indent][b]Navy and Air-Force:[/b][/indent]

Jodesia's fleet, both naval and airborne, is limited in size, but modern.

[h3]Relationships:[/h3]
[indent][b]The NAU[/b][/indent]
The NAU, as the Westerijk's closest nation, is a hugely valuable trading partner, and former contender for control over the island. With that issue peacefully resolved, and as mutually-compatible allies, the two nations are on excellent terms.

[indent][b]Cascadia[/b][/indent]

[indent][b]Franco-Iberia[/b][/indent]

[indent][b]The Holy Hungarian League[/b][/indent]

[indent][b]Oceos[/b][/indent]

[indent][b]The American Badlands[/b][/indent]

[indent][b]The Middle Kingdom of the Great Han[/b][/indent]

[indent][b]The UHSR[/b][/indent]





[hr]

Everything below this line is in a state of being amended to fit the above sheet. None of it should change super-drastically. Apologies for the inconvenience. I'd stick it in a hider, except I'm [i]so sick[/i] of coding and would have to re-code then un-re-code the hiders that're already here, and I'll probably still need them.

[b]Technology:[/b]
[indent][b]Pre-Cataclysm:[/b][/indent]
[hider=The Galgorius][center][url=http://duskie360.deviantart.com/journal/?offset=20][img]http://orig08.deviantart.net/e2b1/f/2015/088/f/3/old_tank_2_by_universe_of_dusk-d8njo5s.jpg[/img][/url][/center]

The Galgorius is Jodesia's only pre-Cataclysmic artefact, and boy is it a doozy (maybe). It was found buried and knackered during preliminary explorations of the Northern territories during the reign of King Galgorius almost one hundred years ago, for whom it was named. It was assumed to be awesome and incredible and therefore was kept entirely secret from the world until the Jodesian scientists, such as they were, managed to operate it - for all of five minutes, in time to fire just one volley of pre-loaded projectiles into the ocean almost 300km away. In order to keep the monstrosity secret (and discourage onlookers from also wishing to hunt in the Northern Territories, further experimentation was done on the Galgorius until they managed to develop a theoretical understanding of operating it; without actually testing it, lest it be discovered. This process continued throughout all of Galgorius' lifetime and well into Queen Marmora's reign.
Once this experimentation was completed, Marmora sought to consolidate her hold of West Lamonia, and so the Galgorius was dismantled insofar as possible and transported piecemeal to West Lamonia where it was rebuilt within a specially-commissioned compound right within the biggest city for all the world to marvel at - and know who was boss, at least on that island.
To this day, the Galgorius has still only been truly fired once, and that was by accident. While the Jodesian military is confident that it could comfortably wipe out a battleship from 200-300km... they have no way of knowing for certain. Fortunately, given that they never worked out how to drive the thing, its range is so huge that they'll never have to move it again.

The image is reasonably true to description. Although it was found in a state of aesthetic disrepair, it has naturally been polished and made all shiny.[/hider]