Nation Sheet [This is where your flag will be] Nation's Name: Kingdom of Nordamark Nation's HistoryForm of Government: Parliamentary Monarchy Political Status Political power has shifted away from the hereditary monarchy and parliament to a set of government secretaries. The result is that the government is stable and running exceedingly well, and nobody wants to disrupt the status quo. Political Overview The Kingdom in theory exists as a monarchy with a parliament of lords and federal bureaucracy acting in support of the monarch’s wishes. In practice, the traditional aristocracy is beginning to merge with the bureaucracy, and power is shifting away from a monarchy to a de facto plutocracy of federal ministers of state, and nobody is honestly concerned about the matter. Current Political Leader King Palver Norden Minister of State Adrian Coslov Minister of War Johan Eisenwalt Minister of Finance Maria Westinghouse Minister of Foreign Affairs Serina Schilling Notable Figures Lord-General of the Army Marcus Smith, human commander of the Nordamark Army Fleet Admiral Suvorov, Mithran commander of the Nordamark navy Sky Marshal Lenora Redwind, human commander of the Nordamark airship fleet Academician Asimuth Chekov, gremlin Chief Scientist of Nordamark and considered the smartest man in the Kingdom. Given a free hand and almost unlimited funding to pursue his research. Matriarch Heather Redrosia, human leader of the Sisters of Mercy, one of Nordamark's largest religious/medical orders and mercenary groups. Total Population: 83 million Employed Population: 75 million Military Population: 600,000 Standing Military forces, approximately 800,000 mercenaries, militia, reservists, and rear-echelon forces in active service of Nordamark. The Specie's Information [img]http://hw1.pa-cdn.com/par/img/editorial/GunsOfIcarusOnlineClasses.jpg[/img] Nordamark Humans The general human population of Nordamark are caught in changing times. An ecclectic mix of feudal traditions mixing with the future of industry, only time can tell where their future will go. As a whole, they tend to be a mix of many different demographics given Nordamark's position as a international trade site, and they are more open-minded about other species and cultures than one might expect of their industrial-feudal culture. [img]http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxpcpu6Mu71qdla7co1_500.jpg[/img] Gremlins Gremlins form the bulk of the working population of Nordamark. Short at 4.5 feet tall on average, they are natural hard workers and craftsmen. The various kings of Nordamark have also come to value them for their simple loyalty to the crown and kingdom, insofar as they get plenty of their simple comforts (No Nordamark king would dare think of imposing a tax on alcohol after the riots 100 years ago). However there is considerable dispute between human and Gremlin factory workers over new industrial jobs, and how Gremlins seem poised to take most of the jobs in the new industrial world. And many Gremlins are beginning to grumble about their lack of representation in parliament. [img]http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090217182503/lastremnant/images/thumb/9/93/Torgal_Artwork.jpg/406px-Torgal_Artwork.jpg[/img] Mithran The Mithran peoples are a race of tall (Around 8 feet tall) four-armed cat-like entities. Universally strong and longer-lived than humans yet less inclined to breed, they are a well-accepted minority in Nordamark for their scholarly talents and versatility of action. Males lean towards tasks requiring strength and dexterity, while females lean more towards scholarly fields and multi-tasking thinking. Army Overview WIP Nordamark's military, once a superpower during the pre-steam feudal ages, is now struggling to keep up with the times. Prolonged peace and preference for trade and the arts over warfare by successive kings and ministers of state, as well as prioritization of the navy and emergent air force, have resulted in the army being downscaled and forced to hire mercenaries to fill out its ranks. The regular standing army is undersized and understrength. While it has strong morale and good leadership, lack of local industry and funding prioritization mean that most soldiers are armed with barrel-loaded muskets and artillery are horsedrawn guns or even naval artillery. While there are efforts to introduce breech-loading needle guns, they are limited to specialist units. For mercenaries, working for Nordamark is quiet and not that well-paying compared to frontline combat pay, but a reliable source of work and coin. Nordamark paymasters always pay in gold or silver and always on time, and there are plenty of brothels, bars, and pleasure dens to spend that coin on (although theres hardly anywhere to pick up the latest gear). Many notable mercenary companies base out of Nordamark for its patronizing of mercenaries, and what they lack in patriotism they make up for with professionalism. Notable Mercenary Companies. Steelhead Security: Professional rifleman corps, noted for their signature steel plate armor and long-rifles. Ironclaw Arms: Large, cheap Gremlin fighting force. Sheer bloody numbers, but poorly equipped. Devil Dogs, specialized sapper battle engineer company. Sisters of Mercy: A mercenary group of religious warrior-clerics. More often hired for their medical skills than ability with rapier and pistol. Navy Overview WIP Nordamark has invested heavily in a well-trained and well-equipped navy to protect its sizable merchant marine. Nordamark was the first nation to begin fielding ironclad warships on the high seas, and while not the largest navy in the world and meant primarily to fight pirates and raiders rather than wage total war on the high seas, it is a very elite naval culture few can match. The majority of Nordamark's heavy industry and steel production is tied into its shipbuilding, producing steam-sail hybrid ships of the line and new Ironclad warships crewed by talented sailors and captains. But the majority of the navy remains untested in this new era of steam power. Air Force Overview WIP Nation's Location Nation's Geography Economy Overview Nordamark is an economic powerhouse of free trade and capitalism. While its original wealth stems from gold and silver mines, the true source of wealth for modern industrial Nordamark comes from its substantial merchant marine shipping, and the purveyance of luxuries and pleasures. Nordamark wine, food, chocolate, pleasure resorts, books, dyes, spices, and dealings in exotic goods are all in high demand by the elites of other countries, and the kingdom is also notorious for its high-class “companions” and “hospitality dens”. The theater arts are well patronized in Nordamark, and it is host to a number of traveling acting troupes and major playwrights. Nordamark’s primary local industries revolve around shipbuilding and banking. Nordamark shipyards have been the frontline builders of naval innovation and ironclads, while its bankers are shrewd and inventive in maximizing financial investments to turn the largest profit and are leading thinkers in financial . A noted secondary industry is the production of steel in small but high-quality amounts. In all other fields however, Nordamark's industries are lagging behind both in scale and technology due to limited natural resources. The largest chokehold on Nordamark’s industrial development is coal, as it posses only a few shallow mines of low-quality coal barely suited to heat homes. High-grade anthracite is in high demand, as is good-quality iron ore and rare materials needed to build the latest steam-machines en-masse. Nordamark tries to cover these flaws with imports of machinery and resources, but it simply is not able to become an industrial state without major imports.