WIP [b][u]Nation Sheet[/b][/u] [hider=Location] [IMG]http://i58.tinypic.com/2zpibvc.png[/IMG][/hider] [hider=Flag] [IMG]http://i62.tinypic.com/2wrlt2v.png[/IMG][/hider] [b][u]Nation Name:[/b][/u] Arlais (ARE-LAYS) [b][u]Demonym:[/b][/u] Arlaisan (ARE-LAYS-AN) [b][u]People/s:[/b][/u] [hider=Arlaisan Elves (10%)] [center][IMG]http://i58.tinypic.com/260zwgh.jpg[/IMG][/center] The Arlaisan elves originally hail from the great forests of the north, but wandered to the place where Arlais is located today some thousand years ago. The average Arlaisan elf is between 160-170 cm tall, weighs about 50-60 kg, has pale skin, white hair and icy blue eyes, and can sometimes live for as long as a thousand years. These elves are obsessed with perfection and beauty, sometimes to the point of the extreme. They always follow the latest trends in fashion and esthetics, and always strive to keep themselves updated on the most popular topics of conversation. Living like this can be costly, but since the elves form the majority of the aristocracy of the nation, most of them are rich and can afford it. Arlaisan elves are known all across Munacra for their beauty, but rumors of their insanity are also circulating.[/hider] [hider=Arlaisan Humans (40%)] [center][IMG]http://i62.tinypic.com/2latz6q.jpg[/IMG][/center] The human population of Arlais is made up of a mix of natives and immigrants. There were humans living here when the elves arrived some thousand years ago, but they certainly didn’t call themselves Arlaisan, and nobody claims kinship with them nowadays. Their physicality and appearance is very similar to real human beings, and they typically live to see their eightieth birthday. Humans in Arlais are merchants, crafters, scholars, clerics, soldiers, and sometimes aristocrats. They are never laborers. There is a very strong sense of pride among Arlaisan humans; pride in their industriousness, their fortitude and success. While the humans as a whole sees the elves as their superiors, some aristocrats view them as equals, or even inferiors.[/hider] [hider=Arlaisan Orcs (40%)] [center][IMG]http://i62.tinypic.com/2u9rfoo.jpg[/IMG][/center] Slavery is technically abolished in Arlais. Orcs, however, are seen as an exception. They have a similar physiology and appearance as humans, but have green skin, tusks, hair like horsehair, and a life expectancy of twenty years. The orcs used to live in clans in the mountains west of Arlais. From there they would raid Arlaisan villages and attack innocent travelers. This was part of everyday life for most Arlaisans, though, and while steps were taken to ensure the defense at the borders, no one tried to do root out or exterminate the orcs. Until Urgash came, that is. Urgash was the first orc warlord to unite the clans, and started a bloody war against Arlais. This time, the rulers had no other choice but to answer in kind. The orcs were driven back by the superior Arlaisan forces, but were not exterminated. They were instead captured and turned into slaves, sentenced to be the workforce of Arlais until the end of their days. Today they’re kept in cages and are sold at markets all over the land.[/hider] [hider=Arlaisan Halflings (5%)] [center][IMG]http://i58.tinypic.com/dzi9ax.jpg[/IMG][/center] The island of Emiliana was not part of Arlais until a hundred years ago when the native halflings of the isle agreed to a defense pact with their neighbor. Relations had always been good, and trade has always prospered between the two nations, but Emiliana found that they could not keep up with the rest of the world in military strength and so decided to join an already strong side. The halflings look like children to humans, with curly hair, hairy feet, and a tendency for pot bellies in their autumn years. Halflings live for about fifty years. They love cooking food, brewing ale, smoking tobacco and gardening, all of which they’re quite adept at. What halflings love most, however, is peace and quiet.[/hider] [hider=Immigrants in Arlais (5%)] [center][IMG]http://i57.tinypic.com/t7btj7.jpg[/IMG][/center] Immigrants are welcome in Arlais. They have the same rights as most citizens, with a few exceptions. Immigrants who are judged guilty of a crime are never sentenced to any other punishment than lifelong deportation from Arlais. They are simply left at the border with only their clothes to their name to fend for themselves. First generation immigrants cannot own land or property and are only allowed to live in certain sections of settlements in Arlais; they are allowed to roam freely, but cannot live anywhere else. Second generation immigrants are viewed as full members of Arlais and have the same rights as any other citizen.[/hider] [b][u]Population Scale/Nation Size:[/b][/u] Large, 600.000 [b][u]Government:[/b][/u] Aristocratic Republic. Arlais has a senate where all political decisions from laws to declarations of war are made, in which only nobles are allowed to vote. Each noble has one vote per occasion to, and may choose to leave it blank if they so wish. Majority rules. While the entire aristocracy is allowed to vote, the reality of the situation is that only a very little part of it is directly involved in the politics of Arlais. Each family has a few representatives in the senate which tells them what to vote for and when. A chancellor, who acts as a mediator, is elected every ten years. There is no limit as to how many times a person may be elected as chancellor. [b][u]Heroes:[/b][/u] [hider=Nadiege Boudou] [center][IMG]http://i60.tinypic.com/24pjd3c.jpg[/IMG][/center] Nadiege is the current chancellor of the Arlaisan senate. She is unique in that she is the first human to be chancellor in over three hundred years, and that she at 25 years of age is the youngest person ever to be elected to that position. The Boudous are a young noble family, accepted into the aristocracy only fifty years ago as a token of gratitude of their service in the war against the warlord Urgash and his orcs. They have risen quickly in power however, much due to the income generated from their businesses in the slave trade. Nadiege has only recently been elected chancellor, and is as such still quite new to her obligations and responsibilities, but she has done a good job so far in spite of her nervousness. Mystery and magic has always fascinated the young politician, and with her newfound power she has opened doors previously closed to her; she’s started practicing real magic. While not very good at it yet, she is capable of conjuring small balls floating balls of light, and can cause a teapot to mysteriously levitate using telekinesis.[/hider] [hider=General Séverin Ducross] [center] [IMG]http://i59.tinypic.com/2j4f0jl.png[/IMG][/center] As the most brilliant student of the military academy in Onryx, it was only natural for Séverin to rise quickly through the ranks of the army. He is now commanding the legion which is home to the finest company of soldiers in Arlais, the Lions Noirs. Séverin is strong, tough and agile. He is an excellent tactician as well as a crack shot with a musket. He is young, smart, capable – but arrogant and possible insane. Séverin is a vile sadist who finds pleasure in harming others. He is also quite convinced that he is the greatest man in the world, and that no one can challenge him. All in all he is very well thought of by the common soldiers and people who haven’t met him, but despised by those who are forced to work with him.[/hider] [b][u]Capital:[/b][/u] [hider=Descardes][IMG]http://i57.tinypic.com/2hov1xy.jpg[/IMG] Even though Onryx is the biggest, richest and most advanced city of Arlais, and Paly has the biggest port, Descardes is the heart of the nation. Here lies the Boustilie, the royal palace, once home to the king and queen of Arlais and now used as the headquarters for the senate; here lies the Miroir Lunaire, the moon mirror, one of the holiest places in all of the land; here lies the royal theatre, an enormous coliseum capable of housing about fifty thousand visitors; and here lies the great library, guarding countless tomes and scrolls. The city is well supplied and easily defendable thanks to the two rivers surrounding it. Boats can be seen travelling up and down the stream towards Onryx with goods and passengers all day long. The mountains also provide an excellent natural cover, making a direct assault on Descardes nearly impossible. There are about a hundred thousand people living in the capital.[/hider] [b][u]Settlements:[/b][/u] [hider=Onryx][IMG]http://i58.tinypic.com/2mzxkrc.jpg[/IMG] Onryx is the biggest, richest and most advanced city in Arlais. The city is built at the mouth of the great river Campagnes, and is a beautiful sight to see. Three hundred thousand people are living in this bustling metropolis which houses all sorts of things from academies to universities, opera houses, theatres, plazas, markets, libraries and much, much more. It is through Onryx that most immigrants pass when they arrive in the country. Onryx naturally has the biggest foreign quarter of any Arlaisan town as a result of this.[/hider] [hider=Paly][IMG]http://i61.tinypic.com/2zp8igx.jpg[/IMG] Paly, once the capital of the island city-state of Emiliana is a very small big town. It is a big town, as it houses nearly a hundred thousand people and has the biggest dock in all of Arlais, but it is also very small because its buildings were originally built for halflings. The center of the town has been rebuilt to house individuals of normal constitution, but most of the houses, shops and offices in Paly are still child-sized.[/hider] [hider=Minor settlements][IMG]http://i61.tinypic.com/o5qd20.jpg[/IMG] Apart from these three great cities, most Arlaisan settlements consist of small villages and farms. Most buildings in Descardes, Onryx and Paly are made from stone, while the majority of the buildings in smaller settlements are made from wood.[/hider] [b][u]Nation Description:[/b][/u] (What’s your nation like? A text to get the feel of your nation, may include history, culture, etc) [b][u]Magic/Tech Barometer:[/b][/u] Mostly technology. Magic is rare. Only a few people are capable of wielding it, but even they don’t know much about it. Heroes may be simple magicians. Social tech is equal to late renaissance societies. Military tech is limited to simple mechanics and chemistry, advanced fortifications and gunpowder siege equipment, and muskets. [b][u]Religion:[/b][/u] (If there's religious worship in your nation, how is it done and what are the deities like?) [b][u]Flora & Fauna:[/b][/u] (What creatures and plants can be found in your nation?) [b][u]Ambitions:[/b][/u] (Is your nation expansionistic, trade-orientated, or a mediator? Just a quick summary, almost like a rumor of what your nation will be known as internationally) [b][u]Economy:[/b][/u] (What kind of economic system does your nation have? What is your nation importing/in need of? What is it exporting/in excess of?) [b][u]Military:[/b][/u] (What is the size of your military (max 10% of population)? What kind of troops do you have? Do you have a navy?)[/hider]