[img]http://i.imgur.com/WT7TUAf.png[/img] [hider=Cethos] [b]Name of Nation:[/b] Cethos [b]Government:[/b] Absolute Monarchy [b]Species:[/b] Humanoid fish people with primitive gills allowing them to breathe under water for up to 10 hours, webbing in their hands and toes to swim better, able to dive to depths of 130ft (40m), and have a clear, third, eyelid that allows them to see underwater. 'Cethosi tears' are often used to describe fake tears, as they get rid of salt build up via it leaking out of their eyes with water. [b]Population[/b]: 25 Million [b]Culture:[/b] Cethosi culture, unsurprisingly, is tied to the ocean. From it their demi-gods were born, on it they expanded and united the Cethosi tribe, and it gives them life and sustenance daily. They have a deep respect for the ocean, and go to great lengths to ensure that it is respected as well. The Mother gave us life, but she is a force of nature that will never be tamed, never forget that. Every Cethosi is first and foremost a sailor and a fisherman, and every single one of them is a powerful swimmer. The Cethosi honor code is fairly simple, with every man's word being his bond. If a Cethosi gives you their word, they will hold to it until it complete or they are dead. If it becomes known that someone is an oath-breaker, they will be shunned by the community at large, until they are forced to leave. Most leave the islands entirely, as any ship they take to another island will spread the word of how untrustworthy they are to wherever they land. Cethosi practice exo-cannibalism, believing that if they eat their enemies they will gain their enemies strength. In war, to prevent vicious last stands that will result in more casualties than necessary, Cethosi will offer the enemy the chance to surrender. Any who do will not be consumed later. Everyone who fights and dies against them is fair game. Cethosi believe that when someone dies, their power is spread throughout their family. Being descended from Demi-gods, every Cethosi thus has part of divinity in them, no matter how minuscule. After someone has died, their family thanks them for the power they are leaving. They are then given back to the ocean, to nourish that which has nourished them their whole lives. [b]History:[/b] Descended from many Demi-Gods of the ocean, whose final decree was that no impure would set foot on their holy islands, the people of Cethos have always preferred to isolate themselves from the rest of the world. Even during the unification of the islands in the years 1650-1660, Cethos kept outsiders as much out of their islands as they could, even going so far as to execute those they found twice. Up until 1880, the islands kept barely any contact with the outside world. Their sacred decrees were everything, and they would not break it. When the year 1880 finally arrived, the Cethosi Civil War broke out and ravaged the islands for twenty years. An officer of the Cethosi Navy, Gharn Lashk, had become the leader of a faction pushing for Cethos to open its borders and to increase contact with the outside world. Cethos, he argued, was falling behind in the arms race of the world and it would only be a matter of time before a stronger nation came and conquered them. He had seen the technology Etresna possessed, the armies of the nations that were only a short sail away, and new that his beloved Cethos would not survive a war with any of them. His warnings were ignored, and he kept pushing. He kept pushing for their borders to open, for trade to be allowed, for them to become modernized quickly before someone took advantage of their weakness. After being stopped time and time again, stopped by his superiors and his king, Gharn took matters into his own hands. He had amassed a strong following, especially among the peasantry of the islands, and he could seize control. Gharn attempted to assassinate his king and the royal family. The attempt failed, and Gharn barely escaped with a handful of his followers. He vowed to return, and finish what he had started. The Cethosi Civil War had begun. What would follow was twenty years of vicious naval battles, bloody beach assaults, and the massive ramp up of modernization and defensive fortifications on the islands. Ships and guns became more and more modern as both sides bought from outsiders, islands became entrenched on all sides awaiting the next assault. Gharn got all that he wanted and more. He only had to bring half of the islands under his control to complete his dream. He couldn't afford to let them destroy each other any longer. He needed to end the war quickly, so he reached out to the outside world. Specifically he reached out to Etresna, and made their alliance stronger. In return for Cethos' naval aid and keeping some of the islands they take, Etresna will help him win this civil war. Etresna fleets and military soon deployed in aid of Gharn's rebellion, and their aid proved invaluable in winning Gharn the war. As Etresnamaden and Cethosi Rebels stormed the palace of the main island, the royal family and their last loyal troops barricaded themselves in the palance. It was a magnificent structure, made of ebony wood, that had been apart of Cethos history for hundreds of years. It was said to have been a gift from the Demi-gods, before they died. Gharn gave them one chance to surrender, to join him. They refused. Gharn set fire to the entire palace with everyone inside. As the Royal family burned alive, the flames of the old ways flooding the skies with black smoke, Gharn was crowned new king of Cethos. Ten years have passed since then. Gharn's reconstruction of the military and its fortifications on all the islands, in addition to Cethos acquiring two client states, has left the economy perilously weak. If not for its tight alliance with Etresna, Cethos would have no doubt been stuck with its devastated army and navy. The economy has slowly been built back up, exports previously kept within Cethosi borders being shipped out to other nations. With their navy strong, their army dug in, and their alliances sealed, Cethos stands ready for whatever this new era brings. [b]Territory Claims:[/b] All of the pink islands off the coast of Etresna. [hider=Map][img]https://i.imgur.com/j9op1tK.jpg[/img][/hider] [b]Economy:[/b] The Cethosi economy is perilously weak. After the Civil War an the military rebuilding, the economy had no trade beyond Etresna to fall back on. While that was enough to prevent complete economic collapse, Cethos simply doesn't have the funding to increase and improve many things. With the recent discovery of oil on and off their main islands, the outlook is better. As trade opens and things previously kept from the world are sent out, their economic weakness might change. As of now, Cethos is tightly tied to Etresna for economic support. [b]Technology:[/b] While by no stretch of the imagination a leader of the pack in the technology arms race, Cethos has, with the help of their allies Etresna, kept themselves effectively modern. [hider=army and marine corp uniform][img]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/58/91/64/589164569fad0a77604bfccaa642154a.png[/img][/hider] [b]Army:[/b] The Islands Defense Force, ISF, is a small and purely defensive branch of the military. Numbering only 125,000 in total, the ISF is spread out across the island holdings of Cethos, entrenched in the fortifications built during the Cethosi Civil War, and repaired to modern specifications in the past ten years. Every island has some form of fortification, the smallest having pitfall trenches, barbed wire, and machine gun bunkers, the largest having coastal artillery emplacements, sea mines (not deployed), barbed wire, pit falls, machine gun nests, etc. The vast majority of active duty soldiers being veterans of the Civil War, the ISF stands ready and able to repel any possible invasion of the islands. [b]Navy:[/b] With 500 ships, 22 of which are Dreadnoughts, and 12 submarines the Cethosi Navy is one of the largest navy on the seas of Narrev, and Cethos goes to great lengths to maintain their naval supremacy. The Navy serves as Cethos' only military influence outside of their home islands, and as such is a massive force compared to the army. The Marine Corps alone contains 200,000 active duty members and another 150,000 on reserve. These active members are spread across the navy ready to form a beachhead for allies, or help defend. Their effectiveness is limited by their complete lack of artillery and the fact that even to bring a quarter of their forces to bear would require risking a quarter of their fleet. [b]Air Force:[/b] With no money to fund this innovative technology, Cethos has no airforce to speak of. [b]Rolls:[/b] 7 - Territory - Your nation is somewhat small, with room for perhaps a city or two and some farmland. 13 - Tech - Your nation is decently modern, with an effective grasp of technology. It is by no means a trend setter, but it stays up. 7 - Army Size - Your army is relatively small, but is maintained year-round. 5 - Economy - Your economy is weak, and is teetering on a recession. 14 - Production - Your nation is somewhat majority industrial, with decent resource exploitation. 20 - Navy Size - Your nation rules the waves. Your merchant fleet is the best out there and your matchless navy seeps with tradition. 1 - Airforce Size - You have no air force. 20 - Mobilization Ability - It takes a week to mobilize. Client states [hider=Hyanids][img]http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/000/897/558/c1d.jpg[/img] Population: 10 million Army size: 60,000 Navy: N/A Overview: A mess of snarling tribes and contentious members, Hyaen has always been a divided nation. Until Cethos arrived and forcibly united them, and continues serving as a peacekeeper and settler of disputes, the tribes had separated themselves into various city states, to divided to stop the slave raids of Redcliff. Once Cethos arrived, the tribes acquiesced to the greater Cethosi strength one by one, until Cethos had all of their loyalty. They were allowed to keep their autonomy, but with Cethos keeping a watchful eye on them. 5 - Territory - 5 Provinces 3 - Political Stability - This nation is doing alright. 6 - Nationalism - This nation is ashamed of its culture and is completely subservient to your nation.[/hider] [hider=Slaugs][img]https://i.pinimg.com/736x/87/6f/22/876f2206094a1879b81ddc75f7d50b1e--creature-concept-art-creature-fantasy.jpg[/img] Population: 6 million Army: 40,000 Navy: N/A Overview: Natives to Shrask, the Slaugs are a largely isolationist nation. They would much prefer to be left alone, even from each other, minding their own business. Alas, the ways of the world prevented that, and when Cethos arrived offering their navy in return for Shrask's allegiance, they couldn't refuse. Still, Cethos maintains a very hands off policy towards them, not wanting to anger them. 5 - Territory - 5 Provinces 5 - Political Stability - This nation is peaceful and stable. 3 - Nationalism - This nation is somewhat nationalist, and is fiercely independent.[/hider] [b]Other:[/b] [u]Alliances[/u] -Etresna -Nahs'rahk [/hider]