So Boerd Member
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- So Boerd 12 yrs ago
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Do your trolls have boats?
Heads up, Gowia and Enigma. Due to your lack of naval ability, you guys have probably been chief targets of raids in the past if not the present. Is that chill? Understandably our relations have been soured because of this.
Lolno. I never post without being accepted
So am I good to go?
So...this is not happening?
Nation Name: The Empire of Kjalmar
Flag:
Region/color on map: Laein, autonymically known as “Rogaland”
Capital: Roglagardr
Capital Population: 80,000
Other Major Settlements: Akeyeuri, Gardjavik, Rejksholm, Nygarthr.
Population: 2,000,000
Racial demographics: Kjalmar is a bit of a genetic island. Universally human, and an overwhelming percentage of the humans are of the northern stock native to Kjalmar.
Social dynamics: While technologically Kjalmar is keeping up, socially in some regards it is a bit backwards. Due to the initial incredibly low population density, feudalism never took root. Therefore, there are no hereditary classes wholly insulated from the general populace; any fellow rich enough can simply get himself appointed a barony and the governing of the free-men entrusted to his protection by the Crown. Therefore, there is a significantly smaller but still very much extant divide in how the rich see the poor vs their peers. (WIP with more fluff, but I've got the gist). Another very important social aspect is raiding and piracy (probably due to the naval power vacuum). Enterprising young men will take out loans so they can afford a caravel or a carrack, register it with the state for the purpose of conscription, and then sail to the Vasterland (western continent), where they anchor the ship in some remote patch of coastline, then from that ship sail in smaller ships to the coastline and raid, or else they stay in the ship and pirate. Few stay professional raiders, it is mostly a means of paying off the loans. Convention is that a black flag is for raiding and a white flag is for trading; any ship which embarks from the country with a black sail must return with a black sail raised and the same holds for white sails or else they face a heavy fine.
Fashion: As is necessary, dressing very warm is common in Kjalmar. Heavy wool tunics, cloaks and fir coats are preferred. Women wear heavy wool dresses and thick shawls. For transportation, skis and animals are the common ways.
Calendar: There are no national holidays (that is to say, celebrated EVERYWHERE) in the whole of the country save one. In the oral traditions of the people, Almighty God did not lay down one year for the date of the apocalypse and annihilation of earth. He only fixed a time; the polar night, or the "midday moon". When the polar night ends without this calamity (the sun rises), the people celebrate.
Art: All sorts of carving and sculpture are popular.
Law: Far from one might suppose about a barbarian society in the barren north, they have an extremely well developed legal system aimed at preventing blood feuds from tearing apart society (did not have a whole lot of population to throw away). To illustrate this, hypothetical Kjalmarjan man A kills man B out of jealousy. Man B's brother, after discovering the body, goes to the local "þing" (judge appointed by the Crown, jury randomly selected) and accuses man A, knowing of the bad blood, and proceeds to make his case as to why man A's house should be searched. Man A has the right to be present (and is often compelled) at these proceedings and argue against the search. The brother wins out, and evidence is found. Man A is detained by the baron until the þing can next convene. The evidence reviewed, a trial held, and man A is found to be liable for the death of man B. The þing gathers in conclave, where aggravating and mitigating factors are to be considered. Man B, having been a freeman, is worth 200 kroner. If the murder was premeditated, a factor of 9 is applied. If the murder was self defense, only a quarter is paid. If Man B was a soldier with an active call from the crown, another 500 is added (before the premeditation factor too). Eventually, they decide it was premeditated, and man B's brother receives the 200 he is owed, and the difference given to the Baron (this would be why the Baron has no place in the proceedings, as it is a conflict of interest).
Education: No formal, national, system in place. "The school of hard knocks" is what all but priests and nobles attend.
Type of Government: Absolute monarchy.
Influence and relations: TBD
Important People:
King Haakon VI, age 60
Prince Karl XII, age 23
Princess Eleonora, 19
Prince Haraldr IV age 13.
Trading and tax: Trading is quite extensive, due to the proximity of the city states and Kjalmar's position as a nearly unrivaled naval power in the northern sea. Taxation is an income tax on these traders
Major industries: Fishing, iron ore, stolen goods.
Major Associations: The Victual Brothers, so named due to their preference for raiding food ships laden with gold after trading with Stomia or Borvan are effectively the only guild of professional Kjalmarjan pirates. They answer unofficially to the King, who can direct or muster them in exchange for extremely safe harbor.
Currency: Kroner
Military -
Landscape: The westernmost extremity of the country, where all cities but Nygarthr are, is relatively flat, temperate, and arable. (Here I stress “relatively”, it is still very cold and the inadequately acclimated and prepared will have an exceptionally difficult time). The further east one goes, the more inhospitable with more variance in elevation and more forestation it becomes until the southeastern border, where the land is marked by an enormous mountain chain that is heavily forested, virtually impassable off of the main road through the lowest pass except for a few weeks in the dead of summer (and even that road is often heavily snowed). The coastline is dotted by fjords.
Wildlife: See Alaskan wildlife for the middle third, Scandinavian for the western third, Siberian/Arctic for the eastern.
Notable places: WIP, fluff
Summary: Renaissance Vikings.
History: Will be worked out with other players. What I can tell you is that originally the region was divided into many petty kingdoms that were united by Haakon I by force, coercion or marriage.
Strengths:
~The nation is an extremely potent naval power with the trading and raiding benefits that stem therefrom
~The army has ruthless discipline, to compensate for its small size
~Isolation limits the possibility of a land invasion
Weaknesses:
~Small population
~Isolation limits immigration and overland trade
~Due to a ferocious reputation for piracy, and the government’s lukewarm attempts to control it (that is to say, saying they will try and stop it but then not doing anything), the diplomatic relations of Kjalmar are severely impacted and it is a bit of a pariah. The lack of an insulated noble class (sometimes preventing marriages due to mixed “noble” and “common” blood in most of the nobles) does not help any.
Flag:
Region/color on map: Laein, autonymically known as “Rogaland”
Capital: Roglagardr
Capital Population: 80,000
Other Major Settlements: Akeyeuri, Gardjavik, Rejksholm, Nygarthr.
Population: 2,000,000
Racial demographics: Kjalmar is a bit of a genetic island. Universally human, and an overwhelming percentage of the humans are of the northern stock native to Kjalmar.
Social dynamics: While technologically Kjalmar is keeping up, socially in some regards it is a bit backwards. Due to the initial incredibly low population density, feudalism never took root. Therefore, there are no hereditary classes wholly insulated from the general populace; any fellow rich enough can simply get himself appointed a barony and the governing of the free-men entrusted to his protection by the Crown. Therefore, there is a significantly smaller but still very much extant divide in how the rich see the poor vs their peers. (WIP with more fluff, but I've got the gist). Another very important social aspect is raiding and piracy (probably due to the naval power vacuum). Enterprising young men will take out loans so they can afford a caravel or a carrack, register it with the state for the purpose of conscription, and then sail to the Vasterland (western continent), where they anchor the ship in some remote patch of coastline, then from that ship sail in smaller ships to the coastline and raid, or else they stay in the ship and pirate. Few stay professional raiders, it is mostly a means of paying off the loans. Convention is that a black flag is for raiding and a white flag is for trading; any ship which embarks from the country with a black sail must return with a black sail raised and the same holds for white sails or else they face a heavy fine.
Fashion: As is necessary, dressing very warm is common in Kjalmar. Heavy wool tunics, cloaks and fir coats are preferred. Women wear heavy wool dresses and thick shawls. For transportation, skis and animals are the common ways.
Calendar: There are no national holidays (that is to say, celebrated EVERYWHERE) in the whole of the country save one. In the oral traditions of the people, Almighty God did not lay down one year for the date of the apocalypse and annihilation of earth. He only fixed a time; the polar night, or the "midday moon". When the polar night ends without this calamity (the sun rises), the people celebrate.
Art: All sorts of carving and sculpture are popular.
Law: Far from one might suppose about a barbarian society in the barren north, they have an extremely well developed legal system aimed at preventing blood feuds from tearing apart society (did not have a whole lot of population to throw away). To illustrate this, hypothetical Kjalmarjan man A kills man B out of jealousy. Man B's brother, after discovering the body, goes to the local "þing" (judge appointed by the Crown, jury randomly selected) and accuses man A, knowing of the bad blood, and proceeds to make his case as to why man A's house should be searched. Man A has the right to be present (and is often compelled) at these proceedings and argue against the search. The brother wins out, and evidence is found. Man A is detained by the baron until the þing can next convene. The evidence reviewed, a trial held, and man A is found to be liable for the death of man B. The þing gathers in conclave, where aggravating and mitigating factors are to be considered. Man B, having been a freeman, is worth 200 kroner. If the murder was premeditated, a factor of 9 is applied. If the murder was self defense, only a quarter is paid. If Man B was a soldier with an active call from the crown, another 500 is added (before the premeditation factor too). Eventually, they decide it was premeditated, and man B's brother receives the 200 he is owed, and the difference given to the Baron (this would be why the Baron has no place in the proceedings, as it is a conflict of interest).
Education: No formal, national, system in place. "The school of hard knocks" is what all but priests and nobles attend.
Type of Government: Absolute monarchy.
Influence and relations: TBD
Important People:
King Haakon VI, age 60
Prince Karl XII, age 23
Princess Eleonora, 19
Prince Haraldr IV age 13.
Trading and tax: Trading is quite extensive, due to the proximity of the city states and Kjalmar's position as a nearly unrivaled naval power in the northern sea. Taxation is an income tax on these traders
Major industries: Fishing, iron ore, stolen goods.
Major Associations: The Victual Brothers, so named due to their preference for raiding food ships laden with gold after trading with Stomia or Borvan are effectively the only guild of professional Kjalmarjan pirates. They answer unofficially to the King, who can direct or muster them in exchange for extremely safe harbor.
Currency: Kroner
Military -
Landscape: The westernmost extremity of the country, where all cities but Nygarthr are, is relatively flat, temperate, and arable. (Here I stress “relatively”, it is still very cold and the inadequately acclimated and prepared will have an exceptionally difficult time). The further east one goes, the more inhospitable with more variance in elevation and more forestation it becomes until the southeastern border, where the land is marked by an enormous mountain chain that is heavily forested, virtually impassable off of the main road through the lowest pass except for a few weeks in the dead of summer (and even that road is often heavily snowed). The coastline is dotted by fjords.
Wildlife: See Alaskan wildlife for the middle third, Scandinavian for the western third, Siberian/Arctic for the eastern.
Notable places: WIP, fluff
Summary: Renaissance Vikings.
History: Will be worked out with other players. What I can tell you is that originally the region was divided into many petty kingdoms that were united by Haakon I by force, coercion or marriage.
Strengths:
~The nation is an extremely potent naval power with the trading and raiding benefits that stem therefrom
~The army has ruthless discipline, to compensate for its small size
~Isolation limits the possibility of a land invasion
Weaknesses:
~Small population
~Isolation limits immigration and overland trade
~Due to a ferocious reputation for piracy, and the government’s lukewarm attempts to control it (that is to say, saying they will try and stop it but then not doing anything), the diplomatic relations of Kjalmar are severely impacted and it is a bit of a pariah. The lack of an insulated noble class (sometimes preventing marriages due to mixed “noble” and “common” blood in most of the nobles) does not help any.
Reserving Laein
Changing my mind. Sweden number 1 Netherlands number 2 Greece number 3
You have the floor, Dutchbag.
I am game for either
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