Fallen Nations: A Shadow of a New War [Dieselpunk|OOC|Open]

[Tracian Empire]

I have two questions. Apologies if I'm pestering you.

Thrace, will you allow the Holy Emperor and 3 others (one of whom is a traitor working against us) to be bio-enhanced soldiers? My current lore idea is him and the remnants of his Company/Strike Force of Bio-Enhanced Soldiers essentially overthrew the former governments and became the new leaders, after those people essentially sent them to their deaths. It wouldn't help in wartime, because they'd never deploy personally (at least not on the battlefield)- but it would just help lorefully, also adding a reason for why Biopunk Technology would be so strictly regulated/outlawed (depending on what I do, the lore's not fully settled yet).

Secondly, what do Battleships in the air look like? Do they use balloons? Or are they literal, metal warships roving across the sky?

Thanks

If the main technological focus of Scandinavia is and was biopunk, then that wouldn't be an issue. If however you want your current focus to be something else, I'm not sure if it would work, mostly because even if the nation would have switched after this "coup" to another field entirely, it would still be lagging significantly behind.

Secondly, I just don't think this idea of a coup would work? Like by bio-enhanced soldiers, generally what we had in mind were well, humans but with enhanced strength and speed and other such things. There can be variations, particularly since biopunk also likely involves itself in messing with animals, but there is an upper ceiling to what could be achieved with it. I don't think three bio-enhanced soldiers would be able to overthrow an entire government without being killed in the process. Even if you had more of them, there's both a limit to what bio-enhanced soldiers can do, and there's the fact that their coup would have zero legitimacy, which would likely lead to a fight between them and the military.

[Orostan]

Is my application accepted?

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Nation Application

Full Nation Name: German Empire

Short Nation Name: Third Reich, Reich, Germany, Nazi Germany

National Symbols: Look, I don't want moderation to come down on all of us so I will assume you all are perfectly familiar with the national symbols.

Capital: Vienna

Territory: The German Empire of early 1939 but with the notable additions of Bohemia-Moravia, South Tyrol and the Trentino, Slovenia and Istria...and Danzig being a very closely aligned puppet.

Form of Government: Unitary National-Socialist One Party state under a totalitarian dictatorship

Head of State: Fuhrer Adolf Hitler

Head of Government: Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler

Ideology: National-Socialism

Population: 90~ Million

Religion: Primarily Christian with a relatively even split between Protestant and Roman Catholic

Technological Focus Teslapunk, Biopunk

Technological Description: As a nation deprived of great wealths of oil, it was strategically not feasible for Germany to massively invest into the emerging Dieselpunk technologies. Experiments were of course made as not investing into modern forms of transportation and mobility was viewed as absolutely inconceivable but it never became the primary focus of Germany's technological development...much of which was initially carried out abroad, in secrecy.

Teslapunk technologies, based upon the Teslacores which Germany could charge with its astounding wealth of coal resources, would as such become the primary focus of Germany's research. And one of the first fields to get heavily expanded on was that of Tesla Artillery. Germany heavily invested into so called Arc Cannons, weapons that fired out supercharged lightning which would almost naturally be attracted to targets in its way, superheating, electrocuting or simply disabling nearly anything it hit on its path. Due to significant numbers of disturbances in the average ground use, said arc cannons were primarily developed as anti air weapons, hence receiving the names Flak 18/36/37 according to their years of introduction. It should be noted that these remain lethal in ground use when sufficient situations are provided. Heavier Arc cannons are also in development and infantry based arc weaponry has found its way into the hands of the first assault formations, replacing the previous flamethrowers.

Another major point of Teslapunk investment has been that of powered armour. Building up on Great War era Stormtrooper tactics and trying to augment its mechanised forces with infantry with some more oomph, Germany has developed a variety of power armours to outfit its new Panzergrenadiers with. These suits of armour are generally rated safe against most handheld weaponry designed to take on infantry but have only limited mobility. They do however often bring impressive firepower to bear, among others often arc weaponry, making them small but powerful assault units.

However, in the wake of the great war and the revival of social darwinist tendencies and eugenicist beliefs, Biopunk researcg was driven forward, albeit initially in dark corners of the Weimar Republic. Only when the national socialists took complete power in 1933 and rid themselves of any and all of their opposition was Biopunk, now seen as the instrument find and create the future "Übermensch", massively state funded and state supported. And between the various...crimes against humanity already committed within those first years, the Nazis were able to find plenty of test subjects for their abhorrent experiments.

Most of Germany's experiments in the field of Biopunk circle less around the creation of monsters and more around the creation of the Übermensch, the future that Hitler's sick mind envisions for all of humanity. However, the various side products the Nazis have created in their amoral pursuit of perfection remain potent weapons of war, be they reanimation experiments or the modified women of the Lebensborn, serving as elite commando units and mothers of the future.

At the intersection of the Reich's research lies the Übersoldat Project. A project which seeks to combine altered flesh with machinery, creating enormous, armoured war machines, soldiers who are neither man nor machine but a twisted combination of both. Hulking, armoured giants bearing heavy weapons, their muscles supported with hydraulics and their senses honed beyond the average human.

Military Description: The German Military, at this point in time primarily the Wehrmacht though the SS has been clawing together more and more influence and stands ready to raise fully militarised units. The Wehrmacht in turn is split into its three primary branches, the Heer, the Luftwaffe and the Kriegsmarine. It's supreme commander is the Fuhrer and Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler, with control underneath him theoretically carried out by the OKW, the Supreme Command of the Wehrmacht, though in practice it is little more than a circle of sycophants for Hitler, with very little real control and power as the Supreme Commands of the Wehrmacht branches are nearly independent from them. Which are then further compounded by the rivalries that already afflict the entire government structure.

Despite its clear and obvious issues in command, the Wehrmacht can rely on a large and well trained cadre of officers, both commissioned and non commissioned, creating the basis of competent leadership both on the strategic and tactical level as well as the development and expansion of new and old warfare doctrines, whether they were the Stormtrooper Squad tactics of the Great War or the new Mobile Warfare Doctrine the the general staff envisioned to try and avoid the attrition warfare that caused their slow and inevitable defeat in the last war. However, the far reaching intentions of the Generals tend to outspeed the army they are made for. With the Wehrmacht relying on a weak and non-motorised logistics structure as well as no great domestic sources of oil, it is poorly suited to rely on these new doctrines for long.

The Wehrmacht as a whole is an army marked by rapid expansion and rearmament, trying to return to the position of a great power military from a near 0. It ihas grown massively within the past years and much of its equipment is newly developed though also lagging behind that of other states which have been able to experiment and produce in much larger quantities. This can be seen particularly painfully in the German Navy, which never recovered from its self sinking at Scapa Flow and the following restrictions on it, with the Plan Z rearmament constantly being cut back for being too ambitious or taking too long. The armoured force, while excellently organised in new and wholly separate divisions and with its tanks featuring many modern features, also painfully deals with many models which while modern, remain underarmed and underarmoured.

National Goals: European Hegemony, the elimination of Communism, Lebensraum to the east and a number of others we really don't want or need to get into right now

National Issues:

• Demands of the War Machine
  The Nazi War Machine, built and funded with extensive and obtuse government spending is, understandably, an immense drain on the economy of the Reich, steering it straight towards collapse and designed to force the government to feed the hungry maelstrom it has created with the economies and gold reserves of its fellow nations. The Reich must wage war or it must collapse and restructure its economy. There is no way around it. And those wars must be successes.
• Den of Snakes
  By design, the entire government structure of the Reich has been laid out inefficiently, with parallel and overlapping fields of authority. While an effective tool at keeping much of the government loyal, clamouring for the attention and decisions of the one at the top, it has also led to rampant factionalism and cutthroat intrigues and politics rather than efficient governance.
• The Brain Drain
  Like almost any totalitarian, heavily ideological state, the Reich has found that it rather hates free thinkers and highly educate people and particular fields of science which clash with its own ideological worldview. This has led to an exodus, particularly of the scientific variant, having quite an impact on Germany's research ability going forward.

Point of Divergence: 1848 March Revolutions

History:

• 1848 - March Revolution/Hungarian Revolution. Deployment of Russian troops to Hungary, Austrian troops assist with clearing away Revolutionary Forces from the German states alongside the Prussian Army.
• 1851 - Re-establishment of the German Confederation. Austria leverages its assistance in crushing the revolution to force the entry of Hungary into the Confederation, providing it with a dominant position in the Confederation.
• 1853 - Crimean War. Austria, in repayment for Russia's assistance with rebellious Hungary, remains benevolently neutral to Russia during the war, keeping relations cordial.
• 1855 - German Rivalry. Both Austria and Prussia seek the centralisation of the Confederation into a Federated state. Austria, with its dominant position in the Confederation, is however able to keep the upper hand.
• 1866 - German War. Prussia invades Holstein. Austria leverages its dominant political power in the Confederation to place the Confederate Armies under a unified command, allowing Confederation troops to move in unison against Prussia. Despite multiple lost battles, Austria manages to outflank the Prussian Armies in the west while preventing the destruction of its army in Bohemia. The Italian Front finds itself going well enough. Prussia is beaten the status quo restored.
• 1868 - Austria and Russia conclude a secret alliance against Prussia in the event of a new war.
• 1870 - Franco-German War. Through political maneuvering, primarily by denying France the spoils promised for their neutrality in the German War, Austria manages to cause a war between France and the Confederation. Acting as the protector of the Confederation, it marshalls the armies of the minor states and successfully invades France. Prussia, which initially refuses to participate, eventually joins the war independently albeit against Austria, triggering the secret alliance with Russia and leading to the occupation of Prussia.
• 1872 - Proclamation of the German Empire in Versailles. Prussia is balkanised in favour of many of its smaller neighbours.
• 1878 - Balkan Crisis. Germany, with designs of its own in the Balkans, betrays Russia's trust and threatens invasion in favour of Serbia and the like unless Russia retreats and the Treaty of San Stefano is declared null. The Holy Alliance finally breaks apart for good and rising antagonism between Russia and Germany begins to make itself known.
• 1884 - Vienna Conference. Having engaged in the colonial race itself and with conflicts over it becoming more and more apparent, Germany hosts the Vienna Conference to set the borders of Africa.
• 1908 - Germany officially annexes Bosnia.
• 1914 - Franz Ferdinand is assassinated by Serbian Nationalists. The German Empire declares war on Serbia, triggering World War 1.
• 1919 - Treaty of Versailles. The German Empire is utterly shattered into pieces. Revolutions loom across the remainder of the Empire and political violence between socialists an reactionaries is common. French revolutionary troops equip a Red Army in the Rhineland.
• [1920 - Kapp-Hötzendorf Putsch. German Militarists overthrow the Vienna Government which flees to Innsbruck. The coup is quickly defeated but emboldens socialist revolution even further, forcing the government to compromise on the punishments for high treason and instead re-employ the forces in combat against the socialists.
• 1923 - Hitler Putsch. Following the successful pacification of the Rhine, right wing politician Adolf Hitler remains dissatisfied with the Vienna Government not fulfilling its promises concerning the post civil war order and begins a coup in Munich which he intends to march into Vienna. He is quickly arrested and sentenced to jailtime.
• 1926 - Secret Rearmament. German Reichswehr Generals sign secret deals with foreign powers to create training and engineering schools for their personnel abroad, where they seek to continue research into technologies and doctrines forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles.
• 1929 - Economic Collapse. The Financial Crisis hits the Innsbruck Republic hard. Extremist ideologies begin rising and political coalitions become ever broader and ever more unstable as they do, leading to a quasi-dictatorial rule by the employed governments.
• 1933 - The Nazis manage to enter government and rapidly seize power.
• 1934 - Reichspräsident Hindenburg perishes in his sleep. Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler takes over and declares himelf Fuhrer.
• 1938 - March Crisis. Germany postures to invade Czechoslovakia over its Sudetengerman territories. In the Munich Conference, Hitler successfully convinces the Great Powers that these territories were unjustly taken from Germany and ethnically belong to it. Czechoslovakia is forced to return the territories. The war ministry and high ranking Wehrmacht staff that opposed Hitler are purged. Despite claiming this to be the final territorial demand of Germany, Hitler forcibly annexes Bohemia-Moravia only a few months later.

#ODQHVVF (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

[Tracian Empire]

EDIT: My application is complete and has been altered at the request of the OP.

Nation Application

Full Nation Name: Socialist Republic of France

Short Nation Name: France

National Symbols:

Flag: Image
Anthem: The International

Capital: Paris

Territory: European France, Marquesas Islands, French Guyana

As under the control of de jure independent allies: Algeria, Mauritania, Mali, Senegal, Niger, Burkina Faso.

Form of Government: Unitary One Party Communist Republic

Head of State: Maurice Thorez
Head of Government: Maurice Thorez

Ideology: Marxist Communism

Population: 42,000,000 in Metropolitan France, 16,269,700 in former colonies.

Religion: State Atheism, but the population is predominantly Catholic.

Technological Focus Dieselpunk, Teslapunk

Technological Description: As typical of other participants in the Great War France was an early adopter of diesel powered machine technologies. Since the end of that war and the 1919 Revolution France has invested heavily into Tesla technology that provides economic in addition to military benefits. France has also invested significantly in its fleet of airships which it conceives of as especially useful given their high mobility and capability to engage land, air, and sea targets. The Army, Sea Navy and Air Navy both maintain their own independent air forces and are locked into an intense inter-service rivalry.

While true automatic industrial and war machines are a long way from being developed, current technology allows for groups of machines to be controlled by radio by an operator. This is useful on factory floors and other places where machines can be relied on to do repetitive and simple work with some supervision as well as in the direction of partially automatic anti-aircraft or artillery batteries. Automatic reloading systems integrated into human controlled tanks, mechs, and naval guns are currently being tested.

Development also continues with human-machine integration. Some of paralyzed are the first volunteers for programs aimed to restore their ability to walk through the replacement of certain nerves with mechanical substitutes, and cybernetics has advanced much over the last decade. "Project Knight" is a secret military program at the forefront of this technology that aims to integrate a man's brain seamlessly with war machines with the goal of allowing a brain preserved in an armored case to control the next generation of war mechs.

Military Description:

France's land army and air navies are the strongest branches of the French Armed Forces, with its seagoing navy focused on coastal defense and only possessing a few major surface combatants. The Air Navy in particular hosts a number of long range and high speed airships that are ideal for fast travel around the world and commerce raiding. French military doctrine focuses on the use of a core of well equipped and mobile units that in peacetime make up the majority of the standing army while in wartime less advanced but easier to equip conscript units are formed to support the professional army.

The French Red Army consists of almost 400,000 men and four million reservists. The vast majority of it is stationed in European France but contingents of it are stationed around the world to aid France's former colonial allies.

Across France’s former colonies armies are organized along the French model and supplied with French arms and equipment. Due to local conditions in much of Africa, only the most rugged and easy to maintain mechs or other complex war machines are fit for service. While French officers used to be common in these armies they are now commanded by local officers trained in French military schools and familiar with French military doctrine. While primarily land forces equipped for the defense of their homelands and relying on the support of France for transport or any action beyond them, Algeria and the former French Sudan have small naval and air forces. In total these militaries consist of about 75,000 men.

The French Foreign Legion after the revolution was reorganized into a force dedicated to advancing the cause of Communism all over the world. At present it consists of a large number of exiled Russian Bolsheviks, German Communists, and every other type of revolutionary who finds themselves exiled from their home country. It is particularly active in Asia and Africa where it works closely with Communist International Action and with the French intelligence service. The FFL remains one of the most skilled forces in the world with a wealth of experience and the motivation of many of its members to one day return to their home countries as liberators.

National Goals:
-Advance the cause of Communism Internationally
-Contain Germany
-Reclaim French status as a global power.


National Issues:
-Demographic Crisis: France was hit very hard by the Great War and following 1919 Revolution and civil war. France as a result has a shortage of young people and this limits the economy and the military.
-International Isolation: The Revolutionary government in France is still not recognized by a number of states in Europe and outside it.
-African Allies: The French former colonies in Africa are extremely poor compared to France, and although many of the colonies still in the French sphere of influence are now formally independent allied Communist republics to France they remain dependent on France for military and economic aid. The underdeveloped states are extremely difficult to govern effectively and what development has taken place is largely confined to important cities and the routes between them. The largest project in Africa that was completed with French supervision was the construction of the Dakar-Bamako railway in 1929-1939.

Point of Divergence: 1917 French Army mutinies.
History:

History continues as close to real history as possible before the Great War.

1917- Following the failure of the Nivelle offensive, units of the French Army mutiny and refuse to attack. While in real history these were repressed by the French state and would not lead to a revolution, in our story a confrontation at Villers-Cotterêts between mutineers and their officers escalates into violence and the declaration of a Commune. While the Commune is broken up and destroyed by the French Army and the mutinies are repressed eventually as they were historically, tensions remain and would explode the following year.

1918- The German Spring offensive severely weakens French morale and causes the mutiny of a number of military units. Soldiers along the front seize command posts, munitions depots, and begin forming councils to represent them in negotiations with the French government. For a period it looks as if the mutineers reach some agreement with the French government until fighting breaks out near the Marne River between French mutineers and loyalist troops that both accuse the other of bombarding them with artillery. In reality the artillery was probably fired by Germans unaware of the extremely tense situation among the French, but history can make no clear judgement on the matter. The Marne Mutiny is put down the French government which decides to reach an agreement with the soldier's councils to preserve the unity of the Army until Germany could be defeated.

In October 1918 during the final offensive against Germany a series of disputes between soldier's councils and the French command results in units of the French military refusing to attack. A small group of mutinous soldiers storms the Paris telephone exchange in an attempt to extract concessions from the government. The government, already fearing a revolution, reacts by severing travel in and out of Paris and deploying troops onto the streets. Believing a revolution is already underway or that the French state is about to attack them, soldier's councils on the front line seize a number of munitions depots.

Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau is forced to resign and allow a new government to be established dominated by moderate socialists. The new government almost immediately devolves into factional infighting. The Great War's military dimension concludes as it did historically.

1919- Certain sections of the army overthrow the new moderate socialist government in a coup and attempt to install Marshal Philippe Pétain as Prime Minister. Pétain despite his relative popularity among the people is undermined by his own subordinates who are far more interested in attacking the socialists than reunifying France and resigns after only a month in "Power".

1920- Attacked by the new French government which employs criminal gangs and ex-soldiers in a campaign of violent repression, people join a new political party known for being well organized and disciplined called the "Communist Party of France" (PCF) under the leadership of Marcel Cachin at the end of the year. While a low level civil war has been ongoing since the 1919 coup, the PCF transforms a disorganized and scattered insurgency into an organized war against the government in Paris. Following the seizure of the city of Lyon by Communists and the declaration of a Commune a number of military units in the area defect to the Communists. The battle of Lyon is considered to be the opening of the French Civil War.

Soldiers occupying the Rhineland defect to the Communists in large numbers and return to France. Due to the disruption in the rail network caused by the civil war transport of heavy equipment and many supplies is impossible, and much is turned over to local German Communists.

1921- The Reds secure control of roughly three quarters of France by the middle of the year. The French Whites, divided and without much popular support, retreat to the northwest of the country. With the capture of Paris the PCF declares the formation of the "Socialist Republic of France". At this time the PCF also declares the freedom of French colonies and a number of colonial garrisons defect to the PCF or are overwhelmed by local revolts. Britain and other colonial powers occupy large parts of the French colonial empire while Communist republics are declared in Algeria, Mauritania, and other African colonies. The SRF recognizes the independence of these colonies although even today they remain dependent on France for support and protection.

1922- The French civil war is considered to end with the capture of the last significant White holdout in Nantes. A number of new regimes in the former French colonial empire are supported by the new Socialist Republic. Ho Chi Minh, who had joined the PCF in 1919 and fought during the civil war, returns to Indochina. The United Kingdom occupies New Caledonia and some surrounding French islands as well as a number of former French colonies in Africa and elsewhere.

1923- Pierre Semard becomes General Secretary of the PCF. Maurice Thorez becomes the number 2 in the PCF. A five year plan for reconstruction is begun at this time and provides employment to millions of French workers. French former colonies in Africa begin their own five year plans in close collaboration with the French plan.

1929- The Great Depression does not affect France. Increased communist agitation throughout the world following the economic crisis is aided by the the "Communist International Action" (abbreviated as AIC in French and CIA in English) division of the Communist International.

1930- Maurice Thorez becomes General Secretary of the PCF after Semard is ousted partially due to factional disputes within the party. Thorez is considered a centrist in the PCF and is confirmed as Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Socialist Republic of France. He has run France until the present.

1931- Thorez's economic reforms permit the expansion of cooperative enterprise in non-strategic sectors of the economy, particularly light industry. Military reforms also begin to change the structure and doctrine of the armed forces around this time.

1932- As part of Thorez's policy of pressure on foreign states, wherever there are Communists the "Communist International Action" provides funding, advice, and potentially weapons. Arms flow into a multitude of insurgencies around the world as well as to paramilitary groups in European states which do not recognize the Communist government in France. The AIC/CIA soon becomes an essential part of French foreign policy.

1933-1939- During the Thorez government the PCF is unified under his leadership and a series of purges in 1935 removes both right and left wing elements of the party that had coalesced against Thorez as a 'united opposition'. Economic growth continues in accordance with the five year plans, and France remains at the forefront of military and industrial technology.

1935-1939 foreign policy history will need to be worked out with the other European players.


#ODQHVVF (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

Accepted!

[Aekaria]

I have two questions. Apologies if I'm pestering you.

Thrace, will you allow the Holy Emperor and 3 others (one of whom is a traitor working against us) to be bio-enhanced soldiers? My current lore idea is him and the remnants of his Company/Strike Force of Bio-Enhanced Soldiers essentially overthrew the former governments and became the new leaders, after those people essentially sent them to their deaths. It wouldn't help in wartime, because they'd never deploy personally (at least not on the battlefield)- but it would just help lorefully, also adding a reason for why Biopunk Technology would be so strictly regulated/outlawed (depending on what I do, the lore's not fully settled yet).

Secondly, what do Battleships in the air look like? Do they use balloons? Or are they literal, metal warships roving across the sky?

Thanks

If the main technological focus of Scandinavia is and was biopunk, then that wouldn't be an issue. If however you want your current focus to be something else, I'm not sure if it would work, mostly because even if the nation would have switched after this "coup" to another field entirely, it would still be lagging significantly behind.

Secondly, I just don't think this idea of a coup would work? Like by bio-enhanced soldiers, generally what we had in mind were well, humans but with enhanced strength and speed and other such things. There can be variations, particularly since biopunk also likely involves itself in messing with animals, but there is an upper ceiling to what could be achieved with it. I don't think three bio-enhanced soldiers would be able to overthrow an entire government without being killed in the process. Even if you had more of them, there's both a limit to what bio-enhanced soldiers can do, and there's the fact that their coup would have zero legitimacy, which would likely lead to a fight between them and the military.

Yes, sorry for not making that clearer.

Whatever I'm going to name the project was one of The Government's first attempt to enhance supersoldiers, in an attempt to utilise a separate method of war. This was early on, and almost immediately, they recognised that they were doing something wrong; nearly all of this company turned out to be monsters, physically ugly or mentally unhinged. The government switched to focusing on Dieselpunk, and more or less used this company- the only batch of bio-enhanced warriors- in the Special Forces, trying to send them to their deaths. The Government at this time was fairly corrupt, leading to friction between them and the military. Eventually, the few 'better' bio-enhanced warriors would realise that they were more or less uncared for by the government- there were some good ones, physically and mentally, who were somewhat well-liked by the military they worked with. After some more injustices, once The Great War was over, their was pretty much a rebellion, although a large majority of the military fought against the government. This was largely rallied around the few- seven remaining- Bio-Enhanced Soldiers who weren't all completely insane or psychopathic. They only helped organise it- their enhancements weren't that of supersoldiers, just better soldiers.

Eventually, the rebels took over. Only five of the seven - formerly called The Heptarchy - would survive the war, as one died in battle and another of their wounds.

Eventually, some propaganda spread about religion, and so the leader of The Heptarchy was declared to have had some vision from Heaven, which led to him being called 'The Holy Emperor'. The others were known as 'The Great Knights' and their families were given the rank of 'Knightly Houses' which doesn't really mean much, but they tend to be very high up in society. That's a satirisation of how exceptions to ideologies (such as Class War, a secondary objective of the Rebellion) can lead to the defeat of the whole ideology. Obviously, there was no actual vision involved. So The Holy Emperor's claim is pretty much religious, and a lot of people are zealous followers.

My only concern is (obviously, am I overstepping on lore too much, since I seem to do that a lot) that this wouldn't work for some reason or the other. I can change it if it wouldn't work.

[Tracian Empire]

If the main technological focus of Scandinavia is and was biopunk, then that wouldn't be an issue. If however you want your current focus to be something else, I'm not sure if it would work, mostly because even if the nation would have switched after this "coup" to another field entirely, it would still be lagging significantly behind.

Secondly, I just don't think this idea of a coup would work? Like by bio-enhanced soldiers, generally what we had in mind were well, humans but with enhanced strength and speed and other such things. There can be variations, particularly since biopunk also likely involves itself in messing with animals, but there is an upper ceiling to what could be achieved with it. I don't think three bio-enhanced soldiers would be able to overthrow an entire government without being killed in the process. Even if you had more of them, there's both a limit to what bio-enhanced soldiers can do, and there's the fact that their coup would have zero legitimacy, which would likely lead to a fight between them and the military.

Yes, sorry for not making that clearer.

Whatever I'm going to name the project was one of The Government's first attempt to enhance supersoldiers, in an attempt to utilise a separate method of war. This was early on, and almost immediately, they recognised that they were doing something wrong; nearly all of this company turned out to be monsters, physically ugly or mentally unhinged. The government switched to focusing on Dieselpunk, and more or less used this company- the only batch of bio-enhanced warriors- in the Special Forces, trying to send them to their deaths. The Government at this time was fairly corrupt, leading to friction between them and the military. Eventually, the few 'better' bio-enhanced warriors would realise that they were more or less uncared for by the government- there were some good ones, physically and mentally, who were somewhat well-liked by the military they worked with. After some more injustices, once The Great War was over, their was pretty much a rebellion, although a large majority of the military fought against the government. This was largely rallied around the few- seven remaining- Bio-Enhanced Soldiers who weren't all completely insane or psychopathic. They only helped organise it- their enhancements weren't that of supersoldiers, just better soldiers.

Eventually, the rebels took over. Only five of the seven - formerly called The Heptarchy - would survive the war, as one died in battle and another of their wounds.

Eventually, some propaganda spread about religion, and so the leader of The Heptarchy was declared to have had some vision from Heaven, which led to him being called 'The Holy Emperor'. The others were known as 'The Great Knights' and their families were given the rank of 'Knightly Houses' which doesn't really mean much, but they tend to be very high up in society. That's a satirisation of how exceptions to ideologies (such as Class War, a secondary objective of the Rebellion) can lead to the defeat of the whole ideology. Obviously, there was no actual vision involved. So The Holy Emperor's claim is pretty much religious, and a lot of people are zealous followers.

My only concern is (obviously, am I overstepping on lore too much, since I seem to do that a lot) that this wouldn't work for some reason or the other. I can change it if it wouldn't work.

Yeah unfortunately I don't think this is really feasible as a concept.

Scandinavia developing and then cancelling a biopunk program, sure, that would work, as would perhaps switching back to dieselpunk, but it's the rest of the elements of the concept that would have issues. There's however the issue of justifying it - how was it able to develop an entire biopunk super-soldier program when it was not part of the Great War? Without being part of the war, even if it had the justification of trying to maintain an armed neutrality, its efforts would lag behind those of the nations involved in the war, so it would make more sense for the first Scandinavian biopunk program to be finished at some point after the Great War. Without a war, there would however not really be anywhere for these soldiers to be sent to their deaths.

Some of the surviving bio-punk rebels joining parts of the military in a rebellion could make sense, but you'd need to explain the rebellion itself, why was it fought for? If it was fought for a class-war, that means that the rebellion was likely at least in part communist, which might work.

But the biggest issue is the religion part. Fundamentally they would, at the most, be a cult - there really isn't much that this Holy Emperor can do to make his claims sound true, and a single person claiming to have visions from Heaven is unlikely to do better than a cult at this point in time, when most of Scandinavia is likely Christian and Protestant. So embarking with this religious ideology will likely lose him any support outside of the most zealous believers.

Concentrating power in the hands of the other super-soldiers is also not likely to end well since it would galvanize the normal people against what would very clearly be a minority regime. And super soldiers also don't necessarily make good leaders or governors either.

So I don't think the concept overall works. Something like this might have better worked in a fantasy setting where there could have been something to back his religious ideals up.

If you want some sort of a concept where super soldiers or superhumans end on top, perhaps you could look at something similar to the Darwinist ideals espoused by Pragia's British concept. You should also try to explain what should be the main divergence of your concept, that is, Sweden, Norway and Finland forming Scandinavia.

[Aekaria]

Yes, sorry for not making that clearer.

Whatever I'm going to name the project was one of The Government's first attempt to enhance supersoldiers, in an attempt to utilise a separate method of war. This was early on, and almost immediately, they recognised that they were doing something wrong; nearly all of this company turned out to be monsters, physically ugly or mentally unhinged. The government switched to focusing on Dieselpunk, and more or less used this company- the only batch of bio-enhanced warriors- in the Special Forces, trying to send them to their deaths. The Government at this time was fairly corrupt, leading to friction between them and the military. Eventually, the few 'better' bio-enhanced warriors would realise that they were more or less uncared for by the government- there were some good ones, physically and mentally, who were somewhat well-liked by the military they worked with. After some more injustices, once The Great War was over, their was pretty much a rebellion, although a large majority of the military fought against the government. This was largely rallied around the few- seven remaining- Bio-Enhanced Soldiers who weren't all completely insane or psychopathic. They only helped organise it- their enhancements weren't that of supersoldiers, just better soldiers.

Eventually, the rebels took over. Only five of the seven - formerly called The Heptarchy - would survive the war, as one died in battle and another of their wounds.

Eventually, some propaganda spread about religion, and so the leader of The Heptarchy was declared to have had some vision from Heaven, which led to him being called 'The Holy Emperor'. The others were known as 'The Great Knights' and their families were given the rank of 'Knightly Houses' which doesn't really mean much, but they tend to be very high up in society. That's a satirisation of how exceptions to ideologies (such as Class War, a secondary objective of the Rebellion) can lead to the defeat of the whole ideology. Obviously, there was no actual vision involved. So The Holy Emperor's claim is pretty much religious, and a lot of people are zealous followers.

My only concern is (obviously, am I overstepping on lore too much, since I seem to do that a lot) that this wouldn't work for some reason or the other. I can change it if it wouldn't work.

Yeah unfortunately I don't think this is really feasible as a concept.

Scandinavia developing and then cancelling a biopunk program, sure, that would work, as would perhaps switching back to dieselpunk, but it's the rest of the elements of the concept that would have issues. There's however the issue of justifying it - how was it able to develop an entire biopunk super-soldier program when it was not part of the Great War? Without being part of the war, even if it had the justification of trying to maintain an armed neutrality, its efforts would lag behind those of the nations involved in the war, so it would make more sense for the first Scandinavian biopunk program to be finished at some point after the Great War. Without a war, there would however not really be anywhere for these soldiers to be sent to their deaths.

Some of the surviving bio-punk rebels joining parts of the military in a rebellion could make sense, but you'd need to explain the rebellion itself, why was it fought for? If it was fought for a class-war, that means that the rebellion was likely at least in part communist, which might work.

But the biggest issue is the religion part. Fundamentally they would, at the most, be a cult - there really isn't much that this Holy Emperor can do to make his claims sound true, and a single person claiming to have visions from Heaven is unlikely to do better than a cult at this point in time, when most of Scandinavia is likely Christian and Protestant. So embarking with this religious ideology will likely lose him any support outside of the most zealous believers.

Concentrating power in the hands of the other super-soldiers is also not likely to end well since it would galvanize the normal people against what would very clearly be a minority regime. And super soldiers also don't necessarily make good leaders or governors either.

So I don't think the concept overall works. Something like this might have better worked in a fantasy setting where there could have been something to back his religious ideals up.

If you want some sort of a concept where super soldiers or superhumans end on top, perhaps you could look at something similar to the Darwinist ideals espoused by Pragia's British concept. You should also try to explain what should be the main divergence of your concept, that is, Sweden, Norway and Finland forming Scandinavia.

Ok. I'll think of something, perhaps some military coup.

Scandinavia's unification was relatively recent, as Finland I imagine was only liberated after the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk- I ask you as the player of Russia, not OP, to confirm this. Perhaps corrupt governments in Norway and Sweden were both overthrown...I do not know. Scandinavia, due to oil resources, will focus Dieselpunk.

I will change my name in the app then...to the...something Empire of Scandinavia. Any pointers for adjectives?

As for battleships, what do they look like- balloons with metal, or metal warships roving the sky?

[Tracian Empire]

Yeah unfortunately I don't think this is really feasible as a concept.

Scandinavia developing and then cancelling a biopunk program, sure, that would work, as would perhaps switching back to dieselpunk, but it's the rest of the elements of the concept that would have issues. There's however the issue of justifying it - how was it able to develop an entire biopunk super-soldier program when it was not part of the Great War? Without being part of the war, even if it had the justification of trying to maintain an armed neutrality, its efforts would lag behind those of the nations involved in the war, so it would make more sense for the first Scandinavian biopunk program to be finished at some point after the Great War. Without a war, there would however not really be anywhere for these soldiers to be sent to their deaths.

Some of the surviving bio-punk rebels joining parts of the military in a rebellion could make sense, but you'd need to explain the rebellion itself, why was it fought for? If it was fought for a class-war, that means that the rebellion was likely at least in part communist, which might work.

But the biggest issue is the religion part. Fundamentally they would, at the most, be a cult - there really isn't much that this Holy Emperor can do to make his claims sound true, and a single person claiming to have visions from Heaven is unlikely to do better than a cult at this point in time, when most of Scandinavia is likely Christian and Protestant. So embarking with this religious ideology will likely lose him any support outside of the most zealous believers.

Concentrating power in the hands of the other super-soldiers is also not likely to end well since it would galvanize the normal people against what would very clearly be a minority regime. And super soldiers also don't necessarily make good leaders or governors either.

So I don't think the concept overall works. Something like this might have better worked in a fantasy setting where there could have been something to back his religious ideals up.

If you want some sort of a concept where super soldiers or superhumans end on top, perhaps you could look at something similar to the Darwinist ideals espoused by Pragia's British concept. You should also try to explain what should be the main divergence of your concept, that is, Sweden, Norway and Finland forming Scandinavia.

Ok. I'll think of something, perhaps some military coup.

Scandinavia's unification was relatively recent, as Finland I imagine was only liberated after the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk- I ask you as the player of Russia, not OP, to confirm this. Perhaps corrupt governments in Norway and Sweden were both overthrown...I do not know. Scandinavia, due to oil resources, will focus Dieselpunk.

I will change my name in the app then...to the...something Empire of Scandinavia. Any pointers for adjectives?

As for battleships, what do they look like- balloons with metal, or metal warships roving the sky?

Some sort of a military coup would work, but you'd need the reasoning behind it - and I don't see any good, feasible reasonings that could lead to a super soldier becoming the united monarch of all three realms with no proper legitimacy.

Finland's history is yours to determine, so you can avoid it having been Russian to begin with, but it would certainly make sense for it to have become independent as Russia was collapsing and for it to have joined Scandinavia afterwards.

I don't think you need adjectives? Monarchies around this time generally tried to keep things simple. Scandinavia being an Empire to begin with is a little out of place, since nations usually claimed the imperial title as part of the translatio imperii. Perhaps something like the United Kingdom or United Kingdoms of Scandinavia could work better, depending on your idea behind it?

It would depend on their type. Dieselpunk airships would look more like metal warships, Tesla airships closer to balloons with metal.

[Empire of Techkotal]

Reservation

Nation Name: The Italian Empire
Territory: Whats left of Italy, Dalmatia, Albania, WW1 Greece, Libya, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti
#ODQHVVF (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

*Note: Reservations will last for 48 hours. The OP reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting and removing reservations.

[Aekaria]

I'm hoping for criticism and advice. I know the allocation of soldiers to certain parts of the Warforce is irregular, and I will put more in The Navy. I do hope for Scandinavia to be regional power in terms of The Airfeet though.

Nation Application

Full Nation Name:  The Empire of Scandinavia

Short Nation Name: Scandinavia, or The Empire

National Symbols: The Valknut, Odin’s Triple Horn, The Triqueta, The Stag (often called The Stag of The North), The North Star Compass Symbol, and The Kyrssekte, The Imperial Flag- of the same template as Norway and Finland, but a Gold Cross on a Black Field. Additionally comes the Chant, “The Wrath of Winter!”

Capital: Stockholm

Territory: Norway, Sweden, Finland, The Jan Mayen Isles, The Svalbard Isles

Form of Government: Constitutional Aristocratic Oligarchy

Head of State: The Emperor of The Empire of Scandinavia, Magnus IV Storstryka

Head of Government: The First Chancellor, Aelgar Varinsfødt “Winterborn”

Ideology: Militarism, Indoctrination*, Unification**

*=Indoctrination to Imperial Principles, which shall be explained in history- but essentially, of loyalty to the state, unity, obedience and militarism, as well as technological and scientific advancement. Similar to Socialism, but everyone plays a part they are most suited to willingly.

**=Unification is the Imperial belief that the end-state of the Human Race is to be Under One Rule. Whether under one government or state, or monarch, or alliance, humanity can only progress once all the enemies of unification are destroyed, and the rest fall under one banner, in some way, shape, or form.

Population: 13,450,000

Religion: The Official State Religion was declared, centuries ago, to be Catholicism. But for centuries, religion has ‘taken the backseat’ as atheistic and scientific thinking is on the rise in The Empire. The reach of Christendom is weaker in the North, and while lip service is given much, it is not thought of as important. A notable exception is the faith in Orthodox Christianity prioritised by The Omistautunut League. This is a Russophilic League that holds power in some cities in the northeast of The Administorial Sector of Finland; who demand a return to Russian influence, as they were majorly Russians and those who lost their power after the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The Omnistautunut League are majorly hated by the other Finnish, and Orthodox Christianity, finds little strength outside of The League’s cities. Otherwise, Protestantism also holds sway- though by small amounts, due to the Empire’s alignment with The Axis Powers.

Technological Focus: Though regionally a power, by no means is The Empire ‘a great’ power- not for a century has it had dominance of North Europe. Due to oil reserves found in The Administorial Sector of Norway, it focused on Dieselpunk. Due to general isolationism and encouragement of scientific thinking, Scandinavia on a whole is now well-advanced and on par with the other nations with Dieselpunk Technology, likely a few years ahead. If Scandinavia can ever grow stronger, then it would focus on Teslapunk, though it cannot now, due to it’s lack of strength- and Biopunk remains heavily regulated, to the point where it is nearly outlawed in Scandinavia.

Technological Description: (A description of your country's technological level and achievements)

Military Description: The Imperial Warforces of Scandinavia may mobilise about 215,000 standing combatants and military personnel, resplendent in bronze and silver. Though more could be mobilised, The Empire prefers to train it’s troops to be elite and capable of succeeding in missions even when their commanding officer is incapacitated- a problem that the Loyalist Finnish faced frequently during The Civil War, as Rebel Assassins constantly eliminated important Loyalist Officers. Though most soldiers prefer to minimise civilian casualties, provided those civilians are Imperial or Allied, they are a destructive and offensive-based force, well equipped to bring destruction to the battlefield, and in enemy lands, they will harm civilians if necessary.

Typically, Scandinavia places a large importance on mechanised warfare. There have been entire Colleges built in many cities for the training of Field and non-combatant Engineers. Landships, Battleships, Mechs, Tanks…all of these things are seen with wonder by The Empire. The Great War was catastrophic, and The First Chancellor saw the power these things can wreak first-hand, and that was decades ago…they have only become more deadly. By mandate of the Emperor, it is vital for The Empire to mechanise, and so it is. Scandinavia’s military budget is large, the economy growing slowly due to excessive military upgrading, to both mechanise the army, and increase the power of the Navy and Airfleet, both of which are slowly becoming formidable powers.

165,000 of these soldiers are members of The Empire’s Infantry Divisions, The Legions of Winter. These are split into 5 Divisions, of 33,000. These do not have to operate as one- they are then separated into 11 Companies of 3,000, each consisting of 3 Battalions of 1,000. They are known for their bronze and silver armoured uniforms, and the Keisnarillien-Yksi Rifle, a fast firing gun developed in 1933. Occasional units may be equipped with machine guns, submachine guns, rocket launchers and grenades, typically determined by combat effectiveness.

30,000 Combat-Ready Soldiers serve in The Imperial Fleet. There are 5 Battlefleets, Battlefleets Istorden, Isåska, Draconiskt, Viha, and Rahoiva. Draconiskt is famed for not having one, but two, land-capable battleships, and Isåska has one. Though specific numbers vary, most Battlefleets, travelling together, have a number of battleships, minesweepers, submarines, cruisers, and destroyers.

20,000 Active Duty Soldiers serve in The Imperial Airfleet, the Pride of The Empire. These are split between three mighty Skyfleets: Vrede, Kuolema, and Destruktör. The Battlecry of The Airfleets are typically ‘Death From Above!’ but for each fleet, there may be a secondary, specific chant- “Videre Till Aurinko,” “Verinen Käsi (on Kuolema),” and “Heavenswrath!”. The 20,000 Soldiers who serve here are known as The Seraphim, or Serafer, for they were compared ’to the mightiest of The Lord’s Angels, flying to war.” Even in the air, Scandinavia’s armies are mechanised- the Seraphim co-ordinate form Battleships that serve as bases and homes, often nestled in Fortresses in remote regions, such as the Mountains. Escorting the various Battleships of each Skyfleet are myriads of lesser craft, be it smaller ships or airplanes and bombers, which are made frequent use of.



National Goals:

[*]The Advancement of The Holy Empire, both technologically and with the intent of becoming a Great Power

[*]The Unification of Humanity through an Alliance.

[*] The Annexation of Iceland

[*] Gaining Dominance over The North Sea

[*] The Annexation of Denmark

[*] Realistic Expansionism


National Issues: (The most important issues that your nation is currently facing) (To add something about the Omnistautunut League here, as well as issues between the aristocracy and government, and the difficulty of The Emperor to retain power in this age, as well as tensions in Europe)

Point of Divergence: (The moment in which the history of your nation diverges from real life history)

History: (A description of your nation's history. It can be presented in a bulletpoint format, but it needs to include the most important events in its history)

#ODQHVVF (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

[Cybernetic Socialist Republics]

Actually, I'm dropping Mexico for some sort of leftist Iberia.

Reservation

Nation Name: TBD
Territory: Spanish & Portuguese Empires
#ODQHVVF (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

*Note: Reservations will last for 48 hours. The OP reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting and removing reservations.

[Theyra]

I might join, either as Ukraine, a nation in southeast Europe, or Tibet.

[Tracian Empire]

Nation Application

Full Nation Name: Connected Baltic Duties

Short Nation Name: Baltic
National Symbols:

([url=https://i.ibb.co/4ptzSBf/Zh-Guj-Jyelg-Q.jpg]Image)[/url]
Capital: Riga

Territory: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia

Form of Government: Constitutional Monarchy

The parliament consists of the Lantag and the Assembly of Lands (consisting of noble families). The Lantag is elected by the people. The ruling coalition is the "National-Imperial Way"

Head of State:
Adolf Friedrich Albrecht Heinrich, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.He is in charge of the Duchy's foreign policy, but the people derogatorily call him the "German Governor", emphasizing his dependent position and status as a Dominion in the Baltics.

Head of Government:
Chancellor Olaf Jorge,representative of the Estonian Star party, which is part of the National Imperial Path coalition. In essence, he is a Fronde towards republican ideas.

Ideology: Anti-communism, Baltic nationalizm
Population: 5 000 105

Religion: The official religion is Protestantism of the Lutheran type, however no one forbids practicing other religions

Technological Focus Biopunk

Technological Description:
The Baltics are a country with a relatively poorly developed industrial infrastructure due to the lack of access to raw materials. Industrial innovations on diesel are purchased from Germany. Due to access to forests, the Baltics are developing steam power (which turns cities into tropical humid stone jungles). Also in 1935, the first "Izhora" mech entered the army, whose movement is activated by steam energy.However, the main emphasis is on the development of biological technologies, several military projects to create "soldiers of the future"


Military Description: The Baltic Army consists of 50 thousand soldiers. Divided into three legions with a single general staff (based on German volunteers). The Lithuanian Legion of 2 infantry divisions consists of one automobile battalion, an engineering battalion, a communications battalion, Hussar, Uhlan, Dragoon regiments, The Latvian Legion consisted of 3 infantry divisions, 1 hussar regiment, 1 field artillery regiment, 1 engineering brigade and a "heavy armored unit" consisting of 3 mechs. The Estonian Legion consists of 3 divisions which consist of one infantry regiment, two separate infantry battalions, two artillery divisions, an armored train regiment.
The main advantage and problem is that the troops are accustomed to mobile, guerrilla maneuvers, but they are poorly prepared for frontline battles.
The Baltic Fleet consists of 4 submarines, a destroyer, four gunboats, two minelayers, 8 minesweepers, 7 patrol boats and auxiliary vessels 2 icebreakers.
Aviation mainly consists of biplanes, triplanes and even 2 airships, however, recently the Baltics have been preparing monoplanes.

National Goals:

Baltic Star

It is necessary to find oneself between two fires, trying to create one of the great powers from the Baltics, controlling the Baltic Gulf. In addition, nationalists who want expansion have now begun to come to power, if the Baltics remain a peripheral power, then there will be no guarantee for its survival

defining a place in the world
We are too weak to become great on our own, we need allies who, recognizing our interests, will jointly help to implement them. Some tell us, "Germany is our everything," and we agree, as soon as Germany begins to strengthen in us not just its former dominion. However, another part shouts, "The Baltics in alliance with Russia will turn Europe upside down," but here too a problem arises, because we are only their former provinces that they will want to return. Therefore, this fateful choice can play a decisive role in the construction of the Baltic empire.

Baltic identity
the moment when we were a German dominion left us with a heavy legacy. It is time for everyone to understand, no matter who you are, it does not matter if you are a subject of the Baltic Empire. We are Balts, and we are the rulers of the sea, and the rest should not matter. It is necessary to develop a Baltic identity, redirecting national identity to state identity.

army of the 20th century
We cannot yet become a full-fledged army of the 20th century, due to the inability to produce furs and new generation aircraft. A country without access to many resources is doomed. However, German biologists have discovered a way to temporarily freeze the feeling of hunger, cold, pain, thereby increasing the survival of a soldier, the drug Teziryun, or "berserker pill". But a more breakthrough technology has become the transformation of a person into a werewolf or the creation of a chimera (a creature based on a dog, which is covered with skin and bone growths, and is large in size. This chimera is capable of ramming a fur and can withstand a burst of machine gun fire. However, they are afraid to accept this creature into the army because of its aggressiveness and insatiability).
National Issues:
Poorly industrialized economy
The Baltic economy is still largely agrarian, and industrialization began relatively recently. This causes the economy to depend on other countries. Most of the large industrial enterprises belong to German companies. Therefore, this is one of the key problems, the solution of which will give a chance for independence.

intersection of interests
Russia, Poland and Germany are all laying claim to the Baltic lands. In order to survive, it is necessary to maneuver between the interests of these three states.

the difference in cultures of the titular nations

The main problem is that within the Baltics three cultures lay claim to power. Finno-Ugrians (Estonians), Balty(Lithuanians and Latvians) , Slavic and Germans. And the difference in thinking creates problems in building a state, separatism grows and the other side of the coin - unitarism (supporters of the assimilation of all cultures into one - the Baltic)
Point of Divergence: 1918
History:
The Baltics emerged in the territories of Russia occupied by Germany in 1918. At first, it was divided into Courland and the Baltics, but on April 12, these states were united into the United Baltic Duchy. Despite the unified relations with the preservation of de facto independence, the duchy was more like a dominion of Germany. In the wake of the fall of regimes under the hammers of socialist revolutions, the Baltic Duchy became a key country in the "sanitary cordon" and began to strengthen. Before the November Revolution, Wilhelm II (???) was preparing a decree on the annexation of the Baltics to the German Empire, but the plans were not destined to come true. After the withdrawal of German troops from the Baltics, de facto independence ended up in the hands of Pavel Rafoilovich Bermond-Avalov and Alfred Fletcher. The German nobility already understood its precarious role, so it decided to create its "own army", calling Latvians and Estonians to its side, and began to agitate German volunteers into the ranks of the "Duchal Guard". In 1919, Belarus began to seize Latvia, and the Baltics, to protect the "Baltic population", brought in troops, occupying the remaining territories, which would later become part of the Baltics. After the war, the Baltics found themselves in a dual position, essentially on the periphery. Discontent with the Duke's Guard grew in the army, and the "Latvian Riflemen" and "Lithuanian Liberation Troops" were still fighting partisans. (The famous super-heavy 'Mech "Weighty Force" was shot down near Riga, and now it serves as coastal artillery. However, at the risk of parts of the legions going on a coup, the guard was disbanded, and their troops were scattered across the legions. By 1935, the Baltics began to industrialize, relying on German investment, but many Balts were worried that "the years of Dominion could return." In parallel, the Germans, realizing their defeat in the arms race, experimented with genetics, creating "soldiers of the future" for future wars.

#ODQHVVF (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

There are still some minor issues that need to be addressed, including the name - we told you that the proper English translation for "das Vereinigtes Baltisches Herzogtum" is "the United Baltic Duchy". If you want to go with the plural form specifically, it would be the "United Baltic Duchy", but historically they were a single Duchy because Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg only had the title of Duke of the Baltic, not individually multiple ducal titles.

But these can be fixed later on, accepted!

[Tracian Empire]

Reservation

Nation Name: The Italian Empire
Territory: Whats left of Italy, Dalmatia, Albania, WW1 Greece, Libya, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti
#ODQHVVF (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

*Note: Reservations will last for 48 hours. The OP reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting and removing reservations.

Accepted, though before including Greece into your claim I would like to hear the historical explanation for Italy owning it already in 1939.

Actually, I'm dropping Mexico for some sort of leftist Iberia.

Reservation

Nation Name: TBD
Territory: Spanish & Portuguese Empires
#ODQHVVF (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

*Note: Reservations will last for 48 hours. The OP reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting and removing reservations.

Accepted, though depending on the history and how leftist Iberia is, maintaining the colonies might be difficult.

[Tracian Empire]

Nation Application

Full Nation Name: The United Kingdom of Great Britain

Short Nation Name: Britain, United Kingdom

National Symbols: The Lion, The Rose, The Crown

Capital: London

Territory: OTL British Empire sans claimed territories, Madagascar, various other former french holdings

Form of Government: A constitutional monarchy, the Parliament of the United Kingdom dictates the affairs of state. The monarch King Edward VIII has been more vocal from the throne, but remains mostly a figurehead.

Head of State: His Majesty King Edward VIII Windsor

Head of Government: Prime Minister Kingsley Wood

Ideology: British Conservatism

Population: 40 million in the isles, 160 million in colonies and dominions

Religion: Anglicanism, various colonial minorities (freedom of religion is observed)

Technological Focus The United Kingdom is the birthplace of Biopunk "Darwinist" technology, and has been a recent but rapid embracer of Tesla's means as the middle east and India have fallen into revolutionary control to supplant older rudimentary diesel-fuelled designs. Of particular note is the Rolls Royce Arcjet which has enabled high-speed high-reliability airborne electric propulsion

Technological Description: Great Britain has enjoyed the excesses of empire for centuries. Not only leaders in the Steam Age, the theoretical basis and practical application of Darwinistic selection would make Britain the heart of the Biological Revolution as well. Having conquered death and disease at scales unimaginable His Majesty's Empire is now in its third generation of eugenicized population, and its first that has seen the mass employment of gene therapies. The perfection of the Human form has only been slightly challenged by the conservative leadership, who see the natural and artificial methods as a reinforcement of God's image, and strong puritanism and moralism has guarded against the depravities of such technologies.

In the wake of revolutions in Asia, oil sources have been found elsewhere in Nigeria and Canada, but their production could not make up the shortfalls and prop up the mechanizing economy. Because of this, the government and corporations alike turned to the genius of Tesla, and Power Cores rapidly supplanted the internal combustion engine. The resulting boom in consumer technologies and high-tech industry have been reverberating for over a decade. The average briton has seen nigh-impossible improvements in their quality of life as the nation rushes into this new age with reckless abandon.

Military Description: Command of the Sea has long been the principal task of the British Armed Forces. In every war she has ever fought, the Royal Navy has enjoyed brilliant officers and ample supply of men and material. This has not functionally changed in the modern era. While the main fleet are conventional or early-diesel warships augmented with plasma lances and lightning capacitors, new production models have been increasingly sleek and small as propulsion and power systems are modernized. Tesla-Core powered vessels are compact, and their sonar systems allow for much more graceful fighting and teaming with bioengineered giant squid and salt-water pirhana schools. Electric submarines in particular shine as an example of an especially stealthy tool for the era.

In the skies, things have come a long way from balloons and wood-frame aircraft. While the titanic zeppelins of the early 20s are almost all rusting in scrap heaps, commercial air travel has become available to the upper and middle classes on electrically-driven propeller planes. In more performance-oriented spaces, Arcjet engines have become near ubiquitous, greatly outperforming existing engines, rivaling even rockets in their power and pushing the sound barrier, but with far greater longevity. Tactically, this has resulted in a Royal Air Force that is supremely agile and intelligent. Radar systems are developed to the point of having aircraft-mounted arrays, beam cannons able to rend the powerful hulls of sky-dreadnoughts, and electric pulse weapons can cut power to critical systems. Of particular note is the Special Air Service: the first special forces unit in the world outfitted with Arcjet-equipped power armor and airborne mechs to perform the role not only of paratroopers, but also boarding actions against enemy skyfleets.

On land, the Royal Army has changed drastically from the forces of the last war. Where the first specialized bioforms terrorized the trenches and clumsy steel behemoths pushed across no man's land, the modern force is much more dynamic and lethal. Employment of Power Armor in shock units has replaced most armored deployments, sometimes boasting Arcjet-equipped hovercraft. Platoon-level bioform integration has resulted in a staggeringly capable force, albeit one less suited to mass combat. The humble infantryman has been graced with a healthy and often improved body and natural defenses from chemical weapons, but his rifle is becoming increasingly pathetic in this age. While some advanced infantry weapons are making it to line units, it is these better equipped reaction forces which they rely on. Use of stationary defensive shields and mass drivers to deter larger mechanized foes have only been able to be employed along short lengths of front. This larger mass of force is a crucible of darwinistic selection itself, where exemplary soldiers are elevated.

This relentless pursuit of technology has resulted in a series of more questionable secret projects. Targeted bioweapons as well as next generation gas agents are among some of the more comprehensible developments in work at the Biochemical Warfare Office. Non-restorative cybernetics is intensely opposed by polite society, but some say the first artificially-bodied men have already walked. Indeed, most impressively is a cryptic promise from Cambridge that by the middle of the next decade, all other forms of power will be obsolete.


National Goals:

Maintain the Empire: The United Kingdom possesses a paternalism to her colonies, and seeks to use the promise of biochemistry and genetic modification to advance mankind as a whole. While the sheer scale of such an endeavor has put such aims as more idealistic than practical, they will not be so easily cowed from their holdings as they once were.

Preserve Democracy: Though the difficult times of the great war has brought about the popularity of anti-democratic forces, the Conservative party has succeeded in casting democracy as a darwinistic selection of ideas. The rise of revolutionaries and totalitarians alarms both His Majesty's government and the people, and its expansion has rapidly risen as a priority among non-fascists.

Perfect Humanity: The great British Project since Galton's Corollary of Darwinian science, cultural acceptance of eugenics is significant in the United Kingdom. With the advent of mass biochemical and genetic modification, the promise of eliminating the great evils of our nature come more and more into sight. Whether such methods will yield what they promise, or even greater terror, is often a question rising from the pulpit and soapbox alike.

National Issues:

The Rise of Fascism: Darwinist technology and Eugenic thought has given Fascism a much greater popularity in Britain than OTL. Though the Tories lead the government, the British Union of Fascists are holding their coalition against Labour and a disintegrating Liberal party.

The Collapse of Empire: Anti-imperial sentiments are growing around the world, and the loss of the Crown Jewel of the Empire has brought the future of the Dominions into question. Britain will not take this challenge lying down, and seeks to re-establish a global order.

War on the Continent: Britain watches from her island as the consequences of the Great War echo across Europe. It will be a question of who she aligns with, and if she truly wants to bloody her hands again.

Point of Divergence: Outside of technology, a significant political divergence is that Oswald Mosley defeats Neville Chamberlain in the 1924 Birmingham Election, cementing his presence and prominence in the Labour movement earlier before forming his own party.

History: The United Kingdom dates back to the Articles of Union between England and Scotland in 1707. While both kingdoms have long histories dating centuries before, this United Kingdom redefined the British Isles and would enable centuries of global eminence. Gaining dominion over every corner of the world, many lands would be settled and organized into dominions of the crown.

The balance of power between the monarchs and parliament would shift over the years, and instabilities would eventually result in an immensely powerful parliament promulgating liberal philosophy and democratic governance. This emphasis on the rights of man resulted in Britain being a hotbed of innovation and philosophy.

By the mid 19th century, these concepts had coalesced into a Victorian Era, where industrialization, rationalism, and empiricism reigned. Britain would become the first industrial power of the world, and her empire would ingraine itself on every continent and the globalization of trade was guaranteed by the might of her fleets and armies.

In 1859, Charles Darwin would publish his theory of speciation, and biological science would become immensely popular in university halls. By 1869, the field had matured into a much more real science, and Francis Galton would publish his own theory of hereditary genius: that through good practices in both genetic selection and behavioral science, you could produce a better man. Unlike in our world, this concept would become very popular among the intelligencia of the victorian age, Eugenic practices becoming culturally relevant and even normalized in some cases. The idea that behavior and breeding could mould better men was deeply attractive to the increasingly mechanized world. This cultural relevance would result in increased interest and advancement in biochemistry.

His Majesty's government was eager to capitalize on the potential benefits: state health programs would undergird modern medicine becoming a field of fantastic development, and industry was leveraged towards social organization and advancement of selection. Ultimately, modern medicine would deliver on the miracles promised by eugenics, and the interest in "good breeding" would die down as the nation entered the 20th century.

But when the great war came to decide the fate of Europe, the United Kingdom honored her alliances and fought alongside France and Russia against the central powers. This war would be a brutal affair, with hundreds of thousands dead, it would also form the crucible for the technologies of the next age. Injury and disease in the trenches was regarded as a principle issue for resolution, and the greatest biological minds would develop the first Darwinist methods. With the discovery of biological genes, its manipulation would be experimented with rapidly over the years. By the end of the war, the first genetically modified and behaviorally indoctrinated dogs were deployed to storm trenches in terrifying displays.

The war's aftermath would be almost as damaging to the Empire as the war itself. France, an important ally and trading partner, would fall to communist revolt and Russia nearly did the same. Arab forces overcame garrisons in palestine and kuwait, leaving influence over the Suez and Persian Gulf in a perilous position. Escalating violence in India resulted in a withdrawl from the Raj, a humiliating loss for imperialist forces who withdrew to Burma in defensive positions to maintain a presence in the far east beyond the trade ports of Singapore and Hong Kong.

Thankfully, not all news is bad: British industry roars with new technologies, global trade remains a critical cornerstone of the world order, and American investment has further advanced the prosperity of the isles and dominions alike. Britain has thoroughly conquered disease in many of its colonies, and even the imperfections of humanity are being quelled as more affordable therapies and medications become available.

Domestically, the resurgence of eugenics has resulted in increased popularity of the British Union of Fascists, an offshoot of the labor movement interested in totalitarian control of the new state as well as the new British man. The bulwark of Conservative leadership has been slowly chipped away at, but remains in its primacy following failed labour strikes and in spite of its international turmoil. Time will tell what the future holds for the British people and their government, but the last century of glory has continued into this one, and will not go quietly into history.

#ODQHVVF (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

Overall the app looks good, the only main issue is the Arcjet itself which sadly wouldn't work - for two main reasons. The first is that Tesla cores and Teslapunk in general is rather bad at propulsion, where it's inferior to Dieselpunk solutions, this is one of the advantages and disadvantages of the tech that we had planned from the start. The second is that essentially having jet engine powered aircraft this point in time is a bit too much for the limit of technology that we wanted to maintain.

You could have some limited arcjets in the powerarmors which would sort of allow them to jump around, but this would be the limit of the technology for the time being. Any use of the arc jet in planes would likely lead to poor performance due to the propulsion performance issues of Tesla tech. Hovercrafts would not work for similar reasons.

As for surface vessels powered by Tesla cores, you can certainly have them, just note that again, the downside of them compared to dieselpunk powered vessels would be in propulsion and speed.

[Aekaria]

Thrace, Pragia- I have mentioned you a few times in this app. It's nothing major (just meetings or alliances that are probably trade) but is it okay? I mentioned the reason Russia wouldn't intervene in The Finnish Civil War is likely because they were busy in the chaos or aftermath of their own civil war.

Point of Divergence: 1507 C.E.

History:

In 1507, a powerful Noble of Sweden by the name of Aksel Igor-Ahledefedt created the Sweofødt Alliance. This had been an unofficial thing ever since 1498, but now, it was declared to the public as not political alliances, but an actual state. Sten Sture The Younger, the Regent of Sweden, had died due to Anaphylaxis, and with the threat or re-subsumation into The Kalmar Union looming over their heads, the Lords of Sweden (which at this time included much of Finland, particularly the West) would unite. Upon Christian II of Denmark and Norway (officially The Kalmar Union) declaring a war with the intention of the Reconquest of Sweoland, or as it is known now, Sweden, The Alliance would fight, but slowly be pushed back, until the battle of Sälen. An ambush of Alliance Armoured Cavalry being used to great effect destroyed most of The Norski-Danish Army of Christian, and from then, the Alliance would push the Norwegians back. But upon discovering the tyrannical ruler’s unpopularity, the Alliance began ‘a War of Liberation’ for their Scandinavian brethren. Due to an agreement with The Hanseatic League, Norway’s economy (along with Denmark’s) began to fail. The heavily chaotic Kingdom was already falling apart from within, and by 1524, Norway was liberated. Christian had died by 1523, poisoned by Catholic Courtiers after declaring Protestantism the state religion of his domain. Christian’s son, Volgar I, would relocate to Denmark. Volgar was a powerful and wise foe of The Alliance, but young and his authority was tested by internal politics and dismissive vassals, and by 1527, the first forces of The Alliance had landed in Denmark, and Volgar moved the Capital to Esbjerg. Eventually, after years of infighting, rebellions in the south, numerous assassination attempts that left him scarred, and betrayal by his own brother and other family members, Volgar agreed to meet and discuss with The Lords of The Alliance. And so the two parties met in late 1537, and officially declared The Treaty of Odense in early 1538. The scriptures of the treaty- the original manusripts- are kept in The Great Museum of Västeras, a city 100km away from The Capital of Stockholm itself, notable for it’s great and historic Museum.

It should be noted that at this point, The Alliance had no Capital. Thrice every two years, The Lords of The Alliance would meet in set locations, notably: Åskberga, Oslo, Drammen, Gothenburg, Österund, Trondheim, Stavanger, and Kristiansand.

The Treaty of Odense, summed up, included:

-Volgar would retain his Title as King of Denmark, and for seven generations, his line may use the title.
-The King would obey The Laws of The Enclave, the ruling Body of The Alliance
-The King would be paid handsomely, receiving a third of tax collected from all territories within Denmark.
-Copenhagen, would be controlled by a body of Eight Councillors. The King had five votes in this council, all others had one.*
-Denmark would be subsumed into The Domain of The Sweofødt Alliance
-The Royal Family of Denmark, taking upon the name ‘Uvejrørte’ would be granted amnesty for all crimes committed, after a Confession in The Cathedral of Stockholm
-For the First Three Years of any of his descendant’s reigns, including him, Volgar would tour Norway and Sweden, before visiting Stockholm, before he could return to Copenhagen.
-The King would have no say in the running of The Alliance, but the above terms cannot be infringed upon, and should they be by any faction
-The King had no military power or diplomatic authority
-Catholicism would once more be the State Religion of Denmark, Volgar taking a Pilgrimage to Rome to apologise to Pope Paul III for the Protestant Reformations of Christian II.
-The Enclave would have to accept all betrothals made by The King
-The Lords of Denmark would join The Alliance
=The Catholic Rebels who had rebelled in the South would be defeated by The Alliance, their Houses put to death, and given to Catholic Swedish Nobles with military expertise, to guard the border against the South, particularly the distrusted Holy Roman Empire (some states of which actually attempted to offer Volgar support to retake his Throne. To their surprise, he refused).

*=Within seven years of his return to Copenhagen, fourteen years since The Treaty of Odense, Volgar would manage to disband the Council and become sole Duke of Copenhagen. Though his application to join the Enclave was henceforth denied on terms of The Treaty of Odense, Clause 8, which would’ve needed Volgar to surrender his title as King of Denmark. This still made him much money, and it would only allow him to make a legitimate application, which almost certainly would not have reached the two-thirds majority to be accepted. However, he would gain absolute power in Copenhagen, much to the worry of certain members of The Alliance. Even still, Volgar decided co-operating with The Hanseatic League and the Enclave was the best course of action, Volgar would allow Copenhagen’s strategic trading location to be used by The Alliance.

Despite numerous more physical injuries from various other assassination attempts, Volgar would live, disfigured, ‘till the age of 49, in 1358. During the Vellon Months, those long months where he had negotiated over The Treaty of Odense, he had been persuaded to wear what is now a Historic Relic in The Copenhagen Public Museum, “Træthedansigt,” or “Træthdansight.” A Mask of Silver to hide his scarred face, weary of war. It would show a stoic but grim expression, which is what The King is believed to have been like, even after the stresses of war, as his power was diluted by The Treaty; King in nothing but name. Volgar remains a legendary figure, often a historic hero, despite all he did- the belief that blood has mixed through The Empire stirs the belief Volgar’s legendary ability now runs in their veins. And in the end, he was one of many servants of The State, despite how he had fought The Alliance, which was The Empire’s predecessor. The people of The Empire are not blind to the various crimes of the mostly democratic alliance, they do not shy away from the worst of their history like the other powers of the world.

The Line of Danish Kings under The Alliance is as follows: Volgar I (1523-1549), Queen Nyegra I (1549-1583), King Volgar II (1583-1597), Queen Issefalt I (1597-1642), King Veli-Alf I (1642-1668), Queen Issefalt II (1668-1689), King Volgar III (1689-1721, also known as Ulrik I). Volgar III may have been ‘The Last King of Denmark’, but his daughter, Asta-Frija, ‘The Beauty of Copenhagen’ would marry Varin Kveðaväl, and from there, both the Kveðaväl and Storstryka dynasties may claim descent from The Kings of Denmark- the Storstryka’s having married one of Lyra I’s children.

Volgar would also create The Palace of Volghavn. This would be gifted by Asta-Frija to Duke Vrillon Emilben-Machaison. The House of Emilben-Efgarfødt, a surviving cadet branch of the family, has inherited all of the House’s possessions, including the Palace of Volghavn.

The 1600s was often called ‘The Golden Age of The Alliance,’ for that was when politics were mediocre, few wars were fought, and the economy of The Alliance rapidly grew.

In 1702, the last, disputed and often heavily allied states east of Sweden would join The Alliance, bringing The Domain of The Sweofødt Alliance to the borders of The Tsardom of Russia. Diplomatic relations between the two were neutral, until Varin Kveðaväl’s Diplomatic Embassy to St. Petersburg.

In 1707, Varin Kveðaväl would be elected by The Enclave as it’s head, or Jakonsul, despite not being a Lord himself- he had yet to ascend to his father Aivan’s estates, due to his father still being alive. This may have been wise, however, as Varin found himself the most efficient Jakonsul, not busy managing and prioritising his own estates. Combined with political alliances with Volgar III, and marrying the Princess of Denmark, Asta-Frija, Varin placed his loyal friend, Sylvestre Isøyne, as the Härksare, the only other singular title capable of questioning The Jakonsul- exactly that, as The Enclave could (though not effectively) limit the power of the Härksare, the Härksare would ensure (often co-operating with) the Jakonsul would not be corrupt, and the Jakonsul would hold the power to influence The Enclave one way or another. For nearly two centuries, this system had worked harmoniously, and extremely well, but it was beginning to become discordant. But Varin writes in his journal, ‘Chronicle of The Konsul’ that he did not know how to.

In early 1712 Varin Kveðaväl would be greatly impressed by the power of Tsar Peter II, and sought to emulate such monarchic authority in the alliance, despite the democracy of The Enclave. Upon returning to The Alliance, he began to rapidly make plans.

In 1716, for administrative purposes, the intra-state borders between ‘Sweden’ and the newly established ‘Finland,’ would be drawn.

In 1717, Varin would declare the Capital of The Alliance: breaking centuries of tradition to bring the Capital to the most populous city: Stockholm. This had a mixed reaction with The Enclave, it was an untraditional and disliked move, but Varin’s influence ran deep.

In 1724, the House of Kveðaväl grew so powerful, and allied with others, that it at last declared a reformation of The Alliance- into a completely new state- The Empire of Scandinavia…ruled by an Emperor…and who better suited and convenient than Varin I? Declaring itself ‘The Imperial Dynasty’ there was little the Enclave could do to resist this coup, as all in power stayed in power. And quickly, they changed tactics, competing for power in The Imperial Court of Stockholm.

The Kveðaväls of Lyksele, a prospering city, would pass estates down from Aivan to Varin’s brother, Lars. But from The Capital City of Stockholm, Varin would rule, with an Imperial Court. The Flag at this time, much like the fashion and clothing of the Scandinavia at the time, was of white and silver and the lightest blues, contrasting with the dark that was often worn in the same outfits as well. This was a notable fashion arising, copying the Emperor’s personal dress.

In 1725, The Emperor journeyed to Talinn for diplomatic relations. It is unknown what happened there, but he gained a scar on the left side of his face there. He later decided to go on a Pilgrimage to Rome.

By 1768, at 69 years of age and reigning for 44 years, Emperor Varin I of Scandinavia passed peacefully of old age in his deathbed, despite rumours The Emperor had been poisoned. He passed with loving family and friends, and was buried in The Imperial Crypt of Störnas. With him, was buried Sylvestre Isøyne, and Leif de Läine, two close friends and powerful civil servants, prominent members of The Imperial Court. Two Great Statues of Emperor Varin were built from white rock, one in Stockholm, and one in Oslo- both staring at each other, swords raised.

Varin I was notable for his idolisation of Philip IV of France, Volgar I of Denmark, Henry VII of England, Richard The Lionheart, and Diocletian, Imperator of Rome. He emulated all of these leaders to great success in his reign, and it is reflected by the words of his diaries, notably ‘Chronicles of The King.’

It was in Stockholm that The Talvínter Throne was built. Inscribed with ancient runes of the Norse Cultures, Scriptures of History and Faith, and an Astronomical Orrery Diagram, the above the head of the occuptant would be Polaris, The North Star. It was all made with stone, in the latter years of Varin I’s reign.

Varin I’s son, Krystall I, added crystal emebellishments to The Throne Room. The Imperial Palace, then known as The Stjernelys Citadell, held many paintings and statues in a time of increased artistry. Krystall I improved the standing of Scandinavia throughout Europe. In the Empire, Krystallnacht is the alternative name for Christmas, due to it meaning ‘Crystal-Night,’ and the weakening of religion in The Empire, as well as how extravagant Emperor’s Krystall’s Christmas Fairs and Balls were, particularly The Silver Ball of 1778. (Although it remains a Christian Holiday, just with a different name). Krystall is known to have wept in private while his courtiers danced on this one, ten years after the death of his father. This was also where he met who would be Empress Consort Danika Fayevr. The two would have three children, before Krystall I would pass in 1796.

Krystall I’s son, Strykr I, named the Stjernelys Citadell to The Krystall Citadell in his father’s honour. But he himself, would relocate The Capital to Turku for three years, before changing it back to Stockholm. The reason for this change is unknown. Strykr would be responsible for building various cities in Finland. Emperor Strykr I would pass in 1807, believed to have died of possibly The Pneumonic Plague.

Magnus VIII, his son, often known as ‘Magnus The Wise’ would then ascend the throne. It was in his reign the Krystall Citadell became known as The Imperial Palace, the Valoa Citadel being the centre-most complex of The Palace. Though a wise Emperor, as his moniker suggests, Magnus was often underestimated. Whilst being occupied in the West, forming an alliance with George III of Britain and declaring neutrality in the Seven Year’s War, The Empire of Scandinavia would be attacked by The Russian Empire. This was shocking, possibly launched now due to the warlike Emperor Strykr’s death. Though Magnus ensured the Russian forces could advance no longer, by the time stalemate set in, Finland had been taken. The Treaty of Hamina bought peace once more, but much to the shock and anger of the people of what was now The Grand Duchy of Finland, they were no longer part of The Empire of Scandinavia.

Magnus VIII dealt with, internally, according to his journals, uncertainty and guilt over the immediate loss of Finland. He maintained a peaceful reign, and save the loss of Finland, his reign was good. The economy and standard of living improved, diplomatic relations with the rest of Europe improved, and Scandinavia became a rich country. Magnus reformed the military various times to make it more powerful and more efficient, fearful of another war with Russia. It was in 1852 Magnus VIII would pass.

In 1852, Queen Lyra I ascended to The Talvínter Throne. Initially, she lost Denmark to a rebellious military dictatorship. Within years, however, she changed- her rule became powerful, as the decaying Imperial Authority was renewed. She maintained her father’s alliance with The British. The reason for The Harsh Queen’s change in character is not particularly known, though many have speculated. She also strengthened the economy by building multiple factories, and beginning widespread usage of the Bessemer Process, after seeing it used in a trip to England. In the current age, with a Dieselpunk focus and vastly mechanised military, the Bessemer Process is even more used than ever.

Her nephew, Krystall II ascended the throne in 1875, ruling ‘till 1884, when he was overthrown by his brother. He was a weak Emperor, notable for playing favourites, and died, poisoned, all his sons and other relatives killed. Under Krystall’s weak rule, the alliance with British disintegrated. The only positive thing Krystall II did was gain the Svalbard Colonies and Jan Mayen Isles, though it can be argued the latter’s development was mostly funded by Magnus IX.

Magnus IX would seize the throne from his brother, but was poisoned only twelve years later, as rebels arose due to his tyranny.

His son, Magnus X, ‘Magnus The Uncrowned’ was young, and almost immediately overthrown- only three years later. Magnus X would disappear, and an Emergency Council in Oslo was gathered to discuss the rulership of The Empire moving on. After nearly a year of debating, the Aristocracy of Scandinavia crowned the House of Storstryka, the Lords of Gothenburg and Jönköping to be the new dynasty ruling The Empire.

Lyrion I, ‘The Restorer’ would renew the power of Scandinavia after the Civil War, reigning from 1884 to 1912. He would divide the Empire into ‘Administorial Sectors’ for easier management- such as Norway, Sweden, Svalbard, Jan Mayen (and later Denmark and Finland). However, Lyrion, aware of needing to serve the people and not the other way around, created The Triarchy- the First, Second, and Third Chancellors, who would together lead the Government. Said Government being interlinked with The Imperial Family- Lyrion intentionally diluted his power so that the Empire would be more efficient. So far, the choice has been a good one.

Lyrion’s son, Leif I, ’The Dutiful,’ would reign from 1912 to 1917. Leif made diplomatic embassies to North America before the onset of The Great War, and while the Great War ravaged mainland Europe, Leif fought the Danish- the people and aristocracy of Denmark had unsuccessfully tried to rebel once more against their dictatorial leaders, and thanks to The Scandinavian military’s aid, they succeeded, rejoining The Empire. Leif was present for the war, an active strategist and lauded military general. He would then put down a small military sect in The Northwest of Norway, but was tragically killed. Leif’s death was mourned by the entire nation, as his brother now ascends to The Throne.

The Current Emperor, Leif I’s brother, is Magnus XI. Magnus is an intelligent leader, for certain; more a Statesman than his brother, who was a general, and is able to co-ordinate well with The Triarchy. Magnus currently deals with the grumbling of the Aristocracy, as they become more and more useless in this new age.

After 1918, Finland had declared independence acknowledged in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Unsurprisingly, without communication, The Imperial Scandinavian Warforces moved in; it was not an invasion. The people held parades and festivals, and First Chancellor Aelgar Varinsfødt and Emperor Magnus personally travelled to Helsinki to finalise the Return of Finland. Finland’s people celebrated, after about 55 years of Russian Tyranny; the day spoken of by the children’s grandparents had come. There was much celebration that day.

Unfortunately, there were those cities which had prospered with corruption under Russian Control. The Omnistautunut League immediately declared rebellion. Surprisingly, the people of Finland and newly trained Finnish Divisions mobilised first, there was much hatred between The League and the rest of what was now the Administorial Sector of Finland. Though rebellion was declared on Christmas Day, 1918, for the first year both factions did nothing, the Imperials hoping to de escalate the situation, unaware that the Rebels did not actually have enough strength to fight at the time, and were training their own armies mostly, mobilised in late 1918. The Finnish also trained- this was as much a war for the people of Finland to avenge the tyranny they faced from Russia, as The League’s motive of returning to more prosperous times. And so, the greater Empire’s forces were known as ‘The Imperials’, the forces of the League as ‘The Rebels’ and the Imperial Finnish Soldiers as ‘The Loyalists’. The Loyalists fought the brunt of the fighting, due to their grudges with the League, and they could not be deterred to slow down their vengeance to work with The Imperials, which led to the removal of certain commanders from the Imperial Warforces after the end of this conflict, known as The Finnish Civil War.

Fortunately for the Loyalists, 1918 was the year of The Russian Civil War, and the chaos that ensued afterwards ensured that The Republic would be unable to provide The Rebels with support. Most fighting took place between 1919-21, and this was mainly due to the defensive, casualty-saving combat style the Imperials persuaded the Loyalists to adopt- The League’s cities were under siege for long, and they were few, to go up against even Finland, let alone the whole Empire. And with goods to the League cut off, by naval blockades and inability to import food from the land, the war was really over by early September 1919, save the occasional city. The last of The Rebels surrendered on January 27th 1921, barely a threat, and their executions were public in Helsinki.

Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the Scandinavian Military rapidly mechanised and updated, as The Empire had seen the chaos of new technology in the Great War and Russian Civil War from the safety of their own lands, and sought to survive in this new, harsh world. Factories made notable use of improved techniques of the trusty Bessemer Process, as Steel Production became one of The Empire’s highest-worth industries.

In 1933, Alexander Larson Anderson in Aalborg develops the Keisnarillien-Yksi Rifle, the most efficient unspecialised Infantry Rifle to date in The Empire. By 1935, this has been issued to every soldier sesving The Empire.

Various fortresses were built on the border of The Administorial Sector of Finland and The All-Russian Republic. Powerful and spread out across the border, these fortresses are capable of communication and reinforcement, given a small journey. They often house various Divisions and Companies. They are built in defensive positions, loaded with artillery and ready for a siege. Some of the Northern Fortresses are also responsible for policing the lands formerly held by The Rebels of The Omnistautunut League. Together, these fortresses are known as The Helvetti Wall.

Is this too outlandish? Is it okay, and criticism?

[Pragia]

Nation Application

Full Nation Name: The United Kingdom of Great Britain

Short Nation Name: Britain, United Kingdom

National Symbols: The Lion, The Rose, The Crown

Capital: London

Territory: OTL British Empire sans claimed territories, Madagascar, various other former french holdings

Form of Government: A constitutional monarchy, the Parliament of the United Kingdom dictates the affairs of state. The monarch King Edward VIII has been more vocal from the throne, but remains mostly a figurehead.

Head of State: His Majesty King Edward VIII Windsor

Head of Government: Prime Minister Kingsley Wood

Ideology: British Conservatism

Population: 40 million in the isles, 160 million in colonies and dominions

Religion: Anglicanism, various colonial minorities (freedom of religion is observed)

Technological Focus The United Kingdom is the birthplace of Biopunk "Darwinist" technology, and has been a recent but rapid embracer of Tesla's means as the middle east and India have fallen into revolutionary control to supplant older rudimentary diesel-fuelled designs. Of particular note is the Rolls Royce Arcjet which has enabled high-speed high-reliability airborne electric propulsion

Technological Description: Great Britain has enjoyed the excesses of empire for centuries. Not only leaders in the Steam Age, the theoretical basis and practical application of Darwinistic selection would make Britain the heart of the Biological Revolution as well. Having conquered death and disease at scales unimaginable His Majesty's Empire is now in its third generation of eugenicized population, and its first that has seen the mass employment of gene therapies. The perfection of the Human form has only been slightly challenged by the conservative leadership, who see the natural and artificial methods as a reinforcement of God's image, and strong puritanism and moralism has guarded against the depravities of such technologies.

In the wake of revolutions in Asia, oil sources have been found elsewhere in Nigeria and Canada, but their production could not make up the shortfalls and prop up the mechanizing economy. Because of this, the government and corporations alike turned to the genius of Tesla, and Power Cores rapidly supplanted the internal combustion engine. The resulting boom in consumer technologies and high-tech industry have been reverberating for over a decade. The average briton has seen nigh-impossible improvements in their quality of life as the nation rushes into this new age with reckless abandon.

Military Description: Command of the Sea has long been the principal task of the British Armed Forces. In every war she has ever fought, the Royal Navy has enjoyed brilliant officers and ample supply of men and material. This has not functionally changed in the modern era. While the main fleet are conventional or early-diesel warships augmented with plasma lances and lightning capacitors, new production models have been increasingly sleek and small as propulsion and power systems are modernized. Tesla-Core powered vessels are compact, and their sonar systems allow for much more graceful fighting and teaming with bioengineered giant squid and salt-water pirhana schools. Electric submarines in particular shine as an example of an especially stealthy tool for the era.

In the skies, things have come a long way from balloons and wood-frame aircraft. While the titanic zeppelins of the early 20s are almost all rusting in scrap heaps, commercial air travel has become available to the upper and middle classes on electrically-driven propeller planes. In more performance-oriented spaces, Arcjet engines have become near ubiquitous, greatly outperforming existing engines, rivaling even rockets in their power and pushing the sound barrier, but with far greater longevity. Tactically, this has resulted in a Royal Air Force that is supremely agile and intelligent. Radar systems are developed to the point of having aircraft-mounted arrays, beam cannons able to rend the powerful hulls of sky-dreadnoughts, and electric pulse weapons can cut power to critical systems. Of particular note is the Special Air Service: the first special forces unit in the world outfitted with Arcjet-equipped power armor and airborne mechs to perform the role not only of paratroopers, but also boarding actions against enemy skyfleets.

On land, the Royal Army has changed drastically from the forces of the last war. Where the first specialized bioforms terrorized the trenches and clumsy steel behemoths pushed across no man's land, the modern force is much more dynamic and lethal. Employment of Power Armor in shock units has replaced most armored deployments, sometimes boasting Arcjet-equipped hovercraft. Platoon-level bioform integration has resulted in a staggeringly capable force, albeit one less suited to mass combat. The humble infantryman has been graced with a healthy and often improved body and natural defenses from chemical weapons, but his rifle is becoming increasingly pathetic in this age. While some advanced infantry weapons are making it to line units, it is these better equipped reaction forces which they rely on. Use of stationary defensive shields and mass drivers to deter larger mechanized foes have only been able to be employed along short lengths of front. This larger mass of force is a crucible of darwinistic selection itself, where exemplary soldiers are elevated.

This relentless pursuit of technology has resulted in a series of more questionable secret projects. Targeted bioweapons as well as next generation gas agents are among some of the more comprehensible developments in work at the Biochemical Warfare Office. Non-restorative cybernetics is intensely opposed by polite society, but some say the first artificially-bodied men have already walked. Indeed, most impressively is a cryptic promise from Cambridge that by the middle of the next decade, all other forms of power will be obsolete.


National Goals:

Maintain the Empire: The United Kingdom possesses a paternalism to her colonies, and seeks to use the promise of biochemistry and genetic modification to advance mankind as a whole. While the sheer scale of such an endeavor has put such aims as more idealistic than practical, they will not be so easily cowed from their holdings as they once were.

Preserve Democracy: Though the difficult times of the great war has brought about the popularity of anti-democratic forces, the Conservative party has succeeded in casting democracy as a darwinistic selection of ideas. The rise of revolutionaries and totalitarians alarms both His Majesty's government and the people, and its expansion has rapidly risen as a priority among non-fascists.

Perfect Humanity: The great British Project since Galton's Corollary of Darwinian science, cultural acceptance of eugenics is significant in the United Kingdom. With the advent of mass biochemical and genetic modification, the promise of eliminating the great evils of our nature come more and more into sight. Whether such methods will yield what they promise, or even greater terror, is often a question rising from the pulpit and soapbox alike.

National Issues:

The Rise of Fascism: Darwinist technology and Eugenic thought has given Fascism a much greater popularity in Britain than OTL. Though the Tories lead the government, the British Union of Fascists are holding their coalition against Labour and a disintegrating Liberal party.

The Collapse of Empire: Anti-imperial sentiments are growing around the world, and the loss of the Crown Jewel of the Empire has brought the future of the Dominions into question. Britain will not take this challenge lying down, and seeks to re-establish a global order.

War on the Continent: Britain watches from her island as the consequences of the Great War echo across Europe. It will be a question of who she aligns with, and if she truly wants to bloody her hands again.

Point of Divergence: Outside of technology, a significant political divergence is that Oswald Mosley defeats Neville Chamberlain in the 1924 Birmingham Election, cementing his presence and prominence in the Labour movement earlier before forming his own party.

History: The United Kingdom dates back to the Articles of Union between England and Scotland in 1707. While both kingdoms have long histories dating centuries before, this United Kingdom redefined the British Isles and would enable centuries of global eminence. Gaining dominion over every corner of the world, many lands would be settled and organized into dominions of the crown.

The balance of power between the monarchs and parliament would shift over the years, and instabilities would eventually result in an immensely powerful parliament promulgating liberal philosophy and democratic governance. This emphasis on the rights of man resulted in Britain being a hotbed of innovation and philosophy.

By the mid 19th century, these concepts had coalesced into a Victorian Era, where industrialization, rationalism, and empiricism reigned. Britain would become the first industrial power of the world, and her empire would ingraine itself on every continent and the globalization of trade was guaranteed by the might of her fleets and armies.

In 1859, Charles Darwin would publish his theory of speciation, and biological science would become immensely popular in university halls. By 1869, the field had matured into a much more real science, and Francis Galton would publish his own theory of hereditary genius: that through good practices in both genetic selection and behavioral science, you could produce a better man. Unlike in our world, this concept would become very popular among the intelligencia of the victorian age, Eugenic practices becoming culturally relevant and even normalized in some cases. The idea that behavior and breeding could mould better men was deeply attractive to the increasingly mechanized world. This cultural relevance would result in increased interest and advancement in biochemistry.

His Majesty's government was eager to capitalize on the potential benefits: state health programs would undergird modern medicine becoming a field of fantastic development, and industry was leveraged towards social organization and advancement of selection. Ultimately, modern medicine would deliver on the miracles promised by eugenics, and the interest in "good breeding" would die down as the nation entered the 20th century.

But when the great war came to decide the fate of Europe, the United Kingdom honored her alliances and fought alongside France and Russia against the central powers. This war would be a brutal affair, with hundreds of thousands dead, it would also form the crucible for the technologies of the next age. Injury and disease in the trenches was regarded as a principle issue for resolution, and the greatest biological minds would develop the first Darwinist methods. With the discovery of biological genes, its manipulation would be experimented with rapidly over the years. By the end of the war, the first genetically modified and behaviorally indoctrinated dogs were deployed to storm trenches in terrifying displays.

The war's aftermath would be almost as damaging to the Empire as the war itself. France, an important ally and trading partner, would fall to communist revolt and Russia nearly did the same. Arab forces overcame garrisons in palestine and kuwait, leaving influence over the Suez and Persian Gulf in a perilous position. Escalating violence in India resulted in a withdrawl from the Raj, a humiliating loss for imperialist forces who withdrew to Burma in defensive positions to maintain a presence in the far east beyond the trade ports of Singapore and Hong Kong.

Thankfully, not all news is bad: British industry roars with new technologies, global trade remains a critical cornerstone of the world order, and American investment has further advanced the prosperity of the isles and dominions alike. Britain has thoroughly conquered disease in many of its colonies, and even the imperfections of humanity are being quelled as more affordable therapies and medications become available.

Domestically, the resurgence of eugenics has resulted in increased popularity of the British Union of Fascists, an offshoot of the labor movement interested in totalitarian control of the new state as well as the new British man. The bulwark of Conservative leadership has been slowly chipped away at, but remains in its primacy following failed labour strikes and in spite of its international turmoil. Time will tell what the future holds for the British people and their government, but the last century of glory has continued into this one, and will not go quietly into history.

#ODQHVVF (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

Overall the app looks good, the only main issue is the Arcjet itself which sadly wouldn't work - for two main reasons. The first is that Tesla cores and Teslapunk in general is rather bad at propulsion, where it's inferior to Dieselpunk solutions, this is one of the advantages and disadvantages of the tech that we had planned from the start. The second is that essentially having jet engine powered aircraft this point in time is a bit too much for the limit of technology that we wanted to maintain.

You could have some limited arcjets in the powerarmors which would sort of allow them to jump around, but this would be the limit of the technology for the time being. Any use of the arc jet in planes would likely lead to poor performance due to the propulsion performance issues of Tesla tech. Hovercrafts would not work for similar reasons.

As for surface vessels powered by Tesla cores, you can certainly have them, just note that again, the downside of them compared to dieselpunk powered vessels would be in propulsion and speed.

decided to retool to diesel, was thinking of more raygun-style for teslapunk, hovercraft and jets were pretty central to that

[Tracian Empire]

I'm hoping for criticism and advice. I know the allocation of soldiers to certain parts of the Warforce is irregular, and I will put more in The Navy. I do hope for Scandinavia to be regional power in terms of The Airfeet though.

Nation Application

Full Nation Name:  The Empire of Scandinavia

Short Nation Name: Scandinavia, or The Empire

National Symbols: The Valknut, Odin’s Triple Horn, The Triqueta, The Stag (often called The Stag of The North), The North Star Compass Symbol, and The Kyrssekte, The Imperial Flag- of the same template as Norway and Finland, but a Gold Cross on a Black Field. Additionally comes the Chant, “The Wrath of Winter!”

Capital: Stockholm

Territory: Norway, Sweden, Finland, The Jan Mayen Isles, The Svalbard Isles

Form of Government: Constitutional Aristocratic Oligarchy

Head of State: The Emperor of The Empire of Scandinavia, Magnus IV Storstryka

Head of Government: The First Chancellor, Aelgar Varinsfødt “Winterborn”

Ideology: Militarism, Indoctrination*, Unification**

*=Indoctrination to Imperial Principles, which shall be explained in history- but essentially, of loyalty to the state, unity, obedience and militarism, as well as technological and scientific advancement. Similar to Socialism, but everyone plays a part they are most suited to willingly.

**=Unification is the Imperial belief that the end-state of the Human Race is to be Under One Rule. Whether under one government or state, or monarch, or alliance, humanity can only progress once all the enemies of unification are destroyed, and the rest fall under one banner, in some way, shape, or form.

Population: 13,450,000

Religion: The Official State Religion was declared, centuries ago, to be Catholicism. But for centuries, religion has ‘taken the backseat’ as atheistic and scientific thinking is on the rise in The Empire. The reach of Christendom is weaker in the North, and while lip service is given much, it is not thought of as important. A notable exception is the faith in Orthodox Christianity prioritised by The Omistautunut League. This is a Russophilic League that holds power in some cities in the northeast of The Administorial Sector of Finland; who demand a return to Russian influence, as they were majorly Russians and those who lost their power after the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The Omnistautunut League are majorly hated by the other Finnish, and Orthodox Christianity, finds little strength outside of The League’s cities. Otherwise, Protestantism also holds sway- though by small amounts, due to the Empire’s alignment with The Axis Powers.

Technological Focus: Though regionally a power, by no means is The Empire ‘a great’ power- not for a century has it had dominance of North Europe. Due to oil reserves found in The Administorial Sector of Norway, it focused on Dieselpunk. Due to general isolationism and encouragement of scientific thinking, Scandinavia on a whole is now well-advanced and on par with the other nations with Dieselpunk Technology, likely a few years ahead. If Scandinavia can ever grow stronger, then it would focus on Teslapunk, though it cannot now, due to it’s lack of strength- and Biopunk remains heavily regulated, to the point where it is nearly outlawed in Scandinavia.

Technological Description: (A description of your country's technological level and achievements)

Military Description: The Imperial Warforces of Scandinavia may mobilise about 215,000 standing combatants and military personnel, resplendent in bronze and silver. Though more could be mobilised, The Empire prefers to train it’s troops to be elite and capable of succeeding in missions even when their commanding officer is incapacitated- a problem that the Loyalist Finnish faced frequently during The Civil War, as Rebel Assassins constantly eliminated important Loyalist Officers. Though most soldiers prefer to minimise civilian casualties, provided those civilians are Imperial or Allied, they are a destructive and offensive-based force, well equipped to bring destruction to the battlefield, and in enemy lands, they will harm civilians if necessary.

Typically, Scandinavia places a large importance on mechanised warfare. There have been entire Colleges built in many cities for the training of Field and non-combatant Engineers. Landships, Battleships, Mechs, Tanks…all of these things are seen with wonder by The Empire. The Great War was catastrophic, and The First Chancellor saw the power these things can wreak first-hand, and that was decades ago…they have only become more deadly. By mandate of the Emperor, it is vital for The Empire to mechanise, and so it is. Scandinavia’s military budget is large, the economy growing slowly due to excessive military upgrading, to both mechanise the army, and increase the power of the Navy and Airfleet, both of which are slowly becoming formidable powers.

165,000 of these soldiers are members of The Empire’s Infantry Divisions, The Legions of Winter. These are split into 5 Divisions, of 33,000. These do not have to operate as one- they are then separated into 11 Companies of 3,000, each consisting of 3 Battalions of 1,000. They are known for their bronze and silver armoured uniforms, and the Keisnarillien-Yksi Rifle, a fast firing gun developed in 1933. Occasional units may be equipped with machine guns, submachine guns, rocket launchers and grenades, typically determined by combat effectiveness.

30,000 Combat-Ready Soldiers serve in The Imperial Fleet. There are 5 Battlefleets, Battlefleets Istorden, Isåska, Draconiskt, Viha, and Rahoiva. Draconiskt is famed for not having one, but two, land-capable battleships, and Isåska has one. Though specific numbers vary, most Battlefleets, travelling together, have a number of battleships, minesweepers, submarines, cruisers, and destroyers.

20,000 Active Duty Soldiers serve in The Imperial Airfleet, the Pride of The Empire. These are split between three mighty Skyfleets: Vrede, Kuolema, and Destruktör. The Battlecry of The Airfleets are typically ‘Death From Above!’ but for each fleet, there may be a secondary, specific chant- “Videre Till Aurinko,” “Verinen Käsi (on Kuolema),” and “Heavenswrath!”. The 20,000 Soldiers who serve here are known as The Seraphim, or Serafer, for they were compared ’to the mightiest of The Lord’s Angels, flying to war.” Even in the air, Scandinavia’s armies are mechanised- the Seraphim co-ordinate form Battleships that serve as bases and homes, often nestled in Fortresses in remote regions, such as the Mountains. Escorting the various Battleships of each Skyfleet are myriads of lesser craft, be it smaller ships or airplanes and bombers, which are made frequent use of.



National Goals:

[*]The Advancement of The Holy Empire, both technologically and with the intent of becoming a Great Power

[*]The Unification of Humanity through an Alliance.

[*] The Annexation of Iceland

[*] Gaining Dominance over The North Sea

[*] The Annexation of Denmark

[*] Realistic Expansionism


National Issues: (The most important issues that your nation is currently facing) (To add something about the Omnistautunut League here, as well as issues between the aristocracy and government, and the difficulty of The Emperor to retain power in this age, as well as tensions in Europe)

Point of Divergence: (The moment in which the history of your nation diverges from real life history)

History: (A description of your nation's history. It can be presented in a bulletpoint format, but it needs to include the most important events in its history)

#ODQHVVF (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

Okay so, Exil and I started on a big review, but at some we decided that instead of reviewing every single thing, it might be better to just outline the main issues that make the concept as it is impossible to accept.

• The first is the history. It's no issue, we all have to start learning from somewhere, but generally, alternative history is built upon history. You use existing historical characters and events and change them enough in order to go to the end that you want. Look as an example at Russia - I'm having Kolchak be named the Minister of Defense, which in turn gives him more legitimacy in his attempts to bring the fragmented White Movement together.
  
  You can create fictional characters, but usually only in specific circumstances, like if you need a royal house to survive which it didn't IRL, but even that is somewhat discouraged. You however are creating way too many fictional characters that are conveniently doing what you need, without maintaining any sort of connection to the real life history of the territories that you are controlling.
  
  And this extends to the other elements of your history. Instead of using real and realistic organizations and governments and groups, like the nobles that supported the House of Vasa, the Finnish White Army and Red Guards, the Swedish monarchy, you create fictional groups that aren't sufficiently explained and that seem to act without clear goals. It just doesn't work in the end, because it stops being alternative history and it starts being a fully fictional nation that just happens to resemble Scandinavia.
  
  You also can not control the history of territories that are outside of your current IC control. You can control Norwegian history as an example, but you can not control Danish history to the extent that you did. You can at the most help explain how Denmark lost Norway, but other than that, Denmark would continue, as an NPC, on a historical path that is as close to real life as possible. Then with Finland - its yours, and you can control it however you'd like, but you can't control Russian actions - like I said, if you want Russia to have owned Finland, it should have been like in real life, conquered during the Napoleonic Wars and lost in 1917-1918 with the collapse of Russia.
• The technology and military - I think that you really overestimating the capabilities of Scandinavia. Like, Scandinavia, particularly due to the oil reserves of Norway, would be in a very nice position to be a relatively strong and rich state, but that would be about it - there's nothing dieselpunk can do about the fact that Scandinavia is poorly populated and with a terrain that isn't suited to a lot of things. So Scandinavia could be somewhat of a regional power - but only over perhaps Denmark and the Baltic Duchy - it can't stand up to Russia and Germany on its own. It couldn't be years ahead of other nations in technology (particularly not if it was isolationist - isolationism kills innovation), and it couldn't have great navies and air fleets.
• Then there's the concept itself. There's no issue with using less realistic elements in forming it - we're going to have Kaiju biopunk monsters fighting in Asia, Russian mechs will be known as the Baba Yaga, and so on - but it just feels like you're trying to import a fantasy setting into a still somewhat realistic dieselpunk world. Stuff like Scandinavia being an empire, so much focus on the monarchs and their throne and what they did in the history even if it was unknown and mysterious, an absolute monarchy that is somehow described as constitutional, a government led by three chancellors, a national goal being the unification of all humanity, and so on. All of this just doesn't fit with the world and the elements that we have in it so far.
  
  
  So if you want to continue with your concept, you should take this into account and try to better root it into both the historical reality of the Scandinavian nations, and into the history as it is with your neighbors and the other nations around the world. Some sort of a unified Scandinavian monarchy could work, and if you want them to be leaning into more esoteric elements, well, you just have to look at all the Nordic revival and nationalism that was espoused even by the Waffen SS in Germany. But in the end there's still going to have to be stuff that's rooted in reality - a Scandinavian Empire that wants to conquer the world just isn't that.

[Tracian Empire]

And so the Dark Mother has made us destroyers and protectors, and beckoned us to seize our liberation!

Nation Application

Full Nation Name: Mahājambudvīpa

Short Nation Name: Dvīpa, Bhārat, Hind, India

National Symbols: Mahājambudvīpa makes use of many sorts of iconography, but its leaders categorically refuse to offer any real banner to work under. The soldiers dress practically, with no flags on their uniforms, only personal effects which may be worn with it at their leisure. The cities have no flag poles; all have long been knocked-down and melted down. Indeed, the only time Mahājambudvīpa has ever provided a flag for any purpose was during the Anglo-Mahājambudvīpa Peace Talks of 1926, where the first—and only—attempt made to normalize relations between the two governments was cut drastically short. In this now-infamous incident, rather than raising a flag for Mahājambudvīpa alongside the Union Jack, the Mahājambudvīpi delegation hoisted the civilian flag of the British Raj onto their pole, and immediately thereafter shot flaming darts into both flags, causing them to burst into flames on the flagpoles, and retreating back across the bridge from Tamu into Moreh.

Capital: Indraprastha, Purana Qila

Territory: India (Minus the Andaman Islands), Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Sikkim

Form of Government: Mahājambudvīpa, known (despite its ongoing protestations) to much of the world as India, has posed a challenge for contemporary political thinkers. It has in the same strokes been considered to be under theocratic despotism and mob rule by European detractors, while its supporters proclaim it a triumphant anti-colonial indigenous government blending pre-colonial power structures with revolutionary communitarian approaches. Officially, the government proclaims itself to simply be Mahājambudvīpa, with no qualifiers such as “Empire” or “Republic”—indeed, there are those in the highest rungs of power who have passionately argued that any such assertion is contrary to the point.

In practical terms, the government of Mahājambudvīpa is a sort of limited authoritarian regime, wherein Punaryuddha sits firmly at the top of the heap, and a variety of other self-proclaimed avatars, prophets, gurus and countless other titles hold sway over various apparent institutions (for example, a self-proclaimed avatar of Murugan, who is known to have fought in the Mesopotamian Campaign under Indian Expeditionary Force D—a fact often recounted by the British themselves) which are organized to degrees which vary wildly across time and context. Agriculture is largely communal and left to be self-organized, while former British industries have been seized outright by the Mahājambudvīpan regime and are thus operated by it exclusively—in particular monopolizing the remains of British biological industries. One constant remains, however. There are no formal written laws, and vanishingly few which are expressly espoused by the highest levels of the regime. Vigilante justice is, by far, the most common form, prevented only by the act of prostration. If someone is willing to lay down before a vigilante and put themselves at their mercy in order to request that someone be spared, they must be, lest the vigilante(s) find themselves running from the wrath of darkness in turn.

Mahājambudvīpa’s rule is one of theatrics and flamboyant violence more so than laws and precedents. Thieves are kept in check not by some authority, but by their own neighbours, who may murder them as they see fit. Only by specific acts or explicit military intervention is the mob rule interrupted.

Head of State: Punaryuddha, a self-proclaimed Avatar of Kālī, often known by her title “Kali Mata”—the Dark Mother

Head of Government: Punaryuddha, a self-proclaimed Avatar of Kālī, often known by her title “Kali Mata”—the Dark Mother

Ideology: Much like its form of government, Mahājambudvīpa’s ideological underpinnings are difficult for western political thinkers to parse effectively. Self-evidently, Mahājambudvīpa adheres to a wildly heterogeneous array of esoteric, anti-colonial approaches which most often bear some degree of millenarian flare. For her part, Punaryuddha has readily reminded her fellow Mahājambudvīpi that the Kali Yuga has persisted for millennia and has yet to reach a satisfactory pinnacle, where the British and others are demons which must be slain. Indeed, this millenarian flare may be said to sometimes dominate over everything else, for Punaryuddha herself, despite alleging to be an avatar of Kālī, has often been known to readily and fluently translate her own strain of retributive violence, the most famous of such declarations having been her remarks upon visiting Fort William for the first time, saying there, “And look, all of you! Do the English and Scottish not so resemble the Ya’juj and Ma’juj? Were they not confined by a wall—a wall of water—until they broke free? Remember what they have done, since that barrier had been removed! Let us prepare to see them destroyed in a night, so this Age of Darkness will end!”

Population: 328,690,000

Religion: Though Mahājambudvīpa and many of its major leaders frequently reference Smriti literature and Tantra alike, Mahājambudvīpa cannot be rightly said to have a specific, state-endorsed theology so much as it endorses a dramatic array of millenarian movements. In the domain of creeds indigenous to the subcontinent, the focus remains on metaphor, feeling, and regeneration of the Hindu consciousness within the “shattered reality of the progressed Age of Quarrel and Hypocrisy” (Punaryuddha, 1929). But despite its Tantric proclivities, Mahājambudvīpa does not rebuke faiths outside of the Vedic-Tantric world at their faces, and, indeed, elevates them as pedestals of “liberated truth” in their own rights. Zoroastrianism, despite its small population, enjoys enthusiastic endorsement from Mahājambudvīpa leaders—albeit at a Faustian cost. Much the same in Islam, both Sufi Muslims and Muslims adhering to the Ahl-i Hadith movement have received sincere praise and support from the regime, with the former spoken of as “Mohammed’s liberated minds” and the latter as “swordbearers in jihad against the Hellenic deceiver.”

Unfortunately, the same warm regard is not extended to all, for Mahājambudvīpa does not support freedom of religion or freedom from religion so much as it insists upon a central tenet to be shared across any cosmology that may be tolerated in its borders: Millenarian Anti-Westernism. To be a faith compatible with the Raj, to be a faith compatible with—much less felt to be endorsing—western hegemonies is to be a demon-lover or, indeed, to be a demon. Many Muslims drifted away from Alexandrian orthodoxies in the centuries of British rule, embracing Sufi traditions more closely, tearing down precedent entirely and returning to the holy texts and intuition, or other practices, and in doing so, found themselves spared and, in many cases, invited to participate in the retributive wrath which governs Mahājambudvīpa. But those who continued in the Alexandrian tradition have seen the gates of Jahannam erupt into the world, seeing the very same horrors that actual collaborators have been subjected to. Christians of any sort fare scarcely better, with even the old sects of Kerala facing extensive violence for such western connections, believed or real. Thus, Mahājambudvīpa is pluralistic, to a point. Any form of millenarian sect which can point to secure enough roots on the subcontinent and absolve itself of connections to the “demonic colonial” can find welcome, if not active praise from the leaders of the regime. For there is but one truth that Mahājambudvīpa truly insists upon: the truth of the world’s darkness.

Technological Focus: Mahājambudvīpa has seen great success in scavenging and remaking Biopunk technology pried from the slain hands of its former masters, though it has also attempted to grapple with what of the United Kingdom’s dieselpunk empire it has been able to salvage—with perhaps underappreciated assistance from the competing French and German delegations, who are both eager to tame such a raging fire and help direct it at the British.

Technological Description: The Raj was once one of many playgrounds for the Darwinists of the United Kingdom, first as a corporate playground where some of the oldest true atrocities of the revolution were perpetrated, and then as the Crown Jewel of an Empire hungry to perfect its Biological Revolution. Just as some colonial authorities keenly described the people of the subcontinent as rabbits, so too were a great many unfortunate souls thrown into the fires of progress as guinea pigs and lab rats by pioneers in the Biological Revolution. The people of Mahājambudvīpa can trace their fingers along countless scars from these young days of the Biological Revolution—from before the Imperial innovators saw fit to apply their acceptably-tested serums and processes to their own people. But from these scars has risen a profound understanding. The Biological Revolution is not a revolution for Mahājambudvīpa, not in the traditional sense. Rather, it is a fact of life. But for the past fifteen years or so, at last those who studied British science can decide how they want to use it. And as it is plain to see, there are those who have already put great effort into clawing at the confines of humanity and nature.

But man was not destined to fly or to run and haul as the freight train does. The old infrastructure put in place by the Raj authorities was meant to extract, not connect. With no markets to export to, the mechanical world of Mahājambudvīpa has undergone a decade of upheaval—with no effort spared to rescape the mechanical world as the physical world already has been. There is a very long way to go; Mahājambudvīpa has only the skeleton of an industrial nation, rather than the body, but its leaders remain impatient and eager to draw as much as they can from the mouths of their current benefactors in the West, so that Mahājambudvīpa may one day have its turn to choke Britain with smog of her creation while draining her blood.

Military Description: Mahājambudvīpa is, without a doubt, almost exclusively a land power. Indeed, so dedicated is Mahājambudvīpa to its work on the ground that it chose to dump soil to build up Rama Setu rather than even entertain the notion of constructing a modern navy—or, indeed, any navy at all. In terms of sheer manpower, few can challenge Mahājambudvīpa. For their deep chains to the Biological Revolution, many Mahājambudvīpi soldiers are formidable fighters on their own, and, when factoring in the potent mixture of millenarian rage and straight-up drugs they can also rely upon, already exist as decisive challenges to the Great War’s trenches. For what use is barbed wire when the enemy soldier may simply rip their leg off rather than stop? What use is a machine gun if your foe holds their dead comrade up as a human shield while progressing forward? What good is a gas mask if your foe has injected themself with a bombardier beetle tincture and spits hot acid at its lenses?

It is without a doubt that Mahājambudvīpa has, in its own terrifying way, chewed up the concept of infantry and spit out a mangled, terrifying reflection. But if individually mighty infantry was all that war needed, then Burma would already have fallen. It is well-understood and eagerly accepted by the highest echelons of Mahājambudvīpa’s government that this alone is insufficient for any future operations. On one hand, there is the problem of organization. The world’s most dedicated, most grit-filled soldier will do very little in a conventional war operation without marching orders, nor will they be able to do much at all if they should run out of supplies. Discipline in the ranks, as the subjugation of Afghanistan has proven, is an absolute necessity. The Hindu Kush are bathed in blood, partisans, and soldiers, having seen such bloodshed that it is said that Amānullāh Khān wept openly upon learning of what had happened after he had fled.

There are only so many willing to commit suicide in the pursuit of war; individual bloodthirst is finite and will run dry as targets to stoke it on the home front diminish, after all. The Army of Destruction was formidable while it lasted, but the rebirth of the rank and file has not been tested. Nor has the other, younger branch of the subcontinent’s military: the Air Force. What self-respecting self-aggrandizing regime could resist the tantalizing call of the sky, especially when one’s hated enemies can be bombed from it? The air navy is, much like the army, more disposed to individual agility and bravado than large operations, for its origins, after all, were in a scant few stolen planes. The air navy has blossomed with the attention it has received for the past decade, with Mahājambudvīpi pilots soaring high and darting quickly through the heights of the sky, but they remain largely confined to Mahājambudvīpa’s own airspace, unable to effectively engage in the long-range missions that others have pioneered. Defence must come before offence; after all, the leaders of Mahājambudvīpa have not so easily forgotten that factories are of little use if they have been bombed. But surely, the United Kingdom will get what it deserves soon enough, once the Dark Mother reaches out for the demons there.

National Goals:

Kali Yuga: The Age of Darkness is undeniably upon the world. The only way out is through. And with a form of Kali standing before the good, long-suffering people Mahājambudvīpa, the way through is surely by destroying the darkness and the demons that propagate it so that light can emerge anew. The old colonial legacies and the old oppressors must be destroyed and every colonial Raj—ours first but no longer foremost—must be forever annihilated in order for Mahājambudvīpa to be reborn into a new time of prosperity.

Swaraj: Mohandas Gandhi spoke of nonviolence—he was surely mistaken when it came to the enemy he faced. But this does not mean his ideas are not without merit. The pursuit of real agency is a respectable one and one which must be encouraged across the world. Those who have suppressed must be made to understand that the people—the people—they have trampled upon are every bit as worthy, and indeed more worthy than they. But this alone is insufficient. Rather, each person must plow inwards and force themselves into liberation as well. Looking to one another, it is imperative that the physically liberated must likewise bring about spiritual liberation, be it moksha, adherence to God’s will, uninterrupted self-actualization, or something else entirely. True liberation can only be upheld if that liberation is internal, or the shackles of the soul will rebuild the shackles of the body. And those who refuse to pursue their own liberation? Their souls must be liberated from their bodies so they may burn, do it right next time, cease to exist—anything but spread the lie that there is any other way but this. Indeed, Swaraj must be translated into other languages and other worlds, until all can have their agency!

The Material Illusion: If one’s time in this instance of the world is finite, then the body is but a tool for the spirit. Years ago, the Darwinists clawed apart Mahājambudvīpi bodies to shred their souls. But while the soul must be nourished and liberated, why can the body not be sculpted into something greater than it already is? Let all who have seen horrors of the body take control over their forms, breaking free from being any one particular form. Let all be their own experimenters, rather than being mere experiments to some foreign beasts. Biotechnology must be made accessible, so that every body may be remade as its inhabitant sees fit.

National Issues:

Raining Blood: The subcontinent has bled itself on every surface. From the Great War to the liberation, and well beyond, countless people have died and countless have never been born into Mahājambudvīpa. Ashes filled the skies for many years, as bodies upon bodies were burned. Mahājambudvīpa may demand this cleansing by fire, but this does not mean there are not countless open wounds in need of healing. The Age of Darkness is certainly felt across the land, as vanishingly few can honestly say they have never participated in a killing, and fewer still have never watched it. There are no more bloodless hands in Mahājambudvīpa. But Shiva has not yet seen fit to lay before Kālī to catch her right foot!

Order from Chaos: Turning an outcry of rage into a functional regime is an eternal battle—one which has yet to see its conclusion. Although tempers have slowly cooled despite the active stoking of powerful voices, the language of violence has already touched every tongue, and there are still those who have avoided losing their heads who see little meaningful improvement from the Raj—indeed, now it is simply that brother is killing brother again. Destruction is what unites Mahājambudvīpa; how can such a regime effectively work to create itself under such conditions?

Biting One’s Tongue: There remains a deep sense of ambivalence towards dealing with other Europeans. How can they be rightly understood as meaningfully different to the British? Did they not behave in the same way? Do they not look the same way? The French, who have eagerly decried colonialism and offered their support to Mahājambudvīpa, still hold some uncomfortably similar bearings—ones which most of all make it difficult to keep on message when stoking the flames of vengeance, for their target seems to grow more and more narrow with time. At what point will Punaryuddha herself be forced to loll her tongue and bite down in shame, either admitting fault for tolerating demons in disguise, or abandoning that vigour which has kept Mahājambudvīpa moving?

Point of Divergence: Aside from technological differences, the most significant POD is the success of the murder attempt on Gandhi during his Champaran Satyagraha in 1917

History: In 1917, Mohandas Gandhi led his first satyagraha in his homeland in Champaran, bringing nonviolent resistance against the Tinkathia system imposed by the Raj. For a fleeting moment, it seemed that Gandhi’s tactics could bring change in India, as they had in South Africa, for the Tinkathia system shook under the unity and resolve of people simply refusing to participate. In another world, perhaps this would have been the beginnings of a new course against British rule in the subcontinent. But no matter what, its aftermath still changed the world. A notoriously exploitative manager of an indigo factory in Motihari invited the Mahātmā to join him for dinner, but chose to delay after learning that he had planned to host Gandhi during the Mahātmā’s weekly day of fasting. He ordered his cook to prepare a separate, vegetarian meal for Gandhi and Rajendra Prasad, who accompanied Gandhi. For a time, all seemed well, and though surely tense, the dinner between the manager and his guests proceeded smoothly. But Gandhi and Prasad never did leave the Englishman’s estate, falling victim to the poison mixed into their soup.

In doing so, the nonviolent thesis was refuted, and passive resistance was dead. The revolt began in Bihar, when the manager’s cook, Batak Miya, fled from the estate and confessed that he had seen his boss slip something into his guests’ food, now understanding it to be poison. From the city, the violence began to spread, slowly at first, and then erupted into a revolutionary maelstrom as the stripped-down garrisons found themselves woefully under equipped to deal with a revolt of such a scale. 1917 became 1918, and Britain recalled its Indian Expeditionaries to combat their own countrymen. Several days after these first shots were fired, an avatar of the goddess Kālī revealed herself. Punaryuddha was first seen in Kakinada, having apparently severed the head of the Collector of the Godavari District, one Harold Hamilton Burkitt. Her appearance marked the next phase of the revolt. In short order, the subcontinent began to crystalize from revolt into revolution. Within the year, British administrators and civilians were beckoned to withdraw by London, lest they lose their lives, as the British forces in the area struggled to keep corridors for escape open with mounting defections and casualties.

By 1920, there remained no British control on the mainland of the subcontinent, and the remaining British forces on the continent had largely retreated into Burma, preparing defensive lines rather than attempting to push back in. One of the officers brought from France in the immediate aftermath of the Great War to attend to the Indian Revolution—as it is known in the United Kingdom—delivered a remark which is now understood to be widely shared amongst the survivors of the conflict: “I’ll put it this way: At least the bloody Krauts at least had the decency not to bite us!” The first inklings that this tenacity was no fluke came as news flowed out of the evisceration of the many Princely States during the years of 1921 and 1922, culminating in the public mass-murder of the Dogra dynasty of Jammu and Kashmir by the rising leader of the emerging regime, Punaryuddha. As Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan were torn asunder and their ruling families slain in the early days of 1923, it could not be denied that what had emerged from the flaming corpse of the Raj was revealing previous movements to be lightweights in the field of retributive violence.

But no amount of bloodshed on the continent could have prepared the United Kingdom for the shock of the Rama Setu Incident. Over the course of 1924, countless men and women dumped soil onto the shallow shoals of the bridge, reviving the lost isthmus—once more connecting Sri Lanka to the mainland. When the first revolutionary feet set foot on Manner Island, it is said that Punaryuddha herself proclaimed from her vantage point on a platform on the former Pamban Island that India—that Jambudvīpa—had ceased to be, and that the “first beach of Mahājambudvīpa” had been created. The Sri Lanka campaign was every bit as bloody as previous campaigns. The first British redoubts on the shore of the greater island swamped in corpses in short order, and another bout of shellshock rained down across the land during the remainder of the campaign.

To say that peace followed this would be a misappropriation of the term. The Anglo-Mahājambudvīpa Peace Talks of 1926—initiated by a United Kingdom ready to wipe its hands of the blood-soaked horror show that had erupted from its Crown Jewel, hoping for any outcome better than combating a seemingly inexhaustible enemy unwilling to consider reason—began with optimism in the aftermath of a stunning ceasefire agreement, and were then utterly dashed. But in a way, the ceasefire held. It has been theorized by different onlookers that what was revealed in the prelude to and aftermath of the 1926 Peace Talks was a crack in the illusion of infinite stamina that Mahājambudvīpa had demonstrated prior to this, perhaps a crack in the regime itself, or, more concerningly, a redirection of the young regime’s bloodlust.

To varying degrees, each of these theories was true. On one hand, any potential Burma Campaign was so obviously a terrible idea. With British positions entrenched, and the people of the Burma Colony bearing witness to the stories of those who had managed to flee the tide of blood in Northeastern India and Sri Lanka, the momentum enjoyed by the revolutionaries could clearly be broken on the hills, rivers, and forts of the Burmese hinterland. On the other hand, the regime of violence had begun to feel the price of its neglect of the industries it had seized, for its armies, by the end of the Sri Lankan campaign, were more unarmed than armed. And on the third hand, the “Alexandrian Problem” had previously been swept under the rug, and needed to be properly addressed, as would begin to be noted during the 1920s. Then, on the fourth hand, there was that other frontier, with the progenitors of the Problem—and a mountain range that was yet to be seized.

So it seemed, by 1927, the regime of violence had turned inwards and saw a new wave of slaughter, now against millions of former comrades-at-arms while it simultaneously tried to reignite the blood-extinguished fires of industry to fuel its war machine. But two years later, when the Afghan Civil War reached its pinnacle, it seemed the Raj’s monster smelled blood in the water once more. Rested and refreshed Mahājambudvīpi veterans chewed through both sides of the conflict, and by 1931, it is said that Hamun Lake was reborn in blood and the Amu Darya had been tainted for a year. Thus, the Graveyard of Empires became a mass grave, the Hindu Kush taking Hindu and Muslim bodies alike, and Mahājambudvīpa reached its current territorial extent. Punaryuddha soon after commented that Mahājambudvīpa was “more or less fully-formed.” Though a small comfort to onlookers, it has proven the most hope-inspiring, or perhaps more accurately, the least disturbing indication about the future of Mahājambudvīpa.

Since the new decade’s beginning, a status quo has begun to emerge. The previously unfathomable levels of violence and erratic warfare which defined the early years of Mahājambudvīpa have somewhat ebbed, and the regime has seemingly settled into a sort of equilibrium. To say there are any normal relations with it is disingenuous, but it has slowly evolved in its approach towards the world, having become, if nothing else, a theoretically viable partner for those in the world willing to suspend their discomfort. And true to how it has utterly embraced other intensities of emotion, as the targets begin to thin by sword or choice, there seems to be a sort of empathy that has managed to survive everything. The hesitant visitors from Mahājambudvīpa’s reluctant partners have seen dramatic dichotomies. As one French engineer reckoned, “there seem to have emerged vibrant, class-conscious communities with strong ties and principles who seem entirely decent, until such a time as they lay eyes upon anyone who might draw ire for any reason. Then, that old bloodlust resurfaces.” Likewise, anti-colonial movements once nervous to even comment on Mahājambudvīpa have found, uncomfortably, a warm, doting supporter in the regime of violence, receiving material and advice while hearing eerily little in the way of demands. Heterogenous movements the world over at once rejoice and turn nauseous at the thought of such a nascent backer as Mahājambudvīpa. Could it ever truly be that a regime would indeed only ask of its benefactors abroad, that they might revel in the retribution and be vigorous in their annihilation of the colonizer’s world?

But of course, for the Dark Mother renews Mahājambudvīpa and its people, as destroyers and protectors alike.

#ODQHVVF

Alright, app is great overall - just a few things that need fixing before it can be accepted:

• The technological focus section should only include the one technology that is your focus, because as it is written right now it seems to imply that India is proficient in both dieselpunk and biopunk as focuses, which as per the system it couldn't be.
  Smaller dieselpunk efforts that wouldn't quality as a "focus" could exist, but they should be mentioned in the technological description section.
• I know that Sri Lanka and India used to be connected over the strait, and that Rama's Setu plays a role in Hindu mythology, but I don't think it would be yet technologically feasible to recreate the land-bridge.
  
  

[Tracian Empire]

Nation Application

Full Nation Name: German Empire

Short Nation Name: Third Reich, Reich, Germany, Nazi Germany

National Symbols: Look, I don't want moderation to come down on all of us so I will assume you all are perfectly familiar with the national symbols.

Capital: Vienna

Territory: The German Empire of early 1939 but with the notable additions of Bohemia-Moravia, South Tyrol and the Trentino, Slovenia and Istria...and Danzig being a very closely aligned puppet.

Form of Government: Unitary National-Socialist One Party state under a totalitarian dictatorship

Head of State: Fuhrer Adolf Hitler

Head of Government: Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler

Ideology: National-Socialism

Population: 90~ Million

Religion: Primarily Christian with a relatively even split between Protestant and Roman Catholic

Technological Focus Teslapunk, Biopunk

Technological Description: As a nation deprived of great wealths of oil, it was strategically not feasible for Germany to massively invest into the emerging Dieselpunk technologies. Experiments were of course made as not investing into modern forms of transportation and mobility was viewed as absolutely inconceivable but it never became the primary focus of Germany's technological development...much of which was initially carried out abroad, in secrecy.

Teslapunk technologies, based upon the Teslacores which Germany could charge with its astounding wealth of coal resources, would as such become the primary focus of Germany's research. And one of the first fields to get heavily expanded on was that of Tesla Artillery. Germany heavily invested into so called Arc Cannons, weapons that fired out supercharged lightning which would almost naturally be attracted to targets in its way, superheating, electrocuting or simply disabling nearly anything it hit on its path. Due to significant numbers of disturbances in the average ground use, said arc cannons were primarily developed as anti air weapons, hence receiving the names Flak 18/36/37 according to their years of introduction. It should be noted that these remain lethal in ground use when sufficient situations are provided. Heavier Arc cannons are also in development and infantry based arc weaponry has found its way into the hands of the first assault formations, replacing the previous flamethrowers.

Another major point of Teslapunk investment has been that of powered armour. Building up on Great War era Stormtrooper tactics and trying to augment its mechanised forces with infantry with some more oomph, Germany has developed a variety of power armours to outfit its new Panzergrenadiers with. These suits of armour are generally rated safe against most handheld weaponry designed to take on infantry but have only limited mobility. They do however often bring impressive firepower to bear, among others often arc weaponry, making them small but powerful assault units.

However, in the wake of the great war and the revival of social darwinist tendencies and eugenicist beliefs, Biopunk researcg was driven forward, albeit initially in dark corners of the Weimar Republic. Only when the national socialists took complete power in 1933 and rid themselves of any and all of their opposition was Biopunk, now seen as the instrument find and create the future "Übermensch", massively state funded and state supported. And between the various...crimes against humanity already committed within those first years, the Nazis were able to find plenty of test subjects for their abhorrent experiments.

Most of Germany's experiments in the field of Biopunk circle less around the creation of monsters and more around the creation of the Übermensch, the future that Hitler's sick mind envisions for all of humanity. However, the various side products the Nazis have created in their amoral pursuit of perfection remain potent weapons of war, be they reanimation experiments or the modified women of the Lebensborn, serving as elite commando units and mothers of the future.

At the intersection of the Reich's research lies the Übersoldat Project. A project which seeks to combine altered flesh with machinery, creating enormous, armoured war machines, soldiers who are neither man nor machine but a twisted combination of both. Hulking, armoured giants bearing heavy weapons, their muscles supported with hydraulics and their senses honed beyond the average human.

Military Description: The German Military, at this point in time primarily the Wehrmacht though the SS has been clawing together more and more influence and stands ready to raise fully militarised units. The Wehrmacht in turn is split into its three primary branches, the Heer, the Luftwaffe and the Kriegsmarine. It's supreme commander is the Fuhrer and Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler, with control underneath him theoretically carried out by the OKW, the Supreme Command of the Wehrmacht, though in practice it is little more than a circle of sycophants for Hitler, with very little real control and power as the Supreme Commands of the Wehrmacht branches are nearly independent from them. Which are then further compounded by the rivalries that already afflict the entire government structure.

Despite its clear and obvious issues in command, the Wehrmacht can rely on a large and well trained cadre of officers, both commissioned and non commissioned, creating the basis of competent leadership both on the strategic and tactical level as well as the development and expansion of new and old warfare doctrines, whether they were the Stormtrooper Squad tactics of the Great War or the new Mobile Warfare Doctrine the the general staff envisioned to try and avoid the attrition warfare that caused their slow and inevitable defeat in the last war. However, the far reaching intentions of the Generals tend to outspeed the army they are made for. With the Wehrmacht relying on a weak and non-motorised logistics structure as well as no great domestic sources of oil, it is poorly suited to rely on these new doctrines for long.

The Wehrmacht as a whole is an army marked by rapid expansion and rearmament, trying to return to the position of a great power military from a near 0. It ihas grown massively within the past years and much of its equipment is newly developed though also lagging behind that of other states which have been able to experiment and produce in much larger quantities. This can be seen particularly painfully in the German Navy, which never recovered from its self sinking at Scapa Flow and the following restrictions on it, with the Plan Z rearmament constantly being cut back for being too ambitious or taking too long. The armoured force, while excellently organised in new and wholly separate divisions and with its tanks featuring many modern features, also painfully deals with many models which while modern, remain underarmed and underarmoured.

National Goals: European Hegemony, the elimination of Communism, Lebensraum to the east and a number of others we really don't want or need to get into right now

National Issues:

• Demands of the War Machine
  The Nazi War Machine, built and funded with extensive and obtuse government spending is, understandably, an immense drain on the economy of the Reich, steering it straight towards collapse and designed to force the government to feed the hungry maelstrom it has created with the economies and gold reserves of its fellow nations. The Reich must wage war or it must collapse and restructure its economy. There is no way around it. And those wars must be successes.
• Den of Snakes
  By design, the entire government structure of the Reich has been laid out inefficiently, with parallel and overlapping fields of authority. While an effective tool at keeping much of the government loyal, clamouring for the attention and decisions of the one at the top, it has also led to rampant factionalism and cutthroat intrigues and politics rather than efficient governance.
• The Brain Drain
  Like almost any totalitarian, heavily ideological state, the Reich has found that it rather hates free thinkers and highly educate people and particular fields of science which clash with its own ideological worldview. This has led to an exodus, particularly of the scientific variant, having quite an impact on Germany's research ability going forward.

Point of Divergence: 1848 March Revolutions

History:

• 1848 - March Revolution/Hungarian Revolution. Deployment of Russian troops to Hungary, Austrian troops assist with clearing away Revolutionary Forces from the German states alongside the Prussian Army.
• 1851 - Re-establishment of the German Confederation. Austria leverages its assistance in crushing the revolution to force the entry of Hungary into the Confederation, providing it with a dominant position in the Confederation.
• 1853 - Crimean War. Austria, in repayment for Russia's assistance with rebellious Hungary, remains benevolently neutral to Russia during the war, keeping relations cordial.
• 1855 - German Rivalry. Both Austria and Prussia seek the centralisation of the Confederation into a Federated state. Austria, with its dominant position in the Confederation, is however able to keep the upper hand.
• 1866 - German War. Prussia invades Holstein. Austria leverages its dominant political power in the Confederation to place the Confederate Armies under a unified command, allowing Confederation troops to move in unison against Prussia. Despite multiple lost battles, Austria manages to outflank the Prussian Armies in the west while preventing the destruction of its army in Bohemia. The Italian Front finds itself going well enough. Prussia is beaten the status quo restored.
• 1868 - Austria and Russia conclude a secret alliance against Prussia in the event of a new war.
• 1870 - Franco-German War. Through political maneuvering, primarily by denying France the spoils promised for their neutrality in the German War, Austria manages to cause a war between France and the Confederation. Acting as the protector of the Confederation, it marshalls the armies of the minor states and successfully invades France. Prussia, which initially refuses to participate, eventually joins the war independently albeit against Austria, triggering the secret alliance with Russia and leading to the occupation of Prussia.
• 1872 - Proclamation of the German Empire in Versailles. Prussia is balkanised in favour of many of its smaller neighbours.
• 1878 - Balkan Crisis. Germany, with designs of its own in the Balkans, betrays Russia's trust and threatens invasion in favour of Serbia and the like unless Russia retreats and the Treaty of San Stefano is declared null. The Holy Alliance finally breaks apart for good and rising antagonism between Russia and Germany begins to make itself known.
• 1884 - Vienna Conference. Having engaged in the colonial race itself and with conflicts over it becoming more and more apparent, Germany hosts the Vienna Conference to set the borders of Africa.
• 1908 - Germany officially annexes Bosnia.
• 1914 - Franz Ferdinand is assassinated by Serbian Nationalists. The German Empire declares war on Serbia, triggering World War 1.
• 1919 - Treaty of Versailles. The German Empire is utterly shattered into pieces. Revolutions loom across the remainder of the Empire and political violence between socialists an reactionaries is common. French revolutionary troops equip a Red Army in the Rhineland.
• [1920 - Kapp-Hötzendorf Putsch. German Militarists overthrow the Vienna Government which flees to Innsbruck. The coup is quickly defeated but emboldens socialist revolution even further, forcing the government to compromise on the punishments for high treason and instead re-employ the forces in combat against the socialists.
• 1923 - Hitler Putsch. Following the successful pacification of the Rhine, right wing politician Adolf Hitler remains dissatisfied with the Vienna Government not fulfilling its promises concerning the post civil war order and begins a coup in Munich which he intends to march into Vienna. He is quickly arrested and sentenced to jailtime.
• 1926 - Secret Rearmament. German Reichswehr Generals sign secret deals with foreign powers to create training and engineering schools for their personnel abroad, where they seek to continue research into technologies and doctrines forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles.
• 1929 - Economic Collapse. The Financial Crisis hits the Innsbruck Republic hard. Extremist ideologies begin rising and political coalitions become ever broader and ever more unstable as they do, leading to a quasi-dictatorial rule by the employed governments.
• 1933 - The Nazis manage to enter government and rapidly seize power.
• 1934 - Reichspräsident Hindenburg perishes in his sleep. Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler takes over and declares himelf Fuhrer.
• 1938 - March Crisis. Germany postures to invade Czechoslovakia over its Sudetengerman territories. In the Munich Conference, Hitler successfully convinces the Great Powers that these territories were unjustly taken from Germany and ethnically belong to it. Czechoslovakia is forced to return the territories. The war ministry and high ranking Wehrmacht staff that opposed Hitler are purged. Despite claiming this to be the final territorial demand of Germany, Hitler forcibly annexes Bohemia-Moravia only a few months later.

#ODQHVVF (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

Accepted!

[Tracian Empire]

Nation Application

Full Nation Name: The United Kingdom of Great Britain

Short Nation Name: Britain, United Kingdom

National Symbols: The Lion, The Rose, The Crown

Capital: London

Territory: OTL British Empire sans claimed territories, Madagascar, various other former french holdings

Form of Government: A constitutional monarchy, the Parliament of the United Kingdom dictates the affairs of state. The monarch King Edward VIII has been more vocal from the throne, but remains mostly a figurehead.

Head of State: His Majesty King Edward VIII Windsor

Head of Government: Prime Minister Kingsley Wood

Ideology: British Conservatism

Population: 40 million in the isles, 160 million in colonies and dominions

Religion: Anglicanism, various colonial minorities (freedom of religion is observed)

Technological Focus The United Kingdom is the birthplace of Biopunk "Darwinist" technology, and has long been a hotbed of dieselpunk technological development.

Technological Description: Great Britain has enjoyed the excesses of empire for centuries. Not only leaders in the Steam Age, the theoretical basis and practical application of Darwinistic selection would make Britain the heart of the Biological Revolution as well. Having conquered death and disease at scales unimaginable His Majesty's Empire is now in its third generation of eugenicized population, and its first that has seen the mass employment of gene therapies. The perfection of the Human form has only been slightly challenged by the conservative leadership, who see the natural and artificial methods as a reinforcement of God's image, and strong puritanism and moralism has guarded against the depravities of such technologies.

The United Kingdom has long-employed dieselpunk technologies at scale since even the early days of the war, but were slow to develop new capabilities during the war. Following the war, this tendency was rapidly bucked as the brain drain from a disintegrating Europe found itself centering in British territory. This has allowed the UK to make tremendous strides in both civilian and military applications of complex machinery.

Military Description: Command of the Sea has long been the principal task of the British Armed Forces. In every war she has ever fought, the Royal Navy has enjoyed brilliant officers and ample supply of men and material. This has been brought to obscene levels in the modern era. The Royal Navy possesses the most ships and tonnage of any fleet on the planet, spread far afield in every ocean and sea. Aquatic bioforms further augment this coverage, allowing a single warship to command a small horde of bioforms such as giant squid and steeltooth piranhas. The guarantor of global trade, Royal warships travel every sea lane with frightening speed. The regional fleets possess their own small battlelines, but the Home Fleet is perhaps the greatest conglomeration of naval vessels in human history, numbering dozens of gargantuan diesel-powered warships and titanic bioforms once limited to sailor’s tales. Despite this tremendous combat power, the true strength of the Royal Navy is its logistics capability to enable it to project power at a global scale.

In the skies, things have come a long way from balloons and wood-frame aircraft. The Royal Air Fleet rivals the tremendous power of the Royal Navy on paper, but its forces are even more dispersed over the various dominions as well as sea lanes. The primary role of this growing branch has been colonial enforcement, with individual vessels able to rapidly traverse the underdeveloped frontiers of the Empire. These vessels are individually self-sufficient compared to their navy counterparts, possessing a larger crew compliment, small light aircraft hangars, radar systems, and array of light and heavy guns to achieve an array of objectives. There exists a Home Air Fleet, a small armada of larger vessels outfitted for direct engagement with enemy principal combatants. Airborne bioforms are typically in the form of flocks of raptors, though larger airborne bioforms are often attached to ground forces, such as dragons and rocs. Of particular note is the Special Air Service: the first special forces unit in the world outfitted with rocket packs and airborne mechs to perform the role not only of paratroopers, but also boarding actions against enemy skyfleets.

On land, the Royal Army has further advanced from the forces of the last war. Where the first specialized bioforms terrorized the trenches and clumsy steel behemoths pushed across no man's land, the modern force is much more dynamic and lethal. Platoon-level bioform integration has resulted in a staggeringly capable force, with everything from lethal landhounds, grand war-apes, and titanic landworms and tailor made bioforms. The Army itself is heavily mechanized, with airborne mechs being the rank and file for powerful maneuver warfare, while larger heavy mechs have been mostly phased out in favor of amphibious landcruisers and tracked or wheeled vehicles. The infantry is mostly used in defensive emplacements, and prepared positions are terrifying bulwarks of mechanized artillery and thick concrete bunkers.

This relentless pursuit of technology has resulted in a series of more questionable secret projects. Targeted bioweapons as well as next generation gas agents are among some of the more comprehensible developments in work at the Biochemical Warfare Office. Most impressively is a cryptic promise from Cambridge that by the middle of the next decade, all other forms of power will be obsolete.

National Goals:

Maintain the Empire: The United Kingdom possesses a paternalism to her colonies, and seeks to use the promise of biochemistry and genetic modification to advance mankind as a whole. While the sheer scale of such an endeavor has put such aims as more idealistic than practical, they will not be so easily cowed from their holdings as they once were.

Preserve Democracy: Though the difficult times of the great war has brought about the popularity of anti-democratic forces, the Conservative party has succeeded in casting democracy as a darwinistic selection of ideas. The rise of revolutionaries and totalitarians alarms both His Majesty's government and the people, and its expansion has rapidly risen as a priority among non-fascists.

Perfect Humanity: The great British Project since Galton's Corollary of Darwinian science, cultural acceptance of eugenics is significant in the United Kingdom. With the advent of mass biochemical and genetic modification, the promise of eliminating the great evils of our nature come more and more into sight. Whether such methods will yield what they promise, or even greater terror, is often a question rising from the pulpit and soapbox alike.

National Issues:

The Rise of Fascism: Darwinist technology and Eugenic thought has given Fascism a much greater popularity in Britain than OTL. Though the Tories lead the government, the British Union of Fascists are holding their coalition against Labour and a disintegrating Liberal party.

The Collapse of Empire: Anti-imperial sentiments are growing around the world, and the loss of the Crown Jewel of the Empire has brought the future of the Dominions into question. Britain will not take this challenge lying down, and seeks to re-establish a global order.

War on the Continent: Britain watches from her island as the consequences of the Great War echo across Europe. It will be a question of who she aligns with, and if she truly wants to bloody her hands again.

Point of Divergence: Outside of technology, a significant political divergence is that Oswald Mosley defeats Neville Chamberlain in the 1924 Birmingham Election, cementing his presence and prominence in the Labour movement earlier before forming his own party.

History: The United Kingdom dates back to the Articles of Union between England and Scotland in 1707. While both kingdoms have long histories dating centuries before, this United Kingdom redefined the British Isles and would enable centuries of global eminence. Gaining dominion over every corner of the world, many lands would be settled and organized into dominions of the crown.

The balance of power between the monarchs and parliament would shift over the years, and instabilities would eventually result in an immensely powerful parliament promulgating liberal philosophy and democratic governance. This emphasis on the rights of man resulted in Britain being a hotbed of innovation and philosophy.

By the mid 19th century, these concepts had coalesced into a Victorian Era, where industrialization, rationalism, and empiricism reigned. Britain would become the first industrial power of the world, and her empire would ingraine itself on every continent and the globalization of trade was guaranteed by the might of her fleets and armies.

In 1859, Charles Darwin would publish his theory of speciation, and biological science would become immensely popular in university halls. By 1869, the field had matured into a much more real science, and Francis Galton would publish his own theory of hereditary genius: that through good practices in both genetic selection and behavioral science, you could produce a better man. Unlike in our world, this concept would become very popular among the intelligencia of the victorian age, Eugenic practices becoming culturally relevant and even normalized in some cases. The idea that behavior and breeding could mould better men was deeply attractive to the increasingly mechanized world. This cultural relevance would result in increased interest and advancement in biochemistry.

His Majesty's government was eager to capitalize on the potential benefits: state health programs would undergird modern medicine becoming a field of fantastic development, and industry was leveraged towards social organization and advancement of selection. Ultimately, modern medicine would deliver on the miracles promised by eugenics, and the interest in "good breeding" would die down as the nation entered the 20th century.

But when the great war came to decide the fate of Europe, the United Kingdom honored her alliances and fought alongside France and Russia against the central powers. This war would be a brutal affair, with hundreds of thousands dead, it would also form the crucible for the technologies of the next age. Injury and disease in the trenches was regarded as a principle issue for resolution, and the greatest biological minds would develop the first Darwinist methods. With the discovery of biological genes, its manipulation would be experimented with rapidly over the years. By the end of the war, the first genetically modified and behaviorally indoctrinated dogs were deployed to storm trenches in terrifying displays.

The war's aftermath would be almost as damaging to the Empire as the war itself. France, an important ally and trading partner, would fall to communist revolt and Russia nearly did the same. Arab forces overcame garrisons in palestine and kuwait, leaving influence over the Suez and Persian Gulf in a perilous position. Escalating violence in India resulted in a withdrawl from the Raj, a humiliating loss for imperialist forces who withdrew to Burma in defensive positions to maintain a presence in the far east beyond the trade ports of Singapore and Hong Kong.

Thankfully, not all news is bad: British industry roars with new technologies, global trade remains a critical cornerstone of the world order, and American investment has further advanced the prosperity of the isles and dominions alike. Britain has thoroughly conquered disease in many of its colonies, and even the imperfections of humanity are being quelled as more affordable therapies and medications become available.

Domestically, the resurgence of eugenics has resulted in increased popularity of the British Union of Fascists, an offshoot of the labor movement interested in totalitarian control of the new state as well as the new British man. The bulwark of Conservative leadership has been slowly chipped away at, but remains in its primacy following failed labour strikes and in spite of its international turmoil. Time will tell what the future holds for the British people and their government, but the last century of glory has continued into this one, and will not go quietly into history.

#ODQHVVF (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

Accepted!

[Tracian Empire]

I might join, either as Ukraine, a nation in southeast Europe, or Tibet.

Ukraine would perhaps be in a very interesting position. Tibet would be somewhat isolated in terms of interactions since we don't have a China, but it could still reasonably interact with India and the Russians.

[Tracian Empire]

Sorry for the delays, the last week or so has been rather insane in my home country.

So, the map and the list have been updated, and all the apps that had to be reviewed, to our knowledge, have been reviewed.

I would like to hear back from the players of Turkey and the Arab State to see if they are still interested and committed, otherwise their reservations will expire over the next few days. We will also have the IC launched over the next few days hopefully.

[Key Estatica]

So quick question if I can still apply, Would it be possible for a nation to have its main forces on a superheavy carrier, like a walking city?

[Khasinkonia]

And so the Dark Mother has made us destroyers and protectors, and beckoned us to seize our liberation!

Nation Application

Full Nation Name: Mahājambudvīpa

Short Nation Name: Dvīpa, Bhārat, Hind, India

National Symbols: Mahājambudvīpa makes use of many sorts of iconography, but its leaders categorically refuse to offer any real banner to work under. The soldiers dress practically, with no flags on their uniforms, only personal effects which may be worn with it at their leisure. The cities have no flag poles; all have long been knocked-down and melted down. Indeed, the only time Mahājambudvīpa has ever provided a flag for any purpose was during the Anglo-Mahājambudvīpa Peace Talks of 1926, where the first—and only—attempt made to normalize relations between the two governments was cut drastically short. In this now-infamous incident, rather than raising a flag for Mahājambudvīpa alongside the Union Jack, the Mahājambudvīpi delegation hoisted the civilian flag of the British Raj onto their pole, and immediately thereafter shot flaming darts into both flags, causing them to burst into flames on the flagpoles, and retreating back across the bridge from Tamu into Moreh.

Capital: Indraprastha, Purana Qila

Territory: India (Minus the Andaman Islands), Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Sikkim

Form of Government: Mahājambudvīpa, known (despite its ongoing protestations) to much of the world as India, has posed a challenge for contemporary political thinkers. It has in the same strokes been considered to be under theocratic despotism and mob rule by European detractors, while its supporters proclaim it a triumphant anti-colonial indigenous government blending pre-colonial power structures with revolutionary communitarian approaches. Officially, the government proclaims itself to simply be Mahājambudvīpa, with no qualifiers such as “Empire” or “Republic”—indeed, there are those in the highest rungs of power who have passionately argued that any such assertion is contrary to the point.

In practical terms, the government of Mahājambudvīpa is a sort of limited authoritarian regime, wherein Punaryuddha sits firmly at the top of the heap, and a variety of other self-proclaimed avatars, prophets, gurus and countless other titles hold sway over various apparent institutions (for example, a self-proclaimed avatar of Murugan, who is known to have fought in the Mesopotamian Campaign under Indian Expeditionary Force D—a fact often recounted by the British themselves) which are organized to degrees which vary wildly across time and context. Agriculture is largely communal and left to be self-organized, while former British industries have been seized outright by the Mahājambudvīpan regime and are thus operated by it exclusively—in particular monopolizing the remains of British biological industries. One constant remains, however. There are no formal written laws, and vanishingly few which are expressly espoused by the highest levels of the regime. Vigilante justice is, by far, the most common form, prevented only by the act of prostration. If someone is willing to lay down before a vigilante and put themselves at their mercy in order to request that someone be spared, they must be, lest the vigilante(s) find themselves running from the wrath of darkness in turn.

Mahājambudvīpa’s rule is one of theatrics and flamboyant violence more so than laws and precedents. Thieves are kept in check not by some authority, but by their own neighbours, who may murder them as they see fit. Only by specific acts or explicit military intervention is the mob rule interrupted.

Head of State: Punaryuddha, a self-proclaimed Avatar of Kālī, often known by her title “Kali Mata”—the Dark Mother

Head of Government: Punaryuddha, a self-proclaimed Avatar of Kālī, often known by her title “Kali Mata”—the Dark Mother

Ideology: Much like its form of government, Mahājambudvīpa’s ideological underpinnings are difficult for western political thinkers to parse effectively. Self-evidently, Mahājambudvīpa adheres to a wildly heterogeneous array of esoteric, anti-colonial approaches which most often bear some degree of millenarian flare. For her part, Punaryuddha has readily reminded her fellow Mahājambudvīpi that the Kali Yuga has persisted for millennia and has yet to reach a satisfactory pinnacle, where the British and others are demons which must be slain. Indeed, this millenarian flare may be said to sometimes dominate over everything else, for Punaryuddha herself, despite alleging to be an avatar of Kālī, has often been known to readily and fluently translate her own strain of retributive violence, the most famous of such declarations having been her remarks upon visiting Fort William for the first time, saying there, “And look, all of you! Do the English and Scottish not so resemble the Ya’juj and Ma’juj? Were they not confined by a wall—a wall of water—until they broke free? Remember what they have done, since that barrier had been removed! Let us prepare to see them destroyed in a night, so this Age of Darkness will end!”

Population: 328,690,000

Religion: Though Mahājambudvīpa and many of its major leaders frequently reference Smriti literature and Tantra alike, Mahājambudvīpa cannot be rightly said to have a specific, state-endorsed theology so much as it endorses a dramatic array of millenarian movements. In the domain of creeds indigenous to the subcontinent, the focus remains on metaphor, feeling, and regeneration of the Hindu consciousness within the “shattered reality of the progressed Age of Quarrel and Hypocrisy” (Punaryuddha, 1929). But despite its Tantric proclivities, Mahājambudvīpa does not rebuke faiths outside of the Vedic-Tantric world at their faces, and, indeed, elevates them as pedestals of “liberated truth” in their own rights. Zoroastrianism, despite its small population, enjoys enthusiastic endorsement from Mahājambudvīpa leaders—albeit at a Faustian cost. Much the same in Islam, both Sufi Muslims and Muslims adhering to the Ahl-i Hadith movement have received sincere praise and support from the regime, with the former spoken of as “Mohammed’s liberated minds” and the latter as “swordbearers in jihad against the Hellenic deceiver.”

Unfortunately, the same warm regard is not extended to all, for Mahājambudvīpa does not support freedom of religion or freedom from religion so much as it insists upon a central tenet to be shared across any cosmology that may be tolerated in its borders: Millenarian Anti-Westernism. To be a faith compatible with the Raj, to be a faith compatible with—much less felt to be endorsing—western hegemonies is to be a demon-lover or, indeed, to be a demon. Many Muslims drifted away from Alexandrian orthodoxies in the centuries of British rule, embracing Sufi traditions more closely, tearing down precedent entirely and returning to the holy texts and intuition, or other practices, and in doing so, found themselves spared and, in many cases, invited to participate in the retributive wrath which governs Mahājambudvīpa. But those who continued in the Alexandrian tradition have seen the gates of Jahannam erupt into the world, seeing the very same horrors that actual collaborators have been subjected to. Christians of any sort fare scarcely better, with even the old sects of Kerala facing extensive violence for such western connections, believed or real. Thus, Mahājambudvīpa is pluralistic, to a point. Any form of millenarian sect which can point to secure enough roots on the subcontinent and absolve itself of connections to the “demonic colonial” can find welcome, if not active praise from the leaders of the regime. For there is but one truth that Mahājambudvīpa truly insists upon: the truth of the world’s darkness.

Technological Focus: Mahājambudvīpa has seen great success in scavenging and remaking Biopunk technology pried from the slain hands of its former masters, though it has also attempted to grapple with what of the United Kingdom’s dieselpunk empire it has been able to salvage—with perhaps underappreciated assistance from the competing French and German delegations, who are both eager to tame such a raging fire and help direct it at the British.

Technological Description: The Raj was once one of many playgrounds for the Darwinists of the United Kingdom, first as a corporate playground where some of the oldest true atrocities of the revolution were perpetrated, and then as the Crown Jewel of an Empire hungry to perfect its Biological Revolution. Just as some colonial authorities keenly described the people of the subcontinent as rabbits, so too were a great many unfortunate souls thrown into the fires of progress as guinea pigs and lab rats by pioneers in the Biological Revolution. The people of Mahājambudvīpa can trace their fingers along countless scars from these young days of the Biological Revolution—from before the Imperial innovators saw fit to apply their acceptably-tested serums and processes to their own people. But from these scars has risen a profound understanding. The Biological Revolution is not a revolution for Mahājambudvīpa, not in the traditional sense. Rather, it is a fact of life. But for the past fifteen years or so, at last those who studied British science can decide how they want to use it. And as it is plain to see, there are those who have already put great effort into clawing at the confines of humanity and nature.

But man was not destined to fly or to run and haul as the freight train does. The old infrastructure put in place by the Raj authorities was meant to extract, not connect. With no markets to export to, the mechanical world of Mahājambudvīpa has undergone a decade of upheaval—with no effort spared to rescape the mechanical world as the physical world already has been. There is a very long way to go; Mahājambudvīpa has only the skeleton of an industrial nation, rather than the body, but its leaders remain impatient and eager to draw as much as they can from the mouths of their current benefactors in the West, so that Mahājambudvīpa may one day have its turn to choke Britain with smog of her creation while draining her blood.

Military Description: Mahājambudvīpa is, without a doubt, almost exclusively a land power. Indeed, so dedicated is Mahājambudvīpa to its work on the ground that it chose to dump soil to build up Rama Setu rather than even entertain the notion of constructing a modern navy—or, indeed, any navy at all. In terms of sheer manpower, few can challenge Mahājambudvīpa. For their deep chains to the Biological Revolution, many Mahājambudvīpi soldiers are formidable fighters on their own, and, when factoring in the potent mixture of millenarian rage and straight-up drugs they can also rely upon, already exist as decisive challenges to the Great War’s trenches. For what use is barbed wire when the enemy soldier may simply rip their leg off rather than stop? What use is a machine gun if your foe holds their dead comrade up as a human shield while progressing forward? What good is a gas mask if your foe has injected themself with a bombardier beetle tincture and spits hot acid at its lenses?

It is without a doubt that Mahājambudvīpa has, in its own terrifying way, chewed up the concept of infantry and spit out a mangled, terrifying reflection. But if individually mighty infantry was all that war needed, then Burma would already have fallen. It is well-understood and eagerly accepted by the highest echelons of Mahājambudvīpa’s government that this alone is insufficient for any future operations. On one hand, there is the problem of organization. The world’s most dedicated, most grit-filled soldier will do very little in a conventional war operation without marching orders, nor will they be able to do much at all if they should run out of supplies. Discipline in the ranks, as the subjugation of Afghanistan has proven, is an absolute necessity. The Hindu Kush are bathed in blood, partisans, and soldiers, having seen such bloodshed that it is said that Amānullāh Khān wept openly upon learning of what had happened after he had fled.

There are only so many willing to commit suicide in the pursuit of war; individual bloodthirst is finite and will run dry as targets to stoke it on the home front diminish, after all. The Army of Destruction was formidable while it lasted, but the rebirth of the rank and file has not been tested. Nor has the other, younger branch of the subcontinent’s military: the Air Force. What self-respecting self-aggrandizing regime could resist the tantalizing call of the sky, especially when one’s hated enemies can be bombed from it? The air navy is, much like the army, more disposed to individual agility and bravado than large operations, for its origins, after all, were in a scant few stolen planes. The air navy has blossomed with the attention it has received for the past decade, with Mahājambudvīpi pilots soaring high and darting quickly through the heights of the sky, but they remain largely confined to Mahājambudvīpa’s own airspace, unable to effectively engage in the long-range missions that others have pioneered. Defence must come before offence; after all, the leaders of Mahājambudvīpa have not so easily forgotten that factories are of little use if they have been bombed. But surely, the United Kingdom will get what it deserves soon enough, once the Dark Mother reaches out for the demons there.

National Goals:

Kali Yuga: The Age of Darkness is undeniably upon the world. The only way out is through. And with a form of Kali standing before the good, long-suffering people Mahājambudvīpa, the way through is surely by destroying the darkness and the demons that propagate it so that light can emerge anew. The old colonial legacies and the old oppressors must be destroyed and every colonial Raj—ours first but no longer foremost—must be forever annihilated in order for Mahājambudvīpa to be reborn into a new time of prosperity.

Swaraj: Mohandas Gandhi spoke of nonviolence—he was surely mistaken when it came to the enemy he faced. But this does not mean his ideas are not without merit. The pursuit of real agency is a respectable one and one which must be encouraged across the world. Those who have suppressed must be made to understand that the people—the people—they have trampled upon are every bit as worthy, and indeed more worthy than they. But this alone is insufficient. Rather, each person must plow inwards and force themselves into liberation as well. Looking to one another, it is imperative that the physically liberated must likewise bring about spiritual liberation, be it moksha, adherence to God’s will, uninterrupted self-actualization, or something else entirely. True liberation can only be upheld if that liberation is internal, or the shackles of the soul will rebuild the shackles of the body. And those who refuse to pursue their own liberation? Their souls must be liberated from their bodies so they may burn, do it right next time, cease to exist—anything but spread the lie that there is any other way but this. Indeed, Swaraj must be translated into other languages and other worlds, until all can have their agency!

The Material Illusion: If one’s time in this instance of the world is finite, then the body is but a tool for the spirit. Years ago, the Darwinists clawed apart Mahājambudvīpi bodies to shred their souls. But while the soul must be nourished and liberated, why can the body not be sculpted into something greater than it already is? Let all who have seen horrors of the body take control over their forms, breaking free from being any one particular form. Let all be their own experimenters, rather than being mere experiments to some foreign beasts. Biotechnology must be made accessible, so that every body may be remade as its inhabitant sees fit.

National Issues:

Raining Blood: The subcontinent has bled itself on every surface. From the Great War to the liberation, and well beyond, countless people have died and countless have never been born into Mahājambudvīpa. Ashes filled the skies for many years, as bodies upon bodies were burned. Mahājambudvīpa may demand this cleansing by fire, but this does not mean there are not countless open wounds in need of healing. The Age of Darkness is certainly felt across the land, as vanishingly few can honestly say they have never participated in a killing, and fewer still have never watched it. There are no more bloodless hands in Mahājambudvīpa. But Shiva has not yet seen fit to lay before Kālī to catch her right foot!

Order from Chaos: Turning an outcry of rage into a functional regime is an eternal battle—one which has yet to see its conclusion. Although tempers have slowly cooled despite the active stoking of powerful voices, the language of violence has already touched every tongue, and there are still those who have avoided losing their heads who see little meaningful improvement from the Raj—indeed, now it is simply that brother is killing brother again. Destruction is what unites Mahājambudvīpa; how can such a regime effectively work to create itself under such conditions?

Biting One’s Tongue: There remains a deep sense of ambivalence towards dealing with other Europeans. How can they be rightly understood as meaningfully different to the British? Did they not behave in the same way? Do they not look the same way? The French, who have eagerly decried colonialism and offered their support to Mahājambudvīpa, still hold some uncomfortably similar bearings—ones which most of all make it difficult to keep on message when stoking the flames of vengeance, for their target seems to grow more and more narrow with time. At what point will Punaryuddha herself be forced to loll her tongue and bite down in shame, either admitting fault for tolerating demons in disguise, or abandoning that vigour which has kept Mahājambudvīpa moving?

Point of Divergence: Aside from technological differences, the most significant POD is the success of the murder attempt on Gandhi during his Champaran Satyagraha in 1917

History: In 1917, Mohandas Gandhi led his first satyagraha in his homeland in Champaran, bringing nonviolent resistance against the Tinkathia system imposed by the Raj. For a fleeting moment, it seemed that Gandhi’s tactics could bring change in India, as they had in South Africa, for the Tinkathia system shook under the unity and resolve of people simply refusing to participate. In another world, perhaps this would have been the beginnings of a new course against British rule in the subcontinent. But no matter what, its aftermath still changed the world. A notoriously exploitative manager of an indigo factory in Motihari invited the Mahātmā to join him for dinner, but chose to delay after learning that he had planned to host Gandhi during the Mahātmā’s weekly day of fasting. He ordered his cook to prepare a separate, vegetarian meal for Gandhi and Rajendra Prasad, who accompanied Gandhi. For a time, all seemed well, and though surely tense, the dinner between the manager and his guests proceeded smoothly. But Gandhi and Prasad never did leave the Englishman’s estate, falling victim to the poison mixed into their soup.

In doing so, the nonviolent thesis was refuted, and passive resistance was dead. The revolt began in Bihar, when the manager’s cook, Batak Miya, fled from the estate and confessed that he had seen his boss slip something into his guests’ food, now understanding it to be poison. From the city, the violence began to spread, slowly at first, and then erupted into a revolutionary maelstrom as the stripped-down garrisons found themselves woefully under equipped to deal with a revolt of such a scale. 1917 became 1918, and Britain recalled its Indian Expeditionaries to combat their own countrymen. Several days after these first shots were fired, an avatar of the goddess Kālī revealed herself. Punaryuddha was first seen in Kakinada, having apparently severed the head of the Collector of the Godavari District, one Harold Hamilton Burkitt. Her appearance marked the next phase of the revolt. In short order, the subcontinent began to crystalize from revolt into revolution. Within the year, British administrators and civilians were beckoned to withdraw by London, lest they lose their lives, as the British forces in the area struggled to keep corridors for escape open with mounting defections and casualties.

By 1920, there remained no British control on the mainland of the subcontinent, and the remaining British forces on the continent had largely retreated into Burma, preparing defensive lines rather than attempting to push back in. One of the officers brought from France in the immediate aftermath of the Great War to attend to the Indian Revolution—as it is known in the United Kingdom—delivered a remark which is now understood to be widely shared amongst the survivors of the conflict: “I’ll put it this way: At least the bloody Krauts at least had the decency not to bite us!” The first inklings that this tenacity was no fluke came as news flowed out of the evisceration of the many Princely States during the years of 1921 and 1922, culminating in the public mass-murder of the Dogra dynasty of Jammu and Kashmir by the rising leader of the emerging regime, Punaryuddha. As Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan were torn asunder and their ruling families slain in the early days of 1923, it could not be denied that what had emerged from the flaming corpse of the Raj was revealing previous movements to be lightweights in the field of retributive violence.

But no amount of bloodshed on the continent could have prepared the United Kingdom for the shock of the Rama Setu Incident. Over the course of 1924, countless men and women dumped soil onto the shallow shoals of the bridge, reviving the lost isthmus—once more connecting Sri Lanka to the mainland. When the first revolutionary feet set foot on Manner Island, it is said that Punaryuddha herself proclaimed from her vantage point on a platform on the former Pamban Island that India—that Jambudvīpa—had ceased to be, and that the “first beach of Mahājambudvīpa” had been created. The Sri Lanka campaign was every bit as bloody as previous campaigns. The first British redoubts on the shore of the greater island swamped in corpses in short order, and another bout of shellshock rained down across the land during the remainder of the campaign.

To say that peace followed this would be a misappropriation of the term. The Anglo-Mahājambudvīpa Peace Talks of 1926—initiated by a United Kingdom ready to wipe its hands of the blood-soaked horror show that had erupted from its Crown Jewel, hoping for any outcome better than combating a seemingly inexhaustible enemy unwilling to consider reason—began with optimism in the aftermath of a stunning ceasefire agreement, and were then utterly dashed. But in a way, the ceasefire held. It has been theorized by different onlookers that what was revealed in the prelude to and aftermath of the 1926 Peace Talks was a crack in the illusion of infinite stamina that Mahājambudvīpa had demonstrated prior to this, perhaps a crack in the regime itself, or, more concerningly, a redirection of the young regime’s bloodlust.

To varying degrees, each of these theories was true. On one hand, any potential Burma Campaign was so obviously a terrible idea. With British positions entrenched, and the people of the Burma Colony bearing witness to the stories of those who had managed to flee the tide of blood in Northeastern India and Sri Lanka, the momentum enjoyed by the revolutionaries could clearly be broken on the hills, rivers, and forts of the Burmese hinterland. On the other hand, the regime of violence had begun to feel the price of its neglect of the industries it had seized, for its armies, by the end of the Sri Lankan campaign, were more unarmed than armed. And on the third hand, the “Alexandrian Problem” had previously been swept under the rug, and needed to be properly addressed, as would begin to be noted during the 1920s. Then, on the fourth hand, there was that other frontier, with the progenitors of the Problem—and a mountain range that was yet to be seized.

So it seemed, by 1927, the regime of violence had turned inwards and saw a new wave of slaughter, now against millions of former comrades-at-arms while it simultaneously tried to reignite the blood-extinguished fires of industry to fuel its war machine. But two years later, when the Afghan Civil War reached its pinnacle, it seemed the Raj’s monster smelled blood in the water once more. Rested and refreshed Mahājambudvīpi veterans chewed through both sides of the conflict, and by 1931, it is said that Hamun Lake was reborn in blood and the Amu Darya had been tainted for a year. Thus, the Graveyard of Empires became a mass grave, the Hindu Kush taking Hindu and Muslim bodies alike, and Mahājambudvīpa reached its current territorial extent. Punaryuddha soon after commented that Mahājambudvīpa was “more or less fully-formed.” Though a small comfort to onlookers, it has proven the most hope-inspiring, or perhaps more accurately, the least disturbing indication about the future of Mahājambudvīpa.

Since the new decade’s beginning, a status quo has begun to emerge. The previously unfathomable levels of violence and erratic warfare which defined the early years of Mahājambudvīpa have somewhat ebbed, and the regime has seemingly settled into a sort of equilibrium. To say there are any normal relations with it is disingenuous, but it has slowly evolved in its approach towards the world, having become, if nothing else, a theoretically viable partner for those in the world willing to suspend their discomfort. And true to how it has utterly embraced other intensities of emotion, as the targets begin to thin by sword or choice, there seems to be a sort of empathy that has managed to survive everything. The hesitant visitors from Mahājambudvīpa’s reluctant partners have seen dramatic dichotomies. As one French engineer reckoned, “there seem to have emerged vibrant, class-conscious communities with strong ties and principles who seem entirely decent, until such a time as they lay eyes upon anyone who might draw ire for any reason. Then, that old bloodlust resurfaces.” Likewise, anti-colonial movements once nervous to even comment on Mahājambudvīpa have found, uncomfortably, a warm, doting supporter in the regime of violence, receiving material and advice while hearing eerily little in the way of demands. Heterogenous movements the world over at once rejoice and turn nauseous at the thought of such a nascent backer as Mahājambudvīpa. Could it ever truly be that a regime would indeed only ask of its benefactors abroad, that they might revel in the retribution and be vigorous in their annihilation of the colonizer’s world?

But of course, for the Dark Mother renews Mahājambudvīpa and its people, as destroyers and protectors alike.

#ODQHVVF

Alright, app is great overall - just a few things that need fixing before it can be accepted:

• The technological focus section should only include the one technology that is your focus, because as it is written right now it seems to imply that India is proficient in both dieselpunk and biopunk as focuses, which as per the system it couldn't be.
  Smaller dieselpunk efforts that wouldn't quality as a "focus" could exist, but they should be mentioned in the technological description section.
• I know that Sri Lanka and India used to be connected over the strait, and that Rama's Setu plays a role in Hindu mythology, but I don't think it would be yet technologically feasible to recreate the land-bridge.

1. Easy fix, will do.
2. I had initially thought this too, but as I researched this, I found several points that made this compelling to me as something theoretically feasible (if definitely wild—which is the intention). First, the Rama Setu is believed to have been entirely above water prior to 1480, and even now, after a major cyclone in the 1960s deepened some areas, the water rarely goes below 1m deep along the main corridor—which is the only area that one would need to build up. Doing some napkin math, I had found that the Netherlands was engaged in a significantly larger earthworks project in the form of the Afsluitdijk in the same decade—larger in material requirement by possibly an order of magnitude (~20,160,000 cubic metres of soil for the Afsluitdijk versus around 432,000 cubic metres of soil for a rough fill-in of the Rama Setu). As a result, I have come to feel that filling in the Rama Setu, while objectively kind of a batshit crazy idea, is shockingly technologically feasible, although I’m happy to tweak the time needed if necessary. The point is mostly to emphasize how willing Mahājambudvīpa is to engage in seemingly bonkers pursuits.