1900: Alternative Divergence [AH][OOC-OPEN]

[Krugmar]

Reservation

Nation Name: Name undecided, but it's going to reflect the pan-Christian (mainly Quaker-Mormon-esque etc) nature of the state
Territory: Mainland - Missionary State (quasi-colony)
#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

Mhmk. Also, could I be a tad cheeky and request an extension of my reservation to this?

It looks alright to me, so you can consider it partially accepted.

What I mean by that is that I'm not exactly familiar with the region, so one of my objectives here is to make sure that another nation can exist in the area, in the place you're leaving empty in the Eastern US.

So I'll have to ask another member of the board first, but until then, it will be reserved for you.

My main suggestion would be that we all vacate the Louisiana-Mississippi region (since to my knowledge controlling New Orleans without controlling the Mississippi river makes it less significant) , allowing for somebody to apply for that wider region. That just leaves the Hudson Bay area and West Coast which could be colonised separately via their coastlines.

[Tracian Empire]

Reservation

Nation Name: German Empire
Territory: Germany
#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

I'm afraid that Germany proper was just reserved a few posts above yours.

[Tracian Empire]

Of course, it's alright for you to join, but I am little confused about the idea that you're trying to do here. A Prussia that has conquered Germany Austria and Bohemia without abandoning its Prussian identity in favor of Pan-Germanism?

*cough* (but taken to an extreme).

But yeah, this is the general idea.

It could be an interesting idea.

I'm afraid that your claim as a whole probably wouldn't work. A Prussian state centered in Germany would be extremely strong anyway, with the Ruhr Gebiet and Silesia as extremely powerful, it would be even more so with the traditionally industrialized Bohemia and with Austria.

But this is not my main concern - it's just that the pieces of Hungary and Slovakia that you are leaving empty are in a pretty weird position. So it would seem fair to me to leave Austria and Bohemia to another player/state.

But if you really need it for your idea, we can discuss it.

[Labstoska]

Reservation

Nation Name:Achaemenid Empire
Territory: Persia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan
#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

[The V O I D]

*cough* (but taken to an extreme).

But yeah, this is the general idea.

It could be an interesting idea.

I'm afraid that your claim as a whole probably wouldn't work. A Prussian state centered in Germany would be extremely strong anyway, with the Ruhr Gebiet and Silesia as extremely powerful, it would be even more so with the traditionally industrialized Bohemia and with Austria.

But this is not my main concern - it's just that the pieces of Hungary and Slovakia that you are leaving empty are in a pretty weird position. So it would seem fair to me to leave Austria and Bohemia to another player/state.

I mean, I could also claim those territories - it just seemed more blobby/messy when I did. If no one claims Hungary or what remains of Slovakia by the time I get my app up, I could claim them and then the borders are less messy?

I don't mind, either way, I can remove Austria and Bohemia - I'd just prefer to keep them if possible.

[Tracian Empire]

It could be an interesting idea.

I'm afraid that your claim as a whole probably wouldn't work. A Prussian state centered in Germany would be extremely strong anyway, with the Ruhr Gebiet and Silesia as extremely powerful, it would be even more so with the traditionally industrialized Bohemia and with Austria.

But this is not my main concern - it's just that the pieces of Hungary and Slovakia that you are leaving empty are in a pretty weird position. So it would seem fair to me to leave Austria and Bohemia to another player/state.

I mean, I could also claim those territories - it just seemed more blobby/messy when I did. If no one claims Hungary or what remains of Slovakia by the time I get my app up, I could claim them and then the borders are less messy?

I don't mind, either way, I can remove Austria and Bohemia - I'd just prefer to keep them if possible.

Well, I suppose that we can wait and discuss it. My main issue like I said isn't with those empty pieces but with how powerful such a state would be and how it would be possible to have another player and another nation in Austria and Bohemia. You're also most certainly going to have ethnic and nationalistic issues in those areas if you are going for Prussian nationalism.

But if you need them, we can discuss this, I suppose.

[Tracian Empire]

Reservation

Nation Name: Name undecided, but it's going to reflect the pan-Christian (mainly Quaker-Mormon-esque etc) nature of the state
Territory: Mainland - Missionary State (quasi-colony)
#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

It looks alright to me, so you can consider it partially accepted.

What I mean by that is that I'm not exactly familiar with the region, so one of my objectives here is to make sure that another nation can exist in the area, in the place you're leaving empty in the Eastern US.

So I'll have to ask another member of the board first, but until then, it will be reserved for you.

My main suggestion would be that we all vacate the Louisiana-Mississippi region (since to my knowledge controlling New Orleans without controlling the Mississippi river makes it less significant) , allowing for somebody to apply for that wider region. That just leaves the Hudson Bay area and West Coast which could be colonised separately via their coastlines.

Your reservation as a whole is accepted.

And it should be noted that I do like your proposal about the Louisiana region.

[Tracian Empire]

Reservation

Nation Name:Achaemenid Empire
Territory: Persia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan
#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

The Achaemenid dynasty never being conquered by Alexander?

That would change a lot. Accepted.

[The V O I D]

I mean, I could also claim those territories - it just seemed more blobby/messy when I did. If no one claims Hungary or what remains of Slovakia by the time I get my app up, I could claim them and then the borders are less messy?

I don't mind, either way, I can remove Austria and Bohemia - I'd just prefer to keep them if possible.

Well, I suppose that we can wait and discuss it. My main issue like I said isn't with those empty pieces but with how powerful such a state would be and how it would be possible to have another player and another nation in Austria and Bohemia. You're also most certainly going to have ethnic and nationalistic issues in those areas if you are going for Prussian nationalism.

But if you need them, we can discuss this, I suppose.

I was thinking mostly about how Prussia could be a counterpart to the Romes in northern/central Europe. While the Romes dominate the Mediterranean and southern or southeastern Europe, the Prussians are the dominant force of northern/central Europe.

I was also thinking about the minority issue. I was thinking it could be interesting to play around with the idea of Prussian nationalism being very successful in terms of actually creating a “united and powerful Prussian Kingdom” while also having to deal with the issue of minorities/non-Prussians, especially those who would seek independence and the like.

I was thinking the Prussians allow a 'fixed number' of non-Prussian representatives into the Landtag (specifically, the Abgeordnetenhaus) to at least claim they aren't oppressing the minority races, but this obviously wouldn't satisfy a great many of them.

I dunno, I was just thinking I could find a way to make it work while also trying to portray the domestic issues such a state would have to face - while also trying to convince their neighbors, whether lesser or greater in power, that everything is totally fine and there is definitely no possibility that Prussia is going to have mass revolts (even though the truth is that could be very possible; they just don't want to be seen as “weak” to their friends and especially not to their enemies).

[The Ik Ka Ek Akai]

Full Nation Name : Western Roman Empire [official]
Latin Empire
Holy Roman Empire
L'impero romano d'Occidente (Italian; "Western Roman Empire") [official]
Il Senato e il popolo romano (Italian; "Senate and people of Rome")
Saran e Suant (Dalmatian; "Serene and Holy")
I depotuti e el poplo veste (Dalmatian; "The delegates and the people of the West") [official]
Juan Raigno (Dalmatian; "Young Kingdom"- contrasted with the "Old" Greek empire- "Vicla Raigno")

Majority/Official Culture : Italo-Dalmatian
Territorial Core : Here
Territorial Claim : [[OPTIONAL]] Technically the rest of the Western Empire, but for all intents and purposes let's say Sicily, Malta, Sardinia, Corsica, and the Baleares
Capital City : Rome
Population : ~25,000,000

• Italy ~ 20,000,000
• West Balkans ~ 2-3 mil, but boosted due to diverged history

Government Type : Exarchate
Government Ideology/Policies : Nationalism, Commercialism, Mercantilism
Government Focus : Culture and wealth are the main focuses of the Italian Caesardom. With a long tradition of craftsmanship and trade, with autonomous polities feuding back and forth over who had better paintings and architecture being but one example of this tradition continued throughout time. Despite being, under its foundation, a military governorship granted by the crown in Constantinople, it has been long since any expansion has occurred, the resources instead devoted to the aforementioned culture and wealth.
Head of State : Alessandra Udaina
Head of Government : above
Government Description : An exarchate, the government was initially a military governorship bestowed by the crown in Constantinople. Since that point, it has fallen under various relations and military uprisings and varying influencing factions until everyone forgot what it started as and it became de facto hereditary. At the moment, it is run much like the proper Eastern empire- a highly administrative absolute monarchy with a couple of autonomous regions.

Majority/State Religion : Latin-Rite Christianity, but with freedom of worship
Religious Description : Under the watchful eyes of the Patriarch of Rome, this is a Chalcedonian creed that never went extinct- within the borders of the exarchate it had instead managed to prevent its drift from the Greek Rite to a schismatic degree. It still bears resemblance to run-of-the-mill Catholicism, but remains more tolerant of imperial authority and Hellenic idolatry.

Economic Ideologies : State Capitalism, with some regulation applying to all parties (including the state)
Major Production : Dyes, luxury items, processed/precision goods
Economic Description : A specialized economy for turning raw goods into expensive things other people show off with, and turning water into fine, the Italian economic situation is generally prosperous and competitive- albeit, for how prosperous it is, it is also niche and specialized. It does what it does very well, but doesn't do other things very well at all. The army will sure look sharp in those silk uniforms with carefully hand-etched brass!


Tech Group : European

Army Description : The army is a carry-over from the Eastern themata, with military subdivisions and land grants ensuring a localized and battle-ready force is always prepared to be drawn up on the borders. Unlike the Eastern Empire, however, the themata follow regional powers and centers of conflict, conforming to what was, at times, only nominally subject city-based powers. Each city, thus, carries its own military legacy and rivalries. The military is largely modernized, perhaps moreso than the Eastern soldiers, due to proximity to the West and even the legacy of the Latins upon it. Being a frontier region, an exarchate, also gave an early emphasis on military development within it to the court at Constantinople. As a result of the localized military, the army as a whole is generally decentralized and grouped by place of origin, rather than forming large and diverse regiments. The discipline, however, suffers not.
Army Weakness : The army is highly decentralized and localized, leading to smaller units with less diversity. To some degree, this bears closer similarity to a series of alliances rather than a proper and unified standing army. Thus, what it has in discipline and modern technology, it lacks in structure and comprehensiveness.
Naval Description : The navy originated as an anti-pirate measure, but grew with ideals of trade. Somewhat limited in number due to the naval focus of the Eastern emperors traditionally, it consists of much of the same types of ships and structure. Its primary goal in existing is to ward off the Vandals and to protect trade in the Mediterranean, and can conscript civilian ships when necessary.
Naval Weakness : Similar to the army, the navy is localized and, as a result, disorganized. Each "theme" can harbor a treasure fleet of its own, and historically the power of naval projection was emphasized, but over the past couple of centuries the navy has generally been in decline. While still functional and capable of doing its base duties, it relies on the East in times of war to provide the bulk of its strength. Due to the mercantile origins of much of the navy, it consists largely of high-cargo light ships retrofitted to be military vessels, rather than having started with military use in mind.
Further Military Description :[urlhttps://pics.me.me/italian-landmine-moments-after-detonation-colorized-1944-war-is-so-12805252.png]experimental technology[/url]

National Goals : Ascendancy to Co-Emperorship, glory, and wealth
National Issues : Being a lot weaker than the Eastern empire by a large, large margin in most regards, and certainly being far from the most industrial and populous of European nations
National Figures of Interest : Tuone di Ragusa, Giorgio da Firenze, Leo d'Arezzo, Leo Farantouri
National Ambition/Aspirations : Gloria in excelsis populo
Rival: A bit too early to be declaring this, there's barely even anyone nearby!

History : The Greek general Belisarius was said to have been offered by the Ostrogoths the position of the Western Emperor when he laid siege to them. He accepted, only to turn against his Goths and betray them in the name of the court in Constantinople. For this, he was awarded the title Caesar of the West, reflecting his great accomplishment in battle and his everlasting loyalty to the Empire. He had been made the Exarch of Italy appropriately, and when he could no longer conquer and age beset his old bones, he settled in old Rome with his family. The great city had long since lost its importance, replaced by Ravenna and Mediolanum and other sites, but as the glory of all he knew originated with the city of Rome, it only seemed fitting that perhaps, just perhaps, it be given one more chance. Thus, it was born. Belisarius would live only so long to see the Lombards invade, and to personally drive them away with his son by his side.

Under the rule of the son of Belisarius, Nicephorus, there was conflict with the Patriarch of Rome. Nicephorus Belisarion had known the Greek Rite for much of his life. Furthermore, raised by the greatest general of the empire and mothered by the confidant of the empress, Nicephorus had of himself an ego rivaled only by the breadth of the imperial domain. The Roman Patriarch, who demanded submission and humility in accordance with the Latin tradition, grew to despise the decadent Nicephorus, but never dared to challenge him openly until the year 600, upon which a duel was held between the two. Nicephorus won, and the Patriarch was maimed. In but a few short weeks, he passed- and Nicephorus gained the epithet "Slayer of the Latins", known for his disrespect of the Latin ways. What had began initially as a glorious salvation from the hands of the Goths by a great general had quickly turned sour as the struggles between the Latins and Hellenes were emphasized once more. Rejected by his court, one by one, the Exarch grew anxious. Nicephorus, seeing his peril, married with a Latin woman and had five children with her- this gesture a symbol of the unity he had hoped to bring. Although he continued with the Greek Rite for his life, he took special precaution to help mend the wounds between Latins and Greeks. Naming his children in the local Latin, he passed his throne to his eldest Severius.

Verus, the first "Latin" emperor from his Greek brood, and the first since the collapse of the West near 150 years prior, grew in his life as a proper Latin. He spoke Latin, he dressed Latin, and he celebrated Latin holidays with his Latin court- the Italians had regained their position in the world, it had seemed, until all remembered the true power lay at Constantinople. It was by their grace alone that the breed of Belisarius continued to hold the throne, and by their favor towards his grandfather that Verus was allowed to govern the land. He took measure to ensure his fitness in the eyes of Constantinople- reinstating the old legions and fortifying the Alps being his major accomplishments. The fortification he had built on the Alps became known as the Veran Wall, and would be the first of many, many additions in the area.

Drawing from his predecessor, Honorius celebrated his ascension by adding to the Veran Wall. His additions were few, consisting primarily of nearby barracks to help garrison the wall- it was a gesture of support for the defense of the border, but furthermore connected him to his predecessor. This connection would become important, and the next few kings would all follow suit in making some additions to the Veran Wall, be they towers, extra layers, or even an extension entirely. The original, facing only against the lands of the Bavarii and incorporating the mountains of the Alps to fill gaps, would soon become a wonder in itself.

Several generations came and went, but in the year 812, the during the Ides of March, the Exarch Caesar Belisarion Severius dies in Venice after succumbing to his wounds by a Germanic blade. He has yet to proclaim a proper heir, and the unity of Italy begins to fall. His twin sons, Antonius and Nero, each take command of a section of the land. Nero, a brave general by heart, takes station in Venice by his father's bedside- here he garrisons the Wall alongside his men. Antonius, meanwhile, moves to Rome as the first properly administrative, non-military, ruler of the land. The court in Constantinople watches eagerly, as if an experiment, to see which of the brothers takes charge over the other, but neither does. It is in this divided reign that the Illyrian Betrayal happens, and many cities of Illyricum simultaneously declare a league of their own separate from the Italian influence. Nero moves quickly with his army, and warns of the precedent should Antonius let such events pass idly. Although Nero secures the loyalties of the Illyrians once more through 6 years of campaigning, the previous state is never recovered and they retain autonomy. It is in this new autonomy that the Dalmatian language, and its regional identity, begins to develop- as well as acting for a breeding ground for the mercantile city-republics that would come to dominate. A small town, Ragusa, begins to dominate by the end of the decade.

Antonius appeared to have won the battle of the brothers, but in his age his council turned against him. Slain by conspirators and with only a single daughter to claim the throne, the Italian cities followed the example of the Illyrians. The rule of Agrippa was rough, and only through the most cunning diplomacy and the most ruthless military action in conjunction with the elderly Nero was she able to, similarly to Nero, regain the allegiance of the Italians under different conditions. Unlike Illyria, however, the Italians failed to produce a single strong city to overcome and dominate the others- remaining divided instead. This played to Agrippa's favor, and she learned a "Divide and Conquer" tactic that she would later write about in her Codex Italicum. She would marry off her children to the local mercantile nobility, the lesser patricians, of her vassal cities and those of Nero to secure a general allegiance, but this would only serve to strengthen the autonomy of the cities as the old Roman way of splitting patricians apart from civilians began to blur.

Throughout much of the Middle Ages, the story is the same. A ruler claims the Italian throne, related to Belisarius through some distant marriage long ago, and the others would swear their fealty whilst retaining their autonomous republics. The greatest conflict stood between Dalmatia and Italy, whose respective components hired mercenary armies to compete with one another. Within the Roman art and science scene, the two constantly were competing. New developments out of Florence and Venice during the 14th century, however, began to turn the tide in favor of the Italians. By the turn of the 15th century, the leading powers were Ragusa, Vicla, Florence, Venice, Genoa, Naples, and Amalfi. It was these cities that led the way for the Rinascimento, the "Rebirth", as they began to consolidate power for the first time since the days of Severius by exerting their influence more aggressively.

Over the course of the century, the exploratory nature of the Italo-Dalmatians in their previous capital ventures to other lands brought them further and further. By 1492, the first Italian had set foot in the New World. It was under this prospering that the Italians finally began to eclipse the Dalmatians, gaining a factor of exponential growth. However, the line of Belisarius was running thin- the Republican politics had all but killed the Italian half of his line- leaving behind the Viclasun line to take charge. Stemming from Vicla, also called Veglia and, in Latin, Curicum, this unlikely progeny of the great Belisarius through no less than 4 cadet branches had managed to survive purely because their republic had long ago been eclipsed by the nearby Ragusa. Rising to the throne due to their well-recorded, if distant, lineage, the first Dalmatian Exarch went by Domagna.

Domagna Udaina was a ruthless and cunning man. Long suppressed by his neighboring Venice and Ragusa, he gained an enmity for the free republics of the exarchate. Cooperating with the Medici of Firenze, Domagna established a power base in Central Italy, a strong alliance across the land. He first chose to reign in Genoa, who stood distant from the others and with a distrust for their own duxe, the citizens of Genoa sold their city out to Domagna. Using this power base, he reaffirmed the loyalty of the traditionally monarchical Napoli to move on Amalfi. Half of Amalfi's patricians were of Greek origin, and despite a notable military presence, none was needed for Domagna to seize power. His ties to the Greek emperor, as well as his relatively nonpartisan origin, meant a nonviolent swearing of fealty. As Venice made its move against Ragusa, historically held back by the limited influence of the exarch but now with a doge reckless enough to ignore it, their city was invaded under the cover of night. In the year 1543, the "Night of Tears" occurred- Domagna infiltrated Venice with his combined Italian army and wrecked havoc upon the streets. Many of the town guard were slaughtered, and their bodies thrown into the canals. The island flowed in red for 3 days after the fatal event, and the doge was forced to surrender. As he had captured Ragusa and even appointed a new Rector, that republic had been cleared out of the way as well.

Domagna, in his violent reign lasting from 1516-1552, became known as "the Slayer". His son, Jugno, tried initially to rule with a soft hand, but in the second month of his reign realized the error of this. He chose instead, to invite all the dukes of his realm- the duxe, the doge, the rettore, to watch him compete in games. He raced for Blue in chariots, and won a tzykanisterion tournament. The games, lasting a full month on their own, ended with Jugno inviting any patricians who wished to assert their independence a duel to the death for the opportunity. He went so far as to promise his crown to any who would fight him. After the demonstration of his abilities in the games, however, none stood forward. All throughout his life, Jugno would insist the offer was always on the table, and made it to each newly elected duke of his realm. Through such shows of force and fearlessness, as well as his well-meaning heart and his administrative excellence in improving the unity and strength of his realm, the Italians and Dalmatians alike took to calling him agosto, the first Exarch since Belisarius to ever be called by such a title in any capacity.

A few more centuries would pass, and though all the cities would look to their dukedoms with regional pride, all increasingly came to realize their unity and the benefit they gained from the exarchate. This increasing unity brings us up to now, with the Veran wall crossing the whole Alps and being considered a great wonder of military engineering, a Dalmatian woman on the Italian throne, a Western empire subordinate to Constantinople, and some very pretty brass buttons on the uniforms.

RP Sample: past AD threads

#AltDiv

Done. Only in this, though. The original app is unedited. Just open the spoiler through the quote. The history is kind of a shell but that's primarily because it's just so damn long that going too much into detail (like I do in some cases, IE: 400 years or less I have previously done a king-by-king history with each king having no less than a large paragraph) would kill me.

[Axis Asteroid]

WIP

Imperivm Andalicianvm/Andalvm/Andalorvm
Regnvm Vandalicianvm/Vandalvm/Vandalorvm

Empire of Andalicia/Andal Empire/Empire of the Andals
Kingdom of Vandalicia/Vandal Kingdom/Kingdom of the Vandals

Opuletissimum illud mille urbium Andalucianum imperium
Ever Prosperous Andalicia, Empire of a Thousand Cities

Full Nation Name : The Andal Empire (Imperium Andalum), the Empire of the Andals (Imperium Andalorum), derived from Andalicia, a modern variation from the Late Latin Vandalicia (Land of the Vandals) that has since become the preferred endonym in among the populace as the Vandals gradually transitioned from a European into an African power with the addition of more inland territories with predominantly native populations over the past few centuries, leading to the rise of a new nationality that serves as a proud reference to both their Germanic roots and their changing identity with the absorption of other peoples into the fold. Opuletissimum illud mille urbium Andalucianum imperium (Ever Prosperous Andal Empire of a Thousand Cities) is the long form title used in formal documents, which is a slightly altered form of opuletissimum illud mille urbium Bactrianum imperium used in the Histories of Justinus to describe the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom of yore under Diodotus, which the Andals consider themselves its spiritual heirs after the adoption of the title by a former Shophet on the grounds of the shared reputation for wealth and excess between the two empires.

More recently, Andalixos has emerged as a popular alternative spawned from the creeping rise of Hellenism within the mainstream following the Fourth Punic War, wherein free trade with Constantinople brought with it the cultural trends and fads from the Romans overseas, with the new name becoming the latest front in a longstanding culture war between Andals young and old, with the former increasingly identifying with the Hellenism of the Romans as 'hip' and 'cool' in a countercultural context, and the latter bitterly clinging to old rivalries against perceived foreign subversion of their own culture.

Other names such as the Vandal Kingdom (Regnum Vandalum), the Kingdom of the Vandals (Regnum Vandalorum) also see common usage in official documents, in addition to the more archaic Kingdom of the Vandals and Alans (Regnum Vandalorum et Alanorum) used in reference to the population of Alans that settled North Africa alongside the Vandals during the Migration Period. Popularly referred to simply as Carthage (Carthāgō/Qart-ḥadašt/Carthāgō/קרת חדתה) after the capital in honor of both the ancient Phoenician seat of power and the new city that succeeded it. Depending on the region of the country, unofficial names like Bambara- Land of the Bambarans, Wagadia- Land of the Wagadou, and Gaorica - Land of the Gao, derived from the three royal titles of the Nyeni and Manden Kurufaba (Mali), Wagadou and Awkwar (Ghana), and Gao (Songhai) respectively, are also used in common speech, all of which are correct and interchangeable. It is not uncommon for the more unitary and inclusive name of Imperium Africanum (African Empire) and Imperium Africanorum (Empire of Africans) to appear on official documents, though the preferred style is most commonly Empire of Andalicia (Imperivm Andalicianum) when dealing with foreign nations.

Anthem:
Official:Canticum Victoriam ("Song of Victory")
Folk: Carminis Fortis Amazones ("War Song for the Brave Amazons")
Unofficial: Imperet Carthāgō! Imperans Oceanum! ("Rule Carthage! Ruling Over the Waves!")

Majority/Official Culture : Andals (Latin: Andali), derived from the archaic Vandals (Latin: Vandali) of yore comprise the dominant culture, which has since been christened with the omission of the hard V under a new name that has long shed its prior ethnic attachments, having evolved over time in both form and meaning to reflect the concept of a shared identity under a broad Vandal nationality that encompasses the myriad cultures, ethnicities, and languages of the various peoples living under the suzerainty of Carthage to reflect the evolution of society into a multicultural and religiously diverse polity over time. Not unlike the idea of Romanitas, the philosophy that Vandal civilization more than just an ethnicity or a political entity, but rather a sense of community brought about by a syncretism of land, language, and people living within Andalicia and the African continent as a whole is called Vadalitas (Vandality or Vandalism), derived from its Roman counterpart.

The citizenry largely refer to themselves as Andals to reflect this new identity, though the more archaic Vandal (Vandali) is also a popular alternative used interchangeably regardless of ethnic background. In many ways it is very similar to the concept of Pan-Africanism, and the terms are often used interchangeably in academic circles. A key difference between the two however would the focus of Vandalitas in the preservation and continuance of Roman culture in the form of customs, buildings, and institutions left behind by the late empire within the mainstream. Vandals culture still remains very Romanized in this respect, significantly influenced over time by the borrowing and blending of various cultural elements from across Africa, in many ways a marriage between Africa and the Occident that produced offspring with equal part Roman, Phoenician, Germanic, and African roots to in the form of the Vandals. Classical Latin is the language used in government, while a dialect of Vulgar Latin known simply as Andalic, derived from Andalicia, is the de facto and most commonly spoken language, largely the lingua franca and the language of business spoken across ethnic and tribal lines north of the Sahara and south of the Sahel, though it has little resemblance to the tongue spoken by their ancestors as it greatly diverged with the introduction of various loan words and general linguistic drift over time.

In total, there are over a hundred spoken languages and dialects within the empire, by only 34 are recognized by Carthage as of now:

• North Africa
  
  • Latin
  • Vulgar Latin (Andalic)
  • African Romance
  • Vandalic
  • Ossetian
  • Punic
  • Numid
  • Koine Greek
  • Aramaic
• Northwest Songhai
  
  • Korandje
  • Koyra Chiini
  • Tadaksahak
  • Tasawaq
  • Tagdal
• Southwest Songhai
  
  • Tondi Songway Kiini
  • Humburi Senni
  • Koyraboro Senni
  • Zarma
  • Dendi
• Nyeni-Awkar West
  
  • Kassonke
  • Mandinka
  • Kita Maninka
  • Jahanka
• Nyeni-Awkar East
  
  • Marka
  • Bambara–Dyula
  • Eastern Maninka
  • Bolon
• Gbe-Fon
  
  • Ewe
  • Gen
  • Fon
  • Adja
  • Phla–Pherá
• Kanem-Bornu
  
  • TBA Census
    
    • Lagwan
• Zulu
  
  • isiZulu

Territorial Core :

Territorial Claim : Sicily, Sardinia, Malta & Balearic Islands (Former Mediterranean holdings ceded during the Fourth Punic War. Not actively contested at the moment however, nor for the foreseeable future.)

Historically, two concepts defined the Vandal's relationship with Africa, but have since been shelved after the significant loss of naval assets in the Fourth Punic War. While significant segments of the body politic might continue to harbor these sentiments in the open or in secret, the Crown continues to abide the terms negotiated with the Romans nevertheless. Let the document below serve as historical record for the sake of posterity.

The first is a policy known as the Hannibal Doctrine drafted in 1817, centered on the opposition of European colonialism in Africa after a number of European powers established small footholds across the shores of the continent. It warns that any further attempt by European powers to take control of any patch of African soil will be viewed as a direct attack on Carthage itself, liable at any time for harsh military response and the enslavement of the guilty parties involved. Named after Hannibal Barca, the prodigal son of Carthage who once brought Rome to the brink of collapse, and defended Africa from foreign invaders, the Hannibal Doctrine has become the cornerstone of Vandal foreign policy since its declaration at the turn of the century.

The second is an ideology known as manifest destiny, borrowed from its New World counterpart and adapted to fit a Pan-African context, centered on the belief that Carthage and its children are destined to unite the entirety of Africa under its rule. It is defined by three core tenets.

• The common identity and shared bond between the peoples of Africa.
• The prophecy of the Vandals to redeem and unite the disparate tribes and kingdoms of the continent into a single nation capable of resisting the threats of far outlanders from Europe under the flag of Carthage.
• A fatalistic and inescapable destiny to fulfill this important duty.

Capital City : Carthage, Carthāgō, Qart-ḥadašt, the New City, the Golden City, the New Tyre, the Second Tyre, the New Phoenicia, Phoenicia Overseas, the New Babylon, the Second Babylon, the Jewel of Africa, the Crown of the Sahara, the Eye of the Mediterranean, the Elder City, the City of Cities, the Virgin Blessed City, the Matron City, the Breadbasket of the World. A city most ancient and of incredible antiquity, Carthage sits at the eye of the Lake of Tunis, its shores straddling the heart of the Mediterranean as the most populous and greatest city in all of Africa. Rebuilt by the Romans atop the ashes of the once mighty Phoenician capital, and made great by the Vandals into a formidable fortress with towering walls and vast harbors home to a thousand squadrons, the ruins of yore have given way to a new capital surpassing the seven hills of Old Rome in its splendor, and more importantly, surpassing even its predecessor, the ancient seat of the Carthaginian Empire at its height.

Second City : Holy Abomey, the City of Light, the Jewel of Benin, the Crown of Guinea, the Stone of the South, the Iron Keep of the Fon, the Everlasting Stronghold, the Domain of the Amazons. While a mere fraction in size compared to the capital, Holy Abomey nonetheless towers over the rest of the thousand cities within sprawling Andalicia as the Second City of its empire, not in terms of population, but in order of importance and significance as a the seat of Shopet's imperial guard divisions among the amazonian schools that the warrior women consider as a pilgrimage site in which the very grounds have been declared sacred in their faith. No city within the empire is less fortified, nor is there any greater concentration of military assets in men and material than there is in Holy Abomey, whose permanent garrisons are said comprise over half its total population, eclipsing even that of Carthage itself. A fortress city in ever sense of the word.

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Population : Approximately 70 million.

• Around 80-100 thousand Vandals and Alans first settled North Africa under Geiseric in 429 + the 300,000 population of Carthage in the fifth century. (Estimated based on the 500,000 population peak at the city's height scaled down to account for population decline near the end of the Western Roman Empire).
  
• Tanistia (Tunisia): 4,341,346 → 10,341,346 (Based on 1900 population figures and the above information in addition to high birth rates due to fertility of regional "breadbasket" left behind by Phoenician and Roman agricultural projects across North Africa in addition general migration towards the capital from neighboring provinces such as Numidia and Mauretania).
  
• Numidia (Algeria): 6,675,000 → 4,675,000 (Based on 1900 population figures scaled up to reflect regional breadbasket with the missing amount reflecting emigration towards the capital.)
  
• Mauretania Superior (Morocco): 10,854,000 → 6,854,000 (4,854,000 + 2,000,000. Based on 1900 pop figures in addition to 1775 population figures lost due to historical plague, circumstances which were averted under the stable governance of Carthage. Scaled up to account for half century of growth with the regional breadbasket in mind sans the cumulative amount of outward migration subtracted to reflect the trend of transitory labor and movement of people towards Carthage in the past few decades)
  
• Mauretania Inferior (Mauretania): 676,000 (Based on 1900 population figures).
  
• Mediterranean holdings ceded as a result of Fourth Punic War. Significant, yet indefinite numbers of refugees of have since fled the islands, resulting in significant diaspora populations throughout Andalicia.
  
  • Sicily: 2,200,000 (Based on 1848 population figures rounded slightly up to account for missing two years).
    
  • Sardinia: 4,300,000 (Based on 1848 population figures)
    
  • Malta: 125,000 (Based on 1850 population figures)
    
  • Balearic Islands: 211,649 (Based on 1900 pop figures scaled back to account for extra half century)
  
  
• Cape Verde: 147,400 (Based on 1900 population figures)
  
• Canary Islands: 358,564 (Based on 1900 population figures)
  
• Mali/Ghana/Songhai: 32,148,000 (Based on 1200 population figures (20,000,000) scaled up to account for seven centuries of estimated population growth until 1900, reduced slightly to account for missing territory).
  
• Dahomey: 750,000 (Based 1700 population figures scaled up to account for two hundred years of growth)
  
• Niger (Jeliba): 1,967,000 (Based on 1900 population figures).
  
• Chad (Tsade): 1,236,000 (Based on 1900 population figures scaled down to account for missing southern half of country).
  
• Former Barbary Slave Trade: 6,000,000 (Based on 1800 tallies and 1694 figures of the Ottoman slave trade, both of which had been perpetrated by the Vandals on an equal, if not larger scale until the abolition of slavery in 1867, in which the cumulative total of 4,000,000 million slaves (1,500,000 + 2,500,000) slaves captured throughout Vandal history is scaled up to account for their now free descendants in addition to the intense scale of prior raids)
  
• Abandoned after long distance rule deemed unfeasible after near destruction of naval assets during the Fourth Punic War. A not insignificant number of Zulu migrants and refugees now reside across the empire of the sands, primarily concentrated in Carthage as the one of the capital's most militant and revanchist population.
  

  • Zululand: 320,000 (Outdated figures based 1828 census)
  
  
• Total: Approximately 65,153,310 rounded up to 70,000,000 to account for for high birthrates in the stable core territories of North Africa proper and the Lower Maghreb in addition to an influx of refugee populations from former Medierranean holdings and neighboring African states fleeing European colonialists.
• • Vandals:
  • Alans:
  • Goths:
  • Phoenicians:
  • Berbers:
  • Moors:
  • Malinké:
  • Mandinka:
  • Fulani:
  • Bozo:
  • Soninke:
  • Mandé:
  • Hausa:
  • Mossi:
  • Fon:
  • Toubou:
  • Mayo-Kebbi:
  • Kanem-Bornou:
  • Ouaddaï:
  • Hadjarai:
  • Tandjilé:
  • Bilala:
  • Zulu:

Government Type : Federal Elective Monarchy
Government Ideology/Policies : Vandalitas, Nationalism, Detente, Polarization, Manifest Destiny, Piracy, Slavery, Secularism, Federalism, Militarism
Government Focus : Carthage is in a period of flux at the moment, with the powers that be within the federal government split between revanchist sentiments among the traditional ruling elite such as the aristocracy, military, and clergy spurring the desire to recapture lost glory in contrast to the moderating voice of the Shophet and amazonian schools endorsing the current trend of deescalation and detente that has since taken root in the general public, especially among the youth.

Carthage is focused on full domination of the Mediterranean, which means wresting control of the eastern half from the Romans. Defending Africa from colonial powers and the active sabotage of already existing colonies. Territorial expansion into the African coastline & interior. Continued slavery of Europeans through the Barbary Slave Trade.

Head of Government : His Royal Majesty Hilderic V, By the Grace of God and the Strength of Arms, King of the Vandals, Alans, Goths, Huns, Berbers, Moors, Greeks, Africans and Phoenicians, Emperor of the Malinké, Mandinka, Fulani, Bozo, Soninke, Mandé, Hausa, Mossi, and Fon, Forever Rex, Dominus and Princeps, Vandalirice of Andalicia, Magnus Rex of Africa, Numidia, and Mauretania, the Mansa of Nyeni and the Manden Kurufaba, the Ga'na of Wagadou and Awkar, the Dia of Gao and Songhai, and the Ahosu of Dahomey, the Mai of Kanem and Bornu, Magnus Dux of Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica, Dux of Malta and the Balearics, the , Shophet of Carthage, Syracuse, and Constantine, the Evening and the Morning Star of Africa, the Dominus and Great Protector of Niani, Timbuktu, Kumbi, Gao, and Abomey, the Prince of Melle, the Lord of the Mines of Wangara, the Conqueror of Ghana, the Mediator of the Zulu Empire, the Patriarch of the Magumi, the Great Protector of Africa, the Ordained Shield of the Apostolic Church of Carthage, the Ordained Sword of Christendom in Africa, the Defender of the Arian Faith, the Voice of Tanit, the Hammer of Wōtan, the Grand Master of the Legion of Valor, of the Order of Our Lady of Assumption, of the Order of the Ivory Crown, Knight of the Meek-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of the Holy Martyrs, Knight of the Order of Knights of the Temple of Saint Arius of Alexandria, the Vigilant Guardian of the Pillars of Heracles, the Presbyter Johannes, the Emperor of Emperors, the Emperor of the Sands, the King of Kings, the King of the Grand Sahara, the Lord of Fire and Sandthe King of Pirates, the Lord of Seven Seas.

Government Description : Carthage has long been the seat of government, from which a complex polity has developed over the course of millennia through various incarnations building upon the foundations of its predecessors starting from the First Vandal Kingdom (Regnum Vandalum Primis) under Geiseric the Great. Under the Politeia Andalos (Constitution of the Andals) adopted in 1890 (AD), based after the Constitutionis Vandalus (Constitution of the Vandals) formally adopted in 1836 (AD) during the period rapid industrialization that came with the Daxonou Restoration, which at the time was heavily based after that of United States overseas, the federal government of the prior century has largely been preserved under a system of checks and balances and a separation powers that still adheres to the tradition of a strong, yet more accountable monarch, while maintaining the longstanding organization of the country into a confederation of states inspired both by Enlightenment ideals and ancient democratic models left behind by the Romans and Phoenicians of yesteryear, creating a hybrid government that marries absolutist and federal models of statehood with additional modifications to certain amendments that include, but are not limited to the recent universal expansion of the voting franchise to all citizens at the age of majority, irrespective of gender, lifting restrictions that previously limited female suffrage exclusive among the Mino Amazons of the Scholae. As a result, the Politeia of the new century has since been heralded as by both its proponents and critics as the Ehoiai (Constitution of Women) in reference to Hesoid's Catalogue of Women (Γυναικῶν Κατάλογος, Gynaikôn Katálogos) of the same name that focused on the heroines of the Illiad and Odyssey instead of the traditional male protagonists, with the use of Greek as both the official title of the document and its casual offhand bearing double meanings as a source of intentional praise and scorn between the two sides of the nation's ongoing culture war spurred on by Hellenic influences from Constantinople.

• Executive - Commonly referred to simply as the Crown, the executive branch is comprised of the monarchy and its associated web of myriad departments and tangled bureaucracy further complicated by courtly intrigue, wherein the reigning monarch known as the Shophet (Judge) serves as the chief-executive of government and head of state in what is a royal style turned hereditary office reserved for members of House Hasding, the ruling dynasty of Carthage and Africa descended from Geiseric the Great, whose bloodline has since interconnected the various African ruling families of the former inland empires turned member states into a vast network of blood relations across several prominent families and branch units.
  
  Unlike traditional monarchies under primogeniture systems of succession, Shophets are instead voted into power by an electoral college of prince-electors comprised of the highest ranking noblemen of Andalicia representing various member states throughout the empire (in set numbers proportional to population), who choose from a pool of aspiring candidates from the various families with blood relations to the Hasding dynasty in line with the long and enduring tradition of electing monarchs traced back to an age when ancient Germanic tribes formed ad hoc coalitions to elect leaders during the Migration Period over a thousand years prior.
  
  Afforded broad powers in the new constitution, the Shophet is considered the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the final arbiter of foreign policy, and has the penultimate power to disband the Populares and call for new elections. While the Legislature has the power to draft, amend, pass, and veto legislation, the real power in government in practice has historically rested with the Shophet.
  
  Once elected, the Shophet henceforth dispenses with his kingly duties for life much like any other monarch, forever keeping to the throne until death or voluntary abdication. Under rare circumstances when the monarch is otherwise incapable of governing effectively due to age or ailment, a regency council (concilium regentia) is expected to govern in his stead until the time comes for the young monarch to come of age, if not recover or succumb to illness and old age in the case of a sickly or older for example.
  
  

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• Legislative - Collectively known as the Synedrion (Congress) in the spirit of the notably Hellenic character of the new constitution, the legislative branch is comprised of the legislature and its various committees their own respective responsibilities in regard to lawmaking and taxes not unlike its American counterpart.
  
  Organized along bicameral lines, the legislature is split between a Lower House known as the Populares (Popular Assembly), based after the ancient Carthaginian institution of the same, elected by universal suffrage for men and women above the age of twenty five and selective suffrage reserved only for the women in the Ahosi class to represent the popular will of the general public, and an Upper House known as the Senatus (Senate), an institution passed down from Roman rule, responsible for representing the local domain governments in the form of a federal council of deputies. Since legislation required the consent of a majority of the two houses, the member states were afforded both leverage and an important veto in the new government.
  
  

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• Judicial - Organized under a system of federal and lower domain courts that comprise the judicial branch, which are responsible for interpreting and applying constitutional law, commonly referred to as the Crownlaws in the name of Carthage.
  
  Within the judicial branch, the Miat (Mia- "hundred), also known as the Hundred and Four (104) or simply the Council of One Hundred, stands as the highest federal court in the land, comprised of a tribunal of judges responsible for checking military power and safeguarding the new constitution in defense of both the senate and people the ancient judicial body of the same name that once was "the highest constitutional authority" in Old Carthage according to Aristotle in his Politics, which the modern Miat is modeled after in what is considered a continuation of its ancient predecessor restored after a centuries long interregnum. In the spirit of Hannibal's populist reforms of his time, members of the modern 104 are annually rotated and are limited to two terms of one year each.

Nominally a federal empire and league of equals on paper, the reality is that the confederation is largely controlled by the Regnum Africanum Magnum (Grand Kingdom of Africa), the largest and most powerful state, home to the capital, Carthage. Stretching across the entirety of North African core territories, it comprises a third of the entire empire's populace, much more than the disparate populations of the other members. The imperial diadem was also hereditary in the ruling house of Africa, House Hasding, granting a further advantage.

As a counterbalance, Africa is only afforded 88 out of 300 total votes in the Senatus despite its larger population share, forcing Carthage to cooperate with smaller states in order to achieve a majority. Under the current federal system, local governments have been afforded more autonomy previously unseen in the more centralized and autocratic models under prior Shophets, whilst still enjoying the same generous subsidies and funding from the capital.

STATE	CAPITAL
Grand Kingdoms Africa Dahomey	Carthage Abomey
Empires Mali (Manden Kurufaba) Songhai	Nyeni Gao
Kingdoms Mauretania Numidia Awkar (Ghana)	Altava Cirtah Koumbi Saleh
Grand Duchies Sicily Sardinia Corsica	Syracuse Caralis Adiacium
Duchies Malta (Melita) Balearic Islands (Baleares)	Melita Palma
Principalities Melle	Bamako
Protectorates Zululand	Ulundi
Free Cities Carthage Abomey Syracuse Leptis Magna Constantine

Majority/State Religion : Arian Christianity is the majority religion, but a myriad of other faiths are tolerated and practiced openly across Andalicia under a strict policy of religious freedom, which is a recent development adopted over the past few centuries in a pivot away from periods of intense religious persecution against heresies such as trinitarian christianity as well as local pagan and animist faiths in the past. Church doctrine has largely followed suit through a trend of gradual moderation that now favors soft power over aggressive evangelizing.

Neo-Paganism is second largest religion, particularly through the Cult of Tanit and the Hammer of Wōtan, both of which borrow heavily from native African animist beliefs in a carefully crafted syncretism stemming the Great Awakening of pagan religious revival under the rebel Wōtamir during the sixth century. They are afforded generous government subsidies and protection by the state in a similar manner to the Arian faith, with monarchs traditionally styling themselves in royal titles such as the Voice of Tanit and the Hammer of Wōtan as well as the Defender of the Arian Faith, traditionally favoring the Phoenician title of Shophet, meaning "judge" as the primary title over the Latin Rex or the traditional Vandalirice, resulting in uneasy tension with the clergy that has only grown worse since the conclusion of the Fourth Punic War due to .

Catharism is also a prominent faith at court, which is a far cry from its past status as a struggling heresy imported to Africa by refugees and exiles fleeing from the Albigensian Crusades of the thirteenth century. Thanks to its unique view on gender and its empowerment of female leaders, it has experienced a recent renewal as the exclusive faith of the Mino Amazons, who both serve as the modern clergy and make up the bulk of the faith's flock of practitioners. As a result, Catharism is now often considered the unofficial fourth dominant faith despite its relatively small size compared to even the Catholic and Orthodox minorities due to the extraordinary political influence over state matters it exerts through the amazons. At constant rivalry with the Arian clergy due the threat posed to traditional church power by the Mino and considerable theological disagreements stemming from the guard-women's apparent worship of the Shophet as a living deity.

The remainder of the population is split between minorities of Catholics, Orthodox, Pagans (African & Berber), Jews, and even Muslims. All of which are granted equal protection by the Crown in the new constitution, but are not afforded the same benefits as the three (four) dominant faiths listed above.

Religious Description : The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Arian Church (Also known as the Church of Africa or the Carthaginian Church) is the largest religious body in Andalicia. Central to its doctrines are the teachings of Arius, a Christian presbyter and ascetic of Alexandria during the fourth century and the namesake from which Arianism is derived from. Considered heterodox and heretical by the Ecumenical First Council of Nicaea (325 AD), Arianism rejects the concept of the Nicene Trinity and its implications regarding the true nature of Christ, sharing the belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, but instead asserting that he did not always exist but was begotten by God the Father at one point in time, and is thus distinct and subordinate to the Father rather than of the same being.

Economic Ideologies : Economic Liberalism w/ Business Subsidization.
Major Production : Export driven economy, with rapid industrialization and modernization of the prior century giving rise to advanced metallurgy that has since churned out various industrial products such as metal, textiles, railways, and basic circuitry from assembly lines across the country. In addition, extensive research into chemical manufacturing and electricity has also led to the production to to synthetic dyes, photographic films, and agricultural chemicals traded within the industrial centers and the rural countryside of Africa and without across the Mediterranean and beyond. Beyond industrial goods, exports also include raw resources and luxury goods such as kola nuts, gold, ivory, spices, palm oil, precious woods, and salt found further inland, in addition to iron and coal extracted along the North African coasts and slaves captured from the European mainland.
Economic Description :

Home to rich fields, orchards, and olive groves, North Africa is the legacy of a multi-generational effort that can be traced back to early antiquity when the Phoenicians of yore transformed the land through intensive agriculture and irrigation from an arid desert of infertility to a bountiful and rich land of harvest and produce all to the way to shores of neighboring Numidia and Mauretania, all of which were interconnected by an extensive ystem of qanats that transported of water from underground aquifers through a series of vertical access shafts and gently sloping channels, which allowed for for human settlement and irrigation in otherwise hot and arid environments.

Long after the destruction of Carthage (146 BC), the Romans were wise not to squander this inheritance by extending and improving the farming and irrigation projects left behind by their fallen enemies, whilst planting numerous colonies that further reshaped the land into the lush and wealthy breadbasket of the Western Mediterranean, capable of filling the appetite of an empire of millions over the course of three centuries, surpassing even rich Egypt in its production of wheat, produce, olives and olive oil, at one point providing 2/3 of the grain shipments consumed by Rome's inhabitants in an number that wound amount to around ten million bushes of wheat every year.

As the heirs to this legacy, the Vandals upheld much of these productive practices, preserved the region's role as fruitful breadbasket long after Rome was taken by assault, affording their subjects no shortage of food to feast on and water to drink for generations to come, a process disrupted only by the arrival of Saracen hordes during the mid seventh century, whose preference for pastoralism led to the decline of intensive agricultural infrastructure such and qanats until the Vandals later ousted the invaders back across the Libyan desert, from which the breadbasket was restored and recovered to that the point that it was able to feed the entirety of North Africa in addition to the teeming masses of the African interior later incorporated into Andalicia well into the early twentieth century.

With the threat of colonial powers fresh from the throes of their own industrial revolutions at its doorstep in the early nineteenth century, Carthage underwent a similar process to that of their East Asian counterparts in Korea and Japan through a government led effort of industrialization from the top down that progressed rapidly and dynamically across Andalicia over an alarmingly short time spine through a planned, yet forceful program that first jump started the process through the construction iron smelters, textile factories, and spinning mills that were then transferred to the control of a budding private sector made up of enterprising and well-connected entrepreneurs that allowed domestic companies to produce a number of cost-effective and affordable goods into the international market, and more importantly, southward towards the development of into its inland provinces south of the Sahara in a process known as the Daxonou Restoration, named after the restoration of a Hasding Shophet born of the Alladaxonou dynasty of Dahomey to the throne.

Backed by the raw resources and riches of the African continent, Carthage was able to effectively wield the wealth accumulated over time through the lucrative trade routes of the Sahara to ensure this process of accelerated modernization and rapid industrialization took place over a relatively short time span, quickly closing the gap left behind by the European mainland, which led to the tremendous growth of industrial centers across the country and a massive migration from the countryside to the cities. Enormous profits and revenue from bustling industries allowed for the construction a privatized national rail system and modern communications such as the telegraph aacross the Sahara that connected Carthage with the foremost cities of the interior such as Timbuktu and Gao, all the way down to Abomey by the Guinean Sea.

The Daxonou Restoration was an abrupt and traumatic upheaval in the historically agrarian society, which led to a period of social upheaval and the near collapse of the domestic agricultural industry integral to the breadbasket that fed the ever growing populace, wherein in the immediate aftermath, much of the infrastructure to support the invasive agriculture of the bountiful breadbasket of yesteryear had been driven away from the North African coastline towards the lowlands of Numidia and Tanistia (Tunisia) under a new sprawling plantation system heavily reliant on slave labor captured from the shores of Europe, spawning new towns and settlements alongside across the burgeoning countryside in decade following industrialization, despite the risks of slave revolts due to disproportionate shares of slaves and free citizens at the time, with the former vastly outnumbering the latter in some areas resulting in increased Mino presence among the more vulnerable locations.

Under these new circumstances, the breadbasket eventually recovered after nearly a decade of reliance on foreign imports to feed the populace, with the dynamic remaining much the same even after the establishment of slavery in years following the Fourth Punic War, in which former slaves and their descendants have since largely transitioned into exploited sharecroppers at the mercy of their former masters instead in what is a predatory system that has recently become the focus of reform for the Crown and the new federal government.

For the purposes of historical record, let this document (circa 1850) be preserved in memory of the wild and untamed frontier in the interior, once home to a hardy stock of pioneering men and women whose tales of romance and violent adventure will continue grip our imaginations forever true.

Despite the gains made during industrialization however, there exists an undeniable gap in development between the largely urbanized and industrialized regions of North Africa and the frontier territories of inland Africa in the former territories of Mali, Awkar, and Songhai due to the staggered and unfocused nature of the latter's development. A far cry from its previous state of primeval wilderness however, the frontier is better compared to the least developed of European nations, for now a contrasting region home to pioneers, explorers, and retired soldiers in search of new beginnings at the edge of Vandal territory, where daily happenings of exaggerated romance, anarchy, and chaotic violence not unlike the American Wild West.

Development: Modern
Development Description : Andalicia is the foremost economic and military power native to Africa, in equal parts an empire of antiquity and modernity as both the oldest living civilization on the continent and the only modern industrial power capable of rivaling Europe overseas both in technological advancement and human capital. With its densely populated urban centers of ancient architecture and sprawling industry ever swirling and churning unending, the empire of a thousand cities is in a period of rising economic growth spurred by a turn away from historically protectionist policies that prioritized self-sufficiency towards open and free trade with the Two Romes after a gradual easing of tensions following the Fourth Punic War.

Save for newly integrated Tsade (Chad) to the East, Andalicia is very modernized and evenly developed without and without the burning sands of the Sahara, wherein the initial disparity between the highly urbanized cities of North Africa proper and the more agrarian interior resulting from the rapid yet staggered industrialization of the Daxonou Restoration in the prior century has long been abridged through seventy years of economic growth and development. There has since been an ironic reversal of labor and material movements across the network of intercontinental railways spanning the burning sands betwixt away from the traditional beltways of North Africa, hollowing iconic fortress cities such as Constantine and Leptis Magna (with only Carthage still experiencing rapid growth) in the process in favor of better employment opportunities found in the modern and ever expanding industrial capitals of the interior such as Timbuktu, Nyeni, and Gao.

RP Sample: Hay fren.

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

Reservation

Nation Name:Achaemenid Empire
Territory: Persia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan
#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

The Achaemenid dynasty never being conquered by Alexander?

That would change a lot. Accepted.

Tbh, the Sassanids would make more sense.

[Labstoska]

The Achaemenid dynasty never being conquered by Alexander?

That would change a lot. Accepted.

Tbh, the Sassanids would make more sense.

I know however I think I would be able to come up with some nonsense reason including the Zargos mountains as to why Alexander could never breach into inner Iran.

[Tracian Empire]

Tbh, the Sassanids would make more sense.

I know however I think I would be able to come up with some nonsense reason including the Zargos mountains as to why Alexander could never breach into inner Iran.

It's just that, like the others have mentioned, Alexander did play a pretty huge role in history. So him never conquering Persia or his empire being crippled would have some interesting consequences.

[Axis Asteroid]

Tbh, the Sassanids would make more sense.

I know however I think I would be able to come up with some nonsense reason including the Zargos mountains as to why Alexander could never breach into inner Iran.

That sounds kind of arbitrary tbh. I would recommend altering the outcome of Gaugamela or some prior battle instead. Perhaps even prolong the Siege of Tyre. Or hell, make Alexander meet an ignoble end drown in the Cydnus river like he almost did historically.

All of which would be better reasons than having him unable to cross the Zargos for some inexplicable reason.

[Labstoska]

I know however I think I would be able to come up with some nonsense reason including the Zargos mountains as to why Alexander could never breach into inner Iran.

It's just that, like the others have mentioned, Alexander did play a pretty huge role in history. So him never conquering Persia or his empire being crippled would have some interesting consequences.

Eh not so much Alexander never conquering the Persian empire, it's more Alexander never being able to completely finish them off with only Iran and the territories East of it remaining under the control of Persia, however if it is that much of an issue I can change to the Sassanids , it's just that I'm a bit more familiar with the Achaemenids

[Tracian Empire]

Well, I suppose that we can wait and discuss it. My main issue like I said isn't with those empty pieces but with how powerful such a state would be and how it would be possible to have another player and another nation in Austria and Bohemia. You're also most certainly going to have ethnic and nationalistic issues in those areas if you are going for Prussian nationalism.

But if you need them, we can discuss this, I suppose.

I was thinking mostly about how Prussia could be a counterpart to the Romes in northern/central Europe. While the Romes dominate the Mediterranean and southern or southeastern Europe, the Prussians are the dominant force of northern/central Europe.

I was also thinking about the minority issue. I was thinking it could be interesting to play around with the idea of Prussian nationalism being very successful in terms of actually creating a “united and powerful Prussian Kingdom” while also having to deal with the issue of minorities/non-Prussians, especially those who would seek independence and the like.

I was thinking the Prussians allow a 'fixed number' of non-Prussian representatives into the Landtag (specifically, the Abgeordnetenhaus) to at least claim they aren't oppressing the minority races, but this obviously wouldn't satisfy a great many of them.

I dunno, I was just thinking I could find a way to make it work while also trying to portray the domestic issues such a state would have to face - while also trying to convince their neighbors, whether lesser or greater in power, that everything is totally fine and there is definitely no possibility that Prussia is going to have mass revolts (even though the truth is that could be very possible; they just don't want to be seen as “weak” to their friends and especially not to their enemies).

Well, you do have a few good points there, even if the two Romes don't have any plans in Europe as far as I'm aware. And when my Rome has so much territory, it does feel a little hypocritical to call out a reservation for something like that.

I still personally believe that it would be better for another state to have Austria and Bohemia, but your reservation is partially accepted for now. I'll have to talk with someone else from the board about it. But if it's explained properly, I won't oppose it.

[Novas Arcanum]

Reservation

Nation Name:Akksumite Empire
Territory:

#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

[Tracian Empire]

Reservation

Nation Name:Akksumite Empire
Territory:

(Image)

#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

Accepted!

[Labstoska]

I know however I think I would be able to come up with some nonsense reason including the Zargos mountains as to why Alexander could never breach into inner Iran.

That sounds kind of arbitrary tbh. I would recommend altering the outcome of Gaugamela or some prior battle instead. Perhaps even prolong the Siege of Tyre. Or hell, make Alexander meet an ignoble end drown in the Cydnus river like he almost did historically.

All of which would be better reasons than having him unable to cross the Zargos for some inexplicable reason.

Thanks I'll have a look into these battles to find a more plausible way that Persia could remain in the game.

[The V O I D]

I was thinking mostly about how Prussia could be a counterpart to the Romes in northern/central Europe. While the Romes dominate the Mediterranean and southern or southeastern Europe, the Prussians are the dominant force of northern/central Europe.

I was also thinking about the minority issue. I was thinking it could be interesting to play around with the idea of Prussian nationalism being very successful in terms of actually creating a “united and powerful Prussian Kingdom” while also having to deal with the issue of minorities/non-Prussians, especially those who would seek independence and the like.

I was thinking the Prussians allow a 'fixed number' of non-Prussian representatives into the Landtag (specifically, the Abgeordnetenhaus) to at least claim they aren't oppressing the minority races, but this obviously wouldn't satisfy a great many of them.

I dunno, I was just thinking I could find a way to make it work while also trying to portray the domestic issues such a state would have to face - while also trying to convince their neighbors, whether lesser or greater in power, that everything is totally fine and there is definitely no possibility that Prussia is going to have mass revolts (even though the truth is that could be very possible; they just don't want to be seen as “weak” to their friends and especially not to their enemies).

Well, you do have a few good points there, even if the two Romes don't have any plans in Europe as far as I'm aware. And when my Rome has so much territory, it does feel a little hypocritical to call out a reservation for something like that.

I still personally believe that it would be better for another state to have Austria and Bohemia, but your reservation is partially accepted for now. I'll have to talk with someone else from the board about it. But if it's explained properly, I won't oppose it.

Thanks, then. I'll try to get my app up sometime tonight or tomorrow afternoon, assuming all goes well.

I'll stick with the territory I have (or finish off Slovakia/Bohemia and such, depending on if someone wants to go for that) and if it needs to be cut down, I can alter the map/history accordingly.

[Tracian Empire]

It's just that, like the others have mentioned, Alexander did play a pretty huge role in history. So him never conquering Persia or his empire being crippled would have some interesting consequences.

Eh not so much Alexander never conquering the Persian empire, it's more Alexander never being able to completely finish them off with only Iran and the territories East of it remaining under the control of Persia, however if it is that much of an issue I can change to the Sassanids , it's just that I'm a bit more familiar with the Achaemenids

Well, I'm not sure that it's necessarily an issue. Yes, it is pretty weird to see an Achaemenid Persia, but we've had weirder nations before. People are saying that the Sassanids would make more sense because it would be much easier to explain their survival - this roleplay has had a Sassanid Persia in past iterations, and with the Sassanids you'd be able to keep the Persian culture as it was before Islam.

But if you can explain the Achaemenid and their survival, you can certainly try it. It's just that it will require some work.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

I was thinking mostly about how Prussia could be a counterpart to the Romes in northern/central Europe. While the Romes dominate the Mediterranean and southern or southeastern Europe, the Prussians are the dominant force of northern/central Europe.

I was also thinking about the minority issue. I was thinking it could be interesting to play around with the idea of Prussian nationalism being very successful in terms of actually creating a “united and powerful Prussian Kingdom” while also having to deal with the issue of minorities/non-Prussians, especially those who would seek independence and the like.

I was thinking the Prussians allow a 'fixed number' of non-Prussian representatives into the Landtag (specifically, the Abgeordnetenhaus) to at least claim they aren't oppressing the minority races, but this obviously wouldn't satisfy a great many of them.

I dunno, I was just thinking I could find a way to make it work while also trying to portray the domestic issues such a state would have to face - while also trying to convince their neighbors, whether lesser or greater in power, that everything is totally fine and there is definitely no possibility that Prussia is going to have mass revolts (even though the truth is that could be very possible; they just don't want to be seen as “weak” to their friends and especially not to their enemies).

Well, you do have a few good points there, even if the two Romes don't have any plans in Europe as far as I'm aware. And when my Rome has so much territory, it does feel a little hypocritical to call out a reservation for something like that.

I still personally believe that it would be better for another state to have Austria and Bohemia, but your reservation is partially accepted for now. I'll have to talk with someone else from the board about it. But if it's explained properly, I won't oppose it.

Well I did inform you a few days ago that I had someone interested in going for Bohemia.

[Plzen]

It may be late night, but my sleep was what lost me land the last iteration of this RP.

Reserve Scandinavia! Application coming momentarily.

[Tracian Empire]

Well, you do have a few good points there, even if the two Romes don't have any plans in Europe as far as I'm aware. And when my Rome has so much territory, it does feel a little hypocritical to call out a reservation for something like that.

I still personally believe that it would be better for another state to have Austria and Bohemia, but your reservation is partially accepted for now. I'll have to talk with someone else from the board about it. But if it's explained properly, I won't oppose it.

Well I did inform you a few days ago that I had someone interested in going for Bohemia.

Well, if there is a player interested in that region, that's another reason that would push the balance towards Prussia not receiving those territories.

[Plzen]

Reservation

Nation Name: Norden, the Commonwealth of
Territory: Sweden, Denmark, and Norway in accordance with their real-life 1921-1940 borders. Finland, in accordance with its real-life 1807-1917 borders as the Grand Duchy. (plus colonies; please advise - I would appreciate the input of the OP board with regards as to what I can reasonably have)
#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.