Johrua - A Fantasy Faction Sandbox [OOC • Open]

[Cainesland]

Thank you. I saw that steamships were available, as well as airships, so I wanted to check. If they are too advanced I can change to ships such as galleons. Would that be a better fit?

I think things like early steam ships and even some early ironclads might be fine, but those look like modern cruisers and frigates from the early to middle 1900's, which is a bit too late.

Ok. Thank you. I can change those then.

[Nations United for Conquest]

I think things like early steam ships and even some early ironclads might be fine, but those look like modern cruisers and frigates from the early to middle 1900's, which is a bit too late.

Hides Dreadnoughts in the corner

So many colonizers...

Osjio Rules the Waves And the spice trade

-Writing Stuff-

Don't worry too much. You'll quickly see my writing is similar to the classical writers of the early 1900s, and is full of tangents, and a lot of exposition and narration. Though I have gotten better at actually including dialogue. Also, work on my app is going well. Should be done soon

[Nations United for Conquest]

Name of State (official) The Unified Kingdom of Osjio

Name of State (common) Osjio [People are called "Osjii" or "Jio" as a sland term]

Population 4.2 Million

Dominant race
85% Human - Humans...

10% Vali - The Vali are thought to perhaps be a cousin of some of the Draco-species living on the Eastern Continent, having emigrated or immigrated depending on certain circumstances. The Vali are normally found in the mountain ranges and the small Akeshi Archipelago off the coast of Osjio, though they have since come to many cities across the continent, however, they continue to center in the lower plains near the mountain ranges they once called home. These people have a relatively humanoid form for the most part, due in part to the magically charged stones they where around their necks like a talisman of sorts, though sometimes wings or a tail might pop out every now and again especially on the younger ones. Without these stones, however, they revert back to their form as Dragon. Since their meeting with the first peoples of Osjio, they have been revered for their abilities with magic, particularly with the creation of Familiars both out of pure magic and elements alike.

2% Laoch - Though possessing no true name of their own, these people were quickly given the title of Laoch, the Osjii word for "Champion" The origin of such a title came from the deeds that were often preformed by these strange people. They resembled Humans in every way, only ever being slightly taller than the average, leaning some to assume they were some breed of Giant. The Laoch themselves appeared sporadically during the Great War of Unification, some going so far as to say they were drawn to or created for it. Whether or not this was true these people normally showed up alone or in small groups from the unknown western lands, somehow surviving the track across the Great Desert, and were quickly constricted both into the Conqueror''s Army and that of smaller lords as well, becoming an instrumental part of the war. They are said to possess no magical capabilities at all, but are incredibly strong, and possess abilities far surpassing that of any normal person and allowing them to go toe-to-toe with some of the beasts around known world. No matter the age they have played pivotal roles in Osjio's History.

3% Various Races - Due to the vast colonization by Osjio and the nature of it's more progressive leaning policies, it has become somewhat of a safe haven for various races facing prosecution in their own lands, or simply traveling to other lands, including various races of elf and Dracos, among others

Size of military 6%

Leader King Alaro Kahl

Other prominent leaders

• Lord of the Seas Rainier Fletcher - Admiral of the Grand Fleet
• Lord Rowen Jiro, Knight of the Realm - Commander of the Royal Vanguard
• Lady Isa Wagner, Knight of the Realm - Commander of the Royal Sky-guard
• Lady Kari Karsci [Vali], Knight of the Realm - Next head of the Order of the Iris
• Lady Evelyn Kahl - Crown Princess of Osjio

Location on map See map

Capital city Gesno [Near the center]

Largest city (if different from capital) N'A

State religion Mainly Secular, though some of the more western people still practices their individual religions from before unification and the Vali still follow the Order of the Iris

History

The origins of Osjio lay about four hundred and fifty years ago during the Great War of Unification. For a time that no one could remember the lands of Osjio were occupied first by a myriad of different roaming tribes, save for the few that had found enough fertile land to set up permanent settlements in the mountains and valleys of the South and the grass and woodlands of the Northern Areas. As time would go on, even the roaming desert tribes would begin to settle-down and form their own small towns and communities, though some in the West still continue to roam to this day. At first these lords minded their own business and set about their own communities, but land and resourceful land was often hard to come by in the center of what is now Osjio, save for the coastal areas, leading to many lords to go to war against each other in hopes of the spoils of war being bountiful enough to allow their small kingdom to persist another day. For years upon years they went at it against each other, a century or two of wars, before the their emerged a Great Lord who is only remembered by the name of "Koen." He came from a small kingdom near the South-East coast and the mountains. He had made peace with the groups of Humans and Vali alike in the Mountains, and those that visited from the island chain to evermore east and south. He had claimed to seen the future of the lands, and if nothing was to change they would loose everything, whether through war among themselves or an outside force. Thus he set upon the war path to unite the lands around him, first those in the South and the Vali that lived near them, and set out to unite the others that would follow. In the following decades he fought up and down the coast and inner lands of what would become Osjio; from the Vali inhabited mountains of the South to the forests filled with even stranger beasts to North. In time he had united the realm under his control, being crowned the First King of the unified Kingdom at the age of Forty Seven. Though he would not be long for this world. In his remaining five years alive, for the nearly thirty years of war had left it's fair share of wounds on the man and he was no Laoch, and he would soon be dead. Before that could happen he tireless spent his time forming the very foundations of the nation so that it would not collapse upon itself on his death. He poured particular focus into the formation of a strong Navy, the sea being the only salvation of the Osjii and made sure to instruct his belief upon those who followed, appointing many Laoch, Vali and even elves to his council alongside his trusted human advisors since his early days as a lord, and finally cementing a majority of power in the kingship and that of the people, to prevent too much corruption on behalf of the conquered lords. On his death bed he finally crowned the nation with a name; Osjio, though he never explained the meaning.

The next hundred years or so were largely spent in isolation from their neighbors, occasionally fighting off smaller parties that approached from across the seas and their boarders, all the while building up their strength as both a Naval power and a land power, though to a less extent as they focused primarily on mining in the mountain ranges, the valleys being good for little but lumber and the deserts being nearly impossible for most crops to grow, except for Sand-Flower [A potato type food] and live stock. It would not be until the latter two hundred years of their history that they would drop their isolation, begin with King Charles II who believed that it was time for Osjio to truly embody the future that the Great Uniter had seen so many years before. With a grand fleet of many ships to explore the worlds around them. They served as both privateers and conquerors colonizing a great number of lands, firstly the islands to their south where the Vali had lived for many years, and eventually stretching to the far side of the Eastern Continent, occasionally skirmishing with other powers navies and pirates alike. Through these many conquests and journeys a great amount of both glory and good were brought to Osjio, chief among them spice.

In more recent days the nation of Osjio has been keeping a watchful eye on the known world, expanding their holding where they can and developing their colonies to return even more profits back to the nation. Though with the stability in Johrua on a steep decline the nation watches eagerly for chances to grow their colonial holdings, and cautiously at the moves of their neighbors, as they worry for the future of the Eastern Continent and what it could mean for them. As such they have elected to send their most famous man, Lord of the Seas, Admiral Fletcher and the young Crown Princess Evelyn to investigate the situation in Johrua as well as take the chance to form closer bonds with other nations

[The Batavia]

Name of State (official) The Unified Kingdom of Osjio

Name of State (common) Osjio [People are called "Osjii" or "Jio" as a sland term]

Population 4.2 Million

Dominant race
85% Human - Humans...

10% Vali - The Vali are thought to perhaps be a cousin of some of the Draco-species living on the Eastern Continent, having emigrated or immigrated depending on certain circumstances. The Vali are normally found in the mountain ranges and the small Akeshi Archipelago off the coast of Osjio, though they have since come to many cities across the continent, however, they continue to center in the lower plains near the mountain ranges they once called home. These people have a relatively humanoid form for the most part, due in part to the magically charged stones they where around their necks like a talisman of sorts, though sometimes wings or a tail might pop out every now and again especially on the younger ones. Without these stones, however, they revert back to their form as Dragon. Since their meeting with the first peoples of Osjio, they have been revered for their abilities with magic, particularly with the creation of Familiars both out of pure magic and elements alike.

2% Laoch - Though possessing no true name of their own, these people were quickly given the title of Laoch, the Osjii word for "Champion" The origin of such a title came from the deeds that were often preformed by these strange people. They resembled Humans in every way, only ever being slightly taller than the average, leaning some to assume they were some breed of Giant. The Laoch themselves appeared sporadically during the Great War of Unification, some going so far as to say they were drawn to or created for it. Whether or not this was true these people normally showed up alone or in small groups from the unknown western lands, somehow surviving the track across the Great Desert, and were quickly constricted both into the Conqueror''s Army and that of smaller lords as well, becoming an instrumental part of the war. They are said to possess no magical capabilities at all, but are incredibly strong, and possess abilities far surpassing that of any normal person and allowing them to go toe-to-toe with some of the beasts around known world. No matter the age they have played pivotal roles in Osjio's History.

3% Various Races - Due to the vast colonization by Osjio and the nature of it's more progressive leaning policies, it has become somewhat of a safe haven for various races facing prosecution in their own lands, or simply traveling to other lands, including various races of elf and Dracos, among others

Size of military 6%

Leader King Alaro Kahl

Other prominent leaders

• Lord of the Seas Rainier Fletcher - Admiral of the Grand Fleet
• Lord Rowen Jiro, Knight of the Realm - Commander of the Royal Vanguard
• Lady Isa Wagner, Knight of the Realm - Commander of the Royal Sky-guard
• Lady Erika Karsci [Vali], Knight of the Realm - Next head of the Order of the Iris
• Lady Evelyn Kahl - Crown Princess of Osjio

Location on map ([url=http://i.imgur.com/PUHM2qtm.jpg]Image)[/url]

Capital city Gesno [Near the center]

Largest city (if different from capital) N'A

State religion Mainly Secular, though some of the more western people still practices their individual religions from before unification and the Vali still follow the Order of the Iris

History

The origins of Osjio lay about four hundred and fifty years ago during the Great War of Unification. For a time that no one could remember the lands of Osjio were occupied first by a myriad of different roaming tribes, save for the few that had found enough fertile land to set up permanent settlements in the mountains and valleys of the South and the grass and woodlands of the Northern Areas. As time would go on, even the roaming desert tribes would begin to settle-down and form their own small towns and communities, though some in the West still continue to roam to this day. At first these lords minded their own business and set about their own communities, but land and resourceful land was often hard to come by in the center of what is now Osjio, save for the coastal areas, leading to many lords to go to war against each other in hopes of the spoils of war being bountiful enough to allow their small kingdom to persist another day. For years upon years they went at it against each other, a century or two of wars, before the their emerged a Great Lord who is only remembered by the name of "Koen." He came from a small kingdom near the South-East coast and the mountains. He had made peace with the groups of Humans and Vali alike in the Mountains, and those that visited from the island chain to evermore east and south. He had claimed to seen the future of the lands, and if nothing was to change they would loose everything, whether through war among themselves or an outside force. Thus he set upon the war path to unite the lands around him, first those in the South and the Vali that lived near them, and set out to unite the others that would follow. In the following decades he fought up and down the coast and inner lands of what would become Osjio; from the Vali inhabited mountains of the South to the forests filled with even stranger beasts to North. In time he had united the realm under his control, being crowned the First King of the unified Kingdom at the age of Forty Seven. Though he would not be long for this world. In his remaining five years alive, for the nearly thirty years of war had left it's fair share of wounds on the man and he was no Laoch, and he would soon be dead. Before that could happen he tireless spent his time forming the very foundations of the nation so that it would not collapse upon itself on his death. He poured particular focus into the formation of a strong Navy, the sea being the only salvation of the Osjii and made sure to instruct his belief upon those who followed, appointing many Laoch, Vali and even elves to his council alongside his trusted human advisors since his early days as a lord, and finally cementing a majority of power in the kingship and that of the people, to prevent too much corruption on behalf of the conquered lords. On his death bed he finally crowned the nation with a name; Osjio, though he never explained the meaning.

The next hundred years or so were largely spent in isolation from their neighbors, occasionally fighting off smaller parties that approached from across the seas and their boarders, all the while building up their strength as both a Naval power and a land power, though to a less extent as they focused primarily on mining in the mountain ranges, the valleys being good for little but lumber and the deserts being nearly impossible for most crops to grow, except for Sand-Flower [A potato type food] and live stock. It would not be until the latter two hundred years of their history that they would drop their isolation, begin with King Charles II who believed that it was time for Osjio to truly embody the future that the Great Uniter had seen so many years before. With a grand fleet of many ships to explore the worlds around them. They served as both privateers and conquerors colonizing a great number of lands, firstly the islands to their south where the Vali had lived for many years, and eventually stretching to the far side of the Eastern Continent, occasionally skirmishing with other powers navies and pirates alike. Through these many conquests and journeys a great amount of both glory and good were brought to Osjio, chief among them spice.

In more recent days the nation of Osjio has been keeping a watchful eye on the known world, expanding their holding where they can and developing their colonies to return even more profits back to the nation. Though with the stability in Johrua on a steep decline the nation watches eagerly for chances to grow their colonial holdings, and cautiously at the moves of their neighbors, as they worry for the future of the Eastern Continent and what it could mean for them. As such they have elected to send their most famous man, Lord of the Seas, Admiral Fletcher and the young Crown Princess Evelyn to investigate the situation in Johrua as well as take the chance to form closer bonds with other nations

Just one thing: Wasn't Osjio already marked on the map by the orange border lines?

Other than that, your app is Accepted.

[Nations United for Conquest]

Other than that, your app is Accepted.

Oh yeah, the OP map has the correct borders. I just copy-pasted my old app and edited it

[The Hierophancy]

So's this RP closed? Looks pretty interesting but I saw a post a ways in closing it to further apps.

[Ralnis]

So many colonizers...

Osjio Rules the Waves And the spice trade

The Strange North would like a word with it's Southern Neighbors...

[Nations United for Conquest]

Osjio Rules the Waves And the spice trade

The Strange North would like a word with it's Southern Neighbors...

Hmm?

[Ralnis]

The Strange North would like a word with it's Southern Neighbors...

Hmm?

Never mind, I'm stupid and didn't say anything.

[Abserdia]

So's this RP closed? Looks pretty interesting but I saw a post a ways in closing it to further apps.

It's semi-open, ask the OP

[The Hierophancy]

So's this RP closed? Looks pretty interesting but I saw a post a ways in closing it to further apps.

It's semi-open, ask the OP

Thank you!

[Nations United for Conquest]

It's semi-open, ask the OP

Thank you!

Though, isn't the map basically full except for the "wasteland" behind me and the little space behind the Kraken?

[The Hierophancy]

Thank you!

Though, isn't the map basically full except for the "wasteland" behind me and the little space behind the Kraken?

I was thinking of squatting in one of those cold, hilly backwaters that appear open on the map.

[Ihury]

Good morning, everyone. The roster has been updated to include the latest accepted apps.

[The V O I D]

My post is taking longer than expected, but I only started it this afternoon. I'll finish it tomorrow and post.

Goodnight, all.

[Ihury]

Alright, once everybody’s had a chance to introduce their dignitaries (if they’re sending any), we shall be timeskipping a little. I’ll have a single post for the funeral procession, after which your dignitaries will be given time to mingle with each other in the official guesthouse complex.

Once that’s done, we’ll have the coronation.

[The Hierophancy]

Name of State (official) The Grand Johrid Protectorate of Shal'Shalda

Name of State (common) Shal'Shalda, Stickman Country

Population
1,615,000

Dominant race
Shal - 96%

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/20819537_1606193532786351_4363781711853877501_o.jpg?_nc_cat=110&oh=b5802f7c5b2532d2af610f2fcfcd13c3&oe=5C54DC82
https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/20785994_1606193536119684_5403340390620039197_o.jpg?_nc_cat=105&oh=0dab307af89ecb394349f0785ab9cc9f&oe=5C1D37E2
https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/20819537_1606193532786351_4363781711853877501_o.jpg?_nc_cat=110&oh=b5802f7c5b2532d2af610f2fcfcd13c3&oe=5C54DC82

The Shal, or Stickmen, are a race of thoroughly disturbing, somewhat insectoid humanoids - a designation they take great pleasure in. Physiologically, the Shal are a lanky, thin-limbed race, soft and weak save for a scattering of bone-plates, the most prominent of which - the head-plate, or Shalrea - comes in all manner of shapes and forms, and although near all Shalrea are of rigid edge and inorganic squarish shape, a few are round and, sometimes, near-human.

Mentally, Shal are an odd breed - incorrigibly curious and thoroughly illogical, the Shal rely on intuition and, by and large, whatever solution or conclusion they first think of. Oddly and amazingly enough, however, in many cases, such intuitions are, more oft than not, correct - especially in matters of physics or engineering, fields in which the vast majority of Shal excel despite their thoroughly unanalytic approach to thinking. However, where this fails is in matters of a slightly more opaque and themselves illogical nature - those of, as it is referred to in Shal society, Culture.

Many theorize this innate understanding of the world's mechanics has some connection to the other odd trait of the Shal - their total and complete lack of affinity for magic. Whilst there are other races not well suited to magic, no other is completely devoid of it in any form. As a result of this lack of magic, the Shal appear to other sentient races and even animals as unexplainably disturbing and repugnant - a creature lacking something all life should possess. They are genderless, and, in fact, nobody save the Bu family is quite sure exactly where the many infant Shal carted across Shal'Shalda every year come from.

Size of military
55,000 -
20,000 Imperial Guard
15,000 Shal Irregular
3,000 Imperial Marine
14,000 Shal Marine
3,000 Shal Airsmen

Leader

Lord Ambassador Delmoria M'Telgoni
A nobleman of good birth, the 56 year old Delmoria was, under the reign of Emperor Kanuri V, blessed be his name, an important aide to his glorious sovereign. Serving for over 20 years as Minister of Trade, Delmoria presided over an economy which, although by far the greatest the world has ever seen and would ever see, praise be to it, was not quite the juggernaut it once had been. His policy of strict economic nonintervention and loyal adherence to the policy of his predecessors, whilst widely lauded, proved ineffective in stimulating the markets of our golden Empire. By and large an unremarkable politician for his era, it surprised many when he was abruptly removed from his seat on the Council and appointed Governor-Ambassador of far Shal'Shalda, an act Delmoria insists was due to the meddling of certain "reformist" elements in the Council. Whether or not this is the case, Delmoria has spent the last 5 years as Lord-Ambassador - a position which, if his reign is anything to go by, seems to mainly involve sitting about in the Great Palace of Humanity moping.

Other prominent leaders

The Committee of Cultural Advancement and it's Chair, His Most Human, Longest-Loyal of All-Shal, Bu-Tze VII
Bu-Tze is, by blood and blessing, Most Human and Longest-Loyal of the Shal. For the majority of his 91 years, the scion and now head of the Bu Dynasty has studied the way of the Flesh-Gods, Men, and is universally regarded as the best at emulating a sliver of their incomprehensible wonder. As such, he, like his 'father', he is entrusted with the sacred duty of consorting with the Lord-Ambassador, transforming his decrees and desire into reality. He is furthermore head of the Nyshal'Ray, or simply 'faith', determining, with the guidance of the most divine Lord-Ambassador, how best his people can draw closer to the ideal being of man - or, depending on the Lord-Ambassador and his mood, whether they are even worthy of attempting to do such.

Location on map Shal'Shalda lies in the Eastern Continents desolate north-western tundra.

Capital city Great Nihei, or Shal'Yothan

State religion

Nyshal'Ray
Translated literally as "Most Not-Shal Thing", Nyshal'Ray means simply 'religion' or 'faith'. Officially, the Shal worship and acknowledge Arnu, or Nshal'Nshal, however, they are of the belief that to be worthy of addressing that most noble divinity, they must first emulate his chosen, humans. As such, most Shal worship involves attempts to perform Nshal'Ray or Culture, within their great, 'uniquely' decorated temples, or Houses of Culture. Such activities include - but are certainly not limited to - Art, Cuisine, Dancing, Civilized Conversation, Paying Taxes, and Impassioned Murder. To an outside observer and even to the unenlightened Shal, what goes on within a House of Culture is nothing short of madness.

Cults and sects of Nyshal'Ray are common in Shal'Shalda, most often manifesting as attempts to focus on one most-Human of traits or activities. The Cults of Compassion, Greed, and Lust are some examples. The Cult of Pride is the oddest of these, mainly due to the fact that to be properly prideful and human, a Shal must convince themselves they are superior to every other being, including humans - a belief which all Shal know is objectively false. Those capable of ignoring that they are completely wrong or, even better, believing both that they are the greatest and that humans are superior at the same time, are considered the closest Shal to Humanity, and as such many of the Nyshal'Ray's most revered positions are occupied by members of the Cult of Pride.

History

The pre-human history of the Shal is, to say the least, hazy - the Shal of that era recorded little save occasionally directions for the construction of a particularly unintuitive machine and journals detailing discoveries made whilst strolling through some frozen hell. However, from the records of the first human explorers and conquers, it can be concluded that the Shal - living in colonies clustered about deposits of iron and coal in the frozen wastes - lived similarly to modern ones. A colony of Shal was an awful thing to behold - a heaping, smoking pile of drab blocks, steamstacks and refuse, they grew like tumors upon the earth, burrowing deep for warmth and farmland whilst building high to house their mad creations. Only one thing mattered to those ancient Shal, and that was survival - a difficult task in the wastes, especially for a physically weak species, but one they achieved through brutally efficient technology. In areas of ancient settlement and abundant resources, this resulted in metropolis of hundreds of thousands of Shal who did little but eat, sleep, and, tend their machines and attempt to improve upon them. Less fortunate colonies - often new ones built after the last land was exhausted - had to rely on manual labor whilst their best and brightest worked towards reautomation. Then, as now, Shal'Yothan was the greatest of their cities, it's mines and fungal farms extending deep into the dark underbelly of the great northern range, and it's surface structures sprawling out haphazardly, and then, too, it was in Shal'Yothan that new generations of Shal would arrive from the mountain to be sent off into the world.

Things changed when the first Imperial explorer, known now as Grodil the Seafarer, landed on Shal'Shalda's western coast. The first Shal who came upon them was another band of explorers, the seekers of Ve'La, who, as they recorded, were combing the coasts in search of an elusive flower that they'd heard of and thought sounded interesting. Finding, instead, a few hundred bipeds wielding tools and wearing clothing was no doubt even more curious than the flower, though, sadly, Ve'La missed the chance to record his thoughts, as upon seeing him and his small group of gangly abominations which reeked of some inexplainable wrongness, Grodil and his men butchered the lot and threw their corpses into the sea. Declaring the wastes a cursed land of demon-things, Grodil promptly got back on his boat and left. It would be another two decades when, under the House of Yudin, another Imperial expedition was sent to the tundra, this time with strict orders to explore further and, if the opportunity presented itself, conquer in the name of their emperor. Led again by a now older and reluctant Yohandril, the force of about three hundred landed on the frozen western coast and set about exploring, and, more importantly, conquering, razing what colonies they could find near the coast and plundering their odd machines and heaps of steel. Unfamiliar with war or even really fighting, the Shal cities they chanced upon fell swiftly and bloodily, with a force of only a few hundred easily conquering colonies that housed tens of thousands. As Shal refugees fled the carnage occurring on the coast, news soon reached the rest of Shal'Shalda of the Nshal Invasion. Recognizing the threat posed by such creatures, nearby Shal colonies assembled an 'army' of sorts, forging edged weapons and clubs modeled after descriptions of human weaponry, and although curious of the foreign creatures reasons behind their mad butchery and looting, the Shal set about driving them from their lands. The thousands strong horde caught Yohandril and his men ferrying plunder to their coast and, in a mad charge, did their best to kill the lot. Although heavily outnumbered, the Imperial forces held out - after all, this was their opponents first ever battle in their first ever war, and their soldiers proved by and large ineffectual. Still, after losing near a third of their force to the relentless waves of Shal, Grodil abandoned his latest load of loot and fled to his ships, the remaining Shal in pursuit. Their victory would, however, prove shortlived, for whilst the Johrid's first raid has been repelled, Grodil returned to the capital laden with the highest quality steel ever seen and a menagerie of useful mechanical wonders. A new, larger force was assembled and sent forth to conquer the lands of the Shal, thus beginning the First War.

The First War went quite poorly for the Shal, who were caught completely by surprise when legions of heavily armed Imperial soldiers arrived upon their recently trashed doorsteps once more. The west coast, needless to say, fell swiftly, but the Shal were not deterred. After news arrived of the great city of Shal'Ryuloq being burnt to the ground for the second time in less than three years, the myriad Directors of Shal'Shalda's many colonies decided, by and large, to defer to the Director of Shal'Yothan, Hu'Re, a Shal, all agreed of great ingenuity. Now unified under one commander, the Shal were able to organize a far greater army than their last, tens of thousands strong and all trained in hitting things with their vast assortment of swords, clubs, staffs, and spears. Satisfied that his force was ready to take on the enemy, Hu'Re unleashed the army upon the Imperial forces, who at the time were wintering in the now fortified colony of Shal'Telmora. Shockingly, the Shal's "run at the humans whilst madly swinging about their weapons" strategy failed spectacularly, and near the entire Shal army perished in the narrow streets and alleys of Shal'Telmora or upon its palisades, thus beginning a string of defeats at the hands of a steadily advancing Johrid army. Hundreds of thousands of Shal would die attempting to stem the Imperial tide in battle after battle as they marched eastwards, butchered by forces with far superior leadership, equipment, and training. The Imperials were confident in their victory over the primitive Stickmen, though they were disquieted by one aspect of the Shal - their adaptability. In the second battle against the Shal, the Johrids found them bearing weapons of a far better quality and effectiveness in addition to hastily constructed steel armor-plates and even half-finished attempts at chainmail. By the third, the Shal fought with weapons nearing the quality of those of the Empire, though thanks to a lack of skill and tactical competence they were still defeated handily. In the fourth battle, on the edge of the Dead Forest, the Shal actually formed sloppy and inexact ranks before dissolving their formation into yet another charge. Battle after battle the Shal gradually improved in the art of war, and although they had trouble grasping tactics, strategy or skill in combat, they did their best at emulating those who clearly did, hoping to copy whatever granted them victory. Finally, outside the newly built, slipshod wall-fence of Shal'Yothan, the Imperial Expeditionary found themselves facing a distorted mirror-force of Shal arrayed in neat formation, equipped with rough approximations of Imperial armor and armament and flying a poorly rendered attempt at the arms of House Yudin. The battle was fierce and bloody, but, after taking many losses, the Shal forces finally pushed back the Johrids.

The war had finally turned in the Shal's favor, and after their second ever victory, Hu'Re went on the offensive, taking back the Dead Forest in the north-east and pushing the front line further and further west. Suddenly on the losing side, the Expeditionary forces sent for reinforcements and a company of combat mages, which they soon received. Once again the Shal found themselves on the retreat, facing numbers now equal or even superior to their own and, worse yet, magic, a power so terrifying large portions of the Shal forces would rout the moment a spell was cast. The Shal, however, were determined to persevere, and those veterans who had over the last few years of conflict gained a rudimentary sort of understanding of how to win a battle set about improving upon their stolen tactics and equipment. Within a few months, the Shal were deploying mechanical, and then steam driven, artillery. Their rudimentary navy, propelled by a hodgepodge of oddly placed oars, sails and steam driven paddles, set to sea soon after, striking at Imperial supply ships. Fueled by technological innovation, the Shal managed to push the Johrids to a stalemate, one which seemed to ever so slowly be shifting to favor the Shal. The Shal, meanwhile, some level of security achieved in what remained of their homeland, set about learning everything they could about their enemy, both to sate their curiosity and better defeat them. Things would continue as such for half a decade, the Shal ever so slowly pushing back the Imperials and their endless reinforcements. By then, the Empire was just about ready to declare the entire operation a failure - the losses they were facing and the costs of supplying such a far northern force were nowhere near worth the iron they were mining from the conquered lands, and without new cities to plunder the stream of Shalsteel heading south had been reduced to a mere trickle. Worse yet, the Shal were threatening to become a military juggernaut - recent battles had seen them deploying terrible steam-landships, rudimentary airships and rotary steam-cannons which proved woefully effective against the Imperial forces. However, surprisingly, it was just then that the Shal offered their surrender to the Imperials.

Ever since they'd arrived, the humans had been an enigma to the Shal, and researching them proved to only accentuate their foreignness - none could make any sense of their ways, and, distressingly, Shal had no quick or easy answers to why, or what, they were. At first, they'd been considered simply mad, or defective - their effective, totally bizarre methods and technology was, the Shal concluded, probably just developed via luck and luck alone. However, the introduction of combat mages would throw quite a lot of doubt on that theory. Magic was a power completely foreign to the Shal, and a concept which they simply could not wrap their minds around. Nothing, not even their best machines, could reproduce it, nor could they think up any way to. It seemed as if, perhaps, however the humans thought wasn't defective or inferior, but superior to what the Shal were coming to understand was their own limited capacity. It would be their scouting of human lands to the south which confirmed the superiority of man - there they saw sprawling cities, larger and grander than any the Shal had ever dreamed of. They saw masses who acted incomprehensibly but who, somehow, built civilizations far greater than anything created by the Shal. It was such that the Shal came to understand that they were inferior to the invaders, that despite their great, complex and hulking machines, they were incapable of creating culture, or beauty - all things, they suddenly realized, they craved. It was decided that the Shal would only ever achieve the glory of Man under his direction - they were, at least for now, incapable of even starting to comprehend whatever drove men to create such vibrant, thriving and strange civilization and culture they'd seen both on the battlefield and watching from the shadows of southern cities, and so they instead laid down their arms and asked only that they be spared so as to serve. The Empire, though baffled, took the Shal up on their offer.

Since then, the Shal have been an important source of steel and technology for the Empire at large, although despite centuries of loyalty towards the Empire, the Shal are still mistrusted and despised near universally, and a Shal outside of Shal'Shanda is not likely to last long before being lynched or burnt at the stake as a demon of some sort. Shal society has changed greatly since it was incorporated into the Empire, modeling itself to best emulate it's overlords. Shal colonies are now odd, maddening places, incorporating a vast array of human architectural styles alongside the Shals own homegrown attempts at pleasant looking buildings, which more oft than not end up twisting, nonsensical pillars of steel, concrete, and brick. Just about every building is painted in a dreamlike array of colors and patterns, united only by a layer of industrial soot and ash that permeates every major city. The Shal themselves dress in equally nonsensical facsimiles of "human clothing", wearing patchwork attempts at coats, shirts, pants and even ill-fitting boots. Those who can afford them purchase authentic articles of clothing, though very few Shal grasp the concept of an 'outfit', instead simply wearing whatever they grab first. Only in the imperial-built Great Palace of Humanity, from which the Lord-Ambassador governs and where most of the human-commanded garrison is deployed, are things said to make any real sense. Calling the Palace of Humanity a simple "Palace" is a bit of misnomer, as the massive structure is more city than building, covering near half of the capital of Shal'Yothan and functioning as any other Johrid city would. The Shal permitted to enter and live in the Great Palace of Humanity are those of their "ruling class" - a semi-hereditary aristocracy modeled after that of the Empire, they are often the best at acting human-ish, with some of the most wealthy families even being capable of affording human tutors to educate their children in the ways of man. These well-to-do Shal form the actual government of Shal'Shalda, fulfilling the whims and fancies of the Lord-Ambassador and governing their feudal subjects in his name. The most powerful of these aristocrats belong to the Committee of Cultural Advancement, which convenes to decipher commands and decrees from their human overlords and decide how best to satisfy them.

Please provide at least 3 paragraphs of info.

[Ihury]

Name of State (official) The Grand Johrid Protectorate of Shal'Shalda

Name of State (common) Shal'Shalda, Stickman Country

Population
1,615,000

Dominant race
Shal - 96%

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/20819537_1606193532786351_4363781711853877501_o.jpg?_nc_cat=110&oh=b5802f7c5b2532d2af610f2fcfcd13c3&oe=5C54DC82
https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/20785994_1606193536119684_5403340390620039197_o.jpg?_nc_cat=105&oh=0dab307af89ecb394349f0785ab9cc9f&oe=5C1D37E2
https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/20819537_1606193532786351_4363781711853877501_o.jpg?_nc_cat=110&oh=b5802f7c5b2532d2af610f2fcfcd13c3&oe=5C54DC82

The Shal, or Stickmen, are a race of thoroughly disturbing, somewhat insectoid humanoids - a designation they take great pleasure in. Physiologically, the Shal are a lanky, thin-limbed race, soft and weak save for a scattering of bone-plates, the most prominent of which - the head-plate, or Shalrea - comes in all manner of shapes and forms, and although near all Shalrea are of rigid edge and inorganic squarish shape, a few are round and, sometimes, near-human.

Mentally, Shal are an odd breed - incorrigibly curious and thoroughly illogical, the Shal rely on intuition and, by and large, whatever solution or conclusion they first think of. Oddly and amazingly enough, however, in many cases, such intuitions are, more oft than not, correct - especially in matters of physics or engineering, fields in which the vast majority of Shal excel despite their thoroughly unanalytic approach to thinking. However, where this fails is in matters of a slightly more opaque and themselves illogical nature - those of, as it is referred to in Shal society, Culture.

Many theorize this innate understanding of the world's mechanics has some connection to the other odd trait of the Shal - their total and complete lack of affinity for magic. Whilst there are other races not well suited to magic, no other is completely devoid of it in any form. As a result of this lack of magic, the Shal appear to other sentient races and even animals as unexplainably disturbing and repugnant - a creature lacking something all life should possess. They are genderless, and, in fact, nobody save the Bu family is quite sure exactly where the many infant Shal carted across Shal'Shalda every year come from.

Size of military
55,000 -
20,000 Imperial Guard
15,000 Shal Irregular
3,000 Imperial Marine
14,000 Shal Marine
3,000 Shal Airsmen

Leader

Lord Ambassador Delmoria M'Telgoni
A nobleman of good birth, the 76 year old Delmoria was, under the reign of Emperor Kanuri V, blessed be his name, an important aide to his glorious sovereign. Serving for over 20 years as Minister of Trade, Delmoria presided over an economy which, although by far the greatest the world has ever seen and would ever see, praise be to it, was not quite the juggernaut it once had been. His policy of strict economic nonintervention and loyal adherence to the policy of his predecessors, whilst widely lauded, proved ineffective in stimulating the markets of our golden Empire. By and large an unremarkable politician for his era, it surprised many when he was abruptly removed from his seat on the Council and appointed Governor-Ambassador of far Shal'Shalda, an act Delmoria insists was due to the meddling of certain "reformist" elements in the Council. Whether or not this is the case, Delmoria has spent the last 5 years as Lord-Ambassador - a position which, if his reign is anything to go by, seems to mainly involve sitting about in the Great Palace of Humanity moping.

Other prominent leaders

The Committee of Cultural Advancement and it's Chair, His Most Human, Longest-Loyal of All-Shal, Bu-Tze VII
Bu-Tze is, by blood and blessing, Most Human and Longest-Loyal of the Shal. For the majority of his 91 years, the scion and now head of the Bu Dynasty has studied the way of the Flesh-Gods, Men, and is universally regarded as the best at emulating a sliver of their incomprehensible wonder. As such, he, like his 'father', he is entrusted with the sacred duty of consorting with the Lord-Ambassador, transforming his decrees and desire into reality. He is furthermore head of the Nyshal'Ray, or simply 'faith', determining, with the guidance of the most divine Lord-Ambassador, how best his people can draw closer to the ideal being of man - or, depending on the Lord-Ambassador and his mood, whether they are even worthy of attempting to do such.

Location on map Shal'Shalda lies in the Eastern Continents desolate north-western tundra.

Capital city Great Nihei, or Shal'Yothan

State religion

Nyshal'Ray
Translated literally as "Most Not-Shal Thing", Nyshal'Ray means simply 'religion' or 'faith'. Officially, the Shal worship and acknowledge Arnu, or Nshal'Nshal, however, they are of the belief that to be worthy of addressing that most noble divinity, they must first emulate his chosen, humans. As such, most Shal worship involves attempts to perform Nshal'Ray or Culture, within their great, 'uniquely' decorated temples, or Houses of Culture. Such activities include - but are certainly not limited to - Art, Cuisine, Dancing, Civilized Conversation, Paying Taxes, and Impassioned Murder. To an outside observer and even to the unenlightened Shal, what goes on within a House of Culture is nothing short of madness.

Cults and sects of Nyshal'Ray are common in Shal'Shalda, most often manifesting as attempts to focus on one most-Human of traits or activities. The Cults of Compassion, Greed, and Lust are some examples. The Cult of Pride is the oddest of these, mainly due to the fact that to be properly prideful and human, a Shal must convince themselves they are superior to every other being, including humans - a belief which all Shal know is objectively false. Those capable of ignoring that they are completely wrong or, even better, believing both that they are the greatest and that humans are superior at the same time, are considered the closest Shal to Humanity, and as such many of the Nyshal'Ray's most revered positions are occupied by members of the Cult of Pride.

History

The pre-human history of the Shal is, to say the least, hazy - the Shal of that era recorded little save occasionally directions for the construction of a particularly unintuitive machine and journals detailing discoveries made whilst strolling through some frozen hell. However, from the records of the first human explorers and conquers, it can be concluded that the Shal - living in colonies clustered about deposits of iron and coal in the frozen wastes - lived similarly to modern ones. A colony of Shal was an awful thing to behold - a heaping, smoking pile of drab blocks, steamstacks and refuse, they grew like tumors upon the earth, burrowing deep for warmth and farmland whilst building high to house their mad creations. Only one thing mattered to those ancient Shal, and that was survival - a difficult task in the wastes, especially for a physically weak species, but one they achieved through brutally efficient technology. In areas of ancient settlement and abundant resources, this resulted in metropolis of hundreds of thousands of Shal who did little but eat, sleep, and, tend their machines and attempt to improve upon them. Less fortunate colonies - often new ones built after the last land was exhausted - had to rely on manual labor whilst their best and brightest worked towards reautomation. Then, as now, Shal'Yothan was the greatest of their cities, it's mines and fungal farms extending deep into the dark underbelly of the great northern range, and it's surface structures sprawling out haphazardly, and then, too, it was in Shal'Yothan that new generations of Shal would arrive from the mountain to be sent off into the world.

Things changed when the first Imperial explorer, known now as Grodil the Seafarer, landed on Shal'Shalda's western coast. The first Shal who came upon them was another band of explorers, the seekers of Ve'La, who, as they recorded, were combing the coasts in search of an elusive flower that they'd heard of and thought sounded interesting. Finding, instead, a few hundred bipeds wielding tools and wearing clothing was no doubt even more curious than the flower, though, sadly, Ve'La missed the chance to record his thoughts, as upon seeing him and his small group of gangly abominations which reeked of some inexplainable wrongness, Grodil and his men butchered the lot and threw their corpses into the sea. Declaring the wastes a cursed land of demon-things, Grodil promptly got back on his boat and left. It would be another two decades when, under the House of Yudin, another Imperial expedition was sent to the tundra, this time with strict orders to explore further and, if the opportunity presented itself, conquer in the name of their emperor. Led again by a now older and reluctant Yohandril, the force of about three hundred landed on the frozen western coast and set about exploring, and, more importantly, conquering, razing what colonies they could find near the coast and plundering their odd machines and heaps of steel. Unfamiliar with war or even really fighting, the Shal cities they chanced upon fell swiftly and bloodily, with a force of only a few hundred easily conquering colonies that housed tens of thousands. As Shal refugees fled the carnage occurring on the coast, news soon reached the rest of Shal'Shalda of the Nshal Invasion. Recognizing the threat posed by such creatures, nearby Shal colonies assembled an 'army' of sorts, forging edged weapons and clubs modeled after descriptions of human weaponry, and although curious of the foreign creatures reasons behind their mad butchery and looting, the Shal set about driving them from their lands. The thousands strong horde caught Yohandril and his men ferrying plunder to their coast and, in a mad charge, did their best to kill the lot. Although heavily outnumbered, the Imperial forces held out - after all, this was their opponents first ever battle in their first ever war, and their soldiers proved by and large ineffectual. Still, after losing near a third of their force to the relentless waves of Shal, Grodil abandoned his latest load of loot and fled to his ships, the remaining Shal in pursuit. Their victory would, however, prove shortlived, for whilst the Johrid's first raid has been repelled, Grodil returned to the capital laden with the highest quality steel ever seen and a menagerie of useful mechanical wonders. A new, larger force was assembled and sent forth to conquer the lands of the Shal, thus beginning the First War.

The First War went quite poorly for the Shal, who were caught completely by surprise when legions of heavily armed Imperial soldiers arrived upon their recently trashed doorsteps once more. The west coast, needless to say, fell swiftly, but the Shal were not deterred. After news arrived of the great city of Shal'Ryuloq being burnt to the ground for the second time in less than three years, the myriad Directors of Shal'Shalda's many colonies decided, by and large, to defer to the Director of Shal'Yothan, Hu'Re, a Shal, all agreed of great ingenuity. Now unified under one commander, the Shal were able to organize a far greater army than their last, tens of thousands strong and all trained in hitting things with their vast assortment of swords, clubs, staffs, and spears. Satisfied that his force was ready to take on the enemy, Hu'Re unleashed the army upon the Imperial forces, who at the time were wintering in the now fortified colony of Shal'Telmora. Shockingly, the Shal's "run at the humans whilst madly swinging about their weapons" strategy failed spectacularly, and near the entire Shal army perished in the narrow streets and alleys of Shal'Telmora or upon its palisades, thus beginning a string of defeats at the hands of a steadily advancing Johrid army. Hundreds of thousands of Shal would die attempting to stem the Imperial tide in battle after battle as they marched eastwards, butchered by forces with far superior leadership, equipment, and training. The Imperials were confident in their victory over the primitive Stickmen, though they were disquieted by one aspect of the Shal - their adaptability. In the second battle against the Shal, the Johrids found them bearing weapons of a far better quality and effectiveness in addition to hastily constructed steel armor-plates and even half-finished attempts at chainmail. By the third, the Shal fought with weapons nearing the quality of those of the Empire, though thanks to a lack of skill and tactical competence they were still defeated handily. In the fourth battle, on the edge of the Dead Forest, the Shal actually formed sloppy and inexact ranks before dissolving their formation into yet another charge. Battle after battle the Shal gradually improved in the art of war, and although they had trouble grasping tactics, strategy or skill in combat, they did their best at emulating those who clearly did, hoping to copy whatever granted them victory. Finally, outside the newly built, slipshod wall-fence of Shal'Yothan, the Imperial Expeditionary found themselves facing a distorted mirror-force of Shal arrayed in neat formation, equipped with rough approximations of Imperial armor and armament and flying a poorly rendered attempt at the arms of House Yudin. The battle was fierce and bloody, but, after taking many losses, the Shal forces finally pushed back the Johrids.

The war had finally turned in the Shal's favor, and after their second ever victory, Hu'Re went on the offensive, taking back the Dead Forest in the north-east and pushing the front line further and further west. Suddenly on the losing side, the Expeditionary forces sent for reinforcements and a company of combat mages, which they soon received. Once again the Shal found themselves on the retreat, facing numbers now equal or even superior to their own and, worse yet, magic, a power so terrifying large portions of the Shal forces would rout the moment a spell was cast. The Shal, however, were determined to persevere, and those veterans who had over the last few years of conflict gained a rudimentary sort of understanding of how to win a battle set about improving upon their stolen tactics and equipment. Within a few months, the Shal were deploying mechanical, and then steam driven, artillery. Their rudimentary navy, propelled by a hodgepodge of oddly placed oars, sails and steam driven paddles, set to sea soon after, striking at Imperial supply ships. Fueled by technological innovation, the Shal managed to push the Johrids to a stalemate, one which seemed to ever so slowly be shifting to favor the Shal. The Shal, meanwhile, some level of security achieved in what remained of their homeland, set about learning everything they could about their enemy, both to sate their curiosity and better defeat them. Things would continue as such for half a decade, the Shal ever so slowly pushing back the Imperials and their endless reinforcements. By then, the Empire was just about ready to declare the entire operation a failure - the losses they were facing and the costs of supplying such a far northern force were nowhere near worth the iron they were mining from the conquered lands, and without new cities to plunder the stream of Shalsteel heading south had been reduced to a mere trickle. Worse yet, the Shal were threatening to become a military juggernaut - recent battles had seen them deploying terrible steam-landships, rudimentary airships and rotary steam-cannons which proved woefully effective against the Imperial forces. However, surprisingly, it was just then that the Shal offered their surrender to the Imperials.

Ever since they'd arrived, the humans had been an enigma to the Shal, and researching them proved to only accentuate their foreignness - none could make any sense of their ways, and, distressingly, Shal had no quick or easy answers to why, or what, they were. At first, they'd been considered simply mad, or defective - their effective, totally bizarre methods and technology was, the Shal concluded, probably just developed via luck and luck alone. However, the introduction of combat mages would throw quite a lot of doubt on that theory. Magic was a power completely foreign to the Shal, and a concept which they simply could not wrap their minds around. Nothing, not even their best machines, could reproduce it, nor could they think up any way to. It seemed as if, perhaps, however the humans thought wasn't defective or inferior, but superior to what the Shal were coming to understand was their own limited capacity. It would be their scouting of human lands to the south which confirmed the superiority of man - there they saw sprawling cities, larger and grander than any the Shal had ever dreamed of. They saw masses who acted incomprehensibly but who, somehow, built civilizations far greater than anything created by the Shal. It was such that the Shal came to understand that they were inferior to the invaders, that despite their great, complex and hulking machines, they were incapable of creating culture, or beauty - all things, they suddenly realized, they craved. It was decided that the Shal would only ever achieve the glory of Man under his direction - they were, at least for now, incapable of even starting to comprehend whatever drove men to create such vibrant, thriving and strange civilization and culture they'd seen both on the battlefield and watching from the shadows of southern cities, and so they instead laid down their arms and asked only that they be spared so as to serve. The Empire, though baffled, took the Shal up on their offer.

Since then, the Shal have been an important source of steel and technology for the Empire at large, although despite centuries of loyalty towards the Empire, the Shal are still mistrusted and despised near universally, and a Shal outside of Shal'Shanda is not likely to last long before being lynched or burnt at the stake as a demon of some sort. Shal society has changed greatly since it was incorporated into the Empire, modeling itself to best emulate it's overlords. Shal colonies are now odd, maddening places, incorporating a vast array of human architectural styles alongside the Shals own homegrown attempts at pleasant looking buildings, which more oft than not end up twisting, nonsensical pillars of steel, concrete, and brick. Just about every building is painted in a dreamlike array of colors and patterns, united only by a layer of industrial soot and ash that permeates every major city. The Shal themselves dress in equally nonsensical facsimiles of "human clothing", wearing patchwork attempts at coats, shirts, pants and even ill-fitting boots. Those who can afford them purchase authentic articles of clothing, though very few Shal grasp the concept of an 'outfit', instead simply wearing whatever they grab first. Only in the imperial-built Great Palace of Humanity, from which the Lord-Ambassador governs and where most of the human-commanded garrison is deployed, are things said to make any real sense. Calling the Palace of Humanity a simple "Palace" is a bit of misnomer, as the massive structure is more city than building, covering near half of the capital of Shal'Yothan and functioning as any other Johrid city would. The Shal permitted to enter and live in the Great Palace of Humanity are those of their "ruling class" - a semi-hereditary aristocracy modeled after that of the Empire, they are often the best at acting human-ish, with some of the most wealthy families even being capable of affording human tutors to educate their children in the ways of man. These well-to-do Shal form the actual government of Shal'Shalda, fulfilling the whims and fancies of the Lord-Ambassador and governing their feudal subjects in his name. The most powerful of these aristocrats belong to the Committee of Cultural Advancement, which convenes to decipher commands and decrees from their human overlords and decide how best to satisfy them.

Please provide at least 3 paragraphs of info.

Very interesting. Accepted.

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

Hey Ihury, I thought I might clarify: Pellius Ludovicus is human, and not the representative of the Goblins. That would be his son, Adebast. However, since Pellius is the pater familias, he is taking charge. The minister will most likely know Adebast, who governs in the name of the empire, but he is letting his dad do the talking, who is merely a merchant.

[Ihury]

Hey Ihury, I thought I might clarify: Pellius Ludovicus is human, and not the representative of the Goblins. That would be his son, Adebast. However, since Pellius is the pater familias, he is taking charge. The minister will most likely know Adebast, who governs in the name of the empire, but he is letting his dad do the talking, who is merely a merchant.

Ah, I must have misread something. Editing now.

[Naval Monte]

What is with the orange bits throughout the map?

[Ihury]

What is with the orange bits throughout the map?

Those are colonies of Osjio

[Naval Monte]

What is with the orange bits throughout the map?

Those are colonies of Osjio

I figured as such. Still making my nation

[Ihury]

Those are colonies of Osjio

I figured as such. Still making my nation

Aight.

[Nations United for Conquest]

-Snip-

No mention of the Osjii colonization of the North?