Sunset over Nordania (Esquarian Canon, OOC Sign-up)

[Sjealand]

---

21st of May · Anno Respublica 1729 · The Most Sublime Capital City of Asgård · Archkingdom of Sjealand

---

Nordania is in turmoil. Thirty-eight years ago war tore across the continents western coasts as the Ambrosians violently fought to secede from the Kingdom of the Two Daughters, a personal union with Sjealand that they were partners in since the Despenser War of 1320-1324. Lasting eighteen years the Ambrosian War of Liberation pitted son against father and brother against brother, hundreds of thousnads of ethnic Ambrosians who remained loyal to the crown still remain in Sjealand, pining for the opportunity to reclaim their homeland. In Ambrose, the new king Tidweald II sits uneasy on his throne, wary of what the Ivory Throne plots and when the Sjealanders will once again set sail towards his beloved Ambrose.

His fears are not unfounded, the ruling Sjealandic Archking, Frederik II, with the epithet The Magnificent dreams to retake the crown his father Håkon III lost, Frederik, having been born in Elsbridge and being one of the War of Liberations most capable generals has yet to renounce his claim on the Ambrosian throne, and tensions between the two country have remained high ever since his ascension to the Ivory Throne in 1697. However this claim is seen with negativity from across his Nordanian neighbours, and from the states of the Tynic Sea. Heavy pressure is coming from the city-states of Vasturia and the newly crowned King of Swastria. In addition, the Grand Duke of Jorland Sikke VI, a previously steadfast ally of Frederik, and one of the worlds Nordanias monarchs has recently withdrawn his promise of military support in a potential invasion, leaving Frederik with no potential allies against the King of Ambrose, the Vasturian City States as well as the Prince of Lothican.

In spite of Sjealands position as the naval power on the continent, and the wealthiest state in Nordania thanks to their wide-spread trade networks in Borea and Nautasia, a full war against several of the continents major land-powers has recieved mass opposition from the nobility, forcing Frederik to enter into negotiations for a final settlement with Tidweald in 1727. Rumors of unrest among the Nahua thrall population of Sjealand also help the push for negotiations, as the powerful nobility dont wish to draw the army away when a potential revolt from the dreaded Teotl may be imminent. These negotiations have gone surprisingly well, with Frederik acquiescing on several points in return for Ambrosian guarantees and reparations. The last year many Nordanian monarchs and statesmen have looked upon the negotiations in Asgård with hope, as the only things needed for peace seemed within reach. The signatures of the Ambrosians and Sjealanders, as well as a final peace treaty. The Sea of Njord may finally know peace.

These hopes are crushed as the Ambrosian ambassador in Sjealand, Edmund of Campchath, is found in his study room, dead...

---

This is a historical rp, set during across 1729 in Nordania, as the nations that line the Sea of Njord's coastline teeter on open conflict. The actions of players will impact the delicate geopolitical balance of Nordania, while they manouver through the intricate and sometimes deadly courtly intrigue of the Sjealandic upper class and nobility. The gods have thrown the die and now only the decisions of a select number of diplomats, merchants and nobility will effect whether or not Nordania will see peace or if the great navies and armies of Nordania once more shall see to the field. Beauty, pageantry, passion, intrigue, danger, Its Asgård. Questions regarding history, places, characters and locales may and can be asked on telegram or on the Esquarian discord, however most should be easy to find through the resources provided and the iiwiki articles.

Note this RP is strictly Esquarian canon and therefore primarily focused on nations on the Esquarian map. Non-esquarians may also be allowed to participate, however this requires rp'ing as a character from an existing Esquarian nation, as well as contacting either I or Gibberan here or on Discord for permission.

---

Rules

1. Applications can be accepted by I or by Gibberan. He and i also have the final say on rulebreaking.
2. Applications are only necessary for Point of View characters. Side-characters and entourage may be brought at ones own discretion. Multiple POV characters are allowed.
3. The RP is generally free form and the storyline will flow freely around with the mysterious death mainly being the catalyst, and will only be slightly guided by Ambrose and i to stay within established lore
4. Players can play as a character from any nation they so wish provided the owner of said nation allows it.
5. No godmodding, being a tool etc. etc. you know the deal.
6. Have a good time, we esquarians haven't a good proper rp in a while, so lets enjoy it.

---

Application

Code: Select all

[b]Character name:[/b]
[b]Character profession:[/b]
[b]Homeland:[/b]
[b]Short general description including goal of the character:[/b]
[b]Appearance, picture or description. (This is optional):[/b]
[b]Does the character start in Asgård or will they arrive later in the rp:[/b]


---

Resources
1. The city
2. Asgård in 1729
3. The country this is set in (Modern borders)
4. The Tynic Sea (Modern borders)
5. Esquarium Region
6. Esquarium Discord

[Montecara]

Character name: Girolàm Caxenù
Character profession: Montecaran ambassador to Sjealand
Homeland: Montecara
Short general description including goal of the character: A charming and erudite but troublesome man, 31 years old. Of humble background, he has risen through the ranks to become a major figure in Montecaran society. He tried his hand at several careers in his youth, including soldier, author, and gambler, but under the munificence of his patron found his true calling as a politician and diplomat. Recently, however, he has run afoul of an important senatorial family for reasons which remain opaque and has been sent to Asgård as the Montecaran ambassador, a post he has filled for just over a year. Using his wit and charm, he has hoped to make the best of his time abroad by making personal and political contacts and, if possible, a tidy profit. He hopes that giving an appearance of good behavior and doing his duty of facilitating Montecaran trade will again endear him to his masters and hasten his journey home.
Appearance, picture or description. (This is optional): See right
Does the character start in Asgård or will they arrive later in the rp: Starts in Asgård

[Sjealand]

-snip-

Approved

[Qianrong]

Character name: Muneyosi Asakura

A Senrian noble believed to be either
Muneyosi Asakura or his eldest brother,
Munenaga.

Character profession: Senrian envoy to Sjealand
Homeland: Senria
Short general description including goal of the character: Muneyosi Asakura is a member of the Asakura clan, a Senrian noble family from the region of Kingokudou. He is currently thirty-seven years old. As the youngest of four sons, Muneyosi was unlikely to inherit any lands from his father Munesige, a close friend and ally of Masaharu Nomura, the daimyou lord of Kingokudou; a clubbed left foot, meanwhile, ruled out the possibility of a career in the military. As a result, his father sent him to the Nomura court to serve as an envoy and courtier. He served in the Nomura court for a time before Masaharu, pleased with his ability to flatter and persuade, opted to appoint him as an envoy from Kingokudou to the imperial court in Keisi. Muneyosi quickly managed to win the favor of the Emperor's family and, with their help, the Emperor himself.

With the threat of war in Nordania a potential disruption to Senrian trade (particularly the lucrative trade in spices) in the region, the Emperor has dispatched Muneyosi to guarantee the security of Senrian merchant vessels. Though averse to physical activity given his clubfoot and resultant limp, and at times a stickler for pomp and ritual, he is skilled as a speaker and flatterer, and will try to win the favor of as many parties as possible in order to guarantee that the wealth of Nordania continues to flow back to Senria.
Appearance, picture or description. (This is optional): Medium-height, with black hair tied in a traditional topknot and brown eyes. Has a clubbed left foot and a slight limp; pale-skinned and paunchy, as a result of his ensuing averseness towards physical activity. Fastidious about his appearance; prefers East Borean clothing, but will wear Nordanian clothing grudgingly in the name of achieving his mission.
Does the character start in Asgård or will they arrive later in the rp: Starts in Asgard, having already been there for a few weeks.

[Eibenland]

Character name: Karl Wilhelm Fischer
Character profession: Merchant
Homeland: Eibenland
Short general description including goal of the character: Fischer is a merchant from Eibenland who has been doing business for several years. He came from a farming family but had hoped to one day do something different. He buys silk and spices from East Borean sailors who arrive at Asgård in exchange for money and food (cured fish and meat). He sells the silk and spices to the Eibenlander nobility. Fischer seeks to expand his business while fending off increasing competition.
Appearance, picture or description. (This is optional): Medium height and weight, brown hair and blue eyes, has a beard. Enjoys wearing fancy clothing.
Does the character start in Asgård or will they arrive later in the rp: Starts in Asgård

[Wosrac]

Character name: Ymidda Hyryd (Im-i-th-a Hur-id)

Portrait Of Ymidda c.1726

Character profession: Wosracan Ambassador To Sjealand
Homeland: Wosrac (Duchy Of Reasc)
Short general description including goal of the character:
Born in 1700 to a middle class family in the Wosracan Duchy of Reasc, Ymidda had a sheltered upbringing. Child to Aidian and Lily'bet Hyryd in the quiet town of Lunnisby she was initially a reserved child. She would later absorb her fathers observant attitude after beginning education. Finishing school at 14, she worked as a tailor for her fathers company until the age of 18. Her father credited her as a hard-worker but noted she had little passion for working in tailoring. Ymidda started to develop an interest in naval warfare after hearing the tales of Ellanghas rebel pirates. She would often practice with wooden swords with her older brother, Maudew.

When the Ellanghas War of independence broke out in 1718, she volunteered and served with the Wosracan Navy alongside her brother, Maudew. They served on the 'RWS Calondur', a fairly recently built brig of war. She would experience her first naval battle in the brutal winds of the Losric Strait. The battle, known as the Battle of the Losric Strait, 1719, was brutal for those who served on the brig. Early shots of grapeshot took out large parts of the crew, including her brother who was wounded.

Despite the harsh conditions, Ymidda managed to distinguish herself and the quarter-master remarked in his report that she showed 'A stunning sense of calm even while being shot at and was excellent with a rapier.' He strongly urged for her to be awarded the Cadwalader's Sword award after risking her life to move her brother to safety after he was wounded. The quarter master also noted 'I think that without the inspiration of Ymidda, the crew may of gave up fighting when the enemy boarded us...". She would be awarded the CS in September. Tragedy would strike later in the year in December as her brother died to his wounds.

Ymidda appearing in
a painting of the battle
of Losric Strait c.1719

Despite her brothers death she would serve another six months as a crew-mate and then five months as first-mate before her captain would die in the 'Battle of Ta'n Islet'. In December 1720, she became captain of the Calondur, which she renamed 'RWS Maudew' as a tribute to her fallen brother. She would fight for the remainder of the war and after its end began hunting Ellanghas pirates until 1722. Despite her passion for the navy, she retired to care for her father, who's health had started to deteriorate in August 1722.

Persuaded by her father, she began to write of her experience in the navy and particularly about the battle of Losric strait. While she stopped work halfway through 1723, she would resume it by November of the same year. She proved to be a great writer and the her first book 'The Losric Strait - 1719' was widely spread across the nation. King Rykdd personally congratulated Ymidda on her book in a ceremony in 1723.

By now, she was regarded as a national hero. In late 1723, seeking to boost his court's prestige, King Rykdd appointed Ymidda as the Royal Scribe. While Ymidda thrived in this role and was content with her new-found life, her father saw an opportunity with Ymidda's new position and requested that the King train her in the art of diplomacy. Though opposed to the idea at first, the failing health of the ambassador to Sjealand forced him to train a replacement regardless. Rykdd started Ymiddia's training in mid 1724. Rykdd was suprised by how much progress Ymidda was making in her training, even writing to her father "Your daughter is a gift, it almost seems that she was born for this kind of work. Whatever I throw at her, she will get done and ask for her next assignment..." On the second of February, 1727, the Wosracan ambassador to Sjealand would suffer a fatal heart attack. This saw Ymidda rise to the position and she arrived at the Wosracan embassy in Sjealand just a few months later.

Appearance, picture or description. (This is optional): See Right

Does the character start in Asgård or will they arrive later in the rp: Ymiddia will start in the city, in the diplomatic quarter. She will reside in the Wosracan embassy.

[Sjealand]

-snipped-

-snipped-

-snipped-

All approved

[Ferhard]

Character name: Otto von Persen
Character profession: Ferhardian ambassador to Sjealand
Homeland: Allenburg, Ferhard

Short general description including goal of the character:
Otto von Persen was born on July 14, 1688 in Allenburg, capital of the newly unified Kingdom of Ferhard. Son of merchants, Otto began his new diplomatic career serving as a diplomat among several cities, since the process of unification of all the merchant cities of Ferhard was not yet complete, with some showing their divergences and consequently resisting. By his characteristics, Otto had his post elevated yet again, with the king Ludwig I appointing him a member of his court in 1718, with the incredible thirty years of age. In 1726, in order to improve the relations between Ferhard and Sjealand - which is the most powerful kingdom in Nordania, Otto abdicated his position in the court, becoming ambassador to Sjealand in the same year.

Does the character start in Asgård or will they arrive later in the rp: In Asgard, since he lives and works in the Ferhadian embassy

[Gibberan]

Character name: Barcleigh Seward, Thane of Fife
Character profession: Ambrosian nobleman
Homeland: Fife (part of modern-day Harwick, Ambrose)
Short general description including goal of the character: Barcleigh Seward was born in 1678 into a noble family with a long and storied history in Ambrosian history. His father, formerly a high-ranking member of Hacon III's court, took an active part in the War of Ambrosian Succession that removed the Lyksborgs from the Ambrosian crown; the young Barcleigh, for his part, served as a teenaged adjutant aboard several different ships-of-the-line during the later stages of the conflict. His experiences during the war, which saw much of his family imprisoned and even executed, hardened him against Sjealand. Entering the court in 1715 after his father's death, he became a leading champion for a strong navy, an implicit challenge to Sjealand's naval hegemony.

Seward's relationship with the aging King Tidweald is one of trust, which was the primary reason the King dispatched the courtier on this diplomatic mission; perhaps to keep the other diplomats in check and prevent them from "caving into Asgard's demands", as Barcleigh fears. As of now, he hasn't had to interfere in the negotiation process. But new revelations will undoubtedly change the hotheaded reluctant diplomat's outlook, and may even threaten to send Nordania down the path to war...

Appearance, picture or description.: See right
Does the character start in Asgård or will they arrive later in the rp: Starts in Asgard

[Hethland]

Character name: Henrik Øverman
Character profession: merchant (or rather the son of a merchant who will soon take his father’s place)
Homeland: Ethland
Short general description including goal of the character: Henrik is a 17-year-old who was born into a relatively wealthy family in Goldhavn along the coast of eastern Ethland. Being the oldest son of the family, he is supposed to take his father’s place and become a merchant, a thing which he did not really think about until recently, his father became ill. His family wants him to return from Hageborg, where he has been staying for a while, though he has other plans...
Appearance, picture or description. (This is optional): He is tall and relatively fit, blue-eyed and has brown hair.
Does the character start in Asgård or will they arrive later in the rp: He starts off in Hageborg, but instead of complying with his family’s will to come back to his hometown, he will go to Asgård in the early stages of the rp.

[Sjealand]

-snipped

-snipped-

-snipped-

All approved

[The IASM]

Character name: Prince Rangs/Liaang
Character profession: Prince, son of Emperor Gonglag
Homeland: Lazinato
Short general description including goal of the character: Prince Rangs was always the peculiar sort, at least by eclectic standards of the Akai court. He was while scholarly much more of a Nordophiliac than his introverted contemporaries. He was of the generation born after the crisis of the Archprince Pungwang’s attempts at founding an aristocratic republic, he was born into a climate of intense repression and violence, as the weak Emperor Gonglag rests upon the resurgent Clan Tshunaai who brutal reprises against their rival families left the island realm. One of the consequences of Pungwang’s rebellion was that it ruined and disturbed much of Lazinato’s delicate trade industries. Rang saw this an opportunity and wished to study the efforts of the Nordanians as the great pagan land of the Archkings of Asgard to study their works and splendour to help his brother when he ascends to the throne. He also seeks to tour the world to provide great tails for his countrymen and to improve his literary skills.
Appearance, picture or description. (This is optional):
Liaang is a fairly imposing individual, standing at 180cm. Otherwise typical of his family he is bearded and rough looking.
Does the character start in Asgård or will they arrive later in the rp: Arrive at the start.

Character name: Ambassador Ntushaw
Character profession: Thlial Ambassador
Homeland: Thlial kingdom
Short general description including goal of the character: An ambassador from the Thlial territories in Zhuwklu, here to protect trade.
Appearance, picture or description. (This is optional):
Does the character start in Asgård or will they arrive later in the rp: Start.

[Isathyr]

Character name: Ranulf Tamhás ap Iver-Lyn
Character profession: Count of Teur ; Unification War Veteran (General of the Auregan Confederation Forces), now military attaché in Aurega’s diplomatic mission to Sjealand under High Queen Aylin’s new government.
Homeland: Armorean Holy Duchies, now Aurega
Short general description including goal of the character: Legitimized bastard son of an Armorean Duke and a Sjealandic Trader’s daughter, Ranulf grew to be one of the most important commanders of the Unification War. He and his retinue defected to the Confederation Side, leading the victorious Siege of Teur and participating in several important battles. Ranulf also had a key role in the negotiation table, convincing clan Lyn to surrender and swear fealty to the Confederation. As a reward for his service he was named Count of Teur and Chief of Military Affairs for the Auregan diplomatic mission to Sjealand. His main goal is ensuring that trade paths in the Sea of Njord are not blocked by Ambrose or Sjealand, to guarantee the country’s interest in protecting its Timber Trade.
Does the character start in Asgård or will they arrive later in the rp: Asgård, Auregan Embassy

[Sjealand]

Both Accepted

IC is up