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The One Stop Shop for everything Goth

A place to put national factbooks, embassy exchanges, and other information regarding the nations of the world. [In character]
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Gothgraff and Lilium
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Founded: Jan 01, 2021
Inoffensive Centrist Democracy

The One Stop Shop for everything Goth

Postby Gothgraff and Lilium » Sun Jan 05, 2025 8:05 pm

Image


Ave, haloo, and good day. I am Gothgraff and Lilium, also know as G&L, Goth, or by my prior nation, Volstokn. I am an experienced worldbuilder, roleplayer, map-maker, and flag-designer. I am not that well known in the forum community as its not something I don't particularly participate in, but I would like to say my ghost haunts some regions and older members of said regions. I have participated in the roleplaying histories of The North Pacific, The East Pacific, and now in Saint Helene.

Gothgraff was founded on January 2nd, 2021, (Happy 4th birthday G&L). It was created with the direct intention of replacing my former nation, Volstokn, which can be oversimplified into a culturally russo-finnish paternalistic monarchy. Volstokn participated in TNP's Strangereal roleplay becoming one of the largest nations, taking a six month leave of absence to help found Valsora, The East Pacific's regional roleplaying map, as well as producing an overview format that can still be found sparingly today. I look back at Volstokn as a lesser nation, but my, it exceeded in establishing myself as a competent writer and creative person.

Eventually, I grew bored with the Finno aesthetic and decided on gothic. I continue to love the black palatte, the balance of old and new technologies, and fitting appearance of the arcane. It is a passion project, and I am deeply in love. I really enjoy writing, creating maps, characters, and storylines with the backdrop of a gothic absolutist state. I try my best to produce high quality information and art, and am confident that I do. I have great ambitions, and really hope this flame that has slowly been burning over the past couple years continues to burn. Just as anyone else, I'm busy. I have a life to tend too. I am currently going through a renaissance of worldbuilding and newfound interest in my nation.

Honestly, I just want to share the power of my brain. I am opening the floor to any questions, worldbuilding or personal, prompts, insights, requests, into how I make stuff, flags, writing- strategies I use, books I like, you get the jist. I may also just post thoughts in here at random times. (I posted this before but I dont think it was in the correct section- oops)

-Goth
Last edited by Gothgraff and Lilium on Sun Jan 05, 2025 8:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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New Aswal
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Founded: Feb 17, 2023
Democratic Socialists

Postby New Aswal » Sun Jan 05, 2025 8:08 pm

I thought this was gonna include goth girls but I saw goth was your signature :(
[|]The Armed Republic of New Aswal & Jakea[|]

[|]Land of The Blood-Stained Hawk[|]

"Everybody DANCE, DANCE, DANCE in the disco, Rumadai-dai, Ruma-Ruma-Rumadai!"

This is Hank Fay and you're listening to N/A 90.9, New Aswal's most popular Radio Station! Now playing: O-Zone - De Ce Plang Chitarele. Have a good one.

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Gothgraff and Lilium
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Founded: Jan 01, 2021
Inoffensive Centrist Democracy

Postby Gothgraff and Lilium » Sun Jan 05, 2025 8:09 pm

Haha, an unfortunate nickname. There is no shortage of anime goth women to draw from for personal characters, nor is there goth girlfriend jokes.

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New Aswal
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Founded: Feb 17, 2023
Democratic Socialists

Postby New Aswal » Sun Jan 05, 2025 8:16 pm

Gothgraff and Lilium wrote:Haha, an unfortunate nickname. There is no shortage of anime goth women to draw from for personal characters, nor is there goth girlfriend jokes.


There is one thing I would like to seriously ask though

How do I make my war rp sound less boring and repetitive?
[|]The Armed Republic of New Aswal & Jakea[|]

[|]Land of The Blood-Stained Hawk[|]

"Everybody DANCE, DANCE, DANCE in the disco, Rumadai-dai, Ruma-Ruma-Rumadai!"

This is Hank Fay and you're listening to N/A 90.9, New Aswal's most popular Radio Station! Now playing: O-Zone - De Ce Plang Chitarele. Have a good one.

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Gothgraff and Lilium
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Founded: Jan 01, 2021
Inoffensive Centrist Democracy

Postby Gothgraff and Lilium » Sun Jan 05, 2025 8:25 pm

New Aswal wrote:
Gothgraff and Lilium wrote:Haha, an unfortunate nickname. There is no shortage of anime goth women to draw from for personal characters, nor is there goth girlfriend jokes.


There is one thing I would like to seriously ask though

How do I make my war rp sound less boring and repetitive?

That is a good question, here is my two cents.

I would say don't be afraid to get personal with your war RP and RP in general. There is nothing wrong with writing about war from a scaled back perspective, writing about waves of jets over enemy skies, ships landing upon enemy shores, or soldiers dying in combat. It is inevitable that you will write that way because war needs to be fought and progressed.

In a totally different way, writing about war is about the personal stories. War is waged by people, and consumes everybody. War is evil, war is hell. War brings with it fear, chaos, death, destruction, dedication, and destruction of faith. Remembering how damming fear is can allow you to get into the mindset of your characters, of civilian noncombatants, of the government officials who command the war. War is nothing without its cause, how a war is conducted, how individual characters can contribute towards greater ideas.

Deconstructing War RP in a way that builds a connection with a character, allowing you to experience war through their eyes, I think is important, and allows for a variety of ways to keep it interesting and repetitive. You can put yourself in the shoes and feel the emotions of any characters. One of my favorite narratives I've read from another RPer was about refugees fleeing war. I understand with the speed of war in some communities taking time to write dedicated stories to individuals rather than the wider war may seem counterintuitive, but it breathes life in a generally overdone, technically roleplaying style.
Last edited by Gothgraff and Lilium on Sun Jan 05, 2025 8:27 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Nur Garzhvog
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Founded: Apr 23, 2022
Democratic Socialists

Postby Nur Garzhvog » Sun Jan 05, 2025 8:29 pm

Are you good at finding reasonable backing to support a random alt-history scenario, if you know what I mean?

Like, basically making an alt-history timeline more logical and grounded in realism?

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Gothgraff and Lilium
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Founded: Jan 01, 2021
Inoffensive Centrist Democracy

Postby Gothgraff and Lilium » Sun Jan 05, 2025 8:32 pm

Nur Garzhvog wrote:Are you good at finding reasonable backing to support a random alt-history scenario, if you know what I mean?

Like, basically making an alt-history timeline more logical and grounded in realism?

Hmm, I guess? There is two ways I would take it. What happened to make it an alternate history scenario and how would it impact the timeline?
I find trouble in cementing ideas that are related to the introduction of a new technology, like what would happen if da Vinci's inventions were reality and beyond, etc...

Gothgraff and Lilium exists on a roleplaying map, where alternate reality are time and messy, I canonically use 1920s technology while others use modern equipment. Rule of cool ascends above all within the Saint Helene region. Freedom of RP and all that.
Last edited by Gothgraff and Lilium on Sun Jan 05, 2025 8:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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New Aswal
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Founded: Feb 17, 2023
Democratic Socialists

Postby New Aswal » Sun Jan 05, 2025 8:36 pm

Gothgraff and Lilium wrote:
New Aswal wrote:
There is one thing I would like to seriously ask though

How do I make my war rp sound less boring and repetitive?

That is a good question, here is my two cents.

I would say don't be afraid to get personal with your war RP and RP in general. There is nothing wrong with writing about war from a scaled back perspective, writing about waves of jets over enemy skies, ships landing upon enemy shores, or soldiers dying in combat. It is inevitable that you will write that way because war needs to be fought and progressed.

In a totally different way, writing about war is about the personal stories. War is waged by people, and consumes everybody. War is evil, war is hell. War brings with it fear, chaos, death, destruction, dedication, and destruction of faith. Remembering how damming fear is can allow you to get into the mindset of your characters, of civilian noncombatants, of the government officials who command the war. War is nothing without its cause, how a war is conducted, how individual characters can contribute towards greater ideas.

Deconstructing War RP in a way that builds a connection with a character, allowing you to experience war through their eyes, I think is important, and allows for a variety of ways to keep it interesting and repetitive. You can put yourself in the shoes and feel the emotions of any characters. One of my favorite narratives I've read from another RPer was about refugees fleeing war. I understand with the speed of war in some communities taking time to write dedicated stories to individuals rather than the wider war may seem counterintuitive, but it breathes life in a generally overdone, technically roleplaying style.



So the key is to sometimes go first-person... thanks!
[|]The Armed Republic of New Aswal & Jakea[|]

[|]Land of The Blood-Stained Hawk[|]

"Everybody DANCE, DANCE, DANCE in the disco, Rumadai-dai, Ruma-Ruma-Rumadai!"

This is Hank Fay and you're listening to N/A 90.9, New Aswal's most popular Radio Station! Now playing: O-Zone - De Ce Plang Chitarele. Have a good one.

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Nur Garzhvog
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Posts: 11
Founded: Apr 23, 2022
Democratic Socialists

Postby Nur Garzhvog » Sun Jan 05, 2025 8:36 pm

Gothgraff and Lilium wrote:
Nur Garzhvog wrote:Are you good at finding reasonable backing to support a random alt-history scenario, if you know what I mean?

Like, basically making an alt-history timeline more logical and grounded in realism?

Hmm, I guess? There is two ways I would take it. What happened to make it an alternate history scenario and how would it impact the timeline?
I find trouble in cementing ideas that are related to the introduction of a new technology, like what would happen if da Vinci's inventions were reality and beyond, etc...

Gothgraff and Lilium exists on a roleplaying map, where alternate reality are time and messy, I canonically use 1920s technology while others use modern equipment. Rule of cool ascends above all within the Saint Helene region. Freedom of RP and all that.

Yeah, the first way is more like what I was thinking. Just about how the alternate history would affect the timeline, not so much the technological aspects and whatnot.

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Gothgraff and Lilium
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Posts: 25
Founded: Jan 01, 2021
Inoffensive Centrist Democracy

Postby Gothgraff and Lilium » Sun Jan 05, 2025 8:41 pm

Nur Garzhvog wrote:
Gothgraff and Lilium wrote:Hmm, I guess? There is two ways I would take it. What happened to make it an alternate history scenario and how would it impact the timeline?
I find trouble in cementing ideas that are related to the introduction of a new technology, like what would happen if da Vinci's inventions were reality and beyond, etc...

Gothgraff and Lilium exists on a roleplaying map, where alternate reality are time and messy, I canonically use 1920s technology while others use modern equipment. Rule of cool ascends above all within the Saint Helene region. Freedom of RP and all that.

Yeah, the first way is more like what I was thinking. Just about how the alternate history would affect the timeline, not so much the technological aspects and whatnot.

I cannot attest to my own personal skill.
I am no history major, and the most thought I've personally put into it was my own scenario of what it would be like if Napoleon successful conquered europe, but it has been so overdone to the point where it replicated actual stuff I've seen before. I think alternate history is fascinating, but I don't think I know enough to draw up maps that resonate from timid changes in our timeline.
New Aswal wrote:
Gothgraff and Lilium wrote:That is a good question, here is my two cents.

I would say don't be afraid to get personal with your war RP and RP in general. There is nothing wrong with writing about war from a scaled back perspective, writing about waves of jets over enemy skies, ships landing upon enemy shores, or soldiers dying in combat. It is inevitable that you will write that way because war needs to be fought and progressed.

In a totally different way, writing about war is about the personal stories. War is waged by people, and consumes everybody. War is evil, war is hell. War brings with it fear, chaos, death, destruction, dedication, and destruction of faith. Remembering how damming fear is can allow you to get into the mindset of your characters, of civilian noncombatants, of the government officials who command the war. War is nothing without its cause, how a war is conducted, how individual characters can contribute towards greater ideas.

Deconstructing War RP in a way that builds a connection with a character, allowing you to experience war through their eyes, I think is important, and allows for a variety of ways to keep it interesting and repetitive. You can put yourself in the shoes and feel the emotions of any characters. One of my favorite narratives I've read from another RPer was about refugees fleeing war. I understand with the speed of war in some communities taking time to write dedicated stories to individuals rather than the wider war may seem counterintuitive, but it breathes life in a generally overdone, technically roleplaying style.



So the key is to sometimes go first-person... thanks!

Yes.
Last edited by Gothgraff and Lilium on Sun Jan 05, 2025 8:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Nur Garzhvog
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Founded: Apr 23, 2022
Democratic Socialists

Postby Nur Garzhvog » Sun Jan 05, 2025 8:43 pm

Gothgraff and Lilium wrote:I cannot attest to my own personal skill.
I am no history major, and the most thought I've personally put into it was my own scenario of what it would be like if Napoleon successful conquered europe, but it has been so overdone to the point where it replicated actual stuff I've seen before. I think alternate history is fascinating, but I don't think I know enough to draw up maps that resonate from timid changes in our timeline.

Understandable! Just figured I'd see if you could :)
Might revisit this thread to ask about RP stuff later!

And thanks for making this place, it seems like a great way to help various corners of the NS community.

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Gothgraff and Lilium
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Founded: Jan 01, 2021
Inoffensive Centrist Democracy

Postby Gothgraff and Lilium » Mon Jan 06, 2025 6:21 pm

It is always good to be organized. Here is what the factbook log is looking like nowadays.

Image

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New Aswal
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Founded: Feb 17, 2023
Democratic Socialists

Postby New Aswal » Tue Jan 07, 2025 6:02 am

Gothgraff and Lilium wrote:It is always good to be organized. Here is what the factbook log is looking like nowadays.

(Image)


Cults instead of actual religion? Who could wonder what spooky eldritch shenanigans your citizens are up to....
[|]The Armed Republic of New Aswal & Jakea[|]

[|]Land of The Blood-Stained Hawk[|]

"Everybody DANCE, DANCE, DANCE in the disco, Rumadai-dai, Ruma-Ruma-Rumadai!"

This is Hank Fay and you're listening to N/A 90.9, New Aswal's most popular Radio Station! Now playing: O-Zone - De Ce Plang Chitarele. Have a good one.

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Gothgraff and Lilium
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Founded: Jan 01, 2021
Inoffensive Centrist Democracy

Postby Gothgraff and Lilium » Tue Jan 07, 2025 1:10 pm

New Aswal wrote:
Gothgraff and Lilium wrote:It is always good to be organized. Here is what the factbook log is looking like nowadays.

(Image)


Cults instead of actual religion? Who could wonder what spooky eldritch shenanigans your citizens are up to....

Cults are different than Döthmarism! More info here

https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1562137

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TURTLESHROOM II
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Right-wing Utopia

Postby TURTLESHROOM II » Wed Jan 08, 2025 11:25 am

Gothgraff and Lilium wrote:Haha, an unfortunate nickname. There is no shortage of anime goth women to draw from for personal characters, nor is there goth girlfriend jokes.


Gothic Gothics would be the best Gothics. Also, the idea of merging pop culture Gothicism with actual Gothicism, and having them talking in the Gothic language, would be hilarious.
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Gothgraff and Lilium
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Inoffensive Centrist Democracy

Postby Gothgraff and Lilium » Fri Jan 10, 2025 6:58 am

It is never too late to work on an old project. After almost three years from the initial posting of the first and second tracks, the six-track Imperial Record is complete and ready for international production!

Imperial Record #1 - 33:22 (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... -8vsPO99od)

1 - "The Next Decade" - 2:26
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmGFpoo ... dex=1&t=4s

2 - "Awaken, Sleeping Child" - 6:16
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vYMCiK ... od&index=2

3 - "The Gates of Braga" - 5:13
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2jJ5pa ... od&index=3

4 - "Ascendency in Mortem" 6:07
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QODkzjA ... od&index=4

5 - "The Omega-Automata" 9:02
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkARdu1 ... od&index=5

6 - "Eastern Prairie Promise" 4:18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owivMj5 ... od&index=6

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Gothgraff and Lilium
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Postby Gothgraff and Lilium » Mon Jan 13, 2025 10:27 pm

The Imperial Calendar

The Imperial Year, (IY), is the defining calendar year of the Imperial Realm. The Imperial Year is a part of the Imperial Calendar, which is unique to the Imperial Realm of Gothgraff and Lilium, although similar construction of months has been hypothesized elsewhere to a lesser extent. The Imperial Calendar exists on a time scale seperate from the traditional dating of time, with the country emergent in the IY1400s, ushered in throughout the last decade and a half as the start of a great new century. The Imperial Calendar traces its existence back to the formation of the Imperial state, and the absolute government's desire for a calendar system to replace the former Aethereal Calendar.

Despite the apparent esotercism of the Imperial Year, the Imperial Calendar largely reflects other calendars existant throughout Strangereal. It recognizes the properties and authenticity of the 365-day calculation of a year, however largely deviates with its larger organization of time- having thirteen months instead of twelve, each of which are clearly defined as twenty eight days, broken into 4 weeks. Although many may see its shorter months as a negative, It allows for a foremostly simplified outlook on months, the passage of time, and is said to help with personal organization in the daily life of a Gothilum Citizen.

The Imperial Year starts on the first day of Sena, which is the day of the Winter Solstice, and ends on the last day of Luer, three hundred and sixty four days later; a full rotation around the sun. There are a total of sixteen different cultural, political, and religious holidays that are important to the Calendar's abiding Imperial populace, most of which are recognized as days of rest. Countless other smaller holidays are celebrated to lesser extent or by specific groups throughout the realm. Every month within the Year has atleast one holiday except the month of Yeltrad.

The Imperial Calendar itself started in the first year of the Imperial Realm, however was not cemented as its formal calendar system until IY9, replacing the Döthmarist Church's Aethereal Calendar that was widely followed by the masses. Ancient Emperor's desire to create a new calendar came in rectifying the disarraying of the Aethereal Calendar, which is based in the changing phases of the moon, yet its dating of years started to deviate from the passing of the twelth moon. Instead, it was based on the tracked days in a year following the sun, from solstice to of equal soltice, divided as clean as possible. The Imperial Calendar would not immediately replace the Aethereal Calendar, with its introduction to the public in IY1 creating the portmanteaux of calendars, the Imperial-Aethereal Savsum which recognized two yearly definitions; ex. (Eret 5th, IY1403/AE1581). The Imperial Calendar's growth would be slow but strong.

The Imperial Calendar superceded the Aethereal Calendar within a century of its conception, and has remained nearly untouched since its establishment. Only once has it been reformed, with at the very start of IY91, the Imperial Calendar was moved back a year to IY90 with the Council of Murrada as it was concluded that the calendar should have begun in the year zero rather than one. Making the contemporary year IY1412, really IY1413. The Aethereal Calendar has now largely disappeared, and can only be found in old and sometimes new religious documents of the Döthmarist Church, although it has fallen out of practice, favor, and in recognition of the Imperial Year. The government had made the new country's calendar unexcapable ettique to follow- now, schools, businesses, and the church recognize and abide by the Imperial Calendar, as so too does the entire nation. It is used in documents, proceedings, and in daily life. In total, around nine hundred million people follow the Imperial Calendar, all exclusively within the absolute Realm.

The months of the Imperial Year are; Sena, Seja, Cether, Uner, Uriah, Eret, Enerr, Hemmen, Femn, Gehen, Yema, Yeltrad, Luer

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Gothgraff and Lilium
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Postby Gothgraff and Lilium » Tue Jan 14, 2025 5:08 am

Unfortunately, the grind is real and it never stops.

The Imperial Economy

The Economy of the Imperial Realm is one of the most powerful economies on the planet. It is the consummation of the continued industrial development of the country, and feeds the Gothilum machine with its abundant resources, production, and manpower. It produces products and provides services at a rate unseen on the continent, and continues to reach new maximums of proficiency and industrial capability. The nation's continued industrialization has caused the Gothilum economy to explode with new measures of commerce, innovation, and regulation. Opulence and prosperity are found in excess within the Imperial Realm, and so too the darker sides of the nation's advancement.

The nation's economy is powered by a wide variety of industries. These industries buy and sell from other domestic markets, including raw resources, tools needed to produce industrial goods, and more; the cyclical economy feeds itself, unwinding into an array of dependents and independents factors and exchanges based on value of products. The Gothilum economy builds atop itself with increasingly innovative inventions and revolutionary technologies that has not only brought change to specific markets, but also to the wider audience of the nation itself. The economy is a catalyst of the ability, abundance, and posterity of the Imperial Realm as it harnesses the potential value and desire for goods. The value of the nation's currency, the Gloria, is of importance to any man or woman within the Imperial Realm. It is the only financial tender of the Imperial Realm, and is regarded as strong with it carrying great weight.

The nation's economy functions on an exclusive self-dependent basis. The Imperial Government has long mandated the country's physical and economic separation from the outside world. The deeply-rooted xenophobia that permeates out of the Gothilum cultural and ethnopolitical belief system pushes the country into isolation in bitter distaste for foreign influence. The Gothilum economy has grown to be sole dependent on its own function, with what little market-interaction exists today between the Imperial Realm and the outside world limited to the dedicated geopolitical allies of the Obsidian Throne and is handled with great scrutiny as mostly explorative exporting relationships.

Gothgraff and Lilium's immense territorial holdings are one half of the lifeblood of the Imperial Realm. In total, the nation is made up of 5,080,386 sq. kilometers of land, and is the second largest nation on the planet. The nation's expansive geography of forests, fields, mountains, rivers, and more are mined, farmed, processed, and commodified into basic goods, structures, or are used to fuel machines or the economy itself. It's unique positioning along the gateway of many climate and physiological zones on the East Osean continent and onward gives it access to a wide variety of resources. The Imperial Realm's temperate plains and prairies produce agricultural goods in excess to feed the nation's already large but growing population, while its mountains provide the iron needed for steel in its bustling cities. Wherever resources exist, they are farmed by corporations, private businesses, or the state itself in complexity to feed the economic amalgam.

On the other hand, the nation's people are of equal importance to the Gothilum economy. They give their labor to farm, mine, or process one resource into another in a million different applications to fufill niches within the nation's markets. Their are 898.75 million Imperial subjects, with around 615.50 million expected to be currently working. The nation's population is a foremost driver for the economic prosperity of the nation. It's unprecedent rise even after the Second Great Population Boom has allowed the nation to claim new land, harness new resources, and feed even more families than it has in times past. The population's trajectory is not expected to plateau, with an expectant hundred years of growth that will put the total amount of Imperial subjects above a billion. Their are an innumerable amount of workers within the Imperial Realm, mostly all of which serve life in abidance to philosophies finding happiness and honor in work and patronage.

The Government's control over the economy is of vital importance to the state. The government's mandating of seclusion, and zealousness of the security, purity, and serenity of the Imperial Realm pushes it to have great control of its economy. The economies success, and subsequent ability to disturb the civil peace due to downturn, are of great interest to the Imperial Government, and are regarded as those that must be defended. The government employs a complex web of state corporations, specific contractors, and private familiar connections to have a large hand in the Gothilum industry; with last resorts in times of crisis being relegated to military action to seize industries. They are sponsored by the government, and sell processing, resources, or labor similar to private businesses owned by individual subjects. The Imperial Government has grown to increasingly regulate markets to combat disease, economic malefactors, or defeat technologies that challenge Gothilum principles.

The economies positive effects of wealth and prosperity within and for the Imperial Realm has a subsequent negative effect. The processes of man and industry is not within its evil, whether from polluting the countryside, filling the nation's cities with thick hazes of smog, or the greed of bosses and dependence of wage labor. The Imperial Realm's economic prosperity is not felt by all; and while most marvels and technologies have been commodified and made available to the public, the Gothilum aristocracy still reserves a large amount of economic power and political ability within the nation. There is a great divide between the poor working-class of the Imperial Realm and its upper classes. Economic hardship is rampant for many families, with the state starting to acclimate to having social nets that may rebound failed masses. Deforestation, pollution, and economic injustice stand in the mirror against the Imperial Economy's visage of wealth, immensity, power, and posterity.

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Gothgraff and Lilium
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Postby Gothgraff and Lilium » Wed Jan 15, 2025 9:02 pm

Imperial Secret Police

The Imperial Internal Intelligence Service, also known as the I.I.I.S., or more commonly as the colloquial "Gothilum Secret Police," are one of the major intelligence and security agencies of the Imperial Realm. The Internal Intelligence Service is tasked with identifying, monitoring, arresting, and or eliminating threats that emerge across the country in the face of the absolute state's authority. It primarily deals with the political and personal "Hintrafactums," or negative-factions, of the Imperial Realm that seek to undermine the power of the government, cause civil discontent, or otherwise hold views considered dangerous to the establishment; and is wielded by both the state apparatus or the Empress herself to fight dissidence.

The Gothilum Secret Police are pivotal to the continued security, safety, and longevity of the Imperial Realm. They have taken the mantle as a tool of the state to combat treasonous politics, no matter how hard or soft the definition, being applied to deal with a wide variety of situations, threats, or political movements that stand in the face of the Imperial Realm's laws, sanctity, or ambition. They protect the political power of the Empress, whether it be by arresting political enemies of the state, personal enemies of the Empress, or acting as an unseen specter over the Imperial populace as a means of suppressing dissent. Secret Police Officers may dawn official uniforms and appear before public eye, while the vast majority of its servicemen and women operate within the shadow of anonymity. The Secret Police are sanctioned to detain and charge enemy actors without giving them proper due-process through Imperial Law, commonly making them disappear overnight through nighttime raids, a favored tactic of the IIIS.

The Gothilum Secret Police employ a myriad of strategies to capture and interrogate enemy actors. Foremostly, their usage of nighttime raids to quickly detain disoriented enemies of the state are used to a tee, quickly apprehending and moving detainees. Hoods or other sight-depriving equipment are used to blind prisoners as they are moved to secure locations, which exist in large quantities throughout the Imperial Realm. They may be as remote or accessible, rural or urban; with storehouses, depots, stations, prisons, being used as staging grounds to interrogate and commonly torture prisoners into confessions or revealing valuable information. If by deliberate decree or after vicious resistance upon execution of arrest, prisoners may be executed. IIIS Suspects are almost never given public trials, relegated to private IIIS courts.

Many prisoners are discarded into the nation's many prisons, while others are sent to work camps spread throughout the Imperial Realm. Their freedom is rarely a reality, more often than not receiving long or indefinite sentencing for crimes reality to treason, undermining the state, inspiring public chaos, and so on. These work camps are highly defended, isolated, and provide the basic needs of all its residents. Their labor is used from everything from tending to the nation's farm fields, mining within the Gothvarjulikies mountains, or sold on contract to private businesses. In times, IIIS prisoners have been dispersed as forced settlers in some of the harshest or isolated communities within the Imperial Realm, laying the foundation for the honorable Gothilum citizenry to take their place once more concrete infrastructure and livelihoods are established.

The Secret Police aren't limited to political repression, and are used to defend and protect government buildings or persons on top of standard defensive personnel. They may act in unison with standard Imperial, Provisional, or Local police to execute raids or build cases against persons, estates, or businesses dependent on the situation. Their discretionary powers of law gives them undeniable, insurmountable power over anyone that falls within their jurisdiction and control. Their influence permeates throughout society, both legally and societally.

Their presence in daily life may not always be obvious, but it is apparent. Fear of the IIIS lingers in the mind of many Gothilum subjects regardless of their political affiliation and loyalty to the Imperial Realm. Their identification and extermination of active threats is concise, but not without the blurring of legal and civil realities. The Gothilum Secret Police have access to the nation's many intelligence assets and actions; listening devices, infiltration of dangerous movements, personal reports, and so on. Threats may not always be as transparent or opaque as they appear, and innocent lives are said to be intermittently mixed in with real Hintrafactums. Despite this, the IIIS and the Imperial Government proclaim that the intelligence agency is only used in defense of, and the good for, the nation; to defend the nation's people from those that seek to do them harm.

///

Really struggled to write this for whatever reason. Probably because I've never worldbuildt a secret police force before. It needs some revising, and once I write my exert on Communism it'll get an extra addition.

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Gothgraff and Lilium
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Inoffensive Centrist Democracy

Postby Gothgraff and Lilium » Sat Feb 01, 2025 6:46 pm

Here I come, returning with my tail tucked between my legs. Its been a long second since I've pumped something of quality out, but alas.

The Grand Walls

The Grand Walls of Gothgraff and Lilium, also known as the Imperialias Abstra-Moerus, are a series of large border walls that span across the many borders and frontiers of the Imperial Realm. They serve many functions, foremostly as a form of concrete border control, keeping foreigners out and domestic nationals in, as monuments to Gothilum absoluteness and the power of the state, and as a military deterrent against incursions and interest into Gothilum territory. The Imperialias Abstra-Moerus are as important to the security of the Imperial Realm as they are an immense influence on the cultural and concurrent territorial policies withdraw the Imperial Society from the greater world. In total, the Grand Walls stretch over 8,000 km of territory.

The Grand Walls are an ancient and longstanding mechanism of the Imperial Realm. Their existence predates the formation of the nation itself, with the first "Grand Wall" being built within the Transplanar gap, the strip of land that separates north and south Gothgraff. What is now tamed farming land was once the place of the erection of the first Wall to seperate the nation's heart from outside, "impure" influence. It was created at a scale far-smaller than the Grand Walls of modern Gothgraff and Lilium, and resembled the larger castle walls of early Gothgraffian cities. Little remains of the first wall, with indecent markings. It reflects a greater trend of formation and deconstruction that matches the territorial extent of the State. From there, a tradition of crafting grand defensive walls was born.

The Grand Walls have continued to grow in alongside the nation's territory. Walls stretch across vast sections of the continent and denote the sovereign extent of the Imperial Realm and that of the outside world. They can be found on any land frontier of the Imperial Realm; east, west, and south. These walls come in a variation of height, width, manning, and defensive measure, with some walls having conglomerations of many smaller structures and palisades that create a greater-governing force of defense. They have been constructed, repaired, improved, and rebuilt over the many millennias of the Imperial Realm's growth, growing with territorial demand, formal extension, and reform upon conquered soils. To call them permanent is a disservice to the long history of their expansion, to call them impermanent is a lie in the face of their long-reigning totality.

Their construction and growth is a continued national endeavor. Even after centuries since the start of some of their construction, the Grand Walls of the Imperial Realm are considered undone and are ever-in-need of maintenance, innovation, and restoration. Walls can always be taller, thicker, cover more ground, and be home to more military assets. The Grand Walls are built through the power and permission of the Obsidian Throne, which holds absolute authority over the nation, and commands the deliberation of Grand Wall personnel, funds, and aspiration. The Imperial Government along with their accompanying state and allied personal enterprises are charged with building and upkeeping the integrity of the Grand Walls, with labor historically coming from the government's prisons or government-sponsored labor initiatives.

The Grand Walls have acted as barriers to the Imperial Realm's population and outside influence. They are born-out-of and reinforce xenophobic views on the rest of the world, which Gothilum culture and governance sees as impure, vile, and ultimately a threat to their way of life. The nation's Grand Walls tower over the nation's busiest and most-isolated frontiers as a reminder of the Imperial government's pervasive influence, power, and authority over the nation's people and countryside alike. They cut off the nation from the rest of the world diplomatically, culturally, and economically, and are integral to the security and integrity of the nation's cultural interior. None are permitted to pass through the walls. To travel outside onto foreign territory is to be considered walking on impure soil, to allow outsiders in is to taint the natural landscape. It is right only reserved by the military in the name of expansion of the Imperial Realm or elimination of foreign Hintrafactums. They are revered by both the populace and the Imperial Establishment for their great stature, importance, and inescapability. It is said that some cults even pray and worship the Grand Walls as gods and defenders of the Imperial Realm.

They have an equal militaristic influence, discouraging movement, attack, or interest in Imperial territory. The Grand Walls are deterrents against foreign movement against the Imperial Realm, lest the walls be taken, scaled, or blown up; most of which is build in mind to be explosive resistant, have complex military workings attached to them to tackle any threat. Specific bases surrounding the walls are built for the purpose of housing the Imperial Gothilum Border Service, which is an independent branch of the Imperial Gothilum Armed Forces, tasked with manning and defending the immediate forces at the border. At the same time blocking the nation from possible aggressors, the Grand Walls contain the nation, preventing incursion into surrounding lands. It is seen as an excusable loss by the government, wherein the Imperial establishment is far more focused on internal security and prosperity over indefinite exterioral expansion.

>Composition

The Imperial Realm's Grand Walls is made up of a plethora of different materials, departments, and intricate defense mechanisms. The walls themselves are comprised of an assortment of different cut stones ranging from a quarter-meter to several meters big. These massive bricks of stone derive from quarries natives to the Imperial Realm; most of which from the Gothvarjulikies mountains, the largest and most-expansive mountain range within the country. These stones are primarily made of granite, which is "blackened" by Imperial workers through processes of ashing and settling, which describes the prepping, burning, and priming of the bricks. This process has happened throughout the nation's history and closely resembles the process of blackening stone seen in Gothilum buildings. It gives the Great Wall's their famous black color; reflective of the nation aesthetica. On top of that, general wear and tear aging gives the exterior bricks a darker color. Gray lime mortar is used to seal bricks in place against each other. At the bases of many walls there are larger conglomerations of stone foundations for the walls to settle into, reinforcing their upright position and preventing them from sinking into the ground at angles.

Sections of the wall may be reinforced with several layers of cut and blackened granite stones. These bricks may be fitted with rebar and other structurally-supporting measures to uphold the imposing walls. Throughout their continued construction, the Grand Walls have been improved to be taller and thicker than ever before. An average sector of the Grand Wall stands at a menial twenty-five meters tall, and is eight meters thick. This size is normal for the Imperial Realm's mountainous territory which have the smallest walls by rate; although reinforced by difficult and sometimes untraversable terrain. These mountains have increasingly made up the natural border of the Imperial Realm. Smaller variants of wall exist, relegated to the most isolated lands. Plenty of taller and wider sections of Grand Wall exist, especially in proximity to the nation's important population centers or strategically vulnerable territories like the Ibargisan Steppe and the Lilium Prairie. Many sections stand at thirty meters high, with some reaching an incomparable forty five meters tall and twenty meters thick.

On the interior, many parts of the Grand Walls continue to similar blackened granite stones. They are built to be made of the thickest proportion of stone facing outside towards foreign territory, while the inner-facing interior is built to internally house troops tasked with its manning. Several meters of rock hard separate sometimes intricately built interior passageways, foot-tunnels, stations, and armories from the outside world, while a lesser, singular layer of massive stone shields inner workings from the rest of the country. Some sections, particularly close to other Imperial Gothilum military bases, are thicker and hide entire military complexes within them. They are used as staging grounds for Imperial border operations. Many "Juts" divide physical sections of wall, again reinforcing their integrity. From both sides people gaze upon a continuous, absorbent, imposing black wall stretching across the Imperial Realm's borders.

>Features

The Imperial Realm's Grand Walls are more than their opaque black structure. Although they are undoubtedly are defined for their tall labored walls, they equally house complex military assets, defenses, and accompanying design features that prepare and toughen the granite defensive measure against outside aggression, incursion, and movement. Foremostly the walls are home to intricately connected and fortified barracks, tunnels, command posts, radio-stations, and more needed to executed the needed daily defense, manning, and organization of the great structures. Their roles as military deterrents are rooted and reinforced by the hundreds of thousands of men tasked with standing guard over the Imperial Realm's sacred and sovereign borders.

The Grand Walls do not have a singular design, and such fortifications, armaments, and compartments vary depending on location. Despite the nation's commitment to armament, the Grand Walls are ultimately seen as a defensive measure. Artillery has been fitted into some sections of wall, especially along regions which the Imperial Realm considers to be the most tumultuous on the accompanying side. The Grand Walls are built with parapet walls along their top wall-walks to shield Gothilum soldiers in case of needed cover; observation posts to scan external and internal horizons are cut into chunks of stone, slits are intermitted added along passageways as firing ports, ditches run on both sides of the walls to trap agitators, and more. One continuum is the appearance of anti-aircraft guns along the Grand Walls which keep the nation's airspace free of foreign deviation and influence. Imperial Gothilum Border Service army bases in the interior hold larger scores of manpower, artillery, anti-tank guns, and anti-air weaponry to be used in case of emergency.

Grand Walls are sometimes outfitted with added amenities to make life more comfortable for soldiers during their service. They reach to the furthest edge of the Imperial Realm, to sometimes isolating and harsh conditions. Quality of life improvements like heating in cold places, air-conditioning in hot regions, kitchens, mess-halls, game-rooms, movie-rooms, telegraphiums, libraries, offices for higher ranking soldiers, and more, are added to lessen the stress of serving the nation at its most distant points. Each wall has innumerable amounts of staircases to climb the structures, with elevators becoming a prevalent retrofit. Outside of the food they consume, entire sections of the Grand Wall are self-sufficient. Many Imperial Gothilum Border Service units have their own subculture built off their wall denomination, sector, and role in maintaining the defense of the nation's diverse, expansive borders.

>Personnel

The Imperial Gothilum Border Service is the force tasked with manning the Grand Walls of the Imperial Realm. It executes daily operational matters, defensive-readiness training, and more in an effort to most highly-proficiently balance the needed agency and mundane existence of the Imperial Gothilum Border Service. Border Service personnel have uniforms, bases, and natural appearances that closely resemble the Army, where its command and structure claims its heritage. The Border Service is comprised up mostly of conscripts, enlisted through the nation's policy of conscription; mandating that eighteen year old's commit themselves to a minimum five years of active service to the state. Through Gothilum policies of military-organization, most Border Service personnel reside from the distant territories they protect from outside influence.

The immobile nature of the Grand Walls makes it a unique and boring enlisted experience. Soldiers may be assigned to sections of the Grand Walls and reside there for periods of six months to two years, scanning the same horizon, executing the same tasks, having minimal outside interaction. They work the same repetitive actions day to day, at times marching or training to further build states of discipline and preparedness. Shooting drills are a common exercise, with sharp-shootery an aspiration of many guardsman. Most enlistees have designated positions among the Walls, as regular guards, technicians, anti-air specialists, artillerymen, and so on. Operational tasks depend on their roles. To combat the bore of the Border service, soldiers have plenty of listed amenities, and aren't shy to creating recreational sports leagues based off unit.

Border Service personnel are rewarded with the same benefits of all other soldiers of the Imperial Realm; wealth and merit. The unexciting and sometimes perceivably unimportant rank and titles of the Imperial Border Service are owed the same respect of other branches, although this feeling is commonly felt more on the frontiers they defend than the heartlands they never see. The nation's meritocratic command structures enable soldiers to reach high into the organizational hierarchy, enabling them to further build personal prestige. Border Service personnel enjoy and suffer through the peaceful environments they preside over, with few places sparsely seeing anything worth alarm or interest.


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