Countries and Technology
Countries:
Federation of Vardus:
Government System: Military Control
Current Ruler: Renaud-Jean Mercier
Information:
For the past 25 years, the country of Vardus has been under the control of a group called Le Groupe de Légitime. Before the party came to power, Vardus was held under the corrupt management of a supposedly legitimate government. In truth the former rulers had fixed the system to keep their family permanently in power. Thus Le Groupe de Legitime, started. No one can tell from where they started, but their movement and power grow. For 10 years there were verbal and sometime physical battles between the former regime and the new group.
Then one day the battles stopped, the smoke settled; The Legitime were still standing and the old power gone. Since then the Legitime that was later called the Federation, brought sweeping change. The military became a center piece to the country. A few of the former wealth fled the country, though most were allowed to keep their position and power. Added to their numbers were high ranking military officers and commanders.
The army was reorganized to emphasis the airship fleet, adding the airplanes to act as escorts, patrolman, and fast flying attackers. The naval fleet shrunk, to about 100 ships and submarines. While the foot soldiers and the army was given policing duty of the new lands. Many men and women train to take up places in the Airship fleet and airplane squads, those who fail or given temporary leave end up in either in the Navy or the Army. Neither position is highly sought after.
Those who don’t join the military work in the factories, mines, and farms that keep the military and the country going. They’re amazing work skill is noted in their prosthetics manufacturing. Which one of their major trades outside of mining tools; the country doesn’t trade anything else.
Airship and Naval Ranking: Admiral of the Fleet, Admirals, Commodores, Captains, Commanders, Lieutenant Commanders, Lieutenant, Sub-Lieutenant, and Airman.
Airplane Ranking: Air Marshal, Air Commodores, Group Captain, Wing Commander (heads up maintenance), Squadron Leaders, Flight Lieutenants, Flying Officer, Officer Cadet.
Army Ranking: Field Overseer, Overseers, Captain/ Town Overseer, Officer, Field Officer.
Asantia Nation:
Government System: Shared power system between the royal family, a council of nobles, and council of commoners*.
*Their seats change every 3 years.
Current Ruler: Thomas Quatremaine {King}, Christopher Makepiece {Head of the Nobles Council}, Sybilla Holland {Head of the Council of Commoners}.
Information: A system of Etiquette, style, and manners keeps the social norms in place. Nobles, scientist, engineers, and commoners function side by side. Merchants start up from any class, to flux between poverty and wealthy depending on the weather in the air and the currents of the sea.
There are many who join the military, though it is often a family inheritance thing. They act as if it is a rite of passage within their family, so that many officers are part of a larger family of military members. There are those who are new to the military, but they are often out weighted by those who were born in it already. Strangely enough these family connections are not used, despite several families earning noble titles for their years of serves. The military of the Asantia rankings work much like those of the Vardus. However the Asantia focus on the airship fleet and navy. They are known for their wonderful above and underwater fleet, as well as a pretty impressive airship fleet. Still Asantia lacks a real airplane squad, treating them more as show tools and escorts than actually fighter. They’re army is large, but is filled with more ruff lots than actually soldiers. Those soldiers are often called upon only to act as guard for foreign diplomats, scientist, and nobles. They do have a special branch that uses detective work to sniff out spies as well as does spy work in other countries.
Yan’jin Isles:
Government System: A queen overseeing three courts.
Current Ruler(s): Yorgiry of the Noble House of Jin {Queen}, Tsaw’ha of the 2nd House of Kur’cha {Head of the Council of Nobles}, Koma of Berdiri {Head of the Board of Commons*}, Okh’soy of Kulit {Co-head of the Court of Arms and Laws^} and Rak’shi of Mahji {Co-head of the Court of Arms and Laws^}
*The Board of Commons is an elected group, who remain in office in till their deaths or they do something absolutely awful.
^ The Court of Minds is a group of lawman who oversee both laws for the army and the civilian.
Information: While the Yan’jin islands are much the same socially as structure the Asantiain social system. However the major difference is physical appearance. Nobles, have a tattoo on their shoulders noting they’re position. Gold painted tattoos rank higher than silver, while silver ranks higher than black (they skin tone is bronze to light brown). While commoners do not have any sort of marking on their shoulders, they do draw on their skin from time to time, however in order to get a tattoo it takes a lot of money since the ink and paint is rare to find and hard to make.
Split between the floating islands and the ground islands, the people share a common trait of tan, bronze, and light brown skin and unique eye colors. These common traits are basically the only things shared by the floating islands and the ground islands. Most nobles stay on the ground except for those with property on the floating islands. Meanwhile, a few rough commoners and merchants hold power in the floating islands. These two forces have competed with each other over the years, but have recently found peace.
This peace comes in part due to the massive Airship and naval fleet that the country owns. The Yan’jin fleets, are one of the more powerful. Even if it doesn’t have a great army, many countries avoid forcing the hand of the Yan’jin do use their forces. Most of the forces are made from the lower classes, though the higher up are a mix of nobles and commoners. Unique their country is the open recruitment for piracy ships. These ships are like spies, scouts, and scavengers of the countries. To start a ship, they merely need to work out a deal with they’re local government promising a certain part or price for their goods and information. In return, the government turns away any pirate hunters, if their air or naval ships are nearby.
While these piracy groups, have a few individual ships in there. There are many ships that team up into small fleet and use one title to cover them all. These ships sometimes are called upon by none Yan’jingy. However these services always come with a price, unless they are in the person’s debt. A few of these ships and fleet heads are given proper command of air and naval ships and with a proper crew. Most people continue on with the pirate ranks.
Prominent Technology and Weapons:
Hover Tram: A large disk that floats around several cities transporting people from one bay to another. They are used for short distance travel. They can carry cars, people, large shipments, and animals. There are also some that are owned by private companies.
*small town do not have these, in fact most small town still use horse and buggy to get around isolated areas. In well paved areas, they used cars.
Airships: Used by all branches of the society, airships are the main way to transport large amount from one part of the world to another. Armies patrol they’re countries airways, with very large air ships, which are almost like fortresses in the air. Airship Pirate, use smaller ships with large hulls and little sleeping compartments. These Air Pirates often claim to be free agents, however many sell they’re serves to one country or another for parts of the year. Merchants often had medium sized ships, which can transport anything from people to animals to massive amounts of foods. There are private airships, however only higher and wealthy people of society can afford those.
*Airship only docks at major cities or towns, unless they’re privately owned. Then they can dock near or within distance of a private estate.
Trains: These are only really used for transportation to smaller towns or places that are really out of the way like the countryside.
Robots (bots): Strangely enough these are usually used by the lower class. From keeping their small houses neat, to working at bars. They are powers by a mix of things usually magic and steam power. However there are other ways to power them. They’re demand isn’t high, since nobles prefer a human touch to things and many people are not sure about them. In the end, they are not many of them. Most of them work in shady places, for obvious reasons.
Steam Coach/Buses/Trains/Etc.: It looks much like the Victorian Coaches. However the major difference is the lack of horses (at least not real ones). Most horses are saved for noble games or for the wealthy of any country. The steam coach can be draw by mechanical horses, though most are self drawn. Some are big enough to carry up to 18 people, which are usually for workers. The richer have coaches that are self heating, while most poor have those that can barely move.
Ships: Normally used by Merchants, they are also occasionally used by Pirates. They are as widely used as Airships. Though, both countries but they’re control under that of the Air Ship Commanders. Smaller ships are used by nobles, fisherman, or private owners.
Steamsuits: From towering as tall as 5 story buildings to the height of an average man, these suits are metal suits that cover a person. Some are used by local Officers and Flame Fights. These suits are specially designed those field, with flame resistance and special venting to keep from overheating to those used by the Officers, who a simpler and more reinforced armor on they’re version. Then there are those used by the Asantia Nation. These generally are faster and far taller than those used by Officers and Flame Fighters, with a lot more gadgets. For certain members of the Field Force (Ground and Sea troops) they have personalized one, which are tailored to the demands of they’re owner.
Air Skimmers: Using the hover technology of the hover trams, air skimmers are like skateboards. They have accessories like a handle to make it less difficult, a sail if you are going out over water and sometimes boosters for greater speed (you have to build these). It can’t go very far out on to water, since it needs something solid to push against. They can hold up to three people, though that greatly lessens the speed (unless you have boosters).
Audiogram: A recording device that can play messages as well. You just speak into hand held part, after putting a cylinder of recording material in. A flick of a switch allows for the message to be recorded. Another flick of the same switch ends it. Then there is a choice of replaying the message or sending it out, through messenger.
*While this used often, not everyone has an audiogram. Most messages are written on paper, thus letters and notes are more likely; especially among the lower classes.
~More will be added as the world expands~
