Belmar
"The war solved no problem. Its effects, both immediate and indirect, were either negative or disastrous. Morally subversive, economically destructive, socially degrading, confused in its causes, devious in its course, futile in its result, it is the outstanding example... of meaningless conflict"
- C. V. Wegdwood
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The Old Empire
Genre: Resurgent Empire; With Fire and Sword
Belmar is a generally pleasant and summery world in the Tyrolean Starzone with three inhabited continents separated by wide turquoise seas. It is largely ruled by the Belmarian Empire, a state that was established a millennium ago by refugees who fled there out of the destruction of neighboring Tyrol shortly before the end of the God Wars and the closure of the starways. Although blessed with a mild climate and well-suited for human habitation, Belmar has been devastated over the past five decades by a series of cataclysmic wars and a lengthy period of near anarchy that have left its population decimated and much of its environment deeply scarred. These troubles were followed by a number of ill-advised and ill-fated foreign campaigns launched shortly after the reopening of the starways by the rump empire that nearly saw Belmar overtaken by rebel forces bankrolled by off-world interests.
The final destruction of the Belmarian Empire, which had in the early days of the new millennium reached the nadir of its fortunes, and the installment of a foreign puppet regime over the whole of the planet was narrowly averted when in 1004 King William III ascended to the thrones of Carthinia and Pomerania, the two remaining strongholds of imperial power left in the world. Rallying around their new and far more able leader, the empire's armies were able to launch a counter attack, and with the aid of new allies and a considerable amount of luck to eventually overcome their weakened and increasingly divided enemies entirely. The occupation of Deldan City and exposure of collaboration between elements of the renegade Deldan Senate and foreign powers allowed for the signing of a peace settlement that for the first time in half a century the whole empire nominally united once more.
That is not to say that the Belmarian Empire that emerged from the long crisis is the same one that entered into it, gone are the days when the Emperor ruled over a centralized and efficient state from the old capital in Mala Nedelja. The northern continent, which escaped the worst of the wars under the leadership of the self proclaimed independent city of Rehrersburg, won recognition of its complete autonomy in the peace treaties of 1005 with only vague commitments to the notion of a unified planetary defense. In the west, the former rebel provinces that were united as the Deldan Republic have once again been brought under the empire's authority, but they've managed to maintain a considerable amount of autonomy in the process and the task of reunification will be a long one. Finally in the east, where the empire is strongest the long task of rebuilding what the Great War destroyed fifty years ago could be the work of generations.
But the Belmarian Empire is once again a true empire, rather than a broken and tired remnant of one as it was when it entered in to the new millennium. And for the first time since the death the late King Fredrick II's elder brother, it has an emperor. In a ceremony in the ancient capital that was attended by the old nobility and army commanders of both Royal Belmar and Deldan, King William III took up the long neglected Imperial Crown and became Emperor Francis William IV. For a time it seems that Belmar's further decline has been averted, and perhaps a brighter future awaits.
Royal and Imperial Belmar
The Belmarian Empire is now a thousand years removed from the destitute refugees and castaways that founded it all those long centuries ago, though it has in recent decades once again gone through nearly as dark days as those that marked its establishment. The coronation of Francis William IV has settled the long standing question of who will rule the empire, at least for now. The perpetually restive aristocracy has either been integrated into the new regime, or at least temporarily cowed into a state of semi-quiescence. Many of the more dangerous and outspoken members of the Deldan Senate and the Royal Grand Council were either quietly killed or sent into exile during the last days of the War of Belmarian Succession, when the new Emperor's hatchet-men turned their attention fully towards the byzantine web of conspiracy that had grown up around large portions of the planetary nobility. It does however seem like it's only a matter of time until the next murderous plot forms.
Outside of the palaces, conditions have following the end of the war improved greatly as tremendous sums of money have been poured into the reconstruction efforts. The damage done by the recent conflict has by and large been completely repaired and for the first time the empire's energies are turned toward undoing the damage caused by the Great War itself. The defeat of Deldan and the generous outflow of money and material to the population at large from the government have done some small measure of good in improving the public's mood toward the regime, but there's a long way to go yet before order and stability can be fully restored.
Technology and Magic
Engineering: 500
Chemistry: 500
Physics: 500
Biology: 400
Psychology: 400
Creation: 0
Destruction: 0
Matter: 0
Mental: 100
Movement: 0
Infrastructure
Industry: 77+0
Wealth: 96
Research: 15
Ether: 75
Stockpiles
WU:
IUU:
Ether:
Geodes:
RP:
Advantages
Elite Armed Forces
The current Belmarian armed forces were originally formed from the surviving loyal units of the now defunct Imperial military that was destroyed in the apocalyptic opening battles of the Great War. They fought first against the Deldan, then against the warlords of the Central Continent in the extended campaigns to restore order in the post-war world. Belmarian troops are well-trained in the lessons learned during those long years of conflict and are more often than not battle-hardened veterans as well. They're not the best equipped or largest force in the west of known space, but they're perhaps one of the toughest.
Diplomatic
For reasons that are not immediately obvious or well-understood, Belmarians have proven to be either extremely capable at or incredibly lucky in dealing with the maze of cultures and powers they've found out beyond their own solar system with the reopening of the starways. Loosely state sponsored Belmarian adventurers and travelers can be found in all sorts of places across known space attempting to make deals to benefit their homeland.
Large Population
Although not really that large compared to other powers, even the much reduced population of Royal Belmar has been in the years following the Great War far beyond the ability of the remaining infrastructure to support comfortably. This has greatly contributed to the unstable character of the Empire's territories in recent years.
Space Cadets
There is a cluster of large stations and other orbital facilities high above Belmar, built over the last few decades to replace those that were largely destroyed during the Great War. For a time they were occupied by rebellious units of the Royal Navy, but following the empire's victory in the War of Belmarian Succession they have returned to government control.
Disadvantages
Lord of All
While the War of Belmarian Succession is over, the question of succession looms large over the whole empire. The newly crowned Emperor Francis William IV has no heirs, and much of the empire's recent successes can be attributed to his leadership. Without the strong leader whose personal connections have held the state together through the last few years, its entirely likely that widespread disorder would break out and more wars would follow.
Angry Population
With the widespread and continuing improvements in living conditions across the empire and the victory over Deldan in 1005, it is understandable to think that perhaps the public mood in the empire would have improved. And it did, but the damage done to Belmarian society by the long years of war will take more than a few years to heal. More importantly, the new Emperor has made more than a few enemies among the old aristocracy who are just as dangerous as any number of regular citizens.
Resource Poor
There's just not that much in the way of resources in Royal Belmar's territories, and the Great War destroyed the off-world mining operations that once fueled the planet's factories.
Barren World
Royal Belmar isn't at all lifeless, but the Great War took its toll on its environment. Huge portions of the planet's surface are still poisoned from the cataclysm of the Great War, and the continuing sporatic conflicts that followed have largely prevented any real effort to begin cleaning it up.
Slow Population Growth
No one's really much for having kids these days. Maybe not too surprising given how bad things have been over the past half century.
Factious World
Royal Belmar uneasily shares its planet with Deldan, now nominally returned to the empire, and the northern country of Rehrersburg.
Climate
Generally temperate in the two kingdoms of Royal Belmar, perhaps slightly on the warmer side on the Central Continent.
Geography
Southeastern Continent
The Southeastern Continent is a largely desolate landmass made up mostly of deserts and arid highlands that has remained mostly uninhabited for almost all of Belmar's recorded history. The only exception to this is the stretch of temperate rainforests along the continent's western coastal plain, which is home to the Kingdom of Carthinia that has for the past twenty years served as the empire's principal stronghold.
Aldanburg (Super; Intervening Ocean)
Population: 10,000,000 Housed, 6,000,000 Unhoused
Industry: 40
Wealth: 45
Research: 10
Ether: 40
Connections: Novi Pazar (North)
Aldanburg was for most of its history something of an irrelevant backwater compared to the great cities of the Central Continent, and it was this irrelevance that spared it the worst of the Great War's devastation. Following that conflict the remnants of the empire's government transferred the capital to the city from the chaotic mainland, and they were followed by millions of refugees in a migration that would transform the sleepy provincial city into one of the most heavily populated and certainly the most productive city in Royal Belmar.
Novi Pazar (Difficult – Forested Hills; Intervening Ocean)
Population: 500,000 Housed, 3,572,800
Unhoused
Industry: 1
Wealth: 3
Research: 0
Ether: 5
Connections: Carthinia (South)
Novi Pazar is another city in the forested hills to the north of Aldanburg Province, and like the greater city to the south it and its satellite towns were heavily settled by refugees from the mainland following the end of the Great War.
Central Continent
The Central Continent is the heartland of Belmarian civilization; it was here that the first refugees fleeing out of the ruin of Tyrol landed and began the process of building new nations for themselves. It also took the brunt of the damage caused by the Great War, many of its cities remain little more than shadows of their former selves and huge swathes of once peaceful countryside have been reduced to dead wastelands.
Mala Nedelja (Open)
Population: 1,600,000 Housed, 5,000,000 Unhoused
Industry: 10
Wealth: 14
Research: 5
Ether: 5
Connections: Western Pomerania (West); Morava (Southwest)
Mala Nedelja is the traditional capital of Belmar, located in the eastern portion of the ancient Pomeranian Kingdom. The once great city was protected from complete destruction during the Great War by a powerful shield, but such defenses could not spare it from the anarchy and famine that followed behind the conflict. But while its population is still much reduced and most of its grand palaces sit abandoned, following the end of the War of Belmarian Succession the victorious empire has reopened the old Imperial Palace and set about attempting to restore some of the old capital's grandeur.
Western Pomerania (Open)
Population: 250,000 Housed, 3,000,000 Unhoused
Industry: 1
Wealth: 3
Research: 0
Ether: 0
Connections: Mala Nedelja (East); Deldan (West); Morava (South)
Western Pomerania is more rural than the more urbanized eastern portion of the kingdom, and the local environment has recovered somewhat better than the plains to the south. It's home to vineyards and orchards in varying states of repair and no shortage of abandoned palaces whose owners have either died in the wars or fled to the safety of Carthinia or the Orbitals.
Morava (Open)
Population: 750,000 Housed, 5,000,000 Unhoused
Industry: 5
Wealth: 5
Research: 0
Ether: 5
Connections: Western Pomerania (North); Mala Nedelja (Northeast); Deldan (West); Lodomeria (South)
The central region of Morava saw the worst fighting of the Great War and then the main battles of the War of Belmarian Succession. Beyond the suburbs of the fortified city of Kolonia there's little left but dead towns and scorched wastelands slowly being overgrown by hardy grasses.
Lodomeria (Difficult – Forested Hills)
Population: 100,000 Housed, 3,000,000 Unhoused
Industry: 2
Wealth: 1
Research: 0
Ether: 0
Connections: Deldan (West); Morava (North)
Lodomeria and the Keranburg Peninsula, like Morava to the north, never really recovered from the Great War. Most of the city of Keranburg was still in ruins when it was for a time occupied by Deldan forces during the War of Belmarian Succession.
Orbital Space
New Aldanburg (Crowded – Moon and Debris)
Population: 4,000,000 Housed
Industry: 18
Wealth: 20
Research: 0
Ether: 20