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The Caladonnian Shogunate
Caladonn is an ancient nation, that has inhabited the islands of Caladonn (RL Japan) for centuries. Having risen from a group of sometimes warring, mostly trading states comprising the different islands, Caladonn was unified 387 years ago by the great Mallian Stongar, the Daimyo of the Honshar people. He established the Shogunate, comprising of one semi-hereditary executive Shogun, advised by the Council of Daimyos, from each of the previous states.

Since then, Caladonn has grown immensely, starting a strong colonization tradition with the establishment of the mercantile holdings on the islands to the south of the homeland. The Caladonnians are renowned for their maritime interest, trade, and navy, and less so for land-based forces. However, Caladonnian longbowmen have proved effective on land as well as at sea.

Summary:
Head of government: Shogun Aramil Holimion
Government type: Monarchy/Oligarchy
Seat of government: Calad (RL Tokyo)
Other major settlements: Coming soon
Major military and naval bases: Lenian (Taipei), Calad, etc
Total population: 17 million
Religion: Generally Shintoist
Currency: the Yen, a silver or gold coin of different denominations in value.

(Military and further info coming soon)

Shogun Holimion has asked the Council of Daimyos to approve the sending of several exploratory fleets southward and westward. One fleet will head due west from the Caladonnian homeland, with a small force of colonists and soldiers to set up outposts along the way.

Another fleet will head west from Taiwan, with an aim to lay claim to the island of Hainan off the coast of China. However, only a few small forts will be established, since most of Caladonn's colonial might will be directed due south, to the Philippine Archipelago, where boatloads of colonists and soldiers are departing.

Finally, a contingent of the Philippine fleet will break off and head southeast, where the small island archipelagoes of that land are ripe for colonization. Another squadron of that fleet will continue south from the Philippines, to establish Caladonnian claims to the Indonesian islands in that area and possibly establish contact with other civilizations, as well as setting up an outpost at the tip of the Malaccan Penninsula.

Aphalle was dozing in a reclining chair he'd set up on the deck. several weeks of travel, many islands surveyed, and so very much boredom for him. not that excitement would exactly have been welcome either, given that it useually ment someone shooting at them.

he'd finished what books and papers he'd brought with him days ago, and really had little to do as long as nothing went wrong. he was, after all, the seakommander, not the ship's captain, and thus left the day to day things to those who's job it was.

"sir." the ship's captain approached, interrupting Aphalle's musings "we have sighted land to the north west,"

"ehh, you know what to do about that."

"yes,sir, but there's more. there are sails sighted on the northern horizon also."

"anyone we know?"

"they show their colours openly, but no. they have no heraldry, so not one of ours."

"right." Aphalle stood up in a cat like motion, and within short order was looking through his telescope at the sails in the distance.

"hummm. bowsprit, mono hull, square rigged. doesn't look very powerful, but elegant enough." he mused, then started yelling orders.

"bring all ships about, and spread in a gold formation. full heraldry display. run up signals of greeting and peaceful intent. prepare the guns, but keep the ports closed."

he bounded back down onto the deck, and turned to the captain.

"perhaps we can learn something here."

Aphalle was dozing in a reclining chair he'd set up on the deck. several weeks of travel, many islands surveyed, and so very much boredom for him. not that excitement would exactly have been welcome either, given that it useually ment someone shooting at them.

he'd finished what books and papers he'd brought with him days ago, and really had little to do as long as nothing went wrong. he was, after all, the seakommander, not the ship's captain, and thus left the day to day things to those who's job it was.

"sir." the ship's captain approached, interrupting Aphalle's musings "we have sighted land to the north west,"

"ehh, you know what to do about that."

"yes,sir, but there's more. there are sails sighted on the northern horizon also."

"anyone we know?"

"they show their colours openly, but no. they have no heraldry, so not one of ours."

"right." Aphalle stood up in a cat like motion, and within short order was looking through his telescope at the sails in the distance.

"hummm. bowsprit, mono hull, square rigged. doesn't look very powerful, but elegant enough." he mused, then started yelling orders.

"bring all ships about, and spread in a gold formation. full heraldry display. run up signals of greeting and peaceful intent. prepare the guns, but keep the ports closed."

he bounded back down onto the deck, and turned to the captain.

"perhaps we can learn something here."
"Sails sighted!" the shout came down from the masthead. Captain Harmal looked up from his pacing on the quarterdeck, as the second and third lieutenants came aft brandishing telescopes.

As the senior officer, he quickly commandeered one. By that point, the ships had closed distances enough for them to be visible from the deck. He counted at least ten sails, and swore. At the best, it was money grubbing merchants... at the worst, an invasion fleet.

Still, as a captain in the Imperial Caladonnian Navy, he was duty-bound to investigate. He ordered the helmsman to change course, and soon the frigate heeled over, and was heading towards the foreign ships.

Once the fleet was within shouting distance, the captain ordered that the frigate heave to. He pulled out a speaking trumpet, and shouted over the sound of the waves, "Greetings! I am Captain Harmal, of the Imperial Caladonnian Navy! State your business!"

He hoped the foreigners would understand Caladonnian; on the off chance they did not, he repeated the message in Filipino and Polynesian, to be sure.

Aphalle was most fortunate in that one of the lieutenants on his flag ship spoke Polynesian. actually, he'd shown a remarkable skill at learning new languages quickly, so he now also spoke the languages of several of the minor tribes they'd come across along the way, if only the very basics of them.

"Rikkard, can you make out what he's yelling about?"

"yes, sir. he's identifying himself, apparently the ships are from the Caladonnian Imperial Navy... or something like that, the word order's a little odd. he wishes to know why we're here."

"think you can respond well enough for him to understand?"

"i can try sir"

"right... as follows then; 'Sea-Kommander Aphalle of the Principality of Angermanland leads this flotilla on an expedition of survey, exploration, and contact. we come in peace, though prepared for anything.' that should do well to answer his question. we'll see how he responds to that before telling them anything else."

"very good, sir." Rikkard acquired a speaking trumpet and proceeded to inform the Caladonnian's of his superior's response.

Aphalle was most fortunate in that one of the lieutenants on his flag ship spoke Polynesian. actually, he'd shown a remarkable skill at learning new languages quickly, so he now also spoke the languages of several of the minor tribes they'd come across along the way, if only the very basics of them.

"Rikkard, can you make out what he's yelling about?"

"yes, sir. he's identifying himself, apparently the ships are from the Caladonnian Imperial Navy... or something like that, the word order's a little odd. he wishes to know why we're here."

"think you can respond well enough for him to understand?"

"i can try sir"

"right... as follows then; 'Sea-Kommander Aphalle of the Principality of Angermanland leads this flotilla on an expedition of survey, exploration, and contact. we come in peace, though prepared for anything.' that should do well to answer his question. we'll see how he responds to that before telling them anything else."

"very good, sir." Rikkard acquired a speaking trumpet and proceeded to inform the Caladonnian's of his superior's response.
Captain Harmil wasn't surprised that the foreigners spoke Polynesian. Coming from the south, it was the most likely mutual language, and so he listened intently to the Angerman response, as it came wafting over the waves.

The grammar and pronunciation was a bit strange, but the import was easy, and startling, enough. Apparently there was a whole new advanced civilization, 'Angermanland' or something like it, far to the south. This would certainly need looking into, Harmil mused, but then realized he was keeping the Angermen waiting.

He raised the trumpet, and responded, "We welcome your peoples to Caladonnian waters. If you wish to establish relations with our nation, we shall permit you to send a small delegation to our ship, and we shall convey them to Caladonn.

Would this be acceptable?"

"even odds there's something less than pleasant behind that invitation," Rikkard muttered, after he got done translating it.

"in who's favour?" Aphalle remarked, grinning. "regardless, you are right. we shall insist that the full flotilla stay together, but that we agree to stay far enough off shore as to be out of cannon range. ... perhaps they can send a diplomat to us. i'll take them up on their offer if things go well though.

pass it along."

"aye sir." the lieutenant proceeded to do as instructed.

"even odds there's something less than pleasant behind that invitation," Rikkard muttered, after he got done translating it.

"in who's favour?" Aphalle remarked, grinning. "regardless, you are right. we shall insist that the full flotilla stay together, but that we agree to stay far enough off shore as to be out of cannon range. ... perhaps they can send a diplomat to us. i'll take them up on their offer if things go well though.

pass it along."

"aye sir." the lieutenant proceeded to do as instructed.
The Caladonnian Captain frowned... he was not accustomed to foreigners displaying anything but subservience to the might of the Imperial Republic. Still, this breed of foreigners had never been encountered before, and there was little that he could lose by allowing the foreigners to come as a group. They could hardly match the might of the Imperial Navy, in any case.

He shouted back to the affirmative, and indicated for the Angerman ships to follow his Frigate, on a course returning to Calad, the Capital.

"capitan!"
"sir?"
"let's do as they say. orders to all ships, form line astern on us. then we follow them in."
"aye, sir!"

signals were sent and orders carried out. it was time to see what kind of a place they had found.

The Caladonnian frigate led the Angerman flotilla north for three days, from the southern extremity of Caladonn to the relatively centrally located port capital of Calad. When the white towers rose up on the horizon, Captain Harmal ordered the frigate to heave to. He was unsure how the Angermen would like to proceed; retrieving his speaking trumpet, he shouted, "Your fleet can enter the harbor if you wish, or you can send representatives ashore with us."

"right... we shall carry on into the harbor... the rest of the flotilla is to take stations, spread out, from which they can see in, and maintain a state of readiness. we do not, after all, know what kind of reactions we shall get.

if this state of affairs lasts long, they shall take turns to trade places with the docked ship.

inform the ouhCaladonnij Capitan of what we plan to do, though not why, and then have it done."

a chorus of affirmative responses was followed by a flurry of action as the ship made ready to enter the harbor.

"right... we shall carry on into the harbor... the rest of the flotilla is to take stations, spread out, from which they can see in, and maintain a state of readiness. we do not, after all, know what kind of reactions we shall get.

if this state of affairs lasts long, they shall take turns to trade places with the docked ship.

inform the ouhCaladonnij Capitan of what we plan to do, though not why, and then have it done."

a chorus of affirmative responses was followed by a flurry of action as the ship made ready to enter the harbor.
The Captain shouted back assent, and beckoned the Angerman ship into the harbor. Upon entering, the Angermen were greeted with the urban metropolis that was Calad; hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, with a forest of ships in the harbor.

A messenger was ready to take the Angerman delegation to the Capitol building.

ooc: i think you need a refresher course in good RP posts or something. this is really all i can do in response to that.

IC: the Ship docked, and Aphalle disembarked, along with Rikkard and some twenty marines as an escort. better safe than sorry, after all.

OOC: Sorry, I had to go, and I figured I should just get something up to move this along a little bit before then... if you hadn't posted, I would've edited it, but as it stands, I'll continue with something more suitable.

IC: The Angerman delegation was greeted immediately upon disembarking. Word of the arrival of foreigners from the south had spread rapidly, and the Caladonnian government was hardly the least-informed entity within Calad.

An average-height man dressed in the flowing robes of the Imperial Senate stepped forward, flanked by five Marines who looked curious, but hardly alert. In truth, the experienced troops of Caladonn were elsewhere, fighting pirates on the high seas or setting up new colonies. Those kept in the capital itself were more ceremonial, though they were quite resplendent in dark green tunics with white crossbelts.

"Greetings," began the Senator uncertainly. Polynesian was regarded as something of a barbaric language in Caladonn proper, but as had most public officials, this Senator had spent time in the military, where an understanding of the rudiments of foreign tongues was required for officers.

"I am Senator Gilion, and I would like to welcome you to the Imperial Republic of Caladonn," the Senator continued. "The Supreme Consul and Foreign Minister have set aside their appointments for this afternoon, due to your unexpected arrival, and would be willing to meet with you at a moment's convenience."

Indicating that, in fact, only a moment would be considered, Gilion turned on his heel, and beckoned for the Angermen to walk beside him. They quickly strode along the broad, paved streets of central Calad, being given several sidelong glances from the multitude of passersby. A notoriously cosmopolitan society, the Caladonnians were not at all fazed by the arrival of foreigners in strange dress; rather it was the military presence, so rarely seen in a country where militia constituted the only land forces, that surprised them.

The walk was rather short, but at a tiringly steep incline, towards the Capitol. Senator Gilion had apparently lapsed somewhat from his military youth, and puffed a bit as the climb lengthened, inhibiting conversation.

Finally, the party arrived at the grandiose entrance to the Capitol. In typical Caladonnian style, the building was elegant and awe-inspiring, but had few overt decorations. Pragmatism had been around in Caladonn even since the time of this building, before the unification of the homeland.

The two guards at the entrance to the Capitol came to attention smartly, and the Senator acknowledged their salutes with the air of a man who had done so many times in the past. The Angermen were led through simple, whitestone hallways, with incense-giving braziers and open windows over the harbor.

Finally, they were led into a large, rather more ornamented office. Behind a massive gilt oak desk sat a tall, older man in a more fancy version of the Senator's clothing. Beside him stood a younger man, who introduced himself when the Angermen entered. "Good afternoon, gentlemen," he began, gesturing for them to take seats after he executed a perfunctory bow. "I have the honor of presenting myself, Finubar the Foreign Secretary of Caladonn, and the Most Honorable Supreme Consul Aramil Holimion, our esteemed ruler."

The seated older man, the Supreme Consul, smiled, and said, "You must forgive my zealous Minister's formality," while bowing from his chair. "Welcome to my country. What brings you to our shores?"

save only for two men, the marine guard had been left outside. now, those two stood behind and to either side of Aphalle and Rikkard, who had taken their seats when offered.

as the senators finished speaking, Rikkard translated their introductions and question. "what should i tell them, sir?"

"humm... tell them we are... explorers. it is true enough. and that we've been sent by the Prince to map the various parts of the world with an eye towards foreign relations, trade and so on. no need to elaborate on what 'so on' constitutes for the moment. we'll see where we stand before we tell them anymore. may as well introduce ourselves as well. "

"aye sir."

Rikkard translated into Polynesian for the benefit of the senators

"we are explorers, sent by his Highness the Prince of Angermanland to explore and map the world for the glory of the principality, with an eye towards foreign relations and trade. i am Rikkard, an under officer in our navy, and this is Admiral Aphalle, leader of the flotilla and one of the highest ranking officers in the Angerman navy at this time."

Finubar, being foreign secretary and having a better grasp of the southern languages, translated the Angerman's speech for the benefit of the Supreme Consul. Both considered, and with a nod from Aramil, Finubar responded, "I see. It is an honor to welcome maritime men such as yourselves to this most maritime of nations.

Caladonn is very interested in both establishing relations and growing trade with other civilized nations. So far, we have only encountered savages, fit mainly to be colonized. It is certainly a refreshing surprise to find some with which we can communicate on an equal level.

Please, tell me of your homeland, and of what opportunities we might have together."

ooc: because I'm sick of writing everything twice: assume translation is occurring.

IC:
"our homeland is much like your own, in some ways. islands, mountains, forests, beaches, fields, cities. the Prince rules over the entire land, mostly by way of the councils... as for opportunities... well, there's always a market for foodstuffs. perhaps a willingness on your part to accept migrant workers of various skill levels? there are many posibilities, but the specifics, i'm not so sure on. i've been in military service of one sort or another since not long after my coming of age.. there were some... internal disruptions... a while back. all sorted now, though, and the cycle begins anew."

"I see... I must confess, this is much as I expected any other advanced nation to be.

Trade will come naturally in time... unless there are products that we have an outstanding need to exchange, we can leave that to the merchants.

There are, of course, more important matters. Obviously Angermanland seeks to expand, due to your exploratory fleets coming to our shores. We have the same aspirations, and have already set up colonies on Formosa, the Philippines, and Hainan. We have recently received word, in fact, of our fleets reaching Malacca and Borneo to the south.

What expansion plans does Angermanland have, and how could we work to accomodate the growth of both our nations?"

"i do not know the plans... they may not even exist yet. we are here to gather information to return so that such plans can be made.

primary amongst the things that would make life a great deal easier would be your not making claims to territory we settle. especially not that suited to the growth of our crops and timber, for we have great need of those.

as for those areas you already claim, perhaps it would be best if we could take a copy of that map? simply so that, apart from those sent out at the same time as our selves, all of our ships are aware it is your land, so no unfortunate incidents should occur? not, of course, that I'm saying they're likely to if you don't, it's just something that would help.

i can't actually provide you with an equivalently as of yet, for the reasons i previously stated.

the establishment of permanent envoys might be a good idea...'"

"i do not know the plans... they may not even exist yet. we are here to gather information to return so that such plans can be made.

primary amongst the things that would make life a great deal easier would be your not making claims to territory we settle. especially not that suited to the growth of our crops and timber, for we have great need of those.

as for those areas you already claim, perhaps it would be best if we could take a copy of that map? simply so that, apart from those sent out at the same time as our selves, all of our ships are aware it is your land, so no unfortunate incidents should occur? not, of course, that I'm saying they're likely to if you don't, it's just something that would help.

i can't actually provide you with an equivalently as of yet, for the reasons i previously stated.

the establishment of permanent envoys might be a good idea...'"
"I see, that is certainly understandable. After all, both of our nations are new to the world stage, and it is critical for us to find our places within that stage." The Foreign Minister had some trouble communicating this metaphor in Polynesian, but he tried the best he could. "I could certainly provide you with a map of current Caladonnian settlements and claims. Perhaps we should work together to explore farther afield. As for envoys, that is certainly a good idea, and I can arrange for a few Senators, plus staff, to travel with you to eventually return to your nation. Perhaps you have some officials who could perform the same function here in Calad?"

"alas, not aboard our own ships. such would be found quite readily upon our return, however, if it were to the liking of the prince, and not too much disagreement was forthcoming from the counsel."

"Very well; should it be possible, I hope you can send a permanent emissary to Calad soon."