NationStates Jolt Archive

The Skraelingian Empire is an ancient empire, with its roots in the dark ages with the Slavic and Viking invasions. The nation has six major ethnic groups, which were generally subjugated by one of the Skraeling races (which one depended on the region and time period). The Skraeling races were the Romanids (Thraco-Nordic), Vraenids (Magyar-Nordic), and Ilirrinid (Croat-Nordic), all of which were mixed of nordic and local populations. The remaining three major ethnic groups within the Empire's borders are Austro-Bavarians, Thracians (Romanian, though speaking a more direct Latin derivative) and Croats (the other Slavic groups having been reduced to negligable minorities by disasters and the catastrophic Turkish subjugation of the area. Most, after converting to Islam, were expelled by one of the Empire's less tolerant rulers). After throwing off Turkish tyranny, the Empire emerged in the 1800s resurgent and throwing its weight around the national scene, at least briefly, before fragmenting in the 1930's, and has remained as a fragmented failed state until recently, when the Nationalist (consisting mostly of Croats, Ilirrinids, Romanids, and Thracians) forces of the reunified the country of Anićs (Natasa and Isaac) reunified the country.

Government:
The Skraelingian Empire is an oligarchy, ruled by an Imperator (head of state), Grand Duke (leader of Grand Council), and the Grand Council (a council of nobles).

The Imperator is elected by the Marshals of the Armed Forces, and ultimately has the final say in decisions (though non-compliance from nobles is a constant irritant). They command the Armed Forces. The office of Imperator is generally considered the successor of the Emperor: the Monarchy was dissolved along with the old empire, and the old royal family was butchered in the ensuing chaos. The current Imperator is the 26 year-old Nataša Anić, former Marshal of the Nationalist Army.

The Grand Council is a council of the Empire's highest nobility (those of Count rank or higher), generally functions much as the old Roman Senate, though with proper legislative power. The leader of the Grand Council is the Grand Duke, who is generally considered the second ruler of the Empire. The current Grand Duke is 28 year-old Isaac Anić, former Marshal of the Nationalist Army.

Demographics:

The major ethnic groups in the country are as follows:

Skraeling: Romanids (Thraco-Nordic); Vraenids (Magyar-Nordic); Ilirrinid (Croat-Nordic)

Non-Skraeling: Croat; Thracian; Austro-Bavarian

Religion:
The most common religion in Skraelingia is Roman Catholicism, with Lutheranism being second in proliferation.

Land Area:
The country encompasses the RL nations of Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, and Moldavia.

Capital:
The Skraelingian Empire's Capital City is Skrael (240 miles east of Zagreb).

Characters:

Nataša Anić, (Age 26)
Picture: Nataša on a day off. (http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/4131/collegehumor3857b2537ef.jpg)
Current head of state of the Skraelingian Empire, Natasa was born in Zagreb, Croatia to Mutimir and Slavika Anic, on December 2nd, 1983. She completed a regular primary education, and studied military history in college at University of Dalmatia. At age 23, she returned home to help her older brother Isaac organize a defense for the city as ethnic violence flared up once more, and they soon helped form a nationalist coalition with others, which eventually succeeded in reuniting the Empire in 2009. In order to prevent any type of power struggle between nationalist military leaders (any of which Isaac was likely to emerge dominant from), Natasa was elected by the military council as Imperator and head of state until proper elections could be held.

Natasa is very strong-willed, although she sometimes suffers from lapses in confidence. She is a proficient politician and stateswoman, and an accomplished general in her own right (often taking over the reins of the Nationalist Army for her brother). She is reasonably athletic, and has basic training in mixed martial arts, swordsmanship (taught by her bodyguard, Leopold) and often fences. She is tactful, but is notoriously poor at concealing her emotions.


Sergeant Leopold Landsermann (Age 31)
Leopold on inactive watch. http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/7982/picture1e.jpg (http://img511.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture1e.jpg)
Leopold Landsermann (or Leo) is a member of the Imperial Militus Cataphractii, the Imperial Guard unit tasked with guarding the Imperator. Leopold was born in Innsbruck, at the west-most edge of the Empire (and at the time a major city in the off-shoot nation of Austro-Croatia), on March 16th, 1978, and joined the Army at age 18, as it was his best shot at an education (his family was working-class, his father a steelworker), and he quickly rose to Master-Sergeant in the Austro-Croatian Army, and opted to transfer to the Militus Cataphractii, which was at that point guarding the leaders of Austro-Croatia. When fighting renewed, the Cataphracts shifted their alligence to the Anić family leaders, and became especially attached to Natasa, and none more so than Leopold, who adores his leader, and would quite happily kill for her, which he has done quite often. He is regarded amongst most everyone in Skraelingia to be the most deadly man in the Skraelingian Army, including the notoriously murderous Cataphractii. He is renowned for his skill with a sword, and he carries an infantry saber with him wherever he goes ("Bayonets? Hah! Those are for pussies!"). He is brave, stubborn, has a dry, sarcastic sense of humor, and takes a relentlessly pessimistic view of the world, at least when he isn't being gung-ho about the abilities of the Cataphractii.


Captain-General Henriks Johannson (Age 36) - Henriks Johannson is the commander of the Militus Cataphractii, the bodyguards and elite troops of the Skraelingian Empire and its rulers. Henriks was born in Arhus, Denmark (outside the Empire), on April 4th, 1973. His family soon moved into the Empire, as his parents had found work with a company within the (non-existent) Empire's borders. Henriks was swept up in the fervant patriotism and nationalism associated with the Austro-Croat military, and entered the military academy in Vienna, and left as a First Lieutenant. When infighting began again between the states of the Empire, Johannson distinguished himself both as a brave soldier and also as a resourceful, if cautious, leader. When the Cataphractii began searching for new recruits, he eagerly transferred, and was immedietely made a Captain in the Cataphracts. Upon the death of the previous leader, Gerhardt Mueller, in battle during the last acts of Reunification, Johannson was made commander of the guard.


Sergeant Fedor Mannheim (Age 33) -
More to come...