NESPolitik: In the War Room (Sign Up and Discussion Thread)

Character Name: Christopher Banks
Age: 42
Family:
Wife, Laura 36
Son, Allan 19
Daughter, Audrey 16
Son, George 14
Location: New York
Background Information: The Banks Family has its roots in England, where for many generations they loyally served the kings, owning positions of power. When the royal colony of New York was established, the then head of family William Banks received as a gift large tracts of land in the region.

Realizing that the population of the colony would grow, as well as the demand for food, William opted to plant corn and vegetables, rather than just sugar. Therefore, the colony soon became somewhat dependent on the Banks family for food supplies, making them a very rich and influential family even in the colonies. In the times of Henry, son of William, the Banks family used their fortune to expand the business, starting to cultivate sugar more intensely, and also being present in the local slave trade.

The Banks always had a very strong intellectual tradition, and its members often traveled to England to study. In fact, they frequently traveled to England for several purposes, and no one could say for sure where they actually lived. Henry put his son, Christopher, in the best schools of England, and arranged for him a beautiful English wife, Laura, a member of an important local noble family. The children of Christopher also studied in England, but the studies were interrupted by the declaration of secession, when he felt that his children would be safer with him in New York. And, precisely during this troubled time of tensions between the crown and the colonies, his father contracted a deadly disease.

During the crises between the crown and the colonies, Henry remained loyal to the king, as one would expect from a Banks. However, his son Christopher, found himself in a dilemma: Should he follow the tradition of his family, remaining loyal to the crown, or should he embrace the new wave of secession, which seemed imminent? Now that his father died, and he became the new head of the Banks family, it is his duty to preserve its legacy.

Character Name: Colonel Aaron Collingwood
Age: 37
Family:
Wife, Abigail 35
Daughter, Hannah 12
Son, Xavier 10
Location: New York

Background Information: The Collingwoods are among the oldest families in England. The family gained most of their power during the rise of Reformism through steadfast loyalty to the Elist Church. Many Collingwoods became priests, and quickly rose through the ranks. Most strongly supported religious war against the reformists, and the family only reluctantly accepted a ceasefire under the Elchild dynasty. Collingwood leaders spent most of the next few centuries in subvert conflict with the crown, attempting to favor the strength of the Church. It is no secret that, even today, many dream that England will one day revert back to a Theocracy.

This makes Aaron’s father, Jacob, somewhat a black sheep of the family. As a third son, it was almost expected of him to join the priesthood by the age of 21. Instead, he left his family to peruse his own fortune. By 30, he was in Hastings as a Reformist minister, renouncing his family and preaching against corruption in the Elist church. His first and only son, Aaron, favored the rest of his family in religious views. Despite his devotion to the church, he was unfortunately unwelcome at the Collingwood Estates, as many feared him for a revolutionary and dissident. He instead joined the Royal army as an officer, and in 1811 was relocated to New York.

Aaron proved to be skilled at command, and moved through the ranks at a fairly rapid pace. In 1834, he was awarded estates by the governor for bravery in battle against the natives, and in 1837 attained the prestigious rank of Colonel, making him one of the more powerful commanders in America. His invitation to Parliament came partially from his fame in battle, but more so to help bring Elists support to the revolution. It was an invitation he readily accepted; the Collingwoods generally share not only a distaste for Monarchs, but a sense of opportunism when the moment arises.

Character Name: Nathaniel Durant
Age: 43
Family:
Wife, Natalie (nee Emerson), 41
Son, Marcus, 20
Daughter, Cassandra, 18
Daughter, Cynthia, 18
Daughter, Lilian, 15
Son, Robin, 7
Location: Massachusetts Bay

Background Information:

The noble House of Durant traces its history back over a thousand years of rich history, originating in the ancient city-state of Minoa. An English sympathizer, William Durant famously opened the gates of Minoa to the invading English. As a reward for his service in the sack of Minoa, William was allowed to keep his Minoan land, and was also granted substantial tracts of land near the English marches. Selling off his Minoan territory in fear of retribution by the locals, William relocated to his new holdings, establishing farmlands and holdings of significant influence. The region continued to develop for nearly two centuries, before the head of the Durant family, in co-operation with High El-Priest Paul I, helped found the great city of Canterbury.

The possession of large tracts of fertile and productive land in Canterbury helped the House of Durant continue to grow in power and influence. Coming to dominate local politics in Canterbury, Durants could soon be found occupying offices in government across England. However, the family's fortune took a turn for the worse with the development of Reformism. A liberal streak in the family pushed them closer towards embracing Reformism, but once the Durants officially embraced the new faith, they rapidly fell out of political favour with the El-Priests. Though the Elchid Dynasty managed to separate the church and the state, the Durants never regained the political power that they once had.

When John Cabot discovered the New World, a particularly business-minded Durant was quick to pounce on the opportunity. As soon as the news of virgin lands became public, Josiah Durant began funneling large amounts of capital and funds into land and infrastructure in the New World. When Maharavia led the Reformist exodus to Massachusetts Bay, the Durants were at the head of the crowd, leaving their old, comfortable lives in Canterbury behind in favour of new opportunity. The Durant's wealth allowed them to establish significant economic and political power, so much that they became one of the foremost families in the colonies.

Born in 1797, the young Nathaniel Durant swiftly became involved with the anti-English protests that arose amidst the tyrannical trade restrictions imposed by the mother country. In 1815, Nathaniel was arrested for leading a protest against price-fixing laws, much to the consternation of his parents. Though he was swiftly bailed out of prison by his father thanks to some bribes and political favours, Nathaniel continued with his political activism. During the course of his protests and escapades, he fell in love in 1819, and quickly married his fellow protestor and close confidante, Natalie Emerson. Nathaniel's first son and heir, Marcus, was born a year later in 1820, and out of concern for their family, the husband and wife took a less active role in colonial politics, supporting the movements from the sidelines.

The death of Nathaniel's father in 1832 led to a vacancy in the Colonial Assembly, which Nathaniel himself was selected to fill as the new head of the Durant Family. No longer on the front lines, Nathaniel now coordinated protests and resistance movements, and in 1840, Nathaniel voted for secession with no regrets.


Note: If there's anything inconsistent with the established lore or geography (I made some assumptions here and there), let me know and I'll fix it up.

I've updated the library with some maps. Regional maps of England and America are forthcoming.

Name: Seymour Graves
Age: 37
Family: Wife, Tanya, 37
Son, Leonard, 16
Son, Nathanial, 13
Daughter, Elizabeth, 14
Son, Roland, 11
Location: Massachusetts Bay
Background: Strangely bereft of any great surname or forefather to pass down prestiege and reputation upon him, Seymour's history is relatively unknown and unwritten other than the knowledge that he was born in Massachusetts Bay and was relatively average and lower middle class during most of his childhood. Seymour's father was a rather frugal merchant, but even that could not stave off the specter of bad business that haunted him with poor political decisions and maneuvers. Seymour himself would be relatively unknown early on, going to work as a merchant to follow in his father's footsteps, and while enjoying enough success to earn himself a small fortune, he decided to discontinue the pursuit of business like his father had and enter the realm of politics. Just before he entered politics, he married the sister of an old friend, cementing a relatively strong bond between the two families.

While entering politics, Seymour was a man who seemed to blend into the background, absorbing information and being everyone's close confidant that they could rely upon for advice and assistance. His business, left in the hands of a capable nephew, soon prospered and funneled funds into his political career where he often took the middle ground and brokered deals with others in order to preserve the necessary (or as he defined it) pace of progress. Recently however, he has begun to show signs of stepping out of the middling ground, and stretching his wings in a different direction, more than likely far, far away from the center ground.


OOC: Let me know if this is alright, if not I'll change some stuff around as need be.

Weekend was busier than I expected and so I haven't have time to put together an application for this yet. I'm still interested, though, so expect one this afternoon/evening.

Shall make an application later tonight as well.

Expect an application from me either tonight or tomorrow.

Character Name: Nathaniel Chapman

Age: 45

Family:
Wife, Olivia 44
Son, Peter 14
Daughter, Emily 14
Daughter, Margaret 11
Son, Edward 9

Location: Massachusetts Bay

Background Information: Nathaniel Chapman was born in Plymouth to a wealthy fish trader named Adam Chapman. Nathaniel rarely saw his father as Adam always was a work, directing fish trade to and from the colonies. Therefore, Nathaniel and his brother Charles were found together regularly. Growing up, Nathaniel attended school up through university. His mother, Alice, always warned him that he needed a sufficient education to succeed in the real world. After finishing his university courses, Nathaniel traveled to the colonies accompanying his father on business work. On one of his trips to the Massachusetts Bay colony he met Olivia Livsey, his future wife. After visiting Olivia every time he was in Massachusetts, they finally got married and adopted the Chapman family name when he was 29 and she was 28. Since Nathaniel was married, he decided to move out of Plymouth to Massachusetts where he started a fish trading business, still envious of his father. After having his four children, he and Olivia are looking for new ways to provide for the needs of their children and themselves. Nathaniel sold the fish business to another wealthy merchant in the area and started his career in politics. Also with the money used from the fish business he bought an estate inland. He doesn't have much experience in the field, but is hoping that his success in trade with help lead him to success in politics. Nathaniel currently is trying to rise through the ranks and won't let any challenge loom over him.

Name: Timothy Carroll
Age: 47
Family: Wife: Catherine, 45; Children: James (21), Robert (17), Abigail (15), Timothy Jr. (12), and Elizabeth (12). Timothy Jr. and Elizabeth are twins. A sixth child, John, died in infancy. Had he lived, he would be 19.
Location: New York
Background Information: Timothy Carroll was born on a farm in the Royal Colony of New York in the 1793. His father, George Carroll, was one of the many officers who had accompanied Governor Lockhart on his famed expedition against Mauryan and had been given a moderate amount of land in reward for his services. Though the family was not extremely wealthy, as the land was good for sugar production they were securely in the upper middle class and young Timothy had a comfortable, if somewhat isolated, early life (he was never close to the only sibling to survive to adulthood, his sister Emily.) A scholar from a young age, Timothy especially enjoyed looking at his father’s maps and journals from the Lockhart Expedition. To his parents’ consternation, he also found it interesting to listen to the folktales and songs of the family’s Mauryan slaves.

Though getting on in years, George Carroll was called up to the militia to put down the rebellions in New York in the aftermath of the passing of the Sugar Act. While there, he called in several favors and got his son in line for a mid-level post with the colonial administration. Upon reaching his adulthood, Timothy left for the still somewhat volatile city, there to embark on a distinguished career rising through the bureaucracy. His most famous accomplishment during this time was undoubtedly the organization, planning, and construction of the Massachusetts-to-New York military road. The death of his father and his subsequent inheritance of the family estate didn’t slow down his almost astronomical rise, as he somehow found the time to devote both to his work and to tending the farm, even after manumitting his slaves (during his early adulthood he became convinced that slavery was evil, although he does not go so far as some radicals in proposing the complete abolition of that institution and the elevation of Maruyans and other “lesser” peoples to the same level as Englishmen.) His marriage to his love, Catherine Huebner, and the births of their children (James, Robert, Abigail, Timothy Jr., and Elizabeth) also hasn’t interfere with his career, despite his devotion to his family.

By the time of the convening of the Colonial Assembly, less than a decade later and despite his young age, rumors were that his name was already being considered for the next governor of the colony. Though he was offered a seat on the Assembly quite soon upon its founding, he initially turned it down, due to his desire to prevent war and his hope that the government in England and that in the colonies would be able to reconcile their differences. As time wore on, however, his time in the administration began to convince him that the colonies were being mismanaged (largely due to still-extant religious tensions), and that only through separation and the foundation of a new, “fresh” government, could the American territories achieve greatness. Therefore, come the 1840 vote to secede, Carroll supported it whole-heartedly and took up the seat in the assembly that had been offered to him years before.

Carroll, despite his support of secession, still has mixed feelings about the war; between this and his anti-slavery views he is known, with a certain degree of derision, as a soft-hearted man. No doubt because of his long career in the bureaucracy, Carroll is an advocate for a strong and centralized government, though he is against an outright monarchy and has no use for religion in government (he is not a religious man). Perhaps reflecting his early love of maps, he has also been strongly in favor of launching mapping and settling expeditions into the uncolonized areas of the American continents.

OOC: That sound okay? I can change anything as needed.

I will get around to reading all these applications in the next couple days. Though there are more lore-building books I'd like to add to the library, I will finalize the spreadsheets and we will try to being by the start of next week.


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Let me finish my NES update first then I will certainly get an application in.

SouthernKing said:

Let me finish my NES update first then I will certainly get an application in.

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I sure hope you finish that update first

pole475 said:

I sure hope you finish that update first

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Yeah, I want to know how badly I messed up Vietnam

Name: Andrew Connington Price
Age: 32
Family: Mary Price (nee Stewart) (26), Andrew II Cedric Price (4), Mortimer Lewis Price (2)
Location: New York

Background Information: Andrew Connington Price is the latest scion of the Price family, a long-lasting family of wealthy slave-traders dating from the first colonisation of the Americas. Andrew Connington took over the Price Company after his father's death in 1832, previously accompanying his father on the many slaving expeditions and learning the trade. Wealthy and cunning (though lazy) he was appointed to the Colonial Assembly after the death of another close friend of his father's in 1838, after he inherited his father's land outside New York where he keeps a small plantation. Price initially ug going to vote for secession, but was swayed to vote for it by the thought of expanding the slave trading business (which he still owned, but managed through some subordinates) and the lucrative contracts thereof. However, with the growth of abolitionist sentiment in the Colony now Andrew Connington Price is its staunchest defender, desperate to protect his profits and his company from what he sees as 'reformist rabble'.

Sorry for the long wait. I'll admit I got excited and posted the sign-up thread probably a week before I should of . We are however almost ready to start. I am still optimistic about the Monday start date. I tried to be as open as I could with the backgrounds. I generally only have a comment if it directly goes against lore I have posted in the library, or if it goes against something in the game that simply cannot be changed. Most of these problems will be my own fault for opening sign-ups before posting any lore. Please remember to respond to the thread quoting what you have changed so I can make a note of it.

@germanicus12: All you need to do is change the places to fit the map I have posted.

germanicus12 said:

Governor rewarded Henry for his services to the Crown by granting him land in nearby Jamestown (modern Hudson County region) which necessitated a move and John went to school for the first time.

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Other than that good job!

@cpm4001: I actually named what would be 'Boston' as Massachusetts Bay (not sure why in retrospect), so just change the name. Other than that it sounds good.

cpm4001 said:

Boston-to-New York military road

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@pole475: Again the place names. (No Boston, the city itself is called Massachusetts Bay). Plymouth is ok, because I am working on a Settlement Map and it wouldn't take much to add a town named Plymouth. Other than that, the only stipulation I have placed on membership to Parliament is that you be a landowner, so just a bit about him acquiring some land and you'll be good to go.

@Tycho: Everything looks good, but as I said to pole475, members are required to be 'landowners'. Just give him a little land and you'll be good.

@Ophorian: Very good. Nice integration with the history I have established. If you have any requests as to where your land is just say, if not I'll give a random piece somewhere in Massachusetts Bay.

@Popcornlord: Nice background! The only problem is that to join parliament you are required to have some land, so just add something about that and you'll be good.

@Grandkhan: I like how you went with a slave trading angle. I was worried no one would touch slavery, racism, or sexism because of modern views towards them. Looks good. Only because members are required to be landowners, you need to add something about your family owning land (even if it is just for a lavish mansion).

Overall pretty good. The main thing was the requirement of land to be part of parliament. (I didn't make it very clear in the rules). Most of you just need to add that in (doesn't necessarily need to be a plantation, can be a farm, a mine, or just a lavish estate to house your mansions and stables).

If possible, I would prefer to have my family's land situated on the north bank of the Chesapeake River, suitably close to the major gem producing area.

I did say he was granted estates by the governor. Unless you want me to go into more detail?

Character Name: John "Jack" Harper
Age: 42

Family:
Wife, Julia, 41
Son, Owen, 19
Daughter, Allison, 17
Daughter, Helena, 13
Son, Joseph, 10
Son, Kenneth, 7

Location: New York

Background Information: The Harper family was one of America's oldest and most prominent colonial families. The first Harper in America was the original Owen Harper, by all accounts an ill-tempered, abrasive, and offensive in public, yet one who still somehow managed to gain a large circle of allies and business partners. Owen arrived in New York in 1776, when the colony was still barely a trading post, and set up shop. From there, Owen established the Harper Company, which became nothing short of a transoceanic trade empire before his untimely death in 1799, exporting all manner of items from the colonies, but Owen had one thing he would not sell: slaves. It is not known why, but Owen wished his heirs to vehemently oppose the slave trade, and they still do.

Owen's son Harold took over. Harold moved the company's headquarters from New York to a seaside estate in the sugar-producing regions south of the city, forming it as a secondary business venture. The town of Owensbury formed as a port city nearby. Jack Harper is Owen's grandson, having taken over as family head in 1836, and is rather lazy, leisurely, non-business-inclined (his advisors effectively run the company nowadays), and more interested in politics, entertainment, philanthropy, and wasting his family's fortune than anything; he was an avid backer of the independence attempts.

Glad the sign-up was good; made the necessary change.