December World - game thread

Belgarion95 · Oct 19, 2017

The Summit

Three men sat beside the fire. To their west loomed the familiar, encompassing presence of the mountains, ill-defined against the fading indigo sky. To their east, a vast expanse; hills became treed, sinking into ever denser rainforest. Across from the men, recently laid railways gleamed silver. The man from nowhere grinned.

“Ever been this far east, Wool-man?”

“Honestly, no,” said the man from Cajamarca. His vibrant red scarf shone fierce against his leather coat, though his jumping eyes betrayed his nervousness. “It’s only just beyond our mountains, but oddly…”

“It’s the smell,” said the man from Lima. “A separate world, with a separate smell. Wet, yet… fungal.” He adjusted his tie, then his top-hat, then when no one responded, began stroking his moustache fastidiously. They sat for a long moment; the man from Cajamarca glared.

“I suppose most things smell odd when all you’ve known is perfumed parlours.” The man from nowhere put his head in his hands. He had known it was coming, but the frequency of this interaction was exhausting. Urbanos.

“And you are quite used to such an odour, I’m sure.”

“To which odour to you refer?” A figure steps from the shadows; he wears bright red trousers, and carries on his bare left shoulder an enormous red cloth bag. His right arm has been marked with striped red paints, and a beaded sash has been strung over his right shoulder. “The Dukug has the sweetest aroma on this earth, though she may require a more… cultured palate, to truly appreciate.” They all were silent.

“Wawakui,” smiled the man from nowhere, “Glad you could join us.”

“Ricardo; I’ve brought the roots, bark, and leaves you asked for. Who are these men? Have you brought other rail-men to help you argue your locomotives into my people’s lands?”

Ricardo chuckled awkwardly. “Well…”

“We are no rail-men,” said the man from Cajamarca, pointing to the llama insignia sewn to his coat. “I am a representative of the Textiles Union of Cajamarca. We wished to express our solidarity with you people, and our gratitude for your people’s dyes. The workers treasure their beauty, and fabrics infused with their essence sell faster than any before them. Some even say that they are a symbol of the United Communes itself.”

Wawakui gestured to the man’s scarf. “I can see you treasure it yourself. And you come to ask for more, I expect? A railway to help transport, one might imagine? Maybe even offering additional harvesters, perhaps?”

“Well, if done in solidarity with your brother-worker...”

“What solidarity? We live our lives here, and yours there; though I may be a man of two worlds, the Awajun are not Spanish, and their world is not yours.”

“The workers have embraced your culture! You must see the fighting Cholitas. They are in Cajamarca now, travelling through from the South! Their ferocity and honour makes all Andeans proud.”

Wawakui laughed. “The Quechua are not our people, and neither are you. Your government does nothing for the Awajun.”

The man from Lima jumped in, “But you do much for Andeans; your medicines are saving thousands of lives in the cities; I’ve seen it firsthand. We wish to include you, to give you a voice, seats in the Congress!”

“Your efforts, too, are in vain. It gladdens me to know that we may help save your people’s lives. But I will not destroy my people’s way of life to save yours; it is unthinkable.”

“Your people would be represented in the National Government!

“We already trade for your clothes and your tools; what more could your government offer us?”

“It could offer force, if you don’t accept this opportunity,” the man said, his tone dropping sharply, “The railways grow faster with each day. DeLuna’s government can strike hard, and it can strike fast. Progress is coming. Before you know it, your way of life will be lost whether you like it or not. Choose to preserve it now, while the choice is still yours to make.”

Wawakui’s face hardened, and he drew himself up. He was a head taller than each of the other men around the fire. “For the sake of my friendship with Ricardo, I will ignore your threat. Your gums flap overmuch, and you know not of your history. The Awajun have long been a proud people, and our warriors are strong. Do you believe you will succeed where the Wari, the Inkas, the Spanish have all failed? We will break you if you try. We are small, and we are few, but we are mighty.”

In glow of the fire, against the full blackness of descendant night, Wawakui of the Awajun was living flame.

Ahigin · Oct 19, 2017

@Sniiperman456 - Your military orders are the only ones pending. The deadline is tomorrow at 11 pm. Make sure this declaration of war actually accounts to some action.

Masada · Oct 19, 2017

The Governments of the North German Federation and the The Heavenly Kingdom of Eternal Peace,

Having determined that the armed attack upon Donghal Korea by Tokugawa Shogunate forces without cause constitutes a grave breach of the peace in Asia,

Having concern that they not be drawn into the conflict with the Tokugawa Shogunate,

Wary of the strategic implications afforded by the Tokugawa Shogunate's entry into the closed waters of the Yellow Sea,

Declares that the above mentioned parties:

1. close the Yellow Sea to all Tokugawa Shogunate shipping, civilian or military, running east-west from Qinghai,
2. resolve to fire on all Tokugawa Shogunate shipping, civilian or military, crossing this line,
3. resolve that all attempts to cross this line will be viewed as hostile action with hostile intent, and
4. resolve to cease the sale of all militarily useful materials to the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Signed,

In His Name by His Regents on Earth,

- The King of the Long River
- The Northern King
- The Western King
- The Southern King
- The King of the Yellow River

Seon · Oct 19, 2017

North German Parliament and the Federal Council approves the measure. Objections of governor of Qingdao have been noted and overruled.

Masada · Oct 19, 2017

The Governments of the EMPIRE of Portugal-Brazil and the The Heavenly Kingdom of Eternal Peace,

Having determined that the armed attack upon Donghal Korea by Tokugawa Shogunate forces without cause constitutes a grave breach of the peace in Asia,

Having concern that they not be drawn into the conflict with the Tokugawa Shogunate,

Wary of Tokugawa Shogunate pressure placed on the Pacific territories of the EMPIRE of Portugal-Brazil,

Declares that the above mentioned parties,

1. guarantee the Asian territories of each other parties against any foreign aggression,
2. immediately cease the sale of all militarily useful materials to the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Signed,

In His Name by His Regents on Earth,

- The King of the Long River
- The Western King
- The Northern King
- The Southern King
- The King of the Yellow River

Immaculate · Oct 19, 2017

Masada said:
The Governments of the North German Federation and the The Heavenly Kingdom of Eternal Peace,

Having determined that the armed attack upon Donghal Korea by Tokugawa Shogunate forces without cause constitutes a grave breach of the peace in Asia,

Having concern that they not be drawn into the conflict with the Tokugawa Shogunate,

Wary of the strategic implications afforded by the Tokugawa Shogunate's entry into the closed waters of the Yellow Sea,

Declares that the above mentioned parties:

1. close the Yellow Sea to all Tokugawa Shogunate shipping, civilian or military, running east-west from Qinghai,
2. resolve to fire on all Tokugawa Shogunate shipping, civilian or military, crossing this line,
3. resolve that all attempts to cross this line will be viewed as hostile action with hostile intent, and
4. resolve to cease the sale of all militarily useful materials to the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Signed,

In His Name by His Regents on Earth,

- The King of the Long River
- The Northern King
- The Western King
- The Southern King
- The King of the Yellow River

The Tokugawa Shogunate expressly declares that its navy will not be approaching North German Tsingtao nor the territories of the Taiping.

Unarmed civilian passenger and freight traffic to and from the Japanese city of Incheon must use these sealanes. Further, we are engaged in military operations involving the Korean peninsula which ultimately expressly requires our access to coastal areas of that region. We will operate in this area, far from German or Taiping territories but do not recognize the limitations placed upon the Shogunate by your joint declaration.

Signed
Jitsugyōka-Bugyō Ōta Ieyasu, director of Japanese Foreign Affairs

Ahigin · Oct 19, 2017

GM time! I recognize that you guys are not declaring wars on each other, but what you do is essentially boxing Japan in their seas. Good for you, because you helped to expose an exploit I didn't think about when I came up with the whole "declare wars 5 days before the final deadline" thing. However, I'm afraid boxing could allow overruling that system by pretty much creating unavoidable and unpredictable conflicts in the very last minute.

Here's how it will play out. I will let the Taiping do their aggressive posturing thing, because Masada actually edited his orders withing 24 hours of the crisis update. I won't consider it a declaration of war, but just another logistical obstacle for the Japanese navy (some minor clash may still occur, but that's it). For the NFG and Portugal-Brazil orders, I'll consider that their governments issued last minute directives that reached their fleet commanders much later and caught them flatfooted and unprepared. So, NFG and Portobrazilian fleets won't do even the aggressive posturing thing.

Next time, please make such announcements in the thread within 24 hours of the crisis update. I won't allow aggressive posturing or shadowing orders after that deadline moving forward.

Again, not blaming anyone, it's my fault that I didn't think about that possibility before.

Masada · Oct 20, 2017

In fairness to Seon and I we accepted that Immac's orders went through and adapted what we did to reflect that. It's also hard to respond to a covert declaration of war within 24 hours.

Ahigin · Oct 20, 2017

I understand where the confusion comes from, but that's why I have a crisis update. Immac's declaration of war stopped being covert once I declared it openly in the thread.

I totally get your point, though. It's easy to miss your diplomatic action if you were away from the forum just for 24 hours. What would you suggest as an alternative? I'm honestly curious, because I'd hate to go back to removing any diplomatic deadlines and having players write huge contingency orders to deal with last-minute declarations of war. It'd also hurt my ability to work on the update, because I'd not be able to calculate orders until after the last deadline.

One alternative I see is to force any declaration of war to be done officially in thread in person in order to count as valid. Would it make life easier? Honestly asking.

Nuka-sama · Oct 20, 2017

The Empire of Portugal-Brazil affirms its alliance with the Taiping and notes that we do not condemn imperialism. The situation in Korea is clearly horrid; godless peasants, rebelling against their rightful King is unthinkable. But the manner in which Japan embarked upon its declaration, in secret, without consultation with any of the other Pacific powers is shocking to say the least. Her Majesty's government did not, and still does not wish, for hostile relations with Japan. However, Her Majesty is concerned that the Japanese could be setting upon a dangerous precedent that could lead to a wider war, if not now, then in the future if they proceed to attack a nation without a proper, public, war declaration. We are further concerned about the Japanese policy against Christianity, and as such, we are forced to consider Japanese expansion to be negative to the well-being of Asia. We are further required to seek allies who wish to see a proper order within Asia and the Pacific. Japan has insinuated that it wishes to be recognized as a civilized nation, as a great power; very well: act like it.

Masada · Oct 20, 2017

I think everyone's happy enough with having a deadline for war in advance of the war orders deadline. It makes sense and, as you said, it reduces the need for contingencies.

But at the same time I'm not sure how this one is a cause of any significant hardship. After I posted, Immac contacted me and said he'd already sent orders. That's his choice, he still had a day to revise and I said I was happy for him to do that. He refused and so Seon and I adjusted course.

Declaring war is, relatively speaking, simple. You can line your ducks up in advance. Responding to an unexpected war diplomatically is to be put on the back foot. A fair solution would be to have a deadline of 72 hours for diplomatic sanctions short of war. That gives people ample time to make any adjustments to reflect diplomatic pressure.

Ahigin · Oct 20, 2017

Ok, I think it's a fair assessment. Let's agree to try 48 hours extension for now. Meaning that after the last crisis update, players will have 48 (not 24) hours to pile in or make any meaningful diplomatic statements of action. If that proves to be too little, I can go with 72 as another test.

Immaculate · Oct 20, 2017

My declaration of war was never covert.

thomas.berubeg · Oct 23, 2017

The Officials of the Confederate States in 1892
[

President: John Marshall Stone (Democrat)

Vice President: Robert C. Davey (Democrat)

Cabinet:

Spoiler :

Senate:

Spoiler :

House:

Spoiler :

Supreme Court:

Spoiler :

Kyzarc Fotjage · Oct 23, 2017

BREAKING NEWS! EVERYWHERE THAT ISN'T RUSSIA IS TERRIBLE!

Spoiler :

(Because I still haven't figured out how I want my next story to work)

Seon · Oct 24, 2017

Lenard Engel. Inexplicably a member of various unions of different tradesmen in Hamburg and elsewhere despite probably never having worked in the mines, docks, or factories. Acknowledged as a protector of the weak and the African and Chinese laborers of the Federation, despite never having attended any desegregationist or other ethnic rights movements. The man was a walking mystery for many in Hamburg. For the middle and upper class citizens of the city, attending brightly lit fairs and streets of the modern and progressive cities of the Federation, Lenard Engel was virtually unknown. For the many thousands who toiled in the factories among the smoke and the salt, he was a minor deity second only to Jesus Christ (or Mary Magdalene, if you were Irish and thus Catholic).

He was not a just man by any standard of the definition, but he was fair. He did not particularly care for the laws and in fact, made it his business to defy it. He was fair in that he always kept his words and his own end of the bargain, and had a preternatural ability to know what the other party desired the most and how he could satiate their demands. Ultimately, his chosen clientele and business partners were drawn from the members of the lower class, as he understood how to sate their interests and needs the most--all he required was flagrant disregard for both conventional ethics and the laws of the Federation.

An ohchlocrat. A kleptocrat. An Italian mistakenly born in the Federation. All these words described the man perfectly. He was a man, who like the Italian mafiosi in their revolutions in the South, understood perfectly a simple truth regarding the lower class that escaped the attention of both the Communards to the west and the Progressive government of the Federation--that the lower class simply desired for an opportunity to be happy--and he could provide happiness in its abundance. He gave many the opportunity to be happy by feeding their families and being kept warm through the long winters of the north, and in exchange, he demanded that they further spread this happiness to others--through opium, cocaine, and most importantly synthetic chemicals of his own design with which he became famous for in the Baltic Sea.

The authorities in Schleswig-Holstein and Hannover only made half-hearted attempts at best to investigate the man. Not enough evidence. Unable to make any connections. No real damage. These were the excuses the leadership of the police force always reported to their superiors in Berlin. The real truth, however, was that it was simply too expensive for the police force to investigate and arrest the man. He was protected by the people and the laborers of the cities that the industries were dependent upon, as he was one of the few who would protect anyone--quite literally--from the laws and debtors no matter his or her origins. He provided donations, shook hands with the right people, and aided in reconstruction efforts whenever a storm rolled in from the Atlantic coast. Ultimately, the constabulary also simply did not particularly care about the people Engels hired and sold his products to. All except one woman, of course, but more on her later.

Crezth · Oct 24, 2017

Vexillology of the Free Boer Republik/Vry Boere Republiek

Since its recent establishment and victory over the British South Africans, the Free Boer Republik has experienced an interesting and dynamic time of state centralization amidst the confederation of the lesser Boer states, many of which had their own identities or did not cleave to any central authority, due to some internal disagreements and continued struggles with the British Empire. The expansion of new Boer settlements in the Cape has also influenced this lack of centralization to the present day, and the Boer Kongres has never moved to formalize an official vexillology. Hence, when one asks "What is the flag of the Free Boer Republik?" a dozen responses are possible, each legitimate in its own way.

The first flag, the flag which is used most predominately in Pretoria, is considered by some who approve the central authority as most legitimate in and of itself as the "official" flag of the Free Boer Republik, as it was also the flag of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek under which Pretoria and the region of Transvaal were most formally unified. Hence known as the "Transvaal flag," it is hung from government buildings and featured in the state coat of arms:

Flag of Transvaal and the Free Boer State: "Staaten-Vierkleur"

Coat of arms: the inscription reads eendragt maakt magt, "Unity makes strength," the official motto of the Free Boer Republik

However, as the united republics are wont to do, other states within the Free Boer Republik, and indeed independent members of the merchant marine, use their own flags in accordance with a plurality of tastes and with the historical autonomies of those regions. Most significant is that of the Orange Free State/Oranje-Vrystaat, which was the largest and first of the confederate republics to join Transvaal to form the united Boer state. Nevertheless, the region is almost completely agnostic of the government flag and the flagpoles of Bloemfoentein are speckled with the official, Dutch-granted flag of the Vrijstaat:

Flag of the Orange Free State, confederate of the Free Boer Republic

Going eastwards, one finds a kaleidoscope of colors in the historically divided region of Natal, where Durbanese sailors put up their own colors - sometimes the Staaten Vierkleur, but more often flags that summon images of the heroic Prince and the Dutch west indiamen of the 17th century, whom they style themselves after. There are two kinds of flags most favored here: a merchant marine standard, and a vierkleur which is favored by those in Pietermaritzburg, which is also the official naval standard of the Free Boer Republik.

The "Prinzenvlag" is favored by navy merchants and beloved as a symbol of Dutch heritage.

The "Prinzen-vierkleur" is the official naval standard of the republik.

Also not uncommon in the Cape, and clearly inspired by this flag, is what is known as the "Kaap-vierkleur" but only unofficially: due to dye shortages that sometimes persisted further inland and among those, a flag with red instead of orange is quite common among independent but patriotic Boers:

The "Kaap-vierkleur" is quite common in the cape and military members favor it as a standard, especially when the Staaten-vierkleur is in short supply, or when people are not aware it exists.

Finally, there is the flag that was used in Stellaland prior to the outbreak of the Second Boer War, which after Stellaland's dissolution became favored by Griquas who enjoyed its clear differentiation from the other Boer flags:

A simple white star on a green field is the unofficial "Griqua standard"

Although there are many flags throughout the Boer Republik, only time will tell if an official flag is declared and enforced - even the Staaten-vierkleur is only the de facto flag of the Republik. Many vexillologists engage in fierce debate about symbolism and heritage, but forerunners in the debate are the staaten-vierkleur and the prinzen-vierkleur, both of which carry the characteristic green stripe of the Boer state and are thus favored on those grounds.

JohannaK · Oct 24, 2017

Flags in the Sikh Empire

The flag of the old Sikh Empire, prior to the Great Sepoy Rebellion and the Second Anglo-Sikh War, was a triangular orange standard with a green border. With the Sikh victory and the establishment of an actual Empire, that now stretches from Gujarat to Pashtunistan and from the Balochi coast to the mountains of Kashmir and and the Punjab, a decision was made to change that standard to a rectangular flag. While initial versions of the flag retained the orange and deep green border design, soon two of the sides became white. There is an ongoing debate about whether it was the sides proper or the top and bottom, as those initial designs were also square. The first known use of this flag was in a Royal Reception in Karachi on 1852. Over time, the deep green would be changed for deep blue and the orange would lighten up to gold. The change to blue had been noted by a French military instructor, Lieutenant Jules Brunet, in 1863. There are no dates for the final transformation: gold and orange seem to have been used indistinctly in the 50s and 60s, though a theory indicates that it might be an influence of the use of gold in the Royal Standard. Although there is no formal description of it, all Royal Standards known have been gold, never orange.

The Flag of the Sikh Empire (1893)

The Royal Standard (1893)

In spite of the lack of a formal description, it is widely accepted that the five fields in the flag corresponds to the five virtues and the five thieves and, more generally to the recurrence of fivefold articles in the Sikh faith. The golden central field explicitly stands for the religions and peoples of the Empire, all mingled together. The bicolor border stands for the union of said peoples into one, their binding into forming the Empire. Indeed, in a radical departure from European notions of Empire, here it is understood as a union of peoples for their common benefit, instead of a union for the benefit of the uniter. The white in the border is said to stand for peace and fraternity among the peoples, and the blue (formerly green) represents the fertility or prosperity that such a union must be to its people.

The Royal Standard is quite simply the same flag with a black Khanda on it. As a Sikh symbol, the Khanda represents less the Maharaja than than the Sikh tenets that he must uphold. The flag is flown at the Royal Palace in Lahore, in whatever building lodges the Maharaja at any time, and alongside the regular flag at any event attended by the Maharaja, besides any other flags that would be flown at such events, typically regional flags.

Regional Flags

Most regional flags are fashioned after the national flag to some degree, most notably in the adoption of flag colours. The first of them is the flag of Punjab, also known as the Country of Five Rivers, created in the early 60s. The flag includes all three Sikh flag colours and adds dark green. Although some argue that the innovation was actually blue, which might have then replaced the green in the flag, this is only supported by the chronological coincidence that the current flag became fixed at around the time this flag was being created. In fact, the green in the flag of Punjab explicitly stands for its Muslim population. As with the national flag, gold represents the rest of minorities and peoples in the region, with white representing peace and blue prosperity. There is, however, a second symbolism: gold stands for the natural wealth of the region, green for its fertility, and blue for the Five Rivers.

Flag of Punjab (1893)

With the Muslim majority of every province in the Empire, other province flags were quick to incorporate it. Very simple, the flag of Jammu and Kashmir features the same two colours for Muslims and the rest of peoples, or for fertility and wealth respectively, and features four white stripes at the top to represent the snowy mountaintops of the region as well as the harmony that the people live with.

Flag of Jammu and Kashmir (1893)

The last flag to fully embrace the Sikh colours is that of Sindh. It is noteworthy that Islam is represented here by a green crescent and star, instead of the green field other regions use. This crescent is on a white triangular field, which in turn represents its diverse people, in another departure from usual colour symbolism. Gold is also in the flag, cutting the flag diagonally into the white and blue fields. As mentioned, white takes over the usual symbolism for the people, but gold nevertheless retains its association with wealth and blue with prosperity. Like the Punjabi flag, the blue also represents water, the sea in this case, and yellow the shore. With Karachi for its capital, Sindh is a province whose wealth derives primarily from trade, and hence the wealth-shore association with gold is never more apt than here.

Flag of Sindh (1893)

While we said Sindh was the last region to embrace the colour coding of the Sikh flag, both Gujarat and Balochistan feature two of those colours. Gujarat even takes on their national flag symbolism, but the flag itself was not created with that symbolism or those colours in mind. It is the resuscitated flag from the 16th century sultanate, with the lower red stripe substituted for gold, taking on the dual symbolism of the diverse people and wealth. In a retroactive interpretation, the official description indicates that red stands for the Hindu majority, with the white being, once more, peace and harmony in the union with the rest of its peoples.

Flag of Gujarat (1893)

On the other hand, the white and blue in the Balochi flag have nothing to do with their symbolism in the Sikh flag. Its top half is royal blue, and its bottom half is tartan green, with a white rectangle on the hoist side containing a green tartan sun. Here, blue stands for the people and its industry (in the sense of toil, not of actual industry), and the green for the land. White is the hope that brings the people forward, while the green sun stands for Islam, which is here also the majority religion.

Flag of Balochistan (1893)

Finally, there is the flag of Pashtunistan. Being a recently integrated territory, which has still a very markedly independent sense of identity, it is unsurprising that its flag should be so different from the others. It is a plain black field, as was traditional of Afghan tribal kingdoms, with a white crescent and star representing Islam and a white horizontal line representing the horizon that is the eternal promise of tomorrow. It is said that these additions were made because plain black was not a pretty flag to hang for the first Sikh government in the region, and to assimilate it more to other regional flags. While the crescent and star is an obvious tie to the Sindh flag, these are just rumours and the fact is, the Pashtunistan flag remains rabidly distinct.

Flag of Pashtunistan (1893)

Seon · Oct 24, 2017

-a rare photo of Madelaine Engel.

Madelaine Engel

Madelaine Engel is one of the few women detective within the Federation. As a graduate of the police academy in Frankfurt in the fields of scientific investigation and a woman, she arguably stands for many of the ideals of progressivism within the German Federation--increasing reliance upon scientific and rational methods and regulations in matters of legality and justice as well as the empowerment of woman within the nation's bureaucracy.

As a savant-detective within the Federation, she is one of the new vanguards of rational and scientific legal enforcement within Germany, studying and relying upon new forensic techniques developed within the Federation to capture her quarry. While the progressives and ideologues within the Federation hail her and other savant-constabularies for their advances in scientific justice system, traditional legal experts, constables, and the criminal underbelly of the Federation despise what they see as a threat to the fragile peace that exist within the cities of the Federation.

The few who know her describe her as being a quiet and stubborn yet oddly admirable woman. A just and fair woman, Madelaine Engel is known as being willing to 'creatively interpret' the laws to refuse to build a case against those whom she considers being treated unfairly by the Federation's disparate and rather confusing legal codes.

She is much more well known in the lower class section of Hamburg and Hannover due to her feud and pursuit of Lenard Engel, for both the zeal of the pursuit as well as her willingness to overstep her boundaries within the constabulary to obtain more evidence.

Descendant of a South German immigrant, she is fiercely protective of her German heritage and often supports pan-German movements within the Federation, although she has never officially joined in any of their meetings or rallies.

Nuka-sama · Oct 25, 2017

The Imperial flag has gone through many changes, but its current form has remained in place since 1815. The crown is the first note, an aspect that evolved since 1495 when this style was first implemented. Initially, it was an open crown, but the reign of King Sebastian (1578) closed the crown and added a third arch to symbolize growing royal authority in Portugal. The crown remained as it was until the reign of King Peter II (1667), who modernized the crown slightly by making it a five-arched crown. His son, the Francophile John V, added a beret under the crown in 1707, thought to be influenced by his time at Versailles. The crown on the flag has remained since unchanged.

Next is the Portuguese Coat of Arms. The coat of arms had its origin under King Alfonso I in the late 12th century. Sources state he charged the traditional blue cross with five sets of an unspecified number of silver bezants (most likely large-headed silver nails), one set on the centre and one on each arm. His successor, King Sancho I, removed the cross, and instead made the flag a cross of four shields, pointing towards one upright shield in the center. King Alfonso II in the 13th century decided to add a red border to the coat of arms, representing his marriage with a Castilian princess, and added several fortresses to represent the reconquest of Iberia from the Moors. The number of castles fluctuated until the 18th century, when it was finally decreed that the coat of arms would bear seven castles on the red border. In the modern flag, the coat of arms represents the Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves.

Last, but certainly not least, is the blue-filled yellow armillary sphere. This is the representation of Brazil, and it was added when the monarchy fled from Portugal to Brazil. Brazil was elevated from colony to Kingdom, and it is now an integral part of the Empire. The Empire has had divisions in its past, but it is hoped that united, they can both be lead towards a brighter future.

December World - game thread

Walking Enthusiast

Emperor

Koi-san!

Not An Evil Liar

Koi-san!

unerring

Emperor

Koi-san!

Emperor

See ya! It has been a fun decade!

Koi-san!

Emperor

unerring

Wandering the World

Rise Up

Not An Evil Liar

第六天魔王

Heroically Clueless

Not An Evil Liar

See ya! It has been a fun decade!

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