Hergic

THE HERGICS

The Hergic, or Geoths, are a native people of Eurania, hailing originally from the dense, black forests of the eastern basin. Their rapid expansion into the largest ethnic group on the continent began with Savkan nomads being pushed west by advancing Hemmian hordes. Previously only occupying their basin and the eastern peninsular coast of Eurania, with contact with Parlattens through colonial cities, they spread like wildfire to escape the nomadic raiders. Now, today, they straddle both peninsulas - some are true to their roots, some have been heavily influenced by southwestern peoples, and even more have intermixed, creating bastard nations, caught between two opposing ethnicities. Hergic people are characterized by the presence of blonde hair, and blue and green eyes, and are often pale. Some Hergics bordering Savkan regions and Parlatten countries possess darker skin and hair, and Hergic peoples in Weyford and Midlund can have red hair.

FRANKIA

Frankia, ironically, is the most successful Hergic nation, despite being heavily influenced by the Parlattens in the past. They speak a bastardized, rougher version of the Parlatten dialect, and much of their higher culture resembles that of the old Imperial elite. However, ethnically, they are Hergic, descended from the Frankonian proto-kingdom that swept across the rich river valleys previously occupied by Parlatten colonials on the coasts. Their kingdom is one of the oldest in the continent, though by official accounts, it is no longer a kingdom. The ‘Republic of Frankia’ is their official title, though they seat an Emperor on a throne, and rule over land all throughout the world. Everyone outside Frankia would agree they are as much a Republic as Keizland is a kingdom, but to a Frankian, their freedom is drawn from the superiority of their culture and the might of their Emperor. And never, ever insult their food.

Militarily, they have always balanced naval power with land power. Their colonial empire, and their dominance over the Internal Sea, has always been challenged by the Piarlettans. Navally inferior, Frankia built their empire through strategic colonization of straits and coasts, using their strong land armies to defend them jealously, and prioritizing defensive naval strategies. This, along with the help of their recent ally, Weyford, allowed for them to control trade and colonial transit. The Great War was sparked by this very monopoly. Frankia and their allies clashed with Piarletta, and it would have been a bloodier war if the world hadn’t met with the alien menace in 1916.

KEIZLAND

Keizland is what happens when you unify disparate kingdoms into a single entity, under one of the most militarist monarchies in recent memory. They are previous underdogs with a geopolitical underdog complex, and ever since their unification from loosely confederated states into the Kingdom of Keizland, they have fought tooth and nail for center stage on the Euranian continent. They hold the largest swath of land encompassing Old Hergia, and their territorial ambitions reach from the Internal sea, to the Sea of Ash. For the longest time, they fought for political relevance in the shadow of Frankia - now, with their unification, Frankia has not only become an ally, but are seen as a lost brother to the Hergic people of Keizland. Their bitterest enemies are not their neighboring Hergic states, but the now weakened superstate of Ruskova. During the Great War, the Eastern Front saw aggressive pushes into Ruskovian land, and modern Keizlander borders now contain large minorities of Ruskovians due to their annexations of easter land.

After the war, with the Minister Beonalf Hemmler’s rise to power as the ‘kingdom’s true leader, Keizland has become a bastion for Brunist authoritarianism, turning the nationalistic kingdom into a military dictatorship, with the king as a figurehead. Their powerful land army has only grown in size since the end of the war, rivaled only by the Frankish army to the south. If the world was not waiting with bated breath for the return of the alien menace, there would be no doubt that Keizland would be razing it’s way through Eurania for the conquest of its perceived rightful land.

WEYFORD

Weyford are a majority Hergic, but their large island home also hosts ancient Cetian peoples, as well as migrated Parlatten peoples. Their relative isolation from the rest of the continent has fostered a unique culture among other Hergic peoples - something that has since spread around the world, with their Colonial ventures. A stoic and wry people, the Weyfordians enjoy a naval advantage - though, it had to be rebuilt after the embarrassing defeat to the Piarlettans decades previously. Despite their setback, they still control a respectable Colonial Empire.

Land armies have never been the strongest arm of Weyford. Instead, they trust the sea - and, recently, they have taken to the skies as well, being the worlds largest producer of aircraft and aircraft component exports. Their home islands are safe and secure from air and sea, and pity should be given to anybody, alien or human, who decides to land on their shores.

NORDRIIK

Nordriik is deceptively large, and at a glance, you might believe they reside over the continent, given their strategic position at the bridge between the two peninsulas. However, their small population, and the fact that most of their land is frigid and rocky, makes them ill equipped to project themselves over much of anything. Despite this, they did partake in the Great War, securing themselves territorial claims while the larger powers slugged eachother senseless. They are a sensible people, and are some of the most recognizably Hergic peoples, with blonde hair being more common than not.

Militarily, they focus on mostly defense, relying on their naval allies in Weyford and Midlund to secure their vast coasts in exchange for mining rights on several of the icy islands dotting their territory. Their land army is small, but well trained, and a policy of conscription gives them a lot of potential manpower if ever invaded.

MIDLUND

You can always spot a Middish by their height, their volume, and their breath. Midlund is a coastal country in the west of Eurania, straddling between Lomarza and the Central Republics. The entire nation kept living by the will of the ocean. Their vast trade networks are all born on the back of the waves and sturdy ships. Fishermen are the most common profession, and behind that, carpenters. They’re loud, filterless people, who are just as likely to cause a laugh as cause a scene.

Though they have a defensive fleet, they rely mostly on other colonial powers for protection. Their armies are small and defensive in nature. However, they are the third largest automobile producer on the continent, and have great fleets of armored cars.

SEELAND

Seeland is, as its name suggests, a remnant of an old Hergic colony on the coast, primarily straddling the coast and a river. In recent times, its survives as a barely important backwater state, holding onto sovereignty only because its neighbors are equally minor. It stubbornly refused unionization with its brother state, Ostseeland, and Keizland, dooming it to a back seat on the continent. The people of Seeland are fishermen and workers, working in the country's many coal plants. Recently, it has become host to a few nuclear plants, creating more jobs, but simultaneously making the coal plants obsolete.

Their army is a joke, though their navy is respectable for their size - dwarfed by the Frankish and Piarlettans, however.

OSTSEELUND

A few centuries prior, Ostseeland had been the seat of a powerful petty kingdom, straddling the bridge between the two peninsulas of Eurania. They had strong trade, and were relevant up until their split by the growing Polza kingdom to their north. Now, they are the richer half of a split people, with their former lands in Seeland being poor and destitute, especially after being a frontline in the Great War. Ostseeland refused unionization with Keizland in 1920, and as a result, Keizland has taken their country by force in all but name. Their prime minister is a puppet, and their king is a fool. Keizlander military forces make themselves at home in their cities, and their ports are unofficial hosts for the Keizlander Internal Fleet.

With their independence in question, their army is small and corrupt - their membership as a Coalition nation is the only thing saving them from total annexation. They are not expected to survive if a war breaks out with the aliens once more, for it is almost certain Keizland will use the opportunity to soak up their puppet.

LOSSTE

(do later)

MEDDIN

(do later)

POMARIA

(do later)

HEGAREICH

(do later)