Harpsbilge

"Harpsbilge is the kind of country to go for a trip and take everybody along with it for the ride, whether they like it or not. If you can't match its flow, you're drowned in the current. If you do, you're still going to be swimming even if you float."
-Captain Rose

Intro

Harpsbilge is the largest empire in Nauvitalia. It holds control of a number of territories across the world and counts itself as one of the wealthiest nations. It continues to extend its reach over the world, taking control of the territory after territory, all at the behest of the King.
Harpish culture is diverse, as it takes in aspects of the cultures of all the nations belonging to the empire. The population is equally diverse, though rulership still falls primarily in human hands.

Geography

The nation of Haprsbilge is located directly south of the Crown Ocean. It borders Timberwelsh to the west and The Fanged Taiga, a goblinoid-infested region, to the east. To the south are The Wastes of Unkhatar, a desolate and stormy tundra which is inhospitable to humanoid life. The Harpish landscape is mixed fairly evenly between grassy plains, rocky hills (though never true mountains), and boreal forests. Each biome is home to an important industry; farming, mining, and logging respectively.
The capital city, Harpsfordshire, is located on the northern edge of the country on a large island separated from the rest of the continent by about 5 miles of water. It's a bustling city filled with all sorts of people and is the centre of international trade. This is by far the richest part of the country and is considered to be the world's finest city by many, though this ignores the large criminal underbelly which is politely hidden. The royal palace is in a secluded chunk of the island, barred from public access and heavily guarded.

History

Founding

The history of Harpsbilge starts with the older nation of Gilganol. It occupied the same region as Harpsbilge does now, but lacked significantly in naval power. It was ruled by a weak government that failed at most attempts to control its citizens. Between -5 HB and -2 HB, Gilganol experienced significant hits to its economy as well as military action against it from foreign powers, especially Timberwelsh. Territory was being lost, and public discontent was at an all-time high.
A revolution started, hoping to overthrow the government and start a new, stronger nation. The revolution, led by an enclave of tacticians and lesser-known politicians, was an absolute success. Within a year the government of Gilganol crumbled, and on December 29th, 0 HB, Harpsbilge was officially founded. From among the revolutionary rulership, one member was officially selected to become the leader of the country, King Henry I. The rest were appointed to high-ranking government and advisory positions.

Post-Founding

The first 40 years after the founding of Harpsbilge were spent getting the country back from the lows it faced as Gilganol, and slowly reclaiming the territory taken from it by other nations. The people were united, and progress was good. By the time all the territory was reclaimed, the nation was strong, and foreign powers began to look at it with a more cautious eye - particularly Timberwelsh, who had its territory taken back.

First Colonial Period & The Colonial War

Harpsbilge, having established a strong footing, began to look outwards for expansion starting around 100 years after its founding. With national morale and strength at an all-time high, the nation made claims on several small territories in the surrounding regions, taking parts of the Fanged Taiga as well as some islands on the Crown Sea. This expansion began to increase, as Harpsbilge laid claims on bigger and bigger pieces of land, an increasing number of which were occupied.
Harpsbilgian colonialism came to a front in 147 HB, when the nation officially laid a claim on The Six Seas (then known as the Ocean of Wonder). This saw other foreign powers making moves to defend the seas, putting themselves in direct conflict with Harpsbilge. This sparked The Colonial War, which lasted well over 100 years in on-and-off bursts of conflict. Ultimately, all sides involved were left hurt, though most had gained some territory. Harpsbilge, after this point, significantly slowed their colonial efforts, though maintained their rivalry with Timberwelsh.

Timberwelsh Rivalry

Due both to historical bad blood between the two, (mainly involving Timberwelsh taking land in Gilganol, as well as the actions of each side during The Colonial War) Timberwelsh and Harpsbilge engaged in constant small trade and proxy wars. Neither side dared to threaten the other's border but instead chose to inhibit them. This bad blood spilled out into the rest of the world and blew several conflicts out of proportion that would have otherwise been small.
In 688 HB, Prince Humphrey VII of Harpsbilge married Blancha D'Ortel, the granddaughter of the monarch of Timberwelsh. Each nation now had a valid claim on the other's throne, but neither had the funds to wage a proper war - both economies were in decline.

The Thieves' War

The Thieves' War refers to the period where Harpsbilge and Timberwelsh quickly began hiring privateers en masse in order to take enough gold to fund a full-scale invasion of the other. The Six Seas were rife with government-funded piracy, and both nations quickly became rich - but neither was rich enough to surpass the other. A number of strategic moves were made by each in order to try to outwit the other, but it ultimately ended with a draw, as each lost their claim to the other's throne and thus no longer had any reason to invade. The end result of this war was simply making Harpsbilge filthy rich, and the great improvement of their military. and navy

Modern Period

The end of the Thieves' War in 753 HB and the subsequent banning of privateers in 755 HB, led Harpsbilge into the modern period. Now freed from a single conflict, Harpsbilge was free to pursue other ventures. Firstly, the nation reforged its economy to be more modern, casting away most of the vestiges of feudalism still left in the system. Then, they began starting their second colonial push, starting in 859 HB. A large number of small territories were annexed, and the Harpsbilgian sphere of influence grew. Of particular note, Harpsbilge recently set up a puppet government in Sin Oro and has been making moves to slowly take over the The Baronies of Upir.
Currently, Harpsbilge has two main international objectives. First, to rid the Six Seas of pirates so they can become more lucrative for trade and less well-defended from pillaging. Second, to establish a more concrete influence on The Baronies of Upir.

Governance

Harpsbilge is a monarchy in which the majority of power rests with the king, currently James III, who has ruled since 912 HB. James is considered to be very ambitious in most cases, but the kind of man who will retreat in a second when a battle begins to turn against him. He is well-liked by the wealthy because of his favourable economic policies but is less well regarded by the poor because of his incompetent solutions to improving living conditions.
There is a small elected parliament that is allowed to make smaller decisions but primarily acts as an advisory body for the King. The parliament is composed of 14 members, one for each major city within the bounds of the country (except Harpsfordshire, which holds 3 seats). Elections are held once every 5 years and candidates run as individuals, unaffiliated with parties. The populace has a week to vote and all ballots are cast at the city's head government building. Often, the turnout to these elections is lacklustre.

Inhabitants

Harpsbilge is the most diverse nation in Nauvitalia. Anybody from any race or culture can be found within its borders because the reach of the nation is so vast. Even exotic races are likely to be found somewhere within. However, this does not mean that all races or cultures are treated equally. The ruling class is distinctly human, with some allowance for other common races. The more exotic, the lower in society people of various races are likely to be found.
In terms of demographics, the large cities are at most 40% human. Rural regions are closer to 80% human, but make up a smaller percentage of the overall population. Dwarves, gnomes, and half-elves are the next most common, combined making up another 30 or so percent of urban populations. The remainder is a mish-mash of all other types of races in far from equal proportions. Often, communities of one race stick together, so one city might have a large population of tieflings, while another might have one of lizardfolk.

Culture

Harpsbilgian culture is often forward-thinking both in terms of social status and in terms of innovation. Both the nation and the people within are very of the mind of, "keep moving forward". Given this, it should come as no surprise that the majority of technical innovations stem from Harpsbilge. Harps are also considered particularly hardy because once knocked down they just get right back up and move towards something else. Equally, Harps have been (often wrongfully) given the reputation of giving up too easily. This may be true when compared to more hard-headed cultures like Nihakeshi, but is often just stereotyping perpetuated by Timberwelsh. Harpsbilgian culture changes quickly enough that what is "in" one year will be very "out" the next. Fads are common in the quick pace of things, and those from isolated, slower-moving regions often find themselves completely overwhelmed when in big city Harpsbilge. Those within Harpsbilge would just call such people old fashioned, despite the fact that it's never been in fashion for Harpsbilge to slow down.

Founding Date

December 29th, 0 HB

Demonym

Harpsbilgian / Harpish / Harp

Government System

Monarchy, Constitutional

Power Structure

Federation

Currency

Regants

Neighboring Nations

• The Chixualtl Wilds
• Timberwelsh