Vesperia
From Brass Goggles
The Nation of Vesperia
Geography Vesperia is located within a series of valleys that lie within the massive Aurvandil mountain range. The mountains stretche far down, but no-one has attempted to follow the slope all the way down, as it becomes very treacherous. For all purposes, Vesperia is an island among the clouds. It tends to have a rather cooler temperature, with mostly coniferous forests and snowy winters - however there are many areas of good farmland. Many of the valleys are cut off from each other, seperated by even deeper valleys that seperate some mountains completly from each other. Engineers have built massive bridges and tunnels to connect the different areas of Vesperia and it this this amazing feat of industry that allows Vesperia to be a unifed nation.
Architecture Vesperian Architecture tends to be towards the gothic fashion and making use of the distinctive Vesperian green copper roofs.
System of Government Vesperia has a parliamentary system, with respresentatives from the multiple provinces of Vesperia. Parliament is held in the central city of Wolfeston and all citizens may vote at the age of 19.
Economy The mainstays of the Vesperia economy are it's farmed products, it's lake fisheries, it's abundant lumber and it's expanding mining business. With the establishment of the Vesperian School of Artillery, there has also emerged a trade in artillery pieces and parts.
Military Vesperia has held a long military alliance with the Vectis Empire, with Vesperia having been colonized long ago by Vectis.
With their country a mountain fortress, the Vesperians are the masters of siege and protective warfare. They are one of the few nations to make full use of trenches during battle, prefering a defensive style of warfare. The pride of Vesperia is it's Artillery Corps, who are fairly unmatched. While the infantry sets up a defensive position, the guns rain havoc on the enemy, either driving them back or opening up the oppurtunity for the infantry to advance. In fact, most new artillery pieces and tactics come from Vesperia and it's pretigious Vesperian School of Artillery. A current development is copying ideas in steam-armour from the Prussians, but giving them modifications - removing the established weaponry, shortening and stabilizing the design and placing two shorter ranged artillery cannon on the shoulders - an attempt to created a unit capable of giving on hand artillery support - essentially the meeting point between infantry and artillery.
The Vesperians do not have an advanced air-navy. They have an old alliance with Vectis and often relied on air support from that Empire, either directly or by buying older equipment. While Vesperia has a few large airships, with thick hulls, but they are not as fast or maneuverable as the newer models and are used mainly as transports.
The Vesperian uniform is the ubiquitous dark green greatcoat, first designed to blend in with the wooded areas of Vesperia, but now used with most front-line troops.
The Vesperian Army is divided into four sections:
Light Guns: The skirmisher and wilderness infantry, fighting in loose formation with accurate rifles. Their duties include scouting, sniping, wilderness tracking and providing flanking fire.
Regular Guns: The standard Vesperian infantrymen. The Regular Guns are more than regular, taking up the brunt of frontline fighting and forming the mainstay of the army.
Heavy Guns: The much revered artillery section of the Vesperian Army - the Heavy Guns bombard the enemy to defend positions, destroy barricades, scatter troops and provide cover for advancing troops.
Mid Guns: A considered name for the new steam-armour divisions being formed in the Vesperian Army - a sturdy variation on steam armour with shorter ranged artillery guns on the shoulders, filling a role between infantry and artillery and providing short-range, mobile artilerry fire.
Culture Vesperia was colonized in the past by Vectis and shares some similarity in culture. Vesperia is one of the less populated countries with good amounts of natural resouces and rural areas. Their geography and beautiful landscapes are a source of pride for many Vesperians and are the subject of many paintings and writings. Outside of the rural areas, Vesperian city-dwellers do have acsess to most conviences found elsewhere in the world. Vesperians tend to be more pacifist in their dealings and have a rather liberal parliament. However, they realize the importance of their military and have pride in their fighting men, who ensure that no other nation can meddle in Vesperian affairs.
Flag
The flag of Vesperia is a deep red. In the top left corner is a smaller rectangle, deep blue. Within this is a red maple leaf, outlined in white. On the mid-right of the flag is the crest of Vesperia.
The crest is divided into five parts, four squares making a larger square and a long section at the bottom that completes the shield shape. In the top left corner is a caribou, which symbolizes the wilderness of Vesperia. In the top right corner is a raven, representing the high mountains where Vesperia lies, a home to many ravens. It also represents the bridges that soar between the peaks and the intelligence of Vesperians. In the bottom right corner is a red poppy, symbolic of the sacrifice of Vesperian soldiers. In the bottom left corner is a seven pointed star, representing the evening star for which Vesperia is named and which lead early colonists to Verperia. On the bottom is a stretched spring of three maple leafs.
