ImagiNations Narrative Campaign - reboot

And so, a revamping of the ImagiNations Narrative campaign... a new map, some amendments to the rules, new armies...

The map has remained the same in a general sense but much has changed in detail. After much thought, I decided I wasn't happy with the previous map for various reasons. So, in essence, a reboot of the entire world was warranted. Most glaringly, the national borders have changed, with capital cities marked in red. Gourmandie and KaiserReich remain the two largest nations and maintain the original enmity. They, in fact, produce the basic engine for conflict in the region. Nordstrum and Libagioni remain, although with slightly altered borders. Libagioni, for example, now has no border with Gourmandie, despite their long-standing friendship (based more on Libagioni's hatred of KaiserReich than any particular love for Gourmandie... aside from their shared state Catholicism, of course). St Julien now occupies the south-west portion of the map and is ruled by Prince-Archbishop Clemens August, uncle to Grand-Duc Pierre Louis of Gourmandie (seemingly an ally but...). Some nations have internal provincial borders and principal cities and these are indicated in green.

The Eastern Reaches remain as a potential source of alliances or conflict, depending upon the Christian states' tolerance of or opposition to un-Holy Islam. There also remain a number of un-named states at the peripheries. These will remain neutral for the immediate future.

Only those nations in the north potentially have navies (Libagioni, Nordstrum, and the un-named neutral state to the northwest). The sub-continent (somewhere across the sea), wherein the majority of Libagioni and Nordstrum colonies reside, will shortly make an appearance.

Le Grand-Duché de Gourmandie

Le Grand Duché de Gourmandie is ruled over by Grand-Duc Pierre Louis. His armies are commanded by Jean Lafitte Roquefort, Marquis de Fromage. The Grand Duchy is a hereditary territory, having passed from son to son for more than 300 years. The ruling family is notoriously conservative and the Grand Duc normally sends the Catholic Arch-Bishop Ambroise de Chabichou du Poitou into the field with his army to ensure adherence to God's Will and the moral rectitude of the men.

Das KaiserReich

Das KaiserReich, a strictly protestant state, is ruled over by KronPrinz Friedrich Wilhelm, who also personally commands his army in the field. The state is rigorously controlled by an efficient and ruthless bureaucracy, at the head of which sits The Council of Twelve, a group of influential and wealthy burghers. Constant strain and tension between the hereditary rights of the KronPrinz and the economic and personal interests of The Council serve to limit the powers of the royal family. Thus, many of the regiments that make up the army are militia, raised and paid for by their Inhabers, landed gentry from the various districts of the Reich (most of whom are closely tied to the royal family by blood or obligation).

Ducato di Libagioni

Centered around the Vedicchio Lagoon, Ducato di Libagioni relies upon its sizeable navy to project it's regional power. Supported by multiple small colonies and settlements along the Nebbilo coast and overseas, the Duchy once held considerable economic power. Due to the rise of Das KaiserReich to the south, the Duchy's holdings and territories have gradually shrunk. The soldiers of Libations are known for their eastern aggression and liquid courage.

Saint Julien

Prince-Archbishop Clemens August of Saint-Julien (an uncle 

of Pierre Louis, Grand-Duc de Gourmandie) is the particularly wicked and  malevolent leader of L'inquisition, an institution whose aim is to aggressively combat heresy in the Catholic faith (and, in fact, in all Christendom). He is Prince and Archbishop of Saint-Julien, Prince-Bishop of Koblenz, Bishop of the dioceses of Cologne, Aachen and Bonn, Grandmaster of the Bubonic Order, and Abbot of Stablo and Malmedy. Clemens August's regime is oppressive and tyrannical, wherein all decisions are centralized in the person of the Prince-Archbishop. He uses his position to communicate the true word of God, not only to his own nobles and peasantry but to the world at large, much to the chagrin of his neighbours (particularly his nephew). 

Nordstrum

Nordstrum is a fanatically secular state, governed by the FolksParlament, at the head which sits Chancellor Karl Gustav Gustavsson. The Chancellorship is an elected position and is beholden to the whims of the people in the form of the annually elected FolksParlament. The small but professional army mirrors the state, wherein advancement is based on merit and service, rather than birth and preferment. The common soldier fights for his family, his regiment, and his country (God has little, if anything, to do with it). Nordstrum is notorious for staying out of the common disputes amongst its more pious and monarchic neighbours, while preferring to promote its overseas trading interests.