The Principality of Daven
Leader: Chancellor Dave
The Principality of Daven is located on the south side of the Ohio River, in the extreme north east side of the panhandle of present-day West Virginia. The actual fortress will be located roughly two kilometers south-west of the junction of the current day Ohio/Pennsylvania/West Virgina state lines, directly west what is currently a
beautiful blue lake man-made fly-ash disposal site called "
Little Blue" (location linked is approximate). This gives me access to timber, arable land, and the Ohio River. According to geological survey maps, the area contains deposits of coal, iron oxide and petroleum, which will eventually form a key part of the economy of Daven. The abundant forests will provide timber for mining, boatbuilding and construction, and the cleared land can be used for agriculture of both foodstuffs and fibrous plants, the latter of which will be the other key part of the economy. Finished products of fiber crops (such as paper, rope and textiles) are be quite useful, and we hope to provide high quality products to our fellow evil overlords.
As for my manor, I'll take a copy of the
Muchalls Castle in Scotland. It appears to provide both comfort and defensive abilities. I'd raise it up a bit on a hill for visibility and defense, and have it stocked with a focus on defense over comfort (but not to an extreme...) Also, I'll rename it
Mandrel, in keeping with my current amusement with naming things after atomic weapons tests.
Cubic Meter of Space
Since we'll have the entire Internet (estimated to be slightly less than 500 exabytes of data) at our disposal, I won't be taking along a whole lot of books. Instead I'll be trying to gather various seed populations that can be used for industrial purposes (bamboo, flax, hemp, kenaf, etc.) and other personal items (mementos, digital camera, quilts, sci-fi books for recreational reading, etc.)
Initial Tools (7500 * 0.05)
375 -- Lumber Axes (modern make)
375 -- 2H-Lumber Saws
375 -- 2H-Sledge Hammer
375 -- Shovels
375 -- Pickaxes
375 -- Plows
375 -- 10-meter measuring spools
Gold (7500 * 5 grams)
37.5 kg of gold
Livestock (given 1500 cattle to start with and a 2:1 swap ratio for chickens, goats, pigs, and sheep)
500 cattle
500 chickens
500 goats
500 pigs
500 sheep
Minions
1 000 Goblins (1 000 pts)
These will be the grunt labor of my economy, doing the tedious jobs for farming, mining, construction, boatbuilding, textile fabrication, etc. They also work as basic infantry units.
200 of them will be part of the military.
I will be implementing a strict eugenics program for goblins (much stricter than the gentle pressure normally applied by the government), sterilizing those who exhibit exceptionally low intelligence or deformities, terminating those who show serious antisocial behavior such as extreme kleptomania (to reduce their influence on others), and promoting the breeding of those goblins that are exceptionally intelligent.
1 100 Orcs (2 200 pts)
The central part of my labor force. 400 will be part of the military.
300 Naga (900 pts)
The Marines\Navy\Coast Guard\Merchant Marines. Nagas will be working everything from amphibious assault capabilities to fishing.
200 will be part of the military.
60 Ursoids (1 800 pts)
The heavy lifters, the bodyguards, the leaders.
320 Satyrs (1 600 pts)
250 Satyrs will be teachers, engineers, scientists, doctors, technicians, historians, logistical personnel, etc.
50 Satyrs will be working on foreign and domestic relations (PR).
20 Satyrs will be my tutors, secretaries and escorts.
Other Notes on Minions
* This is not a caste system, it's a meritocracy with me at the top. If there is a goblin who is bright enough to be an engineer (however unlikely), meets all the qualifications to be an engineer, (including the ability to be trusted) and he/she/it wants to be an engineer, that's perfectly fine. Similarly, if a Satyr just wants to do grunt work and do it well, that's fine too. If a Naga wants to pull bodyguard duty or command land units, that's cool. Discrimination based on species will be sharply discouraged.
* There will be mild eugenic pressure exerted by the government. ("Would you like to be sterilized? It has all these positive benefits!")
* All civilians will undergo regular military training to keep their skills sharp.
* Education will be available for all and strongly encouraged.
* The first few years (no more than 5) I will work my minions hard to jump-start my principality and ensure sustainability. After that we can calm down and place more emphasis on the workers, rather than on the work. I'll treat them well -- after we have someplace to live.
Plans
This nation will attempt to be reasonably self-sufficient, and yet support a significant trade industry with other dark lords. Daven will also attempt to use it's trade connections to promote its primary religion: the Church of the Invisible Pink Unicorn (Peace Be Unto Her), as well as the value of logic, reason, science and engineering.
We will be planning exploratory mining and drilling just as soon as we are established, looking primarily for coal, iron and petroleum. We will be using these to pursue steam engines and, more importantly, an industrial revolution.
In addition, we are coordinating closely with the Incorporated Nation of Crossroadia to build a road between Lake Erie and the Ohio River, to provide speedy transportation between the two bodies of water. With Crossroadia's access to large limestone deposits, they will be responsible for road construction. Daven will be assisting in construction by assisting with surveying, providing civil and geological engineering expertise and teams of workers to prepare the path for the road (felling trees/pulling stumps, clearing rocks, preparing the soil for a heavy road surface to be placed on top of it, etc.). This will facilitate trade of Daven coal/iron/steel/petroleum products with Crossroadia and allow others to rapidly move goods between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River water systems.
On natives: I wasn't planning on putting too much energy into wooing the local natives to my cause. I was planning on keeping them happy with trade and offering assistance in dealing with hostile tribes, while taking volunteers to join my forces.
Long term goal: stable society that promotes secular humanism and the advancement of technology.
Extremely long term goal: Orcs in space.
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- and I'll reserve it for use if the players consider it acceptable.
