Nouvelle Anglund Confederacy
Confederation of city-states
General Overview:
A loose alliance of city-states with three disparate cultures, Nouvelle Anglund the northern terminus of the Apple-Acorn Trail lies within its territory and is famous for its lumber, stone, whale oil and the products of their revived technology of the ancients'.
Flag:
Each city-state has its own flag, far too numerous to list. The flag for the Nouvelle Anglund Confederacy as a whole, however, is that of three emblems which are, left to right, a gold harp, a green pine tree, and a gold fleur-de-lis on a blue field. The harp represents the Irish, the pine tree the Yankees, and the fleur-de-lis the Américain.
Government:
Each individual city-state of Nouvelle Anglund maintains its own government, but the ruler(s) send delegates to a central Council based in the city-state of Keen(1). The basis of the Nouvelle Anglund Confederation agreement lies in the general agreement to preserve peace in their territories, help each other in military endeavours, and defines some arbitration in case of disputes.
The governments of the individual city-states vary wildly, from the hereditary rulers of some Américain cities, to the clan-based rule of many Irish cities, to the 'town meetings' of Yankee cities. The Count of Burlingville(2) has long pushed for being named King of the Américain due to his city's importance, but has seen little progress.
Culture:
There are three main cultures within Nouvelle Anglund: the Américain, the Irish, and the Yankees. The Américain lie primarily in the farther north of the region in the Mont-Vert(3) and Mont-Blanc(4), as well as Main(5) and maintain some of the highest fertility rates in all Nourika. They speak a dialect of English called Anglais, a blend of ancient English and French. They are also a highly religious people, with most of the Américain population following the Burlingville Catholic Church and its Pope, who maintains his residence at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, a Gothic-style cathedral with elaborate stained glass windows built on the site of the pre-Time of Troubles structure of the same name. Priests of local cities maintain great influence over their congregations.
The Irish live in the southern portions of Mont-Vert and Mont-Blanc, as well as the greater northern portion of the Ash Lands(6). They speak their own dialect called Anglish, which is mainly based on ancient English with loan words from Gaelic. There are a good many followers of the Burlingville Catholic Church among the Irish, while some city-states maintain their own churches to avoid the domination of the Pope and the political influence of the Américain. Clans are an important portion of Irish society, with some ruling entire city-states while others are spread throughout the Irish region of Nouvelle Anglund, leading to ties that bind Irish society at a fundamental level. An important holiday is Saint Patrick's Day, named for a saint widely recognized among the region's churches as the one who led the Irish through the Time of Troubles.
The Yankees are, by far, the least numerous of the three cultures in Nouvelle Anglund, and live in the southern fringe of the Ash Lands, including the entirety of Cape Cod, as well as the islands of Vinyerd(7) and Nantucket, and make up a portion of the population of the subregion Main. They claim the English they speak is the closest to what ancient English was like, despite their language's almost complete swallowing of the letter R. The Yankees maintain their own churches as well, and maintain a contempt for the Catholic Church and it's Pope. The church most widespread among the Yankees is that of the Religious Society of Friends, or the 'Quakers', who were among the strongest advocates of the formation of the Confederacy. Due to the problems the Yankees maintain with the mutated Kraken there is some sympathy for the Brotherhood of Spiral, though it is not strong enough to maintain any local chapters.
Economy:
Among the Américain the strongest portions of their economy are those of agriculture, lumbering and the quarrying of granite. Though they were the first the begin reviving the ancients' technology by building water mills and using the power thus produced to manufacture various tools and clothing, the idea has been seized upon with greater zeal among the Irish and Yankees. In Main there are many Américain, along with the resident Yankees, who maintain trades in fishing, making the subregion famous for its fish and lobster.
The Irish are most famous for their agriculture and mill work, though they also lumber and quarry to a much smaller extent. The output of their water mills is the greatest in the region, but are facing great competition from the Yankees who, despite their smaller numbers, produce nearly as much from their own water mills. The Irish are, however, famous for their whiskey which has been traded all along the Apple-Acorn Trail and even deeper into the interior of Nourika.
The Yankees are a primarily seafaring folk, as witnessed by their two great cultural centers Vinyerd and Nantucket. Yankee whale oil and salted fish are also widely sold along the Apple-Acorn Trail, though they remain dangerous vocations with the attacks on ships by the mutated Kraken, a race of amphibious tentacled creatures known to swarm over ships and devour their entire crews. It is common for the crews of Yankee ships to carry lobstertail helmets, spears, axes and cutlasses to fend off such raids. Agriculture is little more than sufficient for local Yankee needs. Mill work, on the other hand, is the most rapidly expanding portion of the Yankee city-states' economies.
Cities and places of interest:
Burlingville: Seat of the Burlingville Catholic Church, Burlingville is a County ruled by a hereditary Count. Due to its importance in Américain society, the Burlingville Count has long pushed for recognition of the fact and be named King, but with the formation of the Confederacy this aim seems ever more out of reach.
Keen: Seat of the Nouvelle Anglund Confederacy, Keen's greatest sight is the Council Hall where the delegates of the many city-states meet. It is a curious blend of Américain, Irish and Yankee styles. Keen itself is ruled by an Irish Count, though the city itself has become ever more cosmopolitan since the formation of the Confederacy.
Auburn(8): Américain city with water mills ruled by a Yankee-style Town Meeting in the subregion Main.
Bideford(9): One of the more cosmopolitan cities of Nouvelle Anglund with a mixed Américain, Irish and Yankee population. It possesses water mills and is ruled by an Américain Count with many ennobled Irish from various clans.
Brunswick: Yankee city ruled by a Town Meeting in the subregion Main; possesses water mills.
Chisulm(10): Américain city ruled by a Count.
Rumferd(11): Irish city ruled by the Donnelly clan; possesses water mills. Shielded by some of the best city walls in the region.
Bar Harbor: Yankee city situated on Mount Desert Island in the subregion Main.
Waterville(12): Américain city ruled by a Count with a consultative Town Meeting in the subregion Main; possesses water mills.
Nantucket: Yankee island off the southeastern coast of the Ash Lands. A major center for whaling and fishing vessels.
Vinyerd: Yankee island to the west of Nantucket, also a major center for whaling and fishing vessels.
Blok Island(13): Formerly Yankee island south of the Ash Lands, about a century ago the entire island was overrun by the Kraken and the entire population devoured. Attempts to reclaim the island have proved fruitless, and it remains the Kraken's only known land base. Travel is not recomended.
Boston: The ruins of this ancient metropolis dominate the northeastern portion of the Ash Lands. Many from the surrounding city-states mine the ruins for materials and the rare intact artifact. Settlement on the site of the ruins has already begun and is populated by members of all three cultures.
Steel Forests: Across the Ash Lands, and even in the harbor of ruined Boston, lie bunches of strange shiny metal rods that extend upwards at angles to each other. Unlike most ancient metal, they do not rust at all, and the 'Steel Forests' remain one of Nouvelle Anglund's great mysteries.
History:
It is said that before the Time of Troubles that the Ash Lands, including fallen Boston, were heavily populated. When they arrived the great civilization that lived there was destroyed and turned to ash (thus its modern name). Of those that remained alive in all Nouvelle Anglund, the majority of them were of the Américain and Irish cultures, while the Yankees clung to a precarious existence in the islands offshore of the Ash Lands and in Main.
When the age of the city-states began, there were centuries of bloodshed as the Américain, Irish and Yankee cities fought each other for dominance. More than one city collapsed during these years of conflict, but still the bloodshed would not abate. It is when the Kraken first made their appearance and began ravaging fishing and whaling vessels, as well as the Aroostook raiders from the northern forests of Main began raiding the settled lands that the city-states began cooperating in combating them. When the first attacks came across the Hud Son's River, the first calls for mutual defense rose.
Unlikely allies, the Pope of the Catholic Church and the Quakers were both instrumental in the eventual formation of the Nouvelle Anglund Confederacy almost a century ago. Some say the Blok Island Massacre was the final straw that finally convinced everyone - Américain, Irish, and Yankee - of the need for the Confederacy.
Today the Confederacy maintains peace within its borders and maintains a fleet on the Hud Son's River to thwart any further attacks, and a string of forts in Main to defend against the Aroostooks. The relatively recent outbreak of water mills has brought much wealth to the coffers of the Confederacy, with many of its products becoming sought after along the Apple-Acorn Trail.
1. Keene, New Hampshire
2. Burlington, Vermont
3. Green Mountains, synonymous with Vermont
4. White Mountains, synonymous with New Hampshire
5. Maine
6. Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island
7. Martha's Vineyard
8. Auburn, Maine
9. Biddeford, Maine
10. Chisholm, Maine
11. Rumford, Maine
12. Waterville, Maine
13. Block Island, Rhode Island
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