Greater Dienstad

A map of Greater Dienstad.

Greater Dienstad is a region currently defined by the archipelago of large island-continents that spread out in a northeastern direction away from a large western landmass whose most extreme reaches remain unknown and outside its domain. Some of Greater Dienstad's states, including The Macabees, Stevid, and Lamoni, are among the oldest in the world. It also prides itself for its strong economies and flourishing international trade. Its history is dominated by major wars and conflagerations that led to successive rises and collapses of regional powers. Although Greater Dienstad has a strong tradition of anarchic international relations, this has begun to change recently with the introduction of the Greater Dienstad Regional Council.

Name

Dienstad refers to a cultural and political entity focused around the northermost peninsula of the mainland territory of The Macabees, canonically known as the Golden Throne. The name was applied to the wider region after the 2005 refounding of Imperial Armies, renamed to Greater Dienstad.

In Common, Dienstad does not contain an accent mark over the i. The accent mark is native to the Dienstadi language.

Countries

Country	Primary Player	Continent	Type	Language	Capital City	Government Type
Adaptes Astrates	Stevid	Xipil	Puppet, Historical	Stevidian (Common)?	???	???
AHSCA	AHSCA	Meridional	Primary	???	???	???
Arcaenia	The Technocratic Syndicalists	???	Primary	Arcaenian	???	???
Barjaanistan	Potthan	???	Puppet	???	???	???
Castillia	Castille de Italia	Sumeria	Primary	Castillian	Preslaff	Presidential Republic
Chernova	State of Ordena	???	NPC	???	???	???
Communist Oldwitch	The Ice States	Makria	Puppet	Stevidian (Common)?	???	Single-Party Totalitarian Dictatorship
Czaslyudia	Czaslyudian Peoples	???	Primary	???	???	???
Deamonopolis	Deamonopolis	???	Primary	???	???	???
Eitoan	Eitoan	???	Primary	Dienstadi	Vladarsik	Presidential Republic
Federal Ralkovia	Eitoan	???	Puppet	Ralkovian	???	???
Fustera	State of Ordena	???	Puppet, Originally: NPC	Istoloan, Creoloso	???	???
Greal	Greal	Sumeria	Primary	???	???	???
Imbrinium	Imbrinium	???	Primary	Stevidian (Common)?	???	???
Haishan	Haishan	???	Primary	Stevidian (Common)?	???	???
Kolechia	Free Kolechia	???	Primary	???	???	???
Holy Marsh	Holy Marsh	Makria	Primary	Pushanian	Mar'si	Theocratic Dictatorship
Independent Hitmen	Stevid	???	Puppet, Historical	Stevidian (Common)	???	???
Irat	The Macabees	???	NPC	Istoloan	???	???
Istoloa	The Macabees	???	NPC	Istoloan	???	???
Katase	Katatse?	Meridional	Primary?	???	???	???
Kassaran	Kassaran	???	Player	???	???	???
Killia	The Macabees	Schonhiet	NPC, Historical	Dienstadi, Stevidian (Common)	Demaio	Military Dictatorship
Ladero	The Macabees	???	NPC	Istoloan	???	???
Lamoni	Lamoni	???	Primary	Stevidian (Common)?	???	???
Lyras	Lyras	Sumeria	Primary	Stevidian (Common)?	???	???
McNernia	McNernia	???	Primary	???	???	???
Merica	Patrick O'Connor	???	Primary	Stevidian (Common)	???	???
Mokastana	Mokastana	???	Primary	Zarbian-Mokan	???	???
Mordent	Morrdh	???	Puppet	Mordentish, Díenstadi, Stevidian (Common)	???	???
Morrdh	Morrdh	???	Primary	Mordentish, Díenstadi, Stevidian (Common)	???	???
Nova Orontes	The Macabees	Hugen	NPC	Dienstadi	n/a	Democratic City-State
Ordena	State of Ordena	Schonhiet	Primary	Ordenite	Berlina	Single-Party Totalitarian Dictatorship
Ordenstaat Fernostland	State of Ordena	???	Puppet, Historical	Ordenite, Krasnovan	???	Single-Party Totalitarian Dictatorship
Palmyrion	Palmyrion	???	Primary	???	???	???
Pennslyvannia	Pennslyvannia	???	Historical	Stevidian (Common)	???	???
Phibeta	Cartoonia	Meridional	Primary	Phibetan	???	???
Philotas Islands	Imbrinium	Makria	Puppet	Stevidian (Common)	???	???
Potthan	Potthan	???	Primary	???	???	???
(Regime) Ralkovia	Ralkovia	???	Primary	Ralkovian	???	???
Romandeos	Holy Marsh	Makria	Puppet, Originally: Primary	Stevidian (Common)	Vesta	Imperial Federation
Safehaven	The Macabees	Hugen	Puppet, Historical	Zarbian-Mokan	???	Single-Party Totalitarian Dictatorship
Samarasta	The Macabees	???	Puppet, Originally: NPC	Creoloso, Istoloan, Dienstadi	???	???
Solisian Union	Solisian Union	???	Primary	???	???	???
Sorofi	The Macabees	???	NPC	Istoloan	???	???
Stevid	Stevid	???	Primary	Stevidian (Common)	???	???
Tarn	The Macabees	Xipil	Puppet, Originally: Owned	Dienstadi, Stevidian (Common)	Tarn	Oligarchic City-State
The Eternal Union	The Ice States	Makria	Primary	???	???	???
The Golden Throne	The Macabees	Hugen	Primary	Dienstadi	Fedala	Imperial Federation
Tnemrot	Tnemrot	???	Primary	Vokhodian	Chernodrinsk	Single-Party Totalitarian Dictatorship
Tupenga	Holy Marsh	???	Puppet, Originally: NPC	Istoloan, Creoloso	???	???
United Gordonopia	United Gordonopia	Parana	Historical	Stevidian (Common)	???	???
Wanderjar	State of Ordena	Sumeria	Puppet, Historical	Knootossian	???	???

Notable Past Countries of Greater Dienstad

Past members of Greater Dienstad include Malgrave, Santheres, and Sumer.

History

A region's history can be seen in different ways. One way is to see as a sandbox for lore through all of the individual contributions made by its active worldbuilders. This would be a long history. A frequently changing, and oftentime conflicting, one, as well. But the history of Greater Dienstad is not just its lore, it's also a history of the contribution to that lore. This is the way this history is told. It is one that tells the story of significant regional events as the region grew between 2005 and present day.

Of course, the history of Greater Dienstad is best told through its wars.

The bombing and destruction of Aurillac was a defining moment of early Greater Dienstadi history.

The Early Years, RL 2005–08

If Greater Dienstad's predecessor's history was dominated by the Panooly wars, then the war to define the first generation of Greater Dienstad was the War of Golden Succession. Fought between The Macabees, Stevid, Safehaven, Killia, and at one point or another involving almost everyone in the region, the War of Golden Succession is somewhat unique in that it was roleplayed over the Jolt forums. The war ended with large parts of northern Safehaven occupied by the The Macabees, Guffingford partitioned by The Macabees and Stevid, and the onset of a cold war between these two states.

In the immediate aftermath of the war, a number of governments that had fought in the War of Golden Succession had extended great resources to do so. Those defeated suffered the agonies of their sacrifices, including their financial debts, the anger over the war dead, and the weakness of their armies. Zarbia, Safehaven, and Monzark all whithered into institutional decay soon after the end of the war, followed soon after by New Empire, Indras, and others. Although a victorious The Macabees followed up with an invasion of Theohuanacu and the occupation of Tarn, these wars combined with the accumulated costs of the great war it had just emerged from were soon sufficient to put the nascent and mended empire into a long period of slumber. War, though, war was still very much alive.

A new power emerged further to the east, Lyras. The ascent of Lyras begins from the ashes of Dukopolious, which had conquered large parts of former New Empire. Although a significant portion of New Empire remained independent under the guise of a multi-national peacekeping force involving Stevid, Imbrinium, and Morrdh, much of the rest of the northern half of that continent was soon occupied by a rapidly expanding Lyras.

The Great Dienstadi War and the Kessler Event, RL 2009–14

Tension over conflicting imperialist aims on the continent of Sumeria led to the spiraling growth of armies garrisoned there, especially by Stevid in response to the looming Lyran threat. When Imbrinumian submarines were discovered within claimed Stevidian waters around South Greal, it was sufficient for Stevid to sink them and start a major conflageration that became the Great Dienstadi War. Like the War of Golden Sucession before it, the Great Dienstadi War was a product of entangling alliances. Imbrinium invaded Arastonia to establish a base of operations from which to later invade Stevidian South Greal. This invasion of Arastonia prompted the entry of Malgrave as an ally of Stevid and Arastonia. Wanderjar then entered the conflict as an ally of Imbrinium, via a land invasion of South Greal, prompting Lyras to join the war as well through a surprise naval attack on a major Stevidian fleet. Taking advantage of the unfolding chaos, Morrdh invaded Ibrinium-held Mordent, further expanding the war westward.

The Great Dienstadi War witnessed several extreme military actions that had lasting impact on the geopolitics of the region. Malgrave was wiped out through the use of Varathon Blood Fever, a chemical weapon that is often described as turning its victim into 'undead.' The use of chemical warfare was initiated by Imbrinium, which also caused the region's first kessler event. A massive attack on Stevidian and Stevidian-allied satellites led to such a large mass of debris orbiting the planet that most of Greater Dienstad's orbital communications network was downed. The kessler was only resolved after a major post-war clean-up effort led by The Macabees, Haishan, Lamoni, and other governments. The kessler also led to the unilateral imposition of a ban on space weapons by The Macabees.

As the Great Dienstadi War progressed, a resurgent The Macabees took advantage by occupying Zarbia, Monzark, northern Indras, and New Empire. As did countries like Lyras at the beginning of this epoch, new governments rose from the ashes of regional chaos to become the new powers of the region: Mokastana, Ordena, and others.

It was during this epoch that the colloquialism "peace invasion" was coined. The term's original use is traced back to a threat by Lyras to peace invade both Morrdh and Inbrinium, both Bredubar Covenant members, unless they resolved their conflict in Mordent diplomatically.

The Fascist and Slaver Wars, RL 2015–22

Concurrent with the rise of new regional powers, such as Mokastana, Morrdh, and Haishan, was the contemporaneous rise in fascism and the slave trade in Greater Dienstad. Slavery especially is uncommon in Greater Dienstad, making this sudden growth in the number of member states involved in the practice rather disconcerting. As Greater Dienstad's map expanded westward, new slave trading states like Nicaro, Ralkovia, and Barjaanistan gained sudden geopolitical relevance.

Although largely separate, the fascist and slaver wars of Greater Dienstad were so common during this epoch that they define it. First, the slave-trading Scandinvan Empire in Gholgoth catalyzed and armed a rebellion of the pirate city-states of southern Theohuanacu. Done to protect the lucrative luxury slave trade between Greater Dienstad and the great Scandinvan slave markets, the rebellion sparked the Gothic War. In response to the Scandinvan instigation of rebellion, The Macabees launched an inter-regional invasion of the Scandinvan Empire. The Gothic War spread to Nicaro, which sits across the sea from The Macabees and was admist a civil war, when it was occupied by The Macabees. This occupation was conducted to both end the Chinadengan pirate presence and to avoid that the country fall to Ordena's influence.

The state of Krasnova at the end of the Fourth Krasnovan War.

Four wars were fought in Krasnova between fascist and opposing sides. First, the Ordenites invaded and occupied the decaying Red Star Union. Second, a Mokanstana-led coalition of states, including Holy Marsh and Morrdh, invaded and ejected Ordena from the eastern half of the island. This second conflict ended in a limited nuclear exchange, destroying the cities of Datosk (now Jonaksburg), New Impen, and Stavropol. The third war began with an Ordenite reconquest of the east, after the Mokan coalition quickly withdrew from the island in the immediate post-war. The fourth, and for now final, war in Krasnova was started by an Imbrinumian invasion of Ordenite Krasnova through the Macabéan territory of Pezlevko-Rubino, rapidly drawing in the Quadrumvirate. This war ended with the liberation of much of western Krasnova from fascist Ordenite rule, but Ordena managed to protect its overall investment in its newfound island colony.

During Fourth Krasnovan War, the fighting spilled into Killia. The Killian government was in institutional decade and had outsourced its military capabilities to Valo'kap Consortium, a conglomerate of private military contractors. Taking advantage of Ordena's focus on its war against the Quadrumvirate, the Valo'Kap mercenaries invaded Ordena by land. When the fighting quickly turned against them and the Ordenite counteroffensive into Killia began, The Macabees intervened on Killia's behalf and supplanted Valo'Kap as the leading partner in the country's defense. The war ended together with the Fourth Krasnovan War, and much of southern Killian remains occupied by Ordena to this day.

The First Ralkovian War was fought in the far northwestern reaches of Greater Dienstad, between the forces of Ralkovia and a Marshite and Eitoani-led coalition, including The Timocratic Republic, Morrdh, and Lamoni. Here, imperial Ralkovia was beaten back and its holdings partitioned. A rump imperial state remained, known as Regime Ralkovia. A separate republican state, known as Federal Ralkovia, rose as closely controlled ally of Eitoan.

Present Day, RL 2023–

Although Greater Dienstad's anti-slavery fervor remains, its anti-fascism wanes in the face of new events.

On the continent of Makria, The Ice States generated substantial upheavel through a series of high profile political decisions, wars, and revolutions. After a border agreement was signed between The Macabees and The Ice States, Czaslyudia and Ordena imposed a blockade on the latter in an effort to end the country's practice of slavery. Czaslyudia threatened both Icer and Macabéan ships traveling near Czaslyudian waters, causing The Macabees to threaten military action should its right to free seas be infringed upon. However, the Icer war effort went dismally and the imperial regime was beginning to collapse. Taking advantage of its growing internal weakness, The Macabees invaded The Ice States through its then-vassal, now-territory, Nicaro. The Macabees established what it called the Green Zone in the Icer province of Ormont. After a brief withdrawal following a peace and trade agreement signed with the new communist government of the Ice States, relations turned sour quickly again and a second invasion of Ormont followed. The Ice States remains partitioned between the Republic of Ormont (a Macabéan vassal), Communist Oldwitch (a Mokan vassal), and the Eternal Union between Devonia and the remaining Icer territories.

Much change to regional geopolitics is coming about a result of the invasion of Dietsland, an Ordenite colony in Varathon. Ordena and The Macabees signed a non-aggression pact, agreeing to find balance between their conflicting regional interests in an effort to unite against the common threat of the Kraven Reich. How the war in Varathon will continue to influence Greater Dienstadi geopolitics remains to be seen.

Explorations of Greater Dienstad's Past

Although much of the pre-modern history of Greater Dienstad is either cloudy or disbursed among the disparate writings of its members, there are some notable contributions.

Starting in RL 2021, the role of the 19th century Phibetan empire as major naval military power of Greater Dienstad began to be uncovered through the telling of its intervention in favor of Katase against Abetton. Abetton, a small principality on the continent of Meridional led by the ambitious Queen Beatrix I, invaded Katase in a war of occupation. Phibeta quickly took the opportunity to join the war in favor of Katase, with an eye on using a victory in the war to cement its status as the preeminent naval power in the South Seas of Greater Dienstad. Despite Wellovian support for Abetton, Phibeta emerged victoriousby capturing the port of Serenity, ending slavery in Abetton, and establishing a shortlived republican government in the defeated nation.

Politics

The politics of Greater Dienstad are best seen through the prism of anarchic international relations. Although great powers have risen and fallen, the geopolitics of the region are fundamentally disjointed and disparate. It has just been recently, with the founding of the Greater Dienstad Regional Council in RL 2021, that a formal supra-national organization attempts to engender regional cooperation

Fedala Accord

An early attempt at regional geopolitical cooperation is the Fedala Accord of RL 2009, a treaty organization focused on the mutual defense of shared trade routes. It involved most of the major powers of Greater Dienstad of the time, including Lamoni, Lyras, and The Macabees. At least 19 governments became signatory nations. It's possible that more governments adhered to the accord, as there was a time when the membership roll was no longer updated. In later years, the Fedala Accord was synonymous with a mutual defense agreement to defend Greater Dienstad from extraregional aggressors.

Although never formally rescinded, the Fedala Accord became increasingly defunct over the years. Certainly, The Macabees — the founding government — lost interest in multilateral agreements as regional politics complicated in the wake of the Great Dienstadi War. The Accord was finally superceded by Resolution 8 of the GDRC.

One practical outcome of the Fedala Accord was its use to justify a Macabéan war bonds drive to financial aid Lyras' military efforts against Stevid during the Great Dienstadi War.

Greater Dienstad Regional Council

See Greater Dienstad Regional Council

The assembly chamber of the GDRC.

The Greater Dienstad Regional Council (GDRC) is a "non-binding regional assembly" founded in RL 2021. It is the first formal attempt at a supra-national organization in Greater Dienstad. Its non-binding character means that the GDRC does not have the right to impose its resolutions on member states, rather member states are encouraged to follow the resolutions on their own volition. This characteristic is considered fundamental to the GDRC's success in a divided and conflicted region.

Each primary regional government is automatically enrolled as a member of the GDRC, with a vote on each resolution proposal. Proposals require 5 other supporting governments before going to vote. Proposals at vote are determined by a simple majority.

The GDRC has so far shown an inclination toward the liberal attitudes of international finance, the end of the international slave trade, and regional medical access and aid. Also noteworthy is the resolution of mutual self defense against extraregional threats, as well as a formalization of the law of the sea. An attempt to further develop the bureaucracy of the GDRC passed, but the effort remains stale and without clear leadership.

Multilateral Alliances and Organizations

There are numerous multilateral alliances and organizations in Greater Dienstad. Noteworthy examples include:

• Romani-Marsh Union: a unique federation of sovereign states with mutual military and foreign relation pacts. It is composed of Holy Marsh, Romandeos, Palmyrion, Solisian Union, and others.
• Bredubar Convenant: although its founding leader, Lyras, lays dormant and inactive, the Bredubar Covenant is still seen as active by some of its constituents who hold the right to draw from the Lyran military in self-defense.
• Quadrumvirate: a central Greater Dienstadi military alliance between The Macabees, Arcaenia, Imbrinium, and Stevid.

Demographics

Languages

The namesake language, Dienstadi, is native to The Macabees and widely spoken throughout the region. However, it is not necessarily the most common language. Stevidian, also known as Common or Questerian, is widely used, as are Zarbian (also known as Mokan), Knootossian, Ordenite, and Pantocratorian (known as Yanitarian in some countries). There are dozens, if not hundreds, of native languages spread throughout the vast geography of Greater Dienstad.

Economy

Although Greater Dienstad contains countries of many types, philosophies, and beliefs, the region enjoys a large volume of international trade through its various waterways. As much, or most, of this trade must follow through central Greater Dienstad, going either east or west, the largest chunk is underwritten by Macabéan financial firms. Cities like Macabea and Beda Fromm contain enormous financial sectors which have achieved much of this wealth in this way.

Global Aerospace Trade Association

The Global Aerospace Trade Association is a multilateral trade agreement which includes provisions for the communal defense of aerospace trade routes.

Greater Dienstad Stock Exchange

The Greater Dienstad Stock Exchange was enacted by Resolution 1 of the GDRC. The GDSE is a region-wide capital market that works as an auction-based stock exchange. It is headquartered in Nova Orontes. Although the GDRC does not necessarily contain the largest companies in the region, nor does it have all the large companies, it is a good indicator of who the most powerful corporations in Greater Dienstad are.