To Own One is going to be the (as far as I know) first RP set in the country of Novmir that we planned out a few years ago. For the uninitiated:
The
United Empire of Novmir is a federation of several duchies and one Imperial/Federal District. Each duchy has powers delegated to it that are opposed by powers delegated to the Imperial government, headed by Emperor Frederick Maximilians. Each duchy has representatives it sends to a legislature that helps form the laws and dictates the direction the government should go; the emperor also holds considerable political power. Some of the duchies:
The
Duchy of Floresque, based in the northeast of Novmir, out of its capital city of Floresque, and ruled by the noble House of Havelock. Currently, the Duke of Floresque is Silas Holdens Havelock. After the Novic Civil War the Duke of Floresque was accorded the title Archduke of Novmir, though this comes with little real political power - the Duchy's power instead comes from its enormous wealth. The Havelock family owns and operates the Havelock Bank, one of the largest in the world and certainly the largest in Novmir.
The
Duchy of Macovy, lead by the noble House of Pembroke. Gulliver is in control of this duchy; I'm sure he has more knowledge of its history than I. The Emperor of Novmir is traditionally a member of the House of Pembroke.
In addition to these duchies there are also many many others that are unnamed and have yet to be fleshed out.
If in 1909, the Ottoman Empire was the "sick man of Europe", in 2009 the Novic Empire is the "sick man of Taijitu". By 2009, Novmir is the only monarchy in the world where its monarch has any real political power to speak of. Its legislature is unelected, instead consisting of nobles representing disparate duchies that have little in common with each other. Novic politics are old-fashioned, undemocratic, misogynistic, oligarchial, and byzantine. The country itself is sprawling, bloated, hard to administer, and isolationist. The Novic economy is in the midst of the largest speculation bubble it has ever seen, and only a few economists, insiders, and traders seem to have any idea the bubble is about to pop.
By the end of 2010, Novmir is in the midst of the worst recession in its history, and the smallest low-income families to the largest ducal houses are hemorrhaging money. Duchies like Floresque, whose entire economy has been based in banking since its earliest days, are bound to lose big. Other duchies might be able to ride the recession and come out the other side intact, perhaps even more powerful than they were in the past.
Foreign nations may not necessarily find themselves untouched by the commotion in Novmir - the Ozian direships, or other powerful entities in developing nations, might be interested in gaining a foodhold in Novmir - gaining the international power, wealth, and maybe even respect they so desperately crave. Nations like Myroria or Letonna - by the 2010s making a very uneasy transition to democracy - might find conservatives, or perhaps monarchists, buoyed by the recent unrest overseas, advocating a return to "traditional values" and "strong leaders".
Regardless of the outcome, by the end of these recent troubles, Novmir, the capitalist system, and the entire world will find themselves irrevocably changed.
I hope that this Novmir RP appeals to people who might be interested in starting to write but feel daunted by the challenge of building a whole country from the ground up. Anyone can simply create a Novmiri duchy, name it, and start writing without having to come up with an entire history and system of government. In addition, I would like to see NPC nations start to actually have relevance on the world stage - Novmir is the largest nation in the world but has been largely lifeless until this point.
Anyone can join in on
To Own One at any time, and I hope you all choose to. I'd love to see some more writing in here - and more writing from
new writers. If you've been RPing, don't feel pressured to create a duchy; if you'd rather continue to write your own nation, go ahead. Everyone has interests Novmir - for a country of its size, wealth, and history, it's impossible not to.
Civil flag of NovmirImperial Coat of ArmsFlag of FloresqueCoat of arms of the House of HavelockFlag of Macovy
