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| |fullname = The Imperial Dominion of Dragonera | | |fullname = The Imperial Dominion of Dragonera |
| |commonname = Dragonera | | |commonname = Dragonera |
| |flag = File:Dragonera Flag.png | | |flag = File:Dragonera flag.png |
| |coa = File:Dragonera coa.png | | |coa = File:Dragonera coa.png |
| |motto = ''Strength of the Dragon'' | | |motto = ''Strength of the Dragon'' |
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| The '''Imperial Dominion of Dragonera''', commonly known as '''Dragonera''', is a constitutional empire located in the southern reaches of [[Micras]] on the island of [[Pacary]]. The empire is based out of the small Isla Dragonera, located along the northwest Pacarian coast. The empire was founded by the Dei Barbone family, former rulers of the Holy Empire of Minorca, who settled on Isla Dragonera following Minorca's collapse. Utilizing the local dragon population as steeds, the Barbone's led a Holy Crusade across Pacary and united the Imperial Dominion. Originally an absolute monarchy, the empire has evolved to adopt a constitution and an elected parliament. The empire emphasizes military prowess and its armored dragons are feared on the battlefield. | | The '''Imperial Dominion of Dragonera''', commonly known as '''Dragonera''', was an empire located in the southern reaches of [[Micras]] on the island of [[Pacary]]. |
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| == History ==
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| The story of Dragonera begins in the former lands of the Holy Empire of [[Minorca]] (now occupied by [[Athlon]]). The decaying Minorcan empire was crushed by a wave of new immigrants from the Kingdom of [[Lovely]] and temporarily subjugated by the cult of Psycotia. When Lovely collapsed the Minorcans briefly regained their isles but before they were able to regain full strength were again crushed by [[Bovic]] crusaders from [[Natopia]] who then established [[Athlon]]. This time the Minorcan inhabitants were forced to flee the isles and seek refuge elsewhere. The surviving imperial family, the Dei Barbone's, fled by ship with a retinue of Holy Crusaders and eventually came to the shores of a small island along the northern coast of [[Pacary]]. The island had a native population of [[dragons]], and thus the refugees decided to name it Isla Dragonera, in honor of the ancient city from their homeland.
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| The Minorcans originally were quite wary of the draconic population. However, Emperor Ferdinand IX, himself a seasoned veteran, saw a golden opportunity and, through much trial and error, nearly costing his life, he was able to tame some of the dragons as steeds for the Holy Crusaders. Thus the dragon became an emblem of the empire and immortalized when the Imperial Dominion of Dragonera was declared as the official successor to the Minorcan Empire. By the time of Ferdinand's death (albeit of natural causes), he had established a breeding stock of tamed dragons and a full battalion of mounted crusaders to defend the island.
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| Of the scattered Minorcan population, many came to settle on Isla Dragonera and soon the small settlement became a bustling city known as [[San Draconis]]. Many other refugees settled along the coast of Pacary and nearby islands. For several hundred years the small state operated under the rule of other powers, most notably [[Alexandria]], where the imperial trappings of the Dragonerans fit well with those of Geneva. Most recently it came under the sway of [[Vyktory]], a nation that arose on the Pacarian mainland. While establishing a fort and settlement at Georgetown, the Vyktoryans were often preoccupied with fighting on Pacary to hold much sway over the island. Eventually Vyktory too passed into oblivion, leaving the Dragonerans free to re-establish their empire.
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| It was under the reign of Emperor Marcus XVI that the Dragoneran empire began a serious military buildup with eyes toward expansion. The Holy Crusaders were reorganized and expanded. Dragons were fitted with better armor and modern weaponry, not simply the sword and shield of tradition. Under Marcus' reign the crusaders tripled in size and expeditions were launched to lead a conquest of the mainland and secure the resources of Pacary. The crusaders swept onto the mainland, crushing those that opposed their rule while being welcomed in those settlements established by Minorcan refugees. This expansionism only halted when Marcus was killed fighting along the shores of the [[Great Sand Lake]].
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| Marcus' son and successor, Felipe V, was an adept dragon rider and member of the Holy Crusaders. Tasked with picking up the pieces of Marcus' unchecked expansionism, Felipe was faced with fighting battles on multiple fronts spread out across several territories. It soon became apparent that sustaining such a military offensive was impossible, and he was forced to retreat from central Pacary . Felipe realized that the Dragoneran military was outnumbered and recognized that in order to achieve the conquests his father sought he would have to establish superior firepower. Thus he embarked on a major modernization of the military, investing a great deal into research and development.
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| Marcus had been seeking to gain control over the lost city of Mu, the ancient capitol of [[Lemuria]], now sunken in the center of the Great Sand Lake and rumored to contain ancient secrets. But the region was controlled by hostile tribes whose sheer numbers could overwhelm even the superior strength of the Dragoneran military. Felipe realized he could not yet gain control of Mu, and therefore sought other avenues of victory. He established forts along the coast of Pacary that would gain him footholds for inland expansion. Meanwhile he continued to search for ancient relics that could aid his crusade. Reaching the southern extremes he came to the frozen and feared shores of the Witches Isle, [[Las Brujas]].
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| Las Brujas is an ice-encased island shrouded under a blanket of snow and thick [[frost pines]]. Long feared by locals, the island was settled by a group of sorceresses whose origin was rumored to be from long-lost Lemuria or possibly even an older civilization. The coven was occasionally consulted by locals, some seeking healing, others less ethical spells. But for the most part they were avoided and shunned; their price of blood payment often too high for the tribespeople to stomach. Felipe knew of the rumors and sought to either put the witches and their magic to use, or vanquish them entirely.
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| Felipe approached the witches settlement with a small retinue of dragon riders. Seeing the Emperor astride his dragon the witches were awed. Here were men wholly unlike the ruffian tribal folk that often came begging for scraps. The High Witch, Lucretia, agreed to a pact with the the Emperor, who took her for wife, making her Empress. In return Lucretia mixed the blood of dragon and emperor, granting steed and rider unparalleled unity. Felipe had increased strength and stamina, and could now see through the eye of his dragon, even directing him with his thoughts. Thus Felipe became the first Dragon Emperor, and returned to San Draconis with his Empress and several witches to aid his army, with Las Brujas now under imperial protection.
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| The Emperor was a shrewd tactician and put the witches magical skills to use in improving his military capabilities. Through this combination of science and magic the metallurgists created a powerful new alloy called fyrlantium. Stronger than steel, corrosion/heat resistant, and as light as aluminum, fyrlantium became the perfect metal for armoring the dragons. It was also suitable for armoring his soldiers. The disadvantage was that fyrlantium took three times as long to manufacture as traditional steel, in the process consuming an equally larger portion of materials. As such it took Felipe several years to re-arm the entire Dragoneran military.
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| In the interim the Emperor looked to other potential sources of military development. The Minorcans had a unique relationship with whales, and Felipe sought to capitalize on this ancient tradition. Thus he began a program of husbandry with a captive whale population. Within a short period he had developed armored whales that could crush a ship's hull like paper. With a combination of armored dragons and whales the empire had both air and sea superiority. Thus, even as he found himself in his late forties, Felipe launched another major campaign against mainland Pacary.
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| The Second Crusade, as it became known, was much more successful than the first. Having built himself a massive army, the Emperor was able to rout many of the remnant tribes of the mainland. Much of western Pacary fell or surrendered to the advancing armies. Old cities were burnt, their walls shattered, preventing any resistance from regrouping. It was during the Second Crusade that the northwest quarter of Pacary was firmly taken and the province of Gran Vittoria established. Santa Diego was established on the ruins of an older city (Jamestown) and the fortress there served as the first major imperial foothold on the mainland. Emperor Felipe died at the old age of 96 having secured the first conquest of the Pacarian mainland.
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| Felipe was succeeded by his eldest son, Rinaldo, who like his father possessed a near-obsession with finding the hidden vaults of Mu. The frontier's of Gran Vittoria now stretched south almost to the Great Sand Lake but were obstructed by tribes resisting in the southwest. Rinaldo did not possess the physical prowess of his father and was impaired by chronic illness most of his life. Thin and frail, Rinaldo relied on intrigue and, more importantly, the devices of technology. This shift in tactics proved to have far-reaching ramifications for the future of the empire.
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| Rinaldo invested heavily in scientific research and magical studies. The School of Sorcery was established in Las Brujas as an official means of schooling young magic-users, both wizards and witches, and in developing new and more potent spells. The greatest investment however came on the mainland as the Emperor ordered the construction of several dozen SRFs (Special Research Facility) that focused primarily on weapons development. The SRFs helped push Dragonera through a brief industrial revolution that saw the rise of steam power and, in quick succession, the gasoline engine. These advancements altered the makeup of the military and severely outpaced the technology of resistance. Within a decade Rinaldo had quashed the remaining opposition in the southwest and had begun an offensive across the river into eastern Pacary.
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| After an especially-prolonged life, thanks to developments in cybernetics and magic, Rinaldo died at 104. His succession created an uproar as he had no male heir and, after much debate, the throne eventually passed to his daughter, who was crowned Empress Mercedes. As a female she had been traditionally trained at Las Brujas in the ways of sorcery and magic and it was the first time in the history of the empire that either a woman or a witch had ruled the throne. But Mercedes proved to be far more capable than anyone ever could have imagined.
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| The situation Rinaldo had left behind on his deathbed was quite dire. The Sand River was proving to be quite an obstacle to get troops across, with enemy forces deeply entrenched on the eastern shore. Instead of wasting more troops in a pointless offensive, the Empress withdrew and fortified along the western shores, using the river to create a barrier and bringing the war to an abrupt halt. Most thought she was simply too weak a leader to force a bloody victory, but instead she was manipulating other forces as yet unseen. Gathering her coven and best scientists, she led a secret entourage south to the Great Sand Lake.
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| It had been the longstanding objective of previous Emperors to seek out the long-lost ruins of Mu. The ancient Lemurian city was rumored to contain a vast store of knowledge and, according to those same rumors, could provide whosoever found it with untold power. Previous seekers had sought to plumb the lake's depths for the lost city, always ending in the same failures. But Mercedes had a different perspective. With the aid of engineers they quickly constructed a temporary dam across the mouth of the lake and a series of massive pumps to empty it of water. Within weeks the depth of the lake began to drop, first slowly, then faster. As the waters receded and the lake bed beneath baked under the sun for the first time in centuries, so too were old secrets long buried brought to light once more.
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| The water dropped nearly fifty feet before the first evidence of the lost city began to poke out of the surface. Identifying its location the Empress ordered walls dropped into place around the city, creating a barrier to hold the water back. Once the walls were in place the pumps and dam on the lake were eliminated and the water within the city pumped out. Mu had been brought to light once again. The city was a complete ruin; but a wondrous ruin at that. Even in such a state of decay it was clear the technology used in its construction was far beyond anything Dragonera had. Many artifacts were raised and brought back to San Draconis for study. As half the nations scientists raced to reverse-engineer anything they could, the other half raced to implement them in the military.
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| == Culture ==
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| == Government ==
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| === Military ===
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| == Foreign Relations ==
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| As a relatively young nation, Dragonera has not yet undertaken active foreign relations with other nations. Although not actively hostile towards [[Natopia]], it contests the occupation of its former home isles by [[Athlon]]. Similarly, the empire claims the [[Baracao | Islas de la Libertad]], currently occupied by [[Stormark]] who refer to it as the High Queen Hervor Isle and Sudreyjar. Diplomatic contacts have not been made yet with neighboring [[Stormark]] and the [[Florian Republic]].
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| {| class="wikitable"
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| ! Nation !! Status !! Visa Policy !! Notes
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| | {{Team flag|Alduria}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Alperkin}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Alrig}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Antakia}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Arcadia}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Batavia}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Birgeshir}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Bryconia}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Caradia}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Constancia}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Craitland}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Drak-Modan}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Elwynn}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Florian Republic}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Francia}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Freeland}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Goëtia}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Guttuli}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Imperial Trade Union}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Inner Benacia}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Iron Cult}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Jääland}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Jezeraah}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Jingdao}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Juclandia}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Kalgachia}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Krasnocoria}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Leylstadt}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Los Liberados}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Lostisland}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Lumis}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Mercury}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Natopia}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Nova England}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Palesmenia}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Phinbella}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Ralgon}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Ransenar}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Réunion}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Sanama}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Sanpantul}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Senya}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Shireroth}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Sovereign Confederation}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Stormark}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Tellia}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Thracistan}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Unified Governorates}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Vatakan}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Verionian Empire}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Vi'Ix}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| | {{Team flag|Wechua}} || align="center"|No Contact || bgcolor=#FFBBBB align="center"|Visa required ||
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| |}
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| == Economy & Infrastructure ==
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| == Religion ==
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| The Church of Minorca, led by the Archbishop, survived the collapse of the original Holy Empire and fled with the Emperor to Isla Dragonera. It was re-established at San Draconis and was spread to the rest of Pacary by the Holy Crusaders. Today Minorcan is the dominant religion of the empire.
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| The Archbishophric of Minorca has been in place as long as the monarchy has, the two complimenting eachother and working in conjunction with the Royal Knights and Holy Crusaders. The position has its origins with Saint Severus, whom many consider the founder of Minorca. Whereas the Emperor represents the political and military side of the government, the Archbishop represents the religious and commonfolk side. The Archbishop is chosen by popular referendum and vetted by their contributions to society. The chosen person is then given the prestigous honour of being Knighted by the Emperor and blessed by the Church of Minorca with the title of Archbishop.
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