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I hereby call the admission of Holokovoy into the League of IDU Nations to a vote. As is protocol, initial voting shall last 72 hours.

University students from around the IDU are invited to compete in the first iteration of the IDU Universiade held in TBD (vote on Discord)!   As mentioned on the Discord, this is designed to be a preview event for many of the new Olympic events and formulas currently in development.  The following form (note: make sure you have the current version, it should include a 4x100m relay and other new aquatics events) can be copied and used for submissions: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1...sp=sharing

The form works in the standard Olympiad format: coefficients should sum to 0 and the overall standard deviation should be less than 33.  Those should be automatically calculated for you.  New to this event is the "major puppet designation" which for nations with two or more puppet submissions will allow one of them to have a reduced puppet penalty.  Please list the following information when you submit:

Country Name:
Puppet? (Y/N):
If yes, major puppet? (Y/N): 
Trigram:
Link to form (be sure to change permissions!):

Submissions will be open until June 16, 2024.

A motorbike came to a stop along the hard red dirt, in the dit was an overly elaborate concrete sign that said “Communauté Rurale of Diawara” in faded letters. That’s how Elizabeth Mbaye Beronas knew this was the place. She didn’t call herself that especially in this place, instead, she had told everyone including the motorbike rental company her name was Mbaye. Her study of French in college had been put to the test, as Koldan’s seemed to put in entirely new words to the language. So far she assumed the locals she had met had seen her as a well-educated daughter of a mega pastor or government minister, used to speaking only formal French. However, she was neither, in fact, she had never set foot in Kolda or anyone in Neria since her birth.

The Bernonas were nice people, good peace peace-loving Catholics who were the envy of every priest and highway billboard. Unable to have children of their own, the Bernonas were convinced by their congregation to utilize an adaptation agency called World Family Connection. Across the ocean in Kolda, a young Mbaye was selected from an orphanage and brought by WFC to the care of the Bernonas in suburban Newton, South Princeton. The Bernonas then named Mbaye, Elizabeth after her new adoptive grandmother. From the start, Elizabeth’s parents were very open about who she was. When she asked why she looked different from her parent they took her to meet with an employee of World Family Connection who explained in terms a child could understand. In middle school, she joined a group at her Church called “World Culture Hour” This was a group of fellow adoptees that had also been adopted through WFC. The group aged from newborns to teenagers and was led by the head prest’s wife, who asked everyone to call her Miss Mary. Mary helped the group who often dealt with confusion and faced bullying in school. To Elizabeth, Miss Mary was a trusted adult who could always be relied on. The court called it international smuggling and human trafficking although in Elizabeth’s case, the real perpetrators were the Koldan government who in the 90s and 2000s took the children of poor rural mothers in exchange for money. Elizabeth also received around $70,000 in a settlement with WFC, with both Miss Mary and her husband being removed from the congregation in their attempts to cover up the organization’s wrongdoings.

Now, Mbaye was home or at least she hoped she was. After the 2011 Coup, Ministry of Health records became available including one that listed “Mbaye Ada Diallo” as being under the care of the World Family Connection of Guiedawaye orphanage during 1997. From there, Mbaye began calling the names of related records spending hours in high school searching Koldan government websites. Mbaye even switched from Slokasian to French as her secondary language class to help her read the websites. It took her many more years but finally, she found a document that listed her being a hospital patient in the small town of Diawara. Mbaye then spent the rest of her settlement money to quit her job in tech and book a flight to Kolda.

Diawara didn't look like much of anything, scattered brick and stone houses with several animals running around. A small church towered over the town, however just by the entrance to the town was a boulangerie called Prison Mart. Although the name suggested low quality, the interior was relatively clean. In fact, Mbaye assumed the name came from the fact this was a colonial prison. Each cell was now a different department, meat’s, bread, and even a cheap cellphone store. Mbaye didn’t have a plan for how exactly she would find her family, just a name, and a will to finally discover her true family.

General Xiuhhuani Defense Center, Tlālacuetztla

It began with a meeting of some of Xiomera's most militaristic minds.

The subject was one that had been keeping them awake at night: the future of the Empire.

"It is clear that we have reached an inflection point," Xiyāōtl told his audience. The Fleet Admiral of the Imperial Navy (and leader of the General Staff, not to mention the husband of the Empress), waved his hand. "Our soldiers, sailors and airmen are among the best and bravest in the world. Our technology is the equal of anyone we may face on the battlefield. Our resources and our industry give us a commanding position among the nations of the world. But we must realize something - none of that matters. None of that is enough. As things stand now, Xiomera will never build the new Empire that our people deserve and that we have promised them. The odds against us are simply too steep."

Xiyāōtl's audience murmured in discomfort and disbelief, and even a little anger. It was practically a matter of faith for these men and women that Xiomera was a superior nation and people, and that the Empire could bat aside any foe that would deny it its destiny. Hearing one of Xiomera's top military men puncture that belief was a painful blow.

"I can see that this is not what you want to hear," Xiyāōtl said. "But we must face painful realities, or we will never overcome them. Yes, we are powerful. But so are other nations. Our opponents in the world also have brave and capable soldiers. They also have technology, and resources. And when they band together, as they are with increasing frequency, they also have numbers. Numbers sufficient to overwhelm us. For the new Empire we desire to rise, we must begin thinking in a much bigger way. We must move beyond our existing conceptions and self-imposed limitations. We must explore whatever avenue we must, and do whatever it takes, to overcome the advantages that the numerous rabble we face present against us."

"And how, exactly, do you propose to do that?" Tenoch, the Marshal of the Imperial Army, raised his eyebrow. "What more can we do than what we are already doing?"

Xiyāōtl smiled. "We can embrace our longstanding tradition as a leader of innovation and advancement, and turn that to its proper and rightful place as the force that advances our Empire forward. We can also learn from our history, though. Marshal Aztacael, how are Shorn Ones created?"

Aztacael, the Marshal of the Special Forces, shrugged. "They train their warriors from childhood, and they adopt particularly promising orphan children as well. But why do you bring up those traitors who fled to Huenya?"

Xiyāōtl's smile grew sharper and wider. "Because we never should have stopped doing that once the Shorn Ones turned tail and ran from us. Why aren't we doing that with our own Special Forces?" As those in the room murmured once more, Xiyāōtl continued. "Let me bring up another example, this time from Kerlile. Their Aurora program created warriors that put fear in the hearts of just about every leader in this world. And that was from a small, poor country. Imagine what Xiomera could do, with our wealth and our technology, if we put it to such a use."

Chuanacoyo, the Minister of Defense, sighed. "The Auroras proved to be, shall we say, unreliable at best. And the Shorn Ones all abandoned us. These do not seem promising foundations for whatever you are proposing."

Xiyāōtl shook his head. "That is a narrow vision, built on fear and the failures of others. Think bigger! We can begin raising promising children from the families of our Warriors of Tezcatlipōca and Warriors of Huītzilōpōchtli, shaping and molding them as future warriors just as the Shorn Ones do. But we can do even more. We can ensure the proper pairing of parents to ensure that desirable genetic, physical and mental traits are passed on to these future warriors. We can ensure from their cradle their unswerving and unwavering loyalty to our Empire. At the same time, we can make improvements to the special forces we already have."

"Improvements? What do you mean?" Aztacael asked.

"Biological improvements. Chemical and pharmaceutical improvements. Cybernetics. AI! There are so many avenues that we can pursue to create truly superior warriors."  Xiyāōtl's eyes shone with the fervor of a true believer. "We just have to be willing to seize those opportunities. We can begin by taking volunteers who are willing to undergo enhancements from the ranks of our special forces, and expand from there."

"And who will lead such an effort?" Aztacael asked.

"The person who presented this idea to me,"  Xiyāōtl replied. "Dr. Ezmina with the Advanced Research Division of the Ministry of Science. She is convinced that a comprehensive program of enhancing our warriors is the only way to give us the edge we need to surpass our enemies once and for all. I agree with her."

"We're not the only ones you need to convince," Huelixiuh spoke up. The Marshal of the Air Force shook his head. "The Empress, as we all know, was never a fan of the Auroras. What makes you think she will embrace a much bigger and broader program? Beyond the fact that you're her husband, that is."

Xiyāōtl laughed. "Because what other choice do we have? Our enemies outnumber us and are determined to halt the rise of our new Empire. They are prepared to do much to stop us. We must be prepared to do more than they will ever dare or dream to - literally anything, if it comes to that. My wife the Empress knows that we must be prepared to sacrifice anything and everything to achieve that dream - she was the architect of that dream! She knows what it will require, what it will cost us. In the end, she will see the wisdom of this plan. But this is where all of you come in. I need you in my corner, to support this plan and encourage her to accept it. I firmly believe that the future of this Empire, and the future of our people, depend on it."

Aztacael sighed after a moment. "For the Empire to continue and to grow, all of us must be prepared to do whatever we must. I will back your plan."

One by one, the rest of the General Staff and the Minister of Defense echoed Aztacael. They were committed to a risky course of action. They would seek to convince Calhualyana to adopt a plan that would go against everything the Empress believed in about the basic form and existence of humanity. But as Xiyāōtl had said, they didn't see any other choice for the Xiomeran Empire. Either it would seek to break the bounds of what defined a warrior, or it would stagnate and die at the hands of a multitude of enemies and rivals.

The day after the resolution to abolish the Inner Council passed, Lauchenoiria's LIDUN Ambassador, Rosalinda Hernandez tabled a topic for discussion by the Security Council. The Lauchenoirians had been eyeing the situation with concern for months now, and Prime Minister Alvarez was well aware that the situation could escalate if it was not tackled sooner rather than later.

"Good morning everyone, I'd like to open this discussion on the situation in the Eikan DMZ between Eïkangärd and Whetosonghnee. As you likely know, the Eïkan government has been issuing a number of threats towards the Whetosonghneans for months now; most recently threatening to annex part of the country. We in Lauchenoiria feel that LIDUN would be neglecting our duty to ignore this situation; and therefore I wish to open this discussion to the floor."

 
“Come on, once more, push!”
 
Natasha Robinson screamed into her mother’s face as she pushed. This was unintentional; Carmen was merely too close.
 
“That’s it, well done!”
 
Natasha panted for breath as a tiny cry sounded.
 
“Congratulations, Miss Robinson; you have a beautiful baby boy.”
 
The midwife handed Natasha a tiny baby wrapped in a blanket, and as Natasha looked into her son’s eyes, she saw the world anew.

 
Four hours later, Prince Kristofer stormed into his father the King’s bedroom and woke the Zongongian monarch with a shout.
 
“She’s had the baby!”
 
“Nghhh…” the King mumbled in his sleep.
 
“Father! Natasha has had the baby, and it’s a boy.”
 
“What? Oh, Kristofer, what time is it?”
 
“About 1am. Did you hear what I said? I’ve already called ZIA, they are on their way. You need to make a decision, father, about if you will stand with me on this.”

 
In Kerlile, the message was passed to each of the Councillors via phone, without requiring anyone to get out of bed. They did, however, collectively start messaging the chaotic mess that was the Council of Kerlile’s group chat.
 
[Greenwood]: So, are we congratulating her or what? Idk what to do in this situation lol
 
[Arnott]: I am, I’ve already messaged her. You should too!
 
[Patel]: Have you forgotten that the girl was exiled for treason???
 
[Georgiou]: Have you forgotten the girl was almost forced into marrying that misogynist pig in Zongongia? Have some compassion!
 
[Pierre]: Showing the patriarchy that we support women is more important than punishing Natasha for her grandmother’s conspiracy.
 
[Viallamando]: lol you’re so brainwashed by the reformists 
 
[Hart]: stop politicising a teen who just had a baby
 
[Hale]: Natalia’s right, Kerlians of all people shouldn’t be politicising this!
 
[Chiu]: It is 1am. Go to bed!!!

 
Carmen Robinson returned to see her daughter and granddaughter after giving the press conference that Natasha had asked her to. They were both fully aware that if they did not get ahead of the story, it would get ahead of them. They’d tried very hard to trick her into giving away the baby’s name, which Carmen would not do – especially given that Natasha was yet to name her son.
 
Kerlians, as a rule, found out the sex of the baby before birth. Natasha had made a conscious choice to break with that tradition; in part because of rebellion against Kerlian society, and in greater part in case Kristofer somehow found out and did something. They were all deeply concerned that the Zongongians would try something, and had made that abundantly clear to the Eirians. Fortunately, Zongongia had bigger problems to deal with over the continuous protests in their capital.
 
When she returned, Natasha was asleep and the baby too. The midwife and Carmen exchanged smiles, and Carmen stroked her sleeping daughter’s head, leaning over to give her a kiss on the forehead.
 
“I’m so proud of you,” Carmen whispered. “For making your own choices, even if they upset both patriarchy and matriarchy at the same time.”

 
By the next day, Kristofer had given his instructions to some very uneasy Zongongian intelligence agents. They would set off immediately. And in the meantime, a distraction was needed. One that would draw the eyes of the world.
 
And he knew exactly what to do.

The following proposal to amend the LIDUN Charter is brought to vote:

In clause 9, remove the following two sentences: "All substantive business introduced to the Council shall first require the approval of a majority of members of the Inner Council of the Security Council. The Inner Council shall comprise the President of the Security Council and four members of the Security Council elected from within its membership by its members on the basis of their great influence."

The effect of this proposal would be to remove the requirement for Security Council business to be approved by the Inner Council, as well as remove said Inner Council from existence.

Voting shall be open for one week from the time of posting; and the vote requires two-thirds support to pass.

OOC note: I had some thoughts about land and social structure as it's changed in Laeral throughout history, and I typed it up in a rush one night last November and then haven't done much with it since. This is the first installment of perhaps three or four; don't expect a consistent release schedule for updates here, as this will very much be expanded on when I have the inspiration to do so. 

History of Land Use in Laeral: Part 1

During the colonial era, determining possession of agricultural land, particularly in the fertile Eastern Riverlands, Althea, and the Beuvron River Valley, was a central function of government. After the 1807 DeBarre Line was created, marking off the initial bounds of Arrivée settlement, land west of the line was declared property of the ducal government to apportion as it saw fit. Mass land auctions throughout the early 1800s saw gentlemen speculators as the chief beneficiaries. The most fertile land, often irrigated by centuries-old channels and the site of continuous farming for millennia, was parceled into large plantation domains owned by individual highborn households, operated for profit through the production of wheat, tobacco, rice, indigo, tea, or other crops. 

Laws against "squatting" and "vagrancy," leveled against Rén families who sought to remain on their land, carried the sentence of compulsory service as agricultural laborers on the local plantation. The penalty for taking up arms against the state was also often serfdom, often for entire villages or regions, and so by 1845, the dawn of the Laeralian War of Independence, an estimated 900,000 Rén and Metice people were enslaved on plantations. Slavery in the colonial Laeralian context, however, was not an inherited status, although it was a racialized one: those born to enslaved laborers were born free, but Arrivée were never enslaved.

Perhaps 60% of land area—primarily that which had been cleared and was suitable for large-scale agriculture—was parcelled out between plantations. Much of the remaining land, particularly that which was less hospitable for farming, was owned by small farmers, Rén, Arrivée, and Metice alike. Villages served as a site for cross-racial social interactions: marketplaces, smiths, inns, and the like fostered growing linguistic and cultural exchange. This included the emergence of Laeralian Creole, a polyglot mixture of French and Mandarin which would persist among the largely illiterate population until the standardization of language in the Republican era. The taboo against miscegenation was also transgressed more often at the village level, particularly between transient laborers who had migrated away from the growing expanse of plantation land. It was these villages which were rightfully called, if not the cradle of the war of independence, at least its nursery.

For free and enslaved Rén alike, the chief interaction with the colonial state was through corvée, forced state labor for a period of one month each year. Instituted as a means of conducting labor-intensive infrastructure upkeep and construction, corvée occurred on a rotating basis based on birth month, so as to minimize disruption to the harvest; for this reason, the colonial state's register of births are a treasure trove for modern historians and genealogists. The construction of roads was a constant preoccupation of the colonial state, seeing as they were essential for transport of goods and movement of soldiers outside of the navigable waterways (the few railroads built in Laeral during the colonial era, totaling less than 120 kilometers, were built exclusively with Arrivée labor). Typical corvée duties included excavating roads after flooding and mudslides, paving roads, and breaking ground for new roads, although in certain locales corvée labor also built government buildings and waystations. Corvée labor was widely despised: it was backbreaking, all-day work for which any rural Rén man between the ages of 15 and 35 would typically be relocated to a work camp and separated from their families for a four week period annually. Payment was nominal and conditions at work camps poor, with strict discipline enforced at the end of a whip or truncheon.

Cities, chief among them Althea, St. Clair, Marist, and Bethune, offered the greatest opportunities for social mobility. Going to sea or joining a fisherman's crew was one avenue of escape: on the open seas, few cared the complexion of a man's skin as long as his arms were suited for hauling nets or whaling. The cities saw the emergence of the Laeralian middle class, typically merchants or artisans producing goods for consumption by the nobility. The ducal court was well known for its patronage of the arts and its fondness for fine cuisine, while the seasonal migration between Althea and Marist established by Duke Armand meant that thriving artisan communities sprung up in both cities. Factories were established in limited numbers in urban centers (with the exception of Althea, where strict urban beautification regulations forestalled the erection of smokestacks), including textile mills and brick and steel foundries, typically with the patronage of an interested consortium or individual member of the nobility. Migrants from surrounding rural areas were often the only ones willing to accept factories' beastly conditions; the phenomenon of rural migration to the city spurred the creation of Rén fraternal organizations and women's support circles as well as the first labor unions, inspired by examples from abroad. Regardless, by 1848 industrialization had touched the lives of only a bare amount of the Laeralian people. The majority of the population would remain rural and impoverished, as peasant freeholders, sharecroppers, slaves, or migrant workers, until well after the War of Independence.

Our mission is to facilitate fun, active role play in the IDU by maintaining reliable, equitable, and responsive data and mapping resources. Map updates are performed approximately quarterly in January, April, July, and October around the middle of the month. New in 2024, the Ministry will be streamlining our request management services using Google Forms. 

• Current Map
  
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Frequently asked questions
Q: How many nations can I request?
A: For now, you can request as many as you need. This rule may change in the future, based on future needs.
Q: What if I don't like my placement or the features where I am?
A: We can change it. Unlike real life Earth, plate tectonics can happen overnight.
Q: Can you add or remove islands or other features?
A: Yes! Easy Peasy
Q: I want to border XYZ Nation, but they no longer exist. What should I do?
A: Nations on the map that have ceased to exist (CTE'd) for >90 days will automatically consent welcome new nations on their borders.
Q: Will we run out of space on the map?
A: If we grew that large it would be a great problem to have. So, don't worry about it for now.
Q: What nations are eligible to be on the map.
A: Any Main nation or puppet that is a resident of the IDU, regardless of population.
Q: Not that I would ever do anything bad, but what if I get ejected from the IDU?
A: You can expect your nation to be removed from the map at the next regular update. Successful ejection appeals may result in map eligibility being restored but won't guarantee same place on the map. May you never have to go through such drama.
Q: What software do you use for creating the map?
A: PaintX Premium at the moment. But it is creating some unfortunate consistency issues that don't scale well. Anyone who has GIMP or Adobe skills is invited to reach out to the Ministry of Cartography.
Q: Can I use Special characters in my nation name (e.g. Dàguó)?
A: Yes! Type it in the form exactly as you would like it to appear. 
Q: Um there's a CTE'd nation in my way, can I ask for it to be removed?
A: Maybe? Nations with an entry in the IDU wiki, formidable presence in IDU/roleplay history, or former WA Delegates cannot be removed from map without their consent