Duchy of Talouse

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## Duchy of Talouse

### Population:

2.47M

The **Duchy of Talouse** is one of the 4 states of Southern Griffonia that have banded together under the *Karthinian Pact*. With  Kingdom of Wingbardy the strongest country of the alliance, Talouse will have to balance protection from without and within.

Talouse's Duchess is *Ginerva*

 Kingdom of Wingbardy - Wingbardy's actions can be dangerous, especially if Talouse remains in a faction - leaving the faction may be the best option depending on Talouse's choices, outlined below.

* A Harmonic Wingbardy will not harm Talouse, and will be a strong defensive alliance. However, this can severely limit the opportunity for expansion as Talouse will have to follow the justifying rules of a democratic nation. It will take the **Keep our Friends Close** focus which will influence Talouse towards Harmony.
* A Non-Aligned Wingbardy may play more aggressively and will demand Talouse's integration or gain a war goal via a decision after doing the **Wingbardian Empire** focus if Talouse is still in the same faction.
* A Fascist Wingbardy plays similarly to a Non-Aligned Wingbardy and will also demand Talouse's integration or gain a war goal via a decision after doing the **Wingbardian Empire** focus if Talouse is still in the same faction. It may take the **Pressure Allies** focus, which will push Talouse fascist.
* A Communist Wingbardy will go into a civil war and will disband the Karthinian Pact. A victorious Communist Wingbardy then may either attempt to annex its neighbours via war, including Talouse, or influence and integrate them.

Communist and Fascist Wingbardy, upon converting the country successfully to their ideology, can begin to integrate Talouse, reducing its autonomy at 1/day. It is best to leave the faction before this happens.

## Lore

Archeological evidence dates griffon settlement in what is now Talouse to before 1000 BLB. These first inhabitants belonged to one of several dozen tribes whose names are now forgotten. The recorded history of Talouse begins with Arantigos’ conquest of the region in 620 BLB as part of his southern campaigns. Arantigos awarded the land to his nephew, Marco Talonostra, and tasked him with maintaining order and ruling in his stead. The conquest heralded a wave of migration and many Sparletans moved into the region, displacing the native population. Talonostra constructed the city of Talononte to serve as his administrative capital, and eventually the territory gained the name Talonsia, after its ward.

After Arantigos’ death, Talonostra consolidated power and declared himself King of Talonsia. With limited resources and griffonpower, Talonostra was thrown on the defensive and was forced to construct a string of mountain keeps to defend his small realm against the other post-Arantigan kingdoms. The most formidable of the rogue kingdoms proved to be Karthin, which began a series of conquests across the former empire’s southern territories in 566 BLB. The newly-born Karthinian Empire attempted three failed invasions of Talonsia, each time being repelled by the Talonostra’s defensive mountain.

Although victorious in battle, the conflicts drained enormous wealth from Talonsia. So, in 535 BLB, Talonsia agreed to become a march of Karthin. The period of peace that followed was one of prosperity for Talonsia, even as their imperial masters stagnated and declined, ultimately falling to the Wingbardians in 453 BLB. Talonsia quickly declared independence and was beset by barbarian invaders, but once again its fortifications proved impregnable. As the Wingbardian territories congealed into a patchwork of feudal states, Talonsia continued to maintain its defensive line of forts, proudly bearing the title of “Warden of the South”, a title once granted to the Talonostras by Arantigos himself.

Throughout the 2nd century BLB, Talonsia began to decentralize as local lords consolidated power around their keeps. Although the army remained loyal to the Talonostras, Talononte’s grip was loosening. The death knell came after the assassination of King Marus of Talonsia in 34 BLB. The kingdom, which by that point only nominally governed the lords, finally ceased to exist. A brutal succession war ensued, with a minor lord securing the capital and declaring himself Duke of Talononte. The birth of the Kingdom of Aquilea during the 2nd century ALB sparked a dramatic increase in trade in the western bay, greatly benefitting the region. Trade also accelerated the mixing of Talonsians and Wingbardians, and as time passed the land became more and more often referred to by its Wingbardian name, Talouse, instead of Talonsia. By the end of the 3rd century ALB, a strong Talousian culture had formed, marked by their veneration of Arantigos alongside typical Wingbardian traditions. The land remained politically disunited until 602, when Giovanni I, Duke of Talonsia was willed the Duchy of Navarro after the death of its last duke, Emmanuel IV. Giovanni accepted and combined the 2 crowns in a new state: the Duchy of Talouse.

When Grover I, King of Griffonstone, blessed by the Idol of Boreas, conquered Wingbardy in 706, Talousian forces fighting alongside the Wingbardians witnessed his army’s incredible might. As the mighty conquerer approached Folino, the last sovereign Duke, Francesco VI, bent the knee, making Talouse a vassal realm of the ascendant Griffonian Empire. Peace reigned for the next few centuries, and when massive coal deposits were discovered under the Talousian Highlands, several Wingbardian mining companies moved into the area to provide their homeland with a cheap and plentiful supply of coal.

In 972, Wingbardy seceded from the Empire. Giovanni III, then Duke, honoured the old alliance and seceded as well. Talouse joined the new Karthinian Pact, which became the major power bloc in Southern Griffonia. One key provision of the Pact was the right for Wingbardian mining companies to continue their operations in Talouse: the infamous Coal Clause derided by nearly all Talousians. Following Wingbardy’s example, Talouse established a national Parliament in order to embrace modernity. Unfortunately, just like in Wingbardy, the Parliament proved ineffective and several governments fell in succession.

Giovanni III died in sleep in 992 and was succeeded by his hot-headed daughter, Ginerva. The most well-known moment of her reign came during the General Strike of 1003. Thousands of workers marched down the streets of Talononte, calling for less hours, more pay, and the fair treatment of workers. The city ground to a halt while Parliament scrambled to think of a solution to quiet the rabble, yet at the same time wished to stay on the good side of the industrialists. The Duchess stormed into Parliament building, shouting “Lo giuro su Boreas, se voi bastardi non fate qualcosa, appenderò ognuno di voi in piazza!” (“I swear to Boreas, if you bastards don't do something, I'll hang each of you in the square!”). The very next day, Parliament passed a resolution granting workers slightly higher wages, a slightly reduced work day and some protections.

With the election of 1007 fast approaching, incumbent Prime Minister Marco Paltiori and his liberal government will have to fight hard to keep their position. It will be a tough fight, but securing Talouse’s place in the world will be an even tougher fight, no matter which party emerges victorious…

## Economy

### Laws and Development

  Volunteer Only

* Recruitable Population: **1.50%**

* Construction Speed: **+10.00%**
* Research Speed: **+5.00%**
* Factory Output: **+10.00%**
* Dockyard Output: **+10.00%**
* Resources to Market: **+50%**
* Civilian intelligence to others: **+20.0%**
* Navy intelligence to others: **+10.0%**

* Industrial Research Speed: **+3%**
* Electronics Research Speed: **+2%**
* Consumer Goods Factories: **35.0%**
* Military to Civilian Factory conversion cost: **+30.00%**
* Civilian to Military Factory conversion cost: **+30.00%**
* Fuel Gain per Oil: **-40.00%**
* Fuel Capacity: **-25.00%**
* **Infrastructure** construction speed: **+10.00%**
* **Military Factory** construction speed: **-30.00%**
* **Civilian Factory** construction speed: **-30.00%**
 Scientific Development
  Small Science Base

* Daily Political Power Gain: **+0.20**
* Research Speed: **-55.00%**

* Resource Gain Efficiency: **-10.00%**
* Construction Speed: **-10.00%**
* Research Speed: **-10.00%**
* Factory Output: **-10.00%**
* Dockyard Output: **-10.00%**

* Construction Speed: **-5.00%**
 Poverty
  Mild Poverty

* Monthly Population: **-4.0%**
* Consumer Goods Factories: **4.0%**
* Construction Speed: **-5.00%**

* Uses Griffon Racial Tree

### Industry and Resources

Factories

Resources*\**
 0