Nations/Halstat-Dossites/Halstat

Inception of the Kingdom of Halstat


The Kingdom of Halstat was formed after the conquests of Great King Brennus of Burgeon who fought hard wars against the princes of Allbruck, Stuttgart and Vitense. The rest of the nations knowing where the wind was blowing, joined peacefully forming the Kingdom of Halstat in 100 BCE. The rule of his son Ambiorix was a period of renaissance for the nation. He pursued a policy of expansion on the other islands in the peninsula reaching all the way to IIsfeld Island. The Government saw a reform as Ambiorix envisioned a great elected body among the big minds of Halstat to aid the monarchy in forming a stable nation. Under Ambiorix, the Althing was created, a Parliamentary body initially made from the nobility chosen by Ambiorix. The Kingdom was divided into Districts divided into Mayorics and Ruralics governed by Mayors and Presidis respectively. Many districts joined into Prefectures governed by Prefects which join into Provinces governed by Governers. (Further detail of government later).

The Althing
The Kingdom of Halstat has an intriguing government rank and state divisions which were formed through centuries of complex history. Halstat is a Constitutional Monarchy. The King is the head of the government and the state and his succession is hierarchical. If the king has no son, a daughter is chosen. If there is no daughter, a close family relative is chosen. If no family relative exists or wants to be the King, the King is chosen from among the Althing.

Speaking of which, the Althing is the main parliamentary body of the state with its members called a Politikar. The Politikars are from the nobility and noble families are prized. Some families are more famous then the others due to the deeds of there ancestors and it helps there current generation rise up the ranks. Some Politikars hold no office in the government and they are the Politikars who are given appointment by the Chancellor. The Chancellor is the head of the Althing. His power includes maintaining the decorum of the Althing, opening and managing sessions and debates, taking care of the recordkeeping of each session and can only vote when there is a deadlock. He is also meant to recite royal decrees, letters and proposed bills/ordinances in front of the Althing. He has his Master of the Horse who takes on his task during his absence and in the meantime, serves as the Chancellor's assistant. Both of them are chosen from among the Althing via a vote held by the King and stay in term for 5 years.

The appointed Politikar are seated at the back while the elected Politikar based on there ranks are seated in the front. Due to the nature of the sessions, the appointed Politikar rarely get to speak. The Elected Politikar are the true ones who run the Althing. The state is divided into many districts. Each district is taken either as a Mayoric if its an urban center, or as a Presiric if its a rural one. The Mayoric is headed by a Mayor and the Mayor Council while the Presiric is headed by the Presidis and the Presidis Council. Both work the same way and are elected from the people among the District.

A Mayor/Presidis is the head executive of his district and heads the Mayor/Presidis Council. The Council consists of between 20-50 members from the city elites and favored local figures chosen by the Prefect of the Prefecture. The Mayor Council together forms the legislative and enforce basic laws. There laws must abide by Nation Guidelines and not violate National Laws. Many members of the Council also are the head of the Judiciary in there district as Judges, Lawyers and member of the Jury. A Mayor is also the captain of the city garrison while both the Mayor and Presidis are incharge of the defense of there district. A Mayor can also gain temporary higher command by the Directors.

A District may be a part of a Prefecture headed by a Prefect. The Election of the Prefect is from among all the district it has and District Elections and Prefect Elections always have a gap. A person must be a former Mayor to be a Prefect. A Prefect has the same power as a Mayor for his region and his his own Prefecture Assembly. A Prefect has no army command except being a part of the strategy planning and supplying of rations and weapons during a war. A Prefect also appoints members in the Mayor/Presidis Council. A Prefect also collects taxes from the Districts. A Prefect can overrule a Mayor/Presidis A Director is not Elected and is appointed by the King. It governs a state as a Head Executive and overlooks the Prefect's jobs. It is also incharge of directly funneling taxes to the coffers. A Director is the main Commander of the army in a region and has its own Directorate to help the Director although the Director has more power in the Directorate.

A State joins into Provinces governed by Governors which are not elected from the people but elected from the Althing. It has the same job as Prefects but cannot collect taxes on there own. A Governor also has no army command and is just the Chief of Logistics in the region. A Governor has its own parliamentary body called the Altmark which works the same way as a Mayor Council.

A Politikar can choose to retire any time from his career as elected official but by default, one is not allowed a governing position after the age of 50. Whenever a Politikar retires either by default or getting over with his dream position ( All positions in the state division last 5 years ), he is sent to the Althing as a higher Politikar and is not allowed to run for elections again. After the age of 60, all Politikar retire and gain a small pension for ex-governors. In all of this, the King could basically overrule anything and enforce Martial Law if necessary theoretically, however it has never happened and is not good for reputation. The Halstat state is truly one of its kind.



Selga Ship
The North Sea among which the Halstat vessel sail are not prime for the Galley which had been used for Coastal Defense. Various Iteration of Sailing ships had evolved and the most modern variant is the Selga Ship used primary for mercantile activities and carrying soldiers across the sea, the backbone of our maritime nation that keeps on growing from a bud and one day will turn into a beautiful flower!

The Selga Ship is a vessel without the need of Oars to propel itself as it relies primarily on wind. It has a fiddle-headed bow and a high stern board. It uses a The settee sail which is a lateen sail with the front corner cut off, giving it a quadrilateral shape. They can sail both winward and downwind and has a sharp prow. The Selga ship fairs in open sea much better then an oared ships and has carried the back of the Halstat navy and merchants for long. Its truly a wonder.



Gunnar Ship
The Gunnar Ship was first built by the shipwrights of Amsteria during the Damalevian War. The Gunnar Ship was a larger version of the Selga Ship and a primary warship from now on due to its capacity and size of the deck which made it much more useful then the Selga Ship, who is still retaining its role as a ship for war.

The Gunnar Ship has a curved prow with a stem-head, an ornately carved stern and quarter galleries. Their average length is 100 feet (30 m) with an average weight of 275 tons. Usually they are built with two masts using two to three lateen sails; supplementary sails like a jib are often added on the bowsprit, as well as on a topmast atop the main mast.

The ship is tapering and made almost symmetrical since its previous variants were more unwieldy. As a large and heavy ship the Gunnar requires a crew of at least 30 sailors. Some even need up to 40. The Gunnar ship has much higher cargo capacity making distant sailing even easier. Its a priced ship after the war for its effort and is rigged with Small Scorpion Ballistae at the gunport that is used to fire large bolts at the enemy.

The Gunnar Ship is only one of the kind in the best navy in the North Sea.



Halstat Armor
Over years of warfare on the mainland, the numerous failed unification wars, border disputes and rebellions has made the Halstat perfect the art of producing fine quality soldiers. The Halstat Law sets a term for the number of men each Prefecture must raise for an all out raid as the Prefects are responsible for logistics and supplies as subordinates to the greater Governors. The lifestyle in Halstat makes it perfect to make the Halstat Armour used by an average trained levy. The Halstat Armour is a special because of the way it is produced and its qualities. The production of the Halstat Armour begins with the Cattle Rearing Law. Animal Husbandry is a big part of the local Halstat society. The Cattle Rearing Law requires a Prefecture to produce a certain quota of Full-Grain Leather given to the state. The Full-Grain Leather is a very high quality leather and is strong, flexible and durable, also being least susceptible to water-logging. Scraps of Leather gained from the Meat Industry is also collected and is sent of to the Grand Arsenals.

The Grand Arsenals are the part of local industry where the finest Halstat Armour is produced. Here all the collected leather go through a process called Boiling. Here, Boiled Leather is made using vegetable-tanned leather, immersing it in Bee Wax and hot water and boiling it. In the course of making the material it becomes very soft, and can be impressed into a mould to give it the desired shape. Later when its hardened, a Bonded Leather Plate is formed by having two Full-Grain Boiled Leather being stuck together with scraps of leather in between them using natural adhesives. Finally, plate of Bark and Plant Fiber is added to the back. The Process form a Leather plate that is the most flexible, durable and water-proof forming the best material for Leather Armour. The Armour is then constructed with a Leather Vest, Leather Gauntlet, Greeves and Solaret, Leather Arm-covering, Leather collar and a Leather Helmet. The rest are filled with sturdy fiber material and cloth. The completed set is then retrieved by the Government and is used by the army during war.

As said before, the Halstat Armour is the best leather armour as it is much cheaper to produce then metal armour, is strong, flexible, durable and most importantly, waterproof, which no natural fiber truly is. The armour is also light and is useable in all conditions in war. The Halstat Armour is one of a kind and made there army truly strong.

Naphtha
Resin extracted from plants used by potters to produce Ceramics also is seen as highly flammable. Tar extracted from Pine trees also have similar burning properties and are used by many people in the colder regions as fuel. A Scientist with the process of distillation of Tar, Resin and other flammable material and other processes formed a distillate called Naphtha. Naphtha was highly flammable and could be packed in Ceramic containers. Once the ceramics are launched and strike, the material will burst into flames. It could be siphoned from a container that would spray out naphtha and would make it lethal against troops.

Many military leaders saw the potential of this weapon and decided to disclose its formula from anyone. The Naphtha could only be produced by select workers and in utter secrecy. The current usage of Naphtha is to be launched via Onagers and the the spike of the Ballista Bolt to be replaced with a ceramic container which when launched would also burst into flames.

Flaming Torch
Several Military Engineers meet together at the secret conference of Allbruck. They planned to make Naphtha more deadly by inventing a special weapon that utilizes it. They came up with the Flaming Torch, made as a defensive weapon that shoots out flames from its Nozzle. The Flaming Torch is divided into two carts, The Bellow Cart and the Trunk Cart. The Bellow Cart has a huge wooden box with bellows inside it which are compressed by a piston. When the bellows are compressed, they push air through a tube into the Trunk Cart which begins with the Naphtha Compartment. The Naphtha Compartment is where Naphtha is loaded in via a closable valve. The Compartment has a mesh in its back to prevent the Naphtha from leaking into the Bellows and the Trunk Cart is default tilted upwards so it doesn't leak out.

When the jet of air enters into the Naphtha Compartment, it starts pushing the Naphtha out. Inside the compartment is conical with the only way to get out being a smaller hole opening in the Trunk Barrel. The Naphtha being compressed by the Air is ignited and due to the pressure and it rushes out into the trunk barrel which is a long tube with a small hollowed out part from which the Naphtha rushes out. Its small enough to let the Naphtha escape and not build up enough pressure to burst the Trunk into flames. The Nozzle has a large opening from which the burning Naptha rushes out in a long spout. There is a pan at the end of the Nozzle where a small fire is placed in order to aid the Naphtha in burning. This results in a strong weapon that shoots out jets of flames far. The Flaming Torch can be pulled up by Oxens or Horses and there wheels can be popped out and fixed onto the ground. Its mostly used as a defensive weapons in forts or set piece battles, even in Navies to replace the common Scorpions.

Zero and Double-Entry Bookkeeping
For the longest time, accounting had been an important facet of Dossic culture and everyday life, especially as banking continues to proliferate as a commonality. Record keeping had always been problematic since there was never a symbol to represent nothingness. People just made up symbols for null value but that created regional differences. In order to alleviate this issue, an accountant named Erik had devised a solution which was to give nothingness its own number. Having asked the bank he worked for to lobby it to the Restich Commission, many banks across the Halstat have begun to adopt the number "Zero" or "〇" to represent null values when accounting. This has allowed for yet another accounting development to occur, now directly involved in the art.

This development was the method of double-entry bookkeeping which is a system of book keeping where every entry to an account requires a corresponding and opposite entry to a different account. The double-entry system has two equal and corresponding sides known as debit and credit. A transaction in double-entry bookkeeping always affects at least two accounts, always includes at least one debit and one credit, and always has total debits and total credits that are equal. For example, if a business takes out a bank loan for 10,000 Marks, recording the transaction would require a debit of 10,000 Marks to an asset account called "Cash", as well as a credit of 10,000 Marks to a liability account called "Notes Payable". This development has allowed for loans to be recorded with properly which has eased the process even further. Not only is it easier for accountants to practice their art but it also allows aspiring businessmen to apply for loans at an increased rate.

Invention of Paper
Nikolai, a parchment maker living in Copenhagen created a new form of parchment. Paper as he called it was made through hard experimentation. Nikolai knew that writing in wood tablets was inefficient and production of parchment was hard and wood tablets were hard to store. Making paper involved the use of bark but also hemp waste, old rags, fishnets and most importantly, bark from mulberry trees. These materials are then boiled in a pulp that is beaten with a wood or stone mallet and then mixed with a large amount of water. The resulting composition is then dunked with wooden sieves and the excess water was removed, leaving the paper finished after drying.

Nikolai set up his paper mill and began selling his paper. The Empire’s officials have acquired the papermaking method, and more water powered mills have been built. This will be a huge help for Halstat's efforts to increase and propagate education, develop accounting and recordkeeping.

Delfin Ship
Shipwrights in Handheln developed a new type of Ship to be used in deeper waters that the unpredictable Hycarnian Sea provides which is a challenge for the Baltic Oriented Ships of Halstat. Its called the Delfin Ship which is a remarkable ship for its versatility and opportunities it provides against the Selga and the Gunnar and is truly a monumental expansion in Halstat Navy. It is constructed from thick wooden 3-4 planks one top of the other, the sails and rope made from woven hemp ropes. To be more specific the wood used is Teak wood, the ship's hull is formed by joining planks to the keel and then to each other by wooden dowels, without using either a frame (except for subsequent reinforcement), nor any iron bolts or nails. The planks are perforated by an auger and inserted with dowels, which remains inside the fastened planks, not seen from the outside.

On some of the smaller vessels parts may be lashed together with vegetable fibers. The vessel was similarly pointed at both ends, and carried two oar-like rudders and lateen-rigged sails, but it may also use Halstat-Square sails. These ships are extremely durable and can carry provisions up to an entire year, and can carry 200-1000 men on board. The Halstat Navy is interested in replacing or at least retrofitting and modifying there old Gunnars and Selga to these ships that are more effective and can carry more men and have begun doing so.



Proto-Porcelain
Early inhabiters of the Halstat Islands were master potters. Dossic being rich with Kaolin and Feldspar made it an incredible hotspot for ceramic wares and the ancient Dossites used to take advantages of this but for centuries this art was neglected as the old knowledge was forgotten... until it was revived after Librarians found the method of making the Ceramic found in ancient history of the Dossites. Potters would make kiln, where ash was created. To create the ash, the material needs to burn completely in a kiln. Wood-ash is around 1% the mass of the original wood, though some kinds of straw leave ash at a much higher percentage of the original weight. Usually a large quantity of wood or straw is necessary to produce the ash. The ash is then put through a sieve to eliminate the excess clumps from the ash. At this point, artists can process the ash further to create a more uniform mixture or leave it unprocessed so there are more random final results. To process the ash, water is first added to the mixture and left to settle for a couple of hours. The solution is drained and dried and the result is ash containing less harmful chemicals like some soluble alkalis.

In lead glazes, tints provided by impurities render greenish to brownish casts, with aesthetic possibilities that are not easily controlled in the kiln. Plain lead glaze is shiny and transparent after firing. Coloured lead glazes are shiny and either translucent or opaque after firing. Three other traditional techniques are tin-glazed (in fact this is lead glaze with a small amount of tin added), which coats the ware with an opaque white glaze suited for overglaze brush-painted colored enamel designs; salt glaze pottery, also often stoneware; and the feldspathic glazes of Dossite Porcelain.

Mariners Compass
For years the nation of Halstat have been a prosperous nation of trade and commerce, and with that trade and commerce comes many trinkets and goods that made it's way to this part of the realm. notably the knowledge of Lodestones and magnets which can point towards the North. No one give high attention to these. That is until one curious and bright mariner came up with a brilliant idea. Anders Karlsson, a mariner with his own crew and go on trade routes predominantly around the Hycarnian Sea always see the impractically of just sailing blind and follow where the wind blows. Then once he would see Lodestones and a spark of genius came out, he got to work in his workshop back in Handheln and created the Mariner Compass.

A handheld magnet that points to true North wherever you are going and whenever, using it for navigation as the compass now has markings and directions written on it. He's begun using it on his ship and see huge success in bringing him in the right direction and at the right angle to wherever his destination may be, and being a part of a Trade Committee, he's begun sharing his discovery and inventions around the guild headquarters whenever he is back from a trip, sharing stories and his observations, as well as giving workshop lessons on how to make the compass.

Banner Reforms
The Vykterran wars and the Occitanian Wars proved the use of Flexibility. The Army at its smallest would be divided into Companies of 100 men each led by a Captain. 6 Companies, 4 in the case of the First Battalion would come together to form a Battalion, each consisting of 600 men, also in the case of the First Battalion as it had 150 men per company. 10 Battalions further unit to form a Banner, the largest military unit in Halstat composing of 6,000 soldiers. Each Banner was commanded by two Lords chosen by the State who both were meant to work together. Each Battalion was commanded by the first Captain of its Company, called the Master. Each Banner was provided its equipment by there Masters via the Cottage System and would field the traditional Oval Shields and Medium Spear weapons along with short swords, bows and arrows.

Each Banner, whose soldiers were called the warriors were accompanied by auxiliaries, which were usually 3,000 cavalry, scouts, secondary infantry, mercenaries etc which all would usually combine to 12,000 men. Marines have a separate Banner formation and there are total 14 Banners in the army, 2 being assigned to Halstat itself, 4 in Lowland, 4 in Daneland, 2 in Frivania and Handheln while 2 in Scandinavia. The numbers keep changing as troops circulate and its quick to transport soldiers to warzone thanks to our navy. Each Auxiliaries of the Banner is also accompanied by soldiers meant to be out of battle. They particularly have skills such as of a carpenter, blacksmith, builder, glassworker, etc. These skilled troops are meant when building Barrack Fortifications to practice there trade, supply the soldiers and help build structures. Each Banner can repair and build walls, roads, forts, bridges, ships etc as this is an important strategy during a campaign.

The First Expansions
The Halstat Kingdom expanded across the Dossic Sea to get a foothold and truly show its might. The Halstat noble families were given a directive: Expand the state and gain dominance for the crown!. The noble family of Katarina from Haslecht sent expeditions and surveys in the mainland and establish a small military fort on the coast and finds Amsteria. Many settlers traveled to the new fortified city and the colonisation of the Lowlands begun.

The people from the Rurik Family had ambition to be incredibly rich and gain influence. Thus they set there eyes west, expanding into the Danelands and subjugating the natives. They built trade outposts to trade with the locals and a fort in Vendsyssel for the first colonies in the land. There plan to conquer Daneland proceeded soon.

Halstat-Damalevian War
The Katarina Dynasty colony in the Lowlands prospered as the soil was very fertile which made the farmers more prosperous and a steady stream of settlers arrived. The Locals who lived there were peacefully assimilated and lived side by side with the Halstat Settlers. However, threat loomed over as the nation of Damalevie eyed there lands and sent an ultimatum to gain there expansions.

The Althing was enraged at this so they secretly delayed enough to mobilize there armies and fortify them in Amsteria and Frisia. Eysteinn Katarina, the head of the Katarina Family took the overall command of the war and braced for war as the Damalevie charged. There armies equally matched saw rough fighting as both sides took heavy casualties. However the leadership of Eysteinn Katarina won as the war as after 3 months, the Damalevie armies were either dead or retreated back to there lands

Victorious, Halstat took land as repayment for the casualties as our realms expanded into there territories. The Damalevie King also became a vassal of King Concolitanus. The Rurik Family gained huge prestige and even got guaranteed a role of Director after his term as Mayor was over.

Continued Expansions
Following the end of the Halstat-Damalevian War, the Katarina Family gained wide reputation for being the victors of the war with Eysteinn being guaranteed a Directorship over the new Lowland Territories. While this did make them popular, other noble families got jealous. One of the family was the Rurik Family. Igor Rurik, the head of the Rurik Dynasty decided to further intensify his expansion in the Daneland. The King directed more colonists towards Daneland as it was the frontier they wanted to expand towards directly and open the Baltic Sea for the exploits of the Selga and Gunnars of Halstat. This guaranteed Igor a steady stream of settlers. However the arrival caused discontent among the local tribes. One of them led a coalition to oust Igor out of the Island. However Igor being granted higher command of army for protecting the colonists manage to score numerous victories and subjugate the Jutland Tribes.

The City of Copenhagen was established in the Zeeland Island as it had a strategic position to enter the Baltic Sea. Shipyards and Ports were constructed as merchants spread across the Baltic to trade new items and also gain intelligence upon the vast landscape ripe for conquest. Igor's exploit encouraged more settlers and the local Danish started accepting Halstat Culture due to the nature of Igor being friendly and not interfering with local customs. By 17 AD, all of Daneland was under Igor's hand with the Danish becoming an accepted culture who became cooperating with the government. The Danish formed good local soldiers for protection and the auxiliary forces of Danish Skirmishers and raiders were great for skirmishes and raiding. Many prominent Danish leaders got Halstat Citizenship. Soon the Danish would be assimilated with help from Local Leaders. Igor's exploits will encouraged other noble families to expand Halstat borders.

the Rurik and Katarina Dynasty became the most famous political families and also bitter rivals. There fame due to conquests and expansion of Lowlands and Daneland also made other families jealous who plotted there own expansions.... in Scandinavia Harald Ivanov, a famed admiral whose base is in the Danish Sea had surveyed the lands of Scania as vital lands for farming in the seemingly desolate Scandinavia. He petitioned the King to ask permission to colonize Scania which was accepted and groups of colonists setup the first colonies. Halfdan Andrich following his expansion set up his own colonies on the Dalalven River in a land called Svealand, also vital agricultural farmland. Svealand grew faster then Scania due to the settling of many merchant families who wished to exploit the Baltics

Olaf Anstas, a rich merchant had explored the Fjords, dangerous coastlines of Norvingia but prime land for fishing and establishing communities. Olaf with the help of Harald Ivanov established his Fjord Communities to maximize his profits on Fishing while also settling and establishing the town of Oslo which would soon expand further. King Concolitanus seeing such expansions in Scandinavia got concerned about the security of the new territories. Thus he sent a Royal Decree to establishing fortified port cities in Gotland and Aaland owned directly by the Imperial Family which would house the main navies of Halstat in the region along with several shipyards across the new colonies to strengthen naval security. The expansion of the Ivanovs and the Andrich Families would leave the Baltics in the hands of Halstat.

The expansion of Svealand and Scania was going smoothly as the two provinces now shared borders and the native Geats were incorporated into the society as vital traders and navigators who helped in running the land. Infrastructure in Scania and Svealand including Roads, Forts, Shipyards and Ports helped grow the economy and make the land more defensible. This also allowed further conquests in the Baltics which would soon take placeThe Aland Islands were important Imperial Island for controlling the seas. Explorers from there charted the coast of Firvania and some independent settlements soon arose to trade with the natives at the coast. The Noble Family of Schulze led by Lukas Schulze sent expeditions on the coast of Livonia and established several defensive fortifications and farms along the Livvy River. Luas also saw importance in expanding his territories across the coast to aid expeditions to the famed Isthmus to Hycarnian Sea.

The famed day came when Lukas Schulze crossed the great Isthmus into the Hycarnian Sea. The news was a great joy to the Althing who made sure to secure there control of the Isthmus by sending trained troops in along with establishing the first Shipyard on the side of Hycarnian Sea and fortify the the pass. Expansion in Navy saw supplying the Isthmus more easier and soon the Isthmus was made an Imperial Territory with the brother of Lukas named Leon be its Director.

The Meer Expedition
The Dealing with Hycarnia went well under Leon and soon, Halstat built ships scoured the Caspian as traders. The King saw it fit to send a diplomatic expedition to several lands. We already had a delegation from Hycarnia but the Meer Expedition under Leon with 6 Delfin Ships, 12 Gunnars and 14 Selga Ships would travel to the Visegradian Lands while also visiting several Hycarnian Cities.

The Expedition carried primary trade goods of Halstat and several gifts of gold too. We would first visit the nation of Dolnigravia followed by Leocova. The Meer Expedition setup embassies at nations like Dolnigravia, Leocova and Vykterra. It also helped setup Halstat's connections with the Silk Road which would take decades to be built with the rise of the Tocharids and Rudarians, but it succeeded.

Further Expansions
The expansion of the Andrich and Ivanov Families in Scandinavia continues as the Svealand rapidly expands south and Scania takes up more vital agricultural land. The fishing of Herrings in Svealand is profitable along with the Fjord Communities which integrate more Norvingians. The Nomads of Frivania and are accustomed to the Halstat Settlers and become key supplier to the Fur Trade which leads to more expansion and founding of Helniask, the frontier Fortified City of the Halstat. Lukas Schuzle hit a jackpot in being the first to settle Livonia as the farmland is rich. Although the natives were hostile, support from the army at Handheln helped supress attacks and soon, the natives were integrated. It becomes a key supplier of food to Frivania and Handheln with the communities continuing to boom

Finally, Leon Schuzle deemed it fit to expand over the expansions of Hycarnia and establish shipyards and ports to not interfere with local Hycarnians and create an issue. The Halstat domains continue to expand but the death of Concotilanus puts a stop to such expansions as everyone mourns. His successor Ambiorix II deemed it fit for the nation to stop its expansion far away and focus on integrating and holding to his vast inherited lands.

The Cottage System
The Economic Guild System had been prevalent for ages. They had a weakness that was its inability to adjust itself to technological progress. A guild member can not use a new method of manufacture until it has been accepted by the guild and provided for in the regulations along with redistributing resources to the wealthy merchants with some political power and created unfair competition while also being potrayed as cooperative units. Another big problem being the inequality in the guilds and unfair treatment of its lower working members, the guilds only worked to benefit the rich. Ambiorix II, saw himself as a reformer of Halstat Society, and the person who would make the vast empire truly united. Ambiorix II abolished the Guild System which was confirmed by the Great Althing. In its place came the Cottage System. The Cottage system is a means of subcontracting work. In the Cottage System, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the work in off-site facilities, either in their own homes or in workshops with multiple craftsmen. The domestic system was suited to pre-urban times because workers did not have to travel from home to work, and members of the household spent many hours in farm or household tasks. Guilds had to build Dormitories to keep its workers together and could only function so spread out and had to depend on State Infrastructure to work.

This formed the cottage industry, an industry—primarily manufacturing—which includes many producers, working from their homes, and was often organized through the putting-out system. The biggest contributors in this system were the merchants and the rural worker. The merchant would "put-out" basic materials to the cottage workers, who then prepared the materials in their own homes and returned the finished merchandise back to the merchant. Business operators would travel around the world, buying raw materials, delivering them to people who would work on them, and then collecting the finished goods to sell, or typically to ship to another market. This economic system was superior to the Guild System with several Business Operators preferring it as it allowed innovation and gave them a massive pool of ready labor. It served well in a time where most of the population spent there time farming and the Cottage System had vast amount of men engaged then the city-dwelling Guild System.

Continued Expansions and Consolidation
With the succession of Ambiorix II, he focused more on consolidating Halstat gains and prevent reckless expansionism by local families. He stopped giving permits to colonize places like Verdun, Prusis and Volga. Expansionism was not to be a planned one. The region of Livonia was expanded to acquire the complete river which was a very fertile land acquired, distributed to the people and some taken up by the state for itself. The coasts of Upper Baltics was secured with expeditions sent to the Great Iron Fields of Northern Svealania by the state to acquire its rich mineral resources. He stressed on building roadways across the Empires territory and Barrack Forts. Barrack Forts where wooden fortifications that housed up to 3,000 Soldiers. These Barrack Forts would be established at frontiers to protect itself from foreign invasions along with a line of outposts that use special smoke to send a relay signal alerting the nation of a threat. Garrisons would be established on important cities and a Milita would be trained as Police Forces. The Army was to be be trained in how to build Fortifications themselves along with Roads, Dams, Bridges and Walls.

For decades then, the nation remained peaceful as the territories didn't expand and were under Pax Dossica, the Dossite Peace. The nation has been building grand cities, walls, bridges with crop reforms, land sale and faster movement within the nation with strong and protected road networks along with a much larger shipbuilding system. The use of Cranes in Shipping Industry with 360 degree rotatable platforms make it faster to construct ships. The Monarchy nationalized ship-building and mining industries for the state which helped it maintain its own wealth and keep off private companies.

The death of Ambiorix II brought King Bolgios on the throne who resumed an expansionist policy. This time, it will be more regulated as missions will go to cross the Livonian River to gain all the great farmland and establish several Barrack Forts to house troops and better consolidate the region. Same would happen across the Svealand Sea as the region is said to be rich in minerals. The expansion into fruitfull Livonian lands greatly aid the grain coffers of our empire, especially supplying the harsh north. Frivania always had been occupied by native tribes who were quite warlike. Expedition and several minor wars led to the consolidation of Frivania and its Great Lakes. The region is necessary as the Lakes could provide protection against native raids from further east

The Fjord Communities only limited to the coast had been maintained for years. The Scandinavian Highlands don't provide a comfy residence but they are up for grabs. Several fortifications are established in the highlands although the land is bare. The state contracted expansion in much north as the region proves to be bountiful in resources such as Iron, Copper and Gold which are all state-owned now. King Bolgios deemed it fit to claim the Scandinavian Highlands as our infrastructure provides us well to hold on to our claims if required. With this, Bolgios also deems it fit to reorganize the divisions of the Halstat realm into bigger realms as the state still followed the old divisions of the times of King Concotilanus. The re-organization helped with administration of such realms and the division of the troops to protect such regions.

For decades, the nation had stayed idle in foreign affairs. The Death of King Bolgios in 171 AD and of King Abrextra in 229 AD have led the throne to be passed to King Ariovistus. Along all these reigns, the Kingdom had developed its territories with networks of roads, planned out grid-cities, temples, post offices, barracks, outposts and bureaucratic reforms. Each City was now planned in a grid format with all neccessary buildings with special sections for residential, commercial and industrial zones. There present is either a walled out citadel, or simply a walled out zone containing government buildings. Public places such as Temples, Gardens and Forums are located in the center of the cities. The Industrial Zones are to be at the opposite end of the Residential Zones. Each Commercial Zones would have 3 different markets: One for the sale and purchase of food, livestock and seeds, the second being for the sale and purchase of clothes, horses and other secondary commodities while the third selling all the luxury and manufactured commodities. Each Market would have employed Supervisors and spies to observe and punish shopkeepers for hoarding, price fixing, regrating etc.

As it would seem a lot has happened in the European theatre, the 2 Banners in Scandinavia were under there own troubles with native raiders. As such with permission, they expand the Northern Frontiers and fortify the north.

Canal of Handheln
Promised centuries ago, the Canal of Handheln was never built due to internal conflicts and external conflicts in the region. But under the rule of King Ariovistus, the construction went ahead at 229 AD. Now it being 242 AD, the greatest canal in Europe is completed, the glorious Canal of Handheln connecting the Baltic Sea with the North Sea. The Canal of Handheln are 3 different Canals which connect the Baltic and Hycarnian Sea via two lakes. The Canal was extremely well-built with Engineers across Europe constructing it. It had cemented embankments and used Flash Locks and Staunch. It was wide enough for 5 Quinquiremes to travel side by side and had a managed traffic. The Canal has a tax for any crossing ship for maintenance of the Canal, but its low enough to not be an issue. Its a marvelous architectural feat and surely a prestigious work by the Kingdom of Halstat. Its news are shared to Tocharia, Sanemantia and Visegradia.

King Camulos
After death due to age, King Ariovistus was succeeded by his son, King Camulos and he was ambitious. He introduced Reforms such as Taxation from the District Level managed and supervised by the Prefects and and a new appointed Official, the Besteurner who fill take care of the Finances of the District, Prefects, Directors and Governors, dividing the governing of a state into two. He also reformed Agriculture in many spheres. Multiple Canals were created from several Rivers. Farmers were taught on how to build Check Dams at arid areas of Iberia. A new Irrigation system was also introduced in which water is distributed through a network of valves and pipes across the farm to conserve water.

Farmers were also taught how to build Slurry Houses. Slurry Houses are places where Cow waste, Slurry and Useless parts of the Crops are collected and converted into Manures which are used to boost the Productivity of Crops. Along with it, they were also taught how to construct Dams and Harvest Rain Water to store water which can be used for Agriculture purposes during droughts. Instead of the Royal Granary at Aegeon, a large number of Granaries were constructed in our largest cities where grains are stored incase of a famine. Finally, he introduced a Military Reform following of his father. He made the Banner smaller by setting its limit to 10,000, reducing the number of auxiliaries since it made the Banners slower and it didn't need that many. This made the Banners faster and the state grew its number of Banners from 14 to 16. The Banners were now colour-coded with the colour of each Banner's Tunic and Shield being different along with them carrying there own flag

The Banner Reforms would be much needed as in the West, the Auld Keltic after loosing the Occitanian Wars, the corrupt Keltari couped the government and killed the Royal Family of Eire. A Loyalist named Seansailler invited the Halstat and King Camulos to defeat the Keltari and unite the two Crowns. The Wars of the Keltari followed in which King Camulos and his 11 Banners along with Eire Loyalists fought the corrupt Keltari. By 271 AD, the Keltari were defeated. Such victory brought immense pride to the state and King Camulos thought the time was ripe to proclaim himself, the Emperor of the Dossite Empire.