Imperial Federal Kingdom of Grand, Belluterra, and Malo (USNW)

[emperordaniel 1,281]

THE IMPERIAL FEDERAL KINGDOM OF GRAND, BELLUTERRA, AND MALO

National Flag

National Coat of Arms

Map (Grand and Belluterra only)

15,906,583

Population (Including the Malo Viceroyalty)

5,792,297

Population (Grand and Belluterra only)

His Imperial & Royal Majesty Charles the First, King of Grand, Emperor of Belluterra, King of Malo, Grand Duke of Royale, Duke of Long Island, Count of Tranquil, Count of Skarr, and Count of Long Creek

Want to know more about us? Check out our

articles on the USNW Wiki!

  Edited January 10, 2012 by emperordaniel  

[emperordaniel 1,281]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Update I: Entry to Francistown

News Entry: Utrova Attacked!!!

Update II: Remember!

Special Update: 18th ISC Session - Francistown

News Entry: Cessation of Relations

Update III: Among the Rich

Update IV: A Bend in the River

Special Update: The Road to New Chandler - Simlympic Torch Relay, Day 4

News Entry: WAR!

News Entry: Greatest Greater Morscan film ever!

News Entry: Interviews

Comic Strip: Grand and the World

Update V: The Castle of Mantaines

News Entry: Victory in Moztlaiztichitl Valley

Comic Strip: New Characters

News Entry: 2011 - End of the world?

Comic Strip: Grandian History Comics - Part 1

Comic Strip: Grandian History Comics - Part 2

Comic Strip: Picnic!

News Entry: Surprise!

Francistown Film Festival - Day One

Francistown Film Festival - Day Two

Francistown Film Festival - Day Three

Francistown Film Festival - Day Four

Francistown Film Festival - Day Five

Official Notice: Declaration of Neutrality

News Entry: Is It the End?

News Entry: Serious and silly

  Edited January 9, 2012 by emperordaniel  

[nathanthemayor 1,261]

Nice map and coat of arms!

[Dumanios 35]

Holy God, the Emperor has a lot of titles!

  Edited August 27, 2011 by Dumanios  

[Fox 1,444]

Glad to see you have finally started your CJ here in the forums.

I look forward to seeing more.

[Schulmanator 5,787]

Nice! Sounds like a great start to me.

[emperordaniel 1,281]

REPLIES:

nathanthemayor: Thanks!

Dumanios: LOL yes he does... d:

Fox: Thank you, and more is coming!

Schulmanator: Thanks a lot!

---

UPDATE I: ENTRY TO FRANCISTOWN

Francistown is the capital of the nation, and is home to the Imperial Senate, the various Imperial Ministries, the Imperial Guards' headquarters, and several other important structures. It was founded in 1805 by King Francis III. During the Trentannian invasion and occupation of Grand, and the following Great Adonian War, much of the city was devastated by Trentannian and Posilliponian bombardments, although relatively few traces of the war survive to this day in the city. Today, we'll be touring the South District of the capital.

Here is the main access route to the district, which crosses the south branch of the Garble River. On the left you can see a recently-built modern apartment facing the Ring Canal, which already is a good deal occupied, thanks to the government's progam to eliminate homelessness in the nation, and on the right you can see one of two buildings that compose the Royal Archives, in which all information that the goverment is gathering, has gathered, or will gather, is stored, in both electronic and paper form.

Going a little further upstream, we pass the imposing Tashin House, which forms the headquarters, and primary barracks, of the Imperial Guard, the national police force. It seems most of the guards are in the barracks at the moment...

Feeling a little blue? A concert at Andrews Square might just be what you want. This large square, mostly surrounded by old Trentannian-style merchant houses, was once a marketplace, but after the Great Adonian War, it was temporarily converted into a refugee camp. By the time the camp was dissolved in the mid-1950s, there was no further need for a marketplace in the area, so the square was spruced up and converted into an open-air concert hall. Grandian star singers and groups such as jonDYman, Paulo & the Kinsmen, and Soyleena, regularly make apperances here. If you wish to attend one of these concerts, it would be best to make a reservation, as the place is often packed, and it is not uncommon for the crowds to extend onto the street.

If you want to go shopping here, the best place in the area is none other then Walea Row, often simply known as the Row. The Row, with its authentic Trentannian storefronts, goods largely manufactured in the Trenntannian factories or grown on rural Grandian farms, and a great deal too many old folks who still remember the GAW, almost makes you feel like you're back with the soldiers and resistance fighters, although many of the old buildings are falling victim nowdays to modern apartments and supermarkets.

If you want to just stroll through a quiet park and enjoy the view, or take a ride down one of Francistown's remaining Old Canals, why don't you go to the Sental Theater, which has a gorgeous segment of canal and parkland behind it, although the parkland is under threat from development, hints of which can already be seen. If you really want to see a classic play in Khwint, the Sental Theater is currently playing Te Kont tee-Montakween (The Count of Mondegreen), based on the novel by Devin Charles.

Before we close the update, take a look at this teaser for the next update.

Khot hap ee ko!

  Edited September 9, 2011 by emperordaniel  

[Schulmanator 5,787]

This city looks great - a very interesting town with lots of nice spaces.

[§haÅ--Ñ€ §hÅŽo 370]

Looks good. Great job Dan.

[simlink 1,098]

Looks good, really like all the canals. The last picture is especially cool.

  Edited August 29, 2011 by sim_link  

[emperordaniel 1,281]

Announcement:

I won the bid for the International Simlympic Committee session a little while ago, so, in addition to the planned update, expect a special update this weekend showcasing how the session went, and who won the bid for the Simlympics.

[emperordaniel 1,281]

Utrova Attacked!!!

by Amy Higgins

Utrovan task force en route to Usenbal

ORKOVGRAD, UTR- Things are in a state of confusion here in the Utrovan capital, as we have received word that a large Rallistanian army has attempted to invade Utrova via Solvia, a former USNW member state. However, thanks to the excellent defenses in place on the Solvian-Utrovan border, most of the Rallistanians didn't make it home alive, let alone in one piece. During the confusion, four nuclear landmines were detonated, vaporizing thousands of the enemy on the spot. Hours later, Rallistanian dictator Usef Sanhidrin issued a declaration of war against Utrova. A large number of bombers & fighters were dispatched to destroy Utrovan cities near to the border, but most of them were shot down over Solvian territory by the SAM launchers placed around the border. Utrova has just dispatched a large task force to launch a counterattack on Rallistanian soil. Our beloved Charles I has pledged that he will provide, to the best of his ability, whatever his cousin, Tsar Stanislav VIII, needs to defend Utrova.

Speculation is rife, especially as to what could be the cause of this sudden invasion, and also about what role Solvia is playing in the conflict, as the original invasion was launched from Solvian territory, and many of the invading aircraft were shot down over Solvia. More on this story as it develops.

---

Francistown wins ISC bid

by Mark Billson

Logo of Francistown's sucessful bid to host the ISC Session

FRANCISTOWN, GRA- The local population is ectastic, as Francistown has been announced to have won the bid for the 18th ISC Session. The session is scheduled to take place this weekend; the two biggest contenders for hosting the next Simlympics are: 1) Maine City, from the United Republic of Llithustania, and 2) New Chandler City, from the Provincial Republic of New Chandler.

---

In other news...

- King-Emperor Charles' dachshund raids kitchen cellar, eats 76 hot dogs

- Utrova panning 2012 Summer Simlympic bid

- Princess Frances is unusually inactive lately- or is she? Click here to see what she's been up to lately

- Today is Memorial Day! Be sure to wear red, yellow, green, and blue!

  Edited September 9, 2011 by emperordaniel  

[Evillions 552]

Interesting stuff!

[-JD- 41]

I really like the city you have created here!

I was wondering, where did you get the W2W buildings with the blue triangular roofs in this picture?

[emperordaniel 1,281]

REPLIES:

Schulmanator: Thanks, I'm glad you like it

Sirron Kcuhc: Thanks a lot!

Sim_link: You'll now get to see what the last picture was a teaser for

Evillions: I hope you'll find this interesting as well...

-JD-: Thanks for commenting! The building you requested can be found here.

---

UPDATE II: REMEMBER!

As some of you may know, today is the 60th anniversary of Trentannia's invasion of Grand, which began on the 3rd of September, 1941, and was one of the major events in the years building up to the Great Adonian War. For this special update, we will be touring different areas of the capital that played an important role in the invasion and subsequent 10-year occupation, and will also take a look at some other areas of Grand that were central to the invasion.

A memorial service is currently being held in Saint Josephine's Cathedral for the approximately 70,000 Grandians who died in the war. For the first time, this service also is being held in memory of the 6,000 Belluterrans who died invading Grand.

Soon, this area will be crowded with people coming to pay their respects to the "Francistown Thirteen", who were leaders of one of the most notable resistance groups in the country, and were one of the main reasons that the Trentannian military in the area never got much farther north than Grand. They had all been captured by 1948, and were subsequently executed without trial, on this very spot. The large triumphal arch in the background, completed in 1956, was commissioned by King Francis V upon his return to Grand after the liberation, to commemorate the victory over Trentannia, and to remember those who gave their lives for freedom.

When Mousford, which was the national capital back then, fell to the Trentannians, Francis V, his wife Queen Jennifer of Puget, the rest of his immediate family, and the most prominent members of his Cabinet and the Senate, fled to Grenylzia, a small fortress in the south part of the country, where they successfully fought off Trentannian besiegers for 66 days—from 28 September to 2 December 1941—until a small fleet of Grandian vessels that had managed to break past the blockade arrived and escorted them to Athanos, the capital of Posillipo, where the they remained in exile until the liberation of Grand in 1951. In their absence, the Trentannians established a puppet government known as the Grand Republic, which in all but name functioned as a province of the Trentannian Empire.

During the enemy bombardments of the city, and later during the liberation by the Posilliponians, many of the old Posilliponian-style buildings were either destroyed or heavily damaged, resulting in numerous places thorought the city today where a wall-to-wall building suddenly drops off without another wall-to-wall building to continue the sequence, and often instead, a younger, more modern building taking its place. To this day, about 18% of Francistown's residents either have a parent who could remember the Great Adonian War, or could remember the war himself or herself.

Once the Trentannians had complete control of Grand, they built a large defensive wall around much of the Grandian coast, as well as a secondary system consisting of large walls and embankments around every major or strategic Grandian settlement within 5 km of the coastline. This is an exceptionally-well preserved section of the primary wall, located in Francistown.

During the house-to-house fighting that followed the initial attack on Francistown, some of the fiercest fighting took place in and around Andrews' Market (now serving as an open-air concert hall, and renamed Andrews Square), shown here in a photo taken from a Trentannian aerial reconnaissance flight over the district.

The large building in the center of the image is especially notable for the fact that its defenders were able to hold off enemy assaults for over five weeks, long after the rest of the city had fallen. It was heavily damaged during the war, but has since been restored and returned to its original purpose of housing residents.

Khot hap ee ko!

  Edited September 9, 2011 by emperordaniel  

[wwetom1 831]

Such a grand city journal you have here!

[Hester 699]

I came over to see your CJ and I like it!!! I remember looking at the names of the towns and cities on the map and I noticed Francictown. I decided then that I liked that one best..no reason..just did and now, reading farther I see it is recognized and won the bid for the 18th ISC Aession.

[Schulmanator 5,787]

Nicely done! Great new stuff and an interesting story.

[emperordaniel 1,281]

Yesterday, the plane carrying the members of the International Simlympic Committee landed at Francistown International Airport for the 18th ISC Session. Here you can see the airplane on its final approach.

Outside, a convoy of specially-chartered taxis was waiting for them.

After a brief tour of the city, they went to the various hotels that were to accommodate them, just as the sun began to set beyond the hills in the distance.

The next day, President Slacker and the other ISC member who was staying in the Wave Hotel took one of the hotel's pivate limousines, and due to the fact that the Wave was the closest of the hotels to the venue...

...they arrived before anyone else.

After the other ISC members arrived a few minutes later, they all began to ascend the steps of the Imperial Senate, which had been chosen as the venue for the announcement, while the live TV cameras started rolling.

Many of the TV crews were from FrancisTV, the Imperial Sports Channel, or some other such broadcaster.

The President of the International Simlympic Committee has now arrived to the stage! A standing applause, everyone, for the one and only... Slacker!!!

We will now listen to his speech:

First of all, thank you to Francistown and the whole of Grand & Belluterra for hosting this, the 18th ISC Session. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here and will no doubt be back on vacation someday!

The ISC have evaluated the bids presented to us, and we are constantly amazed with the quality of the bids, and congratulate all of the bidders for the Fifteenth Simlympiad, who truly are the life blood of the Simlympics. We know how much work is put into bidding and appreciate the effort. We hope you gained from the experience and enjoyed bidding, even though there can only be one winner from many great bids.

When each bid is of such a high quality it makes the task of deciding a host very difficult for us. However, we have reached our decision, and it is my everlasting pleasure in announcing that the Games of the Fifteenth Simlympiad will be held in the city of....

Congratulations! We all look forward to an incredible Simlympics, hosted by an incredible city!

I'd also like to take this opportunity to recognise the unsuccessful bidders. I can only imagine how hard it must be to come this close to hosting the games, but please don't be too downhearted - we encourage you to work to improve your cities and to bid again in the future.

Once again, congratulations to all and to all a good night!

Cheers broke out from all over the conference hall after this announcement.

Soon after, some of them went to the marina to enjoy sailing through the beautiful blue waters of the Sushili Sea.

They also attended a live concert at Andrews Square by the famous Grandian rock band Paulo & the Kinsmen.

Finally, they were driven back to their hotels, after a long, eventful day in Francistown, a paradise of wonder.

  Edited September 9, 2011 by emperordaniel  

[Schulmanator 5,787]

AWESOME!!! Great news about New Chandler.

And that's awesomely azure water!

[Hester 699]

No wonder I chose Francistown as my fave! A lot going on.

[nathanthemayor 1,261]

Yes, I'd love to stroll on the waterfront and enjoy the ocean breezes...

[emperordaniel 1,281]

REPLIES

Wwetom1: Pun intended?

Hester: Thank you very much! I also like Francistown the best

Schulmanator: Thanks!

Schulmanator: Thanks a lot! I'm also thrilled to have New Chandler as the host

Hester: Agreed!

Nathanthemayor: I wish that this was a real city...

---

Forgia ceases relations with Malo

by Amy Higgins

Flag of the Kingdom of Forgia

APELKOS, MAL- Following a six-month diplomatic stand-off, the Kingdom of Forgia has withdrawn all diplomats from Grand and Malo and closed its embassies there. Relations between Malo and its eastern neighbor Zebtesia have always been bad since 1951, when, as the Great Adonian War was coming to a close, Forgia and Zebtesia, another country on Malo's northern border, invaded what was a much larger Malo back then and took over around 70% of Malonese land, including the very fertile Zebtase Delta, which alone covers as much area as Malo does today. After the union in 2005 of Grand & Belluterra and Malo, Grand inherited many of the diplomatic situations Malo was in, including During the summer of 2011, Malonese-Forgian relations sunk to a level not seen in decades as Grand commenced a series of nuclear tests in the Malonese desert only around 100 km from the border, which included testing a 9.4 megaton device, the largest Grandian nuke ever detonated. Since then the relations between the two countries have been continuously spiralling downwards, culmanating with the withdrawal of Forgain diplomatic staff from Grand, Belluterra, and Malo.

---

Major riot in Merida

by Rupert Atapax

A crowd of rioters burning vehicles in the Zocalo

MERIDA, RUT- There was a major riot in Merida, the capital of Ruteria, yesterday after 4 men were shot dead outside the Royal Palace. According to Ruterian law, if anyone comes near to the palace with a gun, barring the police and secret service, they will be shot without warning. The four men who were killed, according to witnesses, were passing by the gates of the palace with handguns prominently displayed around their waists, in flagrant disregard for the Ruterian law. Thus, according to the law they were dangerous criminals, to be shot on sight. This was done, and they were all killed. Within minutes, a crowd had gathered to protest this turn of events. The crowd quickly grew, and when confronted by police, it quickly changed into an angry mob, which grew into a riot, centered in the historic Zocalo district, smashing windows, overturning and burning vehicles, looting stores, and the like. The riot has apparently been quelled now. Casualty counts are preliminary, but currently stand at 13 injured, in addition to the 4 men who were killed. King-Emperor Charles' cousin, HMR Queen Monica I, was not available for comment at the time this went to press.

---

In other news...

- New Chandler wins bid for XV Simlympiad

- Princess Amanthis' 10th birthday is in three days! Her brother Charles I has a surprise waiting...

- Utrova wins bid for 2012 Adonian World Cup

- Super Katz are coming to a theater near you! Be there, September 14!

  Edited September 9, 2011 by emperordaniel  

[Yarahi 1,816]

Nice Cj you've got going here Emperordaniel Creative use of various canal-pieces in some of the updates

May I ask where you got the concert-bat @ Andrews Square from??

  Edited September 7, 2011 by yarahi  

[Schulmanator 5,787]

Cool flag!

And it looks like trouble is brewing!

[Fox 1,444]

As I said over the in the CJ section, this was an informative news piece and gives us a little History too.

I'm sad to hear of the nuclear tests, such a horrible weapon for such a beautiful nation.

[Follarch 326]

Well this just can't stand! Beautiful cities but ugly politics and events. Plus, 9 and a half megatons?? Why would they need such a weapon? I swear, Humanity and it's desire to explode things.

Great CJ so far, really enjoyed the news clippings. Let's hope things cool down soon.

[emperordaniel 1,281]

Seems like I have too many views for photobucket to keep up with I'm currently in the process of changing hosts so that the pics can be viewable again

[Hester 699]

We'll be here when you do and while you're finding something.

[emperordaniel 1,281]

REPLIES:

Yarahi: Thanks a lot The concert BAT you requested is located here.

Schulmanator: Thanks! I hope the trouble doesn't get too out of hand...

Fox: Grand may get rid of the nukes soon, though it's not that likely at this point

Archean: The country just wanted the weapon, they don't need it I'm glad you like it!

Hester: I fixed the problem

---

UPDATE III: AMONG THE RICH

Today we'll be taking a look at part of the Mansion District of Francistown. After this, I'm considering where to go next, and I'd like your input before we commence the update

Option 1: Take a look at the oil fields of northern Malo

Option 2: Visit the rainforests of the Duchy of Rania

Option 3: An update on Francistown's Old Town

Option 4: Experience our military might, centered in Grenylzia

Option 5: Go west, and see the glory of the largest palace in Grand

Please post below with your choice Now, that said, on with the update!

Before the liberation of the Grandian Ensuñans (Grandians of Insulonian descent) in August of 2011, very few were able to leave La-mer Province, where they have historically been concentrated. The few that did manage to legally live elsewhere generally moved to Francistown, as it offered unique opportunities for work. This church, located near the boundary of the Mansion District, was built in 1978 for the local Ensuñan community, which is already growing considerably due to the Edict of Liberation.

Here is one of the first mansions you'll come across when turning onto Palace Street, located at a busy intersection with one of the four avenues that run directly to the Imperial Senate. Local development, hints of which can already be seen, have their eyes on this choice piece of property, currently up for sale for 1,900,000 Enieo ($950,000).

Just across the street is a smaller mansion, also up for sale at a bargain price of 1,500,000 Enieo ($750,000), considering how close it is to the beach.

Now beginning Palace Street proper, we pass this magnificent mansion, property of a mysterious New Friscian going only by the name of "Matt". There's a lot of rumors circulating as to who this "Matt" could be, ranging from a multimillionare computer guy to a wealthy miser. One thing all the rumors have in common though - whoever the owner is, he's fabulously wealthy.

After that, we pass the famous Skarr House, the summer palace of the Grandian Petersroys (the branch of the House of Petersroy that rules in Grand). Its magnificent tiled central plaza has seen much wear, but nevertheless still conveys much beauty.

Passing Skarr House, we come to this large mansion, which is for sale at a price of 10 million Enieo. It is the newest mansion on the street, having been completed earlier this year.

The Consul of the Imperial Senate resides in this fine building, the style of which evokes the fine Posilliponian buildings of times past. Behind it you can see work progressing on a new section of the Francistown Metro.

This massive building was originally intended to replace Skarr House, which King-Emperor Daniel IV deemed to be too old-fashioned, but after his death earlier this year, and Charles I was subsequently crowned as the new King-Emperor, he cancelled the plans to make this a royal residence, instead preferring Skarr House, which he had grown up in. He had this house put up for sale at an asking price of 50 million Enieo, or $100 million. There are several conditions to purchasing the place however, one of which is that the buyer must be from a noble or formerly noble family.

For now, the sequence of mansions ends with this mansion, which is the only surviving mansion, besides Skarr House, to have parts that predate the Great Adonian War. The building is currently inhabited by the richest private businessman in the nation, Jack Nielsoen, the CEO of Gemstones International.

Finally, to close this update, here's a glimpse of the private beach sectioned off for the use of the mansion's inhabitants, including those inhabiting Skarr House.

Khot hap ee ko!