Kingdom of Pingland



Featuring cold temperatures and mountainous terrain, the frozen wastes of northern Equus are one of the most uninhabitable regions in the world. Yet even here, civilization exists. One such civilization is the Kingdom of Pingland, a nation of Penguins that have adapted to the cold climate of the north and have stood there for centuries. Being small flightless birds and surrounded by much more intimidating races, the penguins of Pingland are seen as weak. Yet the penguins are fiercely independent and are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in and as a common penguin war cry goes, NOOT NOOT.

Lore
Little is known about the origins of the Kingdom of Pingland. However legend states the penguins migrated from the South Pole centuries ago due to threat of the Dragons. Most of the penguins that arrived settled in the areas which would be known as the Kingdom of Pingland. However a few settle in areas that would become part of Nova Griffonia. Since then they have survived in the Frozen North for centuries.

The Kingdom of Pingland is a monarchy led by a King and his council. The current king, King Lolo, has led Pingland for four years and has proved himself as an amazing and capable leader. However his time is nearly up and with no heirs, he and his council will have to decide on who will lead Pingland after his death.

The two most likely successors are Hindrik Aberg and Orvar Njordin

Hindrik Aberg is a young penguin from the province of Nithean. He studied in the Crystal Empire where he heard of the Equestrian ideas of peace and harmony. He is seen by many as naive and idealistic due to his belief in the Equestrian's ideas, but his supporters agree with his harmonist ideas for the future of Pingland.

Orvar Njordin is known as an excellent statesman for his reforms which brought prosperity to his home city of Dachaigh. However, he is seen as a radical choice by many in the council as he has been seen attending many supremist group gatherings and made several racist remarks about polar bears and griffons. He has even been heard desiring to create an Arctic Empire and reclaiming land that was in his belief "stolen" by the polar bears and griffons.

The Arktis Kommunistiske Parti (Arctic Communist Party) is a small Communist party led by Ragnel Dahlin. While they aren't popular by any means, should the policies of the Kingdom become unpopular then they may be able to rise up.

Yet whoever takes power will need to keep an eye on their neighbors in the south. While the Penguins have been ignored for centuries, the world is changing and nefarious forces are gathering beyond their borders. Ones which may eventually look even as far north as Pingland. The penguins are seen as weak by many, especially the yaks and griffons who think they can be easily toppled. Yet the penguins are fiercely independent and are willing to give their lives to defend their home.

Can the penguins survive the changing world? Or is their species ultimately doomed?

Starting Situation
The Kingdom of Pingland starts in a extremely poor position with a serious lack of factories, barely any infrastructure, no resources and much stronger southern nations that may potentially attack Pingland. However the industrial tree can allow Pingland to quickly build up and the cold weather and mountainous terrain of the north can be used to its advantage.

The Kingdom of Pingland starts with 3 divisions totaling 16k penguinpower.

Threats and Opportunities

 * Polar Bear Communities - Your western neighbour. They have an incredibly weak industry and a quick military build-up can allow you to easily overwhelm them. They can join your faction in the harmony path while in the Supremacy path you will gain a war goal against them.
 * Griffon Frontier - Should the Griffon Frontier survive its war against Nova Griffonia, they will be a good target for expansion. Beware they can launch bandits raids on you so it's a good idea to station at least 6 divisions against their border.
 * Nova Griffonia - Will usually be your biggest threat as they will go to war with Pingland in many of its political paths. A harmonic Nova Griffonia can invite Pingland to its faction but if Pingland is Supremacy or Communist then it will get a war goal instead. A Communist Nova Griffonia won't attack a Communist Pingland. Only a Goldfeather led Nova Griffonia is certain to leave Pingland alone. Fighting Nova Griffonia will provide to be a challenge due to their much stronger industry and population. It's very possible the Kingdom of Yakyakistan will be dragged into the war which will greatly improve your chances of winning.
 * Kingdom of Yakyakistan - They can join your faction in the harmony path. Beware a Supremacist Yakyakistan can eventually get a war goal on Pingland.
 * Stalliongrad - A Communist Pingland can get a guarantee from Stalliongrad. Beware a Sinister led Stalliongrad can eventually get a war goal on Pingland.
 * Changeling Lands - Has no direct interaction with Pingland until after the Great War. However it's possible for Pingland to strike the Changelings while they are busy with Equestria, providing an opportunity for expansion.

National Focus
With the King's time coming to an end the Summit at Dachaigh will decide on the King's successor

The Ice Emperor
If Orvar Njordin is appointed as successor then once in power King Njordin will focus on centralizing his rule. This includes replacing the council members and securing the loyalty of the army. Once his rule is secured, King Njordin will look to reclaiming lands he believes were "stolen" from the penguins and creating the Arctic Empire. This path will give war goals on Polar Bear Communities and  Nova Griffonia.

The Frozen North's Revolution
King Njordin's radical laws will drive many penguins and griffons to the Communists. Outlaw Communism will cause reports of a Communist revolt in Dachaigh. If these reports are ignored then the Communists can launch a coup in Dachaigh and overthrow King Njordin. The Alliance with Stalliongrad focus will ask Stalliongrad to guarantee Pingland. Turning Communist will remove any national spirits from the Supremacy path so it's recommended to go straight to the Outlaw Communism focus if the player wishes to go Communist.

Northern Harmony
If Hindrik Aberg is appointed as successor then he will focus on reforming the nation into a more democratic one, more suited to the ideas of Harmony. Eventually he can either reform the nation into the Pinguin Republic or a constitutional monarchy. Depending on the paths taken Pingland can possibly receive a guarantee from Equestria or create a faction with the  Polar Bear Communities and the  Kingdom of Yakyakistan.

A comparision of the political paths is shown below

Northern Industrial Might
Due to Pingland's low industrial ability the industrial tree is highly important for it to prosper. The tree grants several infrastructure, factories, resources, improvement of society development, and 2 research slots.

The Frozen Military
The army, navy, and air trees are fairly standard. Providing the usual bonuses one would expect from these trees. Noticeably Arctic Warriors will provide winter attrition, representing the penguins' being used to cold environments.

National Spirits
The Kingdom of Pingland starts with no national spirits