Vailleux progress document

None of this is final, pending upcoming discussions on major world events. =Vailleux Overview= As of right now, Vaillais history is outlined starting in about 1770, with a general idea of specific events that will occur from then until the present day. Red text indicates lore that is based on hypothetical events or unbuilt locations. This lore especially is subject to change as regional canon solidifies.

Colonial Period (1700s+1800s)
Vaillais begins its overseas imperial phase. The Vaillais monarchy was in command of what was likely the world's most powerful navy, and their territory included not only abundant niter and steel, but sapin roi, an especially hardy strand of fir that lent ships constructed of it exceptional strength and hardiness.

Vaillais colonies were established for a variety of reasons, but two stand equally chief among the rest. Firstly, glory, the national vanity which has visited wanton despair and destruction upon millions of all stripes; and secondly, resources. Copper and linens from the Thalassic region helped build ships, gold and diamonds from Mauria buffed up the Vaillais treasury, and pelts and exotic fruits and spices from !India and Arcadia fed and clothed influential and stuck-up nobles.

In most of these places, the Vaillais left lasting reminders of their presence. Several former colonies have formed nation-states roughly co-terminous with their colonial borders, including Gualtierra in South Arcadia, Upper Asema in Mauria, Cyrenia near its titular strait, and Nouvelle-Etendue, its colony in North America.

During this period, Vailleux came into regular conflict with its neighbors, Eisenreich and Albion. As European nations do, these conflicts were often relatively brief and spur-of-the-moment, and seeing the nations go from war to alliance within the span of about a decade, only to return to hostilities within another.

For example, the Vaillais took Cyrenia as a colony in 1822 in order to safeguard naval access to its colonial holdings in !Asia and Thalassia. While peace reigned just long enough for Vailleux to set up an effective Vaillais-speaking bureaucracy, the next half-century or so effectively turned Cyrenia into a revolving door of colonial powers, with Eisenreich, Valleux, and Albion each holding power at some point. In spite of this long history of rivalry, Vailleux and Eisenreich (possibly albion) had no issue uniting when an ascendant nationalist-leftist movement threatened Erisian hegemony over the country.

World War 1 Period + Interwar
Perhaps frightened by the sudden appearance of a strong nationalist movement in Cyrenia, Vailleux, previously ambivalent, joined with neighbor and chief frenemy Eisenreich in waging an all-out war on communism.

Vailleux emerged from the war paranoid and armed to the teeth. Fearful of domestic movements similar to the one that ended their rule in Cyrenia, the monarchy grew increasingly repressive, and increasingly unpopular.

World War II Period, First Democracy, and Hugo
Civil unrest came to a head during World War II. Although initially joining on the side of the Eisenpakt, the overwhelming unpopularity of the monarchy led to a coup d'etat led by a small contingent of military officers called La Comité who, while serving in an overseas detachment in Nouvelle-Etendue, had become infatuated with Arcadian ideas of freedom. The Comité government was bureaucratic and ineffective, and ruled for about six years before Gerard Hugo, a low-ranking officer in La Comité, seized control of the government with covert help from the Pakt.

Hugo's government was far more effective, though it dispensed with any semblance of democracy, instead choosing to promote economic development and stability in the country that was struggling to overcome the scars of the war. In a foreboding fashion, Hugo failed to suppress a number of independence movements, leading Vailleux to lose colonies in Mauria, Thalassia, and North and South Arcadia; the large territory between Baldeluna and Vailleux may also have been caught up in this, or it may have been caught up in WW1. His military failures here lost him the support of the military, and as economic growth slowed, the public's willingness to overlook the political repression they suffered waned. 12 years after he ascended to power, Hugo was assassinated by a squad of four pro-democracy partisans from the Comité Liberté, a paramilitary group that had spun itself off from the lifeless Comité. The country was plunged into a civil war, with the conservative, Pakt-backed military on one side and the popular Comité Liberté on the other. As Pakt forces massed on the border, the panicked Comité Liberté reached out to Eisenwald and, in exchange for calling off the invasion and ending support for the conservative faction, promised to effectively cede the long-contested Selgry industrial valley region to the Reich. The Reich squeezed a few more security guarantees, including a few decades of neutrality, out of Vailleux before accepting. Without Pakt help, the conservative faction collapsed and the liberals swept into Port-Calme and set up the current Vaillais Republic. ''' This is all subject to change if we end up with three or one world wars. '''

Modern Era
Vailleux has seen moderate progress since then. Wary of their neighbor who had essentially held them at gunpoint, the Comite Liberte applied for JSEC membership as soon as it was allowed to under its treaty obligations. The new government for a period of about 20 years turned to private companies to stimulate economic growth, but this policy led the interior regions to languish; the average interior resident makes more than $10,000 less than the average urbanite. Laissez-faire policies led to a weaker social safety net than other countries around them. Due to its militaristic past and its surrounding hostile ideologies, the government has spent a large amount on defense, neglecting some other civil priorities in the process. That said, however, quality of life in the cities is generally on par with those of other, even more wealthy nations in Erisia. The parliamentary government is still dominated by the Comité Liberté party, though the conservative military still holds significant influence. The country's industry is growing more specialized and high-technology exports have been increasing, bringing the GDP up with it. Despite mutual suspicion between Eisenwald and Port-Calme, Vailleux's greatest security threat is a separatist movement that has found some popularity in the mountainous hinterland, stemming from lasting dissatisfaction at the Selgry cession.

Economically, the country is most tied to Arcadia. Ever since the security guarantees that ended the second civil war expired, Vailleux has grown closer to the West and has sought its help in arming and developing itself and strengthening its political institutions. Relations with Eisenreich have also warmed as well, and trade has increased. Growth has been relatively strong, with a very brief period in the early 2010s where growth entered economic miracle territory.

Nouvelle-Etendue
Nouvelle-Etendue is a former Vaillais colony on Arcadia's northern border. Vaillais for "New Expanse," its name stems from its earlier semi-official title, the "New Vaillais Expanse" (Nouvelle Etendue Vaillais). Today, Nouvelle-Etendue is among the wealthier nations in Regnum, handily outstripping Vailleux in quality of life, social safety net, and GDP per capita. In spite of controlling large swaths of territory, it also has a comparatively small population, with most of its population residing in urban areas, like the largest city, Vallée-à-l'Aise, and the capital, Porte-des-Plaines. It is these urban areas that have long formed the economic core of l'Etendue, as it is frequently shorthanded. During the colonial period, the Vaillais, rather than shipping raw materials overseas to be processed and sold back to the colonies, instead established industry in river valleys like the one that runs through Vallée-à-l'Aise. This policy fostered development, economic independence, and eventually assisted the Etendais in their quest for independence.

Nouvelle-Etendue is as closely tied to Arcadia as it is to Vailleux, with Arcadian assistance and economic help ensuring the country remained prosperous even as the influence and support from Vailleux diminished. Nouvelle-Etendue, like Arcadia itself, was spared from the destruction of the World Wars, and its global stock rose as Arcadia's did. Today, Arcadian is spoken more than Vaillais, though Vaillais remains common in the cities and both are official languages. Etendais teams play in the Arcadian football league, and the nation, being directly on Arcadia's northern border, is a core member of JSEC. Its relations with its mother country in Erisia were curt but cordial throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, but as Vaillais liberal democracy grows in strength the two nations have begun to warm to each other once more.

Etymology
Vailleux is from the Rumellan words velox aqua, meaning "fast water," perhaps referring to the rapids near TKTK, via Alter-Vaillais vell eau.