(sanctuary) application for sanctuary_rpg.
THE CHARACTER
Name; N. Italy (Feliciano Vargas)
Personality; For a country with such a bloody history, it’s almost inconceivable that one of the Italy brothers would have turned out as bright and cheerful as he appears. He feeds entirely into the Italian stereotype with his melodic accent, his need to "talk with his hands," and his tendency to be friendly-sometimes overly affectionate-with everyone he meets. To some this extroversion is a good thing, but to others it’s nothing short of annoying. But North Italy doesn’t discriminate between these two people, and it’s almost as if he doesn’t realize when someone’s fed up with him. In his eyes, everyone has the potential to become a friend.
If his sunny disposition isn’t enough, well, he’s a complete and utter nuisance on top of it! North Italy is thick-skulled, naïve and gullible. And even though his energy rivals that of a puppy, and it’d take a miracle to get him to actually sit still, he’s incredibly lazy and irresponsible when it comes down to business. North Italy will waste his energy away on unimportant things, but put a weapon in his hands and he’ll have no clue what he’s supposed to do with it. Maybe he’s got some hidden potential deep down inside that he hasn’t discovered yet. Or maybe he’s just plain lazy and useless. Who knows?
With North Italy’s carefree nature, his willingness to follow others and his unusual obliviousness to the world around him, there arise several problems. One, North Italy will blindly follow any path that promises security and does not demand much effort of him. Two, he will render himself helpless and either surrender easily, or trust that others will bail him out if he gets himself into too much trouble. And three, because of these previously stated possibilities, he doesn’t dwell too much on the severity of war, or otherwise sees it as a game. Germany conquered so-and-so? Well, he should probably go beat up this guy to prove his worth (even if it doesn’t always work)!
On the other hand, it’s also possible that North Italy is afraid of conflict because, somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembers the suffering of a defeated Roman Empire. If "Grandpa Rome," his brave and strong predecessor, can be taken down in a fight, it should follow that North Italy can be defeated ten times as easily. He retreats just as much out of habit as he does out of fear, and indeed, his country’s history has given him plenty of reason to. But Italy builds and rebuilds itself after every stint, and so too does North Italy manage to get by with the innocently optimistic belief that things will, somehow or other, work out for the best.
Or so he hopes.
History; North Italy is one of two twins descended from Ancient Rome, the other being South Italy. "Grandpa Rome," as he was called, was once a powerful region that expanded himself into an empire and forefather of Western Civilization. But North Italy may never have known his ancestor as the courageous warrior he once was, for when he took little Northern Italy from his Southern brother, he was already an old man. His grandfather’s gradual decline was due to, among other things, being split into the Byzantine and Western Roman Empires in the 2nd century, as well as Germanic opposition and invasion in the 400's. Still, the two spent a great deal of time together, singing and painting portraits.
North Italy spent a great deal of time away from his home, which was changing rapidly without him even knowing it. Through the Middle Ages, his land faced increasing pressure from all sides. This began in the 5th century when, for the first time, he had a boss that was not of Roman descent. This led to wars for dominance over Italy, which unfortunately only opened the way for Germanic tribes to further seize control of the land. It wasn’t until the 8th century when the land was taken by another tribe, the Franks, that the country saw some stability again. Thus, the Papal States were born.
Moreover, during the time spent away with Ancient Rome, Italy’s new leaders regained control over cities which had until then been lost to the Holy Roman Empire. Not to be confused with the Roman Empire, North Italy’s "Grandpa Rome," the Holy Roman Empire was a collection of territories in Central Europe, and his personified form was that of a young boy. The Holy Roman Empire was loath to forget his losses, and would later try to scare young North Italy into rejoining him, to no avail.
By the time North Italy returned home to his neighboring countries, Grandpa Rome’s battle scars were still fresh on his mind. To top it all off, North Italy’s neighbors had become bullies! The land once dominated by the Roman Empire was now heavily divided, leaving only a small fraction of it two his young heirs. But North Italy, despite the changes his region had undergone, came out of the fray with little more than scraped knees. His half of Italy was arguably more prosperous at the time than his brother’s.
The young North Italy had returned to his country just in time for the Renaissance. North Italy had fertile lands, the power of religion, and (thanks to Rome’s tutelage) art and trade to spare, but was ultimately rather weak. Though he was also still being divided into smaller city-states and territories, at the time, Italy was one of the most urbanized areas in Europe. This continued even into the 1300's, when Italy was hit especially hard by the Black Death. The plague ultimately claimed one-third of the population, but not without re-stimulating the Renaissance and giving rise to other movements, such as Humanism.
But North Italy was still young and vulnerable, and France, taking advantage of this, began a series of invasions that began in the 15th century. So too did Spain compete for dominance over Italy, followed by a whole slew of other, more powerful countries-the little Holy Roman, the Swiss, the English, and even the Ottoman Empire competed for power and territory. In the 16th century following the Italian Wars, Italy fell under Habsburg Spanish rule; in the 18th, Italy was claimed by the House of Habsburg, Austria. North Italy was then forced to work as a servant in Austria’s house, where he also shared a roof with Hungary… and once again, the Holy Roman Empire.
North Italy spent another sixty years working for Austria, being harassed by the Holy Roman Empire, who still held out hope that North Italy would once again become a part of him. But North Italy, still impossibly naïve despite centuries of tumult, didn’t want to join the Holy Roman Empire for a good reason: he could still remember the pain Grandpa Rome experienced even after his downfall. Despite the fact that the Holy Roman Empire often bullied him, North Italy still viewed him as a friend, if not more. He didn’t anyone he cared so much about to meet a similar, bloody fate.
Still, the Holy Roman Empire eventually left Austria’s household, determined to expand his borders and claim more territory for himself. Shortly before his departure, the Holy Roman Empire confessed to North Italy that, despite the bullying, he really did care for the country, and he promised to return to him someday. Likewise, Feliciano promised that he would wait for the Holy Roman Empire, though he never saw him again. The Holy Roman Empire was brought down in 1806; it is unclear what became of him as a personified nation.
In 1796, Italy was free to go. He spent a short period of time as a client of the French Republic until, finally, the Congress of Vienna reunited North and South Italy. It is doubtful that North and South Italy saw too much of each other before this time, and naturally the two had become very different people. The North was still dense and easily excitable, whereas the South was more blunt and streetwise. But while the two became a unified nation-state and, the north and the south were still changing as drastically as the brothers had. With the investments of Germany, France and other countries, North Italy found that his land was swiftly modernizing and industrializing. Such was the state of his land at the beginning of the World Wars.
Despite a Triple Alliance with Austria & Hungary (known at the time as one Austria-Hungary) and Germany, Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary due to a rivalry that began between the nation's leaders before the Congress of Vienna. Despite help from the Allies, Germany and Austria-Hungary at first prevailed, having defeated an estimated one-fourth of Italy's mobilized forces. He made a comeback however at Vittorio Veneto in 1918, which was followed by the surrender of Austria-Hungary. Italy was thereafter promised some of his land by the Allies, although not as much as he had been lead to believe, and the social and political unrest among his people gave birth to Fascism. These circumstances made way for his next boss, Mussolini, or "Il Duce."
Under Mussolini, Italy allied himself with Germany and Japan, thereby forming the Axis Powers. He largely followed Germany's lead by declaring war on Britain and France, and later advancing into North Africa in an attempt to take their colonies there. Unfortunately this didn't go as well as he had planned, and when he was pushed out of Egypt, he turned his sights to Greece in 1940. Once again however Italy was unprepared, and if Germany hadn't come to his aid, the invasion would have been a complete and utter failure. Italy's troops would occupy Greece's land until his surrender in 1943.
Back in his country, the Italian people staged a rebellion against his leader. The dismissal of Il Duce was followed by Italy's surrender in September of 1943 to the Allied Powers and, soon after that, a war against his former friend, Germany. So too did Japan react with outrage at Italy's defeat, and Italian citizens residing on Japanese territory were promptly executed if they did not side with Mussolini. Although his new rulers signed an armistice with the Allied Powers, ultimately, Italy and his people suffered a great loss.
Name; N. Italy (Feliciano Vargas)
Personality; For a country with such a bloody history, it’s almost inconceivable that one of the Italy brothers would have turned out as bright and cheerful as he appears. He feeds entirely into the Italian stereotype with his melodic accent, his need to "talk with his hands," and his tendency to be friendly-sometimes overly affectionate-with everyone he meets. To some this extroversion is a good thing, but to others it’s nothing short of annoying. But North Italy doesn’t discriminate between these two people, and it’s almost as if he doesn’t realize when someone’s fed up with him. In his eyes, everyone has the potential to become a friend.
If his sunny disposition isn’t enough, well, he’s a complete and utter nuisance on top of it! North Italy is thick-skulled, naïve and gullible. And even though his energy rivals that of a puppy, and it’d take a miracle to get him to actually sit still, he’s incredibly lazy and irresponsible when it comes down to business. North Italy will waste his energy away on unimportant things, but put a weapon in his hands and he’ll have no clue what he’s supposed to do with it. Maybe he’s got some hidden potential deep down inside that he hasn’t discovered yet. Or maybe he’s just plain lazy and useless. Who knows?
With North Italy’s carefree nature, his willingness to follow others and his unusual obliviousness to the world around him, there arise several problems. One, North Italy will blindly follow any path that promises security and does not demand much effort of him. Two, he will render himself helpless and either surrender easily, or trust that others will bail him out if he gets himself into too much trouble. And three, because of these previously stated possibilities, he doesn’t dwell too much on the severity of war, or otherwise sees it as a game. Germany conquered so-and-so? Well, he should probably go beat up this guy to prove his worth (even if it doesn’t always work)!
On the other hand, it’s also possible that North Italy is afraid of conflict because, somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembers the suffering of a defeated Roman Empire. If "Grandpa Rome," his brave and strong predecessor, can be taken down in a fight, it should follow that North Italy can be defeated ten times as easily. He retreats just as much out of habit as he does out of fear, and indeed, his country’s history has given him plenty of reason to. But Italy builds and rebuilds itself after every stint, and so too does North Italy manage to get by with the innocently optimistic belief that things will, somehow or other, work out for the best.
Or so he hopes.
History; North Italy is one of two twins descended from Ancient Rome, the other being South Italy. "Grandpa Rome," as he was called, was once a powerful region that expanded himself into an empire and forefather of Western Civilization. But North Italy may never have known his ancestor as the courageous warrior he once was, for when he took little Northern Italy from his Southern brother, he was already an old man. His grandfather’s gradual decline was due to, among other things, being split into the Byzantine and Western Roman Empires in the 2nd century, as well as Germanic opposition and invasion in the 400's. Still, the two spent a great deal of time together, singing and painting portraits.
North Italy spent a great deal of time away from his home, which was changing rapidly without him even knowing it. Through the Middle Ages, his land faced increasing pressure from all sides. This began in the 5th century when, for the first time, he had a boss that was not of Roman descent. This led to wars for dominance over Italy, which unfortunately only opened the way for Germanic tribes to further seize control of the land. It wasn’t until the 8th century when the land was taken by another tribe, the Franks, that the country saw some stability again. Thus, the Papal States were born.
Moreover, during the time spent away with Ancient Rome, Italy’s new leaders regained control over cities which had until then been lost to the Holy Roman Empire. Not to be confused with the Roman Empire, North Italy’s "Grandpa Rome," the Holy Roman Empire was a collection of territories in Central Europe, and his personified form was that of a young boy. The Holy Roman Empire was loath to forget his losses, and would later try to scare young North Italy into rejoining him, to no avail.
By the time North Italy returned home to his neighboring countries, Grandpa Rome’s battle scars were still fresh on his mind. To top it all off, North Italy’s neighbors had become bullies! The land once dominated by the Roman Empire was now heavily divided, leaving only a small fraction of it two his young heirs. But North Italy, despite the changes his region had undergone, came out of the fray with little more than scraped knees. His half of Italy was arguably more prosperous at the time than his brother’s.
The young North Italy had returned to his country just in time for the Renaissance. North Italy had fertile lands, the power of religion, and (thanks to Rome’s tutelage) art and trade to spare, but was ultimately rather weak. Though he was also still being divided into smaller city-states and territories, at the time, Italy was one of the most urbanized areas in Europe. This continued even into the 1300's, when Italy was hit especially hard by the Black Death. The plague ultimately claimed one-third of the population, but not without re-stimulating the Renaissance and giving rise to other movements, such as Humanism.
But North Italy was still young and vulnerable, and France, taking advantage of this, began a series of invasions that began in the 15th century. So too did Spain compete for dominance over Italy, followed by a whole slew of other, more powerful countries-the little Holy Roman, the Swiss, the English, and even the Ottoman Empire competed for power and territory. In the 16th century following the Italian Wars, Italy fell under Habsburg Spanish rule; in the 18th, Italy was claimed by the House of Habsburg, Austria. North Italy was then forced to work as a servant in Austria’s house, where he also shared a roof with Hungary… and once again, the Holy Roman Empire.
North Italy spent another sixty years working for Austria, being harassed by the Holy Roman Empire, who still held out hope that North Italy would once again become a part of him. But North Italy, still impossibly naïve despite centuries of tumult, didn’t want to join the Holy Roman Empire for a good reason: he could still remember the pain Grandpa Rome experienced even after his downfall. Despite the fact that the Holy Roman Empire often bullied him, North Italy still viewed him as a friend, if not more. He didn’t anyone he cared so much about to meet a similar, bloody fate.
Still, the Holy Roman Empire eventually left Austria’s household, determined to expand his borders and claim more territory for himself. Shortly before his departure, the Holy Roman Empire confessed to North Italy that, despite the bullying, he really did care for the country, and he promised to return to him someday. Likewise, Feliciano promised that he would wait for the Holy Roman Empire, though he never saw him again. The Holy Roman Empire was brought down in 1806; it is unclear what became of him as a personified nation.
In 1796, Italy was free to go. He spent a short period of time as a client of the French Republic until, finally, the Congress of Vienna reunited North and South Italy. It is doubtful that North and South Italy saw too much of each other before this time, and naturally the two had become very different people. The North was still dense and easily excitable, whereas the South was more blunt and streetwise. But while the two became a unified nation-state and, the north and the south were still changing as drastically as the brothers had. With the investments of Germany, France and other countries, North Italy found that his land was swiftly modernizing and industrializing. Such was the state of his land at the beginning of the World Wars.
Despite a Triple Alliance with Austria & Hungary (known at the time as one Austria-Hungary) and Germany, Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary due to a rivalry that began between the nation's leaders before the Congress of Vienna. Despite help from the Allies, Germany and Austria-Hungary at first prevailed, having defeated an estimated one-fourth of Italy's mobilized forces. He made a comeback however at Vittorio Veneto in 1918, which was followed by the surrender of Austria-Hungary. Italy was thereafter promised some of his land by the Allies, although not as much as he had been lead to believe, and the social and political unrest among his people gave birth to Fascism. These circumstances made way for his next boss, Mussolini, or "Il Duce."
Under Mussolini, Italy allied himself with Germany and Japan, thereby forming the Axis Powers. He largely followed Germany's lead by declaring war on Britain and France, and later advancing into North Africa in an attempt to take their colonies there. Unfortunately this didn't go as well as he had planned, and when he was pushed out of Egypt, he turned his sights to Greece in 1940. Once again however Italy was unprepared, and if Germany hadn't come to his aid, the invasion would have been a complete and utter failure. Italy's troops would occupy Greece's land until his surrender in 1943.
Back in his country, the Italian people staged a rebellion against his leader. The dismissal of Il Duce was followed by Italy's surrender in September of 1943 to the Allied Powers and, soon after that, a war against his former friend, Germany. So too did Japan react with outrage at Italy's defeat, and Italian citizens residing on Japanese territory were promptly executed if they did not side with Mussolini. Although his new rulers signed an armistice with the Allied Powers, ultimately, Italy and his people suffered a great loss.