Cetus, officially the Empire of Cetus, is a playable nation in Centaura. It is bordered by Corvus to the west, Columba to the north, Aquila to the east and Antares to the south.
Etymology
The name "Cetus" arrived early during the Libran conquest of the region. Legionnaires reported to have spot a giant whale in which declare it "Cetus", after the collapse of the Libran Empire, the subsequent kingdom would adopt the name Cetus to correspond with Astranism.
History
More lore can be found on the official lore document.
The Empire of Cetus was a developing country whose main goals were to explore the Inanis Ocean, but unfortunately to no avail. It consisted mostly of hilly grasslands and savannas which were used for farming and agricultural purposes. Being one of the larger remnants left on Centaura after the splintering of the ancient Libran Empire, the country of Cetus mainly existed as a neutral fishing nation for a large portion of its existence. Over a millennium later, in the age of conquest & imperialism, the Cetan Empire would ally with the newly formed Antarean Empire to expand eastwards, conquering and absorbing many smaller states. This eastern conquest would continue until Cetan forces met the mighty Kingdom of Aquila. After a minor clash, the two states signed the Persean Treaty, establishing a border line and friendly relations between the two nations that persisted up to the Centauran War. After a land purchase of some of Southern Cetus by the Antareans, these three borders remained relatively unchanged for the coming centuries.
Seeing a lack of threat from its neighbors, the Cetan government saw fit to largely cut down on army costs and instead focus on crafting a massive and formidable navy, one built to explore the Inanis (which was a major belief in Cetan Astranism, where salvation & the future of the nation was thought to lie in the ocean). For a period of centuries, Cetus would hone their shipbuilding expertise and voyage out into the Inanis, oblivious to their stagnating relationships with their neighbors as trade resources were being pulled back and put into their navy. Soon, they began running out of the resources they needed to mass produce more modern designs of warships,
Thus, in 1886, Cetus launched a surprise attack on Corvus, quickly overtaking the southern regions of the country. The annexation of Southern Corvus provided new mountainous lands where mining sites could be developed. The resulting production of gold and copper revitalized the Cetan economy and industry. However, tensions were high with the rump state of the North (now the Corvus Confederation), as the Corvuns accused Cetus of stealing their lands.
As Corvus invaded in 1908, Cetus found itself on the defensive due to the fact that its army was critically undermanned. It could not afford to attack offensively, but made up for it by successfully holding a defensive line, eventually devolving the war into trench warfare. As Cetus called more troops to the front, the South would be left almost completely undefended. This would be their fatal mistake, as Antares (an ally of Corvus) took the opportunity to invade from the South, completely overtaking the nation alongside Corvus by 1912. Antares would not stop here, instead invading Aquila in the same year - marking the beginning of the Centauran Wars.
Politics
While Cetus does have a traditional monarchy, its power has been greatly reduced over centuries of peace and growth. After the Persean Treaty, the monarchy gave more independence to the branches of the military and government to allow for faster development. The monarchy remained as the head of legislation & controlled foreign policy, but its control over the military only weakened as time went on.
During the Southern Corvus War, both the Cetan Army and Navy both practically acted as independent organizations, rarely listening to the King and allocating resources selfishly, refusing cooperation, which led to the eventual defeat of the Army as it could not defend two fronts at once.
The Empire was historically led by the House of Scapha, with King Frederick Scapha leading the nation through the events of the Southern Corvus War. The capital of Cetus is Nauta, located near the western coast.
Military
See more in: Cetus/Military
Having placed a heavy focus on naval supremacy and exploration, Cetus prioritized its navy over other branches of the military. Although this resulted in a truly powerful and large navy, one that even Antares couldn't match, the army was severely undermanned and was unable to engage in much offensive warfare as seen during the Southern Corvus War. Major interservice rivalry between the Navy and Army high commands is also heavily implied, as the naval high command outright refused to support the army with the Exercitus Maris despite manpower shortages.
Equipment
 Empire of Cetus
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Weapons | Handguns | M1890 | |
| Rifles | M1889 LA | ||
| Submachine guns | M1909 | ||
| Melee | Club • Shortblade• Southwestern Ensis | ||
| Special weapons | Anti-Tank Rifle • Flamethrower • Mortar | ||
| Utilities | Grenades | Grenade • Smoke Grenade | |
| Support | Bandage | ||
| Miscellaneous | Uniforms | Cetan Uniforms | |