In consideration of the concerns raised by the community with regards to this claim, this petition will be withdrawn. Another, with a much smaller claim will be submitted shortly. Thank you to the various community members who provided feedback and suggestions; they will be considered carefully and used to guide future projects within the GRHH.
-----The GRHH puts forth a proposal for the following territorial expansion to the Parliament:
Kaine is violet, Casadia is red, Östlaed is green, the current GRHH is yellow, and the new claim is orange.The GRHH understands the concerns that may come with this claim. First, making a land claim like this may seem out of character for the GRHH, and it is. While many realms have expanded their territories significantly, the GRHH has claimed very little over the course of three cycles and always seeks good reason for any claims it makes. Thus, it is most likely that this claim will be the last one for a great while, as the GRHH will always seek to utilize its current territory before it asks for more.
Second, this land claim meets the borders of Östlaed, which may raise concerns about tensions in some minds. However, the GRHH and Östlaed have discussed together their future plans for expansion and the GRHH will continue to keep this dialogue open to work through any disputes that may arise. In addition, note that borders have often served as sites of cooperation and interaction between players – as seen in places like the Golden Crescent, Amora, and Fortuda – and it is hoped that these new border areas will server this purpose and introduce new opportunities for the GRHH to work on projects with other realms.
A map comparing the current GRHH with nearby realms.Third, this land claim is extensive, more than doubling the land area of the GRHH. Examining the map above, one can see that even though only part of Östlead and Casadia are shown, these fractions still surpass the whole of the GRHH. This land claim would simply bring the GRHH’s scale into one comparable to its neighbors. Also, other realms, such as Wychwood, have more than doubled their territorial size without much fuss. Finally, when one looks at the pace of expansion of other realms, even with this claim the GRHH would still be slower to claim new land than most others.
With these concerns addressed, the question arises: why does the GRHH desire this land? The most apparent reason is the growth within the GRHH. Within the past ten mercannums, Anthi Laguna has doubled in size, a road connecting it to Duras has been constructed, the port of Petra Nova was founded and quickly grew to over fifty buildings, and to the east the fishing villages of Wadidiz and Wadidu have expanded with new construction as more Gathered flock to the south. As a result, the GRHH is one of the smallest and densest Grand Duchies in the Empire. The density and pace of this development has brought to the attention of the Chairman and the government of the GRHH the need for more land and resources to allow this growth to continue. If not, it will soon be very difficult to find new areas to found new settlements without them being within sight of an existing one. This new claim amply provides for these needs.
In expanding its claim, the GRHH also seeks to secure its future as a realm. As it stands, there is hardly any room for new vassals to join the GRHH and thrive if they wish to. This claim will give the GRHH a greater number and variety of biomes for newcomers, allowing them more choices and the ability to expand over time, especially if they choose to remain in the GRHH after achieving the rank of Count. In addition, with the rapid expansion of Östlaed in the north and the gradual growth of Casadia in the south, if this land were not claimed by the GRHH it might soon become part of one or both of these realms, cutting the GRHH off from any possibility of expanding its territory, relegating it to its current small size, and stifling development while other realms could continue to grow. While the GRHH will probably not make any new land claims for some time, the nation would like to leave its options open for the future.
Many thanks for reading and considering this petition. It is hoped that any concerns that this claim is unusual, dangerous, or excessive have been addressed and that the importance of this claim to the future development and relevance of the GRHH has been seen. If there are any questions that need to be answered or worries to be relieved, I will seek to respond as best I can. I now leave this decision in the hands of the community.
