Valnordore

Valnordore is a politically divided island nation in the Ninja Archipelago. Valnordore has gone through several changes in its government within the past decade, from the New Valnordorians to the Beskar Guard to the current Snoss Viceroyalty. The greatest change in the country was under the rule of Duchess Saltine, where Valnordore discarded its militant ways and instead became pacifist and isolationist.

Notable Valnordorian warriors include Django Ghent and Java Ghent. Although Django was raised primarily in Frankterre, he was a Valnordorian warrior who fought in the First Valnordorian Civil War and died as a mercenary. Similarly, Java is considered a citizen despite also working as a mercenary for the Snoss government.

History
Valnordore was formed in 1 AD by Valn'ordore the First, a powerful Valnorian High Penguin warlord who led an horde of penguins that had mastered basic and primitive technology. This group came to be known as the Valnordorian Crusaders, and to this day remain revered as the greatest Valnordorian ancestors.

Throughout its history, Valnordore was involved in many conflicts in the past, including several with the Jedi Order.

First Valnordorian Civil War
Valnordore entered a civil war in 1980 between the New Valnordorians who wished to become a peaceful and pacifist nation, and those who sought to maintain their ways as a proud warrior culture. After over a decade of fighting, the New Valnordorians were victorious with Duchess Saltine becoming leader of all of Valnordore.

Those who wished to keep their warrior ways ultimately formed the Beskar Guard, a militant organization whose goals were to restore Valnordore to its "former glory." This group was often accused of extremism as they led attacks on the Valnordorian government.

Snoss Intervention and Occupation
In 2013, Dennis the Oppressive went on vacation to Valnordore. Through a series of unfortunate events, Dennis inadvertently killed Duchess Saltine and created a struggle of power which ended in the rule of the Beskar Guard over all of Valnordore. This rule only lasted a few months before Swiss Ninja ordered an invasion of Valnordore to bring stability to the nation. Secretly, an agreement was made with Clan Ghent to overthrow the Beskar Guard and establish the country as a Viceroyalty of Snowzerland. Ferro Ghent, formerly one of the Beskar Guard's top lieutenants, became one of the main collaborators and was rewarded with power over Valnordore.

Geography and Climate
Valnordore is a harsh and snowy island, even colder than many parts of mainland Antarctica. The climate used to be much more forgiving in the past, but years of wars and advanced weapon use destroyed much of Valnordore's environment forcing the penguins to construct domed or enclosed cities to live in.

In recent years, parts of the island have begun regrowing their vegetation and, while the climate has not entirely returned to normal, many parts of the island are suitable for habitation once more.

Government
Valnordore under the New Valnordorians were led by Duchess Saltine and her Courts. Saltine's primary policies were those of strict neutrality and pacifism, even during the most tumultuous periods of Antarctic history.

After the death of the Duchess and intervention of Snowzerland, Valnordor was governed by a Viceroy with Snoss backing. Because of Swiss Ninja's relationship with Django and Java Ghent, Clan Ghent was chosen to lead the nation with Ferro Ghent serving as Viceroy.

Society
Valnordorian society is hierarchical, with either the Duchess or Valn'ordore ruling at the top and the Protectors enforcing their authority. Below them were the various Houses, made up of family clans. An example of this is House Galen, made up of Clan Galen, Clan Ghent, and Clan Skald.

Prior to the First Valnordorian Civil War, the nation was incredibly militant with most clans having some form of paramilitary organization. Under the New Valnordorians, the nation had mostly rejected this militant past, although this was hardly unanimous among the citizenry.

Honor and Traditions
As prideful warriors, the Valnordorians had a strict code of honor, often settling disputes in one-on-one combat. Oftentimes this extended past justice, and warriors could seek combat for the glory of fighting a worthy opponent such as a Jedi Knight. In addition, it was seen as dishonorable to attack unarmed or defenseless targets.

Armor
Perhaps the most significant symbol of Valnordorian culture is their signature combat armor, forged from unique beskar alloy. Common traits of Valnordorian armor include a helmet with a T-shaped visor as well as armaments such as flamethrowers and jetpacks. The armor's color scheme is typically determined by the House or Clan of the wearer; for example, Clan Ghent paints its armor in green and red tones.

Because of its historical significance and battlefield capabilities, this armor was used as inspiration for both RDA Trooper and Stormtrooper armor, although neither managed to meet its capabilities.

Districts and Territories
Valnordore rules over several smaller islands in addition to the mainland, the majority of which are self-governing by the various Valnordorian Clans.

Military
Under the rule of the New Valnordorians, the country possessed no formal standing army. Instead, only smaller guard forces were used to maintain the peace. The only formal military force that remained were the Valnordorian Protectors who acted as the royal guard for the Duchess. Wearing unique and ceremonial combat armor, the Protectors were later targeted by the Snoss due to their loyalty to the Valnordorian throne.

With the current Snoss occupation, Stormtroopers are a common sight throughout the country alongside Snoss Super Commandos. Comprised of Valnordorians loyal to Swiss Ninja, the Super Commandos wear a white variant of Valnordorian armor with distinct stylistic ques reminiscent of Stormtrooper armor.

Relationships with Other Nations
Valnordore has historically been an isolationist nation, and has never been involved in Antarctic politics to a large degree.

Antarctica

 * USA flag.PNG United States of Antarctica - Good -- As it was forced to import nearly all of its food supplies, Valnordore had a positive relationship with the USA. Antarctica now supplies the Valnordorian resistance with military aid against Snowzerland.

Ninja Archipelago

 * Snozerland Flag 2 edited-1.png Snowzerland - Mixed -- After denying repeated attempts to formally enter an alliance, Valnordore was occupied by Snowzerland in 2013 after the instability following Duchess Saltine's death.

Trivia

 * Valnordore is inspired by the planet Mandalore from the Star Wars series.