England
After the Colonization boom of the 1700’s, the war with Spain and finding the largest cache of Sapphire ever (until 1922) England was firm in its leadership of wealth, acquired land and military might. Historians often hypothesize that if Canada and India, the natural resources they afforded were lost England could have never beaten the French and eradicated the Dutch in 1799 in the now infamous Battle of the Tulips. During the industrialized period England focused on controlling the seas; improving their warships with internal latticework reinforcement, putting the first wood-burning steam engine onto a nautical craft, the HMS Blackthorne (1808) and the first steel plated, steam driven destroyer the HMS Pedigree.
England has its heart deep in tradition. Franks-Enfield and Meyer Arms was founded in 1719 and has been in business ever since. So impressed by how the men conducted themselves in commerce Queen Charlotte II put forth a royal decree that no other manufacturer of weapons would ever serve England. Henley Motors (founded 1845) used to make horse-drawn carriages and Joyce and Sons has been serving baked goods to the throne since 1282.
The country still puts a great deal of thought into her navy, a force uncontested in the modern world. England also has the most communication, surveillance and military satellites in orbit. Her main infrastructure is nautical engineering/refurbishing, tea, industrial grade diamonds and petroleum products.
Germany
A country always driven by war. Germanic mercenaries have been employed throughout the world for millennia. Most monarchies still retain German Cavalry Houseguard. They have been responsible for the most military technological advancements in the last five hundred years. Some of note are; biological/chemical weapons, the first submersible, the largest bore cannon, rocketry, RADAR, SONAR, the jet engine and the automatic rifle. German scientists funded by British gold put men into space (1954), on the Moon (1960) and Mars (1998).
The relationship with England dates back to 1455 with the union of the two countries by marriage of Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia and Count James of Sussex, their eldest daughter taking the throne as Queen Anne IV. Germany has always been willing to lend support to its territories of note; the United Confederate States as Germany holds 1/3 the land area of the North America, sharing it with Spain and England. Germany is considered a global police state, with bases/embassies in most countries. Most litigation concerning trade, arms manufacturing and human rights are enforced by German agents. German industry standards are the ones to emulate for most countries, Germany and her territories producing the world’s bulk of titanium, iron ore, cobalt and aluminum.
Turkey
This empire holds two claims; the first, holding the birthplace of four monotheistic religions and the second being the most unpredictable. Turkey and its innumerable splinter groups seem to be at war constantly. Turkey does not recognize the Human Equality and Ethics act of 1983 which bans military strikes on civilian targets, torture and the deployment of chemical and biological weapons. Turkey is the world’s only functioning Theocracy the current leader Caliph-Imam Jezir el Fadid Muhoud a dangerous zealot who in recent Joint Sovereign Empire meetings has personally challenged several members to duel, including War President Dimtri Markov of Russia and Kaiser Frederick of Germany.
The Empire is predominantly small principalities answering to the Sultan-Imam yet more often than not these principalities disdain of each other is used by other nations to cause duress and infighting within Turkey. The most recent example several British Intelligence agents were captured in Izmir and publically executed. The British government denying they had agents working in another sovereign nation illegally. Some of Turkey’s wealth comes from chromium, potassium and natural gas but it’s also the words largest supplier of opiates and landmines.
Russia
Also known as the Great Bear of the East. Most of the population is still in an illiterate, agrarian mindset which makes their production of ethanol unrivaled anywhere else in the world. The government has bred the people to be fierce nationalists and equally savage fighters. Most of the older generation still long for the Russian Empire of yesteryear, in their minds stolen from them by allying with the French and Napoleon. Today Russia is more globally thinking; as their spy network is the most intricate and widespread. By stealing other’s technologies Russia has kept on par in the military game, despite lacking the resource of larger nations.
What has kept Russian banks filled has been niche inventions, the first being “wireless electricity” by Nikolai Tesla, problematic in cities with huge power demands the large pylons can generate an electrical grid to sustain smaller communities. Rubber insulated copper wiring in 1919, and then came a dehydrated food stuffs called ‘Plinki’ in 1953. First bought by the Germans for their space program, Plinki is still used today in one form or another by every military on earth.
France
After the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1808 France was made to sign the Versailles Treaty and the insulting conditions that England and Germany set. France was to have an army of no more than 30,000 troops, no ships over 45 guns and were to pay the exorbitant amount of 400,000 Sovereigns and split their territories to the victors. The large expanse of Louisiana, stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian Rockies was given to Germany whilst the Barbary Coast and Western Africa was given to England. The country was thrown into a deep financial debt and to combat ruin the temporary leader, a Francois Depuis a minor Bordeaux noble, printed fraudulent bank notes severely devaluing the Franc to 499 per Pound Sterling.
A tenuous alliance was formed with Spain and after the Spanish-American Conflict Spain awarded France for its savagery during the battles of Twin Rivers, Juarez and the subjugation of Texas. France gained some spoils namely Cuba, Brazil and Argentina and after 150 years it finally established itself as an empire again falling under the Gerade line of monarchs ending with the current Jean-Prece III crowned in 1977. Their main exports are Wine, Limestone and raw Coltan.