Post by Lithuania on Dec 7, 2010 17:16:42 GMT -5
Nation: Lietuvos Respublika
Name: Toris Lorinaitis
Gender: Male
Appearance of Age: 19
Hair Color: Light Brown
Eye Color: Forest Green
Height: 5’7
Weight: 138
Personality: Worrywart. It’s a phrase that Toris hears often enough, and it’s probably the best way to describe him. He is constantly worrying over the wellbeing of others after all, especially his brothers and Poland. And when you’re worried about Poland’s wellbeing, there’s hardly time to be anything other than deeply concerned. Because of this it isn’t rare to see Toris fretting over this or that, making sure that everyone around him is as happy. He’s also very easy to embarrass, feeling that there’s a certain way that he should act and also gets flustered easily.
That doesn’t mean that Toris is an unhappy soul. On the contrary, he tries to stay positive and make the best out of whatever situation that he’s in, as well as make things better for those around him. True smiles might be rare, but Toris tries as hard as he can. Feelings about his own wellbeing, or whether he is uncomfortable or not, are often bottled up inside and pushed down and away. It can lead to a few passive aggressive outbursts here and there, but on the whole, Toris is very welcoming to people, once he begins to know them.
Unfortunately, keeping at least a slightly positive façade and constant worrying are draining on the nation of Lithuania. Taking on too much work at once because he made the mistake of saying “I’m fine.” can often lead to exhaustion. If the exhaustion doesn’t catch up to Toris, then his stomach will twist itself into so many knots, it might be considered a medical miracle. Luckily, Toris has taken to modern medicine well and keeps a container of stomach ache pills for just the occasion.
Likes:
+ His Baltic “brothers” [ We aren’t brothers per say, but I-I care about them.]
+ Feliks [Of course I like him! He’s my best friend after all.]
+ Times spent in the rye fields
+ Tea or coffee, it doesn’t matter to him [J-just need the energy to get all this paperwork done.]
+ Peace [Rare as it may be but it’s something to work towards.]
+ Playing chess [It’s challenging and fun. Unless Feliks cheats. Again.]
+ Sunflowers [They’re bright and beautiful and the only way to really calm Ivan down]
+ Belarus [So… S-so cute… ~ <3]
Dislikes:
- Things different from the norm [F-feliks please put on some pants…]
- Being bullied [No Feliks! I’m not wearing one too, there’s nothing you can say that will g-get me to.]
- Being considered feminine
- Being flustered [I-I-I’m n-not blushing! S-stop laughing Feliks!]
- Others being unhappy [… Fine. I-I’ll wear it. J-Just stop making that face. ]
Fears:
~ Betrayal – He still has nightmares about Feliks taking Vilinus from him.
~ Powerless – Because what else is Toris good for if he can’t at least protect those around him?
~ Losing his independence – Last time he was free, it didn’t last very long. Toris won’t go through losing his independence a third time, not if he can help it.
~ Russia – Does this really need explanation?
Strengths:
+ Loyalty - Toris will always stay by the side of his friends and those who he holds dear to his heart, no matter what happens.
+ Resilience – He’s been through a lot through his life and hasn’t been under the kindest of tyrants. Even so, he keeps his scars and his pain to himself and allows it to make him a better person. Toris may be cracked, but he hasn’t broken yet.
+ Serious – Give Toris work to do and it will get done guaranteed. Someway, somehow.
+ Patient – Toris doesn’t mind if it takes a little while for things to happen, or if it takes a while for people to understand. The walls of Vilinus weren’t put up in a day, after all.
+ Swordwork and Martial Arts – There’s a reason Toris and Feliks ruled most of Mid-east Europe in the past. Toris might be rusty at this point, but don’t underestimate his strategy in battle.
Weaknesses:
- Kindness – Because of his willingness to help and unwillingness to say when something bothers him, it is incredibly easy to take advantage of or influence Toris.
- Physically Weak – There was a point in time when Toris lands stretched from the bottom of the Baltic sea all the way to the tip of the Black Sea. That was long ago. Now Toris struggles to keep a hold on the small bit of land that he has left, with much larger, stronger countries flanking him.
- Thinks Too Much/Low Self-Esteem – A lot of Toris hesitance comes from thinking too hard about his actions and worrying over every decision he makes, because he often makes the wrong one. He often depresses himself when he thinks, another reason he always keeps stomach pills handy.
- Bad Judge of Character – You would think that when your first date with your unwilling crush ends with your hand and fingers being broken by said crush, you would give up. Toris has trouble taking the hint.
History:
Pre-State
The first signs of human life in Lithuania began in the 10,000 BCE. It is believed that the earliest people who inhabited the land were traveling hunter groups, arriving from the area of modern day Poland. In 3,000 BCE, agriculture developed. This allowed the nomadic groups to settle and become entire tribes. It wasn’t long after agriculture that these groups became known as the Balt Tribes. The Balt Tribes were for the most part peaceful, with little interaction with the Roman Empire apart from trade generated by the Amber Roads. They included the people who would become the Lithuanians, the Prussians, and the Latvians.
It isn’t until 1009 that Lithuania is first referred to as a nation, not merely a tribe.
The Grand Duchy Lithuania
While Lithuania might have been called a nation in 1009, it isn’t until the 13th century that a true nation emerges. During the 13th century, the Teutonic Knights (Prussia) swept through the Baltic forests, conquering many of the Baltic tribes to forcibly convert them to Christianity. The knights more or less destroyed the tribes residing in Latvia and Estonia, and turned their attention to Lithuania. The tribes were understandably nervous.
The united under the force of Mindaugas, the Lithuanian tribes beat the Livonian Brothers of the Sword (Germany’s equivalent to the Teutonic Knights) and quickly turned their eyes to Prussia. Prussia, being awesome as he is, decided that he could give Lithuania a chance to make a treaty before war broke out. Mindaugas accepted the treaty and became baptized, becoming the first King of Lithuania and Lithuania became a true kingdom and a nation. His rule was relatively peaceful and Lithuania was calm for a time. Unfortunately, the peace did not last for very long.
His ambitions to unite all of the Baltic Tribes and his relapse into Lithuanian paganism led to his assassination by his nephew Treniota. The result was several internal battles and wars over who would be Mindaugas’ successor. It would be the Teutonic Knights again that forced Lithuania to compose itself once more as during this period of unrest. The Great Prussian Rebellion against the Teutonic Knights ended and in 1291, the last of the Baltic tribes is conquered by the Teutonic Knights, leaving Lithuania as the last standing Baltic country.
The figure of Vytenis arose from a line of generals. He became the new head of Lithuania and marked his reign with fierce fighting with the Knights and the Kingdom of Poland. Lands lost after the death of Mindaugas were quickly recaptured. A wide defensive network of castles spread across the Neman River to buffer against the Knights. Not long after, Gediminas succeeded Vytenis in 1316 and began an even more brutal campaign of expansion, not content with merely regaining lost lands. By the end of the campaigns, The Grand Duchy of Lithuania stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea, most of Ukraine and Belarus under wing. However not much blood was shed for the sake of expansion. Rather, most areas agreed to be vassals of Lithuania, having already been conquered by the Golden Horde.
When faced with a decision between being ruled under the brutal Mongols or the relatively peaceful Lithuanians, it isn’t hard to see why Lithuania expanded so quickly.
Gediminas is also the one to move Lithuania’s capital city to the city of Vilinus based upon a dream in which an iron wolf approached him on the walls of the city. Supposedly, this was taken to mean that the city of Vilinus would be safe from invasion. But it wouldn’t be until the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth that Lithuania would feel completely safe.
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Poland and Lithuania had an uneasy relationship. Poland was constantly trying to push upwards, which Lithuania did not appreciate and Lithuania was trying to push downwards which Poland did not appreciate. Around the 14th century, the two Kingdoms had reached an uneasy truce. Once again, the further development of Lithuania is really all the Teutonic Knights fault.
The Teutonic Knights attacked Poland while their relationship was at its highest point. The King of Lithuania and the King of Poland just happened to have been close cousins and under the demands of the Polish King, Lithuania was successfully Christianized in 1386. So when the Prussian knights decided that Poland needed its vital regions seized, Lithuania jumped to assist. The Teutonic Knights suffered one of their most crippling defeats at the Battle of Grunwald. And all was well.
Until Russia started growing.
Moscovia (A young Russia) was rapidly expandingafter this period, taking Novgorod, one of Lithuania’s oldest allies, in 1478. Moscovia was now the most powerful country in Northeastern Europe. Finally in 1569, the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania joined in the Union of Lublin to form the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Most of Lithuania’s lands were transferred to the Crown of the Polish Kingdom. To give an idea of the split, Poland had the lands it currently owns and nearly all of modern Ukraine while Lithuania kept its current lands and modern Belarus.
The Commonwealth accomplished its purpose and deterred Russia, and any other nation from attacking until 1795. An unfortunate drawback to the union was a loss of Lithuania’s self. Lithuania went through a gradual process of Polinization. So Lithuania did what Poland said and spoke Polish as well, Polish becoming the official language of Lithuania in 1696, Lithuanian being a language for the lower peasant class.
But then in 1795, Prussia, Austria and Russia all decided to get together and attack the Commonwealth. Lithuania and Poland were thoroughly trounced. Prussia got dibs of Poland. Russia got dibs on Lithuania. Austria got to listen to Chopin while sipping tea. Thus everyone was content with the Partitions of Commonwealth. Not including the Commonwealth itself.
Can’t Get Away From Russia
Lithuania lived under Russia for a long time after that, never given any official recognition as a nation apart from Russia. Not without trying to leave though. During Napoleon’s invasions of Russia in 1812, Lithuania welcomed and even assisted the French soldiers, considering them to be liberators. Of course, like a true Frenchmen, Napoleon met General Winter and ran away quickly, back to the warmth of his wife and wine. Lithuania was left alone again.
There were rebellions against the Russians in 1831 and 1863, but both fail miserably. The might of the military was nothing like it had been in the Grand Duchy, or even the Commonwealth. So Lithuania rebelled the only way that was left. With culture. There was a book ban in Lithuania and in 1864, the Lithuanian alphabet and language was banned from being used in schools. Some of Lithuania’s greatest poetry about the Grand Duchy comes this time period, printed abroad and smuggled in.
Even after the tsarist reformations in 1905, Lithuania was not allowed the same autonomy that was granted to Estonia and Latvia. It is WWI that give Lithuania the opportunity to gain freedom.
Lithuania was one of the nations to fall to Germany in WWI, one of the nations incorporated into the Ober Ost. As the war was coming to an end, Germany prompted the conquered nations to create its own government that would supposedly become dependent on Germany. But Lithuania didn’t, and took the opportunity to make an Act of Independence in 1918 instead. And because Germany has suffered such a defeat in WWI, it really didn’t have the strength to argue with Lithuania.
Lithuania’s independence was rough. Russia moved in to try and re-conquer Lithuania. Lithuania fought back tooth and nail but by 1919, a year after Lithuania declared independence, Soviet Russia owned 2/3 of Lithuania. Poland immediately brought help, starting the Polish-Soviet war. Both Germany and Poland helped to push out the Red Army temporarily. But Poland was also fighting Lithuanian soldiers, trying to capture Lithuania’s capital which was claimed to be a part of Polish territory during the Commonwealth.
In an attempt to keep Vilinus, Lithuania tried to find an ally in Russia. In 1920, Lithuania signed the Soviet-Lithuanian Peace Treaty in which the USSR identified Lithuania as an independent country and the Vilinus region as Lithuania’s, not Poland’s. This did not make Poland happy. A peace treaty was signed between Lithuania and Poland, but the Polish general Lucjan Żeligowski staged a mutiny and seized the capital of Vilinus. While Poland claimed to have not had anything to do with the mutiny, it had no problem considering Vilinus annexed a year later.
Needless to say, Poland and Lithuania weren’t on very good terms after this, though the fear of a quickly reunifying Germany kept diplomatic relations at a relatively normal level. And Russia jumped on the opportunity.
Through Soviet-Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Act, Russia promise to return Vilinus to Lithuania, which it did. On the condition that 20,000 Soviet troops would be allowed into Lithuania’s borders. Lithuania tentatively accepted the deal. A year later Russia returned with an ultimatum. Create a pro-Soviet government and allow an unlimited number of Soviet troops into Lithuania or be destroyed. The 20,000 troops earlier mentioned were already stationed strategically to bring Lithuania to its knees if the offer was refused. In 1940, Lithuania became the Lithuania SSR and petitioned to become part of the Soviet Union, bringing an end to its independence.
WWII and Under the USSR
Not much is to really say here. Lithuania bounced back and forth between Germany and Russia. When Germany attacked the USSR, they were welcomed, much like Napoleon as liberators. But Germany had no intention of ever giving Lithuania independence again. In 1944, the Soviet Red Army reclaimed Lithuania and as a part of the Yalta agreement, United States and Great Britain agreed upon allowing Lithuania to be a part of the USSR.
While Lithuania did not have the military might to fight the Russian’s head on, they were the head of the Baltic Resistance called the Forest Brothers. The Forest Brothers were a collection of mainly guerilla fighters against the USSR occupation. Their efforts against the USSR are often referred to as the Lost War which ended when the last partisan was killed in battle, 1965. In the end, it wasn’t strength that drove the USSR out but the collapse of the Soviet System.
Lithuania declared independence in 1991, the first of the Baltics to do so. And today, remains independent.
Allies: Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and America are probably the ones Toris would claim to be closest friends with. But he tries to be polite and friendly towards everyone, regardless.
Enemies: Toris tries not to hold anything against anyone… So he wouldn’t ever say that he has any enemies. Even so, he tries to avoid crossing paths with Russia or Prussia. Even Germany is still a little frightening.
Sample Post:
[This was for a WWIII RP with a person who didn’t exactly know too much history so there’s a lot of mentions of background in this. Sorry!]
Read, stamp, pile.
Read, stamp, pile.
Read, stamp, reread, throw away.
The year is 2010, and Toris Lorinaitis found himself doing the exact same thing he had been doing for the past several hundred years. No matter how many years went by, paperwork was just something that was a reality for all countries it would seem. The man - really, the idea of a man – closed his bright green eyes and leaned back in the beaten leather chair with a soft sigh. There was one noticeable difference from this paperwork that separated it from the rest of the years that had been piled on since that one faithful day in the snow, and perhaps even before that. Every paper, every single one was addressed to Toris Lorinaitis. Every single one was addressed to the country of Lithuania.
His worried frown twitched into a small smile as he leaned back further in the chair.
Yes, the man who sat behind the desk couldn’t really be considered human. Not in the traditional sense anyways. He was the representation of an idea, of a people gathered under one particular banner that stood for a nation. His had been a long history, not one of the longest by far, but he had been around since 1037, at least and that was a long enough life by anyone’s standard. He looked back on the older years fondly as well. He had been a strong nation and when he had been with Feliks, the country of Poland… They had lived a good life, untouchable by even Prussia and Austria. Feliks had been a little bossy perhaps, but working with Feliks was much better than working against Feliks and so it had been alright. Recent history though was a little less kind to the Baltic country.
1795. The Partitions of the Commonwealth and the start of the downhill slope that Toris had suddenly found himself pushed along. They couldn’t keep the combined forces of Russia and Prussia both out and Toris had been the first to be completely claimed by Russia who had forcibly dragged him to live at his house for what seemed to be the rest of Lithuania’s years, while Poland was face down in the snow. His closest, perhaps only friend, had laughed while he was taken away. It wasn’t until after the Third Partition that Poland stopped laughing.
Neither of them enjoyed the best lifestyle under their overlords. Lithuania served Russia as best as he could in the following years, all the while looking for the best way to escape. Every rebellion seemed to end in failure and in awful punishment Toris preferred not to think of but damnit, he had survived. He had survived everything up until 1991 when he finally declared independence from Russia, from Ivan, from everyone and everything and he was working to become strong once again. He wouldn’t be forced to live under the heel of another, not again. It was all fine and well in thought at least but he better be able to put it into practice, he quickly thought. Toris was not exactly one who was so very firm in their opinions when it came to intimidating other individuals. Perhaps it came after working with Ivan, perhaps it had always been in his nature. Who knew?
Eyelashes fluttered open and stared up at the ceiling flecked with chips of white paint starting to show beneath the chipping yellow. Another thing to add onto things to do, but he certainly didn’t mind. He was making fast progress in the world with his freedom. He was free. He had his own house that required him to cook and clean for himself, not for others. He was free. He had piles of paperwork now addressed to him and not Poland, or Russia. He. Was. Free. Nineteen years and the thought still surprised him and thrilled him, sending bubbles of nothing but pure joy running through his veins. The bottles of pills had not disappeared but had grown considerably smaller these years, sitting faithfully by the edge of his desk. He reached out, shifting forward in his seat and lifted the bottle, snapping the top off and dumping four or five of the tiny round pellets into his mouth. Snapped the cap close and push them away, swallowing them without any unnecessary water or anything like that.
The last bit of paper work sat in front of him, demanding attention immediately but Toris pushed away from the desk, wheeling away on the intricately woven carpet and turned to look outside the window. The paperwork could always be done a little later, he decided (still rather delighted that he could decide things now) as he stared out through the glass panes. The winter landscape stretched out before him, the snow disappearing and melting with the black trees of the woods that stretched out behind the house Toris had gotten for himself to stay within. He smiled despite of himself and raised his hand to touch the glass, fingertips pressing against the thin barrier. He could feel the cold from the outside bite into his hand, trying to force itself into the room. He only observed and remembered, opting to hold onto the thick stem of the wilted sunflower that sat in a vase on the opposite side of his desk and enjoy its warmth instead.
The wilted sunflower was faded, the edges of the few petals that clung to the thing still pitifully hanging on for their lives. Toris felt one gently between his fingers. Dry, brittle and fragile. The normal bright yellow of the petals had faded to a near grey brown color. His fingers twitched. The petal tore itself from the flower, coming off and falling gracefully onto the palm of his hand, landing like a Russian dancer on her toes. It looked even worse off in his hand though, not having the company of at least the curled remains of the greenery which had also faded in color. He sighed and shook his head, crushing the petal and tossing it away into the waste bin by his desk. It wasn’t as if he had left the flower in the corner of his room and had simply not taken care of it. No, Toris paid close attention to details like that when he was so used to caring for a huge house. It had been given to him like this, already dead and with a bright pink bow and tag tied around its neck.
With love, from Feliks.
Toris and Feliks had become friends again after Lithuania had declared independence. Both of them had changed in their time apart, but such changes hadn’t meant much to either of them. They were still close, perhaps even closer now that they had been separated for so long. It was true that the other was a bit of a ditz, but was surprisingly perceptive when it came to certain subjects. Toris really wished that he wasn’t. Perceptive was one thing. Tactful, understanding and kindness were completely separate from being able to see what was hidden under smiles and reassurances that Toris was indeed okay and yes, he had moved on in his life from the past. Toris hated these small signs that Feliks knew. He was trying so hard to pretend and forget and truly move on, not just fake it. Couldn’t Feliks pretend too?
Another sigh and the rest of the flower found its way onto Toris’ desk, beside the paperwork but hidden, kept away from sight. It would lie there until the next morning, but until then Toris wouldn’t have to see or think about it at all.
He turned back to the window and looked out again. This time the view had something new. There was a figure moving in the snow towards the walkway of the house. They had to be knee deep in the snow and by the looks of the outside, it must have been freezing cold for that poor soul. Toris touched the glass again and tried to see the figure better. Hardly anyone really visited Lithuania and especially not in the winter. While he had gotten his independence back, he wasn’t exactly a big player among the other nations, only barely noticeable to be invited to the World Conferences and not pushed aside or ignored like Sealand (who, bless the tiny ‘nation’, was helping Latvia as much as Latvia was helping him, Toris certainly couldn’t look down on him for that). It couldn’t be Poland. Feliks would always be wearing something French and stylish and altogether impractical for the weather and would never resign himself to trudge across the snow to the door from such a distance. He would either ride one of his ponies or order Toris to come out there and carry him inside.
But if it wasn’t Feliks, who could it be? Toris squinted harder and as the figure moved closer, more details came into view. Very light blonde hair, almost an off grey color like the sunflower petal he had just thrown away. A old beige coat, perhaps not old but the fashion was certainly dated. Nothing Feliks would ever wear, Toris quickly reminded himself, although his heart twittered in excitement, a mash of nervous energy and a fleeting moment of positivity coursing through him. There was also something silver in this stranger’s hand, something silver and bright and… Oh. Oh no. This was no stranger. No stranger at all, but entirely much too familiar.
Oh crap.
Toris immediately swung himself out of the chair, reaching up and snapping the curtains shut, letting the inviting olive greet their visitor instead. It made the room much darker, to cut it off from the sunlight but that didn’t matter right now. He whipped around and raced for the door, knowing that he had approximately 5 minutes to close all the windows and lock the door. The chair grabbed his leg, slamming him face first into the carpeting of his floor. Scratch that. 3 minutes. He scrambled up, ignoring the pain running through his bones and dashed downstairs. The front was the most important. Once that was secure, then he could worry about boarding up the rest of the house. It might be safer to move through the back of the room though than to simply wait here and face the wrath of the beast that was fast approaching.
This worrying was eating away at his time as well as his nerves.
He locked the door quickly, three latches and then immediately moved to the windows, drawing the curtains up as well. It was cutting it close, the man was probably only a few feet away at this point. If he tried to move, he would probably hear the movements and then he’d know for sure that Toris wasn’t gone anywhere or that the house was empty and then that would only make things so much worse. So instead of moving towards the back door, Toris simply sat propped against the wall beside the door and pulled his knees to his chin. Goawaygoawaygoaway. The phrase ran over and over and over in Toris’ mind as only one thing in this world mattered any more, and only one fact remained.
Ivan Braginski had come to visit.
Did you read the rules? Awesome! Chick pancakes! … Wait… Where’s Gilbird?
