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https://www.deviantart.com/chongblyat/art/HSwMS-Manligheten-1069059478 Manligheten was once the youngest of four Äran-class pansarskepps, the newest capital warships of the Royal Nordrikan Navy at the turn of the 20th century. His status as a fair-born meant his childhood was a charmed one; spending his days in a supple Gothenburg household, isolated from the rest of his Karlskrona-based brothers and being taught the arts of war and diplomacy. After all, his predecessor was a renowned veteran of the Rutho-Nordrikan War. Despite his lush upbringing, the pansarskepp always felt alone. A part of him despaired that he was fated to be trapped in a gilded cage. When Manligheten was finally allowed to meet his brothers in 1904, his clockwork heart jumped with joy. Although many times their fun was interrupted by their duties as members of the elite counter-insurgency 1st Pansarskepp Division, the four young men still had time to be young men - partying, drinking, making merry, and riding around their homeport when not on parade duty. The four were perhaps the most tightly-knit batch of gregarious drunkards and avid hunters. Manligheten's headstrong but aristocratic attitude on duty often contrasted with being a foolhardy party animal off it. Homeland and brotherhood were everything to the Äran brothers, and they swore a promise never to turn against one another. Being capital models, named after military virtues, and honorary descendants of Gustav III's own meant that the impressionable juniors of the Navy often looked up to the Äran-class. One of these juniors was a siblingless pansarskepp named Oscar II. Sympathizing with the boy's lonely situation and relating to his fellow Gothenburg heritage, Manligheten took the lonely Oscar under his wing. But he knew raising him would not be easy. The tensions between Noregia and Svitjod were climbing high. Conflict soon became obvious to everyone on both sides of Nordrike's west. Over the course of a few months, Manligheten played the role of father and instructor. He shared his wealth with Oscar to bring him the best education, food, and shelter. Oscar loved the aristocratic stepfather who provided his loneliness with tender companionship, his aspirations a role model, and his tears a place to cry. Navy Command suspected Oscar even developed his own rash and hawkish attitude from the young Manligheten. But just like Oscar, Manligheten's own youth and inexperience meant he didn't know just how devastating the upcoming war would be. The 6th of June 1905 was the start of a two-year bloodbath that was the Nordrikan Civil War, and the 1st Pansarskepp Division would be its most active Svitjodian participant. Amidst the violence and brutality swallowing countryside and city alike, Manligheten put to use the guile he was taught in leading the Division's Gothenburg "King's Own" Regiment. Assassinations, sabotages, and convoy raids were his go-to tactics in any battle. Manligheten fought and carried himself like a freikorpsman, a proud but pragmatic fighter who lived every day like his last and let intuition guide his actions. He controlled the engagement like a craftsman wielded their tools. Nonetheless, Manligheten held to a sense of honour and felt it did not conflict with his strategies. He went to significant lengths to avoid harming civilians and mistreating POWs, often luring his objectives out before dispatching them accordingly. Although Noregians were never as respectable as Svits in his eyes, the deaths of their civilians broke his heart as much as Svit deaths did. If there was anything he loathed, it was needless brutalization. Among his brothers and Oscar, Manligheten carried himself as and prided on being the "honorable Lion of Gothenburg." What Manligheten saw as honor was what Navy Command saw as disloyalty. The pansarskepp's stubborn refusal to carry out any missions he saw as "dishonorable" repeatedly frustrated them, to the point some even tried to remove him from his post. These attempts were initially blocked by his brothers, but Manligheten was eventually dragged from the frontlines for a supposed refit in 1906. The people did not share Navy Command's sentiments on Manligheten. Outside of Nordrike, the pansarskepp enjoyed a reputation of a just officer in an unjust war. His charisma, nobility, strong sense of honour, and aristocratic heritage made Manligheten the spitting image of a romantic war hero. From 1907 onwards, it was decided Manligheten would join Oscar in escorting the royal family in various diplomatic visits to improve Nordrike's reputation. Noregia could only seeth in impotent rage as the lion that hunted them down had his visage decorate stamps, posters, and photos. Nonetheless, the reality remained that the civil war saw a combined death toll of over a million and no significant territorial gains made by either side. Noregia's begrudging acceptance to stay under Nordrike was the sole consolation. Even though Manligheten supported Crown rule, he was not blind to the immense bloodshed the war caused. Manligheten was horrified at how it ravaged entire cities to rubble, it took the lives of the young and old without distinction, and traumatized the men who fought in it. The United Kingdoms of Nordrike were in no mood for warfare. Oscar, his young stepson, emerged from the war an utter mess. Although there was no term for it at the time, Manligheten knew what happened to him. He had seen it befall his brother Tapperheten. Manligheten considered turning to politics to find a less bloody solution for Nordrike to maintain its power. Upon the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Manligheten joined Tapperheten in clutching position as senators under Action Nord, Nordrike's right-wing party. Policies, not guns, would be the Crown's new reins over the impudent Noregia. His reputation and charisma spearheaded efforts to centralize the government, break up Noregian businesses through nationalization, and erase traces of Noregian separatism within the press. What lessons Manligheten learned in politics he taught to Oscar and the newly forged Gustaf V in private, hoping to have his junior mature into the honorable and tradition-commited man he was. Although Oscar initially had reservations, he earnestly supported his stepfather and planned to become a senator himself. Nonetheless, there were those who stood up to oppression. Many senators in the Noregian Stortinget fought ferociously to veto every censorship bill. Shipsmen organizations such as Gratis Nord smuggled censored material to the populace. Svitjod's view on the matter was mixed; some hated this deliberate breach of free speech and others lauded its cause. When Tapperheten's resolve began to waiver in the face of fierce resistance, it was Manligheten who inspired the bravery to face it. The Great Depression struck the world just a few years after World War I. Economies crumbled as prices soared out of reach. Many couldn't afford to feed or shelter themselves. The crash worsened as companies laid off workers en masse to save their finances. Debates raged in the Riksdag among different factions on what to do with the crisis. Action Nord, Nordrike's resident right-wing party, argued excessive government regulation and isolation in the economy was only making the situation worse; the free market would naturally right itself with interventionism. The hope of recovery and renewed imperial glory Action Nord provided became objects of adulation to the Äran-class. The nations of the Old World distanced themselves from Nordrike after seeing its brutal suppression of Noregia. The King was initially set on pursuing an isolationist path to allow the kingdom to lick its wounds, but the growing peril of his kingdom convinced him to try Action Nord's risky strategy. Starting from 1926, Manligheten, Tapperheten, and Gustaf V were assigned on training cruises as ambassadors to improve their homeland's standing on the world stage. Manligheten's attempt to apply his honorable mindset in warfare to diplomacy was mixed. Words could make or break trade deals that concerned entire economies. Obscuring and twisting the truth was an everyday matter. His stubbornness and lack of diplomatic tact initially turned a few trade partners away, but circumstances forced him to become flexible. Regardless of how well he healed diplomatic relations and boosted incoming foreign trade, Manligheten remained uncompromising on one belief; as long as he upholds his end of a deal, the other side will do the same to their own. He and Tapperheten inspired meritorious patriotism in the hearts of many in their native homeland, including Oscar. The two differed in party allegiances and beliefs. Manligheten preached Nordrike's glory while Oscar was unwilling to ignore its scars. The former saw the Livonians as lazy freeloaders, and the latter saw them as a vital workforce in the country's east. One believed higher education was a privilege to be earned, the other saw it as the right of every citizen. Nonetheless Oscar still loved Manligheten, continuing to sponsor his visits and support his economic policies. Handling diplomacy and international geopolitics mellowed Manligheten's temperament. His boisterous charisma quieted into unflappable calculation, his fondness for alcohol and the hunt died to dutifulness, and his princely mannerisms grew from a façade to an authentic part of him. He worked late into the nights to send updates, scheme against foreign powers, and draft political advice for the King. Manligheten's statecraft strengthened Nordrikan ties to nations like the Gallican Republic, the Parliamentarian Union, and the Polonian Commonwealth; whom he accurately saw as good trade partners (his personal beliefs on their citizenry notwithstanding). Nonetheless, it still worried him sleepless that he could not correctly predict nor control every action for Nordrike's sake. One late night in 1930 took him through the narrow waters of Horsfjärden. The fatigued Manligheten failed to see he made a wrong turn, and grounded himself. It took both Wachtmeister and Drottning Victoria to pull him out, and his injuries a year to heal. Despite warnings from his comrades to avoid overworking himself, Manligheten confidently reassured them he would be fine. As the amount of paperwork he was swamped in increased, so did the time he spent away from Oscar. A rift began to grow. Manligheten's continued diplomatic successes enticed his taste for politics and he was elected a senator for Action Nord in 1937. The Great Depression still left its mark on the ailing Nordrike. People could still barely afford to feed themselves. Nordrike's farmlands and factories were simply not yet able to provide enough, even with government aid. Left without answers on what to do, Manligheten turned his eyes towards the Holy Thedeland Empire - or rather, its successor. The senator was amazed at how a once bleeding country that civil war threatened to tear apart grew into a strong, stable nation ready to take on the Old World. Extremely assured of his veterancy in politics and desiring prosperity for his homeland, Manligheten secretly opened dialogue with the Thedereich. Much of the Thede leader's rhetoric appealed to his desperation and basest emotions. Although he disagreed with some of the more radical policies, Manligheten set about bringing his dreams to life. He campaigned tirelessly for increased military funding to ensure the nation was protected, and tariff-enforced autarky to ensure the people were fed. With popularity and flammable rhetoric by his side, Manligheten rallied a startling amount of support that pressured the King into entering a trade deal with the Thedereich. Just as planned. By allying with the Thedereich, Nordrike can stay out of the trouble brewing in the Old World, recover with foreign aid, and keep Noregia. What reason would the Thedereich have to invade them? Reap resources from their starved, wintry lands? Enslave their fellow Aryans? Make enemies with a Great Power that can assuredly defeat them? Unbeknownst to Manligheten, Quisling was set on revanchism. Aware of the strong anti-war sentiment in and weakened military of Nordrike, the governor used his ties to the Thedereich's Chancellor and established Noregia as a "freistaat" under him. The secession of Noregia in 1940 fractured the Riksdag as much as the people. Action Nord cracked under internal pressure as different subfactions bickered on how to handle the issue or selfishly profit off of it. Rather than be forced to fight against their own brother for their beliefs, Äran and Wasa stepped away from politics to honor their promise. Only Tapperheten stood by Manligheten. Journeying both to retake Noregia, Oscar led the Kalmar Bloc and Manligheten the Axis-supporting National Democrats. The two crossed swords in debates on how to handle "the Noregian question." Oscar was baffled why his own stepfather, the Lion of Gothenburg himself, was kowtowing to the Nazis and offering to split Noregia for a compromise. Manligheten was horrified at Oscar's apparent eagerness to wage a war that would be as bloody as the Nordrikan Civil War for a piece of land. He struggled to believe his greatest opponent, the calculating and ruthless man befor him, was the same warm-hearted young boy he raised. Where did he go wrong? The National Democrats went mostly unnoticed until 1941 heralded the Thede invasion of Nordrike's Livonia. Livonia had been used as a strategically important trade region and manufacturing hub by Nordrike for centuries, only made sweeter by the kingdom's poor military and lack of allies. Men, women, and children were torn from their homes, starved, beaten, tortured, enslaved, and killed by arbitrary standards in the name of "racial purity." Public and government sentiment became pro-Allies almost overnight. The reputations of Action Nord and the National Democrats as defenders of Nordrikan values crumbled. To Manligheten, Livonia's annexation was a grave strike against Nordrike, her glory, and the deal he made to secure her people's prosperity. How dare the Thedes betray a fellow Aryan nation! Seeing now what horrific fate working with the Thedereich led Nordrike to, he joined the Kalmar Bloc. The seemingly PR-motivated move distanced Gustaf V and Tapperheten from him. Just in time for a wartime modernization and the end of Manligheten's senatorial term next year. 1943 marked Nordrike's midsummer entrance into World War II. After recovering the late Ulven's crew, Manligheten led his regiment in raiding Thede supply lines in the Kattegat. The same talent that terrified Noregian insurgents put Kriegsmarine sailors and shipsmen through salvoes of unpredictable yet lethally accurate gunfire. Eventually, one raiding mission with an aerial escort put a stop to Manligheten's reign of terror, through an unpredicted 250lb bomb amidships that sent him running back to his homeport. Utterly humiliated by Oscar, his former "ally", and a newfangled invention that he once dismissed as a fad, the disquieted and disgruntled Manligheten spent the rest of the year patrolling Nordrike's eastern coast, occasionally skirmishing with U-boats. The summer of 1944 heralded D-Day, the Allies' landings in Gallica. Manligheten and his regiment led the charge at Juno Beach. Bullets from MG42s turned men into mincemeat. Pained howls and orders echoed throughout the gunpowder-filled air. It was death and destruction unlike anything he had seen. Steeling himself and hiding his growing grief, Manligheten motivated his men in taking ground and braving the horrors of war. Weeks turned to months as enemy soldiers hid in civilian buildings and Thede bombers stalked the skies. Despite his reputation as a pro-Axis senator, he exalted his men to act like liberators instead of bandits. It was all Manligheten could do. All he could control, but it was not enough. Ambushes still happened. Men still died. Bodies still piled up. The silence between vicious skirmishes and airstrikes remained uneasy and fragile. Even a wrong turn or a short trip outside cover invited a quick but brutal death by automatic gunfire. Iy was inevitable a day would come where one of Manligheten's cherished paid the price. He watched in helpless horror as a flight of Ju-87 Stukas dove towards Oscar and his unit, blowing most of them to shreds faster than Manligheten's old anti-air guns could react. The Lion of Gothenburg ran away from his unit to drag the broken, bleeding form of Oscar out of the chaos. The harsh blizzards, constant paranoia of ambushes, and the lack of cooperation with the locals made the 1945 Noregian Campaign an uphill battle. Manligheten and his aide-de-camp Fylgia made a steady but bloody march from Stavanger to Oslo, the former applying the lessons he learned from Normandy. Once the nation was fully occupied by the Allies, the Nordrikan government agreed to hold a referendum on Noregia's independence despite Manligheten's protests. Believing it would be better for both nations to stay under the Crown, Manligheten organized a swiftly successful coup against Noregia's provisional government. An Allied coalition led by Oscar and Gustaf was formed to oust Manligheten almost immediately. Even Tapperheten stood against his brother in the hopes of knocking some sense into him. (Manligheten feels betrayed) By 1950, Gustaf V was made flagship of the Royal Nordrikan Navy. As part of resuming the navy's role as an upholder of the Kingdom's neutrality, Gustaf relieved Manligheten ot his regimental leadership and assigned him to be Inspector of the Nordrikan Shipsmen Service Troops in 1956. The backline role suited the weary yet calculated and experienced Manligheten greatly, which he continued to serve in until his relief from duty in 1984. Shipsmen were trained and built for one purpose: war. There was no certainty in their fate after it. They had no home but a port, no rest but a light nap, no duty outside warfare and planning the next engagement. Manligheten's outwardly stoic appearance hid the scars within. Fear overtook his world. The brutal sights of D-day haunted what little sleeping hours he had. His ears still rang as if the guns had freshly sounded. His hands trembled and tightly grasped a sabre that was no longer there. He no longer had control. He spent years bouncing from employer, to the streets, to yet another employer. Far from an arrogant, regretless, yet principled soldier, Manligheten entered civilian life as an apprehensive and fretful old soul. The only stable employment he found was as a dock worker for Röda Bolaget. The present felt strange. Uneasy. Manligheten's days were spent in repetitive physical labor, hauling boxes and bags of goods in and out of cargo holds. He seldom spoke, only nodding or shrugging whenever someone tried to converse with him. With all the new technology he was expected to use, Manligheten couldn't tell what was worse: the constant reminder of what was left behind, or the realization of how far he had fallen. The life he knew was over a long time ago. Now, he was simply a tired, disillusioned dock worker trying to make a living.

TMT (Thermo-Mechanically Treated) bars are a critical component in modern construction due to their superior strength, flexibility, and durability. From residential buildings to large-scale infrastructure projects, TMT bars provide the foundation for safe and resilient structures. This article delves into the manufacturing process of TMT bars highlights their benefits in construction, and discusses essential maintenance practices to ensure the longevity and effectiveness of these bars in any construction project. Manufacturing of TMT Bars: A Detailed Overview The production of TMT bars involves a carefully controlled process that ensures high-quality steel bars with optimal mechanical properties. The following are the key stages involved in the manufacturing of TMT bars: Raw Material Preparation The process begins with the selection and preparation of raw materials such as iron ore, limestone, and coking coal. These materials are melted in a blast furnace to form molten iron, which

Food safety is a critical concern in India, given its vast and diverse food industry. Ensuring that food products meet safety standards is not only essential for public health but also for businesses to build trust and credibility. This is where FSSAI third-party audit services in India come into play, offering an independent assessment of food businesses to ensure compliance with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulations. What is FSSAI? FSSAI, or the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, is the apex regulatory body responsible for setting and monitoring food safety standards in the country. Established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, FSSAI aims to regulate the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import of food to ensure its safety for consumption. Compliance with FSSAI standards is mandatory for all food business operators (FBOs) in India. To further enhance food safety practices, FSSAI encourages businesses to undergo