Government Type: Although Aberys officially classifies as a "Republic" Its democratic process is far from fair, the legislative body, the Elector Assembly being under the rulership of many minor and major Noble Houses of Old Arthana, the lowborn and non-human populace cut off from any representation. Every fifteen years the Noble Houses of the Elector Assembly congregate in the Capital City of New Lorimir, the founding city of the Arthanan Refugees, once the Assembly is called, the Nobles Houses must decide on a vote on which House Patriarch is chosen to lead as High Chancellor of the United Provinces, the Patriarch elected to be High Chancellor of the UPA therefor must relinquish authority of his former holdings to his next of kin as he is moved to New Lorimir.
Culture: (No nation is without culture, in fact culture is usually what makes a nation. Explain yours.)
History: (How did your nation get here? What wars did it fight? What intrigue has shaped it? Try and collaborate on this.)
Military: (Mostly optional, this can be fleshed out IC. If you have the time, provide an overview of your military and its capabilities.)
Bawelna was once a land of agrarian tribes vying for ebbing power. Dappled by mosquito infested lakes and a vicious volcanic chain to its south, it stayed the eyes of many would-be conquerors. The chief example of this being Verenjost “the Vile” a hegemonic empire which had swept the land’s river tribes to the West. With luck, or perhaps lack of, this modernizing force found colonizing further further past the river Ruére and into the bowels of the Wyoski mountains to be a frivolous task. Instead the infamous scourge swept northward into the lands of the desert heathens. Here the western plague was defeated, as much by the land as by the inhabitants, and driven back from the lands of Sorace.
With the survival of the eastern world secured by this unlikely of saviors. The will of god took the mighty Verenjost in sickness. Seeing their freedom as won by no other than divine intervention, the head religious figure of the free tribal holds and a former nobleman of the river confederacy, Duke Gulac, took the holy crown. Afterall it was through his prayers that the great and peaceable folk of Bawelna were saved, though penniless and malaria ridden they may be. Fueled by their position as the only free heirs of the river folk, the clans of Bawelna were forged into a competent--if slightly autocratic-- government for centuries to come.
Though united under a tattered flag, the region’s economy soon exploded with agricultural advances. With sustenance in plenty, the vast majority of lands were turned over to cash cropping. Cotton became king and ruled every facet of Bawelsh life. Cotton barons became so wealthy that their power often supplanted the crown ten times over. The government became a puppet state for these mercantile interests, but remained an important part of cultural life for the proletariat.
At the turn of the industrial era, a new force emerged on the Bawelsh landscape. Textile. The southern mountains, unprofitable for crop yet well nestled in the coast and mouth of the Ruére river, became overrun with factories to refine the produce (cotton in particular) of the north. Timshuk Trading Co. became an international name overnight.
Profits were massive, and with such new money came new eyes hungry for their take. Sorace, the once saviour of the westfold, became its captor. Twenty years ago the northern menace launched an invasion into Bawelna, tearing through her northern reaches with brutal efficiency. The border once level with the Confederacy, was rapidly battered southward. The armies sent to counter the incursion tattered under the command of the young recently crowned Duke. A boy of twelve he was slaughtered in combat during the opening days of the war. Without another heir to inherit the throne, the monarchy had vanished with a blood filled wimper.
However, vitalized by the sacrifice of their boyhood martyr (and inflowing sums of mercantile interests at home and abroad), the Bawelsh defences became feverous. With their retreat across the land and the destruction of its infrastructure and crop in their wake, Bawelsh forces began to stall their superior foe. Sparse victories were won against outstretched Soracean forces by defeat in detail. From the fray a military hero of the Bawelsh people emerged, Szymon Montague. The sizable cotton baron (fit with his own army and means of financing them), was at the helm of most of the pyrrhic victories Bawelna saw. Seizing the opportunity of a Soracean political change and stall in their advance, the historic metropolitan trading hub of Barakburn was amassed with grain and troops to last the winter. With their flank secured by the neutral border with the Confederation of the Ruére, a last stand took place here that changed the fate of the war. With its strategic importance and ability to launch massive strikes from the area, it was a city that could not be ignored. And as such, Sorace poured millions of rounds and men into the makeshift fortress of flesh. Envelopment after counter envelopment. Weeks turned into months. Thousands of casualties turned into tens, hundreds, nearly a million as the western front was consumed by the stagnant cyclone of steel and mud.
To the East Soracean advances progressed, but with most of their resources focused on the city of Barakburn, Colonel Szymon Montague “The Crop Fox” was able to hold much of the Soracean advance at bay. With mounting naval victories (heavily funded by Timshuck Trading Co.), as well as the unleashing of U-boats in the Bay of Sorace, the Eastern front became a meddlesome place to supply across millions of acres of burnt and shelled land. With ever increasing political pressure from home, the Soraceans were consigned to armistice. A heroic victory was won! Its cost: ~half a million men, women and children dead, thousands of square kilometers annexed and occupied, a thousand year monarchy extinguished, billions of dollars in lost revenue, sacked trade routes, and refugees fleeing to Confederation of the Ruére in droves. But momma didn’t raise no bitch.
The Bawelsh civilization survived and has hustled its way back onto the center stage of international commerce. Reeling from the losses of its able bodied workforce, the cotton fields (now dotted with cement machine gun pits, anti aircraft guns, and a smattering of howitzers) have now been supplemented with the able hands of those abroad. Some prisoners of war on lease from warring neighbors, Soraceans captured in the War of Northern Aggression, and still more from uncivilized colonies of the East. It is, of course, best not to ask the origin of such rabble. Rather ungentlemanly. Much better to sip mint juleps and oil the guns should Northern invasion return again.
--- Government ---
The lands of Bawelna were once held by a negligible monarchy. Though their rule was modest and altruistic, their power parity in the region was never to the snuff of their neighbors. In fact, their kindred ties to the river kingdoms westward were often the crutch which kept their impoverished fiefdom intact. To their south, the mountain communities of Parowy became the suzerain of the distant Kolbarite for centuries. Their holds on the city-state only being relinquished under the mounting political pressures of the Ruére, and general inconvenience of the land.
However, in this weak government there was allowed to burgeon a second type of rule: those who owned the crop. With vast swaths of private land under the control of excessively rich barons, the scene was set for an economic revolution. That tide came with the advent of cash cropping. Entire provinces became devoted the the output of luxury goods, chief among them cotton. With the industrialization of the newly reclaimed region of Parowy, goods were able to be processed and shipped the world over. The wealth of this second oligarchy soon surpassed even its beloved, if feeble monarchail line.
After the invasion of Sorace and the complete evisceration of the monarchical line, the vacuum of power was readily seized by the cash oligarchy. Some even suspecting foul play in the convenience of this arrangement. Never the less, the arch barons of their respective enterprises became de facto dictators of their respective holds. The chief of these men being Szymon Mongegue, a man who held nearly half the northern cotton crop and has only increased in power since. To his south, in the billowing smoke stacks of Parowy, lies the only man who could rival his coffers; the infamous superintendent of Timshuk Trading Co., Claminy Timshuk.
As it stands, the Grand Duchy of Balwena is a land under mercantile, autocratic rule. With all guns pointed north, she stays afloat by men who have seized her reins to protect her with full strength. Ideal is not a word that can be cast on this land, but survival certainly is; and by the grace of god it will remain.
--- Quick Glance ---
1) Free to Practice Religion?
Technically, yes. The north certainly retains a much greater variety, but it is unwise to mark oneself as too much of an outsider in this political climate. Citizens/laborers/dreks of the southern city-state of Parowy nearly all follow the teaching of the Goddess, in line with their centuries of foreign influence and the many places of worship wedged between smoldering piles of coal.
2) Freedom of Movement?
No. With the looming threat of subterfuge from the north, all papers are thoroughly checked by military personnel or the foreman incharge of the citizen’s supervising plantation. Men and women of higher standing are--of course-- not bothered by such frivolities.
3) Freedom of Speech?
No. While subtly in the form of song or prose is often allowed with a callowed smirk, it remains heavily monitored. Less gentlemanly versions of descent are often met with a noose.
4) Freedom of Assembly?
Men and women are welcome to assemble in the market, welcome to assemble in the field, welcome to even assemble at a soul-filled pig roast; but if you get caught with a sign in your hand, it will be considered a fancy-worded target.
5) Freedom of Press?
No. With fake news filling the air, and propaganda finding its way from the north, all media is tightly controlled by the government. Literature, music, scientific articles, though often groomed by “authorities,” are generally accepted and encouraged.
6) Right to a fair trial?
When gentry are at fault, they are often awarded a grand trail with audiences and even radio broadcasts. Celebrities to their own right.
Commoners are walked out back and given a birdload to the head.
--- Military ---
Though technically conscripts, the Bawlesh army and navy has existed in a nearly feudal system since the War of Northern Aggression some 20+ years prior. Most able bodied citizens are impressed to arms in some capacity. As such, the bulk of the agricultural workforce has become subsidized by mechanization and foreign labor of often tenuous acquisition. Still, due to a disproportionate propaganda and decimation of anti-nationalist journalism, the moral of the forces is at an all time high with frequent suicides of citizens deemed “unfit to serve.”
With the shattering defeat of the Bawelsh cavalry brigades in the opening volleys of the war (the crown monarch falling amongst the butchered hooves), the navy has become the crown jewel of Balwelna. With u-boat festered strike-groups, victories against both Soracean military and civilian targets was a major turning point in the onslaught. Now, the ground forces focus on the meat and potatoes of established defensive positions with the true innovation and financing being siphoned to the marine arm of the Bawelsh Amphibious Strike Group.
Scared, hungry boys.
--- The Land ---
--- Men and Women of Fine Standing ---
Colonel Szymon Montague “The Crop Fox” - Current Regiant of Bawelna - Most profitable cotton barron of the northern plain, became a war hero in the invasion of Sorace. Current dictator of the rebuilding state. Highly educated and well traveled.
The Honorable Claminy Timshuk - Founder of Timshuk Trade Co. - Industrialist of the South East making his money off of textiles and trade of Bawelsh processed goods. Financer of its navy. Rumored to have consorted with Sorace invasion decades ago for the political and economic gain of his business.
Official Name: Grand Democratic Federation of Kolbarite Peoples and Lands
Common Names: Kolbara, the Kolbarite Federation
Short Desc: Federal Semi-Presidential Republic, multi-party system.
The Government consists of three major branches, the Judicial, various courts, Legislature, the National Forum, and Executive, President and Prime Minister.
The Legislative is split between the Senate, and the Assembly, forming the National Forum. Laws require approval by both the Senate and the Assembly however the Senate has traditionally held more power than the Assembly. Senators are elected on a national basis, votes are counted by administrative districts and tallied at the national level. Seats are awarded to parties on a proportional basis which then choose the specific persons to be Senators. There are two-hundred seats in the Senate, this tends to represent urban populations much more than rural locations due to party politics. Senator terms tend to vary as elections can be called before the necessary date, an election is required to occur every six years unless emergency powers are invoked.
The Assembly is quite different, based primarily within the administrative districts members of the Assembly are elected from a select geographic location and tend to represent the people of that district much more than their party affiliation, if they have one. Additionally comprising many more members than the Senate, at four-hundred seats, the Assembly tends to represent rural and localized politics much more than the Senate could hope. Assembly Members are elected for three year terms.
This split is primary the result of compromises held in the formative years of the Federation, to both try to hold onto the various peoples of the old Empire while not alienating powerful Elites. As a result in the major parties some members of nobility hold quite an amount of influence, as do industrial and trade leaders. In the Assembly local politics hold the most concern, and resultingly the Assembly as traditionally ignored foreign affairs and has historically been less unified and powerful than the Senate in controlling legislative power.
The Judicial branch, the court system is a odd one in the Federation. Most judicial positions are elected, additionally there is no jury. Most criminal courts are overseen by three judge panels, civil cases usually have a singular local judge although larger matters typically reach upper levels in the Judicial structure. There are four levels, and two seperate judicial types. Locality and National are practically two different systems. Locality operates within a district, applying to local laws and crimes, while National operates on Federal crimes and cases.
Three levels in both National and Locality systems, District courts have original jurisdiction, Appellate courts have appellate jurisdiction and the High court is traditionally the final appellate court, typically setting standards of interpretation and legality. The Fourth level is a rarely used position, appellate only, the Superior Court of the Federation is convened of the High Court as well as several additional justices as chosen by the President of the Federation. The Superior Court typically only decides on cases ‘involving or having effect on the security of the people’, this has been interpreted traditionally as to involving treason or another such threat. The Superior Court has only seen four cases in the Federation’s history. Three of such were directly after the Aberysian invasion of Arthana and had reference to local leaders of a revolt there.
The Executive Branch of the Federation is split between two heads, the Prime Minister and the President. The President is elected by majority vote in a instant runoff election. The Prime Minister traditionally has been the head of the majority party in the National Forum. The President is the primary holder of power while the Prime Minister typically serves as a restraint on Presidential power. Presidential terms are three year assignments, although there is no limit on amount of terms no President has had more than three, and few more than two. The Prime Minister is mostly dependent on Senatorial elections which can vary.
The President is the head of most of the various Bureaucracies of the state as well as the Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Military, excluding the Republican Guard which answer to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister typically serves to have veto power over various Presidential decrees, although this has rarely been used particularly the Prime Minister has more legal power than is typically used given the power of the Legislature being the primary check on power. Most Bureaucratic heads are Senators of the current government although the President has a large amount of appointment power within the organizations themselves.
In the Federation local areas mimic the national government structure to many degrees, typically referred to as ‘republics’ although they are not sovereign. One major exception is the ‘Kingdom of Hresawep’ which is a constitutional monarchy comprising most of the areas the Wpermana tend to populate. Most administrative districts correspond to locality administrative districts to various degrees although some exceptions are notable. In addition to the broad governmental areas there are selected ‘Free Zones’ which are their own governments, primarily due to ethnic/racial concerns in relation to the more homogenous ‘republics’.
Secular State although overwhelmingly large amount of Nimuists, practically all politicians are Nimuist, as is around nine in ten Kolbarites.
MORE IS TO COME
There are six major species in Kolbara that make up the modern Federation. The Genzi and Vazna, collectively known as the Jaanges, two avian species that make up the majority in the South-East and various locations historically colonized by them, in and outside the Federation. Typically the Genzi and Vazna live in close proximity to one another as most cultural ties are characterized by duality and a closeness for the other species. Generally there is no real cultural difference between groups of Genzi and Vazna as they tend to share the same communities, values, and identity.
The Wpermana, often derogatorily referred to as ‘lizardmen’ or ‘lizardfolk’, are a highly tradition bunch centered almost entirely in upper central Kolbara, to the north of Arthana. They are the only species outside the Jaanges to gain full protection under the Empire and represented in previous colonial lands as well as a small number in Aberys. Previously caricatured as collaborators of the Empire in pre-Federal times, the Wpermana as a group still tend to have cultural and ethnic clashes with Liolotani groups, although these are increasingly rare and less violent in general.
The Liolotani are a species, and most definitely not a culture unlike the Wpermana which trend that line in a strange way. Often referred to less than pleasantly as ‘Gnolls’ or ‘Scavengers’ they have historically been a group heavily discriminated against under the Empire, and this has largely improved in the Federation although some vestiges still remain. No real generalities can be made about the Liolotani culture as there is not a Liolotani culture, groups in the North West are often more dissimilar to groups in the North East so as to make any real statement almost invariably false.
Humans, one of the most common species outside the Federation and present in the Federation as well. Most of the Human population in the Federation is ethnically Arthanan, although some groups hail from either colonial or trading partners from Imperial or Federal times. Notably there are three major cultural groups in the Federation, Old Arthanan, most of the human population especially in the region previously of the Kingdom of Arthana. ‘New’ Arthanan, typically either immigrants or the children of immigrants from Aberys, coming to the old country and adopting some of its customs. And finally the Gezkol, which is a word mostly of relation to the word ‘foreigner’ and is a catch all for other humans, as practically useless as that is in defining peoples.
In addition to the island of Kaasav, which is mostly inhabited by the native Kaa’ur, notable as having no representation in the Senate while maintaining self governance and some representatives in the Assembly. The Kaa’ur, typically referred to as elves, are a people, their name is a cultural designation referring to those of the island, excluding non-elves. The vast majority of inhabitants of the island are elves, and they are seldom found living in large numbers elsewhere in the Federation.
The culture of Kolbara is a strange one, as customs vary a great deal depending on the various peoples of the Federation. However there is an element of the cultures of the Federation that can be generalized overall. Contradiction, is the core defining character of Kolbarite culture. Not to say that there isn’t a cultural unity but instead that there is a unity that holds ideas that would seem to contradict. Fiercely democratic but also treasuring their powerless nobility, an intense interest in progress and the way of the future while holding tightly onto the way-things-were. Each Kolbarite tends towards these seeming contradictory beliefs without issue towards them.
This has frustrated many a foreigner, particularly as another feature that is and has been emblematic of Kobarite Culture is a kind of soft arrogance or chauvinism. Less in your face but polite and complete disregard that foreigners could actually be better because of things heightened in Kolbarite circles. During the Imperial days this was much more pronounced as Jaanges supremacy and superiority in the High culture, however in modern times a kind of democratic everyman form of this has taken its place in the major governmental and societal circles. Especially politically many citizens of the Federation like to criticize the world as being ‘less democratic’ or ‘free’ as themselves, often pointing to their own greatness and ideals as being superior rather than any other reason. This often comes into contact with those same ideals which hold that they should be ‘helping’ others to reach their perceived heights, resulting in quite a bit of condescension to others. Of course this doesn‘t always affect things like policy or diplomatic operations but it is a pretty common portion of Kolbarite culture to hold this view.
As well there is a large difference in the culture of Kolbara because of, or perhaps formed by, their political systems. An incredibly large amount of organizations, clubs and other forms of social participation rely on democratic or republican structures as a basis of formation and leadership. One would be hard pressed to find a Kolbarite who is not an elected official either governmentally, or socially such as a president of a club or other officer. If one did find such a Kolbarite it would be practically impossible to find one who had not previously participated in such a system. In a way that can be astounding to some other peoples, the very social fabric of Kolbara has electoral systems woven into it, something that has no doubt contributed to the historically high levels of voter turnout in the Federation. In recent years it has become even more pronounced as the current Government has made a priority of economic reform, specifically the inclusion of more democratic structures into general business practice.
Short History: (Gonna summarize the History section, see that for why there isn’t anything here yet)
History: (How did your nation get here? What wars did it fight? What intrigue has shaped it? Try and collaborate on this.)(Need to collate a lot of stuff before it can be written out)
Military: (Mostly optional, this can be fleshed out IC. If you have the time, provide an overview of your military and its capabilities.)(Need to get to this sorry about not having much info right now.)
