Difference between revisions of "Letonna"

Latest revision as of 18:20, 22 September 2014

Letonna
[[image: {{{arms}}}|x78px|Coat of Arms of Letonna]] Flag Coat of Arms
Motto: Shine on you Crazy Diamond
Anthem: "Oceania"
Geography
Area	km2
Water (%)	{{{water_area}}}
Highest point	Southern Verth Mountains
Longest river	Yough'Gah River
Demographics
Population	200 million
• Density	103/km2
• Growth	.5 year%/year
Median age	35 years
Demonym	Letonnian, Letonese
History
Founding of Per'Gath	~1000 AD
Feudal Letonna is born	~1600 AD
•  Empire of Letonna is formed	1750
Government
Capital	Letonna City
Official language	Inglish
Type	Heridatary Empire
Legislature	Imperial Senate
Economy
Currency	Let (Victory V) ()
GDP	~900,000
• Per capita	15,000
• Growth	1%/year
Sectors	19% Agriculture 70% Industry 11% Services
Unemployment	5%
Gini
Development
Life expectancy	68 years
Improved water access	98%
Literacy	98%
Enrollment	98%
• Primary	99%
• Secondary	70%
• Tertiary	9%
Standards
Measures	metric
Date format	month day year
Traffic	right side
Codes
ISO code	EL
Internet TLD	.el
Calling code	+12

The Empire of Letonna, or simply Letonna, is large nation on the north eastern corner of the continent of Pelegia. There are no official provinces, states or regions in the empire, but rather governing city states that have land to oversee. The Empire of Letonna has been existent for over 250 years, and maintains a semi-formal dynasty with the Gyth bloodline. However, only within the last 25 years has the nation banded together into a more stable and unified nation. Historically, Letonna has been a land of cold weather settlers with a strong distrust for anyone outside it's native lands.

The Empire, and many of it's citizens, used to be on the southern continent of Peruvia. But after an uprising of lower class citizens over reduced civil rights and rising grain prices, the government was overthrown, and went into exile with many of citizens still loyal to the Empire. The Empire later found refuse in the politically unstable of Neustria, where it remains today.

History

When the large cold valley of present day Letonna was settled, it mainly consisted of small farming settlements that domesticated local wildlife and crops. Over many hundreds of years, many of these camps and settlements bound together in rough bands or tribes. It is estimated that these early tribes primary purpose for greater organization would be for trade and land disputes with neighboring tribes. It wouldn't be to around 1000 A.D. that the first appearance of a kingdom of several tribes, dominated by a head chieftain or kind came about. This large kingdom, known as Per'Gath, would exist for the nest 200 years, slowly cannibalising neighboring kingdoms until it would encompass the most northern half of the modern size of the Nation of Letonna. At around 1600 A.D.a coup involving radical members from the more prominent towns and cities in the region overthrew the feudal government and established a 'city state parliamentary kingdom'. during the next 150 years, conquest from this new expansionary and conquest driven regime would grow to spread the letonnian land claim eastward to the Isenguard mountains, and southward to the sea. Due to the expansionary and aggressive nature of the Letonnian people, border conflicts were common with the Dwarven people of the Mcmasterdonian lands. At around 1750, a second and final coup, by royal ministers to the then kingdom, murdered the king and established a hereditary ruled Empire, encompassing almost all of Modern day Letonna. The first Emperor being Emperor Rav Gyth Leton, the most dominant of the traitorous ministers. Keeping the idea of ruling city sates to lessen the blow of governmental power shifts, but establishing a very centralized government all under the direct supervision of an administration answering to the rule of the Emperor, The Empire of Letonna was born.

The Nation of Letonna remained officially neutral during The Great War. However, The government did profitier off the conflict, selling resources and war supplies to nations looking for them. This would earn the nation of Letonna, and it's Emperor few friends in the international political sphere. Soon after the great war, years of bad harvests drove the price of grain up. The government hence rationed the grain, but due to corruption, resources were not evenly distributed, leading to starvation of some of the Empires more poor citizens. In the fall of 1919 a.d., revolt broke out in the capital of Letonnasburg. Soon lower class workers from neighboring town and cities flooded the city, ransacking government food warehouses. The military could not hold back the mob as they swarmed the royal palace. The Emperor fled with many other members of government, and made for the northern coast where many of the Letonnian ships were docked. Word spread quickly what was happening, and many more cities and town fell to disgruntled citizens. The Emperor ordered what military stations that were avaliable to try to quell the rebellion. Some generals and commanders, seeing the end was near, refused, and stood down. Others, realizing it was futile, just tried to defend themselves and make their way north to the more loyalist regions of the nation. Three days after the initial uprising, any remaining military in the southern reaches had ceased to report in. The remaining government officials advised the Emperor to not pursue war. Emperor Titus famously said, standing on the bow of The Brave:

    "Let them have it. Those fools will have no idea what to do with themselves. They will freeze, they will starve, the will kill themselves. Over what? Burnt cities and failing infrastructure."

At this same time, The Nation of Neustria, in the north west corner of the globe, was on the verge of collapse due to a costly defeat in The Great War. It was announced to all loyal citizens in Northern Letonna to seek refuse there by any means they could. Military ships took as many as they could, while civilian vessels were commandeered to carry passengers north. Arriving in the spring of 1920, the government in exile and it's people were welcomed by several splinter groups in the dying government. Thinking that these new arrivers could help prop up a new government in the event of a revolution, General Vach Klaunder of the Neustrian military welcomed these refugees in, and arranged living conditions, employment, and over all accommodation to the Letonese, with the idea they may support his eventual Coup d'état of the government.

By 1923, Klaunder asked Titus for his support in orchestrating a coup. Titus, having motives of his own, told him he would lend what remained of his military, which had remained docked in the harbor, in taking the Neustrian capitol building. Letonese forces would approach from the east, while Klaunder men would take the west. On April 16, 1923, at 6 a.m., before any government employees arrived, Letonese forces swarmed the capitol, 2 hours prior to the arranged time. Neustrian forces, loyal to Klaunder, arrived only to find themselves being fired upon by Titus's men. Chaos broke out in the city. Letonese fought Neustrians loyal to the fragile government and Klaunder. Letonese military ships fired on major government instillations in the city, while telegraph lines cut. Klaunder was eventually taken hostage, and his men ordered to stand down. After 3 days of intense fighting, The remainder of the Neustrian forces surrendered the city.

April 20th, 1923, Klaunder, along with members of his command and the Neustrian government, were execuited on the deck of the Letonnian battleship, The Sech. Much of the city was destroyed. Many letonnian citizens were drafted to police the city, while former Neustrian military personnel were guaranteed food for their families if they joined the Letonese.

Much of the nationside remained uncontrolled, and fell to Neustrian warlord command. Emperor Titus, determined to reestablish an Empire, sought out to claim these warlord states. Starting in the Summer of 1926, Titus, personally commanding his forces, invaded the warlord state of Brevfaulm, to the north of New Letonnasburg. Brevsfaulm is heavily agricultural region. Hence, Titus enforced scorched earth policy, burning farmland as he progressed. Surrounding the hold out of the Warlord, Titus ordered his forced to stand down and surround the city of Tempf. When asked by one of his generals why he asked them to stand down, he proclaimed.

  "Research can be better than the best siege. Sharper than your bayonete, and mightier than the rifle. We burned all their food. They may have enough to last until November, but they will starve. Eventually we will send over leaflets, proclaiming we will exchange food for an unconditional surrender."

Titus's plan worked, and on November 12th, The city surrendered. Titus offered the same deal to the former soldiers under the warlord as he did the old Neustrian military: You will be provided food for your family if you swore loyalty to the Emperor, and New Letonna. Now with a sizable force, Titus conquered the remaining warlord states, one by one. By 1930 The final province was conquered, and an Empire was solidified. Titus could comfortably rule from his throne once more, if the war had not taken such a toll on him. He suffered from sleepless nights, and paranoia. Those closest to him claimed he feared an uprising again, as well as assassins and betrayal. His hunches would eventually come true. In 1943, he was assassinated in his evening meal by means of cyanide poisoning. The Public was told he died in his sleep, as not to give ideas to disgruntled political groups. His only son, Heir Apparent Ulfrum, was too young to rule. It was determined in an emergency meeting that he would be fit to rule at an age of 22, after appropriate schooling, and his ministers would govern themselves in the meantime.

The Empire slowly grew and recovered from it's wounds. By the 1950's the Empire had grown enough as a whole where it could conduct it's first international military operation. in 1957, it was decided by the counsel of Ministers that a growing Letonna was in need of resources and growing room, and hence it would reclaim the old Neustrian colony of Nova Neustria. In April of 1954, a sizable military and naval force were sent to Nova Neustria. The territory was taken in less than a week with very minor casualties, due to it having a mostly agricultural population with no organized military. This was a major morale boost for a general public, whose concern about a growing more empowering and less transparent government had left them worried.

By the late 1950's and early 1960's however, Letonna was to enter another military conflict, but this time with it's own subject. Long oppressed, a population of the Neustrian population of Letonna had organized and began terrorist actions against the government. Although Letonna was the subject of much international criticism for it's involvement and handling of the conflict, it received financial backing from numerous sources during the conflict, and it was over in less than 3 months. Although a failure, the Letonese leadership realized that change was necessary to avoid future uprisings. Immediate action was taken by Emperor Ulfrum to proceed with stricter civil rights bills and to defame and charge various government officials with war crimes and human rights violations. The advancements were so successful, that by 1968, Neustrians were holding public offices and were welcomed back into letonnasburg.

Geography

Letonna is primarily a flat fertile region. It's heavily forested in the western portion, with more airid dry regions in the south, while it's eastern half is more rocky and wet. Much of the western border is made up of the river Tel, which separates Letonna from Myroria and Austrasia to the west and south respectively.

Politics

The peoples of Letonna, ever since the Kingdom of Letonna was formed around 1600 ad, have been a very moderate people. It can be noted that the Kingdom of Letonna was politically aggressive towards it neighbors, and hosted a very nationalism like spirit. No official parties existed during this period, but many influential nobles and members of government who shared similar ideas would form the foundations of modern Letonnian politics.

When the Empire of Letonna was formed in 1750, there was much political upheaval for the next 4 years. Although no civil war ever broke out, strong political rivalry's that exists to this day were formed. The first clear political party that formed in this new Empire would be the Loyalists. They supported the Emperor, and were typically former ministers or high ranking government officials in the old Kingdom. They supported a very authoritarian rule over the city states and public affairs. Fearing this very central government, a group of mid to lower ranking politicians banded together to form a rival party nick named (and later to become their official name) the Outer Whigs. This name came about from the fact the people opposing the very centralized government were politicians and members of the city states furthest away from the capital.

From 1850 to around 1970, Letonna was dominated by self suffecient Ministries. Each Ministry dominated a specific sphere of government, headed by a minister. They often passed their own legislation, laws, and handled their own enforcement. However, any rules or actions could be overridden by the emperor, or by a majority vote of all ministers. By the 1970's, the Ministries were being transitioned into a democratically elected parliament. The crown still remained as the supreme power, but less infallible, and answerable to the parliament. Some ministries did survive the reformation of government, like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice.

Economy

Letonna is a strong industrial region. Most areas of revenue come from industrial production, chemical manufacturing, and resource processing. Letonna is known to have very rich mineral deposits in its many mountains. It has become a large exporter to other developed and developing nations. Many of it's goods range from pharmaceuticals to luxury goods to raw materials. Although not technically a Cefnor Nation, Letonna shares many economic and strategic benefits with many Cefnor nations, and often has imported and exported to a lot of these nations.

Religion and Culture

Historically, the peoples of the region of Letonna have worshiped pagan harvest and nature gods. Not much is known exactly how, when or why these gods were worshiped. The loss of this information is likely due to many cultural shifts throughout history. It is known that around the time of the settling of Per'Gath, the ruling hierarchy outlawed their worship, fearing that devotion to a unseen and understood being would distract the subjects and lower their devotion to the new government and their duty's to the king. Although a slow and painful transition, the devotion to these gods was abandoned, and no cultural documentation was kept. With the founding of the New Empire, no official religion was ever established, nor was any religious activity outlawed. Nearly all citizens hold no religious feelings or beliefs.

The Letonnian people have a unique culture in comparison to the rest of the continent. Holding personal gain, hard work, and loyalty can be seen as the roots to their actions and goals. Although a modernized people, traditional values still underlie their personalities. Most notable is the bonds between individuals and families are not as strong as in other nations. This is theorized to be because historically ones personal gain and glory took priority over emotional connections and devotions. In modern Letonna, Pursuit of personal advancement and gain are often priority in a persons life rather than companionship. It is believed that emotional connections are a later luxury once a person has already achieved much in the ways of employment, financial gain or political placement.

When relocating to old Neustria, many Letonese converted to Myrorian Catholicism, and many churches can be seen in Letonese towns and cities belonging to this religion, or close relatives of it.