Remikra, 1264 to 1308

Canticula, 1267 to 1287

Deep-Trade: Definition

Deep-trade is the spellfire practice of assigning special tradestones to represent certain shares of certain assets of value for a particular business. Licensed spellcrafters can "explode" deep-trade stones in order to produce currency or items of value equal to the value the said stones represent. However, since this is an end-use and there are far more tradestones than licensed spellcrafters available to engage them in a timely fashion, it is a more economic practice for a stoneholder to purchase a tradestone at a particular value, then sell it whenever it increases in value, in order to make a profit.

Retun and Prove: Established Relations

In 1285, a trade arrangement signed between the Lykian and Retunian Republics split the Galapolgis Island of Vantacula between the two nations and allowed private businesses to establish themselves here. Legally, all of Vantacula was under Lykian jurisdiction, but the Lykians had decided through the trade deal to lease the Western half of the Isle to the Retunians. Thus, Retunian businesses, primarily deep-trade firms, were allowed to open alongside similar Lykian businesses. Furthermore, a mutual agreement in the trade deal exempted deep-trade transactions between Lykian and Retunian businesses from tariffs or taxation. There was no deep-trade arrangement yet between the two nations, politically speaking, although there was the potential for such an arrangement to materialize in the future, sparking excitement among investors across both nations. In the meantime, deep-trade transactions were facilitated as John Waysworth, a prominent representative of the Bucksworth Financial Institute, headquartered in Hasphitat, established a branch office in Vantacula.

In November 1285, the National Bank for the Lykian Trust, or NBLT, extended an invitation to John Waysworth to establish a Provan chapter for the Bucksworth Institute Tradestone Commission in a high-value office space in the city of Prove proper.

John Waysworth in Prove

John Waysworth accepted the invitation and established the Provan chapter in January 1286. Before long, he began selling valuable deep-trade stones to Lykian banks and businesses, and using the proceeds from this to purchase Lykian deep-trade stones to sell to Retunian tradestone markets. Net proceeds from all of this paid into lucrative dividends, particularly for Waysworth as well as Bucksworth shareholders back in Remikra.

On November 10, 1286, John Waysworth's office in Prove was sacked by Lykian officials, who conducted a thorough search of the premise and arrested John Waysworth, himself. Waysworth was charged with fraud and espionage, and faced a possible death sentence. Retunian Prime Minister Arthur Cummings had just returned from a Summit in Vantacula with Lykian President Restara Unjoy when he was informed of this. Immediately, Prime Minister Cummings sent his best known lawyers to defend John Waysworth in the Lykian court proceedings, an approach that succeeded in convincing the Lykian Justice System to reduce Waysworth's sentence to deportation. On November 14, John Waysworth was taken to a holding cell at a border crossing between the Lykian Republic and the nation of Umcings, where he would wait until a Retunian air reconnaissance unit came to pick him up.

John Waysworth was not informed on when the reconnaissance unit would come. So he decided to escape custody and flee into the surrounding countryside. The issue here was that the border crossing was located in the highlands of the Chokian Mountains, where the climate was cold, snowy, and harsh. Furthermore, the landscape was filled with dangerous wildlife animals such as bears, wolves, and predatory wysps. Supposedly, John Waysworth escaped a close encounter with a bear on the first night, and a close encounter with a wysp on the second night. Finally though, on November 16, an air rescue reinforcement team launched by Cummings upon news of Waysworth's escape assisted the original reconnaissance unit, and spotted John Waysworth. They rescued him and flew him back to Remikra.

The Lykian War

Lykian President Restara Unjoy condemned the so-called Waysworth Scandal, holding the Retunian government responsible. As it turned out, Lykian authorities received a tip that John Waysworth had been selling stagmarcated tradestones, or tradestones worth almost no value being sold to unknowing clients for a falsely high value, hence the reason for the sacking of John Waysworth's office in Prove on November 10. And when they searched the premise, Lykian officials had spellcrafters "explode" three of John Waysworth's tradestones, which turned out to be duds.

How did the Lykian authorities find out about John Waysworth's scandal in the first place? During the Summit between Prime Minister Cummings and President Unjoy, which took place on November 6, Prime Minister Cummings sent a letter to President Unjoy asking for her and her family to join in on the Scandal. The issue with this approach was that the NBLT, the primary bank victimized by the Waysworth Scandal, was the very institute in which the Unjoy family had deep stakes. The Retunian public in years to come would condemn Prime Minister Cummings not only for taking part in the Waysworth Scandal, but also for his daft judgement behind writing the letter to President Unjoy. Needless to say, the Retunian Prime Minister's decision at the Summit made absolutely no strategic sense.

Regardless, President Unjoy, on December 24, 1286, issued executive orders freezing all trade relations with the Retunian Republic and revoking the lease in Vantacula. Subsequently, she ordered Retunian authorities to evacuate all Retunian civilians and businesses off the Isle. However, Retunian authorities refused such orders and called on Prime Minister Cummings, who more than obliged to send in Retunian Marine and Army forces to defend the Retunian settlers from local pro-Lykian partisans consisting mostly of Vantaculan natives. While doing this, Prime Minister Cummings news of the hostility from Lykian leadership be withheld from the Retunian public, as well as informed the Retunian Department of Defense of a "possible local partisan terrorist threat."

In short, Cummings aimed to preserve the newly-gained status quo by defying orders from the Lykian government while trying to prevent the Retunian public from becoming aware of possible Lykian hostility.

Between January 2 and January 23, 1287, Retunian and partisan forces engaged in numerous skirmishes. On January 24, the Lykian Navy arrived, engaging with Retunian forces in a heavy battle across the Isle, another development that Prime Minister Cummings prevented from being disclosed to the Retunian public. Between February 4 and 5, Cummings sent the Retunian Navy, which succeeded in driving all Lykian forces off of Vantacula. Cummings then summoned the Lykians to an "emergency counsel" in order to negotiate peace and territorial concessions, an invitation to which the Lykians responded with cold silence.

On February 6, 1287, President Unjoy ordered high-flying Lykian aircraft to drop Red Desert bombs upon South Masonia, Hasphitat, and the Basin District of Retun proper. Each of those targeted cities was devastated by the attack as the entire Retunian population went into panic. President Unjoy gave a second order for Prime Minister Cummings to surrender all of Vantacula.

Prime Minister Cummings refused to comply to this. Between February 7 and 16, 1287, the Lykian Navy renewed its assault upon Vantacula and attempted to take it by force. The Retunians held their ground; and on February 15, Prime Minister Cummings ordered an airstrike on the Lykian base in Gyrosak responsible for the Vantacula initiative.

On February 16, 1287, President Unjoy responded with Red Desert bomb attacks on Egdir and Retun. Later that evening, in the wake of these events, particularly with the city of Retun proper being struck by two Red Desert bomb attacks, Prime Minister Cummings signed a mutual cease-fire with the Lykian Republic. On February 17, the island-nation of Rakara, allied to the Lykian Republic, facilitated the signing of a Treaty by the Retunians to surrender not just Vantacula, but most of the Galapolgis Isles to the Lykian Republic. The consolation here was that the Retunian Republic was allowed to keep the five Westernmost Isles.

Thus, the war was over.

Fallout

Retunian businesses lost many of their trade posts. Roughly seventy-five percent of the Retunian trade network around the Circlarian Ocean would eventually be recovered; although the apex of Retunian trade achieved in the early-to-mid-1280s would never be achieved again.

The Retunian population would lose trust not only in Prime Minister Cummings and his Administration, but also the Retunian establishment as a whole. The public was outraged at the John Waysworth Scandal and the gag orders given by Cummings to hide from the public the truth about the Lykian War. A group of Representatives in Retunian Council filed a motion to have Prime Minister Cummings impeached.

In the midst of all this, however, emerged a significant question: Why did Prime Minister Cummings explicitly tell President Unjoy about the John Waysworth Scandal? Speculation arose from this, because in 1285, Cummings and Waysworth had become involved in a conflict of interest over a revised tax code. During that brief exchange of civil hostility, Waysworth vowed to have his firm reduce funding to Prime Minister Cummings' prospective 1290 re-election campaign. This led to speculation over whether or not Cummings' reveal of John Waysworth to President Unjoy was, in fact, a form of retaliation. However, there was no hard evidence to back up this theory.

A major revelation came in the year 1359 with the discovery of a letter to Arthur Cummings from his mother, who lived until the year 1302. It was dated March 10, 1286, months before the Summit in Vantacula. And that letter contained advice from his mother for Cummings to invite President Unjoy to partake in the "lucrative business arrangement" involving John Waysworth.

Scholars initially rejected the so-called "ridiculous and completely ludicrous notion that an elected public official would act on the whimsical advice of a personal family member in this way." However, there are quite a few factors now known about Arthur Cummings. First was that he was known to take advice from his mother without question, even in matters where his mother, though undoubtedly well-intentioned, was not well-versed. Also, Cummings was raised in a very affluent socioeconomic environment; and though he was good at the practice of business, particularly in banking, he did not ace his college courses in history and political science. All of these factors in combination led Arthur Cummings to become extremely, and even dangerously, complacent when it came to making serious decisions like those in a public office.

The impeachment motion against Arthur Cummings in 1287 never made it past a vote in the Retunian House of Representatives. Cummings would encounter another impeachment motion against him in 1295, but that failed as well. However, Cummings would lose the 1296 election against the Progressive candidate, John "Red" Waltmann.

John Waysworth, meanwhile, announced an early retirement in December 1286 and moved to the Mid-Westerlies, where he would remain until his death in 1310.

Information Up To Date as of 20 April 1476

Beginning:

After the prolonged war and defeat of the Kingdom of Tomlas, the Edoran Duchy of Nalesh was established in the year 775. The Duchy of Nalesh would be ruled by the second oldest Edoran royal family, the Kathingtons, and the third oldest royal family, the Ericsons. Standing as one of the most respected of all Edoran Duchies thus far, Nalesh would be formally recognized by the Crown of the Great North, giving it political legitimacy in diplomatic affairs.

Early Years- 775 to 1165:

The ruling Kathingtons and Ericsons administered the Duchy of Nalesh directly, taxing its subjects and keeping order, as Duchies normally do. The government seat in Nalesh proper, the House of the Duchy of Nalesh, was divided into two Chambers: the Low Chamber and the High Chamber. The Low Chamber was, and is to this day, the only part of the House accessible to the public, serving as a venue for a variety of events. The High Chamber, meanwhile, is only accessible by invitation only to the ruling families and high-ranking Remikran government officials like the ICSR Prime Minister.

Since its establishment in the 770s, the Duchy of Nalesh has hosted Conferences between numerous Remikran entities, following the twelve-year Circlarian Calendar by hosting such Conferences roughly every fourth, eighth, eleventh, and twelfth years of each twelve-year cycle. The purpose of these Conferences has been to promote peace between the said Remikran entities, and, in more recent years, "to promote strength, unity, and fellowship between all current and former member entities of the Remikran Union."

During a typical Conference, invitees to the High Chamber gather first in its Atrium where informal meet-ups and conversations occur. They are then summoned to the Dining Hall of the High Chamber where a Chaplain appointed by the Duchy leads the invitees in a formal prayer before the Dinner takes place. Afterward, the invitees proceed to the Great Salon where selected speakers each give a speech highlighting achievements versus struggles, statements of appreciation between Remikran entities, trade agendas both domestically and abroad, and concerns regarding local and global politics.

During the same Conference, civil servants, lower-ranking officers, and select invitees of the general public convene in the Low Chamber, where there are usually parties, concerts, and sometimes even galas. The number of attendees here is significantly higher than the number of attendees in the High Chamber.

It is important to note that both the High Chamber and Low Chamber Conference attendees convened in Nalesh during this time period.

The Great Real Estate Purchases- 1165 to 1305:

In 1165, the last living descendant of the Ericson family line, a patriarchal line, died. Members of the Kathington family line, a matriarchal line, came to the realization at this time that they were the last legitimate family line, under Edoran Royal principle, to rule over the Duchy of Nalesh. Once they died out, the property, territory, and assets of the Duchy would pass onto an independent entity, who would govern over all as an independent state. Wanting to ensure that the end of the Duchy would not prove costly to the other Remikran entities, the Kathington family vowed have their wealth passed in equal distributions to all current and former members of the Remikran Union. In crafting these terms, the Kathingtons determined that they needed to amass more wealth, and would do so through the buying, and then selling, of additional pieces of real estate.

The Duchy of Nalesh made its first round of purchases between 1177 and 1184, during which they purchased three properties in Notulfa, one property in Vantacula, and eight properties in Tandeiyah. Each property had a one-level structure imitating almost precisely that of the High Chamber of the House of the Duchy in Nalesh. Like the original High Chamber, only certain invitees were allowed to come to these venues. To enforce this, each venue was hidden and concealed by spellcrafting from the public. The second round of purchases occurred between 1245 and 1248, during which the Duchy of Nalesh purchased five properties in Furthing, three in the international city of Cenofan, and nine additional properties in Tandeiyah.

For its third round of purchases, having occurred between 1281 and 1289, the Duchy obtained forty-three more properties, all located throughout the Great Ancondrian River Basin. Like the other properties purchased, these new acquisitions were replicas of the High Chamber concealed from the public; however, in 1291, the Duchy authorized appointed Keepers of each of these chapters to establish trade posts in the region, a move made with the signing of the Nalesh Duchy Trade Authorization of 1291. In 1292, they followed through with authorizing the Keepers of all of the other properties attained in the first and second round of purchases to do the same.

By 1305, the Duchy of Nalesh had a total of seventy-two properties abroad.

The Nebaya Crisis of 1305:

Since the 1000s, the society of Nebaya has been reputed to be a rural and simplistic society, but also militaristic and ambitious for global trade. In fact, they are controversial for having engaged in aggressive tactics, including piracy on the high seas.

It was one of these sea sorties upon a sea guild closely allied with Congress of Circlaria in 1305 that led the international body, Congress of Circlaria, to authorize the invasion and political sanction of Nebaya County located in the Great North. As per international law, the Great North permitted Congress of Circlaria troops to carry out their legally-sanctioned duty, as due process authorized for Nebaya County to remain under sanction until the year 1353.

Nebayans outside of the Nebaya County jurisdiction voiced contempt over this. And the leaders of the Duchy of Nalesh feared a possible insurrection, though such a feared uprising would never actually materialize. Nevertheless, the Kathingtons took no chances and determined to relocate themselves to one of their properties abroad as well as have Representative Consorts handle public appearances in the Great North. This would be the case going forward.

The Three Relocations:

During the Duchy of Nalesh Conference of 1307, Low-Chamber attendees convened in the Low Chamber with their informal events as was tradition. However, High-Chamber invitees convened in a concealed venue in Anadon, the capital of the Great North, where the functions and turn of events were just like what happened in previous Conferences. The Duchy then held another Conference in 1308, for which the High-Chamber invitees flew to Nalesh to board airships to meet with the Kathingtons in one of their concealed venues in Furthing. Here, they began discussions to establish a permanent venue for the High Chamber far from Nalesh in a yet-to-be-determined location, where the Kathingtons would live and all future High-Chamber Conference meet-ups would take place.

An agreement on the aforementioned issue was finally reached in 1311. The parties involved in the final agreement are not known, and neither are known the transactions and funding involved. What is known is that the location of the permanent alternative High Chamber venue was, and is, on a Duchy-owned property located somewhere in the Southern part of the Great Ancondrian River Basin. What is remarkable about this is that, due to the location's relative proximity to the South Pole, the weather here is almost exactly like the weather in the Great North.

In any case, the first High Chamber Conference took place at this location in 1316. And every High Chamber Conference since has taken place here. Each time, invitees fly to Nalesh where they board reconnaissance gyroplanes to fly them to the High Chamber location. Again, no one knows where exactly this venue is located, not even government leaders. In fact, gyroplane positional systems are coded to be undecipherable after one flies over the Northeast Ancondrian region, as passenger windows are darkened.

Only the Kathington family knows the location of the place. They live here. And they will not disclose the location of this place until after the death of the last descendant of the Kathington family line, during which a perpetual will is due to be opened to disclose the relevant information. To complicate matters further, the public knows the existence of only significant figures of the Kathington family, meaning that its exact family tree is unknown. This is intentional in order to protect the family, and is a normal practice in Circlarian Society. There are consort figures tied in with these families who represent these families, meaning that the public will not know when the last official descendant of a particular House Family dies until after the perpetual will is opened, such as was the case of House Maderon in Ancondria back in 1466.

As with the Kathington family, once that time comes to pass, the public will eventually know where this venue once stood. However, it will be after the said venue is demolished and liquidated.

Information Up To Date as of 23 March 1476

Introduction:

On the afternoon of May 24, 1475, all communication networks across the United Confederation of Ancondria went dead. Moments later, armed military personnel blockaded the national capital Providence, and after a few hours, invaded it. Political extremists stormed the Legislature while opponents of the coup were made to escape the city and establish a holdout in the nearby city of East Providence.

Today, the UCA remains in a political gridlock.

Initial Establishment:

In the year 1370, just after the Esurchian War, the Havenlands, which were the original former territories of the Esurchian State, were partitioned off into three separate territories by the 1370 Treaty of Silba, which established border walls around the Havenlands as well as border walls separating the three territories within. This arrangement restricted freedom of movement for the local Ancondrian inhabitants; and before long, they rose up in a revolt. In doing so, they formed the Ancondrian Liberation Army, or the ALA. The ALA would attempt to destroy the border walls while Ancondrian locals outside the Havenlands, sympathetic to the revolt, established their own ALA chapters. Meanwhile, civilians and politicians in the Havenlands united and formed the nation of the United Confederation of Ancondria, or the UCA.

An uprising occurred in Ramport and Malfua in the year 1371, driving the Independent Commonwealth State of Retun (ICSR) and allied Northeast Ancondrian nations to sign the 1371 Treaty of Ramport and Malfua, granting the ICSR Ancondrian Domain District V and its capital, Ramport, status as an independent nation. The Treaty also opened the borders with the Havenlands as well as dismantling the border walls dividing the Havenlands. In doing so, the ICSR and allied Northeastern Ancondrian states formally recognized the UCA as a nation. And the UCA integrated all ALA chapters within its borders into an officially established armed forces, instructing ALA chapters abroad to disband. Most did so, being satisfied with the terms. However, there were a few groups within the former ALA chapters who were dissatisfied and formed illegal armed Legions in the area. These Legions were lightly armed at the time and caused only the equivalent of gang street violence mostly in certain sectors of larger cities. Nonetheless, the UCA and Northeastern Ancondrian nations sought to contain any outbreaks of violence by these organizations in order to keep city streets crime-free.

Ramport-Ultra-Nationalist Takeover:

Ramport and the former District V, now independent from the ICSR, established itself initially as the Independent Democratic State of Ramport, or IDSR. However, owing to damages from the Esurchian War, the economy was less than ideal; and ultra-nationalist figures were able to leverage the unhappy sentiment of the IDSR electorate in order to have themselves voted into numerous positions of political power. There were constitutional checks and balances in place in the IDSR government in order to preserve democracy. However, between 1375 and 1376, the ultra-nationalists carried out a coup against opposing democratic institutions, and did so successfully. Though the IDSR remains a democracy to this day on paper, the ultra-nationalists were able to establish a de facto authoritarian regime in its place.

First, they renamed the nation the Sovereign State of Minlon, after a charismatic ultra-nationalist and ultra-capitalist figure named George Minlon, a Retunian businessman who settled in Northeast Ancondria between almost 100 years previously. The Sovereign State of Minlon then enacted numerous laws suppressing voter rights and worker rights. The nation since then has been known for its staggering economic inequality and a notorious justice policy known as the Bounty System.

The Bounty System was the solution to a call made by the Minlon government leaders for minimal government intervention but effective law enforcement. Details of this policy may be discussed in length in a future article; but basically, anyone having either broken the law or made an establishment figure unhappy is subject to being killed by a local vigilante group for a sum of money if the said victim is placed on the Bounty List.

The United Confederation of Ancondria:

On a regular schedule, the population of the United Confederation of Ancondria elects Representatives, Governors, and Governor-Generals to fulfill leadership roles. The Governor-General, the title of the Commander-In-Chief position for the UCA, is elected every fifth year of a decade for a ten-year term, but is subject to a retention vote every tenth year of a decade, which is the middle of the term. Accordingly, if the incumbent Governor-General fails to win the retention vote in the middle of the term, he or she is removed from office with the next figure in line, the Lieutenant-Governor-General, taking over for the remainder of the term until the next elected Governor-General is scheduled to take office.

The Confederation has a total of seventeen official parties across its political spectrum. However, this spectrum in practice has been dominated by two main political parties: the Ancondrian Liberals and the Ancondrian Conservatives. Between 1375 and 1475, the Governor-General position has been dominated on the most part by either of those two parties, with the Ancondrian Liberals having that position for slightly more than half of that time, though not consecutively.

Infiltration From Minlon:

It is important to note that contrary to popular belief, though most members of these Legions were far-right, not all of them were initially. These Legions were originally open to recruiting those "fringers" from both liberal and conservative blocs who were willing to cast aside their differences and unite against clauses in the Ramport and Malfua Treaty which supported corporate interests.

However, it was when billionaires from the Sovereign State of Minlon started backing these Legions in the 1390s that liberal members started leaving, meaning that those who remained with the Legions were of the conservative bloc. Also as the result of influence from these billionaires, many of the remaining conservative Legion members began embracing the teachings and beliefs of the late George Minlon, who dictated that one's goal is to work hard, do good business, and do all while getting as close as possible to God in accordance with the Alconist faith. George Minlon, after all, was also an evangelist.

In support of the beliefs of George Minlon, Legion members began believing in what they perceived to be appropriate policies for the UCA, including the notion that the only role of a government was to provide police and military protection "in good faith," to refrain from collecting taxes from businesses, to refrain from even regulating businesses in any degree, and to rely on Alconist Scripture as the basis for enacting and interpreting laws, primarily ones governing social issues like darkfire.

Between 1400 and 1440, Legion members began believing that the Ancondrian Liberal Party was seeking to corrupt the social fabric of the UCA and undermine democracy, and said Legion members began making ever more frequently a call to "protect all institutions of freedom and democracy by force if necessary."

Such calls were deemed empty threats at the time. However, in 1446, five billionaire-influenced Legions united and established the Ancondrian Freedom Warriors, or AFW for short. They called for other Legions to join as chapters under the AFW, leading membership of the AFW to swell in the years to come. During this time, both Ancondrian Liberals and Ancondrian Conservatives in government considered the AFW to be a troublesome fringe-right organization.

In 1455, the UCA population, unhappy with the Conservative majority since last election cycle, voted in a Liberal majority and a Liberal Governor-General. AFW members called this election "rigged" based on unfounded claims; and as soon as said Liberals took office in 1456, the AFW began sporadic but better-coordinated attacks on numerous locations and targets. The UCA government, in response, dispatched a temporary martial law agency known as the Ancondrian Peacekeeper Task Force in order to keep said violence under control.

Meanwhile, within the ranks of Legislature and the UCA government, a small group of Ancondrian Conservatives with radical conservative views formed a band against the remainder of the Ancondrian Conservative Party, accusing them of being "too liberal." Such a radical group called themselves the Coalition for Ancondrian Freedom, CAF in short, and associated themselves as a civil extension of the AFW. Like the AFW, CAF membership would swell over the years.

Robert Milton:

In 1465, Robert Milton, a member of the CAF but considered an Ancondrian Conservative on paper, won by a very small margin the election for the next UCA Governor-General, while his wife, Shara Milton, became the Lieutenant-Governor-General, and the Conservatives regained a majority in Legislature.

Upon taking office in 1466, Robert Milton terminated the Ancondrian Peacekeeper agenda against the AFW and repealed a large number of taxes. He then attempted to have Legislature pass a slew of laws governing social life, some of which passing but most failing to do so.

Of note, Robert Milton attempted to have a law passed to fully prohibit the engagement of darkfire, as is the case in the Sovereign State of Minlon. That agenda failed, but Ancondrian Conservatives did succeed in passing a subsequent law removing many employment protections for members of the darkfire community.

In 1470, a retention election year for the Governor-General position, allegations emerged that Robert Milton had met with wealthy figures from Minlon and the UCA lightfire industry to help fund the CAF and AFW. Accordingly, he was even facilitating the purchase of heavy weapons for the AFW, weapons including planes and tanks. Ancondrian Liberals united and filed a motion for Robert Milton to be impeached, a motion blocked by the Ancondrian Conservative majority.

Nevertheless, Robert Milton lost the retention election.

Shara Milton:

In accordance to constitutional protocol, Shara Milton became the next Governor-General in 1471. Before long, she earned the nickname "Warrior of Words," because of her long speeches decrying Ancondrian Liberals, the darkfire community, and the past election which she claimed was rigged. Conservatives in UCA Legislature blocked every legislative agenda put forth by the Ancondrian Liberals while refraining from putting forth any legislative agendas themselves. Meanwhile, Governor-General Shara Milton kept her husband's past executive orders in place and did not issue new ones.

In October 1471, a documentary, put together by numerous scholars from the UCA and abroad, was broadcasted detailing life inside the Sovereign State of Minlon. Such a documentary gave detailed insight about the notorious Bounty System, the staggering economic inequality, and the Exit Visa requirement. Accordingly, those living inside the Sovereign State of Minlon are not allowed to leave the country without an Exit Visa, as requirements to obtain such a visa are stringent. Primarily those wishing to pursue a college education outside Minlon have been expressively denied permission to leave the country. The Sovereign State of Minlon does not provide sufficient education opportunities for the working class; and those who speak out against this system are put on the notorious Bounty List.

Large swaths of the UCA population, primarily liberals, were outraged by this; and a group of college students in East Providence formed the Free Minlon Movement as a result.

In 1472, Shara Milton declared the Free Minlon Movement to be a threat to national security in the UCA, and dispatched the Ancondrian Peacekeeper Task Force, the very same one having previously been used against the AFW in the past, against Free Minlon demonstrations.

Caleb Krong:

One prominent leader of the Free Minlon Movement, Caleb Krong, announced his candidacy in 1473 for the Governor-General position, scheduled to be up for election again in the year 1475. Krong's popularity led him to easily win the Ancondrian Liberal Party primary election in 1474.

The UCA Governor-General election was scheduled to take place on September 24, 1475. An official sample poll taken in March of that year showed the UCA population being in strong favor of Krong. Incumbent Governor-General Shara Milton responded to this by declaring, based on a conspiracy theory generated by the CAF, that there existed a "Black State of Ancondria," a supposed secret coalition of Liberals and "equalitarians" aiming to usurp democracy in the UCA and re-establish the nation as an authoritarian regime. Milton called on Legislature to grant her emergency powers to expand surveillance and martial law measures. However, the UCA Superior Court struck down this motion. Milton then called upon Tom Parton, Chief General of the AWF to "prepare for a long struggle."

The Coup:

By this point, the AFW and CAF had insiders at every communication network location throughout the UCA, which by law ran on a single communication frequency with a classified second frequency to use only in an emergency. These insiders, however, had knowledge of both frequencies, as the system was originally designed to be in effect in case there was an attack by an external enemy.

At 2:15 PM local time on May 24, 1475, the AFW and CAF insiders jammed the entire communication system, which also meant that the automatic navigation system of every gyroplane, civilian and military, was compromised and every flight grounded or forced to land. All communications throughout the UCA went down at this time while AFW and CAF forces communicated through their own "virtual private networks." Meanwhile, to the outside world, it seemed as if the entire nation of the United Confederation of Ancondria "went silent."

At 2:30 PM, AFW tanks and soldiers blocked every road entrance into Providence, the national capital. Between this time and 9:00 PM, AFW planes carried out relentless airstrikes against the besieged city, primarily against the sections known to have majority liberal populations. Due to the communication blackout, no one outside the vicinity of Providence had even the slightest idea that this was happening while UCA defenses were helpless to do anything, though they did scramble to establish their own virtual private networks.

At 9:00 PM, AFW tanks and soldiers marched into the city of Providence where they fought relentlessly and succeeded in establishing dominance over every sector. UCA defenses and civilians tried to resist but were ultimately unsuccessful.

At 7:17 AM on June 1, the AFW captured the House of Legislature, the House of the Governor-General, and the House of the Superior Court, and stationed armed personnel around each of these three buildings, adhering to the aforementioned ultra-nationalist belief of "protecting freedom and democracy by force." At 9:03 AM, Tom Parton arrived at the First Podium in the House of Legislature and declared publicly that "there had been an attempted attack on democracy and freedom by the Black State of Ancondria," and that he needed to "administer temporarily a state of lawful order over the city of Providence because of this."

Shara Milton that day resigned from the Governor-General post, citing personal reasons; and Tom Parton declared that the Governor-General post would remain vacant until the next candidate elected on September 24 was scheduled to take office. He then declared that the House of Legislature is safe and secure and that the elected Representatives may gather to carry out their normal business.

However, when the Legislature gathered, the Conservative majority drew up a list of "Black State insiders," consisting entirely of Ancondrian Liberals. They then had each and every one of them voted out of the House of Legislature and banned from the city of Providence, citing that every person on the list "poses an existential threat to freedom and democracy for the Confederation."

On June 2, Tom Parton declared that the House of Legislature would be the only body casting votes officially for the September 24 election, citing a clause in the UCA Constitution for the Legislature to do so in the event of a national emergency while "acting on behalf of the best interests of the people."

On June 3, Caleb Krong and the Liberal figures banned from Providence gathered in the city of East Providence and formed the Emergency Government of East Providence, or the EGEP in short. The EGEP declared that Tom Parton's decision to have the Legislature carry out the election instead of the population was based on an illegitimate cause. The EGEP furthermore declared that the popular vote would occur as normal, and moved to ensure polling locations throughout the UCA were accessible to the population.

The only concern here was that the AFW began attacking these polling locations. UCA military veterans banded together and formed the Volunteer Peacekeeper Force, fighting back in defense of the EGEP against the AFW. This would culminate into unending conflict which began to take shape in June of 1475.

On September 24, 1475, Election Day was carried out on both sides. The Conservative bloc in Providence declared only votes cast by the Legislature to be legitimate and therefore declared the winner of the said Governor-General Election to be Garren Fawnwell, another notorious commander of the AFW. Meanwhile, the popular vote facilitated by the EGEP yielded Caleb Krong to be the winner.

Conclusion:

At present, the mainstream communication infrastructure in the UCA is still blacked out. The conservative-backed AFW and the liberal-backed VPF are still in a battlefield gridlock. The EGEP has successfully established a loose but effective web of virtual private networks accessible by a large majority of the UCA population.

The ICSR and many other nations support the EGEP in this crisis. However, there are also nations, like the Kingdom of Gyrosak, who support the AFW.

Geography

Most of the land of Northeastern Ancondria is a flat grassland about 3000 feet above sea level. Consisting of the plant species Ancondrian Crass, this region is considered the largest source of oxygen on the planet.

There are a few exceptions to the flat plains in the region, however. First is the region of Silba and Beaustrough, which consists of mountains reaching up to 7500 feet. Then there is the region surrounding the Havenlands, known as the Rim Mountains, which reach about 5000 feet. The Havenlands region itself consists of a gentle and gradual downward slope toward the sea, outlining the Southeastern half of an ancient crater. And then the land lining the coast all around the Peninsula is about 20 to 400 feet above sea level.

The climate throughout the flat grassland region is temperate, which is surprising since the region is very close to the equator; however, its high elevation means temperatures here are cooler while the air is less humid. The weather is warm and tropical year-round in the coastal regions, while cool summers and cold, snowy winters dominate the higher land near Silba and the Rim Mountains.

The United Confederation of Ancondria (UCA)

Standing as the larger of the two nations in Northeast Ancondria, the United Confederation of Ancondria, or the UCA, is governed as a direct-representative democracy, meaning that every leadership position in the executive and judicial branches, and every representative in legislature, is elected directly by the voting population.

The UCA is divided into 17 Territories. Each Territory elects 100 Delegates every year, a Governor on every second and seventh year of a given decade, and a Representative to the capital city of Providence on every third and eighth year of a given decade. On every fifth year of a decade, the UCA will elect a Governor-General serving as the Head of National Government, a post subject to a retention vote every tenth year of the decade. Every decision made by leadership is subject to override by popular referendum carried out by the population, who enjoys extensive powers of petition. Every year on a rotating basis, the UCA population will elect 11 Judges to the Supreme Court to each serve one eleven-year term.

The UCA boasts a strong military but strictly adheres to a policy of homeland defense, meaning that they do not deploy abroad unless there is a direct and imminent threat to the Confederation, a policy further enforced by the fact that the Confederation does not hold overseas territory. Most military weapons, planes, and supplies for the UCA Armed Forces are purchased from the neighboring State of Minlon.

As of the year 1475, the UCA stands as one of the most prosperous nations in Ancondria, with its primary industry being lightfire. In fact, the UCA is the world's leading producer of lightfire-made goods. The National Capital, each Territorial Capital, and its immediate lesser towns are connected with roads lined with bike paths. However, bicycles traverse these roadways more frequently than cars; and no national highway system exists because gyroplanes serve as the most common mode of transit. With the lightfire economy comes a wide variety of trades. However, all trades and industries in the UCA pursue one common agenda: environmental cleanliness. The aforementioned roadways over the grasslands are raised above the ground to help protect wildlife and, most importantly, Ancondrian Grass. Gyroplane landing pads are also raised above the ground, while the gyroplanes themselves, while they consume a minimal amount of fuel, are being constantly re-engineered to have a lesser and lesser impact on the environment.

It is also important to note that the population, itself, consists of a great number of differing nationalities. Of these nationalities include Native Ancondrians, Combrian-Ancondrians (or Comans for short), those of close kin to House Maderon, Ostar-Nabukans, Eastern Canticulans, and many folk from the nomadic maritime guilds.

The Sovereign State of Minlon

In contrast to the Ancondrian Confederation, the Sovereign State of Minlon stands as a Consular Republic. Its Head of Government consists of two Consuls presided over by a Head Consul. The Head Consul is the Commander-in-Chief of all domestic and foreign affairs, particularly when it comes to the military. The other two Consuls may give executive orders in the absence of the Head Consul, but the Head Consul can override these orders when there is either a disagreement between the other two Consuls or the Head Consul determines that the executive order agreed upon by the two Consuls is not appropriate. All three Consul positions are elected each for a six-year term but are staggered two years apart from each other, meaning that one Consul position is elected on a rotating basis every two years. Each Consul may be re-elected for an indefinite number of terms, but it is the oldest Consul in age who is deemed the Head Consul.

The Sovereign State of Minlon is divided into five Cantons, with each Canton divided into five Boroughs. Each Borough elects four Delegates, each to serve a four-year term; however, these occur on a yearly rotating basis so that one Delegate position is elected or re-elected each year. The four Delegates from each Borough meet on a regular basis in the Capital City Legislature, which is unicameral.

The Sovereign State of Minlon has one of the most expansive militaries in the world, with a division of ground army, air force, marine, and naval forces for each Canton and each Borough. This military is headed by five Chief-Generals, one for each Canton. Even though the Sovereign State of Minlon has yet to fight in a large-scale war, standing law here imposes conscription upon all young, able-bodied men between the ages of 18 to 23 years.

The de facto most powerful government institution, however, for the Sovereign State of Minlon, is the Judiciary Committee. This Committee is headed by five Arbitrators, consisting of four Arbitrators headed by one Head Arbitrator. Each of these Arbitrators is appointed to their said position by the Head Consul with the only check against such an appointment being a unanimous vote of opposition by all 100 Delegates in Legislature, a move that has never yet happened at the time of the writing of this article. Arbitrators serve a life term until retirement. These Arbitrators are responsible for every decision for every national-level case, dispute, and electoral outcome, as well as for appointing Arbitrators to preside over every Canton and Borough.

According to many critics abroad, the Judiciary Committee of the Sovereign State of Minlon has a notorious reputation for being corrupt. By constitutional principle, the Judiciary Committee is the one responsible for counting the votes and determining the outcome of every election carried out through the State. However, Arbitrators do have a right to "discount illegitimate votes, be it whether they were duplicate votes, votes cast by persons who do not exist, or votes cast by persons who were radically coerced by external influences or threats." The Judiciary Committee is known to use liberally the latter "coercion" reason to exclude certain numbers of votes cast by those opposed to the Five Banks of Minlon, and determine leaders in favor of corporate interests. Critics argue that this means that the Sovereign State of Minlon, though a democracy on paper, is not a true democracy.

There are five large banks in Minlon who own most of the businesses in Minlon as well as fund the State's expansive military. These Five Banks have a large sway in the Legislature, Consulate, and Judiciary Committees, and have been involved in numerous scandals. Of the most notorious was the establishment of the National Debt Collection Association, an organization helping to enforce unfair deals made by the Five Large Banks with businesses abroad. Most notably, numerous branches of the National Debt Collection Association, of the NDCA, consist of armed and well-trained Naval personnel, who go out with gunships into international waters and confront the cargo ships of businesses who owe debts, attacking them to salvage their goods in the form of repayment. The Independent Commonwealth State of Retun, along with many other Circlarian nations, considers this to be piracy, and the NDCA a terrorist organization.

The economy of Minlon is the complete opposite of the UCA in terms of protecting the environment, and consists of two primary industries: junk-flipping and the military. Junk-flipping involves numerous businesses purchasing goods, vessels, and supplies determined by other businesses to be of no value; junk-flippers will pay very little money for these goods and refine them to a higher quality, selling them at a much higher price. In some cases, the goods gained in the first place were not purchased but were seized by force by the NDCA during debt collector raids. Meanwhile, the military industrial complex is one of the largest in the world, with Minlon being a leader in the export of military planes, weapons, and supplies, and being neutral to warring factions, sometimes selling products to both sides of a particular conflict.

One thing to note about the economy of Minlon, however, is its staggering inequality. The City of Minlon is not just economically, but physically stratified, with high-rise skyscrapers over many square miles being connected with walkways, grass fields, parks, pools, baths, and beautiful courtyards on its top level. Those frequenting these areas consist mostly of bankers and leaders, who also own vast houses, estates, and properties out in rural areas throughout the Boroughs and Cantons. However, the nice and modern cityscape of Minlon is all on raised surfaces forty to one-hundred feet above the actual ground, while the properties in rural areas are in secluded areas and fenced in. This whole system is known to the outside world as the Silver Crust, because the remaining population lives either under the raised concrete surfaces of Minlon and the numerous shantytowns of the rural Cantons and Boroughs. Life in these parts is less than ideal, with high costs of living, low paying jobs, little opportunity for education and growth, and limited freedom of movement.

Numerous sectors of the population have pushed for change but were met with stiff oppression, especially at the hands of the Judiciary Committee and their expanded ability to overturn electoral results.

Map of Ereautea, Present

Article Written: 8 November 1456

Even today, it is a matter of speculation whether or not Cixela Esary, herself, was directly behind the event. But what is known, however, is that in 1187, Michael Fvenn led a group of militants, seemingly under the oathcrafting influence, in an attempt to topple the government of the then-District of Ereautea in Lerutan.

SCPC: Trade with Remikra

The latter half of the 1100s saw a period of trade between the Remikran Union and House Esary seated in Notulfa. The Sororal Council of the Primeron Class, led by Cixela Esary as one of the Esarian House Councils, traded directly with the Remikran Union nation of Combria, which was politically unstable at the time. In 1167, the SCPC appointed a directory government to preside over Combria for three days, during which they paid off some debts, sorted out logistical issues, and propagated a "set of virtues." Trade between Combria and the SCPC continued afterward and peaked between 1172 and 1182. And it was during this time that the "set of virtues" introduced by the SCPC began to be propagated by Combrians naming themselves "stewards of virtue." There is conflicting evidence on the direct sources of their influence and how they were able to spread such influence to other Combrians, leading scholars over the past twenty years to begin speculating the possibility of oathcrafting.

Regardless, there emerged a most avowed "steward" by the name of Jon Codon, who began assembling a large band of followers across Combria.

Jon Codon: Takeover Attempt

As factional violence put the balance of power in jeopardy in Combria's new national capital, Hasphitat, the most prominent figure of the Jameson Faction, Jacob Thomas Henry, appointed Jon Codon to the commander position of one of the Faction's militant groups. In doing so, Henry and Codon agreed to a mutual pledge that Codon would offer support for the Jameson Faction both in terms of recruitment and paramilitary defense, and that Henry would, after becoming the next President of Combria, promise to recruit associates of the SCPC to positions of power in his new Administration.

In 1184, Henry became the next President of Combria, establishing the Hasphitat National Watch and appointing Jon Codon as its Head. Codon then presented a list of SCPC associates for Henry to appoint, but President Henry stiffly rejected the proposal. Henry's reason was that he had, since the forming of the mutual pledge, researched into House Esary and grew uncomfortable with its far-reaching influence into the land and sea trading guilds across large swaths of Circlaria. He was also uncomfortable with Jon Codon and his followers, citing that there was "more of a force at play on behalf of the seemingly shady individuals in minor but powerful positions of the Sororal Council and the other Councils within House Esary." As an act of safe measure from his perspective, President Henry demoted Jon Codon to the Lieutenant Chief position of National Watch Division Fourteen. Henry's consolation thereafter was to establish a contract of fair trade with the SCPC but vowed that "cross-administrative influence shall remain separate."

Citing that President Henry breached the mutual pledge, Codon expressed contempt and stated that President Henry had betrayed him. He denounced President Henry as "the Head of the Corrupt State," and then rallied his followers to a new resolution: "to subdue Henry's regime and, in its place, established a Combrian State eternally and unquestionably loyal to the virtues of Cixela Esary."

Codon's following grew to include a large number of Division Fourteen Officers. On 6 February 1185, Codon and 112 of these Officers staged an armed attack against the Chadwick Building. They managed to capture the First and Second Levels, but on the Third Level, they were confronted by the Hasphitat National Watch Chadwick Building Security Division, who overwhelmed Codon's forces and brought them to surrender.

Jon Codon was arrested and put on trial, where, on 12 September 1185, he was convicted of sedition and sentenced to death. Codon was executed by firing squad on 6 February 1186.

Michael Fvenn

Michael Fvenn was a lawyer for a family charter business in Lerutan. He was also initially a member of the Leon Faction, rival to the Jameson Faction, but was converted by Jon Codon, who thoroughly indoctrinated him with Cixela Esary's "set of virtues," and had him become a "junior steward" under Jon Codon's close mentorship. Fvenn was deeply saddened by Jon Codon's execution and condemned President Henry's "Corrupt State." With quite a following of his own, Fvenn established the Order of the Esarian Fellowship, an underground organization dedicated to Jon Codon's principles, and began recruiting followers. The aim of the Order was to establish Jon Codon's vision of a "New Combrian State," as Fvenn even named himself the "First Combrian Speaker" to Cixela Esary.

Fvenn's recruitment strategy proved quite effective and successful, consisting of pious individuals dressed in robes as well as armed defenders, the latter of which included body guards and assassins. He started by converting as many followers as possible until a majority of the street on which he lived consisted of them. He swayed the surrounding residential block in a similar fashion, and then continued to other residential blocks across Lerutan. Each converted household displayed nothing conveying loyalty to the SCPC externally, but drapes and symbols lined the walls inside. Fvenn moved on to the surrounding rural townships and found even less resistance to his recruitment efforts.

Moris Perton, the appointed Governor of the District of Ereautea, began growing concerned with this rapidly-spreading movement, citing its "potentially dangerous fervor." On 13 June 1186, Governor Perton acted upon his suspicion by issuing an ordinance banning the Esarian Order in all of the District of Ereautea, and enforced this by conducting home searches, material confiscations, and even arrests. Perton called upon the other Districts and even President Henry to do the same.

On 1 September 1186, under Fvenn's command, members of the Esarian Order blocked important streets and shut down basic functions of infrastructure in the city of Lerutan. In the rural areas, Order members blocked roadways and overran local Council Chambers. This led Perton to partially rescind his ordinance in order to only prohibit public displays of pro-Esarian sentiment. Fvenn made a bargain to President Henry to have the Order peacefully co-exist with him if Henry began appoint SCPC associates to his Administrative positions. President Henry declined the proposition but gave concession by allowing Esarian traders to engage with local Combrian businesses.

However, Combrian laborers not associated with the Esarian Order grew suspicious of possible shady business involving President Henry and the House of Esary, primarily with the SCPC. They united and attempted to negotiate with President Henry for a rollback of the Esarian trade bargain and other similar trade deals, arguing that tariff breaks recently enacted with the SCPC would ultimately lead to higher rent and taxes for the workers. However, the talks failed with President Henry maintaining that revenue expecting to result from trade with the SCPC would eventually balance out and eliminate the financial hardships of the working class if there were any. Henry also asserted that he already had negotiated exhaustively with Michael Fvenn and that any further compromises were not possible.

On 2 March 1187, labor unions across all of Combria collaborated and staged a general strike, which lasted until 22 March when President Henry signed a contract with the laborers rescinding all compromises agreed upon with Michael Fvenn and issued a decree freezing trade indefinitely with the SCPC.

Michael Fvenn condemned the events of March 1187 as being the result of a conspiracy to "employ the mob mentality in order to cement the power of President Henry as the Head of the Corrupt Combrian State." The Esarian Order carried out regular public demonstrations across Ereautea as they trained and armed a large body of new recruits. Fvenn then called for Governor Perton to step down and allow for the "establishment of Ereautea as a State dedicated to the SCPC and independent from the corruption of President Henry." Perton responded with crackdown measures against the Esarian Order street demonstrations. Meanwhile, Fvenn ordered the construction of underground armament camps to train the armed recruits and build "mortar wheel-cannons."

On 3 November 1187, Michael Fvenn launched an onslaught of armed infantry, artillery, and spellcasters against the Governor's House in Lerutan. Governor Perton and his Administration fled the premise to an underground bunker as Fvenn led his forces to storm the Governor's Office. It was here that Michael Fvenn proclaimed himself "Head of the Esarian State of Ereautea," and demanded that President Henry formally recognize Ereautea as an independent nation, giving Henry seventy-two hours to withdraw all national Combrian forces from Ereautea in order to avoid a declaration of war. On 4 November, President dispatched National Guard forces into Ereautea, overcoming the rural regions with little to no resistance and violently clashing with Esarian Order fighters in the streets of Lerutan. On 5 November, being easily outflanked and out-equipped, Esarian Order fighters were overcome as National Guard forces, armed with tanks and proper cannons, surrounded the Governor's House. They gave Michael Fvenn twenty-four hours to surrender and vacate the premise or come under intense artillery fire. Within one hour of the end of that time limit, Michael Fvenn finally surrendered.

Like his mentor, Jon Codon, Michael Fvenn was convicted of sedition but would ultimately be spared from a death sentence. Instead, he was sent to the District of West Combria where he would remain, for the rest of his life, under house arrest in one of his family estates.

Map of Remikra, Present

Article Written: 8 September 1456

Combria

Very few people seem to know about the origin of telephone technology in Circlaria, but the first system was implemented in Combria. That system featured a private line between the House of Masons in Jestopole and the House of Commerce in South Masonia. It was experimental and was used exclusively between the two locations. Each end of this line was in the form of a giant sound shell inside a designated operating room with equipment to make and maintain a stable connection. Due to the complicated mechanisms and coordinations involved, an appointment had to be made in advance between the two parties in order to make the call. The first call with this specific system was made on 1 October 1089.

The 1089 Telephone Experiment proved a success; and President William Jeson of Combria wasted no time establishing a public telephone system. By 1095, each neighborhood block in nearly every city and town had its own telephone house. Each telephone house had an operating room on its top level and a grid of sound-proof telephone booths on its lower level. Like with the 1089 Telephone Experiment, appointments had to be made in advance between two parties as booth numbers and time windows were assigned.

By 1101, each household had its own single phone booth enclosed in a telephone shack either in its backyard or on its rooftop. Landlines were developed to connect these telephone shacks to nearby telephone houses, which were connected to other telephone houses via their own landlines. Appointments had to be made in advance between both parties like before; and a caller usually passed between one and three operators at their respective telephone houses before finally connecting to the desired party.

A new generation of telephones went public in the 1110s, as these phones were smaller and were built into new communication rooms within residential homes and flats. These phones were revolutionary as they contained ear and speaker pieces as opposed to large sound shells. In such communication rooms, these phones stood alongside stationery desks and ticker-text machines, a new invention to replace the old signal code machines. These phones connected by landlines to the telephone houses while appointments and arrangements still had to be made. However, the size advantage ultimately made these arrangements easier.

These phones were replaced by what are known today as early house telephones, which came out in the 1120s. Early house telephones were smaller than their predecessors, and became commonplace in areas such as kitchens and living rooms. The array of landline and telephone house operators was the same, but, with the advent of signal bells on these new phones, appointments no longer had to be made between the two calling parties. The job of the telephone house operator was rendered obsolete by the arrival of the numerical dialer in the 1130s because of how it enabled one party to directly dial another.

The next eighty years saw political turmoil and little progress in terms of communication technology. However, new revolutionary technologies took center stage when Combria began to rebound. In the 1210s, telephone towers enabled telephone houses to connect to each other without the use of landlines. Although private residences still connected to telephone houses via landlines, the overall system improved in terms of efficiency.

It was not long, however, before private residences had their own telephone towers. Also known as yard towers, these telephone towers came around in the 1220s, and were connected to house telephones by short cables. Situated on rooftops and in backyards, these yard towers beamed signals to telephone house towers, which would relay signals to other telephone house towers (if a long-distance call), where the signal would be relayed to the yard tower of the desired party. In the 1230s, yard towers were able to beam directly to each other, rendering telephone houses obsolete.

The Early Republic

In the 1250s, the House of Masons developed radio port telephones as part of a commercial contract with the Edoran Regiondom in the Great North. The design of the radio port telephone involved a phone connected to a small radio port via a special cable. This device was powered by electricity flowing through a cable from a wall plug; and the radio port served the same purpose as the yard tower. Owing to political resentment against the Kontacet family at the time, radio port phones were slow to catch in the Middle Remikran markets; so this invention became more popular in Canticula, Tandeiyah, and the Great North.

Then, in the 1260s, came the carrier phones. A carrier phone was a small, battery-powered, singular device combining the telephone and port into one. The carrier phone was developed by the House of Masons, but was patented by the Edoran Regiondom and first released in the Great North. Carrier phones spread to Tandeiyah and Canticula in 1264, during which a select group in the Basin District was invited to try the new invention. In 1266, the carrier phone was finally released publicly in the Federal Estates of Retun as the Combrian Telephone System integrated with the Retunian government and became re-established as the Retunian Carrier Phone System. In 1272, the Retunian Carrier Phone System established its first consistent international network with the carrier phone system of the Acrean Kingdom. And over the course of ninety years, the Retunian Carrier Phone System would set up international connections with numerous other nations and entities.

OCEA

In 1301, the Retunian government registered with the Occupational and Communication Engineers Association, an international organization dedicated to the facilitation of global communications. A revolutionary perk to OCEA was the ability of people and entities to create remote accounts and exchange digital messages as well as make instant publications on virtual bulletins. In the 1350s, OCEA released the OCEA Personal Occupational Device, or the OPOD. The OPOD featured a small sphere-like device that would project holographic interfaces. The OPOD contained all of OCEA user functions and purposes, and, furthermore, enabled telephone and video telecommunications. The Great North began distributing the OPOD in the 1360s, and the Independent Commonwealth State of Retun established its first OPOD infrastructure in 1369.

Map of the Independent Commonwealth State of Retun (ICSR), Present

Article Written: 24 May 1456

Every active Member with an avatar in the Third Level Society has a "key" to access that avatar when intending to engage the said avatar in a chosen dymensional plane. With present-day technology, the way to use the "key" in order to gain access is to enter through the granular dymensional gate (or the GD gate) by placing the palm of your hand on a panel that reads your hand print, and to activate a special talisman that allows the server to read the "key" off the said talisman. To note, the "key" is a non-acting spellfire script that does not conform to any of the Circlarian Standard Alphabets, and, furthermore, changes every week. Hence, it is extremely difficult for a Member with malicious intent to engage another Member's avatar in order to impersonate that Member and their avatar.

However, it is not impossible.

Over the course of its 200-plus year history, the Third Level Society has been made to address rare cases of such an act, known as "avatar forgery." Usually, this act is committed by someone from one avatar faction intending to have the heisted avatar commit acts such as selling their most valuable tools to put them at a strategic disadvantage, to sabotage themselves or their factions so that the faction of the one carrying out the act of forgery can gain an advantage.

Basically, with respect to the dymensional planes of the Third Level Society, avatar forgery is way to cheat in the act of engagement, and is therefore considered the highest possible offense that a Member can commit. If accused or caught, a Member will face a formal investigation by the Administration of the server impacted, and will then be brought to a formal trial in the Caucus Chamber to be presided over by the Bookkeeper. During such due process, all Members will vote as a Caucus to determine whether or not the suspected Member is guilty of the act. If a guilty verdict is reached, the Bookkeeper will then call for petitions to be submitted by the Caucus and then call upon the petition with the most signatures the corrective action to be carried out against the guilty member. Usually, that corrective action is permanent expulsion from the Society; and in some cases, a criminal complaint may be filed by the Society to the Retunian Federal Government, since avatar forgery is legally considered a form of identification theft.

The John Berreau Scandal of 1453-4

Beginning in January 1453, John Berreau, a long-standing Society Member voicing claims that the Society as an organization was growing too akin to the carrying out of "affirmative action," ran what was called "the boys' campaign" in order to attain the power of Dungeonmaster and to attempt to establish a notion of "permissible traditionalism in leadership." Employing unexpected and surprisingly effective strategies, Berreau won the position of Dungeonmaster in the 1452 organizational elections amid the lowest Caucus vote turnout in the Society's history. In February 1453, the long-standing Bookkeeper, Caleb Marlin, announced retirement; and Berreau appointed Stephen Pezak to the Bookkeeper position. Knowing that his views regarding traditionalism were unpopular in the Society, Dungeonmaster Berreau ran an agenda to establish a "school of strategy" for ambitious Members and their avatars to employ realistic strategies of conduct and trade borrowed from the Society's parent organization, Library of Circlaria, in order to gain measures of success never thought imaginable. This surprisingly gave Berreau an edge and led him to win re-election as Dungeonmaster in 1453.

It was shortly after this, however, that the troubles began. A complaint was made to a Server Administrator by a Member named Alecia Carnish, who claimed that she engaged her avatar, who served as a campaign leader in one of the dymensional planes, and discovered that the avatar's 50'000-gold-piece sword had been sold to someone unknown. She also discovered that other important tools and possessions, many irreplaceable, were sold in a similar fashion, and that seventeen of other Members in her campaign had suffered the same. An investigation was carried out and found that Red Doorman, Berreau's appointed Dungeon-Apprentice, was a central figure involved in what proved to be a notorious act of avatar forgery. Such was the charge that was brought against Doorman when he was brought in front of Bookkeeper Pezak; but, in a surprising turn of events, Pezak denied Carnish's claim and the mounting evidence of the scandal, citing that there was no way to prove that Carnish's avatar possessed the sword in the first place, and tossed out the complaint.

Kerry Harmon, the Head of the Caucus Disciplinary Committee responded to Pezak's decision by citing evidence she found of a close quid-pro-quo network between Doorman, Pezak, and Berreau. She cited that they had private communications around the time that the incident happened, and summoned a Caucus meeting in the absence of Dungeonmaster Berreau, during which they voted to carry out investigations against the three men and bring them to trial.

In January 1454, the trial began, and proceeded until March. In March, verdict was finally reached finding Doorman guilty of avatar forgery, resulting in him being relieved of his position as Dungeon-Apprentice and permanently banned from the Society; and finding Stephen Pezak guilty of "conspiracy to destroy evidence of avatar forgery," resulting in him being relieved of his position as Bookkeeper and banned from the Society for five years. John Berreau was found not to have any direct involvement in the incident. However, amid bolstered speculation that he was aware of the incident and chose to do nothing, Berreau's reputation was severely damaged. In May 1454, hoping to salvage his approval from the Caucus, Berreau appointed Kerry Harmon to the Bookkeeper position. Despite this, however, Berreau lost the Dungeonmaster election of 1454 to none other than Alecia Carnish.

Map of East Hobland, Present

Article Written: 16 April 1456

It is rather difficult to draw a map of East Hobland for the nearly two-thousand-year period between the Ashen Years and the twelfth century because of its drastically ever-changing borders. And this is due to the fact that the region during this time was consistently fought over by numerous small rival kingdoms, duchies, and city-states of varying sizes and power. Some of these entities formed alliances with one another and sent mercenaries to assist one another against enemy factions in order to make territorial gains or defeat government heads entirely. However, diplomatic alignment in this place and time was rather dynamic and unstable. Furthermore, much of the land area consisted of territories under dispute between rival factions (be it two, three, or even five of them); and in some of these fought-over territories, numerous social uprisings establishing temporary or long-term self-governing towns or counties would occasionally occur. Thus, it is difficult to draw affixed borders for any particular time during this period.

Basic Hierarchy

The entities, themselves, were numerous and drastically different from one another in terms of culture and custom; and that was because they were primarily governed each by a ruling family. However, be it that these entities had a common root, having been descended from the settlers of the ancient Circlarian Empire, these entities each had somewhat of a similar power structure.

At the top of the power structure sat either a Monarch or a Chancellor. Monarchs had absolute power, and upon death were succeeded by the oldest living member of the royal family. Chancellors, on the other hand, held positions that were formerly top general positions of military units. In a Chancellorship, lines of immediate succession (as in the event of a sudden death) were determined by ranks of positions of power; and the ruling class consisted of the family of the Chancellor as well as those in the line of succession. Barring any sudden events, the successor of the Chancellor was otherwise appointed by the incumbent Chancellor upon the basis of merit, and was usually not a family member.

Next below the ruling class was the class of Spellcrafters and Clerics. Spellcrafters were appointed based upon merit by Monarchs and Chancellors. Each Spellcrafter ruled over an administrative region of jurisdiction like a province or a county, and imposed the laws of the ruling class as well as local ordinances through acts of spellwork. Spellcrafters also implemented law and order by appointing Knights and Warlords to keep the peace. Clerics, on the other hand, were appointed by the ruling class to serve as legal and moral interpreters, very much like judicial branches of modern governments. A few did acts of spellwork, but most Clerics focused solely on religious practice.

Knights were appointed by Spellcrafters in a Monarchy System with such appointments receiving formal confirmation and honor from the Monarch. They commanded legions of armed fighters to defend territory, and also presided/appointed Sheriffs to enforce local ordinances. Knights also appointed Trade Guild Leaders. Warlords were also appointed by Spellcrafters in the same fashion as Knights, but received no honors or customs from royalty, for Warlords served only under Chancellors. Nonetheless, Warlords served nearly the exact same duty by commanding fighters and employing Sheriffs, as well as appointing Trade Guild Leaders.

Appointed by Knights or Warlords, Guild Leaders recruited laborers and crafters in their trades, and appointed foremen to preside over them. Sheriffs would then appoint landlords to own and lease manors and numerous properties in which the common people lived. Common people rarely owned their own property.

Givenna

Established in the 600s, Givenna was the most robust and successful of the East Hoblandish city-states, and was governed by a non-familial Chancellorship. It's unusual prosperity was credited to its location along the West Coast of East Hobland, where it developed a well-established fishing industry, formed trade with distant lands such as Remikra, Tandeiyah, and Canticula, and signed important trade contracts with traveling sea guilds.

In 917, Givenna acquired the territories of three surrounding royal duchies through military conquest, during which they subjected enemy fighters to a fair and due process after capture. Furthermore, Givenna allowed for the local duchies to continue functioning as they did previous to the invasion. However, their sovereign figures were more like puppet-figures promising loyalty to Givenna. And thus, they were able to subjugate the local populations through an image of justice and fairness.

Maleva Tere was initially a minor figure in the ranks of the Givennese Chancellorship during the 1000s. However, she married Estevus Esary, a nomadic warlord to the Northeast with an agenda to reclaim a fortress known as the Reltuvian. Maleva Tere was able to utilize her association with the Givennese Chancellorship to secure essential funding and to have Givenna form a conjoined campaign with Esary and his followers to launch a major military conquest to the Northeast. Givenna succeeded in gaining this territory, in the midst of which was constructed a fortified city named New Givenna (which would become the city of Notulfa in the century that followed). Estevus Esary reclaimed the Reltuvian, and the House of Esary was officially re-established, leading to a political transformation that would eventually undo the traditional power hierarchies of East Hobland.

Map of Middle Remikra, Present

Article Written: 16 April 1456

For the past one-hundred years, Middle Remikra has grown more integrated and interconnected in every aspect of life owing to great leaps in advancement in technology, communication, and transit. For example, one can now take a gyroplane from Egdir and arrive in Pimdan within two hours. However, despite such progress, there still remain elements giving distinction to various regions of Middle Remikra; and a few of those elements include regional dialects. For example, what is referred to as the game of "scrall" in Ereautea is referred to as the game of "scrum" in Pimdan.

Combrian Edoran

The first dialect of interest is Combrian Edoran, the official mode of communication used by the government of the Independent Commonwealth State of Retun. It is most commonly spoken in the Basin District, the province of Combria, and most of Ereautea. The dialect originated in Combria in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries as the nation-state of Combria came into being as a separate entity from the Great North. Combrian Edoran utilizes proper terms such as "scrall," "table," "chair," "hammer," and "house."

Trade Edoran

Having originated in the mid-twelfth century, Trade Edoran is hardly distinguishable from Combrian Edoran, except that the vowel accents are different. Trade Edoran is spoken mostly in the District of Hasphitat, but is also occasionally spoken in other places along the East Coast such as Fort Braddock and South Masonia, and is also somewhat prevalent in Bridgetown as well. Trade Edoran emerged in these areas as the result of coastal trade with the Great Northern traders of Terredon. And thus the influence is there. For example, "scrall" is pronounced more like "scrohll," "table" like "tyeble," "chair" like "cheh," and "hammer" like "hahmmer." However, pronounciations for some words like "house" do not change.

Wannonian Influx

It is with the Wannonian Influx that we begin to see significant deviations. Wannonian Influx is still the Edoran language, except that it includes vocabulary words derived from the ancient Wannonian language of Aerdn. Such a dialect is predominant in the provinces of Gymia and Nintel; and that is because those two provinces were territories of the former nation of Wannonia, which fell in 1176. With this dialect, "scrall" is referred to as "bellagry"; "table" as "mensa" or "mensi"; "chair" as "sill," "sell," or "sol"; "hammer" as "mallet"; and "house" as "doman."

Linbraean Influx

Although bearing more similarity to Combrian Edoran than to Wannonian Influx, the Linbraean Influx is still a distinct dialect of its own. Linbraean Influx is most frequently spoken in Pimdan and Northern Layda, due to the fact that Pimdan and Layda were once territories of the Great North. Furthermore, Pimdan was under Great Northern jurisdiction for a second time between 1309 and 1321. With Linbraean Influx, "scrall" is referred to as "scrum," "table" as "top," "chair" as "seat," "hammer" as "pounder," and "house" as "squat."

Kitalan Influx

Kitalan Influx is a dialect of Edoran with vocabulary words derived from the official Locinian language: Chemkan-Mikanian Vernacular, also known as Modern Mikanian Vernacular. Kitalan Influx is primarily spoken in Zyrtin and Southern Layda, both of which were part of the former nation-state of Mikant, which later shifted its territorial claims to Southern Remikra and became the Free State of Locin. Speakers of Kitalan Influx refer to "scrall" as "reddy," "table" as "tabla," "chair" as "cadera," "hammer" as "mardel," and "house" as "casa."

Chemkan Vernacular Influx

Homogenous Chemkan Vernacular has been seldom spoken since the fall of the Chemkan Republic in 1108. However, its influence is still apparent in the Edoran dialect of Chemkan Vernacular Influx, which is Edoran containing vocabulary from the Chemkan Vernacular. Chemkan Vernacular Influx is spoken primarily in the province of Chemko, and refers to "scrall" as "quadric," "table" as "mesa," "chair" as "sill," "hammer" as "martyl," and "house" as "casa."