Difference between revisions of "Nation/Avaerilon"

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The Magnificent Kingdom of Avaerilon Y Regnil Magnaddog Avaerilon
Motto:  "Ylf ī’n Qidīol īr Fyr Aspar" (language?) "I am true to my spirit"
Map of Avaerilon
Capital		Minas Avalon
Largest city		Lyndainium
Official languages		Avaerilonian, Dunmeri, Fereldonian, Godeleic, Sindarin
Recognised regional languages		Aeglinic, Fiorentine, Froiselle, Gododdeg, Oxantine, Skaal
Demonym		Avaerilonian
Government		Constitutional Monarchy, Parliamentary Democracy
-	Monarch	HMRM King Aubrey the Dragonheart
-	Patrician	Lord Havelock Vetinari
-	Prime Minister	Dr. Gwilym Gladstyn, MP
Establishment
-	Founded	3rd of July, 793 A.D.
Area
-	Total	24,378,801 km2 9,412,708 sq mi
Population
-	2010 census	54,898,204
HDI (2013)		0.98 very high
Currency		Aub Ā
Time zone		GMT
Date format		dd-mm-yyyy
Drives on the		left
Calling code		+477
Internet TLD		.av

Avaerilon, officially the Magnificent Kingdom of Avaerilon (Avaerilonian: Y Regnil Magnaddog Avaerilon), is a sovereign state located in the central-western waters of the Social Liberal Union, northwest of the main continental body. Geographical Avaerilon is composed of four large islands (Fereldan, Arnalor, Morrowind and Dunaemair) and numerous smaller surrounding isles. Avaerilon as a nation is further comprised of 14 overseas kingdoms and 3 additional overseas territories, along with each of the four 'home isles,' which are administered as kingdoms also.

The country's form of government is a Constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system and its capital city is Minas Avalon, Fereldan, with the majority of the Avaerilonian Parliament located in the largest city of Lyndainium, also in Fereldan. The current Avaerilonian monarch is HMRM King Aubrey the Dragonheart, elected to the position in 2011, and also a descendent of the royal line of Avaerilon. The Prime Minister is Dr.Gwilym Gladstyn and the Patrician is Lord Havelock Vetinari. Each of the kingdoms of Avaerilon has its own devolved parliament, and the three overseas territories also have their own devolved assemblies. Avaerilon has been a kingdom since being founded in the year 793 A.D., and the current political system can be described as having evolved from the original structure of government.

Avaerilon is a highly-developed and wealthy nation, with some of the highest standards of living in the world, particularly in terms of education,with Avaerilon's educational system regarded as being one of the best in the world. The country is considered to be an industrialised nation, though it developed differently from a number of others after the introduction of steam power and industrialisation. Avaerilon has one of the world's highest HDI ratings, strongest economies, and a high GDP per capita score. It joined the SLU in 2011, and has since served as the region's chair on domestic affairs. The current position of regional delegate is held by Avaerilon.

Etymology

The name for Avaerilon derives from Avaerilonian, but there are strong cognates in both Fereldonian and Sindarin The first part of the name, avaer, means 'sanctuary' or 'haven,' and comes from the Fereldonian word ffer 'glade.' The ending is ilon, 'realm' and derives from ilnys, island. Literally, the name means "realm of the sanctuary," and was deliberately chosen for that reason by Arthur in 793. Until then, the term did not exist, and the various places that form what we know call Avaerilon were known individually by their own names, or together sometimes as the Western Realm (Ilon Nyrmeln).

History

Pre-History and the Mythic Era

One of the images of wild oxen at Fferod Varn, drawn in charcoal

The earliest evidence of settlement in Avaerilon dates back to around 1,200,000-1,000,000 B.C., with archaeological finds in central Fereldan and eastern Arnalor suggesting that Fereldic humans and Sylvan elves may have arrived in Avaerilon at around the same time. Early man would have found Fereldan a treacherous and challenging place to live, with large numbers of deadly predators such as wolves, lynxes and dragons posing a sizeable threat, though the thick woods which still survive today were rich in food and materials. These early humans hunted and gathered as per the norm elsewhere, chronicling their achievements on cave walls such as at Fferod Varn in Forlindon, which contains some of the earliest known human artwork. The site was discovered in 1837, when prominent geologist Dr. Iago Heforn Fforwelys noticed the prominent sandstone outcrop in a wooded area, and discovered a small series of caverns, along with the perfectly-preserved drawings. Tests conducted concluded that the artworks were drawn in charcoal, suggesting that the early Fereldics were an inventive and intelligent people.

The early Sylvans were also a hunter-gatherer people in the beginning, but chose to dwell in trees almost exclusively, as has been determined from archaeological remains. Most of these dwellings were at first crude shelters of grasses, leaves and twigs, but soon developed into more complex and strong structures made from a variety of nearby materials. The early elves were literate long before their human neighbours, developing an alphabet and written language sometime around the year 12,000 B.C., sometime after the end of the Ice Age.

The Dwemer are believed to have lived in Morrowind around 880,000 B.C., though little is known of their early existence save for the fact they probably lived underground.

The Mythic Era (ME) is generally agreed to begin with the introduction of literacy into Sylvan society, who began writing in a prototype of the modern Twengar script. Its introduction revolutionised Sylvan society, coinciding with the development of Valarism, the oldest surviving religion native to Avaerilon. The Sylvans began to smelt metal, beginning with softer metals such as copper, but relatively soon after discovering bronze, which they used to fashion weapons, armour and other such items. Sylvan society became more militarised, saw many single social norms develop among different groups of elves, and organised communities began appearing. The Fereldic humans saw their own society develop some time later, when agriculture came to Fereldan. Using crude-fashioned stone and metal-ore tools, the Fereldics began ploughing areas of flat land and planting wild grains and roots, cultivating some of the world's earliest-known crops. This change occurred around the year 10,000 B.C., which is also approximately when the first recorded contact between elf and human is believed to have taken-place. While many historians are unwilling to trust oral accounts of the first meetings, it is generally agreed they were not overly hostile, due to a lack of Sylvan weapons or remains found in Fereldan, and vice-versa. In-addition, several short and fragmented Sindarin inscriptions exist, made by Sylvans at the time. one such tablet reads:

"Upon [entering] the glade, the sound [of] voices... began to be heard. though (?) not unlike [their own], the tongue was distant. [Several] individuals emerged from the trees, [clothed] in leathers. These people [were]... tall and short, fat and thin, of fair and of dark hair. The leader (?) rose his hand in an awed greeting, and [presented] his arm in a sign [of] good faith."

Ancient flint tools found in south-west Fereldan. Before metalworking was discovered, these tools were commonly used for a variety of purposes

As a result of contact between the two peoples, the Fereldics acquired literacy, and began writing with the Twengar script like their neighbours, though they wrote in Ancient Fereldonian. Due to the literacy shared by the two peoples, we begin to get a clearer picture of the state of affairs in Avaerilon at this time. Both the Sylvans and Fereldonians lived in small communities, though formally-organised, often ruled by a council of elders, nobles, or mages. It would be these small communities which would lay the basis for the creation of the first kingdoms of men and elves. In the year 9000, Lorien was founded by Galadriel her husband Celeborn in the south-east of the isle of Ithildol, with its capital at Lothlorien. It had an organised military and the beginnings of a small navy, as well as an excellent defensive position being in dense woodland. Though it grew slowly, Lorien remained a prosperous kingdom, despite not having any currency. The first human kingdom was Nyrmenor, founded on the islands of the same name in northern Arnalor, in 8131 B.C.. Fereldonians had migrated in large numbers south-west via the sea currents to the isles, which enjoyed large amounts of sunshine, a pleasant maritime climate and fertile soil, for a number of years before the kingdom was founded, and already several settlements were present. Nyrmenor differed from Lorien in having a more centralised monarchy based in the capital of Arminaleth (now Minas Arminaleth) and a more formalised set of laws; in-short more recognisable features of a modern-day country.

Not long afterwards, in 8102, the kingdom of Eriador, another Sylvan realm, was founded to the north of Lorien in north-west Ithildol. Its first capital, Mithlond, being on the coast gave the new kingdom a great advantage, with the areas natural harbour making for a safe place for ships to be built and dock, and the kingdom grew prosperous from a steady supply of fish and being an early centre for trade.

Classical Era

The various realms that composed Fereldan and Arnalor underwent a number of important changes in the Classical Era (CE), which begun around 8000 B.C.. Petty kingdoms formed where various tribes and communities banded-together, often with a ruling aristocracy, warlord or council of magi. Some emulated the large, increasingly powerful kingdoms of Eriador, Lorien and Nyrmenor, though many others were different in nearly every way. However, it was clear a number of uniform changes were occurring in the three true kingdoms; their various armies became more organised and professional, maps were made and borders declared, and the system of government in each state became more defined and formalised. Though all three retained their different style of rule, all of them were increasingly modern and organised. These changes inspired elves in central Arnalor to found their own kingdom, and in 7147, the kingdom of Gondolin was founded along the southern coast of central Arnalor. Gondolin was responsible for some great Classical innovations, such as the invention of longer-distance sailing vessels (the trireme), and some of the basic principles of modern construction and engineering. Their capital of the same name was the first purpose-built citadel in Avaerilon, and would inspire the construction of such settlements into the 18th Century AD.

A replica of a typical Classical-Era Sylvan trireme. These were the first true sailing ships in Avaerilon, and were the backbone of the powerful Gondolin fleet

For the first part of the Classical Era, Nyrmenor was the most powerful kingdom, commanding large armies and a powerful, organised navy, and owned considerable wealth. It was the first place in Avaerilon coins were minted and a formal currency implemented. The kingdom was originally ruled by a monarch, who was advised by the heads of the powerful noble families of the realm, the elites of the magi and also by the officiants of the Valar, for the kingdom was mostly Valaristic in its religious beliefs. The kingdom held extensive territories outside of the islands themselves, with lands held in other parts of Arnalor, and also a large colony on the island of Vanlonil. However, as time went on, some monarchs gained more power for themselves, and began exerting their control via a powerful oligarchy of their favoured nobles. Some nobles warned against this situation but were often silenced, either through intimidation or by their concerns falling upon deaf ears. By the 5200s, many of these nobles and their followers, tired to the corruption rampant in their kingdom, set-sail for western Ithildon and Vanlonil.

The Cleansing of Nyrmenor occurred in 5131 BC, during the reign of the last of the old kings, Ar-Phalazon. Intent on establishing an absolute monarchy, Ar-Pahalzon had swept-away the last remnants of old society, including most of the magi and all of the Valar officiants from his court. He was opposed by Elendil, who warned of impending doom, but such was his power he did not listen to his enemy. From the writings of those both inside and outside Ar-Phalazon's court, it appears the king became insane due to his obsessional megalomania. Paranoid and unpredictable, he declared his elven neighbours to be traitors for refusing to share the secrets, as he called it, of their long-livedness. Preparing to make war upon them, he mustered a great force of nearly all his ships and soldiers, and intended to attack them by surprise. The war would undoubtedly have killed thousands, and left the lands in a state of ruin. Foreseeing the terrible consequences, Elendil gathered his family, his followers, and a large number of refugees, and set sail for modern-day Gondor. Refusing to leave was the master-wizard Jubasto, who summoned what is perhaps the most powerful spell in history, and cast a tsunami upon the assembled forces of Ar-Pahalzon. The raw arcane energy killed him outright, but the spell was successful, and the entire force was destroyed. A great number of people were killed, refusing to heed the warnings of Jubasto, mostly living in villages close to the affected area in the west of the country. However, most of the population remained unharmed, and were thus able to re-establish a functioning country.

The great citadel of Minas Arminaleth, the capital of Nyrmenor. It was built after the Cleansing, and took fifty years of construction.

However, the country had lost its capital, much of its wealth, and all its armies. Nobles from its colony in Vanlonil had to be dispatched to Nyrmenor itself, as none save Elendil and his followers survived. They managed to slowly restore the nation to a portion of its strength, but failed to achieve anywhere near the wealth and splendour of the old kingdom. It retained Vanlonil, and achieved rebuilding a powerful navy, but was a lesser power from then on. Elendil himself was invited back to the kingdom, being offered the crown as was his right as the most senior old noble remaining; he refused, though by rights his lineage was entitled to claim the throne of the kingdom. No successive ruler ever revoked this entitlement, and it remained when Arthur claimed the throne thousands of years later.

In 5129 BC, the kingdom of Gondolin was founded in south-east Eredorn, by Sylvan lords from elsewhere, and over the years grew to become the successor of Nyrmenor's wealth and territory. By 3970 BC, it was the most powerful kingdom ever seen, with a modern, powerful navy, the trading-capital of all the land, and the most-admired army that had ever existed. It was perhaps this wealth and majesty which drew its eventual destruction, as in 3094 BC, orcs from the continent invaded and began their siege of the citadel of Gondolin itself. Some of the most legendary weapons, such as Orcrist and Glamdring, were forged in that period for the terrible wars, and the elves were confident of their success. However, they refused the help of their neighbours, and a surprise landing by orcish spellcasters, with demons in-tow, caught the defenders off-guard. The citadel walls were breached, and the invaders managed to take the citadel successfully, though not before a stream of refugees were able to escape.

It was then that the chief lord of the citadel, Cevelon the Great, opened the floodgates of the city (which had been built in a former cove drained of its water), which drowned the entire citadel and buried it underwater, killing the invaders. Some of the outer buildings escaped the water, and can be seen today, and the impressive seal walls are equally pristine, though the citadel itself is still underwater. The kingdom, like Nyrmenor, was crippled by the loss of its capital, though it remained and important realm for many more years, thanks to the port town of Lothdeingdel and the strength of its surviving armies.

Ancient Era

Early Era