Achkadia

Armed Republic of Achkadia Bewaffnete Republik Achkadia République Armée d'Achkadia
Flag Seal
Motto:  "In Strength, Fate"
Anthem: Liberty In Our Lands
Achkadia in Lira
Capital	Warezen
Largest	Warezen
Official language	Achkadian
Ethnic groups (2016)	69% Achkadian 10 % Produzs 10% Aridite 11% Other
Religion	Achkadian Church of Verro (Official)
Demonym(s)	Achkadian
Government	Directorial Republic
• Statevotary	General-Protector Ottomar Baumer
Legislature	Assembly of Free Citizens
Revolution
• Formation of the first Kingdom of Achkadia	1145
• Formation of the Armed Republic	1962
Population
• 2016 estimate	42,950,000
• 2013 census	41,011,278
GDP (nominal)	estimate
• Total	$777,743,987,937 USD
• Per capita	$18,387
HDI	0.871 very high
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy (AD)
Driving side	right

Achkadia officially the Armed Republic of Achkadia is a Stratocracy located on the continent of Lira in the region of Greater Olympus. Achkadia is bordered to the north by Lunderfrau, the east by Winst and to the south by Arideo, Parthonopia, and Produzland. Along its west Achkland sits along the Oceanus Glaucus.

Formerly the Kingdom of Achkadia, Achkadia was forcibly occupied in the early 20th century by several of its neighbors in what is known as the Achkadian Subjugation. During this period the nation and people of Achkadia suffered many indignities such as the removal of many national resources, murder of any persons speaking out about the puppet regime installed over them, and numerous civil liberties violations. The royal family of Achkadia, the House of Glöckner, was even murdered, extinguishing all royal lines of the once proud nation. However after nearly a decade under occupation after the Achkadian people suffered many hardships, the grass roots movement known as the White Army rose up against the puppet government and overthrew it after a long struggle. The people of Achkadia now free, feared the worst could happen again should their occupiers return, so they entrusted their protection to the White Army and armed themselves in preparation, thus forming the Armed Republic.

To this day Achkadia has continued as a Stratocracy, vesting the control of it's government to the people who fought for it decades ago. From being a peaceful Kingdom in the early 20th century, Achkadia is now one of the foremost military powers in Lira, focusing much of it's resources towards the common national defense. The government of Achkadia under the leadership of the Directorate of the Defense and Liberty is constantly looking after the safety of the nation's people from threats external and within. Achkadia is well known for it's military products, weapons that are used the world over in many conflicts, as well as technology exports used in many computers today. On an internationals stage Achkadia is often combative with nation it deems a threat to it's national sovereignty.

Etymology

Achkadia is derived from the word for the "Ach" people, a ethnic group of nomadic herdsmen on the Liran plains as far back as 1,000 BC. The Ach people settled along the Warzen river and created some of the first settlements in the nation around this time. Come the early 3rd Century the land of Achlandor enveloped much of the area around the modern capital. Throughout the early middle ages many neighboring Kingdoms ruled over this area, until 1145 when the first Kingdom of Achkadia was established.

History

The Chorus of St. Verro appearing before Sir Dan of the Tatjana.

Achkadia has existed as a Monarchy for much of its history, dating back to the middle ages when the Grund Dynasty first founded the settlement of Whiterock on the northern shores of Achkadia. Through many conflicts with neighboring feudal states the Kingdom of Achkadia became a unified state in 1145 and existed in tension with Parthonopia for much of the 16th through 19th centuries.

Residenz de Glöckner, royal Palace of the former House of Glöckner. Now a national museum.

In 1942 Achkadia was a peaceful nation observing many pacifist principles that King Klemens Glöckner has instilled in his nation. Achkadia at this time was known for it's great civil freedoms of its people and many came from around the world to study at it's universities. However it was at this time when neighboring nations invaded Achkadia splitting it into sections and establishing several puppet governments. During this occupation hundreds of civil rights violations were committed, from murder, theft, and oppression of free speech and media. The King and royal family of Achkadia were also murdered at this time, ending the line of monarchs.

After nearly 10 years under such occupation, a young man named Ottomar Baumer, an engineering student studying in the Unitary Republic of Winst, returned home to Achkadia despite the foreign occupation. What he found there horrified him, his countrymen abused and neglected, he would later that year skip returning to school in Winst and instead form “The White Army” and underground movement of resistance fighters to drive out the occupying force.

First units of the Youth of the White Liberty Army just after the formation of the Armed Republic.

After 2 years of fighting, in 1953 Ottomar found himself the commander of a force beyond his dreams when he began the resistance, and with popular support from the people of Achkadia on the rise in 1954 was able to drive out the foreign puppet government and take control of the nation, establishing the Directorate of National Defense.

While Ottomar planned to hand over control of the government to the people soon after retaking the nation, an attempt by Lunderfrau to reinstate the puppet regime, and several attempted foreign influences in Achkadia, the paranoia of an invasion happening again was high, and the National Defense Directorate was reformed to the more permanent Directorate of the Liberty and Defense of Achkadia. Several democratic reforms have followed since then such as the establishment of a civilian legislature, but the military control of this nation has become a continuing fixture in it's modern history.

Geography

Warezen skyline.

The western half of the Achkadia is known as the Hochland, and forms what is known as the foothills of the Windigberge mountains. It is dominated by hills and low mountains, including the Birgit near which is the highest point, at 671 metres. Other mountains are the Elise at 498 metres near Dietmar. The region less densely populated than its counterpart, with only one city, Helmuth, with a population of more than 200,000 people.

The eastern half of the country is called the Grünländer, and is more densely populated than the Hochland. It is also more diverse and can be divided into five geographic sub-regions. The Warezen plateau, in east-central Achkadia, is a large, flat, sandstone formation, and the site of the city of Warezen. Dieter, in the far east of Achkadia, has craggy terrain and thick forests. The Kuno valley is the lowest-lying region, running along the southeastern border. Lilaländer, in the far northeast is Achkadia's industrial heartland and home to many of Achkadia's largest towns.

Climate

Achkadia is part of the Liran Oceanic climatic region, and enjoys a temperate climate without extremes. Winters are mild, summers fairly cool, and rainfall is high.

Seasonal weather is somewhat different between the northern and southern regions. In the north there is considerable influence from the Glaucus systems, in which the passage of frequent pressure depressions gives rise to unstable weather conditions. This results in overcast skies and considerable drizzle in the winter.

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  Rock formations near Warezen.

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  Fields in the Lilaländer.

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  Coastline in the north of Achkadia.

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  Tributary of the Katharina River in Grünländer.

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  Farmland in the Hochland.

Politics

Achkadia is a directorial republic in which power is vested in the Directorate of the Defense and Liberty of Achkadia, a 9 person council of military officers who are appointed by the Statevotary of the Directorate and confirmed by the legislature: the Assembly of Free Citizens. The Statevotary of the Directorate who is typically the highest ranking military official in Achkadia acts as the head of state and government as well as commander and chief of the armed forces at the discretion of the directorate. Each member of the directorate typically serves 6 year terms on the governing council but term lengths are at the discretion of the Directorate. The Statevotary also has no hard term limit.

The High Command, the brain of Achkadian government, military, and police.

The Assembly of Free Citizens is the legislature of Achkadia and consists of 332 Representatives each elected to represent constituencies of 130,000 persons and serve for 2 year terms. The Assembly has the power to create laws and construct budgets both of which are in turn ratified by the Directorate. They also have investigative powers at the behest of the citizen's best interests. Representatives form themselves into many political parties, which are pre-approved by the Directorate, along ideological lines. Some of these parties are even opposed to the military-centric regime, but are largely unorganized and unpopular.

Since the Armed Repiblic's establishment in 1955 the position of Statevotary has been held by General-Protector Ottomar Baumer, the resistence leader who lead the Warezen Revolt of 1952 and leading the people of Achkadia out from occupation. Ottomar Baumer along with other revolt leaders quickly established the Directorate of National Defense (later renamed to the present day title) as the principal leaders of the nation to oversee its reconstruction and return it to its pre-occupation glory. While some to this day call for an end to what has been called a military junta, the constant paranoia of attack, ransack, and occupation by other Liran neighbors has kept much of the citizenry happy with the stalwart leadership of Ottomar and the Directorate. This coupled with the democratic reforms of 1972 in which the Assembly of Free Citizens was formed, has kept most opposition at bay.

Urban Police securing neighborhoods.

Rhetoric within the Armed Republic is often focused on the nation's external threats, with constant reminders of the Achkadian Subjugation occupation throughout media, tradition, and landmarks around the nation. International observers have called it a nation motivated by fear, but some even argued that it is certainly very motivated. Manufactured electronics, aerospace products, software, and other goods are produced to be some of the finest in the world, and the citizens of Achkadia view it as their duty to produce their best, less the occupation tries to return.

Military

Main article: Forces of Achakdian Liberty

The Forces of Achakdian Liberty (FAL) is a three branch armed force broken into the Achakdian Liberty Army , which is commonly referred to as White Army after the name of the rebel group that liberated Achakdia, the Achkadian Liberty Army Air Force, and the Achkadian Liberty Army Navy. The main purpose of FAL is the defense of the Armed Republic from foreign aggressors and to prevent an occupation like the Achkadian Subjugation from ever happening again. Funding for FAL is a large part of the government's budget, ensuring that the military is given the very best equipment and training.

The Achkadian Liberty Army Air Force receives the largest percentage of the budget, taking on roles from weaker branches of the military such as the Navy and giving the nation some “reach” as it were. Leveraging the advanced technologies industry in Achkadia, the Air Force uses some of the most advanced aircraft in the world to accomplish missions such as air superiority, naval strike, ASW, long-range strike, and ground attack.

The Achkadian Liberty Army, or White Army, is also a big focus for the nation with research and development to leverage aerospace technologies a big focus for ensuring Achkadia has a modern force. The Army itself has moderately advanced equipment and a well organized substantial fighting force that takes on the roles of ground defense, air defense, coastal defense, anti-terrorism/disaster relief, and attack.

Achkadian Liberty Army MBT.

To compliment both the Air Force and the Army, special forces are given a large sum of the budget to carry out asymmetrical operations both internal and external to Achkadia. These forces are divided between both the Army and Air Force and benefit from some of the best training/equipment available. Special forces are expected to be the means in which Achkadian commanders can project their nations power onto the international scene, with small teams carrying out high risk missions the world over i Achkadia's interests.

The Achkadian Navy is the smallest branch of the armed forces and is limited to a few frigate sized vessels with moderately advanced sensors and weapons, and even fewer patrol submarines. The Navy itself takes on many peacetime missions such as interdiction and maritime patrol. However in war it is intended to support the other branches through ASW, Air Defense, and protecting shipping lanes.

Overall there is 859,000 personnel in the Forces (2% of population) of Achkadian Liberty, with 513,00 of those being in the Liberty Army, 235,000 being part of the Army Air Force, and 150,000 apart of the Liberty Army Navy. For budget, the armed forces received 10.5% of the national GDP in expenditures with the top expenses going to procurement, R&D, and personnel.

Citizens

Checkpoint Exiting Warezen

Within the Armed Republic, citizens are classified in to different Registry Levels to signify their level of contribution to society as well as their level of trust by the government. While the government of the Armed Republic brands these designators as levels of trust amongst fellow members of the citizenry, it is often used as a tool of the state to determine which citizens are granted more freedoms or resources and thus determining their worth. These classifications grant citizens special accesses to medical care, food, luxuries, amenities, travel, housing, jobs, and even permission to move around different areas of the nation. While some classes are much sought after, others are the result of mistakes one made in their life of behaviors the government deems unacceptable.

Moving between classes is not impossible within Achkadia, often it is achieved through hard work but is also attributed to who you meet along the way. Most who move upwards are those members of the military who find success within their careers. Children of citizens are granted the same level as their parents and only move up or down based on their own merit. While it is not illegal to marry outside one's class, if it is done then a reassessment of one’s citizen registry class is made to determine the new level based on the merits of the potential husband and wife.

Level	Details
Ultra-Violet	At the top of the registry levels sit the Ultra-Violet, a caste of elites whom are either running the nation or related to someone related to the nation. From an outside perspective these citizens could be considered akin to nobility. Ultra-Violet citizens are permitted to do anything, go anywhere, consume anything. Ultra-Violet are for the most part above the law, allowed access to media from around the world and could conceivably murder someone of a lower class with little to no consequence. They are the the top oft he food chain in Achkadia.
Purple	While not the top dogs within the nations, the Purple level citizens are often powerful and influential people who are granted a luxurious standard of living and personal freedoms. Purple citizens are often top government officials, media moguls, important businessmen, social icons, or distant relatives to prominent Directorate members.
Blue	Short of being someone of great importance within Achkadia, you find the Blue citizens. These citizens are mid to upper level bureaucrats, businessmen, or media personalities. Blue citizens while not being the richest of the rich are not greatly restricted like those below them. However they are not granted the absolute freedom of those shaded a bit more purple within Achkadian society are. This is the first level granted permission to leave Achkadia on leisure.
Green	Achieving the level of Green is what most Achkaidan citizens call making it in life. Green citizens are essentially what the government call trusted and are the first level citizens are granted access to things like the internet, social media, or any sort of minor exposure to what the rest of the world has to offer. Green citizens are equivalent to the mid-to upper middle class in most nations. They are also the first level to be granted permission to travel for leisure within Achkadia.
Yellow	The majority of citizens are here within Achkadia. Limited rights as far as travel and access to media are concerned. Access to medical care and luxury goods are also based on supply and how much ht estate can offer. Often this class lives in some sort of poverty and fill low skill manufacturing jobs or low level military skill-sets. Yellow citizens are the workhorse of the nation and are given media which is the most government scrutinized.
Orange	If you have ever done something the government deems undesirable or not contributed to society enough to please your local government agent, then you would find yourself in the orange class. These citizens are the lowest of any sort of free reign citizens and are often the homeless and impoverished that do not give much to the rest of society. Thus they are given limited resources by the government.
Red	Within Achkadia Red citizens are synonymous with indentured servitude tot he government. Criminals, degenerates, outcasts, and unwanted persons make up this caste. They are subject to the harshest labor and living standards. Red citizens go nowhere without supervision or command. They're lives are forfeit as far as the state is concerned and are the lowest oft he low.

Economy

One of Achkadia's chief exports is aircraft components.

Achkadia's economy is fueled by the industrial complex forged around the production of the world's aerospace and computer components. It plays a big role in the arms market of the world, with Achkadian weapons of all types being exported to the world. This coupled with civilian products for consumers and businesses drives the nation's industries. The service side of the economy is centered around the consumption of technology products such as personal computers and cell phones, as well as minor components used in most major brands of electronics around the world. This mass production of hardware and software allows for Achkadian goods to be both quality and affordable.

Corporations play a huge role in the internal workings of the nation both in the private and public sectors. Lobbyists often solicit Representatives of the Assembly or members of the Directorate. The government itself plays some role in determining economic policies, and have adopted a mixed market economy style with some nationalization of manufacturing/production capability.