Flatstone

Vedşotī Lege Kosīdugā The Second Kingdom of Flatstone
Flag Coat of Arms
Motto: "Bopeko şotī şuveloko domekuş naş." (National) "A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss." (English)
Anthem: "Şotīmon" (Stone Song)
Map of Flatstones Provinces Map of Flatstones Provinces
Capital and largest city	Vedotī
Official languages	Northern Ivili, Taverkny, Ou, Southern Ivili
Religion	Geology
Demonym(s)	Stonish
Government	Federal Monarchy
• Chancellor	Şotī Dāg
• Commander in Chief	Şotī Dāg
• Chief of Staff of Army High Command	Onosen Sinliman
• Ruling Party	Northern Ivili Clan
Founded
• Treaty of Szlād	September 21st 1232
Area
• Total	42,454 km2 (16,392 sq mi)
Population
• 2021 estimate	8,700,000
• 2018 census	8,521,441
• Density	200/km2 (518.0/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2018 estimate
• Total	377,593,572,151
• Per capita	44,311
GDP (nominal)	2018 estimate
• Total	402,467,658,430
• Per capita	47,230
Gini (2018)	24.9 low
HDI (2018)	0.831 very high
Currency	Sand Dollar (SNDL)
Time zone	UTC+3 (UCT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (not observed)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+421
Internet TLD	.rock

Flatstone (Northern Ivili: Vedşotī), or officially known as The Second Kingdom of Flatstone (Northern Ivili: Vedşotī Lege Kosīdugā), is an isolationist nation located in Southeastern Thrismari, Anteria. The nation shares a maritime border with both Kentalis and Zhousheng to the north, and another maritime border with Morrawia to the south. Vedotī is both Flatstones's capital and largest city, possessing religious ancestry as well as being the first permanent settlement on the archipelago. Other major cities may include; Ōnlō, Ūmūdīn, Sūnŧūgā, Ūmōkō, Īnbā, and Kūmōnlān. The name "Flatstone" was coined by the nations founder, Erik Slaten amidst the Erik Slaten's War. It was derived from the term "Geologism", commonly used to refer to Erik Slaten's "national religion", which would be successfully spread throughout the archipelago following the conclusion of Erik Slaten's War.

The status of the Stonish person is defined by the faith that they follow. Flatstone, ruled by a religiously intolerant and authoritarian monarch, is dominated by the Geologist faith, a religion unique to the Stonish Archipelago. Despite the kings efforts, other faiths exist throughout Flatstone as minorities, including various branches of Catholicism, as well as Athiesm and other less significant local religions and denominations of Geology. It is estimated the no more than 40,000 have been made victims of Proselytism by the Stonish crown since 2011.

Flatstone identifies as a "federal monarchy" under the guise that the four kingdoms of the Stonish Archipelago and their peoples govern themselves autonomously and without direct interference from the Northern Ivili Clan, however, King Dag Von Stone of the Northern Ivili Clan and Flatstone collectively has violated this clause time and time again since his rise to power, most notably in the aftermath of the Stonish Civil War in 2011 when the independence of the Taverkny Clan was violated by his coalition troops and their efforts to reunite the four kingdoms under the monarchy after the fall of Flatstones republican government (circa 1960-2011).

History

Chapter I: Erik Slaten's War

Erik Slaten's Declining Health

The lifeless corpse of Crown Bishop Erik Slaten on his deathbed in 1144.

One hundred years years of peaceful rule over the archipelago allowed for the gradual spread and implementation of Geology, the religion originally introduced to the nation by Erik himself. However, in 1141 the Crown Bishop's health took a serious turn for the worse, having contracted what historians believe to be Tuberculosis. For three years, doctors nation-wide would visit the crown bishop in a desperate attempt to revitalize Erik's worsening health, to no avail. After a variety of methods and dozens of miracle cures, Erik Slaten would pass away in 1144, leaving his short-lived kingdom without a true successor. Over the next ten years, the nation would manage to keep itself partially intact with the help of priests that had banded together to form a "regency council" to act as the ruling government while a qualified successor could be chosen. However, the corruption that had developed amongst the members of the clergy had severely worsened following the death of Erik and thus no true successor would ever be found. Instead, the stability of the order would only continue to worsen, eventually leading to the dissolution of the order and the recreation of the Taverkny Clan, and shortly after the South Ivili Clan as well. The remaining territory posessed by the order fragmented after the regency council disbanded and fled in hiding, leaving the Northern Ivili Clan in pieces and without an heir. Over the course of fifty years, the various clans would engage in various skirmishes with each-other to no avail, eventually leading to an universal ceasefire in 1195.

Birth of Bjarn Von Stone

Bjarn Von Stone was born just one year before the ceasefire. He had been born into an isolated farmhouse somewhere in Sūnŧūgā, supposedly growing up with his mother and potentially his father, although it should be noted that his mother was believed to have been widowed. Not a lot is known about Bjarn's childhood and his progression into adulthood, but what is certain is that Von Stone was a name that he gave to himself, and his original last name is unknown. It is likely that Bjarn taught himself archery and swordsmanship at a young age, as by the time the First War of Unification broke out in 1211 his performance in battle and leadership was of high standards. Bjarn left for the capital of Szlād at age fourteen in order to find work and make money, however rather then starting a farm of his own or participating as an architect, Bjarn would be quick to find his way into the politics of Northern Ivili, establishing himself as the self-proclaimed successor of Erik Slaten at the age of 17 and taking after his beliefs and accomplishments, using religion as a tool to seize and maintain power through authoritarian means. By the time he was 18, the civil war was in full swing and Bjarn had couped the remnants of Northern Ivili in the same fashion as Erik Slaten had a century prior.

Chapter II: Wars of Unification

First Stonish War of Unification

Expulsion of the Ou Peoples

Just five days after the decision to occupy the northern Bīgōzōsī islands was finalized, Bjarn published a rough-draft of a plan to forcefully migrate and/or expel the Ou minorities living on and around the southern coast of Szŧōnzōsī and the northern Bīgōzōsī out of Stonish-controlled lands into the few islands still controlled by the Ou Clan. While Kristen Ou was initially hesitant to accept this demand, his freedom of choice was short-lived as Bjarn threatened military occupation if he were to decline. The expulsion of the Ou peoples that inhabited southern Szŧōnzōsī was an uncalled-for cultural catastrophe that still scars the south of Flatstone to this day. What remains of the Ou Clan remains politically and culturally isolated from the rest of Flatstone to this day, often encouraging various paramilitary organizations throughout the Ou Clan to take military action against the Kingdom of Flatstone in the name of secession; an idea that is considered by many to be extremist in nature.

Second Stonish War of Unification

Geologist Schism

In the December of 1237, king Bjarn Von Stone of Flatstone would pass away, leaving his recently united kingdom in the hands of his son, Eirik Von Stone. However, Eiriks inauguration would not take place until five months after the death of his father, giving a small amount of wiggle-room where Stonish absolutism was not enforced. The Ou Clan used this opportunity to go violate religious laws that had been put into place by Bjarn Von Stone, as he was no longer around to enforce them. Geologism, Flatstones largest and official religion, was largely practiced throughout the Bīgōzōsī islands. However, the Ou believed that Geologism was preventing them from using the autonomy that had been granted to them to the fullest effect. To counter this, Kristen Ou's successor decided that the only way to solve this religious predicament was to separate the Geologist followers in the lands of the Ou Clan from the Geologist followers in the lands of the rest of Flatstone. The Geologist church would be split into two when the Ou King negotiated with the local Əɉōm in Ou territory, convincing them to split from the Geologist faith and instead enforce their own denomination of the Geologist faith, known as Vecism. This Geologist split would divide the religion in two until 2022, when king Dag Von Stone would reunite the two religions using the absolute power granted to him at birth by his predecessor.

Settlement of Szŧōnbā

The first recorded discovery of the Szŧōnbā archipelago in Stonish history was in 1270, when Stonish merchants accidentally stumbled upon the island during a voyage to the Neil Canal. However, the first official settlement of the island wouldn't occur until 1273, when Eirik Von Stone funded an expedition to the island that he allowed one of his volunteering officers to supervise. Eirik himself would not arrive in Szŧōnbā until 1275, when he would remain on the island for two months before returning to Szlād. After this, Eirik Von Stone would have little to do with the development of the Stonish colony, as he was preoccupied with the economic recovery of the nation from it's two wars of reunification, as well as Ou settlement of the Mīdləŧūdī. The islands would be placed under the jurisdiction of Stonish admiral Gert Koch, an officer that had served during the second reunification war, who would remain as the governor until his death in 1291.  

Ūbīkūsōsūlī (1269-1322)

The Ūbīkūsōsūlī (Meaning "Reconstruction") was a period in Stonish History following the conclusion of the Stonish Wars of Unification, starting during the reign of Stonish King Eirik Von Stone, and ending during the reign of Stonish King Bergboer Von Stone. It marks the beginning of the nations transition from an isolated, religiously-dominated archipelago to a Southern-Sunadic naval hegemon. Additionally, the Ūbīkūsōsūlī includes the colonization of the Szŧōnbā and Mīdləŧūdī archipelagos, further reinforcing the nations plans for a position as a navally-dominant superpower in the region for the short period of time that it was capable of achieving it.

Chapter III: Stonish Invasion of Hoterallia

Outbreak of War

An increase in activity by Stonish merchants in the Neil Canal resulted in a variety of small skirmishes between Stonish and Hoterallian naval craft. This eventually lead to the Stonish king, Bjarn II, delivering a letter to the Hoterallian Emperor Gon-Suda himself, demanding that these interferences cease, otherwise facing war. Two letters were sent, both of which were discarded as Hoterallia had no way of translating the Stonish language properly and were thus unable to read the letters, leading to war between the two nations.

Post-War Recovery

The war between the two nations had initially started after King Bjarn II of Flatstone delivered an ultimatum to the Hosu Taichimate, demanding that Hoterallia cease naval activity in the Neil Strait, theoretically putting an end to Hoterallian interference with Stonish trade running through the Neil Strait and surrounding bodies of water.

The ultimatum, written by Bjarn II himself and delivered to Emperor Gon-Suda by Stonish emissaries, contained the following;

In spite of recent events, it has come to my attention that Hoterallia has decided to undermine my merchants, the very same merchants that just months ago I had sent to maintain my kingdoms trade through the Neil Strait. I've decided to take this as an insult, as for you to believe that you can so subtly interfere with the distribution of my faith and resources without facing the consequences is absurd. Cease this obnoxious interference or face war, a war that once I have won will result in the loss of both your sad excuse for a navy and coastline.

These warnings were ignored by Emperor Gon-Suda, as Hoterallia failed to properly translate the Stonish hieroglyphic alphabet and discarded the message. However, in 1326 another message was dispatched regarding the lack of Hoterallian response.

Your failure to recognize my demands I find quite incompetent. You've had multiple chances, and thus I will be granting no more. Consider this final message greatly, as your response will be the deciding factor when it comes to war between our two nations in this day and age. You have six months to produce a response and deliver it to me, otherwise my armies will depart and your capital will be burned.

This second message, although received by Emperor Gon-Suda, was once again discarded as it couldn't be properly translated. Following this, Bjarn II declared war on Hoterallia, dispatching his armies and navies to the Szŧōnbā islands.

Military (Stonish Armed Forces)

Sztōnājmī (Army)

The Sztōnājmī acts as the the main branch of Flatstone's military, consisting of the Ground Force, the National Guard and the Anti-Terrorist Unit. These three inner-branches comprise the Sztōnājmī for a total of 25,000 active servicemen as of 2020. The Sztōnājmī was founded in July of 1324 by Bjarn II Von Stone to meet the nations demand for protection. Ironically enough, this force would rarely be used for conducting defensive operations but rather offensive operations on foreign soil. The Sztōnājmī has had a lasting partnership with both Szŧōndōbī and Szŧōnəŧōkōmgānī since their creation in the 30's, and the majority of Sztōnājmī's equipment comes from both of it's suppliers.

Sztōnājī (Navy)

coming soon

Sztōnkləŧājmī (Air Force)

coming soon

Geography

Climate & Geography

Topological Map of Flatstone in 1965 during republican rule.