Aluxia

The Constitutional Monarchy of Aluxia
Flag
Motto: "Progress through Unity"
Status	Independent State
Capital and largest city	Vardin
Official languages	Aluxian
Religion	Tagmatine Orthodoxy
Demonym(s)	Aluxian
Government	Constitutional Monarchy
• Monarch	Kravos I
• Premier	TBD
Legislature	TBD
Establishment
• Kingdom of Aluxia	1305
• Conquest of Zygaria	1503
• Constitutional Monarchy	2019
Population
• 2018 census	10,892,671
Currency	Zemid (AIZ)
Time zone	UTC -2
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+190
Internet TLD	.ax

History

The history of the Aluxian Empire starts with a tribe called the Aluxi. They were a group of aggressive hunters from Northeastern Argis who had been forced from their homes due to the effects of climate change. Around 1000 A.D., the first traces of this group was found in Serbia. They had assembled several campsites and attempted to find some consensus with their neighbors. This was not to be and of the course of 200 years, they were fighting with many over hunting rights and other modest comforts of life. The Aluxi, being an aggressive people, to the knowledge of scholars, had no reservations about taking the offensive. However, by around 1300, as the modern state began to take shape, they packed up and moved to the southeast. The enemies they had made across Serbia would last for generations and would come back to haunt them under the Empire.

After crossing the Baran Mountains, they came upon the Drenz River Valley. This area was already occupied by the Drenziks (Drenzovia) and the Zygarians (Zygaria) who each set up their own principality, the former taking up much of the lower and central valley along with the coastline and the latter maintaining dominion over much of the west with clients in the eastern reaches. The Aluxians, led by Parran, settled on the Upper Drenz and established their capital of Vardin. Wandering Tagmatine missionaries had already converted the peoples of the land and in 1315, ten years after establishing the Kingdom of Aluxia, Parran converted to the faith and had his people join alongside. For 30 years, a cautious peace reigned between the three states until war broke out between Aluxia and Drenzovia in 1350 over pricing on sea access at their port and capital, Nalis. The war would end in 1372 with the dissolution and integration of Drenzovia. Now Aluxia had control of the entire river from the Baran Mountains to the coast. Zygaria would maintain its defiant independence in light of the political shift that come with the loss of its long-time neighbor. Aluxia and Zygaria would have an uneasy truce for much of the next century, with a few small proxy wars between clients in between.

A new threat would soon dawn in the late 1450's to the southwest: the Sayf. At this time, Sayf was under the control of the Sultan and one such ruler wanted to gain dominion over all of the land immediate to them, and as far north through Aluxia itself. In 1465, conflict broke out between the Sayf and the Zygarians. This war would be on and off over twenty years - Aluxia would provide assistance to their erstwhile neighbors - but it was only once their capital of Endvo was encircled did the then-King, Ravon III, bring the full might of his people to bear upon the invaders. He and his army helped break the siege of Endvo and removed the Sayf from the land. Peace was secured in 1485. The Zygarians had more or less been destroyed over the course of the conflict and capitulated to their far stronger neighbor and became a client state, and eventually, fully incorporated into Aluxia in 1503. Ravon III would proclaim this moment as the birth of the Aluxian Empire.

For hundreds of years, the Empire would not expand any further, instead, it would focus inwards, all while trying to thrawrt aggression from the Serbians, their long-hated colleagues to the north. In 1567, the Queendom of Morheim was established and the Empire would set up trade relations between the two. The House of Parran and its aristocratic partners would grow wealthy at the expense of the poor, turning them for intents, land-bound serfs. Throughout this period, the serfs would attempt to overthrow their masters, and every time being brutally taken down by the military and the Black Robes (who would be established in 1775), the ubiquitous secret police. These instances would only make the Emperors crueler and more paranoid about their own lives

This relationship between the classes would last well into the late 1800's when serfdom was abolished. Some level of industrialization had begun to take shape in Endvo and on the outskirts of Vardin, giving the largely destitute poor an opportunity to improve their lives but conditions in these factories were almost as bad as working the land. At the turn of the century, the quality of life for those living in the cities improved substantially when the monarch at the time proclaimed the introduction of free medical care for all his subjects, occurring in 1905. Aluxia would be neutral in the numerous wars, including the two Argic Wars. At the conclusion of those conflicts, Aluxia remained, but it was very much a backward country - harvests began to lessen, the urban classes demanding more participation in government, and the poor asking for a better quality of life.

Emperor Ravon XI came to power in 1990 but instead of heeding the ever-worsening conditions, he doubled down. The Red Dawn occurred on January 1st, 1991 where military units under orders of the Emperor eliminated over two hundred individuals who had been discovered by the Black Robes as threats to the thone and it included not just members of the lower classes but several aristocrats who had grown disenchanted with their royal family and sought the throne for themselves. That event would lead to Ravon XI's assassination in 2000. His son, Davros XXII, ascended to the throne in the wake of his father's death, and only strengthened his paranoia. Davros would marry his current queen, Renna, the daughter of an ethnic Zygarian noble, at the same time. They would produce a son, the crown prince, Kravos. For a number of years, the Emperor gave the Black Robes, his secret police, near-unlimited police powers but only curtailed them after being in effect for five years after the international community intervened, threatening action against the Empire.

Today, the Empire is at a crossroads and the next two years will likely define the future of Aluxia and her people.

Geography and Climate

Aluxia's geography is dominated by many rivers, valleys, and many mountain ranges. Vardin, the capital, is located on the banks of the Drenz River, which flows south from the Baran Mountains into the sea. Nalis, the second-largest city, and principal port lie at the mouth of the river. Aluxia can be divided into two distinct climate zones, the warmer south and the cooler, alpine north. Mount Kromon is the highest point in the Empire. Lake Viron, is a notable body of water. Other cities of importance in the Empire include Voteb, Endvo, and Mireya.

Military

The Aluxian Imperial Armed Forces are commanded by the Emperor and are responsible for the integrity of the borders and to defeat the Empire's enemies at whatever the cost in men and material although this is more a mantra than doctrine. It is made up of the Imperial Army, Navy, Air Force, Special Forces, and is provided intelligence by way of the Black Robes. For most of its history, the military has been focused on the army and as such, has received almost all of the resources. Its navy is made up primarily of littoral craft that can patrol the deep waters of the Drenz and along the coastline. It does possess a few combat-worthy vessels but many of them are close to or at the end of their life. The air force is made up of planes that have long since been obsolete. The only reason for its existence at the time was to act as an additional means to protect the Empire's neutrality in the Argic Wars. Emperor Davros and his military advisors have decided that an extensive reorganization of the military is critical to the long-term life of the Empire going into the future.

Government

The Empire is led by the Emperor, who has absolute power. He is both the head of state and government. There is a 'legislative' branch, known as the Council of Twelve. This body of twelve men is assembled twice a year to 'provide direction and policy for Aluxia alongside the Emperor' but its continued existence is purely for ceremonial purposes. As a body, it has not made a substantial policy decision since 1520, if not as far back as the proclamation of the Empire's creation. Prior to this, this council did have some level of responsibility in consulting the then-Kings of Aluxia through they largely were ignored. They actually were against King Parran's decision to convert to Tagmatine Orthodoxy. Since the Council is essentially powerless, the day-to-day governance of the Empire is done by the Emperor himself with his two appointed advisors, Valron and Brogan, and through them, down into the vast bureaucracy they and their predecessor have continually built upon. But the Emperor is at a moment in its history that could upend the entire political system (of what exists properly). Crown Prince Kravos believes now is the time to completely throw off the autocracy and properly bring about a constitutional monarchy, and the creation of a true, and demanded democratic governance mechanism. Kravos's appointment to the Council of Twelve is just the first step to making this a possibility, though he knows he'll have to go up against his father, and the legacy his predecessors had fermented over centuries.

Economy

The Imperial economy is centered around mining, agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, and commerce. Vardin, the capital, is the nexus of the economy. The Drenz, the most important river in the Empire and the main 'highway' of the country, has shown signs of wavering silt deposits, making agriculture harder, and hence, smaller harvests. This has forced the Emperors to import the majority of cereals and essentials foods from abroad. In the Zygarian foothills, ranching and herding are big and provide much of the wool for textiles and meat consumed. Much of the mineral wealth that may lie beneath the peaks of the Baran Mountains has yet to be tapped through the extraction of iron, coal, and lead have been the big three ores. When medical care made free in 1905, there was an increase in the number of individuals seeking medical degrees. Eventually, there were too many for the size of the Empire's population and some of them came together to form Ison Pharmaceuticals, named after the Ison plant that grows in the area surrounding Lake Viron that has been found to have medicinal qualities. The company was given substantial aid by the Emperor himself in financial and material support, hoping to use them as a means to make the Empire more outward-oriented and more able to stand on the world stage. The currency of the Empire is the Imperial Zemid which has been kept artificially high in order to compete with other floating currencies around the globe.