Æthele

Æþele Kingdom of Æthele
Flag Coat of Arms
Motto: "Beterian hero hycgan twihynde beterian wang" Common: Better men make a better world
Anthem: Hail, Eternal By Whose Aid
Capital and largest city	Edmond
Official languages	Common
Ethnic groups	Æthics (85%) Ghantish (10%)
Demonym(s)	Æthic
Government	Constitutional monarchy
• Cyng	Malcom IV
• Ambeht	Douglass Wynstonn
Legislature	Bold sylfum Spelingum
Population
• 2018 estimate	11,143,523
• 2018 census	National Census
GDP (PPP)	2018 estimate
• Total	$5,73.89 billion
• Per capita	NS$51,500
HDI (2014)	0.974 very high (3rd)
Currency	Cynegold (ACY)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+042

The Kingdom of Æthele (Æthic: Æþele) is a constitutional monarchy of over 11 million people in the region of Ajax. Æthele’s capital, Edmond, is the political and financial heart of the country.

In ancient times, the territories making up modern day Æthele were divided up into a heptarchy of minor, Anglo-Saxon states connected by a common language, customs, and traditions. After centuries of disunity, these states were unified in 865 CE by the Roman Catholic King Duncan of Corraidhín. After centuries of direct rule, the King of Æthele steadily relinquished power to the House of Delegates led by a Lord Minister. The King of Æthele is Malcom IV Lord Minister is Douglass Wynstonn.

In the early 20th century, a civil war between the monarchy and communist forces in the southwest of the country from 1920 - 1923 was crushed by the monarchy. The country grew from an agricultural state to a larger industrial power starting in the 1950s with new advancements in key technical industries, particularly aerospace industry, the arms industry, and the manufacturing side of the software industry.

Æthele boasts the largest organized fraternal order in Ajax, noted in the Grand Lodge of the Sparrow, a union of local fraternities of taxidermists.

Etymology

The name Æthele derives from the original Common term for the geographic area of Æthele, Atheland, a name given to the Athic people, an ethnic group that predated modern day Æthic's.

History

Bronze Age

During the last glacial period, and up until about 13,000 years ago, most of Æthele was covered with ice, most of the time. There is no evidence of any humans being in Æthele before Mesolithic people arrived by boat from northern Acheron between 6,000 BC and 5,000 BC.

From about 4,500 BC Neolithic settlers arrived introducing housing cultures and stone monuments. The Bronze Age – defined by the use of metal – began around 2,500 BC, with technology changing people's everyday lives during this period through innovations such as the wheel, harnessing oxen, weaving textiles, brewing alcohol, and skillful metalworking, which produced new weapons and tools, along with fine gold decoration and jewelry, such as brooches and torcs.

Classical Era

During the Iron Age the Common dialect emerged on the continent around the same time that Athic people began to form as a cultural group. The small Athic kingdoms often engaged in minor conflicts with one another for a period of 6 and a half centuries. By 600 C.E., 5 Kingdoms ruled over the Athic territories: The Kingdoms of Valland, Corraidhín, Donneset, Synegold, and Erthwood.

By the 2nd century AD, the Christian faith had been introduced among Athic peoples. By the 4th century, several small southern kingdoms had adopted the religion, and as these smaller kingdoms became absorbed into the Kingdoms of Corraidhín and Erthwood, the ruling classes slowly began to adopt them. In the northern Kingdoms of Valland and Synegold, they were actively persecuted by their Kings. This began to lead to tensions between the Kingdoms over time.

Athic Crusade

See also: Athic Crusade

The marriage of King John III of Corraidhín and the daughter and only child of King Vincent IV of Erthwood united the Kingdoms of Corraidhín and Erthwood in 801 A.D. King John III and Queen Margaret gave birth to Duncan of Corraidhín, who ascended the throne in 843 A.D. as King Duncan I of Corraidhín.

Surrender of Henry of Donneset by John Margyle, 1836.

In 856 A.D., Duncan I gained the political and financial backing of the Catholic Church in Edmond to launch a Holy Crusade against the non-Christian Kingdoms in the north. The Crusade's conquest of the Donneset lasts 3 years, decisively ending when Duncan I descends on King Henry IV of Donneset's army of twelve thousand men with a force of twenty-five thousand men. Attacking from the west, Duncan easily broke the men under King Henry IV, who were guarding the bridges towards the capital of Donneset. Henry IV is captured and the House of Donneset swears fealty to the House of Corraidhín and converts to Christianity.

After recuperating his forces and mustering another ten thousand from the House of Donneset, Duncan I marched into Valland in 860 A.D., decisively defeating Vallic forces in the Massacre of Firth, where eight thousand Vallic soldiers were surprised early on the 5th of April of that year by an advance force of Duncan's cavalry at the village of Firth. The King of Valland was slain and his first son vanished, presumed killed by the Christian forces. The House of Valland's Queen-consort swore fealty to King Duncan on behalf of the infant second son, and the heir-apparent to the House.

Duncan's forces attempt to cross into Synegold by crossing westward over the Both River but are stopped by the marshlands and are forced to engage at the strongholds of Clonburrow, Naismur, and Donnehall. Synic King Lawrence VII posts fifteen thousand men at these strongholds, which King Duncan is forced to lay siege too. After several probing attacks, King Duncan attempts to force a crossing Clonburrow in August of 861 but the attack fails. The next year, King Duncan again attacks at Clonburrow but the attacks fail miserably, forcing the King to reevaluate his strategy. Finally, in July of 862, King Duncan's forces breached the gates at Clonburrow and took the fortress, forcing the Synic's to abandon their strongholds at Naismur and Donnehall for a final siege at the capital at Syne. King Duncan lays siege to Syne for 2 years, and the siege finally breaks when a mutiny in the garrison allows Duncan's forces to raze Syne to the ground, leading to the House of Synegold's extinction.

Following King Duncan's conquest of Athic lands, the Church in Edmond coronated him as "Ic Cyng sylfum Æthele," or "First King of Æthele," formally uniting the old Athic kingdoms into one state and uniting them all Æthic people under one banner.

Middle Ages

The Athic Crusade saw agricultural output decline significantly, leading to repeated famines, exacerbated by the rapid population growth of the earlier era. The Athic Crusade also disrupted trade throughout the country, especially after the destruction of the large trading city of Syne. Inadvertently, many Æthics on the coastline turned to fishing, an economic industry that still dominates in many coastal villages today. Most devastating, though, was the spread of typhus that decimated the populations of the densely populated cities of Edmond and Jessburrow. Typhus outbreaks continued to affect Æthele for intervals between 1000 and 1450, and claimed the life of Lothair II thirty-five days into his reign in 1294. The horrors of typhus and the seeming inability of the Church to provide relief would lead to a rapid decline of church influence in Æthic politics. By the reign of Nicholas II, the Church's representative in the Royal Court of Edmond had all but diminished.

The Edmond Cathedral was built between 1163 and 1182 and is a National Landmark.

Trade began to recover by 1100. By the 13th century, much of Æthele experienced strong economic growth. The trade routes from the south linked with those of established Æthic ports and eventually the trade routes of the Thalassan Ocean to create a network economy in Æthele. Cities expanded greatly during this period and the Monarchy grew in power while the Church diminished. During this period, the modern commercial infrastructure developed, with double-entry book-keeping, joint stock companies, an international banking system, a systematized foreign exchange market, insurance, and government debt.

Foundation of the Grand Lodge of the Sparrow

As the economy rapidly expanded and more and more citizens began to accumulate wealth, competitive hunting grew as a popular pastime. This resulted in a large economic demand for taxidermists. It was not uncommon for several taxidermists to live in local communities, and at one point it was one of the largest industries. Local fraternities and organizations began to organize gradually after the 11th century, often meeting weekly at night in secluded areas or in Churches.

The earliest masonic texts each contain some sort of a history of the craft, or mystery, of taxidermy. Twenty-five manuscripts which are known as the Belros Collective which date back to the 14th century and were discovered in the Royal Library of Edmond by scholars in the 20th century. The Collective contains the charters of three Lodges in Belros, Vergen and Kessrow and a draft of early masonic ceremonies, but all were turned over to the Grand Lodge. The Grand Lodge of the Sparrow of Æthele was formally chartered in 1392, with 2/3rds of all Lodges represented at the inaugural meeting.

While it is relatively unknown when the first Æthic King joined the Grand Lodge, however, it is speculated that King Lothair IV was the first to join the Lodge based on accounts from the time, reportedly doing so in the 1360s. The first King to acknowledge his involvement in the Grand Lodge was Malcolm II, who recorded scheduled meetings with the Grand Master, Sir Howard Bercow, in his private diary. Malcolm II formally appointed the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge to a permanent position in the Royal Court of Edmond, permanently solidifying the political position of the Grand Lodge in Æthic politics.

Geography, wildlife, and environment

The Both River in the Flintscedelands.

Æthele is divided into three geographic regions: the Becumescedeland (Æthic: Reachland) in the south, dominated by rivers and dense forests; Sneereabd (Æthic: Midcountry) in the center with flat, rolling plains and Flintscedelands (Æthic: Rocklands) in the north.

Most of Æthele has a generally mild climate, though there is significant variation given the variety of landscapes across the country. The Sneereabd has a humid continental climate throughout the region with extremes of both heat and cold. Heavy snowfall occurs from late November to late February every year, however annual snowfall on highway mountain passes in the Flintscedelands rival some of the snowiest cities in Æthele, which can result in hazardous driving conditions.

Wildlife

Hunting has led to the extinction of 7 species of deer native to Æthele.

Æthele is home to a wide variety of wildlife. Deer, elk, mountain goats, marmots, beavers, muskrats, coyotes, wolves, swans, loons, hawks, owls, ravens, harlequin ducks, and many other sorts of ducks. Smaller birds (robins, jays, and so on) also abound thanks to the country's climate.

Many healthy populations of fish are present, including salmonids such as several species of salmon and trout. On the coast, harbour seals and river otters are common. It is not uncommon for whales to be spotted of the Æthic coastline as Æthele's waters are near migratory patterns for many species of whale.

Due to the country's traditional hunting practices, human presence in Æthele has led to the extinction of 17 mammal species including Æthic caribou, Æthic monk seals, and 4 species of birds, including the Edmond pigeon and the Æthic stork.

Economy

Kleeds is considered a large financial market and houses the largest stock exchange in Æthele.

The economy of Æthele is a highly developed social market economy. The service sector contributes around 60% of the total GDP, industry 11%, and agriculture 29%. Exports account for 39% of national output. The top 7 exports of Æthele are food products, vehicle products, electronics, alcohol, organic chemicals, home decor products. Tourism is a popular regional industry in Sneereabd with it's seasonal food and beer festivals. The large annual international trade fairs, and congresses are held in several Æthic cities such as Edmond, Kleeds, and Hannstead.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The Municipal Transit Service in Edmond.

Transportation played a large role in the industrial development of Æthele. The Nónfær, the nine highways that extend through Æthele from Becumescedeland to the Flintscedelands, were built between 1930 and 1955. Æthele is served by two international airports, the largest being in Edmond, and 4 regional airports. Æthele has an extensive passenger and freight rail transportation network. Passenger rail services were nationalized in 1974 and were incorporated into the Þéodlic Cregelád Ambehtness, or National Rail Service.

Streetcars, known as lanucræts are famous throughout large cities in Æthele. The lanucræts first launched in Edmond in 1901. 39% of Æthics living in major cities use lanucræts to get to work every day and streetcar systems operate in all of 4 major cities, governed by municipal transit authorities.

Energy

Æthele imports 60% of its primary energy from neighboring countries. In 2016, 45% of the energy created in Æthele was nuclear power, 31% of energy came from hydro-electric and 24% came from natural gas. Æthele committed to emissions reductions in 2015, agreeing to phase out nuclear power by 2030 through investments in renewable energy and waste-to-energy initiatives.

Water supply and sanitation

Water is not scarce in Æthele, except for occasional localized droughts. Responsibility for water supply and sanitation provision lies with municipalities, which are regulated by the national government. Professional associations and utility associations play an important role in the sector. More than 99 percent of users are connected to a public water supply system. The remainder is served by private wells. Water supply in Æthele is continuous, at good pressure, and drinking water quality is excellent, ensured by universal municipal compliance with national drinking water directives. Wastewater treatment is universal. 97 percent of municipal wastewater is treated according to the most recent government study (2013) including nutrient elimination, a much higher percentage.

Culture

Food

Neely's Brewery was first founded in Jessburrow in 1821 and is the most bought beer in Æthele.

Jessburrow has been home to over 50 breweries and over 100 brewing companies throughout the course of its history. Of these, several major breweries grew during the 1830s and several beer giants emerged in Æthele including Neele & Bolton, Dunstan Brew, Ælfnod's and Leof's Gold.

A large portion of farming communities in the Sneereabd means that poultry and dairy farming is a strong local industry, with about 14,000 poultry farms and 20,000 dairy farms nationwide. Steak and eggs is considered one of the largest consumed dishes in Æthele.

Seasonal festivals

Seasonal food festivals are a popular tradition. Bæftanlencten is a popular festival celebrated the weekend after Easter, complemented by parades and large festivals celebrating the beginning of the growing season and the featuring of many seasonal winter beers. The Hærfesttídonsymbelnes is the autumn celebration celebrated during the first weekend of October, which features summer foods, eating competition and summer beers. Approximately 85% of Æthics celebrate these holidays every year.

Literature, art and philosophy

Æthele has always been a country of poets, writers, and novelists. It was the home of novelists Rudyard Brenton, Cedric Margyle, Themla Rafferty, and Carissa Spring, of poets Sidney Keely, Jamie Keaton, Ryan Wiley, and Nicholas Brooks, and of famous playwright Malcolm Pons.