Iblesia

Commonwealth of Iblesia
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Civility Requires Certainty."
Anthem: "I Vow To Thee My Country" [1]
Map of Iblesia.
Capital and largest city	Kingsport
Official languages	Iblesian
Ethnic groups	76% Human, 24% Other
Demonym(s)	Iblesian
Government	Constitutional Monarchy
• King	Alexander III
• Ruling House	House Canmore
• Prime Minister	Richard T. Owens
Independent (Sovereign)
• Act of Union	23th August 1606
• Bill of Rights	15th September 1606
• Royal Grant	8th January 1622
Area
•	377,973 km2 (145,936 sq mi)
Population
• Estimate	10 million
• Density	26.5/km2 (68.6/sq mi)
Currency	Shilling (S)
Date format	dd.mm.yyyy

The Commonwealth of Iblesia is a sovereign unitary state located off the western coast of Umbar. Iblesia is a constitutional monarchy which operates under a parliamentary system with a bicameral legislature which operates on a common law basis. The executive is led by a Prime Minister who derives their authority from the crown. The current monarch is King Alexander III of House Canmore who has reigned since 1224; and the current Prime Minister is Richard T. Owens who has been in office since 1698. The capital city of Iblesia is Kingsport which is also its largest city with a population of 2.4 million, slightly less than one quarter of the nation's total population of 10 million; the majority of the population are human, with significant dwarven and kanturan minorities.

Iblesia enjoys a largely temperate climate, though the northern isles fall within the subtropical zone. The Commonwealth occupies an extended archipelago off the western coast of Umbar and consists of approximately thirty seven islands (including islets) of which fifteen are inhabited; the remaining twenty two being either too small or too inhospitable for regular human habitation. The majority of the terrain is moderate with relatively low lying hills and mountains found towards the centre of the larger islands within the chain. Within the archipelago there are two principle islands which are substantially larger than the others; the larger of the two is called Brytha, with the smaller of the two, Gaela being found directly north, across a small channel. Much of the land area of Gaela and the outlying isles are covered in dense woodland and while Brytha also once boasted extensive woodland and great deal of the island has been deforested to make way for farming and industry.

The earliest known human inhabitants of the archipelago upon which Iblesia is located lived approximately eight thousand years ago. Prior to human migration to the isles they were largely uninhabited except for some small elven enclaves and notably the House of All Knowledge located on the lesser isle of Athena which is occupied by the Monitors. The earliest evidence of complex civilisation on the isles, with a written language and organised government dates back approximately two and a half thousand years when a series of petty kingdoms and tribal nations emerged; it was also during this time that the dwarven migration to the isles began. The isles would continue to be governed under a fractured system of tribal governance until 672 ME when the isle of Brytha was united under the rule of the Greater Vampire Alexander I of Canmore. By 1307 the isles were further united so that only two nations remained; the Kingdom of Brytha and the Kingdom of Gaela, both ruled by a vampiric monarch; a state of periodic war would continue for the next three centuries until the King of Gaela, the higher vampire Malcolm Bryce, was slain by Alexander III of Brytha, prompting the Act of Union.

Iblesia is a highly developed nation with a strong economy. The economic strength of the Commonwealth has been steadily building over the last decade with the beginning of industrialisation and urbanisation, factors which have led to a population boom and the rapid growth of urban centres. Traditionally the Iblesian economy relied upon the textile industry, primarily wool and flax products; the introduction of new production methods as well as the invention of more efficient weaving machinery have enabled the aforementioned industrialisation and have generated the capital necessary for further developments. The government's economic policy is one of wealth generation with considerable subsidies and investment available for industrialists and capitalists.

Etymology & Terminology

The Commonwealth of Iblesia takes its name from that of the ancient protector goddess Iblese who was the patron deity of the isles which now make up the nation. Originally the term Iblesia was used to refer only to the archipelago as a whole, since multiple petty kingdoms and tribal fiefs controlled the archipelago prior to the formation of the Commonwealth. The name Iblesia directly translates to "Isles of Iblese". Iblesia is referred to as a Commonwealth because of its status as a Constitutional Monarchy; according to the Bill of Rights the government "...operates on behalf of the crown for the common good of the people of Iblesia."

History

The archipelago upon which modern day Iblesia is located has been inhabited in some form for the last ten thousand years. The only natives to the archipelago appear to be the Monitors who have lived upon a single island within a structure known as the House of All Knowledge; however the Monitors have never spread their civilisation beyond the confines of this island and little is known about them even now. The earliest inhabitants to settle the isle were nomadic elves belonging to the Cheruskan culture, and these elves established numerous small coastal settlements which relied upon fishing and small scale agriculture; these early elven settlers left behind various monuments showing evidence of a sophisticated and well developed culture unique to the archipelago. The Cheruskan culture started its decline approximately eight thousand years ago with a mass migration of humans from the continent of Umbar to the east. The migrant humans came in two waves; the first belonging to the Brythyan culture and the second to the Gaelyan cultures. Although the human settlement of Iblesia was not violent in nature the Cheruskan elves were ultimately outnumbered and through centuries of intermarriage with the human population largely ceased to be. The large kanturian minority in Iblesia is a legacy of the Cheruskan extinction, with the Kantur being descended from the ancient Cheruskans.

Iblesia was unified in 1606 with the Act of Union after the death in ritual combat of the Gaelan king, the Higher Vampire known as Malcolm Bryce, by the Brythan king Alexander Canmore. Prior to this the archipelago was controlled by a number of petty kingdoms with most only inhabiting a single island; however as society and technology advanced two major powers emerged centred around the two human cultures which had settled the isles. By 1307 the Kingdom of Gaela had successfully unified the Gaelyan culture in the northern isles while the Kingdom of Brytha had united the more numerous Brythyan culture in the southern isles. The two nations remained rivals and a state of continuous animosity between the two countries existed until 1544 when the Treaty of Knitsport was signed bringing an end to the hostilities. Tensions began to build once more in 1604 with the Brythan decision to rearm and rebuild its naval power; the Gaelyan king, Malcolm Bryce interpreted this as a preparation for war and issued a personal challenge to his rival, Alexander Canmore, in order to settle the matter of rule of the isles once and for all.

Following the unification of the isles a series of incremental reforms to the government took place. Under increasing pressure from various early capitalists and industrialist Alexander III steadily increased the authority of Parliament and of the Prime Minister, granting the latter the use of the Royal Prerogative, while increasing the number of peers in the House of Lords. Major changes to the House of Commons came in 1680 when suffrage was extended to all persons who owner property (land or a house) or who had served at least eight years in the military; in response to the vastly increased size of the electorate (it had more than tripled in size) new electoral boroughs were established with some of the larger existing boroughs being separated. The 1680 electoral reform increased the size of the Commons to 523 seats with each MP representing approximately 19,000 people. 1684 saw the official abolition of slavery, serfdom, and indentured servitude throughout Iblesia; although in practice serfdom had ended in the 16th century it had remained a legal fact which allowed the continuance of serfdom in some of the smaller isles and the manipulation of the newly democratised system of government. Under the new laws abolishing serfdom and indentured servitude the bulk of the common folk who did not meet the criteria to vote became cives sine suffragio or Citizens Without the Vote.

The current government under Prime Minister Richard T. Owens came to power in 1698 following the general election of that year. Owens and his party campaigned on a platform of national development and expansion with increased spending on education, business investments, and colonial ventures. The Liberal Party succeeded in taking the place of the Conservatives in power after a series of political scandals throughout the early 1690s which had severely weakened the party and its support base, exposing systemic corruption and embezzlement of government funds. Since taking power the Liberal Party has engaged in establishing a Ministry for Colonial Affairs with the goal of colonising parts of western Umbar. Other projects include the construction of an extensive network of canals and paved roads linking major urban centres to the resources located further inland.

Geography

The majority of the Commonwealth of Iblesia lies within the northern temperate zone and consists of thirty seven islands and islets of which fifteen are inhabited. The southernmost part of the island chain falls within the northern subtropical zone. The temperate isles within Iblesia have a generally wet and cool climate with rainfall and fog being consistent throughout the year. The two largest islands, Brytha and Gaela, feature low lying mountains and hills towards the centre which steadily gives way to dense woodland. The coastal areas typically consist of rolling countryside and rocky moorland which provide ideal ground for agriculture and pastoral farming. The smaller islands within the archipelago are generally rocky and densely wooded with rocky cliffs featuring limited bays and havens.