Staalmark

The Kingdom of Staalmark
Flag of Staalmark Flag
Motto: "Justice burns hotter than the forge."
Capital and largest city	Rikardsburg
Official languages	Ottonia
Demonym(s)	Staalmarker
Government	Representative Constitutional Monarchy
• King	Rodrik IV
• Chancellor	Walder Filius
Establishment
• Coronation of Riktun I	564 CE
Population
• Estimate	14,339,919 (2018)
Currency	Oto (Ø) (AOØ)

Staalmark, officially The Kingdom of Staalmark is a state in Ottonia. It is the third-largest state in the Federation by population with well over 14 million inhabitants. Geographically, it is dominated by the Jormundean Highlands, a region of mountains and plateau that covers the Northeastern portion of Allamunnika.

The Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy, with its executive position occupied by King Rodrik IV of the House of Sproek. The state is also governed by a 287-seat legislature which represents the citizenry of Staalmark. The state government is centered in the city of Rikardsburg.

History

The area was first inhabited by the Corvae people in the Eastern Bluwaald Mountains, as well as the settlement of Germanic-speaking settlers in the Innus River Valley, with both groups settled by approximately 1000 BCE. The area around the Innus and Maar River Valleys became quickly associated with iron and steel working, with the city of Staalburg becoming especially renowned for the quality of the steelwork that would come out of the city in the form of swords and armor.

The Innus River Valley and the city-states of the Eastern Bluwaalds were conquered by Emperor Otto the Invincible between 487 and 491 CE. After the death of Otto I in 531 CE, the Bluwaalds and Jormundsea Basin, along with the western Allamunnic coast, became part of the realm of Magnus I the Apostate. Magnus I and his son, Magnus II ruled a unified western Allamunnika until Magnus II's death in 564 CE, at which point Tyrrslynd, Ardraakurr, and Innia (as it was called then) were divided among his children, with his brave son, Riktun, who, due to his temperament and his decision to base his seat in Staalburg, earned the cognomen Riktun I Staalhart. Riktun's heirs came to rule a kingdom that came to carry his nickname, calling it "Staalmark".

Geography & Climate

Staalmark sits on the Jormundean Highlands region which dominates the northeastern portion of the Allamunnic States. Inside of that, Staalmark is divided into three geographic subregions. The western part of the state, including the whole of the province of Andersburg, Keldis Prefecture in Nyurdlynd, and most of Staalmark proper sit in the Bluwaald Mountains or its foothills. The Bluwaald Mountains are a relatively low mountain range, and densely forested.

To the north, the forests persist but the hills give way to a glacial plain, where hills and mountains were scoured flat by retreating glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age. This covers most of Nyurdlynd, where the plain reaches the sea, and the northern portion of Sproek near Riktunspurt.

To the east, the foothills of the Bluwaalds give way to the grassy plains of Skraelingia, which take up much of the province of Sproek. The plains are fairly fertile and are covered by farmland. Copses of trees form around rivers and creeks that crisscross the plain, but otherwise the area is fairly open. The area receives less precipitation than the wetter mountains, but still receives regular rainfall.

All three geographic regions receive regular to heavy precipitation year-round, receiving rain in the warmer months and snow in the colder ones. High temperatures in the summer rarely exceed 26 degrees Celsius, and winter highs are frequently below 0 degrees Celsius, and in the flatter regions can reach -20 C in the depths of winter.

Politics

Staalmark is a member state of the Federation of Allamunnic States. As such, it is beholden to the federal laws of the Allamunnic States, although it receives a degree of autonomy in fine-tuning its regulations and government services to local needs. The state is divided into four provinces, which are in turn divided into 21 prefectures.

At the state level, the state is governed by a constitutional monarchy. The head of state is the King of Staalmark King Rodrik IV, who wields the executive office of the state and is able to call for new elections to Parliament in the even of a hung Parliament.

He is charged with enforcing the laws passed by the Parliament of Staalmark. The Parliament is divided into two chambers, a House of Commons, which represents the general public of Staalmark, and a House of Lords, which represents the traditional nobility and landed gentry of Staalmark, along with other notables. Since Unification, the House of Commons has wielded most of the legislative authority within the state. The House of Commons has 287 seats, which are allocated by open party list elections in which each seat is roughly-equivalent to 50,000 persons. The head of the elected government of Staalmark is the Chancellor, who is elected by the members of the House of Commons, with the approval of the monarch. The current Chancellor is Walder Filius.

As at the national level, within Staalmark there are three broad political coalitions. There is the left-wing Popular Front, the centrist Federalist Alliance, and right-wing National Front. At present, the Federalist Alliance holds a plurality in Parliament, with 123 out of 287 seats. The Popular Front holds the second-most seats with 91, and the National Front holds the fewest, with 73. The current government is Federalist led but is generally a coalition between the Federalists and Popular Front.

Echoing this electoral composition, the state is represented at the federal level in the Federal Assembly by 25 Federalist Delegates, 18 Popular Front Delegates, and 14 National Front delegates.

Provinces

Staalmark is divided into four provinces for purposes of representation and administration of government services. These are, in turn, divided into 21 prefectures.

• Staalmark - consists of the prefectures of Waaldhuld, Hendriksburg, Kynyksburg, Staalburg, Kohlenburg, and Tussey. For functional purposes, this province is oriented on the Rikardsburg metropolitan area, which is centered in Staalburg Prefecture. The province sits mostly in a series of ridges and valleys, and serves as a major center of commerce and finance for the state. It is also the center of state government, with the House of Sproek and the Parliament of Staalmark making their seat in Rikardsburg. There is also a substantial amount of manufacturing, and the valleys of Staalmark proper also house well-known apple orchards. This province has a population of 4,821,577 people, dispersed between Waaldhuld (581,103 people), Hendriksburg (791,953 people), Kynyksburg (802,557 people), Staalburg (1,184,807 people), Kohlenburg (848,421 people), and Tussey (612,736 people).

• Nyurdlynd - the northern province of Staalmark primarily lives and dies by the sea. Serving as the former independent kingdom's primary marine entry point, Nyurdlynd still holds the Federation's northernmost ports. The port of Spaal both serves as a major point of rest and embarkation for sea trade into Central Belisaria, as well as a safe harbor for cold-water fisheries and, in earlier times, for whalers. Outside of the coast, Nyurdlynd is more lightly-populated, and is reliant primarily on lumber and forestry for its economy. Nyurdlynd has a population of 3,547,745 people, dispersed between the prefectures of Spaal (962,556 people), Kortlynd (658,713 people), Forsburg (574,463 people), Orynnsburg (940,284 people), and Keldis (411,729 people).

• Andersburg - the inland western province of Staalmark, Andersburg sits in the heart of the Bluwaald Mountains. Economically, Andersburg is reliant on heavy industry in its river valley cities, and resource extraction (primarily lumber, coal, and nuclear power plants) in the mountainous areas. Andersburg also generates revenue through ecotourism, being home to two of the largest nature preserves in the Federation, including the Corvik Mammoth Preserve. Andersburg is the most-lightly populated of Staalmark's provinces, with 2,940,472 people spread between the prefectures of Redding (487,251 people), Gaethyr (461,692 people), Corvik (708,758 people), Mullenburg (450,301 people), and Andersburg (832,470 people).

• Sproek - the province of Sproek is what passes for "lowland" in Staalmark, where the mountains give way to the Skraelingian plains approaching the border with Deweden. Sproek is an agriculturally-productive area, deriving its economy from farming as well as the movement of trade goods further east into Deweden. The province is also the original seat of the current ruling family of Staalmark. The province holds 3,030,125 people, divided between the prefectures of Riktunspurt (923,604 people), Arken (665,409 people), Nordfurt (382,618 people), Sproek (530,601 people), and Broomfield (527,893 people).

Economy

The Staalmarker economy is skewed toward the primary and secondary sectors relative to the Allamunnic states further west. The dense forests of the Bluwaald Mountains are conducive to mining of various minerals (and coal), and provide sparsely-populated real estate in a geologically-stable area for nuclear power generation. There is a substantial number of factories and manufacturing centers in the river valleys of Andersburg and Staalmark, while the movement of goods by land and sea are key to Sproek and Nyurdlynd. Agriculture and aquaculture take up substantial parts of the workforce in Nyurdlynd and Sproek as well, with agriculture present but not contributing much to GDP in Staalmark and Andersburg.

Culture

Staalmark has what is, in some ways, considered the most "typically Allamunnic" culture of the states, perhaps due to a greater degree of cultural isolation from other regions of Belisaria than the more cosmopolitan coastline.

Religion & Holidays

Staalmark is religiously-divided; like much of Allamunnika, the region was significantly impacted by the Tyrrian Reawakening, an event in which the Tyrrian religion of Allamunnika swept through the country and won many converts back to a reconstructed indigenous Allamunnic faith. Although adherents of the Honorian Church remain a significant minority in Staalmark, they make up approximately 31% of the population, relative to the 64% Tyrrian majority.

Regardless of religion, most Staalmarkers observe similar holidays; although Christians observe specifically-Christian holidays, they also frequently join their Tyrrian neighbors for celebrations of Midwinter and Midsummer, which are both typically week-long festivals involving food, drinking, and dancing, alongside more religious-specific observances.

Food

Staalmarker cuisine disproportionately makes use of root vegetables and potatoes, which grow better in the mountainous environment of the Bluwaalds. Like most Allamunnae, Staalmarkers generally use lighter quantities of meat in their cooking than other western diets, generally due to cost. Because of this, Staalmarker cuisine disproportionately makes use of dairy, vegetables, and starches, often in stews and soups that allow lighter amounts of meat to be stretched farther.

Perhaps the most quintessentially-Staalmarker dish is known as Andersburg Stew. Although localized recipes may vary, this dish typically utilizes venison or small game meat in a cream base, mixed with potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery, cooked for several hours in large pots. The stew is typically cooked in large amounts, and "stewhouses" are a common sight in towns throughout Staalmark, especially in the Bluwaalds.

Dress & Fashion

Particularly in the countryside, traditional modes of dress persist in Staalmark, meaning that while women in trousers for work is not unusual, the garments are generally worn by men while women wear dresses or skirts with leggings. Head coverings of various sorts are also common, with men often opting for flatcaps while women often wear a bandana over their head, or, in more formal settings, a more elaborate hat. Layers are the norm outside of work attire, where even in less formal situations it is common for a person to wear a jacket over their top. Plaids and checker patterns are common.

Sports & Entertainment

Like in much of Allamunnika, the most popular sports in Staalmark are ice hockey and gridiron football, with association football as generally the third most-popular sport. The state is well-represented at the major- and minor-levels of professional play, and amateur and municipal league games are often well-attended by friends of those involved. Staalmarkers generally consider both types of football to be fundamentally outdoor, all-weather sports to be played in the sun, rain, or snow, and the resultant styles of play tend to emphasize ball control and strong defense, which then also prove popular with fans at the professional level.