Vetok

United Dominion of Vetok
Flag Emblem
Motto: "Non Sine Virtute Pax" "Peace Is Not Without Virtue"
Capital and largest city	Carrishem
Official languages	Anglish
Recognised national languages	Anglish
Demonym(s)	Vetokite
Government	Parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• Emperor	Súrvan Jaansma
• First Minister	Koziai Garvia
Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	The Dignified House
• Lower house	The Honourable House
Population
• 2023 estimate	203,031,000
GDP (nominal)	2022 estimate
• Per capita	1,613,000,000 (70,048)
Currency	Vetokite Credit (VTC)
Driving side	left

Vetok, officially the United Dominion of Vetok, is a nation in northern Europa on Eurth. Vetok shares a land border with Volsci in the north, Baranchia and Mongol-Swedes in the east, and Philippia in the south. The country is located on the Buranian subcontinent. The climate in Vetok is mostly humid continental. Vetok lies on the Kosscow Sea to the west. Vetok has a population of approximately 203 million, and an area of 629,707 square kilometres (243,131 sq mi). Carrishem is the capital and largest city of the country, although it is not the oldest settlement in the country.

The United Dominion has evolved from a series of unions and outright annexations over a period lasting around a full millennia. The Treaty of Mvellen between the Kingdom of Ilunsheim and the Kingdom of Carrishem in 1583, thereafter referred to as the Dominion of Vetok, saw the Kannab dynasty of Carrishem join the Vetok dynasty through a royal marriage to cement the ties of the two former rivals. The Free Baben Cities to the north-west of the country were impressed into the Dominion throughout the course of the 18th century, and the Principality of Audra was annexed in 1843. The most recent addition to the Dominion is the Arakite People’s Republic which was seized following the 3rd Arakite War (1951-1954)

Vetok is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Its historical development is linked closely together with the Congregation Of Broken Chains. As a Buranian nation, it was historically opposed to the Aroman Empire in the Occident. The current head of state is Emperor Súrvan Jaansma.

Vetok trades with neighbours since it emerged from isolation. It has an active merchant marine as well as a fishing fleet. After its first faltering steps onto the international scene, Vetok joined several international organisations. However, shortly afterwards, Vetok once again ventured back into isolation.

Etymology

The name "Vetok" comes from one of the most important historical figures in the early history of the pre-unification nation. At the time, the many different tribes and early feudal realms were dominated by a peculiarly violent polytheistic religion, and one of the most notorious followers was one of the dominant warlords, or Táin, named Gollivan. Whilst crushing a rebellion in a small part of his realm, one of his own feudal subjects, the thegn Asculf of the house of Vetok, led the different rebels to unite with other dissidents, and Gollivan was the first such lord to be toppled in the start of this rebellion. In the ensuing decades, the free lands decided to abandon the patchwork they'd been divided into previously, and unite as one, taking the rebel leader's name as a symbol of this unity.

Geography

A humid continental climate is prevalent throughout Vetok. This is ideal for the growth of forests, temperate woodlands and temperate grasslands.

(The capital city of Vetok is Carrishem. A sea to the west. Mvellen Uplands are a mountainous area with some ski resorts and various winter holidays. Arakite Valley coming down from the Audra Mountains )

History

Main articles: History of the Kingdom of Ilunsheim, History of the Kingdom of Carrishem, History of the Baben League, History of the Principality of Audra, and History of the Arakite People’s Republic

Settling and the Aroman Occupation

A mountain valley in Vetok.

The first inhabitants of what was to become Vetok were migrating tribes of modern humans, or Homo Sapiens, who moved across the breadth of Europa into the open grasslands and mountain valleys that lay before them. Modern researchers and archaeologists have, over the years, slowly worked to pin down and identify what they believe to be the original site of the first proto-conurbations of the early natives. Most theories place this as Gárádawin Province in eastern Vetok, where a small but bustling city sharing the same name sits on the banks of the Elda River, where this enters the lowlands.

Over a thousand years ago, the land that was to become Vetok was nothing but grasslands and mountain ranges dotted with villages. Thanks to the spread of these villages, and the sheer distances between many of them, few people ever left their village for another. Only a few exceptions existed, with towns on the coast benefiting from their use of boats to visit others with a network of early feudalistic warlords who skirmished amongst each other in search of territory and riches. Although the land was occupied by the Aroman Empire for a prolonged period of time, this did little to unite the various regions, with those selfsame warlords overthrowing the remnants of the imperial administration during its long retreat, and imposing a bloody era of conquest lasting some three centuries.

The Splendid Century

As an early inheritor of the Industrial Revolution, the United Dominion emerged as one of the dominant naval powers of the Kosscow Sea, backed by the booming textile and metallurgy sectors. This rise in industrialisation led to many inhabitants of the more rural areas of Vetok flock to the cities, especially those that had previously composed the Free Cities of the Baben League, given that they already enjoyed reputations for greater socio-economic equality.

The Unified Dominion

Following the struggles with their eastern neighbour in the prolonged Eastern Marches skirmishes, Vetokite ambitions for greater territorial change were largely checked. First Minister Herbert Brysdale instead directed this energy towards the annexation of a long-standing thorn in the country's side, the Arakite People's Republic, which was as famous for its agricultural fortune as it was for its fierce resentment of the Dominion. The 1st Arakite War, an off-shoot of the conquest of the Principality of Audra, had been met with a decisive defeat in the 1850's, and the 2nd Arakite War of 1939 had ended in a stalemate. During the early stages of his tenure, the First Minister instigated a series of provocations towards the Republic, ranging from economic pressures to cross-border raids, eventually declaring war in 1951 following widespread public support. The war lasted a further two years, and ended with thousands of dead on each side of the conflict as the Arakite National Guard took full advantage of their being able to operate on interior lines.

Changes in the new Millennium

Following the turn of the new millennium, the newly ascended Emperor Vetok XII led a widespread crackdown on the liberalisation towards religious freedoms that had increased over the preceding decades. This culminated in the All Saints Day Massacres of 2012, where theists of any creed or belief were murdered at the Emperor's behest by extreme elements of the Order of Dellacore. Although by far the bloodiest example of His Majesty's harsh rule towards theists, he imposed greater societal and legal restrictions upon them as well, essentially casting them as 'second-class' citizens. Vetok XII's reign did not last long however, owing to his untimely death following a brief but sudden illness. His successor, Earl Robert of Ilunsheim, with seniority amongst the imperial dynasty, quickly took the reins of the nation in hand, halting all of his predecessor's laws and decrees in favour of a general amnesty. Well-publicised trials for those who had committed the worst excesses of the Massacres followed, and the Emperor also took the opportunity of the Force 2016 miltary review to merge the Order of Dellacore into the standing arms of the nation, as the newly formed Vetokite Marine Legion (La Légion Impie, or the Impious Legion as they were quickly nicknamed), seizing the property of the Order to boot. As subordinates to the Navy, itself one of the more liberal institutions in the nation, it was hoped this would essentially rehabilitate many of the former members of the Order, or at least serve to prevent their causing more controversy on the mainland.

Politics

Main articles: Government of the United Dominion and Monarchy of the United Dominion

Monarchy

Emperor Súrvan Jaansma is the first to sit on the throne while not being the formal head of the Congregation of Broken Chains or a member of the former imperial dynasty, being instead a member of the Jaansma family who have resided in Vetok since 1689, when Baron Gustaf Jaansma fled his homeland in search of a refuge following an attempted coup. One similarity he does have with his forebears is that his is an elective position, and Jaansma was elected following the death of Vetok XIII as part of a compromise towards the various conservative factions, while simultaneously trying to further the liberalisation of the Vetokite political structure introduced by his predecessor.

Government

Parliament building in Carrishem.

The national government is divided into a number of different Ministries under the overall leadership of the First Minister, each of which has a separate area of the government to deal with, and each with their own Minister controlling the Ministry in question (the Imperial Mint being an exception to this, as the official in charge of the Mint is instead titled 'Master of the Treasury'). These are, respectively:

1. Ministry of Homeland Affairs
2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs
3. Ministry of Justice
4. Ministry of Trade
5. Ministry of Culture
6. Ministry of Health and Social Care
7. Ministry of Local Development
8. Ministry of Technological Development
9. Ministry of War
10. The Imperial Mint

Administrative Divisions

Main article: Shires and Provinces of the United Dominion

The geographical division of the United Dominion into shires or provinces began in Ilunsheim and Carrishem in the early Middle Ages, and was completed throughout Vetok by the mid-twentieth century. Traditionally local government was carried out by centrally appointed reeves who hailed from noble families for most of the nation's history, until being replaced with elected officials during the course of the Industrial Revolution as part of a greater trend towards social liberalism. A number of cities, such as the capital of Carrishem, Ilunsheim, and Greyfast, are no longer considered part of their historical shires, and instead these metropolitan areas are handled by their own elected officials.

Foreign relations

Main articles: Foreign relations of the United Dominion and Foreign policy of the United Dominion

After its first faltering steps onto the international scene, Vetok joined the alliance of nations known as the League of Imperial Nations. However, shortly afterwards, Vetok once again ventured back into isolation for a period of two years before re-emerging, where it joined the organisation better known as The Conglomerate.

Military

Main articles: Vetokite Armed Forces and Military history of the United Dominion

Battle of New Varrisia.

The first traces of the Vetokite military can be found in the history of the old feudal realms which arose following the disengagement of the ancient Aroman Empire from Burania. Each warring king, attempting to take the most plunder and captives for their respective deities, maintained levies from their subjects and the wealthiest of these lords could afford to maintain small standing retinues. Given the agricultural demands at the time, these retinues were few and far between however, and for the most part never really increased beyond perhaps as many as two-score in the case of Táin Gollivan, who was notable for being one of the first to make of himself a suzerain of many of these weaker realms. As the only truly dedicated full-time professional soldiery, access to such warriors, or 'thegns' as they were titled, provided an indisputable edge over any other warlord who was reliant on conscripted levies, especially during peak harvesting times. It is believed this pattern lasted for well over six hundred years, during which time little of note occurred with the exception of various small wars.

In the late 10th century CE, thanks to the various eccentricities and behaviours of Táin Gollivan, a rival military body was created by the rebellious thegn Asculf Vetok. Taking in survivors from his shattered fief, they instead acted as a guerilla force, harassing their former Táin's forces wherever they could be found. Subsisting on plundered supplies, they took up the arms of Vetok's subordinates and any slain foes. By the time that Asculf Vetok and his former liege had ended their conflict, over a decade had passed with Vetok's forces incorporating an estimated two-thousand souls over the entire conflict, with a peak of seven-hundred reached during the final months of the siege of Tannahiś. Following on from this, a protracted conflict began, with the former militia acting as a proto-standing army for Vetok, who began to unite various settlements under his banner. It was during this time that the warlord acquired the title of 'Déithe-bane', or Godsbane as commonly translated in modern Anglish for his trait of laying waste to the churches and fanes of Gollivan's realm.

It was not until the early 15th century CE that a standing army was formalised at the behest of King Vetok IV, the first to assume the throne by elective decision, and also the founder of the Congregation Of Broken Chains, founded with the express intent of purging theistic beliefs of any kind throughout the land. This "King's Levy" first saw action in the conquest of the Mvellen Uplands (1367-1394), which at the time was functioning as an independent principality.

Throughout the last two-hundred years, Vetok has focused heavily on a sizeable standing army and navy, intended to serve as a deterrent against attack by outside forces. This resulted in a somewhat clumsy and hidebound concept of command, which came to a head following the 3rd Arakite War. In the current day, all operations are directed centrally through the Minister of War in coordination with the Vetokite Unified Forces Command, which consists of the three principal branches of Vetok's armed forces, namely the Vetokite Army, the Vetokite Dominion Navy, and the Vetokite Imperial Air Force. The head of SOPECC also has a seat in UNFORCOM, along with the heads of the Logistics Corp and the Strategic Global Deterrant Command

The Special Operational Planning and Exploratory Concepts Command (or commonly referred to as SOPECC) is responsible for all forms of unconventional and covert operations, ranging from providing assistance with training foreign military or paramilitary forces, to informational warfare, to covert direct action. It also houses several think-tanks behind the development of future military technological advances and the continuous attempt to streamline and perfect many every-day concepts, and it is from these that SOPECC originally earned its name. It was not until the late 1980's in the common calender that the special forces and PSYOPS units were rolled into it to cover their activities.

Branches

• Vetokite Army. At the moment, there are precisely 53,392 active personnel (October 2023) and 14,436 Territorial Reserve personnel (October 2023)
• Vetokite Navy. The Vetokite Navy currently has a designated list strength of 400,000 personnel.
• Vetokite Air Force. At the moment, there are 269,000 personnel listed as serving with the Vetokite Air Force. This number includes not just aircrew, but also ground crew/maintenance staff.
• Vetokite Special Forces. Considering their status as a relatively small and elite force, the special forces consist of what is estimated to be around 5000 personnel strong.
• Vetokite Strategic Weapons Command. The relatively small number of personnel in the SWC is believed to be around 4,000 personnel.
• Vetokite Logistics Corps. Although a military organisation by intention,

Military Bases

Vessels of the Vetokite Navy at Port $Name naval base.

The Vetokite military has a variety of military bases built to suit the needs of the various branches. Each branch has a 'flagship' base regarded as the traditional home of that branch in particular, and often serves as the headquarters for all elements of that branch.

While most bases for the military are very visible to the public, there exists three exceptions. Foremost of these is the headquarters facility for the Strategic Weapons Command, buried high in the Central Highlands of Vetok. For obvious reasons, the government has never publicly identified even the proximate location of this base. The second of these is what's known as the 'Last Chance' Deep Cover Government Safehouse. 'Safehouse' is somewhat of a misnomer, as the 'Last Chance' facility is large enough to house the entire government, along with associated support staff and a security force. Speculation is rampant about the location of the base, with rumours suggesting that it lies in the mainland occupied by Vetok to being an underwater facility lying deep below the Kosscow Sea, to claims about an orbital facility.

The last facility is VNB Matiah, named for Admiral Janson Matiah, head of Naval Operations in the late nineteenth century and honoured as the father of the modern Navy. VNB Matiah is one of the most complex sites in operation in modern Vetokite military usage, especially given that the base is a full naval shipyard and defensive facility able to host a complete carrier force in addition to acting as a backup command and control facility for the VAF as an emergency contingency. The base is supplied by both airlifts and regular convoys of cargo ships supplying the fuel, ammunition, food, and parts needed to maintain this labour of effort. The base is also armed, with multiple SAM batteries and AShM launchers mounted to provide an effective defence.

Economy

Vetok is a nation that has always prided itself on trading with neighbours since it emerged from isolation. It has an active merchant marine as well as a fishing fleet. The city of Ilunsheim enjoys a reputation as a major manufacturing hub for the nation, being home to the Ilunsheim Small Arms Conglomerate, Vetokite Military Fabrication, and Balhaut Munitions.

Notable Corporations

Vetok is home to a number of successful companies in an array of industries. One of the most successful is Vetokite Military Fabrication, a spin-off of Broughton Brothers who served as suppliers and makers of military equipment, ranging from artillery to all manner of vehicles, over the last two centuries. Following the retirement of Jeremiah Broughton in 1974, he mandated that the company adopt a new name for the modern era, and the company has gone from strength to strength even as the armed forces have downsized over the last eighty years.

Culture

In its culture, Vetok bears similarities to most other first-world nations, being rather liberal in nature and offering a multitude of economic, personal, and political rights to citizens.

Religion

The Congregation Of Broken Chains. For hundreds of years, following the toppling of the priest-kings of old with their vile gods and barbaric blood-rituals, atheism dominated. The followers of the great Vetok himself believed that any who held a belief, be it ever so benign, was only ever a few steps away from falling into the dark pits of morality that had spawned the foul religions and living sacrifice of other human beings that had been overthrown at such great cost. It did not take long for His disciples to conglomerate together, forming a hierarchy as those who'd been His most trusted confidantes.