Kva Norale (Amador)

The Overseas Territory of Kva Norale Kva Noralbusrd
Flag
Motto: Per la Patria
Capital	Grand Azura
Largest City	Grand Azura
Official languages	English, Latin, Nalorian
Recognised national languages	English, Latin, Arabic (and at least fifty-one other languages)
Ethnic groups (2022)	83.8% Amadorian1 16.2% Other
Demonym(s)	Noralian
Government	Absolute Monarchy with a Bicameral Government
• Monarchy	Maeralya Amador
• Governor	Gaeleath Amador
• Prefect	Ramislev Dmitriel
Legislature	Council of Twelve
• Upper house	Elder Council
• Lower house	Lower Council
Establishment
• The Great Expeditions	1313 AD
• Crown Colony	1316 AD
• Royal Charter	1730
• State Induction	1850
• Water (%)	4.7%
Population
• 2022 estimate	113,800,000
• 2022 census	113,758,000
GDP (PPP)	2022 estimate
• Total	$10.103 trillion (4th)
• Per capita	$88,394.56 (1st)
GDP (nominal)	2022 estimate
• Total	$9.187 trillion2 2.2% (4th)
• Per capita	$81,394.562 0.8% (1st)
Gini (2020)	22.4 low
HDI (2022)	0.921 very high (1st)
Currency	Aeures (₳)
Time zone	BadLands North-Central Time (BNCT+8)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	117
ISO 3166 code	AKC
Internet TLD	.akc

The Overseas Territory of Kva Norale is an Imperial province state under the jurisdiction of Amador in the Badlands Frontier. Founded in 1313 AD as a forward operating base during a period of expeditions undertaken by the Imperium at the behest of Lorhis Fasandoral, Kva Norale is among the most important international territories currently in the possession of Amador. A cold, desolate nation almost completely devoid of arable land, Kva Norale is notable for the existence and its primary population of Issalfar, a distinct subspecies of Alfar in the wider Imperium.

Kva Norale and her 71 provinces are nsworn subservience to the queen of Amador, Maeralya Amador. Her son, Gaeleath, is the acting governor under the title of Overseer, enforcing the Queen's laws. As an extra-regional state, Kva Norale possesses vast autonomy to make laws to govern and appropriate regional influence under the direction of the Overseer and the Council of Twelve, but only so long as these actions do not break with Amador's laws. A land largely of elves, Kva Norale is nonetheless home to various other species including humans and various other nonhuman sentient species.

Kva Norale is noted to be an extensive regional supplier of coal, natural gas, and oil. The Noralian Oil Industry is among the largest in the region, extending influence to Kva Norale in regional politics. Kva Norale possesses the largest whaling in the region. The State is also noted for its pristine winter beauty, with countless wintery waterfalls dotting the northern reaches of the territory.

As a territory of the Imperium, Kva Norale is home to extensive military installations. The city of Shen Borgisk is home to the Fifth Fleet Amadorius located at Naval Station Korvisk, a defensive fleet with the stated goal of defending Kva Norale and her surrounding possessions. Extensive influxes of not only military personnel, but of Amadorian high society, as the land is seen as a vacation destination despite its inhospitable environment and hostile regional neighbors. The Kva Norale Regional Fleet Command is also based in Shen Borgisk.

Kva Norale recently expanded its territorial influences during the Laefold War in early 2024, successfully integrating the remaining territories of the Beghorks Island Chain into territorial possessions. Kva Norale is an influential regional power, with the northern Badlands, in particular the Silent Seas area falling under the influence and direction of the Amadorian state. Kva Norale is renowned for its naval power and reach throughout the northern Badlands.

Owing to extensive development from mainland Amador and a robust and highly sophistaced trading network built around entropot trading, Kva Norale is among the wealthiest states in the Badlands. The state is heavily reliant on imports, with much of its food having to be imported from the Imperium or through local means. Persistent northern winter weather has left the nation with little arable land except in the southern realms.

History

The Great Expedition

Kva Norale was founded firstly as a small encampment during a period known as the Great Expeditions, a period of extensive exploration in Amador's ancient past. The Badlands Expeditions were led by Prince Lorhis Reyhine Fasandoral in search of not only adventure and glory, but to carry out Queen Maeralya's mission to gather magical artifacts and extend Alfar influence into settled lands. Among the numerous expeditions, the Badlands Expeditions were among the few chartered to establishing operating bases in the regions being searched.

Officially founded in 1303 AD by Prince Lorhis Reyhine Fasandoral where modern day Grand Azura is located, an encampment would be established and initially operate as a forward operating base for missions issued in the Badlands Frontier. Over the next decade, thousands of elves would migrate to the the island, Inyotalos, to aid in establishing the area as an official colony of the Amadorian Imperium. Infrastructure, buildings, and living quarters were constructed with the frigid wastelands in mind. It was during this time that several changes began to occur in the elven population - their transformation into snow elves. By 1317 AD, more than 100,000 Alfar elves had migrated to Inyotalos. Right before Prince Lorhis would begin his last mission in 1316 AD, the Amadorian Imperium gifted the island colonial status under the name Kva Norale.

Colonial Establishment

Colonial establishment of Kva Norale was granted via Charter of Kva Norale in 1316 AD following thirteen years of consistent, if not miraculous, growth.

Geography

A Forest near the Syenbel Mountains

Following the conclusion of the Laefold Wars, Kva Norale now oversee the entire Beghorks Island Chain in the Silent Sea. Kva Norale has one major mountain range, the Syenbel Mountains, stretching from the northern most western region and following to the northeastern regions of the main island of Inyotalos. Mount Tor Kav, at 12,254 ft, is the highest peak in Kva Norale. The Syenbel are notable for their rich mineral resources and several ski resorts straddling the southern facade of the mountain range. The average height of the mountain rang exceeds 2,900 meters. The lowest point on Syenbel is located on the site of what is now modern Grand Azura, sitting at sea level.

Kva Norale has access to the Silent Sea, separating the main continent and more specifically, the Great Northern Expanse, from Syenbel. The area between the Sarda and Kva Norale is called the Strait of Vorshok in Alfarian and is considered a major trade route both regionally and internationally. The Great Ocean is directly east of Kva Norale and provides substantial maritime protection from military aggressions. Several unexplored, unclaimed, or native-inhabited islands lie in the expanse of the Great Ocean, of which Kva Norale has fiercely claimed as their own despite not officially controlling them. Kva Norale shares a maritime border with Kolthor.

The Folga River, stretching from the Syenbel mountains in the north, to the southernmost tip of Kva Norale where Grand Azura is located, forms the backbone of the main island's fresh water source. The Folga River Delta is among the few places on the island that is arable and hospitable for habitation by human species. Lake Amurisk near Maribor is the largest lake on the island at 5,832 km2 and reaches a dept of 482 fathoms.

Climate

Kva Norale's weather is cold and foreboding

Kva Norale is a largely frozen land devoid of arable land save for along the coastal regions of the southern islands. Even then, frigid northern waters are often frozen for months on end throughout the year. Warmer waters in near the southern islands have given the area a moderate climate, though the further north one goes, the more snow coverage and permafrost become apparent.

The northern territories are often covered in thick snow and frigid weather, with temperatures in the negative degrees Celsius year-round. These lands are largely inhospitable except for scatterings of villages and small cities along the coast or resting on geothermal vents or areas in which hotsprings are located.

Because of its geographical placement, most of the state experiences one season, save for the southern islands, in which a short summer is observes from June through mid-August. Its coldest months are typically December and January, where temperatures struggle to reach positive degrees Celsius and heavy snowfall are prevalent. Winters are harsh. A permanent layer of permafrost exists in the northern lands in the Hyperion Tundra area of the nation.

Climate data for Kva Norale
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Daily mean °C (°F)	−18.3 (−0.9)	−17.7 (0.1)	−12.5 (9.5)	−9.1 (15.6)	−3.4 (25.9)	2.5 (36.5)	3.1 (37.6)	2.2 (36.0)	−5.5 (22.1)	−10.3 (13.5)	−15.8 (3.6)	−17.2 (1.0)	−9.75 (14.45)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	184.4 (7.26)	79.3 (3.12)	80.3 (3.16)	80.9 (3.19)	68.4 (2.69)	57.4 (2.26)	53.2 (2.09)	56.1 (2.21)	63.9 (2.52)	60.7 (2.39)	123.3 (4.85)	177.7 (7.00)	829.6 (32.66)
Mean monthly sunshine hours	145	147	168	180	194	205	229	201	182	160	153	148	2,112
Source: Noralian Geography Department. Numbers were converted to international units.

Biodiversity

An Amadorian Dragon

Government and Politcs

Structure

The territory of Kva Norale swears allegiance to the Imperium of Amador and must obey its laws. As an official Crown Territory of the Imperium, Queen Maeralya is the rightful sovereign of Kva Norale. As such, Kva Norale is a an absolute monarchy with deirvatives of law vested in the Chambers of Imperium, the legislative lawmaking branch of the Imperium. The sovereign holds ultimate authority in all lawful decisions of the entirety of the Imperium.

Owing to its status as an overseas territory and being extra regional, Kva Norale has been granted limited autonomy and acts as its own independent nations in matters of regional politics, excluding defense at the behest of the Monarchy under the command of a Governor. The Noralian Charter, the governing article of the territory, dictaces obedience to the Imperium and the Crown. It also establishes the position of Governor as a central authority. A governors power is akin to that of head-of-state, so long as the governor does not breach Imperial Law. Under the Charter, established in 1407 AD, the Governor appoints a twelve-person council, called the Council of Twelve, a representative for each Oblast and an additional representatice from Shen Borgisk and Grand Azura. Each representative acts as a representative and lawmaker in their respective territories, with atamans to enforce their rules. They swear obedience to the Governor and the Imperium..

Foreign Relations

Main article: Foreign Relations of Amador

Kva Norale maintains vital connections with mainland Amador through trade and politics. A Senate Representative is allotted to the Crown Territory and gives the territory a voice in the Chambers of the Imperium and the Royal Court of the Monarch. The representative also makes sure Imperium Law is enforced in the territory and does have the authority to veto laws passed under the governor's watch should there be reasonable suspcision of the legality of such law. This is a highly uncommon practice, as the governor is usually a member of the Imperial Family.

Kva Norale also maintains positive relations with the Sardan Armed Republic, a former Theorcracy state now independent. The two nations laterally protect the Silent Seas, in particular the area dubbed 'the Nalorian Seas' a southern region of the frigid sea. The two powers work in tandem to patrol and protect vital trade routes between extraregional allies and their grain shipments between countries. The SAR is considered a vital trading partner in the region.

Military

Main article: Noralian Armed Forces

Main article: The Armed Forces of Amador

The Noralian Armed Forces are commanded by the Council of Twelve at the behest of the Overseer. The armed forces of Kva Norale are separated into four distinct branches: The Noralian Ground Forces (NGF), the Noralian Navy (NNS), the Aerospace Forces, and the Special Operations Forces (SOF). Kva Norale's military is considered advanced, professional, and an all-volunteer force in the Badlands, where its main goal is to secure the sovereignty of Kva Norale's and to ensure the safety of the Silent Seas. Aamdor also works in conjunction with the NAF to provide additional defense and power projection capabilities.

Mainland Amador's armed forces operate extensively in Kva Norale in unison with local Noralian military assets to protect the territory's sovereignty. The Imperial Navy is perhaps its best known asset, operating in the theater through the Fifth Fleet Amadorious to deter hostile forces and secure important trading routes.

Demographics

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1850	62,123,983	—
1860	65,382,091	+5.2%
1870	70,923,091	+8.5%
1880	73,121,778	+3.1%
1890	77,238,991	+5.6%
1900	81,293,992	+5.2%
1910	83,293,023	+2.5%
1920	85,123,993	+2.2%
1930	87,736,771	+3.1%
1940	90,232,983	+2.8%
1950	92,475,294	+2.5%
1960	94,233,897	+1.9%
1970	94,923,774	+0.7%
1980	95,392,388	+0.5%
1990	95,902,112	+0.5%
2000	96,293,009	+0.4%
2010	97,273,293	+1.0%
2020	98,113,032	+0.9%
2030 est.	113,758,000	+15.9%

The KoA Census Bureau reported a population of 113,758,000 citizens in the territory in 2030, a increase of 15.9% over the previous census taken in 2020. This increase is largely the result of the integration of the Laefold Islands, with a population of just under 12 million, into the control of the Imperium. Kva Norale itself has experienced low and slowing growth rates since the early 1950s, with 2000's census indicating a 0.4% increase in population over the previous ten years, the lowest percentage rate in Kva Norale's recorded history. Kva Norale's population nonetheless, makes it one of the more populated states in the Badlands region.

Risging costs of living and the harshness of the climate in which the country is in has also been a contributing factor to slower population growth rates, though increased emphasis on jobs and other ventures have seen the size of families drop by 5.2 in 1950, to 2.9 in 2020. This increased to 3.8 following the acquistion of the Laefold Islands. People are often marrying later and having children leader, at least for human populations. The Issalfar population, numbered to be around 45% of the total population, are seeing an increased growth rate, alongside increase Alfarian migration from mainland Amador.

There is a net gain of one person every 143 seconds. 90 % of Noralians over the age of 25 are married while the remainder are widowed or divorced. Kva Norale's's fertility rate stood at 3.1 per woman. Children are considered adults at the age of 18, while most will live on their own by their twenty-fifth birthday. Family homes typically become empty-nested later in life compared to the Imperium proper. The population is diverse, both racially and ethnically, with several ethnicities of the Badlands present. The Issalfar, an offshoot of Amadorian elves, are the largest population sector in Kva Norale, with over eighty percent of the population being identified as elven in nature.

Kva Norale's total population only considers permanent residents on the island territories. The Amadorian Imperium operates substantial housing of military personnel that Kva Norale is unable to provide. The working population of the state is estimated to be around 115,394,290. This also factors in the numerous Amadorians working abroad from the mainland Imperium and military personnel operating in the state. Kva Norale also hosts an unspecified amount of various expats and international workers from the mainland continent in the Badlands Frontier seeking higher paying, technical jobs.

Religion

Main articles: Religion in the Kva Nalore and Irreligion in the Kva Nalore

Religious affiliation in the KoA, according to a 2022 Amalup poll:

  Eternal Flame (60%)

  Catholicism (10%)

  Gothic Pantheon (11%)

  Islam (2%)

  Judaism (2%)

  Other religions (6%)

  Unaffiliated (8%)

  Unanswered (1%)

See also: List of religious movements that began in Amador

Religion in Amador is unversally free by proclamation of the government of Amador, immortalized in the Religious Freedom Act of 1708 and signed into law by queen Maeralya, despite heavy opposition against the Universal Rite of the Scandin Church led by the Scandinvans, Amador's time-honored rival and occasional enemies.

By the Queen's grace, no governing body, no interferring body, can forbid the free exercise of religion in Amador and its territories. Religion, as a result, is widely practiced by most Amadorian households, though atheism has seen a rise among human populations in recent decades, whereas faith in the Eternal Flame, has seen an uptick in recent years.

The largest religious organization is the Eternal Flame, which reveres the Great Phoenix, the celestial manifestation of of the Eternal Flame that gives light to Amador. The Eternal Flame was granted to the first rulers of Amador and has since been passed down through the millennia to a Keeper of the Eternal Flame. Keepers are often considered deities in their own right, having power and influence that oftentimes exceeds or matches the will of the monarchy, with religion and state often intertwining. The current keeper is Cylia Amador, Second Princess of the Imperium. Roughly 60% of Amadorian households hold faith over the Eternal Flame.

Amador is a religiously diverse nation, with much of the human populations practicing varying faiths just as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Shinto, and several others. Amador's de facto nation religion is the Eternal Flame. Non-human species practice their own sects of faith, while the Alfar almost entirely oversee the Eternal Flame, with a very small minority in Amaldorei practicing a dualist religion known as the Church of the Twin Sisters.

Religious intolerance does exists, with the Universal Rite of the Scandin Church, the primary religion of Amador's long-time nememis, the Scandinvans, being a small but promiment sect of religion in Amador. Legislation and protests have been prominent in recent years, demanding the denouncement and expulsion of the religion and its followers in Amador. There have been several protests turned violent since 2010 against the Universal Rite, leading to several deaths and infrastructure damage. The monarchy and Eternal Flame are currently discussing the legality of the Rite and considering expulsion of its followers to protect national and civilian interest in Amador.

Urbanization

Grand Azura, capital of Kva Norale

Shen Borgisk

Kva Norale is a heavily urbanized nation, owing in large part due most of its land being uninhabitable from harsh winter condition. More than ninety-five percent of the population reside in urban areas. The remaining five percent live in scattered minute villages and single dwellings deep within the forested lands of Syenbel and the remaining Behorks Islands. Seventy percent of the population of Kva Norale lives in the southern realms, where the weather is much milder and livable. Kva Norale has nine cities with populations exceeding one million, and nineteen settlements with populations exceeding 100,000. Kva Norale possesses a larger urban population percentage than its mother country, Amador. Settled areas of the main island are heavily urbanized, while large swaths of the land area is completely devoid of sentient life. Much of the Noralian populace can be found in the Southern Regions, occupying large cities with extensive infrastructure. Other islands are not as urbanized, though urban areas are still prominent.

Kva Norale's largest city is Grand Azura with a population in excess of twenty million. Shen Borgisk is the second largest city, while Samara is the third largest city. Grand Azura is the politcal capital of the state, while Shen Borgisk is considered the military center and most heavily defended city.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Kva Norale

Kva Norale's economy is among the strongest in the Badlands, with substantive ventures in countless sectors of economic development. High standards of livings, a relatively stable wealth-gap and expansive and large amounts of natural resources have helped the economy expand to an estimate nominal GDP in excess of $10 trillion and the highest GDP per capita in the region at roughly $88,000. Kva Norale is an investment hub, with high-tech labor jobs becoming increasingly prevalent.

The economy is a social market system with a highly skilled labor force, low levels of corruption, and high levels of innovation, while also receiving substantial financial investments from mainland Amador. While primarily investing in service industries, the economy is built up by extensive natural resources, such as coal, fishing, and raw materials mining. Kva Norale has a highly mechanized refining sector.

Agriculture

Kva Norale is a largely frozen nation with very limited arable lands.

Forestry

Kva Norale has an intricate logging industry dating back 1303 AD when it was founded as an encampment. Roughly half of Syenbel is forested with numerous species of evergreens and deciduous trees. The logging is the first sector of a larger material chain that provides material for construction, housing, energy, and paper products. Owing to the extensive system in place for logging, Kva Norale has gone to excessive lengths to ensure proper management of forests, restoration of wildlife ecosystems, and to prevent forest weather events such as wildfires.

The industry employs 30,743 Noralians situated across the northern expanse of Syenbel. Kva Nalore remains a net-exporter of forestry products to the great Badlands regions.In fact, roughly 75 % of all Nalorian timber is exported to the region.

Infrastructure

Transportation Network

Main article: Public Transportation in Kva Norale

Kva Norale's transportation network is extensive, with primary emphasis being placed towards rail and air travel as opposed to vehicular travel, though the road network is complex and large. Bus networks, monorail and high-speed rail networks has allowed for a substantial decrease in personal vehicular onwership, while increasing rider turnout for public transportation. Public transportation is often far cheaper to use than to own a personal vehicle, with many areas of the nation even offering free public transportation. Renewable energies, such as solar and electric, are used extensively in place of oil and other nonrenewable to power vehicles. Kva Norale places an even higher emphasis on eco-friendly sources than mainland Amador does.

Rail

HSR line at station in Grand Azura

The most robust form of public transportation in Kva Norale is through the rail network. Rail networks are divided into two main categories: Standard and High-Speed. Standard rail typically operates between a major city and the outlying villages and towns, whereas high-speed rail links all major cities on the island. Major distribution hubs dot the nation through its northern and southern areas. In the north, where much of the oil and natural gas industries persist, train yards featuring more than 12 tracks in length are present, representing the significant rail investments the Council of Twelve has made. The high-speed rail in particular has two succinct sectors: cargo and passenger. The rail network itself is extensive, reaching in excess of 18,000 kilometers in total length.

The State Rail Association oversees all rail networks, their expansion, and maintenance throughout the territory. There are an estimated 1,304 locomotives operating on Kva Norale's rail system, a number inflated due to the overly extensive network. Over a period of twenty years starting in 1990, Kva Norale saw in increase of passenger and cargo traffic in the territory by 392 % compared to the increase in rail lines only be 28 %. The system is considered overburdened, though efforts are being made to increase train size and expand on existing infrastructure. Passenger and cargo trains operate on their own seperate systems, though interoperability exists in a number of areas for ease of convenience.

There are substantial investitures to add or further high-speed rail links between major industrial sites in the northern areas of Kva Nalore. An underground rail tunnel is being planned to link surrounding islands and to the main land continent via the Sarda Citizenry, a free Marshite territory.

Road Network

Backroads in the Klaipėda Oblast

Kva Norale possess a small, albeit robust road network that connects all cities and outlying villages on the island. A small country, the territory has a small highway system administered by the State Highway Authority. The highway system itself serves major airports, military bases, ports, rail and truck terminals, and numerous other strategic transport facilities throughout Kva Norale. In all, the road network streches some 128,983 miles, with 12,094 miles of state managed highways.

Despite the robust road system, Kva Norale does not encourage personal vehicle ownership. Owing in part to its heritage as a state of the Amadorian Imperium, heavy emphasis is places on others means of transportation, such as bus, rail, and air. The primary designated purpose of the state-owned highway system is to allow fast access of military hardware between major cities and to help aid strategic defense initiatives. With the hostilities of the region, the road system itself is designed to be wide, relatively straight, and at a smooth gradient to allow proper movement of military supplies.

Kva Norale's road networks are more intricate in major urban centers such as Grand Azura and Shen Borgisk, where the network is coupled together via city-wide monorail and tram networks. Most roads congregate to mass hubs designed to move civilians around the cities.

Kva Norale's SHA also oversees the construction and maintenance of its vast bridge and tunnel system built to connect the myriad islands under its administration.

Seaports

Kva Norale has an extensive network of ports dotting the island, several of which are military based. The Port of Grand Azura is the largest non-military seaport in Kva Norale, handling 327 million metric tonnes of cargo annually and 2.7 million passengers annually. Annual container volume exceeds 12.3 million 20-foot equivalent units per annum. Shen Borgisk Naval Station is the largest military-operated port in Kva Norale, handling almost half of all military-related equipment between the Amadorian Imperium mainland and the island state. Much of the Fifth Fleet is based here.

All civilian ports are overseen by the Grand Azuran Port Authority. With access to numerous deep-water ports along its southern coast, Kva Norale is a regional trading hub. Due to its proximity north, northern Kva Norale has very few year-round ports. Icebreaking ships, of which Kva Norale operates thirty, are used extensively to keep trade routes and ports open. Most ports are also equipped with various whaling industrial buildings to process hunted whales. "Pequd" factory whaling ships and their sisters, "Erebus" whale catching ships are extensively found throughout ports of Kva Norale.