Promethius prime
Promethius Prime Oligarchy | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Shield
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| Motto: "Civility Requires Certainty." | |
| Anthem: "The Parting Glass" [1] | |
 Map of Promethia. | |
| Capital and largest city | Lachlan |
| Official languages | Common |
| Demonym(s) | Promethian |
| Government | Noble Oligarchy |
• Patrician | Conall IV |
• Electors Temporal |
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• Electors Spiritual |
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| Independent (Sovereign) | |
• Archduchy of Promethia est. | 15th Ekaeda 1 PCE |
• Abolition of the Monarchy | 12th Tetreada 477 PCE |
• Patriciate est. | 21st Hendeceada 478 PCE |
| Area | |
• | 64,684 km2 (24,975 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 899 PCE estimate | 3,500,000 |
• Density | 54.12/km2 (140.2/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | estimate |
• Total | 2,625,000,000 Kyn |
• Per capita | 750 Kyn |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | S4,193,000,000 (899 PCE) |
• Per capita | S1,198 |
| Currency | Shilling (S) |
| Date format | dd.mm.yyyy |
The Promethius Prime Oligarchy, more commonly referred to as Promethia, is a sovereign unitary oligarchy, located in eastern Lashire. Promethia shares land borders with Vitaeroma to the west and Katapeshi to the north. The nation occupies a relatively flat coastal plain with a warm climate to the north, and a more temperate climate in the southern regions. The border with Vitaeroma runs along the line of the Duachta Hills while the border with Katapeshi runs along the edge of the Haltheston Hills. Promethia is an elective dictatorship with the Head of State and Government being elected for life by the Council of Electors, a largely aristocratic institution. The capital city is Lachlan, a coastal city of approximately 350,000 people found in the Lachlan Bay.
The Promethius Prime Oligarchy is ruled by a Patrician who serves as both Head of Government and Head of State. The Patrician is elected for life by the Council of Electors, which consists of the sitting Dukes of Lachlan, Montierey, and Halholen; the sitting Viscounts of Kilarne and Kirk, and the Barons of Landsey and Kirdaere; and the sitting Lord-Bishops of Lachlan, Haltness, and Furlangan. The Council of Electors is also responsible for proposing new laws and approving the more significant dictates of the Patrician. This system of government has existed since 477 PCE when the last Archduke of Promethia, Eoghan VII was deposed and executed. The composition of the Council consists of the descendants (or in the case of the Electors Spiritual, the incumbent title holders) of the original conspirators. Since the abolition of the monarchy titles of nobility and knighthoods have been conferred by the Patrician and by the Electors.
Promethia has a reasonably strong economy with a solid agrarian base. The majority of the nation's wealth is held by the ruling aristocracy, who are also the majority landowners. The growth of cottage industry and the abolition of serfdom and slavery during the abolition of the monarchy in 477 PCE has resulted in a growing free merchant class and the development of a monetary economy. The main exports of Promethia are textiles, cereals, temperate fruits and vegetables, and copper. The 572 PCE Exportation Act banned the export of iron, coal, and tin except by the government, and also nationalised these industries. Promethia also boasts a highly efficient system of taxation and duties, and has a heavily developed civil service which records births, deaths, and assets in a census which takes place every six years. The legal tender in Promethia is the silver Shilling (S), with bronze Dukes (1/10th of a Shilling), and copper Baron (1/100th of a Shilling) as denominational subunits, and the gold Crown (10 Shillings), and Sovereign (100 Shillings) as denominations superunits.
Etymology & Terminology
The Promethius Prime Oligarchy takes its name from that of the Archduchy which preceded, which was known by the name Promethia. The name Promethia is taken from the ancient language of the early ancestors of modern day Promethians, Ximartax, Pr- a prefix to indicate a group of people, Om a shortened form of Omenad meaning 'Exile', and -eath a suffix denoting a land belonging to a group or entity. Over time as Ximartax died out the term was used to describe both the land and its inhabitants, and took on a more abstract meaning.
Following the abolition of the monarchy in 477 PCE the nation was briefly known as the Serene Republic of Promethia, before the investiture of the first Patrician, when it was changed to its present name, the Promethius Prime Oligarchy. The addition of the world 'Prime' to the name was meant to signify a unification of the Promethian people under one government, though this was largely a superfluous addition as the nation had not previously been divided to any great extent. The Oligarchy reflects the power of the Electors.
History
The earliest ancestors of the current inhabitants of Promethia have inhabited the territory for the last thousand years or so and were members of a large group of exiles who travelled over the sea from the east. It is unclear what the circumstances of the voyage were, or the cause for it, however evidence suggests that six successive waves of colonisation pushed the native inhabitants to extinction over the course of a century and a half, leading up to the establishment of the Archduchy of Promethia. Written records from the period are scant, however what does exist indicates that the majority of the population referred to themselves as Ximartaxan, with Promethia serving as the name of the political and geographical entity rather than the people. An increase in cultural exposure and influx in foreign trade over the next two centuries resulted in the slow decline of Ximartax as a language and ultimately the decline of an independent Ximartaxan culture and by 302 PCE, when the Historae of Promethia was written by Guerin Lothwyn, the Promethian cultural identity had become entrenched.
During the 477 year period during which Promethia was ruled by a hereditary monarch bearing the title of Archduke Promethia developed as a nation under a feudal system, with an agrarian land based economy and enforced serfdom for the majority of the populace. The aristocracy became entrenched and the concept of knighthood evolved from a martial tradition to a form of sub-nobility with an economic focus. The power of individual landholders continued to grow, as did their wealth, resulting in a substantial disparity of wealthy and the decline in the importance of aristocratic precedence. One of the principle causes for the brief civil war and the abolition of the monarchy which followed was the dissatisfaction over the distribution of royal favour, and the monarchy's top down approach to taxation. The most senior nobles, the Dukes, were no longer necessarily the wealthiest or the most powerful, and yet they were the most heavily taxed, while other lesser noblemen paid little to no tax despite accumulating vast amounts of wealth.
Dissent amongst the nobility coincided with demands among the peasant class for greater freedom. The growth of the wool trade brought new ideas into Promethia which challenged the existing feudal system, and as a means to preserve their own power and gain the favour of these newly aware peasants many noblemen championed the movement to abolish serfdom. In 474 PCE the Council for Modest Reform was created by the Dukes of Lachlan, Montierey, and Halhollen; the Viscounts of Kilarne and Kirk; the Barons of Landsey and Kridaera, and the Lord-Bishops of Lachlan, Haltness, and Furlangan. This Council's stated aim was to end serfdom, abolish the monarchy, and bring an end to the feudal system and its system of taxes. A small army of retainers led by Sir Bryant Cutting, the Baron of Landsey, moved upon the capital city of Lachlan where the Lord-Bishop's own Guard opened the gates allowing them to enter and raise the Council's standard over the Archduke's Palace. The capture of Lachlan marked the beginning of the three year Promethian Civil War.
Victory in the civil war by the Council came in 477 PCE with the capture of Archduke Eoghan VII at Rothlarney, the last remaining Royalist stronghold. The civil war had brought about the formalisation of a professional standing army in Promethia as well as a system of efficient taxation which was deemed to be much fairer than the one imposed under the monarchy. In addition new concepts had started to be introduced in areas the Council had controlled, including the creation of civic authorities and local governments in the larger towns and cities, and the codification of law in a consistent written form. New professions were created and expanded which would lead to the formation of the middle and merchant classes, and a new, more reliable currency had been introduced to replace the coinage issued under the monarchy which was seeing a rapid decline in value.
The early post-Abolition government took the form or an oligarchic republic without a single head of state or government, however this was short lived and by 478 PCE a system for choosing a ruler was established, and the first Patrician, Conall I was elected by the Council of Electors.
Promethian Calendar
The Promethian calendar operates in the same way as the Xedan calendar, with the same number of days and months to a year and the same distribution of days between months. Where it differs is in the naming conventions for the days of the week and the months of the year, as well as the year numbering system. The current Era is referred to as the Promethian Common Era (PCE) and began retroactively in the year that the Archduchy of Promethia was formed, which became 1 PCE. The current years is 900 PCE.
The days of the week on the Promethian calendar are:
- Monday - Ceadla
- Tuesday - Darala
- Wednesday - Triula
- Thursday - Caethla
- Friday - Cuigla
- Saturday - Seula
- Sunday - Seachla
The months of the year on the Promethian calendar are:
- January - Ekaeda
- February - Deuteada
- March - Triadeada
- April - Tretreada
- May - Pentadeada
- June - Hexeada
- July - Hepteada
- August - Octoaeda
- September - Enateada
- October - Deceada
- November - Hendeceada
- December - Dodeceada
Geography
Politics
Council of Electors
- Lord Thomas, 3rd Duke Cantwell of Lachlan
- Lady Amelia, 8th Duchess Cathal of Montierey
- Lord Angus, 7th Duke Armstrong of Halhollen
- Lord Harold, 5th Viscount Anston of Kilarne
- Lady Gertrude, 4th Viscountess Trenerry of Kirk
- Sir Andrew, 19th Baron Cutting of Landsey
- Sir Michael, 5th Baron Bowman of Kirdaere
- Revered Canon Adrian Caldwell, Lord-Bishop of Lachlan
- Revered Canon Sir Anthony Falkner, Lord-Bishop of Haltness
- Revered Canoness Dame Celestine Kirkbride, Prince-Bishop of Furlangan
Economy
Promethia has a partially mercantile economy which focuses on the import of raw materials and export of manufactured goods. Agriculture forms the basis for the Promethian economy, and though serfdom was abolished almost five centuries ago the majority of the nation's agricultural land is owned by the aristocracy and gentry. Promethia has an early manufacturing base that relies largely upon water and wind driven mills, and traditional forges. However by far the largest manufacturing sector consists of cottage industry, rather than organised manufacture. The most lucrative cottage industry at the present time is the textiles trade which primarily relies upon wool, but also produces sizeable amounts of linen and cotton based goods. The relative peace and stability within Promethia has allowed for the development of a highly diverse and refined textiles industry which in turn has made such products highly valued by merchants - additionally the evolution of an affluent merchant class has fuelled personal demand for textile goods funded by growing disposable incomes. Nevertheless almost a third of the population live in poverty, and approximately five percent live in indolence.
Currency
Promethia has a well developed and efficient monetary system which was overhauled as a result of the 762 PCE Currency and Coinages Act from a far more loosely regulated system, the Promethian currency is commodity based. The currency is known by the name of the standard trading coin, the Shilling (S), which is a silver coin worth approximately 62.5% of a Kyn (K), which is the global standard currency. A Promethian Shilling consists of approximately 134 centigrams of silver alloys with less valuable metals, whereas a Kyn is approximately 200 centigrams of silver. The purity of Promethian currency is closely monitored and controlled in line with the 820 PCE Currencies Act. Ten Shillings make a Crown, which may be either gold or a greater amount of silver depending upon the minting, though their value remains fixed and so the quantities of each are relative. One hundred Shillings make a Sovereign which is a gold coin. Shillings may be split into ten bronze Dukes or one hundred copper Barons. Bronze Viscounts worth five Barons were once also struck, but have since ceased to be issued.