Flatstone (Ivili: Ɉləŧszŧōn) or officially known as The Second Kingdom of Flatstone (Ivili: Dīmmə Āmzūmgām Ɉləŧszŧōn) is a country in Southeastern Thrismari, Anteria. The nation shares a maritime border with Kentalis to it's north, making it Flatstones only neighbor. Szlād is both Flatstones's capital and largest city, possessing religious ancestry as well as being the first permanent settlement on the archipelago. Other major cities may include; Ōnlō, Ūmūdīn, Sūnŧūgā, Ūmōkō, Īnbā, and Kūmōnlān.

Over the course of two hundred years, the nation suffered from three separate wars. All of which play an arguably important part in it's unification; including but not limited too Erik Slaten's War, the First Stonish War of Unification, and the Second Stonish War of Unification. Erik Slaten would be the one to spark the chain of conflicts, and thus he is the one credited with Flatstones founding. His rise to power is largely due to his usage of religion, more specifically a religion that he himself had created. Geology has been Flatstones state religion since it's implementation by Dag Von Stone in 2020.

Flatstone is a diplomatically isolated nation in terms of foreign relations, having joined the League of Unaligned Anterian Nations with the High Ilanean Kingdom shortly after announcing it's condemnation of the Salstil Pact. Aside from the High Ilanean Kingdom, Flatstone only shares diplomatic ties with Gadorien.

History

*Dīmmə Āmzūmgām Ɉləŧszŧōn*
*The Second Kingdom of Flatstone*
Dīmmə Āmzūmgām Ɉləŧszŧōn; The Second Kingdom of Flatstone
	Flag
	Motto: "Ā Zəmōŧā Szŧōn Kōnkā Nō Gūnā." (National) "A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss." (English)
	Anthem: "Szŧōngəmān"
	Map of Flatstones Provinces
Capital and largest city	Szlād
Official languages	Ivili
Religion	Geology
Demonym(s)	Stonish; Lōkō (Ivili)
Government	Absolute Monarchy
• Chancellor	Dag Von Stone
• Commander in Chief	Dag Von Stone
• Chief of Staff of Army High Command	Christoffer Assmunen
• Ruling House	House of Von Stone
Founded
• Treaty of Szlād	September 21st 1232
Area
• Total	42,454 km2 (16,392 sq mi)
Population
• 2021 estimate	8,700,000
• 2018 census	8,521,441
• Density	200/km2 (518.0/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2018 estimate
• Total	377,593,572,151
• Per capita	44,311
GDP (nominal)	2018 estimate
• Total	402,467,658,430
• Per capita	47,230
Gini (2018)	24.9; low
HDI (2018)	0.831; very high
Currency	Sand Dollar (SNDL)
Time zone	UTC+3 (UCT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (not observed)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+224
Internet TLD	.rock

Chapter I: Erik Slaten's War

Introduction

Historical records in the possession of Flatstones royal family date as far back as 1089, when the archipelagos economy was defined by manorialism and Stonish politics were dominated by powerful clans and ruthless warlords. Most notably of which was the prophet who went by the name Erik Slaten. Erik achieved a substantial amount of power through the spread of his religion, most commonly known as Geology (Or "The Way) today. Supposedly having been raised in the archipelago's capital of Szlād, at the time owned by the notoriously influential Northern Ivili Clan, Erik Slaten founded his religion on the basis that the planet Anteria is one large rock that should be worshipped eternally. The religion gained the attention of the archipelago's population, as many were looking for a spiritual escape from the civil war that had plagued the north for decades. Erik used this religion to boost his legitimacy and overthrow the ruling "Ōd" (Meaning "Head") of the Northern Ivili Clan through a military coup.

Battle of Ūmūdīn

Northern Ivili soldiers engaging in a skirmish with Taverknian soldiers outside of Ūmūdīn

Upon Erik's rise to power, Erik inherited all of the lands formerly controlled by the Ōd of the Northern Ivili Clan, and with it a sizeable navy. However, the navy was small in size and was mostly made up of cogs and galleys as the fleet had originally been used to deter piracy off the archipelago's coast. Despite these drawbacks, embargo's on the Taverkny Clan prevented any large naval engagements occuring between the two, as the Taverknian fleet had essentially become trapped in-port. Erik marched his followers around the mountains and down the northeastern coastline of Szŧōnzōsī, effectively reaching the city in 1093 without ever actually issuing a declaration of war to Bir Taverkny, who was at the time the Ōd of the Taverkny Clan. Despite this, Taverknian patrols had managed to catch Erik's army on it's way to the city, giving it a small amount of time to prepare. Upon realization that his ambush had been ratted out, Erik ordered for the encirclement of the city in order to prevent supply from reaching it's walls. This was done with ease, as the Ūmūdīn garrison, under the command of Signe Loss, had put it's faith into the stone walls that surrounded the city, hesitant to engage with Erik's army directly. This fatal mistake was made without the permission of Signe Loss, as Signe Loss wasn't present in the city at the time of Erik's arrival. Instead, he had fled just hours before after being recalled to the Traverknian city of Sūnŧūgā. Unfortunately, the general had been captured by Erik Slaten's men and later executed under the belief that he was deserting his men in Ūmūdīn. The city was surrendered to Erik after word of Signe's death made it's way through the cities walls. The lack of a proper commander and the casualties caused by attrition and arrow fire had effectively demoralized the inner garrison to the point of mass desertion, and thus the remaining troops pledged their allegiance to Erik Slaten and the city was ceded to the Northern Ivili Clan.

Siege of Sūnŧūgā

The fall of Ūmūdīn had been an embarrassing defeat for the Traverkny Clan, as the city had acted as the clans capital since it's founding. To have it lost to a numerically inferior force so easily caused many to lose faith in their leadership. Instead, many began to turn to Erik Slaten due to rumors regarding him as "invincible", or a "god" that had popped up as a result of his astonishing victory at Ūmūdīn. Others put their faith in him simply because of his connection to Geology and his promised incorporation of religion into the Stonish Culture, which to many, was dying at the time. They saw Geology as a solution to the decaying Stonish Culture that had been badly severed by the century long civil war. What made matters worse, is the majority of the Traverknian leadership had been in the Traverknian city of Sūnŧūgā, coincidentally the same city that was made the replacement capital after the fall of Ūmūdīn. Sūnŧūgā was a city located on an island isolated from the main archipelago, and because the Traverknian fleet had been burned in the port of Ūmūdīn, the Traverknian leadership was unable to make it's way back to mainland Flatstone because of Erik Slaten's fleet. This meant that the remainder of the Traverknian army had to reroute itself to the Southern Ilivi Clan and regroup with the Southern Ilivi forces, who were busy fighting off the Ou Clan south of the archipelago. This allowed for Erik Slaten's army to occupy the rest of the Traverknian territory in one fell swoop, only being halted upon reaching Southern Ilivi territory. By 1096, the island Sūnŧūgā is situated on had been starved of it's supplies entirely and a famine had stricken the local population. Erik Slaten issued an ultimatum to Bir Taverkny, demanding that he surrender his forces to Northern Ivili or face execution. Bir Taverkny did not hesitate to comply, signing a separate peace treaty then that of Southern Ivili, officially ceding all Traverknian territory to Northern Ivili. It was after the signing of this treaty with Taverkny when Erik Slaten declared the formation of the Order of Flatstone, or the Stonish Theocracy. Bir Taverkny was exiled to the northernmost city of Ūmōkō, and his generals were incorporated into Erik Slaten's army under the flag of the Order of Flatstone.

The Occupation of Southern Ivili

At this point, Erik's army had become exhausted and widespread demands for peace had become commonplace. The Ou Clan had made substantial progress against Southern Ivili, managing to occupy a large portion of islands formerly controlled by the clan. Despite Southern Ivili's army having been reinforced by the remainder of the Traverknian army, it had suffered detrimental losses on the water when engaging with the Ou Fleet. Not possessing the required manpower for recovery, Erik Slatens exhausted army made quick work of the Southern garrisons, managing to push Bon Ou and his remaining men off of mainland Szŧōnzōsī by 1099. He was forced to seek refugee on an isolated Southern Ivili island situated imbetween the holdings of the Order of Flatstone and the Ou Clan. After a year of no progress and nation-wide revolts, Bon Ou was forced to sign peace with Erik Slaten, ceding his last island to the Order of Flatstone.

Treaty of Sūnŧūgā

The annexation of the Southern Ivili Clan marked the end of Erik Slaten's War in 1100. The now fully unified Order of Flatstone had become too exhausted to continue the fighting southwards, and was thus forced to sign a 100 year non-aggression pact with the Ou Clan, allowing them to keep custody of the northern Bīgōzōsī.

Erik Slaten's Declining Health

The lifeless corpse of Crown Bishop Erik Slaten on his deathbed in 1144

One hundred years years of peaceful rule over the archipelago allowed for the gradual spread and implementation of Geology, the religion originally introduced to the nation by Erik himself. However, in 1141 the Crown Bishop's health took a serious turn for the worse, having contracted what historians believe to be Tuberculosis. For three years, doctors nation-wide would visit the crown bishop in a desperate attempt to revitalize Erik's worsening health, to no avail. After a variety of methods and dozens of miracle cures, Erik Slaten would pass away in 1144, leaving his short-lived kingdom without a true successor. Over the next ten years, the nation would manage to keep itself partially intact with the help of priests that had banded together to form a "regency council" to act as the ruling government while a qualified successor could be chosen. However, the corruption that had developed amongst the members of the clergy had severely worsened following the death of Erik and thus no true successor would ever be found. Instead, the stability of the order would only continue to worsen, eventually leading to the dissolution of the order and the recreation of the Taverkny Clan, and shortly after the South Ivili Clan as well. The remaining territory posessed by the order fragmented after the regency council disbanded and fled in hiding, leaving the Northern Ivili Clan in pieces and without an Ōd. Over the course of fifty years, the various clans would engage in various skirmishes with each-other to no avail, eventually leading to an universal ceasefire in 1195.

Birth of Bjarn Von Stone

Bjarn Von Stone was born just one year before the ceasefire. He had been born into an isolated farmhouse somewhere in Sūnŧūgā, supposedly growing up with his mother and potentially his father, although it should be noted that his mother was believed to have been widowed. Not a lot is known about Bjarn's childhood and his progression into adulthood, but what is certain is that Von Stone was a name that he gave to himself, and his original last name is unknown. It is likely that Bjarn taught himself archery and swordsmanship at a young age, as by the time the First War of Unification broke out in 1211 his performance in battle and leadership was of high standards. Bjarn left for the capital of Szlād at age fourteen in order to find work and make money, however rather then starting a farm of his own or participating as an architect, Bjarn would be quick to find his way into the politics of Northern Ivili, establishing himself as the self-proclaimed successor of Erik Slaten at the age of 17 and taking after his beliefs and accomplishments, using religion as a tool to seize and maintain power through authoritarian means. By the time he was 18, the civil war was in full swing and Bjarn had couped the remnants of Northern Ivili in the same fashion as Erik Slaten had a century prior.

Chapter II: Wars of Unification

First Stonish War of Unification

Second Stonish War of Unification

Chapter III: Stonish Invasion of Hoterallia

Outbreak of War

An increase in activity by Stonish merchants in the Neil Canal resulted in a variety of small skirmishes between Stonish and Hoterallian naval craft. This eventually lead to the Stonish king, Bjarn II, delivering a letter to the Hoterallian Emperor Gon-Suda himself, demanding that these interferences cease, otherwise facing war. Two letters were sent, both of which were discarded as Hoterallia had no way of translating the Stonish language properly and were thus unable to read the letters, leading to war between the two nations.

War on the Water

Battle of Szŧōnbā

Illustration of the Battle of Szŧōnbā

Flatstones fleet, under the command of Bjarn II, had rallied in the port of Szŧōnbā, a Stonish-controlled archipelago north of its capital that had served as a launching point of the Stonish campaign against the Hoterallian navy in the Southern Sunadic. Bjarn II and his men departed from the port in 1327 shortly after the declaration of war, engaging in a skirmish on open waters with a small detachment of Hoterallian ships that had been stationed near the island in order to prevent Stonish forces from reaching mainland Hoterallia. These efforts proved to be fruitless, however, as they hadn't prepared themselves for the battlefleet constructed by Bjarn II just two years prior. Hoterallian forces failed to match the naval experience possessed by the Stonish forces, soon finding themselves to be overwhelmed by Stonish galleys and barques. Regardless of this, the Hoterallians didn't hesitate to put up a fight. The Stonish fleet had managed to encircle the contingent of Hoterallian ships, preventing any from deserting the battle. After inflicting a considerable amount of losses on the Hotellarian ships with the use of arrows, Stonish forces began to board enemy ships, partaking in melee combat with one another. Stonish forces were met with fierce Hoterallian resistance, unable to break their morale. Instead, Bjarn II ordered for the Hoterallian fleet to be burned and its crew left to die. Dozens of ships were set ablaze, their crews forced to abandon ship and drown as the Stonish fleet made its withdrawal back to Szŧōnbā.

First Battle of the Sunadic

Depiction of Stonish forces engaging with the Hoterallian Navy in the Sunadic Ocean

After having achieved an overwhelming victory over the port in Szŧōnbā, Bjarn II knew not to waste the boosted morale and enemies devastation while it was still there, thus seizing the opportunity and engaging in a second naval battle with what remained of the now badly battered Hoterallian Fleet, as well as reinforcements that had arrived from Saipoi to reinforce it. After regrouping with an additional squadron that had arrived from Slaŧo, Bjarn II ordered his fleet to depart from Stoheпopt to the Hoterallian port of Saipoi in early-1382. This time, he'd been accompanied by the 1st and 2nd Slatian Armies, the combination of the two boasted a sum roughly 10,000 strong. This armada made its way through the Southern Sunadic, arriving off the coast of Hoterallia in 1329. There, a formation of Hoterallian vessels awaited the arrival of the now-massive Stonish battlefleet, in an attempt to ward the invaders off from the Hoterallian coast. On an August morning, the two fleets met face to face off the coast of the Saipoi area, an exchange of arrow fire announced the start of the battle. Throughout the day, the Hoterallian fleet was battered by a constant stream of arrows. Wave after wave, their crews slowly diminished under the pressure of the Stonish battlefleet. By the time the sun began to set, the two fleets had engaged with eachother face to face. The Hoterallians utilized gunpowder weaponry against the Stonish raiding fleet, however, due to superior numbers were unable to resist. An account written by a Stonish soldier who had participated in the battle speaks of the Hoterallian valiance and how the Hoterallians were so unwilling to give up. The Hoterallian fleet fought to the last man in the First Battle of the Sunadic, however, despite technological superiority were unable to beat back the Stonish fleet.

Landings in Hoterallia

Prior to the Stonish occupation of Saipoi and Ryuiki, efforts were made to seize the islands stationed off the Hoterallian coast. However, because the Stonish fleet had been badly damaged in the First Battle of the Sunadic, the Stonish army was unable to make any significant progress and was refined to just one or two islands that could be used as a staging point into mainland Hoterallia. The local garrisons were no match for the Stonish army, although despite this the Stonish armies found themselves unable to force the garrison out from behind its fortification for multiple days. The garrison only surrendered once they could no longer bear the lack of food or proper supply, surrendering the fortifications to the encirclement. This now occupied island allowed for the Stonish to coordinate a more organized landing in mainland Hoterallia. The diminished armies were slowly being reinforced by troops from mainland Flatstone, and in 1332 the Stonish armada had fully recovered from the two battles. The fleet had been divided into two separate squadrons, one, much larger than the other, was set to land in Saipoi. The second, much smaller than the Saipoi raiding fleet, was sent to the city of Ryuiki.

War on Land

Battle of Saipoi

A defensive wall in Saipoi.

The first mainland engagements between Hoterallian and Stonish troops occurred in the Hoterallian city of Saipoi when an army numbering roughly 13,000 began to pour onto the shores adjacent to the city. This army had been under the command of Stonish general Bas Pumice, renowned for his strategical expertise. After a tedious march to the city itself, the Stonish army met face to face with the comparatively larger Hoterallian force numbering upwards of 23,000, including the cities garrison. Stonish generals hadn't anticipated an army of this size, expecting the Hoterallian army to have been spread evenly across Hoterallia's various coastal cities. Regardless, Bas Pumice ordered his army forward and after two days of intermission, an assault was launched on the Hoterallian army in the early morning. While initially, Stonish Pёkko Warriors saw some success in driving a wedge into Hoterallian lines, ultimately, Stonish cavalry was no match for that of Hoterallia. Stonish flanks were exposed after the cavalry that was supposed to be protecting them was massacred, leaving the entire army vulnerable to encirclement. Matters were made worse when Bas Pumice was struck with an arrow, causing him to fall off of his horse and die. The remaining Stonish army soon fell into disarray, allowing for the Hoterallian garrison to encircle it and pick Stonish warriors off one by one with the help of gunpowder weaponry and arrows. Hoterallian success in this battle turned the tide in their favor, as the majority of the army put together by king Bjarn II Von Stone had been defeated in Saipoi by Higuchi Ueda and Junkichi Hori. Any surviving remnants of Bas Pumice's landing force returned to the Stonish fleet, which in turn regrouped with the fleet that had been stationed in the Hoterallian city of Ryuiki in preparation for a second battle.

Battle of Ryuiki

Kazuyuki Fujimoto's forces, prior to the battle and his sacrifice.

News of the humiliating Stonish defeat in Saipoi quickly spread throughout the other armies that had been deployed in Hoterallia. Most notably of which was the 2nd Slatian Army, comprised of just over 7,000 men that had been under the command of general Jonob Sidian. Jonob Sidian, still high off of his extraordinary naval successes against the Hoterallian fleet, significantly underestimated the Hoterallian army and its capabilities in the city of Ryuiki, which had nearly doubled the size of his by the time his fleet began to siege the cities port. A lack of the Hoterallian navy made blockading easy, preventing the Hoterallian army inside from being resupplied via the sea. After linking up with what was left of Bas Pumice's army, Jonob Sidian marched his men along a path adjacent to Ryuiki's port, outmaneuvering the Hoterallian army outside of the cities walls under the cover of night. However, despite the measures taken to conceal the movements of Jonob's army, Hoterallian scouting parties stumbled upon the army as camps were being set up for the night. In response, Hoterallian general Kazuyuki Fujimoto and his army, accompanied by general Iwata Toyoto, marched the majority of his army from the city of Ryuiki while it was still undergoing siege from the Stonish fleet. Kazuyuki hoped that he'd be able to catch the Stonish army off guard while it was still preparing its tents. Utilizing the same pathways that had been used by Jonob's army, Kazuyuki was able to pinpoint the location of his army in just over an hour. As expected, Jonob hadn't anticipated an assault as late as it was, leaving his army vulnerable as the majority of it was still setting up its tents. Kazuyuki ordered a cavalry charge directly into the camp, in which he participated in. He, as well as roughly 1,000 other men on horseback, made their way into the camp, setting it ablaze and slaughtering the now confused and scattered Stonish army. Amidst the chaos, Jonob Sidian was slain by an unnamed Hoterallian soldier after being trampled by his horse, this was followed shortly by the death of Kazuyuki, who had been impaled in the chest by a Stonish spearman, killing him instantly. Despite the losses taken by the Hoterallians, thousands upon thousands of Stonish soldiers lie dead, those who remained had fled into nearby forests or towards the coast where the Stonish fleet had been, only to find that it had been burned while still in port by the Hoterallian army.

Withdrawal from Hoterallia

Second Battle of the Sunadic

Depiction of the Stonish fleet in disarray after departing from Ryuiki

The Stonish Army, at one point numbering upwards of 20,000, had been reduced to little more than 5,000. On top of this, the Stonish battlefleet that had performed so well against the Hoterallian navy suffered unsustainable losses after being trapped in Ryuiki's port and burned by the Hoterallian army. The Stonish fleet, now half its size, made a risky withdrawal from the port after managing to break free from Hoterallia's grasp and make its way to open waters. However, before the fleet could safely reach the Stoheпopt islands, it was caught off guard by the now replenished Hoterallian navy that held numerical superiority over the badly damaged Stonish fleet. The Stonish fleet, now under command of admiral Rhyo Lite following the death of Jonob Sidian, had become too demoralized to put up much of a fight. Unwilling to risk mutiny, Rhyo Lite surrendered the fleet to Hoterallia, which was subsequently burned. Its crew members were taken as prisoners of war, as well as Rhyo Lite and Admiral Jonas Steinherre. The Second "Battle" of the Sunadic was the final engagement between Hoterallian and Stonish forces for the rest of the duration of the war. The capture of the two Stonish generals and the entire Stonish Army and Navy lead to a long period of silence and eventually negotiations for peace.

Treaty of Jyo-daika

After seven whole years of fighting, the war was put to an end after King Bjarn II Von Stone met with Emperor Gon-Suda in the Hoterallian city of Jyo-Daika (Now Gerkoller). The summit lasted approximately five day before the two leaders and their supervisors came to a conclusion, inevitably deciding on the establishment of a 500 year truce between the two nations, alongside war reparations being paid to Hoterallia by Flatstone in order to compensate for damages done on Ruiki and Saipoi. Military restrictions were also discussed, although ultimately refused by Bjarn II Von Stone, believing that Hoterallias inability to occupy any Stonish territory meant that this would make the treaty "unfair". Although in reality this was simply because Bjarn II Von Stone was hesitant to demilitarize his nation, which at the time had built an economy centered and profited off of war. The bodies of generals Bas Pumice and Jonob Sidian were returned to Flatstone for their proper burials, and Rhyo Lite and Jonas Steinherre were released from Hoterallia after two years of imprisonment.

Post-War Recovery

Shortly after the war with Hoterallia, King Bjarn II Von Stone lost his life to what was believed to be Scurvy on his way back from the Stoheпopt islands, after having concluded the summit in Jyo-daika. Some say that he had intentionally neglected his diet out of shame. His son Bergboer Von Stone, who had been born prior to the war, succeeded to the throne after him in 1335. Bergboer would go on to maintain the policies implemented by his predecessors, however he would ultimately fail to restore Flatstones military put together by his father. Instead, he would adopt a rather pacifistic attitude by providing for the foundations of an isolationistic economy, rather then one centered around war.

Chapter IV: Aristocratic Period

Military

Stonish military history starts off in 1322, when King Bjarn II Von Stone, son of King Eirik Von Stone, ordered for the construction of a battlefleet and an army to go with it. He named this contingent the Steinhær, meaning "Stone Army". The Steinhær remains the main force for offensive and defensive purposes in Flatstone even today, having been created 697 years ago. Today, the Steinhær is 210,000 strong thanks to the help of forced conscription and various recruitment campaigns throughout the country.

Branches

Steinhær (Army)

The Steinhær acts as the the main branch of Flatstone's military, consisting of the Ground Force, the National Guard and the Anti-Terrorist Unit. These three inner-branches comprise the Steinhær for a total of 210,000 active servicemen as of 2020. The Steinhær was founded in July of 1324 by Bjarn II Von Stone to meet the nations demand for protection. Ironically enough, this force would rarely be used for conducting defensive operations but rather offensive operations on foreign soil. The Steinhær has had a lasting partnership with both Steinpansel and Steinkjøretøyfirma since their creation in the 30's, and the majority of Steinhær's equipment comes from both of it's suppliers.

Flatstones rough terrain limits the use of large vehicles, to accommodate for this Flatstones army has relied on the use of horses to bear the weight of heavy cargo, making normally impassable routes possible at the cost of reduced travel speed. The use of cavalry has played an important role in Flatstones army since before it's creation, with historical records referring to the use of horses in warfare as far back as the 9th century.

Steinkongeligemarinen (Navy)

coming soon

Steneluftvåpenet (Air Force)