Cacerta

The Kingdom of Cacerta Il Regno di Cacerta
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: I nostri cuori si trovano con l'oceano "Our hearts are with the ocean."
Anthem: I Segreti del Mare "The Secrets of the Sea" I Segreti del Mare (Instrumental)
The Cacertian Home Islands in Tyran
The Cacertian Home Islands
Capital and largest city	Vichenza
Official languages	English, Italian
Ethnic groups	81.1% Cacertian 7.3% Acrean 6.9% Kirisakian 4.7% Other
Demonym(s)	Cacertian
Government	Unitary Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy
• Monarch	Queen Anelyn I
• Prime Minister	Valeriana Khushrenada
Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	House Assembly
• Lower house	Common Assembly
Formation
Area
• Total	1,003,030 km2 (387,270 sq mi)
Population
• 2017 census	179,534,545
Gini (2017)	22.3 low
HDI (2017)	0.955 very high
Currency	Inganarre (ɫ) (CNI)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+301
Internet TLD	.cer

Cacerta, officially known as the Kingdom of Cacerta (/ˈkɑːsɛrtɑː/; Italian: Il Regno di Cacerta), is a sovereign state located in central Tyran. The nation consists of the Cacertian Archipelago which is situated in the Bara Sea, its protectorate of Andria in the Sabri Sea, and the small land claim of Molise in southeastern Siduri. Molise is the only part of the Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—Gylias. With an area of 1,003,030 square kilometers, Cacerta is the 19th largest nation by landmass and is one of the most densely populated nations in the region.

The Kingdom of Cacerta is a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system . The current monarch is Queen Anelyn I who has reigned since 5 June 2006. The capital and largest city of Cacerta is Vichenza and although it is not the nation’s oldest established city, it is the city from which the ruling Royal House of Sarissita originated. Cacerta is divided into six administrative regions consisting of Sarissita, Lombardo, Apullia, Venetio, Abruzzo, and its protectorate of Andria. Each region has it’s own administration governments which are situated in their capitals, Vichenza, Fumicino, Viareggio, Molfetta, Carrera, and Andria, respectively.

Cacerta is a developed country possessing a high Human Development Index and low Gini coefficient. It was one of the region’s first industrialized countries and has maintained its position as a great power since its time as the Cacertian Empire established in the late 19th century. It possesses significant economic, cultural, military, scientific, and political influence internationally. Cacerta is a recognized nuclear weapons state and has been a permanent member of the OTN Security Council since its foundation following the Great War. The Kingdom maintains the second largest navy in the region by number of ships and is considered one of the strongest military powers in Tyran.

History

Main article: History of Cacerta

Prehistory

Earliest records of settlement in the Cacertian archipelago dates back to hunter-gatherer culture sometime around the Paleolithic period in 40,000 BCE and was later followed by a semi-sedentary farming culture during the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. It is a common assumption that most of the early peoples that inhabited the islands were not native of the area and are immigrants from the Tyran mainland. The settlements on the island of Sarissita would be the first to pioneer metallurgy in the archipelago and would also develop sustainable farming practices.

The Padova Period (221 - 775), beginning in the 2nd century, marked the emergence of a powerful matriarchal kingdom in the ancient city of Padova. The period is characterized by the proliferation of future Cacertian Monotheism, the development of literature, and a unique form of Cacertian architecture. The growing Kingdom of Padova, which spanned much of northern Sarissita, suffered a devastating malaria epidemic in the early 6th century and is estimated to have killed nearly a third of the entire population inhabiting Cacerta at the time. In 775, reigning Empress Gena Padova believed Padova too devastated and moved the Kingdom’s capital to Cavagna (modern day Ravenna).

The Cavagna Period (776 - 1221) began soon after and is characterized by the development of a distinctly Cacertian culture. Cacertian Monotheism continued to grow in popularity and was soon declared the Padova Kingdom’s religion in early 800.

Feudal Era

Cacerta entered a period of feudalism in the early 1000s with the emergence of a number of independent kingdoms and city-states throughout the archipelago. Early in the 1200s, the city-state of Vichenza—in alliance with Cesena in the south—clashed with the predominant Padova Kingdom in the north. A series of significant strategic and moral victories on the part of Vichenza created a balance of power that marked the decline of the Padova Kingdom’s influence in Sarissita. The military and economic growth of Vichenza and its allies, Cesena and Anzio, led to the establishment of the Sarissita Triumvirate which would maintain primary control of northern Cacerta well into the Unification Wars.

The late 1200s and early 1300s saw the rise of various family houses and clans that would lay out the framework of most modern and retainer houses found in Cacerta today. Early rivalries led to a number of conflicts over territory which often resulted in split and uneasy ownership of small islands. While there were a number of defined borders and alliances between the mid 1300s and early 1400s, a series of minor conflicts began erupting between factions beginning with the Cornaro Civil War in 1422. Most historians mark the Cornaro Civil War as the start of the Centuries War Period which would last nearly three centuries.

Industrial Era and Unification

The Cacertian Industrial Revolution began in 1719 with the advent of the steam engine and marked the end of the Centuries War Period. Although it started a brief span of peace that stretched into 1782, it was characterized as an economic competition between the varying city-states and resulted in a number of Cacertian houses rising above the others. Many of these houses remain in power today of which House Sarissita is often considered the most influential.

It would not be until the late 1850s that the idea of a united Cacertian state arose. In March of 1864, Victor Sarissita began an all-out campaign to conquer the Cacertian islands. His campaign, known as the Unification Wars, would take approximately seven years, with complete unification under a written constitution in January of 1871. While Victor would rule Cacerta for only four years before his death, his House would remain the royal family until the present-day.

Cacertian Empire

Main article: Cacertian Empire

Elliana Sarissita, only daughter of Victor Sarissita, would earn the crown in early April of 1875. By that time, the Unified States had become a strong sea-faring nation with trade ports connecting to several nations around Tyran. At her young age of twenty-six, Elliana was known as an ambitious queen. She set out to create a large, formidable Cacertian navy and succeeded.

With an unmatched military force, Queen Elliana managed to quickly conquer a number of islands near the Cacertian archipelago and would later set across the Salacian Ocean to secure a holding in the Triple Continents—territory outside Tyran. The combined forces of the Cacertian Military would conquer the entire Helarian continent within a year. Soon after she would expand her sphere of influence into both the Salvarian and Arusian continents, but thin supply lines and heavy resistance provided by the Empire of Vuktylbania in Arusia would force the newly formed Cacertian Empire to cease its rapid expansion.

Empress Elliana Sarissita-Trento would remain official head of Cacerta until her death at 89 in 1938. Although her subordinates attempted to keep the Empire together, internal strife and civil unrest throughout the Empire would lead to its disbandment in 1940. The daughter of Princess Johanna, Rosalia Sarissita, would inherit the throne from her grandmother in 1938 and maintained the title of Empress until 1940. Following the ratificaiton of the new Cacertian constitution,Rosalia would become the first Queen of the newly established Kingdom of Cacerta. She would quickly set about attempting to consolidate lost power following the collapse of the greater empire.

Great War

Main article: Great War (Tyran)

Cacerta entered the Great War by declaring war on the Empire of Quenmin in 1940 after Quenmin had invaded nearby Lirinya. Alongside its ally in Kirisaki, the two nations formed the third of the three major power alliances that fought the conflict with its opponents primarily manifested in Quenmin and its ally in Acrea. The war for the Common Axis was heavily characterized for its focus on battles at sea with the only major land operations conducted during the Common Axis offensive to retake Liriyan and Acrea’s eventual invasion of the Cacertian Home Islands. The development of atomic weaponry eventually forced the signing of an armistice that left much of Cacerta’s national sovereignty and territory intact, although heavy damage had been inflicted to the nation’s infrastructure.

Contemporary Era

Although the modern Kingdom of Cacerta is much smaller than the Empire, it still boasts a considerable amount of international power. Among the nations of Tyran, Cacerta is considered to be a leading nation in sea-faring trade and maintains a massive and professional navy. It has participated and played a crucial role in several world-wide conflicts.

Since the end of the Great War, most of Cacerta’s monarchs have maintained a strict policy of armed neutrality. This policy began to change with the Kingdom’s participation in the FedCom Civil War in nearby Knichus. Royal Army units were originally dispatched to the region of Nuoverri to protect the Condettieri and Cacertian expatriate population residing there. When tensions started to escalate past minor skirmishes, Cacerta’s Parliament expanded the Army’s original mandate starting with the deployment of SRS in March 1988. Deployment of regular troops began in late April 1988 under the command of Andriana Alvizi and eventually reached a peak of 200,000 troops; fighting lasted until the end of the war in July 1989.

The accession of Anelyn Trento to the throne in 2006 resulted in a marked change in Cacertian politics. As queen, Anelyn began pursuing a foreign policy that sought to reestablish relations with past allies and begin building relations with others such as Shalum, Syara, and Nalaya. Cacerta’s intervention in the Nalayan Civil War signified the nation’s political shift to a more active role in international events.

Geography

Landscape

Despite being a large conglomeration of islands across an ocean, the geography of Cacerta is considered to be relatively uniform. The Kingdom's lands are generally characterized by rolling hills and thick temperate forests with its only mountain range cutting across the island of Sarissita. Roads have long since fallen into disuse following Cacerta's conversion to primarily air travel in the form of airships, but these roads are considered to be a monument to an older era.

Climate

The Kingdom is well-known for its very calm, temperate climate and steady rainfall. The natural temperature ranges between as low as -7°C and a maximum of 33°C. Ocean currents bring a constant stream of mild air across the islands resulting in mild wet, winters and cool summers. Due to the nation's geographical location, snowfall can occur, however this is very seldom.

Demographics

Peoples

The Cacertian Islands are primarily inhabited by native Cacertians. Despite the Kingdom becoming much more open in recent years, immigration still has not greatly affected the ethnicity of the nation's population. Almost 81 percent of Cacerta's population identify as native Cacertians. The second largest group of people inhabiting the Kingdom are of Acrean descent, followed by Miranians.

Cacertians are generally characterized by their light skin tone, dark hair, and generally athletic builds. Native inhabitants of Cacerta's territories who have light-colored hair are hypothesized to be of Eracuran ancestry, most likely people intermingling with native Acreans and Ruvelkans during the time period prior to Cacertian unification. The most notable unique Cacertians are members of the House Astrid and House Davion.

Population Centers

Cacerta's primary population centers are built around the original trade centers founded during the unification period, with few exceptions such as the nation's capital of Vichenza. After the development of its airship fleet, trade routes have been amended and formerly landlocked towns have become key centers for commerce.

Language

Cacerta's offical languages are Italian and English. With both nationally recognized, it is expected for all Cacertians to be bilingual. Italian was adopted by the state following the unification of the Cacertian Home Islands in 1871. Many linguists identify several similarities with the Tuscan variation of Italian with early Cacertian Italian. However, over several decades the Italian language in Cacerta has evolved into its own dialect. English would be adopted as an official language of Cacerta in the mid 1880s following the creation of the Cacertian Empire.

Religion

Main article: Cacertian Monotheism

While freedom of religion is allowed, the state religion of the Kingdom is known as Cacertian Monotheism and is the largest religious society in the territories that consist of the Kingdom of Cacerta. Approximately 90 percent of the nation's population follows the teachings of the Cacertian Faith and almost all citizens of Cacerta are adherents to its traditions. It is one of the oldest established monotheistic religions in history, out dating Christianity and Islam by several thousand years. Despite its age, it is not as large as the other monothiestic religions that exist within the world with only a small percentage of followers outside of the Cacertian Islands.

Government

Parliament

Main article: Cacertian Parliament

The Kingdom is run by a Parliament made up of representatives from each island (or island cluster) within the nation's sphere of influence. It consists of two main Houses; an elected lower house called the Common Assembly and an appointed upper house known as the House Assembly. For any legislation to pass they must first be given approval by the Prime Minister—a position appointed by the ruling monarch—as well as Royal Assent before becoming law.

The Parliament has the following listed responsibilities:

• Pass laws that directly affect the nation and its people.
• Regulate and set taxes within the Kingdom.
• Manage commerce and trade between the Kingdom and its trade partners.
• Declare war and fund the nation's military and national guard.

The Royal Houses

While Cacerta has made strides to include the average citizen into its process of decision-making by implementing the Common Assembly during the Empire period, most of the Parliament's power still arguably lies within its House Assembly consisting of members of the Kingdom's five Royal Clans. Each of these Houses traces back to Cacerta's unification period and can be considered as old as the nation itself.

• Royal House of Sarissita
• House of Viareggio
• House of Davion
• House of Damien
• House of Marik

There also exists several dozen smaller houses spread across Cacerta, many of which are retainer houses loyal to one of the five main houses. Most of these families originate from Cacerta’s Centuries War Period.

Foreign Relations

The Kingdom has historically adopted an isolationist, "armed neutrality" stance in the area of foreign affairs, largely motivated by avoiding another entanglement in a conflict after the end of the Great War, the largest engagement involving the Cacertian Armed Forces over the course of several decades. This isolationist approach remained dominant in Cacertian foreign policy until Queen Anelyn's assumption of the throne in 2006, whose reign was marked by a complete reversal and a focus on establishing stronger relations with its local neighbors as well as others throughout the region.

Among these efforts, she has successfully entered into an official alliance with the Republic of Gylias that the Republic had long advocated, and has improved relations with Shalum by successfully hosting visits from Imperator Tyler and his wife Allison.

Armed Forces

Main article: Cacertian Armed Forces

The crest of the Cacertian military.

The Armed Forces of Cacerta represent the military forces of the Kingdom and its territories. It was founded in 1871 after King Victor unified the Cacertian islands into a single power. The Cacertian military is broken up into three major parts: the Royal Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Fleet and report directly to the Prime Minister and Monarch in every aspect. Following the Helarian Wars, the Kingdom's military took on a strictly defensive role which it maintained until the early 21st century. Under the reign of Queen Anelyn I, Cacerta has bolstered its international military presence, taking on the role of armed interventionist when the need arises.

As of October 2015, the Cacertian Military employs 2,114,620 professional soldiers, 1,297,790 of whom are currently on active duty. Military service is compulsory for all Cacertian citizens at the age of 20. These servicemen and women are expected to serve a total of two years before either continuing into a military career or returning to the civilian market. Conscientious objectors are given the option of serving an equal amount of time in emergency services such as fire departments or hospitals. Since the 1800s, women have been fully integrated into the Kingdom's armed forces.

The Cacertian Armed Forces is unique among its contemporaries in that it has created and maintains a combat-capable modern airship fleet. Although many see this as extremely expensive and tactically ineffective, it has been a source of Cacertian pride for a little over a century. Combined with its Royal Navy, the Air Fleet is a formidable force. A sub-division of the Air Fleet is the Royal Air Force, which closely resembles the air force branches commonly found today.

Economy

Cacerta has a free market economy combined with a significant welfare state. It is characterized by a highly educated and skilled labor force known for its technological innovation. The nation's largest economic sector is its service sector which makes up approximately 70% of Cacerta's total GDP, followed by industry at 29%, and agriculture at 1%. Unemployment as of 2013 was 2.8% which includes those who live with a part-time job and people who are actively looking for full-time jobs. Under Queen Anelyn I—an advocate for closer economic ties between the nations of Tyran—the Kingdom has become more open to international trade.

The shipbuilding industry makes up a significant amount of the Kingdom's manufacturing sector, employing several million people and accounting for a large part of the nation's international trade market. The airship building industry is the second largest by only several million Inganarres a year.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Public transport makes up 87% of total Cacertian work trips. The cities of Cacerta are connected by an intricately laid-out system of air routes which utilizes a combination of airplanes and airships. Since the innovations of pioneer-scientist Leonardo Antolioni, airships have become the primary form of travel inside the Kingdom and the preferred form of for Cacertians traveling abroad.

Alongside airships, sea-faring vessels are still a major part of commerce for Cacerta, not to mention that they make up a significant part of the Kingdom's armed forces. While most airship lines are publicly owned and run, sea-vessel corporations, both trade and transportation alike, are completely privately owned.

Energy

As an extremely industrialized nation, Cacerta had relied on fossil fuels—particularly coal and natural gas—for decades. Coal would remain the Kingdom's primary source of energy until the mid-1960s when pollution became a major issue in cities such as Potenza and Fumicino. Much of the Kingdom's early efforts resulted in solar farms, wind farms, and several dams across the nation's territory.

However, after establishing strong ties with other nations of Tyran and those of the Triple Continents—the Kingdom began to grow its renewable energy market exponentially. After an analysis by the energy department, sixty percent of Cacerta's national energy is now produced by renewable sources as opposed to only twenty percent a decade earlier.

Education

Main article: Education in Cacerta

It is estimated that over 99% of Cacertians of age 15 and above are literate. Optional kindergarten education is provided for all children between three and six years old, after which attendance is compulsory. Primary education lasts for six to eight years, with Secondary education normally taking two years to complete. Admission into Cacertian universities is based on continuous assessment during the last few years of school and final examinations.

The Cacertian school year runs from early January and ends in late October with a two week break in spring that separates the year into two academic terms. The Autunno Racculto holiday that takes up the majority of the month of November and early December stands as the Kingdom's equivalent of a summer break.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Cacerta

Divided as city-states for centuries until unification in 1871, Cacerta is characterized by its unique culture influenced by customs originating from several different islands. It has, however, also been defined by its intellectual people ranging from innovators to well-known writers and composers.

Cacerta is famous for establishing an extremely high level of gender equality very early in its history, promotes rights for the disabled, and is extremely tolerant of homosexuals. Same-sex marriage has been a legal right in the Kingdom since 1940.

Popular Media

The Kingdom is characterized by its familiarity with literature and theater. Though television and movies are standard mediums of entertainment within Cacerta, plays and musicals are known to be considerably more popular. Cacertian theater can trace it roots far before Cacerta's unification. Musicals and plays span a multitude of genres with dramatists and playwrights working tirelessly to translate words into actions.

Sports

Main article: Sport in Cacerta

Cacerta's most popular sport is figure skating, attracting the most spectators annually for the past century and is well-known for being the Kingdom's national sport. It is highly regarded for its beauty, finesse, balance, and taxing training program. In Cacerta, it is often considered to be a mark of talent if a skater is confident enough to perform without clothes. Among the three different competition types, Individuals tournaments are the most watched and most attended.

Other popular individual sports include gymnastics—which is considered to be another one of the country's national sports—and martial arts, both of which share a relatively equally-sized following as figure skating. Like figure skaters, gymnasts in Cacerta are famous for performing without clothing, a tradition that does not stand outside of the country. While gymnastics has been celebrated since the very late 1800s, practice of martial arts did not grow in significance as a cultural sport until after the close of the Second Helarian War.

Martial arts competitions in Cacerta focus primary on exhibition and the display of one’s technique as an art. The most popular practices of martial arts in Cacerta are kendo and jian-focused wushu. A significant amount of emphasis is placed on the safety of participants and duels between competitors are highly regulated.

Among the team sports played in Cacerta, the most popular is known as Panzer Fahren characterized by coordinated tank battles between professionally trained teams. It is an import sport, having originated in the Northeastern Nations with its first official national match in Cacerta in May of 2011. Closely behind Panzer Fahren in terms of popularity is volleyball.

Cuisine

Modern Cacertian cuisine has developed though the centuries from a multitude of differing island cultures of the Cacertian Archipelago. It is characterized for sharing a very close resemblance to Italian cuisine for its emphasis on pasta, fish, and various vegetables. Much like Italians, Cacertians prepare foods that are known for being extremely simple, with dishes rarely exceeding nine or ten ingredients, placing a significant amount of emphasis on the quality of the ingredients used as opposed to being elaborate.

Cheese, wine, and mead are a major part of Cacertian cuisine along with tea and—less often—coffee. Cacerta is well-known for its desserts which are characterized by using locally grown fruits (most notably strawberries), cocoa, vanilla, cinnamon and various other spices to make a variety of cakes and pastries.

Nudity and Sexuality in Cacerta

Main article: Nudity and Sexuality in Cacerta

Like most other nations of its time, Cacerta was primarily a patriarchal society in the aftermath of its unification. King Victor subscribed to the gender roles common for both men and women at the time. It would not be until his daughter took the throne—the would be Empress of the Cacertian Empire—that Cacerta's social ideologies would eventually change. Under Elliana's rule, the islands of Cacerta would experience an explosive wave of feminism that would leave its mark all the way up to the present-day.

The modern-day Kingdom is known for its sexually-open citizens, vastly differing views on personal relationships, and risque artwork. Same-sex marriage has been a legal right in the nation since the 1940s, pre-marital sex is common among the young generations, birth control is readily available, and proper sex education is required in all primary and private schools.