Seroscapia
Jarldom of Seroscapia Jarldómr Sehoskāprstad | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
| Motto: Menn þāra Hellig Æðelþorn, Menn þāra Hæleð Einnsæmi | |
| Capital and largest city | Mountainbird |
| Official languages |
|
| Religion |
|
| Demonym(s) | Sehoscapi |
| Government | Benevolent Autocracy |
• Jarl | Hrothgar Ruhmfyr |
| Legislature |
|
| Establishment | |
• Settled in | 800s |
| Area | |
• Total | 32,221 km2 (12,441 sq mi) (136th) |
• Water (%) | 15.6 |
| Population | |
• Census | 240,000 |
• Density | 7.3/km2 (18.9/sq mi) |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | $244 billion |
• Per capita | $98,650 |
| HDI | 0.968 very high (1st) |
| Currency | Hvam (HVM) |
| Driving side | left |
| Internet TLD | Unexistent (government uses .land) |
Seroscapia, sometimes yet rarely called "Serosland", and even rarer, Sehoskāprstad, in Serispis, is an incredibly mountainous, religious, ethnonationalistic, and isolationist Norse country in a hidden, secluded place somewhere in Northern Europe (probably non-continental). It has an autocratic government led by Jarl Hrothgar Ruhmfyr, or the Lord Hrothgar Ruhmfyr (titles used interchangeably), with the help of the Serosþing, which is the general legislature of Seroscapia, made up of 30 representatives of multiple places in the country (proportional to their population) that are elected through a pure democracy, that create laws and pass it to Jarl Hrothgar Ruhmfyr, which can alter, reject, or approve them.
Seroscapia's population of a few more than 200 thousand Sehoscapi are very religious, and strictly and devoutly, daily worship their Gods. Due to its very mountainous and rugged geography, 5/6 of the population of Seroscapia lives in one of the 21 cities or the capital, and the rest lives in rural villages higher on the mountains for religious or, rarely, agricultural reasons. The country is famous for being the most mountainous country in the whole world, the last pagan theocracy in existence, "Europe's Liberal North Korea", and the only country many would consider a benevolent autocracy/dictatorship.
Etymology
The most commonly accepted etymology for the term "Seh" or "Ser" is believed to come from the Old Norse "ser", which means to see or to observe, and the German "Seh(en)", which also means to see. The other part of the word, "scap", has many believed definitions. One of them is that it has come from the Old Norse, skap, which means "nature", as the Sehoscapi people, wherever they go, either were very observant of nature, different from its Christian neighbors, or that they were equaled to nature, which in turn means inferior.
Another etymology of "skap" comes the Old Saxon "scāp" or "skap", which means sheep, a term pejoratively used by foreigners and Christians to reference the Sehoscapi, a supposedly inferior people that should be treated as, well, sheep. A more accepted etymology of "skap", comes from the Norwegian (both forms), Swedish, and Old Norse "-skap/-skapr", which is the equivalent in English of "-hood", -"ship", or "-dom", which would mean "being an observer", or, as sometimes the "-hood/ship" and the "nature" definition of skap would unite to have a double meaning, like "being an observer of nature", which would look like something as "Seh(o)ska(ā)p(r)", "Ser(o)sca(ā)p(r)".
History
The Sehoscapi people have their origins in the Early Medieval period of Europe, surging as a distinct ethnic/cultural/religious group after various Northern European pagans were exiled from their homelands for resisting the spread of Christianity, being a mixture of old Norse, Germanic, and to some extent Slavic peoples. These small groups, initially different in their languages, beliefs, and culture, eventually developed a common identity, one resistant to Christianization. They wandered separately from one region to another through all of Europe, wandering through various territories, duchies, principalities, kingdoms, tribes, and empires, going as far as Siberia to even Greenland. Over the centuries, these wandering exiles formed a common identity, united by shared experiences of migration and opposition to Christendom.
Through these long migrations, these peoples were constantly marginalized, killed and persecuted everywhere that they went, and eventually recruited more and more hidden practices of non-Christian faiths, and were commonly portrayed by the Catholic Church and various Protestant ones as evil satanists, being grouped up as a single malevolent kind of people. Eventually, as this group became more and more isolationist and secluded, not growing or lowering in numbers, they saw the need to become more organized, and after a long time of organization, became, what one may consider a nomadic state.
As more and more of Europe’s land began to be fully integrated into well-established kingdoms and empires, the more far away the Sehoscapi had to travel. After centuries of wandering, the Sehoscapi people finally found a land that they could settle in. It was, according to their beliefs, the promised land by The Sero, the first place created by the Gods. According to the national myth engraved into the religious text of the Sehoscapi, the land was rewarded by the Gods for being the last beacon of hope in a Monotheism-filled world, and, by divine order and grace, the Jarldom of Seroscapia was officially founded, somewhere between the 9th and 11th centuries, during the Viking Age.
The land that Seroscapia currently sits in was previously loosely inhabitated and found by Norsemen in the early 800s. They established a few villages, however none were successful. According to myths, one of the reasons of the unsuccessfulness of the Norse colony was that fled afraid of disrespecting the Æesir, as they thought that the Sehoscapi mountains were actually the roots of Yggdrasil. They named this land as "Eilífvirðingland", loosely translated from Old Norse as "eternal respect land" or "land of great respect".
Not all the Sehoscapi people immigrate to Seroscapia, though, and only in the 17th century that basically all the Sehoscapi people were united. The population of the country went from 100k to 200k in about 2-4 centuries, and because of that, Sehoscapi families in various places across the European continent fled from their temporary homes after knowing about the existence of Seroscapia, from the Iberian Peninsula to the Greek world, these Sehoscapi living in foreign land finally managed to unite with their people and with their Gods. The biggest concentration of Sehoscapi people, though, was in the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, and even in Svalbard and Norse Greenlandic colonies and a few people from Vinland.
Other than in the Norse world though, there was a high population of Sehoscapi "secret" villages, societies, and groups of families interconnected in Northern Italy, Switzerland, Western Austria, and in Liechtenstein. Particularly in Lombardy and Milan though, which brought the now national food, the panettone, to Seroscapia. The importance of the panettone to the modern Sehoscapi culture is difficult to even grasp, as it is used in religious contexts and almost every meal of the average Sehoscapi. It is different from the traditional Milanese one though, as it uses barley flour and honey instead of wheat flour and chocolate due to the availability of the ingredients.
To give a grasp of the consumption and cultural importance of the honey panettone to Seroscapia, the average Sehoscapi eats 2 slices of panettone a day, or 73kg/year. For comparison, the country that eats the most panettone in the world (excluding Seroscapia), is Peru, with 1.3kg/year of panettone.
Government
Seroscapia is an autocratic jarldom ruled by the Jarl Hrothgar Ruhmfyr (also called Lord sometimes) with a fair and gentle hand, and it has 2 legislatures, which are called sugestionaries, the Serosþing, where 30 representatives, elected with a pure democracy from various places across the country proportional to its population, is responsible for creating laws and sending them to Jarl Hrothgar Ruhmfyr. He can approve, alter, or reject them, and he can also make the laws, and although it is not legally necessary, as a benevolent autocrat he sends it to the Serosþing for their approval, rejection, or alteration. The other sugestionary is the Varðrþing, made up of 10 representatives, 5 appointed by the Serosþing, and 5 appointed by the Jarl. It serves the function of the head of the Ministry of Defense.
Ministries
All the elected representatives are elected for 5 years, and can be re-elected thrice in a row. Other than the sugestionaries, Seroscapia has 20 ministries, with the head of each of them being Jarl Hrothgar Ruhmfyr himself and an elected minister whose's position renews each 4 years, with 2 possible mandates in a row, except for the Ministry of Defense, whose's head is the Varðrþing, alongside the Jarl. The most funded mininstries are the ones of Religion, Social Welfare, Education, History, Culture, and Environment. Here are the ministries and their yearly budgets:
| Ministry | Minister | Yearly budget (Hvam) | Equivalent in EUR | Equivalent in USD | Manages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ministry of Finance | Björn Sigurdsson | 330 million | 1 billion | 1.1 billion | National finances, including budgeting, taxation, and public spending. |
| Ministry of Education | Katrin Hansen | 1 billion | 3.3 billion | 3.1 billion | Educational policies, schools, higher education institutions, public libraries, and scholarships. |
| Ministry of Order | Varðrþing | 270 million | 800 million | 880 million | Military orders, foreign intelligence, and law enforcement. |
| Ministry of Religion | Jarl Hrothgar Ruhmfyr | 2.1 billion | 6 billion | 6.9 billion | The Codex, religious alphabetization, mediumship, and religious policies. |
| Ministry of Health | Ólaf Fischer | 230 million | 700 million | 770 million | Public health policies, healthcare services, disease prevention, and public sanitation. |
| Ministry of Infrastructure | Geoffrey Thorsson | 670 million | 2 billion | 2.2 billion | Maintenance of public infrastructure, like roads, bridges, and public buildings. |
| Ministry of Agriculture | Elske Hansen | 830 million | 2.5 billion | 2.75 billion | Agricultural policies, food security, and rural development. |
| Ministry of International Relations | Gunnar Jacobsen | 50 million | 175 million | 190 million | Embassies, diplomatic missions, protectorates, Þeralstad, international relations, and EU-Seroscapia relations. |
| Ministry of Justice | Magnus Ólafsdóttir | 200 million | 600 million | 660 million | Legal system, including courts, prosecution, and legal reform. |
| Ministry of History | Thomas Thorsson | 1.17 billion | 3.5 billion | 3.85 billion | Promotion of Sehoscapi history, museums, national archives, and historical exhibitions. |
| Ministry of Geography | Ola Gunnarsdóttir | 170 million | 500 million | 550 million | National subdivisions, map-making, meteorology, and prevention of natural disasters. |
| Ministry of the Worker | Ólafur Gunnarsdóttir | 130 million | 400 million | 440 million | Labor policies, employment regulations, workforce development, unions, and strikes. |
| Ministry of Culture | Hanus Petersen | 1 billion | 3 billion | 3.3 billion | Cultural centers, libraries, promotion of cultural heritage, tradition, heritage sites, and cultural industry. |
| Ministry of Social Welfare | Gunnar Larsen | 1.33 billion | 4 billion | 4.4 billion | Social services, welfare programs, rehabilitation centers, and support for low-income families. |
| Ministry of Transport | Jón Eiriksson | 130 million | 400 million | 440 million | Transportation infrastructure, policies, and regulations. |
| Ministry of Water Bodies | Eirik Hansen | 100 million | 300 million | 330 million | Conservation of lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and other inland water bodies. |
| Ministry of Symbolism | Jarl Hrothgar Ruhmfyr | 66.7 million | 200 million | 220 million | Design, approval, and maintenance of national and municipal flags/CoAs, and promotion of vexillology and heraldry. |
| Ministry of Environment | Rógvi Djurhuus | 1 billion | 3 billion | 3.3 billion | Environmental protection, conservation, national parks, and sustainable development. |
| Ministry of Energy | Gunnar Larsen | 66 million | 200 million | 220 million | Energy policies, resources, and management of energy production. |
| Ministry of Fishing | Jógvan Fischer | 33 million | 100 million | 110 million | Regulation of commercial and recreational fishing activity, quotas, overseeing aquaculture, and the sea. |
| Ministry of the Holy Highlands | Jarl Hrothgar Ruhmfyr | 830 million | 2.5 billion | 2.75 billion | Conservation and good use of mountainous regions, mountainous tourism, and mountainous natural resources. |
| Ministry of Sports | Solveig Larsen | 33 million | 100 million | 110 million | Official sport competitions, registration of sport teams, regulation of sport rules, and promotion of sport. |
| Ministry of Communications | Thor Jacobsen | 33 million | 100 million | 110 million | Telecommunications, media regulations, information technology, and the internet. |
| Ministry of Housing | Lars Bjørnsen | 100 million | 300 million | 330 million | Housing policies and urban planning. |
| Ministry of Democracy | Kari Schneider | 66 million (In times of elections) | 200 million | 220 million | Suggestionary elections and ministerial elections. |
Admininstrative Divisions
Seroscapia is an unitary autocracy, which means its regions have no admininstrative power. This is because the nation is incredibly small, and the regions only server as census indiciers of the size and population of that region, for the elections, and to better study the demography of the regions. Except for Mountainbird, all of these regions have no admininstration or power. All of these regions have cities inside of them. These cities have a government and a pure democracy system that elects a mayor each 4 years, with 2 consecutive terms allowed.
Each city has sovreingty to make their own laws, and then send then to the Serosþing for approval, which in turn send them to the Jarl. They can not succeed from Seroscapia. They have their own police force subjulgated to the Ministry of Order, and are protected by Seroscapia. They also have their own flag and CoA defined by their government and the Ministry of Symbolism. The city of Mountainbird is the capital of Seroscapia. Here is a list of all cities and their populations:
| City | Mayor | Population | Founding | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountainbird | Lars Bjørnsen | 49,125 | ~1010 | Northeast |
| Alten | Ingrid Jónsdóttir | 16,085 | ~1250 | Central |
| Hvolstad | Einar Vilhjálmsson | 14,130 | 1854 | Central |
| Ecraf | Sigrid Halvorsen | 12,100 | ~1020 | Northeast |
| Apton | Leif Ólafsson | 11,115 | 1792 | South |
| Aberkip | Helga Sverrisdóttir | 10,080 | ~1650 | Southeast |
| Skorvi | Bjørn Andersen | 9,122 | ~1300 | Northeast |
| Troten | Anna Gustavsdóttir | 8,605 | ~970 | Central |
| Loforstad | Hákon Thorsen | 8,135 | 1772 | West |
| Naurstad | Freya Karldóttir | 7,592 | 1890 | West |
| Kjeintown | Ólafur Magnusson | 7,120 | ~950 | Northeast |
| Trover | Henrik Sigurdsson | 6,595 | ~800 | South |
| Rauroy | Elin Iversen | 6,130 | 1455 | Northeast |
| Torvo | Thorsten Bjørklund | 5,600 | ~1500 | Central |
| Nuvusva | Ragnhild Eiríksdóttir | 5,117 | 1834 | South |
| Harvini | Sigmundur Hansen | 4,588 | ~1090 | Southeast |
| Hoakstown | Margrethe Sturluson | 4,113 | ~1400 | West |
| Etterisch | Geir Stensrud | 3,883 | ~1100 | Central |
| Tropastad | Runa Sveinsdóttir | 3,828 | ~830 | Northeast |
| Neusengend | Arne Jørgensen | 3,622 | ~1050 | Northeast |
| Trewen | Solveig Haraldsdóttir | 3,302 | ~1350 | West |
Economy
The stable economy of Seroscapia is focused on the local market, self-sufficiency, and eco-friendliness. The nation has a very low rating of corruption, even when compared to the Nordic world, and has a strong consumer-focused market. Seroscapia has few big companies and there isn't almost any sort of monopoly. Each region or city generally has their own stores, markets, and companies, and multi-nationals are really rare. Seroscapia is what many would consider a welfare chauvinist state. It has an average economic freedom, and the private sector is the majority in the country, although the country provides a multitude of public services for its citizens, and exclusively for its citizens. Its GDP per capita is one of the highest in the entire world, and the government invests most of its money (other than in religion) in social welfare.
Poverty is basically unknown, and there are multiple safety nets for almost all citizens. Pharmaceutical companies are basically prohibited, and face a lot of repression, as the country has one of the best public healthcare in the world—better than Cuba's, South Korea's and Brazil's combined, and it is all free, paid by the government and by the low taxes. As a result of its secluded, yet capitalist and not controlled economy, Seroscapia has one of the lowest food and home prices in all of Europe and over 90% of all citizens own their homes. They also have one of the highest purchasing power, as the Hvam, the country's currency, is about 3 times as valuable as the Euro. The Hvam is controlled by the Sehoscapi Bank, one of the oldest financial institutions in the world, being established in 1603.
Exports and Industry
Although Seroscapia's economy is primarily focused on its internal market, it also is noticeable on the exports of wood, books, luxurious seafood, honey panettone, pure honey, and renewable energy. It's main export by far though is wood. It has a strong wood-focused economy, having multiple national companies that grow a lot of woods, including the Norway Spruce (Picea abies), Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris), European Larch (Larix decidua), Siberian Larch (Larix sibirica), and the Mountain Pine (Pinus mugo), other than the endemic Bjargvindr Pine and the Hjǫlmyn Pine, both which are named after the 2 primordial Gods that form Sero—Bjargvindr, patriarch of the Peaks and the Wind, and Hjǫlmyn, matriarch of the Sky and Clouds.
The country has 2 native pine trees that are endemic to Seroscapia, the Hjǫlmyn, and the Bjargvindr pine trees. The Bjargvindr Pine (Pinus viridinolandia or Pinus bjarventus) is 45-55m tall, and has a straight, towering, 1.5-2m wide trunk, renowned for its exceptional robustness and strength, that surpasses the strength of cement, making it very valuable for construction and other infrastructural uses. Its bark is dark brown, deeply ridged, and provides very efficient protection against the harsh climate of its region, high up on the Sehoscapi mountain ranges and highlands. They are capable of living for more than 3000 years, have a very slow growth, and only reach full maturity after centuries. Its pines are large and woody, about 15 centimeters long, and have long and spiky spines that protect them from the snow. Their roots can grow 15-25 meters from the trunk in all directions.
Contrasting to the Bjargvindr Pine, the other highly-valuable endemic pine tree of Seroscapia is the Hjǫlmyn Pine (Pinus helminus or Pinus seroscapienses). It can reach heights of 20m to 40m, has an elegant, straight, smooth, and thin trunk, with a diameter of up to 0.8m wide. Its wood is delicate, has a silver-blue color, and generally peels in fine strips. Its needles are soft, flexible, medium-sized, and high up in the trunk, and grow up in groups of three. It is very expensive as it is one of the most luxurious and fine trees out there, both for its rareness, majesticness, and pleasant scent. Its wood is also light and aromatic, with a white color that deepens with age.
The Hjǫlmyn Pine is extremely rare as they only thrive in moist and cold microclimates and small, oasis-like ecosystems surrounding the beautiful lakes high up in the Sehoscapi mountain ranges. It is the most expensive wood in the entire world, not only because of its extreme rareness, but because citizens are forbidden to export this wood, more than 2/3 of its uses are directly in religious temples or artifacts, and the only way to a foreign company, individual, organization, or nation to get its hands on the wood is through direct diplomatic negotiation, a hefty price, and a guarantee that it won't be misused. Also, one citizen may only cut down 3 trees per year, and must replant 3 for each individual tree cut, as the species has already been in near-extinction levels over three times in its history.
Geography
Seroscapia is the most mountainous country in the entire world. About 70-80% of its land is rugged terrain, the so-called Sehoscapi Highlands, with numerous mountains, peaks, plateaus, mountain ranges, fjords, cliffs, lakes, microclimates, oasis, and complex ecosystems composed of unique flora and fauna. The Sehoscapi Mountains are the highest in the world, with the highest peak being the Bjargvindr Mountain, named after the great God of Mountains and the Wind and the supreme patriarch of Earth. It has an incomprehensibly high 13,438m above sea level, or about 13.5km. For context, the highest mountain outside Seroscapia, is the Sagarmāthā (a.k.a. Mount Everest), at a mere 8,848m above sea level.
The geography of Seroscapia's Highlands is very rich. Other than the mountains, it also has many lakes and oases, which are very rare and incredibly hard to go to. They are usually uninhabited by humans, except for some that have very small, secluded religious villages that serve as an outpost for pilgrims, that frequently go to the mountains when in need of spiritual enlightenment. These mountains are home to many plants, majorly the Norway Spruce, Scots Pine, and the native Bjargvindr Pine, among other bushes and flowers.
Wildlife
The fauna of the Highlands is also rich, with many mammals such as the Eurasian Lynx, the Alpine Ibex (Capra ibex), the Snow Hare (Lepus timidus), the Eurasian Elk, the Chamois, Red Deer, Wolverine (Gulo gulo), Pine Marten, Mountain Weasel (Mustela altaica), Musk Ox (Ovibos moschatus), Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia), Grey Wolf (Canis lupus), European Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), many species of bear, such as the European Brown Bear (Ursus arctos arctos), the Eurasian Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus), and many others.
Seroscapia is the only place in the world that polar bears (Ursus maritimus) naturally inhabit without being in the Arctic, and the only place in the world that grizzly–polar bear hybrids have a stable population, and also the place with the highest number of them (about 500). They are locally called the Ofarskinn Bear, and are the most sacred animal in Earth, as it is a direct representation of Bjargvindr, and many people, when they see one of them, they give their lives to the bear, sacrificing themselves and their own body to feed it. The nation also has endemic fauna, such as the Sehoscapi Mountain Wolf (Canis seroscapienses), the Eilífvirðing Fox (Vulpes seroscapienses), and the Serosdeer (Cervus seroscapienses). The Sehoscapi Mountain Wolf is also the most homosexual species in the animal kingdom, having a rate of 98% among males, and they only mate with females for reproductive goals.
Culture and Religion
Religion and culture in Seroscapia are interchangeable. The Sehoscapi are highly religious, and belief in a kind of Norse pagan/Sehoscapi religion syncretism, a religion called Serotrú. Being descendant from Norsemen, Anglo-Saxons, Normans, and other European ethnic groups, the religion of Seroscapia is pretty uniform, with about 98% of the population adhering to Serotrú, (10% of that exclusively to the Sehoscapi religion), and about 2% adhering solely to Ásatrú/Heathenry. The Sehoscapi religion is a paganistic faith that originated in the formation of the Sehoscapi common identity, whilst the [still small] ethnic group didn't have a land, and were semi-nomadic and finding somewhere to stay, constantly wandering Germanic (and to some extent Latin) Europe.
The faith of these wandering pagans that were loosely called Sehoscapi was well-defined through oral tradition, until, somewhere in the 8th century, "wings" and stories written on stone with runes and orally transmitted were compiled and by unknown authors in Old Saxon (debatably in also/or an unknown Old High German dialect), which is today lost to time, and a few decades later, it was translated in a mixture of Old Norse and Old Saxon (mainly the first), which now is called Serispis. The name of this compilation of old Sehoscapi stories and runes is called The Codex of Sero, and a virtual version translated into English is available in the Sehoscapi governmental website and in many forms of media in the country.
Both Serotrú (in the Codex), and the Sehoscapi Ásatrú and Heathenry movements are strictly against any form of Monotheism. According to the Codex, Svǫrtr was one of the many children of the Sero, in other words, a God. Furthermore in the Codex, Svǫrtr was supposed to be the "ambassador" of the divine among mankind, however, envious of its siblings' and parents' power, he usurped their legitimacy and blatantly lied to mortals (which were Polytheistic at the time) that there was only God, himself. Through the many regions that he went to, he gave himself multiple names, like Yahweh, Allah, Ahura Mazdra, or even Ton, and sent fake "prophets" like Jesus, Moses, Zoroaster, Mozi, Abraham, Muhammed, etc. to further insert himself in the minds of men.
It was not an easy fight, and Monotheism suffered major losses from various forces worldwide. Through further interpretation of historiography aligned with the Codex's views, it is possible to see that this process wasn't made fast, as always when Svǫrtr managed to convert a people or king, Sero made sure to help the local Gods of this people to murder the blasphemous monotheist. This possibly happened first in the 14th century BCE in Ancient Egypt, that Svǫrtr managed to convert the foolish and shameful pharaoh Akhenaten to worship him and only him in then name of "Aton", creating one of the first monotheistic religions in history, Atonism. This, however, was thankfully unsuccessful, as Egyptian forces successfully took out this pharaoh from power and erased Atonism from Egyptian history.
Other smaller attempts from Svǫrtr existed, such as Brahma Monotheism, Shang Mohism, and a number of Monist Greek philosophers, however none of those had success. The first Monotheistic major religion was Zoroastrism, made by Zoroaster, poisoned by Svǫrtr in the 2nd millennium BCE, one of his first creations. It reached significant size and power, as the state religion of many powerful empires through history. As a proof of its inherently violent nature, it was brutally overtaken by another of Svǫrtr's big creations, Islam, later on in history. Svǫrtr's biggest successes were Islam and Christianity however, which seized control of much of the known world, and brought endless suffering to wherever it went. They also fought against each other, and destroyed sacred deities, sacked holy sites, temples, and poisoned the minds of numerous polytheistic pagans worldwide, principally in Europe.
The main enemy of Serotrú however, is Christianity, its arch rival, the evil inflicted on their homelands, and which forced them to flee. Sehoscapi neopagans such as Heathens and Ásatrú are also very hateful of Christianity, as it is mostly composed of German, Anglo-Saxon, Manx, Celtic, Danish, Gaelic, Icelandic, and Norwegian pagans (emphasis on the latter) that fled their homelands later on while resisting Christendom. They were very welcomed in Sehoscapi society, and as it already had much of Norse influence and culture, they felt home, near their Gods, and safe from the external Christian kingdoms.
The average Sehoscapi is very religious, and its faith is highly involved in its daily life. The houses of Sehoscapi are full of majestic totems and sculptures of the Gods, the sacred animals, the Sero, and their divinities, and they do daily prayers, frequently make pilgrimages to the mountains (about twice a year), and have the Gods in every single spot of their lives. For that, the people of this country have an incredibly strong national identity, fueled by their faith. However, Serotrú and the [two] minority religions are completely unorganized, and have no central authority, church, or anything similar to tell them how to worship their Gods. Instead, each person, family, and group have their own way to make harmony with the divine, believe in slightly different traditions, but ultimately follow the Codex of Sero, and follow Anglo-Saxon/Germanic/Norse Gods.
The only "authority" on religion is the Ministry of Religion, which doesn't tell how people should worship, instead, construct temples for the Gods, be them Sehoscapi, Norse, Anglo-Saxon, Norman, Germanic, and even a few Greek and Celtic temples. The Ministry also makes sure to incentivize religion, religious activities, pagan identity, make informational material about different Gods, and make anti-Christian propaganda. Although they all follow the Codex, there are some unspoken religion traditions not mentioned in the Sero, like the frequent trips to the Highlands for spiritual enlightenment, Norse rituals, and many traditions like worshiping certain animals like specific bears or wolves to represent your own God, yours and no one else's, or like transitions into manhood, where young males, of sixteen to twenty are tasked of surviving long periods of times, usually half a day or more completely clothesless in the ice-cold heights of the Highland mountains, frequently bathing in mountain lakes and surviving in the oasis alone, with specific artifacts or totems of spiritual value with them, or sometimes in groups of 3-5, until sun rises, and they have found at least one Ofarskinn Bear or a specific species that they will worship until their death.
The kind of syncretism that the Sehoscapi practice is different from the Christian, Islamic, or Jewish way of having the perception of a religion. It is very loosely defined, and the only sacred scripture, the Codex of Sero, isn't taken as divine revelation like the Bible, Quran, or the endless amount of Jewish sacred books, instead, it is treated like what it truly is, a human compilation of knowledge about the Gods and the Truth, however it has endless interpretations, and endless ways of mixing it with Germanic paganism, creating a type of syncretism rooted in the morals of the individual, family, or immediate group that practices it. As said earlier, many practices, traditions, and oral stories are not cataloged in the Codex, and rely on separate texts, runic texts, and collective memory to be followed, that is why Seroscapia is very different, because unlike most Western religions, it doesn't seek to get new followers or to be easy to understand. Instead, it focuses on protecting the Gods and the Sero from Christianity and external threats.
This isn't to say, however, that the people of Seroscapia are totally distinct from Norse culture. Serispis, the original language of the Sehoscapi, is basically a mixture of Old Norse and Old Saxon, with a little bit of Old Low Germanic, being very loyal to the first. The Sehoscapi also believe in Anglo-Saxon, Welsh, and Gael folklore, like fairies, elves, wyverns, leprechauns, and many more. One particularly strong animal of Sehoscapi culture is the dragon. It is believed to be a symbol of resistance against Christianity, and, in many interpretations, the majority of Gods take its form, even the 2 primordial ones. The dragon also is a symbol of fire and warmth in many colder highland and mountainous regions, being much used as a totemic symbol of protection, other than the raven.
As said earlier, Serotrú is a totemic religion, and puts a lot of emphasis on specific objects and decentrality. Alongside with that, one of the main concepts that form the religion is that it has a very personal relationship between the believer and the divine, and, similar to paganistic beliefs of Germanic peoples, many of the rituals take place in places of natural beauty, like bays, forests, lakes, other places of personal significance, and especially on mountains.
Serotrú has also a special emphasis on being an unorganized religion, with absolute no authority, one of the major factors contributing to this being that it also has some sort of animistic and ultra personal nature to it, making it difficult for foreigners to fully comprehend its faith. A common feature of it is the creation of "custom" gods, specific to a single person, ancestral worship, and hero worship. One of the many anti-Christian Norse and Vestmenn worshipped heros, kings, generals, chieftains and earls like Jarl Haakon, Hákon Sigurdsson, Svein Forkbeard, Thorir Hund, Gunnar Hamundarson, Erik the Red, Sigurd the Stout, Gudrod the Hunter, amont other heroic ancestors of the Sehoscapi people that fiercely defended their pagan gods.
National Symbols
Seroscapia has many national symbols, most prominently its 4 national flags, its anthem, motto, national animals, and CoA. As you can see on the left of this paragraph, the flag of Seroscapia is represented by a vertical bisection of blue and white, with a deer antler, the deer in this case is one of the 3 national animals, the Serosdeer (the other one are the Sehoscapi Mountain Wolf and the Ofarskinn Bear), or popularly the Sehoscapi Mountaindeer, which are believed to be one of the few representants of The Sero on earth, embodying both Bjargvindr and Hjǫlmyn, living on the mountains, a sacred place that is the closest you can get to the 2 primordial deities cited earlier. Their hunt is forbidden, and only a select few are allowed to collect the antlers of these majestic creatures upon their death, which are believed to give good luck and peace.
The white part is supposed to represent the snow of the peaks of the colossal mountains that expand over 13 kilometers to the sky, which is where the Serosdeer lives, to represent Bjargvindr, and also to represent Hjǫlmyn' clouds. The blue, is to represent the skies, Hjǫlmyn, and Bjardvindr's lakes of the mountains. To the right, there is the national banner/vertical flag of Seroscapia. The national flag must not be flown vertically, and the banner should be used instead.
There is also the alternative flag of Seroscapia, the ambassador flag, or the Nordic Flag of Seroscapia, to the top-left of this paragraph. It is used when representing Seroscapia in other Nordic nations, as a secondary flag, and as a diplomatic flag. It is used to make Seroscapia a little bit closer to the Nordic world, by making a Nordic flag version of the primary flag.
Unlike other Nordic cross flags though, the cross on this flag symbolizes the death of Jesus. The white represents peace, purity, and paganism, while the blue, on this specific flag, represents Christianity. The white also represents the purity of the Roman Empire, and its, although failed, yet significant tries to counter the growth of the Christian faith, which in turn also symbolizes it corruption by Christianity, which means this flag, if intepreted correctly, symbolizes the purity of paganism and the corrupt nature of the Christian faith, while at the same time still having harmony with the other Nordic nations' flags.
International Relations
As a result of its notorious isolationism, Seroscapia is not part of any major blocs, trade groups, or international organizations, except for the United Nations (WA), whose Seroscapia joined in 2012. The nation is famous for its neutrality, anti-imperialistic stances, and mainly refusing to establish ties with overly Christian countries and with Islamic-majority countries outright. Seroscapia deeply and publicly condemns the existence of the Vatican and many Muslim countries, and for many years rejected to join the UN because of their ties with the organization. It maintains a highly aggressive relationship with the Vatican, and according to multiple international bodies, has already tried to assassinate about 8-10 different popes through its history, including Pope Francis.
Although Seroscapia is highly aggressive with some specific countries, it maintains a healthy relationship with the countries of Iceland, Switzerland, Norway, Uruguay, New Zealand, Bhutan, Nepal, Ireland, and Japan, excluding multiple separatist movements across Europe (including Nordeste Independente, for some reason) that the nation officially recognizes as countries. Although it is not a member of the EU, it maintains some forms of diplomacy with it, exclusively economically, and still it is with a lot of friction, as it has a rather unpleasant relationship with multiple EU countries such as Spain, Italy, and France, especially Poland, not including its very hostile relations with Germany, as the latter has already accused multiple times Seroscapia of housing Nordicist and völkisch white supremacists fleeing from Germany, and has even suffered a possible, short failed invasion from it, not long after reunification.
Nordic countries
The country maintains relatively good ties with most Nordic countries, except partially Denmark, which frequently condemns its religious instances. Seroscapia maintains exceptionally good diplomacy with the country of Iceland however, and non-Christian citizens of Iceland can freely move across Seroscapia. Apart from Iceland, the small and secluded pagan theocracy also has good ties with Norway and Sweden, whose they frequently trade with. Although historically having complicated relations with its neighbors, today Seroscapia is considered a modern Nordic country with a few asterisks, and it is also part of the Nordic council.
Iceland is very important to, and the biggest ally of Seroscapia, which also incentivized it to join the UN and the council. The insular country is Seroscapia's biggest importer and exporter, and the main way the precious and rare Sehoscapi products reach countries which Seroscapia doesn't have good ties with. The 2 countries share a lot of culture and Norse heritage, even though Iceland is today a majorly Christian nation. To Icelandic culture, Seroscapia is a very unique way to look into its viking past, and it is frequently fantasized as a haven of Nordic paganism and "mythology". Although having bitter ties with Liechtenstein, Seroscapia is also a member of the EFTA.
Other countries
Seroscapia has good and healthy ties with Switzerland, Japan, Uruguay and New Zealand, and uniquely with Bhutan and Nepal, all of whom, especially the first four, frequently participate in trade and tourism, and are very welcoming towards Seroscapia and its culture. Seroscapia's relation with Bhutan and Nepal is unique among Nordic countries, as both countries are also highly isolationist, non-Monotheistic, and highly religious. Seroscapia and its people and culture are very interested in Buddhism, Shinto, Tengriism, and to some degree Hinduism, as they are all non-Monotheistic faiths developed differently and isolated from the Western world. Strangely, the country has no official ties with India.
Even though Seroscapia has a good diplomacy with a lot of developed countries, it is rejected and outright hated by Canadians, Americans, Mexicans, and Central-Americans alike, especially by the United States, which doesn't recognize its sovereignty, making Uruguay its only ally in the Americas (apart from Brazil and Chile, with have neutral-friendly relations). This, alongside multiple other factors, made Seroscapia joining the United Nations something many considered outright impossible, as to a state to join the UN, it must be accepted, and any of the 5 founding permanent members, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China have the power to veto any application as they like, all countries that have terrible ties with the country.
This made the admission of the country in the United Nations a very difficult task, however it managed to temporarily and strategically soften its ties with France and the UK, with the help of Iceland and Switzerland, and use its strategic alliance with developed and model nations, like Switzerland, New Zealand, Japan, and Iceland (with emphasis on the latter), its extremely eco-friendly, environmental, direct democracy, and culture-preserving values, all of which align strongly with the UN, to somehow outright decline the veto of Russia, China, and the US, and become an observer state, and after years, a full member state. It had, however, to soften, strategically and temporarily, its foreign hostile rhetoric, alongside "bribing" France and the UK with a few Hjǫlmyn Pines.
Controversies and hate
Seroscapia has an extremely hostile relationship with China, Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam, and Laos, because of ideology and state-atheism; Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Lebanon, Jordan, Afghanistan, the UAE, Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somaliland, Sudan, Algeria, Egypt, Turkey, Kosovo, Palestine, Albania, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Pakistan, alongside all Central Asian and North African nations, because of Islam; Israel, because of Judaism; Poland, The Vatican, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Mexico, Russia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Brazil, the United States, Greece, Armenia, Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, among many other Christian-majority countries, because of Christianism; And Germany, because of other things. Seroscapia does not recognize the legitimate authority of any of the Muslim countries cited, Israel, the Vatican, Armenia, Poland, among others.
Although not directly involved in WW2, Seroscapia had good ties with the Third Reich, and strategically, personally gave Heinrich Himmler a tour of the nation, seeking approval from the Führer, as it was imminent that Seroscapia was going to be invaded. Himmler fell in love with the culture, religion, and the mountains of Seroscapia, and convinced Hitler to ally with it and frequently take holiday trips to the country, befriending the leader and establishing economic and military relations with the nation. After the war, Seroscapia welcomed many white-supremacists, racial heathens/Germanic neopagans, ariosophy believers, armanists, esoteric fascists and Nordicists, other than high-rank Nazi officials, as all of them also were technically Germanic pagans, had similar religious morals to Seroscapia, like the concept of a Nordic/Aryan race, anti-semitism and anti-Christianity, and because they were already an established and recognized religious minorities (less radical heathens). However, many of these groups either assimilated into Sehoscapi culture, or left, because of the supposed "liberal/homosexual" culture of the country, according to these groups. Some conspiracies even suppose that Hitler fled to Seroscapia and its children still live there, even being proven to be wrong, they still are present in Western conspiracy culture.
Because of this incident with Nazism, Seroscapia is condemned by Germany, as the country refuses to give any apologies or answer any questions about housing, even to this day, Nordicists and racial heathens. Germany, alongside over 2/3 of the whole world, does not recognize the sovereignty of Seroscapia, by this, and many controversies the country has involved itself in, all relating to its religious and pagan, so-called "extremism", which is deemed by many independent journalists to be inexistent, and just Christian propaganda. Wealthy Sehoscapi, companies, and religious organizations across the country have been accused by foreign countries of funding both the Israel, Hezbollah, Iran and Hamas in the 2023-4 Palestinian genocide, and both the Ukraine armed forces, Freedom of Russia Legion, Russian Volunteer corps and other allies, and also the Russian armed forces itself, in both conflicts and in many others throught the years involving 2 conflicting Monotheistic religious forces to cause the most number of death of Monotheists as possible, however both of these were rejected by the government and individuals.
Armed forces
As a relatively positive result of its isolation from the rest of the world, Seroscapia hasn't been affected so much by major and regional wars, unlike all of its neighbors like the Norsemen, Anglo-Saxons, Normans, and overall Germanics, which are famous for being involved in conflicts. This isn't to say, though, that the country hasn't been invaded. Exactly the opposite, as the small nation has already been invaded for its strategical location and anti-Christian nation by dozens and dozens of external imperialistic forces through the centuries of its existence. Seroscapia managed, through the most recent of them being the failed Soviet invasion and internal coup attempt.
Military Orders
Seroscapia managed to survive all of these centuries, invasions, coups, and wars because of its unique military, that, unlike foreign stereotypes, is one of the most capable and brutal in all of Europe. Its uniqueness is due to its armed forces being completely focused on defense and religion above anything else. Unlike most other nations that have a military subjected to the government or a body of it, or that have militaries subjected to private companies, the forces that make up the Sehoscapi Armed Forces are different. They sit in a kind of gray area, between private, public, and religious, as they are non-profit armed wings of religious groups, monasteries, "sects" of Serotrú, or specific groups of people that are organized and knowledgeable about warfare enough to create their own military.
The government of Seroscapia, specifically, the Ministry of Order and sometimes the Ministry of Religion, own and co-own 8 official military orders directly subjected to them, even though they are partially independent. They have salaries, however they are mostly incentivized by faith, loyalty to the Gods, a specific god, the nation, their ancestry, or a multitude of these. Here is the list of official military orders, as they are called in the Sehoscapi Armed Forces hierarchy, that are directly subjected to the government (MODSG), listed from the strongest militarily to the least:
| Order | Role | Size | Specialized Equipment | Other info. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legion of Bjargvindr | Mountain and arctic warfare in extreme altitude using traditional warfare, also specialized in mobility technology and defense. | 3500 | Mountain gear, long-range rifles with extreme precision, long-range artillery adapted to subzero weather, standalone grenade launchers, alongside traditional weapons like assault rifles, side guns, etc. | It is one of the most religiously-oriented orders, and it is a tradition that the leader or very religious people and shamans enlist themselves for at least 2 years. It is also the most robust and well-established. |
| The Free Army of Logiþrór | Generally traditional warfare, but with highly explosive and more deadly or life-threatening tactics | 315 | Traditional weapons, all kinds of grenades (including fragmentation), C-4s, dynamites, claymores, mortars, all kinds of heavy artillery, MLRS, napalm bombs, bomber aircraft, termite grenades, flamethrowers, EFPs, AI and explosive drones, intercontinental (and not) missiles, kamikaze-like infantry, etc. | Heavily condemned by international authorities, even though this unit was and is only used rarely in some special occasions, specifically against Soviet and external forces. |
| Free Order of Fríðlæf | Generic and traditional warfare, specialized in almost all biomes of Seroscapia except for very mountainous regions. It also has slightly less powerful naval and aerial subdivisions. | 12050 | Hand grenades, machine guns, combat shotguns, semi-automatic sniper rifles, assault rifles, poisonous crossbows, light and heavy infantry. | Although it is just another one of many major military orders, it is compared by many in other countries to an official military, when its not. It is one of the most powerful, though, and acts as one of the primary choices in defense. |
| Odin's Other Ravens | Guerrilla warfare, aerial warfare, drone warfare. Sometimes, yet rarely, knife and even sword warfare. | 1700 | Fighter jets, bomber, attack, reconnaissance and transport aircraft, tankers, air-to-air missiles, short, medium, long, and intercontinental missiles, airborne guns, PGMs, GPS-guided bombs, rocket pods, drone warfare and low-end purely AI-based kamikaze (and not kamikaze) drones. | Made up of primarily exiled Norwegian and Danish pagans (Ásatrú and Heathens) that unexplainably developed very advanced skills in aerial combat. |
| Free Order of Ránvǫr | Generic naval warfare, focused only on protecting the coast of Seroscapia from foreign fishers and invaders. The most powerful naval order. | 7800 | Patrol boats, corvettes, frigates, military submarines, anti-ship missiles, naval guns, ASW, UAVs, support helicopters, among other strong vessels. | Like the Free Order of Fríðlæf, it, although being the most powerful military naval order, is erroneously compared by many other countries to an official navy of the nation, when its not. |
| Anti-Svǫrtr Army | Generic and traditional warfare, except with a lot of intelligence | 2200 | Submachine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, light artillery, machine guns, grenade launchers, spy drones, light infantry, night vision equipment, riot gear, non-lethal and blunt weapons, etc. | Considered by many to be a vigilante "paramilitary" made up of radical anti-Monotheistic militants that unethically persecutes and takes down (kills) occasional, yet fairly rare revolutionary-like Christian riots and foreign spies, or also known as just an intelligence agency. It is almost entirely made up of Norwegian and other Norse pagans exiled from their countries while resisting Christendom. |
| Legion of Faðrvarðr | Extremely traditional order with mostly decorative purpose. Sword, axe, pole arm, bow, and horse medieval-esque melee warfare. | 210 | No gunpowder, instead, melee weapons like battle-axes, long or broad swords, spears, pole arms, longbows, a few crossbows, throwing axes, javelins, and war or normal horses. All of these weapons, although medieval, are made from the latest cutting-edge technology, perfected for 21st century warfare. | This order is very traditional and old, made originally to protect the Jarl. Unlike other orders, it kept small and conservative, however now they are extremely skilled at swordfighting, melee, and bow warfare, considered to be the best of the entire world at their specific skills. |
These are only the 8 military orders subjugated directly to one of the government's ministries, be it the one of Religion or of Order (MODSG), however there are 65 other official, minor, specific, or even major military orders not owned by the government. These "paramilitaries" are, as cited earlier, completely driven by faith, and are extremely loyal to the Jarl and to the Sehoscapi state. When there is a major, extremely disruptive riot, coup attempt, crime, an outright invasion by an external force, or even rarer, if an order revolts against the state, the Ministry of Order will select one or many orders to take care of the problem. They all have some considerable degree of autonomy, to a level that is concerning to many other countries, however it is a normal part of Sehoscapi culture, as it is a guarantee that they won't revolt against Seroscapia or their faith.
The term Sehoscapi Armed Forces is the collective of all orders, and they all have their own hierarchy inside them, however, they all must oblige to the Ministry of Order when law enforcement or national defense is needed somewhere in the country. When a citizen turns 16, they have to serve any one of these orders, by at least 6 months, and there are selections inside them, as not anyone can join any order they want. Soldiers inside the orders are called legionaries, and they have the same rights as any other citizen, however they do live in a military base, and sometimes even study there, much like a university. Law enforcement is also conducted through military orders, and there is no solid, singular army, navy, or police force, instead, all of these functions are decentralized across the orders.
Championships
The Ministry of Order, alongside the Ministry of Sports, organizes each 4 years a massive tournment among all the factions. The championship is called Hildrvaldr's Honour, as he is the Sehoscapi god of war, and the championship basically stops the entire country for 1 whole month. In a recent survey, about 95% of all Sehoscapi watch it, even the Sehoscapi that live in an isolate manner in the quaint Highlands and thousands of kilometers-high mountains. Inter-order warfare, as it is called (it is also non-lethal, obviously) is the national sport of Seroscapia. The championship is the most watched and prestiged event of the entire country, with the winning order winning a lot of benefits and, quite literally, Hildrvaldr's honour; However, there are many yearly and even monthly smaller tournments between orders, being it official or not, and they get a great audience.