Aosta (Astraleaux)

Socialist Republic of Aosta Repubblica Socialista di Aosta
Flag
Motto: Nati Uguali o Resi Uguali Born Equal or Made Equal
Anthem:  In Comradum Memoria (official) In Comradum Memoria
Map of Aosta
Capital and largest city	Rivoluzione
Recognised national languages	Lancian
Demonym(s)	Aostan (ethnic) Aostan (citizen)
Government	Anarcho-councilist republic
• Presidente	Ko'êtî Argento
• Primo Ambasciatore	Cristina Antico
Legislature	Libera Assemblea del Popolo
Establishment
• First Contact	500 BCE
• Province of Aosta	111 BCE
• Aostan Colonial Authority	1530
• Socialist Republic of Aosta	1921
Population
• 2020 estimate	27,013,112
Date format	dd.mm.yyyy
Driving side	right
Internet TLD	.ao

Aosta, officially the Socialist Republic of Aosta (Lancian: Repubblica Socialista di Aosta), is a Anarcho-councilist republic located in southeastern Cesylle in Cel. It is bordered to the south by the Southern Ocean, to the east by the Ultima Sea, to the north by [BLANK], and to the west by the Cape of Aosta. It shares a land border with [BLANK]. Its capital of Rivoluzione stands in the Speranza Region with a population of 8.1 million. Legislative, executive, and judicial powers encompassing Aosta's participating communes rests in the Free Assembly of the People. The President of the Assembly is Ko'êtî Argento, while the Prime Ambassador is Cristina Antico. Aosta is divided into 6 regions and 1 capital commune.

History

Antiquity

The origins of Aosta date back to 500 BCE when Lancian Emperor Caerndal declared the land beyond the Aostan (now Aeptan) Mountain chain to be named Aosta, erroneously believing the island to be leagues smaller than in actuality. Settlements on the eastern peninsula, such as Lux, would over time become culturally significant settlements and centers of Lancian imperialism throughout history.

Lancian Empire

Aosta quickly became the gateway from the heart of the Lancian Empire to the continent of Cesylle. While more quicker routes were discovered later, being the first Lancian settlement on Cesylle meant that Aosta made for a far more developed colony and therefore a more economically sound source of continental resources. The arrival of the Lancian Empire spread knowledge of metallurgy, public infrastructure, and other technologies to the Cesyllian continent through trade with the native populations of Cesylle. These native groups then furthered the spread of this knowledge either through trade or by conquest as they formed the first Cesyllian nation-states. The advent of these nations stymied the expansion of the Lancian Empire, and eventually its colonies in the New World crumbled either through war or disrepair. Eventually, the Lancian Empire fell due to a combination of internal and external pressures, leaving Aosta in the dark.

Isolation

With the decline of the Lancian Empire came the decline of the Aostan colony. Ports once bustling with Lancian goods struggled as trade with their overlord evaporated, leaving them in the dark. The value of the Lancian lira likewise disappeared, pushing the remaining city-states to each mint their own currency. The Aostan province was catapulted into a political crisis when Governor Saturio Pilus was assassinated, leaving a power vaccuum that none of his successors were able to fill. Lancian settlements on the western portion of Aosta were abandoned as people moved to the eastern side of the island in search of better living standards.

Four Kingdoms Period

In the absence of imperial dominion, the mantle of power was assumed by the four most populous settlements and the surrounding regions: Lux, Ignis, Trofia, and Carcosa. Between fending off internal pressures and external challenges, such as native raiding parties and plots between each other, these kingdoms made few attempts to make contact with Maris or to encroach on the mainland. During their reign, the kingdoms managed to consolidate control over the remaining territory of the Aostan island and some of its daughter islands. However, much like the provinces in the fallen Lancian Empire, they were prone to competing power struggles, treacherous schemes, and at times, open warfare.

Lancian Reconquest

The following centuries saw the nation state of Lancia rise again as a fervor for reclaiming the empire's former glory swept the region. However, its growth on Maris was stifled by the birth of other kingdoms and nation states that fiercely their own cultures and autonomy. So, Lancia turned outward and began to colonize Cel. One of its first priorities was to reclaim Aosta, which by now resembled a patchwork of kingdoms and polities. As the Aostan kingdoms were quite fierce in their attempts to remain independent (and the Lancian leadership were impatient to see their plans through), Lancia entered a state of open war against the many kingdoms of the island. Partway through this campaign, knowledge of firearms became known to Lancia, and so developed scenes of Lancian musketeers doing battle with Aostan knights and archers. In the end, it only took 77 years for Lancia to reclaim control over Aosta.

Aostan Colonial Authority

The end of the Lancian Riconquista arrived near the beginning of Sante Serafino's reign as Lancia's Reggente. He appointed his childhood friend Valeriano D'Aiuto as Governatore of Aosta in a move to secure the loyalty of the colony's armed forces and formed the organization known as the Aostan Colonial Authority (Autorità Coloniale di Aosta). The ACA's regime was known for its jingoist attitude, brutal treatment of lower classed laborers, and rapid industrialization, often at the cost of the native peoples and environment. D'Aiuto followed Serafino's example in Lancia and formed a cult of personality centered around himself, and surrounded himself with people whose loyalty could be assured. The following decades saw a marked rise in population as technologies that improved longevity spread to the island, but also the formation of a large wealth gap between the Lancian elite and Aostan lower class.

Independence

Aosta achieved its independence by declaring neutrality in the First Great War, ignoring Lancia's call to war. D'Aiuto was convinced by his generals that the Aostan military was ill-equipped for offensive actions against [BLANK] forces, and by complying to Lancia's request to join the war, they would be opening the nation to invasion by multiple nations who would capitalize on the current internal tensions to spark a national revolt. By all accounts this decision amounted to treason, but because the ACA's leadership was comprised of people loyal to D'Aiuto, none dared to raise a finger against him. Moreover, already mired in a global war involving the rest of its colonies, Lancia spared next to nothing attempting to attack Aosta for its betrayal. Lancia did carry out several attempts to influence and assassinate key officials who refused to join the war on Lancia's behalf, but these attempts were stifled by the surveilance culture built by D'Aiuto.

August Revolution

Not long after the First Great War did the ACA's fears of a national revolt come true. Inspired by the revolutions occurring across the globe and supplied money and arms from Nutarra and [BLANK], Aostan revolutionaries took arms against the Authority. A portion of the Authority's officer class defected to the rebels, providing them with armored and aerial support in a small number of theatres, but not least as famously as the Raid on the Governatore's Palace. Displeased by the Authority's treasonous attitude during the war, the Lancian Provisional Government provided aid to the rebels as well, hoping to topple the dictatorship and reset the island nation's diplomacy. After [BLANK] hard years of fighting, the revolutionaries claimed victory on [BLANK] at the Treaty of Rivoluzione, formerly D'Aiuto.

Second Great War

Seizing the opportunity against the exhausted Aostan military, [BLANK] declared invasion on Aosta during the onset of the Second Great War. Aosta managed to fend off the invaders long enough for their new allies, the ASL, to arrive. When the war ended, [BLANK] ceded their southern peninsula to Aosta as part of the peace treaty.

Civil Crisis

The following decade was rife with internal conflict as a number of factions within the revolutionary government vied for control. The most prominent split was between the Ordinati, led by Gionatan Banche, whom argued that Aosta must adopt the centralized framework left behind by the Authority in order to enact revolutionary change; the Anarchisti, led by Andromeda De Rosa, whom believed that Aostans should be largely left to their own devices after so many decades of surveilance and oppression; and finally the Liberati, led by Duilio Altomari, who wanted to form what more or less resembled a classically liberal republic. The Liberati were almost entirely pushed out of mainstream politics by the end of the Civil Crisis, being derided by the other factions as centrists and opportunists. The Ordinati held executive and legislative power for much of the civil crisis and used their positions to curtail civil rights in an effort to solidify their rule. On 6 October 1982, the Anarchisti launched Operation Red Mountain in which they commandeered several fighter jets to destroy a summit being held for Ordinati leadership. After much turmoil and many lost lives from every faction, the Anarchisti won out and set about dividing Aosta into self-autonomous communes.

Quiet Duel Onwards

In 2001, the Anarchisti formed the Independent Commission for Appropriate Political Conduct (Lancian: Commissione Indipendente per la Condotta Politica Appropriata; CICPA) to monitor the conduct of Aostan representatives for any signs of deliberately inflammatory speech or illegal misconduct. At the CICPA's recommendation, the communes of Aosta voted to add an amendment to the constitution prohibiting political parties, making Aosta the world's only legally non-partisan government.

Politics

Governance

In the modern day, Aosta is viewed as a prime example of an Anarcho-councilist republic. It is much less a state that exerts power over its constituent parts, but a voluntary government established by its constituent parts for the purposes of improving day-to-day life. Aosta is constituted of many local and regional communes that are governed according to each commune’s preference, although most communes elect their leadership through direct democracy. Most of these communes participate in the Free Assembly of the People where issues can be brought to the attention of other communes and they can coordinate a response. Matters of international importance are also coordinated through the Assembly as it is the internationally recognized legal representation of Aostan society. The Assembly has elected Ko'êtî Argento and Cristina Antico to be its President and Prime Ambassador, respectively. President Argento manages matters of internal importance while Prime Ambassador Antico coordinates Aostan diplomacy on the world stage.

Administrative Divisions

The lowest administrative division in Aosta is the commune, which is a municipal designation. Communes that share a heightened level of local cooperation, culture, or important geographical landmarks are organized into provinces. These provinces are then further grouped into regions, which serve as the highest administrative division. Provinces and regions often, but not always, maintain a council composed of representatives from their constituent communes who provide macroeconomic analysis to their constituent communes. A special distinction is provided to Rivoluzione, which is classified as a capital commune - a region-level division applied solely to the city and its administrative disctricts.

Largest Cities

Rivoluzione Carcosa Ignis Lorica Brixias

Foreign Relations

Aosta is an active member of the Alliance for Socialist Liberation and the International Assembly. It is well known for its medical and humanitarian internationalism. It has tenuous ties with Ilbon after the 1994 Koai Protests, during which the Ilbonese government harshly cracked down on student and anarchist protesters, and [BLANK], which ceded its southern peninsula to Aosta at the end of the Second Great War.

Military

Aosta maintains an armed forces of [BLANK] strong, the majority of which are logistics and medical personnel. The Aostan People's Militia is a voluntary-service military consisting of three branches: the Aostan People's Navy, the Aostan People's Hospitallier, and the Aostan People's Star Corps. The Navy conducts blue water naval operations around the globe, lending logistical and combat support to Aosta and its allies. The Hopsitallier provides medical and humanitarian aid to Aostan operational zones, as well as the combined arms support needed to protect these operations. The Star Corps is wholly dedicated to the organization and defense of Aostan space assets, as well as assisting with ongoing cleanup operations in space.

Economy

Aosta's economy is largely dedicated towards fulfilling communal, regional, and provincal contracts, however in recent years, Aosta's capacity to engage in international trade has improved markedly. Communal contracts are managed and fulfilled by associations, whereas contracts and objectives outlined by the Aostan government are fulfilled by the much larger people's associations, which serve the role of government agencies.

Culture

Music

Aosta is known for being the origin of disco, which was spread through both the airwaves and the Aostan diaspora in the Sixties. It played a pivotal role in the 1974 Elaklanian Disco Revolt and in so doing, became associated with anti-establishment radicals and anarchists in general. It was tolerated by the Ordinati, who attempted to use popular disco music to boost their own popularity and Aosta's prestige. In the decades that followed, certain aspects of disco music would shape Velocitisma, a social and artistic movement centered on propelling Aostan society into the future.