Strikkonia
stɹɪˈkoʊniə
Strikkonia is the proud nation on the southern tip of Erania. At one time, Strikkonia was the sole superpower in Iokirea. Many of its former colonies and territories have since gained independence, so it has lost no small amount of its worldwide dominance. Nevertheless, it remains a very powerful and influential force, especially on its home continent of Erania.
Demography and Population
Over the course of Strikkonia's history, it has occupied and subsequently lost a great many lands. As a result, Strikkonia has a fairly significant amount of diversity among its inhabitants. Humans and beastfolk of all kinds live across Strikkonia. The majority of the population are ethnic Strikkonian humans, though among humans it is not uncommon to find ethnic Vistridalian and Tenothian humans in Strikkonia as well, and even the occasional Uttinese. Teaphali humans are a rare sight in Strikkonia (partly because humans constitute a minority of ethnic Teaphali, but also because of Teaphala's more isolated and remote position on Erania).
Beastfolk, though a minority, are nevertheless very common in Strikkonia, particularly in the lower level slums of Driavnica, the Warrens of Stralshafen, and some of the depressed mining and farming towns across the countryside. Like some of the ethnic minority humans, beastfolk tend to keenly feel the inequality of wealth that is pervasive in Strikkonia. Beastfolk also have to contend with a great deal of discrimination, particularly from wealthier humans, and the more conservative citizens of Strikkonia who feel a particular sense of unease at the idea of intermixed marriages and relationships between humans and beastfolk.
Territories
At one time, Strikkonia occupied or controlled most of Erania to some degree. Over the years, that has significantly lessened. Now, the only area under direct Strikkonian control is the southeastern corner of the continent, though it still maintains some indirect influence over its former colonies of Vistridale and Tenothan. The border between Strikkonia and Vistridale was never completely settled after the war, either, so it's a bit of a fuzzy area, and tense encounters are not uncommon.
Military
Strikkonia, despite ostensibly being a peaceful nation, maintains the largest and most well-equipped military on Erania. And while they purport to use their military primarily for providing international aid in a crisis, they rarely provide such aid except in places where it benefits Strikkonia, either through natural resources or increased influence, to do so.
On the domestic front, the Strikkonian Constabulary is a force designed with the purpose of protecting the nation's assets of the oligarchs and the wealthy elite. Although they sometimes make a marginal show of using their weaponry and forces to protect Strikkonian citizens from the more unsavory criminal elements of their society, that isn't especially common, and it is generally more done for publicity than anything else. Realistically, their purpose is to enforce and maintain the status quo of Strikkonian wealth, and to guard against anything that threatens to change it.
Technological Level
Strikkonia considers itself to be the most technologically advanced nation in the world, and while the claim is not exactly false, much of Strikkonia's technology is based on unsustainable use of Essence in the creation and integration of Essential components. Nevertheless, Strikkonia, particularly the cities, is home to technology that foreigners often consider wondrous.
Furthermore, many of the advancements of technology are rarely accessible or noticeable in day-to-day life for most of the poor and working class that make up the bulk of Strikkonia's population. Strikkonian knowledge of Essence tends to be channeled into either providing efficiency for the military or convenience for the upper class.
Foreign Relations
Much of Strikkonia's history as a nation is defined by its colonialism and imperialism, which is most keenly noted in Vistridale and Tenothan, two countries that once fell under Strikkonian rule. For most of the rest of Erania, Strikkonia's relation either consists of trade (as in the case of Uttinon) or complete indifference (as is the case for Teaphala, as well as the Past Expanse).
Vistridale
Strikkonia's most notable relationship is that with Vistridale, its neighbor to the west. At one time, Strikkonia and Vistridale formed a single nation after Strikkonia had annexed all of Vistridale's land in a military coup. This lasted for several centuries, but eventually a civil war broke out between the eastern land and the occupied west. After a bitter thirty or so years of fighting, Vistridale broke away from Strikkonia. Though a peace treaty was signed at the end of that war, the two nations have existed in a state of uneasy truce at best, in the 200 or so years since the War of the Dual Realms.Tenothan
At the time Vistridale broke away from Strikkonia, it had colonized most of Erania, including the areas that are now Tenothan and the Past Expanse. When Vistridale was part of Strikkonia, it gave the nation a border with its colony of Tenothan. When Vistridale became independent, that changed the situation dramatically. Now, not only did Tenothan no longer share a border with Strikkonia; it was separated from Strikkonia by a nation unfriendly to the empire. Tenothan declared its independence from Strikkonia a short time later, and the powers in Strikkonia have been resentful of both nations ever since. Tenothan, for their part, consider themselves to have a neutral stance toward Strikkonia.The Past Expanse
At the height of Strikkonia's imperial age, they had claimed the desert wasteland to the north of the Varenrych Mountains as part of their nation, believing it to be rich with the various ores used in building and powering their technology. The more time settlers spent in the desert, however, the more it became apparent that very little existed in the way of useful resources for Strikkonia. Over time, as Strikkonian interest in the area waned, the people in the cities and towns of the northern waste were left largely to fend for themselves, unable to expect any timely help from Strikkonia. While the waste remains technically under Strikkonian rule (mainly because no other nation has ever had the inclination to challenge Strikkonia over the barren and largely useless area), its citizens jokingly refer to it as the "Past Expanse", or the "Harsh Yonder", in reference to Strikkonia's virtual abandonment of it.Uttinon
Strikkonia and Uttinon are on opposite ends of Erania and have little to do with each other. However, their limited contact generally comes in the form of trade in various goods and services, and they maintain a fairly amiable overall relationship as a result.Teaphala
By land, Teaphala is separated from the rest of Erania by the Arrowmere, and treacherous waters surround the coast, making navigation difficult at best. When Tenothan was still a Strikkonian colony, the Strikkonians built the Wilderwall across the border, separating their domain from the Arrowmere and sealing off what they perceived to be the dangerous unknown. While they have come to be aware of Teaphala's presence in the time since, they have little to do with Teaphala, believing an active diplomacy not a worthwhile investment.Agriculture & Industry
While some of the more rural, open areas of Strikkonia (particularly in western and northern parts of the realm, near the border with Vistridale) contain vast stretches of farmland, the towns and cities generally rely on various industries for their economy. The Great Foundries of Driavnica are a particularly well-known driver of Strikkonian production and industry, and metalwork products are Strikkonia's primary export. By extension, a large section of Strikkonia's economy is focused on mining the various ores that are used in the foundries.
In particular, numerous small towns and villages in and against the Varenrych Mountains have been built up against the extensive network of small mining operations in the area. Most of the precious metals and precious stones found in these mines make their way to nearby Stralshafen, a center for bankers, jewelers, and artificers, while most of the rest of the mines' output is taken to Driavnica to be smelted and shaped in large quantities into tools, weapons, and other varied pieces and parts for machines.
Trade & Transport
Strikkonia engages in fairly extensive trade with most of the nations on Erania (with the exception of Teaphala, which they do not generally consider to be worth the difficult journey across The Arrowmere or the dangerous reefs and shoals of the surrounding waters). As a result of this, an extensive network of roads has built over time, particularly across the southern part of Erania. Internally, the most extensively travelled road is the Stralshafen Conduit, which connects the mining towns of the Varenrych Mountains with the capital city of Driavnica, where the mined ores are taken to the Great Foundries to be smelted and refined. Similarly, the Vistridale Highway is an important trade road that connects Driavnica to the Vistridalian capital of Lightwell.
The Vistridale Highway is also significant in that it contains the only official border crossing between Strikkonia and its neighbor to the west. The River Alvan serves as a natural border for Strikkonia and Vistridale due to the hazardous currents and hidden rocks all along the watercourse that make the river generally unnavigable and extremely risky to cross. The Vistridale Highway's course takes it across the Bridge of War, the only place to safely cross the river for many miles in either direction, and the only bridge large enough to accommodate the volume of trade traffic that crosses the border on a daily basis. Any traveler wishing to cross the bridge of war must pass through a heavily guarded checkpoint on the Strikkonian side, where all the traveler's belongings must be inspected by Strikkonian Constabulary officers before entering or leaving the country.
Education
One aspect of Strikkonian society where its rigid class system is most apparent is in its educational structure. Despite having an extensive network of privately maintained schools for all ages and levels of education that sometimes receives government grants, Strikkonia does not technically have any public education system. And while Strikkonian law dictates that discrimination is prohibited when admitting students in any Strikkonian school, the entrance fees and tuition costs are prohibitive for most poor and working-class Strikkonian citizens.
Windcraft
The disparity is most noticeable when it comes to Windcraft. A license is required for conducting Essence in Strikkonia, either for Windcraft or for creating Essential Components. An extensive specialized education is required in order to obtain this license. Very few schools teach the curriculum, and the ones that do are among the most expensive centers of higher education in Strikkonia. If a Strikkonian citizen is thought to have the ability to conduct Essence, Windcraft institutions administer an entry assessment (for a price), a series of exercises that test the ability to conduct Essence in someone heretofore untrained to do so. If it is determined that the person has the ability (and they are able to pay the entrance fee), they are enrolled as a student in the institution. On completion of the Windcraft program and obtaining a degree, the student is given an Essential component in the shape of a silver band worn on the left wrist. Conducting Essence without the license band is illegal in Strikkonia. The penalties and enforcements for conducting with out a license can very from a minor fine to imprisonment, caning, or even execution in some extreme cases. In practice, unlicensed Windcraft is fairly frequent, especially in the lower-class slums of the cities, and all throughout the remote villages and towns that dot the countryside. However, because this type of Windcraft knowledge is often self-taught and disorganized, mishaps and accidents - often debilitating ones - are not uncommon, and receiving treatments for Essence injuries and sicknesses is difficult without exposing the illegal origins of those injuries.Infrastructure
The most well maintained part of Strikkonia's infrastructure is its central trade roads, particularly the Stralshafen Conduit and the Vistridale Highway. A great deal of traffic passes along these roads every day in the form of trade carts and merchants traveling on foot or on horseback. The Vistridale Highway is the main route of transit for all the nation's imports and exports, as well as the point of entry and egress for most foreigners in Strikkonia. The Stralshafen Conduit used to serve a similar function between Strikkonia, Tenothan, and the former Strikkonian lands of the Past Expanse. While the Stralshafen Conduit has mostly fallen into disrepair and abandonment in the lands north of the Varenrych Mountains (though it still stretches as far as the Wilderwall that separates Tenothan from the Arrowmere), the section between Stralshafen and Driavnica remains an important route for transporting resources between the northern Strikkonian mining towns and the foundries in the capital.
While no formal border exists between Strikkonia and Vistridale (except at the Custom Fortress at the Bridge of War), numerous forts, outposts, and citatdels line the east bank of the River Alvan. Most of the forts contain a contingent of Strikkonian Army personnel, the outposts are often staffed with members of the Strikkonian Constabulary.
Infrastructure in general tends to be fairly uneven in Strikkonia, determined mainly by how useful it is to the ultimate goal of market contribution. While the Stralshafen Conduit and the Vistridale Highway are famously well maintained, most smaller roads are left to be tended by the towns or villages they pass through, and many parts of Strikkonia remain fairly remote as a result. In general, institutional buildings like schools or infirmaries are limited to the larger cities in Strikkonia.
carta vanpa taðyrtar
Carta, vanpa, tadhyrtar
(Strength, prosperity, perseverance)
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Capital
Alternative Names
The One Realm
Demonym
Strikkonian
Government System
Oligarchy
Economic System
Market economy
Major Exports
Refined iron, copper, steel, weapons, metal components and machine parts, salt, Essential components, jewelry
Major Imports
Metal ore (iron, copper, silver), cinnabar, lumber, corn, silk
Legislative Body
National Assembly:
Senate (Upper House)
Congress of Delegates (Lower House)
Senate (Upper House)
Congress of Delegates (Lower House)
Judicial Body
Supreme Tribunal
Executive Body
Council of Executives
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Related Species