The United States of Turmerica
Structure
The United States of Turmerica is comprised of three states - Herbford, Allspice and Scoville. Once a nation perennially at war, the three states of Turmeric put their differences aside (mostly) in 1361 to form the United States.
The structure of power in Turmerica is a Kratocracy - power is seized by those strong enough to take it. Historically, the country was ruled by a King or Queen who gained the throne by defeating the previous King or Queen in combat. Royal hopefuls regularly campaign across the country to gain the support of the masses and recruit soldiers to join them in battle, ready to take on the current ruler.
From its formation, the country was ruled by a King or Queen until 1836, when an unprecedented turn of events led to a change in the power structure of the country. In the early 1830s, the Turmerican Wrestling Association (TWA)'s long running World Heavyweight Champion - Grommdur Gravelord - decided to step out of the world of wrestling and into the world of politics, taking aim at the throne of Turmerica. He prevailed in 1836, defeating the incumbent Queen in combat, and assuming the throne. As the World Heavyweight Championship and the title of King or Queen were defended at all times, Grommdur effectively unified the titles, choosing to drop the "King" and divert the responsibilities and powers of the "King" to the World Heavyweight Champion title. The title has changed hands many times since, sometimes through the TWA, sometimes through political combat.
The United States of Turmerica is ruled in a very hands-on way by the current World Heavyweight Champion. All matters of rule, including setting laws, monetary issues, social issues, military issues, are decided by the champion. The champion has free reign to create a cabinet of advisors, but the responsibility and final decision for all matters lies with the champion.
Culture
Turmericans believe that might makes right, that strength lies in strength - both physical and mental. The people are passionate, and proud of their heritage. Whether from Herbford, Allspice or Scoville, Turmericans can be relied on to be patriotic and loyal, but also welcoming to those from other countries. While there is still a rivalry between the three states, one thing they can all agree on is that Turmerica is the best country on The Shard, and anyone who decides to visit or move there is doing themselves a great favour.
History
Before the formation of The United States of Turmerica, the three states of Turmeric - Herbford, Allspice and Scoville - were almost constantly at war. During the early ages, Allspice gained a tactical advantage thanks to the explosive, incendiary power of Paprika weapons. The city of Paprikyo became the defacto capital of the continent of Turmeric, and the Paprikyan empire grew across the central areas of the continent.
In 1012, the discovery of magic on the continent of Taurine set in motion a series of events that would change the continent forever. Word had spread from Taurine of a material that imbued people with otherworldly abilities, allowing the casting of powerful magical spells. The material's importance was immediately obvious to the leaders of Turmeric, and they set out to search for it in their lands. It was found in The Dew Mountains in Taurine, so they set up two new mines in their largest mountain ranges to search for it. The two mines both broke ground in 1015, using Paprika to quickly mine through the mountains. The results, however, did not match their mining prowess, and for decades the mines continued without achieving their main goal. They were able to extract gold, silver, copper and other useful materials, but they couldn't find any of the magical material, now known as Alanmantium, then known as Conjuron.
The mines, however, proved lucrative for the continent, so they remained open and in full operation for over 100 years. During this time, a strange phenomenon was discovered where at a certain depth, gravity would seem to invert. To continue to make progress, the mines now needed to mine "upwards" through the rock. Decades later, after theories were created of a second surface underneath the mainland, the Habanero mine broke ground in The Dark - the underside of the Turmeric mainland. As they did so, not only did they discover a dark land filled with new plants, animals and humanoids, they also discovered the core of the planet of Shardinia, and it was made of solid Conjuron. They immediately set about figuring out how to access the material, mine it and bring it back to the surface.
Early in the Age of Invention, the factions of Turmeric were so focussed on each other that they forgot to give even a cursory glance across the Steep-tides at their neighbour nations. Taurine's technological advances led to a huge divide in the wealth and power of the two continents, and there was no way any one state could hold their own against the power of The Republic. Fearing the power of Taurinestein, the three states decided to call a truce. There was no treaty signed - the three leaders gave a far stronger, more robust promise - their word. They knew that if they could maintain peace, they could gain the upper hand once they were able to start extracting Conjuron from the core of the planet. They just needed time. Sure enough, in 1357, the first haul of Conjuron was extracted and brought to the surface. Suddenly, the continent had access to incredible power, and they set about learning how to harness it effectively. The factions also started to forget about their differences, rallying round to make the most of this discovery, and in 1361 they officially created the United States of Turmerica.
Though they tried to keep their supply of Conjuron a secret, it was soon obvious that the United States of Turmerica had a huge source of it, and the other nations might pay handsomely for it. Turmeric had again risen to the pinnacle of weaponry on The Shard, perfecting the art of cutting the gems and stones, with differing cuts offering different levels of power to the wielder. Turmerica's leaders soon saw the economic benefits of selling Conjuron to the other continents, and while the Isles of Sherberre weren't overly interested, Turmerica's leaders managed to secure a lucrative deal with Taurine, ushering in a period of great wealth in the country.
As the Age of Invention continued, Turmerica's position as a global leader was usurped by The Republic of Taurinestein, whose scientists unlocked great new power and knowledge from the material, creating incredible artifacts and weapons that far outstripped anything that Turmerica's comparatively primitive methods could produce. Towards the end of the age, Taurinestein's position was growing ever stronger, so Turmerica and Sherberre looked to forge an alliance to take on the superpower. However, any semblance of an uprising was swiftly quashed when Taurinestein unveiled The Worldrazer, the most powerful weapon ever created. But when The Worldrazer went missing, the balance of power shifted again.
Through the Age of Adventure, chaos reigned supreme, and as a nation that believes might makes right, widespread anarchy suited Turmericans very well. Many Turmerican adventurers went to Taurine to find fame, fortune and cool stuff, and many of them were successful. There was a general feeling among Turmericans that Taurinestein had grown too big for their boots, and there was a strong excitement among the public to see them brought down a peg or two. Not all budding adventurers went to Taurinestein though, as Turmerica was home to its fair share of desirable weapons and items. Adventurers soon began to cause trouble in towns and cities, stealing anything magical that they could get their hands on. The power structure of the country was uniquely set up to deal with this - many visitors to Turmeric thought is was basically anarchy anyway - and a large force loyal to the crown was assembled to answer the roaming adventurers. The Crown of Turmerica changed hands many times during the Age of Adventure - so much so that for much of it, nobody really knew who was the rightful ruler of the nation.
The United States kicked off the Age of Peace with a big fight. To discover the true ruler of the country, a grudge match was held between everyone who made a claim to the throne. Since then, attempts on the throne have been made sporadically, mostly through the Turmerican Wrestling Association, but a period of relative stability has helped the people thrive.
Territories
Herbford
The northernmost state in Turmerica, Herbford is home to the "Northern Alanmantium Mine", the smaller of the two Alanmantium mines in Turmerica. Major settlements include the state capital, Tarragonto, Corianderra and St Chives.Allspice
The central state in Turmerica, Allspice is home to the "Paprika Mine". Major settlements include the state capital, Paprikyo, Cayenne and Cuminburgh.Scoville
The southernmost state in Turmerica, Scoville is home to the "Southern Alanmantium Mine", the larger of the two Alanmantium mines in Turmerica. Major settlements include state and national capital Habanero City, Los Tabascos and Viper City.Agriculture & Industry
The United States of Turmerica's main industry is the mining of Alanmantium and Paprika. The two Alanmantium mines - one in the northern state of Herbford, and the other in the southern state of Scoville provide the vast majority of Shardinia's Alanmantium. The Paprika mine, outside Paprikyo, is Shardinia's only source of the volatile but useful Paprika.
The only thing mightier than the sword is your word.... or a bigger sword.
Founding Date
1361
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Capital
Alternative Names
The Spice Lands, The UST, Turmerica
Demonym
Turmerican
Leader
Leader Title
Head of State
Government System
Kratocracy
Power Structure
Confederation
Economic System
Gift economy
Currency
Platinum, Gold, Silver, Copper.
Legislative Body
The current World Heavyweight Champion.
Judicial Body
The current World Heavyweight Champion.
Location
Related Ranks & Titles
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
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