Frieredrel

The Frieredreli Confederation was an association of the Frieredreli states, formed in the year 2682 in the wake of the national unity movement within the many disparate states of Frieredrel, hoping to unify Frieredrel into a nation-state. While it lasted for several centuries, remaining mostly stable and uninterrupted, it was unable to exert real control over any of the Frieredreli states, due to its weak structure and uncooperative member states.

This state of relative disunity lasted until Ardonia, a southern city-state within the Confederation steadily gained political influence across the rest of Frieredrel, and through the Wars of the Confederation expanded its power and eventually gained the political and military clout to reorganise the Confederation into a unified Empire with itself holding permanent presidency over the other states.

The idea of a Frieredreli people, or nation is old compared to the short history of the Frieredreli state. Consisting of several dozen to over a hundred of states depending on the time period as a result of the rugged, mountainous and desert terrain of the Frieredreli homeland. Due to this fact, Frieredrel became unique in its cultural and political diversity, being a melting pot of many ideas that could not thrive in a centralised and united state.

However, this disunified state of the Frieredreli nation left it susceptible to invasions by foreign powers, such as Tassendrel who sought the aurite reserves in the Ryou Mountain regions, though they were often eventually repelled at great cost to the states of Frieredrel through their experience in warfare through the many conflicts between the states of Frieredrel.

As the Frieredreli national identity began to develop, the National Unity Movement pushed by many of the lower classes began to gain traction, forsaking an independent regional identity for a united national one, culminating in the West Winter Revolutions, which were eventually quelled. Despite the victory of the existing Hveltyr however, the Frieredreli Confederation was founded as an act of appeasement to the more moderate reformers which sympathised with the revolutionaries, though the Confederation only wielded mostly ceremonial and mediatory roles. Despite the ineffectiveness of the Confederation however, it laid the foundation for the modern unification movement pushed by the Kingdom of Ardonia which later unified Frieredrel into an empire.

While ostensibly being a step towards national unification, the Frieredreli Confederation gave justification for many of the Frieredreli states to avoid further progress towards Frieredreli unification, posing a barrier to a united Frieredreli state. It was only until the Kingdom of Ardonia began its southern campaigns after reforming its military succeeding its loss in the 3rd Pero-Ardon War, eventually subsuming many smaller southern states and placing itself as the foremost power in Frieredrel did the idea of Frieredreli unification once again gain traction.

With the expansion of Ardonia as a major Frieredreli power, the Second National Unity Movement began to take shape, this time supported by Ardonia and several Ardonia-aligned states, this time calling for unification under the presidency of the Kingdom of Ardonia.

Posing a direct threat to the rest of the Frieredreli states, a coalition was formed among many of the northwestern Hveltyr to counteract Ardonia's influence, which were eventually defeated. Many other coalitions appeared throughout the length of the Wars of the Confederation, eventually concluding in an Ardonian victory and the reorganisation of the formed Frieredreli Confederation into the Empire of Frieredrel.

Frieredrel's post-2844 foreign policy was built around the maintenance of the status quo as a new state formed from civil war, Frieredrel hoped to maintain the balance of power amongst the elderkin powers, eventually aligning itself with Tassendrel due to their cultural and ethnic similarities through the Centerpakt.

The Empire's primary concern was the encroachment of the Three Dynasties on its northern border, fueled by the fact that Kyrence, a Frieredreli state in the northwest and the only Frieredreli state not within the empire was invaded and made into a vassal state of the Three Dynasties.

In the decades of reconstruction that Frieredrel went through after the Wars of the Confederation, the Empire consistently attempted to avoid conflict. Regardless, its alliance with Tassendrel eventually brought it into the War of Dawn. Though its contribution was relatively minor, the effect of the shattering of the visage of elfish supremacy had a profound effect on Frieredreli society, transforming its foreign policy to one of suspicion towards human states and increased belligerence.

Frieredrel is a medium-sized country, bordering Tassendrel to the north, Kyrence to the northwest and I'Paralia to the west. Frieredrel also shares a maritime border with Mitannia in the Ruby Sea.

Frieredrel's elevation ranges from the peaks of the Ryou Mountain Range in the north (highest peak at 2,821 meters) to the lowlands of southern coastal Frieredrel. 

Significant natural resources in Frieredrel include deposits of iron and coal, with small amounts of Aurite in the Ryou Mountain Range. Aluminium is also commonly found in Frieredrel.

Most of Frieredrel has a dry desert climate generally unsuitable for habitation, with the rest of the country having a cold steppe or tropical savanna climate. Winters vary, with the Ryou Mountains generally being cold or cool with low precipitation, while the coastal regions have relatively high precipitation.

Located in the south, the empire’s capital of Ardon is placed on the southern coast of the country within the Kingdom of Ardonia, with a population of 1.6 million elves, similar to most other Frieredreli cities, the old city of Ardon is sprawling and mostly unplanned, often considered difficult to navigate, though in recent times new expansions to the city generally are well-planned, with zoning beginning to be integrated into urban planning policy.

With a large number of states with differing bureaucratic systems and opinions, this has led to difficulty in creating inter-state road systems across the country, causing poor infrastructure to be rampant across the inland areas of the empire, with only locally built infrastructure being up to standard, particularly in the southern region of the country.

Frieredrel is a confederated parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy, with a unicameral legislature. It is divided into 47 distinct polities under the presidency of Ardonia, whose King holds the title of Emperor of Frieredrel concurrently.

The law of Frieredrel is primarily based around two major documents, the Eighteen Tablets and the Body of Imperial Jurisdiction, with the former being written during Confederation and the latter being a product of the unification of Frieredrel. 

Together, the two documents are the basis for imperial law, and alongside local legal documents serve as the legal system of Frieredrel.

While Frieredrel possesses a system of many lower courts to resolve disputes and prosecute crimes, it does not have a supreme court of justice to define and interpret laws written similarly to the Ardonian legal system. That authority is rested in the Emperor of Frieredrel. This authority only extends towards imperial level laws however, and the responsibility of legal interpretation varies on where it is placed depending on the state.

The Eighteen Tablets was compiled at the First Great Confederal Council (date is unknown, as council dates were not recorded until the fifth council), as an organisation of the centuries of differing practices laid out by member states, as well as the organisation of many traditions and norms, creating a foundation for Frieredreli law. The Eighteen Tablets are mainly based around the definition of the rights of the individual and the place of the state, as well as procedures for dealing with criminals. The Eighteen Tablets did not detail the legality of actions however, and crimes were often arbitrarily defined on a case by case basis, often conforming to local traditions and cultural norms until the formulation of the Body of Imperial Jurisdiction.

The Body of Imperial Jurisdiction was a document commissioned by Emperor Uranealor in 2852 of the old calendar, given explicit authority in its ability to compile a set of laws that would properly define the legality of acts in a move towards centralisation. While taking elements from local cultural traditions and norms, the document was written around the framework of prior confederational edicts and pronouncements, as well as personal beliefs of Uranealor. However, the document was intentionally not comprehensive enough to serve as the sole source of law for the whole empire, maintaining certain legal powers of local states.

The Zugitae serves as the highest sovereignty within the empire, with members of the Zugitae being elected by the regional citizenry of the polities which make up the empire based roughly on the population distribution among the states. It is a legislative body which passes laws through majority assent and also serves as a mediator for inter-state disputes.

Despite the Zugitae being a nominally elected body, a majority of imperial states choose to elect their representatives through varying degrees of democratic representation. Additionally, the number of seats which Ardonia (which chooses its representatives through universal suffrage) appoints holds over a third of the seats in the Zugitae.

The Emperor, is the Head of State, but does not hold absolute power over government. While the Emperor selects the First Minister, who is the head of government, it is expected for the Emperor to select the candidate nominated by the Zugitae. The First Minister, in conjunction with the Emperor decides the country's general policy and submits it to the Zugitae for review and decision. All legislation must also be approved by the Emperor, and all executive acts submitted by the Emperor must also be signed by the First Minister for approval.

The Empire of Frieredrel is a country with significant degrees of agrarianism, with the north and coastal areas generally being more urban while inland Frieredrel is highly agrarian, with lands suitable for agriculture along the Uvalen River in the country's northeast.

The country has vast fertile lands along the Uvalen River, supporting many types of crops. Despite the potential of the country's agricultural industry, it has been noted by many outside observers of the overreliance on subsistence farming in northern states such as Uvalen and Hvel'arinor has limited the growth of the industry.

In comparison, southern coastal areas in Frieredrel have a large emphasis on cash crops and large scale production, making Frieredrel's agricultural industry relatively export-based, generating substantial revenue for the country.

Possessing significant quantities of minerals, Frieredrel has a thriving mining industry, attracting investment both domestically and by foreign organisations. The developed mining industry in Frieredrel has contributed to the country's exports, and created employment opportunities in resource rich regions, such as the Ryou Mountains and the lands surrounding the Hyblue Hills.

Frieredreli culture is a close relative of Tassendreli culture, sharing the same language and many of the same customs, with a heavy emphasis on magic, though, unlike Tassendrel, its history of disunity has led to heavy cultural variations within the country. Along with the influence from the Ardonians, a people who migrated from the East, Frieredrel is a melting pot of unique and distinct cultures which all can only be vaguely associated with the label of “Frieredreli”.

Compared with Tassendrel, Frieredreli culture often has variations such as a smaller emphasis on enchantment, and unique art such as dragon carving or ritual-inspired architecture. Owing to the many invasions from the northern nations in history, many of the northern states tend to be somewhat militaristic, with some even having a stratocratic form of government which reflects this fact.

In comparison, southern Frieredreli states have a larger emphasis on other endeavours such as trade, reflecting its generally peaceful history, safe from invasions.

Originally a collection of dozens of distinct city-states formed due to the rugged terrain of the nation, Frieredreli often came under assault by larger empires, including Tassendrel and the Three Dynasties, hoping to subjugate the states. Though some of these invasions were successful, the occupations often never lasted long due to the rebellious culture of the polities which had experience in inter-state warfare.

The Frieredreli Army (Friereheire) is a nominally unified fighting force, commanded at the highest level by the Emperor of Frieredrel. While this description is accurate regarding contingents formed from Ardonia, Amral or most other southern states, many of the military structures of several polities within Frieredrel remain distinct, with regional commanders afforded veto powers over imperial military decrees. Despite this disparity however, a vast majority of the Friereheire is of northern descent, owing to the militaristic culture of the northern states. This however, does not mean that northern military contingents are larger, as many contingents from all over Frieredrel choose to recruit from the north, finding it to be much easier than recruitment from local populations.

The Friereheire, in comparison to other contemporary Elvish armies primarily consist of heavy infantry, with relatively few archers, though there has been an emphasis on the expansion of dragon-riding in recent decades. In addition, several contingents of cavalry have been raised primarily by the southern states.

In comparison, the Frieredreli Navy, a relatively powerful naval force by southwest Ciradonian standards is a centralised organisation, with regional contingents being nonexistent, coexistence between the various regional Frieredreli citizens is common.

During the War of the Dawn, a large contingent of mainly northern militia was sent as a supporting force to the Tassendreli invasion across the Tirgaard Crossing. The contingent along with the rest of the Elvish invasion force suffered a devastating loss to the modern weaponry of the Voskgardian Armed Forces. Facing this military defeat, Frieredrel furthered its military support for Tassendrel throughout the war, increasing its manpower commitment to nearly 400,000 elves at its peak.

While less committed to the war than other nations within the Umrinor Cordiale, Frieredrel still suffered large numbers of casualties, particularly in the early stages of the war. The Frieredreli military, often distinguished itself, playing a major role in many combats, such as during the battles on the Elruth Theatre.

• Inspired by the Holy Roman Empire, the German Empire and Ancient Greece

• Named after the main character of the anime "Sousou no Frieren"