Istunia

Istuna can trace its history from the start of human civilization in the First Age, trough over 3000 years the Nation still exist today. 

It is said that in the times of the Forgotten, great giants roamed the lands of the north in service of their dark masters. But one of them, named Donner-Vorbote (Lit. “Thunder Harbinger”), descended from the lands of the First Gate in modern Midboria and stole the power of thunder to give to the humans living in what is today the Union of Great Holds. While Donner-Vorbote was the one to give humanity the power to continue on, he was punished for his transgressions by being sealed deep within the core of Tyrrell. The power of thunder is sometimes interpreted as a metaphor for a blueprint for humanity’s eventual usurping over the lands of Tyrrell from the Elderkin, though this is only according to the fringe of Folklore Studies theorists.

Those humans, given the power of thunder, made an exodus northeast across the old Midborian Empire to eventually settle upon what would become the city of Dansraven, taking the name of the Donnergeborene (Lit. “Thunderborn”) People. The Donnergeborene fought back against the Forgotten for time immemorial, until they were sealed up at the end of the Forgotten Age and beginning of the First Age.

One of the defining events in the creation of modern Istunia would come from the collective trauma experienced in the Orcish Wars. With fearsome hordes of Orcs pillaging the lands and the Elderkin seeking only to protect their treasured territory, the humans were left for the most part to fend for themselves until the first hero of Istunia, Jaffnaa Ütter III, Queen Regnant of the Principality of Blemhölden, led a disorganized rebel army to expel the Orcs.

For the next several centuries, Istunia for the most part was made up of numerous fiefdoms that were either partially influenced by the Elderkin of Midboria or left to themselves. That is, until in the late 2600s of the 2nd Age brought about radical changes to the order of things in the region. Vrechtreich the Great organized the Kingdom of Süteny into one of the earliest centralized human polities in West Ciradon, though it was thought only as barely a nuisance to the Elderkin. But it would be here where the concept of a unified humanity, under one nation, one leader, one people, would be born.

The 2800s of the 2nd Age once again brought radical change to the region, with the Confederation of Istunia declaring itself as among the few independent human polities in West Ciradon in 2881. Though led by a divided parliament without a king, its national purpose was truly driven by the willpower of perhaps the greatest of its politicians to emerge in its storied history, Chancellor Leopold Von Istarck. It was under Istarck’s careful guidance that Istunia would quickly become a minor but rising power in West Ciradon politics, brokering secret ties between the Kingdom of Turangar and the Republic of Voskguardia.

The War of the Dawn saw the downfall of the old social order and the rise of a new one. While not officially declaring war on any of the Elderkin nations, Istunia made several undeclared incursions into numerous territories, including the easternmost region of Midboria and part of what is today the province of Sumskala in the Kingdom of Šov. 

However, due to a diplomatic incident in eastern Midboria, an incursion was launched by the elderkin fleet that occupied the coastal regions of Istunia leading to the siege of Leiden in 2930. Devastated by the Midborian incursion in the late 2920s up to the surrender in 2931, the country was left in social upheaval and ruins. And it was in this time that a young veteran, Linus Messmann, thrust himself into domestic politics, quickly and quietly assuming control of the country until becoming chancellor in 2939, where he has ruled with an iron fist ever since. 

Whether or not Istunia itself will see the dusk of the next West Ciradon War will be determined by the will of humanity, for they are one nation, one leader, one people.

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Istunia is officially organized as an authoritarian one-party fascist state with a managed parliament, with the party in question being the Istunian National Populist Party, or Istuniennationale Pöpulistisch Partie, or simply the Istäpstisch. The parliament serves as a stage where rival representatives of the states within Istunia can bicker back and forth about politics and policies.

The 40 states and 6 city-states themselves are divided into 118 separate provinces, with the states headed by a Federal Captain (Istunian: BundesKapitän) and city-states by their mayors.

Voting in Istunia is totally restricted, with officials being appointed only by the party officials in the parliament.

The primary currency of Istunia is the Realm Coin (Istunian: Räich Mënz; Pl. Räich Mënzen), which comes in gold, silver, and copper coins to denote their values. As an example, 50 copper Realm Coins are equal to 1 silver Realm Coin, and 100 silver Realm Coins are equal to 1 gold Realm Coin.

As for an economic structure, Istunia has a mixed economy, with open markets and central economic planning. It mainly caters to several private interest groups, including the Istunian Railway Institute, Ranner AS, Ürdenmetall, and the Volksbil automobile manufacturer.

Key to the revenue of the economy is the local taxes imposed on the towns and cities of the nation. Under the Economic Reform Law of 2943, each person is required to pay at least a quarter of their per capita incomes they make in a month to the government.

While Istunia’s past holds a treasure trove of cultural diversity, from the cold north of Vandalen to the fertile fields of Borvenia, these days it is censored and cherry-picked by the Ministry of Public Thought and Propaganda in order to progress Monordian Thought.

The national religion of Istunia is polytheistic, with a central figure known as the Divine, or Göettlich in the national tongue. It’s mostly centered on worshiping the Earth as the center of creation, as well as regarding fire as a tool of both creation and destruction.

A rigid class system is put in place throughout Istunia, with politicians and the former nobility at the top while commoners and those of lower socioeconomic standing at the bottom rung of the ladder.

Each of the states and city-states have their cultures within their respective histories, but the most dominant of all is the culture of Süteny. The culture of Süteny is one focused on a militaristic-driven society, where one’s service in defense of the nation and the people is valued above all else. As such, the modern culture is focused on duty and subservience to the nation.

Interestingly enough, there are subtle influences of other cultures in certain regions of Istunia, primarily in the western and northern regions. The western regions, primarily where the states of Vestfalinia and Sumskalisch are, contain remnants of Dwarven and Šovic customs respectively, such as attention to craftsmanship and valuing personal relationships. The north, on the other hand, has traces of the culture particular to that of the Circle of the Star Stone, primarily from the Niska and Wanpuk tribes, focusing on local folk practices over the wider cultural norms instilled by the government.

The social elites of Istunia gather in lavishly elegant balls and galas, often hosted at the behest of high-ranking party officials for matters of appearances and to draw up new business and political connections. This has given rise to an ‘imperial court’ in all but name, and is not helped by the fact that most of the attendees are of the wealthy former nobility.

Monord Thought believes in the unity of all humanity, calling for complete destruction of Elderkin dominance over Tyrrell in a violent war where all of humanity would participate. Its main ideological tenets are as follows:

1. The Elderkins’ societally-ingrained superiority complex guarantees that it is extremely difficult for Elderkin societies to see humanity as equals. Even more so given that most elves consider human industry to be an absolute abomination and crime against nature. This could have been an acceptable arrangement for humanity before the industrial revolution, but in the modern day it is no longer possible for humans to accept. The differences between humanity and Elderkin are therefore irreconcilable. In this conflict, it is a fight to the death with no compromise.

2. Elderkin have no regard for the different human nations. To the elderkin, it doesn't matter if the industrial revolution started in Voskgardia or any other place. Just because the industrial revolution began in Voskgardia, does not mean they will regard other human nations in a different manner. To them, all of humanity is a threat, because as long as humanity exists, there exists the possibility that they will industrialize. Therefore, any attempt at appeasing the Elderkin by rejecting industrialization is futile, as the Elderkin will not stop until every human nation is wiped off the face of Tyrrell. All humans must embrace unity because it is the best chance for self preservation.

3. The Elderkin held control over humanity by promoting ideas such as a divine right to rule and loyalty to one’s liege in order to prop up puppet kings. These ideas are to be purged from human society. Humanity must recognize that all are equal in its struggle for survival against the Elderkin, not to serve any monarch or lord. Old class structures must therefore be abolished, nobles shall be stripped of their titles and privilege and then reeducated into loyal citizens in service to all of humanity. The economy should also be reformed to serve the state, both to prevent the rise of a new nobility built off the accumulated wealth from industry and also to steer the economy in a direction that would better serve the coming war. Proposed plans include nationalization of key industries and a limit on the wealth an individual can accumulate

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