Aivintis

The Federal Kritarchy of Aivintis, commonly known as Aivintis is a unitary sovereign state and territorial empire in southeast Gondwana. Aivintis is the sovereign metropole of Oilean. The nation shares land borders with two countries - Joralesia in the southwest and East Cerdani in the northwest.

The Federal Kritarchy of Aivintis
Flag of Aivintis
Motto: Vitam Impendere Vero
Anthem: "Mane Honoratum"
Aivintis, in Southeast Gondwana, beside East Cerdani (yellow) and Joralesia (purple)
Capital and largest city	Greater Aslough
Official languages	Staynish Ethalrian
Ethnic groups (2018)	96% Human 0.8% Elf 0.9% Vulpine 0.8% Lupine 0.6% Dwarf 0.5 Aurian 0.4% other
Demonym(s)	Aivintian
Government	Autocratic Police State / Kritarchy
• Chief Justice	Edward Stoker
• Justice	Oliver Crane
• Justice	Peter McKinnley
• Justice	Nolan Grimm
• Justice	Arthur Frost
Legislature	National Assembly
• Upper house	House of Ernannt
• Lower house	House of Gewahlt
Establishment
• Treaty of Adelslin, War of Aivintian Unification	1764
• Aeternal Coronation, First Aivintian Civil War	1801
• Stuart Rebellion / Second Aivintian Civil War	1812
• Declaration of a Free Enlightened Order	1815
• Execution of Peter Florence, Third Aivintian Civil War	1911
• August Coup / Fourth Aivintian Civil War	2013
Population
• 2020 census	83,890,113
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	3.276T
• Per capita	39k
Gini (2020)	0.54 low
SDI (2020)	0.865 very high
Currency	Crown (ℂ/CRN)
Time zone	UTC-5
Date format	DD/MM/YYYY
Driving side	the left
Calling code	+49
ISO 3166 code	AIV
Internet TLD	.co.aiv

Aivintis is an autocratic Kritarchy, with a two-House parliament system dominated by the appointed House of Ernannt, with the elected House of Gewahlt having little authority. The Supreme Court serves as a collective Chief Executive as well as the national judiciary, and is technically led by Chief Justice Edward Stoker. The capital is Greater Aslough, a Megalopolis and financial centre with an urban area population of 14.4 million as of 2020. Other major urban areas in Aivintis include Maven, Grandys, Westhafen, and Derrim. Other notable cities include Bricaster, Redmondburg, Carlisle, Frosthollow, Thaddea, and Frontierwood.

Aivintis has a large and fast-growing economy, following a system akin to laissez-faire liberalism and mercantilism in some aspects. The average income of an Aivintian citizen is rather low, with significant income inequality, but the average middle class income has been rising steadily in recent years. Under the Order of Enlightenment in the early 19th century, the nation was quick to industrialize, but the Order paid the most attention to coastal regions, which were already developed and urban. As such, the northwest reaches of Aivintis, specifically the province of Thaddea, is fairly undeveloped compared to the rest of the country, with efforts starting only in the 1990s. Aivintis maintains reasonable economic and scientific influence, and strong military power.

Aivintis has been a member state of the Union of Commonwealth Alliances since 2013, and is a founding member of the International Forum. Suffering from intermediate periods of isolation, Aivintian diplomacy is much weaker than befitting a nation of its power.

Geography

Aivintis is located on the coast of Southeast Gondwana, bordered to the northwest by East Cerdani and to the southwest by Joralesia, a territory of Great Morstaybishlia. To the east, Aivintis is bordered by the Concordian Ocean.

The highest points in Aivintis are the Nymphen des Abends Cliffs, translating to “Nymphs of the Evening,” which is a reference to the ancient goddesses of dusk that guarded the gates to Night in Lerasian Mythology. Otherwise, Aivintis is rather flat, with rolling hills. The soil is mostly infertile, with the most notable exception being the Grandys River Valley, a highly fertile geographical region historically under the control of the Kingdom of Grandys.

The weather in Aivintis is quite cold, due to its position close to the South Pole, but the summers can get quite hot. There are no dry seasons in Aivintis, and rain is common occurrence in most of the nation. Storms are not uncommon, especially in the north. There are very rarely any natural disasters in the area, making the country fairly safe in that regard. Fog is a regular phenomenon.

The shores of Aivintis are characterized by unremarkable beaches with the land flattening out to meet the sea. As one moves inland, the land slowly transforms into green fields and hills. In the winter, especially, when the skies are darker, the landscape has an almost sullen feel to it. This has been the subject of art and poetry for centuries. Urbanization and industrialization from the 19th and 20th centuries have marred much of this natural beauty, but some remains today.

Even further inland, away from the highly developed coastal regions, forests dot the countryside. The most common forests are pine, fir, and oak, but there is rare diversity in them. Although not as developed as the costal regions, a few modern cities can be found in this region, namely Thaddea and Frontierwood. Otherwise, most settlements are smaller cities or towns built decades or centuries ago in and between the wooded landscape. Out towards the border, the forests start to get thicker, but in recent times the nation has been encouraging settlement in this frontier.

Geographical tourist attractions in Aivintis include the Nymphs of the Evening, Remington Field, the Grandys River, Frontierwood Crater, and King’s Game Forest.

History

Thurid Era (0 CE - 712 CE)

The Thurids were a powerful feudal state originating in modern day Redmondburg. Their name comes from their god, Onik Zok Thur (Staynish: Wise Great Master), whom they worshipped as the henotheistic overlord of the universe, which they called “Pahlaas” or “Everything”. According to surviving historical records, the Thurids claimed to trace their lineage to Onik Zok Thur, which they used to support their position as the dominant political power in ancient Aivintis. Some Lerasians, believing this Onik Zok Thur to be their lost Hero-God Lerasi, readily converted to the Thurid religion, practicing in state-built churches in large settlements.

In January of the year 0 CE, Goraanjun Thurid named himself King of Kings, Overlord of Everything, and Heir to Onik Zok Thur. Although most primary sources have been destroyed and what remains is questionable at best, historians believe that Goraanjun spent the next decade conquering smaller tribes and villages around his capital. At some point during these conquests, he died in battle, and his son took over the Thurid Empire. Over the next three hundred or so years, the Thurids had expanded to encompass an area believed to include most of modern day Aivintis and a large part of modern day Joralesia. Scholars suggest that this was accomplished through the use of superior tactics and technology, although there is no evidence to support this other than their rapid expansion.

Thurid rule was fairly peaceful. If there were any uprisings, they were quickly put down, and any tribes or fledgling kingdoms on their borders were likely too weak to pose any real threat to Thurid rule. Multiple surviving manuscripts suggests that the Thurids maintained their empire through the use of loyal vassals - former Kings or Chieftains that were granted certain privileges in exchange for privileges. This use of former regional rulers to maintain order on a local level also supports the self-proclaimed title “King of Kings”, which was the most common title attributed to Thurid rulers in the sources that The Aeternus didn’t destroy.

The Thurid dynasty’s internal stability and longevity seems to suggest a strong military, too. One major source, the Report from the West, which was smuggled out of Aslough before the ritual book burnings of the 19th century, describes the state of a Thurid military garrison at the end of the year 325. Judging by this report, the backbone of the Thurid army was the cavalry. The Heavy Cavalry was armed with spears and chainmail, while the Light Cavalry were armed with composite bows. The report seems to suggest that infantry was rarely used, which would be ideal for the Aivintian terrain. The report also points out a shortage of iron that year, which meant that the Thurids did not control a steady source of raw materials for weapons and armor.

Warring States Era (712 CE - 1764 CE)

Although sovereign kingdoms had begun to break off from the Thurid Empire before their unexplained disappearance, it wasn’t until the fall of the Thurids that Aivintis truly began to divide into what are now called “The Warring States.”

Military

The Aivintian Armed Forces (AAF) are the military of the Aivintian nation, consisting of the Naval Command, the Army Command, and the Aerospace Command. The Armed Forces are under the de facto leadership of the Commander-in-Chief, a title currently held by Chief Justice Stoker, to whom all soldiers swear allegiance. Under past regimes, this leadership has been delegated to an individual or group of individuals that act as the Head of State’s number two, but under the Federal Kritarchy there is no such position.

The Armed Forces are charged with protecting the Aivintian nation, promoting its general interests, and supporting the efforts of allied nations and organizations. Aivintian garrisons, naval ports, and air bases are found all over the Aivintian homeland and in parts of Oilean. The largest Aivintian garrison is Fort Steel, Oilean, with a population of around 40,000 soldiers stationed in the base and training facilities, over half of them Oilean-born. From the early 20th century, onward, Aivintis has been steadily rising in military power.

Since 1911, the Aivintian Armed Forces have relied on a balance of volunteer service and terms of mandatory service. All able-bodied men and women have to serve a total of three years in the military, whether in active duty, subject to exemption. Volunteers and conscripts both go through regular training exercises and basic training. Junior Officers are promoted from the ranks of the enlisted, but Senior Officers must graduate from special schools before holding leadership positions. In times of national crisis, the government has the authority to institute a military draft to bring more men and women into the military.

The Aivintian Navy is in charge of maintaining coast guard fleets, recruiting from the Army to form the Aivintian Marines, and guarding national interests overseas. The Aivintian Army is in charge of training and deploying soldiers in the defense of national interests on land. The Aivintian Aerospace Command is in charge of conflicts in the air. Additionally, military departments can be created and modified by the Commander-in-Chief for special operations, as seen with the Teronian Sniper Force during the Fourth Aivintian Civil War. The Aivintian Army Command administers nearly one million active soldiers in total. The Aerospace Command has two hundred thousand airmen and women in total. The Navy has nearly five hundred thousand sailors in total. The total budget of the military is about 104.8 billion, 3.2% of the nation’s GDP.