Cryria: Difference between revisions
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|area_rank=|GDP_PPP=|GDP_PPP_year=|HDI=|HDI_year=|today=|established_event2=|established_date2=}}'''Cryria''', officially the '''Kingdom of Cryria''', is a largely archipelagic nation in northwest [[Novaris]]. It is located nearest to the [[Infinite Loop]] to the northwest, [[Älemsi Negdel]] and the [[Kelamí League]] to the northeast,
== Etymology ==
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In 1041, King Joar II's reign came to an abrupt conclusion after a suspected poisoning. The Cardinal of Vesterholm declared himself regent for the infant Joar III and announced a Church-led inquiry into the old King's death. This effort later became known as the First Inquisition and was utilized by the Church to conduct purges against its enemies in the Court. Blaming the elven populations within the Kingdom for the assassination, the Inquisition expanded to conduct bloody pogroms, marking the beginning of official government policies against nonhumans within its borders as well as the rise of the Cryrian Church as both independent from Asendavian Ademarism and a powerful political force in its own right.
The elves were not the only native group which the Cryrians fought during this period. The nekomimi in Vhydhasz were still powerful and remained the only true naval threat to the island kingdom. Internecine clashes and raids between the two were frequent throughout the tenth and eleventh centuries. The death of King Joar and the unstable regency that followed greatly emboldened Vhydhasz. The subsequent Flaying of Vesterholm in 1045 saw much of the city sacked and destroyed and brought a near-collapse to the Kingdom. The destruction inflicted upon Vesterholm and other coastal settlements grew so severe that the Court was forced to relocate to Leidenstad, which lay sheltered within the Kongsbukta. Though the Kingdom of Vesterholm retained its name, Leidenstad became a permanent capital for the security it offered. The
Ultimately, it was not fleets that saved the Cryrians from the predations of their northern neighbors, but a plague, which swept through the islands of Vhydhasz. In a twist of irony, Vhydhasz's domination of regional trade routes had exposed it to diseases from overseas, most likely from the island of Älemsi. No Cryrian ships dared venture to Vhydhasz for over a decade, but when King Joar III sent them forth to avenge the humiliations of his childhood, they proved victorious against the badly ravaged nekomimi population and finally captured the capital of Aisis in 1063. The oldest nation on the Isles had fallen, and the Vhydhasz Plague was seen as a sign of divine intervention on behalf of the House of Leidensen thus further cementing their place and that of the Cryrian Church, which would soon loose its inquisitions upon the nekomimi.
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Thus, the growing ideological component of the rebellion left little room for concession or compromise by either side, and Joar III was particularly keen on claiming a total victory, to both establish his dynasty's legitimacy as the sole rulers of the Isles and to ensure that the Talveri had no cause to renege on their promises(the promised wedding was oft-delayed by Nikolai, much to Cryrian frustrations). The ten-year-long struggle that followed destroyed large swathes of the island as Cryrian and Talveri armies sought to force the rebellion into an open battle. Even the supposed killing of the Mad Monk in 1098 did not bring an end to the violence, and at the time it was widely claimed that the Monk still lived or had returned from the dead, leading to a plague of pretenders as the priest was raised to a cult-like status.
The rebellion eventually petered out by 1101, doomed by its inability to coordinate itself or to cut the Cryrian supply lines by gaining the support of the strongly fortified cities. The scars it left on Talvere, once the fertile jewel of the Cryrian Islands, would take far longer to heal, and the confidence of the aristocracy had been badly shaken. With Nikolai II having perished in the conflict, Joar III now had practically unopposed power both in Vesterholm and the badly weakened Talvere, and the long campaign had ensured a further spread of Cryrian culture among the last native human kingdom. The much-delayed wedding of Karsten and Lielsta marked a momentous occasion, as it not only meant a victorious end to a difficult war, but also the unification of the two southern nations on the Isles. Talveri dominions around Oshombran and Halyu which had been largely untouched by the conflict would continue to accept nominal Talveri rule but grew increasingly independent following the Cryrian ascension. Even as the Isles were unified these regions would remain on the periphery of Leidenstad's power for centuries to come.
[[File:Lielsta2.jpg|thumb|Artist's depiction of Queen Lielsta]]
This shift in the balance of power did not go unnoticed by the vast elven realm that persisted in the highlands. With Talvere all but absorbed into Vesterholm and Vhydhasz a thing of the past, an entire western and southern arc of the Isles had come under Cryrian control, and continued encroachments seemed all but guaranteed. Similarly, Cryrian explorers and settlers continued to venture into the Far North, where Vhydaszi colonies had imploded upon the fall of their homeland. Efforts to control the northern trade routes led to the founding of Tynam March, named after the Lord Admiral sent to take charge of the region. For now, however, Joar III had grown old, and after a long and difficult reign, his legacy, at last, appeared to be secure in the form of a restored and strengthened kingdom
==== War with the High Places ====
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The elves of the High Places were unwilling to sit quietly and await the same fate that had met their lowlands brethren, and the Veiled King, who had now reigned for over a century, knew well the ways of his enemies. Raids from their mountain strongholds grew ever more frequent, stringing out the Cryrian nobility who needed to stretch themselves thin to defend everywhere before being picked off one by one. These tactics led to mounting losses for the frontier houses, who appealed to the Crown for aid. Such a move was not unexpected, and when the recently crowned Karsten rode forth, the elves lured his army into the surrounding hills before ambushing and slaying him at the disastrous Battle of Barren Hill in 1107.
It was expected that the loss of the King would greatly weaken the Cryrians. Indeed, the death of Joar II not so long ago had shown how quickly the Kingdom could fall into an unstable regency. For a time it seemed that this would be the case, as infighting broke out almost immediately in the Cryrian court over who would become the regent for Karsten's sole son and heir, Prince Rikard, who himself had been born mere hours after his father's death on the battlefield. The Cryrian Church, which had conducted the last regency, insisted that it should once again be allowed to have the final say. Against it stood a variety of aristocrats, who had grown wary of the Church's rising influence in Leidenstad, and recalled the purges of the First Inquisition. The elves of the High Places were not content to stand by and give their enemy a chance to recover as the
[[File:QueenLielsta.jpg|thumb|A Cryrianized depiction of Queen Lielsta
As the elven armies burned a bloody swathe across the Cryrian hinterlands, they advanced upon a city increasingly consumed by chaos. Yet, as the enemy drew nearer each day and one castle after another fell, the many factions within Leidenstad were forced to unite. With the aid of the loyal Talveri guards who had accompanied her from home, Queen Lielsta fended off attempts to take custody of the infant King and in doing so rallied the local nobility around her. Taking charge of the defense, she ultimately succeeded in holding the city until the Cryrian fleets from Vesterholm arrived and deposited their marines behind the siege lines. The subsequent Battle on the Leiden would see the elven armies forced to withdraw back into the mountains.
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The Scouring served to bind the disparate Cryrians into a single coherent realm. While conquest had long ago taken Lindesgaard and marriage had brought together Vesterholm and Talvere, it was the war that created a common purpose for these wide and varied cultures. Lower nobility and those who stood to inherit little could find considerable opportunities for advancement in the Marches that made up the front lines, and the presence of the Queen-Regent meant that the courts of Vesterholm and Talvere had essentially moved to these border areas, creating a new center of influence that drew notable individuals together. Though King Rikard came of age during the war and return to Leidenstad to take up the throne, Queen Lielsta remained with her armies. Usage of the region's all-important river network allowed Cryrian longships to bring their all-important naval power to bear, severing elven strongholds from one another and wearing them down one after another. It was a risky business, with Cryrian forces often at an equal risk of being ambushed or cut off due to the elves' in-depth knowledge of their mountainous homeland.
[[File:Highland Fortifications.jpg|thumb|Depiction of a fortified Scouring-era Cryrian settlement in the Highlands]]
Yet, the Cryrians had the numbers on their side, and technology as well. The need to breach the many mountain citadels propelled some early experiments with gunpowder by the Cryrians. Though these primitive bombs proved entirely incapable of seriously impacting elven walls, the technology's growing spread to anti-personnel weapons created a significant psychological impact where they were deployed and was capable of breaking elven lines on the occasions where they gave open battle. These growing disparities brought the Cryrian forces to the gates of the elven capital, nestled within the mountains. A final year-long siege began, ultimately ending in 1137 with the destruction of the greatest elven city on the Isles and the slaying of the final King of the High Places. The Elven capital was renamed after the Cryrian Queen, and the city of Lielsta was thus born.
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However, Ivar had underestimated the machinations of the Church. The powerful twenty-fifth Cardinal Leidenstad saw an unprecedented opportunity to groom the young Prince and place a Church-friendly monarch onto the throne. The Court gradually transformed into a hotbed of intrigue as the King's health declined and his two children drew ever closer to adulthood. Both Charlotte and Isak sought to draw allies to themselves. Many female aristocrats had a vested interest in maintaining Charlotte's right to the throne, as anything else posed a threat to the legitimacy of absolute primogeniture, and thus their own rights to inherit. Many powerful Talveri noblewomen and Duchess Caroline of Karlin rallied around the Princess. Isak for his part gained many powerful friends in the Duchies of Vesterholm and Leidenstad, as well as the Marches of Aisis and Lielsta. Through the efforts of Cardinal Leidenstad, he also clandestinely purchased the loyalty of the Lindesgaard Garrison, thus potentially undermining his sister's control of the Duchy. Gustaf of Tarva, a former the Leidenstad Garrison and mentor to the Prince also became a close advisor. Though Gustaf and a handful of his officers became afflicted by leprosy, Isak would keep them among his retainers, an unusual move at a time when such diseases were greatly feared. Their deteriorating bodies led the unit to be known as the King's Ghouls.
King Ivar passed away in 1498, and with his death, the conflict in the Court came to a head. Both Charlotte and Isak had, by this point, survived multiple assassination attempts. Charlotte had become known for her late-night wanderings in [[Leidenstad Castle]], and Isak's supporters quickly spread rumors that she was suffering from the Weeping, the fatal insomnia which had plagued the Leidensen line and would make her unfit to reign. It would be later theorized that the Princess had been engaged in a secretive affair with the Duchess of Karlin, however, the matter remains heavily disputed by historians, many of whom believe that they were merely roommates.
==== The Queen's Flight ====
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==== Civil War ====
Even as the self-proclaimed Queen made her escape, the rest of the Kingdom devolved into open war. Talvere, historically wary of the Church's influence, declared itself for the Queen and launched a fleet against Lindesgaard only to see it destroyed over a month-long campaign. Later campaigns on land brought further Talveri defeats when Isak's armies took Storlund and Lavini. In the north, Karlin's small flotilla successfully deters destructive coastal raids from the overcautious leaders of Aisis March. A later invasion into Karlin results in the disastrous Jaedz Campaign, which devastates much of the countryside but is caught by winter and destroyed in an ambush. Karlin's armies then march through the highlands towards the city of Lielsta, whose garrison is thought to be unreliable. Isak's armies remain caught on the far side of the Isles, still occupied by the war against Talvere. To stall the Duchess' march south, Gustaf of Tarva and the King's Ghouls move to Lielsta to take control of the city's defense. The presence of the afflicted soldiers unnerves both the garrison and the besiegers, however, and the former attempts to defect. The Lower City falls in the subsequent insurrection, but forces loyal to Isak hold the strategic Linnake Plateau and its citadel, which controls the passage south. Thus, the war in the north came to a stalemate.
[[File:Kurventis.jpg|thumb|Kurventis, the site of the last skirmish of the Sorrows]]
The forces the two claimants had become increasingly bloodied by years of warfare, and both made overtures to the last neutral power in Cryria - Duke
==== The Court of Quarters ====
As the Queen's armies surrendered or fled, Isak set out to return stability to the Kingdom and legitimacy to the House of Leidensen. Cryrian powerbrokers would gather in the ancient walled city of Nederborg to end the long war. Harsh punishments were levied against rebellious aristocrats who declined to swear their loyalty to the King. Those sentenced to death were hung, drawn, and quartered in the town square. Those willing to accept new allegiances forfeited only portions of their wealth and lands, in part due to the Church's efforts to ameliorate the King's desire for vengeance. Dominating the proceedings was the Duke of Tynam, who was both reviled by much of the Kingdom due to his late entry and treacherous actions, but also commanded the last intact force in the Isles. Worries about the Duke's increasingly independent attitude and the need to reward him for his service led to proposals that the Duchy of Karlin be granted to him. The area was still fiercely rebellious with a widespread hatred of the Duke, and it was thought that being forced to occupy the area would occupy Tynam's resources. Isak rejected this scheme. The King had by all accounts grown paranoid over the course of the war, and feared that the still-missing Duchess Caroline might resurface to launch a new uprising, this time with Tynam's backing.
Tynam's reward would ultimately come from Talvere instead of Karlin. Though Talveri holdings on Älmark had fallen and its fleet was destroyed, the island itself remained under the control of the Queen's supporters. In exchange for their return to the fold without further warfare, Talveri autocephaly would be reaffirmed. The lost territories on Älmark were reorganized into the new Duchy of Storlund and granted to Duke
=== The Absolute Era ===
[[File:Oshombran at Night.jpg|thumb|Depiction of the city of Oshombran during the industrial revolution]]
The period from the 16th to the 19th centuries was witness to seismic social shifts as the Crown sought to strengthen its hold over the aristocracy. The Absolute Era was most defined by the centralization of the state. While historically the Isles' geography had granted a great deal of autonomy to local actors, advances in technology and social sciences now allowed for the rise of an absolutist monarchy under the House of Leidensen. This process was in part the culmination of centuries-long efforts to keep the nobility in check, but it also benefitted heavily from military and economic advances. The rise of the cannon had helped to obsolete the individual castles that had symbolized the independent aristocracy, and in their place rose new Royal fortresses guarded by loyal garrisons. The Royal fleets, which had long been an important source of authority across the island nation, now further benefited from improving firepower and shipbuilding, and by this time it had become largely unviable for individual noble houses to field significant modern fleets of their own. Similarly, advances in transportation and infrastructure helped to tie the Isles together under Leidenstad's rule. The decades immediately following the Sorrows saw Peninsular Cryria effectively brought back under the House of Leidensen's control. While the region had successfully avoided joining the civil war, the city of Oshombran now found itself sorely pressed by the increasingly united Taragai clans from the east, and sought Leidenstad's aid. It was ultimately Cryrian armies that waged this war, and in doing so they extended and solidified Leidenstad's power along the coastline. They also secured access to the comparatively undamaged Peninsula's wealth at a time when the Leidensen treasury was still suffering immensely from the events of the Sorrows. Further efforts were made to push inland towards the core Taragai territories, but difficult terrain and fierce local resistance precluded such efforts.
The 17th century also saw the Church's inquisitions loosed upon both Talvere and the newly formed Peninsular March, where the Clergy had historically acted with relative independence both in their politics and their religious interpretations or outright retained Mlythlaist practices. The Cinder Inquisition meant the end of the autonomous priesthood on the island, as well as the destruction of lingering Talveri shamanic practices. Notably, this destroyed the previously common depictions of a female Ademar on the island, a practice that had originated from efforts to subsume Ademarism into Mlythlaism. After the Cinder Inquisition, Talveri autonomy was no more, and the Crown's grasp in the area solidified.
With much of the isles firmly under Cryrian control, the Kingdom embarked on a wide variety of imperial ventures during this time, for power, prestige, and an easy means to dispatch troublesome nobility to the periphery. An attempt was made to invade and annex Varletia in the 17th century, though this ultimately failed
The tail end of the Absolute Era was dominated by Cryria's industrialization. Rich sources of coal helped to fuel this revolution, which brought about many of the social changes that ultimately contributed to the movement away from absolutism. Rapid urbanization and the poor quality of life for the growing working class planted the seeds for the social upheavals of the Anarchy a century later.
By the mid-19th century, industrialization had brought social changes with it. Both the working and middle classes were expanding and newly empowered, while the Royal Cabinet began to take on more of the day to day tasks of government. The Riksdag largely existed as an advisory body formed from the aristocracy, clergy, and various other privileged entities, but the Crown was faced with growing demands that it be expanded in both representation and authority. These calls were increasingly supported by the influential Prime Minister, Rikard Östberg.
In 1864 Queen Ulrika I began to display symptoms of the Weeping. The Crown's sudden weakness proved fortuitous for advocates of liberalization, and in 1865 at the advice of her Prime Minister, the deteriorating Queen acquiesced to the creation of a new constitution from her sickbed. The Constitution of 1865 established the two separate houses of the Riksdag and placed defined limits on the power of the Crown. While the Monarchy remained a powerful executive, it could no longer act unilaterally and the Absolute Era effectively came to an end. For instance, the Riksdag's approval was now required for the passage of all legislation and decrees and though the Crown could continue to appoint the cabinet and the Prime Minister, these appointments similarly required the Riksdag's confidence. While the monarchy retained the right to conduct diplomacy, receive and appoint ambassadors, and make war and peace the Riksdag now controlled the national budget and in practice any international agreements would require its support. The Monarch could still unilaterally issue pardons, command the military and government agencies, propose and block legislation and appointments, and ultimately dissolve the Riksdag, but in practice it could no longer function without it.
The expansion of the Riksdag saw movement away from its almost exclusively aristocratic roots. However, even the newly formed elected Lower Chamber remained dominated by the wealthy due to a broad array of limitations on those who could vote and run for office, while the Upper Chamber maintained significant influence in its own right. The Kingdom's electoral divisions were still based upon old aristocratic landholdings, which created a very uneven distribution of power in favor of more conservative rural regions and led to the proliferation of so-called rotten and pocket boroughs. Voting for the Lower Chamber was limited to citizens over the age of 25 who could prove their literacy and had not been barred from voting as part of a criminal punishment. The former restriction in particular was used as a part of wider efforts to enforce a standardized Cryrian language over the country.
Further, the Constitution of 1865 did little to enshrine rights beyond that of the vote. It was particularly criticized for the lack of protections in regards to free expression and fair trials, and though various guarantees were provided through both tradition and subsequent legislation, these ideals did not become a constitutional fixture until 1929.
==== The Albertine Era ====
King Albert ascended to the throne after the passing of his mother, Queen Ulrika I. The Albertine Era was marked by close cooperation between the Crown and the Riksdag, propelled by the King's own past support for the signing of the constitution and his close relationship with Prime Minister Östberg. Even so, King Albert proved to be remarkably active within his new role and deliberately sought to keep the Crown in a leadership position - Though now with the Riksdag's support. Throughout his reign he actively courted the rising nationalist sentiments within the country and sought to solidify the Cryrian identity. Under his reign the National Service System was modernized and standardized throughout the Kingdom, and a truly national education system was put into place along with the roots of many modern day social services.
Albert also proved to be a powerful proponent of the early eugenics movement as well as ongoing efforts to eliminate regional dialects and force the adoption of a standard Cryrian language. As King he was considered to be the father of the Ministry for Tomorrow which enacted what he outlined as his Social Engineering Program. The program in many ways co-opted existing sentiments towards nonhumans and so-called "Social undesirables," and added a pseudoscientific layer that appealed to many proclaimed rationalists of this time. While the Ministry was initially founded to oversee the Government's language and cultural policies, it quickly expanded and became infamous for its systemic targeting of nonhumans, the mentally ill, and dissident movements. The century following Albert's coronation saw a marked collapse in nonhuman demographics as a result of forced sterilizations, lobotomies, and other atrocities that sought to dissolve elven and Vhydaszi communities. Much of Nekomimi culture was lost during this time, though coherent elven communities persisted in the Highlands. Albert reportedly summed up his own views in a speech to the Riksdag as early as 1867: {{quote|It is incumbent upon us as leaders and statesmen to understand that we now reside in a new age of science and reason. To wait for the unfit and undesirable to perish of nature's own accord is the way of animals and primitives who know no progress and thus have only patience. We however must now claim the tools our own intellect has given us and with them the responsibility to command not merely our own destinies but the destiny of the Cryrian nation. As we once moved from the caves and the wilderness to construct our own domains, so too shall we now engineer a society within which to reside that will withstand all tests of time and troubles. This obligation is neither to ourselves nor to God nor even to our children, but to the thousand nameless generations who will follow in our footsteps.}}Albert also inherited a Kingdom in a complicated geopolitical situation. The ability of the small Cryrian population's ability to sustain its historic great power aspirations in the industrial age was coming under increasing scrutiny from both within and without the Kingdom. The ambition to fully control the Northern Way had been all but abandoned as Cryrian influence failed to extend beyond eastern Älemsi, while other aspects of Cryrian power had entered a state of decline as the country struggled to maintain its goals of naval parity and power projection. Though the King firmly subscribed to longstanding concepts about Cryria's rightful sphere in the region, he simultaneously eschewed the Arcturian ventures that had previously been endorsed by the late Prime Minister Aberg as wasteful and impractical. The King instead turned his attentions towards shoring up the country's position within Novaris. He became the first to turn the networks of Cryrian outposts and concessions on Älemsi into a formal system of naval outposts and refueling stations to protect the Nordenfästningen's eastern flank and ensure the RCRN's dominance over the immediate area. The fleet itself was similarly reorganized around a new doctrine of short-ranged coastal battleships and shore installations that could provide for the defense of the Isles and its immediate interests. Efforts to consolidate Cryrian power led to conflict in Aikthudr'zhur and were a contributing factor to the Sack of Highdrilian.
This realignment was effectively an admission that the Kingdom lacked the economic and military means of achieving the full extent of its desired dominion in Novaris, and the King instead pursued other means of pursuing Cryrian national aims on the Mainland. This culminated in King Albert's marriage to Leonora Reitz, the younger daughter of the Duke of [[Charlottesborg]]. The marriage was considered to be highly unusual, as Cryrian monarchs had traditionally always married within the Kingdom in order to maintain their ties with the aristocracy. The marriage with Leonora not only marked a continuation of Albert's own ambitions to cement a pan-Cryrian identity but also a form of rapprochement with the Duchy and an indirect extension of the Kingdom's influence into Volscina. The implications of this backdrop were mollified only by the expectation that Leonora was unlikely to inherity the Duchy - That privilege belonged to her elder sister, Olivia, who had children of her own. However, Olivia passed away from typhus approximately a month before her father's own death, and Leonora successfully laid claim to the Duchy over the objections of Olivia's line. Thus, the Duchy of Charlottesborg effectively came under the rule of the House of Leidensen, a fact that inspired wariness among other Volscine powerbrokers that would later lead to the controversies of the Charlottesborg Succession.
[[File:King Albert.jpg|thumb|King Albert of Cryria in 1883]]
Ultimately, King Albert is considered to have been largely successful in establishing a new and important role for the monarchy within the limits of constitutionalism. The Crown remained a driver of policy even as it was forced to seek cooperation and share power with the Riksdag - albeit by embracing and even accelerating its nationalist and conservative policies. Albert further put into place many elements of the modern Cryrian state that would carry forward through generations to come. However, these included his support for highly illiberal movements that would continue to plague the nation. His support for eugenics and his harsh stances against nonhumans have made him a highly controversial figure in Cryrian history. Even in his own time, many who had enjoyed high hopes for a King who had been a significant supporter of constitutionalism soon grew disillusioned by the subsequent policies of his reign. Though he sought to unify the Cryrian identity on a level it never had been before, his hard line towards both the country's nascent labor movement and its nonhuman population generated an undercurrent of unrest throughout his rule. In 1871 he ordered the violent quelling of the Highland Riots, an extended period of civil unrest in Lielsta March that resulted from state efforts to force Elven children into the country's new education system. Similarly strict measures in favor of employers were taken against worker's strikes, which ultimately lead to the formation of initially small but increasingly energized opposition factions in the Riksdag who sought to end the body's support for the Crown's actions. As the Riksdag remained dominated by a wealthy elite, these groups primarily focused on the King's Social Engineering Program.
As a result of these policies and the King's remarkably public role in supporting them, Albert became a target for numerous assassination attempts in his lifetime, particularly as the groups his government marginalized grew increasingly radical as a result. Shortly after the Highland Riots an unnamed half-elven servant in Tvillingblom Palace attempted to stab him, but ultimately only cost the King his left eye. He would live on until 1897 when syndicalist assassins successfully bombed his train outside of Lielsta, killing the King along with the young Prince Astrad and forty members of the Royal Guard and staff, while wounding sixty more. The attack brought the Albertine Era to a close and ushered in the reign of his daughter, Queen Katharine.
=== The Tanznozhiv ===
Queen Katharine of the House of Leidensen was coronated in 1897 on the heels of her father's assassination. This backdrop of violence and instability added to an already rocky transition. Katharine lacked the goodwill her father had earned through his support for the 1865 Constitution and though she continued to press his policies forward in order to maintain its support she faced growing resistance from his previous opponents. With the Constitution now firmly in place and accepted after more than thirty years of existence, the Riksdag was much more willing to exercise its powers as a limiting factor on the Crown. Tensions between the Queen and the Riksdag were further propelled by the Queen's desire to take a more direct hand in the domestic security of the realm in the aftermath of the 1897 Train Bombing.
==== Founding of the Säkerhetspolisen ====
[[File:Katharine.jpg|thumb|Queen Katharine of Cryria]]
These conflicts came to a head when the Riksdag initially denied funding for the creation of her new ''Säkerhetspolisen'', or Security Police, which was intended to complement the existing National Police in combating political terrorism within the country. Though initially popular, disputes quickly arose over the dictatorial authority Katharine sought to grant the SÄPO such as the right to indefinitely incarcerate without a trial and to search homes without a warrant. Perhaps most importantly, the SÄPO was to be a new domestic arm of the Försvarsmakten and thus directly and completely answerable to the Crown rather than the Ministry of Justice. The SÄPO ultimately came into being, though it enjoyed a much more limited array of powers and was required to operate like any other law enforcement agency. The clash soured relations between the Crown and the Riksdag particularly as the latter feared the Queen was utilizing her father's death as an excuse to create support for an effective return to absolutism in the name of security. This, alongside the expanding mainstream appeal of worker's movements in the Kingdom led to the narrow victory of the Cryrian Liberal Party in the 1900 elections, thus creating a more hostile Riksdag for the Crown. The remaining years of the 19th century were marked by mutual mistrust and continued competition. Amidst all this, Katharine primarily focused on pressing onwards with her father's foreign policy by seeking to press Cryrian influence forward within its immediate surroundings and actively courting a separate base of support within the aristocracy of an increasingly shambolic Volscine Empire.
==== The Charlottesborg Succession ====
These efforts soon paid dividends when in the December of 1900, Duchess Leonora of Charlottesborg passed away. Her death created a crisis of succession around the Volscine Duchy. Under the laws of both Charlottesborg and Cryria called for the eldest child to inherit, this would have passed the title of Duchess down to Queen Katharine, a foreign monarch. Such an outcome was largely unprecedented within modern Cryria, and was viewed warily by elite in both Leidenstad and Charlottesborg. The former worried that the possession of a Volscine title might compromise the Monarchy and create unwanted ties with the Volscine Empire, while many among the latter preferred that Olivia Reitz's surviving children inherit in order to avoid what could easily become the direct Cryrian rule of a Volscine territory. Ultimately however, Katharine was determined to see her claim upheld, and her past activities within both countries largely bore fruit. In Leidenstad the Crown invoked pan-Cryrian sentiments and successfully turned closer relations with the Cryrian-speaking population of Charlottesborg into a national imperative, while in Charlottesborg itself Katharine was able to call upon the local branch of the Cryrian Church for its support. The aid of powerful religious figures marked a strengthened relationship between the Church and the Crown and allowed Katharine to win sufficient support within the Duchy. Local elites were further mollified when the RCRN offered new contracts to Charlottesborg's shipyards, and similar actions by both government agencies and private entities with close links to the Crown were used to placate other Volscine aristocrats. Though these actions were largely conducted outside of recorded diplomatic activity between the two countries, they marked a transition for Cryrian policy in Charlottesborg from a largely individual pursuit of the Crown to a broader effort by Leidenstad to establish a position in Imperial politics.
While the Charlottesborg Succession remained a distant affair for much of Cryria's domestic politics, the matter became a subject of great focus for the Kingdom's ruling classes. Many of the initial doubts regarding the Succession's implications for future relations with Volscina were largely overridden by the ethnocentric imperative to both protect a Cryrian monarch's lawful claim and to pursue connections with Charlottesborg. As such the recognition of the Queen's claim was met with quiet celebration within much of the Government which saw it as a victory for the Cryrian nation as a whole. More skeptical factions ultimately accepted the Succession in the hopes that the Duchy would distract the Crown from Cryrian politics, thus giving the Riksdag a freer hand.
==== Imperial Election of 1903 ====
Cryrian attentions to Volscine politics became an increasingly important facet of both national policy and the Queen's personal agenda. At this time Volscina was seen as both a vital buttress in an increasingly unstable Novaris due to its immense size, population, and historic power, but a critically flawed one due to its complex and archaic feudal governance that now had to compete in an era of national identities and centralized states. That the Empire was the Kingdom's second largest trading partner further entangled the two nations, even as Imperial territories such as Varletia remained targets for Cryrian revanchism. Following the Charlottesborg Succession, relations with Volscina were effectively conducted on two levels. The first consisted of formal and traditional state-to-state diplomacy spearheaded by the Foreign Ministry and generally directed towards maintaining favorable trade relations and bartering limited Cryrian backing in an anticipated Novaran conflict in exchange for concessions and support for the Kingdom's own northern sphere of influence.
A second, far murkier level was conducted directly by the Crown and its allies and utilized the Queen's titles in Charlottesborg as a means of building ties directly with individual Volscine polities rather than just the Imperial government. In doing so, Katharine sought to target smaller and more disadvantaged entities within the Empire as a means of both securing her previously disputed position in Charlottesborg and also building her own base to influence Imperial politics. This effort went largely unrecorded in official government archives or communiques, and its full extent was not revealed until the publication of then-Prime Minister Alina Syren's memoirs: {{quote|In the aftermath of the Succession it became increasingly clear to us that the Queen was forging a parallel apparatus that would bypass the regular Foreign Ministry and answer directly to the Crown in conducting relations with Volscina. By 1901 it was my estimation that the Throne had mobilized existing government institutions in Charlottesborg and was further levying its own wealth and privileges to secure the support of minor Imperial Estates. Our official Embassy in the Empire, under the leadership of Count Widfross, was also considered compromised. It was in effect the same circumvention of the Constitution attempted through the 1897 Security Act, though this time we were ill-suited to contest the effort without undermining our perceived gains from the year prior.}}Even as the events of the Charlottesborg Succession passed, the Queen desired to see these two approaches combined to her own benefit. Both the Crown and nationalist elements within the Government had begun to reassess their views of the Empire following the succession. Katharine's private correspondence with Tyres Rehnquist revealed these sentiments after their publication in 2011: {{quote|The Succession should not merely be seen as mild satisfaction for a brief flash of nationalistic angst. It is a demonstration of what has so long been whispered - That the Volscine political system has deteriorated to a level where we can act with heretofore unimagined freedom. Consider, if Charlottesborg were Aisis and it were a foreign power who would claim its titles, and tell me that such a circumstance would not represent the death-knell of the Cryrian state. I am not so ambitious as to think that the end of the Empire is a desirable outcome - Indeed, it would be nothing less than catastrophic. It is thus incumbent that we treat internal Imperial politics as a matter of national priority and Imperial Estates as the nearly independent actors they have become such that we might shape a favorable outcome on the Mainland.}}The sudden fall of Syren's Liberal government following the Breivik Affair in 1902 paved the way for a Conservative majority and broke the most ardent opposition to the Crown in the Riksdag. Foreign policy quickly became an area of cooperation, and Katharine finally accomplished her goal of turning Cryrian state resources towards pursuing direct relations with Volscine states. Though Rehnquist retained his post as Foreign Minister, he became increasingly supportive of a policy to either create or entice an Imperial government that would be advantageous for Leidenstad's increasingly ambitious goals. These by now extended onto the Mainland and called for a new hegemony on Novaris centered on a Cryrian-Volscine alliance which would permanently secure access to continental markets and the Cryrian position in the north and elsewhere. Rehnquist had grown disillusioned by bilateral efforts with the existing Imperial government and offered a change in Ministry policy in his correspondence with the Queen:{{quote|We find ourselves presented with a rare moment of opportunity where a lesser power might determine the direction of a greater one. Should we fail to take it, we risk allowing another to do so.}}
Despite this apparent accord, many within the Government were taken by surprise when Katharine used her title as the Duchess of Charlottesborg to name herself as a candidate in the Imperial elections of 1903. The decision led to speculation that the Queen was engaging in a personal power grab rather than a continuation of Cryrian policy. The unwavering backing of the Foreign Ministry and promises made by Katharine to the Riksdag regarding future Cryrian-Volscine relations under a hypothetical Leidensen reign served to rally the Government behind her. Katharine was further able to offer powerful Volscine electors an alliance with the Kingdom that could bring its industrial and military assets to bear in an increasingly anticipated Novaran conflict, a tactic which required courting and empowering the most hawkish factions within the Empire in the leadup to the Great War. The offer of a conservative Cryrian monarch also promised a regime that would stand in opposition to many progressive changes that threatened Imperial traditionalists. Though smaller than those of Volscina as a whole, Katharine enjoyed the advantage of being able to call upon and offer more resources than any single Imperial state that might compete with her, and further benefitted from a fractured political landscape in the Empire which ultimately failed to produce an opposing contender who could unite Katharine's opponents. Thus by the end of the year, Katharine was elected the Empress of Volscina.
==== Personal Union with Volscina ====
With Katharine's coronation, both Cryria and Volscina came to share a single monarch. In practice and on paper the two states remained separate and their governments continued to operate independently, but the House of Leidensen had already begun to serve as a clear bridge between them and enjoyed an active role in the running of both countries. With the union came new accords in the form of military pacts pledging Leidenstad's assistance in a Mainland war, as well as new guarantees for Cryrian trade access. The sudden closeness between the two nations came with more complexities than cooperation however. Immediate issues arose as lingering disputes in the Arkian Sea now demanded resolution. The Government in Cryria expected its investments in the Queen's election to be paid, while the Volscine aristocracy remained extremely wary of any sign that Katharine's reign might merely be a ploy to cannibalize Imperial possessions. These demands were temporarily satisfied by limited concessions around fishing rights, but pressure persisted from both sides.
Similarly, questions continued to swirl around the extent to which Katharine separated her duties to Volscina and Cryria. Her decision to utilize the Cryrian Royal Guard even in her capacity as Empress became the source of some controversy, particularly as elements of the Guard now based themselves at the Ducal Barracks in Charlottesborg. The distribution of important posts to loyal figures was not an unusual move, but similarly garnered unwelcome attention as the Empress favored the Cryrian-speaking minority and electors who had supported her. Perhaps most dangerous of all was the matter of a true union between the two nations. Ironically this was an area of agreement from all parties. Katharine had made little secret of her desire to bring her two realms together, but each government held a wildly different view of what such would entail. While Volscina's elite envisioned the Kingdom or its individual duchies entering the Empire as member states of equal standing. Such a scenario would likely have seen the Kingdom completely subsumed into the larger population of Imperial estates. The Cryrians on the other hand intended to create a new dual-monarchy structure where two parallel governments would largely continue to exist with the sharing of certain institutions and a requirement for mutual agreement in matters of defense, foreign policy and economics. This would have in effect given Leidenstad's heavily centralized government a broad veto power against the numerous and more disunited Volscine states, thus turning the union into little more than a Cryrian empire. It is believed that Katharine herself privately fostered both views among their respective parties, as the prospective gains from such a merger kept each government invested in the union. Count Hans Widfross, the Cryrian Ambassador to the Empire, remarked on the situation in his private journals.{{quote|Such a happy marriage this is, where both bride and groom remain together, each in the hopes of a chance to devour the other.}}In Cryria, the personal union quickly became known as the ''Tanznozhiv'', after the Talveri Dance-of-Knives where partners take turns leading and bear ceremonial blades as a relic of the mutual mistrust that once pervaded their courts. The outbreak of the Great War soon forced these matters to be set aside.
===== The Great War =====
War papered over the divides inherent to the Tanznozhiv, but it could not erase them entirely. Cryrian entry into the war was all but guaranteed - Even in the absence of the Tanznozhiv, a Volscine defeat would have brought catastrophic economic and security consequences for the Kingdom, particularly if the southern coastline of the Arkian Sea found itself in unfriendly hands. Further, the war had quickly taken on religious connotations as Ademarist nations including Asendavia joined the Cerenerian Coalition. Within Cryria the Church played a central role in mobilizing the population in support of the conflict. Indeed, an expeditionary force was quickly dispatched to uphold the pact. However, mistrust persisted on both sides, particularly as the brunt of the fighting fell upon the Empire and its territories.
The length and intensity of the Great War far surpassed the estimations of its combatants however. Cryria enjoyed a position as an industrialized but geographically secure member of the Cerenerian Coalition with easy transport routes to several major allies. As such its economy increasingly adapted around supplying the demands of the war, a fact which later led to the Cryrian Anarchy as belligerent nations cut back their purchases at the end of the conflict. Cryrian forces partook in fronts as far away as Arcturia where the Mandate of Ellesborg conducted a successful and largely independant campaign over the next thirteen years.
Closer to home, the long war gradually began to accelerate the divides in the Tanznozhiv. Significant opposition to Katharine's reign stemmed from the country's industrial heartland, and the need to compromise with these for the sake of the war effort undermined her throne. For her part, Katharine took a hands-off approach to day-to-day military affairs focused her attentions on both coordinating her two thrones against their common enemy and spearheading diplomatic efforts to both rally the Empire behind her and bring new allies into the war. The latter saw sizable volunteer armies raised from around the continent including Älemsi and Mirhaime in order to bolster Cryrian numbers. The former was successful in maintaining her reign throughout the war, even as her efforts to make use of the crisis and centralize Imperial power along the lines of the Cryrian model inspired fresh worries about her postwar plans. Ironically, the pressures of the conflict did indeed inject a fresh sense of unity among the Imperial states, but one which served to further weaken Katharine's hand as she had thus far relied upon divisions within the Empire to retain control.
==== Abdication ====
The end of the Great War brought few gains for the significant losses suffered. In Volscina, the Imperial system had been placed under serious strain, while the conclusion of the conflict meant an end to the favorable economic and political position enjoyed by Cryria, which in turn began to see its own internal conflicts bubble up and was unable to provide the same support it once had for Katharine's regime. The hawkish and conservative members of the Imperial elite she had relied on had similarly been discredited by the brutal conflict.
In 1918, calls for the abolishment for the Imperial system which had allowed the emplacement of a foreign monarch concluded in Katharine's voluntary abdication of the throne when her support among the aristocracy finally evaporated. The Empire was soon replaced by the new Volscine Confederation. The Duchy of Charlottesborg remained the center of a diplomatic tug-of-war until 1923 when the House of Leidensen agreed to transfer its Volscine titles to Martin Reitz, Olivia's eldest son who had previously contested both Leonora's and later Katharine's claim to Charlottesborg. This handover ended all direct Cryrian involvement in Volscina and concluding the Tanznozhiv.
=== The Cryrian Anarchy ===
[[File:Karsholm Siege.jpg|thumb|The 1918 New Year's Massacre in front of Karsholm Palace]]
The immediate post-Great War era saw a rise in sporadic but deadly political violence and turmoil that was collectively termed as the Cryrian Anarchy. The name stemmed from government efforts to paint the broad opposing coalition of unions and activists as anarchists, though genuine anarchist movements existed only at the fringes. This crisis was largely fueled by poor working conditions, coupled with repressive government action against labor movements. Violence during this time included the bombing of the Ministry of Defense. The 1918 Siege of Karsholm Palace, where demonstrators blocked the Prince Charles Bridge in response to the suspected murder of imprisoned union leader Nisse Österberg and ultimately culminated in the New Years Massacre when government troops opened fire, killing dozens and wounding many more in subsequent fighting.
The Anarchy eventually subsided as the Cryrian government was gradually pressured to give in to various demands, including constitutional, electoral, and bureaucratic reforms as well as vastly improved worker protections. The domestic turmoil and general postwar malaise led to further consequences abroad. Cryrian influence in domestic Älemsi affairs disintegrated as a result of resurgent Älemsi nationalism, and outposts on Älemsi were peacefully ceded. A referendum was held in ethnically Älemsi northern Tynam on whether it was to remain Cryrian or join the new Älemsi Negdel. While both nations expected and perhaps secretly hoped for the latter outcome, long running disputes between Älemsi groups resulted in a vote to remain Cryrian. In order to rescue its remaining ties with Älemsi Negdel, the Kingdom agreed to forgive Älemsi debts to Leidenstad in exchange for an end to Älemsi claims to the islands.
== Geography, Wildlife, and Climate ==
[[File:Lielsta.jpg|thumb|Lielsta's Upper City, located on a plateau in the Cryrian Highlands]]
[[File:CryriaMap2.png|thumb|Landmasses of Cryria]]
=== Geography ===
Cryria
[[File:CryriaRegions.png|thumb|Insular Cryria (Green), Peninsular Cryria (Blue), Tynam (Red), and Czernomyk (Orange)]]
====
The Cryrian Isles consist of a total of five main islands and many smaller ones, but the central island of Älmark is by far the largest and most populated. Its coastline is filled with large fjords, bays, and peninsulas. The majority of the archipelago lies between 45° and 60° North. Much of the population lives along the jagged coasts, and the interior of the main island is filled with rivers, mountains, valleys, and forests. The main exception to this rule is the Isles' second-largest island, Talvere, which is notable for its flat and fertile lands.
The main island of Älmark has an extensive river network that runs down from the highlands. The River Leiden is particularly noteworthy despite its short length, as it runs through the capital of Leidenstad from Lake Lasi, where it meets with the island's other internal waterways. Insular Cryria hosts the majority of the nation's industry, infrastructure, and governing institutions. It has a population of roughly 32,580,000 people, about 90% of the total Cryrian population.
==== Peninsular Cryria ====
Peninsular Cryria is the Kingdom's largest territory on the Novaran mainland and lies to the east of Insular Cryria. It is largely centered on the port city of Oshombran and borders the Varentine League and Endertopias. The region consists mostly of low lying territories along the Novaran coast and the Cxolthe and Halyu peninsulas which jut out towards the islands of Grimvik and Talvere respectively. Much like Älmark, the region has a heavily forested interior with a population concentrated along the coastal plains. Peninsular Cryria enjoys an extensive river network which flows down from mountain ranges to the east. The Fosden Archipelago is also traditionally considered to be part of Peninsular Cryria, even though it has historically been politically and culturally distinct. Peninsular Cryria is home to a population of around 2,660,000 people.
==== Tynam ====
[[File:Tynam.png|thumb|The northern city of Tynam]]
Tynam is a detatched portion of the Kingdom located in the Rotantic Circle. It consists of the Tynam Peninsula that sticks out of the mainland, and the Tynam Archipelago that runs north of it. It shares a land border with the Kelami League to the south, and maritime boundaries with Älemsi Negdel to the east. The Tynam Straits offer an important route for shipping across northern Novaris. The Tynam Peninsula receives rivers from large mountains to its south, and coastal settlements such as Tynam and Chauşam contain most of the 720,000 strong Tynami population. Its northwest contains the Siggeholm and Obelva island chains, which largely lack a permanent population.
==== Czernomyk ====
Czernomyk is the smallest of Cryria's four geographic regions. It consists of a single island chain in the Labarge Sea, just off the coast of Viratia. The six islands of Czernomyk contain a total permanent population of 240,000 people. Due to its proximity to the Novaran mainland and its pleasant weather, Czernomyk is a major hub for Cryrian tourism, and many retirees flock there. It is also among the most cosmopolitan regions of Cryria, with Norvian regularly spoken alongside Cryrian and an extant local Talveri dialect. [[File:Kankaanvesi2.png|thumb|The Kankaanvesi Forest]]
=== Flora ===
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A number of notable species on the Isles, including snow tigers, the Cryrian Bear, and the Cryrian Bison, saw themselves become increasingly endangered throughout the 19th and 20th centuries as they suffered from hunting and habitat loss. Recently, strong state protections have seen their numbers begin to rise again. Cryrian waters are home to valuable fisheries as well as whale migration routes. Whaling historically played an important role in Cryrian culture, though many species are now protected.
== Government and Politics ==
The Government is headquartered at Karsholm Palace, located on an islet within the city of Leidenstad. The Riksdag meets at the Palace of Glass, thus named for the many windows installed in a literal display of transparency for the people. There are several royal residences around the nation, but the primary one is Tvillingblom Palace, located outside the city and beneath [[Leidenstad Castle]].
=== Parliament ===
[[File:Karsholm.jpg|thumb|Karsholm Palace during the Winter of 2020]]
Cryria is a constitutional monarchy with Queen Ulrika II as its head of state. While both the monarchy and the aristocracy retain significant powers and influence, much of the day-to-day affairs of state are handled by the Prime Minister. The Riksdag serves as a bicameral parliament, with the Upper Chamber, the Första Kammaren, controlled by members of the
Historically, the Första Kammaren has held a legislative position equal to that of the Andra Kammaren, but both convention and constitutional reform has reduced its powers in keeping with the democratization of the Cryrian Kingdom. Today, the body retains the power to initiate hearings and parliamentary investigations and to introduce legislation. Legislation passed through the Första Kammaren must also pass the Andra Kammaren. Conversely, the Första Kammaren may review bills from the lower chamber, but cannot reject money bills, nor delay them for more than a month. In other cases, a rejected bill from the Första Kammaren can still be presented for Royal Assent with two-thirds support by the Andra Kammaren. Non-monetary bills can also be delayed for up to a year by the Första Kammaren, a practice which has at times caused considerable controversy. The Första Kammaren has no control over the tenure of the Prime Minister or the Government, and no Prime Minister has been drawn from the chamber since the 20th century.
=== Monarchy ===
The Monarch serves as the formal head of state, head of church, and commander in chief of Cryria. The position has historically held absolute power and remained a potent executive even through its waning days, but has been increasingly constrained since the 19th-century. Today, the Monarch typically only makes public appearances at specific formal events and remains a distant figure in daily life and politics. The Throne retains considerable powers even after the Constitution of 1929, however in practice the most significant of these cannot be exercised without the approval or advice of the Prime Minister, Riksdag, or other relevant institutions. These include the ability to:
* Summon, dissolve, or prorogue the Riksdag
* Reject or confirm the appointment of Prime Ministers, Cabinet members, judges, prosecutors, and other officials
* [[File:Regalia.png|thumb|Queen Ulrika II, portraited wearing traditional royal regalia]]Provide or withhold Royal Consent for legislation and treaties
* Serve as the Commander-in-Chief of the Cryrian Defense Forces
* Declare war and peace when provided with a supporting vote by the Riksdag
* Declare or end states of emergency
* Provide Royal Charters for corporations
While in practice a Monarch cannot be involved in every aspect of government even in a perfunctory sense, official actions and decisions are typically made in the name of the Drifting Throne. Government documents and citizenships are also issued under the Throne's authority. All currency is minted bearing the image of the sitting Monarch, and oaths of allegiance are made out to the Drifting Throne. The Throne also enjoys several powers which it can exercise with a greater degree of discretion, though even these are usually only used sparingly and with the approval of the Household Ministry. They include the right to:
* Introduce legislation and propose appointments to the Riksdag, observe sessions, and speak before either chamber
* Make or end appointments to the Första Kammaren, but only for designated Titled and Personal Seats
* Grant honors and titles
* Grant Royal Pardons or ''Nolle prosequi''
The most significant and independently exercised power belonging to the Monarchy is known as the Right to be Informed. Through this, the Crown effectively has the right to access any government information and to hold its own inquiries, which must be answered to under threat of perjury. Crucially, however, the Government is rarely required to go out of its way to provide information that is not specifically requested, save for instances where it is deemed necessary for the Crown to perform its core duties. A sitting Cryrian Monarch also enjoys full immunity from all prosecution, something which once extended across the Royal Family until the 1929 Constitution.
[[File:Drifting Throne.png|thumb|Ornamentation and Pedestal for the Drifting Throne]]
A Cryrian Monarch also serves as the official head of the Cryrian Church and can appoint Cardinals and other figures. This is however a largely figurehead role, and in practice the Council of Cardinals handles the day-to-day governance of the Church.
The royal family also owns the vast Crown Estates, the largest collection of lands and holdings in the Kingdom. The Estates range from various urban properties to agricultural lands, forests, waterways, and various other holdings. The management of these estates and their incomes have been voluntarily handed over to the Government for the benefit of the Kingdom, however. Beyond the Crown Estates, the main line of the royal family is thought to own some thirty to sixty billion dollars worth of assets and investments, and receives annual discretionary funding from a five CKR-per-person head tax levied across all citizens and residents of Cryria and Ellesborg, save for specific exemptions.
The current monarch is styled Ulrika the Second, Queen of all Cryria by the Grace and Blood of Ademar, Duchess of Vesterholm, Talvere, Karlin, and Leidenstad, Defender of the Faith, Lady Patron of Ellesborg and Fosden. The title of Duke of Lindesgaard has traditionally been delegated to the heir to the throne, often as a sign of confidence by a sitting monarch as Lindesgaard protects the vital straits leading to the Cryrian heartland.
=== Nobility ===
The Cryrian nobility encompasses both hereditary peers and anointed knights. The Kingdom's aristocracy has played a fundamental role throughout its history, but has seen its official powers vastly curtailed. The Absolute Era effectively ended the existence of semi-independent fiefdoms and private armies which had previously defined the Kingdom. Reforms in 1929 further reduced the power the aristocracy could wield inside the Riksdag and many of the social attachments around the nobility such as required forms of address soon fell out of use as well. Although the old divisions of Duchies and Marches and Free Cities still technically exist, they no longer hold any meaning in governance and are instead little more than regional boundaries.
Even so the nobility continues to be a recognized class in Cryria, and has at times been criticized for maintaining a ''de facto'' caste system through a combination of inherited wealth and political connections. Indeed, over a third of land in Cryria is still thought to be owned by the aristocracy, often as parts of centuries-old holdings. Powerful [[Egendom|Egendomar]] also often are held by aristocratic families. The Drifting Throne has the sole authority in both making and unmaking members of the nobility and in granting or withdrawing seats in the Första Kammaren.
The nobility can be divided into four groups - The High Nobility, Count and Countesses, Barons and Baronesses, and Knights of the Realm. Some titles also exist outside this categorization. For example, King Albert bestowed the title of Lord Protector of the Realm on his common-born Prime Minister Rikard Östberg, reportedly after noting the disrespect Östberg faced from powerful aristocrats within the Riksdag. This action effectively forced other aristocrats to address Östberg as an equal in terms of rank, and the practice of granting Prime Ministers the title of Lord Protector for the duration of their terms continues to this day.
==== High Nobility ====
[[File:Saga Tynam.jpg|thumb|Duchess Saga of Tynam]]
The so-called High Nobility encompasses the most powerful aristocratic families of Cryria that historically held sway over large swathes of the Kingdom. While these were at times very nearly monarchs in their own right, the uppermost levels of Cryrian nobility were thus also the ones who received the greatest degree of scrutiny and interference from the Monarchy. This policy was explicitly described by the Duke Gösta of Tynam after the Sorrows:{{quote|To be the second most powerful man in Cryria is to at once be the most dangerous and the most endangered.}}As such it is no accident that the category of High Nobility saw a high degree of turnover throughout Cryrian history as its occupants were often deliberately kept impermanent. As the House of Leidensen's power centralized many of these titles were either gathered into the Royal Family or simply fell out of use.
The High Nobility consisted of both Ducal and Marcher Houses. Of the seven Ducal titles in the Kingdom, four(Karlin, Leidenstad, Vesterholm, and Talvere) are now held by the occupant of the Drifting Throne. A fifth - the Duke of Lindesgaard - Is a title traditionally granted to the Crown Prince or Princess. Titles to the Duchies of Storlund and Tynam are both held by the House of Tynam which largely survived due to its comparative distance from the center of power.
Cryria also has three regions designated as Marches - Aisis, Lielsta, and Oshombran. These were historically frontier areas with high degrees of continuous instability and warfare. The title of Margrave was more akin to an appointed general with the right to rule over, call upon, and command the nobility of a given region. The title was not an inherited one, though a single prominent family might see several generations receive the same title over time. The appointment of Margraves ended during the Absolute Era as professional standing armies become more effective and prevalent. This effectively leaves the House of Tynam as the last family to fall within the category of the High Nobility, as the House of Leidensen is typically not counted.
==== Counts and Countesses ====
[[File:Widfross.jpg|thumb|Count Rikard Widfross of Skaudvis]]
Below the High Nobility are Counts and Countesses. Many of these were families raised through the Honningfjord System where the leaders of settler groups on Älmark were granted titles over swathes of territory as encouragement and reward. These Counties formed the backbone of the aristocracy and after the Constitution of 1865 were also used as electoral subdivisions. After the Constitution of 1929 however, electoral and administrative boundaries were redrawn in order to end the oligarchic system that had previously developed. The new divisions were still called Counties, but their borders bear little resemblance to their original form and are now based on population size and administrative convenience rather than historic landholdings. Due to their combination of numbers, power, and relative independence, Counts and Countesses have arguably been the most influential level of the nobility. Today there are 102 recognized houses at this level with seats in the Första Kammaren.
==== Barons and Baronesses ====
[[File:Reitz.png|thumb|Baroness Helena of Reitz]]
The lowest tier of hereditary nobility in Cryria consist of Baronial families. These were aristocratic families who lacked the independent governing authority of the higher levels of nobility, but were still considered to be highborn and could often achieve significant positions within various courts - Particularly as their lack of an independent powerbase made them more reliable for their superiors. Today there are some 270 recognized Baronial houses with seats in the Första Kammaren.
==== Knights ====
Knights in Cryria are also considered to be part of the nobility. This rank cannot be inherited, and Cryrian Knights are unique in terms of the function they historically served within the Kingdom. Knighthoods in Cryria can only be granted by the Drifting Throne, and today are typically only given as rewards for high service. Historically, although anointed Knights were on their own the lowest category of the nobility, some simultaneously held higher ranks as well. Rather than merely a professional warrior as was the case elsewhere, Cryrian Knights were considered to be the personal representatives of the Drifting Throne and were just as often used as commanders, diplomats, and couriers. They later formed the backbone of the early Civil Service. As such, Knights often held a great deal of authority that exceeded their official rank. Today there are only eight anointed Knights in Cryria, all of which have seats in the Första Kammaren.
=== Political Parties ===
{| class="wikitable"
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|}
===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Portfolio
!Minister
!Took Office
!Party
|-
! colspan="4" |'''Prime Minister's Office'''
|-
|Prime Minister
|Stur Lundberg
|9/21/2020
|Cryrian Social Democratic Party
|-
|Deputy Prime Minister
|
|
|
|-
|Minister for Local Government Affairs
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="4" |Ministry of Justice
|-
|Minister for Justice
|
|
|
|-
|Minister of the Interior
|Walter Forsberg
|9/21/2020
|Cryrian Social Democratic Party
|-
|Minister for Immigration
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="4" |Ministry of Foreign Affairs
|-
|Minister for Foreign Affairs
|Erland Maravel
|6/3/2010
|Cryrian Conservative Party
|-
|Minister for Trade
|
|
|
|-
|Minister for International Development
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="4" |Ministry of Defense
|-
|Minister for Defense
|Majken Tornquist
|9/21/2020
|Cryrian Social Democratic Party
|-
! colspan="4" |Ministry of Health and Public Welfare
|-
|Minister for Health and Public Welfare
|
|
|
|-
|Minister for Emergency Situations
|
|
|
|-
|Minister for Housing
|
|
|
|-
|Minister for Family Affairs
|
|
|
|-
|Minister for Social Security
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="4" |Ministry of Finance
|-
|Minister for Finance
|
|
|
|-
|Minister for Financial Markets
|
|
|
|-
|Minister for Consumer Affairs
|
|
|
|-
|Minister for Revenues
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="4" |Ministry of Science and Education
|-
|Minister for Science and Education
|
|
|
|-
|Minister for Schools
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="4" |Ministry of the Environment
|-
|Minister for the Environment
|
|
|
|-
|Minister for the Climate
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="4" |Ministry of Industry
|-
|Minister for Industry
|
|
|
|-
|Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries
|
|
|
|-
|Minister for Labor Affairs
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="4" |Ministry of Culture
|-
|Minister for Culture
|
|
|
|-
|Minister for Tourism
|
|
|
|-
|Minister for Sports
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="4" |Ministry of Infrastructure
|-
|Minister for Infrastructure
|
|
|
|-
|Minister for Energy
|
|
|
|-
|Minister for Communications
|
|
|
|-
|Minister for Transportation
|
|
|
|-
|Minister for Space Policy
|
|
|
|}
=== Foreign Policy ===
Cryria's foreign policy is handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, presently headed by Erland Maravel, the Count of Grimvik. This is not unusual, as the Foreign Ministry has a long history of being dominated by aristocratic families.
The country has operated on the uncodified principle of military non-alignment since the Great War and has thus distanced itself from many of the wider conflicts on Urth. It does however remain a significant arms exporter and has most notably supplied the [[Serramal|Republic of Serramal]], Älemsi Negdel, and Aikthudr'zur. Cryrian relations with its former Älemsi and Aikkian vassals have often been complicated. The former has historically been plagued by the Northern Waters Dispute, whose resolution in 2003 has paved the way for a closer ties. Mutual CAC membership and concerns over the conflict in [[Ymirland]] have served to forge a strong modern relationship between Leidenstad and Amrakh Gazarv. Cryria also remains an important economic partner for Aikthudr'zur, and its relationship with Highdrilian has similarly improved following the return of the Three Swords in 2020.
The Kingdom also has warm economic and cultural relations with most of its immediate neighbors, including Volscina, Varletia, the Varentine League, and [[Endertopias]]. Its ties on the Mainland have further expanded to include trade relationships with [[Antora]]. Further ties with [[Mexregiona]] are maintained through both nations' membership in the [[Rotantic Congress]] and the [[Conference for Amity and Cooperation]]. Relations with syndicalist and communist powers on the Mainland have been more strained, with significant economic conflicts with [[Katyunon]], [[Durakia]], and [[Ekvatora]]. Cryria has also played a key role in facilitating a final peace accord between [[Astela]] and [[Celanora]], and it remains one of the few nations to maintain any sort of relationship with Altarme. Astelan laborers are known to find work in various Cryrian industries.
Cryria also enjoys close ties with Yasteria due to both its historic roots and its close proximity to the continent. Asendavia remains one of Cryria's most important economic partners. Instability on the Novaran mainland have encouraged an expansion of relationships with Yasteria, including the development of new ties with [[Packilvania]]. Today, Cryria is a member of the [[Commercial Cooperation Partnership]] with the Sultanate.
Cryria further maintains a condominium with the [[Union of Free Cities]] in Arcturia in the form of the [[Ellesborg|Crown Mandate of Ellesborg]], and holds a seat on the Mandate Directory Council. Multilateral international cooperation has always been an important part of Cryrian foreign policy, and the Kingdom is a member of the [[League of Novaris]] after joining in 2020 and was a founder of the [[International Forum]]. More historically, the nation also took part in the [[Common Era calendar]] conference.
The Kingdom also has a considerable history as a foreign aid provider, most recently having pledged monetary assistance for the Novaris Reconstruction Fund as well as medical aid for the GHSO mission in Southwest Gondwana. This has not been without controversy, however, and the Royal International Development Agency has recently suffered notable scandals with regards to its funds being used for bribery in Serramal. Cryria provided aid to [[Nystatiszna]] in the aftermath of the [[2021 Aduraszna quake and tsunami|2021 tsunami]], and has also pledged large quantities of vaccines for [[Kæra'zna|Kaera'zna]]. Both decisions took place in tandem with deepening ties between Leidenstad and Borea, with growing Cryrian investments into the Nystatinne whale tourism industry and the continued issuance of guest worker visas to Nystatinne citizens.
Cryrian ties with [[Tavaris]] have also expanded as the Tavari Kingdom continued to integrate into Novaris, particularly in the aftermath of its peacekeeping mission in Cavellan. These ties were expected to be marked in a formal state visit by the Cryrian monarch in 2022. Deepening political divides in Tavaris due to the ongoing Acronist secession referendum resulted in a cancellation of the visit, however.
The twenty-first century has brought forward mounting challenges to the Kingdom's foreign policy doctrine, with difficulties caused by the [[Arkian Civil War|Volscine Civil War]] leaving behind lingering questions about the nation's ability to continue avoiding the conflicts on the mainland.
===Military===
The three main branches of the [[Cryrian Defense Forces]](Historically and commonly known simply as "The Defense") are the Cryrian Army, the Royal Cryrian Air Force, and the Royal Cryrian Navy. The Cryrian Military is heavily supported by domestic industry.
[[File:Gripen.jpg|thumb|The indigenously produced Örn JAS 39 Gripen is widely symbolic of Cryrian military and industrial capability]]
Due to Cryria's relatively small population and tendency to avoid joining larger power blocs, the nation has historically used a combination of well-trained professional soldiers alongside widespread conscription to boost its numbers in wartime and gain access to specialized skill sets among the civilian population. Most Cryrian men and women, barring various exemptions and alternative service options, are drafted at the age of 18 and serve for two to three years before being cycled back out into the reserves. Reservists are liable for up to 30 days of service a year during peacetime, theoretically as late as age 40, or 50 in the case of commissioned officers. Those who have served at least 20 days in a three-year span are considered to be a part of the Active Reserves. The concept of National Service in general remains popular in Cryria, and it is seen as a uniting force within the nation. However, younger generations increasingly look to alternatives to conscription to fulfill the National Service requirement, and the Cryrian military itself has steadily expanded its use of professional forces. Today, roughly half of active-duty personnel are conscripts, while conscripts make up about 80% of the overall defense structure when considering the reservist system. The lower ranks of the Army contain the highest proportion of conscripts, while the Air Force and Navy have the highest proportion of professional servicepeople. Conscription, and National Service continue to play an important role in the nation's Total Defense doctrine, which seeks to build societal resolve and cohesion to counter hybrid threats that go beyond the military sphere.
The Cryrian Military presently has a total of 306,000 active soldiers and 800,000 active reservists, with another 800,000 inactives. The development of this force has been heavily influenced by Article 6 of the Cryrian Constitution, which prohibits the deployment of Cryrian conscripts outside of Cryrian soil. As such, the Cryrian military emphasizes the defensive and deterrence aspects of its missions, and Cryrian doctrines are heavily focused on fighting conventional but asymmetric wars to preserve Cryrian independence against potentially more powerful aggressors. This stance has been heavily influenced by the unstable politics of Novaris. Built-in redundancies, extensive maskirovka, and hardened bases and shelters to preserve military assets are a common theme, and the civilian sphere is touched by this as well - for instance, the national highway network is built to act as backup runways for the air force. The Novaran Cold War had similarly led the Kingdom to establish an extensive network of fallout shelters, through both building regulations and the hardening of government facilities. Today, this civil defense network is theoretically capable of sheltering 55% of the Cryrian population. Article 6 has also led the Cryrian government to hire foreign soldiers for expeditionary purposes. These units contain Cryrian citizens in leadership positions but are typically made up of non-citizen soldiers.
The most famous of these groups form the Cryrian Foreign Legion, a division strength unit that makes use of both professional Cryrian officers and non-citizen troops. The Foreign Legion is known for containing large numbers of Ethalrians and Ethalrian-descended soldiers as well as people of Älemsi, Serramali, and Zapolese descent. It has been enshrined in popular culture as an effective but sometimes disreputable unit that asks few questions about a soldier's past and offers a clean slate to all. The Legion’s notoriety is further heightened by its high esprit de corps and long history, as well as its guardianship of the Island of Trauer, which guards the way into the Cryrian heartland. The Foreign Legion offers full military benefits and pathways to citizenship either upon completing a period of good service or upon being injured in service to the Kingdom.
Due to extensive investment in civilian nuclear energy and expertise and access to the necessary materials, Cryria has developed a policy of nuclear latency. Suggestions that the Kingdom has assembled weapons of mass destruction are denied.
===Crime and Law Enforcement===
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==Economy==
The Cryrian economy boasts a GDP of
The Cryrian government operates the Royal Investment Authority, a large sovereign wealth fund fueled by excess natural resource revenues. The RIA’s secretive nature makes it difficult to determine its exact investments, though it is thought to have built up over 1.3 trillion SHD in assets over its history.
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=== Transport ===
[[File:Leidenstad Station.jpg|thumb|Leidenstad Central Station, the primary railway hub in the capital city]]
The most important component of the public transit system is the National Ferry Service, which effectively links the archipelagic nation together. As of present, there are no direct bridges or tunnels which link the different islands of the nation to each other, and instead, a sophisticated boat network operated by the Ministry of Transportation provides quick and easy transit around the Kingdom.
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=== Science and technology ===
18th century industrialization brought with it a scientific revolution. In modern Cryria, the traditional engineering industry remains an important source of new developments, but pharmaceuticals, electronics, and various high-tech industries have gained considerable ground. Honningfjord's "Cryptic Circle" has become home to rapidly growing blockchain-based enterprises, fueled by a supportive regulatory environment and strong financial and tech sectors in the country. The industry, which consists of mostly small enterprises, employs around 5,000 Cryrians across some 900 companies and has an estimated total value of over 200 billion SHD.
Cryria is an important player in both space technology and polar research, and important government organizations in this field include the [[Royal Cryrian Space Agency]] and the [[Royal Institute for Sempiternic Expeditions]].
=== Agriculture, Fishery, and Forestry ===
==== Fishing ====
The fishing industry has been important throughout the Kingdom's history and benefits immensely from the nation's long coastlines, large EEZ, and extensive waterways. Today the industry employs roughly 250,000 Cryrians and foreign workers, and its catches are used for both direct human consumption as well as industrial products such as fish meal and fish oil. Beyond traditional fishing, aquaculture provides roughly forty percent of the industry's total yearly harvest, which comes up to over 5,600,000 tons - One of the largest in the world. The industry's output is estimated to have a value of over 18 billion SHD in 2022. The Kingdom operates a total fishing fleet of nearly 1.3 million tons, which includes a sizable distant water fleet. The Cryrian fishing industry further benefits from heavy Government subsidies for infrastructure and research and development as well as diplomatic efforts to secure fishing access agreements abroad.
The Cryrian fishing industry has gradually consolidated into a handful of corporate entities, leading to a fairly integrated system that has helped keep it competitive. The Kingdom remains an important center for processing catches for instance, and a high degree of mechanization has further improved its capabilties. While much of the harvest is exported, seafood plays an important role in Cryrian diets. The nation is well known for its pickled herring, and caviar is a traditional Cryrian delicacy which makes its sturgeon catch particularly sought after and lucrative.
While fishing activities are common across the Kingdom's extensive waterways, the Rotantic fishing industry is particularly notable. Based out of ports such as Karlin, Grimvik, Cxolthe, and Tuigar, it represents a particularly difficult and dangerous occupation. The Rontatic fisheries are well known for utilizing Nystatinne guest workers who are often already experienced in Rotantic navigation and are both cheap to hire and do not benefit from many regular worker protections. Despite these cost advantages, Tynam has also recently begun to establish itself as a hub for the Rotantic fishing industry. Most of the smaller fishing operations in the Duchy retain their traditional family-crewed models as opposed to using guest workers, something which has protected them from recent political and reputational controversies that have impacted their competitors. Additionally, offshore drilling activities have been known to cause disruptions in Rotantic waters near Insular and Peninsular Cryria, while Tynami fisheries are rarely impacted by these operations. Tynam has also recently benefitted from the resolution of maritime disputes with Älemsi Negdel. Though fishing rights in certain areas were opened up for Älemsi trawlers, the agreement also finally ended the harassment of Tynami fishing vessels by the Zavital Autonomous Militia and its frequent standoffs with the RCRN.
The Kingdom's many bays, fjords, and inlets are similarly home to important fisheries. Here too, the industry has been impacted by various forms of environmental damage such as pollution from agricultural runoff and other industrial activities. The industry itself is also often controversial due to its own environmental impacts. The Cryrian fishing industry has repeatedly been found to lag behind other sectors in terms of sapient rights, and its treatment of foreign workers in the Rotantic and on the distant water fleet has come under increasing scrutiny. Though the Kingdom's whaling traditions are in decline, over two thousand whales are also still hunted every year.
===Energy ===
The Kingdom as historically also enjoyed large coal reserves which fueled its industrialization. The importance of coal as an export and an energy provider has declined precipitously throughout the 20th century. The country continues to operate a number of deep pit and opencast mines in the Cryrian Highlands and extracts some 15 million tonnes annually. This production is used primarily for steel-making, fertilizers, chemicals, plastics, medicines and road surfaces, as coal has been entirely phased out as a means of energy production. Open questions about the future of global demand for oil as an energy source have also led the Cryrian oil industry to invest in other products, primarily plastics.
Domestically the Kingdom has increasingly begun to move towards more sustainable forms of energy, with considerable government investments in renewables. The country is well suited for the implementation of hydropower, due to its many fjords and rivers. Nuclear power also plays a major role and has been closely entwined with the [[Cryria and Weapons of Mass Destruction|nation's military program]]. Wind and wave power have also begun to play larger roles in the Cryrian energy market. The country also makes heavy use of biofuels, driven by its large forestry sector. Biofuels especially play a large role in the lives of everyday citizens, with all fuel stations offering it as an option and flexible fuel vehicles being quite common. It is the stated aim of the Cryrian government to fully transition to fossil-fuel-free traffic by 2030.
=== Unionization ===
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The Confederations continue to describe themselves as champions of progressive causes within the Kingdom, but as they have grown to encompass a wide range of groups and industries, the votes of their member base can vary wildly. This has generally prevented them from issuing overt political endorsements. A notable exception to this rule was in the 2020 Cryrian elections, when all the Confederations save the CPC endorsed the Social Democrats in order to halt further anti-union policies. This action was considered to be a significant factor in the SD victory that ended almost 20 years of Conservative-led Government.
=== National Pension ===
Cryria's National Pension System is housed under the Ministry for Social Security and provides benefits and economic security for retirees and the disabled. The NPS remains one of the Government's largest expenditures and is funded primarily through payroll taxes that are paid by all employers and working individuals. Citizens aged 67 and older who have paid at least 40 years of Cryrian social insurance taxes are automatically eligible to receive a full pension payment, while individuals who have paid for fewer years received reduced amounts. Additionally, citizens who suffer from severe injuries or disabilities may also be eligible for payments along with their caretakers. Orphans under the age of 18 can also inherit their parents' pension payments until they reach majority. Separate schedules are maintained for long-lived nonhuman populations such as elves. There have also been several legislative attempts to further expand eligibility by allowing surviving spouses to similarly inherit pension payments or to remove the requirement that pension payments be offset by any continued income an individual earns, but these have failed to gain traction.
Pension payouts are made monthly and for most recipients are calculated based on the total number of years an individual has paid Cryrian social insurance taxes. For most Cryrian retirees, the National Pension payment represents a significant amount capable of sustaining a basic livelihood, but it is typically further supplemented by employer sponsored plans and personal tax advantaged retirement accounts. National Pension payments have been forced to rise to match climbing costs of living within the Kingdom, and even so Cryrian retirees have increasingly chosen to settle in rural parts of Älmark for its lower costs. As Cryrian pensions are paid out on a fixed even if a given citizen departs the country, it has also become popular to retire abroad where spending power is greater.
==Demographics ==
[[File:Triangle.png|thumb|The Leidenstad-Vesterholm-Talvere Triangle, home to roughy fifty-percent of the Cryrian population]]
Much of Cryria consists of the descendants of ethnically Asendavian migrants and local human populations, however, the nation has seen subsequent waves of migration, particularly from the Zapolese population in the Mandate of Ellesborg and Ethalrian immigrants who arrived after that nation's collapse. Cryria remains almost entirely populated by humans in the present day, with elves and nekomimi existing as small and historically marginalized communities making up 1% and 0.6% of the population respectively. The Braiorvitl District in Lielsta is the largest of the so-called Minority Districts in the country, and home to much of the elven population. Similar minority-dominated areas include the Ethalrian neighborhoods in Tarva, the Volscine areas in Valngi, and the Serramal and Zapolese districts in Leidenstad, though these are often far better integrated and more widely accepted. Furthermore, approximately half the population of the Duchy of Tynam is of Älemsi descent, and the Tynami Archipelago is primarily settled by the Ay ethnic group.
Most of the Cryrian population is concentrated along the coasts or in fertile river valleys further inland.
===Language===
The official language of Cryria is Cryrian, an Asendavian offshoot that remains mutually intelligible with other Asendavian dialects despite heavy influences from the native human languages previously spoken in
Cryria has historically witnessed several government-sponsored linguicides. Up until the Albertine Era, the Kingdom was also home to numerous Cryrian, Talveri, Vesterholmi, Lindesgaarder, Vydhaszi, and elven dialects. Albertine visions of a Cryrian state and national identity demanded the adoption of a single standard Cryrian language, and the development of a common education system was used to enforce this. Language restrictions became a central component to the state repression of various minority and nonhuman communities, although some peripheral regions such as Tynam and Czernomyk largely escaped enforcement. Legacies of this system persist today, as the Kingdom does not provide any official recognition to languages other than Cryrian, and municipalities are prevented from using any local languages on official paperwork or to conduct government business.
===Religion===
==== Ademarism ====
The Cryrian Church of Ademar serves as the nation's primary and official religion, with roughly 70% of Cryrians considering themselves to be practicing members. The Cryrian Church is formally headed by the Monarch, and certain members of the clergy are given seats on the Första Kammaren and other privileges' as if they were equal to the nobility. This has allowed the Church to retain a measure of its historical political power in modern Cryria, which it has most notably used to oppose euthanasia and the official recognition of same-sex couples, and the institution has generally served as a bastion of social conservativism.
==== Other Religions ====
The Cryrian constitution guarantees freedom of religion, and other religions are practiced on a smaller scale. However, the Cryrian Church continues to enjoy several privileges over other religions within the Kingdom, including a tax exempt status, Upper Chamber seats, and various forms of indirect government funding and support. Additionally, particularly organized foreign religious institutions such as the [[Akronism|Church of Akrona]] face numerous bureaucratic hurdles within the Kingdom.
[[Akuanism]] was first brought to the Isles in the 20th century by [[Borea|Borean]] guest workers. The expansion of guest worker programs has resulted in the establishment of two permanent shrines, one in Leidenstad and another in the town of Grimvik.
Älemsi Shamanism is practiced by Ay peoples in northern Tynam, and has around
==== Pre-Conquest ====
===== Mlythlaism =====
[[File:Ezethla2.jpg|thumb|Statue of Ezethla in Valngi]]
Before the Cryrian Conquests, Talvere was a primary economic and cultural hub in the Isles, with a religion that spread to Lindesgaard, Vesterholm, and even saw some elements absorbed by the ancient Cryrians. The Talveri pantheon was centered upon the goddess Mlythla, represented by a triskelion and said to exist simultaneously as three separate entities incorporating the cycle of life as the Talveri understood it - the Ezethla, Mhuilka, and Cxouxa.
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Mlythlaism provided a powerful backdrop for disability rights movements in the Kingdom, and is considered to be an underlying factor for why Cryrian eugenics movements did not typically target the physically disabled in the way that foreign equivalents did. In modern times, Mlythla's Triskelion has become adopted by some environmentalist groups. Mlylthaist symbology remains present in other parts of life, for instance, many universities and libraries have wings named after Ezethla, and hospitals often reference Mhuilka. Various pieces of art, music, and literature continue to draw elements from Mlythlaism as well, in keeping with Talvere's influence as an artistic center in Cryria.
===== The God-in-Flesh =====
The oldest recorded organized religion on the Cryrian Isles was established by the Vhydaszi, who worshipped an entity referred to as the God-in-Flesh. Most manuscripts on the topic were destroyed by the inquisitions after the Fall of Aisis, but it is generally understood that the Vhydaszi believed that the Urth was in fact the corpse of a dead deity, and that all mortal life was ''"As maggots feasting upon the flesh of divinity."'' In Vhydaszi creation myth, the consumption of this fallen god is what gave sapient life its intelligence, and that as such all sapients bore within them a small piece of the deity. In dying and returning to the Urth, that piece was returned, and upon the death of all life the God-in-Flesh would awaken anew. Whether the Vhydaszi saw this as a desirable outcome or merely an inevitable one remains a topic of debate. The Vhydaszi practice of sapient sacrifices is often pointed to as a form of worship to renew the God-in-Flesh, but most Vhydaszi rituals are poorly understood, and the practice of sacrifice in particular has often been heavily propagandized by Cryrian-written primary sources. Similarly, the religion's association with ritual cannibalism is also believed to be heavily overstated by modern academics.
The worship of the God-in-Flesh is thought to have been a dominant factor in Vhydaszi society and political life. Vhydasz is known to have been largely governed by its powerful priesthood, and temples were synonymous with seats of power. Vhydaszi priests also played the roles of scholars and perhaps most importantly navigators and cartographers. The maps made by Vhydasz were highly sought after by those who would traverse the Northern Way, and these same maps would become a guiding force behind Cryrian expansion after the Fall of Aisis.
===Health===
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=== Education===
Children aged 1-5 years old are guaranteed a place in a public kindergarten. Between ages 6-18, children attend comprehensive school which is compulsory outside of certain, limited exceptions. After completion, many students continue on to a university, which is often seen as necessary to beginning a career and also offers a way to defer or reduce National Service requirements for certain academic pursuits. The school system, from beginning to end, is largely funded by taxes and non-university institutions are almost entirely state run, outside of certain specialized schools.
The Cryrian university system consists of both government-run and private institutions, though nearly all higher education in the country receives significant government funding either through research grants or other subsidies. Limited tuition and other fees may be charged, but these must often be capped in order to retain access to government funding. The three oldest and most prestigious universities in Cryria are the Universities of Leidenstad, Vesterholm, and Talvere respectively.
==Culture ==
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===Media===
The government funded Cryrian News Network is the largest and oldest media network in Cryria, and operates over radio, television, and most recently internet.
=== Vihreäätaidetta ===
[[File:Peacock.jpg|thumb|Vihreäätaidetta at the Marching Gardens of Oshombran|150x150px]]
[[File:Boat2.png|left|thumb|150x150px|Vihreäätaidetta at the Queen Evelina Gardens]]
[[File:Octopus.jpg|left|thumb|150x150px|Vihreäätaidetta at the King Magnus Gardens]]
Vihreäätaidetta is a common Cryrian gardening tradition. Literally translated as "Green Art" from ancient Talveri, the practice trades its roots back to the Oshombrani Peninsula where it was first used as a form of Mlylthlaist worship. Vihreäätaidetta consists of complex and carefully sculpted topiaries, typically using perennial evergreens. In its most basic forms, Vihreäätaidetta is shaped into geometric maze-like patterns that incorporate the symbols of Mhuilka, the Mlythlaist aspect of life and fertility. The practice expanded into an art form in its own right. Talveri palaces hosted intricate topiaries depicting animals, mythological creatures, and humans. Royal Gardeners held an important and prestigious position within palace hierarchy which included both religious and artistic duties.
[[File:Valngi Water Gardens.jpg|thumb|150x150px|Vihreäätaidetta at the Valngi Water Gardens]]
The arriving Cryrians adopted this practice from the Talveri. Cryrian nobility frequently intermarried with their local counterparts and Talveri art and artists were highly sought after. Under Cryrian influences, Vihreäätaidetta moved away from its original roots in order to depict imagery from both Cryrian legend and everyday life. Cryrian aristocrats often commissioned skilled craftspeople to construct and maintain gardens that reflected their households' rank and deeds.
[[File:Cobra Topiary.png|thumb|193x193px|Vihreäätaidetta at Tvillingblom Palace]]
Conflicts within the Kingdom saw the burning of many Talveri religious gardens and the destruction of their frameworks by the Cryrian Church in what became known as the Cinder Inquisition. Despite this, Vihreäätaidetta persists as an important artistic style in modern Cryria. The Order of Royal Gardeners is now a part of the Household Ministry, and continues to maintain gardens on royal premises. The Order is considered to be the official authority on the art form and also runs a number of public competitions and ceremonies for artists. It's website states that:{{quote|Vihreäätaidetta is first and foremost a form of sustained storytelling where scenes from myth and mortality are metaphorically and literally given new life through the artist's creations. The maintenance of a project is itself a continuation of that story.}}Vihreäätaidetta has also become an increasingly common part of public spaces in Cryria, particularly as formerly private gardens are opened to visitors. The Marching Gardens of Oshombran are considered to be the most important surviving example of Vihreäätaidetta and were first opened in 1893.
=== Whaling ===
[[File:Tidvattnets Dam.jpg|thumb|Postage stamp depicting the Tidvattnets Dam, a national personification of Cryria and a symbol of its seafaring traditions]]
Whale hunting has been an important part of Cryrian culture for centuries, dating back to before the Conquest itself. Many Cryrian sagas depict whale hunts as both a means of sustenance and a demonstration of a clan's prowess. Early whaling was both difficult and dangerous, and success was seen as a sign of heavenly favor. The Drifting Throne from which the Cryrian monarch rules is supposedly made from the bones of a blue whale slain by King Magnus in his quest to unite the Cryrian clans beneath him. The cultural importance of whalebones led to the development of scrimshaw as a Cryrian art form. The practice likely began as a leisure activity for sailors, but scrimshaw pieces often took on superstitious qualities and are still treated as good luck charms for sailors. Particularly old or well-crafted pieces were handed down from generation to generation and often had stories and myths attached to them and the whales they originated from, and even in modern times many Cryrian vessels, including those of the Royal Navy, will house a scrimshaw engraving out of tradition.
Technological advances would bring the rise of industrial whale hunting, and Cryrian prominence as a whaling country peaked in the 19th century. The industry would come under the dominance of a number of traditional whaling families who formed their own competing corporations to exploit the waters of the North
Whaling persists in northern Cryria and is considered to be a cultural mainstay of the Kingdom, while scrimshaw remains a traditional art form. Even so, increasingly strict regulations have limited the industry to hunting non-endangered species. Whaling families still maintain small fleets of ships for this purpose, and every year an average of 200 beluga whales, 360 narwhals, and 820 minke whales are hunted, as well as nearly 1,000 pilot whales and 2,300 porpoise. The whales are hunted both for ceremony and for their meat, oil, and ivory, though a mixture of falling demand, political controversy, and weak recruitment for whaling ships has kept the commercial side of the industry on a downward trend. The increasingly important whale tourism sector has also clashed with whale hunting in the past, and government limits on whale catches have rarely been fully reached since the 20th century.
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[[Category:Nations]]
[[Category:Cryria's Pages]]
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