Vaarstato: Difference between revisions

The '''Principality of Vaarstato''' (Volscine: ''Principato Vaarstato''; sometimes given in Staynish-Codexian as the archaic "''Vaarshire''") is one of the several dozen sovereign states that make up the [[Arkalarius|Volscine Empire]]. It is comprised of city of Vaargioia (also known as New Zhelelovka) and the city's outlying areas along the coast to its northeast, as well as the island of Moltovaara, which is approximately 160km to the city's northeast. Vaargioia is one of the largest cities in the region of north-central Volscina, while the outlying areas of the principality—especially the island of Moltovaara, which is typically called just "Vaar" by its inhabitants—are generally rural. The island of Moltovaara in particular is home to a significant tourism-based economy, while agriculture is dominant in other rural areas of the principality. Like the Volscine Empire itself, Vaarstato is an [[wikipedia:elective monarchy|elective monarchy]], with the Prince or Princess (Volscine: ''FürstPrincipe'' or ''FürstinPrincipessa'') elected for life by the population of the state.

As New Zhelelovka, the city and its environs became strategically important to Asendavia as one of the major ports from which it could bring in supplies to the rest of its colonial holdings in modern-day Volscina. During the period of Asendavian rule, the city was governed by a series of various nobles appointed by the Asendavian crown. The position was useful to the Kaisers as a [[wikipedia:sinecure|sinecure]], often given to people with whom the Kaiser sought to gain favor, often without regard to actual administrative ability. As a result, the people of New Zhelelovka (especially the ethnic Volscinians and Tretridians still living there) often chafed under Asendavian rule, and unrest was common. In 1688, the Lord-Mayor of New Zhelelovka, Ilmar Haugen, was killed in a riot due largely to a series of food shortages that were blamed on Haugen's decision to impose a particularly high import duty. As a result, Asendavia fortified the city with a significant military presence, which would remain for the duration of Asendavian rule but which largely served to exacerbate the problem of local anger towards the Asendavian administration. This anger was further escalated by the imposition of the Asendavian language on the largely Tretridian-speaking population and the suppression of the [[AsatruUlvriktru]] religion in favor of [[Ademarism]]. Over the course of Asendavian rule, at least four Lord-Mayors would be assassinated, with another two deaths unconfirmed but suspected to have been caused by poisoning.