Moorland

Kingdom of Moorland
Flag Coat of Arms
Motto: Thou shall not trample thee
Anthem:
Map versions
Capital	Newcastle-Upon-Eastmoor
Largest city	Newcastle-upon-Eastmoor, Port Moorland, Raveness
Official language(s)	East Moorlandic, Brittanic, Hurmu Norse
Official religion(s)	Church of the Holy Lance
Demonym	Moorlander
- Adjective	Moorland, Moorlandic
Government	Constitutional Monarchy
- King	Alpin MacMartin
- Prime Minister	Lord Robin
- Legislature	Moorland Witan
Establishment	1718
Area
Population	c. 15,325,000
Currency	Redoubt Crown (RDC)
Calendar
Time zone(s)	CMT+9
Mains electricity
Driving side	left
Track gauge
National website	moorland.gov
National forum
National animal	Highland Elk
National food	Venison stew
National drink	Moorlander Ale
National tree	Moor Pine
Abbreviation	KML

The Kingdom of Moorland, or simply Moorland, is a small state located in northeastern Keltia, bounded on the north by Mercury and in the east by the Benacian Union, which owns the Warring Islands, and by Calbion, which owns Krufnspire Island. It considers itself to be a cultural successor to the Kingdom of Nova England, though it does not claim direct descent from the royal line of Josephus I.

History

Moorland was originally a region of Nova England, though the kingdom is only a recent development, having been declared in 1718. Following the Nova English diaspora, and the departure of the royal family to the South Sea Islands, those who remained behind found themselves at the mercy of various hostile tribes. New populations moved in from the west, especially the Norse. Bassarids had also begun to enter the area, moving north from Haifa. While the Warring Islands were secured by the benevolent forces of the Benacian Union, the mainland was not so fortunate. Although the Norse were not openly hostile to the locals, they nonetheless subjugated them during the formation of Ostland. Hurmu, in an attempt to bring peace and stability to the region, established its own presence in the form of the District of Moorland to the south. But the corridor to the north, outside of Ostland's control and south of Mercury, controlled by the Clans of Moorland, refused to be brought to heel and resisted all attempts at colonization. Over time the Clans, facing continued external pressure, united under Chief MacMartin to form the Kingdom of Moorland.

In X.1718, the kingdom officially petitioned the Raspur Pact for accession to the alliance, seeking military aid in routing the continued incursions of the Confederacy of the Dispossessed. By the end of the year the members of the Raspur Pact had unanimously approved Moorland's entrance to the alliance at the same time as its membership within the Micronational Cartography Society was approved, formally bringing the kingdom onto the international stage.

By early 1719 Moorland's intelligence arm had gathered enough evidence of Bassarid influence in Ostland to publish The Dispossession of King Nikolaus, a dossier secret documents providing evidence that the Confederacy of the Dispossessed had secretly assassinated the King of Ostland, along with most of his officials and family, and replaced them with imposters. Following these revelations Moorland officially declared war on Ostland and invaded with the commencement of Operation Lefthand Punch. Following the capture of the poster King Nikolaus and his extradition to the Raspur Pact Joint Command, Moorland withdrew MAF units to within the boundaries of the former National Redoubt territory - essentially from Port Neil east and north. Moorland currently occupies this territory, which has a majority Nova English-Moorlander population. King MacMartin and the Witan have not yet recognized Ostland's self-appointed monarch, Lord Protector Eisenmann, whose relationship to the former royal family is questionable at best given documents obtained during Operation Phantom indicating the line had been extinguished by the Bassarids. Thus for the time being Moorland will remain in occupation of the northeast quadrant until such time as terms can be negotiated and the authenticity of Ostland's new government verified by independent and unbiased sources.

Following a series of intense negotiations, Moorland and Ostland eventually signed the Treaty of Port Moorland in 15.XII.1720. As per the terms of the treaty, the city of Port Moorland was ceded to the kingdom as reparations for the war. In return, King MacMartin officially recognized the government of Otto Eisenmann. The two have since begun working together to repair relations between the two kingdoms and root out any remaining influences from the Confederacy of the Dispossessed. The incorporation of Port Moorland into Moorland was seen as a significant victory, as it granted both an important commercial port and is viewed as a significant cultural heritage site. Also in 1720, Hurmu formally ceded South Moorland to the kingdom, graciously allowing both northern and southern Moorlanders to unite under one banner. In the ongoing efforts to protect the region from elements of Disinherited rebels operating in the Green, the kingdom launched Operation Southpaw in spring 1725, pushing west and expanding South Moorland's western frontier by nearly double.

With peace secured along its southern border with Ostland, Moorland's military strength was turned back towards raiders continually attacking the frontier in Nevermoor. Presently there are plans to connect the frontier with Normark in order to create an access corridor for the Trans-Keltian Express to build a southern route. These plans were initiated with the commencement of Operation Northway, which saw gains until grinding to a halt as resources were redirected south with the outbreak of the Burwood Wildfires in 1727 and collapse of government in Ostland. By V.1728 the King had authorized the assumption of government authority over the remnants of Ostland and formally annexed their territories, viewing this as the logical step towards restoring order to the area and continuing to battle the ongoing wildfires. Boundaries were kept essentially the same, with the minor expansion of East Moorland to its former terminus, and the remainder of Ostland re-organized as the Council of Burwood. The previous month had also seen Operation Northway come to a close after a bloody yet decisive victory at River's Edge brought the local Dispossessed to heel and allowed for the safe construction of a connector rail around the Dunn Mountains to the TKE.

By 1730, reconstruction of Burwood was well underway, with a strong conservation management plan in place and remediation ongoing. To assist with the efforts in the former Ostlandic territories, the government launched the Moorland Antarctic Expedition to Beelandia. The project will also give Moorland an additional source of natural resources; mainly in metallurgical ores. Studies into ecology and soils will help with the ongoing efforts to restore local ecosystems from the wildfires. The Trans-Keltian Express had been extended with the completion of the Dunn Mountains Viaduct, connecting as far as Ostkirk, with plans to continue south to the Ports of Newhaven and on to Anahuaco.

The successes of the Moorland Antarctic Expedition led the kingdom to lay claim to the region of Hypernostria known as Kasperia. The discovery and subsequent research/restoration of the Kaspar Particle Accelerator in the ruins of Dyvelsten became a matter of national importance, with many resources dedicated to studying the machine. Another success was the completion of the Trans-Keltian Express as far as the Ports of Newhaven, opening an important freight and passenger route across the country. This will allow goods from the inland cities to be quickly transported to the shore for export abroad. These successes were somewhat dampened by renewed raids on the western frontier by bands of Fuath; hostile tribes whose only objective was to raze and loot Moorlander villages. In response, the MAF has stepped up patrols along the frontier. King MacMartin has made it clear that the Moorland has no desire for further westward expansion, but excursions into the Green may be necessary to extinguish the continued raids by the Fuath.

In 1735, Operation Straight Arrow was launched to break the back of the Fuath and aid the friendly indigenous Qeltois tribes that live in the Green west of Burwood. The operation last much longer than anticipated, extending into 1737, but eventually ended in victory and the establishment of the Kells trading port on the Strait of Haifa. The unexpected collapse of Normark and Anahuaco caught Moorland by surprise and brought the operation to an abrupt halt. Couple with emergency aid to the South Sea Islands after the outbreak of Southern Scurvy, Moorland was forced to re-evaluate its ongoing fight against the Dispossessed and temporarily scale back operations to focus on domestic issues. As such, portions of the original claim to Kasperia were abandoned while Trinity Island was made a protectorate. Coupled with an emerging refugee crisis in Huntsland due to the East Keltian Collapse and subsequent Recession of 1737, the monarchy is doubling down on its defensive strategies for the realm and re-tooling the economy.

Geography

Moorland occupies a narrow band of territory running west from the border with Mercury and a small 12km stretch of oceanfront that comprises the kingdom's only sea access. The climate is temperate and oceanic, and tends to be very changeable. It has mild winters, but cooler, wetter summers. Winters average 6 °C (43 °F), with summer averaging 18 °C (64 °F). In prehistoric times the entire region was covered by ice sheets, and as such has been greatly affected by glaciation. The scars of retreating glaciers resulted in the many hills and lochs now present across the country. As the name would suggest, many moors also exist as a result of bogs left behind in low-lying areas carved out by the glacial retreat.

The country is divided into five regions: East Moorland, stretching from the coast to Newcastle-Upon-Eastmoor. West Moorland, from just west of Newcastle-Upon-Eastmoor to near Borova. And Nevermoor, which extends ambiguously into the western frontier. Following the signing of a treaty with Hurmu, the District of Moorland was annexed to the kingdom as a fourth region and formally organized as Huntsland. In 1728 the remnants of Ostland were annexed and incorporated into East Moorland and Burwood, creating a fifth council region.

In 1737, the Moorland Overseas Territories (MOT) were established comprising Beelandia, Kasperia and the South Sea Islands.

Economy

The currency of Moorland is the Redoubt Crown (MOS: RDC) which is derived from the former currency circulated by Nova England, the National Redoubt Denarii. As a relatively new currency that lacks widespread circulation in the global economy, it is pegged to the Mercurian Crown for stability.

Government and politics

Moorland is a constitutional monarchy with a hereditary royal family who acts as head-of-state and a freely elected Prime Minister who acts as head-of-government. King Alpin MacMartin is the current head-of-state (as of 1718 AN). Moorland has a parliamentary government with the Witan forming the legislative body. All bills passed are given Royal Assent before becoming law. Elected representatives within the Witan are known as ‘Members of Witan’ (MW), with the head of the Witan being known as the Witan Chief. The position of Witan Chief is the head of the Moorlander government and is typically the leader of the political party or coalition of parties that hold the majority of seats within the Witan. Following an election the candidate for Witan Chief has their appointment confirmed by the monarch.

See also: Foreign relations of Moorland

Demographics

Ethnic Demographics of Moorland (As of 1718 AN)

Group	Total Population
Total Population	1,325,000
Moorlandic	700,000
Nova English	250,000
Brettish	90,000
Mercurian	50,000
Norse	45,000
Hurmudan	65,000
Istvanistani	85,000
Martino	40,000

Culture

Moorlandic language and culture is the result of successive generations of Nova English culture fusing with an influx of neighboring cultures from either surrounding countries, such as Mercury and New Brittania, and those of integrated cultures, such as Norse, Hurmudan and to a lesser extent the Calbain. While Nova English and New Brittanic were used by the upper castes of society, the interbreeding of neighboring language groups resulted in a rural and more vulgar language developing in the form of the East Moorland Dialect. This dialect surpassed Nova English in common usage when Nova England collapsed and most of the elite fled the country.

A staunchly independent people noted for making their homes amongst the harsh highland terrain of northeastern Keltia, they have developed a strong clan-based hierarchy that centers around interlinked families known as the Clans of Moorland.

Religion

Like Nova England before it, most Moorlanders are adherents of the Church of the Holy Lance. Sizable populations do still adhere to other faiths. The second-largest faith group belongs to the Church of St. George. The third-largest faith group exists mostly within rural and isolate pockets, and those are adherents to the old pagan faiths.

Sports

Moorlanders engage in a wide variety of sports, including rugby and golf. But one of the most popular events is the annual Moorland Games, wherein a number of traditional athletic events are held, such as the caber toss. These games highlight Moorlandic culture and are very popular gatherings, attracting thousands of spectators.

Cuisine

Moorlandic cuisine revolves around plates utilizing local game, reflecting the harsh climate and scarcity of food available. Venison stew remains an ever-popular dish; although venison is also prepared in many other ways, such as jerky. Other dishes include sheepshead, haggis, pheasant, potatoes and turnips - all reflecting the need to utilize every scrap of food during the harsh winter months. Most dishes are accompanied by the acclaimed Moorlander Ale, a rich, dark brown stout.

Defence

With the collapse of the Nova English National Redoubt and Faedertellus, the people of Moorland found themselves defenseless against hostiles. Thankfully many reservists from the People's Militia were still residing in the area and helped organize a new, local defence force. Like during the events of the Great Disaster and Evacuation, the People's Militia became a lifeline for protecting local communities. As power became centralised under King MacMartin, the various militias gradually coalesced into the present Moorland Armed Forces. The MAF is, in turn, directed by the Ministry of Defence.