Keltia

Keltia
Total Area:	43,531,480.32 km²
Area of major landmass:	{{{area_landmass}}} km²
Population:	354 (million)
Date founded:	2001
Countries:	23
Dependencies:	0
Languages:	English, Beaugian, Craitish, Pallisic, Welsh
Largest Cities:	Madness New Kirrie Hato Rey Puerto Carrillo Parap Vaeringheim Mercury Jangsong

The many cities and city-states of Keltia can be seen from orbit around Tarsica.

Keltia is the largest continental landmass of its world region by both area and population, encompassing approximately 43.53 million km² and an estimated 354 million inhabitants distributed among more than twenty sovereign states. The continent’s macro‑relief is characterized by a high axial mountain system, extensive interior lake basins, and a longitudinal rift‑sea, the Strait of Haifa, which separates the central mainland from the far‑eastern peninsulas. Prominent surface features include the glaciated Snowholme Range culminating at Mount Lacara, as well as two major inland waters, Lake Morovia and Lake Cherusken, which structure settlement, transport, and regional ecologies. Contemporary linguistic geography lists English, Beaugian, Craitish, Pallisic, and Welsh among the most widely used languages, reflecting layered histories of migration, empire, and maritime exchange.

Geography

A relief map highlighting Keltia's diverse and dramatic landscapes.

Keltia presents a classic interior–coast contrast. West of the main divide, broad plateaus descend toward archipelagic coasts and fjorded inlets, while to the east a belt of steppe and semi‑arid basins grades into greener lowlands beyond the rift‑sea. The northern third is dominated by glacially carved ranges and boreal forests that open onto Guardian Bay, a sparsely populated littoral. The southern third supports large riverine–lacustrine systems and Mediterranean to subtropical belts around Lake Cherusken. The far south and southeast show desert margins that approach the shores opposite the Corprian Ocean, while the far east transitions into humid island arcs. High‑resolution remote sensing illustrates these gradients, with persistent snow cover on the highest massifs, dark conifer belts along windward coasts, and plume‑like sediment fans where major rivers debouch into the Strait and adjacent seas.

Geology and geomorphology

The prevailing geological interpretation of the Strait of Haifa is that of a mature continental rift formed by the divergence of the East Keltian Plate from the Laceran Plate and Caledonian Plate. Linear bathymetric lows, aligned pull‑apart basins, and transform‑linked embayments mirror this tectonic history and explain the chain of deeps that connect the northern gulf to the Morovian basin. Uplift associated with far‑field compression and isostatic responses to glacial unloading have maintained high relief along the Snowholme crest, where Pleistocene glaciation left over‑deepened troughs and hanging valleys now occupied by cold lakes and cirque fields. Karstic plateaus in the rain‑shadow east underpin extensive cave systems, while longshore drift and differential subsidence have produced cuspate spits and barrier‑lagoon complexes along the desert littorals.

Hydrology

Lake Morovia occupies a caldera‑scale depression linked to the rift by multiple outlet channels. Although sections have been deepened and stabilized by the Maccabi Dam, large expanses remain a marsh–delta complex with seasonally variable salinity. The lake drains eastward through distributary channels toward the Strait, and its northern wetlands support canalized corridors that enable navigation between reed belts and shallow bays. The Morovian littoral hosts the inland market city of Vaeringheim and forms the demographic and economic heart of Bassaridia Vaeringheim. South of the lake, the Strait widens across arid coasts and intricate shoals before opening to the ocean. Northward, the channel narrows through fjord‑like reaches toward the Gulf of Jangsong, where steep slopes and frequent fogs complicate navigation.

The continent’s other major water bodies include Lake Rodinia, a cold, high‑elevation lake that sources the Rodinia River. Managed as a multi‑jurisdictional waterway, the river system is regulated by works such as the Quechipa Dam on the Río Quechipa to provide hydropower, irrigation, and flood control to interior valleys. Smaller basins—among them Lake Tulsa and Lake Caledonia—act as regional climate moderators and fisheries hubs and are connected to surrounding settlements by all‑season road and rail corridors.

Climate and biomes

Climatic regimes track latitude, relief, and proximity to the rift‑sea. The far north is subarctic to polar, with long winters, short cool summers, and persistent pack ice in sheltered bays. Windward flanks of the northern ranges receive heavy snowfall that sustains valley glaciers into late summer, while leeward basins are colder and drier. Mid‑latitudes experience temperate climates, with oceanic conditions along western coasts and continentality increasing across interior plains; here, mixed forests grade into steppe and dry grassland. The Morovian basin combines cool, humid winters with mild summers and frequent radiation fogs over wetlands. The Southern Strait and adjacent deserts are hot and semi‑arid to arid, punctuated by seasonal convective storms and dust‑laden shamal winds. Around Lake Cherusken and the south‑eastern peninsulas, Mediterranean and subtropical conditions prevail, supporting evergreen scrub, broadleaf forests, and intensive irrigated agriculture.

Ecology and conservation

The continent’s biogeography reflects these climatic contrasts. Alpine zones harbour cold‑adapted ungulates and raptors, including the culturally emblematic Lacaran condor that nests on high cliffs near Mount Lacara. Boreal and montane forests support chamois, lynx, capercaillie, and migratory passerines along major flyways. The Morovian wetlands are notable for extensive reedbeds, peat‑forming fens, and endemic shrubs such as Noctic‑Rabrev, alongside a suite of amphibians and fish adapted to brackish fluctuations. Around Lake Cherusken, riparian woodlands and lacustrine islands host colonies of herons and cormorants, while the surrounding hills shelter the Wakara communities and the locally protected Wakara blue orchid. Conservation frameworks are increasingly transboundary, combining national protected‑area systems with basin‑level agreements that coordinate habitat restoration, anti‑poaching patrols, and invasive‑species control.

Demographics and languages

Population is concentrated along navigable waters, lake shores, and temperate coastal belts, with secondary clusters in irrigated interior oases. Long‑term urbanization has produced metropolitan regions on the Cherusken littoral and around the Morovian corridor, while the northern fjords and high interior plateaus remain sparsely populated. The linguistic mosaic reflects imperial legacies and trade diasporas; English, Beaugian, Craitish, Pallisic, and Welsh function as linguae francae in commerce, administration, and education. Maritime communities identified as Haifans maintain distinct speech varieties, material cultures, and seafaring traditions along the Strait, while the Wechua Nation preserves language and ritual lifeways anchored in highland valleys.

Culture and religion

Religious and philosophical landscapes vary by region. Highland societies linked to the Wechua uphold the Faith of Inti, which frames Mount Lacara and surrounding watersheds as sacred geographies subject to ritual prohibitions and pilgrimage calendars. Around the Morovian and Haifan littorals, Pallisican traditions—including the Stripping Path and Reformed Stripping Path and reverence for the Host Spirit—shape civic festivals, guild life, and market governance. A distinct sporting culture bridges these spheres; the codified field game Pillarion has developed professional leagues in canal cities and port towns and functions as a shared spectacle linking interior and coast.

Political geography

Contemporary statehood organizes into several enduring spheres. In the south and southwest, Nouvelle Alexandrie governs the Lake Cherusken littoral, including the regions of Boriquén and Santander, and administers portions of the Rodinia headwaters. Around Morovia, Bassaridia Vaeringheim concentrates authority from its canal capital and integrates lake commerce through statutory market institutions. The far north‑east contains developed republics such as Mercury and neighbouring polities including Moorland, whose territories extend across subpolar plains and glacier‑fed fjords. The north‑west interior is occupied by states such as Aerla, while the northern strait approach historically fell under the influence of Normark, parts of which persist as New Normark after successive political reorganizations. Along the Southern Strait, the Maritime Markets of the Strait of Haifa coordinate a constellation of semi‑autonomous ports—among them Blore Heath, Mylecia, and Jogi—that continue to mediate exchange, customs, and maritime security in a hybrid civic–mercantile framework.

Economy

Keltia’s economy is diversified across primary production, manufacturing, services, and logistics. The Morovian corridor revolves around the inland logistics complex known as the General Port of Lake Morovia, where multimodal transport, warehousing, and energy distribution support regional trade. The Cherusken littoral blends fisheries, horticulture, and extractive industries with a rapidly expanding cruise and leisure sector centred on cities such as Hato Rey and Puerto Carrillo. Interior basins cultivate cereals, oilseeds, and orchard crops through canal irrigation tied to river authority regimes, while northern republics leverage shipbuilding, fisheries, and high‑value metallurgy linked to fjord and island resources. The Southern Strait continues to support ship repair, salt production, and point‑source mineral exports from desert uplands, with the Maritime Markets providing insurance, brokerage, and dispute resolution across port cities.

Transport and infrastructure

Long‑distance movement follows waterways, rift corridors, and engineered passes. The Cherusken and Morovian basins are ringed by all‑weather highways and electrified railways that interconnect ports, agricultural districts, and industrial zones. The northern approach to the Strait is dominated by the historic choke point known as the Norse Gate, once complemented by the high‑speed Trans‑Keltian Express whose tunnel enabled direct rail connection between the gulf and the north‑eastern seaboard. Although international through‑traffic on that axis has ceased, domestic extensions and feeder lines in adjoining states, including terminals at the Ports of Newhaven, continue to redistribute freight toward coastal hubs. Inland navigation is regulated by basin authorities on rivers such as the Rodinia River, whose flow and quality are governed under statutory frameworks derived from the Rodinia River Authority Act. Hydropower installations, most prominently the Quechipa Dam, supply electricity to plateau cities and stabilize seasonal discharge for irrigation.

History

Modern conflict history in the north‑east is anchored by the War of Lost Brothers and the associated Strait of Haifa Campaign, an undeclared maritime and littoral struggle centred on the Gulf of Jangsong that concluded without a decisive victor but entrenched new political geographies along the northern approach. Subsequent turbulence included episodes of civil strife on the Haifan littoral and state‑led consolidations around Morovia that combined referendums with administrative integration. In the Southern Strait, the legacy of corsair coalitions intersects with institutionalized market governance; the Hatch Ministry crystallized from privateering traditions associated with figures such as Captain Ismael Hatch, while the Bacchian Vine Fleet became emblematic of religiously framed maritime militancy later subsumed into negotiated security regimes. In the 1740s AN era, frontier campaigns such as Operation Northern Vanguard reorganized jurisdictions around Lake Rodinia, while counter‑insurgency operations including the Lower Jangsong Campaign reshaped the security architecture of the northern strait through blockades, targeted interdictions, and the reopening or closure of specific corridors such as the Normark–Lindley Passage. Urban centres including Riddersborg and Aderstein figured prominently in these phases as logistics nodes and seats of provisional administration.

Environment and hazards

Environmental pressures concentrate where hydrology, settlement, and industry intersect. The Morovian wetland–delta complex faces eutrophication risks, reedbed fires in drought years, and habitat fragmentation from channelization, mitigated by marsh reserves and rotational cutting schemes. The Cherusken basin confronts shoreline erosion from cruise traffic and intensified agriculture; basin‑level compacts have adopted buffer‑strip standards and nutrient budgeting to slow degradation. Along the Northern Strait, mariners report dense radiative fogs and aurora‑associated optical phenomena collectively termed the Crookening, conditions that compound the navigational challenges posed by narrow channels and katabatic winds. Desert margins of the Southern Strait are vulnerable to dust storms, saline intrusion in coastal aquifers, and heat‑stress hazards to labor, prompting expanded early‑warning and heat‑protocol systems in port cities.

Society and contemporary culture

Cultural life reflects the same corridor logics that structure trade. Pilgrimage practices within the Faith of Inti continue to shape seasonal mobility and local economies in highland valleys near Mount Lacara. Market festivals, guild rites, and civic processions on the Morovian littoral blend Pallisican symbolism with secular spectacle, while Haifan communities along the Strait maintain craft traditions in sail‑making, rope‑walks, and coastal boatyards. Popular culture crosses regions through sport, with Pillarion franchises in canal cities drawing large audiences and fostering inter‑regional rivalries that mirror trading links between lake ports and sea gates.