Adrestia
| The Holy Ralgon Principality of Adrestia | |||
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| Motto: Strength and Honor | |||
| Anthem: WIP | |||
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| Map versions | ??? | ||
| Capital | Gondolin | ||
| Largest city | Gondolin | ||
| Official language(s) | Draconian (official) Standard (most common) | ||
| Official religion(s) | Draconic (revolves around a pantheon consisting of eleven gods) | ||
| Demonym | Ralgon | ||
| - Adjective | Ralgon | ||
| Government | Constitutional Elective Monarchy | ||
| - Prince of Adrestia | Masamune Ral I | ||
| - Duke of Gondolin | Kazuma Hawkins | ||
| - Legislature | Parliament | ||
| Establishment | Wolf Moon, 1674 AN | ||
| Area | NA | ||
| Population | 12,540,054 (1675 AN) | ||
| Active population | NA | ||
| Currency | Guilder (£) | ||
| Calendar | |||
| Time zone(s) | |||
| Mains electricity | |||
| Driving side | |||
| Track gauge | |||
| National website | |||
| National forum | |||
| National animal | Adrestian Eagle | ||
| National food | |||
| National drink | Green Tea | ||
| National tree | Lemon tree | ||
| Abbreviation | HRE | ||
Adrestia, formally known as The Holy Ralgon Principality of Adrestia, is a dependent constituent country of the Holy Ralgon Empire. It is currently the Ralgon Empire's largest overseas possession, and the largest one which was never used as a penal colony. It is also the Holy Ralgon Empire's only fully autonomous possession, all others either being directly ruled from one of the nation's capitals on the island of Dragos, or else by the Imperial Senate in Drag'nor. Adrestia was originally founded on the back of the Great White Fleet's Imperial-sponsored effort to share Ralgon goods, ideas, and culture with the rest of the world. To the east of the Keltia continent, the Great White Fleet set up headquarters on a smaller island off the coast of what is now mainland Adrestia at some point in 1670 AN. They officially claimed the area in the name of the Holy Ralgon Empire to coincide with the 400th anniversary of their nation's unification, initially ignorant of the paradise that lay on the mainland.
As the island rapidly grew overpopulated with incoming merchants and naval vessels seeking to protect the Ralgon Empire's first major colony, major exploratory expeditions were launched to explore the much larger main island. To everyone's joy, they discovered a paradise entirely devoid of the monsters encountered back home. Civilization was non-existent, no hostile peoples or creatures inhabited the land, and the soil was exceptionally fertile, even more so than the dangerous fringes of the Great Swamp. The news traveled home of an untouched paradise, and before long throngs of privileged citizens were lining up to build what they considered to be a heaven for the best Ralgon society had to offer.
By another twist of fate, another expedition followed one of the island's many rivers to a small mountain deep in the interior. Here, the land was covered in citrus forests the likes of which the expedition's members had never seen. A city was rapidly founded on that mountain. Residences for both the island's rulers and even one for the Emperor were constructed, and the region was entirely annexed by the Ralgons by 1675. It also wasn't long before a functional city was on the rise, featuring spacious real estate for its citizens, with residency within Gondolin and its environs restricted to combat veterans, wealthy merchants, nobility, and other meritorious individuals.
Since then, Adrestia has been the subject of unprecedented development for a Ralgon possession. Mainland Adrestia as well as its surrounding islands rapidly saw the influx of major trade coming between Ralgon proper and the rest of the world, and a trade partnership with the Bassarid island colony to the south ensured that territorial disputes would not arise due to increased trade in the region. Having rapidly enriched itself, the Adrestian colonists successfully lobbied to have the colony declared a Principality, placing it out of reach of most of Ralgon's central government. Prince Masamune Ral, the Emperor's brother, was selected to hold the colony for himself and his descendants.
Thanks to the many rivers that flow in and out of Gondolin, it rapidly became an important port city, receiving primarily construction supplies and luxury goods, while most other wares stopped instead at Tranquility Base or Storm's End on the way to and from Ralgon proper. In 1676, a major intercontinental airport was built and commissioned outside of Gondolin, and it serves nonstop flights between Gondolin and Glacier City S.A.R., as well as other major USSO destinations as allowed to the Ralgons (and consequently Adrestia) by treaty.
Government
Nominally, Adrestia is ruled through the Crown. Any actions passed and approved by the Prince of Adrestia must also have the consent of the Ralgon Emperor to pass. Currently, it is the only one of Ralgon's possessions (mainland or otherwise) not subject to rule by the Imperial Senate.
Adrestia is currently ruled by a Parliament split into two houses. The oldest of these houses is the House of Lords, which consists of the new nobility of the island, as well as the island's richest families, as allowed by the Prince. The House of Lords is always headed by the Duke of Gondolin, which is headed by Kazuma Hawkins von Gondolin, 1st Duke Gondolin. Recently established is the House of Commons, which consists of elected representatives of the colony's major districts, which includes the city of Gondolin itself.
Other regions are largely self-governing, so long as their laws and policies do not conflict with regional or national law.
History
Adrestia was originally founded on the back of the Great White Fleet's Imperial-sponsored effort to share Ralgon goods, ideas, and culture with the rest of the world. To the east of the Keltia continent, the Great White Fleet set up headquarters on a smaller island off the coast of what is now mainland Adrestia at some point in 1670 AN. They officially claimed the area in the name of the Holy Ralgon Empire to coincide with the 400th anniversary of their nation's unification, initially ignorant of the paradise that lay on the mainland.
As the island rapidly grew overpopulated with incoming merchants and naval vessels seeking to protect the Ralgon Empire's first major colony, major exploratory expeditions were launched to explore the much larger main island. To everyone's joy, they discovered a paradise entirely devoid of the monsters encountered back home. Civilization was non-existent, no hostile peoples or creatures inhabited the land, and the soil was exceptionally fertile, even more so than the dangerous fringes of the Great Swamp. The news traveled home of an untouched paradise, and before long throngs of privileged citizens were lining up to build what they considered to be a heaven for the best Ralgon society had to offer.
By another twist of fate, another expedition followed one of the island's many rivers to a small mountain deep in the interior. Here, the land was covered in citrus forests the likes of which the expedition's members had never seen. A city was rapidly founded on that mountain. Residences for both the island's rulers and even one for the Emperor were constructed, and the region was entirely annexed by the Ralgons by 1675. It also wasn't long before a functional city was on the rise, featuring spacious real estate for its citizens, with residency within Gondolin and its environs restricted to combat veterans, wealthy merchants, nobility, and other meritorious individuals.
Since then, Adrestia has been the subject of unprecedented development for a Ralgon possession. Mainland Adrestia as well as its surrounding islands rapidly saw the influx of major trade coming between Ralgon proper and the rest of the world, and a trade partnership with the Bassarid island colony to the south ensured that territorial disputes would not arise due to increased trade in the region. Having rapidly enriched itself, the Adrestian colonists successfully lobbied to have the colony declared a Principality, placing it out of reach of most of Ralgon's central government. Prince Masamune Ral, the Emperor's brother, was selected to hold the colony for himself and his descendants.
Thanks to the many rivers that flow in and out of Gondolin, it rapidly became an important port city, receiving primarily construction supplies and luxury goods, while most other wares stopped instead at Tranquility Base or Storm's End on the way to and from Ralgon proper. In 1676, a major intercontinental airport was built and commissioned outside of Gondolin, and it serves nonstop flights between Gondolin and Glacier City S.A.R., as well as other major USSO destinations as allowed to the Ralgons (and consequently Adrestia) by treaty.
Economy
The islands of Adrestia play host to the headquarters of the famed Great White Fleet, which is the Holy Ralgon Empire's primary state-sponsored international trading entity. Effectively a confederation of merchant companies owned by the government (having been bought out individually over the years), they moved their respective headquarters from Glacier City and Drag'nor on the mainland and moved to an island east of the central Adrestian territory on what is known to the rest of Micras as South Island. The southern half of the island holds an unusually high proliferation of slow-moving, major rivers that stem from a large series of springs in the island's center, in unexplored territory. This allows the City of Gondolin to act as a trade hub with the rest of the colony, while each of the satellite islands serve as major hubs for the Ralgon Imperial Navy, or as cargo hubs for use as a stopover port between the extreme eastern end of Bassarid territory and the ports that lie beyond.
A unique, special relationship exists specifically between the colony of Adrestia and the Bassarid colony on the chain's southeastern satellite island, known to the locals as the Ranalama del Alphavandíe. On a local level, cooperation and understanding exists between the Ralgon Navy and merchant fleets (as well as Merchant Marines) and the Bassarid colony (and by extension the privateers based there). Therefore, trade passes through the region unhindered between Ralgon, its colonies abroad, and its allies in the USSO.
Primary imports that stay within Adrestia are construction materials, luxury goods, and primarily armaments from the Navy in the colonists' unrelenting drive north to discover the source of the hot springs, as well as efforts to uncover any pre-existing civilizations (and consequent technologies) in this unusually hospitable region. Exports include gold from the hills to the north as well as precious stones found in the same area. Pearls are common exports that ship to both the Island of Dragos in the east, and either the Bassarids or various small nations to the west. Other exports from the colony include precious gems from Ralgon, as well as precious metals obtained from the far western portions of the Great Divide, located on the outskirts of the Duro Province on home Ralgon territory. The colony absorbs around 10% of the total exports generated from Ralgon territory, but makes up for its local trade deficits several times over through profits in trade that pass through the territory both ways.
Adrestia also serves as the primary direct port of trade between Ralgon and Jingdao. Since all land territory between the Island of Dragos and Jingdao's mainland is controlled by Raspur Pact nations, the Ralgons are wary of sending anything that way due to the Iron Company's presence (which they regard as a terrorist organization since their bombing of a Glacier City dockyard in 1675 AN. Therefore, the colony has rapidly grown rich from heavy trade coming to and from the region.
