Difference between revisions of "Cielonia"

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Cielonia

Flag of Cielonia
Motto: "Strength in Liberty, Prosperity in Freedom."
No Map Available Yet
Region	Asia
Capital	Cielon
Official Language(s)	Cielonian French, French, Katasi, Spanish
Leader	Grand Duke Francis St. Marie
Population	14,000,000 last census
Currency	derac
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The Grand Duchy of Cielonia is a nation of islands occupying an area of ocean in Asia. It is generally classified as a nation of liberal democrats and is known to support the ideals of personal freedom... to a point. Cielonia is a member of the United Nations.

Geography, Climate, and Nature

The Grand Duchy of Cielonia comprises three large islands, two moderately-sized islands, and several hundred tiny islets. In the west lies the main island, a landmass known as Cielamon that occupies a land area of about 350,000 square kilometers. Cielamon is covered in a verdant rainforest and tapers down to a peninsula in the south. In the north runs the Catas River, which angles to the southeast. The capitol, Cielon, stands where the Catas meets the ocean, while the source of the river is home to the city of Avenlete. West of Cielamon is the moderately-sized island of Sunda, home to the city of Nolandia and the headquarters of Cielonia's mining industry. The second moderately-sized island, Nabros, lies northeast of Cielamon and is occupied only by private homes and tourist resorts. Farther to the east is the isle of Windland, a fairly large island marking Cielonia's northeastern corner; it arcs roughly around a bay on its western side and is occupied by a dead volcano, Mt. Eiji, in the south. At the northern foot of the mountain sits the town of Rainwater. Finally, Cielonia's second-largest island is known as Saidenland, which marks the Grand Duchy's southeastern boundary. The island is long on an east-west plane and is occupied by three major cities in Porto Negro, Chistian, and Piscilles, as well as the port of Ancien. Saidenland is also dominated by tropical forest, with the Stone Mountains rising in the west.

Climate in Cielonia is tropical, owing to the islands' proximity to the Equator. It's not uncommon for the summer temperature to climb to over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, while anything below 50 is considered freezing. Warm rain is fairly common, and snowfall is completely unheard of. Because of its ocean location Cielonia is vulnerable to tsunamis and hurricanes, but the government has begun instituting measures to defend against such natural disasters, and limited systems of dykes and dams have been built to protect the nation from flooding. The warm climate provides an ideal habitat for many types of exotic flora and fauna. Various palms and tropical willows are common in the wilderness. Cielonia's national bird, the green-shouldered falcon, is common in forests on any of the nation's islands, while the crested goldfinch and the the black-capped whistling sparrow are common visitors to backyards across the country. Tigers and monkeys inhabit the forests in abundance, and there's hardly a seafarer in the country who hasn't caught sight of at least two brown-throated albatrosses in his or her lifetime. Perhaps Cielonia's most unusual animal, however, is the elusive black devildog, a man-eating, hyenalike creature with brown fur known to skulk around the deepest of jungles.

Ethnicity and Language

The people of Cielonia are a fairly curious group, mingling Western European traits with Eastern Asian traits to produce something entirely different. The vast majority of Cielonians are melangion - of mixed French and Katasi heritage hailing as far back as the original Bellemontaigne crew's interbreeding with the native Katasi. The average Cielonian is fairly short and slender, ranging from 4'10" to 5'10" with an average body weight of 140 pounds. Hair color ranges from blonde to black, though brown and auburn are most common, and typical eye colors are brown, hazel, and grey.

Linguistically, most Cielonians speak a bastardized form of French that incorporates a heavy element of Katasi. This language is referred to as Cielonian French in that it's still a heavily French language, adopted over a more Katasi-heavy language because of its simpler grammar, smaller alphabet, and simpler lettering. In parts of Cielon there is a heavy French-speaking population, while more rural areas tend to have larger populations of native Katasi-speakers. There is a small Spanish minority in the city of Porto Negro, where Spanish has become recognized as one of the city's official municipal languages. Cielonian French is taught first and foremost in schools, while French and Katasi may be taken as second languages along with English and Spanish.

In terms of ethnic tension, there is some residual dislike of full-blooded French by native Katasi and the melangion stemming from the French Colonial period. As well, conservative Frenchmen are occasionally bitter over the end of the Colonial period through the April Fools' Rebellion. Because Cielonia is relatively new, residents of the old Splintering duchies occasionally feel more loyalty to their former duchies than to the Grand Duchy, but most of this bitterness has worn off due to frequent elections and greater political freedoms as instituted by St. Marie's ruling alliance.

Cielonia's ethnic demographics run as follows - melangion 52%, Katasi 23%, French 21%, Spanish 2%, Other 2%. The country's official language is Cielonian French, though English remains the language of international politics and business.

Culture

Intelligence and compassion are valued in Cielonia. Cielonians tend to treat each other with respect and dignity, taking great care not to wound the honor and dignity of those around them, a trait garnered from the honor-centric Katasi culture. A highly respected trait in Cielonia is intelligence, owing to the nation's excellent system of universities, and opposing viewpoints are respected and welcomed, often leading to good-natured debate over this or that issue in the least likely places. It's not uncommon to see strangers discussing the merits of political legislation at the bus stop or the supermarket.

Cielonians are respectful of nature and place great stock in the serenity of mother earth. Virtually all Cielonian households keep a garden and grow some form of fruit or vegetable, while hunting is extremely limited; meat for the populace is provided only through government-sanctioned farms or fisheries. Genetic alteration of foods is illegal. A favorite Cielonian dish is the ruby-backed salmon, a fish which inhabits the Catas River and the shores around the island of Cielamon; baked ruby-backed salmon in a light but salty red sauce known as taiko is considered a great delicacy. Also popular is a dish known as puuretoyama, which consists of white rice, chicken, and shredded cheese melted together and served in a bowl.

Music in Cielonia has a decidedly Eastern flavor, though with a definite Western twist. Favorite instruments are the reed flute, the daiko drum, and the harp. At the moment Cielonians favor a more classical type of music that's slow, soothing, and gentle, the type of music that provokes the mind and fuels the imagination. In terms of visual arts Cielonian painters are currently hung up on two forms of art: post-post-abstractionist paintings in which they paint a bunch of vague shapes on a canvas and pass it off as meaning something, and pop art in which the artist makes fun of images in pop culture in a fashion similar to the works of Andy Warhol. As well, more casual art tends to follow a style very similar to Japanese anime, and there is a huge market for the form of erotic animation known as hentai. Favorite forms of literature include books of existentialist philosophy, though forms of political and literary theory are popular alongside science fiction novels. Harry Potter books remain bestsellers.

Commerce and Industry

Private enterprise in Cielonia can be fairly difficult. The government places heavy restrictions on business featuring a rather harsh system of taxation that places the most profitable entrepreneurs in the highest tax brackets in the nation, and laws requiring the cleanup of industrial pollutants and fair wages and hours for all workers make it hard for businesses to operate cheaply. Furthermore, the recently-passed Wilderness Protection Act places limits on how deeply industries may affect the environment. While these laws keep Cielonia's wilderness pristine, they also limit the nation's attractiveness to big industry and business. Thus the industrial capacity of Cielonia is hardly impressive, focusing mostly around the nation's manufacturing capitol of Porto Negro and the mining town of Nolandia, the latter of which is home to Cielonia's limited uranium mining business. Said industry has inflicted extensive damage on parts of the rainforests on the island of Sunda, but the Tenjou-Kawatashi Mining Group has thus far gone unchastised thanks to their extensive bribery of Conservative and Libertarian Barons, who simply filibuster any resolution to sanction their patrons.

The Cielonian economy relies heavily on the nation's booming tourist business. The islands' warm climate and bountiful flora and fauna draw in visitors from around the world to experience the rainforests on the islands of Cielamon and Saidenland. Beaches can be found almost everywhere, including a few popular nude beaches, while rock climbing has become a profitable business in the Dragon Back Mountains south of Inala. The main industry, however, is gambling. The city of Cielon is famed for an area known as the Shining Strip, a long, broad boulevarde lined with casinos and hotels. Easily the most prosperous gambling establishment is the Platinum Dragon Casino, the owner of which is rumored to have ties with the shadowy crime syndicate known as the House of Komodo. No legislation has been passed regarding a legal gambling age, and as a result young children can be seen gambling with adults - and often winning.

Government

Despite the retention of archaic ranks, Cielonia is a modern democracy in every sense of the word. The country is ruled by a Grand Duke, elected by a majority of votes from Cielonian citizens. The Grand Duke serves the same function as the President in an American-style democracy, while the role of Vice President is filled by the Duke, who runs for office alongside the Grand Ducal candidate.

The Grand Duke's power is held in check by two legislative bodies. The more significant of the two is the Grand Council, which consists of 100 Barons elected in various regions around Cielonia. Immediately below the Grand Council is the House of Counts, a body consisting of 253 elected Counts. These two bodies function in the same way as the American Senate and House of Representatives, submitting, debating, and voting on legislation to be passed to the other body and to the Grand Duke for further discussion. Most proposals, however, come from the Grand Duke himself. Typically the Grand Duke must approve all new laws and acts through the Grand Council and the House of Counts; however, the Emergency War Measures Act, adopted in 1967 in Cielon and carried over to the new constitution, allows the Council to vote the Grand Duke and his advisors dictatorial powers in time of war or national crisis.

Cielonia is a nation of multiple political parties. As such it is not uncommon for a Grand Duke to hold a minority of seats in the Council and the House, forcing him to ally his party with another. Minority Grand Dukes face the danger of a vote of nonconfidence, which may be called by the opposition in the event that the Grand Duke seems to make a colossal error. If a vote of nonconfidence is passed by the Grand Council, the Grand Duke must abdicate and a full election must be held.

The Grand Duke is assisted in running the nation by the Cabinet, a group of officials selected by the Grand Duke and approved by the Grand Council. Each cabinet minister is given the rank of Baron.

The current structure of Cielonian government is as follows.

Head of State: Grand Duke Francis St. Marie (Liberal)

Deputy Head of State: Kentaro Suzu

Minister of Defense: Baron Gaspard Sato

Minister of Education: Baron Aubrey Deluca

Minister of the Environment: Baron Ichiro Hyuga

Minister of Foreign Affairs: Baron Han Tenjou

Minister of Health: Baroness Mireille Jolie

Minister of Internal Security: Baron Leroy Mercer II

Minister of Social Services: Baron Taka Hyotaru

Minister of Trade: Baroness Hiromi Tsuruga

Minister of Transportation: Baron Masato Miyazaki

International Relations and Military

Following the wars during the Splintering, the Cielonian government has resolved to pursue peace at any cost, a policy which is evident in Cielonia's relations with other countries. Cielonia pursues a policy of friendship above ideology; the government attempts to remain on good terms with its neighbours and make as many friendships as possible while striving to achieve peace for Cielonia and the world through diplomacy. Recently the International Mediation Act has passed through the Grand Council, authorizing the Grand Duke to offer Cielonia as a mediator in an effort to smooth over international disputes through talks rather than war.

Militarily Cielonia is equipped with a small army, consisting of around 100000 men and women. Service in the army is voluntary. Cielonia's navy is fairly small, with the battleship HGCS Masamune serving as its flagship. The Air Force consists of sixty MiG-29 fighters painted in Cielonian colours as well as nearly two hundred Sea King helicopters and ten C-130 gunships. The main Cielonian cavalry unit is the J112 Ocelot light tank, manufactured by Cielonia General Dynamics in Porto Negro. As well, the Cielonian military features a group of 400 elite commandos under the name of STAF - Strategic Tactical Assault Force. STAF officers are roughly the equivalent of elite CIA officers and are often deployed for covert operations and counterterrorism missions.

History

Bellemontaigne's Miracle - 1518-1519

The history of Cielonia essentially began with an accident. In 1518 a French explorer named Jean-Jacques Bellemontaigne struck off for the west with a crew of intrepid adventurers, attempting to make a name for himself by claiming new land for France. Bellemontaigne and his crew boarded a flotilla of four ships, led by the majestic vessel Papillon, and set sail in short order. However, disaster struck when the Papillon's flotilla was caught in a fierce storm coming in off the coast of Britain, hurling them southward. Suffice it to say that the surviving ships tried to sail east back to France but instead wound up passing Africa, entering Asian waters, and sailing on until their ships could bear no more. The Frenchmen were forced to beach their ships at the nearest island. Bellemontaigne's log records this date as August 12, 1519. That even sixty-odd sailors survived is a miracle.

Haggard, exhausted, and cut off from their home, Bellemontaigne and his crew began to build a settlement for themselves, convinced that they'd never see France again. Popular legend states that the name of the settlement came about when Bellemontaigne observed the foot of a rainbow touching down amidst the crude wooden hovels of the encampment. Taking it as a sign from God, he named the settlement Arc-En-Cielon, which has since been shortened to simply Cielon.

Early Period - 1519-1660

The growth of Arc-En-Cielon early on was fairly slow. The castaways under Bellemontaigne had to deal with unfamiliar local foods and the fact that procreating would be pretty difficult with only five women among the survivors. Fortunately, solutions to many of the worst problems weren't that far away. Somewhere along the line the French survivors were approached by several representatives of the native population, known as the Katasi. The French and the Katasi soon agreed to coexist peacefully and to work with each other. Katasi assistance and experience allowed the French to survive their first winter, and many French sailors took wives from among the Katasi women. It is widely known that several of the surviving officers cycled the remaining French women between themselves in order to repeatedly impregnate them and ensure the survival of at least some sort of pure French strain.

Bellemontaigne drowned while fishing in 1526, but by that time Arc-En-Cielon had been built up fairly extensively, featuring stone houses rather than reed, mud, and wood. The rest of the 1500s marked a period of steady population growth as the population of French-blooded settlers increased. Interbreeding occurred fairly extensively between the French and Katasi, resulting in a majority of Arc-En-Cielon's residents bearing mixed blood. The colonists and the natives shared knowledge and technology, drawing in more natives, which in turn resulted in a substantial population boom for the colony. However, we know very little about the period from 1526 to 1655; Bellemontaigne's diary ended at his death, and most of the settlers were fairly uneducated, while the Katasi never kept personal logs or written histories. We do know from archaeological records that by 1655 there were around 2000 people living in Arc-En-Cielon.

Some preserved pottery etchings from 1655 onward implies that a plague occurred in that year; this is supported by archaeological evidence and the presence of mass graves, suggesting the burial en masse of plague victims. Our sources pick up around 1657. Hoping to escape the worst of the plague, a contingent of about 200 citizens left Arc-En-Cielon and trekked down the Catas River, founding the town of Tusca a few miles southeast of Arc-En-Cielon. The town was founded and administered by a fullblooded Katasi named Hiro Fubuki. Further written records tell us that the plague wiped out the ruling dynasty in Arc-En-Cielon, resulting in the ascension of mixed-blooded Rabican Petit as ruler in 1660. Petit immediately declared himself Duke Rabican I, shortened his town's name to Cielon, and began a full-fledged rebuilding program to repair the chaos from the plague.

The Ducal Period - 1660-1858

The ascension of Rabican I as Duke of Cielon marked the beginning of what is widely known as the Ducal Period. Rabican's building programs revitalized Cielon, and he introduced a standard currency, thus bringing actual commerce to Cielon to replace the barter economy that had sprung up. Mining and construction became major industries in the duchy. Rabican died in 1672 and was succeeded by his son Rabican II, who continued his father's programs as well as negotiating the annexation of Tusca as a subject town. Rabican II's reign lasted until March of 1677, when he was maimed to death by a wild boar while out hunting. His son Loyal succeeded him.

The reign of Duke Loyal I was especially remarkable in that the first constitution of Cielon was drafted under him, penned in 1678 in the grand hall of his moderately-sized stone manor. As well, Loyal I was a great patron of the arts and of lore. Under him the first printing company in Cielon was invented, armed with the basic printing press invented by Han Tsukino. In 1686 Loyal ordered the creation of the Great Library of Cielon, which still stands to this day. Also noteworthy is the creation of the Grand Council in 1693 - a group of ten men chosen by the population of Cielon to advise the Duke. All in all Loyal I's reign brought prosperity and education to Cielon. He died peacefully on August 11, 1700. His successor was his son John, who lasted until February 1701 before dying of food poisoning.

As John I had died childless, the Grand Council took up the decision of whom to select as Duke. Ultimately a man named Jun Momotani was selected and appointed as Duke of Cielon. Though his reign lasted slightly less than three years, Jun I is noteworthy for founding the town of Avenlete at the source of the Catas River; this town rapidly prospered thanks to the strong trout farming industry. In 1704 Jun I died and was succeeded by his adopted son Shiro. Historical sources tell us that Shiro I was Cielon's first genuine tyrant in that he had critics killed and created a small secret police known as the Duke's Hands. As well, Shiro expanded the duchy's army and presided over the introduction of gunpowder. Shiro lasted until April 1716, when he died of a fever and was replaced by his brother Jun II. Jun II's first act was to restrict the power of the Duke's Hands... and as a result he was killed in June 1716 by the Captain of the Duke's Hands, Hiro Shinzaki.

Hiro's reign was poorly documented, but we do know that he expanded the army a bit further and founded the town of Inala to the west of Cielon. He died childless in 1733, passing power on to his adopted son Latimer. Taking Loyal I as his role model, Latimer I promoted the arts and education and began the construction of roads between the four towns under his reign. Latimer II died of pneumonia in 1745, passing on power to his son Latimer II, who began construction on a port at Cielon. By this time the population of Cielon had surpassed 20000 thanks to immigration of natives and of widespread proliferation of the residents. Latimer II facilitated further population growth by creating federal birthing camps, in which otherwise poor women were recruited to serve as government-sanctioned breeding stock. Male clients were permitted to visit the camps and have their way with as many women as they could afford. While this form of government-sanctioned prostitution is considered by most to be distasteful it did ultimately boost the population and thicken the minority French strain in Cielon, as most of the clients were rich descendants of the original French settlers.

The death of Latimer II in 1752 brought his adopted son John II to the throne. John was more or less a caretaker, continuing Latimer II's policies before abdicating in favor of his brother Rabican III in 1756. Rabican III is most remarkable for his founding of the town of Dailore in 1763 and for opening soup kitchens in every city in the duchy to care for the poor. He died childless in 1780.

Rabican III's death sparked off a wave of military anarchy in the Duchy of Cielon. Candidates from across the duchy made claims to the throne, backing them up with force or bribery. Few candidates in this period lasted more than two years before they were assassinated. Remarkable emperors include Gennai I (1784-1789), who reclaimed Tusca after it revolted, Akira I (1790-1794), who ordered the construction of the Falcon Head Colosseum in Cielon and quelled an insurgency in Inala, and Miyuki (1798-1801), the first female Duchess in Cielonite history. The final Duke of the insurgency was Claude Deverts, a general who took power through a quick and bloodless coup only to be murdered by his own men in June of 1807.

After the murder of Deverts, another quick coup ensued in which power was seized by an admiral named Masamune Kunai. The anarchy ended in 1809 after Masamune strengthened his forces and crushed his two contenders to the throne, Luc Richarde and Mathieu Lariviere. By 1810 all conflict had been quelled through a series of treaties and defensive skirmishes, and by 1815 the nation had been restored to relative prosperity, earning the Masamune the title of 'The Restorer'. Masamune initiated massive building programs to employ the populace, prop up the economy, and repair the damage done by the anarchy. His policies led to the expansion of federal buildings and the expansion of the Grand Council to a body of 50 elected representatives. Masamune's reign was the longest in Cielonian history; he reigned from 1807 to 1841 before dying peacefully at the age of seventy-six. He was given a massive funeral by the people of Cielon, and his son Gan erected a monument in his honor that stands to this day in the courtyard of the Duca Palatia. The reign of Gan was fairly nondescript but very peaceful, lasting until 1858, a year which marked the beginning of a new era in Cielonian history.

The French Colonial Period - 1858-1948

On September 18, 1858, a fleet of French ships made port at Cielon, led by one Duke Marcel Desmarais. On behalf of France he made contact with Duke Gan and attempted to negotiate the ceding of the Duchy of Cielon to France on the grounds that it was founded by a French national in Bellemontaigne. Gan refused to give up his sovereignty. He then mysteriously died on November 12, 1858. His successor was a conservative Councillor named Ronald Devries, who ruled for all of three days before formally ceding Cielon to the French. Desmarais was promptly proclaimed Duke.

Duke Desmarais oversaw the introduction of more advanced French technology into Cielon, as well as the settlement of pureblooded French colonists. With modern weapons in hand the new French Cielonite Army was able to quell native resistance to French rule, forcing many Cielonite nationals to retreat by ship to an island to the southeast of the main isle, Cielamon. There they founded the Duchy of Porto Negro, aided by a substantial population of escaped Spanish prisoners who had sailed into the region behind the French. For his part Desmarais didn't mind getting the dissenters out of his country. Under Desmarais the rights of non-French citizens were curtailed, and aid programs for the poor were cut off.

In 1872 Desmarais died of hypothermia after falling off his boat; France sent Etienne Ficile to replace him as Duke. Ficile's reign was fairly lackluster save for the formation of the Cielon Colonial Navy and the drafting of natives as frontline troops (meat shields) for the more valuable French soldiers. After Ficile retired in 1897, the French appointed Florus Eliot as Duke. Eliot expanded the Grand Council to 60 handpicked members and moved in more French settlers, founding cities on the isle of Windland to the east as well as Nolandia on the isle of Sunda. In 1912, Eliot died of a stroke and was replaced by Gaston Belles-Oiseaux. Under Belles-Oiseaux Cielon devoted 3000 troops to the French force in World War I, mostly poor natives considered expendable by the colonial government. Belles-Oiseaux died under mysterious circumstances in 1921.

The appointment of Emile Versailles as Duke in 1921 prompted a massive native revolt in Cielon - one which Versailles put down peacefully by making concessions to the people, promising to reinstate elections of the Grand Council and to hold himself accountable to them. He made good on his promise, and as a result Cielon prospered, with many rights returned to the native population. Versailles ruled until 1943, when a Japanese raid on Cielon destroyed the wing of the Duca Palatia in which he was sleeping. He was replaced by former general Vernon Croix, who instituted a draft of natives and basically crushed all of Versailles' reforms. The Cielonites were heavily oppressed until April 1, 1948, the date of what has come to be known as the April Fools Rebellion. When Croix stepped into the Grand Council Chamber, Councillor Gan Kukai presented him with a bill to look over. The text of it was a simple 'April Fools, you frog-eating bastard'. Before Croix could respond, Kukai drew a revolver and shot him six times in the chest. The councillors then cut off Croix's head and genitals, and hung his headless, mutilated corpse from a post in front of the Duca Palatia.

The Strife and the Splintering - 1948-2005

The murder of Duke Croix sparked a violent response from the French, who promptly declared war on Cielon. Kukai responded by having the Grand Council declare him Duke, at which point he organized an army and beat back the French at Inala in 1949, then at Nolandia in 1951. However, tensions in the Duchy led to several popular uprisings, and several cities split from Cielon to found their own nations. Of the four inhabited Cielonian isles there were seven duchies: the Duchies of Cielon, Dailore, Apios, Nolandia, Porto Negro, Rainwater, and Chistian. We will focus mostly on the wars involving Cielon at this point. In 1956 the Duchy of Dailore attempted to annex Cielon, but Kukai's troops beat them back in the Battle of Black Ridge.

When Kukai died in 1958, the Grand Council held a general election in Cielon for the position of Duke, creating a parliamentary party system for this and all elections. The people elected Ichiro Saito of the Liberal Party, a veteran who'd fought for the USA in World War II. Under Saito the Cielonians defeated Dailore in 1964 but were too weak to consolidate and were thus unable to reclaim Dailore. Saito passed the Voting Rights Act through the Grand Council, decreeing that all citizens had the right to vote, and legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes. After two five-year terms Saito was defeated by Social Democratic candidate Tsuyoshi Kita, who served from 1968 to 1973 and was responsible for the creation of Social Security. In 1973 the people elected a Liberal candidate, Mathieu Onita, who promised sane foreign policy, only to have Rainwater declare war in 1975. A vote of no confidence resulted in a general election in 1976.

The 1976 election brought to power Gunpei Tsuda, the only elected Conservative Duke in Cielonian history. Tsuda served from 1976 to 1986 - two terms - and defeated Rainwater in 1979, crushing them at the naval Battle of the Reefs. Tsuda's terms also saw the introduction of legislation banning euthanasia. In 1986 Tsuda was defeated by Liberal candidate Jean Rainier, who served a record three terms - 1986-2001. Rainier's charisma and popularity lead to peace treaties with Dailore, Apios, and Porto Negro, though war continued to rage between Rainwater and Chistian. As well, Rainier's sizable Liberal majority abolished bans on recreational drugs, instituted progressive education policies aimed at reducing crime and poverty, and opened shelters for the homeless.

In 2001, Liberal candidate Atsushi Katou swept into office in a landslide and dedicated himself to ending the division between the various Cielonian duchies. His efforts bore fruit. On October 21, 2004, the Summit of Cielon was held in Cielon, and all seven Dukes agreed to unify into a single Grand Duchy, the ruler of which would be decided through an election in April 2005. This Grand Duke would be held in check by an elected Grand Council of 100 Barons and by a House of 253 elected Counts.

Cielonia - 2005-Present

On April 2, 2005, citizens in all seven duchies of Cielonia went to the polls to elect their new leaders. Candidates included the Conservative Party's John Trieste, the Liberal Party's Francis St. Marie, the Social Democratic Party's Otoshi Kawayama, the Cielonian Alliance's Hikaru Todou, and the Libertarian Party's Paul Vanier. On April 3 the election results came in: St. Marie 45%, Trieste 31%, Kawayama 18%, Todou 3%, Vanier 3%. Though hardly a stunning majority, St. Marie had won office with a landslide - yet with a mere 36 seats in the Grand Council and 91 in the House, his minority government was forced into an alliance with the Social Democratic Party.

Thus far St. Marie's term as Grand Duke of Cielonia has proven fruitful. Gambling has been legalized, limited uranium mining has begun on Sunda, and cloning research has garnered vast leaps in medical science. St. Marie enjoys approval ratings of 60% yes, 33% no, 7% undecided.