Cielonia
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| Flag of Cielonia | |
| Motto: "Strength in Liberty, Prosperity in Freedom." | |
| No Map Available Yet | |
| Region | Asia |
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| Capital | Cielon |
| Official Language(s) | Cielonian French, Katasi, Spanish |
| Leader | Grand Duke Francis St. Marie |
| Population | 56,000,000 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. The nation is populated by hard-nised people of mixed European and Oriental ancestry with a generally libertarian mentality; they value social freedoms and tend to frown upon social conservatism and religion. Cielonia is a member of the United Nations.
Contents
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.
General History
The history of Cielonia begins for all practical purposes in 1518, when a group of French explorers under Jean-Jacques Bellemontaigne sailed with a fleet of ships for the New World but was tossed far to the south by a freak storm. He ended up turning east and sailing around Africa and into Asia, seeking friendly ports but finding none. His ships gave out as he reached the east coast, and in the summer of 1519 he was forced to beach the surviving ships on the modern-day island of Cielamon. With the help of the native population, known as the Katasi, the French established the town of Arc-En-Cielon and multiplied for a good century and a half.
In the 1650s a plague hit Arc-En-Cielon, resulting in several years of chaos. This prompted a stonemason named Rabican Petit to proclaim himself Duke in 1660 and begin bringing Arc-En-Cielon under his leadership. People flocked to his promise to end the chaos and devastation - which he made good on. This began a dynasty of four Dukes - Rabican I, Rabican II, Loyal I (Loyal the Great, creator of the Grand Council and the Great Library), and John I. The city was renamed to Cielon under Rabican I. The dynasty ended in 1701 when John I died childless. The Momotani Dynasty succeeded them - three dukes, Jun I, Shiro, and Jun II, ruled from 1701 to 1716 but didn't accomplish much.
Jun II was soon killed by the captain of the ducal guard, Hiro Shinzaki, who founded a dynasty through his adopted son Latimer I. The Shinzaki Dynasty ran from 1716 to 1780 and comprised five Dukes - Hiro, Latimer I, Latimer II, John II, and Rabican III. Latimer II is noteworthy for his founding of government-sanctioned sex camps in which wealthy men could pay to impregnate willing women of French ancestry. After Rabican III died without heir a period of anarchy ensued, with 17 Dukes ruling between 1780 and 1807.
In 1807 General Masamune Kunai overthrew the last Duke of the Anarchy and took power, immediately putting down his rivals and instituting massive economic and social reforms that rejuvenated Cielon and its surrounding colony-towns. He put an end to the anarchy and beautified the city as well as guaranteeing education and healthcare for everyone. Masamune the Restorer died in 1841, and his son Gan reigned until 1858, continuing his father's policies.
Gan was assassinated in 1858 when a fleet of Frenchmen arrived on orders from the French government, conquering the Cielonian towns and placing the islands under colonial rule. This continued until April 1, 1948, the date of what has come to be known as the April Fools Rebellion. When the then-current Duke, Vernon Croix Lord Cielon, 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. A brief war with the French ensued, which the Cielonians won narrowly; however, the strife splintered the duchy into seven duchies, resulting in civil war until 2005, when the seven Dukes met and agreed to reunite the duchies and end the war.
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.
