Difference between revisions of "Hestrael"

**Hestrael**
	Flag of Hestrael
	Motto: Free Cheescake For All!
	[1]
Region	Urbanites
Capital	Hesatre
Official Language(s)	English, Old Hestrung, More, Detchen, High Shott
Leader	President M. Spearing
Population	3 billion
Currency	Letal
	NS Sunset XML

Latest revision as of 12:07, 1 December 2005

Background

The Republic Of Hestrael is a massive, environmentally stunning, economically powerful nation, notable for its punitive income tax rates, burgeoning goldfinch population and utterly anti-war-faring nature. Its compassionate, intelligent population are free to do what they want with their own bodies, and vote for whoever they like in elections; if they go into business, however, they are regulated to within an inch of their lives. The sprawling, liberal government is mainly concerned with commerce, education and the environment. The average income tax rate is 100%. Private enterprise is illegal, but for those in the know there is a slick and highly efficient black market in Automobile Manufacturing. The Country was once an autocratic monarchy steeped in tradition and ceremony, until the revolution of 1804, and the following civil war. Previous to that, the lands now encompassed by the modern Hestrael were divided amongst warlords, clans and small kingdoms, before the formation under a single crown. Today, the country is still traditional but also liberal, and perhaps a little old-fashioned, but is extremely rich in culture and heritage.

General Information

Flag: A central black cross that goes between the corners of the flag, these are flanked by two thicker red stripes, and these are in turn flanked by a white stripe, and then a green stripe. These two large stripes cross over each other, so the top-left to bottom-right stripe goes over the top-right to bottom left stripe. These stripes are on a white background. The four quarters of the flag that are left each contain a blue circle, representing the four principles of Hestrael: Peace, Tolerance, Democracy and Prosperity. The flag was designed by Wilfred Imanger (1741-1809) in 1762. Previously, the flag had been a thin green stripe running lengthways along the centre of the flag, with each side having a very large white stripe running along it, and then two red stripes following them. The origins of this flag are unknown, but it is thought to have been the symbol of one of the small Kingdoms before the formation of the Single Nation of Hestrael.
National Anthem: The Great Republic, Composed by Wladyslaw Mikhailovich, in 1810 (attributed). Pre-Revolutionary Anthem: “Glorious Crown”.
National Colours: Green, Black, Red and Blue.
National Animal: Goldfinch
National Flower: Yellow flowers, daffodils, sunflowers and dandelions are often used
National Foods: Pheasant is the traditional meat, and is often served on certain holidays.
National Sports: Archery, aswell as a great number of traditional sports, such as stone-hurling and carp-netting.
National Drink: Hesatre Mead is very popular, aswell as Rookale, a strange orange concoction, the ingredients of which are a closely guarded secret in the few villages still producing the drink.

National Holidays:

22nd January - National Peace Day
8th February - National Culture Day
18th February - Founding Day
14th March - President M. Spearing's Birthday
20th April - Green Day
1st May - May Festival
22nd June - Fathers Day
29th July - Summer Festival
4th August - Republic Day
21st September - Autumn Day
10th October - Mothers Day
30th November - Community Day
3rd December- Imanger Day

History

Ancient Period

Little is known of this period, from around 600 BCE to 300 CE, but it is thought that two or three distinct and fairly developed classical civilisations existed in the land that is now Hestrael. There are many carvings and monoliths constructed by these people scattered across the south and west of the country, and a number of large settlements that could have housed 10 or 20 thousand people have been discovered, and are being excavated now. The two main civilisations were named the Shram and the Bunaar.

Pre-Kingdom Era / Dark Ages of Hestrael

At some point in the 4th century, a catastrophe (such as the eruption of Mt. Siristina, as some historians have hypothesised) destroyed the ancient people of Hestrael, leaving them in a state not unlike the European dark ages. In the 7th and 8th centuries, warlords started to form coherent nations again, and for many years dozens of competing states warred against one another, until eventually Maerook, Lord of the Desteace, began a campaign that would unite Hestrael as a single nation (although many unruly northern parts remained seperate from Hestrael until the mid-13th century).

Kingdom Era

This is a broad term for the period from the unification by King Maerook the first until the 1670s, when a great deal of power was surrendered by the monarchy to the Houses of Speech, or Parliament, of Hestrael. During this period Hestrael was peaceful and prosperous, with a number of great Kings reigning, and the foundations for the infrastructure, government and services of modern Hestrael were created. During the renaissance, European travellers were shipwrecked in Hestrael, and brought with them European culture, science, art several European languages, of which one, English, has now become an official language. Hestrael flourished culturally during this period, and at many times was more advanced than much of the rest of the world.

The Enlightened Time / The Age of Tyranny

This is a term for the period of the rise of the last royal house, Torsveile, and the tyranny that came from their reign, which reached its climax during the reign of King Michael XII, whose autocratic style of rulership (summed up in The last articles ) resulted in the overthrow of the monarchy.

The Revolution and the Civil War

The Revolution of Hestrael was a series of riots that took place in late 1803 and early 1804 in the cities of Hesatre and Parlebrowe, led by the revolutionary Casimir Cifferro. He was subsequently killed at the battle of the Brow on the 8th of January 1804, which sparked off a civil war. This war was fought between Republicans (led by Captain Arthur Stormglass), those who wanted democratic change and the monarchy to be deposed, the Royalists who followed William II, the successor of Michael XII, and the so-called Autumn-men, who followed the dictatorship that had emerged in and around the city of Autumnhath, led by Edwin Haywood. The war continued until April 6th 1807, when the Hillowsteep treaty between Field-Marshall Mikhailovich of the Republicans and General Keepleaf, the leader of the bedraggled royalist forces. The Autumnhath Confederacy continued to exist after the war, as it had declared itself neutral in 1806.

The Mikhailovich Presidency

On the 20th of April 1807, The Republic Of Hestrael was declared, and Wladyslaw Mikhailovich, the Republican Commander at the end of the Civil War, took charge of the Presidency. He was elected to two terms in office, and at the end of the second of these terms, he died unexpectedly. The republic under his rulership had been strong but poorly organised and had not been rebuilt after the ravages of war. His cabinet disbanded in 1815, leaving the nation in turmoil.

The Interregnum

With no effective government except the council of Hesatre (which ruled over the central Desteace Region, aswell as Hesatre and Parlebrowe), the republic was disunited for years and had many disparate elements, including the Grand Duchy of Mape, which tried to secede and caused havoc and anarchist riots across the nation. Eventually, Robert Bard, a young lawyer from Flanke, decided to try to re-establish the nation, and succeeded in engineering a new political system, which endures to this day. He managed, through diplomacy, to unite the nation, and finally, on August 7th 1841, he signed an agreement with Johnathon Hattcraft, the new leader of the Autumnhath Confederacy to unite the two greatest powers in Hestrael. This agreement then ushered in the era of the modern Hestraellite Republic.

The New Republic

This period covers the time between the reunification of Hestrael to the present day. During the second half of the 19th Century, Hestrael expanded, obtaining the Edward Islands, Scorscenta, and Hyne Isle. In the aftermath of the first world war, Hestrael was responsible for a number of mandates in central urbanites, namely Menastiyr and Free Gerweustegerr, which it helped to rebuild and modernise. In the last 70 years, Hestrael has become one of the freest and most democratic countries in the world, where people are free to do as they please but are also well looked after by the government.

Geography

Location: North-Eastern Urbanites, on an Island. The Nearest other nations are Iuthia and Free Iuthia.
Climate: Temperate in the South, with Hot Summers and mild winters, Cold in the North with mild summers and very cold winters, Autumnhath is well-known for its chill winds and frosts. Little Humidity, quite high rainfall.
Terrain: 70% of the land area is rolling hills and flatland, suited well to farming. These flatlands and hills are made up of around 70% grasslands and 30% forests. Most of the coast is made up of large sandy or shingle beaches, however there are many miles of spectacular cliffs along the southern coast. The rest of the land is divided as follows - 10% marshland, 14% Mountains and Highlands and 6% semi-tundra in the extreme North.
Elevation extremes:

Highest point: Mount Scorn (3,112 m) lowest point: High Oeyer Gorge (-211 m)

Mountain Ranges: The Rull Mountains (Highest Peak, Mt.Scorn), The Detches and The Mors, named after the tribes who once inhabited the slopes and valleys in and around them.
Major Rivers: R. Birchoeyer, R. Hafterooke, R. Desteace, R. Whitehazel
Natural resources: Copper, Salt, Nickel, Iron, Coal, some Geothermal Energy.
Arable Land: 70%
Comparative Area: Roughly the same size as Brazil
Noteworthy Sites: The Mape Archipelago, The Iman Reef, The rapids and falls of the river Birchoeyer, Lakes Besk, Gertasta and Far, Carp Isle, The Edward Islands, Farn Bay, The Shots Marshes, The Longwoods and the Birchwood National Parks.
Natural hazards: Occasional, mild Earthquakes in Hazelbeam and the extreme east. Avalanches and blizzards in the North. One, Dormant volcano in the small Vyres Mountain Range, named Mt. Siristina. It has not erupted since 1447 CE. Some heavy rainstorms and floods in the city of Flanke and the surrounding area.
Other Notable Information: On the southern coast near the city of Immanar are miles of spectacular coastline, with high cliffs, coves, caves, bays and arches. Just off of this stretch of coast are more than 300 islands, which make up the Mape Archipelago, and the vast Iman Reef. A number of national parks cover large areas of spectacular land, forest, mountains and hills, cliffs, islands, lakes and rivers. A large number of museums are scattered across the country, including the world famous art galleries of Autumnhath. The Edward islands are a fairly small group of islands far off the North East coast of Hestrael, that are practically uninhabited by humans, but have colonies of the most colourful and incredible birds in the region.
Capital: Hesatre, Population 14,432,000

People

Population: 3 billion (August 2004 Estimate)

Age structure :

0-15 years: 20%
16-65 years: 61%
66+ years: 19%

Nationality:

Noun: Hestrael, sometimes Citizen of Hestrael, Plural, sometimes used - Hestraels adjective: Hestrael, Hestraellite or sometimes Hestraele

Ethnicity:

81% Hestraels (Including Foreign Immigrants), 8% Detches, 6% Mores 4% Ruls, 1% Shots

Life Expectancy: 88.2 years
Literacy: 99.9%
Major Urban Areas: Hesatre, Hazelbeam, Autumnhath, Cetmine, Farnynbyre, Flanke, Parlebrowe, Orthoats and Immanar.

Religions (of the 41% of religious people):

Shritan - 68%
Hafterenism - 22%
Morism - 6%
Detchinists - 4%

Government

Country Name: Hestrael
Conventional long form: The Republic Of Hestrael
Conventional short form: Hestrael
Abbreviation: Hest.

Government type: Egalitarian, Utopian, Left-Wing, Democracy. Three-House Parliamentary system.

Executive branch

Chief of State: President J.M. Spearing
Chief of State Residence: 14 Quille Street, Hesatre

Elections: General Elections are held bi-annually

Cabinet: The Cabinet is made up of the premier ministers, president, vice-president, chief of staff & deputy, and all the main 15 ministers.

Legislative branch

The hierarchy within the Legislative System works as follows. There are three house leaders, and three house speakers who essentially run and keep in order the three parliamentary houses. These three houses are: The Chief House, who are elected from among the people to administrate all national affairs and are elected in a proportionally representative system, The Representative house, who are elected from among the people to govern regions, areas, towns and cities and are elected in a constituency-based system, and the Ministerial House, who run the 15 main ministries, aswell as a number of other public services, national organisations and charities, who are partly appointed by the president and partly elected by the chief house. They are chosen from among the other two houses, or appointed by the ministers or their staff. From these houses, members can progress to any of the higher ranks, the cabinet or the offices of higher officials.

Elections: House Elections are held annually, and each member must hold an election to maintain his or her position every six months, in the area they represent.

Judicial branch

The ministries of Justice and Civil Law have jurisdiction over the running of criminal and civil courts, respectively. The People have a large say in the affairs of the courts, and the election of Judges.

The judiciary is very much democratically run; the ministries of Justice and Civil Law have a considerable degree of jurisdiction over the running of criminal and civil courts, though. Judges are elected by local boards and local people, High Court Judges and other judicial figures are all elected by similar means. On occasion, a judge may be appointed directly by the board of Judges, a special board that deals with exceptional circumstances in the law and judicial systems. Trials are heard and decided by a combination of a Jury, set of judges and sometimes a public vote. In terms of Law, the system is really fairly average, not oppressive, but not anarchic.

Suffrage: 16 years, universal. All citizens are equal under the law; there is no discrimination under the law.

Political parties

Most of the political parties of Hestrael are liberal and left-wing, although there are some more nationalistic, conservative and right-wing parties around. The three main parties are the Beige Party, the Persona party and the Ecotopian Party. Other, smaller parties include the Grey Party, The National Party, The Utopian Party, The Left Party, The Liberal Party and the National Conservative Party.

Other

Governmental Approval Rating: 80%

Notable Officials:

President – M. Spearing
Vice President – Howard Oates
Chief of Staff – Christopher Elms
Chancellor – Judith Arbling
Vice Chancellor – Hugh Orange
Premier Ministers – Magnolia Ash, Michael Hark, Vincent Gorg
Deputy Chief of Staff – Naomi Iveson
Culture Minister – Philip Cystarn
Education Minister – Samuel Thyme
Health Minister – Robin Adams
Transport Minister – Edmund Pheasant
Hestrael Minister (Home Affairs) – Scott Moore
Foreign Affairs Minister – Garnet Colbar
Environment Minister – Joseph Gardener
Justice Minister – Geoff Alexander
Civil Minister – Edith Wilson
Finance Minister – Patrick Meadow
Agricultural Minister – Florence Greene
Technology Minister – Rose Thomas
Social Minister – Richard Garl
Industry Minister – Percival Sage
Communications Minister – Elaine Carp

House Leaders:

Representative House – Stewart Barnheight Chief House – Sophia Parning Ministerial House – George Bavery

The Government has its centre at Blossom House in Hesatre, where the President, Vice President, Chief and Deputy Chief of Staff and Premier Ministers have their offices.

Economy

Hestrael’s Economy is extremely powerful and large, although technically all private enterprise is illegal and officially nationalised. Business is regulated almost to breaking point where it does exist, and the principle industries are Automobile Manufacturing, Copper Mining and Cereal-Based Agriculture.

GDP - composition by sector:

primary: 5%
secondary: 15%
services: 80%

Population below poverty line: 0.2%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.2%
Unemployment rate: 0.8%
Major Imports – Luxury Products, Meat, Titanium, Dairy Products, Pine, Furniture and Jam
Major Exports – Cereals, Vegetables, Electronics, Cheesecake, Automobiles & Automobile Components, Nuts, bolts, nails and textiles.

Currency: Letal (100 Let) Coins –

1 Let Coin Depicting national coat of arms and stylised Hestrael Rose
2 Let Coin Depicting coat of arms and great silver birch
5 Let Coin Depicting coat of arms and Rull Hawk
10 Let Coin Depicting coat of arms traditional carnival mask
20 Let Coin Depicting coat of arms and Morekin Fern
50 Let Coin Depicting coat of arms and the Harlequin (folklore figure)
1 Letal Coin Depicting Crossed Flags and Keepleaf Castle
2 Letal Coin Depicting The Candleglass Seal and Pruegell Castle

Notes –

5 Letal Note
10 Letal Note
20 Letal Note
50 Letal Note
100 Letal Note

Currency code: LT
Fiscal year: March to March

Media

Major News Media:

Newspapers: The Brigand (National) The Emissary (National) The Islander (Southern) The Vizard (Hesatre)
TV News: HBN- Hestrael Broadcasting Network, HTS - Hestraellite Television Service

Military

Total Personnel: 908 Divisions: Disarmament, Weapons Disposal, National Office for Peace

Education

A good education is a highly prized thing in Hestrael, and is necessary for success. Hestrael’s citizens have always been a little preoccupied with education, and it is one of the government’s top priorities. The School system is recognised as one of the best in the region, and the people of Hestrael are some of the smartest around. Decades of continuous investment and reform have ensured that standards in the education system have never fallen, and as time goes by, so the people grow more intelligent.

The Education system works like so: •Nursery from ages 2 up to 5 (compulsory) •Primary School from ages 4 to 11 (compulsory) •Secondary Education from 11-17 (compulsory) •Tertiary Education from 17-19 (optional) •Foundation University 19-21 (optional) •Upper University 21+ (optional)

In Nursery, Children begin the basics of learning. Often they are taught to read at a young age, and are also taught some basic writing. Otherwise, this stage acts in the standard manner.

In Primary Education, students are taught to a more advanced level, learning much of the basics of many subjects. These subjects include science, P.E, humanities, maths and English. These are the core subjects that all students must take. Other lessons, such as Detchen, Iuthian, Old Hestrung, I.T and the arts are optional, though most students do partake in many of them.

In Secondary Education, all the subjects, both core and optional, are made compulsory, and are taught to a much more sophisticated level. Other optional lessons introduced at this stage are Social Education, Political Studies, and Design & Technology. Once this section of education is complete, students are free to leave the education system if they so wish. However, around 80% choose to stay on. At the End of Secondary Education, students complete a NSE (National Secondary Examination), or a VNSE (Vocational National Secondary Examination).

Tertiary education is a rounding off to general education, that functions much like a sixth-form. Students pick 6 subjects to study comprehensively, and complete a Diploma at the end of their two years. At this level, many more specialist subjects such as Astronomy, Thermodynamics, Microbiology and Engineering are open to students. It is an issue of heated debate as to whether this stage of education should be made compulsory. All stages up to this point are fully state funded. Some private schools do exist, although they are not very popular.

Foundation Level University is where students can choose to pick one or two subjects to study for a basic degree. Many more subjects are open at this level, and many specialists come from other nations to teach at Hestrael’s Universities. Upper University is a further, final level of upper education, where students of any age can study for a higher, or advanced degree. These stages are partly funded by the state and partly by private fees.

Teaching has always been a high priority for the education ministry, and teachers are highly trained and of exceptional quality, thanks to massive investment, particularly in recent years. Hestrael also offers a comprehensive special needs education system, with fully trained teaching staff.

In P.E, students learn a number of international sports, aswell as some traditional ones. For boys, Rugby, Gymnastics and Athletics are most popular, and for girls, Kettshot (a traditional ball game), Tennis, Basketball & Netball are most popular. In Art, Students learn primarily about the art of the region, and particularly that of Hestrael, though often art from further afield may be studied. The different aspects of design & technology are: Woodworking, Metalworking, Textiles, Electronics, Graphics and Food Technology. Geography is taught on both regional and national levels, History concentrates primarily on the History of Hestrael (though it tries to steer students away from becoming preoccupied with the monarchy) and Religious Education concentrates on all aspects of many diverse faiths from around the world, as well as looking at ethics and morality.

Vocational Courses are given to those who show interest in physical and/or skilled manual jobs. They are encouraged just as much as more academic subjects, and are considered to be just as important. Training Courses are available to people of any age, for free, and teach a large number of varied topics, for those who did not have the same opportunities as students now do.

Reading is greatly encouraged from a young age, and the national literacy programme, in conjunction with the large number of libraries nationwide ensures children read well, and adults can continue to learn throughout their lives.

Environment & Tourism

Hestrael’s Environment has long been a source of great national pride, and a great boost to the national tourism industry. From the central Rull Mountains, to the great pine forests of the North, to the spectacular Iman Reef, Hestrael’s Environment is stunning and diverse, well preserved and well cared for. The Environment has been a matter of great importance to the Government, especially with the efforts of the Ecotopian Party, and various organisations such as the Hestrael Environmental Association, Forestry & Farming Society and the National Park Administration. The Ecotopian Party were established in the mid-60s, in response to environmental negligence by previous governments, and have been in power twice since then. Without their efforts, many national parks and conservation areas would not exist.

Hestrael has many notable sites of natural beauty and scientific interest, of which more than 200,000 are protected by law as national conservation areas. Some of the most well-known sites include the Mape Archipelago & Iman Reef National Park, The More National Park, The Shots Marshes, Lake Besk & Lake Gertasta (The Two Lakes National Park), Lake Far, The Hazen Islands National Park, Hyne Island, The Edward Islands, Provel Forest, The High Oeyer Gorge, Carp Isle National Park, The two Lower Rulls National Parks, The Vyres National Park, The Farth Forest and The Oate Forest.

The National Parks of Hestrael are areas in which pollution is limited, new building is restricted and only a certain amount of people are allowed into and through per year, to maintain the natural beauty of the areas, and to prevent erosion and damage to the local environment and ecosystems. The National Park Administration and the Environment Minister are responsible for keeping the Parks in order and properly maintained. Without the massive funds that the government puts into the Environment, many natural sites would have disappeared or been destroyed by now.

The Mape Archipelago & Iman Reef National Park encompasses much of the southern island group of the Mape Archipelago, The Imanger Straits, the sub-tropical reefs in the far south and hundreds of miles of the spectacular southern coast. The south coast is internationally renowned for its many caves, caverns, arches, pillars and stacks, aswell as many highly unusual rock formations. Many rare types of coral and species of seals and dolphins live there. The Shots Marshes are a huge, ancient network of forests, marshes and peat bogs, that were once at the centre of a pre-kingdom earldom called Shot, from where the marshes get their name. Despite the best efforts of the National Cartographic Association, the Marshes have never been mapped in their entirety, and some people have become thoroughly lost in them. The Marshes, in recent years, have become a haven for eco-friendly development, and an ancient hut design once used by the people of Shot can now once more be found throughout the area.

Hyne Island is a very small Island in the Hesternsea, way off Hestrael’s Eastern Coast. It has been compared to the Galapagos Islands, because of the multitude of unusual animals that live there, including some strange marsupial-like species and the Hyne Dragons, a type of large lizard, similar to a komodo dragon. The island itself looks like a candelabrum, with several strange vertical fingers of rock that jut from the sea, and many inlets and bays.

The High Oeyer Gorge is an enormous, deep gorge in the lower reaches of the River Birchoeyer. Its sheer red sides that plummet down to the rapids deep below have made it popular with abseiling enthusiasts, climbers, hikers, white-water rafters and rowers.

Mount Siristina and Mount Scorn are considered the two most important mountains of the Nation. Mount Siristina is Hestrael’s only volcano, which is currently dormant, having been so for more than 500 years. Its huge caldera with its lake, and the many sulphurous hot springs have made it popular with tourists. Mount Scorn in the Highest Mountain in Hestrael, and for many years has been one of the most popular hiking and walking sites in the country. Skiing and many other winter sports are also available.

The Most well-liked coastal resort in Hestrael is the Great Southekin Beach, which stretches along the southwestern coast for more than one hundred miles. Until twenty years ago, Southekin was a sleepy area on the edge of Ire Woods. But in 1983 and Enterprising businessman and hotelier named Oscar Crispian started up a small resort there, and the town has been growing ever since.

Hestrael is home to a number of very interesting plants and animals. The Hestrael Rose is a very special flower, which grows mainly in the north. It has a great many more petals than most roses, and can be coloured in any combination of white, black, blue and purple, and have gained the nickname of “The Magpie Rose”, because of this. The Great Silver Birch can be found up and down the length of the Birchoeyer River, and is a good deal taller than ordinary birch trees, and its leaves, instead of turning orange or red in autumn, turn a shimmering silver colour for just a few weeks each year, before turning brown and falling off. The Trees outside Blossom House, the national centre of government, are a variety of this tree, and come out in pink and orange blossoms in the spring. The Rull Hawk is Hestrael’s most remarkable bird, which looks much like a golden eagle, and is now only found around Lake Far. It is a protected species that has been the centre of many conservation and breeding programmes in recent years, because of intensive hunting in the past. It is still, sadly, and endangered species.

Detail On Principle Cities

There are nine main cities in Hestrael, each with its own character, history, special traits and culture. The people of Hestrael, in general, prefer to live not in large cities, but in smaller towns and villages, and this is why the cities are small in comparison to the national population. The main nine are: Hesatre, Autumnhath, Parlebrowe, Cetmine, Orthoats, Farnynbyre, Immanar, Hazelbeam and Flanke, but not all of them are mentioned here.

The largest city in Hestrael is Hesatre, with a population of around 14.4 million. It is the nation’s capital, having been so since King Ilvour I declared it the capital of the Desteace in 690 C.E. The city is home to 37 royal palaces (this figure was originally 45, but many were destroyed, pillaged and looted during the revolution and civil war), including the neo-classical Torsveile Manor, The towering Neo-Gothic style Harkel House and the grandiose, flamboyant and excruciatingly distasteful Goldfinch Hall. Hesatre is also home to the three houses of Parliament, The official Presidential Residence at 14 Quille Street and Blossom House, the national centre of Government. The city is famous for its Mead, the most popular brand of which is Honeysuckle. Hesatre is the national hub of many things: learning, architecture, politics, media, and so on. The capital has its own paper, the Vizard, and is the home of the Hestrael Broadcasting Network. The city has some 200 museums, notably the National History and The Urbanites Regional Museum. The city is particularly famous for its network of Hydro-Electric Dams and power stations, the national war memorial and its many parks and open spaces. The city lies at the very heart of the nation, on the banks of the river Desteace, a little way south of the Rull Mountains.

Hestrael’s Second city is Autumnhath, with a population of 12.2 million. The city came to prominence after the revolution and civil war, when it became the capital of the newly established Autumnhath Confederacy, and has seen massive growth since then. The city is a very wealthy place, with some very desirable (and extremely highly priced) suburbs and mansions on its fringes, that have recently attracted many national and international celebrities. The city is the official national centre of the arts, with more than 60 theatres, 200 Art Galleries (including the national gallery), and a multitude of musical venues, opera houses and concert halls. The city is home to the Saphelle College of Art, The National Music College and the National Academy of the Arts. Autumnhath has gained a reputation for being one of the most staunchly anti-militaristic places in the world, being the first gun-free city of Hestrael in 1926, and being the location of the Urbanites Demilitarisation Association, aswell as a number of other such organisations. The city is famous for its cold winters, its highly skilled silver and goldsmiths and its various literary geniuses. Autumnhath is also noted as being home to the largest Shritan Temple in Hestrael. The city is located in the centre of the north of Hestrael, some way south of the River Birchoeyer.

Parlebrowe is the Industrial Capital of Hestrael, from the ancient salt mines to the modern solar-powered car industry; the city is churns out the goods of the nation. 8.2 million people live in the city, making it the third largest in Hestrael. In the last three years, towering blue skyscrapers with radical new designs have been being built in the central business district of the city, the so-called Hyperstructures are pioneering an entirely new architectural revolution. Parlebrowe has been the centre of much environmental controversy, and at one point the entire city was shut down for three weeks in 1979 because of government regulations on chemicals and pollutants. Since then Parlebrowe has been cleaning up, replacing dirty, greenhouse gas-spewing smokestacks with cleaner industry, solar power and non-polluting manufacturing. An extremely efficient monorail system has replaced the constant traffic and congested roads. Many other towns in the region have taken up similar schemes, cutting pollution dramatically. The city is particularly famous for being the centre of the car manufacturing industry, being the birthplace of the Revolution and its excellent schools. The city is located in the central south, a little southwest of the Shots Marshes.

Farnynbyre is at the Agricultural heart of the nation, set amongst Hestrael’s trademark rolling hills. It has a population of 6 million. Outside the city are miles of some of the world’s most fertile soils, and on the nearby coast are the nations best fishing grounds. The city has been nicknamed “the city of song”, partly because of the hundreds of sea-shanties that have come from the city, and partly because of the many musical events, festivals and venues scattered in and around it. The city is also very famous for its enormous weekly markets. The city is home to the Natural history museum, and the National Agricultural Society. It is located on a peninsula between two vast bays, with the Hesternsea just a few miles to the west, and some way southeast of Hesatre.

Immanar is famous for being a “new” city, though it was founded in 1778 by Wilfred Imanger, the royal architect at that time. It is full of architectural marvels, palaces, museums, wide boulevards, parks and pleasant squares, courtyards and quadrangles. The city has a population of around 4.2 million, and is home to dozens of aquariums, maritime and aquatic museums, that are unrivalled by almost all others internationally. The city is famous for the Imanger Technical College, named after its founder, which teaches all manner of technical & engineering subjects and sciences. The most striking landmark in the city is the vast sculpture garden in one of the central squares, where many modern and classical sculptures are exhibited. Immanar is situated very near the southern tip of Hestrael, on the edge of the Mape Archipelago and Iman Reef National Park.

Historical Figures of Note

Edgar II is remembered as one of the greatest and most important kings in the history of the nation. He ruled from 801-830. He is often nicknamed Edgar the Great, and is remembered, in much the same way as Alfred the Great of England, for unifying a fractured land stuck in the dark ages. From a small clan-like kingdom in virtual anarchy, he fought valiantly with his army of Desteaceans to unify the many petty kingdoms of Hestrael. However, what tends not to be remembered about Edgar is the fact that aswell as his conflicts throughout his new kingdom, he was fighting a vicious political battle with a rival claimant to the throne. Edgar was descended from King Gorle, the Brother of Paelforge II. Paelforge had left children of his own, but at the time of his death none of them were old enough to rule, and Gorle usurped the throne. Years later, when Gorle died, instead of the descendants of Paelforge taking up the rulership once more, Gorle’s sons and grandson Edgar II continued to rule without any real or legitimate claim. Paelforge’s descendants eventually reclaimed the throne from Edgar, replacing the House of Desteace with the House of Hywinter.

Edgar is also remembered for setting up a number of vital systems and institutions. He established the first real courthouses, set up a royal mint, built a network or Roman-style roads across the country (which make up the foundations of the modern road network), built the impressive Keepleaf Castle, and helped to create a new system of servitude and a new and powerful aristocracy.

Another important and much-liked king of Hestrael was King Candleglass. Candleglass was the third king of the House of Heed, and ruled from 1248-1280. He is remembered particularly for establishing the Parliament of Hestrael. The parliament he established was rather different from the one we know today, however. There was only one house, consisting of, in Candleglass’ own words: “Three-Hundred or so Royal Advisors and Speakers, Judges and Priests, Lords and Earls, Men of land, men of the court, and so on”. The Parliament helped the king to rule, and debated new laws and politics. The new Parliament was intended to act in the interests of the people, but after Candleglass died corruption and debauchery became rife in the Parliament, and it simply became an extra arm for the monarchy to exert their control over the people, as the Kings after Candleglass abandoned his ideals of running a country for its own people, and lavished the members of the house with gifts, houses and estates.

Candleglass also created a great many of the royal traditions, including the ceremonial rags that were worn at coronations, to show that and the people made the king, not his money, and the tradition of an annual trek through from one side of the Rull Mountains to the other. He encouraged tolerance and peace in the nation, and established hospitals and schools in the Shritan Monasteries. His life’s works are honoured in Candleglass Square in Parlebrowe, where his monument stands, and which he is traditionally said have been buried somewhere beneath. Candleglass is also particularly well remembered for his “Great Articles”, which decreed the rights of all Hestraellites, and is looked on by many historians as one of the earliest forms of a human rights declaration.

Wilfred Imanger was a writer, poet, architect and explorer who lived from 1741 to 1809, serving all of the courts of the monarchs of the house of Torsveile. He lived through the tumultuous period that saw the end of the monarchy, and great civil and political unrest. He was at the centre of many plots and conspiracies, a figure of great intrigue and mystery, who was said to have had a great influence over the monarchy at the time, and did all in his power to stop the arrogant King Michael XII from losing his kingdom. Some see him in a similar light to Rasputin, and others see him as a great Hestraellite and an important cultural and social figure. As well as serving at royal court, he served at various points as the mayor of many cities, rejuvenating many deserted or bleak areas, and founding the city of Immanar. He did a great deal of work in exploring and charting the heavens and the Isles of Hestrael, and was a pioneer in the coming industrial revolution. He designed Hestrael’s new flag, which became the emblem of the Republicans. He was not involved in the war, but eventually abandoned King Michael and backed the thriving republican movement who were often storming the Parliamentary House. He took a back seat during the war, and was well looked after by the Republicans, who planned to make him their president after the war was won. Imanger refused, devoting the last two years of his life to exploring the Iman reef (which is named after him), travelling across the world and publishing his poetry, books, plays and travelling journals. Imanger is viewed as the archetypal gentlemen, and he was looked up to as the ideal by the middle-classes of the newly-established republic. The technical college he founded in Immanar is one of the finest in Hestrael, and indeed the world.

Casimir Cifferro – artist, politician, revolutionary. Born George Mantin in 1778, the son of a duke who had fallen from grace, Cifferro was a rebel from the start. He rejected the ways of his father and his less-than-virtuous friends, and longed to pursue a career as a painter. Cifferro was the son and heir to his father’s estate, but when he was 17, Cifferro decided he would not be dragged down into the morass of the gentry. He set off from his home in the foothills of the More Mountains to go to a college of Art in Parlebrowe. He abandoned his previous way of life and joined the radical group of writers and artists known as The Menastis (an old Hestrung word for Change), which eventually became the republican movement. He founded The Republican Party, and was responsible for many of the “Autumn Storms” (Invasions of the Parliament) which preceded the riots and eventual revolution in Hesatre and Parlebrowe. His movement was popular with the long-oppressed poor of Hestrael, and he gained fame with more influential members of society through the art of his group. On the morning of the 6th of January 1804, a group of Parlebrowe militiamen, who had taken over the city and were under the leadership of Cifferro, clashed with what was left of the royal army (Michael XII had died of pneumonia on New Year’s Day, and most of the army had deserted) on a hill outside Parlebrowe. The Revolutionaries were victorious, but not without cost: Cifferro was hit in the chest by a musket ball and died later that day. His movement was without a leader, but not for long, as his friend, the ex-royal army captain Arthur Stormglass took control.

Arthur Stormglass was born in 1770, into a family with a proud military heritage dating back for hundreds of years. He had a privileged upbringing and went immediately into the army as a Captain (The second highest rank in the Hestraellite army of the time) in 1790. For the first four years of his career he did well, commanding armies on the continental mainland and putting down an attempted coup in Mape. However, he became disillusioned when Michael XII came to the throne, as funding to the army was drastically reduced and Michael demanded that command of the army fell directly to him. Stormglass left the army in shame, after a series of crushing defeats, but he always blamed the autocratic regime for his failure, and was always confident of his ability as a commander. He retired to his estate near Parlebrowe and there he remained until 1798, when he met Casimir Cifferro. The charismatic young Cifferro persuaded Stormglass to attend debates and become a figure in his republican movement, and the two became friends. On hearing the news of Michael XII’s death, he galvanised the population of Parlebrowe into action, and recruited a militia force for the new movement. Cifferro was not a commander, so Stormglass conducted his battles from behind the scenes. But, when Cifferro was killed after the battle of the Browe, Stormglass took it upon himself to take up the helm of the movement. Stormglass went on to command the Revolutionary army in the civil war after William Torsveile usurped the throne, with the help of his able Lieutenant, Wladyslaw Mikhailovich. When Imanger refused the position of President, the people of Hestrael looked to Stormglass for leadership, but at the end of the war he disappeared in mysterious circumstances. In later years it was thought that Stormglass was living in seclusion in a remote mansion on the Edward Islands, advising the new government on Military Matters, and this theory was later proved to be true, long after his death in 1826. Stormglass became the governor of the Edward Islands during the interregnum, and his descendants live there still, in a wholly ceremonial role. He is buried in the Edward Islands botanic gardens, which he established in 1818.

Other notable figures include Edgar VI, who was supposedly mad and was not at all the way a king of the time was expected to be. He is often compared to Mad King Ludwig II of Bavaria for this reason. Another King of note is Edgar V, who lived to be 84, and died of over-eating.

Miscellaneous Information

Fishing: Exclusive Fishing Zone – 150 Nautical Miles Territorial Sea – 12 Nautical Miles

Administrative Divisions: 80 Counties, 52 Boroughs Population Growth Rate: 0.6 Cheesecake Production: High

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 *8th February - National Culture Day
 *18th February - Founding Day
-*14th March - President Jack Spearing's Birthday
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 *20th April - Green Day
 *1st May - May Festival
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 Notable Officials:
-* President – Jack Spearing
+* President – M. Spearing
 * Vice President – Howard Oates
 * Chief of Staff – Christopher Elms