Shessara

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Shessara
guernsey.jpg
Flag of Shessara
Motto: "Semper victorius"
Region The Allied Celtic States
Capital Eldidd
Official Language(s) Welsh/English
Leader Cyridd, Pennaeth Pendifigion, High Prince, Lord of Eldidd, and Marshal of the March
Population 3,603,000,000
Currency Gold Piece 
NS Sunset XML

The Cyd-Ffederasiwn Maelau Shessara

(Princes' Confederacy of Shessara)

Basic Statistics

Capital: Eldidd.

Official language: Welsh/English.

Official names: The Cyd-Ffederasiwn Ammaelau Amshessara or the Princes' Confederacy of Shessara.

Largest cities: Eldidd (3,234,900); Dinas Crastiroedd (2,695,400).

Land and Climate

Land: Shessara is a roughly circular land located on the main continent of what used to be the New Roman Empire.

Area: 6,592,850 mi2 (17,075,400 km2). Greatest distances—east-west, 6,000 mi (9,650 km); north-south, 2,800 mi (4,500 km).

Elevation: Highest—Clogyrnaidd, 17,789 ft. Lowest— Llyn Gwaedlyd, 123 ft. below sea level.

Climate: Shessara has cold winters but temperate to warm summers, with moderate precipitation.

Government

Form of government: Feudal Monarchy/Oligarchy

Head of state: Tywysogion (High Prince)

Flag and state seal: Shessara's flag is a white field quartered with red-and-gold. Her seal is a rearing emerald dragon.

Executive: The High Prince, Feudal Overlord of Shessara, is the nominal ruler of Shessara.

Judiciary: The High Prince or the province's Prince have final say in disputes.

Political subdivisions: 5 maelau (Princes), 234 arglywyddau (Barons), 23,500 ducau (Dukes)

People

Population: Estimated current population—858,000,000.

Population density: 56 per square mile.

Distribution: 89 percent urban, 11 percent rural.

Major ethnic/national groups: 99.3% Welsh, .2% Halladi, .2% Arabic, .3% Unknown or Unspecified

Major religions: Pagan(78%), Atheist(14%), Christianity (4%), Islam (1%), Judaism (2%), Unspecified (1%).

Chief products: Agriculture—barley, cattle, wheat, fruit, oats, rye, sheep, sunflowers.

Fishing—cod, haddock, herring, salmon, bass. Manufacturing— construction materials, electrical equipment, iron and steel, machinery, paper, timber. Mining—coal, iron ore, natural gas, nickel, copper, adamantite, platinum- group metals.

Money: Currency unit—piece or bit, also called 'Gold Piece'

International trade: Major exports—machinery, metals, natural gas, paper products, petroleum, wood products. Major imports—consumer goods, foods and beverages, industrial equipment, machinery. Main trading partners—Hallad, Ralaad, Yallam

History

Ancient Origins

Shessara was founded around 41 AD by British tribes (from the area now known as Wales) fleeing the second Roman invasion. The earliest settlers clung to their tribal structure, but over time lords emerged, and then dukes and barons and finally princes. Thousands of wars were fought between then and the modern day, as each lord tried to increase his individual power. Finally, the nations were unified into five seperate states- Canolbardd, Crastiroedd, Yr Ucheldiroedd, Gwylptir, and Coetir. Of all of these, Canolbardd was the largest. Wars between the states continued up until 1770, where the use of guns turned war into a horrible bloodbath. Disturbed, the Princes of the various states met together for the first time. They knew that the conflict within kept the minds and muscles of Shessara strong, but they knew that war with guns was wasteful and useless. They resolved that until a means could be found to lessen the effectiveness of guns, it would be pointless to continue with their conflicts. Officially, at least, feudal war was banned.

The Rhyfel

In 1920, the Shessarans attained what some might consider modern technology- electricity, gasoline engines, machine guns, medicine. Then, in 1930, the Shessarans invented what they and their allies call Battle-Armor, a massive, ceramic-titanium plated, gasoline-powered, behemoth suit that fit one man and amplified his movements- a massive powered exoskeleton, to be precise. Declaring the truce over, Prince Rhychor Laeryn of Crastiroedd(Great-greatuncle to Braedd Laeryn) declared war on Canolbardd. The ensuing wars between the states were more bloody and more destructive than ever before. It is now referred to as 'Gwaedlyd Rhyfel Cartref'- the Bloody Civil War. Using illegal and dangerous genetic engineering, the aristocrats modified their own DNA, so that their children were biologically as close to perfect as they could then come. The Armor was turned into a treasured and valued family heirloom, with one suit being passed down and decorated, maintained, and upgraded by each successive holder.

The Consolidation

In 1944, in a massive show of strength, Cyrn Pendefigion, the Prince of Canolbardd, conquered first Coetir, then Yr Ucheldiroedd. Prince Saeth Heuliau of Gwylptir, fearing destruction, swore fealty to Cyrn. In exchange for freedom and pardon, Duwiol Marchocáu and Ewin Cleddyf followed suit. The united Princes attacked Crastiroedd. After a long and bloody campaign, Cyrn took Dinas Crastiroedd, the capital, and forced Rhychor and all other senior members of clan Laeryn into exile. The new Pennaeth, or Head, of clan Laeryn, Tarw Laeryn, swore fealty to Cyrn. In an ensuing Council it was determined that the States would come together in a great Confederation, to grow and gain power in the modern world. Cyrn became the greatest hero Shessara ever had, being called Unwyr, Uniter, and Tangnefeddwr, Peacemaker.

The Corporations

Shessara's princedoms fell into disrepair around 1978, with powerful corporations forming around select nobles. Clan Marchocáu diminished in number until only seventeen pureblood Marchocáu were alive, with no one Pennaeth- a stark contrast to the thousand in the Rhyfel. Clan Laeryn, still headed by Tarw, became withdrawn, closing down thousand-year-old trade routes and stopping immigration to Crastiroedd. Clan Cleddyf took that moment to place sanctions on their thousand-year rival. Incensed, the aging Tarw called for personal combat against Gobaidd Cleddyf, son of Ewin of the Rhyfel. In a long and epic fight, augmented by battle-armor, Tarw slew Gobaidd, though the Cleddyf's Pennaeth was only twenty-seven. Gobaidd's young son, Heddwyn, grew up hearing that his father had been killed brutally by an old man. Meanwhile, the powerful 'Buddsoddwyr mewn Pobl' conglomerate of corporations grew more powerful. In 1984 they tried to force the 56-year-old Pennaeth of Pendefigion, High Prince Haerlan, to place sanctions and restrictions on their competitors by threatening him with destablization of the economy. Haerlan, shocked and furious, announced that from then on every corporation in Shessara would be appropriated by the government. Terrified of what might happen, the corporations arranged the assassination of Haerlan, the first revealed incident of such in known Shessaran history. Haerlan's son, Cyridd, decided that the way it had been before was the way it should be. He ordered all nobles within the Buddsoddwyr mewn Pobl executed for treason, and dissolved that and almost every other corporations within Canolbardd, and ordered all other Princes to follow suit. All did, save Heddwyn of Yr Ucheldiroedd, and more importantly Pennaeth of clan Cleddyf. Braedd Laeryn, grandson of Tarw, confronted his rival Heddwyn, unknowing of Heddwyn's hatred. Heddwyn did not bother with a challenge, and drew sword and pistol, telling Laeryn to 'choose his manner of death'. Braedd looked thoughtful, and then suddenly knocked Heddwyn cold with a right hook. Realizing the depth of Heddwyn's animosity, Braedd was set to fight the duel, but Cyridd stopped it, making both swear that 'the sins of their ancestors did not cloud their judgement'. Both were honor-bound then not to duel, but they took and still take every opportunity to fight.

Modern History

Once the fuss over the corporations and over the Laeryn-Cleddyf conflict had died down, Shessara looked to the world. Allied with the government of Hallad, a nearby state, Braedd Laeryn marched to war against the state of Hattia with an army millions-strong. Braedd, however, despised the then-ruler of Hallad, Mustafa Fenris, with a passion, and joined Hattia temporarily, long enough to get Hattia to leave. Shessaran diplomacy barely prevented an all-out war with Hallad then, though the Halladi-Shessaran War came close, and Braedd returned to Shessara a hunted man. Through a twist of Shessaran law, though, Braedd was found innocent of any crime, and returned to the governing of Crastiroedd.

Government

Organization

Shessara is a massive, feudally-organized state. There are five Princes who each lead seperate states within Shessara. Due to complexities of feudal oaths, one Prince has lordship over the others, and is the High Prince and ruler of Shessara. What many foreigners do not understand is that the High Prince is not a king, merely a feudal overlord. He has no rights outside of feudal oaths, and so is technically not in complete control of his country.

In times of war, each man is commanded by his feudal overlord. There is no formal order in the military, and no real rankings outside of alliegance. In Shessara, all are trained to fight from an early age, due to the interior feudal warfare, and so Shessara's armies are massive and experienced. The only problem Shessara encounters is in supplying their armies- usually they end up 'foraging'- basically taking anything they can find.

Current Government Postings

High Prince: Cyridd Pendefigion of Canolbardd (Shessara)

Princes:

Braedd Laeryn of Crastiroedd (Southern Shessara)

Heddwyn Cleddyf of Yr Ucheldiroedd (Western Shessara)

Cadri Heuliau of Gwylptir (Northern Shessara)

Mathonwy Marchocáu of Coetir (Eastern Shessara)

Maelgad (War Prince): Braedd Laeryn

It should be noted that there are two Pennaethau of clan Marchocáu, Mathonwy and Owain.

Culture

Shessaran culture is primarily Welsh.

Feudalism

Shessara is centered around the practice of feudalism; it is ingrained deeply within the Shessaran way of life. From each Lord to each lowly serf there is a contract, a sacrosanct trust and sense of obligation.

Many foreigners have attempted to incite riots or revolutions in Shessara, but there is something they all miss- that most Shessarans are quite happy with the way things are now. Though there is much war within Shessara, from lord to lord, duke to duke, even Prince to Prince if we are to look at the Rhyfel, Shessaran existence is a simple and easy one.

Religion

There is a distinct division within the populace between atheism and the conventional beliefs in the Celtic gods, Belenus, Balor, and so on. Recently there has been an influx of Christianity. It became a cause for alarm to the stricter followers of the old gods when Heddwyn converted to Christianity and began imposing religious law on his followers.

Holidays

The primarily celebrated holidays in Shessara are the ancient festivals of Beltane and Samhain, celebrated at the midpoint between the Vernal Equinox and the Summer Soltice and the midpoint between the Winter Solctice and the Autumnal Equinox, respectively. Beltane is the 'Festival of Light', the beginning of the lighter half of the year, and Samhain the opposite. Samhain eventually evolved into Halloween in other parts of the world, as it is the day where the barriers between the physical and spiritual worlds are weakest.

Food

Shessara is a land of agriculture, and as such there are many grain-based products in the land. Beer is one of the principal exports, as is Shessaran way-bread, a kind of tough rye bread that keeps for weeks.

Legal Customs

In Shessara, it is customary (and legal) to challenge any who slight you to an honor duel. Anyone has the right to turn down an honor duel, but it is considered a great breach of personal etiquette to do so unless there is some good reason.

Sometimes, though, Lords will seek judgement from an overlord rather than lose men in combat.

This is the order of a standard Shessaran trial:

1. The accusing party stands and gives their charges.

2. The defending party states whether or not they will hear the charges (And yes, that usually means that they can ignore the charges alltogether. However, in an honor-bound society, all usually accept. Laeryn already has stated he will.)

3. The accusing party asks if any of the defendant's peers will stand against them (against the accused). The response to this could be either. Usually if any peer (social equal, on Shessara's incredibly elaborate hierarchy) stands against there is an immediate passing of sentence by the presiding lord.

4. If not, the accusing party has the right to call Formal Challenge. This is a duel fought with the close weapon of choice of the combatants. The alternative is to appeal directly to the overlord presiding to pass sentence, if the accuser is unfit or otherwise unqualified to face the duel.

5. If the accused has any legal points to make, they are made now.

6. Either a duel is fought or sentence is passed. Either way, the matter is considered resolved, and to bring it up without invitation is an express breach of protocol and is considered unforgiveably rude.

Geography

Shessara is made up of five major regions defined by climate and geographic borders; over time the various states within these regions found these uniting features during the consolidation into the modern states.

Canolbardd

Canolbardd is the largest region of Shessara. Mainly open plains and hills, it has a few mountains, the beginnings of the Parwyden range in the north. The climate is temperate though it tends to warmth. Several major lakes in the region include: Llyn Eldidd, Llyn Cyrn, Llyn Llydan, and Llyn Dyfnder.

Crastiroedd

The far south of Shessara, Crastiroedd tends to sweltering heat in the summers and mild chill in the winters. Scrubland with a few light forests, Crastiroedd nevertheless has potent mineral reserves, particularly titanium, iron and aluminum. Only the one major lake, Llyn Gwaedlyd, is a substantial body of water.

Yr Ucheldiroedd

Western Shessara is mountainous, rugged country. The Clogyrnaidd Range runs straight through the lower third before doubling around and going up at an angle to join the Parwyden in the north. Many mountain streams come together to form the Afon Saeth, which runs through lower Canolbardd to join the Afon Gwaedlyd in Coetir.

Gwylptir

Northern Shessara is a bleak place. The stony ground is littered with boulders, and any farming is hard and back-breaking work. Pine forests cover the land, and many 'hunting' animals make their home in them. Afon Gwaedlyd, the Bloody River, is the only major body of water in the region. The large Parwyden range ends in the north.

Coetir

Eastern Shessara is temperate and grassy, with a few large deciduous forests. The soil is rich; almost all of Eastern Shessara is either farmland or wilderness. Many large bodies of water, fueled by the Afon Gwaedlyd, carry fish here from the north.

Military

Organization

In war, each man answers to his feudal lord. Unless a Maelgadd(War Prince, Battle Leader) is appointed by the Lord on whose level the conflict is being fought, that highest Lord takes overall command. The Lord and/or Maelgadd is on top or on top and below respectively. Men beneath are divided by their particular feudal lord in the same way. If there are no more lesser lords, they divide equally among the numbers of landowners, who would each lead a force.