Picketralia
The Kingdom of Picketralia and the Picketralian Union | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
| Capital and largest city | Stimpton |
| Demonym(s) | Picketralian |
| Government | Senatorial monarchy |
• King | Mason I (1363-present) |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.3 km2 (0.50 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 346,493 |
Picketralia, officially the Kingdom of Picketralia and the Picketralian Union, sometimes abbreviated to KPPU, is a kingdom in eastern Pikland. It shares a small river border with Moria in the northwest. Picketralia covers an a total of 1.3 square kilometers (0.5 sq mi) and has a population of 346,793 people. The largest city and capital is Stimpton. The vast majority (93%) are humans, with 6% dwarves and 1% other species. The predominant biome in Picketralia is desert, with the Zorthenian Desert covering an estimated 40% of the nation.
Picketralia consists of eight subdivisions: counties, each that send one representative to the Picketralian Senate, with differing amounts of votes depending on the population of that county. The most populous county is Bartholomeu County, while the least populous county is Mordor County, which is uninhabited. In addition, there are several overseas territories. Picketralia has a relatively smaller government compared to other developed nations such as Moria.
Modern Picketralia was founded in 978 under the Treaty of Pafalia, however, the area has been settled for far longer, as far back as 1800BCE, when the Kronx people in the Burlamayn Caravan settled in the Mollard Valley.
The country's main export is precious metals such as copper, iron, and gold. Picketralia's agriculture industry is relatively small, however, it is still significant. Stimpton is a major port city, located on the Stimpton River, which splits the country into two distinct political and socioeconomic sections. This has lead to a large wealth gap in the country, and an estimated 29% of the country's private wealth is in the hands of the top 3%.
The country is well known for Pigot School, a very prestigious academy located in Stimpton. Founded by the Zorthenians around 1069BCE, it offers courses in literature, history, science, politics, mathematics, technology, engineering, and business, with top ranked professors.
History
Early history and pre-Zorthenian kingdoms
The Piks started out as the Kronx in what we know now as the Kronx Formation, ontop of Picketralia and east of Moria. Today, it is a red desert mesa with tall hills and peaks, with some signs of what it used to be. They were a loosely united group of tribes who lived in a large grassland for many millenia, with many rivers and streams. Because of this, they had no reason to go elsewhere.
The origins of the Piks lived in the Milacorsa Valley, which is located at 67, 68, -1133. Today, it is just a strip of green soil, surrounded by tall terracotta peaks, the remnants of a flowing river, however, most of it was dug out by Moria after they claimed the area in 1383, unknowing of it's importance as a site of cultural heritage. They lived in wooden and stone homes around here and farmed by the river, with a settlement known as Belakrosckikepitoma, on the Kruschimakin River.
The Kronx is an umbrella term for many different groups of people who lived in the area. They weren't united under any form of government but shared a similar culture and language, the Kronx family of languages.
However, it began to quickly dry up for unknown reasons, likely changing climate. One rabbit hunter, Burla Mayn, wandered off the beaten path and discovered the Mollard Valley: Grassy, hilly, and dotted with dense thickets. He kept this as a secret and returned home.
Three years later, a huge boulder keeping the ocean out of the Kronx Formation tumbled out of the way, and chaos ensued as people tried to survive this onslaught of water. Burla Mayn, who was still alive, pointed in a direction where he promised lush fields and many trees. It is unknown if he survived the drowning but we do know he did not make it to the Mollard Valley, or he died very shortly after. This was around 1800 BCE. Today, the Kronx Formation is a red desert. Conditions settled at the Kronx Formation a few years later, and the ocean partially receded.
The group of people who are now known as the Burlamayn Caravan traveled for days through high peaks, burning hot terracotta, and went for days with little to no food. They approached what is now the Sea of No Hope, which has it's name for a reason. It is a large lake just north of the Stimpton Delta.
They then approached the Stimpton Delta, and swam down the Stimpton River until they finally found a good place to stop swimming. Archealogical evidence proves they likely landed where the Headmasters Mansion of Pigot School is located today. They walked in a straight line until they finally stopped to build a settlement. Today, every Picketralian is a descendant of the Burlamayn Caravan, as it only consisted of 54 people, with only 20 survivng.
They began a settlement on what is now Farm Hill in Stimpton at the intersection of Stair Place and Haybale Street. There were dotted wood houses on the hill, and where South Stimpton is now, the flat land was used for farming. They elected Burla Mayn's next of kin, Abilin Grivan, as their leader and he built himself a Royal Residence. Today, it is the Royal Berry Farm. The settlement quickly grew and grew. In 1775BC, a messenger from the nearby kingdom of Flourtess, who were over the river and through the woods, asked to begin a trading relationship. Only 4 years later, they merged to create the Empire of Pik-Flourtess. The ruler of Flourtess ascended to become their king. His name was Czeaica.
Before this, the Mollard Valley was known as the Burla Mayn Valley, which was named after Burla Mayn, who discovered it. However, when the Piks and Flourtesians united, Burla Mayn was awfully similar to the Flourtesian word, "Burlamæn," which meant "thread." The Piks had a word for thread, it was "Malird." Somewhere along the way, it was spelt as "Mollard" and the name stuck.
This kingdom flourished for 271 years, ever expanding. They conquered the Kingdom of Railtown, and the Kingdom of Bentenon. However, when they wished to conquer Mordor, they failed. Railtown did kick them out in 1599 BCE.
However, nothing good can last forever, and a Flourtess man named Jubol Xcak, a Flourtess nationalist, which was a growing and scary idea, was rising the ranks in the Pik-Flourtess government. He took control and seized Pik lands. On February 2, 1500 BCE, while sitting in a meeting, he killed everyone in the room and declared the dissolution of the Pik-Flourtess empire and declared dictatorship, calling his new country the Flourtess Dictatorship, which inherited all of the Pik-Flourtess Empire. It did not last long as he died 10 years later. His remains were burned by the both angry Pik and Flourtess tribes. The charred body was thrown into the Stimpton River, and became fish food. No attempt at finding the bones was ever conducted.
The Pik Tribe were chaotic and divided into factions: Philow, Suntan, Ot, and Grivan. They fought and fought and Grivan, who were the original descendants of the Pik-Flourtess monarchy used bigger army diplomacy to rule.
They became very equal to form the Equal Pik Union which lasted 5 years 7 months, before Ullaba Ot, a powerful military figure gained control. He was loyal to the Ot faction and was disgruntled they lost. He lasted 16 years before he died. He operated the Pik tribes with an iron fist, chucking anyone who disagreed with him in lava. When he died, everyone was in a state of chaos that lasted 8 months. The in-exile Grivan family regained control. The House of Grivan still rules today, but under the name of the House of Bartholomeu, as most of the world's population can trace some ancestry to the House of Grivan.
The Stimpton Monarchy dissolved in 1117 BCE by King Carus I of Pik. He turned it into an empire, but it was more of sending threats to nearby kingdoms to attempt to submit them into joining. When he dissolved the Stimpton Monarchy, he named his "empire" the ECPU, or Emperor Carus Pik Union. He lasted 17 years until his son took over.
Carus II renamed his empire C2PU or Carus II Pik Union. By now, Railtown had become independent and would rule as a sovereign kingdom until 978 CE. Zorthenia, a rapidly growing empire, set their sights on the C2PU, and were actively fighting their neighbors, the UKoD and Barne.. Carus II died in 1077 after being murdered by Zorthenian troops. A year prior, the C2PU had been put under Zorthenian control. It was now the Zorthenian State of Pik. The UKoD and Barne would fall a few years later.
Zorthenian Days
Stimpton became the 7th largest city in the empire and the capital city of the State of Pik. They built many new things, such as Calyur Chapel, completed in 1069BC. Five Zorthenian officials are buried there: King Calyur, King Calyur II, King Baron I, Governor Westwr of Pik, and Governor Yurtur of Dwarfland.
The Pik lands were treated as a vacation destination by the Zorthenian elite, which did not sit well with the Piks. The Pik lands were the warmest corner of the Zorthenian Empire that wasn't a desert, and the warm beaches of the Stimpton Delta soon became home to Zorthenian nobility. Many Piks had no other choice but to become indentured servants to the Zorthenian nobility's beachhouses and cater to them, as the economy in Stimpton failed and Zorthenia forced many farmers off their land to build what is now South Stimpton.
The town of Sand Dune City, now today a tiny incorporated hamlet, with it's only notable feature is that it is the High Court Seat and the Capital of the Council of Nations, was originally founded as a town for all the Zorthenian manor homes on the Stimpton Delta, of which all are gone. After the war, all the manor homes were torn down and the remaining servants built a small community of sandstone shacks.
However, the Zorthenian Governor of Pik loved the Royal Berry Farm and insisted to the Zorthenian monarch that it shall remain. The Zorthenian king reluctantly agreed..
The Piks had been under Zorthenian rule for 1,174 years when they revolted. With the help of Morian troops, by 99BC, they had mostly kicked out Zorthenia and by 100BC, they were gone. The Free Pik State was established after 2 years of not being able to agree on the future of the Piks.
Railtonian Days
Independence would not last long, however. In 126 CE, Railtown seized the Free Pik State. They wanted that copper as Railtown was already disadvantaged. They set up a puppet state with the House of Grivan still in power, but Railtown would control them.
Railtown was not lenient and turned the Pik lands into a police state and frequently attacked anyone who could have "dangerous thoughts." The Railtonians did not treat the Pik lands as a vacation destination, but conditions in Stimpton took a nosedive. However, outside of Stimpton, while Railtown technically owned the land, they lost their sphere of influence, and many from Stimpton moved out. To counteract this, the Grand Wall was built, which kept the Stimpton population in, and they could only leave with express permission.
In 971 CE, Bartholemeu, part of the Grivan family, started a revolution against Railtown who had been ruling them for 845 years. He found a vulnerable part of the Grand Wall in a rather rural area with no guardsmen or civilians and hammered through it, with his group of 10 rebels. They sent a distress call to Moria's monarch Kim, and soon, many Morians joined Bartholomeu's cause. They hid under Salva Rock near the Mordor ruins. A complete description of the war can be found here.
Present Day
On May 25, 978 CE, Bartholemeu finally kicked Railtown out by turning everyone into mindless beings. May 29 was when all the details were settled in the Treaty of Pafalia, after negotiations were almost constant with no rest from May 25-May 29th. Railtown was ceded to Moria, and all of Railtown's money was given to the new country.
Bartholomeu was crowned king of Picketralia on June 1, 978. He created the Common Entitlements including, but not limited to, the government cannot take property without buying it, a citizen has free will, and that taxes shall not be raised too high for the common man to afford. His reign would end in 1000, when his son, who wanted to be king, cleaved his head off with an ax.
In 1013, 35 years after the Fall of Railtown, the economy collapsed. Railtown's money had dried up and the Panic of 1013 began. The Picketralians were not taxed at all because the government simply had piles of money and taxes were unnecessary. In response, the government created a new service that was originally intended to be temporary as means for the government to make money: the Picketralian Postal Service. It proved so popular the government ended up keeping it.
The Picketralians are still not taxed very much because the country makes so much money from the copper industry. Peace and order was maintained until Cardashia, a kingdom north of Flourtess, wanted to become the second Railtown, but the Picketralian Army held a strong defense and ensured they would not make it to Stimpton, and defeated them at the Battle of Kennings at Arrowhead Point in 1201. Cardashia was ceded to Flourtess.
In 1363, a fire swept through Picketralia and destroyed most of Stimpton. Calyur Chapel and Pigot School remained, but the Old Capitol Building, which was described as a beautiful piece of architecture completed in 1027, was now smoldering ruins. A new one was completed in December 1370 and expanded in October of 1373.
In August of 1373, the Rural Areas representative Morgan Korkin proposed the Counties Act. The Stimpton and South Stimpton representatives disagreed, but they were voted out in December of that year. The new representatives were much more keen on the idea: and the old government system was thrown out: in favor for county representation. This coincided with the seizing of most of the Picketralian Righteous Lands, which were originally described in the Treaty of Pafalia, expanding the country's territory significantly.
Government
The Picketralian Government is a senatorial monarchy, led by a monarch, who is hereditary, and the Picketralian Senate. The Picketralian Senate consists of representatives from the seven counties in order of highest population: Bartholomeu, Lynwhag, Bushley, Saint Olaf, Snowdon, Hayes, Sullivan, and Mordor. Mordor County sends no representative as they have no population. The residents of these counties all elect 1 representative to send to the Senate, and each representative has a certain amount of votes depending on their counties population. Note: Sullivan County sends a military delegate, as the only population is Outpost Island, a small military station located on an island at the confluence of the Stimpton, Birch, and Sullivan rivers.
The King gets 11 votes, Bartholomeu County gets 10 votes, Lynwhag County gets 8 votes, Saint Olaf County gets 4 votes, Bushley County gets 4 votes, Hayes County gets 1 vote, Sullivan County gets 1 vote, and Mordor County gets no representation.
In addition to the representatives, there are numerous high ranking Picketralian officials who get a voice. The General of the Military gets 5 votes, the Director of Mordorian Relations gets 1 vote, the Director of Morian Relations gets 1 vote, the Director of Public Relations gets 1 vote, and the Director of the Port Authority gets 1 vote.
There are two positions left: the Votes Clerk doesn't have a say in the government, they sit in on votes and count them. The last position is the Speaker of the Voters: not to be confused with a position similar to the Speaker of the House of the United States. The Speaker of the Voters is a postion with a one year term elected by the entire country. They get three votes and "speak" for the voters, in addition to county representation.
This leaves us with 53 votes. Each member of the senate can propose a law, file it, and it will be on the list of things to vote on. There is 30 minutes to debate on a law before voting, and each member gets 2 and a half minutes to speak to prevent filibusters in moderated caucuses proposed by said members.
In the event that a representative cannot attend or is not present during rollcall, the mayor of the county seat they represent will vote on their behalf. If a government official cannot vote, their votes are allocated to the Speaker of the Voters temporarily. If the Speaker of the Voters is absent, their votes are given to the King or divided proportionally to each county representative equally, depending on what is voted on.
However, during a national crisis, such as a natural disaster or invasion, the King can make decisions without voting. To prevent tyranny, there are strict definitions of a national crisis. A national crisis is an event that affects the entire country and must be acted on in a timely manner.
Picketralia has three main political parties: the Bellingborne Party, which is a conservative party, the Maiman Party, which is a far-left leaning party with socialist ideologies, and the Belleisle Party, a center-left party. As of now, the Bellingborne Party controls the senate, but representatives serve terms of 2 years, whilst government officials are appointed by the King and approved by the senate, and serve for life or retirement.