Kasia (roleplay)

Confederated Provinces of Kasia Provinciæ Confederati di Kasia
Motto: Ego vero custos fratris mei sum. "I truly am my brother's keeper."
Anthem: Hymnus «Internationale» The Internationale
Capital	Hircule
Largest city	Marites
Official languages	Kasian, Estian
Religion	64.2% Atheist/Areligious 17.9% Kasian-Pagan 14.8% Kasian-Unitarian 3.1% Other
Demonym(s)	Kasian
Government	Confederal Parliamentary Socialist Republic
• President	Maximilien Gaius Ulpius
• Premier	Paulus Comes
Area
• Total	818,478 km2 (316,016 sq mi)
Population
• Estimate	169,296,251
Currency	Kasian Labour Credit (KLC/ϰ)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+44

Kasia, officially the Confederated Provinces of Kasia, is a socialist nation in the south of the Belkan continent on the South Ancora Sea. It has a population of 169,296,251 over five provinces, with the majority of people living in the Hiran and Mulan provinces.

Etymology

Kasia is named after the first President Kases the Great who reigned from approximately August, 583 CE and June, 632 CE. Kases is accredited with the creation of the First Republic, and is considered the forerunner of democracy and peoples' power in South Belka.

History

Ancient History

Kasia, and all of southern Belka has been populated since roughly 10,000 BCE by humans. It was populated for many years by disunified and independent city-states. There is evidence of near constant conflict and strife within Kasian lands, especially between 3,000 and 1,500 BCE when a major drought made any form of agriculture unsustainable. First semblances of larger, unified governments appear in the late to mid 7th century BCE. The first government with enough lasting writings to gather sufficient knowledge on sprung up around 600 BCE was a democratic and prosperous nation holding control over many of the southern islands and coasts of Belka, and was united under the leadership of President Kases the Great.

Colonial Era

Records from Treunesian colonial offices first mention a landmass matching Belka in July of 1311. Reportedly, a Treunesian vessel wrecked on a southern island of Belka and was beset upon by native peoples. In August of that year, the Treunesian Crown sent a colonising army and fleet to seize the lands they dubbed Belka Ülkesi. The Treunesian Mandate of South Belka was officially established on 17 December, 1314, ending what is called the Era of the First Republic. Treun kept a loose grip on the Mandate, keeping a small colonial government present to extract resources, ship out slaves, keep order, and most importantly, defend the Treunesian claim to Belka. As the Treunesian Empire declined, conditions became more dire in the mandate, sparking resentment, and eventually revolution in the native population. Kasians rose against the colonists and eventually capitulated the colonial administration at Kötüokyanusa on 9 October, 1702.

The Second Republic

The Second Republic was proclaimed immediately upon victory over the Treunesian Empire, and a government was established in Kötüokyanusa, renamed to Marites. Under the new Republic of Kasia, immediate reconstruction and modernisation efforts were undertaken. While the first rounds of revamping were harsh: seeing famine, riots, atrocities, and general failure; by the late 1720s, quality of life in Kasia began to improve. The first President of Kasia, President Fridericus Publicus Sospes, died in May of 1732, leading to the end of much of the government subsidies and public works that he had started. Subsequent Presidents became more libertarian and conservative in their ways, leading to the decline of Kasian standards of living in favour of the military and private entities. A coup attempt by President Nicodemus Rex, supported by much of the Kasian Regular Service and the North Belkan Frontier Company led to a massive swing to the radical left in politics. President Henricus Sospes, a descendant of Fridericus asscended to the Office of the Presidency on 9 October, 1841 in one of the most landslide victories in Kasian history. He implemented many of the same policies that President F.P. Sospes started before him. A string of left wing, populist administrations proceeded President H. Sospes, which made Kasia one of the worlds' most developed and free nations.

The First Kasian Civil War

On 6 June, 1921, General Euclio Rex and Vice President Flavius Polydeuces declared President Modestus Publicus Nepos to be "an illegitimate servitor to the Office of the President and a bastardisation of the national pride of Kasia" and members of the Kasian Republican Military seized the capitol building, deposing President Nepos. This sudden and illegal taking of power led to the fracturing of both the military and populace. Libertarians, patricians, and generals joined the General faction, supporting the military coup, while the majority of the rank and file of the military and the lower class of the populace supported the Presidential faction. This division led to demonstrations in the streets, which led to riots, which eventually escalated into a civil war between the Kasian Junta and Kasian Republic. It saw the deaths of nearly five million people, almost 10% of the population of Kasia at the time. While in the beginning, the Republic seemed to have the upper hand with a much higher support, the Junta turned more and more members of the Republican Army to their aid. At the Battle of Marites, General Rex led a force of over 100,000 soldiers and 50 naval vessels to lay siege to the city. During the siege and artillery bombardment, President Nepos was killed by shrapnel and the Republican lines collapsed, leading to the fall of Marites. Just 43 days after the Republican defeat at Marites, on 14 September, 1929, the Republic of Kasia surrendered, and the Kasian Military Junta took power.

The Junta

On the day that the Republic of Kasia surrendered, General Rex and Vice President Rex gave a speech to the masses at Hircule. At the end of the speech, General Rex produced a handgun from his coat and shot Polydeuces in the stomach three times, killing him instantly. Rex then declared himself to be Dominus Supremo and ended his speech with "the Republic is dead, long live the nation!" Rex undertook a massive sacking and execution of nearly the entire former government and military, killing all those who he saw as a threat to his supremacy or who were disloyal to his authority. Inexperienced and zealous generals filled the ranks of military, discipline was lax. During what are called the Triumphos Insanire, members of the military and executive ravaged through the countryside and cities of Kasia; pillaging, raping, burning, and killing all in their path. Heads of innocent men, women, and children were placed upon pikes in the new capital of Orbis Rex Maximus, statues of old Presidents and freedom fighters were crucified, and portraits of former heroes were burned. The years of the Junta are known as some of the most harshly oppressive years in Kasia, and saw the deaths of nearly 5 million, only further destroying the economic capacities of Kasia.

The Second Kasian Civil War

Under the leadership of underground revolutionary Hugonis Præcipio Manus, an assassination of Dominus Rex was undertaken during one of his military parades. Improvised explosives detonated throughout the streets of the capital, killing Rex and much of his military escort. This sparked harsh reprisals from the military, now under the control of Euclio Rex's son, Virile Rex, now Dominus Rex II. These reprisals were met by backlash, eventually evolving into mass revolt, then revolution. The Junta's Military pursued a scorched earth policy, and razing cities to the ground, deploying chemical and biological weapons, and starting floods and wildfires to delay and deny the revolutionaries. Eventually, soldiers of the Exercitus Rerum Roje reached Castra Trabeata and before Rex II could evacuate the fort, rocket artillery and aerial explosives razed the fortification to the ground, killing Rex and his legions. The body of Rex was never recovered, and the ruins of the fort were ground, incinerated, and buried under the headquarters of the revolution, Hircule.

Post-Civil War and the New Provinces

After the defeat of the Junta, Hugonis was proclaimed the First President of the New Republic. Hugonis led the reconstruction and rehabilitation effort in Kasia. He implemented heavy handed and wide reaching reforms, forming the governmental structure, industrialising the nation, and executing five year plans for the nation. These efforts were generally successful; many of the historical cities such as Marites, Brona, and Uras were rebuild, the GDP of the nation increased sharply as the poverty rate decreased, and in general, life in Kasia improved. However, despite his massive successes and popularity, President Manus suddenly died on 4 April, 1975 while hiking through the Mulan Ranges; he left a motion for the dissolution of the Kasian Union Front in his will. The motion was brought to parliament, which voted in a slim majority to dissolve the Front. The nation was divided among the 5 provinces of Hira, Mulas, Ullum, Isen, and Altum. While the provinces went it alone for a few years, the Kasian Cooperation Pact was signed and ratified by all provinces on 11 September, 1979, removing many of the barriers to free trade, free movement, and free cooperation between the provinces. The Kasian Union acted as both a political union and as a proto-confederacy for years until eventually in 8 February, 1984 the Kasian Unification Treaty was unilaterally ratified by the Union parliament, and all national parliaments, Kasia once again united.

Contemporary History

Under stipulations of the treaty, a constitution must be unilaterally and unanimously supported by all constituent nations. The first step in this unification was creating a skeleton government, which was swiftly done, and President Agorastocles Ell Apellinus was elected along with Premier Abelus Constantius. A slow process of integrating the provincial governments began, and powers were slowly integrated to the united government by various treaties, local laws, and directives. While the central government had high administrative power and was de facto the primary governance of the united provinces; de jure, the constituent nations were almost completely independent. However, eventually a constitution came forward that was signed and ratified by the parliaments of the 5 provinces. Under this constitution, the Confederated Provinces of Kasia were born, named after the legendary first President of the Republic who united much of Southern Balka under one state. Since this constitution, few modifications to the functionality of the government were made, with no amendments being made to the constitution since 2000.

Geography and Climate

Geography

Kasia has a land area of 818,478 km², lying between the latitudes 38° and 48° N and the longitudes of 95° and 125° W. It is almost entirely continental, with a small grouping of islands in its southern province of Isen and has a variety of landscapes and biomes within it, with a highly varied topography and unique landscape. The southern portions of the Hiran province are predominantly flat grasslands and floodplains, moving North the landscape becomes hillier and more wooded, and the climate cools considerably, with much of the north being considered a taiga. The Mulan province is almost entirely hilled or mountainous, with the large Tutela Mountain Range occupying much of central and northern Mulas. Altum has a geography much like that of Hira, with hilly grasslands and the small Castus Mountain Range to the north. Ullum is almost entirely woods and taiga, with small clearings in the South and near settlements. Finally, Isen is an archipelago of various sub-tropical, mostly flat islands.

Climate

Kasia is a Mediterranean nation, mostly falling into the hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa) and Oceanic (Cfb) climate designations, although portions of the North falling into the hot-summer Humid Continental climate (Dfa). It is generally a mild to warm climate with moderate precipitation in the South and light precipitation to the North, and receives fair amounts of sunlight. Due to its proximity to various bodies of water, it also tends to have a very stable, albeit windy climate with little variation year to year in the temperature and weather. Its average yearly precipitation is 702.43 mm with an average relative humidity of 77. The average yearly temperature is 11.8° C, with the average high of 13.9° C and an average low of -0.7° C. The record recorded high was 42.8° C in 2018 and the record confirmed recorded low was -21.1° C in 1941, although records from 1899 state that the city of Castra Barbater in the Tutela Mountain Range recorded temperatures between -27° and -40° C, however these claims are disputed.

Government and Politics

The Confederated Provinces of Kasia is a confederal parliamentary socialist republic. It consists of the five devolved provinces of Hira, Mulas, Ullum, Isen, and Altum. Each province hosts its own legislative parliament and small executive branch. Provinces have parliaments sized relative to their respective province's population; Hira has 273 MPs, Mulas has 223 MPs, Altum has 110 MPs, Isen has 85 MPs, and Ullum has 24 MPs, summing to a total of 715 MPs. Each parliament elects a Consul Superior and Consul Legatus, or Head Consul and Lieutenant Consul. These consuls appoint a typically small cabinet of between 2 and 10 Provincial Ministers. The Head Consuls are also members of the Concilio Operor di Kasia or Kasian Operating Committee, which elects the Consul Primus or Premier. These Head Consuls and the Premier appoint a cabinet, which currently consists of 13 Confederal Ministers. The Operating Committee, plus the cabinet form the Concilio Exsecutivam di Kasia or Kasian Executive Committee.

The President is the highest office in Kasia, and is a lifetime appointment. The President is the highest executive officer, highest judicial officer, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The current and first modern President is Maximilien Gaius Ulpius, who has been serving since the formation of modern Kasia. The process for electing President is devolved to a Summative Parliamentary Assembly of all Provincial Parliaments, one of the only instances of such an assembly in the Constitution. The election of President requires 60% plus one (currently 430 MPs), and must also include at least one quarter approval from each individual parliament. The recall process of the President may be initiated by any Consul or the Premier, and requires three of the five Head Consuls plus the Premier, or all five Head Consuls to vote against the President.

The judicial branch of Kasia headed by the President as well as the Confederal Minister for Crime and Courts, and is comprised of various different court systems. The vast majority of criminal and civil cases are held in Constitual Courts, the courts of constituencies. Appeals are held at the Provincial Courts, which are the courts of constituencies and are administered by Magister Provinciali, or Provincial Magistrates. The penultimate system of courts is the Confederal Appeals led by Magister Confederali or Confederal Magistrates. The final and highest court of Kasia is the Supreme Court of the Confederation, run by the President, Confederal Minister for Crime and Courts, and the Concilio Judicantes di Kasia or Kasian Judicial Committee.