Republic of Enqusqo

Énqusqó, officially styled as The Grand and Illustrious Republic of the Cities of Énqusqó, is a confederation of city states located in the south of Vidina on the Kidal Sea. Its shares a border to the north with [NORTHERN NEIGHBOUR] and Higher Tar-dinuu to the west. The republic consists of 33 member city-states who have granted the confederal government powers to devise common legislature for the economy and peaceful foreign policy of the region. The confederal government consists of three senates: the Public Senate, the Regal Senate and the Judicial Senate.

The capital, Tsétlaxó, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Vidina, having stood for over 2000 years. The city serves as both the capital for the republic, but also as the governing city of surrounding regions as a sovereign city-state.

Etymology
The etymology of Énqusqó can be traced back to three Proto-Kidal-Énqutsa roots: xén* (meaning large), qoos* (meaning village) and qól (a resting place). Quite literally the name translates to "the land of cities". It is believed that this is a reflection of the early Énqutsan outlook on surrounding regions and seems to support the theory that the peninsula has long been home to expansive urban centres, at least in comparison to contemporary settlements across the Kidal.

Antiquity
The earliest evidence of human activity in the Énqusqó Peninsula appears around 18,000 years ago, with the onset of migrations into Vidina from Tiridinia across the Kidal Sea. These early communities left behind jewellery and fishhooks carved from the bones of monk seals along with early styles of seafaring canoe. This period is identified by the prevalence of "boat burials", where a corpse was found in the charred hull of a canoe, often surrounded by fishing spear tips and fishing hooks. Whilst it is commonly believed that this was a funerary cremation practice, the presence of leather bindings found around the ankles and wrists at some sites have lead some scholars to suggest that there was a sacrificial element. All examples of this burial have been found on land, however, it is believed the practice was possibly more common upon the sea, and these burials simply have not been preserved. The Proto-Kidal-Énqutsa began to appear as a distinct culture around 2000 BCE. During this period there were large advances in naval technology, with canoes becoming more robust, opening up trade to further along the coasts of Vidina and Tiridinia. The Proto-Kidal-Énqutsa made crude figurines in bone, jade and amber, believed to be gods of early Kidal religion. These figurines have been found across the Kidal Sea and as far away as sites in south eastern Vidina. Early divergence in the group began to occur around 500 BCE with the integration of the Kidal archipelago into the Empire of Tar-Dinuu, leading to an east/west split and the precipitation of tensions between the settlements on the Énqusqó Peninsula and the Dinuuen people. The earliest written records of the ancient Énqutsa settlements come from Dinuuen and Kidal historians and traders who looked upon the cities with distain. It was a commonly held belief, according to written records, that the peninsula wasn't valuable enough to expend resources to take. The archaeological evidence, however, depicts a growing economy and an explosion of artistic expression in pottery, sculpture, and architecture. The Dinuuen historians neglected to write much about the internal politics of the peninsula, often referring to the many settlements as if under a single ruling entity, as such little is known about the individual governance of these cities and whether or not their grandeur predated the rise of the Empire of Tar-dinuu.

First kingdom of Énqusqó
The first kingdom of Énqusqó was largely believed by historians to have been fictional. The story of the kingdom's founding is a well known folktale amongst Énqutsa people, often being told to children at home or in early education settings, similar to Alutran fairy tales. The earliest version of this story to be recorded comes from a series of clay tablets discovered in [CITY-STATE] called the [CLAY TABLETS]. The tale follows the journey of Sémúúdal (he who slithers) [FINISH]

Interregnum
The Interregnum is a period of time that lasted from the fall of the mythic first kingdom circa 100 BCE to the end of the War of Flowers in 957 CE. Several petty kingdoms rose and fell across this span of time and written records from the native Énqutsa also begin to appear in the archaeological record.

War of Flowers
The War of Flowers is the final conflict between petty kingdoms in the Interregnum. It was fought between the Kingdom of Cílóonyósqu and Tsétlaxó. Historians debate over when the tensions in the region began. Some say it began with the poisoning of the king of Cílóonyósqu, others say it was at the betrothal of princess P'óo Mín Tsetli to [TSETLAXO KING] and others say the tensions go back further still. The war was declared after the death of the king of Cílóonyósqu in 954 CE. Famously, Princess P'óo Mín Tsetli took up arms against her eastern neighbour and betrothed without ascending to the throne of Cílóonyósqu as no coronation ceremony was held. She blamed her betrothed for her father's death, citing it as an assassination to try to claim the throne for himself upon their wedding. A quote often attributed to the princess is as follows: Modern Énqutsa: "kingdom-ACC.P.OBV unite-PRFV-zh SEE-ánq'awa pyoó t'ay blood-zh tsétlaxóxólcó flowers-ACC.OBV irrigate-áwa pétli!"

Translation: "May we see our kingdoms united and may Tsétlaxó blood water our flowers!" This quote is what gives the War of Flowers its name. Whether or not the Princess said it, or whether it was ever said at all is widely debated, many scholars believe it was likely a form of propaganda. An adapted form of the quote was adopted by the Cílóonyósqu government after its independence in 1950. The conquest of the lands held by Tsétlaxó took 6 months, with the majority of the war being spent in a long siege of the palatial complex within the city of Tsétlaxó. The war concluded in 957 CE with the beheading of [TSETLAXO KING] and the formation of the Empire of Tsétlaxó-Cílóonyósqu.

Empire of Tsétlaxó-Cílóonyósqu
The Empire of Tsétlaxó-Cílóonyósqu, also known as the Second Kingdom of Énqusqó, is the longest ruling power to have existed on the Énqusqó Peninsula .From its founding in 957 to its eventual demise at the hands of Salian colonial efforts in the later 17th century, it left an important cultural mark on the south of Vidina and the nations on the Kidal Sea. Many theories of governance, law, art and religion arose during its near 750-year-long existence.

Early empire
The founding of the Empire of Tsétlaxó-Cílóonyósqu in 957 CE marked the end of the War of Flowers. The 3 year-long conflict was bloody and engulfed most of the petty kingdoms in the south of the peninsula at the end of the Interregnal Period. The war was won by the young princess P'óo Mín Tsetli (P'óos Mín Terahl) of Cílóonyósqu after a protracted siege of the palatial complex of Tsétlaxó, which was made the new capital of the empire to boost prestige and legitimacy. Styling herself after the mythic Kings of the First Kingdom, she took a fourth name, Sémútli (Sémútl), a title that became inherited by her descendants. Many scholars have mistakenly mistook the titular nature of the name for a family name, as such the P'óo Men dynasty was historically referred to as the Sémútli dynasty by foreign scholars. After a lavish coronation ceremony in 958 CE, P'óo Mín Tsetli enacted a series of reforms to the navy, implementing many technical advances and the construction of a grand fleet of 370 grand war canoes, the largest navy to sail in the Kidal Sea before the 19th century. This navy was used to steer trade towards the cities of the empire, sinking or commandeering ships that refused to enter port to pay tariffs. This strangle hold on trade in the region lead to many small wars with neighbouring cities on islands in the Kidal and along the south coast of Énqusqó resulting in expansion of the empire's borders.

Golden age
Under P'óo Men reign the Énqutsa people had a golden age. Legal systems were installed that still hold precedent in modern governance of the peninsula. The most notable of these was the Empress' recognition of the sovereignty of the cities she ruled over, granting them autonomy helped to keep the empire stable. In many ways the empire resembled a modern federal state.

In 970 CE, 13 years into the reign of P'óo Mín Tsetli, the first census of a population was conducted, known as the Grand List. [WHY?]

There were also significant advances in poetry during this period with the development of the [POETRY STYLE] style.

Empress P'óo Mín Tsetli died in 1004 CE, aged 73 and was succeeded by her only son and heir P'óo Mín [SON]. He was 42 upon his coronation and had spent much of his youth by his mother's side on naval conquests. Many records from the time describe him as a very ambitious man who dreamed of uniting the whole Kidal Sea under his rule and in the first 12 years of his reign he made some success towards this goal, conquering cities along the western coast of Énqusqó as far north as [CANAL BAY]. Unfortunately, in the year 1017 a tsunami in the Kidal Sea devastated the Empire's navy and economy, which was almost entirely formed from coastal industries and trade. The Emperor spent the remainder of his reign quelling local rebellions and rebuilding communities. Some scholars believe he went into a deep depression after seeing the devastation of his Empire and he threw himself from the cliffs of the palatial complex in 1026 after an episode of mania. His 37-year-old daughter P'óo Mín Nyáru was crowned Empress within hours of her father's death. This is considered suspicious by most modern scholars.

Under P'óo Mín Nyáru, the Empire recovered greatly from the damage of the tsunami an the poor management of her father. She expanded the land forces of the state, creating a formal standing army trained in jungle warfare. After a bloody 10 year-long campaign, the central and eastern regions of the peninsula came under rule of the Empire. These military campaigns were followed by a period of peace and the rebuilt navy patrolled the Kidal maintaining the trade monopoly and hunting pirates. This peacetime lasted throughout the reign of P'óo Mín Nyáru and the benefits were felt beyond the Kidal Sea as trade, although heavily tariffed, flowed freely and free from piracy. The export of Énqutsa art, culture and religion reached its height during this period and being well versed in Énqutsa literature and song was a sign of high nobility and education in courts as far as [DISTANT VIDINA]. After the death of P'óo Mín Nyáru in 1057, future emperors and empresses would grow complacent in their wealth. Her death is considered to mark the end of the Énqutsa golden age, despite the period of prosperity lasting well into the mid-12th century.

Age of stagnation
By the 13th century the institutions of the Empire had become corrupt and complacent. The monarchs had begun to lose the respect of the populace and the imperial court had become a stage for sycophants. This, alongside heavy taxes that had been implemented to fund the lavish lifestyles of the ruling class, had lead to general unrest. Additionally, rivalries persisting from the Interregnum began to manifest as religious tensions between the patron deities of neighbouring cities. A series of rebellions from 1246 to 1261 across the Empire posed a serious challenge for the court of Emperor P'óo Mín [RELIGIOUS EMPEROR] who found themselves grossly unprepared to quell unrest; the navy had been underfunded for nearly 100 years and the standing army of P'óo Mín Nyáru had been disbanded in 1098. By 1262, the Emperor had managed to gain control over some rebellious provinces, installing new governors in the cities. This intervention in municipal affairs set a dangerous precedent that violated some of the oldest laws of the Empire. It had been the case that the city-state was sovereign for nearly 400 years, and many members of the court wrote concerned letters about the wisdom of deposing sovereign, often locally-elected rulers, in favour of loyalists to the central state. The most far-flung city-states in the Kidal and the north managed to break away from the empire, however, which caused a large loss of territory for the Empire.

Another effort made by P'óo Mín [RELIGIOUS EMPEROR] to centralise power was through his 1262 religious reforms. This saw the unification of the patron deities into a single pantheon, with many deities that shared similar domains becoming merged into one being. This upset many conservatives in the imperial court, however, the reforms were massively effective and had created a stronger sense of unity amongst the populace to the Empire.

In the wake of the unpreparedness of both the military and the navy, spending within the court was reduced in order to redevelop the institutions that had allowed the Empire to rise to power at the turn of the millennium. The loss of territories during the rebellions had made the Empire look weak on the international stage and the prestige that the Empire had afforded in previous centuries began to wane. The revival of the Imperial navy facilitated a rejuvenation of trade in the Kidal and a reduction in the piracy that had taken root during the long period of stagnation. By 1279, the Empire had regained its holdings in the Kidal Sea, however, the northern cities had been subsumed by [NORTHERN NEIGHBOUR] and the Empire was not capable of fighting a prolonged terrestrial military campaign, with the major military spending being afforded to the navy.

Fall of the empire
Since its founding, the Empire had no consolidated rival on the Kidal Sea; its neighbours to the north and south had navies a fraction of the size of the Imperial Navy, even during the stagnation. This changed with the rise of the Kingdom of Higher Tar-dinuu in 1329. What started as mutual respect from one monarchy to another across the Kidal Sea slowly devolved into petty naval conflicts over trade and ultimately the War for the Kidal broke in 1367. The war marked a turning point for the Empire as for the first time in recorded history, a foreign power made landfall on the peninsula. The Imperial Army hadn't been prepared for a land invasion and very quickly the Tar-dinuuen forces swept across the south-east and laid siege to the capital at Tsétlaxó. During the siege, the royal court managed to leave the city on canoes up the [RIVER NAME] and escape into the east of the country. They established a Court in Exile in [EASTERN CITY] and began peace negotiations with Higher Tar-dinuu in which they ceded their holdings in the Kidal Sea and the south-east of the Énqusqó Peninsula.

The loss of the trade monopoly over the Kidal hit the Empire's economy hard and many cities reduced tariffs on trade goods to encourage merchants to dock at their ports. In the wake of growing unrest the Imperial court relinquished much of its power to the cities. The municipal governors also formed an advisory council that was independent from the Imperial court to advise the monarch on matters that they had no jurisdiction over. In effect, this castrated the power of the imperial court and this advisory council would only ever act in its own interest, often scheming to mislead the emperors.

This new oligarchy proved to be a stabilising force for the Empire which had lost its standing as a regional power and overtime the role of the monarch became less important in the running of the state. This changed when in 1602, the northern cities on the [CANAL BAY] granted fleet basing rights to all Myrish traders and explorers without consent of the Empress. It was well established that only the Empress could create this type of universal legislature. A policy of slight isolationism had been adopted for fear of another invasion of the peninsula by a foreign power and laws were in place so that foreign vessels may only berth at [Eastern CITY]. The Myrish welcomed access to the western ports as it hastened their journeys to and from Alutra and so began to dock in the cities of [CITY1] and [CITY2] immediately. The Empress was advised against repealing the changes and instead ratifying the cities as the new ports for trade with Gladomyr as interference in their trade may insight war. It is likely though that this advice was given by the municipal council and not from within her court.

Myrish investment made [CITY1] and [CITY2] wealthy ports and soon regions of the city were granted to the Myrish government where diplomats and military leaders could be stationed. News of this was understandably poorly received at court and by other members of the municipal council. All parties urged the Empress to declare the cities in open rebellion and to send a fleet and army to invade and depose the rulers of the city-states. Instead, the Empress decided she would use the opportunity to build a friendship with Gladomyr and subject the local leaders to rule under a foreign government that would likely not afford them the same autonomy they enjoyed under her rule. Thus, negotiations for the sale of the northern cities and their dependant holdings began in 1629 and by 1630 the territories had been sold to Gladomyr under the pretence that they would respect their new borders with the Empire and not expand their lands into sovereign Énqusqan territory. This sale marked the beginning of Alutran colonialism on the peninsula.

[SALIAN CONQUEST]

Myrish canal
In the 19th century trade through the Kidal Sea was dominated by Ordrey which hampered the productivity of Myrish colonies in south Vidina, including their colony on the [CANAL BAY]. To help combat the Ordrish trade monopoly in the region, plans for a canal to be built through the [ISTHMUS] were created. [FINISH]

World War One
[FINISH}

World War Two
The Énqusqó Peninsula formed part of the Kidal theatre during the Second World War with the primary aims being controlling access through the straights of Kidal and the [CANAL]. Higher Tar-dinuu played a major role in this theatre and retook their old holdings both in the Kidal and on the peninsula. They also successfully launched successful amphibious invasions of the Myrish colony on the [CANAL BAY] placing control of the region firmly in the hands of the Alliance powers. After the Concert powers were defeated, Salian allowed Higher Tar-dinuu to retake its previous holdings in the peace deal, but it ceded the Myrish colonies to Salia. In the aftermath of WW2 there was a growing anti-colonialist movement on the peninsula, many local Énqutsa grieved the loss of loved ones that were perceived to have died in a foreign war on Énqutsa soil. Whilst the Salians were much more able (and willing) to suppress resistance movements, the government of Higher Tar-dinuu struggled to maintain control. Over the course of 3 years, Tar-dinuuen military control retreated south and by 1949 they had left the peninsula entirely, focusing on maintaining their hold over the islands in the Kidal Sea.

There had been no centralised resistance movement across now independent region and as such multiple nation states formed, expanding outwards from major population centres. These newly formed city-states met at a council held in Cílóonyósqu where they agreed to draw up official borders based on geography, pre-colonialist borders and borders imposed under foreign occupation. This resulted in the modern borders of the south-western city-states in Énqusqó.

Post-colonial era
The Treaty of Cílóonyósqu, the treaty that established the modern borders of the south-western city-states, was signed in 1950 and marked the start of the post-colonial era on the peninsula. This era saw the fall of colonial power in the region and the formation of the modern Republic.

Climate
The Énqusqó peninsula lies entirely within the south Vidina equatorial climate zone. The peninsula receives large volumes of precipitation throughout the year, with low-lying regions by the coast receiving an annual average of 3,400mm, with the mountainous interior receiving upwards of 6,700mm annually. The region experiences two periods of heavier rainfall spaced by periods of lighter rainfall through the year. This variance is due to the crossing of the ITCZ across the peninsula. Temperature remains a near constant 28°C year round (27-30°C) with much greater temperature variance felt through diurnal shifts, which can see a fall of some 7°C at night.

The incidence of tropical storms and tropical cyclones is high in the region and have played a major part in the development of local ecosystems and human settlements. The most devastating cyclone in recorded history hit the area came in [19th CENTURY] and saw the destruction of many Alutran assets, naval vessels and colonies across the peninsula. In the modern day, the city-states of the peninsula have employed multiple infrastructural and environmental strategies to mitigate the impact of these natural disasters.

Biodiversity
As part of the Kidal biogeographic realm, Énqusqó has a very high biodiversity. [ANIMALS, PLANTS AND STUFF]

Politics
Énqusqó is a republican confederation of city-states with a multi-partisan, bicameral parliamentary system. The republic has no codified constitution, instead the powers granted to the confederal government are established in a series of international treaties which are in turn enshrined in the national laws of each member state. The most influential of these treaties is the Treaty of P'óo Mín Tsetli, which outlines the devolved powers of the republic, protects the sovereignty of member states, establishes the three main institutions of the republic and provides universal rights for citizens.

At the confederal level there is an imposed universal suffrage from age 15 in elections. The exact method of election is at the discretion of the government of each city-state but it must be some form of proportional representation.

Government
The legislative branch of government, known as the Houses of the Senate, is formed from the the Public Senate as a lower house and the Regal Senate as an upper house. The Public Senate consists of 351 seats which are distributed amongst the member states, with each state having a minimum of 9 seats each; the number of exact seats given to a member city-state is decided upon admission into the republic and is mandated by treaty, not specific algorithms. The Regal Senate is formed by the heads of government of each constituent member of the republic. It serves as both the upper house of the legislative branch and the head of state for the republic and must approve or revise laws and empower governments that arise from the lower house, it does not have the power to generate legislature.

A major principle of the Houses of the Senate is the use of consensus instead of majority to reach decisions. In the Regal Senate consensus alone is used for decision making, as all matters brought before the Regal Senate require the cooperation and approval of all member city-states. Within the Public Senate there is a strong culture of cooperation across party lines and striving for majority consensus, as legislation requires a 2/3 majority vote in order to be approved by the lower house and sent to the upper house for review. The relatively few seats compared to the number of political factions within the Public Senate means that coalition governments and minority governments are common. It is rare for a single political party to achieve a majority in the Public Senate and never in history has one party obtained a controlling majority in an election.

The executive branch, known as the Public Council, takes office after receiving approval from both Senates. The head of government is known as the Grand Senator and they are appointed by the party/parties that form an incumbent government versus direct election by the populace. The Grand Senator may appoint senators to ministerial offices to form a cabinet. The Public Council works in partnership with the Regal Council (formed by ministers of member city-state governments) to ensure that the laws and interests of the republic are upheld. A notable feature of the executive branch is that there is no ministerial appointment that oversees a unified defence of the republic. Instead, each member has complete sovereignty over its military affairs and defence and the republic cannot negotiate with external powers on behalf of all members in regards to military matters. Despite this, the Treaty of P'óo Mín Tsetli which all member states must sign to join the confederation requires that each member protects the sovereignty of each and every city-state, thus creating a mutual defence pact.

Member city-states
As of 2022, there are 33 member city-states within the republic.