Edury

Edury, officially known as the Great Commonwealth of Edury, (Eduran: Ðe Great Ledewealþ of Edurrich) is a in the north eastern corner of Alutra. Located on the southern coast of the bay that shares its name, Edury is bordered by Gladomyr to the east, Ordrey to the south-east, and Ecoralia to the west. Edury has a population around 45 million people, an occupies a space of around 419,000 km2. Its capital and largest city is Godenhaven, while its second city and original capital is Eduvesting. The nation is historically centered around the Edu river, which together with its valley and floodplain makes up the core of the country. Most of the nation drains into the basin of the Edu river.

The nation has its beginnings in the first meetings of the Senate, which was initially a group of nobles representing different cities which traded along the Edu river. Over time, these cities became the medieval Confederation, a loose union of cities and provinces. As time went on, the confederation centralized somewhat, and the state expanded to fill the valley and floodplain. During the late 17th century, as the state centralized and the power of the Forwielder became preeminent in politics, Edury began to project power upon the world. A powerful mercantile noble class began to sail out in search of riches and resources. Through an alliance with Salia, and the mechanations of the Eduran Expeditionary Company, Eduran merchants extracted great wealth. Through the 18th century, Eduran power would grow, as state entrenched itself in international affairs and established relations across the globe. This would culminate in controlling a wide swath of Haksarad through an unequal partnership with their aristocracy. At the turn of the 19th century, the Eduran Revolution overthrew the status quo, reducing the Senate to an upper house with very little power, and replaced the elected near-monarchial Forwielder with the Lord-Magistrate, and turned the Assembly of the Estates into the powerful lower house of the Diet. In 1921, a second revolution, the Workers Spring, began a period of blue-shade reform which saw the emergence of the worker's state.

Today, Edury is a diversifying nation with a presence on the world stage. Climactic change, a post-industrial economy, immigration from impoverished areas of the globe, and the tenuous stability of central and south Alutra all present challenges to the nation. While the state has employed different tactics to deal with these problems, certain factors hamper responses; the semi-state run coal industry, and powerful coal miners unions, have been accused of influencing the government to keep fossil-fuel powered power stations open. Diplomatically, Eduran cabinets have pursued a policy of aligning themselves closer with their neighbors, including petitioning for membership in the aarnieu fraternity. In Central Alutra, various governments have kept relations with Renesia and since the end of the third world war, Ecoralia and Galvia. Today, relations with these countries are fairly cordial, with visa-free access to Galvia, Renesia, and probably Ecoralia too maybe. However, public perception of the governments of these countries has been traditionally bad, and while circumstances have dictated that most premiers of Edury keep relations with these states warm, electoral pressure has also kept them from being perceived as too friendly. Further abroad, Edury's colonial past with Haksarad has kept relations with them markedly poor since the 19th century; their revolutionary founder, Husrak h’Assar Ha-Qayyet, was educated in Edury under the auspices of the Eduran Expeditionary Company, but his leadership of the revolution in Haksarad put a permanent split between the two states that despite Edury going under their own revolution, has not healed.

Eduran geography is centered around the Edu river, seen as the ceremonial and spiritual main artery of the nation. To the west, the Blugarorg mountains mark the border with Ecoralia, and to the east, the Lesser Penguines do the same with Gladomyr. To the south, the Penguinnes form the border with Ordrey. The southern and westernmost portions of Edury are therefore fairly mountainous, with the provinces of Penguinne, Westmarch, South Richdale and Treshire are very mountainous, and Yorushire has fairly elevated areas as well. In the center of the country, the provinces of West Richdale, East Richdale, and Eduvesting-Richband have highlands, but are mostly focused along the river and its valley.

Edury is a parliamentary republic, with the Lord-Magistrate being directly elected by the people but subject to parliamentary confidence. It is a federal nation, and the provinces have a certain degree of autonomy and sovereignty, but the federal government is supreme. The state has a semi-written constitution, with certain laws and edicts enshrined as constitutional documents. These documents lay out the powers, responsibilities, and checks on the four branches of the Eduran government: the moderating branch, the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch.

Etymology
The native word for the nation, Edurich, means "Realm of the Edu river".

Early history
There is evidence of human habitation in the Edu river valley dating from around 10,000 years ago. The Grithek Tooth, a knife made out of bone, was found in a cave in Penshire. Written evidence of people there begins around 1,000 BCE, with rune-stones being found underneath a Ta'andos in Westmarch. Little is known about the pre-Blethic inhabitants of the valley, however archeological evidence seems to suggest that the oldest settlements in Edury are pre-Blethic in nature. There is evidence of a fortified settlement underneath the castle of Eduvesting, as well as in other particularly old towns in Edury.

In the third century BCE, as the Great Sedic Confederation was expanding, Blethic migrations brought Stroomism into the Edu river valley. As the Confederation would expand, the river would become frontier between various unorganized Blethic tribes and powers, and the Sedes. Migrations from Blethic people, as well as from various Myrish groups, would continue. The continued immigration through the third and second centuries would put strain on the Great Sedic Confederation, especially as Myrs settled in the north. While these people would adopt Ayekism, the Blethic people on the frontier continued to practice Stroomism. As the towns along the river grew to cities with continued migration, temples began to be built and the early forms of Civic Stroomism would begin to be entrenched. These cities, typically on the left bank of the river, would elect prominent people to priesthoods, who's job it was was to ensure the favor of the two gods of Stroomism and maintain spiritual balance. The Sedic powers in the region held tenuous control of the region, and tribute would slow to a trickle.

A famine in the western parts of the confederation would send migration to the frontier, particularly of ethnic Tretuish people. Influence of the Sedic Confederation generally stretched to the river, however around the area clan structures weren't common, and beyond the river Sedic influence was soft. Most people living in the valley were Blethic, and the sudden influx of Tretuish people was seen by many as an incursion. Beyond the river, some cities and towns would institute laws making contribution to the local temple's sacrificial grain storage mandatory, regardless of whether someone was Stroomist or Ayekist. Practice of private religion was frowned upon as well, with some areas going so far as to confiscate Ayekist religious paraphernalia.

Following the collapse of Whatever Local Power Was Very Big, local merchants and other enfranchised groups gained control of the land and installed themselves as the new chief power in the local states. From 1-1,000 CE, numerous local kingdoms rose and collapsed until the cities of today became somewhat recognizable. From 900-1500 CE, Eduran feudalism took root in the region.

Confederation era
The early confederation of Edury evolved from several agreements and alliances between the central states on the foothills of the Penguinne mountains and in the central Edu river valley. The earliest entity that could be called an early form of the confederation was the first meeting of the Senate, although they did not call it that in those days. At the time, it was simply a committee of representatives of four central Eduran cities and states, of which were governed by the church. Eventually, this committee became permanent, and transferred into being a legislative body to deal with issues governing the shared realms of these states.

Senatorial Wars
The Senatorial Wars were a series of wars from 1500-1660, largely in which the Centralist faction antagonized the Federalist faction in order to gain more power from the latter. The Centralist faction was mostly centered around whomever was the Forwielder at the time, and struggled to take more powerful from the individual states of the Confederation. The Federalists were a reactionary group who struggled to maintain the primacy of the Senate as well as the states.

Eduran Revolution
The Eduran Revolution had numerous causes, starting with wet periods and famines in the 1770's-1800. Compounded by man-made disasters in 1799, a riotous crowd started as a food riot, but soon sacked the guard house of Godenhaven. What would then follow was a conglomeration of the craftsmen, petit mercantile, and peasant estates who organized themselves into the first Assembly, overthrew the standard order and stripped the Senate and Forwielder of their power.

Government
The government is a de facto federal parliamentary presidential republic. Aside from the Forwielder, the government resides in Godenhaven, meeting in the Palace of the Republic.

Forwielder
The Forwielder was originally the executive of the old Eduran Confederation, who was in charge of the military and officiating the laws made by the Senate, and defending the independence of the confederate member-states. In the 1500s-1600s, they were often the principal actors of the Senatorial Wars, a series of civil wars and conflicts over the supremacy of the legislature, the Forwielder, and the states. The Forwielder in those days were elected for life.

Following the Eduran Revolution, the Forwielder has been an almost entirely symbolic figure, elected for ten year terms. Their principle job is to officiate ceremonies, of which the most important is investing the Lord-Magistrate and the Diet with authority. The Forwielder is the head of state today.

Lord-Magistrate
The Lord-Magistrate is the head of government, and is the chief executive of the country. They appoint the Cabinet, enforce the laws passed by the Diet, lead the coalition in the Assembly, and are point-man for the government and Cabinet. They also are able to sit as a member-at-large of the Assembly, although this is used very rarely, as the Lord-Magistrate also has veto power over laws passed by the Assembly.

The position of Lord-Magistrate was created after the Revolution of 1801, when the victorious revolutionaries agreed to neuter the Forwielder by giving it purely oversight powers, but needed a new executive. Taking inspiration from the chief parliamentarian of the Assemblies of many of the norther provinces, combining titles and prerogatives, they arrived at the Lord-Magistrate. Initially, the Lord-Magistrate was the presiding officer of the Assembly, but this was amended a few years after the Revolution to make the Speaker the presiding officer.

Cabinet
The Cabinet is the body of ministers appointed by the Lord-Magistrate. After a general election, the Magistrate does not require approval for appointments, but following the formation of a coalition and the investing of the new Diet, cabinet appointments require approval by the Assembly. The Cabinet is made up of Ministers, who head ministries. Each ministry is given an aspect of the running of the government, usually managing an important office or resource, or as a regulatory body. Ministers are responsible to the Lord-Magistrate, who can dismiss ministers at any time. They are referred to as "Minister of ___", which will match the title of their office, the "Ministry of ____". Some important ministers also have secondary or traditional titles, like the Minister of the Treasury (who's ministry is simply called the Treasury), also known as the Vaultmaster.

Diet
The Diet is the legislature of Edury, it's name taken from the legislature of Lathadu. The Diet, or Diet of the Commonwealth, is made up of two bodies; the Assembly, which passes laws, approves appointments, and some other things I'm thinking of, and the Senate, which approves laws passed by the Assembly.

The Diet meets in Godenhaven, in the Palace of the Republic. The Diet has its origins in the Revolution of 1801, where the victorious revolutionaries wanted the prior (and mostly informal) Assembly of the Estates to have primacy in the new government. The Assembly of the Estates was a body made up of internally elected portions of society (The nobility, the petite-merchantile, the commons and the peasants), based off the governing bodies of norther Eduran cities. Before the start of the revolution, they traditionally approved or voted against laws passed by the confederal Senate, however, this was traditional, not legal, and was often ignored. The revolutionaries, many of whom were members of the Estates, desired to flip this arrangement, and so they did.

Elections
The Assembly is elected in a mixed member proportional fashion. This means that citizens vote on two ballots; one for their local representatives, and a list of parties. Electoral constituencies are drawn on geographic or demographic basis's, and receive one representative per 200,000 people living in a constituency. Citizens may vote for as many people as there are open seats; in a constituency that elects 3 people, a person may fill in 3 names. The 3 highest voted candidates then each gain a seat. The partisan ballot has a list of all parties which are seeking election, and a voter may vote for one party. The party with the highest number of partisan votes appoints their leader as the Lord-Magistrate, and extra seats are apportioned to all the parties based on the percentage of votes they attained.

Powers and responsibilities
The Assembly is the chamber in which bills are introduced, debated, and voted on. They also provide oversight of the Lord-Magistrate, and through them, the Cabinet. Following the formation of a new government, they approve appointments made by the Magistrate. Bills are introduced in internal committees, rectified and approved by said committee, and then brought to the floor for general debate, and eventually, voting. Once bills have passed the Assembly, they then go to an appropriate member of Cabinet, who along with the Lord-Magistrate, signs the bill to be sent to the Senate.

Coalitions
As the method of elections means that it is almost impossible for any one party to control more than half of the Assembly, parties arrange themselves into coalitions. The parties who enter into a coalition typically make agreements on cabinet positions, which laws are not to be introduced, and etc., etc. The party which won the most seats (and therefor won the Magisterial seat) must form a governing coalition 90 days after an election. If the Lord-Magistrate fails to gain a coalition, then the Diet may vote to request the Forwielder to revoke the Lord-Magistrates power, triggering a snap election.

Senate
The Senate is mostly symbolic, and only has the power to approve legislation passed by the Assembly. If a law is rejected by the Senate, it is sent back to the Assembly for debate, amending, and re-voting.

Foreign relations
Edury's oldest ally is the Ta’arohan Republic. The relationship started as a series trading agreements between various pre-unification states, particularly the Duchy of Arandu. Due to these relationships, much culture was shared between the two peoples, including fashion, cuisine, architecture, and music. Edury today is one of the largest importers of Yerba Mate from Ta'aroha. Following the Revolution, and the unification of Ta'aroha under the Minister-Chancellor Kauane, relations increased and the Commonwealth supplied Kauane with ships-of-the-line, later with ironclads. Relations were put under strain by the interference of the Riyatic Empire and their hegemony over the area. It was revealed that the successors of Kauane and the Lord-Magistrates of Edury had a secret agreement, where Edury would provide naval aid and subsidies, and should Riyata ever be conquered, the iron ore and coal within would be mined by Edury, who coveted the minerals in the industrial revolution. Relations would be strained in the 20th century, as Ta'aroha moved from republic to military dictatorship. The two states maintained relations, but many public servants and diplomats came out to publicly denounce the military leaders and demand that the army relinquish what power they maintain in the government of the nation. In the present day, Edury remains an ally of Ta'aroha, maintaining an embassy and consulates with their partner.

Since the Revolution, most governments of Edury are loath to supply aide or warm relations with monarchial or non-republican states, although this is more of a guideline rather than a rule; for much of the 19th and 20th centuries, most governments would be willing to provide military advisors and subsidies in return for control of coveted resources, such as iron, coal, copper, and timber. In the 21st century, with the collapse of the Eduran industrial corps, demand for these resources has lessened somewhat, and governments of Edury are much less likely to provide aide or subsidies to non-Republican states.

Economy
The railway system in Edury is the oldest network in the world.

Demographics
Stroomism is the dominant Religion in Edury, specifically the ritualistic and civically practiced variety. Edurans are the largest ethnic group in the country, although there is a sizeable minority of the Jõõrũ people along the eastern border with Gladomyr.

Culture
Eduran literature includes the Mathematically Democratic, also known as the Kaasboer Equation, by Antony Kaasboer.

Eduran food commonly revolves around cereal grains, most popular being wheat. There are more than 350 types of bread recognized by the Bakers Guild, and regulations on what is legally allowed to be marketed as bread are numerous and extremely specific. Proteins in food typically come from meat, most often chicken, goose, or goat. Beef is a popular dinner, but is not routinely among the best selling meats due to cost, and eating beef has a complicated relationship with Eduran culture. Historically, the grazing of animals such as meat-cows and pigs was a point of consternation between peasants and their lords, as the meat from these animals would customarily only be eaten by the upper class despite grazing on common land. As such, despite remaining favored foods in Edury, they are usually eaten only on special occasions, and are not common menu items. Eggs are also very popular. As tradition, the bartender spitting in your beer is very good luck when traveling abroad. Alcohol is only subject to limited regulation, with package shops not being allowed to sell to those under the age of 15, unless they bring a signed paper from their parents.

There is a divide as to what is the most important meal of the day, with the Gardeners favoring dinner, but the Besteerers favoring lunch.

Festivals and holidays in Edury are typically either commemorations of important historical events, or holdovers from its more religious past. Holidays are defined in law, with who gets those days off being an important point of contention. By law, restaurants and other recreational businesses are allowed to be open on holidays that have been celebrated ‘since time immemorial’ (i.e., generally religious holidays) but are mandated to be closed on holidays added to law after 1804. All other institutions/jobs, save for those necessary in emergencies, are required by law to be closed to give their workers the holiday off. In all, there are 37 holidays on the Eduran legal calendar, not including province-specific ones.

Culture Factions (rename later)
In modern day Edury, there are two primary subcultural groups within Eduran culture overall. The Gardeners, being the older ones, are descended from the followers of the first Blue-shade Lord-Magistrate of Edury, Barend de Boer. Named for their urban gardens and their idealization of the supposed agrarian past of Edury, they are not the descendents of farm workers, but arose as a response to the concerns of industrial-aged workers.

The Besteerers, or ‘chauffeurs’ in WikiSpeach, were given their name as a derision for the automobiles they drove. Arising in the 1920’s-40’s, they are the descendants of middle-class clerks, managers, as well as lower-class non-industrial workers (i.e., retail, servants, etc.)

Put a link to the eduran cultural iceberg here later