Gemurtrak

Gemurtrak, officially the Federated Duchies of Gemurtrak, is a country in North-West Osamia. It is situated by the Ornyenka Strait to the West, the [unnamed] Ocean, and is bordered to the South by Takjaana. The Capital is Ornpyat. It comprises 12 States, 4 Duchies, and 1 federal administrative territory, all of which collectively spans ~1.5 million square kilometres. The States are typically tied in some form of administrative control by one of 4 Duchies, typically aligning towards the major cultural group that largely represents the Duchy in question.

Formally a collection of petty nations, Gemurtrak formed following military pressure from the Southern Empire which threatened to consume the various nations. They joined together as the Confederation of the North and held back numerous small invasions. The Confederation almost collapsed after some time into the Great Southern War but made an immediate recovery following the catastrophic defeat of the Southern Empire after the death of the Stag King and subsequent loss in the Battle of fallen kings. This victory soon led to a consolidation of power in the northern nations behind the *Stag Slayer* into Gemurtrak. This period of success soon fell apart after King Ardik, the original Stag Slayer died in 1051. What followed was over 50 years of scheming and infighting caused by a weak central government and uncertain lines of succession.

The internal strife calmed following the ascendance of Udrak of Nzek to the throne and the implementation of the Rights of Imperial Lineage. The nation enjoyed general prosperity until the Inheritance Wars in 1480 following the death of the entire royal family. This caused shock waves that would additionally result in the loss of much of the eastern territories of Gemurtrak after the Two Brothers War. The nation continued to maintain its position of trade power it was lucky to possess that soon fell into the ire of international interests during the mid-late 1600’s in the interest of opening the international trade-way to be better aligned to the goals of foreign powers, particularly those of Salia. This series of struggles for control of the area (later dubbed the Wars for the gap) saw Gemurtraks dominant presence begin to dwindle after numerous painful losses in cessation of territory. These were later reobtained during the Fury War of 1842 which saw the return of large swaths of land to Gemurtrak.

Following the return of the territories, internal strife began to reoccur as goals of the various smaller entities became misaligned with one another. Emperor Mazkwat, then re established leader of the nation following the Fury War, maintained the stability of the nation and began reforms to change the now archaic system the nation still functioned under. These reforms would be incomplete following his death in 1874 and would culminate in the 1886 Crisis of the crown, creating a constitutional monarchy following it’s resolution in the 1888 meeting of the Imperial Chambers. The democratic system implemented however was heavily flawed and later resulted in much of the Assembly consisting of a single party,the Party of national solidarity, having a severe hold on the elected government. The democratic government grew more and more fractured as disagreements grew in the direction of where the state should go. The political conflicts soon became military conflicts after the controversial 1916(?) election and a peoples revolt erupted, later forming the Socialist Federation of Osamia. The state, while initially proving successful, struggled under external and internal pressures for its existence and fostered a growing demand for the return of the pre-Constitutional Monarchy. The demands were granted following numerous defeats of the National Federation Army and a coup initiated by high ranking military member in 1951. Since then, the reformed Monarchy and its puppet party, The Monarchist Interest Party have held a majority in the new government and have maintained an generally stable peace within the nation.

Gemurtrak still holds popular control of the Ornyenka Strait which has allowed it to remain a major trade entity which, besides ideological differences, has kept the Strait generally open for business in the interest of continued national economic prosperity. Gemurtrak Exports various resources including Timber, Meats, Grains, Automotive Vehicles, and parts with a still developing mining sector. Gemurtrak is a member of the Southern Prosperity League and the World Forum.

Etymology
Prior to the Age of the raiders, People of the northern parts of Osamia referred to themselves and others as Katamur, meaning All People or in a literal sense, what was every person in existence according to them. Following the strides in boat design and cartography brought about by the initial Fieloanic invasions in the 500's AD, Many began to adopt the title of Gemurtrak, meaning People of the North or People belonging to the North. This later stuck following the formation of the unified nation as a spit to the face of the then shamed Southern Empire, seeing the declaration of the name as the movement of imperial right, from the defeated south, to it's victorious northern counterpart.

Pre-history & Antiquity
The first hints of human presence have been predicted to have gone as far back as some 45,000 years ago with movement across the land bridge that now forms the Ornyenka Strait. Numerous old artifacts and cave paintings have been discovered across the Jwem psabrki mountain ranges that abruptly end around much of the modern Duchy of Rkown Ortna, many denoting it to the large amounts of ice still present at the time. The first signs of established settlements are denoted to coming around 6000 BC after previous millennia of hunter gatherers. These settlements later became larger entities by 2000-1500 BC where numerous communities and small nations formed across the north. These Petty nations experienced general peace typically leaving each other to their own business which drastically changed following the North crop plagues which made many communities desperate for food security leading to annexation of others territory for their own gain. This mass cluster of conflicts, the Scramble wars, calmed by 950 BC with the culmination of multiple larger power blocs now in play, as well as advancements in agricultural technology.

The old Empires
with a general peace returning to majority of the remaining power players in the Northern continent, the societies prospered from the large expanses of land to cultivate and the generally improved life conditions coming from the slowly centralizing nations. This period, denoted as The False peace, fell apart in 722 BC after the Slaughter of seven kings, an often disputed event which resulted in the death of all but 3 major political leaders in the national stage, these being the rulers of Gaddram, Oztmark, and Thizen. Everyone weary of each other, war broke out between the nations until only three Empires, of magnitudes not experienced on the continent, remained. They were all heavily disorganized, with rebellions happening monthly at best.

The three lived in a hostile peace, commonly engaging in border disputes constantly but never engaged in larger conflicts due to the broken nature of their control. The initial consolidation would give way to the creation of the Greater Trakmik Group set of cultures, predominantly Gedmramik (from the Western Gaddram), Ostzamik (from the northern Oztmark), and Thizemik (from the Southern Thizen). A period of cultural prosperity formed, and while conflict was common, opinions of the other nations cooled. A power Vacuum eventually culminated following the collapse of order in Thizen resulting from the outburst of a Volcano near it's national capital. This eruption flattened the entire city and suspected to have killed 88-90% of the populace, including the royal family. Gaddram and Oztmark erupted in full conflict against one another in hopes to get the better of their opponent while tearing apart what remained of the few remnants of order in Thizen. They hardly stood a chance and were all but absorbed by the other powers by 493 BC The brutal conflict lasted 27 years, until Gedmramik troops finally reached the capital of Oztmark in 465 BC. The sheer size of territory Gaddram now controlled led to constant crisis and unrest from the newly conquered populace. Gaddram would in itself collapse as well following the death of their emperor in 440 BC, The empire fractured into numerous smaller nations. Many details are unrecorded for this period largely from the mass disorganization and loss of communication across the large stretches of land previously occupied by the empires.

Gaddram Dark Age
The onset of the dark age, following the complete collapse of the Gaddramik empire, Threw centuries of progress and revelations away, many technologies indicative of the times were last used by around 1300 BC and would not return to the peaks of the old empires until the late 300's AD. The rediscovery of the trade routes around the Ornyenka Strait provided a large boon to the coastal cities, which exploded in this period, Hundreds of city states blossomed on the coast each gaining large troves of wealth they used to expand their territories. To maintain wealth was equivalent across the Strait, Krathkay, the most influential of the trader cities at the time, introduced the meten currency which soon became the standard and improved the flow of trade between the many port cities.

Age of Raiders and Formation
For the following Centuries, the north remained a varying collection of powers, each attempting to carve a section of the old fallen kingdom for themselves. Many migrated to the more fertile coasts, those who stayed in the far east soon formed their own expansive nation, Okrimet, which is where many Okirmik link the origin of the culture. The West coast remained heavily divided politically, all trying to vie for control over the crowded waterways of the Ornyenka Strait. The bustling trade region would experience multiple attempts at conquest in the region from foreign powers, however none were particularly effective until 500 AD when raids from the Southern Empire began to occur. Initially in small raiding parties, they slowly became a huge issue to civilians on sea and land. Many of the independent cities began long processes of enhancing and expanding their defensive capabilities, some of these becoming some of the greatest feats in defensive architecture of the period, such as the Buksazhek Forts in the city of Ras Borzh. While this defended the populated regions, much of the rural farming territory suffered horrifying attacks that led to massive bouts of famine and subsequent loss of life across the Strait. In their attempt to make money off of the situation, numerous mercenary groups flourished during this time, often charging exorbitant fees to protect those far from the protection of city walls. many of the former 23 Mercenaries of Gemurtrak had much of their foundations formed at this time and saw extensive combat before later being directly hired by the major nations in counter-offensive plans.

Confederation of the North
With the invasions from the Southern empire continuing on for numerous centuries, many of the formerly prosperous city states began to crack under the economical pressures created by these raids. In a moment of unprecedented cooperation, many of the city states combined into singular states organized by an Oligarchy led by the former leaders of these cities. These small collectives of city states came to in various forms ranging from sheer political cohesion (in regards to the Council of Utek and it's 11 members) to militaristic dominance of their local competitors (an iconic example being the Duchy of Stiorzhya) who were given limited autonomy led by the primary leader of the Duchy. Some still, like Krathkay, stood independent, existing solely through use of mercenary armies. Despite all these separate growths in power within the region, none were able to defend effectively against the Southern empire. Seeking common ground with the other developing power blocs, Stiorzhya's King, Kanay III brought all of them together for a dialogue concerning the situation they were now 250 years into. He suggested a joint declaration of protection. An invasion of one was an invasion against all. Many members present saw little need for it, believing the planned confederation was a planned power grab by Stiorzhya. Others however, were convinced in cooperating for the sake of commerce as well as the guarantee of security this would bring to some eastern nations who were locked into conflict often with Okrimet. While the confederation was formed for the singular goal of protection against foreign invaders, the agreement helped build positive relations between the realms, improving trade and intermingling with territories away from the port cities.

While the conflicts in the Strait slowed, more attention was placed towards the south, where growing infrastructure from the now organized nomadic tribes of Tákjaana under the Southern Empire had reached a point where invasions from the south were a viable choice for the Empire to assault the Confederation. In response, the Confederation completed the largest joint project led under the chief architect of Ras Borzh, Padmkan Resya, the Zwarkin Wall which successfully repelled serious assaults from the south and mitigated the damages from the Prelude wars. The influx of support heading towards the southern border of the confederation saw rapid improvement in the living standard of much of the territories who suffered frequent bouts of famine due to the poor infrastructure that would fail to bring food from the temperate north during the winter times in the region. The improvement saw a revival of art and culture of the Thizemik people who became one of the most disorganized following the collapse of Gaddram.

Great Southern War
Despite considerable effort in stopping the slow advance of the Southern Empire along the Tákjaan-Confederate border, conflict along it only grew more frequent and with greater ferocity. While they were holding, many military leaders were worried that a large scale organized assault wouldn't be able to be stopped by the current defenses and would most certainly spell the end of the confederation. To aid in reducing these worries, permission was given to the construction and maintenance of more military outposts to be completed sometime in 1005 AD. Nearing the winter of 1000 AD, attacks from the south grew weak and far between, often going weeks without an attack. Many were optimistic that diplomatic communication may be possible, however there were those pessimistic of the potential that they were organizing for the dreaded day they foresaw. On June of 1000, a force of never before seen proportions stood and soon destroyed the Zwarkin Wall and pushed north. A few days later, naval raids grew in ferocity towards cities throwing them into sieges for numerous months reducing the effective support they could give to the conflicts erupting down south. The confederacy was being pushed back at an alarming rate, many assuming it would collapse soon. The Southern Empires push slowed upon reaching the more developed northern members which granted time to recuperate and organize around the new situation. Some of the assaults on the ports were pushed back thanks to the additional manpower now put into effect, giving additional grace to the conflicts effort. Smaller units were sent past the forts under siege but were repelled by the larger defensive forces defending beyond the fort line.

In wake of the early failings, the confederation centralized the military efforts instead of the previously disconnected set up it had. This angered numerous members of the confederate council, however it was passed anyways due to the dire situation facing many of the members. As the forts began to fall, the chief of the new Confederate Military command, Badak Truka, ordered the final line of forts to retreat and prepare for a full assault on the remaining forts that are besieged. The plan succeeded and pushed much of the Southern Empire forces away. While advancing their forces, they came upon the main force of the Southern Empire army and were dealt a devastating blow. Reeling from it, the Confederate army retreated to a strategic location and hunkered down for the arrival of the main army while also waiting for supporting troops within the region. These troops arrived just in time for the deciding conflict. While at a disadvantage in numbers, the advantageous environment gave the North the resources they needed to cause serious damage to the Southern army however it was still in high favor towards the south. The conflict immediately flipped upon the death of the Stag King leading the southern army. Lacking in leadership, the southern forces routed and were defeated. Over the following months, the Confederation would defeat all remaining forces within occupied territory and return to a stable peace. The raids subsided and many saw a period of prosperity ahead.

With ties and relations becoming inseparable after centuries of the Confederates existence, along with the high support for the Stag Slayer, King Ardik, the council, now lacking many members after their deaths in the massive battle and previous conflicts prior to it, saw fit to continue the unity of the north but in a format further centralized than what was present. Ardik took to becoming the leader of Gemurtrak, with the council remaining as his advisory council. Many were highly pleased with the news and celebrated the victory against the South and the subsequent unification.

Post-unification Turmoil
Now under more direct control following the unification into a singular state, power grabs sprouted. While much of the upper management of the new empire was comprised of former members of the confederate council, much of the lower rungs of administration remained empty of occupants. This started a short period of scheming and backstabbing that was largely mitigated by the Monarch, who conclusively had the last say in every decision of his direct vassals. Upon the death of the first king, Ardik I, many deemed his successor, Ardik II, incapable of ruling due to "being an ill vessel for the gods", being believed to have had facial deformities and a weaker constitution that left him secluded for much of his rule. Members of the higher government saw fit to place themselves as the leaders of the nation. The Council, now seating as many as 40 people, argued constantly about the direction of the country while pulling strings in the background to attempt to make their goals achieved. The internal conflicts continued on for the rest of the Ardik II's reign and only became more abrasive with every passing year. With Ardik II's passing without a legitimate heir, The council went into a frenzy over who would claim the title of the empire. Plans went off and many of the council died in suspicious manners until Udrak of Nzek claimed victory over the remaining councilmen. Well aware of the behavior of the council, Udrak introduced the Rights of Imperial Lineage which tightened the limits of power capable within the newly formed council, giving immense power to the new king. These rules stabilized the country along with many other reforms introduced by Udrak who is often considered the true first king of the empire.

Inheritance Wars
For the following 400 years, Gemurtrak would remain calm in internal matters. While situations would flare up and cause change within the nation, none were large enough to cause any disposition to the state. Focus instead was shifted to the Ornyenka Strait, where fierce competition ignited over the Borzh kasu peninsula from mainland rivals. the string of assaults would occur on and off for the following centuries with decisive victories or losses that are eventually overturned following later conflicts. The attention towards the peninsula conflicts were quickly set aside in 1480 after a fire destroyed the royal palace and subsequently led to the death of all but a single member of the royal family who was absent from the palace at the time. The royal council was thrown into chaos, all members believing it was a planned assassination to place themselves onto the throne. Many of whom assumed it was the Rasker Clique's doing which only led to blame being thrown back. The instability of the situation eventually toppled following the birth of a female child from the sole survivor of the incident, Empress Miki. All hope was lost and the duchies mobilized against one another to claim the throne for themselves under the guise of defending the nation from the true usurper. Gemurtrak ceased to exist for the next 30 years as battles raged across the northern continent and diplomacy was at a knifes edge at all times. In this time, the mainland creeped further onto the Borzh kasu peninsula, taking maximum advantage of the crumbling empire. Knowing something had to be done, a collection of city states successfully procured the child of Empress Miki, Daysikya I and brokered a deal with her to obtain legal status as the inheritor of the old family line in exchange for high autonomy within the reformed empire and a permanent position for each cities leader on the newly formed council. Reluctantly accepting, Daysikya was Coronated as the queen of the Kingdom of Gemurtrak and demanded the immediate surrender of all claimants for the throne. While some accepted, many deemed Daysikya still invalid of owning the throne and continued their fighting until their collective defeat in 1510.

While the west was reunited and consolidated under the kingdom, The east remained split away unified under a joint distrust of the western City lords. The two clashed for an attempt to reunite the empire in the Two Brothers War that ended abruptly following another invasion from the mainland and the signing of acknowledgement of the independence of the east. Gemurtrak successfully repelled the large assault just barely, leaving the former empire, now kingdom, in a ruinous state following almost 60 years of various conflicts in all parts of the country. The new council of Gemurtrak, now numbering 16 members, 5 of who were members of the autonomous city states, saught aid from the Queen in the path forward. Daysikya introduced the council accords, which granted substantial autonomy towards all members of the council as long as they provided dividends which would be used to improve the general kingdom and reconstruct the central authority ensuring stability. The military, now a war scarred but elite force, were granted landed rights and acted as guards for the Monarch within each of the duchies, to ensure their presence was made aware by all council members excluding the city states, who were granted an exception until rules were overturned by Daysikyas heir, Maguste III in his reforms of the Council accords.

Geography
Gemurtrak sits along the western Stretch of north Osamia, bordering Tákjaana to the south. The country can be split into 3 distinct regions consisting of the Western highlands, Northern lowlands, and Eastern plains. The highlands consists of the whole western stretch of coast gemurtrak occupies, where the Jwem psabrki mountain range resides and influences the rest of the geographic landscape. here, many of the major national rivers begin and form the ecological landscape of the region with a large range of fauna and flora that occupy the numerous forests that are abundant on the west coast. Further east is the wide Eastern plains possessing far less ecological activity to the west and much less rain from the rain shadow developed by the mountains. These long flat ranges of land give way to many grazing animals that populate the region, along with short shrubbery and numerous grasses. The Northern lowlands, being of lower elevation and subject to the Monsoon weather, bears a differing ecological environment plastered with dense forests and swamps with some sections of open fields formed by reduced rain in the area.

Climate
Gemurtrak possess a varying climate primarily dominated by a interior and a coastline of a predominantly  climate. The Jwem psabrki mountain range of the west alongside a small piece of the south present temperature values indicative of and  climates while the north is varied by, , and  conditions. The coast on average experiences temperatures of 3°C during Winter and 21°C during the Summer/Wet season. The interior possesses greater temperature variance with an average of -4°C in the Winter and 26°C during the Summer seasons. Excluding the Wet season. Gemurtrak experiences little rain both in the interior and on the coasts during the Summer period. There is small seasonal variance along the north coast (which is often separated into a Dry and Wet season) while the west coast and rest of the country experience some form of the 4 seasonal transitions.

Government & Politics
Gemurtrak functions under a federal parliamentary system led by the Minister of the Republic (MR) as the head of government who is elected by popular vote every 4 years. The monarch is the head of state and is an inherited title through law. The MR oversees two houses of government within the Imperial Chambers, both of which are all directly elected, the Chamber of Ministers, and the Chamber of States. Both houses must be owned by the ruling party in order to form government. In the event of a split, the successful party in the chamber of ministers forms the government with a member of the Chamber of Duchies replacing the successful chamber of states party. The third house, Chamber of Duchies, is an entirely semi-elected house that is led exclusively by the Monarch. The MR possesses numerous powers in controlling the government. They are allowed to form a federal cabinet, offer candidates for the Imperial court, and act as the representative of the Monarch in the event of absence however all decisions are not bound and can be ratified by the Monarch later. The Monarch holds considerate control over the government including the power to dissolve the elected houses of government, appoint members of the Imperial court and overrule the appointment of members on the MRs cabinet, remove the current MR, and enforce any bill currently in government, bypassing both houses. These decisions can be overturned if the collective elected government votes against the action in a simple majority.

The elected chambers each handle the standard functions of the state. The chamber of ministers is allowed to provide and debate legislature whereupon they are voted on and, if successful, move to the chamber of states for an additional round of votes. The chamber of ministers does not possess the power to vote on legislature related to the budget, a power exclusive to the chamber of states.

The unelected chamber of duchies exists for the purpose of interstate maintenance of public services. Each duchy is granted to approved budgetary split and determine the final division of funds towards each state. The members of the federal cabinet must communicate with the respective state duke/duchess to verify the expenditure of funds.

Administrative divisions
Gemurtrak is split into 4 Duchies and a federal administration territory. Each of the duchies are split into 3 states each (for a total of 12) who possess some form of autonomy independent of one another but function under the larger blanket of the duchy they're under. These administrative divisions were put into full function following the 1892 National sovereignty agreement and attempted to follow cultural borders and former noble territory while remaining fair to all parties. The Federal Territory of Suzhya has no states and is instead divided into two distinct subdivisions; Councils and Autonomous Administration Zones (AAZ). Many of the major cities (excluding Ornpyat) are placed under the AAZ subdivision, granting these cities heightened autonomy in their local politics.

Fashion
Trakian fashion had remained considerably insular until the large imports of foreign clothing in the 20th and 21st century, prior to which the influences were highly limited, coming from primarily [CONTINENT NAME]. Traditional Trakian fashion is considered to have 7 periods, with the current period, Nyebimur, acting as the contemporary style since the 1930s