Tmezestos (Pacifica)

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Beautiful Republic of the People, Land and City of Tmezestos, the Kingdom without a King

Tawatses Xivaël Cmòstutnca, Pmaistesca en Nufausca ria Tmezestos, ci Ŋiswotses hwea Ŋiswoswi
Motto: Històlis heïsli!
Sing to your home!
LocationCentral Cordilia
Capital
and largest city
Nufaustes
Official languagesCmosto
Religion
(2022)
Sceulaospai 89% Other 11%
Demonym(s)Tmezestian
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary constitutional republic under a mercantile oligarchy with aristocratic elements.
• Duke
Ròstu Tfëlaxas
Pmella Stovògije
Cascu ni Laèlis
Vasilu Restolis
LegislatureGrand Bureaucratic Concord
Patrician Council
Land's Parliament
Formation
• Formation of the Kingdom of Tmezestos
c. 95
• Beginning of the Interregnum
868
• End of the Tmezestian Civil War
June 23 1301
• Formation of the Land's Parliament
January 1 1789
Area
• Total
38,861 km2 (15,004 sq mi)
Population
• 2022 census
5,214,183
• Density
134.18/km2 (347.5/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)estimate
• Total
$529 Billion
• Per capita
$101,508
CurrencyTmezestian Geus (TMG/₲)
Time zoneUTC-1
Date formatdd/mm/(e)E yyyy
Driving sideright
World Forum CodeTM
Internet TLD.tmz

Tmezestos, officially the Beautiful Republic of the People, Land and City of Tmezestos, the Kingdom without a King (Cmosto: Tawatses Xivaël Cmòstutnca, Pmaistesca en Nufausca ria Tmezestos, ci Ŋiswotses hwea Ŋiswoswi), otherwise simply referred to as the Beautiful Republic of Tmezestos (Cmosto: Tawatses Xivaël Tmezestosca) is a sovereign state and maritime republic located in the cliffed coast of Tnel-Meres, and is bordered by Valkyria to the west and Siromiana to the north. It has existed for untold hundreds of years, potentially up to two thousand, though it has changed in form a great deal through its history. The nation has grown and shrunk through history, both in physical land possessions and in mercantile influence, and it has become a modern day mercantile powerhouse. Its citizens speak the Cmosto language, its current form known as Modern Cmosto, though a publishing heritage that has remained nearly unchanged for much of Tmezestos' history allows for the reading of archaic texts.

Legend has it that Tmezestos was founded by a hero known as Gos-Hwiscos, when he made a pact with fae known as the Contract of Kings to grant his people, at that point farmers driven from their homes and now living on a barren, cliffed coast, unnaturally good luck and power. The fae granted his wish, though made the proviso that it may only be so for as long as an unbroken line of "Living Star" (or Swiòlaos) monarchs held the title. This meant that grandchildren or nephews could not inherit the title directly, it having to pass through one of these Swiòlaos before being a legitimate succession. Gos-Hwiscos agreed, and became King Oscwisu I Swiolaos ni Meres. For at least five centuries, the Kingship was passed down from Swiòlaos to Swiòlaos in the Swiolaic system, with the territory of Tmezestos covering much of the surrounding area. However, a civil war under King Spaesu VIII Swiolaos ni Voes led to the death of his siblings, and few further Swiòlaosis to choose from, the line of kings going extinct after his son, King Spaesu IX, died. A conclave of priests set about discerning the nature of the Contract of Kings, and came to the understanding that, as long as no King was declared, Tmezestos could continue on in some form. This began the Blue Council, a council of noble houses, all of whom could supposedly trace their ancestry back to a Swiòlaos in history, who were then to select a Duke (or Cxèulis) from among themselves. Over time, this changed to a more patrician-based republican system, with the Blue Council acting as a set of checks and balances for the Duke's accession.

The republic, by technicality, swears fealty to the Duke, though their actual power outside of the city of Nufaustes is debatable, with the Prime Minister operating the government and completely governing the regions outside of the city. The Duke is elected by the Patrician Council, who in turn are comprised of the patrician families, most of whom are associated with the trade guilds, and the Duke's accession ceremony is performed by members of the Blue Council. In much the same way, the Parliament elects the Prime Minister, and the Duke confirms their appointment. The nation's laws have been described as strict and somewhat oppressive, though corruption is minimal, due to the complex bureaucracy, and the rule of law is applied equally.

Commerce and trade, banking, tourism and services are the major sectors of the economy, and Tmezestos is considered to have a high-income economy. Tmezestos is also ranked highly in the human development index. Mainly dominated by established trading guilds in the city, with newer up-and-coming private corporations only able to rise in the regions outside of the capital, Tmezestos is considered to be run on old money more than competition. Covered mostly in highlands, seaward cliffs and valleys, much of the nation is dominated by maritime activity, though terrace farms are not uncommon.

Etymology

The name "Tmezestos" comes from the Cmosto tmèzestos, meaning "our cliffed coast". This is in obvious reference to one of the two major geographical features of Tmezestos, those being the cliffs and the mountains. This name has been variously applied to different portions of the modern day nation of Tmezestos, including at the beginning of its history when it referred largely to the coast and surroundings of the capital (with the title "King of Tmezestos" expanding its purview across the entire Tnel-Meres region), up to the beginning of the Third Era, when the label of Tmezestos began to apply to the entire region.

Tmezestos' current long name is among the longest in the world. The official shortened pretitle, "the Beautiful Republic", has been in use since the middle of the Third Era. It was first applied to the state by political theorist Scuolu Ceitnes, who uttered the phrase in reference to Tmezestos' Grand Bureaucratic Concord, its legislature.

History

Prehistory

It is believed that there was no permanent habitation of the Tnel-Meres region prior to the arrival of the Tnilison people. The land, believed to have in those times been rocky and unsuited for the purpose of large-scale agriculture, actively seemed to repel outsiders, and while there is evidence of small outposts, ancient lighthouses and other small structures built around the region, it appears that the main purpose of these structures was to signal to passing ships to keep away from the sometimes treacherous rocks of the Tnel-Meres, or as brief attempts of colonisation that did not lead to any large-scale settlement.

The first permanent inhabitants of Tmezestos were the Tnilison people. They are the direct descendants of the modern Cmostun people. They were likely driven from their homes far away, and forced into the land unwillingly, or as a last resort. It is believed they may have been pastoralists, owing to the large number of terms in Cmosto that are derived from herding terms, and may have had basic agricultural practices, though in all likelihood, they possessed little in social structure. This is believed to have changed fairly suddenly with the beginning of the First Era, though before that, the Tnilison kept fairly close-knit, refusing to spread out far from the greater population.

Tnilison art relies heavily on the motif of the bee. In most examples of prehistoric Tnilison art, bees are represented as almost holy figures, with most interpretations pointing to the bee existing as a guide to a lost and wandering people. Small scale apiaries in areas where suspected Tnilison settlements have been found indicate that they kept bees, though the design of these indicate a respect for the bees. It is not clear if the bee is related to the enduring Cmostun cultural motif of the fae - small, insect-sized and flying creatures of immense power, who grant wishes, but with incredibly specific conditions that, if broken, could lead to ruin.

First Era

Local tradition states that fae approached the suffering Tnilison and signed the Contract of Kings with Oscwisu I ni Meres, at the time known as Gos-Hwiscos, stating that his direct line heirs, known as Swiòlaos, or "Living Star", must be the only ones to rule as Kings of Tmezestos, and in return the fae would grant incredible wealth, power and prosperity to the people, but that the breaking of this contract by declaring an ineligible person King would incur a terrible curse to the nation. More modern scholarship dictates that the talk of fae may well be allegorical, especially to the superstitious later Cmostun, though the Contract of Kings is a document that is believed legitimate, that appears to indicate much the same terms as myth claims.

The first major recorded conflict in Tmezestian history was the Brothers' War, which occurred around the years 155 to 168 of the First Era. There were four major belligerents, those being the legal King Oscwisu III, who was supported by his youngest brother Causu, and then Tfirisu and Stulu, who both held their own aims for the throne. Tfirisu eventually killed Oscwisu III, and became King for about half a decade, before himself being killed and usurped by Causu, soon declared King Causu II. Stulu, who at the war's offset retreated to the highlands, continued to fight a guerilla campaign against Causu II until his death in 168.

Gradually over the course of the First Era, the Kingdom expanded until it came to control the vast majority of the modern-day state of Tmezestos. Across the Tnel-Meres, a number of smaller satellite cities, such as Riosoles, Avuse and Zwicnis arose, and the Meresic dynasty became extremely powerful, not only in the context of the Royal Family (known as the House of Swiòlaos ne Meres), but also in terms of lesser houses that were made vassals of the Kings, with a defined feudal system of titles administering the land around the capital. While children of the current monarch were granted the dignity of Pëòlos Swiòlaosto, colloquially just known as Pëòlos (Prince), their children who held title and land often became known as Pëòlos, or 'landed princes'. A step above them came the title of Duke, or Cxèulis. Notably, noble rule was forbidden inside the metropolitan city of Tmezestos, or Nufaus Tmezestosca, where only the King was permitted to rule as Duke of the city.

A number of smaller conflicts persisted through the years, though a smaller conflict that went out of hand was that which occurred between Pmelu II and Swiesu II. Pmelu's father, Gescolu II, had lived for all of 99 years, having had only one son, and by the time Pmelu II took the throne, the 50 year old King had no children, and seemingly no interest in having any, while his uncle, Swiesu, had six male children who would make excellent heirs to the throne, were Swiesu able to confer the dignities of Swiòlaos upon them, which he would have to be King to do. However, in the course of the ensuing civil war, five of Swiesu's six children would die. The final child, Ròstu, was quickly granted the dignities of Swiòlaos and the title of Pëòlos, but he would die one year before his father. For the first and only time in history, the title of King would pass to a woman, marking the end of the royal line of the Meresic dynasty.

From then on, the Voesic dynasty under the Royal House of Swiòlaos ni Vòès would rule. In this time, a noble order known as the Fraternal Order of the Blue Bee formed. Styling themselves as protectors of the succession and the Line of Swiòlaos, they took a number of actions that many decribed as treasonous and illicit. However, given their far-reaching influence, their members were rarely, if ever, punished for their actions. The Order would only notably fail once in the First Era, leading to the War of the Voesic Succession. King Spaesu VII died at the age of 30, leaving his son at the age of just 11 years as the legal heir. The late King's brothers, Pmelu and Gescolu, aimed to take the throne for themselves, first backing Pmelu as claimant, then Gescolu after the former's death. After a bloody conflict, throughout which the Order of the Blue Bee had largely supported the elder Pmelu and Gescolu, the two pretenders were put down, and the Order was officially illegalised in that year. However, Spaesu VIII's reign would be full of ill tidings, with two of his male children dying before his own death, as well as his only grandson. Spaesu IX ascended to the throne with no heir at the age of 59, and illness plagued his entire 17 year reign. He would die in the year 773 of the First Era, ending the Line of Swiòlaos. The crown jewels were stolen, potentially by remnants of the Order of the Blue Bee, and the First Era came to a close.

Interregnum and Second Era

The beginning of the Second Era saw the start of the Tmezestian Interregnum, a period of time in Tmezestian history where the nation was extremely decentralised, with former vassal Cxeulisis declaring their independence officially, and lower-level Peolosis conquering surrounding territory to declare themselves Cxeulis of their own larger fiefs.

Third Era to the present

Geography

Climate

Biodiversity

Politics

Government

Law

Foreign relations

Military

Economy

Agriculture

Energy

Tourism

Transport

Demographics

Religion

Health

Education

Immigration

Culture

Art

Literature

Media

Sports

By far the most popular sport in Tmezestos is football, given the Cmosto translation of fòtpalës. The Tmezestian history with football, by mythology, goes back to the First Era. Tmezestian football began with a far looser form of the game called Scuistèsës ("leather-ball"), often played by the servants of two noble families (or vassal peasantry of two noble lords) against one another, wearing the colours of that noble house as sashes. This game had very few rules, and often devolved into a scuffle or melee lasting days with no fixed end. When official football was introduced at the beginning of the industrial revolution, it took off especially in the outer Lands of Tmezestos, with the first official football club founded in 1887 (claims of ancient heritage notwithstanding) and the football league established in 1902. Football fans are known to be quite competitive in Tmezestos, and damage to property and even deaths have occurred around the sport.

Other popular sports include skiing, shooting and swimming. Among the nobility, game hunting (including on extended hunting excursions) is highly popular, and celebrated hunters have been known to receive medals from the Blue Council for "contributions to culture" or "sporting prowess".

Cuisine

Much of Tmezestian cuisine is derived from the food resources most common in the land itself - those being fish, leafy greens and herbs, honey, salt, tomatoes and citrus fruits, and, in places, wheat. It is considered altogether separate from most other Cordilian cuisines in its origins. Meals regularly consist of fish, vegetables and carbohydrates, and much of Tmezestian cuisine shares similar sweet and sour flavour. Mint is extremely popular in the country, with mint in sauces and as part of the solid food (including mixed into the carbohydrate) being almost staple to most people's definitions of Tmezestian cuisine.

In recent times, lamb and chicken have become more popular as protiens, likely due to a later influence of outside cultures. Lamb with mint sauce is one of the most popular outside innovations to come to Tmezestos, likely due to the reliance upon mint. Another foreign food that has become extremely popular in Tmezestos is sushi, known by the local term suscï, with local fusions of sushi being popular as lunch-foods. A lot of Tmezestian cuisine is similarly cold, a fairly identifying feature of the local cuisine that can cause confusion to outsiders.

In keeping with the sweet-and-sour flavours common to much of Tmezestian food, Tmezestians are very fond of dessert foods, with teiltes (similar to crepe pancakes) and gïwicŋïus (more akin to a doughnut) being the most common. Ice creams are also very popular, with Tmezestos being one of few countries to have an official ice-cream flavour, that being mint. More mint fare includes both of Tmezestos' most well-known alcoholic beverages - the official beverage, Wòèswosto, a mint and berry liqueur likened to gin, and the much stronger mint liqueur known as Cisfit, sometimes likened to strong but sweet mouthwash.

National Symbols

Notes