Federal Republic of Socela

The Federal Republic of Socela, also known as Socela, the Federal Republic, the FRS, or the Federal Republic, is a country located along the west coast. It borders California, Arixia-Trenoa, and Nevornia.

The Federal Republic is a newly forged federation between the former Republics of Angelia, Armonia, and Vigilia, the former Duchies of Gabriela, Dogio, and Rossia, the Free Bird Tribes, and the Confederacy of Ratland. These realms, while all varied politically and culturally, had common origins in the overthrowing of the old Empire of Calhonia. Now all united under the Socelan banner, there is both a great amount of hope and fear for the success or failure of the Socelan Republican Experiment.

Many see Socela as the last true bulwark against the spread of the Restored State of California, which has conquered most of the former realms just to the north of Socela. This knowledge of an inevitable war, has shaped the young Federation, and will likely come to define the 15th Century AA for the whole West Coast.

The Empire of Calhonia
The Empire of Calhonia used to rule over much of what now constitutes the Federal Republic, as well as portions of modern Nevornia, Arixia-Trenoa, and southern California. It was considered the southern rival of the Kingdom of Granciso back in it's days of glory. However, by the early 14th century AA the Empire was in decline due to years of succession crises, failed military ventures, and a series of incompetent emperors.

The Popular Rebellions
Over 1323-1325 AA, there were a series of rebellions throughout the Calhonia that led to the collapse of the Empire in 1326.

The Divided States
Following the collapse of Calhonia, many of the former Dukes and Lords of the Empire were able to hold onto power throught the formation of a series of duchies; including Gabriela, Dogio, and Rossia. Elsewhere however, the anti-imperial sentiment bled into a larger anti-monarchical feeling amongst the populace that led to the former of the Republics and Confederacies that formed following the collapse of Calhonia.

While few wars would be fought between these post-Calhonian nations, the political and diplomatic climate of the post-Calhonian era was tense. The divide between the Duchies and Republics of the area, as well as historical cultural divides that had been inflamed during Calhonian rule, meant that there was little love shared between these nations. Peace was largely only maintained through a shared hatred for the former Calhonian empire and the diplomatic will of many rulers in the nations to avoid constant warfare like the nations to their north.

The Socelan Coalition
Few expected any form of diplomatic alliance or arrangement among the post-Calhonian nations, in fact many expected the fragile peace between these nations to eventually collapse. However, in 1386 AA the Restored State of California appeared on the scene, and began a steady campaign of military conquest against all of their neighbors. First, the Kingdom of Kramon had fallen to the Californians in a violent rebellion, then the divided realms of the Valleylands were conquered and absorbed, and as a military campaign against the various mountain kingdoms to the north of California began, many in Socela couldn't help but take note.

As the divided Valleylander duchies and so-called kingdoms were being invaded by California in the late 1390s and early 1400s, President of the Republic of Angelia Oliver Mancuso began to push for a military coalition amongst the post-Calhonian nations for the sake of mutual protection.

Unification of the Federal Republic
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Modern Day
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The Threat of the 'Californian Tide'
The dominating force of modern Socelan politics is the fear of war with the Restored State of California, which has spent the past 40 years conquering and consolidating dozens of realms to the north of Socela.

Structure of the Federal Republic
The political structure of the Federal Republic is quite unorthodox, and can hardly be described as a purely republican system. As a nation born of other nations, some with opposition to purely republican systems, there are elements of both republicanism and old monarchism in the system.

The Federal Republic is a parliamentary republic, with the power of the executive deriving its power from the Socelan Parliament. The Head of State is the Federal Council, composed of representatives from the 8 nations that founded the Republic. These representatives, called Chancellors, are picked by the legislative representatives of their respective nations, with a Head Chancellor position that rotates on an annual basis between the 8 representatives. There are also two Vice-Chancellors, one that was the previous Head Chancellor and the other will be the next Head Chancellor in the rotation.

The 8 Chancellors all are in charge of various departments of the Federal government, which employ a series of civil servants and maintain governmental policy. Such policy decisions, depending on their scale, must then be approved of only by a vote of the Council, or by a vote of the Council and then a vote of the Parliament.

The Parliament of the Federal Republic is a bicameral body that chooses the 8 Federal Chancellors, as well as passing laws and policies on a broad governmental level. The two bodies of the Parliament are the Assembly of Nations as the upper house and the Assembly of Peoples as the lower house. The President of the Assembly of Peoples is the de facto head of government, with the Assembly of Peoples being the first legislative body to vote on federal laws, and the only legislative body that can propose federal law (although laws can be proposed by the Federal Council).

Representatives of the Assembly of Peoples are chosen through a variety of methods, with most being directly elected by the populace of the constituent nations of the Federal Republic. However, the representatives from the nations of Gabriela and Dogio are directly chosen by the Dukes of those nations. There are 160 Representatives in the Assembly of Peoples, with an amount allocated for each nation based on population. Laws that are voted on by the Assembly of Peoples are then passed on to the Assembly of Nations for approval.

While most of the representatives of the Assembly of Peoples are directly elected, many of the representatives of the Assembly of Nations are directly assigned by the governments of the constituent nations of the Federal Republic. There are only 64 representatives in the Assembly of Nations, with 8 assigned for each nation regardless of population. The representatives from Vigilia, the Bird Tribes, and Ratland are all directly elected by the populace of their respective nations, while the other five nations have their representatives directly appointed by their governments.

Outside of the Federal Government, the original 8 nations that founded the Republic still retain a great deal of autonomy, with the formerly independent Duchies of Gabriela, Dogio, and Rossia still being ruled by the respective Dukes. Certain laws do and don't apply for certain nations depending on context. This has resulted in the Federal Government being fairly ineffective in implementing domestic policy, but reasonably effective at implementing foreign policy.

Political Parties
The Socelan Government has many political parties blocs, as the recent formation of the Republic has brought together several different nations with many different political sensibilities; ranging from liberal republics, monarchies, and loose tribal confederations. However, one political party holds onto the most power, the Liberal Federalist party, as the original party the led to the unification of the Republic.

Sailors, Fishing, and Trade
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Agriculture
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Growing Industry
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The Struggle for a Common Socelan Culture
While before the creation of the modern Socelan Republic there were nationalist Socelan movements throughout the territories and realms that would eventually become part of the Federal Republic, the FRS currently still suffers from a lack of a common sense of national culture, with many citizens still holding loyalty to their form realms or territories and viewing the FRS as a politicians creation.

Common Religion
As with most of the west coast of Nomoria, the majority of Socela is Phoenician, one of the few things providing something of a common identity to the peoples of Socela and the stream of refugees coming from up north. As a result, many politicans in Socela that support the Federal Republic tend to play up the bonds of all as Phoenicians opposed to Californian Christianity.

Of course, not all in Socela are Phoenician, with the majority of non-Phoenicians in Socela generally belonging to local religions that predate the spread of Phoenicianism to the region. Mostly notably are the Dolbites and the Promonians, with the majority of them residing in Ratland. Consequentially, there is a stereotype of non-Phoenicians in Socela as isolated barbarians, intermingling with some of the negative stereotypes of Ratlanders generally. And while in law Socela is by and large a nation with religious freedom, many Dolbites and Promonians are discriminated when entering areas dominated by Phoenicians.

Common Language
While there is something of a common tongue between the eight states of Socela, it would be hard to describe it as the same language, try as some Socelan politicians may. The so-called Socelan language has a range of dialects that while somewhat understandable to each other could hardly be called the same language. There is some effort to try and standardized the language, but such moves are extremely controversial since they tend towards one specific dialect or another, and it seems unlikely that any government-sponsored standardization will happen soon.

Angelian Culture
The former Republic of Angelia was long the cultural and economic center of the south west, centered around the rich and prosperous Angel City, which is a trading hub and rich in plastic to be mined.

Gabrielan Culture
The Duchy of Gabriela was the last Duchy of the former Empire of Calhonia to rebel, and has long maintained a culture of vibrant aristocracy and court life. The most feudal of the 8 nations of the Federal Republic, little has effectively changed with the onset of the industrial revolution and the absorption of Gabriela into the Federal Republic. However, that isn't to say nothing has changed, as the need for militarization of the border of California and Socela has led to a railroad boom in Gabriela. The subsequent immigration of new workers has led to the steady growth of new towns along this railroad, and the new ideas imported by these people to slowly spread among the peasant class of Gabriela.

Gabriela has a long history of sculpture and craftsguyship focused on the Gabrielan noble class and Phoenicianism. Such works of art are highly prized by the Gabrielan aristocracy and those around Socela that can afford such expensive works. In modern times, the artistic legacy of Gabriela has been channeled into new works of literature, often written by lower level aristocrats or commissioned authors.

The current Duchess of Gabriela, Rosa Amadio the First, is a staunch conservative, and only agreed to have Gabriela join the Federal Republic because of the looming threat of both California and a Federal Republic hostile to Gabriela. Duchess Amadio continues to maintain a relatively isolationist and feudal outlook in her political operations.

Mountain-Bird Culture
The Free Bird Tribes, organized under the Socelan system as the Free State of the Mountain-Birds, is like many other groups of roaming Bird tribes throughout the known world. Nomadic and occupying islands that would be seldomly used by anyone else, they are perhaps the most unique state within the Federation and have been a challenge to bring into the legal framework of statehood. Without a singular head of state or government, the Free State is run by a tribal council of the heads of the most prominent clans. It would be rare to find one of these mountain-birds that proclaims loyalty to Socela or the Free State prior to their tribe, but many see the value of military cooperation with the other states to protect all against California.

The peoples of the Mountain-Bird Free State have a long martial tradition, with many wars between tribes and would-be invaders from the lowlands. As such, a great deal of unorthodox military talent has come out of the Free State specializing in guerilla and asymmetrical warfare. Many in the Socelan military believe that these skills will be critical to combating the numerical and armament superiority of the Californians, with a military academy being built on the main land of the Free State as a cooperative project between the Sokolov clan and the Socelan government.

While many Mountain-Birds are Phoenician and geographically located in the southwest of the Nomorian west coat, they historically originated from much farther north, with migrations southwards in the 3rd Century BA (Phoenician Calendar), until the tribes that would become the Mountain-Birds of the Free State settled down in their current territory in the 1st Century BA (Phoenician Calendar).

Ratlander Culture
The old Confederacy of Ratland was less of a centralized nation with a singular culture, but a loose union of various tribes for the purpose of mutual protection. This reflects the broad Ratlander culture of small towns and tribes along the mountains in what is now north Socela. Ratlanders have a fierce independent streak, which is why the whole of the Confederacy did not join the Federal Republic, and the relative isolation of these mountainous rats has led to many ancient rituals and traditions to survive. These practices are viewed as quaint at best and barbaric at worst by those in rich, industrial places Angelia or Armonia.

While some in Ratland do follow the Phoencian faith, many others follow two other distinct, ancient faiths; the Dolbites and the Promonians. The Dolbites were the original religion of much of Socela, centered around many holy sites and icons in ancient Angel City, and they have a pantheon that emphasizes the visual arts and creativity. The Promonians are an even older religion, native to Ratland as well as others in the Rocky Mountains, which focuses on worship of Promon. Promon is the World-Crafter, and built the world centering around his great mountain fortresses.

Ratlanders have been the slowest to integrate into Socela, however given that it sits on the California-Socelan border, it has seen many new infrastructure projects and immigration as new job opportunities pop up. This has led to some degree of resent among many native Ratlanders, seeing the Socelan project as simply using them and their land for their own profit. In spite of this, the looming threat of California keeps those in Ratland at the very least compliant with the directives of the Federal Government.

Dogi Culture
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Armonian Culture
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Rossi Culture
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Vigilian Culture
The Republic of Vigilia is the most disconnected from the other states of Socela in terms of culture and history, being closer to Arixia historically and cultural than Calhonia or anything Socelan. If it were not for the revolutionary republican traditions of Vigilia, it is debatable whether or not it would have even joined the Federation at all. However, Vigilia has long been a hotbed of revolutionary activity even going back to the days of Calhonia. Many believe that this revolutionary spirit of the Vigilian people can be attributed to it's long history as being on the fringes of one empire or another, with the great Daqstra river providing easy travel to Vigilia for foreign revolutionaries on the run. The current President of Vigilia, Aurora Clericus, is herself a descendant of refugees from up the Daqstra river fleeing their homes after attempting to organize against the Kingdom of Mormenia.

Vigilia is a cultural and artistic melting pot, with many new art movements originating in the area. In the modern era, the art movement known as Idealism has spread like wildfire, inspired by traditional art pieces from groups in the Great Plains. With Idealism being an artform largely based around the suggestion of reality focusing on the movement of people, this has also translated into a rich theatrical scene of powerfully expressive stories focused on the emotional condition of the commonfolk.

While the Vigilian people are enthusiastic about democracy and republicanism, they are not nearly as supportive of the idea of the Federal Republic in its current form. While Republicans in Angelia and Armonia are far more onboard with the idea of the Federal Republic, many Vigilians and even President Clericus are skeptical of the byzantine and archaically organized Federal system that permits monarchs and serfdom within certain areas of Socela. As such, much tension has been generated in a variety of political and diplomatic conflicts between Vigilia and more conservative Socelan states like Gabriela and Dogio, most notable an open fist fight between aides of President Clericus and the Royal Guard of Duchess Rosa when both parties could not agree on a meeting location both would find agreeable (the Vigilians didn't wish to meet on Gabrielan soil due to the continued existence of feudalism and the Gabrielans didn't want to meet on Vigilian soil out of a perceived fear of so-called commoners attacking the Duchess).

Army of the Federal Republic
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Air Force of the Federal Republic
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Arcane Corps of the Federal Republic
Many see the extensive use and development of arcane weaponry as the secret to California's success in its wars of expansion. To counter this, the Federal Republic has tried to mirror Californian developments into arcane weapon research and reproduction. While California excels in the arcane field, the Federal Arcane Corps has been able to develop two experimental pieces of technology based off arcane studies. These are the 'Turtles' and the 'Cocoons,' based off of stolen Californian technology, and are entirely top secret projects.

The Turtles are experimental armored vehicles armed with either machine gun turrets or singular large gun turrets. While amongst the Socelan public there is knowledge of experimental motorized wagons being developed by cutting edge corporations, the Turtles are 20 to 30 years ahead of their time, and are made possible by arcane fuel cells. These fuel cells are bulky and generate a great deal of heat, but output a steady stream of power that the Turtles can use. However, such fuel cells are hard to come across and it isn't currently known how to produce more, especially given that when broken open it is almost impossible to get them to function again. Regardless, Socela has constructed 15 turtles so far, with 10 more planned to be built.

The Cocoons are far more experimental than the Turtles, and are essentially suits of moving machinery and armor designed to augment size, strength, and firepower. Such technology is rarely used even by the Californian military, as modern reproductions of the few such examples of arcane artifacts of this type are quite unreliable. But when the Cocoons do work, they demonstrate an immense amount of firepower that is well worth the investment. Unlike the Turtles, which are made possible by bulky fuel cells, the Cocoons are made possible by small metallic spheres with several wires that allow for the complex logical process that propel the Cocoon suits. These spheres work in tandem with a metal suit of Socelan make, powered by a largely self-contained steam engine. Currently, about 6 of these Cocoon suits exist, with plans for 4 more to be made.

Navy of the Federal Republic
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Federal Intelligence and Security Agency
The Federal Intelligence and Security Agency (FISA) acts as the intelligence and espionage branch of the Socelan military, and it currently is perhaps the most well-funded and well-experienced spy agency that currently exists on the West Coast. While it's main rival, the Californian Bureau of Illumination possesses a larger workforce, the FISA has a pool of experience from 9 different spy agencies that were all actively hostile towards each other in some capacity in history.

The FISA has four departments that are all lead by the Central Office. These include the Department of Analysis, the Department of Operations, the Department of Support, and the Department of Technology.

Foreign Relations
To surrounding nations, the creation of the Federal Republic is viewed as something of a historical anomaly, and many believe that the Republic will not hold together. However, some are still willing collaborate with the young Federal Republic, while some view it with disdain.

The Restored State of California views Socela with disdain. While technically neutral with each other, even engaging in limited diplomatic communication and exchanges, both nations view war as an inevitability. Military buildup is extensive on both sides of their shared border, with extensive concrete fortifications, artillery batteries, and arcane weaponry (although this tends to be more of a Californian strategy).