| Empire of Eurasia | |
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 Sigillum | |
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Motto |
"Plus Ultra" ("Ever Onward") |
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Capital |
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Official languages |
Eurasian |
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Demonym |
Eurasian |
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Government |
absolute monarchy |
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Emperor |
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Establishment |
30 BCE |
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Population |
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Time zone |
ERT -3, -2, -1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4, +5 |
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Internet TLD |
.ea |
The Empire of Eurasia, (Eurasian: Imperium Eurasiae) commonly called Eurasia, is a absolute monarchy in Ekstera. It is bordered by New Zealand, Reisal, Arveyres, Antanares, and Achaean Morea. Eurasia covers a massive land area, and has one of the largest populations in the world. Eurasia is comprised of 34 provinces, including Arveyres, and one Capitoline Prefecture in Julium, and is the largest empire in the world and one of the oldest states, having been founded 2000 years ago in 30 BCE.
Eurasian culture and expansion has shaped and influenced many countries and cultures, with many nations, including Marquette, Duresia, Zackalantis, Aloia, and numerous others having had a Eurasian presence at some point during their history. Eurasia is the heart of Raetic Culture, and the Raetic languages were all born from the Eurasian language.
Eurasia is led by Augustus IV, Emperor of Eurasia, who acts as a chief executive for the Empire. Augustus assumed the throne in 2009 after the abdication of his father, Justinius. The legislature of the Empire is vested in the Senate of Eurasia, whose laws are passed to the Emperor for either approval or veto. The judiciary is manifested in the Supreme Tribunal of Eurasia, which is headed by the High Magistrate, but ultimate judicial authority is vested in the Emperor.
Etymology
The name "Eurasia" comes from the cognomen of the founder of the Empire, Julius Eurasius. Initially, Eurasius called Eurasia the Laurentine Empire, in homage to the Laurentine Isle and republic of similar name. After his death, his successor, Augustus, redesignated the Empire "Eurasia" in honor of him.
The original meaning behind "Eurasius" is unknown, though some speculate it may be a form of the earlier Old Raetic "Urasis", the meaning of which is similarly unknown, though it is postulated to perhaps mean "bear".
History
Geography
The Tarentine Mountains.
Eurasia is made up of many differing geographies and terrains. The Laurentine Isle, which is the island upon which Julium is located and is the cultural and political center of Eurasia, is largely mountainous. Almost 40% of the Laurentine Isle is mountains, with the Tarentine Mountains running through the middle of the isle. Many inland lakes and waterways crisscross the landscape, fed by snowmelt from high in the mountains. Many elements of the Laurentine Isle are volcanic in origin, with many of the islands near the Isle being produced by ancient volcanoes. On the Isle itself, Cirinium is a still-active volcano, having erupted most recently only sixty years ago.
Asticusian farmland.
The Asticus peninsula, directly west of the Laurentine Isle, is less mountainous, instead dominated by wide-stretching fields, hills, and farmland. Asticus is widely known as the "breadbasket of the Empire", referring to the easily arable land. Over 45% of all meat and grain is produced in Asticus due to the easily farmable land. In the south of Asticus, however, there are many dense forests and thick woodlands. The Province of Bruttium is perhaps the most wooded province in the Empire, and the largest city is the border-town of Castra Volscis, which doubles as the provincial capital.
The geography of the Vesperian Shield is highly varied, due to the dispersed nature of the island chains. On the Trajectan Isle, the land is hilly and mountainous, and many of the Empire's salt mines can be found in the area. Large marble mines can also be found there. The other island provinces are geographically unremarkable, mostly flat and planar.
Climate
The climate of the Eurasian archipelago is generally temperate, with mild winters and hot summers. The more western provinces generally receive more rainfall than the eastern provinces, and the provinces in the north, closer to Duresia, are some of the only that receive annual snowfall. Some provinces at higher elevations on the Laurentine Isle occasionally receive sparse snowfall, however. The Laurentine Isle itself is evenly divided between eastern and western rainfall patterns, with provinces such as Civitius receiving less than Virconium.
Snowfall in Mediolanum.
Summer is usually stable, although the northern and western regions often have thunderstorms in the afternoon/night hours and some grey and rainy days. So, while east of Julium the summer is typically dry and sunny, in the west it tends to be more humid and cloudy. Spring and Autumn weather can be very changeable, with sunny and warm weeks (sometimes with Summer-like temperatures) suddenly broken off by cold spells or followed by rainy and cloudy weeks.
In the north precipitation is more evenly distributed during the year, although the summer is usually slightly wetter. Between November and March the Saldinian valley is often covered by fog, while the number of days with lows below 0 °C (32 °F) is usually from 60 to 90 a year, with peaks of 100–110 days in the mainly rural zones.
Administrative divisions
A map showing all the lands currently or formerly controlled by the Eurasian Empire.
The territory of Eurasia is divided into what is known as "provinciae", or "provinces". Each is governed by a senate-appointed Praetor. The Empire itself is a de jure unitary state, and the Imperial Senate of Eurasia maintains the ability to dissolve the current provincial system in favor of a true unitary system whenever it so desires.
A notable exception to this rule is Arveyres, which under Imperial law is a Superior Province of Eurasia. As per the Granadan Compromise, Arveyres maintains complete autonomy in internal affairs, and cannot be dissolved by the Imperial Senate as other provinces could be. Arveyres itself is divided into provinces, however for efficiency purposes Arveyres is considered to be a "unitary" superior province under Imperial law, the only one of its kind to be so (for all other cases, the term "superior province" is a geographical grouping only and has no legal meaning). The Arveyran provinces are considered under Eurasian law to be akin to prefectures, which also exist in Arveyran law. Thus, Arveyran provinces are not counted as Eurasian provinces during the census.
Julium itself is not a province, but instead is its own unique type of administrature, the Capitoline Prefecture. It functions effectively as if it were a province.
Overseas territories and collectivities
Paestum during the summer.
Eurasia maintains several provinced overseas territories, the most notable being Paestum in Arveyres, which itself is a the size of a large city. Other territories include several smaller, unprovinced islands in the Eurasian archipelago that serve as naval and air bases.
Politics
Eurasia itself is an absolute monarchy with a semi-elected unicameral legislature. The current system by which Eurasian governance is conducted was established after the Cephorean Reforms in the 1300's, and was amended in the Marinian Reforms in the late 1940's and early 1950's. Executive power is vested in the Emperor of Eurasia, who is advised by the Privy Council, which is comprised of the Prime Ministers of the Ministeria of Eurasia, or cabinet level ministers. The legislature is comprised of the unicameral Senate of Eurasia, which is headed by the Consul of the Imperial Senate. The judiciary is independent of both branches, and is made up of the Supreme Tribunal of Eurasia and the inferior courts.
The Emperor serves as both head of state and head of government. The current Emperor is Augustus IV. The current Consul is Quintus Mucius Scaevola, a Proconsul from Saepinum.
Government
Executive
A bust of Julius Eurasius, first Emperor of Eurasia.
The executive is vested in the Emperor of Eurasia and the Privy Council. Traditionally, the Emperor is not a member of any political party, and maintains a relationship with the Senate. In cases where the opinions of the Senate and of the Emperor do not align, a situation known as a camera vacua, or "vacant house," occurs, in which neither party tends to achieve anything.
Emperor Augustus IV in 2014.
The position of Emperor is inherited, passing from parent to child. There has been an uninterrupted line of succession from Julius Eurasius to Augustus IV, the current Emperor. The Emperor's power is limited in scope by the Writs of the Setertiamillenniary, which stipulates that the Emperor cannot make nor unilaterally invalidate laws, save for the veto. In practice, however, if the Emperor does not agree with a law, the Senate is unlikely to allow the law to stand. The Emperor also cannot dissolve the Senate sine die, though he can dissolve it and call for new elections, one method by which camera vacua can be avoided.
Legislature
The Senate of Eurasiai a semi-elected body, comprised of both elected senators and the unelected Proconsuls of Eurasia. The Proconsuls are the equivalent of an aristocracy, and as such the Senate is effectively a hybrid of a Common House and a Lord's House. The Proconsuls do not constitute a majority in their own right, but are frequently used by the ruling political party to maintain a majority, and as such constitute one of the largest independent voting blocs in the entire Senate. The Senate is controlled by the Consul of the Imperial Senate, the current occupant of which is Quintus Mucius Scaevola, a Proconsul from Saepinum and member of the Optimates.
Foreign relations
Eurasia maintains very close foreign relations with a number of its former provinces. Closest relations are with Arveyres, an obvious result of Arveyres being an autonomous province of Eurasia itself. Eurasia is also closely allied with Duresia and Marquette, both of which were formerly provinces of Eurasia itself. Eurasia also maintains warm relations with New Tarajan. Relations with Christian nations such as Aloia and Achaean Morea are infamously cold, with diplomatic relations often being tenuous and frigid. In the case of Morea, Eurasia had not maintained any form of diplomatic relations, and even refused to recognize the state, until 2016 when a Diplomatic Legate was dispatched prior to the Invasion of New Zealand.
Military
The Military of Eurasia is the sole military force of Eurasia. It is divided into six branches, the Eurasian Army, Eurasian Navy, Eurasian Air Force, Eurasian Special Forces, Ministerium of the Police, and the Praetorian Guard. The military falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministerium of Defense. The Emperor of Eurasia is the commander-in-chief of the Eurasian Military and maintains ultimate discretion in how it is used. Historically, Eurasia has avoided practicing conscription, maintaining instead a fully volunteer, professional military. Under Imperial law, however, the Emperor can institute conscription at any time should the need arise. This has, however, never been utilized. The minimum age for military service is 17.
The Ministerium of Imperial Security is a paramilitary organization, utilizing formal military regulations, ranks, and standards. However, it is not a branch of the traditional military structure, and is completely independent of the Defense Ministerium.
Economy
Demographics
Ethnic Groups
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Eurasia is made up largely of native Eurasian, Arveyrans, New Zealanders, and Duresians. Arveyres itself is not counted toward the overall population nor towards ethnicity figures. Arveyres is represented by the Arveyran diaspora in Eurasia.
Language
Religion
Religious diversity in Eurasia.
Eurasia is widely considered a religious place, maintaining one of the oldest faiths in Esamir. The largest and most well-known religion in Eurasia is Mos Maiorism, also known as Eurasian Polytheism, is the official religion of the Eurasian Empire and one of the oldest religions in the world. The central tenants of this faith revolve around the worship of the Dii Consentes, the twelve central gods of the Imperial Pantheon. The Twelve Gods are listed by the Imperial Ministry of Culture as Juno, Vesta, Minerva, Ceres, Diana, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter (Jove), Neptune, Vulcan, and Apollo. The worship of these gods is considered to be central to the Eurasian belief system, and holidays and celebrations are centered around these gods. However, there are other, more minor gods that play a role in Eurasian religion and life, and some households may have smaller shrines to the minor gods they feel to be most important in their lives.
A wayshrine to Akatosh, the chief deity, in Civitius.
The second largest religion in the Empire is the faith Novem Deos, or Nine Gods. This faith is separate from the Imperial Mos Maiorist faith, but is related. This faith features worship of nine central gods, which no minor gods existing. These gods, known as the "Nine Divines" to practitioners, take a very removed role in every-day life, and only confer blessings on their adherents through wayshrines throughout the Empire. The Nine Divines are known as the "Aedra", whilst their counterparts, which are considered "evil" but theologians posit are simply out of the realm of mortal comprehension, are known as "Daedra". There are sixteen Daedric Princes (the Daedra do not possess human genders), who are barred from entering the human realm due to the existence of the Aedra. The Novem Deos faith is recognized by the Imperial Government as a minority religion, and has been for almost 1500 years (for perspective, Christianity was only recognized as a legitimate religion 200 years ago.)
There are many disparate minority religions throughout the Eurasian Empire, both due to historic persecution (monotheistic faiths were targeted for much of Imperial history) or due to their isolated development, typically in more far-flung colonies. Atheism or Agnosticism is the third largest "faith" in the Empire, although there has been debate as to whether or not it can be considered a faith at all. Aetherism, an Arveyran faith closely tied to Mos Maiorism, is also prevalent, with Judaism, Islam, and Christianity being the smallest recognized religions in Eurasia. This is both due to historic persecution of Abrahamic faiths and the more widespread prevalence of polytheism throughout the Eurasian archipelago.
Education
Society
Calendar
Julian Calendar Novem Deosian Calendar