Psittancyna

**Psittancyna**, officially the **Macawdom of Psittancyna** and natively as the **Psittacorum**, is a Kingdom of Cartonia, home to the parrot species.

The northernmost nation in Cartonia, Psittancyna is just south of the Pinnacle Ice Sheet and framed by the Apex Sea. To the south, it is bordered by Ursus and Porcinia.

Psittancyna boasts one of the more unique cultures of Cartonia, with an ancient and often odd language still spoken widely by its citizens. The original parrots had the innate ability to fly but have since lost that capability.

## Geography

As the northernmost nation, the climate of Psittancyna is nearly always cold. The Pinnacle Ice Sheet and the Ice Belt send polar vortexes across the nation year-round. Mount Altum is Cartonia's northernmost capital and the capital at the highest elevation. Its southeastern border with Porcinia is the nation's warmest point.

The Macaw Delta is the starting point of the Cartonian River, and converges near the base of Mount Altum.

## History

Psittancyna pledged allegiance to the Harmony Crown in the Year 1, thus uniting the Cartonian continent. It follows Felexa and precedes Porcinia in the rotation.

Unlike the majority of its fellow Kingdoms, Psittancyna does not use the titles of "King" or "Queen" in an official capacity, nor does it differentiate the head of state's title based on sex. Instead, all rulers are known as the Macaw. The heir apparent, whether male or female, is called the Pserex.

At the outbreak of the War in 708, Psittancyna declared neutrality. This changed in February 709 when Queen Vixen VII of Vulpus abolished the Harmony Crown. Though four neutral nations immediately joined the Granite Bloc alliance in opposition to the Vixen Queen, Psittancyna sided with newcomers Capricon and Cervidium in league with the Vixen Queen's Summer Sun alliance.

In 712, Psittancyna joined its allies Vulpus and Cervidium in attacking Felexa, then their other ally. Felexa was blamed for more shortcomings during the war, just as Capricon had been before its fall. The Kingdom quickly came under occupation and the royal family fled. Macaw Arini participated in the coup due to a longstanding grudge held against the cats for their primeval ancestors clipping the wings of the early parrots, thus preventing future generations from flying. The invasion was viewed as revenge.

The War Plague impacted Psittancyna harshly, but its royal family remained intact. When the plague subsided, Psittancyna invaded Ursus. A ransom-gone-wrong resulted in the death of Princess Theodora Rose.

In 717, Prencessa Lucia Psint-Annenburg-Volta blackmailed her brother and Pserex Croix Psint-Annenburg-Volta, revealing an interspecies relationship. To avoid scandal upon himself and the family, Croix joined a monastic order at the Macaw Delta. This invalidated both his succession potential and his marriage, and elevated his sister Lucia to Pserex.

In 723, Macaw Arini was challenged to single combat by Archibald I of Ursus, who was seeking revenge for the death of his daughter, Theodora Rose. The Macaw met Archibald in northern Ursus on Overlook Hill, where Arini was defeated and decapitated. Lucia Psint-Annenburg-Volta succeeded as **Macaw Lucia**.

The War ended in 726, and Psittancyna annexed portions of northern Porcinia. Despite severe debts owed to Vulpus, Lucia managed to retain control of her entire territory plus the wartime acquisitions.

## Trivia

* Psittancyna is named after the collateral adjective for: "psittacine." The "ps" prefix forms many of the nation's places and names.
* The flag of Psittancyna depicts the wingspan of a colorful parrot.
* The capital of Mount Altum derives its name from the Latin word for "high."
* The Psittanine language is based on Latin and Haitian Creole, though many words were improvised to convey a sense of otherworldly diction.
* Psittancyna's other official name, Psittacorum, means "parrot" in Latin.
* The Canopy is based on Peles Castle in Romania.
* The house of Psint-Annenburg-Volta's triple-name is based on the British house of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.