Noraania

Noraania is an Island nation on the Isle of Rhys off the western coast of Evrope. Noraania is an Enlightened Monarchy that societally focuses on individualism and meritocracy. While having been isolationist in the past they did contribute in World War 2. They are in an active Civil War and have been holding a ceasefire with a seceded territory to the south since 1953 (See Caledon).

### History

During a period of heavy glaciation over 10,000 years ago, the seas receded opening a land bridge from what is modern Saksenland to the island of Rhys. People following game slowly crossed this land and eventually inhabited Rhys. These first inhabitants left their evidence all over the island, and areas now beneath the waves in the form of stone foundations and tools. Like all things in history, this climate was not to last,  and the ice slowly retreated causing the seas to once again rise and cut Rhys off from the rest of Evrope.

Over the next several thousand years, the inhabitants of Rhys existed in a subsistence style of life, eventually taking to the seas close to the island. Around 5,000 years ago, small clans and societies started to develop across the island of Rhys. Around 3,000 years ago 5 kingdoms developed, Noraania, Caledon, Szecha, Zwerda, and Truiliantis. Noaraania held the northern peninsula and neck.

The kingdoms warred off and on with each other for hundreds of years, until Noraania struck a major blow to the stability to the island in the year 500, by conquering their neighbor to the north-west Truiliantis. This led to an all out war of re-instatement by the other 3 nations. They were able to drive the Noraanians back to the neck of their peninsula, and in a tactical move, the small, yet advanced for their time, Noraanian navy was able to box in the armies of Caledon Szecha, and Zwerda ending in their ultimate defeat.

Noraania like all kingdoms has strong and weak leaders, and in a time of weakness in 1134 Caledon rose and conquered their neighbor Zwerda. In fear of further conquest Noraania and Szecha combined their forces to beat back the Caledonians.

In 1543 King Neph ascended the throne and saw it as the divine right of Noraania to unite the entirety of Rhys under one nation. He carried on a campaign for 6 years, Szechia and Zwerda easily fell, and were wholly absorbed into the Kingdom of Noraania. Caledon, held back.

in 1549 King Neph was killed in battle after and arrow pierced the visor of his armor and landed deep in his skull. His body was carried in a procession miles long back to the Capital. His son Neph II, at only 15 years of age, immediately became King and negotiated an immediate ceasefire. Neph II held his father's views, but without access to his military mind and tactical plans the war would be lost. In an attempt to try and use the youthful King as a puppet, the King of Caledon arranged for his daughter to marry King Neph II. This would not go in Caledon's favor. The wedding party was well attended by Caledonian nobles, and of course the entirety of the Caledonian Royal Family.

After everyone had had some time to get their fill of drink, King Neph II stood to give a toast, and the Noraanian guard burst into the room and slaughtered the entirety of the Caledonian Royal Family, and nobility. With the marriage legal and binding, and then consummated according to culture, the kingdoms of Noraania and Caledon were now united into one nation.

Over the course of Neph II life there would be multiple assassination attempts,  which would force him to crack down harder and harder on former Caledon territories, until one would finally be successful in 1572. His oldest son Enguen would ascend the throne, and he would not have the patience of his father. He would garrison the majority of his army in former Caledon, and treat the people there harshly, executing them for small infractions. In 1608 the first Caledon uprising would occur near the end of King Enguen's life, and in his old age he would strike even more harshly, leading to the "cleansing" of Caledon.

After The Cleansing, was the long peace, in which there was a flourishing of Noraanian culture, science, and philosophy. Tensions still remained high, as former Caledons were treated as second class citizens. Their native language was outlawed both in public and in private, their cultural clothing and traditions were eliminated, however, people still practiced the old ways in secret, in the hopes that an opportunity would arise to return.

in 1723, the second Caledon uprising would occur, after over a decade of increased unrest, and this conflict would carry on until 1794. In 1794 King Elphux IV would capture the last of the Caledon leadership and at their execution, would die himself from a heart attack. His son, Magnus at the age of 16, would become King. Magnus would depart from the methods of the past, and be influenced heavily by the philosophers of the Enlightenment on how a society should be managed. The concept of individual rights was a new to the world, but Magnus wanted to give it a try. He bolstered the Noraanian navy, as a defense from the rest of Evrope,  cutting off most trade and communication, decreased taxes significantly for all citizens, formed the Citizen's Council of Noraania, and allowed Caledonians to once again speak their language and practice their cultural traditions. None of the  King's advisors expected this to work, they expected things to end in another horrible uprising, but surprisingly, he found when people were left alone, they worked out differences all on their own. This was the Golden Age of Noraania, the economy, population, science, technology all boomed and Noraania became entirely self-reliant. By the time of his death in 1885, he would have earned the title of King Magnus the Great.

The nation mourned for a year for King Magnus, and the citizens, many of which had never known another King, especially those from Caledon, were worried Elphux V would be just like his Grandfather, cruel and unyielding. However, being under his father's tutelage for more that 60 years, he saw the value in what King Magnus had done, and this permanently changed the culture of the nation. King Elphux V would rule until his death in 1910 at the age of 87. Elphux V had been plagued by health issues throughout his life, and did not have an heir until the age of 34, so when his son Rand I took the throne, he was already advanced in his years. Rand I ruled Noraania until  1930, when he died from cancer. his son, Magnus II was crowned King the day of his father's death, had he known what he would face, he might have abdicated right there, in favor of his brother.  Since the time of Magnus the Great, Noraania had intentionally kept themselves cut off from the rest of Evrope and the world, fearing that the outside influences of other nations would tear them apart. Magnus II had spent time travelling the world, telling other leaders of his nation's prosperity and peace, and how his grandfather had ushered in this noble era. No other nation would listen, though he believed that some writings had made their way to Nasbinea. For 9 years there would be peace, but it unfortunately would not last. in 1939, Magnus II heard rumors from the few Traders that came to Noraania of the evils that were being perpetuated by Saksenland. He hoped and prayed that Saksenland would remain on the continent and leave his island alone.

As the war on the continent worsened, Magnus chose to break with over a century of isolationism and started selling ships and ammunition to Jyrnao in the hopes that this would help them in their fight against the Saksens, it wasnt until the Saksen's came to Noraania, that problems would occur. On the 3rd of February 1943 a Saksen sub sank a Noraanian Cruiser on patrol around the northeastern island of Samhain, would be sunk by a submarine with all 1,845 souls aboard being lost. This would shock and enrage Noraanians who for so long had loved the peace they had experienced.  A righteous indignation filled the people, though who believed the sub to be Saksen, though Saksenland, nor Jyrnao never took responsibility for the attack. Shortly after citizens from every class would sign up to join the Noraanian Navy, Army, and Sky Forces. King Magnus II tried to calm the population but he could tell it was of no use. He informed both Saksenland and the people of Noraania that they were now at war. The date was February 6th.

The Noraanian Navy and Sky Forces harassed the Saksen trade routes, bombarded the Saksen coast, and sunk many of their ships, but by October of 1943 Saksenland would bring the war to Noraania. A large force, seeking a foothold on the Isle of Rhys, landed on the Isle of Samhain and witin 48 hours had captured it with its citizens. While Noraania kept the Saksen's at bay, they continued to support their war weary ally Jyrnao in an effort to beat back the Saksens. The Saksens Advanced into the upper peninsula of Noraania on December 14th 1943. The groundswell of support from Noraanian citizens to participate in the battle for their home in some capacity was a sight to be seen, long convoys of citizens with personal weapons were seen not heading away from the battle, but towards it.

While the battle was raging in the north, a problem was developing in the south. During The Cleansing, many Caledonians had fled to Saksenland, seeking asylum and refuge, but even generations later the hatred had not left their hearts, and the Saksen's sought to weaponize this. Saksenland used the culture of Noraania against itself, the ideas of freedom of speech, individualism, were hallmarks of Noraanian society, so when Caledonians spoke loudly in the streets to other Caledonians about raising again, the flag of Caledon, and removing themselves from the very country that has "Cleansed" their ancestors, few Noraanians thought anything about it. The Caledonians however, listened. The outright hatred these Saksens showed towards King Magnus and Noraania sparked a flame, which would not soon be extinguished. King Magnus II had meetings with the rulers of Jyrnao almost weekly, with the promise that they would return the aid Magnus II had given them during the early part of the war, but Noraania was rusty, having not had a war for over 150 years at this point, and the Saksens would advance every time they beat them back. On Magnus Day, a celebration meant to celebrate Magnus the Great, Magnus II delivered a speech at the Royal Cathedral in the Capital, a speech that would be broadcast across the country. His words would inspire again, a country that had started to become weary of war, and in the following weeks, they successfully pushed the Saksen's off of Rhys. In order to be free of the Saksens, and to return to helping their allies on the mainland they needed the Saksens out of Noraania. What would ensue, many historians would consider the turning point in the War. On October 31st 1945, the Battle of Samhain commenced. This was one of the bloodiest battles in the war, and it was coordinated by Jyrnao, Noraania, and their allies. In just the 2 short years, the island of Samhain, which had been forested with a thriving fishing industry had been destroyed.

The battle for Samhain lasted from October 31st to November 13th, and at the end of the day, the Saksens were killed, driven out, or taken prisoner. The atrocities seen on Samhain to this day, many veterans refuse to speak about. Not a single Noraanian civillian had been left alive, and all of their bodies had been carelessly rolled down a hill into a pile, while the rest of the island had been turned into a military base and staging ground for the Saksens. Over 30,000 Noraanians that lived on Samhain had been killed or taken to the mainland and never heard from again. After the war this would lead King Magnus II to establish the Festival of Samhain in remembrance of those that died that say, and to the Noraanian citizens that were lost. While Noraania battled in the north, the Saksens made their moves in the south. The third Caledon uprising had begun. KIng Magnus II was trapped between a rock and a hard place, and he finally had to make the decision to reroute 1/3rd of his forces to Caledon to try and deal with this issue, which extended the Battle of Samhain by over a week, costing more Noraanian lives. This was different from the other uprisings, with modern weaponry and guerilla tactics, the Caledonians defied all logic, and their terroristic activities would cost almost as many Noraanian lives as World War 2. King Magnus II had no choice but withdraw his support from Jyrnao, and focus on the conflict within his own nation. When Jyrnao defeated the Saksens on November 12th 1946, the civil war in Noraania still raged on. King Magnus II would never see peace in his country again, he died from a heart attack, at the age of 62 in 1949. His son, King Elphux VI, would carry on the war for 4 more years, trying to re-unify Noraania but settling for a ceasefire in 1953.

Elphux VI would never recognize the Caledon government, nor would any of his descendants, this was just another example of Saksen's doing what they do best, destroying. The backwards philosophy that had infiltrated Caledon from the Saksens was repugnant not just to Elphux VI, but to the general populous of Noraania, and old wounds were then reopened. Elphux VI life would be cut short by an assassination from a Caledon agent in 1964, on the day his only child was born. King Rand II was the youngest King in Noraanian history, beating King Elphux II who became King at the age of 6. The Dowager Queen would serve as regent, until Rand II came of age in 1982. During her time as Regent, the Dowager Queen would see some de-escalation with Caledon, but not entirely, it was still part of Noraania, and no one would accept it as an independent nation, let alone Rand II. Rand II was irreverent and wild, something Noraania had not seen from a monarch in almost 200 years, but once he sat on the throne, he calmed some, but his wild youth would catch up to him.  He married a woman from a distant royal line, and repopulated the royal family well, having 12 children with her from the time he was wed in 1985 to 2004. His reign was largely peaceful, and the people of Noraania settled into a new norm. Rand II finally had a large memorial constructed off of the coast of Samhain, on top of a seamount that was standing out of the water. he built a large hallow pillar out of the whitest and most pure stone he could find, had people gather up the remains of the citizens and soldiers that had laid unburied for decades and placed them reverently inside the pillar. Atop the pillar he had a statue constructed, 300 feet tall of a robed figure holding a body draped in a sheet aloft looking skyward. At night, beams of light would shine up into the sky from the location of where the eyes should be on both the covered body and the robes figure holding them aloft.

Since then, Samhain has been resettled, the metal and ships salvaged, the bombs and mines recovered and destroyed, and the town of Samhain rebuilt at great cost to Noraania. The fishing and now tourism, thrive there. King Rand II wild teenage years caught up with him in 2022, and he developed several malignant tumors from drug usage. He died on January 5th 2023. His son, King Alastair now has ahead of him the reunification of Noraania, and his own personal project, the further development of spaceflight. He has seen the issues of the past and is withdrawing Noraania from the world once again....or is he?