The Kingdom of Nelstania (C1)

Flag of the First Nelstanian Reich

## Introduction

The Kingdom of Nelstania (Nelstanjies Konänwietreich) is a human kingdom formed on Thoradas 10th, 2,851 P.A. Hailing from the northern mountains of Androm, the Nelstanian people had fled the harsh winds of Northrend in search of a temperate climate, only to find themselves forced into Highborne servitude within the tropics of Feralas. Upon their enslavement in 2,641 P.A, the Nelstanian people were treated poorly by the Highborne and viewed as greatly inferior, however a few hundred years later in the winter of 2,851, the Nelstanians had rebelled under the guidance of five major houses; Reimar, Volker, Isenwert, Ottokar, and Zerrung.

Despite the rebellion fighting the largest faction in the entire world, the Nelstanians had secured themselves their own independent kingdom by Thoradas 10th of the new year. When the final defense on the island of Hyraei (Nelstanian: Herzien) had begun, Dietrich Isenwert of House Isenwert had lead his people to victory against what seemed like endless armies of Highborne storming the beaches of Hyraei after being deployed into shallow waters by the numerous ships. After such a surprising victory, Dietrich had self-proclaimed himself as the king of a new Nelstanian Kingdom, and thus the Nelstanian people had been freed.

After Dietrich's proclamation, the other four feudal lords, or "Zierbs", would still hold autonomy within the provinces owned by their houses. Despite this, the five houses have thus far agreed to act together, especially during times of war, by following the commands of Dietrich as the self-proclaimed king of Nelstania. The result is that the Kingdom of Nelstania is not an ordinary kingdom with a unitary government, but it is a series of feudal houses working together, even if the zierbs may claim they are part of a single kingdom.

## Houses

### House Isenwert

#### Colors: Red and White

House Isenwert is the only fully secularist House of Nelstania while also being the founding and ruling house of Nelstania. As the ruling House, House Isenwert possesses the strongest military by a substantial amount, many Isenian knights keeping guard over the various cities throughout Nelstania but especially the capital of Dietmar. Its leader, Dietrich Isenwert is a bold warrior who wants nothing more than to put an end to the Highborne problem, though is ultimately kept restrained by the various politicians of the family who simply hope to preserve their new kingdom.

### House Reimar

#### Colors: Black and Gold

House Reimar is a mildly religious House primarily composed of diplomats who pride themselves on being experts of international human law. The ruling Lord Lambert Reimar shares an ambition with much of the rest of his house to innovate the Nelstanian government into something not only completely original, but better than any other nation on Azeroth.

### House Volker

#### Colors: White

House Volker is the only other secularist House within Nelstania, though even so, is seeing a slow but steady growth in their religious community. Similar to House Reimar, House Volker is greatly composed of scholars though rather than specifically specializing in politics, House Volker studies a variety of subjects including history, mathematics, military science, and military strategy. Ludwig Volker, the leader of House Volker, gets along with Dietrich Isenwert quite well and agrees that Nelstanian should not be a religious kingdom. Ultimately, Ludwig hopes for Nelstania to experience a technological revolution similar to the ones observed in nations such as Gilneas where Nelstania will survive not by diplomacy or pointless wars, but by the sheer threat they would pose in a potential war.

### House Ottokar

#### Colors: Black

House Ottokar is the most religious House in Nelstania with every single member of the House being a member of the Holy Church of Nelstania. House Ottokar looks at Lordaeron as the ideal nation to base their own off of; a nation sharing similar Vitaranist beliefs while also spreading their religion to neighboring nations and conquering non-believers. The previous ruler, Leopald Ottokar, had died defending the island of Solais (Nelstanian: Solach) and so his only child Friede, the single eligible heir, had inherited leadership over the House. Religion had heavily influenced Friede throughout her life and to this day she is a powerful cleric and dreams of creating a Holy Nelstanian Empire.

### House Zerrung

#### Colors: Blue and White

House Zerrung is the second most religious House in Nelstania and the biggest advocate for expansionism. To back up their ambitions, House Zerrung boasts the second largest military in the kingdom, though barely surpassing House Ottokar. Its leader, Seichor von Zerrung isn't a heavily religious man though still practices Vitaran worship and ultimately applauds the sense of order that religion sets into a society. Seichor's greatest faith however is in his belief that he will one day give rise to a Nelstanian Empire—an empire to conquer and replace the inferior Highborne that subjugated his people.

## Nelstanian Sub-Cultures

Nelstania is a diverse and vast nation, and as such has multiple subcultures that have taken inspiration from many different cultures, but primarily the Highborne.

### Solachie

The Solachie subculture is dominant in the island of Solach, however Solachie have been seen as far east as Dagerwie and as far north as Anghelig. The Solachie are the most fervently religious people of Nelstania. They hold many Highborne customs dear to them, such as Leywalking, a religious event where arcane is poured into rivers to recreate and honor the Leylines as well as Arcanos. The arcane allows Solachi arcanomancers to walk on the river, thus the name Leywalking was created. Like many humans hailing from Androm, the Solachie people are also worshippers of Vitara, though Andromic holidays and festivals such as the First Dawn haven't carried over and instead Solach is home to some unique festivals.

Among these is Saint Elric's Day, a holiday commemorating Saint Elric who, in 2,734 led a peaceful protest against cruelty from the Highborne toward Nelstanian slaves. On this holiday, worshippers of Vitara will abstain from work and instead dedicate the day to worshipping Vitara and sharing stories of holy figures. Solachie women enjoy the most rights of any Nelstanian people. The Solachie are hesitant for Nelstania to become a secular state, as they believe that without worshipping Arcanos the world would split and be drained of Ley.

### Herzienie

Herzienie are inhabitants of the island Herzien, which forms the core of the current Nelstanian Kingdom. Herzienie are irreligious and believe in a secular Nelstania. The Dietmar Renaissance is currently undergoing, relieving the Herzienie of Highborne cultural shackles, allowing them to create a unique identity and culture. Herzienie are generally antagonistic to Solachie, as their core beliefs interfere with one another.

### Angheligie

Angheligie mostly dwell within Anghelig. They are well educated compared to other Nelstanian sub-cultures. Angheligie people are often seen, in some ways, as more progressive than the rest of Nelstania, stressing the importance of political and technological advancement. Despite that, a sizeable amount of Angheligie people are also religious, primarily Laurensians who mostly reside within Osche. Angheligie people are also noted by foreigners as being quite unwelcoming to them specifically, but much more carefree and open to fellow Nelstanians. This is an ethos throughout all of Nelstania, though primarily Angheligie and Herzien where Nelstanians view themselves as ethnically and culturally superior.

Though it may be seen as unwelcoming to foreigners, this also creates unity within the nation where strangers feel much more comfortable around one another. Every year on Indrecas 7th, the Feast of Prosperity is held exclusively within Osche, attracting thousands of Nelstanians from around the nation. Nelstanians celebrating the feast will be required to fast from sunrise to sunset, and then food provided free of charge will be carted out into the streets to be eaten by the participants as a firework show also begins on the city's coastline. The tradition of fasting stemmed from the Laurensian holiday, "The Day of Saint Velkan", however the holiday was fused into an entirely new holiday celebrating the day Osche's Nelstanian renovation began, seen as the beginning of Osche's prosperity.

## Flag

The flag of the First Nelstanian Reich was adopted in Lordaias 28th, 2866 P.A., not long after the First Reich had been founded. The most notable similarity between the Reich flag and the Kingdom of Nelstania's flag is the White Sun, also known as the Sun of the Pure Land. It is an ancient Laurensian symbol finding its origins within the City-State of Tor, a vassal of the ancient Kingdom of Androm. While the symbol is no longer used by Laurensians, it has since been adopted as the Nelstanian national symbol. The albatross in the center of the flag is a symbol used by House Isenwert, though is now also one of Nelstania's national symbols.

The black-on-red colorations on the flag were the same used by Dietrich's fascist political party—The Iron Reformation League—and thus hold fascist connotations. The flag on the shield over the albatross's chest is even the same flag used by the Iron Reformation League. The white cross in the center of the flag is the Iron Cross symbol used by the Iron Bloc as an international fascist symbol. "Oer Tor Rom Vas" is a ethno-nationalist slogan, derived from a quote made by the Torian king, Ȁrwermar Ƈai Żieger. The literal Torian translation is "Order, Tor, Vitara, Greatness", the "Four Primacies" which Żieger taught to be repeated by his soldiers. However due to translation issues, Nelstanians have translated Tor to mean Torian, as in the primary ethnic group comprising Nelstania. While Tor has since been understood to imply the City-State of Tor, the slogan has nonetheless developed ethno-nationalist connotations, and so has even been used by Dietrich in the flag for his new state.