Free Empire of Rosaria

Rosaria, officially known as the Free Empire of Rosaria, or simply as "The Empire", is a socialist confederacy located on the southwestern continent Nocholia. It is known for its ancient history, its technological achievements and its imperialist past, and nowadays for its progressive nature.

Rosaria's biggest and most populous city is Shtot Rosaria. It is located relatively in the center, on the western coast of Leyk Royz/Rose Lake.

Presence of Rosarian people was documented before 2000 BG (Before Genesis), though a Rosarian state, or the name "Rosaria", came to be much later.

The modern Rosarian state was funded by two mythical kings roughly around 0 AG (After Genesis), and early in its history, it has proven to be a major technological powerhouse. Its progress in alchemy and technology allowed the early Rosarian state to expand far beyond its original homeland.

During the two Great Wars (or "The Rosarian Wars"), the Holy Empire of Rosaria nearly conquered the entirety of western Nocholia. While their conquest was justified with spreading enlightenment, both times Rosaria was notorious for genocides, exploitation and forced assimilation of oppressed people. More than half of modern Rosaria consists of descendants of ethnicities that were wiped out through forceful assimilation.

Modern Rosaria has been described as a great power with strong economy. It has the largest economy of the Nocholian continent, and the world's third largest by nominal gross domestic products, and the second largest by purchasing power parity. As a developed country, it offers social security, universal healthcare and a tuition-free university education. Rosaria's influence, due to the Long Night and the country's isolation following the Second Great War, is relatively limited, despite the country being a technological and economic powerhouse, and the opening up of its economy, despite all, is going relatively slowly.

Rosaria is a member of the Nocholian Union.

## Etymology

The word *Rosaria* was first documented during the reign of Johan and Adam, in the scrolls where the renaming of the country's capital from its former name *Velstad* was decided. In proto-Rosarian, the word *Rosaria* literally means *Land of the Roses*. Why this name was chosen by the Kings of Light, is unclear, and there are many debates regarding the origin.

Some theories include:

1. The Kings of Light had a garden of roses.
2. Velstad was surrounded by roses.
3. Two crossed roses were visible on the war banner of the Kings of Light since before they came to rename Velstad to (Shtot) Rosaria.

## The History of Rosaria

### The Original Sin/Genesis

It was a long time ago, there was Rosaria nothing but a bunch of petty kingdoms, each ruled by tribal tyrants whose only goal was to expand their power. But while each of them was out for their own, they shared a religion, centered around the city of Velstad, claiming that their positions were justified due to God's mandate.

Within the northern kingdom of Rothgard lived two men, Johan and Adam. Simple peasants, with hearts of pure goodness. Innocent men, who sought for a fairer world, who dreamt of learning the truth, who simply wanted to be free. And in their search for wisdom, for knowledge, they entered the Garden of Velstad, the place which no man shalt enter, stepping inside the gate of light.

And there, they severed the connection between Man and God, in a ritual that is unknown to modern scholars of history. They left the Garden not as men, but as angels, and as the new rulers of Velstad, a city which they would later name "Rosaria", they waged war against the kingdoms.

Adam and Johan built a new kingdom, one named after the city they reigned, and using their heavenly knowledge and wisdom, they brought about a quick fall of their opponents, uniting the region known now as the Rosarian Plains.

Whenever they were not fighting, they helped their people to the best of their abilities. They introduced the knowledge of alchemy to the populace, built schools, academies and temples. They modernized the kingdom's infrastructure, and built a formidable army, with which they protected their paradise.

Two innocent men full of kindness, with a wish to create a fairer world. The ones who have severed the connection between God and Man, the founders of the Kingdom of Rosaria, and the forefathers of the Holy and the Free Empires of Rosaria.

In their quest for a perfect world, they fought wars against neighbouring kingdoms, created a bastion of science and development, and built an enlightened society. An ideal kingdom, one built not under the blessing of a distant god, but by the hard work of man, under the guidance of a pair of angels.

After a couple decades, Adam and Johan, both known by the world as the "Kings of Light", fell during the Battle of Carnation. Their death marked an end to Rosaria's Golden Age.

### Age of Strife

Following the death of the twin kings, the Rosarian Kingdom faced quick collapse. At the end, Adam and Johan, despite all the knowledge and wisdom they had, were not wise enough to install a system of succession. Neighbouring kingdoms used the chance to feast upon Rosaria, going as far as to invade Shtot Rosaria and plunder its riches.

The Rosarian army was split between various princes who sought to reunite the land, and a civil war ensued, which would last decades. Thousands of people fell, cities were leveled and five invasions took place, until a new entity would emerge, one which would end the Age of Strife, one which would define the future of the nation.

### Rise of the White Temple

In the year 495, the Temple of the White Angel was born, a cult that worshipped Adam and Johan as gods, as symbols of human strength and paragons of enlightenment and virtue. Over the time, the people of Rosaria looked up to the Temple, seeing in them a beacon of hope within the dark times, and a possible return to the Golden Age, to an age of serenity and light, to comfort and warmth.

The Temple was led by Matriarch Laila Amsalem, a woman with direct blood linkage to the Kings of Light, and she proclaimed the Holy Empire of Rosaria, in a quest to restore what Adam and Johan have built. She became the first Rosarian Empress, and amassed absolute power, vowing to take revenge upon those who crossed Rosaria's path to universal enlightenment.

### The Rosarian Wars/The First Great War

After subduing the Rosarian warlords in a quick succession of conquests, the Temple of the White Angel has set its eyes upon the neighbouring kingdoms. Confident about uniting the world and reshaping it in her image, Laila started an epoch known as the "Age of Fire".

In the year 497, Rosarian troops entered the eastern Kingdom of Isgard, massacring their way towards the capital. In a quest to purify the land, it was set in fire with the use of alchemy. Not a single Isgardian city survived the burning, and Rosaria incorporated the region now known as the Asheland. Ishgardian women were impregnated, forced to bear children with Rosarian blood, as a means to assimilate the region through force, a practice that would be seen throughout the rest of the wars.

A year later, Rosaria invaded the Nabarian Kingdom, repeating the same process of genocide, mass impregnation and forced assimilation, as they eradicated every single trace of the local culture and religion. With only one difference though: Laila's forces used a gas of poison, one crafted with alchemic means.

Again a year later, the forces of the Temple of the White Angel invaded the Valuthian Combinat in the west, expanding as far as towards the "Land of Carnation", the battlefield where the Kings of Light were said to have fallen. The local population was massacred with utmost brutality, sacrificed on the altar of religion. It was there, where the Banner of the White Angel was raised the first, the flag, which is still in use today, a symbol blessed in the blood of thousands.

By then, Rosaria's army was spread thinly across half the continent, and the country was forced to rest its arms, going into the defensive as they prepared for future conflicts. Having almost all of its major enemies subdued, the Holy Empire concentrated itself entirely to the destruction of rebellion.

Ten years of relative peace have passed, in which the Empress consolidated the power of the state, in which Rosaria continued to pursue its "racial purification policy", in which people of "lesser races" were raped with the intent to spread Rosarian blood in a quest to create an unified nation state "worthy of the love of the Kings of Light".

In year 509, Rosaria attacked once again, invading the lands of Alamaria to its north, and the Free Tribe Confederation to its south. While former nation was subjected to the same process of assimilation through rape and cultural erasure, the latter was enslaved, with its inhabitants forced to live as test subjects for alchemic weaponry. Their land, once a hospitable place, turned into a forest of thorns, and their villages and all records about their culture wiped out.

A Rosarian incursion into eastern Nocholia failed due to the harsh climate of Eysval.

Twelve years later, the Viyardian Compact, a coalition in the southwestern tip of Nocholia, staged an offensive on Rosaria, with the goal to push the empire back. But they didn't expect the sheer speed of Rosarian innovation, and not long after, their land was burned by giant flamethrowers on airships. Their land became known as the "Land of the False Gods".

In 528, Layla Amsalem died in the city of Carnatia during a pilgrimage, and she was declared a saint by the Temple of the White Angel, her body buried next to these of Adam and Johan.

Her successor was Chaya Amsalem, her oldest daughter. But while she shared her mother's ideology, she was far less keen on world conquest, especially after failing a second incursion into east Nocholian land. Following the defeat, she instead focused on research and innovation, spending huge sums of money into building more academies, schools and temples. Under her reign, a system of racial segregation was introduced, and instead of murdering "undesirables", she opted to lock them into ghettos.

In order to fund her massive projects, she diverted money from the army, and this has proven to be a fatal mistake, as the generals sided with Elfriede, her sister, and overthrew her twenty years after the begin of her reign. Chaya attempted to escape death by fleeing through Eysval, but she succumbed to the cold weather.

Elfriede Amsalem, after her coronation in the year 549, rolled back Chaya's segregation laws, and desired to continue the policy of ruthless genocide. Under her reign, the alchemic research on the tribespeople of the south resulted in the invention of the "Black Mist", a drug, which greatly enhanced the capabilities of a soldier, but, at that time unknown to the empire, also a cancerous side effect.

She funded the creation of a massive navy, with which she sought to sail west to discover more land, and to circumvent Eysval to conquer and subdue eastern Nocholia. But these plans never came to fruition, as the remnants of the Viyardian Compact, the Republic of Araneia, together with Valuthian rebels, started another war, one in which they hoped to end the Rosarian Empire.

Despite the Resistance's effort was stiff and full of bravery, the Holy Empire prevailed. Once again, the lands of the enemy were burned down, and this time, drug-infused soldiers further accelerated imperial victory, crushing whatever remained of the enemy. Driven by bravado and alcoholic intoxication, Elfriede ordered thousands of her men to cross the Eysval mountains. That time, they made it, but were forced to retreat following an encounter with a kingdom that stood right at the other side.

At home, partisans continued to plague the Rosarian army, as the conquered people refused to cede their hearts to the empire. Elfriede, out of rage, ordered another genocide, and commanded the burning down of all forests in areas with high partisan activity to lure them out of their hideouts. The "Inside War" however plagued the Holy Empire for decades to come.

Following the Rothgard Revolt, in which students rose up against the Temple's genocidal approach, Elfriede became more paranoid, and secluded herself in her castle. It was at that time, when the Black Mist began to show its side effect, subjecting hundreds of thousands of soldiers to skin cancer. Nevertheless, they were ordered to continue fighting, a command only half of them followed.

In the year 576, her son Luciel Amsalem, known as "The Healer", rallied thousands of sick soldiers to join him in a coup d'etat. Having the spiritual elites of the Temple on his side, it didn't take long, until he deposed Elfriede, and became the emperor. But he couldn't restore order, as banditry by soldiers suffering of cancer skyrocketed. Even worse: A new plague has spread across his land, and his inability to respond adequately caused society to collapse.

The Temple of the White Angel renounced Luciel's rule and began to act on its own, trying to restore order by saving the sick. Instead however, the clerical elite was infected and wiped out almost instantly, and so the military under the emperor's command took over.

And the partisans, they gladly exploited the situation, and proclaimed various independent states. They were joined by the Empire of Alvaria on a small continent southwest of Nocholia, and Rosaria was put into a conflict yet again. Despite the Holy Empire possessed technological superiority and the largest military force in the world, they were held back by the raging plague and political instability.

In the year 599, Luciel was killed by one of his bodyguards, and his nephew Cohen took over. Instead of accepting emperorship however, he was proclaimed as a dictator, and he was fairly successful. Under his rule, the cure for the plague was invented and spread across the populace, and his country became stable once again.

Cohen Amsalem tried to destroy the enemy's coalition by quick raids on airships, as Rosaria still had air superiority, but he underestimated their resolve. In 603, the Rosarian Empire smuggled a bunch of infected people into Alvaria. This catched the Empire's enemy by surprise, and turned the tide of the war.

Rosaria however was weakened to the point that they had to sign a truce with their enemy, accepting the loss of much of their former territory. And they had to watch, as their settlers in the west were either killed, or expelled.

In the year 609, Miriam Amsalem took over, and after her coronation, she started another war, with the intent to reconquer what the Empire had lost. While in the first years her campaign was fairly successful, it failed later down the line, and the enemy, spearheaded by the Kingdom of Valuth, went on the counteroffensive, going as far as to directly sack Shtot Rosaria.

Miriam was overthrown and replaced by Luciel II Amsalem, who managed to push the enemy back, towards Teykh Dafodil, a river now known as Shuhr Shlum, the Line of Peace. Knowing that his empire didn't have the capacity to realize Miriam's goals, Luciel settled for a peace treaty, dividing western Nocholia into two.

### The Interlude/Aftermath

Following the defeat, Rosaria was isolated by the countries around. Fearing that they could be invaded again, the Holy Empire mobilized itself again. Though after Luciel's death by assassination in the year 630, and the lessening of the neighbors' hostility, Rosarian society began to adapt to their new reality, to being no longer a superpower, to be no longer the radiant center of the world.

In 670, the Temple of the White Angel assumed total power over the government once again, believing that the Imperial Family was incapable, and the monarch became a ceremonial role. At around that time, the assimilation of the Isgardian people was complete, and all traces of their culture eliminated.

In the year 700, Rosarian scientists developed firearms. Patriarch Ludwig Yocheveth attempted to capitalize on this innovation by launching another war, but before he could give the order, he was slain by a soldier, who dubbed himself "Emperor's Herald". This was the start of the Verdant Requiem, a civil war between the Temple's clerical elite and supporters of absolute monarchy, the latter movement being headed by Emperor Jacob Amsalem.

Not long after, a third faction arose, the Republicans. They, led by alchemist cliques, quickly managed to gain ground in the south, and in their headquarters in Weissenberg, they proclaimed the Holy Republic of Rosaria. The monarch and the clerical elite, fearing this new threat to their power, agreed to a compromise, and attacked the Republican forces.

In 712, the civil war ended with a reactionary victory, and the monarch was bestowed much greater power. Jacob didn't honor the compromise however, as he sought absolute power, and orchestrated the assassination of the leaders of the Temple. Having no opponent strong enough to oppose him, he reverted Rosaria's legal system to that before Ludwig Yocheveth's era.

Only to be killed by his son Jacob II Amsalem in the year 713, who then assumed power. As he was inexperienced, his mother Laura took over the business of statecraft, whereas he spent his time in the brothels of the capital. It was there, where he found his demise at the hands of a prostitute, after he nearly killed her during intercourse out of alcoholic intoxication and rage, roughly four years after the start of his reign.

Laura then became the Rosarian Empress, and despite all the turmoil, she managed to rule relatively peaceful, for over sixty years. She died of old age, handing her power over to Luciel III Amsalem, her new husband. But as he considered himself too senile to rule, he abdicated, and his daughter Miriam II was crowned as the new empress.

Miriam's reign was uneventful, and she died peacefully in the year 830. Her successor was Aaron Amsalem, a man, who, just like Jacob II, was busy in the brothels of the capital. He married a prostitute, causing a scandal. The Temple of the White Angel took the chance to depose the emperor, and crowned his brother Luciel IV, a loyal servant to the religion.

Under Luciel IV's rule, Rosaria militarized again. Not to cause another war, and not due to an impending threat, but because he simply was fascinated by war machinery. He was forced to use it however, as the Valuthian Kingdom attacked.

The war ended in a Rosarian victory, and the status quo on the border remained. Luciel IV died as a result of food poisoning. He was succeeded by Empress Laila II Amsalem.

In the year 890, Rosaria established trade with the Kingdom of Azmara, the first foreign country ever since the end of the Rosarian Wars.

In 950, the Holy Empire invaded Azmara after a trade agreement, ultimately subjecting the country to vassalage. Two years later, Laila II died, and her son Jacob III climbed on the throne.

In 958, Azmara was fully integrated into Rosaria. Their population was greatly assimilated. Not through mass rapes, but through other means of eradicating culture, including the prohibition of the Azmaran language.

In 965, Rosaria signed a trade agreement with Valuth, settling the enmity of the two countries. Jacob III would be known as the "Peacemaker" for this achievement.

In 976, Jacob III died. His successor was Miriam III, his younger sister.

In 983, Rosaria entered the age of industry, entering a new golden era.

### The Second Golden Age

A new militaristic doctrine, known as the "Miriam Doctrine", took hold in Rosarian governance. According to it, the country should spread its prosperity, expanding to its old borders with the goal to unify the world. Parallels were drawn with early Rosarian expansion. Miriam III herself however never came to expand her country, as she died in the year 988 during a train accident. She was followed by Emperor Luciel V., who followed the doctrine, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

In 995, the automobile was invented in Rosaria, and it quickly gained popularity.

In 998, Rosarian troops clashed with the Valuthian Army at Shuhr Shlum. Luckily, this did not cause a war, something modern Rosarian nationalists see as a fatal mistake.

In 999, the Holy Empire implemented the Miriam Doctrine into the school curriculum. The propaganda campaign would bear great success.

In the year 1000, Luciel V died, succeeded by Laila III Amsalem. She orchestrated a massive military parade in the heart of Shtot Rosaria.

In the year 1040, Empress Laila III died, succeeded by Luciel VI.

In 1041, the airplane was invented. Two years later, the first military airplanes were built and tested.

In 1045, Rosaria started the Second Great War. Luciel, backed by a heavily propagandized populace, and corrupted with an ultranationalist mindset, ordered the invasion on Valuth. His goal was to restore Rosaria's borders to how they were during the height of the First Great War.

### Second Great War/The Vermillion Requiem

In the first days of the war, the Valuthian defences on the western side of Shuhr Shlum fell, and Rosarian troops headed towards the capital of their enemy. With superior firepower, the use of armored vehicles, and Luciel VI's tactical genius, the Holy Empire defeated the Valuth Armed Forces, forcing their gravest enemy to surrender three months after the beginning of the war.

Parts of the Valuthian Army, unwilling to give up, continued the struggle in the Land of Carnation, defending the river with utmost ferocity.

Luciel's men, driven by vengeance for centuries of perceived shame, began to orchestrate massacres. The Valuthian trading port of Aksura was almost entirely wiped out, and to show a statement, the Emperor himself ordered the crucifixion of hundreds of Valuthian children.

This cruelty shocked even the Rosarian population, but Luciel knew to suppress dissent, and ordered his secret police to hunt down any "traitor". The Emperor gladly tested out his repertoire of military planes on Valuth. Cities were bombed for the sake of it, and Luciel's favourite targets were forced gatherings of civilians. These atrocities, and the fear of total genocide, drove the Valuthians to flee westwards, into the Viyardian Republic, which in turn joined the war, followed by the Kingdom of Araneia.

Having formed a coalition, they attempted an attack through the Schwarzwald Forest, exploiting Rosaria's relative weakness in the region, and after four weeks, they cracked the region's fortress monastery, forcing the local knights' order to retreat in shame. However, this was a means of distraction, and Rosarian troops invaded Araneia almost unopposed with the support of firethrowing airships.

Four knights' orders rushed through Schwarzwald towards the north of the Eybik River, complimenting the Invasion on Araneia by capturing their enemy's capital, which they set ablaze.

And then, they attacked the Republic of Vigardo, situated in the Elbenvald Forest, ignoring the country's neutrality and repeated pleas for peace. After four nights of aerial bombing campaigns, Rosarian troops invaded Vigardo, though they faced stiff resistance later on.

In 1047, the Holy Empire advanced southwards, launching an invasion on the United Southern Republic. The first offensive turned out to be a disaster, as the Republican Army was well prepared. And thus, Luciel ordered the enslavement of Valuthian males, infusing them with the Black Mist, before sending them off to feed the bullets of the enemy's defense.

After three months of continuously sending slaves into the battlefield, the United Southern Republic's defenses were weakened to the point that the regular Imperial Army was able to push forward, causing half of the enemy's land to fall.

As Rosarian troops arrived in the Land of Carnation during the year 1049, they found the city of Carnatia, torn down, all its relics defiled or entirely gone. This enragened Luciel, who, encouraged by the Temple of the White Angel, orchestrated a genocidal campaign against the Valuthian population. He vowed to cleanse their land, to cleanse the world.

Fleets of firethrowing airships regularly flew over Valuthian land with the intent to burn it to the ground. Most major cities of the country were wiped out, and vast strips of land which had been emptied, readied for colonisation. Valuthian locals who survived the initial killings, were subjected to industrial slavery, with many of them dying due to horrid working condition. The first labour camps were born.

In 1050, Luciel VI died, assassinated by Manfred Elbinger, a Rosarian peace advocate, who saw the war as an unjust depravity. But instead of getting his way, his coup failed, as his group turned out to have been ill-prepared. Luciel was succeeded by Chaya II Amsalem, his granddaughter.

Chaya drove the war effort further, orchestrated the assassinations of various peace advocates, and swore to finish what her father started. Under her, Rosarian troops finally subdued the Vigardian Republic.

In opposition to what her people hoped, Chaya turned out to be far more radical than her grandfather, and (likely influenced by the Temple of the White Angel) she called for reintroducing forced assimilation through impregnation and cultural erasure, as well as for forced conversion. She believed that there had to be enough people in post-war Rosaria to work the industry, that killing too much was unreasonable. Nevertheless, the killings continued, albeit toned down.

Furthermore, Rosarian women, who refused to contribute to the war effort by working in the war industry or the military, were subjected to forced impregnation, as Chaya believed, that a nation needed to have a lot of children in order to guarantee future prosperity.

In the year 1062, Rosaria finally cracked the United Southern Republics, only to be met with an attack of the Golerian Kingdom to the west. In addition, the Valuthian resistance grew stronger, as partisan groups were detected with weapons coming from an unknown source, one that was suspected first to be the Golerian Kingdom.

In the year 1063, Viyardia staged a successful counter-offensive, exploiting the fact that Rosaria's army was spread thinly, and took control over the Land of Carnation. The Line of Carnation would remain a heavily entrenched position for years to come, a meatgrinder for both sides.

The Confederation of Alevarda joined the Coalition. Using the frozen river, they pierced deep into Rosarian territory, taking the country by surprise. They besieged the city of Blaufront, shelling it with artillery day and night, forcing the city to evacuate its residents to Weissenberg.

Three years later, Rosaria finally managed to save Blaufront. Rosarian agents eliminated the highly unpopular Alevardan government, and a new collaborateur regime took the reins. The Imperial Army invaded the country, turning it into a province. Whoever resisted, was killed or sent off to slavery.

As Chaya perceived Alevarda to be a sister nation to Rosaria, mainly due to cultural similarities, the Alevardan population was declared to be "Honorary Rosarians", to be "already complete".

In 1068, Rosaria finally managed to conquer the Land of the False Gods. An invasion on Goleria however failed. At roughly the same time, Rosarian scientists invented a chemical firebomb, one they regularly used on the Viyardian Army.

Viyardia surrendered three years later, after having much of their forces devastated. The capitulation wasn't accepted by vast parts of their remaining forces however, and the populace, eager to fight, continued their resistance. But without central organisation, they turned out to be no match for the Holy Empire, and were quickly subdued.

In 1073, Chaya gave the decree to build extermination camps, with the goal to eradicate the "undesirables" (Viyardians, Vigardians, political opposition and queer people). Having increased her security apparatus, as well as the genuine support of more than half the population, the Empress felt confident enough to even wider the scope of people to be eliminated. The war itself would remain stagnant, as neither Rosarian, nor Golerian troops were able to make any breakthroughs, and as both sides lacked energy.

In 1079, a mass revolt took place in Camp 34, located in southeastern Land of Carnation. Causing a chain reaction, it led to a major Viyardian uprising. While the Viyardians themselves were too less and underpowered, they have proven to be a distraction good enough for Goleria to launch an offensive, one, in which they took great care in stealing Rosarian technology. With it, and with the support of a team of defectors, they pushed the Empire out of the Land of Carnation entirely.

Funded by an unknown source, the Golerian Kingdom was able to invade the Land of the False Gods, forcing Rosaria to retreat to the southern Line of Carnation. Just for the war to stagnate for another few years. Years, in which Rosaria intensified its "purification".

Goleria and the newly formed State of Viyardia formed the Free Confederation. Any able-bodied man and woman, even adolescent minors, were conscripted into the military and trained for future battles. Morale was staggeringly high on their side.

Blaming the Aleverdans for their lack of action during the Golerian offensives, Chaya ordered to burn down their civilisation, excommunicating them from Rosarian society in the process. The Aleverdan collaborator government, which held relative autonomy compared to other Rosarian provinces, joined the Free Confederation, before turning themselves in to justice. This broke the stalemate.

In 1085, Chaya II died due to a brain tumor. She was succeeded by Emperor Luciel VII, who vowed to continue the war. However, he was weak, and the generals convinced him in handing them a lot of political power, enough to the point of tipping the balance between the two in their favour. These generals, powerhungry and greedy, were only out for themselves. And they knew, that the war couldn't be won. With no force to keep them in check, each one of them vied for dominance.

The Free Confederation, knowing what was going on in Rosaria, decided to wait, calling off their planned Carnation Offensive, as it would unify the Imperial Army yet again.

In the year of 1086, General Albert Friedensreich, the man who held control over the territories of the former United Southern Republic, declared that he was done with the war, and proclaimed his own little kingdom. This was seen as treachery by the rest of Rosaria, and under the guidance of the Temple, Luciel declared war on his former general.

At that time, the Free Confederation attacked, pushing towards Shuhr Shlum. The Rosarian frontlines collapsed, and the Imperial Army was in panic and retreat, using whatever force they had to weaken the enemy. Streets were damaged, bridges destroyed, and slaves, and later even colonists, held hostage as human shields. Nothing held the Free Confederation back.

Albert Friedensreich was killed by resistance fighters of the former Free Southern Republic. Luciel VII, in shock over the row of defeats, ordered the remaining generals to subordinate, with the backing of the Temple.

In the year 1088, as everything came crashing down, Luciel VII offered to negotiate for a white peace, trying to keep Rosaria's pre-war territories in exchange for reparations. This however wasn't accepted, and the Free Confederation, now backed up by a reorganized Valuthian Army and Araneian rebels, pushed further.

In the Battle of Mshftfeld, in the year 1089, Rosaria tried a final effort to hold back the enemy, to somehow force the enemy to reconsider negotiations, to buy time for a new People's Army to form, one joined by hundreds of thousands of fanatical civilians. Rosarian manufactories increased their productivity drastically, with the goal to somehow get enough weaponry for at least a quarter of the People's Army.

However, the battle ended sooner than the defenders willed it, and later, the industrial center of Eybikvald fell to the Coalition, which promptly razed down any factory in the area, orchestrating massacres on the local population as a means of revenge.

Luciel VII capitulated unconditionally. The Temple of the White Angel attempted to overthrow him, as they eagerly wished to continue the war, but the Emperor already committed suicide, succeeded by Miriam IV, who, with the support of the Royal Guard, managed to stop the coup. Shortly afterwards, coalition artillery was raining down upon Shtot Rosaria.

The Empress reiterated the Rosarian capitulation, and ordered the arrest of the clerical elite, whom she blamed for the war. She denounced her father and grandmother, and portrayed herself as an advocate for peace. The Coalition agreed to negotiate with her, and peace was declared three days later, on the Fourteenth of Mittsommer 1089.

A newly reformed Valuthian Kingdom annexed Mshftfeld and Eybikvald, while keeping troops of occupation in Rothgard and Weissenberg. The rest of Rosaria was forced to demilitarize, and the country's riches and wealth were taken as reparation. Advisors of Valuthia and the Free Confederation were required to stay in Shtot Rosaria, to control Miriam's every move of foreign policy.

The Temple of the White Angel, as a result of the peace treaty, lost all of its political power, and the clerical elite was never allowed to form again. The organisation would have to become entirely spiritual, abandoning its worldly possessions, including the Grand Temple of Rosaria, which was razed down by the occupying forces.

South of Blaufront, the United Southern Republic placed mines, blocking the city's ports.

### The Long Night/The Scarlet Requiem

A few decades passed, in which Miriam IV ruled with an iron fist, believing that the Rosarian population had to be reeducated for them to accept the truth of peace. While she appeared in public as the bootlicker of the occupying forces, in the background, she vied for a lessening of the harsh conditions of her country.

At the end, in the year 1102, Miriam IV Amsalem died, having not achieved her goals to gain more independence for her country. Her successor was Uriel Amsalem, who pursued the same goal as his mother. At the end, he managed to convince the Coalition to lift various aspects of their occupation, including the presence of foreign troops in Weissenberg and Rothgard, under the condition of allowing foreign companies to use Rosarian people as cheap labour.

He died in 1125 due to a heart attack. His successor was Empress Laila III Amsalem. She reigned for forty years, proving to be unpopular due to her selling off more land to foreign investors and further disgracing the name of the Holy Empire. She also reformed the Imperial Army, introducing the rank of General Field Marshal.

At roughly that time, the Scarlet Flower Movement was born, in the tradition of leftist anti-war activists from during the Second Great War. This new group, led by Sara Friedherr, gained quick popularity, as they advocated for social justice and for the removal of foreign influence. It was there, where the freedom-oriented libertarian socialist ideology, for which Rosaria is known today, was forged.

In 1137, Rosaria was allowed to build a standing army, and Laila III convinced the Coalition to take back their advisors.

The Scarlet Flower Movement spent three decades to grow, almost entirely unopposed by the monarchy, up until the Seventh of Skyfall 1145, where hundreds of striking workers were killed by the police. This caused a major protest movement, one quickly hijacked by the Scarlet Flower Movement.

After over a year of continuous protests, Sara Friedherr chose to launch a revolution. Government offices were occupied by revolutionary forces, and Laila III Amsalem, the last monarch of the Rosarian Empire, fled to Valuth, where she died shortly after. Her son, Isaak Amsalem, renounced the monarchy, as he grew sympathy with the Scarlet Flower Movement.

### Early Socialist Era

The Holy Empire of Rosaria was reorganized into the Free Empire of Rosaria, and Sara Friedherr became its first leader. She introduced a fairly progressive constitution, reformed the country's political and economic structure and commanded the Imperial Army to get rid of foreign corporations.

The Coalition didn't take this kindly. But while they first planned an invasion, they instead resorted to isolate the country again. Merely the United Southern Republic lifted the sanctions, by removing the sea mines around Blaufront. The goal of the foreign capitalists was to starve Rosaria into submission.

However, Rosaria managed to gain friends in the east of Nocholia, and sold its technological knowledge in exchange for food and agricultural resources.

But even with this, it was still too less, and the Rosarian government, after a time, was forced to ration food, to somehow combat the famine.

Sara Friedherr lost the first elections in 1152, to be replaced by Werner Eberhardt, who ordered the Imperial Army to help in agricultural matters. It wasn't enough to lift the famine though, and under his reign, banditry became a major problem. First cases of cannibalism were reported in Shtot Rosaria.

In 1157, Werner lost the elections, to be replaced by Sara Friedherr. She introduced mandatory labour for all able-bodied workers in an effort to lift up Rosaria's economy and to finally end the food crisis. This however made her unpopular, as it barely yielded any results.

In 1161, Sara was voted out by the people, to be replaced by a triumvirate, as two other parties gained influence over the government. Both parties were advocates of market socialism, and one of them engaged in historic revisionism regarding the events of the Second Great War.

In 1179, after long years of uninterrupted and uneventful triumvirate rule, Amadeus Richter was voted into power. Under him, the famine stopped, though food had to remain rationed nevertheless due to scarcity. And despite his attempts, crime and corruption ran rampant.

During that time, the Kingdom of Valuth launched an attack, with the goal to end the "Rosarian Menace" once and for all. However, despite being impoverished, and the famine returning, the Imperial Army was able to hold the ground, and to even push back.

Amadeus Richter died by the hands of a Valuthian assassin, and he was succeeded by Reinhardt Wagner.

The war continued for thirteen years, and ended, after the Imperial Army, under a prodigy soldier known as the "Sanguine Angel", won the battles for Shuhr Shlum and Areann, the Valuthian capital. The Kingdom collapsed in civil war, due to actions orchestrated by the Sanguine Angel.

The following years, the Sanguine Angel, who attained the rank of general, used his power and influence to help those in squalor. This, combined with his role as the one who won the final Rosarian-Valuthian War, inspired the Temple of the White Angel to declare him a saint. He was popular with the masses, and celebrated by some as a radiant angel of liberty, as the embodiment of the human desire for freedom.

In the year 1187, the Sanguine Angel overthrew Reinhardt, and proclaimed a new socialist government, promising to rid the country of corruption and poverty.

### The Rise of the Sanguine Angel

Immediately upon assuming power, the Sanguine Angel abolished the law to mandatory labour and gave more power to the local communes, decentralizing the country's economy. Under him, small businesses were allowed to operate privately, under the condition, that they would act as worker cooperatives with equal pay for equal work, and that certain security standards and anti-discrimination laws were followed.

The homeless of Rosaria were housed in camps, where they would be taken care of by government workers until new housing units would be finished. To combat the post-war famine, Siegfried financed the construction of more crop farms, raising the pay for farmers and hiring alchemists to research methods for biologically engineered grain and livestock. Factory farms were built later, though the first ones yielded barely any results.

In his second year, he introduced the Elysium Charter, a declaration of human rights, which became a central and fundamental part of Rosarian law, and the country's domestic doctrine. With this law, abortion and gay marriage were legalized. All laws in the country were rewritten to be gender-neutral, and religious traditions were overturned in favour of progressivism. The Temple of the White Angel protested this, but ultimately had no power to challenge it.

The upper echelons of the government faced structural reform, and government criticism was no longer a punishable offense. Later that year, the post-war famine ended, though the system of rations had to remain for another year. At the year's end, the last homeless camp was closed, and homelessness was declared to have been defeated.

In year three, Siegfried opened up his country to foreign trade. It was under him, that Rosaria joined the Nocholian Union, an economic alliance of primarily socialist/left-wing states. In the summer, food rationing stopped, as the country's farms yielded an abundance of results. With this crisis solved, the government started an initiative to connect each settlement, every single registered household, with electricity and the internet.

Next year, the Rosarian government endorsed the expeditions of the autonomous United West-Nocholian Company, under the condition, that their workers would be treated well in accordance with Rosarian law, and that people in foreign lands would not be subjected to exploitation of any kind. In addition, the UWC was required to spread the Rosarian ideology to any civilisations it would meet in its adventures.

New security standards were introduced for residential buildings. In the autumn, Siegfried outlawed public glorification of the pre-socialist era, claiming that the Holy Empire, "shrouded in darkness, was an enemy of civilisation and enlightenment, and a degeneration of the values the Kings of Light have bestowed upon our nation". The first religious building of a cult outside of the Temple of the White Angel was built: A church in Weissenberg.

The year after, Siegfried introduced universal basic income. This was his final step on his quest against poverty, and another crisis had been defeated. In the same year, he issued the construction of automatized factories, and working hours were reduced from eight per day to six. Paid parental leave, and paid vacation for up to two months was enshrined into law.

The prison system faced a rigorous reform, and rehabilitation became the main focus of justice rather than punishment for most types of crime. Drug consumption was legalized the same year, though the trade of it, outside of government-approved shops, remained a crime.

After only a few years, the Sanguine Angel's reign turned Rosaria from an impoverished wreck into an economic powerhouse, and people finally had a positive outlook on life. However, it was also a time, in which the government's propaganda intensified significantly, with the emphasis on Rosaria being the most progressive and enlightened society in the world.

Siegfried was reelected, gaining an even bigger majority in the government.

Two years later, Siegfried financed the construction of weapon factories, commanding a return to the Miriam Doctrine, according to which the military would take a central role. In addition, he decided he would further increase influence over the United West-Nocholian Company, using it as a vehicle to spread Rosaria's enlightenment and prosperity with the civilisations and societies in the distant west. The Imperial Army would spearhead these efforts.

He funded the rebuilding of the Grand Temple of Rosaria, though to this day, it is yet unfinished.

A year later, term limits were abolished.

Another year later, Siegfried was reelected again, with an even greater amounts of votes. To celebrate this, he ordered the rebuilding of the Imperial Navy, which would patrol the Rosarian Waterway System and all territories under the influence of the UWC.

For the first time in history, Rosarian men, under the guidance of the Steinberg municipality, were able to cross Eysval, building a street through the mountain range in the process. This connected the Free Empire with the Kingdom of Dacia in the east.

## Geography

Rosaria is possibly the largest, or second-largest country in Nocholia, bordering Dacia to the east, and Yvarianocos to the northeast. To the south are the Icy Wastelands (former United Southern Republic), the Westerlands (former Kingdom of Valuth), and the Forest of Mist.

Significant natural resources include ore of iron, diamonds, coal, lignite, uranium, copper, natural gas, salt, nickel, gold, redstone, and lithium.

### Climate

Most of Rosaria has a temperate climate, ranging from continental in the north, to cool in the southern Blaufront province. Winters are usually cold, and summers vary from hot and dry to cool and rainy.

From Mittsommer 1185-1186, average monthly temperatures in Rosaria ranged from a low of 4.4°C in Skyfall 1186 to a high of 22.7°C in Mittsommer 1185.

### Biodiversity

Im times past, Rosaria used to be a land of lush forests, dominated by mixed forests of beeches, oaks, and cherry trees. Through deforestations and war, most of the land was turned into plains, in which trees and flowers just began to regrow around a hundred years ago. The north and parts of the west are still dominated by forests.

Plants and animals include those generally common to Nocholia. There are many species of ferns, flowers, fungi, and mosses. Wild animals include cows, wild pigs, sheep, wolves, mules and hares. The red rose is a national symbol of Rosaria.

There used to be a large national park in eastern Rosaria, though it was lifted this status in favour of crop plantations, which were needed to combat famine.

## Politics

Rosaria is a federal, parliamentary and democratic communal republic. Federal legislative power is vested in the *Basilica*, the Rosarian parliament, and the *Chambers*, ministeries for various duties (sport, agriculture, media, armory, foreign policy, security, and defence). The *Basilica* is elected through direct elections, whereas the *Chambers* are elected through the communes of each city, with approval of the supreme leader. Members of the *Chambers* are required to have undergone rigorous political education, whereas anyone can join the *Basilica*.

The Rosarian political system operates under a framework laid out in the 1188 *Grundgesetz/Isud Gezets* (Basic Law), and the *Elysium Charter*, a declaration of human rights. While the general basic law can only be subjected to change, if the proposed change creates an actual improvement for society, the *Elysium Charter* is absolute, unchangeable and irreversible. Human dignity, rule of law, individual and collective freedom, and education are fundamental principles of Rosarian law and policy.

The current supreme leader is Siegfried Rosenberg/The Sanguine Angel, and he acts as the head of state and government, invested with great power over foreign policy, the country's representation, the protection of the constitution, and the Imperial Army.

### Military

Rosaria's military, the *Imperiale Armee*/*Imferye Armey* (Imperial Army) is organized into the Army (includes special forces outside of knights' orders), the Navy (in strong cooperation with the United West-Nocholian Company), the Air Force, the Knights' Orders (special forces deriving from medieval knighthood), Joint Medical Service, Joint Support Service, Alchemist Regiments, and Cyber- and Information Domain Service branches. In absolute terms, Rosaria's military expenditure is the highest in the world. In 1193, military spending was at 89 Billion Reichsmark, about 7% of the country's GDP. This is thanks to the Miriam Doctrine, a hypermilitaristic policy concept founded before the Second Great War, and reintroduced by Siegfried.

As of Skyfall 1193, the Imperial Army has a strength of 900.030 active soldiers and 302.000 reservists. Military service is voluntary, and open to people of all social identities and biological sexes. As for the disabled, the frail, recent criminals, right-wing extremists, minors, and people with mental illness, they are barred from military service, and the latter three groups from owning weaponry altogether.

The Imperial Army is one of the oldest worldly institutions, with traditions dating back to the times of Laila I Amsalem's rule. Once being under the command of the Temple of the White Angel (or the monarch, depending on time period), it is currently under the total control of Supreme Leader Siegfried Rosenberg.

As of 1193, the Imperial Army has around 40.000 troops stationed in foreign lands as part of missionary- and peacekeeping forces.

## Economy

Rosaria has a socialist people's economy with a highly skilled labour force, a low level of corruption, and a relatively high level of innovation. It is the world's third-largest exporter, and has the third-largest economy in the world. The unemployment rate in Rosaria amounts to 6.4% as of Skyfall 1193.

The Reichsmark, the currency in Rosaria established during the Scarlet Requiem, is one of the stronger currencies of the world. Rosaria's monetary policy is set by the Rosarian Central Bank, which is headquartered in Weissenberg.

Being home to the modern car and train, the automotive industry in Rosaria is regarded as one of the most competitive and innovative in the world, and is the second-largest by production as of 1193. The largest vehicle company in Rosaria is *Silberstern*, which is an union of various car- and train producing factories situated in the east of the country.

The top ten exports of Rosaria are vehicles, machinery, electronic products, electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals, transport equipments, basic metals, chemical goods, and meat.

The largest companies of Rosaria are the *United West-Nocholian Company* (trade, exploration), *Silberstern* (cars, trains), *Eule* (search engine, website provider), and *Harmonie* (electronic products, electrical equipment, internet provider).

Research and development efforts form an integral part of Rosarian economy. In 1193, Rosaria ranked first globally in terms of number of science and engineering research papers published. Research institutions in Rosaria include the *Central Alchemist Guild*, the *Weissenberg Central Institute*, the *Society of War Alchemists*, and the *Rothgard Association*. Rosaria is in the process of building a space agency, the *Abbey of Stellar Exploration*.

### Infrastructure

While Rosaria has an extensive transport network primarily focused on trains and airships, it barely has any connections to the outside world, other than a passageway built by the Steinberg Municipality, which connects the Free Empire with the Kingdom of Dacia. As of now, an international railway system is in construction in cooperation with the Nocholian Union.

Almost all settlements in Rosaria are connected by train, and cars, despite being a main export product, are used only so much by the population, mainly due to anti-car pro-public transport efforts by the Siegfried Administration.

The *Panzerzug* (Armored Train), a former military train, is nowadays used as the main transport vehicle for civilian transport, with speeds up to 150 km/h. The largest Rosarian airports are Shtot Rosaria Airport, and Weissenberg Airport. The port of Blaufront is Rosaria's largest port city, though its location makes it rather insignificant to the wider world.

Rosaria is the world's first largest consumer of energy. Its main energy source is nuclear power, followed by coal. The country's household recycling rate is among the highest in the world, at around 70%. The country's greenhouse gas emissions per capita were the second-highest in the world, and the numbers are trending slowly upwards, though Siegfried initiated plans to change that.

### Tourism

Rosaria, due to its geographical position and complicated history, has not been known as a particularly hot tourist destination. In 1192, there were only half a million visits. Nevertheless, a tourist industry does exist, stemming mainly from the country's radical difference in technology level compared to the wider world.

Rosaria's most visited and popular landmarks include the Basilica, the Grand Synagogue, the remains of the Grand Temple, the Central Church of Rosaria, and the castle ruins, as well as open factories.

## Demographics

With a population of 30.1 million according to the 1188 Rosarian Census, Rosaria is the most populous country in Nocholia, and the third-most populated in the world. Its population density stands at 234 inhabitants per square kilometer. The fertility rate of 3.3 children born per woman (1188 estimates) is above the replacement rate of 2.1 and one of the higher fertility rates in the world. The country has one of the youngest populations in the world, with an average age of around 30 years.

The Free Empire is an ethnostate, with over 91% of the country inhabited by ethnic Rosarians (mostly non-mixed). Though around 47% of the population's ancestry can be traced back to one of the various ethnic groups the early Rosarian Empire forcefully assimilated through interbreeding and cultural erasure. The country is bilingual, with North Rosarian and Weissenberg Rosarian being the most spoken languages. The *International Tongue* is gaining increased popularity due to education and Rosaria's opening up to the international community. In addition, there are around three recognized minority languages.

The majority of migrants (up to 6% of the population) live in Shtot Rosaria and Weissenberg. Following the collapse of Valuth, Goleria and the United Southern Republics, there was an influx of refugees, which amount up to 5% of the migrant population.

### Religion

The Temple of the White Angel, introduced in 495, is the state religion of Rosaria and the country's largest confession. The religion of Christianity is second-place. According to the 1188 census, around 78% of the population identifies as followers of the Temple, 15% as Christians, and the rest as undefined/other/agnostic/atheist.

### Languages

*Central Rosarian* (Yiddish), and *Weissenberg Rosarian* (German) are the official and predominant spoken languages in Germany. Recognized minority languages in Rosaria are *Kamenno-Horan* (Czech), *Ewigenwäldisch* (Bavarian/Tyrolean German), and *Valuthian* (spoken by more than half of migrants, accepted as protected minority language in a 1190 legislation)

### Education

Education is a heavily centralized institution, and one of the government's prime priorities. Optional children's garden education is provided for all children between three and five year old, after which school attendance is compulsory for at least ten years. Primary education usually lasts for four years, secondary for four, and tertiary education for two. In addition, there are trade schools and apprenticeships, guaranteeing further education.

All of Rosaria's universities are public institutions and free for entry to all those, who mastered compulsory education. In the world, Rosaria is the leading country in terms of education. Just recently, international students were granted the right to study in Rosaria, with all expenses paid by government.

Rosarian universities are among the oldest in the world, with only brief service interruptions during parts of the Second Great War and the Long Night.

### Health

Rosaria's system of hospitals dates from the times of the Kings of Light, and today, the Free Empire has the world's oldest universal healthcare system, dating from its introduction in the late reign of Johan and Adam. Every person born in Rosaria, or living in the country for more than three months, is entitled to healthcare.

Rosaria ranks very high in human life expectancy, with 76.6 years for men, and 82.4 years for women. Since the reign of Siegfried, infant mortality has sunken drastically due to the implementation of strong anti-poverty measures and the defeating of the famine. In 1190, the principal cause of death was cancer, at 44%. Obesity in Rosaria has been increasingly cited as a major health issue. A 1191 study showed, that 24% of the adult Rosarian population was overweight or obese.

## Culture

Culture in Rosaria has been shaped by major intellectual and popular currents throughout the country's history, both religious and secular. Historically, Rosaria has been called *the Land of Poets and Thinkers*, because of the major role its scientists, writers and philosophers have played. Due to the country's location however, its cultural influence is limited, and in many parts of the world regarded as a hostile force as a result of centuries of ruthless imperialism and exploitation.

Rosaria is well known for such folk festival traditions as the Midsummer Celebration, Day of Ascension, and Saint's Glory Days (two of them exist currently: Day of Saint Laila, and Day of Saint Siegfried). The national day of Rosaria is the *Day of Genesis*, in which Rosaria is said to have been founded by Adam and Johan. It is the largest holiday in the country.

### Music

Rosarian classical music includes works by some of the region's most-well known composers. Dietrich von Weiner, Edgard Eberhardt, Reinhardt Strauss, Friedrich von Rothgard and Sigmund Hohenlicht were infliential composers of the Second Golden Age. Today, classical music is still widely revered as a valuable piece of tradition.

Rosarian popular music of the post-Scarlet Requiem era include the movements of *New Rosarian Wave*, *Trad Pop*, *Rock, Heavy Metal/Rock, Pop, Indie, Folk Music, Schlager Pop,* and *New Classical Revival*. Due to its beauty and uniqueness, Rosarian music gained global influence, with *Engelchor* and *Stahlfabrik* pioneering the genre.

### Art and Architecture

Rosaria's early architecture was defined by gothic characteristics, with pre-Rosarian traditional influences and a heavy use of wood and bricks. During the First Golden Age under the Kings of Light, architecture became grander, more daring and majestic. Towers became a status symbol for urban nobility, a tradition that lasted up until the abolition of nobility during the Scarlet Requiem. Timber-frame architecture has grown popular as well.

In the Second Golden Age, the style of baroque and neo-classicism, often mixed with gothic, has become the domineering style of architecture.

During the socialist era and Siegfried's administration, traditional architecture remained highly popular, though new houses differed in style drastically from older ones, with timber-frame being gradually replaced by a less wood-focused architecture, mainly due to much of the country's forests having been destroyed over the course of the last centuries.