Vatanolde

Vatanolde, officially the Glorious Kingdom of Vatanolde (Vatanese: Vatanyld Åvasii Hëwtslejk) is a country located on the northwest of the continent of Vikressia. Clockwise from its metropole, Vatanolde borders x. Irvotstad is the capital and largest city in Vatanolde, additionally the royal capital for the ruling dynasty of the country, the Hylves Dynasty.

Inhabited by the indigenous Vatans, the forebearers of Vatanese culture, during the early half of the first millennia hæ, these tribes clashed against the emerging Madiyyan Empire in the Vatanic Wars, which resulted in the successive conquests of Vatan tribal territories and their transformation into Madiyyan provinces. The following decades saw a period of Madiyyanization which saw its participation in the Madiyyan clan structure, alongside its later adoption of Knadianism in place of previous tribal beliefs. This successful integration allowed the now unified Vatan clan to exert significant sway in its region as the Northern Host. Disputes between itself and rivalling hosts would cause the Crisis of the Northlands ending in the open secession of the Vatan clan to form the Kingdom of Vatanea, starting a trend of secessions which would lead to the Fall of the Madiyyan Empire.

In the following Long Winter, the Kingdom filled the power vacuum in the northern regions of the late Madiyyans, establishing itself as a primary pillar of the Knadian religion as it officially converted itself and those it conquered to the faith through the Great Northern Wars. This status as a pillar of Knadianism would only strengthen during the Great Seeding, as it successfully secured a crossing through the north Eleabric mountains and gained access to the Transeleabric Steppe for expansion and proselytization - birthing several saintly states under its suzerainty in the process. However, theological and political disputes between the ruling Vatanean dynasty and Knadian luminarchy, especially that of the Question of Knævadic supremacy and Luminary succession, would eventually lead to the Vatanean Heresy - the precursor to the Threefold Schism. The Kingdom would become the target of a series of Boreal Crusades which sought to dislodge it from its position of power as the host of Oriental Knadianism, a twenty-years affair that only resulted in overall stalemate and damage to both sides involved. The crusades would devolve into a simple formality as participating countries unofficially agreed to a mutual detente for internal reconstruction, though would not officially end until reconciliation between the original western faith and schismatic denominations in the East and South was achieved through the Aspectation Compromise.

The resulting peace is generally recognized to be a golden age in Vatanean history, as Vatanea's seat in the Triadic Luminarchy and position as the host of a rapidly growing Knadian denomination allowed it significant sway in religious affairs, which translated into political power. Economic power came from the Oriental client states under its sphere of influence, many of which would formally be integrated as Vatanese polities and be unified with the Kingdom of Vatanea during the Glorious Unification to form the Glorious Kingdom of Vatanolde. Those on the boundaries of this political sphere bore the brunt of the Kingdom's industrialization efforts during the Mechanist Revolution, culminating in uprisings throughout the Revolutionary Ages which birthed new states along humanist ideologies. The failure of Vatanolde in achieving a decisive victory against humanist powers in the following Vermilion Decade would lead to the consolidation of the Vatanean sphere of influence into what is now the modern political boundaries of the Glorious Kingdom.

In modern times, Vatanolde is an absolute monarchy, governing through the granting of royal authority to subordinate ministries assembled in the Naasråde which de facto serve as the legislative body of the country with advisory inputs from the popularly assembled Påviksråde. Ever since the end of the Vermilion Decade, the Kingdom has settled into a status quo of peace and stability distant from wider Vikressian geopolitics, espousing a policy of armed neutrality and Vatanean self-interest developed by its two most recent lord viziers - enshrined as the Hurköss-Twelsqvi Doctrine.

Government and politics
Vatanolde is a unitary state under an absolute monarchy, the head of state and government being that of Tagneisia III of the Hylves Dynasty. The monarchy through its absolute sovereignty installs power in subordinate ministries which handle the various matters of state, whose highest ministers are appointed by the monarch and assembled in the Naasråde, a cabinet with the authority of the executive and legislature. Each ministry operates a regional office in each province of Vatanolde, which when combined form provincial governments mainly consisting of locally appointed bureaucrats. The Ministry of Justice is the judicial arm of the government.

The lord vizier is the highest ranking minister of the Vatanean government, appointed by the monarch as the royal deputy as the head of government. Apart from its statutory responsibilities as the head of government and the head of the Naasråde, the lord vizier is also the principal advisor of the monarch, advising the monarch on the exercise of their royal privileges in matters of state. The head of government's assent is required for legislation proposed by the Naasråde to be passed into law, this role typically filled by the monarch, or the lord vizier in the monarch's absence. During royal interregnum or when if the monarch is unfit to rule, the lord vizier automatically becomes the regent, the rest of the Naasråde capable of forming a regency council if the lord vizier is unavailable.

Popular participation in the government is done through the Påviksråde, each province appointing one representative through a first-past-the-post electoral system with suffrage limited to employed adult (20 y/o or above) citizens registered as part of Vatanean Knadian laity. The Påviksråde mostly serves an advisory capacity which indicates public opinion regarding government policies, yet can propose legislation to be processed by the Naasråde. Political parties in the Påviksråde are unofficial, representing group interests in a given province - cross-provincial parties are a rarity.