Selemond

Name - Republic of Selemond

Government Style - Republic

Flag - Sea Green Downwards Pointing Triangle Flag, with Silver Crescent Moon, horns facing left.

Currency - The Ful

Capital - Mannoberg

Geography - Selemond is based around the long peninsula known as the Crescent which forms the eastern part of the Bay of Lunas. The South West of the country is made up by the northern part of the Vortan mountains, the North West being dense forest. Selemond has a cool, temperate climate, moderated by it's closeness to the sea, which plays an important role in Selemondian life.

History - In older times, the Crescent was known as a place where dwelt a fearsome tribe of warrior seafarers, known expansively as the Selemondians, although there were a variety of tribes making up the region. They raided all along the Lunas Bay and to the south, plundering and making war. As time went on, they "civilized" under the leadership of a king. During this period Selemond was eventually merged with the Iraygian Empire, though there was a constant revolution. With the Vortan Revolution erupting later, Selemond managed to dispose the Iraygians and return their own king to the throne. However, the people apparently weren't meant to have such a strict system of rule, domestic or otherwise, and rebelled yet again, overthrowing the monarchy and setting up one of the earliest Republics.

Today - Though now a modern nation, Selemond still has many ties to it's past, still being a very militaristic nation, with all citizens serving some time in some department of the military. They are, however, also fairly isolationist, their main concern being the maintenance of their Republic, which they believe in with force - they hold nations with monarchs in a scornful contempt. Selemond was always known to have the most potent navy in older times and they are working to carry this tradition on to their navy of the air. Selemond has no "regular" military force - all soldiers are attached to either a sea, undersea or air going ship, - though fighting with modern weapons, Selemondians still believe in their old military doctrine of "Strike first, strike fast, strike hard, strike last". A particularly brutal war with Chessandis demonstrated the effectiveness of this blitzkrieg approach to war. Selemondian soldiers are noted by their distinctive Sea Green jackets with Silver trim and modern guns and equipment, which are often copied. They are currently building a very powerful air fleet, working to find a way to construct "Ironclad" airships.

Though characterized outside their borders as militaristic, stubborn and arrogant, Selemond does have a rich culture. The capital city of Mannoberg is known as the "City of Spires" with striking gothic architecture, the most impressive of which are the Parliament building and the National Opera.

Selemondians have a unique sense of honour and view of world affairs. In modern times, many Selemondian philosophers arose, giving a definition to these views. Selemondians have a very practical ("enlightened", so they would say) world view - they despise unnecessary and arbitrary rules. Thus, citizens of Selemond have won an impressive amount of personal freedom as far as their own matters are concerned - due to this, many mages emigrated to Mannoberg to disappear and lay low comfortably. This pragmatism is also the route of Selemond's overt scorn for monarchies - their removal of their own monarch is considered their greatest national achievement. In general, they keep out of world politics, unless it pertains to trade - they are neutral towards both Dalisor and Vortalina though both nations have offered Alliances - they fully trust the governments of neither nation.