INTRODUCTION
Set on the northern half of the continent of Loum, Swordfell is one of the primary powers of Aria. It has long-since established itself as one of the major players on the world scale, the kingdom accredited as one of the major players in the establishment of the Arnian Council. Despite this seeming prosperity, however, it ever lingers on the brink of war, the tensions within the kingdom threatening to boil over at every turn.
NAVIGATION:
System of governance
Swordfell is ruled via a system of parliamentary monarchy, in which the king does not hold sole power over the power of the nation. Instead, the Master's Council serves along the king, acting as not only his aides but as a form of citizen-elected rulers, allowing the citizenry a far greater say in their politics than would be possible with just the throne.
The throne
Swordfell's monarch is decided through an archaic method- one in which the ruler is decided through a means of combat. The strongest is allowed ownership of the throne and, prior to the Swordfellian Civil War, this monarch held all power the throne had to offer. For one to take the throne, they must offer a formal challenge to the king through the process of Ecoleum. Once the king has received an official challenge, it cannot be denied- and the challenge must occur within a month's time or the king's position is forfeit, with the challenger being awarded the throne.
The challenge must be carried out in a one-on-one format, with both contestants not allowed any equipment other than the weapon/armor agreed upon by both contestants. The duel must be spectated by at least one witness of each contestant's choosing, but otherwise may take place behind closed doors. Immediately upon the conclusion of the duel, the winner is awarded the throne, and any other conditions of their contest carried out. Individuals are banned from submitting another challenge within a 90-day period of their previous challenge's conclusion.
The king is granted personal command of both the Castle Guard and Waiting Staff, as well as the individual authority to call upon the kingdom's Blessed, as well as make petitions to the Arnian Council to request the services of one of the Council's Inspectors.
the master's council
In contrast to the king, the Master's Council's members are decided upon by the citizenry, during an election in which every citizen residing within the kingdom is granted a vote. Each and every individual within Swordfell is eligible for election, with any individual who receives more votes than their opponents elected for the position. It is encouraged for those seeking election to give speeches to the citizenry, as well as make a number of political allies for endorsement. In the event of a tie, a second round of voting is held, in which the five individuals with the most votes allowed to participate. Twelve members are allowed on the council, with an elected member serving until they either choose to step down from the position, or die.
The Master's Council is given the responsibility of assisting the king in the passing of any laws. Should the council vote to overturn a proposed law by the king, is cannot pass, and they can pass laws of their own volition provided they have a majority of the votes on the council. It is only with the Council's approval that the Swordfellian military can be deployed or restationed, and any declaration of warfare falls upon their shoulders. They are also granted the unique power to prosecute the king should they decide he has abused one of his powers, with the king being removed from his position in the event that he be found guilty.
history
Swordfell was founded soon after the Grand Calamity shook Aria to its core. It established itself quickly, near-immediately allying itself with Tifalla and Ragnell, the only two completely-established nations after the calamity. Its first king was considered a hero to the people, singlehandedly leading them after their homes were taken. It quickly became known as a nation of warriors- its people touted as the strongest the world had to offer. Following up on this acclaim, the Swordfellian Institute of Combat & Education was created, in order to further train its people, both for protection and so that their warriors could serve the world at large. When the humans arrived on Aria, he welcomed them with open arms- creating the city Common to house them after the loss of their world, serving them until a point in which they could recover, leading to the human population in Swordfell to flourish. It was not long after the school's establishment that the first king grew ill with Soulrot, passing away due to the symptoms of the disease.
His son, Barron Lucias, was crowned as his next of kin, thrusting him directly to the highest seat of the nation at the age of seventeen. His rule was tumultuous, with his decision to involve the Swordfellian military in the Amity-Valaira War extremely unpopular amongst the people. A large number of citizens took up word and pen against him, with the man Valdergrath Awynn leading the movement- establishing the wuld party. Valdergrath issued an Ecoleum against the king, with Barron dying at Valdergrath's hand amidst their duel.
The Swordfellian Throne, now under Valdergrath's rule, took on a number of advisors, political allies that had petitioned with him before he became king. The Swordfellian military was withdrawn from the war, the borders of the kingdom shutting tight as many once-friendly relations were severed- the kingdom withdrawing inward. It was during this time that the once-quiet anti-human sentiment in Swordfell grew to a fever pitch beneath the king's dissent for them, with any dissenters to this speech imprisoned. The tynn party was made, taking stern opposition to the king, even amidst the risk to their lives. Many of the humans taken in by the Peacekeepers- Valdergrath's newly established police force- were wildly mistreated, often times dying during their imprisonment following the various kinds of abuse they suffered. Humans were arrested en-masse, with those who opposed the king withdrawing to Common, creating a safe-haven for the fleeing humans and defending them with militant force, leading to their banishment from Swordfell- an event that began the Swordfellian Civil War.
The Swordfellian Civil War took place over a span of ten years, with the last three escalating the war to a heretofore unforeseen level. As the war passed into its seventh year, the mistreatment of humans grew to a fever pitch, with internment camps for them sprouting up across the nation. The Free Swordfell Movement rapidly increased their military forces, pushing into Swordfell's borders successfully for the entirety of the war under the declaration that they would strike the king down. The at-the-time Blessed of Swordfell, Elica Awynn, was deployed to fight the resistance, with the at-the-time leader of the First Battalion, Orion Stormwind, laying her low. As the war rapidly shifted in the resistance's favor, Valdergrath established the Master's Council, to preserve his party's rule in the event of his death. It was not long after that the resistance successfully pushed into the capitol, with the First Battalion deploying into the city with the aim to kill the king.
Orion was successful in striking down Valdergrath after a long and bloody four-day battle in the capitol, though the war still threatened to rage on. In order to prevent its continuance, Orion agreed to keep the Master's Council, though he would in return appoint six more individuals to it, in order to balance the parties. The internment camps were immediately destroyed, though the damage dealt to the still-small population was heavy. Many humans retreated to other nations, with staggeringly few still remaining in the kingdom. Orion reopened the kingdom's borders amidst wide condemnation from the other world powers, leading to an era of extremely unstable peace.
Currently, Swordfell lies on the brink of war. The opposition between the two parties is at an all-time high, with criticisms of both the king and the Master's Council threatening to boil into a renewed Civil War, the nation still prepared for the fighting to continue thirty-five years later.
establishment of the arnian council
Following the ruin of the Swordfellian Civil War, Orion approached his allied powers, proposing a kind of world council comprised of its nations, in order to prevent another atrocity of this scale. Swordfell, Tifalla, and Polaris were the first three kingdoms to agree to this proposition, with the other nations of the world joining one after another, though Amityvale and Fyliss directly opposed the council up until the moment of their joining it. The Arnian Council was given its own set of highly-trained military units with which to assert its dominance in the face of the sins of the nations. They passed a series of laws in order to limit the possibility of further atrocities or wars, limiting each nation's military strength and uniting them under one currency- Fii. Should a nation be suspected of committing a forbidden act, the Arnian Council is called to order, during which time they will decide whether or not to intervene. As such, it stands as an insurance for the world at large, to protect it should any one nation decide to cause issues on a global scale.
Allies and enemies
Currently, Swordfell is allied with Tifalla and Ragnell- with the city of Maplepoint made as a joint venture between it and Tifalla as an act of friendship. Its friendship with Tifalla is a long-standing one, with both agreeing to intervene on the other's behalf should their nations fall to warfare or crime. Because of this, a number of Swordfellian Royal Guards are deployed to Tifalla in order to investigate the big three crime organizations, and assist it in striking down these criminals when given the chance.
In contrast, Swordfell and Amityvale are widely-outspoken enemies. As the Arnian Council does not prevent warfare between its nations, provided no side breaks the regulations set by it, the two kingdoms are embroiled in combat at the southern border of Swordfell. Though the combat is, mostly, at a standstill, the threat of it escalating to a full-on invasion are ever-high.
Infrastructure
Due to the horrors of the Swordfellian Civil War, the populace held a distaste for government-operated peacekeeping forces. In return for this, the throne proposed two different systems to allow for peace to be kept, without the possibility of governmental intervention- the Royal Guards, and the City Guard Program.
royal guards
The Royal Guards are extremely strong mercenaries that operate, largely, as the nation's peacekeeping forces. While the throne can issue them commands, the Royal Guard have the authority to deny any commands given unto them should they oppose them at no penalty to themselves. They assist with keeping the nation safe, while supporting the people in the region they reside in. Strangely enough, Royal Guards are treated as celebrities by a number of the citizenry, with many practically worshipping them due to their work to protect the civilians. Many Royal Guards support their offices by selling merchandise, garnering some criticism that many care about the money more than protecting the people- though such means of garnering wealth prevents them from having ulterior allegiances with those that line their pockets.
city guard Program
The City Guard Program is a system set up to allow for town-sponsored militias for sake of protecting their citizens and keeping order. Though the government has no hand in the ruling of these groups, many cities and towns have their guards sponsored by local businessmen or other similarly rich types, resulting in a lot of these guards swearing allegiance to coin rather than kin. Still, they handle day-to-day, lower-priority peacekeeping operations like civil disputes and small-sized crimes that should otherwise not consume the Royal Guards' time.