Odentia

Odentia (/əʊ:'dɛn:t͡ʃi:a/), officially the Seven Kingdoms of Odentia (Sept Royaumes d'Odentia), is a constitutional absolute monarchy located on the southern shores of the Elysian region of Vesperia bordering the Mer Dorée to the south, Acronia and Lyonia to the west, and Astronea to the east. The nation consists of seven semi-autonomous kingdoms, each ruled by a hereditary in conjunction with a local elected legislature. The federal seat of Odèneville is located in the smallest such kingdom, Val-d'Odène. Most of the country consists of the Étendue Glaciale of the Elysian Mountains, capped by the Sommet Impossible in Grand Murgris. Nearer to the ocean, however, the climate is warm and sunny; here, the nation’s largest cities, like the Barré-Karrigan metropolitan area and the resort town of Madesclaire lie. Almost all of the nation’s three-million-strong population live in these coastal areas.

Six of the country's seven constituent kingdoms were formed in a roughly 300-year period of Acronian colonization in the middle of the. The loosely-related and unofficially allied kingdoms achieved independence twice. In 1442, during the War of Friends, Auguste I carved a seventh kingdom, Val-d'Odène, out of land surrounding the his estate in Lacblanc. Following the Century War, Victor I, a descendent of Auguste, led an intellectual movement that formally severed the region from Acronia. The Seven Kingdoms formally united as Odentia on 21 August 1884.

Since then, Odentia has pursued an official policy of called the Great Promise, though it has established cordial relations with many Western nations. For this reason, the Odentian envoys and the forces frequently participate in humanitarian missions, and Odentian diplomats often serve as a between states with sour relations. Odentia has previously by greatly expanding the size of its military, peaking at roughly 300,000 soldiers during the First Atlassian Great War.

The nation maintains a standing army, air force, and navy. In keeping with Odentia's established neutrality, the Odentian military does not participate in combat missions outside of the country's borders. Officially, it is tasked with the defense of Odentia and the enforcement of its laws.

Odentia is known as a distinguished cultural center. For at least three distinct periods of time, known as the Eruditions, Odentia (specifically, Madesclaire) was considered a, home to numerous prestigious , art studios, and. Today, the country focuses heavily on education, with some of the highest primary and school completion rates globally and high enrollment in higher education. The University of Madesclaire is the oldest university in Atlas, founded in 812 C.E.

Odentia boasts one of the strongest economies in Atlas, something repeatedly tied to its progressive and holistic stance on education, free-market policies and emphasis on local industry. Heavy industrialism in the 19th century culminating in the arrival of the Pan-Vesperian Railroad in 1884 contributed to a slowly rising economy. In the 20th century, the Odentian economy grew around its manufacturing and service industries. Odentia is considered a. Today, Odentia's economy is built mainly around its manufacturing and service sectors, with a notable contribution from tourism.

Etymology
The name Odentia was adopted from Auguste Victor Blanchard Odéne de la Forteresse d'Odéneville, a former Murgrivois knight of low birth that was awarded an estate overlooking Lac Blanc de la Montagne for service during the War of the Mountains in 1548. During the subsequent War of Friends, Odéne carved the Kingdom of Odentia from the lands surrounding the Forteresse d'Odéneville and proclaimed himself Auguste I.

The origin of the name Odéne itself is a matter of some debate. It is believed by some that the name is a of the Zerinite deity, and that Auguste I was in fact an immigrant or of Zerinite descent. Genomics testing on members of the modern royal family, specifically Victor III, have provided some corroboration for this theory.

=History= Odentian historians typically separate the country's history into seven distinct periods, or Ages, each roughly 300 years in length. This system was first used in an 1885 history by Erik Masson commissioned by Roland II in celebration of Odentian federation. Though the exact taxonomy is a matter of debate, the most popular interpretation is the Arthurian, which includes pre-history and the Ages of Gold, Iron, Fire, Odentia, Patience, and Courage. Each Age typically represents a formative series of events and are separated by major social shifts; for example, the Age of Odentia represents the period between the War of Friends and the during which many of the country's  were written.

Prehistory
 are believed to have existed in what is now Odentia for at least 100,000 years, based on hand tools and bone fragments found in caves around the Étendue Glaciale. found in the soil in the mountains near Lac Dauphine suggest that the earliest permanent settlements in the area were founded 50,000 years ago in areas of loose and fertile. of small and snow camels also date to the same time period.

Anthropological evidence points to the existence of six distinct tribes in the region by 20,000 ; these tribes' relation to the modern Odentian kingdoms is currently under debate. Numerous found in the area indicate that these early tribes were part of the Meunier culture, speaking the Meunic language.

Age of Gold
The city of Barré was founded along the Arlesian corridor the as an  of the Arlesian hegemony. The explorers that preceded the city's founding are thought to be the first peoples from outside the immediate vicinity of the region to have contact with the Odentian tribes. The founding of Barré is generally considered to be the start of a roughly 600-year long period of Arlesian rule in Odentia.

The natural beauty of the landscape as well as the prosperity of the trading posts led the Arlesians to dub their Odentian holdings the Aureas Terras.

The hegemony imported the basic tenets of tolerance, community, and democracy to the region. By the turn of the, the region was almost entirely culturally assimilated into the Arlesian hegemony. By and large, the pacification of the region's tribals was peaceful. The notable exception were the Murgrivois, who had been engaged in small skirmishes with the Arlesians for several hundred years. The conquest of the Aureas Terras was finally completed in 120 CE with a decisive Arlesian victory over the Murgrivois at Pradier. The Murgrivois culture retains many of its Meunic roots due in part to both the people's resistance and the culturally tolerant nature of the Arlesian hegemony.

Over time, the Arlesian culture gradually replaced the endemic Meunier culture, and Meunic was slowly replaced by. The early Arlesian tenets of community, discipline, and independence are considered by some sociologists to be the foundations of the modern Odentian identity. The modern Collinine language is, alongside, considered to be a direct descendant of Arlesian.

Aurean Hegemony
The Arlesian Hegemony lost much of its prestige in the 4th century crisis. By 440, the Hegemony had collapsed into civil war among myriad factions vying for power. The march of Maladius Varen on Arlium in 442 forced Livius Atrius, along with many of the city's senators and much of their wealth and resources, to flee Arlesia and settle in the Aureas Terras, the only remaining major territory of the Arlesian Hegemony that had not undergone significant upheaval.

Age of Knowledge
The citizens of the Aureas Terras, many of whom had prospered greatly under Arlesian rule, welcomed Livius with open arms. Livius and many of his administrators settled in the city of Madesclaire, converting the Fort of Madesclaire into the center of governance for the remnants of the Arlesian Hegemony. Others still settled in the cities of Barré, Lac Tranquille, and Pradier.

Despite the unification of the Aegran tribes in modern-day Acronius, it soon became clear that Livius' government, which began styling itself as the Aurean Hegemony (add latin translation soon), had emerged as the region's dominant power. The turmoil that had managed to overturn the social structure in Arlesia failed to have the same impact in the Aureas Terras, and infighting among Varen's forces in Arlesia led to the collapse of his consulship and the descent of Arlesia into the Shattered States. The presence of three legions still loyal to Livius in the region provided further stability.

Livius' tenure as Consul ended with his death in his third term in 459, and was marked by significant reforms in education and social welfare. (The office of consul is limited to two consecutive five-year terms; Livius spent five years as a senator from 440 to 455.) Almost all of the city planning for Old Madesclaire was done under Livius. His emphasis on education culminated in the formation of the College of Livius Atrius in Madesclaire, which reorganized as the University of Madesclaire in 812—the first university in Atlas.

Cato Asper, who had been Archon of the Aureas Terras under the Arlesian Hegemony and later Archon of Madesclaire under Livius, was elected to the consulship to succeed Livius. Cato's rule was marked by an aggressive trade policy. To further this trade policy, Cato founded the Academy of Military Science, an engineering-centered college focused on the development of ships and equipment to expand and defend Aurean trade. Improvements instituted by the Academy led to faster, sturdier ships that could be built quickly. Tracto Castrum, the first of many created by the Aureans, was founded by Aurean merchants sailing on these.

Although the Aurean Hegemony had largely solidified in place by the start of Cato's third term as Consul in 474, a small and shrinking but powerful faction of military leaders and administrators still viewed the move of the government to the Aureas Terras as temporary. This group came to be known as the revertentes, and included many local aristocrats, such as (name) and (name). At the urging of the revertentes, in 476, Cato authorized a military campaign into Arlesia with the ultimate goal of recapturing Arlium. Gaius, a senator of some repute, later surmised that the revertentes considered the conquest of Arlesia to be a badly-needed method of repairing the Hegemony's bruised ego.

Arlesian campaign
Lucius Bonus, a senator who had previously been a  under the Hegemony, volunteered to lead the expedition, and was promoted to. With Cato's authorization, Bonus raised two legions from among the native Aureans, and crossed into Arlesia in March of 478.

The campaign found much initial success. The regions along the border had been relatively poorly-defended, and despite some heavy resistance at Latara and Veridonum, the Arlesian expedition reached Arlium by the summer of 479. However, the Arlium the expedition happened upon was significantly different from the vacant-yet-elegant city they expected. Rather than the graceful liberation of an oppressed city they expected, Bonus' forces stepped into a city that had been sacked, burned, and looted by various conquering warlords repeatedly over a period of nearly 40 years, though they managed to secure some valuable documents and pieces of art (many of which still reside in the Royal Odentian Museum today).

Arlium and its surrounding regions, by this time, were embroiled in a power struggle among numerous factions. These factions soon came to view the expedition as a threat to their own power aspirations, and formed a loose coalition against what they viewed as usurpers. Bonus' forces erected a rudimentary defense from the ruins of Arlium's walls, but with the city surrounded, supplies dwindled and wounded accumulated. As the defenses faltered, some sectors became isolated and were slaughtered to the last man with little exception. In early July, just a few weeks after they entered Arlium, Bonus ordered a full retreat.

Bonus was forced to retreat nearly back to the Aurean border before mounting a counterattack at (location). Disheartened by the loss of men and ground, the Senate sent orders for Bonus to hold his ground and await further orders. A fierce debate in the Senate proved inconclusive; the Arlesian issue slowly fell by the wayside. Bonus retired in 502, having failed in his goals; in 508, he committed suicide by falling on his sword. A further series of near-constant attritive attacks pushed the front line further back, and the Arlesian campaign was called off in 507. The failure of the Arlesian campaign represented the last attempt by the Aurean Hegemony to reclaim Arlesia.

Aurean Republic
Under Cato, the College of Livius Atrius established its first military science program in 472, followed shortly thereafter by naval science and navigation. Cato sponsored the construction of new shipyards and encouraged apprentices of shipwrights to become students of the naval science program and vice versa. Cato left office in 479; his successor, Cassius Laelius, expanded these programs further.

Immediately upon taking office, Cassius immediately began a program of pressure and diplomacy intended to pacify and assimilate former Arlesian colonies in modern-day Enighir and Ahras. Cassius also greatly expanded the Aureans' military operations, seeking to increase the Hegemony's influence abroad. In 484, the Aureans founded their first in modern-day Verdesa.

By 500, the Aurean Hegemony had amassed the largest fleet of ships among its contemporaries, mostly using these to conduct trade among nearby communities.

Age of Courage
=Geology= Odentia is, behind Sytrica, the second-smallest country in Atlas, and is one of six countries on the Elysian subcontinent. It has two land borders: Lyonia in the west and Viridisolum in the east. It shares a northern border with Acronius along the Lac Dauphine, and is bordered by the Mer Dorée to the south. The majority of the country's population are clustered in cities along the southern coasts; Pradier is the northernmost large city in the country. Despite being one of the most densely populated countries in Atlas, this density drops sharply in the mountainous regions.

Odentia has a few island territories, the most significant of which is the island of Madesclaire in the eponymous kingdom. Aside from these islands, which are located in and around (coordinates), the country is located entirely between the latitudes of (coordinates) and longitudes of (coordinates).

The country's mountainous topography and temperate climate, combined with glacial runoff, endow it with complex and varied. The country's lakes range from narrow, deep mountain lakes and in the north to shallower lakes carved by glaciation in the south. The country's largest lake is Lac Dauphine on the Acronian border, but the largest lake located entirely within the country's borders is (lake name) in (place.)

=Politics=

Monarchy and Conseil du Roi
In practice, Odentia is a, with the Prime Minister being the head of government while the monarch is the head of state. Although the monarch legally retains, Odentia's government classes itself as a due to a clause in the Federation Charter that requires the monarch to "rule in accordance with the will of the people of Odentia." The monarch's role is largely to give to decisions of the partially-elected Conseil du Roi, but this is by custom only and is not required by any legal document.

The monarch is advised by the Conseil du Roi (King’s Council), which functions as the country's legislature. The Conseil's membership comprises five individuals from each constituent kingdom, as well as all senior cabinet ministers (that is, all ministers that lead a royal ministry) and up to fourteen appointees of the monarch; presently, the Conseil has 50 members. Each kingdom elects three of its representatives, while one is appointed by the king (the governor-general) and one is hereditary (the prince of that particular kingdom). The prime minister and all senior ministers are elected as well (see below).

The Conseil has no legal power in the Federation Charter, and serve at the pleasure of the king; formally, their role is only advise the king on matters of state. However, the Conseil has met at least twice a year since the country's founding, and in modern practice their decrees are generally considered to be law.

Odèneville system
Odentia has a three-branch system of government following the Odèneville system, which was instituted by King Victor II in 1965. Under the Odèneville system, the prime minister and all royal ministers are by the people.

Furthermore, citizens are entitled to directly create royal ministries. During federal election years (every six years), the government conducts an Issue Census, whereby citizens are presented a list of issues and asked to rank their importance; royal ministries called issue ministries are then established to deal with the issues citizens identify as most important to them. Issues can be added to the issue census by an initiative of the people; 10% of the population must sign a petition calling for the issue to be added.

Once created, issue ministries have a twelve-year mandate and remain on the Issue Census for three cycles. If issue ministries are not re-identified as important by the electorate by the third census cycle, they cease to exist. Core ministries, such as foreign affairs and the treasury, are not subject to approval by the Issue Census. If an issue ministry retains its mandate by the people for eight issue censuses, they become a permanent royal ministry.

Examples of issue ministries created under the Odèneville system include the Ministry for the Climate, created in 1984; and the Ministry for Equity, created in 2012.

Warrior Odentia
Prior to Odentia's formal federation in 1884, the country had no national military. Although the seven kingdoms were nominally united since the Quiet Revolution in 1724, they each maintained their own militias, with varying levels of training, discipline, and equipment. For example, Schopenhauer could afford well-equipped mercenaries, while Collines had a paltry force of 500 locals.

The foundations of the Odentian military as a modern fighting force are rooted in Roland II's late-19th-century doctrine of Warrior Odentia. This policy, which kick-started Odentia's military-industrial complex, was enabled by the increased industrial output of the activities of Jack Kinov's Elysian General Industrial Corporation (itself a result of the, as well as the increased powers the Federation Compact bestowed upon the king. In 1885, Roland II established the Royal Odentian Army as the standing army of the Seven Kingdoms of Odentia.

Warrior Odentia is considered to have started in May of 1887 with the establishment of the Royal Armory (today Royal Armaments Systems)) to design and manufacture weapons for the newly-formed military. The Royal Armory's first domestically-designed product was the, the first service rifle adopted as standard for the new military.

The period between 1887 and 1898 saw the building of much of the Odentian military hierarchy and the procurement of much of its first materiel. The Army outfitted itself with weapons and equipment imported from countries like Acronia and Vazandia. In collaboration with mercenaries and foreign militaries, a training regimen was implemented. By 1898, the Odentian military was a robust and professional force, though one that had yet to participate in actual combat.

One of Roland's last acts as King, in 1899, was to order the construction of the Odentia-class, and to approve the adoption of the as the first official sidearm for the army.

=Economy=

Energy
Nearly all of Odentia's energy is renewable. Most of it comes from four hydroelectric dams totaling nearly 25 billion (25,000 GWH). A general economic downturn in the 1970s coupled with increasing tensions between oil exporters and oil importers drove the cost of oil and other fuels up substantially. As a result, energy costs began to occupy an increasing proportion of the federal budget. Faced with growing unemployment and increasing energy costs, then-King Victor II commissioned the construction of two hydroelectric dams in a bid to make Odentia energy-independent and to create jobs. After Victor's death in 1975, his son, Auguste III, accelerated the program and authorized studies into locations for other hydroelectric generating stations.

The first dam in Odentia, Victor II Dam, was completed in 1982 on the Verne River in the Grand Murgris, generating up to 202 and 356. The resulting reservoir, Lac Victor, covers 500 acres of land and forced the relocation of 76 people. In 1986, the Dauphine Dam was completed on the outflow of Lac Dauphine, the second of the dams commissioned by Victor. Even though the dam at full operational capacity by late 1987, labor disputes kept the dam from being overtopped until July 1988. The dam generated 592 MW and 1245 GWH in its first full year of operation.

In 1987, the Bataille report, the result of the study into prospective hydroelectric stations, was completed. In fact, the team of interim energy minister Julien Bataille had investigated far beyond the original scope of the study. The 785-page report not only outlined ideal locations for hydroelectric generators, but also included a forecast of Odentian energy consumption until 2024 and the expected efficiency of hydroelectricity as technology improved. Thoroughly impressed, Auguste commissioned a further two dams to be located in Lacblanc and Schopenhauer. The first dam, Lansche Dam on the Odenè River in Lacblanc, was completed in 1996, generating 1,200 MW and nearly 5,000 GWH annually. The last generating station, named Bataille Hydroelectricity Complex (BHeC) in favor of Minister Bataille, was completed on the Rockabye River in Schopenhauer in 2000, and first generated on Federation Day of that year. BHeC is not a dam per se; rather, water is diverted above the Bataille Rapids and travels up to three miles through a series of tunnels and canals to the generating stations. The Bataille complex was described by Auguste as "by far the most ambitious public project ever undertaken in Odentia". Construction took over a decade, and the three generating stations combined produce nearly 4,000 MW of power and almost 14,000 GWH every year. This ranks it among the largest hydroelectric generating stations in Atlas.

In 2016, Mathieu I announced the construction of a new, as-of-yet unnamed dam in Elysée. The dam, which is intended to make Odentia fully and account for growing energy demand, is slated to produce another 1,500 MWH of electricity yearly. Mathieu also announced a battery of improvements to the Victor II dam to increase its generating capacity to 500 MW.

=Culture=

Sports
By far, the most popular sport in Odentia is. Odentia has three football teams in the country's premier league, the Odentian League: FC CSR Val d'Odène, FC Schopenhauer, and FC Madesclaire Unis. Due to the league's small size, it is confederated with Acronia's Union League 1, meaning that the leagues share teams; as a result, the Odentian League exists largely as an administrative body. FC Schopenhauer has won the Acronian league three times, while FC CSR Val d'Odène has won once.

Odentia's national football team, CSR Odentien, plays in the Atlas Ligue Fédérative (LFA), and advanced to the the world finals of the Federation Cup in 1974 and 2018, losing to Lyonia both times.

Odentia's alpine climate and the proximity of resort towns to mountains means that the country is a popular destination for. Winter sports, including skiing and sledding, have been practiced in some form by tourists and natives alike for generations, especially at higher altitudes.

Religion
The majority of Odentians are. Christianity was first preached in Odentia in the early 3rd century C.E., and became the dominant religion under the rule of the Lyonine Empire. However, since the beginning of the 20th century, regular church attendance has dropped dramatically, mirroring a. Accordingly, the share of Odentians who consider themselves has grown.

According to the 2015 Census, 77.3% of Odentians identify as a follower of Christianity, followed by 3.2% Hueslam, 1.6%, 1.2% , 0.5% , and 0.2%. All remaining religions compose 3.2% of the population, with the remaining 10.8% of the population reporting as “non-practicing,, , or otherwise .”

Of the Christian sects in the country, the Church of Odentia is by far the largest, with 62.1% of Christians belonging to the Odentian Church. 22.0% are, 12.7% are , and the remainder identify as , , or Other.