Tsardom of Snjokomu Snjokomu | |
|---|---|
 Flag
.svg) Coat of arms
| |
| Capital and largest city | Yikhel |
| Official languages | Common, Dwarvish |
| Recognised national languages | Common |
| Recognised regional languages | Common, Dwarvish, Elvish, Draconic |
| Ethnic groups |
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| Demonym(s) | Snjokumian |
| Government | Federal parliamentary feudal constitutional monarchy |
| Tsar | |
• 112-185 (first) | Anna I |
• 510-present | Petrovich IV |
| Legislature | Imperial Diet |
| Area | |
• Total | 15,089,313 km2 (5,826,016 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 22,000,000 |
| Currency | Imperial mark |
Snjokomu, officially the Tsardom of Snjokomu, is a country located in northern At'Qulu. It is the largest country in the world by area, its vast landmass stretching over a large portion of the continent. It is the continent's most populous country and one of the most populous countries in the world, though estimates vary. The country's capital and largest city is Yikhel. Other major urban areas in the country include Sudzhensk, Laishevo, Mednogorsk, Shimanovsk, Podporozhye, and Komsomolsk.
The earliest records of the name "Snjokomu" trace back to the period directly following the Rapture, as a term for the tribe that would eventually give rise to the state we know today. In that time, what would become Snjokomu was ruled by various states controlling portions of northern At'Qulu and primarly composed of settlers from Cora who had survived the Rapture. Over time, these settlers eventually developed separate national identities to go along with the states that they had set up. One people, the Snjokumians, were particularly powerful, as they had managed to get their hands on some of the only horses left on the continent. A coalition eventually formed against them in a pre-emptive strike, fearing that the Snjokumians would dominate them all sooner or later. Eventually, their fears turned to reality, as they were crushed under a tsunami of hooves. However, one tribe remained - the Sifrerians. Driven across the vast Plains of Fornar Bardaga, the Sifrerians were left bitter and hold to this day a grudge against the Snjokumians. The Snjokumians found themselves ascendant. Crowning their audacious leader Anna I the first Tsar of Snjokomu in 112 AR, they set about consolidating their newfound gains. What little national identity remained in non-Snjokumians was washed away as programs of assimilation brought them into the fold.
Snjokomu's initial government system was an absolute monarchy. However, all certainly wasn't well with this order of things. Anna I was succeeded by Vsevolod I, who was mentally ill, and cracked down on civil liberties. Eventually, things got so bad that a three-way civil war broke out between dukes opposed to Vsevolod, Vsevolod's loyalists, and a people's uprising. In the end, the rebel dukes emerged victorious, and placed Petrovich II on the throne, but not before instituting a set of reforms. While the Tsar still retained the power to select dukes at will, these dukes were free to do almost entirely as they wished with their oblasts, and citizens were granted the power to replace them as they saw fit, with a three-fourths majority. Finally, they formed the Imperial Diet, a council of advisors voted in by the people and dukes, who together wield significant influence in the Imperial court.
In 532 AR, 22 years after the current Tsar Petrovich II was crowned, the Tyrenian War broke out. Named for the Lake of Tyr around which it was primarily fought, was a war that lasted from 532 AR to 552 AR and took place in northwestern At'Qulu between the Kingdom of Sifreri and the Snjokomu Empire. A long and bloody war, it began when the Sifrerians, driven by an irredentist wave stirred up by Queen Marineus II, invaded the Snjokomu Empire in the hopes of gaining Snjokomu's western territories to reverse the downturn that Sifreri had been on for a while. The Sifrerians saw some early successes, most notably at the Battle of Bogoroditsk in 534, where an entire column of the Snjokumian army was wiped out. However, Snjokumu's overwhelming industrial, economic, and material advantages led to their ultimate victory. The Tyrenian War was characterized by slow, grinding battles of attrition where ranged combat was important. Consequently, the Sifrerians invested in large numbers of crossbowmen in the hopes of gaining an edge over the Snjokumu Empire. However, the Snjokumians countered by unveiling the Prostrelivaetsya, heavily armored soldiers armed with heavy weaponry that were able to withstand serious punishment and reach the enemy line mostly unharmed. Sergei was part of one of these units. These proved the decisive advantage, and the Prostrelivaetsya were the first through the gates of Ka'Hel, the Sifrerian capital.
Snjokomu is recognized as having one of the highest standards of living in the world. Visitors flock to its forests and fields in summer, as the nation's beauty is a true sight to behold at that time of year, and its deciduous forests turn the empire orange in fall - a spectacular sight that draws many in. The Snjokumian economy, a quintessential medieval economic powerhouse not much unlike real life's Venice, relies upon its abundant natural resources, world-class textiles, and military equipment as its primary exports. Its mineral resources are the world's largest, and markets around the world receive Snjokumian goods, thanks to Icescrapper and Frostskimmer ships. Snjokumian ports, many of which grew out of coastal towns founded by the first Coranian settlers, are great hubs of commerce and diversity, though Snjokumian trade ships are very vulnerable to pirates and sea monsters.