Destland

The Free State of Destland more commonly known as Destland is a sovereign state in northern Eastern Artemia, it borders Kironia and is across the White Sea from Gardarike. Destland is a de jure, however is under the control of a de facto with  tendencies under Premier Gvidonas Krusnauskas. Destland has a population of over 18 million while its capital, Verina, is populated by 3.45 million inhabitants. The nation is known for its Wood and Mining industries as well as their large military complex. With an overall surface area of just over 539,925 square kilometers, making Destland the xx largest nation in the world. Verina, the capital is the largest city with a population of 3,450,000 and an overall area of 530.23 sq mi (1373.3 km2). Destland is a member state of the Allied Eastern States and has multiple trade and military agreements with its members. A civil war currently encompasses Destland, with democratic secessionists holding large swathes of territory in Destland's coastal regions.

Early History of Destland
The time of Destlands settling is unknown exactly but in recent years historians have found ruins in the hills of gjus dating back to at least 5,000 years. These ruins have been linked to the tribes of the old, known as ūdas. These tribes were believed to be semi-nomadic in nature with men and women moving in groups of 50-100 but all belonging to a central group, these central groups had basic huts made from wood,thatch and leaves. From 3000 BC - 2500 BC these tribes are believed to be the primary groups roaming the lands. However small huts have been found on the coasts near Yery. Historians believe these people lived primarily off of the fish from the White sea whereas the Tribes in the hills lived off of Deer, Rabbit and berrie. Barely any information has been found about these tribes, we know there were several wars between various bands and tribes. The bands were known to have a primary figurehead, akin to a Lord or Chieftain, but tribes were largely family orientated so the family patriarch led them with the tribe leaders answering to the Chieftain. The Chieftain called up armies and took tribute every year at the feast of “cool name here”. This is where the Chieftain would call all his tribes to a place of meeting, commonly a river in the middle of a forest. Here they would start large fires, hunt and cook. The Chieftain would then take his tribute, usually riches from other areas such as “County north” “County south” and Kironia. Bands were believed to be between 100-10,000 men and women with 30-3000 fighters. The bands were not only hostile to their neighbors but to each other. The most powerful of the bands were the Turtingas šuo, Rich Dogs in english. The šuo had anywhere from 300-5000 fighters alone through their 1500-2000 year history. The šuo were based around the modern bay of Verina. The šuo were more modern than the other bands. They had a large city but still had a lot of tribes who stayed within their nomadic ancestors' ways. The tribes continued to raid and pillage other Bands and to other lands. It is believed that several large scale battles occured from 500 BC - 1000 AD. One of the most famous, well researched and documented. It occured in 874 AD, it was between the Turtingas šuo and ožkų berniukai at the dievas fishing settlement under šuo control. The battle lasted for a day and a half with over 6000 deaths, soldiers and civilians alike. It was named the Battle of Dievo skyle, God Hole. Around 1100 AD the Bands began to form alliances and then eventually states around 1200 AD. These early states were governed by a very small group of what would be considered chieftains in the past. Each of these men would hold a certain territory that they would govern and they would all report to a higher lord.

War for the Republic
The republic knew they would have to go to war to form the Destland of their views. Therefore in 1252 they declared war on the 1st state, Virbalis the smallest and closest state. The Destland forces moved into Virbalis territory and were immediately met with an army of 2,000 men, most of Virbalis male population. The Destland army numbered around 4,000. A battle ensued, called the battle of the Lartchka Valley, after the location of the battle. The Virbalis army was defeated after a 2 hour battle losing 1100 men to the Dests 500 men. Destland moved through the countryside of Virbalis until they reached the capital, Virbalis City. There they had another battle resulting in 800 Dest losses. The state of Virbalis was eventually taken and brought as the 6th state in the Republic.

Dest Republic (1790-1985)
Around 1790 the leaders of 5 of the 11 states, the 5 largest states came together and an attempt to form a Dest republic from the fractured States. These leaders went to the 6 other states and plead their case to the leaders all bar 1, Jock Ailbert leader of Dorchadas the furthest west state refused. All 10 other states bough their military together and this stated the Unification war from June 1790 - October 1790. This war claimed an estimated 32,000 lives. The Republic was officially declared on June 7th 1791

1st Desland Civil war- July 1938 - Mar 1939
The 1st Destland Civil war was a large source of turmoil in the history of Destland. The Communist Party of Destland faced harsh repression under the largely government of the Dest Republic. The CPD would commonly lead armed strikes and its militas acting as a police force in many poorer industrial cities of Destland. In the 1936 election the Communist party lost 7 seats to the Destland National Party, leaving them with only 9 out of xxx seats. This enraged many of the Communists and lead to an increase in confrontations between the CPD and the police along with the reactionary paramilitary known as the Laisvas Vyrai, or "Free Men".

The 1st Destland Civil War was fought between the Republic of Destland government and the Communist Party of Destland. The fighting resulted in the defeat of the CPD The first signs of the civil war occurred in 1932 to 1935 with the CPD gradually growing in power with an estimated 2,000,000 members in the party with 100,000 being in the Destland Liberation Front, the military wing of the CPD. The DLF were suspected to be armed with weapons stolen from the military and foreign arms dealers supplying them.

Based out of Yery the CPD grew large from factory workers wishing for wealth to be distributed equally as they saw the Destland elite living off of their hard work and labour. Many of these men and women had military training after the Dest military decreased in size after the xxx war. These men passed on their training to the revolutionaries of their party giving them basic weapon and explosives training. By 1930 the DLF began to steal arms from Dest military bases and also set up smuggling routes through the mountains from the coast where foreign arms dealers bought weapons in by the tonne load.

The Dest landscape was favourable for guerrilla operations with vast forests and hills. The DLF took control of these areas and grew their power base. By early 1934 DLF could call on nearly 35,000 men under arms, with another 86,000 working as reserves or logistical support. Although this was only a fraction of the Dest military at the time with an estimated 450,000 men in the Dest military at the time.

Pre War Violence
The Violence of the DLF started in 1930 after police officer Mark Turnbull in Yery was beaten during a communist marsh through the city. The Beating was said to have started after PO Turnbull pushed a young woman from the barricades set up by the police. Another was dragged from the barricade and beat almost to death, the beating resulted in Turnbull losing his right eye.

In July 1932 the first armed attack was taken against the Dest State Police in An-asaidh, the principal state. On July 22nd 1932, 20 armed DLF Guerrillas mounted an attack on the DSP station in the village of Corl in north east An-asaidh. The Guerrillas were armed with stolen Model 21 Rifles and 1 LMG. The attack started at 6PM when Police Sergeant Edward Boylen stepped out from the Building walking to his Police Car, he was shot 11 times by rifle and Machine gun fire. This fire drew out 4 more officers, armed only with revolvers. They began to fire back at the Guerrillas in the wood, after returning fire 2 of the Officers went back inside to retrieve shotguns and rifles. After 2 minutes of sustained fire the Guerrillas stopped. The attack lasted another 20 minutes before the guerrillas retreated. The attack finished with 3 officers dead, 2 wounded and 2 guerrillas killed. This attack came to be known as the Corl Ambush.

Initial Battles
On July 13th 1935 the DLF officially declared a guerrilla war on the Destland Republic. This started with 7 Bombings in the city of Verina, the capital of Destland, killing 29 people and injuring 1,250. Then several attacks took place on government buildings including, the Botan Toll buildings, the homes of the Upper and Lower houses of the republic. The DLF held the Botan Toll buildings for 5 days before losing control to the Dest Marines. 43 DLF Troops were killed during the battle, 317 wounded and over 700 captured. On July 15yh 1935 the battle for Bauidh Building started in the state of Dorchadas the furthest west state with an estimated 600 DLF Troops moved in with rifles, Machine guns and even 4 armoured cars against 100 Dest Army soldiers, led by LTCOL. Killan Tromk. Tromk set up 2 xxx Machine guns on the 2nd floor of the building, he gave up the car park and outed fence on the 1st day after losing 21 of his men with a further 30 wounded, over half of his force. The battle lasted another 2 days before Tromk, heavily wounded surrendered to the DLF Major General in charge of the attack.

The Communits were hoarded into camps outside of Yery and guarded by State Police and some Military police elements. This imprisonment was seen as false by the communist communities leading to riots and more recruits moving to the DLF, in 10 days it has been estimated that over 10,000 more recruits joined the DLF and CPD. During the following months several battles took place all over Destland but primarily around Yery and Kicgow. The government sent out 2 more infantry divisions to help suppress the Communists. By this time an estimated 9,000 communist militia had been killed compared to 212 soldiers. It is unknown how many men the DLF truly had around this time but military historians had estimated 130,000 total.

Around Oct 20th 1935 the DLF launched a full scale attack on all Yery political buildings. After a 3 day siege the Capital building of Plunge was taken by the communists giving them a view of troop placements, weapon caches and other sensitive material. On Oct 30th 1935 Yery was lost to the communists giving them a stronghold on the coast. During the fall of Yery the DLF and CPD were able to get their hands on 14 light tanks and 9 Medium tanks as well as numerous armoured cars and artillery pieces. With the new equipment the DLF began to get cocky. The commanders decided to attack the Panyeves Airbase in eastern Virbalis. On the night of November 20th 5 DLF Medium tanks, 10 Light tanks, 15 Armoured cars, 2 batteries of 4 120mm guns and 1000+ infantry started the attack on Panyeves Airbase. The resulting battle led to the loses of 4 DLF Medium tanks, 7 Light Tanks, 9 Armoured Cars and over 600 infantry also all but 2 artillery pieces captured. The Destland military also lost 2 Medium Tanks, 1 Single Engine Biplane and 198 Infantry with a further 78 wounded

Second Destland Civil War
in 1985 Destland Republic Colonel, Gvidonas Krusnauskas organized the army against the government over throwing it (More to be added rough outline)

Third Destland Civil War
Third Destland Civil War

In March of 2017 the Nuversti (literally "Overthrow") protests started across Destland after Gvidonas Krusnauskas was one again elected by the People Council of Destland. During the election thousands of Dest citizens took to the streets of Verina, Kigcron, Yery and dozens of smaller towns to protest the reelection campaign due the obvious rigging and set up as the only other candidate was a former army major who disappeared the night before the election. On the day of voting Krusnauskas was elated with a 100% vote in his favor marking him president for another 5 years. Over time, Nuversti came to describe a wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Destland, the scope of which evolved to include calls for the removal and death of Krusnauskas and his cabinet.

Cabinet of Ministers
The Cabinet of Ministers is chief executive body of Destland. There are 15 ministers that head each of their respective Administrative divisions, these are the,

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Minister of Economics

Minister of Energy

Minister of Justice

Minister of Defence

Minister of Consumer Protection

Minister of Labour

Minister of Social Affairs

Minister of Food and Agriculture

Minister of Health

Minister of Transport

Minister of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety

Minister of Education

Minister of Research

Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development

Agriculture & Livestock
Until the late nineteenth century, Destland's isolation required that most farmers concentrate on producing grains to meet the country's basic food needs. In the fall, farmers planted rye; in the spring, southern and central farmers started oats, while northern farmers seeded barley. Farms also grew small quantities of potatoes, other root crops, and legumes. Nevertheless, the total area under cultivation was still small. Cattle grazed in the summer and consumed hay in the winter. Essentially self-sufficient, Destland engaged in very limited agricultural trade.

Mining
Destland's mining industry has declined in the post-republic era. Many deposits have remained underdeveloped because of a lack of modern equipment and low funding.

Although not rich in minerals, Destland has been found to have small deposits of iron ore, non ferrous metal ores, dolomite, potash (for fertiliser production), rock salt, phosphorites, refractory clay, moulding sand, sand for glass production, and various building materials. Destland also has deposits of industrial diamonds, titanium, copper ore, lead, mercury, bauxite, nickel, vanadium, and amber.

Logging
A large percentage of the Destland GDP comes from Logging, not only do the Dest cut the trees they also refine them into paper, pulp and furniture. The Dest has several refining plants across the country with 3 in Kicgron alone and 12 in other cities and rural areas and 2 under construction as of July 29th 2019. Furthermore, several large international corporations in this business are based in Destland including Swyt Ceg one of the largest Paper and Pulp companies in the World. Forests play a key role in the country's economy, making it one of the world's leading wood producers and providing raw materials at competitive prices for the crucial wood-processing industries. As in agriculture, the government has long played a leading role in forestry, regulating tree cutting, sponsoring technical improvements, and establishing long-term plans to ensure that the country's forests continue to supply the wood-processing industries. The heavy winter snows and the network of waterways were used to move logs to the mills. Loggers were able to drag cut trees over the winter snow to the roads or water bodies. In the southwest, the sledding season lasted about 100 days per year; the season was even longer to the north and the east. The country's network of lakes and rivers facilitated log floating, a cheap and rapid means of transport. Each spring, crews floated the logs downstream to collection points; tugs towed log bundles down rivers and across lakes to processing centres. The waterway system covered much of the country, and by the 1980s Destland had extended roadways and railroads to areas not served by waterways, effectively opening up all of the country's forest reserves to commercial use.

Destland's wet climate and rocky soils are ideal for forests. Tree stands do well throughout the country, except in some areas north of the Arctic Circle. The proportion of forest land varied considerably from region to region. In the in the eastern and northern states, forests covered up to 80 percent of the land area, but in areas with better conditions for agriculture, especially in the southwest, forests accounted for only 50 to 60 percent of the territory. The main commercial tree species—pine, spruce, and birch—supplied raw material to the sawmill, pulp, and paper industries. The forests also produced sizable aspen and elder crops.

Forestry and farming were closely linked. During the twentieth century, government land redistribution programmes had made forest ownership widespread, allotting forestland to most farms. In the 1980s, private farmers controlled 35 percent of the country's forests; other persons held 27 percent; the government, 24 percent; private corporations, 9 percent; and municipalities and other public bodies, 5 percent. The forestlands owned by farmers and by other people—some 350,000 plots—were the best, producing xx to xx percent of the wood consumed by industry; the state owned much of the poorer land, especially that in the north.

Fishing
Destlands's fishing industry is a key contributor to the success of the Canadian economy. In 2016, Destlands's fishing industry exported $x.x billion in fish and seafood products and employed approximately 72,000 people in the industry. Aquaculture, which is the farming of fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants in fresh or salt water, is the fastest growing food production activity in the world and a growing sector in Destlands. In 2015, aquaculture generated over $x billion in GDP and close to $x billion in total economic activity. The Department Of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) oversees the management of Destlands's aquatic resources and works with fishermen across the country to ensure the sustainability of Destlands's oceans and in-land fisheries. Given the abundance of seafood products that can be harvested from Destland's fisheries, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has established guidelines and procedures to support healthy and productive ecosystems, and maintain the fisheries for future generations. All seafood products that come from Destland's fisheries are required to be thoroughly inspected and comply with product and process standards for domestic and international consumption. These standards also apply to seafood products imported into Destland and ensure that seafood products are safe and properly identified. In order for a fish or seafood product harvested or produced in Destland to be eligible for export, it has to meet defined standards and originate from a registered fish processing establishment.

An important part of establishing sustainable fisheries in Destland is certifying and monitoring where fish and seafood products originate from, where they are processed, and how they are sold to Dest consumers. Certification of fish and seafood products means that producers must show evidence that their products have been harvested and grown in a sustainable manner. This benefits the fishing industry because it allows them to signal to consumers that the products they buy are coming from legitimate operations and are genuine products that are not inferior quality fish being re-labelled.

Traceability is another important aspect of maintaining sustainable fisheries in Destland. Traceability identifies where a product is at any given time, where the product has been prior to its current location, and what has been done to the product since it was caught. Certification and traceability ensure that fish and seafood products harvested from Destland's fisheries comply with chain of custody requirements established by an independent third-party to avoid conflicts of interest between regulators and industry members. These requirements attempt to establish a sustainable management framework that equally incorporates the interests of the fishing industry and government policy makers, and maintains the integrity of the supply chain for fish and seafood products.

Military

 * See more: Destland Armed Forces

The Dest military consists of 5 Branches, The Dest Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and the Coast Guard. It is believed the Dest Military has a total of 142,000 men in regular service and another XXX,XXX as reserves, Destland invests a disproportional amount of it's GDP on it's expansive military complex, however uses extremely outdated equipment and heavily relies on aid from the AES and Rovsnoska.

The Dest Military is currently involved in fighting a civil war against a democratic secessionist movement. Every man and Woman aged 18-20 is required to undergo basic Firearm and small squad tactics making almost every Dest citizen a junior soldier.

Organization
The military is split into 5 Branches, each fulfilling a needed roll of defense and offensive doctrine. The military's has xxx,xxx personnel in regular roles and xxx,xxx in reserve roles

The largest branch of the Destland Military. The army consists of 100,000 regulars as well as xxx,xxx in reserves. The Army also always has at least 20,000 men on standby. he army is responsible for ground based warfare, also maintaining a limited aviation section.

The navy is the 2nd largest branch with XXX,XXX Regular Personnel split between 104 Ships, 5 Destroyers, 11 Frigates, 13 Corvettes, 3 Ballistic missile submarine, 6 Attack submarine, 2 Amphibious assault ships, 15 Mine countermeasures vessel and 49 support ships Not all of these ships are up to date with some ships dating back to the early 1970s and even a one from the 1960s. The navy also has XXX,XXX Reserve personnel. The navy is responsible for maritime security.

The DAF is the 3rd larges branch with XXX,XXX Regular personnel and 110,000 Reserve personnel. The air force is responsible for airspace security, strategic ground based air and missile defence and both tactical and strategic expeditionary air operations.

the Marines are the smallest Dest branch with only XXXXX Regulars and XXXX reserves. Often underfunded more than the other branches the Marines steal to get by. The marines like the navy are responsible for maritime security and amphibious force projection

The Coast guards role is the defence of the coastal border of Destland. The CG consists of XXXXX Regulars and XXXXX Reserve personel. The coast guard operate a small fleet of 30 Patrol boats, 24 Active Response boats, 8 converted fishing Large purse seiner boats as well as 53 smaller and support craft.

Equipment
The Destland Army basic infantry rifle is the SOP 310 and the N&T 4N, both chambered in 7.62×35mm. The N&T 4N is sometimes equipped with a G140 40mm Grenade launcher. These weapons are usually equipped with iron sights or an optical 4X Ator Scope, although optical sights have been purchased to supplement these

Budget
The Destland government dedicate roughly 6% of the countries GDP to military spending giving the Miltiary a budget of 30,353,400,000 with that being separated between all 5 branches

Crime
Crime in Destland is combated by the Destland state, city police and other agencies.

Murder
In 2016, there were a total of 1,721 homicides in Destland. Of these an estimated 23% were linked to organised crime.

Organised crime
There are many organised crime elements in Destland including the Dest Mafia, Dozens of street gangs as well as Biker gangs. There are an estimated 150 street gangs in Omolis.

Organised Crime Gangs

Through out Destland history the Dest Mafia was formed. Estimated to be founded in 1850 from the poor thieves on the street wanting to become something bigger. There are now an estimated 2,000 Dest Mafia groups through out the world.

Street gangs

Biker Gangs

Biker gangs in Destland include Death Riders MC the largest Gang in the World with 19 Chapters in Destland Alone, Invaders MC with 10 Chapters, Soul Riders MC with 12 Chapters, Phantom Riders MC with 7 Chapters, Cohort MC with 4 Chapters, Black Demons MC with 4 Chapters and Swinging Hammers MC with 5 Chapters. There are an estimated 9 other clubs with 20 chapters between them. Biker Gangs are seen as an 'Epidemic' by the Dest government with large crack downs by Police and Federal Agencies.

Destland biker gangs originated after the Civil war in 1935.The disillusioned veterans took to the highways and country roads on surplus motorcycles. These men banded together into small groups and by 1937 the first biker gang was recorded, “The Savage Warlords MC” the warlords rode the streets of Yery until 1950 where they then moved to Odonbert. Violence was always prevalent with the bikers gangs with many wars flaring up over the years. One of the most notable wars was the Soul Riders and Invaders MC war spanning 6 years from 2001-2007. The war concluded in the Mother's Day Massacre where over over 60 bikers faced off with firearms, knives and other weapons. Of the 62 involved 7 were killed and a further 21 injured, 19 firearms were seized and over 100 knives.

Energy
The primary source of nation wide energy are the 12 Nuclear Power stations. These power stations make up 85% of the energy with the other 15% coming from Fossil fuels.

Transport
The public transportation is consider lackluster with irregular times for busses and trains. The primary source of public transport are taxis in most areas and in the Capital of Verina is the surprisingly good Trams

Population
8,300,000 of the population live in the 902 Municipalities spread around Destland and the other 464,000 live in over 2,300 settlements in the Rural Areas.

Education
Education in Destland is mandatory for Boys and Girls aged 5-16, Since 1895 the Republic government brought in the mandatory Education system and the Junta continued that system.

Children aged 5-12 gain education through the Junior School system and children aged 13-18 are taught in the Senior School System. The school leaving age is 16 for children with no permission needed

Sports
Destland is home to several notable sports teams including the Destland National Ski Team, Cenmore Football Club as well as The Miners Football Club.

The Most popular sports in Destland are Skiing, Ice hockey and Football. Dog skijoring is also popular in the more rural areas.

Cusine
Destland is not well known for its restaurants but its local food is seen to be som of the best in eastern Artemia. Destland has several notable food stuff including the gaidys pie a steak and gravy pie has been produced on destland since 1650s. Destland cuisine has distinctive attributes and recipes of its own but shares much with wider Artemia cuisine as a result of local and foreign influences as a result of local, regional, and continental influences - both ancient and modern. Another notable food is the Kinner Pie. A fish pie usually made with white, often smoked, fish (for example cod, haddock or halibut) in a white sauce or cheddar cheese sauce made using the milk the fish was poached in. It is oven-baked in a deep dish but is not usually made with the shortcrust or puff pastry casing that is associated with most savoury pies. In place of a pastry casing enclosing the pie, a topping of mashed potatoes (sometimes with cheese or vegetables such as onions and leeks added) is used to cover the fish during baking. The dish is sometimes referred to as "fisherman's pie" because the topping is similar to that of shepherd's pie, in that it uses mashed potatoes.

Notable People
Destland is home to several notable people, these include Actors, Soldiers, Politicians, Scientists and several others.

Politicians

George Finner is one of the most notable people from Destland, a Soldier and Politicians Finner is the Destland Ambassador to Tiperyn and former Secretary of State and Navy Captain. Finner is notable not only for his positons but also his personality, being loud and Rash in his actions sometimes. During his time in the Navy Finner was a notable commander during the xxx War.

Entertainers

Kietuolis (Musician) was a well known singer, song writer and song producer. He was killed on February 4th 2019 during airstrikes conducted by Destland Armed Forces in the north of the country.