Prestonia

Prestonia, formally the Prestonian Directorate ( Stiúrthóireacht Preastúnann) is a  Directivist state located in northern Artemia bordering Ringerike. Its population is approximately 44 million with the national capital situated at Hudson.

Present-day Prestonia was settled by early hunter-gatherers as early as 3500 BCE; its modern history dates to the arrival of Goidelic tribes from around 400 CE. The Goidelics began a slow process of expansion and enculturation of the preexisting peoples, from small coastal settlements to petty kingdoms arising in about 800 CE and unifying into the present-day polity of Prestonia in 1471. The destruction and economic deprivation of the Grand Campaigns saw the ouster of the Prestonian monarchy in 1918, though the republic which succeeded it was itself plagued by instability and political infighting before ultimately succumbing to the Movement of the National Directive in 1920, after which a single-party state based on the Directivists' ideals was enacted.

Prehistory
The earliest evidence of human habitation in present-day Prestonia dates to approximately 3500 BCE, as initially discovered in archaeological sites around the village of Maryvale. The Maryvale Culture appears to have been seminomadic hunter-gatherers, pursuing large game such as reindeer and caribou and utilizing their bones and hides in the construction of temporary shelter. Little is known of their beliefs or material culture owing to a lack of a written communication system; discoveries of grave goods suggest complex beliefs about the nature of the afterlife. Changing climates and the development of agriculture from around 1500 BCE led to a more sedentary culture, which has been dubbed the pre-Prestonian by anthropologists, though genetically distinct from the Goidelic peoples which make up present-day Prestonia.

Goidelic Arrival
Goidelic peoples began arriving in Prestonia from the Tiperyn Isles around 400 CE, initially setting up small encampments and settlements along the coasts before gradually expanding inland. Contact with the native peoples ranged from mutual commerce to open hostility, though alliances between groups of settlers and natives against other such groups were not uncommon. By the 7th century CE intermarriage appears to have become common enough that the native culture was effectively sublimated into the Goidelic, though the latter adopted many of the religious and cultural practices of the former.

Geography and Climate
Prestonia's geography, and hence its climate, is dominated by a belt of mountains, the Arran Range, which roughly bisect the country running north to south. These are higher in the northern areas of the country, descending into rolling hills not more than 1000 meters in elevation in the southerly portions. The geography of the non-mountainous regions is heavily influenced by Ice Age glaciation, being mostly flat with some rolling hills and numerous lakes and bogs.

Climate is classified as (Koppen type Dfb) below the Boreal Circle with short, cool summers and long, very cold winters; the western portions of the country tend to receive slightly less precipitation due to the  created by the mountains, and tend to be somewhat warmer overall owing to the moderating effects of the Balearic Sea. The northern third of the country, lying above the Boreal Circle, experiences a subarctic climate (Koppen type Dfd) with winter temperatures dipping well below freezing and summer temps rarely exceeding 10 degrees Celsius.

Politics
The politics of Prestonia take place in the framework of a, led by the ruling Movement of the National Directive as a and emphasizing the principle of  at every level of governance. The head of state, Party and government is the Director-General, appointed to a ten year term by the Presidium of the National Directive, a consultative body which meets every ten years for this purpose as well as to consider policy changes to the eponymous Directive. Cabinet-level portfolios, known as Directorates, comprise the Council of State. For day-to-day matters, the legislative body of the Directorate is the Supreme Popular Council, whose 485 members nominally introduce and consider legislation and serve five-year terms; in practice, the Council is little more than a for the Council of State.

Law
The 1920 Constitution enshrines the Movement of the National Directive as the "sole legitimate expression of governance and national will within Prestonia," banning any rival parties, organizations or movements. While the Constitution nominally provides for freedom of press, religion and assembly, these are explicitly declared to be subservient to national unity and state security and are considered by international observers to be limited to nonexistent.

The Directorate's judiciary system is under the auspices of the Directorate for Justice, with judges being appointed by the Supreme Popular Council and confirmed by the Council of State. While nominally providing for, the Prestonian judiciary has been described by outside observers as "byzantine," "ossified," and "fundamentally arbitrary" with accused persons being held for years without trial and access to counsel often unavailable. The workings of the judiciary are considered by the Directorate to be state secrets.

Military
WIP

Economy
Prestonia operates a  with significant  of corporations and economic sectors deemed to be in the national interest. At every level, businesses are expected to work primarily for the national interest rather than individual profit margin, with overall economic planning overseen by the Directorate for Economic Development. The Directorate retains the right to audit the dealings of publicly-held businesses and state corporations, maintaining a presence on the boards of major corporations with the ability to order restructurings or veto business decisions as necessary. In line with Directivist ideology, the national economy has prioritized, discouraged wealth inequality and sought to develop and maintain a strong and self-sufficient industrial sector.

Historically, Prestonia with the outside world following the Long March, pursuing instead a strategy of. Since the normalization of relations with the outside world in 1980, this strategy has given way to the development of a healthy global trade with the Directorate being a net importer, primarily of foodstuffs and agricultural products. Its largest exports are telecommunications equipment, computer software and hardware, timber, cod and salmon; major trading partners include Poja and Tilenno.

Transportation
Transportation infrastructure is maintained by the Directorate for Transport, under the auspices of the Highway Board and the Rail Board for road and rail construction and maintenance respectively. Rail is the most popular form of transport with state-run PrestRail administering rolling stock for short, medium and long-haul passenger traffic and the National Freight Corporation carrying intermodal rolling stock. Approximately 37% of households own a personal automobile, one of the lowest rates in Artemia, though vehicle ownership has increased in recent years.

Air travel has historically been conducted through Aer Preastún, the flag carrier and state-run airline of Prestonia.

Energy
Energy generation is overseen by the state-overseen National Power and Light Corporation and focused on controlling cost at point-of-use to consumers, subsidized by government expenditure. Historically powered by coal and oil burning plants, from the 1970s the Republic has increased its focus on, in particular making extensive use of hydroelectric plants and wind-turbine plants which now provide approximately 61% of Prestonia's energy. The government plans to phase out all remaining fossil-fuel burning power stations by no later than 2030 as additional renewable and energy-efficient plants are constructed.