Greater Nactia

Greater Nactia, officially the Kingdom of Greater Nactia (Nactian: Kernigate su Nactia Jevalta) is a sovereign state in Northern Artemia. The country shares a border with Sterndal to the east, Gardarike to the south, Ostboland to the west and the Boreal Ocean to the north. The Kingdom of Greater Nactia is constitutionally a federal state comprising of 18 duchies and 5 free cities grouped into two nations, Nactia and Oax. It has a total area of 541,000km^2 (208,881 sq mi) and a population of 15.3 million (as of 2021). The largest city in the country is Ascirra, a free city located in the south of Nactia. The capital has been Savaticu since 1658.

The lands that would later become the current kingdom were originally inhabited by the Berevic people, named after the river that traditionally serves as the border between Nactia and Oax. No traces of writing have been found from this time period, but archaeological evidence of their settlement of the area dates back thousands of years. In the early 600s one of the Berevic tribes, the Tiaja, had conquered most of Nactia. By the late 600s a group of seafaring people founded colonies on the northern shores of Nactia and formed an alliance among themselves called the Confederation of Nact. For nearly a century they would remain adversaries, often sparking outright wars. According to legend the final war between them was ended when both sides found a common heir to both of their slain leaders, King Saptirax, who would become the first king of Nactia in 768.

The current borders were established in 1227 after Nactia conquered the Kingdom of Oax under the reign of Juho V. They would remain separate monarchies in personal union until 1532 when they were unified under Juho VII into the present day Kingdom of Greater Nactia. In 1602 the Kingdom split after duchies in the south contested the ascension of Seox II and elected their own monarch, Juho VIII (not to be confused with the later Juho VIII). This split the realm into the Northern Kingdom of Greater Nactia and the Southern Kingdom of Greater Nactia until they were reunified in 1649. Two years later a document was signed between the Monarch and members of the nobility called the Jevastil (Great Agreement) which serves as the national constitution to this day. Due to rising inequality a successful uprising occurred in 1714 called the First Popular Revolution in which the practice of serfdom was abolished and substantial legal rights were granted to the Burghers. Exactly 200 years later in 1914 the Second Popular Revolution broke out. Unlike the first, this was mostly peaceful and currently serves as the foundational basis for most of modern day Nactian political science.

Etymology
The name "Nactia" is a combination of the two states that preceded the foundation of the Kingdom of Nactia, the Nact and the Tiaja. It is translated as "Nakatia" in Oaxite, owing to the syllabic nature of that language. Its first recorded use is found on a runestone dating back to the early 900s.

Reunified State, 1649-Present
The 1960s was a period of stagnation for the nation as a whole. For most of the decade the Blue Roses party formed the government. Initially they maintained popularity, but as a result of passing many socially liberal laws and collaborating with other left wing parties they began to offend the comparatively traditionalist general population. This is exemplified in the then Prime Minister Havi Joluke calling for a "Third Popular Revolution" in 1969 in antcipation of the upcoming elections next year. The 1970 parliamentary election was close and indecisive, with 5 undeclared seats separating Blue Roses from winning a third time in a row and a prospective right wing coalition government between Guild Majors and Platinum. The latter two parties with near unanimous support of the military and nobility staged a coup against the still incumbent Blue Roses. King Juho XIII initially refused to recognize the new coalition even though he was sympathetic to the movement, saying that "democracy ought to compass our ship". He later conceded to the creation of a Royal Commission to investigate the election and award the final 5 seats, with 4 of them going to Platinum and thereby granting them a governing majority.

Politics
The Kingdom of Greater Nactia is officially a constitutional monarchy. While the ultimate source of authority within the nation comes from the King, there is an official and physical constitution (the Jevastil) that outlines the structure of government. The original paper was written over 800 years ago and has been amended constantly since then

Federal Government
The King of Nactia is the head of state. The Crown is inherited on the basis of seniority, with the oldest member of the current monarch's dynasty being the crown prince. In the line of succession, men only have preference over women within the same generation (for example, the aunt of a king will inherit before his sons but only if he has no uncles). As head of state, the King is the head of the nation's armed forces. He also reserves the right to dissolve parliament and any laws passed by said institution require royal assent. When a monarch dies the crown prince immediately becomes the next monarch, but a 1 month period called an Intercorona takes place between the previous monarch's death and the coronation of the new one. A monarch needs to be 20 years of age or older and mentally capable to utilize the power of his office. King Espen III has been the head of state since 4/12/2007

The Parliament of Nactia is the highest legislative body within the kingdom. It is bicameral, the upper house being the Chamber of Magnates and the lower being the Chamber of Burghers. Dukes, Margraves, Counts and other Lords appoint members to the CoM. The upper house also includes members of the royal family, priests and other noblemen appointed by the King for outstanding merit and service to the nation. The country is divided into 515 constituencies, and citizens of each elect a popular representative (PR) to the CoB. Upon each new formation of government, the elected members of the CoB hold the right to elect the nation's prime minister, without needing the consent of the upper house but with consent of the King. Elections occur every 4 years, unless a snap election is ordered. A party or coalition of parties needs a majority of PRs in order to form a government. A party or coalition of parties needs at least 1/4th control of the CoB to form the Official Opposition and a shadow cabinet. All other parties sit on the cross bench.

The Prime Minister is the head of government. The office must be held by a member of the Gentry or Commons, in line with the principle of representing the lower classes in positions of elected office. He is the head of and directs the nation's cabinet with the additional responsibility of representing the nation abroad. He has the right to pass executive orders, appoint ambassadors and sign international treaties. He can be removed with a super majority vote of no confidence. Hadon Faley is the current head of government. Faley first became Prime Minister after the Great Justice leadership election of 2015 and retained his position after the 2018 parliamentary elections in which his party and two others formed a governing coalition.

Economy
Greater Nactia's economy operates as a mixed economy. Certain industries operate under state ownership, including the national airline Nactia Air, enterprises for oil & natural gas, the national passenger rail system and even some sports teams. Parliament is granted commissions by the monarch to operate "Crown Companies", which are essentially state corporations. These are often named after colors and can be privatized at the government's discretion. An example of this was Azure Crown Corporation (ACC) having most of its domestic economy production spun off into Northstar Inc. Fishing and maritime trade are as tied to the economy as they are to Nactian culture, with the country boasting a larger than average merchant marine fleet for it's size. Greater Nactia is also a large exporter of lumber. Although many of their factories are located outside of the country, some transportation companies are headquartered in Nactia. Notable among these are the "Big Three" manufacturers; Loop, Wave and E-Line who create automobiles and subway cars.

Wealth inequality is considerably small in the country, as a social safety net exists to protect the poor and many private industries operate as worker cooperatives. There is a universal health care system, paid time off for sick leave & maternity leave, free secondary education and food "taverns" operated by the government. Consequentially, the government places a significant amount of economic resources into these programs which are only outspent by the military.

Transportation
Public transportation is heavily subsidized by the government, with 3 subway networks in the country and numerous buses and light rail lines serving smaller cities and towns. The Ascirra Subway System is the largest with 8 different lines (including two shuttle services), followed by the Savaticu Subway System with 4.