Miedzymorze

Międzymorze,(Sarmatian pronunciation: [mjɛnd͡zɨˈmɔʐɛ]; also known in English as Intermarum) is a federal constitutional republic comprising five states and three federal districts. The country is situated in central Centrjziema or Midland Europe, where its semi-autonomous states lie between the Snieg Ocean and Vostok Sea, bordered by Kryobaijan and Kyiv to the north, four Oikawan Protectorates to the East, Polasciana and Sidajica to the South, and Wiese to the West. The country also possesses several occupied territories in the former Freiheit.

Comprised of 265 million people, the Intermarum Federation is the second or third largest country by population. While it is amongst the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, cultural pluralism is suppressed (unsuccessfully) by the Government through partial enforcement of the Assimilation Act of 1973.

The nation's history began with that of the Vyhoric Hordes, who emerged from Sangemuntenia in the 6th century to counter the spread of Christianity for several centuries. The Realm of Vyhor, or its Marching Lord, did not maintain a constant authority in many of its territories, and several distinct cultures survived the primarily religious persecution. A Kingdom of Sarmatia gradually came to dominate the cultural and political sway that Vyhor once had, expanding as fast as the Vyhoric Realm had, without compromising its centralization. In 1342, Sarmatia completed the Intermarum, or Miedzymorze, boasting an Empire that extended from the Snieg Ocean to the Vostok Sea through victory, defeat, conquest, annexation, setbacks, great losses, great gains, and forward progress.

After Miedzymorze was established, the Intermarum was almost immediately lost to revolts and infighting. At its peak, following the fall of the Holy Germanic Federation, Imperial Miedzymorze exercised great power and influence in the Far East and Southern Europe. An Assertionist Revolution in 1818, out of the Royal Provinces of Preria, Khazaria, Zivotinje, and Vyhor capitulated the Monarchy, augmenting it with a democratic commonwealth. The Monarch of Miedzymorze was maintained as a symbolic role until 1913, when a prometheist insurgency captured, tortured, and burned twenty-three year old Queen Eligia alive. Since 1914, the Intermarum Federation has considered itself to be the worlds largest democratic power, a contested point in contemporary political circles.

Miedzymorze is a recognized nuclear power and possesses the third largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction. The nation co-founded the Council of Nations and League of Free States, founded the International Blue Cross and Wildlife Conservation Society, and hosts the Midland Solidarity Convention every year.

Etymology
The Sarmatian name Międzymorze, which means "Intersea" or "Between-seas," refers to the territory between the Snieg Ocean and Vostok Sea. The Vyhoric Hordes initially had no concept of Oceans, and were ignorant to the world beyond the Nedza Bay. Sarmatia more or less shared this concept, to a minimum extent that once they achieved the important territorial goal, they quickly titled themselves the Międzymorzan Empire.

The direct translation into English comes from the Latin, as "Intermarum" or "Intermarium", but the English speaking world does not necessarily use one or the other exclusively, nor do they refrain from using Międzymorze.

The Midland Federation, a reference to the nations geographical position on the European mainland, is also standard. Other common forms include the Federation, Midlands, and Intermarum. The standard way to refer to a citizen of Miedzymorze is as an Miedzymorzan, but much of Europe identifies the nation with Sarmatia, and refers to its citizens as Sarmatians.

Prehistory
Historical findings illustrate that humanity has dwelled for thousands of years in the territory now occupied by the modern Miedzymorze Federation. There early cultures experienced invasion, nomadic migrations, and ultimately assimilation that created a unique cultural blend from Sarmatian, Barbaric, and Khazar socio-political structures with Tiburan-- and later Christian--literary traditions. The majority of Miedzymorzan themselves do not indulge in veneration of their early history or culture, which predate a unified state.

Originally polytheistic nature-worshippers, the Tribes of Miedzymorze developed a dark cult around Žanubog, the black god, and decorated their bodies, artwork, and dwellings with his symbols. Ancient Historians reported that they worshiped this dark god with the affixed belief that he would curse conquering or occupying powers from abroad, as a menacing underworld god who was master of the earth, mountains, and flame. The people offered agricultural products and animals as sacrifices and also cremated perished warriors, sealed the ashes in urns, and stowed them in remote caves in the mountains, or deep in the ground.

Vyhoric Realm
The legendary Age of Vyhor consisted of fortification and expansion by a class of Axe Wielding Infantry, apparent conquerors of ancient Sangemuntenia, Karpatica, Komenoge, Barœsi, Sarmatia Minor, and Preria. According to tradition, a horde emerged from the Western Mountain Ranges between Sangemuntenia and Karpatica under the leadership of Haralamb the Merciless, sometime in the decade of 720-730 AD. Achieving total-victory in the Battle of Soteală, south of Hrodino, Haralamb became the first Armed Lord of a united Salvatico (Tiburan Province), which was thereafter designated Vyhor, or the Vyhoric Realm. Haralamb's reign proceeded with scarce documentation, mostly scripts of mass-produced myths and legends that he would send to rival Lords or Realms out of his reach. Archaeological digs have unearthed evidence of his assumed presence as far reaching as Kryobaijan, where axes engraved with the mark of his personal guard, the Vicgardă, were found beside opposing forces weapons, yet no evidence or historical recollections have resolved an outcome or purpose of this battle from the Vyhoric Age. Haralamb was infamous for merciless brutality, inflicting harsh punishment upon captured enemies, traitors, and criminals within his Realm. This approach to leadership drove innumerable peasants to move and settle elsewhere, these fleeing commoners are known as the "Lost Echelon".

Over time, the Early Pagan Culture of Sarmatia and Zivotinje faded with the introduction of Vyhoric traditions and belief. There's was a vast pantheon of conflicted gods, spirits, and demons as portrayed in word of mouth epics, incarnations of which mutated exponentially between each written revision. Where human sacrifice was a rarity before, it came to be a sanguinary theme during the Vyhoric Age, drawing the attention of the Christianized West by the 11th Century.

Defeats by the hand of Khazar, Swabian, and subsequently Sarmatian forces minimized the Vyhoric realm season to season and year to year until the end of the 11th Century. In 1077, Vyhor consisted solely of the Forests in Karpatica and Mountains of Sangemuntenia. Rations became meager for the once hearty Vyhoric Infantry, as arable lands were systematically lost in Preria to the surging Miedzymorzan Kingdom. Conquered realms refused to pay tribute to the repeatedly defeated Vyhoric Hordes, and thus, the decline of Vyhor was a culmination of economic defeat and dereliction. For the remainder of the 11th Century they staked their survival by propagating a fledgling legend or reputation of their once great past, but the circulation of Christianity in the early 12th Century threatened the gasping ideology of Vyhor once and for all. Lord Kristan I declared the end of the Vyhoric Realms in 1119, by instituting a system of Western Nobility, and permitting Christian conversion by the Church of Paraclasty, thus altering the socio-economic traditions of the Vyhoric Age permanently.

Empire of Międzymorze
The Kingdom Between the Seas, the Królestwo Międzymorze had been born into the world with centuries of Sarmatian, and later Khazar, martial tradition to secure its place in the world, and was, at least for a few decades- and perhaps as much as a century and a half, arguably the greatest Christian power in the world. The last years of the Sixteenth Century saw glory and grandeur undreamt of descend upon the sprawling city of Hrodino, the seat of power for the Sons of Krzysztof I Sarmatyszky (the first Christian King of the Sarmatians) and the magnificent Midland Empire that he and his scions had forged. It had been more than a quarter of a century since the final defeat and annexation of the ancient and still quite formidable Khazar Khaganate (in 1539, at the four-month Siege and subsequent Battle of Itil), when the Druzhina and Streltsy of the Grand-Principality of the Novgorodian Rus' marched to war with the Huszars and Petyhorcy of the Sarmatian Kingdom overwhelmed and slaughtered the dreaded ranks of pike-men and famed mounted-archers of the Khagan and divided his dwindling homeland between them, ending the days when Khazars were the masters of their own destinies.

Like every institution in the Empire of Międzymorze, the Church of Paraclasty greatly benefited from the gold, silver, and exotic gems that were acquired in the conquered territories of the East and Southeast. Some of the examples of Early Modern Sarmato-Catholic Architecture were directly funded by spoils taken when the Khazar capital, Itil had fallen to- and been sacked by- vengeful Rus' and Sarmatian foot-soldiers (which some experts say would equate to several hundred billions of Kredz with inflation taken into account).

Era of Assertion
During the early 1800s the Monarchy began a number of fundamental reforms, bringing about a tide of change which included rapid liberalization and decentralization of the country's political system. The Ziv and Prerian Provinces began exercising autonomy, and resisting conscription and taxation tributes to the centralized powers of Hrodino, Sarmatia.

Marshal Konstanja, a Zivotun, incited a revolution built around the tenants of "Assertionism". A significant degree of economic decline was reported between 1810 and 1817 by the time the Revolution, sometimes called the "Zivolution", began. The Revolutionary Wars of Assertion, beginning in March 1818, was a six year conflict where Životinje "asserted" its independence forcefully by pushing the Kingdom of Miedzymorze from within and beyond its historical territories. Mounted tax collectors and conscription officers harassed male Zivs throughout the Second Jizhou Expansion War to a breaking point after Miedzymorzan victory on the Eastern Front, as many young men and economically disadvantaged individuals were forced in to service, fighting in all Ziv Brigades, to compensate for their outstanding tax debts to the King.

The Combined Duchies of Sangemuntenia and Divovia rekindled their historical Union, quickly soon after recruiting Preria as a third resource producing partner in 1819, together they combined to become the Blue Union (as opposed to Red Miedzymorze). This former ruling elite harnessed nationwide outrage by empowering returning War Veterans and local Militias with the resources to stage a revolution. A political breakaway was never attempted, meaning there was no declaration of war or independence by a unified state, it was deemed that independence from the Kingdom could only by asserted with physical violence. Divovia, Sangemuntenia, and Komenoge were not restored to their original status as monarchies, they were recognized by a military administrative union as Captaincies, managed by ranking Officers fighting in their respective Captaincy. Six years of attrition and unpreventable battlefield deaths later, Blue Union victory was attained at the Battle of Sjadnbrdo in 1823, followed by formal annexations of todays Northern Divovia, Preria, and an official cease fire on August 11th, 1824. The Wars of Assertion single handedly caused several social, political, and intellectual occurrences in Životinje and abroad. Victorious military leaders came to a compromise with the King of Miedzymorze in 1825, which forced the King to relinquish administrative control by championing and fostering democracy on the surface, and rampant liberalism on a grassroots level. The new Federation achieved a representative government comprised mostly of former officers and militiamen. The extents of military power was the most divisive debate following the war, two ideologies adequately represented popular thought: Assertionists and Reactionary Crimsonites. Assertionism was of course a Ziv ideology, but it presented a universally recognized theme of emphasizing military strength and control. Crimsonites constantly threatened a counter-revolution, reaching a zenith in 1872 when a Civil Compromise was devised, that created a literal fifty-fifty system of sharing administrative decisions between Crimsonites and Assertionists, a sort of two party system.

Great War & Contemporary Era
The Federation of today, excluding Barazi, was formed in response to the threats of Communism and Imperialism before and during the Great War. In 1913 Vyhoric Restorationists and Zivotun Assertionists, an anarcho-liberal syndicate, embraced their Prometheist Nationalism by inciting civil war and unrest. The Blue Union Captaincies of Zivotinje & Vyhor, as well as the Soviet Republic of Barazi, broke with Sarmatia and Khazaria completely in 1915. Democracy became the spirit of the age, and the heavy handed ways of old crumbled with the Church of Paraclasty for two short but radical decades.

The failure of the heavily centralized Sarmatian monarchy in the face of the various Promethean movements discounted the possibility of even a limited restoration of that ancient institution in Greater Sarmatia, leaving the Paraclete, and only the Paraclete as a figure of any real authority within those vast, but now isolated lands. Despite this fact, the office of the Paraclete, and Church built around that Divine Office was in a sorrier state than at any time in history. The spirit of Democracy that had seized the hearts and minds of new southern states had found toeholds amongst the Sarmatian population as well, and in many cases the level of idealism was just as high. It was only the widely varying degrees of political radicalism, often as vehemently opposed to their revolutionary fellows as to the institution of the Church that staved off a total collapse of the last vestiges of the old establishment. Such was the respite granted to the reigning Paraclete, Ignacy. The late 20's and early 30's seemed to be heading towards an outright Syndicalist victory in the industrial heartland of the north, and it was perhaps only the sudden turn towards overt brutality on the part of the Syndicalist leadership (as most evidenced by the assassination of the aging Ignacy in 1931) that saw this outcome ultimately averted. Though old, it was likely that Ignacy would have survived, and maintained his office (despite the peculiar requirements of the office itself) had it not been for this assassination- which allowed for the ascension of his chief "security advisor" to that most Holy of Thrones. Kazimierz (the eleventh Paraclete to bear that name) was able to turn the widespread disgust at the murder of an "old man" into a rallying cry for the Church's faithful, and more importantly, for many that had been religious, but on the fence as to who should truly be in charge of their beleaguered country's future. A firm, but relatively limited campaign to remove much of the Syndicalist leadership from their various power-centers ensued, and by 1934, Kazimierz was able to claim near total control of Greater Sarmatia.

Inevitably, economic realities stifled Blue Democracy in the late 1930s, and by the 30s Communism presented a formidable threat to both Sarmatia and the independent Zivotinje & Vyhor. Conservative values, or a return to faded traditions, appealed to men and women coming of age in the 40s. Democracy seemed unstable, and infiltration from extremist organizations instilled serious fear in former revolutionaries turned republicans.

The Antebellum Era was a culmination of terror, worse yet - the fear of God was restored through a resurgence of Paraclasty. As war broke out between Sarmatia and the Soviets, Zivotinje & Vyhor remained shy to respond to the call for combat, but a Communist insurgency in the South drew the Blue Union headlong in to the Eastern Front. Marshal Munteanu, of Vyhor, struck a deal with labor movements in Zivotinje, and the Church in Sarmatia that would reunite most of the traditional territories under one flag again. At this time, Sarmatia was losing the war in the North against Kryobaijan and Kyiv, and Zivotinje was in a stalemate with Soviet Barazi in the South. In 1948 Miedzymorze was a wet dream, Federalist Forces had lost oceanic territories in both North & South, as well as the Gateway Sea. Democracy disintegrated where it had shown promise; Church Leaders made the promise of salvation, or the realization of True Civilization as God had "always intended".

Separatist Nationalists became the minority as the masses crawled back to the Central Authority. The Crimson Horde had returned to Europe with collaborative armor and air projects, turning the tide in time for some of the bloodiest exchanges in European History. Miedzymorze met Kryobaijan and Kyiv for a truce in (insert year), after a game changing nuclear detonation in Sarmatia. It was the peace that all wanted at the time, but the terms were ultimately insufferable. Barazi rejoined the Federation only in name, and much of the Northern Territories were ceded to the Soviets in terms of peace. The nation crawled forward after the war, proceeded to a stumble in the 70s and 80s by losing Barazi to revolution once again, then finally stabilized in the 90s and early 2000s. In 2009, the Federation intervened in Barazi for a second time, deposing the Milliyetci Junta, and legitimizing its claim to Intermarum once more.

Geography & Climate
Extending across the north and south of the European Midland, Miedzymorze encompasses a great diversity of landscapes and climates. The mountainous interior is known to be very cold, and the middle country in general is known for its harsh winters. The largest city, Karpatica, at 1900 m elevation in the interior, has average winter temperatures of −14 °C. Preria and Khazaria are well-known for producing wheat and barley, and fertile grasslands also exist in these somewhat undeveloped regions, which both experience a moderate amount of rainfall. The Mściwy Cordillera, made up of several mountain ranges, runs through the western realms of the country and is generally considered the dividing point between western and midland Europe. Large areas of steppes dominate Sarmatia, where grain farming and ranching have been carried out for centuries, in a region that experiences a continental climate. Miedzymorze's tourism industry benefits from one of the nations redeeming qualities, a natural beauty, which has historically been fiercely protected by environmental laws. The Vyhoric Federal Reserve Park, Mściwy Cordillera Range, Lake of Karpatica, and Preria & Khazar Federal Reserve Territories have been safeguarded by the Federation.

States
As a federation, Miedzymorze is divided into five states. These states are then divided into districts and statutory cities. Districts are subdivided into municipalities. Statutory Cities have the competencies otherwise granted to both districts and municipalities. The states are not mere administrative divisions but have some legislative authority distinct from the federal government, e.g. in matters of culture, social care, youth and nature protection, hunting, building, and state militaries.

Politics
The Federal Constitution adopted in 1913, which superseded that of the 1818 Revolution, is the legal foundation of the modern federal state. This Constitution was meant to be a temporary document, but failed to be phased out. Amongst the perishable features, was that of the Federal Directorate, which centrally dictates legislative, executive, and judicial organs. The Constitution does outline imperishable political rights of individuals and citizen participation in public affairs, and defines the autonomy of the five states, or where federal jurisdiction and authority applies. The political system is thus characterized by the superior role of the Federal Directorate, which exercises power on a grand scale.

All laws and governmental procedures are subject to the Organ of Appeal, and any law or federal action that an appealing individual or movement can prove to be unconstitutional is voided. The most common voids enforced by the Organ of Appeal relate to freedom of speech, possession of contraband, and civil rights persecution cases.

The Federal Directorate
At the top of the Intermarum Federation is the Directorate, elected by citizens registered in corresponding directories (sometimes called classes) for two year terms. The Directorate, which consists of five Directors, elects a Chairholder (1 Year Term), the highest ranking office in the Federation. Depending on the degree of power compromise, coercion, or power consolidation, the Directorate works as a collective body or as a puppet of the Chairholder. Individual Directors often pursue differing policies or missions, that inherently produce conflict within the executive organ, and the country as a whole.

The Directorate dominates to this day by maintaining control over the system of appointment to subordinate offices. A Director may terminate or appoint officials of every station within their pertaining directory. The Directorate consists of five Directories and Directors (ordered by seniority):


 * Directory of Diplomatic Defense, headed by Arkady Ostrogski (Chairholder of 2008-10) (Old Crimson Movement)
 * Directory of Faith & Finance, headed by Jozef Koscialkowski (Federation of Faith Movement)
 * Directory of Environment, Transport, and Energy, headed by Waldus Haczek (Old Crimson Movement)
 * Directory of Defense & External Development, headed by Dionis Huszar (Assertionist & Prometheist Movement)
 * Directory of Education, Justice, and Home Development, headed by Irena Kinderdal (Independent)

States of the Federation are meant to be independent or autonomous, however the authority the Directorate is able to exercise over subordinates is near inescapable. The Four States and Union Territory each maintain a similar system of directory authority, and the directors of a state are considered subordinate to their respective federal director.

Economy
Miedzymorze has a state-directed economy characterized by a highly indoctrinated workforce, a developed oil and natural gas industry, a swaying capital stock, a curbed level of corruption, and an agency of roving auditors. It has the largest national economy in Centrjziema and the single largest national economy of the Eastern European Mainland. The industry sector contributes around 55% of the total GDP, service 31%, and agriculture 14%. In December 2010 the average national unemployment rate was 8.2%.

Although many companies are technically considered private enterprises, their workers fall under the influence of the Labor Chief; the executive of all workers. The growing welfare state provides all citizens recognized as Patrons of Paraclasty with free healthcare, free education including university education, employment insurance, child care; taxes are frequently on the rise, and are a point of conflict in the modern political arena.

The Federal economy is reliant on its workers culture, and when at its best, the economy thrives in conjunction with vast natural resources and primary industry. Miedzymorze is noted for its strong environmental laws and its strict enforcement of workplace and product safety laws, and to assure this law is maintained, all utility, energy, transport companies are either nationalized or strictly regulated. Many of the nation's largest companies are state-owned or managed by a Trade-Union. Most unions mandate active participation in the Congressional Trade Conglomerate, which elects the Chief of Labor, and regulates much of the economy.

Miedzymorze's main industries are automobiles, agricultural equipment, mining and extractive industry, and the military industry. With its skilled labor focused workforce, Miedzymorze has built a rigid structure of careers that require lifetime service. Meats, grains, and dairy products are the main agricultural products while Miedzymorzan beer and liquors are also important exports.

Policies of the recent decade have focused primarily on development of the automobile sector and economic self-sufficiency by encouraging as much inter-state savings and investment as possible. More and more, the Congressional Trade Conglomerate is preventing individual states from trading with foreign countries without Federal blessing.

Federal transportation networks are reliant on a public transportation infrastructure established in the 1960s. Cities have traditionally maintained these original transit networks, which are generally the primary means for commuting in most Federal cities. Road highways are primarily a State responsibility, however interstate highways are subject to Federal patrols by the Internal Protection Agency, who conduct cargo checks at stations along highways. Many small remote communities, especially in the far south and southwest, also rely entirely on air links for transport. Modernizing those interstate highways and railways has been a point of contention for the last decade, these expensive projects have not yet made it past planning stages.

the Arts
Miedzymorzan literature began with 12th century religious writing; the Sarmatian poetry of Vlach the Poet is recognized as amongst the greatest contributions to Eastern Literature. Just only avoiding total national collapse, the Book of Flame (biblical text in Paraclasty) was translated in to English, French, and German from Sarmatian Standard in 1438, after heated debate and tension in religious communities. The Book of Flame has only been revised in languages other than Sarmatian once, in 1932, when a convention held in Old Hrodino re-published the text. In most countries, where the controversial book is permitted, it is sold separately from conventional editions of the Holy Bible, and not enclosed within the Old Testament.

Until the Era of Assertionism and Prometheist Activism, Sarmatia dominated the literary scene artificially. The free development of literature was non-existent in the Provinces of the Miedzymorze Empire, where Ziv, Vyhoric, or Baroturk writers were obligated to claim Sarmatian lineage to publish their works. Several poets and authors went into exile in these years, returning not long after the 1818 Wars of Assertion. The last major era of literature occurred in the 1970s with novels published by Jozef Kościałkowsky and Rafal Hollad.

From the 18th Century, Miedzymorze recalls its most influential musician, Korcszuk Sklodowska, a Sarmatian. Slodowska composed operas and chamber music pieces from Witnica. In this time of liberal prosperity, he collaborated with Vyhoric poet Vasilica Onbrozio and created the opera Pobudka (Reveille), a war epic. At the end of the 19th century, major Miedzymorzan cities formed their own opera and ballet companies. After the Great War, music focused on the hardships of the Miedzymorzan commoner or on those who took up arms in defense of the homeland. The Federal Art Department (FAD), in Karpatica, awards musicians and students from around the nation every year.