Commonwealth of Nyasaland

The Archduchy of Nya~saland is the current incarnation of the historical territory of Nyasaland. Nyasaland was first settled in mid 2017, and soon proclaimed a Republic under the Nyasan Constitution. Nyasaland prospered for a time under the Republic, building the city of Palgrave, developing surrounding areas and holding cordial relationships with all neighbours.

Nyasaland eventually grew inactive however, with the island falling under the protection of a number of states during this period; eventually Nyasaland was revived under the state of Annwyn in November 2018, a country existing in the former southern territory of the Nyasan Republic. The 'Annwyn Archduchy' existed for nearly a month, until a peaceful agreement for a transition to independence on the 21st December.

Etymology
The use of 'Nya~saland' vs 'Nyasaland' with or without the tilde are both valid - official forms will tend towards inclusion of the tilde, however. The only pronunciation difference is a slight kawaii accent.

There is a minor demonymic dispute bettween Nyasan, and Nyasalandic - in official contexts, the former is preferred, however the latter has some popularity in certain sectors.

Early History
Nyasaland was first settled in mid 2017 by Syurii, AveAwan and Phantasm_agaric, and soon proclaimed a Republic under the Nyasan Constitution. The young Republic quickly established cordial relations with its two major neighbours, Persia and Nevada. With Persia, a treaty was signed partitioning the lands to the south which both powers had interest in, to head off any future conflicts.



Economic Expansion
The nascent Republic soon began to rapidly expand its economy and political projection; undergoing extensive mining ventures to fund the construction of factories such as an Ore Smelter, and the colonisation of a Nether Island to the east. A rail line was constructed between the capital and the island,

bringing in a steady flow of Netherwart with the idea of developing an XP industry. Complimenting this, southern territory of Yorick Fields was linked to

Nyasaland with a large bridge, and the territory developed with potato and carrot farms.

Decline
Slowly however, interest began to wane, and despite the founding of the borough of Chantilly Hollow, the Nyasan Republic drew to a quiet close. The land was claimed by a number of ephemeral states, and the city of Palgrave especially was visited by many travellers. While spared any large-scale raiding, the Nyasan government stockpiles were ransacked leaving the country penniless, and the bridge to the mainland was destroyed. A small village of unknown origin was built on the west coast, largely hidden under thick tree cover.

Revival & Free State
On the 26th November 2018, Nyasaland was revived as a political entity, as an autonomous region under the Kingdom of Annwyn under the name of the 'Nyasaland Free State' - forfeiting its overseas possessions in Yorick Fields and Nether Colonies. Annwyn had temporarily renamed Nyasaland to Tyr, but this was quickly reversed with the return of the indigenous inhabitants. The Free State period saw extensive extensive development of the capital city Palgrave, and steps towards economic recovery following a long period of abandonment.

The government during this period was termed the 'Nyasan Free State', with Syurii ruled as Governor with the provisional national flag being a plain magenta, white and cyan tricolour without any emblem of coat of arms.

Following an influx of migrants both new and old to the country, a period of heated internal political deliberation began, and the 4th December 2018 saw the promulgation of the official terms of Nyasaland's new status - the Archduchy of Nyasaland Charter. It had been decided to reform the country into a hereditary Archduchy, following the monarchical example of the country's new overlord, Annwyn. The new Archducal Order was quickly entrenched with the construction of the lavish Palgrave Palace on the city's outskirts, the country's largest building.

New Settlements
Negotiations with the northern country of Brightshore obtained a concession in the form of a strip of coastal land across their southern coastline, beyond Typha, for settlement by Nyasaland. This area was named the Margraviate of Nyanzig, ruled from the capital of Amsdenbruck by Margrave 8isanumber. Amsdenbruck soon became the main destination for immigrants to Nyasaland, with its virgin land and lax building codes.

The town of Belle Harbour was also founded as a Bishopric under claravoyant, finally settling the historically barren territory of Typha. Belle Harbour soon developed a unique culture, centred around the faith of the 'Great Chorus'.

Nyasaland flourished, with a steady stream of migrants and rapid economic growth in the form of factory construction, infrastructure expansion and security programmes as the nation's wealth grew to unprecedented heights under Annwynian patronage.

Nyexit
"This is so stupidly fucked." -Governor Cat_alunya, 20th December

The Nyexit Debacle is long, complicated, and many parts of it remain classified. Suffice to say, it was the two-day period surrounding what was eventually Nyasaland's seperation from Annwyn. The country had been steadily growing, strong with nationalistic fervor - the latest outlet of which was the release of the new Anthem, Fair Nyasaland. Seeing this, and with defensive concerns of their own, Annwyn offered an independence referendum to Nyasaland in which they would be free to stay or leave.

Initially, this was received warmly - there had been no great clamouring for freedom, but peaceful independence had been discussed within some sectors of the country, especially the Nyasaland Fascist Party - with hopes of a friendship treaty post-independence maintaining the current economic status quo. However, negotiations made it clear that continued Nyasan access to the Annwynian infrastructure that the country's populace had grown reliant on would not be on the table. Annwyn continued to insist on an independence referendum, effectively as a loyalty poll to avoid retaining a fiercely independently-minded populace.

At this point what would later be known as the First Referendum was held - the government campaigned for a vote to remain, stressing economic disaster if Nyasaland were to be left without the infrastructure she had grown accustomed to. Initially the government campaign dominated public opinion, but as realities set in, a more hardened approach began being espoused by the Fascist Party, with more now wondering if the hardships of independence were well worth it. Furthermore, questions were raised about the validity and clarity of the referendum; it had been hastily set up, with no clear statement from Annwyn on whether this was binding, advisory, what concessions Nyasan loyalty would bring with it, and exactly what infrastructure Nyasaland would be deprived of should she leave.

These concerns eventually lead to the annulment of the First Referendum before polls were even closed, and hasty negotiations obtained a more clear statement from Annwyn; concessions in regards to security, and the ability of the Annwyn military to establish bases freely on Nyasan land. Hoping to close the matter quickly, Nyasan proposals for a lengthier time period to host a health national debate were rejected. This lead to a much more chaotic and polarised Second Referendum, with Annwyn's verbatim position clearly stated on the ballot.

The Government continued to campaign for a vote to remain, again stressing the economic catastrophe of leaving Annwyn, but there was no longer a clear line and the Fascist Party now campaigned for independence at any cost, fearing that a remain vote would sign away and Nyasan self-determination within Annwyn, and deprive them of future chances for peaceful independence - eternal servitude.

However, at the last hour, an unexpected salvation came. Nyasan explorers had charted a land far to the south, dubbed 'Tanganyanka'. Tanganyanka was a land of swamps, deserts, mushroom isles - effectively all virgin land, and with the right climates and biomes to host the infrastructure neccessary to support Nyasan industry of the kind that Annwyn would have left them without. Previous economic analyses had understood that all surrounding biomes were already occupied by Annwyn, with their own infrastructure, rendering any further-afield industry unprofitable and irrelevant due to distance. With this, all that changed. Now, with only a bit of backbone and hard work, Nyasaland could have her own farms, factories, XP industry and the other crucial aspects that the national economy had become accustomed to.

A wave of nationalistic fervor and sudden optimism immediately swept the nation, with the Second Referendum, again, annulled before the polls were closed, and Nyasan negotiators announced to Annwyn the country's decision to go their own way. The 'Treaty on Relations' was drafted later that day, formalising Nyasaland's independence.

New Constitution
A new constitution solidifying the legal bedrock of the independent Nyasan state, granting more democracy than Nyasans had experienced since the Republic - the Archduchess was granted primacy over foreign affairs, while a reorganised Governor's office called 'the First Minister' was given a popular mandate through bi-monthly elections and sole jurisdiction in domestic affairs.

Some political changes followed, with the Fascist Party reforming its image after an influx of new members and the new situation after independence - adopting an ideology of National Bolshevism and hoping to champion worker's rights in the newly free Nyasaland, the NFP was reorganised into the Nyational Worker's Party.

December Election
The first election on the 23rd December saw a surprisingly narrow victory for the NWP, with 90% vote turnout. Contributing to the electoral surprise of the Noble Womb's success was the early Choralist group, the Sisterhood of the Bell, throwing their support behind them.

Colonisation of Tanganyanka
With backbreaking speed, a rail line spanning the 2600m from Palgrave to Tanganyanka was dug and track laid in one night, independence day on the 21st December immediately linking the new colony to the metropole. Farms were quickly established, as well as the small town of Purazi. The land was more thoroughly charted, and with this it was divided into the regions of swampy Gondweli, arid Mizizma and dour Tynwald. Governess vriskalicious was also soon appointed to govern the territory.

Choral Pact
With the proto-religion that would later develop into Choralism growing from its seedbed in Typha to now sweeping the entire country, this particular development now came to the attention of the government. After the Archduchess' personal conversion, and with the need for a religious tradition to further support the country's national identity and by which to officiate ceremonies such as the upcoming Royal Wedding, negotiations were entered into with the leaders of Belle Harbour's choralist community, the Sisterhood of the Bell. The Choral Pact on the 2nd January 2019 saw the early roots of Choralism reformed into a defined religion integrated into civic life, termed 'State Choralism' - this was organised under a state church, the Great State Chorus, of which the Archduchess was symbolic leader.

Nyasaland's days of secularism were over, and this had immediate political and symbolic ramifications - government officials now had to swear allegiance to the Four Tones; Loyalty, Vigour, Charity, Wisdom, and the country's coat of arms now saw the Kawaiion holding a bell-adorned staff.

Expansion of Nyanzig


Nyasaland had for a long period of time grown dissatisfied with the geographic situation of the Margraviate of Nyanzig, which was rapidly growing in population yet unable to be fully developed accordingly due to its small territorial size and unyielding terrain. Following weeks of border conflicts, heated negotiations and back-and-forths between Brightshore and Nyasaland, a treaty was signed on the 3rd January expanding Nyanzig significantly with more land from Brightshore for a payment. Subsequently, the capital of territory was relocated to the new town of Tomocho in the great eastern valley which had been acquired for the Magraviate. From this point onward, Nyasaland would be further committed to restoring positive relations and cordiality with their northern neighbour.

Prelude
The Belle Mutiny, or Sisterhood Rebellion, was a civil conflict and exodus of religious radicals from Nyasaland - and the associated terror incidents - mostly taking place over the 10th January. This lead to a marked drop in Nyasaland's population, as well as a religious schism between State Choralism and the Sisterhood of the Bell.

The Sisterhood of the Bell were the original Choralist sect which were as of the Choral Pact, enshrined as the 'inner circle' within the Great State Chorus, Nyasaland state church. The Sisterhood's population were centred in Belle Harbour, capital of Typha. For weeks by the time of the rebellion, the Sisterhood, and the town by extention, had been growing increasingly insular; isolating themselves in their own chatgroups and shunning contact with the rest of the Nyasan nation, fostering an echo chamber mentality developed in which minor misunderstandings ballooned into full-blown conspiracy theories and bore into a mass hysteria.

This phenomenon had been growing for several weeks, largely unbeknown to the Nyasan authorities who wrote off the citizens as merely keeping to themselves; this hysteria took the form of a number of conspiracy theories, which began with only with very minor misconceptions but quickly spiralled and seized control over large sections of the Belle populace. Perceptions of Nyasaland as a maniacal, far-right dictatorship ran wild, borne from misunderstandings on the long-gone Fascist Party and the dynamics of Nyasan leadership; another prominent fear was that the Archduchess was in the process of constructing an advanced prison in which to lock up political enemies - this was likely born from a misunderstanding on the nature of vaults. All of this was bolstered with increasingly apocalyptic religious rhetoric being promulgated by the Sisterhood, which call for an end-times conflict between them at the rest of Nyasaland.

The Mutiny
At some point it was internally decided that the Sisterhood needed to leave Nyasaland, which they would do after deconstructing the entire town of Belle Harbour - something they did publicly under the pretext of a terraforming project. A location across the map had been selected, and the plan was to become a travelling nomadic and religious order with a central base. Violence had until this point not featured in either rhetoric or planning, but during the chaos of the exodus some radical elements of the Sisterhood looted ores, ransacked the First Minister's house and notably also conducted a small bombing campaign, leaving traps across the city which did minor damage to the Transyasan Highway, Founder's Lodge, Palgrave Palace. Another trap laid in the looted First Minister's house was also defused before it could go off. This was largely constrained to Palgrave, however in Tanganyanka the Purazi rail station was also targeted, killing one civilian with a trapped water drop.

The Nyasan response, once it became clear what had happened, was to go on high alert - regional and international connections were alerted, and a server-wide manhunt to pursue those who had terrorised the country in the exodus ensued. Despite the discovery of several hitherto unknown Belle Harbour infrastructure projects including a secret rail line, leads quickly dried up. Having been stonewalled in the early hours of the mutiny, the mutineers internally began to break faith and realise the mistake they had made, with diplomatic channels beginning to open up between loyal Nyasans who some the Sisters were less fearful of. Eventually, full-scale peace negotiations were entered into and the full story of the panic which had swept the insular town and lead to the exodus was divulged. Despite brief talks of a trial, after the stolen resources were returned and minor damages patched up, it was decided no charges would be pressed.

Aftermath
After extensive talks both internal and external, it was decided what should be done. The High Mother Claravoyant and her accomplice, chief agitator and major terrorist CallMeRevelation were permanently exiled from Nyasaland - the latter of which under the threat of pearling should they return - while a general amnesty was extended to all other members of the Sisterhood, with an open invitation to come back to Nyasaland.

Over the next few weeks, some elements of the Sisterhood remained abroad continuing to foster their bizarre apocalyptic sect. Others came back to Nyasaland, some settling in Tomocho. In response to the theological crisis provoked by this religious schism, the Archduchess - who was also Conductor of the Great State Chorus - decreed the 'Commentary on the Choralist Schism' in which she reorganised the state church, removing claravoyant from her position as High Mother and further establishing State Choralism as a distinct tradition, with the construction of a standardised shrines across the country. This generic design now also bore a drop of blood beneath the bell, to symbolise the turmoil of the Sisterhood's rebellion.

January Election
The country's second national election came on the 23rd January, with some functional changes following constitutional amendments. This was backed by an advisory poll, in which citizens voted overwhelmingly to conduct elections via instant-runoff voting and once every month, on the 23rd, as opposed to every two months.

The election saw a decreased turnout of 71% down from 90%, but with a larger electorate, with 15 votes cast, up from 9 in December. The recently-formed NCP proved to be a surprisingly potent electoral force, and was in fact in the lead during the first 24 hours of polling, and garnering support from all sectors of Nyasan society. However, the old guard in the NWP prevailed with a majority of first preference votes, and the election did not go to a second stage.

Electoral data revealed that the NWP attracted either diehard support, or complete opposition; evidenced by their almost complete lack of second preference votes.

Imperial Expansion
In mid-February 2019, after the construction of the Chastity vault cemented Nyasaland as a serious regional power, the country undertook several diplomatic annexation efforts bringing many new territories under the Nyasan flag.



Treaty of Antietam
The vast nation of Appomattox had been one of the server's oldest nations, before slowly falling into inactivity and disrepair until its official dissolution in January 2019, where its territories were partitioned between Nyasaland, Annwyn, Brightshore, and the rump-state of the Free City of Appomattox.

In the time since, the remaining leadership of the Free City of Appomattox had grown close to Nyasaland, and a general good nature developed between the two countries. Seeking to unite them, ensuring protection for what remained of Appomattox's land and granting Nyasaland access to many new biomes in the vast tracts of undeveloped lands in the east, the Treaty of Antietam was signed on the 9th February 2019, which appointed the monarchy of Nyasaland as the new sovereigns of Appomattox, reclaimed many abandoned former territories of Appomattox, as well as incorporating the rump FCA into the Dominion of Yonder-Dixie, which was joined to Nyasaland through House Palgrave in a personal union.

The negotiations were long and fraught, with discarded suggestions including a royal wedding to join Houses Palgrave and Gensokyo (the aristocratic family forming the Appomattox upper class) into one joint Palgrave-Gensokyo family, as well as a purely civic affair where Appomattox/Yonder-Dixie would be directly annexed by the Nyasan state. The half-way point which was come to was a situation whereby House Palgrave alone would be appointed as the monarchs of Appomattox/Yonder-Dixie, and Hosue Gensokyo would be appointed to rule over the Dominion as the Dukes of Antietam.

Annexation of Mythril
Also around the time of the Treaty of Antietam, the inactive Kingdom of Mythril with which Nyasaland had once enjoyed cordial and warm relations, agreed to cede their territory to Nyasaland for safekeeping, expanding the nation yet more.

February Election
The February Election saw a decreased turnout and electorate of 12 votes down from 15. The circumstances around the election were particularly different, with two-term First Minister, former Governor and political titan on the Nyasan stage, cat_alunya, stating she would not run for a third term. For her services to the nation over many months, she would become the second ever recipient of a Knights Order of Benny, Nyasaland's highest decoration.

The NWP chose icedog68, a Tanganyankan, as their candidate, who won the election with a large majority. Support for other parties, especially the Conservationist Party, fell away in the election, and the newly-formed Dixie Nationalist Party did not make an impressive electoral debut.

March Election
The March Election saw a slightly higher turnout than the February Election, but still 1 lower than that of January's. This election was much closer than any previously, being the first to go beyond the first round of votes, and making it all the way to the final third round. An interesting change in demographics took place, with now 50% of candidates being men. Previous First Minister Icedog68 saw very little action through her term, which may have contributed to a waning trust in the Nyational Worker's Party.

This election saw the first candidacy of Adil, a newfriend who chose to run for his own Better Nyasaland Party. As the sole member of the party he managed to garner an impressive 2 votes. Adil however, was not the only one to gather an impressive number of votes; March saw a 300% increase in the amount of votes for Kogasa, who stuck it out until the third round but was unfortunately beaten.

Politics
The bedrock of modern Nyasan politics is the Constitution, which establishes a constitutional monarchy with an elected First Minister, and defines the country's aristocracy, government, and formalities such as the new national symbols. The two main organs of state in the Archduchy are the Archduchess herself, who represents the head of state and deals with foreign affairs, and the First Minister who represents the citizenry, elected by preferential voting on the 23rd of every month, and having jurisdiction over internal affairs. Under the First Minister serve a number of committees and secondary ministers, which fall under their responsibility. Some of these currently in function include;




 * Nyasaland Immigrations and Customs Board; overviews the granting of Nyasan citizenship to individuals
 * Nyasaland Boundary Commission; overviews the management and revision of Nyasaland's internal administrative borders.

Regional leaders a high degree of influence within their respective territories, the most notable example being Margrave 8isanumber of Nyanzig. A Marshal who governs the national army is also appointed jointly by the Archduchess and the First Minister - the incumbent is BennyZ.

Political Parties
Going back to under the Annwyn Archduchy, the country has several political parties and other politically-motivated movements.

Documents

 * Constitution of the Republic of Nyasaland The nation's first constitution, written in 2017.
 * Charter of the Archduchy of Nyasaland The charter under which the Annwyn Archduchy, or 'Nyannwyn', operated. Laid the bedrock for much of modern Nyasan politics, including the Archduchy itself.
 * Constitution of the Archduchy of Nyasaland The country's constitution after independence, putting in place an elected First Minister position and with other reforms to limit the power of the Archduchess.
 * Nyasaland-Annwyn Treaty on Relations Nyasaland's pseudo-independence-document, which laid out the basic relations between Nyasaland and Annwyn after the former's transition to independence.
 * Nyasaland-Mythril Alliance An alliance between Nyasaland and the northern country of Mythril.
 * Choral Pact An internal concordat between the Archduchess and the country's Choralist religious leaders in which 'State Choralism' was established as Nyasaland's official religion.
 * Nyanzig Expansion Treaty An agreement with the northern country of Brightshore whereby Nyasaland purchased more land along her northern shore to expand the Margraviate of Nyanzig.
 * Monarchist Union An international alliance between the server's monarchies, of which Nyasaland was the second signatory.
 * Commentary on the Choralist Schism A pontification from the Great State Chorus reforming the religion and dealing with ecumenical matters in the aftermath of the Belle Mutiny.
 * Treaty of Antietam Established a personal union between Nyasaland and the Dominion of Yonder-Dixie, made up of the former territories of the Free States of Appomattox.



Under the Republic
Under the old Republican Nyasan Constitution, the Republic was composed of numerous unique features, with a Westminsteresque elected Assembly staffed by elected representatives, and a President to handle military & foreign affairs, who in turn would select a 'Castellan' and 'Seneschal' to jointly govern the nation. 'Party' electoral behaviour was strictly forbidden and authority was heavily delegated to several minor governmental bodies based around Palgrave.

Geography
Nyasaland is a small, hilly and thickly forested island, mostly raised on a sharp plateau, with the exception of Typha - the main defined geographic features on the plateau are the heavily-foliaged Mount Nyangani which dominates the largely untouched southwest of the island, as well as the great gorge scoring the land near it. The east of the plateau has seen heavy development with the City of Palgrave and borough of Chantilly Hollow. To the north, Nyasaland's oldest structures can be seen existing in a state of a greater concordat with nature, with the exception of the grand walls criss-crossing the territory. Across the Nyirene to the north, the Margraviate of Nyanzig is densely forested and hilly, with most settlements closely hugging the coast. Far to the south, the Colony of Tanganyanka is much larger than the metropole, with a set of varied biomes including a desert, swamp, and mushroom isle.

Culture
Nyasaland's national holidays include the 21st February, Archduchess Palgrave's birthday, and the 21st December, the country's anniversary day from Annwyn. Croquet is Nyasaland's unofficial national sport, with the second-oldest building in Palgrave being the headquarters of the country's National Croquet Association. Nyasaland has a national system of measurement, the 'Nyasan Mile' - one NM being 2500 metres, the distance between Palgrave and Purazi.

Most of Nyasaland's high culture centres on the capital, Palgrave; the city's aesthetic splendour has been noted by many, with a clearly defined style inspired by Edwardian, Victorian and in some places towards the city's outskirts, Colonial architecture. The city boasts two cafes, a library, and a monumental classical theatre.

The country also has a number of regional cultures. Outside of Palgrave, to the north, the quaint borough of Chantilly Hollow is noted for its unique organic architecture and rustic theme. The belligerent citizens of Nyanzig feel themselves to be on the front line of Nyasaland against the fearful unknown of the vast north. In far-off and vast Tanganyanka, the colonists have a rather rugged character based on their history as settlers. If Lutrelians even exist, nobody has met one yet.

Choralism
Nyasaland's indigenous faith is Choralism, categorised as pseudo-animistic bell-worship. The faith began as a religious movement in Typha, with the 'Sisterhood of the Bell'. Distributing religious pamphlets and constructing a place of worship, they quickly gained many converts across all of Nyasaland. Seeing this rising popularity and after a personal conversion by the Archduchess, the government cemented the Choral Pact, in which a defined and civic form of State Choralism was entrenched as Nyasaland's official religion, with a state church, the Great State Chorus, sharing power between the High Mother and with the reigning Archduchess as Conductor. All Nyasan officials were after this point required to swear allegiance to the 'Four Tones', a set of civic-religious principles which embodied the best nature of the state and its faith.

However, only a week after the signing of the Choral Pact, the Sisterhood of the Bell, based out of Bell Harbour in Typha, launched a rebellion which tore the country, and the faith of Choralism, apart. The details of this rebellion can be read in full above, but the aftermath lead to a schism in Choralism further between official State Choralism, and the apocalyptic sort which continued to be practised by the Sisterhood exiles in small pockets across the world. The Great State Chorus was reorganised, with the official dismissal of claravoyant as High Mother, and the establishment of a series of standardised bell shrines across Nyasaland.