Varkonia

The article both refers to the province and the capital city.

The Grand Duchy of Varkonia, commonly known as Varkonia is an absolute monarchy located in the northwestern quadrant. Varkonia's mainland borders stretch from neighbouring Bloom in the east to Tierra de Conciencia in the west. The Grand Duchy of Varkonia is made up of six provinces with its largest city by population being located in the province of Varkonia. Other provinces of note include Gabon, Kaiserreich and Westmore.

The Grand Duchy of Varkonia is an absolute monarchy with an appointed senate of currently eight sitting members. It is ruled by The Red Duke who serves as the head of state and generally acts with the advice of his Senators. The current sitting monarch, Varkanos, is the figurehead of the nation and generally acts as the arbitrator of senatorial affairs.

Varkonia was a prominent and founding member state of the United Northern Congress (UNC) with a range of contracts, treaties and economic arrangements with many of its regional neighbours, and now currently is a member of the Entente, with Gensokyo, Nyasaland, and Hjaltland. Varkonia has been directly involved in the resolution of several regional affairs and conflicts.

Founding of the City State of Varkonia
In early July 2018, the City of Varkonia was founded after extensive work and deliberation by Mickale, who had returned after the resolution of the Somber War. While he was initially offered citizenship in Coventhia, there were calls for a new nation to be formed by stateless former Volterrans and SPQR citizens from previous iterations. Varkanos, S4NTA, RedSkillz, Cicero, and various others came together to help Mickale in the founding of Varkonia.

Several candidate sites were considered, including the area north of the Airbud Republic and former Republic of Vallera. These sites were rejected in favor of proximity to more friendly nations and the center of the map. Varkonia’s geography contained considerable natural beauty which ultimately favored the current site for selection.

The formation of the City State of Varkonia was warmly received by all neighbouring nations and their citizenry. Gabon in particular developed a very close relationship with Varkonia due to their common histories and views.

Construction of the Capital
The first Varkonian construction on the island was a small birchwood hut built by Redskillz and Mickale at the base of Mt. Velino, looking out over forest gently sloping toward the Tiber River. Within this hut, the initial factories were placed and rails were dug to neighboring Gabon and Impasse.

The area was heavily forested and the process of developing a city was slow and difficult. Jett213 was responsible for clearing the largest trees, which had 3x3 block trunks and were at least 24 blocks tall. Vast excavation of the local surroundings took place during this time, with deforestation being a high priority as areas suitable for construction were required to house the growing population. It was common practice to ask passers-by to assist in the deforestation effort, with limited tools and wealth available to the fledgling city-state. Ez2Clutch was one such passer-by who single-handedly deforested the entire Eastern side of the island.

After clearing enough suitable locations, work immediately began on constructing the Tower of Varkanos, located in the center of the city, which was completed in just three days. It is situated atop a naturally elevated plateau, which inspired the Varkonians to preserve as much natural elevation variability as possible. At 125 blocks tall, it is still the tallest and most recognisable structure in Varkonia. The tower is an icon and can be viewed from any point in the capital.

The tower’s reputation attracted the attention of Gobblin, who invited Varkonia to join the Order of St Marcus, whos builds and aesthetics are still highly regarded. After this, the rate of construction in the city exploded as Gobblin designed new buildings at a prolific rate. After joining the Order, a town hall was designed by Mickale to replace the initial birch construction and the rails were redirected into a new station directly under the tower. The town hall remains the seat of Varkonia’s government to this day and is at the heart of Varkonian politics.

Early Politics
From the founding of the City-state, Mickale ruled as de facto dictator, making decisions about location, construction, immigration, and development unilaterally. The Varkonians valued central leadership in the developing phase of civilization. As a result, the city of Varkonia was planned out extensively first with a strict building code.

With a growing population, and with it a growing number of responsibilities to respond to, Mickale decided to lay the groundwork for the Varkonian government. He titled himself the Red Duke of Varkonia, and created a Senate. The Senate was made up of prominent active citizens and served to assist the Duke in governing Varkonia, representing the provinces, which may not engage in independent foreign diplomacy, and to hear and rule on internal disputes, crimes, and punishments. Senators may be added or removed by the Duke or King.

The Transition of Government between Varkonia and Gabon
In late July, The Red Duke was contacted by the Lord Chancellor of Gabon, who under the pretenses of seeking protection and reuniting their common peoples requested to negotiate a treaty with Varkonia which would see The Principality of Gabon incorporated as province. Gabon had previously considered joining Coventhia however retracted their request after a decision could not be reached internally.

Negotiations over the terms of the supposed document were time consuming and took hours until both parties were in agreement. Following the verbal agreement, The Queen of Gabon, GetSkinny alongside her Chancellor, BritishWanderer drafted the transitional document to be sent to The Red Duke. The treaty stipulated that Gabon should receive two permanent senatorial seats as representation and the ability to, with notice, withdraw from the document at any time.

The incorporation of the territory and peoples of Gabon were of a great benefit to Varkonia, vastly expanding the land claims and the valuable resources of which lay beneath them. Gabon’s code of laws and judicial code was rewritten and adopted to be enforced throughout the Grand Duchy.

Formation of The United Northern Congress
Main Article: UNC

With Varkonia’s incorporation of the province of Gabon, the treaties between the latter and neighbouring nations were upheld in full by the Varkonian government, with most notably the defensive alliance between Gabon and Bloom. Using their historical ties and good relations, Varkonia opened discussions with the nations of Nevrast and SPQR about a prospective alliance organisation, using the Gabon-Bloom treaty as it’s foundation.

The Red Duke hoped that a new alternative alliance bloc in the northwest quadrant would allow nations the ability to stand aside peacefully, not involving themselves in the cold war between FRIENDS and SATO while also furthering good relations and economic ties between signing parties.

With the idea given backing by the respective states, The Red Duke, Mickale alongside Senator, Britishwanderer sought to draft up a reasonable set of terms worthy of an alliance organisation.

The UNC Charter as it came to be known, was signed into effect on the 6th of August 2018, by Varkonia, SPQR and Nevrast. Later to be joined by Bloom and Kaiserreich, with Tvtopia, Kaltsburg and Westmore joining throughout September 2018. Gensokyo, Nyasaland, Corvus, and Iria would also join in the early months of 2019.

The United Northern Congress is an integral part of Varkonian diplomacy, keeping close ties with neighbours and friends, encouraging trade and discussions between peoples. Varkonia is seen as one of the leading member states of the UNC, taking an active and nurturing role to the organisation’s continued benefits and activities. As of May 28th 2019, Varkonian Senator, BritishWanderer is the current Spokesperson of the UNC.