Kingdom of Nanteos

The Kingdom of Nanteos is a sovereign nation of the continent of Dirio. It is currently ruled by its twelfth king, King William IV. The kingdom's government is based on the Royal Proclamation of Unionization. The city of which the Kingdom is named for, Nanteos, serves as the Kingdom's capital to this day.

The Knights of Nanteos
After being driven from their homeland for Kabbalistic religious beliefs, a group of wandering religious soldiers built a mountaintop fortress on the coast of the northern sea. These warriors would name themselves The Knights of Naneteos and pledge their lives to fighting oppression, helping the less fortunate, and studying theology. As the knights accomplished some of these things their fame grew throughout Dirio. People began to build their houses close to the knight's fortress so that they would be protected from bandits and fed during famines. The Knights still true to their creeds gladly took it upon themselves to guard the people.

The Founding of Nanteos
Over time, the knights realized they had become a safe-haven for the downtrodden and oppressed. However, not everyone came to Nanteos for protection. Theives, murderers, and other criminals were now right at the Knight's doorstep. Other problems such as misuse of resources made the Knight's realize they had to establish some sort of authority and order in the townships around their fortress. Finally, the knights proclaimed the City of Nanteos to be a city-state under their authority.

The Lord Protector
Although the Knights had always had a chain of command, they had always maintained that no knight is above another. It took a lot of debate then to finally choose someone who would run the town. Finally, the former grandmaster of the Knights, Jacob the Painted said he would take the job of overseeing the town. He was named Lord Protector of Nanteos. He seemed to arrive just in time. In the southeast, Protestant Christian mobs were persecuting Kabbalist driving minorities out of the precious farmland. The Lord Protector wanted the knights to do something about the persecutions. The current grandmaster of the knight's refused; not wanting to cause excessive. However, the Protestants of the Southeast eventually launched a crusade against the City of Nanteos.

Long Live The King
The Lord Protector of Nanteos had no choice but to rally the knight's and defeat the Protestant attack. Fearing another much more deadly attack would come in the future, the knights struck deep into the heart of their attackers. They captured the city of Acornia as well as the farming towns of Russleville and Dairyville. Since the knights were tolerant and merciful they allowed their newly conquered cities protection. They realized however that by defending the helpless they had now conquered others and became a nation. In an attempt to solidify their power and keep the nation of Silla, to the east, away from Nanteos they formed The Kingdom of Nanteos. They crowned Jacob the Painted as king. Jacob would change his name to Jacob I of the Powell family.

Expansion
Several city-states to the south of Nanteos were afraid of being overrun by empires seeking colonies and increased territory. To combat this problem, the Friendship went to the knights to request help. The Knights happily obliged and over time the Kingdom developed a close working relationship with these cities. Having a tradition of democratic rule however these cities had reservations about joining the kingdom outright. Other cities to the southeast of the Kingdom such as Jasper, Starfell, and Noirville joined the Kingdom in order to survive great famines and water shortages.

A Royal Proclamation
In the reign of the third King, King William I, a deal was struck between the Kingdom of Nanteos and the people to the south. A new government would be formed with an The High Council, Kings of Nanteos, and an overseer who would guard the rights of the people, known as The Chancellor. After being ratified the Royal Proclamation of Unionization, as it would be called, would become the document which governed the land.

Religion
The Kingdom of Nanteos is home to several religious faiths. The Royal Proclamation of Unionization, the Nanteon constitution forbid persecution for religious purposes. A citizens religious beliefs is largely influenced by the cultural area they are born in. Unitraians in the Southwest around Friendship and Jack's City. Protestant denominations mostly reside in central areas of the Kingdom such around the city of Acornia (Mostly Baptist) and in the cities of Psychograd and Noirville (Mostly Methodist. Around the capital of Nanteos and its neighboring city of Crowe's Nest most practice a form of Christian Kabbalah which was/still is the original religious persuasion of the Knights of Nanteos. Those who practice this are referred to as Kabbalist. The most prevelant non-Christian sect can be found around the city of Starfell where the Nanteos' large Elvish population resides. The Dunmer believe in the Daedra, pagan gods who according to their believers protected the Dunmer in the past. The current religious breakdown is as follows:


 * 32% Baptist
 * 28% Kabbalist
 * 16% Unitarian
 * 12% Methodist
 * 8% Daedric Worship
 * 4% Other religions such as Islam, Judaism, Atheism and Taoism.

Racial Makeup
The majority of the citizenry of Kingdom of Nanteos has Welsh=English family history. The amount of intermingling between the Welsh and English families makes the pin pointing of exact racial makeup difficult. This has caused census takers to refer to those with either Welsh or English racial makeup as Welsh-English.

Several minority groups reside in the Kingdom including the Dark Elvish people referred to as Dunmer and the African descended people referred to as Gullah. These people keep many cultural customs of their own, and in the case of the Dunmer religious practices. In recent years, several Silla imigrants have also effected the makeup of Nanteos. These immigrants have significant communities in the cities of Russleville and Jasper

The current racial makeup of the Kindgom is as follows:


 * 80% Welsh-English
 * 10% Gullah
 * 7% Dumer
 * 3% other including the Korean populations from Silla immigrants.

Government of the Kingdom
see page: Royal Proclamation of Unionization

Executive Branch
The Kings of Nanteos is the head of state of the Kingdom. He has the sole power to declare war, command the army, and sign treaties. Should a situation arise in which the King feels the rule of law should be suspended he may issue a Royal Proclamation. During this time the King becomes the sole ruler of the Kingdom, should the Chancellor of Nanteos approve the proclamation. If such a Proclamation is issued The High Council must meet every 4 months to either extend the proclamation or annull it.

The Current King of Nanteos is King William of the Sparrow Family. The King resides in Greystone Castle in the City of Nanteos

Legislative Body
The High Council is made up of 2 represenatives from each city. This gives the council 24 members in total. The High Council makes all laws of the land. It is soley in control of the treasurey of Nanteos and has the power to remove the King. (making the Chancellor of Nanteos king). In a case in which a King does not have an heir appointed to take his spot upon death The High Council chooses the next King of Nanteos. High Council approval is needed for any military operations undertaken inside the border of the Kingdom. Elections for The High Council take place every time the Chancellor calls for elections; however, the Chancellor can not request an election more than once in a period of a year. The High Council can form various departments to help manage the nation.

The Current High Council is made up of 8 members of the Freedom Pary (Reds) and 12 members of the Moralist Party (Golds). 4 members of the Council are independent.

The Chancellory
The Chancellor of Nanteos is responsible for the day to day management of The Kingdom. He is in charge of all departmnts formed by the High Council. He is in charge of overseeing all elections (national or municipal) and appointing all judges around the land. Should the King ever become incapacitated and The High Council feels he can not complete his duties The Chancelor of Nanteos can be placed on the throne. Elections for the Chancellor will take place every four years. The Chancellor must do an annual report of all spending, government actions, and laws done by the King and The High Council. Should the Chancellor find any elected member of the government (national or municipal) has commited abuses of power or excessive spending he can have them removed from office immediately. Upon the removal from office a special election will be held. Should the Chancellor feel any law passed by The High Council is in violation of the Proclamation he can null and void the law.

The Following Departments are under the Chancellor's Supervision:


 * Department of Agriculture and Social Welfare. - Oversees all natural resources, medical care, and provides help to those below the poverty line.
 * Department of Jurisprudence. - Oversees law enforcement, application of justice, and the prison system.
 * Department of Democratic Affairs. - Oversees all elections and election law.
 * Department of Intelligence. - Maintains a civilian foreign and domestic intelligence agency
 * Department of Finance. - Reports on the spending of money and the bringing in of revenue.
 * Department of Transportation. - Maintains infrastructure
 * Department of Veteran Affairs. - Helps support retired and current military members.

Culture
The Culture of Nanteos has several divides among its regions. The Breadbasket Region, Nanteon/Northern Region, Southern Region, Starfell Region, and the Eastern Border Region around Jasper all have different cultural values and customs. Even though these regions are fairly spread out and differing their is no doubt that no matter where you go inside Nanteos there are prevailing cultural attitudes and customs.

Food and Drink
Nanteos has sometimes been called the "steak and potato" nation. This is partly due to the potatoes easy growth in the Nanteon soil (especially around the Northern Region near the city of Nanteos) and the large number of open range cattle kept in the middle of the country. In the city of Acornia some of the best wheat, barely, corns, and several other grains in all of Dirio is grown. Beer and other alcoholic drinks were very popular until recently when they were replaced by sodas such as Peppa-Cola.

In the city of Starfell the food has been highly influenced by Dunmeri culture. While in the Southwestern Region spicier foods such as Chili, peppers, and burritos are enjoyed by many.

Holidays
There are currently 8 public holidays set by The High Council of Nanteos. Most of these are basic Christian holidays, however the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur is also considered a national holiday. Seculat national holidays such as Coronation Day (the day of the crowning of Jacob the Painted) celebrated on October 31 and The Days of Wandering (starting the days the Knights of Nanteos were thrown from their homeland and ending the day they found the clifftop of Nanteos) of which celebration begins on December 12th and lasts until December 24th. During this time all schools are closed. On the 12th and 24th it is mandatory that all employees must be given at least half the day off. (unless they are essential government employees. Then it is optional) It is also mandatory for employees to be allowed payed time off on Christmas, Yom Kippur, and Easter.

List of Nanteon National Holidays:


 * Christmas December 25
 * Easter Late March/Early April
 * The Days of Wandering: December 12-24
 * Coronation Day: October 31
 * King day: June 4th
 * Labor Day: First Monday of September
 * Mother's Day: May 1
 * Father's Day: June 1

Several holidays are still observed without an official stamp of approval. The small Jewish population inside of Nanteos still observe passover. Islamic citizens still observe all of their traditions and holidays. The Gullah typically observe a holiday celebration their ancestry during December known as Kwanza.