Lapody

Lapody, officially the Kingdom of Lapody, is a country in Levantia. It is neighbored by Rhotia and Urcea to the west and Burgundie to the east. It also borders the League of Nations territory of Alba Concordia.

Lapody is a member of the Levantine Union.

Etymology
"Lapody", derived from "Lapodia", has been in use since antiquity in wide application. The easternmost coastal province of Great Levantia was called "Lapodia Maritima". The province, which encompassed roughly far northern Burgundie and eastern Lapody, was likely named for a tribe of paleo-Levantines living in the region in the 2nd century BC. "Lapodard", the name of the language, is derived from Lapodia/Lapody. The term was also breifly use in some sources to refer to the Eastern Kingdom of the Levantines as a shorthand before "Dericania" entered common use. Lapody as a geographical term fell into sharp decline in the 13th century, being largely survived only by the derivative "Lapodard" name. It was revived in the 20th century as a shorthand to refer to the southern three Deric States.

History
In the aftermath of the Great Confessional War, some Catholic noble families benefitted greatly in the post-Dragonnades land redistribution. Among these to benefit were the House of Galen, the rulers of the prosperous Duchy of Verecundia in the center of the Kingdom of Dericania. The Galenite rulers were rewarded with significant lands directly adjacent to their Duchy, becoming a regional player in the Kingdom of Dericania by 1610. The Galens effectively leveraged their new lands to establish a powerful army which allowed them to further expand throughout central Dericania. In 1652, the Galens were given the title of Grand Duke of Verecundia, effectively legitimizing their new possessions and establishing them as one of the most powerful polities within the Holy Levantine Empire. By the dawn of the 18th century, Verecundia was the premier power in Dericania, and the Grand Dukes narrowly lost out to the Apostolic Kings of Urcea in the election for Emperor of the Levantines in 1701. The Galens spent the next forty years planning their next move, and the opportunity came with the War of the Caroline Succession, during which time Grand Duke Louis was elected Emperor. This moment, the zenith of Verecundian power, was not to last; by the end of the war, the Urcean House de Weluta seized full control of the Imperial throne and Verecundia was occupied by Urcean forces. The Grand Duchy was dissolved and its constituent parts were divided among different branches of the House of Galen. Nevertheless, the memory of a powerful Verecundia would not fade in the memories of the House or of the urban elite in central Dericania, forming the ideological basis for the later establishment of Lapody.

Loreseia
The Grand Duchy of Loreseia was established out of the largely intact Loreseian Duchies, whose ruling house (Guovia) survived the Second Great War and Third Fratricide still in control, albeit with many concessions to democratic reform factions. The Loreseian Duchies were, accordingly, consolidated at the conclusion of the Fratricide to form a coherent nation. It was one of the only monarchies in the Deric States and the only surviving monarchy in Lapody. The House of Galen continued their reign as the new Grand Dukes of Loreseia.

Vorenia
The Federal Margraviate of Vorenia, also known as the Marchiorespublica, was established out of several preexisting Derian polities after the Second Great War in an effort to contain Burgundie. It was the largest of the Deric States.

Government
Lapody is a   and is largely based on some similar constitutional monarchies of its predecessors in the Deric States. The head of state is the King. Upon formation of the Kingdom of Lapody, two of the three states which joined were s, and consequently the Grand Duke of Loreseia was elevated as King of the country following a period of negotiations; accordingly, Lapody is ruled by the royal House of Guovia, who have ruled parts of Loreseia since the Great Confessional War. The King of Lapody's role in government is relatively limited, both in part due to Loreseian traditions and due to the agreement which established the Kingdom. Analysts have called the Lapodian monarch the "weakest in the Levantine Union", serving primarily as a figurehead operating only on from the elected government. As a symbolic gesture, the first King of Lapody was crowned by Riordan, Emperor of the Levantines and Apostolic King of Urcea, to solidify the historic legitimacy of the Kingdom.

Politics
Lapodards are generally considered to be a highly political people. Politics in Lapody generally occupies a high status in the lives of its citizens, and both are closely intertwined. Political participation is expected by all members of society and only starts with one voting while being defined much more by a sense of active political and social self-determination. It is also quite common to see organizations (both profit- and non-profit) as well as corporations actively partake in the political discourse.

Culture
The culture of Lapody comprises the shared traditons, practices, and worldview of the people of Lapody. Lapodian identity emergence is a complex process which has embraced several antecedents - namely the culture and power of the 17th and 18th century state of Verecundia. Lapods generally do not see Lapody as a new entity or their nationality as a new one. Many scholars have observed what they refer to as the "Fusion Theory", namely that Lapodard-speaking areas were fused to the traditional lands of Verecundia to establish what is, ultimately, an enhanced Verecundian state. Accordingly, many Lapods not only now view the concept of a Derian identity as antiquated, but the most patriotic elements of Lapodian society view it as ultimately offensive and a historical distraction that prevented Lapodard-speakers from claiming from their nation's true heritage.

Lapods are united by a strong martial tradition, with many Lapods viewing their country as the inheritor of the military legacies of Vorenia and Verecundia.

Prior to unification, scholars referred to Lapodard-speaking peoples as part of the "Middle Deric culture", a historiographical term emphasizing the shared traditions of these people as opposed to the Lower Deric (Burgoignesc) and Upper Deric (Rhotian) cultures. This historiography is disputed by some ultranationalist thinkers in Lapodian society, who instead point to a preexistent "Verecundian spirit".

Economy
Lapody follows an economic model which is for the most part a free-market liberal economy. With slightly over 83% share, Lapody's private economy is dominated by the tertiary sector which ranges from the dominant chemical industry over an innovative high-tech and robotics industry all the way to a rather young yet swiftly growing IT sector. The industrial sector makes up roughly 16% as actual production in the Kingdom has been decreased consistently over the past three decades. The agricultural sector employs roughly .5%, with most processes being fully automated. Unemployment rates have been between around 4.2 to 4.9% for the past two decades, accounting for both pre- and post-unification statistics.

In terms of business regulations, the Lapodian economy distinguishes between the distribution of basic human rights, basic human needs, and commercial products. As a result, basic human rights such as access to clean water, the energy grid, and telecommunication networks are 100% publicly owned on a national level. Basic human needs such as public transportation, general services, and healthcare are so severely regulated to extent that they must run on zero profit that, apart from two exceptions, they are effectively in the public hand as well. Commercial products or services see little regulation other than having to fulfill the regularly updated of standards of the Lapodian Conformity Index (LCI).

The Lapodian economy is focused on the chemical and high-tech industry as well as general engineering services, pharmaceuticals, and robotics. The transportation sector in terms of transshipment has historically been a strong economic factor but has been dwindling for the past few decades. Rufus Concordia, currently the nation's only major deep-water port, has crystallized itself as the main transshipment hub in the Kingdom, acting not only as the Lapodian economy's gateway into the world, but also as a link between Levantia and Audonia.

The national agricultural sector is limited due to geographical and climatological constraints, with the only exports of note being citrus fruits and wine. Prior to industrialization, Lapody had a strong agricultural sector as reflected by the millstone appearing in the nation's flag and arms.

In the region of former Verecundia, creative startups have begun to flourish in recent years, especially in the design and IT industry.