New Harren

From IxWiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Kingdom of the Confederation of New Harren

Flag of New Harren
Flag
Arms of New Harren of New Harren
Arms of New Harren
Motto: 
Heaven's Light Our Guide
Anthem: 
TBD
"TBD"
Location of New Harren in Cusinaut
Location of New Harren in Cusinaut
Capital
and largest city
Port St. Charles
Religion
Catholic Church
Demonym(s)New Harrenic
GovernmentBenefactor confederacy
• King
Riordan I
• Governor-General
Martin de Daphan
LegislatureGrand Council
Formation
• Colony declared
1858
2008
• Crona Organic Act
2010
Population
• 2020 census
20,224,195
HDI (2024)Increase 0.851
very high
CurrencyTaler (₮)
Driving sideright
Internet TLD.urc.ny

The Kingdom of the Confederation of New Harren is a country in Cusinaut. Levantine colonization of the area of modern New Harren began in the 1850s, beginning the introduction of populations of Urcean people to Cusinaut. The Rectory of New Harren, the resulting colony, grew throughout the 19th and 20th century. In the 21st century, the Rectory was joined together with several local polities during the War of the Northern Confederation to create the Kingdom, which unified the local allied polities and Rectories together into a single, new benefactor confederacy.

The country, which is under a real union with Urcea, is one of the largest Occidental countries in the Nysdra Sea region. Historians and observers have noted that it is the most readily identifiable home of the Nysdrine people, a cultural and ethnic group which incorporates both Levantine and Cronan heritages. New Harren is viewed as the cultural crossroads between the Occident and Cusinaut. Economically and culturally, New Harren is significantly influential on Urcea and its allies. Since the Final War of the Deluge and construction of the so-called "NSTA-sphere", New Harren is taking on the characteristics of a cosmopolitan global hub, becoming the political and economic center of the Nysdrine world.

It is adjacent to several NSTA members as well as Cao, Porfiria, and Iriquona. The Kingdom was greatly expanded following the Final War of the Deluge, with the four constituent peoples of the Nysdra Provisional Republic voting to join in late 2024.

The Kingdom is a member of the Nysdra Sea Treaty Association.

Etymology

New Harren is named for Harren, one of two core constituent parts of Urcea. The realm takes its name from the original Urcean Rectory of New Harren, now one of the Kingdom's constituent parts.

The Kingdom's long name, the "Kingdom of the Confederation of New Harren", is of relatively unusual construction for national names in the Occident. The Statutory Charter of 2024, the nation's constitution, provides that the "Confederation of New Harren" is the "cultural" and "geographical" name for the country, with "Kingdom" describing its form of government. In common parlance, both "the realm" and "the confederation" are used to refer to the country.

Geography

New Harren sits along the southeastern and eastern coast of Cusinaut, a large peninsular region in Crona, and is predominantly Nysdra Sea facing. It is one of the most habitable parts of the Nysdra basin and also sits not far from New Veltorina on the other side of the Nysdra and Northern Approaches. There are two main centers of human habitation within New Harren. The southeastern coast of the country, within the Rectory of New Harren, is heavily settled and urbanized, with new development radiating out from the coast. The second center is the so-called "native belt", a string of cities and heavily urbanized areas which largely run across the country's western border in the country's "middle" running north to south.

Climate

Much of the country's coastal regions, especially in the southern two thirds of the country, are temperate and suitable for large scale human habitation. The area which encompassed New Harren between the War of the Northern Confederation and the Final War of the Deluge exhibit a marine mild winter climate. This part of New Harren has year-round cloud cover due to the presence of warm sea currents and western sea breezes. This area receives significant precipitation. The northern third of the country, roughly approximate to the territory of the former Nysdra Provisional Republic has a subarctic climate with long, cold winters. As a whole, the country has significant vegetation cover, although the diversity of such coverage decreases in the subarctic region to conifer trees.

Topography

Much of New Harren is flat, with gentle rolling hills lowering out towards the Nysdra Sea where low elevation land has significant human habitation. The country is bordered to the west by highlands which separate it from Porfíria. The pre-Final War of the Deluge northern border of the country was a riverine system which separated it from the highlands that extend throughout much of central Cusinaut, but following the annexation of the Nysdra Provisional Republic, the northern third of the country is largely comprised of these highlands.

History

Prior to the 19th century

The territory now encompassing New Harren was initially part of a larger entity in Western Crona known as the Northern Confederation. Established in the 17th century, the Northern Confederation aimed to solve long-standing disputes between a myriad of local tribes via Confederate arbitration. It was held that forming such a Confederation would help all members resist the incoming Levantine traders, who had already extracted trade interests and established treaty ports in Crona, particularly in Quetzenkel. The Confederation was comprised of six "great tribes" along with many smaller tribes and Cronite city-states; the Mixcala, the Cheektowaga, the Tepetlcali, the Tonawandis, the Algoquona, and the Schoharie. The Mixcala and Tepetlcali in particular frequently required Confederate intervention to prevent war.

Aedanicad and restoration

In the 1850s, King Aedanicus VIII sought to acquire land in Crona to boost Urcea's prestige and, additionally, in order to find territory to settle veterans of the Third Caroline War. After much searching, the tribe of Schoharie, the southernmost tribe in the Northern Confederation, agreed to sell its marshy southern coastal region to Urcea for four million talers in 1857. King Aedanicus declared the territory the colony of New Harren in 1858, and the new settlers arrived to find a difficult, swampy environment, which was only cleared through expensive application of new industrial technologies. Port St. Charles was established by the settlers in 1858, and by 1868 most of the bogs had been drained, allowing for arable land. Urcean colonists flooded into the country in the 1870s in light of constant overcrowding in Urcea, and by 1880 it was clear that the small territory was no longer sufficient to hold the growing population. Urcea declared war on the Schoharie in 1881 in the hopes that overwhelming Occidental power would prevent the Confederation from intervening, but it became clear that the gambit had failed as huge warbands and armies from the Confederation appeared on New Harren's frontiers. Using the power of its advanced Royal Navy and bolt-action rifles, Urcea quickly seized coastal fishing areas, transforming the war into a war of attrition. Growing expenses lead to the war ending in 1883; Urcea was ceded some territory from the Schoharie but the effort was largely considered a failure due to the inability to win a decisive victory. The war had claimed the lives of thousands of natives, and the Schoharie living in the ceded territory fled northward, settling in the lands of the Tepetlcali and Algoquona. Many of the Schoharie living in its remaining territory also began to migrate northwards, as many believed it would only be a matter of time until the Urceans returned.

King Aedanicus VIII did intend to try again, but died in 1889, and the colony was considered one of the King's vanity projects. New Harren was the sole overseas possession of Urcea to recognize the immediate succession of King Patrick III during the period of the Red Interregnum. Following the Crown Regency and Red Interregnum, Patrick III sought to restore Urcea's reputation abroad and to test Urcea's rebuilt military might. New Harren had again reached its comfortable population limit, and the King intended to prove that it was not merely his father's side project - Urcea was here to stay. To that end, he deployed several of Urcea's rebuild Royal Navy ships to shell the Schoharie coast before a formal declaration of war came In August of 1908, after which time the Royal Army expeditionary force came to occupy Schoharie by the end of September, though they found it mostly depopulated. This time, the very well-armed Urcean expeditionary force defeated the Confederation in several major battles, advancing as far inland as the city of Tepetlcali in November of 1909 before malaria and supply issues forced the Urceans to turn back. The Confederate troops - armed mostly with muzzle loading rifles purchased from Audonian nations in the late 1860s - were overwhelmed by Urcean fire, but the sheer number of troops made a total victory over the Confederation difficult and it was determined that an advance past Schoharie would be impossible given the resolve of the Confederation. The Treaty of Electorsbourg ended the war in 1910; Urcea annexed Schoharie but agreed to recognize the Confederation's extant borders, and the Confederation agreed to open fair trade relations with Urcea. The Schoharie War was the last formal conflict fought between Urceans and Cronites in the 20th century, and Urcea formed strong trade relations with its Confederation neighbor, the tribe of the Mixcala. Though there was peace, numerous Urcean and other Levantine settlers filibustering into Confederate lands; these efforts were all defeated, sometimes with Urcean assistance.

20th century

21st century

Organization

Expansion

Refugee settlements

The end of the Final War of the Deluge brought many disparate ethnic groups and former slaves in Varshan under Urcean political control, and many of these groups sought new lives elsewhere. After significant deliberation and negotiation with the Mixcala, the Condominium of Weluta-New Mixcala was opened to settlers from eastern Crona and Varshan, largely supplanting intended Levantine colonial settlement there.

Government

New Harren, as a benefactor confederacy, consists of several indigenous polities, tribes, cities, and the primarily Occidental Rectory of New Harren under the loose executive presidency of the Apostolic King of Urcea and his Governor-General in his stead, who the King directly nominates and submits for the approval of the Concilium Daoni of Urcea. The Kingdom functioned without a constitution until the conclusion of the Final War of the Deluge. Riordan I in his capacity as King, in consultation with the constituent parts of the Kingdom, issued the Statutory Charter of 2024. The Charter replaced a series of individual treaty relationships between the Crown and constituent nations with a constitutional structure wherein the constituents retained a large amount of rights and autonomy. The Charter also replaced the Crona Organic Act of 2010, an act of the Urcean Concilium Daoni which provided for the government of Urcean Cusinaut. Accordingly, the Kingdom of the Confederation of New Harren is largely characterized by its confederate nature.

The Kingdom has a small central government apparatus, responsible for regulating relations between the constituent parts of the Kingdom as well as providing for the basic functions of a small welfare state. Much of the domestic policy decisions reserved to the constituent level of governance, though the Kingdom's legislature has broad discretion to keep local laws and statutes similar by providing for legal baselines for conduct and the regulation of economic activity. Under the King and Governor-General is the Grand Council of the Kingdom of New Harren, the Kingdom's legislature.

Much of the government's activity is done under the purview of representatives of the Government of Urcea.

Executive

The King, and consequently the Governor-General, has total control over the Kingdom's foreign policy, but relatively limited influence in the domestic affairs of the constituent parts of the Kingdoms save for the New Harren Rectory, where the Crown exercises direct control. The Governor-General is responsible for signing legislation sent to him by the Grand Council into law. Accordingly, the Governor-General has full veto power, but the Statutory Charter of 2024 provides specific areas under which the Governor-General may withhold his signature from legislation: 1. The legislation adversely affects one particular constituent unit without their express consent (by means of a home rule notice); 2. The legislation runs contrary to the Statutory Charter of 2024 or of some other organic law of the state; 3. The legislation pertains to foreign policy and runs contrary to the goals and policies of the Kingdom and its relationship to Urcea, and; 4. The legislation is antithetical to the preservation of the union. Observers and critics have noted that the fourth grounds for an executive veto are overly broad and do not conform to the "limited veto spirit" of the Statutory Charter. Nonetheless, no legislation submitted to the Governor-General has been vetoed in the entire history of the Kingdom.

Administration

The Governor-General's government in Port St. Charles has a number of executive agencies which have limited and specific legal authority; they are largely responsible for the provision of a basic administrative state in New Harren.

Legislative

The Grand Council of the Kingdom of New Harren serves as the primary legislative body for the realm. It is comprised of three representatives from each of the constituent parts of the Kingdom elected every five years, on the same cycle as elections in Urcea. The Grand Council's thirty three members have a relatively limited mandate of governance due to the expansive rights reserved for the Kingdom's constituent parts, but it does have a major role in terms of regulating trade between the constituent units and the Kingdom's external trade policy. In practice, the Council serves primarily as an economic planning body, where the eleven constituencies gather and vote on large confederation-wide economic plans to be implemented within each of the constituent units. The Grand Council has extremely limited oversight of the Governor-General or the executive agencies.

Confederated units

As a confederation, the constituent parts of New Harren are its key political, social, and administrative unit. The eleven constituent parts of the Kingdom of New Harren are:

  • The Rectory of New Harren
  • The Tribal Dominion of Mixcala
  • The Tribal Dominion of Cheektowaga
  • The Tribal Dominion of Tonawandis
  • The Condominium of Weluta-New Mixcala
  • The Free Cities
  • The Free Tribes
  • The Tribal Dominion of Honeoye
  • The Tribal Dominion of Gowandis
  • The Tribal Dominion of Canandaigua
  • The Tribal Dominion of Saranac

Politics

New Harren is a multiparty democracy and enjoys robust public debate on most issues. It scores relatively highly according to most global metrics for the hallmarks of a free society.

New Harren's political parties are organized as coalition groupings, with nation-wide political party organizations operating in Port St. Charles (as well as directly within the Rectory of New Harren) with associated groups functioning within each constituent unit. All three major parties have affiliate organizations in each constituent unit, making for relatively well organized political parties despite the disparate nature of governance in New Harren.

The three political parties are:

  • The Movement for the Confederation, which supports the Statutory Charter of 2024 and is generally viewed to adhere to a status quo view of the confederation as it is. The Movement does support using the authority of the limited Confederation government to improve customs cohesion and economic development between the various constituent units. The Movement is the most popular of the three political parties and counts many constituent native leaders among its members.
  • The Constitutional Union Party, which advocates for a more centralized constitution, a system of one man, one vote representation within the national government rather than equal delegations from each of the constituencies, and reforms which would make the country more like Urcea. The Constitutional Unionists are considered the most "pro-Occidental" party and are also strong supporters of House de Weluta. It is the second largest party and is the party most popular among direct Occidental descendants and those living within the Rectory of New Harren, although it also has strong minority support among the Mixcalan people.
  • The Independence League, which calls for the dissolution of the Confederation into its constituent parts. The Independence League has two main factions, the majority "conservatives" who are moderately pro-Urcea in outlook and believe that, once independent, the eleven states would have to rely on Urcea for economic and military support due to their relatively small size. The "conservatives" envision a continued benefactor relationship similar to the status enjoyed by some NSTA stated. The minority "radicals" meanwhile view themselves as "anti-colonial" in outlook and envision total independence for the constituent states, free of the influence of Urcea specifically and the Occident generally.

Culture

Fashion

The fashion industry is New Harren's most well known economic sector and cultural ephemeron, with clothing produced in Port St. Charles's fashion shops becoming famous worldwide by the mid-2010s. The Port St. Charles fashion scene has quickly become one of the world's most prestigious centers of fashion, with "the PSC look" or "the PSC style" becoming rapidly emulated abroad. Port St. Charles fashion melds Occidental clothing form factor with colors, styles, and production methods developed among the peoples of Cusinaut to produce colors and patterns considered highly unusual to Occidental customers. New Harren has become closely associated with fashion in the popular Occidental imagination since the mid-2010s.

The first fashion houses and associated clothing manufacturers in New Harren were formed in the 1970s, not with an eye to any particular style but out of economic necessity. Importing clothing from Urcea was relatively expensive while raw materials were readily available within the Rectory for the production of clothes. The earliest local fashion emulated popular Occidental styles. During the 1970s and 80s, indigenous seamstresses would move to Port St. Charles looking for work in this field. While most simply adapted Occidental methods, some of these indigenous women began to introduce their own flare to the work, and by the late 1980s a visibly distinct Port St. Charles style began to emerge. These styles began to reach exposure in the Urcean market in the early 2000s. From there, they began to see the attention of Sarpedonic high society by the late 2000s. By 2015, "PSC style" was entrenched as a global phenomenon.

Clothing made in New Harren is subject to export controls due to the Nysdra Sea Treaty, and accordingly most brands have to export directly to Urcea before they are available for purchase abroad. Most of the major fashion houses hold a shared ownership interest in a Urceopolis-based brand called "Treasures of the Nysdra", quickly identifiable by its "rising sun" symbol, which functions as the international retailer for most Port St. Charles fashion houses. Many economists believe that the relative scarcity and cost resulting from the export controls have kept Port St. Charles brands relatively hard to come by, maintaining brand novelty and prestige. The export controls also mean that populations of the other Nysdra Sea Treaty Association nations have ready access to the Port St. Charles style. As a result, many global fashion analysts have consistently referred to the people of Quetzenkel as "best dressed" every year since 2021.

Symbols

The motif of the rising sun is prominently used throughout both New Harrenic government and society, representing the "dawning" of the country as a new and distinct nation.

The nation has been increasingly adapting the imagery of the Order of the North Star, an honorary order associated with military service to the Nysdra Sea Treaty Association, within its government symbols. The decision is in part due to the strong association of many Royal and Confederate Army veterans with new national pride for the state. In 2025, the motto of the order, "Heaven's Light Our Guide", was adopted as the Kingdom's motto. The ribbon of the order, and the medal, appear in the Kingdom's arms.

Flag and arms

The flag of New Harren employs the rising sun motif used throughout New Harrenic society which signifies the status of the country as a new nation, "dawning" within history. Also depicted on the flag are 11 stripes, depicting the Kingdom's constituent parts in blue and white, utilizing some of the traditional colors of the Northern Confederation. Impaled on the sun is a cross, emphasizing the nation's Catholic identity. It also gives the sunrise a double meaning, with the Kingdom being seen as bringing about a new dawn of Christianity in Crona. The nation's arms also depicts the rising sun in a more traditional heraldic manner impaled by the arms of House de Weluta, the ruling dynasty of both Urcea and New Harren.

Demographics

Linguistic Demographics

Due to the presence of Levantine-descendants throughout the country the majority language of New Harren is Julian Ænglish, which is not only spoken as a first language by a majority of residents but is also used as a lingua franca by the constituent nationalities of the Kingdom, both in communication with Levantine-descendants and with eachother. Accordingly, Julian Ænglish is spoken on a daily basis by the vast majority of residents of the realm, but it is the first language of only a small majority of residents, almost all of whom are Levantine-descendant or ethnic Nysdrines.

Scholars believe hundreds of languages are spoken as a first language within New Harren. Each of the seven primary constituent groups of the Kingdom speak their own language, and many of them have sizable minority dialects or no official language at all. Among the Free Cities and Tribes, dozens of languages are spoken. Within the Condominium of Weluta-New Mixcala, the native Tepetlcali language is still widely spoken, but many settlers from across Cusinaut and even some from occupied Varshan have greatly increased the number of languages being spoken. Even within the Rectory of New Harren, many Occidental immigrants retain their language in addition to Julian Ænglish, making the Kingdom as a whole one of the most linguistically diverse countries on earth.

Religious Demographics

Religious affiliations in New Harren (2016)

  Catholicism (72.1%)
  M'acunism (21.4%)
  Other Christian (2.1%)
  Other (4.4%)

Urcean and Nysdrine people comprise the large majority population of the Kingdom of New Harren, and consequently, the Catholic faith is the predominant religion in New Harren. The majority of non-Catholics live in territories acquired during the War of the Northern Confederation. The Dominions of Mixcala and Tonawandis, prior to incorporation within the Kingdom, each had large Catholic minorities in their coastal regions, adding to the overall number of Catholics within the teritory. Arzalism is banned within the Kingdom; approximately 2.5% of the overall population of the Kingdom on its foundation, all native people, were Arzalists; the majority of these individuals are now M'acunists, though a minority became Catholic following the banning of the Arzalist practice.

Economy

New Harren's economy is considered "moderately strong" by most global metrics especially considering the relative poverty of other nations and territories in northern Crona. Much of its economy is centered around the extraction of uranium and other fissile materials discovered during the War of the Northern Confederation, but the heavy presence of the Armed Forces of the Apostolic Kingdom of Urcea within the country also serves as a major boost to the economy. As of 2017, the Kingdom had a GDP of $453,042,192,195, bringing its GDP per capita to $22,401.

Much of New Harren's economy is centered on its capital city of Port St. Charles, which is emerging as one of the major financial and diplomatic hubs of northern Crona in the aftermath of the Final War of the Deluge.

For most of New Harren's existence, its economy has been dependent on the presence of the Royal Navy within the country. The Royal Navy's Nysdra Squadron has been based in the territory since 1927, and the squadron slowly transformed from a coastal defense force to the Royal Navy's largest formation. With this transformation, an economic transformation occurred throughout the coastal region of New Harren, with major infrastructure built to provide for the Navy, both including basic ship mooring stations as well as advanced construction and repair systems. The modern New Harren service sector economy was largely built around the Navy's presence, although it has since emerged as a free-standing economic sector. New Harren is widely acknowledged to have some of the best port infrastructure in northern Crona, and besides the Navy, the country generally and Port St. Charles in particular have become well-worn locations for commercial shipping routes. Accordingly, maritime commercial affairs make up a large part of the country's economy.

Although Port St. Charles's fashion scene makes up a relatively small part of the Kingdom's economy, it nonetheless is its most famous economic product.

Military

Prior to the Final War of the Deluge, New Harren had no distinct military and was under the protection of the Armed Forces of the Apostolic Kingdom of Urcea. During the conflict, policy changes in the Government of Urcea lead to a focus on having local defenses. Since the War, New Harren has maintained the Royal and Confederate Army, which is the primary land forces of the Kingdom. New Harren is a member of the Nysdra Sea Guard (NSG), the naval force for several of NSTA's members. New Harren is the largest contributor of manpower, materiel, and budget funding of the NSG, and the NSG serves as New Harren's primary naval force. Besides air contingents of the Royal and Confederate Army, Urcea's Royal Air Force still provides the primary air defense for the Kingdom.