New Harren: Difference between revisions

ew 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 [[Constituent_states_of_New_Harren#New_Harren|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. In addition to these regions, New Harren has a northern {{Wp|exclave}} called the [[Constituent_states_of_New_Harren#Borealia|Province of Borealia]] in the Unnuaq Bay, which is separated from the rest of the country by the [[Chenango Confederacy]].

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 {{wp|Oceanic_climate#Marine_west_coast_(Cfb)|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 {{wp|Subarctic climate|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 {{wp|conifer}} trees. The northernmost part of the country, the Province of Borealia, is mostly {{wp|tundra}}.

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. The exclave of Borealia, meanwhile, is very hilly, and most of the Province is significantly elevated with a sharp drop-off into the Unnuaq Bay.

File:Kuysumy mountains and Torgashinsky range. View from viewing platform on Kashtakovskaya path (Stolby reserve, Krasnoyarsk city) 4Y1A8757 (28363120875).jpg|The north-central highlands are largely coniferous with low flora diversity; despite their northerly location, they remain relatively pleasant during the summer months.

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 [[List of peoples of Cusinaut#Q-T|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 Rectory 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 people|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 (Urcea)|Royal Navy]] and [[List of equipment of the Armed Forces of Urcea#Muskets%20and%20rifles|bolt-action rifles]], Urcea quickly seized coastal fishing areas, transforming the war into a war of attrition. Growing expenses led 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.  

One of the last acts of Aedanicus VIII was to appoint a new Rector, a former [[Concilium Daoni]] delegate named Servilio Walsh. After the King died, Walsh immediately recognized the succession of [[Patrick III of Urcea|King Patrick III]], making New Harren was the sole overseas possession of [[Urcea]] to do so. As [[Gréagóir FitzRex]] seized control of the Urcean state as Regent and inaugurated the [[Crown Regency]], this decision make New Harren de facto independent, as it was far beyond the reach of Urcea's other territories. As leader of this wayward colony, Walsh acted quickly. He induced the commander of the small Nysdra Squadron of the [[Royal Navy (Urcea)|Royal Navy]] to recognize the succession and also to recognize Walsh as primary local political authority acting in the King's name. Walsh formed an alliance of convenience with the [[Northern Confederation]], obtaining a ten year truce and mutual defense agreement in exchange for the return of a small portion of Schoharie territory. Now firmly in control of the Rectory, Walsh opened the colony to political refugees - primarily royalists but generally any enemy of FitzRex - from Urcea, greatly enhancing the rate of immigration between [[1889]] and [[1897]]. Walsh also secured trade agreements with the neighboring [[Kiravia]]n territory of [[Porfíria]], bringing it de facto into Kiravia's broader trade network while maintaining political independence. When the [['97 Rising]] began, Walsh reaffirmed his support for the legitimist cause and began to furnish financial support, however limited due the Rectory's modest conditions, for the cause. In [[1902]], the legitimists were victorious. Walsh was recognized for his unwavering loyalty to [[House de Weluta]] and given a {{wp|Culture_of_Urcea#Peerage|life peer}} title - Count of [[Cálfeld]]. A portion of the [[Constitutional Settlement Act of 1902]] recognized the treaty made between Walsh and the Northern Confederation. Though a majority of the political refugees returned to Urcea between [[1902]] and [[1910]], a large number stayed, making the Rectory and Port St. Charles viable from an economic and demographic point of view. Within New Harren's history, and particularly among [[Nysdrine people|Nysdrine]] and [[Urcean people]]s, Servilio Walsh is considered the founding father of the country. He would continue to serve as Rector until his retirement in [[1908]]. At the end of his term, the Rectory's population was around three quarters of a million, significantly larger than it had been in [[1880]].

Following the Crown Regency and Red Interregnum, the newly crowned 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 "pet project" but instead a viable, long-term enterprise. To that end, he deployed several of Urcea's rebuilt Royal Navy ships to shell the [[List of peoples of Cusinaut#Q-T|Schoharie]] coast before a formal declaration of war came In August of 1908; this action caused the resignation and retirement of Servilio Walsh, who privately denounced the war and thought peaceful relations with the Confederation essential. Following the declaration, the [[Royal and Imperial Army (Urcea)|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 [[Audonia|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 1890 ten year truce signed between the Confederation and Rector Servioilio Walsh was retroactively extended into a 99-year peace treaty, inaugurating a century of peaceful cooperation between the Confederation and New Harren. The Schoharie War was the last formal conflict fought between Urceans and the people of Cusinaut 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. Increasingly, the Rector of New Harren would not only be called upon to help defend the neutrality of the Northern Confederation but would also be asked on occasion to serve as an impartial arbitrator between competing elements within the Confederation, beginning a precedent of Urcean involvement within the Confederation's internal affairs.

New Harren in the 1920s and 20s experienced moderate but stable economic and demographic growth. This relative tranquility was interrupted during the [[Second Great War]]. When [[Daxia]] entered the war, trade with Levantia to Cusinaut was cut off by the Daxian Navy. The environs of Port St. Charles were bombarded for a 45-minute period in January [[1935]] before the Daxian force was chased away by an air-sea sorty of the Royal Navy; 223 people were killed during that period. In the days after the assault, it had been reported that the 91-year old Servilio Walsh was killed during the shelling, which enraged the New Harren public and fueled the formation of a popular home guard to serve in conjunction with the Royal and Imperial Army and [[Royal Marine Corps (Urcea)|Royal Marine Corps]] garrison on the island; in subsequent weeks it was determined he died of an unrelated heart attack that occurred during the bombardment, a fact downplayed by the Rectory government. Beginning in January 1935 and continuing through February 1937, Port St. Charles was the subject of nightly bombing attacks from [[Cao]]. A small detachment of Daxian marines landed in New Harren on 12 March 1935 in the northeastern coastal corner of the Rectory. The local garrison stopped their advance but failed to repel them, and until summer [[1936]] the area was occupied by the Daxians. In July 1935 the 200 square mile area was declared the Provisional Schoharie Republic, a puppet regime of the Daxian government intended to solicit support from the [[Northern Confederation]], which remained neutral. By the end of [[1935]] and spring [[1936]] the [[Levantia and Odoneru Treaty Association]] gradually regained naval supremacy in the [[Ocean of Cathay]], ending siege-like conditions in New Harren economically. Reinforcements arrived in the rectory by June of 1936 and the Daxians were repelled. Aerial supremacy was gradually established by [[1937]], ending the bombing. While Rectory officials desired an invasion of Cao, Urcean military officials did not think it was worth expending resources on, and instead the island was quarantined and all strategic assets bombed, including airfields and ports. The New Harren-Cao conflict functionally came to an end in January [[1938]], when all strategic relevance of Cao ceased. After the war, New Harren saw a major uptick in settlement as land was made available to the millions of Royal and Imperial Army veterans who had served Urcea worldwide during the conflict.

The late 20th century was a boom time for the Rectory of New Harren. As Urcea became a global power, the Rectory became a major hub of Urcean military activity. The once-small Nysdra Squadron made up of outdated second-rate cruisers was transformed between 1920 and 1960 into a major component of the Royal Navy with multiple {{wp|supercarrier}}s. Major [[Royal Air Force (Urcea)|Royal Air Force]] bases were built across its territory. New Harren ports were greatly expanded and its first international airport opened in [[1958]]. By [[1970]], the population of the Rectory was over 6,000,000. It became Urcea's most remote outpost and thus an important source of projecting power in western [[Crona]]. This became especially relevant with Urcea becoming responsible for the [[League of Nations]] mandate of [[Venua'tino]] in [[1967]], extending the country's influence well into the [[Nysdra Sea]]. From 1967 onward, Urcea became increasingly influential - both geopolitically and culturally - across the Nysdra Sea basin, and the role of the Rector in serving as an ad hoc mediator in the Northern Confederation would increase during the 1970s and 1980s. New Harren received continued attention from Urcea during this period, as many analysts projected it would be the most important Urcean power-projection point in the 21st century. This became especially true as [[Varshan]] began a program of rearmament and modernization in the 1970s and 1980s - in part due to rising Urcean influence - and New Harren was viewed both in Urcea and abroad as an important military check on Varshan's power. The end of the [[Occidental Cold War]] in [[1984]] expanded interest in New Harren, as Urcea's focuses shifted away from Sarpedon and to its position abroad.

As the Final War of the Deluge entered [[2023]] and [[2024]], the domestic political issues and international logistical problems in the Kingdom led the [[Government of Urcea|Urcean government]] and [[Apostolic King of Urcea]] to reconsider the existing arrangement. The King, with the government's assistance, convened a series of conferences of legal scholars in [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]] between November 2023 and January 2024. The scholars also included indigenous legal experts and representatives of the various dominions. With a draft of a new constitution issued, an unofficial consultative period took place over the next several months, including both the public in New Harren as well as the official dominion representatives in lobbying efforts. No vote was required to enact the new constitution; instead, each Dominion needed to agree to abrogate its original agreement with the Crown and consent to a new constitution. This process was completed by July of 2024. The new uniform constitution, called the Statutory Charter, was issued by the King, replacing the individual agreements and Urcean statutes governing the territory, including and especially the Crona Organic Act of 2010. Critically, the new Charter officially unified New Harren as a single sovereign entity and established a small central administrative apparatus. In the broader history of New Harren, the new Charter inaugurated the Constitutional Era in the Kingdom's history and had the practical effect of beginning a distinct political culture within the Kingdom while accelerating the development of a distinct [[Nysdrine people|Nysdrine identity]]. In December [[2024]], the Kingdom adopted a new flag incorporating the colors of the Northern Confederation with its previous imagery, symbolizing the Kingdom's rebirth.

====Post-war developments====

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 [[Constituent_states_of_New_Harren#Mixcala|Mixcala]], the [[Constituent_states_of_New_Harren#Weluta-New_Mixcala|Condominium of Weluta-New Mixcala]] was opened to settlers from eastern Crona and Varshan in [[2028]], largely supplanting intended Levantine colonial settlement there. This would precipitate unexpected political issues with respect to the Condominium in the 2030s.

 

[[Algoquona]] had played a major role in the establishment of New Harren; it had served as the primary antagonist from which the Confederation's initial members sought protection. It had similarly played a major role in the establishment of the [[Unnuaq Mission State]] to the north, as that region's Christian missions required military protection from Algoquona. Algoquona was destroyed at the end of the [[Final War of the Deluge]], which had significant impacts on New Harren's society. As with the implementation of the 2024 Charter, it changed the mindset of most of the people of New Harren from a siege mentality to a more forward-looking worldview in which the Kingdom was the "future" of Cusinaut. It also had the effect of rendering the Unnuaq Mission State redundant as a state. The missions running the state had also requested that political power and governance be shifted from their monastic apparati and to a normal civilian government. After years of examining self-governance options, the Mission State, New Harren, and Urcea reached an agreement in which the territory would eventually become part of New Harren. The prospect of another constituent state to the Confederation caused political anxiety among the indigenous members of the Confederation who were concerned about the balance of power between the Occidentals and indigenous going forward. The extinguishing of the Algosh military threat also left the large [[Constituent_states_of_New_Harren#Military_frontier|military frontier]] - a buffer on the Algoquonan border - largely redundant.

 

The traditionally harmonious Mixcala-Rectory relationship was greatly disturbed by the developments in the Condominium during the post-war period. As Varshani refugees supplanted intended Occidental settlers, Urcean preferences and outlook changed. The once-hated Tepetlcali that occupied it had become a stateless people since their defeat at Urcea's hands in the 2000s. The Urcean government, and Rectory with it, heavily favored repatriating the Tepetlcali into the territory and gradually having Tepetlcali join the Kingdom, replacing the Condominium. This solution was unthinkable to the Mixcala, who not only hated the Tepetlcali and had their own interests in the territory but were concerned about the political impacts on the Confederation when also considering the addition of Borealia. The Mixcala thus refused a formal request to allow the Tepetlcali to resettle the territory in [[2030]]. Throughout 2030 and early 2031, political tensions grew within the Confederation. In order to diffuse the growing issue, the Governor-General convened a special working group of the [[New_Harren#Legislative|Grand Council]] with one representative per state to propose a solution in April 2031. The April Conference, as it has since been called, came upon the idea of partitioning the now-unused military frontier lands to help resolve the crisis. Their proposal was to, simultaneously, add the Unnuaq Mission State as an [[New_Harren#Confederated_units|Occidental-style constituent]], upgrade the [[Constituent_states_of_New_Harren#Free_Cities|Free Cities]] to a [[New_Harren#Confederated_units|nation within the Confederation]] with frontier lands added, dissolve the Condominium by means of partition between Mixcala and the Rectory, and to compensate Mixcala with lands from the frontier in exchange for its loss of influence in former Tepetlcali lands. The April Conference unanimously agreed on this report and submitted it to the Governor-General. In consultation with the national leaders, the Governor-General began to implement the April Conference's plans via negotiations beginning in May 2031. The negotiations yielded the territorial settlement of 2032, implemented on 1 January 2032 of that year. The final settlement differed in some respects from the original report. First, the Statutory Charter of 2024 was amended to create a new governmental form - the [[New_Harren#Confederated_units|province]] - which functions similar to Occidental-style governance but with a majority indigenous population; the Unnuaq Mission State was annexed to the Confederation and became a province - [[Constituent_states_of_New_Harren#Borealia|Borealia]]. Second, the Free Cities rejected losing their confederal governance and refused to change their form of government. Instead, the city of Canisteo, the largest among them, was joined to adjoining parts of the military frontier to establish the new [[Constituent_states_of_New_Harren#Canisteo|Province of Canisteo]]. Thirdly, the Condominium was dissolved and partitioned between Mixcala and the Rectory along ethnic lines as anticipated, but Mixcala took a much smaller share of the territory in exchange for significant financial compensation and a much larger share of the military frontier.

 

With the settlement in place, political harmony returned to New Harren. Additionally, with the dissolution of the Condominium, the Tepetlcali were legally allowed to return to their ethnic homeland. Though not a free-standing state within the Confederation, they were afforded significant political rights and self-governing communities within the Rectory in [[2032]] and [[2033]]. New Harren in the 2030s has become, by far, Urcea's most important foreign dependency and arguably its most important foreign relation overall.

 

In [[2034]], the northernmost members of the Confederation issued a formal complaint about the possibility of their waterflow being impeded by the constructon of Hamuq City in [[Canespa]], precipitating the [[Hamuq City Reservoir Crisis]]. Urcea's aggressive posture towards Canespa in their defense had a positive impact on views of Urcea among the Confederation's indigenous population.

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 [[Urcea]]n market in the early 2000s. From there, they began to see the attention of [[Sarpedon|Sarpedonic]] high society by the late 2000s. The relative decline of [[Housatonic]] as a fashion center contributed greatly to both the demand of Port St. Charles-designed fashion as well as the availability of highly skilled Housatoner designers and seamstresses. By 2015, "PSC style" was entrenched as a global phenomenon.

{{wp|Lacrosse}} is the most popular sport in New Harren, both among descendants of Occidentals as well as the native population. Many historians and scholars believe the modern form of the game originated in what is today New Harren. The game is played at all levels of society, ranging from pickup games to leagues organized by academic institutions and, most prominently, at the professional level at the [[Northern Crona Lacrosse Association]] (NCLA), which includes fourteen teams from New Harren and [[Porfiria]]. The NCLA is the most popular professional sports league in New Harren by far, drawing the most television views as well as most tickets sold. The league is considered one of the world's premier Lacrosse leagues due to the cultural history of the sport among the native peoples of [[Cusinaut]], leading to great aptitude for the sport among New Harren's constituent peoples. Lacrosse stadiums were one of the earliest large infrastructure projects in the history of New Harren, with nine stadiums of a capacity greater than 35,000 built throughout the country between 2012 and 2019.

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; the GDP per capita declined somewhat with the incorporation of the former [[Nysdra Provisional Republic]] to $20,884, but the GDP increased overall. There are significant GDP PC disparities throughout the Kingdom based on constituency, with the Rectory of New Harren by far being the largest driver of growth within the realm.

For most of New Harren's existence, its economy has been dependent on the presence of the [[Royal Navy (Urcea)|Royal Navy]] within the country. The Royal Navy's Nysdra Squadron has been based in the territory for more than a century and a half, and the squadron slowly transformed from a coastal defense force to one of 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.

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 (New Harren)|Royal and Confederate Army]], which is the primary land forces of the Kingdom. Urcea as also stationed the [[XXXV Corps (Urcea)|XXXV Corps]] of the [[Royal and Imperial Army (Urcea)|Royal and Imperial Army]] permanently within the Kingdom to serve in conjunction with the R&CA. 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.