Tybalteva

 Tybalteva , officially the Tybaltevan Republic (Tybaltevan:  Tyubalteavàento Repùbliki ), is a federal crowned republic of over 18.86 million people. Its mainland territory - located in the region of Galea - is bordered by Kamandé to the northeast, Ujedinjeni Gvozd to the southeast, and Griffin Empire to the south through territorial waters. The forested island of Chimera, claimed in the 18th century, adjoins a submarine volcano (called "Cerberus" in various Tybaltevan tales) and thus has no permanent inhabitants.

The majority of the population speaks Tybaltevan - the country's official language - as their native language. From one state to another, other languages are commonly spoken and considered semi-official at schools (English, French and Korean mainly).

Today, Tybalteva is a representative democracy consisting of five federal states. The capital and largest city, with a population exceeding 4.8 million inhabitants, is Gatineau, located in the French-speaking state of the country.

Tybalteva has developed a high standard of living in the 1960s by specializing in high technology, permaculture, metallurgy and waste recycling. Due to its strategic and attractive port towns, the country is internationally known for exporting rosewood, diamonds, salt and oil. Tybalteva has joined the United Coastal Nations in 1987 and signed the Venèse Agreement in 1994 to foster political stability in the region and establish long-term economical relationships with neighbouring countries.

The country gained the hosting rights for the 2008 Summer Olympics that took place from 8 to 24 August 2008 in Joekeong, state of Tàesegù, and the 2015 World Championships in Athletics held  from 22 to 30 August 2015 in Gatineau, state of Archeviers. In 2018, Tybalteva co-hosted the FIFA World Cup together with Solentoya and Tanoiro.

Etymology
According to several historical records, the name Tybalteva might come from the names of two heroes of legend: Tybalt Aedan The Brave, young heir of the region of Stonia who initiated the Exalted March in 1781 and fought against barbarians of the region to unite the dislocated territories under his banner, and Eva Swedan The Ruthless, his maid who took up arms and helped him to win the Great Battle of Vladopetrov, which ended by the surrender of the opposing forces. Their names might have been put together and chosen as a country name by the Royal Council of 1795 for people to remember who brought peace and freedom in a once very troubled place.

However, that explanation was disputed in recent years by several historians who claimed Tybalteva was the result of successive misspellings of Tiaebaelta, the name of an ancient city - built on the island of Chimera - that was allegedly wiped out by an earthquake centuries ago.

Flag
The country's flag was created during the Second Congress Of People's Representatives held six months after the Second Unification process initiated in 1782. According to writings of Jeveto The Poet, the King Tybalt Aedan The Brave himself wanted to make sure his subjects would approve of the flag that was supposed to reflect "unity in diversity". Regarding the colours, yellow refers to "the sunny sky all men share, regardless of their origins", white represents four important values to mankind "faith, happiness, peace, freedom", and dark blue embodies the nourishing sea that gave the country its wealth. The black colour has been the subject of various interpretations over the centuries, many experts suggesting it symbolically referred to the dark ages of the region and the blood spilled to bring them to an end.

The heraldry in the white triangle on the left represents two keys, one for each of the heroes who brought peace with the pointy end of their swords: Tybalt Aedan The Brave and Eva Swedan The Ruthless.

History
In ancient times preceding the Middle Ages, the territory that is now Tybalteva was a very dense and large forest which was home to several Karmelitic tribes originally from the Eastern part of the continent. To date, the way of life of those primitive peoples is not well documented due to a lack of archeological discoveries and records from following centuries. Besides, the cause of their disappearance remains unknown.

In the 14th century, the exponential growth of trade by sea led thousands of merchants from the four corners of the continent to take the sea lane known as "route of Caperini" to connect all the regions. Some merchants used to stop on the adjacent banks to mark a pause in their journeys, but as the maritime traffic increased, traders began to settle on the coast for the sole purpose of resupplying ships. From there, several port towns appeared and gained ground over the forest, each community managing a part of land and regarding it as their own property.

In 1652, Arthur Aedan of Tridenter, son of the King François IV of Tridenter - kingdom formerly located on an remote island in northern Galea - decided to both expand his influence overseas and establish his own domain in a less inhospitable place. As no authority had officially claimed property rights over the banks of Caperini, his army and he invaded the region, leading to the War Of The Two Hundred Days. Arthur proclaimed himself king of that newly conquered land called New Tridenter (Tybaltevan:  Neoà Triedeènterinerter ) after his father's kingdom. However, that sudden royal authority proved to be very unpopular despite Arthur' s attempts to subject the population to vassalage.

Several violent internal conflicts between communities erupted the following years and, as a devout man, Arthur started a Holy March in 1667 alongside the Catholic Church to convert nonbelievers and worshippers of "wrong religions", which were allegedly the "main impediments to the land stability". Therefore, hundreds of thousands of people were forced to embrace Christanity, while others were either chased or executed.

In 1709, Roman Aedan Of New Tridenter - Arthur's son - gave up on his father's wish to rule the land and focused on his servile French-speaking territory which he renamed Stonia. During his reign, he avoided confrontation with other communities that gradually grew stronger and demanded that the sovereignty of their own territories be recognized. New Tridenter officially broke up in 1755 when barbarians coming from Orovoda by sea jeopardised the Crown's legitimacy by attacking several royal outposts. In 1756, at the age of 73, Roman sent his army to desperately unite the land at the request of the Stonian nobility. The royal army's progression led to the Great War in 1758, it was eventually defeated two years later by a coalition of local chiefs of communities. After Roman's death in 1770, Tybalt Aedan of Stonia, his youngest son, inherited a minor domain near the seashore in the northern part of Stonia while Tehnbard Aedan of Stonia, Tybalt's eldest brother, inherited the throne. Threatened again by opposing chiefs of Carpemtelonic and Destoric communities, the castle of Stonia was attacked and burned down in 1780. Tehnbard was caught and lapidated by the Carpemtelonic army that planned to annex Stonia. To save the kingdom, Tybalt decided to raise an army together with Eva Swedan, his young maid - and former disciple of the Order of Purple Knights - who helped him to leave his domain unnoticed during the offensive. The royal army finally succeeded in repulsing the assailants out of Stonia towards the end of 1780.

After that military success, Tybalt and Eva initiated an Exalted March in 1781 to pacify the region. Tybalt fought in the South to rally support from the most powerful opposing representatives of communities while Eva won decisive battles against barbarians in the mountain range of Galea. Victorious and genuinely ready to discuss with the other communities, Tybalt demanded a Second Unification in 1782 for the greater good. Every community was given an official status with equal powers and a state named after gods of ancient Tridenterian mythology: Sunaflowerù (God of Hope), Tàesegù (God of Prosperity), Asciùdaz (Goddess of Clear-sightedness), Petrà (Goddess of Harvests) and Archeviers (God of Might), formerly known as Stonia. The country was then named Tridenter, in rememberance of the long line of Aedan kings.

In 1795, Tybalt and Eva were poisoned by a spy of the Carpemtelonic army during a public banquet held in Gatineau to celebrate spring. The man responsible for their death was executed and Hadrian Aedan - Tybalt's cousin - alledgedly decided to change the country's name as soon as he became king, in tribute to those two valorous warriors. As a result, the name Tybalteva officially started appearing in business contracts and other legal documents.

Since then, the country ceased to be the theatre of major conflicts. In the 19th century, the population became aware of the benefits of cooperation and inter-state commercial partnerships soared. Institutions favoured legals ways of sorting out disagreements, which reinforced the stability of the system implemented during Tybalt's reign. In 1960, each state began to focus on its own natural resources and savoir-faire to make Tybalteva a commercial powerhouse at international level. Between 1965 and 1975, the country saw a twenty-fold increase in exportations of rosewood, sea salt, oil and processed metals, which has significantly improved people's general standard of living. In 1987, the King Anthelme Aedan of Tybalteva has publicly expressed its will to make the country a peace ambassador in the world and hailed the entry of Tybalteva in the United Coastal Nations.

In 1994, Prime Minister Ekko Mitulainen revealed the creation of the Venèse Agreement, which went even further in the areas of peace promotion and economical development at regional level. Since 2000, several neighbouring countries have resorted to Tybalteva's expertise in waste recycling, high technology and permaculture, which have become increasingly important and dynamic areas of research.

Following the independance of Kamandé from Orovoda in 2010, a territorial dispute about the exact outline of the border between both nations occured, each side accusing the other of wanting to extend its territory and "act tough". The unresolved conflict took a major political turn over the years, leading the Tybaltevan king to militarise the border and ban anything Kamandéan - citizens, companies and products alike - from the country in 2013. To this day, diplomatic relations between both nations remain erratic while travels and commercial exchanges still are strictly prohibited.

Federal States
Tybalteva comprises five federal states whose cultural, economical and political approaches differ greatly from each other. Due to its multiethnic nature and war-ridden past, the government established after the Second Unification in 1782 progressively opted for the constitution of a republic granting equal powers to each federal state, under the supervision of a neutral policy-making entity whose objective would be the greater good of the whole nation.

That superior entity is located in Gatineau, capital city of the country and main city of Archeviers.

Archeviers (6,204,713 inhabitants): Archeviers roughly corresponds to the former territory of Stonia, the historical French-speaking kingdom of the royal family Aedan in the 18th century. Sometimes called the "green lung" of the country, it is a vast agricultural and forested area punctuated with hundreds of well-preserved castles and medieval towns. Gatineau is both the main city of that state and the capital of Tybalteva. French is widely spoken there.

-

Asciùdaz (3,222,030 inhabitants): Due to its sandy beaches, warm microclimate and faux pre-Artinian buildings and landmarks, Asciùdaz is one of the leading tourist destinations of the region. The picturesque city of Màgarti is known for its refined cuisine and local landscape painters' workshops. Significant Tanoirian and Griffin communities live in the eastern part of the state. The main second languages taught in schools are Spanish, Tano-Tempo and Griffin.

-

Petrà (1,006,197 inhabitants): Petrà is the industrial center of the country. Metalworking factories, sawmills, hydroelectric plants and automobile production facilities employ about 68% of inhabitants. However, Okast is specialized in arts and crafts (wooden toys, cutlery, glass jewellery, wool clothing and traditional oval music boxes). Several slavic languages coexist, making Tybaltevan the only common language of the area.

-

Sunaflowerù (2,818,431 inhabitants):Located in the western part of the country, Sunaflowerù has the highest concentration of specialized libraries and port towns of the region. The main city Nev Joàrk is a sanctuary for fishermen, container ships and foreign scientists. On the coast, the windy peeble beaches are very appreciated by both professional and amateur kite-flyers during summer. English is considered a semi official language.

-

Tàesegù (4,603,205 inhabitants):Tàesegù is the most heavily urbanized Tybaltevan state, as cities account for over 80% of the area. With its young population, dynamic lifestyle, renowned universities and numerous large companies' headquarters, Joekeong is the economic heart of the country. Residential real estate prices have soared in recent years around the city. Korean and, to a lesser extent, Japanese are commonly spoken.

Royal Family & Masquerades
The illustrious Aedan dynasty - whose line of kings, according to ancient records, dates back to the 1110s - rules Tybalteva. Before crossing the sea, reaching the Caperini coast and making history as we know it, the royal family founded a kingdom named Tridenter that sparked numerous savants' and intellectuals' interest over the centuries due to the very little reliable information about it. It was said to be located on a remote island in Northern Galea that, to this day, never appeared on any map: while the amount of oddities surrounding Tridenter still fuels the most whimsical speculations, its existence was corroborated by various artefacts and writings Arthur Aedan of Tridenter brought when he sought a new land to reign over. If there is more evidence to be found, it must be available in the safely guarded underground repositories of the Gatineau Royal Castle. Archibald Aedan of Tybalteva - direct descendant of Hadrian Aedan, who took the helm following the poisoning of his cousin in 1795 - is the current king of the nation. He succeeded his father Anthelme in 2006 at the age of 20 and, by assuming the throne, marked a change of approaches regarding international diplomacy and the weight of religion on morals in the society. In a crowned republic such as Tybalteva, a king delegates his political powers to the government elected by the people, however he retains unique responsibilities (chief of the army and international royal relationships, nuclear weapon holder, symbol of the nation unity) and remains a voice that carries of lot of weight to politicians and citizens alike. Thus, Archibald distanced himself from the age-old Tybaltevan religious rigorism to promote a vision of faith more accepting of differences of all sorts that make mankind. Also, unlike his father who used to guarantee the integrity of the territory through shows of strength, the young king preferred cementing alliances and keeping potential enemies at bay through advanced diplomacy on the occasion of masquerades.

Masquerades were once organised to ensure the Crown could count on renewed support from the Tybaltevan nobility. That peculiar way of forging a kingly reputation and relationships for diplomatic and strategic designs was adapted to fit the nation's interests while taking advantage of royal politics in the most powerful circles of Natia. Once a month, a grand masquerade takes place in the Gatineau Royal Castle behind closed doors: one cannot ask to attend it, for only an elite of politicians, nobles and members of royal families qualifies for it. It is also worth noting that invitations are sent to a list of leading figures that changes every time and guests are required to be fully dressed and masked: the more extravagant, the better. It is believed that in the course of such princely events, schemes, plots, rumours, blackmail and other speakers' games have replaced the physical weapons to get the upper hand over important representatives of other nations.

According to a special article on the matter published in the newspaper "La Gazette d'Archeviers" in 2010, King Archibald fully took part in masquerades, along with a handful of seasoned advisors. It was also mentioned that - for unknown reasons - he never wore the same mask twice and had them made and tailored by an appointed craftsman. The king started wearing masks during official ceremonies of high significance too, including his marriage to Tuorem - formerly a music journalist working for the TYBC - at the cathedral of Gatineau in 2014. All of the media, seized by a passion for the incongruous pair, claimed that the exclusive interview the king gave to the journalist for the historical renovation of Gatineau Golden Hall in 2010 must have been the starting point of their story, even though it remains unclear when they first met and how they managed to keep their relationship secret until the Crown publicly announced their future union.

Prince consort Tuorem quit his job in 2014 and limited his public appearances to the ones that required him to officially accompany the king. However, the TYBC announced on December 29, 2019, that he was appointed as head of delegation, since Tybalteva is in the process of joining the Nation Song Contest. The Crown did not react to the news.

Political system
Tybalteva is a federal crowned republic whose political bodies originate from the Second Unification completed by Tybalt Aedan of Stonia in 1782 in order to pacify the region and unite the dislocated territories. Until today, the nation has been ruled according to a unique and ancient two-chamber system called "Parliament" (Tybaltevan: Paerleamaentuus).

Upper chamber of Savant Knights
This chamber was once created to set the Tybaltevan constitution in stone and named after its first members: thirteen knights appointed by the King who were said to be scholars well-versed in cosmogonia, astronomia and astrologia. According to historical writings, they exclusively legislated and deliberated based on occult observations of the constellation of the Purple Lion (also known as constellation of the Frosted Sword), that the nation unilaterally claimed ownership of in 1790 after its discovery.

Today, the chamber is made up of thirteen knights dubbed by the King after being appointed by the Peace Keepers for a five-year period. Their title allows them to deal with the most important matters of the nation and produce laws accordingly; it is removed if their mandate is not renewed or the King decides to depose them.

As is tradition, they sit on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the historical Temple of the Savant Knights (located near Gatineau), under the supervision of a Primer minister who is accountable to the King. The finalised laws are then sent to the lower chamber of Peace Keepers for ratification. The official working language is Tybaltevan, but all sessions and documents are translated into the other main languages spoken in the country (English, French, Korean, Spanish, Griffin).

The knights' fields of expertise include: Foreign Affairs; Agriculture; Fisheries and Food; Economic Affairs and Finance; Health and Wellness; Sports; Higher Education, Research and Innovation; Education and Youth; Armies; Ecology and Territorial Cohesion; Labour; Justice; Culture; Budget and Public Accounts.

Lower chamber of Peace Keepers
This chamber was destined to involve the population in the decision-making processes of the government. It comprises 100 representatives of the civil society (20 Peace Keepers from each state) elected through direct suffrage for three years. Apart from their administrative missions, they are responsible for appointing the Savant Knights every five years, initiating debates with the Upper chamber, dissecting the laws newly created and sending applications for amendments if required.

The legislative body - that gathers everyday in rotation - is located in the heart of Gatineau, at the former oceanographic museum "Roman Aedan of Tridenter".

Heritage
Despite countless battles and wars, the Western states of Tybalteva have preserved widespread medieval built heritage, including churches, castles, landmarks, fortresses and battlements. The Eastern part of the country, significantly more damaged by barbarian invasions in the 16th century, has progressively been rebuilt in a more contemporary style, yet tourism started thriving there after villages falling into ruin were rebuilt in a faux pre-Artinian style. Four major historic sites have been protected by the National Tybaltevan Heritage Conservatory: the Plastaràesko Chasm near Enjoyaux 65 km south-west of Gatineau, the giant ossuary of Sagebois located on the Caperini coast, the pillars of Diamondunù Castle 20 km north of Nev Joàrk and the Temple Of Lost Deities (Tybaltevan: Nàebadorie Ok Paad Diventàsae) with its intricate primitive embellishments 2 km away from Tamicheon.

The Gatineau Royal Castle is also notable for its traditional Aedanian royal style, U-shaped arrow-slits, crenelated towers and machicolations with floral patterns.

Cuisine
Tybaltevan cuisine is a mixture of various culinary traditions brought over time by travelling merchants and nomad tribes. In states that border the Route Of Caperini, cuisine is characterized by constant use of black olive oil and aromatic herbs and plants such as thyme, bay leaves, dill, chives and basil. Due to daily deliveries from the numerous port towns located on the coast, fishes (ash tuna, catfish, coley, golden salmon) and seafood (squids, giant whelks, king prawns, blue oysters, Nèvjoàrkan mussels) are the most popular ingredients, cooked according to an endless range of local recipes that vary from one town to another. On the contrary, the cuisine of Eastern states is more reliant on livestock: red meat (beef, winged bull, billy goat of Hàrpomi) and poultry (chicken, royal turkey, ostrich) are preferred to sea products in areas where the fishing culture is not as rooted as in the West. Stews and grilled dishes are served with linguine or baked potatoes and little bowls filled with spices (cardamom, mountain pepper, nutmeg, clove paste). Cranberry custards, violet cotton candy and orange blossom pastries are the most popular and typical desserts of the region. They are generally served with vanilla tea or rice wine.

Red wine and hard liquors are an integral part of weddings and national celebrations: fruits and cereals are cultivated, processed and turned into alcoholic drinks in every state for the local population's consumption. The state of Asciùdaz produces vegetable-based soft drinks - which are very popular among children - and sparkling water from seawater.

According to traditional Tybaltevan beliefs, wild strawberries are considered aphrodisiac and acacia honey is said to increase life expectancy.

Literature
The first literary works written in the region date from the late 14th century when the recently inhabited Caperini coast started attracting scholars and artists. The first book in Tybaltevan language was written by Sebàstian Nedaèssen in 1785, a few months after grammar and orthography were standardized under the initiative of the Royal College of Savants. However, literature only began to develop significantly when the printing press was invented one century later.

Medieval tales and poetry were the most widespread genres at that time because they referred to an era that left lots of authentic hand-written documents, which proved to be good material for authors to build their own stories upon. Novels, novellas and comics appeared much later, during the 20th century.

Eàperclide (1840-1911) became a reference regarding traditional tales and legends, which are still very often studied at schools due to their ambiguous meaning and convoluted language style. As for poetry, "Aglamù Hondiraere" (White Skies) and "Ples Dirvà Erat" (Under My Skin) of Jeveto The Poet remain the most refined and sought-after volumes of that genre among knowledgeable cultural circles.

Carletta Suches and Andrin Meng - who have both written four bestsellers in the 1990s and 2010s - are the most popular contemporary novelists of the country's history. Religious literature is also very rich and prolific due to high demand from Catholic churchgoers.

Sciences
Tybalteva was the cradle of numerous scientists with international reputation. Among them are Titus Naecàa, Elisa Pùdeleto and Cristi Barwèl who made major discoveries in the areas of inorganic chemistry and particle physics in the 19th century. In medieval times already, many savants achieved scientific and technological advances: Gelovu's observations were key to the development of cosmology later on during the 1780s and 1790s, Artànn Lèfaoll became a noteworthy mineralogist and sedimentologist due to its experiments on clastic rocks and gypsum, and Eleonora Zeànara's early research about crystals led to the study of piezoelectricity.

In the 20th century, the country was also the birthplace of eminent philosopher Remàrd Venstèin and microbiologist Anà Rùcova, as well as mathematicians Siegfrid Lamin and Bert Franklin who built upon achievements of the 19th century Gatineau School of Mathematics. The Tybaltevan Schools of Medecine and Economics, located in Joekeong, have proven to be prominent in their respective areas throughout the last century thanks to major research theses prepared in co-operation with renowned specialists. Every year, hundreds of foreign students come to study at these prestigious institutions.

Today, the Nev Joàrk National Library houses most original specialized books, textbooks, dictionaries and encyclopaedias of the country.

Music
Since medieval times, Tybalteva has been the flower of classical music. The Tybaltevan Philharmonic Orchestra was created in 1710 to entertain the court and guests of king Roman Aedan Of New Tridenter during balls and private masquerades. Today, it plays operas and instrumentals from illustrious national classical composers - such as Biànco Tàrtini, Christof De Rouvert, Peter Dàenon and Paul Vanian - at Gatineau Golden Hall. In the 20th century, various music genres such as pop, rock, jazz, hip hop, k-pop and country - which once were highly localized and undisclosed - have spread dramatically, thus leading to an unprecedented increase in new talents on the Tybaltevan music scene.

Numerous specialized festivals are organized on a monthly basis and free impromptu concerts take place in the streets of the main cities during summer.

On 5 march, the Tybaltevan Music Awards are held every year to celebrate the country's creation in 1782 and gather artists from the five Tybaltevan states. The show is broadcasted live by the most popular TV channel TYBC 1 and always achieves the highest viewing rates of the year with three quarters of the population on average watching the show.

Foreign newspapers have tended to describe Tybaltevans' musical taste as "slightly different from what one would expect from general taste regarding mainstream music. Musicality and melancholic melodies seem to get special attention from a rather substantial part of the population."

Sports
Badminton, beach volleyball, diving, Greco-Roman wrestling, weighlifting and martial arts are the country's most popular sports, with a rich history of international competitions.

Tybalteva first participated at the Olympic Games in 1924, and has sent athletes to all of the Summer and Winter Olympic Games since then. Tybaltevan athletes have won a total of 362 medals, with athletics being the most successful discipline.

NSC Contestants
See Tybalteva in the Nation Song Contest