Hwairland

"This document is baffling, and it might just be stupid enough to work."

- A Hwairlander politician, after having read the proclamation of the republic

The Interim Republic of Hwairland, sometimes written abroad as Weirland, is a country situated in western Eidora. Long at odds with Radovia, it has acted as a shield stopping their expanse further south. Its capital is Fairnisbaurg.

Having mostly endured the Age of Turmoil, the conditions it brought has created a political anomaly: Hweirland, having overthrown its corrupt monarchical state system that was in reality controlled by a cadre of nobles, became a temporary republic that still recognised a king. Instead of dismantling the kingdom, a republic is formed on a higher executive level: the Kingdom of Hwairland being a constituent part of the Republic. After the coup, however, the military quickly took over to prevent the outbreak of a civil war, turning the country into a de facto military dictatorship under General Nivard Wöhrle.

History
The Hwair people are distantly related to the Druthenians, a fact that can today be seen in their somewhat similar languages.

Age of Turmoil
Entering the Age of Turmoil, Hwairland suffers little from it, relatively speaking. However, a major problem later forms: their country is a strongly centralised monarchy, and the king in power is old and senile. Over the years, the nobility in the country has increasingly been running the show, using the old king as their puppet to further their interests, paying little heed to the common folk.

Coup d'etat
In 1913, things took a turn for the better. A coup, supported by the military (led by non-noble officers) and the common people (many political groupings) overthrew the nobles, arresting many. While the king was still a beloved person, faith in the monarchical system had been shattered. There was much bickering between the many groups as to what to do with the country, but eventually, a compromise was made: the Kingdom was to remain, but placed below a new state apparatus. Thus, the kingdom would exist as a constituent part of a newly formed republic, until the state could be sufficiently reformed. This did not completely abate tensions, though the compromise was generally accepted across the board. Most assumed the monarchy would return in some form, though many socialist elements had hoped that this may pave the way to a permanent republic and abolishment of the kingdom.

An unfortunate side effect of the expulsion of the nobility was the fact that many government positions were occupied by them directly: soon after the coup, Hwairland would suffer from a power vacuum, which threatened to tear the country apart into civil war between the various political groups. To prevent this, the military assumed direct control of the state "until negotiations could be completed", a move that angered and worried many. A republic now only in name, Hwairland had turned into a military dictatorship. Negotiations for a new Hwairland state commenced shortly after - under the watchful eyes of the military.

However, not all involved nobles were apprehended. Many fled - with much of their wealth - into neighbouring Radovia, which promised them a safe haven. There a deal was secretely (though correctly assumed by the Hwairland junta) struck, where Radovia promised to assist the nobility in re-instating the monarchy in exchange for various concessions, some of which gave rise to fear that Radovia was seeking to turn Hwairland into a puppet state. However, luckily for the young republic, Radovia was busy with building up their military in the east, fearing further advances by the CSR. Thus, the Hwairland nobles would have to wait until after the oncoming war had passed.

Eidoran War
Hwairland remained neutral during the war, though tensions within the country would remain high and many feared a potential invasion of the exiled nobles and Radovia. However, Hwairland would suffer from other more immediate troubles of the domestic kind.

While many saw the military takeover as a necessary evil, others were adamantly opposed to such a solution. A fair few groups, mostly on the left wing of the political spectrum, would begin to target military officials in various attacks, mostly to terrorise and sway, but sometimes assassinations were carried out. All the while this was going on, the political groupings still attempting to maintain the status quo had to fight tooth and nail to prevent the military leadership to implement restrictive laws that they claimed to be necessary to "uphold the security of the state negotiations" in the face of terrorism.

The Cauldron
The Cauldron is a large crater, a little more than a kilometre in diameter, located in the central part of the country. Nicknamed "the cauldron", it has long been an important meeting place in the region, where kings would be crowned and treaties would be agreed upon. Its effect and presence in Hwairland history and culture can be seen in the very name of the country (hwair = cauldron).

Behind the scenes (meta)

 * Hwairland is based upon the Gothic peoples and language.