Swadia

Swadia (Swah-dee-ah), officially Kingdom of Swadia is a western nation comprising of two island states as well as a small collection of minor islands inbetween the two states. The official language is common, and citizens are known as Swadians.

The capital of Swadia is Briston, located on North Island.

History
The Kingdom of Swadia is one of the three Western Powers, and as such Swadians are descendants of the Trinity Islands Tribes.

Officially established in 187 M.E, Swadia begun as a single city-state on the Southern Island and existed as a kind of communist nation with a system of goods and services bartering powering the development of the nation. However, as Swadia expanded into multiple settlements, this system proved ineffective and a dictatorship was installed by Francis Goldvehn and his band of enforcers in 260 M.E.

Government
Although it's officially known as a kingdom, Swadia actually operates under a kind of democracy. A king is still in place, and he still has the last say on all matters of the state, but the difference is that the king is elected by Swadian citizens. In addition to the king, the government also consists of a cabinet of advisors known as 'Representitives,' who advise the king in their field of expertise (such as military, civil security, foreign policy ect.) A new group of representitives are chosen by the former group, and then approved by the king. If the king does not find a chosen representitive to his approval, he may elect a new one or ask the former representitive to select again.

Military
Since the establishment of an electoral government, Swadia has maintained the use of a national standing army. 10 years after the rise of the airship, this was expanded to include the Royal Air Division which later grew into it's own seperate branch of the military, The Swadian Airfleet, which remains as such to this day. Both branches fall under the ultimate command of the current Swadian Minister of Military.

Due to Swadia's wealth and history of international warfare, the military is given great importance in the national budget and as such is one of the strongest and most advanced in Cadia.

House Guards
Aside from the nation's standing army, each Noble House of Swadia is also alloted a small contigent of personal troops known as a House Guard. These soldiers, either assigned from the national army or hand picked by members of their respective Houses, are given full access to standard issue uniforms, equipment and weapons. However, each House is also authorised to personally purchase or import military grade weaponary and equipment to outfit their troops with and as such it is quite common for members of a House Guard to sport custom uniforms bearing Noble House insignia or the latest in weaponary as a show of the wealth and power that their representitive families possess.

Climate
Due to it's vast land area, Swadia includes a large variety of biomes. Towards the northen tip, around the Briston region, is predominately rainy and cold, although only snows very late in the year due to it's low elevation. Further towards the centre of the nation, the climate becomes more tropical composed primarily of rainforests and low mountains.

The Southen Island tends to have a hotter climate, even sporting a few deserts in the very middle. The extreme tip of the Southern Island is extremely cold and mountainous, belonging to the same climate zone as Brochovichia.

Economy
Swadia has a very strong and industrious economy, built upon the hundereds of factories and workshops. Thanks to it's demanding economy, Swadia has a very low unemployment rate as there is almost always a job available with no prerequisites at the local factory.

North Island is abundant in precious gems and metals, with diamonds being it's cheif export. The mining industry is Swadia's largest industry, followed by the firearms industry.

Culture
Although Swadian culture is relatively diverse, a distinct three tier class division exists. The least respected, but most essential, is the lower working class such as tradesmen or factory workers. The middle class are small business owners, skilled craftsman and merchants and often intertwine with both upper and lower class. The upper class are highly respected gentry and ladyfolk, including royalty, company owners, investors, military generals and other persons of wealth.

The bohemian society provides Swadia with most of it's wealth of artworks, and upper and middle class individuals as well as state galleries often pay large amounts for prestigious paintings and sculptors, effectively allowing the artwork industry to thrive both creatively and financially. Plays are also a popular past time amongst both the poor and rich. Because of the popularity of plays, actors are well known and respected individuals in society.