Sapphire Commonwealth

The Sapphire Commonwealth was a commonwealth founded by the northern Rathnir nations of the Simulami Empire, the Emirate of Najer, and the Second Empire of Plagatéa.

It was a political and economic union that consisted of four major nations and many minor ones or vassals/protectorates. It was formed on the 28th of September 2021 due to the close ties of the three founding nations and a dream of a new unified northern state that would be recognized and operate in the world stage. It was dissolved on the 10th of January, 2022.

It is primarily located in Rathnir, specifically in north-east Nieden, Plagos, and Helmia, while also present in Colonial forms at south-west, north-east, and central Eldham. It was structured as a Monarchical Confederation with a unified upper government and is seen as a true successor of the Sterling Crownlands.

History
After the relinquishing of northern dominance and dissolution of the Sterling Crownlands in early April of 2021, the dream of a unified north under the Silver Dream came to an end. Many sovereign states rose and fell, with only one achieving true independence and success, the last child of Silver: the Emirate of Najer. The Najer took the relics of the north and preserved them in the desert sea of sands.

Over half a year passed, and powerful nations continued to rise from the ashes of others. Although the Najer longed to restore their legacy and reunite the Crownlands once again, chaos, instability, and the efforts of world powers prevented that dream from becoming a reality. Others continued to rise in the north. South of the Emirate, a new monarchic nation in Nieden, the Simulami Empire rose. The Empire of Plagatéa fell and in its place formed the Second Empire of Plagatéa.

Ideas began to emerge between Simulami and Najer, due to their friendship and alliance after the Treaty of Kijaro, the brotherhood between Plagatéa and Simulami, and the recent forming of powerful alliances in the south. Due to the nation's similarities, related systems, and ideas, the three of them found themselves in weeks-long talks, bringing forth the idea of a new unified north, with a collective military, high government, and shared economy, but with space for each nation to develop their own regions. Thus, the Sapphire Commonwealth was born.

The Early Days
The early days of the Commonwealth were a time of peace and newfound harmony. The people of Plagos and northern Nieden, unacquainted and unfamiliar with each other, came together, strangers at first, and then friends. New and exciting connections were made, a bright future opened to everyone.

The SCs entrance immediately made a splash outside its borders as well. The small nations of Credia and Gertonia were quick to ally themselves with the SC. On the first census, the Commonwealth came in fourth, and with the number two and three spots ending as nations soon after, took its place as the second biggest nation on Rathnir and the biggest on Eldham. It would consistently hold these spots throughout it's life.

Just over a week after its formation, Alamayn would vote to join the Commonwealth, on the 7th of October. Many people were happy to welcome new friends and allies into the fold, and map enthusiasts everywhere rejoiced at the clean borders. However, this joy was short-lived, as miscommunication and misinformation was spread to Alamayn leaders.

Alamayn
The leader of Alamayn, Luke6556, was misinformed by several Plagatean citizens about the process and procedures of becoming a member state of the SC. This, in turn, along with other clerical confusion, led to Alamayn retracting their membership only a day later, before they were even formally admitted.

Hurt feelings blossomed among both sides: the Alamaynians who thought they were being mistreated, and the average Commonwealth citizens who were confused and sorry to see them go. Though relations would cool and shift over time, this was the start of friction between the two nations.

A week later, the kingdom of Varandoy-Aestyria would take advantage of this. They sent squatters from their province of Halond to make a base in northern Alamayn, a tactic they had used before with some success against nations such as Aurlunor. They called themselves the swamp conservators, and war was swiftly declared.

The nations of the SC were conflicted as to what to do. Simulami was allied with Varandoy-Aestyria, and Najer with Alamayn. Therefore, no group action was taken. Najer sent troops to aid in the expulsion of the squatters, and Simulami took no action. The squatters were easily and quickly expelled.

However, the Varandoy-Aestyrian Kingdom (or VAK) was not the only group to take advantage of Alamayn's position at the time. The Chancellor's hands, the old powerhouse group of Bardonia, which had collapsed a short while earlier, declared war on Alamayn.

A long-standing feud existed between the two, with members of both nations frequently trying to get the other banned. This relationship had only worsened with the War of Southern Aggression, where Alamayn led an attack on the famous Pog Bar, stealing an artifact and auctioning it off so it could not be reclaimed. "The Final March

The time has finally arrived. The vengeance we so demanded will come swiftly and without mercy. The Hands have have been raised from their eternal slumber for the last battle, the final triumph. We march on Axum to avenge their fallen brothers of the attack of pogbar, and finally rest in peace. Blood must pay for blood, and we shall not stop until their crime is paid in full. The final battle awaits.

May the gods have mercy on your soul, for we shall not.

Hail to the eternal Chancellor

May the Lillies ever grow in serenity..."

The Hands swiftly entered into Alamayn, slaughtering anyone they found. Tired Najer forces on their way back home found themselves massacred without a second thought. Soon, the city of Adwa was under siege. The rulers of Alamayn, defiant to the end, detonated a massive amount of explosives, devastating the city, though failing to kill any of the Hands.

Northern Instability
"[A]lamayn is a mess - and [if] we don't take it then someone else will"

The Hands, satisfied, withdrew shortly after. Alamayn began elections for a new Sultan. After a period of three days, results were tallied up, and Cusless was revealed to be the new leader of Alamayn. Shortly thereafter, rebellion blossomed in Alamayn. Supported by the VAK, Rexaria of the Silver Citadel declared his intent to rule Alamayn. Numerous other attacks were planned, but many did not come to fruition.

Following this, Cusless handed power over to Bagsmain and Cheezus69. This coup in turn sparked even more rebellion, with many provinces outright seceding from Alamayn. The SC, alarmed at the instability, decided they had to take action. Reports came in of nations to the south turning their eye to the weakened Alamayn and its land, and the VAK was acting hostile and aggressive, threatening to disrupt everything.

Plagatea took it upon themselves to aid the rebellious. Offering protection and solidarity, they formed a protective league claiming all the eastern territory of Alamayn. This sparked tension not only with the central Alamaynian government, but also the VAK, who wanted to claim Alamayn's land for themselves. For a time, it seemed war was inevitable between the two northern countries. "After many talks with the Plagatean government the people of the Autocracy of Kalltnorr have agreed in joining The Second Empire of Plagatea as the province of Kalltnor. The Plagateans have offered us protection against the hellish geopolitical situation that is happening in our former nation of Alamayn. We wish our brothers good luck in their endeavours."

Although suspicions were rampant and tensions were high, both sides met and opened diplomatic communication. A compromise was eventually reached, and the VAK and the SC signed the Sicarian Agreement on the 28th of October, as a military alliance and an official dissolution of Alamayn. The Alamaynian core population went into hiding, forming a resistance movement. The VAK became the kingdom of Mithra.

Relative Peace
With the instability in Alamayn quelled, or at least reduced to local conflict between the Alamaynians, Plagateans, and Mithrans, peace was once agains restored. The Sapphire Commonwealth began to gather strength once again. On the 7th of November, the SC and Bardonia signed a military alliance, two powers with common goals and interests.

A few days later, on the 10th of November, the nation of Skjoldrbrodir joined. This was the first major nation to do so since Alamayn's attempt. As it was far from the original Sterling sphere of influence, their efforts to join reflected the growing influence of the SC, and the new ground that was being trodden. The people of the Commonwealth welcomed Skjold into full fellowship and they were integrated smoothly into the nation.

Nearly a week later, the United Commonwealth collapsed, brought on by pressures from Bardonia who wished to claim the land. The SC aided its constituents of Greenstem and Czervoslavia, guaranteeing their safety and fair treatment. Shortly after, Czervoslavia and an Eldham nation known as Taernsbia were welcomed into the Commonwealth, sharing further strength and solidarity.

Aurora Novum
In late November, dissent brewed. Plagateas neighbor Aurora Novum annexed Plagatea's neighbor nation of Donfuer, with the help of a dissident official. This immediately annoyed Plagatea, who was friends with the leader. A series of strongly worded letters were exchanged over the next few days, and tensions continued to grow.

A few days later, on the 27th of November, Plagatean forces went to battle against Alamayn freedom fighters in the city of Kharis. (formerly Tlemcen) At the battle, the Plagateans and their allies were surprised to see citizens of Aurora Novum participating in the battle. After crushing the opposition, the evidence that Aurora Novum had been attempting to wage war and sow dissent within all nations within the Commonwealth. Novumite soldiers launched a raid of a few people on a Plagatean city, and in response, the Commonwealth quickly drummed up a force of 30 people, repelling the invaders and occupying the Aurora Novum capital.

In response, Aurora Novum swiftly sought protection from Solitudinem, hoping to shield themselves, and merged their territories. The Commonwealth successfully negotiated with Solitudinem to release the Novumites, and war talks were begun.

Initially, Aurora Novum planned to hire Ulfaeng to win their war, but after they were bought off, their plans quickly crumbled. They surrendered a day before the war was to take place, on the 10th of December, and a treaty was signed the following day. Shortly afterwards, a global peace period began, allowing the Commonwealth to rest and continue building itself up.

World War in Eldham
This peace was not to last long, however, and as soon as it ended, the more war-hungry nations of the Eldham Entente set their eyes on Eldham Plagatea. Determined to make Plagatea pay for perceived slights and grudges, they demanded large swaths of land that had been vassalized. Not willing to be ceded to Entente control, the territories then promptly seceded from Plagatea.

Most of the antagonist nations, at that point, dropped their claims, but one, The Ashtrokan-Wandenreich Empire (A.W.E.), pushed even further. Negotiations broke down, Plagatea refused, and all the other nations returned to declare war. The Commonwealth naturally came to protect their allies. Although a simple war over a small piece of land, it quickly escalated into a far-reaching Sapphire Commonwealth versus Eldham Entente world war.

Although slated to be an alliance versus alliance match, minus a few on either side due to conflicting alliances or lack of territory on Eldham, the Entente called in ally after ally for their offensive war. Meanwhile, the allies of the Commonwealth were intimidated or coerced into withholding aid by the Entente. The SC was quickly outmatched and outnumbered. A bombshell was dropped when Lutum, a country in Eldham, revealed stolen documents with a comment from a member of the SC who had suggested illegal war tactics. Lutum and the Entente immediately began a smear campaign based on this document.

Entente officials began to spread rumors and fearmonger, attempting to drag their enemies' names through the mud. The evidence (left) was used to spin a devious story, declaring that not only were the leaders of the Commonwealth at fault for and supportive of the comment, but that they were the warmongers in the situation. (see below quote) "The Holy Kingdom of Lutum denounces the affiliated leaders within the Sapphire Commonwealth, [who] are only greed-driven warmongers laced with enough toxicity to resort to blatant (and supported throughout) metagaming [...] the heads of the Sapphire Commonwealth wish for nothing but malicious animosity and are willing to take advantage of everyone and everything, every player and even Stoneworks itself, to get what they want."

It was at this point that the people of Eldham realized that this was too much. Far from villainizing the SC as intended, this broke the spirit of war and friendly competition. The allies of the belligerent entente and the SC began to view the war as having gone too far, gotten too toxic. Although a de-escalation was suggested, it was quickly rejected. It was only until Soolia seceded from Plagatea that the situation was finally defused. A peace treaty was signed on the 7th of January.

Mithra and the return of Alamayn
Meanwhile, on Rathnir, another conflict was brewing. Mithra, the former Varandoy-Aestyria Kingdom and Alamayn, was undergoing severe internal problems. Having originally allied themselves with the Eldham power of the Zamotz Union to use their military strength, said strength evaporated when the better portion of their army disappeared. Citizens of Alamayn were wreaking havoc internally, and Bardonia loomed over them all.

The king, Jayhawk Blackfyre, wanting to secure some level of protection and stability, left the Zamotz Union and sought to join the Sapphire Commonwealth, before departing entirely.

Having recuperated and had time to rebuild their strength, the Alamayn citizens took this opportunity to rebel and declare their independence once more. Bardonia, too, immediately began efforts to claim Mithra. This was not helped by a succession crisis, where the crown passed from hand to hand until it ended up on the head of Dusk Synderys. While it stabilized for a brief moment, it was not to remain so.

Internal pressures, including the threat of a full-scale revolt, convinced Dusk to step down, handing the crown to Ianak the Bardonian. He began an address to the nation, and during this speech declared the absorption of Mithra into the fourth Bardonian Empire, but was attacked and banished before he even finished talking. They reasserted control and took back the crown. Now having gained a legal excuse to annex Mithra, Bardonia pushed even harder for their claims.

A battle occurred in Alamayn for their independence. Being backed by Ulfaeng, they were victorious. The Commonwealth participated in the battle, but more out of obligation than true desire.

Being forced into these various crises had left a toll on all of the Commonwealth leaders. They agreed that being bound together, while a great strength, had caused conflicts to become drawn out and blown out of proportion, and had drawn as many enemies to them as it had friends. They agreed that it was time to end the SC and switch to a more versatile treaty-style commitment.

They finished up their business, and on the 10th of January, announced the dissolution of the Sapphire Commonwealth.

Demographics
The demographics of the Commonwealth were distinguished by the main nations original natural borders. Religions, races, and cultures are generally separated by these lines.

The largest populations by race are the Najer, Plagosi and Krobuny-Floramii or Simulamii. Smaller populations include the Kardovian, Naho, Stormgovan, Draaken, and Aquize. Culturally, these groups share roughly similar percentages, such as with Najer-Krobuny overlapping in style, or Krobuny-Naho in spirit. All cultures share the Traveler's Tongue as a common language for upper-government and international use.

The two largest religions in the Commonwealth are Soleviel and Zavtranian. The Lost Gods faith is a distant third, with others, such as the Draconism, Forulian, Dygrathos, Stormgovan Guardian all commanding a presence in their respective lands.

Member States
At its peak, the Commonwealth had 11 unique member states. The most notable include:


 * Major:
 * The Emirate of Najer
 * The Simulami Empire
 * The Plagatéan Empire
 * Skjoldrbrodir
 * Minor/Vassals:
 * Gertonia
 * The Kingdom of Mithra
 * Czervoslavia
 * Taernsbia
 * Drakonia/Nova-Draakhagen
 * Lunaris
 * Donfuer

Geography
On Rathnir, the Sapphire Commonwealth stretched throughout north-eastern Nieden, including Helmia, and the whole of Plagos mainland and borders the Atardon Sea to the west and the Osterium Sea to the south-east.

On Eldham, it could be found in the continents of south-west Arshine, central and south-west Valresh and eastern Elastra.

Governmental Structure
The Commonwealth consisted of five different structural statuses.


 * Any citizen/resident of the member nations is automatically a Commonwealth Citizen,
 * Citizens may also apply for the unified military and become a military personnel
 * The High Diplomats are respected individuals from across all of the major or minor states that represent their nations highest and most trusted seats, such as regents, governors, and diplomats.
 * The High Council are those who are closest to the Monarchs of the Commonwealth, typically those on advisory councils or lords. Leaders of minor or vassal states are also on the high council.
 * The Monarchs are the stable sovereigns of their respective major states. They possess and share absolute power in the Commonwealth with the other monarchs, working only with each other's consent. For Commonwealth-related matters, they decide in complete unanimity.

Legal System and Foreign relations
By the treaty of the Sapphire Commonwealth, all citizen answer to the legal system of their nation of origin. If the issue would effect the entire Commonwealth, the matter would be decided by the Monarchs. In general, banditry, grief, void-worship, cults, racism, and common crime are disallowed in the Commonwealth.

Member states can conduct their foreign relations separately from the Commonwealth, so all alliances and treaties made can extend to the entire Commonwealth or not. States may continue to conduct affairs as they see fit, but for Commonwealth-wide agreements, all Monarchs must give consent.

They generally give humanitarian aid and are open to trade to the public, but all nations are non-interventionist and isolationist in most everything except their own affairs.

Heraldry and Land
The Sapphire's Commonwealth states may keep their own national flag while adapting the Commonwealth's colours and flag alongside it.


 * The flag consists of a dark turquoise color and the coat-of-arms/symbolism in the middle.
 * The color represents the well-being and unity of the Commonwealth, it could be found in every major state's color and are also resembles the gem's sapphire color.
 * The open-armed sun represent the positive energies of life and also confidence. It resembles the Najer sun.
 * The circle and four horizontal squares resemble the order and support of all. It resembles the Plagatean diamonds.
 * The helmet with feathers represents lawful chivalry, and the Aries symmetry, equality and boldness. It resembles the Simulami crest.SAPPHIRE COMMONWEALTH PNG-CITY NAMES.png