Viridian

Viridian, or the State of the Order of the Green, was a nation located on the Nándor Peninsula of Syltör.

Formed by the brothers of the Order of the Green, the state was defined by their staunch belief in the principles of liberty, pacifism, and prosperity. At various times it was ruled by the Council, an appointed body, but would come to adopt direct democracy and state anarchism. The island of Greenhaven served as both the headquarters of the Order and the capital of Viridian, serving as the seat of the Council whenever necessary. The stated goal of the Order in the founding of Viridian was to create a utopia, wherein the people of Rathnir could be freed from tyranny and the hand of war. This led to the development of a largely agrarian, anarchist society until its ultimate dissolution.

Today, this region is wholly occupied by the Askaru Federation and Caeli.

Prehistory - The Age of Wanderlust
The history of Viridian begins with arrival of humanity into Nándor, the southernmost region of Syltör. Besides the northern part of Nándor, the southern part remained relatively peaceful and sparsely settled, aside from those few tribes of forest and field. This period was fondly remembered as the "Age of Wanderlust" by the brothers of the Order of the Green, for it was when their people were most truly free and no kingdoms or empires had come to lord over their tribes. These were the first of the Viridian (lit. "the People" in their native language, Viridi in Viridian or Viwidi in Neo-Viridian), roaming the flowery meadows, broad plains, sunlit woods and torrid savannahs of Nándor. In this time the deserts remained untraveled by the Viridian, left for those Dune Elves that called them home.

These various nomadic tribes would wander for millennia in the Arcadian fields and sunny shores of the Nándor, coming to develop a culture that focused on the values of liberty, fraternity, and equality, holding a deep reverence for their ancient traditions. In the conditions the tribes found themselves in, there was no room for disunity within the tribes - belligerent wrath and selfish greed became the culture's greatest taboos. This formed the base of the chivalric tradition that coalesced in the founding of the Order of the Green.

Civilisation - The Age of the Order of Green
Greenhaven was established as the first major settlement in the land of Viridian on the 27th of November, 2020, following a period of wandering the harsh Azim Desert. It was at this time that the monastic Order of the Green was founded by Grandmaster Bailion the Great, its first and greatest leader, to codify the ancient traditions and unite the disparate tribes. The Grandmaster served as head of state and highest authority, although ruled in fairness with the advice of his brothers in the Order. During this period the Order would grow rapidly and many monastic towns, hermitages, and farms would be established to bring prosperity, civilisation, and order to the outer tribes without force of arms or tyrannical government.

One such monastic town was Akkaria, an ingenious settlement under the sea, founded by MHE_1309. Fort Verde was the first hermitage, a hillfort founded by HighPlainsDrift on the grasslands beyond the Azim Desert, and would come to be the namesake of that whole region and the modern Lordship of Verde, an Aldanian province. The farms of Greener Pastures were soon established to supply Verde, and more distant settlements such as Balim, Jadetown, and Zerith would bring about the unification and tribal settlement of all Viridian.

Consolidation - The Age of Union
The Order soon became diplomatically active, establishing relations with various nations regionally and internationally, including becoming a founding member of the Crescent Concordant. On December the 14th, the brothers of the Order had come to a decision on the future of their country and government in the Treaty of Union. The Order would be reorganised into the government of the nation of Viridian, with Bailion elected as the first Speaker of Viridian, a largely symbolic and diplomatic position that would serve as the head of state. Ruled at this time by the Council, Viridian was founded on the principle of liberty, under which "all men and women will be free." From the islands of the Domeri Sea to the Ashuran Desert, the countrymen of Viridian prospered in relative peace and security - definitely, when compared to the rest of Rathnir.

This era would also bear witness to Viridian’s sole military engagement. As part of the Crescent Concordant, a small contingent of Viridians participated in the defence of Nyr Tlorn. Some weeks after this, Viridian briefly became a protectorate of Bardonia in order to avoid conflict. Although this status was soon revoked, they would also withdraw from the Crescent Concordant some days afterwards. Speaker Bailion would pass from the world of Rathnir on the 2nd of January, with rule returning to the people in the form of a direct democracy.

Stagnation - The Age of Anarchism
On the 11th of February, a vote was passed to abolish the Council and Ministries of government and transition to an anarchist style of governance. This led to disastrous results as the townlands of Viridian declined and were soon depopulated.

Dissolution - The Age of the Last Reform
On the 7th of March, the people of Viridian voted to begin a period of reformation in order to revitalize Viridian. The reforms were to be overseen by an interim President - none other than Bailion, having returned to this world. On the 9th of March, the Viridian Council was re-established in a new incarnation, but it was all too little too late. Many brothers had already passed from this world, and the people of Viridian voted to totally dissolve the Union and relinquish all claims over their lands by the 1st of April. This was announced a week later, and its neighbours soon scrambled to seize the newly opened frontier, among them Huitca, Agnarian and Aurlûnor Velande. Greenhaven was seized for a short time as the personal property of one StoneyStoner.

The last of the Order of the Green to occupy Viridian was likely HighPlainsDrift who would only come to leave his home, the hermitage of Fort Verde, in December of 2021. "For now I see the true old times are dead,

The ORDER OF THE GREEN is now dissolved

Which was an image of the mighty world;

And I, the last, go forth companionless,

And the days darken round me, and the years,

Among new men, strange faces, other minds." - The Hermit's Lament

Despite the Order's passing from the world of Rathnir some would attempt to revive the hallowed names of the Order and Viridian, most notably MokaDude, albeit in a form unrecognisable to its original members.