United Socialist States of Eldham

The United Socialist States of Eldham, commonly abbreviated as USSE, is a Xeroist socialist nation in the far Southeast of Eldham, primarily on the continent of Serrona. Aboniert Ormnidus is considered the founder of the nation, which is currently led by General Secretary Solastaran Serebra of Akaishiro. The capital city of the nation is presently Kazkaya. In 290 TE, the USSE was the third largest nation by active population in all of Eldham.

While some countries like Yimmu-Audal are considered the oldest country on Stoneworks, the USSE is the oldest continuously existing state/government on Stoneworks. It is also the oldest surviving democracy in the history of Stoneworks; both for its total duration of its existence, and for the fact it still exists to this day. The state that exists today is the same state that existed upon its founding, and its existence has never lapsed. It has had twenty separate General Secretaries - many running for multiple terms, three different legislature systems with over two dozen sessions, and the longest legal literature in the history of Stoneworks.

Etymology
The United Socialist States of Eldham was founded on the precipice that no one nation of people shall be favored or considered the representatives of the country, hence the fact that no "national name" is really present in the name of the USSE. When the nation was first founded, the term 'Eldham' actually did not exist yet; and the country was called the United Socialist States of New Rathnir (USSNR) until the term Eldham was coined for the world.

The nation has multiple indigenous languages; in the Lo'Oi language, the USSE is known as the Uvo Sau Otogos io Éldoxo'O (USOÉ); in the indigenous Kolsson language it is known as the Ulo Yssu Otolos y Ellgosso (UYOE), and in the Mari language it is known as the Uzé Saukaud Osogozi Elososwai (USOE). All indigenous languages are members of the Lausán language family.

A multitude of ethnic diaspora populations in the USSE exist, speaking a variety of languages. The Ejzndel diaspora call the USSE the Landtvarkizeer Hansá (lit. 'Socialist Union), this name is exclusive to the Serronan diaspora population. In the Kiriznian language spoken by the Kiriznians of Noskyé, who are a subsect of the Mari people, the USSE is called the Бвисносoбвокъоньоa ха Алдан, latinized as the Wisnusuwuqunyua ha Aldan. The Tänetet, who live predominately within Adalor as a diaspora population and speak the Tänetäz language, call the USSE the Mänten Inzen Zuchíken az Edhäm (MIZE). The very small Vulpur minority in the nation speaks the Vula language and calls the country the Ga Tha Nu Lilusiga Zatugusa ha Nu Ladaha (Sometimes called the Gatanalazanala, the literal pronunciation of the acronym).

Prehistory
Most knowledge of the prehistoric lands that make up the USSE come from paleontological deposits dating to the Loanian and Qalmanian periods. Fossils such as that of Venatopods and the well-described Atoxatitan are known to have been found at what are called the Kestchyan Beds in modern day Gehenna. Additionally, fossil deposits from Kiurtrog and Vanshire's mesas have been found including those of Barocoryth dating to the Loanian.

Before the USSE
Prior to the foundation of the USSE, the region - now known as Losasagoto or truncated to simply the Lausá - had been home primarily to the Lo'Oix peoples and had dozens of tribal and clan groups. To the West in what would later become Kolssonafell, the Kolsson people group would slowly develop over time and to the sparsely populated North people would slowly form the Xekan and Vanshirian cultures. While the region is known to have had constant warring over time, it would not be truly united under a singular entity until the rise of the Sérotat Kingdom. It would annex much of Lausá into a singular state entity for the first time in recorded history through so-described brutal force and domination.

In what would become known as the Sérotoix Civil War, conflict would begin to break out against the ruling dynasty and local lords. This war raged for many years, particularly in the Northern provinces whereby bloodshed was most abundant according to most literal sources. This would ultimately become a source of ideological war as the ideology of socialism would first make its way to Eldham by word of Rathnirian sailors. This quickly spread throughout the region despite its sparsity and failure to catch on in others, particularly with the heat of the peasant's revolt against the Sérotat. It was ultimately socialist factions such as the Ároxin that would topple the Sérotoix government in the civil war.

National inception and early expansion
The government of the USSE would be officially founded on May 28th of 2021, almost immediately after the opening of the Eldham servers to the general public. It was established with the shortly-lived capital city of Garkogorod; which has since withered away following the Kunir War. The nation saw rather abrupt and rapid rise to power in early Eldham, with a large population and relatively sizable amount of land, additionally the USSE saw itself become a notable power on the world stage following its influence in the Second Coalition-Ellysian War. Under both General Secretaries Aboniert Ormnidus and Leo Belgicus, the nation oversaw the creation of an intricate system of governance and general expansion of territory - though in spite of generally high poverty and a lackluster military. This early chapter in the USSE would ultimately be most notably concluded with the Kunir War. During this conflict, the USSE would be forced into a war with Vanakunir, of which they'd loose. As a result of this, the already small economy of the nation would collapse, one of the largest refugee crises in history would be seen, and the USSE would loose more than 2/3 of its territory. This land would be mostly annexed by both Anglunia and Vanakunir's colony of Newkunir.

The time after this conflict would be known as the dé'i Débalo'oa Dakoroto, or the Great Humiliation, though would ultimately charge forth what would become known as the Golden Era domestically.

Golden era
Immediately following the Kunir War, the USSE was on the brink of collapse and near peril as a result of the massive exodus of citizens and loss of territory, and it was at this point that Xeroise Ronango'O would come to run for General Secretary uncontended as no other politician wished to take the job and see the USSE collapse in their hands. Almost immediately she sought a massive economic campaign of raising money and arming pro-USSE terrorist organizations to gain back USSE territory; which went incredibly successfully. Within merely one month, the nation had restored virtually all its territory as Anglunian governor of the annexed USSE territories of Kiurtrog and Croscograd would leave for payment and Vanakunir would opt to give back land in hope of not worsening relations on the international stage following the hugely unpopular war.

At this time, the USSE would undergo massive construction projects such as the establishment of the city of Kazkaya, which would later become the capital of the Union, and the capital city would be moved from Garkogorod to Laria which would also undergo mass construction. Additionally, Xeroise as General Secretary completely reformed the way in which law and executive power worked in the nation and would remove the political restraints of having a multiple party system instead opting for an educational vanguard party.

Under her position as General Secretary, the nation was often referred to even by her critics as being a 'Golden Era' as she had inherited a grim image of the nation and had restored it to a world power and created the foundations for every General Secretary after her in both power and the democratic process. Her impact on domestic USSE politics was so influential that it would end up becoming the ideological basis for the nation; forming an ideology known today as Xeroism. The term 'Xeroism' was coined by journalist Rogale.

Mass population growth and economic foundations
The 'Golden Age' is considered to have continued into Quintus Solokov's reign as General Secretary and up into Chelovek Serebra's, both of which were self-acclaimed followers of Xeroism. During both of their terms, the nation would undersee further democratic reforms in the National Assembly. Additionally, the territorial extent of the USSE would grow massively at this time, at one point under General Secretary Serebra the nation was the largest it had ever been and has been since. The nation would see both constant economic gain at this time and exponential population growth that propelled the USSE to one of the largest nations in all of Eldham in terms of sheer active population.

Additionally, following the Vostroyan Worker's Strike, the government became much more intent on development projects. In particular, a massive subway system was built transnationally, one of the world's largest domestic roadways, gargantuan investment in city architecture and development, and more. The nation would also see the People's Army and People's Security Bureau formalized and become much more quick-responding and capable of fighting. Chelovek Serebra's position as General Secretary is often viewed very favorably, by even opponents of the USSE. Despite the USSE's involvement in military conflicts such as those in the Sand War, he received many compliments from even the Zamotz Union and Barbossa for his achievements of progressing the nation into 'prosperity', being an excellent diplomat, and carrying forth the torch set by Ronango'O and Solokov. At this time the USSE capital city would also be moved to Kazkaya.

Hard Times and inter-faction conflict
The USSE would start seeing a major decline in territory and political power primarily starting with the Sand War under Chelovek Serebra. When Van'la Gaboliver became General Secretary, she would inherit a nation quickly being dog-piled on by various threats including PvP oriented groups and pirate-nations. It is estimated that the nations regular bandit threats had doubled if not tripled and this would further be amplified by the War of Angel Altar whereby bandits squatted in the USSE and attacked locals; ultimately circumventing server rules surrounding proxy claiming to establish a fort directly outside the USSE's capital city of Kazkaya.

Additionally the USSE would see a massive war effort on two separate occasions with Barbossa which would completely decimate the national military and sense of security within the country. In the wars with Barbossa the USSE would end up loosing land in Medtremar, Kaladinia, and Tornisia. As a result of constant warring, loss of territory, and loss of resources this time period from the end of Chelovek Serebra's final term and throughout Van'la Gaboliver's is often referred to as the 'Hard Times'. It was additionally around this time that Manzland controversially left the USSE, though this would not stunt population growth or economic activity. This established a massive sense of spite along much of Manzland and the USSE's leadership as prior to the secesssionist movement they had considered one another to be close friends and Manzland was the homeland of much of the USSE's military; including its primary location for training which was in the city of Manzig. The Colosseum of Manzig - the aforementioned building used for military training during much of the USSE's Golden Era - was deliberately destroyed by Manz and Vulp forces during the Furry War.

Strategic vassalization under the Uraki Empire
In the short lived term of Aleksander Serebra as General Secretary, whom was popular from the consequential reputation of his father Chelovek, the USSE would undertake the controversial decision of accepting vassalage under the Uraki Empire. Both domestically and abroad this was seen by numerous folks to be a betrayal of Xeroist and Krakhovist principles; though supporters of the vassalization agreed to do so solely because of the decision's strategic nature which would allow the USSE to exist long into the future. This vassalization was in order to achieve some form of military protection, allow tranquility to permit rebuilding the damaged nation, and prevent further war and territorial violations.

The USSE would stay with Uraka for a relatively short period of time which allotted them time to start improving upon the economy further. At this point, the USSE started becoming a core exporter of experience to foreign nations. The construction and peace permitted by the strategic vassalization allowed for the USSE to easily retake its position on the world stage.

Red Renaissance and the Imperium
Under General Secretaries K.P.X. Triscus and Kato Leasian, the USSE has begun to undergo what has been sometimes named the 'Red Renaissance' as a mass resurgence of culture, development, and economic prosperity had begun to occur. Additionally, the USSE would abandon Uraka; becoming the largest member of the Old Banner's Rebellion against them. This rebellion would ultimately overthrow the entirety of the Uraki Empire, during the strategic vassalization under Uraka the USSE had the largest city on the server seconded only by the Uraki city of Urak and had effectively become their sole producer giving the USSE unprecedented control over the Uraki economy. After leaving Uraka - doing so with new diplomatic relations across Eldham - the USSE quickly grew to become the world's largest exporter of experience bottles for a period of time and a production powerhouse across Eldham. To this day, particularly in times of crisis, the USSE continues to be one of the largest producers of experience and enchanted goods on Eldham. In order to further nourish this relationship with new nations such as the Imperium who were in great need of frequent XP; General Secretary Kato Leasian would have the National Assembly approve of a move to join the Imperium as a member state. This has also been regarded as an effort to further extend socialism abroad and establish the USSE as a hegemon of power in Eldham and to make annexation by foreign powers unlikely; an effort that would largely succeed. This decision - in spite of being organized by a Larian General Secretary - would be considered regretful by many and treasonous by many Larians; who would later secede from the USSE claiming motivation in the form of feeling betrayed by the Imperium and its successor, the Eldham Union.

This membership alongside the Imperium would continue under General Secretary Piér Anagar which saw the USSE continue to rise in prominence on the world stage, in spite of a plateau in population growth that was similarly seen across many Eldhamite nations. This would climax in the War of Imperial Ascension which saw Lunaris and Sylvania seek war with the USSE and the Imperium as a whole; a war effort that would ultimately fold resulting in a victory of the USSE and her allies. Under Anagar new cities like Ythmyrr Beach and Gehenna would see significant amounts of development and large factories for XP be established in Sanguinople. Gehenna was later renamed to the Lo'Oi name Gehenazar and became a part of the city of Vostroya.

Continuation of the Red Renaissance
The USSE would continue to gain prominence as a member state of the Imperium throughout the leadership of Piér Anagar and this would ultimately climax in a turn of power as Healy would abdicate the Imperium's throne. This was the beginning of what was named Operation Crimson Morning which sought to overthrow the Imperium government and establish a massive international union of socialist states - aptly named simply The Eldham Union as to not favor any one nation state or peoples.

On June 16th of 2022, it would be announced that the revolution and operation would succeed and that USSE natives Krakhov and Van'la Gaboliver would become the leaders of this aforementioned Union and that the Imperium no longer existed in Eldham. This established socialist governance in a large chunk of the world and made the USSE an uncontested leader on the world stage. Shortly thereafter following the term of Piér Anagar ending as General Secretary, a new election season began. Out of the array of candidates, one had overwhelming popularity; being Lethe of Laria. They were a former associate and general under Piér Anagar and Kato Leasian's leadership and considered to be one of the most knowledgeable military leaders in Eldham. They were one of only two General Secretaries in USSE history to not be a self-declared communist, the other being Kato Leasian. Lethe would win the vote against their main competitor by a resounding 88.6%.

Under the leadership of Lethe the nation would see assistance in a war against Krivoniya, the independence of Vanshire, massive development in military infrastructure with brand new forts in Kamieniec and new revolutionary weapons like the Shashka being created, creation of the Larian Training Academy, the passing of the Foreign Financial Institutions Act which slowed down the growth of international 'capitalist' banking, the beginning of resettlement programs in Nizkaya, creation of the Union Emporium which remained one of the single largest shops in Eldham history, integration of the city of Hammerdeep, creation of the Union Revolutionary Army, among many other changes that are considered a part of the larger Red Renaissance.

Lethe's loyalty to the nation was generally considered to be strong, however as their position in leadership continued, increasing criticism began as, according to numerous members of his Commissioner's Circle, it appeared he began to care solely about the power behind his name and his nation, as opposed to caring about the nation's well-being and the well-being of his associates and the citizens he was intended to represent. Lethe was arguably the single largest contributor to the Eldham Union, with him and his friends founding the Union Revolutionary Army and the vastly rich Union Emporeum and creating the organization he would later argue was his reason for Larian secession and his departure and year-long crusade against the USSE; to date many former Lethean cabinet members who remain loyal to the USSE largely consider the rise of the Union to be a responsibility of Lethe and because of the later secession movement started by Lethe he is largely considered the most significant betrayer of the USSE in national history; both for his actions, his betrayal of his friends and associates in both the USSE and Laria, and for the year-long crusade; the beginning of which was later known domestically as the Lethean Maldings.

Furry War and intercontinental conflict
What would ultimately become known most widely as the Furry War is perhaps one of the most famously known conflicts on Stoneworks history and one of the longest conflicts in all of history. The aftermath of the war was a gargantuan victory for the USSE and the now-declared Eldham Alliance. Prior to even when the war began the Vulperium began to grow what numerous USSE politicians considered "power-hungry" and even cancelled the treaties between the USSE and the Vulperium.

This led to a speech being given where the General Secretary stated "Our actions teach our lost friends a much needed lesson", a speech promise that was ultimately delivered as the next month war had begun and nearly a whole two months later the USSE had the largest economic military boom in all of known Stoneworks history and had annexed back the Territory of Kolssonafell from the Vulps. In a singular week the USSE is estimated to have produced 7 million worth of goods during the Furry War; since then no nation in Stoneworks history before or after has managed to outdo such a feat.

Bhutch the Unfortunate and the Lethean Maldings
On October 28th, 2022, General Secretary Bhutch; today often known as Bhutch the Unfortunate, controversially and without public consultation had the USSE leave the Eldham Union which had given it a large territorial and power expanse. Lethe is generally considered to have had a poor understanding of USSE law; entirely relying on the Commissioner of Justice. When Lethe authored the Treaty of the Union of the Red Sabers he intended to include a clause that allowed the USSE at any point to leave the Eldham Union without a vote by the National Assembly which all treaties were required to go through. This was intended as one of many measures to give Lethe powers over the National Assembly; however due to poor authorship and understanding of the USSE Constitution and National Assembly processes this logic did not fall through and he had mistakenly told Bhutch he was able to leave the Eldham Union at any time. The misinformed and unfortunate Bhutch was almost immediately impeached for making a mistake that had never in history been made by a General Secretary, illegally enacting a treaty without the approval of the National Assembly. The massive cities of Kazkaya and even the entire State of Adalor almost immediately went on strike and refused to recognize the executive overreach by the General Secretary. Bhutch went to trial, was removed from power, and disciplined accordingly. Lethe was angered by this in a division that would never be healed, he was charged with sedition and high treason after giving classified screenshots to foreign governments.

Bhutch was pardoned several weeks later, and Lethe of Laria refused multiple givings of pardoning. This divided the city of Laria between those loyal to the United Socialist States of Eldham and its procedures and those who didn't; caring more about their reputations and intercommunity friendships. Every citizen loyal to the United Socialist States of Eldham was banned by Lethe, notoriously attacking former General Secretary Xeroise Ronango'O for having friends on both sides; the harassment led to her leaving politics on Eldham all-together and she was shortly thereafter banned from Stoneworks permenantly for informing people that '88' is a common far-right dogwhistle; something that admins considered to be reprehensibly offensive to those with '88' in their usernames. Her banning and the harassment from Lethe also led to the abandoning of the modern Isle of Kiurtrog; to date no construction has happened on the island and for numerous months the isle was claimed by multiple members of the admin team as a proxy claim to prevent inhabitation.

Ultimately with all USSE loyalists having been banned from Laria and the city of Laria being flooded with a clan of people known by the USSE as the 'Usuals' (known as such for a constant aggression towards the USSE), there was no opposition to acts of secession being given. This ended up starting the founding of the misnomered Republic of Laria. Despite being a self-declared republic it acted as an anti-communist dictatorship as any attempts to establish a Parliament or Constitution, which was initially promised by Lethe and Larian leadership, were responded to with agression and bannings; in fact members of Larian leadership including Lethe are quoted as saying the new-found republic was not led by any ideology, strictly anti-communism and opposition to the USSE.

Almost immediately after the founding of the Republic of Laria, the new-found nation saw a short burst of activity caused by the controversy and explosion in population with immigration from foreign anti-communists. Within two months though the entire nation of Laria was dead in terms of activity though and little construction happened; similar situations prevailing in re-annexed Kolssonafell and Al-Bassad. The activity grew so little that they were forced to give the land of Laria to the Dread Fleet and Sylvania; preferring to keep it with them over the USSE by any means necessary. The series of conflicts which spouted for nearly a year to this day after the secession of Laria as conducted by Lethe is often known as the Lethean Maldings, called as such because within the USSE its generally considered to be a spiteful knee-jerk reaction by Lethe to having his power challenged for the first time within the nation through democratic processes; something he would have been unused to as a consequence of his previous overwhelming popularity in the USSE, to the extent of winning elections by over 80%.

After the overwhelming loss with the wars that prevailed from the Lethean Maldings, General Secretary Chelovek Serebra III declared the Jatokoré io Démixohu, roughly translating to 'Era of Isolation'. With the secession of Laria, the nation had lost its four best PvPers and much of its military apparatus; and despite still maintaining the vast majority of its population and effectively ridding itself of all anti-communists, the USSE found itself under fire from numerous foreign powers. These powers were largely led by virulent anti-communists Lethe, Aaron, and GreenskinGouger whose campaign of anti-USSE activity caused numerous people to leave the server, have breakdowns from the stress, and more. An era of isolation was considered largely to be necessary to prevent pushing any more people's buttons as any minor conflict domestically or abroad would deliberately be agitated by the force of aforementioned 'Usuals'.

With the Jatokoré io Démixohu underway in the USSE, Chelovek Serebra III declared that he was undergoing a programme that was known as Gáto Sau, translating in Lo'Oi roughly as a 'Stronghold Socialism'. While still working under a Xeroist framework. The USSE transitioned from anti-imperialism and internationalism to a state that was focused on promoting socialism in solely their own country as to protect its constituents by any means necessary and deliver the most luxuries possible.

Economic recession and reforms
As Rosa Ortangon was declared the Commissioner of Development, she began a huge process of reforms that are seen to this day. She helped to enact the Socialist Economy Act (Lo'Oi: Sau'ua Rélobaukaudau Drik) which created a system of labor councils which had representation in government. This created a steady economy at first but it quickly plateaued and much of USSE production had ceased; this programme beginning of December of 2022 shortly prior to the Trinkets War. The Trinkets War was a large-scale war with a small squatter nation that had been founded in the Haxhoit Sea - aptly called Trinkets. The war costed millions of dollars, but the USSE ultimately won the war and followed them to Rathnir to keep them out after they had been pushed out the Haxhoit. The government also established the Neutral Market in Kazkaya which allowed people of all nations to sell goods to the USSE government which would then be redistributed as needed to the masses. At this time the nation also saw a national cultural upheaval with a massive revival in Lo'Oi and celebration of new holidays such as Duckmas (Lo'Oi: Kémijoku). Ortangon also published a book called the Ortangonist Doctrine and also is famous for publishing a series of Open Letters to the Communist Party; though this did not come without internal opposition from within the Communist Party. Individuals such as Ilon Hutéxo had numerous criticisms of the Ortangon reforms. As the USSE was embracing new reforms economically, many saw a need to make reforms politically to prevent the crises such as the Lethean Malding from ever happening again and as a means to prevent any singular person from gaining too much power. This concept was embodied by the notorious Party in the USSE Act (à la Miley Cyrus), which split the government's leadership into three separate positions instead of one single leader, which was the General Secretary. The General Secretary (Lo'Oi: Gé Jautuv) remained relatively the same as before but now with duties only relegated to being the head of the executive branch of government and acting as a leader of the armed forces and the Commissioner's Circle. The Premier (Lo'Oi: Léoto), acted as the head of the legislative branch of government and serves as the head of the National Assembly and as such is elected by the National Assembly; they generally act as the Head of Government as all treaties are forced to pass through the National Assembly anyways. Third was the Partisan Chair (Lo'Oi: Jaudá) which was elected by the Communist Party members and is considered responsible for engaging in ideological debate and making sure the nation seeks perspective through Xeroist thought. They were also in charge of most cultural festivities; those not already engaged in by the Commissioner of Culture.

On March 27th of 2023, the Central Committee of the Communist Party was created as an internal party legislative body that determined mandates and internal party measures. Eventually the National Assembly of the USSE was merged with the Central Committee which spelled the end for the long-lasting National Assembly as the legislative body of the USSE. This was done with the Power to the Central Committee Act on April 4th, 2023, to prevent bureaucratic gridlock within the legislative government by simply replacing it with the already newly created and active Central Committee of the Communist Party. This was hugely criticised during the period of time it existed.

By June of 2023, many people, including those in the Communist Party, were discussing more massive legislative and executive reforms to fix the issues created by the Ortangon reforms. They were seen as unsuccessful and had effectively killed national government activity and economy. Numerous members of the Communist Party who found themselves opposed to the Ortangon reforms proposed the Constitutional Overhaul Acts to legislatively overhaul the government and resuscitate the country; these measures were proposed by Ilon Hutéxo, Arika Ronango'O, Safia Garxo, and other such legislators that were either in government or in the Central Committee of the Communist Party.

Perhaps the most major of these reforms was the abolishing of the Central Committee by re-establishing a national non-party integrated legislature. The methodology of the Ortangon reforms had noticed issues with the National Assembly though their method of fixing them was sharply criticized. Instead, Hutéxo, Ronango'O, and other legislators felt that the issue was with the legislative body being federal (regionalized, composed of representatives from numerous cities) as opposed to unitary (acting as a single national body, non-localized). The legislative body remained unicameral however. This new legislative body was called the Supreme People's Assembly to separate itself from the NA and CC legislative bodies. Censuses would be conducted every six weeks to determine how many seats the SPA would have; 7 people accounting for 1 seat of the SPA, rounding up. As many people could run as they wanted though only the top candidates would be given seats until there were no more seats; these elections allowed people to vote for as many candidates as they wanted. Runoff confirmations would occur if there was ties for the last seats of the SPA. Several other reforms were promised including uniting the Worker's Councils into one easy to understand body to encourage economic activity and formalizing the way laws were indexed and categorized. Seat V of the First Supreme People's Assembly, Arika Ronango'O, would also seek to create a national postal system and various 'cleanup' laws to nullify 'useless' laws.

Panserronanism and international positioning
By the end of the various legislative reforms being passed in the middle of 2023, the USSE economy had stabilized was making consistent large amounts of money. The industrial potential of the country had effectively been realized, and further industrialization in cities like Akaishiro and Kirizipen. Most revenue was being made by the Commission of Industry and the Commission of Development respectively.

With a more stable economy and military prowess, the USSE sought to bring itself out of 'isolation' and bring itself onto the national stage. In early June of 2023, the USSE created the Serronan League- the first panserronan international organization. After a week, following various threats against the League, it was forcefully dismantled by exterior forces in Leiden. Shortly thereafter, the USSE underwent another strategic vassalization underneath Eleanor (later called Iversteiya) for their close relations to mercenary groups like the Hands. This effectively prevented anti-communist enemies from trying to declare war on the USSE and allowed the country to prosper. Nations like Leiden would soon be directly annexed by Iversteiya, further keeping anti-communists at bay.

Within the USSE, two political blocs began to form in the Communist Party divided over the issue of PSB sovereignty, though serious divisions did not really exist. Taking advantage of the success of Eleanor/Iversteiya and the uprising CATO War, the USSE began to sell hundreds of PvP sets to Iversteiya, reaping massive profits off the war while not directly being involved. On top of this, the USSE began to undergo building commissions from nations like Bardonia to rebuild their capital city and various other projects.

The USSE later took advantage of their monetary stability and massive industrial potential, and joined in on an anti-Uraki coalition, becoming involved and de-facto leading the faction against Uraka alongside Iversteiya in a war that within the country has begun to be called 'Uraki War'. Ultimately, the Second Uraki Empire would collapse in on itself, and nations that came from its rubble like Zamotz would dodge the war. Many in the USSE considered it a kind of 'karmic justice' for the First Sand War. During the war the USSE fulfilled massive quotas of hundreds of sets and weapons and built up defensive structures in cities like Kazkaya. It was in the middle of this conflict, before Zamotz had folded, that catapults also became first available to the general public on Stoneworks. Upon their release, the USSE owned over 10% of the server's catapults. Around this same time period, the USSE also officialized the entry of the Valarian Commune into the USSE.

Afterwards, the most divisive election for General Secretary was held. It contained five candidates running for the position of General Secretary. It marked a historic moment as it was the largest election in history. It was referred to as the 'Moment of Decision' inside of the USSE. Magerius Ukumari won the election in 270 TE (September 11th, 2023), meaning that it was his last consecutive term for him as General Secretary.

Kelz the Spineless and the Sylvanian Cold War
Beginning if the middle of September, 2023, around 272 TE, an alliance across Serrona called the Celestial Accords Treaty Organization (CATO) began to slowly dwindle and dismantle. It included incredibly powerful nations like the Crownlands of Ashai, the Kingdom of Anglunia, the Imperial Archonate of Sylvania, and Iversteiya. Following the rise and collapse of Panserronanist propgrammes months prior and the collapse of the Serronan League, the USSE had undergone a strategic vassalization under Iversteiya and was consequentially a technical member of CATO.

The Crownlands of Ashai had left CATO, and deals had been made with an Iversteiyan government official named Kelz that would result in the city of Kazkaya being given back to the USSE. As a part of the vassalization deal, Kelz was made the technical owner of the city as a means to keep the USSE 'in line'. Promises had been made that the city would be given back however.

Around this time, war began to break out across Serrona; at first between simply Vuleria and the Ashtrokan-Wandenreich Empire, who was another member of CATO. The USSE had expected a conflict with Iversteiya and the remaining CATO members to break out months prior and had made preparations, in particular, advisors like Emma Brewtaker had warned the government in advance that it is likely that Kelz was lying. War was declared in the Fall of 272 TE and officially CATO was at war. Despite the fact that USSE was still a technical member of Iversteiya, the USSE had no intent on aiding their war effort and was expecting a betrayal. As the war quietly progressed, things would progress rapidly in the Fall of 274 TE which saw the Battle of Prosede-Winterose. That same day, Iversteiya forcefully unvassalized the USSE and Ravenguard and the cities that Kelz owned in both nations were forcefully given to enemies of both nations. In particular, the city of Kazkaya was given to a Sylvanian named Ufxr who wished to make a second front of the AWE-Vuleria War, which had been named the Clone War at the time. Sylvania intended on forcefully getting the USSE involved just as had been predicted. Ufxr made a Sylvanian puppet state named the Kroskohrad People's Republic out of a section of the State of Kramenix, but due to negligence and a plan that was not well thought out, the USSE managed to evacuate its citizenry's items and managed to evacuate their entire storehouses in Kazkaya (which were called the Meth Labs), which allowed them to keep all their preparations for war. The puppet state later joined Sylvania as an integerated state, the territory of which was contested by the USSE.

The Battle of Prosede-Winterose which happened earlier that day resulted in the banning of multiple members of the Hands including former disgraced General Secretary Lethe of Laria. Upon his banning, the USSE celebrated a holiday called Lethékoré for the first time, literally translating to 'malding year' in Lo'Oi. It also celebrates the major fumbles of the AWE and Sylvania in the Clone War. Kelz, who was a part of the Hands and was applicable to the server's Reign of Terror rules is believed to have intervened in geopolitics and as a result may have violated the Stoneworks rules when transferring the city of Kazkaya to the USSE's enemies in Sylvania. Ultimately, the AWE collapsed and, with USSE assistance, the Vulerian-Ashai coalition was victorious by 276 TE.

That same year in 276 TE, the USSE and Ashai signed a mutual-defense pact. In the Winter of 278 TE, the Xeroist Republic of Karino joined the USSE after Sylvania attempted to aggrevate war against the small nation. In 279 TE, the nation of Valreshiya became a protectorate of the USSE and the Confederation of Autonomous Communes re-joined the USSE. This was additionally because Sylvania attempted to get involved in war against them. This, including the Xeroist Republic of Noskyé, increased the number of autonomous states to three within the USSE at the time. The predicament was quickly becoming a kind of 'cold war', of which the USSE blocked off Sylvanian territorial advances successfully. In the Spring of 280 TE, Korosechev and the USSE signed a non-aggression pact. The USSE at this point had multiple bandits, which frequently held raids on occupied territories being held by Sylvania - further creating pressure. In the Winter of 280 TE, the USSE also opened new shopfronts in the state of Adalor, including Nightmarket. In the Spring of 281 TE, the cold war with Sylvania would informally end with an astounding victory for the USSE. The USSE had effectively spread its influence back into Valresh and repulsed multiple Sylvanian attempts to get the USSE to declare war on them. During this time, the USSE also held daily raids on Sylvanian cities such as Noxwind, and eventually the Sylvanian government became very angry with individuals such as Ufxr. This amounted in Kazkaya being returned to the USSE on a day known today as Kazkayan Liberation Day. This ended the six year long Sylvanian occupation of most of Kramenix and the entire city of Kazkaya and cemented the USSE's position on the world stage, and acted as a final victory of the Magerius Ukumari-led administration.

In the Fall of 281 TE, the final term as General Secretary concluded for Magerius Ukumari and what was called by some the 'Ukumari Renaissance'. An election would be held with six different candidates opting for the position of General Secretary. Ultimately, a well known politician by the name of Mestur Nethin would win with 54.76% of the vote, with Morikhan Ukumari as his Deputy Secretary. Morikhan was the son of Magerius Ukumari. There was only one candidate with enough votes to have feasibly defeated Mestur; being Ren Serebra with a little over 30% of the vote, however because the opposition to Mestur was divided between five people, the election was a resounding victory for the Nethin campaign.

New diplomatic peace and networking
Upon the ascension of Mestur Nethin into the position of General Secretary, the USSE found itself in a period of peace and had begun massive diplomatic networking with other nations. This perhaps most notably included diplomatic talks with Sylvania, further cementing the end of the Cold War which had extended for over a year of real world history. The 4th Supreme People's Assembly was elected in 284 TE, with Arika Ronango'O as its Premier. Also that year, Magerius Ukumari suddenly passed away and announcements of mourning and celebration were given from numerous nations across Eldham - from Vulpinia to Propserita.

While diplomatic negotiations were going blissfully in Valreshiya and Sylvania - diplomacy was also done with Vuleria extensively. Ultimately, with the goal of Panserronanism, the nations within Vuleria and even the Batu Khaganate agreed to formed the Celestial Commonwealth in 286 TE; a spiritual successor to the Vulperium and Federation of Southern Stars. Both the USSE and the Celestial Commonwealth were close allies, as well as the Ocean Volks Union. This meant that every major nation of Serrona were now politically aligned with one another. The USSE at this time hosted the United Serronan Summit, through an organization called the United Serrona Organization or USO. At this time the USSE also began to publish a real world copy of a book called the 'Select Works of the Communist Party of the USSE', which was initially released digitally. This was the first ever time Stoneworks-content was published in a book in the real world.

By 288 TE, after the Duping and Brewing Incident of 2023, the brewing plugin finally became available again after what was then the greatest economic catastrophe in Stoneworks history as entire industries were suddenly brought to a halt after many nations and admins were found to be doing item duping and artificially inflating their money. After the re-establishment of the brewing plugin, the USSE created the Employment Agency to better assist players who do not know what to do in terms of work in the nation or do not make money. This also re-established the 'Meth Labs', one of the largest brewing factories in all of Serrona, in the city of Kazkaya. The factory had previously gone inactive and was evacuated during the Sylvanian occupation. At this point, Kazkaya also began a series of building events whereby the Eastern sections of the city would be rebuilt, including a large monument dedicated to Xeroise Ronango'O, Chelovek Serebra I, and Magerius Ukumari.

The Liberation of Kolssonafell
The USSE had a steady rise to prominence after regaining their capital city, Kazkaya. However, even with Kazkaya reclaimed, the USSE Government and much of the populace didn't fully want to make peace with the Sylvanians. Much of the territory that the USSE believed belonged to them was still owned by Sylvania and managed by them directly or indirectly. One particular area owned by Sylvania was the former Kolssonafell area, with most of the area occupied by them excluding the city of Manzig. At this time, Sylvania had made a lot of enemies in Eldham thanks to their geopolitical actions against other nations, such as Orithia, who would soon declare war on them.

The previous General Secretary, Solastaran Serebra, believed himself to be inept and incompetent as a ruler of the USSE and so as a result, He didn't run for another term in the General Secretary Elections. Through mysterious and unknown means, which most people still debate about today, Magerius Ukumari was revived from the dead and rejoined the USSE. Magerius Ukumari once again ran for General Secretary against four other candidates, the most influential ones being Pakartov Von-Kessel Ukumari and Ren Serebra respectively, and won the election in 303 TE. The goals of Magerius Ukumari and the rest of the USSE government at this time was to not involve themselves in any wars and be diplomatically friendly to other nations, but that would soon be changed.

Seeking to improve the standing of the USSE and regain lost territory once owned, multiple members of the Government set out on a mission to reacquire the majority of the region of Kolssonafell and have most towns reclaimed by them. The first one of these towns was Astranza, which the USSE bought with money and claimed the surrounding region near it aswell. Sylvania initially disputed the area which the USSE was claiming along with Astranza, sparking a regional diplomacy crisis in Eastern Serrona. Most of the claims of Sylvania were hypocritical, as they claimed that the USSE couldn't claim the land surrounding Astranza which they said were "Empty Fields", but when they previously took over the city of Kazkaya, they claimed every surrounding area near it that wasn't part of another USSE town. This diplomatic crisis would continue for a few years until members of the PSB successfully negotiated and gained back the claim of "The-Academy" through skillful negotiation and other various tactics, and now with them owning that claim, Sylvania had no excuse as to say that they owned a large part of the region of Kolssonafell anymore, as all of the towns owned by them in that area were taken and bought by the USSE.

A major celebration was held throughout the USSE as people were excited to have regained Kolssonafell and the surrounding region, finally connecting the USSE state of Kramenix and Adalor together, forming a "donut" that encircled the Hoxhait Sea. The re-taking of Kolssonafell combined with the declaration of war by Orithia on Sylvania made them significantly weaker on the world stage as the influence of the USSE grew, referencing the Curse of Laria. In this time, the USSE also annexed Shakumagu fully with the leader agreeing for it to be fully integrated in the USSE.

Member states
The USSE is one of the most 'spread out' nations on Stoneworks, no single state comes close to having a majority of the population and even its largest cities do not contain over 50% of the population; in most other nations this is not the case and most people are packed densely into a select few urban centers.

This has largely been attributed to the USSE's process of industrialization, early in its history the population was more dense though as every single settlement in the country began to fill out economic niches and build factories, no longer did people have to move to big cities for work. As such, the average town in the USSE only boasts around 5% of the active population at any given time.

General Secretaries of the USSE
The nation as a whole is led by the General Secretary and corresponding Deputy Secretary. They are sometimes referred to as the President and Vice President respectively as this is a former title used for the position. These positions are democratically elected, with six week terms; there are term limits. Elections can be participated in by any citizen. During these elections, the victor is decided by plurality instead of simple majority.

The position is considered incredibly important in USSE politics, as the General Secretary leads virtually all government executive action, and the Deputy Secretary can take their place as necessary.

The General Secretary additionally decides who is in the Commissioner's Circle and what seat they will hold specifically, see to the corresponding category for more information.

Role of the Communist Party
The Communist Party, commonly abbreviated as CPUSSE, leads the political function of the nation; though not in a particularly executive manner and not in a way that compromises the intended role of democracy. It is largely used to provide resources and education on socialism to new citizens, encourage political debate about the development of socialism and communism, and act as a 'vanguard' against anti-revolutionaries as first promoted by the doctrines of General Secretary Aboniert Ormnidus and later developed upon by General Secretary Xeroise Ronango'O and her doctrine of 'Xeroism' which is the proactive ideology of the state and party today.

One does not have to be a formal member of the party to be a citizen, be in the military, or even run for any government position. Additionally, you do not have to be endorsed by the party in any capacity to run for government positions or any of the aforementioned criterium.

Commissioner's Circle
One of the most important executive roles within the government is the Commissioner's Circle, a group of specialized organizational officials chosen directly by the General and Deputy Secretaries. Because the General Secretary cannot do all their duties alone, their duties are partially divided among multiple Commissioners which historically have been approved by the Supreme People's Assembly or equivalent legislature systems.

Commissions may have organized bodies within them, the most notable example being the Commission of Security which maintains the People's Army while the Commission of Justice maintains the People's Security Bureau and also the USSE Court System. The People's Army, as the name may suggest, is the nation's official military and handles largely foreign matters relating to the defense of the state. The People's Security Bureau is a largely domestic law enforcement force that also handles immigration and incarcerated labor.

Some positions have unique attributes, for example the Commission of Justice is considered to be the highest judge of any kind in the nation and the Commission of Industry typically handles national budget and economy in addition to funding.

Supreme People's Assembly
The Supreme People's Assembly of the United Socialist States of Eldham is the country's current legislature system. It is a unitary and unicameral legislature that is not localized, unlike say the former National Assembly which was maintained of representatives from individual cities. Instead the SPA elects its members through popular nationwide vote.

Censuses are conducted immediatley prior to an SPA election, currently it is set that for every 7 respondants to the census; there will be 1 seat of the SPA created. During the June 2023 elections whereby the first SPA was elected, there were 8 total seats created. As an example of how the election operated, there were 12 total candidates. After the results from the first vote were made public, the first 6 seats were filled. 3 candidates all tied with the same exact amount of votes meaning the final 2 seats could not be filled and a runoff election was held to determine which one of the 3 candidates would be eliminated and which of the 2 candidates would receive the 2 remaining seats of the SPA.

The permissions of the SPA remain largely the same as the NA and CC; they approve of disapprove of treaties, war declarations, and other such referenda. The SPA also elects a Premier which represents the SPA when necessary and acts as a tie-breaker. The position of Premier existed in the National Assembly and Central Committee as well; though it only existed in the National Assembly for a few months before its abolishment.

National Assembly (defunct)
The National Assembly of the United Socialist States of Eldham was the government's primary and only legislative body for most of its history. Virtually any law of any kind that wascreated or decisions of mass national importance were brought through the National Assembly. Additionally, the National Assembly would have to approve of declarations of wars, new treaties and alliances, and other such issues of foreign matter.

Each city inherently had at least one representative; being the Mayor of that city. If the city has a high enough population, there will be elections for a second of third seat depending on how large the city is. The maximum amount of seats a singular city can have is three Representatives. Terms lasted three weeks. This system was considered federal, as opposed to today's unitary legislative system. Both the modern and old legislative systems though were unicameral. The National Assembly was removed in early 2023 and replaced by the Central Committee.

Central Committee (defunct)
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the United Socialist States of Eldham was a shortly-lived legislative body that replaced the National Assembly following the Ortangon reforms. During its period as the nation's legislature, the state and party had merged in an attempt to promote ideological coherency and activity. This reform was largely considered a failure and the Central Committee remained inactive. Members were elected from the CPUSSE membership. It was abolished in favor of the Supreme People's Assembly in June of 2023.

Mayors
Within the USSE, Mayors are largely independent and are free to do what they desire in their city as long as it does not directly violate federal law and judicial demands. Mayors are given a Constitutional right to form Mayoral Councils, perhaps the most known was 'Sau Sunaul' which advocated against the PSB and consisted of the cities of Vostroya, Gehenazar, and Duckia in mid-2023. They (Mayors) were additionally de-facto members of the National Assembly before its abolishment in favor of a unitary system.

The nation has a unique system of Mayoral elections whereby they do not have specific term limits of any kind, instead running on what is called a 'challenge system'. Any primary resident of the town may challenge the sitting Mayor for the position of Mayor and an election must be carried out.

Former political parties
The nation having multiple political parties was abolished on August 5th, 2021, with the Mumo'Oa Ko Reforms but prior to that after the passing of the Proposition Seven Reforms, the nation had three political parties. The Communist Party maintained control of both the National Assembly with three seats and both the Presidency and Vice Presidency at this time and as a result they had control of the entire government. After the Mumo'Oa Ko Reforms the country was returned back to being a one party state led by the Communist Party. There were two other political parties which saw intermediate electoral success including the Tulipanist Socialist Party and the Worker's Green Front, both of which were still in favor of socialist ideology.

Uniforms
The United Socialist States of Eldham was the first nation on Eldham to adopt any kind of military uniform - and it has the oldest still used uniform on Eldham. The most common and primary uniform in the nation, and one that has been worn by nearly every major government official in the nation's history, is the Military-Party Uniform. Controversially, the uniform has been banned by the Stoneworks admin teams on multiple occasions and strictly enforces that anyone wearing the uniform without a cyan and red spot is banned until their skin is changed.

Other uniforms include the PSB Officer and PSB Lieutendant uniforms which are used by the People's Security Bureau; a suborganization of the Commission of Justice. Astronauts with the Commission of Aeronautical Exploration also have a unique uniform.

Judicary
The USSE has one of the most extensive legal systems in the entirety of Stoneworks. The Commission of Justice recognizes 42 independent criminal charges, has over two real-world years of extensive case law, and there are over 100 bills passed by the legislative branch of government. This all exists on top of one of Stoneworks' most extensive and detailed Constitutions. The apprehension, immediate stopping, and investigation of criminal acts is generally handled by the People's Security Bureau, while the physical Commission of Justice's courts actually try any charges that may result from this. People charged with crimes are given the right to free trials, and can request a jury of their peers. In the event a plaintiff or defendant is unable to find or otherwise hire legal aid, the Commission will provide a lawyer of that specialty for them free of charge. Typically, the Commission will pay for all legal fees in this instance.

People can became employed under the Commission of Justice by applying for 'bar admissions', which is a rigorous test on USSE law. Upon passing this, you can become a lawyer. Lawyers can choose legal specialties in constitutional, criminal, and international law. They can also specifically choose to be defense attorneys or prosecutors.

People who are licensed lawyers, can then become licensed judges. The sitting Commission of Justice is considered the highest court and appeals are generally sent to them.

The way trials are organized is that the plaintiff will request a series of charges against a defendant. The judge overseeing the ticket/case, will than issue a subpoena with those charges to the defendant. Because the burden of proof is on the prosecution, the prosecution can request any charges seeing as they will have to prove that the defendant is guilty of those charges. Being charged with a crime does not make a person guilty or innocent. Before the court date arrives, all evidence and the witness list are provided to the overseeing Judge and made available to both the plaintiff and defendant's legal aids. Court trials can either be held exclusively digitally or in person in a physical court.

Economic activities
The economy of the United Socialist States of Eldham has changed drastically over time. In its early months, the USSE was among the poorest nations in Eldham with little domestic production or trade of any kind. This would shift drastically under the rule of General Secretary Chelovek Serebra and later 'perfected' with General Secretary Van'la Gaboliver.

They would implement a system of Worker's Cooperatives and begin a process whereby citizens would optionally produce goods, optionally sell them to the government in exchange for money, and than be sold to foreign markets for a cheap markup of what has traditionally been around 6.5%. As a result of money having little value domestically in the USSE as a result of the collectivist nature of storage and production, the money citizens receive in exchange for selling goods to the government is often purely for luxury products bought from foreign nations. This would become most pronounced with the USSE dominance of the EXP market.

By 2023, the USSE began to become a massive exporter of military-related goods, namely brews, armor, and weapons. The nation was widely considered to be the largest producer in all of Eldham; only rivaled by nations such as the Ashai Commonwealth. This was seen most closely in conflicts such as the Clone War - where the combined Ashen and Lausán production capabilities allowed for them to widely steamroll the war effort against the Celestial Accords Treaty Organization - who both the Ashens and Lausáns previously were the primary suppliers for. This also in turn allowed for the USSE to become widely favored among many nations, as few nations had industrialized and had as extensive production as the USSE did, and by having producers in your favor, it allowed nations to more easily afford mercenaries and actual war efforts. This shift in the USSE economy marked a major turning point in the geopolitical and diplomatic status of the nation as well as a slight movement from raw products such as experience or ghast tears to refined products such as armor, gear, and brews.

Today, the USSE remains as one of the largest international producers of EXP anywhere in the world in addition to other products such as ghast tears, brews, etc, with workers receiving most of the profits which has drastically raised the GDP per capita and increased the state budget to finance building and other such state projects. It remains one of the world's top exporters in general, historically to nations such as the Imperium. It is estimated that in April of 2022, the USSE produced nearly six million dollars worth of goods alone in that singular month, a record that would not be broken until the Stoneworking Duping Incident of October and November of 2023.

In 2023, within the industrial sector, around 25.6% of grinders were employed in fishing; selling goods such as gunpowder and ghast tears. 41.8% of grinders were employed in farming; selling goods such as food and experience. Experience was particularly farmed using massive cactus and honey farms. The USSE at this time had around six huge cactus farm facilities. About 32.% of grinders were employed in mining; selling goods such as diamonds and netherite. Other industries included the brewing sector which output special brews and the enchanting sector which put out gear and weaponry. Quotas are generally given out in a week-long period and are announced by the Commission of Industry which also publishes a series of tutorials on how to use various farms and sell the goods workers receive from them.

Currency
The official currency of the United Socialist States of Eldham is the Rélo, often represented by the symbol R$ or the code RLO. The name of the currency is derived from ' Rédlorro ' which was the name of money within the early years of the USSE in addition to the Sérotat Kingdom. This name in turn is derived from the Old Lo'Oi words for 'bronze' and 'merchant/tradesmen', which were ' rédlo ' and ' orro ' accordingly. In pre-modern Serrona, most coinage was made out of bronze, before the early modern period where people began to transition to iron and gold coinage. Despite this, the original name remained, and was eventually truncated to the modern word Rélo in about 100 TE. The term 'Rédlorro ' can still be seen in early literature such as the book Dé'i Dakoroto published by Xeroise Ronango'O. Other languages such as Mari adopt this word for the currency as well as a loan-word.

Banknotes in the USSE are called ' Balurel ', literally deriving from the words 'bank' and 'paper', which are ' balu ' and ' árel ' accordingly. Balurel start at R$100. Coinage in the USSE are called ' Jongtu ', literally deriving from the word for 'nugget', in reference to coins being traditionally made from iron nuggets or 'huté jongtu '. Jongtu start at R$5, as opposed to R$1. This is because iron ingots are worth R$50 in the Stoneworks Spawn Shops, and can be divided by nine into nuggets which is what coinage is traditionally made of. This division produces a number slightly over five, and as such the lowest denomination of Jongtu is R$5.

All prices in the USSE are traditionally rounded to be a multiple of five, as the lowest denomination of currency is R$5.

Postal system
The USSE has one of the most advanced postal systems of any nation on Stoneworks. It has a rigorous system of 'PA Codes' which act as unique physical addresses. The first number of the PA Code tells you what state/territory you are in, the next two numbers tell you what city you are in, and the next 3 numbers after that tell you what specific building you are in. As a result of this system, every single building in the USSE has a unique address that cannot be confused with other buildings in the country; with over a thousand buildings being underneath this system and cities previously assigning addresses however they pleased, there were numerous occasions were homes in different cities would have the same postal number.

Under the newer nationwide postal system, adopted in July of 2023, all that is necessary to find your home is the number alone, meaning someone does not have to write down what state or city they are in because that information is already conveyed by the number. For example, to someone experienced, when reading an address starting with '201' they would be able to immediately know that the address in question goes to Vostroya in the State of Atoxa without second thought.

Geography
The USSE has an incredibly diverse range of biomes and climates, but as a general trend the farther North you go you find warmer biomes such as swamps, mesas, and deserts, and the farther South you go you will find colder ones such as mountains, tundras, and taigas. The USSE possesses the largest single taiga in Serrona, and one of the largest taigas in the world in its Southern reaches spanning across the states of Ljordmir, Croscograd, Kiurtrog, and Atoxa, and even spanning partially into foreign nations such as Manzland. As a result of this, many of the largest cities in the country have an aesthetic using snow and spruce wood to their advantage. As a result of the rather vast expanse of the nation and the many mountains in places such as Atoxa, the USSE has massively invested into underground ice railway systems, having one of the single largest domestic systems of any kind in Eldham.

The nation has had a strong historical connection with the Sea of Lelo'E and the Haxhoit; the coast around the former being often referred to as the 'Donut'. The USSE also has a very large metro system, and one of the oldest on the entirety of Eldham. Many of the original lines of the old subway system are now filled in however and have been since both the Lethean Maldings and the Independence of Manzland. The nation's metro system is called the Lausá Metro.

The largest river in the entire nation is the Granaxi River predominately in the State of Atoxa, it is one of the most unique rivers in the world in that it technically flows both North and South. The river is formed by drainage in the warmer months from snowmelt and as such is prone to flooding. Southern Atoxa is filled with some of the largest mountains on the entire server, and the Granaxi flows directly from these mountains. The 'North' and 'South' flowing parts of the river are connected through underground river systems and through quirks in topography. The Northern river basin of the Granaxi flows out near the settlement of Vostroya. The Southern river basin flows out in a frigid tundra North of the Crosotex ruins and East of Kameiniec.

Culture
The dominance of certain ethnic groups tends to very from state to state; though the largest ethnic group in population size and historical relevence has long been the Lo'Oix. There are two other major ethnic groups; the Mari and Kolssons.

The states of Kramenix and Atoxa are mostly Lo'Oix in heritage. The state of Medtremar is mostly Mari in heritage. Adalor is largely consisted of mixed Kolsson, Mari, and Lo'Oix heritages. The only other state with major Kolsson population is the Western half of Kramenix and the deep wetlands of Southern Adalor.

There are a multitude of minority ethnic groups that are diasporic in nature that live in the USSE. Some of the largest of these populations include ethnic Tänetet, Magiatican, Ejzndel, Najeri, Hampoese, and Vulpur people. These immigrant populations tend to live in large metropolitan cities, with neighborhoods having ethnic enclaves where their native languages may be popularly spoken.

Many of the ethnic Hampoese are specifically Kumiho arrived, many as refugees, in the 240's TE; the cities with the largest Hampoese population are Sanguinople and Kazkaya. The Vulpur have maintained a small population in the Western states since the 60s TE when the USSE opened early diplomatic channels with the first government of Vulpinia and assisted in military operations against Jabal. The Tänetet first began to settle in the USSE, namely in settlements like Suluzar, around 165 TE during the Morladron-Sylvania War and the ethnic persecution against the Morladronian and Tänetet ethnic groups. The Magiaticans first arrived in the USSE at the turn of the 3rd century; settling in Medtremar and establishing cities like Akaishiro and Dinkelburg. Most are members of the extensive Ukumari clan, with other clans like the Zopasku also originating from the Magiaticans; though most members of this diaspora have integrated and assimilated into the Mari ethnic group. The first of the ethnic Ejzndel people to arrive in the USSE came as political refugees around 115 TE, though most alive today descended from another diaspora of refugees that arrived around 210 TE fleeing persecution against Xeroists.

Cuisine
The two most popular types of cuisine in the USSE include Kiurtrogoix and Kaladinian food.

Kaladinian food is famous for its Kaladinian fried chicken (Mari: laso xynton Kalandemar), and is often served alongside roasted greens and rice. Most Kaladinian food tends to be cooked with sauces, for example many Kaladinian fried chicken dishes are topped with a sauce made from citruses, oysters, and peppers creating a tangy and spicy flavor.

Kiurtrogoix food is well known for its many stews and rice based dishes. Kixué Ixuk (Shrimp stew) is a popular dish; made from a thickened stew that is served over rice. Once the stew is boiling, cut of pieces of shrimp and sometimes crab meat are added. Most Kiurtrogoix food is flavored with powdered spices as opposed to the sauces in Kaladinian cuisine. Such spices include dilalak uko (a powdered mixture of hot peppers), fálu hutui (mixture of grinded black peppercorns and saffron), and uina uko (powdered onions and sweet potatoes). Stews are generally thickened with a mixture of viloréx uko (wheat flour), oisko (cooking oil), and enigalusa ximu (grinded garlic buds). The mixture is typically cooked and stirred non-stop until it reaches a brown color before being diluted in husta (broth/soup stock).

The USSE has multiple state-run restaurant businesses. Magerito's is a pizza restaurant based out of Akaishiro with locations in other places like Nightmarket. Wntryi's is a fast food restaurant specializing in burgers, also based out of Akaishiro.

Architecture
The USSE has seen a multitude of architectural types in its history.

The 'Larian rustic' style was developed in the USSE's very early history. It tends to make use of darker colors, wood and stone, and 'natural' elements. It was first notably used by Sorray of Laria but came to be used in multiple cities. Cities such as Laria, Crosotex, Manzig, Ythmyrr Beach, Kazkaya, Akaishiro, and historic parts of Vostroya have all used this style. Buildings of this style sometimes throw in a 'pop of color' to contrast the otherwise dark and natural color scheme, for example the Larian Citizen's Hall used sandstone to throw a light color into the scheme, or famously the Larian Public Library used a magenta and purple color on its roof. Buildings of this style tend to have visible frames and high roofs.

The 'Rossan' style was first developed and used by Commadore Rossa of Vostroya. Many of the contemporary buildings that exist in the city today reflect this style, and it has even been exported abroad to other nations such as Portavel and Bardonia. It tends to make use of simple geometric shapes that are then fleshed out with incredible definition. Otherwise simple backgrounds and walls tend to be given gradients or texturing using similar blocks to create an eye-catching design. Architects of this style have also included the likes of Commissioner of Development Mestur Nethin. The name 'Rossan' has also been used to refer to an abstract socialist art movement innovated by Commadore Rossa.

The 'Rustic goth' style is considered a deriviation of the Larian rustic that was formed by architects like the Cornaro family in the city of Gehenazar. Instead of light colored stones, things like blackstone and deepslate are used to make an even darker and moodier vibe to builds. Similarly to the Larian rustic, pops of color are used to heavily contrast and give definition to the otherwise dark building. Many buildings in this style also tend to abandon the high roofs of the Larian style and adopt lower roofs that are closer to the structure.

The 'Pergamian' style is a relatively simple style innovated by the first Pergamian migrants of Renapheus, first called Aimapolis. It tends to be marked by warm colors such as those of sandstone and brick. It has also been used by settlements like [REDACTED]. It often makes use of geometric shapes and slooped or smooth roof designs.

Languages
While Traveler's Tongue is spoken, like in the rest of Stoneworks, the main language culturally within the USSE is Lo'Oi, specifically the Southern variety; called Losa Lo'Oi. The other two most spoken languages are Mari and Kolsson respectively. In the autonomous states of Noskye and Valaria respectively, Kiriznian and Uldarashi are spoken.

Family life
It is widespread for new players and citizens in the USSE to join or create families to make friends or find those with similar interests and hobbies. Common family names (surnames) in the USSE include the Serebra, Ronango'O, Solokov, Ukumari, Garxo, Vét, Ortangon, von Kessel, Brewtaker, and Cornaro families.

Some of these names have Lo'Oix or Mari variations to reflect the orthography and writing rules of the native languages. For example, the 'von Kessel' family name is sometimes transliterated as 'Vankesyl' in Mari or 'Venkesel' in Lo'Oi.

Literature
The USSE is well known for its libraries and literature achievements. Authors such as Xeroise Ronango'O have been acclaimed for their political and historical texts. Additionally, other socialist authors have often hailed from the USSE or been heavily inspired such as the Lavenderites and Unitists. The USSE has on numerous occasions held book contests to foster more people to write literature.

The USSE features perhaps the single largest amount of literature on Stoneworks, most of which is political theory and essays. The Communist Party publishes various 'open letters' made by party members, creating a series known as the 'Select Works of the Communist Party'.

Religions and spirituality
Throughout the nation's history, around 45-55% of the USSE has identified as agnostic, irreligious, or atheist. This rate remains to this day. The remainder of the population historically has followed folk religions such as Oxinto, Mari Paganism, and Irsinism. There are several smaller 'cults' that have developed from this, with the Dougists (deriving from Oxinto follk tradition) being of political prominence in the early nation. In the nation's early history, around 30% of the nation followed Oxinto specifically. Organized religion was always especially rare, with only around 3% of the nation in its early history following an organized religion, such as Soleannen and Luxism.

Beginning around 268 TE, following a blessing/player event on the River Gonf outside Renapheus that was witnessed by many construction workers, a surgence in spiritual beliefs began to rise. Within merely a decade, around 15-20% of the population began to convert to Makerism, also known as Gonfism, the first organized religion to be highly popular in the USSE. This saw a gargantuan decline in the number of Oxinto practitioners, in a census held in 280 TE, only around 5% of the nation still followed Oxinto ideas. The Core Makerist Church also created a Bishopric specifically dedicated to the USSE at this time, the first Bishop of which was Arika Ronango'O.

This rise in Makerism saw a counteractive rise in Mari Paganism, as some people strongly detested the rise of organized religions. Around 10% of the nation followed Mari Paganism at this time. Around 15% identified with a variety of other religions, ranging from Soleannen, Tirishval, Ystkalü Shamanism, and Vulpur Nabu.

Media
The USSE has a singular state sponsored newspaper, the Red Star which has been semiactive in terms of publishing and covers many historical events throughout USSE history.

The anthem of the USSE was formerly 'Vauoma io Éldoxo'O' (Lo'Oi: Workers of Eldham) for much of its history until a new anthem was commissioned and created called 'Oto Nan Má Zi Oto Nok' (Lo'Oi: Our Party Will Make Us Free)

The official military march of the USSE is currently 'Xito Oto Drimun Magerius' (Lo'Oi: With Our Marshal Magerius).

The USSE has had a multitude of artistic movements over the years, including the Rossan abstractism movement and the Two-tone propaganda movement. Politicians and artists such as Ronango'O created a series of simple propaganda posters in her tenure which often featured people in dynamic poses using minimal colors. One such poster can be seen above in the 'Economic recession, the Ortangon Doctrine, and reforms' section of this article. The Rossan abstractism movement often featured highly abstract political propaganda and often had a deliberately 'messy' and 'impressionist' appearance to it.

Vexillology and heraldry
The flag and banner of the USSE derive from the flag of the Ároxin. The cyan color represents the constant shining of the sky for every new day, and the red symbolizing the blood sacrificed to assure those new days are more enjoyable. The gold color often represents the shimmering path of socialism moving forward. The star in the center of the flag is today called the Xeroist star, despite technically predating 'Xeroism' as an ideology.

The national emblem of the USSE is filled with symbolic references. In the center is the Xeroist star which is also seen on the USSE's flags, representing socialism and the Xeroist movement. Below the star is a cow, bearing features of both male and feminine cattle, in reference to a legendary figure in the nation known as 'Doug' or 'Doxolas'. The cow was a real animal that lived on the Isle of Kiurtrog in the then-capital city of Garkogorod, the town's residents used the cow's milk to cure alcohol and drug abuse before the cow suddenly died and an egg was found in its place. Legend says that the egg will hatch when the socialist project and the people need it most; hence the inclusion of the legendary cow on the national emblem. Around the cow and star is the tree branches of both a spruce and an oak tree; representing the taigas of Serrona and its oak forests respectively. Alongside them is a bundle of wheat and a stalk of corn. In the second war the USSE ever fought in, the Second Coaltion-Ellysian War, the USSE stole corn from the Ellysian Empire and brought it back to the homeland. The corn stalk represent the defeat of tyranny in this respect, and the bundles of wheat are in reference to the USSE's free-food programmes. Entangled in the spruce, oak, wheat, and corn is a red and cyan banner that weaves in and out of the vegetation, representing the national colors of the USSE. The emblem is typically used on documents and paperwork.