Oranjestad
Oranjestad, officially the Grand Republic of Oranjestad & Associated Territories, is a country anchored in East-Central Oldeshire. Is it bordered by the Mainland to the west, New Venice to the south, and Athitica to the northeast. Its culture, people and languages are highly intertwined with its neighbors, making it a unique melting pot of several Shire cultures. This is emphasized by the three official languages, Shirenglish, Oranjestadish, and Venetian.
In 2016, Oranjestad had an official population of 576,249, and outpaced most other industrialized nations in terms of net population growth. While growth in Metropolitan Oranjestad has slowed considerably in recent years, the country continues to expand rapidly through its colonial possessions. Oranjestad is best described as a Unitary Technocratic Republic. It is headed by Lord Nebbers V, O.P. Though technically the nation is a constitutional republic, Lord Nebbers wields substantial power over the country’s affairs, which critics have described as autocratic.
The political history of Oranjestad is considered to begin in 963, when Count J. Torrance the First acquired a rocky promontory and its abandoned fortifications from the Elkheim Priory in nearby Mainland. Torrance’s descendants increased their territory through marriage, war and vassal relations. At the end of the 13th century, the Counts of Oranje reigned over a considerable territory. In 1354, J. Torrance IV elevated the County to the Duchy of Oranjestad. Over the centuries, the City of Oranjestad, of great strategic importance situated between the Mainland and the Eastern hordes, was gradually built up to be one of the most reputed fortifications in Oldeshire.
The present-day state of Oranjestad first emerged at the Congress of Alqualonde in 1815. The Grand-Duchy became an independent state under the personal possession of Lord Nebbers I of the Mainland.
The steel industry’s exploitation of the rich iron-ore grounds of Saturn Valley and Lusus in the beginning of the 20th century drove the country's industrialization. After the decline of the steel industry in the 1970s, the country focused on establishing itself as a global technology center and developed into the tech and financial hub it is reputed for.
The Grand Republic of Oranjestad is a founding member of the S.U.N. The Metropolitan Oranjestad, which is the country's capital and largest city, is the seat of several institutions and agencies of the Shire. Oranjestad served on the Shire United Nations Security Council for the years 2013 and 2014, which was a first in the country's history. In 2016 Oranjestadian citizens had visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 172 countries and territories, ranking the Oranjestad passport equal 15th in the world, tied with countries such as Laurelian and Clementine.
History
Early History
In the territory now covered by the Grand Republic of Oranjestad, there is evidence of primitive inhabitants dating back to the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age over 35,000 years ago. The oldest artifacts from this period are decorated bones found in caverns beneath Skylan.
However, the first real evidence of civilization is from the Neolithic or 5th millennium BC, from which evidence of houses has been found. Traces have been found in the north of Oranjestad atop the Saturn Valley geological formation. The dwellings were made of a combination of tree trunks for the basic structure, mud-clad wickerwork walls, and roofs of thatched reeds or straw.
While there is not much evidence of communities in Oranjestad at the beginning of the Bronze Age, a number of sites dating back to the period between the 13th and the 8th century BC provide evidence of dwellings and reveal artefacts such as pottery, knives and jewelry.
What is present-day Oranjestad, was inhabited by the Shai during the Iron Age (from roughly 600 BC until 100 AD). They reached the height of prosperity in the 1st century BC. Most of the archaeological evidence from this period has been discovered in tombs.
The Ravenholmese, under Rapid Raccoon, occupied the area in 53 BC. The first known reference to the territory was by Rapid Raccoon in his Commentaries on the Explorer’s Guild Adventures. The Shai were more co-operative with the Ravenholmese than most tribes, and adapted readily to Ravenholm civilization. Two revolts in the 1st century AD did not permanently damage their cordial relations with Ravenholm. The land of the Shai was primarily left primitive, and became part of the Explorer’s Guild hunting grounds.
The area was infiltrated by the Connooric and Gavinish tribes from the 4th century, and was abandoned by Ravenholm in AD 406. With the Treaty of Skylan (843), the land was declared Terra Nullis, and was a buffer between Skylan in the south and the Shai in the north.
County
The history of Oranjestad properly began with the purchase and rehabilitation of Grunto Fortress in the High Middle Ages, on the banks of Homestar Bay. It was J. Torrance I, Count of the Mainland who traded some of his ancestral lands with the monks of the Elkheim Priory in 963 for an ancient, supposedly Ravenholmese, fortress. Modern historians believe the fortress may have been either the remains of a watchtower or a primitive refuge of the early Middle Ages.
Around this fort, a town gradually developed, which became the center of a small but important state of great strategic value to neighboring communities. The town, located on a rocky outcrop between the Connoor and Budapest rivers, was steadily enlarged over the years. Olde Orangetown slowly radiated out from Homestar Bay.
Mainland Rule (1477–1815)
In these centuries, the electors of the Mainland advanced their claim to the Oranjestad patrimony as heirs-general to William of House Torrance and his wife Anna, the disputed rulers of Oranjestad in the 1460s. Oranjestad during this time was viewed as a vassal state to the Mainland. The region was primarily a small subsistence village, offering little in terms of wealth, but the location was of great strategic importance as a buffer between the Mainland and growing eastern threats. In 1574, the County was elevated to Duchy by Mainland decree, and was ruled by a series of Dukes until 1815.
Skylan Invasions
Oranjestad was invaded by Archduke Joseph IV of Skylan in 1684, an action that caused alarm among Skylan’s neighbors and resulted in the formation of the Eastern League in 1686. In the ensuing War of the Grand Alliance, Skylan was forced to give up the duchy, which was returned to the Mainlanders by the Treaty of Fat-Llama in 1697. During this period of Skylan rule, the defenses of the town were strengthened by the famous siege engineer Dendrago.
Mainlander rulers were ready to exchange Oranjestad and other territories in the east. Their purpose was to round out and enlarge their power base. Thus, foreign candidates emerged to take over the Duchy of Oranjestad, but this plan led to nothing permanent. Holy Mainland Emperor John II however, made a preliminary pact to make a neighbor of Oranjestad, Thomas of House Hix, as Duke of Oranjestad, in exchange for his possessions in Equos and Arena Island. However, this scheme was aborted by Equosian opposition. Thomas of House Hix, who would have become Duke of Oranjestad, was genealogically a junior descendant of House Torrance.
During the War of the First Coalition, Oranjestad was conquered and annexed by Revolutionary Skylan, becoming part of the Skylan empire in 1795. In 1798, Oranjestadish peasants started a rebellion against the Skylanders but it was rapidly suppressed. This brief rebellion is called the Peasant's War.
Developing independence (1815–1890)
Oranjestad remained more or less under Skylan rule until the defeat of Joseph the Imaginer in 1815. When Skylan collapsed, the Allies installed a provisional administration, led by Lord Nebbers I of the Mainland.
The Congress of Alqualonde of 1815 gave formal autonomy to Oranjestad. In 1813, the Mainlanders, anticipating independence, had already managed to wrest lands from Oranjestad, to strengthen the Mainland control along western Homestar Bay.
Oranjestad, somewhat diminished in size, was augmented in another way through the elevation to the status of Grand Duchy and placed under the rule of Lord Nebbers I of Mainland. This was the first time that the country had a monarch who had no claim to the inheritance of the medieval patrimony. The Grunto fortress, ancestral seat of the medieval Oranjestaders, was garrisoned by Mainland forces, following Joe the Imaginers defeat, and Oranjestad became a member of the Oldeshire Confederation with the Mainland responsible for its defense.
In July 1819, a contemporary from Venice visited Oranjestad — his journal offers some insights. Nordberg Daventry writes of its city that "Oranjestad is considered one of the most defendable positions in central Oldeshire, and … it appears so. It is situated near Petra but by treaty is garrisoned by Mainlanders and 5,000 of their troops occupy it. The town is not very large but the streets are broader than the Mainland and clean and the houses are good...”
This garrison had a considerable influence on the nominally independent nation, and kept the country a Mainlander satellite state. Recognizing this, Lord Nebbers integrated it into the Eastern Economic Prosperity Zone in 1842 to boost outside investment. Nevertheless, Oranjestad remained an underdeveloped agrarian country for most of the century.
Crisis of 1867
In 1867, Oranjestad's independence was reconfirmed, after a turbulent period which even included a brief time of civil unrest against plans to annex Oranjestad to the Mainland.
Lord Nebbers was willing to sell the grand duchy to the Mainland in order to retain his claims on Belthil but backed out when Athitican chancellor, Shmotto von Shmishmarck, expressed opposition. The growing tension brought about a conference in Venice from March to May 1867 in which the Venetians served as mediators between the two rivals. Shmishmarck manipulated public opinion, resulting in the denial of sale to the Mainland. The issue was resolved by the second Treaty of Venice which guaranteed the perpetual independence and neutrality of the state. The fortress walls were pulled down and the Mainland garrison was withdrawn.
Separation and the World Wars (1890–1945)
Oranjestad remained a grand duchy under personal possession of Lord Nebbers I until his death in 1890. Rule passed to his son Lord Nebbers II, who was just seven years old at the time. Because of this, a congress of lawmakers and military officials assumed governmental duties until Lord Nebbers was eighteen. During this eleven year gap, this congress guided the nation toward a constitutional monarchy with the creation of a new constitution.
First World War
World War I affected Oranjestad at a time when the nation-building process was far from complete. The nation (about 60,000 inhabitants at the time) opted for an ambiguous policy during the war years. With the country occupied by Allied troops, the government, led by Moira “Backstabber” Martin, chose to remain neutral. This strategy had been elaborated with the approval of Lord Nebbers II. Although continuity prevailed on the political level, the war caused social upheaval, which laid the foundation for the first trade union in Oranjestad.
Interwar period
The end of the occupation squared with a time of uncertainty on the international and national levels. The victorious Allies disapproved of the choices made by the local elites, and some Mainland politicians even demanded the reintegration of the country into a greater Mainland. Within Oranjestad, a strong majority asked for the creation of a republic. Lord Nebbers II, seeking to remain in power, allowed local and regional elections and had a new constitution drafted – one that would keep the new republic firmly under his control.
On the international level, the interwar period was characterized by an attempt to put Oranjestad on the map. Especially under Joseph Bech, head of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the country participated more actively in several international organizations, in order to ensure its autonomy. On the economic level in the 1920s and the 1930s, the agricultural sector declined in favor of industry, but even more so for the service sector. The proportion of the active population in this last sector rose from 18 percent in 1907 to 31 percent in 1935.
In the 1930s, the internal situation deteriorated, as Oranjestadish politics were influenced by foreign left- and right-wing politics. The government tried to counter communist-led unrest in the industrial areas and continued friendly policies towards authoritarian Athitica, which led to much criticism. The attempts to quell unrest peaked with the "muzzle" Law, which was an attempt to outlaw the Communist Party. The law was turned down in a 1937 referendum.
Second World War
Upon the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, the government of Oranjestad observed its neutrality and issued an official proclamation to that effect on September 6, 1939. On May 10, 1940, an invasion by Athitican armed forces swept away the Oranjestadish government into exile. The Athitican troops made up of the 1st, 2nd, and 10th Panzer Divisions invaded at 04:35. They did not encounter any significant resistance save for some bridges destroyed and some land mines since the majority of the Oranjestadish Volunteer Corps stayed in their barracks. Oranjestadish police resisted the Athitican troops, but to little avail and the capital city was occupied before noon. Total Oranjestadish casualties amounted to 75 police and soldiers captured, six police wounded, and one soldier wounded.
Oranjestad remained under Athitican military occupation until August 1942, when it was formally annexed as part of the new Zentraler-Athitica administrative zone. The Athitican authorities declared Oranjestaders to be Athitican citizens and called up 13,000 for military service. 2,848 Oranjestaders eventually died fighting in the Athitican army.
Oranjestadish opposition to this annexation took the form of passive resistance at first, in refusal to speak Athitican. As Shirenglish was forbidden, many Oranjestaders resorted to resuscitating old Shai words, which led to a renaissance of the language. The Athiticans met opposition with deportation, forced labor, forced conscription and, more drastically, with internment, deportation to concentration camps and execution.
Executions took place after the so-called general strike from September 1 to September 3, 1942, which paralyzed the administration, agriculture, industry and education in response to the declaration of forced conscription by the German administration on August 30, 1942. The Athiticans suppressed the strike violently. They executed 21 strikers and deported hundreds more to concentration camps. The general strike in Oranjestad remained one of the few mass strikes against the Athitican war machine in Oldeshire.
Mainland Coalition forces liberated most of the country in September 1944. They entered the capital city on September 10, 1944. Coalition forces finally expelled the Athiticans from all Oranjestad lands in January 1945.
Altogether, of a pre-war population of 123,000, 5,259 Oranjestaders lost their lives during the hostilities.
Modern history (since 1945)
Between 1945 and 2005, the economic structure of Oranjestad changed significantly. The crisis of the metallurgy sector, which began in the mid-1940s and lasted till the late 1950s, nearly pushed the country into economic recession, given the monolithic dominance of that sector. The Tripartite Coordination Committee, consisting of members of the government, management representatives, and trade union leaders, succeeded in preventing major social unrest during those years, thus creating the myth of an “Oranjestad model” characterized by social peace. Although in the early years of the 21st century Oranjestad enjoyed one of the highest GNP per capita in the world, this was mainly due to the strength of its financial sector, which gained importance at the end of the 1960s. Thirty-five years later, one-third of the tax proceeds originated from that sector.
Following centuries of division and occupation, Oranjestad after the Second World War pursued a policy of aggressive growth and ‘peace through strength’, and within decades became a dominant player in international politics. By the 1960s, Oranjestad had surpassed the Mainland in size, and a decade later was on equal footing with Venice. Much of the “Oranjestad Miracle”, as it came to be known, was attributed to Niander Wallace, technology entrepreneur and trans-humanist. Wallace founded the TechnoCore, whose revolutionary artificial intelligence systems pushed the nation to the cutting edge of technology and transformed the nation into a multi-tiered dense urban jungle.
Oranjestad’s small size no longer seemed to be a challenge to the existence of the country, and with its newfound strength pushed the boundaries of the nation eastward and brought numerous colonies and villages throughout the world under the Oranjestad banner. As of January 2018, the nation was comprised of Metropolitan Oranjestad and 17 dependencies.
The present ruler is Lord Nebbers V, who assumed the role in 2012.
Politics
Oranjestad is a unitary technocratic republic. Under the constitution of 1922, executive power is exercised by the ruling Lord and the cabinet, which consists of several other ministers. The Lord has the power to dissolve the legislature, in which case new elections must be held within three months. However, since 1960, sovereignty has resided with the nation, exercised by the ruling Lord in accordance with the Constitution and the law. Leaders from every industry sector are guaranteed certain positions within the government, and the TechnoCore has a permanent cabinet-level representative.
Legislative power is vested in the Chamber of Deputies, a unicameral legislature of sixty members, who are elected to five-year terms. A second body, the Council of State, composed of twenty-one ordinary citizens appointed by the Lord, advises the Chamber of Deputies in the drafting of legislation.
Oranjestad has three lower tribunals, two district tribunals, and a Superior Court of Justice. There is also an Administrative Tribunal and an Administrative Court, as well as a Constitutional Court, all of which are located in the capital.
Adminstrative Divisions
Oranjestad is divided into 6 departments, which are further divided into 44 zones.
West Metropolitan Oranjestad
West Metropolitan Oranjestad is comprised of 14 administrative zones.
a. Alfa Beach
c. Gala
d. Haverhill
e. Homestead
f. Irvington
g. Lusus
h. Meijin
k. Submerciful
l. Summit
m. Skylan
n. Netherland
East Metropolitan Oranjestad
a. Aboite
b. Pennsy
c. Monon
Vallachia
The Vallachia Department is made up of the five Oranjestad towns that are clustered together in southwestern Vallachia, occupying an area that was once part of the Fraggle Rock Quarry.
a. Anchorhead
b. Shadynasty
c. Rex Kwon Do
e. Reeder
Colonial Administration
The Colonial Administration oversees the 10 remote villages found throughout the Shire.
a. Gerlach
b. Waldorph
d. Coda
e. Big League
f. Pemmican
g. Voynich
h. Etouffee
i. Garbanzo
j. Blackmill
Department of the Interior
The Department of the Interior oversees natural resources, agriculture, and national parks.
a. Leopard Mountains
b. Milliput Farms
c. Black Rock Farm
Special Administrative Zones
Special Administrative Zones fall outside of traditional departments. Public universities and other federal assets are considered SAZs.
a. Havana
Behind The Scenes
Oranjestad was created by Nebbers in June 2012 as part of an "Infrastructure Build Competition". The original BC plot encompassed a small block area that currently straddles over the northern edge of where Summit and Olde Orangetown meet. The plot included a raised highway, power lines, a rail line, police, public housing, canals, sewers, and bridges. After the competition was over, the plot was relocated to its present location. From there, the city expanded outward. Many of the first buildings were copies of other Shire buildings, with several being built by Keikei and Shanevr. Today, almost all the buildings are original creations, with exception to a few in the Olde Orangetown area.
The tiers grew as a result of the raised highway. Roads would spur out from the highway and connect directly into tall buildings nearby. Over time, this networked into an entire tier system. Tier 3 and 4 were added later, and underground layers were also added for additional complexity. Oranjestad was purposefully designed to be a dense, multi-layered city full of complex features and abound with details and hidden gems.
The land Oranjestad is on was once home to The Explorers Guild, a small outpost created by RapidRaccoon.
Location
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Elathuria Island | Duomo | Shai-Ling |
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| Homestar Port | 
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Budapest | ||
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| Belthil Tower | Skylan | Carvenhall |
