Git Aphtonia
Along the banks and tributaries of the Golrana river, south and west from the ridges of Ben Tuůrnir highlands that guard the passes to the moors of Cor Danath, north from the sprawling woods of Loth Ferothel, east of the magocracy of Syu Wana, Mielschtaff Confederacy and the great Katremir lake, lies the united territory of Git Aphtonia. With power centralized in the capital, Aphtonia, this former city-state grew to encompass a large territory with its successes in commerce and bold ventures into the frontier lands.
A City with a Country
Though most of its power is centralized in the capital of Aphtonia, the nation has grown in scope over the centuries of its existence to include a few important regional settlements that bear their own brunt of governance, though the capital's Blessed Senate reserves the right to overrule any of their decisions. All power and authority stems from and flows into Aphtonia itself, ensuring a firm, united vision at the forefront of the state. Therefore, though technically a spacious unitary state, Git Aphtonia is still governed more akin to a city-state than a federative entity.
Means to Build, Prosper & Rule
At its core, Git Aphtonia is a timocracy, and it's citizens are governed by a tier system that informs their place in the hierarchy of their society. This system has allowed the Aphtonians to push out from the natural boundaries of their city to expand over a comparatively vast territory. Their system of tithes and land-stakes allows their citizens of means to expand over and improve various resources, which are then put to use by the state apparatus through a policy of trade and barter.
Moving between tiers often brings more responsibilities along with it, which prevents an unsustainable rise in wealth for most people, while the climb in hierarchy still encourages the lower-tiered ones to attempt to move outside of their circle. With constant trickle-down of wealth to the lowest tier citizens, the Rediktosas, there are often opportunities to advance, while the uncertainty of property politics might sometimes lead to a decrease in wealth, and therefore in status along with it.
Family vs Dog Eat Dog
Every two years, in Springtime, Aphtonian tax-men leave the capital to assess the proprietorial worth of each Aphtonian and then collect taxes on that calculated basis. The citizens have taken to calling them "woodpeckers", due to them knocking incessantly on doors when their time comes. By Aphtonian law, every Aphtonian is responsible for their own property, and family normally shares nothing. However, there is a notion of "family property", which is by law considered to be "worthless" but still taxable. A piece of property can be declared to be "familial", but it's worth can't be counted for one's clout when calculating tier. Nonetheless, it is still taxable and its profit is shared by the state in 70/30 ratio in favour of the family. A family can then sell the property to a citizen of equal or lower tier, or buy-out in favour of one of their members, by paying its price, while also paying it's back profits to the state. The convoluted machinations of family vs individual property are every day's par for the course of Aphtonian courts.
Structure
Aphtonians distribute political rights and economic responsibility based on property value, with land, developed land, and infrastructure being weighted more favourably compared to other property. On this basis, the people of Git Aphtonia are divided into four tiers of citizenship with differing rights and responsibilities, namely:
Prolikosa - Those able to produce an equivalency of 3000 Golden Bushkel of yearly profit. Eligible for the highest offices. Pays taxes to the coefficient of x6.
Hegetosa - Those able to produce an equivalency of 1500 Golden Bushkel of yearly profit. Eligible for most offices. Pays taxes to the coefficient of x3.
Ligatosa - Those able to produce an equivalency of 500 Golden Bushkel of yearly profit. Eligible for lower strata of offices. Pays taxes to the coefficient of x1.
Rediktosa - Those with lowest yearly profit, usually labourers and peasants. Exempt from taxation, but ineligible for any offices.
Public Agenda
The state of Git Aphtonia's main goals are two-fold. Firstly, they aim to maintain their independence from the ever-hungry gaze of the Mielschtaff Confederacy to the north-west of them. Secondly, they aim to use their economic system to push their frontier further east and north, thereby expanding their territory.
To that effect, they have started diplomatic forays with the tribes and clans of Cor Danath, and bilateral negotiations with the embassy of the Kingdom of Nymarast. Meanwhile, they aim to continue to nurture positive relations with the city-states of Syu Wana and Hyggelgard.
History
One Among Many
Before becoming Git Aphtonia - Apthonia's Owned Lands - they were a simple city-state by the name of Aphtonia, the present-day capital of the country. They vied for supremacy in commerce and war with other city-states of the region for some 150 years before the Cataclysm Cycle. The ruination that followed left many of their neighbours in ruin, and the period of depression made the Aphtonian oligarchic council greatly reconsider what their true manifest destiny represented. The story goes that Lucrecius, an elven veteran of politics, philosophized, wrote, and argued for 7 days and nights, until the oligarchy was transformed into the fledgeling apparatus that forms the basis of Aphtonian timocracy.
Like a hungry beast awakened from winter slumber, Aphtonia recovered from the Cataclysm and began aggressively expanding in all directions, absorbing lands and ruins of their neighbours, while incorporating those that still stood into their new borders. Wherever they went, they established their system onto everyone, immediately promoting people to tiers based on their assessment (thought the stories tell that all newly conquered territories were weighted to at least half of their worth).
Ever bravely, forward
Founding Date
4980 AoUP
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Capital
Alternative Names
Aphtonia
Demonym
Aphtonian
Government System
Timocracy
Power Structure
Unitary state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Currency
- 1 Golden Bushkel
- 10 Silver Bushkel
- 100 Copper Bushkel
Official State Religion
Location
Controlled Territories
- Antinope
- Aphtonia
- Aphtonian Interamnia
- Ariadna's Pond
- Camp Voreios
- Camp Yofos
- Dasychorio
- Exorixi
- Flatlands Frontier
- Gran
- Hydra's Nook
- Ilikom Golran
- Isurium
- Leuk Parena
- Limanestia
- Limni
- Molendis
- New Fort Nicodia
- Nicodian Fortress Ruins
- Piscariam
- Port Aleia
- Red Water Camp
- Sicios
- Stavro Dromia
- Synoros
- Tis Agoras
Neighboring Nations
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