Tzyskea

Tzyskea, known officially as the Empire of Tzyskea and Vlytska, is a nation that exists on the eastern edge of Artopa, on eastern Kovria. The Empire borders Azir on the west, and Valbach on the south. The Empire is a merger of the Tzyskean order and the Kingdom of Vlytska. It is the largest of the Kovrian countries, but with one of the smallest populations.

Etymology
The name Tzyskea comes from an old Kovrian word for "snow". Vlytska was merely the name of the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Vlytska from 1323 to 1462, the origin of which is unknown.

History
Tzyskea is a somewhat new nation, being born in its modern form in the 1700s. The oldest Tzyskean state coming from the 1600s. The Tzyskean peoples, however, are a lot older.

The Tzyskean peoples
The urheimat of the Tzyskean peoples is in Western Artopa. (WIP)

The Kingdom of Vlytska
The Kingdom of Vlytska started out as a small duchy on the far east. They had been subject to the hordes, and had only recently freed themselves from them. Their duke, Vladimir Sergeyevich Vlytskaya, organized the state into a functioning nation, eventually adopting the title of King.

The Order
During the 1600s most of the region had adopted the Bogovin branch of Theodoraty, but this wasn't seen as enough by a group of Carrisian missionaries. They formed an order, the Holy Order of the White Griffin, and went on an armed expedition to the east. There they attacked a few small duchies, including the duchy of Wilznyta. There they created the Order-State of Tzyskea on the 27th of January, 1643. The Order-State quickly began attacking and converting local states, occasionally entering into conflict with Vlytska.

The Empress
The Order-State was ruled by a council of lords and dukes, with an archduke on its helm. The archduke was elected between the lords and ruled until his death. By the 1700s the Rasmußen family was the most powerful, and had been ruling almost since the beginning of the Order-State itself. In May of 1745, a group of opposing noblemen tried to overthrow the Rasmußens, but failed. In response, on the 20th April of 1745, archduchess Freyya von Rasmußen declared herself as Empress of Tzyskea. Subsequently, she married prince Sergei, of Vlytska, in a matrilineal marriage.

This marriage eventually led to the incorporation of the Kingdom of Vlytska into the Tzyskean Empire after a small power struggle caused by the death of King Dimitri, heirless.

Politics
The Tzyskean Empire is a conservative state, ruled by right-wing populists under the Valtzyst party. There is also a large technocratic movement, supported by the state, and affiliated with the Valtzysts.

Culture
The Tzyskean culture is a highly educated one. With a great focus on education, the Tzyskean people escape the hardness of life in the cold taiga by writing poems and painting. Another big part of the culture is both agriculture and the military. Being born from a militaristic order, the Tzyskean Empire has a great focus on the military for its culture, basing many things, such as clothing and music, on militaristic variants.

Economy
None (WIP)

Geography
Tzyskea is a rather flat nation. A massive taiga covers most of its surface, with some tundra and ice caps on the north.


 * national_anthem       = "Nad Vratow sa blýska" (1884)
 * File                  = Tzyskean anthem instrumental 1894 to 1929 and onwards.ogg