[hider=Sérénissime République Ambrosienne de la Sarcelle]

[center][color=00aeef][h2]Most Serene Ambrosian Republic of Sarcelle[/h2]

[img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/Blue_white_green.svg/1000px-Blue_white_green.svg.png[/img]

[h3]"No gods, no masters!"[/h3]

[b]Name of Nation:[/b]
 Republic of Sarcelle

[b]Government:[/b]
 Two-Chamber Aristocratic/Democratic Republic - An unusual way of working things, the Ambrosian Republic works with two separate chambers, the Chamber of Lords and the Chamber of Commons. The Chamber of Lords is a remnant of the feudal days, and is comprised of landed aristocrats. Every landed aristo, from lowly barons and viscounts to high-ranking dukes marquis, is given a seat in the Lords. Each owns an area of land and is supposed to represent the people in that area of land. However, to prevent the aristos from getting too much power, every barony, county and duchy has an equivalent in the Commons, which is elected from unlanded, everyday schmucks, typically merchants. The election system is weighed heavily towards the Commons, since there are three or four representatives in the Commons for every one aristo in the Lords. However, a Lord is in power till they die, whilst re-elections for Commons happen every six years, unless one somehow loses their post between elections. A Lord's vote also counts for two Common votes. A Lord, any member of his dynasty and all of their courtiers may not vote for a Common representative nor run for Common representation, however an Aristocrat may sacrifice their high status to run for Common.
Interestingly, the feudal system of the Lords is heavily limited. For example, if a Lord should die with no heirs of his dynasty, the equivalent Common who received the most votes may be promoted to the Lords in their stead and remain in power as a Lord until their own death. A new election will be held in the region to re-elect a member of the Commons. Also, since no-one is allowed to hold two seats in any chamber, a Lord who inherits two titles must pass his lowest title on to a member of his dynasty. If there is no eligible member, the contested title is passed on to the most popular Common. In any other circumstance, however, Lord titles may be passed on from parent to child. Changing succession laws requires the approval of a majority of one's respective rank.
The Two Chambers only really handle national and international matters and each Lord and his respective Commons are also in charge of the region they were voted in to represent. For example, the County of Emeraude is lead by the Noble Count of Emeraude and three Common Counts of Emeraude. The four are to meet on a regular basis to discuss regional matters. Any Barons in the county, Common or Noble, may also be privy to these meetings, since they represent regions within that county. This means that the higher up the ranks you go, and thus the more people you effect, the longer it takes to pass a law. A Barony may see a change overnight once the four or five Barons who represent the area agree on a law, but a County will have to find support not only amongst the Counts, but amongst the Barons too. Whilst technically the Counts could over-rule their Barons decisions, this rarely happens as it is an unpopular use of power that could see the Common Counts impeached and replaced. Dukes have an even harder time, as they must consult their Counts, who must consult their Barons before any radical decisions can be made.
There is no one ruler of the nation. Feudal countries may wish to negotiate with the Chamber of Lords whilst republican countries will prefer the Chamber of Commons.

[b]Economy:[/b]
The Sarcellen Republic's wealth relies heavily on foreign trade and investment. It retains an important role as an Edonirasan transport and trading hub and contains some of the largest ports on the continent, allowing it to reach far-away lands with little trouble.
Investment banking is an immense business, due to minimal interest rates and high economic stability. Both local and foreign businessmen enjoy low interest and lengthy loans, which encourages foreign trade. The banks, however, are notoriously strict with their funds and expect significant profit from any business they support. 
As well as trading, the nation also relies heavily on maritime businesses - catching fish, shipbuilding and the like. However, this is limited to coastal cities and towns.
If one happens to be inland, there is plenty of agrarian work to be done, especially in tending vineyards. Sarcellian wine is a major export and is renowned for it's rich, full-bodied flavour. If one isn't particularly happy being a farmer, there are always the refinement industries - turning wool into cloth, wood into furniture, metal into armour etc.
And of course, like many rich merchant republics, there is a good deal to be made from the creative industries and tourism. Whether one is attracted to the marble sculptures and oil paintings of the coastal cities or the peace and quiet of the inland country, tourism does add a little more to the nation's economy.

[b]Military:[/b]
The Republic of Sarcelle military is almost entirely naval. Being a coastal country with a rich maritime tradition, the Sarcellene Navy is a total powerhouse and certainly something to be feared. Well funded, well trained and well staffed, this heavy navy dominates the area around the Republic and most merchant ships will pass by a detachment or two. Their presence is a warning to any potential pirates or privateers, but also carries dangerous connotations for other nations that the Navy is not to be messed with.
Likewise, the sailors on board are not afraid to get their hands dirty and engage in the swirling melee. On the seas, the Sarcellene navy is king
On land, the Republic is less of a powerhouse. Outside of city guards, their land force is pretty much negligible. Although it is a very well trained and well funded military, number-wise it is not comparable to it's peers. 

[b]Description of Culture:[/b]
The Sarcelle Republic's culture has been influenced little by it's occupation, and remains fiercely independent of any foreign ways.
Republican tradition is geared heavily towards economy. Everyone is a cog in a machine with their own specialisation needed to keep the machine ticking over. What you add is not the important part, as long as you are adding as much as you can. Merchants are thus inclined to look after their workers and in return the workers are to work as hard as they can for their employers.
You would expect with a two-chamber parliament there would be some divisions between Royalists and Republicans. However, the closest to a division of this nature has been between "Old Money" and "New Money" Aristos: the landed elite and the Commons who are elected to become Lords. In fact, there have been next to no calls to remove either Chamber.
Religion is welcomed, as long as their commands do not clash with local law. The culture is traditionally very liberal and very accepting, so the more conservative and strict religions may struggle to grow in such a hostile environment.
Essentially, it all comes to how much money you are worth, or potentially worth. Above all, the Sarcallene value industrialism, prudence and economics. Everything else is merely a distraction.

[b]History:[/b]
It is hard to believe that prior to the Rise of the Norian Empire, the Sarcellene people were wandering nomads. They roamed without cause or goal, living off the land they wandered on and for the most part ignoring civilisation.
When the territory they were dwelling on was captured by the Norians, the first reaction of every Sarcellene was a resounding "meh". They saw nothing different about their new overlords in comparison to all the other Kingdoms they had stayed at, only this one liked to call itself an Empire. However, when they were forced to settle and forbidden from continuing their nomadic traditions, then there was a problem. It was in their blood to wander and explore, to seek foreign lands and adventure. However, they were to be settled in the lands now known as Sarcelle, and ruled over by a chosen representative of the Norian Empire. 
Desperate to find some loophole in the system, they turned to the oceans. Sarcellene people took the seas like a fish to water, aptly enough, and could now labour under the guise that they were to become a trading nation. As their culture demanded, they were free to explore and travel the world as they saw fit - as long as they brought back a few souvenirs for their overlords. They became quite good at it, constantly developing knew technologies that would aid their seafaring voyages so they could see more foreign lands for longer periods of time and with less risk. Though they ended up generating a small fortune for the Empire, they didn't care. It was all about the adventure. 
After the fall of the Norian Empire, Sarcelle found itself without a leader. The only system they had known was the one introduced to them by the Empire, the Feudal System. Norian nobles were weeded out and replaced by "native" Sarcellene leaders. But the newly-appointed Lords didn't have a clue what to do. The concept of absolute power was new to them and they were rather wisely scared of introducing radical changes in case of revolt.
So they struck upon the bright idea of bringing in some of the old methods from the nomadic days. The result was the First Ambrosian Republic

[b]Territory:[/b]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/TrUudOC.png[/img]
Coastal. Broken up by many small rivers. Temperate, flat grasslands and plains, with the occasional marsh. Very few major hills.

[b]Other:[/b]
N/A

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WIP, because History and Culture will depend on whatever empire it broke away from.