NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: This is the official factbook of the nation of Ixania - all other "factbook" threads ought to be disregarded by the denizens of this forum. This thread will ALWAYS be in development.

Introduction to the Ixanian Empire
Written by Anonymous

The Ixanian Empire will - by the time that this publication is released to the general world public - already have the reputation of the colonialist power who maintains a healthy neutrality in the conflicts of the world, whose leaders are always willing to make friendships despite ideological differences, and whose people produce legendary animation, music and novels. In the course of general events - when History's course has taken root - the Ixanians have always been ruthlessly devoted and resilient in the quest to make their nation prosperous and powerful. Where can one begin in a study of the Ixanian Empire? He must begin by looking within the background, something we have provided for the individual. The Ixanian Empire was born out of the crusade of Leto the Great - a proven descendant of Alexander the Great (his wife, Roxana, and Alexander IV, his son, were smuggled into Ixania by loyal soldiers) - to create one nation for the thousands of Ixanians living under all sorts of leaders from warlords to saints.

Every Ixanian knows the story of Leto the Great - especially if you are born as the son or daughter of Ixanian patriots - and it is considered an honor to visit the tomb of Leto the Great in Ixania's capital, seeing the elaborate casket of the founder of Ixania before your very eyes. Leto's descendants are the House of Schverzinski which currently reign over Ixania like they have for several centuries. They maintain an absolute monarchy over their willing subjects, for most Ixanians do not mind royal absolutism in its Ixanian style - that is, absolutism with the freedom to criticize and debate amongst one's selves. Enlightened absolutism seems to be the norm. We can say to you, though, that Communism, republicanism and such ideologies do exist in Ixania, an example would be the Fascist/ultranationalist groups which emphasize the Ixanian Pride slogan on shirts innocently worn by Ixanian monarchists and others.

The national religion of Ixania would be the Christian religion in its Orthodox and Lutheran brands albeit there is full and complete religious freedom for all individuals except those who belong to cults as specified in Ixanian laws. Leto's descendants led the conversion of Ixania to the Orthodox Christian denomination and the Ixanian Orthodox Church has been influential over the centuries in Ixanian politics although it does not own any non-church land, save for the land upon which seminaries and such are built. This is due to Ixanian laws which tried to maintain a separation of church and state long before the modern phenomenon emerged in the realm. The phenomenon has power over the realm at the present moment.

Much discussion has probably been had over the neutrality laws in the Ixanian Empire and - so we will be able to grasp a clear portrait of it - we intend to discuss these laws in full detail within this factbook. According to our sources within Her Majesty's Government, the Ixanian Empire's neutrality laws grew out of the desire to keep Ixania out of foreign wars under the pretext that Ixanians do not have to die for others in needless bloodshed. One who looks at Ixania will see - despite this - that it has a powerful and formidable military with the best technology around. The Osterman Doctrine, which we believe is the culmination of Ixanian military doctrines and neutrality laws, is currently in place within military circles.

We have said that Her Majesty's Government is what leads over the Ixanian realm because the current head of state and government is an Empress by the name of Anastasia the Second. We must testify to her benevolence and strongness of character despite our desire to remain non-partisan in our presentation of Ixania to you. In our next installment, we will discuss various aspects of Ixanian society.

An Analysis of Ixanian Society
Written by Anonymous

Ixanian society has always been divided into aspects for the sake of clarity and for the expected condemnations it recieves in Communist pamphlets which some individuals regularly manufacture in their attempt to create an Ixanian Revolution. We will take it upon ourselves to examine Ixanian society without idelogical bias. First of all, Ixanian society - in its present form - has been influenced by a variety of movements over the years such as social liberalism and a love to balance power between the upper and lower classes in an attempt to carve out solidarity within the realm. Ixanians take the idea of solidarity among nobility and commoners very seriously and emphasize the need for co-operation more so than division, yet such an idea has never been universally adopted by the masses. Some have told us that they would like to see the abolition of monarchy a reality while others believe that there should be no government whatsoever in Ixania. The Ixanian Empire's present society encourages political debate in the hopes of stimulating the masses' involvement in politics while hoping it does not lead to any violent courses of action. Ixanian Monarchism has always been dominant in Ixania but some attribute this controversially to the cradle-to-the-grave concept, the idea that Ixanians are instilled in Monarchist doctrines from birth. Most people, though, say that this is something that parents and not the government are responsible for creating over the years. Some parents believe that it's proper to raise kids from birth in a Monarchist environment, while others accuse them of the manufacture of what they label as household propaganda.

The capital of the Ixanian Empire is the city of Tzargrad, a cosmopolitan metropolis where Her Majesty's Government operates from and from which many Ixanians have seen monarchs parading down busy streets and cultural icons emerging from the darkness to illuminate the world with their talent. The city is the most populous in the Ixanian Empire and it is the center of Ixanian culture and politics. It was often one of the destinations for poor workers in the past, they had believed in the alleged saving power that the city had. In Tzargrad, we have seen marvelous things from the efficiency of Ixanian education to the heavenly delight of experiencing the Divine Liturgy in its ancient cathedrals. It is a city that has astounded thousands of souls over the centuries and which we expect will continue to do so over the course of the future.

If one enters the city as a tourist then it would be wise for him to check out the tourist information offices ran by the Ministry of Tourism for they will have all sorts of information for the average tourist. Tourists will find Ixania to be a great place for them to visit, yet we cannot allow you to sacrifice empirical experience for our own opinion. After checking out the sights, it is best that you check out the sights and hear the sounds. For example, check out the many restaurants for some fine and authentic Ixanian food or head to the churches to worship with your fellow believers. Your children will love the parks and community centers while wives will flock to spas and salons. There is usually something for everyone to do in Tzargrad with its libraries, cafes, restaurants, brothels, chapels, schools and more.

It is possible for a tourist to enter into romantic relationships with Ixanian citizens although the international marriage laws must be considered by both involved - marriages between Ixanian women and foreign men, for example, can be official in the eyes of an Ixanian court. The married couple may choose to become full Ixanian citizens or they may emigrate to the husband's homeland. It works like this when genders are reversed. Ixanian women, the author of this installment will tell you, are very beautiful but fiercely independent and one must never expect them to just bow before you, after centuries of women's empowerment rhetoric filling their heads. We must comment on the prevalence of Ixanian blood in several royal families around the world, because we have stumbled upon what seems to be a love of royal marriages in the Ixanian royalty - yet, we must not generalize all royalty as lovers of such ventures like we cannot generalize all poor people as criminals.

Tzargrad is not the only city in the entirety of the Ixanian realm but it is one of the most oft-cited among them. You may wish to check out the various port cities along the coasts which all offer various things from fish markets to boat rides. Deep inland can you find cities and towns around chains of mountains and vibrant forests. The countryside has plenty of farmers who still live in the often romanticized agrarian fashion, selling surplus produce for the money needed to maintain financial stability. Ixanian farmers have been seen as remnants of previous centuries, that is, the way in which people back then had lived their lives. The nobility and royalty reside in country and city mansions often passed down to their children over the years, although even nobility can find themselves in financial troubles. Financial troubles can be handled by those responsible for alleviating people out of the pain generated by them, such people get handsome allotments of money from the fees that their customers pay them.

Letonares - the City of Leto - is said to be the exact place where Leto the Great was born and raised by his hard working and industrious parents and, in line with such an honorable reputation, the city enjoys internal tourism from Ixanian nationalists, Fascists and more who seek to learn about the man who built their nation. Letonares has a massive statue of Leto the Great on horseback with an epitaph written by a Victorian era poet. Returning to Tzargrad for a moment, it must be said that this is where Ixania's various record companies usually operate from. They have given Ixanians the powerful songs of Ixanian Industrial bands such as Kreide - an in depth study of Ixanian Industrial and other genres will be found in a future installment. The city of Valsamonares - the City of Valsamon - is recognized as the birthplace of Valsamon Askiates who has always been cited as the best playwright that Ixania has ever seen. Born into a vibrant and vivid world, Valsamon Askiates created plays based on the studies of human nature that he had during his days - his plays were deeply rooted in realism and he would sometimes shift in subtle commentaries on how society governed its affairs while telling of lovers and bandits. It is considered a pleasure to see his plays performed in theatres all over Ixania and some of them have been turned into movies in what we will call, for a future installment, Ixanowood. Ixanian animators have also picked up Valsamon's plays for transformation into animated shows. The relevant installment will explain the relationship between Ixanian animators and Ixanian cultural legends such as Askiates.

In our next installment, we hope to tell you about the government of the Ixanian Empire and how it evolved over the centuries into its present form, along with an in-depth study of Ixanian foreign policy and laws.

The Ixanian Government and Legal System
Written by Anonymous

(Under Construction)

Ixanian Culture - Music, Literature, Cinema, Animation and More
Written by Anonymous

The culture of the Ixanian Empire has evolved over the centuries to become its present form through the mediums of the importation of foreign ideas and sociopolitical developments that have occured within Ixania since its creation. Ixanian culture is the collective term used for the cultures of Native Ixanians and the descendants of Russian and German settlers but we will, while relying upon the collective term, give insight into Ixanian Russian/German culture as we have experienced it. First of all, Ixanians generally place an emphasis on honor as part of their love of the chivalry that their forefathers practiced, although this love has never been universal. Ixanians enjoy horse riding which they see as one of their national pastimes - the Imperial Family has its own personal stables in which some of the best horses are bred. Equestrian sports have always attracted a lot of attention in the realm, and the Empire's citizens have often shown great talent in the art of riding horses. The Ixanians also enjoy hockey and soccer to the point that national leagues (Ixanian Hockey League, etc) have been established and that thousands will tune in to watch matches.

The Ixanian Germans and Russians have contributed much to their homeland ever since they first arrived. It was an Ixanian Russian who started the largest family owned soda manufacturing company in the realm while an Ixanian German band helped to pioneer the Ixanian Industrial genre of metal. It was an Ixanian German, as well, who created one of Ixania's best loved animated series. The Ixanian Empire has always had a vibrant music scene from the singers of the Medieval Era to the metal bands of modern Ixania. Let us examine some of the genres in Ixanian music - beginning with Ixanian Industrial.

Ixanian Industrial was viewed initially as the Ixanian branch of the genre of industrial metal and was well known with its emphasis on the mixture of instruments with crisp, clear vocals - those instruments including electric guitars and keyboards. Ixanian Industrial grew out of the experimental metal bands of the 70s and early 80s who strove to make an impact in the music world. Experimental metal was really nothing more than the experiments of different bands to create new sounds. Kreide (Chalk) is said to be the first popular Ixanian Industrial band and, as well, has often been called the best one around. This particular band grew out of the Experimental Metal scene and was named for a character in Eisenhauer's In Meinem Himmel - that is, the chalk white color of the character's skin. Kreide released their first album in 1994 with the name of Totes Mädchen-Gehen (Dead Girl Walking) which was not only rooted in Eisenhauer's work but which established the style of Ixanian Industrial in its recognized form. Kreide has often been cited in Ixania for their powerful concerts and love of guitar riffs and pyrotechnics - their music videos were once labelled as disturbingly appealing by critics. After Kreide, several more Ixanian Industrial bands appeared.

The Ixanian Empire has its own versions of the popular genres of the music world such as heavy metal and pop rock. Some of these bands and soloists have become very popular over the years with platinum albums and contracts to sing on film and anime soundtracks. Kreide's songs are often used in the film/anime adaptations of Heinrich Eisenhauer's works such as Priscilla: An Experiment in Human Brutality and Patient X. Most, if not all, of his works have been adapted as movies, etc due to their immense popularity in the Ixanian nation and Eisenhauer has often been called the Master of Horror due to his reputation.

Ixanian literature has produced plenty of well loved novels and short stories over the centuries from the brutally chilling horror stories of Heinrich Eisenhauer to the tragic and thought provoking stories of afterlife fiction. Ixanian literature is often divided into various genres such as afterlife fiction which was developed out of the stories writers would write about life after death. Afterlife fiction, by its definition, would also include movies and animes which deal with concepts like heaven, such as Martin Brandt's Labyrinth, which has been called one of the best animes ever made by many fans of anime in Ixania. Often, afterlife fiction seeks to make the readers/viewers understand the scope of tragedies and how they affect more than just one individual. Stories like Labyrinth often deal with the philosophy behind human nature and the existence of evil. How can one reconcile the goodness of God with the existence of evil is one of many questions constantly asked within this genre of fiction. Christian writers have flirted with afterlife fiction numerous times and some of them have produced works not only appealing to the Christian crowd but also to those who do not believe in the Scriptures. Eisenhauer has also dabbled in afterlife fiction with In Meinem Himmel, the story of a pedophile/murderer haunted by his victim's vengeful ghost. It must be said that afterlife fiction grew out of what one critic labeled as, "Man's desire to understand himself in relation to the world, evil in relation to God, and life in relation to death," and that several bands such as Kreide have written songs rooted in afterlife fiction and its themes.

Heinrich Eisenhauer - whom we have been mentioning - grew out of the vintage horror story scene developed in the 50s onward, his first novel scoring huge fame among readers despite its controversies. His first novel, Priscilla, told the story of a psychopathic loner who kills her bullies in an Ixanian school, and it was definately controversial when released due to the material used. Eisenhauer's style of horror is within the psychological horror/horror-in-personality styles although he has made use of the 'blood and guts' style of horror in his novels - such a style isn't really appreciated in Ixania although it has been used at times such as in Eisenhauer's first novel. It must be said that Ixanian horror is more psychological in its vision in that there is a desire to focus on motivation for murder rather than the actual murder itself - Eisenhauer explained that he wrote the extensive accounts of Priscilla's psychosis out of a desire to reflect why she ends up brutally murdering her bullies.

To help increase solidarity between aspiring and operating authors in the Ixanian nation, the National Literary Review was created in 1965 and since then has been the place where writers aspire to publish their works for public examination on a nationwide scale. An equivalent for the world of Ixanian animation was established in in 1984 for Ixanians into anime, claymation, etc to discuss various things within their beloved industry and then the National Cinema Review was born as well, which allowed citizens to read about their favorite celebrities and movies. Each Review is owned by the same company and is released every month with the highlights of that month within its pages. It's said that people's reputations are made within the pages of these publications.

Ixanian animation was originally concieved as children's entertainment during the early 1950s although some will trace its roots back to cartoons made even before then. Ixanian animation is most often recognized in its anime form, but claymation and all other kinds of animation are made in Ixania. Yet, we will focus on the predominence of the anime form in our world when one thinks of Ixanian animation. Ixanian anime focuses on a variety of social issues from pedophilia to capitalism and can be divided into kids' animes, teen animes and animes aimed at adults. Some animes appeal to all ages, as well, while others will have appeal restricted for a single group of individuals. Ixanian anime is often produced after a comic version of the story has been produced. For example, when Martin Brandt created the anime version of Labyrinth, the comics had been out for some time and were widely read. Some animes even get live action adaptations, depending on how viable such a venture is to whose who plan it.

Ixanian anime has often been one of the prevalent aspects of Ixanian television with plenty of animes aired over airwaves in the Empire's three dominant languages and which are often exported to the colonies and around the world. Martin Brandt's Labyrinth scored the love of international viewers with its tragic yet heartwarming plot of the murdered girl and the family and friends that she left behind. This particular anime shook the entire nation with the story of Zaneta, the protagonist, and has been well recieved by critics all over the land since it first appeared several years back.

One of the best known Ixanian animes was Vera the Lady Knight which began in the 70s and ended in the early 80s - its story of an Ixanian Russian girl who fights crime was loved even by members of the Imperial Family and it has always been praised for being a masterpiece of Ixanian animation. Ixanian animators have even made an anime about Gustav Hauptmann, an Ixanian serial killer of the 1930s and this shows how they are always willing to shake the nation with their work. Animators congregate at every year's National Animation Convention - they find not only solidarity among each other but also screaming fans wanting to meet them. Studio Ravenclaw is one of the best known producers of Ixanian animation, along with StudioIxania which is the oldest studio around. Labyrinth had been produced by StudioIxania after the success of the comics nationwide - teens and adults commenting on the heartwrenching yet heartwarming portrayal of a murdered girl's quest for peace in Heaven.

Ixanowood - a name given to Ixanian cinema - has produced hundreds of films ever since it was born in the midst of technological advancement back in the early days of the twentieth century when Ixanians sought to entertain themselves. It is in Ixanowood that some of the best Ixanian movies have been produced and it is where plenty of writers aim to sell their works. Ixanian cinema usually has movies made in all the genres you would expect such as romances and comedies but it has also made movies built on combinations of genres and there are plenty of independent filmmakers in Ixania whose films are sometimes able to rival even some Ixanowood films. In 1979, the Horror genre recieved a significant boost in popularity when Priscilla was created - the first adaptation of a Heinrich Eisenhauer novel was very popular amongst teenagers and was praised for its attention to detail and its chilling murder scenes. The 1980s saw the rise in romantic comedies while the 1990s saw the rise of action and thriller movies. The current decade has seen the rise of all sorts of movies including some flops which have ruined the reputation of several directors. A famous director in Ixanowood would be Lucas Meiwes who directed 1979's Priscilla along with other smash hits - his reputation has been that of a man who meticulously strives to create 'as perfect as possible' movies.

When one looks at the nature of the Ixanian theatre since the era of Valsamon Askiates and his colleagues - those who were active around him - it must be said that the Ixanian theatre has produced plenty of plays and operas which continued to be produced and that it is one of the best popular forms of entertainment for citizens and tourists. Musicals, for example, such as 2003's adaptation of Eisenhauer's first novel are seen as solidly made although some are flops despite how good they look. The musical version of Eisenhauer's story of Priscilla Walton earned fame for its method of presenting the story that Eisenhauer had written - in that the producers chose to be completely faithful to the book and concocted chilling ways to present the story as it happened. Musicals and plays usually are about anything from star crossed lovers to the challenges of life. It must be said that there also exists the National Theatre Review which has the review of theatre, musical and operatic productions under its jurisdiction and that it has been quite influential in shaping the mindsets of individuals. The Reviews - as they are called - never "bullshit readers" in that they are always honest with the readers - telling them what article writers, its critics, really thought.

In our next installment - we will analyze the roots and composition of the Imperial Family of Ixania, followed by a look at the Ixanian Armed Forces.