Anthology of War, Greed, Fame, Pride, and Nationalism

From The Rise to the Fall Episode 3A

A/N: The Country of Seven

In the northwestern region of Ishtar, there was a kingdom flourishing on a peninsula. This kingdom shared a remarkable cultural resemblance to its neighbor located southward, just across a modest bay. It went by the name of the Country of Seven, or simply Seven. The land was home to the indigenous people called the Severenth People. They were highly skilled in speaking Severenth, the official language of Seven. Severenth was a Celtic language that incorporated loanwords from Pictish, an ancient Celtic language that is now extinct. Certainly, the inhabitants of Seven consisted mainly of immigrants from the eastern Ishtarian kingdoms, such as Sin and Bellum. Seven had established strong alliances with its neighboring countries, Fiore, Dragnof, and Isvan. Seven was famous for its exquisite clothing items, including furry hats, parkas, boots, gloves, and lightweight jackets, all meticulously crafted from animal hides. Renowned for its skilled tailors, this flourishing nation delighted in sourcing its materials from local hunter's guilds spread across the entire land. Seven was also rich with crude oil as well as precious minerals from the mountains.

Therefore, oil refineries have popped up in the northern foothills of Seven as well as stone quarries. Their most famous oil refinery was Grimaldi Incorporated, a company that distributes fresh oil to Severenth homes for heating purposes. As for their most popular quarry, it was Smith and Son. They excavate precious minerals like diamonds and quartz, and then skillfully transform them into exquisite jewelry at their numerous jeweler's offices. Only the wealthiest of noblewomen could afford Smith and Son's finest jewelry, at their local exchange stores. The Country of Seven, while not quite as prosperous as Fiore, is still considered relatively prosperous. It is a kingdom that is located on a peninsula approximately 400 kilometers off the coast, with an island that is under its control. This island is known as Embrant Island and is a territory of Seven. Embrant Island is a popular vacation spot for nobles and elites, who often visit their family villas there during the Christmas season.

Seven's government is comprised of three branches: the Executive, the Judicial, and the Legislative. Seven's Executive branch is led by the Prime Minister, assisted by several ministers responsible for a variety of government affairs, ranging from labor to transportation. The Prime Minister and his subordinate Ministers are all under the leadership of the reigning monarchs of Seven, who jointly govern the kingdom.As a constitutional monarchy, Seven was ruled by King Charles II and Queen Brigid I, and His and Her Royal Majesties ruled alongside Parliament, the legislative body of the country. In addition to controlling the power of the Royal Household together, its 495 members are held accountable by the Supreme Court of Seven, the country's judicial branch.It was comprised of 9 justices all led by a Chief Justice, each appointed by the King or Queen. It had traditionally been forbidden for a female monarch to appoint a chief justice, as it was a power held solely by her husband. In a recent reform of the government, Charles II granted his wife a vote on who would succeed the previous Chief Justice in the event of his or her death.

King Charles II is a member of the House of Habsburg, a noble lineage that has produced many esteemed statesmen throughout history. His father, King Charles the Great, also known as Charlemagne, was the first member of his family to be crowned king. With such a prestigious and influential lineage, Charles II was expected to continue the legacy of his family in governing Seven. As for Queen Brigid, she was the daughter of a nobleman from the northern fiefdoms of Seven. Her family, the House of McDonald, was a prominent family of nobles that used to be second in fame to the House of Habsburg, before Charlemagne's coronation as king. When he died fighting a band of pirates called the Saxons, his son Charles II was crowned. Since then, the newlyweds have been popular among the Severenth population, but the nobility only tolerated them. Charles II was criticized for not sharing his authority with them, but he either ignored them or had the accusers sent to forced labor camps, never to return to society again. His forced labor camps were cold prisons where inmates were forced to make bricks out of stones delivered from quarries. They never returned when they were sent there. The prisoners had to work long hours, with no food, clothing or shelter. They were often beaten and tortured, and any who tried to escape were severely punished. Prisoners were also used as scapegoats for Charles II's political enemies, primarily in the elite 1% of Seven's population. The working-class and low-income-class were left blind as to what had happened to their counterparts. State-owned media channels propagandized the nobility as traitors of the State.