Armastates

Armastates is a federated maritime polity consisting of autonomous city-states along the Armastine coast in the western seas. The federation combines shared institutions with strong local governance, allowing cities to manage internal affairs while coordinating defense, trade policy, and foreign relations through a central framework.

Political structure: The federation is governed by the Federal Council, with one delegate from each member state, and by a Federal Assembly whose seats are allocated by population. The executive branch is a rotating presidency drawn from member states, serving two-year terms. The capital city is Lyria, where the federal offices and courts are located. The Armastates Charter, adopted in 1807 and amended since, provides the constitutional basis for this arrangement.

History: The Armastates emerged in the late medieval period as a loose alliance of port-republics formed to counter banditry and rival powers. Over the course of the 17th and 18th centuries, the alliance evolved into a formal federation, culminating in the Charter of 1807. The federation underwent several reforms in the 19th and 20th centuries to expand suffrage and modernize administration.

Economy and society: The Armastates are a mercantile economy oriented to sea trade, shipbuilding, insurance, and finance. A common civil code governs civil matters while local laws handle municipal issues; a shared currency, the solari, facilitates inter-state commerce. The dominant lingua franca is Armic, with local languages persisting in daily life. Education and literacy are broadly promoted.

International role: The Armastates participate in regional trade networks and arbitration forums, emphasizing maritime law and dispute resolution. They maintain a policy of pragmatic neutrality and rely on commercial diplomacy to safeguard their interests. Notable features include the Armastates Court of Arbitration and Harbor Conventions, both central to cross-border commerce.