Ceruleus: Icy Brother of Aguaria Major

In the deep south Pacific, there lie three large, cold, mountainous islands (Indico, Freedom, and Coerus), just about 50 miles north of the Antarctic coast. They are, in most parts, either heavily forested, mostly in conifers, or snow- or ice-covered, and are, climatically, classified as Antarctic. Normally, permafrost would not be forested, but the woodlands here are almost exclusively made up of one species - the most southerly-growing tree in the world, the Cerulean Larch (Larix australis), with roots so strong, they can grow straight through permafrost. They boast, for such a cold place, a great amount of endemic species (around 5,000), most of which are birds, and in the oceans around them, another 2,000 fish species.

Ceruleus' current territorial extent, highlighted in purple:

For most of history, these lands, which are what make up Ceruleus, were pristine, primeval wilderness, with humans an alien species, but when, in Aguaria Major, a military coup had, in disgust with his people, put the Hummingbird Emperor on a newly founded throne, a fleet of ships, stolen by a large group of those desperate and brave enough to run before he turned regrettably benevolent (when he was still using the army to tragically massacre thousands of the citizens he deemed too stupid to live), and led by a courageous group of Aguarian military men who disagreed with the Hummingbird Emperor's actions (the ships were theirs), sailed away from Aguaria Major. They didn't know where they'd go, but they just set out, with nothing but hope and enough naval food supplies to last them a year. The inhabitants citizen convoy, heavily pursued by the Aguarian navy once the Emperor found out that 30 of his best battleships, and 5 aircraft carriers, had been stolen, meeting in the grand mess hall of the AMS Aguaviara, the largest carrier in the fleet, after the first of such attacks, discussed long term arrangements for their survival, as the superior numbers of the newfound enemy meant it was only a matter of time before their fleet was sunk. They decided to head for Antarctica, and seek asylum in one of the many nationally owned research stations near the South Pole. But, before they got within 300 miles of Antarctica, the leader and mastermind of the band, Captain Indicus Caerulescens (his last name, meaning "cerulean blue being", is actually the way that the nation of Ceruleus got its name), stepping out into the frigid dawn air of the sub-Antarctic waters on the Aguaviara's deck to escape the insomnia generated by a hot cabin, saw a magnificent site, where there wasn't supposed to be any. It was a towering peak, covered in the greenery of conifers, whose 35,000 foot summit (Ceruleus, newly discovered, actually boasts a new world record for Tallest Mountain Range, and the new 10 tallest peaks in the world) summit shot beyond the clouds out of the stormy, iceberg-filled sea. He alerted his crew, who then alerted the rest of the convoy. They stopped and, realizing, just by the sheer height of newly named Mt. Freedom that the land they had found was unspoiled and non-trodden, convened in the mess hall of the Aguaviara, and unanimously decided that this, rather than a research station owned by another oppressive nation posing as a democracy, in the way Aguaria Major was doing at the time, would become their new home. After exploring the area extensively in their ships, and the tanks housed inside them, they mapped it out with military navigation equipment, and started setting up a capital in the most difficult place to access in the islands (high in the mountains, surrounded by forests), in case Aguaria Major tracked them here.

It was named Parulid City, due to the fact that one of the citizens, who proposed the name, was an ornithologist, with an affinity for the North American wood-warbler family (it seems utterly ridiculous this name would win, and the specifics of how it won in comparison to suggestions like Democratiana and The Gates of Justice are still not clear, though most believe it was because the new Ceruleuos resented Aguaria Major, and it seemed as though being this political is something they would do), and his favorite bird, the Cerulean Warbler, while not found anywhere near Ceruleus, to fit with this pattern and the new national name, was named the Cerulean national bird The title of the city, and the national bird, have recently been changed, however; Ceruleos felt they needed a capital name and national bird that reflected their native lands and the power they'd become. The national bird was changed to the Light-Mantled Albatross, which is a frequent sight off Ceruleus' coasts, however, the Ceruelan Warbler still remains an honorary national symbol so the nation's history is still honored, displayed on seals and government buildings. The name of Parulid City changed to Sørlige-Parenu. This name is a combination of 3 languages - Norwegian (Sørlige), Tahitian (Pare), and Aguarian (Nu). These words, combined, mean, "Southern Fortress City", exactly what the city is. This name was voted on because it reflects Ceruleos' Polynesian heritage as ex-Aguarians, and the polar lifestyle that they have taken on with the Norwegian.

They faced great hardship as they tried to grow sustainable crops in crude greenhouses (the soil, where there was any, was either permafrost, too rocky, or the land too vertical, and the climate was much too cold to grow anything other than pine trees), and build a defensible capital fortress-city (which still remains the one major settlement on the islands with only small to medium towns spread out over the islands, all the while in the blistering cold, but they succeeded after 10 frigid years, and after these provisions were made, they drafted a constitution and proclamation of nationhood, which they published to the world (this order was so no one could challenge their sovereignty while their settlement was still embryonic), most of which thought the Aguarian fugitives had vanished, under the name Ceruleus. Thus, the pioneering chapter in Cerulean history comes to an end.

With Ceruleus having declared themselves to the world as a new nation, their population, grown from the original 3,000 or so that piled onto the 35 ships, had grown to 100,000 at that time, so they were no longer easily conquered. But several powers tried to do just that (though not Aguaria Major, as this was after the Hummingbird Emperor felt his guilt and relinquished almost all of his power back to the Aguarian Tribal Council, which felt it a duty not to attack the new nation). The Ceruleos fought valiantly, and the strategy that went into planning their capital fortress proved itself, as no one succeeded in taking it; the frigid, rough land, almost as if to say their cost was just, fought for the Ceruleos. The hastily formed Cerulean Navy, while only 35 ships strong, harassed the enemy from the twisting labyrinth of stormy bays, which only they knew, with the superior tech of the Aguarian Navy (this was the start of Ceruleus becoming a predominantly naval power, as opposed to, for example, Aguaria Major with its massive air and space forces that do most of the heavy hitting), and drove them all from their lands and waters.

After this, icy, frigid Ceruleus became an undisturbed, neutral, non-intrusive state in the international arena, all the while protecting the rights of their rapidly growing population, now numbering in the 100s of millions, some say too much. They take conservation very seriously, and have a record for innovative, environmentally friendly economic developments, and protection of pristine wilderness that rivals even Aguaria Major's. Ceruleus also developed a thriving tourism industry, with many campgrounds, national parks, and ski resorts boasting insane drops and speed-friendly slopes year-round, with fresh snow never in short supply. The nation then grew to be a woodsman's, environmentalist's, survivalist's, and extreme athlete's paradise. They also, still believing in the principles of the great Aguaviara, tattooed their skin blue from birth, but to show their distinction from Aguaria Major, which also used this practice, they created a darker, more intense shade of blue, like the Southern Ocean on a sunlit day. For this reason, they are referred to, jokingly, by some, from other nations, as, "Dark Aguarians".

For decades they lived this simple, active, rugged lifestyle, with almost no one in the international arena hearing from them, until Solitarius Unenlagia was elected Prime Minister of Aguaria Major. Detesting the Imperial title, and abolishing it almost completely, he thought of the Ceruleos who stood up for their democratic cause as true patriots, and sought to open up as many relations with them as he could. At first, the Ceruleos, quite suspicious of Aguaria Major for obvious reasons, branded him a liar and a crook, like the rest of Aguaria Major, but he somehow managed to arrange, with Cerulean President Indicus Caerulescens (who had been reelected over 5 times due to his integrity and popularity as leader of the Citizen Convoy that first fled Aguaria Major), a series of diplomatic tours between Ceruleus and Aguaria Major. In these, Unenlagia and a party of representatives of Aguaria Major toured Ceruleus and got to know its people, and vice versa. And after these were had, everything changed. Unenlagia knew Ceruleus would be a great nation, and so did many of the people he brought along, as they also disliked the Hummingbird Emperor. But the Ceruleos, on discovering what life was now like in Aguaria Major, had their eyes opened. The people were friendly, showing no hostility, even celebrating the Ceruleos' arrival themselves, and the nation had grown even more democratic than before the Emperor's rise, when they left. They marveled at the technological and economic advancements that Aguaria Major had achieved since their departure, and upon return to Ceruleus, they quickly told their harrowing tale of the Land of the Green Star (a nickname for Aguaria Major, based on its flag), and how pro-Ceruleus they had become. Diplomatic relations with Aguaria Major opened up, and eventually, so did economic and military ones, as well. The comrades turned enemies were now reunited as national brothers, and relations had become very friendly. Now, Ceruleus and Aguaria Major are in an agreement of commonwealth (called the Ceruleo-Aguarian Commonwealth Agreement, or CER-AG-COM) - they have created a dual alliance where they promote trade and international exchange of industry culture between the 2. But the most important aspect of this agreement is a military pact. Military technology is exchanged between 2, which is why much of the Cerulean Air Force is made up of Aguarian-designed Insignis bombers, and about 1/3 of their navy consists of Aguarian-built ships. In the case either nation enters a war, the armies of both nations shall combine to fight the same enemy, as both nations, even in Ceruleus' historic hatred of Aguarian practice, has always valued socialism and communism as much as Aguaria Major has, still sharing that unbreakable spirit of Aguaviara, and believe these values should be protected from capitalism.

Ceruleus' only significantly large settlement is Sørlige-Parenu, with most of the nation being small to medium towns interspersed among complete wilderness so most of Ceruleus' industries are based around either tourism and recreation generated with its national parks and ski resorts, or the export and refinement of raw resources - timber, mining, and fishing are the main non-tourism-related industries. Cerulean larch are prized around the world for their vast, ultra-tough roots, and their eerie blue-tinged wood. Woodworking has thus become a large sector of the economy here as well. The nation is very rich in copper, minerals, silver, and iron. So the metalworking and chemical refinement industries have boomed here as well - the Ceruelan steel industry in Sørlige-Parenu is huge, and the city is known for its high-quality steel. Copper is an important component in electical and electronic equipment, so the IT industry is strong here as well. Another large contributor to the Cerulean economy is the National Arms Service, which designs and manufactures weapons exclusively for Ceruleus and limited sale to Aguaria Major.

Ceruleus is well-connected, despite the huge swaths of inhospitable terrain; tunnels and roads through the forests and mountains that directly connect settlements have been a top priority for the government, as well as a nationally-owned domestic air and hydrofoil service. The infamously strong Antarctic winds mean Ceruleus is almost entirely powered as such. Most of the windfarms are located offshore.

Ceruleos, despite their rugged lifestyle, are under a communist economy, and surprisingly liberal because they know the only way they are able to survive and prosper in such extreme conditions is to work together.

The national flag, colloquially dubbed, the "Blue Moon" was created with input from all the origianl 3,000 citizens. It is a dark blue field, on which lie a crescent moon and Southern cross, and 3 blue stripes on the left end of the banner. The blue field represents the rich, blue waters that surround the nation, as well as the night sky during the Antarctic winters. The Southern cross is because the nation is proud to be representatives of the Southern hemisphere, and the moon is a way to visually incorporate a letter C (for "Ceruleus") into the design without being vexillologically offensive. Both the stars and the moon are used to add to the night theme as well - Ceruleus is the only nation whose entire territory lies in the Polar regions, so the nation uses the night as its symbol - only in Ceruleus, do 100% of the citizens endure the endless polar nights. The 3 blue stripes are for Indico Island, Freedom Isle, and Coerus Island, the 3 main islands of Ceruleus.

NOTE: It may seem that this is inadequate information to describe an entire nation, as this one factbook is all that represents Ceruleus. The Cerulean government understands this, and offers this explanation: Ceruleus is a young nation, unlike, for example, Aguaria Major, which has been around for 1000s of years. There is still extensive information being gathered on its natural history, and its political and legislative histories are just too short, and isolationist, for these to represent independent factbook titles. And its culture is so much like Aguaria Major that any representation of this could be found in their entries. As Ceruleus ages, look for updates on these.