Karmerin

Karmerin or Karmerinn, unofficially known as the Federated States of Karmerin is an archipelago located north of Levantia-Mercadi. Karmerin is made up of a number of free cities, kingdoms and republics all unified under a single federal structure. The earliest settlements of sapient beings on the islands were mercadi using the shallower bays as safe havens. In the 1400s troll sailors began arriving from the west, raiding the western coasts of Szamara. They established a number of temporary bases and villages in what is modern day Levantia-Mercadi but most were eventually abandoned, with the settlements on Karmerin remaining the only permanent ones. The islands became divided between a number of powerful chiefs who would lead raids against the surrounding shores. Over the following centuries raids would become smaller as stronger and more organized mainland kingdoms became better adapted at defending against them and the Karmerin kingdoms focused increasingly on their competition with eachother. In 18XX the Kingdom of Urendir conquered many nearby island as part of their colonization efforts and the local rulers of Karmerin negotiated a surrender to the Urendin Empire, gaining special status from the rest of the colony. After Levantia-Mercadi’s independence, Karmerin remained an Urendin crown colony and an important naval base.

Following the Erothenian revolution a growing Karmerin nationalism lead to calls for independence. After a referendum in 19XX the Erothenian National Assembly approved of the petition and the Republic of Karmerin was granted formal independence. The new regime had immediate problems as the islands were still mostly agrarian and undeveloped. The republic racked up a great national debt as they attempted a rapid industrialization with limited success. Tensions between the historical kingdoms wanting to assert their traditional sovereignty often lead to a political deadlock. The financial crisis of the 19XXs lead to a growing communist insurgency opposed to the government, which after heavy repression aligned itself with the seperatist regions and initiated the Karmerin Civil War. With the republic at the threat of falling completely, the Karmerin armed forces launched a coup and instituted total martial law under a military junta. With significant aid from the Alliance for Democratic Szamara the junta defeated the opposing forces and ended the war after X years of bloody fighting. A new constitution signed into place in 19XX restored democracy, overseen by the ADS.

Since the resumption of elections Karmerin has been dominated by the Unity Party which has taken a sharp term from the earlier nationalization efforts. Lysey, the second largest island, was turned into a corporate free zone to encourage foreign investments and has grown into the wealthiest and most populous region of the federation. Outside of Lysey, tourism is the by far most important portion of Karmerin’s economy with millions visiting the islands every year.