Furshire

Furshire is a Penguin dominated country that gained its independence from Puffle'and in 1712. Historically, the island was a safe haven for Penguins that were persecuted by the Puffish Parliament. As a testament to its past, today, free puffles are not allowed to visit or live in the country unless they are accompanied by a Penguin that can act as an "owner". All puffles on the island today are either pets or wild. Nevertheless, the country is extremely prosperous in it's selling of it's artisan crafts, textile industry, fishing industry, apple orchards, and mining.

Originally a Puffish colony for less than two hundred years, Furshire broke away in 1712 due to the numerous anti-Puffish rebellions around the island due to the mistreatment of the penguin population by the puffles in Puffle'and. These rebellions were supported by the governor of the colony as well, who became the country's new king after the end of the war. After the war, Furshire was mostly an isolationist nation, rarely interacting with its neighbors, something that it was able to maintain due to its self-sufficiency, until after the end of the Khanzem War.

History
Originally, the islands were uninhabited until 1578, when a Puffish Puffle explorer named Sir David Greens, discovered the island and claimed it for Puffle'and. He set up a small colony called Gurnsbourgh, which is now the second largest city in the nation, and consisted of several penguins that served as his lower class sailors. Eventually, Sir David Greens brought more Puffish Penguins to the island to help them escape discrimination and persecution from the majority Puffle nation of Puffle'and.

The island eventually sought the welcoming of many other penguins for many centuries afterwards. The first city built on the island was Jacksmoor, which formed by combining two small Penguin villages, named Jackstowne and Bourghmoor together. Over time, the two villages grew into a town, later a city after they established a port to harbor ships. Jacksmoor became a hub for trade on the island and was deemed to be the colony's capital city by the Puffish King in 1594. The island eventually developed more and became home to many farms that produces common fruits and vegetables. However, apple orchards became popular across the island as it started to be the nation's main import. Things on the simple farming island changed drastically in the 1700's, when several Penguins of Nobility began to move to the island's cities. They started building lavish red brick mansions that towered over the small-one story homes of the commoners. Eventually, the sons of the nobles decided to move into the countryside and built their estates around a plantation.

By the late 1700's, the cities of Jacksmoor and Gurnsbourgh transformed from a large cluster of one storied houses and several mansions into a bustling city with large apartment like buildings. In 1709 anti-Puffish movements started, secretly supported by the Governor that gained more and more support from the population of Furshire, causing fights between members of the movements and the Puffish soldiers. In 1711 the anti-Puffish movements caused the Furshian War of Independence. The anti-Puffish forces won the war in 1712 and Furshire became fully independent on May 3, 1712 when Governor Edward Dwight was declared King. The 1800's introduced the train, motorcar, and telephone to the island, which quickly modernized.

In 1913, the Khanzem War broke out, which caused many soldiers to protect the island. Later, after the war, the capital, Jacksmoor was in ruins, the inhabitants tried to rebuild the city but the couldn't due to the Puffish military, the city was abandoned and they started to build a new capital. The city of Windham was finished in 1925. This city, built in the same classical European way like in Jacksmoor, continued to grow larger and larger, in 1934 it became the center of the political activities of Furshire, the palace and the castle of the Sovereign were built there and became the residences of the monarchs of the island. As the military presence restored order to the island and Windham became the new capital city.

On May 7, 1978, William I ascended to the throne of the island with unanimous approval of the citizens and Furshirian Parliament. King William I, who was born in 1893 and was crowned as King in 1978, ruled until 1999, when he died of old age. His son, William II succeeded him to the throne, and soon worked to expand the nation's connections with other countries in Antarctica, establishing an alliance with Dragonstone. Today, Furshire is a prosperous island of trade and friendly farmers, hospitable townsfolk, as well as welcoming higher class penguins from the richer parts of Windham.

Government


The government of Furshire is a constitutional monarchy, and is ruled by the King as the head of state, though he has limited powers and mostly acts as a ceremonial figure, since a bicameral Parliament, consisting of the House of Lords and House of Commons, holds most of the power. However, the King of Furshire is still the Commander of the Furshirian Armed Forces, has the authority to veto laws, and can appoint half of the members of the House of Lords. There is also a Prime Minister who serves as the head of government and is elected every five years as well.

Similar to Puffle'and, elections for seats in Parliament are held every five years. Half of the seats in the House of Lords are appointed by the King, with the other half being elected by the House of Commons, while seats in the House of Commons are elected by the populace. The House of Lords consists of 100 seats whereas the House of Commons consists of 200 seats. There is also the Supreme Court, the highest court, which is responsible for dealing with cases that make their way up there. Positions on the Supreme Court are appointed by a special group of government officials.

Economy
Having one of the largest diamond mines in Antarctica, mining plays a large part in Furshire's economy. Raw minerals and precious metals are shipped out of the country, where they are crafted into jewelry and sold to different parts of the Antarctic, with some making their way back to Furshire. For its small size, a decent part of Antarctica's diamonds originated from Furshire. Since a large part of the population still lives in the countryside, farming is also a big part of Furshire's economy. Since a recent trade agreement, many foods from Furshire have been shipped to Acadia, where there is little to no farmland.

Culture
Despite having broken away from Puffle'and over three hundred years ago, the country still retains most if not nearly all of its Puffish roots, due to the isolation of the island in the years since its independence, which has allowed for the Puffish roots to survive. However, due to its distance from Puffle'and, a different and older form of Puffish culture has thrived on the island, although in recent years, the spread of technology has allowed the country to connect with Puffle'and once more, bringing more modern Puffish culture to the country.

Originally a Puffish colony, Furshire is still heavily influenced by Puffle'and in terms of culture, even hundreds of years after their independence. Having few to no contact with Puffle'and since its independence, Furshire still maintains common Puffish customs and traditions from the 17th and 18th centuries. This is evident in the food, social interactions, and even architecture, and is somewhat of a living time capsule because of this. Being rather isolationist as well, Puffish customs are dominant in the country, and this isolationism is why their culture hasn't changed.

Cuisine
The cuisine of Furshire was mostly influenced by Puffle'and, the most popular drink is the tea, black tea, it's cultivated at Puffburgh and imported to all the Furshirian Empire. Tea is drunk throughout the day and is a big part of everyday Furshian life. Dipping biscuits in tea is also popular in Furshire, like in Puffle'and. Additionally, fish and chips, a popular Puffish food, is also extremely popular in the island nation, and is sold in most restaurants. Other Puffish foods such as Puffish breakfast and roast fish are popular as well.

Geography
The Kingdom of Furshire consists of one large island, where most of the population lives, and six smaller islands, which are home to a smaller part of the population. The islands are all relatively flat, and are dominated by fields, which are good for growing crops, and are the center of the nation's agricultural industry. There are also a few forests dotting the island. The largest island has four rivers that run through it, and there is also one large lake in the north of the island. The other islands are too small to have lakes or rivers.

Transportation
Since the country sits on many islands, with the main island having many rivers, water transport is one of the main transportation options. Daily ferries travel from one island to the other, along with traveling the rivers as well. The next, and equally important form of transportation, is by road. Most of the island is covered by paved roads, and larger roads connect the major cities. Recently, the country has been building highways as well. The other two modes of transportation, train and air, are also popular, with a subway system in each of the major cities, and train lines running from and to the major cities. There are also airports in each of the major cities, with flights to many airports around Antarctica.

Military
For most of its history, Furshire has remained isolationist, and maintained a mostly small and weak military. However, after their major defeats during the Khanzem War, the government built the military up, and made it a much more powerful force. Furshire has remained neutral since its founding, but participates in Antarctic peacekeeping missions from time to time. Recently, Furshire signed a military and economic alliance with Acadia, and the two countries have done military exercises together, with the latter providing Furshire with supplies and funding. The Furshian Royal Armed Forces currently has 160,000 soldiers.

Foreign Relations

 * Acadia - Great. The two countries recently signed an alliance, strengthening the relationship between them, who had little to no prior interactions.
 * Dragonstone - Excellent. Dragonstone became one of Furshire's closest allies after the ascension of William II to the throne of Furshire, and there is talk of a royal marriage between the royal families of the two countries.

Trivia

 * Furshire has one of the largest diamond mines in all of Antarctica.
 * Pet Puffles are bred in Puffle Island.
 * Puffburgh has one of the most important tourist attraction in Furshire: The Great Stone Puffle.
 * Mabel lovers are sentenced to 10 years of prison.
 * Furshire is also known for their fine Harpsichord makers.