Thule

=History= Thule was discovered by Irish and Scottish peoples at first but only 1 documented settlement, these were driven out quickly though by Norse settlers with the modern day Thulean genetic studies showing that very few if any of the original male settlers were celtic. According to haplogroup data the large majority of Thulean male Y-haplogroups are I2-M223, R1a-Z284, R1b-U106, R1b-L238 and I1, mtDNA proves that near all celtic DNA is from the female population. The original settlement of the land is clouded in mystery and many tales of the original Norse settlers, sometimes contradictory, of the great families. Of these story the most famous are the sagas of the Fríbæjarmenn, Njarðarþorparfólk, Sverrisætt families and the individual sagas are the Gríms saga Grimma

The Free Commonwealth
In 985 the 3 things of Thule were united in one at the top of the mountain of Thule, this one runs today though it is technically a refounding after an official abolition in 1422 following a brief insurrection by Thulean peoples. The Free Commonwealth came together and many free men of Thule went into work for the Kingdom of the Isles and the Kingdom of Norway under Harald Hardrada. The region was known for its legendary status, even today one of the most famed sports from the region. Competitive forest archery in which men hunt special animals in the forest of western Thule has been practised since settlement, and is one of the proudest competitions in Thule.

The Kalmar Period
Abolition of the thing. Had a lot written but I forgor it all

Independence
The independence of Thule was very technical, not becoming official until the dissolution of the Kalmar Union. With today, Thule legally becoming the client state of a refoundation of the Kalmar Union. The events which lead up to independence mostly involve the disarmament of the Thulean population, which they fought heavily against. The Thuleans themselves hold a long and proud tradition of family swords which are very ornate. These swords were, according to the disarmament acts, to be stripped from the Thulean population and the civil guard the Eyjavaktin to be abolished.

Conflict at the harbour
This all accumulated with a landing of a man, a member of the Danish kings court. He arrived with 600 men who were to confiscate all of the swords and arrest anyone who tried to object, this lead to a confrontation in which men from all corners of the island assembled at the harbour and had the lawman executed and all the soldiers killed besides 50 who were sent back to deliver a demand from the people of Thule for their autonomy to be guaranteed and respected. This was met with an enraged reaction and 12,000 men were sent to arrest notable leaders of the revolt, of which the first "leader" of Thule was to be arrested and executed. Jóhann Pétur Saemundarson

Battle at Þukefjäll
After the landing of the troops at the settlement at the base of the mountain Þukefjäll, from which it derives its name (though the settlement is often referred to by locals as Þukefjällsstaðer). The soldiers were lead by a crown prince. As the soldiers marched to the settlement in which Jóhann Pétur Saemundarson and the 11 other organisers of the revolt they were ambushed by men hiding in the villages between the harbour and the house of Jóhann Pétur. There the 8000 men of the revolt fought against the 12000 strong guard which had landed, this was the bloodiest battle in the history of the island and of the 20000 combatants at least 16700 were killed in battle, executed or mortally wounded. The remaining 3300 were only the soldiers of Thule. But following this battle the prince was held hostage and a peaceful resolution was to be decided upon.

Peace and ascension to a client state
The peace was settled upon, the state of Thule was to give 2000 sheep, 200 horses, 1000 swords and a unity of 2000 guards to the king of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. This guard, the Royal Thulean Guard, Thule became lead by a prince who was practically a ceremonial figure as a lawman was in charge of most affairs of the state. =Government and Politics= After the fall of the princedom in 1843 following the death of the last prince with no heirs, there was a national vote leading the foundation of a republic. In the modern the politics are defined by a conservative party, (Fjällapartíet), and social democratic party (Sósielliedveldispartíet).

Foreign relations
Thule is not a part of NATO nor EU but maintains positive relations with both, historically the island has been considered the "Switzerland" of the north due to its neutrality in all matters but trade.

Thule is a partner of NATO.

Officially Thule is a part of the Nordic Council and is a member of the EFTA but outside the EU. They host a large range of inter-cultural events and have a tourist town dedicated to the different countries in the Nordic Council, with a statue in the middle called "Norðrfriðr" or Northern peace in which the national personifications of each country hold together their hands in solidarity with each statue holding a small flag pole on which the national flags fly.

Military
The island maintains national conscription which is considered a part of the "National duties" of each resident. This can be traded out for other policies such as being a garbageman, police officer, etc.

The island is as mentioned called the Switzerland of the north, this is not just because of their neutrality but also because of the immense war ready status of the island. With conscription, national barrackses dotted around the island, the island being split into officially "mobilisation regions" in which members of the civil guard are to report to incase of invasion.

They spend 2% of their GDP on the military and the main battle rifle is the Ak 5 C, which they buy from Sweden. Though most of their other gear is purchased from Sweden and America, with it being kept mostly to infantry-focused weaponry.

Coast Guard
The Coast Guard of Thule hosts 7 ships in service. In the early 2000s these were all modernized and retrofitted, in 2019 they were officially involved in anti-drug trafficking operations. The 7 ships are all homemade vessels, specifically designed and fitted with Swedish and Danish naval cannons.

Norwegian-Danish Military Cooperation
As an official part of the age-old military pacts, a ceremonial position of around 500 men from Norway and 500 men from Denmark are placed in the capital in 2 different barracks'. These soldiers often just serve in ceremonial duties but following the Remilitarization Act which was passed in the Fjalltoppaþing in 2017 these soldiers have begun serving roles such as training the conscripts, co-ordinating and advising in the construction of bunkers.

Law enforcement
The national police was first established in 1911 following the emergence of the bandit group Svurtbræður, though in regional terms the police forces emerged from "fógetar" (sorts of sheriffs) which were parts of each bændarfielag. These fógetar carried a mace and were often as well mayors.

The national police itself does hold jurisdiction over the entire island but is officially their central place of operations is the capital, with regional police departments holding official jurisdiction in their regions. The regional police forces don't always operate at full capacity and in the case of some subdivisions like the landshluti of Eyrarstaðarsveitir they're part-time policemen with the police serving other roles, and the sheriff being elected instead of appointed like in other areas. The national police force itself is big, does not carry weapons but ever since 2017 has carried a tazer alongside their regular kit.

The police force is one of the most peaceful in the world, the low crimerate and the typical passive attitude towards crime in Thule has lead to a relaxed attitude to crime and criminals. Rehabilitation is the official policy of the country. And 2 of the 3 prison facilities of Thule are officially rehabilitative, the third one being an "American-style" prison in which their worst criminals are hosted.

War on Drugs
The country is involved in the war on drugs, with the police force being heavily focused on the war on drugs with the first armed men being put on the streets in anti-drug trafficking operations (excluding counter-terrorism operations which are joint military-police). In 2017 around 300 kg of Cocaine was found in a boat that crashed on the shoreline in Thule, although it has been theorized to have been heading for the United Kingdom it sparked outrage and a demand for greater funding towards the police. The bill was accepted in 2018. In 2019 a series of murders in the capital dotted the headlines of the papers as notorious gang-related inviduals were found dead over the city and gunfire was heard in various parts of the city. This is sometimes referred to as the Bloody Week as at least 19 individuals were gunned down or stabbed, with the police suspecting there might be 20 or so more victims as some individuals have completely disappeared. This is an ongoing investigation and has lead to an even bigger paranoia, in early 2020 there was a reveal of the drug-related nature of the crimes as a massive drug laboratory was found in an abandoned fish processing facility in the south of the country. In which a firefight happened as 17 members of the national police were shot and severely wounded, and 3 killed. The status of the criminals is unknown and who they are but they're called the Suðrfiskvinslumenn, the Southern fish processing men by the media and the police put out an official report to parliament in which they revealed that 7 criminals were shot and killed in the raid and that it is still an ongoing investigation. According to crime expert Herra Viemundrsson the crimes are tied to a gang which became famous in 2014 following their attempt at taking a celebrity hostage, which lead to the arrest of 7 individuals. He details these individuals as being part of a bastard family clan.

LGBT rights
In the modern the state has still a very archaic definition of the LGBT and in 2019 a law against "Homosexualisation" of society was enacted. This is often blamed on a string of murders by a homosexual in the 1970s which scarred the nation as practically an entire family was murdered and a village put on fire. This is often known as the Viesturstaðar Incident. The brutality of the murders is known and condemned. The incident was heavily exploited by the, at the time, heavily religious and homophobic Þjóðarafturhaldsspartíet (ÞAHP). The party was officially disbanded in 2012 following the split on the issue of economic policy and immigration. Though progressive in most standards, being one of the first countries to allow women to vote alongside men and to grant women the legal right as equals to men, there is a large movement against LGBT with the conservative party and members of the social democratic party being opposed to LGBT, seeing it as a mental illness. Though the medical establishment of the island champions the recognition of homosexuality as equivelant to heterosexuality. The island has a long history of discrimination against homosexuals, though it was officially decriminalised in 1996 following a mending of the Legal Code after a national vote.

Administrative divisions
The country is divided into 17 landshlutar and 2 bæjarhlutar, who are divided into further subdivisions called bændarfielag. The 2 bæjarhlutar are the subdivions of the capital, Þukefjäll. =Geography= I have no fucking idea just similar to Iceland and Faroe Islands

Climate
Due to Thule's position in the Northern Atlantic Ocean its climate is much more moderate than expected from a nation so far north. The | North Atlantic Current, a northern branch of the | Gulf Stream, helps to blunt some of the coldest weather on the island and is also responsible for a high average rainfall across the entire island.

Much like its neighbors the | Faroe Islands and | Iceland the climate of Thule is classed as subpolar oceanic climate according to the Köppen climate classification: Cfc, with mountainous areas having a tundra climate, while limited coastal areas along the northern side of the island may have very mild-winter versions of a tundra climate. The warming influence of the North Atlantic Current is clearly seen across the island, resulting in winters that are mild (mean temperature 3.0 to 4.0 °C or 37 to 39 °F) with cool summers (mean temperature 9.5 to 10.5 °C or 49 to 51 °F).

Throughout the year the islands are often cloud covered, with rainfall/snowfall and windy weather being seen on average over 200 days per year. The island's mostly overcast skies have lead to it being named "Scandinavia's Depressed Little Brother" by humor magazines in Iceland and Norway.

Biodiversity
While most of the biodiversity of the island is limited to animals and plants common between Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Frisland, the island is home to the last known herd of animals related to | Irish Elk, understood to be a remnant population from the Pleistocene Era. Genetic studies have determined that these Irish Elk are actually descended from fertile hybrids between the ancient Irish Elk and the much more common | Eurasian Red Deer. This island population is known today as Thulean Elk (Cervus gigantelaphus formerly Megaloceros giganteus sp. Thulensis) and are counted as one of the largest deer species on the planet. Conservation efforts have been underway since 1976 when poaching lead the numbers of Thulean Elk to dwindle to less than 150 individuals. Today the Thulean Elk numbers have rebounded to almost 15000 and the Thulean government continues to maintain strict controls on hunting or harvesting of the deer.

Thule's other large land vertebrate (not counting the sheep or horses imported to the island by the Viking settlers) is the Þüldýr (Thule Deer) (Cervus lanataes), a stocky, short-legged, thick coated deer native to the mountainous slopes and highlands of Thule the Þüldýr is a subspecies of the Eurasian Red deer and genetic studies have established that, unlike the Thulean elk, their morphology has resulted from isolation and not mixture with any other deer species. Þüldýr are one of the two domesticated or semi-domesticated deer species (along with | reindeer, though are almost wholly unknown outside of Thule due to the Þüldýr's fragile constitution which does not take well to other climates. Many efforts have been made to spread the Þüldýr population beyond Thule, however only small groups have been managed in Iceland, Frisland and the Faroe Islands and they do not appear to survive outside of captivity in these new areas. Þüldýr are raised for their milk, meat and hides. Þüldýrskinn (Þüldýr hide) is used in the manufacture of traditional Thulean clothing, as well as high end leathers used for mountaineering and skiing.

Despite Thule's extremely similar climate to Iceland and the Faroe Islands it does maintain small pockets of forests which are home to migratory birds such as the | Willow Warbler, the | Common Chiffchaff, Þorkarsson's Warbler/Kjarri Varnarfugl (Phylloscopus virgulta) and the Thulean Fieldfare/Angas Vettvangsferð (Turdus anga). It is also home to permanent populations of the | Eurasian scops owl and the | Snowy Owl. It also hosts numerous species of gulls, puffins and other seabirds.

Thule is also home to the | Red Fox however this is known to have been introduced in the year 951 AD by the settlers of the island to help combat a plague of mice and rats that were destroying grain stores and spreading disease. Thule is not known to have any extant native land carnivores, though it does host large populations of | Grey seals, | Harbour seals, | Long-finned Pilot Whales and one resident pod and several visiting pods of | Orcas/Killer Whales.

=Economy= Though in the past primarily fishing orientated in the modern they're experts in sea-commerce and are the center for developments in the shipping industry.

Energy
They use primarily wind and sea power. The Thuleans are sometimes considered the masters of the sea as they've succesfully managed to convert ocean current into energy.

Agriculture
They hold a similar agricultural economy to Iceland, the sheep outnumber the people by 3-1 though the population is slowly decreasing. =Demographics=

93.2% Thulean

2.7% Icelandic

1.9% Faroese

2.2% Others

55.73% Male

44.27% Female

Religion
71.2% Lutheran 3.2% Other Christian denominations 27.6% Atheist, unaffiliated or other religions

Language
Thulean is a North-Germanic language which is divided into 3 main dialects, the northern, southwest and city dialects. It's a descendant of Old Norse and has been under little influence due to the cultural isolation.

The language has been under major influence from Swedish, Danish, English and German. Trace remnants of these influences persist despite the radical linguistic purism which came up during the 1900s as a result of influence from Iceland, following the linguistic purist movement by Icelanders. Thulean, called Þúlíska in their language, is often called the "bastard cousin of Icelandic and Faroese" by others as the language has evolved into a "stranger direction" with influences such as the name for men Thór, becoming different from Þór the Norse god. As well as the linguistic similarities to Icelandic, with irredentists sometimes proclaiming that Thulean and Icelandic are the same language under different dialects (despite the academic consensus in both countries proclaiming them to be 2 very different languages).

Officially there are 2 written variants of Thulean. Standard Thulean and National Thulean, both originating in the purist movements in the 1900s. =Culture= In Thule they have a distinct naming scheme, even compared to Iceland. They usually have a first name, a middle name, a patronymic last name like Icelands. Though the main difference between that and of Iceland is that on official documents members of the Ættr, the families which are similar to Scottish clans, have their family name in front of their last name. Case in example the former president Jöen Sigurðr Heimstaðr-Vilmersson, with Heimstaðr being his family clan name.

Cuisine
dawg idk rotten shark iceland time wöööö

Sports
The young people of Thule are considered some of the most athletic in Europe as sports are incredibly popular. The competitive forest archery competitions, which are called Skógerkjeppni, are very popular and the competitions gain up to 300k viewers each year. The rules of the competition are simple, the forest itself which the competition is in is surrounded by guards who ensure no one gets out of the marks of the forest and the 2 hunters are given at random an animal which resides in the forest to track. There are 2 versions of this competition, the Allra-Skógarkjeppni and Sér-Skógarkjeppni. The Allra-Skógarkjeppni allows them to hunt all animals of that specific species but the Sér-Skógarkjeppni requires them to track a specific animal, in the modern that animal was often marked with red paint but in the modern it is given a red-ear tag. The competition has faced large amounts of accusations of animal cruelty and Greenpeace and PETA-inspired group FFAGD have both tried to crash the hunting events which has lead to a ban of Greenpeace organisation from operating in the areas in which these competitions are held, and the FFAGD group being debated due to its controversial protesting actions such as their crashing of the 2007 National Skógarkjeppni where members of the organisation painted themselves red and ran into the forest, of the around 57 individuals which ran into the forest 20 were stopped but the other 27 managed to get in. This lead to the shooting and death of Almr Egilsson