This episode is sponsored by Suzerain, a new text based, political strategy game available
right now on both PC & Mac. Stay tuned after this episode for more information on how you can lead
the Republic of Sordland to glory or disaster in a challenging and complex alternate world.
The Republic of Sordland is even today, a young nation.
Its brief history has been marked by revolution, civil war, social unrest and economic instability.
It is seen as a potential puppet by the superpowers of the world,
and as a possible rival, partner or even leader by its immediate neighbors.
In the new, modern world of conflicting ideologies, political uncertainty and
commercial opportunities, the future of Sordland is impossible to predict.
For perhaps the first time however, that future may lay in the hands of the Sords themselves.
It took over a millenia for the Sords to achieve statehood. When they first fled the frigid
climate of Northern Merkopa and traveled to the distant southern lands of that great continent,
they travelled alongside the tribes of the Mark, Agno and Valg. They fought together to secure the
territories they had found, but in victory, all fell under the dominion of the tribe of the Mark
and their Great Khan; Ungur. The Empire he founded was the largest and most prosperous the world had
ever seen. Even the swiftest riders travelling along the grand Imperial highways could take
months to deliver their messages and facing the limits of their wealth and power,
the Markian Empire could not endure forever. The Renan was one of many Kingdoms to emerge
from its eventual collapse, taking with its independence the old capital of Korakuman
now called Erlory and much of its surrounding lands. Again the Sords lived
under the aristocracy of a foreign people, in a country that was never truly theirs.
The shape of the modern world began to take form in 1823 with the pivotal “Century of Revolutions”.
Jonathan XII, King of Arcasia, was overthrown and while the borders of that nation were far
from the Renan, the aftershocks of that conflict would ripple across the world. Revolutionary
spirits were felt in every nation and expressed in different ways. Within the Renan, the tenets of
nationalism took root within the Sord population. The aristocracy was seen as an impediment to true
Sordish sovereignty, and in every city and territory, came voices for radical action.
The Revolution of 1859 resulted in the bloody extinction of the Renan dynasty and after
7 years of bloody conflict, the proclamation of the Kingdom of Sordland. The Kingdoms only
Monarch would be King Egmund. He claimed to be of “purple blood”, a newly popular ethnic concept
advocating Sordish nationalism and pride. The old traditions and heritage of the Renan were
erased from Sordland’s national identity, and old aristocracy completely reformed. The most
prominent of these changes was the relocation of the nation’s capital, from the old heart of the
Markian Empire to the city of Hol, renamed Holsord or “High Sord” to distinguish its new status.
The early reign of King Egmund was renowned for its conquests in neighboring Wehlen, Bergia,
and Agnolia. While many within the conquered populations were quick to welcome the Sords as
liberators, their treatment varied considerably across their ethnic backgrounds. Only the
Agnolians were treated as true equals and given the chance to assimilate and attain citizenship.
The goodwill and popular support that King Egmund had earned through his conquests was
quickly squandered. Following the wars, the King seized all of the Renan’s assets and transferred
them into his personal treasury, at the same time, his government ended many of the social programs
instituted before he came to power. The move sparked the largest protests in Sordish history
and brought Artor S. Wisci, a leader within the republican faction within Parliament, to national
attention. Many of the cuts were reversed, and the threat of a rebellion was abated.
A series of investments in infrastructure throughout the last decade of the 19th century
helped invigorate the Sordish economy. Federal projects in the cities of Deyr, Valgen, and Sarna
helped elevate them from centers of poverty to hubs of industry and commerce. They also brought
to King Egmund a much needed boost in popularity whose reputation had never fully recovered.
The early 20th century saw a costly dispute and blockade by the Empire of Valgos,
the world’s largest seapower. The damage to Sordland’s trade and economy was yet
another blow to the King’s leadership during an increasingly precarious era. At the same time, the
King had failed to produce a male heir, losing the confidence of many of his traditional defenders.
Moreover, while the Century of Revolutions had nearly run its course throughout the world,
the concepts of republicanism and democracy still held sway with many in Sordland.
With King Edmund’s grip over the country failing in his old age, Artor S. Wisci again
rose to national prominence. Wisci’s Republican arguments had swayed many across the country,
and even radicalized one of the most prominent advisors to the king himself.
With this enormous split in the Royalist faction of Parliament, a chain of events quickly unfolded.
Energized by Wisci’s passionate speeches, thousands took to the streets. In an unexpected
display, they were joined by elements of the Sordland 1st Army and with their turn
against the King, the last route through which he might have maintained power, was closed. In 1923,
to prevent needless bloodshed and suffering, King Edmund and the royal family were allowed
to leave the country peacefully, entering into a new life of exile. This act of mercy was the
initiative of Artor S. Wisci himself, now the President of the Republic of Sordland.
While the Kingdom had lasted for less than half a century, the feelings of national identity,
created by King Edmund, were embraced by the new Republican government.
President Wisci’s efforts were instead focused on creating the institutions necessary for a
modern democracy, most notably, the National Assembly. These efforts were
broadly supported within the nation but, with the rise of a Republican government,
the country was now seen as a potential prize within a growing worldwide ideological struggle.
Like Sordland, both the Republic of Arcasia and the Socialist Republics of United Contana
had emerged from the ruins of monarchy during the Century of Revolution.
In the years since however, each had embraced wildly divergent economic systems and each had
acquired the status of global superpower. While Arcasia had become a proponent of
unfettered capitalism, United Contana was calling for a state of permanent revolution
as a means of accomplishing worldwise communism. With Sordland directly embracing neither ideology
the country had unwittingly become a proxy battleground between the two superpowers.
With the rising influence of the communist party across Sordland
ahead of the first general elections, a military coup was launched against
the government of President Wisci in 1927. The elections were called off
and hundreds of suspected communists executed in the streets of Holsord over the following year.
The violence provoked both the communist leaning segments of the population,
and communist sympathizers in the military to take up arms, and the nation collapsed into civil war.
Hundreds of thousands were killed in the Sordish Civil War and the fighting quickly took its toll
on both the nationalists and communist forces. In 1929, after two years of war,
the Sordland 6th Army, one of the last major units uncommitted to either side,
took to the field under the command of Colonel Tarquin Soll. Soll embarked on a campaign against
both the nationalists and communists, winning a stunning victory within the capital, and pursuing
the shattered armies of both sides across the countryside. The war would end that same year,
and Tarquin Soll was named the Second President of the Republic of Sordland.
Soll himself would write a new constitution for the nation and drastically expand the powers of
the presidency. Term limits were abolished and the ability of the Supreme Court and National
Assembly to overturn presidential edicts was drastically curtailed. Under Soll’s leadership,
the United Sordland Party became the preeminent political party within the nation
and the only one to participate in the nation’s first election.
Despite its status as first among equals, many within the party - and across the nation
had become concerned by the nation’s drift towards authoritarian practices.
As President So’l served through 5 consecutive terms, a reformist faction within his own party,
began to call for change. In 1946, this wing had become powerful enough to publicly challenge Soll,
overthrowing him as the leader of the United Sordland Party. While Soll would remain president
throughout the remainder of his term, in 1949, the party would be represented on the ballot by Ewald
Alphonso, a powerful business magnate who promised to reinvigorate Sordland’s stalling economy.
Ewald Alphonso would lead the USP to victory in the elections of 1949, but his radical free market
reforms instead created a devastating recession. Combined with a worldwide economic crisis,
the tenure of President Alphonso was marked by low popularity. Many of the old leadership either
resigned voluntarily or were forcefully evicted from the United Sordland Party during his term,
and in the leadup to 1954, the party had seemingly lost its identity.
For only the 2nd time in its history, a new name will be on the ballot representing the USP.
While the United Sordland Party has become nearly synonymous with the Sordland Government,
the Republic itself maintains a still developing political system
with the potential for drastic change.
Officially a federal parliamentary re public, the President, at least in theory, serves only so long
as they maintain the confidence of the Grand National Assembly. This is the sole body within
the Republic given the legislative prerogatives by the Sordish Constitution. In practice however,
the reforms initiated by Soll means Sordland more closely resembles a Presidential Republic,
and the legislature can be widely sidestepped or brought under the influence of the president.
A unicameral body, the National Assembly consists of 250 seats with political parties requiring 10%
of the national vote to earn a seat. Once this threshold is met,
each party decides internally how to appoint the representatives to their awarded seats.
Since the end of the Sordish Civil War, the National Assembly has been dominated by the
United Sordland Party, which has earned a comfortable majority in every election.
The People’s Freedom and Justice Party, traditionally considered to be center-left leaning
and made up mainly of the middle classes, is currently the official opposition. It has fiercely
opposed the constitution written by President Soll and has seen increased support in recent years.
The second largest opposition is the nationalist ultraconservative National Front Party.
Formed in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, its initial views were considered extremist,
but it has since moderated its stance to appeal to a wider base. Several other parties exist
across the country, but none have achieved a sizable number of seats within the Assembly.
The Grand National Assembly is intended as the true seat of governance within the nation
and a balance against the powers of the presidency.
Since Soll’s reforms however, it is only the Supreme Court that holds such authority.
As the highest legal body for both constitutional and judicial review,
it has the power to act as a second legislative body. The supreme court can review proposed laws
in both form and substance and strike down any law thought to be in breach of the constitution.
It holds the final vote on proposed changes to the constitution. The eleven seats of the
Supreme Court are appointed by the President, but the Chief Justice is elected from within.
Outside of the Supreme Court, only the military maintains the power to realistically confront
the Office of the President. While officially their Commander in Chief, the military has
wielded some political influence of its own and affected change in Sordish policies.
The Sordish Armed Forces are among the largest in the region,
the result of compulsory military service. While a small corps of professionals exist
within the Armed Forces, it is conscripts that make up the vast majority of the force.
Divided into three major branches, the Sordland Army, Sordland Navy,
and Sordland Air Force, the military has traditionally been viewed with great prestige.
As a consequence of its many armed conflicts, its leadership, at least at the highest levels,
is very experienced. The lingering recession however, has taken its toll on each branch,
and their equipment is increasingly antiquated.
While the National Assembly, Supreme Court, and Military can be at least ostensibly
divided between various official parties, the reality is often more murky and ill-defined.
Unofficial factions exist within every state institution and political party.
The legacy of Tarquin Soll is still very real, and the Old Guard from prior administrations
has yet to be removed completely. To some, they are the last lingering elements of a
man whose power is long gone, while others fear they are the face of a shadow regime,
one last protection put in place by Sol to guard what he fought to create.
The reformists are most prominently represented by the People’s Freedom and Justice Party,
but their message of democratic reforms has taken root well beyond their traditional ranks.
The oligarch’s meanwhile, hold power of a different kind, powerful elites whose
actions during the privatization built enormous fortunes and connections with foreign enterprises.
The great game between Arcasia and United Contana has also never wavered,
and Sordland remains a prize to be won in the cold war between the two.
It is into this enormously complex environment that a new figure has risen with Sordland.
The 1953 elections ended with Anton Rayne named President of Sordland, only the fourth individual
in his nation’s history to do so. Even in victory, he remains an unknown quantity to many across
the country and despite his campaign promises, as President there is little constraint on his power.
There remains the potential that the constitution might be reformed and true democracy brought to
the Republic for the first time since the brief reign of Artor S. Wisci. Or,
he might be another Tarquin Soll, tightening his grip over every institution of state.
Women’s rights, the treatment of minorities within the population,
immigration and economic stability, these issues too have never been too far from the
center of Sordish politics, and the chance again for real change might have come.
The first president of Sordland was a radical idealist, ousted from the office by military
coup. The second was a stern autocrat, bringing to his country stability and order,
at the expense of political freedom. The third was weak and ineffectual, unable to overcome
the realities of his situation and achieve any real progress. The fourth, remains to be seen.
Thanks to Suzerain for sponsoring this investigation into the Republic of Sordland.
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Play as the newly elected President of Sordland, in a turbulent era following President Soll’s 20
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Navigate your first term through conversations with your cabinet members, colleagues and family.
It’s up to you to decide who you will trust, what you will sacrifice and where your priorities lie.
Will you reform the constitution, transforming the Republic into a brutal dictatorship or true
democracy? Align yourself with the capitalist of communist superpowers? Prepare for potential
military threats on the horizon? Address racial minorities, women’s rights, the ongoing recession,
immigration and all the other challenges and opportunities presented to a world leader.
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I got the chance to try out a demo of Suzerain and I can heartily endorse
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It is rare that I’ve come across a country with such a detailed history,
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Join me right after this episode goes live on twitch.tv/Templin
Institute, where I’ll be guiding the Republic of Sordland into a communist utopia, hopefully.