Caelum (Yahoo)

The Unitary Republic of Caelum (シールム・サントメプリンシペ, Caelum no Santomepurinshipe), often shortened to just Caelum or the URC, is a rather large nation made up of a chain of islands located west of the mainland. Caelum is a very old country that has gone through many stages of reform over the centuries. At one time it was even a large empire that controlled the majority of the continent's western territory. However the last 300 years have been the most drastic in Caelum's reformation process, reducing the power of their monarchy in order to establish a Parliamentary Constitutional Republic, as well as appoint a Prime Minister. Caelum is best known for it's rich history and long line of heroes. Even after loosing their status as the Caelish Empire, they still remain one of the world's major powers.

What really sets Caelum apart from some of it's neighboring countries however is it's sheer military might. Unlike most countries, Caelum's military is the leading source of magical combat and training, as opposed to other nations such as Fiore where wizard guilds are where the majority of mages are aligned.

Geography
Geographically Caelum lies out in the western seas. Relative to Fiore it is to the south. Directly to the east of Caelum is the large Empire of Minstrel, and south of Minstrel (south-east of Caelum) is the mysterious country of Midi. The entirety of Caelum is made up of seven different islands, with the two northern-most islands causing much dispute over ownership between Caelum and Fiore in the past. The Beccanine Mountain Range stretches across Caelum's two largest islands, even connecting them underwater at their two nearest points. Because it is situated practically on top of the meeting point of two tectonic plates, earthquakes are the leading natural disaster in Caelum. Volcanic activity is the second with three volcanoes scattered around Caelum's islands.

History
Caelum was established as a nation roughly 900 years ago, with a monarchy being it's primary ruling body. For the next 400 years the nation inclined to it's peak as the Caelish Empire. They invaded much of the mainland's western territory, occupying what is now present-day Fiore, Minstrel, Bosco, Seven, and Joya. However, during the final decades of this period, Caelish land was slowly being taken back by tribes of warriors from the eastern territories beyond the Empire's reach. Soon all but Caelum's main islands and some small villages on the coast of the mainland were all that was left of the once great empire. The warrior tribes threatened to invade Caelum's remaining territory, but reached a stalemate when faced with Caelum's capitol forces. The two opposing sides would've destroyed each other had the tribe's chief and Caelum's emperor not come to an agreement. In exchange for the remaining land on the mainland's coast, the chief promised to leave the Caelish Isles alone.

Caelum was finally at peace once again, but the nations power had greatly been reduced. The citizens were unhappy with how their great empire had fallen so quickly under the rein of their High Emperor, so to avoid civil war, the royal family stepped down. For the next 200 years Caelum's economy was tumultuous as they experimented with several different governmental systems, all of which eventually had to be done away with. This age of confusing reformation finally met it's end at the hands of a young nun from a mountain nunnery named Rhea Nidas. Surprisingly the young woman joined the military, where she gained much popularity and quickly rose among the ranks. At the nunnery she had learned the vast history of Caelum and analyzed it to the point that she found many factors which had lead to the Empire's fall.

Within the military Rhea spoke of new ideas for the nation, and as she rose in rank she gained more and more supporters. At the height of her career Rhea was promoted to the rank of Magna General, the highest ranking officer of the Caelish Forces. With the vast majority of the Caelish Forces supporting her, Rhea went to the King of Caelum and asked that he meet a list of demands she had crafted in order to revolutionize the country's government and economy. The king was having none of this however, as one of the demands was that his political power be greatly reduced and another ruling body was to take over. Unfortunately for him, with the Caelish Forces behind her Rhea proved to be to great an adversary, so a King of Caelum was once again forced to step down in order to avoid civil war in his country.

From here Caelum was completely turned around by Rhea and her supporters. They established the country's current form of government and appointed a Prime Minister as the new head of state. Since then Caelum has seen a drastic economic turn-up, and has been enjoying a period of economic prosperity for the past 300 years.

Culture
Among the western nations, Caelum has always had a very rich cultural aspect. Even when first being established, Caelum was known for producing genius architects who were skilled enough to craft buildings, temples, and other structures that have survived even into the present day. They brought into the world a new and unique quality to architecture that many countries are still attempting to emulate to this day. It is not just architecture that Caels are famous for. They excel in several forms of art, from painting to sculpting.

During the years of drastic reformation following Rhea Nidas' rise to power, Caelum became known for a different form of "art". During this time many influential figures also rose to prominence. These were mainly writers, professors, scientists, and philosophers: thinkers. It was the theories and discoveries of these men and women that not only shaped Caelish society today, but make up a large portion of what is known about science and philosophy all across the world.

Citizens of Caelum today have a reputation as very cheerful and friendly people, who still enjoy partaking in the ancient arts and customs of their forefathers. Ironically despite their strong military, the majority of Caels favor avoiding conflict when possible over having to utilize force. It is because of this that one of Caelum's leading industries is tourism.

Government
When first established as a nation Caelum was a small kingdom. As it grew in power over the centuries and expanded it's territories through means of imperialism, it became known as the Caelish Empire, with it's ruler holding the title of High Emperor or Empress. After the fall of the Caelish Empire and the centuries of reformation began Caelum was in a state of governmental and economic confusion for a long period of time, in which they experimented with several different and unorthodox styles of government, all of which eventually failed. Finally 300 years ago it was decided that a symbolic monarchy would be retained, but the central government would thenceforth be a Parliamentary Constitutional Republic. The parliament of Caelum is divided into two main houses; the Chamber and the Senate, which possess the same powers.

The seven islands of Caelum are each their own legislative province. The largest and central island of Caelum is called Solis. The second largest and sister island of Solis is called Lunas. The largest of the trio of islands clustered north of the first two is called Salvete. The island to the north-west of Salvete is called Pluvia, and the island to the north-east of Salvete is called Nix. The larger of the two northern-most islands is called Nubis, and the smaller is called Flatus.

Military
The Caelish Military, otherwise known as the Caelish Forces, is where Caelum's mages are most densely concentrated, as opposed to the guild system established by other nations. There are still a few Legal, Independent, and Dark guild scattered around Caelum, but only about one sixth as many as nations like Fiore. Since the early years of it's establishment as a first-world country, Caelum has always possessed a very strong military. Even through the centuries of economic and governmental decline and reform, the military managed to maintain a solid state of being within the country. While it isn't nearly as strong as it was during the rein of the Caelish Empire in many aspects, Caelum is still a leading nation in military might around the known world.

Ranks
Their are thirteen ranks within the Caelish Forces that a soldier can hold. Ranks of the Caelish Forces in descending order:
 * Magna General (最高隊長 Saikou Taichou)
 * Divisional General (分隊長 Buntaichou)
 * Brigadier General (隊長 Taichou)
 * Colonel (大佐 Taisa)
 * Major (少佐 Shousa)
 * Captain (大尉 Taii)
 * Lieutenant (空佐 Kuusa)
 * Chief Marshal (大老 Tairou)
 * Marshal (元帥 Gensui)
 * Sergeant Major (上級曹長 Joukyuusouchou)
 * Sergeant (軍曹 Gunsou)
 * Corporal (伍長 Gochou)
 * Private (海曹 Kaisou)

Trivia

 * Caelum is based on the real-world country of Italy.
 * Caelum is Latin for Sky.
 * Keeping with the theme, each of Caelum's islands' names is Latin for some kind of celestial body, form of precipitation, or other weather condition.
 * Solis is Latin for Sun.
 * Lunas is Latin for Moon.
 * Salvete is Latin for Hail.
 * Pluvia is Latin for Rain.
 * Nix is Latin for Snow.
 * Nubis is Latin for Cloud.
 * Flatus is Latin for Gust.


 * While Caelum and Fiore do not have an official alliance stating they will support each other in times of war, their respective leaders have made a treaty to never oppose each other.
 * The majority of Caelish characters have names of Italian origin.
 * Caelum's rich history and former status as a powerful, imperial government is a reference to Ancient Rome.
 * The century following the nation's reform under Rhea Nidas is the Fairy Tail equivalent of The Renaissance.
 * Though a bit stereotypical, some of Caelum's modern culture was adapted from the personalities of the Italy brothers from Hetalia.