Zusea

Great Zusea (Zusian: ᚸᛡᚬᛄ᛫ᛨᚨᛏᛉᛮᚨᛁ Groß-Tatzschai), formally called the Holy Vordic Imperium of Great Zusea and often shortened to Zusea or the Zusian Empire, is an Axiarchist constitutional in north-eastern Amphia. It is the second most populous nation in the world with over 212 million inhabitants. The Imperium is a federation of 101 free states united by the Vordic Imperial Government. The free states consist of 7 grand duchies, 38 republics, 25 duchies, 19 principalities, 11 free cities, and one imperial district. Additionally, most free states belong to a Common Kingdom, which are loose regional governments led by hereditary kings. These form the third, intermediary level of government between the imperial and state governments. Additionally, special privileges are afforded to one kingdom, Ossintoria, which comprises the three westernmost free states.

Zusea is considered among the oldest in the world, with documented settlement going back millenia and one of the earliest organized societies in the world, the Mendarii, who first emerged around 1500 BC. After a succession of sociopolitical collapses and the obscurity of the Zusian Fog, a prosperous network of interconnected city-states emerged in the 8th and 7th centuries BC, which produced many ancient classics, the most notable being the Tausengaar and Sigmundradda. Following the rise of the Kyrossic Empire and its conquest of the Zusian south, the city of Vordin declared independence in 102 AD, rapidly expanded its power, and conquered neighboring territory. Eventually, the Vordic Empire came to span the entirety of modern Zusea and incorporated various neighboring territories, culminating in several centuries of peace and prosperity under the Castaldic dynasty. However, following the spread of and a concurrent weakening of imperial authority, the Vordic state entered a prolonged crisis from which it never truly recovered. After a final stabilization under the Sparagildic dynasty, the Empire entered a period of political anarchy, culminating in the Vordic Brothers' War and the fragmentation of imperial authority. The Grand Reform of 1440 transformed the Empire into a confederation of mostly-sovereign states, with the Emperor as a figurehead.

The medieval period saw a flourishing of classical music, art, literature, and science across Zusea, as well as the earliest standardization of the Zusian language when the Sentarch voted to formalize the Drang Brothers' Tatzsches Lexikon, the largest Zusian dictionary ever created. The Enlightenment swept through the aging Vordic Empire in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, fueling calls for a national rejuvenation and a restoration of the old Empire. The Zorian Uprising in 1788 sparked the National Springtime, a wave of pan-nationalist and liberal uprisings, which paved the way for Sibannakus the Magnificent to seize power in Zoria and unify the nation under a new constitution. Soon afterwards, the old Imperial dynasty was ousted in favor of Sibannakus and his family, and Zusea embarked on a conquest of Amphia, which eventually ended in the defeat of Zusea and a temporary re-fracturing of the empire. Following a second revolutionary wave and the Third Brothers' War in 1858, the young nation completed unification, revitalized many old imperial institutions to create a modern nation-state, and industrialized rapidly, becoming one of the foremost economies of the world by the advent of the 20th century. Zusea later saw many of the most significant scientific achievements of the century, including the launch of the first man-made satellite into space and the first man in space.

Today, Zusea is considered to be among the foremost Great Powers, possessing the world's largest economy by nominal GDP and the largest defense budget, as well as the largest navy. It is a recognized nuclear state and possesses the world's second-largest nuclear arsenal. Additionally, Zusea is a founding and leading member of the Amphian Compact, the largest in the world and one of the three major blocs of the Continental Divide.

Etymology
The word Zusea and its many cognates derive from the term for the southeastern quarter of modern Zusea, the birthplace of Zusian civilization. The term itself is derived from the Ithorian king Zusindis the Great, who conquered most of the southeastern coast near the end of classical antiquity. Meanwhile, the Zusian word Tatzschai derives from Tatzschhaim ("home of the Tathi"), which came into use during the early Vordic period; the suffix -haim originated in the Proto-Tathic haimaz ("home"). The origins of Tatzsch are less clear; some argue that it is simply an descendant of the Classical Tathic diutisc "of the people" (from diot or diota, "people"). However, others argue that the word partly or wholly descends from Dan, meaning "flat land", related to Zusian Tenna ("threshing floor"), or Anglish "den" ("cave").

Prehistory
The mandible establishes an earliest date for human settlement of Zusea, at 800,000 years. The intervening period has produced thousands of artifacts indicating continued human occupation of the area. Most of these early fossils are connected to Neanderthals: the earliest modern humans appear to have arrived around 55,000 years ago. Extensive caches of modern human tools have been discovered in two places in Zusea, both dating from around 40,000 years ago: the Zorian Lichter caves and two coal mines in Süßingen.

Classical and Kyrossic periods (750 – 102 BC)
Zusea is home to one of the oldest advanced civilizations in the world, beginning with the Mendarian civilization on the southern Millicker islands, which dates to around 1500 BC. This was followed by the flourishing of Zaussic civilization on the northern Millickers, and finally Ithoric civilization across much of southeastern Zusea. The word "Zusea" itself derives from the Ithorian king Zusindis, whose fame extended as far as ancient Kyrossia. The Mendarii pioneered a writing system, Parallel A, which is believed to have been the basis for the Ithoric script, the earliest-confirmed form of the modern Zusian alphabet. The Ithorians appear to have gradually absorbed or else destroyed the Mendarii, while the Zaussi appear to have remained mostly isolated. Nonetheless most of Ithoric civilization collapsed around 900 BC, giving birth to the obscure period known as the Zusian Fog. The Fog represents a considerable decline in written records in Zusian societies: only a small handful of sources exist, and they derive mostly from two surviving Mendarian cities and a single Ithoric settlement.

The rebirth of Zusian civilization is traditionally marked by the composition of the Tausengaar and its partial sequel, the Sigmundradda, by Aschari in the 7th or 8th centuries BC. The end of the Fog brought about the flourishing of a variety of city-states, which gave rise to classical Zusian civilization, an unprecedented period of wealth and prosperity over southeastern Zusea. This classical civilization was composed of hundreds of kingdoms and city-states, many of which began settling the north. Classical Zusea also became a major cultural center, developing complex architecture, mathematics, drama, science, and philosophy, initially borrowing heavily from the even older, which flourished in southwestern Amphia. Remarkably, many of the ancient city-states were organized as democracies, following traditional Zusian practices of relying on a hierarchy of councils, known as Althingii, for governance. The city of Tarnum pioneered the concept of the Volksstadt (people’s city) as their system of governance, after their leader Aadegar abolished their dual-kingship and awarded all power to the Althingi. This reform preceded the Golden Age of Tarnum, lasting from the mid-6th century BC to its defeat and destruction by the Venterian Coalition at the end of the Millicker Wars in 402 BC. However, the victorious military state of Vestau and the rest of southern Zusea soon succumbed to the Kyrossic Empire, which later conquered the Zusian heartland under the leadership of Pausanias the Great. However, Kyrossic rule also marks the first incursion by Zusian peoples into the northern mainland, as Kyrossic-sponsored settlements followed Pausanias' conquests inland from the coast, especially during the 3rd century BC.

The Kyrossic Period lasted for more than one-hundred years, and represented the first unification of all Zusian peoples under a single king. Zusian settlement of what is today central and northern Zusea also proceeded quickly, under a deliberate program of colonization sponsored by the Kyrossic government. Any pre-existing Zusian cities in the north were overtaken by Kyrossified southerners in the so-called Great Migration, which perpetuated the mixture of the Kyrossic and Zusian languages. The future superpower, Vordin, was a small Zusian city until it was massively expanded by southern migrants.

Early Vordic period (102 BC – 570 AD)
After a devastating civil war, the Kyrossic realm was split into three parts, each awarded to a son of the late King Laconicus III. However, this split-realm soon lost control over the north, which splintered into hundreds of city-states and small kingdoms, thus setting the stage for the rise of the city of Vordin, which ousted its Kyrossic King in 102 BC and turned itself into an under the senatorial Sentarch, mirroring the Volksstadt of ancient Tarnum. Over the next several centuries the Vordic Republic expanded rapidly, marking the second phase of the Zusian Nordensiedlung as they expelled various remaining Celtic, Slavic, and Mjeric tribes from the Kyme river catchment area and expanded their realm to the northern coasts. These fertile lands were then resettled by Vordic Zusians, and awarded to the oligarchs. Despite this rapid expansion, the Sentarch frequently faced riots and rebellions of the Kossir, all those free Vordic citizens who were not part of the oligarchic class, called the Drassir. Furthermore, the republican state struggled to control the generals on the frontier, who frequently awarded conquered lands to their soldiers and officers without approval from the Sentarch.

Rampant political and economic tensions exploded into violence in 144 AD, when a group of Drassir assassinated the popular Volksrichter Ivar Gardradis. In the ensuing chaos the powerful and charismatic general Ragnar Kyrmir Helmagandus marched on the city, promised reforms, quelled the riots, and proclaimed himself Vordin’s first King in more than two-hundred years. The Drassir submitted to the transition, but later assassinated Ragnar and triggered a civil war between generals for control of the city. Ragnar’s grandson Sigmar Castaldis eventually won, took his father’s name, and reorganized the Vordic state as a centralized imperial bureaucracy under himself as Basilikar. For the next two centuries Sigmar and his successors oversaw rapid expansion of the Vordic state, conquering the rest of the mainland and Verdammtland by the end of the 3rd century. For more than 200 years the Empire was domestically stable and prosperous, and gave rise to a flourishing Zusian art, architecture, and science. The reign of the Castaldic Emperors also established most of the traditions which would become associated with the later Empire, such as the usage of the phrase “Exalted, Godly, and Kyrossic” in the Emperors’ titles, and a vast bureaucratic and court apparatus to bind the various provinces together.

This golden age marked the period when the Vordic Empire was at its peak, covering more than two million square kilometres of territory and possessing one of the largest and most proficient armies in the world. Additionally, the Vordic Empire became a great maritime power, based in the mercantile prowess of the formerly-independent cities of southern Zusea, and established a large navy. The Vordic Empire also oversaw an architectural and infrastructural legacy which persists in modern Zusea: its famed road network provided the basis for the modern Zusian highway system. By the time of Emperor Thusnelda’s death in 570 AD, the city of Vordin had more than a million residents, placing it among the largest in the world.

Late Vordic period (570 – 1440 AD)
Upon Emperor Thusnelda’s death in 570 a vast crisis paralyzed the Vordic state. His various sons, all accomplished military leaders, fought for control of the Empire as it descended into anarchy. This culminated in the Year of Nine Emperors in 622 and the victory of Waldemar Kinimundis in 645. After a second political crisis in which Waldemar executed nearly one-third of the Sentarch and battled another commander who had marched on the city, he proclaimed himself Basilikar and liberated the of the Empire. The Kinimundic line ruled for more than 300 years, and oversaw a second period of stability in the Vordic realm. As they themselves were Vordic Messiani, they enacted a series of liberal reforms: the famous Karling reforms, the work of Waldemar’s son Karlof, made Messiani legally equal to Vordic pagans, thereby laying the foundations for religious liberty in Zusea. The Kinimundi also sponsored vast architectural projects, and generously funded cultural expression of all kinds.

The golden age of the Late period ended with the assassination of the last Kinimundic Basilikar, Emperor Actohildis, and the subsequent outbreak of the Fifty Years’ War between the various Messiani sects of the Empire. After decades of bloodshed and the collapse of central authority, General Isengrim Sparagildis conquered Vordin and destroyed the surviving factions to re-unite the Empire. Hoping to prevent another outbreak of violence, he then reconstituted the Sentarch with representatives from across the Empire, and enacted the Sparagildic reforms, greatly weakening the central government and awarding considerable rights to the provinces. Despite later attempts to reverse the reforms, the Sparagildi oversaw a prolonged decline of the Vordic state, as many of its bureaucratic institutions were disempowered and constrained by successive actions of the Sentarch. The provinces began to consolidate their own armies, and frequently paid only lip service to the Basilikar in Vordin. This hands-off, conciliatory attitude did however help to foster an economic recovery across Zusea, and a renewed era of peace began.

The final end of a unified Vordic state came during the First Vordic Brothers’ War from 1421 to 1438, triggered by the attempted expulsion of Schismatists from the city of Klarboden by its local government. The war concluded only with the passage of the Grand Reform in the Sentarch, which effectively dissolved the Vordic government and revoked the few powers the Basilikar still possessed. Immediately following the reform, several provinces declared themselves Kingdoms, and the central government found itself powerless. The Vordic realm was effectively transformed into a feudal confederation with minimal obligations to the Basilikar.

The National Springtime
In the period before the Zorian Uprising, known in Zusea as the Vorlenz, Zusian intellectuals began to emphasize new ideas of nationalism and patriotic loyalty in their writings and thought. The Zorian writer originated the term “nationalism” in 1772, in his “Treatise on the Origin of Language,” in which he stressed the concept that “he that has lost his patriotic spirit has lost himself and the whole worlds about himself.”  and Franz von Keitenau were two other early nationalist figures: Daza compiled a comprehensive nationalist history of the Vordic Empire, and Keitenau declared that “our esteemed Empire cannot survive without a national rebirth, a national springtime,” coining the term itself (Völkerschaftslenz in Zusian). Influenced by these growing national ideas, the Zorian King Friedrich IV proclaimed himself president of the Zusian Confederation in 1780, formalizing his conquests into a network of puppets that directly challenged the traditional legitimacy of the Basilikar, and the independence of the various states of the Empire.

However, Zoria's conquests eventually bankrupted Friedrich’s realm, and following several poor harvests he was forced to call a meeting of the Estates-General in 1787 to propose solutions to the problems. After weeks of legislative gridlock, the representatives of the Kossir forcibly removed the vastly over-represented Drassir from the chambers and proclaimed themselves the new People’s Assembly of Zoria, and pledged to create a new constitution and a new state. By January of 1789 a constitutional draft was already being debated in the new Assembly, and spontaneous uprisings across Zoria were overturning the previous social order and pledging allegiance to the new assembly.

Initially the Zorian king indicated his willingness to work with the Assembly: however, he soon left the Zorian capital of Skalagard and took up residence in the Gartenhof in Vordin, the official residence of the Basilikar. Coupled with news that an emergency meeting of the Sentarch had been called, the revolutionaries feared a coordinated monarchist counterattack from within and without Zoria. Fueled by these fears, the Neckties, the most radical faction, organized a march into Vordin composed mostly of disgruntled city folk and peasants from the surrounding countryside. The March quickly descended into violence after the Emperor’s guards fired on protesters, leading to the first-ever peasant sacking of Vordin and a bloody assault on the Gartenhof. Eventually the Basilikar's guards capitulated after the mobs stole weapons from nearby prisons and portions of the army joined the mobs: the Basilikar and Zorian king were both taken captive and later executed for “crimes against the revolution.”

Appalled by the murder of the Basilikar and the anarchy in the old imperial capital, the various Vordic states signed the Declaration of Kauen and pledged to “destroy the radicals and murders in Zoria.” The ensuing coalition wars not only weakened the young revolutionary government, but also provided the impetus for the rise of Sibannakus Scharbach, a brilliant and charismatic artillery commander who was placed in charge of the Zorian Revolutionary Army in 1795 by the People’s Assembly. As various governments and radical factions fought for power in the capital, Sibannakus repeatedly trounced the Vordic coalitions: first, in the Battle of Försterbach in 1798 he routed a numerically-superior coalition army, and in the Battle of Auscha in 1802 he destroyed the two largest coalition armies and forced an armistice.

Following these victories, Sibannakus' popularity skyrocketed and he led his army into Vordin in a triumphal procession mimicking those of ancient Vordic generals. He later dissolved the People’s Assembly and held a plebiscite on his own leadership, which concluded strongly in his favor. He proclaimed himself the new Basilikar, ennobled himself and founded a new imperial dynasty: the House of Scharbach.

Sibannakus then embarked on his famous Wars of Unification, and by 1810 he had subjugated the entirety of the mainland Vordic Empire. Following a yearslong standoff with the island Kingdom of Salmia, which had long ago broken from Vordin, he marshaled the resources of his conquests to construct the a massive imperial fleet. He appointed the fierce nationalist Julius von Zuncker as grand admiral, and soon his fleet had defeated Salmia in the Battle of Verdammtland and imposed a blockade. Only after his maritime victory did Sibannakus personally lead an army into the Salmian capital of Ïsendor: they capitulated by 1816. Seeking to cement his victories and lead a reborn Vordic nation-state, Sibannakus invited the various princes of the Empire, as well as democratic representatives from across Zusea, to the grandiose Volkstagung (“People’s Congress”) in February 1817, which met in a section of the Gartenhof. Months of contentious negotiations and discussions ensued: at several points, Sibannakus' troops surrounded the palace to prevent delegates leaving prematurely. Nevertheless, on 2 January 1818, the Congress published the Constitution of Zusea, which laid out a liberal elective monarchy for the new country based on the ancient Vordic government, and renamed the empire as "the Holy Vordic Imperium."

Finally, on 18 March 1818, the delegates unanimously signed the Punctation of Auscha, which vested the old institutions of the Empire with their traditional powers, and reformed both the imperial throne and the Sentarch, grounding the monarchy in an ultramodern "bourgeois aristocracy." Additionally, the Punctation provided for the consolidation of the various independent armies into the new Imperial military, which would be under the command of Basilikar Sibannakus. This marked the formal beginning of the Zusian nation-state, sometimes called “the Zusian period” in the history of the Vordic Empire.

Songel State and Axiarchist Reformation
Massive street protests forced the ouster of General von Schoschka and a restoration of democracy in August 1916. After several rounds of elections and months of political chaos, Chancellor Joachim Reisner dissolved the gridlocked Räichstag and called new elections, which only produced stronger pluralities for far-left and far-right parties – most notably, the All-Zusian Communist Front.

In the subsequent struggle for power, the Tarmish wing of the Communist Front seized control of the Tarmish capital of Tafa, sparking hundreds of competing demonstrations and riots across Zusea. Later called the “Black Springtime,” the next several months saw the nation teeter on the brink of collapse, wracked by bloody street fighting in major industrial centers and a plethora of short-lived breakaway republics. This prolonged chaos eventually prompted the Songel Putsch, in which a coalition of conservative political and military leaders convinced the Basilikar to dissolve the Räichstag and establish an Imperial Emergency Committee, empowered to “restore order.” While the Committee succeeded in quashing the so-called Tarmish Uprising and stabilized the nation, Songel and his generals faced stiff opposition from the Sentarch and increasing pressure to reconstitute the Räichstag from the Guardian Court. The Basilikar withdrew his support for Songel in February 1920 amidst a collapsing economy and rampant hyperinflation: another round of elections ushered in Zusea’s first functional democratic government in nearly five years, and following the Kirsch Plan and the creation of a new currency, the Zusian economy finally stabilized. For the next six years Zusea enjoyed the so-called Golden Autumn, an era of enduring prosperity, artistic innovation, and liberal cultural life. Despite the earlier putsch and the failure of the Emergency Committee, General Songel was elected leader of the dominant Fatherland Party and held the position of Chancellor continuously, even when the Party lost a majority, due to his widespread popularity and his friendship with Basilikar Markus V. As such, the government at the time came to be known as the Songel State. The prosperity of the Autumn came to an abrupt end after an economic depression hit Zusea in 1926. Consequently the All-Vordic Social Democrats (AVSP) seized a strong plurality in the 1926 elections, and for the first time in Zusea’s modern history, a centre-left State Council took power, though in coalition with the Fatherland Party and with Songel remaining as Chancellor. Under pressure from said coalition partners, the Social-Democratic Vice Chancellor Hans Urnach pursued fiscal austerity and deflation, spurring nearly 30% unemployment by 1927. After the coalition collapsed, the Basilikar called special elections in early 1928, which delivered strong pluralities to the Iron Hand, the Collectivist Party of Zusea, and the axiarchist Trotzia, a united front of the Koliak and Formiak parties, both offshoots of the same defunct predecessor. The Basilikar again appointed Songel as Chancellor, despite the Fatherland Party's electoral collapse, and the aging general appointed and dismissed a string of failed State Councils. Markus V then died in December 1928, and the ensuing Imperial Elections enthroned his energetic and zealously reactionary son, Arkadius VIII. Thereafter, newfound pressure from the young Basilikar compelled Songel to appoint Iron Hand leader Arno Drexler as Vice Chancellor, in coalition with Gabriel Könicker’s Trotzia, on 30 January 1929, despite his earlier refusal to work with the Iron Hand.

This new State Council spearheaded the passage of the Alien Agents act in February 1929, weaponizing a string of terrorist attacks as a pretext for banning the communist party, which they claimed was funded by the Ossintori and Arshavati governments. Further crackdowns against the revolutionary left ensued; this joint government is often called the Duumvirate period. Leveraging their newfound power, the Trotzia enacted their first flagship program, the Victaža Compact, absorbing three of Zusea's largest moderate parties into either the Koliak or Formiak parties, to expand their popular support. Both factions also maintained paramilitaries which routinely brawled with each other; the Iron Hand's Sturmschutzgruppa (SSG) and the Trotzia's Volksspeer both ballooned to more than one million men by 1931. The Iron Hand feared a complete Trotzia takeover following the elections of 1932, which promised a sound defeat for the fascist party. These tensions led to the Prinzputsch against the Trotzia leadership by Iron Hand sympathizers in the Vahrmacht. Though the coup was quashed, the Basilikar blamed the Iron Hand leadership and enabled the military to crush the party. The ensuing Basilikarputsch was swiftly legitimized by Chancellor Songel and the Trotzia, which seized the opportunity to call new elections in 1930, contested almost entirely by their candidates. As expected, the Trotziak Coalition won a supermajority, and passed the Fortification act in November 1930, banning most political parties and proclaiming the dawn of a new era of “fortified liberty” (“geschützta freyheit”). The death of Songel in March 1931, and the ensuing ratification of six new amendments to the Zusian constitution, completed the end of the old state. The 1932 Trotzia primaries were the first to assume the importance of national elections. The rise of this two-party system was further cemented by Zusea's system, which made it strategically difficult to vote for smaller parties.

In the following years, Zusian society settled into the Trotziak mold. With the full support of the Polikom, Basilikar Arkadius established a new air force, the Himmelkorps, and embarked on a massive rearmament of the Vahrmacht. The Trotzia employed deficit spending in pursuit of another flagship project, Lebenskraft AVp, a combined public works and cultural education program. The right to participate in Trotziak primaries would thereafter be awarded following successful public service either in Lebenskraft, an approved private organization or charity, the government, or the military. At the same time, a Trotziak neopagan revival swept across Zusea, sparking the Kulturkampf against a traditionalist Vordic Church leadership. Lebenskraft and rearmament, along with other deficit-spending programs, combined to vastly reduce unemployment and develop infrastructure. By 1933, more than 3.7 million Zusians (apx. 5% of the population) enjoyed income and social benefits as part of a public works program. The most famous of the 1930s Lebenskraft projects were the Zusian autobahns, but they were not the only example of state construction. Hydroelectric facilities such as the Vürtzing Dam, water suppliers such as Davenbach Dam, and an aggressive expansion of railroads accompanied the new highway networks. Fostered partly by these programs, the Zusian economy gradually recovered, unemployment plummeted, and wages rose.

As a test of the new, expanded Vahrmacht and Himmelkorps, Zusea invaded communist Stursea in March 1933 and won a swift victory over the disintegrating state, incurring complaints from various Amphian nations but winning almost unprecedented domestic acclaim. By 1935 the Axiarchist system, arm-in-arm with the young Basilikar, enjoyed nearly universal support, and together they began preparing for their broader expansionist goals.

Politics
The Zusian Empire is a constitutional axiarchist elective monarchy, governed according to the Constitution of Zusea, the Punctation of Auscha, and the Six Amendments. The Punctation opens with the line, "Our new State...shall be a commonwealth, under the presidency of the Basilikar." As such, the Räichstag is the supreme national legislature and the Basilikar (“Emperor”) is the supreme executive officer, acting as the and. As per the Constitution, the Basilikar delegates most domestic affairs to the Chancellor, whom he appoints, but whom the Räichstag can dismiss with a simple majority vote. Each Basilikar is elected upon the death of his predecessor by the senatorial Sentarch, as part of Zusea's elective monarchy. Ever since the passage of the Six Amendments in 1930, the Räichstag has been controlled by the Trotzia, an axiarchist of the conservative Koliak party and the left-wing Formiak party. As a result, the internal primary elections of the Trotzia determine the actual composition of the Räichstag, leading to a that is often called a "united front democracy" or a "two-party state."

The other duties and privileges of the "elder institutions" of the Basilikar and the Sentarch are defined in the Punctation, the treaty under which the various realms of the ancient Empire were forged into a single nation-state. Under the Punctation, the Basilikar retains his traditional role as head of the military, which he often administers directly (without relying on the Chancellor) through the Hofka, the Court War Office. Also included in the Hofka is the Scriptorium, Zusea's foreign affairs ministry. Though the Chancellor sits on the governing council of the Hofka, he is not the formal commander-in-chief, and his power is therefore more limited in military and foreign affairs. The Sentarch, an aristocratic council of delegates from Zusea's free states, elects the Basilikar and oversees a few important bureaucracies.

Velvet Monarchy
Echoing the framers of the Punctation, Sibannakus the Magnificent declared upon his coronation that Zusea was "neither monarchy nor democracy," but instead constituted a "third system; a velvet commonwealth of princes and citizens." The Basilikar, who serves as head-of-state and commander-in-chief, is elected by the 202 senators of the ancient Sentarch. The senators themselves, meanwhile, are elected by the Zusian drassir: the nobility of landed and bourgeois elites, academic and technical professionals, and free farmers, which today comprises just over one-third of the population. Each Basilikar-elect swears fealty to the constitution and Punctation, obliging him to respect the rights contained therein. While any member of the drassir can declare themselves candidates for the throne, in practice only candidates from the richest and most powerful crown houses have won the elections. The Houses of Scharbach and Galian came to dominate the elections in the 20th century, and remain the two most important imperial houses.

Once elected, the Basilikar possesses supreme authority over the military and Scriptorium. The Emperor also enjoys a privileged seat on the Sentarch, which claims to be among the oldest continuous institutions in the world, tracing its founding to 102 AD. The Sentarch oversees a few executive bureaucracies, including the Räich Treasury, the Räich Office of Justice, and the Central Imperial Office, which administers the border guard and the royal elections. The Sentarch therefore balances power between the free states and imperial government.

The central precepts and institutions of Zusea's "velvet monarchy" (a term coined following the Reforms of 992) include:


 * the election of the Basilikar by all senators wishing to participate, known as the Recht auf Freywahlen (“right to free elections”);
 * the Sentarch, an aristocratic council of senators from each of Zusea’s free states (Freystaaten), upon which the Basilikar sits, and to which several imperial bureaucracies are responsible;
 * the election of the Sentarch by all nobles (Drassir) wishing to participate, through an open, equal, and secret vote;
 * the Punctation of Auscha, the treaty between the imperial government and the free states which established the modern Zusian nation-state, and which binds the Basilikar to a bill of rights;
 * religious freedom, guaranteed both by the Punctation and the earlier Treaty of Tarnum;
 * Verband, the right of the drassir to form organizations to consolidate votes during the free elections.

The current Basilikar is Raphael VIII, head of the House of Scharbach, elected in 2008 to succeed his father.

Trotzia
The axiarchist Trotziak Coalition is the ruling of Zusea and has retained control of the Räichstag since 1930, functioning as the de-facto legislature of the country. The two parties of the Trotzia, the Koliak and Formiak parties, contest the Coalition's internal primary elections every three years to determine the shape of the government and the national leadership. Both parties function as large coalitions containing several ideological tendencies, which are formalized as political "fractions" (Fraktionen) and play an important role in politics.

Any Zusian citizen can join the Trotzia, but voting rights in the primaries are only awarded following completion of a period of National Service, which can be either military or civilian work. As of 2020, roughly four-fifths of Zusians have completed their service and are eligible to vote in the primaries. Roughly 68.5% of eligible voters (or 54.8% of citizens over 18) participated in the 2019 primaries, which was one of the lowest in Zusian history.

At the top of the Trotzia is the Polikom, or "Political Committee" (Politisches Komitee), which drafts policy and oversees the Trotziak apparatus. The Polikom is a forty-one-person council of Trotzia leaders, elected by the Coalition's sitting Räichstag members after the primaries. The Polikom in turn elects the Premier, the leader of the Trotzia, who is also normally elected Chancellor of Zusea by the Räichstag. The Polikom appoints subcommittees to handle legislative and administrative work, including the Standing Committee ("Ewikom") and various General Committees, Leading Committees, and Special Committees, which either draft policy or govern Trotziak bureaucracies. Together, the Polikom and the Secretariat (the office of the Premier) constitute the leadership of the Trotzia. To administer the Coalition's local affairs, including the primaries, the Premier appoints cadres ("Stammmannschaften"), which also handle various other small-scale matters. These cadres are distinct from the local bodies of the two parties, and serve to maintain Coalition unity.

Only a few third-parties remain legal in Zusea, and nearly all of them are allied to the Trotzia as part of the National People's Political Consultative Council (NPV); they mostly serve as pressure groups, both inside and outside the Räichstag.

Legal system
The independence of the Zusian Judiciary is enshrined in the Constitution and Punctation. The Zusian justice system is divided into a network of local and regional courts which operate under a framework and handle most low-level judicial matters. The Guardian Court acts as the top-level federal court in Zusea, and is empowered to overturn laws it finds unconstitutional or antipunctational. The decisions of the Guardian Court frequently set important legal which then provide a model of interpretation for all lower courts. The Court is composed of seventeen Praetors, which are nominated by the Basilikar and confirmed by the Räichstag. To protect their independence, the Praetors serve for life, and are very difficult to remove. The court elects a Chief Praetor from amongst its members: the current Chief Praetor is Franz von Kortig.

Foreign relations
Zusian foreign policy is administered by the Scriptorium, which is incorporated in the military high command through the Hofka, and under the jurisdiction of the Basilikar. Zusea is a founding member of the Ordic League and sits on the League Security Council. Zusea has been a close ally of New Hyspania since the early 19th century, and gradually entered a close partnership with Redon after the Endwar to counterbalance the influence of Arshavat. Together, the three nations founded the Amphian Compact in 1988, an of liberal Amphian powers. Zeeduyn joined the Compact soon after its founding and became a close Zusian ally, as did Stursea. Nearly all modern Zusian foreign policy is shaped by the Compact, which negotiates as a single entity in global financial institutions. Additionally, Zusea maintains a close military and economic relationship with Rhodanthian through the Räichsbund.

Zusea actively opposes the revolutionary governments of Arshavat and Valourium, and considers itself engaged in a Continental Struggle against radical collectivism. Guided by the policy of Doktrinpolitik ("doctrine-politics") adopted by Basilikar Arkadius VIII in 1929, Zusea regards this struggle as part of a global struggle against totalitarianism, which necessitates the country's close relations with Chisei. Beginning in 2001, Basilikar Sindolph XIV implemented a policy of "New Doktrinpolitik" in collaboration with the nation's Compact partners, which led Zusea to pursue closer relations with socialist states like Sahil in a "diplomatic offensive." Zusea also opened trade relations with Arshavat in 2002, but remains a fierce rival.

Military
The k.p.k. Vahrmacht ("protection-force") is the military of Zusea, governed by the Hofka (short for Hofkriegsamt, meaning "Court War Office"), which is under the jurisdiction of the Basilikar. The Vahrmacht is divided into three branches: the ground forces of the k.p.k. Räichsheer, the naval forces of the k.p.k. Marinakorps, and the air forces of the k.p.k. Himmelkorps. As of 2020, there are a total of 1,167,418 personnel on active duty, with a further 543,116 personnel in reserve. Vahrmacht forces have been involved in numerous peacekeeping operations around the world, and maintain a large presence in Kyrossia as part of the Amphian Compact.

Zusea has the second-largest nuclear stockpile in Ordis. It maintains the largest and most capable navy in the world, with the highest combined, the largest fleet, and the largest  fleet. Its army is large and well-equipped, and maintains an offensive doctrine. The Himmelkorps is large and well-funded, and is considered among Ordis' most potent air forces. In 2019, Zusea spent more on defence than any other country in absolute terms. Most Zusian military equipment is produced domestically, and the nation is also a major arms exporter.

In addition to the imperial military, Zusea maintains a large civilian militia called the Volksspeer, which is also the only federal security service governed by the Räichstag rather than the Basilikar. Most Volksspeer militiamen only serve for a year to complete their National Service. The militia had 1,503,495 personnel in 2019.

Demographics
The Central Imperial Office of Zusea recorded 212,715,917 inhabitants in 2020, with an average age of 39.25 years. This figure excludes the five special territories and minor island possessions. Zusea is the second most populous nation in the world after Arshavat. The largest city is Farbai, and the largest urban region is the surrounding Schaska Megalopolis, the second-largest metropolitan region in the world. The other largest urban regions are the Iron Valley, Beomar, and Vordin-Korbai megalopolises. All except the Iron Valley region are located along the east coast.

In 2020, there were almost three million immigrants and children of immigrants in the Zusian Empire, most of them Kyrossic refugees. Ethnic Zusians are the dominant ethnic group of the empire, and comprise roughly 77% of the population spread across all of the free states. The second-largest minority group are the Scolians, largely the descendants of slaves imported from Osova during the colonial period. Roughly 85% of citizens speak Zusian, or a dialect thereof, as their first language, including the overwhelming manjority of ethnic Zusian and Scolian people; nearly all other citizens speak Zusian as a second language. The largest minority groups are the (8.7% of the population),  (3.2%), and  (2.4%), most of which are concentrated in Ossintoria, a semi-autonomous Kingdom encompassing the far west of the empire. There is also a prominent Yashiman minority concentrated in northern cities like Altenburg and Ïsendor, and a prominent Meriadnir minority in Doesia.

As of 2020, 58% of Zusians age 15 and over were married, 6% were widowed, 14% were divorced, and 22% had never been married. The stood at 2.144 in 2020. The Zusian government is strongly pronatalist: alongside extensive tax exemptions, the Räich Child Commission awards generous to families, which inrease exponentially with each child and are accompanied by Child Medals (Kinderorden). In 1995, the Sustainability act exempted mothers with more than three dependent children from all tax liabilities, up to a certain income bracket. The same act also implemented national paid, the costs of which are offset by government subsidies. In 2020, the average age at first birth was 25, and 38% of births were to unmarried women.

Religion
Religious freedom is an ancient right in Zusea, and is today guaranteed in three separate foundational documents of the Vordic state: the Punctation of Auscha, the Constitution of Zusea, and the Treaty of Tarnum.

The Zusian Empire has the world's largest population, and is the home of the Vordic Church, one of the largest Messiani denominations in the world, with roughly 115 million members in Zusea alone. The largest religious minority are the more than 40 million Tathic Pagans, who practice one of the oldest faiths still widespread in the world today. The Schirbaltic Council originated as an alliance of pagan states in Zusea and today acts as the foremost advocacy group of Tathic Pagans, with millions of direct members and representing the vast majority of the non-Messiani population. The 2020 census also reported that 18.5% of Zusians described themselves as agnostic, atheist or simply irreligious, a historic high and a striking increase from 8.8% in 2010. Membership in a house of worship fell from 75% in 2000 to 42% in 2020, much of the decline relating to the shrinking number of religious people. However, membership fell even among those still belonging to a religious group.

Some of the smaller religious minorities included as "Other Pagans" on the official census are, , and Jindoists, all of whom are represented in some way on the Schirbaltic Council. There is also a small Hanafic minority in Zusea, mostly Scolian.

Health
The Zusian system of hospitals, called Spitäler (or Krankenhäuser in the rural south), dates from medieval times. Today, Zusea has the world's oldest universal healthcare system, dating from social legislation of the 1880s, and since then, reforms and provisions have ensured a comparatively balanced, efficient, and cost-effective system. All citizens are covered by a health insurance plan provided by imperial statute, with exemptions allowing most people to opt for private health insurance if they choose. According to the Räich Health Office, the Zusian healthcare system was roughly 70% government-funded and 30% privately funded as of 2015. In 2020, Zusea spent 11.4% of its GDP on healthcare, comprising the largest item of the imperial budget at nearly 30% of total spending. Zusea is a global leader in medical innovation.

Zusea ranked 5th in the world in 2015 for average life expectancy, with averages of 77 years for men and 81 years for women. Zusea was also recorded as having a very low infant mortality rate (4 per 1,000 live births). In 2020, the principal cause of death was cardiovascular disease, and obesity in Zusea has been increasingly cited as a major health issue. A 2018 study showed that 52 percent of the adult Zusian population was overweight or obese.

Education
Zusian is operated by royal and state governments and regulated by the Räich Office for Education through the granting or withholding of imperial grants. Optional education is provided for all children between three and six years old, after which school attendance is compulsory for at least nine years. usually lasts for four to six years. is divided into tracks based on whether students pursue or. An apprenticeship system called  allows students to apprentice at a business and simultaneously take classes at a state-run trade school, providing vocational qualifications comparable to an academic degree. This model is well regarded and has been reproduced many times globally since it was first introduced in Zusea in 1968.

Roughly 12% of children are enrolled in or  s. The Zusian Empire spends more on education per student than any nation in the world when imperial, royal, and state expenditures are combined. 85.7% of Zusian adults held a diploma from a secondary school in 2020. Roughly 37% of Zusian students attended some college in 2020, whereas another 35% pursued vocational training, either single-track or dual-track. The general requirement for university entry is the Abitur, and most degree programs qualify students to take the Imperial Examinations once they graduate, which is the main method for entry into the aristocracy, aside from land ownership.

Higher education is divided between private universities and the prestigious and selective public Rosettenschulen, such as Vissinda Po for political studies, Vordin Ökon for economics, St. Beatrix for fine arts, the Tasnee Akademie für die Studium där Sozialvissinda for social studies, the Obersta Staatsakademie där Technik for engineering, and the Basilikaricha Verhaltensakademie for careers in the imperial bureaucracy. Though they are free to attend, the Rosettenschulen have been criticised for a culture of elitism and classism. Zusian universities overall, both public and private, are frequently ranked as the best in the world. is a rapidly expanding problem in Zusea, spurring calls for student loan forgiveness and an "equalization" (Egalisierung) of the higher education system.

Geography
Zusea is the largest country in Amphia and the second largest in the world behind Arshavat, covering 1,465,904 km2 (565,989 square miles). Zusian territory stretches thousands of kilometers inland from the Neptic Ocean in the east and contains a variety of and. The nation has four major mountain ranges, the largest and most prominent of which are the Salt Mountains, which run through the center of Zusea and serve as Amphia's largest single physiographic divide. Nearly all of the highest peaks in Zusea are found in the Salt Mountains, including the Duskhorn, the tallest mountain in Amphia and the third-tallest in the world at 6,190 meters (20,310 feet); the Elfenhorn at 4,545 meters (14,911 feet), and the Ulan at 4,533 meters (14,872 feet). The Eidexa Mountains, running east to west parallel to the Salt Mountains, are rich in mineral resources, and form the south edge of the enormous Iron Valley.

To the south and east of the Salt Mountains stretches the Ithoric Plain, one of the most agriculturally productive regions in the world and the northernmost portion of the Great Amphian Plain. Meanwhile, to the north and west are the North Zusian Lowlands, which include the dense canopy of the Stone Forest (Steinwald or Steinerwald in Zusian) and the fertile of the Western Gateway (Westeinfallstor). Zusea has been called the "Land of Ten Thousand Rivers" (Land där zehntausend Flüssa), and possesses one of the world's largest reserves of surface water resources; its lakes contain roughly one-quarter of the world's liquid fresh water. Zusea is second only to Arshavat in total renewable water resources. Some of the longest rivers in the world run through Zusea, including the Kyme River of the Iron Valley, the Natha River of Ossintoria and Doesia, and the source of the Saardel, which forms its southern border with Redon and Almia.

Active are common throughout the Salt and Eidexa mountains, as are, due to the interaction between the Amphian and Valourian plates in central Zusea. The underlying Altai National Park in the Salt Mountains is the continent's largest volcanic feature. All of Zusea southeast of the Salt Mountains is prone to, especially the kingdoms of Nerotysia and Zoria. Additionally, more occur in Zusea than anywhere else in the world.

Biodiversity
Zusea is home to more than 150,000 species of wildlife, including many plants and animals common to both northern and southern Amphia. According to the Räich Forest Inventory, published every five years by the Räich Office for the Environment,, , and other constitute just over 40% of the forests; roughly 60% are , particularly  and. There are many species of ferns, flowers, fungi, and mosses. Examples of native fauna include the, , , , , , and. The is an important Zusian national symbol.

Swathes of the country with the most distinctive indigenous wildlife are protected as national parks. In 2015, the Zusian Empire had designated more than four thousand national parks or protected areas. The oldest and largest such park is Altai National Park in Doesia, which is widely considered to be the finest wildlife habitat in the Imperium. There are more than fifty represented in the park, including the  and the. Zusea is also widely known for its endemic, the largest bears in the world, with a maximum recorded height of 4.3 meters (14 feet), though modern specimens rarely grow so large. Today the species is, but remains a contender for the largest carnivorous land mammal ever known.

Altogether, 29% of land in Zusea is government-owned, with large swathes of government land concentrated in the central and western states. Most of this land is protected, though some is leased for oil and gas drilling, mining, logging, or cattle ranching, and just under 1% is used by the Vahrmacht. More than 700 zoos and animal parks operate in Zusea. The Grandios Tierpark in Vordin, which opened in 1844, is the oldest in the country, and claims the most comprehensive collection of species in the world.

Environment
Environmental issues include debates on oil and nuclear energy, dealing with air and water pollution, the protection of wildlife, logging and, and. Premier Tschessenau created the Räich Office for the Environment in 1967 as a dedicated, State Council-level ministry to manage environmental issues. The ideal of preserving the Zusian wilderness has shaped the management of public lands since the passage of the Wilds Act in 1964. The Threatened Species Act of 1973 was intended to protect endangered species and their habitats, and implentation of the act is today handled by the aforementioned Räich Office.

Energy in Zusea is sourced primarily from (56%), followed by  like  (31.4%),  (10.5%), and other renewable energies like  (2.9%). Zusian emissions continue to decline thanks to an increasing reliance on and shrinking use of coal. Since 2015, Zusea has been committed to a renewable called Grüna Wenda, which entails the elimination of coal power by 2030 and a greater portion of Zusian energy to be produced by renewables.

Climate
The expansive territory of Zusea covers many climate types. In the southeast of the country, a wet winter predominates, from Tafa in the west to Emborn and the Nerotysian coast in the east. The northeast coast and northern parts of the Iron Valley meanwhile have a mostly of the hot summer subtype, whereas the warm summer subtype can be found across much of the center of the country, the far-northern coasts, and most of Doesia. The far west, including most of Ossintoria, has a cold. Much of the Salt and Eidexa Mountains have an. The most densely-inhabited regions of Zusea all recieve year-round precipitation, and much of the north, from Vordin to Altenburg to Besken, recieves substantial annual. Most of the east coast is prone to s (Orkana) during late and.

Economy
Zusea has a with an, highly skilled  and high wages. The Zusian economy is the largest in the world by, and the Zusian Mark is the world's most widely held. In 2019, the constituted 71% of the GDP, industry 29%, and agriculture 1%. The Zusian unemployment rate was 5.04% in January 2020, and averages around 5% generally, according to the Räich Treasury of Zusea (Räichsfiskus). The Zusian in 2019 was 65.38%, with roughly 3 workers for each retiree and just over 93 million effective workers. With a national nominal GDP of ¤6.77 trillion, the Imperial Government took in roughly ¤2.59 trillion in revenue in 2019, and spent roughly ¤2.58 trillion, leaving Zusea with a surplus of ¤11.3 billion, or roughly 0.2% of GDP. The country has a smaller than many Ordic nations, however the Zusian healthcare system is among the best in the world, both in terms of cost and outcomes.

Zusea is a founding and leading member of the Amphian Compact, and forms the largest part of the associated Amphian Commercial Union, the largest in the world with over 400 million consumers. Zusea's is the largest in the world by production, and Zusian automobiles are regarded as some of the most competitive and innovative worldwide. The three largest manufacturers in the world are all Zusian: Daschner-Rosin, Schio, and Fontana. The country's top ten exports are computer and electronic products, machinery, metals, plastics, motor vehicles, medical equipment, military equipment, glass, cement, and pharmaceuticals. The country's top imports include oil and mineral fuels, metal ores, rubber, organic chemicals, apparel, and textiles.

Zusea's largest 500 publicly-traded companies are included on the TAX stock market index, which is operated by the world's largest stock exchange, the Hansabörsa in Farbai. The TAX includes many internationally renowned Zusian companies, including the technology giant Quasi, the industrial conglomerates Hammerschmidt AG, Goss & Kӧhler, and Komma Group, the automobile company Zimmerling, and the food and candy giants Schossi and Hauschka. Additionally, the Zusian economy is famous for its large component of, known as the. Many of these small companies are labelled, meaning they dominate global markets in very specific, specialized fields.

Science and technology
Zusea has been a center of technological innovation for centuries, arguably since the golden age of the Vordic Empire, and in the modern period Zusea was among the earliest centers of the. Zusea has fostered many famous and, including , who invented the earliest method for   in Amphia; , the creator of the ; and , who built the first electronic computer. The first-ever imperial patent in Zusea was awarded to in 1876 for his invention of the. 's research laboratory, one of the first of its kind, developed the, the first long-lasting , and the first viable movie camera. Additionally, Zusea has generated more laureates in scientific fields than any other nation, especially in the natural sciences. The work of and  was crucial to the foundation of modern physics, which  and  developed further.

The invention of the in the 1950s led to a significant expansion of the Zusian technology industry. This, in turn, led to the establishment of many new technology companies and high-tech around the empire, the most prominent of which is the "silicon city" of Beomar. Advancements by Zusian microprocessor companies such as (AFR) and, along with software and hardware companies like , , , , and , created and popularized the personal computer. Today, the Zusian industry is dominated by the so-called "four titans:" Atlas, Faktor, Omnihaus, and Quasi.

Zusea maintains a dedicated and well-funded called Komikos, which is the largest of its kind in the world. Komikos was responsible for the launch of the first man-made satellite into space and the first man in space, both as part of a space race with Arshavat and the Yashiman powers. Today the agency mantains an orbital space station called Elgard and one of the largest orbital global positioning systems in the world, called AUGO.

Culture
Zusian culture is rooted in the traditions and practices of the Zusian people, the nation's primary ethnic group. The Zusians first emerged along the eastern and southeastern coasts of modern Zusea. During the various stages of the Nordensiedlung, the Zusians migrated and expanded out of their original homeland, settling the Goldengrenza ("Golden Frontier") and the Iron Valley, which later became central components of the Zusian nation-state.

Historically, Zusea is often called das Land där Gesang und Geschichta (“the land of song and story”) because of its abundance of influential writers and composers and richly developed literary and musical traditions. An important component of Zusian arts are folk traditions, comprised of Bauernkuschen, which literally translates as “farmer-arts,” or “rural-arts.” Classical Bauernkuschen include, , , , , , and. Zusea is however better known for its Großkuschen (grand arts), which includes traditional Zusian ', various forms of classical opera, especially the Zusian concept of ', other forms of, poetry and prose, and architecture.

The Zusian Dream, or the perception of extreme fluidity in the Zusian class system, is a central component of Zusian culture and politics and plays a key role in attracting immigrants. The accuracy of the Dream is the subject of intense and ongoing debate, and has been since virtually the drafting of the Constitution of Zusea. While mainstream culture holds that Zusea's classes are largely meritocratic, based on the ancient Kyrossic ideal of aristokratia, or "rule of the best," scholars have identified increasing stratification in the class system and a widening gap between rich and poor. Zusians highly value socioeconomic achievement, but also value the ideal of the.

Folk culture
The Zusian language is, representing the immense diversity within both the Zusian heartland and the home regions of the Nordensiedlung. Modern High Zusian is derived primarily from the Zorian dialect, instituted by Sibannakus the Magnificent during the unification of Zusea. However, prior to unification and especially before the 20th century, the Nerotysian dialect dominated, which helped spread Nerotysian cultural traditions throughout the nation. Also influential were the Tarmish-speaking peoples of central Zusea.

Zusian folk culture is traditionally rooted in music, and the nation has produced a number of popular folk songs. The oldest and most notable include “Edelweiss,” “Im grünen Walda,” “Die Eisenfaust,” and “Schwarzbraun ist die Haselnuss,” all part of traditional Dorflieder (literally “Village-songs”). There is also much overlap between Dorflieder and military songs, and many folk tunes have been adopted by Zusian military formations as marching songs: the most popular of these include the famous “Volzerwaldlied,” which celebrates the Volzerwald region on the right bank of the river Kyme. These musical traditions inspired the later Volkslieder movement, beginning in the 18th century, in which writers sought to produce a canon of patriotic songs in pursuit of Zusian consolidation. Notable examples include “” and the “Tatzschailied,” both written by August Hoffmann von Falkenhausen, considered one of the principal leaders of the Young Zusea Movement. More modern Volkslieder include songs like the highly-popular “Zumorgen gehört die Freyen!” ("Tomorrow Belongs to the Free!"), written in 1952 by Maximilian Krausa.

Ethnic clothing is also an important part of the folk culture of Zusea. Among the most iconic Zusian garments are two styles of : ' and Bundhosen, as well as two varieties of socks: boys’ Schümfi and men’s '. Traditionally, Zusian boys wear the shorter Lederhosen and longer Schümfi until they are married, at which point they switch to the longer Bundhosen and two-piece Loferl socks. Girls and women wear a variety of traditional dresses, most notably the , a circular-cut skirt that falls below the knee. Other forms of traditional dress include the Tammerrock, a white surcoat with a black cross originating with the Tarmish Knights.

Zusian folk tales and folklore are traditionally called Hochdichtung, or “High Fiction.” They consist of any traditional stories written or told before the onset of the period in the 17th century. Many later writers collected or adapted traditional fairytales: the most notable example being the ’ book of fairy-tales. Many Zusian fairy-tales have achieved international fame, including Hans und Hilda, ', and '.

Music
Zusian composers are among the best-known of the and  eras. and are some of the foremost Baroque figures: Dach’s  and the first prelude from, in addition to the menuets of Schenkel’s , are among the best-known Baroque pieces in Ordis. The renowned composer became a stape of the royal Nerotysian capital of Ostarna, where he met another Zusian composer named  who would become a crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and  eras.

and were two important Romantic composers: Vogel’s Lieder were particularly famous, most notably Die Bootsmannsracht and Erlkönig. Another important romantic figure was, whose stature is such that he is frequently counted among the along with Dach and Dossaven for their supposed primacy in. was among the most influential Romantic composers, and his concept of  has become a central focus for Zusian art. was a leading composer of the late Romantic era.

Zusea is the largest music market in the world, and possesses a vibrant popular and modern musical scene. In the early 20th century Zusea rapidly absorbed and adapted foreign styles into the domestic market, especially jazz, which originated in Zusea's then-colony of Rhodanthian and spread quickly to the mother country. mixed classical Zusian styles with modern jazz: his most notable work, sold more than a million copies and was performed worldwide. Mixing traditional Zusian folk and country music with jazz and blues, was pioneered in Zusea in the 1950s by artists like, and later popularized by Zusian artists like  and. Since then Zusea has remained a center of musical innovation, and has produced many top-grossing artists of all time, including and. More recently, Zusian artists have helped pioneer, and the Zusian bands and  are frequently considered among the founders of modern electronic music. Recently, has flourished in Zusea, led by groups like.

Literature
Zusea boasts an ancient, rich, and continually-developing literary tradition which extends back centuries and has produced some of the greatest works in the history of the medium. Zusian literature is rooted in the Pagan period prior to the rise of the Vordic Empire, and the coming of Messianism. Sometimes called “Ancient Zusea,” this period saw the emergence of many literary genres, including, , dramatic presentations of comedy and , , and various philosophical forms. The two monumental works of Aschari mark the beginning of this period: the Tausengaar and Sigmundradda. Two major lyric poets also emerged during this time: Gandalicus and Gelamir. This period also saw the dawn of drama, with a few surviving tragic and comedic works surviving to this day. The only surviving tragic works are those of Adalbrun, Eboric, or Sindolf, and the major surviving comic writer is Octolindis.

Following the Pagan period is often considered to be the birth of Modern Zusian literature, which emerged in the Middle Ages after the fracturing of the Vordic Empire. A number of popular and influential poets and lyricists emerged in the tradition of the , composing and performing works centered on for the courts of various Zusian princelings. Two of the most notable, and enduring, Minnesänger were and.

The movement swept across Zusea following unification in the first half of the nineteenth century, producing many of the seminal works of Zusian and world literature and, according to some, sparking a golden age in artistic expression. Originating in the movement, its earliest proponents included  and. The collections of folklore published by the Drang Brothers invigorated the Romantic movement and popularized Zusian folk tales on an international level. In the later period, the Romantic tradition came to be defined by writers like and. A variety of new literary styles and genres emerged in the latter half of the 19th century; some of the most influential writers from the period include, , and. Around this time the idea of the “Volltatzscherroman,” or “Complete Zusian Novel,” took root in Zusian society, describing the aesthetic ideal of a novel capturing the totality of the essence or fundamental character of the Zusian nation at any particular time. In addition to Zweig, the novels of Zusian writers and  are also frequently cited as examples of this “Complete Novel.”

Some of the most influential post-Endwar writers include, the writers of the beat generation led by , and , who only attained widespread popularity following the war. The later rise of was spearheaded by Zusian writers like  and. Some of the most notable modern Zusian writers include, often considered an heir to von Keyserling, and.

Sports
is the most popular sport in Zusea by several metrics: the top-flight Superliga has the highest average attendance of any sports league in the world, the annual Räichspokal is watched by tens of millions globally, and Dynamo Farbai football club is the most-followed sports team in the country. Additionally, with more than fourteen million official members, the Zusian Räich Academy of Football (RAF) is the largest single-sport organisation worldwide. The Zusian men's national football team, nicknamed die Staatschaft, won the OOF World Cup in 1938, 1982, 2006, and 2018, making it the second-most successful team in international football.

Zusea is also one of the leading motor sports countries in the world. Constructors like Zimmerling and Daschner are prominent manufacturers in motor sport. Schio has won the Redonian a record 19 times, and Fontana 13 times. The driver has set many motor sport records during his career, and  is also among the five most successful Formula One drivers of all time.

was regarded as the national sport until the proliferation of association football in the 1950s, with the Fangball-Oberliga being the top league. Ice sports are also highly popular: is the third most-watched sport, and the Zusian Kapha Trophäe is one of the six events of the USF Grand Prix of Figure Skating.

Cuisine
Like much of Zusian culture, the nation’s cuisine is extremely old and has roots as far back as the 4th century BC. Heavily influenced by surrounding Almian, Meriadnir, and Redonian cuisine, Zusian foods have historically been derived mostly from, especially following the massive expansion of Zusian agriculture in the Nordensiedlung. However, items such as, , and , the latter of which were introduced from overseas, has deeply impacted Zusian food in the last two centuries. Generally, Zusian cuisine is noted for its regional diversity and abundance of different tastes.

Central to the Zusian diet are its many lappälas, which originated in Almian pasta: usually prepared with traditional sauces and accessories. The diversity of sauces is particularly notable: in southern and eastern Zusea, flammalappäla (“red lappäla”, lit. “flame lappäla”) is most common, making use of tomato, garlic, and herbs. Native to northern Zusea meanwhile are many varieties of weißlappäla (“white lappäla”), either made with white sauces or butter. In terms of accessories, one of Zusea's most popular dishes is würstalappäla (“sausage lappäla”), which is normally a variety of red lappäla prepared with, or some other pork-based sausage.

Bread is another significant part of Zusian cuisine, and Zusea boasts a towering diversity of more than 600 types of bread and more than 1,200 different pastries and rolls. Zusea is also one of the world’s most proficient producers of cheeses, and milk is frequently cited as the most-drunk beverage in Zusea. Aside from sausage lappälas, Zusian sausages are regularly eaten alone, and the nation also prides itself on a variety of bratwursts and.

Beer and wine are important parts of Zusian cuisine: the nation is known more internationally for its wines, which are produced mainly in the southern and eastern regions of the country: however, beer is vastly more popular in the northern realms. Zusian alcohol consumption per person stood at 110 litres in 2016 and remains among the highest in the world: however, after a stringent temperance campaign from the 1930s to the 1950s, the nation no longer suffers excessive issues with alcoholism.

National holidays and symbols
Zusea is well known as the birthplace of many modern customs, including, , ,  cakes, and other traditions, many of which originated in the territories of the Tathonic and Kirassic Orders in western Zusea. Many popular also originated in Zusea, the most prominent of which include "" (O Christmas Tree), "" (Silent Night), and "" (Ring, Little Bell). The of Ostarna, and other, are famous worldwide, and have inspired copycat events and traditions in many countries. Zusea is also known for its extensive culture, and its boisterous  celebrations. There are a number of public holidays in Zusea determined by each state and kingdom; the most recently formalized national holiday is Friedentag, or Peace Day, celebrating the conclusion of the Endwar.

The Zusian national bird is the, which serves as the basis for the Tatzscher Räichsaar (Zusian Imperial Eagle), the most widely-used national symbol in the empire. Two distinct variations of the Räichsaar exist: the single-headed Volksadler (people's eagle) and the double-headed Doppeladler (double eagle). Though the single-headed eagle originated as the standard version before the innovation of the double-headed variant, today the Volksadler is associated with and  in Zusea, and serves as the emblem of the popularly-elected Räichstag. The Doppeladler meanwhile is associated with the imperial throne, the aristocracy, the, and the Basilikar himself, and serves as the emblem of the Räich State Council. Other important Zusian symbols in the modern day include the, the , and the stylized of the Trotzia.