Brettish Future Uncertain, City-States to Convene

The Confederacy of the Coast, colloquially known as Coastalis, is a collection of maritime city-states centered around the ancient pirate haven of Lighthouse.
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Orion
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Brettish Future Uncertain, City-States to Convene

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LIGHTHOUSE -- The future of Brettania remains uncertain in the aftermath of the complete evacuation of the Brettish Isles and the rise of numerous city-states within the Skerries, home to the millions of refugees resettled here. With the evacuations complete after five years of labor, the effort of several nations and dozens of humanitarian groups, officials are now questioning whether Brettania is relevant any longer. "We left Brettania behind when we left the Brettish Isles for our new home in the Skerries," said Mayor Andrew McAllister of Sweethaven, a rapidly growing city along the southern coast of Skerryvore. And indeed McAllister's sentiments have been echoed by numerous citizens and officials alike.

With the new settlements in the Skerries, a new identity has arisen among the population. While many identify as being of Brettish descent, they no longer consider themselves Brettish. Instead they see themselves as representative of whatever community they have settled in. This has led to a sharp rise in city-state communities. Not surprising when one considers the tragedy that led to the development of those communities. Many of these survivors formed close bonds in the communities they settled in, often relying upon one-another for not just physical but emotional support. "I don't know anyone that didn't lose family," said George Petersen of Ersenil, "And from that loss those of us who survived stuck together." The resultant communities formed by these groups have each come to have an identity of their own, and it's no longer Brettish.

These numerous city-states are vying for representation in the new Parliament that is slowly taking shape at Lighthouse. The Queen is currently organizing a parliamentary convention, hoping to allay disputes and reconcile these groups with the new government. Many feel that the old system of Brettish government is outdated, and current proposals are leaning toward a constitutional system whereby cities may adopt articles to govern themselves within a greater sphere of administration centered at Lighthouse. But it still begs the question of what is to be done with Brettania.

Popular opinion is that the home islands are no longer relevant. Rendered useless by the volcanic eruption, it will be several decades before the islands begin to become habitable again. Some are advocating for a complete abandonment of the isles, while others wish to see it turned into a national memorial - albeit of a massive size. Others yet see scientific opportunity from the continued study of the islands and the aftermath of the volcano, studying how the environment responds and how to detect future eruptions, hopefully to prevent a repeat of the tragedy. Currently Jingdao has the largest remaining forces on the islands, with a large scientific base conducting those same aforementioned studies. But if indeed the Brettish Isles are abandoned, then where does that leave the Brettish people?

A number of groups have already begun proposing alternatives. Some have said the country should be renamed to the "Skerrian Empire" or some derivative thereof. Others are more localized, proposing names such as "Sandwich", "Taras" and numerous others. Along with the name debate rages whether the country is truly any longer an empire, or whether it has evolved into something else entirely. The debates rage on the floor of the new parliament building, and the Queen is trying to diffuse the situation before it escalates beyond the confines of political lobbying. To that end she has invited representatives from all the self-proclaimed city-states to a convention, held at the end of the month.

The convention will take the floor of parliament and discuss how best to move forward with the nation. Although representatives will not have official power to regulate government, they are being invited to help decide on new codes and conventions that will dictate how future government is run. The Queen has gone so far as to hint that she may enact regulations granting city-states autonomy, following suggestions of individualized articles. Speculation runs rampant, and at present we are forced to wait until the convention begins its deliberations.

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