Aestia

Aestia, also known as the State of Aestia (Aestia Riik) is a hybrid democratic nation located in Baltics. It is the central role nation in the Tigeric Stories.

Geography
Aestia consists of original timeline Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Ingeria. Neva province and St. Petersburg (Peterburg or Peterburi) are also considered as rightful part of nation.

Background
The earliest mentions of Aestia date back to year 734 AD. The Chronicles of Helme estimate that Aestia united the Baltica by 877, not long after the rise of the Salkri dynasty. In 1002, Aestia adopted Christianity.

During the medieval times, Aestia fought countless wars against the neighbors, establishing a long-lasting military tradition, while also ensuring stability at home. From the 1200s onwards, Aestia started becoming more and more tolerant country.

1487 can be considered the beginning of the period of advancements in science, culture, military, architecture and healthcare, known as the "Aestian Renaissance". It was during this period that Aestia established her own colonial empire, mostly concentrated around the East Coast of newly discovered continent America.

In 1623, during the Svea Civil War, Aestian forces were instrumental in securing the independence of Suomi, and from 1646 onwards, a Salkri rose to Suomen throne, further binding the nations.

Between 1648 and 1860, Aestia was mostly ruled by non-interventionist monarchs, but since 1880s, Aestia has been seeking closer diplomatic ties with Nippon. This caused the rise of a new ideology in Aestia, called Tigerism. Tigerism would become a major factor in the future politics of Aestia.

Aestia refused to participate in the Great War, instead going as far as denouncing the war and suspending all trade with war participants. That was when the Barutokai Cooperation was born between Aestia and Nippon, and when Suomi began seeking to distance from Aestia.

Aestia and Nippon signed the Barutokai Cooperation in 1914, aimed to provide close cooperation in military, technological and economic areas. In the next two decades, two Barutokai ports were established in Aestia - Paldiski and Libau -, both manned by the Nipponese.

Empress Tama II died in 1933, from unknown causes. Before her last breath, she named her third daughter Renai as the heir and second daughter Tiiger as regent.

The months following Tama's death saw the rise of Tigerism - the combination of nationalism, religion and warrior culture. Three months after Tiiger's rise to power, the neighboring Aurora Empire was attacked by what had become Tigria. Tiiger personally led her soldiers, and the First Tigeric War ended in superior Tigeric victory just two months later.

Tiiger was also very keen on the situation of neighboring Anomalist Confederation, Duchy of Suomi and the Kingdom of Svea. While Svea was tied to Aestia through huge loans and Anomalia was major powers' chessboard, the Duchy of Suomi became a real challenge for Tiiger.

Tiiger's ambitions eventually caused more tension, and by 1935, another war broke out, this time seeing Aestia and various Anomalist warlords fight against Suomi, Imperium, and later Aurora.

Despite fierce Aestian attempts to push through the Suomen famed Mannerheim Line, the battle of Karjala ended in 10th of September 1935, with hundreds of thousands of deaths for both sides. With Imperium pushing from south, Suomi from north and Aurora from east, Tiiger had no option but to sign the Peace of Valga, ending the Second Tigeric War with Pyrrhic victory of Anti-Aestian Coalition.

Military
Aestia is very militaristic nation, with centuries old military tradition, Tigeric reforms and recently developed Aestian warrior culture. Limited by population smaller than neighbouring countries' (around 15 million), Aestia has focused on fielding a small but very well trained and equipped army. Aestian Military Command (Keskstaap) is able to produce Aestia some of the greatest military minds of the history, though the loss of Panja Salkri has caused a lot of uncertainty.

Aestian Navy has gained a lot from the Barutokai Cooperation, with older ships being gradually replaced with futuristic vessels, such as the infamous Keibu class super battleships. Besides the Baltic Fleet (Balti Laevastik), Aestian naval power extends to the Caribbean Sea, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean.

In comparison to land and sea forces, Aestian Air Force has been left to their own devices - the biplanes from the Great War era have yet to be replaced. Only naval aircraft can enjoy technological advancement, with the recent launch of heavy aircraft carrier "Pitka" already starting to declare the change of eras.

Greatest advantage Aestia has over her enemies is the Tigeric Operations Agency, abbreviated as TOA. Relatively insignificant intelligence agency by 1900s, following the rise of Tama Ingern as its leader, extensive reforms followed, turning TOA into world top intelligence agency. After the death of Ingern, Yuudachi Yuki took over TOA leadership, and began even more widespread reforms.

Notable figures

 * Hatsiroku Salkri
 * Renai Salkri
 * Tiiger Salkri
 * Panja Salkri

Trivia

 * According to "At the Root of Evil", all Aestian citizens enjoy the benefit of free public transportation, which includes trains and trams.
 * The logic behind the Barutokai Cooperation is never explained. Author suggests that the completion of the White Canal might've played a role in it, but it was completed 14 years after the Barutokai Cooperation came to be.
 * Aestian colonization is never explained properly. To reach Atlantic, Aestian ships would have to cross the Danish straits, endure the North Sea, avoid or overcome the hostile ships, and supply themselves somewhere on the way.

Behind the Scenes

 * Most of Aestia is based on TiigriKiisu's ego - the Tigeric Dictatorship represents the time he was nationalist, the Glorious Revolution is inspired by the period between September 2019 and March 2020, and post-1936 events are greatly based on his experiences since January 2020.
 * Aestia inherits a lot from TiigriKiisu's previous work, Estland Universe. Best example would be the Barutokai Cooperation and the area Aestia views as own.