Aráinian Republic

Coat of Arms

Location

Location of the Aráinian Republic on the continent of Méniail

Size

195,716 mi² (506,903 km²)

Founded

702 ME

Capital and Largest City

Ilivul

Goverment

Type	Federal republic
Legislature	Federal Assembly

Regions

Aráinia

Spirits

Dásravai • Misay • Ivvapudda

Native Races

Barugoar • Gehasha

Population

3,655,000

Administrative Divisions

Sènd • Ursivèr • Insaurd • Alsie • Oimind • Ecais • Costidia • Menivia • Gahuya • Uèrt • District of Ilivul

Introduction

The Aráinian Republic is a federal republic in Aráinia, in the north of Méniail. It governs the whole of the region enclosed by the Aráinia Mountains, together with the islands off its northern coast. It was founded in 702 ME, when the states of the Aráinian valleys united under a single constitution, and it is made up of ten states and the District of Ilivul, where the capital, Ilivul, stands. Its President and its Federal Assembly are both chosen by popular vote, and it is one of the few democracies in Méniail. It has about 3,655,000 inhabitants, most of them Barugoar, with a minority of Gehasha.

History

Settlement and the principalities

The Barugoar descend from a few ships of the Great Migration that left the armada bound for Gosterra and landed at Ecais Bay around 20 ME, where they founded Atinigur. From the bay they spread up the river valleys, alongside the Gehasha of the mountains. By the 400s ME four principalities had grown up in the valleys, each ruled by a princely family: Sènd, which included the coast of Ecais Bay; Alsie, which included Menivia; Insaurd, which included Costidia; and Ursivèr. The islands governed themselves.

Aráinian Empire

Sènd, the most populous of the principalities, defeated Alsie in a war fought between about 560 and 566 ME. Alsie, Insaurd and Ursivèr then allied against Sènd and were defeated around 580 ME. Their princes kept their lands under the prince of Sènd, who took the title of emperor, and the four principalities became the Aráinian Empire, with its capital at Ilivul.

In the 600s ME wars broke out on both sides of Aráinia. To the east, the Orinilure Collective and the Erden Monopoly fought each other in Orinilure from 626 to 633 ME. To the west, the War of the Southern Duchies divided the Kingdom of Bóinbile from 640 to 645 ME and ended with the founding of the Heialdyn Stratocracy. With firearms and artillery in use, the mountains could no longer be relied on for protection, and the cost of defense weighed on the Empire. Around 650 ME an uprising brought it down. The imperial family gave up the throne, its lands passed to the state of Sènd, and the former principalities governed themselves under a loose union, which the islands joined.

Constitution of 702 ME

The union proved too weak to provide a common defense. In 702 ME the states adopted a single constitution, creating the Aráinian Republic with a federal government, an elected President and a Federal Assembly. Ilivul, the former imperial capital and the largest city, remained the capital. The District of Ilivul was set apart from the surrounding state so that the capital would belong to none of them. The Gehasha became citizens of the Republic within the states in which they live.

Modern period

The Republic has fought no war since its founding. Railways were built from the 840s ME and now connect Ilivul with the principal cities of the valleys, and the telegraph followed them. In the 850s ME gold was found in the foothills of the Aráinia Mountains, and the rush that followed brought rapid growth to the southern valleys. Prospectors pushed into Gehasha lands, leading to minor clashes, and the federal government set limits on mining there. Mining in Gehasha lands remains a political dispute.

Geography

The Republic covers about 195,716 mi² (506,903 km²): the 194,016 mi² (502,499 km²) of mainland Aráinia and about 1,700 mi² (4,400 km²) of islands. The Aráinia Mountains enclose the mainland in a ring shaped like a teardrop, separating it from Gosterra to the west, Khamria to the south and Orinilure to the east; the sea lies to the north. Within the ring, the Malcèr, Arcis and Oimind ranges divide the land into deep valleys walled by granite cliffs, drained by the Ursivèr, the Sènd and the Lastèr. The Ibipudda Islands stretch northward from the coast and form the state of Uèrt.

Summers are dry and warm and winters wet, with heavy snow in the high ranges. The islands are cooler and windier than the mainland.

Goverment and Politics

The Aráinian Republic is a federal republic governed under the constitution of 702 ME.

Federal government

The President is the head of state and of the federal government, elected by popular vote for a term of five years. Laws are made by the Federal Assembly, a single chamber that sits in Ilivul. Its members are elected in each state, and seats are divided among the states by population, so that the large valley states hold most of them. The federal government is responsible for defense, foreign relations and trade between the states.

All adult men may vote, the Gehasha on the same terms as the Barugoar.

States

Each of the ten states governs its own internal affairs through an elected assembly and governor. The District of Ilivul, which covers 60 mi² (155 km²) on the southern shore of Lake Islhia, belongs to no state and is administered by the federal government. Gahuya, in the mountains of the west, is the only state with a Gehasha majority.

State	Capital	Area	Population
Sènd	Lurie	23,674 mi² (61,315 km²)	630,000
Ursivèr	Bigulus	27,543 mi² (71,336 km²)	645,000
Insaurd	Iveond	17,042 mi² (44,139 km²)	475,000
Alsie	Sèta	19,534 mi² (50,593 km²)	395,000
Oimind	Olivie	48,102 mi² (124,584 km²)	395,000
Ecais	Atinigur	16,999 mi² (44,027 km²)	350,000
Costidia	Onsiol	14,784 mi² (38,290 km²)	230,000
Menivia	Irerèrs	6,443 mi² (16,687 km²)	130,000
Gahuya	Gahuya	19,835 mi² (51,372 km²)	90,000
Uèrt	Caibul	about 1,700 mi² (4,400 km²)	55,000
District of Ilivul	Ilivul	60 mi² (155 km²)	260,000

Military

The Republic keeps a small federal army, and each state maintains its own militia. The navy is based at Onsiol, on the northern coast.

Foreign relations

The Republic trades with the Kingdom of Bóinbile, the Heialdyn Stratocracy and the Yeege Kingdom, which keeps envoys in Ilivul, and to a lesser extent with Khamria. Its southern border with Khamria has been quiet. In the Heialdyn Stratocracy, where the republican movement is illegal, republicans look to the Aráinian Republic as an example, and the Stratocracy regards the Republic warily.

Economy

The Republic is rich in farmland and natural resources. Its valleys produce grain, fruit from extensive orchards, among them almonds, pomegranates, quinces, cherries, apples and olives, and wine from its vineyards; livestock are raised throughout. Iron, marble and building stone are mined and quarried, and gold and silver are found in the foothills of the Aráinia Mountains. The mountain forests supply timber, and Onsiol is the principal shipbuilding port. The railways carry goods between the valleys and the capital.

Demographics

The Republic has about 3,655,000 inhabitants: about 3,550,000 Barugoar and about 100,000 Gehasha. About half the population lives in cities and towns. The largest cities are Ilivul (240,000), Bigulus (140,000), Iveond (100,000), Atinigur (75,000) and Lacuers (60,000).

Yeparchism is the predominant religion, and Uisla has a sizeable following. The Gehasha were converted to Yeparchism, but many also worship the spirits, above all Dásravai.

The Barugoar speak Barugoar and the Gehasha speak Gehashan.

Culture

Yeparchism shapes much of Barugoar life, alongside a sizeable Uisla community. Among the Gehasha, devotion to Dásravai remains strong.

Native Spirits

Dásravai, the Ascendant Spirit of valleys, creator of the Gehasha. The House of Dásravai stands in the southeast, beside the Lirèr Forest.
Misay, the Ascendant Spirit of self-reflection and self-deception. The House of Misay stands on Lake Islhia, beside Ilivul.
Ivvapudda, the Ascendant Spirit of home and hearth. The House of Ivvapudda stands on I. Lurmutur, the northernmost of the islands.