Koryan
| |
| Flag of Koryan | |
| Motto: "Peace Through Superior Firepower." | |
| Here | |
| Region | Atheist Empire |
|---|---|
| Capital | Korya |
| Official Language(s) | English/Spanish |
| Leader | Lord Ryu McKnight |
| Population | 1.3 Billion+ |
| Currency | Gold Coins |
| NS Sunset XML | |
History
Harsh Beginnings
Until scientific discoveries within the last century, the ancient history of Koryan was a tangled web of fact and fiction. The modern nation of Koryan actually began as three main nomadic tribes - the Koryans, the Dresnvai, and the Firlamei. The oldest of the tribes were the Koryans, who were from the mountainous region near the modern southern border of Koryan. After tribal warring and terrible blizzards forced the Koryans out of the mountains, they slowly migrated north until encountering the Dresnvai, a peaceful farming community who lived where the capital city now stands in the Korya Valley. The Koryans originally warred with the Dresnvai but gradually made peace and settled down with them. Gradually the two cultures merged into the ancient Koryan civilization. For thousands of years, the Koryans prospered greatly and became the technological leaders over the area. As they began expanding outwards through building new villages and conquering old ones, they finally developed the first Koryan Republic, based on a corrupt but significant democracy.
Finally came the third and most mysterious of the main tribes - the Firlamei. Their origins are still disputed, their language has only become decipherable within the last few decades, and just what their interactions with the Koryans were are disputed. The Firlamei began invading the north coast and plundering coastal cities. Suddenly they vanished from history but reappeared hundreds of years later, this time invading the west coast. Their onslaught was so fierce this time that dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of small villages began uniting into kingdoms for protection. The Koryan Republic used this to its advantage and exploded in size and population, becoming the largest of the kingdoms. As the Firlamei began moving inwards, they clashed with Koryan forces starting a bloody war that continued on-and-off for nearly two hundred years. Many believe the Firlamei were finally defeated, while others think they made peace and merged into the republic. No matter, the war ended and it seemed that peace was near.
The Struggle for Unity
Gradually nearly 10,000 villages swore loyalty to the Koryan Republic but when it came to keeping them together, the task was difficult. Many wanted the Koryan capitol to be the growing city of Korya, nestled in their home valley and boasting the largest population of all Koryan towns. However, many up-and-coming villages challenged Korya's authority and created their own laws and leaders. Practically Koryan's feudal age, city-states arose and collapsed across the Koryan territory, exhausting the farmlands and natural resources of the area. To supply their wars against each other, the city-states began expanding into foreign lands and soon Koryan territory had doubled. Yet still the question of uniting the cities was at hand.
It was Emperor Augustine, founder of the Koryan Empire, who ultimately paved the way for unity. From his hometown of Korya, Augustine used a new tactic for conquest - diplomacy and bribes. Abusing Korya's great economy and trade, Augustine convinced a large amount of villages to swear loyalty to his empire. From there, he built a stable government and regulated militia. Gathering his army, he marched against the strongest of his rival city-states and achieved nearly impossible victories. Just as he expected, seeing the strength of his empire, the many weaker city-states and their villages swore loyalty to the empire peacefully and by the time of his assassination, over 90% of modern Koryan was under imperial control.
Formation of Modern Koryan
After Emperor Augustine's assassination, his top generals each took control of part of the military and waged war for the throne. Civil war erupted and it seemed as if all of Augustine's work would be in vain. Yet it was Ace McKnight, leading the People's Army, who defeated the power-hungry generals and took the throne. He introduced a parliament to the government and the ability to peacefully remove a lord through impeachment. His revolutionary ideas seemed to many as anarchy yet the nation grew under this new freedom and peace. The empire was dismantled to reform the Republic of Koryan and for the first time, relations with other kingdoms began. It also revealed the technology of the world. Technology such as the steam engine and electricity transformed the nation and soon its economy was able to compete with other kingdoms. The modern Koryan was born.
The People
Koryans
Koryans are tall, medium complected people, usually with black or brown hair and brown eyes. Due to required military enlistment, fitness requirements, and nutritional programs, most Koryans are strong, healthy individuals allowing for quick draft training incase of war. Women are generally shorter by males, with the average man standing at 6'-6'2 while the average woman stands at 5'9"-5'11". Due to strict education requirements for all ages and races, almost all Koryans are sensible and intelligent, with immigrants and other such "less-educated" individuals looked down upon. Middle class citizens dominate the economy, with around 15% lower class and around 10% upper class. The average family has 2 children and by law, a maximum of 4 children are allowed per family. Due to the absence of almost all welfare (except for temporary injuries) unemployment rates are under 10% almost always although this does cause issues during warfare. The government has taken a tough stance against the severely disabled and mentally impaired, stating, "If you can't pull your own weight, you don't live in this nation".
Religion
Koryan almost entirely lacks religion. Atheists makes up over 4/5 of the nation and, when combined with Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic groups, make up nearly 95% of the population. In the government's 5-year report, antitheism was announced as the fastest growing "religion" and all religions are dying out rapidly, estimated that in 15 years, all religions combined will equal under 1%. This isn't helped by the growing number of antitheist attacks, including the terrorism and vandalism of churches and temples. Increasing taxes on religious organizations and buildings along with the government's refusal to aid the dying groups may cause a pre-mature death of religion due simply to lack of funding. Atheist - 81% Non-Religious - 9% Antitheist - 5% Buddhist - 3% Christian - 2% Other - Under 1%
Education
Koryan has a different educational system than most other countries. First of all, there are only 4 different types of schools with 3 grades each. Youth School and Intermediate School are required by all to attend and then citizens may either take their Advanced Placement Test and skip ahead to college or go to Advanced School and then college. Those who take the APT are required to take at least 1 entire year of college while those who attend Advanced School aren't required to take any college, although most jobs require it. Koryan College is much cheaper and attracts many foreign students because of its openness and low cost. First of all, it's more like a job, where you may choose what time you take your classes and there isn't homework, although you must past an exam once a month or you must repeat the class. School is year-round, although there are many vacations and school is strictly from 8am to 3pm. The average Koryan citizen graduates all 3 main schools and 2 to 3 years of college.
Government
Lords or No?
Since the dismantling of the empire to form the Republic of Koryan, lords have been steadily losing power and now many people want to get rid of lords for good. Currently lords are elected by the people and every 10 years a vote is held that requires that 60% of the population approve the lord's actions or a new election is held. Lords have also lost almost all law-making power. Parliament controls most of the nation's law making, although over half of all laws are created and enforced by city governments. The lord receives one vote per issue, which equals the power of 3 senators (there is one senator for each of the 8 provinces), bringing the total parliament votes to 11. Lords may also propose laws to parliament and veto each issue once, although parliament can repeal the veto. Lords and senators are charged for breaking laws just like any other citizen and automatically lose office for committing a felony.
Elections and Political Parties
Political Parties: (Listed by popularity from most to least) Blue Party - Small Government, Liberal Red Party - Large Government, Liberal Green Party - Small Government, Conservative Yellow Party - Large Government, Conservative
Elections for senators are held every 5 years, in which each province gets to elect it's own senator. There are four political parties for senators, although the Blue and Red Party dominate every election (green party wins one senator occasionally, yellow has only had 1 senator elected ever). All Koryan citizens, regardless of race, sex, religion, etc., may run for senator as long as they are 25-years old, have served 2 years in any military branch during peacetime or 1 year during wartime, and have taken at least 2 years of college. For lord, anyone can run but requirements are stricter. You must have 10 years of peacetime or 5 years of wartime military service, must be 30-year-old, 3 years of law school, 3 years of politic school, and 1 full term as a senator. Lords may serve until death but must have 60% of the population's approval or another election is held. Last but not least, local governments have their own set of rules and elections, although 6 of the 8 provinces simply have a representative and hold a law-making election every 5 years.
Military
Koryan's military makes up almost half of the government's budget and is one of the strongest in the region. Although a massive arms manufacturing industry thrives in Koryan, the military often looks to outside sources for nearly half of it's stock, allowing the arms manufacturing companies to make billions off exports. Koryan's regular suppliers are DMG Military Industries and Pudite Arms Storefront, although it also deals with small, less known industries.
Army
The Koryan Army makes up about 50% of the nation's military and includes all infantry, armored, and artillery divisions. Over the past 20 years, Koryan’s military has almost doubled in size with the growing number of revolts and violent protests. Despite its large size, the army is mostly only used for simply tasks, such as riot control, putting down revolts, and other small activities (Koryan uses it’s army instead of a SWAT team). By law, all males must serve 1 year in any branch of the military and most choose the army due to it’s simplicity and only 5-months of training.
Having only one coastline and lack of enemies with strong navies, the Koryan Navy is the most neglected branch of the military, with only 15% of the military’s recruits and the lowest budget, which is mostly used just trying to keep the 20-year-old fleet as up-to-date as possible. Not helping is the nation’s prejudice against the navy, calling navy recruits “cowards” since the Koryan Navy has only actually fought in two wars and only played minor roles in both.
Air Force
The pride and joy of the Koryan military, the nation’s air force is almost unmatched in all aspects, including technology, spending, and recruits. Over ¾ of the military budget goes to the air force and, with it’s military budget making up a large chunk of the government’s spending, that provides plenty of cash for pilot training, fuel, and research. Sporting the most up-to-date technology and highly trained pilots, Koryan jets are one of the best in the air, losing an estimated 1 pilot per 15 enemy pilots. Air force pilots must undergo 2 years of hard training and 3 years of piloting school before they can even earn their wings. In exchange, they are the highest-paid soldiers of the Koryan military and veteran pilots usually have plenty of cash to burn after wars.
Nuclear Program
Lord Ryu McKnight and many of his generals have put a high emphasis on nuclear weapons in the past 10 years. Within the Koryan National Museum, the detonation remote is all that remains of the nation's first nuclear weapon; a .5kt bomb detonated just two miles off the northern coast. The detonation was televised and, although small in case of an error, brought renewed pride in Koryan's safety from invaders. Since then, while official numbers have not been given, an estimated 100+ nuclear missiles have spread out across the nation, most in highly guarded missile silos. While most are variations of Minutemen missiles, two Trident III submarines are hidden within underwater naval bases along Koryan's broad coast, and many other nuclear weapons have been developed, although, for obvious reasons, little information is publicly realized. The last public nuclear detonation was three years ago as a 500mt nuclear bomb was detonated half a mile below the surface far off Koryan's west coast. The blast was so strong that tidal waves caused minor damage along some coastal cities. This detonation was the first public view of an underwater nuclear explosion. Only three nuclear power plants sit within Koryan, all far from major cities in fear of meltdown, despite the plants' strict regulations and inspections. All three plants are owned by the government and nuclear waste is currently under research for possible uses, either practically or militaristically.
Economy
Natural Resources
Koryan's major industry, and most controversial, is it’s mining. Koryan’s mountainous southern and western borders are rich with ores of all types giving rise to a large mining sector. Ore types range from uranium, nickel, and iron to silver, copper, and zinc. However, the mining exports are recieving large government support to try and balance out the large importing deficit including 3/4 of the nation's food supply.
Expenses
Koryan has run into serious issues lately with its overload on imports. Although tariffs and other government regulations have been put into effect, foreign companies are overwhelming Koryan companies, increasing the government’s lean towards communism. The country currently loses a large chunk of it's economy every year just to foreign companies and imports. Not only that, but increasing immigration have forced nearly 10% of citizens into unemployment and has increased poverty rates greatly.
Federal Budget
Koryan's government has a large budget yet it always seems to disappear quickly. Over 40% of the federal budget goes to the military and defense systems on which Koryan prides itself. Nearly 25% goes to Law & Order, which is combating increasing crime rates, especially in the major cities. Administration and education each control around 10% of the budget while other issues, such as healthcare and welfare struggle for any federal money.
Geography
Koryan is full of different terrains and elevations, from the low river valleys of Korya to the cloud-piercing mountains of the west and south. The most common terrain is the hilly steppes of central and northern Koryan, which make up over 40% of the nation. Most of the hill-covered lands were formed by volcanoes and glacier movement millions of years ago. To the east is a region of steadily disappearing forest marking Koryan's eastern border. Here, battle between natural-lovers and the woodchip and lumber companies is fought nearly every day in an issue the government has chose to stay out of.
Ironically, it's the inhospitable, swamp-filled northern coast, which houses over 1/3 of Koryan's population. In fact, one of Koryan's largest cities sits in a drained swamp. The city of Cidade, on the northern coast, sits in the lowest point on the north coast, over 60 feet below sea level. A series of man-made ridges and levies are all that protect Cidade from the watery disaster it met a decade ago as a fierce storm put the massive city under almost 30 feet of water and killed thousands.
Marking Koryan's western border is a mix of plateaus and hills surrounded by mountains. Thanks to the surrounding mountains, this jagged region receives little precipitation year-round and is mostly only used for weapons testing. Similarly, towering, steep mountains mark Koryan's southern border as well, yet these mountains receive an abundance of precipitation and are covered in snow all year long. Home to ski-resorts and numerous tourist attractions, these mountains' bases are covered in small cities, which have to be frequently rebuilt due to avalanches.
On Koryan's northeast coast is a strange area filled with streams, rivers, and lakes. The Utatrakt peninsula, sitting on this coast, is a plateau that extends 150 feet above sea level. It is home to Koryan's third largest city in which the peninsula is named after. Uktrakt, known as the "Raining City of Giants", is home to the most skyscrapers in Koryan and is also holds the record for the most precipitation in Koryan, averaging 50 inches of precipitation a year and holds the record at 81.5 inches in a single year (it rained 54 days straight during spring that year!). If not for the city sitting on a plateau, the rain would flood the city out every spring and fall. Uktrakt is also unique in that there are no springs or natural rivers on the entire plateau. All city water is collected from precipitation and purified and even with a growing population that passed the 14 million mark last year, there is still plenty of water to go around, although a salt-water treatment plant is being constructed currently. The formation of the plateau still baffles scientists, many believe that it was a small hot spot that erupted a few times then went dormant, although no similiar example has ever been found.
The most unique feature of Koryan is its winding river valley that starts on the north coast and penetrates all the way into the central plains where the capital city of Korya rests at the valley's end. Throughout the entire valley, springs supply a large, freshwater river that pours into the ocean at the valley's end. The river valley is also home to the largest network of caves in Koryan, in which a single network has shown to lead from the capital city all the way to the ocean and branches off into over 2,500 caves. One such network has been transformed to a winding tram network that stretches from Korya to Cidade and another has been transformed into Korya's sewer system. The only major natural disaster the valley has to worry about is snow, which can block off entire sections of the valley in some areas and cause devastating avalanches. The valley is home to over 50 cities and towns and is home to nearly 1/5 of the nation's population. It is also the breadbasket of Koryan, home to over half the nation's agriculture.
