Annexea
| ||||
| Motto: We are all ectoplasm. | ||||
| Capital | None, Barat de facto | |||
| Official Language | None, English de facto | |||
| Religion | Ectoplasmism | |||
| Government -Coordinator |
Amorphous authoritarian bureaucracy Joseph Bradley | |||
| National Symbols | National Animal: The centipede | |||
| Currency | Junket | |||
| Internet TLD | .ax | |||
| Calling Code | 666 | |||
Annexea is an isolationist nation located in Taijitu. The country is perhaps best known for its incredibly lax policy regarding drugs, as well as its pursuit of the Philosophy of Ectoplasm. The government's stated aim, in accordance with this philosophy, is to absorb all that there is into the unity of the "Ectoplasm"'s corrupting influence.
History
The rise and spread of Annexean society can be thought of as a swarm of locusts traveling from field to field. Its pattern of expansion has been to use the resources of an area, convert it to an ectoplasmic community, then find other 'pure' lands to warp to its needs.
The First Regime
Our records can be accurately - as much as history can be 'accurate' - traced back to the regime of the Socialists, on the first island of Annexea (note that we name the current island of conquest Annexea...). The society of Annexea had been functioning in a sort of libertarian state for some time, but the quality of life was also dropping steadily. This poor standard of living led to significant support for greater government intervention. A faction of Socialists quickly grew to the majority and took over the government. Their policies were textbook socialism, a simple and idealistic response to the crisis. Universal health care was established, taxes were raised for the rich, a massive social welfare program was created, and everyone was to help each other succeed. But the regime quickly took advantage of its newfound influence over society and began to shape it towards its warped ideals. It made the fundamental claim that people were good, and that it was the duty of the government to shape its citizens to its ideal of goodness. In accordance with that philosophy, curfews were enacted, dress codes put in place, even harsh limitations on speech. Their insane desire for politeness went as far as a chart for greetings (Fig. 1A). Driven by their desire to escape the past, and believing in the idle promises of the future, the people accepted these laws. They were stifled souls in superficial shells, living superficial lives. The government indoctrinated them with their optimistic orthodoxy (see Fig 1B for an example) at a young age. Yet even this inconsistency of murder used to preserve the "goodness" of society could not influence the public to change; they were too deeply under the spell of this regime.
The Resistance
It was 15 years of oppression before free will once again began to be instilled in the minds of the people. At first, the resistance was limited to occasional acts of "civil disobedience" as the people individually found themselves "succumbing to desires" against the wishes of the government. A minority faction grew out of these scattered dissenters, choosing the free lifestyle contrary to the goals of the government. The Socialists used "rehabilitation programs" and other strategies to quell this disobedience, but they were ineffective - their society relied upon the goodness of man, and thus their laws were inherently unenforceable by their own logic. Powerless to stop it, the government watched as their great society collapsed, with only feeble, ineffective reactions. (see Fig 2A, which exemplifies their helplessness).
The fall of the Socialists
With no people left to govern, the socialist government quickly dissolved, leaving all of Annexea in chaos. The people, now tired of government, lived in deliberate anarchy, rejecting almost all attempts at any kind of order. Dissenters who advocated for more regulations or a return to old policies were swiftly mobbed and removed from society. What little structure did exist came in the form of amorphous "communities" that represented people naturally clustering together.
The Entropic State
The prevailing philosophy of today has its roots in this organic society brought upon by the collapse of government and disillusionment of its people. The people began to realize that society tends towards entropy. The most "stable" form of society is a loosely bound "chaos", and society will naturally move towards this state. The community reasoned that this pull towards social entropy creates stress on society, and that therefore the ideal society, which has no stress, must be the formless chaos of entropy. And so the first Post-Socialist society was formed, referred to as the "Entropic State". Although this society began to understand the value of the chaotic model of society, its philosophy was simplistic and fatally flawed.
The formation of the Cell State
The next phase of Annexea's development into modern day society was its formation of specialized structures and a central government. This, contrary to the philosophy of the prior society, is the natural tendency of humanity. This process is analogous to the natural process of cell growth; the various components of a cell form from the cytoplasm and are controlled by a nucleus. Hence, this form of society is referred to as a "Cell State". The origin of this new desire for (limited) order in society grew, ironically, from the anti-order sentiments that dominated the entropic state. Inevitably, to preserve the chaos, rules were necessary to prohibit anything but anarchy. The first governments with any power were formed from the most strongly anti-order individuals seeking to preserve anarchy. These local authorities shifted and merged, eventually creating a centralized system for controlling society. Just as total chaos was kept through social pressure, so was the existence of government. The most powerful anarchists became the first government leaders, and so were able to maintain influence over society. The prevailing philosophy, thusly, changed to reflect these new circumstances. It now advocated controlled chaos, and, most importantly, a loose union of society's parts. This natural change in public opinion quickly brought about a fairly stable cell state.
The flaws of the Cell State
The nucleus of the Cell State had a fundamental flaw in its origins. The first members of the government were former ex-anarchist local government officials from throughout Annexea. The government was seen by the people an authoritarian democracy, the ex-anarchists being representatives of the various communities. With their new principles of loose unity and controlled chaos in mind, the Annexean people advocated for an authoritarian democracy that could impose the basic ideals of Annexea and preserve its society, yet still grant the people freedom at a local level. This new system, however, was paralleled that of the Socialists - the only difference being the commitment to social freedom rather than social conditioning. The social atmosphere of the Cell State, again afflicted by optimism, began to ignore the inherent corruption of the human soul. Their society, though superficially similar to that of today in its policies and practices, was driven by naive hedonism (known as Cytoplasmism), not the true philosophy of Ectoplasm.
The Ectoplasmic State
Though for the most part, the myopic society did not have the horrors of the Socialists embedded in their memory, there were a few who recognized the terrible path Annexea was taking. In order to correct the flaws of the Cell State, these reformers developed the idea of expanding the central government to reduce its efficiency, thus making "progress", such as socialism, nearly impossible. This major expansion of government was a difficult task, but eventually, the goal of the massive bureaucracy was achieved (the details of this maneuver are complex and too long to describe in this summary). Along with these government changes came the propagation of a new philosophy - Ectoplasmism. This new philosophy declared that the ideal state of society is a controlled chaos, and that a society should move towards the corrupted "ectoplasm" that underlies the universe. It was similar to Cytoplasmism, but clarified two things: it asserted the inherent taint in all things, and it stopped the movement of society towards "progress".
Geography
The entire nation is located on an island roughly the size of Australia, lying just north of the Antarctic. The island can be divided into four divisions.
Interzone
Interzone is the massive, sprawling, overdeveloped, morally-degenerated, inhospitable region that is the heart of Annexea both physically and socially. Interzone is chaotic and corrupt, with little regulation. The environment is largely desert; the region expands outwards, slowly destroying natural resources and claiming more land. Entrance for immigrants is through the northern port city of Barat. The Ectoplasmicon, Annexea's religious leader, resides in central Interzone.
Freeland
Freeland is a semi-autonomous "republic" (i.e. oligarchy) that contrasts sharply with Interzone. While still having the same "depraved" feel to it, it has far more order. Freeland is totalitarian where Interzone is a corrupt bureaucracy. Freeland is home to most of the scientific research and much of Annexea's military operations (details sketchy, of course). Whereas entrance into Interzone is easy, entrance into Freeland is a more rigorous process.
Qezzef
The province of Qezzef is the "sane" province of Annexea. It is less populated than Interzone, so it has less sprawl and urban corruption. Qezzefi believe as other Annexeans do in freedom to pursue happiness (i.e. "hedonism"), but try on large to be less depraved in this pursuit. Qezzef is smaller than Interzone, but continues to grow, especially on its coast. Qezzef is the location of foreign embassies and is generally considered the most pragmatic sector.
Bassa
This region is the smallest of the four regions, and would like to keep it that way. They are hedonistic but less "pragmatic" than Qezzefi. For the most part, they are left in the southwest. Bassa has the largest percentage of Kandenkaro ("native" forest-dwellers oppressed, etc.) integrated into their society. The other regions generally don't care much about Bassa. Bassa is the nicest looking destination for tourists (to have fun!), and the regional government is in the process of creating a resort island to attract said tourists.
Environment
The Annexeans' quest for Ectoplasm has ultimately resulted in a destructive environmental policy, with the area of the island which has been transformed into urban sprawl growing daily. The exception are the forests in which the Annexean giant centipede is farmed for the black meat.
Deserts
The only true desert of Annexea is in the center of the island. This desert formed as a result of overgrazing and other human influence, coupled with low rainfall. It is a moderately dry desert that still holds some life, mostly cacti, snakes and other small animals.
Plains
Slash and Burn agriculture has transformed once forested areas into much bleaker plains. Because of the suburban sprawl that has taken over much of the area, the wildilife largely constitutes creatures that are specifically adapted to living with humans, such as squirrels and pigeons. Flora is limited to bushes, the occasional cactus, and sparse trees.
Annexean Giant Centipede
This creature is exclusive to areas deep within the forests of Annexea. For whatever reason, they are very difficult to breed in captivity, and are only bred by 'Kero centipede farmers who have a long tradition of doing so. Feeding on mice and lizards that are native to the forests, the centipedes are poisonous, carrying chemicals which act as hallucinogens on humans. The effects of these chemicals are minimal when coming in contact with skin or being bitten; To produce the Black Meat, it is necessary to heat the substance, a process which increases its potency.
Government
In Annexea, there is one branch of government - The Bureaucracy. It is vast and inefficient, and gains new members through absorption (hiring without consent). In actuality, though, there are several 'pockets' of the government which aren't as bureaucratic:
Foreign Affairs
Located largely in Qezzef, foreign affairs is fairly removed from the Annexean government. However, it is still a part of the Bureaucracy, so it is influenced by domestic politics and government beliefs.
The Military
Somewhat of a paradox, the military is an authoritarian group within a bureaucracy. Even more confusing, the bureaucracy does influence the actions of the military and the bureaucracy controls military spending. The Military is based in Freeland, where authoritarianism is able to work.
Intelligence
Also based largely in Freeland, intelligence is fairly independent of the bureaucracy (aside from some oversight, funding...). Much of it is also a part of the organic bureaucracy, so it still isn't very centralized.
The Coordinator
This is similar to the nucleus of a cell, except with less power and much more unstable. The Coordinator, Coordinating Committee, Heads of Departments, etc. enjoy somewhat more power than others in the bureaucracy. But inevitably, they are still subject to the forces of the bureaucracy
It is important to note that the bureaucracy is like an organism, with many shifting, interacting regions. There tend to be situations where multiple departments may work on the same project without knowing, etc. Also, oversight committees exist in certain departments for other departments, leading to an endlessly confusing network of bureaucracy watching still more bureaucracy.
Government Positions and Officials
Acting Coordinator (Head of Government): Joseph Bradley
Manager of Coordinator's Coordination Committee (Acting) Kathryn Wright
Coordination Committee, Law Advisor : Ahmad Khyari
Director of Health Care: Hassan Fezzik
Director of Education: Lydia Martin
Director of Foreign Affairs: William Leeman
Vice-Director of FA: Aissa Kadiri
Director of International Influence (in Foreign Affairs): Thomas Richardson
Director of Embassy Management: James Acheson
Director of Immigration Services: Mohamed Bennouna
Vice-Director of Immigration Services: Johnathan Warren
Director of Research: Dr. Jack Lint
Director of Social Equality and Welfare: Kathy Radford
Director of Intelligence: Ameer Sabah
Director of Military Budget Committee: Ahmed El Alami
Director of Defence: Gen. Saad Ibrahim
Budget Director: Joan Helpmann
Director of Domestic Commerce: Howard Jones
Director of International Commerce: Sarah Pryce
Ectoplasmicon (Director of Spirituality): The Ectoplasmicon
Kandenkero Ruler: K||ágà (Kaga for short) ('Kero ruler serves as a liaison between cultures. He isn't technically a part of the Annexean government. )
Laws
Will be written later.
Economy
This section is coming soon.
Compulsory Consumerism
Drugs
Power (Oil and Uranium)
Society
Annexean society is characterized by an absolute absence of any social order...
Ectoplasm
An Ectoplasm Primer
A Primer on Ectoplasmism (for Outsiders) Compiled by the Bureau of Religious Affairs, Annexea
Introduction
What is Ectoplasm? In your dictionary, you may find an entry that speaks of cell cytoplasm or ghostly residue. In Annexea, we define Ectoplasm very differently, though using the same basic idea.
Our Definition: The immaterial, spiritual, tainted substance of which all things in the universe are formed.
With this definition, though one can get a quick idea of the nature of Ectoplasm, it is difficult to truly understand the concept through a single sentence. The following informational essay will attempt to present Ectoplasm in a less erudite manner to give the reader an impression of the idea and to explore the details of the philosophy.
An Ectoplasm Metaphor - The Pond
Imagine a pristine pond, its depths visible in its clear waters, sunlight shimmering about its subtly wavering surface. Fish swim in blissful ignorance, nibbling on the vibrant green aquatic plants that sway with the currents. All live in harmony, but this pure environment cannot last. Bacteria grow and multiply, and malignant weeds begin to spread their dark green tendrils about the pond, strangling the life out of the innocent plants of the pristine past. Algae grows and chokes out other life, and what is left is tainted by disease and death. The waters turn opaque, a murky brown obscuring whatever lies at the bottom. Eventually, this degeneration ceases, as the algae and bacteria reach their capacity, and all becomes stable. This is the nature of the universe, and so to be one with the universe, we must accept the sickly brown of the murky pondwater.
Customs, Rules, and Practices of Ectoplasm
The Black Meat The Black Meat refers to the flesh of the Annexean Giant Centipede, which contains a hallucinogenic chemical that is activated when ingested. The Black Meat is the most important drug to Annexea's culture, and held in very high regard by Annexean citizens. The Black Meat, more than any other drug, is said to bring about a mystical, ectoplasmic experience. It's supply is limited to the Kandankero centipede farmers (Ukún!ola; the "!" is a click consonant, called Uku for short), who live in the forests on the outskirts of Annexea. It is rumored that the Ectoplasmicon feeds entirely on the Black Meat.
Sharing of Blood This is a form of contract signature. The agreeing parties cut themselves, usually a pinprick with a needle, and place their blood upon the contract (written on paper) in a specified place. The blood pools together, symbolizing the merging of Ectoplasm (see section on Blood and Ectoplasm). This form of agreement is rarely imposed on foreigners, and is generally reserved for agreements requiring greater binding than a mere signature.
Pronouns In formal situations, addressing a follower of Ectoplasm necessitates the use of the pronoun "We". A true Ectoplasmicite begins to shed the inherently isolating personality and becomes a part of Ectoplasm. It is also technically correct (though rarely practiced except at the highest echelons) to replace the pronoun "I" with "We", as referring to one's self is referring to Ectoplasm, and thus everyone.
To denote which individual of the "we" the pronoun refers to, eye contact and hand gestures are usually used. In writing, it is formally correct to write the particular reference after a dash (e.g. We-Bob, do not fully understand Ectoplasm yet.), or use the We-You pronoun "Ye". A common Annexean insult is to use "You" instead of "Ye", implying that the receiver of the comment is detached from Ectoplasm.
Note that it is offensive for an outsider, and especially an opponent to Ectoplasm, to use "we" in place of "you" or "I", as the outsider is not a part of the Ectoplasmic community.
Kandankero Society
Facts and History
Environment: Lush forests of Annexea. Non-coastal. Population: Estimates from .35 million to 1.75 million. Annexean figure: 860,000 Time of Existence: First major group to inhabit the current Annexean island, time unknown.
Population before Annexean migration: Estimated 2 - 10 million. Annexean figure: About 2 million.
Development History Hunter Gatherers --> Farmers/Hunter Gatherers ---> Development of "tribes" ---> Complex political organization ---> Arrival of Annexeans ---> Idea Diffusion, Technology Note that there was limited farming, so a very complex society couldn't much develop.
Culture
Culture Summary -Polytheistic, aspect Gods. -King is not divine, but ruling elders (including shamans) have link to Gods. -Power of laughter! -Only go to war if society is greatly threatened (Defensive war only). -Don't be too selfish with pursuing happiness (or there will be shame, perhaps worse). -Sharing is good, giving up everything for anotther is bad.
Leader: K||ágà (Kaga for short) Structure of Government: Oligarchy. Well established system.
Cultural Groups Divided into North, South, East. South has most population, North was least monitored until it was attacked by Annexean to quell the rebellion.
Religion Basics -Creation: World created, but filled with chaos and badness by mistake. To correct it, people given humor. Reality, in a sense, is a cosmic joke. -Laughter isn't just about conventional jokes. Since the world is a joke, truly being a part of the world must be done through laughter.
Language
Real Language Base: Khoisan Language Group, it basically is Nama. Main Language Name: Nama. Dialects: Yes, per geographic region - North: Kho!ama South: Nama East: Namidama Other Languages: English.
Words, Idioms and Religious terms
≠hanú - Lit. 'straight'. Used often to describe a stiff personality or a stubborn person.
míí-a'se - 'to speak truly'. Note that 'true speech' which is done often through symbolic laughter. Often translated as 'to laugh'.
≠óm-am'a - Lit. 'to know truth'. Faith/Sense of Humor. Essentially, ability to see and accept the truth of the world and the Gods.
hòá-rà-ka - Lit. 'all'. This is the Great Pattern of life. Very important spiritual term.
!oa ≠hanú-se - Lit. 'to swim against the river'. (Idiom) Means 'to go against the hòá-rà-ka, though not necessarily with malicious intentions. Usually refers to a foolish person.
!áro-tama - Lit. 'anti-forest'. Refers to the desert, but carries spiritual weight over the normal word for 'desert'. About as close to Hell as exists in the religion.
≠hanú |úí ti kóí tìsí - Lit. 'straight one of a hundred'. (Idiom) Often shortened to "≠hanú |úí". Refers to a 'straight' thread of the hòá-rà-ka, which is one that doesn't twist and curve with the rest. The phrase is used to describe a kind of 'rogue storyline' who deliberately seeks to ruin ('straighten') the pattern. This idiom comes from a popular 'Kero myth where the evil who seeks to destroy a culture is recognized by the hero among a hundred men. In short, the hero watches them follow (bend to the will of) the hòá-rà-ka, and the evil one does not bend.
