Difference between revisions of "Snefaldia"

Revision as of 11:54, 26 April 2007

Snefaldia (Pa-Gura Dayaniram) is a smallish country almost entirely surrounded by mountains, bisected by the Saard river that runs through the mountains, emptying into a sea.

The largest city in Snefaldia is Sargedain, which is also the capital.

Geography

Snefaldia is surrounded on all sides by high mountain ranges, with the Seril Mountains in the east, the Zogar Range to the west, the Hightops in the south, and the Velnar Mountains to the north. The central country is dotted with lakes and valleys, and the Saard river bisects the country, running from the northeast Velnars down through the southeast Serils before empyting into the Bay of Fuschal and the Memdar delta.

The centre of the country is called the Dayan Plain, and is very fertile, expansive, and covered in rolling hills. The Dayan forms a basin where the Saard river cuts through it, and floods from time to time.. To the north is Sring Issa, defined by old-growth deciduous forests, low valleys, and small, numerous lakes. South of the Saard and Dayan is Neer Dal, home to marshes, subtropical forests, and hundreds of small rivers.

To the east, in the foothills of the Serils, is Bae, a region defined by deep gorges and hot, windy steppes. The western region of Allasha is largely rolling hills and valleys, considered excellent farmland.

The mouth of the Saard river forms a fertile, shallow delta called the Memdar. Flanked by mountains and sheer rock faces, the area surround the mouth is nearly uninhabitable. However, due to the regular flooding of the Saard the soil is very rich, and in history city-states took advantage of this. Only three states remain in the Saard area: Taxilha, directly on the mouth of the Saard, the Semiautonomous City of Borsippa located in the delta itself, and the Independent City-State of Shuruppak, located north of Taxilha is the rich Sirpurlan basin.

Climate

Snefaldia has a mixture of subtropical, temperate, and tundra climates. The mountains are high and rocky, though lower in altitude are very hillish and flat before descending into the central plain.

Society

Snefaldia society is a mixed one, with several distinct ethnic groups competing over land and resources. Largely divided along regional lines, the Dayan, Sringal, Bae, Neeri, and Allashi ethnic groups comprise Snefaldia societies, and make up the nation's racial distinction.

Snefaldia has long been isolated from other nations, despite having a perfect seaport situated in the Memdar delta, but has never been a great seafaring or trading nation. Most foreign influence arrived through the mountain passes, and each region recieved a great deal of cultural influence from the peoples that made the trek over their respective mountain ranges.

Government

The Centralised Mountain States are a in name a federal monarchy, but in practice a unitary republic. The monarchy, held by the Jaddars, has been vacant for many years, and power in largely concentrated in the upper house of the republic's legislature, the Sensraad.

In Snefaldia, the government is ostensibly made up of three branches: the Executive, the Legislative, and the Judiciary according to the 1803 Declaration of Orders. However, since 1935 the Executive, which was supposed to be held by a member of the Jaddar family, has been vacant and its duties absorbed by the Legislature, including the ability to appoint the members of the Judiciary.

The legislative branch of the government is made up of three elected bodies: the Sensraad, or High Chamber, the Arsraad or Low Chamber, and the Rajiyad, or Assembly of Rajahs.

The Sensraad is not divided along party lines, and is headed by a group of the seven most senior members. To be a member of the Sensraad, a citizen must have a noble title, or own more than 12 acres of land. The seven members, also called the Jaar Sepam, elect one member to head them, called the Sepam Raj. The Sepam Raj serves as a sort of president of the Sensraad, marshaling votes and leading debates.

The Arsraad, in contrast to the upper chamber, is divided along party lines. The law states that there can never be less than three political parties, but makes no mention of a maximum. The majority party holds the position of the Chamber Marshal, akin to the Speaker of the House.

The Rajiyad is a very informal body, very similar to the British House of Lords, but without any substantive power or schedule. They meet only rarely, and many of their powers have been absorbed by the popularly elected bodies.

Politics

History

Dayaniram, the Pa-gura name for Snefaldia, has a long and diverse historical tapestry. Snefaldia was, for thousands of years, isolated from the outside world until 1543, when the Ustari warlord Dreen-Khramashan penetrated the mountains and forced the natives to submit. In 1602, the last Ustari ruler, Eeman Khusorvand, died and the natives regained control. Creating a complex system of princedoms, the natives established the first Dayan Kingdom, named after the rich central farmland.

The Dayan Kingdom

Under Maharajah Sindar Ratham, the Dayani ethnic group rose to supremacy and dominated Snefaldia. The Sinds ruled the country until 1685 when Rajahs of Sring Issa and Bae overthrew the Maharajah Sindar Sirdar, and established Drivari Khemri, the Four States.

Four States

the Drivari Khemri period was marked by the devolution of the centralized power of the Maharajah into the four powerful ethnic regions- Sring Issa, Neer Dal, Bae, and Allasha. Dayan as a region ceased to exist, and the farmer class was subsumed into the distinct ethnic groups. The Drivari existed until 1702, when it collapsed into war and internal strife. In 1709 foreigners from Rejn entered the Fuschal Bay, landing in the sea-city of Taxilha and seizing it. The Rejni sent more troops, conquering Allasha and Neer Dal, forcing the other Drivars into submission. This subsequent period is known as the period of foreign domination.

Rejni Imperialism

Forces from Rejn conquered the country in 1711, bringing in colonial administrators and building infrastructure in the country. Trade with the outside world was expanded, and the mouth of the Saard river in Fuschal was expanded to accompany more ships. Under Rejn, native cultures were repressed, but not extinguished. Finally, in 1740 the Rejni were forced to reduce their involvement in Snefaldia, owing to a national war at home, and the various local lords rose in rebellion and threw out the remaining Rejni. In the ensuing chaos, the Allashans rose to prominence and and established their Shah, Khanseer Arsabathikan, as the ruler of the Dayan region. The country was unified in 1743 under Arsabathikan.

Dayaniram

The modern nation was established in 1743 by Khanseer Arsabathikhan, who declared himself Shahanshah of Dayaniram. In 1803 the Shahanshah was overthrown and the Maharajah of Neer Dal established the first democratic assembly, the Rajiyad, and promulgated the 1803 Decree of Orders. In 1830 the Rajiyad was joined by the Sensraad, a collection of wealthy landowners seeking greater power in the government, and in 1865 the Arsraad was created. Under Maharajah Mohansar Rahmanpaksar, Snefaldia expanded foreign trade and imported technology from the outside world, capitalizing on the industrial revolution.

In 1899, the last Maharajah of the Neer Dal line died without any heir, leaving the executive office empty. The Jaddars, regents to the Maharajahs, assumed the office until 1935, when the Sensraad forced them to vacate. 1935 also saw a minor communist revolution in Bae and northern Neer Dal, but when the Jaddars were removed from power and the Rajiyad almost completely emasculated of any legislative power, public discontent fell.

Since 1959, Snefaldia has tried to balance the demands of an ethnically divided nation with the stresses of a modernizing nation. In the 70's, programs to eliminate ethnic tension succeeded in reducing violence and religious clashes, and the administration of Sensraad Provost Radayan Indrahtrenes stabilised the country's fluctuating economy. The Decree Crisis of 1989 almost brought about a general collapse of the government, but the Sensraad majority radically distributed the enumerated powers of the Maharajah to the rest of the legislative branch.

Snefaldia

Snefaldia, the old Rejni term for Dayaniram, has remained in use despite its colonial underpinnings.