Vrendinari

Geography

Vrendinari is composed of three islands in the Pacific region: Dravidus, Umari, and Wooven. Dravidus, the largest of the three, is home to most of the nation's people and all of its major cities, including the capital city of Timini Bay. What little mining still takes place in Vrendinari is centered on Dravidus. Umari and Wooven, each of which is about half the size of Dravidus, form the nation's agricultural base and are composed of large plantations and small, rural villages.

History

Vrendinari was the home of various conflicting tribes for thousands of years before being colonized by Great Britain in 1823. Britain was seeking exploitable resources, and the Pacific island region provided mineral resources and gold, albeit often in negligible amounts. The British-founded city of Fishport also became a major supply and refueling station for the Royal Navy and for merchants passing through.

The colonization of Vrendinari was resisted by several native tribes, all of which were brutally suppressed by British soldiers. In fact, all but the largest of the native groups were wiped out by a combination of slave labor and wholesale genocide in the first few years of the British occupation. The remaining natives survived by bowing to the inevitable and accepting their assigned positions in the new colonial society. They were employed as servants and coolies, as well as unskilled labor in the mines and plantations of the colony.

With the arrival of modern times and modern transportation which made long voyages and frequent resupply unnecessary, the British began to lose interest in the area. The overall crumbling of the British Empire's vast holdings was turning the nation's attention to other, more profitable regions. During the wars in the early half of the 20th century, the Royal Air Force established a base on Dravidus, but no one seriously expected Vrendinari itself to become embroiled in the war.

As foreign interest in the islands waned, the native population began to increase. In the 1960's, the colonials began to turn the colony's economy toward tourism, and several large resorts were opened. The influx of money and disdainful, wealthy foreigners fueled a wave of pride and resentment among the region's natives. Local leaders demanded more rights and better job opportunities for the natives, as well as a return to the proud tribal traditions that they accused the British of stealing from them. During the 70's and 80's, most of the population converted to some form of Vrend-i-fa, a modern distillation of tribal religion and superstitions which had been banned by the British as part of efforts to stamp out native resistance.

The leaders of the Vrend-i-fa movement became more militant, and began to declare that because of its failure to acquiesce to the demands of the natives, Britain must be ousted and the colonial government replaced by an independent state. The tension led several countries to advise tourists to avoid the area, which brought international focus to the struggle of the Vrendinarian natives. Britain's attempts to enforce the old anti-tribal laws to stop the independence movement led to even more international tension and a threat of sanctions from the UN. Finally, under pressure from its allies and unsure that the area was worth the risk of a guerilla war or continued international disfavor, Britain agreed to grant Vrendinari its independence on May 2nd, 1996.

Government

The Holy Republic of Vrendinari refers to itself as a republic of the people. However, in practice it is actually a theocratic dictatorship, with some overtones of communism. The leaders of the Vrend-i-fa movement were the writers of the nation's constitution and became its de facto governors in the first election held after the declaration of Vrendinari's independence. The seat of the government is Fishport, which was renamed Timini Bay after the signing of the constitution.

The elected government is comprised of a president and a parliament. The Parliament has only one house, which is composed of members representing each of the nation's 15 population districts and its 20 Vrend-i-fa temples. Members of Parliament are elected by their constitutents every 2 years, and the President is elected by a national vote every 3 years. Voting is highly encouraged, but there is only one political party (The Apostles of Vrend) and in the two elections since the first president's inauguration, only one candidate for president has been listed.

Born in 1975, President Lindy Dravida was one of the later Vrend-i-fa leaders, and although she competed in the first election with a number of elders, her enormous popularity with the people ensured that she was elected handily. She is the head of the political party, and appoints ministers to head the various arms of the government. Parliament theoretically has some power to dispute her orders, but in practice it tends to simply pass laws at her direction. The President also has the authority to indict any member of Parliament for treason or blasphemy, in which case he is automatically ejected from his seat and put on trial by the Parliament. This has already occurred several times in the nation's short history.

Citizens of Vrendinari are possessed by a frenetic nationalism. Both their government and their religion (which are essentially the same authority) instruct them to revere the nation and to do their duty to god by always doing what is best for the country. Civil rights are in short supply in Vrendinari, as the government becomes more and more determined to maintain its control of the nation's thought process. However, the state also takes a somewhat communistic approach to social programs, levying high taxes and pouring much of the money into state-run educational and medical facilities.

Religion

Vrend-i-fa is the official state religion of Vrendinari. The product of the 70's native pride movement, the religion is a combination of ancient tribal customs and political jargon. The President of the country is also styled the High Prophetess of the religion, and the Ministers are considered High Priests. Members of Parliament must also be ordained, which requires a higher education at colleges run by Vrend-i-fa Temples.

Vrend-i-fa is a hierarchical, monotheistic religion. Its holy writings consist solely of writings by the leaders of the pride movement, who are revered as prophets by the masses. The writings relate both the philosophy of the religion and its basis in the oral tradition of the island natives. The creed is full of complicated ritual, but the overriding principle is reverence for the Great God Vrend, for whom the religion and the country are named. Vrend-i-fa holds that Vrendinari is Vrend's holy nation on earth, and that his worshippers have been chosen to carry out his will. His will, as expressed by religious leaders, seems to consist primarily of doing what the President and the Temple tell you to do.

The High Prophetess is the head of the religion, supported by numerous High Priests who help counsel her and make policy. There are several orders of priests, followed by the common people of the Temples. Each of the 20 Temples is run by an independent group of priests, and each gets its own member of Parliament. Temples are considered separate population districts, despite their size, for all government purposes.

The overall goal of the religion is unclear. At the moment it is primarily focused upon bringing Vrendinari onto the world stage.

Economy

Vrendinari's natural resources include gold, copper, coal, timber, and fish. The mineral deposits are small, and centered on Dravidus. The largest island also houses the nation's growing tech industry. While citizens pay high taxes, Vrendinari has recently been lowering its rates of corporate taxation, hoping to attract foreign businesses. Despite this pro-foreigner stand, however, Vrendinari still eschews tourism, in memory of the degradation of the foreign-owned resorts that spurred on the struggle for independence.

Dravidus also hosts a logging operation and a number of successful fishing ports.

Umari and Wooven have mostly been logged off and are now primarily used for the growing of coconuts and tropical fruits. They are also a minor source of coca, although this problem has decreased in recent years as the Vrendinarian government cracked down on illegal narcotics.