Archive:Edievia

Republic of Edievia Respoblec o Taaev, Taaev
Flag of Edievia Flag
Motto: Locraedaes Napralales Independent Industry
Anthem: Déis Lagen aéis Giáol From the Mountains to the Sea
Capital		Claën
Largest		Restits
Official languages		Edievian
Recognised regional languages		Laendish
Demonym		Edievian
Government		Parliamentary constitutional republic
-	Prime Minister, Primiaer	Telt Osuvde
-	Head of Parliament, Dodeman Primierel óis Sot	Ionas Náid
Legislature		Parliament, Sot úis Túid
Establishment
-	First Edievian Union, Tudotet u Tujd Taêbesj	1632
-	First Edievian Republic, Respoblec Taêbês	5 January 1793
-	Communist Republic of Edievia, Respoblec Comunisamel o Taaev	19 June 1912
-	Republic of Edievia Respoblec o Taaev	10 April 1957
Area
-		249,911.91 km2 96,492 sq mi
Population
-	2010 estimate	12,060,000
-	Density	48.26/km2 125/sq mi
Currency		Paels (pl. péils) (EDP)
Date format		dd-mm-yyyy, CE
Drives on the		left
Calling code		+25
Internet TLD		.ev

The Republic of Edievia (IPA: /ə'diviə/, Native language: Taaev, IPA: /t̪aɛv/), commonly Edievia (Edievian: Respoblec o Taaev), is a country located on the continent of (), on the Isthmus of Meliku. It is situated on the (gulf), with Riyana bordering to the west and north, Laefevia to the east, and Nithalosia to the south. Edievia also claims sovereignty over a few islands in the () Sea. A member of the Šarkunen region, its history is deeply intertwined with those of its neighbours. Edievia, along with Nithalosia, Laefevia, Xynderland, and Riyana, is a founding member of the Union of Šarkunen Nations (USN). Edievia is a developed country that relies heavily on commerce and trade for the bulk of its GDP. Forestry and mining bring in much of the nation's wealth. The land currently occupied by Edievia has been inhabited for several thousand years, with the Edievian predecessors, the Colian Empire, reigning supreme over the Isthmus of Meliku before succumbing to corruption and invasion.

Etymology

Edievia's native name Taaev comes from the late Colian phrase etagu gêbe, meaning "our land", and was most likely pronounced [et̪agu gɛbe]. As the Edievian people began to develop a coherent identity as a people, this phrase endured phonetic degradation:

   *etagɛb > *etajɛb > *tajɛb > *taɛb > taɛv

History

The Edievian Republic is one of a series of national entities that has developed in western Šarkunen. Its origins lie in the Colian Empire, a sprawling nation that ranged from the () gulf to the Amiiant Sea, south to the () Ocean, and north to the southernmost lake of contemporary central Laefevia. The Colian Empire consisted of several cities and a well-designed and maintained road system that linked the various ends of the empire. Aqueducts carried water to cities, and early sewer systems brought waste away. Infrastructure was highly funded and constantly updated and maintenanced. Beginning in approximately the year 800, corruption in the ruling upper class began to chip away at Colian society, and the rioting lower classes usurped power. The empire crumbled as infrastructure was neglected in the ensuing 12-year anarchy. The weakened cities were unable to hold their populations, and people fled to the countryside to eke out an existence. During this time, invasions and migrations from nearby peoples pushed the Colian peoples around the peninsula.

By the year 1000, the Colian Empire was a distant memory and various populations of ethnic Colians made their living along the western parts of Šarkunen. Most had moved away from the leeward side of central mountains and settled from the foothills to the gulf coast. These peoples slowly organized themselves into an early, slightly uneasy alliance of villages, referring to themselves as etagu gêbe, the etymological ancestor of Edievia's demonym Taaev. Etagu gêbe's slow unification prevented much technological change and halted the growth of the civilization. Around the year 1600, Taiêb (the newly evolved name for the area) was growing into a union of people with a stronger national identity and growing interest in creating a nation outright.

Origins of Edievia

The first Edievian nation was founded in 1632, as the Todotet u Tujd Taêbesj (contemporary Edievian Tudot u Túid Taaeves, "Union of Edievian Peoples", often abbreviated as the TTT), and occupied a territory roughly equivalent to contemporary Edievia. Its capital, contemporary Claën (then called Clagen), was a small city of no more than a thousand inhabitants, but was chosen for its central location relative to the other Edievian villages. This first epoch of Edievian unity, under the TTT, lasted until 1792, during which internal tensions came to a head with the first Edievian Revolution (Siáe Naóis Revolots Taaevaes).

The 160 year peace under the TTT was only superficially calm. Much like the Colian Empire before it, the TTT was ruled by an aristocratic upper class that profited off of a drastically poorer class of farming peoples. Taxes were levied on transporting goods, using rivers for transport, and many farmers rented their animals and/or equipment from the nobleman who owned the land. The impoverished lower class outnumbered the upper class 20 to 1, and on 9 September 1792, the farmers revolted in Restits. They ignited food stores and overnight, 2/3 of the city was engulfed in flames. Over the next week, several other cities and towns fell to rioting. People of the upper class were captured and tortured before being killed. For a full month, vigilante justice brought the country to its knees as cities burned and people of perceived high status were maimed. The final killing was committed on 11 October 1792. The month of burning and death is now known as the Prantaf úis Gal, the month of the pyres.

The First Edievian Republic

The country reorganized itself under civilian rule as a republic, and on 5 January 1793, the first Edievian Republic (Respoblec Taêbês, contemporary Edievian Naóis Respoblec Taaevaes) was founded. Claën (then spelled Claien) was chosen to remain as the capital of the nation, and the first general assembly (Sot u Tujd, contemporary Edievian Sot u Túid; "Court of the People") was met on 15 January 1793. The Sot u Tujd consisted of representatives (dodeman, speakers) from the newly-created provinces (taglin) who were elected by the people. Voting laws in the first republic were lax - any property owner could vote, irrespective of gender, class, or national origin. The first convention of the Sot u Tujd lasted for 10 days, and its first mission was the choice of a president (obsesaeg). Varvat Olaëne was chosen by the dodeman as the first president of the Edievian Republic.

During the first republic, Edievia took root as an industrialized nation. Edievia increased its ties with its neighbors, especially Nithalosia and Laefevia, who were also powers in the region. Olaëne also established the first national currency in 1794, the paels, still in use today. Edievian economy turned from exclusive fishing and farming and towards the resources inland, primarily the lush forests of the () mountains and the mineral resources below them. By the mid-1800s, Edievia was exporting as much iron as it was using, and Edievian oak, pine, and aspen were in demand for furniture-building across the Šarkunen Peninsula. The first Edievian republic was a period of relative peace and growth for the nation.

The peace and economic expansion of the first republic was not to last. The first rumblings of trouble were heard in 1893, the centennial of the republic. The populations of the northwestern provinces were feeling overwhelmed by their southern neighbors. The close ties to Laefevia and Nithalosia to the south and east were proving lucrative for those living there. Similarly, the wealth coming into the capital via trade and fishing created an air of exoticism and elitism among the Claën bourgeoisie. The lavish celebrations of the centennial in Claën and other large cities enraged northwesterners, who saw it as a snub towards their underfunded provinces. Protests erupted in late January 1893, but were quelled by deliberations in the Sot u Tujd. An uneasy peace was forged as taxes were reallocated to better fund the northwest.

The reallocation of tax money proved to only be a bandage on the situation. The discontent of the northwesterners moved underground, where anti-southern societies were established. Opinions of these societies varied wildly; some wanted to infiltrate the Sot u Tujd and redirect more funds to the northwest, others wanted to secede from the republic, and others wanted to establish a new form of government. Propaganda began to circulate in northwestern towns, and by 1900, the general sentiment shifted towards overthrowing the republic. The northwest lacked the power and resources needed for a full coup d'état, but they did have the propaganda machine necessary. These people began to refer to themselves as tudjeman (contemporary Edievian tudiéman), "the people's people". Most tudjeman dissent societies were of the communist mindset at this time, and over the next decade they spent time spreading anti-republic messages throughout the outer regions of Edievia, especially the mountainous east, where the bulk of Edievia's industry lay.

The Communist Republic of Edievia

The conspirators' patience and planning was rewarded; on 12 May 1912, provinces across Edievia's peripheries exploded in protest and revolt. With the exception of the wealthy urban centers (principally Claën, Restits, and Taiedelt), almost the entire country was enraged, angry at the perceived waste and misspending of money. The tudjeman had convinced the entire country that the cities were sponging up funds and slowly draining the rest of the country, especially the native industries of logging and mining. The Sot u Tujd was overwhelmed and in-fighting among the dodeman defeated most prospects of stabilizing the country. Protesters poured into Claën on 16 May 1912, overnight the protests and demonstrations turned to rioting and looting. The capital was devastated, but somehow spared from fire. Instead, the goods and luxuries were looted and sold off throughout the country.

With Claën on its knees, and the other large cities poised to be struck, the tudjeman were ready to take power. Elections were quickly run, and on 1 June 1912, the Sot u Tujd was fully populated by tudjeman representatives from the northwest and other peripheral provinces. They amended the laws and removed the need to have a president. They Sot u Tujd took control of all politics and set up a communist society, the Respoblec Comunisamel o Taaev (Communist Republic of Edievia). Each province was allocated an equal amount of tax monies, while the dodeman secretly padded the accounts of northwestern individuals who helped with the initial revolt. The new distribution of wealth seemed to appease the masses, and Edievia sojourned forward. The Sot u Tujd slowly enacted legislation that nationalized various industries - by 1935, the logging, mining, and paper industries had been nationalized. In 1940, all shipping via boats larger than 3m long was nationalized. In 1945, the fishing industry was nationalized. The people who had pushed for new government 30 years prior began to feel betrayed.

In 1951, 92% of Edievia's GDP came from industries nationalized by the government. Only citizens who farmed were fully outside the government's grasp, though tax collectors still visited to take the government's share of their income. The remainder of citizens were becoming more and more dissatisfied with the Sot u Tujd's control, and felt ignored by those who were supposed to represent them. Slowly, unrest built, especially in the cities, where the citizens felt especially hurt by the government's policies.

Dissent spread quickly from the cities to provinces throughout the country. Even the largest city in the northwest, Darob, began to see anti-government signs. 1953 brought further protest against the government. The nationalized industries made protest difficult, however, as individuals caught engaging in anti-governmental activity were swiftly removed from their jobs. The nationalized police force took care of demonstrations as they appeared, and throughout 1953, the Edievian people were subdued by their own government. One dodeman of the Sot u Tujd, Agja Padgeg, remarked "Caelconom nes fos mimiat ales endalan sié túid catiat fog daéis udracaes. Naholeriv ne." ("We have learned what happens when the people try to take power from the government. We will not allow it.")

1954 was a turning point in the protests against the government. Those opposed to the communist officials named themselves the tujd velgusj (contemporary Edievian túid velgus, the "real people", chosen in spite against the representatives that did nothing for them). The tujd velgusj were vehemently against the Sot u Tujd's control over the nation, and made it clear that the tudjeman would be removed from power, with force if necessary. Protests began again throughout the country, and the government police was issued to stop each. On 6 February 1954, the first shots were first just outside of Claën, in the town of Dogarde. The government police had been directed to quell a protest, and protesters had begun to throw bricks and stones at the police force. One officer misheard the order tiélab ("aim") as straelab ("fire" or "shoot"), and fired at the crowd. Three were killed in the initial shooting, an event known now as the sataes óis magaes (the "start of the end"). The crowd at Dogarde retaliated and killed five officers. The Sot u Tujd immediately reacted as if war had been declared, and governmental police took the town. No civilians could leave or enter, and supplies to the town were limited to the bare necessities to live. The tujd velgusj saw this as an act of betrayal and treason.

Civil War

The shots fired in February 1954 were the first of many to come. The tujd velgusj quickly stopped protesting and demonstration efforts went underground. Governmental power was strongest in Claën and Restits, the large coastal cities. Inland cities, as well as those to the north and south, were less controlled by the tudjeman, and the tujd velgusj used these cities, such as Darob, Colto, and Traiastat, as their bases. The tujd velgusj began to amass an army and the supplies to back it, and to refer to themselves as the velgostoc ("reality") as a show of determination. Soon a shibboleth was born to inquire if an individual was a member of the velgostoc - "Mes ab du dóis velgostoc?" ("Are you in the reality?", c.f. "Are you in this reality?")

Geography

Located on the western shore of the Isthmus of Meliku (a slightly narrow band of land in the approximate middle of Šarkunen), Edievia ranges from the shoreline on the (gulf) to the () mountains.

Politics

Foreign relations

Edievia is a founding member of the Union of Šarkunen Nations, along with Riyana, Laefevia, Nithalosia, and Xynderland.

Economy

Currency

The official currency of the Republic of Edievia is the Paels (plural Péils, in English it is often used as Paels for both singular and plural).

Demographics

Language

Edievian is the official language of the entire republic, however Laendish is official regionally. Towns and cities along international borders often are bilingual in the language of the nearest neighbor, i.e., Nithalos, Laefevian, Riyan, etc.

Prior to the civil war, which lasted from 1987 to 1989, a wide range of Edievian dialects were spoken across the nation, with exceptional variety towards the mountainous interior of the country. The instating of a national school system, as well as the adoption of the prestige dialect of the capital, after the civil war brought a more uniform language situation in the country. Most young adults and children (aged 30 and younger) speak exclusively standard Edievian, while older speakers tend to be bilingual in standard Edievian and their native dialect. Senior citizens will often be monolingual in their native dialects.

Culture

Symbols

As country straddling the sea and the mountains, Edievia's dependence on land and water is often symbolized in the river otter, a common animal along the rivers of non-urbanized areas. The river otter is the national animal of Edievia, and native Edievians compare the animal's strong family structure to that of Edievian society.

Notes

1. ^↑This quote has been reformatted into modern standard Edievian. It was originally published as "Cêlconom ne-sae fos mimiat ale-sae endalan sje tujd catiat fog edêsj udracês."
2. ^↑This quote has been reformatted into modern standard Edievian. It was originally spelled as "Mes ab du dosj velgostoc?"