Sanmra

The Nation of Sanmra
The Nation of Sanmra; Adıfas ni Sanmra
	Flag
Capital; and largest city	Elten
Official languages	Tirina
Recognized Dialects	Sakaran Tirina · Elten Tirina
Demonym	Losanmra
Government	Representational democracy led by an elected dictator
Legislature	House of Voters (Leten ni Nuoda)
Sovereign state
Area
Population
Gini	0.41; low
HDI	0.79; high
Time zone	EBT (SCT-2)
	does not participate in DST
Calling code	+11
Internet TLD	.sn

Sanmra (IPA: /ˈsan.mɾa/), officially the Nation of Sanmra (Adıfas ni Sanmra /ˈa.d̪ɪ.fas ni ˈsan.mɾa/), is a country located on the southern coast of Alpa, on the Dragon Sea. While small compared to many human-dominated nations, Sanmra is the only nation inhabited primarily by dalar aside from Tuanmali.

Etymology

lol i unno

History

Prehistory

Archaeological and genetic evidence indicates that dalar split from humans approximately 200,000 years ago, migrating north from the birthplace of humanity in Baredina through Miraria before crossing the Strait of Winds by boat or land bridge to settle in Alpa, where they faced no competition from the humans rapidly spreading throughout Miraria and Baredina. Between 100,000 and 50,000 years ago, humans began to make inroads into Alpa, but generally did not settle there, rather being pushed out by the dalar to go on to settle Nagu and Boroso. At this time, most of the continent was held by dalar, although only nominally in the northernmost regions (as dalar do not handle extreme cold well).

Circa 15,000 BCE, humans arrived in Alpa in increasingly large numbers. Based on genetic evidence, there was a population bottleneck around 10,000 BCE followed by a small influx of human genes; while there is little direct evidence (despite repeated attempts at creative interpretation of cave art and pottery), it is most likely that this was a result of warfare with humans, which devastated the always limited dalar population, whose population growth rate could not compete with that of humans.

Unification

Due to a lack of written records from either humans or dalar during the following time period, specifics are unclear, but archaeological evidence indicates repeated cycles of warfare and uneasy peace, with the dalar repeatedly grouping together into short-lived confederations before splitting apart, likely due as much to internal pressures as external ones. By around 500 BCE, the dalar were scattered again, gathered in small groups or tribes of a few hundred or thousand at most, frequently under attack by humans, and their territory had been severely reduced to the areas surrounding Lake Ani and Lake Tenkal.

At this time, the area along the Dera River was held by the Garsenians, a loose confederation of small villages and nomadic groups, led by a council of elders from each group. Around 470 BCE, with pressure from humans increasing again, the Garsenian elders selected a military commander named Tirina to serve as leader, believing (as did Tirina) that the best opportunity for the survival of the dalar was to forsake their traditional independent, semi-nomadic ways in favor of a unified nation with a central government, distinct from humanity. Under the leadership of Tirina and her husband, the Garsenian Confederation quickly expanded, initially through economic and military alliances, and later through military force.

Consolidation

The loose structure of the original confederation could not support the growing numbers of members, leading to extensive government reform around 450 BCE. Tirina and her husband took direct control of the military, transforming the council of elders from the ultimate authority into more of a council of advisors or cabinet. She also implemented cultural policies, making the Garsen language the official language of government and attempting to meld together the disparate dalar cultures into a single identity that in time would come to be known simply as "Sanmra".

These policies were not uniformly well-received, especially by the most recent additions to the increasingly un-confederation-like confederation, but other policies, such as setting up free schools in major towns and giving every settlement legal representation in the council of elders (previously, only the original members could participate), were much more widely approved of. She also took steps to prepare for the future after she was badly wounded in a battle, urging the council to select candidates for her successor for her to choose from. While she ultimately recovered from the wound (although she did die a few decades later nonetheless), it still set an important precedent that lasted for many generations, of the council choosing candidates and the supreme leader approving of one.

In 338 BCE, Tirina's husband died of unspecified medical problems, most likely a stroke. Tirina herself died shortly after, in 333 or 332 BCE (depending on the historian). Prior to her death, the council had approved a number of candidates, of whom Tirina selected Dengel (Modern Tirina: Dinel), her middle child; the modern tradition of two sarda with equal power had not yet developed, despite Tirina and her husband ruling jointly.

Split with the Tuanmali

By all accounts, Dengel was an able ruler, and widely liked. Rather than continue the expansion of the Garsenian Confederation, he continued the efforts to consolidate them, and won a number of notable victories against humans that solidified the dalar hold on the territory surrounding the Sanmra Lakes, as well as the coastline near the mouth of the Dera River. However, toward the end of his reign, protests and revolts by the Tuanmalis began to break out, one of the larger groups to have maintained a distinct cultural identity in the face of Tirina's policies. Dengel made a number of concessions to pacify them, such as granting the Tuanmali special permission to conduct some types of government business in their native languages, but died of a lingering illness before fully satisfying them. His successor Orsea (Modern Tirina: Orsi) was unfortunately a much less politically able leader, and while he initially tried to work with the Tuanmali, it was under his rule, in the year 161 CE, that they ultimately rebelled in the Ahčān Revolution, named after one of the most famous Tuanmali leaders, Ahčān (Modern Tirina: Arhan).

After a number of skirmishes, Orsea decided it was better to let the Tuanmalis go and consolidate power over those that remained, rather than risk a longer civil war that could have encouraged others to join them. The Tuanmalis and their allies, always nomadic at heart, migrated west, then south through Astalva into Nagu before reaching Boroso hundreds of years later.

Development into the modern state

Over time, the state of Sanmra slowly developed into its modern form. The council of elders was reformed several times before it became the democratic congress of today, with two representatives from each district or israd (a district generally consisting of a single large town or city, perhaps with smaller towns or villages nearby). The position of sarda also went through many changes, and in fact spent a good portion of time as nothing more than a figurehead before reclaiming power. Today, Sanmra is a stable, prosperous nation that lives peaceably with its neighbors and believes trade is a better method of diplomacy than war.

Except for the Tuanmali, because they can go straight to H-E-double hockey sticks, if you know what I mean.

Geography

There are... trees... and probably some plains... and maybe some hills or mountains and things?

Geology

Climate

Biodiversity

Tirina names for geographical features

Native names for various geographical features are as follows:

General Name	Tirina Name	Pronunciation and Meaning
Sahar	Sahar	[sa.'har]
<strait between NWI and NC>	ıtali ni Uhan	[ɪt̪.ˈa.li ni ˈu.han] Strait of Winds
Taanttu Gulf/Pođnae Doši	Podana Dosi	[po.ˈd̪an.a ˈd̪o.si] Borrowed from Nithalos
Isthmus of Meliku	ıtali ni Meliku	[ɪt̪.ˈa.li ni me.ˈli.ku]
Šarkunen Peninsula	Sakunen <peninsula>	[sa.ˈku.nɛn]
Far northern parts of Asura Ocean	Ado Kalusali	[ˈa.d̪o ka.ˈlu.sa.ˌli] Icy Ocean, more or less
Asura Ocean	Ado Ipari	[ˈa.d̪o ɪ.ˈpa.ri] Western Ocean

Politics

The modern Sanmra state is a representative democracy headed by an elected dictator, if that makes any sense. Think, like, Roman dictator, except it's for life.

Government

There are two main divisions in the Sanmra government: the nuoda (Voters) and the sarda (the (pair of) supreme leader(s)). The nuoda pass/repeal laws, handle taxes, regulate interactions between districts, and take care of a number of administrative duties. The sarda technically have absolute control of government, but in practice mostly just confirm/veto laws, run the executive and judicial branches, and serve as the head of the military--the actual head, not just a symbolic one.

Nuoda

The nuoda are democratically elected from each district. By tradition, both two representatives are elected, one as the "inner" representative (Nuoda Tewa; their bailiwick is generally the main municipality of their district) and one as the "outer" representative (Nuoda Kade; they deal with matters outside of town, such as farms and roads). Often the inner representative is a woman and the outer is a man, but not always--sometimes the genders are reversed, or sometimes (rarely) both are male or female.

The nuoda are led by the lun nuoda (first voters); the current First Voters are Talesın ni ??? and his wife Preli ni ??? rıl ???.

Sarda

The sarda is a pair of leaders--always a man and a woman--who are the supreme leaders and representatives of the Sanmra government. It's a lifetime position, but not a hereditary one; the sarda are appointed democratically by the nuoda. The sarda may be members of the nuoda, but just as often are not. While the two have equal power and are due equal respect, one or the other tends to be the "head"; although nobody formally recognizes this, everybody knows it. Often, but not always, the two are a married couple; sometimes they've been brother and sister, very occasionally parent and child or cousins, and even more rarely two totally unrelated people.

The sarda is expected to moderate serious conflict between districts or among the nuoda, and in addition to political duties, is expected to fight alongside the military during times of war, physically defending their nation to their last breath. In today's era, however, this is unlikely, as the Sanmra attempt to avoid war rather than invite it.

The current sarda is Tien'a ni Edara and her husband Ledan rıl Losa.

Administrative divisions

Sanmra is divided into a large number of districts (known natively as israd), most of which consist of a single large municipality (a city or large town), along with the surrounding area and any small municipalities nearby.

Foreign relations

Sanmra has always been a more secluded nation, but in the previous few centuries has begun to participate more in the broader international stage. They are famously neutral (except toward the Tuanmali, who as has been already stated are more than welcome to collectively die in a fire) and, thanks to their long lives and careful attitudes toward money, are fairly wealthy. Therefore, they have gained importance globally as a center for banking, as well as an neutral mediator.

Military

The Sanmra military has an unusual structure. Sanmra traditionally is a strongly isolationist country, preferring not to get involved with foreign affairs if at all possible. Therefore, the military is not very "military", and carries many responsibilities other than the physical defense of the nation. It's not so much the military acting as law enforcement officers as it is primarily law enforcement officers that, in times of war, become military forces. The majority of the military do not actually perform traditional "military" activities, but rather are police officers, border patrol agents, or are employed by the justice branch. There are four divisions within the Tasen ni Sanmra (Army of Sanmra): the Kasti, the ENE, the Len, and the Puorn.

Kasti

The kasti (police) make up the bulk of the Sanmra army. This organization is further divided into full-time military professionals, border patrol agents (which includes Sanmra's naval forces), and law enforcement officers. Both humans and dalar can become kasti, although humans rarely are assigned outside of human-dominated areas.

ENE

The Edaralni ni Enarlea (Office of Intelligence) are the Sanmra special forces, an elite group of operatives that gather and analyze foreign intelligence, as well as carry out covert ops. The organization is frequently called the ENE or Eda-Ena for short. Many ex-len or those who were not accepted into the len are among their ranks, especially as officers. Both humans and dalar are allowed in the ENE, although the barriers to entry are such that very few humans ever are accepted.

Len

The len are a strictly structured, highly traditional paramilitary organization that has existed in one form or another in Sanmra for centuries. Technically speaking, while they are considered to be under military oversight, they are an independent organization and are only truly answerable to their very strict code of honor. Historically, the len have acted as an important check on the power of the sarda, who otherwise would have direct command of all Sanmra's armed forces. Only dalar are eligible to apply to the len, and there are strict application requirements as well as a number of grueling tests before an applicant is even accepted as a candidate. Those who are accepted as candidates undergo five years of training, and if accepted at the conclusion of their training, must give up all ties to their former life to become a full-time member.

The len primarily serve as bodyguards for government officials and carry out certain types of federal investigations. They also perform some intelligence work. There have been various movements over the years for the len to accept humans, but there is not much support for this, even among humans.

Puorn

The puorn (courts) are the criminal justice branch of the Sanmra government. (Civil courts are handled separately.) They are closely tied to the kasti. Humans and dalar who are qualified to be civil judges are also qualified to be criminal judges, although again dalar are much more common.

Economy

Historically, the Sanmra nation did little trade with its neighbors, but this has changed dramatically in the past few centuries. Today, most of Sanmra's economy is supported through banking, as well as production and export of luxury goods. While strict laws limit the involvement of non-Sanmra citizens (and non-dalar in general) in commerce, many foreign companies have forged partnerships with Sanmra companies to take advantage of the relatively low taxes and economic freedom of Sanmra.

Transport

Airports

The largest and busiest Sanmra airport is the Elten International Airport (Emroili ni Elten ıku Adıfas), the primary entry point for visitors to the country. The only other international airport is <airport name>, located in Orsili. Important domestic commercial airports can be found in Sakaran and <other cities>.

Seaports

The largest seaport is the Elten City Docks (Denekere ni Akoima ni Elten), the primary import/export hub for the nation. The second-largest seaport is <seaport name> in Orsili, which is known as a popular port for cruise vessels.

Waterways

The Dera River connects the Dragon Sea and Lake Ani. It is navigable through its entire length, although the construction of locks was necessary to allow modern shipping vessels to reach Lake Ani. It is a major shipping route into the interior of the country.

Shipping is also common on Lake Ani.

Energy

Science and technology

Tourism

While Sanmra is significantly less isolationist than previously, it is still notoriously difficult to enter the country, even for a short trip, without already knowing a Sanmra citizen. Therefore, both tourism and immigration are very low. Most tourism that does exist is along the southern coast.

Demographics

In 2000, the population of Sanmra was between half and three-quarters of a million people. While some human families have lived among the Sanmra for years, there are relatively very few non-dalar, and the majority live in the major cities. There are also very few foreigners, even foreign dalar. There's probably like two Tuanmali citizens in the entire country, for example.

Life expectancy is good for dalar--barring deaths due to violence, the average life expectancy is 500+ years of age. And deaths due to violence are down in the past century or two.

As is common for dalar, about 50% of women have never given birth; this percentage has remained relatively constant for many years. However, among women who do have children, they on average have multiple children, which coupled with the slightly increased life expectancy has led to a very slowly growing population.

Families

The basic social and legal unit in Sanmra is the family.

Ethnic groups

While Sanmra was originally founded by uniting disparate groups of dalar, the modern nation is remarkably homogeneous--over time, intermarriage has led everybody to look pretty much the same. There are a few small groups that have maintained a unique culture separate from the dominant Sanmra culture, but only a small number of the population--less than 10% total--belongs to any of them.

Urbanization

While the major Sanmra cities have certainly grown, many Sanmra still cling to the old ways of life--farming, hunting, fishing, and generally living in small communities of a few hundred or thousand, rather than big cities like Elten with tens of thousands of inhabitants.

Language

The official and by far most widely-spoken language is Tirina. Major dialects include Elten Tirina (spoken in, obviously, Elten, and generally associated with upper-class and political figures) and Sakaran Tirina (spoken primarily in, obviously, Sakaran). As it has been since the time of Tirina, it is the language of government and law (although concessions are now made for government-provided translators, if necessary).

A minority natively speaks Azen, despite its associations with the Tuanmali. (It is, after all, their primary language.)

A majority of the population has at least passing familiarity with a second language. About a quarter of the population is actually bilingual--fluent in at least one other language. Bilingualism is on the rise, especially among young Sanmra citizens who use the internet heavily.

Of human languages, the most commonly-known are Nithalos and Xynder.

Education

Basic education (both primary and secondary education) is both free and mandatory, resulting in a literacy rate of over 99%. Government-sponsored schools are located in every municipality (although some small villages may have a combined school district) and follow a curriculum developed by the Department of Education. "Kindergarten" is provided starting at age 10, but it is not actually mandatory for a child to attend school until age 15. This schooling lasts to when a child becomes a legal adult at 48, although most students complete their courses at least two or three years prior to this point.

After grade school, many young adults move directly into the workforce. For certain careers, such as some technical fields, there are popular paid apprenticeship programs. However, there are also post-secondary institutions such as universities for very technical fields--medicine and law, for example--or simply for deeper, more comprehensive education on a subject, such as political science or history. Universities do have tuition costs, but in many cases, they are waived. If a student is from a large, wealthy, or powerful family, it is likely their family's endowments will make up for the tuition. If they are from a poor or small family, need-based scholarships are generally available.