Tanyara
Modern Tanyara is a large, prosperous, and diverse nation, but at its beginning, its population consisted entirely of Emeralian arkhel who became fierce and competitive survivalists. Tanyaran values revolve around honor, strength, and community, but these values at times ironically drive wedges between its people.
Map
History
Pre-Ascension
Thanks to a lack of reliable written sources or archaeological findings, very little is known of most countries and cultures pre-Ascension. This goes double for Tanyara, of which one thing has always been certain: it is a wild place, difficult to traverse for all except the most savvy natives. In addition, most construction has used wood and sun-dried clay, and both deteriorate over time. More valuable construction materials are recycled, leaving almost no intact ancient sites.
Even early post-Ascension historical sites are few and far between and offer little information. Most of what is known about the first millennium or so P.A. comes from oral traditions that were written down when Tanyara finally developed (or possibly re-developed) written language.
Early Tanyara
Early Tanyara was not a united state, but rather a collection of arkhel tribes that frequently formed and broke alliances as suited the needs of each disparate community.
The northern tribes most closely resembled what modern people would consider civilization, since they had access to stone and farmland and enjoyed temperate, predictable weather. The even terrain made construction and travel easy, enabling these tribes to sprawl across the landscape and trade with each other.
Meanwhile, the tribes in southern and eastern Tanyara staked a claim to the coasts. Many wars raged over the best fishing waters and most fertile deltas; whoever controlled the region had the best access to trade with inland tribes, from whom they obtained most of their construction materials and other crafts. They enjoyed plentiful food and developed efficient naval travel, a precursor to air travel.
Central Tanyara was the most savage region, difficult to navigate, overgrown with an abundance of life, and full of dangerous plants and animals. The tribes here enjoyed relative safety from their neighbors, who feared the labyrinthine, mysterious jungle and its warlike inhabitants. Central Tanyarans became formidable survivors, knowledgeable about the natural world and its uses and placing an emphasis on working with nature instead of conquering it.
Uelan Empire
At times, tribal alliances became uniquely strong, leading to bonds that lasted generations as two or more peoples became one. The most famous and historically significant of these was the Uelan Alliance, a group of four eastern tribes that worked together to control the seas, shores, and more hospitable woodlands in the region. The alliance formed in the eighteenth century P.A. The chiefs of the four tribes (mostly men, although that was rare among arkhel societies elsewhere in the world at the time) formed a ruling council under one king, the first Tanyaran to hold such a title. Although the first king was an Ezaran and held power easily because of his status, later kings were elected by the council. The council voted based on a prior public vote, each representing the desires of their tribe of origin, making the Uelan Alliance the first representative democracy in Emeralia. This tradition would last for a millennium.
As tribes grew into larger, stronger states, they began to conquer smaller ones, adding to their numbers and holdings. Wars on a new scale broke out between these larger nations, and eventually the Uelan Alliance held most of Tanyara, flexing their economic, naval, and military superiority. However, central Tanyaran remained untamed and unclaimed by any nation, since its inhabitants ably held off the other nations’ incursions with guerilla warfare.
Although a far cry from later Emeralian empires, the Uelan Alliance–which came to be known simply as Uela–was among the first groups on the continent to join together so many disparate peoples under one central power, and they did it successfully. The strength of Uela brought stability, and for the first time in known history, Tanyarans had the resources and freedom to move away from the traditional occupations of warrior, farmer, and hunter. This was the start of bureaucracy and business and led to a massive outpouring of artistic energy; the poetry, music, and visual arts of the “Uelan Renaissance” changed the appearance and culture of Tanyara for centuries to come. Uela also enjoyed flourishing trade, particularly with Alvitas to the north (whose technology was more advanced) and Kekari to the southeast (which had fine crafts and materials, particularly textiles).
The Seshi Wars were the first conflicts for which reliable primary sources exist. This series of wars, starting in 3281 P.A., saw Uela finally redouble their efforts against the innermost tribes of central Tanyara, and Alvitan allies bolstered Uela’s numbers and technological advantage. In 3328, Uela finally crushed the last of the tribal resistance, and Tanyara was entirely under the control of one power. However, holding the wilderness and attempting to make use of its people and resources was difficult and proved a significant drain on Uela. It seemed the ancient, mighty nation had finally overexerted itself.
Alvitan Rule
In the aftermath of the Seshi Wars, Tanyara was ripe for the picking, since the Uelan government had strained its resources and become increasingly reliant on allies. Alvitas took the opportunity and pounced, betraying Uela and seizing control of northern Tanyara by military force. Uela fought but could not regain their holdings, and the two nations spent about a century and a half at a tense standstill, struggling through culture clashes. Uelan leaders quickly realized just how outclassed they were by Alvitan technology and military organization, and they lost Kekarish allies who wanted to avoid confrontation with the larger, more imposing nation.
In 3490 P.A., Alvitas applied more pressure, reaching for more of Tanyara’s lush farmland and even creeping its fingers towards the coast. This movement had been decades in the making, and Uela lacked the time and strength to hold them off. Defeats, retreats, and narrow, short-lived victories characterized the next two years of Uelan history until, desperate to maintain some semblance of power and stability, they surrendered to Alvitas and pleaded for an easy and amicable peace under which they would be able to retain their culture and self-determination. They did not get the exact terms they wanted, but although Uela as it was known was no more, Tanyara was not wholly destroyed by Alvitas’ might.
For the next few centuries, Tanyara was part of the Alvitan Empire. This time period was the first time a significant nourt population sprung up in Tanyara, and racial tensions rose. Most of Tanyara, which had had an exclusively arkhel population for thousands of years, saw nourts as symbols of Alvitan conquest and oppression, and the smaller race suffered resentment and discrimination. Central Alvitan powers did not have the means to stamp out this tension, nor was it a priority, as they were busy spreading northward simultaneously. As the Tanyaran caste system was still in place, they frequently and forcibly pushed nourts to the bottom of the social order.
Once Alvitas had secured its northern expansion, they turned their eye to internal stability and peace, and the Alvitan government cracked down on local Tanyaran governments, forcing them to adopt new laws that would protect nourts. Safe nourt enclaves formed, with the most significant being Spiral Isle. Following this separation, an uneasy peace settled in, and over time it became less hostile and increasingly amicable. Nourts naturally and gradually re-integrated, though it took a long time and was difficult for a lot of people.
In 3901 P.A., two Ezarans arose almost simultaneously in Alvitas: princess and future empress Pen Nelamba (Ezaran Felar), and her rival-to-be, Gerith Sanvalit (Ezaran Menrair). A civil war began in 3910 when the two amassed their respective followers and flung them against each other in a nation-spanning conflict. Gerith Sanvalit employed Tanyaran forces, gaining the region’s loyalty with the promise of independence upon his victory. However, both died in the Battle of Paraven of 3914, leaving Alvitas down on population, money, a capital city, and most of its leadership. The war had no clear winner. Nonetheless, when Sanvalit’s son stepped up to clean up the ashes, Tanyara demanded that he fulfill his father’s promise and allow them to break off from the empire. He agreed, and the Empire was truly and fully fallen, giving rise to the nations of Alvitas and Tanyara as they are now known.
After Alvitas
Once free, Tanyara returned to its democratic roots, though their population was now mixed enough that tribal lines were no longer clear and the voting populace had to be divided along geographic lines instead. Instead of a king, Tanyara is now led by a President who serves as leader for three years at a time. Most Presidents are re-elected several times, and the current president, Juliel Feniren, has served four full terms and is on his fifth.
The country has spent the last century relatively isolated, untrusting of other nations, but trade has slowly reopened with Kekari, Alvitas, and Izherat. Gradually, Tanyara begins to prosper anew, although they still lack the level of technology and industry that their Alvitan neighbors possess.
Culture
Although a variety of influences have changed Tanyaran culture over the centuries, they retain their roots as warriors and survivors with a strong emphasis on family and freedom. However, “freedom” refers more to the autonomy of the nation or, on a more specific level, its counties. Most people place a greater importance on the group they belong to than on themselves; one’s own blood family comes first, followed by the community or city they live in, followed by the country itself. Tanyara is fiercely nationalistic and proud of their culture, clinging tightly to traditions.
Values
Religion
The dominant religion in Tanyara is Amicticism, originally from an Alvitan word that has been broadly accepted to describe traditional Tanyaran beliefs. Practitioners believe in a broad, nebulous pantheon of gods, almost all of them being gods of nature and its forces, and they choose which to worship and when. Far more importantly, Amictics practice ancestor worship. Home shrines serve as places for prayer and meditation, connecting to one’s forebears for guidance and comfort. Most travelers or people who can’t afford a full shrine keep a thorough genealogical record that they can refer to and use for prayer.
Since Alvitas’ conquest centuries ago, Syenneanism has also taken root. Syenneanism is a much more organized religion than Amicticism, but it has many sects. The thing uniting all denominations is the pantheon they believe in, led by the god Syenne, referred to by many as the World-Father. The sect least popular in Tanyara, in large part thanks to its pacifist nature, is Elamsharanism, which places primary worship on the mother goddess Elamshara instead of Syenne.
Gender Roles
Although most historically arkhel-dominated societies are matriarchal, Tanyara leans somewhat patriarchal. Men dominate the military, and Tanyara strongly values military might and the archetypal warrior. As a result, although women still lead in most households and local communities, men represent disproportionately in the higher levels of government.
Physical might is valued among men, who historically have been soldiers, hunters, and military leaders. Every man is expected to have some fighting ability, and anyone middle class or higher is expected to be capable with twin swords. Dueling is a favorite pastime for both participants and watchers as well as a way to decide conflicts. In addition to being physically able, men are expected to behave with immaculate discipline and respect, particularly when with superiors and women, and personal details and feelings are only to be shared in close settings or when asked directly. Men make up the bulk of government officers, leaders, and agents, as well as all of the military.
On the other hand, women are expected to value sociability and eloquence; although Tanyara is more patriarchal than most arkhel-dominated societies, women still largely lead in the home and community, bringing people together and solving internal disputes. Emotional openness is more normalized among women than men, and they are encouraged to be energetic, exuberant, and to communicate their thoughts and feelings as they see fit. Women dominate in literature and art, and many own their own businesses.
Although differences between the sexes are significantly less pronounced in nourts than in arkhel, Tanyaran nourts still generally stick to these gendered expectations, even if they adhere less strictly.
Kinlessness
Broadly speaking, the Tanyaran populace is divided into two groups: full citizens and the kinless. The kinless are stripped of the full rights of citizenship, including suffrage, and they cannot marry, hold government positions, or access most institutes of education. Most devastating of all is the fact that they are cut off from the ancestors they would otherwise worship and receive guidance from, leaving them spiritually alone.
Some kinless people are disowned by their families for criminal offenses or otherwise bringing some form of disgrace or dishonor on the family name. Rarely, government authority declares an adult kinless for particularly heinous offenses, removing them from their old community and full participation in society. However, most kinless people are the descendants of disowned people, criminals, or of immigrants who did not fit into the social order; as a result, nourts are disproportionately represented among the kinless population, as are arkhel of non-Emeralian breeds, particularly Chekorusians.
Three things mark the kinless apart and present difficulty in hiding one’s status. Firstly, the kinless have no surnames, indicating that they have no family or clan. Secondly, they have no Citizen Identification papers; if they were full citizens before, the papers are destroyed by whatever authority has declared them kinless. Thirdly, the kinless have a vertical scar on either shoulder, easily covered up by clothes but a clear and permanent bodily marking. The scar is to be renewed yearly with a ritual cut so that it remains obvious.
It is difficult to ascend from the kinless caste; there are only two ways to accomplish it. While kinless people cannot marry each other, a kinless person can marry a full citizen and thus gain the same status. Unfortunately, so much stigma surrounds kinlessness that very few citizens are willing to even entertain the thought of marrying one. Any kinless children in such a situation also gain citizen status from their step-parent. Alternatively, government authority can grant citizen status to a kinless person as reward for a great feat. This is extremely rare, in large part because said authorities get to decide what feats count as great, and in most counties, local governments are inclined against uplifting the kinless.
When someone leaves kinlessness behind, they are to “cross” their scars, striking perpendicularly through their original kinless scars. These new cuts generally have to be renewed, at least until they are more obvious than the original scars, making it clear that the person is no longer kinless.
Although considered quaint and backwards by Tanyara’s former rulers and current neighbors, the tradition of this caste distinction is closely tied to Amicticism and to how Tanyaran societies have been structured for centuries. Although it has its opponents in the modern day, it remains entrenched and will likely remain for years to come.
