Wistvunlor Union

=== Brief History ===
Wistvunlor formed sometime around -600. The communities that occupied the peninsula recognised the practicalities of being unified under a single nation and peacefully agreed to form the Wistvunlor Union. At this time, the nation existed almost exclusively on the peninsual, with only a small potion of the province now known as the Vunlor Lowlands falling within its borders. The people of early Wistvunlor divided the land into provinces which remain roughly unchanged today. These provinces divide the different cultural practices throughout Wistvunlor and although a national identity of cooperation and friendliness was quickly developed following the formation of the union, Wistvunlor takes pride in its internal diversity and many ancient practices are still practiced today.
Wistvunlor developed good relationships with its neighbours, particularly the nation of Tcantaxat who share a native population (although there is another native species to the Wistvunlor peninsula which also makes up a significant minority of the population) and the now extinct nation of Mania which lay to the south. In the year -341 Mania suffered a great tsunami which left much of the fertile soil ruined, paving the way for a terrible famine. Wistvunlor provided extensive foreign aid to their neighbour, providing them with crops, roads and helped them to develop more sustainable farming practices to improve their yields. In the year -319 a young Manian native named Joniah Goriah who had moved to Lapsan Bay as a child, displaced by the Tsunami rose high within the Wistvunlor government. They are credited with peacefully negotiating the 'Manian Unification Treaty' which caused Mania to become a province of Wistvunlor. Goriah gained power within the government the next year and began attempting to negotiate similar treaties with the neighbouring nations of Tcantaxat, Nulvar, and Linbeirong. They believed that by spreading the cooperative way of life within the Wistvunlor Union they could improve the world. Goriah renamed the nation the Wistvunlor Empire in -312 and declared war on the United Republic of Tcantaxat who they were able to subdue rather quickly due to an outbreak of plague and the nation came under the rule of the empire for the next 40 years or so. During this time Goriah also signed documents claiming large swaths of the sparsely populated planes of Nulvar for the Wistvunlor Empire. However, Wistvunlor did not have the necessary army to hold these regions of land, and had to divert much of the army from Tcantaxat to defend their claim. Additionally the plague that initially weaken Tcantaxat began spreading rapidly throughout the Wistvunlor army. In -271 the Ccan staged a great revolution, overthrowing the occupying army, forcing them out. This revolution sparked a breif civil war as many Wistvunlor soilders felt the crusadeds they were launching in Goriah's name were unjust. The army unseated Goriah who had been operating Wistvunlor as a dictatorship and he was jailed for war crimes. The expansionist era of Wistvunlor ended quickly as the newly instated democratic government peacefully agreed to return the seized land in Nulvar. The Mania Unification Treaty was also discredited and Mania became an independent nation for another two years before applying to rejoin the Wistvunlor Union.
Wistvunlor worked hard to repair relationships with its neighbours, especially the United Republic of Tcantaxat who have a culturally and religiously significant region within the Wistvunlor borders. This spurred on the creation of the EPU, the Eastern Peninsula Union which gave both nations the free movement across their borders and some other trade & military alliances (TBC).
=== Economy ===
Wistvunlor is a relatively poor nation with the majority of its population being farmers. Due to the heavy emphasis on communal living, and successful farming practices, there is not much need for a centralised trading body/hub within the nation. Most people have access to the basic necessities of life within their immediate communities. The government keeps roads and trade routes in good condition ensuring that the population has good access to less common resources should they want them.
Wistvunlor's international trade is made up predominantly of Yanaseed, a luxurious drink made from the fruit of the Yana-yana tree which grows in abundance throughout the mountains on Wistvunlor's peninsula. The other main export is Kakash, a psychoactive substance made from the bark of Yana-yana trees, however some nations place restrictions on this substance.
==== Yanaseed ====
The warm days, high altitudes and cool coastal nights common on Wistvunlor's peninsula provide the perfect environment to grow the Yana-yana Tree. Although not particularly unique looking the Yana-yana produces an abundance of small berries which grow in dense bunches. The berries are orangey-red in colour and are covered in soft sticky fronds. These fruit are dried, fermented and soaked to make a dark ruby red thick, luxurious drink. It is traditionally served hot and described as being extremely bitter to first time drinkers but it is wildly popular amongst Wistvunlor locals and it is rapidly becoming their main export as it grows in popularity internationally.
==== Kakash ====
When scorched in wildfire, the bark of the Yana-yana tree blisters, swells and forms a thick puffy "skin" which can be harvested using a small sharp knife. The "skin" is very dense in tree sap and locals long practiced drying the bark to chew on. The dried bark is lightly psychoactive and causes feelings of mild euphoria and cooperativeness. It has also been known to enhance one's analytical thinking and focus. Recently, it was discovered that if the dried bark is ground to a powder and mixed with a lightly acidic liquid (like a citrus fruit) it foams. This foam is subsequently dried and re ground to a powder. In this form it can be snorted which results in high energy, deep focus and strong euphoric feelings. Many users also report that they feel emotions extremely strongly.
=== Humans ===
Due to Wistvunlor being a relatively quiet nation on the international scene, we did not attract much attention from the humans. This meant that not many humans arrived into Wistvunlor which meant they could be gently introduced to the nation and its customs. They were given the same approach as all other people who live in Wistvunlor: respect our laws and people, kindly share what you have, teach us about your ways and be willing to learn ours and you will be happy and welcomed here. Because Wistvunlor has so many different local dialects, they were able to fairly quickly learn to understand humans in their native tongue. This helped the humans feel welcomed into the Wistvunlor nation and encouraged them not to attempt to rock the boat or stake a claim in this land. Now, in the year 400, a small but not insignificant portion of the population (about 4-5%) is human, living harmoniously with Wistvunlori way of life in a couple of their own communities, or amongst others. Most human population is centered in the Vunlor lowlands.
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