Republic of Afari

The **Republic of Afari** is the youngest nation on the continent of Elyria and lies on the peninsula of Afari to the southeast of the Varenfair Gulf. It was born on the foundation of the Heatswrath revolution that overthrew and executed the then King of Afari, Guidbert, a member of the Vurolingian Dynasty. The capital of the Republic is Port Valadir (standardized Vurolingian name) or Puerto Velázquez, located centrally on the peninsula and serving as a large melting pot of cultures, beliefs and origins.

## **Geography**

### ***Northern Afari***

→ *Main article: Northern Afari*

Northern Afari is a dry region reaching from the capital all the way to the northern border at Land's End.

* **Land's End:** An enormous military complex located at the northern border and at the entry into the Gulf. It serves as the main base of operation for the Afari Navy and stands opposed to the older Nanitic fortress of King's Gate on the other side of the passage.The complex was likely constructed with Dryadian aid as the architectural style matches that of Dryadia and less that of Afari.
* **Port Valadir:** The capital and largest city of the Republic, it is a port city and central hub for republican trade.
* **Cralsall Mines:** Mines known primarily for their export of the very rare Voidmetal (or Cold Iron), which can only be found on the blackmarket outside of the Republic (and at excruciating prices). It is not exported to the Empire or to Nanitia.

### ***Wine Fields of Meilhan-Bilac***

→ *Main article: Wine Fields of Meilhan-Bilac*

The Wine Fields produce more than sixty percent of the entire continent's wine and lie between the two towns of Meilhan and Bilac.

* **Meilhan:** A rural town hosting several major wine families, located on the coast of the Gulf.
* **Bilac:** A town prospering from it's export in wine and grapes, it is nestled in between mountains of the Southern Whiterise Peaks.

### ***Afari Wetlands***

→ *Main article: Afari Wetlands*

A wet, at places nearly swampy, region of the Republic positioned at it's western edge and bordering the Matriarchy of Dryadia. The entire western border is protected by forts and towers.

* **Estilion:** Estilion is a city that has grown significantly in recent years, following the Dryadian conquest of Eastern Maixentis which has allowed the Republic to trade with Dryadia directly via a land route and without needing to navigate around the entire peninsula.
* **Slopes of Afari:** Pillar mountains resting adjacent to the Southern Whiterise Peaks. The Nanitic people originate from here and there are still tribes that inhabit them. Mostly resourcless, the native inhabitants are left to their own devices.

### ***Varenfair Isles***

→ *Main article: Varenfair Isles*

A set of warm and wet isles is sat to the northwest of the peninsula of Afari. There military outposts and criminal syndicates run various settlements.

* **Kharan:** The isle of Kharan is the home of native tribes of Zuliz lizardfolk which remain mostly hostile to the invading Afarians. Thereby only a singular settlement has managed to fortify and survive on the island.
* **Ediphis:** A small island occupied entirely by a singular, floating merchant city. Ediphis is considered amongst the freest and least discriminative place to live on the entirety of Elyria and hosts minor populations from nearly all cultures. A significant black market has also risen on the island, and for the right price it is possible to get nearly anything.
* **Eversword Fortress:** A small island that hosts no natives and which is direct property of the republican military. Rumored to be used for highly classified experiments. A central fortress on the isle ensures that no one can get close enough to find out exactly.
* **Moonmount Citadel:** Another military outpost of the Republic. An information leakage several decades ago revealed that relics of a bygone era were found on Moonmount and brought it to the attention of all nations of Elyria.

## **Politics**

### **Executive**

#### **High Consul**

The High Consul is the head of state of the Republic and is selected from amongst the five members of the Directory. His term is 2 years but there is no term limit. He has little legal power over the Directory and serves only as a tie-breaker and a a public representative for it.

The current High Consul is Andres Tejedor and has been for the past six years. Tejedor is from the growing city of Estilion.

#### **Republican Directory**

The republican directory consists of five members, who are selected by the Conclave every 10 years. The Directory holds executive power within the Republic and make all major decisions.

### **Legislature**

#### **Conclave**

The Conclave has the authority to formulate and write laws based on the determined policy of the Directory. 40 conclavists are elected by the Republican population every 4 years and seats are distributed proportional to the population distribution. This is the conclave seat breakdown:

* 14 from Port Valadir
* 11 from Estilion and the surrounding Wetlands
* 7 from Ediphis
* 3 from Meilhan
* 3 from Bilac
* 3 from Kharan

### **Republican Democracy**

#### **Voters**

Any native born of the Republic automatically gains the right to vote, although one must have a permanent residence of some sort and be paying taxes to vote during any given election cycle.

Foreigners can attempt to be integrated following a complex procedure that can only start after being a citizen for at least ten years. The decision is made by local courts and the difficulty ranges depending on the location.

#### **Voting System**

Something that is unusual about the conclave is that it is illegal for members to gather in groups or parties like in most legislative assemblies. Every member must serve independently and without interference from a collective. It is so against tradition that even secretly, this only occurs rarely. This makes it difficult for foreign observers to analyze the political distribution of the conclave members.

Conclavists are most often selected from merchants and captains (and other experts in the maritime field).

### **Foreign Politics**

Since the source of the Republic's prosperity comes from it's open trade with Vurolingia and Dryadia, it's focus lies more with securing influence within the Varenfair Gulf. Some have come forth with desires to explore the Varusian Ocean, but no majority has brought forth a plan of action so far.

#### **Dryadia**

The closest that the Republic has to an ally. According to rumors, some Dryadian troops are stationed throughout Afari and have even helped construct the fort of Land's End. In either case, the nations are trading partners and share a caution of the Empire.

#### **Nanitia**

For more than two centuries, the Republic has been in a trade war with the Commonwealth. They're opposing ideals have led to nearly a dozen wars and openly hostile rhetoric.

#### **Vurolingia**

Relations with Vurolingia are belligerent and dangerously unstable, but peace is maintained. Vurolingia benefits greatly from trade with the Republic and an open war or a trade war could result in significant economic detriment. The Republic has little to gain from a war with Vurolingia, and much too lose.

## **Law**

Worship is entirely boundless within the Republic, and there are temples to nearly every deity of the pantheon.

## **Demographics**

The Republic is a mixture of cultures, but a majority of the population still consists of Eastern Vurolingians. Nearly every culture is represented by at least a handful of individuals, and the only significant minority are Dryads.

## **History**

### **Heatswrath Revolution of 416**

By the year 416 N.A. tensions within the Kingdom of Afari had risen to an unprecedented level and the Vurolingian King Guidbert was largely unpopular following scandals of decadence and economic failure in the years prior. Abel Ortiz and other members of the Admiralty had also been unhappy with their King's rule and the situation finally exploded in the month of Heatswrath. Ortiz acted decisively, blockading the capital of Port Valadir and thus preventing the military from intervening (as it was currently fighting war against the natives of the isle of Kharan) whilst simultaneously arresting the royal family during their return voyage from Ediphis.

Over the coming days and weeks Ortiz quelled any resistance to his take-over of the country and placed the King on trial who was promptly executed for treason. The royal family all died whilst being transported to a prison at Eversword Fortress. Supposedly their ship was sunken by pirates though the rumors of a plan at the hands of Ortiz or another faction remain.

Ortiz had effectively seized all power within the country within just a handful of days, but his rule would not last particularly long. In fact a popular uprising had been nearing and was not perturbed by the change of power that had occured. In fact, most of the admiralty betrayed Ortiz in favor of the rebels when the situation worsened. This peaked when Ortiz was murdered in the night of the 17th. The remainder of the admiralty successfully secured a peaceful resolution with the rebels that had already taken control over many of the nation's cities resulting in a peace treaty on the 19th.

The resulting form of government is much like that of the modern republic, with an established Directory helmed by a High Consul. The first High Consul was Monica Velázquez, one of the revolution's figureheads. She is still revered and the Republic formally changed the name of their capital to Puerto Velázquez, though Nanitia and Vurolingia have so far refused to recognise this change.