Artegia

Flag of Artegia

**The Kingdom of Artegia** is a country located in central Ikuna surrounding Lake Illus, north of Interakia, south of Ohuryea and Ahtalstan, and east of Bazia. Artegia has a population of 320 million, and its eastern and western capitals are Straka and Illesia respectively.

The Artegi began as a small "lake-faring" people in the westernmost part of the Maximedian lakes. The lakes provide an important role in Artegi society and economy.

## Religion

The Artegi religion, Zestir, is polytheistic and has a total of 5 gods.

### Gods

* Razarane - God of destruction
* Neptura - God of the seas/lakes and life
* Glada - God of food (fish/agriculture)
* Sunse - God of the sun and moon
* Viertova - God of the winds

### Beliefs

The four main beliefs of Zestir are;

* (1) Treat the world around you with kindness
* (2) Be respectable & respectful
* (3) Be tolerant of others' cultures
* (4) Do not pollute one's mind.

## History

Modern Artegia is in what was the Kori Empire in the western part of Ikuna. The Artegi have always been attached to the lakes and even have based their religion around them. The first record of an Artegi society dates back to around 1124 BC with a sunken merchant ship, that was advanced for its time, off the coast of modern-day Ahtalstan. The Artegi people have always had a prominent navy and much of the power they wield is due to their dominance of the Maximedian lakes that they border. In 1886, the Royal family ceded power to a more democratic form of government so that the people held a small majority of voting power over the royals.

### The Artegi Tribes

The six tribes of Artegia arrived in the area around the year 1030 BCE.

* Zalev is the northernmost of the tribes and has a distinct culture from the rest of the Artegian tribes.
* Uratnik is the westernmost tribe and raided towns and cities near the border of the Kori Empire after the Kori had conquered most of the Artegian land.
* Oseas is the tribe that inhabits the Oseas peninsula and put up stiff resistance against the Kori empire when the invaded.
* Rieka is the tribe that lives around the delta and the first few miles of the Delts River.
* Bereda is the southernmost tribe and.
* Vrunci is the easternmost tribe and warned the others about the Kori Empire, causing the 6 tribes to unite through culture and a common enemy.

### Artegia under Kori Rule

The tribes of Vrunci, Bereda, Oseas, Rieka were fully conquered by the Kori, and parts of the Uratnik territory was conquered. The Uratnik went on raids against the Kori, often targeting barracks and other Kori installations. After the Kori had taken the union's capital of Straka, the union had designated a new capital, Illesea. Ships from the Zalev harassed the Kori Navy and continued to try to push them back.

### Modern-Day Artegia

Modern-day Artegia boasts the most powerful navy of the Maximedian Lakes and keeps them free of threats and danger. However, the army of Artegia is only used for defending its borders with bunkers and fixed cannon turrets. The army doesn't see much action beyond its borders but is still regularly trained/drilled.

## Capitals of Artegia

The main capital city of Straka is more of an economic and political center, but its cultural center of Zeta is one of the largest cities in the nation with a population of close to 8 million people. The secondary capital of Illesea was established to help govern the two halves of the country due to the large river that separated it before the "Bridge of Union" was built in 1845.

## The Alliance of the Orient

The Republic of Artegia is part of "The Alliance of the Orient" as an observer state and is on the list for full membership. Artegia still participates in the alliance's economic program by importing silicon, metals, dairy products, and wheat, while exporting cocoa, sugarcane, poultry products, and lumber/tree products.

## Irredentism

Artegia has always had an interest in the lands of Interakia but has been in conflict with Ovulangea over who controls it. The Artegian-Interakian Union was disbanded after the 9 years war but Artegia still has a majority of power over what goes on within the nation.

## Navy of Artegia

* ~100,000 active personnel
* 1 small helicopter carrier
* 2 9-years-war era battleships (modernized)
* 80 destroyers
* 28 frigates
* 2 submarines
* 10 gunboats
* 9 patrol boats
* 25 support vessels
* 40 troop-transports

## Culture

The Artegian religion of Zestir has seasonal celebrations. The celebrations include

* Tesi, a sort of preparatory time before the monsoon season
* Serta, a time celebrating peace and growth in nature, celebrated at the beginning of Spring. Serta is celebrated with music and a harvest feast of foods from the jungle landscape.
* Yarbol is another holiday celebrated in the middle of the summer where a large regatta is hosted and is celebrated by coastal towns and cities or towns with access to a large body of water.
* Zimadanak, a celebration that happens during what other nations in more temperate zones would call winter. During Zimadanak, the symbol of each god in the Zestir religion is displayed within one's house, with a tribute of burning incense and candles.

## Vexillology

* The blue waves represent the Maxedemian lakes.
* The orange waves represent the color of the jungle wood native to Artegia.
* The orange four-point star represents the four main beliefs of their religion.
* The black chevron represents the bow of a boat in reference to their "seafaring" culture