Sapin

Sapinese 'Leones de oro' Flag

*"Sapin has her faults just like any other nation. You learn to look through the negativity once you've lived long enough with it."*
― Noel Silva to Sven during the Levant Crisis.Sapin, once a mighty and prestigious globe spanning empire only North Point or Belka could begin to match, yet like those it lost its outlying territories and colonies to independence movements over the course of half a century. Modern day Sapin is a cultural mixing pot and a nation split between the archaic and the modern, a kingdom only in name, the king holds little relative power and serves only as a figurehead to unify the nation in times of crisis.

## History

### Medieval Era

Sapin was once a much larger nation than it currently stands, even before the age of exploration and expansion. The first Sapinese Empire spanned as far north as Belka and as far west as Carbonero in modern day Osea. The nation was split between dozens of smaller duchies and counties that all swore fealty to the crown and whilst some unruly factions created instability and political turmoil within the Kingdom, Sapin remained a unified nation. War was all too common not only within, but with neighboring kingdoms, most namely Belka and North Point.

### Colonization and Expansion

With the advent of ocean going vessels and a desire to explore and conquer, Sapin set her sights southward towards the untamed lands of the Southern Osean Peninsula which had before never been mapped or explored in full. Sapin colonized most of the coastline and denser inland jungles, though parts occupied by the recluse empire Seian proved much harder to invade until an eventual ceasefire was signed in 1652. In the meanwhile Sapin had managed to colonize most of the South Osean continent, from the islands of Adamas and Aurelia to the jungles of Brasalium and San Martin.

### Osean War(1905-1910)

Sapin was a close trade partner of both Osea and Belka at the outbreak of war and initially remained neutral, the king of Sapin at the time, King Manuel de Sidona (or Manuel the 5th) wanted to remain on friendly terms with its northern neighbor, however the Belkans did not share the same idea. On the 15th of March 1905, eighteen days after the Belkans declared war on Osea, a Belkan Mountain Infantry Company crossed a section of the northern border under nightfall and attacked several iron mines and surrounding villages in the area in a daring raid and intentional attack on the Sapinese industrial capacity, luckily the attack was eventually repelled by a response force.

## Geography and Climate

Sapin's rich culture is reflected with it's diverse and varied climate and terrain, the nation enjoys a healthy mix of sub-tropical heat and cool windy air depending on where you find yourself. Starting from the south which lies on the equator, the city of Barceno; Sapin's southernmost city lies on the Costa De Oro or the 'Coast of Gold' which is referring to the golden sands that make up 80% of the southern coastline, broken only by sandstone cliffs and bluffs which hold back the crisp Atlantic waters.

North of Barceno and more towards the center of the nation lies the city of Laurus, sitting on the edge of large arid scrublands named after the city, the Laurus flats are mostly dry plains that happen to be where a large portion of the Sapinese agricultural industry is located, mostly dealing with livestock rather than crops due to the nature of the dusty soil, most crops are grown in the norths where natural rivers flowing from the mountains give better growing conditions.

Roughly in the center of Sapin the capital of Gran Rudigo can be found, standing for 'Great Roar' the city is nothing short of it's name. One of the largest and most densely populated cities on the Osean continent, Gran Rudigo is the financial and military hub of Sapin with a population of roughly 4.2 million. West of Gran Rudigo down the rail and highway networks you will eventually hit the city of San Fermin and the coast of Oured, located on the Oured bay shared with both Osea, the bay is a major shipping lane and feeds into the Futuro canal which is jointly operated by Osea and Sapin.

Finally, the most extreme norths of the nation are home to the Grandes Collinas, a mountain range and shared border between Ustio and Ratio, acting as not only a natural barrier but as a water source to feed the many rivers and lakes of Sapin, the water runoff makes the northern provinces of Sapin prime for farmland and fishing communities, though the winters here can be more bitter than the more temperate areas and defiantly colder than the sub-desert plains of the south.

## Armed Forces

* Cuerpo Real del Ejército de Esapaña (Royal Army Corps of Sapin)
* La Armada Real de Esapaña (The Royal Armada of Sapin)
* Real Fuerza aérea esapañola (Sapinese Royal Air Force)
* Cuerpo de Infantería Naval (Naval Infantry/Marines)

## Notable Locations

* Gran Rudigo (Capital)
* Barceno
* Laurus
* San Fermin
* Aran
* Futuro Canal

## Notable Characters

* Noel Silva
* Jeff Moreau

## Trivia

* Sapin is an obvious counterpart for Spain, the word Sapin literally being an anagram of 'Spain'. Further reinforced by the use of Hispanic nomenclature in its cities and citizens. Whilst some lingustic differences may be present, it can be presumed that Sapinese natives speak Sapinese (Spanish).