Fastir

Fastir is a state which lies west of Lake Doramos. It borders seven other states: Lake Doramos, Central Trankland, Iobite, Reed It, Tpent, Doster and (barely) Judases.

Fastir is as a sparsely populated state, mainly due to its geographical features: the extensive Kilak Adan forest to the north, and the snow-capped mountains to the south.

The state boasts the longest verifiable record of human occupation in the New World- its first inhabitants, according to oral tradition of the indigenous Fastiri people, crossed the Atlantic in boats around 16,000 years ago and settled Fastir, clearing it of demonic beings under the leadership of the warrior-king Vu. Some believe these demonic beings still survive in the wilds of Fastir.

The population of Fastir is estimated to be roughly 1.5 million. Most of this population is concentrated in the north along the coast of Lake Doramos, especially in the capital city of S'niidemfeet'em. The cities in this region are resort-like in character. The southern mountains are populated by rural farmer families, many of whom still live their traditional lives. Currently, a violent insurgency is occurring in the southern mountains- the rural folk seek independence or union with the adjacent state of Central Trankland due to ethnic sympathies and dissatisfaction with the state government.

## History

Fastir was the first region to be permanently settled in the New World- its first people, according to legend, sailed over the Atlantic from the modern Iberian Peninsula some 16,000 years ago under the leadership of a chieftain named Vu. Vu led the Fastiri people into what is now Fastir, and he and his legions cleansed the land of the native vengeful spirits. Some, however, may have survived, according to modern and ancient Fastiri accounts. After this, Vu had a great number of children, whose descendants are said to have given rise to the Fastiri people.

The Fastiri lived undisturbed by colonialism until the early 1800s. Even so, the Fastiri did not suffer as much as other Native American groups due to their vast numbers and inherent resistance to disease conferred by consuming the foul animals of Fastir for millennia. Many Scotch-Irish settlers from Appalachia were the first Euroamericans to enter Fastir; much like the Metis they readily intermixed with the natives to form a new ethnicity. The Fastir languages are still robustly spoken today, especially in the mountains.

   Since the early 1990s, Fastir has done well as a resort destination in the greater Lake Doramos region amid the economic decline of Fitrete. These developments have seen an explosive growth of the cities of the northern coast as well as an increase in the corruption of the state government. The latter has led to an armed insurgency in the southwestern mountains by Fastiri rebels who wish to secede and join Central Trankland or form their own state.

## Geography

Fastir encompasses most of Lake Doramos' western coast, covering a vast variety of natural habitats. The northern half of the state is largely composed of dense broadleaf forest; the densest regions of this forest in the West are known as the Kilak Adan by the native Fastiri. The Kilak Adan receives regular rains, and it is home to a diversity of species similar to that of the Smoky Mountains- many of these species are endemic and found nowhere else in the world. Traditionally, the bulwark of the Fastiri people was located in the Kilak Adan. It is believed that a number of wicked spirits, such as the Vas-ka (Friendly man) and Iklu-ka (Hairy man) inhabit this vast forest.

   Most of the modern population of Fastir is located on the coast of Lake Doramos, particularly the northern half of the coast. Similar to Fitrete, another coastal state, the coastal strip is host to many resort towns and vacation destinations, most dating back to the 1990s. The capitol city of S'niidemfeet'em is one such coastal city; it is home to roughly half the population of Fastir. The first shopping mall to be located near the Lake Doramos coast was constructed in 1959 in S'niidemfeet'em.

The southern mountains of Fastir, home to a cold and volatile climate, is the current stronghold of the indigenous Fastiri people. Scotch-Irish settlers from Virginia settled the mountains in the early 1800s and interbred extensively with the Fastiri. Most inhabitants of the mountains live in the relatively temperate valleys in isolated agricultural villages; hookworm and dropsy are endemic.

Many mountain folk refuse to enter the mountains proper due to the fear of an evil spirit known as the Irludayyung-ka (leathery man). This evil ice spirit is considered by the Fastiri to be the most dangerous and wicked of all the evil creatures of Fastir.

Fastir is divided between four main climate regimes. In the inland north, Fastir has a humid subtropical climate bordering on a humid continental climate. On the coast, Fastir has a humid subtropical climate more akin to an oceanic climate. In the mountain valleys of the south, the climate is subtropical highland and is very rainy and foggy. In the mountains proper, the climate is alpine.

## Culture & Demographics

Fastir is notable for its strong indigenous population and diversity of cultures. The native Fastiri people are somewhere between Asian and Caucasoid in appearance, rather similar physically to the Ainu or other eastern Siberians. Most of the Fastiri population knows the English language, especially on the coast. However, in the rural locales and at home, the native languages are often spoken. The native languages of Fastir belong all to the Fastiri family, which some hypothesize is distantly related to the Nivkh language of Sakhalin Island and the Amur River in modern Russia.

The lingua franca of Fastir, aside from English, is the Naldang language. This language is native to the eastern reaches of the Kilak Adan forest and is phonemically akin to the Dravidian languages of southern India. Most Fastiri are bilingual in Naldang and English, and the two are the co-official languages of Fastir.

A number of aberrant Fastiri languages are spoken in the southern mountains. These languages tend to feature long consonant clusters, velarization, vocal fry, and in some rare cases, palatalization. Some of these languages may be influenced by potential populations in Fastir predating even the Fastiri. These questions remain to be answered.

## Economy & Government

Politically, Fastir is dominated by the Democratic Party chiefly due to the dramatic concentration of population along the urban coast. The state outside the coast is almost uniformly Republican or of the Squirrel Party. The current governor is Q'hlp'thk'jetl'etx Gooch (D-FR), a left-wing populist born and raised in the southern mountains of Fastir. He is despised in the south, both due to infrastructurally neglecting this region and betraying his roots by eschewing less savory aspects of Fastiri culture- on multiple occasions, he has refused to allow his children to play with the traditional Fastiri ligament-puppets.