Sans Sanscripto

**Sans Sanscripto**, simply known as **Sans**, is the third largest island in the Sanscriptan archipelago and home to the indigenous Taíno people. Heavily forested and covered in lush, verdant temperate forests, it is home to a wide variety of plant and animal life, and was declared by UNESCO to be a "world heritage site" for its Ishtabaaru rainforest.

## History

### Early history

Pre-colonial times saw the islands habitation by the Taíno people, with recent archaeological evidence pointing to some of the first settlements of the Sanscriptan archipelago occurring on the island's southern borders. Upon the island's discovery by Spanish conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa sometime in the first decade of the 1500's, several smallpox epidemics decimated the native population, resulting in a gradual decline of the native population.

### Spanish colonization and development (1510-1798)

Eventually colonized in 1510 by Spanish explorers and home to a thriving sugar and tobacco trade, the colony saw rapid growth from imported slaves and indentured servants making up roughly 70% of the local population. It transferred into British hands in the August of 1786 following the decline of the Spanish colonial empire. In 1619, following growing pressure from natives over the rural development of the lands and the increasing cultural and spiritual differences, along with resistance to conversion attempts by the numerous missions established on the island, a brief rebellion erupted against the Spanish overlords. The Ikales Rebellion reached its climax in 1620, when native leader Christian Ignacio fought the Spanish garrison and Governor-General Juan Pablo Fernández in the Battle of Four Fields. Defeated, the rebellion slowly withered out, resulting in the persecution and near eradication of the native culture, and fueling resentment that continues into the modern day.

The subsequent decades saw the relative stability of the island improve, as previous dissident actions and resolve for change had been wiped out. Oversight of the sugar and tobacco plantations was handed to local nobles, and took part in the Atlantic Triangle Trade. Despite huge profits for the Spanish Empire, little wealth returned to the impoverished island. The townships of St. Amaro and Villar de Cantos, among others were founded from 1680 onwards. Freed slaves, creoles and others of mixed decent were often forced into isolated slums on the island's eastern forests. Following a global slump in the price of fish and other commodities, along with ecological ruin resulting from decades of slash and burn agriculture, the island's profits drastically decreased. When the British Empire began encroaching onto local trade routes, the Spanish Empire transferred administrative control to the British in 1798, seeking to improve Spanish-English relations along with easing tensions from other global conflicts.

### British rule

From 1798-1828, Sans served as a direct trading hub and later as a military staging point for campaigns against Napoleonic France. Following vast deforestation and aging infrastructure, the island deteriorated both economically and politically. Under British rule, the Spanish colonial capital of Madea was temporarily transferred to the garrison at Fort Feurte, renamed Fort Strong. There, British Governor Charles Langdon oversaw the upgrade of local towns and villages, installing cobbled roads in the capital, establishing strict curfews and cutting down on smuggling that had boomed in the northern island's, reducing the independence on pirates to provide basic amenities, and thus win over the support of the people. Despite decades of peaceful rule, the British occupation saw little in the way of wars, conflicts, or any such marked struggle.

### Independence movements and civil strife

In 1812, various protests to British indifference to the island's population, along with little living improvements for local inhabitants led to the First Rally Protest in Madea's Cobbled Square. There, a young Sebastian Rodriguez, known as 'Martel' Rodriguez led the brief but influential first rallying cry for independence. Cracked down upon by British soldiers, Martel was jailed for ten years before writing the influential book, *My Dream*, which would go on to become a national bestseller in the years following the revolution.

Despite resentment by the island's aboriginal inhabitants, much of the time spent after the protest was filled with the average day-to-day goings of island life. Upon Martel's release from jail in 1822, he spent no time gathering allies, acquaintances and co-conspirators in the highest echelons of Sanscriptan society. Popularizing himself as a 'savior of the people,' Martel changed his name to Sebastian for various personal and religious reasons, and managed to hold then Governor John Stewart hostage. Relinquishing hold of the economically backward province, the British relented colonial control, sparking the short lived rule of the islands first president, Sebastian Rodriguez in 1828. Upon his death in 1836, a year long interregnum stagnated political process, leading to a costly eighty-nine year war to grip the country.

The war would see the island devolve into a political nightmare, as various crime lords, pirates, self-proclaimed rulers and angered native populations fought for what they saw as the future of Sanscripto. A majority of remaining infrastructure would be destroyed in the strife, with vast amounts of the population starving, suffering from malnutrition and tuberculosis, which ran rampant across the island from 1867-70. Foreign contact was virtually non-existent, and the island became of little importance to the powers at large.

It wasn't until the leadership of Carlos Reyes and his People's Party that the deadly war came to an end, leading to what came to be known as the "years of pace and stability," ranging from 1926-1973. During this time, the newly established Republic of Sans large amounts of progressive reforms, the establishment of schools, abolition of slavery, construction of the first national sewer systems and sanitation improvements across the board. Loved by the people and worshiped as a hero, Reye expanded the military with his famous Republican Guard, establishing order and security for far-reaching islands across the archipelago. Upon Reye's death, his successor and son Emidio Reye briefly held onto power from 1973-1975, however a growing voice over the reestablishment of a monarchy and rigged elections led to a revolution by Marcelo Vargas, who claimed Reye's son, Emidio Reye was nothing more than an insolent child. While many belived Vargas nothing more than a political fire starter and alarmist, popular opinion soon turned in his favor after Emilio shut down the education system, citing budget concerns, along with raising taxes for the working class and supporting forceful tax collecting methods to pay for the countries previous spending policies which had virtually bankrupted the country. In less than a day after his announcement, Vargas and his Liberation Forces stormed Emilio's palace, and removed him from office at gunpoint.

### Rise of Vargas

A harsh debate following Emidio's removal ultimately favored Reye to become the islands default Generalissimo, allowing his subsequent rise to power in. Called a "dictator" by opposition groups, he oversaw the transformation of the previous Republic of Sans into the modern Glorious Grand Free People's Democratic Federal Republic and Socialist Republics of Sanscripto, immediately enacting harsh measures in order to regain political control of the island. The three years of the Generalissimo's rule over the country saw stabilization of Sanscriptain society, along wit the reestablishment of the educational system and creation of the island's first national currency and National Bank. While a vast majority of the population saw living conditions improve, the island's native population received little attention and care from the new government, often being cited as the cause of the nations previous strife and internal conflict. The Outer Islands also grew increasingly discontent during this time, believing centralization, nationalist policies and focused development on Sans neglected their local authority, and placed unfair burdens on them to provide economic support when so little of Vargas's improvements benefited their islands directly. In 1981, a coalition of the three largest islands of Verdana, Edessa and Helvetica rebelled, forming the Republic of Corsovo. Angered and viewing this as an act of betrayal, Vargas reorganized the Republican Guard into the Royal Armed Forces, and frequently raided and abducted local villagers of the seceding islands whom he suspected of treason.

Corsovo ultimately failed to overcome to military might of Vargas's army, losing to the superior military surplus and numerical advantage held by the Royal Army and Navy. Following the Three Month's War, the Treaty of Submission and Humility was signed by Corsovo's then head-of-state Fermín Samuel, ending the war on July 23rd, 1993.

### Modern times

Following the conclusion of the Three Month's War and the defeat of Corsovo, Vargas and his Rule remained the dominant power in the archipelago, occupying all provinces by the previous state and procaliming a new age of peace and prosperity for all people. The island has seen the increasing development of national transit and bridge construction, while the military employed roughly 10% of the island's population. Massive public works projects have seen unemployment drop substantially across the island, as a sort of military-industrial complex has rooted itself to Sanscriptan society as noted by several western scholars. Massive military bases, some of the largest naval ports in the Carribean and long-range radar equipment has created one of the most technologically advanced nations in the Carribean. Nonetheless over 60% of the island still lives in poverty, while according to the UN, most military-grade materiel is supplied by black-market dealers and Russian arms firms.

Attempts at tourism to improve foreign relations ultimately backfired when incriminating photos of forced labor camps on Verdana made international headlines. The country and its island has since then shut off most attempts at tourism, and has largely remained isolationist besides unofficial treaties with various other island dictatorships across the globe.

According to recent reports, small Uranium deposits on Sans have been found, however the accuracy of these reports is disputed.

## Notes and references

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 *Age of Reason: A Study of Contemporary Sanscriptan Society,* by John Howard. Code J: ASDF1345P87.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 *Building An Empire: Nations in Conflict,* by Stuart Robinson. Code J: AA23, PSDF
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 *Rise of Vargas, Death of Democracy, by Melinda Howe. Code FL: GGHJT54FFD6*
4. ↑ *Illegal Labor And Other World Problems,* published by the United Nations. Used under special permission. Code T: 446HU7
5. ↑ Pentagon Press Statement, November 15th, 2015. Code F: 65764HH65