Shaunetor

**Shaunetor** ("Realm of Peace") is a small republic located to the southeast of Rabydos and Nartathi, and the south of Azairab, along the frigid mountains. It is known for being the only nation on Jerde dedicated to transgender and nonbinary people.

Its capital is the humble city of Variloi.

## Flag and symbols

Shaunetor's flag is purple at the top, and yellow at the bottom. Above the middle are three silver flowers.

Another popular flag in Shaunetor is a purple standard with a golden gryphon holding a book and a seven-armed candlestick, with a arch of sixteen suns above him. The gryphon also looks to a full moon at the upper left of the flag. Purple is an auspicious colour in Shaunetorian culture, and the gryphon's tools represent Shaunetor's love of art and knowledge. The full moon represents hope and ambition.

Its national flower is the polemonium boreale.

Like other Vozonid countries, Shaunetor's national animal is the gryphon. Its people interpret this animal as "the favour of the gods".

## History

Inspired by Ioratin and Ajoltar, several young intellectuals founded Shaunetor as a refuge for nonbinary and transgender people, as they were distrusted in their home countries. This country was founded 3,300 years before the Tornarin Invasion. Amused by the country's exceptional population, the republic of Umbirab to the west supported this republic using a portion of its excessive wealth.

In 600 AT, Shaunetor fended off and defeated an Ontemazei warlord who rampaged and slaughtered her way across southern Rabydos. Among her enemies were Ontemazei who fought alongside their Shaunetorian counterparts, whom the warlord cursed as "traitors".

Like other realms along the south, the people of Shaunetor built Burrow-cities to defend themselves from coming invasions. In return for Umbirab helping them, the Shaunetorians provided supplies to help the Umbirabians withstand the monstrous and cannibalistic Kalokei Ontemazei, and the Thralondian and Rabydosian Empires. They also housed various refugees from around the world in more Burrow-cities to the northwest near the roads to Umbirab: however, they also faced riots and terrorist attacks from extremists among said refugees. In most of them, the local militias defeated the terrorists before they would become a threat to the region. Some of the riots were simply resolved by helping poorer and marginalised people. It made this prosperous country more peaceful as the now-integrated refugees began to support Shaunetor as their new homeland.

The Shaunetorians like to explore the southern ice wastes, so they assisted Porashon and other countries to look for more Kyrvotin and alien ruins beneath the ice.

## Geography

* Variloi (capital city)
* Jenda Ojonta Sāmi
* Ochato
* Ochato Minta Dandate
* Suvodaro - border to the southern ice wastes, a resting stop for travellers.

## Government

Shaunetor is ruled by a president, who is elected every three years for only one term. If most of the citizens want them back, the president gets elected for only a second term.

## Military

Shaunetor is defended by a "defence force" consisting of thousands of volunteers within a federation of militias and communes: Shaunetor's "military" is actually a close-knit alliance of groups and the whole citizenry. Conscription and miltiarism are illegal in Shaunetor, as its people wanted to avoid becoming like various tyrannical empires -- but they still learn self-defence and combat to avoid attacks by enemies.

They also do not celebrate their military or warriors, unlike many countries, as they preferred diplomacy over war: their preference for peace made them good allies to certain groups, like the Seekers of Speki (worshippers of Odin from Daleskarnia) and the resistance groups of Gimbarish, who also reject war.

Its army is made up of regular troops and "vanguards", stronger Shaunetorians who work as heavy troopers to withstand enemy attacks.

Shaunetor is the only nation on Jerde without a police force: they preferred a society where people willingly obey the law and defend the people together. Law enforcement is mostly done by the common citizens, who form militias, or by the communes that protect the north and the south. The autonomous settlements in the north have their own militas instead of a police force.

The rejection of a proper military force and any form of police are influenced by the Shaunetorians' own culture, which was derived from a form of pacifism.

## Economy

Shaunetor's economy is supported by manufacturing, mining, and synthetic medicines. It also exports crops and meat from vertical farms, and snow and ice from the frozen wastes of the south.

Much of its exports go to Azairab to be exported to ports all over the world, or to Rabydos as trendy furniture and paintings.

## Society

See also: Shaunetorian language

Most people in Shaunetor tend to have short hair, although some grow long, wavy hair because they consider them to be beautiful. They also do not like beards or facial hair, so they keep their faces clean-shaven as what they consider to be beautiful. However, because many countries look down on them, they tend to wear masculine or feminine clothing to disguise themselves whenever to travel to other countries. While most Shaunetorians refuse to consider themselves either as male or female, some Shaunetorians went further by declaring themselves as a distinct gender.

Many Shaunetorians live as single people or as roommates. Those who form families either have pets instead of children.

Some Shaunetorians in the northern plains and the southern mountains have set up their own independent communes. In the north, they are known as "sāmi", the "towns under the sky" or "cloudtowns". In the south, they are known as "dandate", or "watchers". These communes mostly function as shelters, schools, local security forces, and legal courts to settle disputes and social problems. The dandate communes and settlements along the borders defend travellers and the country from attack.

Shaunetorians like painting, soccer, climbing, dancing, hunting, stargazing, archery, and chariot racing.

Shaunetor has two official languages: Rabydosian and its own form of Sarmelonid, which was popular among its early founders. The Shaunetorians write their dialect of Rabydosian in the Sarmelonid alphabet instead of cuneiform.

Shaunetorian traditional music uses bells and xylophones. They sometimes use drums and trumpets when worshipping their gods.

### Child gardens

For some Shaunetorian adults who still want to create a child instead of adopting one, they either seek a compatible partner to marry and reproduce, or produce a child from each other's genes in a special clinic known as the "child garden".

Two parents may pluck pieces of their skin, drops of their blood, or use their hair to grow any number of children as they wish. Although they are also allowed to edit the embryo's genes to a more desirable form, most parents there prefer to let their children be grown as they were before they were born, only removing harmful conditions such as brittleness and heart problems.

## Demographics

Shaunetor has a total population of 402,000 people. Sixty percent of them are nonbinary people (they do not consider themselves male or female), forty percent (overlapping the nonbinary citizens) are transgender, and the remaining percentage are males and females, mostly people who live in the Burrow-Cities and outlying settlements. As a result, restrooms in Shaunetor have three doors instead of two as in most countries.

North Shaunetor is inhabited mostly by descendants of refugees, although the more daring ones also built cities along the cold southern mountains either to get colder air or to collect more resources. The Shaunetorians tried to discourage these people from celebrating warrior cultures, turning them towards focusing on artistic pursuits instead of combat.

Most of its people are of Rifandian and Randrosian descent, with the founding Vozonid folk having become a mixed people. To the west live thousands of Nartathiek who live along several towns, and the native Miandais and Zamthika tribes live in the east.

Ontemazei are always welcome to Shaunetor. In fact, many Ontemazei defended Shaunetor alongside the locals from invasion.

## Religion

Shaunetor's people worship the Sarmelonid gods, although they also practice shamanism in their ceremonies. The unofficial national deity of the country is Zomjonor.

The guardian deity of Shaunetor is Adi Thakunoz, a genderless gryphon spirit.

Shaunetorians celebrate the new year on August 31, one day before the Vozonid New Year on Purulli. On the previous night, they dance around a bonfire and praise the Vozonid deities, and on the new year itself they fly flags written with prayers to the winds.

The Shaunetorians are sometimes regarded by Sarmelonised Vozonids as the modern successors of the K'æjólwonso priests, androgynous priests who sometimes worked as social workers and exorcists.

In Vozonid belief, androgynous and genderless people are under the direct protection of the gods, so they are treated with respect: in some cases, they were even used as exorcists because their lack of gender was believed to give them greater spiritual powers. The respectful treatment of "third genders" was also influenced by the Denlotia's laws millennia ago, which were enacted to respect the wishes and religions of many member states. This led to "third gender" people being treated with respect by societies, and Shaunetor to end up being treated as a holy land to the polytheist Jerdiskar.

## Diplomacy

A few nations condemn Shaunetor's existence and people. Many others respect the country as a holy land, as they consider everyone in Shaunetor as a priest of their gods, therefore making the country sacred. However, they do not go there to worship the gods, but only regard it as just another tourist attraction.

### Umbirab

Umbirab is a close ally of Shaunetor, with both countries exchanging goods and technology with each other, and people from these countries having easier access to each other's countries. Sometimes they also compete in sports contests.

Both nations are members of an alliance of "unusual" countries, including Porashon, Qogandra, and Peren.

### Rabydos

Shaunetorians sometimes visit Rabydos as tourists or as students, but in order to avoid ridicule from others they disguise themselves to look masculine or feminine. If someone mentions that they are Shaunetorian, the Rabydosians will stop minding about their gender.

### Nartathi

All Nartathi are considered trusted allies of Shaunetor, and the Nartathiek have set up their own towns and districts in the west. Nartathi stands between Rabydos and Shaunetor.

### Turodaron

Due to their love of freedom, both Shaunetor and Turodaron regard themselves as "brother nations". Like in Umbirab, Shaunetorians do not need to disguise themselves when they visit Turodaron.

### Qogandra

Shaunetor is one of several human nations that the Qogandrans trust as friends, due to their friendly treatment. It was several Shaunetorian envoys who tried to stop the Qogandrans from exterminating the remaining humans on the continent: when several Qogandran warlords rejected them and attacked them, the Makhorin humans helped the envoys defend themselves.

### Porashon

Porashon is another ally of Shaunetor. Many Shaunetorians go to Porashon to learn advanced studies and technology, and out of patriotism, some of them shave their heads or dye their hair white and purple. They also consider Porashon as a more luxurious alternative to Umbirab, because the aesthetics of the country is more "trendy" or "classical".

As one Shaunetorian tourist commented: "If Porashon and Ūmbirab were hotels, Ūmbirab would be that marble block with just a shopping mall, while Porashon would be the luxurious hotel with a spaceport near a tropical mountain."

### Gimbarish

Shaunetor's rejection of war makes them good allies with the Gimbarsian people, who like them for their pacifism and their love of chariots.

## Trivia

* The author thought of Shaunetor as a counterpart for Ajoltar and Naiorai in February 2021. He also thought of Nartathi and Falturia in the following month because he thought it would be fair if the native peoples of Rabydos remained independent.
* The country's name was derived from "shaunir" or "shonir", a Vozonid greeting that means "peace [to you]". The Shaunetorian word for "hello" is also derived from "shonir", but it is "shorin" or "shoriza".
* In many countries throughout Jerde, nonbinary people are associated with shamans; while in other countries they are either avoided or forcibly altered. Because shamans are considered the same as priests to different gods, they are respected throughout Jerde. This respectful treatment is extended to nonbinary people, who are considered to be dedicated to the gods, even though they are not worshipped: harming one is considered as horrible as hurting a priest or damaging an idol.
	+ However, people (including nonbinary people) are permitted to defend themselves if said person attacks them.
* Unless any Shanetorian would state their personal pronouns, the official policy in the republic is to address any Shaunetorian of any gender as singular "they" or any neutral pronoun. To differentiate this from plural "they", the author suggests using "xe" pronouns.
	+ Shaunetorians usually do not use their biological gender except when requesting for an appropriate medical treatment, as in what organs they have.

## Why is it "peculiar"?

* Shaunetor is the only country in the world with a majority that does not consider themselves male or female.
* Shaunteor is the only country in the world without a police force. This was derived from their pacifist belief, which instead developed into communes and citizen bands who defend the country from invaders, making a sort of informal "army" or defense force.

## See also

* Eastern Enclaves
* Bekrijes