Melentine Republic

The **Melentine Republic** is a republic of the Eastern Coast straddles the Melentine River. By controlled land, it is the largest country of the Eastern Coast, and one of the wealthiest. To the east, it is bound by the Wide Ocean and the Free-State of Tabis. The northern border is encompassed by the Old wall, providing a barrier to the Ruins of Ilafaz. To the west is the Central Mountains, the Great Desert, and the city states of Samsen and Trianan. To the south, it is bordered by Bayview.

## History

Ever since the beginning of history, the region surrounding the Melentine River had been made wealthy off being the primary route of trade from the ocean into the interior of the continent. Despite being generally more wealthy area of the coast, the wealth was quickly stratified. Following the fall of the Eastern Empire in 892, the wealthy class in the ancient capital of Lunarian scrambled to build a system to protect their stature. Initially the elite supported a regency, led by the Limraine family. However the hinterland provinces started to rebel from the regency following years of decadence and corruption in the part of the Limraines. In the year 905, the ruling classes in both Port Ilsant and Lunarian came to an agreement on a new system and established the Melentine Republic. Shortly after several members of the Limraine family were declared missing or deceased, from secret poisonings. In the wake of the new government, the newly elected President Rivervale mobilized the military and visited each of the hinterland provinces, securing them with seats in the national assembly. Since the founding of the republic, it immediately became the premier nation of the Eastern Coast, with it's vast treasury and trade control, with the president often considered to be the successor to the emperors of the previous age.

## Geography

The Melentine Republic is centered on the Melentine Pass, having control over what is the only passage across the Border Mountains and the Central Mountains. The pass allows control of most trade and positions the Republic as a cultural hub. Through the pass flows the Melentine River, from the Lake Trianan and flows to the Great Delta. Along the foothills of the mountains are forested areas or lightly grazed grasslands and against the Great Desert there is the Sandside Woods. The Republic has part of two large lakes, Lake Collio and Lake Trianan. Into Lake Collio flows the Ilafaz River, of which its floodplains serve as the main wheat growing area of the republic.

The Melentine Coast has parts both in the North Coast and Great Valley regions, as it is on both sides of the mountains

The highest point is Mount Gritere, south of Lunarian on the Central Mountains, shared with the city state of Trianan.

Climactically, the Melentine Republic is a wet warm temperate region, with the north getting slightly more subtropical. Snow only falls on the mountain ranges. The Republic has a diverse range of environments from marshes to woodlands. This is due to the mountains altering rainfall patterns.

The Melentine Republic is divided into several hinterland provinces:

* Trianan Shores
* Sandside
* Bay Coast
* Tradeways
* South Collio
* North Collio
* Wheatbelt

as well as 3 city governorates:

* Port Ilsant
* North Lunarian
* South Lunarian

## Government

The head of government is the President of the republic. The president is selected by an election of two constituencies, Port Ilsant and Lunarian, of which they are apportioned 3 and 6 votes respectively on a proportional ballot. To participate in the biennial election, voters must be part of the Golden Class, the wealthy families of the republic. The president appoints ministers to run key ministries such as the treasury and diplomacy core. The president typically resides in the Rivervale Summer Estate, at pleasure of the first president and his family.

The legislature of the Republic is the Assembly of Delegates, of which there are 77 seats apportioned roughly by population. The assembly meets in the ballroom of the old Imperial Palace. Elections are held yearly with general suffrage given to melentine citizens. Typically a majority is formed after each election in which a member, appointed the Premier of the Assembly, leads the chambers business. Functionally, due to the power of presidential recall given to the assembly and sole power over taxation, the Premier is the *de facto* leader of the republic, although the President typically holds power over foreign relations and the military, two regions that are not extremely politically important in the Republic.

The Judiciary is appointed by either local mayors or governors. Functionally it is relatively corrupt and partisan despite not being supposed to be this way.

Each town has a mayor, elected in various ways, and most villages don't have formalized leadership, instead having power centralized by town elders. There are 3 governorships, being that of Port Ilsant and of North and South Lunarian. The provinces despite not having any actual function, are of cultural and historical signifigant.

At each dockyard and market are the tax collectors, who are responsible for filling the treasury. Though naturally unpopular with traders and shopkeepers, they are vital for the function of the government.

Politically, there are 3 parties which hold regular office, the Conservative Commerce Party, which is dominated by the city elites, the Agarian party of the landed gentry and the Progressive Industry party of the urban working classes and industrialists. The Progressive Industry party usually is the party with a majority in the Assembly of Delegates, and thus is often considered the natural ruling party of the Melentine Republic. They support pro-industry policies and favour higher taxation. Without failure the Presidency is held by either a member or independent aligned with the Conservative Commerce party. They support lowering of taxes, particularly on trade and try to restrict industry. The Agarian party usually is able to secure regional mayorships, as well as a large amounts of assembly seats. Following a strong election the Agarian party is often able to secure a parliamentary majority with a coalition with the Conservative Commerce party, thouh often this alliance falters, with the Agarian party becoming a junior partner in a coalition with the Progressive Industry party in rare occasions.

Melentine politics can be seen as a war between the old wealthy of the merchant class at war with the rising power of the industrialist class. Immediately after the Riverdale presidency, the Progressive Industrialists swept to power, making the merchant class immediately regret the democratization of nation. Despite this regret, they were powerless to alter the system, with the Progressive Industrialists rigging the courts system with judges, and immediately removing the ability for the Assembly of Delegates to do such again.

## Economy

The economy of the Melentine Republic is diverse with many industries. Fishing on rivers and lakes is broadly practiced as well as deep-water fishing from Port Ilsant. Farming is ubiquitous, however the main farming hub is Onebridge on the Ilsant River. Lumber is practiced on the foothills of the mountains, with a major center being Borel. There is a growing industrial sector, with factories being based in the major cities, produced goods out of raw materials produced locally or traded. It is this trade that however serves as the backbone of the economy, as the Melentine Republic is the gateway to the inside of the continent. To support the economy, there is a rising professional class of bureaucrats, attorneys and bankers, largely based in Lunarian. For currency, the Melentine Credit is generally used, however the old Imperial Mark and various foreign currencies are often used by businesses.

## Demographics

### Ethnicity

The citizens of the republic are diverse with many groups comprising the population due to immigration, however the dominant ethnicity is melentinian. Here is a table of Ethnicities:

Ethnicity
 Other Coastian
 Other Non-coastian

### Language

Coastian is spoken widely and everywhere, however some people still hold on to Ilafazian in the north. The dialect is generally considered to be "typical northern", however in the cities it is less pronounced.

### Cities and Towns

There are many cities and towns across the republic, with a significant population. Here is a list in order of population:

Population
 Borel | ~5,000

### Religion

There is a large variety of religions in the republic, but most unusually, there is a large proportion of Atheists. There is no state religion. Here is a table displaying proportions:

Religions
 No Religion
 Other

## Culture

The Melentine Republic has a vibrant and diverse cultural output, with constant influence coming via trade and travelers. Of great cultural significance is the Imperial College of Arts, with a centuries long output of great artists, first under the patronage of the emperors, and now the wealthy Golden Class. In the capital, there are several galleries and concert halls with a middle class able to fund them, contributing to further cultural output.

Due to the diverse religiosity, secularism is accepted as a core value of the Melentine republic, although in rural areas religion is sometimes actively enforced by the community. Another cultural value is belief in the free market and associated freedoms. Social freedom is also widely accepted, except for class structure.