Yawanda

The **Republic of Yawanda** (Vanhunyika yeYawanda) is a powerful country located at southern Rifandi. Thousands of years ago, it was the **Empire of Yawanda** (Gurumambo yeYawanda), one of several nations that became advanced after using alien technology. It is located at the southern end of the Yenaguru Mountains (Mountains of the Moon).

## Flag

Early Yawanda's flag is white with a silver crescent above three blue mountains.

During the Eighth Age, Yawanda's flag is green with a rampant zebra stallion facing left. When it became an empire, its flag was changed to a leopard in a yellow background.

During the Sixteenth Age, Yawanda's flag was green with a silver crescent over six mountains.

Modern Yawanda's flag is purple, green, and white, with a crescent at the top purple bar and six mountains at the lower white bar.

## History

700 years before the Aspuruk invasion of Jerde, a noble known as Masimba Shohiwa founded his own kingdom. After conquering and annexing rival tribes, it was unified as Yawanda. His people learned metallurgy from the local Fangara smiths (ancestors of the Fundire); and engineering from Bolade, a smith from Iferia to the west who led students on tours to his capital.

During the Eighth Age, Yawanda was already a powerful empire ruled by a emperor over a network of lesser kings and dukes. It was among the many human realms that were invaded by the Aspuruk aliens. Although it lost its eastern provinces to the aliens' tyranny, the survivors and their allies defeated the Aspuruks using the latter's technology. As its allies dismantled their Aspuruk machinery, ten teams of Yawandi smiths refined and condensed the aliens' machines to make them and their blue crystal-fuel safe to use.

Eventually, Yawanda's allies began to slowly adopt its modified Aspuruk machines, improving their living standards and technology. Its enemies and rivals also implemented similar machines taken into their towns to defend their realms and avoid being conquered, forming their own alliances to resist Yawanda's growing power.

### The Tragedy of Sirashwe

While Tukshara, Darros, and Daizhou attempted to build their empires on Jerde and in interstellar space, Dashadesha and Yawanda focused on defenses. However, the sixth emperor of Yawanda, Sirashwe, decided to use his newly-gained alien weapons to subjugate the nearby nations. With his seven champions he led his armies forth to enslave the locals and plunder their wealth, incinerating any who refused to submit to his reign. During that time, his opponents who fled from his realm contacted the Ecumene for their aid, and a few Ecumenian regiments built their defences at Rhondaxe, to the southeast of Yawanda.

Alarmed by Sirashwe's rapid success, the surrounding countries quickly formed their own leagues to protect themselves. While Kikori -- a seafaring trade power in the east -- sent its zebra-knights and its iron to defend its allies, the surrounding countries raided Yawandi camps and forges to use their enemy's technology against it. Although Sirashwe built automatons to support his brutal reign, his enemies were aided by two opponents: Kabwame, a former scribe who helped the northern lands form an alliance with Kikori; and Ruwadzano, an engineer who brought some of the Aspuruks' machines with her friends to the southern front, where they taught them to replicate their technology. Eventually, the two fronts combined into a single alliance, the Kabwame League; having become strong enough to match the Yawandi might, the alliance defeated and slain six of Sirashwe's seven champions, one by one.

Fifteen months after Sirashwe began his march, one of the kings of the Kabwame League, Malomba of Ronto, rode before Sirashwe's legions with an ultimatum: to cease his warmongering, or be struck down by his own weaponry turned against him. The emperor and his remaining champion laughed back: they ordered their squadrons to bomb Malomba and his army to ash. As soon as Malomba's bodyguards sighted his enemy's ships depart from their hangars, he immediately ordered a heat cannon to be fired directly at Sirashwe. Within the blink of an eye, Sirashwe and his last champion were reduced to ash, and Malomba's armies prevailed over Sirashwe's desperate legions. Without their emperor to issue any orders, the bombers that were not yet shot down turned away from their homeland.

While Malomba and his allies waited for Yawanda's rulers to make their next move, Sirashwe's son ordered a ceasefire. He agreed to return his father's slaves and plunder to their homes. In return, the Kabwame League agreed not to share their newly-acquired technology to anyone outside the continent, even as much of the Aspuruks' technology outside the continent was destroyed out of fear of its contamination. That is, except for Kikori, whose queen Njeri III contacted the Ecumene and was welcomed by them as their replacement for the disgraced civilisation of Yawanda. After the last loot was returned to its homeland, Queen Njeri III invited the new emperor of Yawanda back into the Ecumene.

As for Kabwame himself, he and Ruwadzano fell in love and married at the former's homeland.

### Sixteenth Age

During the Sixteenth Age, Yawanda warily opened relations with the rest of the world. Its advanced armies repelled Ardeschen and Scenarian attempts to conquer the southern parts of the continent. The kings of Yawanda also formed their own bloc to protect their allies from attacks by the Ardeschi and Zarijanian blocs.

Yawanda created its own serum to enhance its drinkers' intelligence, without suppressing their desires. It was used in opposition to the notorious HSP used by the Gauvajut Empire.

### Green Years

Some Lausorijo fled to Yawanda and shared their metalworking techniques to their human hosts; they especially liked the Yawandians for being master engineers. In turn, they fought alongside the Yawandians against the Ontemazei and Exiles.

### Present day

In 1873 AT, Yawanda's government underwent a reformation campaign. Among its policies include supporting the native peoples of the country, making its amenities more afforable for lower-income citizens, and applying Celestial technology to catch up with its neighbours. The capital was relocated from Ndefoikidzwa to Chanasura in the east, as the new capital has more space. In 1881 AT, the Fundire scientist Afanadwa Nderewadze was elected as President, and he opened an embassy to Tuxavin and Milavon at his new capital; at the same time, he sent people to Zaqo to study about Celestial technology and ways to improve his country's machines.

Yawanda still exists in the present day as a regional power, even though it is not as large as it was long ago. It boasts a strong military and fleet to defend its continent and the Jerde System from hostile aliens and the Wannaenid Empire.

However, neighbouring countries sometimes dislike Yawanda for its "patronising" actions, preferring to be more independent from its influence.

## Geography

### Regions

* Chetonda Region - centre, mountainous plateau with snowy winters. Home to the Fundire people.
* Matshora Region - southeastern, grasslands with some jungles.
* Halenda Region - southeastern, savanna. To the east is the border to Kikori.

### Cities and features

* Chisanharire - Ironpeak, the capital of the Yawandian Empire during the Eighth Age
* Chanasura - the capital of modern Yawanda. It was built on a barren mountain plateau surrounded by abandoned mines and military bases.
* Ndefoikidzwa - Highslopes, the residence of the Yawandian emperors and a huge spaceport. It is also known for its snows.
* Zuvadaro - Sun Hall
* Vharintera - Silver Palace
* Jomvamateru - Slopes of Wine, the slopes of the Yenaguru Mountains to the southwest. Known for its tracts of winefields grown along the slopes, and for the skybarges that carry the locals on trips. Many local people ride the skybarges on trips, either to have a dinner while listening to musicians, or to gaze at the moonlit vineyards from above. The skybarges were funded by a company whose founder wanted to honour his home by having local people run the skybarges and their small ports.
* Sedarwo - a border town to Kikori. Known for the Wall of Flags, a wall decorated with the flags of various teams of various chariot racing competitions.

## Economy

Yawanda's exports include vehicles, machines, wine, construction materials, grapes, wool, and wine.

In 1820 AT, the currency used in Yawanda was the kupa. In 1986 AT, the currency was changed to the redzi, which is worth 4.5 1820 AT kupas.

## Demographics

Yawanda's majority is the Yawandian or Yawandi people, also known as BaYawanda. It has many other ethnicities within its borders.

One of the most well-known of Yawanda's peoples is the Fundire people, who live at the northern mountains. The Fundire people are herders of woolly cattle and metalsmiths.

There are several Lausorijo Burrow-cities in Yawanda that cooperate with local engineering guilds. In fact, Lausorijo from all over southern Palkyras send their children to learn engineering and smithing from the Yawandians.

## Language

Yawandian (ChiYawanda) is written as a syllabary. Its letters are shaped like diamonds or rhombuses.

Yawandian has 21 classes, or *mupanda*, for nouns. Each *mupanda* is shown with a prefix.

### Vocabulary

* bhiza - horse (5)
* bhizashi - knight (1)
* bhuluu - blue (9)
* chanhari - machine (3)
* chena - white (9)
* cheto - snow (9)
* chiedza - light (7)
* chikepe - boar (7)
* chisa - iron
* daro - hall
* dema - black (5)
* denga - sky (5)
* dengarava - sky-ship, spaceship (9)
* girini - green (9)
* gomo - mountain (5)
* gungwa - sea (5)
* guru - great
* gurudumambo - great kingdom, empire (14)
* gurugungwa - ocean (5)
* gurumambo - great king, emperor (1a)
* guta - city (5)
* huroro - yellow (9)
* ishe - lord (2b)
* ivhu - land, ground, earth (5)
* jenaguru - moon (5)
* jomva - wine
* jorava - grapes
* kurarama - living
* kuva - becoming
* mamanjirinya, manjirinya - engineer
* mambo - king (1a)
* mambokadzi, mankadzi - queen (1a)
* manjiri - engine
* matamwenya - mechanic
* mbizi - zebra (9)
* mhepo - wind (9)
* moto - fire (3)
* muchadenga - universe
* muchero - fruit (3)
* mukadzi - lady (1)
* munda - field (3)
* munhu - person (1)
* mutasvi - rider, cavalry
* mutungamiri - leader, president (1)
* vatungamiri - leaders (1)
* mvura - water (9)
* mwenje - flame (3)
* ndege - aircraft (9)
* nharire - peak (5)
* ngarava - ship (9)
* ntera - palace
* nyama - meat, flesh (9)
* nyanza - ocean (9)
* nyeredzi - star (9)
* nyika - nation (9)
* nzvimbo - place (9)
* radena - plateau (5)
* rinopasi - world (5)
* rufu - death (11)
* rusvingo - wall (5)
* sarudza - to choose
* simbi - metal (9)
* svingo - fortress, castle (5)
* shavi - spirit (5)
* tenja - steel
* tungamira - to lead
* tsvuku - red (9)
* umambo - kingdom (14)
* upenyu - life (14)
* va - to become; they; Sir; Madam
* vanhu - people (2)
* vanhunyika - republic (14)
* zarima - darkness (5)
* zuva - sun, daytime, day (5)

## Religion

Yawanda's national religion venerates the ancestors and heroes of its people, known as *vadzimu* (singular: *mudzimu*) or *nyikadzimu* as a collective. A *mudzimu* of a specific person's lineage is a *midzimu yapamusha*, the honoured kings of ancient times are known as *mhondoro*, and the most ancient ancestors of all (if not all of humanity) are known as *makombwe*. Other spirits are known as *mashave*, who can either help or hurt people. A blessing from a spirit or an ability inherited from an ancestor is known as an *ushavi*.

The supreme god of the Yawandian religion is Mwari, the creator of the universe and the god of rain and fertility. His priests and priestesses, the *svikiro* mediums, deliver his messages to the people. He is both male and female: his masculine aspects include Sororezhou (Head of the Elephant), Nyadenga (Lord of the Sky), and Wokumusoro (The One Above); and his feminine aspects include Dziva, Mbuya (Grandmother), and Zendere (Ever-young). Other names used for him include Musiki (Creator), Musikavanhu (Creator of Man), and Muvumbapasi (Creator of the Land).

The Yawandians believe that their waters are inhabited by the *njuzu*, merpeople and river wights that enjoy giving people difficult tests to provide them with unusual knowledge. Other spirits, known as *hombarume*, help hunters catch their prey.

*N'gozi* are the wrathful spirits of the dead, and they must be placated with offerings and compensation.

Other priests and priestesses of the Yawandian religion include the *n'anga*, who heal and advise people and help them break curses.

According to legend, the first kings of Yawanda received a scepter from a lunar goddess. The mountain where its founder supposedly received his scepter, the snow-capped Mount Sirivhanyudzo ("Silverlance"), is venerated as a holy site where the kings and emperors held rites to honour the gods.

## Trivia

* Yawanda was inspired by Wakanda of Black Panther, steampunk, and Great Zimbabwe. For its culture, language, and religion, the author based them on Shona culture and religion.
	+ Kikori was based on the Kikuyu people, the city-state of Opar, and the medieval ports of Kenya and Tanzania. The author also added zebra cavalry and iron.
	+ Rhondaxe ("ron-DAH-shay") was based on Mozambique.
* The author based Yawandian, its language, on the Shona language of Zimbabwe.
* The national animal of Yawanda is the zebra, and a stocky zebra was used as the personal steed of the Yawandian king or emperor. Another symbol used during the Sixteenth Age was a square fountain, which represented Yawanda being the source of Rifandi's advanced technology before it was spread to the rest of the continent.
* Cattle are an important aspect of Yawandi society.

## See also

* Porashon, a similar isolated country with advanced technology. Both countries exchanged information with each other.