Uraj Ah

### General

Uraj Ah, historically known as Dem Ah, is known for its radioactive land, pink residents, and unique culture and seafood. It is located on the Jazeera island of Tokaroka, a sub-continent of Sivalat. Uraj Ah is relatively recent to the world stage, having only opened up its borders in the early 20th Century. Its only land border is with Athilia to its North, but it also shares a maritime border with Gerzonia to its West, and Amphitrite to its South.

Uraj Ah and its neighborsProvinces of Uraj Ah

### History

#### Early History

It is suspected that the first human inhabitants of what is now modern day Uraj Ah crossed a now flooded land bridge at around 20,000 BC.

Upon arriving there, the death rate of the average inhabitant seemed to have been significantly higher than inhabitants in other areas around Sivalat. The reason for this seemed to be the local volcano, Gamen, which regularly ejects debris full of Magentin, and has done so for the past few hundred thousand years, according to tests of the composite ash layers of Gamen's structure.

Magentin has been shown to have harmful effects when exposed to animal tissues in lab, however it seems to increase the growth of plants when applied in low concentrations. Plants affected by Magentin seem no different to other plants. The radioactive nature of Magentin however has meant that products made from it have never been permitted for use in the market.

As a result of this exposure to Magentin, the first inhabitants of what is now Uraj Ah seem to have had shortened life spans, until around 2,000 BC. At this point the almost extinct population of inhabitants made a sudden revival and boomed in numbers from a size of 200 roamers mainly fishing along the coast to 11 established farming and fishing settlements each with a population of a 100 or so. The reason for such an increase in population is attributed to two factors:

1. The steady tolerance developed by the Ah, due to thousands of years of exposure to Magentin resulting in the process of natural selection

2. More importantly the domestication of various species of the genus Rahem leading to an easy supply of Magentin resistant furotin, and so the invention of furotin clothing allowed the Ah to withstand the radiation of the Magentin.

The population of the Ah seemed to steadily develop, spreading more and more settlements across the land, with flocks of Rahem being herded to obtain more furotin which was used in construction of buildings, clothing, as a source of heat when combusted, and the creation of sturdy tools when smelted and molded.

As farms began to develop and the population grew more due to the increase in food and reduction of deaths to radiation, it was discovered around 500AD that electricity could be created and stored by the movement of Magentin. Magentin, it seemed, was not only a radioactive source but also a magnetic material.

Magentin was relatively easy for the Ah to harvest, due to the tools produced from molten furotin easily splitting apart the magentin rich rocks in the subterranean caves near Gamen. Magentin is readily available in shallow veins around Gamen (for example a 500m deep cave close to Gamen), and is also found in lower amounts in the rest of the world however deeper down (around 1000 - 1500m deep).

After harvesting, Magentin can be shaped into a sphere, and by rotating two or more spheres around a central bar of Magentin, the opposing magnetic fields could charge the central bar. Charged Magentin loses its charge through infra-red radiation, and so starts to glow and produce heat. Magentin itself is a poor conductor, however the caves surrounding Gamen were rich in copper, and so crude wires could be constructed from them and be used to transfer electricity from house to house from a central Magentin conduction chamber.

The use of electricity remained mostly the same for the next 1000 or so years, being used to heat water and food, as a light source through charging Magentin, and even to power the first automated crop harvesting machines. Any sort of wheeled transport was useless due to the rugged terrain of the area, and the production of electricity from Magentin was still too inefficient to be able to power a flying machine.

Over time the collection of settlements in Uraj Ah formed an identity by the name of the Jurians. In 1542 AD, a Jurian group formed in one of the north settlements, sick of the complacency of the average inhabitant of the other Jurians, and began to form a dangerous political idea. Up to this point the Jurians had never had major conflicts, as they had believed that there was enough land for all of them to go around.

Each chief had managed to feed his people thanks to the rich soils of the area, and so there had never been conflicts about food scarcity either. Problems arising within the villages themselves were often decided by a vote of the adults of the village, and the chief was also elected in a similar manner. The Jurians were not only living, but so comfortably living, that they never saw a reason to change.

The group, called the Dem Ah, were not happy about their situation. They had gone to visit nations beyond the borders of the settlement, and seen technologies that made the Jurians seem like cavemen. The Jurians had barely managed to construct the first flying transport, and their first counting machine. As a result the Dem Ah wanted to unify the people of Uraj Ah under one strict rule, centralise the power of the area and rapidly increase economic and social progress.

#### Dem Ah Era

Starting on Januray 1542 the Dem settled a base on the foot of the Gamen, founding what is now the capital city of Rahdhan and using swords, spears, and magnetic crossbows formed from furotin and magentin, began their conquest. Each chief of the various settlements was killed or captured, and all the settlements were forced to comply with the demands of the Dem or have their homes burnt to the ground. They faced relatively little opposition, as most villages didn’t even have any weapons for fighting or ever learnt how to fight, due to the lack of need to do so. By the time the last settlements heard news of an incoming hostile force, it was too late to do anything. All settlements fell under the control of the Dem, or were destroyed by June 1542.

The Dem then began to relocate Jurians to Rahdhan. Starting from outer villages, all members of each village were forced to march on to the next closest village to Gamen. Meanwhile at Rahdhan, the surrounding fields were developed into shanty slums hurriedly made of low quality furotin. These slums were estimated to have been able to hold 40,000 people, and yet the population of the region exceeded 80,000.

As the Jurians were forced to abandon their previous homes and move into much worse quality housing, the average life expectancy plummeted. It was much easier for the Dem to control the more concentrated population, and so political repression began to terrify the Jurians. Mass executions of those who spoke out, public beatings, imprisonment of those who were weak or unable to work, and other atrocities were committed.

While the population was being controlled, factories began to be developed to start mass producing materials for electronics, flying vehicles, farming devices, and other technologies. The knowledge of these technologies were either bought by Magentin from neighbouring nations, or invented by well paid engineers who gained such high positions by being the first to support the Dem, even before the conquest began.

To increase the economic status of the Dem, mines were opened to start mass harvesting Magentin, and factories were founded to refine the Magentin into crystals and begin selling them to other nations, for example Gerzonia, Korlan, and Friedlich. The workers of the mines and factories were not given any furotin clothing as most people at the time except for the super wealthy, and so usually either died from a collapse of rocks or of the increased levels of radiation.

The Dem however, invested no extra resources into maintaining food supplies, building infrastructure, building adequate housing, or opening medical facilities for the rapidly increasing population. This resulted in an even lower life expectancy, to where the average Jurian only lived to 40, where before people normally expected to reach 60 or 70.

The Dem ruled from 1542 to 1864 and the population exploded from 80 thousand to 3 and a half million people by the mid 19th century. This increase in population was largely due to the higher population density which allowed more people to meet and have more children. Having children was also mandated by the government, and harsh sanctions were often imposed to those without a family after 20.

This sudden increase in population also had a devastating effect on the environment. The number of Rahem plummeted, saved from extinction only by the secret efforts of some Ah to preserve them. Air, land and water pollution hit the highest in the nation’s history, with the landscape of the mid 19th century seeming like a desert compared to pre-Dem era.

During the Dem era, the Jurian people were gradually getting more and more frustrated at the political repression, low quality of life, and general lack of freedom. The tipping point was the ‘Eruption of 1864’, which destroyed 13 Magentin factories, 8 major crop farms, and the destruction of over 300,000 people’s homes, most of whom were lower working class people who could only afford to live close to the mountain. The reason for such a disastrous eruption being allowed to have such a great impact is mostly due to poor housing regulations, lack of funding for the emergency management services, and general mishandling by the Dem government.

Homeless, jobless, and now with a massive event as justification, the next few months were turmoil as workers went on strikes, soldiers rioted against their generals, and mass chaos ensued as the government officials were hunted down and lynched by angry mobs, in the revolt of 1864.

### Government

There are 7 provinces in Uraj Ah, and 128 Local Areas. Every 6 years each Local Area appoints one person to be a Local Leader, and then once all Local Leaders are accounted for, of the Local Leaders 7 are chosen, 1 from each province, to be a Province Minister. Additionally, one Province Minister is voted for to be the General Minister.

Each Leader can put forth one bill during their 6 year term. For a bill to pass it must get less than 73 Local Leader votes against. If the against votes are above the half of the Local Leaders but below the deny count, then the law needs to be redrafted and voted on again, until the bill passes, with a limit of 3 redrafts.

The General Minister holds the right to veto any bill and put forward as many bills as they want during their term, while Province Ministers can put forward 10 bills maximum during their term and can veto a bill if there is a 4-3 vote against it.

The current General Minister is Ajman Roohi of the Center Left Party, who was elected on the May 23rd, 2046.

### Wildlife

#### Rahem

The most well known land animal native to Uraj Ah are a genus of species by the name of Rahem (figure a: the Common Rahem).

Species in the genus of Rahem can be characterised with a herbivorous diet, tough furotin which is shed every few months, and thin hooves. Most species in the genus of Rahem are 1.5 metres long and 30cm wide, with a height of 0.5m and an average weight of 200kg.

The herbivorous diet is important to maintaining a constant supply of dilute Magentin, as the majority of the grass and other plants within a 10km radius of the Gamen contain a sufficient amount of Magentin for the Rahem to grow their furotin.

Furotin is similar to hair strands yet thicker (figure b), and instead of being composed completely of keratin, it is instead composed of compounds of Magentin and keratin. The keratin forms a thick shell around the inside of the furotin (figure c) which is made out of a mixture of gaseous cytoplasm and dilute amounts of Magentin.

The walls of keratin are similar to cell walls in plant cells, and this seems to be what prevents plants and Rahem from excess radiation exposure. The Magentin itself also helps protect the regular animal cells behind the furotin, by heating up the gas to act as a barrier of radiation. The Magentin within the furotin produces little radiation, due to it only being dilute and also being surrounded by thick walls of keratin.

The species of Rahem seem to be less affected by Magentin, and so are able to consume the plentiful vegetation available on land surrounding Gamen which other species would not be able to access.

Furotin also seems to be of a pink hue and slightly iridescent, which allows the Rahem to find their herd easier as the pink Rahem stick out among the earthy browns and greens of their habitat. Herding means all the Rahem in the herd know where the best grazing locations are and visit them regularly.

The thin hooves of the Rahem seem to aid them in navigating the steep and difficult terrain near and on Gamen, which allows them to gain access to lush greens.

#### Coastal

Uraj Ah has a rich coastal region, surrounded by coral reefs, which are full of fish, aquatic mammals, and other sea creatures. Magentin seems not to dissolve in water well, and as a result the local aquatic ecosystem is no different from others around it. This is true except for deep water ocean floor ecosystems, which due to the volcanic vents releasing Magentin, seem to have an increased number of bioluminescent fish, although more exploration is needed to determine whether these species are new or not.

#### Plant

One native Jurian plant is a rare vine that grows on pure deposits of Magentin underground, called the Rahz. It takes advantage of the heat and glow produced by the Magentin crystals to allow it to photosynthesise and survive even in depths of 1500m, where few other plants can survive. The Rahz constantly produces a flower that helps it attract insects which it uses to supplement its nutrients and hydrate.

### Military

Currently the military consists of the Ground Troops, the Air Force and the National Navy. The number of soldiers is around 500,000 trained soldiers, 300,00 of which are waiting deployment and 200,000 of which are actively deployed.

Each Jurian has the opportunity to enroll into 2 years of military training after their graduation from highschool (past the age of 18) and as a result for completing their training they have all higher level education tuition fees paid for and are able to be called into service for a 6 month period on a 1 month notice, after they have finished their higher level education.

Alternatively some Jurians can, after their training, apply to be immediately employed in either the Navy, Air or Ground force, and may require additional training.