Semenine

The **Free State of Semenine** (also called **Ile du Fantôme**) is a country located on the edge of the Insulindian isola.

## History

The Semenine Islands are inhabited by the Semenese who are descendants of the Aeropagites of ancient Perikarnassis who arrived on the Insulindian isola 4000 years ago.

The Suzerain of Revachol colonized the Semenine Islands and used it as a vassal for the production of sugar.

The Semenese conflict began in ’42. A proxy war was held on the Semenese islands over the island's territory. One faction, the Semenese nationalists had Banaital as their anchor point. The opposition was, in part, Corps de Pharmacie a security firm created to protect the business interests of Oranjese pharmaceutical companies. In '41, war crimes were committed on Banaital by Krenel mercenaries.

## Geography and Ecology

### Geography

Semenine is to the southwest of Le Caillou and Revachol in the Insulindic ocean.

Banaital is one of the inhabited islands of the Semenese archipelago, near the pale. It is covered in jungle. It has a monsoon season. Olduvai is a city on the Semenine Islands. Casherbrume (also known as Ile-de-Casherbrume) is another city on the Semenine Islands. Ulunbuir is another city on the Semenese archipelago. Sereglee is the southernmost island of the archipelago, and borders the pale.

### Ecology

The bang-bang cockatoo is a shy cockatoo with mostly grey and white plumage found in almost all Semenese forests. Its Semenese name is thought to be onomatopoeic in origins. Other plants and animals found in the Semenine Islands are tigers, monotremes, megabats, mangrove trees, and carrion flowers.

The Nnong Okk is a cryptid supposedly found on the Semenine Islands. It is supposedly a flightless cursor owl with long legs that allow it to run faster than any avian and possibly any other animal. When it is not hunting prey by running, it supposedly hangs upside down from tree branches like a bat waiting to dive onto prey on the jungle floor.

## Politics and Economy

The Semenese Islands are a conflict corridor. They do not have a good record of reporting atrocious military conduct committed on their soil.

Casherbrume serves as a tax haven in which shell companies are registered.

Currently, the Free State of Semenine is involved in another round of free trade negotiations with EPIS nations.

## Culture

The Semenine Islands are a beautiful place with a rich and unique culture. However, much of the information presented on the Semenese and the Semenine Islands in the game is told through biased sources. The Semenese in Revachol are a racial minority and experience racism. Characters will present racist pseudo-histories, such as digital mutilation among the Semenese, as fact. As such, it is possible and likely that actual Semenese culture and beliefs are different than how they are presented in game.

A traditional Semenese ward is a charm shaped like an irregular polyhedron, assembled from bones, sticks, and straws that contains a fish head. It is meant to provide protection against ill luck, bad dreams, curses, and other supra-natural scourges.

A belief among Semenese people is that pale exposure can lead to immaculate conception.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 THE DESERTER - "Her passport. And tickets to Villiers." He coughs. "And from there to Casherbrume."
ENCYCLOPEDIA - In the Free State of Semenine. Hidden away at the edge of the Earth, near the pale.
2. ↑ MEASUREHEAD - "I CAN SEE THAT. THE SEMENESE ARE THE SOUTH ISLAND RACE. HAPLOGROUP A4A, THE RIGHTFUL MASTERS OF THE INSULINDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. WE DESCEND FROM THE AREOPAGITES OF ANCIENT PERIKARNASSIS -- AND ARRIVED HERE 4000 YEARS AGO."
3. ↑ SUZERAINTY: THE BOARD GAME - From the Empire of Safre: orange apricot tokens. From Ile Marat (the ancestral name of Iilmaraa): gray marble block tokens. From the Semenine Islands: white sacks of sugar tokens. And from Supramundi and Saramiriza: magenta tokens for unprocessed cocaine leaves.
4. ↑ ALICE - "This is what the ICP knows about him: He was raised by foster parents, entered the Ijsbrand Military Academy -- in Vredefort -- at 17, then served in the Oranjese forces till he was honourably discharged in '41, just a year before the Semenese conflict."
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 ENCYCLOPEDIA - Banaital is one of the inhabited islands of the Semenese archipelago, near the pale. Covered in jungle. It was the anchor point for the Semenese nationalists -- in the proxy war held on the islanders' territory.
6. ↑ ALICE - "It was part of a special order for Corps de Pharmacie, a security firm contracted to protect the interests of Oranjese pharmaceutical companies. In the Semenine conflict."
7. ↑ YOU - "Banaital, '41... that really happened didn't it?"
KORTENAER - "Our colonel did what he had to do. It was either one cunt, or a hundred of them. Ruud here..." He points to him.
8. ↑ MAP WALL - This large map displays archipelagos. You see a constellation of small dots on the light blue emptiness of the Insulindic ocean. The largest, in the northeast, is "Le Caillou" (you are here). Another, far away in the southwest -- "Semenese Islands (Ile du Fantôme)".
9. ↑ SCAB LEADER - "Our colonel is \*deep\* in the bush here. Deep in the fucking bush, in Banaital, '41... Monsoon season. He's on a reconnaissance mission."
10. ↑ MAP WALL - You can. On Caillou -- Revachol, a single black star; on Ozonne -- Fond de l'Air and Virmandeux; on Archipelagos -- Croyant-Morain, Villiers; on Semenine -- Olduvai. And on Laurentide -- Deora Of The Seven Seas...
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 MEASUREHEAD - "I AM A DESCENDANT. THE NARROW STREETS OF ULUNBUIR ARE WITH ME IN MY GENETIC DREAMS, I SEE YOUNG SEMENESE WOMEN WALK INTO THE GREY MASS ON \*ILE DU FANTÔME\*, WAITING ON IMMACULATE CONCEPTION FROM THE PALE."
12. ↑ MEASUREHEAD - "IT SEEMS TO ME YOU ARE IN NEED OF A WARNING. HERE IT IS: IT IS ABSOLUTELY POSSIBLE TO RETURN TO THE PAST. YOU JUST NEED TO TAKE A TICKET TO SEREGLEE ISLAND, THE SOUTHERNMOST OF THE SEMENINE ARCHIPELAGO, ALSO KNOWN AS ILE DU FANTÔME. AND WALK INTO PALE."
13. ↑ COALITION WARSHIP ARCHER - "Good. First question: Are you currently in the vicinity of Sereglee, the North Arcade Islands, or Near Pale Offshore Platform 'Insulindico'?"
14. ↑ FROM A TO ZRRIEEK! A GUIDE TO A WELL-BEHAVED COCKATOO - Despite its \*banging\* name, the bang-bang cockatoo is actually the shyest of the species. Common in almost all Semenese forests, as well as zoos and homes all over the world, its plumage is mainly grey and white. The Semenese name \*bang-bang\* is thought to be of onomatopoeic origins.
15. ↑ HALF LIGHT - Please just agree with him -- you're in the cage of a Semenese tiger. At his mercy. He can \*end\* you any time he chooses.
16. ↑ MEASUREHEAD - "GREAT TIMES WERE HAD HERE, FILLING IN THE GREAT COLOURING BOOK OF THE SEMENINE FLORA AND FAUNA. THE CARRION FLOWERS AND THE MONOTREMES. THE MANGROVE FORESTS AND THE MEGABATS."
17. ↑ MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "A flightless \*cursor owl\* found in the Semenine isles. Its long legs permit the Nnong Okk to run faster than any other avian, perhaps any other \*animal\*, who knows?"
18. ↑ MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "When it's not hunting its prey in this manner, the Okk hangs from tree branches, like a bat, waiting to dive on hapless prey below, on the jungle floor."
19. ↑ JOYCE MESSIER - "Yes. All the good conflict corridors: Supramundi, Yeesut, the Semenese islands. Countries that don't have a good record reporting \*atrocious\* military conduct on their soil."
20. ↑ MEGA RICH LIGHT-BENDING GUY - "Which one? Revachol, where I nominally reside? Or Graad, where my father emigrated from? Or Ile-de-Casherbrume where I've registered my shell companies?"
21. ↑ LA FUMEÉ, VOL. 1 NO. 4 - This section includes a long, tedious critique of the latest round of free-trade negotiations between the EPIS nations and the Free State of Semenine.
22. ↑ ENCYCLOPEDIA - Inhabitants of Ile du Fantôme or the Semenine Islands down south. Don't listen to what Inland Empire told you -- it's a beautiful place with a rich and unique culture...
23. ↑ ENCYCLOPEDIA - \*Kipt\* is a pejorative term used to describe people of South Semenese or Areopagite descent. It used to be a common first name among the Areopagites of Iilmaraa -- not so much anymore.
24. ↑ ENCYCLOPEDIA - Please note: Tales of digital mutilation are a common trope of racist pseudo-histories, completely unsubstantiated by the archaeological record...
25. ↑ CLOSED CURTAINS - You see some kind of charm -- an irregular polyhedron, assembled from bones, sticks, and straw. Inside, a disturbing fish-head with empty eye sockets stares at you.
26. ↑ ENCYCLOPEDIA - From the looks of it this is a traditional Semenese ward, meant to provide protection against ill luck, bad dreams, curses, and other supra-natural scourges.