Solyn

* Map
* Flag

Solyn is a peninsulan nation, situated around New Ocean. It is inhabited by Solaryn. Its capital city, Solaris, sits on the coast, and is surrounded by large walls on all sides, with the walls on the coastal side also acting as gates.

Despite its capital's imposing appearance, the people of Solyn are kind, open-minded, and peaceful. Things like slavery and war are abhorrent, although when they or another peaceful nation is threatened, The people of Solyn will choose war if all other options are exhausted.

Solyn is a member of Calai of Three Lakes, with their leader Solnura Oela Lunaron sitting on The Pent as an equal partner in the greater nation. After joining the union, Solyn architects began to become the standard used for public construction projects.

## History

### 1st Age - Age of Conflict

Solyn was founded by Sol, who became the nation's 1st leader. He helped build the walls around Solaris to keep its inhabitants safe. On the southern wall is a quote from him, for his people: *"These walls are not unlike the plates that cover each of us. They protect, and give shelter, to the weak inside. As they are the plates, we must be the insides; we must work with, and for, eachother, as one. To be selfish is to be as much of a hinderance to the self as it is to others."*

During the 1st age, Solyn was full of strife and conflict, mostly of two kinds. Internally, racism was a large issue. Orange and Red Solaryn often kept largely to their own groups, with those of shades in between forced to pick a side. Externally, Nulomera often attacked hunters or passers by, and sometimes made it within the walls to take civilians. Despite their small stature, they're quite strong, and especially able to take children.

### 2nd Age - Age of Unity

The 2nd age was when Sol began getting through to the people of Solyn. His messages of love and equality began to spread, and it was during this age that Sol was elevated to the status of God. The nation of Solyn worked on internal conflicts for a few dozen years, and once the Weola came, they began working on external matters as well. The people soon realized that other intelligent groups exist outside their walls, and they made it their goal to unite all nations of the world.

### 3rd Age - Age of Prosperity

In this age, Solyn began conversing with the people of other nations, and began the unification of those around the Central Lakes. They found their neighbors, the people of Lusjhusēkē and Otniaki, as well as Havledon and Namatkore across the lake. Luckily, the neighboring nations were all just as peaceful. In time, a great union would form.

### 4th Age - Age of Union

In this fourth age, Solyn joined the Union of Calai. Solnura Oela Lunaron managed to extract a relatively good deal, in which Solyn's architects would be hired as the state architects and engineers of the Union. Solyn was involved heavily in the colonisation of Sang Sial Itoni Sol and the construction of the sprawling courtyard city of Cascade. Religious tensions also rose over the divinity of Sol in the new religion of Asahumu Polytheism.

## Geography

Solyn is mostly forest and grassland. In the grasslands grow shrubs and bushes among long grass. The forests of Solyn are made up of two types of trees, described below.

### Flora

In the grasslands, the Naloela (Tall grass) of Solyn is soft and orange-yellow in its prime, and can be weaved carefully into baskets and other containers. When it's ripe, the grass can be harvested and used to make Nalocoela, or 'tall wheat.'

In the forests, Two types of trees are present: Thick and tall Naldoel (Tall Tree), with soft leaves that have purple-blue undersides and orange tops, camoflaging them from herbivores; And the Nuldoel (Short Tree), which has a wide base that tapers quickly into a spindly mess of branches ending in small bunches of red leaves.

In the damp areas of Solyn, especially in the forests and caves, a variety of mushrooms grow:

* **Indoela** - Blue wood. A sturdy mushroom with a thick stem and small black tips.
* **Eimela** - Yellow mushroom. Flat, nearly stalkless fungus that forms in pentagons or hexagons. Tastes a bit sweet when cooked, but when raw it's bitter and tough.
* **Geomela** - Glass mushroom. A fairly see-through mushroom that becomes crunchy when fully matured. Can be eaten raw for a watery refreshment, or cooked for a savory delight.
* **Uriomela** - Cave mushroom. Common in caves, hence the name, and takes a pale green hue. Can be cooked and strained into a strong adhesive with a natural bitterant.
* **Meramela** - Animal mushroom. Refers to a small group of mobile and semi-sentient mushrooms. Generally multi-legged and single-eyed, they inhabit nooks and crannies in forests, caves, and recently in Solyn itself. The clay buildings offer perfect homes free of predators, and their favorite food, long grass seeds, are abundant in Solaryn storehouses. They are often hunted by the Weola.

### Fauna

**Mammals**

* **Namera** - bird-like creatures with two sets of powerful wings. They're two feet long and weight about 15 pounds. They feed on the leaves of the Naldoel and Nuldoel trees.
* **Nulomera** - Bipedal pack animals with tentacled faces and a sharp beak. These, too were once predators of the Solaryn, but unlike the Eliamera, they never ceased their vicious ways. Thanks to the Weola, they aren't a large issue for the people of Solyn. They're two feet long and two feet tall.
* **Weola** - Large, hexapodal wolf-like predators, and the first furred creatures ever seen by the Solaryn. They're both powerful and loyal, and love to roll around in the sand. This acts both as a form of entertainment and cleaning, as their dense fur is difficult to wash. They have gray-to-tan colored fur and two sets of yellow eyes. They also have a strong bite with a three-pronged jaw. They're 5 feet long and 3 feet tall.
	+ **Weoli** - A smaller breed of Weola. They still have the same six legs and four eyes, but are much closer to cats or foxes in appearance. Unlike their larger cousins, they are scavengers that follow the Weola and eat their scraps. Not long after Weola introduced themselves to Solyn, the Weoli followed. They tend to have darker shades than the Weola, but come in the same color spectrum. They are about 3 feet long and 2 feet tall.

**Reptiles**

* **Eliamera** - Beaked, roaming herbivores that once were the predators of the Solaryn. Once the people of Solyn moved to land, they moved on to a different food source, and also eventually made their way onto land. They're eight feet long and six feet tall.

**Insects**

* **Sedisna** - The Solynian Silkworm. Small orange-brown insects that look like grubs with ant legs. They have large bee-like nests of over 1000 members, and produce silk to make their homes. When fed the sap of the Naldoel, they bloat and produce a horrible-smelling pheromone, but their silk output is increased slightly.

## Languages

The native language of Solyn is Solynian. Due to the languages restricted nature and few letters, the words in the language often sound similar. Itoni Script is the official language, and is the most commonly used given it is derived nearly all from Solynian.

## Politics

Sol is the 1st leader of Solyn. The government is a democracy, in which the people vote for issues and decide how to act, while the leader is mostly a figurehead, spending most of their time representing Solyn in The Pent. The democracy was instated after Sol’s death. Solyn doesn’t have police. Instead, they have the strongest groups, such as construction workers and other laborers, multitask as both workers and law enforcers.

As stated above, there aren’t prisons in Solyn, only rehab centers. Those who cannot be rehabilitated, whether due to mental illness or sheer stubbornness are kept in the rehab centers.

Solyn’s military is different than law enforcement. Every able-bodied person is drafted for war, whether defensive or offensive. This is because, when a war begins, all other, more peaceful options have been exhausted. So, why not go all-out?

## Religion and culture

### Moral values and principles

**Principles/Values**

* Slavery is abhorrent
* War is abhorrent, but sometimes necessary
* Criminals and overly-selfish individuals are sent to rehab ‘clinics’ as opposed to prisons, where they are treated instead of punished.
* Parents teach their kids to “love thy neighbor” and to give that which they do not need.
* The individual works for the betterment of their community, and through their community they better themself.

**Customs**

* Most people in Solyn wear baggy and flowing robes for comfort. When performing work, they wear a less baggy outfit consisting of a shirt and pants.
* Most people also wear thick leggings with sandals under the robes.
* Clothing is made from Sedisna silk, which is quite warm if a bit hard to clean.
* Solaryn have no gender, and all above the age of 24 are considered adults.
* Most meals are eaten with the hands, and so the majority of people carry around a handkerchief.

**National Icons**

* Sol, the 1st leader. Founded the nation and its morals. Personally helped their subjects when they could, including working in construction or gathering food.

### Traditions

**Holidays**

* The 1st - New year, beginning on Sol’s birthday. Mid-summer.
* Gifting Day - After a successful harvest season, most people come into more wealth. In the spirit of the nation, Gifting Day is a day in which people give each other gifts and spread cheer. Early fall

**Sports/Games**

* Clickers - 5 large oval beads with flat ends are stacked. Participants take turns throwing 3 rings over the beads, trying to keep the stack from falling. The game ends when either all the rings are thrown or all the beads are toppled. Called “clickers” because of the sound the beads make when they topple.
	+ 1 point per bead in the stack.
* Runner - 2+ players. One is the Runner, with all other participants being Chasers. All participants doff their plating and clothing, and chase the Runner through an obstacle course, attempting to tag them. The obstacle courses began as simple poles and small holes, but elaborated to winding tunnels, complex labyrinths, and webs of rope. Some of the holes are as small as 3cm across.
	+ A much less sophisticated version of the game is popular amongst children. Mostly running or squirming around without many obstacles.

### Art/Architexture/Literature

**Art**

* Solyn doesn’t have any national styles, although stonework/clay work is popular. This is most visible in Solaris’s walls and buildings, which will be explored more below.

**Architecture**

* Solyn’s architecture is mostly stone and clay. Large walls surround the capital of Solaris. The buildings inside are hardened off-white clay with wooden floors. Those with the time or the money engrave their homes with depictions of stories, legends, or other things of importance.

**Literature**

* Education is important in Solyn, so almost all citizens are literate. Most books are fiction, telling stories of grand adventures and glorious heroes.