Santheres

Most Eminently Serene Noble Republic of Santheres
Most Eminently Serene Noble Republic of Santheres
Flag	Coat of Arms
	Motto: "Patria fideles defendit."
	Santheres (green) in Tarquinia (grey)
Located in	Tarquinia
Capital	San Gianpiero
Largest	Porto Viro
Official languages	Italian, English, Spanish
Recognised regional languages	French
Demonym	Santherese
Government	Noble Republic
Area
Population
GDP (nominal)	2009 estimate
Gini (2009)	.44
HDI (2009)	0.941 (High)
Currency	Lira (STL)
Drives on the	right
Internet TLD	.san

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Santheres, officially the Most Eminently Serene Noble Republic of Santheres is a large, coastal nation located in Tarquinia. It borders the nations of Keiwa, Shikarta, Noordelik, Verdeguay, and Zinaire.

There are twenty-three administrative regions and nine major noble families. Santheres is an economically powerful nation, and focuses widely on humanitarian action, both on a national and a more personal level. It trades with many nations all across the globe, especially members of ODECON, of which Santheres is a part, though the majority of its trade partners are in Tarquinia.

History

The crazy king and the Nerise; patricide; civil war

Stuff happens

1862 - nobles; civil war

1919 - Amaran Border War, Otcina

1967 - 5YW

Politics

Main article: Politics of Santheres

As a noble republic, various members of the noble class are elected to offices. The Congress and Council branches operate elections in different fashions, with the Congress requiring first a vote from the commons to establish how many seats each House controls. Other branches do not make use of common confidence votes. Council elections are done solely out of the body of the nobility. Defense Administration officials are not voted upon.

No-confidence votes may be called for at any time, for any member of the government, no matter their title, role, or how long they have been in office. These votes historically tend to succeed, removing the offending member from office, and as such, are a useful tool in keeping politicians in line. Simply having charges leveled against a politician can seriously harm their career -- successful votes will completely ruin it, as past cases have shown.

Council of Ten

The Consiglio dei Dieci is a rough analog to the executive arm of many republican governments. It consists of ten councilors, as the name suggests, each of whom heads a department (or two) of the bureaucratic structure. Major decisions are typically made as a group or at least follow a heretofore decided-upon platform, while lesser decisions either follow said platform or are made independently as the situation requires.

All offices except that of the Councilor for State Affairs are elected positions for which any member of the noble class may run. The Councilor for State Affairs must meet further criteria by being the current head of a major noble family, for a variety of different reasons.

State Defense Administration

The State Defense Administration is comprised of three ministries, the heads of which are the Administrative Council that determines the course of action for the Administration. The three ministers are the highest ranking officers in each of the three branches of the military -- the Grand General, the Grand Admiral, and the Grand Marshal -- and a council of the Lord-Officers who command the House military groups. This branch makes use of a kind of hereditary succession, with each Minister promoting whomever they please to their position as their last act in office; there is always someone next in line, though this frequently changes over the years, and requires the constant approval of the Council amd Congress. Each Minister serves an indefinite term that will end when they retire or are forced to step down by pressure from the rest of the government. Ministers and their expected successors can both have votes of no-confidence raised against them.

The SDA oversees military deployments of the Noble Houses, though the council has very little say in the private militaries except in extraordinary circumstances. The Carabinieri is comprised of soldiers serving solely the Administration itself and is capable of military deployment, but is not generally considered a military force. They also have a heavy influence on the education of the nation.

Noble Congress

The Noble Congress is an assembly of nobles elected to seats. They represent their Houses, which in turn represent the people who have placed their confidence in the Family. Congressional members sit five-year terms and may place themselves up for re-election as often as they'd like. They generally serve at the whim of major players within their Families, though, and can usually be expected not to deviate too far from their House's ideals unless they actually plan on never having a political career again -- in rare circumstances, a stray will be so popular with the common class that should they have their political career stamped out early, the House will lose confidence votes in droves, forcing them to allow the return of the politician to important office.

The Congress' predecessor, the Assembly, worked in a very similar way, except that the commoners were shut completely out of having any influence on its workings. It was revamped with the founding of the Republic of Santheres to include the common people, as was deemed necessary for republican ideals. The system was seen as more self-interested than it should have been, so a method of oversight by the common class was developed.

Nobility

Main article: Santherese nobility

The Noble Houses act in a way somewhat resembling political parties. Candidates endorsed by a House are typically blood or adopted members of the family, but Houses supporting the campaign of another House are not unheard of. There are tens of thousands of blood or adopted members in each, giving each House an unlikely chance of ever fading away. These families are extremely powerful forces in Santheres, many of them owning uranium mines, defense contractors, oil companies, and even entire city districts. With the nobles' hold on the government as well as on many of the country's industries and territories, it is understandably difficult to tell where the government ends and society begins. They remain socially-minded, however, because the day that the people unite to vote against an entire family is the day that family loses its reputation, partners, and eventually its assets.

Major Houses are those who are bannermen to none and boast large, ostensibly private militaries that, combined, are the dedicated military forces of Santheres. Their militaries are made up of smaller armies from municipal districts they govern. Originally to prevent the military from being used in a coup, plutocrats reorganized the military into a central power under the direct control of the government. Not until relatively recently has a resolution passed through the Congress to allow the power to be split once again among the Noble Houses, though the Carabinieri was to remain in national control to maintain law enforcement efficiency.

The nobility, as their own branch of the government, operate as the judiciary in the districts which they govern. From the small community level on up to the provincial level, trials are judged by the highest-ranking, qualified, local noble available. Above the provincial level is the regional court, which has dedicated judges that travel to the difference provinces in their region.

Geography

Santheres consists primarily of rainforest in the central regions, and broad, flat tropical savannah along some of the northern and southern coasts. These are generally separated by mountains and cloud forests. Some of the rainforest has been cleared for human settlement, but the vast majority of it remains as natural as possible. Much of the coast is protected by harsh cliff faces, but wide beaches dot these at fairly narrow intervals and there are large natural harbors. Rainfall is heaviest in the central portions.

Climate

Temperatures in Santheres often reach over 38ºC (100ºF), and rarely sink below 18ºC (65ºF). The yearly average is approximately 26.5ºC (80ºF). Humidity is high year-round, and there is no dry season in most of the country as rainfall averages at least 4 inches every month, often more. Santheres is uniformly tropical, and experiences no difference between summer and winter; it is hot and wet throughout the year, with heavy rains at least two days out of the week in most of the central portions of the country. The change in temperature between day and night is decidedly larger than the average change in temperature between "summer" and "winter".

Much of the rainforest experiences over 250 inches of rainfall a year, a product of heavy precipitation on a nearly daily basis. The savannah, however, is naturally drier and does have a relative dry season which averages less than 2 inches of rainfall in each of the summer months.

Economy

WIP

Demographics

WIP

Education

School is mandatory for ages 5 to 15 for commons and 5 to 20 for the nobility; universities are optional for commons, and are typically five years. Commoners who do not attend university take part in a compulsory tour in the military for five years -- nobles exempted by virtue of mandatory university. Most universities are far too expensive for many commoners to attend straight out of grade school, so they tend to wait to go to university until after their military service, as schooling is then much cheaper and they have many academic credits completed in the service, as they are placed in a special reserve force. Children must learn to read and write (at a basic level) before their parents apply for school, as literacy is the most treasured possession a Santherese has and indeed is necessary to be a true citizen. Heavy penalties are placed upon families who do not properly prepare their children to begin school by age 5.

The ten grades are strenuous work and children do not hold jobs, as they go to school for eight hours a day, typically five days a week, nearly ten months a year. There are two month-long breaks, one beginning around the summer solstice and the other near the winter solstice. The school year starts on the first day of the new year and both 5-month periods are halved by a two-week-long festival holiday during which students focus on their cultural and religious traditions. This is by no means a simple break from school, as community events are handled through the schools and most students are required to take part -- at most, it is a welcomed week of decidedly less-strenuous activity.

Up until age fifteen, commoner and noble education within the schools is the same. They attend the same schools, in fact, unless the family sends a child to one of the prestigious boarding schools in the nation (though many wealthy commoners also do this; it is simply a function of income bracket).

The Santherese education system has been criticized for its stress-inducing speed and comprehensiveness, and has been cited as a primary reason for smaller than average programs for post-graduate degrees and a shortage of doctoral graduates.

Religion

An estimated 54% of the Santherese population are professed Marcevangelista Catholics, followers of the Autonomous Holy Mother Catholic Church of Santheres under the Auspices of St. Mark (a name which is, understandably, almost never used in full).

The Church is also a powerful socially-driven organization, being one of the primary forces behind Santheres' humanitarianism and interest in human rights. It looks inward, as well, providing, for instance, comprehensive sexual education courses, and supporting clinics and planning centers. The Church is, therefore, noted as being a progressive social institution.

Languages

The primary language in Santheres is a native form of Italian, and it is this which is generally spoken in the home. In public, especially in business, however, it is being largely supplanted by English, which is necessary for the vast majority of interaction with foreigners. There are several Spanish-speaking countries neighboring Santheres, and as such, Spanish has spread throughout much of the nation. It was recently adopted as the third official language.

Santherese citizens know on average four languages, one in addition to the official languages. The fourth, and further known tongues, all vary widely, but the next most common language is French.

Culture

Santherese culture places great importance on literacy, and many old laws revolve around written contracts, the most binding agreement two individuals can possibly enter into. The illiterate frequently find themselves unable to attain citizenship, or be counted as full adults despite age.

Duels were once considered proper ways to seek justice should the offended party not wish to be involved in the courts, and are still heavily romanticized to this day, though they have been illegal for several decades. Recent cases have occurred, and charges brought against all parties involved in an effort to stamp out this archaic practice.

Physical fitness is also held in high regard, leading to tongue-in-cheek statements regarding it being "illegal" for unfit individuals to be seen in public.

Familial loyalty is a focal point for many Santherese, and family sizes tend to be large and most maintain close relationships with their extended families, often several lines removed. This is especially true of the nobility, whose entire identities are often defined by their larger house, which often operates like a nation unto itself.

Music and Art

Santheres is a renowned center of the arts, but Zinairians think everything they turn out is "vapid shite." Artistic expression is highly valued, whether it be through painting, writing, music, architectural design, or any other field. Due to the cultural focus on high literacy, writing is one of the most respected arts, and is often the most experimental.

Music is popular in all genres, though the closer any vocalization is to spoken-word, the less popular a particular genre or piece tends to be. Tastes vary widely from classical and opera to electronica and guitar-driven rock, and even bubblegum pop and R&B. The most widely-played genres are neo-classical and electronica, followed closely by opera and alternative rock.

Sports

The national sport of Santheres is fencing, which the vast majority of nobles learn, though they don't normally devote much time to it. Professional fencing is dominated by commons who have done little else but compete in the many circuits and championships. There are thousands of teams throughout the nation, some of which are mixed common and noble, and there are dozens of leagues for each class and many more for both.

Other popular sports include tennis, football, competitive swimming and diving.

Cuisine

Vatapá, a popular dish in central Santheres.

Santherese cuisine varies greatly by region, and incorporates many elements from cultures around it. The most popular food in Santheres, however, often contains a holy trinity of fish, garlic, and dende oil, though the latter is sometimes replaced (or used in conjunction) with coconut milk. Seafood, especially shellfish, is extremely popular in coastal regions, where most of the population lives. Exotic fruits like açaí, cupuaçu, and hog plum are among the local ingredients used in cooking, along with more common tropical fruits like mango and pineapple.

Military of Santheres

Main article: Military of Santheres

Despite being a rather peaceful nation, Santheres has a very strong military tradition and the military reserve is considered a perfectly acceptable educational choice, and indeed is necessary for commoners who don't attend university immediately after secondary school. Many commons opt for the military prior to attending university; some nobles transfer into the military immediately after obtaining a degree (typically single). Men and women both enter the military at fairly even rates. Women amount for approximately 40% of the total military, and nearly 50% of officers.

The vast majority of the Santherese military is neither equipped nor trained as an invasion force, but rather almost exclusively as a peacekeeping and defensive force. The expeditionary forces are the only ones not dedicated to policing or defensive operations, but even they have a large percentage of peacekeeping troops in accompaniment. Including all reserve and logistical personnel, the military numbers approximately 200 million.

WIP

Carabinieri

The Arma dei Carabinieri is the national police and military police controlled solely by the government and the State Defense Administration. They are trained as soldiers and operate as peacekeepers, deployable abroad as a full-fledged military response force. Carabiniers are schooled in civil law enforcement, nonlethal methods, guerrilla tactics, urban warfare and counter-terrorist strategy. There is around one person in the Carabinieri for every three hundred residents.

The naval arm of the Carabinieri is, in peace time, frequently referred to as the coast guard, though this is noted as a misnomer since national coast guard services do not operate combat ships at nearly the same level as the Carabinieri does.

Both arms of the Carabinieri are home to the national firefighting service.

Rank	City	Pop.
1	Porto Viro	25,001,500
2	Verdona	23,315,950
3	San Gianpiero	22,943,400
4	Correzzola	21,847,200
5	Rossi	21,649,500
6	Farmacia	20,134,700
7	Treponti	19,452,750
8	Novelo	19,221,100
9	Pontecasale	17,978,250
10	Scardovari	17,764,100
11	Emilia	15,512,150
12	Donzella	13,348,100
13	Poveglia	12,987,200
14	Ca' Venturin	11,713,450
15	Zagallo	10,348,600
16	Murazzetta	10,312,750
17	Padovana	10,117,400