Virarona
When you enter Virarona, the first thing you will notice is the southern cross everywhere. On the continent, they say the cross is a symbol of the crossed swords of conflict. It is a reminder of centuries of bloody war that raged off and on throughout the continent, and of the peace that the countries have now struck. No one on the southern continent could avoid the war. Even the Thisaazhou were forced to change their routes and beg entrance at the whims of violent leaders. But no country is more contrite than Virarona, which has not only made peace with its neighbors, but has opened its borders to those who face such crimes elsewhere. I have seen no country try harder to turn from bloody history to united peace.
--Thisaazhou trader
Structure
Virarona is a constitutional monarchy. The king is the head of state. The head of government is the Prime Minister, who is elected by the Parliament for a 5 year term. The members of Parliament itself are elected by the people for four year terms. Any citizen of at least 21 years can vote, though voting is not mandatory. The Prime Minister selects the cabinet members, who lead different governmental departments. These cabinet members serve until the next prime minister selects new ones. Each department also has a secretary who is selected by the king, and approved by Parliament. The king's secretaries serve until they retire.
Public Agenda
Originally, Virarona intended to minister its religion, getting involved in several conflicts with its neighbors in the southern continent. In modern times, however, Virarona has reversed and now speaks out against human rights violations in other countries. Some people take issue with this as Virarona has its own issues with human rights violations, in particular claims of domestic abuse and mistreatment of minority religious groups.
History
In 1079, a schism occurred in the Een religion in Diamondheart, with the leaders of the two factions vying for power. The upstart leader, Nirmel Beltz, seized the capital and took control of the nation for 81 years, renaming the nation Virarona, after a controversial Een prophet. The country remained a center of knowledge and learning and in 1094, the king commissioned the now famous Observatory of Trenn.
In 1166, a new war broke out with the old Een faction rose again to strength. This new faction was unable to take control over the entire nation, however, and thus it split in two, with Virarona remaining in the west and Diamondheart reforming in the east.
The marriage of the queen to be in 1186 was one of the most well-attended events in Virarona, though many people feared that her new husband, being of the old Een faith, would destroy the country once it was in power. But the man was both charismatic and well-educated in Een law, so he successfully brought the Een minority of Virarona together with the majority. In 1189, he created an order of Knights to defend the country and to honor their god.
The religious conflict continued off and on for centuries. In 1208 Orreassar the Fortunate successfully stole back more land from Diamondheart and in 1276 had a brief conflict with Ethion. This short war lasted only four years, after which the two nations saw several centuries of peace. They fought again, however, in the late eighteenth century, and after 13 years, Virarona annexed half of Ethion's territory, what is now western Xye.
Over the course of the next century, the Xye area grew as the religion of the west spread to the east, eventually developing into a nationalist movement which resulted in Virarona giving the Xye area limited self-government. In 1879, Virarona signed a treaty declaring Xye its own nation, though still technically under the Viraronan king. Ten years later, the king of Virarona abolished the state religion, which was another step in separating from Xye, which voted to officially sever all ties with Virarona in 1907. The two remained allies, however, with Xye's coast guard also protecting Virarona, and the Viraronan Knights still promised to aid Xye in the event of an invasion.
Demography and Population
The population of Virarona is mostly human, and they mostly follow the Viraronan sect of Een. There are, of course, Thisaazhou traders who pass through the country, and a handful who have even settled there. There are also pockets of other religions, mostly concentrated in specific cities. Finally, Virarona has recently become home to refugees fleeing the island nations off the east coast of the Minor Continent.
Military
Virarona no longer has a military force separate from the Viraronan Knights. Though this group is well maintained and prepared for army and naval battles should the need arise, active members currently serve as a police force, with reserve forces serving as crisis teams.
Religion
The Een religion is no longer the state religion, but was until very recently. The vast majority of people who live there still follow this religion, though exact numbers are hard to determine as members of many minority religions still keep their beliefs secret, due to discrimination issues. Though the government has abolished the state religion and declared religious freedom, certain areas of the nation still see extensive hate crimes against members of other faiths.
Foreign Relations
Though Virarona has a long history of religious conflict with several other countries on the Southern Continent, it is currently at peace with them.
Trade & Transport
Traditionally, Virarona traded with the southern islands via Thisaazhou nomads. They continue this, though mostly on a personal basis, as well as trading with Xye and Diamondheart. Their biggest trade partners are Edych and Nefrale, though they have several transport stations which allow them to reach other, more distant countries.
Education
Schools in Virarona are usually religious schools. Though they receive funding from the government and are free to attend, they are run by religious leaders and religious principles are taught alongside other subjects. Thus, children who follow other faiths have often not attended school, though since the establishment of the state religion, communities of different faiths have started their own, private schools for children who follow different religions. Several major cities have also established small schools intended for the children of refugees and migrants, including the Thisaazhou. Classes are often taught and organized differently at these schools as students are not expected to stay for great lengths of time. Only in the last couple of decades have public schools without religious affiliation started to spring up around the nation.
Infrastructure
There is a major income disparity in Virarona. Those who live in major cities have clean drinking water and a generally good way of life. There are many rural communities, however, which still deal with poor sanitation and do not have piped water. This adds less to the simmering conflict than one might think, as these rural communities are more often those who are not part of the state religion, etc. Thus, at some point, these communities were allowed to enter, and though they were legal, they were treated as second-class citizens. The current administration is working to end this and build better infrastructure to improve the lives of those who live in these communities. Some believe this is a waste of time.
Perseverance Conquers All
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Demonym
Viraronan
Government System
Monarchy, Constitutional
Power Structure
Autonomous area
Economic System
Mixed economy
Currency
chokish
Major Exports
raw metals
Major Imports
textiles
Official Languages
Related Ethnicities
Comments