Republic of Shanai
Culture
Shanai's culture is founded on the ideals of caring for one's neighbors like family, strong social bonds, and the joys of a life worth living.
Perhaps to the shock of those from outside the islands, Shanin people do not view property as belonging to solely the person in possession of it, due to an intense sense of community. Shanin culture dictates that no person should go without, and so if a person is in need, there is a moral obligation to give assistance and shelter even at a personal cost. Food, by far, is the most commonly shared item, with locals known to cook extra servings for the sole purpose of sharing with their neighbors. It is also incredibly common for people to share their homes, treating their neighbor's own as if it was their own and to come and go as they please. This is due to the frequency of storms and disasters on the islands, where a person's own home may have suffered damage, and so it has become ingrained in their culture to not ask questions why, but give others what they need in the meantime until they are back on their feet.
Food has incredible importance in Shanai's culture, with traditional dishes having changed little over time making up the majority of people's diets. Red meat is uncommon, due to limited space for livestock, instead the primary protein in people's diets being made up of fish, paired with simple breads and fruits such as pineapple, coconut, bananas, mangos, guava, and starfruit being the most common. Shark and rays are also commonly on the menu, with as much of the animal being utilized as possible. Wasting food is not common, as anything that spoils before it is eaten is generally used as fishing bait or repurposed into fertilizer at community compost gardens.
Shanai has a diverse nightlife, due to a high population of Vampires and Blood Demons, and so the city rarely sleeps with many shops, attractions, and activities being open at all hours or closing in the afternoon to only reopen again later at night. Most festivals and holidays will run well into the next morning as a result, allowing all residents to participate.
Unlike many areas that are definitively in the rule of the gods, Shanai has a rather peaceful relationship with the Solar Dragonflight, who have many members living on or around the islands. Many dragons aligned with the Solar Flight who live in the nation typically align themselves politically with the country, but hold onto the cultural beliefs of their flight, being considered outsiders to most of their mainstream kin.
History
The Republic of Shanai was founded from the state of Hawai'i, which segregated from the United States of America in 2214. Hawai'i's segregation had been gaining popularity among the local and general populations for decades due to numerous abuses by American government, such as misappropriation of state funds, lack of support during natural disasters, routine claims and unlawful sales of Hawaiian land, and increased knowledge of the region's capture when it initially became a state.
In the 2050s, Hawai'i had become increasingly independent from the mainland's politics and support as dragons began to rampage across the continent. Despite its position as a naval base, Hawaiian ships were generally not used against the dragons due to being too slow and becoming death traps when set ablaze by their flames, but Hawai'i's Air Force was routinely deployed to the mainland, oftentimes to the point of the islands being completely depleted of planes other than for civilian use. Due to its isolated nature, direct attack from dragons was incredibly rare, as most drowned or starved long before reaching the islands if they were aware of them at all. Even with depleted sources of soldiers, it was rumored that drafts enacted in the United States were planned to draw from Hawai'i's civilian population, which many believe was the tipping point for segregation, paired with routine over harvesting of food and water for the mainland, leaving stocks low for Hawai'i's own populace.
In 2184, Hawai'i held its own voting for the formation of its own government, elected its own governors for each island, and began the process of distancing themselves from the United States. While no official segregation order was given until 2214, the island chain was operating as its own entity for 30 years, conducting its own trade, local elections, and building infrastructure in advance to act as its own nation. The order for segregation was given to little response by American officials, most of which believed that Hawai'i, much like other states threatening to leave the country, would struggle and eventually back down due to a lack of resources. What was not known to Americans however was that Hawai'i had an extensive trade network in place with other Pacific Islands as well as form mutual protection pacts. By this point, Hawai'i had also reformed its monarchy under a constitution, citing that it had never officially or legally been dissolved when incorporated into the United States.
War of the Majors and War of Black Ash
Hawai'i was not as heavily impacted by the War of Black Ash as most other regions of the world, allowing the nation to continue as normal for the first few months, as the first ash fall did not occur until much later on. It is thought that in the War of the Majors, Nagi, God of Water may have also sought to later use the islands for his own needs and may have been planning to establish a temple there as well, and could have been manipulating the islands' currents to prevent acidic ocean waters from reaching the region. As the War of Black Ash continued however, conditions on the islands did worsen as crops failed, acid rain became common, and repeated tsunamis devastated coastlines and fishing communities. Even with repeated ecological and infrastructural disasters, Hawai'i was one of few nations that continued to have a stable power grid during the War of Black Ash. In 6205, Fire God Vega arrived to the islands, forming a trail of shallow volcanoes from California to Hawa'i now known as Vega's Footprints in order to cross the ocean. It is believed and highly mythologized that Vega had been greatly wounded in the War of the Majors, and came to Hawai'i to recover from his wounds and be in a region unreachable by the other major gods. Vega's claim of Hawai'I is one such myth, recounting the negotiations between Vega himself and Hawai'i's queen, whose name has been lost. In the negotiations, it is said that Hawai'i declared the god of fire its new monarch in order to protect itself from raiders, pirates, and other nations' militaries under the belief that no group would be willing to attack a Major God directly. Despite negotiations, Vega planned on using the volcanoes on the islands as a weapon against the other gods, and reignited all of Hawai'i's volcanoes, pumping their magma chambers with excessive amounts of magma and gas to cause an explosive eruption. Plans to lure other major gods, such as Lapi and Nagi, to the island failed, and when the god left the islands to continue the war on the mainland, a massive eruption occurred on O'hanu and the Hawai'i Big Island. The Big Island itself sank due to the amount of lava ejected and O'hanu was devastated, with Maui becoming the nation's capital during the disaster. Vega returned to the islands, stabilized the volcanoes, and began systematic planned eruptions to release the pressure and lava slowly to prevent further destruction. It was at this point Vega's presence on Hawai'i became known globally, and Hawai'i was referred to as 'The islands belonging to the Boar' in Common (False Dragontongue)- Shanai.Foreign Relations
Since even prior to officially segregating from the United States of America, Shanai has maintained strong trade negotiations with surrounding Pacific Nations such as Japan, Kiribati, Polynesia, Aotearoa, the Philippines, and Fiji. Strong trade relationships were also established with China, Australia, New Caledonia, Mexico, and Peru later on that primarily dealt with the trading of produce, meat imports, and fishing exports.
Much of Shanai remains opposed to remnants of the United States, the Republic of California in particular, which has made repeated unsuccessful claims that Shanai is a part of their nation. The Republic of California, Wyoming, Appalachian Union, Independent State of New York, Montana, and Louisiana all require entry passports approved by Shanai itself for travel to the islands unless for Fire Mana Certification at the temples, which are notably harder to obtain. Michigan and Arizona, although also formed from the United States, do not have such requirements, likely due to their strong connection to the Pantheon.
In modern times, Shanai is considered the center of diplomatic aid, charity, and reconstruction efforts in the Pacific Ocean due to their Red Pineapple Corps, a bipartisan non-profit organization that focuses on natural disaster relief both in and out of the country.
Infrastructure
Due to techniques taught by Fire God Vega and the Cult of Fire, the vast majority of the nation's stone infrastructure is built from igneous rock and cooled lava. Many areas of the capital city are paved with cooled lava flows, flattened and sized to form streets, roads, and access paths. Although homes with basements are uncommon on the islands, most underground structures, foundations, and walls are constructed by holding lava in place until it cools in the desired shape.
Maps
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Shanin Islands
Founding Date
6263
Type
Geopolitical, Republic
Capital
Alternative Names
Shanai, The Shanin Islands
Demonym
Shanin
Leader
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Monarchy, Constitutional
Economic System
Mixed economy
Official State Religion
Parent Organization
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Official Languages
Related Ranks & Titles
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities
Related Myths
Comments