Barmenistan

The Barmenian Felinist Republic is a Felinist Republic, situated on the continent of Majatra. It is bordered by the Verranderlijke Ocean to the west, Beiteynu to the north-west, Pontesi to the north-east, the Majatran Sea to the east, and Vanuku to the south.

History
Main article: History of Barmenia

Barmenia originally gained its name from the Proto-Rhaetans who inhabited all of northern Majatra in prehistoric times. The original etymology was Gwerəmēstā-no which subdivides into three words: gwerə-, meaning “heavy”, mē-, meaning “to measure”, and stā-no, meaning “where one stands”. Thus it probably refers to the country as a place where people were renowned for their weight system, and the fact that the name survived among the Rhaetans to develop into its present form suggests that the Proto-Rhaetans in Barmenia defined the weight system of all Proto-Rhaetans and perhaps even controlled the trade for which the weight system was necessary.

Emergence of Queranzariah & Jihad
In 1154, Prophet Amad emerged in Sisula to spread his message of the impeding Armageddon. The Queranz faith soon emerged as the dominant aith in the region. In 1186 Queranzariah became the official religion of Uthena and the oly Caliph its ruler, and in 1216 an Queranz rebellion in Sisula led to the latter being invaded and conquered by the Caliphate.

As part of a policy of seeking to unite all Queranzi in the area under its rule, called Jihad (holy war), the Caliphate invaded Arakhim in 1492. Victory was achieved in just a few months. Strengthened in his zealous devotion, Caliph Ibrahim landed on the principality of Ylrith on the island of Cildania where there was also a growing Queranz population. However, this time the Caliphate was faced with much stronger resistance as the other Cildanian principalities of Akildar, Akinawa, Gilzon, and Hebilon all came to Ylrith’s aid. The Caliphate therefore ordered the Muslim sultanate of Al’Badara to join the invasion but was politely rebuffed as Al’Badara worried it might be next. Consequently the Caliphal army departed from Ylrith in 1498.

Luthori Expedition and invasion of the Vanukuese
In 2768, the Luthori monarchy attempted to reinstall the House of Bünyamin and Yišsérles, after centuries of republican rule. An expedition was sent under Luthorian Prince Morgan, and won a great victory at the gates of Brme Jeztad in 2770, restoring monarchic rule in nearly all parts of the country.

Barmenia's southern neighbour, Vanuku, had became a hotbed of militant republicanism on the continent. The appearance of Luthori armies at it's northern border managed to unite a formerly deeply divided people. The Vanukese used the Luthori intervention as a casus belli against Barmenia. Lacking any real support from the International Monarchist League, Barmenia was forced to agree to expel the Luthori presence and the Caliph abdicated.

Feline Homeland of Barmenia
Felinism (Brme: Nkaé), supposedly originated from Jelbic shamanism, was long a religion of peasants and mountainous villagers in the predominantly Queranz Barmenia, but rose into prominence once again after the outbreak of plague collapse of the monarchy of the House of Victoria. Led by the charismatic Lady Elizabeth Rochford, Felinism established itself as the state religion of Barmenia, with her daughter, Jessica Rochford taking on the worldly leadership over the state.

During the resurgence of the faith under Lady Elizabeth and the Sacred Feline Cult, all cats were considered parts of the Feline Divinity, but the one worthy of special reverence was Bastet, who was said to be the Goddess of the Moon worshipped in ancient times. The constitutional cat monarch, the Felis Supremis, was believed to be the latest incarnation of Bastet. Whenever a Felis Supremis died, believers subsided into ten days of official mourning, during which followers cease all significant business activity, fast, pray, donate their riches to Cat Temples, fearing that unless Bastet returns the plants will all die and all living life perish. On the eleventh day a search began, supervised by the Sacred Cult, to find the next Felis Supremis from amongst the kittens in Barmenia's most prominent Cat Temples. The selected kitten is usually a queen (female), although there were occasions when Bastet had chosen to return as a tom (male). After the new Felis Supremis has been anointed, there followed a spontaneous outburst of religious fervour and wild celebrations.

The government of the Sacred Feline Cult, while being theocratic in nature, is generally seen as a period of noticeable tolerance and liberalism in Barmenia. The Cult highly emphasized social equality and environmental sustainability, giving birth to a pastoral and naturalistic nation that shunned mass-production and industrialization. As a reult of the Cult's religious values, women were also greatly empowered women in Barmenia, to the point of Barmenia being labeled a "matriarchy" by the government of Luthori.

Reign of the Galt Freyjas
The downfall of the Sacred Feline cult led to the rise of a dynasty called the Galt Freyjas. Little is known of their background, including their origins. What is known however, is that the first Galt Freyja was an unrivaled mystic and theologican of his time, and gathered a sizebale following that recognized him as Felis Supremis, despite his apparent human nature. In July 24:th 3179, Galt Freyja and his followers walked into the Grand Cat Parlour, as the country's national legislature was called at the time, and declared that:

"Whereas the Cat Gods have sent one of their ilk to our Planet Cats in the form of one GALT FREYJA.

Let it be resolved that,

GALT FREYJA can speak with cats, as such he is best fitted to be he who guides the people, so as to best follow the desires of the cats.

All former statues, laws, and constitutions shall be considered null and void until they are given their approval by GALT FREYJA."

The following centuries saw Barmenia emerging as an important player on the world stage. Galt Freyja allied himself with the Alliance of Terran Republics and eventually beacme chairman of the organization, and tirelessly fought Luthorian and Hulstrian imperialism on the world stage. This led the International Monarchist League, the Alliance's main rival power bloc at the time, to fund Queranz Mujahedin fighters in Barmenia, who fought to restore the Caliphate of old, however, they were ultimately unsuccessful. Galt Freyja II also intervened in the Pontesian Civil War and welcomed the exiles of the Crimson Crusade into Barmenia after these had been defeated.

His successor, Galt Freyja III would incite the Davostag-Barmenian Debt Wars, over the collection of debt incurred by the defunct Davostani Satanic Republican regime. When the royalist coalition of House of Thor, House of Zachary, and House of Strom defeated the SRP in the Davostag Civil War in 3296 the Barmenians demanded repayment for debts. The royalist coalition refused citing that it was the SRP regime that incurred the debt and that the Davostag people would not suffer for it. Davostag also felt slighted by Barmenia's support of the SRP regime hoping it would return to power in the near future.

Most legendary of the Galt Freyjas, however, is probably Galt Freyja IV, who became the last of his family to rule over Barmenia. Obsessed with the idea of giving Barmenia a colony of it's own on the Dovanian continent, Freyja embarked on a quest to find lands to the east, along with his wife, Rodentia Hunter. He departed from Barmenia in his private ship in September 9:th 3399 and was never heard from,

Later, the LSS Crusaders Council under the leadership of Livius I Mede, succeeded in gaining almost three quarters of the electorate on their side. The lionist crusaders went on with writing a new constitution, reorganising the Felinist Homeland into an elective monarchy, and Empire. This was the begining of what would later be known as House Mede

Return of the Caliphate
The Lionist rule over Barmenia eventually saw it's popularity decline rapidly, thanks to aggressive policies pursed against the Empire's neighbours as well as ideological dissidents at home. The eventual decline would lead to the rise of the Patherists, another Felinist, sect who held Pudan to be the perfected incarnation of the Human Divinity. In 3406, they installed their leader Malik I as Black Sacred Emperor.

Internal strife among the Felinist forces eventually resulted in the return of the Queranz Caliphate under the House of Bünyamin and Yišsérles, who would rule Barmenia in almost a century.

Felinist Republic of Barmenia
In the midst of the chaos of the era after the 3497 elections, were the nation found itself without both a working Melsis (parliament) and a government, local magnates or warlords gained momentum.. Though private militia groups formally remained illegal, the Claws of Azarean were considered as such by most by all but a few. The group would probably be margin if it wasn't because of Eyaan Banehawk, their Wrnthiko (leader). Declaring himself "Atabék of Murdhild" and working toether with forces loyal to the Mede Dynasty, he would gain total control of the country, forming the Felinist Republic of Barmenia, a mildly theocratic republic with Juliana I of House Mede as Queen and Jezmrjkai (Great Protector) of the Felinist Republic.

The republic would eventually take control of Vanuku thanks to forces inside that country, annexing it as the March of Vanuku, Greater Barmenia South, under the control of native pro-Barmenian forces.

People's Republic of Barmenia
In December, 3538, protests erupted in several cities throughout Barmenia. The protesters demanded better working conditions and better living standards. The government reacted harshly, declaring martial law and ordering the armed forces to assist local riot police in enforcing a national curfew and clearing the streets. The Communist Party of Barmenia took a lead role in organizing the protests. On February 5, 3540, the largest protest ever was recorded - over 6 million people flocked to the capital of Varistad, essentially shutting down the entire city and city streets filled with people. On February 7th, 3540, the government abandoned the capital and established themselves in a small village named Inja in the north. Throughout the rest of February, the Communist Party assumed the levers of power through the nation. The Imperial Palace in Varistad was occupied by the Communist Party and their supporters on February 10th and all ministries and various other power centres came under the control of the Communist Party by February 15th. The Communist Party (known simply as "The Ruling Party of Barmenia" after they solidified their hold) held power until late 3599, when they were ousted by a massive democratic revolution in June of 3599..

Return of the Mede Dynasty
WIP

Culture
Barmenian culture began with the Proto-Rhaetan peoples. Little is known about their society apart from a few stone tablets of Cuneiform script, statues and the few ziggurats they left behind. Felinism is said to have originated from the Proto-Rhaetans. The Proto-Rhaetans were gradually conquered by Jelbic-speaking tribes migrating from the south.

Barmenia is a nation of pristine lakes, stunning mountains and picturesque villages nestled in cosy grassy valleys. Barmenia's famous golden beaches have been zealously protected from over-development, making them amongst Terra's most precious beauty spots. The country's spectacular natural environment is a Mecca for mountaineers, hikers and nature lovers, not to mention enthusiasts of every variety of mountain and water activity, from canoeing to paragliding. A beehive in the backyard and a bee-keeping club meeting in the village pub are everyday sights in a land which makes oodles of the thickest-flowing gorgeously sweet oozing honey available anywhere in Terra. The national drink is mead, a luscious wine made with honey which is adored by locals and constitutes one of Barmenia's most successful exports.

Barmenians love authentic handicrafts, homemade clothes and homemade food, shunning the mass manufactured products which have swamped other nations and wiped out once valued skills. Barmenians generally like to have an idea of who made the things we own and how they were made, prizing individuality and disdaining bland uniformity. Craftsmen, tailors, painters, musicians and other creative types swarm to Barmenia from all over Terra just to be in amongst the atmosphere and culture here. One of the greatest passions is oral storytelling, where village groups meet up within a friendly atmosphere in pubs, living rooms and public spaces to regale each other with tales, each speaker trying to be more entertaining than the previous one. Skill in this art is greatly esteemed, and many who began as storytellers have found themselves - often almost unwittingly! - propelled up the ranks of local or even national politics.

Though minorities of Selucian, Beitenyuese and Dunetrekkan descent exist, nearly all Barmenians are skilled in the official language, Brmék, a dialect of the Jelbic language family, largely mutually intelligible with other Jelbic languages such as Jelbék and Pnték.

Demographics
Religious groups


 * Felinism 35%
 * - Orthodox Felinism 12%
 * - Heterodox Felinism 23%
 * Queranzariah 30%
 * Abadism 10%
 * Hosianism 14%
 * - Selucian Patriarchal Church 7%
 * - Yeudi-Hosians 6%
 * - Other 1%
 * Yeudism 5%
 * Yazdism 2%
 * Irreligious 2%
 * Other 2%

Ethnicity


 * Brmékai 57%
 * Majatran 18%
 * Selucian 8%
 * Beiteynunese 5%
 * Vanukeese 3%
 * Pntek 2.5%
 * Duntrekkan 0.5%
 * Other 6%

Government & Politics
The constitutional tradition of Barmenia is based on the principle of subsidiarity, meaning that at least in theory, matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest, or least centralized authority capable of addressing that matter effectively. Many matters ranging from worker's rights, environmental protection, infrastructure and laws on morality are handled at the local level, by the Prtastats, as the federal subjects are called in Barmenia.

Despite bans on religious scools and heavy government interference in the religious sphere, Barmenia is a mildly theocratic state, lacking both formal and informal separation of Church and State. The choice of the electorate is widely believed to be divinely inspired, as voters are encouraged by both the government and by the (legal) religious establishment to contemplate, pray and meditate before casting their vote.

The Monarchy
Barmenia is, in practice, a constitutional monarchy, under Shahbanu (Queen) Juliana I of the Mede Dynasty. The House of Mede hails from the Selucio-Barmenians, though most of it's members are not of purely Selucian descent nowadays. The traditional throne room in Varistad as well as the institution itself is refereed to as the Sun-Cured Throne.

In Barmenian political theory, the Queen is not an ordinary constitutional monarch, but Jezmrjkai (Brmék: Great Protector) of the Felinist Republic. This being a result of Barmenia's historical conflict with several monarchic powers usually afflicted with the Caliphate and Queranzariah, as opposed to Felinist Republicanism.

Military
The military of Barmenia had for a long time been built around the idea of an autonomous and decentralized warrior caste. The government had only directly operated a small part of the Empire's military, and mostly subcontracted semi-military control to private intrapreneurs, bringing a system of competition to the Barmenian millitary which is believed to have led to great improvements to its quality, combined with the compulsory conscription of all young Barmenian men and women. There were also many paramilitaries belonging to one of the political parties, or acting independently or working on a regional basis. One of the more famous paramilitaries is the Legion of the Fourth Sword, who shot down a Pontesi airplane violating Barmenian aerospace.