Deltaria

Deltaria, officially known as the Deltarian Czardom (Daralian: Deltarské Cisárstvo, Alazindian: Deltárské Císařství, Ushalandan: Царатȣл Делтар Țaratul Deltar, Akigan: Deltisce Cāserdōm, Doron: Deltiske Kejserrige, Dissuwan: Deltár Császárság) is a nation in central Majatra, bordering Jakania to the South, Kalopia to the East, the Majatran Sea to the North, Jelbania to the North-West, and Lake Majatra to the South-West. For much of its history Deltaria was ruled by aristocratic or monarchic regimes until 2996, when particracy was restored. After the overthrow of the Czars, steps were made to turn Deltaria into a modern Nation, which so far have been modestly successful, as in 3466 Deltaria once again became a Czardom.

The territory of Deltaria was occupied by a network of tribes and city-states before the arrival of the Deltarian tribes from Artania. The crowning as Czar of Štefan I in 991 and the conversion to Hosianism of his heir Štefan V in 1239 established Deltaria as a major centre of Artanian culture and civilization in Majatra. The Czardom existed in many forms until it collapsed in 1954, sparking a brutal civil war known as The Terror. After a short period of democratic rule, followed by more than two centuries of oligarchy, Deltaria once again became a Czardom. Lasting for nearly 700 years (with numerous brief interruptions), Czarist Deltaria was a great power, reigning over a number of nations, and projecting its power Terra-wide via the Deltarian-based Terran Patriarchal Church. Deltaria subsequently lost its power an influence with the end of the Czarist era and the establishment of the Federal Republic of Deltaria.

Between 2996 and 3466, Deltaria was governed as a federal semipresidential democratic republic, and experienced long periods of economic growth, coupled with near-constant cultural stagnation. In 3466, following the Deltarian Czarist War, Deltaria was brought under Czarist rule. Due to its long and convoluted history and its famous landscapes, Deltaria is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Terra. Especially popular are the ruins in Čachtice, the old Czarist capital of Deltaria.

History
"We were forced to retreat and live as hunters and fishermen to get away from danger. Our bodies and souls survived one darkness and flourished. Then came the second darkness, and only our bodies survived."

- Book of Volos, Page 2/B

Artanian Deltaria (prehistory-400 CE)
The ancestors of today's Deltarians originated in central Artania, aroud today's Luthori and Ikradon. The Deltarian tribes in Artania were briefly unified around 300 CE by a semi-legendary king named Samo, creating the Empire of Three. The destruction of that empire forced the Deltarians to leave Artania towards Majatra in two waves, one moving through Beiteynu and Pontesi, and the other briefly occupying Selucia.

Early Majatran Deltaria (400-991)
After briefly settling in Pontesi and Vanuku for two centuries, the Deltarian tribes eventually settled in their final homeland around 600, in an event known as the Deltarian land-taking. Even after settling, the Deltarians continued raiding the neighboring tribes and kingdoms for centuries, creating for themselves a reputation of cruelty and ferociousness.

Tokundian Empire (991-1517)
The disorganized Deltarian tribes were unified under centralized leadership under the Tokundian tribe, when Thane Štefan I crowned himself Czar and King of the Deltas, establishing the Tokundian Empire. The Empire would adopt Hosianism in 1239, which was eventually accepted by a majority of Deltarians after a long period of struggle with the traditional Tokundian paganism. The Tokundian Empire was one of the most prosperous periods in Deltarian history, until it collapsed in the 16th century due to a revolt of the Deltarian tribes against the Tokundians. Afterwards, the Tokundian tribe was nearly annihilated, and forced to find a new homeland in Cobura.

Great Deltaria (1517-1954)
In the meantime, the Tokundian Empire was reformed as Great Deltaria, a decentralized monarchy formed of six kingdoms, which would often be engaged in wars against each other. Nevertheless, Great Deltaria was characterized by much cultural creativity, and the expansion of Deltarian influence during the colonial age.

The Terror (1954-2086)
The tensions that characterized Great Deltaria eventually led to the longest and bloodiest civil war in Deltarian history, known as the Terror. The war officially started in 1953, as the Daralian-Ushalandan war, but continued for more than a century afterwards.

Republican Era (2086-2134)
With the conclusion of The Terror, the six nations forged themselves into one in an attempt at self-preservation, raising the new flag of the Deltarian Republic. The republican period was the first time Deltaria attempted to implement an Artanian-style democracy, however this attempt was only marginally successful. Towards the end of the Republic, Deltaria found herself under the totalitarian regime of the Absolvers.

Dynastic Era (2134-2299)
The Absolvers eventually realized that the old Patriarchal and feudal traditions had too much sway over the public, so they decided to perpetuate their power by reforming the regime, doing away with pretenses of democracy, while also allowing more influence for the Church and landowners. Thus the Dynastic Era began, with the establishment of the Dynastic Oligarchy of Deltaria.

Czarist Era (2299–2996)
The Dynastic Era paved the way for the restoration of the Czar, in the person of Sebastian I. For around seven centuries, Deltaria was a Czardom, with only feeble and ultimately unsuccessful attempts to establish democracy.

Federal Era (2996-3466)
The Czarist Era ended with the abdication of Václav I and the establishment of the Federal Republic of Deltaria. This was the first time in Deltarian history that the nation successfully adopted a stable democratic regime. After an early transition period, Federal Deltaria reestablished its military presence on the continent, defeating Jakania during the Western Meria Crisis. In the 35th century, Deltaria experienced a resurgence of the Czarist movement, with the Czarist Federation gaining a legislative majority. Between 3457 and 3466, Deltaria was engaged in a civil war between the Czarist government and the Republican opposition, called the Deltarian Czarist War, that ended with a Czarist victory and the crowning of Dušan III as Czar of Deltaria.

Geography
"I love this sunburned country, she is a land of pain. From the dry and deadly deserts to the dense monsoonal rain. From pestilent northern swamps to the southland's sinking mud. She's a land that shows no mercy, but she's a land that's in our blood."

- Gróf Arpád Bátory, Dissuwan Count and poet

Deltaria is located on the eastern limb of the Majatran mainland, running from the centre of the Majatran Basin all the way to the southern coast. She shares borders with the Independent Wantuni Republic to the east and Jelbé Isràé Krsyigad in the northwest. Lake Majatra represents an additional border in the southwest, while the nation borders with the South Sea, stretching from Ushalande across Alazinder and Dissuwa, and across the entire southern rim of the Border Marches. Much of the irrigation in the nation is provided by the enormous inland sea, Lake Majatra, and the two vast rivers, the Alazinder River and the Sluislaw.

The coastal areas of Deltaria have a temperate Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and mild to cool, wet winters. Snow does occur on the coastal areas almost every winter, but it usually lies no more than a few days. {C {C Conditions can be much harsher in the more arid interior. Mountains close to the coast prevent Mediterranean influences from extending inland, giving the central plateau of the interior of Deltaria a continental climate with sharply contrasting seasons.

Winters on the plateau are especially severe. Temperatures of −10 °C to −20 °C can occur in eastern plateau, and snow may lie on the ground at least 120 days of the year. In the west, winter temperatures average below 1 °C (34 °F). Summers are hot and dry, with temperatures generally above 30 °C (86 °F) in the day. Annual precipitation averages about 400 millimetres (15 in), with actual amounts determined by elevation. May is generally the wettest month, whereas July and August are the driest.

Government
"What are Deltarian politics founded with? Love, gold, and the sword."

- Barónka Lenka Mojmírová, Daralian Baroness



The government of the Deltarian Czardom takes place within the framework of a descentralized autocratic Czarist monarchy, with aristocratic and democratic elements. The current Deltarian government was established by the Law on State Reorganization, passed in 3467 after Czarist victory in the Deltarian Czarist War.

Veches
The highest local legislative and judicial authority in the Deltarian Czardom is the Veche (Daralian: Vec), also known as Thing (Akigan: Þing, Doron: Ting) in Doron Akigo. The Veches are in charge of legislative and judicial affairs not belonging to the central government. Each of the subdivisions of the Czardom has its own veche, and all veches within a Voivodeship elect the Voivodeship Veche from their members. The six Voivodeship veches in turn elect the Czarist Rada, the legislature of the Czardom, from their members.

The lowest level veches consist of the following members:
 * large landed proprietors, i.e. the landed nobility, who sit in person;
 * local higher clergy (Kardináls and Arcibiskups), who sit in person;
 * delegates of the lower clergy (deacons, priests, monastics);
 * delegates of the small landowners;
 * delegates of the wealthier townsmen;
 * delegates of the less wealthy urban classes;
 * delegates of the peasants, elected by the volosts.

Volosť and Občina
Following the Czarist War, most rural property not belonging to large and medium landowners was communalized. As a result, the basic unit of peasant organization became the občina, a peasant community where peasants hold their land in communal ownership. A number of občinas are united into a volosť, which is governed by elected delegates from the občinas. These elect an elder (starší) and a court of justice (súdny dvor).

Voivodeships
The Deltarian Czardom is divided into six Voivodeships or Duchies. Each Voivodeship (Vojvodstvo) is headed by a Vojvoda (Voivode or Duke), a local noble whose title is granted by the Czar. Voivodeships are further divided into Marches, Counties, and Baronies. Each large city is organized as a March (Markíztvo), presided by a Marquess or Machioness (Markíz/Markíza), each large to medium sized town is organized as a County (Grófstvo) presided by a Count or Countess (Gróf/Grófka), and each small town and group of villages is organized as a Barony (Barónstvo), governed by a Baron or Baroness (Barón/Baróna). The titles of Voivode, Marquess, Count, and Baron are granted by the Czar. The Holy Lands, the autonomous holding of the Terran Patriarchal Church around the city of Dolinka, are considered a sixth Voivodeship of the Czardom, and the Pápež is the Vojvoda of the Holy Lands.

Czar
The highest legislative, executive, and judicial authority in Deltaria belongs to the Czar and Autocrat of Deltaria, currently Dušan the Third z Čestibor. The Czar has the right to declare war and make peace, represent the Czardom abroad, conclude treaties and alliances, and accredit and receive ambassadors. In the case of a non-defensive war being declared, consent of the Czarist Rada is required. The Czar also has the right to veto any law passed by the Czarist Rada, which veto can be overridden by a two thirds majority. As supreme judge of the Czardom, the Czar has ultimate and discretionary appellate jurisdiction over all courts of the Czardom. Succession to the throne follows the principle of male primogeniture and Salic law, within the Čestiborovská Dynastia. In case the dynasty dies out, the Czarist Rada has the responsibility of finding a new dynasty among Deltaria’s noble families.

Czarist Rada
The Czarist Rada (Cisárska Rada), located in Naban, Alazinder, exercises the legislative powers of the Czar in the Deltarian Czardom. The Czarist Rada consists of 380 delegates from the veches of the Voivodeships, elected from their members. The Rada is elected every four years, and has, in theory, a purely advisory role, but laws pased by the Rada are typically accepted by the Czar.

Czar Court and Dvorný Radca
The Czar Court (Cisársky Dvor), located in Čachtice, exercises the executive powers of the Czar in the Deltarian Czardom. Formed of the twelve closest advisers to the Czar, the Court is chosen by the Czarist Rada every four years. The Czar Court is presided by the Dvorný Radca (Court Advisor), chosen by the Czarist Rada from its members.

Capital Cities
During the Federal Republic era, the capital of Deltaria was moved from its traditional location in Čachtice to the city of Naban. With the restoration of the Czardom as a result of the Deltarian Czarist War, the capital was officially moved back to Čachtice, while the legislature and most foreign embassies remained in Naban. Currently, Deltaria has two capital cities, one, Čachtice, hosting most government institutions, and the other, Naban, hosting the Czarist Rada.



Military
"The Deltarians are a sleeping giant- if only they could stop fighting themselves"

- Cildanian Foreign minster

Demographics
"I never hated Majatrans. I just exterminated them."

- Ivanka Kováčová, Heroine of Deltaria

Ethnicity
Deltaria is a multi-ethnic nation as a result of its complex history. Most Deltarians (around 50%) belong to the Delic (OOC Slavic) ethnic group, followed by Dunic (OOC Germanic), Selucic (OOC Romance) and Jelbic ethnicities.

Percentages of the population
 * Delic: 49%
 * Daralian: 53%
 * Alazindian: 44%
 * Tokundian: 2%
 * Trigunian (Rodshyan and Kozaki): 1%
 * Dunic: 16%
 * Doron: 46%
 * Akigan: 54%
 * Selucic: 14%
 * Ushalandan
 * Jelbic: 13%
 * Dissuwan
 * Other: 8%

Language
The most widely spoken languages in Deltaria are the Delic languages, which include Daralian, Alazindian, and Tokundian. The Dunic languages of Deltaria are Doron and Akigan. Ushalandan, a Selucic language, and Dissuwan, a Jelbic language, are spoken in Ushalande and Dissuwa, respectively. Daralian, Alazindian, Doron, Akigan, Ushalandan, and Dissuwan serve as official languages of Deltaria, as all government acts are issued in all six languages. Of those languages, a majority of the population understands Daralian, which has become a lingua franca for the Czardom. Old Tokundian, a dead language, is the official language of the Terran Patriarchal Church, and is sometimes used as a language of prestige. Tokundian, Rodshya, and Kozak are spoken by small minorities, but are understood by many Deltarians.

Religion
By far the most followed religion in Deltaria is the Terran Patriarchal Church, a Patriarchal Hosian denomination native to Deltaria and headquartered in the city of Dolinka. The Terran Patriarchal Church is the non-mandatory state religion of the Deltarian Czardom, and exercises direct authority over the autonomous Vojvodstvo of the Holy Lands. The Pápež and the Holy Sobor also have authority over all churches and clergy within the Czardom, and are allowed to collect tax-free tithes from the entire population of Deltaria.

According to a census on religious affiliation conducted in 3468, the respondents identified their religious membership as follows:


 * Terran Patriarchal Church: 83%
 * Selucian Patriarchal Church: 5%
 * Luthoran Church: 4%
 * Apostolic Church of the East: 3%
 * Queranzariah & Abadism: 2%
 * Yeudism: 1%
 * Irreligious: 1%
 * Other: 1%



Education
Deltarian public education is operated by private entities, regulated by the Deltarian Department of Education through restrictions on federal grants. Children are required in most provinces to attend school from the age of six

or seven (generally, kindergarten or first grade) until they turn eighteen (generally bringing them through twelfth grade, the end of high school); some states allow students to leave school at sixteen or seventeen. Standards are set by the government for the schools, esuring that, even though they are private, they still have excellent teaching standards.

The Deltaria has many competitive institutions of higher education. Of Deltarians twenty-five and older, 84.6% graduated from high school, and 32.6% of those attended some college. The basic literacy rate is approximately 97%.

Health
The infant mortality rate standard for a country in its position, and healthcare is completely private. It is regulated however, with the prices it can pay as well as the standards it provides. Despite the private healthcare the government does subsidize it for lower-income classes, allowing them to get into the program.

Culture
"We have a culture, a strong, vibrant, 'real' culture. Most of the outside world does not. They haven't bled enough for it."

- Barón Lászlo Nádašdy, Dissuwan Baron

Northern Deltaria retains a primarily agrarian culture even after the Czarist Period, but is now slowly developing. After the Great Reformation cultural ideology was changed,and the people now exibit more modern practices than in old. They are still proud of their old culture and history, however, and are flattered by other nationalities showing an interest in them. This, coupled with the nation's moderate border controls have made tourism in Deltaria a wildly valued but entertaining experience amongst the young, educated upper-class in Artanian and Seleyan nations.

After the Reformation, the old ideas of womens inferiority to men dissipated, and many now worked at modern jobs and in modern factories as well as men. Old traditions still permeate the area, but that is growing allongside new tradition and life.

Architecture
After the Great Reformation, Deltarian houses of a rapidly wealthier populace modeled the old Czarist style of the more afluent. Each individual architectural style varies slightly from region to region, but houses usually are made with bright colours such as reds, pinks, oranges, or other 'warm' colours, as well as whites. Rooms usually have high ceilings and many large tall windows open to the outside. Houses are very 'open' and individual rooms are usually large. Wood, brick, tiles, stucko, and other materials are usually used for walls, which are usually painted. Natrually tropical houses would be more open than southern houses, but they too have large windows and high ceilings, even if the doors and windows are closed. Modern buildings are also present in all of Deltaria, and usually incorporate blues and greys, as well as large windows. All buildings are usually equiped with domes, curves, vaulting cielings, or arches, even modern buildings.

Economy
"The experience of ages has shown that a man who works on the land is purer, nobler, higher, and more moral... Agriculture should be at the basis of everything."

- Mikuláš Gogolský, Deltarian writer

As a whole the Deltarian Economy is moderately good, being very good before the Imperial Civil War but declining during that period greatly. That provided setbacks for Deltaria, but nothing "Of major concern to the general public and people of the Republic", as put by the Premeir at the time. Over the years Deltaria has been industrialized, despite coming from a very agricultural backround.

Deltaria relies on a technology based economy bolstered by industry, with some citizens working as farmers. The majority of the technological force is in the central and southern areas of Deltarian, where the urbanized cities are, while the agricultural zones are in Dissuwa, as well as some parts of Darali and Ushlande. In other locations like Alazinder or other parts of the country there area also more advanced companies, where many of the young intelligent go to work as the rising stars of the nation, usually in the headquarters of large banking or equity companies.

The majority of the northern workforce is agricultural, mainly tending to pigs, goats, sugar cane, wheat, tobacco, and somniferum ; although industries have sprung up throughout the northern cities. A great deal of raw materials also come from the region, where then they go to factories in th centeral areas. The main cities in this region are those dedicated to refining their products, bu other small businesses crop up as well.

Luxury resources also makes for a thriving economy in the areas of the luckier people. In the jungle there are many exotic resuorces to be found, and it is from here most luxury items come from. Oil however, is the main production of the eastern paltue, and it is regarded as the life blood of the nation. Oil powers over half the nation, however efforts have been made to turn to wind and nuclear energy to allow more oil exports and less polution.