Difference between revisions of "Nation/Stratarin"

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|national_motto =    "Glory to the Workers"
 
|national_motto =    "Glory to the Workers"
 
|capital =            [[Coyden]]
 
|capital =            [[Coyden]]
|official_languages = [[wikipedia: english language|Common]], [[wikipedia: russian language|Strataric]]
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|official_languages = [[Codexian]], [[Strataric (Language)|Strataric]], [[Bastardized Strataric]]
 
|ethnic_groups =      86.2% [[wikipedia:human|Human]]
 
|ethnic_groups =      86.2% [[wikipedia:human|Human]]
  

Revision as of 16:59, 29 April 2017

This page is a work in progress by its author(s) and should not be considered final.
The Militarized Communist State of Stratarin
Motto"Glory to the Workers"
Regional Map
Regional Map
CapitalCoyden
Official languages Codexian, Strataric, Bastardized Strataric
Ethnic groups (Estimate/2016) 86.2% Human

11.5% Vulpine

2.3% Other
Demonym Noun: Stratarian Adjective: Strataric
Government Communist Dictatorship
 -  General Secretary Viktor Drugov
 -  Primary Minister Anatoly Baryshnikov
 -  Primary Ministress Pravda Lilova
 -  Primary Minister Rurik Lukin
 -  Primary Minister Igor Stralov
Area
 -  Total 775,943.28 km2
482,150.00 sq mi 
Population
 -  estimate 154,000,000
 -  Density 198.47/km2
319.40/sq mi
GDP (nominal) 2016 estimate
 -  Total 4,493,820,749,748D
 -  Per capita 29,180.65D
Gini23.4
low
HDI (2016)0.63
medium
Currency Dreyk (D)
Date format /MM/DD/YYYY
Drives on the right
Calling code +91
Internet TLD .stn

The Militarized Communist State of Stratarin is a mid-sized nation that is located in the East Pacific region. Stratarin is a militarized Communist state, known mainly for its role as a founder of the South-East Pacific Coalition. It shares borders with Setzna, arguably Stratarin's closest ally; and Bourun, a tinpot dictatorship. Stratarin controls several islands off its coast, which are used for some military bases and tourist hotspots. Although the southern part of the nation, where the capital is located, temperatures can be reach very high. However, much of the population is located in the tall northern mountains, which tend to be colder and occasionally experience snow.


History

Ancient History (600? AD - 861 AD)

Not much is known about the early Stratarians, or as they were known at the time, the Bolvans. They were organized as a loose host of houses and clans, and are said to have worshiped such gods as Zevs (the father of the gods), Razrushitel (the god of war), and Drakhyn (the ferryman of the dead). Some historians posit that the Bolvans originally came from Concord, whereas others strongly hold to the belief that they were cast out from a tribe located in the Gondwanan inland. One of the few things agreed on by all accounts is that they were ferocious raiders and slavers.

Being mostly land-based, they would attack settlements in modern day Setzna quite frequently, and occasionally clashed with more northern Gondwanan tribes. The latter of these rarely were much of a threat again the Bolvans, and were considered primitive by the raiders. The Setznan settlements, on the other hand, were respected to a degree by the Bolvans, to the point that many would keep their captives as spouses instead of selling them into slavery.

After many years of uneasy coexistence, the various Bolvan factions finally grew dissatisfied with their respective territories, and skirmishes between them became more and more common. These escalated when the chief of the Rus house was poisoned, and the regional power that the Bolvans had enjoyed collapsed as their infighting turned more and more serious. Finally, after an estimated twenty years, the Strat clan, led by a powerful warlord named Vadim, seized total power over the others and unified the clans under the Strat banner - a depiction of a crouching tiger. Vadim is regarded as the father of Stratarin.

From Strats to Stratarians (862 AD -)

Around approximately 862 AD, a Vayan Catholic missionary from Vekaiyu named Yiisu Imlostroviyey arrived in the Strat lands with the intent of spreading his religion. The clansmen were startled at the Vulpine’s fox-like appearance. They initially confused him for the elusive Stroynyy fox from their mythology, only realizing that he was not after the missionary had already been in jail several days. Imlostroviyey was quickly released, mainly because the Strats feared what revenge his God would deal to them. After learning as much of their language as he could, the missionary attempted to preach the words of One that the Strats called ‘Troitsa’, or ‘Trinity.’ Despite a valiant effort, Imlostroviyey’s attempts to spread Vayan Catholicism were a resounding failure. But he was not the last missionary to come.

After several more evangelists followed him, one of which even played a pivotal part in the development of the Strataric written language, the Strat chieftain known as Ipati agreed to be baptized and took the Christian name Isai. Though this originally seemed a massive success for the Vekaiyaun efforts, Isai was killed several days later for his rejection of the old ways by an old political adversary, who took the opportunity to kill the deceased chieftain's wife and twelve children. The third eldest son, known to history as Legkiy, managed to escape. At the time, he was 17, and therefore a grown man according to Strat custom. Also known as a feared and bold warrior, Legkiy wasted no time mustering anyone he could against the usurper, aided by and soon overcame him and put him to death. Legkiy became the new leader of the Strat tribes.

As briefly recorded in an ancient Strat document known simply as 'The Collection’ in Codexian:

 
 
...And the great chieftain Legkiy declared that the traitorous Alenin be burned alive as punishment. The final words spoken by Alenin in this life were as follows, “I have served the old faith, and I will forever rejoice in the Grey Fields.”
 

 

Legkiy began to question whether or not the Strat beliefs were more destructive than productive. If one could betray his lord on the grounds of protecting the old faith, could it be more of a shield to protect one’s acts from being labeled as wrongdoing than a legitimate belief? After much debate, many meetings with various other Strat warlords, and late night discussions with the local Vayan Catholic missionary, Legkiy decided to follow his father’s example and publicly accept the religion of Vekaiyu. To further signify his devotion, he even went so far as to demand that a Vulpine be sent for him to wed. And finally, to fully indicate that the Strats would be ‘born again’, Legkiy changed the house name slightly, from ‘Strat’ to ‘Stratarin.’

Although great strides had been taken to evangelize the Stratarians, there were still many who rejected the new faith. This was mainly due to the underlying anti-slavery theme found in the Vayan Catholic Bible. These objectors mocked Legkiy publicly, calling him ‘zoofil’ (roughly translated as ‘one who has sex with animals,’ due to his Vulpine wife), ‘pushistyy’ (meaning ‘fluffy’ or ‘furry’. Again, an insult relating to his wife’s fur-covered skin), and other such epithets. This went on, with little or no reprisal (any such act would surely cause rebellion), until Alenin’s brother, Vladic, challenged Legkiy to a fight to the death.

After careful consideration, Legkiy accepted on one condition, the winner of the fight would prove once and for all which belief was stronger. This was not to be a contest between Legkiy and Vladic, but Troitsa and Zevs. Vladic gladly accepted, the bargain was struck, and the date of the duel was set.

There was a massive gathering of clansmen present at the combat, a greater crowd than almost all previous major Strataric events. As it was recorded in the Collection:

 
 
The day of the contest between Zevs and Troitsa was cloudy. When the fight commenced, Vladic, brother of the traitor, struck first. Legkiy parried the blow with the speed of a serpent and struck back. Both men fought like vultures over a carcass, with never a more brilliant display of prowess to be seen again, in any land.
 

 

It goes on to say that as the fight wore on, Legkiy began to weaken. His previously strong and precise strokes were beginning to be slower and weaker. Seeing this, Vladic summoned all his strength and readied a crushing blow against his foe. As he was about to do so, the sun suddenly shone through the clouds, temporarily blinding him. Legkiy took advantage of this and quickly killed his opponent (Sources differ as to how. Some say a stab through the heart, other believe that Vladic was decapitated. A more unlikely, but still prevalent theory is that the unfortunate Stratarian was clove in twain). It is said that in the crowd’s silence, an insect could be heard buzzing.

Although there had been previous attempts, this is the official date that the Stratarians converted to a Christian people group. After hearing of the safety of the Strataric lands, several Vulpine families journeyed across the sea and settled there. This event is widely credited as the reason there are still Vulpines in Stratarin today, although several smaller groups of them will have made a similar journey before the present day.

Communist Dictatorship (2001-Present)

After the initial success of the Great Revolution, Ruslan Voronin officially declared Stratarin a one-party state and named himself General Secretary of the Strataric Communist Party. Practically immediately, he cracked down heavily on crime, opened several Gulags in which the working conditions were hellish, and began the first of the Five Year Plans. He also instituted an isolationist policy that left many discontented. However, none dared to speak out for fear of being taken by the recently-founded STP.

After Voronin sent many politicians and co-conspirators who had helped his rise to power to the gulags, Viktor Drugov, a brigadier general who had backed Voronin’s rise to power, began orchestrating a coup, stirring up deeply-buried resentment in the people and bribing politicians for aid or information. After several years of this slowly building, this culminated in Voronin being assassinated in 2007 and Drugov taking his place.

Already well-liked by the people of Stratarin, Drugov immediately ended the isolationist policy and, though he did not completely discontinue them, improve the working conditions in the Gulags drastically. Furthermore, he appointed an entirely new assemblage of ministers from those who had helped his cause, perhaps most notably his old friend, Rurik Lukin, and a rising star in the [[Strataric Military], Anatoly Baryshnikov. There were some institutions that he kept from his predecessor’s reign, such as the STP and the Five Year Plans.


Government

The government of Stratarin is organized in four Primary Ministries, with several normal Ministries spawning off of each. Though they are all technically under the control of General Secretary Viktor Drugov, he usually allows the Primary Ministers and Ministers to do what they please so long as it positively impacts the country.

Head of State

General Secretary Drugov, Current Strataric Head of State

The current head of state is General Secretary Viktor Drugov. After coming to power, he drastically changed the policies into something resembling a Communist state. Drugov rules his people as best he can, but is distrusted by many due to his dictatorial policies. Under his leadership, Strataric has become more industrialized, military might has been greatly increased, and Stratarin is playing on a much more level field with the rest of the world.









Primary Ministry of Defense and War

Primary Minister Anatoly Baryshnikov
Minister Mikhail Starikov
Ministress Anastasia Kovalyov

The Primary Ministry of Defense and War have rapidly grown during Drugov's time in office. The army, navy, and airforce have received much more government funding. Combined with Stratarin's policy of compulsory military service, the military is now booming with men, technology, and supplies.

The Ministry of Law Enforcement has had even bigger growth than the military, using more and more methods daily that some might go so far as to call invasive. Citizens are assured, however, that it is for the greater good.

Less noticeably but still notably, The Ministry of Intelligence, in charge of intelligence gathering, espionage, and surveillance, has been given additional funding.

Although there is technically a Ministry of Warfare, there is no official minister running it. As such, Anatoly Baryshnikov, the current Primary Minister of Defense and War, generally sees to matters pertaining to it, leaving the minister of law enforcement, Mikhail Starikov, to deal with internal matters. Ministress of Intelligence Anastasia Kovalyov, often known as 'The Red Lady', collaborates with the two, her department providing state-of-the-art surveillance and reconnaissance technology for law enforcement and the military.

Quick Reference Guide

Official Ministry Name Minister Ranking
Ministry of Defense and War Anatoly Baryshnikov Primary
Ministry of Law Enforcement Mikhail Starikov Secondary
Ministry of Intelligence Anastasia Kovalyov Secondary
Ministry of Warfare N/A (Anatoly Baryshnikov) Secondary



Primary Ministry of Sciences

Primary Ministresss Pravda Lilova
Minister Luka Dreykov (RIP)
Minister Yakov Rudin
Minister Stefan Lobov
Ministress Olga Valeryevna

The Primary Ministry of Sciences was somewhat neglected by Drugov when he became General Secretary. While he focused on matters such as defense, policing his nation, and establishing foreign agreements, the sciences of Stratarin received little to no additional attention.

That is, until Drugov was convinced by Pravda Lilova, now the Primary Ministress of Sciences, that he had created a secure nation, and needed to focus on its advancement. With his approval, taxpayer Dreyks started, gradually at first, to flow into sciences.

Perhaps most notably of these was the Ministry of Space Exploration and Research. In the care of Minister Luka Dreykov and his wife Klara, the first modern Strataric space shuttle, the Chudo, was tested and built. Adding to this ministry's success was the retrofitting of Myriad Station for members of the Southern East Pacific Coalition Forces. Unfortunately, due to funding being cut out from under him, the destruction of the Myriad Station, and the manipulations of Minister Mikhail Starikov, Luka Dreykov committed suicide. While the hunt for a new minister occurs, the ministry has been effectively shut down.

The Ministry of Oceanographic Research, headed by Minister Yakov Rudin, has had more minor growth. However, several research vessels that were built over a decade ago and scrapped for political reasons have been rebuilt and explore the oceans once again. Furthermore, the marine biologist Antosha Romanova is currently furthering his field by studying in the New International Sealab, which should advance the ministry even more.

The Ministry of Technology has enjoyed significant improvement, leading to innovations such as advanced attack helicopters and better surveillance systems for the government. It operates under the watchful eye of Minister Stefan Lobov, a man well known for both his brilliance and coldness.

The Ministry of Medicine, thanks to a greater flow of government money, has begun to make major breakthroughs for Stratarin, even eliminating several more common Strataric illnesses. It is headed by Ministress Olga Valeryevna, a pioneer in medicine originally known for entertaining her recovering patients with a violin.

Quick Reference Guide

Official Ministry Name Minister Ranking
Ministry of Sciences Pravda Lilova Primary
Ministry of Space Exploration and Research N/A Secondary
Ministry of Oceanographic Research Yakov Rudin Secondary
Ministry of Technology Stefan Lobov Secondary



Primary Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Primary Minister Rurik Lukin
Director Pasha Dobrygin

The Primary Ministry of Foreign Affairs is unlike all the others. For one, it has received the least amount of attention of all the ministries under Drugov's administration, since it is viewed as adequate at its current level of advancement. Another difference is its organization. Instead of having secondary ministries that report to the primary ministry, the Primary Ministry of Foreign Affairs is broken up into a series of corps. The two main corps are the Ambassadorial Corps and the Analytical Corps.

The Ambassadorial Corps is under the direct control of Rurik Lukin, the Primary Minister of Foreign Affairs. It has the basic responsibilities of most ambassadorial organizations: establish Stratarin as a respected country and create peace with the rest of Urth. This task Lukin accomplishes with gusto, already having forged agreements with roughly a dozen countries.

The Analytical Corps, led by Director Pasha Dobrygin, deals with anticipating political changes, uprisings, et cetera in foreign nations. The corps has been largely successful, but has recently met some hiccups, such as not predicting the rise of the Fire Pact.

Quick Reference Guide

Official Organization Name Leader Ranking
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rurik Lukin Primary
Ambassadorial Corps Rurik Lukin Secondary
Analytical Corps Pasha Dobrygin Secondary



Primary Ministry of Education

Primary Minister Igor Stralov
Minister Konstantin Charkov
Minister Nicholas Lysenko

The Primary Ministry of Education's role is preserving the culture of Stratarin and teaching it to the youth and immigrants. Although Primary Minister Igor Stralov is known for being somewhat arrogant, he does a magnificent job of it, restoring schools and encouraging the cultural growth of Stratarin.

The Ministry of History is managed by Minister Konstantin Charkov, known as an incredibly charismatic man. Having taken a Shangoese bride, he works rather hard to make sure that Stratarin learns from the past to insure its future. He has written several history books, one of which is required curriculum in schools.

Minister Nicholas Lysenko runs the Ministry of the Arts. Charged with some mediocre things such as museum upkeep to relatively fascinating things such as studying music from Stratarin's past, it is generally agreed that, while the ministry isn't useless, it is one of the least effective.


Quick Reference Guide

Official Ministry Name Minister Ranking
Ministry of Education Igor Stralov Primary
Ministry of History Konstantin Charkov Secondary
Ministry of the Arts Nicholas Lysenko Secondary


Economy

The economy of Stratarin is guided by a series of nationwide centralized five year plans developed by Uplan, a state planning committee. Since sixteen years have passed since the rise to power of the Strataric Communist Party, three has so far been completed, with the fourth currently in progress. They have so far had a heavy focus on industrialization, with notable contributions to the military and transportation as well.


Military

The Strataric Military, officially known as the Strataric Armed Forces, was completely revitalized following the takeover of General Secretary Voronin. Massive amounts of funding began to pour into military funding and weaponry. Conscription was also reintroduced, although this policy was toned down to a wartime-only conscription by General Secretary Drugov.


Culture and People

Religion

Due to the theories of the 'Father of Strataric Communism', Rishim Rubashkin, modern Stratarin is incredibly atheistic. Only an estimate of 3.6% Stratarians follows a religion, of which Vayan Catholicism is drastically the most common. Although there is technically no freedom of religion guaranteed to the people, atheism becomes less and less prevalent the further into rural areas you go. The least atheistic people group in Stratarin is predictably made up of the Vulpine citizens, many of whom still cling to the previous centuries of Vayan Catholicism.

Before Rubashkin's ideology was fully embraced, religion was an important part of state affairs and daily life, and state-funded Vayan Catholic missions being sent out overseas were common. There are even rumors that the Stratarin of those days helped other Christian states defend against the Pax Caliphate, though these are word-of-mouth tales passed down from generation to generation and have yet to be proven archaeologically.

Language

According to the theory that the Bolvans originated from Concord, the Strataric language was originally much different, and evolved rapidly after contact with and the influence of Gondwanan tribes. It more or less stabilized after a Vekaiyuan missionary helped develop a written Strataric language, though there have been minor adjustments over the years.

Its present form has been described by foreigners as 'brutal,' 'gutteral,' and 'angry.' One tourist hailing from Kaeliv reported that it was, "Like the sound of sandpaper scraping on a rough surface and scaring a cat, which then proceeds to yowl. This awakes a nearby chicken, which squawks as loudly as it can." Some, however, enjoy the sound. A surprising amount of tourists, especially among Tuvalts, have described it as 'sexy.'

Due to immigration from Fortuna near the 17th century, in which the arrivals combined their language with aspects of Strataric, there exists a lesser-known version of Strataric known as Bastardized Strataric. Despite its name, it is much more similar to Fortunan. It is predominantly still spoken in rural areas, rarely used in more urban areas, and never on any official documentation.

Among Vulpines especially, some Unonian is spoken. However, it is even less common than Bastardized Strataric.

Architecture

Modern Strataric architecture relies on an extensive communal apartment system in the larger cities, in which tenants are ruled over by a housing committee. Typically, an average of four to five families share a single communal apartment, although in special cases (if a member of a tenant family is diseased, needs space for medical reasons, or feeble due to age), it is not uncommon for a single family group to live in one. In the more rural areas, such as the mountainous regions, a house is more likely to be small, single floored, and built for a single family. Most military men prefer living in this area, as do Vulpines.

Architecture from years past tends to be much grander. There is a heavy Vayan Catholic theme, although many religious symbols have been removed from buildings and public places. There are also some various Setznan influences present, although these are much rarer. However, there are uniquely Strataric design elements to architecture, such as the onion dome. It also has a penchant for tall spires. Several government buildings have been constructed after this more traditional style, though with modern security.

Underneath most government buildings, there exists a catacomb network for quickly departing the building, such as in case of a terrorist attack or invasion.

Media

Strataric media is solely controlled by the government. The primary news source for Stratarin is The Coyden Harbinger, a news broadcast named after a newspaper that existed in the 1900's. Out of the various forms of media in Stratarin, the internet is the least tightly regulated. Certain restrictions are in place for it, though (for instance, internet pornography is illegal).