Chaska

Chaska
Flag	Coat of arms
Motto: Mana Qonqasunchikchutaq "Nevertheless, we will not forget"
Anthem: The War Song
Locator map
Capital city	Qheca
Largest city	Viracachá
Official language	Remana
Other languages	Wariano, Aruxa, Auresian, Livaryan, Bahaso Sokoku
Ethnic groups	Ruma, Waria
Religion	Chakrana
Demonym(s)	Chaskan
Government
Government Type	Government type
King	name
Uma Akllaxqa (Prime Minister)	Yunkar Munawasi
Legislature	The Concordat
Establishment
The Founding of Qheca	date 1
Beginning of the Empire	6492 RH
The Quiet Revolution	7590 RH
Area
Total	1,983,088.96 km2
Water %	0.0%
Population
Total	85,219,877
Density	42.97/km2
Economy
Economy type	Market Socialism
GDP (total)	Ꞡ 525,506,341,492.37
GDP per capita	Ꞡ 6,166.48
Currency	samp_nat_currency
Currency symbol
Inequality index	0.0
Development index	0.0
Other information
Time zone	0
Driving side	right
Calling code	+441
Internet code	.ch

Chaska is a reasonably large, reasonably populated nation just to the south of the equator. It is most prominently known for its history (once part of three separate empires simultaneously), its reserves of gold and coal and plantations of coffee, its architecture, and its music.

Chaska used to be the eastern provinces of Huilcasonco, an empire spanning the Kancha and Suyana Mountain ranges and much of their associated lowlands on either side. Once divided, it then survived in the form of Ayawantin, an independent state in the southern lowlands which expanded out to the islands in the east while the mountains became the territory of colonial states. It was only after the Quiet Revolution that the two were reunited once again into the state occupying its present borders, although they were obliged to forfeit the island territory they had since gained.

Today, Chaska is divided into the northern regions—industrial, more than slightly Livaryan in look and manner, whose wealth comes from the provision of power through thermal generators on the mountain coastline—and the southern regions—less industrialized and more traditionalist (they call themselves ñach'uq "authentic, pure"), whose main wealth comes from trade and the plantations of coffee and spices found in the lowlands.

Etymology

Chaska as a name is a derivation (or perhaps acts a source for a derivation) of the word Chaskar, the Remana name for the planet Samler. Its bright white-blue light, appearing at morning or evening as "a grain of sky against the sunset", has made it an important star for the Ruma people and their neighbours for millennia, even forming the basis of a number of calendrical systems.

Ayawantin was originally Ayawasuyu, the name given to the southeastern territories of Huilcasonco. The term derives from áiva, a word from a jungle language referring to "things", and more broadly to "groups" or "tribes". When the majority of Huilcasonco was colonized, Ayawasuyu became Ayawantin, "the tribes together", as a symbol of solidarity against these new invaders.

Huilcasonco is a derivation of the Remana word Willkasunqu, the "sacred heart"—for it was believed that the empire was formed around the heart of the world, in a cave in one of the mountains of the Kancha range, whence the Ruma people emerged millennia ago.

History

Prehistory

Chaskan history is often likened to Ruma history; many historians consider them one and the same, and the rest of the country's peoples mere afterthoughts. In fact, the Ruma and their Azix relatives are relative newcomers to the content, which had been inhabited for thousands of years prior to their crossing in from the northeast.

The first inhabitants of the area were in fact related to the Austro-D'Runian peoples of the south, particularly to the Ir'duma of the southeast. Similarities in artifacts—not to mention shared cultural myths—suggest that they first migrated to the area around 20,000 years before the present day, settling on the Strait as early as 18,000 years ago.

The Pan-Altaian peoples were not far behind, entering the Strait from the east around 16,000 years ago, then pushing west at an incredible rate. As they went, they began to split into smaller groups; those who settled in the mountains to the north and the jungles and grasslands of the east were the Azix, as we know them today.

Neither of these incursions was of much benefit to the local wildlife. Although certain rather large creatures like the mayur (a marsupial predator) and kuruman (large kangaroo) remain extant in modern Chaska, there are fossil records and oral stories of other creatures, perhaps even larger, which were either hunted to extinction or died off due to habitat loss, or perhaps a combination of both.

The Circle of Wañuqallpa, a three-story circular temple open to the skies, as it appeared in its heyday.

Riparian Era (2000-3500 RH)

The earliest evidence of large settlements dates back to around 2000 RH, with the construction of the ancient city of Wañuqallpa (not the modern city bearing the same name, for which its current name is derived). Perhaps an unlikely candidate, given the near-barren coast and the occasional strong storm from the sea, Wañuqallpa nevertheless appears to have thrived—not least because of their use of acacia seeds (which can last for a great many years if dried) and tubers. Because their crops were perennial rather than annual, and thanks to the destructive nature of their environment, civilization in the Kancha Mountains had to be somewhat forward-planning, placing great emphasis on preparation for disaster. This trend has continued for the past five thousand years, and is unlikely to change any time soon.

It was also during this period that the emu was domesticated in the lowlands.

Montanicular Era (3500-4400 RH)

The "Montanicular" Era refers not so much to the dwellings in the mountains, but to the creation of large artificial hills in civilizations along the coast and within the jungle. These appear to have acted both as residences for the local rulers and as religious sites. It is also in this era that we see the beginnings of pottery emerging. More importantly, there is a definitive connection between the mounds on both the northern and southern sides of the Kancha range—trade networks passing through the mountains.

This era saw the import of the llama across the Strait by Tzu merchants. While less than practical in the lowlands, in the highlands it became such an integral feature to daily living that it is now difficult to imagine Chaska without it. The alpaca also made its appearance at this time, as did the cotton plant.

Another interesting feature of this time is the first recorded harvest and use of coffee beans for consumption. At first this seems to have been a ritualized event, based on the residue found in some of the most ornate pottery from the sites, but by the 45th Century coffee—mixed with spices and other plant products from the rainforests—seems to have become something of a more democratic drink, a sign of urban living. Of course, this is also around the time when natural disasters and drought seem to have struck the land, so it is entirely possible that the increase in coffee-drinkers represents an increase in territorial division.

Duarchic Era (4400-5200 RH)

This time period saw the establishment of city-states once again along the coast—but this time, to the east, in answer to a growing presence across the Strait as the Ilhuiyocan civilization began to hold sway. The Waria in particular benefitted from this trade, establishing the First Shell Empire with a king on every ship.

It is at this point in time that the patron deities of various cities, each theoretically being the single most important being in the universe, began to find purchase in other lands. This would eventually lead to the great coalescence of deities whose traditions remain alive and well today in Chaska and indeed in neighbouring countries.

Ukhupunku as it appeared nearly 2,000 years ago.

Yakari Dominion (5200-6000 RH)

The Yakari were the next to come into power, having had their origins some time earlier in the city of Ukhupunku some centuries earlier.

It is under the Yakari that the city of Viracachá gained its first real spike in population, as an outpost of sorts.

The Dominion also gained its taste for cocoa at this time, thanks to increased trade with the rising Ilhuiyocan imperium across the Strait. Coffee maintained its position of prestige, but in urban centres it competed with cocoa—particularly as the latter could be spiced by Dorrigo peppers (wakay in Remana).

Because of the nature of the calendrical disconnect it is uncertain when precisely the Yakari civilization began to collapse, although estimates from local archeological sites suggest a date of around 6000 RH. What is certain is that, while many aspects of Yakari culture were lost, some of the key elements—including certain philosophical schools, a great deal of vocabulary shared with the Intecs and others who took their territories for themselves, and even some key technologies preserved by the armacticuna or "wandering alchemists" (from Yakanakárena armaktiri, "person who does not forget")—managed to survive down the ages. Many still practice in the valleys of Orcosuyo and Qhanasuyo to this day, although they have largely been supplanted by yachapaccona as the officially-recognized authority on the workings of the physical world.

Ocasa Confederacy (6000-6500 RH)

The Ocasa people were in origin from the hilly regions in the southeast, a sub-group of Azix, but by the early 59th Century had extended well into the mountains to the south as well as the jungles to the north. Taking advantage of the fall of the Yakari, they began what is still called the Chicaguity or "our having grown" in local legends, building up a sturdy and steady empire all the way down the eastern peninsula. Evidence of their presence in Qheca was remarked upon even during the heydays of the empire, particularly in the form of round houses and towers uncommon to elsewhere in the region.

…although in theory bound to the worship of a divine tetrarchy in their capital of Sopó (modern Supu), the Ocasa in reality preferred the power of their local lords, allied with the other lords of the Confederacy at least in a non-aggression pact and at best in a trading and military alliance. This rather laissez-faire style of government, presided over by a war chief, a great merchant, and a high priest, would persist for the next seven hundred years.

Huilcasonco (6492-7413 RH)

The earliest propagated stories of Qheca talk about it always being under the purview of the Intecs, starting with Taytar Capac, the grand leader (apu) of the race and the city alike. Archaeological finds in the modern day suggest a different story: that the city was built by the Ocasa, who then lived there for several hundred years before a different tribe came to conquer the city. It is uncertain precisely where this tribe, the Intecs, came from; the most common suggestion in the modern day is that they were a Azix people who had absorbed a small group of Waria priests fleeing from the destruction of the Fifth Shell Empire. This latter element would explain the presence of Intec Simi (a language broadly related to modern Waria) as a secret religious language, still talked about very little with "outsiders" to this day. Regardless of origin, the Intecs captured the city and claimed it as their own. After this, they settled down, and became a part of the cross-montane patchwork of city-states and small kingdoms vying for power after the fall of the Yakari.

The expansion across the Strait to the territories that would one day become the Ayatawantin Province of Sokoku created a great boon in terms of resources and indeed culture for the Intecs. Although the local language (one that would eventually become Bahaso Sokoku) was respected and even taught at the Imperial Academies, Remana remained the chief language of government over the unified area. It also allowed them contact with the Tsuki Integrality, which in Intec records is first mentioned in the year 6589 RH. Ayatawantin (once Ayawasuyu) would also be the site of increased trade with Livaria in the early 73rd Century RH, requiring a partial restructuring of the centralized redistribution common during the majority of the Empire's reign.

Thirty-nine emperors ruled over an ever-expanding dominion during the nearly millennium-long epoch of conquest and centralization, all from the same great lineage. Unfortunately, there were complications towards the end—the growing power of colonial entities, a recession in their sister-empire of Ilhuiyoco, and the collapse in the mid-72nd Century of the Tsuki Integrality—which all played a part in the civil war leading to the division and eventual collapse of the empire.

Division and Conquest (7413-7590 RH)

The original empire of Huilcasonco has never been put back together again. However, the component parts survived, in three different forms. The westernmost territories were maintained as a secondary "Intec Imperium", a mere vassal state. The easternmost territories were now under the control of Amberia. And the jungles became the monarchy of Ayawantin, the last "real" remnant of the earlier empire.

Chaska Reunited (7590 RH-Present)

The Quiet Revolution, it is said, can be considered neither quiet, nor a revolution. While it is true that there were few casualties, the attempt by Ayawantin was to reunite the old empire of Huilcasonco, rather than to create a radically different state.

The ruling was quite clear: the king was more than welcome to remain head of state, provided he didn't actually do anything.

The separation of the territories on Sokoku to become part of the new confederation there was a blow to the new government. It did, however, allow the two new nations to create a bond of trust and cooperation, which remains active to the present day.

Geography

Geology

Chaska is located on what the citizens have come to call the Great Strait, or simply the Strait, between D'Runia and Altaia to the east. To the north, the Shattered Coast is wracked with storms, eased only by the Kancha mountains; to the south lies an immense swathe of monsoon grassland and jungle. Chaska is a remarkably fertile land, with a great deal of laterite (and thus iron) in the soil.

Ecology

Main article: Chaskan ecology

Chaska, as a D'Runian country, has quite a diverse ecosystem, separated from the other continents for millions of years. It is one of the few countries, for example, where marsupial species make up a substantial percentage of the tally of mammalian groups.

Cities

The capital of Qheca is of course important, as is Viracachá. Other notable cities include Qulqipuna, Ukhupunku, Marutuni, Kuchupampa, Phurusapa, Ñauparankhi, Pakuyni, and Chalkam (the last on the coast—originally Jalgam).

Demographics

Because of the nature of the settlement patterns in Ayawantin of old, there is a fairly strong divide between the "urban" and "rural" populations. The former are clustered together in great cities in the mountains or the grasslands, the landscape shaped to fit as many people as comfortably as possible. The latter live effectively everywhere else—high in the hills, in the deep rainforest, on the coast of the sea. One goes from almost to many to practically no people very quickly indeed.

Most of the urban population speaks Remana, but there are those who also choose to learn Auresian, Livaryan, or Bahaso Sokoku, all for the sake of better international dealings in trade or politics.

Government

Government in Chaska is divided into three broad groups.

The Assembly (Kamayukwasi) consists of elected representatives (kamayukkuna) of all Divisions of the country. It is worth noting that a Division is defined as "a collection of people bound under a single political system representing a population of over 10,000 people", and in this regard also includes corporations and the panacas of previous emperors. They are responsible for administering policy, under the guidance of the uma akllaxqa or Prime Minister. They are elected every five years, as is the Prime Minister; he or she is chosen by lot from the Divisional Representatives, and then selects a cabinet of Ministers from them. It should be noted that upon doing so the Divisional Representative relinquishes all control over his or her Division, handing it down to the candidate with the next-most votes.

The Civil Service (Willanay) is responsible for ensuring that the policies of the Assembly are met, but also make up the judiciary body of the country. As contracts and wills are treated as functioning constitutions, it is the job of the Civil Service to ensure that when someone is tried, they are tried under the right law, before a body of citizens given due training. They are also responsible for maintaining records. Civil Servants (kunanaqquna) are considered to be the functional backbone of the society, and answer directly to the King rather than the Assembly—although there is usually at least some give and take between them.

The King (qhapaq) represents the state in dealings with other countries, as well as maintaining a position in national and international politics. In practice the King can be said to be something of a referee, attending sessions of the Assembly to grant legitimacy to bills and often acting as an unofficial advisor to the current Prime Minister.

Economy

Structure

Much like Arbor to the west, Chaska follows a form of market socialism. When a worker joins a company, they also become partial owners of that organization, receiving both a wage and a quarterly dividend from the stock of the company. A worker is also permitted to trade his or her allotted shares of the company to others, although they maintain organizational control and are merely "advised" by the owners of their personal stock. Managers are promoted from the company itself, as persons experienced in the field, having secured for themselves a position by means of veteran work and planning.

The economic environment of Chaska is thus home to a great many companies who maintain their employees for years or decades at a time, sometimes for the entirety of the person's life. It also means that any corporation larger than a certain size is treated not merely under commercial law, but also administrative law, with the local constitution decided and published by the central Civil Service.

It should be noted that corruption is still entirely possible and indeed somewhat frequent within this system—the bribery of multiple lower-paid individuals in place of a few higher-paid ones to effect a particular change in a company, for example. Nevertheless, the Chaskans hold that this system permits a more overall honest population—or at least an overall more openly dishonest one—instead of concentrating all that choice in the hands of a few select entrepreneurs.

Agriculture

As one of the world's premier coffee producers, Chaska makes a considerable amount of revenue from the sale of the beans to elsewhere in the world.

Acacia seeds and purple yams, supplemented by maize, beans, and squash, form the staple crops of the Chaskan diet, and are also exported elsewhere, albeit on a smaller scale. Quandongs, too, are quite popular, as are tanjongs. The tea made from the lemon ironbark tree is deemed an acceptable substitute for coffee when one wishes to relax; there is a lemony taste without it being too tart, and the tea is a good source of Vitamin C as well.

Opium has long been grown on the northern coasts, and is sold, in regulated quantities, to the pharmaceutical industries worldwide.

Cotton is not a native plant to the area, having its origins across the Strait in Ilhuiyoco. Nevertheless, Chaskan cotton has great popularity thanks to its breathability and use in the rainforests.

Chaska's livestock farming is based around the consumption of two primary large animals, these being the emu and the llama. The former is native to the continent, and has been consumed since time immemorial; the latter is a more recent import, only a few thousand years old, from Altaia.

Natural Resources

Historically, the most precious export from the region of Chaska has been gold, of which there is a great deal both in the mountains and the lowlands. Closer to the modern day, coal was briefly the chief natural resource on export to other countries, but this has since changed in light of new energy sources.

Tourism

A zeppelin touring the Chaskan rainforest.

A zeppelin touring the Chaskan rainforest.

The Chaskan wilderness is also a place of considerable importance for tourism purposes. Zeppelin flights through the shrouded jungles near the mountains, or over the highland fields between the peaks, or even over the great savanna across much of the south of the country, are a very popular attraction, and given much of a popularity boost by the Chaskan government—for a small percentage per passenger every foreign airship company carries, of course.

Primary Trading Partners

Chaska does a great deal of trade with its immediate neighbours, Arvor and Sokoku. As a part of the Restoration Coalition, Chaska seeks to act as an exemplar to other post-colonial states as to how an economy and culture may be properly restructured for the modern day without giving up traditional aspects of life.

Culture

Architecture

Kancha architecture tends towards the monolithic—tall buildings relatively unadorned by colour (except perhaps when painted white), pillars fronting temples built into the mountain rock, and vast circular arenas being prime among them.

Auqars

The auqar system was used by the Pachaqhapaqs as a way both of instilling patriotism and keeping the population too segmented to formulate a rebellion. After the "manhood run" each year, the boys-turned-men would become a regiment—set to train together, fight together, and advance together through the social hierachy. The auqar system was also used to assign corvée work, with men serving their time not as soldiers but as builders, granted the same bread and beer as they would be in the army.

The auqar system has left its marks on modern Chaska. Men are still considered to be kin after the traditional "manhood run", and are most likely to form small corporations or social clubs. Connection through siblings and auqars creates something of an "old boys network" across Chaska.

Chakrana

While religions such as Orkanan have made a splash among the population, particularly in the northern provinces, the state religion remains that practiced for nearly 1,700 years at this point—Chakrana, the "inheritance tool" used to maintain the customs and deities of one's ancestors. It is more broadly a continent-wide religion, different gods having been passed from city to city as time went on; however, in Chaska it bears additional elements, particularly through the involvement of the king in holy affairs. The king, while no longer a living deity to his people, is still seen as the closest and best intercessor between humanity and the gods at large, a holy presence on the face of the earth.

Other Religions

Orkanan still retains some followers, particularly in the north. Certain elements of the religion, including the importance of the family unit, translated relatively well to extant Huilcasoncan beliefs, and allowances for traditional festivals to take on new names helped to cement the religion in what was previously part of Amberia. Attempts by pluralists to incorporate Vind into Chakrana as another cosmic creator equal to the others has had somewhat limited success, however, despite the relative neutrality between worshippers on both sides.

Many people in the port cities to the east practice Guso, particularly those with close associations with Sokoku or indeed Altaia at large.

The traditional religion of the Austro-D'Runians who inhabited the area prior to Pan-Altaian expansion is still seen in relatively isolated jungle nations. They are a source of some curiousity for modern Chaskans seeking alternatives to traditional religion.

Marriage

In traditional Chaskan society, women are obliged to take on care of the household (particularly by way of cooking, childcare, and the weaving of cloth to be stored by the empire among the most important)—and men the house (work outside, repairing the structure, and so on).

Traditionally commoners were permitted no more than one wife. Polygyny was available to the nobility—particularly to the Pachaqhapaqs—but not to commoners; it has fallen out of practice today.

Another important concept is that of the pantanakuy—the practice of a “trial marriage” between two partners for some time before they are “formally” married in tinkunakuspa. In historical times, this used to be because formal marriage was only permitted once one’s auqar had been given the favour of the Emperor. In the modern day, however, it is considered a reasonable and mature step to take before finalizing the marriage formally. The man and woman live together as though married, and may even have children during that time, over the course of a year or two. If said trial marriage is unsuccessful, the woman goes back to live with her parents, and there is really no harm done. Divorce after tinkunakuspa, however, is much harder, only really possible if it can be demonstrated that one or the other parties is sterile.

Under Chakrana, there is no particular status associated with virginity—indeed, it is considered useful and even proper not to be a virgin upon tinkunakuspa, so that both parties have some awareness of what is expected of them.

Neither party changes their family name, in part because they relate to clan lineages and not daily names. Men and their sons trace their ancestry through the male line, while women and their daughters trace theirs through the female line.