Oya'in

https://imgur.com/0wCzx7r

Pre-Contact Era
TBD

First Azoran Contacts
The land now owned by Oya’in was, before the arrival of the Azorans, often plagued with wars and conflicts, as many ehtnic groups occupied this vast region. When the salish first discovered the area, as well as later on, when the Ichoria established the first permanent outposts, most of the land around the future canals were under control of a native feudal empire, headed by what is now considered “Pre-discovery Oyans”. It routinely traded salt and precious metals, and oftentimes conquered and vassalized foreing kingdoms. It also poses a growing population of abhayadi traders, coming in from the south-east, which spread aranism in the area. Having existed for over a century, the Oyan kingdom had only recently converted to aranism.

Post-Contact Era
The ichorians, rapidly understanding the economic importance the Ismuth could have to future colonisation, negotiated settlements rights in [First Colony], and started trading with the Oyan kingdom for native food, “services” (such a exploring guides, translators, mariage, labour) and, later on, slaves. In exchange, they often gave tributes to the Oyan “Emperor”, supplying him with firearms (which were used to “obtain” more slaves”, jewelry, and other Azoran luxuries. This would not last however, as, with time, the Ichorian and Oyan relations soured, especially due to the fact more or more Oyans were beginning to have stronger ties with the Ichorians settlements than the Kingdom itself.

After the passing of the previous Oyan “Emperor”, as well as the religious tensions, the new Oyan leader decided, after a refusal to pay taxes from a “duchy” near the Ichorians, to send an ultimatum to the colonists, which was then promptly refused. Many historians still disagree on what the specifics of the ultimatum contained, but its effects were drastic.

After the swift refusal, the Oyan Kingdom attempted to pillage the settlement, which held on despite the numerous attacks. The Ichorians latter mobilized local troops and crewmen, and “Noble” Oyans, and lead an assault into the Oyan kingdom, which ended with the execution of the “Emperor” in [Annexations of Oya(1600s?)], and the forced appointment of a collaborationist King, which remained under close Ichorian supervision. Over time, the Oyan kingdom was progressively annexed into the rapidly growing Ichorian colony, up until, in [date of Oyan dissolution(1700s?)], the monarch passed away, and the kingdom became part of the Ichorian colonial possessions.'''

Early Colonial Era
Although far from peaceful, the annexation process encountered virtually no effective resistance”, in part due to the fact a significant portion of the conquered populations and vassal states of the Oyan Kingdom initially viewed Ichorians as “liberators”, which turn out far from the truth, as Ichorians actively favored Oyans Loyalists to other ethnic groups, strengthening the dominance of the already powerful tribe inside the colony.

While the Ichorians made persistent effort to “Assimilate” the Oyans and other nearby tribes into an “Ichorian Identity”, often trough mariages, glorification of the Ichorian identity, and religious conversion, the Ichorian settlers, most of which were of sectarian persuasion, disagreed with the Ichorian policies, and viewed the land as “rightfully theirs” which lead to tensions between the natives and Azorans. This situation kept on until the exile of the Ichorian king, in [Exile date (1800?)]. By then, over 50% of the population was of mixed or pure Ichorian descent, and most the 70% of the population was vayonist (mostly Sectarians). Moreover, the precursor to the canals, a road going from both sides of the ismuths, had been completed and was readily used for commerce and transport, bringing limited wealth to the colony.

Exiled Kingdom Era
This marked the beginnings of the “Exiled Kingdom Era”, which saw an influx of Ecumenial Vayonists, especially loyalist nobles or merchants. The era was marked by rapid restructuring of the nation, civil unrest, and heightened tensions between the new Ecumenial upper class and nobles, and the Sectarians, be they Oyan or Ichorian. In [Execution(1825?)], towards the end of the Era, a popular uprising broke into the newly built palace and executed the king and his entourage.

After a few turbulent months plagued with much troubles, as well as generalized disagreement over the running of the newly declared “Oyan People’s Republic”, the Ichorian posed an ultimatum to the new, highly unstable Oyan-Colonist joint republic, demanding negotiation of a reintegration into the empire as a colonial possession, with treats of military actions if the nation refused to comply.

[…]

After much debates and negotiations, it was agree that, in [Second conquest(1830?)], the country would rejoin the Ichorian colonial empire as a dominion, effectively retaining much of its local autonomy despite some harsh concessions, such as reparations, taxes, acceptance of future settlers, and the appointment of a local aranist politician as an “Ichorian sanctioned governor”. The choice of governor had been heavily debated, but ultimately, both sides agreed that appointing a Vayonist, be it a Sectarian or an Ecumenial one, was an unviable idea that could easily result in more harm than good for both sides.

This Governor, [first governor name], played an essential role in the stabilization of the new Dominion, and in view of this success, the tradition of appointing aranists Governors (three of witch came from the same family as [first governor name]), was kept up until the beginning of Ichorian occupation of Oya’in in [1930?].

Dominion Era
While Oya’in was now effectively back under Ichorian control, the local unrest and instability was still high, which disrupted economic activities in the region. After a few faux-pas, the Ichorian appointed Governor personally intervened, effectively bypassing the dubiously elected [president], and focusing efforts on a restructuration of the Oyan political system, while also helping the region develop economically while diminishing unrest and instability.

[…]

Notably, the Ichorians financed in large part the initial construction of the two canals in [date of canals (1890?)], although they arranged for the Oyans to pay back for it over the next decades. The “Oyan Canal”, as it has become known, quickly saw much traffic passing through, which monumently helped the Ichorian have a secure access to their colonial possession during WW1. The canal also brought an economic boom to the nation, which was quickly taken advantage of by entrepreneurs and labourers alike, which led to a rapid acceleration of the on-going urbanisation process in the country's core. In this process, the newly freed local construction workers used during the construction of both canals were quickly reemployed in developing urban infrastructure, both local and national (The first non-core highways were first built during the following period leading up to WW1).

[…]

Between [Quiet genocide dates(1850-1930?)], a darker period of Oyan history took place, now known as the “Quiet Genocide” by some. During this time, a large proportion of Central Oya’in native minorities (principaly non-assimilated, non-oyan natives), were increasingly persecuted and forced to speak one of the official languages (mainly Ichorian and Modern-Oyan). This was in part due to Ichorian pressure to integrate new settlers from the mainland, and in part due to their generally higher civil unrest, as well as their low population (totaling under 5% of the more urbanized areas when the first expulsions measures were implemented). A large proportion of them also ended up being deported during the height of the systemic discrimination that characterised the government of the time’s attitude’s towards these minorities. This resulted in a massive influx of various native ethnicities (mostly coming from central Oya), being deported to the more rurals areas near the frontiers of the country. This resulted in the creation of various creoles in these locations, most of which were spoken in only a handful of villages each. To this day, there are still visible aftereffects in these “Displaced Communities'', mostly related to economic disparities and unrest.

It is commonly accepted that the “Quiet Genocide” transitioned to full on massive racial displaments and discrimination at ourn [Ichorian takover (1930(?)], when Ichoria began massive political restructuring of Oya’in along the now predominant hegemonists philosophy, which effectively squashed democracy in the dominion, turning it into a direct puppet, and beginning the “Ichorian Occupation Era”.

Ichorian Occupation Era
After a series of reforms and drastic increases of control of Oya’in by the Ichorian, the once relatively sovereign nation slowly turned into a one party military puppet state, later recalled as the “Collaborationist Government”. Forced to help their militaristic overlord, most of the Oyan people had no other option than to do as they were told or risk grave repercussions. While many small-scale riots occurred, all of them were rapidly crushed, with increased violence, by the stationed Ichorian troops, as well as, later on, the “National Army”, which consisted mainly of Oyan volunteers who agreed to help the occupying regime. Notably, virtually all of them were of strong Azoran descent, and a large part of them were children of more recent Ichorian immigrants. “Panther Militias” were also conscripted from Ichorian speaking mixed race Oyans, but these were mostly used as reserved or, in latter instances, light forced labour. The fact they were severely under equipped compared to their “purer” counterparts.

This period was also characterised by increased ethnic discriminations, especially towards non-ichorian speakers. The most blatant example of this were the increasingly common arrests and deportations (and later execution) of some 35,000 Oyan citizens based on accusations of “unpatriotic behavior”.

The “Occupation Era” was also marked by a drastic increase in light and heavy industry, principally centered around production of military supplies, munitions, vehicles or equipment. This period also saw, in 1938, the nationalisation of all mining industries, which allowed cheaper manufacturing of military goods, which were all ultimately exported to Ichoria.

During the first half of the Second World War, Oya’in was held under firm control by its new military administration, while most of the population were essentially oppressed and, in any number of ways, exploited and forced to contribute to the Ichorian war efforts. This slowly increased, as the war dragged on, until, in 1944, most Ichorian military assets were “temporarily” ordered back onto the mainland to help defend it. They took with them many of the stockpiled supplies, such as canned food, munition and artillery. With them also left over 80% of the “National Army”, leaving mostly under equipped, under trained and disloyal “Panther Militias”, which were overseen by a small number of Ichorian and “National Army” commanding officers, to guard the nation from naval invasions. Notably, a large number of affluent “Ethnic Ichorians” also left for Ichoria along with the Occupying force.

Being virtually left to fend for themselves, it wasn’t long until the Ichorian “Collaborationist Government” puppet was swarmed by popular uprisings demanding the reinstatement of democracy, many of which ended up being led by pre-occupation government members. After weeks of existing on the brink of revolution, the now famous “November Riots” erupted, the final straw being the government decisions to refuse to surrender to the [Allied] forces that now threaten to invade the northern coasts. After swift yet violent combat between the few still loyal “National Army” troops and the “Republican Rioters”, the later of which were now being assisted by an ever increasing number of deserting or mutinying “Panther Militias”, the Rioters managed to swarm the “Oyan Assembly”, executing or capturing the “Collaborationist Government” members presents. Reportedly, the Whole affaire would have been much more violent if a large number of “Loyalist Ethnically Ichorian” troops hadn’t refused, on many occasion, to fire on the rioters, some of them even ending up executing their commanding officers towards the end of the revolt.

After a few weeks of radio negotiations between the enemy forces and the new “de facto” leaders of the country (most of which were either former military officers having defected from the occupying government before the riots, previous political leaders that had been ousted during the transition to a military regime, and a handful of local mayors), the nation finally surrender under a handful of conditions, the most notable of which were:


 * “The engagement that the [Allied] occupying forces would do their best to help stabilise the Oyan Provisional Government, until democratic elections of candidates could be held, with the addition that [Allied] forces had to approve candidates before the elections were held.”*


 * “The engagement that the newly freed nation would do its best to supply resources to the [Allied] military efforts, so long as it wouldn’t endanger the lives of the Oyan Citizens”*


 * “The [Allied] recognition that the Oyan Nation had been the victim of Ichoria, rather than an ally, and that, by extension, only the members of the former “National army” and the “Collaborationist Government” were to be arrested if the [Allied] forces so choosed.”*

The rest of the war was uneventful for most Oyan citizens. Despite some light submarine based bombardement of ports, which, while not being effective at their intended goal of intimidated and slowing the [Allied] advance, did unify the resolve of the Oyan people against Ichoria, the only other military involvement Oya’in had in the rest of the war were volunteers units being sent in to help in the final stages of the Azoran conflicts, specifically in and around Ichoria.

Post War Era
TBD

Modern Political System
While politically stable since the last 70 years, the Oyan government is infamously corrupt, and so are many of its leaders. While Oyan democracy is still relatively efficient, the major parties are oftentimes implicated in scandals, and the public opinion of politicians is generally low, as many people see themselves as having to choose between the “lesser of evils”, despite this, the country has manage to avoid many of the pitfalls encountered by similar post colonial nations, and has a long, if mired in controversy, history of democracy. This has often been attributed by foreing observers to its political system, as well as the specifics of the Oyan situation during the latter half of WW2.

A large portion of Oyans minimize the benefits of the Ichorian supervision, though some, especially the upper class and those of stronger Ichorian descent, disagree on that. Since its second independence in [1949?], the nation has had strong relations with fromer [Allied] powers. While now amicable, the relation between Ichoria and Oya’in hasn’t always been so. Following the end of the Second World War however, their relation have slowly been strengthening, and imigration to and fro the two has stayed quite high.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KARJfUkVS4hxBPHXiHXaFVej0joRwzua-prwl4qcBMM/edit?usp=sharing

Voting System
TBD

Modern Economy
Oya’in is a moderately prosperous post colonial state situated around the boundary between the Diharian and Iboran continents. The vast majority of its land is relatively humid and warm, ensuring the presence of small jungles, large savanas and many rivers. However, its northernmost regions are more arid due to the presence of plateaus and mountains near the eastern and western Oyan borders, creating steps and, in some cases, deserts. While its GDP is low compared to the most developed nations, it is still among the most stable and wealthy nations in the Diharia-Ibora region. It is currently one of the world's primary lithium exporters, and also exports large quantities of refined iron, zinc, lead and gold, as well as a moderate amount of copper. It also possesses a large amount of arable land, mainly due to centuries of lumber harvesting, and thus, also produces and exports large amounts of crops, notably; wheat, vegetables, medicinal herbs, coffee, spices and “soft drugs”. The country is also well known for its large quantities of fresh water, and has been unofficially dumbed the “water capital of Diharia” due to its somewhat significant export of cheap bottled water to surrounding countries. The nation also operates three hydroelectric dams, which supplies most of its power, and is currently planning on building a fourth, bigger dam. Of note, during the first half of the 20th century, Oya’in’s mining industry, as well as, later on, its hydroelectric and canal infrastructure, have been nationalized, which has remained so to this day.

Although most of its economy is centered around these exports, Oya’in also possesses a small but growing manufacturing economy, mainly centered around cheap consumer goods, industrial parts, machinery, construction, dockyards and, most recently, low grade electronics. In the last few decades, Oya’in has been trying to improve its education system and offer more higher-learning opportunities to its citizens, as a way to motivate the creations of local enterprises. Moreover, the Oyan government has also recently begun focusing efforts on attracting foreign investors and talents, in the hopes of accelerating its economical growth, but these efforts have, some far, been met with moderate success.

Last but not least, the country is centered around two artificial canals bisecting its two capitals, as well ast the Diharian-Iboran ismuth. This “Oyan canal” is one of the longest, widest, and most travel canals in the entire world, and the tax collected from it is a small yet integral part of its economy. Having been completed in the late 19th century by a joint Oyan-Ichoria effort (replacing the previous system of land transport of cargo), it has since been expanded many times, and is perhaps the most well known asset of the Oyan nation.

Capital Punishment
Capital punishment is often used when a citizen is convicted of a capital crime, such as rape, murder, torture, sequestration, canibalism, or war crimes (which infamously includes the historic charge of “leading a violent revolt white the proclaimed goal of assatinating governmental figures” that was used against some riot leaders during the “Occupation Era”).

Gun Control
Guns, while not entirely unrestricted, are often easy to obtain, especially in more rural areas and for hunting or self defense. Regulations do exist (mandatory firearm training, firearm license, firearm registration, etc), however, “non-destructive firearms” with magazines of less than 24 bullets are still obtainable by most people outside of cities. Cities typically prevent anything outside of handguns. Due to multiple occurence of mass shootings, especially in recent years, the public opinion has increasingly turned toward stricter gun control, which is now under debate in the government.

Narcotics
Officially, “willful production or distribution of harmful substances likely to result in chemical addiction, serious injuries and/or death” is banned, and being convicted of such generally results in severe prison sentences. However, possession of drugs of this category (known as “hard drugs”), is seen as a mental health problem, and thus often results in lighter sentences and lengthy mandatory addiction therapy and follow up by social workers. Whilst hard drugs such as heroin are banned, soft drugs are, for their part, entirely legal and regulated. Sellers and producers require licenses and are subject to frequent inspections.

Oya’in is reputed for having a hard stance on alcohol compared to other countries. Being judged as addictive and dangerous, alcohol sales are heavily taxed and regulated, and anything above 20% concentration is entirely banned. This, combined with historical circonstances, means alcohol in Oya’in is mostly used ceremonially. Due to this,the most commonly used drug in Oya’in is marijuana, with 56,3% of adult Oyans having consumed it in the last 12 months, and 32.8% in the last 30 days. For this reason, many studies are conducted in Oya’in about the health effects of drugs that are often illegal in other countries, such as cocaine, cannabis, LSD, etc.

There also exist some trade and travel chords between Oya’in and other “drug accepting nations”, such as Hazala.

Abortion
Fully legal before the 24th week. Abortion is freely offerd in case of rape or for minors. Abortion after the 24 week can only be done if the mother’s health is judged to be “at significant risk”.

Censorship
Oya’in has a loose control over the media, which is especially aimed at reducing or preventing “spread of destabilizing or dangerous misinformation”. While it is mostly a formality, reporters are required to obtain a State Approbation Certificate (SAC) to work, and there are some common occurrences of reporters losing said certification after “blatant abuse of public thrust”. Due to the rise of the internet, many “pseudo reporters'' have gone online and found diverse ways to bypass the laws in place, leading to a surge of “fake news” and conspiracies, which the Oyan government has yet to find a way to control. This is assumed to be, in part, why politics in the country have seemingly become more and mroe divisive or the last decade.

Conscription
While constitutionally all citizens are to serve from 20 to 24 years of age, many exceptions exist nowadays, resulting in 46% of men serving an average of 7 months and 18% of women serving an average of 3 months. While men receive preliminary outdoor training in school from 16 to 20 years of age, women generally do not, meaning that military service is mostly segregated in conscripts due to differences in required training. Whilst a decent portion of the Oyan population serves, the military does not receive much funding per conscript, and most of their training focuses around infantry exercises, guerilla warfare techniques, static defense, or other basic, “low cost” activities.

However, the Oyan military possess a large surplus of officers, the justification for which is that, in times of war, the army can be quickly expanded by conscripting previously trained citizens. The military also possesses many helicopters, some long range bombers, a decent number of armored vehicles, some submarines, and other miscellaneous assets.

Gender Rights
While not perfect, gender relations and gender equality in Oya’in are overall good. Whilst women are more likely to be stay-at-home parents or have lower paid jobs, they are offered the same level of education as men, have the same rights and privileges, are subject to the same tax and regulations, and are expected to fulfil “equivalent duties” in the workplace or when conscripted. Working women also have the right to maternity leaves, and some fathers do too, although to a lesser extent. Socially, women are often seen as weaker than men, leading to a protective attitude, which is both positive and detrimental to gender relations. Physical abuse of women is harshly punished and extremely frowned upon and, for this reason, women are more often exempted of military service, and when not, are almost always offered safer positions and given less physical training.

Men, for their part, are more likely to occupy dangerous jobs or precarious positions, have higher suicides rates, and generally cannot gain sole custody of their children in court without the mother being “extremely unfit to raise children”. Men are also, on average, conscripted longer than women and are put in more dangerous and strict situations in the military, and receive harsher training

LGBT Rights
While same sex relations, and couples are perfectly legal in Oya’in, and viewed by most as perfefctly acceptable, same sex mariages were, for a long time, unrecognised by the state and many religious institions, and from uppon by a decent portion of the population. Although they are now legal in legislature, priests still hold the right to refuse to marry couples based on their personal religious beliefs, and a sizable portion of the population still views marriage as “something sacred meant only for a man and a woman, designed to promote the raising of children”. Same sax couples were recently granted the right to adopt, which spark outrage in a decent portion of the population.

There is an on-going debate about the mere existence of transgenderism, and, while it is legal, it is currently viewed as a mental illness to be cured by psychological and chemical treatment, although this requires the consent of “the affected individual”. Sex assignments surgeries are currently illegal to perform unless due to a “birth defect”, and accepting to do the procedure could lend a harsh sentence to a surgeon.

Minority Rights
Although now equal under the law, there is still significant tensions between “ethnic Oyans” (those of either pure or mixed Azoran decent) and the descendent of “unaligned Tribes” living in the periphery of Oya’in’s core, after their ancestors were expulsed there during the “Quiet Genocide”. A third party, the abayadis, is also present, but is generally either ignored or grouped with the ethnic Oyans for socio-economic reasons.

Linguistic Rights
Historically, Ichorian was the prestige language in Oya’in, due to the presence of the Ichorian colonial elite. However, since the end of WW2, “Modern Oyan” (a standardized form of the Ichorian-Oyan creole that arised due to interaction between the lower and upper classes, as well as missionaries), became the official language of the nation, and is now universally taught as part of the lower education curriculum. Moreover, children are expected to also learn either Ichorian, Abayadi or “Classical Oyan” (or at least its modern, revived form). Historically, Oya’in always had policies targeting linguistic (and thus cultural) integration of its minorities, and this can still be seen today, albeit to a lesser extent. Certain schools, especially the bigger or more rural ones, recently began offering other languages as options, and there is currently an ongoing debate about whether or not lower education schooling primarily done in a language other than “Modern Oyan”, Ichorian, Abayadi or “Classical Oyan” should be legalized.

Religious Rights
The majority religion of Oya’in, Vayonism, is split between two denominations; Ecumenial Vayonism and Sectarian (or Reformist) Vayonism. While currently relatively amicable, the relations between the two groups had long been tense, especially considering that the bigger of these two groups, the Sectarian, often were descendants of settlers that fled Ichoria due to religious persecutions. While, for a long time, the colony was viewed as a sort of “promised land” by certain Ichorian Sectarians (thus explaining the large influx of Ichorian settlers), the fact it was ruled by an Ecumenial governor created significant tensions. During the “Exiled Kingdom Era”, the old Ichorian king (an Ecumenial” fled to the Oyan colony, bringing with him a small yet significant increase of Ecumenial vayonism, especially in the upper class. After his deposition (in part by Sectarian rebels), the relations between the two groups were at an all time low, with religiously motivated crimes and discrimination being rampant. However, over time, the young, semi independent dominion managed to normalize relations between the two groups. Nowadays, almost half of the nation is Sectarian, and many of its elected leaders were, including the current one, [Leader Name], while over 1/8th of the population follows Ecumenial Vayonism, mostly inside the major urban centers.

While most of the population consider itself Vayonist (to a varyingly strong degree), there is also a large minority of aranists situated mostly in the south, especially in the less urbanised area. Due to this, Oya’in grants equal rights to followers of both faiths, as well as atheists, and teaches school children about both. While the state has been officially secular since its reintergration into the Ichorian empire as a dominion, religious discrimination and opression, especially towards other minority religions, were often present. In more recent times however, tensions have relaxed, and now most of the population is free to believe as they please without persecution, especially in the metropolitan areas.