Tamurin

United Republic of Tamurin
Flag Emblem
Capital	Alaghon
Official languages	Nyburanik
Recognised regional languages	Turmic
Ethnic groups	Turami
Demonym(s)	Tamurine
Government	Presidential democracy
• President	Jürgen Brosch
• Prime Minister	Otto Krüger
Legislature	Parliament
Establishment
• Colony	1322
• Independence	1781
• Empire	1871
• Republic	1911
Population
• 2019 census	50,193,963
Currency	Tamurine Credit (TRC)
Time zone	UTC +9
Driving side	right
Calling code	+74
Internet TLD	.tm

Tamurin, officially the United Republic of Tamurin, is a sovereign nation located on the continent of Europa on Eurth. Nearest neighbouring countries include: Kotowari and San Ba to the north, Orioni to the east, Mekabiri to the southwest, and Mahana to the west. With an estimated population of around 50.1 million. It's capital and largest city is Alaghon.

In the 14th century, most of the area was conquered by the Orinese and claimed as part of the Danya of Tamarini. The country attained independence in 1781 as part of the Federal Republic of Tamurin, which dissolved in 1841. The Tamurine people were long divided until they were unified in 1871 under the Menelassar Emperors. Since 1913, Tamurin has been a democracy led by a President, managed by a Prime Minister, and governed by a bicameral parliament. It is a major economic power in Eastern Europa, trading extensively with its neighbours, and a founding member of the Entente of Oriental States.

Etymology

The name Tamurin derives from the Ancient Oharic Tamarini, evolved out of "Damo + Arani" (meaning "across from Orioni"). This is an exonym, an external name for a geographical place. Other Oriental languages use the name Tamari (たまり) meaning "gathering place" or "a place where people come together". In Azania the name Tamár (תמר) is used, literally meaning “date palm”, one of the ancient export that became a pars pro toto for the entire country. Some early sources propose that the people actually called themselves Tak-iz, meaning "(those who) speak properly" in Proto-Europan, but these claims are disputed. Post-classical Buranian sources associate the name with the Goddess Tamar who enslaved the Morning Star (Orioni), controlled the weather patterns, and rode a serpent. This has been confirmed as a reference to early decades of the Orinese Civil War, when Tamurine made significant gains against the Orinese loyalists.

Geography

Map of Tamurin.

Tamurin lies on a large peninsula, across from Orioni. The country has a very long coastline, but only one short land border in the north with the Republic of Kotowari. The landscape is dominated by hills and scattered forests. The nation has an oceanic Mediterranean climate. The coastline's hot and dry environment presents excellent conditions for salt making. The salt pans cover a large area along the coast and can be seen from space. Salt production dates back to the Orinese period and remained largely unchanged. Water is pumped directly from the nearby sea and allowed to evaporate in the basins. The salt is collected a few days later. Tamurine salt is exported to many other nations.

The area was known as Menelassar Bay offers some of the best surfing on Eurth. Before the bay earned international renown, locals refused to share their favourite beaches because they didn't want outsiders to discover their wealth of surf-able seas. Dolphins are often found close to shore. Each morning, both Spinners and Bottlenose dolphins can be found playing close to shore before heading back to the open water. Multiple boat companies offer tours to see and swim with dolphins.

Tamurin is a beautiful country, full of picturesque villages and well-tended farmlands. Tamurin consists of three regions: Tamurin in the centre, Marngro in the south and Ormath in the north. Ormath was the former capital of Imperial Tamurin. Most people reside in the countryside because people prefer to live in proximity to nature.

Alaghon is the capital and the largest city of Tamurin. The city boasts a large number of colonial-era buildings, and has a unique colonial-era urban core that is remarkably intact. Other major cities include Arrabar, Hlondeth, Ormath, Ormpetarr, and Nimpeth. Tamurin has also two island departments: in the north lies Helgoland (Ilighon) and to the south is Fehmarn (Wavecrest).

History

Ancient history

Bas-relief showing daily life during the Unther Empire.

(WIP. Up until 500 CE. One of the earliest populated regions in the Orient. City states along the inner sea, comparable to the Seto Inland Sea in Japan. Part of the Pearl Road trade network. There need to be some early kingdoms as well.)

• (WIP. Preceded by the Empire of Unther. https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Unther )
• Possible evidence indicating the earliest human presence of Untheric people are the megalithic urn burials, dating back to ca. 1500 BCE. According to the earliest descriptions the Empire of Unther extended southwards beyond the peninsula towards Mekabiri. These were discovered at various locations along the inland sea. Various legends exist about an ancient land that was supposed to have been destroyed by a deluge.
• The Turami people migrated to the peninsula from their native lands around the Byzantine Sea. After finding these fertile lands southeast of the Amutian desert, they settled down.
• Ancient Untheric society followed a feudal system, headed by the king and several tribal chieftains, headed by the chiefs. Still lower at the local level there were clan chiefs. The king and chiefs were always in conflict with each other, mostly over territorial hegemony and property. Agriculture was important during this period, and there is evidence that networks of irrigation channels were built as early as the 3rd century BCE.
• 37 BCE: Alaghon was founded in 37 BCE on top of the ruins of a previous mining settlement, and soon became a major trading hub.
• Internal and external trade flourished, and evidence of significant contact throughout the Pearl Road network. Small quantities of Aroman coins were also found. An anonymous 1st century traveller's account describes the ports and their commercial activity in great detail. The chief exports of Unther were salt, malabathrum, pearls, ivory, silk, spikenard, diamonds, sapphires, and tortoiseshell.
• 352 CE: A fire destroys large parts of Alaghon.
• 500 CE: The ancient Untheric period ended around 500 CE with invasions by the Shakya. These invaders are described as 'evil kings' and 'barbarians' coming from lands to the north.

Medieval period

(WIP. This period lasted roughly from 500-1500. Not sure what happens during the early centuries. Combatant during the Orinese Civil War. Colonised afterwards.)

• The empire established strong trading links with the Three Kingdoms.
• 900: The Tamurine became dominant in the 10th century and established an empire covering most of South Amutia and Orient.
• Tamurine become famous for their mercenaries and warriors, who were known to be honourable, impartial, articulate, and battle-skilled. These included both private armies that were permanently stationed in the capital and companies that were only based in cities and rested there between assignments in other lands. The Tamurine defeated the Southern Shakyans and expanded their empire up to the $river. They conquered the coastal areas around the Jasmine Sea. Prince $Name improved his father's fleet and created a notable navy. In the 11th century, the Tamurine empire become involved in the Orinese Civil War and also had to face repeated invasions by the Shakyan Principalities. The Tamurine navy conquered the dominant Southeast Oriental power, the Orioni Empire, and secured the lucrative Pearl Road sea trade route. Tamurine imposed taxes on any ships that passed.
• 1250-1350: The latter half of the 13th century renewed conflict with the restored Orinese monarchy. The Tamurine emperor temporarily repulsed an invasion by the Orinese, who had tried to interfere in Tamurine politics. In 1302 the city of Arrabar was captured by Azāzhi Chīyaro's forces after a three-day siege and a short-lived puppet regime was installed. King $name was confined to his own dominions north of the $region. By the 14th century, the Tamurine Kings were permanently defeated and their regions annexed. The Tamurine monarchs retained some influence under the Orinese and continued a long and prosperous reign characterized by unparalleled success that laid the foundation for the well-being of the people for the next 400 years. With a few small exceptions, such as the Plague of $Year, Tamurin became a peaceful and safe nation.
• 1428: Tamurine political power alternated between being ruled by strong local lords and rich merchant families.

Early modern period

Colonial flag of Tamarini, present-day Tamurin.

WIP

• This period lasted roughly from 1500-1750. Defeated and turned into colony from 1322-1781. In the 18th Century, the area was 'colonised' by pirates from Burania, which could explain the !Germanic monarchy. Probably there was some weak local ruler who hired another bunch of foreign mercenaries. Left without pay, they decided to take the throne for themselves. Think of Mamluk Egypt, but with Germano-Vikings in Asia. It's reasonably possible because the Europan continent is much smaller compared to Eurasia.)
• Explanations about foreign Buran monarchy fit into the story of Niederoestereich. Buran colonists had a larger network and permission from Orioni to reform the land. Locals did not. Similar to RL Oceania and India. Are there any Asian analogies?

19th Century

A 1825 lithograph of $Name Pagoda shows Buranian occupation.

Monarchs of Tamurin

Emperor Menelassar I, around 1880

James Menelassar II

Jacob Menelassar III, around 1900

The Empire of Tamurin, ruled by the League of the Lords, was founded in 1871 after several centuries of division. Until 1871, Tamurin was a divided land of dozens of large and small territories, each ruled by their own leader. The Empire was brought into existence by the strongest of these lords, George Menelassar (1817-1888), by way of force and politics. He founded the “League of the Lords”, which was mostly called “Imperial League”. The League was the upper house of the parliament, while the lower house was democratically elected. Actions of the lower house could be overruled by the upper house, which happened very often. One of his first acts was the establishment of the Tamurine Parliament with the lords in the upper chamber while the lower house was democratically elected. The parliamentarians of the lower house overruled the nobility quite often. Emperor Menelassar I died in 1888. His rule was regarded as harsh, but he had completely transformed Tamurin into a powerful, militaristic state.

His son, James Menelassar II (1851-1925), succeeded him. He was far more liberal and had great respect for the elected lower chamber of parliament, especially the Republican Party. To further improve relations, the Emperor introduced the position of Prime Minister who would take on centralized responsibility for leading the Government. Prior to the role, the Emperor had done that himself. This transferred foreign policy and control of the Tamurine armed forces to his Prime Minister. Though Menelassar II was loved by the people, he was not popular with the nobility and was forced to resign in 1896 when the nobility and the Emperor got into a nasty political battle over the furtherance of democratic improvements sought by the lower chamber.

His hardliner brother, Jacob Menelassar III (1859-1941), became Emperor after a one-month political stand-off. Menelassar II left the upper house and joined the Republican Party. He became a great leader of them, while his brother tried to undo the democratic changes. He used methods of totalitarian systems which caused widespread opposition, even in the ranks of the Lords and the armed forces.

20th Century

Soldiers marching to war during the First Tamurine Civil War (1903-1911).

0px

(Some power-sharing agreement in the 1930s.)

(Student revolt.)

Buran Brigade commandos wade ashore off the Arrabar coast.

(More power sharing.)

(Caption.)

It was around the turn of the century when a wave of reactionary and totalitarian regimes existed. In response to Menelassar III complete reversal of his predecessor's work, Menelassar II withdrew from the House of Lords and ran for a seat in the democratically elected lower chamber, which greatly enhanced his reputation. At first, the nobles approved of Menelassar III's ways, but once he took action against the armed forces and the ranks of the aristocracy who disagreed with him, a civil war was inevitable. The bloody First Tamurine Civil War lasted from 1903-1911 and resulted in the collapse of the Empire of Tamurin and the creation of a United Republic.

From 1911-2004, the United Republic of Tamurin was a more or less stable nation. In the initial years of this new republic, between 1912 and 1937, various social democratic parties governed the nation and tried to establish a system around the socialist idea of philosopher Markus Karlaz. These attempts failed, and the results were devastating. The economy was down, and the country was taken backwards technologically. The people were very dissatisfied. The liberal-conservative government was still in the 30s (with its mind). Centrist governments took hold and modernized into a top-level economic powerhouse from 1938 to 1967. The liberal-conservative government brought the nation back to the first of Europa. Tamurin played a central role in Europan unification when in 1958 it joined the Europan Commercial Alliance, a forerunner of the Entente of Oriental States.

In 1968 there was a student revolt. The more centre-right Progressive took charge and remained in power during most of the remaining century. Political life remained remarkably stable and Tamurin enjoyed a period of economic growth, with industrial production doubling in the 1970s and 1980s.

21st Century

Conflict erupted once more in 2004 when the far-right Imperialists regrouped after remaining in hiding for many decades, sparking the Second Tamurine Civil war. For three months it was not clear what would happen and who might win. It was a brief conflict as nations from around the Orient rushed to the Tamurine banner. With the help of Mekabiri, Red Iberos, Orioni and several others, the United Republic survived. Its former president, William Granger, died, but his successor, President Hartman, led the Republic to victory. President Hartman, an independent politician and former mayor of Alaghon, continued to serve as President in after wining a second term. Another important citizen of Tamurin is Field Marshall von Steinburg, Chief of Staff of the Military. He fought bravely during the Second Tamurine Civil War. His great ancestor, General von Steinburg, led the Republican forces during the First Civil War. Since the second civil conflict, Tamurin instituted a policy of 'Armed Neutrality' but despite this designation, the United Republic does try to maintain as close ties as possible between the Oriental nations in Eastern Europa.

Until July 31st, 2005, a great coalition of conservatives and socialists was dominating the parliament. The new Vice-President, Martin Sumner, was a member of the isolationist movement, which tried to reduce ties to the international community. The continued growth of the movement made day-to-day politics very difficult. On July 31st, 2005, the parliament, which was dissolved earlier that month by President Hartman, was re-elected. Former Vice-President Sumner (who was fired) led the new isolationist movement and made it the strongest party. But he failed to achieve the absolute majority, and a possible coalition with the nationalists failed. President Hartman is now working with a minority-alliance in the parliament. Shortly after that, President Hartman died due to a heart attack. In the following election, Martin Sumner was elected President. The isolationists formed an alliance with the socialists and were controlling the office of the president and the parliament. Tamurin cooled down its relations to other nations.

Nearly a year later the isolationist government broke down when the party fell apart. The isolationist movement had never too much common ground and after Tamurin lived for itself conflicts broke out. After Martin Sumner resigned in March 2006, Chief of Staff and Minister of Defense Field Marshall von Steinburg took over the government, dissolved the Parliament and set up a provisional government until re-elections were held on June 1st. In these elections a progressive alliance consisting of Progessive Conservatives, Social-Democrats and Socialists won the elections, with the Social-Democrats taking over the presidency (Jürgen Axmann), the Progressive Conservatives taking over the Prime Ministry (Hermann Leonhardt) and daughter of former President Hartman Claudia Hartman becoming "Super Minister" for Defense, Foreign Relations and Technology.

During the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europa (CSCE) a group of terrorists linked to the Imperial North-East Liberation Front (INELF) seized control of the CSCE building and killed several delegation members including President Axmann. Minister Hartman was able to escape. After a terrible rescue operation in which nerve gas was used (which killed terrorists, security guards and hostages), the Tamurine security forces were able to re-take the building, although several mistakes were done during the mission (e.g. friendly fire on hostages). The whole conference was a political disaster for the Tamurine government. Wolfgang Leonhardt became President, Claudia Hartman prime minister. Currently, the INELF is gaining strength in North-East Tamurin (Ormath) and civilian groups are putting up pressure on the government because of its obvious lack of skill.

In 2006, Tamurin became a founding member of the Entente of Oriental States. The founding ceremony took place in the Palace of the President in Alaghon.

Politics

The nation has a presidential democracy, meaning that the President and the Parliament are both directly elected by the people. Tamurin is decentralized, and several local parliaments are dealing with local issues. The national parliament is only concerned with national issues.

Executive branch

President Jürgen Brosch.

Prime Minister Otto Krüger.

The "House of Unity", built after the first civil war, serves as presidential residence.

The President is the head of state who holds certain defined responsibilities concerning the government. The Presidency is currently held by Jürgen Brosch. It is the Prime Minister, who is traditionally the leader of the largest party in Parliament, who is tasked with day-to-day affairs of state. Otto Krüger, chair of the Progressive Party (which is not as 'left-leaning' as others on Eurth), has maintained the position for the past three elections. Both men are Orientalists who prefer to maintain and further ties with the local region.

President Jürgen Brosch is 55 years old and member of the social-democrats. He is neither Orientalist nor Continentalist and would like to be Tamurin the "gateway" for the continent to reach the Orient and vice-versa. Internally, he is a left-leaning liberal, trusting in the free market, but trying to secure it with social policies and extensive welfare programs. He succeeded Jürgen Axmann, a social democrat, who was assassinated in 2005 during the Second Tamurin Civil War.

Prime Minister Otto Krüger is 51 years old and a member of the progressive party. He is an "Orientalist", meaning that his political agenda is the oriental coastal region. He prefers ties to the regional nations and wishes to establish a political union of the eastern coast. In terms of internal politics, he stands between liberals and conservatives. His political agenda promotes "conservatism with heart". He succeeded Hermann Leonhardt.

Legislative branch

The United Republic of Tamurin has a plural multi-party system. Parliament is empowered to legislate and to tax. It has 210 members and coalitions are tight with little space for compromise across sides. The Socialist, Progressive, Conservatives, and Liberals make up the majority of the seats, with a small number possessed by the Greens and far-right isolationist party. A total of 106 seats in parliament is needed to form a majority coalition.

Name		Ideology	Leader	Electoral results	Seats in parliament	Coalition
	Progressive party	The "new conservatives". Right-Center-party, democrats, free market, "party of the middle people".	Mr Otto Krüger	22.4%	47 / 210	Coalition
	Social-democrats	Center-Left-party, democrats, reduced free market, "party of the small people".	Mrs Katrin Dischinger	20.5%	43 / 210	Coalition
	Traditional party	The "old conservatives". Right-wing party, democrats, free market, "party of the rich".	Mr Arthur Mandl	12.3%	26 / 210	Coalition
	Liberals	Center party, democrats, extreme free market, "party of the economy".	Mr Josef Zwick	21.1%	44 / 210	Opposition
	Union of the North	Far right-wing, anti-democrats, free market, old imperialists and fascists.	Mr Hans Schildkraut	13.4%	28 / 210	Opposition
	Socialists	Left party, democrats and soviet democrats, no free market, self-proclaimed worker's party.	Ms Theresia Singer	7.2%	15 / 210	Opposition
	Greens	Center, democrats, ecological, free market, "nature party".	Mr Bruno Freudenthal	2.2%	5 / 210	Opposition
	Other	Independent or non-partisan politicians not affiliated with any political party.	N/A	0.9%	2 / 210	Opposition

Judicial branch

There is an independent judiciary following the civil law tradition. The code of Menelassar promoted justice and brought enlightenment. By international standards, the code's punishments were severe but fair since they could be applied to all social classes. The judicial system is composed of three types of courts. There is a distinct career path to become a judge, including state examination and apprenticeship, followed by a second state examination.

Military

Tamurin Air Force multirole fighter.

The OG-2 "Thor", Tamurin's aircraft-launched space "workhorse".

Protecting Tamurin against Imperial Forces.

The Tamurine armed forces have an Army, Navy, and Air Force. They have a small elite special force detachment that sees more action than the other branches. Tamurin has an armed neutrality policy, but that hasn't completely prevented Tamurin from involvement in military activities with the Entente of Oriental States as long as those missions are within the general region. Despite its population, the total number of active personnel is merely 185,000 or 0.23% of the population.

Economy

Tamurine are famous merchants, known to be fair-dealing, close-mouthed, and well-armed. Major sea routes run near the coast of Tamurin. At a key location along the Pearl Road, Arrabar stood at the end of two key sea trade routes: the southern Golden Road and the Jasmine Way that ran past Kotowari and ended in Jaihu. Seafarers on their way to southern lands converged upon the city to exchange wares. The strategic location of Tamurin gave it the saying "Tamurin is the gateway of the Orient."

Demographics

Ethnic groups

The Turami are an ethnic group who make up the primary population of Tamurin. The Turami are native to the region around the Menelassar Sea, but they were displaced by the migrating Amutian tribes. They came to settle on the peninsula in the area around Alaghon. Turami have flat faces with mahogany skin tones. Their hair is curly, and they tend towards muscular and tall builds. The Turami of Tamurin are generally described as tall and beautiful.

• 

  Rice is Tamurin's largest agricultural product.

• 

  Modern day Water Festival celebrations in Alaghon.

• 

  Orm Girls in Ormpetarr.

• 

  Tamurine groom and bride.

Language

Tamurine keyboard with typical Nyburanik keys for Æ, Ø, and Å.

Nyburanik is the official language of Tamurin. Introduced at the request of Emperor Menelassar I, it became the state-sanctioned standard language in 1889. Tamurine cultural life was especially dominated by the Buranian elite. Turmic was reduced to a second-class language. Parts of the Tamurine population reacted against this. This was partly due to a sense of growing national identity. Turmic is the language of the native Turami. They employ the Thorass alphabet in their writings, which they learned from trade with the Amutians and Azanians. Like much of the Orient, the Tamurine share the custom of painting dots on their foreheads to mark whether an individual can read (one dot), write (two dots), or teach both (three dots).

Culture

The people of Tamurin are generally unconcerned with wealth or status, instead judging an individual's character based on their individual merits. Accordingly, Tamurine reject any sense of social classes and special privileges. Fashions are not followed in Tamurin, save for in the capital city of Alaghon, which is more beholden to foreign influences. As Tamurin is a republic, the citizens often take pride in their pragmatism, their lack of elaborate ceremony, and general absence of aristocratic pretensions. They can be a serious and business-minded people, unconcerned with the luxuries of social niceties.

• 

  A very common Tamurine meal.

Work in progress

• Integrate details from the Turin history.
• Integrate analogues from the Tamils people.
• Establish links with the history of Orioni.