Sante Reze

This article is for the Ajax-canon Sante Reze. For the generic canon, see Santheres

Most Eminently Serene Noble Republic of Sante Reze
Flag
Anthem: "Valze Rezi" "Rezese Waltz"
Capital	San Gianpier
Largest	Eporte Vir
Official languages	Rezese, Latin
Recognised regional languages	Roqxo, Qwahi, Jamede, Mutli
Ethnic groups (2016)	Rezese, Yacuyare, Ucayare, Runakuna, Qwahi, Jama'a, Yisazi, Latin
Demonym(s)	Rezese
Government	Noble Republic
• Executive Council	Nongove tei Dez
Legislature	Korik Signorun
Establishment
• Kingdom	1006
• Federation of the Nine Cousins	1468
• Ecclesiastic Republic	3 May 1502
• Noble Republic	1702
• Cession of Ypau Yisaz	1750
Area
• Total	2,588,375 km2 (999,377 sq mi)
• Water (%)	0.83
Population
• 2020 estimate	115,500,000
• 2020 census	115,430,000
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	$4.1 trillion
• Per capita	$35,590
HDI	0.906 very high
Currency	Lir (SRL)
Date format	yyyy-mm-dd
Driving side	right
Internet TLD	.sr

Sante Reze (IPA /sɑnta. ɹeɪt͡ʃʌ/) (SAHN-tuh RAY-chuh), officially the Most Eminently Serene Noble Republic of Sante Reze is an equatorial country located mostly in the southern hemisphere. It controls approximately forty percent of the continent of Oxidentale, including the majority of the Ucayare rainforest, as well as some islands in the Oorupaqi ocean, and seven city-state like territories in Scipia known as the province of Danuwan Nuv Qipie, or the Nine Cousins. It borders the nations of the Mutul and Orun Redisus in the northwest, and Kayahallpa and Yadokawona to the southwest. Via the Nine Cousins, it also borders Itayana.

There are fourteen administrative regions, discounting all foreign dependencies, and seven major noble houses. Sante Reze is an economically powerful nation having the third largest economy in the world, owning companies globally, and is among the largest exporters of pharmaceuticals and renewable energy solutions. Sante Reze trades globally, but its primary partners are Belfras, the Mutul, and Kayahallpa. It also maintains a close relationship with Orun Redisus.

History

Main article: History of Sante Reze

Around 600 CE, Yacuyare seafarers began voyages far to the east following legends of untold riches in the ocean. They discovered the uninhabited northern Paraguasurun islands in the Oorupaqi, a chain of several islands including five major ones capable of supporting settlements running eastward. Finding little in terms of wealth beyond the land, however, they set out from the easternmost island of Ita Moroti and landed in western Scipia approximately three months after having initially set out from the Oxidentali mainland. By this time, many ships in the fleet which set out from Ita Moroti turned around fearing there was no further land to find, but a slim majority stayed. In western Scipia, they found various coastal islands or generally uninhabited coastal areas and began constructing resupply and trade outposts as they came into contact with the Jama'a and Qwahi peoples in and around what are now the Nine Cousins, as well as the people in modern Yisrael, thereby bringing them into initial contact with the Latin Empire by 675.

Returning ships slowly established settlements in the northern Paraguasurun islands to help supply trans-oceanic trips. Those ships that came back in later waves did so with information and artifacts more than anything else. One of the things that the Yacuyare eventually brought back was Scipian religion, which introduced Oxidentale to Christianity, Judaism, and Whyzun. None of these faiths caught on strongly with the local populations in their original forms, however many of the various trappings were appropriated and the Yacuyare began the long process of syncretizing the eastern faiths with the indigenous animism and more locally-focused gods. This syncretized faith would be codified as Kirizyuntupao over the next several centuries.

Voyages across the Oorupaqi continued for decades but were limited to a handful of ships per season, each group. Those who had stayed in Scipia and expanded the outposts into true settlements traded up and down the Scipian coast and into Belisaria, becoming wealthy and adopting many Latin customs as well as their language for use in their trade.

Kingdom of Sante Reze

In 996, the merchant-princes of the Scipian and Paraguasurun ports banded together with a plan to bring back to Oxidentale the immense wealth and power from trade between the continents, as well as Scipian and Belisarian indentured soldiery to supplant the Yacuyare and Tapizakuéra monarchs there. After putting down myriad rebellions amongst the Yacuyare people against what they perceived as foreign invasion, the merchant princes campaigned to pacify the people under a single banner, language, and culture, forming Sante Reze and the seeds of the Rezese ethnic group. They established Sante Reze as an elective monarchy.

The Kingdom of Sante Reze thrived on both sides of the ocean for nearly five hundred years, though the Promontoroi dynasty had firmly established the monarchy as hereditary by 1300. It fell in 1490 when the heir prinzip Livi Savine assassinated her father and abolished the monarchy rather than assuming the throne. She hoped for the duchies to revert peacefully to independent rule while collaborating under a general council, the idea being that the dukes will meet twice yearly to settle disputes. Instead, war quickly erupted between almost every duchy, some of which broke into civil wars themselves. The trade guilds, having long since separated from being controlled by the ruling class, hired Scipian and Belisarian mercenaries as the ancient merchant-princes had and incited mobs to seize control of port cities and remove the aristocracy.

Ecclesiastic Republic of Sante Reze

Most of the nobility fled to the interior of the country, establishing firm but weak power bases in and around the Ucayare rainforest and continuing their wars. After twelve years of fighting, the Kirizyuntupao Church negotiated a peace in 1502 between the coalition of noble houses and the alliance of merchants and guilds, the latter of which had been slowly winning the war by cutting off access to further manpower and food supplies. As a part of this truce, Sante Reze formed into a theocratic republic, and the guilds agreed that the houses could maintain their current lands and titles so long as they did not challenge the dominance of the guilds in the coastal regions. Some of the merchants, notably those dealing in spices and slaves, dominated sea trade in the Oorupaqi, and used their wealth to manipulate the Ecclesiastic government.

Between 1504 and 1511, many new Kirizyuntupao monasteries and temples were constructed, swelling the ranks of Church electors, paid for by wealthy benefactors who were allowed to decide who would be the electors of each parish. In 1513, low-level church electors turned out in droves to elect guild puppets into leadership, who replaced all of the republic's ministers with allies of the guilds. At this point, the Ecclesiastic republic ceased to exist beyond its name, as the guild cartel seized control over everything the nobles did not manage to protect for themselves.

In 1684, the cartel removed arrested the Kirizyuntupao church leadership, flaunting their power and executing several when they condemned the guilds' growing practices of usury and debt-bondage. As word spread, there were riots which were quickly and violently put down. The cartel sent the noble houses a reminder that they were not to interfere with guild business if they wanted to be left with what they still had. As a result, the houses began looking for support in the Mutul and in Belisaria to overthrow what they saw as a kleptocracy. The work to gain support culminated in a rebellion in 1699. Lacking in ships, the nobles had a difficult time making much headway against the major coastal cities, but this changed with the arrival of naval support from Sydalon and the Republic of Tyrrslynd. This support allowed the Giarelle family to march on Eporte Vir in 1701. After besieging the port on land with the support of Mutulese troops, as well as a Tyrrslynder naval blockade, for three months, the garrison surrendered when the residents rioted having run out of food and seized control of one of the gates, letting in a Giarelle vanguard and giving the noble coalition their first majority victory of the war.

Noble Republic of Sante Reze

Despite the war still raging for another six years, the Noble Republic was founded on what would have been the 200th anniversary of the Ecclesiastic republic in 1702. In response Noble Republic's support from abroad, the Ecclesiastic Republic hired its own mercenaries from Belisaria and Scipia, notably several Hvalheimer regiments and several thousand Fahrani eager to fight the Mutul. The Ecclesiastic Republic also drained its resources in the Nine Cousins to support its western war effort. The civil war officially ended with the seizure of Korrezolle in 1708.

Following the end of the war, many surviving guild ships turned to piracy along the Belisarian, Norumbian, and Scipian coasts. Some of them became privateers for the House of Gentry of Ghant as well, preying on Latin shipping.

While guild shipping is known to have continued enslaving those caught in raids, the Noble Republic abolished slavery in 1712.

Geography

See also: Ucayare rainforest

Mainland Oxidentali Sante Reze consists primarily of rainforest and mountainous cloud forest in the west; and broad, flat tropical savanna in the northeast, south, and along much of its coastline. These are generally separated by mountains and cloud forests. Some of the rainforest has been cleared for human settlement over the several millennia of human habitation, but the vast majority of it remains as natural as possible, in part due to cultures of sustainable living and programs over the last century for revitalization. Much of the coast is protected by harsh cliff faces, but wide beaches dot these at fairly narrow intervals and there are large natural harbors. Rainfall is heaviest in the western Ucayare provinces.

The Scipian holdings are coastal tropical, mostly rocky with rolling hills and cliffs. They are almost completely urbanized with the exception of planned catchment areas, natural reserves, and some minor farms.

Climate

Temperatures in Sante Reze can reach over 38ºC (100ºF) and rarely sink below 18ºC (65ºF). The yearly average is approximately 26.5ºC (80ºF). Humidity is high year-round - especially in the west - and there is no dry season in most of the country as rainfall averages at least 4 inches every month, often more especially in the interior provinces. Mainland Sante Reze is almost uniformly tropical, and experiences little difference between summer and winter except in the far south; it is hot and wet throughout the year, with heavy rains at least two days out of the week in most of the central regions of the country. The change in temperature between day and night is decidedly larger than the average change in temperature between "summer" and "winter" months in the majority of the country.

Much of the rainforest experiences over 750 cm (295 in.) of rainfall a year, a product of heavy precipitation on a nearly daily basis. The eastern and southern savannahs, however, are naturally drier and do have relative dry seasons which average less than 5 cm (2 in.)of rainfall in each of the summer months.

The Nine Cousins are similarly tropical, though with a much drier climate. The climate of each city is mitigated by their respective proximities to the ocean, and daily temperatures are more varied.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Sante Reze

As a noble republic, various members of the noble class are elected to offices. The Korik Signorun (the body of lords, its legislature) and the Nongove tei Dez (the Council of Ten) are the two elective branches of government. They operate elections in different fashions, however, with the Signorun requiring first a vote from the commons to establish how many seats each House controls. Other branches do not make use of common confidence votes; Council elections are done solely out of the body of the nobility.

No-confidence votes may be called at any time and for any member of the government, no matter their title, role, or how long they have been in office. These votes have tended to succeed historically, removing the offending member from office, and as such have historically served as useful tools in keeping politicians in line.

Government

See also: Nobility in Sante Reze

Crime and law enforcement

Main article: Crime in Sante Reze

Law enforcement in the Most Eminently Serene Noble Republic is primarily the responsibility of the kabinyun, which is also tasked with keeping the peace between the houses since 1846. Other national-level agencies such as the FBI_ANALOG have specialized duties and operate in conjunction with the kabinyun, though are outside of the traditional military structure. The court system operates in two tiers, a provincial court and an apellate court. Lacking a national constitution, there is no constitutional court.

Criminal sanctions are centered around rehabilitation of criminals and the reparation of the harm done to victims, rather than retribution for the sake of justice. Culturally, harming an offender is viewed as helping no one; this is not simply due to any greater value for human rights to life, however, and is primarily centered on the costs of retribution weighed against its inherent benefits to both the victim and the overall system. In general, this has ended up with the determination that retribution is a net negative to society and the economy, and has been largely avoided by the legal system itself. Incarceration is available in cases determined to be outside of the realm of mental illness or minor offense, however most of these offenders have been determined to be guilty of charges such as treason or mass murder. Incarceration rates are extremely low due to the social policies of the country, with fewer than one prisoner per 100,000 persons. Rehabilitation rates bring the total number of held criminals to 59 per 100,000 persons. The primary long-term sanction for crimes committed within Rezese borders is the levying of movement restrictions, often considered to be essentiall house arrest, where the offender is reguarly surveilled and may have their ability to use public transit or private motor vehicle. In the modern era, this is enforced via electronic tagging, mandatory check-ins, and random visitation from enforcement agents.

Due to social pressures throughout the 20th Century, the justice system adopted the trend of reducing impact on the carceral system, including the restriction of movement, via focus on identifying, understanding, and correcting the underlying causes of crimes committed, as well as abolishing laws which sought to criminalize behaviors which had become viewed as victimless. This led to, amongst other things, an increase in the construction of social housing units to eliminate homelessness and the creation of specialized agencies for responding to emergencies; for example, psychiatric emergency response teams are the primary first responders sent on calls for wellness checks, threats of suicide, and to handle behavior determined to be the result of an emotional or psychotic episode. An armed response to emergencies is rare due its expense and the potential damage and destruction it can inflict not only on offenders but on their victims and the community as a whole, including the harm such responses and their fallout can bring to the overall economic health of the community. In this manner, the system seeks a holistic view of crime, its causes and effects, and the impact of enforcement on society, especially the wellbeing of the local economy and what that means to the greater Noble Republic.

Capital punishment is illegal in Sante Reze, and has been since the founding of the Noble Republic. It was one of the first things broadly outlawed by the new government due to the excesses of the Ecclesiastical Republic and its guild controllers. Extreme punishments for those who are deemed incapable of rehabilitation include lifetime imprisonment and work detail. Most imprisonment is done at the Abe Ijinne prison facility, but there have been some long-term detainees in alternative locations.

The kabinyun also maintains the Firefighters Corps, though this is organized at the provincial level rather than national. They are designated as being part of the military structure, however, as provincial militia.

Military

Main article: Rezese Armed Forces

The national military is comprised primarily of the kabinyun, which acts mostly in a domestic policing and border protection role, and the Konadere, which are the standing armies of the Houses Paramount. It would be inaccurate to describe the kondadere as private military forces, as the houses are also the majority of the national government itself, and any large operations must either be run directly by Korik ti Tsaro Populeris, or approved by the Korik ti Tsaro Populeris to be run without their direct oversight, though most of the megacorporations run by the Houses Paramount own private security firms as subsidiaries. Additionally, the Nine Cousins operate their own security forces through the Olopa Qipie, as well as maintaining several security contracting firms themselves.

Economy

Sante Reze has a stable, prosperous, and high-tech economy, maintaining a high per capita GDP relative to its population. The Rezese lir remains a strong currency with a relatively low inflation rate, and has traditionally been considered a peer reserve currency of the Latin solidus.

The Rezese job market is very flexible, and the unemployment rate is low, particularly among the those who are native. Its foreign citizen population is fairly high, as much as 9%, though most non-citizens employed by Rezese corporations and their subsidiaries are employed in foreign nations, particularly in Mutul, rather than being relocated to Sante Reze.

Energy

Electricity generated in Sante Reze is roughly 55% solar and wind, 35% hydroelectric and tidal, and 10% nuclear, resulting in a near-completely CO2-free electricity-generating network. Remaining CO2-producing electricity production belongs solely to the use of gas-powered generators, particularly amongst tribal peoples. In 2005, one anti-nuclear initiative was turned out, but another less drastic initiative was passed in 2006, limiting the expansion of nuclear plants and aiming for a reduction in nuclear power within ten years. The initiative was tempered by forbidding the construction of CO2-producing plants in any effort to prevent nuclear expansion, which has had the side effect of limiting any development of geothermal production.

Many energy firms have been pursuing the further expansion of offshore wind parks and tidal harnesses to replace land-based windmills and nuclear plants. There was also been a continuous drive to develop more advanced solar and wind technologies for mass deployment in urban centers.

Though fossil fuels have been almost entirely eliminated for the purposes of electrical generation, they do continue to be used in limited capacities, notably for military vehicles. Most forms of transportation, however, are either hybrid or full electric.

Infrastructure

Zardoyare International Airport

Sante Reze has a well-used public transportation system based primarily around light rail and fast rail. The fast rail network carries over XXX million passengers annually, and the light rail network is said to carry over XX million. Though congestion is common on the few, small routes which pass through the Ucayare, all sides of the country are very well-connected. The rail systems make use of the "smart rail" technologies pioneered by Azende Vir Generale to maintain total surveillance of all tracks and trains for improved security and maintainability.

The road network is funded primarily by road tolls and vehicle taxes, and is a regular recipient of donations by the great houses. The high-speed autoroute system requires the purchase of a permit for one calendar year in order to use its roadways, for both passenger cars and trucks. The Zardoyare International Airport is Sante Reze's largest international flight gateway and handled XXX million passengers in 2020. The other major international airports are XXX (XXX million passengers), XXX (XXX million passengers), XXX, XXX, XXX, and XXX. Most cities are served by dozens of airports besides their main gateways.

Environment

Sante Reze has one of the best environmental records in the world. It is heavily active in recycling and anti-littering regulations and is one of the top recyclers in the region, possibly the world, with 85-95% of recyclable materials being recycled, depending on the area of the country. Rezese corporations also operate recycling centers in various other nations.

The domestic paper industry has among the most efficient recycling systems and a highly profitable farm system, which makes it a large but low-impact Rezese industry. Sante Reze is also home to an advanced alternative energy industry and seeks to cut fossil fuels from domestic use entirely.

Western Sante Reze is dominated by the Ucayare rain forest and Mantiqueir mountain range, which cover the central regions of the continent; the Ucayare extends beyond the mountains, almost to the ocean in the south and west. The northern savannah is home to the largest cities and has been historically much more intertwined with Belisaria and Scipia than the rest of the country has been. The Ucayare is heavily protected by the Rezese government, as are the tribal peoples (contacted and uncontacted) who live within.

Demographics

See also: Tribal peoples in Sante Reze

Education

Main article: Education in Sante Reze

School is mandatory from ages 5 to 15, where children are considered to be legal adults. University is also mandatory, though not for those serving instead in the armed forces; in theory, this means that everyone either attend university or opts out by joining the military. This is mostly true, though research on the subject has shown that many of the poor manage to get by without accomplishing either one due to their general invisibility to parts of the bureaucracy. This is especially true for the white and tribal minorities, though tribal Ucayare have an unofficial exception due to their voluntary-at-best style of handling of their Rezese citizenship.

The Rezese education system has been heavily criticized for its stress-inducing speed and comprehensiveness and has been cited as a primary reason for smaller than average programs for post-graduate degrees and a shortage of doctoral graduates. The lack of days off throughout the year is seen as directly related to burn-out, and the fact that secondary school completes earlier than in most other nations, students are not psychologically well-equipped to be functioning adults before entering university or the military.

Following the first 30 months of military service, student-aged Rezese may transfer to a university or technical school, taking with them credits from their mode of service training in the armed or civil forces. Ideally, this allows for them to complete university with a degree in approximately the same amount of time as if they had gone to university first, though more often such students require an additional year.

Religion

The largest Rezese religion is Kirizyuntupao, a syncretic faith which has borrowed heavily from Fabrianism and West Scipian Whyzun, as well as many Oxidentali religious traditions. There is also a large Jewish population numbering nearly three million and a N'nhivaran population of approximately ten million (nearly 9%), the majority of both residing in the Nine Cousins.

Languages

Latin was initially adopted as a trade language for Yacuyare traders crossing the Oorupaqi after their contact with Latium. The modern Rezese language is a creole derived largely from Latin from Belisaria and northern Scipia, Yacuyare from northern Oxidentale, Tapizakuéni from eastern Oxidentale, and Jamede and Qwahi from western Scipia.

The Rezese people generally learn Rezese and Latin, as well as a third language which is typically more applicable locally to them. Scipian Rezese, for example, will often learn Jamede or Qwahi fluently, while Oxidentali Rezese often learn Mutli or else Roqxo if they are in the interior near or within the Ucayare.

Race and ethnicity

According to the Rezese National Census, 62.97% of the population (about 66 million) identifies as Rezese creole; 15.1% as Oxidentali (about 22 million), predominantly Yacuyare, Ucayare, Runakuna, and Mutulese; 13.4% Qipise (about 14 million), predominantly Qwahi or Jama'a; 8.53% Latin (about 12 million).

It is believed that there are additionally as many as 49 uncontacted tribes, creating one of the largest numbers of uncontacted tribes in the world for a single country.

The largest ethnic group is Rezese creole, which is comprised of people descended from mostly mixed Oxidentali and Scipian roots, though many also have various Latin family members in their histories. Due to the age of the group as a distinct ethnicity (with first known academic reference being in 1502) and its voluntary association, it has had little issue remaining the largest group. Most Rezese people meet the genetic description of Rezese according to many genetic studies, however due to its nature as a voluntary identity many of those who would meet the requirements do not necessarily identify themselves as Rezese.

Sante Reze also has a sizable Latin population, much of which descends from a slave population of captured peoples between approximately 1000 and 1700 CE. A large contingent of these slaves were bought from Hvalheim between 1500 and 1700, while many of the rest were from coastal and shipping raids throughout the Oorupaqi and Salacian Oceans, and up into the western and southern Belisarian coasts during the early years of trans-Oorupaqi contact. Additionally, the Latin population is boosted by the nearly two million Yisazi people living mostly in the Nine Cousins, and nearly a million more in Oxidentale.

Health

Main article: Health in Sante Reze

The Rezese public health system is managed by provincial-level governments and is one of the largest systems of this type in the world. It also maintains a significant number of private care systems which focus primarily on specialized clinics for certain discrete populations. Each noble house, for example, run their own system for their own members and the direct employees of their crivikeze.

The public health service is universal and provided to all citizens for either free or minimal costs depending on both the provincial system itself and the service needed. The majority of its financing comes from taxes, and the Republic spends approximately 10% of its GDP to support the service. In addition to normal healthcare services, the system also manages various community outreach programs intended to limit external, preventable factors such as violence, reckless behavior, and suicide.

Culture

Art

Four canonical portraits of Livi Savine. Note the distinctions between the top left (Belisarian origin), and bottom two (Oxidentalese and Scipian origin respectively). The bottom of the Latin portrait is damaged, but originally portrayed clear, unmarked skin.

Traditional crafts such as weaving and carving are commonly practiced throughout most of the population. Many artistic tools for other disciplines are often crafted by hand by the artist themselves. It is very common in Rezese art circles for a painter to carve their own brushes and palettes, as well as for clay sculptors to create their own tools. This is seen by many as an important aspect for imbuing and honoring the spirit of the piece, enriching the art with a stronger tether to the artist and the world in which it inhabits.

The golden age of Rezese sculpture and painting is often considered to be during the Ecclesiastic Republic from the 16th through the 18th Centuries, which made itself patrons of many artists stemming from more Latin traditions, though this trend began in the late 1400s during the reign of the final Rezese ijmburuv Iminuele Promontoroie, who was known for spending extravagant sums of money on art and in bringing painters from across the Oorupaqi. While sitting for portraits has never been a common occurance in Rezese society, during this period many portraits of important figures were created; these often did not have the subject actually present, however, due to the lesser importance of portaiture in Rezese culture. Typically portraits were created off of descriptions of varying detail and, if accessible, previous portraits done. As a result, portraits of many famous historical people are inconsistent in their portrayals especially regarding the individual's permanent tattooing and skin painting, and in their style and manner of dress which could vary from mundane to outlandlish in its depiction. The most famous example of this is Livi Savine, who is known to have never sat in a studio for a portrait; the canonical collection of portraits of Livi Savine are in broad agreement regarding her facial structure, but are wildly variable in what permanent markings she had. Many pieces, especially those by Belisarian artists, forego tattooing entirely and contain much simpler jewelry and accessories than was common during Livi's lifetime.

Sports

The national sport of Sante Reze is a type of fencing, which the vast majority of nobles, as well as a large number of commons, learn in school. Professional fencing is dominated by commons who have done little else outside of formal education except compete in the many circuits and championships from their youth. There are thousands of teams throughout the nation, none of which have any remaining basis on social strata, and there are dozens of leagues for each class and many more for both.

Other popular sports include tennis, football, competitive swimming and diving, and pitz.

Cuisine

Vatapá, a popular dish in northern Sante Reze.

Rezese cuisine varies greatly by region, and incorporates many elements from cultures around it. The most popular food in Oxidentali Sante Reze, however, often contains a holy trinity of garlic, chili peppers, and coconut milk. Many dishes from Scipian Sante Reze, however, make use of a base of tomatoes, onions, and chili peppers. The most common cooking oil nationwide is that of the palm nut.

Seafood is extremely popular in coastal regions, where most of the population lives, on both sides of the Oorupaqi. Fruits like açaí, cupuaçu, and hog plum are among the local ingredients used in cooking, along with more common tropical fruits like mango and pineapple. Meat is more prevalent in Scipia than in Oxidentale, where a very large proportion of the population is vegetarian either by choice or incidentally.

Chili peppers are common in cuisines of both Oxidentale and Scipia, though those in Scipia are generally extremely hot in comparison to those in Oxidentale, which are closer to their origins. The practice of breeding hotter peppers is far more popular in Scipia, where many of the staples are blander root vegetables.