Shastara

The United Kingdom's of Shastara
Flag
Motto: Tir Y Fenix Land of The Phoenix
Anthem: Galwad yr Emrallt Ynys The Emerald Isle's Call
Capital	Reisstaun
Largest	Porth Clementina
Official languages	English, Shaelic
Recognised national languages	English
Ethnic groups (2017)	75% Ethnic Shastaran 6% Ethnic Rhodeve 5% Ethnic Ventismarian 5% Azaran 4% Ethnic German 3% Eastern Ophionese 2% Sunafrican
Demonym(s)	Shastaran
Government	Constitutional Monarchy
• Queen	Veronica Mustang
• Assembly Minister	Harri Glynn
Legislature	Shastaran National Assembly
Established  Kingdom of Shastara
• Treaty of the Six Kings	1225 A.D
• Y Siarter Imperial (The Charter Imperial)	1292 A.D
• The Collapse of the Shastaran Imperium	1575 A.D - 1688 A.D
• Crowning of Queen Alicia I	1690 A.D
• Ymosodwyr (Rhodeve) Invasion and Occupation	1745 A.D
• Samhradh Chwyldro (Summer Revolution)	June 6th - September 30th 1822 A.D
• Halcyon Reformation	1900 A.D
Population
• 2017 estimate	60,350,270 (20th)
GDP (nominal)	2017 estimate
• Total	CR2,808,899
• Per capita	CR33,333
Currency	Shastaran Credit (CR)
Time zone	UTCUTC+2 (Imperial Time)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+971
ISO 3166 code	UKS
Internet TLD	.uks

The United Kingdom of Shastara, commonly referred to as simply Shastara, is a sovereign nation located in located in Southern Ventismar whose territory comprises of the island of Shasta in the Centismar Sea. The United Kingdom's of Shastara is a sovereign state, the two governing entities of the nation are the reigning monarch who rules from the nations royal capital located in Reisstaun, and the National Assembly located in the legislative capital of Astorburgh. Both entities exercises control over seven counties: Brynffrwd, Cwmdwrgi, Uainewyr, Val Centwyr, Bontfawr, Talbach, and Largenleck. The Centismar Sea surrounds the island which separates the country from its neighbors: Orylia to the west and Ashukal to the south.

The country's government is split between the Royal Branch and Legislative Branch. The Royal Branch is located in Reisstaun which is recognized as the nations official capital, while the Legislative Branch is located in Astorburgh. The largest city is Porth Clementina.

The Shastaran landscape is small but diverse, ranging from evergreen forests, rolling river valleys, gigantic mountains, and arid plains. Shastara's three major rivers the Bowlen, Fay, and Hendadder flow through 5 of Shastara's 7 major population centers. The Bowlen starts in Lake Saffir, the remnants of an ancient glacial lake that formed the Centwyr Bowl. The Bowlen runs west through the Aldwych Mountains and drops down to the Bowlen Delta in the city of Porthsladd, where it splits into the Fay and Hendadder rivers. The Fay flows northwest which goes through the nation's capital Astorburgh and then it empties into the Centismar Sea in Shastara's second largest city Bytholwyrdd. The Hendadder flows south into Brynffrwd and empties into Clementina Bay.

Shastara has a nominal GDP of 2.8 trillion CR. Shastara’s economy is led by logging, mining, and dairy industries, and agriculture with major contributions from well-funded export trades. The unemployment rate is at 4.2%. Shastara boasts a life expectancy of 82 years for men and 84 years for women. Both have access to healthcare services provided by the county government.

Etymology

The name Shastara comes from the ancient Shaelic word Shasta, which meant high or great island. Eventually, in Roman times the word shast came to mean teacher or wise one, and was used to describe the healers of the mountains. It is unknown what the reason was for the term Shastaran to be coined, but its first use was in a Roman census in the early years of occupation and has stuck ever since.

Demographics

According to the 2017 census, Shastara has a population of 60,350,270. 40,000,000 people live in the country's largest metro areas. In 1900 the country had a population of around 32 million people. Over the past century the population has doubled, in 2000 Lindenholt reached a population of almost 53 million. Since 2010 the population growth has been on average 37,000 people per year.

Language

Shastara's national language is both English and Shaelic. While schools nationwide teach English, 95% of students learn Shaelic at home or via tutoring. Both English and Shaelic are spoken in the cities however, Shaelic becomes more and more prevalent the farther into the countryside you go.

All government signs are printed in both languages. Oddly, knowing both languages is not a requirement to be eligible for any branch of the Shastaran Armed Forces or the Commonwealth Army. However, it should be noted that the Commonwealth Army requires an English translator for every Shaelic only speaker.

Religion

TBD

History

Prehistoric Shastara

Shastara was most likely first inhabited by those who crossed on the land bridge from the Ventismar mainland. Human footprints have been found from over 800,000 years ago in Bytholwyrdd and traces of early humans have been found around Uainewyr from some 500,000 years ago. Shastara became an island at the end of the last glacial period when sea levels rose due to the combination of melting glaciers and the subsequent isostatic rebound of the crust. Lumenism becomes prominent in early Shaelic society around 5,000 BC. By the year 50 BC Shastarans had spread Shaelic culture around the island and had begun to repopulate quickly.

Romaleus period

In 50 BC the Romans invaded and occupied Shastara until 125 AD during the Roman Collapse. Due to the island's geography the Shastaran people fell back into isolation from each other as Roman infrastructure deteriorated.

Muslim Raids and the Formation of the Taighs: 130 AD - 490 AD

In the year 131 AD, Muslim Ashukalese explorers sailed north and found Shasta, they immediately deemed Lumenism an affront to Allah and wage a jihad against its followers. Decades later in the year 158, in an effort to fight off the Muslim raiders the first of the Six Taighs, or Houses formed: Taigh Duilich under the lordship of Bartholomew Duilich. Seeing the success that Taigh Duilich was having upon unifying, other Taighs began to form. Taigh Hendrixson in 163, Taigh Beinn in 168, Taigh Lanchester in 170, Taigh MacCoinnich in 172, and finally Taigh Hamlet in 174. Not much is known about the early days of the Six Taighs, however, by the 490s the Taighs had repelled the invaders from the island. However, they immediately turned on each other. There is no record of who attacked who first but from the year 490 to 1170 the Taighs fought each other in a series of brutal wars for 680 years.

The Great Pobldywod Invasion and the Treaty of the Six Kings: 1195 - 1206

In 1175 Amed Hal Muta raised an army with the goal of taking Shastara and landed in southern Shastara and quickly overran the forces of Taigh Hamlet at the Battle of Abermark. The other five Taighs quickly realized the grave threat this force posed and quickly unified their forces. After a series of brutal battles, the deathblow to Hal Muta's campaign was dealt at the Battle of Gorcaster Pass in 1205. Cadywydd Amadeus Suian's force of only 3,000 destroyed Muta's 10,000 strong army by causing man-made avalanches and picked off any survivors. With Muta dead, his remaining forces fell apart and the war ended in 1206 with the signing of the Treaty of the Six Tŷmeistrs. This treaty was meant to not only be the final conflict between Shastara and the south, but between the Six Taighs as well. This did not last however, as in 1225, Taigh MacCeallaig attacked Taigh Lanchester. Eventually, the conflict enveloped the island and by 1226 the Great Taigh Mawr was in full swing.

The Great Taigh Mawr and the Crowning of Tomas Mustang I: 1225 - 1292

For 23 years the island drowned in its own blood in the conflict known as the Great Taigh Mawr, or the Great House War. However, at the Battle of Bowlen Gap between Taigh Hendrixson and Taigh Duilich the island was shocked at the insane 150,000 casualty count and the Tŷmeistrs realized if this pointless bloodshed continued they would succumb to outside invaders. So on June 7th, 1249; the Six Tŷmeistrs came together to sign the Treaty of Aon Popel. This treaty decreed that a King would be chosen from a selection of generals, scholars, warriors, and priests. Eventually, the Shastaran Crown fell to a man named Tòmas Mustang I, a General in service of Taigh Duilich. Tòmas Mustang was crowned the King of the newly unified Kingdom of Shastara. Alongside the King, the Tŷmeistrs would form an Assembly where instead of fighting out their differences on the battlefield, they would instead fight it out in the art of politics with the King being a mediator.