Unified Sera

The United States of Sera Syra'yte doh Pro'ven Uso
Flag File:SeraCOA.svg Coat of arms
Motto: Not For Self, But Country
Anthem: I Vow to Thee, My Country
Present Day map of Unified Sera
Capital	Kito'Bahari
Largest city	Ayotola
Official languages	Seran, Latin, Kiswahili, English
Demonym(s)	Seran
Government	Federal Constitutional Monarchy
• Monarch	Skolas Tu'Aruc ya Koga
• Prime Minister	Kaenan Bullock
• Speaker of the Senate	Gabadeli Uyise ya Koga
• Minister of State	Julius Clamentius ya Latinius
• Minister of War	Jabari Mansa ya Mbaku
• Minister of the Treasury	Djene Laku ya Sakhile
• Chief of Staff	Mufari Sifa ya Koga
• Upper house	The Senate
• Lower house	The Chamber of Deputies
Establishment
• Seran Tribes settle a small portion of the Seran coast	circa 1200 B.C.
• The Quadrumvirate comes into power	circa 1386 A.D.
• Articles of Federation Signed	June 6, 1741
• Unification Day	June 7, 1741
Area
•	1,702,613 sq mi (4,409,750 km2)
Population
• 2022 estimate	150,000,000
• Density	88.11/sq mi (34.0/km2)
GDP (nominal)	2022 estimate
• Total	1.55 trillion
• Per capita	18,600
HDI (2022)	0.90 very high
Currency	Unity (UNI)
Date format	mm-dd-yyyy

Unified Sera, officially known as the The United States of Sera, Syra'yte doh Pro'ven Uso, and is a federal constitutional monarchy located on the Adula continent in the Coalition of Crown Albatross. It has 24 states after the inclusion of the previously unincorporated territory of Xanthus was admitted to the union in 2021. It shares land borders with Peoratia, Buckingla, Zalluabed, Apatonia, and Togaria, with maritime borders shared with Austrolis and Timeria along the southwestern arm of the Albarine Sea and the Sea of Austrolis. Geographically, Unified Sera has a sizeable coastline in the Sea of Austrolis with several beaches, dockyards, and shipping ports that extend Seran commerce into the greater world. This climate and geography changes the further inland you go with areas such as tropical jungle, savannah, and mountainous steppe regions taking over the landscape.

With Ayotola as the most populous city in the country, Kito'Bahari (‘’the Ocean’s Jewel’’) serves as the national capital and is located in the Seran state of Kado near the northwestern portion of the country. The capital is home to the Palace of Kings; the official residence and seat of power of the monarch which lies within the ancient homeland of the Koga tribespeople. The other branches of government are split between the ancestral homelands of the other tribes with the legislative branch located in the Latinius home of Aeminium, the judicial in the Mbaku homeland of Anansi, and the executive in the Sakhile’s origin Shaka. The separation of the 4 parts of Sera’s government was an integral part to Sera’s founding. The Quadrumvirate desired a unified country where they would all be equals and therefore placed each branch of government in the four tribes that made up what would become Sera.

Approximately 3,000 years ago ancient peoples hailing from what would become Timeria sailed to southern Adula and settled the coastlines and interior of south Adula and formed their own tribes, tongues, and cultures as they made their home in Adula. The United States of Sera originated from the Union of Seran Tribes which formed the basis of the modern Seran government. The majority of Unified Sera’s GDP comes from the manufacturing, arms manufacturing, agriculture, and technology industries which play a major part in employing, feeding, and equipping the Seran people. Smaller amounts of revenue is generated from Mercenaries, ship-building, and hemp-based agriculture industries.

The United States of Sera is a federal constitutional monarchy with four separate branches of government, including a bicameral legislature. It is a member of the Coalition of Crown Albatross. Although it has several ethnicities, its population has been profoundly shaped by centuries of tribal rule and warfare resulting in a very sturdy and martial-minded people. The U.S.S. holds in high regard the ideals of international economic freedom, quality of life, democracy, personal freedom, education, and human rights; it has low levels of perceived corruption. However, the country has been criticized for inequality related to caste and social status, wealth, and income; use of capital punishment such as throwing convicted persons to lions.

Etymology

The word "Sera" is the English version of the word Syra, which in itself is descended from the earlier word Syra'yte which can be translated to "Sky People". The term originates from the Koga who are known for their devout belief in the Sky Faith.

History

Human development and migration

The area that would become Sera was originally settled by migrant peoples sailing from parts of ancient Timeria to the continent of Adula. These peoples would eventually settle the islands, inlands, highlands, valleys, and coastline and establish their own cultures and tribes. The peoples settling the coastline developed a close relationship with the ocean and fishing.

Ancient painting depicting tribespeople fishing along the coastline.

Anthropologists have found extensive evidence of boats capable of sailing in the open water with room for fishing nets and up to four men. There have also been discoveries of boats that could even sail across the Sea of Austrolis to the neighboring continent which sparked theories that stated that the first peoples in the region are closely related to those living in modern day Timeria.

A painting found by the University of Sankore depicting a tribesman farming.

Further inland the land is more fertile and therefore allowed the people who settled in the region to become more agrarian and settle more permanently on the land. Evidence suggests that the ground was used extensively to grow crops such as wheat, barley, corn, beans, onions, and other staple rotational crops. Moreover, bones and rudimentary artwork depicts some grazing from cattle.

An ancient spearhead likely used for defense or hunting. Recovered by the University of Sankore in 1812.

In the Savannah and highland areas, the lack of plentiful rainfall and fertile ground forced those living in the area to turn to hunting for food. These people followed the migration of pack animals in the region and lived a highly nomadic lifestyle. Anthropologists believe that they supplemented their diet with wild grains, berries, and fruits found in certain parts of the region. However, their diet mostly consisted of consuming most of the animal parts to utilize the minerals and vitamins within the tissues. As there were no permanent structures due to their lifestyle, what is known of these people are only what was passed down through oral tradition and what was left behind in the form of tools, bones, and weapons.

Early civilizations

The Koga people took up residence in the north-western portion of the continent. The Koga, a deeply religious tribe with particularly strong family units, revered the god Tiyamike and the sky. This is believed to be due to their close connection with agriculture and farming, which allowed the Koga to settle the land they lived upon and build some of the first towns and villages in ancient Sera. They traded extensively with the Latinius tribe to their south-west and defended each other from the more warlike clans to their east and hostile invaders from across the sea. Although the Latinius are believed to be native to lands outside of Adula, they quickly established themselves along the coast and displayed exceptional fishing prowess.

As neither tribe particularly placed a major focus on war and combat ability and saw war as a means to an end, they join together in a more stable union as the two tribes established trade networks. It is believed that these networks exchanged mostly foodstuffs and tools, primarily items that the other tribe lacked due to geographic limitations. These trade networks would eventually lead to the creation of the radical idea of "professional soldiers"; the first instance of the institution in South Adula from a new warrior caste. Some of Sera's first cities were built during this time; though many of these cities would be abandoned due to constant war and fighting between the tribes.

The Mbaku and Sakhile tribes aligned themselves due to the harshness of the environment wherein which they lived. A hardy people by nature, the two tribes relied on grazing migratory animals in the Mbaku controlled mountainous regions and the harsh, dense jungle of the Sakhile to provide enough food to feed their chiefdoms and warriors. Because food and resources were so limited in these areas, the Mbaku and Sakhile routinely left individuals with undesirable traits to die alone. This promoted a highly stratified society where the worth of an individual was proportionally tied to how well they could handle themselves in combat or benefited society. They routinely raided neighbors for food, slaves, and other valuable resources that could not be found within either of their domains. This would consistently put them at odds with the Koga and Latinius to their west and would bring about decades of on and off skirmishes between the four groups.

Eventually, after several hundred years of fighting, war, and brief periods where the tribes worked as a loose coalition against a shared foe, the rising threat of other neighboring tribes, kingdoms, foreigners, and colonial powers would bring the four tribes together as a loose confederation headed by the four chieftains of each tribe as a council. This council would balance the ever evolving demands of their people and the growing external threats until the formation of the Union of Seran Tribes in 1386.

As a more single nation, the four chieftains formed the Quadrumvirate and ruled over each of their own lands while also providing aid to the other members of the union; whether it be in the form of food, defense, or resources. Together, the Quadrumvirate was able to fortify the tribal borders and solidify their hold on their territory in the Seran heartland. Although this union was not perfect due to hundreds of years of prior tribal fighting and cultural differences, the discord would never rise to armed conflicts. When the Quadrumvirate was formed, the chieftains agreed that if any one member of the confederation waged war against another, then the other members of the confederation would rally to the defense of the defender.

For several hundred years the Quadrumvirate and their children ruled and guided the Union of Seran Tribes and defended the land against aggressors both foreign and domestic.

18th-19th Centuries

Formation of the United States

After roughly 400 years of Quadrumvirate rulership, the shifting global landscape necessitated a more unified nation going forward. The Quadrumvirate was not keen on losing power, however they came to the decision that in order to move forward, they would need a unified voice. They agreed therefore that it would be unfair for any one tribe to be placed in supreme command as the king. The only solution was a compromise wherein which the Mbaku and Sakhile tribes would select a man and woman from the Koga and Latinius tribes to serve as Sera's first king and queen. The Mbaku selected the son of the Kogan Chieftain: Kwame Suluku Turae while the Sakhile chose the daughter of a priestess in the Latinius tribe: Carlotta Arucus. Their union, as agreed upon by the four chieftains, would see the formation of the Seran royal family which persists to this day. Their names were combined to form "Tu'Aruc", a powerful name held by each king and queen. The two would officially begin rulership after the deaths of the four ruling chieftains.

A portrait done in the 1794 depicting King Kwame Tu'Aruc.

Although the king and queen were selected by the Quadrumvirate, they faced fierce opposition from those who would lose power through a monarchy. Namely, powerful vassals who would have ascended to the position of chieftain through the Quadrumvirate system, heirs, and potential heirs. This resistance to the monarchy resulted in individuals vying to control the monarchy, plots against the monarchs, denial of authority, and even outright sedition. Eventually, this would culminate in the formation of factions that began to stockpile weaponry and spread secessionist propaganda. In order to avoid civil war with the vassals, King Kwame and Queen Carlotta brought the disgruntled vassals and faction leaders together and proclaimed that they could remain rulers in their own right. With the aid of the vassals, they crafted the Articles of Federation.

The first Articles of Federation provided legal protections for tribal royalty, protected the institution of slavery, and reinforced the harsh practice of exiling "undesirables" as was practiced by the Mbaku tribe. Despite the concessions, they were able to avoid all-out civil war. In the signing of the Articles of Federation, the Confederation of Seran Tribes became the United States of Sera; a federal constitutional monarchy.

Geography and Climate

Geography and Topology

The climate of the United States of Sera varies due to changes in latitude, and a range of geographic features, including mountains and deserts. Generally, the climate of the U.S.S. becomes warmer and drier the further east one travels away from the coastline and towards the mountains, and cooler and more humid the further west you travel.

The climate map for the Seran landmass.

To the south, much of the U.S.S. has a colder, dry temperate climate in the interior lower southern states (Etoule to Nansa), to warm to hot desert and semi-arid climates in the southeastern states. East of 100°W, the climate is dry and exceedingly hot in northern areas where mountains jut upwards along the eastern border, transitioning into a humid temperate climate from the Southern Plains and lower areas, or a dry temperate area in the north-east.

A humid tropical climate is found in the interior of Sera just off of the western coast that extend from north to southward to approximately southern Mwindo. Along the Sea of Austrolis, the humid tropical climate zone extends southward into central Mwindo. Higher-elevation areas of the Nakane Mountain Range, the Black Cliffs, the Musa Mountain Range, and the Jakesh Mountain Range are all hot steppe areas. Coastal areas of Xanthus stretching all the way down to the coast of Etoule including the areas of the Seran Peninsula all have a tropical monsoon climate.

The primary drivers of weather in the contiguous United States of Sera are the seasonal change in the solar angle, the migration north–south of the subtropical highs, and the seasonal change in the position of the polar jet stream.

The elevation/topograhpical map for the Seran landmass.

States

The state system is a direct result of Sera's tribal roots. Originally, the four tribes that resided in what would become Sera lived under a tribal confederation within their respective tribes. Each village made up the larger confederation under a chieftain who led the entire tribe. When the Quadrumvirate formed the Union of Seran Tribes, the villages that formed the states in each confederation became a state in and of themselves, which led to the first twelve states in Sera. Although technically the Union of Seran Tribes is a different government than the United States of Sera of today, the United States of Sera still observes the date that the states originally joined what would become the federation some 250 years later.

The 24 states that make up the Seran federation without labels.

There are currently 24 states recognized to be part of the Seran federation. The states themselves are able to govern themselves and make laws respecting their citizens, cities, and communities largely without federal interference. However, state laws are superseded by federal law, and in the case of discrepancies between state and federal law, federal law must always be followed. In any other circumstance, individuals inhabiting, traveling through, or visiting these states must respect the local law and authorities therein as long as the laws do not go against the rights laid out in the Articles of Federation or federal law.

The 24 states that make up the Seran federation with labels.

The governments of these states are led by three separate governmental entities: the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary and modeled after the processes used to govern the federal government. The branches, although separate, operate together and with equal checks and balances to ensure governmental abuse is kept at a minimum. The legislature is led by a body of state senators and representatives whose numbers can range from a dozen to one hundred or more depending on the state constitution. Each state has a single Governor and Deputy Governor who serve as the chief executive of the state. These executives serve 4-year terms and are subject to their state constitutions. These branches are also kept in check by state constitutions that lay out restrictions on power and authority given and practiced by these entities. Private citizens vote in elections to select who will occupy these positions in a "ranked" system similar to how the government is run on the federal level. The borders of the states greatly resemble the ancestral borders of the tribes that originally lived there, while some have borders that coincide with the flow of rivers such as the border between Kado and Carthage. Only the state of Xanthus has borders not based on geographic features such as rivers.

State	Capital	Population	Admission into Federation	Abbreviation
Aeminium	Invicta	12,179,854	June 7th, 1386	AE
Carpathia	Novarii	10,494,461	June 7th, 1386	CA
Augusta	Jullii	3,690,685	June 7th, 1386	AA
Reginum	Roma	6,315,041	June 7tth, 1386	RM
Istrus	Hadrian	2,967,951	March 15th, 1399	IS
Rhodes	Scipii	2,591,773	December 12th, 1491	RH
Kado	Kito'Bahari	21,365,099	June 7th, 1386	KD
Etoule	Andile	2,106,001	June 7th, 1386	ET
Mwindo	Zola	2,026,026	January 8th, 1946	MO
Shaka	Mombasa	9,514,030	June 7th, 1386	SK
Enyebi	Djenne	5,399,775	June 7th, 1386	EI
Sifya	Kaang	4,363,066	June 7th, 1386	SY
Njogu	San	2,147,469	May 1st, 1543	NU
Mali	Sankore	14,288,817	June 7th, 1386	MI
Xanthus	Arverni	542,051	July 19th, 2021	XS
Zulu	Armansi	13,397,247	June 7th, 1386	ZU
Mansa	Jengo	2,431,824	September 12th, 1403	MA
Anansi	Axsum	3,693,647	August 1st, 1553	AN
Carthage	Ayotola	25,245,355	June 7th, 1386	CE
Jakesh	Ngai	1,552,102	January 22nd, 1723	JH
Yobu	Takhar	1,030,785	February 8th, 1881	YU
Nakane	Sheba	758,279	November 20th, 1901	NK
Musa	Zambezi	624,988	January 1st, 1922	MU
Kefa	Nyaminyami	1,273,672	January 1st, 1922	KE

Cities

An official map denoting Sera's largest cities (red), the capitols of the 24 states (gold), the largest towns (blue), and the national capitol.

10 Largest Metropolitan areas in Unified Sera by population
No.	CMA City	Population
1	Ayotola	5,843,000
2	Kito'Bahari	4,626,000
3	Sankore	2,786,000
4	Memphis	1,523,000
5	T'Chaka	1,289,000
6	Myalla	1,181,000
7	Abyssia	967,000
8	Mombasa	823,000
9	Djenne	489,000
10	Axsum	433,000

Family Structure

The traditional family structure in the United States of Sera is considered a family support system involving two married individuals who have reached the age of majority either federally, or at the state level, and are providing care and stability for their biological or adopted offspring. Serans have a particularly strong relationship with family and the members within, as most Serans are religious and place heavy emphasis on the rearing and development of children, parents typically seek the best for their children. On average, societal and generational pressures cause these family units to put the needs of their children ahead of their own where possible in an attempt to get the most desirable traits to manifest within their offspring.

Language

Seran is the de facto national language of the United States of Sera. Although there are four official languages at the federal level, The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Act requires immigrants to learn and be at least conversational in Seran or English. At the state level, many states have declared one of the four federally recognized languages to be their official language. Only one state in Sera's eastern portion recognizes a non-federally recognized language to be the official language of the state. In the state of Kefa the native language of Ze'tecan is spoken by the majority of the population living in the state.

According to the Seran Community Survey, in 2017 some 73 million people (out of the total U.S. population of 100.5 million) spoke two languages at home. Among these, Seran was the most spoken in conjunction with Latin. More than 43 million spoke English at home, making it the second most commonly used language in the United States of Sera. Other languages spoken at home by one million people or more include Kiswahili (13.8 million), Ze'tecan (8 million), and Yoruba (5.4 million).

The most widely taught foreign languages in the United States of Sera in terms of enrollment numbers from kindergarten through university undergraduate education, are English (around 10.2 million students), and Timerian (8.5 million).

Religion

See article: Sky Faith

Religions in Unified Sera
Sky Faith			86.93%
Islam			5.2%
Christianity			4.8%
Other			3.07%
Numbers from the Unified Sera Census Bureau

The Sky Faith, Sky Faith, Imani ya Anga, and SkyFaithWriting.png is a pagan, monotheistic religion based on the teachings of The Testament of Sky with a major emphasis on the sky and reincarnation of individuals and the universe. It is practiced primarily in Unified Sera, although members live in other countries around the world where membership globally is approximately 216 million. It's adherents, known as Acolytes, make up a majority of the Seran population both abroad and living within Sera. The Sky Faith remains culturally diverse in that Acolytes can and do come from varying backgrounds. It became an organized religion sometime in the 3rd century CE where adherents began to write stories about creation, the ancestors, and the spirits down for the first time. A major driving force for the creation of a central governing body for the religion came primarily from the aristocracy living in Kado's villages.

The Sky Faith began as a small cultic offshoot of an older, non-organized religion practiced by ancient Serans living along the coast that would eventually become the Latinius tribe. The Kogans adopted this cult and began to add their own variations and customs to the doctrine which then became the bedrock for the organized version of the faith. Soon thereafter, this new version was quickly adopted by the Latinius tribe which would eventually lead to the extinction of the cult's parent religion.

There are two primary branches of the faith, however the primary branch, Fundamentalism, is the largest and oldest branch with 137 million adherents globally. The second newer, but much smaller branch is known as Neo-Divinitism with over 3 million adherents and growing quickly. Although the Sky Faith is not as practiced as Islam or Christianity, the faith is quickly growing with a year after year increase and remains the most practiced religion in Unified Sera

Crime

The primary article for this section is Crime in Unified Sera

Organized crime in Unified Sera is typically perpetrated by criminal organizations that operate on a large scale and engage in activities such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking. Although there are smaller street gangs, these are far less prevalent than in similar countries of roughly the same size. In Sera, criminal organizations are highly organized and militarized due to the prevailing culture in the US. These organizations often have complex networks of members and associates and typically operate across state and international borders, but petty and smaller crime done by gang-members are not uncommon in Sera's more poverty stricken areas. These gangs will use violence and intimidation to further their criminal objectives along with bribery and extortion. The largest of these groups are known as the "Big Three" and routinely fight for territory, business, and influence in Sera's criminal underground. Sons of Ukondi, Jackal Syndicate, and the Four Families

The government of Unified Sera takes a strong stance against organized crime in large part due to the efforts of the Executive office and Parliament and has a number of law enforcement agencies and initiatives dedicated to combating it. These include a national police force to be mobilized by gubernatorial decree, a state, county, and city police force, a specialized unit that focuses on organized crime, and a number of federal agencies that work together to disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations. Among these federal agencies themost active are: The Office of Criminal Interdiction and Investigation (OCII), Division of Special Investigations (DSI), the Fraud, Corruption, and Scams Investigation Agency (FCSIA), the Immigration Enforcement Agency (IED), and the Federal Department of Investigation (FDI).

In addition to law enforcement efforts, Unified Sera also has a number of programs and initiatives aimed at preventing people from becoming involved in organized crime in the first place. These programs focus on providing young people with alternative opportunities and support, and on addressing the root causes of crime such as poverty, unemployment, and social exclusion (by virtue of the nature of Sera's society, more money is pured into combating social exclusion than some other root causes). Several programs are also available within prisons to rehabilitate inmates and provide them with opportunities to lower the chance that they would become repeat offenders.

Despite the efforts of law enforcement and prevention programs, organized crime continues to be a problem in Unified Sera. Criminals are constantly finding new ways to evade detection and prosecution, and the global nature of many organized crime activities makes it difficult for authorities to effectively combat them.

Overall, Unified Sera is considered a safe and secure country, but like any other nation, it is not immune to the threat of organized crime.

Government

Senate Graph 2021.

  Koga Moderate Party: 13 seats

  Mbaku Conservative Party: 11 seats

  Sakhile Libertarian Party: 9 seats

  Latinius Liberal Party: 7 seats

  Unified Nationalist Party: 8 seats

Chamber of Representatives Graph 2021.

  Koga: 112 seats

  Mbaku: 109 seats

  Sakhile: 106 seats

  Latinius: 108 seats

Royal Cabinet

Placeholder

Office	Incumbent	Took Office
Secretary of State	Julius Clamentius ya Latinius	November 29th, 2019
Secretary of the Treasury	Djene Laku ya Sakhile	November 29th, 2019
Secretary of War	Jabari Mansa ya Mbaku	November 29th, 2019
Secretary of the Interior	Gaius Decimus ya Latinius	November 29th, 2019
Secretary of Agriculture	Amari Sensa ya Koga	November 29th, 2019
Secretary of Labor	Palus Legatus ya Latinius	November 29th, 2019
Secretary of Commerce	Musa Denga ya Sakhile	November 29th, 2019
Secretary of Health and Human Services	Uyise Ubuntu ya Koga	November 29th, 2019
Secretary of Transportation	Djene Jenne ya Koga	November 29th, 2019
Secretary of Energy	Lucius Commodus ya Latinius	November 29th, 2019
Secretary of Education	Maxima Opis ya Latinius	November 29th, 2019
Director of Aegis	Badu Ayeh ya Mbaku	November 29th, 2019
Director of the Seran Space Agency	Kobi Sarbei ya Mbaku	November 29th, 2019
Director of the Department of National Security	Decimus Marius ya Latinius	November 29th, 2019

Military

See article: Seran Armed Forces