Talahara

Messidor Union Union de Messidor Ljamaʕa n Mgrawi
Flag of Flag Emblem of Emblem
Motto:  Ni dieux ni maîtres La rbbin ula iylliden Neither gods nor masters
Capital	Vaux
Recognized languages	Aulic, Tamaziɣt
Demonym(s)	Messidorian
Government	Syndicalist Federation
• President of the Union	Yolande-Minerve Saverne
• President of the Congress	Jean Amzil
Legislature	Workers' Congress
Establishment
• Confederation of Aɣmatia	December 22, 1817
• Republic of Merovia	June 6, 1830
• Messidor Union	June 20, 1831
Area
• Total	983,168 km2 (379,603 sq mi)
• Water (%)	2.70
Population
• 2018 census	52,314,445 34,376,313 (Merovia) 17,938,132 (Aɣmatia)
• Density	53.2/km2 (137.8/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)	2018 estimate
• Total	$2.08 trillion
• Per capita	$39,908.37
HDI (2018)	.911 very high
Currency	Marque (ℳ) (UMM)
Date format	Messidor calendar, yyyy-mm-d-dd (CE)
Driving side	right
Internet TLD	.mu

The Messidor Union (Aulic: Union de Messidor; Tamaziɣt: Ljamaʕa n Mgrawi, ⵍⵊⴰⵎⴰⵄⴰ ⵏ ⵎⴳⵔⴰⵡⵉ), occasionally called the Harvest Union, is a federation between the Republic of Merovia, located in south-central Belisaria, and the Confederation of Aɣmatia, located in northern Scipia. Merovia shares borders with Garza and Latium to the west, Lyncanestria to the north, and a maritime border with Lihnidos to the east. Aɣmatia shares borders with Talakh and Yisrael to the west and Charnea to the south. Both constituent republics border the Periclean Sea.

The union is a syndicalist federation. Local unions form small-scale administrations and have broad powers. At the upper level, a single congress made up of proportionate members of each union legislates federal powers. Aɣmatia has historically been the homeland of various Amaziɣ peoples and societies, though since the high middle ages Aulian people have dominated both politically and culturally. As such, both Aulic and Tamaziɣt are commonly spoken languages, the latter seeing a resurgence after the confederation gained its independence in 1816. In Merovia, Aulic is the sole dominant language. Both Aulic and Tamaziɣt have equal status on both sides of the Periclean and bilingualism is prevalent.

A developed nation, while ostensibly a market system the economy is highly regulated in an unofficial manner. While there are few official requirements mandated by the Workers' Congress, individual unions enforce industry standards. Social services are also provided by local and federal governments with the majority falling to local administrations. As such, access to services is not always consistent across districts. Major exports include bread, tea, grapes, and other agricultural products, petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, and post-industrial products.

History

History of Aɣmatia

The region of northern Scipia which encompasses present-day Aɣmatia has been permanently occupied since at least the sixth millennium BCE. According to local history, Amaziɣ tribes migrated to the coasts from central Scipia led by the semi-legendary Queen Kaharna during the Bronze Age, typically dated to the early third millenium BCE. The tribes supplanted the local cultures and settled into independent city states sustained by fishing, agriculture, and eventually trade between the Periclean and the Scipian desert.

The Aradia civilization expanded eastward from northwestern Scipia into present-day Aɣmatia in the mid-second millennium BCE, annexing a majority of the city states whose cultures and languages were preserved through henotheism and a satrapy system. At the same time, the Aradian alphabet was introduced. The Aradian Hegemony was broken in the second century BCE after the Latin Empire pushed them from Belisaria. The Amaziɣ city states revolted less than a century later and formed an independent league led by the city of Aɣmat in 110 BCE. The league was short-lived, however, and was in turn conquered by the Latin Empire in 53 BCE.

Ruins of Old Aɣmat in present-day New Aɣmat

Amaziɣ cultural traditions were still largely preseved through the Latin rule of northern Scipia into the first millennium CE. Christianity had very little influence until the fourth century. The adoption of Christianity as the official state religion of the empire in 320 CE saw a revolt in the region, though this was swiftly put down and Amaziɣ culture became more repressed. For approximately 600 years the populace became increasingly Latinized and Christianity gained broad acceptance.

In the 10th century CE, Aɣmatia was annexed by the warrior-king Mesfin - partially through conquest and partially through acceptance of the Azdarin faith. After the death of Mesfin in 985 CE, Aɣmatia was reconquered by the Sahb who then formed the Almurid Caliphate out of the remnants of Mesfin's empire. In 1233, the Crusades were launched in Belisaria to reclaim the Holy Land from the Azdarin. Aɣmatia was a secondary target for crusaders from the Holy Aulian Empire who established several forts and naval bases on the coast which could not be contested by the Caliphate which was crumbling in the region. These forts served as points of ingress further into the continent but evolved into feudal crusader states dominating the coasts by the 14th century. The Duchy of Mont-Saint-Çyr was a title of the Holy Aulian Empire as of 1325, but never had the status of an electorate.

17th century painting of the Siege of Sarace

Further inland, ethnic Amaziɣ Azdarins were united into the Wazirid Sultanate under Ayamoune Daoud ibn Ouaziri. The Wazirid Sultanate and the Duchy of Mont-Saint-Çyr became locked in a 116 year war between 1333 and 1449, finally concluding with the conquest of the Sultanate with some remaining Azdarin Aɣmatians becoming subjugated while many others, along with those who still followed traditional Amaziɣ faiths, fled into Charnea at least temporarily. The treatment of non-Christians under the rule of the Duchy was extremely poor and edicts severely limited the ability of non-Belisarians to own property, practice their faiths, and participate in public life. Despite this, the Christians made little effort to even prostelytize and instead the vast majority of the population was put to work in agriculture and resource extraction, with mountain tea, foodstuffs, and silk road goods being sent to the Holy Aulian Empire. Aɣmatians in the south maintained a longstanding clandestine relationship with several Charnean tribes which preserved and restored much of the traditional Amaziɣ ways of life. While occupied by the Belisarians, the Aɣmatians were only rarely alienated from their homelands and their clan structures.

Amaziɣ revolts with the duchy were relatively common throughout history. Disobedience extended as far as armed revolt but also entailed more subtle disruptions, sabotage, and maronage. Several theories of class organization were developed by Aɣmatians during the occupation. In order to maintain order in the duchy, the duke of Mont-Saint-Çyr had had to increasingly rely on support from the empire in Belisaria to supply troops and arms. The Belisarian Wars of Religion and subsequent conflicts diminished the capacity of the duchy to respond to threats within Scipia. By the 19th century, revolts by Amaziɣ clans were increasingly commonplace. With the dissolution of the Holy Aulian Empire in 1816, the duchy lost its entire support network and the Christian duchy folded within a year. The clans in Aɣmatia assembled into a unified confederation with a council of clan and tribal chiefs operating as a ruling council with no single head of state.

The Confederation of Aɣmatia had a tumultuous early history. The tradition Amaziɣ tribes and clans divided along religious and cultural lines in the Aɣmatian Clans War (1817-1820) which resulted in a democratic legislature composed of clan chiefs. A decade later, popular agitation for worker's rights and universal suffrage led to another civil war. The workers' movement coordinated internationally with a parallel movement in Merovia. On June 6, 1830 the Merovian duke was deposed and a republican government was installed. Six days later, with the threat of support from Merovian republicans, the clan chiefs of the Confederation of Aɣmatia acceded to the demands of the workers and began the process of radically altering the clan structure. On June 20, 1831 the Messidor Union was publically proclaimed in both Merovia and Aɣmatia, joining the two nations into a worker-dominated federation.

History of Merovia

Parchment etching of Saint Aliénor de Grissons from the 15th century

The oldest evidence of permanent settlement in present-day Merovia dates back to the sixth millenium BCE. Throughout the first millenium BCE, various settlements were formed from eastern migrants, Lihnidosi colonists, and Aradian settlers. Various tribes and chiefdoms formed in this time, warring with each other and other cultures and kingdoms, and occasionally forming temporary confederations which spanned most of the area of modern Merovia.

In 203 BCE, the Latin Empire began its annexation of the Aulian lands to its east. Many tribes and clans were conquered by the empire before 199 BCE when the vast majority of tribes formed a confederation under High King Merovectorix. Merovectorix's confederation held out against the Latins for seventeen years before finally succumbing to the legions. In honour of warrior-king, the Latins named the newly founded province "Merovia". The Latin province of Merovia remained a part of the empire for over one thousand years. Though uprisings were common at first, the Latin dominance became the norm and even the Aulic language became mixed with that of the Latins to form the precursors to modern Aulic. Tribal chiefs and kings became Latinized and clans became noble houses. Through this process many native Merovians found local power once more, but always remained subjugated to the Latins.

On the 17th of November, 1068 the Fabrian Catholic Pope crowned Robert the Great as Holy Aulian Emperor, threatening Latin imperial authority. In Merovia, Saint Aliénor de Grissons led a revolt against the Latins from 1061 to 1070, first galvanizing support among peasants and serfs, but eventually gaining support from local counts and magistrates. The Latin hold on the province was finally broken at the Siege of Vallionum which also claimed the life of Saint Aliénor. With independence won, but no clear rightful leader among the Merovian counts, the nobles pledged themselves to Robert the Great and the new empire. The central part of the empire continued to be known as Merovia, and was made up of the counties of Saint-Nazaire, Franciscque, Couronne, Moïeux, Aix-des-Vaux, and Grissons.

...Empire stuff...

Battle for Vaux, painting from 1830, ducal forces in the foreground

Tensions between Protestants and Catholics in the empire continued to rise over the 17th century after the Belisarian Wars of Religion and attempted conciliations. The War of Tourrainian Succession exacerbated tensions between Protestant strongholds in the west and Catholics in the east. The conservative House Niort-Parthenay of Saint-Nazaire in particular railed against the Protestants, especially after consolidating County of Couronne in 1666 and then being elevated to Duke of Merovia in 1700. Louis VI Niort-Parthenay precipitated the fall of the Holy Aulian Empire over his 42 year tenure as emperor. By the time of his death in 1748, non-Catholics faced extreme discrimination. Attempts by his successors to ease religious tensions, including the conversion of Emperor Stephen from Catholic to Protestant, were insufficient. When Count Joseph "the Fervent" of House Grissons was elected emperor near the turn of the century, Lyncanestria was in open revolt. On January 1st, 1816 the Holy Aulian Empire collapsed after the Duke of Merovia attempted to seize power and invade Lyncanestria: while Joseph was successfully deposed, the Pope would not crown another emperor.

After failing to usurp the imperial throne the Duke of Merovia, Louise XIV, became increasingly unpopular at home. In late 1829, the imposition of a harvest season tax drove many of the common folk over the brink. Tenant farmers who were being exploited despite the abolition of serfdom, the urban poor, and former soldiers of the imperial army all marched togather against the duke who had holed up in his palace in Saint-Nazaire while his retainers gathered support and met the commoner army in battle. In order to sustain the revolt, university elites and guild reformers galvanized the commoners into a revolutionary army, drawing comparisons with the plight of workers in Aɣmatia at the same time. By mid-1830, the duke's forces had been crushed and he was executed on June 5th. On June 6th, the Republic of Merovia was proclaimed by the leaders of the revolution. A year and two weeks later, the republic united with Aɣmatia to form the Messidor Union.

History of the Union

The beginning of the Messidor Union's history was chaotic. The interpretation of the new constitution, the role of unions and tribal associations, and the degree to which a federal government could exercise powers over the two nations were all being negotiated. The Union also had to situate itself in the world. The Messidor Union was largely surrounded by monarchies which were hostile to its ideals, but in turn the Union regarded its more authoritarian neighbours with distrust. As early as 1833 the diplomatic situation escalated to violence as the Kingdom of Yisrael invaded a section of northwestern Aɣmatia in the present day province of Tafriqt. Ostensibly, the incursion was met with little resistance, though local warbands clashed several times with the Yisraeli regulars. The newly established Protectorate of Tarshish was effectively a colonial possession of the Kingdom. Even so, arms and funds were funneled into the Protectorate by Aɣmatians over the next century.

The Messidor Union became a stable, if insular, player in the Periclean by the middle of the 19th century. The Messidor Army and Navy Corps were founded in 1839. National and federated trade unions became formalized and central government services were clearly delineated. Through much of the century, Charnea remained the sole commercial avenue to the Union. Gradually, pressure from unions and a more laissez-faire central policy opened trade with neighbouring nations, but formally relations with monarchies remained cold. Ostrozava's Crimson Revolution in 1909 brought about a significant shift in Belisarian politics. As monarchies grew increasingly concerned with revolution while republics worried about reaction, the Messidor Union began to project naval power across the Periclean and forge connections with other democratic nations, including the distant Tsurushimese Third Republic.

Capitalizing off the chaos wrought by the Second West Scipian War, in 1919 the Messidor Union launched an invasion through the Great Scipian Desert and annexed the Timna Strip in southern Yisrael; an oil-rich region which is also home to indigenous Adrasic and Tuareg Amaziɣ peoples. The Yisareli forces, while steeled from their war against Sydalon, could not repel the highly mobile Aɣmatian soldiers and the Kingdom was forced to concede the region. Development of the region began very rapidly and the Union accrued a great deal of wealth via the oil trade.

...Messidor reannexation of Tarshish (1951)...

Geography and climate

Topographic map of the Messidor Union

For the most part, Merovia and Aɣmatia have drastically different environments. The temperate highlands in Merovia's north are virtually unrecognizable from the vast deserts of southern Aɣmatia. However, the coastal zones of each nation share the dry summer Periclean climate. Beginning in the second half of the 20th century, ecological conservation has become an increasingly important priority and the exchange of invasice species, both plant and animal, between the two nations has been regulated by the federal government.

Flora and fauna

Rabbits, hares, squirrels, and several different species of deer are among the most common animals endemic to Merovia. Wild boars and ibexes are less common but numerous enough for conservation status to be warranted. Belisarian beavers are endangered within Merovia while populations in other countries are stable. Mice are the most common rodents and household pests. In Aɣmatia, fewer mammals are capable of surviving the intense heat of the Great Scipian Desert. Common mammals include shrews, sand rats, mice, and fennec foxes. Deer are also still common along the coasts of Aɣmatia.

Migratory birds are common in both Merovia and Aɣmatia as well. Many northern birds such as geese and ducks will winter in one of the two countries, while southern birds like flamingoes will fly up from central or southern Scipia in the spring. Many of the fish of the Periclean have been historically important for communities on either side of the sea.

Aɣmatia's flora varies greatly between the southern desert where very little can grow, the coastal regions where cereals and cash crops are commonly grown, and the eastern brushland. Of particular note is a species of uniquely endemic firs in the central mountains above the Great Scipian Desert. The local ecology in Merovia is naturally dominated by shrubland and small evergreen trees. Early human cultivation and forestry has altered the local ecology and presently the countryside is dominated by cereal agriculture and curated forests of oak and elm trees.

Climate

Köppen climate map of the Messidor Union

Aɣmatia's climate is best described as exceedingly hot and dry with the exception of the coastal region which receives precipitation from the Periclean. The two other broad climate zones present in the nation include the eastern steppe brushland, which receives enough precipitation to support plant life; and the central mountains where the elevation leads to noticeable cooling compared to the deserts which lie in the rain shadow to the south. On average, temperatures in the desert peak around 35°C (~95°F) in mid-summer. In ther winter, temperatures can fall as low as 5°C (~40°F). The daily mean temperature across the whole year is 22°C (~71°F). Along the coast temperatures are nearly identical although rainfall over the year is approximately 11× greater than in the desert (600 mm versus 54 mm of rain annually).

In southern Merovia, temperatures are on average 5°C (~8°F) lower than those in northern Aɣmatia, but the level of rainfall varies from similar amounts in the west to almost doubling those in Scipia in the east. Further into the continent temperatures become increasinbly temperate and by the foothills of the Merovian Alps the local climate sees a consistently cold winter with temperatures falling to -10°C (~15°F). Rainfall in the continental regions is more even owing to relatively flat topography, the lack of any barriers to rainfall, and the presence of several large lakes.

Government and politics

Separation of powers

The federal government in the Messidor Union has limited authority compared to its constituent nations: the Republic of Merovia and the Confederation of Aɣmatia. Even so, most unions operate in both nations and as such the federal government rules to ensure relative consistency and equal enjoyment of rights across the Union. In brief, the three constitutional levels of government are the federal, the national, and the municipal. Unions are involved in all three levels and each of the levels can effectively be considered to be different union labour councils of increasingly specific locales respectively. Unions are generally free to make their own regulations, even political ones, for their members as well within the bounds of constituional limits. An example of this would be how approximately two-thirds of unions have mandatory voting while the other third does not.

In general, the federal government has jurisdiction over civil and political rights, barebones commercial regulation, courier service, the census, maritime affairs, taxation, banking, social services, and national defence. The national government has jurisdiction over personal and private property, transportation, most forms of licensing, prisons and jails, the environment, and education. Any other powers typically fall either to municipalities or individual unions. Perhaps the most important municipal power is policing; while for unions it would be the regulation of their particular industry.

Law

The Messidor Union's legal system is a hybrid between the traditional Aulian civil code and more traditional Amaziɣ clan rules. Common law principles have also influenced interpretation of the law and the leeway provided to judges. In practice, all criminal and civil offences are inscribed in the civil code. This code contains 849 criminal provisions and 3,168 civil provisions, each excluding amendments and subsections. Law enforcement is community-based at a local level and any person can bring any form of charge to a magistrate. In the event that a victim would refuse to bring a criminal charge against an offender, a third party would still be able to initiate proceedings provided they meet the minimum burden for the specific provision. For commercial and regulatory offences as well as coordination across jurisdictions, there is a federal police force called the Gendarmerie, though they do not act as a traditional gendarmerie.

Capital punishment was abolished in 1909 following protests based on the belief that it is beyond the state's authority to claim a life. Imprisonment is also extremely rare as a sentence. It is often only used for the convicted who are not part of a union or for those who cannot be safely remanded to their union or syndicate for discipline. Immediately after charges have been validated by a magistrate, the accused may still be detained pending a bail hearing. Unions are generally responsible for disciplining convicted members. Recommendations are made by the convicted, their union, the victim, and the magistrates. If there is consensus, the sentence will be carried out with supervision by a third party. If there is a dispute, an extended and informal sentencing process may go through. Discipline usually takes the form of long periods of fines, isolation, forced labour, or occasionally corporal punishment. Decisions may be appealed from municipal, to national, and up to federal courts if there is any obvious miscarriage of justice or if the interpretation of a code provision is particularly nuanced enough that it requires further elaboration.

Many freedoms are protected by the 1831 Constitution including freedom of conscience, speech, and association. Equality of sexes, genders, and racialized identity is also protected. Citizens of the Union also have a right to food and housing though the exact implementation of these rights continues to be debated to the present day.

Economy

Unions

Approximately 90% of the Messidor Union's workforce is unionized and union membership is effectively necessary for suffrage and access to many political rights and protections. Beyond work and politics, unions are also central in education, housing, and family life. Labour unions have diverse lineages within the Messidor Union. In Aɣmatia, many unions developed out of traditional clan and familial structures. Whereas in Merovia, artisans guilds and peasant collectives formed the foundation for many others. In both nations, however, many if not most of the guilds were formed post-revolution for the purpose of labour solidarity and the development of syndicalism.

Demographics

Housing

Single family homes are realtively rare in the Messidor Union even in rural areas. Housing blocks or complexes are typically organized under union ownership and/or cooperative ownership. Both co-ops and unions require purchase of a stake in a housing complex, though can be mortgaged and union membership typically insures a mortgage. Housing co-ops can vary between higher end and lower end complexes based on the size of the mortgage that needs to be secured or if a stake can be bought outright. Maintenance of housing complexes is performed by property managers employed by the co-op and monthly dues are collected from tenants. In union-owned housing, the property management may be paid for directly by the union under a housing budget, rather than through any direct collection of additional dues. The union-industrial focus on housing can unfortunately create redlining for urban development, especially for the small minority of workers who are non-union affiliated. However, non-affiliated workers are often foreign workers from fairly affluent backgrounds and may only be residing in the Messidor Union temporarily. Single family homes can typically only be found in rural, agricultural settings and many lots are simple holdovers from before 1831 which escaped urban edicts banning landlordship.