Vostau
Kingdom of Vostau | |
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 Flag
Coat of arms
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| Motto: For God, for King, for Country | |
| Location of Vostau | |
| Capital | Ferst |
| Demonym(s) | Vostauc, Vostan, Vostauvian |
| Government | |
• Monarch | King Roec Tavastakis |
• Prime Minister Lotaran Vorve | Lotaran Vorve |
| Currency | Vostauc guilder |
History
Palaeolithic
During the Middle Palaeolithic, the first identified archaeological industrial culture of stone tools arose, and existed throughout much of the lowland areas of Vostau. The culture revolved mainly around the use of stone hunting implements - spearheads and pointed stones from this era have been found alongside the skeletons of supposed hunters, as well as some remains of prey that have shown signs of damage from jagged stone implements. A later archaeological culture is identified, characterised by much longer pointed stones, an advancement from the stout implements of the previous culture.
Neolithic
The Neolithic era saw the rise of megalithic cultures within modern-day Vostau, including one of the most widespread archaeological cultures of the region, the Clamprint Culture, known for its use of shells in imprinting and scoring pottery. It is believed that these people would eventually develop into the Elmoric culture group.
Pre-Bronze and Bronze Age civilisation
The final major archaeological culture to develop in Vostau was the ___ culture, which arrived from further afield than Vostau and only arrived into the land late in the Pre-Bronze age in Vostau. This would lead to the rise of a number of vibrant and complex Bronze Age communities within Vostau. Prime among these was the Thafonic civilisation, located around the city of Thafon in the southwest of Vostau. Thafon was notable for its contributions to the Mediargic bronze trade, specifically in the presence of tin reserves in the region. In the northwest of Vostau, the Vestu people group, referenced in later documents, whose language was known to be unrelated to that of Thafon. Finally, in the much drier and more arid east, the Elmoric people resided, an ancestral group of the modern day Elmoric people.
The Thafonic civilisation would reach its golden age around 1200 BCE, with literature and politics at its highest point. Most Thafonic records are dated to this era with earlier records being sparse and with later records, subsequent to the popularisation of paper, being rare to find. The civilisation was organised into the Thafonic Patriarchy, a collection of alliance-based contracts existing between the Thafonici that ensured the mutual survival of the city and its satellites. The Thafonic civilisation did not give rise to any later civilisations, instead falling at the hands of the Meresti, as well as the tribes of invading Gauli, after the Mediargic Tin Trade dried up. The Gauli would diversify into the Ordan Gauli, the Lathi and the Scylha, and would come to control nearly the entirety of the Vostau peninsula under quite carefully constructed tribal confederations.
Ruageuti expansion and the Great Rua
With the Koudi peninsula to the north coming under the control of the Proto-Koudish people by 300 BCE, sparse trade between them and the Lathi people of the Vostau Peninsula began to occur. However, with the decentralised Palace structure of Koudish society, trade with the Lathi was not always fruitful for them. By 200 CE, trade had turned to raiding, with the tribes who took to raiding the coastlines gaining the name Ruageuti, or "men who row". In 282 CE, an invasion force of Ruageuti under Arfram Black-Eagle came to invade the northern portion of the peninsula. Most notably, however, he reformed the structure of the Ruageuti society, placing himself as King of Arframasheim. Nominally tolerant of the culture and faith of the Gauli under his rule, the Kingdom, as well as subsequent Ruageuti Kingdoms, created a Ruageuti upper-class above a mixed lower nobility and an almost wholly Gauli peasant and serf class. Further Ruageuti invasions would occur across the majority of Vostau. Notably, the Ruageuti made alliances with the Asachalians of Northeastern Vostau, and instead of invading them, forged numerous trade deals and exchanges with them, with Asachaly being considered on par with the Ruageuti Kingdoms while not having a Ruageuti upper class.
Around the later portion of the 5th Century, the Ruageuti Kingdoms began to adopt the Gauli traditions and languages of their subjects, and their Kingdoms grew to finally control practically all of the peninsula, save the aforementioned Asachaly, as well as the Conconian and Merestian tribes of the mountains and the Ordan Kingdom of Ordania, which proved harder to conquer than most of the other tribal groups. However, with the adoption of increasingly Gauli traditions, Ordania came into the Ruageuti fold somewhat as time went on.
In 533, Saint Cytorissos and the Christian Brothers arrived from Eastern Argis. Exiled from Tagmatium for heresy, it was their belief that God had called them to spread the Gospel to the furthest reaches of the world. Their travels led them to the Vostauc Peninsula, to the village of ($PLACE). Upon moving there, they began to offer civic services to the Gauli peasantry, and won many converts.
Geography
Vostau lies on the Vostau peninsula, in Central Argis. The country of Vostau consists of the main peninsula and its various sub-peninsulas. It also consists of a number of islands and islets along the coast. It has an area of 305,136km2 (117,813 sq mi). Vostau lies entirely between the latitudes of 55° and 46° N, and the longitudes of 47° and 58° W. Vostau is bordered to the south by ($NATION), while an exclave of the North Adlantic Union, the city of Bab al-Bahr, lies to the southwest of the country.
All four of Vostau's extreme points of cardinal direction are on the coast, with three of those being capes controlled entirely by Vostau. Vostau's southernmost point it shares with Bab al-Bahr, that being Albar Point, in ($REGION), lying at 46°44'18" N; its northernmost point is ($POINT), located in ($REGION), at 55°20'28" N; the westernmost point is ($POINT), located in ($REGION), at 58°22'51" W; the easternmost point is ($POINT), located in Asachaly, at 47°30'14" W.
Vostau's territorial waters are generally restricted by surrounding nations and internationally significant waterways. To the south, Vostau's ($BAY) opens out into the Keelpijp strait, a heavily trafficked entry into the Mediargic Sea, which, in various parts, comprises the remainder of Vostau's territorial waters, including the Ygros Sea to the southwest, the Sakspati Sea to the northwest, leading through another strait to the Mediargic-Proper to the northeast, and the ($BAY) to the west, enclosed by the peninsula at Asachaly.
Vostau contains in its borders a large number of hills and mountains, with gradually inclining hills comprising the majority of Vostau's area. Vostau's highest region is the ($MOUNTAIN RANGE), with some of its highest points being upwards of 7000m and being located deep into the mountain range. Its highest point is ($MOUNTAIN).
Climate
The majority of Vostau has a humid continental climate, with the main exception being the northwestern and interior portions. The western coast of Vostau is warmer than the other humid continental lowlands, with average temperatures of 22°C (71.6 °F) in the warmer months of July or August. Warmest temperatures in the day can extend into the high 20°C or low 30°C range in those dates, though during the winter months, the temperature can be at or below freezing. Further eastward lies a hemiboreal climate, with a similar average temperature to the western coast in the warmer months, though the highest temperatures reported in summer tend to cap at around 28°C (82.4°F). This is compounded by a lower temperature during the winter months, often getting as low as -10°C in parts during the afternoon or evening. Frost occurs for much of the year in Vostau, usually disappearing into the day, with the west coast being free from frost for around 4-7 months, while the rest of Vostau is free from frost only for around 3-5 months.
The northeastern portion of the country is distinct for its lower precipitation on average. The warmer months yield an average temperature of 21°C, with highs in the day getting up to 28°C (82.4°F), though with the temperature at night or in the late afternoon dropping to around 14°C (57.2°F). This effect is amplified in the northeastern highlands, with even lower precipitation, an average summer temperatures of around 18°C (64.4°F), with highs of only 25°C (77°F). In the winter months, temperatures can get as low as -5°C in the lowlands, to -10°C in the highlands, with highland winter temperature rarely rising above freezing.
There are many glacial mountains in Vostau, where the tops are covered in snow year-round. They supply much-needed glacial water through the form of rivers to the remainder of the country. These in turn form waterfalls, lakes and a few gallery forests in the more arid regions.
Politics
(Monarchy. Government. Political parties. Allies and partners. Foreign relations. Military.)
Economy
Culture
(Slavic/Spanish.)