Arcadian Altanate

Arcadia (Arcadian: Arqadia [arˈkaːdja]), officially the Sublime Arcadian Altanate (Arcadian: Altanaša Arqadiava Čedaxa), is a nation located northeast of Kais Kogong on the continent of Koganon. It is a theocratic semi-constitutional parliamentary monarchy, led by a religious and political leader called an Altan. The capital is the holy city of Wahat Almarjan. The Altanate is the center of the holy Mufijo faith, with all of its current followers living within the Altanate's territory. The divine mission of the Altanate is to befriend and peacefully convert Alathrans to the faith of Mufijo, although it rarely undertakes many efforts to fulfill this sacred goal.

Etymology
The name 'Arcadia' comes from the Kogongi word 'Arkhat' meaning 'land that has sun on both sides' due to how the sun could be seen rising and setting on the ocean from the peninsula. From there the word was picked up by Kogongi fisher men who used it to describe the peninsula, a hot spot for fishermen from all over the surrounding area to rest, causing the word to interchange with other cultures to a point where it eventually came to be pronounced as 'Arkada' and it came to mean 'view of the rising and setting sun'. Once settlement came to 'Arkada', the people of nearby Kais Kogong began to refer to the area as 'Arcadia' or 'land of the rising and setting sun'.

History
The land Arcadia rests on was largely empty up until the formation of Wahat Almarjan and Atolia Island, the peninsula and the island were mainly used by fishermen as a resting ground, it has also been said that the area was popular amongst Kogongi younglings looking for a place to swim.

Arcadia itself began originally with it's capital city: Wahat Almarjan. The town formed in early April of 2021 as apart of Kogongu and was largely stagnant in terms of development, never going far beyond the humble home and farm of its founder, IAmTheSenate13, there was also another resident known as Pmak who was homeless. The founder, IAmTheSenate13 had come from Arith after his homeland of Yuvantiya was ravaged with destruction and had made an agreement with the Kogongi that allowed him to settle on their lands. After after roughly 2 months of inactivity as well as some internal down falls within Kogongu, Game Glider SKG opted to join Wahat Almarjan in order to help develop it and form a new nation alongside Senate and Pmak. The three residents would all be visited in their dreams by one of the three gods of the Mufijo Faith, Senate by Afi - God of the Sun, Pmak by Jorb - God of the Moon, and Glider by Xamu - God of the Land. The gods bestowed the divine title of Mumba upon them, and tasked them to found a great nation from which to preach and spread the Mufijo faith. This nation would come to be known as Arcadia, and the oldest follower out of the three, Senate, would be chosen to lead it as its Altan (Akin to a Caliph or Prince-Bishop). From there, the three began to build up their nation and develop their capital city. They also began to build up better gear so that they could more easily build structures and defend themselves. On August 11, 2021, Ausgint, a native Kogongi form the Cotona Forests south of Wahat, joined the Altanate after founding his own settlement known as Gint. From then on, he would become a wealthy, well-equipped, and influential resident of Arcadia, who donated much of his wealth to the nation to help it grow. Around the time of August 15th, after roughly a week of good relations, the nation of Atolia Island opted to join the Altanate and became the growing nation's third city. Atolia would go on to become the industrial heartland of the nation, producing stacks upon stacks of various goods that it would sell in its widely used general store, allowing the residents there to become considerably rich. The islanders would also go on to build a number of different notable structures including the Tower of Atolia, the Atolian underwater Market, as well as the Trans-Atolian-Wahati tunnel which was a joint effort between the two towns.

Geography
Much of Arcadia is located on the aptly titled Arcadian Peninsula, with small area in the southern forests of Cotona. The peninsula itself could be described as a barren and flat coastal grassland with small caves found in the south along with a handful of small ponds. The peninsula is also surronded by several coral reefs, from which Wahat Almarjan takes its name. The land possessed by the Altanate in the Kogongi forests are hilly with tough rock found only a few feet below the surface as well as a few small ponds. East of the Arcadian Peninsula is the island of Atolia, another territory of the Altanate. It is a flat, grassy, and sandy island surrounded by many reefs, similar to the Arcadian Peninsula.

Ecology
Little plant life besides small shrubs, tall grass, Cacti, and a very small amount of oak trees are truly native to the Arcadian peninsula. Many species were brought in from other lands nearby such as Gausha, where Acacia saplings were found and then brought back where they would go on to be a very popular plant amongst the people of Wahat Almarjan. Bamboo was also imported, however; it is not known from where it came but scholars believe it may have come from the jungles of nearby Prospit. A number of different flowers can also be found, it is believed the vast majority of them are not native besides the rose bushes and oxeye Daisies. In the South, the land is dotted by mainly dark oak trees, mushroom trees, and a few Birch trees, all of which are connected to a larger forest within the borders of Kogongu. The fauna of modern day Arcadia is quite diverse but this is mostly thanks to creatures being imported from other lands. It is believed that the only animals that originally inhabited the peninsula were sheep, chickens, and horses. Cows and pigs can now be found roaming around Arcadian lands and have managed to fit in well with the various species native to the area.

Government
The Arcadian Altanate has a complex political history. It was originally an oligarchic and absolute monarchy under the Altan and his first two subjects: the Mumbas. Some scholars refer to this early period of Arcadian history as the "Mumbocratic Era" (late July - early September). The period is known for its lack of democratic institutions due to the small population in the Altanate. This eventually changed in early September of 2021, when demands for democratization from Mumba/High Ambassador Glider and the growing population of the Altanate led to the first political reforms since the founding of the Altanate. Over the course of September, a group of prominent citizens from towns all over the Altanate were appointed by the Altan as the first democratic institution in Arcadia's history: the Holy Senate. The Holy Senate was tasked with creating bills, debating and discussing, and ultimately voting on whether to approve the motion/bill. The Altan had his powers drastically diminished, although he still remained as the executive and had the power to make alliances, represent the nation abroad, and veto laws sent to him by the Senate. The senate could then override this veto if they saw fit with a 3/4 majority. This period of time would become known to historians as the "Senatorial Era" (September). This early Senate, however, proved to be quite bloated and inefficient, prompting an administrative and governmental reform in late September - early October. Arcadia became divided into several provinces, each of which would elect one senator to represent them in the Holy Senate. The Senate would retain many of its previous powers, but would also have the ability to elect a prime minister. This prime minister would serve as a secondary executive, indirectly elected by the people. The prime minister originally served for a term of only two weeks, but upon the announcement of the election of the Second Session of the Holy Senate on October 11, 2021, the Altan declared that the next session of the Senate would have a duration of 1 month. This current era of Arcadian governance is known as the "Provincial Era" (Early October -). The first elections to this new, more efficient Senate took place in early October. In a high-stakes senate vote of 2-1, leader of the Arcadian Reform Party, ClanofwadaC30, became the first Prime Minister of Arcadia.

Law
The Arcadian Altanate, as of writing, has no official code of conduct and set of rules, however; the Altan enforces basic rules including:
 * Murdering fellow citizens is strictly prohibited, violation of this rule will result in significant punishment.
 * Stealing from fellow citizens is strictly prohibited, violation of this rule will result in significant punishment.
 * Making political statements in the name of Arcadia without the Altan's direct and clear consent is strictly prohibited, violation of this rule will result in significant punishment.
 * Construction projects must be approved of first by the Lead Architect, this includes the design and placement of any structure, especially in a highly developed zone.
 * Discrimination against other citizens based on their race, gender, sexuality, or other affiliations (discounting religion) is strictly prohibited and will result in severe punishment. (Discriminating against in game religion is allowed, however real religions are not included with this clarification)

On top of these rules, the Altan also employs a loose system known as 'The Euro System' named after the famous Arcadian hero, Euro Johnson. The system is meant to keep citizens in line and also give reward for doing good deeds. When a citizen does one good deed, the Altan will judge the value of that deed and then give an appropriate number of 'Euro Points' to that citizen for their work. Once one meets the goal of 64 Euro Points, the Altan will reward that citizen handsomely. These 'Euro Points' come in the form of 'golden coins' and cannot be used as currency as doing so is strictly prohibited.

Foreign Relations
The Arcadian Altanate holds a multitude of diplomatic agreements including: A NAP with Elyria and Phyrria. Arcadia also extensively trades with other nations through their shops in both Atolia and Wahat Almarjan, though it is mainly Atolia that draws in customers thanks to their lucrative gunpowder business. The Arcadians also take part in extensive trade with Lydoneia by supplying them with quartz and other goods.

By far, Arcadia's closest historical ally would have to have been the island nation of Atolia. The two nations had similar religions, both had high populations of ethnic Kogongi, and were only seperated by a small stretch of sea, known by some as the Atolia Channel. The two nations conversed greatly and completed a large infrastructure project together to help better connect their capital cities. The continued good relations between the Altanate and Atolia culminated in the latter joining the Altanate on August 15th, 2021.

Languages
The official language of the Altanate is Arcadian, the sole remaining member of the Yuvo-Arcadian language family. For most of its history, the Arcadian Peninsula was devoid of any permanent settlement, but was frequently visited by Kogongi fishermen, speaking the Kogongi language. However, when the Altan arrived, and founded Wahat, he brought with him an entirely foreign tongue. The Altan spoke a dialect of the extinct Yuvantiyan language, yet after being expelled from Yuvantiya, the Altan's dialect began to morph into its own language. The new language became known as Arcadian, taking its name from the peninsula the Altan now inhabited. Arcadian acts as the religious lingua franca that crosses the different cultures and languages of the Mufijo faithful. All signage, religious services, and media must be printed in Arcadian. Kogongi is used heavily by the Kogongi people residing in Arcadia, but was originally not a recognized language of the Altanate. However, after requests by the Kogongi for more linguistic rights, the Altan allowed for the language to become nationally recongnized.

A Sample Sentence of Arcadian:

English: I was going to cook the food, but we don’t have any coal for the fire.

Arcadian: Ri pižanotijo, peqo poero aq ǧu pozanó.

Towns

 * Wahat Almarjan
 * Gint
 * Atolia
 * Kais Kogong
 * Bal Duran
 * Spadecrown
 * Anchridge
 * Kais Jerriko
 * Kais Termina
 * Winterhallow
 * Frost Walker
 * Toscurnama
 * Avja Tacoma