Antara
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| State Motto | Leo nunquam somnus. | ||||
| • Ingliz | The lion never sleeps. | ||||
| State Anthem | Antaran March | ||||
| • Ingliz | {{{nation_anthem_ingliz}}} | ||||
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| Official language | Antaran | ||||
| Founding Date | Antaran League 3,604 BCE, First Antaran Empire 957 BCE, Second Antaran Empire 793 CE, Antaran Dominion 1800 CE | ||||
| Government • Type • Praetor |
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| Capital | Cedelphia | ||||
| Administrative Divisions | 12 Provinces: Calipsa, Ebonscarp, Fanacas, Goldenmere, Hammerfell, Kirono, Moreltania, Nerastarel, Oceanward, Oplovis, Tritemma, and Vilverin | ||||
| Largest City | Belderone | ||||
| Area • Total • % water |
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| Population • Total • Growth Rate • Density |
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| GDP • Total • GDP/capita • Growth Rate |
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| Currency |
Credit ( | ||||
| Time Zones | CAT (Central Antaran Time) (AMT -6) | ||||
| Trigraph | ATD | ||||
| Calling Code | ++02 | ||||
The Antaran Dominion, or Dominium Antara is a meritocratic nationalist aristocracy located in the heartlands of the continent of Danetia.
The great scarlet banners emblazoned with the Golden Lion of Antara also have embroidered underneath the crest the letters S.P.Q.A., which mean Senatus Populusque Antarus, which is Antaran for "The Senate and the People of Antara".
Contents |
Overview
History
- Main article: Antaran History
- Main article: Antaran Timeline
Since 3,604 BCE, Antara has been a unified nation. From 957 BCE to 1800 CE, Antara was a single unified empire. From 957 BCE until 793 CE, it was known as the First Antaran Empire, ruled by the House of Mograne. After the passing of the last emperor of that line in late 792 CE, it transitioned into the Second Antaran Empire under the House of Vastano. In this form, from 793 CE to late 1799 CE, Antara grew into and maintained a sprawling empire that encompassed a fifth of the land of Aurora. It has, since ancient times, been ruled solely by the elite Adamantine Lords, led first by the Emperors and now the Praetors of Antara. The nation practices meritocracy with very strong underpinnings of nationalism.
Antara is the world's oldest continuous civilization. It has the world's longest continuously used written language system, and is the source of some of the world's great inventions, including the Four Great Inventions of Ancient Antara: paper, the compass, gunpowder, and printing. The nation has its own alphabet, but employs the Common Ingliz alphabet for most needs.
Now in modern times, the ancient nation of Antara stands astride Aurora as one of its leading nations. It commands the world's largest and most powerful war machine, its most expansive economy, and its leaders are among the world's most respected and powerful figures.
The country is sometimes referred to by foreign nations as the Golden Lion or the Lands of the Golden Lion.
Government
- Main article: Adeptus Antara
- Main article: Flags of Antara
The Antaran government as a collective whole is known in the Antaran language as the Adeptus Antara. It is composed of the various mechanisms of national authority.
Executive governance in Antara is provided by the Praetor, assisted by the Proconsul.
Antara has a unicameral legislature known as the Senatorum Antara.
At the top of the nation's judicial structure is the Antaran Supreme Court, which is the final authority for law matters outside of Praetorian intervention. Below it are the provincial, county, and local courts.
The Praetor holds dictatorial power to influence national affairs and has immense latitude in dealing with any and all matters which pertain to the interests of the State. The State is also heavily meritocratic and nationalistic. He leads the Senate and State, both aristocratic organizations, with absolute authority and oversight.
Also, membership within the State leadership is drawn and restricted solely to, the ranks of the Adamantine Order, an elite organization whose membership is that small minority of Antaran men who have completed university and their military service period.
Subdivisions
Antara is divided into twelve Provincia: Calipsa, Ebonscarp, Fanacas, Goldenmere, Hammerfell, Kirono, Moreltania, Nerastarel, Oceanward, Oplovis, Tritemma, and Vilverin. Each one is ruled by an Adamantine who is known by the title of Exarch. These twelve governors assembled comprise the College of Exarchs.
Antara also has five State Territorial Dependencies that were remnants of small Antaran colonies that made special treaties with the Antaran State to remain protectorates of the new Dominion after the dissolution in 1800 of the Second Antaran Empire. They retain their territorial integrity and have defense agreements with Antara that in a time of crisis or emergency they can call upon the Dominion for aid.
Geography and Climate
The Dominion is a wide variety of sweeping plains, sprawling forests, and majestic mountains. Long considered a symbol of the strength and endurance of the nation, the mighty Atenian Mountains of the nation's eastern provinces are a popular topic for artists of numerous bends. The nation is blessed with a stable, pleasant climate, but its coastal regions are warmer and the soaring Atenian Mountains are wreathed year-round in cooler weather and snow and ice in the winter season.
Economy
- Main article: Economy of Antara
Since its inception, the Antaran Dominion has practiced free market economics with mild government oversight. The only areas where the State is heavily invested and monitors are heavy industry, agriculture, health care, energy, transportation, and communications. The economy is powerful and opportunity limitless. The Dominion has one of the world's most versatile and profitable consumer markets around. Antaran goods are known for being quality, affordable products. There is also a vast array of luxury products, such as the hand-made cars of Ishinny and the comfortable robes and caftans of Antaran fashion that continue to hold a popular niche in world fashion.
Antara has considerable natural resources which it harvests for its many needs in the commercial and industrial sectors. Careful policies keep everything ordered. Order is an Antaran preference. The vast oil reserves the Dominion lays claim to have fueled both its needs and those of many of its Danetian neighbors, as well as other nations worldwide. The nation also exports coal, iron and steel. Antara is a leading exporter of industrial machinery and products. It also is a large-scale exporter of surplus foods and a vast variety of consumer products. Antaran wines, some of the finest in the world, are found on dinner tables the world over.
Demographics
- Main article: Antaran
Antarans are dark-haired and dark-eyed. Hair color is in the darker brown shades, while eyes range from extremely dark brown (almost black) to pale brown and even gray. It has not yet been historically recorded of an Antara having green or blue eyes. As they grow older, Antarans tend to have hair that is more white than gray. The men tend to be tall, and of strong build. Women are shorter, elegant, and taught to be dignified and tasteful. Antarans are ethnic Anadilians.
Culture & Society
- Main article: Antaran Culture
- Main article: Antaran Social Structure
- Main article: Immigration Policy of Antara
The nations of Antara and Eturia - or what is known as Heartland Danetia - are two of the world's oldest civilizations. They share many common cultural roots and have been the wellsprings of Danetian culture for countless centuries. From current times Antara has over six millennia of written history behind it. Both can claim credit for the formation of traditions which the other would later adopt. Two good cross examples are the Antaran and Etrurian meritocracies that mirror one another, and the Antaran adoption of the Agoge. It may be that the Guardians of the State and the Adamantine Order drew their inspirations from the same source of ancient times. Both organizations are so ancient their roots are obscured by long centuries of historical fog.
Antarans are well-ordered, disciplined people who live in a deeply nationalist and militaristic society. They have a deep love for their nation and hold an almost unquestioningly powerful love and fealty for the Praetor. To the Antarans, Antara is more than just a nation, it is an ideal. It is the unifying belief that holds all Antara together, that they are part of something greater and more awesome than they alone can comprehend.
Antaran art tends to be powerful and dramatic. The portraits, paintings, sculpture, and so forth conveys powerful messages and great moments in history. There is a great emphasis on masculine strength and feminine elegance. Works from the Second and early Third Ages fetch impressive prices at auctions, and much of the most important artwork from those periods has been acquired by the State and is held in trust. Also, Antarans enjoy games that challenge and exercise the mind, typically using strategy or careful planning. Such games include Cazaak, Kadis-Kot, Tongo and Dejarik. One Antaran game that involves odds and betting that is enjoyed is Dabo. It is played at game houses around the nation.
Antara has been patriarchal since its history was first written. Women are home makers, raisers of children, and supporters of their family. They do not hold public or political office, and they do not serve in any front line capacity in the military. The men are strong, brave soldiers and leaders, and the women are elegant, soft, and supportive.
The family is everything to an Antaran. From the powerful Great Houses to the most modest families of the nation, one considers family sacrosanct. Since time immemorial the things most sacred to Antara have been their honor, their family, and their service.
The people also have a series of important holidays they celebrate each year. Each one commemorates or pays honor to a critical facet of Antaran society and culture, and these days are not only days of celebration but days of remembrance and reflection.
Education
- Main article: Antaran Education
Education in Antara is tough but effective. It hardens young Antarans and prepares them for their futures, whatever they may be doing. Physical fitness is stressed as heavily as study is, and is part of the reason why Antarans have such an impressive life expectancy.
The education system in Antara forms every boy and girl from their early years. Attendance is from age 5 until age 16. It prepares them for life in Antara and teaches them the discipline and skills that will serve them well throughout their lives. For many centuries Antara has employed the Agoge, a tradition it shares with Etruria, to harden its young men into leaders and soldiers who will serve their nation well in their lives.
A commodity of those whose ambitions drive them towards success, education is a necessity for such ambitions to become reality. While not everyone completes education, most do in order to succeed and make a sound and prosperous life for themselves. Eleven years of schooling is applied, and the nation enjoys a literacy rate of around 98.1%.
In order to become an officer in the Munitorum Antara a minimum of a Bachelor degree is required in a vocation or professional course. Becoming a senior line officer requires a Master degree. The highest positions of authority and leadership demand a PhD of those who fill them.
All who complete general education - primary and secondary - can go on to university or attend a vocational technicum. These choices can affect one's movement through the hierarchy of any firm in Antara. Additional education later can be acquired if one seeks to move higher or has need or interest in attaining it.
Fashion
- Main article: Antaran Fashion
While many modern nations don business suits and the like, the people of Antara continue to wear the robes that were for untold centuries the main style of fashion. Fashioned from modern materials and using more modern styles, they vary from the light and breathy to the heavier and more formal. Antaran women will, in their older age, wear tasteful light veils around their heads, often as part of what is called a selat, or "wisdom band", which can be a circlet or a small skullcap-like affair.
In some ways, robes are worn to convey a certain standing within Antaran government or society. Robes of the deepest Antaran Blue are worn by the Priests of Arkanon, recognized by their simple but elegant, clean-cut design. The Adamantine Lords wear fine robes of jet black and scarlet, while the Praetor himself wears similar robes with deep Imperial Antaran purple instead of scarlet. The Senators wear silk robes of cobalt blue and black.
In older age, Antarans tend to wear lighter colors than they would in their younger years. For example, Antaran women begin wearing whites and soft shades in their early seventies and late sixties, while men do not transtition to lighter colors until their early seventies. Men do not, however, wear white and also do not wear certain light shades. Despite the seeming archaic fashion, the Antaran robes continue to hold a popular niche in world fashion, and are mimicked in many nations for both formal and private function.
Healthcare
The healthcare system of Antara is subsidized for general and preventive care for all Antarans who are citizens or above within the social structure. Civilians are required to pay half of all medical costs themselves. Advanced and severe procedures are paid for by the patient and their SMS provider at a 50-50 arrangement, regardless of social status. Antaran healthcare focuses primarily on preventive care, good nutrition, exercise and maintaining healthy habits. In this way, overall national health is improved.
All doctors, nurses, and hospitals work within the State Medical Service, or SMS, as the healthcare network of Antara is formally known. They are all subordinate to the oversight of the Public Health Ministry, a branch of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Annually, all employers pay a set rate allotment into the healthcare funds of the Dominion based upon the size of their manpower pool. Also, employees themselves may request that their employer withdraw a maximum of 2% of their regular paycheck to be contributed to the SMS. Private medical firms may be employed for care, but payment for these is the responsibility of the patient and is handled via a pre-arranged payment plan. Antarans can sign up for a private medical insurance, but the costs of this are solely theirs to bear.
Many towns have their own hospital. These facilities are modern and well-equipped, with staff prepared for emergency and life-threatening situations. Each prefecture of the twelve provinces has a number of major hospitals able to handle almost all routine and emergency medical problems. The major cities, such as Cedelphia, Bamz Amschend or Waterdeep have several large medical centers, with specialized facilities for numerous specific needs.
Life expectancy in Antara is 71.1 years for males and 73.2 years for females, with an average of 70.8 years. Antara has 1.95 physicians and 11.16 hospital beds per 1,000 residents.
Cardiovascular diseases account for the bulk of Antara's deaths at 64% of all fatalities. Cancers, at 10%, and external causes, such as accidents and suicides, at 10%, are the next leading causes of death. Other significant causes of death include digestive diseases (5.8%), ill-defined causes (5.5%), and respiratory diseases (4.7%).
As with countries like Etruria and Odessa the healthcare system of Antara makes use of Eugenics. Deviants may be considered for sterilization or euthanasia (mercy killings). Those who are covered under the Eugenics policy, according to the policies of the Eugenics Management Division of the SDDC, are the mentally ill, those afflicted congenital diseases, the severely physically handicapped, and deviant and violent criminals. The State brushes aside any protests of this by foreign sources. Attempts at forcing the State to modify or abandon this practice typically result in the protesters being arrested as socio-endangering deviants.
Justice
- Main article: Antaran Justice
The justice system in Antara is hard. It challenges those charged with crimes and forces them to prove their innocence or face the consequences. The State supports capital punishment, and those charged with crimes deserving such are regularly hanged. The legal system establishes protections for those who are victims, and in essence the system will challenge the very right of a criminal to be considered Antaran, which is in and of itself a serious thing to question.
Religion
- Main article: Ecclesiarchy
The Antaran state faith, known as the Ecclesiarchy, brings religious unity to the nation. Its doctrines teach strength of spirit and mind, and faith in a greater power, in exchange for the rewards of eternal life after death. It preaches the doctrines of hard work, duty, discipline, loyalty, and personal humility. The State is highly tolerant of other religions, but the Ecclesiarchy is the only publicly-practiced religion in the nation.
Antara is deeply religious by nature, giving regular prayers for its endurance through the long centuries and the vibrance, stability and plenty of its lands. Many inspirational operas and symphonies have been dedicated to Arkanon over the years. Others mourn those whose lives were lost in tragedy. The most famous example of this is the deeply moving Lament of the Lionborne.
Military Might
- Main article: Munitorum Antara
Antara prides itself on the strength of its war machine, capable of defending or attacking as necessities may require, anywhere in the world. Long has Antara been one of the world's mightiest military powers, from its early centuries of empire to modern day. The nation's military, and service therein, form a powerful foundation for the culture and society of the land.
The Munitorum has an extensive array of troops, machinery, and equipment capable of combat operations in any environment, in virtually any set of conditions. This includes incinerator and purge troopers, radtroopers and even coldtroopers, to name just a few.
The elite of the Munitorum are ancient forces of soldiers with long and storied histories. From its elite legions - the Dark Lighters, the Twilight Hammer, the Azure Hammer, and the Stormpike to its line forces, the Munitorum stands both as a guardian of peace and order and as an example of a war machine run by strict discipline and rigid training and tradition.
Foreign Relations
- Main article: Foreign Relations of Antara
Foreign relations are an important part of Dominion policy. Maintaining positive relations with all nations is ideal, but the realists at the National Palace know that is not possible. Nevertheless, the centuries of patience Antarans are known for is put to good use in the fine art of diplomatic advance.
Antaran State diplomatic policy still follows the tradition and practice established by Vetrello Belesarious - a strict policy of diplomacy through strength and cunning combined with a gentlemanly approach by traditional Antaran cultural practice.
Prominent Locations
- Main article: Famous Sites of Antara
Antara is littered with sites of rich historical heritage, places of great import to the growth and legacy of greatness that Antara proudly displays.
Beautiful, ancient and elegant, Antara is a nation that maintains its magnificent history through careful maintenance and protection of the sites considered most sacred to its history. While many nations look upon Antara and see nothing but its pride and what it has done to glorify the vibrant and richly-appointed tapestry of its history. But Antaran culture and tradition dictate a stricter and quieter way.
