Stenza

Stenza, officially The Republic of Stenza, is an island country in Australis. It does not have any land borders, although the Escal Isles lie just off its eastern coast. Its capital and largest city is Rakahanga.

Little is known about Stenza's early history, with most of the country being governed by independent tribes until Corumm discovered and colonized the island in 1742. The following colonial era saw Stenzan society develop from its tribal roots into a more modern puppet state, ending in a brief period of semi-self governance during the early 20th century. A bloody war between Stenzan freedom fighters and the Corumm-aligned government followed between 1919 and 1921, resulting in A Corummese retreat from the Island. An internal struggle for power followed Stenzan Independence, ending with the rise to power of the Stenzan People's Party. The party had total control over the nation from 1922 until 2022, with the country being largely isolated from the rest of the world. This changed when the Stenzan revolution removed the Party from power and paved the way for the Republic to form.

The Republic of Stenza is a young , its head of state is the recently elected Iakopo Hsin, a charismatic public servant who was the Second Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs under the Party's rule. His Vice-President is Major General (ret.) Filemu Lung, a career intelligence officer who played a vital role in orchestrating the Stenzan revolution. Stenzan legislature is through its Democratic Congress, although the President holds the right to bypass the congress through presidential decrees.

Although historically weak economically, Stenza is currently enjoying an economic boom after opening up to new foreign markets. Both the export of Stenzan metals and the birth of a tourism industry have helped develop Stenza's economy in recent times. Although politically oppressive until recently, Stenza has a history of being socially progressive. Stenza has a high degree of gender equality, with women being fully integrated into fields such as the military. Certain soft drugs are legal and freely available in Stenza, although buyers need a bi-monthly approval from a licensed physician to avoid addiction.

Pre-Colonial Era
Little is known of the first inhabitants of Stenzan land or where they came from, with the little history that existed of this time being wiped during the Corummese occupation of the island. It is known that the native population of the island used to live together in tribal communities before the Corummese colonized the land, the tribes forming occasional trade alliances or fighting each other over minor territorial disputes. It is commonly believed that all these tribes shared a common religion, although any history of this religion has been removed in the 19th century.

Colonial Era
The colonization of Stenza almost stared by accident, when a Corummese vessel captained by Xi Haoipong suffered a major scurvy outbreak and decided to deviate off its course to find land. The land they found turned out to be Stenza, and upon returning home the crew reported of their findings. The land they had discovered was deemed interesting enough for another expedition, and within two years a Corummese community had been found in the cape of hope on the northwestern part of the island, named after the fact it brought hope to the ill sailors who discovered it. The Corummese called this city Xīwàng (Hope), but is now known as the regional capital Faamoemoe (Hope).

Corummese exploration beyond the initial settlement at Xīwàng was met with curiosity and then hostility from the local tribes, who did not trust the foreign settlers. A four decade long push into the country followed, and by 1786 the whole island was under Corummese control, with the native population being subjected to the choice of compliance or death. It is estimated that up to half the native population died during this period.

Over the course of the next 100 years the island was transformed into a rather modern mining colony, Stenzan's vast supply of metals such as Nickel and Iron being exploited by the Corummese colonizers. The local population was forced to follow Corummese culture and by 1887 the nation was a Corummese puppet state headed by a Stenzan governor named Noa Zhu. Although seemingly self-governing, Zhu was nothing more than a Corummese puppet while the nation was still ruled with a tight grip by those back in Corumm.

The next three decades were not per se bad for the Stenzan population, who enjoyed all the technological and social developments the Corummese brought to them while their land was still being exploited. Regardless of this progress, the native population was still treated as a second rate class to the Corummese colonizers, who enjoyed considerable wealth based on the labor of the Stenzans.

Independence and Civil War
Things changed rapidly for the Corummese puppet state in 1919, when a young Stenzan officer in the colonial army named Li Xhipong shot his Corummese commanding Colonel and revolted with his mostly native company. Other Stenzan units within the colonial army followed suit, and soon the Corummese and government loyal Stenzan forces were facing a well organized army of ~10,000 Stenzan soldiers who had defected from the colonial army. (The Colonial army at the time was made up of segregated Corrumese and Stenzan forces, with Corummese senior officers leading the Stenzan units at the field level.) This military force, called the Free Stenzan Army, retreated into the hills and fought the Corummese forces through asymmetric warfare, raiding military caches and arming willing civilians as they went. By the time the first regular Corummese reinforcements arrived, the Free Stenzan Army counted nearly 30,000.

A bloody war was fought over the next two years, with Corummese colonial and regular forces trying to flush out the growing independence fighters. As the war carried on, more and more Stenzans saw their opportunity to turn on their colonial overlords and public unrest became the norm, with Corrumese colonizers retreating away from their holdings to hide in cities under tight Corummese control. The war was bloody for both parties, with many Stenzan irregulars dying at the hands of more organized Corrumese units.

The war was eventually decided in the Battle of Xīwàng, when Stenzan irregular and regular forces massed overwhelmed Corummese defenses during a civil uprising among the workers inside the city. Corummese naval vessels, two freighters and a destroyer unloading supplies in the port, were captured by the attacking forces and a lot of the Corummese elite hiding in the city were captured and murdered in a widely filmed event. The fall of the Corummese capital on Stenza cut the Corummese army off from its supply chain, and after failing to retake the city on two different occasions the Corummese forces surrendered on the 2nd of August, 1921. This date was later to be known as the Day of Stenzan Independence. Stenzan independence was followed by a long month period that saw the defeated Corummese leave the island along with the majority of the colonizers, a period known in Stenzan history books as the exile of the humiliated.

All was not well for the Stenzans after chasing out the Corummese, for the celebrations of their independence were short lived. The young Lieutenant who had caused the independence movement, Li Xhipong, was hailed by many as a national hero and was to be the first leader of a free Stenza, if it were not for the rapid rise of the far left leaning Stenzan People's Party and their assassination of Xhipong. Over the next seven months, Stenzans who backed the Party and various groups who did not fought over the rule of the island, with the Party eventually coming out on top in April 1922 through the cunning military leadership of Hemi Hidao. Hidao would end up being the first chairman of the Stenzan People's Party and the leader of the country, which became known as the Stenzan People's Collective.

Totalitarian Regime
Hidao's rise to power was followed by six years of civil unrest called the pacification, this period was characterized by the party's consolidation of power throughout the country, the swift and public assassinations of anyone who doubted the Party and its ways, and the total isolation from any foreign influence by expelling all foreigners, aside from re-educated Corummese who had elected to stay after the war. Between the start of the Independence war and the end of the pacification in 1928 an estimated 35% of the Stenzan population died. By 1928 the Party's control over Stenza was firm and it could shift its focus from establishing dominance to ruling the nation. Plans were drafted to industrialize the next decade and half was spent catching up to the other nations of the world. By 1943 Stenza was an industrialized nation in its own right, most of its citizens having jobs although pay was low across the board.

The standard of living was not bad however, with the low pay being balanced out by a low cost of living. Stenzans enjoyed a relatively free society on the social level, being barred only by the major barriers that were a lack of contact with the rest of the world and a totalitarian regime that took care of anyone who disagreed with it. For Stenzans that had no desire to leave the country or doubt the party, life was well enough. By 1953 it became clear to Party officials that the initial ideology of total isolation did not pay off, Stenza was sitting on mined metals that it had no use for while lacking materials it could not locally produce and falling behind on modern technological advancements. A Stenzan party was sent to Corumm and by December of that year the Treaty of Zanshu was signed by representatives of both countries. The treaty marked the start of a strictly controlled Corummese-Stenzan trade relationship, with Stenzan metals and resources being traded for Corummese resources, medicine, technology and weaponry. Most of the imported items would later end up reverse engineered to lay a base for Stenzan spin-off products, spring boarding Stenzan technological knowledge on various fields by decades within the span of mere years.

By 1964 Stenza was entered what is commonly known as its golden era. Its industry and knowledge base had expanded to the degree where it was able to sustain itself if need be, although it still depended on Corummese trade for new international developments and other rare resources. Stenzan universities were producing the first generation of Stenzan professionals taught entirely by Stenzan professors, and both civil liberties and relative wealth grew within the boundaries of the Party's isolationism. The Stenzan military had grown well equipped with both Corummese weapons and their reverse engineered copies, with a relatively modern blue water Navy capable of protecting Stenza's borders and even projecting Stenzan naval power across the globe, which is something it never did.

The era of the Atom had not been lost on Stenza, and the isolationist nation started its own Nuclear research program in the late 1950s. Progress was not quick however, with the groundwork for the first Stenzan reactor la-1 (Sun-1) being laid in 1961 while the reactor was not finished proper until 1976. It is rumored that Lixin Ji had a hand in helping the Stenzans achieve the goal of finishing this reactor, with various sources implying Ji provided the Stenzans with knowledge and design information somewhere between 1972 and 1975. This reportedly ran on a mix of secretly imported and locally enriched Uranium. By 1993, the Stenzans performed their first and only nuclear weapons test at an undisclosed location in the Ocean of Cathay. This test, called Le La Faʻaleagaina (Devastating Sun) was reportedly a success, yielding 21 Kilotons. Stenza's nuclear program is currently spread between two civilian reactors, called Ia-2 and Ia-3, powering the capital of Rakahanga and the city of Faamoemoe respectively, and up to six undisclosed military facilities facilitating the production of Stenzan nuclear arms. Stenza is reported to have between 40 and 60 relatively low yield (max 100kt) nuclear weapons.

By 1983 the golden era ground to a halt when youth across Stenza took to the streets to demand political freedoms and the right to travel outside of Stenza. These protests, known as the youngsters' mistake, led to a massive government crackdown and twelve month long curfew, most of the involved youngsters being forced to attend long term re-education programs. The years after this incident were cold yet quiet, the happiness of the prior decades being replaced with a new-found fright for what happens to those who speak against the government while the relatively lax Party of the time was shaken to the core by the incident, tightening the squeeze on the population to avoid repeat incidents. It was around this time that the Stenzan economy peaked and slowly started declining, although the discovery of offshore oil and its export to Corumm briefly re-ignited Stenza's economy in the late 1980s.

This short boom lasted until 1992, when the Party of Corummese Democrats rose to power in Corumm and suspended the trade agreement between both countries as part of a general stance taken against foreigners. The loss of its only trade partner robbed the Stenzan economy of its only foreign connection, and for the next five years the standard of living for Stenzan citizens plummeted. It was not until 1997 that Stenza and Corumm reached a new, albeit watered down trade agreement with Corumm, incorporated as an addendum to the treaty. The return of trade with Corumm stabiilzed the Stenzan economy, although it never fully grew as it did decades before. This situation would persist until 2022, with the cost of living for Stenzans growing quicker than the GDP per capita. These last two decades of the Party's regime were characterized by bursts of violent actions taken against those considered enemies of the state, unfinished construction programs and repeated to modernize the military's equipment in large enough numbers.

2022 Revolution and Democracy
The Party's iron grip over Stenza came to a quick and unexpected end on the 23rd of April, 2022 when a group of senior military officers led by Major General Filemu Lung orchestrated the decapitation of the Party's leadership. Lung, a career intelligence officer, had long butted heads with Party officials over the influence the Party exerted over the Stenzan military and the fact that in her eyes the Party's refusal to interact on the international stage handicapped the nation's potential. Lung, along with other senior military officers such as Air Force Colonel Kun Hzan, and senior civil servants such as Second Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Iakopo Hsin, came to the conclusion that the Party would not listen to their pleas to evolve and that removing the party from power would be the only way for Stenza to avoid tearing itself apart and progress to what it could become.

The evening of the 23rd of April saw the High Executive Committee, the de facto leadership of the Stenzan People's Party, convene at a Party-owned location outside of Rakahanga known as the Garden of Hidao to privately celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Party's victory in the Stenzan Civil War. The day itself had been filled with public celebration and military parades throughout the country, with the Party's most senior leaders agreeing to spend the night privately celebrating the occasion the same way they always did: A lavish party at a location well away from the public eye.

Lung's group had known about these parties and a routine training sortie was planned for a pair of fighter-bombers from an airbase just north of Rakahanga. This base was commanded by the decorated Colonel Kun Hzang, who had ensured two flight crews loyal to the plot were flying the training sortie. Training ordinance had also been replaced with live-fire precision weapons at the direction of a junior ordinance officer loyal to the plot.

The jets took off just after midnight, heading south towards the capital to reach open waters and conduct their training sortie. The jets never made it to the capital however, for they strayed off course and were over the Garden of Hidao by 12:26 in the morning. Four 2,000lb precision bombs struck the celebrating politicians before anyone realized the jets intended harm, taking out the whole High Executive Committee in a single blow.

The days after the 23rd were chaotic. No official line of succession had been outlined by the Party, and multiple elements within the Stenzan government declared themselves the rightful successors to the High Executive Committee. News of the Party's leaders dying led to massive public protests, with locals who had up until that point feared the Party using the chaos within Stenza's government to protest the state of the nation. Although multiple government entities tried ordering military and security forces to clash with the protesting crowd, they never mobilized.

By mid-May it was agreed that the situation was untenable and Vice-Chairwoman Fiva Yeng of the Lower Executive Committee went on national television to announce major reforms within Stenza's government. The Committee would form a temporary government with other military and civil leaders to explore ways to arrange the free elections the millions in the streets had demanded, and on the 24th of July, 2023 a new constitution was voted into effect, officially creating the Republic of Stenza. Elections were planned for next September.

September came and two major political parties had formed to take part in the elections, the left-leaning Stenzan Labor Party (SLP) and right-leaning Stenzan Liberal Front (SLF). Candidates for both respective parties were Fiva Yeng, who had headed the interim government, and Iakopo Hsin, who was considered a public hero for his role in orchestrating the revolution. The race was initially tight, with no clear winner in sight until ten days before the actual election date of September 25th. It was on this day that Yeng submitted a public statement saying she felt unable to lead the nation, and wished to exercise her support for Hsin. Although the SLP managed to replace Yeng by another candidate before the elections, the SLF won by a decisive victory at 68.3%. Both houses of the Stenzan parliament would also be filled with an SLF majority.

Hsin's presidency has been a step in the right direction for Stenza so far, with many decrees being signed in the first months to continue breaking down oppressive entities of the previous regime, a process the interim government had started. Stenzan borders opened a week few months before Hsin took office, with businesses from around the world being invited to explore Stenza as a market. Stenza now has an infantile tourism industry and multiple airports are being renovated to accommodate frequent international travel comfortably. With Stenza's new outlook on international trade, the relatively cheap Stenzan metals and oil have become a product available to all who wish to import it. Early estimates indicate that Stenza's economy may grow larger than it ever has as a result of these reforms and the start of large scale international trade, with reports indicating that the per capita GDP could grow to $35,000 or even $40,000 by early 2025.

Geography
Stenza's geography is characterized by high mountain ranges, leading to most of the population living near the vast lengths of coast Stenza has to offer. Rivers and lakes are plentiful down Stenza's mountains, providing the farmers who dare settling on the hilly terrain with plenty of land to grow their produce. Stenza's mountains allow for large scale surface mining projects.

Politics and government
Stenza is a , with president Iakopo Hsin currently holding the office. The Stenzan president is aided by the Democratic Congress, a legislative body that consists of both an upper and lower house. The houses are referred to as the First and Second Council of the Stenzan Democratic Congress respectively, with new laws having to pass through the second house before going through the first. The president still has to sign off on anything passing the houses, and reserves the constitutional to veto bills and sign into effect emergency bills that are not approved by the congress. The Upper Council consists of 100 seats, while the lower has 200.

Stenza's government is highly centralized, with most of the previous totalitarian systems still in place. Regional governments have little autonomy beyond purely regional matters, and the federal government is strongly present throughout the country thanks to regional offices.

Law
Stenzan law has historically been reported as rather fair, with the few outside studies on it indicating it as criminally harsh, yet fair on a civil level. Stenzan law enforcement has been historically known to act outside the law though, with mass imprisonment and disappearances not being uncommon under the previous regime. These practices have recently been outlawed under the new government however, and Stenzan state media has reported that those imprisoned under the old regime have been released and reimbursed.

Stanza boasts two major law enforcement agencies aided by multiple specialized smaller agencies. The Stenzan National Police is the country's main federal law enforcement agency, being present throughout the whole country for basic law enforcement duties with its regional districts while also providing specialized investigative and tactical services.

Stenza's other main law enforcement agency is the Stenza Internal Forces, this military branch, under the supervision of both the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, acts as a paramilitary force capable of both enforcing Stenzan law and defending the country. The force is both highly mechanized and fully militarized, sporting military uniforms, weaponry and vehicles. These forces were previously known as the Civil Peacekeeping Force, used by the previous regime as a device of terror.

Foreign relations
Stenza has started setting up relations with various nations ever since it has opened its borders, with economic or strategic value often being cited as the reason for these relations. One notable example is Arcerion, a nation that over the last few years has become a close ally of Stenza. Stenzan-Arcer military cooperation has become frequent, and trade between both nations is both frequent and profitable. Corumm is another foreign partner of Stenza, with the nations sharing a colonial history that goes back hundreds of years. Stenza has also been doing business with Urcea on subjects such as trade and international maritime security. There is plenty of trade between Stenza and other nations, with Stenzan companies free to do business as they please.

Stenza is a member state of the League of Nations and has a seat on the League of Nations General Assembly. Stenza has also been appointed a rotating seat for 2026 on the League of Nations Security Council. Stenza also uses the Polynesian Pact to interact with the nations that share its culture, opening the door to even further economic, cultural and defensive cooperation.

Human rights
Stenza's citizens enjoy relatively fair human rights. Both same sex marriage and soft drugs have been allowed since the 1970s, with government-owned vendors selling safe soft drugs to all who are deemed medically fit and capable of buying them with a permit issued by their general practitioner to prevent addiction. Stenza has been known for its complete gender equality, a trait that dates back to its tribal heritage where both men and women were considered equally capable of filling leadership roles. Healthcare in Stenza is freely accessible to all who are insured, with insurance providers being subject to regulations to keep the prices in check.

Stenzans have not traditionally enjoyed the right to elect their own government, with only one party appearing on the voting ballots for decades. This has changed recently, and the Stenzan population is now able to vote once every four years. The shift in Stenza's government has also removed the fear to speak up against the government, with free speech being praised by the new president.

Sanitation is freely available in Stenza, and people are well fed. Government censuses show that 93% of Stenza's adults are literate. The same census shows that 42% of Stenza's adults speak more than one language, with a secondary language being mandatory in Stenzan high schools. Higher Education is not free in Stenza, but those wishing to pursue higher education can do so through a low-interest loan. Student grants are also widely available in Stenza, with future employers willing to pay for competent candidates' studies. The Stenzan government makes wide use of this system to find future civil servants and military officers.

Military
Main Article: Stenzan Armed Forces

Economy
Stenza's economy has grown considerably over the last few years, with foreign trade being a major contributor to the rise of Stenza's economy. The opening of international borders has led to a healthy flow of good both into and out of Stenza. The GDP per Capita in Stenza has grown by 13% in the last two years and is predicted to climb further, with households gaining more income to spend as the cost of living in Stenza remains relatively low. Stenza's rising economy has given birth to a growth of the already present middle class, with those in it becoming more and more financially capable.

A considerable portion of Stenza's economy is built on the surrounding oceans, with Stenzan companies being very active in the fields of maritime transportation, fishing and offshore oil gain. Stenza fulfills its oil and natural gas demand through these offshore fields, with excesses being sold internationally. Stenzan fish have become an international staple for its quality and ripe flavor. The production of seagoing vessels through Stenza's multiple shipyards also contributes to the Stenzan economy.

Land
Stenza enjoys a vast if not very efficient road network, with most minor settlements at least having one paved road loading to the major networks. Roads are not always well maintained however, and they get more treacherous the further one gets into the mountains. Rail connections are also available, with most major hubs being connected by long range trains in some way or another, a handful of mountain tunnels even exist to cross between the East and Western part of the country, with only trains being allowed through. Motorists have to either go through the mountains or board a car-carrying train, which will drive the cars through.

Stenza's road network was built on the backs of inmate-laborers throughout the sixties, seventies and eighties. Political prisoners of the old regime were generally used as cheap laborers, and through their effort Stenza was able to afford the paved road network the country has today. This has led to issues with maintaining the roads however, with the new government only slowly gaining the capacity to maintain all the roads properly. As a result, voluntary inmate labor programs still exist to help with roadside maintenance.

Air
To compensate for the sometimes questionable quality of road travel, domestic air travel is widespread. Domestic flights amount for a large portion of Stenza's east-west travel each year, and even the remotest mountain community tends to have some sort of access to air travel, be it fixed or rotary wing. Stenza has a wealth of airlines that fight for profit between Stenza's more remote communities, with the country domestically producing the right light aircraft for the job.

Stenza's islandic nature has led to seaplanes being a common mode of transportation, with both small and somewhat larger amphibian aircraft existing to fly between the mainland and the multiple islands that lie within Stenza's reach.

Sea
Stenza's coastal profile means it is a naturally seafaring nation, with a large part of its economy being built on foreign trade and fishing. Stenzan ports are known to be bustling economical centers where one can easily get lost between the containers, sailors and other commotion.

Travelling the Stenzan seas is a popular way of making one's way around Stenzan central mountain ranges, with companies offering cheap transit cruises for those who need to get across without the hurry those travelling by air tend to have. Stenza's inland waters also provide a wealth of opportunity, with both trade and travellers trade flowing up and down the rivers that connect many major Stenzan settlements.

Power
Energy in Stenza is currently produced on multiple fronts, with the first and oldest one being its fossil sources. The electrification of Stenza was built on the backs of older fossil fuel plants, with plenty being built around the country to sustain the energy grid. The late 1960s saw a new source of energy emerging in Stenza, with the country building multiple hydroelectric dams over the next few decades to shift the burden of providing electronic power away from the aging fossil plants, these dams, placed at beneficial locations along Stenza's mountainous rivers, make up for about 45% of Stenza's energy production. Stenza also operates Nuclear power, with the Ia-2 and Ia-3 powering the capital of Rakahanga and the city of Faamoemoe respectively. These reactors together are able to supply about 25% of Stenza's power needs, with the last 30% still being provided by fossil power to this day.

The Stenzan Government has pledged to eventually eliminate the country's reliance on fossil power, planning to eliminate the fossil powered plants from Stenza's power grid. The government has stated that Nuclear power will be the route through which this will be achieved, with other green energy sources being considered too ineffective or expensive to maintain. Notably, Stenzan sailors violently stood up against the suggestion to build offshore wind farms, with many claiming it would make maritime navigation and fishing difficult. The Stenzan Government has projected the need for two further, higher capacity, reactor facilities to meet both the current demand and be future proof when Stenza's energy needs grow. A multi-year government project is currently underway to budget the money required to build these plants, with the government aiming to start construction before 2027.

Culture
Stenza's culture draws a lot from two distinct sources: Its Polynesian nature as an island state, and the influence Corumm has had on its culture during the colonial era. As an effect of this, Stenzans frequently have Polynesian given names and Corummese surnames, or vice versa. Emphasis has been placed on Stenza's Polynesian heritage over the last few years however, with Stenza aiming to characterize itself as a center of Polynesian culture.

Stenza's aim to become a source of Polynesian culture is visible through the Polynesian Pact, a Stenzan-funded international organization aimed at spreading and celebrating the Polynesian culture. Through this pact, Stenza is heavily involved in cultural exchange with other partner nations. The organization provides education on Stenza's pre-colonial history and culture throughout the country itself, with museums and festivals being commonly funded by the organization.

The Stenzan workplace culture is quite traditional and normal as one may find around the world, although it is peculiar to note that the Stenzan workday consists of two seven hour shifts, one from 8AM to 3PM, and one from 3PM to 10PM. The average Stenzan works five days a week. Through Stenza's interesting workday division, most recreational activities are available either before or after work as well. It is not uncommon to see Stenzans who work the later shift to take part in recreational activities such as visiting a movie before their shift, instead of after.

The Stenzan culture, although historically distant to foreigners, is one that is very welcome to strangers at the core. It is not uncommon for Stenzans to invite visitors over to stay for dinner or even the night, and it is considered quite rude not to offer a guest food, or to deny it. Stenzans will generally bring food to whoever they are visiting, knowing they will be invited over to dinner and not wanting to be unable to contribute to the meal.

Fashion in Stenza is at a turning point. Throughout the decades since independence, Stenza has very much tried to follow the latest international trends to be considered modern, with fashion being an integral part of it. The resurgence in popularity of Stenza's Polynesian culture has caused a shift in Stenzan fashion however, with traditionally pieces becoming ever so popular among the culturally proud in Stenza. This has led to an interesting mix of traditional and modern fashion usually referred to as Stenzo-Modern, with the design culture's colorful pieces gaining attention beyond Stenza as well.