Faneria

Faneria (Fhs. Fhainnlannacharean) is a unitary parliamentary republic situated in northern Levantia. Largely dominated by a Fhainnin Gaelic population in its more heavily populated southern regions along the Vandarch Sea, the country includes Gothic, Coscivian, and Aenglish-origin minorities for a total population of over 351 million. It consists of twenty-nine metropolitan provinces, one overseas province, two territories, and two semiautonomous Republics which span roughly 1.9 million square miles; it borders Kiravian Scapa to the northwest by sea, Caergwynn to the north and east, and Fiannria to the east, as well as sharing maritime borders with several nations across the Vandarch. The national language is Fhasen.

Republic of the Fhainn Respoblachd an Fhainnlannachaeran
Flag
Motto: Monadh Dealach Rinn Níl No Mountain may Divide Us
Anthem: Kurikilan Fires
Capital	Oirthidún
Largest	Teindùn
Official languages	Fhasen (Fhs.)
Recognised national languages	Fhasen
Recognised regional languages	Aenglish, Coscivian
Ethnic groups	Fhainn, Aengles, Coscivians, Latins, others
Demonym(s)	Fhain (s), Fhainn (p), Fhainnin (adj.)
Government	Unitary Quaternalist Republic
• Director	Cían Walaerin
• Taesteach	Sair Luthair
Establishment
• Principalities	est. 500 BC-1398
• Elective Monarchy	1398-1830
• Constitutional Monarchy	1830-1906
• Fhainnin Civil War	1906-1909
• Fhainnin Popular Republic	1909-1917
• Republic of the Fhainn	1917-present
Area
•	3,087,291 km2 (1,192,010 sq mi)
Population
• 2027 census	351,252,312 216,846,102 citizens
• Density	117.98/km2 (305.6/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)	estimate
• Total	$18,117,332,411,669 ฿23,914,878,783,403 ₮9,290,939,698,292
• Per capita	$49738.41 ฿65,654.71 ₮26,450.90
Gini (2027)	45.8 medium
HDI (2027)	0.851 very high
Currency	Barra, Taler (฿, ₮)
Time zone	UTC0 (Solisbury Mean Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+0
Date format	dd-mm-yy
Driving side	right side
Calling code	+68
ISO 3166 code'	FH

History

Main article: History of Faneria

Geography

Faneria's geography is demarcated visibly by the distinct regions created by the Deamhain mountain range and its constituent parts. In broad terms, metropolitan Faneria is separated into the lowlands surrounding the Vandarch Sea, or the Northern Vandarch Basin (commonly simply the Basin, with the term rarely being used in relation to the Gothic Vandarch), the mountainous regions themselves, and the northern and eastern coastal regions. While large intermediate regions exist in eastern Faneria, the northern regions and mountainous spine of the country typically see boreal or even subarctic conditions for a large portion of the year, while the Vandarch Basin is considerably more temperate with occasional deep winters due to the warming effect of the inland sea.

Two primary mountain ranges, the greater Deamhainns and the Hadraeons, dominate the highland regions of the country. Of the two, the Deamhainns are the more prominent, bisecting the country east-to-west through several local ranges. In the west, they are composed of the Croilaen and Lesser Deamhain mountains, with the Connsmountains and Giath Mountains forming the eastern portion of the wider range. Between each are varying low-lying hilly and more passable mountainous regions, and the Croilaens divide the West Coast from the Vandarch Basin , while the Connsmountains create a similar chokepoint in Dunlann at the midpoint of the Basin, geographically insulating south-central Faneria.

Climate and Hydrology

Precipitation varies highly within the country, with high annual rainfall along the northwestern and western coasts of the country at the terminal reaches of the Kilikas Storm Belt and the inland eastern end of the country dipping into semi-arid grasslands. Most rivers in southern Faneria empty into the Vandarch Sea, and flood irregularly depending on seasonal snowmelts or after particularly intense storm patterns in the Kilikas. Large portions of the coast on both the Vandarch and the Kilikas historically were wetlands, with many of these regions being dredged or dried out by human intervention, which has markedly altered the makeup of wildlife present in most lowland areas in the country.

Geographic Regions

Vandarch Basin

Main article: Vandarch Sea

Aleghny Dam, completed in 1977 in southern Connstalmh, is the innermost of the fourteen major dams along the primary branch of the Rhydheas River.

The Vandarch Sea is arguably the important cultural and geographic features of Faneria, and is critical both to the history of its human habitation as well as its ecology and hydropshere. Nearly all rivers in southern Faneria drain into the Vandarch, and the Basin in its entirety spans roughly ninety percent of the Fanerian Vandarch coast, nestled between several major mountain ranges and the freshwater sea. Vandarch flora and fauna were and remain important in the iconography, diet, and rapid growth of the populations within the Basin, including the Vandarch's edible algae and seaweed blooms, prolific seafoods such as the Vandarch pike and Northern Blue Eel, and national symbols like the Whitegill Eel and George's Grenadier Conch.

The Vandarch Basin was historically heavily wooded (with national parks and conservaton efforts being key to retaining and expanding the remaining woodlands), and is broken up by hills in its western and northerly reaches. To the east, the Basin extends into large arable fields and coastal cliff formations near and across the Fiannrian border in Costaban. Soil in the region varies across the board, with more clays in the northern and western reaches and silty soild being more common in the east; as a result, the most ideal wide tracts of arable land are in the central and inland eastern parts of the Basin. The region recieves rainfall primarily from the Kilikas Storm Belt and Dericania, with the former breaking apart on the mountains separating the Kilikas from the Basin and creating a climate which, while temperate, is occasionally subjected to harsh winter conditions in spite of the warming effect of the inland Sea. The resulting rivers are partially seasonal, and flood naturally in the western and central Vandarch in particular. While much of the coast and lowlands of the region consisted of wetlands in antiquity, extensive systems of damming, embankments, canals, and sleeper dikes built up over the history of the region have resulted in one of the most dense networks of waterway controls anywhere in the world. In some cases, this has included dredging and the expansion of natural waterways to allow riverine trade hundreds of miles inland. Unsurprisingly, freshwater and the control of waterways plays a significant role in the culture of Faneria to the point of influencing modern religious symbolism and affecting artistic, civic, and even legal norms in the country.

The Vandarch Basin is the undisputed geopolitical core of the country, with industry, trade, population, and political power orbiting around the region. The eastern Basin acts as a rye and barley breadbasket along with the so-called 'fish basket' of the Vandarch Sea and its tributaries, while the coastline and regions around the primary rivers leading to the Vandarch support the largest cities in the country. This population center has at every point in Faneria's history since the arrival of human inhabitants been the main center of political power in northern Ultmar, leading to a perception among Fanerians of the region as the center of Fhainnin civilization.

Kilikas Coast

Main article: Kilikas Sea

The regions of metropolitan Faneria bordering the Kilikas coast routinely experience harsh winters and the brunt of landfalls by storms from the Kilikas Storm Belt. As a result, the region is both largely ecologically intact (compared to the south) and underdeveloped. The westernmost province of the region, Cost Tairne, borders the far more populous and wealthy West coast, and is known for much of its coast being populated with rocky beaches and frequent cliffscapes. The remainder of the region is primarily covered in pine forests and smaller cities hugging the coast and rivers. The north coast, similarly to the Transisthmus, posessed a long history of resistance to conquest and subsequent Fhasenization, cemented by its establishment as a Pale of Tolerance for Protestant churches in the nineteenth century.

Nordskan Coast

Main article: Sea of Nordska

West Coast

Sometimes reffered to as the Cisisthmus, the western coast of Faneria rests on the Bay of Kuril, which is partially protected from the conditions of the Kilikas Sea by Suderavia. The coast is known for its large number of small islands and islets, complex bays and inlets, and frequently sandbar- and rock-riddled waterways which make litttoral travel dangerous. The inland portions of the region are heavily hilled and wooded with a mix of pines and other mostly coniferous trees, and have an extensive above-fround freshwater system with groundwater reservoirs typically contaminated by salt. Soil in the region consists primarily of loamy clay, with larger deposits of loam to the southern end and near the Croilaen Gap. Historically colonized by Coscivian settlers, the region has a mix of local, imported, and Kiravic culture, architecture, and wildlife, and prior to the Second Century B.C. included the largest cities in modern Faneria. The West Coast was one of the first colonial posessions of the Kingdom of the Fhainn and as a result has been the site of a large number of civil engineering works and dams to handle Kilikas stormfalls, as well as the world's largest artificially navigable bay, Rihsbay, which was deepened to allow for commercial shipping beginning in 1634 and concluding in 1878.

Transisthmus

The Transisthmus is a region of Faneria separated overland from the bulk of the country by the Ereglasian Isthmus, which is currently split by the League of Nations-governed Vandarch Canal Zone since 1942. The region was primarily divided historically between the countries of Nieve and Culriocha, which were annexed by Faneria after the West Vandarch War in the 18th Century following a succession crisis engineered to copy the earlier success of the Saelish Partition. While the Namhevish gothic people were politically dominant in the region, settlement and the larger existing Culriochan gael population lead to the region being hotbed of repeated secession movements and rebellions until the beginning of the Transisthmus Peace Process.

The Transisthmus is relatively sheltered from the Kilikas Storm Belt by continental southern Ultmar, and is relatively flat with the exception of low hill ranges along its southern regions breached occasionally by smaller rivers. The climate, similar to the Vandarch Basin, is relatively temperate with occasional deep freezes, but with a more maritime climate and acting as a common recipient of the occasional rogue storm dissapating over the Isthmus or extreme west of the Vandarch Sea. Lake Prebha forms a large, shallow lake in the center of the eastern Transisthmus, and relatively dense groundwater coverage makes preservation of the freshwater and saltwater bodies to either side of the region important to maintaining the regional ecosystems.

Government

Main article: Government of Faneria

National Government

Directorate of the Republic

Main article: Directorate of the Republic of the Fhainn

National Assembly

Main article: National Assembly of the Republic of the Fhainn

National Audit Council

Main article: National Audit Council (Faneria)

Economic Administration Board

Main article: National Economic Administration Council (Faneria)

Politics

Main article: Politics of Faneria

Demographics

Faneria's population was recorded as 374,252,312 persons as of the 2027 Annual Census, making Faneria the ninth most populous country in the world and the fourth most populous in Levantia, just behind Burgundie. Population growth varies by region within the country, with an overall slight population growth year on year. Tax incentives in favor of 1-3 children families have contributed to population management since the 1980s.

Human Geography

Faneria's population can be broken into several major groups largely by geographic belts, with a great degree of subnational admixture between ethnic subgroups in the country making distinctive cultural regions difficult to accurately portray beyond generalizations. The majority of the population (roughly seventy percent) live within the Vandarch Basin, with another fifteen percent living in the Transisthmus and western coast; the remainder are spread into mountain communities and along the northern coasts, with marginal populations in the overseas territories.

The country's largest city by population is Teindún, a conglomeration of several cities north of the capital, Oirthidún, both of which straddle the Rhydwel River. Its second largest city is Sethsport, with Rihsport third, Oirthidùn itself fourth, and Leighlinbridge fifth. Rihsport and Hazelston-Dúnby, the latter of which is located in the Transisthmus, are the largest cities by population and physical area outside of the Vandarch Basin.

Ethnic Groups

Primary Selected Ethnicity (2025 National Census)

  Fhainn (Mar./Leu./Shea.) (57.8%)

  Fhainn (Sael./Cas./Par.) (17.9%)

  Other Gael (Cul./Other) (6.1%)

  Aenglish Goth (4.2%)

  Neitic Goth (Namhevish) (5.2%)

  Werdachi Goth (1.5%)

  Coscivian (4.6%)

  Other Occidental (1.9%)

  Cronan/Alshar-Audonian (0.8%)

The ethnic makeup of the country is fairly broad among nations in northern Levantia, with the primary ethnic group being the Marfhainn, or Sea Fhainn (typically shortened to Fhainn). This group originates around the Vandarch Sea which gives it its name; Marfhainn and forms the cultural and linguistic core of the country, and a significant plurality of the country's population consist of ethnic groups related to the Fhainn. The Leufhainn in the eastern Vandarch basin and the Sheafhainn of western coastal Faneria descend directly from tribes related to the ancestors of the Marfhainn are only slightly distinct; others, such as the Saelish people, centered in Sorhaithe, and the Parvefhainn and Cascufhainn, who live along the Kilikas coast and the mountain belts of the interior respectively, have their own defined histories and cultures which to varying degrees have been diluted by Marfhainn hegemony. Among gaelic Fanerians, the Saelish and the Culriochan gaels are the least related to the Marfhainn aside from Caeric and Faeskt populations near the northern and eastern borders.

Significantly smaller in size but outsized in historic relevance are the non-gaelic peoples of Faneria. Werdachi, remnants of gothic invaders in the eastern Vandarch, and the Neitic goths of modern Namhe and western Culriocha exist in a social periphery with a number of historic insurrections and separatist movements which remained unaddressed until the beginning of the Transisthmus Peace Process in the 1990s. Other groups, primarily including the Ænglish, Coscivians, Yonderrines, and Derians, have regional immigrant populations and contrubuted significantly to the development of language, technology, law, and history in the country.

Health

Faneria's Office of Civil Services has operated a basic public heathcare system since 1916, originally in the form of subsidies for medical operations. Since then, the healthcare system has expanded significantly, and now operates as a universal single-payer system with prices set by the government. Public healthcare in Faneria covers chronic conditions, basic services, and most non-elective surgeries in their entirety or majority, and works in cooperation with the large native medical production sector to maintain a high quality of service in exchange for consistent, guaranteed contracts. Initiatives in other areas, such as the particularly well-mixed diet enjoyed by many in the country, help alleviate costs and keep the system competitive with international healthcare, making the Fhainnin healthcare system marginally better ranked than Caphiria's at third place globally as of 2027, with the two countries exchanging places regularly since 2004. Faneria spends roughly 1.3 Trillion Talers annually on the healthcare system, equating to $3,490 per capita, 16.3% of the national budget, and 7% of GDP, which does not include medical research funds paid out by the Office of Commerce.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Faneria

Language

Main article: Fhasen

Faneria's de facto and legal language is Fhasen, an administrative language developed in the 17th Century to circumvent regional dialects and create a national 'high culture' to cement the largely military gains made from the 15th Century onwards. This proccess of language centralization, known as Fhasenization, played a key role in forming the modern Fanerian identity. Fhasen is the only mandatory language taught in public schools and is formally heavily regulated and standardized. Due to its nature as an artificial language, Fhasen is not mutually intelligible with other Gaelic languages such as Faeskt or Caeric. Informally, Aenglish, Baland Coscivian, Kiravic Coscivian and Culoch Gaelic are the largest non-Fhasen languages in use, as well as Faeskt and Namhene being spoken in some localities. Many regional dialects of pre-Fhasen Gaelic exist in modernity as slang or regional accents, and are in rare cases spoken as dialects in small enclaves.

While the use of Fhasen is a binding cultural element within the country, most people speak a second language, typically Aenglish. The dialect of Aenglish developed in Faneria is relatively closely related to Julian Aenglish and is commonly a conversational or trade tongue, whereas Fhasen is the language of contracts, technical instructions, and law. In 2030, census records indicated a 73% rate of multilingualism among adults 20 or over, with approximately 24% of the population self-describing as speaking three languages or more on a conversational level, typically including both Fhasen and Aenglish.

Due to the manner in which subjugated or culturally assimilated peoples were historically renamed as Fhainnin subgroups, classification of peoples within the Fhainnin people group and the country more broadly has varied by period and defining metrics. Under monarchial rule, any group conquered by or invited to immigrate to Faneria were labelled with the suffix of -fhainn to enforce a singular national identity. Since republicanization, it has been increasingly understood under language-centric government policy that people who speak Fhasen are 'Fhainnin', whereas non-speakers are refered to solely as their original group name. As a result, a Saelish person who only speaks Saelish is considered Saelish, whereas a Saelish person who speaks fluent Fhasen, even if they use Saelish in the home, is 'Saelifhainn'. This distinction also follows for foreigners (such as permanent Coscivian populations becoming 'Coscivifhainn') to be 'adopted' into the culture group. In official documentation, 'Fhainnin' is used to refer to Marfhainn, Saelifhainn, Leufhainn, Cascufhainn, Parvefhainn, and Sheafhainn; Culriochans, Caeric and Fiannrian as well as other foreign gaels are listed as 'Non-Fhainnin Gaelic' on census data, and other ethnic groups are listed as their ethnic origin; however, language status is the primary factor in legal and social status. rather than race, with Fha prerequisite to apply for public jobs, a vote permit, and plays a significant social role regardless of th

Religion

Faneria has a long history of religious toleration marred by periods of religious persecution, selective privileges towards groups such as Aenglish settlers, and reactive religious lockdown under the early Republic. Christianity was originally introduced to the country in the form of syncretic faiths, with mainstream Christian faith becoming a plurality within the Ninerivers region prior to the first local Crusades in the 12th Century AD, where faith was used mainly as a casus belli for larger lowlands states to subjugate highland clans. The Catholic Church was the predominant faith afterwards, though the country briefly switched between a lax Catholic monarchy and several state-supported Protestant sects during the First and Second Princes' Wars. Afterwards, Catholicism was officially instated as the state religion, though exceptions would be created for Aenglish Protestants, who arrived in droves on the invitation of later monarchs, as well as a blind eye being turned towards the few pagan practices extant in the various interior mountain ranges of the country.

Post-Revolution, the Fhainnin Popular Republic practiced a period of severe anticlerical activity during which baptisms, construction of new churches, public worship, and religious exemptions from all state functions and laws was observed. While intended to break the power of religion in the country, these policies proved extremely unpopular particularly in rural and semi-urban areas, leading to a relaxation of antireligious state policy. Since 1927 and the official establishment of the Republic of the Fhainn, the state has practiced a policy of Laicism, in which the state is considered a protector against religious involvement in public life. As a result, religion is typically considered a private affair, though increasing religious pushback has lead to the establishment of openly Christian-centric blocs within politics under the banner of 'traditional values'.

The country also retains small minorities of several Protestant groups, as well as a plurality of irreligious people. Other faiths exist to a lesser extent within the country but play a minimal role in social life, including pagan sects, which in spite of some growth due to population increases in the last century have been unable to reestablish themselves as notable social forces.

Cuisine

Main article: Culture of Faneria § Diet

Faneria's cuisine incredibly diverse, with a primary Fhainnin diet existing alongside regional diets centered on the local Coscivian, Aenglish, Kilikas, and Ultmarine Gothic cultures. Faneria's agricultural industry is largely centered on ranching and mixed rye and vegetable farming, with several notable wheat, wine and fruit regions in the Vandarch basin supplementing local foodstuffs. Seafoods, including crabs, fish, eels, and several species of freshwater kelp and algae being relied on heavily throughout history. Aenglish and Ultmarine Gothic cuisine in Faneria tends to favor red meats and wheat breads, whereas Kilikas and Coscivian foods rely heavily on saltwater seafoods and potatoes. Medieval dishes such as pudding bread, various stews, and smoked meats remain popular in the country alongside processed snacks and candies, with the government using vice taxes to penalize several types of junk foods.

Arts

On Gwyn's Bay, by Erich Burton

Raye's Squadron, by Erich Burton

Literature

Famous Fhainnin writers include political theorists such as Johnathan Farrier, writer of The Politics of Rifles, Callac Cananach and other republican theorists, and Tauge o'Firies, who compiled information on the legal codes, histories, and conflicts of city-states in the Vandarch Basin prior to the 1400s AD; however, Faneria has also produced a variety of fiction and entertainment writers such as Alice Auberke, who wrote one of the earliest science fiction novels, And the Sparrows Died, as well as modern authors such as George Brandt and Mel Haeman.

Currency

Main article: Barra

The Barra (Aen. Measure) serves as the primary form of legal tender in the Republic of the Fhainn since replacing Corrin (Crowns) in 1832, introducing a centrally-minted and fully decimalized currency. Throughout its use, the Barra has seen several denomination scales, with the modern bills printed at ฿1, ฿5, ฿15, ฿60, and ฿300 denominations. The currency is represented either by a ฿ or Br. symbol and is currently theoretically backed by silver, though it cannot actually be redeemed for silver at most institutions and thus is functionally a fiat currency. Currency control as a matter of economic policymaking has played a critical role in political power struggles and market domination in Faneria's past to such a degree that the structure of Fhainnin government has a fourth branch solely dedicated to the budget, financial policy, and control of the monetary supply.

Notably, the Barra was subjected to an intense and deliberate deflationary spiral in the 1940s to raise its value relative to other global currencies; this allowed Faneria to more rapidly pay war debts through funding reconstruction and a majority of the cost of the Grand Vandarch Canal's completion. These measures came at the cost of an economic depression that allowed the expansion of oligopolistic corporations, many of which remain strongly entrenched in the Fanerian economy as government contractors and industry leaders, as well as reintroducing state-owned companies into the economy for the first time since the 1906 Revolution.

See Also

• Fiannria
• Levantia
• Vandarch Sea