Otisco

Rectory of Otisco
Overseas territory of Urcea
A creek on Skanateles
Flag
Location of Otisco (green) in northern Crona (gray). Other dependencies of Urcea and NSTA members are depicted in light green.
Otisco Purchase	17 January 2032
Cathedral City	Fort St. Francis
Government
• Rector	Ambrose Hartnett
Area
• Land	10,682.3 sq mi (27,667 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	Undetermined
Demonym	Otiscan

Otisco is a Urcean territory in northern Crona. It sits in the northern end of the Nysdra Sea and borders Venua'tino. The territory was acquired via the Otisco Purchase in the 2030s from the Owasco people and was established as a territory for the distinct purpose of foreign settlement. Prior to its acquisition, Otisco was a lightly inhabited portion of the broader territory of Venua'tino. The territory was used, for a time, as a Varshani military outpost before their withdrawal from the area in 1964.

Etymology

Otisco, also sometimes Ostisco, is the Owasco-language name for "bitternut hickory". The application of this name is explained by most Owasco historians to describe the fact that this plant, which is functionally absent from the rest of Venua'tino, grew on Skanateles and the Martis Peninsula. The presence of this unusual plant became the most remarkable characteristic of the area, hence the name. Botanists believe the plant may have been inadvertently transported to the region during either the Quetzen or Varshani occupations, likely traveling as seeds in the dung of animals transported to the area.

Geography

The Otisco Rectory is comprised of two distinct landmasses separated by Phenic's Strait. South of Phenic's Strait is Skanateles, an island in the Nysdra Sea. Skanateles is relatively featureless, topographically speaking, and in terms of climate it is covered almost entirely by boreal forests, with some coastal clearings where previous human activity took place during the period of Varshani domination. North of Phenic's Strait is the Martis Peninsula, whose coastal lowlands are similar in climate and appearance to Skanateles. Despite the presence of mainland flora, the climate of Skanateles is generally considered by some climatologists to be Oceanic climate, as it is warmer than most of the adjacent mainland area. Further inland, the Martis Peninsula area elevates to about 50-90 feet above sea level, gently sloping upward with a handful of rocky outcroppings giving the landscape some definition. Administratively, the Rectory is divided into the "Insular Area" and "Peninsular Area", covering Skanateles and Martis, respectively.

Otisco is sparsely inhabited and can be roughly divided into five distinct areas in terms of human geography. The derisively named "colonial zone" sits on the southern shore of Skanateles and is centered on Fort St. Francis, the Urcean-built settlement serving as cathedral city of the rectory. Fort St. Francis and the rest of the colonial zone is primarily composed of Varshani refguees as well as veterans of the Royal and Imperial Army granted land here as compensation for their service in the Final War of the Deluge. The second area, the "penal zone", sits on the northern end of Skanateles and is primarily centered around Arononia, a penal colony established for various participants of the Pachoy Rebellion. The third area, the "future area", represents the southern tip of the Martis Peninsula, a mostly uninhabited area which has been surveyed and parceled out into portions of future development. The fourth area is the "old area", representing the very northwestern and eastern periphery of the territory of the Martis Peninsula. The old area is still inhabited by small numbers of Owasco people, some of whom live on the land permanently in small settlements while most Owasco in the area are pastoral farmers who enter and exit the territory seasonally.

History

Venua history and the Owasco

Main article: Venua'tino

For all of its history until 2032, Otisco was part of a larger region known as Venua'tino, and for most of recorded history it was a peripheral part of the tribal lands of the Owasco peoples. During its association with the Owasco, the territory now known as Otisco came under foreign hegemony twice: first, at the hands of the Quetzen during their northern hegemony from about 1440 to 1640, then; at the hands of Varshan, during its Polar Captaincy period which lasted from 1652 through 1964. During both of these periods, what Owasco peoples there were were displaced by the southerners, as the territory of Otisco provided useful harbors and an island from which to project power. Following the withdrawal of Varshan in the 1960s, its military installations in Otisco were abandoned, and ethnic Varshanis living in the area withdrew. The Owasco tribe reestablished limited political control over the sparsely populated area which was recognized by the new League Mandate for Venua'tino administered by Urcea. Urcea negotiated certain rights in the territory in the 2020s and began to resettle Varshani refugees, particularly those from the lower castes, in the area of Otisco. Applications for settlement were taken under the guise of "repatriation" - that is, the refugees claimed their ancestors were brought to slavery in Varshan from Venua'tino, though international observers and geneticists proved that most refugees were of varied origin and that Urcean officials did not diligently require proof of ancestry. By 2031, 2,000 Varshanis had been relocated to or were approved to be relocated to the territory.

In the 2030s, the Owasco negotiated a sale for the territory known as the Otisco Purchase. The Owasco negotiated the agreement in lieu of pursuing damages against the Urcean government; since the 2020s and before, Otisco had been the site of various Urcean operations and plans that were included in while also going beyond the agreed cession of rights from the 2020s. On several occasions, according to the Owasco, the Urcean government had asked for the right to settle Royal and Imperial Army veterans on the island of Skanateles or to place a Royal Navy base there or both. The Owasco leaders claimed these efforts, both attempted and realized, had become obtrusive to their affairs and planned to pursue damages against Urcea in the International Justice Court. Instead of going to court, the Urcean government offered to purchase the territory outright for $100 billion USD, an extremely large sum. The Owasco agreed, and the Otisco Purchase was concluded on 17 January 2032. In addition to the monetary compensation, as part of the purchase agreement, the Urcean government agreed to shift its nationbuilding responsibilities in Venua'tino towards the Owasco people.

Rectory established

The day the Otisco Purchase was signed - 17 January 2032 - it took effect. Accordingly, that day the Conshilía Daoni approved the sale and also passed the Governance in North Nysdra Act, formally establishing Otisco's Rectory government. The first Rector, Ambrose Hartnett, was dispatched to Otisco in the early morning hours of 18 January. From 18 January until 20 February, Hartnett governed the territory from the Mandate headquarters in Shenendehowa Bay as the first major refugee settlement-city, Fort St. Francis, was still being assembled. The Rectory government moved into Fort St. Francis - a settlement on Skanateles of about a thousand Varshanis and four hundred Urceans in prefabricated structures and trailers - at noon on 20 February.

Pachoy penal colony

The Pachoy Rebellion in Pachaug created a large number of criminals who had participated in an unlawful uprising against Pachaug's government. Due to the small nature of the country as well as the politically problematic status of many of the rebellion's leaders, it was determined that the criminals would have to be detained outside of Pachaug's borders. This was accentuated by the fact that many of its leaders and most prominent fighters were sentenced to life in exile. Accordingly, in November, a joint meeting of NSTA leaders determined to create a penal colony on the northern tip of Skanateles. The Royal and Imperial Army corps of engineers began to lay out a basic grid system, imported hundreds of trailers and prefabricated buildings, and several public administrators were hired from Levantia to offer basic services in the new penal colony. The prisoners began to arrive in late December, choosing to call their new city Arononia - named for their leader Mikaere Arono. The city was formally chartered on 17 January 2033 under this name. The city was divided into a "cordoned" district - that is, the inner part of the city from which access in-and-out was loosely restricted as a condition of the exile - and the "support" district, made up of Levantine and Cusinauti employees who work in public administration and private enterprises in and around the city. In July 2033, families of exiles were allowed to relocate to the city. In 2034, access in and out of the cordoned district was loosened further, with new foreign transport security measures placed on the territory as a whole instead, and most but all of the senior leaders were given reduced terms which would expire in 2045, though they remained legally exiled from Pachaug. As of 2035, the population of Arononia was approximately 1,200, about half of whom were Pachoy and the other half were Cusinauti or Levantine.

Government

Otisco is a civil rectory of Urcea; as such, it is governed as an overseas territory in accordance with the provisions of the Rectory and Overseas Territory Law. The territory is governed by a Rector appointed by the Apostolic King of Urcea by the non-binding advice of the Government of Urcea.

Culture

As a relatively newly settled area, Otisco has an extremely mixed culture which largely differs by individual settlement and geographic area. In its northern periphery, the Owasco people occupy the land on a semi-transitory basis, practicing their traditional social mores and customs on those lands as they have for generations. On the island of Skanateles, several transplanted cultures - of both Cronan and Levantine descent and influence - exist in different settlements constructed since 2032.

Demographics

As of the early 2030s, the current total population of Otisco is undetermined. Approximately 2,000 Varshani people had been relocated to the territory by mid-2032, primarily from the Seneca Islands. Many people from the Owasco peoples live on the periphery of the territory, though exact territorial boundaries and how they relate to extant communities (including grazing and nomadic groups) have not been precisely surveyed as of 2032. Besides the refugee population, several hundred ethnic Varshanis from the Polar Captaincy period which ended in the 1960s are thought to remain in the territory, either in small villages or living in isolated locations. Several hundred Urcean administrators and military personnel have relocated to the territory on a semi-permanent basis as part of their various assignments.

Economy

Otisco's economy is extremely rudimentary as of 2032, with the largest industries being construction, housing, and real estate largely done by the Urcean government in order to develop settlements in the territory. On the part of its inhabitants, beyond participating in the construction of the territory, subsistence fishing and basic level agriculture are the largest economic sectors in the country. A significant portion of the population was engaged in labor, as of 2032, related to construction of housing and infrastructure.