Porfíria
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Porfíria or Kiravian Cusinaut is an overseas region of the Kiravian Federacy located on the southern extreme of the Cusinaut subcontinent in northeastern Crona. The largest contiguous non-insular region of the Federacy, Porfíria comprises the provinces of Avenirskara, the Green River Colony, Northeast Territory, the Porfíria Colony ("Porfíria proper"), Rovaion, Sakandaga, Thendara, and Tioga. Porfíria borders on New Harren to the east, Wallowaki to the west, and Netansett to the north. Its history as a Kiravian settler colony begins in the 1650s, and was shaped by the development of regional and global trade networks and the unfolding of strategic competition between Kiravia, other colonial powers, and native polities. Today it is one of the better-developed territories of northern Crona, with a relatively high standard living, a product of the successful transplantation of resilient institutions from the mother country and rapid technological advancement under the Kiravian Remnant.
Porfíria (Kiravian Cusinaut) | |
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| Major cities | Érskinsar, Krivôrok, Vittēmur |
| Languages | Kiravic Coscivian, Mannaki, Burgoignesc, Kilikas-Valēkas Coscivian, Eshavian Coscivian, Ĥeiran Coscivian, Quonish |
| Type | Overseas Region |
| Provinces | |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 14,148,046 |
| Time zone | West Cronan Offset Time |
History
Pre-Colonial
The history of Porfiria stretches back to the earliest archaeological evidence of human arrival in Cusinaut from Alshar, with rudimentary fishing implements dated to about 20,000 BC having been excavated in Avenirskara and Tioga. The land was inhabited by various indigenous nations, including the Mannaki people who thrived in harmony with nature. The Sharkota, another indigenous group, also inhabited the region, and both nations developed vibrant cultures and trade networks connecting them to neighbouring peoples in Netansett.
Colonisation
Beginnings on Rovaion
The Kiravian presence in Porfíria dates to 1654 AD with their first landing on the island of Rovaion. The early exploration and colonisation of Cusinaut by Kiravians was auxiliary to the larger Kiro-Burgundian rivalry for supremacy over the new frontier of oceangoing intercontinental trade. Struggling to effectively challenge the Burgundine mercantile network in Audonia, enterprising Kiravians looked to offset this disadvantage by securing better access to the lucrative Alshar trade via an alternative sea route that would bypass the mostly Burgundine-dominated Sea of Istroya by sailing west from the Cape Colony.
Rovaion would become an important node in the Kiravian overseas trade network, serving as a permanent base for merchants trading with Oyashima, Kagoyama, and Metzetta (and later Daxia and Huoxia), linking ports in these countries to Cape Town and Sar-i-Pául, from whence Alshari wares could pass on to the valuable markets of Sarpedon or to Great Kirav itself, and where Kiravian exports (such as whiskey) could be taken on for the return voyage west. The infrastructure required to facilitate such business in Rovaion and maintain a strong naval presence there to protect the Kiravian merchant marine required more in terms of food and basic materials than was feasible to reliably import from the Cape, and more than local indigenous economies were equipped to provide at scale. This encouraged the development of a colonial primary sector manned by a transplanted productive class of Kiravian farmers, fishermen, and lumberers, and the concomitant formation of a settler society on Rovaion. This would be followed by efforts to extend settlement to nearby parts of mainland Cusinaut.
Early mainland settlements and conflict
In the early 1700s AD, there was a flurry of Kiravian and Yonderian settlement activity along the coastlines of what are now the Porfíria Colony and Avenirskara. Driven by aspirations of wealth and power, these Kiravian and Yonderian explorers established trading outposts and fortified settlements to solidify their presence in the region. These early colonies became centers of commerce, attracting merchants and craftsmen. As Kiravian and Yonderian settlements expanded, tensions between the two powers grew, and Burgundie - already locked into global colonial competition with Kiravia - was drawn in on the side of the Yonderians. Their competition for control over strategic resources and trading routes led to numerous clashes and conflicts. The struggle for dominance played out both on land and at sea, with naval battles becoming a common occurrence along Porfíria's shores. This period witnessed a series of fortified defenses being constructed to protect the interests of the Kiravians and the Yonderians and Burgittans. Forts, bastions, and batteries dotted the shoreline, acting as visible symbols of colonial power and control. Some of these fortifications still stand today, serving as reminders of Porfíria's tumultuous past. This conflict culminated in the War of the Broken Biscuit, which ended with Kiravian forces led by Adm. Hesperius Leonoix overwhelming the Yondro-Burgittan defences, forcing the cession of the Porfírian coast and Seváronsa to the Marble Emperor under the Treaty of Ampeloniki. The terms of the treaty obliged the Kiravian administration to respect the rights of the Cusinautiens (as the Yonderian colonists were called) and allow them to remain unmolested.
Inland expansion and contact with the Netanic League
Some entrepreneurial tradesmen had ventured up the Archangel River beginning in the 1680s, reaching Lake Wikipédia. The first formally sanctioned mission of upriver exploration beyond modern-day Krivôrok was the Macféden Expedition in 1688, which would chart the lake shores and courses of several rivers in what is now the Northeast Territory and Tioga and establish commercial contact with the Netanic League. The commercial significance of Cusinaut to the Occident had previously been limited to its utility as a waystation en route to Alshar and back, but the discovery of a reasonably advanced economy in the subcontinent's interior aroused new mercantile interest. Occidental trading parties would begin to call upon Netanic depôts with increasing frequency, providing an impetus for the ever-closer encroachment of Occidental outposts. These developments greatly concerned the isolationist leadership of the Netanic League, though strategic considerations would push them toward a conciliatory posture with the opening of Lichai to foreign merchants. This would trigger a wholesale reörganisation of Netanic social, economic, and political institutions from around 1700 through 1720 to support an export-based economy based heavily on cash crops such as tobacco and indigo. The Saint Michael Waterway (the Lake Wikipédia and Archangel River together) would become a critical conduit for this trade, fuelling the growth of a new corridor of Occidental settlement along the waterway and driving Kiravian efforts to shore up its control of its right bank and river delta militarily.
By this time, Porfíria had grown administratively unwieldy, due to its rapid expansion and ethnic differences among the settler population in different sections of the colony. The island of Rovaion, by now long-settled and home to the largest colonial city, Érskinsar, was calved off as a separate colony in 1705, and in 1707 the steadily growing but relatively unprofitable farming and fishing settlements along the southern coast were also separated, becoming the colony of Avenirskara. However, the whole of Kiravian Cusinaut would continue to be referred to as Porfíria even after the Porfíria Colony proper was reduced by this and subsequent revisions of colonial boundaries.
[Netansett intercourse]
Upriver expansion of Kiravian settlement was undertaken mainly by Ensciryan Coscivians and Northern Coscivians drawn by promises of landownership and new opportunities. These intrepid pioneers established communities and brought with them their rich traditions. Over time, the Ensciryans intermarried with the indigenous populations, forming unique cultural expressions and building prosperous towns and villages.
[Conflict and coëxistence with the natives]
Porfíria was originally governed from Érskinsar on the nearby island of Rovaīon. The Corned Beef Excise Dispute of 1672 moved colonists living in the mainland settlements to agitate for a separate legislature, which was granted by the Porfíria Act of 1674, though Rovaīon and the mainland settlements continued to share a high court and a governor. Rovaīon was separated from Porfíria and granted its own charter in 1680, and separate governors were appointed from 1683 onward. Ethnic differences between the majority Eshavian settler population of Rovaīon, and that of the mainland settlements (a more heterogeneous mix of Ensciryans, North Coscivians, Kir, Eshavians, and Gaels) also contributed to the demand for bifurcation. Avenirskara would later be spun off as its own colony, as would the Green River Colony and the Northeast Territory in order to provide closer supervision of these sensitive frontier regions.
Northern Tracts and the Law of Settlement
By 1704, the legal boundary of Porfíria had extended far northward into the Cusinaut interior to the border with the Northern Confederation; this land had been acquired by intermittent warfare and treaties between the colonial settlers and native peoples. This area, known as the "Northern Tracts", was largely unsettled and is roughly coterminous with modern Netansett. In colonial Cusinaut, such land claims were not effective sovereignty, but rather the right to obtain and settle indigenous lands to the exclusion of other colonial powers. Increasingly, however, border forts, trade posts, and other zones of control began to be erected by the Kiravian colonial administrators through the early-to-mid 1700s. Kiravia was able to project power in this region despite limited resources because of the fractured nature of the local tribal people, who were deeply divided by ancient political and social differences. The rising power of Kiravia led to a reconsideration of these animosities, and in 1764 the landmark Treaty of Hukon was signed by the eight most powerful tribes in the region. The Treaty bound them together in loose confederation and military alliance. From then on, the Hukon League launched ever-larger raids into southern Porfíria, devestating the economy and disrupting settlement efforts. The "Hukon War" ended in 1773 with the Treaty of Vittēmur. The Treaty pledged to prevent further settlement in the Northern Tracts but allowed existing trading posts and forts to remain, and also required the Hukon to continue to trade exclusively with Kiravia rather than with other Occidental powers or the Northern Confederation. The Treaty effectively recognized the Hukon League as the legitimate representative body of indigienous peoples in the Northern Tracts. Per the Treaty, in 1774 the new Law of Settlement was enacted, which forbid non-native peoples from settling north of a certain line within Porfíria. The Settlement line comprises Porfíria's modern northern boundary.
Colonial Economy
The colonial economy of Porfíria relied on four sectors: Maritime trade and fishing in the coastal regions and the Saint Michael Waterway; timber, shipbuilding and naval stores; agriculture, and (to a lesser extent in the colony's early stages) mining. The region's abundant coastal waters teemed with fish, providing a valuable resource for sustenance and trade. Both the Kiravians and Yonderians recognised the economic potential of these fisheries and established fishing outposts along the coastline. The fishing industry flourished, with salted and dried fish becoming a sought-after commodity in Crona and Alshar. This thriving trade network not only brought wealth to the colonies but also facilitated cultural exchange and interaction with international markets.
Trade with the Netanic League would prove to be a major driver of the Porfírian colonies' growth and development, especially after Kiravia secured military and economic dominance over Netansett in the mid-18th century AD. The wealth brought to the Porfírian ports by their reëxport of Netanic tobacco and indigo would help to fund the growth of a domestic economy and incentivise the colonial power to invest in improvements such as infrastructure and high-functioning civic institutions.
Agriculture played a significant role in the colonial economy of Porfíria, and employed the majority of Porfírian workers during the colonial period. The soil and climatic conditions of southern Cusinaut, while perhaps not ideal for agriculture in general, were nonetheless sufficiently favourable to the cultivation of Kiravian staples by farmers from the Highlands and the middle-upper latitudes of the island continent with experience farming in similar (and often harsher) environments to enable the emergence of a viable agricultural sector. The Ensciryans, with their agricultural expertise, introduced new farming techniques and crops to the region, cultivating potato, Coscivian cuckwheat, dralm, oats, and gourds. Stock raising of sheep, dairy cattle, and swine was also a major source of value. Surplus produce was traded mainly as provisions to visiting ships, and also to other colonies with lower agricultural output, such as Thýstara. Agriculture flourished especially well in the plains of Avenirskara, which remain unchallenged as the region's breadbasket to this day. The agricultural sector not only provided sustenance for the growing population but also contributed to the economic growth and social stability.
Sunderance
During the Sunderance, the colonies Thýstara and Kiravian Cusinaut remained loyal to the Federalist government of Séan Kæśek, forming the largest contiguous area of the Kiravian Remnant and the second most populous (after Æonara). Although there had been some Kirosocialist-adjacent discourse among the mining workforce in the leadup to the Civil War, socialist agitation ultimately had limited appeal for a population that consisted mainly of smallholders, independent craftsmen, and an urban mercantile class. Porfíria's resources and manpower were crucial to keeping the Remnant's economy afloat during its early stage.
The Sunderance would change the relationship between Porfíria and Netansett: As the Remnant found itself in a weakened strategic position and could ill afford trouble on its far-flung frontiers, Netansett took this opportunity to posture itself against the Kiravian Remnant militarily and diplomatically and press for renegotiation of the unequal treaties to which it had been subjected. The Kæśek government conceded to the Netanic pressure and agreed to a more equal settlement of affairs with Netansett in 1940.
Porfíria's population growth would be supplemented during the Civil War and Sunderance by anti-communist emigrés from the Kiravian Union. Primary sources indicate that many emigrés chose to settle in Porfíria because they found the climate there to be more agreeable than that of tropical Æonara.
Post-Restoration
Kiravian Reunification brought hard economic times on Porfíria and its neighbouring colonies, as they now had to compete with Great Kirav and Koskenkorva as domestic suppliers of many of the same commodities. The post-reunification economic struggle of Porfíria and similarly-situated colonies - called the 'Little Reädjustment', in contrast to the 'Great Reädjustment' on the Kiravian mainland - was the main impetus behind the formation of the Overseas Development Executive.
Despite pessimistic forecasts by some economists, who claimed that Porfíria would never financially recover from this, Porfíria financially recovered from this.
During the Deluge, Porfíria was directly involved in the Kiroquois War. It hosted numerous Kiravian military support activities during the Final War of the Deluge, and also introduced limited conscription into its provincial self-defence and civil defence forces due to fears of home-soil attacks launched from Varshan and Netansett, the first new instance of conscription in the Kiravian Federacy since the 1988 AD National Service Suspension Order.
Geography
Most of Porfíria has an oceanic climate.
Major geographic features in Porfíria include:
- Lake Wikipédia - The largest freshwater lake in Cusinaut
- Archangel River - River fed by Lake Wikipédia that forms part of the border between Porfíria and New Harren
- Tamanend Mountains - Small mountain range that occupies much of the hinterland of Porfíria, containing the source of the Green River and another river, as well as considerable mineral wealth.
- Postpallone Mountains - Form part of Porfíria's borders with New Harren and Netansett.
Major Settlements:
- Érskinsar, Rovaion
- Krivôrok, Thendara
- Vittēmur, Porfíria Colony
- Inverporfír, Porfíria Colony
- Parera, Avenirskara
- Nantuxen, Green River Colony
- Kaśiska, Tioga Colony
- Saar-Macféden, Northeast Territory
- Vómrasar, Avenirskara
- Sudhrun, Porfíria Colony
- Krummavísur, Northeast Territory
Economy
Porfíria has a well-developed and diversified economy closely integrated with the wider economy of the Kiravian Federacy. Building on a strong foundation in the primary sector - including agriculture, mining, and the harvesting of timber and fish, the modern Porfírian economy has grown and diversified considerably since the Sunderance to encompass such sectors as manufacturing, transportation, resource processing, and the service sector, the lattermost of which accounts for 58% of the region's combined GDP.
Industry
Most of Porfíria's industrial base is located in the urban centres of Rovaion and the Archangel Valley of Thendara and the Porfíria Colony. Industrial growth in the Porfírian colonies was driven mainly by abundant mineral and other natural resources, the presence of a suitably capable educated workforce and technical know-how, and the dirigist policies of the Kiravian Remnant.
The pine flannel industry blossomed in Porfíria during the late 19th century, but fell into decline during the early 1900s. Although its presence was brief, the pine flannel mills were significant as the first truly modern manufacturing business in the region.
During the Sunderance, Porfíria experienced a manufacturing boom. The loss of the Kiravian Mainland forced the relocation of many strategic heavy industrial works, and Porfíria, with its abundance of raw materials, would become the destination for many. Industrial growth was most heavily concentrated in Krivôrok, where Tredagon Arms Factory opened a large munitions plant. Many such factories shut down in the decades following Kiravian Reunification, but some have remained, albeit with considerably reduced workforces.
The Śingaróra Nuclear Power Station, located in Thendara on the shore of Lake Wikipédia, operates two CPRF and three OPR-1K pressurised water reactors with a combined generating capacity of 4,930 megawatts.
Agriculture
The climate and terrain of Porfíria are quite similar to that of Great Kirav, and colonists have had great success cultivating Kiravian staple crops such as potato, dralm, barley, Coscivian cuckwheat and oats. Crops native to Cusinaut, such as sallaw and clubfruit, are also cultivated, both by the indigenous population and on settler-owned land. Weather conditions are optimal for the growth of hops, which are produced to supply the Porfírian brewing industry, as well as for export. Livestock raising is an important activity, focused on sheep and tinav camelids introduced from Great Kirav, as well as cattle, which are kept mainly for dairy production.
In Avenirskara specifically, most settler-held agricultural land is family-owned and organised into parcels ranging from medium-sized estates to small, single-family homesteads, as a result of the distributist land tenure policies adopted during colonisation and their continuation in the colony's own property laws. Most native-held agricultural land is owned collectively, either by tribes and clans according to traditional customary law or by the governments of the autonomous Mannakidan territories. Forestry is also an important industry, and Porfíria is a rising producer of softwood timber, pine resins, and paper products. Maple sugar is the leading non-timber forest product.
Fisheries and Aquaculture
Rich stocks of cod, Capelan salmon, flounder, Cronan shad, pollock, and mackerel, and shellfish such as oysters and oceanic scallops are found in the cold waters of the Northern Approaches and the wider Sea of Saint John and Sea of Capetan. Perch is plentiful in the relatively unpolluted Archangel River.
Tourism
Tourism is a secondary, but nonetheless important source of income for the Porfírian colonies. Porfíria is said to have breathtaking natural scenery, an agreeable climate (by Kiroboreal standards), and many opportunities for hunting and fishing, which promise (or at least, offer) to make it a suitable destination for those interested in outdoor recreation. However, the great distance between Porfíria and other regions of the Federacy make travel expenses a limiting factor on domestic tourism and leave tourism revenues vulnerable to fluctuations in the price of air fare. In recent years, provincial growth ministries and chambers of commerce have mounted efforts to market the Porfírian colonies as a leisure travel destination in Alstin and Daxia.
Society and Culture
The combined population of the Porfírian provinces was 14,148,046 as of the 2030 census, a net increase of 160,000 since the preceding decennial census in 2010 AD.
Population densities are higher toward the south and east of the region, with Rovaion, Porfíria Colony, Thendara, and Avenirskara (especially its eastern countyships) being more heavily populated and more urbanised than the rest of Porfíria, where urban centres are smaller, fewer, and farther between and a much higher percentage of the population are rural.
Ethno-cultural Groups
- Coscivians: Kir, Ensciryan Coscivians, Northern/Kilikas-Valēkas Coscivians
- Cusinautiens (from Yonderre)
- Natives: Mannaki, Sharkota, others?
- Kiravian and foreign Gaels
Religion
The Coscivian Catholic Church and Insular Apostolic Church are the largest religious bodies in Porfíria. Christian congregations and religious orders played an important role in the settlement of Avenirskara in particular, and in relations between Kiravian settlers and native Cronite peoples. There is a significant minority Latin Catholic presence found mainly in the Archangel Valley and among indigenous peoples and Levantine-Kiravian enclaves. Christian religious orders are important providers of education and social services in Porfíria; a legacy of its history as a frontier region where missionary and ecclesiastical institutions usually established themselves in a local area well before the effective extension of civil authority.
Several thousand members of Abrigalast sects live in Porfíria. Most Porfírian Abrigalast communities descend (both historically and, for the most part, genetically) from two parties of Abrigalast immigrants that arrived during the early colonial period; the first in 1665 from Serikorda and the second in 1734 from Suderavia. Eager to avoid government influence due to the Christian anarchist elements of their creed, Abrigalast pioneers were often at (if not ahead of) the vanguard of official Kiravian colonisation. There are around 30 Abrigalast coöperative settlements in the Porfírian colonies and possibly a similar number of congregations without an associated coöperative. However, the Abrigalast population is difficult to enumerate because most refuse to respond to the Kiravian Census and hundreds may live off-the-grid in remote areas.
The pre-colonial religious practices of the indigenous peoples of Porfíria fall under the umbrella of M'acunism. Only 20-30% of indigenous Porfírians identify M'acunism as their confession today, with the majority having converted to Christianity. However, extensive syncretism between M'acunistic and Christian spirituality is documented in indigenous communities.
Sports
Lacrosse is the most popular sport in Porfíria. The most popular professional sports league in Porfíria is the Northern Crona Lacrosse Association (NCLA), a league with fourteen teams across Porfíria and New Harren.
Porfíria and New Harren also share a professional soccer league, the sixteen team Cusinaut Football Associated League (CFAL).
Notable Porfírians
- Ríothamus Lattaren - Kiravian Army general, known for his commands of the Multinational Peacekeeping Mission in Chappaqua, the Eastern Front of the Final War of the Deluge, and the Kiravian military administration in eastern Varshan. Born and raised in the Green River Colony.
See also