[[File:Cape father of the nation.png|thumb|330px|The grandiose [[Mausoleum of the National Father]], where Kalma’s remains are interred.]]
{{Infobox body of water
'''Melvyn Kalma’s cult of personality''' was and is still a major element of the politics of the [[the Cape|Federacy of the Cape]]. Although initiated by himself during the final years of his rule to cement his legacy as the first [[Chief of the Republic]] and [[Prime Executive]] of the Cape and the legacy of his [[Restarkism|reforms]], it was continued and popularized extensively by members of his own [[Republican Nationalist Party]] and the regime of the [[National Reclamation Government]]. It has been described as the “world’s longest-running {{wp|personality cult}}”.
| name = Vandarch
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| other_name = Wandark, Wandák, Vandar, Mar Déithaigh
The '''Vandarch''' is an inland sea which constitutes the dominant geographical feature of northwestern [[Levantia]]. Bounded by many nations and fed by many rivers, the sea has played a key role in the cultures of its coastal peoples from antiquity to the present day. The sea is hydrologically a lake, as until the completion of the [[Grand Vandarch Canal]] in 1975 it was isolated from the [[Kilikas Sea]] by the impassable marshes of the Ereglasian Isthmus. It was not however an endorheic basin until this time, as the Ereglasian marshes do drain the Vandarch into the Kilikas. As the construction of the [[Carolina Grand Canal]] caused the River Urce to flow ''into'' the lake rather than draw water out, much of southern Levantia also falls within the Vandarch's catchment area. Despite its historic isolation from the world's oceans and its relatively fresh water even after the completion of the Grand Vandarch Canal, the Vandarch was (and is) generally considered a sea by its inhabitants due to its sheer size.
==Etymology==
====Gothic====
Two competing etymologies exist for the Gothic name '''Wandark''' (''Wandák'' in modern [[Hendalarskisch]] orthography), with both agreeing that the ''Wand'' element represents the Gothic word for "wall, barrier".
The first, chiefly propounded by [[Yonderre|Yonderian]] linguists, sees the ''-ark'' suffix as stemming from an East Gothic word with the meaning "surrounding/encompassing". Although not found in other Gothic languages, this particle is well-attested in the recorded history of East Gothic. In this theory, the complete name "Wandark" can be understood as meaning either "the encompassing wall" or "that [sea] which the wall encompasses", both in reference to the Vandarch being totally surrounded by land until the 20th century.
==Overview==
Melvyn Kalma led the [[National Revolutionary Army]] in the [[Capetian War of Independence]] in the final years of the 19th century, defeating both [[Kiravia]] and [[Cartadania|Cartadanian]] [[Natalia]] to achieve Capetian independence by 1901.
Under his leadership as both first {{wp|head of state}} and {{wp|head of government}}, the modern Capetian republic, the Federacy of the Cape, was declared.
The second, favoured in [[Hendalarsk]], treats the ''-ark'' suffix as an evolution of the Old Central Gothic word ''rak'', meaning "straight" (itself from [[Proto-Gothic]] ''rakkjan'', "to straighten"). Evidence for this can be found in the [[Werdacher]] name for the sea, ''Vandrakk'', which apparently preserves the older form of the word. In this account, "Wandark" therefore means something akin to "the straight, walled [sea]", referring both to the sea's geological status as a lake for most of its history and the sea's relatively straight northwest-southeast orientation.
Under his leadership as [[Prime Executive]], Kalma embarked on a variety of reforms, {{wp|Westernization|Occidentalizing}} the Cape, and laying the groundwork for [[Cape nationalism]] and the birth of a coherent national identity from the three ethnicities that composed the country. To these ends, Kalma {{wp|secularism|secularized}} the state, enacted a Western code of fundamental rights, instituted industrializing reforms, and promoted [[Cape Coscivian]] - a form of mutually intelligible creole popular in the southern Cape Peninsula - into a national language. Doing so, he is credited by many Capetians today for transforming the Cape into a modern {{wp|nation state}} governed as a {{wp|constitutional republic}}.
Both theories converge on the idea of the sea as enclosed by land rather than opening up into a wider ocean, a notion which implies a high level of seafaring knowledge among the Gothic peoples of the southern Vandarch coast well into the ancient past.
Following his death he was honoured with a variety of titles by the Supreme National Assembly, including “the {{wp|Father of the Nation}}”, “{{wp|Pater Patriae|Father of the Fatherland}}”, “the Marshal”, and “the Great Teacher”. He is known simply in Capetian vernacular as ''Prezident'' - “the President”, held in contrast to the term ''Restarkima'', the modern term for the Capetian [[Chief of the Republic|presidency]]. He still holds the eternal chairmanship of his [[Republican Nationalist Party]].
====Gaelic====
In the Fhainnin Gaelic mythos, the Vandarch is the result of the fall of an ancient god, though the name associated with this belief (English: Godsgrave; Fhasen: Déithaigh) has in part given way to a Fhasen reinterpretation of the Gothic name 'The Barrier' (Fhasen: Tá Bacain) following the Christianization of the Ninerivers region. The term 'Mar Déithaigh' has made a resurgence in recent decades under Faneria's government's cultural conservation programs.
=History=
===Formation===
Prior to the last Ice Age, the Vandarch formed a large bay of the Kilikas Sea known as the Urvandarch Gulf and was much saltier than it is in the present day. It also shrank dramatically during the Ice Age, in line with global sea levels in that period, as Levantia to its north was trapped under an enormous ice sheet - as was the [[Kupferberg]] to its south - formed from previously liquid fresh water. Much of its current surface area, along with much of what is now Hendalarsk, Eldmora-Regulus and Yonderre, remained ice-free but was reduced to barren tundra by the combination of extreme cold and lack of moisture, forming the erstwhile Vandarch Desert (Hendalarskisch: ''Wandáschwöste'').
As the ice began to recede, two related processes took place. The influx of enormous quantities of fresh water into the shrunken Vandarch dramatically lowered its salt concentration relative to the global oceanic norm (even before the Ice Age, water circulation into and out of the Gulf was much lower than elsewhere in the world-ocean), while the post-glacial rebound caused by the sudden removal of the enormous weight of ice from northern Levantia caused the Ereglasian Isthmus to rise to sea-level. The Vandarch remains much less brackish in its southern extremes than its northern parts to this day, as circulation of water within the lake is relatively low and many of the rivers which drain into it are located in more southerly areas, while the influence of backlow through the Pervalian Isthmus is, despite the construction of the Grand Vandarch Canal, relatively limited. This difference in hydrological conditions in different areas of the Vandarch has resulted in noteworthy ecological differences across the length of the sea.
==Characteristics==
===Prehistory===
Kalma’s legacy remains arguably the central element of Capetian politics into the 21st century. Almost every Capetian city has streets named after him, a memorial in his honour, with statues and portraits found in city squares, classrooms, public offices, and Capetian embassies abroad. A large {{wp|mausoleum}} in his honour, the [[Mausoleum of the National Father]], sits above Cape Town, and the city of [[Kalmasar]], home to a majority of the Federacy’s ministries and its bureaucracy, bears his name.
=Environment=
===Coastal Countries and Settlements===
===Islands===
The Vandarch contains many tens of thousands of small islands along its coastline, which have long presented a major challenge for shipping. By far the most important island cluster in the sea is however the [[Kestrel Isles]], which are politically divided between Hendalarsk, Faneria and Yonderre. Composed of nine larger islands and hundreds of smaller ones, the archipelago separates the larger northwestern portion of the Vandarch (almost entirely under the control of Hendalarsk and Faneria) from the southeastern sector and represents a substantial barrier to navigation without the assistance of an experienced pilot. This challenging geography played a major role in the rise of the [[Pentapolis]] and the wider [[Great Trade League of the Vandarch]], since merchants overseeing the flow of goods to and from northwestern Levantia had to either find a way through the Kestrels or else risk much longer, much slower and even more dangerous overland journeys. Beyond the trading communities of the League, pirates based in the Vandarch's many bays and inlets were also not slow to recognise the opportunities for plunder and slaving posed by the Kestrels' straits.
Many other islands in the sea have long histories of habitation. Hendalarskara Christianity has a strong monastic tradition, and the Vandarch's windswept islands are natural retreats for spiritual communities and even hermits. Among the most notable is the community of [[Ísenhav]], which despite repeated raids by pirates and slavers in centuries past has been continuously inhabited by monks for almost 1,000 years, and the nunnery of [[Delkeisch]], whose mussels (farmed by the nuns) are a byword for quality in Hendalarsk.
===In society===
===Topology, Geology and Tectonics===
Although his cult of personality has been compared to that of [[Linge Chen]] in 21st century [[Corumm]], Kalma’s cult differs as it was largely constructed after his death and in honour of his progressive and democratic reforms. He remains immensely popular in the Capetian consciousness, with every government and military coup following his death invoking his memory and contributing to the cult.
===Climate===
===Ecology===
The Vandarch is the native home of several breeds of fish genetically distinct from oceanic counterparts, with some historic periods of wetlands around the Ereglasian Isthmus allowing for aquatic species to pass between the Vandarch and the Kilikas with some difficulty due to the fresh nature of the Vandarch's waters. The Sea is also host to a number of species of crustaceans and mollusks, but features no native shrimp. The Whitegill Eel, Vandarch Squash Lobster, Northern Blue Eel, Brigandine Fish, Capjaw Salmon, and the Freshwater Sliverfish are among the most well-known endemic species of fauna.
The flora of the Vandarch are similar to those in the Kilikas, but with a much greater concentration of seagrasses and kelp due to the warmer waters. Coral reefs exist in limited quantities, primarily in the eastern and southern regions of the seabed, and the sea has two species of algae mat that grow rapidly in the spring and historically have been used as food sources and fuel by coastal peoples. These algae mats are the basis of some salads in modernity, though they are generally considered a nuisance for private boatowners.
Kiravian journalist V. X. Xoman remarked that:
===Hazards===
Several dozen of the hundreds of species in the Vandarch, such as the Whitegill Eel, are considered poisonous, but almost none other than the Whitegill and some types of conch are venomous. The Vandarch has few large predators, with the generally placid Kestrel Shark being the largest at nine feet fully-grown. Swimmers are attacked on occasion by Capjaw salmon during breeding season, but such attacks are rarely fatal. The most lethal species in the Vandarch per attack are the Whitegill Eel, both from bites and improper preparation, the George's Grenadier Conch, and the Ereglasian Seanettle, a type of jellyfish which anchors itself to coral similarly to a tubeworm.
Far more destructive are the seasonal floods in the Vandarch basin, as well as less common but still occasionally destructive storms which occasionally break on the western coast of Faneria and fail to dissipate entirely while passing over land into the Vandarch Sea. While rarely anywhere near as devastating as direct impacts from the [[Kilikas Storm Belt]], these events lead to erosion and property damage on a yearly basis, as well as shaking up communities inland on the rare occasions that a storm veers along the narrow path needed to break on the Isthmus. The Vandarch commonly has thunderstorms, mostly in Autumn, but these do not reach the same intensity as oceanic storms.
{{quote|quote=Thanks to him, every Capetian lives in a society that would have not existed without his effort. The legacy of his influence bears heavily on the nation. Sure, images of his face may appear in almost all official contexts from the headers of high-school exam papers to the largest banknotes - but they also appear spontaneously as fresheners hanging from car mirrors, in posters that adorn supermarkets, and in portraits that appear everywhere from private homes to the chicest of Cape Town cafes. }}
=Human Use=
===Fishing and Biodiversity===
===Shipping===
The Vandarch has had seaborne trade since antiquity, with Gaelic and Gothic traders adopting copies of [[Great Levantia|Great Levantine]] galleys alongside traditional longboats. Latin colonies along the coast of the [[Faneria|Ninerivers]] brought goods from the south, and the Vandarch became a conduit for rapid coastal trade as well as trade crossing between southern and northern states.
After the opening of the [[Grand Vandarch Canal]], the Vandarch became a major shipping hub, forming the terminal point for trade routes passing near and through the [[Kilikas Sea]]. This had a major effect on the economies of [[Yonderre]], [[Hendalarsk]], [[Eldmora-Regulus]], and [[Hollona and Diorisia]], allowing many Vandarch-bound states access to the world oceans. It additionally had a smaller positive impact on [[Faneria]]'s economy, helping to alleviate mid-20th century economic depression after the [[Second Great War]] and preventing urban decay in the growing city of [[Sethsport]].
===In politics===
===Tourism===
[[File:Ataturk Airport Karakas-1.jpg|thumb|250px|An aerial view of [[Cape Town]]’s [[Melvyn Kalma Airport]].]]
The Vandarch is a common destination for boating sports, such as snorkeling, diving, waterskiing, and boating. Communities across national borders, especially in the Kestrel Isles, share a robust sailboating community and frequently challenge Burgundine visitors and other tourists from seafaring countries abroad to participate in races and other events. While not as vibrant as a tropical sea, the Vandarch has its own natural beauty, often being depicted as serene and safer than other aquatic destinations. The Sea also has a great number of historic towns and forts along its coast which serve as attractions, and the sea's generally shallow nature makes it popular among international organizations training crews on seabed scanning, cable-laying, and other business-related technologies.
Kalma’s legacy has been invoked by every government since his death. Similar to the cult of the [[Marble Emperor]] in [[Kiravia]], Kalma’s name is used to lend legitimacy to state actions and ideologies that he, as a deceased person, could not possibly agree to. For example, his name was used by both the Communist insurgency of the 1990s and the government that opposed it; the former appealing to his ideations of worker-liberation and the latter appealing to his ideas of nationalism and unity.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Bodies of Water]]
Constitutional amendments proposed in the Supreme National Assembly begin with “in the honour of great Kalma”, and the phrase “as decreed by the National Father” is used before the delivery of the {{wp|Miranda warning|Miranda rights}}.
[[Category:Levantia]]
Appeals to his authority (known colloquially as appeals to Kalma) are common in Capetian politics. In instrumental terms, his name has been used successively by military leaders to overthrow elected governments. In ceremonial terms, every military coup concludes with an address to Kalma, and addresses opening a new convocation of the [[National Stanera]] are delivered at his Mausoleum and occasionally addressed to him.
===Kalma law===
Kalma’s legacy is protected under the 1951 [[Constitution of the Federacy of the Cape]], which declares illegal “insults towards his reforms, memory, and legacy”. Laws passed since have criminalized criticisms of his memory and are punishable with up to a year in prison and a fine of ₴100,000 Saers. In 2023, 14 people were charged under this law.
==Sociological analysis==
A variety of parallels have been drawn between his cult and that of Kiravia’s [[Marble Emperor]].
Coscivian nationalist historiography has asserted the “artificial” supplementation of the Marble Emperor with Melvyn Kalma in the consciousness of ethnically Coscivian Capetians by the Capetian state.
Under his leadership as Prime Executive, Kalma embarked on a variety of reforms, Occidentalizing the Cape, and laying the groundwork for Cape nationalism and the birth of a coherent national identity from the three ethnicities that composed the country. To these ends, Kalma secularized the state, enacted a Western code of fundamental rights, instituted industrializing reforms, and promoted Cape Coscivian - a form of mutually intelligible creole popular in the southern Cape Peninsula - into a national language. Doing so, he is credited by many Capetians today for transforming the Cape into a modern nation state governed as a constitutional republic.
Following his death he was honoured with a variety of titles by the Supreme National Assembly, including “the Father of the Nation”, “Father of the Fatherland”, “the Marshal”, and “the Great Teacher”. He is known simply in Capetian vernacular as Prezident - “the President”, held in contrast to the term Restarkima, the modern term for the Capetian presidency. He still holds the eternal chairmanship of his Republican Nationalist Party.
Characteristics
Kalma’s legacy remains arguably the central element of Capetian politics into the 21st century. Almost every Capetian city has streets named after him, a memorial in his honour, with statues and portraits found in city squares, classrooms, public offices, and Capetian embassies abroad. A large mausoleum in his honour, the Mausoleum of the National Father, sits above Cape Town, and the city of Kalmasar, home to a majority of the Federacy’s ministries and its bureaucracy, bears his name.
In society
Although his cult of personality has been compared to that of Linge Chen in 21st century Corumm, Kalma’s cult differs as it was largely constructed after his death and in honour of his progressive and democratic reforms. He remains immensely popular in the Capetian consciousness, with every government and military coup following his death invoking his memory and contributing to the cult.
Kiravian journalist V. X. Xoman remarked that:
Thanks to him, every Capetian lives in a society that would have not existed without his effort. The legacy of his influence bears heavily on the nation. Sure, images of his face may appear in almost all official contexts from the headers of high-school exam papers to the largest banknotes - but they also appear spontaneously as fresheners hanging from car mirrors, in posters that adorn supermarkets, and in portraits that appear everywhere from private homes to the chicest of Cape Town cafes.
Kalma’s legacy has been invoked by every government since his death. Similar to the cult of the Marble Emperor in Kiravia, Kalma’s name is used to lend legitimacy to state actions and ideologies that he, as a deceased person, could not possibly agree to. For example, his name was used by both the Communist insurgency of the 1990s and the government that opposed it; the former appealing to his ideations of worker-liberation and the latter appealing to his ideas of nationalism and unity.
Constitutional amendments proposed in the Supreme National Assembly begin with “in the honour of great Kalma”, and the phrase “as decreed by the National Father” is used before the delivery of the Miranda rights.
Appeals to his authority (known colloquially as appeals to Kalma) are common in Capetian politics. In instrumental terms, his name has been used successively by military leaders to overthrow elected governments. In ceremonial terms, every military coup concludes with an address to Kalma, and addresses opening a new convocation of the National Stanera are delivered at his Mausoleum and occasionally addressed to him.
Kalma law
Kalma’s legacy is protected under the 1951 Constitution of the Federacy of the Cape, which declares illegal “insults towards his reforms, memory, and legacy”. Laws passed since have criminalized criticisms of his memory and are punishable with up to a year in prison and a fine of ₴100,000 Saers. In 2023, 14 people were charged under this law.
Sociological analysis
A variety of parallels have been drawn between his cult and that of Kiravia’s Marble Emperor.
Coscivian nationalist historiography has asserted the “artificial” supplementation of the Marble Emperor with Melvyn Kalma in the consciousness of ethnically Coscivian Capetians by the Capetian state.
