Hollona and Diorisia
Union State of Hollona and Diorisia | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Emblem of Hollona and Diorisia
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Motto: Nihil boni sine labore (Nothing achieved without hard work) | |
 Location of Hollona and Diorisia (dark green) in the Levantine Union (light green) and Levantia (gray) | |
| Capital and largest city | Rheydt |
| Official languages | Vandarchine Rhotian |
| Demonym(s) | Holldoner or Diorisian (depending on region of origin) |
| Government | |
• Speaker-President | Ioannes Marcellino |
| State Union Council | |
| Popular Assembly | |
| Establishment | |
• Hollona ceded to Diorisia | 1554 |
• Union with Faneria | 1817 |
• Independence from Faneria | 1860 |
• Republic established | 1935 |
• Constitution adopted | 1945 |
| Population | |
• 2020 estimate | 19,958,242 |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | $1,022,999,610,194 |
• Per capita | $51,257 |
| Currency | Taler (₮) |
The Union State of Hollona and Diorisia, also known by its unofficial name, the Vandarch Republic, is a country in Levantia. It is located in the extreme northwestern region of Dericania and borders the Vandarch.
The Union State is unique within what was Dericania as having a lasting Ænglish cultural influence, leading to the creation of a heavily Ænglicized Derian culture within the country and a national identity - the Vandarchine people - which largely views itself in contrast to the nearby Rhotians. Though the united republic was established during the Second Fratricide, the union of Hollona and Diorisia dates to the mid-16th century, when the former Ænglish realm territory of the Duchy of Hollona was inherited by the Elector of Diorisia, giving the much larger territory of Diorisia access to the Vandarch. The two duchies were collectively inherited by the crown of Faneria during the 19th century, introducing significant Fanerian cultural influence to the territory and its possession made Faneria, for a time, the dominant power on the Vandarch. It remained under the Fanerian dynasty following the fall of the monarchy in that country before the Vandarchine monarchy itself was overthrown and replaced in the 1930s.
Hollona and Diorisia is a member of the Levantine Union.
Etymology
The Union State of Hollona and Diorisia's origin as two separate feudal entities within the Holy Levantine Empire provided its "fused" name. "Hollona" originates in earliest forms of the Ænglish language. It likely originates in the Gothic term "holtlant", meaning "wooded land". Hollona as a term was first used to refer to the easternmost portion of Anglei very early, possibly as early as the 7th century in the first decades of Ænglish settlement. The name origin for Diorisia is less certain, as the term first appears in Great Levantine literature in the 1st century BC. Its meaning is generally unknown.
Hollona and Diorisia is commonly known as the "Vandarch Republic" rather than its full name. This term first came into common parlance in the 1940s and refers to the country's position at the southeastern most position on the Vandarch. There have been several popular movements to adopt the nickname as the country's official name.
Geography
The Union State sits at the southern end of the Vandarch. The country mostly sits in a depression between the western highlands of Fiannria to the north and the eastern highlands of Yonderre to the west. A number of rivers run through the country towards the Vandarch, some of which include the course of the Carolina-Grand Canal, which roughly bisects the country. The runoff from the Fiannan highlands forms the Melis River, which runs to the Vandarch; the Melis is the dividing line between the two republics, Hollona and Diorisia. Hollona is a narrow strip of land west of the Melis which stretches from the Vandarch coast to the border with Rhotia, never being more than about a hundred miles wide. Diorisia, meanwhile, makes up a majority of the land area of the Union State, encompassing a knob-shaped region comprising all of the land east of the Melis River to the Rhotian border. Most of the country's climate is considered to be humid continental, with the bowl-shaped topography creating generally damp and warm conditions throughout the country.
History
Early and medieval periods
The lands which would become Diorisia were inhabited by a number of Gaelic tribes during early antiquity, and archaeology has suggested a number of well-populated hillforts were present in the territory along the east bank of the Melis River. The arrival of the Adonerii and establishment of Great Levantia in the Urce River valley precipitated a large flood of Gaelic tribes north and east, causing turmoil in Diorisia that ultimately disrupted both its proto-cities and agricultural cycles. By the time Great Levantine legions and settlers arrived in the territory in 173 BC, very few sedentary peoples remained, and the territory was colonized by Latinic peoples. From then on, it was considered a core territory of Great Levantia and predominantly settled by Latins. At that time, the territory received its name - Diorisia - from the Latin diaeresis (to divide), likely referring to the course of the Melis River. In the 4th century AD and beyond, Diorisia was subject to constant Gothic and Celtic raids as Great Levantia entered terminal decline. Diorisia provided for its own defense in the 5th century and was not conquered by either Gaels nor Goths, straining its relationship with Urceopolis which the Diosirians felt had abandoned it. In 487, as central authority collapsed and provinces seceded, the local aristocrats named appointed their own local governor who became virtually an independent ruler. As the empire disintegrated in 502, the governor was proclaimed Rex - King - and ruled the new post-Levantine Kingdom of Diorisia. The new Kingdom ruled over most of the modern Union State by the year 600, and later joined the Latin League in the 680s. Despite this, it was conquered by Gallawa in 747 and reorganized as a duchy by Conchobar I, Emperor of the Levantines with some land being partitioned off. From that time until the 16th century, the Duchy of Diorisia was influential but not especially rich or powerful constituent part of the Holy Levantine Empire.
Union established
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By the dawn of the 16th century, Diorisia was ruled by the House of Agreiter, a local family of nobles whose earliest history can be traced to the Duchy in the 11th century. The House of Agreiter remained loyal Catholics in the face of the rising Protestant Reformation, and the Dukes became increasingly alarmed by the rise of Protestantism taking place in the neighboring Ænglish Kingdom. Consequently, the Dukes readily participated in the Emperor of the Levantines' call for war against the Ænglish in the Nordmontaine War. At the end of that war, the Ænglish Kingdom was dissolved into its constituent duchies. The Duchy of Hollona, which neighbored Diorisia, was given to the House of Agreiter, creating a united Hollona-Diorisia polity in 1554. The Duke of Diorisia was created a member of the Collegial Electorate in 1580 by Leo III, Emperor of the Levantines, replacing a defunct Protestant electorate elsewhere. From then on, the two duchies were ruled by an Elector. Over the next century, integrating two realms of roughly equal size (as well as dealing with the aftermath of the religious turmoil and subsequent Dragonnades) became the primary task to which the Dukes of Hollona-Diorisia set themselves. In the north-central Holy Levantine Empire, the destruction of the Ænglish Kingdom created a power vacuum into which the Electorate stepped, and between 1560 and 1817 it was the predominant polity on the southeastern Vandarch basin region. It notably participated in the Pareto War between 1629 and 1631 as part of the Second Pareto Association, defeating Urcea; Electoral forces were considered to have performed very well during the conflict, enhancing the Electorate's prestige. The gradual cultural integration of the two parts, which began during this period, set Diorisia down the road of becoming culturally and politically distinct from their neighbors which would, in the 21st century, unite to form Rhotia.
Moving the court to Rheydt
In 1621, Elector Ambrose II moved the court of the Electorate from the traditional seat of power in Diorisia to Rheydt, a relatively small town that straddled the border between Hollona and Diorisia. Though prestigious and unremarkable, Rheydt's central location and easy access to waterways made it the perfect administrative center for the uniting Electorate. Throughout the 17th century, the small town would expand to a major city, serving as a major market for goods going west to the Vandarch or headed east into Dericania. The location and prosperity of Rheydt also allowed the Elector and his successors to begin the process of rapidly centralizing control and enhancing the authority of the crown. Though the Elector would gradually become the supreme political authority within the state, degrees of legal separation and distinctiveness remained in both Hollona and Diorisia.
Fanerian domination
In 1817, the final Elector of the House of Agreiter - Baltarmia II - died without heir. Due to a series of marriages concluded beginning in 1760, Hollona-Diorisia fell to the King of Faneria, Luthais Suthar-Màrtainn. The inheritance of the Electorate by the King (who styled himself Elector Luthair I) was welcomed by the Imperial Diet, who sought a counterbalance to both Urcea and Fiannria within the context of the Recess of the Julii. The role of the Fanerian ruler in the Collegial Electorate was also envisioned to provide legitimacy and recognition to the office of Emperor of the Levantines and overall stabilize the Empire. Offering concessions to ensure the continued authority of the local nobility, the Diet ratified the succession on 4 November 1817. The succession proved a major impetus for the Third Kin War, which the Electorate's forces joined Fanerian forces in defeating Fiannria; the ensuing territorial settlement established the modern border between the Union State and Fiannria.
The first decade of Luthair's reign was viewed positively, but political events in Faneria would undermine his rule. In 1830, he issued Faneria's First Constitution, a decision which greatly unnerved the nobility of the Electorate. Though the Rih-Elector promised to keep the agreement he had made in 1817 with the Imperial Diet, it became clear by 1832 that certain court and government functions were to be transitioned directly to Oirthidún. A conspiracy to eject the Fanerians was being formed by 1833 when Luthais's reign in Faneria came to an end. The accession of the child King Sean II Suthar-Màrtainn eased tensions somewhat as some vicarial functions were restored. The personal union with the Kingdom of Faneria came to an end with the rule of Cledwyn Suthar-Màrtainn. Cledwyn was replaced in Faneria in 1860 by King Rethysear, but continued to rule in the Electorate until his death in 1886. The separation of the thrones ended what was referred to as the "direct Fanerian" period, that is, the time in which the two states were functionally linked. However, the Electorate would continue to be ruled by the House of Suthar-Màrtainn decades after the end of the Fanerian monarchy in 1906. Despite the end of the monarchy in Faneria, the Electorate had largely become dependent on Faneria politically and economically, and remained a staunch ally of Faneria through the beginning of the 1930s, participating in the unsuccessful Fourth Kin War in 1887 and 1888 as a Fanerian ally. The Electorate generally grew during the "direct Fanerian" period, as healthy trade relations and streamlined customs greatly accelerated trans-Vandarchine trade. However, relations with nearly all of its neighbors significantly worsened during this period and the Electorate became relatively isolated. The direct Fanerian period also introduced a number of Fanerian customs, social mores, and cultural artifacts into everyday life in Hollona and Diorisia, becoming popular first at the Electoral court and filtering down to the middle class through the nobility. As a consequence, the several decades of Fanerian (and Fanerian ethnic) rule over the Electorate introduced a third cultural influence into the polity, further distinguishing its people from both their Ænglish and Rhotian neighbors.
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Though having its independence nominally restored, the domestic political situation in the Electorate deteriorated significantly between 1860 and 1920. The separated branch of the House of Suthar-Màrtainn received enthusiastic support of the local nobility but few others. In the age of what was arguably the peak of Derian nationalism, most residents of the Electorate viewed their foreign rulership as intolerable and an impediment to the establishment of a Derian state. Additionally, the close relations between the nobility and Elector led to a gradual decline of civil liberties and political rights. An uprising in Rheydt in 1906, modeled after the ongoing struggles in Faneria, was brutally repressed.
Establishment of the Republic
The territory of the Electorate was of major strategic area during the early phases of the Second Great War, as it was a major potential corridor of resupply of Fiannria from Urcea and Burgundie. The area also controlled the Carolina-Grand Canal, making it an important checkpoint of Vandarch access.
Early uprisings in the Derian revolutionary period of the war led the Elector of Diorisia to abandon the principality on May 18th, 1934, though not after attempting to make an anti-Urcean, pro-Fanerian appeal. Following his flight, the territory was reorganized as the Vandarch Autonomous Area of the Deric Republic, though in practice it became the domain of a loosely allied band of Derian nationalist warlords. Until the entry of Faneria into the war, the Vandarch Autonomous Area was largely an ignored theater of the war in Dericania, but with the entry of Faneria and sudden need to resupply Fiannria with Levantine goods, the area became a top priority of allied planners. There was also significant concern that the Fanerians would attempt to restore their influence and control over the territory.
On April 17th, 1935, Urcea and Fiannria launched a joint campaign which culminated with the occupation of the country on April 29th, 1935. The allied powers had little interest in restoring the pro-Fanerian Elector, however, and instead decided to reach a negotiated settlement with sympathetic local nationalist groups. This agreement established the Provisional Republic of Hollona and Diorisia, reorganizing the former separate duchies (and other Prince-Bishoprics in the area) into a single, united Republic on May 11th, 1935. Though derided by the Deric Republic as a collaborationist state, the Republic maintained its separate ethnic identity from the Derian people. The Republic subsequently claimed neutrality in the conflict but allowed allied forces and supplies to flow through the country. Upon the Republic's proclamation, it entered an intentionally ambiguous state with relationship to the Holy Levantine Empire, withdrawing from its institutional structure but not making any firm determination about its sovereign status with respect to the Republic; the proclamation stated that this ambiguity would continue "until such time when the Republic has fully considered and upon such time of a general peace". The Republic was accordingly removed entirely from its legal obligations to the Empire with the Treaty of Corcra. The Provisional Republic was partly involved in the subsequent Third Fratricide. Though not a combatant, it was nonetheless attacked and raided at various times by both nationalist and socialist militia forces. The Republic provided support to the moderate nationalist faction which ultimately won the conflict.
In 1945, the Provisional Republic adopted the Federal Agreement, which functions as the constitution of the Union State. It established a federal system with two "republics" intended to maintain the historic legal and cultural distinctiveness of Hollona and Diorisia, respectively. The constituent republics retained significant degrees of autonomy but the new agreement ultimately enshrined the Union Government as the supreme political authority within the state. The new Union State of Hollona and Diorisia was formally established on 1 January 1946.
Post-Great Wars
Hollona and Diorisia was a founding member of the Deric States organization which was established in 1953. The country's economy liberalized between 1955 and 1985, growing it from one of the poorer least dynamic economies in Levantia to a modern democratic society in the span of a few decades.
The MS Hollona sank on Thursday, 18 February 1993 as the ship was crossing the Vandarch Sea, en route from Carlshaven, Hollona, to Gabion, Yonderre. The disaster claimed the lives of 852 people, being one of the worst maritime disasters of the 20th century. In 1995, several wineries in Hollona and Diorisia were found to have illegally modified their wines using the chemical diethylene glycol, a toxic substance frequently found in antifreeze. The incident became an international scandal which all but destroyed wine export from Hollona and Diorisia for almost two decades. Taken together, the 1993-1995 epoch has been called the "annus horribilis of the Vandarch Republic", affecting thousands of families both with personal loss and economic devastation. For the next decade, the general reputation of Hollona and Diorisia was tarnished worldwide and the Vandarchine economy was gravely affected, leading to loss of confidence by the Vandarchine people.
21st century
The dawn of the 21st century would see Thinkpages established within the Union State, precipitating the rapid growth of the high-tech sector and the development of Hollona and Diorisia as an innovation leader within the Levantine Union. It also began the process of the state's recovery from the disastrous 1990s, not only in terms of restoring the country's reputation and growing its economy but also restoring in the Vandarchine people a sense of hope and confidence in the future; most polling in 2000 indicated majorities of Vandarchines were pessimistic about the future, a figure that had fallen to just a third by 2010.
On March 8 2023, Hollona and Diorisia formally informed the Levantine Union of its intention to leave the Deric States organization and become a standalone member of the Union, effective immediately. This decision triggered the first stages of the Dissolution of the Deric States.
Reform movement
In the wake of the Union's secession from the Deric States, the idea of the Vandarchine culture became a centerpiece of popular media and public discourse throughout the 2020s. As part of this movement, significant public interest formed around reforming the state from a federation of two distinctive states into a single unified republic. "Vandarchine Polity", the popular name for this concept, became a rallying cry of activists beginning in 2025. These activists argued that the two-state union was, like the Deric States, an anachronism that did not properly reflect the cultural unity and shared sense of self that Vandarchine people now held. These activists organized the States-Republican Party (SRP). The States-Republican Party won a surprising minority share of the Hollona States-Council in the 2025 elections, and although it was not in government it became the third largest party with about a fifth of all the seats in that body. It followed this with a result that shocked most pundits and observers in the 2026 Popular Assembly election, winning another large minority share of about 16 of 78 seats. The next year, it followed suit in the Diorisia States-Council election, though there it won a third of all seats; the governing Union National Party there formed a coalition with the SRP, putting it into government the first time. The coalition condition required 2 of Diorisia's 5 States Union Council members to be members of the SRP. Now entrenched in all four major legislative bodies, the SRP became the primary organization through which pro-unification activists organize, which it remains to this day. In the 2029 Popular Assembly election, it won 20 seats but was kept out of the majority by a Union National Party - Alliance for the Public Welfare rainbow coalition. It neither gained nor lost seats in the 2030 Hollona election, but its popularity forced the Union National Party to coopt the platform and begin an official study of the matter of unification. In the critical 2032 elections - held in both Diosiria and nationally - the SRP retained its status in Diorisia as a coalition partner and entered a coalition with the Union National Party in the Popular Assembly as well.
The meteoric rise and major victories of the SRP have led to significant progress with respect to the issue of unification, as both Republics are now in the process of studying the matter. Opinion polls generally show Vandarchines as mixed on the issue, though support rises on a yearly basis according to polling.
Government
The politics and administration of Hollona and Diorisia take place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democracy. The country is a federation and is governed under the Federal Agreement of 1945, which has statutory power as the country's constitution. The nation's construction as a federation has major implications on how the executive and legislative branches of government are shaped. The Union is divided into two entities, the Republic of Hollona and the Republic of Diorisia, which have significant self-governing powers and control over local policy.
The State Union Council, the upper chamber of the legislature, is represented by five members from each of the two Republics, and from this body the Speaker-President is elected, serving three year terms. This State Union Council serves in a limited executive capacity, voting primarily on matters of state recommended to it by the Popular Assembly. The Speaker-President serves as the head of state of Hollona and Diorisia. Speaker-Presidents may not serve consecutive terms. By convention, the Speaker-President flips between each of the two republics on an alternating basis, though this arrangement is not expressly stated within the Federal Agreement.
The Speaker-President is a unique role inasmuch as it has more authority over foreign affiars than most other heads of state in parliamentary systems. Though the cabinet ministers and foreign diplomats are appointed on the constitutional advice of the Chair of the Popular Assembly, the Speaker-President is otherwise free to direct the diplomatic corps, send missives, conclude draft agreements to be ratified by the Popular Assembly, and most other manners of foreign policy. Within this system, the Speaker-President is seen as corporately representing both republics as opposed to the people of the Union, giving him precedential and constitutional latitude to conduct the nation's foreign affairs. This authority does not extend to the armed forces, however, whose leadership is appointed on advice of the Chair of the Assembly, with whom civilian control of the military rests. The Speaker-President nominally sits as chair person of the nation's cabinet, which consists of fourteen ministers, but this responsibility is largely procedural and symbolic.
The lower chamber, the Popular Assembly, is led by the Chair of the Assembly, and is the nation's chief legislative body, representing 78 proportionally-allocated electoral districts. Assemblymembers six year terms, coinciding with the terms of the Speaker-President. The Assembly considers virutally all matters of state that do not devolve to the constituent Republics, and it has the power to solicit the State Union Council on various legislative issues only under its own request. The Chair of the Assembly is elected at the beginning of each term of the Assembly and serves at its pleasure. The Chair of the Assembly is the head of government within the Vandarchine system, and is responsible for formulating budgets, appointing cabinet ministers, and as the name implies is generally responsible for the conduct and legislative agenda of the Popular Assembly.
Due to the federated nature of the state, the Union Government (that is, the central government) owns or has direct authority over very limited lands, most prominently the Union's capital city of Rheydt. Located in Hollona, Rheydt was the seat of the Elector of Diorisia from 1621 onward. The city, which has a blended character, is an important symbol of the unity of the two halves of the Republic. The Union Government has direct control over the city itself as well as a number of small right of ways of rail lines extending outward from Rheydt, including one to the coast of the Vandarch.
Republics and local governments
As a federation, the two constituent republics are the key political institutions within the Union State. They are the Republic of Hollona and the Republic of Diorisia. These two republics represent the realms controlled by the Elector of Diorisia prior to the Second Great War. Though ruled by the same Elector for centuries, the political and legal systems of the two realms remained distinct. Though they remained distinct, the common ruler and lack of trade or travel boundaries between the two realms created a common culture, and when the Holy Levantine Empire came to an end the people of both Republics decided to remain together.
The Republics are separated by significant differences in legal system and their codes of law, but share similar governments. Both states employ a unicameral legislative body known as States-Council and are both led by powerful executives known as States-Governor. The similarities end there, however. Hollona employs a system of common law and has an extensive court system, with judges appointed by the States-Governor and confirmed by either the States-Council or by local legislative bodies. Diorisia, meanwhile, employs civil law and has only six different major courts in the Republic that hear all cases, with the States-Council of Diorisia ultimately serving as final arbiter. Hollona has a strong system of local governments, each with a degree of municipal home rule, as many of the localities there predate the establishment of either the Duchy or Republic of Hollona. Diorisia on the other hand employs a system that could be described as a unitary republic, with all municipalities serving as "departments" more or less under the direct governance of the Diorisia States-Council. Elections in both countries are held every five years, with Hollona following the Urcean model (years "0" and "5") and Diorisia adopting a different one (years "2" and "7").
Both Republics claim to be sovereign entities that are nonetheless "perpetually joined in union" to one another. Both maintain strong governments and retain significant policy autonomy for themselves in most major policy areas with exception of those specifically asked for by the Popular Assembly as well as foreign affairs and the military. Both Republics maintained independent militaries until 1970.
Politics
There are currently four major political parties within the Union, one of which was established within the last decade while the remainder date to the establishment of the Union. The Union National Party (UNP) is the largest political party in Hollona and Diorisia. It is center-right, generally considered to be pro-Catholic but otherwise cautious and pragmatic on most issues. Though it has long portrayed itself as a defender of the "unique constitution" of Hollona and Diorisia, its pragmatism has led to a recent and unlikely political alliance with the States-Republican Party, and it is increasingly becoming moderately in favor of the unification position; this position remains contentious within the party. It governs in the majority of the Popular Assembly and both States-Councils. The second largest party is the Alliance for the Public Welfare (APW), a center-left party that is largely secular and supports government-based solutions to policy issues. The third largest part is the new States-Republican Party (SRP). The SRP is considered a single issue party due to its overriding aim being the end of the federation and unification of Hollona and Diorisia into a single state. However, this aim leads it to have a wide-reaching, centralist platform on many issues, as the party seeks to concentrate as many issues as it can within the Union Government as a prelude to unification. The fourth major party is the far-right Electors' League (EL), which is a centralist, Catholic party. The party was historically a monarchist party, looking to restore the Elector of Diorisia; though monarchism is still a major ideological strain within the party, it dropped the issue in 1997 and became a more generally hardline right wing party. It has become slightly more successful in recent years due to its pro-unification stance, winning the votes of some pro-unification conservatives.
Society
The national identity and culture of people from Hollona and Diorisia is "Vandarchine", and Vandarchines consider themselves both a nation and ethnic group. Vandarchines are a relatively newer group of people, originating from the initial union of Hollona and Diorisia. The 16th century Nordmontaine War and addition of the Ænglish Duchy of Hollona to the relatively equal sized Rhotian Duchy of Diorisia created a cultural interchange between these people, resulting in the creation of a distinct Vandarchine culture speaking Ænglish with many Rhotian cultural traditions. The rulers of the two Duchies were relatively open to the cultural changes the Ænglish brought, leading to a relatively early emergence of this national identity - newspapers and journals from the 1710s speak to residents of the two duchies viewing themselves as a separate and united people. As its national conciousness emerged earlier, Vandarchines never viewed themselves as part of the Derian identity, but nonetheless committed themselves to joining a united Dericanian polity at various times. The rule of the Fanerian dynasty over the country between 1817 and 1934 also introduced significant Fanerian cultural touchstones and traditions into Vandarchine life, further distinguishing it from its adjoining Ænglish and Rhotian neighbors.
In daily life, most Vandarchine people exhibit similar characteristics - worldview, dining habits, work week and events such as popular feast days and holidays - as Rhotian people, with alterations to these routines influenced by Ænglish culture ranging from slight to significant. In fashion, however, the Vandarchine people have been significantly influenced by Faneria, and 19th century Fanerian fashion to be precise. The reign of the House of Suthar-Màrtainn from 1817 to 1934 coincided with the rise of industrialization and industrially manufactured clothing in Hollona and Diorisia. During that period, Fanerian high and noble fashion was used in court, and courtly attire was considered the most desirable fashion within the country which became the benchmark. As Vandarchines sought to emulate court styles, the rise of industrial clothing manufacturing made Fanerian-like dress readily available to consumers, and by 1890 the court style of Faneria as it existed in the first half of the century became the common attire for business and high cultural settings. The style gradually became known as "Cledwynnic fashion". The predominance of formal Cledwynnic fashion remained the case until about 1920, when more relaxed fashion trends took hold; nevertheless, the clothing developed at that time and since remained derived from the 19th century Fanerian court style. Accordingly, Vandarchine people are noted to dress the most uniquely of any people within the Levantine Union, and Cledwynnic-derived fashion is a popular niche throughout the rest of the Union, giving Hollona and Diorisia a small but very well capitalized clothing manufacturing sector.
Vandarchines speak a regional dialect of the Rhotian language known as Vandarchine Rhotian. It maintains the structure, intonation, and other main features of the Rhotian language but includes a significant vocabulary from the Ænglish language. Due to this, it shares a partial mutual intelligibility to speakers of Julian Ænglish such that speakers of both languages are commonly able to derive central spoken concepts even if the full meaning of sentences is obscured. It also includes a small amount of vocabulary, particularly political terminology, from the Fhasen language.
Religious Demographics
Religious affiliations in Hollona and Diorisia (2030)
Christians of various kinds make up all but about three percent of the Vandarchine population. Catholics make up nearly three-fourths of the country's population, and the Catholic Church is one of the most important political and social institutions in Vandarchine society, as is the case with many of Hollona's neighbors. Hollona and Diorisia is unique among Levantine Union members, however, for also having a very large minority of adherents of the College of Levantine Churches, who make up about a fifth of Vandarchine society. Most of Hollona and Diorisia's neighbors have a large Catholic majority followed by irreligion as second most popular; irreligion in Hollona and Diorisia is uncommon. Cumulatively, Catholics and Protestants make up almost all of Hollona and Diorisia's population, with religiosity between the combined populations ranking towards the top of Union countries along with Urcea and Lapody.
Economy
Hollona and Diorisia has a small but dynamic and diverse economy which is fully integrated into the broader economy and market of the Levantine Union. Within the Union, it sits in roughly the upper third of GDP PC with an estimated $51,257 in 2020. The country benefits significantly from the presence of a well-developed tech sector and downstream strong urban economies, but also has a strong tradition in agriculture, particularly in wine-growing. High-fashion manufacturing is also a small but very profitable industry within the country, primarily centered in and around Rheydt; Vandarchine clothiers produce unique Vandarchine style clothes which descend from the early 19th century Fanerian court style. Though niche, this style is considered extremely refined and consumers are willing to pay high prices for it, making the small Rheydt-based sector highly capitalized and relatively influential within the Union State's economy. Together with Hollona and Diorisia's strong wine culture, the country's economy generally has a reputation for exporting high quality high society products throughout the Levantine Union.
Wine
Today, Holldoner and Diorisian wine generally occupies a middle-to-high niche of the wine market, particularly in dry white wines. This is a result of the long-term effects of the 1995 Vandarch Republic wine scandal that forced the Holldoner and Diorisian wine industries to resaddle their production on other wine types than the previous sweet wines they were known for, increasingly targeting a higher market segment in doing so.
In 1995, Holldoner and Diorisian wine, together with Ænglish wine, were at the center of a major scandal in which several wineries in Hollona and Diorisia were found to have illegally modified their wines using the chemical diethylene glycol, a toxic substance frequently found in antifreeze. The purpose of the addition of the diethylene glycol was to make the wines appear sweeter and more full-bodied in the style of late harvest wines to make up for a number of poor harvests of grapes in the region in the early 1990s. The scandal was uncovered by wine laboratories performing quality controls on wines sold in Yonderre and immediately made headlines around the world. The short-term effect of the scandal was a complete collapse of Vandarch Republic wine exports and a total loss of reputation of the entire Holldoner and Diorisian wine industries. Not until 2008 did the export volume of wine from Hollona and Diorisia reach pre-1995 levels.
Technology
Hollona and Diorisia is home to a booming tech sector and is one of Levantia's mid-level technology hubs centered around Lacivitas in the Republic of Diorisia. In the 20th century, this region was home to a small but important electronics and electrical engineering sector including one of Levantia's more important electrical engineering schools at the University of Lacivitas. In the 2000s, Thinkpages was established in Lacivitas and would go on to become one of the world's most used social media platforms, beginning a major influx of young talented programmers to the city; eventually, the preponderance of talent in and around the city would not only lead to other firms relocating there but also the region becoming a major hub of tech-related startups.
Military
The Union State Armed Forces is the military of Hollona and Diorisia. Founded in 1935, the USAF is a tri-branch force consisting of Army Ground Forces, the Navy and the Air Corps. As an LUDC member, Hollona and Diorisia partakes in the common defence union of the Levantine Union and is thus under the guarantees of its fellow member states. The USAF in total employs some 53,500 personnel, part of which are conscripts that are enrolled for six months.
The Union State Army Ground Forces is headquartered in Rheydt. The USAGF employs around 39,000 personnel distributed in six brigades designed for foreign deployment that can be consolidated into three combined arms divisions for national defence. The majority of equipment used by the USAGF is foreign-supplied, sourced mostly from fellow LUDC member states Burgundie, Urcea and Yonderre. Military analysts and commentators generally rate the USAGF favourably in terms of training and capabilities, comparable to other LUDC forces.
The Union State Navy is headquartered in Carlshaven and employs some 6,500 personnel. Since the end of the looming threat of the Occidental Cold War, the Navy operates on a basis of "newer but fewer" ships, currently operating 12 larger vessels (displacement > 1,500 t(m)), 4 medium-size vessels (1,500 t(m) > displacement > 500 t(m)), and 38 small vessels (500 t(m) > displacement > 15 t(m)). The flagship of the USN is the support frigate HDS Hollona & Diorisia commissioned in 2012. Since the catastrophic 1993 Sinking of the passenger ship MS Hollona en route between Carlshaven and Gabion, Yonderre, the USN has taken a keen interest in maintaining a high standard of naval search and rescue capabilities.
The Union State Air Corps employs 8,000 and is headquartered in Orkham. The USAC operates some 48 multirole jet aircraft in four squadrons, a number of training aircraft as well as helicopters for the Army Ground Forces and Navy.