Ursisa

"'Let it be known, then, that this is the land of vesa, the land of storms that water the fields, the land of home and family and comfort and survival. Let not a single soul upon our soil be fooled into thinking that they stand alone- we are touched by thousands of lives we can never hope to know, and we touch thosands more throughout our short existence. Such is our way; such is the way of Ursisa.' -Attributed to Queen Zarin"Ursisa is a nation in the center of the Pacific Ocean, and one of the major superpowers on Earth.

Geography and Ecology
Located in the Ring of Fire, Ursisa is an ecologically diverse continent. The northern tip of the continent is covered mostly with lush forests and winding rivers, while the middle of the continent is mostly mountainous and the southern end is mostly grasslands and sparse forests.

Previously the northern edge of Ursisa previously suffered from severe deforestation by outside corporations and companies, who hoped to use the land for farms or factories. However, after Queen Aylanur took power, she used aggressive action to force the colonizers out, and put programs in place to help restore native plants and animals to their original habitat.

The majority of the population is in the southwest edge of the continent where fertile silt is carried by the two main rivers, Ceszu and Vish, to the warm flatlands where traditional farmers make their living. It is on the southern barb of the continent where the current capital is located, housing nearly a third of the country's population.

Society
The society of Ursisa is heavily influenced by the nomadic structure of traditional varkans, though recent immigration and industrialization have led to a rather unique lifestyle found in cities and communal areas.

There are four categories of people who live in Ursisa, those being Citizens, Immigrants, Residents, and Asylum Seekers. Citizens are those who, native or naturalized, swear their allegiance to Ursisa permanently. Immigrants are those who have left their native lands and are in the process of seeking to become citizens. Residents are those who, while not seeking to become citizens, have chosen to live in Ursisa for an extended period of time. Asylum Seekers are refugees or displaced people who cannot return to their place of origin and have chosen to live within Ursisan borders temporarily. All people are guaranteed a free and safe life.

Nomadic Life
A varkan band is comprised of four to six adult couples, several unrelated single adults, and any children of the adult couples. While the exact structure varies from band to band, most bands will allow outsiders to join them for a short time in order to gain experience, travel safely, or trade.

Because of the dense rainforests of the north, most nomads tend to travel along river routes. The diets of the bands tend to be heavily meat- and fish-based, as Niru expressed disbelief at how little meat was eaten in the cities. One particular habit that has been adopted into urban life is the habit of chewing on a certain type of tree bark, as this prevents cavities and helps to stave off hunger. While the bark is easily found in the northern rainforest, it is much rarer in the south and has to be regulated to ensure the trees aren't stripped for the profits.

Family life is heavily stressed in the bands and someone who neglects or abuses their family is thought to be one of the lowest forms of life. Children are raised communally by all the adults in the band, and view all other children in the band as their siblings. When a child is old enough to break off from their old band, they will venture out and try to find another band willing to take them in.

The bands as a whole have been granted sovereignty to practice their traditional lifestyles and continue their ways, but if called upon by the Crown they must answer. So far, the packs as a whole have only been called upon twice- once after the Burakgazi Coup, and once after a devastating hurricane in order to help rebuild the torn-down parts of the rainforest.

Urban Life
In all cities, but especially the Capital, the need for community is heavily stressed. Businesses are usually just small one- or two-shop fronts, with all major trade happening on a governmental level. All news outlets and media are free to exist provided they do not call for harm to others, and books are available in physical copies at local libraries or digitally from the large database that all citizens and residents have access to. A national news outlet exists, to provide citizens with unbiased information about the daily happenings and to provide a standard for media.

Agriculture
Food is plentiful, in large part due to the Queen's insistence on intensive farming without waste. While commercial farming is known for its large food waste, the new farming methods put into place ensure that most if not all of the food produced either ends up on a plate in its raw form or is somehow made into a new product, such as corn syrup or flour. Along with this is the restriction on what livestock can be mass-cultivated, with rabbits, guinea hens, and goats being popular meat options. If a citizen wishes to have a wider selection of meat, they can raise the meat themselves, but the cost and time this requires means that it is generally restricted to birds or fish, with options like ham and beef being seen as wasteful food for the rich.

All people are granted access to public dining halls, and those who prefer to make their own meals have access to the pantries containing ingredients and equipment. Each person receives a weekly supply of fresh vegetables, flour, oil, rice, and tokens for perishable goods like milk and eggs, and family units also receive certain amounts of luxury ingredients like refined sugar and chocolate. Open-air markets are weekly, selling food for personal use as well as earning some spare change.

Because of the communal nature of food distribution, many people have a hand in food production, whether it be through regular contributions to their community compost bin or through volunteering at the local gardens in their free time. Along with public food distribution, it's also common for family units to keep a small garden on the roofs of their homes, and nearly every apartment and commune has at least a window box with herbs and small vegetables in it. Particularly healthy or beautiful herbs are a source of pride, as they show attention to detail and care put into cultivating your food.

Government
All citizens and residents may participate in local elections of mayors, and in general elections of amendments and laws. However, only citizens may participate in Council elections, which selects one Council member to represent their district in the National Council. The Council Head is selected by the Council through a majority vote, and they hold power to lead discussions, bring forth new bills, and if necessary remove Council members who cannot meet their duties.

If the Crown is found to be incapable of their position, the choice to remove them is put to a popular vote. Then, if over sixty percent of the population is in favor of the crown member being removed, the vote passes to the Council, who hold a trial over the fate of the Crown. If they are found to be merely incapable of their position, they are removed from their position and their successor is put in power. However, if they are found to be willfully incompetent or deliberately putting their people in danger, they are exiled, their successor is barred from gaining the throne, and a new Crown is chosen from outside the immediate family. It should be noted that this system was put into place by Queen Aylanur after the Burakgazi Coup, and has not actually been applied outside of the theoretical, as Queen Aylanur is near-universally loved by her people for revitalizing and protecting the country. Previously, there was no method for the changing of leadership outside of death.

Medicine
Unlike most developed nations, medical training is free to any and all citizens, and medicine is rigorously tested in an effort to prevent mistakes. Because education is easily available, there are enough doctors and therapists to handle the population's needs, and anyone can walk into a hospital and receive treatment for anything from a sprained wrist to a ruptured appendix. Because there is little stopping someone from receiving medical treatment, most illnesses are caught in their early stages, helping to prevent the spread of disease. As such, most emergency treatment is for unforeseen injuries, and as such hospital stays tend to be much shorter.

Because of the low amount of refined sugars in Ursisan food, the most common dental problems are either related to the cracking or breaking of teeth from injury, or in regards to jaw abnormalities that require either realignment (such as braces) or surgery (such as extra teeth). Like all medical procedures, this is paid for and provided by the government.

Mental health is treated with a casualness that is rarely found elsewhere. It's not uncommon for an otherwise healthy person to seek mental help, and having a therapist is as common as having an optomologist. Therapy is seen as a respected career, about on par with a surgeon in the states. The abundance of therapists, along with the societal expectation of healthy social bonds, helps to mitigate severe illness from going unchecked.

Education
With the exception of the nomads, who are allowed to self-govern, public education is heavily enforced, and homeschooling is seen as a peculiarity at best, and antisocial at worst. Generalized schooling starts at around age ten for most children, but before that education is seen as the responsibility of the community. Basic skills, such as reading, writing, and elementary math are treated with the same regard as to how to put your pants on or which is left and which is right. By the time children enter Grade 1, most are able to read short chapter books, and those that aren't quickly catch up with their peers.

Classes are typically small, with around twelve children per classroom. Teachers are trained not only in how to properly teach children, but also how to help if a child is having a panic attack, how to intervene when bullying occurs, and when to stop a lesson in favor of relaxing and letting young minds have a respite. From Grades 1-3 (around grades 5-7 in the American education system), studies include learning the scientific method, the history of their nation, the development of critical skills, advanced math, and the grammar and vocabulary of the two most common languages aside from Varko, which are English and Vietnamese. The school days generally start around 0900, go until 1200, have a one-hour break, and then go from 1300 to 1600. Most schools run from Sunday to Tuesday, with Wednesday as a day off, then from Thursday to Friday, with Saturday off.

Once children reach Grade 6, they begin to branch out. Literary skills and history are still touched upon, but the focus is placed more on practical skills. Classes like First Aid and Home Management are mandatory, and elective classes include Practical Survival and Robotics. Schooling becomes more rigorous, and classmates are encouraged to form tight social groups. After Grade 10, at around age 20, students graduate and are considered full members of society. Many at this point have found a job or interest to pursue, but those who haven't can attend a trade school or college for further education. Most jobs provide specific training when they need to and those that don't usually accept a basic schooling degree.

History
Ursisa was colonized by humans nearly thirty thousand years ago, but evidence dates to protoshifters existing for at least fifteen thousand years prior to the first contact with humans. Oral history gives us evidence that the early settlers were hostile to the protoshifters at first but eventually, the two species began to cohabitate, and by 10,000 BCE the two had interbred to the point that a new subspecies of humans had arisen- the modern varkans.

Around 2,000 BCE the first Ursisan empire arose in the form of a High Queen ruling over scattered city-states. While this lasted only a few hundred years, the society it left behind was one drastically different from the one before. The beautiful temples and cities that had been constructed under the various Empresses and Emperors stood for nearly a millennium, and the pantheon that had been put in place extended even to the treacherous northern rainforests and the packs that lived there.

Between 1600-1300 BCE, the north was locked in fierce territorial wars for the best hunting grounds in the north, while the south experienced severe weather, culminating in a catastrophic volcanic eruption circa 1330 BCE that covered nearly the entire continent in ash, causing severe cooling and population decline for the next few decades. Recent excavation has revealed that at least one major city was covered in the lava flow and debris, and over two hundred bodies have been found and laid to rest.

After the eruption, progress stagnated for over eight hundred years, and the time period is collectively known as the Dark Ages. During this time period, the ancient cities were torn apart for use of the fine stone that resisted all weathering, and the old stories were nearly lost. It was only the work of the Carusai, a group of archivists who focused on preserving texts, that kept the tales and mythology alive.

The end of the Dark Ages is unclear, but by 300 CE a nation had formed in the southern half of the continent, ruled by a council of representatives. The council was prone to breaking and fighting, which made Ursisa a target for other nations. Around 1609, a young usurper named Zarin took control of the council and organized the country. She held power for over forty years, ruling as an authoritarian and enforcing strict laws that, while extremely restrictive, allowed for the country to strengthen into an actual nation, and which kept the country together even after her death. To this day, she is heavily disputed- some view her as a tyrant who killed with glee, while others viewed her as a savior who ended a senseless civil war that had kept the country weak, and most viewing her as a leader who did what she thought was necessary for a tense time.

From then on, Zarin's descendants led as the High Crown, but as time went on they lost their roots as leaders who did whatever necessary to keep the country safe and strong, becoming more concerned with the approval of their people and the opulence they believed their station granted them. This led to an inflated sense of self, though some resemblance of High Queen Zarin emerged under the rule of High King Usar, who drove off the Japanese invasion of the continent and defended some of the lesser islands near them, earning the approval of the Allied Powers. Usar continued to bring other minor islands into the fold of Ursisa and strengthen their military might, along with translating the works the Carusai had kept safe. However, after his death his young son took the throne and went back to the ways of his grandfather and great-grandmother, indulging in the riches of his station while ignoring the issues faced by his people.

After Dera passed, his son Lokurash took the throne, and he began to stretch into US-controlled areas. When he attempted to seize Guam for its military assets, the US placed an embargo on the country, and Lokurash ordered an assassination on the First Lady of the US. After his death in the Bombing Of The Capital, his second cousin once removed, Aylanur Burakgazi, ascended to the throne and reorganized the country into the form it's now in.

Civil Rights
Ursisa has rather relaxed civil rights under the current Queen's reign; while issues like gender identity and sexuality were always accepted in Ursisa, it was Queen Aylanur who brought in racial and religious tolerance. People of different races are treated with the same regard as people of different hair colors, and as such their relationship is vastly different from the one found in other countries such as England or the United States.

LGBT+ rights are considered a given. Transgender people can change their names for a small fee and receive hormone therapy free of charge, and after a year of identity change, they can receive top and bottom surgery if they so wish. Same-gender couples are free to marry, and polyamorous individuals can marry more than one individual provided they have the written approval of all current spouses.

Freedom of speech is mostly relaxed, but known hate groups like Nazis or the Aconi are banned from speaking in public. Speaking out against the Queen has no legal repercussions, though the social backlash from doing so is arguably worse for some than any fine. However, aside from this, any citizen has the right to voice their own political views.

Voting is a given right, and every citizen is automatically registered upon turning twenty. Residents must register manually, and can do so at their local post office.

Culture
Ursisa is very much a communal culture. Family is defined not only by blood but by the bonds that friends and lovers make with each other. Children are communally raised by their parents, their older siblings, various aunts and uncles, and any other significant adults in their lives. As such, when children grow older they naturally fall into the role of mentor or helper, and they know that if they should choose to have children that those kids will have a place in their community. The elderly of the community are not forgotten, either; children are encouraged to care for and learn from their elders, and mistreatment of your elders is something that nets children scorn and mockery by even their peers.

While the people of Ursisa are kind and loving to their own people and are usually welcoming to outsiders with neutral or benevolent means, any enemy will be completely and utterly destroyed. The Ursisan military is small, but each able citizen is expected to have at least basic combat training, and upon reaching adulthood each citizen is gifted an obsidian blade. Basic combat training includes handling of both short- and long-range rifles, hand-to-hand combat, some form of close-quarters handheld weapon, survival training, and nonlethal methods of taking down a combatant. Because of this, civilian arrests are common, and police officers do not carry weapons on them. While firearms are prohibited for citizens to own, there is nothing stopping someone from going to their local shooting range and practicing for a bit, and teenagers obtain their firearm license around the same time as their driver's license.

Ursisa rarely starts conflicts, but if another country infringes on them they will not hesitate to force the enemy to their proverbial knees. In one conflict with the United States concerning oil rights on an island that belonged to Ursisa but which the US wanted badly, the Queen was hesitant to become violent with the country until they 'liberated' the island, destroying a civilian town in the process. At that point she dispatched an elite squad to kill the President, Vice-president, and all high-ranking generals, which succeeded in all attempts except for one general who was spared for speaking out against the unjust attack. The new president agreed to back off of the island in exchange for a non-aggression pact.

Religion
Main Article: Religion in Ursisa

Ursisa is known for being anti-religion, but this isn't true- it's better described as anti-deity. It's widely accepted in folklore that around the time of the Rima Caldera eruption that the people of the continent abandoned their pantheon, and after several hundred years the people agreed that the Gods were dead. The myth warped over the years, and nowadays the most common version of the myth holds that around or after the time of the eruption, the mortals of Ursisa were pushed to the brink by their gods and overthrew them, and that the world was thrown into chaos by the death of the immortals. Any and all missionary groups since then have been met with amusement and ridicule at best, and outright aggression at worst.

There are a few religious groups still in Ursisa, most notably a portion of Jewish diaspora. In the build-up to WWII, Ursisa took a large portion of jewish refugees. Despite being halfway across the world and separated by different languages, the refugees and locals found that they shared a lot of cultural similarities, and through WWII they aided in the war effort. Once the war was over, roughly a third returned home, while the remaining diaspora made a home in the new land.

Trivia

 * The current Queen is extremely well-respected by her people but is hated and treated as a monster by those outside her borders. Many immigrants to the country are surprised by her relative kindness.
 * The former flag of Ursisa displayed a bloody spear and sword in front of a shield on a white background, but once Queen Aylanur took power it was replaced with a simpler flag, with a golden stalk of wheat and a white arrow on a background of pale blue.