Valore

The Republic of Valore, commonly known as Valore or R.O.V, is a country primarily located in the region of Katsura, on the continent of Eldham. It consists of 5 states and 1 overseas municipality. At around 4 000 000 m2, it is a medium-sized nation in comparison to its other Eldham nations. It shares 2 direct land borders with the nations of Yaszuma and Donfuer. It also shares 3 direct maritime borders with the nations of Tetra, Qadakh and Stone Manor. It also shares indirect maritime borders with the nations of Varn Torum, Gunjou, Aristios, Sethris and Titan's Rest.

It has a population of 121 citizens at the time of writing, which makes it one of the larger nations in Eldham, which is remarkable, especially for its size. The nation's capital is New Auxe, with a population of 40. Other notable cities include Gallano, Solhom, Tempesta and Lumiere.

Culture
As Valore was originally a private colony, it does not have as much culture as the nations surrounding it do, however, they still value knowledge and the arts deeply. Great thinkers and artists are highly respected in the nation.

Verdenlange
During the Verdenland Era, Verdenland needed a code to secretly pass messages. Developed by Aldern Thibeus, Verdenlange was a half-creole, half-original language, which took inspiration from Chinese and French to form the basis of it. It would be later rediscovered as Valore reclaimed its national identity, and would eventually become an official language, alongside Traveler's Tongue.

Cuisine
The typical Valoran diet consists of baked potatoes, rice and bread from wheat, and various herbs and spices. In the past, in the plains where New Auxe now resides, the Leilani farmlands used to feed the entire nation. They produced enormous amounts of wheat and other food products to generate wealth and feed the population. However, after New Auxe began construction, it became obvious that Valore would need to find its food supplies elsewhere. Gallano would be the first answer. Located in the middle of the Leilani Birches, the small farming village basically turned into a bustling city overnight, with large amounts of potatoes being produced.

However, this would not be enough to satisfy the growing needs of Valore's population, so they turned elsewhere, to a recently risen island from the depths, Lumiere Island, off the coast of Varn Torum in the middle of the Torumain Sea. They quickly claimed it, and began construction on Lumiere City, which would be its own beauty. However, the real profit was from the ripe plains surrounding the city. Plantations began appearing, and soon, the entire island which was not covered by Lumiere City would be covered in farmland.

A classic Valoran homemade dish would be sautéed potatoes topped with sea salt and rosemary.* The ingredients are below.

Put the whole unpeeled potatoes in a pan of water. Bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes. Drain and leave to cool. Can be done several hours ahead. When ready to serve, strip the skins from the potatoes, then cut them into thick slices. Heat the oils together in a very large non-stick pan. Add the potatoes in a single layer if there is room, and cook for 10-15 minutes, tuning them frequently with a fish slice until they are golden and crispy. Sprinkle with the rosemary and flaky salt, then serve.

Another classic Valoran dish would be baked sea bass with lemon caper dressing.** The ingredients are below.

To make the dressing, mix the oil with the lemon zest and juice, capers, mustard, some seasoning and 1 tbsp water. Don't add the parsley yet (unless serving straight away) as the acid in the lemon will fade the colour if they are left together for too long. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Line a baking tray with baking parchment and put the fish, skin-side up, on top. Brush the skin with oil and sprinkle with some flaky salt. Bake for 7 mins or until the flesh flakes when tested with a knife. Arrange the fish on warm serving plates, spoon over the dressing and scatter with extra parsley leaves, if you like.

Fashion
Internationally, Valore is known as the "fashion capital", and for good reason. The nation is widely known for holding extravagant fashion contests, as well as being the largest producer of dresses and suits in all of Eldham, providing outfits to nobles and nation leaders across the world. Famous fashion designers include Lafeyette de Monet, Zoé Laurens, and Jules Thoreau. Monet was most known for his skill of mixing patterns. He famously used a technique he designed called "mélange de motifs", which used a specific ratio devloped for each of his designs to produce pleasing visuals. Laurens and Thoreau were both known for using colours to turn basic outfits into something fresh and pleasing. They harmonized tops and jackets with similar colours, juxtaposed brights and neutrals, ending up with casual but elegant designs.

Typical modern Valoran fashion is often gender-open, with outfits being designed for all genders. A common masculine-leaning outfit utilises tweed jackets, vests, and a cotton twill sleeved shirt coupled with linen dress-pants to produce a common designs. A common feminine-leaning design utilises a long-sleeved silk blouse, with a rayon skirt, which are fastened with leather belts to the blouse, with either a soft wool fedora or a wool beret to top the outfit off.

Of course, different eras and different states of Valore have their own unique styles. The most famous of them would be modern Auxian Chic. The style is known for its sleek, cotton dresses and well-tailored leather coats and jackets. The chic also heavily relies on capes, fedoras, and canes to top off its designs. A commonly found outfit in the Auxian middle-class would be leather-linen blend jackets with long sleeved, chequered, flannel shirts, and cotton pants, topped off with a cane and a leather fedora. Another widely known style would be Eianwardism. It is the opposite of Auxian style, utilising heavy, striped coats and tailored jeans, with top hats to signify wealth and quality of life, used by the very rich. The style is most promienent in San Ravenna and Solhom, the twin cities of Entrepenuers and Businessmen.

Lumieran and Ermontian Chics are also quite well known, as they are extremely similar. Lumieran Chic is quite opposed to the non-gendered style of Valore, prefering to have explicitly feminine and masculine styles. The most common feminine outfit worn is worn by the upper-middle-class, and consists of a single breasted coat, a crew neck cardigan sweater, and tweed pants. It is a simple outfit, but works wonders in fashion shows. Ermontian Chic is most well known for its extremely simple designs, most notably this following design worn by the middle-class, which consists of just 2 fashion items, a rayon long sleeve shirt dress, and a leather belt.

Music
Valoran music is known for its long, drawn out piano solos coupled with the soft singing of lyrics in Verdenlange. Valoran musicians also incorporated strings, usually a viola, cello, or an upright bass, which became standard instruments for chamber ensembles and smaller orchestras. At the same time, the guitar became more typically associated with six-string models, rather than traditional five-string versions. Valoran Blues is a prime example of this, mixing acoustic, nylon and steel stringed guitars with the soft playing of a single piano as well as a viola and a bass.

Valoran Jazz is also another well-known style of music. It originates from the farming town of Vienne, usually played with a saxophone, a piano, and a bass, in slow, low-paced beats. The piano will play low chords, whilst the saxophone and bass will accompany it, sometimes playing 2 or 3 beats behind to give momentum to the whole song. A well known song is "Je pense donc je suis", translating to "I think, therefore I am". It is a variation of Valoran Jazz, instead playing the saxophone and bass by 5 beats to create an ethereal atmosphere of echoes.

Art
Valoran Art can be classified into 9 distinct periods. The first, Tsnism (Anglicised: Senism), which focused on art depicting paintings of Emperors in the Qwe'tsn Empire. A portrait of Emperor Had'di Shallom VI can be found in the Nov'tsn Museum in New Auxe, which perfectly displays the styles of the period. Human figures bow to the Emperor, as he looks upon them, light shining from his sceptre. This period ended with the ending of the Shallom bloodline, giving rise to the Terraic art period, which focused much more heavily on backgrounds and nature. The last of the Qwe'tsn art periods was the Recession, which took place from the Qwe'tsn Empire's defeat at the Crimson River to the dissolution of the Empire just 20 years later. It focused on depressive scenes of people descending to Helos, the "Hell" of Vanirii.

After these 3 periods, art was not widely created in the area for hundreds of years, until about 400 years later, when Windwalker migrants began influencing the region. This gave birth to the fourth art period, known as Lumisc, a word in Windwalker tongue translating to "light". The period is known for its focus on objects like wheat, or flowers, or common-people, as the Windwalkers were fascinated by these things. This period lasted about 250 years, ending when Umarin settlers began entering the region. The next period would be known as the Neo-Terraic, which was a rebirth of the Terraic art period, which had died out over thousands of years before. It, like the Terraic, focused on landscapes. This period would last about 390 years, until the discovery of Eldham by Athaz the Travellor.

The arrival of the Verdenland privateers would spell the end of the Neo-Terraic, and the start of Expressionism. Expressionism was created as a middle-ground between the Lumisc and Neo-Terraic. The period is known for its unique style, using inverted colours to paint, creating a sort of Neo-Realism. The Lumisc and Neo-Terraic styles were also incorporated with the use of objects in the foreground and landscapes in the background. The next period would be Art Nouveau, which was a general evolution of what Expressionism was. It moved further away from the Lumisc and Neo-Terraic styles, and more towards anti-realism. The inverted colours were carried over, but they were modified to be more pleasing to the eye with warmer colours. Also, painters would often paint in random objects like flowers and furniture to sometimes replace an element of the painting.

The next period would be sparked by the Valoran independence movement, and started with the reformation of Verdenland into Valore. This would be called Surrealism. This would become the peak of anti-realism in Valoran art. Surrealism is highly psychological, and many Surrealist artists would paint directly from their dreams. Sometimes dealing with uncomfortable concepts, hidden desires, and taboos, Surrealism was a direct critique of the ingrained ideas and beliefs of the bourgeoise, which was started with the overthrowing of the King of Verdenland. Finally, art began to move away from anti-realism as Valoran art entered the latest stage in its life, Minimalism. Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through taking away all non-essential forms, features or concepts.

Architecture
Valoran architecture doesn't follow one simple style, rather, a blend of styles from Rathniri and Eldhamian nations alike has create an interesting creole style. Like Valoran art, there are architectural time periods. For Valoran architecture, there are 5 distinct periods wherein the architecture is changed or improved on. The first of these periods is the Pre-Tsn period, which was named for the Qwe'tsn Empire. This lasted from about 11,000 years ago to about 3,000 years ago. Most architecture during this period was constructed earthen mounds, stone circles, megaliths, and structures that often puzzle modern-day archaeologists. The dawn of architecture is found in these structures.

The second of these periods is the Tsnic period, named for the height of the Qwe'tsn Empire's architectural prowess. This lasted from about 3,000 to 1,000 years ago. Architecture during this period was very cautiously made, and it is obvious that the architects of Qwe'tsn took great pride in their work. Most buildings during this period were constructed from wood and terracotta, the most notable being the Qwe'tsn capital of Yuv'aen, which was meticulously designed to survive almost anything. The ruins of Yuv'aen can still be found in Elgaia Lake, north of the Valoran town of Elgaia.

The third period is known as the Windwalkic period, which focused on Windwalker architecture. Structures during this period were constructed by the Soro windus sapius, an intelligent subspecies of the Windwalker species. They consisted mostly of great towers and mounds, which were mostly used to worship deities. The fourth period is known as the Yaszumatti integration, and most structures during this period were built by Yaszumatti migrants and traders. This built on the Windwalkic style, and integrated a lot of Yaszumatti building style into the architecture. The fifth and final period is known as the Verdenic period, and was developed alongside the nations of Verdenland and later Valore. This period is the most visually distinct, completely ignoring the previous 4 periods, and developing a style unlike any other. This style would be characterised by its colourful, symmetrical buildings.

Literature
Valoran literature is predominantly written in either Traveler's Tongue or Verdenlange in the Republic of Valore, its preceding nation of Verdenland. Like Art, Architecture and Music, it too has different periods, defined not by style, but by the writers who were most prominent. In total, there have been 3 distinct literature periods. The first of these was the pre-colonial period, defined by Windwalkic, Yaszuamatti, and Qwe'tsni authors such as Ine Kon'isci and Aki'ra Mino'sumi. During this period, genres were defined, like the Heavy-Fiction genre, which would come to dominate Valoran literature for centuries to come. Not only that, but Historical Dramas would also be popularised, as Yaszumatti writers specifically wrote about historical figures, but taking some poetic licencse along the way.

The Tale of Kinnomachi, which followed the pilgrammage of a lowly monk by the same name to a cluster of sky islands, would become especially popular for its powerful lessons of morality and perspective. The next period was the Verdenic Revolution, which roped in the Verdenland settlers, who brought their own special literature to the table, Horror, Romance, and most importantly of all, Poetry. Verdenic Poetry would come to define Eldham's literature scene for years to come. Meanwhile, Pre-Colonial literature styles would be mixed into this cultural mixing pot.

The next style would be brought about from Valoran independence, and would be called the Anti-Monarchic period, and would be heavily be defined by the first few speakers of Valore, Aldern Foerce, Thayn Chew, Agetio Sekovich. They would write essays, poems and prose, calling out monarchs, emperors, and anybody who didn't give their people the basic right to free speech, and then smuggle these into kingdoms and empires. A collection of these, aptly named the Speaker Collection, was created and complied a few years later by Aldern and his husband, Robras.

Demographics
As a private colony orignally, Verdenland settlers were made up of citizens who came mostly from Rathnir. A recent census showed that 56.8% of the population was born in Rathnir. 22.3% of these 56.8% alone were from Uldarash, 10.9% were from Viodoxa, 8.7% were from Bardonia, and so on and so forth. About 32.1% of the population is from Eldham, with about 68.5% saying they immigrated from other Eldham nations, whilst the others said they were born in Valore.

Names
In the Republic of Valore, names are mostly made up of mixes of Verdenlange, Highlandic, and Yaszumatti. The most popular first names are Will'ia, Umaruis, Asra, Lumi'tsi. These names are usually Verdenlange in origin, then mixed with Highlandic's signature " ' ", then finally mixed with Yaszumatti names. Common surnames are much more exclusive, common ones include Lafeyette, Monet, Moreau, Florence, Bardon, Harris, Holmes, O'ron, Abe, Art'irito, Ono'rij, Hon'ru, and more. Some of these surnames are hyphonated, like Lafeyette-O, Ono'rij, a common surname amongst Auxians, or Monet-Hon'ru.

Religions
In Valore, whilst there is freedom of religion, there are some religions that are more followed than others. Soleannen is the most followed religion in Valore, with nearly 20% of the population following the religion. Following Soleannen is Anduism, at 15.8% of the population. Following Anduism is Twin Dragon, comprising of 10.3% of the population. The rest are either atheistic, or follow a less-known religion. Local religions are Anduism, The Lunarian Triune, the Cult of the Fire God, and Potatoism.

Races
As of the time of writing, there are 3 main races in the Republic of Valore. Humans, Windwalkers, and Umarín. Humans are the most prevalent, making up over 70% of the population. Windwalkers and Umarín make up about the same amount, 10%. The Umarín population are mostly immigrants from Yaszuma, and the Windwalkers are mostly native species, and have lived in the Valore region for nearly 600 years.

The Umarín are an elven group that split from the Celestial Elves hundreds of years ago. They created and adapted to live in the sky islands of Eldham and acquired a sometimes more sapphire-toned skin along with a shorter stature compared to the Celestial Elves. Most of the Umarin population in Valore is made up of traders from Yaszuma. The Umarin have co-existed with Windwalkers for hundreds of years following the Umakwan invasion of Qwe'tsn.

The human population is mainly made of those who came on the Verdenland private expedition. There are also smaller populations of Tetszotti and Torumain dwarves, as well Vulpurs, and Goblins.

Traditions
Though a colonial nation with only a few years of history, the Republic of Valore is still densely packed with traditions mixed together by its population of immigrants from so many Rathniri nations.

Ceremonies
On the 4th day of the first month every year, Valore celebrates its independence, which consists mainly of parades, cheap beer and liquor, and fireworks. Due to Soleannen being the most popular religion in Valore, several Soleannen ceremonies are celebrated in Valore and some are even counted as national holidays.

Allied Wars
The Republic of Valore has taken part in many wars since its founding. It was a member of the Limuria Defence Force, and helped defend Limuria from Skjobrodir in the Limuria-Skjobrodir War, providing war materials and weapons. It also fought in the Kunir War, on the side of the USSE. After the war ended, and the USSE was reduced, they offered Valore as a place for people who were displaced by the war to go to.

The Tempesta Rebellion
On the 22nd of July, the City of Tempesta, allied with the then candidate for Speaker, Slayden, attempted to rebel and coup Valore's leaders. Their reason for this was because of multiple bandit raids, not allowing them to build Tempesta. Their tactics were simple. Find a time wherein most of Valore was asleep or offline, then take the Trading City of Solhom, before rowing down the river to take New Auxe.

A citizen of Solhom, Barktree, found out the plot, and decided to infiltrate their lines and act as though he was joining them. He took as much information as possible, and handed it to Aldern Thibeus and Thayn Chew. Thayn Chew decided to confront the rebels. The leader of the coup admitted to it, and the rebel leader Slayden was promptly kicked out of the nation. After a day of negotiations, it would be agreed on that Tempesta would rejoin the nation in return for Valore taking more control over it.

The Qadakh Secession Crisis
On the 3rd of August, the City of Qadakh, due to increasing tensions with their parent nation of Tetra, chose to secede from it, to form the Free City of Qadakh. Tetra immediately requested that the Northern Lights take action against the rebellion. Valore itself sent out a statement denouncing Qadakh, calling it "City of Plebs", and pledging their support to Tetra.

On the 4th of August, Qadakh made a document that was sent to the Northern Lights, containing a good amount of evidence it had against Tetra. Inside, also contained attacks on several nations who sent denouncements to Qadakh, including Valore. Qadakh claimed that since Valore itself came from a secessionist state, that it should side with them. By this time, the twin speakers of Valore, Thayn Choo and Agetio Sekovich, had already been drifting towards Qadakh's side of the argument.

But, more trouble was yet to come when MintCal, the Sultan of Tetra, started insulting the Northern Lights' leaders, Yaszuma, and its leaders targeted. Soko, the Queen of Yaszuma, was told by MintCal to quote "go kill herself". MintCal also proceded to insult Varn Torum and Valore, calling them turncoats. This was the final nail in the coffin, and Valore officially sided with Qadakh the next day. After many weeks of silence, Qadakh was bought by Nova Regna, ending the crisis.

Alliances
Valore is part of several alliances and non-aggression treaties.

Northern Lights
Firstly, it is a member of the aformentioned Northern Lights Coalition. Originally, Verdenland was not part of the Northern Lights, and Valore's creation almost lead to Verdenland joining the alliance just to defeat the internal threat. Luckily for Valore, Verdenland chose not to and shortly thereafter disbanded. Valore quickly joined the Northern Lights in a 11-0 vote. They became a big member in the alliance, and is the 2rd biggest in terms of land size, and the 3rd biggest in terms of population.

Defensive Pacts
Secondly, they have 2 defensive pacts with the nations of Redoriv (Before known as the Kingdom of Florandia), as well as Limuria. The latter pact was signed shortly before the Battle of Skjolbrodir, and was agreed upon by Aldern Thibeus of Valore, and Draphonis of Limuria. The former was signed on the 7th of July, and was meant to strengthen ties between the 2 fledgling nations. It was agreed upon by Thayn Chew of Valore, and Kyborg1000. Both pacts are purely defensive.

NAPs
Lastly, they have multiple NAPs with nations around the world of Eldham. Their NAPs are: The United Socialist States of Eldham, the Confederation of Garxijos, Druk Yul, Uldarash, and Aurum Solis.

Government Structure
The Republic of Valore, is, as stated before, a representative democracy. It has a Senate, which is filled with representatives from cities across the nation. The Senate is run by one of the two Speakers in Valore. At any given time, Valore must have 2 speakers. They are there to ensure that the other does not end up getting corrupt and power hungry.

Govenment History
The Republic of Valore has gone through 3 governments, and is currently on its fourth. It is common to see government officials either reappearing, or changing positions between governments. All 4 governments were democratically elected.