Alay Alaari

The Alay Alaari was a nation located in central Ummarnu. Its name directly translates to "Alaari Democracy", which is fitting since it was built upon freedom and democracy for all its citizens. Whilst it is no longer independent, the regional government still holds a high level of autonomy within the Lordship of Volandia.

Founding
Alay Alaari was founded in the, when the Aldan and Uldarashi governments agreed to grant it its independence as a sovereign nation. It was achieved through the skillful art of diplomacy and peaceful talks of succession. The official document that declared its sovereignty was the Hukigiaa Alaari, translates to "Alaari Freedom", which outlined the reasons for independence as well as how the temporary placeholder government would work.

Huitca
Before Alda occupied the present-day territory of Alay Alaari, the Huitca Federation held sovereignty over the land. It was split into 3 different states at the time. Alaqara was held by Darinakua, and Seaso was a separate state from Talawa. It was not until the that Seaso was integrated into Talawa, though as a state park due to its historical significance. This integration received little resistance as Seaso was essentially uninhabited and the Talawan/Alaari people had pushed for its integration for a while. However, some, though few, did believe that this was an illegal annexation, as an agreement was made between Tzseu, the founder of the Seasoan village, and the Huitcan government that it would remain under Huitca's rule as long as it could exist as an individual state inside Huitca.

Talawa was claimed by Huitca in the while under the reign of the third Cihuacoatl, Tyo'on'tyo, although it was not until 74 TE that Talawa received its first Hoxi (appointed Huitcan state leader). At around this time, the state was home to Sandburg, Vineyyad, Dailag and Alaar. Ultimately, each and every settlement in Talawa crumbled one by one against the test of time as Alaar slowly rose to become the dominant entity of the state. It became the sole city remaining in Talawa, as the rest had either perished from inactivity or been crushed by hostile nomads and/or rebels. It thus became a de facto city state and was more commonly referred to as Alaar rather than Talawa.

Alaar's control over Talawa was a significant milestone in its history, since it sparked the beginning of the Alaari Golden Age. This was a time of great cultural, scientific and political advancement. The Alaari Golden Age is considered to have begun in the Autumn of 96 TE, just as Athna Hapaqalchi was elected as the second Umayir of Alaar. Most of the city's architecture was built during this period. The streets were usually bustling with merchants and travellers seeking fortunes and propserity. Alaar was rich, powerful and even started initiatives to restore its surrounding abandoned cities. Its reach even started expanding into federal Huitcan politics.

Unfortunately, this Alaari Golden Age had to come to an end. Both Huitca and the state of Talawa slowly fell into inactivity and decay. It is still unclear what exactly caused the Dark Ages of Alaar, but one thing is for certain: it had a devastating impact and left the land and government in ruins. With a mere fraction of the population remaining, things began to turn to chaos. Besides the normalisation of theft and corruption, something else seemed wrong. The entire city of Alaar was experiencing anomalous occurrences. Things such as water and earth seemed to completely disobey all known laws of physics. Parts of the ground would float and some items were even erased from existence, although by far the most peculiar event was when buildings and entire segments of the city from the past were seemingly brought forwards to the present. It was truly bizarre, and many of the city's greatest scientists could not explain why. Some called it an act of god, others believed it to be a rip in the very flow of time, but regardless of what caused it, nothing could prevent its path of destruction from ever-increasing the speed of Alaar's downfall.

Alda
The current territory of Alay Alaar (excluding Alaqara) made up the Duchy of Talawa inside the Kingdom of Alda. Alaqara, also known as Menaphos, Port Tizoc or Crystillia, was an abandoned city in the south of the Duchy of Darinakua which was being restored by the AARC (Alaar and Alaqara Restoration Committee). The city was later annexed by Alay Alaari as per the terms in the Hukigiaa Alaari.

Alda inherited the Huitcan state of Talawa when Tlatoani Gem Alai forfeited the throne and dissolved the Huitca Federation. The neighbouring states of Centaris and Adaen gained their freedom while Talawa remained a duchy inside of Alda. Generally, the people of Alaar did not approve of Alda since it was seen as a foreign power, despite historically being a Huitcan vassal. After several months of inactivity in Alaar, the remaining inhabitants became frustrated that nothing was being done on Alda's part to help grow Talawa and keep it from dying. This, and several other factors, are what led to the desire to become an independent nation. After drawn-out debates, the state was finally set free.

First Alaqara Crisis
The Alaqara Crisis was a diplomatic situation in which the Alaari and Uldarashi governments were sent an ultimatum by the Southern Alliance of Ummarnu Lands (SAUL). The ultimatum demanded that Alaar relinquished all claims over Alaqara so that it could be annexed by Adaen and that Uldarash would abandon its territory in Ummarnu otherwise they would face war. This diplomatic communiqué was sent not even a day after the Hukigiaa Alaari was signed and Alaar's independence was declared. Adaen felt Alaqara belonged to them since they were promised it by Centaris on the premise that it would be annexed by Centaris along with the rest of Darinakua. Adaen's leader, Hunter, was especially upset because he promised the city to settlers who wished to live there.

After failed attempts to negotiate with Adaen, the Alaari government decided to wait out the ultimatum in the hope of that it was just a bluff. With little time left until the expiry, one last negotiation was held with Adaen. Through skilled diplomacy, peace was reached by explaining that Centaris promised them land despite not owning the land yet. So Adaen, and by extent, SAUL, dropped the section of the ultimatum targeted at Alaar. Peace and soveriegnty over Alaqara was secured.

Second Alaqara Crisis
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States and Territories
For better organisation and regional governance, Alay Alaari is divided into states and territories. A state is given the power to establish their own regional government and hold elections for their regional representative(s). Territories are directly owned and governed by the federal government. They are prohibited from having a regional representative in the federal government, and they generally are not permitted to have a regional government.

Government
The government of Alay Alaari is headed by the Umayir and assisted in governance by the Clahto. Below is a brief outline of the main bodies of government, although for a more in-depth version, see the constitution, the Puyuqr Alaari (translates to "Alaari Light") once it is completed and ratified.

The Umayir, literally translating to "leader", is the elected figurehead of Alay Alaari. They are the head of state and represent the people, the land, and the government. It is the role of the Umayir to conduct weekly meetings of the Clahto where changes to and creation of new laws/policies is done. They act as the speaker and ensure that the sessions remain civilised and orderly.

The Clahto, literally translating to "council", is made up of several Clahtkam (plural: Clahtkamai) which act as councilors. Each Clahtkam represents a department of the government.