Yaszuma

Yaszuma is a multicultural constitutional oligarchy in the northwest of Eldham created to unify the Yaszumatti people and their counterparts. The nation runs under a core Yaszumatti territory governed by the central government, while local governments run the relatively autonomous provinces. Our national identity is of unity and collectivism towards the prosperity of Yaszuma as a people and a nation. From our capital city, which floats high among the clouds, to the beautiful seas of Osziro and mountain tunnels of Tetszo, no two areas of Yaszuma are precisely alike - just as no two citizens are the same.

Culture
Yaszuma’s culture is what the nation is mainly known for especially art, architecture and writing as they are the core of Yaszumatti society. Artisans of all kinds are greatly respected and hoped for within Yaszuma's borders. Art defines the environment we live in, with our environment defining ourselves.

Racial groups
There are three main people groups in Yaszuma as of now: The Umakwa Sky Elves, the Tetszo Dwarves and the Kaszatti Humans. These three races lived in unison and helped shape Yaszuma to what it is today.

Umarín
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. They are the smallest of the three main racial groups of Yaszuma, barely holding 10% or so of the nation's overall demographic composure, nearly all of them living in Umakwa and making up more than half of the city's population.

The culture of the Umarín places great emphasis on equality between social and racial lines, which they deem only achievable through respect. They serve Yaszuma as advisors, librarians and other scholarly practices but don't hesitate from involving themselves in other aspects of the state such as the now rising army.

One of their elven adaptations is hermaphroditism, the ability to change biological sex at will. This caused Umarín society to ditch any aspect of gender or gender roles, preferring individual gender expression than any kind of strict rules defining how everyone needs to look. This is why Umarín fashion is the most elaborate and diverse of any of the other races in Yaszuma.

Tetszori
The Tetszotti are Yaszuma's dwarven race. They are the predominant species in Tetszo province and differ in appearance and attitude to any other kind of dwarf. They sport many other hair colors, elaborate facial hair designs and tend to incorporate greenery along with fierce armor into their daily outfits.

Like the Umarín, the Tetszotti initially arrived in Eldham at a similar date, choosing to call the large Tetszo mountain range their home. At first identical to any other kind of dwarf, after discovering Tetszo's beautiful underground ecosystem, they grew attached to it and began throwing away the industrial and polluting lifestyle of most dwarves.

Today they keep the same attitude as other dwarves when it comes to labor and wealth, but prefer to achieve equal amounts of wealth through greener means. They still operate vast smitheries and forges, but never forget to plant shrubbery and trees nearby in order to absorb the pollution. They can be described as the workhorses of Yaszuma, carrying the nation's industrial might on their backs and helping fund the state's military the most.

Kaszatti
The Kaszatti are the largest racial group in the Yaszuma, originating from Kaszara province where they formed the Kingdom of Kaszara hundreds of years ago. They are industrious people and renowned woodworkers and fishermen. For centuries they led a pescatarian lifestyle that eventually grew to influence the other Yaszumatti races to adopt fish into their diets.

Poklatti
The Poklatti are a mixture of anthropomorphic fish species that live in the sea south of Umakwa. While they technically don't lie within Yaszumatti borders, they are officially considered as being a part of the state. The Poklatti's underwater kingdoms and city-states are all claimed under the Yaszumatti Poklarai protectorate.

They can vary in color highly depending on the part of the ocean where they originate from, they must keep themselves damp and wear glass tanks on their heads for them not to dry out and suffocate when on land.

Kaenatti
The Kaenatti are the smallest minority within Yaszuma, only residing within the Kaenarai sanctuary in Tetszo province. They are an anthropomorphic species of toads-like people. They are known for being great builders and to be some of the most well composed individuals within Yaszumatti society.

Architecture
Yaszuma is a cultural melting pot, blending traditional state buildings with the old teachings of dwarven architects in Tetszo and the ancient blueprints of long lost temples in the rainforests of Osziro. The federation emphasizes the preservation of knowledge and beauty of every culture situated within the state's borders.

Religion
Yaszuma is a nation that is open to various spiritual beliefs. The most prominent of them Juncism and Uma Atai. But there are a few other religions within Yaszuma that are accepted to (e.g. The North).

Junicism
Junicism is a pantheism religion; the belief that our Universe is a living Deity, a Goddess named Juni. Followers worship the Juni Trinity; The Avatar, The Deity, and The Conscience. The Avatar acting as the humanoid form in Eldham, The Deity representing The Universe, and The Conscience portraying Juni's will.”

Uma Atai
Uma Atai is a polytheistic religion that originated in Yaszuma, and a successor religion to the Eriszetsu faith. The faith is typically practiced by the Yaszumatti, however small groups may be found dotted around Eldham. It revolves around the "flow" of energy from the stars that comes down to our world, which then leaves and rests in the void.

Eriszetsu
"Main article: Eriszetsu"Eriszetsu is a religion originating from Tszunare Yaszuma and a distant relative to the Twin Dragon faith. The faith is only practiced by the Yaszumatti, who deem it more as a lifestyle than an organized religion

Zenkoism
Zenkoism is the only religion other than Eriszetsu to naturally appear in Yaszuma. Zenkoism has since its early creation spread to cover many different countries within the north of Eldham. Currently the largest Zenkoist shrine in Eldham can be found in Osziro, the temple of Tenko.

It worships the two deities of Naomi and Sadao and preaches inheriting the teachings of elders and prides itself on learning. Due to its nature as a religion that can coexist with other religions, the Tszunare considers the practice of Zenkoism as completely acceptable.

The North
The North is a mysterious and apocalyptic cult founded by Matriarch Snaer following their mysterious appearance under Umakwa. Snaer has garnered a reputation amongst the religious scholars of Eriszetsu as an incarnation of a long dead spirit that has appeared in the material world in order to revive itself within the spirit world. Due to this, the religion is allowed to be practiced freely, it's seen as a long lost part of Eriszetsu that is actively being revived by Snaer.

The largest centers of the religion can be found in the shrine of Anemoi and Snaer's house in Umakwa.

Ancient History
The records dating back to the pre Soko era of Yaszuma were lost during the events of the Rosette Rebellion. What remains are disconnected documents that piece together an incomplete tale of the nation’s origins.

The first peoples known to inhabit the area of modern-day Yaszuma were the Yaszumatti Humans. They inhabited the region for thousands of years and were mostly situated in the region's central savannah, their largest city and state being Raikaza. The Umarín were the first new settlers to arrive in Yaszuma, initially settling in the area. However, upon the collapse of the Kingdom of Almador, the Umarín would immigrate to Eldham, creating the large sky islands chains, the largest of which was the sky city of Umakwa. Centuries later, Dwarven settlers would first begin inhabiting the Tetszo Mountain Range, forming the Dwarven States of Beifen, Wen and Atza. They would be the last major group of settlers to immigrate into the area, forming the bedrock of what is now Yaszuma's modern-day demographics. These three groups would eventually begin regularly trading with each other and sharing their cultures and practices. Umakwa and Raikaza were heavily integrated by the end of this period, becoming fully dependent on each other. The end of this period is signified with the formation of a union between Umakwa and Raikaza, marking the First Unification and the formation of the Twin Rule.

First Unification Period
This period is where most of the territorial expansion done by the Proto-Yaszumatti State (PYS) would take place. The PYS would expand down to the southern coast and up to the sky islands of Kinnomachi. Kinnomachi was a lone temple sanctuary created a century or so following the arrival of the Umarín, it was in decline for decades up to the 4th century F.U., but it was still the second largest population centre for the Umarín in Eldham. The sky islands of Kinnomachi would later join the PYS, marking the Second Unification. Not long after this, the majority of Kinnomachi's Umarín population would move to Umakwa.

Second Unification Period
This is the final period of the PYS, while the PYS itself stagnated for the majority of this period, the Tetszo Dwarves would experience a rebirth in culture and would ascend to new heights of development. The Dwarven States of Beifen, Wen and Atza united and formed the Lordship of Tetszo, with the Beifen region being set as the capital location. The dwarves, initially hesitant to cooperate with the Umarín and the humans, were steadily integrating into the PYS during the duration of this period. They replaced their own language with a dialect of future Yaszumatti, and would adopt a new religion that would become Yaszumatti Etherealism. This level of integration would only lead down a path to a full union between Tetszo and the PYS. 23 years later, Tetszo's Lord Duranesz would meet with Queen Matsumo of Umakwa and the two agreed on a unification. This marks the Third Unification and the creation of the Crownlands of Yaszuma.

Third Unification Period
The first Tszunna of Yaszuma was Tszunna Matsumo. Her reign is known for an era of cultural and national prosperity, most of Yaszuma's cultural and religious developments can be traced back to Matsumo's rule. The Tszunna to succeed Matsumo was Tszunna Nizara. Her rule saw the developments of human settlements in Umakwa, Medaka and Kinnomachi, but is mostly known for happening during the discovery of Eldham by Athaz. Nizara found it hard to rule the country under the pressure created by the large influx of new settlers and nations, and would eventually pass away. Her replacement was a young girl shown to her by a young Umarín librarian by the name of Onneszu, her name being Soko. Soko and Onneszu were picked by Nizara to be the new heirs of Yaszuma under the Twin Rule.

Soko’s reign
The initial wave of new settlers into the world of Eldham was a chaotic and turbulent period of time in Yaszuma's history. War scares, caused by nations such as Iremith and Valore along with the formation of the ETC, were signifiers of a time when each year brought a new crisis threatening the existence of Yaszuma.

The new Tszunna would immediately take up the task of modernizing the country into a state that could compete on the new international stage. Yaszuma's military strength along with its international alliances would expand during this period. Following the dissolution of the ETC, these turbulent times subsided, allowing Yaszuma and much of the northwest some time to reorganize and develop peacefully. In the same year, General Benkei of the Yaszumatti Royal Army would announce the discovery of a strange finding in the nation's Kwomitta province, an end portal, which would go on to play a significant role in the politics of the Kaszara.

Meanwhile, the small province of Osziro would begin to grow significantly with the founding of Kinnomachi, a town built with the sole intention of being a major trade and political hub in the east. Its population would grow significantly over the course of Soko's reign due to large part being largely autonomous.

As the eastern provinces slowly grew more and more powerful, the west lead primarily by the Tszunna directly would begin a modernization campaign in Umakwa, with developments in infrastructure and culture being made. While at first large strides would be made, the rate of progress began to slow down due to issues with housing and management.

Overall, during the initial period of Soko's reign, the nation would face a tense yet peaceful period of time with no major conflicts or issues really coming to head.

Titan's Rest Incident
As the Nation of Yaszuma continued to slowly grow due to progress along their eastern provinces and changes done in Umakwa, in the south trouble brewed. The Nation of Seeker's End without a clear heir decided to elect Tszunna Soko as their next Sovereign ruler. Due to this and the close ties between the leadership of Seeker's End and Yaszuma, Seeker's end ceded all territory under itself over to Yaszuma. As the nation began to be transferred over, due to contract previously agreed between Yaszuma, Seeker's End and Varn Torum, this would spark a major diplomatic incident in the northwest that nearly started a war.

Varn Torum claimed that everything south of Titan's Rest belonged to them and that it was both unfair and against previous agreements that they had with Yaszuma for them to claim all of Seeker's End. Yaszuma claimed that they had been gifted the territories owned by Seeker's end and that as such a gift falls outside their previous arrangements. As both parties continued to argue their claims Varn Torum soon threaten outright war to claim Seeker's End for themselves, a war of which many in Yaszuma feared would not be a winnable war.

After much debate and negotiations through the Northern Lights it was agreed that the land gifted to Yaszuma would be made into a neutral territory owned by all nations in the Northern Lights by law. Both Yaszuma and Varn Torum, while not fully happy with the arrangement, found the contract agreeable and thus peace was maintained. This close encounter with war however would create a layer of tension between many in Yaszuma as many grew discontent with how the deal panned out.

The First Uprising & Economic Troubles
For a little while following the Titan's Rest incident the nation faced a period of prosperity. The East continued to grow and was shaping into a economic powerhouse, Tetszo & Medaka were beginning to see renewed interest and growth led by the central government and Umakwa was going through a period of renovation. This would come to a abrupt stop as the world's economy began to take a nose dive. With the east facing more pressure and the west slowly running out of funds, many people grew more and more discontent with the Central Government and their policies. In response, many people began to demand a constitution and a standardized system of laws.

Soko would attempt to respond to these calls for a law code and constitution by electing the Lusone to manage the creation of both documents. This however would turn out to be not the best decision as the the constitution and Law Code was pushed further and further back by other projects being dealt with by the Lusone. This in turn would cause many among the nobility to pressure Soko to delegate tasks beyond a handful of people as to help with getting many of the pressing issues such as the slowly failing economy and stagnation being faced by the nation.

Eventually the issues plaguing the nation would come fully to head when one citizen, Marin Mosayashi, would go on and draft a Constitution of his own who than began a campaign to push for the constitution to be implemented. Thanks to this campaign many in the general population came to like the constitution that was drafted and petitioned for it to be accepted. Soko, seeing the constitution as a way to possibly strip her of some powers, decided to try and compromise with Marin to make changes to it that way all sides would be somewhat satisfied. As negotiations continued between Soko, the Central Govt and a group of citizens led by Marin, the Nation of Yaszuma would soon run into another issue. Due to an issue involving taxes, the nation of Yaszuma would soon find itself penniless and forced to file for Bankruptcy with the City of Kinnomachi, Tetszo and Stone Manor having to bail out Yaszuma's Debts.

Between the Petition, economic crisis and now the debt crisis, the leadership of Yaszuma's military stated that they had enough and would begin what would later be referred to as, the first uprising. Under pressure from the military led under Lord Commander Jacob, the nobility, and the vast majority of citizens, Soko relented and agreed to the procedures listed out in the constitution Marin drafted, ending the first rebellion.

Rosette Rebellion
Shortly following Soko signing the Constitution into law, many of the new central government members outlined by the constitution would begin complaining about her overstepping her powers and largely undermining the power of many of the governmental positions listed out in it. This would cause a second wave of outrage with many in the military stepping down as well as many central government positions stipulated by the constitution becoming vacant. Due to the rising tensions and the general deterioration of the situation, the government would hold an emergency meeting to go over the issue plaguing the nation.

During this meeting, Lord Eolde, the Governor of Osziro, would clash with Lusone Onneszu over the direction Soko and her loyalists were taking during these initial meetings, eventually culminating in Eolde publicly requesting the Lusone and Tszunna to Abdicate. With public opinion on his side and after nearly two days of protests, Onneszu, followed by Soko, both decided to resign from their positions then fight the people for it.

Soko's Reign in Summary
Soko's reign like many others is a complicated history. Much of Yaszuma's culture would be clearly defined during her reign with many cultural advancements being made. Meanwhile towns such as Kinnomachi, Hanikwa and Medaka would grow and end up playing pivotal roles in the future of the nation. During her reign the nation would face a period of prosperity which would come to an end close to the end of her reign due to a combination of mismanagement and a economic crisis that was afflicting Eldham as a whole. Much like many leaders that came after her, her early successes would become overshadowed by her policies late in her rule.

Eolde's Reign
With the Tszunna stepping down, Lord Eolde would take up the title of Lord Regent and would begin pushing for many changes across the nation. One of the first major issues being a new Constitution, restructuring of the army and a revitalization of the Yaszumatti economy. Each of these would be met with swift and sometimes extreme changes in order to 'right the ship' as he termed it. He would also take drastic steps to rebrand Yaszuma on the world stage with major changes to Yaszuma's foreign policy. Over the course of his early reign these reforms would by and large be successful as much because of his push for them as well as the leaders he employed to see them through. With all of this combined, Yaszuma went from a quiet nation that was one of many in the northwest to an internationally known nation overnight, with many treaties being signed with major powers such as Uraka and the Ruby Syndicate.

With Yaszuma's new position in the north slowly being solidified a question began to appear about what to do in regards to policies with the Northern Lights, a hotly debated topic during the rebellion. Eolde would push for further unification among the Northern Lights at first but would quickly change face due to disputes between him and other nation leaders, eventually culminating in Yaszuma departing form the Northern Lights. Yaszuma also participated in their first major conflict during this period, in which Yaszumatti troops were sent to fight for Uraka in their war against Barbossa.

And while the nation grew dramatically over the course of his early reign, it wouldn't be until later in his reign that some of the problems these new policies and positions can cause began to rear their head. While many people who ended up attaining central government positions were very qualified in their jobs, differing opinions between these members would end up taking a toll on them and the nation as a whole. Constant disagreements and issues between members began to slowly destabilize the nation and cause rifts to form between previous allies. On top of this many in the government began to become more and more overconfident in their abilities, leading to mistakes being made.

As the government began to face internal issues this would become exasperated by the failing health of Eolde, due to this he would step down and nominate Hashiama Anatai to the position of Lord Regent.

Eolde's Reign in Summary
For majority of this period it was a peaceful time for Yaszuma with a lot of growth occurring in the nation. It would be during his early reign that the economy and military of Yaszuma would really begin to modernize and catch up with many of the major powers in Eldham. By the end of his reign as Lord Regent however Eolde's failing health and disagreements in the government would ultimately begin to slow down much of the progress being made.

Anatai's Reign
The Anatai Era was the first ever golden age of Yaszuma with growth and activity within Yaszuma spiking to new records. Lord Regent Hashiama Anatai had produced many events within Yaszuma, especially Kinnomachi. Kinnomachi grew too with Hashiama gaining more members then Umwaka during this era. In the Anatai Era there were many events, the religion of Uma Atai was formed, even new towns like Machirei were created. Everything within Hashiama Anatai rule as Lord Regent was going amazing as all towns and cities procured and overall activity increased. But then Yaszuma declared war on Van Torum. The war with Varn Torum was a trying time, as communication became sparse at best and non-existent at worst. With an escalating situation and instability beginning to raise its head. As things were turning for the worse, the Yaszuma government asked Hashiama Anatai to step down as Lord Regent. Agreeing peacefully the new Lord Regent became Marin Mosayashi, ensign the Antai Era.

Government
The government of Yaszuma is called the Central Government and is laid out in the constitution in Section 2 "Central Government".

Lord Regent
The Head of Yaszuma and the Central Government is named the Lord Regent. The Lord Regent is in charge of making decisions regarding Yaszuma’s wellbeing, alongside being the face of Yaszuma internationally. A person gets elected to this position, but once they become the Lord Regent there are no further elections unless they are Impeached, or Resign. The Lord Regent also chooses the members of the Central Government (except for the Speaker).

Chief Advisor
The Chief Advisor is the right hand of the Lord Regent. Also, the Chief Advisor helps with diplomatic talks together with the Lord Regent and also focuses on running the internal affairs of Yaszuma. The Chief Advisor keeps up with the Governors making sure they are developing their provinces with projects and keeping their citizens happy. All Governor’s report to the Chief Advisor.

Speaker
The Speaker of Yaszuma represents the people within the Government and is their voice. The Speaker acts to counter any ruling that the Lord Regent might make that would be seen as harmful to the citizens of Yaszuma. The Speaker is chosen by election every year, but a previous speaker may get reelected multiple times.

Provincial Government
A Governor is given the title Lord upon their appointment and is in charge of ruling their respective provinces. They are at liberty to instate any system of ruling within their province, but must not contradict the Constitution of Yaszuma. Each Governor is appointed by the Lord Regent and stays in this position until a new Lord Regent is put in power, they get voted out by a no confidence vote, or they choose to step down themselves.

Lord Commander
The Lord Commander is in charge of all military related decisions and activities. They are in charge of ensuring that Yaszuma has a strong and united fighting force in the event of wars. The Lord Commander is also able to instigate military related diplomatic talks, albeit at the consensus of the Central Government. The Lord Commander is appointed by the Lord Regent and is in charge of this position until a new Lord Regent is put in power,  they get voted out by a no confidence vote, or they choose to step down themselves.

Kaike
The Kaike is in charge of all finance related decisions and activities. They are in charge of ensuring each province pays its taxes and that Yaszuma has a growing economy. The Kaike is appointed by the Lord Regent and is in charge of this position until a new Lord Regent is put in power, they get voted out by a no confidence vote, or they choose to step down themselves