Erolia
Erolia, officially the Erolian Federation (Erolian: Evkomia/Evkomsiannaha) is a country in the Western Continent.
Etymology
The Term 'Erolia' means 'Land of the River Erol.' It is an exonym, with the endonym being Evkomia, or 'Country of Evkom.'Location and Geography
Erolia is the largest nation on the Western Continent, and straddles the 'Twilight Zone' beneath the International Daymark, resulting in drastically altered day-night cycles, and seemingly perpetual nightfall in the winter months. The famous 'Erolian Nights,' lasting up to two weeks at a time in some regions from December to March, is caused by this positioning, and is cited as one of the attractive qualities of the Western Land to Ketric Settlers. The Erol River, to which Erolia owes its name, flows from the Erùkor Glacier System in the North to the Erolian Lowlands, where it drains into the Avline Ocean just south of Novarrai. Erolia's Neval Mountain Range is the longest in the Western Hemisphere, and occupies the region just south of the Daymark. From atop the Nevals in the months of June to January, the sun appears to be constantly on the horizon, often described as a 'permanent afternoon.' This was the subject of the Latvark-Dinoranian Artist Clero's 1616 'The Eternal Sunset over Nevaliac,' which is considered among the most famous of his paintings, completed the year before his death in 1617. It is a widely-acclaimed symbol of the Neval Mountain Region, and of the concept of a Doutse Erolia, an Erolia distinct from the ketric brutalism and permanent darkness typically associated with it, coined by the artist the year of the painting's completion, and adopted by the post-ketrene artistic and philosophical movement of c. 1670 - 1750. The Mountains are inhabited by the indigenous Koahni people. The Silure Forest, situated just before the Storm-Mouth of Evyack, 800km West of Lyrath Province, is the largest forest in Erolia, extending across nearly one million square kilometers. It is one of the largest continuous forest bodies in the world. The forest's meteorological biomes gradually shift approaching the Storm-Mouth, so much so that the forest's soil qualities were used by the Ancient Ketric Settlers to accurately gauge its proximity. Coastal regions Erolia's Coastal Regions have been subject to Dinoranianization since the Great Migrations that followed Dejnus III's conquest of Erolia. The Evek Nova autonomous metropolitan region is situated on the eastern tip of the Hakuni Colla. The Near North Erolia once occupied a number of territories in the Koronasland region, next to the eponymous Spinjavi colony, that now belong to the Kingdom of Spìnjav and, by extension, are part of the Dinoranian Empire. Erolian-speakers are the largest minority in Koronasland, and have been the focus of Erolian Irredentist claims, historically used by Erolian Dictator Beredás Angulin to justify his initiation of what would become the Spinjavi-Erolian War of 1904 to 1909. The Far North Erolia still maintains its claims to the Eyùhn region of the Helleck Distant Ice Belt, which has been illegally occupied by Kellic and Dinoranian Troops since 1982. However, all Erolian attempts to diplomatically oust the occupying forces, although supported by the Global Party for International Peace, have resulted in failure.History
Main article: History of Erolia Erolia began as a Ketric Settlement in the newborn Western Continent around the Dracolithic Period (pre-3000 BC). Though undisputably Ketric in origin, the exact ethnic identity of the Settlers is questioned, with some scholars suggesting they were escaped Ketric Slaves, and others that they were purposefully installed in the continent by the Draconica as an experiment in the study of human evolution. Whatever the case, the so-called Erolia River Civilization exhibits some of the most complex prehistoric cultures on Gea. Analysis of steles, potsherds and cave paintings from the Artagnas region suggest a settled culture based around farming from as early as 4700 BCE, long before its postdraconic development in native populations in the rest of the world. Artagnasian pottery, weaponry and jewelry from the later millennia were remarkably sophisticated for their time, some pieces suggesting Draconic influence. While it is certain that the Erolian prehistoric cultures had contact with the Draconica, the exact nature of their interactions is unknown. Evkom and Evkia The Rise of RomatallusiThe Erolian Crusades
King Arcàrth of Erolia, a descendant of Evkom, declared a Kerstala or Holy War/Crusade against Dinorania in the 14th century CE.Nature and Biodiversity
With almost constant nightfall for much of the year, ecosystems in Erolia have adapted in fascinating ways to the nocturnal conditions. Many unique Erolian ecosystems have been irreversibly damaged or destroyed by the use of chemical weapons during the Erolia War, as well as the extremely destructive 'Scorched Earth' policies of the retreating ORSA forces in the final months of the war. In 1986, the GPIP's World Biodiversity Project reported that up to 41% of ecosystems in Erolia were in some way affected by the War, with 19% completely destroyed beyond repair. Many ORSA members who orchestrated the destruction were convicted of crimes against nature (CANs). There have been several efforts on the part of the Erolian Government, the GPIP and the Dinoranian States to restore the country's rich biodiversity, with promising results. In 1987, Joint Presidents Tserak and Nehr authorized several emergency spending programs to revive Erolian ecosystems in efforts to heal the damaged landscape, as well as to deal with contamination issues related to former ORSA chemical munitions, and to attract ecological tourism. As of April 1999, a total of sixteen national park boundaries have been declared 'Protected Zones' by the Erolian Government.Religion
The largest religion in Erolia is Reformed Serpentinism, followed by Western Visinist Esperitism and the Romtalu Folk Religion.
Serpentinism was initially a pagan neo-ketrene religion surrounding the worship of the LaRija Element Stain in the Sagurviac-Evkomia Valley, which is perceived by adherents to be the sleeping body of an all-powerful godly snake. It shares some characteristics with Dinoranian theology in regards to the study of energy. However, Serpentinism, which was a faith developed by an Erolian Warlord (Evkom of Erolia), is dogmatic, and glorifies war and death in servitude to the Snake, similar to the Orùnnic Religion. These violent aspects were phased out after the more secular Erolian Republic revised the old scriptures around the 17th century, and the faith became a more peaceful one followed by most Erolians, instead of purely the warrior class. The end of feudalism revolutionized the way the Erolians worshipped.
The Erolians were a secular people, at least de jure, from the 17th century D.E. to around 1938, when the Inquisitor Dracæn re-energized the old world faith, and led to the rise of the Evkomian Orthodox Cult, restoring the fascistic aspects of Serpentinism adopted by Lord Evkom.
This created a pronounced split in the Erolian Government, between the more moderate, secular politicians of the Erolian House of Representatives, and the reactionary forces of the charismatic, merciless reanimate Inquisitor Dracæn Y’ruinkov Drakesin. Above both, the highest-ranking officials of the mysterious SIBK Council watched revolution unfold.
Foreign Relations
Erolian relations with the Dinoranian Empire have been persistently poor since the Dinoranian conquest of the Rhizarri and the Treaties of Lyarith.
State flag since 1983.
Founding Date
1923
Capital
Predecessor Organizations
Demonym
Erolian
Official Languages
Neighboring Nations
Related Species
Related Ethnicities
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