Ayeto Republic

Ayeto is a land of endless fields and plains, of brewers and farmers. The central flatlands are a hive of intensive agriculture, with fields and villages as far as the eye can see. This is a slow Republic, a far cry from the industry and bustle of Akatlan. In the hills, where shepherds herd through the ruins of ancient towns and the rocky land fades into wilderness, life gets even slower. 
That isn't to say that this is some idyllic agrarian paradise. Politicians bicker and bribe, exiles turn to banditry in the remote corners of the wilds, and overbearing landlords rule over great estates like faux aristocrats. But these are familiar problems, and the people stick together to shield most everyone from the worst of it. The seasons pass, rent is due, and for the most part the people of Ayeto live in harmony with each other and the land.

Structure

Ayeto is led by a Tlakra (or chief executive) who is elected every 15 years. Every month, the Congress of Ayeto convenes to manage taxes and legal changes, but most day-to-day activity is managed by the Tlakra.
Power is centralized in the capital of Naratek, which is more fortress than town. The five major towns of Tezitkal, Amotec, Huzukal, Sepetek, and Kuvatla all have their own permanent emissaries there, which form the 'Council of the Realm'. This Council has no official power, but in practice runs much of the bureaucracy and is a major organ of government here. The last major player in the government is the Aziletzen or National Priest.
The current Tlakra is Tolko of Kuvalta. They are a shrewd Half-Dryad politician from one of the landholding cliques, who rules with a light touch. They are famously calm and stoic and seem to have thoroughly bribed or blackmailed just about every other powerbroker in the republic. While a competent politician, they are an inept administrator, and have left most of the actual work to the Council of the Realm. The current Aziletzen, meanwhile, is a Human priest by the name of Neruza who is known to be quite charitable and learned but extremely dour and unlikable.

History

The Old Republics

The first Ayeto Republic was formed in 1048 ME, after the Republic of Ikatlan collapsed when the Asuna heresy seized control of the government. The Republic was formed from the local government that sided against the heretics, and it immediately set to work fighting the heretics where it could find them. For some time, Ayeto was a dominant power within Ikatlan, but it began to decline after a mixed force of heretics and mountain raiders burnt the capital in 1290. An emergency military council seized power in 1291, and held power until the First Purge of Asuna ended with the heretics being driven into the mountains in 1370. The military council was disbanded in the following peace, and Ayeto dissolved into five local republics based around the major townships. 
In 1610, after a raiding party from the Adira Mountains burned its way across the plains of Ikatlan almost unopposed, these local republics formed back into the Republic of Ayeto. The second republic slowly reabsorbed local polities across the 1600s - and when heresy returned in the West and North in the late 1600s, it began trying to retake its role as the military leader of Ikatlan. A peace was negotiated in the mid 1700s, but skirmishes with the surrounding republics continued into the 1800s. Ayeto reached out to its neighbors to prepare a grand coalition to conquer all of Ikatlan in 1850, and their war was set into motion in 1855. Ayeto's alliance won, but the victors began squabbling over the spoils. The coalition fell into civil war in the 1860s. And then, of course, the Empire of Calazen. All of Ikatlan's republics were wiped away, and foreigners occupied the valley for three decades. 

The New Republic

In 1901, Ikatlan was divided into five republics by the Sacred Assembly, their populations were forcibly scrambled, and new communities were resettled in Ayeto. For several decades, Ayeto did not actually have elections, but rather had "overseer priests" rebuilding and reorganizing the land - and they redesigned Ayeto from a region of ranching-and-farming to just intensive and organized farming. When Ayeto finally held its own elections in 1935, they were already the breadbasket of Ikatlan. 
Stability has since reigned. There has been some mild unhappiness at the large estates that the overseer priests made for their friends and allies, but outside of a small tax revolt in 1992 (that was settled quite quickly) that discontent has never become anything more than that.

Demography and Population

Around 1,000,000 humanoids live in the Ayeto Republic. 35% are Dryads, 25% are Humans, 10% are Kobolds, 10% are Hybrids, 5% are Prisms, and 5% are Other.

Territories

The Ayeto Republic is 150 miles long and 80 miles across. It is flat for the most part, with hills around its Southern and Eastern fringes. It is dominated by grasslands, with patches of forest and the occasional spring or small lake. The hills are rugged and rocky and sometimes rather arid.

Military

Ayeto's military is split between the local militias, the Republican Guard, and the Guardians of Hokzin (a holy order of warriors that has a significant presence in Ikatlan ). The local militias are not much militarily. The Republican guard is a small force of spearmen, musketeers, and cavalry (and does have some skilled horse-riders, the best in Ikatlan).

Religion

Ayeto is a thoroughly Sunekan land. Just about everyone here is standard Sunekan, and few merchants come in from abroad. Nediran travelers from Inahng are treated with a small touch of coldness, but are not actively despised or persecuted. Non-Nediran foreigners are seen as interesting curiosities more than anything. 
Far more threatening and relevant to the religious institution is heresy. Ikatlan was once the bastion of the Asuna heresy, and a few odd communities have survived on the fringes of the valley. Disharmony from the mainstream is tolerated and gently reigned in by the priests, but signs of an established heresy tend to trigger immediate investigations from local elites (or even panicked military responses).

Foreign Relations

The Republic of Ayeto is allied to the other Republics of Ikatlan - Ikala, Erulan, Halazi, Kapental, and Otopan. Really, the closest thing Ayeto has to a rival is the reclusive state of Tulancala to the South. The chilliness with Tulancala would be better understood as suspicion than any kind of war-tension, though, so a war doesn't seem to be on the horizon any time soon.

Agriculture & Industry

Ayeto is overwhelmingly agricultural. Communities grow wheat, maize, fodder, carrots, and yams as staple crops; they tend to flocks of sheep, goats, and cattle; and they harvest tobacco and cotton for community use and sale. Small-scale manufacturing occurs in the villages and towns, but almost all trading surpluses are agricultural products. 
The two manufactured goods that Ayeto produces enough to export are their beer and their textiles. Ayetan porter beers are famous for their dark and rich taste. Ayetan stouts also range into higher alcohol contents than your typical village beer, making them popular for festivities and in high demand in other Sunekan cities.

Trade & Transport

The Department of Abundance manages coordination of goods, and decides what necessities goes where. The Council of the Realm (representing the elites of the five great towns) manages this bureaucracy and sets trade policy. Each of the five great towns has its own merchant corps, who manage the movement and sale of trade goods in the surrounding area.

Education

The Ayetan school system is hosted by the priesthood, and is present in every town and village. Almost all higher education in the Republic is hosted by a Holy Order rather than the state or local communities.

"The Land is Pure, the Land is Loving"

Founding Date

1901

Type

Geopolitical, State

Demonym

Ayetan

Leader Title

Tlakra

Government System

Democracy, Representative

Power Structure

Unitary state

Currency

Sunekan Currency: Golden Lions, Silver Foxes, Copper Stars

Major Exports

Food, fodder, textiles, beer

Major Imports

Iron, lumber, stone

Official State Religion

Suneka

Location

Ikatlan

Official Languages

• High Sunekan

Controlled Territories

• Tezitkal

Neighboring Nations

• Gwalan Republic
• Republic of Matayan
• Republic of Otopan

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