Laminaeles

In the deepest depths, one expects to see the strangest of ocean life... which does, perhaps, not include the well-kept spheres of the Laminaeles.

Laminaeles is an undersea country that hangs largely between the photic and dysphotic zones of the Luari Ocean, far enough from both Xin-Jiyu and Iskaldhal to escape the political drama of both continents' more active conquerors. Despite being located entirely beneath sea level, the country welcomes both aquatic and terrestrial life to its depths.
Most of the nation's settlements are surrounded by aerospheres, glasslike bubbles powered by the nation's sacred Orbs of Vātara, including the capital of Arcayah. These areas are functionally full of air, but aquatic creatures are still able to breathe and function as if still underwater. Around the bubbles exist exclusively aquatic districts and buildings, allowing compatibility between land and sea as needed.
Laminaeles is referred to in the singular and the plural, reflecting the difference in its various sectors and depths. If all within its territory was labelled as belonging to it, it could be considered one of the larger countries of Istralar by depth alone. No formal analysis of the country's actual size has been accurately performed, however.

Structure

Office of Law by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Office of Sustainability by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Office of Progress by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Part of the reason that Laminaeles is so often referred to in plural is because of the plurality of its governance. Each settlement has its own council, largely ruled by their Triumvirate of Concerns - these being representatives handling the three areas of Law, Sustainability, and Progress.
The representatives are those who travel across the nation, regularly meeting with other settlement leaders, and then returning to the capital at least once a month for nationwide debates and announcements.
Whilst there are only three people elected specifically to the role of triumvirate head for each settlement, many others are elected as bureaucratic officials at varying levels to handle the day-to-day goings-on of their settlement.
The capital has two triumvirates: local, and nationwide. This nationwide triumvirate is referred to as the Triumvirate of the Sea, and calls the other representatives to the city for the mentioned monthly meetings. They are also responsible for communications with external nations, negotiation of trade agreements, and the like.
Laws cannot be considered enforceable on a nationwide scale until the Triumvirate of the Sea has ratified them, a process requiring a great many meetings and much time.
The members of each triumvirate are elected by the local populace in elections that may held every two years. As the burdens of leadership are so great, most settlements vote on whether to have an election or not first before attempting to change their governance. An election for any particular settlement may also be forced by the Triumvirate of the Sea in extenuating circumstances.
The Triumvirate of the Sea is not directly elected by the populace like the local triumvirates; instead, the elected officials meet every four years to evaluate their leadership and determine if a new election should be called. It has been over three decades since the last election as of writing.

Culture

Ugh, more surface-dwellers...

The cultures across the various aerospheres of Laminaeles are quite vibrant and differ greatly from one another, owing to the vast differences in origin. Aquatic elves and merfolk, nereids and undines - even if all are raised in the same way and the same aerosphere, old traditions cling to each species and ethnicity and older tensions still linger.
However, one thing unites them all. Each and every person that lives in the depths knows their mutual struggle and has a deep understanding of their ways of life, and the bond that has arisen from this is indomitable - and intimidating to those outsiders that visit. And intimidation oft turns to fear, or to anger.
Whilst those who breathe air and water have their own smaller conflicts and rivalries - often stemming from accessibility issues between the communities - outsiders, oft referred to as 'surface-dwellers', give any depth-dwellers a cause to unite against or, at least, to work together on understanding.

Aerosphere Lovers by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Cultural traditions that arise across aerospheres are those tied to mutual struggles and knowledge. Festivals honouring each Orb of Vātara are held throughout each community that possesses an aerosphere, and every single settlement across the nation holds multiple festivals a year to a colourful array of gods. Usual deities worshipped are those with influence over the seas, the winds, and weather, but common too are deities of hunting and harvest.

Demography and Population

Laminaeles Homes by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

The demographics of Laminaeles are heavily varied between settlements, and differ greatly from land-based nations. Whilst there are many inhabitants that would live well on land - such as humans and gnomes - there are also those native to the sea, like merfolk and tritons. Some, too, are amphibious.
Whatever the case, the population is then further split between those who settle permanently in one place, and those who are more transient - with some preferring, even, to migrate between the sea and distant shores.
Overall, this leads to a population that is largely impossible to accurately track across the ocean's depths - especially as some entire settlements are transient, and others drift in and out of joining the Laminaeles. Guesses at the population of Laminaeles vary across the hundreds of thousands, and cannot be locked down. The few attempts have not gone well.

Foreign Relations

Well, they do pride themselves on being hard to find.

— exasperated trader

Relations with other nations are somewhat different when your nation exists beneath the ocean. Laminaeles maintains cordial relations with most other nations, with particularly close ties to islanders. Geographical proximity is not something the Laminaeles considers strongly in its trade agreements with others, as the nation makes regular use of water-based teleportation magics to move around - and its nearest neighbours are still generally a significant amount of travel away.
Some traders do attempt to visit the more surface-friendly settlements, or at least meet up with Laminaeles ships on the ocean's surface to do trade. They're prized for the news and items they bring, and trade ships that regularly trade with Laminaeles find themselves having easier times passing through the rough waters of the Luari Ocean. Those that meet great storms or tragic accidents, too, are granted precious chances at life by the aid the depthdwellers send.

Embrace the Depths

Founding Date

4015

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Capital

Arcayah

Alternative Names

the Laminaeles, the Drowned Nation

Demonym

Laminae, Depthdwellers

Government System

Democracy, Representative

Power Structure

Thalassocracy

Economic System

Market economy

Location

Luari Ocean

Official Languages

• Aquan
• Common

Related Traditions

• Luari Cuiseane

Controlled Territories

• Arcayah
• Krtajala

Neighboring Nations

• Galasthin
• Gildómar
• Hvalgora
• Naarim
• Yulan Sheng

Related Items

• Orb of Vātara

Related Species

• Elf
• Fey
• Gnome
• Human
• Samsaran
• Undine

Etymologies of Laminaeles

The names of the varying parts of the Laminaeles derive from former languages of humanity. Some include:

• orbs of vātara - वातर (vātara)
• Arcayah - अर्चा (arcā́) or अर्चाया (arcā́yāḥ)

Laminaeles Streets by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Open Seas, Closed Doors

Whilst the sea is a gateway to most of Istralar, two continents remain distinct. Kudara, the fifth continent that lies south of Iskaldhal and west of Takawaoku, is barred from access by an unending storm resembling a permanent Elegy of Nyx. Similarly, Gaia's Lament isolates Takawaoku from external contact.
Laminaeles is affected far more than surface nations by these supernatural barriers. There are few landmarks in the deeper depths to prevent one from crossing into territory that marks death. For this reason, most Laminaeles traders carry compasses and avoid south unless truly necessary - a strong enough southerly current could put them into range of the dangers, and none want that.