Ustraria (Oos-TRAR-ee-uh)
A country in the northern half of Icalar. Its capital is Korzhûn. Most of its population live in permanent settlements and pre-industrial cities, and most of its supporting agriculture gathers around these settlements due to the rocky landscape; a solid network of aqueducts and irrigation is made possible by its near three-sided bordering by rivers and its smaller area compared to most of the other countries.
The Korzhûn Stewardship is the primary civil governing body of both the capital and the country entire, and is housed in Embermore Keep. The keep was built on the original settlement drawn to the area because of the Kor Well, an Ega Root and another groundwater source. The Itoqir contains Ustraria's armed forces and while they may assist with keeping civil order, this is the primary responsibility of the Ustrarian City Guard, who have smaller presences in smaller settlements.
Its east-west river (the only one of its kind in Icalar) is the Praethin, which sits on a plateau bordered on its south shore by the Maidra Foothills and two small mountains known as the Two Brothers. Two aqueducts from the Praethin form part of its principal water supply.
Cities in Ustraria have fairly recently become designated by the presence of a Glory of the Order of the Burning Crown and do not require a prefix; smaller townships typically start with Glou and only have a Cloister or Temple; anything smaller typically starts with Crau.
Culture
Flag:
The country's flag is a horizontal wide hourglass shape as base (ochre bordered in gold Great Sky Drake centrally-placed head-on with wings extending into hourglass sides (gold w/ red detailing). Architecture:
Reddish-brown roof tiles and honey-colored stone is especially common in both cities and rural areas. Roof terraces are somewhat common, but not as much as in Iyr. Octagons and groupings of eight, as well as multiples of four generally, feature heavily in civil planning and decorative details. 'Scale' effects and drake heads can be seen in other decorative details. Anthropology:
Ustrarian society is largely matriarchal, which is linked to their greater / more widespread belief in the Great Sky Drake; further back in the country's history, women were believed to each contain a piece of the Great Sky Drake and through her, her wisdom and authority. Upon marriage, it is traditional for men to take their wife's surname, or in the case of same-sex partners, to choose one of the two names. Mathematics and symmetry feature heavily in art and fashion, also owing to the mythical figure. 'Breaking' the symmetry in a deliberate, artful way is seen as a testimony of skill: an everyday example of this is in Ustrarians' love of the calligraphy seal -- similar to tughras -- as their personal signature (and a means of verifying document authenticity).
The country's flag is a horizontal wide hourglass shape as base (ochre bordered in gold Great Sky Drake centrally-placed head-on with wings extending into hourglass sides (gold w/ red detailing). Architecture:
Reddish-brown roof tiles and honey-colored stone is especially common in both cities and rural areas. Roof terraces are somewhat common, but not as much as in Iyr. Octagons and groupings of eight, as well as multiples of four generally, feature heavily in civil planning and decorative details. 'Scale' effects and drake heads can be seen in other decorative details. Anthropology:
Ustrarian society is largely matriarchal, which is linked to their greater / more widespread belief in the Great Sky Drake; further back in the country's history, women were believed to each contain a piece of the Great Sky Drake and through her, her wisdom and authority. Upon marriage, it is traditional for men to take their wife's surname, or in the case of same-sex partners, to choose one of the two names. Mathematics and symmetry feature heavily in art and fashion, also owing to the mythical figure. 'Breaking' the symmetry in a deliberate, artful way is seen as a testimony of skill: an everyday example of this is in Ustrarians' love of the calligraphy seal -- similar to tughras -- as their personal signature (and a means of verifying document authenticity).
Military
Technological Level
Due to Devatska Acosaphaura's induction into the Ustrarian Gild of Craftsmen and with her, the advent of stabilized Enstreng production, Ustraria found itself at the forefront of the first inklings of primitive firearm productive. Unfortunately, the cultural timing was off and it was outlawed as an inhumane weapon.
Religion
The Order of the Burning Crown becoming the official state religion is a fairly recent occurrence; Crownists now make up around 68% of inhabitants' declared belief system, followed by Sehndism at roughly 9%, Creedists at 0.2%, and all others either unaffiliated or other.
Foreign Relations
Pre-War: Friendly terms with all other countries, no trade or travel restrictions
Wartime: Friendly terms with Balaqalneyis, Iyr, and Seyis-Gol; limited relations with Kiva; trade and travel lockdown with Unenshuut
Post-War, Plague Active: Immense travel restrictions and certain trade restrictions, but cooperative terms with all countries
Post-War, Plague Recessive: Cooperative if not friendly terms with all countries, former trade and travel restrictions relaxing
Wartime: Friendly terms with Balaqalneyis, Iyr, and Seyis-Gol; limited relations with Kiva; trade and travel lockdown with Unenshuut
Post-War, Plague Active: Immense travel restrictions and certain trade restrictions, but cooperative terms with all countries
Post-War, Plague Recessive: Cooperative if not friendly terms with all countries, former trade and travel restrictions relaxing
Agriculture & Industry
The country's largely rocky terrain has led to a mixture of industries with no single one taking the lead in terms of exports: their mining industry, while strong, produces mostly fine stone rather than ore or gems; most of their agriculture is based around settlements and leaves little excess; there is not much by way of grazing land for livestock; etc.
However, Ustraria gained a reputation for being a 'land of ideas' and has found that most of its riches come from secondary products -- i.e., importing raw resources and using them to create new products. This led to the formation of the Ustrarian Gild of Craftsmen, who in turn collaborated on and created the first and largest printing press in Icalar. Other notable crafted imports include fine goods such as furniture, cloth, and paper, as well as processed foods such as cheeses, sugar, and smoked meats. Pre-war the primitive glass industry was beginning in the country.
Due to the two countries sharing the remarkably deep waters made by the root of the Praethin, Qos, Eleqos, and Eizunuth Well -- known colloquially as the Mother's Bosom -- Ustraria and Iyr are able to successfully collaborate on shipbuilding.
Trade & Transport
Most trading where possible is done by river -- either the Praethin west to Kiva, across the Tubisqu to Iyr or south to Unenshuut and Seyis-Gol, or east along the Eizunuth Well to Balaqalneyis in specific trade windows so as not to taint the holy site.
Education
Homeschooling was once the default, but around 750AC the Korzhûn Stewardship began an education initiative that sponsored the establishment of the first schoolhouses; once this proved successful they were then able to support higher learning in conjunction with civilian groups such as the Ustrarian Gild of Craftsmen.
With the Order of the Burning Crown becoming the state religion, it has also created an alternative to the traditional public schoolhouse in its Holdings which, though with slight religious flavor, quickly gained a reputation for high-quality instruction.
The War of the Six threw the education system into chaos as much as it did for other establishments and is only recently beginning to get back on track; however, around 50% of Ustrarians have some level of formal education (especially if they enlisted in the Itoqir, went into the City Guard, or went into a Holding for preparation for life in the church or as a Shepherd of Leaving). Of that 50%, around 15% have been educated to a professional level.
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Capital
Alternative Names
"The Land of Ideas", "The Crucible"
Demonym
Ustrarian
Government System
Democracy, Parliamentary
Economic System
Traditional
Currency
Major Exports
Cloth, sugar, fine foods and wine, ink, paper and books, industrial parts, fine stone, crockery and porcelain
Major Imports
Ustraria is one of the principal importers of sal (for their meat industry) and fine pigments from the Eisorcei of Balaqalneyis in particular, mostly for their cloth, ink, and paint. This is seen as a 'necessary evil' of sorts due to the mystery surrounding the Eisorcei and the creation of the pigments themselves. The country in general strongly relies on imports of base goods due to their limited self-sufficiency, and their strong friendship with Iyr has been key to their survival in times of famine or strife.
Legislative Body
Executive Body
Ustrarian City Guard, occasionally the Itoqir
Official State Religion
Location
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
Related Myths
Comments