Årania

Free administrative region of Årania
Region part of the Commonwealth
State	Unified Commonwealth
Capitol	Åranvik
Population	~7300
Area	700.000m2 or 70ha
Density	104,28/ha
National languages	Åranian, Thorildsk
Independence	-48,46Ð
Economy
GDP	374.508.655 Crowns
GDP per capita	51.635 Crowns per capita
Main cities
Åranvik
Lyvan
Vesgrot

Årania, also known as Aarania or Arania (pronounced ˈɔˀraːɲ⁠ɪa / o-ran-ia) is a region in the Thorildsby Project. It's population is estimated at around 7300, with a size of approximately 700.000m2 or 70ha giving it a population density of 104,28/ha. It borders Thorildhøj in the north and Høvemark in the south. Årania has three cities: Åranvik, Lyvan, and Vesgrot with Åranvik being the biggest city of Årania and also the capitol.

Famous Sorgry, made of Bone broth, mushrooms, noodles, boiled egg and chicken.

Culture

Due to its geographical position, Årania represents a sphere of different cultures. Especially notable is the cultural influence of Thorildhøj in the city of Åranvik and the cultural influence of Kalkdui in Lyvan. The interior of the country to this day preserves the older cultural heritage of the pre-war times, which was the most influencial period of national cultural history, as the country grew away from its historic ally and became more dependend on itself, causing a rise in patriotism and giving way to many historical figures.

Due to the aftermath of the War of Dignity, Årania has the need to seperate itself from the Lanborg Region, therefore fueling patriotistic movements and implementing a patriotic mindset. Because of that, to many Åranians, cultural identity is very important, therefore making preservation of local traditions a common practice among the young population. This mindset in its strength in Årania is not seen in other regions, making Årania famous for its patriotism and associating the country with its national colour - Deep Orange, and the national flower the Åranian Edelweiss, which is also depicted on the national banner and flag. Another good example of patriotism is the wide usage of the phrase "Ære til Årania", translated "Glory to Årania", which was the standardized greeting in the Åranian army and to this day is in legal environments.

Like in the entire Commonwealth, the Commonwealth Chamber of Cultural Heritage is tasked with preserving the country's cultural and natural heritage and overseeing its development. The FYNesco list contains 10 structures protected in Årania.

Cuisine

Åranian Cuisine has been shaped widely by political, cultural and economic influences giving the nation a unique mix of dishes. Due to the hot climate and fertile soil on riverbanks and shores, Årania developed a strong agricultural economy which contributed to the cuisine as well. The main ingredients to the cuisine became flour, pumpkins, potatoes, cabbage as well as meat and milk products. One of the most famous dishes is called Gry, which is originated in the city of Lyvan during war times, and sees varieties such as Fiskegry or Sorgry. It more commonly consumed in rural regions and Lyvan and more rarely in Åranvik, which was influenced more by Thorildhøj dishes such as Sødsnegl originating from the Spandauer in Thorildhøj.
The nation's cuisine is also very famous for its small pumpkin custard pastry - Paastje. It became popular as a bakery snack in urban regions as Åranvik or Lyvan. Together with Sødsnegl, there have been many varieties. The nation is also a moderate wine producer, also being important for the cultural identity, as during the War of Dignity wine cellar networks (catacombs) were used to hide from axis Lanborg powers.

Holidays

Holidays are an important part of Åranian culture, reflecting on the war-times and the freindships and losses that came with it.

The most famous and spectacular holiday in the nation is the Paradisdag, which is a farewell to all soldiers who died in the War of Dignity, which shaped Årania forever. On the first day of uneven months, participants gather on the Paradisstra'e in northern Åranvik at around 22:30 with orange wish papers and banners. There, stuntmen perform until midnight which is when the participants release the orange wish papers in the air.

The capitol, Åranvik celebrates the famous Kavenø Duatlon, with which the friendship between Årania and Thorildhøj is celebrated. The annual race starts from the ex-Thorildhøjan exclave Kavenø, from where the participants swim to Pomåran Havn and eat a cod filet before they pass the torch to their partner who then runs on the ₴1 tracks back to Kavenø, where they consume a cup of traditional Thorildhøj coffee with a Spandauer. This holiday was first celebrated on -3Ð.

A famous holiday in Årania is the Paradisdag. It celebrates the independence fighters in the War for Årania. Participants take an orange flag or banner and orange wish paper and let it go at night.

Lore

Pottery found west of Vesgrot, dating back to -~700Ð.

Clay Era

Scientists don't know for how long people have been living in the area which we now know as Årania, however more developed civilisations can be tracked by the remains of their clay, terracotta and porcellain creations which include pots, tiles, plates and sometimes parts of shelters. The clay age dates back to -910Ð, but experts say that the first settlements were not constructed until about -600Ð. In the Clay Era, Åranians slowly started taking more potential of the fertile soil, for example building small clay channels to funnel the water into drier areas. The population of Årania was way smaller than today, so a very small portion of Årania's farmland was used by settlers in the Clay Era. Even though there was a boom in agriculture, most people died due to waves of pandemics, as viruses and bacteria can spread wonderfully in the warm and humid climate of Årania, but the population was growing slowly. At around -600Ð, Åranians started building improvised homes out of clay and similar materials in proximity to each other, creating the first settlements. They often consisted of 3 to 10 small shacks, and are non-existent today.

End of Pandemic

After the establishment of the Lanborg Empire in -670Ð, adventurers wandered around the Lanborg Empire, in an order by Alvar I for cartography purposes. Eventually the wealthy Lanborgians stumbled upon areas which today belong to Årania. They faced the same issues as some of the rural settlers to the south, which today are located in Høvemark: Bacteria spreading in the warm, humid climate and killing local population. The Lanborgian cartographers were not getting infected, most likely because their ancestors already had the infection. After councelling with Alvar I, the cartographers took one of the three doctors from Lanborg, which after examination of Åranians gave coal tar to kill the bacteria that was spreading inside their bodies. This worked out and caused the establishment of the first Åranian trade route.

A recreation of charcoal baskets used for storaging charcoal during the charcoal trade

Trade over land

Soon after the charcoal medication ended the pandemic in Årania in -568Ð, the first trade route between Årania and Lanborg was established: Lanborgians shared their coal tar in exchange for crops grown by Åranians on their fertile land. This trade route made Årania very dependent on Lanborg, so the uncoordinated Åranians tried to find other trade partners.
Eventually, after leading their own cartography exploration program, Åranians stumbled upon Kalkdui population, with which communication was difficult but manageable. As Kalkdui is mostly on desert soil, Åranian crops were very important to them. This way, another trade route was established in -546Ð, the Årania-Kalkdui trade route. The Kalkdui people wanted crops in exchange for robust construction material like calcite and limestone, which became an essential part of Åranian architecture.
The trade route was used more often than the one to Lanborg, so to better supply Kalkdui, which is west of Årania, settlements in the west of the country were seen as places with guarantees of a good job, attracting more settlers. By -540Ð, western Årania was attracting settlers from outside the country, most notably Kalkdui, Årania's trading partner. This mixed Åranians with Kalkdui people, creating a strong connection between the two countries, which was very important in the War of Dignity and to this day remains very visible.

Trade by ship

At around -500Ð, other small trade routes were forming, such as the ones to southern distant territories, which were only trading with expensive goods and tropical fruit, as transportation would make up most of the cost of the product.
These merchants were coming by small boats, for financial and geographic reasons.
When Ari I realised that by digging canals to Lanborg, the trade to Årania could be done by boats, which were a lot cheaper on average than trading over land, his plan was fulfilled. The merchants from far southern regions could now have a stop in Lanborg before continuing to western Årania. Therfore they could now ship by bogger boats to the same destination and from there directly to western Årania, making the Lanborg route more important.
In succsession, Åranians realised that the same logic of boats could be applied to the Kalkdui route, which in return made it more important. This caused a competition between Kalkdui and the Lanborg Empire.

A map of Årania with Åranvik and Lyvan marked

Transport

As Årania was heavily damaged during the War of Dignity, Lanborg and its region pay financial reparations to the nation. This money paired with the Commonwealth fund allows construction of bigger projects and overall modernisation. Therefore, after the creation of the Commonwealth the RS1 was planned, as the Commonwealth wanted to focus on the development of Årania as a whole.
Before trains existed, people were hiking across the nation, no matter how long the journey was. This is how the settlement of Vesgrot was created; as many peasants were hiking between the cities Åranvik and Lyvan, they often pit-stopped and a camp was created to sell nutrients and offer a place to sleep. As Årania was a very religious country, lots of temples were built along the hiking trail between Åranvik and Lyvan (going through Vesgrot). They can still be prayed in and seen today. The biggest temple of Årania is the Hæjvé Temple, being one of the most spectacular temples of Årania.
Recently, a rail connection was established between Åranvik and Lyvan, the RS1

Economy

Before -48Ð, the economy of Årania was very fragile, as during the partial occupation of Årania by Lanborg druing the War of Dignity, all leftovers of industry were forced to be sent to Lanborg and there was no chance of economic development. After the war, Årania gained a massive forced donation by Lanborg as a reperation the the damage done during the war. Using the money, Årania became the fastest developing region at the time. The economy was aided even more, when the Commonwealth demanded that Lanborg donated even more money as reparations. That money was not focused on the economy, but rather on medicine and education.

Agriculture

Agriculture is by far the largest field of industry in Årania. Because of its warm summers, large amounts of sun days and abundance of drinking water, it is one of the best places to grow crops. The land on the interior of the country is drier than on the river deltas and bays, so it usually not farmed in the interior of the country. Additionally, the soil on the bays and deltas is much richer. Årania is such a big exporter of crops, that the neighbouring region Thorildhøj relies on Årania to export a portion of their crops to them. The industry produces 250% of what Årania can consume.

Shipbuilding

Årania is the biggest builder of ships in the northern Commonwealth. AVII has their biggest boat factory in Åranvik, which was historically an important place of sea trade. The shipbuilding industry is rapidly decreasing however, as demand gets lower each year. Some reasons for that might be that wars are very unlikely to happen due to the Commonwealth and other countries don't need military sea vehicles anymore. Also, the quality of the boats is the best in the Commonwealth, so the boats will be used for many decades of Ð; the places that needed boats already recieved them and will only need to replace them in the far future.

Tourism

Årania is a perfect destination for tourists looking to see unique architecture, great food, wonderful culture and sunny beaches. Most tourists visit the capitol, Åranvik by train. The tourism sector in Årania is an industry that rises very slowly, making up about 18% of the economy.

Others

Other important industry sectors include financial services, fishing and forestry.

The famous Årania banner is also seen as a symbol of freedom in Åranvik

Languages

There are two very similar languages spoken in Årania, that being Åranian and Thorildsk. Both of them are mutually intelligible. Åranian is used everywhere, however a small Thorildhøjan minority exists, which prefers Thorildsk. Åranian as the main language, is forced to be taught in schools. However, after the scholars are confident in their language skills, they can replace half of their Åranian lessons with Thorildsk lessons. This acceptance of Thorildhøjan culture has been introduced by the minority party during the introduction of the Commonwealth.

Notable People

Allan Egeval

Allan Egeval was a politican focused in the theoretical perspective. He is famous for his books "Death of a Kingdom" and "Crime blooms into Riches", both published during the War of Dignity predicting that Lanborg will lose the war with scientific evidence, this turned out to be true. After the War of Dignity ended, he recieved a medal with a massive monetary prize for his studies by the monarch of Årania, Gunnar af Hoogbjerg. After this, Allan Egeval returned to his quiet hometown, Vesgrot. According to him, in his hometown he "felt his inner peace" and "was happier than ever", publishing books about politics and life.
In -11Ð, Allan Egeval was reached out to by the Åranian president, wanting to liberate Lanborg from the dictatorship under Einar II. Over the next 2Ð, Allan Egeval created a peace plan with the creation of a Commonwealth of nations, united under a single constitution and units of measurement. For this he met many politicians, physicists and theoricians. Then, an ultimatum was made, that until 6Ð Einar II should hold independent votes, else the Northern Coalition will invade the Lanborg Empire.
After small protests have been turned down, a conspiracy got through the people, to assemble at all squares of Lanborg, including Melon Square right before 0Ð. During the protests that blocked the city, Einar II tried to kill protestors, yet they comitted to their action. After 14 hours of protests, Fyndrix killed Einar II and Allan Egeval's plan of the Commonwealth of Nations was established.
Allan Egeval recieved the Commonwealth Platinum Plaque as his peace prize. He passed away in in 14Ð, at 101Ð old. According to his doctor and therapist, he was in perfect condition and very happy with his life.