Itace

Itish Realm
Flag
Motto: All things ensconced in their proper place
Location of Itace within Serania Major.
Capital and largest city	Shavenir
Official languages	Rashimic
Recognised regional languages	Zepnish
Religion	Vaestism
• Banner	Itish
Government	Empire
• Emperor	Herim
History
• Foundation	1962
• Partition	1970
Area
• Total	641,617 km2 (247,730 sq mi) (22nd)
Time zone	Vaestic Day (Seranian offset)
Driving side	right

Itace, officially the Itish Realm, is an independent landlocked state located in central Serania Major. It is bordered by the Terophatic Golden Hand to the west and Zepnish Serania to its north, east, and south. In interordinate relations, Itace is officially Vaestic banner-state and one of four recognized independent states in Serania. However, Itace is closely aligned with Terophatic interests while also hosting a large Zepnish colonial presence in its east that maintains its own, largely separate, administration.

Geography

Itace is a low-lying country with a humid, tropical climate. Although Itace is landlocked, its close proximity to the Coactian Sea means the Itish climate is greatly influenced by the Deluge, the region's near-continuous low-pressure system. The far west, closest to the Coactian Sea, is home to the easternmost flank of the tropical Heleen Rainforest that defines much of the Moonlight Coast. This rainforest is ringed by a less densely forested tropical monsoon belt, while most of the Itish interior is defined by a drier tropical savannah climate. As is typical for the region, Itace is home to two seasons: a very rainy wet season centered around the summer months, and a less-precipitous dry season during the winter. A major exception is found in the far east, where the climate is hot and semi-arid along a portion of the Great Red Desert.

At 641,617 km² in size, Itace is the largest independent Seranian state by area.

History

Itace was first explored by the Lacrean adventurer Tudas Pachuli as part of a wider expedition along the Moonlight Coast of Serania Major. The port of Bes Manzouv was founded in 1732 and soon after emerged as the principal centre of activity in the region. Far from the authority of post-Neritsovid powers in Serania, the region became a haven for piracy in the Coactian Sea as well as Pirate States and heretic colonies. For much of the 18th century, exploration deeper into the Itish interior was stymied by dense tropical rainforests and a host of endemic diseases. Despite these difficulties, the discovery of silver in the region in 1764 drew considerable attention to the area. The rapid development of Bes Manzouv in light of the silver rush reflected a wider trend among the Joriscian colonies of the growing importance of mainland settlements and enterprises, which contributed to the development of a robust and increasingly self-sustaining Seranian economy. Bolstered by an influx of both settlers and capital, the Itish littoral steadily developed as estates established lucrative sugar plantations.

During the Heathen Wars of the 18th century, Itace was subject to overlapping claims by Siurskeyti and Zeppengeran, and a Messenian presence was slowly established. While the Zepnish, Siursk, and Azophine Vesnite frontier communities often clashed, they also developed informal trade ties that would, by the mid-19th century, evolve into a de facto Seranian condominium between the three powers, with each community maintaining their own parallel administrations within the disputed territory, and a customary code for intercommunal dealings. While Azophin regularised the administration of coastal Itace during the Far Empire Campaign, extending this effort to the interior proved much more difficult and unviable, and the Messenian presence was tolerated via various patchwork arrangements extremely lenient for ignorants by Vaestic standards. Skirmishes and negotiations in the 1880s led Azophin's claims on the region to be recognised by Zeppengeran and Siurskeyti by 1896.

At the end of the Long War, Terophan occupied the Moonlight Coast, and Itace became nominally independent as one of the Seranian Banners in 1962. However, continued Azophine incursions and infiltrations in the Muffled War built up into a full-scale Itish Confrontation in 1970, in which Terophan took control of the Moonlight Coast to pre-empt Azophine designs and claims. The rump Itish state in the Seranian interior became a Terophatic dependency in military terms but also entertained autonomous administration and the considerable presence of Zepnish interests as a free trade zone of sorts.

Government and politics

Officially, Itace is a prototypical rescapitan banner-state headed by the Emperor of Itace, currently Herim. Like many other Vaestic empires, the emperor is elected by the Itish Debates and serves as the Standard-Bearer for the Itish Banner, known as the Moonlight Banner. However, the Terophatic-controlled Imperial Competency Board has exercised political power on behalf of the Itish emperors since 1970. Administratively, the country is divided into eight wards centered on the largest Mokykla in each ward. The current capital, Shavenir, is home to the Itish Banner-Shrine and constituents a ward in its own right. Two Vocation Scholars from each ward are represented in the Itish Debates.

Zepnish administration

Zeppengeran officially recognizes Itace as an independent Vaestic state and acknowledges its post-1970 borders. However, Itace is home to a longstanding Zepnish colonial presence located in the country's east in the form of settlements and economic activities. These Zepnish communities are governed by the Frontier Improvement Committee, a quasi-state authority helmed by Zepnish-appointed officials and based in the settlement of Wagenrad. The Zepnish presence is officially tolerated through a number of longstanding official and semi-official agreements between Zeppgeran and Itace, with Shavenir interfacing with the Zepnish presence through the Committee.

Economy and finance

The Itish economy is principally focused on resource extraction for export. The energy sector is the largest segment of the economy by revenue; though small oil deposits were discovered in the 1890s, the eventual discovery of large natural gas reserves in the late 1970s revitalized the Itish economy after its substantial losses in the Confrontation of 1970s. Tropical timber, rubber, and sugarcane are other major exports and are the traditional mainstays of the Itish economy.

Itace's economy is closely integrated with those of Terophan and (to a lesser degree) Zeppengeran. This dependence facilitated the growth of a relatively small yet significant financial sector catering to Zepno-Terophatic trade through the country's unusual political bifurcation. As a result, Itace is also home to a growing logistics sector to manage the flow of goods between the two Great Powers. The country's nebulous geopolitical situation also makes it a notable black market hub and a centre for contraband trafficking and drug production.