Odann

Sacred Kingdom of Ódann Ríocht Bheannaithe na hÓdainn
Flag Coat of Arms
Motto:  Seasann ár gcreideamh síoraí "Our faith stands eternal"
Location of Odann in Messenia
Capital and largest city	Ráth
Official languages	Dael
Religion	Cairony
• Argan	Orthodox Odannaigh
Demonym	Odannach (singular) or Odannaigh (plural)
Government	Ecclesiastical respublican monarchy
• Defender of the Faith	Ultan II
• Holy Mother	Aoife uí Mhuireadais
• Chief Advisor	Lorcán Chamchos
Legislature	Parliament of Odann
Establishment
• Establishment of the Sacred Kingdom	late 12th century
Area
• Total	289,751.53 km2 (111,873.69 sq mi) (43rd)
Population
• 2021 estimate	41,434,520
• Density	143/km2 (370.4/sq mi)
Currency	Bonn (ODB)
Time zone	Odannach Time IAT - M-1

Odann (Ódann), formally the Sacred Kingdom of Odann (Dael: Ríocht Bheannaithe na hÓdainn, sometimes also translated as the Blessed Kingdom of Odann), is a state located in north-western Messenia. Odann is bordered to the north by Nation 59, Nation 60 and Brolangouan, to the east by Emilia, to the south by Elland and Vettermark, and to the west by Tvåriken, Fiobha and Laora. Most of the country rests on the Odannach Uplands, but Odann also has a relatively short coastline on the Arcedian Sea in the far northwest, opening into the Daugh Bay (Bá na Dhaugh). The country's south is part of the Central Messenian Plain, lying within the basin of the Marduine river. It has a population of 41 million; the largest city is the capital, Ráth (5.1 million), followed by Clachán (2.7 million). The city of Cairn acts as a de facto second capital, due to its being the centre of the Argan of Odann and a major cultural centre in eastern Messenia.

The Odannach state is built upon the dual foundations of its monarchy and its argan. The sovereign of Odann, who holds the title of Defender of the Faith (Cosantóir an Chreidimh), plays a central role in government, but has to contend with aristocratic respublican institutions, headed by the Chief Advisor's cabinet, as well as the political arm of the Argan. Odann is a very religious society, being known for its rigid social hierarchy and the widespread role of its argan as compared to other Cairan countries. Indeed, Odann is the only country in the Cairan world that has a permanent clerical parliamentary chamber, the Lay Sorority (Siúreachas do Nithe Tuata). Non-Cairan minorities and non-Orthodoxist Cairans are openly discriminated against.

Odann is one of the recognised great powers of Messenia in the Kethpor System, and has historically played this role for several centuries. Since the 18^th century Odann has been the self-styled champion of the Orange Orthodoxy, leading to an extended political alliance with fellow Orthodoxists in Ceresora – at one time probably the strongest such on the continent – and a near-constant state of conflict with the Savamese Empire, including a decades-long state of cold war which ultimately turned hot as the Gaste War in the late 1950s. A major industrial and trading power, it developed a significant colonial empire in the Seranias and wielded considerable economic influence in eastern Ascesia. This emphasis on trade led Odann to develop as a major naval power, well capable of competing with Siurskeyti or Zeppengeran.

However, Odann found itself on the losing side of the Messenian facet of the Long War; this catastrophic defeat triggered a severe period of economic and political stagnation. Odann is still considered to be recovering from the effect of the defeat, especially in terms of economic development: its standards of living have lagged as compared to its regional peers. Since the 1980s the country has experienced a degree of renewal, with a focus on lessening the dominance of heavy industries within its economy in favour of developing high-tech industries. However, its aggressive stances in interordinate policy – and a willingness to skirt the boundaries of propriety in enforcing its positions – have given it a reputation in Messenia as the least predictable of the continent’s four great powers and a constant concern in political and diplomatic circles.

Etymology

The Sacred Kingdom of Odann or Ríocht Bheannaithe na hÓdainn takes its official title in part from the long history of religious institutions acting as the basis of the state, with the Defender being selected to rule by the Holy Mother of Odann, leader of the argan; however, the name Ódann has less clear origins. The word Oldain was believed to be the name of a river valley in south-eastern Odann, although the identity of both this river valley and the river itself has been lost over time. The name became a label for the tribes living in the region, and a distinct polity of that name emerged in the late twelfth century, the seed of an entity which came to encompass the entirety of the modern state.

Ríocht Bheannaithe is generally translated as "Sacred Kingdom", but can also be translated as "Blessed Kingdom" (from beannaigh, "to bless"). However, the term most blessed kingdom is reserved in Cairony for the temporal realm of the Urbis defensor, currently the King of Brex-Sarre, so the term "sacred" is usually preferred to avoid confusion.

Geography

A map of Odann, showing the major cities and geographic features (the shaded areas represent land above 500m and 1,000m respectively)

Odann has an area of over 236,000 square kilometres. Although it rests on Messenia's north-western coast on the Arcedian Sea, it is largely an inland country which extends over the elevated plateau of the Odannach Uplands, which connects the Rindarian Range with the Aphrasian mountains; the majority of the country is above 500 metres, but the highest points in the country do not exceed 1500 metres.

Overall, the geography is defined by rolling hills and low mountains. The Odannach Uplands possess a landscape of rolling hills and small ridges, intersected by many creeks, streams and rivers fed by large volumes of rainfall. The uplands also are characterised by a rich soil, offering excellent conditions for agriculture, as well as a rich underground: large reserves of iron and coal are found in the uplands, and were the drivers of much of Odann's economy and industrial development.

The country's southern half lies in the Central Messenian Plain, in the basin of the Marduine river, a large tributary of the Gaste, which flows from the interior to the south, defining most of the border with Elland. Left bank tributaries of the Marduine, such as the Sligeach that flows through the capital, form the core of Odann's densely populated areas. Other significant rivers, flowing directly toward the ocean on the northern slopes of the Odannach Uplands, include the Daugh, Lorrim, and Rúan.

Wetlands were once common in Odann, especially in the north and the lowest parts of the Uplands, but most have been drained in modern times; the country remains susceptible to issues with flooding, which used to be dampened by those natural wetlands. The low coastal plains are also vulnerable to storm surges from the Arcedian Sea, occasionally resulting in large-scale flooding.

Climate

A view of Odann's Arcedian Sea coast near Cúil an Ghearráin.

Odann's climate is classified as temperate oceanic, with important year-round precipitation, mild winters and cool summers. In the coastal and western regions of the country, areas receive between 800 and 1,000 millimetres of rain annually; in the interior that figure drops to 500-700. A position near to the confluence of the warm Riach current and the cold current of the Arcedian Subpolar Gyre creates regular unstable weather and storms. In its early history Odann was covered in a thick temperate rainforest, although centuries of habitation have led to the forests being cleared away for agriculture. Deforestation has led to some concerns about erosion.

History

Main article: History of Odann

Government and authority

Government

The government of Odann is an ecclesiastical aristocratic respublican monarchy, with the office of Defender of the Faith held as hereditary within the House of Clairháin; by customary Daelic practice, accession to the throne is properly by agnatic primogeniture. The monarchy stands at the apex of a hierarchy structured around three distinct poles: the nobility (represented by the Council of Nobility), the church (represented by the Lay Sorority, and ultimately by the Argan of Odann), and the people (represented by the Council of the People). These three chambers currently form the country's parliament. For most of Odann's history, the first two chambers have exhibited a fierce rivalry, with the Chamber of the People frequently the balance between the two, although it has exhibited an increasing independence from both of the other houses in the last half-century; much of Odannach politics turns on the relative degrees of influence of the three houses, and the extent to which the Defender is called upon to play each off against the others.

While the Defender wields supreme authority by virtue of his office, the Chief Advisor (Comhairleoir ar dTús), who is appointed directly by the Defender, has significant powers in his own right and is sometimes considered to be a separate head of government by foreign political commentators. Since the appointment of Liam Sagart in 1972, the Chief Advisor has been drawn from the Council of the People, as the chamber with the widest franchise, although this is not mandatory and has been subject to some pressure, mainly from the Council of Nobility, in times past; usually the Chief Advisor is also the leader of the faction with the largest support within the Council, although this not an essential requirement and may be dispensed with at the will of the Defender. Most day-to-day functions of government are dealt with by the Defender's Advisors (Comhairleoirí an Chosantóra), who may be drawn from members of any of the chambers of government as the Defender sees fit. The Defender generally deals directly only with his Chief Advisor, and does not routinely attend meetings of the Advisors as a group, although most Defenders have considered it advisable to take part in Advisory councils on a fairly regular basis.

The Council of Nobility is the nobility's main instrument of power in Odann, and is currently regarded as the most influential of the three chambers. Officially, any holder of a patent of nobility awarded by the Defender may sit in the Council chamber, although in practice its working membership is much smaller; membership is intrinsic to the title, and is held for life. The Council is the principal legislative house, developing and proposing new laws and amendments thereto; as a legacy of the nobility's historic responsibilities over tax-gathering in their own fiefs, the Council of Nobility generally nominates the Advisor on Finance, as well as controlling the Oifig Chánach na hÓdainn, the country's central tax-gathering authority.

The Argan of Odann is involved in temporal affairs to a much larger degree than its counterparts in virtually any other Cairan state. It derives economic power from its extensive property holdings throughout the country and colonies, as well as from investments in economic affairs in Ascesia. The Holy Mother of Odann is in many important respects a potent de facto head of state in her own right, and regularly intervenes in state affairs (where she can exercise a veto in some areas of policy). The Holy Mother is elected by the Arganite Sorority, as in other Cairan argans; she resides in Cairn. The Lay Sorority, of which the Holy Council is a subset, is, with the Holy Mother, the clergy's other political arm; in the present day it is principally an examining chamber, although it has specific powers pertaining to legislation by way of Cairan law, which runs to some extent alongside secular law in the country.

The Council of the People is the most recent parliamentary chamber, having been formed only in 1887 as a result of the economic power gained by the urban bourgeoisie following the industrialisation of the country. Council members have six-year tenures; the franchise remains very limited, and follows a common pattern in Messenian respublics in which voting rights are extended to those who can meet specified requirements as to income and real property; Odann further restricts the process by setting a minimum voting age of 30 years.

Politics

Observers of Odann and its internal politics have sometimes claimed that the country's motto should be the Old Sabamic tres in uno, "three in one", given the extent to which the three chambers of its parliament, as much as they may dispute between themselves, provide a strong measure of stability, with the degree of overlap between them often resulting in their reinforcement of an existing position. While it remains the case that, on many occasions, two of the chambers may make common cause against the third on a given issue, much of the time this public show of dissent and debate is largely froth, with the most important decisions having been made beforehand. This state of affairs is aided and enhanced by the tendency for the Defender's Advisory Council, which for all practical purposes forms the true inner cabinet, to contain the members of all three chambers – noble, commoner and clerical alike – with the greatest degree of ability for the task at hand. This has of necessity created strong personal relationships between major leaders in the various power centres; to this extent, personal loyalty and allegiance can, at times, override political ideology in Odann. However, this state of affairs has been criticised in some quarters as providing an inbuilt block on change, especially radical change, contributing to the general perception of Odann elsewhere in Messenia as a hidebound, rigid society.

Gender plays an important role in the politics of the nation, through the conflict between the nobility and the clergy. Cairan traditional gender roles have generally considered the political sphere a secular and male domain, but the role played by the Argan of Odann in forming, demarcating and guiding the petty Odannach kingdoms gave it an outsized importance in the governance of their unified successor; the clergy does not advocate for a return to a position akin to the Ecclesiarchy – and, arguably, has not done so openly since the end of the Third Reform War – but its catholic ideal does involve an ecclesiastical government in which the nobility is subject to the clergy. The nobility’s quest for increased secular power is often constructed in a gender-based fashion, with the noble houses, dominated by males, advocating for a stricter application of gender roles and the reduction of clerical, and thus female, influence over the political system. The rise to prominence of the Council of the People in the 19th century bolstered this position to some degree, given the overwhelmingly male composition of the chamber when it was first formed; while there is now a leavening of councilwomen as well, their influence remains small by contrast.

Administrative divisions

For most of Odann's history, the conflicting agendas of the nobility and the argan created what amounted to parallel administrative structures; while for most practical purposes administration was based on noble fiefs, the church exercised substantial independence from local secular authority and arganic structure in the form of triburions and familiae was markedly different in form and territory covered. At lower levels, church fiefs frequently formed enclaves within noble fiefs and made no contribution to the noble house which surrounded them.

In 1990 the government introduced plans for a more streamlined system of administration in which the country would be divided into seven regions (ceanoiseochtaí), as already used within government departments for collation of statistical research but these fell victim to procedural delays in the three government chambers and were quietly abandoned. The issue remains on the table, but comprehensive reform of local government has been held up by resistance by the church and nobles who demand that their traditional divisions be respected, with the most recent attempt at a compromise being talked out of time in Conservene 2013.

Foreign relations

From its position at the end of the Long War in which it lay prostrate after defeat at the hands of Savam and its allies, Odann has recovered to a status in which it wholly justifies the status of "great power" which it held onto only tenuously at the Congress of Kethpor. It remains the dominant force in the Daelic-speaking region of northern Messenia and retains substantial force projection capabilities. However, while there was a noticeable period of détente between Odann and its neighbours during the 1970s and 1980s, since the accession of Ultan II the Sacred Kingdom has, by most reasonable estimates, relapsed into a state which, while falling short of open hostility, is marked by a distinct irascibility and prickliness which has caused concern for surrounding countries. The country's substantial military build-up under Ultan has resulted in armed forces which are markedly overpowered by regional standards, even after allowing for the additional requirements which the great powers have historically claimed as essential to that status.

Relations with Savam, which showed a distinct thaw under Ultan's brother and predecessor Diarmuid II, have worsened in the last two decades, with Odann's customary religiously-mandated rhetoric in fair measure a screen for the government's irritation at Quesailles' interference in its areas of interest, particularly in southern Serania Major, in eastern Ascesia and in Ceresora, an historic Orthodox ally until the end of the civil war. The position as against Siurskeyti and Zeppengeran is also poor at the present time, in the latter case as a side-effect of Zeppengeran's links to the Savamese, and in the former as a response to open criticism by the Siursk (and, to a lesser extent, also Helminthasse) of what it sees as Odannach bullying prompted by a collective persecution complex.

A marked willingness to take steps of dubious legality has, by most neutral estimates, emerged in the same period; in its near-abroad, Ráth was widely suspected of having a hand in the brief Phouspet coup in Saint-Calvin in 2006, and the exposure of a senior advisor to the Emilian Maître dés Cliés as an Odannach spy in 2008 being met with distinct insouciance. Intervention in the affairs of its old ally Ceresora, although minimal under Diarmuid, has since seen something of an uptick.

Further afield, Odann has cemented some long-standing associations with Yfirland and Tassedar in the form of the Pact of Clachán; and through the Clachán accords Odann has also markedly improved its standing in parts of north-eastern Ascesia. It holds a reasonably strong position in the Serrinean peninsula through ties to local ut possideatur states, a situation which compensates for some degree for its lack of a significant presence in nearby northern Lestria.

Military

Odann has approximately 500,000 men serving in its military as of 2011; four-fifths of that number serve in the army. It also has a considerable navy, consisting of 144 ships, including four aircraft carriers. The Odannach navy is largely dedicated to protecting trade routes and patrolling the Medius Sea. Another critical feature is protection of Diothún, its island possession off the northern Ascesian coast, and the sea passage to Serania.

The technological gap which still exists to a fair degree between Odann and its regional rivals has led Ráth to seek to compensate by other means. The Odannach military has built up its available hardware substantially, on the basis that weight of numbers will make up for technical shortcomings – the strategist's maxim that "quantity has a quality all of its own". While Odann has now acquired metacosmic weapons technology – being the last of the great powers to do so – in recent years this has overshadowed its substantial investment in chemical weapons, where it is generally thought to have built on its usage of these in the Gaste War to have become the most advanced Messenian state in this specialized area.

Economy

Entering the 21^st century, the economy of Odann is beginning a period of transition. The country was a comparatively late beginner in the shift towards industrialization in the 19^th century, but built a substantial position in heavy industry, with shipbuilding, industrial machinery and chemical manufacture all important components in the state economy. Coal and steel manufacturing also earned significant export revenue. By contrast, the agricultural sector, never particularly strong in most parts of the country, has been hindered further by loss of land to expanding towns and cities. Recent declines in the country's traditional industrial strengths have been countered to some degree by the emergence of service and knowledge-based industries, although the process has been slow and hesitant in its early stages.

Governmental involvement in the economy is more restricted than in several other Messenian countries, with most past governments content to regulate aspects of the economy - in some cases quite severely - than to control particular industries or take parts of them into public ownership. As elsewhere in Messenia, some of the country's noble houses have been significant drivers of economic development, and the Ellish concept of the honourable company has been borrowed with some success. However, most such operations are eclipsed by those of the Argan of Odann, which is the country's largest individual landowner and which has leveraged the accumulated wealth of centuries to great effect. The argan has actively sponsored research and development in lighter and less environmentally-compromising industries, in line with a developing philosophy that excessive industrialization is ultimately harmful to the process of Restoration which lies at the heart of the Cairan faith.

The Odannach bonn is recognised at present as one of the tentpole currencies of the Messenian financial system, and is the principal point of reference for the determination of exchange rates in the Daeltacht region. Its recovery of such status, and its now-formalised ties to the notional interordinate currency the ecumen, are relatively recent developments; the bonn fell heavily against other Messenian currencies in the early post-war period and was revalued in 1966, with 100 old boinn becoming one new bonn (known for many years as the bonn trom or “heavy bonn”).

Religion

The religious life of Odann is dominated by the Argan of Odann to an extent almost without parallel in modern Messenian society, with the argan's influence pervading society from the highest levels of government to the humblest village hall. As a result of the schism within Cairony in the 18^th century, the argan emerged on the Orthodox side of the divide, and has regarded itself as the champion of this interpretation for more than two centuries. The people of Odann are themselves overwhelmingly Orthodox Cairan, with censuses and other surveys in the last two decades indicating that Orthodox Cairony is the professed faith of more than 90% of the population; the Reform interpretation, although subject to serious repression at various times since the Long War, accounts for 7%, with adherents of Siriash and Arlatur, the bulk of whom are expatriates, making up most of the remainder.

Non-Orthodox practices have been visibly suppressed for long periods, and public expression of non-Cairan faiths has been illegal since 1950 and at various times in earlier history; while the law in this area has not always been strongly enforced – a particular issue during Diarmuid's reign – current practice is particularly rigorous, with several instances in the last decade of deportation of foreigners who publicly observed aspects of their own faiths, including an Arlaturi couple originally from Tvåriken who were ordered to leave Clachán in 2014 after holding their wedding ceremony – held in the open according to their own practices - in the garden of their own home.

Culture

By far the most important cultural institution in Odann is the argan - to such an extent that many of the country's detractors regard it as a theocracy in all but name. It is deeply rooted not only in the daily life of the country, but in its political and legal structures; a visible commitment to Cairan mores is, here perhaps more than anywhere else in the Cairan world, a sine qua non for any involvement in political life or achievement of significant secular offices. As part of its pastoral responsibilities, the Argan of Odann has a substantial involvement in social services and in education, which has been seen as a faithly remit for at least the last two centuries. It has been suggested by some outside observers that the argan has helped foster a resistance to change so ingrained in the Odannach psyche as to slow the pace of social change almost to a crawl; social mobility is noticeably poorer than in other parts of Messenia, and in many parts of the country outside the larger conurbations there is little change in the standard of living between one generation and the next.

The influence of the church has also had an effect on the way that the Odannaigh see the world, with the typical Odannach being prone to seeing his country, despite its size and influence in world affairs, as something of a victim, especially in the years since the end of the Long War, with their natural position of superiority being usurped by the Savamese and the other great powers of the region actively or passively conspiring to hold them down. This has produced a certain prickly defensiveness in the country's character, with Odannaigh being seen elsewhere in Messenia as quick to anger over even unimportant matters, and the country as overbearing in its outside relations, with a marked tendency to bully lesser polities where it believes such action can be taken with relative impunity.