Flora

From Almeopedia

Flora
Native:	Flora
Verdurian:	Flora
Characteristics
Capital:	Syxesteer
Government:	Republic
Language:	Flaidish
Relative prosperity:	98
Population:	700,000 (Flora alone)
% Pagan:	0
% Eleďe:	0
% Irreanist:	96
Currency
Gold	nolleck 10
	obnolleck 5
Silver	meckin 2.1
	obmeckin 1/2
Emur	priddel 1/6

Flora [ˈflu rə] is the name of the island of the Flaids, and by extension their country, and even the Floran archipelago as a whole. As well as the island of Flora itself, the country includes the islands of Mellboor and Nammed in the west and Mellyez in the east. Beyond its western border is the island of Bidmory, while the islands of the Neziora lie to its east.

In our earliest records Flora was ruled by a king (syx)— rather loosely, since the flaids largely subsisted from fishing (or, in the hills, farming or herding), and didn’t need much governing. They traded with the Meťaiun, then the Caďinorians, and were quick to adopt innovations. For instance, most domestic animals have been imported to the islands, except for cats, dogs, and chickens, which the flaids already had. Trading was the impetus for the development of urbanism: initially, human and flaid merchants met outside the King’s residence; this coalesced into the town of Syxesteer (‘king’s town’).

Contents 1 Human invasions 2 Irreanism 3 The republic 4 See also

Human invasions

Several times ambitious humans thought of invading Flora. A favorite flaid story concerns the invasion of one Gaskoom, which was defeated by various tricks. Gaskoom, who is as stupid as he is rapacious, is sent on a circular trail to find the “richest town in Flaid Land”; a thousand empty tents are erected to make him think he is facing a great host; his horses are replaced by trained imposters which run every which way during battle, spoiling his cavalry charge. These stories are chiefly an occasion for humorous invention, but they seem to point to some Meťaiun chief or pirate; Gaskoom is probably Meť. Υasikumi ‘man from a proud land’.

More seriously, two Caďinorian emperors mounted invasions. The first, by Aiďoctodos in the 1290s, caught the flaids by surprise, and the emperor managed to burn Syxesteer to the ground, and ride unchallenged across the island. This was no conquest, however; the flaids simply melted away as he approached, regrouping to attack in guerrilla raids, often at night. As they stole horses and weapons and learned Caďinorian tactics, the flaids grew bolder, and engaged the invaders in fierce battles. After several months of this entirely profitless war, Aiďoctodos took his army home.

By the time of Sevurias (the usurping uncle of Ervëa), the flaids were building ships and trading on their own; Sevurias figured they were ripe for the plucking, and invaded in 1608. But the flaids offered battle, both at land and at sea, in numbers Sevurias found puzzling for such a small country (the flaids mobilized virtually the entire adult population, including women). They also showed a flair for dramatic unconventional defenses: the major roads, for instance, were peppered with hidden alcoves which would rain spears or crossbow bolts on an unsuspecting army; a daring raid mounted from fast kayak-like boats set half the Caďinorians’ fleet afire; the flaids had even procured several dozen elephants from the Irenja, and sent them lumbering toward the Caďinorians, sending their horses into panic and disordering their armies. In this last battle, Sevurias lost half his men, and the will to continue.

There have been other threats— usually from desperate men who’ve convinced themselves that they were fiercer than Sevurias, and the flaids decadent. The flaids have invariably made very short work of them.

Irreanism

Around 2250 the flaidish philosopher ʔirran (V. Irrean) developed his great dualistic religion, Irreanism, which slowly replaced the flaids’ previous local paganism. The religion was further elaborated by the “hermit prince” Mornio Saxys in the 2500s. Saxys was something of a mystic, who advocated solitary trancing amid natural beauty— or the flaids’ idea of nature, anyway; there wasn’t much wilderness left in Flora. The sociable flaids listened respectfully and decided to approach hermitage as they approached everything else, in groups. The centers of Irreanism were the great monasteries founded in the next century; these were instrumental in converting almost the entire population to Irreanism.

Around 2500 the flaids adopted the Caďinorian alphabet to write Old Flaidish; some four centuries later the language experienced a Great Vowel Shift which gave Flaidish words, to Verdurian or even Kebreni eyes, very perverse spellings.

The republic

The flaids never really developed an aristocracy— perhaps because there were neither constant enemies to encourage warlordism, nor enough wealth for any flaid to become really dominant. Towns were run by a council of important flaids, and the main job of the king was to organize the defense works and settle disputes. Ancient councils developed into the Forujmory, the flaidish parliament, which was supposed to meet at least once every ten years to review the ancient laws and, if necessary, adjust taxes and tariffs.

By the 3100s, the old anarchy was looking more and more inadequate. Kebri (unchecked by Verduria, which was in decline) was pursuing a very militant form of trade, e.g. leaving troops in the Little Kingdoms to guarantee its exclusive trading rights. Even at home, Kebreni banks were beginning to dominate the economy, and the invention of printing (in Avéla, 3144) brought a dizzying rush of new ideas.

The last kings, Vaadel (5et) and Gennil (7et), pursued a policy of modernization under close state supervision. Shipyards were improved, factories built, banks and universities founded, roads improved. All this was paid for by higher taxes, and yet visibly enriched only the royal family. All this became increasingly offensive to the flaids, and printing spread and fanned the complaints.

In 3215 the Forujmory refused Gennil’s demands for yet another tax increase; Gennil responded by sending troops to arrest the parliamentarians. Warned in time, the legislators escaped to the Great Temple and declared the deposition of the king.

And there, for a month, the situation remained. The mornfedjel or First High Priest Chendio made it clear that a military attack on the temple grounds would be criminal, and would be resisted; this left both parties unable to enforce their mutual anathemas. The civil war was fought with pamphlets and messengers. As such, it became clear that the king had very little support: reformers wanted to try something new, while conservatives were loyal to parliament and temple rather than to the royal family. Finally, Chendio negotiated the king’s abdication, and Flora became a republic.

The Forujmory sold off most of the royal enterprises— mostly to consortia of important flaids, since few individuals could afford anything more than a ship. The universities, roads, army and navy, and the mint were kept under government control; the Forujmory also began to meet biennially, and to establish permanent courts. These were really standing committees (mingrickeler, literally ‘permanencies’) of the legislature, and were empowered to oversee and regulate the developing commercial system as well as resolving disputes, subject to the approval of the next full Forujmory.

The new system worked; the flaids threw themselves into trade and manufactures, and within two centuries Flora was one of the leading nations of the Mišicama littoral, along with Verduria, Kebri, and Érenat.

See also

The Neziora