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Riaa, officially the Riaan Republic, is a planned upcoming nation in Centaura. It is bordered by Vulpa to the west, Columba to the south, Tucana to the east and shares a small border with Corvus to the southwest.
Etymology
The official name for Riaa is the Republic of Riaa (Ursan: Respublika Riyii). The name Riaa isn't derived from the old native name; in fact, it is unknown what it is in universe, as the ancient name was lost to time even before the Librans took the area. The Librans opted to name the general region by using their people's particular war cry.
In retconned lore, Riaa was formerly called Yishen and exist a possible ancient dynasty under the Anterian Dynasty.
History
More lore can be found on the official lore document.
Ancient History
Much prior to the rule under the Libran Empire, Riaans form some form of state. In that period, they spoke an ancient extinct language.
The Spires are a series of structures scattered across continental Riaa. Their origins are unknown, but they are presumed to be related to ancient Riaan civilizations. No historical documentation has been found on the creation of the Spires.
In each location, there are several “spikes” made of stone protruding from the ground, reaching almost 50-70 feet tall in height. There are no plaques or anything written in the stone; the structures merely exist and nothing else. More strange, however, was the absence of trees or natural foliage in the surrounding area. No grass, no bushes, nothing. Only a dirt surface with stone spires reaching into the sky.
Early History
Much of Riaa is unknown during the transition periods due to the lack of lore on it, but it is known that before the Libran Empire's expansion period, the ancient Riaans came under the rule of the Rodinese Mandate. Centered in the Ursan continent, it was a northern power that was directly at odds with the Libran Empire; not only did it control continental Ursa, it also ruled over most of northern Centaura and some of Canis-Hydrus. Because of the cultural influence of the Rodinese Mandate, Rodinese or Ursan (as it would become known as in the present) eventually became the dominant language in the country, as well as other possible cultural influences.
During Libra's expansionist period, Riaa eventually came into conflict with the Librans, who eventually took over the region, defeating the Rodinese Mandate in the process. Likely due to the climate and geography as well as the stubbornness of the Riaan warriors, the Librans did not hold Riaa for a long time, and it was possibly one of the first regions that freed itself from the Libran Empire's grasps. We can assume Riaa soon became a monarchy and the new power of northern Centaura.
Although the Librans did not hold Riaa for long, their influence can still be seen in the country in conjunction with Rodinese ones; Riaa predominantly uses the Libran-influenced ensis for their military and they accept Librae as a second language, commonly spoken in the southern regions. Even in regards to Ursan, the country prefers using romanized alphabet with Ursan, almost certainly inspired by the Librae/Old Librae alphabet.
Modern History
By the time of the 1900s, the Riaan Republic[*] in the north dominates northern Centaura. Established upon the end of the 1888-1892 Civil war, the Nationalists ousted the imperialist Riaan Dynasty and its supporters, declaring a republic under their sole control.
Successive Nationalist governments have put an emphasis to improving their people's wellbeing, at the expense of other sectors of the state. But continued internal issues, outdated laws and technology that can only be described as relics leaves the otherwise gargantuan state with a massive population to make up for its shortcomings. The Nationalists continue to lead the nation from the capital, Hadina and other settlements in the north.
The road to a constitution began with the Nationalists. The Nationalists initially began as a movement in the Riaan Dynasty, formed by graduates of the Hadina Academy of Combined Studies as the Society for Riaan Restoration in 1864. The institution was based on the Tucanese education model, which greatly influenced the members to explore ideas of reforming Riaa into a modern state akin to its neighbors. The Society would advocate for the introduction of new technologies as well as reform of the Riaan education, class and political system through a series of lectures. Fellow intellectuals would form groups would form in support of the Society's ideology.
The Riaan Dynasty would undergo a period of decline through the 1870s, prompting the Society to adopt more radical ideas of modernization in the economics, politics and society of Riaa which gained more traction. Though limited to the educated few of Riaa, military figures in the Imperial Riaan Army began to support the Society's reform through modernization of the military, which was tolerated by the nobles and elites that controlled the Imperial Court. These late adaptations would come in the form of telegram lines, railways and advances in science and medicine, though any attempts to reform Riaan politics and society were denied outright.
The Imperial Court became more wary of the Society's influence on their bureaucrats as a reformist clique was gradually forming. In 1878, the nobility pressured the ruling House of Zvezda to order the dissolution and outlawing of the Society, hoping to quell the movement and secure their control over the nation. The Society's leaders would be arrested, the organization and associated groups shut down as the movement continued underground. The Court continued their suppression of reformist activity, breaking up riots and arresting supporters.
The elites of the Imperial Court would push for further suppression of reformist elements, culminating in a government and military purge alongside the execution of the Society's arrested leaders in 1880. The Dynasty's support was lower than ever, many rallying to the Society under a new name - the Nationalists. In the following year, the Nationalists would declare an open revolution against the Imperial Court, beginning the Riaan Civil War.
Tucana would support the Nationalist cause with military aid, allowing them to even the field against the Imperial Riaan Army. They would utilize railways to outmaneuver the Imperialists and capture strategic arsenals and cities, seizing equipment and support of the Riaan people. Several military leaders began to defect to the Nationalist side, forcing the elite to hire private militias to defend themselves, which more often resulted in mutinies. The Nationalists would use unconventional tactics against the Imperialists, ambushing them in their stiff formations and sabotaging key supply routes, pushing them further away from the urban areas of Riaa. Within 4 years, the Imperialists had been forced to the western provinces of Riaa, allowing the Nationalists to capture Hadina and declare the formation of the Republic of Riaa.
Three years would pass, and the House of Zvezda and its nobles was banished to the former province of Vulpa, declaring independence from the Riaan mainland and forming the country of Vulpa. The Nationalists immediately began implementing their reforms to the young republic, with a heavy emphasis on improving the quality of life. The monarchy was abolished, a new constitution was drafted, and new education and healthcare systems were at the forefront of their changes, followed by renewed trade with Tucana. These measures proved popular, but as a consequence the nation's military was largely neglected.
Language
Due to years of occupation and influence by the now extinct Rodinese Mandate (the predecessors of Ursa), Rodinese (Russian) or Ursan is the primary language of Riaa, writing in romanized Rodinese. Other than Rodinese, Librae is the secondary language of Riaa, perhaps due to external influences from the extinct Libran Empire.
Politics
As it was the Republic of Riaa, the nation held elections every 5 years which the Nationalist continuously won virtually uncontested. There was little to no opposition to the Nationalists' reforms and so no organized party ever competed against them.
The Assembly of the Riaan Republic as it was known, consisted of 210 members, who were all members of the Nationalists. Despite this seemingly one-party rule, the Presidency of the Republic was limited to 3 terms which every president had to respect lest be they be voted out. Though all proud members of the Nationalists, members of the assembly were often divided among unofficial cliques that represented extreme and moderate elements of the party. Several were culturally conservative, military or radical reformists that served under the umbrella of the Nationalists.
This factionalism was also present within the public, wherein the presidential candidates were always Nationalist but represented differing personal ideologies that a portion of the Assembly supported. Despite this hidden division, Riaan democracy remained stable throughout its existence.
Military
Riaan Republican Guard
The massive size of the Riaan Army proved difficult to field in more delicate theaters of war, so the decision to consolidate Riaa's elite into one corps sized unit was made, the Riaan Republican Guard. The RRG was better trained compared to the average Riaan conscript and fielded more equipment + gear. The RRG maintained their own mechanized and air units and would serve as the centerpiece of the NCA's major counteroffensive against Antares.
Trivia
- The Riaan Civil War is remarkably similar to the Chinese Civil War, where the Nationalists (Communists) defeat the Imperialists (Kuomintang Nationalists) in a bloody civil war and cause the Imperialists to flee to Vulpa, like how the Chinese Nationalists flee to Taiwan.
- In a sense, it is also similar to the Russian Civil War, because both saw an anti-imperialist force fighting and defeating an imperialist force.
- Riaa is the only nation in Centaura (and the rest of Forma for that matter) to not have a name related to a constellation or star.
- For a long time, Riaa used to be called "Yishen", but the name was changed to Riaa through a subsequent vote due to controversies with the person credited with Yishen.
- Riaa's period of Warlords is similar to China's Warlord Era from 1916 to 1928.
- It is different in that the Chinese warlords were independent and only rarely allied with each other, while Riaan warlords were directly under Antares and served as de-facto governors under Antarean watch.
- The flag of Riaa appears to reference the Chinese symbol "黻" (Fu). Though the meanings of this symbol vary greatly, in ancient Chinese, it represents a sort of knee-covering tied around the waist and worn in front of official uniforms or formal dresses.
- In modern Chinese, 黻 can refer to making distinctions between right and wrong, acknowledging one's mistakes and making amends.
- 黻 also shares a similar pronunciation to the symbol "福", which can mean good luck. This is ironic considering their occupation and brutal treatment under Antares.