Another World Breakdown: Renaitia General

Long time no post. My turn for a breakdown of a world/country for a story I'm currently writing.

Country Name: Renaitia
Capital and largest city: Balaetu (central and southern district)

Districts: Lycinth (north), Rakujana (east), Neyapekos (west), Vyraelo (southwest), Aleutialon (northwest), Rutelos (northeast), Baradia (southeast)

Demonym: Renaitian

Government: Constitutional monarchy (?)

King: King Maridar sol Laetu IV

Royal Secretary

Legislature: The Assembly

The Council (consisting of the King's companions, Councilmen, Army Generals, and the aristocracy)

Regional District Chiefs (two for each of the seven secondary districts)

the citizens of Renaitia

Formation:

-National Foundation Day: 

Seventh day of the second month of the third year of the Era of the King

Area:

-Total: 377, 944 km^2

-Water (%): 6% approx.

Population: 2,403,113 (citizens only)

Currency: Seran (gold, silver, bronze, and copper coins)

Summary:

Renaitia is a constitutional monarchy, with a parliamentary system known as the council.  Previously a warrior culture, Renatia has now turned to trade.  It maintains its traditional culture in the form of athletic events, mock-battles, and tournaments.

Geography:

Being a nestled in a large and wide bay of sorts, Renaitia boasts a large naval force.  The coastal area is mostly swampland, but does boast coastal plains in some areas.  

To the north (Lycinth) are the Lycinth mountains which protect the country from any potential invasion.  It is a fierce hinterland, isolated from the rest of Renaitia.  Many ore deposits litter the mountains.

To the east (Rakujana) and southeast (Vyraelo) are wide coastal plains.  Further south along the peninsula the land becomes flatter and even, making it one of the prime spots to raise animals.

To the west are many lakes and rivers, resulting in lowland wetlands.  There is good freshwater fishing to be done here as well as many herbs and floral for medicine.  The swamp is too dangerous for those unaccustomed to travel, protecting the western flank of Renaitia.

The central area is covered with rolling hills, the highest of which are in the heart of the land where the king resides in his castle.  The city of Laetu sits in the valley to the south of the castle, and is a bustling port city of trade and commerce.

Agriculture:

With an established agricultural system, Renaitia is known to produce and trade a wide variety of crops, most of which are not native to the land.  Any non-native species have been imported from conquered territories, or as gifts of tribute from territories who have entered an alliance with Renaitia.

     

           Native crops: wheat, barley, grapes, flax, fig, poppies, lettuce, celery, asparagus, carrots, pears, quince, beans, onions, parsley, potatoes, cumin, nutmeg, almond, spinach, zucchini, spearmint, mushrooms, sesame seeds, walnuts, pepper

           Non-native crops: dates, bell peppers, plums, peaches, apples, strawberries, rhubarb, cherries, pistachio, hazelnuts, lemon, orange, corn, pomegranite

           Livestock: cattle, kawan (goat/sheep like creature), horses, cows and pigs (less common).

Central government: Headed by the current king and his appointed Royal Secretary.  Standing equal in governmental power are the members of the Council, who are comprised of the landed aristocratic families.    Councilmen are given a position in the council by birthright.  They act as a judiciary panel and decide what will be discussed at the Assembly held twice a year on the spring and autumn equinox.

Also included in the Council, but of higher status, are the Regional District Chiefs and Vice Chiefs.  The District Chiefs govern their respective district, there are fourteen Regional District Chiefs and Vice Chiefs in total (one of each for each district).

King's companions: A prestigious honorary title bestowed to those who the King has hand picked to guard him.  They are also close advisers to the King.  The number of companions varies from King to King.

The Assembly: A meeting held biannually on the equinox in the spring and autumn in the capital city of Laetu.  The Assembly is used to consult for foreign politics and the appointment of high state officials.  Freedom of speech and democracy are rules that even the King must adhere to.

Regional Districts: The administrative government level between the central government and the cities.  Each district has their own assembly on the date of their choosing.  The seven districts are divided into communes, which are run by a governor.

Recreation: Festivals are held on days of religious, national, or seasonal importance.  This provides an opportunity for the elite to interact in an informal setting, allowing for heavy drinking and feasting.  It is not uncommon for fights to break out during festivals.  Murder is rare, but not unheard of.  Note: The citizenry cannot mingle with the aristocracy although they share the same venue.

Hunting for sport is considered an elite activity.  Athletic games and tournaments are held regularly and are open to the public.  Prizes include large amounts of seran (money), livestock, or lands (which can allow a citizen to become one of the aristocracy).  Theatre, art, music, and bathing are also common forms of recreation.

Religion: Polytheistic, the official religion of Renatia has seven gods.  They do not distinguish them by gender, rather believing the gods to have transcended human limitations of gender.  

And I'll stop there, because this is getting really long.

23

Turned 23 today.
:3
So to prepare for my trip to Japan, we went to China Town.
...
You mean that doesn't count?
It was a fun day.
But I'm super tired. There have been a lot of long days recently.
I"m gonna go to sleep.

(I definitely read your posts, Crystal! They're cool to read.)

Kazuhi + Chao

I finished drawing Emperor Kazuhi and Chao.



Chao is supposed to have scales like those of a koi. But now I can't find out what type of koi it is. I should look in my book.
I drew Kazuhi in a Japanese outfit last time, so this time I tried Chinese. Hopefully it's generally accurate. --_--
Kazuhi looks odd. Like he's leaning back. Oops.
The background is a photo I took of the Forbidden City's throne, when I went to China with the band.

XGrad ProgramX

Well, just found out that I wasn't accepted to the creative writing grad program.
Sigh. Strange news to get the day before my birthday.
Apparently there's a lot of competition for this program. They said they turn away a lot of good writers. I wonder if they say that just to console the rejectees. XP
I kind of have mixed feelings.
I'm sort of not sure what I'd do with a masters program. But at the same time, I'm sure it would help me a lot.
Plus nowadays, it's hard to get into good jobs unless you have a masters degree.
But it would be expensive. And there would probably be several classes I didn't like. But that's nothing new.
Maybe I had doubts because I'm just lazy...
Well, guess I'd better see if I can find a job. I can always apply for the grad program again next year.
Not that that will stop me from trying to get a book published beforehand. ;3
I've been hanging out since last semester, taking a couple classes and selling plushies. Just coasting along until I found out about the grad program. Now that I know I'm not in, I'd better find some other direction to follow. There's a summer internship that I should apply for. Except the deadlines in about a week. I can probably make it. Just gotta work hard... and write a resume. I think I have an old one somewhere that I can work off of.
And there might have been an opening in the wildlife department where I volunteer. It might be too late for that though. That's the only thing I can really think of. I know there would be some things I wouldn't like about it though. I'm too picky.
Maybe the zoo where Dad worked. I wonder if he still has connections there. That would be cool.

Limerick

I guess I'll do another poem review.
Limericks are generally supposed to be funny. Not that they have to be, of course.
They have five lines.

Line 1 : 9 syllables, rhyme:A
Line 2 : 9 syllables, rhyme:A
Line 3 : 7 syllables, rhyme:B
Line 4 : 7 syllables, rhyme:B
Line 5 : 9 syllables, rhyme:A

You don't have to follow the syllable count.
The one I wrote was kinda stupid. I'll just steal one I heard on a cartoon.

There once was a man from Peru
Who dreamed he was eating his shoe
He woke with a fright
In the middle of the night
To find that his dream had come true.

(This one doesn't follow the syllable count).


Fact of the Day: If a predator is trying to get into a wombat's burrow, the wombat will back up and use its powerful hind legs to actually crush the intruder's skull against the side of the tunnel.
So make sure you knock before you enter...

Triplet

I should post on a few of the poem forms we're doing in the writing class. The more interesting ones, at least.
This one is the triplet.
It's a three line poem, with the last word of each line rhyming. For our class, we had each line contain the same number of syllables. You can put several of these 3-line stanzas together to make a longer poem.
We stuck to a single stanza though.
I guess I'll share my random triplet poem. I was sitting at my desk, wondering what the heck I should write about. Then Leaf came over, so I picked her up and started playing with her cute little pink toes. And I thought about how she can move around without any sound, but then she'll also stomp around really loudly.
So, here ya go. Little pink toes. So fun to squish.


Five little pink toes on such dainty feet
Trim velvety fur on the paws kept neat
Tapping fast to beat a hasty retreat!


Fact of the Day: In ancient Rome, they used volcanic ash, lyme, and water to make bricks. The chemical reaction from blending these ingredients made the bricks stronger than today's pavement (which is made with sand instead of ash). These old bricks are still in good shape today.

Five Stars

Eh, why not. It doesn't really fit in with my last post, but I might as well post it while it's still fresh.
We had our band concert tonight. This is the first semester (with this band) where we've done 2 concerts in a semester. With the other bands I've played in, we usually did more than one concert a semester.
This was also the concert where I got to play the bass drum. I got it perfect! Whoo!
The rest of the concert was good too.
I did have to miss most of the writing class though. I'll have to see what we did after I left.
I read one of my poems aloud before I left though.
I got five stars! Whoo! My first five-star poem!
TTuTT

Loud and Dark

So, on Monday, my cousin Beau, and Tina, took me up to the city to show me around some places I hadn't been to before.
And Beau wanted to bring me to a Goth club he really liked.
Which is something I'd never done before, and never though I'd do in the future. But he really seemed excited about me going.
And Tina had a lot of fun dressing me up in black, and giving me ornaments to wear, and doing my makeup.
I think I looked like Willamina Harker, from the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (She's still one of my favorite vampire characters).

The club was interesting. More than I thought it would be. It was kind of fascinating to watch the people's different ways of dancing.
And when Beau explained it to me, I understood more about the appeal of those sorts of clubs. I never really cared about them before.
It's only in very civilized areas where this sort of stuff can happen. Where people can dress so differently in public, without being frowned upon.
And it's really true. I'm so used to seeing stuff that some people would find "unusual" that I don't even react to it anymore (which is why it was kinda dumb of me to be self-conscious in my "goth" outfit).
These sorts of clubs are a great place for people who want to dress up differently, and go and dance however they want without attracting weird looks.
Everyone had their own way of dancing. They were amazing to watch. Some of them were very graceful, or very powerful, or just having a lot of fun. It was also a lot of fun to see my cousin dance.
I did dance some, if you can call that dancing. I might have danced more, if it weren't for the music.
The music is the main reason I usually can't stand dances, or other places like this. Not only is it the kind of music that I dislike, but it's so LOUD. If a person's a foot away from you, they have to shout in your ear to be heard.
Why, WHY does the music have to be so loud? So loud and so not-fun to listen to?
Would I go again? I would definitely consider it... if I knew the music wouldn't be so loud. I do have a new appreciation for them though. But if I want to dance, I'll do it in my room, to music that inspires me to get up and jump around.

Short Story

So, out second short story is due on Thursday, so I've been working on it.
It's something like a political scene. I don't think I've ever written one before. And if I hadn't read Twelve Kingdoms, it would be many many times worse than it is now (I recently read the Twelve Kingdoms book of short stories. Like the last book, it was mainly talking with not as much action. Except it didn't have the suspense of the last book. I still want to know what happened to everyone in Tai!!).
My short story is a scene from Katani's story. One that I've been thinking about for a while, but haven't actually written yet. It starts out with the end of a council meeting. The three main characters are Emperor Kazuhi, General Feng, and Lieutenant Fei Yen. After the council is the first time Kazuhi meets Fei Yen, basically. And we find out about the, uh, less-than-friendly relationship between Kazuhi and Feng.

Also, I've been working on giving the Betas real names. They all have nicknames, but none of them have their real names. Except Kon and Rose, but those are just first names.
Crystal helped me figure out a couple last night. But they all still need last names.

Got my diploma in the mail today. Guess it's official now. I really have graduated from college. O_O
And I got plane tickets last week. So, at the beginning of summer, I can go visit Ellen! No turning back now. Can't chicken out, just because I have to go by myself.

Fact of the Day: Fortune cookies aren't from China. They were invented in San Francisco.

So Long, First Fanfic

I finally did it. I finally deleted my first fanfiction. It was just plain bad, and it wasn't worth trying to salvage. It kinda feels nice to have it gone.
Finished re-writing another chapter of my Midna fanfic too. Slow going, but it's still going, at least.

Long-neglected fact-of-the-day: In Thailand it's very rude to point with your feet. While your head is closest to the heavens, your feet are the farthest away from the heavens. So if you ever visit Thailand, don't point with your feet. And don't sit with your feet pointing at anything.