Editing Gloria-Etalia (section)

=== Vashian Republic ===

Population: 45% Vashian Westrasi Human, 20% Elves/Half-Elves, 20% Yorai Westrasi Human, 15% Other (mostly other Westrasi Humans)

Capital: Helias

====Government:==== 

Oligarchy

====Culture:====

The inhabitants of the Vashian Republic are a notoriously arrogant and self-righteous people who see themselves as a beacon of civilization compared to the other Westrasi nations. The Republic is centered around the large metropolis of Helias, a city famous for its gorgeous marble buildings, clean streets, and strong law enforcement presence, though several other cities and towns exist. The Vashians takes great pride in their efficient and largely uncorrupt bureaucracy, skilled diplomats, high levels of education, sponsorship of scholarly endeavors and the arts, progressive attitudes to gender roles, good relations with the elvish peoples, orderly cities and landscapes, commitment to peace (in theory), piousness, and vast wealth. However, to the frustration of some in other nations, it is rare to see any Vashians acknowledge their exploitation of the Yoroi, class divide, authoritarian government, skill at realpolitik, and general hypocrisy.

Vashian society is organized around wealth and status. It has a large number of wealthy nobles, merchants, scholars, artists, and artisans in proportion to its population, who enjoy rights and privileges on par with the best of the Westrasi democracies. Meanwhile, servants and laborers live out of sight of the upper and middle classes. Many of them are foreigners (particularly Yoroi) from poorer nations, who take on indentured contracts in order to be able to live in the Republic without fear of arrest. Despite miserable wages, the expectation that they live in packed basements and barns, limited legal rights, and dark stories of abuse, there is no shortage of people willing to accept these conditions in return for being able to escape extreme poverty and/or instability in their home nations.

====Religion:====

Gloria-Etalia is the dominant faith within the Republic, with a heavy emphasis on their self belief that they are far closer to being an ideal civilization worthy of bringing about the return of Gloria-Etalia than most of their neighbors. Their subjection of the Yoroi People (when acknowledged at all) is rationalized on the basis that they are helping them achieve a more civilized state.

Despite the Vashian's fondness of claiming they are an open-minded society, other faiths are not tolerated in the Republic, and even other Chapels of the Gloria-Etalia religion are shunned.

====Organization:====

Although theoretically a democracy based heavily on the Morloux Model, in practice, power lies with the representatives of the dozen or so most powerful noble families in the Republic via seats on the Privy Council. In particular, the First Citizen, who is elected by the Commons Seat, wields enormous executive power. Since the founding of the Republic, the First Citizen has almost always come from the powerful Verrun family, leading some to refer to the Vashian Republic as a de facto monarchy.

Power is highly centralized around the First Citizen, who commands both the large Vashian Army, as well as the public purse to hire mercenaries. Smaller towns and cities are ruled by mayors elected by the wealthy, however every sizable community in the republic contains spies loyal to the First Citizen, as well as at least one unit of the Vashian Army in their distinct red and white uniforms with silver edged armor plates and soft brown padding.

====Origin:====

Like much of the Westrasi Sea region, the area where the Vashian Republic now stands was once part of the Verani Empire. Helias and the surrounding area were once one of the wealthiest regions of the old Empire, but the area was heavily looted by the ancestors of the Yoroi People following the Fall. The Vashian Republic was founded by Saramese exiles who mixed in with the descendants of the Verani Empire who were still living along the coast, who then together conquered much of the surrounding area in a series of wars. Recently the Vashian Republic has split the Yoroi Tribelands off into its own separate vassal state in order to prevent the emerging Yoroi middle class from influencing the Commons Seat.

====Diplomacy:====

The Yoroi Tribelands are a de facto vassal state of the Republic. Despite their theoretical independence, the Yoroi government is filled with Vashian "advisors", and Vashian Army units are common throughout Yoroi lands, either to guard Vashian financial interests, or to defend the borders. The Vashians know they can't hold the Tribelands forever, but plan on holding onto "their" territory for as long as possible via drawn out negotiations and economic dominance. A small separatist guerrilla movement exists, who some feel are just Vashian pawns that will provide an excuse for the Vashians to re-invade Yoroi.

The Yoroslovan, Euraxian, and Araxian Kingdoms, the Suezi, the Farisians, and the Commonwealth are seen as primitive barbarians who descended from those who destroyed the Verani Empire. In particular, the Farisians have made themselves a nuisance by either directly or indirectly funding Yoroi separatists. Although the Vashians claim open warfare is crude and uncivilized, they have in fact been involved in more wars than any other nation on the Westrasi Sea, typically involving themselves in other's disputes in return for trade concessions and military alliances against other nations.

The Vashians see the Veranese, Betranoxians, and Saramese as fellow descendants of the Verani Empire (or at least inheritors of said culture who didn't actively participate in bringing down the Empire). They all share a certain love for scholarship, art, intellectualism, and the arcane, and scholars, artists, poets, and arcanists from the republic frequently visit these nations. The Vashian Republic often chides the other three nations for fighting among themselves, but the Vashians have never been ones to let their own self-righteousness get in the way of self interest, and have either secretly or openly sabotaged the interests of the other nations when it was to their benefit.

Terravia and Uroxians are dismissed as nations of wackjobs, bordering on being seen as outright evil, and are poorly regarded by both nobles and commoners in the Republic, though, of course, faustian political and trade alliances are common.

Relations with Sarkatia are poor due to several long standing theological disputes.

Vashians generally ignore the giants and halflings who live south of their Yoroi vassals, seeing them as too barbaric to civilize.

====Geography:====

The Vashian Republic is a relatively small but densely populated region. Most of the land has been transformed for "civilized use", with large fields of grain, orchards, vineyards, and grazing pastures covering a large part of the territory. Sections of grassland and forest have been left alone for recreational horseback riding, hunting, and to provide privacy to the estates of the wealthy.

====Economy:====

Generally considered one of the wealthiest nations on the Westrasi Sea, the Vashians benefit greatly from their near monopoly on the Yoroi Tribeland's abundant natural resources. However, even without the Yoroi, the Vashians make good money thanks to the many skilled artisans, arcanists, and theurges living within their territory, not to mention their uncanny ability to come out on top in many conflicts and trade disputes.