Kelamí League
The People of the Peaceful Friendship (E’lixsienk: Wëlànkuntëwakà’ká) commonly known as the Kelamí League, is a confederacy of nations located in northwest Novaris. The six constituent nations of the League are highly autonomous, though they answer to a central government known as the Grand Council of the People (Achimulsëwakàn) on matters of foreign policy, international economics, and defense. The nation shares borders with Endertopias and Acara Shura to the south and Tynam to the north, as well as Älemsi Negdel via maritime territory. The League covers a mountainous and cold territory close to the Rotantic Circle, and derives much of its prosperity from the soft drink and data hosting industries, owing to carbonated hot springs and cold temperatures being conducive to supporting those enterprises.
The People of the Peaceful Friendship Wëlànkuntëwakà’ká | |
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 Flag | |
Motto:
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| Capital | Lèxawèkink |
| Official languages | E’lixsienk |
| Ethnic groups (2020) | Cervine (98%) Other (2%) |
| Demonym(s) | Mèxelkik Kela’mué |
| Government | Confederation |
• The One Who Speaks | Nikanixit |
• Matriarchal Council | Sùkwis Achimulsin |
| Legislature |
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| Founding of the League | |
• Treaty of National Friendship | 1344 |
| Population | |
• 2020 estimate | 23,000,862 |
• 2020 census | 22,876,125 |
| GDP (PPP) | 2020 estimate |
• Total | $1,288,888,000,000 |
• Per capita | $56,036 |
| Gini (2020) | 45.7 medium |
| SDI (2020) | 0.96 very high |
| Currency | Lish (LSH) |
| Date format | dd-mm-yyyy |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | +488 |
| ISO 3166 code | KL,WKW |
| Internet TLD | .wkw |
The League was formed from six nationstates: Shahëwèkwe (The People of the Crawfish), Sànàksëkwe'iéke (The People of the Black Arrowhead), Answikànwèkwe (The People of the Fishing Net), Thàpèkunkwèké (The People of the Wellspring), Pahsaèkatëmatwa'áku (The People of the Guarded Valley), and Kèxaptunwène'ku (The People of Few Words.) These nations of Cervine tribes and people had existed in the isolation of the Novaran tundra for centuries, but the slow colonization and settlement of the southern lands prompted them to band together for mutual defense and solidarity. Each spoke a language descended from a common origin, and the confederacy still maintains a diverse linguistic heritage today. The national language "E’lixsienk" is not a single dialect but a group of over ten related languages. The Treaty of National Friendship, signed in 1344, brought the six states under the banner of the name Wëlànkuntëwakà’ká, meaning the People of the Peaceful Friendship. This confederated nation developed its own identity and values separate from the more industrial southern Novaris nations during the 1st Millenium, their territory too inhospitable for settlement and the peoples too adamant of their independence to be worth bothering. Taking no sides in any conflicts, the League is staunchly neutral to the point of stubbornness, though its citizens are active and vocal participants of the international community via interconnectivity, television, and travel.
Credited with being the oldest and largest of the contemporary Cervine nations, the League is a modern example of Cervine culture. The confederated nations are highly family-based with constituent tribes and clans led by elder matriarchs. The League as a whole is highly environmentally conscious and does not permit excessive extraction of resources or development of real estate, preferring small scattered communities of limited size and nondestructive industry. While somewhat isolationist, the League trades with a good number of countries and is a common source for spices, herbal remedies, and traditional medicines. The lumber and agriculture industries, as well as food and beverages, are major League exports. The League states commonly cite themselves as the birthplace of rootbeer and other carbonated beverages, though this claim remains unverified due to the nature of its roots in oral history.
Geography
Located in the northwestern portion of Novaris, the League is highly mountainous and cold. It borders the Cryrian territory of Tynam to the north, and Endertopias and Acara Shura to the south. Via the Rotantic Ocean it borders Älemsi Negdel to the north, and Vesienväl via the Kepua'nuatuc Bay. Surveys place the total land area somewhere around 700,000 square kilometers. The terrain and lack of local interest had led to few complete land surveys, all with discrepancies.
Geographical features include the Kitahtëneyo mountain range, the Nkule'kithané River, a variety of field-and-forest systems in the eastern Hakihe lowlands, and the Kunapu'ie coastline. Various small islands and inlets characterize the northern coast. The highest point in the country is Ànakitahtyëne Peak at 2,799 meters above sea level.
Climate
The League covers at least 700,000 square kilometers and has an expansive climate. The southern three-quarters of its territory has a subrotantic climate, while portions of the northern coast have a polar climate. Limited areas inland that are more than 2,000 meters above sea level have an extremely cold subrotantic climate.
Summers are short and cool in the northern areas, featuring daytime highs of 15–18 degrees Celsius (57–63 °F) and lows of 1–5 degrees Celsius (34–41 °F). Winters are long and harsh, with daytime highs −20 to −25 °C (−4 to −13 °F) and lows −30 to −35 °C (−22 to −31 °F). The coldest nights typically reach −40 to −45 °C (−40 to −49 °F) each year.
Extremes are common in the majority of the southern territories with summer highs reaching 36 °C (97 °F) and lows reaching below 0 °C (32 °F). In winter, it is not uncommon for the temperatures to reach −40 °C (−40 °F), but they can also reach the low teens during the day. In the north, temperatures can reach highs of 30 °C (86 °F), and lows into the low negatives. In winter in the north it is not uncommon for the temperatures to reach −50 °C (−58 °F) but they can also reach single digits during the day.
Thunderstorms are not rare in the subrotantic areas, nor is rain. In the extreme north along the coast, blizzards are more common, but rain is known to occur. Tornadoes are very rare but happen on occaison at an average of 1 every three years in the east territories. The League has a fairly dry climate due to the mountains in the west.
About half of the League's territory is above the tree line. There are not many trees in the most-eastern areas of the territory, or in the north along the coast.
Demographics
Population
The League’s current population is estimated to be 25,000,000, with difficulties rising from accounting for rural or off-grid citizens. The current birth rate is 21 per 1000 residents. The Leagues population averages an age of 34 years. The League’s states are largely rural but massive numbers of people are concentrated in the cities. The Lèxawèkink metropolitan area is the most densely populated part of the country, with a population density of 3,300 people per square kilometer. The next largest cities are Hakihakana, Salextekwim, and Ntalinxkelhatao. The second-largest port after Ntalinxkelhatao is Nushukwe, which has a population of 2.3 million. Almost all the people outside the cities are spread across the rest of the country in small eco-friendly communities devoted to various agricultural or outdoors trades.
As of 2020 there were 500,018 people living in the League with a foreign background (2%.) Most of these people are from neighboring Tynam and other Cryrian territories, with significant amounts also from Endertopias, Alemsi Negdel, and Vesienval. Of these, around 65,121 possess citizenship. The children of non-citizens do not receive citizenship in the League if born in League territory. Cervines worldwide are however able to take advantage of the League’s laphala policy to claim citizenship via ancestry. The immigrant population of the League is growing very slowly, and can be found almost exclusively in the cities. It is expected to reach 550,000 by 2030.
Language
The national language of the League is the E’lixsienk, a collection of closely related dialects each spoken by a different state. Shahësien and Kèxaptusien are predominantly spoken in the south while Pahsaèksenye and Sànàksëseni are more common amongst northern communities. The native languages are notable for all being Cervine-specific and require their unique vocal biology to be able to pronounce correctly. The E’lixsienk language family is unique amongst Novaran languages for being species-specific. While there are no other official languages, Cryrian, the Älemsi languages, and Endertopian are spoken among the general populace. In 2010, 32% of citizens reported the ability to speak a second language. Education on language is a mandatory course for all centralised League schools.
Economy
The economy of the League states is primarily based around foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, and the service industry. Secondary industries include artisnal goods, renewables, rare earth metals, and sports equipment. The six constituent states of the League each possess an economic specialty: Answikànwèkwe is known for their shipping and fishing fleets, Kèxaptunwène'ku is known for their information technology, Pahsaèkatëmatwa'áku is known for agriculture and animal husbandry, Shahëwèkwe is known for both traditional and scientific medicines, Sànàksëkwe'iéke is known for mineral refining, and Thàpèkunkwèké is known for artisnal goods like furniture, weaponry, and clothing. The economic activity of the Leage is supported by a substantial grey market and subsistence-based way of life for more rural citizens. Most people have at least one trade they practice, even those who possess full-time jobs, as the culture of the League places high importance on being able to work with ones hands. Almost all products of League make are artisan, in the sense an individual played a hand in their creation. All exported goods are marketed as high-quality, environmentally friendly, and unique, and in many respects these claims are truth.
The major industrial and urban centers are located in what is known as "Black Zones" or Kolechemink. Established in 1818 by decision from the Matriarchal Council, these plots of land are intended to preserve the natural environment of the League while still allowing for modern sciences and advanced civilization to exist within the confederation. Black Zones take their name from the color of the coal originally used to drive industrial expansion. These areas can span several thousand square kilometers and contain the entire manufacturing infrastructure of the League. Import and export infrastructure are also mainly located in the Black Zones though smaller ocean and airports do exist across the country. Power generation takes places mostly in rural areas with the use of solar and wind plants, though some geothermal plants exist in the Lèxawèkink and Salextekwim metropolitan areas.
Foodstuffs
Foodstuffs make up the largest industry in the League. An estimated 71% of rural League communities are focused on agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing, or hunting. The products created by these small towns, combined with the Black Zone large-scale agricultural projects, have provided the basis for the League's development and wealth. The most profitable foodstuffs industry in the League is soft drinks, accounting for 62% of all revenue in 2020.
Soft Drinks
The soft drink industry in the League is regarded as what the nation is best known for internationally. Employing around three million people across the country in various fields like marketing, bottle-making, transportation, and corporate planning, the manufacture and sale of carbonated beverages has been a cash cow since the mid-1600s. The soft drink industry brings in approximately $40 billion in revenue each year selling both domestically and abroad. The mountains of the League states are dotted with naturally carbonated springs, which have been used throughout history for their medicinal and recreational qualities. The state of Thàpèkunkwèké and its constituent tribes are named after these springs. The Thàpèkunkwèké people are historically known for distilling beverages from spring water and the bark and sap of trees, usually maple and birch. In a similar vein, the Pahsaèkatëmatwa'áku people would mix sassafras roots with spring water for a medicinal drink. As the League states modernized and began more regular trade with other nations, these carbonated drinks became highly-prized for their taste, unusual physical effects, and purported remedial qualities. The introduction of honey, and from warmer climates, sugar, increased the popularity and value of the drinks, which would come to be known as mpe'chgeyne, roughly meaning "bubble water." One urban legend purports an Antoran lord paid almost a metric ton of gold for a hundred bottles of maple mpe'chgeyne.
Today, the League's soft drink industry builds on the heritage of these drinks. The most popular brands are Chgei'nuaka Pop, a birch beer, sasparilla, and tonic water company, Mountain Ice, a mineral water and citrus soda company, and Thitpan, a citrus soda and root beer company. The beverage companies in the League are all owned at least in part by the government, who directly controls access to the springs necessary for bottling. All soft drinks are made with authentic mineral water with natural carbonation, harvested with minimally-invasie methods from the source. Purification processes allow no harmful minerals to remain but keep the beneficial ones for taste and nutrition. League soft drinks are generally considered more "upscale" than other brands due to the artisan manfacturing process and packaging. With distinct hand-blown glass bottles and cork-and-rubber stoppers, contemporary mpe-chgeyne are marketed as "eco-sensitive," "hand-made" and "authentic heritage" drinks from the nation that invented the soft drink as it is known today. Birch beer, mirroring the Northern Novaran Birch from which its ingredients derived, is the official national drink of the League.