Vespia


 * This sovereign state is part of Project Genesis.

Vespia (Vespian:, Veskoya), officially known as the Godrealm of Vespia, the Empire of Tears (Vespian: , Xâu'Mâr No-Veskoyâno Tâzeno Voyâšono), is a comprising the northern half of Zhakar. Vespia is a, with its seat of power located in the capital city of Zanza. The government exercises its over twelve zharukdoms, all of which are under the direct control of the Vespian imperial government. The official language of Vespia is Vespian. Vespia is the largest sovereign state in the world with a total land area of 13,149,431.21 square kilometers (5,077,023.77 sq mi). Furthermore, Vespia also had a population of some 1.164 billion people as of, making it one of the most populous nations in the world. The capital city of Zanza is the largest city and metropolis in Vespia, and the largest urban center in TBD. Vespia boasts the world's oldest continuously reigning and unbroken monarchical dynasty, with the Imperial Family of Vespia having ruled for some nearly four thousand years in all, with different branches of the imperial family overthrowing the previous ruling branch of the household. There has thus always remained a direct connection between the first Tazen of Vespia to its current Tazen.

Vespia is regarded as the first region settled on the continent of TBD, with the first humans arriving sometime around -9000 Ʋ, and settling along the fertile banks of the Zhona. From this river valley arose the first urban civilization in the east, the Aynadiko, a collection of alluvial tribes with various familial bonds that formed the basis of early Vespian civilization. The Aynadiko spread upstream establishing numerous settlements from -6000 Ʋ to -4000 Ʋ, until they reached the source of the Zhona in TBD in the southeast. By -1500 Ʋ, pre-modern Vespian culture and religion had matured significantly, with the religious scribes of the population formulating the writing system of the Aynadiko peoples, and a system of government and code of laws based on religious edicts emerging soon after. The oases located near to the Zhona were later settled by the Aynadiko, though the overwhelming majority of the population lived along the river itself near the delta region in the far west. Sometime around, the alluvial tribes of the Aynadiko were united under the aegis of Zhautakin, the first Tazen of Vespia, after waging a series of violent wars of conquest against the various city-states that made up the pre-imperial culture. TBD's reign is generally regarded as the start of the Aynad dynasty, which governed the newly unified empire from to, and serving as the foundation for imperial rule in Vespia.

The first imperial dynasty of Vespia collapsed some 196 years after the unification of the Vespians, leading the way for several successive dynasties to have a hand in shaping the empire. Vespian rule was swiftly expanded across Zhakar over the next five hundred years, with the most notable phase of expansion taking place during the TBD dynasty during the Nth-century Ʋ. Vespia reached the zenith of its pre-industrial power and influence at this time, with relative peace and stability within the no longer threatened by the bickering of minor lords of the nobility caste. The greatest Tazen of the period, TBD, firmly established imperial rule throughout the length of the Zhona, and expanded and professionalized the Vespian military so as to better confront the nomadic raiders throughout the desert regions of the TBD. However, fortunes for Vespia were reversed during the Second Tribulation Era, during which time Vespia shattered into some 312 states with loyalties nominally given to the vestigial Tazen in Zanza, while internecine warfare spread throughout the old empire. Though attempts to reunify the Vespian dominions into a single entity were undertaken by various dynasties following the TBD dynasty in, with varying degrees of success, true unity would elude the Vespian monarchs for some one thousand years. In spite of the breakdown of central imperial authority, with the vast resources of the local mârīn no longer handed over to the Tazen in the capital, the various aureks of the empire funneled vast sums of money into public works, artistic endeavors, and technological breakthroughs; one part to satisfy their personal ambitions and legacy, and another part to overwhelm their neighbors militarily, with the end result sparking a golden age in Vespian history.

Vespia would finally be unified again under TBD of the TBD dynasty in. Tazen TBD had, during his time as the zharuk of Zharan, been the first to industrialize his realm after forcefully centralizing power under his government, stripping the lecherous aureks of his lands. Vespia was swiftly unified during a brief period known as the Reclamation Wars, where imperial authority was re-established throughout the lands that had once sworn fealty to Zanza. With the zharuks of Zharan firmly in control over the newly united empire, Vespian institutions such as the military, economy, priesthood, government, were modernized and reorganized, and the enemies that had taken advantage of its prolonged weakened state, were viciously expelled from traditional Vespian lands into the south. By, Vespia had developed into a modern power though with its unique culture and traditions intact. It never removed the institution of slavery, polygamy, or human sacrifices, along with many other customs that most westerners found repugnant and outright revolting. Because of the prolonged period of isolation from the rest of the world during its political stagnation as a region, Vespia emerged from the age of industrialization as an alien entity that most nations simply refused to cooperate with, and whom the Vespians viewed as absolutely heretical in their "barbarous" beliefs and customs. As such, Vespia entered onto the world stage as a global pariah, marginalized by all, but too vast territorial and too militaristic culturally to restrain as a nation. For the majority of the international community, Vespia would be tolerated, but never accepted.

Following its five centuries of political disintegration, unification, and modernization, Vespia is considered the global bastion of that which is considered evil and beyond redemption for its atrocious human rights records, ranging from practice of human sacrificing, mutilation of individuals, man-hunting,, , , and a wide range of blood sports from the. However, due to the country's vast supply of hydrocarbon resources, industrial capacity, mineral riches, and military capabilities, few nations have been able to ignore the influence of the Vespian state in world affairs. Vespia actively supports tyrannical regimes, supplies weaponry to terrorist organizations, and has provided asylum to war criminals from across the globe. Though bold in its beliefs and behaviors, Vespia has wisely never divulged its geopolitical goals nor admitted to any of its obvious actions in the affairs of neighboring countries. The natural resources have allowed Vespia to maintain a vibrant internal economy, though many political analysts fear what horrors may come in the future when Vespia is no longer able to support itself in the face of increasingly strict and punishing sanctions. When that day comes, it is widely by some in the international community that only the combined might of the world's most powerful nations stand any chance at containing the "great desert dragon" that is Godrealm of Vespia.

Etymology
The name Vespia is derived from the name Veskoya, which is believed to have come from two possible sources according to Vespian history. The first source is that of Veskan, the first man to have walked the earth in accordance with Vespian religion. The name Veskoya has traditionally been attributed to Veskan for the majority of Vespian history as part of their reverence for the man whom the believe created the human race and established the Vespian civilization in TBD. The name "Veskan" itself translates into "He Who Walks With Shadows", in reference to Veskan having walked in the shadow of Zhautan during his lifetime, and clearly not in Vespia's sun-bleached lands. The second source comes from the more secular veskīyamâra, meaning "shadow lands". This term has its links in the years immediately after the first recorded documents in Vespia were written, some time around 350 Ʋ. As with the origin of Veskan's name, veskīyamâra has its origin in the numerous mountainous locations throughout the country, which historically cast their shadows against the plains of Vespia. Additionally, the name has its roots in the inescapable darkness of the desert during the night, at which time most of the predatory creatures would begin to hunt.

A more grizzly source for Vespia's name comes from the violent and sadistic behavior of the Vespian people. The brutality of the population in the past and the present, led to many foreigners claiming the Vespians were the scion of demons, and the very personification of darkness and everything evil and cruel. The use of black in Vespian culture for its religious significance as the color of purity in Vespian society, helped to solidify the persona given to the Vespians. Overtime, the term Jâ'Mâr No'Xâ'Veskīya, or "The Land of Great Shadows" or "Land of Great Darkness", came to represent the Vespians as a whole overseas and home, both for their violent mentality and the dark culture of the people. At the time when the Vespians opened up their capital city of Zanza via the Zhona River, Vespia was officially know as "Veskoya" overseas, using the name which the locals used themselves to describe their homeland. However, as trade with the rest of the world continued to grow, a Westernied version of the name appeared as "Vespya", and was later standardized as "Vespia" by the far western traders some centuries following the standardization of many Vespian names and geographical locations.

Climate
Vespia consists almost entirely of the world's largest desert, the TBD. The overwhelming majority of Vespia, about ninety percent of the country, is classified as (BWh). The other ten percent is classified as having a (BSh), where the Zhona River originates within the region. The arid nature of the country, comprising most of the TBD Desert, has been linked to the presence of a large high-pressure system over the country, driving warm, dry air down from the troposphere, and wet, cool air and wind away from the northern half of the continent, preventing the formation of rain-clouds. Over several millennia, the cycle of warming and drying air from the troposphere, and the unfettered effects of thermal radiation upon the landscape in the northern regions of the continent, produced intensive desertification which resulted in the formation of the modern day TBD as an expansive desert region. Humidity in Vespia is one of the lowest in the world, with little rainfall outside of the southeastern quarter of the country.

Because of the stability of the atmosphere and the sustained cycle within the region, cloud formation is virtually impossible, and rainfall in practically nonexistent throughout most of the country. Only in the southeastern region of Vespia is there any rainfall, which is vital for the sustenance of the Zhona River flowing through Vespia. In spite of the lack of sustained cloud formation throughout the country, Vespia is home to several hundred oases, many of which are fed by underground aquifers protected from the desertification of the country. Ironically, Vespia, in spite of its status as the world's largest desert nation, is also home to the world's largest aquifer, the TBD, formed during the continent's early history as a fertile, well-watered region several million years ago. This aquifer feeds many of Vespia's oases, and in turn, sustains the many millions of Vespians living around them and dependent upon them for fresh water within the desert.

Vespia is, by the standards of most regions in the world, unusually hot, sunny, and dry, with the average temperatures during the day ranging anywhere from 30°C (86°F) to 48.8°C (120°F) closer to the interior of Vespia where the hot winds are more common, and where the humidity can drop as low as 5-8% or less. But aside from this, the weather in Vespia is always sunny and clear with the rare exception of sandstorms, making Vespia one of the least cloudy regions in the world. Based on this information, the only rainfall in Vespia falls in the southeastern regions where the Zhona originates. The majority of this rainfall appears during the winter months, when the air is most humid in the region and flowing southwards into the TBD Mountains. What little moisture moving through the eastern regions of Vespia accumulate in the TBD Mountains, and feed into the basin that drains out north and then west as the Zhona. Thanks to the flooding of the Zhona during the monsoon season, the river regularly replenishes the arable lands of Vespia along the river, giving the country a consistent harvest throughout the year.

Biodiversity and environment
For most of its history, Vespia was one of the most isolated regions in the world, due to its inhospitable and far-flung location far from the majority of the human population. Because of this, the arid lands of Vespia developed one of the most stable ecosystems in the world, even with the growth of the Vespian population along the Zhona. The country is home to more than 4,000 species of flora, but only 300-500 species of fauna adapted to the arid climate of the vast desert. The overwhelming majority of the animal species belong to the insect family, leaving about 50-60 animal species larger than a mouse. Uniquely, the bulk of the animal and plant life in Vespia away from the Zhona are either predatory or venomous, a trait linked to the need of life in the desert to survive through hunting. Closer to the river are all of the passive flora and fauna endemic to the country. On a macro-environmental scale, the Vespian biome is one of the most balanced in the world, with few incidences of overhunting or overgrazing in the region by the various species in the desert.