Astra

Astra is an islandic nation-state ten miles off the eastern coast of Petrosa on the planet Gaedera. It gained independence in the year 156 AOG and has close ties to the nations of Sonora and Aora, among others, all

of which formerly made up the Solan Territory before its collapse, and with which it shares parts of its cultural heritage.

Before its independence, Astra was known as Cado Ihira; that is, Ihir's Territory. As the name suggests, the island of Astra is the territory claimed by the Upper Empire deity Ihir. Astra recognises Ihir as its patron; the national sacred art, Weaving, was bestowed by Ihir upon His people during the Opening of Gates.

Astra has a population of about 900,000. Most of these citizens live in the wider metropolitan area formed by the various cities in its borders. Its capital city is Helika City, or simply Helika.

Geography
Astra is situated on a single island about 10 miles off the eastern coast of Sonora on continental Petrosa. Just like the mainland, it is made largely of granite and limestone, and majority of its coasts are formed of tall cliffs, although there are swamps on the eastern Candle coast and beaches particularly along the southern Bollard coast. The island of Astra peaks at the mountain Calmen Ihira.

Astra experiences mild subtropical climate, enjoying warm, wet summers and mild, dry winters. Its fertile earth and warm weather make it ideal for farming; correspondingly, about two-thirds of its land area are covered in farmland. In particular, luxury crops such as wine are widely planted and exported, the nation's second largest export after granite.

Astra has several population centres, including various cities and towns. Helika City and the Central Circle are officially cities, while the Linterna District is a sprawling urban area centred around the town of Swan's Cross that is often considered a city in its own right.

Aside from the cities there is also a scattering of smaller towns: Candelabra Town and the nearby New Town, Centrelight Harbour on the east coast, Bollard Town in the south, and the Ihira Circle, which houses the clergy and the cathedral.

Together, these settlements form a larger metropolitan area, with residents often travelling all across the island for work, retail, banking and recreation. Due to the widespread flight transport, advanced in its speed and efficiency, travelling to work is much easier in Astra than it is elsewhere.

Politics
Astra is an elective diarchy, the only one known to exist in Gaedera in the present day. It has two diarchs, the Arcane Diarch and the Ordinary Diarch, both of whom hold powers as heads of state and must unanimously vote on all decrees for them to be passed. The seat of the Arcane Diarch is the direct legacy of the monarchial tradition that preceded it; this Diarch is nominated from among the eight existing noble families. The Ordinary Diarch, a seat that was instated following the Crown Revolution, is nominated from among the rest of the nation (a position that more closely resembles a presidency), ensuring that the interests of both upper and lower strata of the population are equally represented.

Prehistory
The significant history of Astra began around 6000 BOG (before the Opening of Gates) when Ihir came to Gaedera to build His first nest, choosing Astra for that purpose.

Ihir had spun xenoton streams into Thread around His beak during His journey from the edge of the universe, and with His arrival, Thread was introduced into the Astran environment, in the form of the material that He used to build His nest at the peak of Calmen Ihira.

Thread has been present in copious amounts in Astra's airspace ever since, but before the Opening of Gates and the rapture of Somnia Quies, it could not be tapped by humans. Their interactions with it were reserved to apparently supernatural encounters.

Age of Movement and Expansionist Age (c. 6000 - 2512 BOG)
Astra is a part of what once constituted the Solan Territory, a state formed in the Age of Movement of circa 3500 BOG by the Sola Tribe, one of the largest unified tribes of the era. The Sola Tribe emerged in central Petrosa, and rode east to conquer East Petrosa, displacing or enslaving the smaller tribes and unreformed clans there. They began to draw borders around their ever-growing Solan Territory, and the population grew into an oftentimes-uneasy mix of cultures, assimilating members of the clans once resident in conquered regions.

Tribal Settlement and Reform (2512 - 182 BOG)
The warring of centuries was ended by the Hebis Loricoda in 2512 BOG, whereupon deities tribes were forced into an armistice that was followed up by the Red Ring Pact. The Pact subdivided Ecorem into various tribal territories, and heralded the beginning of the Red Ring Peace. Most tribes, originally nomadic in the Age of Movement, came to rest in various parts of the landmass. Sola chose development early in its life, but its massive size made for political difficulties that the people attempted to address with increasingly complicated systems of governance.

Soon it was apparent that the disintegration of the Solan Territory was inevitable. Aora was the first nation-state to attain separation from the Sola tribe. At that point Solan Territory was almost distinctly split into the larger Sonora moiety and the peninsular moiety of Onao. The Sonora moiety was further subdivided into municipalities Cado Mirota, Cado Saloda, and Cado Ihira, which would in future become Astra.

After the eventual inevitable dissolution of the Sola tribe, the Solan Territory split into Sonora and Onao proper, to be led by separate ruling bodies. Control of Cado Ihira was transferred to the Sonoran government.

Sonoran Cado Ihira (182 - 156 BOG)
Cado Ihira came under the control of the Sonoran High Vizier, with a Governor of Sonora situated on the island to administrate on the High Vizier's behalf.

In 159 BOG, shortly before independence, the Cado Ihira monarchy was established when Ihir paid Eduro, then a scribe for the Sonoran governor, a visit in the form of a swan. This event had at least ten independent observers, and in court it was verified, and Eduro made the King Eduro Prim of Cado Ihira. Sonora

Independence of Astra (156 BOG -)
Upon a unanimous vote by the Governors of Sonora, Cado Ihira achieved independence from Sonora and was renamed Astra in Year 156 BOG; the Sonoran government signed the Independence Agreement peacefully—Astra as a state was culturally and religiously distinct from Sonora already (Ihir had repeatedly asserted His claim on the island). Astra's only attractive resource, granite, was already available widely on the mainland, and the region was thus of no financial interest to Sonora.

He, and his advisory board laid down the constitution of Astra. The nation's largest settlement, Helika City, was designated the administrative capital of the state. The palace was constructed as an extension of the town hall, the historically significant building maintaining its central position in the palace to this day.