Ihazon
<infobox theme="togsmp-large">
<title source="nation_int_name"/>
<format>
</format>
<format>
"Wealth, Prosperity, Freedom"
</format>
<format>
sPnEGBab, the flag of Ihazon
</format>
<label>Capital</label> <label>Largest city</label> <label>Capital
and largest city</label> <label>Official languages</label> <label>Ethnic groups</label> <label>Demonym(s)</label> <label>Population</label> <group collapse="open"> <header>Government</header> <label>Government</label> <label>President</label> <label>{{{head_of_government}}}</label> <label>Prime Minister</label> <label>Chief Justice</label> <label>Largest party</label> <label>Legislature</label> </group> <group collapse="open"> <header>History</header> <label>Formation</label> <label>Occupied by Radosis</label> <label>Re-established State</label> <label>Federation of Ihazon</label> <label>Republic of Ihazon</label> </group> <group collapse="open"> <header>Economy</header> <label>GDP (PPP)</label> <label>Gini</label> <label>HDI</label> <label>Currency</label> </group> <group collapse="open"> <header>Additional info</header> <label>Date format</label> <label>Driving side</label> <label>Calling code</label> <label>Country code</label> <label>Internet TLD</label> </group>
</infobox>
Ihazon is a federative parliamentary republic and the largest nation on the Surface by population and area. It is the neighbouring nation of Thoiria and part of the Thoirazon economic region. The nation has several metropolitan areas each constituting as a federal state. The capital is Langenthal, which is also the nation's largest city and the overall largest city in the world by areal and population. Population census for Ihazon in December 2021 was 10,552,921.
States
Ihazon has 5 federal states that act as metropolitan areas for their largest cities. Most of these states are located in Central Ihazon. Each state employ different laws and have their own culture, which makes a Langenthäler very different than a Setter. Every state also has a set of Parliamentary Representatives (PRs) somewhat proportional to population. As the states are centred around a major population centre, the states share their names.
West-Ihazon
The largest state of Ihazon, both in geographic size and population, and the only to bear a different name than its capital city. Prominent places: Langenthal, the capital of West-Ihazon and Ihazon; Serland, Nomansland and Water Woods.
Due to its capital's size and influence, the demographic of West-Ihazon is collectively known as Langenthälers, whose name reflects what was once an Old Common-speaking area.
Langenthälers are described as outgoing, socially minded, hard-working and optimistic, though this is mainly attributed to residents of the capital.
Langenthälers value personal freedom and self-preservation over all else, which is reflected in Langenthal having the fewest restrictive laws in Ihazon, where most of their laws are centred around preserving individual, social and economic freedom. This is often observed by Langenthälers being visibly armed in the streets, and is even encouraged when travelling by IRATE and LIX to arm themselves. The most popular self-defence armaments are heavy calibre rifles, handguns and swords.
A defining trait for Langenthälers that differ from other states is being very vocal about critique. Because of this, many view Langenthälers as whiny and self-entitled, but the outspokenness has deep roots in a desire for improvement. Indeed, this is likely why Langenthal has been able to grow as much as it has.
West-Ihazon has the largest variety of ethnicities in any state, which contributes to its diverse and open culture.
New Summerset
The second largest state. Prominent places: New Summerset, Settmouth and previously Slouthceister, which is now part of the city of New Summerset (not to be confused with City of New Summerset).
Setters are experienced as hard-working, polite, introverted and conservative. These are all traits that Setters display great pride in. Unlike Langenthälers, Setters are extremely patriotic of their own state and ways of doing things, and will often state they live in New Summerset rather than Ihazon to foreigners. For the most part, Setters keep to themselves and avoid bothering others, including voicing one's opinions and critiques. This stark contrast to Langenthälers has made a very tense relationship with Langenthal, of which Setters will attempt to overdo to showcase their ways being superior. "Langenthalplaining" is a common spare time activity at home, consisting of verbally degrading Langenthal over a cup of tea and scones.
Setter laws, as a result of their personality, are often very restrictive, but not as numerous as other states. This is because most Setters prefer silently agreed upon norms rather than laws, as Governor-Mayor HyperDuck has described are "...a terrible bother to conduct". Its most famous law states that Setters always have the moral high ground, which experts have described as "objectively true" (cited from various experts in New Summerset).
Due to their distinct culture and refusal to assimilate with anything the capital does, New Summerset is distinctly different in many regards. They are the only state in Ihazon where you drive on the left, and their educational system, including their academic years, is entirely different from the rest of the country's. This makes for a rather stark contrast for those who emigrate to or from the state.
New Summerset has the largest population of equine in any state. The rest of the population mostly consist of humans, as different ethnicities are somewhat rare.
Gruvania
The third largest state, despite being rather small in actual size. The only settlement is Gruvania, but there are a multitude of farms scattered about with small populations.
The Gruvanian population, which mostly consists of dwarves, are described as the most hard-working people of Ihazon. Gruvanians work long hours for low pay and spend most of their spare time drinking socially. Indeed, Gruvanians are seen as very social, loyal and vocal, but their sense of politeness differs very from other states, and many see Gruvanians as rude and even barbaric, with "no sense of respect" at times (opinions and quotes shared from interviews with Setters).
Gruvanian laws are lax, as most Gruvanians "simply can't be bothered, when ye could be drinkin' instead!" (quoted by Bjørnår Björnsson's brother, Bjårte Björnsson, local Setter).
Tinville
The fourth largest state. Prominent places: Tinville.
Tinvillers have similarities to Langenthälers, and in fact, many of which are emigrated Langenthälers. They share the descriptions of being outgoing, socially minded and optimistic, but are seen as one of the least hard-working populations. Tinvillers value technological improvement over all other values, and has since its creation strived to make lives more convenient for its denizens. This has led to Tinvillers being seen as very creative and unorthodox, much to Setters' dismay, who view Tinvillers as "pretentious, lazy, wannabe-Langenthälers" (quote taken from a local Setter housewife interviewed by The Daily Evening.
Tinville is known for its large beaches, many resort facilities and frequently hosted festivals, giving it a reputation for being more of a high-class city.
Tinville has a multitude of laws preserving workers' rights, governing subsidies and regulations, and restricting asocial behaviour. One such law completely forbids heavy industry from being established in Tinville. Their strict laws ensure Tinville workplaces are among the safest and most comfortable in Ihazon, and Tinvillers enjoy the highest median salaries in Ihazon. Due to this, Tinville's industry consists almost exclusively of highly automated high-tech manufacturing companies that strive to employ the fewest people possible.
Nordland
Rather large in geographic size, but the smallest state in terms of population. The only prominent place is Trondheim, previous capital of Ihazon, though over half of the state's population is spread among smaller farms and 'grendr' (from Nordlandsk)--tiny population centres.
As opposed to Langenthälers and Tinvillers who focus on the future, and Setters who focus on the past, Trondheimans are the epitome of "here and now". They have achieved this by banning all progress, which effectively makes their laws the strictest in Ihazon, as well as having the strictest morals. Despite this, Trondheimans are seen as very polite, friendly and community-focused, and share many traits in common with Thoirians. These combined traits make them very disliked by every other state but Gruvania, who "could care less" (quoted from local Gruvanian Setters).
Despite having had their city burnt down several times, Trondheimans remain utterly positive in the present. This may be due to most of its population moving away from the city, and leaving only the purest of Trondheimans.
All five Trondheimans are heavily religious, and very proud of Church of Langenthal's T H I C C, an armed special force famed for wielding greatswords.
History
The earliest known settlement in Ihazon, Trondheim, was founded in year 69. At this time, the country known as Ihazon didn't exist, and all other Ihazon land was presumably uninhabited for hundreds of years until Trondheimans learned of the existence of Nozahi, of which they immediately responded by declaring all lands around themselves as Ihazon. At this time, Ihazon used the Church of Langenthal's flag instead of Ihazon's current.
Ihazon would then grow on to see settlements pop up here and there, and experienced a slow but desirable growth with a focus on agriculture and merchants. During the 1200s, Ihazon experienced a golden age of commerce and culture, until it was invaded by the Empire of Radosis in 1337. This decimated the Ihazonan population severely, and Trondheim would never rise to its golden days again.
Ihazon was slowly rebuilding and experienced no special changes until 1903, when Togfan descended upon the mortal realms and declared Langenthal capital. She spoke of the industrial revolution, previously discovered and explored in Tekkea during the 1800s, and showed Ihazon the ways of industrialization. From this moment, Langenthal would become the leading city in commerce and would grow rapidly over the next 100 years. There would also be a lot of industry settled in Slouthceister, which would become the industrial capital of the world when New Summerset was founded. Ihazon would also officially change its flag to its current flag; the sPnEGBab.
However, along with the technological and economic progress of the nation, so did wealth inequality also rise, causing a large ideological divide among Ihazonans. After a series of violent protests across the country, this would ultimately lead to the 1960 Parliament Coup, a coup attempt by the Front for an Established Thoiria (known as MIL/FFET).
Following this, partly in promises made during the coup, legislation was made to create Thoiria, with the explicit condition that no intent of violence would occur between the nations.
Tensions would continue to rise, however, particularly in light of the dispute over the ownership of Kemur. In 1982, this escalated to the Thoirazonan War, lasting to 1989 and marking a dark chapter in Ihazon's history.
After revelations showed that the war had been staged by Chancellor at the time, Shrove Pulpaclean, he was promptly put to trial in 1989 and executed in Trondheim later that same year. In light of this, Ihazon would see a large reform, being rebirthed as "the Republic of Ihazon" under inaugural leadership by Togfan.
While tension today is better than it was then, the Thoirazon border still remains heavily armed, and the two nations' relationship remain strained.
As Ihazon entered the 1990ss, the country would see the dawn of the information age, which resulted in an even larger growth for Langenthal as well as the rise of Tinville and New Summerset. The new information industry would become central to the Ihazonan economy in the coming years.
Holidays
Ihazon has only a few national holidays, of which most are public.
Some of the country's most known official and unofficial holidays:
- Rememberance Day, March 3rd
In rememberance of Trondheim being invaded by Radosis in 1337. - Easter, late March/early April
Only a public holiday in New Summerset, but is often considered an unofficial holiday in other parts of the country. - Night of Song Wives, June 30th
Unofficial holiday. - 11/09, September 11th
In remberance of the fatal plane crash happening in Summerset, 2015 - Christmas, December 24th-30th
Perhaps the most known holiday in Ihazon. December 24th to 26th are public holidays, however, the whole holiday is considered to last until Silvester. - Silvester, December 30th
Also known as New Year's. A public holiday celebrating the new coming year.
Political structure
National
Ihazon's governmental structure consists of the three branches of government: legislative, executive and judicial: represented by the Parliament with its 100 representatives (the legislative branch), the President and his government (the executive branch) and the High Courts (the judicial branch).
Ihazon uses a closed party list representation as its electoral system. Every state has their own constituency, with Parliament Representatives (PRs) somewhat proportional to population. This means the largest cities have by far the most power in elections.
Ihazon has a few national laws, though not a ratified constitution. These laws cannot be overruled federally, but can be changed through the Parliament, as many have throughout the ages.
The most renowned national law is the national income tax, which is a flat 10% for all citizens and companies. This is used to fund the government structure with its Parliament, President and High Courts, as well as national security through the contracted PMC VERN and maintaining, building and subsidising the country's infrastructure, primarily its roads. This also provides federal law enforcement with subsidies, though the administrative responsibility lie on each state.
Federal
States are allowed a great freedom to enact their own laws, which has led to wildly varying laws in different states. Most of these laws are voted on in the state's local state council, which often have overlap with the state capitals' own city council, and are referred to as federal laws.
Some states have their own federal taxes to fund various services and social security. States are also responsible for all of citizens' basic needs and emergency services (if they wish to provide any).
Notable examples consist of West-Ihazon, with laws preserving individual, social and economic freedom and no added tax, Tinville with its 20% federal tax and federal-provided social security system, and Trondheim, known for its complete ban on all progress.
Local
Some cities part of larger states still have their own local councils. States may allow its cities and even different districts to have different laws and regulations, which is decided locally, though this rarely happens.
Ancient History (adapted from ancient tapestries in Langenthal church)
In the year 1294, a king ruled the land of Ihazon. He was loved by all, and lived in the capital of Trondheim. The king had allies in both the nearby countries of Tekkea and Nozahi . King Herobrine Taceliuss II. Taceliuss' rein of power come to an end in the year 1337 when a group called "Mojang" invaded Ihazon. The group killed millions, working their way through the major cities starting with Langenthal and going to Trondheim; Constantly finding new enviroments and adapting to them. Taceliuss fled to Nozahi, leaving his people, kingdom and family behind. He was greeted by Nozahi's overlord, Israphelus Fiminul IV. After a week, Fiminul was murdered Taceliuss himself. Taceliuss took position as overlord and went by the name Lord Herobrine. Mojang's leader, Notch, came to Nozahi in search of Herobrine, and he did not have to stray far as Herobrine was found and brought to justice in the country's captital, Netherookz. A public execution of Herobrine took place in the town centre. The body was taken to the town hall and burnt, then the ashes were thrown over the bridge into the lava lake below. Only Herobrine's eyes were preserved and taken back to Ihazon as a token of victory. Mojang's second in command, Jeb, was sent to reign as the new overlord of Nozahi.
It is said that on a clear day, during a full moon, Israphelus' face can be seen there. The location of Herobrine's preserved eyes is unknown to the public, though Nozahi locals have said that the eyes were thrown back into the lava where the ashes were.