Westray

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Westray, formally The Dominion of Westray of the Imperial Union, is a founding member state of the Imperial Union located in the eastern regions of the Westray Peninsula. Famously known for its characteristic shrimp-tail shape, Westray is an agricultural and economic powerhouse of the Imperial Union alongside Vocavium.

Dominion of Westray of the Imperial Union Westrêch
Motto		"Troch Moed en :eauwen" (Through Courage and Faith)
Common Name		Westray
Anthem		"Kevin MacLeod - Groove Grove"
Demonym		Westrayan
Official languages		Vocav-Westrayan
Currency		Imperial Credits
Politics
Capital		Wess
Government		Parliamentary Theocratic Monarchy
Foundation		1987 (Declaration of Unification) 2040 (Constitutional Reorganisation) 2062 (Formation of the Second Republic) 2068 (Elysian Annexation) 2092 (Tau Liberation, Formation of the Third Republic) 2111 (Royal Restoration) 2144~ (Imperial Union)
Demography
Ethnicities		93% Westrayan 2.5% Kardanian 1.5% Other Krakenary 3% Other
Population		16,761,364 (2200)
Area		39,073 km²

Etymology

The nation's name originates from the native Vocav-Westrayan word West-rêch, translating into "Ridges of the West", referring to the mountainous terrains of West Westray that characterise Northern Vocavium and Westray. The name has caused much confusion in the modern day as popular misconceptions assume Westray to be located in the "west" of Kafrica instead of the eastern corner of the Westray Peninsula.

Geography

Westray is located on the eastern section of the Westray Peninsula, bordering Vocavium to its west and Elysium to the north across the Great Haldern Mountain range. The close proximity to Vocavium and connection via the K'yangtze river and surrounding plains have resulted in an intricate intertwining of the two nation's histories, especailly in the pre-modern era.

Domestically, Westray is much like its western neighbour in its abundance of fertile plains and mountain ranges. The northern provinces of the nation is interrupted by the Great Haldern Mountain range that runs from the coast of the Tau Sea to Vocavium's Avem Mountain range, and thus unsuitable for large scale agriculture. While the northern regions continue to be underpopulated and underdeveloped in comparison to other provinces, recent geographic surveys have revealed a rich deposit of valuable rare-metals and minerals near the previously uninhabited mountains.

South Westray is chracterised by its unique shrimp-like gulf and sea passage to Vocavium through the East River Islands, and consequently have been the economic powerhouse of the Westrayan Peninsula throughout the eras as the de-facto trade hub between Kafrica and the Tau region. Fertile plains marked by pockets of large lakes is another characteristic of south Westray, something many Westrayans believe to be a blessing from the Thunderbird, a mythical proponent of the Vocav-Westrayan religion and culture.

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Demographics

Languages

Due to pre-modern Westray's influential role as the dominant regional trade power, the nation has long posessed citizens with foreign ancestries, mostly descending from faraway traders who elected to stay behind with the blessed land of the west. As such, south Westray has historically been a hub of mutli-culutural and lingual dialogue, intensified by Westray's induction to the greater Imperial Union. Following the formation of the Imperial Union, demographics and langauges spoken in the region has slightly shifted towards Orinian and Baskay descendants.

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Religion

Much like its sister nation Vocavium, citizens of Westray rejoice in the worship and reverence of the legendary Thunderbird, a mythical bird-like entity whom is believed to be the creator and guardian of the universe. Modern historians trace the origin of the shared religiion/culture to the Great Nomadic Period prior to the 200~300s, which was marked by hundreds or thousands of nomadic tribes freely moving throughout the Westrayan peninsula. Joint Vocav-Westrayan archaeological exepeditions in the 2100s have unearthed artifacts and burial sites from the time period in both Vocavium and Westray, further pointing towards Achmann's theory, which suggested both Vocavium and Westray were split-offs from a hypothetical pre-historic nation-state.

Despite the shared religion and customs, reverence of the Thunderbird in Westray takes shape in minutely different ways. The most obvious difference is the site of pilgrimage; while religiously devoted Westrayans make the journey to the great Mt. Ataksat, most Westrayans interpret the Thunderbird as an omnipresent entity and thus view pilgrimages to local hills or mountains of the Haldern range as suffice. Spiritual rituals for the worship of the Thunderbird are grossly similar to Vocavian traditions, albeit with a slightly greater influence on meditative worship. Meditation is believed to be a way of attaining closer connections to the divine being through the alignment of one's mind and soul with the Thunderbird's endless benevolence and kindness, guiding the follower closer to the omnipotent powers of the divine entity.

With advances in aeronautical technologies making air-travel readily available to the general public, worship of the Thunderbird through airborne-meditation is steadily becoming a popular religious pasttime of Westrayans. Airborne-meditation combines the Westrayan method of meditative worship with the traditionally sacred practice of flight. Individuals who regularly partake in such practices proclaim that they can "feel the thunder inside them" and that they experience spiritual enlightenment with each session. Whether the sensations of "thunder" is truly spiritual connection or simply the side-effects of restricted blood-flow from excessive sedentary meditation has not been fully researched.

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Pre-modern History

Establishment of city states

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