Union of Holma

A country south of Menza and Pfwillic on the continent of Ias, planet Drowlto VI. Separated from Pfwillic by the Cairncourse River.

Geography

The Union of Holma is 1,120,000 square miles in total area. In terms of political boundaries, it is bounded on the north by the nations of Rok Sakul and Menza. Its eastern border abuts Pfwillic. It possesses a remarkable stretch of coastline on the Ocean of the Sun on its west and a fair amount of coast on the Orange Ocean. Accordingly, the southern tip of Holma is the Cape of Janos. Topographically speaking, the country western highlands and a prominent central valley. Its eastern border is primarily marsh. Owing to these vagaries of geography, the early residents of Holma became a seafaring people and built their first cities at the estuary of the Cairncourse River.

Population

The population of Holma as of the most recent census (2000 SD) was 10,345,714, mostly located in the south-west of the nation.

Ethnic Groups

The ethnicity of Holma is mostly Rab'ka, although there is a much stronger indigenous element in Holma as compared to its northwest neighbors. Estimates and genealogical studies offer the consensus figure that 55% is Rab'ka in origin, 27% is of mixed ancestry, and 18% of the population is descended strictly from the ancient Holmanite race.

Languages

There are two official languages in the Union of Holma: Holma-Sakuli and Holmani. As the names suggest, the former is heavily influenced by its Rab'ka parent, albiet heavily mixed with Holmanite vocabulary, while Holmani can trace its descent back to the language of Ancient Holma, influenced only by some Rab'ka vocabulary. Within the country, Holma-Sakuli is seen as the prestige language for business, while Holmani has a far more extensive literary tradition (perhaps owing to the fact that it has a far longer written history). Essentially in line with the population figures, about 50% of the country speaks Holma-Sakuli as a native tongue, 20% speaks Holmani, and 20% consider themselves truly bilingual.

Religion

The country's religious make-up is uniformly Duhamic, although there is a split between "Pure Duham of the Abode" and "Eastite Duham" which, again, parallels the country's ethnic and linguistic boundaries.

History

The oldest traces of civilization on all of Drowlto VI are in the modern-day Union of Holma: archaeologists have uncovered evidence of settlement at the estuary of the Cairncourse which indicate habitation from about 8,000 ASD to 7,500 ASD. Interestingly enough, this offers a rough parallel with the ancient Holmanite mythology that Ias and Ianos "...came to a [great] river by the [sea] and [there] built their city, but lo, it was [destroyed] in [ten] generations' time by the feuding of the peoples."

Ancient Holma

The Southern Bastion

The Coming of the Rab'ka

"The Blessed Mixing"

The Snadaq

Tensions between the two sects of Duham reached a fever pitch, severing the eastern half of Ias from the western half. Although originally the word snadaq meant "civil strife" in the Rab'ka tongue, most modern speakers now use the word to mean "separation," often referring specifically to the division of the continent into two rival powers and then subsequent warring states. This division was especially harsh in polyglot Holma, which lost all semblance of legitimate government for nearly a century. During this time, referred to as "The Troubled Era," the northern/central valley area of Holma dissolved into Rab'ka-led confederacies, while the area from southern hill country to the Cape evolved into feudal monarchies based on Holmanite "purity."

Disunity to Unity

This state of affairs continued until all Holma south of the river was brought under the suzerainty of Getbi the Holman, who proclaimed himself King of South Holma. Perhaps in response to this implied challenge, the city-state confederacies of the land north of the river unified into something of a mirror state, the League of North Holma. The north was the more populous of the two countries, but the south was in possession of a more military culture, and so the two countries shared an uneasy peace with the river as the border.

Eventually the possibilities of trade overcame the undercurrent of hostility, and it was agreed that the estuary of the Cairncourse - perhaps the ancient site of Ianos's city - should be a "free city for all." What had been a small fishing village under no one's control quickly became a bustling port-of-call for both nations. Prosperity came to both the north and the south, and before long, there was talk of reuniting all land "from the Rokka to the Cape." Be that as it may, there were still great hurdles to overcome, not least the linguistic barrier between the Holma-Sakuli-speaking north and the Holmani-speaking south. Still, minds willing to compromise for profit often do, and it was agreed that both languages would be "official." The government agreed upon was (and is) federal in nature, and each state is allowed to have its own official language, and the Union of Holma was created.

Governance

Currently the Union of Holma is a federal parliamentary republic.

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