Teleri Republic

The Teleri Republic, officially the Republic of Teleri Cities, is a small country in north-eastern Vidina. It is bordered in the north-east by the Bay of Guasu, and straddles both sides of the Laigoksède river. It is composed of 37 Pogititch, remnants of the many city states that occupied the area before the formation of the Republic. Situated at the junction between the Laigoksède river and sea of Guasu, the Teleri cities have historically been very open to commerce, as they hold the mouth of the Laigoksède they could impose tariffs on any shipment passing through, thus profiting from the commerce between the interior and the wider world. Their hold on the Laigoksède river delta has also allowed them to exert control and influence on the realms situated upstream from them. Before the formation of the Republic, many of the Teleri cities were hubs of commerce, their merchant fleets spreading far and wide, others were dens of piracy in the bay of Guasu, the most infamous of these marauders came from the Island of Arube, some remained there even after the island's joining of the Republic.

Etymology
The word "Teleri" originally comes from the expression "teli laeri", composed of the two words "teli" and "laeri", "teli" being an adjective referring to the Tel lake in central Vidina, and "laeri" being a noun meaning "longhouse", thus the expression is thought to mean "longhouse by the Tel". This expression got contracted into the word "telilaeri", which became "telæri", then finally "teleri" over time.

Geography
The main geographical feature of Pesrey is the great Laigoksède river, it runs through the whole country and ends in a delta joining the bay of Guasu. This river is one of the most important in Vidina, as it links the !great_lakes with the bay of Guasu and thus the world. Teleri control of this river and its delta has allowed different teleri polities to tax trade to and from the interior shaping the country's mercantile culture and bringing great wealth in the region.

The Teleri Republic is a very flat country, the highest peak does not exceed 200m in altitude, but soft rolling hills do pepper the nation. This abundance of flat and fertile land has often translated in an abundance of food as well, explaining how teleri population centers are maintained.

Pre-settlement
The Teleri are part of the Lianuskatch people group, like most of the other Lianuskatch peoples the Teleri lived a nomadic lifestyle during most of !antiquity. The Teleri tribe has its origins on the southern shores of lake Tel, over the centuries they would migrate ever more East until they reached the sea, and the Auynic empire, where they settled in 370 CE.

First settlements
The Teleri settlement in Pesrey came as a result of their invasion of the Auynic Empire in 370 CE. Most settlements were simply already established towns and cities that were taken over by the Teleri, but some towns were Teleri expansions of small forts or villages, others yet were founded by the Teleri directly such as the Pogiti of !example_town. In 395 CE these disparate settlements were brought together in the Kingdom of Pesrey. This kingdom's borders encompassed most of the land currently occupied by the Republic and more.

Pogititch period
In the early 700's CE the influence of the King of Pesrey reached a tipping point and the lax feudalism of the previous centuries turned into independence in all but name for the different realms of the kingdom, thus it shattered into a myriad of city-states. The title of "King of Pesrey" remained but it was worn by one noble among many who ruled a minuscule land, it would even loose its associated lands to conquest from surrounding pogititch.

Wars for Pesrey
The Wars for Pesrey was a conflict that engulfed the kingdom of Pesrey from 703 to 718 AD. It opposed the pogititch allied with the royal power and a coalition of autonomist pogititch. This war begun as a bid by the king and his allies to gain influence and power back over his vassals, who were falling less and less in line with royal authority. The Coalition, vastly outnumbering the royal forces, decisively won the conflict, thus effectively putting an end to the kingdom of Pesrey and ushering the Pogititch Period.

Early pogititch period (700's-800's)
The early Pogititch Period is marked by widespread conflict, the many pogititch were in almost constant war either with each other or with surrounding powers. They fought over control of the Laigoksède, land, embargo, or religious sites, in some instances there were even attempts to reform the Kingdom of Pesrey by conquest, which always ended in failure due to the other pogititch allying to stop the attempt.

Late pogititch period (900's-1400's)
Most of the conflict in this period is with exterior forces rather than between the pogititch, of course some conflicts between the pogititch flared up but never with the intensity of the previous period. This kind of conflict was exclusively for the purposes of making or breaking embargos against certain pogititch. During this period many temporary alliances would form in order to fight off outside interference and dissolve as soon as the threat was dealt with. This practice started with the great alliances of the wars for Pesrey. This tradition of forming alliances would evolve into the formation of regional or local unions for the purposes of collaboration, trade, and defence. Sometimes temporary, sometimes permanent, these unions would serve as precedent for the creation of the Act of Partnership, laying the groundwork for the foundation of the Republic.

The relative peace and stability of the period allowed for another important development in Teleri culture to happen, the enfranchisement of more and more people through education. Indeed, as pogititch turned away from feudalism and agrarianism towards trade and commerce, more and more specialists were required to build and upkeep ships and trade routes. This led to the formation of !universities!, where people could learn to read, write, manage finances and commercial routes, these often included workshops and docks where possible to teach shipbuilding as well. These !universities! would expand to teach about managing supply chains, storage, material supplies, ..., this expanded need for workforce would open these establishments to a wider public, first reserved for the aristocracy they would soon allow non-noble members of merchant families, until finally being open to all, thus greatly and rapidly increasing the literacy rate in the region. This social mixing would lead to a slow decline in the importance of family and clan ties, as society began to regard personal ability and credentials more and more. Moreover, these schools would expand their spectrum of education into more and more subjects, such as administration, architecture, philosophy, law, history, art, diplomacy, ... this meant that commoners were entering the fields of administration and governance leading to the beginnings of democratisation in many pogititch. Finally, as a consequence of having such a qualified population, competition between pogititch to have the best specialists in a given field arose, leading to the first salaries, as well as great social and geographic mobility, which helped break down cultural barriers between pogititch and mix regional identities into one, unified, teleri identity; an important factor in the unification of the region.

Beginnings of the republic
In 1436 earthquakes followed by a devastating flood destroyed and badly damaged many cities, especially those along the shore of the Laigoksède. The damage was so great some pogititch were unable to repair or clean the rubble, as such many cities remained partly destroyed for years. In order to manage the reconstruction of their cities by sharing their ressources five pogititch decided to enter into an alliance, signing the treaty know as the Act of Partnership and thus founding the Republic. This alliance went further than simple military help, it encompassed economic and financial aid and sharing, free movement of people and goods to facilitate construction, and decision-making structure for policies that would affect the whole alliance. This first sketch would later be developed further, notably with the Act of Integration deepening and clarifying the bond between member pogititch of the Republic and the republican government.

Territorial divisions
The Teleri Republic is divided into 37 Pogititch, they are the remnants of the many city-states that preceded the Republic.

The Pogititch are able to enforce their own laws, the domains to which their jurisdiction extends is described in the Act of Partnership and the Act of Integration. As Pogititch joined the Republic of their own volition some have special exemptions they negotiated when joining, for example the !big_southern_taifa negotiated exemptions on certain farming regulations as this industry was one their main ones. As such some Pogititch are exempt from certain legislation coming from the Grand Teleri Diet.

A point of contention is the island of Arube, it is disputed between the Teleri Republic and Ta'aroha. The island has been part of the republic since 1463, but it was annexed by Ta'aroha after their invasion of the Republic in the 1900's, ever since the relinquishing of the Republic the issue of the island has been a subject of contention and tensions.

Politics
The Teleri republic was founded in 1437 with the Act of Partnership, which is one of many seminal constitutional documents of the republic. Over time other documents would be added to this act, such as the Act of Integration, or the Teleri Bill of Rights. Today, the collection of these documents is known as the constitutional corpus.

Legislature
The Teleri republic functions under a bicameral legislature, known as the Grand Teleri Diet, the upper house is known as the Council of Pogititch, and the lower as the Chamber of Burghers.

Upper house
The Council of Pogititch represents the 37 Pogititch, with 3 representatives per Pogiti adding up to a total of 111 members. The fact that the pogititch are represented in the legislature of the republic means that any legislation passed by both houses will not have to be signed and approved unanimously by each pogiti, indeed because of their representation in the council their opinions and interests are already taken into account. Thus all acts subsequent to the institution of the council weren't treated like the first treaties that founded the Republic.

Lower house
The Chamber of Burghers represents the people of the whole republic, it's members are elected to one of the 275 seats following a proportional voting system. During the 1460's there was a public debate on the necessity of this house of the legislature, these doubts were silenced by Talah Hialeah's History in which the author argues that it provides an equal voice to all citizens irregardless of their Pogiti of origin, and thus plays an essential role.

Heads of state and of government
The executive branch of the Teleri republic is Bicephalous. The roles of the head of state and of the head of government are held by the same people, there are two heads of state and of government, each one is elected by each of the houses of the legislature. Even after being elected they remain part of their respective house of the legislature, as such the parliamentary branch of government hold supremacy over the executive one. Both heads of state and government have the same title, they are the Half-kings of Pesrey, a title reminiscent of the Teleri kingdom that preceded the pogititch period.

Government
The !ministers that form the government are appointed by the two heads of government. The head of state hailing from the Council of Pogititch appoints !ministers in charge of the domains concerning the exterior such as foreign affairs, trade, or defense. The head of state hailing from the Chamber of Burghers appoints !ministers in charge of the domains that concern the interior such as farming, transport, education, justice, treasury, or the interior. Both heads of government preside over the !council_of_ministers.

Language
Most people in Pesrey speak Teleri, a Lianuskatch language heavily influenced by !old_Auynic, it is the official language of politics, administration, government, education, academia. However other languages are also spoken, mostly by first, second, or third generation immigrants to the country, such as the largest minority language: Ta'arohan. Many Ta'arohan immigrants came during the invasion and occupation of the Republic by Ta’aroha during the Summer War, most came more gradually over the period from the late-1970's to mid-1980's, most Riyatic speakers came during this period as well. The most recent migrants from other Lianuskatch nations came during the interwar period between the first and the second World Wars. Some other languages are spoken in the Republic, mostly by immigrants from Alutra, or other parts of Vidina.

Even though many languages are spoken in Pesrey, most people know at least some Teleri as a second language. Although Teleri is the only official language, other languages are not prohibited and many programs exist to teach them in schools. Other programs were drafted for children of recent immigrants who do not speak Teleri, to still enjoy standard education but in their prefered language, accompanied by supplementary courses in Teleri to help them integrate into the wider education system.

The social impact of not speaking Teleri, or speaking with an accent, is limited; it is not poorly seen to not have a perfect grasp of Teleri. Most people are understanding and try to find ways to communicate, ranging from talking slower to using online translation services. As big cities attract tourists, exchange students, and immigrants many people there speak multiple languages.

This diversity in languages is seen as a strength, indeed this knowledge of, and even mastery, of multiple languages of the region has allowed the Teleri Republic to send many ambassadors and translators abroad to mediate disputes between itself and other countries, as well as between countries other than itself.

Ethnicity
A large part of the people living in the Republic are descendants of immigrants, coming for the most part from Ta’aroha and other Lianuskatch countries. A sizeable proportion of these people have long integrated since coming to Pesrey, many of them adopting Teleri as their first language and speaking their native one only as a second language or even not at all.

Religion
The main religion in Pesrey is Hwèzism, although other branches have their followers the main one remains Auynic Hwèzism. Other religions exist in the Republic, they are often linked with certain immigrant groups.