Nanmaunaktuk

Nanmaunaktuk, officially the Chiefdom of Nanmaunaktuk, is a country located in Vidina. All five of its provinces sit partially or fully inside of the arctic circle making it the Northernmost nation in the world.

Etymology
Nanmaunaktuk is a compound from ancient Nanmaunakti, translating roughly to "the greater land of those who are moved by dogs", in reference to the early dog-sled migratory habits of the Nanmaun tribes. "Nan" means "dog", "Maun" means "to be carried by", "Ak" means "greater", and "Tuk" means "Land (of)". This is a composite word of two parts - "Nanmaun" referring to the tribes that settled the majority of the island, and "Aktuk", which was first coined in the 1700s meaning "greater land of" to describe nations - hence, Nanmaunaktuk translates more directly to "Nation of (Greater) Nanmaun".

Other words commonly seen in this article are Nanmaunakti (meaning "Language of the Greater Nanmaun"), Nanmaunaktut/Nanmaunaktu (meaning "People

Prehistory
The island of Nanmaunaktuk was colonized on and off for most of the last 10,000 years; mostly with temporary settlements that either starved, froze, or fled the land. Only limited archeological evidence exists of these groups, but records from the nomads of the area indicate their presence. According to spoken history, however, the first permanent settlements were entirely killed off by the invading Nanmaun tribes sometime in the 4th century BCE. Nanmaunaktuk consisted of three tribes, which, according to mythological tradition, stem from the three sons of Qimmeq, “Hound”, who is said to be the mythical tutelary father of the nation. These three tribes owned three portions of the island, leaving boundary cairns between their land.

Early Auynic contact
Contact with traders from the Auynic Empire sometime around the mid first century BCE led to the introduction of crops such as potatoes, as well as regular access to forged metals like bronze. Trade with Auynic peoples to the south regularly occurred up to the fourth century CE, with the collapse of the Auynic Empire into several smaller kingdoms. Following the collapse of the Auynic Empire, the culture of Nanmaunaktuk entered into a drawn out period of starvation and stagnation known as the Great Decay.

Great Decay
From the end of the fourth century to the beginning of the 12th century, the tribes of Nanmaunaktuk infrastructure partially collapsed as imported tools and equipment from the Auynic empire became scarce or unavailable. While trade still existed between the island and the mainland, the quantity and depth of trade made the establishment of new settlements on the island precarious, and many smaller established settlements disappeared within 3 generations.

17th century and Myrish colonization
The Myrish discovered the island in 1602, and used the island and its accommodating native culture to survive during the winter months, establishing a trade route with the Nanmaunaktut. Trade mainly consisted of luxury items, primarily pelts, were traded to the Myrish (which gave rise to the form of currency, the Pelt-Foot) in exchange for tools and most importantly, technology.

20th century
During the Second World War(?), Nanmaunaktuk initially aided Salia in the transporting of material goods and materials, as well as operating airbases along its southern coasts.

In 1940, it was invaded by Riyata in an attempt to cut off supplies; while Nanmaunaktuk was rather quickly thrown from power after the Battle of Kalkisiknup and the official government capitulated, numerous elements of the Nanmaunaktut Army under the were able to unconventionally resist occupation until the end of the war.

During the Third World War, Nanmaunaktuk was again invaded by Riyata, and was again forced to wage a guerrilla war against the Imperial Riyatic Army, and was once again granted independence at the end of the war.

Geography
The island of Nanmaunaktuk is located in Vidina, off the coast of northwestern mainland Vatupaya. Its Capital city is Sirmiqtik, with the other large settlements being Kiriktik, Iqaluktik, and Qinnitik in the as-named provinces around them.

Territories
Nanmaunaktuk is divided into five territories:

Sirmiqtak Territory
Sirmiqtak is the capital territory, while also being one of the least populous provinces. Currently hosting a population of 49,000 residents, it is the smallest, and most heavily urbanized, territory, with the city of Sirmiqtik covering 50% of the territory.

Kiriktak Territory
Kiriktak is the most populous territory in Nanmaunaktuk at approximately 60,000 residents; of which 45,000 reside within city limits in Kiriktik. It was originally the capital prior to the 1940 Riyatic Invasion where its coastal status lead to it's swift fall.

Iqaluktak Territory
Iqaluktak is noteworthy for its highly productive lake fisheries, which supply much of the rest of Nanmaunaktuk with food during the colder seasons.

Qinnitak Territory
Qinnitak is located along the southern coast of Nanmaunaktuk, and maintains year-round fisheries, although it does not yet have ports large enough for major transport vessels to dock in.

Laqtak Territory
Laqtak quite literally translates to "Cold Place", which befits the frozen wasteland that it encompasses. Covering approximately one third of Nanmaunaktuk's land and water surface areas, it has recently been a focus of large amounts of mineral exploitation expeditions.

Landscape and climate
Nanmaunaktuk is geographically broken into several separate regions listed below.

Sirmiq valley
The Sirmiq valley is a small glacial valley formed approximately 3,000 years ago. With shelter on all sides by mountain ranges and relatively shallow geothermal energy, the area has turned into a near paradise among the surrounding tundras, with it representing some of the furthest-North habitable terrain. It is host to a variety of unique species due to its isolation.

Kirik Shield
The Kirik Shield refers to the rocky, uneven terrain that covers most of the western half of Nanmaunaktuk. Formed by the erosion of the Aklaqnat mountain ranges over thousands of years of glacial retreat, the Kirik Shield has only a layer of soil rarely more than 5 meters deep above the largely igneous and metamorphic formations that carry the island. The Kirik Shield, while largely unfavorable to large-scale farming, cultivation, and industry, has proven more than adequate for small scale lifestyles and was the earliest area settled by humans.

Iqaluk Lake
Iqaluk Lake is a large freshwater body of water along the southern coast of Nanmaunaktuk. Thanks to the formation of the Aklaqnat range, Iqaluk Lake is able to stay both fresh and unfrozen for a large portion of the year, and is host to a wide variety of unique species due to it's isolation and unique ecological pressures.

Qinnit beach
Along the eastern coast lies the Qinnit beach geographical area. Notable for its steep shores and deep inlets, Qinnit beach is host to a large number of small fishing settlements.

Aklaqnat mountains
The Aklaqnat mountain range stretches from the northern tip of the island to the southern, and ridges continue under the straights and into Vatupaya

Laqtak
Laqtak is the Nanmaunakti term for "Cold Place," but in this case refers to the cold, unlivable tundra covering the northern half of the island, all the way along the northern coast of the island.

Biodiversity
The uniquely isolated location and weather systems of Nanmaunaktuk have made the area home to a number of uniquely endemic species of plants and animals, though the actual internal biodiversity is rather limited due to the cold, nearly inhospitable winters in most of the nation.

Military
The Nanmaunaktut constitution currently enshrines 4 branches of their defense forces - the Nanmaunaktut Guard, the Nanmaunak Army, the Nanmaunak Navy, and the Nanmaunak Air Force. The roles of these four are similar but distinct with the Nanmaunak People's Guard forming the primary expeditionary capability of the nation, whereas the other three branches are more involved in civil order and support.

The Nanmaunak People's Guard is the smallest of the four armed services branches, but is also the most heavily armed. Entry into the Guard is considered to be only for the most elite soldiers, sailors, and airmen. Being a force in multiple domains, the NPG operates equipment in all fields, including a battery of locally produced Nuvakmaun Laqnanaksin Mk 3 artillery systems, a combat team of, a squadron of Airtram Hikuai, and 4 Riyatic !Ticonderoga-class cruisers.

The Nanmaunak Army is the largest branch, by far, of the Nanmaunak Defense Forces, comprised almost entirely of reservists. As the requirements to be considered a reservist in the Nanmaunak Defense Forces are far different from other nations, it tends not to compare well with near-peer forces. However, the primary role of the Nanmaunak Army is for Civil Support, and as such the majority of emergency response personnel - fire, medical, and police - are all members of the Nanmaunak Army while fulfilling their duties. Primarily, the Nanmaunak Army provides recruits with free baseline training in numerous fields including driving, shooting, survival, and medicine, under the expectation that their training will both benefit their community on it's own, as well as provide a defense-in-depth for the nation should it be invaded, as the Second Riyatic Occupation of Nanmaunaktuk showed was a functional albeit painstaking and less glamorous, method of retaining and regaining independence.

The Nanmaunak Navy primarily operates within Nanmaunak national waters; although they also service and patrol the ice pack. Operating a fleet of 4 icebreakers and 8 at-sea replenishment vessels, the Nanmaunak Navy is most often tasked with ensuring the open status of both the Upper and Lower Northwest Passages. As of 2020, all icebreakers have been upgraded to 4 or better, with the namesake of the fleet, the Kikpiukmik, has seen further retrofits and is expected to be put back to sea as a PC3 by 2023.

The Nanmaunak Air Force oversees most daily operations at all airports within Nanmaunaktuk, as well as operating a fleet of 12 !Sea King helicopters and 16 !Twin Otter transport aircraft and 3 !C-130 aircraft. The Nanmaunak Air Force is almost entirely dedicated to the emergency coverage of many remote settlements for medical and sustainment needs. As of 2014, the Nanmaunak Air Force is looking to replace its helicopters.

Language
Within Nanmaunaktuk, many people still speak modified or adapted variants of ancient Nanmaunik, though the primary language is still Salish.

Religion
Nanmaunaktuk has a very strong representation of Nanmaunaktut Paganism, though it is most often indistinguishable from the Irreligious population due to the prevalence of Nanmaunaktut Pagan rituals in popular culture. Only 15% of the population as of 2020 identified as other religions, mostly split between Ayekism and Auynic Sun Religion.

Architecture
Nanmaunaktut architecture tends to draw from many other international technologies and techniques, combined to help life as much as possible in the brutal winters of the arctic. Even so, some more conventional, historical building techniques are still used - due to legal defenses, lean-to's and even small huts are not an uncommon sight in the wilderness. Some of these huts can be home to multiple people through the span of a year, as tearing down a potential shelter is legally condemned in most cases.

Historically, many Nanmaunaktut homes were built partially or fully below-grade to preserve heat and ensure that the structure could withstand the heavy snows that may fall during the worst months. In the modern era, little has changed, with many houses having their main floor at a half-below grade, using the dirt around the building as structural reinforcement.

Other facets, of course, have changed drastically. While log-constructed houses were prevalent up until the early 20th century, concrete and brick has seen a recent spike in recent building trends.

Cairns
Much of Nanmaunaktuks history can be traced through cairns placed across the land. Some taller markers were used to mark borders and paths; whereas flatter ones would be used as memorials or tombs. Memorial cairns vary widely in size with the smallest being less than half of a meter in height, and holding little more than the bones of a respected animal. The largest cairn is thought to be for the Battle of Kirik, a multi-chamber memorial containing the memorabilia and skulls of 121 soldiers who died during the fighting.

Cuisine
Nanmaunaktuk has a diverse cultural cuisine; many of their recipes derive from the foods available from the land. Plants like choke berries, licorice, large plantain, and others naturally grow in large areas across the southern edge of the island, and are incorporated into most dishes, both professionally for tourists, and in household food preparation and substitution.

For protein, most households rely on fish such as Arctic Char and Salmon, though many holiday and occasional meals involve Polar Bear, Elk, or Grouse. Salmon has found an odd niche as a traditional birthday meal due to it's religious significance.

Fashion
Due in part to the Welfare-Defense policies supplying clothing to the public, much of everyday wear would appear to be almost military in nature, albeit often worn in much more relaxed manner. For example, in winter months the government-supplied |Goose Down Parka can be seen worn by all but some of the wealthiest. In summer months, however, many folks can be seen wearing kilts or skirts to make the most of the fresh air and lack of venomous animals in the few months of summer.