Ovezia

Ovezia, officially styled as the Thirteenth Amalate of Ovezia, is a small country in southwestern Alutra on the Abayadi Sea. It shares a western border with its neighbour Watan, who is also in possession of an exclave within Ovezia proper, and a northern border with [NEIGHBOUR]. Despite its size, the country has a strong cultural and economic presence, being one of the richest countries per capita in the region.

Prehistory
Early history in Ovezia has much in common with other nations on the northern Abayadi, in particular its neighbours Watan and Threazari. The region was settled by many cultures, with the mixture of pre-Tilargi and Tilargi peoples forming the foundation of the Oveze cultural group. Due to pressure from more dominant cultures in the region there was a large degree of mixing with Haksar, Ventoran and Watanese cultures over the centuries. It is purported that the region which now constitutes modern Ovezia receives its name from the abundant olive groves that grew in the fertile valley. Whilst unlikely to have been the true origin of domestic olives, many over-land trade routes passed through the region, bringing olives and other goods deeper into Alutra from the Abayadi. The olive remains a prominent symbol of the country to this day.

Ovezia forms part of the great Abayadi migratory corridor and so there is a great deal of paleo-anthropological evidence for several species of hominids in the area. There is Neolithic evidence of semi-permanent settlement in the region with flint blades in the [STYLE] style - a common blade tool found in Neolithic sites in nearby Watan and Ventora.

The Oveze are often seen as another prominent Watanese tribe like the Cortes and Matanic cultures. References to a “people bathed in oil and wine” from the Kashar chronicles of the region are sometimes attributed to the Oveze, however, this attribution is still debated amongst historians.

Kashar-Manuak period
Much like their presence in Watan, the Kashar culture emanating from Haksarad left a minimal impact on Ovezian soil. The remnants of a small fortification were found during a 2018 archeological survey in downtown Ilena during the planning phase for a new hospital. Dating estimates for the site Indicate it was constructed in around 450 BCE. They also suggest that the fortifications continued to be used after the departure of the Kashar culture from Watan, perhaps indicating that the outpost remained an active resting point along trade routes.

Manuak settlement and interactions in the region are much more thoroughly documented, with a total of 16 colonies being founded along the Olive Coast. The fertile lands proved appealing to Manuak expansions and peaceful interactions between the local Tilagri and Oveze populations and the Manuak colonists made the colonies extremely successful. Proselytisation efforts from Manuak settlements had caused upset amongst Tilagri populations who began to move further inland, however, the Oveze were much more tolerant of the new ideas. The two most prominent colonies in the region were located in modern day Ilena and Reparada. The walls of these ancient settlements still impact the layouts of the modern cities.

Ventoran period
Ventoran influence in Ovezia was a longstanding facet of life. As a part of the Watanese basin the territories of the Oveze were considered no more than another portion of land in Watan. Ventoran presence in the region also has a long history, although Ventoran settlements never pushed as far east as Ovezia, many individuals that sought to avoid Ventoran authorities took refuge in the coastal Ovezian cities which became a hotbed for criminals in the first millennium CE.

In 1038 CE, the disunified region of Watan was incorporated into the Kingdom of Ventora as a tributary state. King wished to solidify his influence over the people to the east, who had close-knit trade relationships with Ventoran merchants from long before the establishment of the Kingdom. From the perspective of the Watanese tribes, including the Oveze, this more centralised organisation under a provincial general was seen as an annexation. In reality, the Duchy of Watan did not exist to the Ventorans who instead saw the territory as a collection of tributary, largely autonomous sattelite states under the sponsorship of Ventoran dukes. This tributary relationship was welcomed by the Oveze in particular due to the region’s history as an important trade hub along the Abayadi. Assurances of support with trade, defence and administration of the region provided massive boons to the local economy. In 1038, the Watanese region of Ovezia was created and awarded to Duke Fabens de Aurelia y Voter of Aurelia, to ease internal political tensions in Ventora.

Initial administration under dukes brought a great deal of prosperity to the region, which grew to become highly urban over the first century. The settlement of Pêlhana, modern day Reparada, became an increasingly important city, having received a great deal of investment to counteract the city’s history as a refuge for Ventoran criminals. The city was famous for having three prisons within its walls, Preziõ d’Óçi still stands today, although it is no longer in use. These prison complexes were innovative and began a spark of ingenuity that would define Ovezia and Watan in the coming centuries.

Aurelian dukes, progressively more tense over Ventoran internal politics, saw Ovezia similarly to how the Ventoran crown viewed the Watanese tributary province in general: an opportunity in increase control over neighbouring regions. This lead to frequent extortions of tribute by the Aurelian custos to fund ventures in the duchy proper. An early problem in the administration of Ovezia was the distance between its borders and Aurelia. Merchants and other emissaries had to cross through other Watanese provinces as well as two other duchies to pass between the two, or pass through foreign powers along the Kanakan Steppe. Duke Ropar Falega Tume successfully appealed the plight of the merchants making this journey to the Ventoran crown and how it complicated efficient administration of Ovezia, something that was ratified by reports from Watan’s provincial general. This was a contributing factor to the establishment of Ventora’s Canon of Obligations in 1282.

The Canon of Obligations was, however, not all encompassing at its inception and Aurelia utilised loopholes in the legislation to continue to extort Ovezian commoners. This became a common theme across Watan, especially in the growing cities where class divisions began to move to the forefront of the minds of the common people. Usually, disputes such as these over trade practices or tribute were handled with the traditional Watanese sabre duel, a tradition which was respected as honourable by Ventorans. The region had grown much more centralised under the Ventoran tributary system and now the region had its own prince, who challenged to provincial general of Watan to a duel in 1328, winning the independence of Watan.

Watanese period
After winning the country independence, Prince Fábio Gorres Jaoa Linama was crowned the first Amal of the new Amalate of Watan. In the wake of the withdrawal of Aurelian administrators, Ovezia, and other Watanese duchies felt a deep economic shock. Rural areas across the Amalate suffered and smaller villages were oft abandoned in the 14th century. Ovezia was in a more fortunate position than other areas of Watan, lying in the Ladige Valley provided ample fertile soil to continue to support the growing urban populations. Many people migrated into the area due to its growing importance in the trade of the Amalate, both over land and sea. This rapid urbanisation, even more expansive than under Ventoran supervision, saw cities such as Pêlhana rising to prominence alongside Queluz, Telana, and Alhadas.

There was also a great deal of cynicism amongst the Oveze during the reign of Amal Fábio, who was perceived as unfit to rule. Particularly, he was seen as a bully and short tempered, challenging men, as well as women according to rumour, to duels over inconsequential things. He did oversee some change in Watan, funding housing developments for the poor that had begun to accumulate in slums around cities, although it is unclear to historians whether this was done with true altruistic intent. Amal Fábio died before actualising any further plans at tackling the unjust society over which he ruled. He was succeeded by his firstborn son, Amal Remy the Great in 1349. His reforms and innovations to the Amalate achieved a vision his father had attempted to push towards. Some historians describe the reign of Remy I as the first example of a modern welfare state, and much of this blue-shade philosophy was taken up by the Oveze, who had readily accepted new ideas over the centuries.

Enlightenment
This march of progress culminated in a period in the 15th century known as the Watanese Enlightenment. The arts, philosophy and the burgeoning field of mathematics amongst other intellectual pursuits expanded greatly during this time. Ovezia saw a great deal of this innovation as a region in Watan’s populous and prosperous south east. One famous Oveze philosopher, Ẽro da Cóta, wrote a now infamous rebuttal to the equally celebrated philosopher Vinícius Rosa Paulino Guimarães’ essays on the nature of rulers. Da Cóta suggested that it was no better to be feared or adored if a ruler was unwise, for unwise rulers struggle to hold power over anything for long.

This time saw the rise of a distinct philosophical tradition amongst the Oveze, who prided themselves on their contrarianism and cynicism, particularly towards the ideas of their southern brothers in Queluz. Their healthy cynicism also pushed for more critical approaches towards sortisism, the most prevalent religion in Watan and Ventora. More nuanced views of creation beyond the limited scope imposed by the Pantheon were explored and celebrated in various texts that became denounced as heretical. Where Watan turned its attention outwards, particularly in the fields of astronomy, burgeoning scientific minds in Ovezia turned their focus inwards to the human body, medicine and the lives of animals and plants. The most groundbreaking of Ovezian advances during this period were made by Onóro Celênho, a prominent student of anatomy that challenged the previously established foundations of medicine in the region which had gone unchallenged for over four centuries. His most famous work on the subject, Séte Liúri de Cor Omã (Seven Books on the Human Body), are still important texts used by Alutran medical students in the modern day. His prominence in the medical field eventually lead to his appointment as the royal physician of Amal Teófilo III.

Não Busque Rules
In 1521, Amal Teófilo IV rose to power following the death of his father Teófilo III. The transition of power saw a swift end to the Enlightenment; Teófilo IV was a strict follower of Sortisist tradition and is consistently reported as having disliked the Enlightenment. Those who partook in the advancement of understanding were considered to be infidels by the new Amal and by 1522 a new set of laws call the Do Not Seek Rules (Wataneseː As Regras Não Busque). The purpose of the legislation was to forbid any research that would undermine Sortisist teachings or that might by any means discredit the Sortisist faith. The law was punishable by public hanging and many individuals from across the Amalate were hanged by the neck for their breach of the law. These were usually philosophers, astronomers and writers, although there is some evidence to suggest the rules were used as a liberal penal code particularly in Ovezia, which had begun to forge a new identity within the Amalate.

Onóro Celênho, who had served as his father's physician, was one of the first to be hanged under the rules. The relationship between the physician and the Amal was frequently noted as complex by courtiers and it is believed that several factors, including Celênho's inability to prevent the death of Teófilo III contributed to his eventual sentencing at the hands of Teófilo IV.

Despite the oppressive regime now in place over the Amalate, and the growing scientific stagnation of the country, many thinkers chose to remain within Watan. Several protests erupted accross the country, particularly in the urban centres of Ovezia. The swift and ruthless reactions of the Watanese crown to these movements helped to cement the sense of "otherness" that had taken hold in Ovezia during the Enlightenment. While the Watanese philosophers critiqued the irony of Teófilo IV using Paulino's Enlightenment theories of rulership, Oveze minds began to sign their illegally published works with attributions to da Cóta, a subtle reference to the instability brought about by unwise rulers.

Morre Trials
Sudden and unexplained illness took Amal Teófilo IV in 1546, and in his place rose Amalha Izabel I Morre of the Barroso. The first Amalha of Watan was not believed to be a pleasant woman, even before her ascension to the Watanese throne. Historians have found evidence that despite her piety she had engaged in adulterous behaviour and possibly showed symptoms of schizophrenia. Her Sortisist belief was also strong and she had been a close follower of the Não Busque Rules, which she continued to enforce with a similar strength and liberal attitude as Teófilo IV.

Izabel I became the first monarch in Watanese history to claim divine descent as a messenger of the lord. She used this mandate to enforce a reign of terror, sentencing just under 5,000 citizens to death in trials she oversaw herself during the first two years of her reign alone. She also expanded upon the rules to expulse non-Sortisists from the country on pain of death. The advent of this extension would lead to a period of history called the Morre Trials.

Entrevistadors were hired by by the Sortisist Pantheon to locate and bring non-Sortisists to judgement for their infidelity. These mercenaries or preists-for-hire were bought by the Watanese government from as far afield as Salia, although many came from Watan itself or neighbouring Ventora. Whilst the majority of those brought before the Pantheon and crown for judgement were hanged or beheaded for their heresy, there are some records that show that non-Sortisists were spared in specific cases.

Ovezia suffered greatly under the reign of Izabel I. The region had been one of the most supportive of Enlightenment ideas and was the home of many immigrants and native non-Sortisists. Tensions in the duchy's capital of Pêlhana reached a critical point in 1550 when the duke of Ovezia, Dúçe Vitúr II Ovária, expulsed all entrevistadors from the city for the public execution of 17 Tilargi orphans without trial. This action was said to have enraged Izabel I who demanded Vitúr II's head for his "treasonous heresy".

Dúçe Vitúr II and his wife were executed in the winter of 1551. The event is considered to be the point of no return for Ovezian separatism in Watan. The youngest son of the Dúçe was spared on counsel from the government to to maintian the stability of the realm, but evidence seems to suggest that Izabel I had intentions of executing all of Vitúr II's infant children. This slight against Ovezian nobility in the face of protecting the ethnic minorities of the region became central to the Ovezian identity.

Independence
Izabel I’s reign brought about even deeper unrest in the Oveze region and her extension of the Não Busque Rules saw a further thousand Oveze philosophers and scientists executed or exiled from Watan. The fierce resistance to the crown in a region very near the capital was distressing for Izabel I and as such many of the government-sponsored Entrevistadors were deployed to quell protests. With the outbreak of the Caminhante wars, civil unrest in the region boiled over and Watan was faced with a war on two fronts, one of the fronts being kilometres from Queluz. Whilst the war in Cecia was a major defeat for the Watanese, the situation in Ovezia, although a stalemate, was much more favourable for the crown. At the end of the war, Emila Dumician the countess of [MAJOR CITY] led the peace negotiations. Her father, who was count before her, was a prominent advocate of Enlightenment ideals and had been executed by Queen Izabel I. As part of the peace deal, Countess Emila negotiated the full independence of all the Oveze regions apart from her own, which was at the time the most prosperous county in Ovezia. Despite this, the terms of this peace were accepted as the countess wanted to see as many of those that followed her spared from the blade of Izabel I. The abandonment of her direct subjects to the wrath of the entrevistadors was a point of deep shame for countess Emila and she would write many letters to confidants about this. For her efforts in the war and her sacrifice in peace negotiations, Emila was elected as the queen of the newly independent Kingdom of Ovezia.

Instability and failure by the Watanese government to manage the newly acquired territory of Cecia, lead to the Caminhante wars breaking in 1729. In Ovezia to the south, tensions had not eased and the region had continued to become more outspoken against the Watanese government and particularly the Caminhante wars. There was a strong sentiment in Ovezia that the war was barbaric and that the Jarader populations should be allowed to practice their religion in peace. The conflict saw around three quarters of the Watanese army deployed in the mountainous northern province which left the urban core exposed to the nearby Ovezian forces.

On the 19th July 1730, Dúçesa Emíla I Ováira d'Ovêzia, issue of Vitúr II, declared herself Ãla of the Amalate of Ovezia, and an independence war broke with Watan. Ovezian forces made a decisive push through the urban heartlands of Watan towards the capital, Queluz, in order to force Watan's capitulation. The proximity of the new Ovezian front, forced the hand of Frederico XI who split his forces in Cecia in order to manage the war on two fronts. This proved an effective strategy and advances through the urban environment were challenging for both sides. By September, a stalemate had been reached along the borders that had defined the duchy during peacetime.

The Ovezian resistance to the Morre Trials had left their armed forced much more modernised than the Watanese forces, who despite their numbers were still unable to overcome the Ovezian insurrection. The Ovezian military made use of many machines of war, in particular were Mázena mánha, which were a modified type of counter-weight trebuchet which launched burning or explosive projectiles. These weapons proved effective for long-range use in the urban environs where enemy encampments were difficult to visualise. These war machines were eventually adopted by the Watanese for use along the Cecian front.

Frederico XI of Watan, who was terminally ill, faced an unwinnable war split between two fronts and demanded that his troops surrender in Cecia. The resulting negotiations prompted Ãla Emíla I to begin her own negotiations. Using the damage brought about by the Morre Trials to her own family as leverage she was able to negotiate independence for all Oveze majority regions of Watan, slightly expanding the borders from the old duchy of Ovezia. In return, Emíla I ceded her capital and ancestral home of Pêlhana to the Watanese, who would later rename it Reparada. With the exchanging of hands, many citizens from Pêlhana left to the new capital of the Amalate of Ovezia, Ilena. On the 13th April 1731, Emíla I was crowned as the first Ãla of Ovezia. Her coronation was held as a sombre event as the independence of Ovezia had been won at great cost and she mourned for the loss of her ancestral home. The crown fashioned for Emíla I was called the Curóna Nígra, Oveze for Black Crown, and it was fashioned with a jet black velvet and lined with black pearls. She would continue to wear black throughout her reign as a symbol of her mourning.

Ovezian Restoration
The first act of Emíla I was to forbid the employment of entrevistadors and remove all remnants of the Não Busque Rules from the legislation enforced within Ovezia. While similar repeals took place in Watan, the history of Ovezia as a state that encouraged free-thinkers even in the face of oppression, encouraged a greater influx of immigrants back into Ovezia than Watan. The freedom of religion allowed many families to revoke false conversions that had been in place for generations. Several religious buildings began construction in the urban centres of Ovezia.

The secret schools which had operated from the shadows during the Morres Trials were now free to practice openly and the crown, which had been a patron of many of these societies funded the construction of several new Universities. The following period of rejuvination in the academic minds of Ovezia came to be known as the Ovezian Restoration.

The Uníversidaze da Fiuzovía in Ilena produced several writers, historians, philosophers and theologians. Early in the university's history, Páo d'Urẽça, a professor of theology wrote a scathing essay against the Sortisist faith. d'Urẽça argued within Áo Suvít di Sórdi that the Pantheon had perverted the nature of Aglaia by preventing the growth of human knowledge and directly accused the Patriarchy in Ventora of corruption by enabling the Morre Trials to continue for hundreds of years.

Watan and Ovezia had historically been famous for their knowledge in the field of optics. Within the Restoration Ovezia continued this trend and continued to look inwards. Many amateur scientists began to document microbial life that they had found using the newly invented microscope. The study of plants and animals from across the Abayadi and beyond also became a field of great advancement in Ovezia. In 1758, an Ovezian botanist named Valira Silhã published di Famíli dè Vida, a comprehensive study of over 15,000 species of plants, animals and fungi from around Ovezia, Watan, Threazari and the Abayadi. Whilst a compendium of species being classified and group together was not unprecedented in the literature, Silhã had applied a systematic approach to naming the species, giving them two namesː one for the species and another for the genus, which would be a common "surname" for all species within that family. The scientific approach taken by the text to naming convention caught on quickly as the book spread around the Abayadi through growing ovezian trade networks.

There was a great deal of scoietal upheaval within the Restoration. As the amalate established itself as a sovereign state, its society stratified. A poor peasant class made up a large portion of the population and dominated the demographics of the rural areas. The cities began to host increasing numbers of merchants and intelligentsia who over the course of the Restoration became increasingly wealthy, in some cases more so than the nobility of the country who made up another strata of society.

Century of Discontent
By the 19th century, this class division had grown untenable.

This period of 85 years saw the monarchy dethroned and restored five times, the creation of numerous constitutions, the founding of several legislative bodies and massive bloodshed. By the end of the Revolutions it is believed that some 60% of the adult population had perished, with around 10% of those deaths taking place in sabre duels. The status quo that emerged from the revolutions created a constitutional, parliamentary, electoral monarchy.

Modern period
In the First World War, Ovezia aimed to stay neutral on the world stage. It was largely able to do this by co-operating and improving relations with Watan, another neutral party in the war. The population of the country was quite small and largely under militarised, having made efforts in the 19th century to reduce militarisation after the massacres by incumbent powers during the Thirteen Revolutions.

The Second World War threatened to involve Ovezia through aiding efforts to prevent Velorenkan interference in the politics on the Abayadi Sea. However, severe pressure from the Merchant and Artisan commissions (largely due to the rise of fascism in Watan prior to the war) disrupted efforts to arm the country and direct arms towards the war effort. This resulted in the state having to take an officially neutral stance, although the Prime Minister of the country did manage to occasionally provide support to alliance powers, through “accidentally not detaining vessels that entered Oveze waters” and state sponsored smuggling of supplies across the border into Watan.

In modern times the Kingdom has been working to improve the living standards of nations across the Abayadi, using its strong, post-industrial economy. It also faces internal unrest as the already largely progressive society has begun to reassess the strict caste system.