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(official name) TorRep (nickname, used in daily conversations) The Torrag Republic (semi-offical name) Torrag (used as name of the republic and is also the main planet) The people of Ermirial are called Ermirs, the people of Torrag are called Torranians, which is also the common name for all members of the TorRep.
Overview: |
The Torranian Republic is stationed in the C sector of the galaxy. The people of the republic are of two species, humans from Torrag, called Torranians and humanoids from Ermirial, Ermirs. The governmental headquarters are in Althing, a huge spacestation in orbit around Torrag. The people of TorRep are friendly and open to outsiders, the Ermirs are more closed off though. The Leram system is elemental in nature, with enchantment magic and psionics, but psionics is limited to the Ermirs, probably due to their environment. |
Navigation:CoLC Index |
Index:Q-dex / Technology / Magic
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Q-dex: |
T 686.9231/772.7930 M 644.1471/129.22Technology is elemental in nature, and it being in the 700-799 range it is classified as matter/energy zone, which together form life. There are six elements; air, water, earth, fire, metal and wood. Working with technology is relatively easy, it's used widely since advancement is easy and continuing with more than moderate amout of resources. Q-storms are very infrequent, short and small, but those few storms are very fierce and border on the dangerous to those who use technology during those storms. The populance of TorRep is friendly and open to outsiders, it's government has been stable for the past centuries and influence of OMNET is not much, as it's been a short while since contact was establised with it. People in TorRep can all handle the little magic that's available, but to use it efficently, they must learn it. Basic teachings are in compulsory schools, but further studies can be underwent elsewhere. Mystic devices are much used, especially by the industry to enhance and strengthen their products. Magic is difficult to advance, in part because of little essence available in the system. Mystic storms are not very frequent (although they occure more often than tech storms) but they very weak, most often not noticed at all, but they can last a long time and are of the smaller size. The mystic force is of the Ordered Mana Linear category, so that Mana is the basic substance, and it creates Essence which in turn creates Life. There are two sentient species in the Leram star system, Torranians (humans) and Ermirs which are humanoids, almost human with pointy ears, long noses and covered with hair. |
Technology: |
TorRep is rather heavily industrialized, but after the Fimbulat, the tech-level decreased and the enchantment factor has become more important. Robots and machines are used to manufacture everything which is repetitive, mining and also used in case the job could be dangerous by operators who control them by sensitive monitoring system. |
Magic: |
Enchantment is the prevailing kind of magic, it is used to enhance technology products, but psionics is a low level magic, limited to the Ermirs only. The role of magic in TorRep us mainly to enhance products, and not used on a day to day basis apart from the indirect use through some devices. The magic isn't very strong, but can be used to effectively improve devices hundredfold, and doctors are trained in magic use, those who are strong enchanters usually become doctors. The Ermirs are telepathic in some limited way, they can send almost clear thoughts/words but the range is limited to few hundred meters. |
Size: |
The Torranian Republic is stationed in the Leram star system. In the system are eight planets, of which two are life-sustaining in their natural state, Torrag and Ermirial. Long time planning is being brought in to populate other planets in the system, but so far, no other planets are inhabited. Many moons are in the system, three circle Ermirial, two Torrag, asteroid belt is between Torrag and Julab which is the next planet outwards from the sun. |
Population: |
Torrag is the main population center of the Leram system, Ermirial being rather barren planet it doesn't sustain high population, and the space station above Torrag isn't as crowded as the Torranian cities. Estimated population of Torrag: 4.8 billions (including Althing) - - - Ermirial: 390 millions |
Climate and Geography: |
Torrag is very diverse in climate, the four continents each has it's unique climate but Ermirial is almost totally barren, deserts and glaciers covering in for the most part. The weather on Torrag is controlled by satellites in orbit as far as it can be controlled, but Ermirial being too big and chaotic in climate hasn't been brought under satisfactory control yet.
There are four continents on Torrag, seperated by vast seas, the continents are Daler, Revik, Helkon and Halqorm and their landmass is more or less the same, Helkon being the biggest due to volcanic activity and Revik the smallest. The oceans are vast but for the most part calm since the weather control was able to put some restrains on the winds in the athmosphere. Multitudes of small islands dot the seas, some of them drift about in currents of the oceans and their inhabitants have been able to build mechanics to prevent them being cast ashore. |
Flora and Fauna: |
Torrag: The plant life on Torrag is very diverse, the jungles of Halqorm are the most impressive sight, with trees hundreds of meters high, but the most interesting for herbalists are the plants on Helkon which transform the heat of their surroundings and need little or no sunlight at all to thrive. The animal life is equally interesting, most species are of the flying kind, almost 70% of the species on Torrag can either fly or glide about. Of the hot blooded species, the biggest of them all (in diameter) is the Ishib, which is born in the air and lives all of it's existence airborne, never touching ground at all. The Ishib is very light and almost 20 meters in diameter, but is very thin, it's thickest part is only half meter average from top to bottom.
Ermirial: Very little surface life exists on Ermirial since the Fimbulat, and the little life there is underground is mostly plant life which has adapted to it's meagre surroundings. The plants provide breathable athmosphere underground by turning water and earth into air. The animal life is mostly plant eaters, but there are few species of carnivoric beasts, the Gramd being the most dangerous of them, since it can attack humans and humanoids due to its agility and ferocity. |
History: |
The Torranian Republic: Short overview by Titus, Embassador of The Torranian Republic to the OMNET.
This world in which I live, Torrag, and the people I serve, the Torranians, are the descentants of the survivors of the Fimbulat, a terrible cataclyst which happened ca. 3700 years ago. Relatively few survived that disaster, or what is estimated only 2% of the then current population of Torrag. It is rumoured that the people of those times were highly sophisticated and advanced technologically and that they brought on this cataclyst by some actions of theirs so the gods were forced to react and destroy those who didn't believe in them anymore. What ever it was, after the Fimbulat the people of Torrag were very primitive and lacked much of the knowledge which apparently was available to the people of pre-Fimbulat, since evidence has been found which supports the idea of very advanced technology which predates the Fimbulat. The four continents of Torrag were changed after the Fimbulat, and had taken on the aspect of one of the main elements, so now they are known as Daler (earth) which is mostly grassland, steppes and rolling hills, Helkon (fire) which has most of the active volcanoes, geysers and hot springs on Torrag, Revik (metal) which is the richest of metal ores and deposits and Halqorm (wood) which is mostly covered with jungles and rain forests. The remaining two elements, water and air form the seas and athmosphere for the most part. After the Fimbulat all contact between the continents was cut off, and the people began worshipping the elementals gods, so six branches or sects of faith came into being, one for each element. The two "uninhabited" faiths of water and air were minor sects and didn't become very large at first. Around 300 B.C.E. contact was made between the four nations, and each believed in the supremacy of it's major sect, fighting soon erupted and lasted for 300 years or until the signing of the Siggerla-Yrenktor Agreement, which was brought about when Siggerla, a man of unknown origin which had risen to rulership of Revik, became tired of this constant warfare and was able to persuade all the other rulers by his now legendary skill in speech and diplomacy that they should use their diverse powers to strenghten each other rather than weakening them. The Torranian Republic is the current government in the Leram system, being established almost 600 years ago, or 934 C.E. after the people voted on the Unity of All People Document which was represented to them by the Senate of each nation. Space age began on Torrag in the year 1229 C.E. with the launching of an probe (unmanned) which was sent to Immir, one of two moons of Torrag. Manned spacecraft was sent to Immir in 1237 C.E. and in 1284 C.E. the foundation of Althing was sent into orbit around Torrag. Althing is the first spacestation and in 1471 C.E. it became the headquarters of the TorRep to strengthen it's neutrality and position as the highest form of government. In 1386 C.E. spacecrafts started exploring Ermirial and soon after, contact was made with the Ermirs (or the Hoondigs as they call themselves) which is a humanoid race, rather doglike in appearance with long noses and pointy ears and they are covered with thick hair, almost a fur. The Ermirs were discovered to have limited telepathy, that is, it's range is limited, but the can 'speak' to each other so long as they are within range. Ermirial is a desolate planet, frequent and heavy storms and temperature below zero degrees on Celcius average. Due to this the Ermirs live totally underground where they mine the planet and use it to make it habitable. The climate of Ermirial seems to have changed around the same time that the Fimbulat occured on Torrag, but they seem to have other explanations of that time, since in their folklore, some beings (unknown to them) started bombarding them from outer space and so they were forced to go underground. Because of this bombardment the climate changed drastically and so they were unable to return to the surface after the war. For decades the Ermirs were distrusted and feared by the Torranians, at first the Torranians enslaved them and forced them into slavery in the Ermirial mines, which supplied both old and new types of metal in abundance. Humanist groups soon began to fight for Ermir rights, and in 1458 C.E. the Ermir government got their partial independence but remained a part of TorRep with representatives in Althing. Xelforp, the current president of the Torranian Republic, has been president for 12 years, or since 1519 C.E. when he was elected first. He had only been president for 2 years when contact with OMNET was established and the role of president was altered in a considerable way from being the ruler of an nation to being also a diplomat to a whole universe of sentinent beings. But in the next years The Office of Universal Affairs was founded, it being the equivalent of Office of Foreign Ministry of the current nations in TorRep and diplomats and embassies were built on other worlds. The current year in TorRep is 1531 C.E. |
Government: |
The ruler is The Torranian Republic of which Xelforp is the current president. Each of the four nations elects it's own Senate which in turn elects their representatives to the Althing. The Althing's main function is to coordinate the laws of the TorRep and to ensure that the law are up to date. The Senates act according to the TorRep laws but can set their own, provided they don't conflict with them. The government is well liked by the people of TorRep, since it's robust and takes swift decisions if needed. That is in part because of it's relative smallness compared to the population of the TorRep, or only 1250 on Althing, 250 from each nation and 250 from Ermirial. The Althing appoints presidental candidates which the populance elect in general elections. The Althing is divided into 10 divisions, 125 Althingics in each, and those divisions' purpose is to specialize in one or few main areas of interests. Some of those interests are: Trade, Food production, Environment, Military, Transport, Universal Affairs, Industry, Magic, Tourism, Religions, Education, Recreation and Health care.
Foreign Policy:TorRep has after it's initial contact with Omnet been helpful and willing to participate in their dealings, and are open to all kinds of trade provided it is within legal limits of TorRep. Immigrants are welcome to Torrag and Ermir provided they learn the official language of TorRep before settling down and that they learn the same skills as children of 10 years old are supposed to know. Domestic Policy:The Althing lets the Senates and the national police forces handle each dominion, it's their responsibility to keep up the laws and see to it that their subjects are happy and well provided for. The military is absolutely forbidden to interfere with domestic problems, it's purpose now is only to protect the TorRep from the Multitude in the unlikely case someone will ever attack it. The police is under the control of each national Senate, they are friendly and helpful, but can be strict in case of disobediance to the spirit of the law. |
Society: |
There is no class structure on Torrag, but people tend to form loose groups, based on family, religion, sports, work etc. Those aren't castes or classes, but rather social groups in which people meet and interact freely. But on Ermirial there is some tribal system which involves a complex hierarchy according to how efficient and hard working the tribes are, how honourable and law abiding. The main culture is the Torranian one, which is in turn based on the four elemental cultures from each continent. The Ermirs have their own distinct culture which is quite different from the Torranian one and they keep much to themselves and haven't interacted much with Torranians although this is changing as the humanist groups have done much in their favour.
Education is compulsory for children from 3 to 15 years of age. The schools teach the children the basics things, like reading, writing, watching, using the Nerves, arithmetic. Most basic history, religious teachings, social behaviour (communication, sexual behaviour etc.) More details can always be found in the Nerves. Criminals get crime points (CP's) for each crime they commit, the more serious the crime, the more points they get. After reaching limits (which are many) the criminals are sentented according to the sum of CP's. This is logarithmic in nature, so many small crimes (picking pockets) are not as serious as a large crime (murder). Usually petty criminals are sentenced to social work, so that they can amend for the damage they did to either property or personal belongings. Dangerous criminals on the other hand are sentenced to psychiatrists and to heavy labour (mining etc) and they are monitored by devices so that they can never get out of reach after they have served their sentence. Transportation is by various means, In shorter trips people use shuttles which are ground/air/water vehicles, longer trips between planets or out of the solar system are taken in spaceships. Teleportation is used to transport people from ground to spacestations, as teleportation is limited by both max and min distance in which people can be teleported. Slavery is forbidden since the slavery of Ermirs was outlawed after humanist groups fought for their rights. Languages:There are six main languages, one official state language, one elemental language spoken by natives on each respective continents and the language of the Ermirs. The Torric languages have the same basic roots which date back to pre-Fimbulat origins, but the Ermiric language is quite different. The official language, Torric, is totally fabricated but with roots mainly from Torric ones, but some parts are taken from Ermiric. There are many dialects and variations of each language except Torric which are for the most part easily understood by others of the same continent. Religion:There is diverse religious flora in TorRep, both monotheistic as well as polytheistic. The major religions are as follows: Endistaism - belief in the almighty creator Endistai Elementalism - belief in one or many of the six elemental gods. Followers of the 'small' gods, air and water are gathering momentum now. Naturalism - belief in Nature as creating force and overseer. Atheism - not really a religion, but included for completeness sake. There are many other minor religions, too numerous to count, either offspring from major ones, or totally different from each of them. Religion in the TorRep plays different part in the life of each person, but it's role in the government isn't big, since there are so many religions, they are more in the background and don't hold much power over it's followers. |
Economy: |
Money is electricial, every transaction is paid by with the Nerves (called so by the production company which got the contract for this device: the slogan was 'You've really got Nerves'), an object which is used by all Torranians. This object is an electricial device which handles every day to day affairs of the user. It's communication device (voice, video, 3D and others), money, ID, health info of user in case of emergency, encyclopedia and much more).
Everybody over 15 is allowed to work, slavery is forbidden now, anyone found guilty of keeping slaves is punished according to current laws. Robots are much used for heavy and dangerous work. The main monetary unit is called zonco, one zonco equals 100 ores. Those units were the ones used by Torranians centuries ago, but money is mainly electricial now and cash is usually only used by the Antiques, a group which tries to keep some connection to the old times, but don't oppose changes or evolution in the society. |
Military: |
Those who wish to join the army are free to do so, but the army doesn't have many people in it's ranks, since robots and/or remote controlled vehicles are used for any dangerous missions.
There are six branches in the military, AeroDiv which includes all airplanes and spacecrafts, GroundDiv which handles all ground troops, WaterDiv in which ships and underwater boats are stationed, MetalDiv which is the maintenance division, WoodDiv which is the environmental branch of the military, this division oversees that effects of other branches don't pollute the environment or damage it in anyway and FireDiv which is the intelligence agency of TorRep and the army. The honourary commander is the president, but the chief commander is elected by the Althing and high ranking officials in the army. |
Sports and Leisure: |
Music is highly regarded in TorRep, all kinds of music and this has led to Musical duels being very popular. In these duels, musicians play their music, one at a time, and with magic enchanted devices the pleasure which the music has on the brain is measured precisely, so that the song which has the best impression on the people wins the competition.
Fictional projections are also very fashionable these days, but in them the feelings and words are projected onto the brain directly, some of the stories have been given warning label by the Health-care committee, as they can lead to addiction due to vivid images and feelings. Paintings, sculptures and other visual artforms is highly regarded, some of them are multidimensional, like 3D and 4D (which change with time), but the public has easy access to the most popular ones by getting replicas of them. Althing jumping: This is a dangerous game, which was invented accidentally by the late Althingic Talif Adwa, who was known for not thinking before taking action; therefore he decided to take a shortcut from one branch of Althing to another by going through the airlock near his apartment and then he jumped in the direction of his office branch. The station was then in it's childhood so to speak, and the security system has been improved so these things won't happen again. But in his memory, people (mostly young men) have started doing the same, without spacesuit or security line, and those who miss the destination are said to become Taliffed. Then there are multiple other games, but these are the most impressive to non-TorReps. Those who wish to learn more about games and festivities in TorRep are advised to visit the Information Hall in Althing. |
Major Population Centers: |
The most impressive building in TorRep is the Althing, the headquarters of the TorRep government. It is positioned in a spacestation which is in orbit around Torrag. The spacestation is 1.000 kilometers in diameter, or one fourth of the diameter of the bigger moon, Immir.
The former capital of TorRep was a floating city, now called The Elder Althing, since no nation could agree to where to station the government after the forming of the republic but now it is the greatest entertainment and leisure center of TorRep, and almost totally covered with sports and leisure buildings and structures. The capitals of the four nations are: Juster (Daler), Feren (Revik), Thabok (Halqorm), Crodis (Helkon). An impressive sight is the The Church of Mother Nature (the main church of the naturalism) which is stationed on Halqorm. It is an old dead thepkar tree which was hollowed out and the ground floor was turned into 200 meter high temple, and above that are offices and accomodations for priests and pilgrims alike. |
Chronic Problems: |
The Missing Day, this in unexplained phenomeon which was not discovered but few years ago, or after contact was established with the OMNET, the MD occurs every year, when one day seems to have vanished without any time having elapsed in the meantime. This was only discovered after an meeting with OMNET diplomat was off by one day, they coming one day too early according to the Torranian calendar. Scientists have tried to find some explanation for this, but so far, no luck. People who are awake when this happens don't notice anything out of the ordinary, they simply go on with their life, but in less than second they've aged one day. |
Submission Information: |
Submitter's Name: Gudjon Torfi Sigurdsson (Xelforp)
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