Iscu

The AN Territory of Iscu Escu
Flag Coat of arms
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Motto: "Escua" The infinite waters
Capital	Port Holy
Largest city	Port Holy
Official languages	Iscuan Ingerish, Iscuan
Demonym	Escuan
Government	Republic
• AN Commissioner of Iscu	Aris F. Sadele
Area
• Total	271.78 km2 104.94 sq mi
Population
• Census (2020)	13711
GDP (PPP)
• Total	$0.0000424 Trillion
• Per capita	$3092.407
HDI (2018)	.5443 medium
Timezone	WT +6
Currency	Unified Standard Dollar (USD)

The AN Territory of Iscu , commonly called Escu by most of its inhabitants , and formerly known as the Republic of Iscu before a complete government collapse is an island territory in the continent of Uletha, in the Asperic Ocean. It consists of 5 atolls and 3 islands, as well as multiple smaller islets. Although it is not a sovereign nation, it still takes part in multiple international organizations, sometimes as an observer. The inhabitants of the country speak a unique patois that combines Iscuan with Ingerish, and is notable primarily for the removal of the letters "l" and "i", and most frequently either removing them or replacing them with "ſ" and "e", both of which represent similar but not identical phonological sounds.

History

Prior to 0 AD

Artist's representation of the voyage of the Native Iscuans

The first settlers of the islands of Iscu were Gobrasi native peoples, who traveled in rafts across the Asperic until they reached the atoll of Kadſa, where they would settle. They likely arrived in 1000 BC, although this is an estimate. The language they spoke, a form of proto-Gobrasi, would not change much over time, becoming a unique window into the past of the Gobrasi language. The natives developed a system of governance and a unique religion, and lived in scattered groups of small huts, farming and fishing the land and water. Around 900BC, another group of natives would journey to what is now the Main Island of Iscu, where they would settle. They spoke the same language, and likely came from the same region of the Gobras Peninsula. They developed contact with the group on Kadſa, and also had contact with the native inhabitants of island possibly as far north as Cariocas.

0-600

Drawings of Native Iscuan carvings, ca. 1543

The Iscuan people had by 50 AD condensed into larger villages. On Kadſa Atoll, around a half-century later, one priest in their religion would claim to be god himself, and would begin the worshiping of a god-king that continues today. The religion became a driving force in the Iscuan society, and resulted in numerous technological advances. The villages slowly condensed into towns, and pyramidal temples, were made. These temples, which were erected over 100 years, are made out of large slabs of sedimentary stone mined from a large quarry, and most follow a pyramidal design. The god-king settled in Ghaadradlar, and that town became large and the de-facto capital. Slowly, the temples were added onto over the next 100 years, and the one in Ghaadradlar became the biggest of them all. Slowly, the huts that the Iscuan people had lived in for centuries were torn down and instead squarish mounds of dirt replaced them, a much more durable and easy solution. Over the next 300 years, the society on Kadſa would flourish, with new and smaller "counter temples" being built as the religion progressed, and the population increasing, though only somewhat. On the Main Island, the inhabitants were also developing a different religious system, which for a time promoted isolationism, which resulted in the loss of contact with Kadſa and much of the other islanders.

600-1500

The next 700 years would be uneventful for the Iscuan people. It is believed that sometime in the late 1100s a series of civil wars broke out on Kadſa, as evidenced by the ruins of some smaller villages along with skulls with human weapon damage. On the Main Island the inhabitants had developed a semi-democratic government.

1500-1600

The Ingerish were the first to discover Iscu, and attempted to form a small settlement, but got into a conflict with the natives and were forced to retreat. After another abortive attempt to negoiate with natives which resulted in a massacre, the Ingerish captain William McRyalay managed to successfully negotiate with the Iscuans in 1529, setting up a system where the Iscuans would be given Ingerish protection and would be able to trade and live with the Ingerish, in exchange for the Ingerish being able settle on the islands. The Ingerish then founded Port Holy and later discovered Loconon Atoll. They natives described the country as "Escua", and the name was noted down as Iscu, and became the name of the colony. The Lentians visited the northern islands as well, with some settlers founding Port Affel, but did not claim the islands due to the presence of the Ingerish and the Natives. Later Ingerish expeditions to the south resulted in first contact with the natives of Kadſa Atoll, who were wary but friendly. The natives were mostly left alone, primarily because they were violent when provoked, as another Ingerish captain learned in 1567, when he attempted to kidnap a native woman and was killed by an arrow, along with half his crew. The natives therefore developed a reputation for being savages, and as the Ingerish had discovered other uninhabited atolls, they were happy to let the natives be alone.

1600-1800

Count William Sanderhowe, First Governor of Iscu

The territory continued to grow in population over the next 200 years, with the native Iscuans growing more friendly with the Ingerish settlers, and the two groups were slowly becoming more and more homogeneous, especially due to the high amount of autonomy grated to the territory due to its insignificance and remoteness . In 1601 a permanent governor had been appointed to the islands, ending direct rule from Ingerland , because although the governor served as a direct representative of the wishes of the Ingerish government, he was allowed to govern with a significant degree of freedom. The governor , as per the treaties, ruled only over the Ingerish inhabitants, and the leader of the Iscuans ruled over the Iscuan people. In practice, the two leaders worked together frequently. Count William Sanderhowe was the first governor of Iscu, and also a prolific writer, especially after his tenure had ended, and his books are frequently looked at to provide a clearer image of Iscu in the 17th and 18th Centuries.

1800-1900

1st President Anthony Kinnon

By the 1800s, the Iscuan people and the Ingerish were effectively the same, with the patois that had developed for the past century becoming the main language of the territory. A drive for independence s succeeded in 1814, and Iscu became a republic. An interim constitution was enacted by Ingerland where the current governor would remain for four years with a mandate to ensure a peaceful transition and implement a democratic constitution created by the people. This succeeded, and the governor, Anthony Kinnon (who was the first Iscuan-Born governor), became popular enough for his efforts that he was elected the first president. The Ingerish and Iscuans governments, which had been de fact othe same for 150 years, were now officially one government for one people. Iscu suffered from independence at first, becoming poorer without the support of Ingerland, but a series of economic policies helped it stay steady, although it was still a developing country.

1900-1970

Iscu steadily grew in the 1900s, and became a reasonably successful country, although most inhabitants were still very much on the edge of poverty. After the Great War, in which Iscu suffered through multiple battles, but had been eventually fully protected by the FSA, Iscu came to depend on the FSA even more than before the war for economic stability, defense, aid and so forth. Good relations with the FSA, as well as protection and continued aid and economic support was ensured by the South Port Treaty, in exchange for the FSA to be able to carry out nuclear testing on multiple atolls in the west of Iscu and the establishment of a military base on the island of Basengrove. Iscu was a veiled protectorate of the FSA during this time. An period of large economic growth would begin in early 1966, as the economy was buoyed by the assurances of the FSA.

1970-1980

eventually non-proliferation treaties would be signed, the FSA would have massively irradiated the test sites and have moved on, and would neglect to pay much attention to Iscu

Two Decades of Corruption

President Darrel Short

The government of Iscu prior to the Ten Days of Insanity and the associated collapse of the Iscuan government was "corrupt to the very core", as described by Gobrassanyan Diplomat George Kabamatu. The corruption, which although always present in a small degree since independence from the Ingerish in 1814 and even before that, had drastically increased since the 60s, with money pouring in from the booming phosphate mines, other investment and tourism providing a chance for some politicians to take advantage of their positions. The corruption soon pervaded most parts of the government, but did not truly take off until the election of Darrel Short in 1978. As president, the corruption increased drastically, and began to rapidly affect the economy, and more notably widened the already major income disparity to a shocking level. This began to cause dissent among the populace, and numerous protests were violently put down. In 1984, the elections for president were blatantly rigged, and violence broke out at the polling places. By this time the corruption in the government and some of the major phosphate and other companies was starting to divide the government into faction, and Short was unable to control the divided government, leading to his assassination by a splinter party on November 10th, 1985. By this time, the economy had entered a mild recession.

Unrest among the populace, and the beginning of a slow slide into chaos of the government and military set the stage for the Ten Days of Insanity.

The Ten Days of Insanity

The Ten Days of Insanity, also sometimes called the ten days of madness/chaos/unrest or even the The Ten Days War, began one month after the assassination of Darrel Short, on December 10th, 1985, and lasted until December 20th, 1985. It was a period of intense violence, and the complete collapse of the Iscuan Government, Military, and Economy of Iscu.

Day 1

The unrest began with protests on day 1, which were marked by extreme retaliation by the police and military, but due to the sheer number of protesters and the arms they were carrying, they retaliated, resulting in violent riots (in Port Holy and South Port). Many of the protesters burned down government buildings, chanting along the lines of "You burned down our country, so we'll burn you". Although the riots had died down by 8:00 at night after the military brought out the tanks and massacred many of the most peaceful protesters in Central Square two hours earlier, a boat carrying phosphates exploded on the north coast, and the resulting explosion wrecked a fleet of fishing vessels that had been nearby, further incensing the populace as phosphates were a scape-goat for corruption.

Fires in Port Holy seen from the other side of the island

Day 2

Further riots, this time centered in Port Affel. Other unrest in the rest of the country. Some of the rioters managed to take control of some of the tanks, and destroyed a statue of Darrel Short.

Day 3

The governmental collapse began in full on the third day, with various violent splinter parties taking up arms to either fight other parties or to fight the rioters, which continued to attack members of the government. At this time the military began to splinter as well. The day ended with fires beginning to burn in many slums in Seadretetar.

Day 4

One part of the military attempted a coup, which was blocked by the other half of the military. The attempted coup, which destroyed the president's house and killed hundreds of civilians in the crossfire, resulted in the military being decimated. Riots continued, although not as large as in the first few days. The Seghe Slum Fire begins in full force in Seadretetar, burning all of the Seghe Slum and spreading further west.

Day 5

In what is often called the climax of the Ten Days of Insanity, the capitol building was blown up. It remains unknown as to what group the bomber was. In addition, international news and other nations began to pay attention to Iscu at this time. The government had now completely collapsed and there was no leadership whatsoever. Rioters continued to hunt down splinter violent groups, and many government officials had either fled or been killed or imprisoned.

Days 6-10

Marked by general unrest. Various smaller skirmishes and confrontations happened throughout this time, and the island of Basengrove was set on fire.

AN Intervention And Administration

By Day 6 of the unrest, the AN had begun to discuss a potential an peacekeeping operation to place Iscu under an AN mandate. By the 8th, the mandate had been written and voted on, with the resounding result to place the former country of Iscu under AN administration, enforced by a peacekeeping and rebuilding operation. By day 9, a peacekeeping operation was being organized, and troops were being prepared, along with food aid. The troops arrived on the 10th, with FSA and Gobrasi peacekeepers leading the operation. By January order had been fully restored, and The Iscu Convention was held as the AN reconvened for 1986, which established the governmental system.

AN Administration

The AN continues to administrate Iscu to this day as an AN Territory.

Geography

View of part of Loconon Atoll

Iscu is composed of 5 atolls and 5 islands, all of which vary in size. The major and largest island, The Big Island, is the home of the majority of Iscu's population, along with the two much smaller islands just off its coast. The largest atoll is Earnest Atoll.

Wildlife

Iscuan Giant Turtle

Iscu has a diverse collection of flora and fauna, nearly 42% of which are endemic to the country, one of the highest rates in the world. Notable species include the Iscuan Blue Parrot, the Jaywhistle Shark, and the Iscuan Giant Turtle, which are possibly the longest-lived and largest turtles in the world. The turtles grow to be over 1.5 meters in length, and largest specimens have reached nearly 2.2 meters. Despite being called turtles, they more accurately fit the description of tortoises, as they only go into water occasionally and are mostly land based. There are three main species, with the largest found on Kadſa Atoll, and the other two found on the main islands. A related species of somewhat smaller size inhabited Earnest Atoll, but no sightings have been recorded since the 1940s.

Location

Iscu is a chain of islands located just above the equator in the rough middle of the Asperic Ocean, and spans 500 km. Its closest neighbors are Ma'akuha and St Marie and St Helene on the east, and Nahuwa Atoll on the east, almost 1000 km away.

Climate

[Iscu-Port Holy]
Climate chart
J F M A M J J A S O N D     110     31 24     124     31 24     120     32 25     140     31 26     200     31 25     230     31 26     180     31 25     170     31 25     190     31 25     160     31 26     160     31 26     165     32 26 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm Source: Ministry of Statistics
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     4.3     88 76     4.9     88 76     4.7     89 78     5.5     88 78     7.9     89 77     9.1     88 78     7.1     88 78     6.7     88 78     7.5     89 77     6.3     88 78     6.3     88 78     6.5     89 79 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

Iscu has a warm climate all year round, and gets a decent amount of rain all year as well. The tropical island climate is well suited for a diversity of species, many of which can only be found in Iscu. Sadly, due to climate change Iscu is sinking, and by 2100 all of the atolls and islands other then the main islands will likely be underwater.

It is rare for Iscu to get any large storms or other massive weather phenomenon; the last severe storm that has been recorded was in 1923, and was described as being "like a nightmare taken the shape of the wind and the rain" by an Ingerish captain in the area at the time.

Because of the warm climate and predominantly sunny skies, the country is known as the "Asperic Paradise", and was a common vacation destination for Ingerish nobility for some time.

Government

The AN appoints a new commissioner and commission to oversee the island every 6 years, and also appoints other officials to administrate other functions of the nation. The islands operate under international law. However, on the main island each municipality is governed by a mayor, who is appointed by the commissioner, but must be a native of the island (this requirement has existed since 2000). These mayors may set certain laws and regulations for each municipality (with approval from the commission), which includes taxes and public spending. However, Iscu is not a country, and so has no national tax. Because of this, all municipalities have very low or nil tax rates, and instead rely on yearly funding from the AN, revenue from the territory-owned phosphate company, and, because with effectively no taxes Iscu is a tax haven, revenue resulting from headquartered companies. This results in a well-ordered and efficient territory, and is widely considered to be a successful example of AN governance.

But, because the AN only has so much money to give to Iscu, government spending is fairly low. Iscu also remains poor, although extreme poverty has been effectively eliminated, and the economy is improving with tourism and investment increasing.

Government TLDs

.ic.an .health .edu .safe

Military

Ever since the Ten Days of Insanity, Iscu has had no military, and all surviving military vehicles have been destroyed. The only military present are the AN peacekeepers, who number around 7530, and a FSA military base.

Administrative divisions

Iscu has no administrative divisions at a province wide level aside from the semi-autonomous native territory, which operates in complete isolation from the rest of the world aside from the few scientists and envoys allowed to travel there. The main island is divided into 14 municipalities, and all settlements on the atolls are administered directly by the AN Administrator of Iscu, and do not have a municipal government.

Demographics

Religious affiliation

The Ingerish brought christicism to the islands when they arrived, and it has competed with the Iscuan religion, Tiila, ever since.

Language

There are two major languages spoken by people in Iscu: Escuan Ingerish and Iscuan. Escuan Ingerish is spoken by around 81% of the population, and Iscuan by around 97%. The isolated Native Escuans, known as the Kadſa Group, speak an "un-corrupted" version of Iscuan with no outside influence since their arrival to the Atoll. Lentian is spoken by around 3.5% of the population, primarily in Endeburg.

Escuan Ingerish

The product of centuries of intermixing between Ingerish and Iscuan speakers, this patois incorporates elements of Escuan phonology into Ingerish words, primarily by removing the letters "i" and "l", and replacing them in general with "e" and "ſ" , although "l" is most often simply removed. "Ö" is also used when there are two "l"s in a row, such as "Atoll" which becomes "Atoö". However, in cases where it is practical to merely remove the offending letter, it is simply excised from the word, such as in the case of Endeburg, formerly known as Lendeburg. It is the second-most widely spoken language in Iscu, and an official language. The patois has existed in some form since around the late 1700s, and variations, giving more prominence to either Ingerish or Iscuan are also in existence.

Escuan/Iscuan

Iscuan, referred to as Escuan by Iscuans, is the native language of the Iscuan people, and is still taught in schools, with a higher number of speakers than the patois once the Kadſa Group is counted. It is notable for being a direct relative to Proto-Gobrasi, with little influence by other languages, in particular in the Kadſa Group, which has remained completely isolated for millennia. The Iscuan spoken on the main island has taken words and some elements from both Mah'akuan and Ingerish. It is also notable for being written without breaks in the sentence, using connectors (d after vowels and a after consonants, and in the case where two consonants or two vowels would come together, in most cases ad or da is used) and to indicate word separation, and dashes to indicate pauses. D and A are uncommon as the beginning of words due to their usage as connectors.

Phrase Book:

Sentence	in Escuan Ingerish	in Iscuan/Escuan
Where is the train station?	Where es the tran staton?	Eahredederatranatro?
There is no train station.	There es no tran staton.	Ederededpodtranatro.
What? How big is this country anyways?	What? How beg es thes country anyways?	Amek? Ecedraradedoredavenkredomo?
I am an ignorant tourist, please forgive me.	E am a gnorant tourest, please forgeve me.	Ademafaderϙeemadehaoradame.
My postillion has been struck by lightning.	My postöon has been struck by eghtneg.	Amodposöonaledaghredomelodaherkaro.

Health system

Basic healthcare services are provided by the AN administration. However, more advanced healthcare such as most surgeries, orthodontics, and optometry (non-child), along with other specialized procedures is not covered by the administration healthcare provisions, and there are a few private hospitals and clinics that cover the services.

Public safety

The crime rate in Iscu is notably low, with only 50 crimes of all types reported in 2018, and out of which only two constituted a murder. Most crime is petty, especially on Loconon Atoll, which is noted for its pickpockets. The peacekeepers, fire services, and medical responders are all administrated by the AN administration, and hospitals and pharmacies are a mix of both private and government owned companies, and all are strictly regulated. The peacekeepers are generally well regarded by the public. It is for this reason that the AN Mandate and Administration of Iscu is considered to be one of the most successful operations yet.

Economy

The Iscuan economy is supported by five main industries: Farming, Tourism, Fishing, and Mining. Recently,

Historically, farming and fishing were the main occupations of the Iscuan people, and have continued to be important to the livelihood of many Iscuans. Iscu is one of the few places where vanilla is a native plant, and due to the high desirability of the plant, vanilla is now the most widespread crop grown in Iscu, accounting for 56% of all crop exports. Tea is the second most grown crop, with the popular tea brands Abednego Tea and Royal Iscuan originating from Ingerish landholders who took advantage of the unique fruity taste of Iscuan tea.

References

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