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Sinolor
Sinolor is a fictional country in Oathguard, and the center stage for most of the events in the game. Its capital city is Annecey (located in the selfsame province). Its population is 115 million, making it the second most populous country on the Adonic Continent, next to Heiml.

History
Etymology
The name “Sinolor” is derived from the ancient Suramasin word for "homeland." It originally belonged just to the land the native Sinolorese people occupied, but after their assimilation of surrounding lands and peoples following Florius I's reign, it became the common name under which they were united.
The prefix of “Sinol-” is typically used in the nomenclature of terms relating to Sinolor, such as Sinolology (study of Sinolor) and Sinol-Heimli (referring to the relation of Sinolor to the bordering nation of Heiml).

Early History
Though Ancient Sinolor's officially recorded history began only 805 years ago, much is known about pre-Ancient Sinolor, thanks to the early development of its writing system and a bureaucracy that prided itself on its scholarly achievements. What's more, the time before this is almost as well-recorded, as archaeologists continue to find well-preserved remnants of the Ancient Sinolorese people's origins as fierce hunter-gatherer wanderers, who eventually settled down to form the nation of Ancient Sinolor (not to be confused with Sinolor, which is the nation as it stands today) in the fertile lands of what is now called the Barsique Valley. Though it would accumulate more and more land over the decades, it was at this time a relatively small nation in the center of the continent, and was prone to infighting among its tribes. This constant warring eventually resulted in
(unfinished)

Dynastic Era
One of the first recorded periods of history in the wake of Sinolor's first civil war is the Dynastic Era, during which several dynasties rose and fell as the ruling powers of Ancient Sinolor. At this time, the Sinolorese occupied only their native lands and a small mount of conquered territory. Ren Tai-ren, a patriarch of one of the land's most powerful tribes, became the famous Redemption Emperor by driving the nomads of the south and the barbarians of the east out of the middle of the land to reestablish the Empire of Sinolor. Known as the Lithe Tiger for his swiftly fought—and ever-victorious—battles, he fell only when he died suddenly of illness without a successor, leaving his uncle, named Tuol Fan-lic, to take over. Tuol would go on to assimilate some more territories, and was not a bad ruler; but despite his victories, as a dour man who loved little, he lacked charisma and likability.

(unfinished)
Enslavement

(conflict w Heiml)
(unfinished)
Age of Thasa (Imperial Court)

(unfinished)
(Simply part of the Imperial Court today after Florius' secularization)
Imperial Court

(unfinished)
Warring Church

(unfinished)
Reign of Florius

(unfinished)
Scientific Age

(age of increased pride in accomplishments of man over nature, one another)
(unfinished)

Geography and Topography
In terms of physical geography, Sinolor is quite mountainous, with major ranges to both the west (which act as a natural border between it and Thassadia), the north (between it and Heiml), and the east (between it and Ralbinas). The rivers that criss-cross the continent nourish the fertile plains of central Sinolor, while vast sandlands cover the southernmost part of the country. Its natural defenses and abundant resources make Sinolor a relatively self-sufficient, if quite isolated, nation.

As for topography, again thanks to its sheer size, Sinolor is home to many climates. In the north, the weather is rather mild, with heavy but manageable snows in the winter (which get less manageable the higher the altitude is); farther southeast, the climate is hot and humid, with heavy summer rains; and to the southwest, the weather is often arid and dry. Sinolor's only deserts exist in the far south, at its borders with Sudernia and Ralbinas. (Another natural defense.)
Banda Mountain Range

Lying between Sinolor and Heiml, it acts as a natural border between the two traditionally hostile nations. Its unforgiving winter snows melt to a relatively warm spring and summer, and its biodiversity has always been a subject of interest. However, its distance from most hubs of civilization on either side of the border, coupled with its treacherous winding paths, make it a place to avoid (for all but the authors of survival novels).
Both coutnries keep outposts at various locations around the base of the Banda Range on their respective sides, but the sheer length of the range in either direction ensures that there is plenty of unguarded space in between.

Demographics
Today, the total population of Sinolor stands at about 115 million people, with 35% of people living in rural areas and a majority living in urban areas. Many still live by the fruits of the land or excavating the raw materials that are in high demand, but an increasing number of people have went to work in the industrialized production of goods, or provide services.

By nature of its geographically massive size and acquisition of many lands, Sinolor counts among its people 50 minorities in 13 provinces and 3 autonomous regions. As such a diverse country, there are many different outlying ethnic groups, and cultures (which has lent itself to no small amount of conflict).
The ethnic minorities in modern Sinolor arise mainly from the peripheral countries that the original Ancient Sinolor assimilated during Florius I's age of conquering; 12% of modern Sinolor includes areas not natively “Sinolorese,” many of which have a few indigenous ethnicities. The densest concentration of non-native Sinolorese, however, is in former Suderanian province of Banjar, where over 30% are at least a quarter Sudernian by blood.

Language
In terms of language, “Sinolorese” is a bit of a misnomer. Suramasin, which virtually all native-born citizens speak, is the blanket name for the "standardized" national language of Sinolor. However, Ubom and Sattalom, the dialects of the east and south respectively, are also still widely spoken in their respective areas. Languages of non-native citizens from countries like Suderia are also spoken, but very moderately (integration and adoption of Suramasin by foreigners is strongly encouraged). The exception to this rule is the Banjar province; with its high concentration of native and descendant Sundernians, despite discouragement, Suderlom is heard as frequently as Suramasin.

For at least two thousand years prior to Florius I's reign, what is now referred to as Ancient Suramasin, and subsequently, Old Suramasin, were spoken. The latter emerged when so many Heimlian loan words entered the Sinolorese vocabulary such that over 15% of Suramasin in fact consisted of them.

During Florius I's reign, in which he enforced the learning of his dialect, Cunégondian (already close to Suramasin because of Heiml's Cunégonde Canton's close physical proximity to Sinolor proper), what is now called Modern Suramasin emerged. In addition to having to learn Cunégondian, Sinolorese adopted the phonetic Heimlian alphabet in place of their own complicated pictorial one. This lead to a further integration of the new language into Suramasin; Sinol-Heimlian loan words were especially adopted because the Sinolorese discovered that to write many of their complicated sounds, they would need to create still more letters. Thus, most of the native Sinolorese words left in the language are the ones that could be easily written in the adopted Heimlian alphabet. However, how "pure" the Suramasin that is spoken depends on where in Sinolor one is; near the capital, mostly Cunégondian is spoken; outside, more native words are spoken. Legal documents are now all in Cunégondian (whereas before it was the opposite).

Today, Modern Suramasin consists of a somewhat even mix of about 45% Sinol-Heimlian loan words, 50% Native Sinolorean words, and <5% other foreign words (from Sudernia, etc). Theoretically, all Sinolorese citizens who completed their mandatory education can read, write, and speak fluent Cunégondian. In practice, only those who went on to advanced institutions of learning and/or those who use Cunégondian in their everyday life can do so.
Education


Religion
unfinished

Social Stratification
unfinished

Political Divisions (Provinces and Autonomous Regions)
Sinolor is divided into 13 Provinces and 3 Autonomous Regions. Each is granted a number of delegates in the Regency proportionate to their population size. The nationwide census administered by central government has been taken every 10-13 years for the last 115.
Provinces and Autonomous Regions are governed by a prefect and a body of provincial regents, who handle provincial matters without much meddling from the central government. However, they are in no way sovereign, and answer directly to Annecey in all major matters.
Autonomous Regions are provinces within which a minority (meaning people not of mostly ethnic Sinolorese blood) entity is the majority. These regions, like provinces, have their own local government, but theoretically have more legislative rights. In practice, however, they only have the right to appoint the governor from the local minority. An ethnic Sinolorese Ordinator elected in and dispatched from Annecey to help "keep order" is the real power base in each of the "autonomous" regions.

Sinolor's main city centers (collectively known as the "Big Three" Cities) lie in the heart of the capital province, Annecey Province (known before the Unification as the original Sinolor Province), as does the majority of its wealth, power, technology, and population.

List of Provinces
Most locations in Sinolor have either been founded or renamed with Heimlian names, and there are very few places today that retain distinctly native names. Exceptions to these include provinces such as Chongla and cities such as Wuhan and Tam-gi, but many seek to rename even these (Tam-gi is slated to be renamed “Havreberghe,” after its harbor).
The 13 Provinces and 3 Autonomous Regions of Sinolor, listed with their capitals in parenthesis and other villages/town within them:
Annecey (Annecey)
Beauclarc
Poton-sur-Epslac
Almace (Lemures)
Autun (Charolles)
Banjar (Alahamel)
Barsique (Roodberghe)
Epernay
Herblay
Baclem (Milnon)
Chongla (Wuhan)
Tam Gi/Havreberghe
Jerang Petal Autonomous Region (Jerang)
Manasseh Autonomous Region (Silriah)
Mariah (Blouyart)
Montmorillion (Vauxting)
Saint-Duc-en-Marthenay (Saint Duc)
Reauxpillier (Reauxpillier)
Soujardin (Blessfou)
Veersa Autonomous Region (Veersa)
Ving (Vesoul)
Yeeh Autonomous Region (Har-fei)

Autonomous Regions
Yeeh Autonomous Region has traditionally been the most troublesome area for Sinolor's central authorities, due to its location and population; it lies in close proximity to the nation of Sudernia (which a vast majority of Yeeh citizens claim is their true homeland), Banjar Province (where many citizens are Sudernian by blood and wish to secede from Sinolor and unify with Sudernia), and the nation of Thassadia (which is said to fund Yeeh rebels to fuel instability in the region).
Recently, industrial towns in Manasseh Autonomous Region (including the capital, Silriah) have seen an economic downturn thanks to the Baclem Province's increased self-sufficiency in the area of agicultural equipment production; this threat to the Manasseh people's livelihoods has increased their resentment towards Milnon, Baclem Province, and Sinolor as a whole.

There are four autonomous regions in Sinolor: Jerang Petal, Manasseh, Veersa, and Yeeh.

The "Big Three" Cities of Annecey Province
Most of the population and its central government is concentrated around the capital, Annecey, and its province (also called Annecey). Annecey Province also contains the other two of the "Big Three" cities, Beauclarc and Poton. The people of this area, via come from all over Sinolor, but approximately 85% are "ethnic Sinolorean" (meaning, descendant from the people who lived in Sinolor before King Florius I began his conquest the surrounding "non-Sinolorese" lands).

Annecey has been the crown jewel of Sinolor for almost the entirety of its history. Only during the
was it not the seat of central government
(unfinished)

Beauclarc, lying due north of the capital, is known as the City of Cathedrals. For a very brief time during the Warring Church Period, it even supplanted Annecey as the seat of power in Sinolor. While it was once the destination of hundreds of thousands of religious pilgrims per year, it is now just an extremely popular tourist city. 30 years ago, the beggars who once lined the streets and benefited from pious pilgrims' pockets were ushered into the nearby shanty town of
(unfinished)

Poton, the least assuming of the Big Three,
(unfinished)

The "Small Two" Cities
Known widely as the "Small Two" Cities (an allusion to the Big Three), Tam Gi and Milnon have earned their distinctions by seeing remarkable rapid growth in the last hundred years or less, largely due to their flourishing businesses, trade, and provincial social welfare programs.

Tam Gi (Chongla Province) grew from unknown fishing village to a small city and economic powerhouse when King Alain VII implemented his plan to tighten control and increase loyalty around Sinolor's newly acquired provinces by funding their economic growth. He sent a young economist (called a "marketeer" in those days), who history only knows by his famous surname, Wati, to supervise the village's growth. Wati discovered that Tam Gi was the perfect gateway to both Heiml and Sinolor's eastern seaboard and, within a few years and despite persistent military tensions in the area, established a booming trade business between Tam Gi and various seaports in the northern country of Heiml. 112 years later, Wati Company is now the second largest merchant body in Sinolor, and has lead to such prosperity that Tam Gi is now know as one of the "Small Two" cities.

Milnon (Baclem Province) lies in the fertile grasslands of Baclem. Once home to wandering nomad tribes, when the land in this area peacefully came under the influence of their Sinolorese conquerors, all but the most stubborn tribes settled down in the Sinolorese-founded towns that cropped up—the most populous being Milnon. While it took a few generations for the former nomads to adjust, thanks to their adaptive people's green thumbs and hard-working nature, a booming population all around Sinolor in need of more food, and the adoption of transportation systems that could carry their crops anywhere in the country, Milnon gradually became the center of agricultural production in Sinolor. Over 65% of Sinolor's crops come from the city's surrounding lands and townships, and Milnon itself has recently seen the rise of its own farming machinery and equipment production industry. This has, however, damaged its relations with the industrial towns in Manasseh Autonomous Region that it formerly did more business with, and even threatens the Manasseh people's livelihoods.
Military Outposts and Bases

At Jerang Petal Province:

At Banjar Province:
Bandir Outpost

At the Sinol-Heimlian Border:

At the Sinol-Ralbinasi-Sudernian Border:

(unfinished)

Politics
Government Institutions
A provincial system of local government divides Sinolor into 16 provinces, including three autonomous regions. Each province is governed by a prefect and a body of provincial regents, who handle provincial matters without much meddling from the central government. However, they are in no way sovereign, and answer directly to Annecey in all major matters. Thus, despite their name, the autonomous regions are also still ultimately under the control of the central government. Recently, though, lands controlled by high noblesse families have been trying to become more and more independent, and so each area even within the same province can have a vastly different system of self-government or even a different form of economy.

Sinolor's central government, seated in the capital of Annecey, is split between 3 branches; the Regency, the Noblesse Assemblage, and the Royal House. They are depicted in state media to wield roughly equal power, but both in theory and practice the Regency by far has the most control over the important policies of the nation.

The Regency consists of representatives from each of the provinces (called Regents in the context of their Regency). These officials devise and enact policy, in part at the behest of their provinces' local assemblies or their specialist advisors, but ultimately make their own decisions as for how the country will be run. They convene with their own advisors every weekday and consult each other in person during a formal meeting four times a year. As they have the power to dissolve the Noblesse Assemblage, as well as the unspoken power to overturn any propositions of the Royal House, they are by far the most powerful branch of government. Some would go so far as to say that they have absolute power over the country. (But those people would most likely find a brick in their living room the next morning.)

The Noblesse Assemblage consists of 335 representatives, one from each of the country's noble houses (including all the Oathguard houses, but excluding peerages created less than 50 years ago). Each is chosen internally by the houses themselves. They hold veto power over the Regency, though it is very limited. At its inception as a part of the rebuilding plan of the Unification, it was just a skinny bone thrown to placate the noble and Oathguard families, who had of course turned the power over their feudal lands to the new Sinolorese government. Because of the number of members, it was an unwieldy assembly that regularly either dissolved into chaos or wallowed in apathy. However, especially within the last few decades, it has become significantly more powerful and cohesive. Certain families with similar interest began to form block coalitions, thus wielding a strong united vote; furthermore, some houses have actually been holding public elections to choose their representative, using the people's increasingly democratic sentiments to fuel their growing power. On the other hand, some houses have been striving to return to the old ways, managing their lands and citizens as if they were territories and serfs.

The Royal House branch is the smallest and least powerful body of government, as the monarchy has no actual power. A relic of ancient times past, it consists of all members of the royal bloodline of Florius over the age of 20. This typically amounts to around 9 people. These members convene monthly to discuss the state of the nation with the regency and sign documents into law, but they in fact hold no veto power over the Regency or, ironically, the Noblesse.

The Department of Defense Development, commonly abbreviated to D3, is a (loosely-termed) department of the central government that answers to the bloc of Regents known as the Homeland Defense Commissar (which Regents Niko Falma and Tan Xjian belong to, among others). Officially, they are the hub of military research and development in the country, overseeing all of Sinolor's military production. Unofficially, they oversee all aspects of Oathguard development and deployment.

Military
What Sinolor lacks in the unity of its people it makes up in the sheer size and cohesion of its military might. On the surface its military has 3 branches: Army, Navy, and the newly-created (or rather, newly-publicly-announced) Aerial Division. The standing army is undoubtedly the standout among the three, but Sinolor's Navy is nothing to sniff at, either. (Its Aerial Division, however, is still in its infancy.)

Each branch of the military is headed by its respective Chief of Staff, all of whom answer to D3. Regent Martin Barriere, a retired 4-star general, is the main liaison between the D3 and the Chiefs of Staff.

In addition to its standing military, the government also quietly has under its employ a substantial secret police network and the Oathguards, both which have been just as instrumental as the regular military in the current regime's retainment of power.

Recently, the traditional ranks of the army have been thinned out, as the government is cutting costs at all possible places to continue the funding of D3's extremely expensive research projects. This release of so many soldiers with no job skills and no other honest trade to turn to has lead to a surge in the reported numbers of bandits and pirates preying on the populace of the countryside.
Domestic Conflict

By nature of its geographically massive size, Sinolor is home to many diverse peoples. Among the 17 provinces, there are many different outlying ethnic groups, and cultures. This diversity has been a source of quiet but never-ending strife between the central Sinolorese government and provinces that seek some degree of sovereignty—or even to secede from the nation completely. Military outposts and bases around Sinolor keep these provinces in check by any means necessary—a split could not only mean a loss of a source of a resource, but more importantly would also damage the country's pride.

Conflict is typically more prevalent the farther away from the capital you travel. It seems particularly rife within the peripheral provinces that border Sudernia and Ralbinas (such as the Banjar province), as well as the autonomous regions (particularly in the Yeeh Automous Region capital of Har-Fei).

On a micro level, however, because of the Sinolorese propensity for valuing order, discrimination is discouraged because of the tension it can elicit; everyone is expected to work well with everyone else.In practice, of course, tensions simmer underneath the surface, especially in regions containing people of conflicting cultural values and where people have varying degrees of loyalty to Sinolor.

Recently, the traditional ranks of the army have been thinned out, as the government is cutting costs at all possible places to continue the funding of their extremely expensive research projects. The release of so many soldiers with no job skills and no other honest trade to turn to has lead to a surge in the reported numbers of bandits and pirates preying on the populace of the countryside.

Foreign Relations
As an imposing, self-sufficient, and largely self-centered nation with an iron federal governement, besides simmering internal conflict there has always been another constant in modern Sinolor's history—broiling international conflict.

(unfinished)
Economy
Agriculture
Transport
Science and technology
Energy