Tilenno

Tilenno, formally known as the Federation of Tilenno (Tilennan: Puurena Tilenno), is a country located in the North-western region of Avalonia. It is comprised of 5 regions, the autonomous region of Zesha and the desert of Kaesami. Each region contains multiple self-governing city states with the biggest Glikaero, in total there are 33 of such states. The capital state of Hireno is not part of any region. The autonomous region of Zesha has her own functioning parliament and functions separate from the other regions. The Kaesami desert is largely uninhabited and is solely under the control of the federal government.

Tilenno is mainly shaped by its rugged nature and small pockets of life in between. Her national flower is the Tilennan Lavender and her national animal the sunrise hummingbird. Bordering countries include Brigantica to the east and Côteblanche to the north.

Tilenno is home to one of the earliest recorded human civilizations surrounding the lake of Gantes, making it one of Anterra’s cradles of civilization. From 4200 BCE till 1200 BCE Tilenno housed many kingdoms, mainly situated around the lake and delta and some on the islands. it was only in 1200 BCE with the formation of the city states that Tilennan culture flourished. With the introduction of the sweet potato from the South in 200 BCE, combined with some major natural disasters, the city states were devastated and new dynasties took rule. They lasted until the military coup of 400, starting the age of Imperial Tilenno. The Steppe wars in 1000 added Zesha to Tilenno, but left the empire in ruines, causing it to split in 5 dynasties. They lasted until the Colonial wars of 1500, which started the modern era for Tilenno and trade with Artemia.

Origin of the word Tilenno
Over the years there have been many discussions on where the name Tilenno comes from, but nowadays there are 3 leading theories.

The first one, and generally accepted one, says that the name is derived from the Old Tilennan words tilera (Tilennan: tilae) and henas (Tilennan: hiires), meaning land and people respectively. So Tilenno would translates to land of the people.

The second one claims that it comes from the old words for to us and sea, ti (Tilennan: xa) and leenas (Tilennan: loona). Translating to sea given to us, referencing the lake of Gantes. It also claims that the name is the genitive of the country because people would state that they were from Tilenna, which became Tilenno.

The last theory seeks the origin in the old word for sailing, hiileenarei (Tilennan: hooloonarii). This is in reference to the ancient sailing culture of Tilenno and could translate to land of the sailing people or the sailing country.

Lake of Gantes
The lake of Gantes is considered one of the cradles of human civilization. It provided a patch of fertile land in the arid mountainous desert of Tilenno. With its regular flooding twice a year, both from the river Kuuster and the river Perta, the land was perfectly suited for agriculture.

They mostly grew tiresta, a thick, calorie heavy grain which served many culinary purposes. Other cultivated crops included honey tomatoes, white carrots and sereela, a sweet berry used to make the traditional Tilennan drink, shiizae.

They also kept a variety of animals mostly in the grass patches near the mountains, which were unsuited for agriculture. This included animals like the Odeitan Ox, Cloud Alpaca and Sereelian Turkey.

We can divide this time period up into 3 distinct era’s: the first civilizations, the Teeruukian era and downfall of the ancient civilizations

The first civilizations (4200 - 2000 BCE)
The earliest recorded evidence of human civilization can be dated back to 4200 BCE, but researchers speculate that there may have been earlier ones. Some claiming as far back as 6000 BCE, but this remains open for speculation.

Clay tablets with proto-Tilennan script were found in the ruins of Teruuko, in modern Ytriva. Translated in 1987, they explain multiple ancient myths, trading details and wars. The most well-known myths are the Tilennan creation myth and the story of Mareiso. These tablets also proved the existence of an ancient trading route through the Kaesami Desert, nicknamed the Canyon Trail.

The last big discovery made in these texts was the epic tale of the Pan-Gantian War, in which all the big kingdoms surrounding the lake of Gantes clashed in a war so enormous, the sun didn't set for an entire month, not to miss out on the events of war. Eventually the kingdom of Teruuko won, and established its dominance around the lake, starting the Teruukian era. The real war this story was based on is believed to have taken place around 2000 BCE.

Teruukian Era (2000 - 1200 BCE)
Generally the Teruukian era was a peaceful and prosperous time in Tilennan history. Teruuko controlled the majority of the land around the Gantian Lake and established itself as the culural and economic center of that time. Teruuko was a, but it was notably a male-preference. During Teruukian rule there were 3 occasions where a queen sat on the throne.

Many different forms of art could flourish, like poetry, philosophy, mathematics, architecture, music, theatre and visual arts. The foundations of Loonakean religion are also believed to be created during this time, as culture shifted away from the traditional pantheon to more abstract thinking and philosophy. Loonakae however wasn't really common until much later with the Teruukian revival.

During this age people from Gantes first sailed out and settled the islands of the Atrivan and later the Lamosan sea. The first city to be founded was Glikaero, which grew out to become one of the major Tilennan settlements.

The ancient city of Teruuko is located north of Teruuko Kitrae further up the Kuuster river.

Downfall (1200 BCE)
Around 1200 BCE tides began to change for Teruuko. The exact causes of the downfall are unknown but it is believed a combination of multiple natural disasters and raids of the northern steppe people that drove the civilization into chaos. Many people fled to the islands which caused a shift in the economic balance between Gantes and the islands. The Teruukian kingdom collapsed into smaller city states which would kickstart the sailing era.

Language
The most common language group in Tilenno is the Tilennan dialect group with about 31.2 million speakers, which is 72% of the population. French comes second with about 6.8 million speakers, 16% of the population and is an officual language in multiple city states and is the official language of the region of Katouro and the French community. In Zesha, Zeshan is the most common language with 5.3 million speakers, however this is not recognized and the official language of Zesha, which remains French.

Various other nomadic languages are spoken in the Kaesami desert. Around the lake of Kuusha Doorasian is spoken, which is a pidgin language of Tilennan, French and Zeshan. All around 300,000 people speak one of these languages.

The 32 city-states and Hireno
Tilenno is divided into 32 city-states, spread over 5 regions, and Hireno. Every city-state sends 2 experienced senators to the Senate and between 4 and 16 representatives to the Chamber, with Hireno and Glikaero sending the most. The region of Zesha sends 8 senators and 22 representatives, for a total of 74 senators and 324 representatives. The party with the most representatives gets to form the cabinet, until a majority of representatives is reached. Out of these representatives, 9 become minister and one from the winning party prime-minister.

On regional level, every city-state has an equal say in the elections. The governor of each region has a place in the cabinet and represents the interest of its region, the cabinet has a total of 16 ministers.

Autonomous region of Zesha
The region of Zesha became part of Tilenno for the first time in 984, as a result of the Steppe wars. Short after it became independent again during the rule of the 5 dynasties in 1052. Joining Tilenno in 1573, due to the colonial threat, it became the 5th region, since Pavona was still part of Atriva. As colonialism faded, protests emerged in Zesha in 1831, asking for independence. This resulted in the autonomous region of Zesha we know today.

Zesha has her own parliament, but the federal government can still veto every decision made. It has power over internal affairs, economy, education and culture, healthcare, social security, jurisdiction and tourism.

Desert of Kaesami
People living in the desert of Kaesami have no voting rights, but are still under federal law. But legal enforcement has been lacking, making it a free port for crime, gambling and prostitution. There is only one noteworthy town here, Doraso and it's surrounding towns, by the lake of Kuusha, with an estimated 200,000 inhabitants, which is 80% of the total population of Kaesami.

Economy
Main exports: Pharmaceuticals, Rare earth minerals, raw oil

Cuisine
Tilennan cuisine is a mix between traditional Avalonian ingredients and influences from the Artemian continent. It also makes heavy use of spices, but dishes generally aren't spicy.

Sport
The most common sport by far in Tilenno is swimming. Tilenno is known for the highest quality swimmers in Anterra. The sport has a long history: during the sailing age swimming competitions were held as part of the Ashaeic Festival in the lake of Gantes. In recent times Tilenno has claimed many world titles in multiple swimming disciplines, mainly excelling in the 100m butterfly.

Volleyball is also a very popular sport in Tilenno. There is also a Tilennan variant of volleyball, stemming from the ancient game of uches. Nowadays uches is mostly replaced by volleyball. In total the Tilennan national womens team has won 12 world championships, while the mens team has won 7 times.

Tennis is also a huge part of Tilennan sports culture. Hosting one of the Major Solo Festivals, the Sanatae Martones Open and a couple of smaller tournaments. Tilenno also brought forth some top tennis players like Derae Pereno, Reisa Lamiira, Gano Remouchier and recently Adasha Kanaeso and Pauline Serae.

Recently soccer has seen an increase in interest and the local soccer scene has experienced an increase in youth athletes. The Tilennan team has even managed to reach the quarter finals of the 201x soccer World Cup.

Other popular sports in Tilenno include: Diving, Javelin, Sailing, Surfing, Hockey, Taekwondo