Updated country description for Vascania

[jamescfm]

The Role-Play Committee is updating the descriptions of the forum-based countries. For more information about the changes, please see the announcement post here: viewtopic.php?p=191143#p191143

Below is our updated country description for Vascania. Players are invited to offer their feedback on the proposal in this thread. A period of at least two weeks will be allowed for players to provide feedback. This period will end at the end of the day on 16 February 2024. The feedback period may be extended if discussions remain ongoing at the end of the initial two week period.

VASCANIA

Vascania is primarily based on India, as well as Bangladesh, Nepal, and the Maldives.

ETHNIC GROUPS

Raktavani (Indian)- 95%
— Kalkali (Indo-Aryan) - 75%
— Vanashishu (Dravidian) - 20%
Other- 5%

RELIGION

Sundarat Dharma is the dominant religious tradition in Vascania. Inspired by real-life syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism, it combines aspects of Daenism (Buddhism) with Vascanian folk beliefs. The Vascanian Emperor has traditionally been perceived as its spiritual leader.

Daenism (Buddhism) - 67%
— Sundarat Dharma (see above) - 63%
— Other - 4%
Hosianism (Christianity) - 12%
Geraja (Hinduism) - 9%
Ahmadism (Islam) - 3%
No religion - 6%
Other - 3%

LANGUAGE

Vascania is incredibly linguistically diverse and Rajutti (Hindi) has historically functioned as a national lingua franca. Utsari (Bengali), Khoni (Gujarati) and Samanari (Marathi) are among the most commonly spoken Kalkali (Indo-Aryan) languages. Kalam (Tamil), Avidugu (Telugu) and Tannata (Kannada) are the most widely spoken Vanashishu (Dravidian) languages. Various regional linguistic minorities exist too, such as Bhapori (Kashmiri), Hamali (Nepali), Yuccharizhi (Malayalam), Nolhiri (Dhivehi) and the Arakouge-Kanmite (Kuki-Chin–Naga) languages.

[Polites]

Really minor thing, but I was hoping Gujarati could stay as a regional language in Aldegar. It's there because it's the language spoken by the Parsis and there's a bunch of Zoroastrian resources in Gujarati. It would be easier to justify if the language weren't present in Vascania as well, but if it needs to remain in Vascania we can try to come up with some explanation.

[jamescfm]

Please accept my apologies on the delay here. If I am being honest, I do not generally support the effort to introduce Gujarati into Aldegar. As we already have two different Indian-based countries on two different continents, introducing an Indian language into a third country seems confusing. The Parsi population in the real world is about 0.09 per cent of the Persian population. I do not agree with replacing the latter with the former.

Aldegar already has an inaccessible and convoluted background and this would make it even more so. Personally I would prefer to introduce Ahmadism ahead of this option. Leaving all that aside though, Gujarati is already established in Vascania. Even if the efforts to introduce it into Aldegar have community support, it should not mean it is retconned from Vascania.

[jamescfm]

The feedback period has concluded and the country description has been updated. Please continue to share any concerns, queries or suggestions in this thread.