Sidon

Official Name: Republic of Sidon

Founded: 1866

Form of Government: Confessionalist democracy

Head of State: Prime Minister Mansoor Itani

Population Level: Average

Society Structure: Towns and villages (recovering)

Technological Level: High

Background: At the beginning of the Civilized Era, Sidon, like most lands, remained in the grip of tribalism. Sidonese tribes were relatively civilized, as these things went; diplomatic solutions were enacted as frequently as violent ones, and wipeouts of entire tribes were rare. Rather, over time, growing tribes would frequently band together as larger, more powerful units, allowing the population to flourish as much as the highland north and southern lowland plains would allow.

When the population grew too large for a given area, tests of worth were commonly enacted. These most regularly tested combat ability, but could also be based on intelligence, good sense, or any other trait a tribe's elders found critical to the group's survival. Losers were sent to the southern shore; those who survived the journey (a questionable proposition, especially for those from the northern hills who were forced to travel through the great forest that crosses central Sidon to this day) built boats and rowed themselves towards a large western island just visible on the horizon. (The descendents of those travelers would go on to form the nation of Indore.)

At the edge of eastern Sidon, the Endless Chasm sank all the way to the sea. Across from this lay the land of Kumasi. The resource-poor northeastern forests were home to few of the Sidonese, thus the existence of Kumasi was known to a relatively small percentage of Sidon, and knowledge of its people non-existent. Rumors of a bridge being built across the Endless Chasm were treated as little more than a curiosity; the Sidonese by and large lived much too far away, in an era of days-long walks between villages, to care.

Around the end of the eighth century, what became known as the Bridge of Tears was completed, and for the next thousand years the Sidonese became very familiar with the ways of the Kumasi people. (See also Kumasi.)

Founding:

Pre-Melt:

Melt:

Great War:

Post-War to Present: