/wg/

The Writhaven Governance (pronounced RITH-uh-vin), commonly referred to as simply Writhaven or WG, is a nation of great variety and diversity, and nowhere is this more exemplified than in the writings which have become synonymous with the nation. Indeed, Writhaven is home to millions of penned works which encompass every topic under the sun, such that, no matter one's beliefs or sensibilities, there will never be a shortage of stories to enjoy. It is perhaps not surprising then, that this writing fervor has immersed itself in many aspects of this nation's culture and way of life. Take for instance Writhaven's flag, pictured above, depicting the three tools required for writing and which is colloquially known as the "pen and parchment pennant". However, the origins of WG are a far cry from how it is viewed today, as we shall see in the following section.

History:

The group that would eventually become the founders of Writhaven started out as a band of rogue warriors, ousted from their homeland for their overzealous and ritualistic glorification of violence. This small community of likeminded individuals spent many years roaming the lands in search of a new home, but quickly wound up starting fights and making enemies everywhere they tried to settle down. Consequently getting exiled from region after region, they had no choice but to continue making their way southward until they were finally able to establish themselves in what is now the Writhaven Governance. The founders of WG had a singular core belief: one cannot attribute their life any meaning without having experienced true pain and suffering. And so it was that they lived lives in which they happily and brutally gave each other grievous injuries, relishing in the pleasures of both inflicting and receiving as much pain as possible. One might then ask, just how did Writhaven end up the literary bastion it is today?

Generations after Writhaven's founding, one young man made a startling discovery regarding the use of chuubanite native to the region. With the right preparations, one could ingest the chuubanite and would receive all sorts of seemingly prophetic hallucinations of the heavenly realm. These visions were unlike any that had he had ever experienced, somehow giving him the sensation of actually being present in the world of the gods. Quickly jotting down what he had witnessed, the First Prophet, as he came to be known, journeyed throughout all of WG, sharing his wondrous tale. So gripping were his words, that all those who heard them reported feeling as if they too had been right beside him in the heavenly realm watching the events unfold. His writing caught on like wildfire, igniting a creative spark in the people that they had never thought to indulge. Before long, swords and whips were being put down in favor of scrolls and quills all over Writhaven as people explored the harsher and more cutting sensations these visions could bring and which so contrasted the types of pain they had grown accustomed to. It was in this way that the course of WG was irrevocably changed, setting it on the path if follows to this day.

Cities:

It is here that we will take a moment to introduce some important locations in Writhaven, as later sections may make reference to them. Omelas is one of Writhaven's largest and most populous cities. Founded at the site where the First Prophet had his seminal vision, it is considered the cultural center of WG. Rentry is the nation's capital and home to the Grand Library, a massive structure dedicated to storing all its countrymen's works. Dusbin is a bustling town in southern Writhaven, straddling the /wg/-/asp/ border. Having been settled by citizens of both nations, it is one of the first sites of the two's collaboration and a lasting symbol of their alliance. "The Google Docks" is the colloquial name for a collection of cities along the west coast of Writhaven, forming a large network of harbors which handle the bulk of the nation's trade as well as housing a number of fisheries.

Society:

Writhaven is home to a wide range of people and cultures, having no stated national religion as a result. That being said, contrary to its closer proximity to the Niji States, Writhaven is primarily occupied by followers of the Holo pantheon. There are a large variety of languages spoken in WG as well. Polyglotism is in fact quite common throughout the nation, with most people speaking at least 2-3 languages. The western coastal towns which make up the Google Docks have a fairly diverse population, as do most major cities (with the notable exception of Omelas which is overwhelmingly /fbk/-oriented). However, as you go further inland it is not uncommon to come across smaller towns where all the people worship a singular chuuba. These villages can sometimes serve as microcosms of other nations, allowing one to experience a taste of many different cultures in a fraction of the travel time.

Beyond the similarities to existing cultures, life in Writhaven today reflects both its violent beginnings and newfound passions. This can be seen in the two distinguished roles a citizen can serve: the battler and the oracle. At a young age, children are subjected to a battery of tests to determine their aptitude for these positions. Those who are selected for this honor are brought to academies designed to bring these talents to their fullest potential through the use of an intense training regimen lasting until the cusp of adulthood. The future battlers are trained to endure under excruciating levels of agony and to deal it out in equal measure. Those who are destined to become oracles are taught how to harness the powers of chuubanite to bring forth and record prophetic visions to guide the populace.

Government:

The visions oracles receive are important sources of advice and warnings of what is to come. However, they can lead astray just as easily as they can lend aid if one does not have the expertise needed to interpret them correctly. It is for these reasons that only the nation's top oracles may serve in the governing body of Writhaven, called the Canon. Amongst themselves, a leader is elected and given the title of Archon, a position retained until death. Together, the Archon and the other members of the Canon thus lead WG, using their visions as a guide for their decision-making.

In general, the laws of Writhaven tend to be fairly lenient at the national level to accommodate the wide variety of faiths practiced, although provinces do sometimes set stricter rules within their own territory. One thing to note, however, is that laws regarding theft are especially punitive. Theft, and plagiarism in particular, is viewed as a much more heinous and despicable act than in other nations, with many Writhavens being willing to lay down their lives to prevent it.

Military:

In the armies of Writhaven, no group of soldiers is more renowned than the battlers. Upon the completion of their training, these elite warriors are placed into special task forces to be deployed as the Canon deems necessary. Staying true to WG's roots, battlers are both merciless torturers and gluttons for punishment, though they tend to avoid killing off their targets as it would "spoil the fun".

The Chekhov gun is the standard sidearm issued to Writhaven battlers during their military duty. Due to the battlers' penchant for violence from and towards each other, a number of traditions have developed around their weaponry. Though battlers normally prefer using blades, the most famous of these rituals is probably that of "cheking". First and foremost, it goes without saying that if a battler unholsters their chekhov then they are making an implicit promise that it will be fired. As a result, it is not uncommon for one battler to approach another he is in dispute with and brandish his chek as an invitation to duel. Battlers are not the sort to bluff, and so there is no backing down from such an invitation. Once a chek has been drawn, this forces the opponent to accept lest he be fired upon unarmed. This practice has resulted in numerous problematic incidents, but the honor and predilections of battlers make it difficult to prevent them from engaging in such activities.

Trade:

Unsurprisingly, one of Writhaven's main exports is the myriad of stories created within its borders. The Fetish Nations comprise one major font for such trading, as there is no shortage to their hunger for more tales of their deities' debauchery. Exports to these countries are mainly shipped by WG organizations headquartered in the Google Docks. There is also a fair amount of demand for stories from the Holonations, the distribution of which is taken care of by Nasfaqgian companies. Grains are a common agricultural export, with the /vnug/ kingdom in /kr/ being a common buyer. Also numbering among WG's exports is its people's services as scribes and translators. With the linguistic mastery of many Writhavens being what it is, there is much demand for their talents in places with large international markets, such as in /#/ and the Serene Republic of Nasfaqg. Due to the large portion of the population which subscribes to the Holo pantheon, there is also a sizable demand for goods coming from the respective Holonations that Writhavens worship, the import of which once again being largely handled by Nasfaqgian companies.

Currency:

The Writhaven Governance Arc (WGA), commonly called the arc, is the primary currency of WG. One arc is comprised of one hundred pens, with the other denominations being the palm (five pens), the fag (ten pens), and the trial (twenty-five pens). So a value of two arcs and three palms would be denoted A2|15. It is thought that the origin of the idiom "two palms make a fag" (i.e. it takes two to tango) stems from these denominations. In the past, small rods of precious metals were used instead of the coins circulating today. The pen, palm, and fag get their names from this period, with a singular rod being much like a pen held in hand, five rods being as much as one could reasonably carry in their palm, and a stack of ten needing to be bundled together as a faggot. With the advent of coinage, the names trial and arc were chosen later to represent the new larger denominations being produced.

The Nightmare Omen:

Because the visions of oracles are often received during sleep, much significance is given to dreams in the culture of Writhaven. On a night long ago, this led to a terrible calamity known as the Nightmare Omen. On this fateful night, a singular terrible vision came to all the citizens of Writhaven as they slept. Upon awakening, the people were filled with rage and terror at what they had experienced and, unable to differentiate between fantasy and reality, they rampaged through the streets, attacking both friends and imagined enemies alike. For most, the haze clouding their judgement caused by this strange vision faded by the next day, leaving many confused about what had happened and wondering how to prevent another such catastrophe.

Others, however, seemingly never recovered and continued to ransack and pillage in a blind fervor, becoming known as Sleepwalkers. The most notorious such example was an acting member of the Canon at the time. Later investigations of this oracle revealed that he had also been taking bribes from unknown sources to give prespecified visions. To this day, reports of alleged sightings of Sleepwalkers persist, though it is widely believed that none truly remain. Nevertheless, fear of the threat they present and the possibility of the Nightmare Omen one day coming true gnaw at the backs of many Writhaven's minds.

The Grand Library:

The National Archive of Writhaven (NAW), also commonly called the Grand Library, is the central storage site for all written works produced in WG. Located in the capital city of Rentry, it is a truly immense structure and the most recognizable landmark in all of Writhaven, even being depicted on the back of the arc. According to legend, it was started by the tenacity of one man, determined to collect every page he could get his hands on in an attempt to keep any from being swept away by the winds of time. In an ironic twist, the collection has grown so large that many works are thought to be lost forever within the Library's walls. Over the years, various attempts at cataloguing and organizing all its contents have had to be halted as they proved too massive an undertaking, the Archive's many labyrinthine shelves making it impossible to navigate for all but its most dedicated custodians. Outside the Grand Library stands a large cube of black glass, a monument to the First Prophet known as the Writer's Block. Balancing on its corner, the sculpture has the words of the First Prophet's vision inscribed all across its surface. It is said that an author who has lost their way will regain their inspiration upon reading the full inscription.

A Clean Slate:

For Writhavens, death is seen as the final step in a hopefully fulfilled life. As such, the treatment of the dead has an air of finality about it. Upon the event of one's death in WG, the body is transferred to a large stone stage on the outskirts of town outfitted with several fire pits called "slates". At this time, the deceased's possessions are collected from their residence and gathered beside the slate containing their body. Depending on the size of their estate, this may be done by the family alone, or it may become a town-wide effort. In cases where the deceased lived alone, it is not unheard of for community members to simply let themselves into the home and begin carting off their possessions to be brought to the slates. With these preparations made, the pyre can be lit and the funeral begins.

Funerals are a celebratory ritual in Writhaven, with many of the departed's favorite foods and drinks provided for the guests in attendance while they celebrate and remember the person they've lost by sharing stories of their life. Throughout these festivities, the dead's possessions are regularly added to the continuously burning slate, with the immolation of the last items marking the funeral's end. In the case of particularly influential or wealthy individuals, this can result in a town-wide celebration lasting for several days, during which the slate is kept burning bright with a steady stream of offerings to consume. Eventually, however, the slate inevitably grows dim as the deceased's possessions are all exhausted. Once the funeral pyre goes out, those items which were not destroyed by the fire can be claimed by whoever digs them out from the ashes. The remaining debris is then cleared away and the deceased's slate is wiped clean.