Lhazastani Interactive Encyclopedia ((Factbook|Q&A|MT))

[Lhazastan]

I'd like to credit Fatatatutti as inspiration for this format. I would also like to say that I do welcome comments, but don't spam the thread. I don't want to keep having to ask the mods to delete posts. I will be adding onto this likely slowly, but indefinitely. please refrain from inflammatory comments.

Excerpts from the new Lhazastani National Encyclopedia:

Air Battalion
Akrata
Akrata Women's Penal Facility
Arktoi
Baran, Robert
Cities
Demographics of Lhazastan
Doležal, Rebecca
Economy of Lhazastan
Elis
Federated Territories
Foreign Relations
Foreign Women's Corps
Free Women's Party
Geography of Lhazastan
Izmir
Karadžić, Eliza
Kuzmenko, Amarynthia
Lamia Salt Flats
Lhaza
Lhazarene
Skopik Highlands
Map of Lhazastan
Military of Lhazastan
Nowak, Mark
Red Bloc
Security Campaign
Sex and Gender in Lhazastan
The Elis Tapes
Torbica, Anna
Womyn

[Lhazastan]

Arktoi

The arktoi are an all-female light, mechanized infantry unit. It consists of approximately six hundred women, all of whom are trained in both armed and unarmed combat. They are considered the elite soldiers of Lady Kuzmenko, and are led by Kuzmenko’s primary aide, Robert Baran, said sometimes to be the only male in the arktoi, though his position as a civilian leader means he is not, in fact, one of them in any actual sense of the word, any more than Kuzmenko is one.

Despite being considered the elite force of Lhazastan, they are relatively green, though arguably some of the most experienced troops fighting for the new Lhazastani government, as they have been the key instrument in pursuing the security campaign and combating militants in the countryside.

[Lhazastan]

Baran, Robert

Robert Baran (born 30 October, 1966) is the chief adviser to Lady Kuzmenko. Prior to the fall of the Federated Territories, he was the warden of the Akrata Women's Penal Facility. He is noted as commander-in-chief of the arktoi, despite being male.

Early Life

College

Tenure at Akrata WPF

Relationship with Amarynthia Kuzmenko

Having been quickly taken by Kuzmenko's charisma and willfulness, Baran aided her secretly by ensuring that she had the materials necessary to continue her writing and speaking, and made use of a gender neutral pseudonym to release all of Kuzmenko's works produced while in prison. As a successful and loyal employee in the prison system, he escaped any suspicion. Kuzmenko was at this time the only person who knew that Baran was sympathetic to her.

Fracture of the Territories

Security Campaign

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Cities

The largest city in Lhazastan is its namesake, Lhaza. It is an old city built on a plateau above a broad plain in southern Lhazastan, separated from Lhazastan’s southern neighbor by one of the driest deserts on the planet, considered virtually impassable.

Most settlements in Lhazastan are small towns or villages, many without official names.

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Economy of Lhazastan

Lhazastan has a relatively weak economy, based primarily on agriculture and mining. The per capita gross domestic product is estimated to be approximately $10,300. Lhazastan’s currency, the crown, is a remnant of that of the Federated Territories. It is worth approximately $0.60.

Primary exports of Lhazastan include rice and wheat.

[Lhazastan]

Kuzmenko, Amarynthia

Amarynthia Beneš Kuzmenko (17 November, 1979) is the first and current matriarch of the nation of Lhazastan, noted for having lobbied successfully for its existence and sovereignty before the union of states of the former Federated Territories. Critics suggest she is also noted as the primary catalyst for the final dismemberment of the Territories. Prior to the fall of the Federated Territories, she was best known for her political activism as a leader of the radical feminist and lesbian separatist movements.

Early life
Kuzmenko was born Elizabeth Ann Beneš in Lhaza to Nathaniel and Iris Beneš. Her mother was a noted feminist writer with moderate political stances, which put her frequently at odds with the radical feminist community which was rising around the time of Kuzmenko’s childhood. Nathaniel Beneš was a soldier in the Federated Marines and suffered the loss of both legs on tour when Kuzmenko was eight years old. He became an outspoken critic of the federal government.

Her parents separated two years later, and Kuzmenko spent a year in federal custody while both of her parents were imprisoned for, amongst other charges, assault and public indecency. The both of them returned from prison as more virulent critics of the government and FT culture, though neither became political figures. Iris Beneš’ never published further works.

During Kuzmenko’s time in federal custody, she was raped by several of her caretakers, predominately male, a reported seven times. This, combined with her parents’ political stances, shaped her radical feminist ideology.

College

Separatist Movement
What began as anarchist sympathy evolved into a belief that opposition to the patriarchy, notably that expressed by the Federated Territories government, would best be done through focusing on women and girls. Kuzmenko’s contact with the lesbian separatist movement came through meeting a friend of her mother’s at a feminist lecture she was speaking at. While noting her father’s good intentions, she came to believe that he could not make truly positive contributions to the feminist movement, and had in fact damaged it through his hostile interaction with her mother.

This began Kuzmenko’s period of political lesbianism, and also was the root of her belief that a positive society would require a separate space, physical and psychological, away from the so-called “negative” societies, such as those in existence notably within the Federated Territories. At the time, she began living with Eliza Karadžić, who, she said, was her life partner. She also changed her surname to her mother's from her father's Beneš, adopting the name Elizabeth Ann Kuzmenko.

A charismatic young woman, Kuzmenko quickly gained respect from the separatist community and became a leader of the movement, pursuing its goals with greater passion than any other member. Her activism frequently placed her center stage, at odds with the federal government. She was arrested three times for public disturbance and conspiracy, and one final time for indecent exposure during a protest over the acquittal of two men who had raped a woman, the basis of the defense being that the woman had “been asking for it” by her choice in clothing.

Her methods and zeal gained her many followers and, as critics suggest, her branching into many different issues aggravated the cracks already forming in the federal union, causing the final splintering. Her conviction for indecent exposure and a poor public defense due to the freezing of assets of hers and other prominent feminist making it impossible to hire their own attorneys.

Relationship with Robert Baran
Kuzmenko met Baran in prison, where he was the warden. He was immediately taken by her charisma and though acknowledging her belief that men could not positively contribute to the feminist cause, he allowed her to write tracts in prison and distributed them himself through a pseudonym. He also acted as her publicist through a different, gender neutral pseudonym.

They became close friends, to the extent that when she was told she was finally allowed visits from her life partner, Karadžic was not informed, at her behest. Kuzmenko would later explain that she had become too involved with Baran on an intellectual level and could not face Karadžić, who would not understand and would threaten Kuzmenko’s support base.

While imprisoned, her writings became progressively more demanding of the disbanding of the Territories. Her writing was unilaterally banned, and her privilege to access writing tools was revoked, though with Baran operating with impunity, she managed to continue spreading her messages.

Ethical Calculus
Approximately nine months into her prison sentence, Kuzmenko says she had a prophetic epiphany of a utopian society. While she claims to be unable to remember the path she envisioned, her writings turned to a more progressive and less hostile ideology with a “perfect” end goal in mind, culminating in the lecture series, Ethical Calculus. While the goal is even now still ambiguous, her charismatic presence, both physical and in her writing, garnered a strong following, especially amongst those who could already see the Federated Territories ripping itself apart.

With her change in direction and her disavowment of anarchism and forsaking of her lesbian political identity, her radical feminist support dissolved, though she did attract more moderate feminists. Karadžić ended their relationship and went on to be one of the most hostile opponents of Kuzmenko’s vision.

Kuzmenko’s conviction and feeling as though she had awoken a new person prompted to change her name once again. With Baran’s help, she legally adopted the given name of Amarynthia.

Fracture of the Territories

Council Mandate, Security Campaign, and the founding of Lhazastan

[Lhazastan]

Federated Territories

Once the sole sovereign power in the region, the Federated Territories was a strong union of semi-autonomous states. Known colloquially as the FT, the myriad "territories" had long been predominately allied, despite some infighting, and the FT was created by the adoption of the Federal Charter within all relevant countries. Following a gradual progression into a stronger government, which devolved into a police state in its final years, it collapsed from several groups revolting.

A notable individual behind the collapse, often criticized as being a primary cause, is Amarynthia Kuzmenko, whose politics and written works aggravated old cracks in the federal government's hold on the region. Other associated figures with direct roles in the fracturing of the territories are Robert Baran and Eliza Karadžić.

Before its fall, the population of the Federated Territories was nearly four billion, with a GDP per capita of $37,100.

The dissolving of the government occurred in March 2004, following a suicide bombing of the federal council which prompted the many groups preparing for the end to make their own moves to seize territory, protect their communities, and in some cases, relieve themselves from the blatant oppression of local military.

[Lhazastan]

Karadžić, Eliza

Eliza Karadžić (born 21 January, 1975) was a noted radical feminist in the Federated Territories, famous primarily for her relationship with Amarynthia Kuzmenko, then Elizabeth Kuzmenko. She is also well known for her anarchist political ideals and later hostility toward Kuzmenko following the latter’s “self awakening” and the publicity of the Ethical Calculus lecture series.

Current Status

Little is known of Karadžić’s life following the first two years of the war. She is believed to be alive and well, and possibly working with one of the anarchist militant groups working against Kuzmenko’s government. There is no warrant out for her arrest, however, and her name is not used by the government for reasons unknown.

The last statements verifiably made by Karadžić are from February 2006, and implied a violent turn in her politics, which leads to the suspicion that she may be a militant leader. Her outward hostility toward Kuzmenko in this and earlier statements suggests this possibility, as well.

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Air Battalion

As a new and relatively poor nation, Lhazastan does not have a full-fledged air force. The closest thing to an air force is the army’s air battalion, which specializes in air defense and medevac helicopter transport.

The rescue troop is considered an elite group of volunteer paramedics, nurses, and doctors who have offered their services in the field. Together with a handful of skilled pilots, they operate three air ambulance helicopters.

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Geography of Lhazastan

Lhazastan is a landlocked nation whose only access to the ocean is via a large river which empties into a small saltwater sea that in turn exits into the ocean through a narrow strait.

The dominant terrain of Lhazastan is rolling hills, with some small but thick wooded areas smattered around the country. The primary waterway has several veins which supply water to most of the countryside. The soil is very rich and crops go well in most parts.

At the southern border of Lhazastan, however, the grassland dries out into salt flats and a harsh desert, one of the driest in the world, though the harshest parts are not within Lhazastan.

Lhazastan averages 26 degrees Celsius in the summer and 6 degrees Celsius in the winter.

[Lhazastan]

Lhaza

The city of Lhaza is located in the southern portion of the country. It is situated on a plateau, spilling off slightly. The majority of the city is very old and stone-built. The streets are all cobblestone on top of the plateau, but on the levels below it, turn into concrete and asphalt. These roads turn into the main highway that runs from the southwest corner of the nation to the central, northern border.

A romantic city, Lhaza was, before the war, famed for its bistros, dance halls, and musical theater. Some of these still remain in the city, but many businesses shut down after the fall of the Federated Territories.

In the center of the city is the main square, which operates as a market place and is the social capital of the city and the country. It is enormous, housing four large fountains in the centers of each of four quadrants. Where the quadrants meet, there was a bronze statue of the first chancellor of the Federated Territories; this has since been replaced by a stone likeness of Lady Kuzmenko.

Lhaza’s population is somewhere near 526,000, though no official census has been taken. It is the capital of Lhazastan, and its namesake, and is the largest city in the nation by more than one hundred percent. It is the warmest city in Lhazastan, with average summer temperatures of 29 degrees Celsius, and 10 degrees in the winter.

[Lhazastan]

Foreign Relations

A new nation, Lhazastan has few relations outside of its immediate neighbors. Grand France initiated brief diplomatic talks, and the nation of Dramos, amongst a couple of others, have sent aid and equipment, but little relationship has arisen from any of those encounters.

Lhazastan has no non-neighbor allies, and does not consider any states to be inherent enemies.

[Lhazastan]

Sex and Gender in Lhazastan

Built on feminist ideals, though admittedly tempered (and some would say compromised) by Lady Kuzmenko’s “great vision,” and being comprised predominately of like-minded individuals, Lhazastan is a progressive nation in terms of sexual politics and gender equality.

While ostensibly considered equal, there is a clear difference between females and males. This is considered an official stance in some respects, due to certain decisions made by the government with regard to sex. For example, semi-autonomous military detachments are not created with any force other than the arktoi, which is an all-female army. This is intended to decrease brutality seen in the region, particularly during the time of the Federated Territories, as committed by male soldiers. Female soldiers are just as capable, but tend to have more sympathy for civilians and prisoners. This make them more effective at policing in general, and especially with patrolling the border regions. Male soldiers are kept on tighter leashes and are most typically assigned guard positions.

One of the prevailing opinions in the country is that women should be more active outside of the home and should not be expected to be the primary caregivers for children. As such, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of male partners who remain at home amongst urban-oriented families. Rural families, however, require all family members to work as much as possible, and tend to have more children, which are often expected to look after each other once a certain age.

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Izmir

Izmir is a predominately desert nation south of Lhazastan. It is a former member of the Federated Territories, and the wealthiest with a GDP of $60,000 per capita. Its primary export is oil, and the profit from these exports funds a rather hedonistic state based on luxury consumption. It was the first former-territory state to solidify its independence, and ended its participation in the war after only six weeks.

The border between Izmir and Lhazastan is unclear, as it is ostensibly somewhere in the uninhabitable desert that sits between them.

Izmir operates the largest international airport in the former Federated Territories, and has an agreement with Lhazastan to funnel Lhazastan-bound passengers to reserved airbus turboprops that are well-suited to landing at Lhazastan's few small airfields.

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Map of Lhazastan

All countries shown are former Federated Territories. Bodies of water purposefully left out of this map.

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Lamia Salt Flats

This geographic feature has long plagued the region as a near-uncrossable. It is a relatively thin crust of salt deposits covering wide swaths of stagnant water and mud which depth has not been measured, but is dangerously deep. There is a path across them which is laid out very strictly. This path is the only way heavy vehicles can get across; everywhere else, the crust will break and the vehicle will become lodged in the mud or drop into the pools. This path was discovered over decades of trial and error.

Breaking down in the middle of the flats without having a way to get out prepared (such as by other vehicles in a convoy, or air support) is considered to be sure death.

The first people to cross them completely in an automobile were two truck drivers from Goias, sent to deliver aid.

[Lhazastan]

Lhazarene

The native ethnic group of the region that is now Lhazastan. They are the namesake of the city of Lhaza which in turn is the namesake of the nation. Lhazastan means "place of the Lhaza" people, or Lhazarene. The Lhazarene were an ancient matriarchal civilization which many modern people claim ancestry from, though no Lhazarene individuals or communities are known to exist.

Being a matriarchal people and one of the original cultures in the land the Federated Territories made it a prime choice for the creation of Kuzmenko's state.

[Lhazastan]

Torbica, Anna

Anna Torbica is an Arktos. She achieved the rank of captain for her efforts in securing Lhaza during the Security Campaign. Her unit is renowned within Lhazastan for its efficiency and low casualty count in most engagements. She currently leads patrols in the northwestern borderlands of Lhazastan, aiming at rooting out the partisans there.

[Lhazastan]

Doležal, Rebecca

Rebecca Doležal is an Arktos major, noted as being the oldest woman in Lhazastan's armed forces, and the most experienced. She was one of the few female soldiers in the army of the Federated Territories, but had been barred from combat positions by their laws.

At the beginning of the Security Campaign, she was in charge of training recruits. Technically, she is still the administrative commander of the training program entire Lhazastani training program, but has focused her personal efforts on training Foreign Women's Corps trainees. She commands the Lhaza garrison, both Arktoi battalions and security forces.

[Lhazastan]

Military of Lhazastan

History

Organization

Equipment
Lhazastan uses a variety of different weapons, vehicles, and other materiel. Much of it is legacy from the former Federated Territories, but some nations have aided Lhazastan in the procurement.

The primary standard rifle issued to most new soldiers is the TKB-517, which is the most widely available rifle in Lhazastan. The AK-74 is also issued, though these are limited. When neither are available, AK-47s (entirely ubiquitous) are issued. Given the limited nature of most small arms in Lhazastan, this cannot be avoided.

Arktoi
The Arktoi have universally adopted the AK-74, leaving the other primary weapons for the other branches of the military.

Small Arms:
AK-74

Vehicles:

Foreign Women's Corps
The FWC is arguably the best equipped branch of Lhazastan's military due to the contributions of other nations made in conjunction with the offering of women for the Corps.

Small Arms:
TKB-517
AK-74

Vehicles:
F-18 Hornet (20)

Security Force
The security force are the bulk of the Lhazastani military, and the primary branch for male soldiers. It operates in support of the Arktoi and the FWC, and generally performs policing and peacekeeping services, as well as guarding important installations, such as the capitol complex in Lhaza.

Stressing fire and logistical support, the Lhazastani Security Force operates the heaviest vehicles in Lhazastan's possession

Small Arms:
TKB-517
AK-47

Vehicles:
M270 MLRS (2)
M1A1 Abrams (11)
M1 Grizzly Combat Mobility Vehicle (3)

Air Corps

Small Arms:
TKB-517
AK-47

Vehicles:

Navy
As a landlocked nation with no necessity for a riverine force, Lhazastan does not currently operate a navy.

[Lhazastan]

Demographics of Lhazastan

The Demographics of Lhazastan describe the condition and overview of Lhazastan's people. Demographic topics include basic education, health, and population statistics as well as identified racial and religious affiliations.

Population

According to the 2010 census, Lhazastan has a total estimated population of 50,872,000. Of the population, 13.74 percent lived in urban and 86.26 percent in rural areas. The country's capital, Lhaza, accounts for around two-thirds of the total urban population. The sex distribution is estimated around 45 males for each 100 females, making women 68.9% of the total population. This is likely due to the feminist basis of the nation appealing more to female immigrants than male.

Lhazastan has a substantial youth population numbering around 30 percent, and nearly 95 percent of the population below age 50. The annual population growth rate is estimated at 0.13%

All figures regarding total population do not include illegal residents, which are high in number due to the lack of policing of the borders and the presence of an unconfirmed number of armed militants in the countryside. Also missing from the census figures are those living in unsafe counties who were unable to be reached by census takers.

Ethnic Groups and Languages

Given that Lhazastan is primarily an immigrant nation, it is extremely diverse. Very few peoples are native to the region. Local peoples, most of whom have come from neighboring countries, are best described under the umbrella "slavic."

Religion

Many religions are present within Lhazastan, though most are frowned upon by the government and many of the peoples who have answered the call to settle there. Though not officially the state religion, most of the populace hold great reverence for the matriarch, Amarynthia Kuzmenko, and the vision she preaches, and the government is built entirely around it. Recognized religions that are present in high numbers are Judaism, Buddhism, and Baha'i, with some Protestant denominations.

Patriarchal faiths are not found within Lhazastan, as practitioners would have left when Lhazastan was being formed. As such, religions such as Catholicism, Hinduism, and Islam are not present in Lhazastan, except in the form of lapsed Catholics.

Atheists and agnostics account for a large percentage (30%) of the population, though many are themselves devoted to the Kuzmenko vision.

Education and Literacy

According to recent estimates, 90% of the population over the age of 10 are literate.

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Free Women's Party

The Free Women's Party is an opposition group to Lady Amarynthia's movement. It is considered the most dangerous opposition to the Lhazastani government, primarily due to the militant subdivision, The Red Bloc.

Founded in the Federated Territories, the Free Women's Party was a divisive political party aimed at creating a separate, libertarian women's nation. During the fall of the Territories, the party begin its "Garden of Eve" operation to form their own liberal state in and around the Skopik Highlands now a part of Lhazastan.

When the Skopik Highlands were incorporated into Lhazastan, the Free Women's Party went underground, and has acted solely through the Red Bloc.

The FWP uses the Venus symbol circumscribing an A. They openly have anarchist tendencies and were themselves a moderate feminist party until the rise of the Red Bloc as the controlling group. The FWP's color is black, and is the inspiration for the black armbands worn by militants in the country.

See also: The Red Bloc

[Lhazastan]

The Red Bloc

A subdivision of the Free Women's Party, the Red Bloc is classified as a terrorist organization by the Lhazastani government. As an anarcha-feminist group, they are anti-government and notably radical feminists. Their primary targets are sympathizers of Amarynthia Kuzmenko.

It is believed that they are controlled directly by Eliza Karadžić and have taken full control of the Free Women's Party.

Their symbol akin to that of the FWP, but red and stylized. It is referred to colloquially as "The Heart of Womyn," "Women's Hearts" and other similar phrases. Red Bloc fighters are considered an elite and are distinguished from other FWP militants by the heart symbol emblazoned on their armbands. Many soldiers also feature the symbol on other parts of their clothing, and it is a popular tattoo, particularly just above the left breast.

[Lhazastan]

Womyn

An alternative spelling of "women," it is used as a replacement spelling by certain radical feminist groups, and as a noun specifying members of the Red Bloc by the general populace. Mispronounced as "wo-mine," it is a derisive epithet for Free Women's Party and Red Bloc fighters used widely by the Arktoi.

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Skopik Highlands

Located in the north of Lhazastan and extending into Skopikstan, the highlands are a rugged region of low mountains. They are famously known as being incredibly defensible, and have traditionally been considered as unconquerable. In recent years, they have hosted the Free Women's Party and their elite militant arm, the Red Bloc.

Arktoi patrols here are as constant as possible in the effort to weed out Red Bloc and their sympathizers. It is considered to be a permanent conflict region, and has been designated as a no-fly zone. Locals and tourists alike are advised to stay out of the region as a whole, but this can often not be avoided.