Eternity RPC Board
10-20-2017, 03:24 PM
Twilight, 14 Fein, 1587
The Northern Reaches of Harmajaa -- unincorporated tribal lands referred to as Sappa.
---
Eidur Hamsson stopped his ATV and popped off his helmet to rest. He had been driving for nearly three hours. The vehicle was electric and was powered by solar energy, so it was nearly time for him to stop anyway, or at least that's what he told himself. The battery itself likely was still nearly full, as it charged through the day to run at night, but he was ready to rest anyway.
His job was an important one. He was a Field Agent for the Harmajaan special forces and it was his job to survey the land to the north of Harmajaa proper. These were lands mostly untamed, besides the occasional nomadic tribe of Saamo. This was "Sappa" as it was called.
The name came from the lone permanent settlement in the region, a small town whose population ranged from 20 thousand to a few hundred thousand depending on the season. Few buildings were actually permanent, as most of the "citizens" were nomads and came and went as they pleased .
The origins of this strange land are curious indeed. When Harmajaa won its independence, there were a select group of Saamo who rejected the modern ways of the south, preferring instead the tradition and customs of their ancestors. This created a rift between them and the government in Tyko that eventually came to blows. To settle the matter, the government demanded they leave for the north, where they would be left alone for the foreseeable future. Thus, the unincorporated territory of Sappa was created.
This place was barely independent, if one could even consider it that way. The border was not enforced, and Harmajaa protected the seas surrounding the territory. The Sappish regularly travelled south into Harmajaa proper to trade goods and services, particularly in the winter when the far north became increasingly unbearable. Harmajaa was responsible, in fact, for the existence of Sappa the city, as it was constructed prior to the separation. A single road connected the settlement with the rest of the world, as well as a small airstrip.
Sappa was barely governed, as a small council of the most respected Sappish convened once a year to settle major disputes and quarrels. It was a land off the grid, so to speak.
This had benefits for those who liked to be alone and unperturbed, and Sappa became a haven for those who wanted to leave the world at large, though this was a very small minority. There were problems however. In the last several years, hunting had grown to be a problem, and the populations of native fauna were on the brink of extinction. The lack of huntable wildlife drew the Sappish further south, even into Harmajaa, where they conflicted with Harmajaans over their right to hunt. This was the first indication that the present state of affairs could not continue.
The second was the removal of waste. Surely, even remote mountain men create waste. In the civilized world, there are places to take care of this waste in a healthy and sustainable way. In Sappa, there is no such thing. There were several large landfills of sorts where waste and trash were discarded, and over the decades these had grown to cause real problems. One in particular was near a major river that flowed south. The water had grown so unclean that it was nearly unusable and stunk terribly. This was the second sign that Sappa would have to be dealt with.
The third reason was that of human rights abuses. The Sappish, particularly the children, lived in perpetual squalor -- barely educated, barely healthy, barely civilized. While this could be ignored for a time, journalists had grown increasingly critical of the Harmajaan governments tolerance of the state of the Sappish. While they were technically on their own, how could Tyko stand by and let ethnic Saamo live in such poverty. Surely there was something that could be done.
Lastly, there were those in Tyko who were beginning to rattle the sabres of nationalism. Calls for a united Saamo state had grown in popularity, particularly after the conflict in Balochia involving the Lappish. The time, so they said, had come for civilization to come to Sappa, and for the Sappish to join the rest of the planet.
And so, Tyko acquiesced. Plans were drawn up, contingencies established, and resources mobilized. The first step, was to survey the land... this was the job of Hamsson and his compatriots. He had been out for three days, and would be out for another two and a half weeks before he would return to the south. In that time, he and his colleagues would learn all they could about these wild lands, and upon presenting this to their superiors, decisions would be made about how best to return the Sappish to the flock.
The Northern Reaches of Harmajaa -- unincorporated tribal lands referred to as Sappa.
---
Eidur Hamsson stopped his ATV and popped off his helmet to rest. He had been driving for nearly three hours. The vehicle was electric and was powered by solar energy, so it was nearly time for him to stop anyway, or at least that's what he told himself. The battery itself likely was still nearly full, as it charged through the day to run at night, but he was ready to rest anyway.
His job was an important one. He was a Field Agent for the Harmajaan special forces and it was his job to survey the land to the north of Harmajaa proper. These were lands mostly untamed, besides the occasional nomadic tribe of Saamo. This was "Sappa" as it was called.
The name came from the lone permanent settlement in the region, a small town whose population ranged from 20 thousand to a few hundred thousand depending on the season. Few buildings were actually permanent, as most of the "citizens" were nomads and came and went as they pleased .
The origins of this strange land are curious indeed. When Harmajaa won its independence, there were a select group of Saamo who rejected the modern ways of the south, preferring instead the tradition and customs of their ancestors. This created a rift between them and the government in Tyko that eventually came to blows. To settle the matter, the government demanded they leave for the north, where they would be left alone for the foreseeable future. Thus, the unincorporated territory of Sappa was created.
This place was barely independent, if one could even consider it that way. The border was not enforced, and Harmajaa protected the seas surrounding the territory. The Sappish regularly travelled south into Harmajaa proper to trade goods and services, particularly in the winter when the far north became increasingly unbearable. Harmajaa was responsible, in fact, for the existence of Sappa the city, as it was constructed prior to the separation. A single road connected the settlement with the rest of the world, as well as a small airstrip.
Sappa was barely governed, as a small council of the most respected Sappish convened once a year to settle major disputes and quarrels. It was a land off the grid, so to speak.
This had benefits for those who liked to be alone and unperturbed, and Sappa became a haven for those who wanted to leave the world at large, though this was a very small minority. There were problems however. In the last several years, hunting had grown to be a problem, and the populations of native fauna were on the brink of extinction. The lack of huntable wildlife drew the Sappish further south, even into Harmajaa, where they conflicted with Harmajaans over their right to hunt. This was the first indication that the present state of affairs could not continue.
The second was the removal of waste. Surely, even remote mountain men create waste. In the civilized world, there are places to take care of this waste in a healthy and sustainable way. In Sappa, there is no such thing. There were several large landfills of sorts where waste and trash were discarded, and over the decades these had grown to cause real problems. One in particular was near a major river that flowed south. The water had grown so unclean that it was nearly unusable and stunk terribly. This was the second sign that Sappa would have to be dealt with.
The third reason was that of human rights abuses. The Sappish, particularly the children, lived in perpetual squalor -- barely educated, barely healthy, barely civilized. While this could be ignored for a time, journalists had grown increasingly critical of the Harmajaan governments tolerance of the state of the Sappish. While they were technically on their own, how could Tyko stand by and let ethnic Saamo live in such poverty. Surely there was something that could be done.
Lastly, there were those in Tyko who were beginning to rattle the sabres of nationalism. Calls for a united Saamo state had grown in popularity, particularly after the conflict in Balochia involving the Lappish. The time, so they said, had come for civilization to come to Sappa, and for the Sappish to join the rest of the planet.
And so, Tyko acquiesced. Plans were drawn up, contingencies established, and resources mobilized. The first step, was to survey the land... this was the job of Hamsson and his compatriots. He had been out for three days, and would be out for another two and a half weeks before he would return to the south. In that time, he and his colleagues would learn all they could about these wild lands, and upon presenting this to their superiors, decisions would be made about how best to return the Sappish to the flock.