Nation/Sargossa

Republic of Sargossa
Motto: Let Them Hate Us. As Long As They Fear Us
Anthem: ‘Sargossa Unite’
National Animal Great Manta
Capital		Soluca
Demonym		Sargossan
Government		Military Dictatorship
-	President of the Republic	Gregorio Emparán
-	Vice President of the Republic	Juan Manual Trucco
Population
-	estimate	12 billion
Currency		Dinara (Đ)
Time zone		Branta Time (BrT)
Internet TLD		.srg

Sargossa is an economically powerful nation centred in the Oygruppen region of Rushmore, with further Rushmori colonies situated in Branta, the Goose Coast and Tempalia. Major regional neighbours include Nethertopia to the South East, Candelaria And Marquez to the South West and the Polar Islandstates to the North.

Birth Of A Nation

The Official Version

Discovered by Luca Sargo during the great age of exploration the islands of the Sargossan Archipelago were gradually colonised by, predominantly Spanish, settlers from Europe. Landing on the largest island, named Sargosso after its discoverer, Sargo and his expedition quickly set up trading colonies along the southern coast and started exploring northwards towards the island’s interior and across the narrow straits to the south east to the neighbouring island of Cormino.

Shortly after penetrating deeper into the larger island contact was made with the island’s inhabitants, the Mitizo. These native were absorbed into the rapidly expanding European enclave, often unwillingly. As more and more settlers poured into Sargosso’s ports the European influence extended both north and south, bringing Larissa and Midea into the fold five and six years respectively after the first colony was founded.

The western island of Inca, along with its ruins of a much older civilisation, was added a year later. With the full integration of Quella some ten years after the first colony on Sargosso was founded the nation achieved the borders it still holds to this day. And it did indeed become a nation in its own right as, unnoticed by the already colony heavy European powers, the new land now known as Sargossa quietly cut its ties with its European masters.

There followed decades of civil unrest, Mitizo uprisings and eventual brutal and bloody conflict, the so-called Unification Wars, between the various islands before Sargossa finally settled into life as the nation it is today. But the exploration bug never really left and Sargossan sailors once again set out into the wider region, establishing colonies and making contact with the other nations of Olde Rushmore.

The Alternate Version

It is perhaps worth noting that the above is the most commonly accepted account of the nation’s founding. There is however a school of thought that adheres to a slightly less palatable version of events. Specifically that Luca Sargo rather than being a noted explorer was instead an infamous pirate who, upon stumbling across the largest of the archipelago’s islands, found its many bays and inlets useful as ports from which to strike out at passing shipping as well as secluded hiding places for both himself and his ill gotten gains. Such was his success that many more of his ilk were attracted to Sargosso and the neighbouring islands until eventually a thriving community could be found there.

Not willing to concede that their fine nation is descended from a gang of wanton criminals, successive governments have been trying to stamp out this particular version of events for centuries. Despite their attempts the belief still lives on, fuelled in no small part by the known fact that at one time the waters in and around the archipelago were indeed rife with piracy.