Rhodanthian

Rhodanthian, officially known as The Restored Commonwealth of Rhodanthian, is a , located in eastern Osova. It is comprised of 9 Homelands and 2 Districts, and is home to 43 million people. It covers nearly 600,000 km2 of land, from the Obomvu River to the north, to the sugar islands in the Viceroy's Pass.

Settled by modern humans around 250,000 years ago, the first permanent cities arose in Rhodanthian around 500 B.C., with a succession of trader kingdoms influencing the Viceroy's Pass until the arrival and colonization of Rhodanthian by Amphian and Escaran traders and settlers between the 16th and 20th centuries. Rhodanthian gained its independence from Zusea in 1982, after over 100 years of colonial influence, bringing about a massive Osovan cultural resurgence, including the re-institution of the Rhodantine Monarch, and a rise in the power of the Homelands and the Priesthood. Upon entering the world stage in their own right, the Rhodantine people have swiftly shaped their country into a place of equality and diversity, notable for its open borders and vibrant mix of Osovan and Amphian culture.

Rhodanthian's current head of state is President Johna van Heel, who assumed office Jan 1, 2018 as a member of the Primacy Party. Rhodanthian's current monarch is Chikondi Ayodele, who assumed the throne on May 28th, 2011, following the death of her father Ekundayo Ayodele.

Through the Rhodantine government maintains a policy of "Rhodanthian First" in regards to foreign affairs, it remains a member of the Ordic League and the Räichsbund, as well as heading the Osovan Union from its capital of Sizenzele.

History
See also: History of Rhodanthian

Prehistory and ancient history
Rhodanthian contains some of the oldest archaeological and human-fossil sites in the world. Archeologists have recovered extensive remains from a series of caves in the  Magwagwe Homeland. These finds suggest that various hominid species existed in Rhodanthian from about two million years ago, with modern humans inhabiting the region for at least 250,000 years. The Isithiyo culture spread throughout much of Southern and Eastern Osova throughout the Late Stone Age, after about 75,000 years ago. A further expansion, dated to about 20,000 years ago, suggests a connection with the spread of click consonants. The contemporary Tzimba and Wandase peoples resemble those represented by the ancient Isithiyo skeletal remains.

Old Kingdoms Era
''See also: Kingdom of Tzonga

The arrival of livestock and cultures began around 2,000 years ago. At this time, the Wandase culture began to diverge from that of the Tzimba. Hunting and gathering gave way to pastoralism as the dominant economic activity. The arrival of livestock is thought to have introduced concepts of personal wealth and property-ownership as well as the establishment of a political structure of chiefdoms.

Settlements of Rhoda-speaking peoples, who were iron-using and  were already present south of the Obomvu River by the 4th or 5th century CE. These groups introduced a greater variety of domesticated animals and crops, including millet and sorghum. The Rhoda tribes conquered and integrated the existing chiefdoms, slowly moving southeast. They established a number of permanent settlements along the Omkhulu River and throughout the Indawabanzi.

Several Tzimba tribes warred with the encroaching Rhoda, stealing cattle and burning crops. Ultimately the Tzimba were unable to compete with the Rhoda, and were pushed towards the Isithyo Range and the forested lands south of the Omkhulu.

Wandase settlements tended to emerge along the coastlines, particularly in eastern Rhodanthian and extending to Tshaka. These settlements traded in fish and salt, and popularized the use of the shell as currency.

These settlements grew in power and prestige, often clashing over land or cattle. Around 1100 A.D., the Kingdom of Tzonga arose as the foremost power in the region, holding sway over much of the current day borders of Rhodanthian from their capital of Mthatha. Overthrown by a popular uprising under Kweku Opeyemi, the Tzonga Kingdom collapsed around 1200 A.D. Thereafter, a succession of kingdoms warred and traded amongst each other, with none holding power for more than a few generations.

At the time of Amphian contact, the region was split between the Wandase Kingdom of Isiphepho and the Tzimba Kingdom of Ilihlosi.

Early Colonialism
''See also: Hyspanic East Osova

In 1517, Hyspanic explorers led the first Amphian voyage to land in southern Osova. On 4 December, they landed at the mouth of the Obomvu river. They continued down the eastern coast of southern Osova, landing at Hersch Bay. They traded with representatives of Queen Manyara I, exchanging gifts of tobacco and wine in exchange for ivory and sugar. After January 8 1518, prevented by storms from proceeding along the coast, the explorers sailed out of sight of land. (WIP: Tshaka discovery?)

They reached as far up the western coast of Osova as the Cliffs of Zola, which they called the Acantilados de Paraiso ('Cliffs of Paradise'). On their return to Amphia, these explorers brought word of their route and of the untapped riches of the region.

By the end of the 16th century, New Hyspania and Zusea had established multiple trading posts along the coast of eastern Rhodanthian.

Colonial Era
''See also: Ostotzova

Politics
Main articles: Government of Rhodanthian, Politics of Rhodanthian

Monarchy
Main article: Monarchy of Rhodanthian

Foreign relations
Main articles: Foreign relations of Rhodanthian, Räichsbund

Military
See also: Military of Rhodanthian

Economy
See also: Economy of Rhodanthian

Demographics
''See also: Demographics in Rhodanthian

Religion
See also: Religion in Rhodanthian, Zambalo

Culture
Main: Rhodantine Culture

Music
Main: Rhodantine Music

Rhodantine folk music has it roots in Umzambalo tradition, usually having a choral or call-and-response center accompanied by drums and stringed instruments. Traditional songs often tell myths and historical accounts, and can vary depending on region and performer. This focus on vocal performances and experimentality has carried through the modern era and into today, with Rhodanthian serving as the birthplace of genres such as, , , and.

After more intensive Zusean colonization began in the mid 19th Century, access to Amphian orchestra-style instruments allowed for more diversity in sound, with nightclubs in Kaapstatd pioneering new genres blending Amphian and Osovan musical tradition. At the same time, the introduction of sheet music eased both the formalization of the Umzambalo legends, and the introduction of Rhodantine music to the world at large. These new forms of music became wildly popular in Zusea, and were often anthems of the early Rhodantine independence movements.

Music remained a key part of Rhodantine culture and identity moving into the mid 20th Century, and as the nation achieved its independence from Zusea in 1953, the musical landscape evolved in a renaissance of the vocal performance. In the coming decades Indie and Hip Hop artists would supplant the more traditional Jazz and R&B genres in the nation's spotlight, with Rap music taking hold of Rhodantine musical presence internationally.