View source for Free Republic of Avelax

The '''Free Republic of Avelax''' is the largest [[sovereign state|nation]] on the [[continent]] of [[Avelax]], and one of the largest and most powerful in all of [[Dadauar]].  Also known as the FRA, as the Republic, or simply as Avelax (despite the ambiguity with the continent), the Free Republic of Avelax is an [[onirarchy]], a dictatorship ruled by [[dream magic|magic]]-using leaders who siphon off [[dream energy]] from their subjects.  More so than in most such nations, however, the [[onirarch]]s of the Republic go through the motions of democracy, giving the people an illusion of self-rule.

==Geography==
{{main|Geography of the FRA}}
The Free Republic takes up most of the continent it occupies.  The [[Xien Peninsula]] to the south, which makes up about a third of the continent, is held by other nations: [[K'eng]], [[Ren Gao]], and [[T'in]] among them.  Aside from that, Avelax covers the entire remainder of the continent except for [[Mapland]] to the west, and a few other, much smaller surrounding nations, including the [[Ivinii|Ivinian]] colony of [[Kasie]]&mdash;and one interior locale, the [[Godhill]], to which the Republic has waived its claims, though it later had cause to regret this.

That isn't to say that all the land in the Republic's boundaries is developed.  To be sure, central Avelax is little more than a vast sea of tall, dense [[cities of the onirarchies|cities]], with a few small reservations of natural terrain.  But there are edges that remain unworked&mdash;the jungles of the peninsula to the west, the mountains that run down the continent's center.  Then, too, there is the [[City Proscribed]], a mysterious site in the Republic's interior that the government officially claims but exerts no control over.

==People==
{{main|People of the FRA}}
The people of the Republic are of mixed [[ethnicity]] and [[species]], but predominant are the [[Balian]]s, a light-skinned people originally from the continent of [[Burcady]], who crossed the isthmus into Avelax just under two thousand years ago, driving out most of the indigenous [[Kenever]] people.  But Avelax has had immigrants&mdash;voluntary and otherwise&mdash;from many other places, and is home to a considerable mix of people; the Balians form a majority, but there are many significant minorities.

Citizens of the FRA have come to be called "[[Freeman|Freemen]]"&mdash;whether or not they are actually free, which leads to apparently oxymoronic constructions such as [[resistance to the onirarchs|rebel]] agitators speaking of "Freeman [[slavery (Dadauar)|slaves]]".  This word has become so widespread, in fact, that it has come to be used as an adjective referring to anything from the Republic, not just limited to people; thus one speaks of Freeman imports, the Freeman government, and so forth.

==Government==
{{main|Government of the FRA}}
The Freeman government is nominally a democracy, ruled by a [[premier (FRA)|premier]] and an [[assembly (FRA)|assembly]] composed of a representative from each [[Districts of the FRA|district]], all elected by the people on regular intervals.  However, while it's true that the votes of the populace are actually counted, and the candidate with the most votes is installed into the office, the whole thing is orchestrated by a hidden government of onirarchs, led by a powerful cabal that refers to itself as the [[People's Council]].  The onirarchs choose the candidates, so whichever one the people elect, it makes little difference; technically, the people do have a choice in their government, but it's a choice between similar options already preselected for them.

Aside from the premier and the assembly, other important officials include the body of appointed officials known as the [[Ministry (FRA)|Ministry]] and the [[proconsul (FRA)|proconsul]]s who preside over the forty-one administrative districts of the nation.

The current premier of the Republic is an elderly woman named [[Eulaige Hahorbath]].

==Economy==
{{main|Economy of the FRA}}
The Free Republic is Dadauar's largest importer of food.  All the developed part of the nation is taken up by cities with little or no greenspace save some small patches set aside for parks, and the Republic produces very little food of its own&mdash;though there is some seafood farmed around its edges.  It exports magical goods, as well as certain mineral resources.

Internally, the FRA has done away with physical currency for its common citizens, whose net worth is instead tracked by implants in their left index fingers.  Though this was nominally done for the sake of convenience, in practice it means these people have no purchase power outside the Republic where this system isn't used.  This has motivated the [[black market (FRA)|black market]] and the [[Resistance (FRA)|Resistance]] to develop their own system of currency, with which they can trade without the onirarchy's oversight.  This shadow currency, known as [[pall money]] in apparent allusion to the mysterious [[Avelachian Pall]] that once mantled the continent, is made of [[dreamstuff]] stolen by Resistance [[dream mage|wizard]]s from the onirarchs' creations.[[Category:Nations of Avelax]][[Category:Onirarchies]]