Teran is a sprawling archipelago of islands far from the hub of Westerlin, Zaledo, and Jezhan.
Teran is a warm, resource- and technology-rich sprawling archipelago far to the west of Westerlin and Jezhan. A belt of independent islands sit between Teran and Zaledo, some of which have always been separate and some of which seceded over the centuries (the most recent was Dahaika, which seceded around 30 years ago). While Teran used to be a monarchy, a military coup 300 years ago known as the Teranese Revolution resulted in transferral of leadership to a President and Parliament and dissolution of the aristocracy. Now, Teran is prosperous, with some technological advancements beyond those commonly seen in Westerlin, and sees itself as a meritocracy. A mountain range bisects mainland Teran; on one side is bountiful rainforest and fertile plains, while on the other the rain shadow of the range makes the land more arid. The current Teranese President is President Faraci, who has been in office for eight years (a presidential term is five years long).
Presidents and parliamentary ministers leave the military to take office, but because Teran holds military service with such respect, decorated officers are popular with voters. For centuries Teran has had mandatory two years’ military service known as Teranese Service for almost everyone aged between ages 18-20 which involves basic training and assignment across the Teranese islands or the mainland. The Dahaikan Secession was the last time a major military operation occurred, but Teran maintains a large, highly-trained army assigned to emergencies, policing, and disaster relief. Most people leave the military on an ordinary discharge, which opens few doors; if someone is particularly impressive they will be discharged respectably, gaining a better pension. Being dishonorably discharged means being blacklisted from many jobs, vastly reduces opportunities, and generally results in social censure.
After the coup, the noble classes were officially dissolved. However, the President recognises individuals with the title Honored (which also bestows a yearly stipend high enough to live a very comfortable middle-class lifestyle) or the higher level title Esteemed (whose yearly stipend enables a luxurious upper-class lifestyle). These titles are awarded for exceptional military, scientific, artistic, academic, philosophical, philanthropic, or otherwise heroic endeavours.
The Church of Teran is polytheistic and worships a large number of deities (eg. Elene is the deity of the sun, Alvir is the deity of protection, etc). Private shrines with offerings are usually set up in people’s homes, as well as regular communal worship taking place in churches. Though they worship the same gods, the Church of Teran is a different denomination and split from the Church of Jezhan as part of the Revolution. Tenets of the Church of Teran include valuing personal ambition and striving, wonder and curiosity, and harmonic unity.