Shireroth

I am writing an anthology of fictional Natopian history and I am trying to integrate as many other cultures on Micras as possible to enhance the realism and also enrich the culture of Micras by showing (making up) historical connections. For example, I have already asked Stormark if they would be willing to be the country of origin for Gustav Lindstrom, the theorist who brings the lindstromist government system to Natopia. But that part of history comes later in the chronology. Right now I am writing the foundation myth... I have the founder, a fellow by the name of Nett Opeaigh. He will be in such awe of the landscape that he will call his settlement, Nett Opeaigh's Awe. Later growing into Natopia City, and once Natopia expands from a city-state to a republic encompassing the entire island (when we first claim on Micras) the city is renamed Lindstrom City and becomes the capital of the new state.

Anyway, I have been looking through the MCS archives and have a list of all the nations that previously existed on Yellow Island (the name I gave to the large island Natopia occupies, named after the Yellow Territory of the Imperium of Menelmacar). I was wondering if anyone had any insight on these nations and whether or not it would be appropriate to have a lowly goat herder from one of these cultures be the mythical founder of Natopia:

Menelmacar, Menelmacariva, Elpidos (was this also Menelmacar? it has the same subdivisions and cities), Collective Unconscious, Baracao, Machiavellia (though not in control of the area around modern Lindstrom City), and Rulakia

Menelmacar dominated the continent of Tapfer and also was the previous occupant of Yellow Island before Natopia claimed it for all I can tell from the early versions of the MCS map, so I am sorta leaning towards having Nett Opeaigh being Menelmacari (I may tweak his name to make it sound more Quenya), but then I also know that there are some hostilities towards Menelmacar (which I am not exactly sure why). Also there is the possible faux pas of claiming descent from another culture.

Does anyone have an opinion on this? Keep in mind I will not be claiming Natopia as a successor culture or anything merely giving our ancient founder an ethnicity native to Micras that would make sense given Natopia's geographic position.

I honestly would not recommend connecting to the old Menalmacar that much if at all. It mist also depend on what half of that nation.. Sirimacar or Archimacar. Which do you wanna tie to.. The nutty elf people... or the psionic-bananaphiles..?

From what I've gleaned from a brief survey of the microwiki article, the half that inhabited Natopia's current island was the part that was lead by Archetype23... I think they're the banana-philes... I noticed mention of the Yellowist religion. I've read this Menelmacar was a very unpopular incarnation and Sirithil retook the forums from Archetype as a result. And then that half of Menelmacar vacated Natopia's island for several map updates, and then when Natopia first appeared on the map, there had been no Menelmacar for several map versions.

I was going to have the founding set around the fall of Archetype's Menelmacar, so that Nett Opeaigh could begin his settlement while the island had no claims on it, and it could grow for a few map versions into a city to allow for "Nett Opeaigh's Awe" to linguistically shift to "Natopia."

You might also check into Scott Alexander's book, Microscope, which is a treatise on the history of Micras. It covers things quite extensively, and I haven't heard of another such encyclopedic work about micronations.

Oh good idea! I've got a copy at home, I'll have to get it when I'm on break though.

Ah very helpful, thanks

After reading through this, and also taking into account the actual founding of Natopia (a drawing of a city in the clouds in August 2001 during a high school orientation) I think it may be logical to have Nett Opeaigh be Jasonian. Jasonia died in July of 2001, and the idea for Natopia as a cloud city was created in August 2001 (I had not even heard of micronations until maybe November 2001). I read that Jasonia's landlocked colony of Tapfer was not very culturally developed. My character could therefore be from the Tapfer part of Jasonia... basically a backwoods compared to the activity on the actual Flying Island. Since Jasonia had just collapsed, he could begin wandering the continent aimlessly, perhaps encountering some mythical challenges and trials along the way until he crosses Borders Bay and settles at the current site of Lindstrom City. (Uh, almost sounds like the Aeneid...) Therefore, being backwoods Jasonian, he would not have knowledge how to make entire islands fly, but could perhaps have enough basic Jasonian know-how to get the buildings of the city off the ground and hovering in a cloud-like exhaust.

Jasonia was cool, go with them ...

Great premise.

Oh wait. Natopia was founded August 2002.

Haha... way to know my own country >.<

anyway... I'll still stick with this... Nett could be lost traversing Tapfer for an entire year, im sure.

I also have the crazy idea to turn this into an epic poem now

Ahh, reminds me of a great book ... anyone read 'The Last Hero' by Terry Pratchett. Great instructions for writing epic poems. 'Bright was the day,' is a good start, everyone is 'Somebody the Something', and people don't speak, they spake. If you could do it well, Nathan, that'd be awesome ...

Indeed.