Sentara

Sentara
City Flag
Nation	Grand Besaid
Location	Southern tip of the Oyenese Peninsula
Area	985 miles2
Population	894.2 million

Sentara is a large city in Grand Besaid, it is also the 7th most populous city in all of Grand Besaid. Home to many parks and pieces of rain forests, Sentara is considered to be the garden city of Grand Besaid. Sentara is located near the southern tip of the Oyenese Peninsula, due north west of Besaid, and due south east of Khatalia. Sentara is also home to the ancient ruins of the Basalmay people, a faction that used to attempt to raid and battle the ancient Empire of Besaid.

Location

Sentara is located near the southern tip of the Oyenese Peninsula, due north west of Besaid, and due south east of Khatalia. It is surrounded on two sides by rain forests, and is connected to much of the rest of Grand Besaid by high ways, trains, and waterways amongst things like air traffic. It is known as the "Garden City" and as the "Natural City" of Grand Besaid because of the natural beauty of its location. The Density of Sentara is 907,818 people per square mile. Sentara is located within the state of Oyen.

History

Etymology

In the old Basalmaeic language, Sentara meant “Natural Freedom”. A name that was well fit for the city when it was founded, and today. When the city was founded it was a Natural City with newfound freedoms that weren’t allowed in the north. Today, the city is an example of how Nature and an urban Landscape can go hand in hand, it’s a place of freedom from commercialization, and a way to explore the past. The Basalmay People or the Basalmaeics were an ethnic group that many times, had tried to found a small city-state in the regions of the northern kingdoms, called Basalmay. However, their numerous attempts failed, and caused them to seek freedom in the south.

Founding

The Basalmay people founded Sentara over three thousand years ago. The city’s age and rich history rivals that of Besaid. The Basalmay people looked to get away from the oppression and harsh life of the North, and found a small civilization in the southern regions where they would be free to live with nature, farm as they pleased, and worship God without persecution from polytheist kingdoms in the north.

A Raided City

The Basalmaeic People were a peaceful bunch, and never expected to be raided. As such they hadn’t even built walls, and had a minimally equipped militia. However, only decades after the city was founded, a northern kingdom had learned of the city and wanted to raid and plundered it for the wealth of his own kingdom. The raid was by far successful, and greatly hurt the city of Sentara.

Learning from Their Mistake

After being raided by a northern kingdom, the Basalmaeic People learned from their mistake and built a standing army, walls, and a system of secret communications and tunnels. This allowed the city of Sentara to repel every oncoming raid for nearly a century. It also allowed them to be able to expand.

A Small Empire

The Basalmaeic Empire at it's peak

The Basalmaeic People began to construct a small empire around their capital of Sentara, raiding and conquering many surrounding villages and cities. Their Empire was tiny, but a strong statement to the northern kingdoms who began to seek good foreign relations and trade with the empire. Many of the northern kingdoms even put an embargo on the kingdom that had first raided Sentara. As a small Empire, the city of Besaid lay on its boarders, and for a short time, was a city that was often raided by the Basalmaeic Empire.

Losing an Empire

As Besaid began to rise to prominence and stature, the city of Sentara and the empire it was a capital of, began to decline, and not long after, lost its sovereignty to the newly growing Besaidian Empire. Sentara quickly became just another larger city conquered by Besaid.

Besaidian Occupation

A Picture of Basalmaeic writing documenting a trade shortly after Sentara was taken over by the Besaidian Empire

The city of Sentara and the areas that were formally part of the empire which Sentara was the capital of were conquered by Besaid shortly after the Empire of Sentara began to decline. Under Besaidian Occupation, the city continued to grow and prosper, and it even became a large center of trade, being home to a number of resources and skilled workers. The city did try to maintain its own culture for a good two centuries during Besaidian Occupation, however the city began to develop more and more Besaidian traditions which stuck around and which started to be called Sentarian traditions. Overall, under the rule of the Besaidian Empire the city and its surrounding areas flourished even greater than they did when they were part of their own empire. Sentara was under Besaidian occupation for well over two thousand years, and in which time, the people of Sentara stopped calling it an occupation, and began calling themselves Besaidian. Ever since Besaid conquered Sentara those many thousands of years ago, the two have been ruled by the same government on the national level, from the same occupations to the same independences.

Coalition Occupation

When Besaid was conquered by the coalition of nations, as was Sentara, following its long standing tradition of having the same national rulers as Besaid due to the politics and circumstances of the region in which they both reside. Although the occupation of the coalition of nations was short lived, it had one lasting impact, it made the modern citizens of Sentara greatly appreciate their natural surroundings, for during the occupation, the natural surroundings allowed the people of Sentara to easily form a resistance movement against the occupying coalition of nations.

Eperyllian Occupation

Sentara was under Eperyllian Occupation for nearly two hundred years. During the Eperyllian Occupation, Sentara continued to grow as it had since its creation, though during this time it happened to hit a period of exponential growth, which eclipsed its previous growth spurts. However, most of this growth is attributed to the brilliance of local leaders and the principles established in the city during the Besaidian Empire rather than help from the Eperyllian Empire. Near the end of Eperyllian Occupation, the national government, primarily the last Emperor and his Court, neglected the city. Sentara's citizens were also forced into hard labor and many were beginning to experience great poverty in the city near the end of Eperyllian Occupation, both of which probably contributed to the reasons for the rebellion of the city and of Grand Besaid as a whole.

War for Independence

Like so many of the other cities, states, and territories within the modern nation of Grand Besaid, Sentara joined in the rebellion against the Empire of Eperyllia as its last Emperor, Iscan IX, issued the New Act of the Besaidian Providence. Sentara supplied lumber and secure locations for war planning for the war efforts of the side of Grand Besaid. Sentara also had many of its citizens volunteer to join the armed services of Grand Besaid during the War for Independence and the Counter Strike. Sentara, and the regions surrounding the city were also home to a couple of minor skirmishes and battles during the war, being home to a military cemetery.

Civil War

Sentara, like a number of northern republican cities, remained fairly neutral during the civil war. Sentara also signed the compromise with Nommaai Nueamaninia, as did a number of central-northern and northern cities.

Today

Today Sentara is a bustling city that blends in with nature. Sentara is an economic and population powerhouse serving as a role model to other cities around both Grand Besaid and the world.

Skyline of Sentara

Demographics

Ages of the Sentarians

• 0-14 years: 24.6%
• 15-34 years: 44.7%
• 35-64 years: 23.2%
• 65 years and over: 7.5%

Ethnicity of the Sentarians

• Caucasian - 42.64%
• German – 17.89%
• Italian – 11.47%
• Mestizo – 7.12%
• Japanese – 6.34%
• Mexican – 6.08%
• Korean – 3.20%
• Arabic - 3.14%
• African – 1.22%
• Other – 0.90%

Income of the Sentarians

• calculated in amounts per day.

> $550.01 - 12.19%

$350.01-$550.00 - 82.13%

$250.01-$350.00 - 3.47%

$200.01-$250.00 - 1.06%

$120.01-$200.00 - 0.24%

$80.01-$120.00 - 0.22%

$30.01-$80.00 - 0.17%

$10.00-$30.00 - 0.09%

< $10.00 - 0.43%

Religion of Sentarians

• Christianity - 99.99999%

· Roman Catholic - 98.94%

· Protestant - 1.04%

· Other Denominations - 0.02%

• Judaism - 0.000009%
• Islam - 0.0000009%
• Other - 0.0000001%

Government

Executive

The Executive Branch of Sentara consists of a Mayor, a Chief of Staff, and the Departments.

Mayor

The Mayor is the head of state and government of the city, the primary executive, and the Commander in Chief of any armed forces the city may need and have under their command. The Mayor is elected by the whole city of Sentara for terms of two years. A person may only serve out two consecutive terms as the Mayor of Sentara before needing to take a break of at least four years from the position. In order to be a the Mayor of Sentara, a person must have been a resident of the city for at least eleven years, a citizen of Grand Besaid for at least twenty years, and be at least 25 years old.

Chief of Staff

The Mayor, with the advice of the Department Heads, appoints a Chief of Staff to two year terms. The appointed Chief of Staff needs to be approved by all three houses of the city's legislature before assuming office (only position that needs the approval of all three houses rather than just the city council). The Chief of Staff acts like a vice-mayor who assumes the office of Mayor should the Mayor resign or be removed. The Chief of Staff also organizes and runs the Departments as a whole, being the boss of each of the Department Heads. A person may only serve out two consecutive terms as the Chief of Staff of Sentara before needing to take a break of at least two years from the position. In order to be the Chief of Staff of Sentara, a person must have been a resident of the city for at least eleven years, a citizen of Grand Besaid for at least twenty years, and be at least 21 years old.

Departments

The Departments consist of the different departments of the city like law enforcement, transportation, commerce, recreation and natural resources, education, etcetera. Each Department is headed by a Department Head and a Commission of nine members. Each Department Head is elected by the people to three year terms, while the Commissioners of each commission are elected to three year terms with three being elected each year, all commissions work on the same cycle, and a third of the Department Heads are elected each year. The Department Head and Commission are responsible for hiring people to their department and the running of their department. Each Department's Commission and Department Head are like a cross between a city's executive and legislature, and a company's CEO and board of directors in the manner they operate. The requirements for Department Heads and Commissioners are established by law rather than the city charter.

Legislative

The Legislative Branch of Sentara carries out many common Legislative functions. When refering to both the Council of Elders and the Council of Commons, it is common to use the term City Council. When referring to all three legislative bodies, it is common to use the term Sentara Legislature.

Council of Elders

The Council of Elders is the upper house of the City Council of Sentara. It consists of nine members elected to three year terms, with three being elected each year. Every ten years the city is divided into three regions of equal populations according to the last census taken at that time. Each of those regions receives three representatives in the Council of the Elders, and each region elects an Elder each year. In order to be a member of the Sentara Council of Elders, a person must have been a resident of the city for at least five years, a citizen of Grand Besaid for at least twelve years, and be at least 60 years old. A person may only serve out three consecutive terms in the Council of the Elders before needing to take a break of at least three years from the council. The oldest member of the Council of Elders serves as it's voting presiding officer, the Senior Elder.

Council of Commons

The Council of Commons is the lower house of the City Council of Sentara. It consists of twenty three members elected to one year terms, with all members being elected at the end of each year. Every ten years the city is divided into eleven regions of equal populations according to the last census taken at that time. Each of those regions receives two representatives in the Council of the Commons, and each region elects two representatives each year. One member of the Council of Commons is elected by the city as a whole. In order to be a member of the Sentara Council of Commons, a person must have been a resident of the city for at least three years, a citizen of Grand Besaid for at least ten years, and be at least 20 years old. A person may only serve out five consecutive terms in the Council of the Commons before needing to take a break of at least two years from the council. Each year the council elects from it's self a voting presiding officer, the Speaker of the Council of Commons.

Council of Censors

Unlike the Council of Elders and the Council of Commons, the Council of Censors does not have a role in the passing and repealing of laws, resolutions, and appropriations. Rather, the Council of Censors is responsible for the constant review, investigation, and advising of the government of the city. The Council of Censors constantly keeps government bodies in check, and officials honest. It is responsible for Impeachment trials, proceedings, and procedures. It also reviews appointments and laws, having the power to veto any law or appointment by a 2/3rds vote. The Council of Censors consists of eighteen members who serve three year terms, with six being elected each year. the Council of Censors is elected by the city as a whole. In order to be a member of the Sentara Council of Censors, a person must have been a resident of the city for at least four years, a citizen of Grand Besaid for at least seven years, and be at least 25 years old. A person may only serve out two consecutive terms in the Council of the Censors before needing to take a break of at least six years from the council. Each year the Council elects from it's self a voting presiding officer, the Moderator of the Council of Censors.

Judicial

The City of Sentara, like most cities, has no established Judicial Branch. Rather, the city relies on state and national inferior courts for common Judicial functions and the Supreme court of the state as its own supreme court. However, in times of urgency the charter of the city allows for a Judicial system to be temporairily established following a long list of rules.

Democratic Assembly

Sentara is rather unique in the fact that it has no Democratic Assembly that was established or given powers in its charter. Rather, the city's charter gives the people most of the same rights and powers given to a Democratic Assembly by means of ballot and petition, such powers include, but are not limited to Referendum, Initiative, Impeachment, Recall, Suspension of term, and the commutations of sentences. A Democratic Assembly could, in theory, be formed on the city level since the right to Assembly could be used in conjunction with these rights given by ballot though it would have to have an entirely different procedure to work with the ballot and need for petitions.

Notable Locations

Basalmay Ruins

In a number of places within the city of Sentara, and mostly around the north eastern edges, lies a large quantity of ruins from the Basalmay people from when their empire was flourishing. There are ruins scattered across much of the northern and eastern sections of the city though the concentration of these ruins increases the farther north east you go in Sentara. These ruins range from houses, wells, barracks, and huts all the way to small pyramids, temples, castles, and even a palace.

Rainforest Park

A Picture of a lake within the rainforest park in Sentara

The Rainforest Park is a gigantic park close to the edge of the city limits of Sentara. It is a good number of square miles large and is a popular attraction for both locals and visitors to the city alike. The park is a well-preserved section of rainforest that used to be a popular gathering site for people when it was beyond the boarder of the city limits. Today it is common to see walkers and joggers near the edges of the park, and there is a significantly sized new year’s party that occurs around the edges of the park.

Losomo Bridge

One of the most famous Bridges in Sentara is the Losomo Bridge. It was built merely a few months ago. It was meant to symbolize the different triumphs and falls of the city (each arch being a different one). It spans over the Treubalissiu River and is roughly a mile long.

A picture of the Losomo Bridge

Sentara Fountain

Near the center of the old district in Sentara lies a giant and magnificent fountain. The fountain is decorated with ornate statues of tropical islands and palm trees carved out of beautiful grey stone. Closer to the center of the archipelago of these islands lies a carving of the skyline of an older Sentara alongside still recognizable landmarks. Also on the fountain are statues of the leaders of Grand Besaid and the former Besaidian Empire alongside other natural landmarks and magnificent features that adorn the fountain; a giant Cross is many times considered to be the focal point of the fountain. The fountain has some parts that allow for the interaction of guests, such as a smaller whirlpool section for coins. The fountain is comparable In size and prominence to the fountain in the National War Memorial in Besaid. The fountain pumps up and around an amazing 4000 gallons a minute, recycling the water it uses back through its systems. On the edge of the fountain lie public pools, statue and rock gardens, tree and flower gardens, and flora surrounded by a serene park.

Automotive Complex of Sentara

The Automotive Complex in Sentara is one of the largest in the world. It produces close to fifty million automobiles a year, with over 95% of those being for the average consumer, while the greater majority of the remainder is for commercialized use. A small number of vehicles made here supply the Grand Besaidian Military. The Sentara Automotive Complex is an ever expanding, ever growing building in the city having different large sections from almost every year that it's existed, going from extremely modern in style back to classical. The Complex is owned and operated by the Grand Motors Enterprise, this one enormous complex employs nearly one million people, and is one of the one thousand largest single site employers in the world.