Duran

Kingdom of Duran ནམྱུལགྱལཁ Namyul Gyal Khap
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: འབངས་བདེ་སྐྱིད་ཉི་མ་ཤར་བར་ཤོག་།། Bang deki nyima shâwâsho May the Sun of Peace and Happiness shine over all people
Anthem: བསྟན་འགྲོའི་ནོར་འཛིན་རྒྱ་ཆེར་སྐྱོང་བའི་མགོན། Tendroe Nordzin Gyache Kyongwae Gön
Location of Duran in Coius
Capital and largest city	Chenpodrang
Official languages	Namkha
Recognised regional languages	Hua
Ethnic groups (2020)	Hua 31% Nampa 26% Shangeans 14% Lhopa 7% Thopa 6% Yagpa 4% Others 4%
Demonym(s)	Duranian
Government	Federal parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy
• Zhabrung	Namgyal Gyemtsen
• Pönchen	Tsering Gyatso
• Nam Desi	Xia Kha Yia
Legislature	Kashag
• Upper house	Assembly of Elders
• Lower house	Assembly of Commoners
Area
• Total	681,891.84 km2 (263,279.91 sq mi)
• Water (%)	0.380
Population
• 2020 estimate	28,424,000
• Density	168/km2 (435.1/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2016 estimate
• Total	$ 454.64 billion
• Per capita	$ 15,995
GDP (nominal)	2015 estimate
• Total	$179.49 billion
• Per capita	$6,315
HDI (2020)	0.708 high
Currency	Duranian Gormo (DRG)
Internet TLD	.du

The Kingdom of Duran (Namkha: ནམྱུལགྱལཁཔ ​Namyul Gyal Khap), commonly known as Duran, is a sovereign state in Coius. It shares land borders with Ajahadya to the north, Shangea to the south, and Baekjeong to the east. It is entirely landlocked. As of 2017, Duran's population was approximately 28 million. Its capital city is Chenpodrang, which is also the largest city in the country.

Continuous habitation within the area of modern Duran began in the neolithic era, with the Matu culture being the first emergence of what is commonly considered to be a proto-Hua ethnic group in the Lhochum valley in approximately 3000 BCE. The first of the Duranic groups arrived in the sixteenth century BCE, during the Shango-Duranic migration. These two peoples would live reasonably peacefully, primarily establishing small scale agricultural livelihoods. Several polities arose between the two, and there were multiple wars which eventually resulted in the Nampa state gaining political prominence. Under the Xiang dynasty, Shangean control over the fertile Lhochum valley area was first extended, settling Shangean peoples in several urban areas. These Shangeans would come to dominate the nation’s urban economy, leaving the king dependent on them as merchants. Namqu, as the region was referred to by the Shangeans, became a nominal protectorate of the central Xiao state and, despite periods of extended independence, would eventually grow closer to its cultural and political sphere. By 1882, king Namgyal Dorji was so dependent on Shangean support that he was deposed in a palace coup by a group of powerful Shangean merchants in favour of his daughter Lhamo, who had been educated in Shangea and was married to a Shangean. Dorji fled to Ajahadya, where he unsuccessfully petitioned the Raj for military help, before fleeing to Euclea in exile. Meanwhile, Lhamo began a campaign of Shangeanification and modernisation of Duranese society. During the great war, the exiled Dorji’s lobbying of several great powers was enough to have Duran granted independence in the Treaty of Keisi.

Since independence, Duran has been weakened by tensions within its society. Though much of the traditional elite had welcomed the return of Dorji, the Shangean population wished to be integrated into Shangea. The Turpa hill tribes, who had been targeted during Lhamo’s modernisation campaigns, were in a state of revolt and it was not until the institution of the Dratsung system which granted autonomy to many rural hill tribes and mountain peoples in terms of local administration and education. Despite this system, there are still major differences between the levels of development. While National Principlism is officially banned, the Shangea-friendly Co-Prosperity Party operates legally and while it has never reached government remains a significant presence. Duran is a close strategic partner of Senria, and a member of its alliances.

Etymology

The name Duran is an exonym of uncertain origins. One potential etymology has been derived from the Parbhan word द्वार dvāra, meaning door or gate, in reference to the nation's position guarding the main land entrance to Shangea from Satria. This would then have passed through Old Pardarian, becoming دواران Dvārān or "land of the door", entering into Euclean languages. Another etymology is from the Pardarian word دورا dûra, meaning "far away". The official name of Duran is Namyul (ནམྱུལ​ Namyul), literally meaning "land of the sky", or more symbolically "Heavenly Realm". Duran and its derivatives are only used in correspondance in other languages. In Shangean, Duran has historically been referred to as Namu (纳姆 Nàmǔ) and Beishan (北山 Běishān).

History

Prehistory

Settled by modern humans during the peopling of Coius, Duran's location as a key pass between modern day Satria and Shangea meant it was a key route during the spread of mankind. Archeological digs in the country's lowlands have revealed stone tools and other hallmarks of human habitation dating back at least to 4,000 BCE. The earliest known sedentary state-based civilisation was the Matu culture, which spanned the late neolithic and early chalcolithic periods. Centred upon the Miatsua valley, the Matu culture is held to have been an ancestor of the modern day Hua people and with its riverine location and condensed urbanisation is held as a proto-Valley state. The demise of the Matu culture appears to have occured around 2700, when a sequence of natural disasters appear to have led to mass depopulation. Other Hua tribal entities took up sedentary living, but were not able to achieve the same degree of prominence as the Matu. Though the Hua were the first major cultural group to inhabit the fertile valleys of Duran, they would be displaced soon after by the migration of Durano-Chanwan peoples originating in Shangea. This major migration pushed the Hua from most of the prime agricultural lands, resulting in the ethnogenesis of the agrarian Nampa people. The Nampa had more stratified social structures, building towns centred on wet rice agriculture and trade.

Post-Great War period

A mass sit-in staged by supporters of the Duranian Popular Republican Movement, 1938.

The period which followed the Treaty of Keisi was one of significant unrest in Duran. Dorji's return to power was accompanied by a purging of collaborationist officials and nobles, and many Shangean merchants and traders were disposessed of their assets. Violent rioting erupted in the capital city, as Shangean businesses were targetted by mobs of nationalists who claimed vengeance for the occupation. The north of the country, dominated by Hua hill tribes, was in a state of anarchy and controlled largely by autonomist militias who had resisted Shangeanisation. While much of the population welcomed the return of Dorji and de facto independence, elements of Duranian society had grown disillusioned with the monarchy in general and staged protests against its return. Inspired by the Green Pardals in Satria, a group of radicals under the leadership of Ugyen Lhundrub founded the Duranian Popular Republican Movement. This group promised a socialist government which would bring democracy and an end to the inequalities which were omnipresent in the country. This group was initially peaceful, holding major sit-ins in public places across the country and spreading its message to the countryside where living conditions were especially poor. Two months after assuming governance, Dorji passed away and his eldest son Kalsang Jigme Namgyal ascended to power. Seeing opportunity, the socialists held major rallies hoping to prompt his abdication. Instead, the Royal Guard were instructed to fire upon the crowd, killing 50 and injuring countless others.

DPRM forces advance during the Cagmo offensive, 1951

Now disillusioned with peaceful action, the DPRM began to advocate a people's war in order to gain power. Armed cadres lauched attacks on police and army installations, as well as establishing rural areas which they controlled. The new Zhabrung found himself in a difficult position, with large swathes of his country in the hands of rebels, and was forced to look abroad for aid. In 1938, troops entered the country from INSERT and helped to reassert the royal government's control of major urban centers. This intervention also served to dissuade Shangean involvement. In rural areas the conflict continued unabated, with both the Royal Duranian Armed Forces and Duranian Popular Republican Movement being accused of brutal massacres. The conflict in the north of the country was especially bloody, presenting a three-way clash between the Chenpodrang government, DPRM insurgents, and local militias, which varied from self-defence militias to those which advocated for Hua national self-determination. In 1951, the DPRM initiated the Cagmo Offensive, a major military campaign which aimed to take control of the country through simultaneous attacks on major settlements, strikes, and protests. Once again, the government was forced to lean upon foreign support to maintain power, with several cities coming under socialist control. However, aided by INSERT forces, the king was able to reassert control and the DPRM's gains had been lost.

Part of the success of the Cagmo offensive was the apathy of a large portion of the urban population towards the rebels, who had not resisted against the guerillas. The Cagmo offensive's successes had convinced the royal government that some form of political reform would be needed, and in October 1951 Zhabrung Kalsang Jigme Namgyal announced reforms to the government's structure. Duran's government had consisted of the Zhabrung and Kashag, a consultative assembly composed of Nampa aristocrats, with no constitutional controls over the monarch's power or democratic representation. Under Kalsang's constitution, the Kashag was reformed into a bicameral legislature composed of the Assembly of Elders, unelected nobles and clergy, and the Assembly of Commoners which was elected directly. The position of Nam Desi was also created, similar to the position of Premier in other nations. Political parties were legalised, though under the condition that they could not be involved in republicanism or possess an armed wing. This announcement weakened the DPRM, as many of the movement's more moderate members broke away to form the Duranian Socialist Democratic Party. The first elections were held in 1952, and despite violence by the DPRM were considered successful. Kalsang now turned his attention to the situation in the Hua-majority regions, signing the Vuantoo accords with several major militia leaders. The Vuantoo accords allocated several seats in the Assembly of Elders to Hua customary chiefs, and guaranteed voting rights to Hua. It also established the Dratsung system, which permitted autonomous governance in Hua areas to protect their traditional cultures and ways of life.

• War with Ajahadya?
• Socialist insurgency slowly dies out, but Shangeans start being a pain
• Modern day developments, Hua protests and stuff

Culture

Cuisine

Momos and soups, traditional Duranian meals.

As a highly diverse nation, Duran is blessed with a range of different culinary traditions which reflect the different means of subsistence of the nation. These differences in subsistence form the basis for the three major schools of Duranian cuisine. The first of these schools is the Tsampa school, which is sometimes referred to as "Nampa cuisine" though this designation is simplistic. This culinary school is based upon the cultivation of barley, and uses barley-based flour called tsampa. This is then turned into noodles or momos, which are some of the most emblematic Duranian dishes. The second school, known as Zhukme cuisine, is based on the cultivation of rice in the lowlands of the country. This cuisine is the most fusional of the three schools, and takes strong inspiration from Shangean cuisine. This schools name, Zhukme, literally translates to "fire" because of the prominent use of chillies to add heat to dishes. The final school is the Tsokpa school, which is primarily that of the hill tribes. Tsokpa cuisine is based upon the cultivation of tubers and other such crops instead of more sedentary staples, as well as herbs and spices.

Meat plays a key role in Duranian cuisine across all three schools, especially the Tsampa and Tsokpa. This is because, outside of the fertile valleys of the lowlands which permit regular cultivation of staple crops, growing conditions are not stable and meat is needed for protein. Milk and its derivatives are also central to much of Duranian cuisine and culture. Yak, Takin and Goat are the most common types of milk. A popular drink consumed in Duran is butter tea, which is drunk by the vast majority of Duranian people on a daily basis. Cheeses are also made, especially by the Yagpa people who often sell their products in the major cities.

Alcoholic beverages are also widely consumed. Chang, a domestically made barley beer, is the most popular drink, but fermented milk, rice wine and others are also popular. While Duran is a significant producer of traditional alcoholic beverages, mass-marketed beers from neighbouring Shangea dominate much of the market due to their low price.