Burania
 | |
| Demonym | Buran / Buranian |
|---|---|
| Languages | Old Buranic |
| Largest cities |  Antium Nimarci |
The subcontinent of Burania is a region in northeast Europa with colder climates. It stretches from the Kosscow Sea in the west to Karthenia in the east, and from Akiiryu in the south to Deltannia in the north. Depending on different interpretations, some countries in neighbouring areas are sometimes also considered part of the region. Burania in 2020 has a population of about $NUMBER million, most prominently in: $Nation (pop. xx million), $Nation (xx million), $Nation (xx million), $Nation (xx million), and $Nation (xx million).
Etymology
In ancient Buranian mythology, Burr or Buri ("father") is an ancient ancestor of all Buran people. According to an early Aroman account, the nomadic tribes who inhabited these lands were ruled by Bur. He is mentioned only once in an early 4th Century copy of a previous 1st Century text:
His name it is written $Name
Son of Holy Emperor $Name
Having sailed to Bureas
There has he snatched
much of the maids
of Burr's heir
Burr's story cannot be verified by any other sources, and Burr's strange origins are the subject of much scholarly debate and many disagreements.
The name Burania also matches closely with Bureas or Boreas (Βορέας, also Βορρᾶς), the Aroman god of the cold north wind and the bringer of winter. The term is of Proto-Europan origin.
Geography
The north of Burania edges onto the Gulf of Lanjon, with the large Lake Kitezh nearby, a rough border between the steppe Buran and coastal Buran. To the east, the Greater Karthenian Range separates the Buran inhabited steppe from the Orient. The south of subcontinent extends until the forests of eastern Akiiryu and Italgria, what they called the 'forest people'. Past this lies the Eebay and the Amutian desert. And in the west the Dusart Mountains serve as the natural barrier splitting the Buran steppe from the Akiiryan steppe. With irregular rainfall in arid summers and long, harsh winters, agriculture has never been extensively practiced in Burania, though never totally unknown. Between these barriers lies a territory of vast grassland, rolling hills and low mountains, rivers and lakes. It is a land greatly suited to pastoral nomadism.
The $Name river
Typical Buran yurt
Lake $Name in Vetok
Tundra region with fjords, glaciers and mountains
Burania is home to several nations.
History
The clans of Buran came from the rugged, inhospitable north known today as Burania. As the Aroman Empire flourished further south, the Buran people live in small settlements, without central government or coinage. In Aroman discourse, the words Buran and Buranic could designate a certain mentality. Buran people were typically depicted as being very strong, with a violent temper to match. Their nomadic lifestyle was contrasted to the urbanized agricultural civilisation of Aroma. Historically, two related yet divergent cultures are distinguished: the coastal and interior Buran peoples.
Guests from overseas by Nicholas Roerich (1899)
The Invitation of the Vaarians by Viktor Vasnetsov
Buran long ships besieging $AromanCity in 458 CE
Ancient Buran were equally skilled horsemen as well as sailors
$title
Coastal sailors
Along the Buran coasts there lived seafaring cultures, of which the Vaarians and Aloorians are the most notable. In peaceful times these Buran sailors spread far from Burania, gaining control of trade routes throughout Europa, building outposts as far as the Orient. As the Aroman Empire expanded north, some Buranians served in their new neighbours' armies and brought home Aroman maritime technology. Competing chieftains quickly refined the new ships to be even more efficient. When not at war, the vessels were used to transport goods and make trade journeys.
In the first centuries of the first millennium, Delmark and the western coasts of Burania were populated by peoples who sailed the Northern Seas and traded with the Aromans. One notable leader was Hrothgar of Skjöldung. When the Aroman Empire collapsed in the 5th century, their priviliged trade partners took a heavy economic blow, leveling the playing field a bit for the Buranians. As the region revived, new and vigorous trade routes extended into and through Burania. The wealth that flowed along these routes helped create a new, more prosperous and powerful class of Buranians, whose members competed constantly with each other over trade routes and territory. Thanks to their inventiveness in the face of difficult terrain and weak economies, the Buranians sailed west, settled the North Adlantic and explored the Alharun coast.
During times of scarcity, they became mercenaries and pirates, frequently attacking ships along the Occidental coast. Zenith of the pirates' power was under the Volscian triumvirate. Most of their attacks were focused on trade lines and unprotected convoys, relying on ambush and surprise. The Buran pirates attacked in large numbers, trying to steal enemy ships using underhanded tactics. Or they disguised themselves as a ship in distress, waiting for their prey to approach.
Inland nomads
The Buranian interior has long been home to nomadic steppe cultures living on the East-Europan plain. Living out of their felt tents, known as yurts, Buran families generally herded a collection of animals known as the ‘five snouts’: sheep, goats, oxen, camels and the most prestigious, the horse. They domesticated the horse around 3200 BCE, leading to a more mobile lifestyle. A herder was considered to be in poverty if his herd held less than 100 animals, seen as a minimum amount needed for eating and replenishing stock after a hard winter. Overgrazing had to be carefully avoided. In modern Vetok, the expansion of the cashmere industry and resulting growth in goat herds has led to increased desertification of the country.
To successfully do all of this, the Buran gained exceptional experience in logistics, moving htier herds without constant loss of life. The herders themselves grew strong, being forced to endure hardship, able to live off of scraps, drinking blood from the veins of their mares or their milk. It was a hard life. This is why the Buran could endure more than regular armies. They were not reliant on baggage trains. In a land of open space, they could quite literally see their enemy coming from many kilometres away. It's no surprise that the bow was such a favoured weapon. These steppe tribes often appear in history as invaders of the Occident and Orient.
While the steppe tribes used to live a nomadic life, around 200 CE they settled in the eastern frontier of the Aroman Empire and slowly transitioned into an agrarian society with permanent town centers. However, they still retained many aspects of their nomadic life, including their affinity with horses, as is clearly evident in Akiiryu.
WIP:
- (Pseudo-Anglo-Germano-Russo-Fennoscandian cultures)
- Alyp Manas ('Brave Lion')
Culture
The Buran peoples followed a set of pagan beliefs that would develop into the better-known Old Buran Religion. The religion was polytheistic, with the most important gods being Yksi, especially in places associated with royal power, and Bogd. A great emphasis was put on the worship of ancestral spirits, and rituals comprising sacrifices and offerings were common. A great emphasis was put on the worship of ancestral spirits, and rituals comprising sacrifices and offerings were common. The worship of the gods was mostly personal between the individual and the gods, without the presence of a priest, and often the ceremonies partook outside in places of natural beauty.
The Curse of Buran is a belief that Buran people have been under the influence of a malicious spell for many centuries. The "curse" manifests itself as pessimism, inner strife, and several historic misfortunes. The curse is also blamed for causing many personal troubles. Examples of this curse include:
- Defeat against the Aromans at the Battle of Cryophobae in 279.
- Loss of Vanarambaion to the Aroman successor states in 699.
- Buranian Spring of 2018 was crushed by Volscian military, leading to severe reprisals and mass exodus of many Europans.
WIP:
- Legendary hero https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rostam
- Separate race? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turanid_race
- Nationalist movement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turanism
