Dalmon
The country is called Dalmon (sometimes spelt Dalmonn). It is a country just off the coast of Western Europe-in the Bay of Biscay. At its narrowest point, it is around 159 metres from Brittany, in mainland Europe.
Its population is around 10.5 million people, with 3 million living in the capital on the coast, which is also the largest city defined as a city in the country, 5 million living on the Zaman River or its offshoots and 1 million around Pilzorm Lake. The rest live elsewhere in the country.
Most areas of the country are fairly flat, with a terrain similar to that of central Poland, although there is a Ridge with an average height of about 1000 metres running in a curve in the North-West of the country. Also, the rest of the North-West corner is more hilly than the rest of the country, having a roughly similar terrain to central Wales.
The symbols of the country are:
-The flag, three vertical stripes of white, blue and yellow, representing purity, the sea and waters of the country, and the specialness of the country itself.
-The colour yellow in particular.
-The Dwaltorg Flower, yellow in colour, except on the Ridge, where it is purple.
Motto:
"Our Past, Our Present and Our Future”
National Anthem:
“The Light" (Yu Benz)
Overseas, the country is known for a relatively large percentage of its inhabitants having red hair, and its many famous poets and artists. Also, Dalmonians have been many of the most influential people in the founding of the environmentalist movements.
Demographics: (All taken from the official Governmental Census of Dalmon, conducted in 2021):
Total population:
20,591,084
Religion:
68.7% Roman Catholicism
1.8% Other Religion
29.5% No Religion
"Other religion" mostly includes pagans, Muslims and followers of Eastern Orthodoxy. There were also 8569 Protestants, 2819 Jews, 965 Buddhists, 201 Hindus and 87 followers of other religions at the last census.
Ethnicity:
92.5% Dalmonian
4.1% European Non-Dalmonian
3.4% Non-European Non-Dalmonian
While Neanderthals had been living there for many years previous, homo sapiens first arrived in the country in roughly 28,000 BC. They discovered farming (through exploration of the continental European Coast) in around 3900 BC. They then, in around 261 BC, formed a culture called Classical Dalmon. For more information look below. Britannic people from Wales also emigrated there in around 450 AD but they didn’t have much influence on the culture.
The country was not invaded by the Romans, however, it was referenced by them and they were the ones who named the significant Candalan river.
By around 200 AD, the country had united completely, however it was divided into three regions, which had previously been independent Kingdoms, and local tribes or confederacies of tribes still had a lot of power. These three regions were: Tristain, Candalanmori and Mindidmori.
The Kingdom formally converted to Christianity in 1087, after the threat of Viking invasion had passed. Most of the peasantry of the country had already converted to Christianity, which had first been spread four centuries earlier by St Dwangon. However, this was opposed by many, leading to a civil war. Eventually, in 1094, the Christians won and the kingdom was united again. This led to centralization increasing for a time, with the king now being the sole authority, not being answerable to any “tribal chieftains”, or religious figures except for the Pope. This was tried to be enforced with the help of foreign powers, but those who rebelled against the king were too persistent for that to do much good, so the fear of Hell was used as the tactic which finally part-defeated them. The thing which really returned stability to the country was the initiation of the Rizon bill of 1128, which meant that most decisions would in practice be devolved to the chiefs of the Zarikos, in exchange for their loyalty towards the King when it came to the decisions he did want to make.
During this period, the capital was moved to the city of Glanpac, on the Zaman river. It had previously been the city of Sacwen, by Lake Pilzorm. The country did not initially convert to a feudal system of government, because it thought that the system of social organization it already had, which was quite similar to feudalism, sufficed, with a few relatively minor changes.
The black plague first came to the country in late 1349 and devastated it-however, the country did keep its independence.
Mostly, they allied with France in most of the wars and intrigues of the middle ages, although there were a few cases early on in which they did not. One of the most significant wars fought from the union of the Kingdoms to the modern era was a War of Succession. It occurred during the early 15th century, and strangely enough divided the country based on the lines of the old kingdoms: most of the chieftens of Tristain supported the ruling king, Honriz the Fourth, while the Candalanmorians backed his brother, who claimed that Honriz was illegitimate, Jarsht of Brivnhimm. There was international involvement too, with France supporting Honriz and England supporting Jarsht. The war went on for 14 years, but, in the end, Honriz won, and life continued on as usual (except for the supporters of Jarsht who were massacred.)
The next significant change to come to the island was the advent of the Age of Exploration, in the 16th century, which many Dalmonians had an role in from early on: for example, the explorer Ordbwin Twiston, who was the first person to map Twiston's (Hudson's) Bay in 1521, along with much of the Atlantis Coast of North America, or Arman Volzist, who was the first person to discover the Corchan, or Galapagos, Islands, in 1534. The country became one of the countries which wanted to colonize the Americas and in 1646, the country was involved in conflicts with France and Britain over some of the islands in the Lesser Antilles, eventually, it gained the possessions of Dwangintal (St Lucia) and Tawzntar (Martinique).
The formation of this colonial empire was one of the main events which prompted the flourishing of Delmonian acheivement. The other was the formal expulsion of the vast majority of Protestants from the country, ending the Civil War of Religion in Delmon, which had gone on from 1608-1625 and was between the followers of the anti-Catholic Delmonian theologian Gwendon Mecgtouns and the Catholics of the country. There was a spirit of unity between the regions of the country, and the reign of Great King Tawtanchaaz had began (in 1639). During this time, many achievements in the fields of science, literature and music were made. For example, the innovations of the composer Duwil Ibrin (1611-1679), one of the founders of modern, secular music, or the discoveries of scientist Platinhad Afroanabin, who basically invented the modern field of chemistry. Another colony was also acquired in 1657, encompassing most of Labrador Peninsula, due to demand for the resource of fur, plentiful around that area.
During the 18th century, Dalmon's neighbor France had much unrest. However, this mostly did not spread to Dalmon. Chiefly, this was because during the French Revolution, Dalmon had a good, competent king, who reformed the political system of the country to give more power and better conditions to the peasants. Specifically, he reduced the wealth of nobles and himself, instead putting it towards necessities like food for the peasants, and artistic commissions, as well as research. However, it is worth noting that in the 1780s, Dalmon progressively lost its Canadian colonies to Britain, so that its only colonial possessions were two small islands in the Lesser Antilles.
However, the quality of life for the peasants was to decrease in the mid 19th century. While life for them was better than life for peasants of many other European countries, it was still difficult with frequent sickness and long hours worked, and the King of the nation at that time, among others, saw the potential industrialization had. The reason Dalmon had not industrialized earlier was that the King of the country in the early 19th century was conservative and opposed to much industrialization. By the beginning of the twentieth century, 50% of the population lived in cities, with another 23% living in towns. However, this had led to a strong and unique movement in Dalmon which did rebel against the industrial (and, often, particularly later, the modern in general, as well as the hyper-rationalism of the previous century), similar to Romanticism but distinct. It was mostly expressed through poetry, and art.
During the twentieth century, the country, wanting to expand its colonial "empire", participated in the partition of Africa, gaining what would be called Dalmonian West Africa, and then Benin and Togo in 1904. It was also during this period that the Republican Revolution began. It wasn’t very violent at all so it might be better called a “rebellion” or even something milder. Essentially, it was a mass strike against the government that culminated in the country transitioning to a democratic system of government. With this, the state religion for perhaps a millennium previous, Roman Catholicism, was dropped officially and the state/government became secular.
During WW1, the country decided to stay neutral; they saw no benefit to joining each side. This meant it was spared from the excesses of the war and wartime, like rationing.
However, the country reacted differently to WW2. At first it was neutral, but the pressure mounted for Dalmon to join the Allies and in 1940, seeing the invasion of France by Germany, the country did so. During the war, approximately 79% of the population supported the Allied side, with 14% being unsure and 7% supporting the Axis. Thankfully it chose the right side and won the war.
Culture and organization of the Classical Dalmonians (261 BC-c.800 AD):
They were organized into a number of disparate tribes, which had all united (at least nominally) by about 100 AD. Power was not held solely by one, all-powerful king, rather, their was also a class of Religious Clerics (Durnils), and a Chief of each tribal confederacy the country was divided into. The King generally had to get anything he wanted to get done approved by the Durnils and either all of the Chiefs, or the relevant ones.
The Durnils were really the most powerful people in the country. There were about 114 of these, one for each tribe, and they were all said to be the representatives of the Gods. As well as priests, they were the (only) mediators, judges and artists of the country. Only "pure-blooded" Dalmonians were allowed to be Durnils. To understand them it is important to understand the religion of the Pre-Christian Dalmonians.
It is important to remember that it is diverse, first of all, but in general something which was valued by nearly all groups in the country was aesthetic beauty and elegance. Everything that could be considered remotely non-mundane had to be done in a beautiful, elegant and symmetrical way. Beautiful patterns would be drawn in trees while they were cut, everything written would be in the form of poetry, and great care would be put into hairstyles. While groups could differ on most other things, they would all hold beauty in high esteem. Often, it was regarded as the ultimate purpose of life and humankind-more than anything, we had to be beautiful in this life, for that was our lesson or our duty.
Cosmology and theology tended to be less important in the religion of pre-Christian Dalmonians. However, most Dalmonian Zanderkos, or tribes/clans, had a Holy Book (which would later be known as a Vasc) which contained within it the mythology of that particular Zanderko. Often, only members of that Zanderko could read it. Generally, these mythologies would involve a “before-time” where humans and Gods lived and interacted with each other, before involving either an unfortunate “fall” or a natural rotation of Worlds, where humans became isolated from the Gods. Sometimes it was said that we had to perform certain rituals (the Vasc of the Gornem lists 683) throughout our lives to mitigate the negative effects of the fall. Other times it was said we did not for us not being able to communicate directly with the Gods was seen as a necessary thing for our growth.
A common theme among these mythologies was the often highly significant tale of an orphan boy who learns he is destined to unite a mythical kingdom, similar to Dalmon, in the before-time. So, when he is still young, he does this, learning much along the way and facing many challenges. After he has united the kingdom, he rules over it for a long, prosperous and peaceful time, before dying and becoming a God, the only human ever to do so.
Naming conventions:
First Name Family Name One (Occupational/Descriptional) Family Name Two (Tribal)
There are 114 tribal last names in the country. Each of these is taken from an ancient tribe of Dalmon. These are roughly evenly spread among the population, although the most common is a name 1.2% of the population has, and the least common a name 0.09% of the population has. Generally, tribes in Dalmon are called “Zarikos”, or “Zaris”, for short, a word which would in fact be much better translated as “clan” but was not for some reason.
The Family Name One is basically the type of name people from say, England or Germany have as their life name.
For example:
Thomas Artarzin Wirnpont
With Artarzin meaning Miller and Wirnpont being a tribe which historically inhabited a land around the south of Lake Piszorm.
He would then usually be referred to, on an everyday basis, as either Thomas (when with friends and family) Thomas Wirnpont or Thomas Ert. Wirnpond (in more formal situations). Sometimes, the full name of Thomas Artarzin Wirnpont would be used as well.
"Thomas", in Dalmonian, by the way, is pronounced like "Thorn" rather than "Tomas".
Generally, Zarikos will allow all those legitimately with their tribal name as their first family name into their tribe. This means most Dalmonians can only belong to one tribe, unless they get married but already had membership in a tribe different from the one their spouse belongs to.
They will have their own Vasc, a collection of songs, poems, stories and legends unique to that Zariko, which, often, only members of that Zariko are allowed to read, and which are generally in multiple volumes. Most of the writings in them are ancient, having been written before 1000 AD. However, some do have “newer” pieces, from 1000 AD-1900 AD, or even, occasionally written in the 20th century. Some also have collections of art.
Nowadays, Zarikos are divided into multiple smaller branches, or chapters, for different areas, and have between 19,745-80,818 registered members. The vast majority of Zaris have a rule than only Dalmonian citizens can become members of them, as having chapters in other countries (where the diaspora is) would be difficult and not ideal.
Most Dalmonians, as well as identifying as Dalmonian, will know what Zari they belong to, and identify with that. An astounding percentage-close to half-of Dalmonians live in the traditional lands of their Zariko. However, the rest do not and so will not identify with their Zariko so strongly. They will still however visit the traditional lands for special occasions.
Hello. I am an inhabitant of Dalmon. It is my country.
Arizon. Maz antu tawnmiwin piac Dalmon. Nian nounson ta.
I was an inhabitant of Dalmon, but then I moved to Australia.
Ni antu bactawnmiwin piac Dalmon, can pir som bacvazteh bel Oztralia.
Do you like it there?
Ri wenhom tawnzain no?
It’s very sunny, which is nice, but sometimes I miss home.
Ta ezecsem varn, mata tuns, can masta ni zinan cartec.
Culture:
-Tend to speak directly and openly and be very honest, even to the point of sometimes seeming blunt.
-When meeting others, they tend to look at the other person’s eyes very directly for what might seem like an unordinarily long time, and will shake their hand and stand up straight, so they seem taller than they are
-The country has many well-developed and diverse folklore and mythology, which tends to be appreciated by Dalmonians. Much of it is the form of poetry, which in particularly is a highly valued art in the country.
-Most people have memorized a large amount of poetry.
-Ritual is important in Dalmonian culture, for most of people, this ritual is (folk) Catholic Christian: for example, most Dalmonians go to church weekly, pray and celebrate holidays like Easter and Christmas, whether or not they believe in Catholicism (although a majority do, as praying a lot will do that). They may also practice some customs from pagan times.
-A traditional practice is the Tan Phalzen. This is a type of gathering on stone or wood benches around a fire, where food is eaten, for dinner. Typically, poems will be recited at these gatherings. Many people in rural areas still do something similar to this regularly (one a week, say on a Sunday or Saturday) while urban people will do it occasionally, on special holiday days. Most people will do it outdoors.
-Rural, as well as pre-agricultural “wild” life, tends to be heavily romanticized by those living in cities. People who live in rural areas will greatly appreciate nature and the outdoors, instead, but not so much romanticize those areas and rural areas.
-The country isn’t divided into clear-cut regions. Sometimes, the country is divided according to The Three Old Kingdoms, but more often it isn’t divided much at all. The largest divisions in the culture of the country is between those living in more rural areas (or even towns) and those living in the capital city or other large (over a million people) cities.
Physical appearance of the Dalmonians:
-They tend to have brown hair, brown eyes and light-either whitish or greyish-skin
-About 20% instead has orange hair, and 10% have blonde hair
-Also, 10% have blue eyes, and 10% have green eyes
-They are mostly of short to (UK, US) average height (average male height: 170.7 cm, average female height: 161.5)