Katamur

Katamur (*Katamuran*: Katamur Sure), officially the Crowned Republic of Katamur (*katamuran*: ___), is a located on eastern Dyria consisting of 28  Provinces & 7 Autonomous Regions spanning a total area of approximately 1,862,232 km2. It is bordered by the Abayadi ocean to the West. Katamur, Ethnically, is made almost entirely up by both the Katamur ethnic group (consisting of 86% of the total population) and the rta-Katamur, various native people groups not identified as the original five cultures that define the Katamur ethnic group (who make up 12% of the population).

Archaeological evidence shows the region was populated some 20,000+ years before the end of the last ice age across the East Dyrian-Tarsis Land bridge. Permanent settlements began to appear after the end of the last ice age and a number of prominent tribes held considerable power over the Zwarkin teguz Peninsula. These tribes slowly formed into more centralized entities. Fighting between these kingdoms was common and made territory changes a constant occurrence, this brought about the development of a shared identity & people. By the 800’s AC only five kingdoms remained. The Vikmur kingdom made massive political moves that translated into hegemonic control of the region after the Union War of 860-872 AC. on December 22 872 AC, King Truta I united the 5 cultures into the single united Kingdom of Katamur. This political change turned Katamur into a prominent entity on the Continent of Dyria and would be dominant for numerous centuries to come.

Katamur expanded its influence beyond its initial borders shortly after unification, engaging in multiple wars to secure a dominant presence on the continent. They’re growth in maritime culture would eventually lead to their contact with mainland Tarsis whose allure of wealth and riches to be traded with, fueled multiple wars on Dyria for a dominance of trade. By the 1200’s Katamur owned oversea territories, many consisting of only port cities while some got as large as Zhyagaswa, primarily across the east Tarsis-Dyrian Island chain. This expansion led to eventual contact with the western powers, particularly Salia. Katamur would develop sour relations with them which would climax in the collective Port Wars, starting around mid 1200's with the third and last war concluding in 1325. Katamur saw immense technological growth during this period both from increased exposure to global trade (particularly of Zhenian origin) and from the necessity to modernize, facing the threat the western powers posed to Katamur’s control of the channels of trade in the area. The rapid growth led to heavy disorganization however which harmed the nation just as much as it helped.

After the signing of the Promises by the Chain Act Katamur declined dramatically. Salia held Katamuran trade hostage, forcing numerous unfair trade deals to members of Katamur while refusing the import of cheaper goods. Salia continued to occupy territory officially while majority of Katamur was under de facto control by Salian influence. Katamur eventually began to push back in numerous small scale conflicts with the aid of the Shindan dynasty. Confidence among the Katamurans grew, resulting in larger conflicts including the ATS Drúan Incident and the Pyat Nyiki dujyus conflict which collectively resulted in the Katamuran rebellion of Salian control and expelled any foreign control on mainland Katamur by 1411. Numerous locals saw this as the long awaited return to the front stage of the world many believed Katamur belonged to. However the country still remained heavily disorganized, burdened still by a choked economy only now regaining control. From 1426-1485, protests, riots and rebellions occurred almost constantly. An incompetent central government, headed by *King Harlvich V*, exceedingly worsened the situation, disagreements would paralyze decision making for weeks at a time. In November of 1485 AC a failed coup d'état, starting with the failed assassination of Harlvich V, was initiated by pro-democratic members of the royal cabinet. The coup would spiral out into the Muran Civil War as other radical groups took up arms against the failed government. The war would decimate many population centers and show a glimpse of what modern warfare entails, many veterans would later serve in the two world wars. The war ended in 1491 after King Erult I, leader of the Crowned Republic Civil Force (CRCF), succeeded in multiple key battles and brokered generous agreements to those who were willing to comply. The First Constitution of Katamur would be officially signed in the summer of 1492 & the Crowned Republic of Katamur would be established.

Today, Katamur remains a major power on Dyria with limited influence on the global scale. Majority of exports come in the form of fish products (of which they’re one of the highest global exporters of) and natural resource industries, most importantly being their natural gases and oil reserves. Tourism has additionally become a major selling point for Katamur with many panoramic views within eastern Katamur. Research into technological advances in renewable energy has been slowly growing in interest as Katamur hopes to obtain an edge in the renewable market. Katamur is part of a variety of international organisations including The World Concordat & Dyrian Economic Collective (DEC), among others.

Etymology
Katamur is a historically new term in relation to actually meaning the nation, deriving from Kata meaning all, and Mur meaning Person. The term was initially used in the official declaration of the new nation after the Union war to declare that Katamur would be citizens of Surezhuk (Lit. "The land we own"). Katamur continued to be used as a term for citizens of the new nation. Katamur would later lapse Surezhuk as the national term when foreigners misinterpreted Katamur as being the national name. Maps would display the region as Katamur. The term continued to be used and was later legally adopted after the declaration of the Katamur Empire in 1283.

Pre-union
The earliest known proof of humans on the Zwarkin teguz peninsula has been traced back to over 34,000 years ago with various caves across the Skatasu mountain chain revealing human presence in the area. It's been speculated that human's stayed within these caves over the course of the last ice age period. Physical evidence within these caves dwindle around 6000 BC. The early humans in the area adopted a semi-nomadic lifestyle. During the summer period, they would enact in hunter-gathering activities, travelling across the peninsula while doing so. During the winter periods they would return to previously made settlements near geothermal hotpots located on the Southern Skatasu mountain chain and survive off of any food they had left during their summer scavenging and local plants and animals that spent the winters nearby. Permanent settlements began to appear around 3000 BC, primarily appearing along the coast where settlers survived off of diets consisting heavily of fish and hardy vegetables that were able to survive the winter periods.

Until c. 2700 BC majority of these settlements were loose collectives without any recognizable central government entity excluding small tribal councils, these however maintained a flat hierarchy. The first major settlement (and later first kingdom) was Rkown Pyat, the capital of the Nyormsa Kingdom. Nyormsa would be the most notable of the Diaspora Kingdom Period (c. 2500-1040 BC), lasting until it's collapse caused by the complete destruction of Rkown Pyat by the Kingdom of Thamkraz, a precursor kingdom to Okrimet. With their victory, Thamkraz installed themselves as the first dominant entity on the Southern Zwarkin teguz peninsula. The unification of the south under Thamkraz saw the creation of the first major culture in Katamur: The Rasmur, whose maritime knowledge would later thrust Katamur into the world stage. The other major cultures, Vik, Hilk, Ravu, and Imu, each appeared over the following centuries. Vik & Hilk grew in prominence after the collapse of the Thamkraz kingdom leaving it's two northern vassals: Bazperge, and Zhertmi, to disconnect from the Ras culture and develop variants of it. Ravu would develop independently from the rest, coming from the collection of smaller tribes and kingdoms in the far north. Imu would be the final culture to develop in it's entirety after the formation of the Tuakram Kingdom around c. 400 BC. The five cultures would continue to remain independent, ferociously opposing one another as they squabbled with one another. These conflicting cultures would fight with each other and opposing cultures for centuries (often labeled as the proto kingdoms period which extended from 44-686 AC). settlements near the cultural borders would constantly swap hands melding the cultures. This would spread further as the cultural nations centralized.

Five Crowns Period
By 479 AC, The trend of a centralizing peninsula was becoming apparent. Multiple smaller kingdoms were vying for control within their respective regions, slowly growing in the complexity of management and a reduction of sections of an owned territory not being managed by some part of the government hierarchy. Independent nations were either forcibly or willingly subjugated by another where they quickly became a de jure part of the nation. The peninsula remained a large collection of small fighting nations till 686 AC with the complete annexation of the Egazh Kingdom by Okrimet, the kingdom to unify the Rasmur people. By this time, the Zwarkin teguz peninsula was under five Crowns:
 * The Okrimet Crown, one of the most powerful Crowns at the time. Occupied the far south of the peninsula
 * The Thisen Crown, the resurgent nation attempting to return the glory of the Taukram kingdom. Located in the southern parts of the Skatasu Mountains
 * The Gedmra Crown, the oldest Crown of the five, existing for ~90 years prior. Located on the western point of the Peninsula
 * The Ostzak Crown, a large, decentralized (to the other Crowns standards) Crown that was unmatched in open warfare. Located across the norther coast of the peninsula
 * The Dzeznak Crown, although the smallest, they possessed some of the most fortified defenses of the century. Located west of central Zwarkin teguz

These five Crowns would be considered in modern terminology as but with far more direct control of members of the Crown. The Crowns were named after the leading nation within the region and the influence they held, there would be no change of the leading nation in each respective crown until the latter half of the period which would eventually lead to the creation of the Katamur Kingdom. This time is commonly remarked for it's statecraft, with the number of conflicts in this time being the lowest in the pre-union. Relationships, treaties, agreements, and various other political acts were performed constantly between the Crown's and their subjected Vassals. Conflict between Crowns were uncommon and often led to small transfers of territory, meanwhile conflict within the Crowns were much more common, with lesser royalty squabbling among one another. The head of the Crown would often overlook the conflict unless it directly affected their control of the region, such as the War of Dezmya. The Crowns were often cooperative and open with one another which allowed a large sum of trade and culture to move across the regions. These times of cooperation would often end from time to time when diplomatic situations could not be resolved and led to warfare between them. Over time the Crowns gained more direct control over their subjects where they now began to act in the form of a traditional Feudal system with a pyramid of power, possessing the monarch at the top. Relationships these monarch's would make would lead the end of a divided peninsula.

On 811 AC, the final direct male heir of the Dzeznak Crown, Tnakrep of Dzeznak passed away and the throne empty. Two neighbors of Dzeznak, Okrimet & Thisen had rulers with indirect relations towards Tnakrep. Both rulers, Kudbyan II and Erk-Drawm IV declared themselves the rightful heir of the Dzeznak Crown. War would broke out between the two shortly thereafter. The nobles of Dzeznak were greatly displeased with the events that had transpired. One noble, Kadra of Trazh, forced himself into the position of Crown monarch after guaranteeing his position with the help of the Gedmra Crown in exchange for a considerate sum of silver mines in the crown territory of Dzeznak. This would infuriate Kudbyan and Erk-Drawm, eventually leading to Gedmra entering into the War of the Dzeznak Crown. The conflict would last until 824 AC. Kadra would die of a bout of illness in 818 AC. Unwilling to leave the conflict unrewarded, Gedmra would forcibly establish Muzkwan, Wife of Kadra and daughter of the Gedmra king, Wazuken VI, as the ruler of the Dzeznak Crown. The War would conclude with Thisen defeated and Okrimet & Gedmra coming to a compromise, granting half of the former Dzeznak territory to Okrimet. This war would see the end of the Dzeznak Crown and led to a massive shift of power in the region, favoring Gedmra and Okrimet. Subsequent wars would occur further shifting the power between Gedmra and Okrimet. From 832 AC until 840 AC, Gedmra was engaged in a series of conflicts against Ostzak after aggressive actions from the former sparked by a trade disagreement relating to food security for the Crown. Gedmra depended to a degree on food brought down from the north through trade. However Ostzak had begun raising prices near the border, likely due to their own poor harvests in recent years. Gedmra fought until they a new agreement was forced onto Ostzak, greatly weakening it. Smaller conflicts would occur over the following years.

Unification
The Union War of 860-872 would lead to the creation of the Katamur Kingdom and the official end of the five crowns period. Before the start of the war, many higher nobles and intellectuals began to realize the shared identity many people of the peninsula had. The general freedom of trade between nations (oftentimes enforced through diplomacy or war) saw many notions of a divided Peninsula as only being a concern for the higher ranks of society. Gedmra at the time had a considerate control of the peninsula, either directly, or through diplomatic agreements. Ostzak were forced into an alliance with Gedmra back in 855 AC after the higher nobility threatened to swear fealty to them if they didn't offer reforms favoring the local nobles. The alliance acting as a failsafe granting Ostzak safety in the event the nobility did abandon them. This heavy control of the region as well as the higher nobility's favor to bring about a united peninsula became factors for the Union War. The war occurred after the cousin of the Gedmra king, Espun I, was reportedly assassinated by members of the Thisen court before he could be rightfully crowned as the king of Thisen and had Espun's illegitimate brother, Gumesku, whose father was the former king of Okrimet, placed onto the throne instead. This placed Gedmras king, Truta I, into a unbridled rage. It was believed that he screamed in fury the whole day when he found out, and could be heard from every part of the palace. Truta declared war on Thisen shortly after, declaring himself the new legitimate heir of the Crown. Okrimet soon declared war in defense of Thisen and to stop the evident power grab by Gedmra. The war would go for 12 years initially in favor of Gedmra before a series of defeats in the mountains had armies of Thisen claiming Gedmraen land. Favors would shift back 5 years later with Gedmra's victory at the Battle of Bloodied Sliver and the loss of clear supply routes between Thisen and Okrimet. Gedmra would take the advantage, defeating the weaker Thisen in 868 AC before pushing further into Okrimet and taking their capital near the beginning of 872 AC. Truta then declared himself the ruler of both Thisen and Okrimet. In the following months Truta would demand the surrender of the crown of Ostzak before having all crowns melted and reforged into a singular crown and declaring the creation of a single king on the peninsula. The king of the Kingdom of Katamur.

Greater Katamur
contact with Tarsis, Reinforcement of maritime culture

Salian-Katamuran contact
exposure to a western power. Disagreements and losses from Katamur

Promises by the chain period
Katamur thrown into a chokehold by Salia

Katamur Empire
Rebellion and redemption, Katamur is back and ready to kick some butt! for like a decade or two...

Decline
Numerous rebellions, political stagnation and corruption, general fall of Katamur (again)

Muran Civil War
everything relating to the civil war

World War Two
Katamur joins to help of Zhenia

Modern Katamur
everything is alright. Katamur is enjoying it's time in the deep south.

Government & Politics
Katamur is a Constitutional Monarchy with a Monarch as the head of state, and a People’s Delegate (PD) as head of the elected government as stipulated in the Constitution of 1492. The Monarch still retains considerable power however the vast sum can be overruled by a majority in the elected government. Katamur is the only country to have a tricameral parliament. The government is separated into 3 primary houses of government. The Summer & Winter hall, whose memberships are determined by popular vote, and the third house, the Spring council, whose membership is determined by the results of the two other houses of government.

The Summer & Winter halls (colloquially known as the Solstice Halls) are led by the People's Delegate, elected by popular vote every four years, and acts as the head of government for Katamur. The primary role of the People's Delegate is to act as the principal government figure and to oversee civil & government activities. Appointment of the cabinet however is not a direct power of the PD. Instead, Cabinet members are selected by the ruling party and the two strongest opposition parties, each submits a Patron of the Party (POP) who leads their section of the cabinet in the Spring Council. The PD acts as the ruling parties Patron. The collective parties then determine the occupants of each seat in the cabinet, with each being granted 1/3 of the seats. All appointed cabinet members, the Patrons & the PD are automatically granted membership into the Spring council. The role of all other members of the Halls is to engage in discussion concerning issues in the State along with voting on these issues to develop new laws. They also possess the sole power to initiate a state of war, vote against direct decisions by the Monarch and determine the taxation section of the budget as well as minimum budgets for each Province.

Provincial Minster members of the Winter Hall possess the duty of overseeing civil & government duties that fall within their jurisdiction. The hall itself is for the purpose of cooperation between Provinces so that infrastructure developments in one state may also support the development of it's neighbor. They also act as the second approval phase for any law drafted, presented, and passed through the Summer hall. The Winter hall additionally possesses the power to change some parts of the constitution. They are however unable to change laws in prior articles to those in the Safeguard Articles, unless directly given the permission by an acting Monarch. The provinces also determine among themselves the split of the budget between one another beyond the minimum budgetary needs (as stipulated by the Summer hall)

The Spring council is led by the Royal Lordship of Katamur, Or simply Monarch, who inherits the position through Primogeniture Succession and is the De facto Head of State. The Council manages all macro elements of the state where upon decisions made will be completed by the leading government & cabinet (if it involves Federal management) or the Provincial Minister (for Province focused management). The duty of the Monarch is to ensure decisions are agreed upon and executed, these parts mainly relating to the budget of which the Spring council determines the Federal/Provincial budgetary split as well as the budget for the federal government. The council also holds the power to change any law within the constitution, including those stated in the Safeguard Articles, however this power has not been used to date. The Monarch personally has the power to dissolve the government and immediately call a re-election, the Monarch can also overrule any decision made both in the Council and Halls, however this can be reversed if half of the membership of the Summer hall vote against the action.

Law
cool stuff about law, perhaps a common law? religious law? we do have an enforced faith

Foreign Relations
Since 1541, Katamur introduced a multitude of measures to restrict offensive acts of warfare, this including the Absolute Union rule which stipulates that a declaration of war requires a near unanimous (90%) vote and the direct approval of the current monarch. Approval only needs to be done by the Monarch in the event of a defensive war. Katamur maintains a hands on approach to policy within Dyria, to further maintain peace on the Continent and to protect it from foreign interventions, particularly from Aurora. Katamur has formed numerous organizations to improve cooperation on Dyria including the Dyrian Economic Collective (DEC) and the Dyrian Prosperity League (DPL).

Provincial regions
Katamur is separated into a collection of different provinces.

Military
The Katamur armed forces are split into 5 branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Special Forces, and the Civil Force. Collectively, they currently comprise the largest military force on Dyria with an active force of 148,200 (1609). Katamur maintains a limited conscription with every individual fit for military training to go through a one year period of military training once reaching the age of 18 for men and 21 for women. People can then choose to proceed into the military or go into tertiary education or into the general workforce but will remain as part of the Civilian Force for a future five years for men and three years for women with all future enlistments being entirely voluntary.

The armed forces are managed by the federal defense department and headed by the Delegate of War (officially the Crown Appointed Delegate for Wartime Affairs) since its establishment in 1497 whereupon it was previously under direct command by the Monarch itself.

Demographics
According to the most recent census in 1605, Katamurs population of 21.7 million still possesses a prominent rta-katamur population of 2.6 million, or 12% of the population, majority of which (roughly 65% or 1.7 million) reside in their autonomous regions. 2% (434,000) of people were identified as foreign born, primarily from Zhenia and Abayad (collectively making 90% of the demographic). The collective Katamur culture group still stands at a majority with 86% (18.7 million) identifying as one of the five cultures. Since 1537, Katamur has maintained a positive birth/death ratio with current estimates from 1605 stipulating 1.7 children are born for every woman. After the multiple harsh events of the early 1500's, Katamur experienced a substantial increase of population influenced by an increase of welfare policies to assist in new families in addition to loosened immigration requirements, allowing many Abayadi and Zhenian people to immigrate during the reconstruction period.

The extensive sum of the population lives along the coast, a larger concentration being along the northern coast for it's typically warmer climate compared to the south. Further inland, the presence of people progressively shrinking until contact with the Skatasu mountains where numerous cities have been propped up on local resources and tourism from the mountains. Over east of the mountains, the population immediately drops in presence with only a few prominent towns in the area.

Religion
Katamur maintains a secularized religious system that has separated almost all parts of the nation from the official faith, Kataknaydem, however the faith is still funded in majority by the government under cultural maintenance in the budget. Before the foundation of the Crowned Republic, the monarch was deemed as the highest force in the faith (a relic of the centralization of the faith in the early 1000's) and controlled all parts of it including official dogma and structure. Erult I voluntarily removed many of his powers from the faith and decentralized it for it to be handled by a small collective of elders who would henceforth oversee the management of Kataknaydem. From the most recent census, approximately 88% of Katamurans answered as following Kataknaydem in some capacity. The remaining 12% declared themselves as practicing another faith (5% following Zhenian Wuism & 3% following Abayadi Rite Aranism) or following no religion. Other faiths are somewhat encouraged to practice in public, having temples for other faiths being built in areas of high foreign population (particularly the northern coast of Katamur) and allowing public celebration of religious holidays. Proselytizing is however banned in any public space and is treated severely if breached.

Languages
Katamuran is the official language of Katamur, taught and used in all institutions within the nation. 7 other languages are additionally recognized for use within Autonomous zones. Government signing is these autonomous areas will have both languages presented and a copy of any official document is made to have both translations. These additional languages are also taught in education institutions across the country but as a voluntary elective while Katamuran is the standard language to be taught.

Education
Education is officially placed under the control of Provincial Ministers with the broad framework established by the central government. Katamur reformed the education system in 1578 after a general trend of declining competency in many areas of learning. The new system is organized into 4 stages: Primary, Secondary, Civilian Military Training (CMT) and Tertiary. Primary education starts at age 6 and is concluded with the movement into Secondary after 6 years. Secondary is split into two 3 year blocks with the second block allowing students to further their pursuit into either vocational or academic learning. CMT is an enforced 1 year period of military learning for all students of age and ability. Both men and women participate, however women can opt out and instead perform at the compulsory age of 21. Primary and Secondary education are compulsory under federal law with CMT optional for women and Tertiary optional for all.

Katamur provides benefits for students who have been serving in the military for a number of years, funding a considerable sum of a student's education. This system has encouraged military participation as well as improved the amount of students enrolling into tertiary education with a 30.22% enrollment rate of people between 19 and 25.

Health
Katamur functions with a system largely financed by the government's. Universal health care was introduced in 1517 after a second wave of sweeping changes in government directed towards welfare and well-being for the general populace. This brought about the creation of Medaid, an umbrella term for the medical insurance provider system that remains in current use which allows all civilians access to funds for numerous medical needs. Medaid is comprised of numerous public not-for-profit health insurance organizations that are funded primarily by the government with remaining cost being fulfilled either between employee & employers or direct taxation of the individual, depending on the insurance chosen. It is compulsory to be part of at least one insurance fund, many formatted to support lifestyles ranging from general day to day to more work based lives. Those suffering terminal illnesses or a disability will have any costs related to treatment/management of the case paid in full by government programs.

Katamur suffers numerous medical issues, linked either to smoking and/or alcohol consumption including cardiovascular disease (29% of deaths) and cancer (24%). The population is otherwise generally healthy with about 10% of the population being regarded as obese.

Art
The original roots of Katamuran art is a commonly speculated one. With the popular argument that the existence of a united, Katamuran artistic identity occurring sometime after the declaration of Greater Katamur, the 200+ years of consolidation of the people began to create a permanent unified cultural identity. The art at the time took inspirations from each of the cultures, with Traditional Imumuran Sculpting becoming very popular with pieces like Ascent of Kmazi and Beauty by the ridge noted as being the most well known pieces of early Katamuran sculpting. Painting grew most popular after the expansion of trade between Katamur and the world, taking pointers from Zhenian, Abayadi and some Salish works to expand their retinue until the conclusion of the Romanticist period. Following the Muran Civil War, all cultural institutions in Katamur took a harsh defeatist tone. In art, this translated into an analysis and reconstruction of itself. To look at the very bedrock of art and to evoke as much visual information with as little detail as possible, this was also due to the fact of how difficult paint products became in the post war environment. This brought the creation of Katamuran Tonalism which focused on the use of tone to create an environment rather then numerous colors. The term was coined by art professor Nedmazu Kaygin, one of the opening artist for the movement. Katamuran art has continued to trend towards art including  and.

Sports
Katamur Commonly participates in numerous indigenous and non-indigenous sports including tekruze, the national sport, as well as variants of Archery, Martial Arts and Swordplay are all popular sports year round. During winter, many Katamurans enjoy skiing, variants of skating including figure and speed skating as well as Ice hockey. Alabu is another very popular sport picked up by early Abayadi immigrants in the mid 15th century with an explosion of popularity after an influx of Abayadi immigration during the reconstruction period, bringing the sport in droves. Since then Alabu has become the second most popular sport in Katamur with a national league, the Katamur National Alabu League (KNAL), as well as constant participation in the Alabu World Cup. Katamurs international team has consistently ranked highly, placing most commonly 3rd behind Abayad and Ayeran, which have fostered a healthy rivalry between both countries in the sport, particularly with Abayad in the Mendhi variant of the sport, which was first internationally played in a Katamur arena in 1526.