Katamur

Katamur (*Katamuran*: Katamur Sure), officially the Crowned Republic of Katamur (*katamuran*: ___), is a located on eastern Dyria consisting of 16  Provinces, 5 Federal Cities & 6 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 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 Gedmra 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. Their 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. 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 Harbek IV, 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 Harbek, 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 Erut 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), & The South Tarsis Organization (STO) 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. 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. 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 Thizen 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

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. 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 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. This would infuriate the kings, eventually leading to Gedmra entering into the War of the Dzeznak Crown. 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. This war would see the end of the Dzeznak Crown and led to a massive shift of power in the region. Subsequent wars would occur further shifting the power between Gedmra and Okrimet.

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
Numerous nobles were angered by the placement of Truta I as king and demanded heavy recompense for their loyalty. Truta promised them large swaths of land beyond the borders of the Kingdom where they would possess an inherent autonomy away from the west peninsula. This agreement would initiate a series of conflicts collectively called the Eastern March Wars and carve the new territory under the troublesome nobles while maintaining an obvious stronger position to deter rebellious behavior.

Truta focused on maintaining a central government, often leaving the new territories to be managed nearly entirely by the nobles. Truta would make numerous moves focusing on uniting the cultural landscape, seeing it as the initial reason for the divided peninsula and to dissolve old allegiances with new ones aligned to the new kingdom. Truta enforced numerous Vikmuran centered establishments to encourage a cultural shift, most importantly of these being the placement of Vikmuran style Kataknaydem as the official faith and the declaration of the Vikmuran currency to become the national standard. These plans failed to grasp the stubbornness of the other cultures and brought considerable initial dissidence from the populace.

Truta and later descendants would maintain this focus on cultural indoctrination with marginal success. Newer territories were more quickly accepting of the new standard, typically due to the lack of cultural elements of other subcultures in the area. Territories of the original Kingdom were far more unlikely to shift. Local nobles were heavily against the transitions and remained as a difficult balancing act for future kings. This state of unease and push for a vikmuran cultured Katamur would be largely subsided by the creation of the United Council in 972 AC, following the Frozen Sea War, a conflict instigated after numerous southern nobles rebelled with the aid of ***.

A government institution, the United council gave considerable sums of power to local nobles, elevating them to positions of power and national decision making that was previously only allowed by the king. This change of policy direction moved the country into a lengthy period of local peace. The council focused on removing or changing previous implementations of the old kings. Kataknaydem was freed up to allow worship of all the various pantheons, not only Vikmuran and a new coinage was made that would ensure a lack of belief of favoritism in the national level.

Following unification, Katamur owned the vast majority of the Zwarkin Teguz peninsula’s coast and following the improvement of local relations in these coastal areas led to the building of new infrastructure and expansion of harbors. Fishing became a major commodity, more so than prior to unification, and was a popular staple in Katamuran cuisine. Local politics caused maritime influence to only be locally focused with very few expensive ventures beyond the West coast of the continent. The main voyages prior to 1012 include the Southern Dyrian Pass Expedition, a search for southern sea lanes to skip *** trade in the north, and the First Great Eastern Voyage, an expedition eastwards from Katamur to verify rumors circulating around the northern coast of the nation of Tarsis. Katamur would eventually make landfall on Tarsis in 996 AC, where they would discover a large abundance of luxury goods never before seen in it’s magnitude. The lead explorer, Gekemis Wadek, was quoted saying “what was considered the highest of luxuries back home, were like bread and water here”.

Colonial Katamur
Following the discovery of Tarsis by Katamur, attention towards the local continental concerns were set aside for the mass of riches provided by the north. Katamur local foreign policy slowly shifted to acting much more passive than previously. The common attitude was to maintain the status quo, ensure no other power could compare itself to Katamur in the continent and build access to the promised north. Katamur soon learned the region was quite dangerous, largely populated by Azadi pirates and other vessels hailing mainly from Abayad.

Katamur discovered, with aid from the Abayadi, the flow of trade currently going across the region and believed they had a right to begin claiming their section of trade. Formal meetings were arranged with the members of Abayadi high society, hoping the arrival of Katamuran nobility and wealth would possibly reduce some pirate attacks, especially those that were sponsored by the nobility.

To improve the state of security across the Katamuran trade routes, fortified ports were established across the waters between Dyria and Tarsis to provide safety to travelling ships as well as improve Katamur’s influence in trade. These initial seedlings of colonization proved effective in deterring pirates, some port cities began to expand more due to the influx of wealth coming through requiring its expansion and soon became genuine colonial holdings. Islands and territories Katamur colonized were for the norm, unoccupied.

However a colonial push towards the Dyrian-Tarsis chain began serious relational issues towards the Ayerani people however many of these places already had Abayadi colonizers present, further increasing the relational friction between the nations. Following the Muran-Abayadi Chain Conflict, Katamur was denied any territory across the majority of the chain islands. Proving a decisive blow against Katamur trade.

Katamur moved to focus again on local politics after the large losses from the war, Instead seeing an occupancy of the northwest peninsula, owned by *** at the time, as being the primary target for strengthening trade. The black sand war, beginning in 1103, was the decisive push for the peninsula. With the major trade route secured, Katamur's fortunes swelled and improved life standards for many individuals, especially the aristocracy. This period however began to reveal the problems slowly appearing within the katamuran political system implemented the centuries prior. The size of the bribery and demands to keep nobles loyal became astronomical as they began to gain wealth far faster then previous, generating divisions in the Council.

The Monarch, the first Queen, Kamisi I, began her reign in a maelstrom of panic as numerous nobles, frustrated by decades of indecision, attempted to claim the throne for themselves. The nobles were deterred however by a large section of the court still willing to serve under the new Queen. Unexpectedly another power came to the aid of the disgruntled nobles. The War of Great Betrayal was instigated by the nation of *** when the disgruntled nobles struck a deal with them in favour of assistance in the conflict. Kamisi reshaped the political landscape of the country, giving more power to fewer individuals and forming a base that would ensure a central dominance over the other members of the renewed council.

Salian-Katamuran contact
Firsthand contact of an Azoran power would come around in 1234, when Salian’s land near modern day nyeterdwasyet. With the Salian arrival, presence of Salian merchants within Katamuran port cities grew more commonplace as the trade slowly became much more crowded. Katamur attempted to remain civil within the new economic space, however they began to experience conflicts of interest. Salia quickly became a great opposition to the nation often being referred to by Katamuran merchants as "an even more unwelcome pest then rats". Merchants would commonly argue pricing with Salians, demanding cheaper pricing for what they considered as inferior goods to local Katamuran or Tarsic ones.

These disagreements would reach a fever pitch in 1266, after an aggressive discourse resulted in the discharge of firearms. The ensuing firefight exponentially got out of hand as mercenaries, hired by the port authority to keep the peace, mistook the conflict as an assault from a foreign power and began to crack down on any Salians and other Azoran traders for fear of further assaults. This only further escalated the situation as Salians and other foreign traders believed they were in a military conflict. This led to some merchants, who had their own mercenaries, eventually fighting back, further throwing the port mercenaries into a state of panic.

The incident caused massive financial harm to both Katamur and Salia, The latter of whom demanded heavy compensation for the needless loss of life and trade. Katamur did not accept to pay the full compensation until a conclusive answer of who started it was resolved. Dissatisfied with the response, Salia presented Katamur a final list of demands. Katamur declined all the points and on the 13th April 1266, Salia officially declared war on Katamur. The conflict was in the favour of Salia for the 4 years of war. Salian ships, although less present in the Abayadi Sea, were far more capable and possessed more experienced crew then the Katamuran fleet.

The Treaty of Zhyagaswa officially concluded the war and enforced a string of changes towards Katamur’s management of their colonial territories. The major colonial port cities were to be placed into joint command of Salian and Katamuran administration along with the presence of Salian military in each of these ports. The Katamuran section of the administration attempted numerous times to introduce reform in an effort to restore the old status quo. All these attempts were repelled by Salian sections of the administration. The authority eventually yielded for a legation format of the port cities, with foreign forces functioning only in those sections.

Salian Occupation Period
In an attempt to return the trade back into their favour, In 1319, Katamur initiated a collection of attacks on any Salian vessels as well as the occupation of Salian Legations in the trade ports. The conflict immediately caught the attention of Salia and moved promptly to respond to the situation. Unlike the conflict in 1266, Katamur proved far more challenging for the Salian navy. More Katamuran ships were present at sea, including much more trained crew from the numerous large scale conflicts with pirates.

The Katamuran Navy however failed to possess the ability of professional command that was present in western navies and did not develop strategies in fights larger than small skirmishes. This translated to an early period of dominance by Katamuran forces, before the arrival of additional ships from mainland Salia changed conflicts from being small engagements to becoming massive on sea battles that would eliminate dozens of ships at a time. Katamur soon proved incapable of opposing the main force of the Salian navy and after 6 years, Surrendered after numerous direct assaults on mainland Katamur in 1325.

the official signing of the Promises by the Chain Act threw all colonial possessions under direct administration of Salia as well as sections of mainland Katamur. Trade into the peninsula was heavily restricted, only permitting Salish goods which they would sell at exuberant prices for the simplest needs towards the local population. Under the Salian occupation, Katamuran’s were treated poorly, often exploited for the gains of mainland Salia. While the lower class population often expressed their dissidence, much of higher society were enjoying the generous deals the Salian authority offered them.

While the Monarch was furious at this, they were incapable of any aggressive response, lacking the influence in the military. An inheritance crisis was a brewing concern in the nation after King Kazek VII did not have an official heir. Following his death, the noble council remained in a deadlock of determining the new king. Fearing the occurrence of a civil war if the bickering among them did not stop, The council declared themselves as the absolute authority of the new Republic of Katamur.

The Republic was a highly unpopular regime, much of the lower class were well aware of the nobles who comprised the government were all subservient towards Salia. The salian colonial authority managing the situation of the Republic’s politics, made sure the government stayed at a knife’s edge from collapsing while still remaining together. Plans were being put into action by a secret rebellious society, Shindan dynasty Zhenia accepted requests for aid towards a growing underground organization in katamur that wished to see the reestablishment of the monarchy and the complete removal of Salia from the peninsula. The group was led by the supposed relative of King Kazek VII, who would eventually reveal himself to be Mazkwat.

Mazkwat, along with members of the military and nobility dissatisfied with the current state of things, staged an assault on the government in 1405 and established Mazkwat as king. The new king, with further aid from Zhenia, began staging numerous assaults on Salian territories. Sure of their position, Mazkwat called for two major attacks to begin the War of Liberated Fire. These two attacks shattered the control Salia possessed on the peninsula leading to a war that would continue until 1411 with the signing of the Treaty of Sbuzaka.

Katamur Empire
Mazkwat placed into action many reforms that weakened the nobility exponentially from their previous roles. The biggest and most radical of these was the dissolution of all noble titles by force. As compensation, the former nobles would be permitted considerate land rights as well as the power to act in the royal court to keep the Monarch informed, as long as they rescinded their titles and any potential claimants to the throne. Although naturally unpopular with the former nobles, the alternatives to refusing the title removal ranged from exile from the continent of Dyria to torture & execution.

This period of transition is often regarded as the Decade of Terror, where Mazkwat showed his true potential and desire for change in the nation. Those who chose to rescind were placed into the new political structure developed in the decade, which was a system allowing members to vote on possible actions the Monarch to take, however these were not legally binding and could be ignored by the Monarch. Mazkwat remained the most powerful man in the country and aided in the cultivation of the anti west mindset that would influence the countries Political, Technological and Social structure for the rest of the 14-1500’s.

Efforts into reinvigorating the nation took the form of reinterpretation of Salian practices and format that they performed during their years of occupation. Much of the manufacturing performed was done in pre-industrial conditions with only some of the better off territories receiving some form of industrialization. Mazkwat’s goal was to integrate these technologies to the redevelopment, knowing first hand the rate of production these new technologies provided. Along with a push for industrial development, the trade routes of old had to be reestablished. Stipulated in the Treaty of Sbuzaka, Katamur was given a small portion of the city of Zhyagaswa as the only oversea territory Katamur was permitted.

The release of the Salian choke-hold, coupled with a growing industrial base improving the state of Katamur, led to a revitalized State by 1430 and a refocus onto more pressing matters including army & navy. Shortly following the Fury War of 1445, Katamur began to experience local dissidence within their trade ports, coming from the lingering treatment from Salians and the desire to break away and claim their own independence. The Seven Ports Rebellion was a loosely organized collection of rebellions across Katamur’s colonial territories that constantly disrupted the daily happenings of these ports. These rebellions had varying success. These initial rebellions gave rise to more in other areas, most notably the northern rebellions of the Adegarsu & *** people which would continue in bursts until the late parts of the century.

Following Mazkwat I’s death in 1442, the political system began to shift again towards the favor of the council. The Monarch's following Mazkwat performed poorly and were oft unable to perform the same stretches of political understanding as Mazkwat. This led to a slow re-transfer of power towards the council in the dictating and management of the nation. This growth of power proved tumultuous as the Monarch’s began to lose the necessary influence they needed on the army, especially following the introduction of numerous former military captains of the army into the council.

A growing wave of public political dissidence, mixed with a growth in rebellious behavior in non-katamuran people was proving a dangerous mix in the council, who were unable to decide the best course of actions in any acceptable manner for the greater whole of the council. This led to much indecision and a frozen government that would be slow in acting against many situations occurring across the Nation.

Muran Civil War
Decades of political incapability, weak monarchical leadership, and a slowly growing radical ideological population proved a vicious combination that would lead to an eruption of violence across the country. Following the decentralization of the central government from the Monarch and a growing formal presence of former and current military leadership led to a growth of factionism inside the government, each gaining concerning support from various branches of the army. The most vocal of these groups were the ‘reformers’, a large collective of councilmen who publicly claimed the need for a shift to democratic formats, something much of the public was in growing support of.

Then King Harbek IV, along with the ‘loyalist’ elements of the council, permitted some elements of democracy, primary of these was the introduction of a public assembly in 1475. The council however could still not overthrow any choice of the monarch and were very vocal on the implementation of a constitution towards the powers of the monarch, to which Harbek and the loyalists deflected everytime. In November of 1485, during a speech by Harbek IV, Soldiers loyal to Medasta Zern, a former general of the Katamuran Army and popular head of the ‘Reformer’ sections of government, assaulted the speech and attempted to assassinate the King.

Harbek escaped with his life before loyal troops arrived to the conflict and gained control of the situation. Outraged by what had occurred, Harbek immediately dissolved the current government and declared any individuals loyal to the Reformer faction were to be public enemies of the state. The Reformers then declared the creation of a new government and declared themselves independent of the Crown. The Muran civil war officially began with the firing of shots near Trornezkembuk.

The war was initially composed of 2 parties, the Loyalist and the Reformers. This didn’t last long as numerous other politically charged individuals joined the fight or split from the larger factions including the United Workers Front, the North Katamur Independence Army, and the Neo-Nobility Army to name some of the largest parties. The war continued for 5 years, changing the face of the Katamuran people for the Century to follow. Erut I, leader of the Crowned Republic Civil Force, came out as the successor against the remains of the Medasta Loyalists and was placed into control to manage a hurting nation.

Following the conclusion of the civil war, Erut I kept true to his words of liberalizing the central government, creating the First Katamuran Constitution, restricting his powers and granting universal voting rights to all civilians. The reconstruction period of katamur saw the national economy return in strides, returning to competing capabilities against other members of the local economic field. The nation still remained scarred. Parts of Katamur were still in open rebellion, namely being the newly made autonomous territories in northern Katamur. Also growing more apparent was a growth in nationalism, bolstered by rhetoric developing in the nation claiming the conditions of the past century were because of the Western powers.

contemporary Katamur
everything is alright. Katamur is enjoying its 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 was previously a once heavily argued issue of concern, especially during the ever-growing divisional period of the late Katamuran Empire. Katamur's multicultural origins brought into question the primary influences of what defines Katamuran art. From historical analysis, it has been shown that there existed a distinct artistic division in terms of the format and medium art was made between the warmer northern peninsula and the colder southern peninsula with traditional Imumuran art favoring heavily in sculpting as well as ceramic work including pottery. 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 which were all completed prior to the collapse of the Tuakram Kingdom. The political extents of the Taukram kingdom supports the idea of a spread of physical art formats across the southern peninsula and is often argued as the unifying source of southern Katamuran art. Pottery is another popular medium traced back to pre-unification which commonly had indention in the pottery to designate a role for the pot/vase. These symbols would varying in quality based on it's purpose, with water carrying pots possessing only the designation symbol and no further flourishes, while some burial urns are intricately designed, some showing signs of pigmentation. This matter of designation for pottery remained in Katamuran culture and can still be seen to this day in modern pottery. Other ceramic art known to have been designed by pre-unification Katamuran's is tiling, which is noted to be especially popular in southern house design. Many public buildings and residence of aristocracy would have a multitude of tiled walls that were heavily detailed and presented a large multitude of colors and patterns.

Moving northwards shows the trend of pre-unification art to begin favoring painting as an art form, with numerous pre-historic pieces feature excessive use of dyes and pigments compared to the south's preference for. walls of varying material (primarily stone), and wood were the primary mediums of choice for painting before the import and later creation of in Katamur. These were done using and  paint mediums that remained the most popular for the entirety of early Katamuran history, only being overtaken in popularity after colonization with the introduction of  and  mediums. The appeal towards dyes over pigments was determined by the large amounts of flora in the north and it's relatively flat land compared to the mountainous north. This appeal can be seen until the end of the beginning of the proto kingdom period when access to trade for pigment in the south was more readily available. Following unification, both of these separate directions in art were disseminated and and combined. Due to the Hegemony of a northern power however, northerner ideas in art flourished more popularly then those of the south, creating an innate cultural preference for painting compared to other physical works of art.

Entering into the global scene, The artistic scene among Katamur changed with the growth of Zhenian and Abayadi influence including a heavier focus on proportions and form of the human body. Salian colonization would additionally bring artistic ideas from the western world before their removal. This is the popular reason for the appearance and growth of in Katamur. Following the Muran Civil War, all cultural institutions in Katamur changed reflecting the cultural reconstruction following it. This gave rise to a return to the bedrock of art, stripping away the finer details to achieve maximum expression. Katamuran Tonalism which focused on the use of tone to create an environment rather then numerous colors, was a hallmark of the Katamur art field during the reconstruction period. Other major art movements during the reconstruction period include, , and. The loss in the Second Great War further encouraged a move to more forms of art such as, , and. In recent decades the movement has gained considerable traction, many using it to visibly express their disagreements with the political leadership of recent time. Joining it as part of the modern movements is which present a completely new field of unexplored artistic potential.

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.