Winulba (win.ul.ba)
The great pearl indeed. While it positions itself as a champion of the people now, and claims ample friends among those deep sea dwellers, all it takes a cursory look at the history to know that this is either a lie or a change of such magnitude that its ripples should stretch far beyond the Dyiiladuun Sea.Winulba, officially the Kingdom of Winulba, is an elective monarchy in south-eastern Thurásin. Established in 15 Drought as a way to organise the many people who sought the safety of the sea breeze during the harsh summers, it has seen its share of conflict and misunderstanding throughout the centuries.
History
The south-eastern reaches of Thurásin were once united under the Theocracy of Dyiiladuun, until it was destroyed by its own hubris by the dragon Jrinta. In their destructive wake they created the Dyiiladuun Sea, and many of the islands that scatter it. These are not inhabitable for many years, being largely piles of rock and debris, though slowly flora and fauna expanded from the mainland to make the sea their home. Those who would later found Winulba have lived on the islands since the Era of Redemption at the latest, many fleeing the expansion of the conquering Urisoril Empire. These groups remained quite isolated for many years, occasionally welcoming new arrivals and watching the chaos of conquest from their oases of safety, as the Empire made no attempts to expand into the southern islands. Scattered attempts were made to unite the islands under a single banner, but none were ever "complete", and any progress was often reversed by subsequent rulers and warriors. This changed during the Era of Drought, as a woman known only by the title Barumging sought to bring order to the islands flooded with refugees from the dry inland. Under her leadership, she took firm control of one island at a time, connecting each with trade and community activity with the goal of keeping the islands closer to each other than the outside world. In 15 Drought, she took over the last island in the south-eastern seas that was not already pledged to the rival Yalaruun, and declared her Kingdom of Winulba. In its inception it was a straightforward absolute monarchy, under the control of a hand-groomed successor to her throne, and with a strong focus on its internal stability as opposed to any external matters. However, such lofty aims did not survive long past Barumging's death, and conflict swiftly erupted between Winulba and Yalaruun over who had claim to which island. Regularly throughout the centuries the two would exchange territory, and any time between was an uneasy truce. The constant back and forth between the two island nations came to an abrupt end during The Collision, which caused devastating waves throughout the Dyiiladuun Sea and left many from both countries stranded without aid. While the Winulba mainland region struggled to ready itself for rescue operations, the people of Yalaruun reacted quickly, and were responsible for finding and saving many people from Winulba. With many of the islands that had been in dispute swept away by the chaos, the two countries came to a lasting agreement over dominion of the Sea, with Winulba ceding their claim in many cases as a way of thanking Yalaruun. This was not the end of Winulba's history of conflict in Thurásin's south east, as its later attempts to expand their mainland holdings would bring them into war against Abiyadin. The few times this has resulted in blows have been inconclusive, with many back and forths. To many historians, Winulba had simply made Abiyadin their new Yalaruun. Winulba's oceanic location positioned it well for the arrival of Merfolk in 27 Disturbance, and they have made some of the biggest efforts to court the favour of the various merfolk groups who have come to the area since. It was, in fact, Winulba's idea that the merfolk be granted the island of Dyulang Island as a land station for their people, successfully convincing Yalaruun to give it up.Structure
Founding Date
15 Drought 733 Years Ago
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Demonym
Winulbawa
Government System
Monarchy, Elective
Official Languages
Neighboring Nations
Red Fishl
Despite the flag of Winulba depicting a red fish, none of the fish in the Dyiiladuun Sea or the neighbouring oceans are typically red. While some write this inconsistency off as an artistic decision, the red fish as a symbol dates back long before Queen Barumging's conquest of the islands, all the way back to old Dyiiladuun as a crest for various families and groups. According to the old stories, a massive red fish once appeared off the coast of Dyiiladuun with a sailor on its back. The fish swam along the coast until it found fishers on the shoreline, enabling it to hand over the unconscious and injured sailor. When the sailor came to, he claimed his boat had capsized and he had hit his head on the debris, having no idea of how he survived. On hearing of the fish's aid, the sailor set about constructing fish statues in honour of its aid, having one erected in his home town and another dropped into the ocean near where he believed his ship had gone down. Records exist for the first statue up until Dyiiladuun's destruction, at which point it likely fell into the sea with the rest of the country.
Ship Shipwreck by Comfreak
The Flag
The flag of Winulba consists of a dark blue field. About the centre of the flag is a large red silhouette of a fish with a white eye, which surrounds a small white circle just right of centre.
The blue represents the ocean that surrounds the many islands of Winulba. The red fish represent the ocean's bounty, as well as the protection afforded to the country by its location, and its shape and position loosely resembles the country's borders. The white circle represents the pearls often found in the area, as well as the people of Winulba.
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