Dalure Kingdom

"If Dalure is so damn big, why don't you hear about anything other than Gilaan?" -Gul'raash

Dalurian territory stretches across the majority of Central Myrthul, from the southern edge of the Mirror Wastes to the northern edge of the Azrok Mountains, and from east to west coast. The twin cities, North and South Gilaan, are the largest in the kingdom, and are built against the walls which enclose Tempest Valley.

Demographics

Because of its sensitive history, Dalure is a very diverse land. All races are treated equally, and even the slight of prejudice can be met with violence if seen in certain areas. Elves, humans, and goliaths make up the majority of the population of the valley.

Government

Dalure has perhaps one of the most interesting governmental systems in Zantin; every king must be a different race than the previous. The king will then serve for life, but he must elect a counselor for each race needing representation in the country, this being the subject of some loose interpretation in the past that only those races with large populations should have representatives, but now if even one family owns property, their race must have a representative.

Defences

The Gilaan Walls are the only defensive structures still manned throughout Dalrune, although the Gilaan Scouts continue to patrol outside the valley.

Infrastructure

Dalure maintains a well-guarded road alongside the Buryu River considered to be the only safe route from Northern Myrthul to Central or Southern. In fact, many merchants consider the Buryu to be the only road worth taking, and, with a small toll at the gates of North and South Gilaan, the road has become a large contributor to Dalure's treasury.

History

"A bird whispered to me in the night,
'an evil king brings a plight,
but if you let me rest in your bed,
together, we can remove his head'."

-A poem from the Dalure Rebellion

Originally a human kingdom founded in 782, the first king, Horthar, persecuted any of non-human lineage, starting with the smallest minority and eventually targeting all non-humans. After the scope of his plans was unveiled, resistance groups began working secretly, including many humans, and eventually a full rebellion broke out. The Great Dalure Rebellion lasted only three days, as an angry mob stormed Horthar's castle, killing the tyrant king and leaving his eviscerated body hanging in the courtyard. The mob took the crown and placed it atop the head of who is believed to have started the rebellion, a dragonborn named Hyykaash.

"T'was late and stormy; I couldn't tell whether the noise was our swords smashing their shields or the thunder. Smoke was billowing from the town hall and I saw civilians crawling out from under the burning rubble. Every slash and every stab from my blade left streaks of blood which were quickly washed away. Arrows rained on the battlefield like the droplets of water obscuring my vision. And then time stood still. No one fought, no one screamed their war cry, not one clang from metal on metal could be heard. Soldiers from both sides had gathered in a circle and when I made my way to the center I was overwhelmed by sadness. I saw a father holding his boy, who had not even seen his sixth summer, with an arrow through his chest. I ordered my men to return to our camp and asked the Hermit commander for a three-day armistice to lay the dead to rest, to which he agreed.
Is this the war we fight? One where Dalurians kill one another's family in front of them? I don't wish to swing my sword ever again..."
-A field commander during the Dalurian Civil War

Under Hyykaash, Dalure grew its army and expanded its control into Southern Myrthul. His son, Du'urkaash continued his father's path under advisory from his father's council. Many of the battles fought in the south were bloody, often leading to hundreds dead in just a day. Resentment grew from Dalurian families who grew weary from sending their sons to fight and give their lives in a foreign land. Tensions between the king and his people grew, especially those in the north, forcing Du'urkaash to move his capitol further south, outside Tempest Valley. The Delurian Civil War erupted a few months later in 846 with the two sides, the Loyalists and the Seclusionists, or Hermits, fighting for control of the southern portion of the valley. After two years of bloodshed, pitting families against each other, Du'urkaash's Loyalists collapsed from the inside due to soldiers who were no longer willing to kill any more of their own. Du'urkaash was forced to surrender the remainder of his forces, only a select few of whom were persecuted for specific crimes. All others, including Du'urkaash, were welcome to return to Delure as regular citizens. The former king refused, stating he was no worthy of showing his face to the Dalurian people, and traveled to the far south.
Dalurians utilized their complex history to help establish a new type of rule; the would first elect the senior non-military official to king, and then set in rule, "following the death of Dalure's king, a new king will be selected of different traits in status, race, and occupation". This meant a king would serve a lifetime, but his offspring would not necessarily be royalty. This is still the system used in Dalure to this day.

"Dalure was not ready for the invasion of the south. Our soldiers are not hardened like our ancestors; I should have been more careful."
-King Seilai

Dalure remained relatively peaceful for the next 200 years, until the dwarven kingdom, Morathin, began entering territory in Darune's southern territory. At first, understanding the state of its weakened army from years of peace, the king of Dalure, Seilai, an elf, sent Morathin a warning, attempting to bluff the dwarves by stating the size of Dalurian territories. Morathin, however, was not swayed, having equipped themselves with Mythril mined from their homelands. As full conflict broke out in 1037, Dalurian soldiers were ill-equipped and poorly trained. Morathin quickly pushed Dalurian forces from the south, but stopped once the reached the Azrok Mountains. Morathin would rule the region with an iron fist, placing heavy tariffs on everything not on their home island, after years of oppression, rebellions began, and constant exchanges between Morathin, Dalure and those living in the south would continue for 150 years.
In 1152, Dalure had a veteran army from defending its border and reclaiming a portion of its old territory. The southern people had united under a new leader, Henry I, whose tactical prowess had proven extremely effective against Morathin. After a group of the newly named Halians, after the shortened form of Henry, was apprehended in the Azrok Mountains, Halians retaliated killing a Dalurian patrol near the border of their territory. This was the catalyst to the Three Blades War.
The Dalurian soldiers were now much better equipped and had veteran instructors, allowing them to slowly fight back the dwarven kingdom, but Dalurian commanders were not well-suited to play war-games against the guerrilla fighters from Henry's army, who were not equipped to fight the dwarves and their mythril. So began a standoff, no side willing to make any large plays for fear eliminating one enemy would be too costly to wage war on another front.

"I remember clearly the first day we saw them, the devils. We had sent a patrol north to probe Dalurian lines, but the patrol returned with only two men; one soaked in the other's blood, and the other dead. When we asked what had happened the man was too afraid to speak. I decided to investigate personally, and what I saw was frightening. The valley seemed to flood with devils and their demonic overlords. I knew at that time the Three Blades War had ended."
-Journal of Finkle Fizzlesprocket

Dalure was the first nation to withdraw from the Three Blades War, retreating north into the fringe of the desert. It wasn't long after the dwarves and Halians realized they hadn't run from the war but from what was spilling from the valley; a horde of demons and devils. Fighting between nations stopped as everyone began focusing on the obvious larger threat now known as the Abyss war. A Dalurian emissary was sent to negotiate a treaty between Morathin and the blooming nation of Halholm. The plan required all nations to unite and defeat the infernal, and then hold a summit where true negotiations could be held with only three guarantees; Halholm would be granted nation status, Morathin would be allowed to keep territory in the mainland, and Dalure would keep its original territory, marked by the northern most tip of the Azrok Mountains. Both Halholm and Morathin agreed, reluctantly. All the nations began work on the largest construction in Zantin; the Gilaan Walls, named after the king of Dalure.
Following the conclusion of the Abyss War, and the finalizing of conflict between nations after Halholm forced the dwarves back to Morathin, Dalure became even more reclusive than during its civil war. Any growth that occurred did so inside the valley, and any who remained outside the confines of the range was treated as an outcast.
In recent times, Dalure, specifically North Gilaan, has suffered the wrath of a dragon, leaving the city in shambles. A party hired by King Gilaan was asked to recruit giants living in the valley to help, and they engaged with the dragon south of the Mirror Wastes, slaying it.

Type

National Territory

Population

~400000

Inhabitant Demonym

Dalurian

Location under

Central Myrthul

Included Locations

• North Gilaan
• South Gilaan