Nurdia

The Republic of Nurdia is a country located in the small continent of Onchoagria. It is bordered by Tanoiro to the west, Fervorosia to the east, and Canyōne to the north. It is known for its world-famous universities, tourism, and diverse immigrant population from Earth.

Ancient Nurdia (3200 B.C. to 541 A.D.)
The early Nurdish were a nomadic people who roamed the Heavowa Desert, located in the northeastern region of the country's modern-day borders. Because access to food was limited, societies from this era survived through the use of Idiviid, a communication network that relied on visual cues visible from a great distance. The Idiviid system made identifying viable food sources more efficient and allowed Nurdish tribes to defend themselves more readily from marauders.

Eventually, Nurdish culture grew too large to sustain itself within the Heavowa Desert. Once horses were introduced to Nurdish settlements, migrating across the Etsen Mountains became more feasible. In 2846 B.C., the fishing village of Awingar was founded along the southwestern coast of the Onchoagria continent. With the advent of Awingar's fishing economy, trade routes quickly developed throughout the Nurdish-inhabited lands. Agriculture soon followed, and by 2500 B.C., the Nurdish civilization came to completely dominate southern Onchoagria. Despite the enduring autonomy of the increasingly prevalent Nurdish communities, advancements in the Idiviid system ensured that conflict between the tribes was rare.

By the turn of the Second Millennium B.C., however, the mountainous Canyōne people began to raid Nurdish villages more frequently and aggressively. The northern outskirts of Nurdish territory grew increasingly militarized, and as a result the long-term political stability was being threatened for the first time. In the midst of this crisis, the charismatic Cheb I of Heavowa rise to power as Nurdia's first monarch. Although it took her several years to subdue the independently functioning tribes to her rule, her brilliant diplomacy and advancing reforms allowed her new empire to stand the test of time. Under her reign, the northern city of Garukkin was established as Nurdia's first capital. Its location on a plateau in the Etsen Mountains meant it could rule Nurdish-populated lands with Idiviid more effectively than any other settlement.

A thousand years after the rule of Cheb I, Ancient Nurdia entered a golden age under the reign of Tzaimeig the Pure. His policies included the improvement of trade caravans, the erection of hospitals and forums in many Nurdish villages, and the distribution of the country's first writing system.

Around 700 B.C., Nurdia started to become significantly more literate thanks to the invention and distribution of the tablet carousel. Initially, Nurdish writings were primarily restricted to localized nobility, but Empress Cheb XII began planting them in public squares, insisting that they would improve social relations between the populace and its leaders. In the ensuing centuries, tablet carousels would appear in marketplaces, pubs, and several other public places, creating a culture of open exchange.

Despite the Nurdish Empire's numerous achievements over the course of time, a Dark Age erupted when the Canyōne conquered Garukkin and deposed Cheb XV. Conflict between the Nurdish and Canyōne grew more intense than it had ever been in the past, and within time, the Nurdish Empire began to fracture into smaller confederacies. The Empire was eventually reunited by 21 B.C., but skirmishes between Nurdia and Canyōne remained common for generations to come.

The next few centuries are considered the height of the Ancient Nurdish civilization. During this period, several new temples were constructed throughout the empire's cities. Unlike previous shrines, which were strictly places of worship, these temples were centers of social activity, providing shelter for the homeless, education, and community meetings. Technology also boomed, with sophisticated bathing houses, harvesting tools, and caravans leading to a vast expansion of wealth.

Unfortunately, by the 5th Century, political corruption was gradually weakening the Nurdish Empire. Several splinter states formed amidst the chaos. The Matazing, a warlike tribe from the far west, eventually conquered Ancient Nurdia entirely by 541.

Matazing Nurdia (541 to 755)
During the 200+ years that Nurdia was under Matazing control, the land was a tributary state of the Matazing Republic. Political autonomy was extremely limited due to the heavy presence of Matazing troops in important socioeconomic centers. Although most of Ancient Nurdia's culture and technology survived during the period, it ceased to be the wealthy civilization it had been before.

By the early 8th Century, however, external pressure was gradually loosening the Matazing's grip over Nurdish territory. Frequent attacks by the Rahasia on the Republic's western borders forced them to withdraw most of the soldiers guarding Nurdish settlements. As Nurdia grew increasingly vulnerable to raids, its citizens turned towards guerrilla warfare to protect themselves. Though these bands of militia originally formed purely for safety, they eventually evolved into an uprising against the Matazing altogether. Under the leadership of Derro Meskit, the Nurdish finally drove off the Matazing yoke in 755, establishing a new empire in its place.

Meskit Empire (755 to 1291)
For the first time in 214 years, Nurdia was an independent state. In its early years, the new empire that emerged under King Derro Meskit was much more militant and centralized. Although the Matazing were rapidly declining by the turn of the 9th Century, the old Nurdish empire was mostly comprised of small, autonomous states. It did not take long for the Meskit Empire to conquer most of them back.

During the Meskit period, often referred to as the Nurdish Antiquity Age, most of the wealth was concentrated in Awingar, while peripheral lands were used mostly as a buffer against attacks by the Canyōne to the north and, eventually, the Tempo Empire to the west. Freedom of expression was generally discouraged, particularly during the first two centuries of Meskit rule.

In 985, the University of Awingar was established. Initially, its purpose was to educate the local aristocracy so they could more easily manage the rest of the empire. After centuries of expansion, however, its reach of influence expanded more towards the middle class, as well, including people from outside of Awingar. By the late 13th Century, demand for political reforms was reaching a critical limit. Realizing the empire could not spend too much of its income silencing the growing rebellions from within while the Tempo Empire continued to conquer much of its territory, King Derro Meskit X finally reorganized Nurdia into a parliamentary state in 1291, hoping it would lead to greater stability.

Parliamentary Era (1291 to 1360)
Although the establishment of a parliament provided a temporary solution to the Nurdish struggle against the Tempo Empire, it did not take long before the wealthiest representatives exploited the system for their own gain. Naturally, Awingar held by far the largest say in most affairs, its aristocracy often bribing lesser states into coalitions that usually benefited only the capital in the end. Although Idiviid had made a comeback in Nurdish society after the early Meskit kings abolished it altogether, the social hierarchy of Nurdia at the time made it impossible for it to be truly effective. By 1360, the Nurdish Parliament was abolished after Monowiket, the representative from Awingar's central district, had monopolized the capital's leading industries, reverting the nation into an empire once again.

Nurdish Imperial Age (1360 to 1676)

The Nurdish Imperial Age was a time of vast growth and achievement. During this period, Nurdia's borders expanded beyond the extent of its ancient predecessor, while the empire also became a prominent maritime power. The literacy rate likely quadrupled, as previous customs from Ancient Nurdia were revived and integrated into the empire. While Awingar remained the wealthiest part of the empire by far, the explosion of trade with the nations of the Highwind continent resulted in all regions of the empire growing prosperous once again. As wealth expanded, outer territories of Nurdia were given more autonomy and restructured according to Idiviid.