Vircazihm

The Kingdom of Vircazihm (VER-kah-zim) is in the southwest point of the continent of Skephon. It has a ruling dynasty, believed to be the oldest in the world, claiming to date to the fourth century BCE, although historians believe the royal lineage dates only to the beginning of the Second Knoptaban Dynasty, founded in the tenth century CE, which is still arguably the oldest reigning dynasty in the world.

The primary national identity is Aromo with racial characteristics. Aromese is the primary language of Vircazihm. The second largest ethnicity is Ulete, a more appearing group associated with the Ulete language.

The current form of government is a with an elected prime minister and a bicameral parliament. This form of government has been in place since 1992 and came about by negotiation after a protracted civil war and was cemented with the approval of the Constitution of 1992.

The Vircazihm Tourism Council promotes black beach resorts, highland nature reserves, and the many historic sites.

Geography
Vircazihm is divided into two basic zones, the upland (or highland) zone in the south and the lowland zone in the north where the majority of the population lives. The Akoshu subduction zone lies off the coast to the south. A stratovolcano in the upland area, Mt Mĩhe, was active as recently as 300 years ago and is considered a sacred site to folk religionists as well as Shungyists.

Prehistory
Anatomically modern humans arrived approximately 70,000 years before present, bringing the paleolithic culture of big game hunting focused on hunting of mastodon and other megafauna. Around 30,000 years before present there was a shift to fluted stone spear points, use of obsidian microliths, and the appearance of ground and polished stone bowls and objects of unknown use. Archaeologists refer to this strata as the Tawpeghi culture.

The shift to mesolithic culture in this region occurred approximately 14,000 years before present, and this new cultural complex is referred to as the Duyo culture. This period was characterized by a semi-settled lifestyle with a hunter-gatherer subsistence pattern. Here we see the appearance of pottery and increased use of marine food sources as well as wild nuts and other wild vegetable foods.

Agriculture came to the area with the arrival the Heorutu people and culture who migrated into the area from the east about 1500 BCE, bringing with them millet and dry rice agriculture. The Heorutu supplanted and absorbed the pre-existing hunter gather population. They also brought bronze and domesticated sheep. Modern day Ulete are mostly descended from this Bronze Age population. Walled settlements appear in this period. They practiced sky burials in which the deceased were placed on elevated platforms and presumably devoured by vultures and other birds.

Early city states
The first writings appeared around 1000 BCE using pictograms derived from cultures further east. The pictograms remain only partially translated. At this time, the lowland areas were divided between three primary city-state kingdoms, Dole̊, Pate, and He. The highland zone was believed to have only a sparse population.

Boreche Empire
Around 600 BCE iron technology arrived in the area. In the year, 556 BCE, the ruler of He, a man known as King Goro, conquered Dole̊, and four years later, he conquered Pate, thus founding the Empire of Bore̊che̊. He made Hoyaw his capital city and built a monumental sky temple there, the ruins of which are still visible today.

The empire was to last three centuries. In the third century BCE, a people known as the J̈o˞vites began to migrate south into the land of Bore̊che̊ from north of the Kisho estuary. This appeared to be a mix of peaceful migration with some raiding. Over several decades the amount of migration and the amount of violence increased and several cities came to be lost to the empire and ruled by the newcomers.

The J̈o˞vites were phenotypically Jammadan and so, quite different in appearance from the native Heorutu who were phenotypically Skephonian. The J̈o˞vites had iron weapons, domesticated horses, as well as wheeled wagons and chariots. Cattle and wheat were the basis of their economy. They also had their own writing system that used a script. They had coexisted to the north for centuries and it is believed that population pressure and several years of famine contributed to their southward migration.

Kingdom of Arom (First Knoptaban Dynasty)
In the year 331 BCE, a J̈o˞vite queen named Knoptaba came south with a great force and defeated the Bore̊che̊n emperor in series of battles. She had his eight sons beheaded and his wives were turned over to her soldiers. But the defeated emperor, she turned into her personal slave, to humiliate him for the rest of his days.

Knoptaba, founded a new city for her capital, the city of Hyǐ˞ Arom and thus began the Kingdom of Arom. Gone were the sky temples and sky burials of fallen Bore̊che̊. The J̈o˞vites brought with them their religion of ancestor worship that is still practiced to this day in Vircazihm and is known as Kìfù. Not only was Queen Knoptaba believed to be descended from a god, she herself was worshiped as a goddess. The J̈o˞vites preserved the bodies of their dead and entombed them in monumental crypts that also served as temples known as Kvi which still dot the landscape of Vircazihm.

Kingdom of Zhozh
The Kingdom of Arom lasted for several centuries until, in the third century CE, the Aromese kingdom fell into chronic civil wars and the kingdom was broken up into petty kingdoms. Then, at the turn of the Fourth Century, there came along a warlord called Bnuchǐ˞ from the city of Zhozh. He was described by the poet as “black of skin, dark of eye, and his long black hair flowed in the wind from under his war helm.” Bnuchǐ˞  subdued all the petty kings and established a new kingdom, the kingdom of Zhozh.

Bnuchǐ˞ ‘s daughter Zhǐny succeeded him to become queen of Zhozh, but unlike her father, Zhǐny was not a warrior but a scholar who loved poetry and literature, and she liked nothing better than to surround herself with the wise and the keen minded. In her long, peaceful, and prosperous reign, Zhǐny created a school wherein philosophers and the learned could teach and share ideas. Next to the school she built the famed library of Zhozh where she collected writings not only from within her kingdom but from far a wide.

In the year 424 CE a plague appeared and for several years the kingdom saw many outbreaks and much death.

In the sixth century a new threat appeared. The Oangaw people came from the steppe land to the east and caused destruction and death in the frontiers. Cities were lost but the kingdom endured through battle or tributes of gold to buy peace. Then in the seventh century a new alliance of Oangaw tribes resulted in a large horde that could not be defeated and Zhozh at last, with no fight left, opened the doors to the Oangaw.

Oaseashoa dynasty
Oangaw rule is known as the Oaseashoa dynasty, named after the first Oangaw king, King Oaseashoa. The administrative structures of the kingdom were kept largely intact, but all important positions as well as all significant landholdings were given over to the Oangaw nobility. The people of the Zhozhian kingdom, who at this point were recognizably Aromo, had become second class citizens in their own land.

Under the Oaseashoan dynasty, trade with the east increased. Sky worship was again seen in the kingdom, however, over time most Oangaw eventually converted to the Kìfù faith and took on the local Rawyatian language. Cavalry was now the backbone of the military, and the kingdom gained new land both to the north and to the east.

In the eighth century, priests and monks of the Shungi faith arrived in the kingdom from the east and began to teach there. The first Shungi monastery in Zhozh was established CE 790.

Over time, the Oaseashoan dynasty became weakened by infighting and their nobility had lost their edge as they chose feasts and time in the haram over military discipline. The dynasty came to the end with a messianic cult which arose around a mother and her son who were said to be of the ancient Knoptaban bloodline, thought to have been lost for centuries.

Kingdom of Vircazihm (Second Knoptaban Dynasty)
While historians presume the ancient lineage to be a fiction, the people of Zhozh shared no such skepticism. The mother was Pʼa˞tzim and her son was named Juk. The story goes, the secret lineage had been maintained in and around a Kìfù holy center in the highlands, where they stayed in secret through the centuries until the stars aligned and the ancient gods spoke through a priest-seer that the time was now for the ancient god-kings of Arom to return to the throne.

As unlikely as this story may be, it did not stop the people of Zhozh spreading the news and organizing to serve the new god-queen and her son. The Oaseashoan king, Ìko knew only there was growing banditry in the south perpetrated by a group who called themselves the Blue Lotus. The Blue Lotus army was made up of both professionals and fervent peasants and the force grew to an enormous size until they could switch from small-scale attacks and threaten the king’s army in pitched battle.

In 995 CE, the Oaseashoan dynasty ended at the battle of Syoshnyoch where Juk led the Blue Lotus against the king’s forces. So devastating was the battle that the greater part of the nobility lay dead at the end. The king was assumed dead although his body was never found.

Pʼa˞tzim was proclaimed god-queen. Pʼa˞tzim called for peace and for the Blue Lotus to return to their homes, but the peasant army was deaf to the words of their queen and following the battle, families of the remaining nobility were massacred and their bodies left in the streets for the dogs.

Pʼa˞tzim placed her new capital at Vircaz and so her kingdom became known as Vircazihm.

Agar traders arrived in the late 15th century and established a trade outpost at Tas̈. The Agar presence slowly grew from there. The H'Ejrad faith came to Vircazihm at this time, and increasingly people could be seen praying and bowing toward the sun. Mostly they were Agar, but some locals would gradually start joining them.

In 1709 the Agar traders demanded a reduction in tax and an end to restrictions on their movement in the kingdom. In 1711, at the battle of Yenheny, an Agar force defeated the king’s forces. As a result of this battle much of lowland Vircazihm was ceded to the Agar and Vircazihm was reduced to half its former size; it was mostly in the highlands, now.

Jyalmin colonial forces were active in the area during the 19th century. While they made no permanent settlement here, they did weaken the Agar presence in Vircazihm.

At the end of the First World War Vircazihm regained something close to its former borders as Agarad left the region. The capital was moved to Slodos Seymi, at this time, which had become the largest and most economically significant city.

World War II
In World War II, Vircazihm supported Salia and Osamian Federation in the southern theater. [TBD]

People's Democratic Republic of Vercazihm
By 1964 the guerrillas had the upper hand and the royal family was again sent into exile and the People’s Democratic Republic of Vircazihm (PDRV) was declared, with the Gekezikist Party as the sole political party.

Civil war
Attempted land reforms in the Seventies resulted in another round of resistance and in this case, repression of landowners. In 1979, General Zho˞g attempted a coup d'etat and set up a military junta government. The coup was only partially successful, resulting in two governments with separate zones of control and a devastating civil war that lasted until 1992.

Constitutional monarchy
The civil war ended by negotiation. King Ptèpteba returned from exile but as a constitutional monarch, established with the Constitution of 1992.

The constitution does not address the topic of the monarch’s status as a living god, however the Kìfùists continue to believe and worship their monarch. The Jaraders find this to be generally offensive and there is an active Jarader insurgency in the northern panhandle. Critics have pointed out that the insurgents seem more interested in abducting and ransoming businessmen and tourists for financial gain than they are in any real political agenda.

In 2017 the young crown princess succeeded her father and was crowned Queen Fawma II. She actively engages with her subjects using social media, which has been quite scandalous for the noble families. She is popular amongst the young who refer to her as Goddess Fawma. She does not discourage this but has never directly commented on her supposed godhood.

Politics and government
Vircazihm is a constitutional monarchy with a prime minister and a bicameral parliament, the Kkàrum. The lower house, the People's Assembly, is determined by direct election and the smaller upper house, the Chamber of the Elect, is made up of 20 nobles whose seats are inherited and 20 royal appointees, mostly economic elite and other important personages. Members of the upper house serve for life. The upper house cannot introduce legislation but can amend or veto any decisions made by the lower house.

Unlike most constitutional monarchies, the monarch of Vircazihm retains significant, but balanced powers. The monarch is forbidden from meddling in elections, but personally appoints half of the 40 members of the upper house and the monarch or their designee has the power to tie-break. The monarch does not have direct authority in executive matters, but an exception exists for states of emergency and in matters of national security. In practice, the monarch provides guidance and advice to the PM. The Aromo in general follow a bilateral system of inheritance and the monarchy uses absolute cognatic primogeniture as its rule of succession, meaning the eldest child succeeds regardless of gender.

The political parties of Vircazihm and their legality:

The current government (2022) is a coalition of the Prosperity Party with the People's Empowerment Party as the junior partner. The nationalist right has been growing in popularity in recent years.

National Symbols
The white lotus and blue lotus are symbols of the monarchy and the nation. They originate in ancient Kìfùism wherein the white lotus is a symbol of the primary goddess and the blue lotus is the symbol of the primary god. Both elements combine in the deified monarch and have therefore come to symbolize the monarchy and the realm. The white lotus appears on the national flag while the military flag displays a blue lotus.

Since ancient times, the leopard has also been a symbol for the realm and the monarch. Today it is often seen as a symbolic representation of Vircazihm and is featured on some military insignia.

Foreign relations
Vircazihm has a strong trade relationship with Nzandi in the west and Mitruhmoer in the east. Vircazihm has long maintained a territorial claim on its neighbor to the east, COUNTRY3, which was historically a tributary state to the Kingdom of Vicazihm. A previous government headed by the Light of Vircazihm party threatened annexation in 2015, going so far as massing available units on the border but eventually relented, caving to international pressure and threats of sanctions. The current centrist government has shown little interest in military conquest.

Military
The Vircazihm armed forces is estimated at 45,000 personnel. They have actively participated in several peacekeeping missions in the region over the past two decades. The majority of forces are under civilian control via the prime minister as commander-in-chief, however the constitution places a small portion of the armed forces are under direct command of the monarch. These forces under royal control are collectively referred to as the Queen's Guard and consists of the Household Mounted Regiment that defends the palace area and largely takes part in ceremonial duties, and there is a smaller non-ceremonial force, the Queen's Security Command, who are responsible for royal security detail as well as police duties and includes an investigative branch. Some have suggested they have engaged in covert police operations against enemies or perceived enemies of the crown. They did foil an assassination attempt in 2021, killing the would be assassin at Slodos Seymi International Airport.

The bulk of military hardware is World War III surplus. There have been recent efforts to upgrade, but this has so far been a gradual process.

Corruption
Transparency International has rated Vircazihm's public sector as "pretty damn corrupt." In 2016, Vircazihm ranked 51st worst and had a score of 47 on a scale from 0 (perceived as most corrupt) to 100 (perceived as clean).

Human rights
Human Rights International in 2020 released a report on Vircazihm's human rights violations with the following findings:


 * 1) The government is very loose in its definition of terrorism and has even incarcerated children as young as 9, claiming they are dangerous terrorists.
 * 2) People in custody who are accused of terrorism are held without due process.
 * 3) Accused terrorists are coerced into renouncing their religious beliefs.
 * 4) Critics of the queen risk assault and arrest.

Economy and infrastructure
The primary exports are cotton and wool based textiles, followed by precious metals, wines, and timber. Imports consist of manufactured goods. Vircazihm has an agricultural economy with a small but growing manufacturing sector. The upland zone produces high quality wool. Cotton, grapes and spices are grown in the lowland zone.

Tourism
Tourism is a growth industry with hospitality making the core component and is centered on coastal and highland regions. Tourism is marketed around history, ruins, and nature, with ecotourism and ethnotourism both accounting for much of the growth in this sector. The country is famed for its black basalt beaches and the government has supported the growth of coastal resorts, however, this has been of limited success, likely due to the country being temperate with generally poor weather in autumn and winter seasons, meaning the resorts are mostly active during summer months. Inland tourism is focused on historic ruins in lower Vircazahm and nature reserves in the highlands. There is growing interest in winter sports in the mountains, however development of the necessary infrustructure has been slow.

Textiles and fashion
Another growth area is clothing manufacturing and fashion. Over the past three decades, the country has successfully shifted from exporting raw cotton and wool to now exporting consumer end-products, mostly clothing, but including other textile-based products. Related to this, there is a growing fashion design community. The new monarch, Fawma II, has been actively promoting Vircazihmese fashion.

Imports
Vircazihm continues to rely on the import market for complex manufactured goods and military hardware.

Aromo
The primary ethnic group is the Aromo and the associated leading language is Aromese. This ethnic group is native to Vircazihm and the name derives from the ancient Kingdom of Arom. There is wide phenotypic variation with Jimmado-Skephonian characteristics. The Aromese language is considered east Jimmadan in its classification and specifically grouped in the branch. It has notable influence from west Skephonian languages, especially Ulete.

Zidaam is a dialect of Aromese spoken in eastern and northern Vircazihm. It has less influence from Ulete.

Ulete
The next largest ethnicity is the Ulete who have a west Skephonian appearance in general and speak a west Skephonian language, also called Ulete. The Ulete are centered in the southern highlands, but can also be found in the capital and environs.

Others
A smaller minority are the Manuak who are found mostly in the northern district. This is followed by Oangaw and Wedu.

In addition, there is a small but growing number of Alutran and other First World expatriates.

Shungyism
Vircazihm is a Shungyist majority country. Shungyism is heavily monastic and focused on the attainment of the True and Infinite Body through spiritual attainment. Monastic practitioners renounce worldly things in favor of contemplation and rituals. Lay adherents pray to the Shungyist saints who they call the Eternals. Dreams are considered the windows into the Infinite Realm and dream interpretation and manipulation is an important part of Shungyist spiritual practice. Shungyism values detachment, peaceful avoidance of conflict, avoidance of hedonistic contamination, and disciplined spiritual practice.

Kìfùism
The native religion of the Aromo is called Kìfùism which in its modern form is highly syncretic with Shungyism. Its theology involves vitalism and polytheism. The core practice is the worship of ancestors and deities. The more ancient the lineage, the more powerful the ancestors are believed to be. The monarchs of the Knoptaban dynasty, past and present, are considered divine beings and as such are included in prayers and worship. Kìfùism values extraordinary traits and abilities and reveres people living and dead who have shown extraordinary courage, strength, beauty, or intelligence. Such traits are believed to be signs of divine nature and in death such individuals are elevated to a semi-divine status.

Shungi-Kìfùist syncretism
Kìfùism is observed by many Aromo in combination with Shungyism, with a focus on ancestor veneration and attainment of immortality. It is more often the sole or primary religion amongst the Aromo nobility and elite. These two religions have co-existed for over a millennium and there are syncretic aspects in both, but especially in Kìfùism. Lay adherents for both religions may have minimal active involvement. Participation is Kìfù, for some, is as much a patriotic activity as it is religious.

h'Ejrad
There is an Jarader minority who adhere to the h'Ejrad religion. They are found mostly in the northern district as well as in the capital. There is an active Manuak separatist movement centered in the northern district. It is heavily Jarader and has gained support from non-ethnically-Manuak Jaraders.

Animism
Traditional, pre-Shungyist animism continues to be practiced among a small minority of Ulete people and is found only in upper Vircazihm, specifically in the eastern highlands.

Social stratification
Vircazihm's class system has been described by anthropologists as caste-like. There are four classes to which there are strong social barriers to crossing.

Nobility
Tʼàshàpùngitsha or the nobility, are the traditional ruling class. They are defined, not by title, but by endogamous houses (sometimes translated as clans) and lineages. The House of Knoptaba is the royal house and there are several Knoptaban lineages who have vied over the throne over the centuries. The other noble houses are also sub-divided into bilateral lineages. Each lineage has its own venerated ancestors, worshiped at dedicated kvo. One cannot become a noble; only those born in a noble house can ever be considered a noble. Unlike nobles elsewhere, alliances were not historically made by marriage in Vercazihm because of this house/clan endogamy. Endogamy becomes more strict the greater the prestige of the noble house. The most important lineages, especially of the House of Knoptaba, maintain endogamy within their lineage, meaning most marriages are to cousins, including first cousins, with marriage to parallel cousins being preferred.

The Elect
Yyawreyyitsha, translated as "the elect", and made up of certain select land owners, wealthy persons, capitalists, professionals, celebrities, athletes, musicians, artists and others.