Dayan

Dayan (/ˈdaɪ.jɑn/, Dayani: "" (//)), officially the X of Dayan (Dayani: "" (//), is a country on the continent of Skephon. It possesses area of approximately 896,946 km2, encompassing the land between the [DAYAN_MAIN_MOUNTAINS] to the west and the Jechhêr Sea to the east, extending beyond these bounds in the northwest. The nation is home to a population of 57,641,322, with its largest city and capital being DAYAN_CAPITAL_NAME. Other major population centers include [DAYAN_CITY_2], [DAYAN_CITY_3], and [DAYAN_CITY_4]. The country of comprised of 16 administrative subdivisions, though as Dayan is a relatively centralized nation only 4 of these regions possess some degree of autonomy as Autonomous Ethnic States, while the other 12 have little local power.

The ancestors of the [DAYAN_MAIN_ETHNICTIY] enter the historical record around the year 400, having migrated to contemporary northeast Dayan around this time. Superseding the prior inhabitants of the region, they established agricultural polities in the region. These kingdoms would be unified by the [LEADER_NAME_1], who established the First Dayani Empire.

Dayan is currently governed

Early history
Evidence of human activity in what is today Dayan goes back thousands of years. MORE ABOUT

Though certain ancient foreign texts from beforehand make reference to locations that may lie inside modern Dayan, the nation's history is generally considered to begin around the year 400. The ancestors of the DAYAN_MAIN_ETHNICITY appear to have migrated into the region from a region to the east of the nation around this time, displacing the peoples of what is today northeastern Dayan. This migration into the region is well supported by archeological and linguistic evidence. Conquest along with trade and intermarriage eroded the presence of the previous peoples of northeastern Dayan. By 500, the DAYAN_MAIN_ETHNICITY people were firmly established in modern northeast Dayan, having founded various agricultural cities and polities.

This migration is chronicled, in a mythologized fashion, in the DAYAN_CHRONICLE_NAME_1, compiled around the year 710. The book describes the mythological origins of the DAYAN_MAIN_ETHNICITY people, as they were led from their original homeland to Dayan by the sympathetic god DAYAN_GOD_NAME_1. The chronicle describes the DAYAN_MAIN_ETHNICITY's appearance in the region and the founding of several major Dayani kingdoms in the region. The relations, ranging from war to trade, between these kingdoms is described in the chronicle.

Though the chronicle provides a serviceable overview of early Dayani history from the migration to the time of its compilation, aside from the crucial information conveyed in it there is minimal historical information on Dayan during this period. For this region, this period is sometimes referred to as the "Old Dark Age" in Dayani history.

First Dayani Empire
A major era in Dayan’s history is traditionally described as beginning in 862, with the ascension of LEADER_NAME_1 to the throne of KINGDOM_NAME_1, one of the various Dayani kingdoms in the region of northeast Dayan. Traditionally considered a great conqueror, he is credited with unifying the various Dayani polities that then existed into one empire situated in modern northeast Dayan, a milestone in the nation's history. He founded the DYNASTY_NAME_1 dynasty. Given the antiquity of his reign as well as the absence of historical information from beforehand, his life and exploits are relatively well documented.

During the reign of LEADER_NAME_1 and his successor LEADER_NAME_2, the First Dayani Empire enjoyed relative prosperity. This period was witness to moderate centralization, a degree of prosperity, and the flourishing of arts and culture. Even following the reign of these emperors, the empire still enjoyed moderate stability and prosperity. Nonetheless, this waned over time. LEADER_NAME_3 was overthrown in 991 by a hostile faction, and the DYNASTY_NAME_2 dynasty assumed power. Despite this sudden power shift, the king’s authority remained mostly intact. However, royal control of the empire was trending downward. Over time local rulers within Dayan commandeered increasing power and authority, worsened by DYNASTY_NAME_2 rulers granting concessions to local rulers to maintain power. Though the empire was in decline, it persisted. Local rulers, despite assuming increasing autonomy, still were at least nominally under royal control. The empire’s institutions remained, however weakened.

Empire in Crisis
Crisis struck the ailing state in the year 1129. Two brothers, [SUCCESION_CRISIS_BROTHER_1] and [SUCCESION_CRISIS_BROTHER_2], had been born of different mothers and had equally valid claims to the Dayani throne. What was left of royal control broke down altogether as the succession dispute became an armed conflict between the two. This period of civil war is in Dayan historiography termed the [DAYAN_CIVIL_WAR_1]. The empire had fractured, with the already highly autonomous local Dayani rulers became wholly independent lords. Coinciding with this point of Dayani weakness, the SOUTH_EMPIRE_1 to the south of Dayan launched military campaigns Dayan, capturing the city of DAYAN_CITY_SOUTH_1 alongside other territory.

Geography
Dayan is host to a range of different environments. Between the WATERBODY NAME and the MOUNTAIN RANGE and MOUNTAIN RANGE mountains to the west is an expansive, generally flat coastal plain that makes up mch of Dayan's territory. Many rivers meander through this region, flowing from the western mountains. It is home to the majority of the nation's population, owing to much higher habitability compared to the country's other regions. West of the MOUNTAIN RANGE and MOUNTAIN RANGE mountains, the climate varies, generally being less hospitable then the expansive coastal region. Much of this region is dominated by the DESERT NAME.