Kindmount

Kindmount refers to both the Nation of the Generous Mountain and to its capital and largest city, situated around the Mother Lake.

The mythical foundation tale of the city of Kindmount is placed at approximately 3971 HE (-22 YT). From then on, Kindmount slowly grew to encompass the land around the north tip of the Calm Lake and along its west coast, followed by a period of relatively rapid expansion from about 4200 HE (92 YP) until the start of the Violet Coast raids in 4274 HE (129 YT). The Collapse of the Kindmountian empire left in its wake a weakened Kindmountian rump state.
The Nation of the Generous Mountain was politically highly centralized, as all national politics were conducted within the city of the Kindmount, and other cities or territories within its borders were tied to the capital.

Kindmount Largest Extent

by DetectiveAmandaCC

The Nation of the Generous Mountain (Kindmount) at its highest extent in the year 133 YT.

Geography

The most populous area of the nation, the city of Kindmount and its surroundings, was generally flat and forested prior to the establishment of farms, housing and other infrastructure, apart from Capital Hill. Large banks of sand rested around the Braided rivers which fed the Calm Lake. As Kindmountian borders were continually pushed north, the forested areas around the Braided rivers diminished, but were still prominent, and many lands were explicitly protected for Moa hunting and other bird-hunting.

From about 4200 until 4274 HE, Kindmount pushed into the surrounding mountainous and hilled areas, which soon became the largest part of the nation by area, but the least populous. Many settlements and outposts were created in the mountains, however. The coast of the Calm lake, as well as the New Land of the North and the land around the Moa river, were fertile and quickly became an important part of the Kindmountian economy once they were settled / conquered.

Overall, the most populous areas of Kindmount were the flat, fertile lands near lakes or rivers. However, by area, the largest part of the nation was the many peaks, mountains and hills, which came to characterize the nation.

History

Founding

Related Article: Kindmount Founding Legend

According to the recorded founding tale of Kindmount, the city was founded in 3971 HE (-22 YT) by Mountainchild the Bird, who was guided down the Generous Mountain and to the Mother Lake by a white bellbird. This story is unconfirmed and likely mythical, but may be inspired by true events.

It is likely that a settlement already existed around the Mother Lake prior to the arrival of Mountainchild the Bird (whose name may also be invented) some decades later than reported in the legend. The first written records of Kindmount date to about 4025 HE (5 YT), suggesting it was founded shortly before that date.

The Kindmountian caste system may have already been in place at the city's founding.

Early History

Early Kindmount Extent

by DetectiveAmandaCC

Approximate extent of Kindmount ~30 YT.

Kindmount slowly grew out from the Mother Lake in all directions from its founding. Its position near a major lake made it a prime trading city, and the presence of many different sources of water provided the city with fertile and easily farmable land. By 4075 HE, major settlements along the Braided rivers and near the top and to the west of the Calm Lake had been established, and the city prospered form trade and its own resources. Settlements and towns away from the city of Kindmount were partly autonomous, with a very similar but separate political system to their mother city.

In 4079 HE (32 YT), Kindmount adopted the Dual Year Calendar System, making it one of the last nations in the region to adopt the calendar.

Assimilation Policy and Kindmountian Civil War

In 4085 HE (35 YT), the Casteless Council of Kindmount city instituted the Assimilation Policy , which centralized power in the capital and made all political institutions in other cities fully subservient to those of Kindmount city. This sparked the short Kindmountian Civil War, which lasted from the Hunted Month to the Fruit-filled Month in 35 YP. With the Civil War ended, the caste-based political system was fully put into place across the nation.

Generally considered an important nation of the region since ~4075 HE, it slowly became regarded as a major power from 4095 HE onwards, when it progressively had a larger and larger role in regional trade and politics.

Kindmount Expansion

Starting around 4200 HE, Kindmount leadership steered the nation towards aggressive expansion, which was wildly successful and lead to the Kindmount Expansion, which saw the country settle and colonize large spans of land, mainly mountainous in nature, all around it. The most important new lands were those around the Calm Lake and those in the North and West: the New Land of the North and the Moa River Land. These new acquisitions boosted Kindmount's economy and were very rapidly settled by ambitious birds looking to find a new life in the new frontier.

Spear River Valley battle of influence

As Kindmountian settlements neared Spear River Valley and its large prosperous city, a battle of influence between itself and the Harmony started. Both major powers wanted the Valley for itself. Many tactics were utilized during this long "battle", including financing the city, building within it, sending patrols out to it, etc. The ownership of Spear River Valley was a key issue in the Kinmountian-Harmonic War.

Kindmountian Dark Ages

Violet Coast Raids

Starting in 4274 HE (129 YT), organized raids and skirmishes from the Violet Coast, who rebelled against the occupation of the New Land of the North and the Moa River Land, heavily disturbed Kindmount's economy and stability. As increasingly vital lands, the occupied territories were being cut off from Kindmount City and the rest of the nation.

As military spending had to be increased in order to push back against the raids, Kindmount's web-like caste-based economy turned the increased spending into an economic crisis. Coupled with the shortage of food, and a Casteless Council which took no action as it was in a political gridlock, the situation turned into a political, social and financial crisis which resonated across the country.

Kindmountian-Harmonic War

Related Article: Kindmountian-Harmonic War

As the Dual Cities dominance had recently shifted back to John's City, talks were underway between the Dual Cities and the Harmony over whether the former could integrate the latter. In 4281 HE (133 YT), the rumor that the Dual Cities had accepted to join the Harmony spread like wildfire, all the way to the ears of the Casteless Council. This issue, in addition with the conflicts over Spear River Valley and the lands near the Gray River, lead to war the following year.

The war lasted from the 1st of the Germinating Month 133 YP (in 4282 HE) to the 27th of the Gold-leafed Month 135 YP (in 4286 HE), and revolutionized warfare in the region, shifting from ceremonial battles to Western Tactics, which was much more violent and damaging. Raids from the Violet Coast, which had completely destabilized Kindmountian society prior to the war, intensified during the conflict, including during years of tranquility.

The Battle of Kindmount City saw the end of the war with the capitulation of Kindmount, and peace talks lead to, on the 27th of the Month of the Birth of Cold 135 YP, the loss of some of Kindmount's eastern territories to the Harmony. Prior to this, Kindmountian forces had abandoned their newest western and northern territories, which were quickly taken by the Violet Coast.

Politics and Economy

Early Kindmount and Kindmountian empire

Other cities before the Kindmountian Civil War

Prior to the Kindmountian Civil War, cities which were apart of Kindmount were autonomous, largely governing themselves, and had influence in the governing of the nation as a whole and for foreign affairs.
The vast majority of the political systems of the cities apart of Kindmount were based on [longhouses and most had caste-estates. However, caste-on-caste taxation was present in only about 4 out of 10 Kindmountian cities at the time.

Kindmount City and Kindmountian empire

The political system of Kindmount as a whole after the Kindmountian Civil War and that of Kindmount City's before and after the war were virtually identical, as the Assmiliation Policy very strongly centralized power on Kindmount City.

Caste-Estates
Caste-estates were political bodies comprised of all the patriarchs of the longhouse neighborhoods of a given caste within Kindmount City. Numbering in the hundreds, these patriarchs represented their caste on a national scale. Caste-estates had the power to set taxes on subservient caste-estates and had to pay taxes to their dominant caste-estates. They also had the responsibility of managing part of the governance of the city. For example, the hunter/militiabird caste-estate assumed the role of the police in Kindmount City.
The trader caste-estate had a unique role in that it was the only caste-estate to hold some power in foreign affairs. Indeed, all trade or commerce accords were negotiated not with the Casteless Council but with the trader caste-estate, who as a result had a more developed internal bureaucracy.
Casteless Council
The Casteless Council was the ruling political body of Kindmount City and thus Kindmount as a whole (after the implementation of the Assimilation Policy). Its primary role was the regulation of the taxes that caste-estates imposed on one another, so as to keep the taxes fair and so that the economy does not spiral out of control. Indeed, an increase of a caste's taxes may cause it to taxe its subservient castes more, leading to them doing the same, and thus causing a vicious cycle of tax augmentation. Changes in taxes did not have to be approved by the Council, but it could rule that the new tax amount was unfair or unbalanced and have it restored to its original level. It also had the power to temporarily suspend taxation on a certain caste, by one or multiple other castes.
The Casteless Council sent out prefects to oversee cities and territories outside of Kindmount City, and to enforce its law. It also had a small power over the caste-estates' actions in their management of the city, and oversaw some parts of city governance that were not covered by the caste-estates.
Additionally, the Casteless Council acted unilaterally in all foreign affairs except the signing of trade or commerce treaties, which were negotiated with the trader caste-estate.

After the empire's collapse