Republic of Donghae

Description

The eastern sun of Qinhei, a confederation turned country in the jungle land led by the Naga ruler-servants, that is the country of Donghae. It roughly translates to Eastern Sun, and is often referred to as the Republic of Donghae, or Eastern Sun Republic.

The country's rulership and most of its citizenry live in the capital of Jibae, along the tropical coast to the far north-east of Qinhei, but they hold some territory stretching towards the south and the central plains as well. In the past they were one of the two great human nations on the continent together with the old Rashi Federation, but that has not been the case in a long time. During the times of the Draconic Dominions they fought a long, hard war where they stalemated the dominion after the initial loss of land, but then when the Giant God-Kings pushed out the Dragons and started to conquer the humans around them, the people of Donghae faltered.
Years of war had built up fatigue and small conflicts had led to a lack of unity within the ranks. Several of their frontier towns surrendered without even putting up a fight and the rest of the country was forced back from the central plains and into the east. Ever since there have been several wars between Donghae and Zhushen, with periods of peace in between, but they have not been able to regain much territory so far. That may change soon as the current war, which has been going on for nearly two decades, is starting to swing in their favor now that the God-Kings are divided.

Politics

Donghae is in theory ruled by the Naga Oracles, snake-like beasts with prophetic abilities, but they are sacrificial leaders. They mediate between people as judge and arbiter, and they often take important decisions for the general direction of the country as well, but their power only lasts as long as they perform their civic duties and they are fully expected to give up their own comfort or even their lives for the good of the country. The rare few Naga of the older generations may remember the initial deal they made, but the younger generations have been raised by people and away from their parent(s) while being taught (or indoctrinated) about their civic role. The Oracles are supported by a democratically chosen council of people from all walks of life who govern over trade, infrastructure, the war effort etcetera.
The donghaeans do not have the same continental pride that the Zhushen God-Kings do, and they have tried to look beyond their own lands for potential trade partners and allies, as well as tap into the global industrialization that Zhushen is neglecting. This has been somewhat complicated by their geographic location and the control over the nearby seas that the Zhushen had, but now that Zhushen has been fractured their control over the seas has slipped as well. Thus they have interacted with Kulanakai, the Commonwealth of Furan, the Khuagawa Tetrarchy and its vassal city Sukama. This is also why the occasional Dwarf, Gnome, Sea Elf and Lizardfolk can be found within the coastal cities of Donghae. Along with the occasional Centaur or Oni refugee from Zhushen, this has lead to a decent amount of different species present although the majority (~70%) is still human.

Culture

The people of Donghae were the pioneers of the domestication of plants, as well as paddy-field farming. The tropical climate in the northeast of Qinhei has allowed them to feed a population that is comparatively large for the amount of land they own since it allows them to grow two crops of willowgrass a year instead of one.
They value their connection to animals, particularly snakes, and they maintain strong druidic traditions. According to several traditional texts, those with a strong connection to the animal world can interchange into the bodies of animals while they sleep.
The donghaeans also have a long history of musical literature and a very rhythmic language. Most of their histories and myths are almost entirely written in musical form to be performed by storytellers at official events and informal gatherings alike. Common instruments in their musical tradition that accompany these stories are the two-headed drum, the tambourine, the bamboo flute and the xylophone.

Religion

The Naga are somewhat worshiped as benevolent rulers that aid the people (even though it isn't always voluntarily), but they are not considered gods by any stretch of the imagination. While the Gods do not interfere as much on Qinhei due to the God-Kings and their Heavenly Compact, the donghaeans know a good deal more about them than the Zhushen due to their trade with lands where the Gods are more active. This is also why they often refer to them with the same names as the sabarans or furanians do.

Vision for the People!

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Alternative Names

Eastern Sun Republic

Training Level

Professional

Veterancy Level

Veteran

Demonym

Donghaean

Government System

Democracy, Representative

Location

Qinhei