Amurón

Amurón is a Machoric state located south of the Bay of Thrig. It's central feature is the river Ajat, which flows throughout the country from the Grey Mountains to its delta in the Western Sea.

Amurón is bordered to the North by Aradór. To the East lies the politically neutral Grey Mountains and to the South - various small states.

Etymology
The name Amurón is an exonym derived from Moroyan phrase Yawān am-Murūn (Land of the Desert) via the Arazi language. In native discourse, the phrase is only used to refer to the northern, drier parts of the state, and usually in poetic contexts.

The term Amurón is reserved solely for the name of the country. The corresponding demonyms are Moroy and Moroyan, as in:
 * 1) He's from Amurón. (noun - the state)
 * 2) The Moroy people are numerous. (adjective)
 * 3) Do you speak Moroyan? (noun - the language)
 * 4) He's Moroyan. (noun - nationality)

Geography and Climate
The state's climate is dominated by the desert / semi-desert it is in. High temperatures during the day that fall almost near zero in the night are common further East inland, while the coastal areas enjoy warm and mild climate most of the time.

Northernmost territories are an arid semi-desert that grows increasingly drier further south, with the exception of the green and fertile zone around the river Ajat. South of Ajat the semi-desert becomes a true sand desert. The desert is relatively flat until the land starts rising to the Grey Mountains.

River Ajat, being very rich with waters, floods each year, covering huge areas near the river and fertilizing the valley, accounting for the lush green flora in the vicinity of the river.

The capital of the state, Burthāl, is located on the Isle of Thāl, where there are benefits of the river, the climate is milder and more precipitation is expected, giving the island a Mediterranean appearance.

Economy
Wheat, wine, pearls and paper are the most important exported goods, while wood and marble are the main import. Primarily an agricultural country, Amurón has experienced rapid economical growth in the last centuries of the Fourth Age, as advances in technology allowed perishable goods to be exported further.

Agriculture
Agriculture is the main occupation of the people of Amurón, the fertile flood plain being a perfect environment for cultivation of wheat for flour and bread and barley for beer. Other crops, such as lentils and beans are also cultivated. The people have mastered irrigation.

Agriculture in Amurón, however, is not limited to cereals and pulses. Vineyards are very common, as well as orchards of date palms (an indigenous plant) and figs. On much smaller scales, watermelons, pomegranates and olives are also grown, the first being introduced from a Souther neighbour, but the later two – from Aradór fairly early.

During the last three to four centuries of the 4A, coffee farming became a major industry in Eastern Amurón. The drink itself had been known to the people since ancient times, but had only recently become known in other lands, thus creating a sharp rise of export demand for coffee, which accounts in a large part for the prosperity of Sulūm.

For industrial uses, flax,cotton and papyrus are grown, the latter in massive amounts for building materials and making of paper. Flax is used for its fiber for ropes and clothing primarily. Near the delta of Ajat, sugar-cane is also grown for sugar and syrup, which is used to make several types of alcoholic beverages.

Cattle and pigs are also kept, the former for milk and the latter for meat. The Moroy people do not eat cow meat, but may export it in dried form to other lands. Of poultry, chickens and pheasant are kept.

Aquaculture
Fishery is also an important occupation in coastal areas and those closer to the river. In some flooding regions, several species of sweet water fish are bred in pond that periodically join with Ajat when the river overflows. The gradual change from open-sea fishing to fish breeding is a fairly recent development facilitated by the growing demand of fish

Pearls are abundant on the coast of the Western Sea and the islands, Thāl included. Pearls are mostly gathered for trade – only a small percentage remains in Amurón. Pearl oysters are also farmed, not just caught in the wild, along with other species of edible oysters, but the consumption of these is limited only to the small regions of their production.°

Manufacture
Several kinds of goods are produced from agricultural produce in Amurón, most notably wine and paper. Another important manufacturing industry in Amurón is the cloth industry, based on cultivation of flax and cotton, the latter lately gaining significantly larger part of the industry. Fabrics are both exported and realized in the domestic market.

Early Settlement
The history of Amurón began with the migration of Machoric people from the Plains of Édain to the Ajat valley. Although no written accounts survive from this period, it is now largely believed that the migration followed two routes: a seafaring route through the Bay of Thrig, which eventually led to the settlement of the western Moroy isles (including Thāl) and the lower Ajat valley, and a significantly harder, slower route by passes through the Grey Mountains. Those that followed this path would settle upper Ajat valley in Eastern Amurón in the Grey mountain foothills.

In the coming centuries, many unions were created and broken by warring Moyoran tribes, but none ever came close to uniting all the people. Despite being technologically advanced and agriculturally rich, the people were politically backward, as larger states had already been starting to form further North.

This influx of Machoric people displaced large parts of the previous inhabitants of the land, sometimes called the Ajatan people, people related to the Vargians. The displaced populace dispersed through the desert and those that reached the Bay of Thrig would later assimilate into the southern Asatic peoples of Möröne. Those that fled south would be incorporated in the various Vargian states. However, a part of the ancient people remained in the valley and would leave a huge mark on the languages, cultures and beliefs of the Machoric people that would later become the Moroyans.

Warring City-States
From the 8th century onwards, much of the coastal Amurón was controlled by Burthāl (as the state of Mayajawān), but its power never extended further inland. By the early 12th century, several other city-states had formed, further along the banks of Ajat and the coast of Amurón, such as : Just before 1300 4A, a coup d'etat in Mayajawān lead to the creation of a new state, Ghūlgād, with the capital still in Burthāl. The new state, unlike its predecessor, was not an elective, but hereditary monarchy, and soon conquered and annexed the neighbouring state of Kināšad and the Ajat delta states of Kīštawān, Dirbīd, Balqūn and others.
 * Amuron12c.pngštawān (centred in Milifiš);
 * Balqūn (centred in Suwāj);
 * Hatūbad (centred in Hatūb);
 * Marata;
 * Kināšad (centered in Kīn);
 * Qašīk;
 * Barušad (centred in Sulūm and / or Pabārāj);
 * Himbatad (with its centre in Himbāt).

The first attempt to unify Amurón was in 1689 4A, when warlord Baqaf the Fast from Hatūb initiated a campaign to unify the lands not controlled by Burthāl, eventually to become a strong enough competitor for all the lands. He was initially successful, capturing many lands by the feet of the Grey Mountains, but finally failed shortly before 1700 during the siege of Sulūm, when a traitor from his force shot him in the back while Baqaf was looking over Ajat, pondering how to break Sulūm's fortifications. It is said his body was washed ashore several days later in Hatūb, his home town.

Unification of Amurón
See: Unification of Amurón.

After the death of Baqaf the Fast his army dispersed, most of the conquered lands regained sovereignty. However, in 1923, a new warlord from Burthāl convinced the ruler to initiate expansion inland to unite the people. The campaign was successful, uniting all the Moroyans under single capital by 1945, after 22 years of war and four warlords, all except the last fallen in battle. In this year, the Kingdom of Amurón was established, with the general Jabid the Deadly becoming its first king after the assassination of the previous lord of Burthāl, marking the beginnings of the Moroyan ruling dynasty of a-Jabīd for several centuries.

During the time of the Asatic Empire, Amurón sharply increased its military force in fear of invasion from the North, but the only attacks in 2094 were easily thwarted and generally were seen as very insignificant to the safety of Amurón.

War of Two Queens - Second Moroy Kingdom
Short: In 2273, king Rābīn a-Jabīd dies without a heir. The throne passes to his only sibling, sister Matārin a-Jabīd, but this succession is disputed by Rābīn's late brother's wife. The succession laws were unclear of the priority in such a place. The wife, Kīthabān, was originally from Sulūm and Ghanatist; most of Eastern Amurón rallied to her cause. The War of Two Queens ended in 2277 after the siege of Burthāl and subsequent assassination of queen Matārin. Q Kīthabān was crowned in Hatūb, which became the capitol, and started the a-Maddāj dynasty.

Third Kingdom - Vargian Rule
Short: Amuron was invaded by Vargians from 2333 onwards several times. However, in 2367, the Vargian invaders finally conquered Sulūm and established themselves as the rulers. For a short time (a couple of years), Amuron was considered part of the Vargian Empire, but, as the Empire crumbled, Amurón remained sovereign, albeit still ruled by Vargians. The foreign rulers rapidly adapted Moroy customs and language; the dynasty they established was the a-Waryāj ("of Vargia") dynasty.

Moroy Civil War
The country suffered famine in 2496 – 2499 because Ajat's flood had been very poor those years and it was altogether a dry period. This resulted in a revolution and civil war between the opposition of king Hamas a-Waryāj and those loyal to him. For a year the revolutionaries held on in Sulūm, executing Hamas, but in 2500 the royal forces won back the capital and restored Hadīth son of Hamas to the throne.

However, already in 2505 Hadīth a-Waryāj son of Hamas died of natural causes, leaving no direct descendants; the house of a-Waryāj went extinct. The same year the former hand of King, Šafal Ghūl took over the position temporarily, until a legitimate heir would be found. Since a heir was never found, when Šafal died in 2532, his son became king Hamas II an-Ghūlūn, establishing the new an-Ghūlun dynasty.

Recent History
Through royal marriage, Amurón shortly established control over Danoedan from 2590 – 2622; this time saw the first wave of immigrants from Danoé-Dan to Amurón, especially Northern Bank of Ajat. After the House of Daniel was overthrown in Danoé-Dan and searched refuge in Amurón, they brought the cult of Lēdōnus with them.

After 2780, Amurón took part in exploring Sephir, establishing a trade colony named Ahbād in 2867.

Demographics
The Moroyan people are olive or bronze skinned, tall and slender people with dark brown to black hair and dark eyes.

Population: circa 10 million. Moroyan is the only widely spoken language in the country though Arazi is a well known second language.

Most of the population is concentrated around the river Ajat, with the two major centres being the mouth of Ajat together with Thāl and the region around the city of Sulūm. The Moroy cities tend to be densely populated and ethnically homogenous, with the only significant ethnic minority being the Cāvarī people.

Culture
The Moroyan culture is that of agriculture and trade oriented people, while the skills in battlefield and good leadership are also highly valued.

These people were the first to invent irrigation and start selective breeding of cattle, as well as beginning the production of wine and beer.

Gunpowder has been known in Amurón since the 17th century but was a heavily guarded secret.

Male circumcision is extremely popular and has been considered the norm for most of Amurón's history. Infants are circumcised a few days after birth and this is common for adherents of both Tushātism and Ghanatism. Male immigrants and traders which deal with the Moroy frequently may choose the have the procedure performed when they've already reached adulthood.

Religion
Three major religious paths are widespread in Amurón. The oldest is Moroy Polytheism, called Tušātism, centring around a group of celestial deities. Moroy Polytheism is the second most practised religion in Amurón; it's the majority only on the Isle of Thāl, though it is also a powerful religion in Western Amurón, especially on the northern banks of Ajat.

The second oldest and the most adhered to religion in Amurón is Ghanatism, worship of Ghanat, a god present also in Moroy Polytheism. The religion claims to be the only true one and thus frequent conflicts arise with Tušātists. The religion is dominant in the East, near the Grey Mountains, and it's centre is the city of Sulūm.

The newest and least popular religion in Amurón is Ledonism, the cult of God Lēdōnus, a foreign religion originating among the Cāvarī people, but reaching Amurón through the Empire of Danoé. Ledonists are common on the isle of Thāl and are also a significant minority in several cities, like Hatūb. A distinct mark for adherents of Ledonism is lack of circumcision traditions among laypeople.

Moroyan burial traditions usually include burying the deceased within soil in a sandy location, as not to contaminate the land which is used for growing food. The dead are laid down on their back, their head facing west. Special funeral rituals – placing a date in the mouth of the deceased as a last meal and spilling beer and wine over the body are meant to help the spirit in the other world.