|
A series of military defeats from eastern tribes in the 6th Century CE largely ended Ni-Rao's expansion to the east. Also around this time, the era of pyramid building began to decline, as the economy had since weakened and labor was needed in agriculture rather than in the service of the Emperors to build tombs. Ni-Rao's borders would remain largely fixed for some four hundred years. This era of stagnation is known as the First Dark Age of Ni-Rao, although in contrast to the name the general populace was not largely suffering, and there were significant improvements made to agriculture, roads, and defensive fortifications on the frontier. Expansion began to pick up again in 900 CE, focused primarily on expanding into the north, across the mountains of the Danvreas Range.
The western portion of the Danvreas Range is relatively shorter than the rest of the range, especially in the westernmost spur that curves southward and forms the southern border of what is today the [[TavariBana|Federation Unionof Bana]]. There is a pass in the mountains near the Lakes of the Four Sisters that Ni-Rao used to expand northward into what are today [[Tavari Union#New Rania|New Rania]] and [[TavariBana#Mikubana|Mikubana]]. UnionSome portions of [[Bana#TavarisOkunbana|TavarisOkunbana]] also saw significant border skirmishes with Raonite forces. Additionally, while Ni-Rao has traditionally never been a maritime power, it did expand by sea to the north and, at its territorial maximum, to the west across the Gulf. The areas north of the mountains were largely inhabited by various human and elven peoples - groups that had never had any contact with Ni-Rao before. By and large, the humans and elves responded harshly to Ni-Rao's expansions, and there was violence in the northern frontiers almost constantly.
===Decline===
[[File:Ni rao 1300CE.png|left|200px|thumb|The approximate territorial maximum of Ni-Rao, in 1300 CE. The area is approximately 1.5 million sq km.]]
Ni-Rao reached its territorial maximum in approximately 1300 CE. At that time, in addition to its traditional holdings in the eastern gulf coastal lowlands and highlands, it also held significant holdings in the north, reaching as far north as what is today [[Tavari Union#Bana|Bana]] and controlling part of King's Island in what is now [[AcronisTavaris]]. To the west, Ni-Rao established a colony in [[Reijia]] and held significant holdings along the Strait of Khaj. However, also at around 1300 CE, the various Tavari elven tribes consolidated into a single Kingdom of [[Tavari Union#Tavaris|Tavaris]]. Tavaris, which held the remaining portions of King's Island, launched a campaign to expel Ni-Rao from the island very soon after unification, and succeeded. At the time time, a concerted effort by the human and elven tribes of Bana began to push back from the north. Ni-Rao, over-extended, faltered militarily and began to lose control of the northern reaches.
In about 1400, a plague struck Ni-Rao that was quickly expanded across the entire empire in part, it is believed, by rats that were hidden among the cargo of various traveling merchants. The plague reached, and struck particularly hard in, the northern reaches that had less stable supply lines and infrastructure. However, all areas of the country were affected by the plague, and between 1400 and 1500 CE, approximately 1 out of every 6 residents of the country died. The plague did not affect non-felines, however, meaning the humans and elves opposed to them were made relatively stronger as Ni-Rao was weakened. In 1448, [[Reijia]] became independent after a local lord purchased the right to be the King of Reijia from the Raonite crown. Ni-Rao held on to the region surrounding what is now Ranisport until about 1550, but continued organized military opposition from Bana led to their withdrawal back to the arrivalsouth of Tavarithe exilesDanvreas fromRange. AcronisBy weakenedthe theirturn holdingsof furtherthe 17th century, due to military losses and eventuallyeconomic thedecline, felinesNi-Rao retreatedhad backeffectively shrunk to thean southarea ofwith thesimilar Danvreasboundaries Rangeto what is currently South Ni-Rao.
===Recent History===
[[File:Piramide Chichen-Itza - panoramio (2).jpg|right|thumb|250px|The Tomb of Emperor Ramar, a popular and well-preserved Raonite monument.]]
The 17th Century started with Ni-Rao in a state of general disarray and poverty. For this reason, the Acronian EmpireTavaris began a campaign of humanitarian aid in Ni-Rao, led largely by the [[Akronism|Church of Akrona]]. This would lead to AcronisTavaris establishing a colony, called Emerald Coast, in the northern regions of Ni-Rao in 1668. This was done without the express consent of the government of Ni-Rao,. whichNi-Rao theoretically claimed the area but had ''de facto'' ceded control to AcronisTavaris because it could not afford to defend the area or maintain its infrastructure - both things that AcronisTavaris was doing in the area already. This establishment of ana AcronianTavari territory on the mainland of Gondwana, immediately south of TavarisBana, was considered by both Ni-Rao and TavarisBana to be a massive breach of the status quo and led to the [[History of Tavari-AcronianBanian Relations#Fourth War|Fourth War]] between AcronisBana and Tavaris. Ni-Rao joined the war on the TavariBanian side.
While AcronisTavaris initially suffered great losses in the beginning of the Fourth War, AcronisTavaris' larger population served as an advantage that allowed it to outlast both TavarisBana and Ni-Rao, especially after theQueen KingMelora II of AcronisTavaris conscripted virtually the entire adult population of the EmpireKingdom into military service. Eventually, AcronisTavaris pushed TavarisBana back, and after ending the TavariBanian threat, Ni-Rao's weak military could not withstand the full attention of AcronianTavari forces. Ni-Rao surrendered in 1680 and signed a treaty agreeing to return to the status quo ante bellum. While not explicit in the terms of the treaty, this surrender effectively ceded Ni-Rao's claim on Emerald Coast.
With its holdings winnowed, Ni-Rao lost status as a regional power. The 17th and 18th Centuries saw Ni-Rao adopt a constitutional monarchy as the general populace began to resist the traditional system of feudal authority. Ni-Rao's economy was largely agricultural, although as the Industrial Revolution spread, some industry did take hold in the major population centers. Population slowly increased. Additionally, the economy saw a boost as international trade came to the region and foreigners took note of the ancient pyramids and tombs. The monuments became an international tourist destination, and the government focused resources on repairing and maintaining the pyramids and in things such as roads and hotels in the region. The ancient monuments of Ni-Rao remain a popular tourist destination to the current day. Also in the 18th Century, a religious movement known as the New Ranites (from Rania, a city in the east that is believed to share an etymology with the word "Rao") rose up and eventually left Ni-Rao to cross the Danvreas Range and re-inhabit the gulf coast in that region.
Shortly after the establishment of constitutional monarchy in Ni-Rao, the Acronian EmpireTavaris negotiated a withdrawal from Emerald Coast in which Ni-Rao would be sovereign over the former AcronianTavari colonial holdings, but the right of the Church of Akrona to continue to exist, and the right of the AcroniansTavari present in the country to remain, were to be considered inviolable. The AcronianTavari Cession was completed on January 1st, 1804. To this day, some 14% of the Raonite population is AcronianTavari by descent, and over a third of the population is Akronist.
Since the Fourth War, Ni-Rao has primarily remained neutral in international affairs. Ni-Rao did not participate in the [[Great War]], unlike nearby powers such as Acronis, Tavaris, and Bana. Ni-Rao has typically had poor relations with AcronisTavaris and New Rania, its immediate neighbors, but has not maintained a military strong enough to present a threat to either of them. It established trading relations with other powers in the area, including the colonies like [[Lunaria]] and [[Vultuca]], Great Powers such as [[Great Morstaybishlia]], [[Salovia]], and [[Asendavia]], and other nearby states such as [[Ragea]] and [[Iassath]]. Ni-Rao is a popular place for foreign multinational manufacturing corporations to set up factories, as labor laws are lax in the country and wages are generally low. Ni-Rao has avoided joining modern international organizations such as the [[Alliance of Northwest Gondwana]]. Ni-Rao's foreign policy of isolationism from global affairs is broadly popular. Ni-Rao tends to place great emphasis on seeing itself as the conservator of feline culture in general and its own culture in specific, both things that majorities of Raonite politicians and citizens feel would be threatened by further involvement in international affairs.
===2020 Coup===
On October 17th, 2020, a coordinated military-led uprising in several cities in Ni-Rao, particularly in the south, successfully overthrew the government of the August Empire of Ni-Rao. A group of leading military officials known as the Worker's Council of the Revolution, joined by various organizers of the Communist movement in the country, known as the Worker's Council of the Revolution assumed power after the military seized both the chambers of the Council of Five Hundred and the royal palace of the Empress. The Empress, the Grand Vizier, and a few other members of the legislature managed to escape the city. The Worker's Council of the Revolution proclaimed that the government of the Empire was over and in its place was a new country, which they called the [[Ni-Rao (Raonite PDR)|Raonite People's Democratic Republic]]. Both the Worker's Council of the Revolution and the government-in-exile of the Empress and Grand Vizier claim title to the name Ni-Rao and state that they rightfully control the entire territory of the country. In reality, the Empire holds the northern approximate half of the country from a base of power in Rora, and the Raonite P.D.R. holds the southern half of the country, governed from Amao.
==Government==
===The Sovereign===
Ni-Rao is a constitutional monarchy. The current reigning sovereign is Empress Morau XII, who has been on the throne since 1964. The Empress is nominally the Head of State, but in actuality can act only on the advice of the Prime Minister. Unlike such monarchies as [[AcronisTavaris]], the Empress has no reserve powers. Any action of the Empress must be countersigned by the relevant Vizier (equivalent to a Minister in other countries), and it is the Viziers - not the sovereign - who are politically responsible for the actions of the state. However, under the law, it is the Empress who appoints the Grand Vizier and members of the Supreme Council (known otherwise as the Cabinet), dissolves and summons the Council of Five Hundred, and is the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The Empress is briefed regularly on matters of state and, while she holds no governing authority, she holds significant influence in the government. Outside of formal constitutional roles, the monarch is seen as a guarantor of Raonite culture and history. Throughout history, monarchs frequently visit ancient monuments and other cultural sites, a tradition the current Empress has upheld. The Empress regularly participates in ancient rituals before and after the harvest and also in times of drought or other natural disasters.
===Council of Five Hundred===
===Government-in-Exile===
After the coup, the Empress, the Grand Vizier, and several members of the legislature fled by jet to the city of Rora. An "emergency government" has been established, led by the Grand Vizier, where the remaining members of the Council of Five Hundred nominally serve as a Cabinet. In reality, the Constitution allows for the Grand Vizier to rule by fiat during a declared emergency ratified by the Empress. In Rora and in two other major cities in the north, loyalist military forces prevented the Communist insurgents from taking control. Additional security assistance is provided by [[Acronis|the Acronian EmpireTavaris]], which has declared on the side of the August Empire-in-exile. In the areas governed by the Empire, martial law is in effect and a curfew has been imposed, enforced by a joint Raonite-AcronianTavari command.
==Economy==
[[File:20171126 Angkor Wat 4712 DxO.jpg|left|thumb|300px|The Temple of Shoni, the largest tomb and funerary complex in Ni-Rao and the country's most popular tourist destination. It was destroyed in a bombing on January 25th, 2021.]]
The economy of Ni-Rao is much less developed than most of its surrounding countries. Standards of living are generally lower in Ni-Rao than the international average, as are wages. Approximately a third of the population of the country lives under the international poverty line. The largest sector of the Raonite economy is tourism. Millions of tourists visit the ancient monuments a year.
A significant portion of the Raonite economy is dependent on remittances from Raonites working abroad sending money home to their families. Wages earned in more stable currencies are valuable to Raonites, as the New Deben is a very weak and unstable currency compared to the global average. The New Deben was introduced in 2002 in a currency revaluation in which 100,000 Debens became worth 1 New Deben. The Tavari Dollar is commonly circulated in Ni-Rao in an unofficial capacity. Especially in the major urban areas, much economic activity takes place in the "informal economy," otherwise known as the black market, in cash transactions that avoid government taxation. Raonite cities are known for their street vendors and expansive bazaar-like markets.
On December 27th, 2020, the government-in-exile announced that areas under its jurisdiction would begin using the AcronianTavari Našdat instead of the New Deben as legal tender, due to the South's control over the mint and banknote production facilities.
[[Category:Nations]] [[Category:Gondwana]] [[Category:The Acronisphere]]
|
