Era of Good Feelings

The Era of Good Feelings is arguably the golden age of society in Vekaiyu. At a time when many nations were still trying to survive in the realm, Vekaiyun culture, arts, sciences, and technology flourished. This time was characterized by long periods of peace within and around the nation in which society in Vekaiyu improved greatly. It is generally believed this period existed a few decades after The Time of Troubles to 1478, when the era of Vekaiyun expansions drew to a close and tensions within the nation grew to uncomfortable limits.

Explanation

Vekaiyu quickly grew in peace and prospered well as a strong country once it regained its independence in 585 A.D. This time period was characterized by an explosion of talent in the arts and sciences. It is during this period that the basis of modern Vekaiyun culture was formed.

Paper was invented in 610. The first printing press was invented almost forty years later. Eldura University was founded in AD 645, making it the oldest school in the region. With re-acquiring a corridor to the sea after the skirmishes with the Nugala ceased, and later creating a complete border with the coastline, shipbuilding became a hobby and navigators and explorers were a hot commodity. Techniques in farming grew as a response to the healthy competition Vekaiyun cities faced with each other, and many Vekaiyun scientists pioneered various fields of study. Mathematicians gained notoriety in the region and determined algebra and trigonometry as well as form the foundations for calculus. Spontaneous generation was disproven early on, and advances in architecture, anatomy and physiology, and even astronomy were made. Biology was dealt with specially and quickly became a contest to name and understand different species, with evolution existing only as a thought but still carefully allowed by the Vayan Catholic Church. Even underwater diving was explored and in some ways became a reasonably safe profession. Innovations in war and battle technology also underwent progress. In any case, scientific experimentation was honored and considered "doing the work of the Almighty." Published experimentation exists as far back as the seventh century A.D.

In the arts, Vekaiyun culture was defined. Some of the greatest early Vekaiyun writings and art were produced in this period, where perspective was first learned, then "corrected" in the ninth century. Ontological truths were defined under philosophy and many thought experiments were published, both attempting to answer many questions on life. Vekaiyu's culture was re-defined, and would serve as a foundation for such things for centuries to come.

Territorial speaking, Vekaiyu expanded slowly, but their goal was not necessarily territorial gains. Instead, it was the preservation and protection of both their race and the advances in their culture. Throughout the next one thousand years, the nation saw many battles, however few of them were on Vekaiyun soil due to the defensive arraignment of the nation. Favorable terrain of forests, coastline, rivers, and the Ta'lavero Mountains kept the nation safe, and stone citadels placed at important junctions made for an easy defense. Due to their stability and innovations, Vekaiyu became an important center of commerce, namely the cities Eldura and Provinsk, which saw rapid expansion in this era. Even so, near the first millennium, Vekaiyun cities began to form trading leagues to enhance competition within the region.

Armies were routinely hired by other nations who knew well of the advantages of vulpine men on the battlefield: their unparalleled speed, fearful presence, guerrilla tendencies, and ability to reorganize and counterattack. According to the foreign poet Dimisius, their presence at the Battle of Democ caused "great fear, as if the gates of hell had opened up in a chorus of shrieks and screams. The fire people rained onto the battlefield faster than oil alight on a field of dry grass, squeezed the Darians into the mouth of the snake-like cave, and did not wait for the jaws to clamp shut. They pressed further until every single man died in the belly of the serpent. No mercy was to be had that day, and the masked demons rode onwards to prepare for their reward, be it money, territory, or to torch the lands if they felt mistreated."