Nodal

The Second Kingdom of Nodal is a Dwarf-majority country located in central Däegarden, encompassing most of the Ilem Desert. It is primarily settled by Nodal Dwarves, descendants of Onor colonists who practiced the religion of Prophetism. It is bordered to the north by Honsinad, to the south by Gogeget, and to the southwest by Ahodra Bay. Its capital is the city of Nodida, formerly known as Nodal.

Pre-Onor Colonization, 500 BT-1295 AT
The area that would eventually become eastern Nodal was originally settled by Ynoforan Elves. The area, part of the Garden continent, was hotly contested between its native Elf population, Gardenian Orcs from the south, and Phocahn Humans from the north. Gardenian Orcs forced the migration of Elves to the nearby continent of Däe. During the Iloisa Conquest, the Ynoforans were virtually removed from the continent altogether, and the land was later declared a neutral zone by Tulkon Bodor to prevent conflict between the warring nations of Orcanth and the Republic of Usybork.

Nodal's western half was part of the North Däe peninsula, and the nation of Däe Ydelhiad. During the 40-Year War, Däe Ydelhiad collapsed and its native Ydelhiad Elves largely abandoned the land and fled to Ditarre. The central regions of Nodal were originally part of the shallow Ilem Sea; during the Demons' Second Invasion, the Demons drained the sea to enable easier travel between the Garden Continent and Däegarden. Tulkon Yaaamemon's sacrifice caused the land to rise up and form the Ilem Desert, fusing Däe and the Garden Continent and forming the continent of Däegarden. For most of the next 100 or so years, the land would remain vacant; superstitions surrounded the desert, with many believing that the land was cursed due to being occupied by Demons and symbolizing the temporary end of the Tulkon Cycle.

Colonial Government of Nodal, 1295 AT-1470 AT
Until 1300 AT, only the coasts of what would become Nodal were occupied by several Elf populations, including Ynoforans and Ydelhiads, the former of whom had rebuilt their ancient capital city of Antiga Ynofora. Their lands were under jurisdiction of the government of A'Roastad, but for all intents and purposes, the isolated groups were independent.

In 1240 AT, the Tulkonist Kathar Movement began in Southern Norte-Muldox and quickly gained influence. At the time, Norte-Muldox had a policy of state atheism, and persecuted the new religious minority. Katharists believed that the land of the Ilem Desert was sacred and had been granted to them by Tulkon Yaaamemon. By 1295 AT, the Katharists had convinced the government to allow them to settle the desert. The land was acquired from A'Roastad by Norte-Muldox, which began supporting the settlement of a new city on the eastern coast called Nodal, not far from Antiga Ynofora.

Colonists at first butted heads with the native elves, and interactions occasionally turned violent. Eventually, the colonists and the natives reached an agreement that would allow the Elves to maintain sovereignty and traditions while being economically incorporated into Nodal. They reached this agreement after settlers, all of whom were descendants of survivors of the Dwarven Genocide, saw parallels between their own actions and those of Iloisa settlers centuries earlier, and wished to avoid repeating history. Native Elf culture heavily informed that of the settlers, and eventually lead to the development of a unique Nodal culture. The Nodal, as the group came to be called, also fully developed their religion, which came to be known as Prophetism. Over the next century-and-a-half, the Nodal would expand from coast to coast.

Kingdom of Nodal, 1470 AT-2880 AT
Nodal eventually became independent in 1470 AT, after years of campaigning and occasional revolt, and became officially known as the Kingdom of Nodal.

In 1506, a new Tulkon, Epodora, was born in the city of Nenihr, ending the 300-year Era Without a Tulkon. Epodora's confirmation was a huge step forward for the new nation. It legitimized the Nodal as a people and a country, and showed that Prophetism was a serious religion rather than a fringe movement. Prophetists believed that Epodora's confirmation was a sacred event, and she is considered a saint to this day.

Life in Nodal was peaceful for several centuries. Its central location on Däegarden made it an important trading hub and cultural center. People from the A'Roastad Empire, Gogeget, and Honsinad all passed through Nodal. This eventually led to the development of a creole language called Däegic, which became the lingua franca of the continent.

During the lifetime of Tulkon Ilhohore, the entire continent of Däegarden fell into war after a large economic downturn. Nodal emerged victorious, and established itself as a military force.

Nodal opposed Gogeget during the Orc Conquest, a failed campaign at world domination by several Orc nations.

In 2660, Nodal fell into Civil War when the conservative opposition tried banning non-Prophetists from the country. Tulkon Rakte believed it was an internal matter and refused to step in. He eventually realized the error of his ways but not before a large portion of the population was killed. He decided to stay in Nodal and lead recovery efforts, where he died of old age in 2672 AT. Some years after his death, Eberil, leader of the conservative opposition, peacefully ascended to the throne of Nodal. The country became officially Prophetist, with the Prophetist Church coming under jurisdiction of the government of Nodal, but in name only. During the State Church period, the religion reflected the political agenda of the government, and many believed that the religion had abandoned its roots.

Captaincy General of the Empire of Orcanth/Immortal Empire, 2880 AT-2905 AT
King Eberil, and Immortal, allied himself with King Zetopa of Orcanth. Both were Immortals, and were anti-Tulkon. Nodal became part of Zetopa's new Empire of Orcanth, which would be the largest empire in history. In 2896 AT, Zetopa declared the empire's reformation into the Immortal Empire, which declared its intentions of world domination, thus beginning the Immortal War. Nodal's forces were a key element in the Fall of the Frozen Republics, the Fall of Ynofora, and the bombings of the nations of the Free Alliance.

Tulkon Vonha, the unknown successor of the late E'Acoradi who was killed by Zetopa (as well as an emigrant from Nodal), eventually went on a campaign to kill the leaders of the Empire. Zetopa sent Eberil after her, but she killed him as well as the rest of Zetopa's circle, causing the Immortal Empire to crumble.

Second Kingdom of Nodal, 2905 AT-Present
After the war, Nodal once again became an elective monarchy. The State Church era ended with the Empire, and citizens returned to older forms of Prophetism while acknowledging the effects of the very long period. Nodal would pay reparations to other nations for the next century, and was a signatory of the Onor-Ynofora Codes.

In 3044 AT, the country elected Queen Von Alhambra, who remains in office as of 3094 AT. During the Colitzl Plague, Nodal was able to place effective quarantining measures and kept cases to a minimum. Nodal's citizens have demanded a transition to democracy, which has not yet taken place.

Ethnicity
Nodal is dominated by its namesake ethnic group, the Dwarven Nodal. Nodal culture is best described as a fusion of colonial Onor culture and native Ynoforan and Ydelhiad cultures. This is reflected in the country's national language, Nodalonor, a variety of Onor with heavy influence from Elven languages. Elven influence is stronger near the coasts of the country, where Elves lived prior to Dwarven colonization.

Most of Nodal's population identifies with the Onor ethnicity. Minorities of other ethnicities, including the native Ynoforans and Ydelhiads, Gardenians, and Phocahns mainly inhabit coastal and border regions. The influence of all of these cultures and their languages led to the birth of Däegic, a creole language spoken all over Däegarden.

Religion
The greatest unifier across all the cultures of of Nodal is the religion of Prophetism. Prophetism is considered the national religion of Nodal, as well as its greatest cultural export. Many immigrants to Nodal, regardless of ethnicity, are Prophetist converts.

Small minorites within the country are also practitioners of Däeism, Savatism, and Tulkonism.