Remilzadirw

Twin Mountain Republic Alliance
Motto: Peace and Prosperity (official), Remilzadirw is Strength!
Capital		Nileap
Official languages		Standard Kwang, Remilzadirwa
Recognised national languages		Jo Amiyant Kwang
Recognised regional languages		Naean, Nuar (Qgamic), Malansi, Mountain Darkin
Government		Federal presidential parliamentary republic (de iure), devolved bibliocratic parliamentary republic (de facto)

The Twin Alliance' or Remilzadirw (Remilzadirwa: Remilzadirw [IPA], Kwang: 國民曹邦赤山, Kwaiyaun Shubyàn Lhàtoun [kwɛ́jaʊ̃́ ʃúbjã̀ ɬàtoʊ̃́ (Standard Kwang), Gwīyóm Srāpàm Sãmdām [kwījṍ ʂāpʰã̀ sã̌tã̄] (Jo Amiyant Kwang)), officially the The Twin Mountain Republic Alliance, is a landlocked country located in central Soltenna. It is bordered by Qonklaks in the south, Naea in the east and Karduv in the west. It is known for its culturally, economically and politically powerful temple-libraries, their yaks and the ice cream yak milk is turned into. It is also notable for its complicated history and multi-ethnic society that is dominated by the Remilzadirwa, descending from Lohetan immigrants, and Kwang people, but also is home to many ethnic minorities. After a period of military conflict

Etymology

The name Remilzadirwata means 'western castles' in Old Lohetan. Kwaiyaun Shubyàn Lhàtoun and Gwīyóm Srāpàm Sãmdām both mean 'Red Mountain Republic Alliance'.

History

Ancient history

3000 BCE – First Rietic people arrive

The Jein'an, closely related to inhabitants of modern western Naea, arrive in the lands of modern-day Remilzadirw.

500 BCE-500 CE – Further migrations

Whutevas from Naea (arrived before the start of the common era) West Acre people Nuar and other Qgamic people (arrived in the 300s from Qgam)

Classical Era

700 CE – Lohetans arrive

Unhappy with the foreign rule imposed by a predecessor of the modern state of Shavakhotia in their homeland, the Kedei zadirw (district) in the westernmost part of Loheta, they move westward and eventually settle down in the Ungagon mountains, hoping to be safe from invaders and occupiers there.

Over time, they came to call themselves Remilzadirw or sometimes "West Lohetan", who nominally still pledged their allegiance to the religious leader of Kedei.

To help preserve this history, culture and religious tradition, for Remilzadirw writing and books would be of key importance and temples would dedicate themselves to recording and protecting knowledge and stories.

1000 CE – First temple library opens

Remilzadirw temples gradually become libraries that also open themselves to the public, although with many restrictions and only under careful surveillance of monks and nuns.

The cultural cache that such institutions would become grants them significant political power, effectively turning their part of the country into a kind of "bibliocracy", although this was an informal arrangement, as the temples did not collect taxes (but donations were expected) and did not have or conscript armies. Formal ruler for Remilzadirw still was the Kedei octarch.

Nonetheless, the Remilzadirw temples were due to their elevated cultural and social position able to amass wealth and land that allowed them to grow their libraries further and carry home books recording the history of their neighbors as well. To this day their local influence has only grown to be even more immense, having been the peacemakers in conflicts and the most influential in politics, even if not having any formal governmental position.

1300 – Kwang people migrate into the land, Hundred Lordships.

The first Kwang peoples that arrived into the area were mostly displaced refugees from the Maithic Conquests during the late 14th century. Separated from Qonklaks proper, these refugees included aristocrats who attempted to restore order in the new frontiers by establishing feudal domains and developed a new sense of identity in the process.

The lords mostly maintained a peaceful relationship with the Remilzadirw temples, with most temples offering tribute to the lords in exchange for defence and protection against bandits. This relationship continued until 1950.

Modern Era

1939, Begin of the Pangyeoun War

"The domain of the Hundred Lorships was claimed by the Qonklese Empire as part of their expansionist agenda to reunite all historical Qonklese lands. As the lords were ethnic Kwang, their domains were considered part of the Empire. Some Qonklese officials wanted Lohetans to be forcefully relocated and deported out of Remilzadirw, but the Kwang lords, who did not wish for the status quo to be altered, negotiated that Remilzadirw would become a vassal state of the Qonklese Empire provided that the existing government structure stay in tact. The 1943 Consensus recognized this arrangement. The Hundred Lordships had their existing armies incorporated into the Qonklese Imperial Army."

The Naeans successfully entered Remilzadirw territory in Jan 1950, driving the QIA out of Remilzadirw.

1950, Twin Treaty

1950 – The Twin Treaty, also known as the Troublesome Treaty is signed, shortly after the fall of the Qonklese Empire on 10 May, 1950. An uneasy alliance was formed between the governments that represented the ethnic Kwang, backed by Qonklaks, and the Charter-backed Lohetans. These twin governments maintained their own militaries and patrolled areas within their jurisdiction. The Kwang proclaimed an independent Mountain Twin Alliance Republic (MTAR), the Lohetans proclaimed that their lands fall under the authority of the Kedei octarch in Loheta, as in previous centuries.

Under the MTARs agreement with imperial holdouts in the region, the MTAR permitted the war-time Imperial Bweh-Sha to be reorganized into the Republic Bwák-Sioá, a direct successor of the notorious security agency that dominated civilian surveillance during the war.

Other ethnicities, particularily the Nuar and Malansi etc., were not recognized by the treaty and found themselves frequently split between the boundaries defined by the Twin Treaty. A Kwang lady becomes first nominal leader of the alliance, known as "queen" despite the status as a republic due to their origin, supported initially by Kwang lords because they thought she would be a weak leader (they were wrong) that could be easily controlled (it turned out to be the other way round)

1956 coup

1956 – The queen is secretly ousted by the lords, said to have been assassinated and replaced by their sister, who at first feigned support for the lords but then went on her own power trip

1971, begin of the military conflict

1971 – One child from a Lohetan village on his rite of passage trip gets chased by Kwang bureaucrats and their goons believing him to be a child who lost their parents (tends to happen with some regularity), he ends up invited in by a lady for tea who takes "pity" on him (she thinks the agents are too rough on him), and always has a cat with her. The cat escapes and he follows it, trying to return it to the lady, the cat leads him to some secret quarters, where they find out that the President Moa Ti, couped by self-styled Supreme Prosecutor Moà Bó in 1956, is still alive, and as word of this gets out, the Rietic leaders use this as a pretext to break up the alliance, after which the Kwang side (still with the false queen) claims sole authority over all lands, which deepens the chasm between the two sides further and leads to a military conflict.

This threatens the latter's reign, and so he is imprisoned for a while and has to do demeaning work, undergo embarrassing rites and scientific experiments because Kwang lords are very dedicated to their old beliefs, although some had become interested in science to further their dominance. The poor child is later blamed by Moà Bó for the breakdown of the alliance and tried as traitor, and subsequently suffers in jail for a while before being freed by a Kwang rebel that pledged allegiance to Moa Ti. Both the rebel and the lawyer who represented the child and the rebel are later caught and thrown into prison after a show trial. From then on, anyone aiding any kind of rebellion, even by representing them as lawyer in court, is treated like a traitor themselves unless they can prove their innocence (almost impossible given the unfair, rigged system. Although judges are usually not corrupt or regime lapdogs, prosecutors now have outsized power and defense lawyers have basically had to stop practicing).

The conflict was never an ethnic conflict per se, rather a political conflict instigated by the elites of Remilzadirw (NOT the librarians, but secular lords/landowners) and Kwang lords. Propaganda of each side portrays the other as enemy, but there is no ill will against every individual, no belief in inherent superiority/born enemies, more a "they won't let us live in peace/provoke and threaten us so we have to fight". A conflict centering around who gets to rule where, and how. I.e. Remilzadirw might think less of Kwang for any number of reasons, but those are more side-effects than causes.

1976 – The ousted sister gives birth to a daughter

As the conflict developed, an IC/Charter plan in 1981 to put the capital under international control backfired and added fuel to the conflict, as it increased the fear of elites on both sides of losing their power.

Elites on both sides continued to vie for dominance and the establishment of their preferred system. The Kwang government wanted a unitary, independent state. whereas the most powerful Remilzadirw lords wanted to stay nominally part of Loheta. As a result, Qonklaks continued supporting the Kwang MTAR government, whereas Remilzadirwa forces and various other Rietic militias and leaders gained support by the Charter.

Even if the conflict was never characterized by constant warfare, rather by punctuated skirmishes and other means of conflict, including via diplomatic channels (local and international) and the media (also local and international), the land and the people suffer, but especially the increasingly marginalized minorities who are increasingly eyed with suspicion for not wanting to pick a side, or worse, face discrimination or even persecution for picking one. This led them to ask the Remilzadirw bibliocrats of the library-temples for help and together they formed some kind of peace movement trying to promote mutual understanding. Various appeals to reason and attempts at solving the conflict diplomatically fail.

1990, Restoration of peace

1990 – The temple libraries use their vast amount of land, material wealth and cultural and religious importance to strongarm both sides into an uneasy peace. Historically the temples had not kept any armies or collected taxes, however, the military conflict led many people to join their "peace movement" and enlist in their Militia of the Books, threatening to refuse to pay taxes to the Kwang lords they previously had a quasi-feudal relation to, and using their influence in the Rietic cultural sphere to sway general opinion in their favor.

So the bibliocrats and their Militia of the Books ended the military conflict by forcing Kwang and Rietic leaders to negotiate and find common ground. In the end, all post-1971 changes and laws were annulled, and the ousted sister's daughter became the first new "queen" (president, but with a lot of pomp and monarchy-like adoration) of the restored Twin Alliance.

The Kwang lords were allowed to keep their position and provide a central head of state, but as a mere figurehead that has little say in political affairs, while Lohetans were allowed to keep pledging their loyalty to the Kezei octarch, and the minorities now enjoyed a degree of legal recognition and protection, although Imperial factions in the Kwang government repeatedly try to undermine this.

Peace initiatives and actions after 1990

After the conflict, the Militia of the Books as well as the libraries themselves promote peace, mutual understanding and cultural exchange.

They found various cultural centers, and establish a Market of Peace in the capital Nilaep, a formerly small Kwang town at the border between Remilzadirw-majority and Kwang-majority terrain, which for the most part is formed by a river

Thus, the town becomes the most colorful and diverse city of the country, although Remilzadirw mostly don't live there, mostly going there for business and official reasons only

To foster unity, the librarians will seek common ground between Remilzadirwata and Kwang people, which exists e.g. on the topic of education:

Due to the cultural importance of libraries learning how to read and write is naturally part of the rite of adulthood, with preparations often starting years before. Something similar exists with the Kwang. "Literacy is a prized thing even more those of lower status, there are village schools dedicated for peasants, usually state-funded but can be private or free depending on whether or not the master is kind enough.

The Kwang government can fund free education, the quality may be debated, but it is there."

Ice Cream Wars

Background

Ice cream in Qonklaks was associated with Kuulist success, ice cream prior to Kuulism was a delicacy only enjoyed by the rich. The Kuulist government mass produced ice cream as a way to 'increase' quality of life and boasted about its success", the Kwang government in the Twin Alliance were despite their origin as feudal rulers Kuulist-backed and had also sought ways to increase popularity and their influence.

Unsuccessfully, as in the present day the economic power of the (former) Kwang lords is weakened due to the military conflict and later the popularity of Jein'an yak ice cream. Whereas when the Kwang lords tried to replicate Kuulist Qonklaks' success with ice cream failed due to their insistence on using cow milk, which a) is less well tolerated by the population of the country ("Yak's milk is richer than cow's milk in the content of proteins, fat, and total solids; is easier to digest; and has lower allergenicity", from nih.gov) and b) is less well-suited for the climate and terrain as opposed to yak milk.

Yak ice cream was not exactly an overnight success either, taking a long time to get through a breakthrough, plus the military conflict of the 70s/80s might slow it further, but at the same time, ice cream might become a preferred means of escape from the troubled daily life for many, and so slowly contribute to its success.

For years, yak milk ice cream remained a well kept secret of Jein'an communities (a Rietic minority, think kefir and the cultures of the Caucasus), until one of them has to sell their land and move into the town, where they start selling yak ice cream and eventually become downright rich, They challenge the economic dominance of former nobility which was more overt and pronounced in comparison to e.g. Gfiewistan.

Outbreak

Once the military conflict is pacified in 1990, the conflict continued to simmer once it had ended on the battlefield, in the open, and spying and crime in lucrative economic sectors that not all cultures in the Twin Alliance had access to became the main vectorm. The (former) lords and their militaries and guards try everything to remain economically on top, including resorting to spies, grunts, and abductions, as they already lost much of their political power. So old Kwang militias can become goons for hire, like urban mercenaries (the Emerald Militia, who already fought in the military conflict), whereas Jein'an people fought back by hiring security guards and trying to bring Kwang thugs, spies and thieves to justice, and so the Ice Cream Wars begin. Again the Kwang are met with little success, due to their failures with yak husbandry and recipe recreation, and the Jein'an being alert and quick to develop protection and countertactics.

The protagonist in the dust story, solving crimes and mysteries using his knowledge gleaned from studying at a temple, working as a tour guide and helping out in a law office, is the one helps bring the Ice Cream Wars to an end by helping a Kwang man give up his attempts to steal the recipe to Yak ice cream and try it in a more respectful, peaceful way, leading him to try to win the heart of the Jein'an woman he helped abduct but then fell in love with, which somehow with some help eventually works, defusing the conflict as it makes the recipe for it and everything else necessary finally available for everyone

Politics

Government structure

The Remilzadirwa pan-ethnic temple libraries, holding most of the economic power and very sizable cultural importance, have formed the de facto neutral executive since the end of the military conflict. Due to their relatively non-partisan status and behavior crucial for negotiating peace treaties and armistices and successful history in this regard they continue to arbitrate between the Kwang and Remilzadirwa sides with the added intention of accommodating minority issues, as despite their origin as ethnic cultural institutions they have since the military conflict increasingly grown to include other ethnicities.

Therefore, the de jure government, composed solely of Kwang institutions, only uses vague terms when referring to Lohetan Remilzadirw people and their councils on lands where they are traditionally the majority, to informally accommodate the Remilzadirwa claim to not submit to Kwang people, but instead Loheta. This uneasy peace is generally supported by the IC and virtually all sovereign states of the world, as the view of Remilzadirwa being part of Loheta is not shared even by Loheta itself, which instead carefully navigates around it diplomatically.

Their Militias of the Books form an internal security force meant to ensure peace between the peoples. Local law enforcement in the country is split between Kwang and Remilzadirwa as well, however the country-wide judicative are in the hands of the Kwang, delegated by the temple libraries to put limits on their own power. Courtrooms involve a ritualized debate form where legal scholars take turns to make their arguments in a predetermined meter.

The nominal head of state, is also appointed by the Kwang. Despite royal titles and the nobility having been formally abolished with the end of the Pangyeoun War, the current female president is informally widely referred to as "queen" due to the pomp surrounding the office.

Remilzadirw

A formal Remilzadirw government does not exist due to the insistence of local governments on being officially governed by the Kezei region of Loheta, with library-temples indirectly remaining the centers of powers (leading it to often being titled a "bibliocracy"), through their cultural and religious importance they have a lot of people working in or for them either similar to feudalism but less formal and forceful – no threat of violence, just soft power or outright volunteering, accumulating wealth via donations, sales.

In Remilzadirw courtrooms, a dance of trance is supposed to help everyone 'see' the past, getting them in a contemplative, empathetic mood

Kwang

Kwang bureaucrats and officials tend to be very traditional, in part due to how even after the abolition of titles most of the nobility remained in power, or went into business. They keep to the old things as much as possible, This is also reflected in Kwang government uniforms, which are Imperial-style military uniforms, representing how the government is modeled after the Empire. Examples of by modern standards strange practices are the consultation of court astrologers as well as other superstitions being a significant driving force behind government policy, which is hence tied up in many ancient shamanistic rituals, and arcane institutions such as the "egg bureaucracy" that attempts to decide who is allowed to eat eggs across the lands by limiting and directing their supply and use in commerce and manufacturing,

The Kwang de facto supreme leader was called the Supreme Prosecutor from 1956 to 1990, before that, from the founding of the alliance republic 1951 to 1956 the President was the highest office, then the real seat of power shifted to the supreme prosecutor. The office of the President still existed, but their powers were merely ceremonial, real power was held by the Supreme Prosecutor, so real power was held by the judicial branch of the government.

Courts of law are as important for the Kwang rulers of the country as the libraries are for the Remilzadirw. This is due long standing cultural and religious reasons for a kind of reverence of the law and those administering it. In rural parts of the country, courts remained entangled with shamanistic religious practices, making judges also a kind of religious authority. Shamanism being formally banished in towns as early as 0 AD in Qonklaks, the role of religion in urban courts is less obvious, although rulings may still be cloaked in religious language, referencing various Haomist tenets and teachings, and certain ambitious personalities might play themselves up as a kind of authority on religious matters as well. Nominally the courts were non-partisan, however even in the present day they still mostly employ Kwang people as judges, prosecutors, bailiffs and other staffers.

Economy

Origins

Historically a feudal system between lords (Kwang parts) or temples (Remilzadirwa parts) and farmers, craftspeople, traders etc. Former ruled nominally over the latter, taking in tribute, but this was more symbolic than anything, a token gesture. Feudal relations were more apparent, stratified and codified with the Kwang lords and their subjects, enforced with laws and tax collectors (first in kind, but by the 16th century mostly monetized) as well as mandated serf labor, whereas on the Remilzadirwa side pressure to pay and/or work for the temples was mostly culturally ingrained or indirectly demanded via appeals etc., done according to one's abilities and resources (a farmer would deliver food, a craftsmen pieces of work or labor, a trader profits, a landowner land), making it a system of donations (at first in kind, later also, but by far not exclusively money) and semi-voluntary labor, rather than taxation or conscription.

This system lasted until the 1950s, after which on the Kwang side taxation started being carried out exclusively by the central government and labor services by conscription were formally abolished, being folded into money taxes. The Remilzadirwa side did little to change things drastically, although money started becoming more important and now quickly eclipsed donations in kind and labor services were reduced to ceremonial rites rather than being the backbone of Temple economy, or converted into "volunteer" positions with compensations. Even with money now being much more central, and temples engaged at times even in international trade and business, they remained not-for-profit institutions.

Agriculture

Agriculture of rice and cabbage dominates in the lowlands, but in the highlands yak farming is the foundation of most local economies, with oats being the most important and oldest crop, with potatoes and buckwheat as more recent introductions playing a secondary role.

Other sectors

The end of the military conflict in 1990 brought a period of economic boom and diversification with itself, a nascent tourism industry quickly rose to become an important source of income for many inhabitants, and other service and handicraft sectors as well as food producers started catering to tourists as well as producing for export.

Of particular economic and cultural importance was and is the burgeoning yak ice cream sector, originally in the hands of Jein'an families, which attracted the envy of Kwang and to a lesser extent Remilzadirwa business magnates, who unsuccessfully attempted to reproduce their success, even resorting to coercive and criminal methods. This continuation of the military in the economic area found its end when a marriage between a Kwang man, a former militia member, and the daughter of a Jein'an yak milk farmer led to the secrets and recipe of yak milk ice cream became publicly available, leading to explosive growth of cafes and ice cream producers, as well as in supporting economic sectors and benefitting ones, chief of them tourism. Alongside yak milk ice cream, other yak milk products like butter and cheese and also other yak products (such as meat, leather etc.) are also important, but mostly produced for the domestic market.

Demographics

Ethnic groups

Remilzadirwa

Also known as West Lohetans, a Lohetan ethnic group belonging to the Rietic cultural group.

Jo Amiyant Kwang

The distinct cultural identity of Kwang lords, their courts and farmers and other workers, lords are collaborators in the Pangyeoun war but prevent deportation of Lohetans)

Qonk language minorities in Remilzadirw

To be added.

Other Rietic minorities

Naeans and West Acre groups.

Other groups

Karduvic, Maithic, Malisic (Malansi), Nuar (Qgamic), Malansi, Mountain Darkin (related to Qgam Dzwo).

Religion

Remilzadirwa religion

Order and (mental) strength are at the center of their religion, an offshoot of Kezei Akalism, known as "Radical Akalism". An important part is the belief in fate, but you have to figure out yourself what it is. No one else can tell you that. Finding your fate is second to none in giving you strength and order to your life, so finding your fate is central to your life. [A bit similar to Hinduism and their belief in dharma]

It's like the more gentle, reserved and easy-going Lohetans had gone through what might be called a "baptism by fire".

Spiritual and physical grounding

Spiritual grounding, realizing that even as imperfect beings you are nonetheless creations, children even, of the divine, and should therefore hold your head up high, is the mental foundation for everything. However, this can also lead to a false sense of ego which must be overcome. The physical foundation is proper posture (hold your head up high) and proper breathing (in and out, in a regular, slow cycle, no holding your breath) "I have the divine #spark even as I am imperfect among other imperfect #beings, which can cause all #kinds of other #sparks on it's own"

Overcoming ego

Instead of desire causing suffering, monks in Remilzadirw would say the ego causes anxiety due to its awareness of its own impermanence, fleeting nature in an unstable, at times even perilous world. See Topical temple teaching for more details.

Music and dancing

"Music is power" music is as important to Remilzadirw as flowers to Notasota. This ties into their idea that "to dance is like to fight" – the same fierce, combative approach to life But with no proper spiritual guidance and training this can go wrong fast, and turn any dream into a nightmare Conversely, with the right attitude and grounding every nightmare can be escaped and turned into a dream

Mythology

Mythology would be similar to the region of Kezei where they originated from, but spirits would be more often aggressive, even at least seemingly malevolent and rather than ask for their protection at shrines, shrines would be refuges, from which foughts against spirits would be planned and carried out.

The protective spirits of Loheta are all more aggressive and dominant and embody some trouble or difficult part of human existence, they can never be defeated until their purpose is understood (they seek to help people, even if in a way that is not actually helpful, or not helpful anymore in the present day) and turned towards something more favorable.

Elements such as in Loheta or Notasota are downplayed, but still known in Remilzadirw.

Kwang religion

Ailurolatry (cat divination) among the peasants is common. Village cats are revered and shamans tasked with interpreting their behavior. Kwang lords and modern politicians have always followed Haomism, sharing this with Qonklese officials. The distinction is however not always clear-cut, and a lot of overlap exists on both sides. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/13hxVQo0rDzasFhP2hkh03b5BY_P8ndvp_uQUKVXLokY/edit

Culture

Remilzadirw

Overview

Remilzadirw are (stereotypically) more fierce, nationalistic, patriotic as a result of the near perpetual conflict, as well as proud, loud, passionate. They are intent on order to the point of occasional dogmatism, and view themselves as strong, especially mentally strong. So while the official motto is "peace and prosperity", the more widely known and used one is "Strong as Remilzadirw"

Widespread, but not universal among Remilzadirwa is the idea that the trouble they have experienced due to the difficult terrain, climate, history as a sign that they are too powerful for this world otherwise.

They believe that precisely because they face such troubles that they must have been selected for something great, that they are being trained and prepared to fulfill their potential and a mission. Quotes like "God nerfed us because we would have been too powerful otherwise" and "One day this pain will make sense to you" are widespread.

Family

On top of everything else, I think the importance of family bonds among the Remilzadirw would be emphasized, in such a difficult terrain with a lot of dangers and difficulties But these families aren't necessarily by blood, the temples would also create similar bond and act as foster families, treat each other like siblings, dance together (see above, →Rite of passage)

Rite of passage

Themes central to mythology such as turning aggressive spirits representing a difficult part of human nature into something that is not disrupting and provides for the sake of one's inner peace and harmony, would also be a fundamental part of Remilzadirw's rite of passage, similar to Loheta's (originally religious, but nowadays not exclusively so) where children unattended are sent through the countryside, from temple-library to temple-library instead of from temple-castle to temple-castle as in Loheta.

The journey is meant to teach self-reliance, self-acceptance, endurance, endurance, and adaptability, and additionally, at each temple-library, they would undergo mental training, which would involve battling one’s personal 7 aggressive spirits or demons (fear, submission, pressure, judgment, rule-servitude, trustlessness, zeal). This mental journey can often be akin to going through hell, which can only be escaped once they realize these demons have been trying to protect them and are befriended, which amounts to a mental training of your “inner warriors” meant to open up one's strengths and potential. For this, a kind of code is taught, which prohibits looking back at the past unless it is done in a detached, neutral but also compassionate way to learn from it, as well as accepting things and situations and then moving on once possible. In line with the more "energetic" and strength-centered beliefs of Remilzadirwa they see dancing rites as a way to train the code, gearing up for mental battles and control of emotions. This follows the mantra "to dance is like to fight | you can show your secret side | You can show your emotion | Your secret side all the night"

The spirits being much more aggressive and dominant, as well as the importance of physical in addition to mental training sets the Remilzadirwa rite of passage apart from the Lohetan, and is generally understood to have originated in the more challenging terrain, harsher living conditions, and, especially since the 20th century, also difficult political situation. The physical training involves various sessions meant to improve one's physical strength and stamina, and through yoga, also bodily flexibility, as well as self-defense techniques using a meditation stick, something that originally came from South Jute via Loheta.

Since they might have to navigate Kwang terrain (Kwang and Remilzadirwa lands are incongruous), unexpected things, including problematic events can occur. In fact, the 1971 breakdown of the alliance is widely attributed to a child on his journey taking the wrong turn (see above, history section)

Birth and death

Rituals involving yaks and blood are widespread.

Kwang

Sometimes Kwang people claim to get 'a command from the heavens', most famously used by dain pain to justify his acension to the throne, but also before that.

Cuisine

Rice dishes, often including a variety of cabbage, are widespread among the Kwang in the lower regions.

In the more mountainous regions where the Remilzadirwa mostly live, oats are the staple crop, having reached the region in antiquity. They are better suited for the rough terrain, being not so demanding, and already had status as one of the staple crops in Loheta. Oats are typically first boiled in water or milk or alternatively steamed, then roasted in an oven before being shredded into a coarse meal, which, already having been cooked, only needs to be mixed with other ingredients to make a filling and nutritious dish. Typically these include butter, salt and spices, originally mixed with hands into balls, later also chopsticks and then stirred into warm or cold milk or tea (depending on availability and preference) to make a kind of porridge. Many eat dried meat and/or preserved berries or vegetables with it, too.

In modern times buckwheat and potatoes have become more common, too, often accompanying dishes with meat, either freshly cooked or roasted. Buckwheat porridge is also often eaten with dried meat and mushrooms.

Architecture

Remilzadirw temples-libraries resembling mountainside castles (resembling e.g. Kye Gompa) and other kind of castle complexes (resembling ???), Kwang have Chinese-style (which?) pagodas, Karduvic bring Dzong Style fortresses

Literature

Kwang lords use logographs, Rietic people use Forian alphabet.

Among the most important Remilzadir writings is a narration of the historical journey that started political turmoil, the 1971 rite of passage journey of a child that brought the alliance down, with some mythological elements incorporated. Its most important theme is the question of what it means to be living in Remilzadirw, what it means to be Remilzadirwa, all the trials and difficulties, and the upsides and things to be thankful for. Another important work is a classic epic that is more overt and literal in its mythological elements and takes place in the much more distant past, but has otherwise similar themes, and is generally seen as having been an inspiration for the modern story.

Symbols

Shared national animal is the yak, and the national bird is the impeyan pheasant, mythologically the blueish counterpart to the redish Sky Legendary of Loheta.

The Kwang flag shows the two titular mountains, in the old imperial color (dark red), uniform of Kwang lord military. The mountains are blue on the official-inofficial flag of Remilzadirw, which is only nominally used, as normally the Lohetan, Kezei or local community flags are used. A rarely used neutral flag shows a red and a blue mountain.

See also

• Loheta