Makkadal

The **Kingdom of Makkadal** is a Wonao country south of Bujan and east of Irajon.

Its name means "the splendid gift", as the whole nation claimed it was a gift from Heaven to the world.

## Flag

The flag of Makkadal is dark blue, representing wisdom. The gold disk represents the moon, and the longevity of Makkadal. The top pattern over the moon represents the blessing of the Gods, or the domes in its buildings. The middle pattern within the moon represents happiness.

The surrounding pattern around the moon is a mark for a line of poetry in the Makkadalish abugida, representing sophistication and creativity.

### Regional flags

The flag of Arienai has two towers around a sea, with a double banner rising from its waters. The mast of the banners was shaped like a tree.

The towers represent fortification and Daizhouvian influence, the sea for its ports, and the double banner was from an ancient flag used before the Tuksharan conquest of Resovjant and in the subsequent revolution.

### Other symbols

Makkadal's national flower is the orchid.

The machuri, or pikeman, is a traditional symbol of the kingdom.

## History

Makkadal was inhabited since the Third Age, when it was divided between several kingdoms. When a great blizzard ruined ancient Resovjant, many Resovjantien people fled to its princes' towns for protection. They and many Makkadalish pikemen went north to aid Motakol in uniting Resovjant and slaughtering every murderer and tyrant on the island.

At the Sixth Age, Makkadal was unified into a single nation by the Treaty of the Six Princes. It formed a triple alliance with Resovjant and Ohon.

It and Resovjant were conquered by the Tuksharan Empire, but were later liberated by independence movements. However, the royal house that ruled after liberation was a different lineage. It later housed many Pinogunians who fled a great war in their homeland, where the newcomers worked as masons, architects, guards, and engineers.

Before the Sixteenth Age, Makkadal enjoyed a golden age. This was when the marble city of Ajuvriti became its capital.

At the Konjor invasion of Jerde, Makkadal's underground cities were first built. The Konjor aliens set up three colonies in Makkadal's eastern coast, one of which was a foundry where robotic soldiers and servants were built. It was entirely under the control of a single officer of Konjor origin, but because he was not satisfied with his wages and mistreatment from his superiors, he simply turned the automatons against his masters. Then, he defected to the kingdom's armies, who reclaimed the island from the fleeing, defeated Konjors, and taught them to build more robotic armies. They were known in folklore as "the Sleepless", that after these mechanical sentinels aided the other Jerdiskar in driving out the Konjors, they were shut down, melted into armour gifted to Resovjant's allies, or used as guards. The Sleepless are nowadays used to guard royal tombs, certain temples, farms, and hospitals. The blue-skinned Konjor defector lived his latter years in a royal academy, where he taught thousands of young boys and men to become engineers and mechanics, and after he passed away from old age, he was cremated, and his ashes scattered in an underwater tomb surrounded by statues of the Sleepless.

The large size of the island and its network of underground cities made it one of the only parts of Bujan that did not fall to Wannaenid rule, as a bastion of resistance movements. For it being one of the remaining Zvestarid holdouts, it built a series of fortifications using advanced technology from the Zvestarid lunar bases. When the people of Irajon revolted against Wannaenid attempts to exterminate and banish them, it aided Bujanski resistance movements, and hosted the fleets of the Zvestarid exiles and their Coalition allies as they marched north to liberate the surrounding archipelagoes. All the underground cities together are known as "the Great Banyan", as they are interconnected.

## Geography

### Regions of Makkadal

* Arienai Province - both a province and a region, the northernmost region in Makkadal, not including the enclaves in the Home Islands.
* Ngorondel Region
* Džōneuča Region - near the sea border to Irajon, between Ngorondel and the islands of southern Bujan near Arienai.
* Hasauda Region - near Joltaraata
* Pauvjoro Region - between Ngorondel and Arienai
* Makkadal Region - southernmost region, the main region of Makkadal.

### Locations in Makkadal Island

* Ajuvriti (capital)
	+ A large, ancient metropolis that was mostly built from marble. Its buildings had domes of gold and silver.
	+ Ajuvriti is known as the Twilight City because of the festivals that took place at night, or the dark-coloured banners that are unfurled after dusk as an act of worship to its gods.
* Mangrove Island
	+ A small island that was allegedly formed by wild mangrove seeds, to the northeast of Ajuvriti. It has a large field where a temple to Stribog is used.
	+ All over Ajuvriti are smaller shrines to Stribog and Džorinun, wind gods that are worshipped by travellers as protectors.
* Vaetrogorodja - a small neighbourhood named after the old Sevraejan consulate it was built around.
	+ Originally when the embassy was built, the location was a pasture for sheep.
* Na'ungmal - "banyan hill", Burrow-city at north
* Tanjadroh - "willow tower", Burrow-city at east
	+ Great Foundry School of Tanjadroh - founded after the end of Konjor rule over Makkadal. This was the former robot foundry where the lone Konjor defector taught thousands of young boys and men as engineers.
	+ Tomb of Velkehar - an underwater plaza surrounded by sixteen statues. The final resting place of Velkehar after his ashes were scattered into that part of the sea.

### Bujanski enclaves in Makkadal

* Terugal, Ngorondel, Traimantara - Bujanski enclaves in Makkadal, given to Bujanski control as a gift for Makkadal entering into a state union with Bujan. Two of them have a Slavic majority, but Ngorondelian Slavs are more influenced by Makkadalish culture.
* Ngorondelian Slavs are considered a western branch of Ljetoslouna Slavs due to their similar Wonao-fied culture.

### Makkadalish enclaves

As a gift to Makkadal, three enclaves were formed on the day it became part of Bujan: Tarigil Palace at Telmuna Province; the southerly islands of Arienai at Olan Province; and the port of Arokunga at Ruisan Province. While they are internationally considered as part of the Kingdom of Makkadal, legally they are condominiums jointly-controlled by both Bujan and Makkadal.

Tarigil was already jointly-owned by the two kingdoms before the Wannaenid Invasion. It being mentioned among the "gifted" enclaves was a declaration to acknowledge the palace as property of Makkadal's government.

* Tarigil Palace - at the southern side of Telmuna Province, facing the sea, Tarigil Palace is the summer villa of Makkadal's royal family. It is also a sort of embassy between the two nations.
* Arienai - jointly owned by Bujan and Makkadal, so Makkadalish laws, customs, and flags are observed there.
	+ Two main ports there are Port Derevonsk and Port Latūnam. Both of them mean "the tree".
	+ One of three Makkadalish enclaves in Bujan. It is also Makkadal's biggest province.
	+ Arienai is located on an island off the shores of Shanchazorra.
	+ Its main exports are fruit and vegetables, along with tropical crops that are sold in Buyanski and colder countries' markets.
	+ During the Wannaenid conquest of Bujan, Arienai was occupied by the Wannaenids for three weeks, before being driven out by the Makkadalish army. It was later fortified to defend it from further Wannaenid attacks, before it was used by Zvestarid and Coalition forces to land on mainland Bujan.
	+ The islands between Arienai and Ngorondel are all part of Olan Province in Bujan. During the Wannaenid era, they were the only parts of Zvesta that were not conquered, becoming a base of resistance against the Wannaenids and the continuation of the Zvestarid royal government.
* Arokunga - the Makkadalish merchant district that became an enclave deep within Bujan.

## Military

See also: Makkadalish Royal Armed Forces

A traditional symbol of Makkadal is the mačuri, a sort of footman or pikeman. He was supposedly an equivalent of the Pinogunian asigaru, a footsoldier who uses a spear. He represents defence.

In spite of this, Makkadal does not use human waves. Since ancient times, Makkadalish armies tend to use volleys of arrows, and later, artillery barrages.

Makkadal's armed forces are known for their fortification of their northern front, defensive actions for its allies against Wannaenid attacks, and launching a counterattack against Wannaenid occupants with the Zvestarid Coalition's soldiers.

## Culture

See also: Makkadalish glossary

Makkadalish culture involves dancing, metalworking, and sculpting. Its people love dark blue colours with gold or yellow.

The island of Arienai has a tradition where people carve the roundest pumpkins and watermelons into lanterns with the faces of cats. This is to usher the start of merchant fairs and festivals, such as summer, the birthday of Makkadal's king, and the New Year.

In ancient times, the mačrondri is a sort of judge who also works as an astrologer or a physician. Like the tanilunau of the north, they mostly consisted of people who were neither male or female.

Some Makkadalish traditions have spread northwards to Bujan, carried by independence fighters and liberation forces. Among them were curry rice seafood dishes, porcelain and marble crafts, goldworking, ceremonial dances to mark the end of winter, and the usage of pumpkin lanterns on New Year's Eve.

## Religion

The national god of Makkadal is Dzhorinun, a wind god of travel. He is also syncretised by the local Slavs with Stribog, another wind god.

## Foreign relations

Sevraeja has a neighbourhood around its embassy in Ajuvriti. Architects and artists from Sevraeja were hired to design the shrines and temples to Stribog, as the country's veneration of Sevraeja's wind god made these distant Slavs glad.

Further west of Irajon are the island nations of Waiposho and Pinoguni, who also influenced Makkadalish culture. Makkadal was well-known for being a haven of the *namiri*, or *rounin*, knights who were disgraced, pirates, or who lost their masters. The *namiri* knights also introduced certain metalworking and engineering methods to the craftsmen of Makkadal. Some of them founded clans that specialised in architecture.

## See also

* History of Bujan
* Provinces of Bujan
* Wonao glossary