Dialong

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**Dialong** (Halēnawega: ꦢꦶꦄꦭꦺꦴꦁ) are a type of heavy cheirosiphon utilized by the Empire of the Mejakepai and its historical predecessors on the island of Kada. They were used for a wide spectrum of purposes, but currently only serve a defensive one. They notably use the Javepaktan venom as their ammunition.

## Etymology & Terminology

The word *Dialong* is a compound of the Kunuvan noun *dia*, meaning heaven, and the Nevurusarese noun *long*, meaning fire.

### Şungdialong

During the Unification Wars of Kada, the Nevurusarese adjective *şung*, meaning 'high', was used to emphasize the size of some of the guns that the Queendom of Nevurusari was casting for its sieges of cities like Şajānangeva.

A *şungdialong* nowadays is any dialong that exceeds 5 cubits in length and 2 cubits in height.

### Dawadialong

A *dawadialong* is a single dialong mounted on a ship, usually a smaller one called a *dawa*. They were used to ram into enemy vessels and open fire at point blank, which would melt most hulls in seconds. Larger dawadialong exist, for other ship types, but the guns themselves retain the same name.

## History

### Kadan Dark Ages

The first guns known to the Javepakata were small handheld cannons imported into Kada by the Koravi, who previously stole the technology from the Kunuvan civilization that they conquered.

These early guns utilized gunpowder to fire brass rounds. The Koravi used these cannons to break any fortifications in their way. The firepower helped them conquer much of the southwestern coastline of Kada.

### Takan Dialong

In the Kingdom of Taka, the Koravi were allowed to integrate into Javepakata society. This enabled a transfer of technology that would include the handheld cannons utilized by the Koravi.

At first, the cannons proved effective, helping Taka conquer its nearby rivals. With time, though, they began showing their unsustainability. Gunpowder was rare in Kada, only found inside creepers, which mostly roamed underground and in the wilderness. Harvesting small amounts of gunpowder from deadly creepers was an unreliable method of supplying Taka's war machine, so the kingdom's engineers began devising a more reliable weapon.

Upon ignition, Javepakatan venom violently expands, creating a substance that easily sticks to surfaces, and stays engulfed in flames for a long period of time. Venom-based guns quickly replaced their gunpowder-based counterparts as the primary type of cannon used by the Kingdom of Taka and all other major powers on Kada.

### Kadan Unification Wars

During the Kadan Unification Wars, an arms race between the Queendom of Nevurusari and the Kingdom of Taka created exceedingly larger variants of dialong. In time, the handheld variant was completely scrapped in favor of larger, bulkier dialong that could transport more firepower across a longer distance.

Nevurusari created the first dawadialong, which they used to defeat the fleets of the other Kadan monarchies. During their final conquest of Taka, they created the first şungdialong to break the walls of the kingdom's capital.

## Modern Use

After the demilitarization of the newly founded Mejakepai state, much of Kada's dialong were moved to a purely defensive role inside cities and fortifications. The only remaining şungdialong of the unification wars is located outside Şajānangeva as a historical artifact.