Post by Admin Pete on Jul 5, 2019 16:59:54 GMT -5
Bhutan
Government: Rajate (kingdom)
Pantheon: Chinese* <Tibetan> <Buddhist>
Ruler: Chukta Wangsingh
Capital: Thimphu (Pop.: 20k)
Other Cities (and pop.):
Gangtok: 15k
Loc.: Azir
Language: Tibetan dialect
Pop.: 1,500,000
Flag/Emblem:
Flag: Black dragon stag on
a bicolored field parted
diagonally yellow and red.
Coinage: None (employ Tibetan)
Important Persons: Dharm Raja, Governor of the East, Governor of
the West, Prince of Sikkim, priests, nobles, military officers, etc.
Alliances: Tibet
Hostilities: Assam, Bhutan, Nepal
Open Warfare/Skirmishing: Continual on southern border with
local Bhutani lords.
Intrigues: Agents of Nepal and disloyal officials alienating the Prince
of Sikkim from Bhutan and subverting him to Nepalese.
Magickal Devices: The king is said to possess the redoubtable White
Leopard Armor ad the dreaded Bell of Blood of Demon-Fiends. It is
supposed that there are some number of lesser objects maintained
in the arsenal too, of course.
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Thumbnail Sketches: Bhutan is a very mountainous country with
marked contrasts in climate due to changing elevation. Lower valleys
are populated, slopes terraced, and connected by narrow, winding
roadways. Many other parts of the realm are quite wild and inaccessible,
and, in fact, communication between the eastern and western
portions of the state would be nearly impossible at times save through
means of Heka. Game of many sorts roams the land, and the forests
are still primeval in isolated highlands. During the rainy season, great
storms of wind, thunder and terrific strokes of lightning are wont to
roar through this land's seemingly safe valleys.
The Bhutai are thought to have been a proto-Hindic people taken by
Tibetan raiders and subjugated as part of their ancient empire.
Today they consist of three separate and distinct types, the Bhutai
proper, the Chimgmis of the eastern portion of the state, and the
recently affiliated Sikkimese. Slavery is practiced, but there is only a
small number of such a class in the population. Most of the folk are
free peasants, with a largish middle class of officials and land owners,
topped by the noble-ecclesiastical aristocracy. The people are more
Mongolian than Hindic in appearance, sturdy, nice looking, and not
unfriendly. However, the society is definitely one in which the stronger
are expected to take from the weaker, literally--taxes, bribes,
graft, and plundering, often by raiding and banditry, being common
and accepted. While the official faith is that of the Chinsungese
Pantheon (due to the state of affairs in Tibet), the common people still
follow their demon-propitiating (Mongolian Pantheon-like) ways. It is
worthwhile to note that the national sport of Bhutan is archery, and
although the usual bow is a moderately sized self-one, some individuals
and groups use longer and better (composite) bows.
The houses of the Bhutai look remarkably similar to the Helvetian
chalets, being made of well-joined wood, double storied, balconied
on two sides, and with a pitched roof. It is remarkable that these
dwellings are built without any metal, the doors hinged with ingenious
hinges of wood. However, the people seem to lack the knowledge of
how to construct chimneys, so there is a definite problem when fire
is necessary to warm the dwelling.
The Deb Raja is the temporal head, once elected but now hereditary,
and the Dharm Raja is the chief priest of the nation--still elected
by ecclesiastical council. Together with the governors and the
Sikkimese prince, the spiritual leader of the land forms a sort of check
on the absolutism of the king, the Deb Raja. Some 7,000 or more
royal and noble troops are maintained in border castles and fortresses
maintained at strategic points in the country.
The typical peasant raises crops and animals. In the lower portions
of the kingdom this means such things as wheat, rice, mangoes,
plantains, oranges, etc. Buffaloes and some cattle and pigs are also
kept. Higher up, on carefully irrigated terraces, the crops are barley,
buckwheat, millet, mustard, chillies, turnips, potatoes, etc. Sheep
and goats, plus the customary swine herds, and small horses (ponies)
for draft work and riding are found in such places. The favored diet is
pork and turnips with rice or barley meal and brick tea. There is a
fermented beverage called chong enjoyed by the Bhutais, as well as
a strong, somewhat yeasty-flavored barley beer.
The thick forests of the Duar (in the southern border area) supply
timber, cinnamon, and some medicines and drugs. Cloth, leather,
paper, and wooden bowls are made by native handicraft. Fair steel
swords, iron weapon heads, and some pots and pans of copper are
made from iron and copper mined into the state. All of these products
are exported, mostly to Tibet. Small amounts of gold are mined or
panned from waterways, but such metal is retained within the kingdom.