The State of Chenbao (塵暴國) is an Earth Nation and one of the constituent polities of the Earth Kingdom. As reflected in its designation as a guo (國) rather than a province, Chenbao was formerly a sovereign state that paid tribute to the Earth King as its suzerain. Straddling the Northern and Western regions of the Earth Kingdom and isolated by formidable mountains, yet ideally positioned to conduct seagoing trade on both the Inner Seas and Northern Ocean, it remains culturally and ethnically distinct from the rest of the region and has a strong sense of national identity. Chenbao has remained relatively untouched from the invasion of the Fire Nation; there are rumors of collaboration between its de facto hereditary governorate and the Fire Nation.

Geography

Chenbao is fairly large, extending about 1000 km in the north-south direction. There is a significant diversity in climate. The north of the state has a similar subarctic climate to the rest of the northern coast of the Earth Kingdom. The southwestern coast enjoys something like a Mediterranean climate, though modestly more arid. The center of the country is dominated by semiarid plains, which give way to lightly forested hills and mountains in the East. The wettest part of the country is the North, out of the rain shadow of the mountainous Western Continent, in the Hill Country and the far North of the central plains. In the area between the Darkwater and Shang rivers is the "fertile triangle" of Chenbao, where most of its staple grains are grown. The north of the country is too cold for efficient rice cultivation and the south is too dry, so short-season sorghum is the main cereal crop. Buckwheat, millet and lentils are also grown, making Chenbao self-sufficient in food. Fishing is also significant, and Chenbao dominates the industry within the Straits of Chenbao. In the Northern Ocean, fishing boats from Chenbao are in competition with Shuizu and Water Tribe vessels.

The mountain regions of Chenbao are rich in minerals, as with the neighboring states. Chenbao is particularly rich in gold; the hardrock gold mines of Chenbao are owned by the state and largely fund both its own government and its remittances to the Central Government. (Private commercial placer gold mining is allowed, and other mineral mining is taxed, on the basis of the amount extracted, at a low rate.)

Chenbao has extensive coasts and decent natural harbors. The capital is on the Rabaroo river, which is navigable to the Western Sea. The straits of Chenbao separate Chenbao from the Ruoshi State to the West.

The capital and administrative center of the Southern Plains is Maoshi, it is also the second-largest city. The largest city is Weijing in the Hill Country, the capital of that district, located on a favorable bay. In the North, the fourth largest city and district capital is Bin'er. The Central Plains are administered from River City, in the fertile triangle, third-largest city of Chenbao. Chitong (赤銅市) is the capital of the Copper Mountains district, though it is not a very populous settlement.

Government

Chenbao is ruled by a de facto hereditary ruler, the governor, who is officially appointed by the central government in Ba Sing Se. However, for several generations, the governorate has been in the hands of the Liu family, descendants of an original appointed governor who managed to entrench his position so thoroughly that he was able to secure a succession by his son, nominally to ensure the stability of the state. That being said, the governor is not an absolute monarch, and is charged with enforcing Earth Kingdom law and collecting taxes to support the central government. The Liu administration has exercised discretion considerably in excess of that ordinarily permitted to governors in both of these areas, though substantial remittances of tax money continue to be sent to Ba Sing Se, mostly funded by Chenbao's rich gold mines, which are monopolized by the state.

Chenbao has five administrative subdivisions, called districts, created when Direct Governance was established after Qin's Rebellion. These are the North, Hill Country, Central Plains, Copper Mountains, and Southern Plains. Each has an administrator. The administrators are officials appointed by the Chenbao Board of Rites, which administers its own State Examinations in Maoshi biennially. These exams are not necessarily recognized outside of Chenbao, but the situation is unclear; applications to the Royal Examinations in Ba Sing Se have sometimes been accepted on the basis of exams passed in Chenbao.

In comparison to most of the Earth Kingdom except for Omashu, urban Chenbao actually has something of a proto-welfare-state. Schools, orphanages, temples and pubic housing are paid for by the state, and there is a "citizen's sorghum dole" dispensed from state granaries. Village schools are also state-funded. Controversially, the government has excluded the influx of refugees resulting from the Fire Nation's campaign to take Ba Sing Se under Crown Prince Iroh from pubic housing, and their children are not allowed to attend urban schools for free. (They are permitted to attend village schools for free; the government is thought to be trying to push the refugees into agricultural and mining jobs rather than doing anything to encourage them to stay in cities.)

History

The land comprising Chenbao was inhabited since time immemorial by a range of both settled and nomadic peoples. The term Northwestern Tuzhu (西北方土著) or Northwestern Aborigines is somewhat overinclusive, including both coastal groups and mountain-dwelling people with markedly different modes of life. Most of these groups were of Earth Nation stock, though some of the fishing villages on the Northern coast had obvious ethnolinguistic affinity with the Water Tribe. Excluded from classification as Northwestern Tuzhu are the Nogai people (諾蓋族), a nomadic group who mostly live in the semiarid central and southern plains of Chenbao.

During the late Di dynasty, around 2000 BG, Chenbao was colonized by "Zhongzu" (it would be more accurate to say that it was colonized by people who were the ancestors of both the modern Zhongzu and the population of Ba Sing Se.) According to the written histories they wrote, they set out without the official blessing of either the Di or Tu royal courts, under the leadership of Lord Mao Erzi, the second son of a certain Duke Mao. Lord Mao was drawn there by claims of abundant mineral resources and farmland, and pushed away from his family's fief by disputes with the rising Tu dynasty and encroachment from barbarians. The colonists, who became known as Yimen (遺民) for the support of the Di dynasty, were several thousand strong, including 800 men-at-arms and a hundred earthbenders. They passed through nomad lands by hiring Abka guards to escort them. After arriving in Chenbao, they founded their capital Maoshi (毛市) on the Rabaroo river. The land was purchased from local indigenous people, who were permitted to continue living there as well and shelter within the city walls in case of attack; however, relations with the indigenous people not benefiting from these considerations deteriorated within a few years. Mao Erzi and the indigenous chief Yanggu Amiao-Amiao died of sand-cuttlefish poisoning at a diplomatic meeting; a Nogai chef was ostensibly discovered as an assassin attempting to sabotage relations between the colonists and and aboriginal peoples. This event enabled moderate elements within both the Northwestern Tuzhu and Zhongzu colonists to promote cooperation against the unifying threat of the Nogai and build a common identity. Meanwhile, the collapse of the Di dynasty and the removal of the Mao family from their fief by the new Tu dynasty ended any support of the colonization from the Earth Kingdom, and the Duke's successor, claiming the Di royal family as collateral ancestors, proclaimed the Western Di dynasty. Eventually, these proto-Chenbaozu subdued the Nogai and made a treaty with them, promising to respect their customs and reserving certain territory to them, in exchange for peace and trade. Contact with the Earth Kingdom was sporadic for centuries, and Chenbao remained an independent state ruled by the Mao family as the Western Di.

A second wave of Zhongzu settlement happened during the Younger Gong dynasty, when the Throne encouraged settlement of the far West. Many of these settlers passed through Chenbao on their way to settle in the Far West, but some of them stayed. They mostly assimilated into the Chenbaozu population. Additionally, regular relations with the Earth Kingdom were reestablished, and Chenbao recognized the Earth Kingdom as its suzerain under the Ting. It was included in the tribute system, being entitled to send a tribute mission to Ba Sing Se every two years. Chenbao's tribute included, typically, precious metals and other mineral products including fine pigments, leather goods, and craftworks from the North Water Tribe received in trade. In return, Chenbao received silk products, ceramics, and literary cultural items. Chenbao was also a point of trade contact between the Ganjinese mercantile empire and the Northern Water Tribe; there was even contact with blue-water traders from the Fire Nation.

During the Hao dynasty, Chenbao was briefly ruled by a Nogai conquest dynasty, the Great Piao, but the the dynastic founder married into the Mao family, and after two generations, the king changed the name to the Di dynasty, omitting "Western" at this point. After the Earth Kingdom objected, he changed it again to 軞 Mao, referring to a type of martial chariot, and a pun on his family name.

Chenbao submitted to the Ri Dynasty peacefully during the dynastic transition from the Hao, perhaps unsurprisingly as they had enjoyed relatively pacific relations with the Yonggan since the Nara clan came to power; previously, under the Jala khaganate which the Nara replaced, Chenbao had to deal with frequent incursions in its mountain regions by belligerent Montane Yonggan. The kings of Chenbao accepted the dynastic transition to the Hao Ting peacefully, but relations cooled and Chenbao became more independent. Eventually, the central government started attempting to extract more wealth from Chenbao to finance its conflicts with rebel groups. When Qin the Great emerged and prevailed over the Hao Ting in the West, the King of Chenbao defected to Qin, and secured preferential treatment from the hegemon in exchange for providing supplies and transportation. The Royal Chenbao Army supported Qin's war in the North, and after Qin's death, Chenbao was loosely aligned with the Gansanjiao regime, but cut ties when the Ganjinese capital fell to the Hao Ting, even sending troops to attack their erstwhile Yonggan allies during the siege of the Gainan Palace City.

Despite his treachery against the Nara and attempts to assure the Hao Ting of his renewed loyalty to the dynasty, the king, Mao Ailun, was deposed and taken to Ba Sing Se in chains along with the royal family; he was later executed, though his family were spared and eventually allowed to live in the Upper Ring in exchange for renouncing their claims to rulership of Chenbao. A governor was appointed for Chenbao, and the era of direct rule by the central government began. Coinciding with the bracing reforms of Avatar Kyoshi and the Earth Sages, the administration of the state was modernized and corruption declined.

Unfortunately, as the Hao Ting renaissance (the prosperous period after the defeat of Qin the great) did not persist long after the death of Kyoshi, conditions declined again. After the outbreak of the Hundred Years War, the central government's control slipped, and the governorate of Chenbao became effectively hereditary; the current governor Liu Songling is nine years old, and the great-grandson of the first governor Liu. Notionally, the governor is still appointed by Ba Sing Se, but in practice, they do nothing but ratify the succession to ensure the continued remittance of taxes. The current governor, being a minor, even has a "regency," and is a king in all but name. Songling's regency even "reenacted" the old Mao dynasty enthronement ceremony for the boy on Chenbao History Day.

The Fire Nation has never invaded Chenbao, but commercial traffic of non-military Fire Nation ships is openly tolerated. This is, of course, illegal under Earth Kingdom law, but the local authorities seem to have no interest in enforcing the law against the interests of the local administration. The governor's regency has offered the excuse that it is under duress and the feeble state of the Earth Navy precludes enforcing the law. Fire Nationals move freely on the West Coast, unchallenged by the local government except for the arrest the occasional drunkenly belligerent Fire Nation sailor. It is widely believed, but unproven, that the governorate is secretly colluding with the Fire Nation in exchange for continued autonomy and not being invaded. That being said, the Chenbao Army has also been reconstituted and has been increasing in strength in recent years; it is not known what objectives the state government may have in mind for it - perhaps making sure the Fire Nation honors a secret treaty by offering a credible resistance. It has also been proposed that they fear Northern Warlords who may wish to draw much more heavily on the state's resources to prosecute the war.

Chenbao has seen an influx of refugees from the war, but to a lesser extent than Ba Sing Se or Beigang.

Anthropology

Northwestern Aborigines

The Northwestern Aborigines (西北方土著), unlike the Beituzhu to the East, have almost completely assimilated into the general Chenbaozu ethnicity; only a few isolate villages in the mountains carry on their mostly-traditional indigenous lifestyle. There were several tribal confederations of these people, who did not see themselves as a common group until the arrival of Zhongzu colonizers during the Di dynasty. At the time of colonization, the two largest confederations were in the midst of a prolonged, low-grade war with each other; this impaired their ability to resist colonization and made them more vulnerable to Nogai raids. Unfortunately, there is relatively little available in the way of primary sources for the Northwestern Aborigines, as they did not have a written language. Most of what is recorded about them comes from the writings of the colonists from the Central Earth Kingdom, who vary substantially in their objectivity and perspective on the indigenous people.

It is supposed that the Northwestern Aborigines had brown-colored hair, a distinctive trait seen in some people from Chenbao today, but it isn't definitely stated in the documentary sources and is based on uncertain archaeological evidence. Unassimilated aborigines in the mountains of Chenbao mostly have black hair, but as mentioned above, there were several distinct ethnic groups lumped together as "Northwestern Aborigines" and so this is not clearly relevant to the question.

Some compound surnames which are common in Chenbao, but rare elsewhere in the Earth Kingdom, are calques of aboriginal family names. Examples include 興韭 Xiangjiu, 養穀 Yanggu and 水扁 Shuipian.

Nogai

The Nogai or Nuogezu (諾蓋族) are a mostly-nomadic indigenous group. Unlike the Northwestern Aborigines, there are large numbers of Nogai still practicing their traditional lifestyle in the semiarid parts of Chenbao. They ride ostrich-horses, herding gemsbok-cattle and hunting game such as the rabaroo. Prior to the Earth Kingdom establishing suzerainty over both groups, the Nogai were the perpetual rivals of the Abka people to the East, and the bards of both sides still sing ballads of their legendary battles. The Nogai acknowledge allegiance to the State of Chenbao and the Earth Kingdom, but are largely self-governing and ruled under indigenous customary law, the governor of Chenbao is ex officio Paramount Chief of the Nogai and his government includes an officer called the Remembrancer of the Horse Peoples (騎馬民紀念官), whose responsibilities include advising the governor on Nogai matters.

Despite their long history of antagonism with the Abka, they are sometimes considered to be part of the Abka themselves by early Earth Kingdom sources. This is likely because the Earth Kingdom was nearer the Abka and initially accepted the position of the Abka khagan that the Nogai were his wayward subjects, calling them "Western Abka."

The Nogai have many skilled earthbenders and their own customary school of earthbending. While their techniques have contributed to the wider Chenbao school, they maintain a distinct tradition and do not generally teach it to outsiders. They are sometimes described as "dustbenders," and use whirling clouds of dust to confound ranged attacks and conceal their numbers and movement.

Although most Nogai know some of the Common language, usually the form spoken in Chenbao. They mostly use it for trade, preferring their own language for other purposes. It is part of the Abkic language family (forming one of the four major divisions, along with Abka, Yonggan, and the Yi indigenous languages.) It is most closely related to Abka. They have conventions for writing their language using Common characters, but since the Mao Dynasty, they more frequently use a variant of the Yonggan phonetic writing system.

Sometimes, the Nogai in Chenbao distinguish them as Beifang Nuogezu i.e. Northern Nogai in contrast with the similar Nogaic-language speaking nomadic herders of the eponymous Nogai State (諾蓋國) to the south of Chenbao, who are then either just "Nogai" or are called Southern Nogai.

Chenbaozu

Most inhabitants of Chenbao identify as Chenbaozu (塵暴族), the primary inhabitants of Chenbao. They derive from Zhongzu, Western Beituzhu, and Nogai ethnic stock. They have mostly green eyes and Fitzpatrick II skin color. Many Chenbao people have brown hair, which is thought locally to have come from the Western Beituzhu. (Archaeologists from Ba Sing Se University debate this view - the Western Beituzhu are depicted in ancient Yonggan art found in the Nara Ancestral Tombs with an ochre pigment for their hair in contrast to the Eastern Beituzhu and Yonggan whose hair is depicted with lampblack. However, it's uncertain if the ochre was originally mixed with some other, non-light-stable pigment - the art's current location in a grotto shrine was probably not its original location.)

The Chenbao language is similar to Common, but with some archaizing characteristics (preserving final consonants lost from Common during the early Tu dynasty, and having a simplified tonal structure). At the nadir of cultural contact, the spoken language was no longer mutually intelligible with Common, although the written language remained so. However, over time - and particularly since the imposition of direct rule in the Era of Kyoshi - the language has drifted back into marginal mutual intelligibility, and Common is the language of administration. (Dialects of dubious intelligibility to Common speakers are still spoken in some rural areas.) It also has a number of loanwords (particularly place names）from the Nogai and other indigenous languages.

Languages

The Chenbao language is similar to Common, but with some archaicising characteristics (preserving final consonants lost from Common during the early Tu dynasty, and having a simplified tonal structure). At the nadir of cultural contact, the spoken language was no longer mutually intelligible with Common, although the written language remained so. However, over time - and particularly since the imposition of direct rule in the Era of Kyoshi - the language has drifted back into marginal mutual intelligibility, and Common is the language of administration. (Dialects of dubious intelligibility to Common speakers are still spoken in some rural areas.) It also has a number of loanwords (particularly place names）from the Nogai language.

Economy

Chenbao is a populous state with significant natural resources. The state has a monopoly on hard-rock gold mining, and taxes other extractive industries lightly. There is no income tax, land tax, or capitation at the state level; villages and urban prefectures may extract small land taxes but in general the tax burden in Chenbao is unusually light, because the state supports itself through its gold mines.

Chenbao is rich in bituminous coal, though exploitation is limited to open pit mining at this time. It is used as a general heating and cooking fuel source as well as for smelting.