Early Capricacia (My Imaginary Country)

Early Capricacia was extremely mountainous, with mountains dividing the country. In early times, hunter-gatherers assembled in bands to hunt the Capricacian yak, a valuable animal both for its hide and for the meat. They typically attacked the yak by surprise with bare hands, but as the hunter-gatherers advanced they began using tools made of flint. Hunting on the treacherous mountain paths, where the yak wandered, was very dangerous, so women would usually scout ahead to see whether trails were safe or not.

From wooden carvings made by early hunter-gatherers, we can assume that the death rate while hunting was fairly high. Many carvings show figures falling off mountains or being trampled by yaks. As time went on, the yak population decreased. There are multiple theories to explain this; the most likely are that interbreeding caused a strain of yak virus, or the population decreased because of overhunting. Some historians believe both.

Capricacian jackals, fierce predators of the yak, began pursuing the yak over the mountains. Some hunter-gatherers followed the yak and continued a nomadic trek across the borders of Capricacia, but the majority stayed in the foothills and stayed in crude huts of some sort. When these residences were destroyed, most likely from a wildfire, the Capricacians built more permanent residences from rock and mud.

Over time, descendants of the hunter-gatherers who had followed the yak returned. They attacked the “civilized” Capricacians. Realizing the need for defenses, the Capricacians surrounded themselves with giant heaps of manure and sharpened wooden stakes to discourage the enemy from entering. Their war was soon won, and the Capricacians turned to agriculture and livestock.

The Capricacian yak, which had mated with the Ankarran goat, returned over the mountains. The Capricacians began domesticating the yaks, and soon after designed the first chariots. The Capricacians used the yak for milk, meat, and clothing. The tail was used in necklaces and bracelets. Its bones were used for needles.

The Capricacians began making decorative ceramics using mud. One vase, preserved extraordinarily well, is covered in decorative flourishes. The Capricacians also began rudimentary mining, digging shallow holes and finding diamonds, topaz, and gold. They used these resources in jewelry.