Darran Valley

The Darran Valley (Caeric: Cwm Darran) is a mountain valley in the Eastern Highlands, in the Kiravian state of Etivéra. The economic mainstay of the valley is, and a plurality of its population are descended from Caerish and Fanerian immigrants (the latter mainly Cascufhainn) who came to the valley during the mid-19th century AD to work in the mines.

During the 20th century AD, the valley became a hotbed of support for Kirosocialism, driven mostly by the interests of the strongly unionised coal workforce. Rŵlon Jones, a union leader who would later rise to the position of Secretary-General of the Socialist Party, was born in the valley, in the town of Trewern.

During the 21184 schism within the Socialist Party over rapprochement with the Kiravian Remnant, the miners' unions recognised the Ilminsar Soviet as the rightful supreme soviet of the Kiravian Union denounced the Kartika Soviet as revisionist, and declared an autonomous "Darran People's Republic" in the valley backed by the force of its own locally-organised militia. The DPR militia succeeded in repelling an incursion by the KU People's Armed Police to restore the Kartika Soviet's authority in the valley - a victory which is still proudly commemorated by valley-dwellers today - and engaged in numerous skirmishes with anti-communist "Publican" militia based in nearby mountain villages. Despite the defeat of the Ilhansar Soviet by pro-Reunification forces and the advent of the Restoration on the Mainland, the Darran People's Republic refused to bend. Subduing the obscure valley was not a particularly high priority for the restored Federalist government, and the DPR continued to govern the valley until 21187, when the Etivéra State Police shut down the rail lines leading out of the valley, preventing the transport of its coal to market and forcing the self-declared republic to capitulate.