Yerst

Yerst is a state in the midsouthern-midwestern region of the United States of America. It is bordered by Discland in the north; Loste, Greyter, and Baesy in the east; New Tates in the south; And Leshed and Cloame in the west. This state has a total land area of 113,569 sq mi and a population of 397,659 in 2019. The state is largely flat and arid in the north with increasing aridity in the western portions of the state. The southern portion of the state is hilly with increasing elevation until reaching the Relledonia Mountain Range. Yerst is the only U.S. state with more than one town called "Middletown," of which the state boasts at least 28 separate towns all named "Middletown." The state is notable for its disappearing rivers, it's large number of ghost towns, and being one of 13 states affected by the mid-mid-mid-north-American time shift zone. The state is home to the world's tallest free-standing jungle gym, which is located in Middletown. The state capital is Middletown.

Since the mid 19th century, the state has experienced a large population shift away from the north to the more temperate southern half of the state.

The US Department of Backstate Travel ranks Yerst as "mildly dangerous" in comparison with other states in the region. The harsh desert landscape of the north has claimed the lives of numerous stranded travelers. The numerous identical towns have also been reported to confuse travelers. In addition, there are many reports of hazardous entities such as Dancing Jeremiah, the Lady of Interstate 56, the Boar of Lumpen County, and the Redback Sand Snake of Middletown. The USDBT recommends avoiding travel through the state at the end of each month, especially April, due to the mid-mid-mid-north-American time shift effect.

## Geography and Climate

Yerst can be roughly divided into northern and southern zones. The north is predominantly flat with arid and semi-arid desert. The northern half of the state sits atop a porous limestone bedrock. This has led to the formation of thousands of sinkholes across the landscape. The Yerst Desert ends abruptly at the Cloame Border Environmental Shift Zone, a unique ecological phenomenon where the climate, geology, and topography shift suddenly at the border of Cloame.

The topography changes as one moves south, rising into the foothills of the Relledonia Mountain range. This region experiences slightly more rainfall, allowing for the growth of dense cedar woodland in the far south. The three major rivers of Yerst originate in the low mountains of Relledonia, traveling north before falling into the Silver Edge, Bullfrog, and Gordon sinkholes. Due to the three largest rivers disappearing into these three large sinkholes, northern Yerst receives no water from these river systems. The rivers continue flowing underneath the Yerst Desert, eventually re-emerging abruptly at the Cloame border.

These huge sinkholes are among the largest sinkholes in the world. Every second, hundreds of thousands of cubic feet of water flows down the three major waterfalls into the sinkholes, falling up to 150 feet into the black depths of the limestone cave system below.

The mountains of Relledonia are rich in mineral wealth, including gold. Extraction of gold ore is a major enterprise in the state and has been since the region was settled in the 19th century.

## Culture and Demographics

The predominant language of Yerst is English, which is spoken as first language by 88% of the population. According to the 2010 Census, the state is majority White, experiencing little Latino immigration due to both the difficulty of crossing the Relledonia Mountain range as well as its reputation for xenophobia. The ethnic makeup of the state is 40.1% English, 21.7% German, 20.2% Polish, 10.1% Hispanic, 7.4% Native American, and 0.5% Other.

Yerst is famous for its extraordinarily large number of towns and cities called "Middletown." There are at least 28 such towns. Most of them are located along the I-56 highway in the Yerst Desert. However, several Middletowns are located in the higher elevations of the south. These towns, as well as the states "non-Middletowns" have almost identical layouts. This has been known to confuse travelers. The reason for the large number of Middletowns is a subject of some debate among Backstate historians, as the early records of the settlement of the territory were lost when the original capital of the state, Middletown, was swallowed by a large sinkhole (Blue-Rocks Pit). The most popular theory is that the settlement names are a coincidence of geography. The difficulty of travel during the early settlement of the state prevented journeys between towns. Thus, a large portion of towns simultaneously were named "Middletown." This explains why the majority of Middletowns are located in the north, where travel in the 19th century was more difficult than the less hazardous south.

Another, controversial theory holds that the large number of Middletowns is evidence that Yerst is the center of an interdimensional merge vector, where different timelines merge into a single timeline confined to a physical space. This theory postulates that at least 28 different timelines in Yerst have merged, bringing together Middletowns from each one. Proponents of this theory point to the mid-mid-mid-north-American time shift zone as an effect of this event. However, critics of this theory point out that there is little evidence that the MMMNATSZ existed before the mid-19th century while records indicate that all Yerst Middletowns pre-date this event.

Yerst is the birthplace to many inventors and artists such as Bart Klanshers, inventor of the electric rake; And famed artist Rupurt Ulaypseis.

The Middletown park playground has the tallest free standing jungle gym in the world. However, despite the high rate of injuries sustained in the small city due to the structure, an even taller structure is planned to be built in the capital, Middletown.

The state's official sport is tire-surfing and they currently hold the record for winning the most inter-state tire-surfing championships. The state tire-surfing team are the Middletown Sandstormers.

## History

Before the arrival of Europeans, Yerst was home to several Native American tribes. However, they never did anything.

European settlers first arrived during the Spanish Expedition of 1595 under the leadership of Francisco Leyva. After crossing the Relledonia mountains, he set up several trading outposts such as Los Centralis. However, by the 18th century, the region was forgotten by the Spanish and then Mexican government. During this time, English settlers entered the region from Texas. During the Mexican-American War (1846 - 1848), the territory quietly joined the United States without incident. It was during this time that the original capital, Middletown, is thought to have been founded at the junction between the Yerst desert and the uplands.

In 1849, gold was discovered in the Relledonia mountains, leading to a population boom. It was in this environment in 1871 that the rogue priest "Ezrah the Holy" amassed a nomadic horde of religious devotees in the desert and carved out a bloody desert kingdom stretching across northern Yerst and Loste. The Holy Order of New Jerusalem, which was based in the small outpost of Middletown, sought to atone for mankind's sins by kidnapping travelers and settlers and torturing them. Victims were taken underground to fortified sinkhole-caves where they were subjected to unimaginable tortures to cleanse their earthy bodies of sin. The band grew to be one of the most fearsome gangs in the region as they were known to be utterly unflinching in the face of pain or death.

The cult was eventually destroyed after an extensive campaign by US rangers to root out the religious cult and restore trade with the gold rich territory. This campaign culminated in the Siege of the Depths (1874), a 4 month long campaign in the Hellwater cave system after the band retreated into the extensive sinkhole network.

The territory officially became a state in 1888. However, tragedy befell the new state in 1889 after a large sinkhole opened up underneath the capital Middletown. This disaster destroyed the entire city and killed approximately 5,000 people.

A new capital was established 60 miles south in the city of Middletown, located along the Korragona river. This city remains a prosperous capital to this day.

The state began a major demographic shift in 1967 after the Mid-Mid-Mid-North-American Time Shift Event, an unexplained natural phenomenon which adds 6 days to the end of each month except for April, which loses 4 days. Following this event, much of the population of the affected area migrated south into the unaffected southern half of the state. This has left numerous ghost towns in the north.

## Potential Hazards

### Yerst Desert

The US Department of Backstate Travel advizes all travelers to avoid traveling in the MMMNA Time Shift Zone during the ends of each month, especially April.

The state's northern deserts are considered by the USDBT to be extremely hazardous and off-road travel is strongly discouraged. Numerous people have become disorientated in the dust-storms of the state and been killed after falling into sinkholes. In addition, the nearly identical towns along I-56 have been reported to confuse travelers.

According to many travelers along I-56, screaming can be heard in ghost towns and in the vicinity of sinkholes. The cause of this phenomenon is unknown. However, it has been observed that mutilated bodies occasionally are discovered in Cloame, downstream from the re-emergence of the underground rivers of Yerst.

The I-56 highway is also believed by some to be haunted by a cryptid known as the Lady of I-56. There are also rumors of an entity known as "Dancing Jeremiah."

### Southern Yerst

The more inhabited regions of the south are deemed to be safer for travelers. However, the USDBT warns travelers to be on guard for several possible hazards.

The many abandoned mineshafts of southern Yerst are considered hazards to be avoided. Residents and travelers of Yerst have reported instances of a bearded man in a straw hat who invites lost travelers into his cottage in the woods. He then will ask his guest to fetch an object across the room. If the victim walks over to fetch it, they will fall through the mineshaft to their deaths. Survivors have explained that if you do not fetch the object, both the cottage and the man fade away, revealing that the house is an illusion.

Lumpen County is reportedly home to a giant wild boar known to attack isolated travelers or even entire towns since at least 2002. This creature has twice caused serious damage to inter-state travel after traveling up US Route-10.5, knocking over cars and goring the helpless passengers. The first attack occurred in 2007 and claimed the lives of 16 people. The most recent attack occurred in 2011 and claimed the lives of 7. The Yerst National Guard responded to the second attack and drove off the beast. However, attacks continue in the cedar forests in Relledonia.

There are reports of a species of salamander known as "Cutter Salamanders" which are observed to castrate males urinating in the local rivers. It is unknown what drives this behavior.