Riverland

Riverland is a large region located in southern California, as well as some parts of Mexico and Arizona. It was the last state to agree to the California Unification Treaty, and therefore was the 4th state of the Angels Republic from 1981 to 2109.

## History

As a rural area, Riverland was not hit as hard by the Great War, and thousands of people moved to the area. Seven families became figureheads of their respective communities: the Copelands, Days, Wrights, Bells, Bennetts, Aguilars, Lopezes, and the Smiths (later taken over by the Calverts). They founded the seven governing houses in 1973 and the Riverland Council in 1974. The Calverts were kicked out of the Council in 1977, as the Inyokern Republic founded two years prior had elected Peter Calvert to be their president. Calvert wanted the other Houses to assist him in his war against Tilden, but believing it to be a selfish attempt to gain power for the Republic, King Aguilar and the Council decided to part ways with Calvert. While less than cordial, Inyokern and Riverland separated peacefully. However, a deep rivalry would run between the Calverts and Aguilars,

The first king was Robert Aguilar, who agreed to work with James Hathaway to incorporate Riverland as a state of the Angels Republic, to the opposition of the Houses Copeland, Day, and Bell. In 1984, King Robert died and the Council selected Francis Day as the next king.

King Francis supported the Republic until the election of Michael Calvert, who he believed was too weak. He declared in the year 1993 that the State of Riverland would withdraw from the California Unification Treaty and secede from the Union, the first example of a state attempting to do so. As a result, Calvert had King Francis arrested, and personally confronted Francis. Francis was soon charged with treason, and Calvert worked with a member of House Day named John Craig to replace House Day with a new House Craig. Calvert traveled to Riverland with a federal police squad, had Francis killed, and finalized the transition of House Day to House Craig. Before Francis died, he prophesied that his family would return, and become the most powerful family in all of California. John Craig was chosen as the next king of Riverland.

King John loyally cooperated with the Angels Republic until his death in 2018, when he was replaced by Samuel Aguilar, Michael Calvert's son-in-law. King Samuel died in 2042, and was replaced by Noah Copeland. When Adrian Calvert became president in 2045, the position of king was abolished; the Houses cowered to Calvert and simply became advising bodies to the president's micromanagement of the state. Houses Lopez and Aguilar were rounded up as political dissidents and placed in internment camps, where most members died, resulting in the disbandment of the Houses. In 2050, Calvert declared war on the Causer Empire. The Empire invaded Riverland and Mojave, and Calvert neglected Riverland to save the state of Mojave. In 2052, the grandson of Francis Day, Joseph Day, emerged and became a strong military leader of the state, repelling the Causer invasion from Riverland. After repelling this invasion, he abolished House Craig and restored House Day. Joseph also became a conspirator involved in the 2054 coup that removed Adrian Calvert from the presidency. After this coup, the Houses of Riverland praised Joseph and made him king of Riverland. This was short-lived however, because Joseph became a national hero and was elected to the presidency in 2056 when Thomas Jefferson Eldridge was assassinated. He used his position to help restore the country to the days before Adrian Calvert. He did not run for a second term, and retired from politics.

In 2056, Joseph's brother Liam was chosen as Joseph's successor.

## Government

As a state in the Angels Republic, the Riverland government was a very unique one. Riverland is comprised of seven counties, named for their corresponding governing house.

* County Copeland
* County Wright
* County Bell
* County Bennett
* County Aguilar (disbanded in 2045)
* County Lopez (disbanded in 2045)
* County Day (County Craig from 1993 to 2052)

Every 6 years, the counties elect three members of their house to represent the county in the Riverland Council. The Riverland Council selects a King to serve the rest of their life (or until retirement) as the diplomatic and militaristic figurehead of Riverland (Head of State). The Council also serves as the general legislature of the state, writing and passing their laws. The people also elect a governor every 4 years, who serves as an executive of the Council's law (Head of Government).