Nation of Echain

Echain was founded by European colonists, most notably Portuguese, back during the heyday of the Age of Colonialism, but due to a general lack of valuable resources or strategic position the colony was quickly abandoned and established its own sense of cultural, political, and economic identity.

The nation was run by a Monastic Dynasty with a weak military presence but very tight reigns on the economic middle-class which supported them, and in turn were allowed near dictatorial control over each Province.  The nation of Echain was in a slow spiral of decay as the line of kings became more and more loosely defined, with large infighting over succession and who exactly controlled what.  These spats and skirmishes were supported by a large working class which managed the relatively lush bounty of the islands, though there were often years or decades in between skirmishes given the very real threat of running out of soldiers to fight with.

In the older days the nation was loosely divided into Provinces, each corresponding to the largest point of local political and economic control, represented by a city of the same name.  To this day there are some minor ethnic and cultural divides along these Provincial lines.  These include:

**Plainsdale:** A large area in the western end of the main island, with a huge swath of lush farmland to cultivate.  Traditionally Plainsdale has provided the majority of the produce and husbandry for the rest of the nation.  Bordered on the north by a forest with rich game, and further to the north by a small mountain chain preventing the establishment of a proper harbor.

**Southport:** One of the first cities established by settlers and colonists, it quickly took advantage of its position along smooth trade winds to setup a (for the time) large network of trade relations with the remainder of the Oceanic area.  Consists almost entirely of the coastal regions, with Plainsdale closely bordering to the north.

**Waltens:** A vast green plain of rolling hills.  Not as suited to farming as Plainsdale, but still a very lush and green area overall.  While not a place of massive significance, population wise Waltens contains more Echaini than any other Province, as the serene greenery is well sought-after.  Primarily makes most of its income through tourism and real estate.

**Eastport:** Established in a direct reaction to Southport, with a long and thin band of territory that stretches up through the landbridge's forests, and south to the southern-most coast.  Eastport in more recent years started extensive trade relations with Australia, helping to establish itself in relation to Southport.

**Lurem:** A relatively unremarkable Province, often considered the 'poor' Province where Echaini who do not have the money or influence to live elsewhere end up.  The land itself is not particularly wealthy in any given resource, and large-scale farms are infeasible.

**Aberisk:** At one point this was considered the literary capital of Echain, where the National Echaini Library resided before the Japanese burned it and everything within to the ground.  A rough area to live in, with large swaths of woodlands covering most of the region.

**Versberg:** Traditionally very separate from the remainder of the Echaini people, having developed in relative isolation compared to the rest.  Sufficient resources exist on the Versberg island to support them within reason, though only if carefully managed.  When the Japanese invaded they discovered this area was rich in rubber, leading to the area being almost totally occupied by their forces for the duration.

**Northport:** The most recent Province, and the smallest, Northport exists on a stretch of land dominated by mountains and forests.  Both provide mineral resources, more so than most of the rest of the island, as well as valuable oak, ceder, pine, and other trees of value.  There remains to this day an airstrip at Northport, established by the Japanese.

C**ity Central:** Not a true province in the strictest sense of the word, in the older days this is the region where the Monarchy held court, and where their various castles rose and fell during days of feuding and wars of succession.  Home to most of the bureaucracy of the monarchs, the Occupation forces, and the Provisional Government.

In 1937 the Japanese came in and easily conquered the local Echaini during their expansion into the Pacific, hungry for resources.  This occupation destroyed a large amount of Echaini history and culture, and turned the island into yet another source of rubber for their forces.  The last King, King Elthin, was butchered along with his immediate family in a deliberate attempt to destroy the bloodline, though if this succeeded completely is not 100% certain.  What followed was 8 years of brutal occupation, with the majority of the Japanese forces being settled on Central and Versberg. Those in Versberg were primarily members of the military, overseeing rubber production. Those in Central were primarily civilians facilitating the military government, and were taken alive or surrendered (or weren't involved in the fighting at all) when the revolution started its major push into the capital in June of 1945. On August 29th, 1945, the dictator Yokoi Keiji was dead, and the remainder Japanese forces formally signaled for total surrender.