Ezo Republic
The Ezo Republic is an island nation situated in the North Mauridian, near the Arctic Circle. It is the most northerly member state of the Intercontinental Alliance and of the Yamato Commonwealth.
Population - 9.5 million
Capital - Kazehana
History
Throughout the mid 20th century, a contentious and mercurial series of governments gradually and unsteadily navigated the small country away from resource extraction to more modern knowledge and service-based economy. The formation of the Intercontinental Alliance spurred a brief period of investment during the 80's which matured this transformation and put Ezo's educational and technological base on a world class level. During the Great War, Ezo found itself most relevant in terms of isolation and geographical placement, hosting foreign ships, aircraft, signals intelligence, and a variety of other assets. Union efforts to disrupt these operations soon scaled up to complete naval interdiction and considerable strategic bombing, with devastating consequences. By the war's climax, bombing and blockade had completely destroyed the economy, directly or indirectly caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and brought about hardship unknown to living memory. Developments along other fronts of the war had also rendered the state strategically irrelevant - the sole virtue that averted what would have been an easy Union invasion. It was thus with very little to lose that Ezo pitched the last of its resources and the bulk of its intellectual capital into the Juno Project.
For a country of such limited means (at that point in the war, almost no means at all), Ezo produced a remarkable level of contribution to research efforts. Ezo was the least and most recently developed of the allies and as a result, magic had not fallen to the wayside as much as it had in the other countries. In many cases, living sources and practitioners could still be found from the Ezo traditions where others had to resort to old texts and historic accounts. Many of the geomantic and procedural specifications of the Ritual of Empowerment draw from Shinto and Kagura. Subsequently, Ezo's research into the subject appears to have returned further to these roots. Following the success of Mary Koo, the Ezo Republic quickly established its own ritual sites and soon deployed its first Glory.
After winning the war, Ezo was faced with the colossal endeavor of rebuilding its shattered infrastructure whilst maintaining its post-war occupation obligations. Ezo inherited an almagation of several Union colonies on Estvan.
Geography
Ezo has short, mild summers; long, snowy and bitterly cold winters; and a short but vibrant spring. Its southern waters (and thus the port of Kazehana) are ice free year round.
Military
Military: C
Occupation Index: 3
Military Equipment
ERS Impossible Request
Originally a 46,000 ton Bell Zephyr-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of the Archduchy of Kanon which survived the war and was handed over to the Ezo Republic as a part of some incredibly complex negotiations over the Second Structured Reparations Plan. Rather than scrap or sell the ship as everyone expected however, Ezo elected to finish the vessel where it was and commissioned it. For a military the size of the ERDF, the rather (unfortunately) aptly named Impossible Request is a disproportionate financial and logistical burden, yet the force has faithfully funded the creation of a proper CVBG around the ship. Most analysts find the investment rather inconsistent with Ezo's defensive requirements and as such the project has drawn some suspicion.
Valkyria
Economy
GNP: D
Trade: B
Research
Research: A
Academic Links: C
Locations
Glories
Jewel Eye