Sakhalin
| United Sakhalin Republics | |||||||||
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| Politics and Religion | |||||||||
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| Population and Economy | |||||||||
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General Information
History
Sakhalin is a tightly-knight confederation of republics seated on the north shore of Central Kefka, a union of the various mining communities in the Karkov mountain range and the various city-states of the once-prosperous Rostov Heartland.
An adamantly neutral power at arm's length of the Crystal Compact, the nation was backed into a bitter defensive war against all three nations of the Compact while it held onto its single Black Crystalis vehemently. Aspect Warriors and crystal-based warheads devastated much of the Sakhalin countryside, setting fields of material alight and destroying entire cities in the ensuing explosions. Nearly half of the country's landmass is eternally frozen flatlands of charred forests and glass plains, and much of it is still poisoned by the detonation of crystalis, which has bathed the land in an endless sea of corrosive poison.
Although it accepted the UPL's military aid during the war, the USR is not allied to any particular polity in the postwar era. It is considered a premier member of the Sovereign State Compact, although only in that it is one of the more militant and powerful of the independent states.
More recently, it is somewhat renowned for its attempts at reclaiming Mist Creep regions, beginning with the cutting edge arcology city Neo Rostov, which stands at the very center of the ruined provinces. A multi-national venture funded by foreign and local investors and heavily supported by the USR government, the newly built city at the center of the once-prosperous Oblast Rostov is a center of academia and magitech research, as well as the site of Sakhalin's powerful Black Crystalis, which powers the city.
Races
The harsh climate and strong presence of Materia in the region led to some variations, although most of the denizens (except for the Moogles) are functionally human and genetically compatible with them.
Volkovuho
The most common race in the region (moreso than pure humans), the Volkovuho are believed to be descendants of the very first settlers in the region thousands of years ago. Through their exposure to the harsh climate and the native materia, they took on the characteristics of wolves.
Tall, dark-haired and blue-eyed, the Volkovuho have long canines, wolf-like ears, tails and furred paws with opposing thumbs instead of hands and feet. Although referred to as werewolves by the ignorant, they otherwise appear entirely human and do not manifest any more bestial traits (although some will joke about the males propensity to grow thick manes of chest hair).
Well adapted to the cold, Volkovuho are not often seen outside of Central Kefka due to their dislike of the tropics.
Akulakhan
Of the same line as the Volkovuho, the Akulakhan are nomads famous for their Chocobo riding and usage of ice skimships on the ice fields. Subsistence hunters and fishermen, the Alukakhan are recognizable by their blue-green skin, kelp-like hair and shark-like teeth, which has lead to the sobriquet of 'sharkmen' by the outside world. Some of them demonstrate water breathing, although it is unsure if this is by the usage of magic or some in-born mutation due to their reclusive and private nature.
While most races left the wastes after the destruction of the southern provinces, the Akulakhan continued their lifestyles. Hunting deer became hunting monsters and ghosts, and fishing became spelunking and scavenging, but very little about the people changed.
Some are seen in the seaport districts of the world as mercenaries, pirates and sea traders, and many have taken well to airship trading. Because of this, many Akulakhan are seen as shifty and thuggish, although this is merely a stereotype associated with the more adventurous members of their society.
Moogles
Moogles settled in the Rostov Heartland around the same time as the second wave of human migrants approximately a millennium ago, and have been well-integrated into Sakhalin society since then. With the destruction of the homeland, many were forced to move to Vilnov, where they assisted with the postwar reconstruction.
Regions
Total Production: 4725 + 2680 Wealth, 900 + 270 Materia
Total Upkeep: 335 Wealth, 1 Population
Total Population: 67
Total Support: 65 (75)
Oblast Zelenbourg (195)
- Biome: Mountain (5): Major River (5), Terraced Mountains (10)
- Settlement: Metropolis (50)
- Sites: Science Station (10), Mineral Extraction Facility x3 (30), Maglev Hub (10)
- Military: Military Base (25), Military Airport (15), Siege Defenses (35)
- Upkeep: 45 Wealth, 1 Population
- Production: 1375 Wealth
- Support: 15
- Population: 10
Oblast Zelenbourg is the heavily protected capital district of Sakhalin, comprised of a series of mining villages, manufactures, and small suburbs near the mountainous fortress-city of Zelenbourg. Most of the nation's ground forces are trained here, and its is widely believed to be one of the most innassailable places in the world.
It is connected to the surrounding regions by Maglev, riverboats and air transit and despite a somewhat remote location, is extremely well-connected to the outside world.
Oblast Karkov (165)
- Biome: Mountain (5): Coastal (5), Terraced Mountains (10)
- Settlement: Metropolis (50)
- Sites: Mineral Extraction Facility x2 (20), Maglev Hub (10)
- Military: Military Airport (15), Military Naval Port (15), Siege Defenses (35)
- Upkeep: 45 Wealth
- Production: 1050 Wealth
- Support: 20
- Population: 10
Oblast Karkov is a district located deep in the core of the Karkov Mountains, and the site of an important naval and airport. Although somewhat less prosperous than the capital, Karkov is an important strategic site as it controls a commanding view over the nearby coast and acts as a bulwark for both the Vilnov and Zelenbourg district from sea-based invasions.
Oblast Vilnov (225)
- Biome: Developed Countryside (10): Coastal (5), Major River (5), Mooglehome (5)
- Settlement: Mega-Metropolis (150)
- Sites: Hydroponic Tower (10), Maglev Hub (10), Habitation (5)
- Military: Military Naval Port (15), Fortifications (10)
- Upkeep: 185 Wealth
- Production: 1550 Wealth
- Support: 30
- Population: 35
Vilnov is the USR's most important city and a significant metropolis in Central Kefka. Once minor trade port, it saw a massive influx of refugees from the other provinces after the devastation of the Grande War and grew to a massive metropolis in the span of a few decades. Because all of the construction was done after the discovery of magitech, the city has an extremely modern look that meshes art-nouveau sensibilities with the glittering lights and flowing leylines of magitech infrastructure.
The Moogles, who once settled the entire Rostov Heartland alongside the Sakhalin, were forced to leave their homes after the great destruction in the south. Many left the continent altogether, although the majority resettled in the more temperate climes of the coastal province, taking to the region with great gusto.
Oblast Smolensk (23)
- Biome: Wastes (1): Materia Blight
- Settlement: Town (5)
- Sites: Mineral Extraction Facility x2 (20), Maglev Hub (10)
- Military: Fortifications (10)
- Upkeep: 25 Wealth
- Production: 275 Wealth
- Support: -2 (Imports 2)
- Population: 2
The smallest city in Sakhalin, Smolensk is a fairly prosperous mining city that enjoys strong revenues from the export of iron to the capital. Despite the damages to their province sustained during the Grand War, most residents remained for the mining jobs created by soaring material costs caused by the postwar reconstruction.
Oblast Rostov (126)
- Biome: Wastes (1): Mist Creep, Materia Field (15), Black Crystalum x2 (100)
- Settlement: Arcology (100)
- Sites: Science Station (10), Maglev Hub (10)
- Military: Military Airport (15), Fortifications (10)
- Upkeep: 35 Wealth
- Production: 375 Wealth, 945 Materia (+30%), 4 Beast(s)
- Support: -2 (Imports 0)
- Population: 10
The site of the USR's supposed "city of the future" and a shining beacon in a dark sea of poison and fog, Oblast Rostov was one of the regions hardest hit by the Grande War. Once a prosperous farming hub, the countryside was razed and tainted by crystalis detonations and subsequently abandoned.
Ten years ago, the USR unveiled their newly built city of Neo Rostov, an advanced magitech metropolis with state-of-the-art materia barriers and environmental systems that allow it to remain hospitable amidst even the hostile environment caused by the Mist Creep and Materia Blight. As a fully-enclosed environment, Neo Rostov produces its own food, purifies its own water and generates its own power by tapping into the energies of the Black Crystalis buried half a mile beneath the city.
The city is a center for research, but also a meeting place for scavengers and adventurers with plans to ply the wastes in the surrounding provinces.
Amur (.5)
- Biome: Wastes x (2): Materia Blight
- Settlement: None
- Sites: None
- Military: None
- Upkeep: None
- Production: None
- Support: None
- Population: None
Amur was one of the first regions to be hit by the crystalis detonations during the war, and is comprised of a series of lightning-prone plains and ash-covered ruins. Many families from this region did not escape the devastation wrought by Thrushian weapons, their bodies permanently frozen in time as distorted statues of ash and glass.
It is theorized that the monsters that prowl this region and the others like it may actually be a form of ghost.
Irkutsk (.5)
- Biome: Wastes x4 (2): Mist Creep
- Settlement: None
- Sites: None
- Military: None
- Upkeep: None
- Production: None
- Support: None
- Population: None
Irkutsk was a unmemorable district somewhat notable for its strong crop exports and livestock, but was destroyed during the war. Abandoned months before the Grande War finally spilled over, the region is oddly pristine, with almost completely dissolved ruins covered in new growth forests of exotic giant plants.
Magadan (5)
- Biome: Mountain x4 (20): Mist Creep
- Settlement: None
- Sites: None
- Military: None
- Upkeep: None
- Production: 50 Wealth
- Support: None
- Population: None
Magadan was a fairly desolate and remote territory that had a handful of mining towns. Mostly composed of barren ice fields broken up by craggy mountains, the region remained mostly unchanged by the war. The ice seemed to take on a life of its own, becoming unmelting and as hard as iron in some places.
Some of the natives still persist in the region, riding on their Chocobo and living subsistence lifestyles.
Yamalia (5)
- Biome: Mountains x4 (20): Mist Creep
- Settlement: None
- Sites: None
- Military: None
- Upkeep: None
- Production: 50 Wealth
- Support: None
- Population: None
Yamalia was a remote outpost region consisting of rocky bluffs and ice fields, like Magadan, once the staging grounds for the USR's secret rocket program during the Grande War. In retaliation for the destruction of a Thrushian Aspect Warrior by a missile strike, the region was attacked simultaneously by eleven of his cohorts and turned into a mass of twisting glass and jagged ice.