Senikun of Santochi

The Confederation of Santochi, also known simply as Santochi (San-TO-shee) is a nation in the South-West of Eldham, in the North East of Arsine and South-East of Astios. Santochi is located between Goonguard and the AWE around Lake Chelon. It is named after the former nations of Santochi and the Confederation of Chelon following their merge on the 13/11/2021.

Origins
The Confederation of Santochi as a single state was created recently but the founding cities of Langlade, Vasenkyo and Cyris existed long before that, even though their origin is uncertain. The only thing we know for sure is that they were small commercial outposts created to secure the Chelon Strait, a necessary passage to go through for the naval commercial routes going from the Aquine Sea to Onthukhan.

Santochi
After fleeing from the old nation of Omsk, Knowone went to southern AWE, where he stumbled completely by chance on Vasenkyo. He received help from a particular nomad known as Wareagle, who helped him reform the city. Following some radical changes, he began reaching out diplomatically with the neighboring lands to acheive formal independence. Weeks later he finally acheived independence with the payment of $50,000 to the city of Bostad, naming the new nation Santochi.

Confederation of Chelon
The modern history of the southern Chelon Lake coast began when a merchant named ImReallyExited became mayor of Langlade after having left Vasenkyo. Following his job change, he recruited everyone he could to help him develop the former outpost. The city's change of foreign policy led the nation of Santochi and the self-proclaimed Republic of Langlade to war, which ended in a draw. However, all this sudden noise in the territory of GoonGuard caught attention of the emperors, who demanded a formal annexation of Langlade. Erupto, who became president following the retirement of Exited, had no choice but to accept.

What became the Confederation of Chelon gained independence from Ravenguard on the 22/10/2021, under the name of the Republic of Cyris-Otello-Langlade(COL) following negotiations between Ravenguard's officials and Erupto, who was joined by MrAnanas and SucculentSauce.

Chelon Civil War
02/11/2021-12/12/2021

Pre-conflict tensions
Following the formation of COL, tensions rose between the cities of Langlade and Cyris, and Kantara, due to Kantara's leader, Mr Ananas attempting to act outside of his powers in the constitution and consolidate power. On the 2nd of November, the senators Erupto, Specialsnacc, MrBlazeBlue, ThoughtfulWorm, Alan Becker, and SucculentSauce arrested Mr Ananas and put him on trial for treason and attempting to subvert democracy. Ananas was declared guilty, and it was demanded that he pays off 10k of debt and hand over the city of Kantarra to the COL government, but fled and declared war against Cyris and Langlade. Cyris and Langlade formed the Confederation of Chelon (COC) and a small skirmish followed, beginning the Chelon Civil War.

Siege of Kantara
The Siege of Kantara saw an army of the COC and AWE march on Kantara, breaching and taking the city with no casualties on their part. Ananas faced 100k in war reparations and the handing over of the city of Kantara, but instead fled the state and went into hiding, refusing to give up control. The following peace period saw a close relationship being formed between Chelon and the AWE, with several citizens receiving dual citizenship. During this time the neighbouring Santochi government proposed a merger due to the perceived strength of Chelon, which led to the two nations forming the Confederation of Santochi, in hopes that together they could fight off all future invaders.

Battle of Cyris
On the 6th of December, Mr Ananas had formed an army of 27 soldiers, a mix of mercenaries and Goonguard volunteers, but they were there based on lies. In the city of Cyris, an army of AWE volunteers and the Confederation of Santochi Militia gathered to defend with only 13 people. The following battle was a bloodbath with 25 Santochi casualties and just 5 of the Kantara force. Cyris was looted and damaged significantly with the city soon falling into disrepair after the battle was lost. Following their defeat in battle, the Confederation joined the AWE under protectorate status, but by the 7th, the majority of the Kantara force had realised they had been lied to and declared the result void, resulting in a diplomatic victory for Santochi and Ananas being banned from his former country.

Seizing of Kantara
On the 12th of December, Santochi declared victory when they walked into the collapsed city of Kantara, which was found abandoned. Shortly after, the city was looted and demolished with the ground being salted and buildings reduced to rubble. This would mark the longest continuous conflict in Santochi's history.

AWE Protectorate Era
Following their defeat at the Battle of Cyris, Santochi decided to join the AWE on the 6th of December as a protectorate until stability could be restored to the nation.

Shinshina Purchase
During this period GoonGuard agreed to sell the peninsula to the East of Harajuku (formerly Cyris) to the Santochi government. The peninsula is mountainous, but gave Santochi an Eastern coast, meaning the AWE and GoonGuard no longer shared that border.

AWE-Plagatean “War”
Due to the nature of Santochi's protectorate status, the AWE called on the Confederation and other allies to aid in the AWE's war against the Sapphire Commonwealth and Plagatea. Santochi had to follow the AWE's lead and declare war on the 31/12/2021. The conflict was peacefully resolved a few weeks later.

Independence
On the 15th of January 2022, just over a month after Santochi agreed to become an AWE protectorate, the Confederation of Santochi declared independence. The AWE and Santochi agreed to an alliance, which would take effect following Santochi’s independence. The Treaty of Kantara was signed on the 14th of January, formalizing the alliance.

Independence Period
Santochi began reaching out to other like-minded nations following its independence. Santochi singed non-aggression pacts with the Republic of Nova Azcoria, and the Grand Duchy of Bannatyne.

Geography
The Confederation of Santochi is located in North-East Arsine and South-East Astios in Eldham, bordering Googurad by the south and AWE by the north. It is located on the eastern shore of the Aquine Sea and surrounds almost entirely Lake Chelon.

Governing Structure
The Confederation of Santochi government has a unicameral legislature : the Senate, made up of a varying number of Senators elected every 6 weeks, with two per province.

Current Government
The first government was formed following the merger between COC and Santochi. At that time there was a bicameral legislature, with the Council being made up of three members: Knowone, Weagle, and Worm. The Senate had four Senators: Alan, Erupto, Prime Mini, and Snaku. The first government presided over Santochi during the Chelon Civil War, until and election could be held on the 22/12/2021.

The Second Senate saw only two seats up for election, where the newly formed Monarchist Party gained one seat through Senator Conquerer, and Yoshiah of the Market Libertarian won the second seat- 25/12/2021.

The Third Senate was formed after a full election on the 19/02/2022, which saw several senators lose their seats. The Monarchist Party lost its seat, with the second Harajuku seat going to Gray of the Market Libertarian Party. Yoshiah, Erupto and Snaku all kept their seats, but both Vasenkyo seats swapped hands, with the longstanding Senators Alan and Prime Mini losing to an independent TheBigPig, and Katyusha of the Syndicate.

The Fourth Senate was the first to see province-based voting, with multiple towns selecting 2 candidates. The Xelon Province (primary town Langlade) saw both Erupto and Snaku keeping their seats once more, while the Juko Province (formed of Harajuku and Vasenkyo) saw only one candidate, Tiger, getting any votes. The new Elathaven Province gained three seats due to an internal dispute within the fledgling SPQF, with Braerts, Vermulst, and Portelli each winning a seat.

The Confederal Syndicate of Labour (Syndicate)
The Syndicate is a far-left broad-church libertarian socialist to democratic socialist political party fighting against colonialism, oppression, and worker exploitation. It merged with the Socialist Republican Party to form a united left alliance. The Syndicate promotes liberty, tolerance, and equality, through collectively owned farms and enterprises. The Syndicate is a member party of the Socialist International of Rathnir and Eldham.

The Market Libertarians (Harajuku Riberaru party)
The Market Libertarians, or Liberals, are a centre-right political party. They are the second oldest party in Santochi. The Liberals aim for economic reform in the form of pushing for a free market aswell as the taxation and protection against foreign corporations by the government. The current leader of the party ,ThoughtfullWorm, was also the head of the East Arsine Trading Company, a trade company situated in south west Eldham focused on creating connections between traders as well as the construction of trade hubs.

Monarchist Party
The Monarchist Party is a right-wing authoritarian political party advocating for Santochi to become a parliamentary monarchy, with a single state religion, and Prime Minister. The Monarchists formed shortly before the elections for the Second Senate, but have in recent years faded into irrelevance, forwarding no candidates in the elections for the Fourth Senate.

Senatus Populusque Fairhavenus (SPQF)
The SPQF is a right-wing political party based in the province of Elathaven. Formed shortly before the elections for the Fourth Senate, the SPQF does not have clear positions or policies.

Langlade
Taken over by ImReallyExited, Vanuxx and specialsnacc on the 30/07/2021. The town follows an early industrial European architectural style. Urbanization is concentrated on the northern side of the Langlade Peninsula, with more agricultural land uses on the southern side. Representation in the Senate : Erupto, Jakon Snaku.

The District Council, based in the Municipal Hall, is dominated by the Syndicate, governing the town since before the formation of COL. This has allowed rapid development of free public housing, the Langlade Brewing Coop, and expansive communal farms.

Climate and Geography : Langlade is the western-most city of Santochi, with Lake Chelon to the East, and the Aquine Sea along its western coastline. The local climate is temperate and humid, with the native vegetation primarily made up of coniferous woodlands, but urbanization radiating from the Northern tip caused significant levels of deforestation. With several lowlying areas being almost completely surounded by water, Langlade can produce large quantities of food due to fertile soils, despite being the smallest district by land area.

Economy : Langlade is dominated by the primary and secondary sectors. The primary sector consists mostly of horticulture, agriculture, forestry and mining, while the secondary sector is predominantly focussed on brewing and commodity processing, such as smelting and food processing. Finally, the construction inductry is significant in Langlade, due to its increasing urbanization and industrialization, and therefore is supported by the other industries due to its resource-intensive nature.

Harajuku
Harajuku, (formerly Cyris) is the second eastern-most settlement of Santochi, not directly on the shores of Lake Chelon, but with easy water access to the North of the city. The city was renamed following the battle of Cyris following the damage endured during the battle and the reconstruction that followed. The construction has primarily been undertaken by ThoughtfulWorm, transitioning the town from a European Baroque style architecture to a more Japanese-themed one. The former ruler of the town, SucculentSauce was the first High Seer and Saint of the Holy Sect of Terranianism. Notable events during this time period included Saint ThoughtfullWorm, Grand Architect of Cyris, beginning the construction on the grand temple of Cyris, still not finished to this day, aswell as the establishment of the EATC (East Arsine Trading Company).

Vasenkyo
Vasenkyo has seen the most consistent and complete development, reflected by it formerly housing the largest population. Located on the northern shores of Lake Chelon and bordering the AWE to the North, Vasenkyo follows a simple Japanese theme within its impressive surrounding walls. Sadly, its former ruler, Knowone, died in the Chelon Civil War and the city was taken over by Tiger1S2K.

Jenoverd
Following the conclusion of the Chelon Civil War, Santochi began the construction of a new fort to protect the Confederation in future conflicts. An island on the western coast was chosen due to its strategic location at the mouth of lake Chelon, able to control the passage through the Chelon Strait.

As of the time of writing, the fort is still under construction, primarily by General Lolrobbe, with supervision from the Minister of Defense, Jakon Snaku.

Xenxina
Shinshina is a former small, snowy, mountain village located right next to Harajuku, now abandoned.

Xetoxikrad
Xetoxigrad (Island Town) is a polder West of Langlade.

Salokad
Salokad is a small town near Harajuku, based on east Asian theme.

Geography
Juko is the largest province by land area, taking up the majority of Santochi's mainland. Juko covers the North and East of Santochi, and has a warmer climate. The deserts of GoonGuard lie to the South-East of Juko, while the Xenxina mountains shelter Juko from the lake to the East. The plains stretch across most of Juko, on both the Eastern shores of Lake Xelon, and to the border with the AWE North of Vasenkyo. A band of dark oak forest stretches across the centre of the province, on the eastern side of the river.

Socio-Cultural Aspects
Juko contains both Harajuku and Vasenkyo, putting all of Old Santochi within its borders. Despite having two major towns, Juko has a smaller population of primary residents. Juko has perhaps the most distinctive cultural identity. Originating in Vasenkyo, Harajuku soon adopted the architectural style as new settlers came in, most the former citizens having died during the battle of Cyris. Vasenkyo architecture features distinctive white walls, and multi-layered blue-green roofs towering into the sky. Meanwhile in Harajuku, adapting to the local resources, features layered roofs of darker tiles, primarily blackstone and deepslate, while mimicking the multi-layered roofs, and spacious houses to allow airflow.

Geography
Xelon (named after Lake Xelon) covers the South and West of Santochi, featuring a more temperate and more humid climate due to the lack of shelter from the Xenxina mountains in the East. The Aquine Sea makes up the Western border of Santochi, with the winds bringing higher levels of precipitation than the sheltered Eastern stretches of Santochi. This cooler climate gave rise to the coniferous woodlands, which formerly covered the entirety of the Island of Langlade, but now just cover the Southern portion. This same woodland can be seen along the Western border of Juko Province, just to the North of Langlade, with Vasenkyo on one side, and the coniferous woodland to the other. Several islands on the Aquine Sea are also part of Xelon, notably Jeno Xetoxi and the smaller To-Abe-Xelon (Rock of Xelon Mouth). Other parts of Xelon include Xetoxikrad, and the Lost Colony, a settlement on an iceberg in the Aquine see.

Socio-Cultural Aspects
Langlade is the primary and oldest settlement of Xelon Province, with Jenoverd on the island of Jeno being the base of the Confederal Militia. Langlade has a less ordered architectural style, with houses crammed together on winding streets, helping to deal with the cooler climate. Houses are typically made from timber frames, with whitewashed, clay walls, being a common occurrence in the town centre, while further out, walls are typically made of exposed oak wood. Particularly on the Southern shores of Lake Xelon, diorite stone walls are more common. Throughout the town, roofs are typically made of dark oak, and are gently sloping often with no discernible pattern. A low-lying area on the centre of the island holds fertile soils, which has allowed Langlade to sustain its development and has helped give Langlade the largest population of all the towns. Sandstone can be seen in Xeloni architecture, typically only used for important structures, with the Langlade Hall being the first to be built of this material in Santochi. More recently, the construction of Xelon Kolajd (Chelon College) on the East of the island also saw extensive use of sandstone. Built by the Snakoza's, the structure was in part a way of experimenting with the use of sandstone before the construction of the Senate could be undertaken.

Elathaven Province
Elathaven is more so a political and cultural part of Santochi than a Geographic area. Made up of primarily AWE dual ncitizens based in the town of Fairhaven of the AWE, Elathaven's primary settlement is the town of Vrijdagistan, an island on Lake Ela to the North of the Santochi mainland.

Chelon
The Cheloni people are said to have risen from the Lake Chelon (written Xelon in their native language), though this can be said to be more metaphorical as the culture has many external influences due to immigration. There is little to distinguish Cheloni from Santochian due to a great deal of cultural exchange.