Dracomount
Once a proud and independent nation belonging to the Uroníval people, Dracomount has been overrun by the conquerors of Anima for the sake of pillaging its natural resources and subjugating the magical Uroníval that inhabit it. It is perhaps the most important colony of Aurelia's modern era; it lies at the center of political conflict on the Eastern Continent, and the world's eyes have turned upon it as it strives for independence.
Demographics
Uroníval - 3 million (formerly 4 million; 1 million were displaced by Animan settlement)
Animan settlers - 4 million
Hua settlers - 5 million
Government
Though the Animan conquerors of the native Uroníval have a democratic form of government, Dracomount is run by military dictatorship. As the commander-in-chief, the Animan Executeur alone has complete control over education, the economy, law-dictated social norms and defense spending. They maintain this control under the pretexts of "colony security" and "national security," claiming that martial law is necessary to control the revolutionary terrorists that have resisted the Animans--but in actuality, it is a convenient excuse to clamp down on the native population so that resource extraction can continue.
A puppet Uroníval Thearch now sits on the Uroníval throne, parroting the Executeur's orders as though those orders are his own. In reality, all see it clearly: Anima is the one in control, despite the fact they frequently profess that they have been all for a transition to complete Uroníval rule.
Defences
Dracomount's Animan settlers are heavily defended against potential terrorist attacks. All Animan settlements are barred by high concrete walls and are heavily guarded by troops. Soldiers are a regular presence in the everyday life of Uroníval citizens; many of them police the streets to make sure that no revolutionary activity is taking place. Animan military bases complete with military dragons are also prevalent in the region; there is one near every major city in the mountain range. Of the Animan territories, this one is one of the most heavily guarded.
Industry & Trade
The floating mountains that Dracomount was built on are rich in mnemotite, a stone capable of storing memories, and which is used in government technology that allows people to see the past and future. It is also rich in phlogiston, Aurelia's main source of energy that is burned oil-like as fuel. These are the colony's main exports, often produced with cheap Hua and Uroníval labor. The native Uroníval and settler Hua are virtual slaves in the mines, forced to work under terrible conditions for little salary--and one tiny mistake can result in a week's worth of pay being docked. Because of Anima's presence in the region mining phlogiston, they have become one of Aurelia's top phlogiston exporters, with several minor countries now dependent on them for energy. Dracomount's exports thus contribute to Anima's economic imperialism around the world.
Probably the most notable magical export from this colony are the peaches of immortality. Whereas they used to be very rare in the floating mountains, farming practices have led to their mass production and export to other nations. As each peach extends a person's natural lifespan by five years, they are constantly in demand; even when working the land and the farmers to the bone, producers are frequently sold out. The mass production of peaches of immortality has wreaked havoc on the soil of the mountains. Experiments have taken place off the mountain to see if the peaches would grow in other soil, but so far, they have all been unsuccessful.
Guilds and Factions
The revolutionary terrorist organization Szévanírul stands in opposition to the occupying Republic of Anima. They have their own Thearch, a woman named Nadi Zíniya, who claims to be the true reincarnation of the Uroníval's great conqueror Anavi Umané and therefore the true Thearch who ought to control the mountains. Their main strategy has been to kill Animan civilians in settler neighborhoods in order to strike fear into Animan hearts; they have also made several attacks on the Animan mainland.
History
The colony of the Dracomount was founded forty years ago after the nation of the Uroníval declared a short-lived independence from the Empire of Shenhua. Though the revolution was high-spirited and optimistic, it soon fell to corruption as the Uronívals' new reigning Thearch proved himself incapable of running the state. He neglected state affairs, lost in his own idealism, and frequently embezzled money from the state government to suit his private needs. Fed up with his rule, the Uroníval prepared to revolt once again.
Sensing an opportunity to establish a foothold in the Eastern Continent, Anima posed as a potential savior. Anima sent money and troops to aid the struggling Uroníval people, and together they handily overthrew the Thearch. But Anima's true purpose soon revealed itself: even years after the troops entered the capital city of Altéva, they refused to leave. They installed a puppet government with a Thearch completely beholden to the Animan Executeur. When the Uroníval began to realize that their saviors were actually conquerors in disguise, they resisted. In return, the Animans destroyed half of their mnemograms, sacred orbs of mnemotite stone that stored the sacred memories of the Uroníval people.
The Animan occupying government immediately began to mine the Uronívals' territory for resources. Rivers of phlogiston flowed through the mountains that the Uroníval called their home, as well as vast stores of mnemotite. Dragon's blood was also taken from slaughtered dragons to power the luxury industry of dragons' blood wine--which the native population took as an extra slight, because dragons are sacred to Uroníval culture and many of the dragons killed were considered to be spiritual siblings of the Uroníval people. One million Uroníval were evicted and made refugees by Animan mining operations, many of whom attempted to settle in Anima--but were roundly unwelcome because they were seen as dangerous foreigners who would endanger the country with their ability to talk to dragons and their proclivity for living with dragons.
A key component of the Animan occupation of the Uroníval was the reeducation camps that they built. After the rise of Szévanírul, camps were constructed to indoctrinate the Uroníval in subservience to Anima. Complete obedience was encouraged; the degree of assimilation to Animan ways required tended to vary by camp. Adults were (and still are) required to attend reeducation classes for five hours a day on weekends and two hours a day on weekdays; "sufficiently educated" adults can attend less, but they still have to attend--and what's more, the free time they gain by not having to go to class is usually eaten up by longer assigned work hours. School curriculums have also been changed to indoctrinate children into loyalty.
In the present day, the Uroníval colony is at the center of Anima's conflict with the nation of Shenhua, the previous colonizers of the area. The floating mountains that the Uroníval live on have long been coveted as a holy place by the Hua people, as they were known as the only earthly homeland of the peaches of immortality. Given how rich the land is in natural resources, it is the key to controlling the Eastern Continent. Expert political analysts believe that Shenhua and Anima will soon go to war for control of the land--land that belongs to neither in the first place.
Geography
Dracomount is situated in the floating mountains on the southern tip of the Eastern Continent. Despite the harsh winter weather, many poor Animans have flocked to the area when given financial incentives to colonize by the Animan government. Summers are pleasant and mild, and the scenery is some of the most beautiful in the world. It is the ideal place for tourists looking to do scenic dragon flights, weaving in and out of the mountains as the wondrous backdrop goes by.
Water is most commonly found in lakes and waterfalls that line the larger of the mountains. These bodies of water are quite common, and were often used as irrigation sources for Uroníval agriculture. Precipitation is also quite common in the southern regions of the mountains, with anywhere from 36 - 40 inches of rain per year. To the north, however, the rain falls to a lesser extent, ranging from 15 - 20 inches of rain per year.
Alternative Name(s)
Kanétan ("memory mountains," the Uroníval name for Dracomount)
Type
National Territory
Population
12 million
Inhabitant Demonym
Dracomians
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
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