Nations of Elysium

The settlement that became Kalahari started as a mining operation led by a group of Middle Eastern prospectors and their families. They had the backing of rich investors back on Earth that provided them with equipment, provisions, and even a private defense force. Besides their familiarity with a more dry and hot climate, their decision to settle near the Al-Quaum desert was due to the rich mineral deposits that were found in the area. Metals such as aluminum, manganese, nickel, and iron, along with bountiful veins of gold and silver were found in their claimed territory and they quickly became a prosperous settlement.

After The Event, their location, along with their private military, allowed them to claim independence from the Colonial Government, but they were still at the mercy of the repercussions of The Event. Similarly to what occurred to the rest of the settlements on Elysium, their technological level degraded as time passed and their society was forced to change.

Even before The Event, Kalaharian entrepreneurs had already started their trading businesses. Their drive and motivation led them to become the dominant industry of Kalahari and the political power of the land. After a few decades, the merchant houses became the de facto rulers under a caliphate system based on political, financial, and Machiavellian maneuvering. The fortunes of a ruling merchant house are closely tied to their business acumen, and also their proficiency in cloak-and-dagger undertakings.

The capital of Kalahari is the city of Aoudaghost. Their current ruler is Caliph Abdul "The Exalted" Majeed el-Jafari.

The Colonial Alliance is what remains of the original planetary government, the U.N.E. (United Nations of Earth) Colonial Government. They are, therefore, the first and oldest society on the planet. After The Event, a civil war broke out between the different settlements on the planet. Many settlements claimed independence and became nations on their own accord, but the UNE Colonial government managed to keep a majority of settlements on the continent of Vanaheim under their banner. These settlements, led by the city of Nova Aurora, became what is today known as the Colonial Alliance. Today, they are the leading nation on the planet in terms of influence, technological level, and wealth.

The Colonial Alliance is divided into five regions that serve as their states with local governments under a federal government. Each region has its own cultural, gubernatorial, and legal variations. The Colonial Alliance federal government is a democratic republic led by a High Council. Each region has three councilmen representing them, and decisions are made by a simple majority vote. The capital of the Colonial Alliance is the city of Nova Aurora, located in the region of Landfall.

The Colonial Alliance Regions are the following:

1. Landfall - The historical first region, and location of the first human settlement on the planet, its capital, Nova Aurora.
2. Gan Eden - Region led by the Elohim, also known as elves. Its capital is the city of Ix.
3. Volaris - The smaller of the regions, located in a mountainous area to the north. Its capital city is New Albion.
4. Argentia - The largest region. Its capital is the city of Grayfield.
5. Xaswana - A prosperous region. Its capital city is Houssa.

The Ruritania empire started as a colonial settlement on the continent of Jotunheim which was a wealthy mining and logging operation on the planet in the early Colonization days. After The Event, it declared its independence and successfully defeated the Colonial Government forces that tried to keep it in the fold. The leader of their revolution, a local highly charismatic warlord named Ionus Nicolae took over the new nation and declared it a monarchy with him as king of Ruritania. His son, Ionus Nicolae II managed to conquer neighboring settlements and expand the territory of Ruritania, and to outdo his father, he declared himself emperor. Since then, Ruritania has benefited from a great wealth of natural resources that has led it to become a strong nation worthy of the empire title. Even though their laws and culture tend to be strict and authoritarian, the population is highly loyal to their emperor due to a carefully cultivated cult of personality crafted around their emperors. Today, the empire is led by Iosif Nicolae II, a highly ambitious man at the height of his power.

The Empire of Ruritania is composed of four separate kingdoms led by its capital Kitezh.

The history of the Dweorg (or as commonly known, Dwarves) nation of Freiheitland started about 125 years after The Event when an Erebian cargo ship crash-landed just west of the Ironholde mountains in the continent of Vanaheim, Elysium. The passengers of the ship were a large group of dwarves that escaped slavery on Erebus. They sought shelter in the cave systems of the Ironholde mountains, living underground being their preferred lifestyle. They eventually were found by explorers from the Colonial Alliance, which promptly sent for humanitarian help for the displaced ex-slaves. The actions of the Colonial Alliance government caused a temporary deterioration in relations with the Erebian corporate government which considered the dwarves to be fugitives.

Even though the Dweorg were deeply grateful for the help they received from their Colonial Alliance neighbors, they decided to remain an independent community, but with close ties with the Colonial Alliance. As time passed, their population grew quickly and they colonized the nearby unclaimed lands.

Their government is led by a council of elders from the different Dweorg Clans. Their capital is the underground city of Himinbjörg.

Located on the continent of Jotunheim, south of Ruritania, the kingdom of Arcadia is a non-hereditary, elective monarchy. Before The Event, it was a colonial settlement that specialized in botanical research, and agriculture. It was a highly successful and rich settlement with a high degree of pride in their group identity. After The Event, they chose to become an independent nation, and adopted an elective monarchic government in order to foment their own sense of identity and pride, with the rich upper class of merchants and landowners becoming the nobility. The level of power that their monarch actually wields tends to be symbolic, and most of the actual power lies with the elected dukes that rule the different provinces of the kingdom. Their current monarch, queen Rowena Sophia Arimanus is an exception to the rule. Her highly charismatic presence, and strong will, has made her highly admired by her subjects and foreign dignitaries.

The capital of Arcadia is the port city of Fairgate.

The Shogunate was the vision of Hiraku Kobayashi, a Japanese businessman who led a group of individuals dedicated to returning to the old ways of feudal Japan. Thanks to his business acumen, he managed to acquire a permit for his group of settlers to have a modicum of independence from the UNE government during the Colonization years. They settled on the island that they named after their founder, and their first settlement, and now capital, is named Neo Edo. After The Event, they managed to maintain their independence under mysterious circumstances. Nowadays, the nation of the Kobayashi Shogunate resembles Feudal Japan. They live within the technological level of that era of Japan's history. The land is divided among clans led by the feudal land owners known as the daimyōs, and they in turn are ruled by the most powerful daimyō among them who is given the title of shogun. The shogun is considered the local representative of the Japanese emperor on Earth, and rules with complete dictatorial power. The position of the shogun is considered hereditary as long as a clan can maintain it. This government system has made Kobayashi a land of intrigue and constant infighting as the different feudal lords fight each other for honor, land, and ambition to become the next shogun.

As previously stated, their technological level is more primitive than most other nations of Elysium. Since the days after The Event, it has become a prevailing rumor that they might have an advanced weapon of some sort that helped them maintain independence from the Colonial Alliance. A rumor that most Kobayashians consider to be an offensive lie since it doesn't consider the strength and tenacity of the Shogunate. What is a historical fact is that a few years after the event, they struck a deal with the Colonial Alliance; the Colonial Alliance protects the borders of the Shogunate, and in return, the Alliance has exclusive commercial rights with the Shogunate. This serves the Shogunate well since it alleviates the need for them to build a modern defense force, and it keeps the unwanted influence of the rest of the world away from its borders.

The current shogun is His Most Honorable Excellency Takemune no Sanjou, Heir of Clan Takemune, and Second Shogun of His Divine Lineage.