Schangtienrand

Schangtienrand was a former holding of the Stolvic Häverist Commonwealth in southern Altaia, nominally an autonomous commonhold but in practical terms under direct military rule by Helreich. Häverist rule ended in 76XX when a coalition of native rebel groups and Fisks from the neighboring islands managed to conquer the half built capital Schlung. Schangtienrand became autonomous as Shuuen first, but became a founding member state of Sokoku XX years later.

History

It was founded as a colonial holding in 7XXX, gathering the 15 port towns founded by Helreich under a common banner. This was the starting point for colonisation, with the port towns' zone of influence extending towards agricultural land surrounding it. The Stolvic population doubled within 15 years, mainly through settlement by Hellish farmers.

A new influx came after 7471, when war refugees from Stoldavia were evicted from their lands and a large part of them were moved to Altaian colonies. This sudden immigration led to farmers taking over existing farmsteads from the local population, employing them afterwards in return for lodging and food. Protests were violently surpressed, with Helreich now having their military freed from war tasks and ready for supporting in intensified colonisation effort.

When Total Häverism was declared in 7491, Schangtienrand became a Häverist holding. With the start of the Pan-Anarian War Helreich started a quest for raw materials and energy sources in the colonies. Several mines were opened in Schangtienrand, mainly producing coal and to a lesser extent iron for the war effort. In order to reform Schangtienrand into a fully Häverist entity, construction of three large and twelve medium sized urbanates started. The local population was forced to relocate to these cities in an attempt to educate and pacify the native Shuuen and Izto people. Of the three largest urbanates, Schlung was meant to function as colonial capital, Neuwelsen as trade hub and Neuburg as the main manufacturing facility for half products to export to Anaria.

In the 7520's the political situation escalated into a civil war like status, with the native population resisting exploitation of their natural resources, further Stolvic immigration, implementation of Häverist principles and the forced relocation to urbanates. The civil war continued throughout Helreich's participation in the Pan-Anarian War until 7554.

Even though Helreich and the Häverists never were in complete control of entire Schangtienrand, the first territory that obviously was lost were the Askers Islands in the strait between the main island and the Altaian mainland. The islands were occupied by other Stoldavic settlers having fled the Pan-Anarian war in 7523. The island group became de facto autonomous when the Talpeans removed the Hellish staff from the lighthouse. Several attempts were made to reclaim the island group, but Schangtienrand lacked the naval capacity in the region to support the effort.

It took until the end of the Pan-Anarian War in 7554 before Helreich started preparing for a larger military effort in the region. However, the Hellish military was tired of the decades long war and took a more de-escalating approach avoiding direct conflict and securing the status quo between Hellish settlements and native territory of no direct significance to the Häverist cause. Schangtienrand was seen as a military retreat, but in reality the native population was intensifying attacks, sabotage and disruptions.

By that time, the Askers Islands had become part of a territory managed by the Fisks Trading Company. They reached out to the newly formed nation state of Vittmark in 7569, resulting in the islands becoming a member state. In 7584 Vittmark started a conflict with the Häverist community, which made the Fisks islands a legitimate target for the military in Schangtienrand. But any regrouping of forces would mean leaving some area with a weaker defence, which immediately saw an effect in sabotage, attacks and disruption by native rebels.

Fisks actively started supporting the rebels, providing seaway transportation enabling the previously scattered rebels to concentrate in one area and besiege the still unfinished colonial capital of Schlung. In 76XX the rebellion managed to capture Schlung, after which a thorough operation started removing Hellish settlers from positions of power and their possessions. The fall of Schlung is generally seen as the date on which Schangtienrand as a Häverist possession collapsed, even if it took nine more years to rid the island of Shuuen of the last Häverist military presence. In 76XX local Häverist military signed an agreement for complete retreat from the island, but that agreement was never ratified by Helreich's government.

Legacy

Shuuen became a founding member of the federation of Sokoku, a nation with a fierce anti-colonial stance. The search for raw materials by the Häverists created a long lasting conflict that spanned over 100 years. The mindset of people from Shuuen is still affected by the brutal occupation, having created strong anti-Stolvic and anti-Anarian sentiments. This made it very hard for Hellish settlers to remain after the fall of the colony. Maybe 5-10% of the settlers remained directly after independence, accepting the new situation and trying to build a new future under native rule. After 2-3 generations, most of them have integrated in local communities, with only very few people still using Stoldic as a home language. But large groups emigrated to other Häverist holdings or the SOC later.

The three large urbanates the Häverists tried to build have been refurbished into modern Sokokan cities: the second largest city Berewan (formerly Neuwelsen), the capital Kyusigai (formerly Schlung) and the industrial city of Samudramulya (formerly Neuburg). However, in the townscape it is hard to find anything visible dating back to the colonial era. Amenities like the water and sewage infrastructure in these cities clearly date back to Häverist times, as well as the origin of the electricity and communication networks. Shuuen and the other former Häverist territory of Diyin Tsidii still operate a power network using the voltage and frequency of the former colonisers.

Another clear remnant of the colonial times is the presence of beer breweries. Brewing as a process has been adapted to local circumstances, with most beers being made from rice, with both lager and ale types being manufactured these days.