the imperial cantons
montane seterra
“Her education within the Imperium had told her its expansion across five of the seven seterras had been a righteous campaign—a spread of knowledge and light throughout a primitive, barbaric world.”
FREDA’S CABIN
The Crazy Mountains
Freda’s cabin in Badger Creek Canyon
CLIFF CITY
Padöv Nation
GEOGRAPHY
Biomes: Savanna, temperate rainforest, semi-arid desert, dry desert, cold desert, chaparral, montane, temperate broadleaf forest, wetlands, and high alpine
History: The First War of the Montane Nations took place 15,020 YBP between the Comocents and the Bilawáxan-Tatankoy alliance; the Comocents lost and moved to the plains of southern Taigas. Later, they would split in two and become the Lyzivers of Taigas and Borea, and the Desnords, Flüschen, and Yiúsians of Lacuserra.
The Montane seterra was thereafter inhabited by the eight primary indigenous peoples: Jmu’neböna, Intlyvwi, Ecósts, Tatankoy, Bilawáxan, Odowayji, Itpadöv, and Qamux. Ongoing territory wars starting 10,000 YBP established the eight nations’ borders by roughly 9,355 YBP.
Despite frequent but small battles between the nations, the Montane seterra lived in relative peace for millennia, until 343 YBP, when the Imperium initiated war with the Tatankoy for the Openlands.
The Imperium, still working to control its hold of Baninchi as a protectorate, lost to an alliance between the Tatankoy and Jmu’neböna.
They returned twenty years later with their full force, winning the territory handedly. 323 YBP, the Imperium renames the Openlands the Princeton District, and make the Tatankoy city of Tipako its capital, Richfield.
Unlike its other protectorates, (Taigas, Baninchi, and Suqwas), the Imperium chose to rename the land with the intent to send people from Lacuserra to settle there, given an overpopulation crisis in their home seterra.
Over the next twelve years, (322-310 YBP), the Imperium claimed all of Montane east of the Spine of the Earth, as far west as the Itpadöv nation borders, (the red desert).
They established sixteen districts within four Imperial Cantons: Princeton, Vallius, Longmeadow, Verdance, Paddock, East Liberta, West Liberta, Everglade, Longleaf, Merge, Cattleland, Ravina, Opelands, Prominence, Juniperous, and Glacial.
The Imperium created the Openlands (Tatankoy and Bilawáxan) and East Liberta (Ecósts, ‘böna, and Intlyvwi) reservations for the surviving natives. Some of the surviving ‘böna and Intlyvwi joined the Vipers following the Clash of Mages and Thorns.
For two centuries, the Itpadöv, Odowayji, and Qamux remained autonomous nations in western Montane, existing precariously between the Guǎdí Empire and Imperium.
In the Second World War between the Republic and Imperium, from 101-98 YBP, the world powers fought for their territories, as well as eastern Shénchåo.
The Imperium won and established ten more districts within three additional cantons: New Lakeland, Morana, Peatland, Springston, Cactia, Granyon, Gardenia, Hemlock, Georgeston, and Fjordland.
The entire Montane seterra was then the Imperial Cantons. The Springston Reservation was established for the surviving Odowayji, Itpadöv, and Qamux peoples.
NATIVE PEOPLES
Bilawáxan: live in the mountains and mountain valleys of northern Montane and southern Taigas; winter on the prairies south of the Spine of the Earth
Tatankoy: live on the prairies and in the lakeland of northcentral and eastern Montane
Jmu’neböna: lived in the huge, primordial rainforests of eastern Montane and western Baninchi; two factions – the north and the south; the north live in the temperate rainforest; the south in the tropical rainforest
Intlyvwi: lived in the misty mountains and surrounding forests of southeast Montane
Ecósts: lived in the everglades of south-central Montane
Itpadöv: lived in the southwest deserts of Montane
Odowayji: lived in Montane’s northwest lakelands
Qamux: lived in the redwoods and fjordland of southwest Montane