Confederation of Numoanu

The Confederation of Numoanu emerged at an unclear data in eons past in order to safeguard the Telrai of the Island. At this time, they were still floating in the Northern Ocean, having yet to strike mainland Telgren. The Numoani were at risk of degrading their natural landscape and destroying themselves due to violent struggle over living quarters- something that was seriously harming the lives of the Telrai. In tandem with the religious movement of Sakablu Tavasa, those in favor of a confederation soon dominated the island and influenced most neutral nations to join the confederation, with the most fervently anti-confederation nations soon being overthrown in populist revolts.

Although the Telrai first struck the continental shelf of Telgren in 783 SC, they had been aware of the moment for years, as the island had been slowly drifting west for millennia. Led by the confederation elders, as well as the majority of the various statelets, the Telrai people were well-prepared for the crash- and suffered relatively low casualties. Although some Telrai, including those known as the Deniers, refused to believe this event would occur or didn't believe in the severity that the leadership had predicted sustained heavy losses due to flooding and earthquakes (indeed, nearly the whole Denier sect was wiped out), they made up a small portion of society and therefore didn't serious drive up the numbers. Far more damaging in the long term were changes in elevation, flooding, collapsed caves, mountains, and homes that faced the Telrai. In particular, the coastal regions they so loved were almost totally wiped out, with whole towns underwater or destroyed by the quakes. It is precisely this destruction which prompted the first migrations of Telrai off the island.

The economic strife caused by the arrival led to a flurry of border changes and of conflict within the Confederation , which led to further migration and another precipitous drop in population, though this time most of it was migration related. Although the majority of these colonial migrations would settle further afield, some would claim the coast of the islands of Mauþu and Vátngard as a part of their mother countries, expanding the reach of the Confederation to new lands*. However, such colonizers soon fell into conflict with the rest of the Confederation, as their new lands allowed them to become the most powerful members. They would soon secede from the Confederation and form the powerful Eastern League, and anti-Confederation alliance which was focused on expanding the Telrai reach as opposed to remaining isolationist.

With the arrival of the Voðeren to the area in the late 13th century, the Eastern League would come under pressure from multiple fronts, and its members would eventually be forced to capitulate to the Numoanu Confederation in 1342, after a crushing defeat against the Frostreach Empire saw the loss of lands on both Mauþu and Vátngard and the collapse of several members' governments. The remaining members would quickly rejoin the Confederation, and the remaining colonies were granted independence, with the fallen governments partitioned. Following the reunification of the Confederation, Numoanu would remain heavily isolationist for over 600 years, with few attempts at outwards expansion or of meddling in local politics- all the way to the present.

In recent years, however, this has been changing, with new ideas for the future of the Telrai rising and the island becoming more population than ever. In fact, the leadership of the Confederation voted to align themselves with the reborn Frostreach Empire in 1990, and have consequentially made Numoanu a nominal subject of that nation. However, this amounts to verbal acknowledgement and the sending of soldiers for Frostreach's wars, with no extra taxes or tribute payments, and in return the Telrai are promised control over the Þaru Isles. Still, the treaty has not been received well by every Telrai. Extreme conservatives resent the dominance (even as merely nominal) of a human nation, while the tribes in the center of Numoanu feel there is little gain for them in this treaty. So far, this has not caused much actual strife, as most detractors have simply not sent troops, but should the Frostreach Empire fail its campaigns or renege on the deal, it may mark the end of Numoanu's unity.

*Technically this land was already settled by the Mauronian people, but at the time it was unpopulated due to suffering similar destruction as Numoanu, thus leaving land for the Telrai to claim

The confederation of Numoanu counts roughly 6,000,000 Telrai as subjects, spit between 18 clans. In general, the long eastern valley is the most heavily populated sector of Numoanu, because it is shielded from the roughest storms that come off the Western Ocean, while also being fertile lowlands and thus agriculturally productive. The western mountains are the least populated, largely because of the difficulty getting from these mountains to the sea as well as the generally unsuitability for agriculture due to the deluge of rains they suffer throughout the year.

The Confederation of Numoanu's land is variably and unevenly suited for agrarian activities and development in general. Much like the population, the vast majority of Numoanu's most productive farmlands are situated in their eastern valley, and consequentially the majority of the Confederations's agricultural exports come from this region, with little grain production from other regions making it to outside markets. From this central region, farms are often mixed between wheat, rye, or barley depending on local soil and weather conditions and therefore these grains remain the main staple crops of the confederation. Fishing is also a major industry within Numoanu, with almost the entire coast being focused on this industry as opposed to farming. Although the oceanic conditions of this region are often rough, in particular along the west coast, the seas are full of profitable catches such as herring and cod. These catches are often salted, typically using local salt from various parts of Numoanu- in particular portions of the nation that were underwater before striking the continental shelf and later formed salt marshes or lakes. The Telrai consumption and rearing of animals is much lower, but still makes up a significant portion of the nation's economic background. Pigs are popular throughout much of the more forested regions (especially on the other islands, not Numoanu itself), while sheep dominate the hills and mountain regions. It's said the Numoanu's sheep tend to be rather scraggly and generally poor stock, but in reality introduction and merging of other breeds have created a rather well-adapted and yet still productive breed of sheep. Consequentially, the wool industry has continually grown since the arrival.

Besides these primarily agrarian industries, Numoanu boasts a small but robust commercial and non-food based economy. Although many of Numoanu's forests are protected due to regulations as part of the reasons for the confederation's formation itself, various non-protected or locally managed forests on Numoanu as well as all forests on the other islands are often exploited for lumber and extensively hunted. In tandem with the lumber and fishing industries, Numoanu is a hub for boatbuilding, with more of a focus on ocean-going ships than most of the region's producers. Besides this Numoanu's metallurgical production has only grown since the introduction of their state to Telgren, as before this mining techniques were largely underutilized, leaving a wealth of easily-excavated ore veins. In particular, the production of pewter, lead, and tin are major industries involving mining. The weaving of cloth is also a major industry in certain parts of the country, which utilizes the wool of the sheep industry and benefiting from the Telrai's ability to use more spools for weaving than a regular person.