Rim Billiton
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Rim Billiton, formally known as Rim Mining Industry Association (RMIA)[1] or Rim Billiton Association for short, is a Terran country located at the southeasternmost corner of the continent close to Kazdel and Yan. Homeland of the predominant Cautus populace, it is a corporatocracy ruled by an alliance of family communities, a unique political system in Terra that is absent of a central government, in which these grassroot communities set up their self-governing mines and guilds to form a confederation.
Despite the constant Catastrophes in much of its outbacks and deserts, human activities had already appeared before the rise of modern nation-states. The modern Rim Billitonian history began from a series of international geological expeditions that uncovered the region's abundant minerals, tempting various colonial settlers to flood the region to set up mines and refineries, but political turmoils in the Terran heartland forced the superpowers to retreat and abandon their colonies, resulting in those remnants of the colonies merging with the locals to give rise to the Rim Billitonian nationality. Since then, many superpowers continue to attempt to assert their political influences upon the region but met with strong resistance from the Rim Billitoners.
Rim Billiton is famous for its Originium mining activities thanks to its proxy to the rich Targangils Prime Vein where almost half of Terra's Originium supplies originate, but the consequence is the nation's vast Infected population. While it does not overtly persecute the Infected in the same manner as Ursus or Victoria, Rim Billiton sees their citizens merely as disposable workforce or outcasts from their family communities.
The Rim Billitonian language is similar to Australian English in our world, but has distinct grammars and accents even though both are mutually intelligible with each other.
History
Cautus communities
At the dawn of human civilization, human activities were already found in the outbacks of Rim Billiton formed by the native Cautus tribes despite its constant Catastrophes; in fact, many record-breaking Catastrophes are all found in the region, causing many nations to treat it as a forbidden no-man's land. Anthropologists are puzzled by the reason for the Cautuses' presence in the hostile region; nevertheless, many theorize that the region's Catastrophes provide a perfect natural barrier from tribal invasions.[2]
In order to combat Catastrophes, the native Cautuses came up with a unique way to survive the disasters – building underground hideouts or houses in caves, nicknamed "rabbit holes" by later generations, and cultivating drought-resistant carrots in the caves and tunnels. These strange tactics prove to be effective when avoiding small-scale disasters, but they were helpless when facing severe Catastrophes that could alter the region's geography. Hence, the constant tribal migration and geographical obstacles made the region difficult to form a strong state society with a central government.[2]
First immigration era
Throughout history, many Terran superpowers had been attempting to explore the hostile outbacks by following the legacies of the Nigtzmoran Khaganate, but all met with utter demises due to the constant Catastrophes. Consequently, the region was seen as the dangerous "rim" of the Terran continent. Nevertheless, when later generations uncovered its abundant Originium deposits, they described the place possessing a "billion tons of minerals," which in turn gave the name of the newborn nation Rim Billiton, "the Rim with Billion Tons."[3]
Iberia was the first country attempting to explore the region with written records. In the year 500, Iberia launched an invasion upon Victoria but met with utter defeat by the Elder Dracos. Under the suggestion of a general, the Iberian royal court dispatched an army to march the Rim Billitonian outbacks and invade Victoria eastward. But within a month, a giant Catastrophe and an earthquake almost annihilated three-fourth of the troop, forcing Iberia to quickly halt the campaign. The expedition hit hard to the Iberian royal house due to the cost of casualties which in turn aroused civil rebellions, and no other nation had attempted to explore the outbacks in the remaining centuries.[4]
Entering the 730s, the Francisco Geographical Expedition launched by Francisco de León and the discovery of the fertile northwestern region of Terra where they set up the Viceroyalty of Bolívar stirred other superpowers' interest to explore uncharted regions, and all of a sudden, the Rim Billitonian outbacks became a perfect spot to set up their colonies. Waves of colonial settlers from Victoria, Leithanien, and Gaul flooded this once no-man's land. Nevertheless, the colonies in Rim Billiton were in some ways a way to assert political pressure upon Iberia, and the civil conflicts resulting from the independence of Bolívar forced other superpowers to slow down their expedition in Rim Billiton, eventually abandoning their colonies in the region.[4]
With their communication and material support severed from their homeland, these abandoned colonial settlers were forced to seek help from the local Cautus tribes. Over the course of history, these immigrants were eventually accepted by the Cautuses through adoption of their culture, and in some ways it gave birth to the earliest Rim Billitonian nationalism.[4]
Second immigration era
Entering the industrial Crystallization Age, Rim Billiton experienced a second wave of colonial settlement with the discovery of three major Originium prime veins. The abundant deposit of the Targangils Prime Vein prompted many superpowers to once again conduct a series of international geological expeditions in the region and set up their mining outposts starting from the 1030s. From officials to private mining corporations, many sought to benefit themselves from the "Originium rush;" these private corporations earned a huge sum of money from the money, and in turn, the lucrative business allowed the governments to further advocate the program and entice new immigrants to their colonies in the region.[5]
Nevertheless, despite the craze, the second wave of expedition was met with obstacles. Because of years of isolation, many former colonial settlers had taken root with the natives; hence, they slowly identified themselves as locals and refused to return to their homelands. A sense of nationalism was in the mind of the Billitoners be it the native Cautuses, the former colonial settlers, and corporations seeking to be free from the superpowers' control. Furthermore, the devastating Battle of the Four Emperors drastically weakened military capabilities of the heartland superpowers. Consequently, Victoria and Leithanien had to slowly encroach upon the Billitoners' sovereignty by applying a gradual "salami tactic" in colonizing their lands, but they met constant and hostile resistances from the Rim Billitoners, many of whom being mine workers and lower-class laborers. By the 1070s, the Billitoners formally declared its independence and officially pronounced its rejections of any political interference from the Terran superpowers.[5]
Cage Incident
The Cage Incident in 1090 further solidified Rim Billiton's independence from their colonial governors and rejection of any form of foreign interference. Despite the independence, Victoria refused to accept the status quo but continued to assert pressure upon the new-born nation through gradual colonization. Without the Parliament's approval, a Victorian earl used the excuse of undefined sovereignty over three lesser Rim Billitonian nomadic cities to assert sovereignty over the cities by making alliance with Victorian guilds stationed there, replanning ownerships of local mines, and forbidding Rim Billitoners from having a share in these mines. Furthermore, the Victorians forcefully expelled the Billitoners in the city by hiring local bandits and literally setting up fences around the mines.[6]
Being enraged by the Victorians' actions, the Billitonian miners and laborers formed a strong alliance to repel the Victorian occupants. The conflict ended in the Billitoners' victory after the cities were freed from the Victorians' control and expelling the earl. The diplomatic crisis was later resolved by setting up the Eureka Autonomous Prefecture, a Victorian-controlled enclave in the region.[6] Nevertheless, the constant oppression of the Victorian governors stirred strifes among the Billitoners further which in turn prompted the locals to advocate for the return of Eureka back to the Billitoners' sovereignty.[7]
Branches
Sunvalley Industries
- Main article: Sunvalley Industries
Notable people
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Landmarks
Districts
- Eureka Autonomous Prefecture: Run by Victorian mining companies, it was founded in the aftermath of the Cage Incident in response to the demands made by foreign merchants. However, with the increasing dissatisfaction among the locals due to harsh treatment, there are high chances that Eureka will soon return under Rim Billiton's rule.[6][7]
Settlements
- Ultramassive: The capital of Rim Billiton.
- Iron Carrot: A city in Rim Billiton where April and Savage came from. It is known for being the annual top producer of ores among all cities.[8] A mining accident occurred a few years ago, which later prompted Savage to join Rhodes Island.[6]
- Iron Fist: Ansel's hometown, which is famous for its mining industry.[8][9]
References
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