Isidar

Territory of Isidar そうシアル
Flag
Country	United Republic
Capital	Hingashi
Largest City	Kurogane
Population	5,111,691
Governor	Ken Kobayashi
Legislature	TBA
Official languages	Alstinian Ænglish, Burgoignesc, Shaukuese
Recognised languages
Postal Abbreviation	IS
Time Zone

Isidar, officially the Isidar Territory is an overseas incorporated territory of the United Republic, located in the Shauku Archipelago northeast of mainland Audonia bordering Sotsial to the southeast and Burgoignesc Iles Evangeline to the east.

Geography

Isidar is situated at the western edge of the Shauku Archipelago, occupying the islands of Yonakai and Taiyoi. It is surrounded on three sides by the Sea of Capelan to the west and the Sea of St. John to east, as well as a maritime border with Burgoigensc Iles Evangeline. Its climate is characterized as being amix tropical wet and tropical dry, similar to much of the neighboring Sotsial and Iles Evangeline.

History

Early Oyashima settlement

The oldest evidence of human existence on the Shauku Islands is from the Stone Age and was discovered in Todajima and Buntaro in neighboring Sotsial. Human bone fragments and hunting tools thought to be from the Paleolithic era were unearthed from a site near Kamui on the eastern coast of Taiyoi. Early Oyashima influences dating back to 200 BC are dominant on the Shauku Islands, although clay vessels on found there have a commonality with those in Metzetta.

The first mention of the islands was written in official Chen dynasty documents detailing a then-recent tribute mission returning from the region. Beginning in the 9th century, independent agricultural societies on the islands slowly developed until the 12th century, at which point the islands came under the suzerainty of the Matsumori dynasty. During the Toshimochi dynasty, Sotsial would come under nominal rule of the Oyashimese, but would become de-facto independent during the Sengoku Jidai and the subsequent Sea Lords-Daimyo Wars.

Burgoignesc colonial rule

Main article: Oyashima#Early_modern_era

The Far East Colony was established by the Ularien Trading Company in 1638 to put pressure on the northern flank of the Myanga Ayil Khanate. The original colonial effort was a series of military outposts in the lands of the various factions along the border of the Myanga Ayil Khanate from where they made incursions. Using their diplomatic prowess, the colonial administrators gained more and more land through protectorates, doctrine of lapse, buying titles and bribing officials as they worked their way inland.

In 1817, facing financial difficulties at home and a series of peasant rebellions that decimated the profitability of the spice trade in the colonies, the Duchy of Marialanus sold the Far East Colony back to Oyashima. The following year, the islands of Yonakai and Taiyoi were sold to the United Republic, and subsequently reorganized the islands as the Department of Isidar.

United Republic administration

Initially under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Army before administrative duties were first transferred to the Ministry of the Interior in 1832, and then to the Department of the Navy in 1837, life in Isidar did not significantly change from the Burgoignesc colonial era for the first twenty-five years of UR administration, with its principal use being an important was a station for Alstinian merchants and warships traveling to and from Audonia. Following the discovery of gold deposits in the Kuma Mountains in 1843 and the Varshani conquest of the neighboring islands in the Shauku Archipelago during the 1850s, however, the settlement and fortification of Isidar increased dramatically as the United Republic sought to fully secure the region.

In 1892, President Samuel Clement signed into law the Isidar Territorial Act, formally reorganizing Isidar into an organized incorporated territory of the United Republic, with Genji Kastumoto becoming Isidar's first elected governor. During both Great Wars, Isidar served as strategic outpost in the Northern Cathay, linking Audonia with Crona and the world at large, while also providing sanctuary for refugees in fleeing conflict throughout the Audonia continent throughout the 20th century; An example of the latter was when much of the Levantine population residing on Ayermer fled to Isidar following their expulsion in the aftermath of Ayermer's fall to Daxia in 1936.

At the turn of the 21st century, there was widespread concern that the Shauku Archipelago was a potential flashpoint for conflict, due to rising tensions between Varshan and various Occidental and Occidental-aligned nations, coupled with the continued Varshani presence in the Archipelago. These concerns only grew as the Deluge griped northern and central Crona, and were indirectly realized in November 2020 with the start of the Varshan War. At the onset of the War, Isidar came under repeated assaults from Varshani air and naval assets, most of which were repulsed with little-to-no causalities incurred. These attacks would persist until May 2021, at the conclusion of the Shauku Archipelago Campaign.

The Shauku Archipelago Campaign

Further information: Final War of the Deluge

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  Daxian amphibious transport dock passing a sunk Varshani frigate on its final approach to its landing zone.
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  Daxian landing craft resupplying a beachhead on April 13th, 2021.

The Battle of the Shauku Islands was an ancillary engagement during the Final War of the Deluge, fought between March and May of 2021. The Varshani naval contingent on the Shauku Archipelago was considered a liability as it could attack from the rear during the ground invasion of Varshan proper and the allied command determined that it needed to be eliminated. The combined forces of Daxia and Alstin, were tasked to launched an invasion of the archipelago.

The invasion commenced on March 3rd, with a massive naval battle, the First Battle of the Shauku Littoral. The Daxian fleet approached from their southwest stronghold in Cao and the Alstinian fleet arrived from their northwest bases in Oyashima and Isidar. The Varshani navy, caught off guard by the scale and coordination of the attack, engaged in a fierce but ultimately losing battle, after a two-day running battle, the remaining ships of the Varshani navy, limped out into the Great Expanse. The Daxo-Alstinian forces were able to establish temporary naval dominance of the Shauku littoral, initiating a relentless bombardment of the islands' defenses.

With the Varshani navy crippled and coastal defenses weakened, Daxo-Alstinian forces initiated amphibious landings across the archipelago. The initial landings met with fierce resistance from the Varshani defenders, who were determined to protect the islands. Despite heavy casualties on both sides, the Daxo-Alstinian forces, aided by continuous naval and aerial bombardment, were able to secure small beachheads and begin pushing inland by March 17th. The Varshani defenders used the jungle terrain and guerrilla tactics to launch numerous counterattacks against the Daxo-Alstinian beachheads. The Daxo-Alstinian forces experienced significant setbacks throughout the week of the 21st, with some units being forced back into the sea. In response to the Varshani counterattacks, the Daxo-Alstinian forces intensified their aerial and naval bombardment. The islands' infrastructure, already heavily damaged by the initial assault, was systematically destroyed. The bombing campaign caused widespread devastation and significant civilian casualties, but it also severely weakened the Varshani defenses and made command and control communications extremely difficult, rendering coordinated operations almost impossible. During the first week of April, a number of resupply convoys arrived and the Daxo-Alstinian forces, reinforced and resupplied, renewed their amphibious assaults, determined to gain control of the beaches. The Varshani defenders, although disorganized, lacking a functional central command and depleted of resources and ammunition, continued to resist fiercely. After weeks of bloody fighting, the Daxo-Alstinian forces eventually managed to secure the beaches, establishing a firm foothold on the major islands. With the beaches secured, the Daxo-Alstinian forces began their advance inland. The Varshani defenders, now fighting a desperate rearguard action, retreated into the interior, using the ruined infrastructure to their advantage to confound Daxo-Alstinian armored manevers and to conduct ambushes. The fighting was sometimes even hand-to-hand, with the Daxo-Alstinian forces suffering heavy losses. As the Daxo-Alstinian forces advanced throughout the second week of April, the Varshani navy returned and launched a series of counterattacks in an attempt to disrupt the invasion. These attacks, the Second Battle of the Shauku Littoral, although initially successful in distracting the Daxo-Alstinian advance, were ultimately repelled, with the Varshani navy fighting to the last vessel and aircraft. The battle ended on April 25th when the last of the Varshani submarines was hunted down and destroyed. Despite the setbacks and heavy casualties, the Daxo-Alstinian forces relentlessly pursued the remaining Varshani defenders on land. The fighting continued for two more weeks, with the Varshani forces gradually being isolated and killed. Eventually, after 9 weeks of intense combat, the last Varshani strongholds were overrun, and the islands were declared secure.

Post-Deluge events

Since 2025, extensive efforts have been made towards the expansion of Isidar's infrastructure in order to facilitate Sotsial's integration into the wider Republic, all the while continuing to serve as a vital logistics and transport center for the Shauku Archipelago at large.

Government

Isidar is an incorporated territory of the United Republic. Its governmental structure and fundamental law are prescribed by the Isidar Territorial Charter, promulgated by President Samuel Clement and validated by Parliament in 1892. The Governor of Isidar is elected by the residents of Isidar, and is prescribed a four-year term by the Charter, though a Governor may be replaced or recalled at any point in their term.

The territorial legislative body is known as the Isidar Territorial Assembly. It is a part-time body that meets twice annually at for a period of 15 weeks. The Assembly comprises of 220 seats, apportioned according to population, with a guaranteed minimum of two seats per precinct.

Isidar sends a single non-voting Delegate to the National Council.

Society & Culture

Contemporary Isidar culture, with its roots in Mutsutorine culture, combines influences from Audomia, Levantia, and Crona. Traditional Shaukuese arts include crafts such as ceramics, textiles, lacquerware, swords and dolls; performances of bunraku, kabuki, noh, dance, and rakugo; and other practices, the tea ceremony, ikebana, martial arts, calligraphy, origami, onsen, Geisha and games. With substantial assistance from the United Republic government, Isidar has a developed system for the protection and promotion of both tangible and intangible Cultural Properties and National Treasures, with twenty-one sites having been inscribed on the LoN World Heritage List; thirteen of which are of cultural significance.

In terms of ethnic breakdown, according to the 2030 census 56.3% of Isidarians identified as Mutsutorine, 19.6% Oyashi, 17.4% Occidental, and 6.7% other or multi-ethnic. Of the Occidentals residing in Sotsial, about 42% are of Burgoigniac-descent, and 40% are recent Alstinian arrivals. In terms of religious adherence, 83% of Isidarians are religious, with 72% of the total population practicing Shinto, 7% professing Confucianism, and 6% are Christian, of those 48% are of the Mercantile Reform Protestant denomination, 39% Chantric, and 13% other Christian demoninations. The level of participation in religious ceremonies as a cultural tradition remains high, especially during festivals and occasions such as the first shrine visit of the New Year for the Shinto. Confucianism from Daxia has also influenced some Isidarian beliefs and customs.

Economy

Isidar benefits from its trading relationship with the federal government of the United Republic and cheap trained labor from Alshar. Historically, the Isidarian economy has relied on tourism, mostly from East Alshar, on the garment manufacturing sector, and on the mining sector, due to the prevalence of gold, copper, lithium and other minerals.

The transportation sector is one most developed in East Audonia, with an extensive network of highways, rail lines, and waterways connecting the region internally and externally. Moreover, the region is host to a multitude of transportation links, including nine major airports, six major rail hubs, and ten major seaports; Of the latter category, the Port of Kurogane generates nearly $72 million in revenue annually, making it the business port in Isidar, and one of the largest in the Shauku Archipelago.

In addition, Veraise has a strong fishing and shipbuilding industry based primarily in Hingashi and Kamui, and a robust manufacturing and lumber sector in Ikari. Moreover, the service-oriented sectors are among the fastest growing in the region, with tourism, retail trade, insurance, banking and financial services spearheading much of the growth both in this sector, and the regional economy as a whole.

Since 2022, efforts have been made to further develop the territorial economy through capital investments and federal infrastructure projects. Such projects include the expansion of Isidar's nearly 1200 kilometers of paved roads, renovation of both the Port of Kurogane and Kurogane International Airport, and the establishment of a Marine Highway ferry system to connect the islands together with Iles Evangeline, Sotsial and Oyashima.