Mu

Mu is a large continent situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Austral Ocean. A melting pot of different cultures and ethnicities, Mu has been the stage for many ethnically and religiously motivated conflicts throughout history.

Mu is a continent located mostly in the Western and Southern Hemispheres, with a relatively small portions in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres.

It is bordered on the north by the Pacific Ocean and on the south and west by the Austral Ocean; North America lies to the northeast. It includes 29 sovereign states (Federal Republic of Mu, Malihini, Vashparaq, Geq, Houpo'e, Manquoria, Ikaika, Wrightsylvania, Zhenzhuren, Awarurua, Waponi, Zieleiland, Todorovia, Shoenesland, Manu, FSM, Nybornholm, Canaje, Goprug, Baraga, Fijnland, Cote des Manchots, New Livonia, New Cambria, New Hibernia, Vogelinsel, Islarida, Prometida, Tahiti), and a few non-sovereign areas (Sofiashavn, a Danish Overseas Territory, Johnston Island, Wake Island, Port Dewey and Port Laurel US Mu Territories). One free-port city, King's Thumb exists as part of the Commonwealth and is supported by the United Kingdom.



Mu has an area of ##,###,000 square kilometers (### sq mi). Its population as of 2010 has been estimated at more than ### million. Mu ranks fifth in area (after Asia, Africa, North America, and South America) and fifth in population (after Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. Houpo'e is the most populous country on Mu, followed by the Federal Republic of Mu, Freiestaten von Mu, Malihini and Todorovia.

The settlement of Mu can be divided in main waves of immigration by a variety of cultures around the world, at different periods of history. They can be generally divided as the Muror settlers, the First and Second waves of Kanagan settlers, the Chinese Hairen and the European colonizers, in order of arrival.

Much of Mu's history revolves around the conflict of the ancient and technologically advanced Muror Empire and their neighbours, resulting in the ever shrinking Muror territory being restricted to the most inaccessible regions located around the Sea of Hadu and the Omarqa Mountains.

The terrain in Mu is very diverse, ranging from the lush rain-forests of the north, to the mountains and swamps of the center of the continent, to the vast deserts and prairies of the south. Mu is surrounded by a host of different islands around the continent with climates ranging from arid to dense jungles.

Although the people of the continent would be considered as Bronze Age cultures when the Europeans arrived, by the 20th century Mu was already home of strong local powers with capable armed forces, namely the Freiestaaten von Mu, a German majority country with a history of national-socialist leanings, Houpo'e, by far the most industrialized Kanagan nation and the most populous country in Mu, and the Federal Republic of Mu, the current heir of the ancient Muror Empire's legacy and a major local power, with a highly educated people, regimented society, and a heartland composed of impenetrable terrain for invaders.

Prehistory
The continent of Mu was first colonized by an early branch of humanity that left Africa during the Human Diaspora. Archaeological evidence indicates that Mu was not home to any of the proto-human or sister branches of humanity in the distant past, being too isolated from other land masses. Early human settlers to Mu traveled across the ocean (estimated date 20,000-15,000BCE) and began colonizing the continent from the northwest, sweeping down the coasts then penetrating inland.

Muror Colonization and Empire
The Muror people are one of the | Southern Dispersal branches, the first humans to settle coastal Asia. It's not known where the proto-Muror set sail from, but it's known that they came as a small group (current genetic estimates place the founding group at less than 100 people) that got lost in the sea but reached the enormous continent of Mu by accident. Genetic studies indicate that early on there was no other significant influx of settlers from the other Southern Dispersal people, nor was there any significant maritime seafaring culture among the earliest settlers of the continent.

As the earliest settlers of the continent of Mu, the proto-Muror found a continent filled with Ice Age megafauna and pristine forests. Early settlements stayed coastal until the discovery and settlement of what would come to be known as the Gulf of Hadu. With this avenue into the heart of the continent the Muror spread quickly throughout the heartlands. After a few centuries the Muror had spread across the whole of Mu, from mountain’s height to the warm waves, but not all were gathered into nations, as there were many roving tribes that did not take up agriculture.

Eventually, each of the tribes grew and flourished, engaging in warfare, trade, and political maneuvering. Out of this grew the Empire of Mu, becoming established in roughly 2500 BCE. This empire, more of a conglomeration of city-states, feudal duchies, and theocratic enclaves, began to settle into the rhythm of governance. Each of the ruling branches of society, the Lords (Hukamdil), the Priests (Pov), and the Warriors (Ushqur), began to establish their roles in this new society.

In 1351 CE the Five Plagues were brought from eastern Asia, one of which is considered by many historians to be a variant of the Black Plague which decimated Europe, and swept across the continent. Muror society collapsed, and with it the Empire of Mu. In a period of less than 30 years the Empire of Mu went from complete dominance of the Muror peoples, to complete destruction.

In the chaos a number of smaller warlords began to carve out small kingdoms for themselves. Vashparaq, Geq, Q’tir, Yollohtli, Mul, and others grew in power locally, each establishing a separate identity and sphere of influence.

Northern Kanagan Colonization
Scientists estimate that the first | Austronesians landed in Mu about 1000 BCE and rapidly settled northwestern Mu and much of the Mazu Archipelago. This group of settlers became the basis for the Northern Kanagans.

Averaging 1,80m, these Kanagans were much larger than the diminutive Muror, and very quickly they drove the natives out of the Mazu Archipelago, the Heart of Maui and adjacent regions.

Southern Kanagans
Current estimates place the Southern Kanagan influx at around 300-400 BCE. These settlers and conquerors bypassed the majority of the continent in their quest for new land and established themselves along the southeastern coasts of the continent. Though not as physically imposing, on average, as their Northern Kanagan cousins the Southern Kanagans were none-the-less beneficiaries of the Northern Kanagan conquests as the struggling Empire of Mu now had multiple invasions to fight off, as well as the usual internal strife suffered by any large empire.

In addition to building off the techniques and disruptions to native Muror peoples by the Northern Kanagans, the Southern Kanagans also appear to have borrowed a number of linguistic features from them, despite deriving from an entirely separate Austronesian branch of peoples. There is debate currently in paleo-linguistic and archaeological communities as to whether the Southern Kanagans should be considered a separate wave of immigration or a subsequent wave due to their linguistic and cultural similarities (whether inherent or borrowed is uncertain) to the Northern Kanagan peoples.

Chinese Migration
In about 210 BCE, the Chinese Qin Emperor (Zheng, King of Qin (秦王政), personal name Yíng Zhèng (嬴政) or Zhào Zhèng (趙政)) sent a large fleet of young virgin women and men to find the mythical mount Penglai under the command of Xu Fu. While there Xu Fu was to obtain the Elixir of Life, or at very least a recipe for immortality - what Xu Fu found instead was an archipelago (the current day Mazu Archipelago) ripe for conquest. After an initial period of consolidation of power (i.e. establishing himself as Emperor of the Isles of the Sea) Xu Fu began a lightning-fast campaign of conquest that saw the technologically superior Chinese settlers exterminate or subdue the majority of the archipelago.

Mu’s Medieval Period (~1400 - 1600 CE)
By this time the Kanagan peoples, now split into a multitude of small kingdoms, were engaged in conflict between themselves and the Muror. Various city-states and kingdoms rose and fell in power, none coming to dominate completely. Some of the larger kingdoms, like Tollang and Q’tir began to form blocs to counter the power of the invading Kanagans and to try to dominate Muror politics.

Q’tir, with its successful copper and gem mines, grew to dominate a significant portion of the continent, bringing Ganara, Labn, Vashparaq, Geq, Aljiraq and Jijeq under its control. Tollang absorbed Yollotli due to some very successful marriage alliances. Soon thereafter Tollang began to bring its neighbors into its sphere of influence, starting with Yatiqliq (former spelling in the West was Yatiklik). Within a 30 year period Tollang had absorbed numerous minor kingdoms, duchies, and theocratic societies into its ever burgeoning empire.

As these two powers grew, so did the tension over governance of the Muror peoples. In 1587 CE, after the Ash War (so named because it left towns, fields, and churches burned to ashes) Tollang emerged victorious, but at a great cost. The southern Muror peoples of Mui and Mul had been eradicated or absorbed by the ever encroaching Kanagans, and the Muror of Goprug had been pushed up into the mountains from the fertile plains along the continent's northern shore. The Mouth, the straits leading from the Austral Ocean into the Sea of Hadu, now lay firmly in the hands of the Kanagans. Whole swaths of land, especially those on the north side of the Omarka Mountains (the main chain running from NW to SE Mu), were no longer capable of the agriculture necessary to support large cities. With this war the Muror had lost many of their lands to invaders, starvation, or outright descent into barbarism.

European Colonial Period
In 1520 Ferdinand Magellan (Fernão de Magalhães) a Portuguese explorer working for the Spanish Crown crossed into the Pacific Ocean. After stopping for a short while in southern Chile he and his small armada of 5 ships set sail westward in hopes of reaching India. What they found was a continent steeped in mystery and conflict, and far stranger than anything they could have imagined. Titanic beasts with multiple horns roamed in herds of hundreds of thousands, penguins the size of seals, large carnivores that carried their young in pouches, and many stranger animals were some of the wonders found by Magellan and his men.

Early contact with the Kanagan peoples quickly disabused him and his men of the notion that they had discovered a part of India. These large natives, many standing nearly two meters tall, were very war-like and worshiped a being they called "Maowe". Their religious leaders commanded that these white-skinned heathen be destroyed. After losing two of his ships and his own leg in the fight, Magellan swung northward along the coast. Various tribes and petty kingdoms of the Kanagans were more hospitable, often aiding Magellan’s expedition with supplies and gifts. Cunning traders and shrewd political players, these chieftains and kings hoped that these white men would bring back wealth and gifts. What Magellan’s men left was syphilis, cholera, and consumption (tuberculosis).

Magellan, nearly completing his circumnavigation of the globe but dying of a high fever in the Philipine Islands, left a legacy of exploration and curiosity that drove many other European explorers.

The aftermath of Magellan’s expedition, however, was far worse for the native Muror and Kanagans of Mu. Disease spread widely across the continent, following ocean and inland trade routes. Syphilis did not outright kill most of its victims but it weakened them to the point that either cholera or tuberculosis did. This left the northern coast of Mu, along Magellan’s route, without half of its population by 1580.

Mu during the 1600’s
In 1600-1620 a landrush for colonies began among the European nations along the northern coast of Mu. Portugal conquered the Kanagan kingdom of Paraka’a. Spain founded the abortive viceroyalty of Nueva Iberia, but due to the distance from Spain, as well as the large Incan and Aztec Empires that Spain was busy trying to subdue, the colony never flourished. Eventually Nueva Iberia, the erstwhile capital of a Spanish Viceroyalty, fell into disrepair and poverty within a few short years. Due to the Treaty of La Bouza in 1644 the Spanish had been forced by the Portuguese to grant independence to the colony of Nueva Iberia. Portugal had hoped to bring this area under its protective wing, but with the Portuguese Restoration War raging between Spain and Portugal no manpower could be spared.

A number of other Spanish colonies were founded in the 1630s and 1640s: Tiquea (named for the Muror Tikea tribe who originally inhabited the area), Aragoilla (Little Aragon), Catalunilla (Little Catalonia), Canaje (named for the Kanagan Kanahe kingdom that was conquered) and Taere (which later became Todorovia).

Manquoria was originally settled by French and Spanish Galicians, yet the colony almost failed due to tropical disease and mismanagement. Further waves of colonists, including Basque, Lativian, and Czech groups, formed important waves of settlers who came to the colony and carved out lands from the dense jungles of Mu. The entire colony was expected to fail and was labeled “Terre des Manqués” (i.e. Land of Losers) throughout Europe. “Manqué” from early modern French - a term used in reference to a person who has failed to live up to a specific expectation or ambition. The colony did survive, but never prospered greatly.

The 1700’s
The French, still upset at the loss of their territories in New France (Quebec/Canada) founded a number of “manchoteries” or elephant penguin (grandes manchots) | flensing houses where the birds were rendered into oil. This oil was used widely throughout the 16th and 17th centuries in things like cosmetics, machinery, and lighting. Le Côte des Manchots was the territory that arose from these bird hunting stations. These small stations, which slowly grew into cities, were largely ignored by the British due to their already dominant hold further north, and their use of whale oil instead.

A number of English colonies were established in the 1700s across the northern portion of Mu. These colonies, New Livonia, New Hibernia, and New Cambria, were established by Crown command. One of the first governors of New Livonia, James Cook, single-handedly captured Chief Kalani’opu’u a Kanagan rebel leader and claimant to the throne of the Kanagan kingdom of Malihini during a state dinner where he had lured him to discuss peace. Chief Kalani’opu’u was hanged by the British in 1780.

In 1750 the Danish crown sponsored a military/colonization expedition to the southern coast of Mu. Once they arrived they discovered the Kanagan Pakiriivi kingdom which was quickly falling apart due to an internal civil war, disease, and famine. They established a beachhead at Sofiashaven on the southwest of the island. Quickly their small contingent of 450 soldiers was able to capture the king, Ainumutu. With him in hand as a puppet they managed to subdue the remainder of the island within 40 years. Also during this period German colonists, pledging allegiance to the Danish crown, began arriving on New Bornholm, mostly staying on the eastern side of the island.

The Dutch founded a number of colonies across the southeastern coast of Mu. These grew into the territory of Fijnland (Fine/Beautiful Land). They also conquered Pamoe Island from the remnant kingdom of Mul and renamed the colony Zieleiland (Soul Island) due to the shrieking of the native huilendapen which sounded like damned souls.

The Dutch crown also began to grant lands to various groups of German settlers starting in 1770 provided that they pledge to live under Dutch rule and contributed materially to the monarchy’s coffers. For 25 years the German settlers poured into the SE end of Mu, subduing the land and staying loyal to the Dutch crown, however when the Dutch monarchy began to raise taxes on the German speaking colonists in 1795 tensions began to rise quickly.

Throughout the Spanish colonies a number of slave revolts and minor rebellions arose, but none of them were successful in Mu.

The revolutions of 1800’s
The fires of revolution begin their march across the continent. German colonists in Dutch and Danish controlled areas begin to rebel against the unfair taxation (they feel) of their European masters. This revolutionary zeal is fanned by American intervention. At first small communities in SE Mu begin meeting in secret, planning the overthrow of the Dutch governor. Soon, the governor’s palace burns to the ground, with the governor, his wife, and their three year old daughter inside. The rebels, the self proclaimed Freiestaaten von Mu, raise their banner and declare independence. Within months it becomes evident that the Dutch crown is ineffective in bringing its German colonies back under control. With the United States recognizing their independence after only three years, FSM becomes a local powerhouse.

Soon, roughly 1835-40, FSM begins to export the revolution to other German speaking colonies across Mu. Vogelinsel, the nearest neighbor, quickly declares independence from the Netherlands when supported by FSM. During this period the radical right begins to surge in Neu Dresden, pushing out the more moderates. This causes a rift in the governance of FSM, eventually leading to the state of Manu declaring independence as Saxonia Austral. Due to this infighting Vogelinsel withdraws its application for admission into the FSM union.

During the Napoleonic Wars the destruction of the Danish Home Fleet by Admiral Nelson left New Bornholm mostly fending for itself. The sizeable German population, concentrated on the eastern side of the island, were granted self-rule early on, but even these measures could not keep them happy. In 1856 FSM supports the revolution in Schoenesland, backing the local German plantation owners against the Danish crown. This was a relatively bloodless revolution, as only 34 Danish garrison troops are killed, along with 60 Kanagan slaves, and 4 plantation owners on the part of the rebels. Schoenesland’s independence is recognized immediately by FSM, and after a year and a half by Britain and the US.

Despite numerous small rebellions over the years the Spanish colonies of Mu only succeeded in gaining their independence between 1838 and 1850. The first colony to rebel, Todorovia, was liberated by a mestizo and former slave army led by Fyodor Todorov, the grandson of Bulgarian immigrants to the Spanish colony of Taere. This army, the First Liberation Army, swept down out of the mountains after a ten year guerilla campaign and drove the Spanish forces into the sea. Following the capture of the city of Isabela (what later came to be known as Ciudad de Todorov) the Spanish garrisons in other colonies began to find themselves confronted by these mixed armies. Todorov’s armies, as they gleefully called themselves, exported their revolution across the Spanish speaking colonies of Mu. Facing certain defeat in Mu, and hoping to consolidate their control in South America, the Spanish withdrew from Mu, leaving the colonies to fend for themselves.

To honor their grand commander and liberator they renamed the city of Isabela to the city of Todorov. After declaring their independence, these Estados Unidos de Mu, eventually fell to infighting and discord. After about 20 years of political maneuvering and strife President Todorov, president for life, began to work on consolidating power. This was not, however, accepted by the local elites in Tiquea, Canaje, Aragoilla, or Catalunilla. After 6 years of revolts unsuccessfully suppressed these former states in the Estados Unidos de Mu declared their independence and self rule. Todorov, incensed by this rejection of his rule, gripped his remaining lands with an iron fist. He began purging officers that he believed were insufficiently loyal. He had entire villages massacred if he felt that their taxes were too low. Soon Todorov ruled the country as a despot, supported by his generals out of fear for their families. During this period Todorov also changed the name of the country from Taere to Todorovia, a name he felt more fitting of his accomplishments.

In 1863 Fyodor Todorov died of tertiary syphilis. His last year was spent raving and howling in the presidential mansion. His son, Iñigo Todorov de Galizia, assumed the presidency following his father’s death. A shrewd politician, Iñigo carefully devolved some of the ruling powers his father had seized, gaining political cachet. This political masterwork, chronicled in the book Mis Pensamientos Sobre el Gobierno del Pais (My Thoughts on the Governance of the Country) by Iñigo Todorov is considered necessary reading in political sciences still today. Iñigo’s careful guidance led Todorovia back into representative democracy within 20 years.

In 1872, following the formation of Germany, the FSM was courted as part of the Greater German People (Das großdeutsche Volk). This was met with wild approval by the ruling classes of FSM and Saxonia, but with a cooler reception in Vogelinsel and Schoenesland. The Reintegration (Wiedereingliederung), was approved by Saxonia and FSM, but rejected by Vogelinsel and Schoenesland. The Reintegration brought massive German investment in the economies of Saxonia and FSM, while maintaining their status as Freie assoziierte Staaten, or Free Associated States. This allowed for free trade and immigration between German Mu and Germany. Many new cities sprang up along FSM’s southern coast, such as Blaueswasser and Pitkairn (named after the temporary English settlement from the 1760 as a watering station and resupply post).

In 1873 the British navy arrived in The Mouth to mediate a ‘trade dispute’ between the Empire of Mu and it colonies on the northern coast of the continent. The underfunded and badly out gunned Muror navy suffered a significant series of defeats in their home waters of the Sea of Hadu and their few, tenuously held lands around The Mouth. With seaborne trade completely stopped by the British blockade the Muror merchant houses, still a potent force in the Empire, began to exercise their power to try to bring the conflict to a close.

After months of being cut off by sea and the military campaigns against the British colonies failing, the merchant houses combined with the support of the military houses and mining houses, captured the naval houses of Vedzagra and Hunillampe. This coup enabled them to maneuver the young Ujjamun (Muror Emperor) into peace negotiations.

The seven year old Ujjamun Nalangqu, previously a scion of the House of Vedzagra, was removed from his House’s control and adopted into the main merchant house of Gahrijjeom. This power shift in Muror politics allowed the British negotiator, Lord David Madison, to dictate extremely favorable terms for the British colonies and demanding control of the fishing port of Qatopru, inside The Mouth. The British rechristened the city of Qatopru as St Thomas City, quickly shortened to Thomas City, then colloquially as Tom City. The local accent, heavily flavored by Canadians and American ex-Confederates, began to pronounce it “Tum” City, and from about 1888 it was known as the King’s “Tum” or the King’s Thumb.

Beginning of the 20th century
In June of 1908 the US Great White Fleet, a brainchild of President Theodore Roosevelt, arrived in The Mouth. About 1 month before the fleet’s arrival, the USS Washington, an armored cruiser, arrived in Vatpagchi Saeli, the Muror Capitol city, to arrange the visit of the Great White Fleet. During his visit to the city Captain James D. Adams was feted by many of the great Houses, trying to demonstrate their culture and sophistication, while at the same time vying for invitations to tour the warship. The Captain wisely used this opportunity to build significant goodwill with many of the Muror Houses.

With the arrival of the entire fleet, a planned pageant of American naval power, the Empire of Mu rolled out the red carpet, so to speak. Their astonishment at the advanced cruiser was nothing compared to the impact the American battleships had on the Muror Houses. Immediately the Ujjamun was encouraged (forced) to request that the United States provide their extremely weakened navy with their own new, advanced ships. The Ujjamun, already under the control of House Gahrijjeom, was quick to accede to the request. The fleet commander, Rear Admiral Charles S. Sperr, in what is now considered a stroke of genius, negotiated the exchange of American military hardware for Ijjamuram, Mu’s last remaining holding in The Mouth’s southwest portion, following their disastrous defeat 40 years earlier at the hands of Awarurua and Houpo’e in the 1843 War of the Mouth. The city, more of a deep harbor with some surrounding highlands, was called Port Laurel due to the abundance of Paulownia ujjamunia, or Emperor’s Tree, which bore a resemblance to laurel trees of the northern hemisphere.



WWI, or the Great War, was devastating to the economies of FSM and Saxonia. During the war the British blockaded FSM’s major ports, and Australian and NZ troops held Blaueswasser for 3 years. Saxonia, ever an unwilling ally of FSM, was very late to commit troops to the attempted liberation of FSM territory. This led to significant strife between Saxonia and FSM that disrupted smooth communication and cooperation, leading to an overall decrease in fighting efficacy. Allied offensives, while never successful in taking Koenigshafen or Neu Dresden, left much of the industry in ruins. At the end of the conflict half of the Saxonian navy had been sunk, and most of FSM’s civilian infrastructure had been damaged, some beyond repair.

Following the Treaty of Versailles, FSM had been given severe reparations as had Germany. Saxonia was taken under British mandate and reorganized into the State of Manu. After seven years of British rule the people of the State of Manu were allowed self governance again. This was shortly followed by a largely successful political coup by FSM, effectively bringing Manu into its sphere of influence. FSM, with its abundant natural resources mostly intact from the war, worked hard with many national programs to rebuild their damaged industry and restore their political power. Banned by the Treaty of Versailles from direct association with Germany, FSM directed their power to subtle control of the other German Mu nations. This has allowed FSM, by 1936, to have significant influence in Manu and Vogelinsel, and growing influence in Schoenesland.

Côte des Manchots, while a French colony, participated very little in the Great War. No combat took place there, and their troops only saw garrison duty in Africa and occupied FSM.

Todorovia sent volunteer brigades to the Entente during WWI, but officially never entered the conflict. They spent most of their time working to bring the other former Spanish colonies into their sphere of influence, mostly unsuccessfully.

Flora
Most climates exist on the continent of Mu with the exception of subarctic, tundra, or polar ice cap. The most prevalent climates on Mu are: tropical rainforest, tropical savanna, humid subtropical, humid continental, and oceanic, while the mediterranean, and steppe climates are found in only very limited distributions.

Due to this great range of climates Mu has a wide array of plants and fungi that have developed over Mu's 16 million year geological isolation.

Mu's primary flora regions are the Heart of Maui Rain Forest, the Omarqa Mountains, the Hadu Swamps, the Pom-Pine Highlands, the Dustarjarte Plains, the Fijnland grasslands, the Jaeger Mountains, the Desert of Mu, and the Blaueswasser Plain.