Ed Island
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| Federal State of Ed Island Bundesstaat Edsland | ||||||
| Ed Island | ||||||
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| Motto "Ehre und Ruhm für die Volk auf Edsland" "Honor and glory for the people of Ed Island" | ||||||
| Anthem Land der Dunklen Wälder | ||||||
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| Capital |  Bridgestadt
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| Languages | English, German | |||||
| Government | Parliamentary Constitutional Executive Monarchy | |||||
| Emperor | ||||||
| - | 2008- | Edward VI | ||||
| Chancellor | ||||||
| - | 2009- | Karl von Stuwe | ||||
| Legislature | ||||||
| - | House | National Assembly | ||||
| History | ||||||
| Currency | Thaler (৳) | |||||
| Population | 14,680,000 | |||||
| Total Population | 17,330,000 | |||||
| Membership |  UAN Bridgestadt Pact Axle Powers
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 Blue represents Ed Island. Light Blue represents Ed Island's overseas territories. Blue-Grey represents Ed Island's claimed ocean territories. | ||||||
The Federal State of Ed Island (German: Bundesstaat Edsland) is a Federal Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy located within the Greater Sub-Antarctic Sea. It primarily borders Tropicalis, the Culldrome Isles, Snowjave, and Glaw, with notable distant insular territories near Margate and Eastshield.
The modern Ed Islandian state was formed in 1943 after the devastating effects of the Wulfen War, a civil war won by Imperial forces against an authoritarian splinter state known as the Neumenian Reich from 1934 to 1942. Once a continental superpower with influence reaching far across Antarctica, Ed Island saw a significant political downturn following the end of the False War. The Bridgestadt Pact, while no longer the large military and political organization it once was, maintains relevance due to Ed Island's membership in the Axle Powers. Today, Ed Island is relatively non-interventionist compared to its allies, instead preferring to consolidate its soft power and alliances. As such, the nation has remained out of major continental wars like the Great Yowien War or various Great Snowzerland Wars.
Ed Island is governed by a unicameral legislature with a democratically elected body known as the National Assembly. A second chamber known as the Diet of Electors exists, whose sole purpose is to convene upon the death or resignation of the reigning monarch and to elect the successor. Ed Island maintains a mixed economic system which is reflected in the presence of both private and state-owned enterprises playing significant roles in the nation's economy.
Etymology
The origin of the name Edsland lies in the nation's founder, Edward the Fair, who established the first Kingdom of Edsland in the 1300s. "Ed Island" itself is a mistranslated English form of the original name "Edsland," with the two both holding official name status within the government.
History
- Main article: History of Ed Island
Early History
Evidence exists for an ancient civilization on Ed Island approximately around the time of the Babbelonian Empire. Known as Ancient Edgypt or Pengypt, little is known about this bronze age civilization other than the few archeological artifacts discovered. Skeletal graves discovered in 2015 shed light on the disappearance of this civilization, with evidence pointing to the Edgyptians dying out after a famine following crop failure.
The first records of the people who would later become known as the Nordlanders appeared in the 5th and 6th centuries, when the confederated Slav'en tribes of the Peninsulan Slav'ens began to drift apart and coalesce around groups of warriors and warlords, installing the latter as Petty-Kings of small fiefs. The group that later became the Nordlanders left the Antarctic mainland at this time and later discovered Ed Island. There is no known reason for the Nordlanders to have left their ancestral homelands, and it is commonly believed that it was related to overpopulation and conflict over the available fertile land.
1300s
The first permanent settlement was founded by a small crew of peasants and serfs living in the High Penguin Confederacy attempting to flee from their High Penguin lords in the early 14th century. The nature of this migration meant they were more-or-less under a central command. By the mid 1300s, they had settled into a system where nobles (whose titles had begun to be hereditary) set up small, independent polities and squabbled amongst themselves. According to Ed Island's foundational myth one of such nobles, Edward (later known as Edward the Fair), was the "King" of a small tribe in the southern plains (today the inner regions of Sudentor) who received a vision tasking him with uniting the island into a single kingdom (and later Antarctica) to prosper and thrive.
Edward and his tribe launched a series of campaigns against his neighboring kingdoms. By 1355, Edward had managed to subjugate or incorporate most of the realms immediately close to his, and thus proclaimed the Kingdom of Edsland in late 1356. Nonetheless, he had learned from previous kingdoms and spent the next several years consolidating and reorganizing his domains. Loyal families were rewarded with important holdings and his major vassals were tied to him by some of the most severe oaths known; in turn the nobles obtained the fealty of their inferiors and so on and so forth. Under his rule the tribes prospered.
His next round of conquests came in 1360, as Edward finally launched a campaign against the Nordlander-controlled highlands. Much like in the home lowlands, the unity of his forces and the superiority of his command allowed him to either conquer or assimilate his rivals with increasing tempo as each addition to his domains added to his power. Edward was also capable of performing a delicate balancing act with the loyalty of his men, as many of the ethnic Viking nobles resented the fact that their Nordlander rivals had been able to keep (and in some cases increase) their holdings and the latter had qualms about serving with or under "flatlands barbarians."
As a compromise, Edward changed the location of his capital, moving it from Dinsmarck to the site of Ivrea Bay, a location that straddled the borders between his two people and was also, quite significantly, a very important and historic site for the Nordland people. On this place, Edward decreed, all past, present, and future kings would reside. To commemorate the event he ordered the construction of Deinsteicht Castle and had himself crowned King of the Nordlanders, assuming the mantle of a dual king.
1600s
In the mid-1600s, a terrible plague swept across the island and reduced the population by almost half. Named the 30 Years Plague, the exact disease was never discovered and to this day remains a mystery. This plague caused island-wide famines as no traders dared to risk themselves until the disease virtually vanished three decades later as quickly as it arrived. Due to the existing stigma against them, High Penguins were blamed for bringing the plague to Ed Island, and were further shunned and hated in the nation.
One of the most notable victims of the 30 Years Plague was the final King of Ed Island, Conrad II. As a result of his sickly nature, Conrad II was known in contemporary literature as the Plague King and, due to his disfigured appearance, never appeared in public without his wrappings or distinctive mask. King Conrad became personally involved with ending the plague, and funded many hospitals throughout the kingdom to help its victims. An early form of germ theory was refined at this time, with doctors furthering their understanding of how diseases progressed. After his premature death in 1699 without any heirs, a crisis of succession erupted which was only exacerbated by the ongoing outbreak. As the kingdom became increasingly divided on how to handle the disease, several constituent states declared themselves independent until the Kingdom of Ed Island ultimately disintegrated. The following Ed States were made up of 18 monarchies or principalities and three free cities.
Following the death of Conrad II, a gold statue with his likeness was commissioned and placed in Deinsteicht Castle. Colloquially known as the Golden King, its likeness became synonymous with Brückestadt (and later Bridgestadt) where it was featured on currency and banners throughout the city-state.
1700s
In 1706, Ed Island had narrowly avoided an economic collapse of the nation with the monetary help of the Pruscan monarchy, which directly placed the family in a position of leadership over the fledgling Ed States, uniting them as an outer dependency of the Holyswissian Empire. Due to Ed Island's distance from the Ninja Archipelago and status under Prusca, it was never truly considered anything more than an outer vassal territory with little influence on the empire.
During this time, the Pruscan leaders funded several fortifications and port facilities throughout Ed Island, most of which remain in the present day.
1800s
After the collapse of the Holyswissian Empire in 1812, delegates from each of the 21 states of Ed Island gathered in Dinsmarck in the Kingdom of Acher, where each of the states pledged allegiance to the Acher Monarch and officially formed the Ed Islandian Empire on February 19th 1812, later known as Unification Day. Ed Island was officially led by an Emperor who held authority over the other kingdoms, loosely modeled after the Holyswissian Empire. The country became a Constitutional Monarchy in 1848 after riots and protests were held in many major cities over the monarchy's power and the desire for citizen's rights.
In 1878, during the Franko-Pruscan War, Ed Island invaded the Frankterran dependency of the Comona Islands and "liberated it" as a territory of Ed Island. As the majority of Frankterran troops stationed in Comona were under-equipped second-line troops, the Ed Islandian Reichswehr had a swift victory in the islands largely in part due to their advance repeating small arms.
1900s
Khanzem War (1913)
- Main Article: Khanzem War
When the Khanzem War broke out across Antarctica, popular opinion across Ed Island favored the Khanzem regime due to its similarly Germanic culture and general distrust of the High Penguin Confederacy. While Ed Island was officially neutral during the early stages of the war, large amounts of weaponry, equipment, and other forms of aid were sent to Khanzem throughout the war, as well as the production of Khanzem small arms and other such equipment in Ed Island itself. During this time, Ed Island was constantly under threat of invasion by The Good Guys for use as a staging area against Khanzem, with whom Ed Island previously maintained positive relations with.
In 1916, an interventionist faction had begun to form within the National Assembly, which opted to support Khanzem more openly than before. Ed Island officially joined the Naughtzees after declaring war on The Good Guys on August 11th, sending troops to the front lines to attempt to break the stalemate.
While joint Ed and Khanzem troops began to slowly advance, the stalemate continued until Puffish troops rapidly advanced through the use of the first tanks. While Khanzem initially reacted by introducing large caliber anti-tank rifles, Ed Island attempted to copy the Puffish "moving bunker" in order to gain the same edge. The first Ed Islandian tank design was first introduced on the battlefield in early 1917, too late to have a lasting effect against the enemy advance.
When all seemed lost after the final advances of 1918 began to encircle Smackemsillyton, a plan to break out of the enemy's front was devised in order to prevent the capture of as many Ed Islandian and Khanzem troops as possible. Using an early form of blitzkrieg tactics using tanks and aircraft to support ground troops, an armed advance of more than 600,000 Ed Islandian and Khanzem soldiers and armed citizens alike cut a line from the capital through the newly-formed Snowman Empire towards the coast, where they would escape to Ed Island and make a final stand. Ed Island as the final remaining nation allied with Khanzem officially surrendered on November 19, 1918, twelve days after Khanzem itself.
Interwar (1919)
The Treaty of Snome placed severe sanctions on Ed Island to limit its military capabilities, although many of these were (often quite publicly) ignored. The largest restriction was the ban on Ed Island tank production, after their effectiveness in "mobile warfare" were shown during the 1918 break out. Ed Island soon aligned itself with other former Naughtzee countries like Osterreach, Magyaria, and South Alemenia. Many of these alliances lasted well into the 21st century, with only the rise of Snowzerland disrupting them.
As a result of famines during the War - generally due to blockades or sinking of commercial merchant vessels - Ed Island opted to purchase the Straits Federation from Sherby Hoodwounds for a total of 40 million Thalers, a significant investment for the near-impoverished Empire at the time. Reorganized as the Landgraviate of Meerenge, this territory would prove vital in producing crops for Ed Island due to the little land available for farming within the nation itself.
Throughout the 1920s and 30s, Ed Island became politically unstable with riots and violent confrontations occurring regularly between government and other organized groups such as Communists and anti-monarchist Nationalists. Much of this is attributed to elements within the country refusing to accept defeat from the Khanzem War and believing the imperial government to be weak for its surrender. In 1934, as a result of nationalist and separatist Nordlander movements in the northern portion of Ed Island, an independent and unrecognized Neumenian Reich was declared. While officially a republic, the Neumenian Reich was an authoritarian dictatorship led by Wulfen Party leader Friedrich Keller.
Civil War (1934)
- Main article: Wulfen War
After the formation of the Neumenian Reich, Wulfen troops began to invade Arlon and Bridgestadt, nearly destroying the capital city through the use of artillery and armored vehicles. The Wulfen War officially began on July 18, 1934 with fighting lasting until 1938, when a ceasefire was called due to the war developing into a stalemate. While neither nation officially recognized the other, this attempt was made to peacefully coexist with the 1934 borders intact. Both sides, fully intending on betraying the peace treaty, began rapidly expanding and modernizing their forces by developing technology such as semi-automatic rifles and jet aircraft. The ceasefire lasted until 1939, when a border confrontation in Arlon ended with the deaths of four Neumenians and two Ed Islandians. In mid-1941, Ed Islandian forces stormed Neumenia though a beach landing from Acher, and successfully captured the Wulfen capital city of Hoffnung. Waldreich and Anfang soon fell following the surrender of Nordlander separatist groups, with the last remnants of Wulfen forces remaining in fortress redoubts within the Waldreich Mountains.
The war officially ended on May 6, 1942 after Keller was said to be executed by his own surrendering men, but his body was never recovered. Unbeknownst to the rest of the country, nearly half a million Wulfen had secretly fled Ed Island to a base on the Moon known as the Mondsreich, where they remained undisturbed for over 70 years.
Postwar (1940s)
Following the civil war, it was apparent that the current Ed Islandian government structure was untenable. On June 8, 1943, Imperial Ed Island officially triggered an internal Federal Law Review, transforming the nation into the Federal State of Ed Island. Intended to address many of the underlying causes behind the Wulfen War, each state now had greater autonomy and influence than before while the national government was reorganized into a unicameral legislative body.
Ed Laboratories was founded in the late 30s by famed scientist Dr. Pavelheer after the purchase of a large salt mine in eastern Arlon, initially for an arms manufacturing facility to aid the ongoing war effort. Reaching almost four kilometers below the surface, this mine was later converted into a vast underground research facility for all fields of scientific research. Ed Laboratories was the location of numerous important developments in teleportation and other scientific ventures, including the construction of Antarctica's first nuclear reactor in 1943. Ed Laboratories was often shunned by the international community for its unethical treatment of test subjects in experiments, such as splicing their DNA with that of a crab or turning their blood into peanut water. Ed Laboratories became state-owned in the early 1960s, and today is the largest research and development corporation in the country.
Soon after the end of the Wulfen War, the Ed Islandian military proceeded with Project Nachtsonne, and unlocked the first Veil Society vault. Reverse-engineering of this technology allowed for a skyrocket in development in every field, allowing Ed Island to become the dominant technological power on the continent. Only officials with the highest clearances were aware that this technological advancement was due to engineering based on High Penguin mysticism.
False War (1948)
- Main article: False War
In 1945 following the Wulfen War, representatives from Ed Island, Osterreach, and Magyaria convened in Bridgestadt to sign the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation. Seeking to solidify the bonds between the nations due to their assistance during the war, this treaty acted primarily as an economic and collective defense pact. In 1947, this was expanded during the Bridgestadt Accords to include Snowjave, South Alemania, and Snowiny where the Bridgestadt Pact was formally created. The signing of the Bridgestadt Accords and subsequent mass military buildup is genuinely credited as one of the main factors leading to the False War in the latter half of the 20th century between the Nationalist and Socialist Blocs. Through the 1940s and 50s, Ed Island supplied its allies with many advanced technologies, including automatic weaponry, jet aircraft, and ballistic missiles, giving the Bridgestadt Pact a technological edge over its rivals and enemies.
In 1956, Georg Seetaucher became the first Ed Islandian in space when he launched on a sub-orbital space flight lasting five hours. To this day, the Ed Islandian government maintains that he was the first penguin in space. The Ruscan cosmonaut generally accepted as being the first in space, Sergei Antonov, perished on his second flight after a heat shield failure during his capsule's reentry. Ed Islandians claim that it was too "convenient" that he died before making a planned international tour, and that no remains could be recovered. Modern evidence mostly disproves this theory, but it remains in popular view throughout the country. Seetaucher would later go on to become the chairman of the Ed Island Astronaut Corps, supervising all future space endeavors. Additionally in this year, the Comona Islands officially voted to become the tenth state of Ed Island.
Sol-1 was brought online in 1986 as the first nuclear fusion reactor. Nuclear fusion became arguably the most important Ed Islandian invention of the 20th century, enabling the nation to become energy independent of foreign nations. Anachronistic details coming into common use in the 2010s include Ed Islandian scientists realizing the potential of nuclear energy for use in weapons, but instead choosing the 'righteous' path of fusion energy.
STINC War (1990)
- Main article: STINC War
Ed Island was one of the primary belligerents of the STINC War, and was the driving force behind forming an alliance of convenience with Puffle'and. Along with its allies in the Bridgestadt Pact, Ed Island decimated Snowviet forces both on mainland Antarctica and within the Ninja Archipelago, most notably sinking the majority of both the Eastern and Western Snowviet Surface Fleets in the conflict. By the end of the STINC War, Puffle'and had established Colonial Antarctica in the ruins of STINC-zachal after a vote had been held in several main cities.
Following the war, Ed Island went through a period of disarmament. The military budget was cut by nearly a third, with this funding being directed to civilian programs.
When the Antarctic Revolution broke out across the Antarctic mainland, Ed Island refrained from aiding either side. While the nation had warmer ties to Puffle'and than in the past, it was well known that any nation that unified the mainland had the potential to be immensely powerful both militarily and economically. Out of either reluctance to antagonize this potential nation or upset over the Puffish victory in the referendum, the official position of Ed Island claimed that because Colonial Antarctica was a territory of Puffle'and, it was an internal matter that did not require international intervention.
2000s
| “ | Freiden - Freiheit - Harmonie | ” |
— Early 2000s Ed Islandian slogan
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With the founding of the United States of Antarctica in 2000, Ed Island was crucial in selling arms and technology to the newly-formed country, immensely boosting the fading economy of Ed Island and cementing its bond with the superpower.
Ed Island was a major component in the International Space Station project along with Antarctica and Rusca. The end of the False War meant huge cuts to the country's defense spending, with a considerable amount instead going to peaceful use in the space program. Construction of the space station was greatly aided through the use of the mass driver complex in Markland completed in 1996, where modules and supplies could be launched by a SSTO supply ship. Ed Island's primary contributions to the space station included the centrifuge habitation module and a laboratory module containing 3D printer fabrication equipment, and the nation would be involved until the deorbiting of the station in 2024.
After the nation of Glaw was founded in the early 2000s, several thousand Ed Islands immigrated to the young country and noticeably impacted its culture. By the time of the Great Yowien War, Ed Islandian immigrants made up over half of Glaw's population.
Snoss Territorial Expansion (2009)
In 2009, Snowzerland launched its expansionist invasions across the Ninja Archipelago, aimed at annexing numerous other nations. Osterreach was targeted by Snowzerland due to their close proximity, and were swiftly annexed by Snoss forces.
Ed Island, angered by the loss of its close ally and under obligation of its mutual defense agreements, launched a reactionary attack alongside the Magyarian military on Snoss forces stationed in Osterreach in order to drive the occupational forces out of the nation. While initially successful, Snowzerland's forces were vastly underestimated and managed to secure their hold over Osterreach, leaving Ed Island and Magyaria as the two sole remaining Bridgestadt Pact members. An Osterrean government-in-exile was formed within Magyaria, but enjoys mixed recognition across the continent.
Magyaria, while often threatened by Snoss imperialists, had not been invaded or annexed and continues to fortify its territory with the help of Ed Island.
During this time, Ed Island inserted several spies into Snowzerland in order to gain intelligence on its military operations. In 2012, One of these spies was crucial in gaining valuable intelligence on the TIE Fighter and Star Destroyer programs, procuring several schematics and blueprints as well as extracting several defecting pilots and technicians.
Intervention in Bloodstone (2006-2012)
During the STINC War, Ed Island became a close ally with the insular Bloodstone Dominion due to its strategic location off the coast of present-day Eastshield. After the assassination of the King and Queen of Bloodstone in 1998, the King's brother formed a regency government to gain power and installed an oppressive and autocratic regime. By 2006, the new Dominion government was facing issues of legitimacy and sought membership in the Bridgestadt Pact to gain greater international recognition with promises of convincing other neutral nations to stand against Snowzerland. No serious proposals were ever considered due to the geographical distance of Bloodstone from Ed Island.
In 2011, the Emperor of Ed Island traveled to Bloodstone to negotiate a treaty inviting the nation to join the Bridgestadt Pact. In reality, the trip was to dispose of the reigning Lord Regent and install the Princess of Bloodstone as the rightful heir to the throne.
Ed Island and Bloodstone entered into a real union in early 2012, effectively ending sovereignty of the Dominion. Bloodstone was incorporated as an autonomous region shortly after, holding a similar political position to Meerenge. Because of this status and lack of an official annexation agreement, this union is believed to only last for the reign of the current Emperor and would expire upon the election of the next.
Snowinian Invasion (June 2012)
- Main Article: Ed-Snowinn War
In June 2012, after a period of weakness following the loss of Osterreach, Ed Island was invaded by Snowiny whose military managed to conquer nearly all of the nation's mainland in a short period of time. At its largest, Snowinn-occupied Ed Island encompassed all of mainland Ed Island save Markland, from which the Ed Island Military managed to push back the invaders. During this time, many civilians formed local partisan organizations to defend against the invaders, and Ed Laboratories separately defended its facilities from Snowinian occupation forces through the use of its private military force.
At sea, the Ed Island Navy was tasked with sinking as much of the Snowinian navy as possible, with almost daily raids on fleets both near Ed Island and at Snowiny itself. Most controversially, total war was waged on Snowinian shipping lanes with several cargo ships being sunk by Ed Islandian U-boat fleets. This ultimately caused Rusca to join the war as an ally of Snowiny after a number of Ruscan sailors were killed when a Snowinian vessel was sunk. Later annihilation of much of the Ruscan Navy later led to the declaration of war being receded and an armistice between the two being agreed on. The Acadian Navy additionally suffered several major losses against Ed Island and Magyarian strike groups, with Ed Island blockading all of mainland Acadia for the majority of the war.
After driving Snowinian and Acadian forces from Ed Island, regions of Snowiny itself were besieged by naval artillery until the nation capitulated on November 18. The peace lasted until January 20, when Ed Island was targeted by long-range cruise missiles launched from Snowiny's Javelin installation in an attack known as the January Reprisals. An operation was launched to put the railgun out of commission, which concluded on January 25 when the main bore of the installation was destroyed. Sonne Island was later occupied by the Ed Islandian military for two months while a full inspection of the Javelin's remains could be studied, with the rest destroyed beyond repair.
Post-Snowinn War (2013+)
Almost immediately following the January Reprisals and concurrently to the Great Yowien War, Ed Island began its own nuclear weapons development program as a direct response to the Snowinn invasion the previous year. The Atomic Weapons Board ("Atomwaffengremium") was established to oversee the design, manufacture, testing, and support of nuclear warheads within Ed Island. Under the AwG, the first Ed Islandian nuclear weapon Gerät 13 was successfully detonated on a remote island in the south of the Comona Islands on June 12, 2013.
While the April 2013 UAN Resolutions were limited in scope to the Kingdom of Yow Island, Ed Island was nonetheless accused of violating its non-proliferation provisions. As fears of a similar fate to Yow befalling Ed Island grew as a result to the nation's relations with the now-occupied Glaw, a tribunal was raised that year in which charges were ultimately dropped due to Ed Island's position as a non-signatory. Ed Island only acknowledged the possession of nuclear weapons and not type or quantity, and it was estimated by the UAN that by the end of the year Ed Island managed to construct 30 warheads. In an interview following the tribunal, Chancellor von Stuwe openly blamed Snowiny's attempted destruction of Ed Island during the January Reprisals for the development of such weapons.
In early 2014, Ed Island joined The Axle Powers in an agreement with Shops Island, Munijoch and the Culldrome Isles. The agreement bonded the four nations into a pact of military, economic and political power. This agreement gave Ed Island much-needed aide to help repair much of its damaged or destroyed infrastructure from the 2012 war. Almost immediately following this entry, the nation would be dragged into the continent-wide Frosian War as a major belligerent of the conflict.
Ed Island would be forced to reduce its involvement the Frosian War following the discovery of the Dark Side of the Moon, to which a number of forces would be diverted to resolve the lunar city's own civil war. The following year, the Ed Islandian government entered an agreement with its Wulfen counterparts on the moon and ending hostilities with them after 70 years. The Wulfen would become part of Ed Island again and would maintain near complete autonomy while trading previously unavailable supplies from Earth for valuable Helium-3 fuel. Announced to the greater Antarctic community as the newest of Ed Island's lunar facilities, keen eyes among foreign powers noted that it was physically impossible for the Mondreich base to be constructed in such a short amount of time.
2016 saw the passage of the Lumen Reforms. While not as expansive as the 1943 Federal Law Review, it further refined many of the convoluted legislative processes and precedents within the federal government. Of note was the return of the previous Imperial tricolor flag to prominence, given equal standing to the nation's current flag.
Contemporary History (2017+)
- Main Article: Independent State of Glaw
When Frankterre annexed Glaw in the aftermath of the Great Yowien War, Ed Island provided the greatest vocal opposition of this, stating it was a "gross mistreatment of thousands of Ed Islandians abroad" (despite Frankterre vastly reducing the crime and raising living conditions of Glaw), as almost half of Glaw's population consisted of Ed Islandians, leading the two nations to be closely connected culturally.
In the morning of May 10, 2017, a small number of aircraft dropped flyers over the major Glowus cities demanding Frankterre to hold an independence referendum for the future of Glaw, with an ambiguous threat of invasion otherwise. The demanded date for the referendum was May 27th, symbolically chosen as the ending date of the Great Yowien War and loss of Glowus independence. As over half of Glaw's population was made up of Ed Islandian immigrants to the nation, the phrase "Heim ins Edsland" (meaning "back home to Ed Island") became popular as a rally cry among these groups. In the end, Glowus independence won with 59.4% of the vote, almost entirely due to the Ed Islandian population.
Despite minor support among certain Glowus Ed Islandians, an annexation of Glaw was never considered by the Ed Islandian government and an independent Glaw was established. The country was reformed into the Independent State of Glaw, a thinly-veiled client state of Ed Island. While the Glowus monarchy was allowed to return to power, much of their surrounding government (and indeed much of the political power) was put in place by Ed Island. The reformed Glowus Military was trained under the supervision of the Ed Island Army, shaping it into a capable self-defense force. Ed Island would additionally indefinitely lease a small region near the city of Ketappe, where the town of Südstern was constructed. Serving as a military base, Südstern was in every way an exclave of Ed Island, not held under the jurisdiction of the Glowus government or law. Glaw additionally became a member of the Bridgestadt Pact, although this was mostly considered a symbolic gesture reinforcing Glaw's sovereignty from more powerful nations.
- Main article: Megafloat
In late 2017 due to the shifting geopolitical dynamics associated with the growing Western Union and lack of major continental wars, a joint Bridgestadt Pact-Axle Powers proposal was made to construct a sea-faring city as the continent's first megastructure project. This city, named Megafloat by its sponsors, would be entirely floating and was billed as a special economic zone to attract trade, investment, and job growth within the two organizations. The project was approved unanimously, and began construction in early 2018. Megafloat was completed by 2021 and opened to economic expansion the following year.
After the failed assassination attempt on the Shopper president, Ed Island closely supported its ally when retaliatory actions were taken against Acadia and the Western Union.
Ed Island was a prominent participant in the Star War in 2020, although like other terrestrial nations was largely limited in its actions by the threat the Star Fortress posed. An Ed Islandian operative was one of the core members of the unsanctioned infiltration, and Ed Islandian E-wings made up a significant portion of the subsequent task force sent to destroy the battle station.
Future
Shops Civil War (2025-2026)
Ed Island officially supported the United States of Shops Island as the legitimate government of Shops Island during the Shops Civil War. Although its involvement in the conflict was largely limited to humanitarian support for the millions of Shopper refugees escaping the country, Ed Island signed a secret treaty with the USSI transferring ownership of several Shopper territories should the USSI fall. Primary among these were the Shopper Extraterrestrial Colonies and its crown jewel of Notron, with Ed Island additionally stationing forces in Plutonium Bay and Uranium Island to allow the local military garrisons to join the conflict. Ed Island would later annex the two strategic resource islands outright following the end of the war.
The only direct military involvement of Ed Island during the civil war was immediately following the Frosian Islands campaign, where the Ed Island Navy sank two Shopper Empire warships attempting to harass ships near the Bloodstone Archipelago.
Occupied Puffalia-Puffarus was of great interest to Ed Island during this time, having near-fully recovered from the devastating Frosian War over a decade ago. While nominally still under joint Axle Powers control, the occupied territories had largely become an Ed Islandian territory in all but name by the early 2020s with the withdrawal of Shops Island forces over previous years and lack of any significant investment from the other Axle nations. Immediately following the outbreak of war, the civilian legislatures of Puffalia and Puffarus each passed annexation agreements appealing to become territories of Ed Island. In spite of minor protests from other Axle Powers members, the two soon became known as the "Christmas States" after their admission as the third and fourth Autonomous Territories of Ed Island on Christmas day.
The fate of the Axle Powers Capital Territory, never fully realized as a proper capital of the organization, was left ambiguous as a result of these agreements. Due to heavy Ed Islandian presence in the territories discouraging attack or occupation, the USSI was able to base a sizable portion of their naval forces out of Axle Powers facilities in the capital territory until the liberation and subsequent relocation to the Frosian Islands. Ed Island continued to occupy the capital territory throughout the war, later quietly reincorporating it into Puffalia.
Following the civil war, Ed Island signed treaties with several of the newly-independent nations such as Farleya (with whom the treaty included basing rights for the Ed Island Navy), the reformed Free Republic of Guymed, and the other various Shops Union members. Ed Island also officially annexed Megafloat as an independent territory, which had seen use as a military staging area during the war, although did little to change its existing local government.
Scramble for Power (2027)
Ed Island's brazen annexation of previously Axle-governed territories led to yet another point of friction within the Axle Powers following the collapse of Shops Island. With both Munijoch and Culldrome becoming more favorable to the Zeta Connections project and the Seal Islands joining the newly-established Shops Union, it became apparent that relations would only continue to sour further with little uniting common interests. The Axle Powers were officially disbanded in mid-2027, with negotiations over military and financial stockpiles lasting into the following year. Although further invited to join the Western Union and Zeta Connections, Ed Island declined membership in either organization.
Ed Island was later involved with expeditions into the Shops Island nuclear wasteland, recovering survivors and important government materials. Ed Island maintained a permanent naval blockade of Shops Island following the war to prevent meddling from other nations, with some optimistic that the country could be redeveloped after the radiation subsided.
Die Sturmzeit (2028+)
- Main Article: Antarctic Spring
Colloquially known in Ed Island as Die Sturmzeit, or 'The Storm Era', the Antarctic Spring was the most severe economic instability experienced by the nation since the Khanzem War. Due to the rapid influx of millions of Shopper refugees fleeing the war, Ed Island struggled in a delicate balancing act to maintain its new territorial holdings while avoiding complete economic collapse. The incorporation of Megafloat as a territory provided some relief as Ed Islandian profits from the city increased dramatically due to its nearby strategic location along the Antarctic Sea Trading Route, even with reduced trade due to the continental economic downturn. Focus was later set on major urban expansions within Puffalia, Puffarus, and Meerenge.
Due to the Western Union's admittance of former Axle Powers members and close cooperation with the Shops Union, fringe beliefs from prior to the civil war began to rapidly gain popularity that the organization was actively attempting to constrict or subvert Ed Island on the national stage.
Geography
Ed Island is located in the Southern Ocean on the border of the Sub-Antarctic state boundaries. The country exercises sovereignty over the nearby Comona Islands, as well as Meerenge and the Bloodstone Archipelago.
Ed Island is divided into two main topographic regions to the north and south. The southern region is characterized by rolling hills and lowlands, with several large freshwater lakes. Conversely, several high peaks making up the Waldreich Mountains extend between the states of Waldreich and Neumenia, which are heavily forested and make up the highest elevation in the Sub-Antarctic. Minor tectonic activity suggests the Waldreich Mountains make up the same range as mountains in Culldrome and Tropicalis.
Climate
The climate of Ed Island is classified as temperate, and is highly changeable although rarely extreme. Ed Island experiences cool summers and mild winters, largely in part due to geothermal activity below the island's surface.
Nearly 48% of Ed Island is forested, making timber one of the country's largest natural resources.
Biodiversity
Puffles are common all over the island, including several of the lesser common hybrids such as Puffle Bats and Chicken Puffles. Marine life is virtually identical to mainland Antarctica, and fish remain a staple of the average Ed Islandian's diet.
Environment
Postwar campaigns in the 1950s gave rise to Ed Island's vast environmental protection policies. Heavy industry is required to minimize pollution, and the presence of nuclear fusion energy has all but eliminated energy production emissions.
Economy
The country's main stock exchange is the Dinsmarck stock exchange, EDSE. It is a major regional index and includes numerous large Ed Islandian and foreign firms.
Currency
Ed Island uses their own currency called Thalers (symbol: ৳; ISO 4217 code: EDT). Unlike most currencies throughout Antarctica, the Thaler is not artificially pegged to the Gold Coin, and instead often fluctuates with the economy. Thalers are printed in notes of ৳1, ৳5, ৳10, ৳20, ৳50, and ৳100, and minted in coins of ৳1, ৳.50, ৳.25, ৳.10, ৳.05, and ৳.01. Many have called for the discontinuation of one cent coins due to their minuscule value compared to the cost to produce them, but the government currently has no plans to do so. Occasionally, commemorative coins of differing values are minted for special events, most of which are not legal tender.
Most tourist destinations in the country also accept Gold Coins as legal tender, and Ed Island is an indirect member of the Gold Coin Alliance as part of the Axle Powers.
Agriculture
Ed Island's terrain allows for very little farming; what does exist on the island is located within the southern rural areas of Arlon, Wellow, and Sudentor. Ed Island is often forced to import much-needed agricultural products, the majority of which from Shops and the other Axle Powers members.
Meerenge possesses a large agricultural base due to the rich, fertile soil within the territory, and alone contributes more than 70% of domestically-grown produce within Ed Island.
Manufacturing
The country has a particular reputation for its manufacturing and technology industry, focusing primarily on the automobile industry but also with a major stake in aerospace, railway, and shipbuilding industries.
As a leading manufacturer of electronic devices, Ed Island is very reliant on the very few deposits of rare earth metals which exist within the country's territory, however, forcing it to rely on other countries for these resources.
Ed Island possesses a substantial automobile and aircraft manufacturing industry, largely in part due to heavily automated manufacturing facilities and the popularity of water-fueled hydrogen vehicles. The nation is the leading producer of aircraft in Antarctica due to these automated facilities, and has at some point produced both military and civilian aircraft for nearly every country in Antarctica. Because of this, Ed Island rarely licenses its aircraft for foreign manufacture.
In recent years, the shift to increased automation in factories has meant that the number of lower-educated jobs in manufacturing has decreased, but the number of vacancies for research and development-related functions in the industries has increased. Both employers and the national government attempt to stimulate the transfer to a more knowledge-based economy through subsidizing further education, and actively provide development opportunities in the manufacturing sector. The employment split between services and manufacturing is expected to almost completely be reversed by 2030, while still maintaining or increasing industrial output.
Energy Production
Ed Island predominantly receives power from the numerous nuclear fusion power plants across the country. Many cities additionally utilize solar and wind facilities to provide additional clean energy, with several of Ed Island's coasts are dotted with offshore wind farms. One island within the Comona Islands simply named Depot possesses a large facility running deep within the ground designed to store nuclear waste until it can be reused. This island has also been theorized to be the location of Ed Island's nuclear arsenal, but this has not been confirmed nor denied by the Ed Islandian government.
Several regions in Ed Island possesses vast quantities of coal deposits, mostly high-quality bituminous coal along with several deposits of anthracite coal. While most of this coal is sold to other nations, much of it is used for local steel production. Ed Islandian steel is regarded as high quality among other producers, although much of this reputation stems from myths regarding Wulfen War-era tank armor.
Additionally, Ed Island possesses the 4th largest natural gas reservoir in Antarctica, located in the sea between it and the Comona Islands. Much of this gas is exported or utilized for heating, as it is not needed for power generation.
Government and Politics
Ed Island is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy, its system of government being a unique hybrid model incorporating elements of both federalism and a constitutional monarchy. Since its reorganization in 1943, Ed Island has been able to maintain a stable democratic political system with citizens at the age of 18 and above granted universal suffrage, although this occasionally wavered throughout the 20th century until being strengthened in the early 2000s. Ed Island is an elective monarchy, meaning that when the reigning emperor dies or otherwise abdicates the throne, the Diet of Electors is called to elect a new head of state. The current Emperor of Ed Island is Edward VI, elected in 2008 following the abdication of his predecessor.
The government is divided into three distinct branches: executive, legislative, and judicial:
- Executive: The Emperor of Ed Island is the official head of state of the nation. Within this capacity they serve as a guarantor of the nation's constitution, and holds the power to veto legislation and dismiss the head of government and cabinet. The Emperor does not have the power of legislative initiative and by tradition is expected to refrain from commenting directly towards current political issues, as it is hoped that each Emperor can provide an unbiased voice of reason when it comes to matters related to legislation and the constitution. The Emperor also serves as the commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces, with all soldiers swearing allegiance to the monarch. The Chancellor of Ed Island also serves as the head of government and the director of domestic governance, policy-making, and foreign affairs.
- Legislative: The National Assembly is the supreme unicameral legislative body of Ed Island. Members of the National Assembly are all democratically elected and share the power of legislative initiative together with the Chancellor, meaning all laws proposed from within the National Assembly or from the Chancellor must be approved by its members.
- Judicial: The Court of Justice ("Edsland Gerichtshof") is the country's highest court and hears final cessation appeals and conducts case reviews of civil matters. The Court of Justice may only oversee cases pertaining to federal law, it may not intervene in the cessation of realm laws, although realm courts may refer cases to the Court of Justice if the court deems it necessary. The Imperial Constitutional Court ("Reichsverfassungsgericht") hears matters in regards to the legality of laws, general elections, and the scope of authority of realm institutions. Judges of both courts are nominated by the serving Chancellor and are appointed by the Emperor.
The official state title of Ed Island varies depending on source. Official documents describe Ed Island as simply a Federal State, while elsewhere it is referred to as an Empire. The German term Kaiser was disavowed by the current Emperor in favor of the English name after the rise of Snowzerland and its association with the rule of Swiss Ninja, although it remains in government documents and official titles.
Government Ministries
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Crime
Due to its homogeneous culture and harsh penalties, Ed Island has a fairly low crime rate. However, crime is not unheard of; Acher typically has a higher crime rate than the rest of the country, due to its large population. Those that commit more severe crimes serve their sentences in the form of forced military conscription into "punishment units," as they are known. These units are typically used for labor in military camps and construction sites, and are identified by their yellow uniforms. Ed Islandians convicted of a felony of any type have their military rifle confiscated for a minimum 15 years, and are barred from voting during this time.
Foreign Relations
- Main article: Foreign Relations of Ed Island
The basic doctrine behind the current state of Ed Islandian foreign affairs can be explained according to two principles which have guided the Imperial government for the past 150 to 200 years:
- Imperial Hegemony: Ed Island considers itself the natural sovereign of much of the Sub-Antarctic. That the country is currently limited to Ed Island proper is nothing more than a fluke of history, and the Empire should extend itself to exercise control over other neighboring insular nations. This is a world-view based on a number of arguments dating back to the late Middle Ages and the founding of the nation, which was considered just a stepping stone towards regional unity.
- A policy of peace: Pursuant to the previous point, Ed Island has long since recognized the practical and moral impossibility of bringing Sub-Antarctica under its heel via the method of military conquest; instead Ed Island has opted to develop a cultural hegemony that it hopes will result in the penguins of Sub-Antarctica asking to be incorporated into the Empire. That is to say, the driving force in Ed Islandian diplomacy is the dissemination and promotion of the 'Ed Islandian way of life,' described as peaceful, harmonious, and just, and the enshrinement of the country as a beacon of stability.
Ed Island has considered the cultural industry to be a paramount part of both life in Ed Island and their diplomatic strategy overseas, in effect the development and utilization of soft power as much as hard power. The Ed Islandian government has thus invested heavily in the arts and sciences, which in turn has turned the nation into a prime producer and net exporter of cultural goods such as films, music, and literature; cultural and educational exchanges are also heavily encouraged, with Ed Islandian chicks traveling inter-regionally and outside the country, with Magyaria, Culldrome, Batavia, and Antarctica being the prime destinations.
Since the STINC War, Ed Island has participated in few offensive conflicts relative to its neighboring countries, but is an enthusiastic contributor to peace-keeping and charity operations throughout Antarctica, although for obvious reasons many of these operations are centered in Sub-Antarctica.
Ideologically, Ed Island has a strong outward commitment to state sovereignty, and sees itself as a leading force against imperialism, colonialism, and colonial apartheid. These accusations are largely aimed at Snowzerland and members of the Western Union, the latter of which is viewed as acting as a vehicle for Snowinian imperialism abroad. Critics have accused Ed Island of deploying anti-imperialist rhetoric hypocritically and selectively, especially with regard to Shops Island and the Axle Powers. Ed Islandian diplomats allege that Shops Island was "correct in its goals but incorrect in its methods" and that Axle investments abroad are more beneficial than Western ones, provoking further accusations of hypocrisy.
On an overall basis, Ed Island maintains a principle of reciprocity as far as diplomatic personnel is concerned, though this will be waived if it is in pursuit of national interests. For example, Ed Island closed its embassies in Acadia and Snowiny after the 2012 Ed-Snowinn War, cutting off all diplomatic and trading ties with the two.
National Parks
Since the end of the Wulfen War and subsequent revitalization projects throughout Ed Island, the country has established a number of national parks and monuments in order to protect some of its most distinct environments. The largest national park in the country is Waldreich Forest National Park, which makes up over a third of the state of Waldreich.
National Symbols
Flag
The current flag of Ed Island is a red, orange, and yellow phoenix on a black background. While the Phoenix insignia was adopted as the personal symbol of the Emperor in 1918, it wasn't until 1942 after the end of the Wulfen War that it formally replaced the Imperial tricolor.
The previous national flag, the Imperial tricolor, was adopted after the unification of Ed Island in 1821. Featuring equal stripes of black-white-orange, it was given equal status to the Phoenix flag following the Lumen Reforms in 2016. It is typically used as an internal national symbol, while the Phoenix flag takes precedence internationally.
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State Flag -
State Flag
(Secondary) -
Civil Ensign
Coat of Arms
The Ed Islandian coat of arms features a shield of the Imperial tricolor surrounded by ears of wheat. Simplified versions often feature the shield alone.
Motto
"Honor and glory for the people of Ed Island"
National Anthem
The national anthem of Ed Island is Land der Dunklen Wälder, adopted in its current form in 1944.
Culture
Ed Island is generally regarded as a very alien place compared to other surrounding countries due to its distinct independent history from the rest of the Sub-Antarctic. Much of Ed Island's culture is shared with other Germanic countries in Antarctica, such as Snowzerland, Alemania, and the former Khanzem regime. Ed Island itself also influenced the culture of other nations; many Glowus immigrants created a noticeable Antarctican culture within the nation, and much of post-Frosian War Puffalia was directly influenced by Ed Island's more "moderate" Germanic culture.
The Pruscan monarchy continues to own land within Ed Island, most of which was returned in 1943 after it was seized by Neumenian forces during the Wulfen War. In recent years, further members of the Pruscan royal house have taken residence in Ed Island after the Snoss annexation of Alemania leading to their targeting by Swiss Ninja, adding yet another point of tension between Ed Island and Snowzerland.
When the nation of Glaw was founded in 2000, the vast majority of immigrants to the country were Ed Islandians due to its close proximity, leading the two nations to be closely tied culturally and politically. This friendship between the nations ceased after the Great Yowien War, when Frankterre annexed Glaw and formed the territory of Frankterran Glaw. The Ed Islandian government's dissatisfaction with this culminated in Ed Island forcing Frankterre to hold an independence referendum, where Glaw was granted independence once more. Despite the majority of (mostly Ed Islandian) Glowus citizens wishes to join Ed Island, Glaw was not annexed and was instead formed as a closely-tied client state almost entirely reliant on Ed Island.
Sports
The most popular sport in Ed Island is ice hockey. The Electric Shocktopi is the country's national team, and is most notable for being the home team of famed athlete Hockey Manlet. When Thunderbeak founded the country of Achadia, he was given full rights by the team to use the Shocktopi name and logo in the country's flag and currency.
Entertainment
A popular form of entertainment is stunt flying. One group, the Stunt Lads, dominates this market with their extreme plane stunts, including unassisted plane landings on top of other aircraft and jumping from one aircraft to another. Additionally, the state provides many national clubs for citizens of all ages to join. One of the largest of these clubs is the National Vexillologist Committee, a group for flag enthusiasts. Other groups include blacksmithing, shooting, flying, and other popular pastimes.
Firearm ownership in the nation is one of the highest in Antarctica, even when excluding the mandatory service rifles kept by each individual, promoted by the government as a last-resort civilian militia in the event of a foreign invasion of Ed Island. There are few specific types of weapons that are restricted in the nation; fully-automatic firearms and destructive devices — that is, rifles over 12.7mm or explosives — require a license to own. All other types are sold freely, provided the owner passes a government background check. Additionally, citizens may receive permits to conceal-carry or open-carry handguns, provided they pass a class demonstrating proper ability and discipline required to do so safely. Government-sponsored shooting competitions are often broadcast live on television, and can see viewership in the hundreds of thousands.
In international sales statistics, Ed Island is often included with the Free Republic Union despite not being a member, due to its location on the edge of Sub-Antarctica state boundaries.
Language
Historically, English on Ed Island has been spoken predominantly by the upper classes, with the lower classes speaking German. In modern times, the majority of the island is dominated English speakers, whereas German is primarily spoken in more rural areas.
Until the late 1890s, Ed English was linguistically much closer to German than modern English. Often termed Anglish, a government inititive follwing the Khanzem War intentionally surpressed this dialect in favor of Puffish English as an attempt to reduce international perceptions of the nation as backwards and uneducated. English spoken in the country today still possesses some holdovers from the old dialect, and Ed Islandians are known to have a distinct accent from the rest of the German States.
Ed German is generally unchanged from the German spoken by other nations, and is closest to Osterreach in dialect.
Gothic fonts are typical throughout Ed Island and are used for both German and English languages.
Feuding
Contrary to modern expectations, late medieval Ed Islandian society was highly litigous, as proved by the tens of thousands of historical court documents in the archives of the premier courts and thousands more surviving from the pre-Imperial Courts era; indeed, it was not uncommon for peasants, as a social, corporate group, to remonstrate against their Lords when they felt their privileges or ancient rights were being violated. This behavior was more common in the Free Cities but even towns under the ownership of a nobleman could appeal in their own defense. As history has repeatedly shown, it wasn't even uncommon for the Courts to find their favor such as when the Count-Palatine of Waldreich was forced to return certain forests he had appropriated as puffle roundup grounds to common ownership of a local village.
Before the establishment of formal Common Courts, those involved in a conflict involving two equal parties - commoner vs. commoner, noble vs. noble - typically had three methods for a resolution. The primary, and most common way of resolution was an appeal to mediation. This worked differently from modern conceptions of the term 'justice system' because, such as it was, the system was not designed or predicated on achieving justice as it is understood today, but rather on achieving a settlement that would be agreeable to all the involved parties and thus avoiding the cost of having to enforce unpopular verdicts.
The second way also involved an appeal, though in this case was directed to a superior authority, an itinerant judge, or the King for immediate ones, asking them to mediate or judge the dispute. They would be, of course, expected to conform to local customs, precedents, and bear into account the 'liberties' that each party possessed. Once again, the emphasis would be placed on obtaining a workable compact that would be accepted by everyone and ensure both compliance and self-enforcement.
The third and final method was, until banned by the Diet in the late 16th century, feuding. They were not, as popularly believed, 'private wars' or in any way illegal but rather a recognized legal form of obtaining redress for real or perceived offenses. In its most basic form, the offended party would declare a feud against the offender and their descendents and then proceed to carry out retaliatory actions against them; these could range from petty thievery or assault all the way to raiding, murder, and open combat, though the latter were extremely rare and exposed the party carrying them out to having others declare feuds against them. Feuding was by no means restricted to the nobiles, as there were clases of entire townships and villages feuding against each other or even nobles, though these certainly lacked the scale of their higher-born counterparts. An intra-village feud was more likely to devolve into a series of pranks or attempts to sabotage the other's livelihood rather than a full-scale siege, and inter-village rivalries often remained limited to crop burning or puffle rustling.
In the end, the practice of feuding was recognized as foil to the concept of internal peace and, perhaps more significantly, to the prestige of the various noblemen. It was not uncommon for one or more mediate lords to declare a feud against their liege, and even the King found himself forced to submit, much to his chagrin and the delight of contemporary playwrights and comedians, to the demands of subjects willing to enforce these by force. The creation of the Imperial Courts by King Sigismund provided the perfect outlet for these conflicts, and thus it was agreed that all future conflicts would be referred through them.
Today, feuding remains a common tradition in some particular locations in Ed Island, though not as an extra-judicial way of obtaining but rather as a local tradition. It is not rare for the youths of one town to sneak out to carry out pranks and jokes on neighboring locales, more often than not driven by purposefully made up or mythical offenses carried out in the past (for example, the theft of a particularly productive tree or favored puffle); in turn, their own home is 'raided' by their rivals. It is understood, naturally, that these are to remain low-level and cause no major property damage or loss of life.
Technologies Produced
- Main article: Ed Laboratories
Served by many prominent corporations in every scientific and technological field imaginable, Ed Island possesses a very technologically-inclined culture, generally accepted as among the most advanced nations in the Antarctic. Many technologies developed early in Ed Island, such as jet aircraft in the 1930s or nuclear fusion in the early 1960s, were adopted in greater Antarctica much later, or (much of the time) developed entirely separate. The country also leads Antarctica with its advanced medical technology, having some of the most prestigious medical centers across the continent. These advancements have granted Ed Islandians the high quality of life they enjoy, bringing with it long life expectancy and low death rates due to sickness and disease.
Due to the few oil fields on the island, plastics remain uncommon in Ed Island even after growing Antarctic trade along the Antarctic Sea Trading Route and through the Axle Powers allow for increased imports. Hydrogen engines were developed in the mid-2000s to reduce reliance on oil with their ability to convert fresh, salt, or brackish water into fuel.
Ed Island possesses a massive aviation industry, largely due to the Advanced Automated Aviation Plants in the nation capable of producing any aircraft design if provided the necessary blueprints and materials. Ed Island has produced aircraft for over 70 countries in Antarctica, many of which are licensed foreign designs. Because of this, it is not uncommon for many battlefields to see Ed Islandian-produced aircraft fighting against each other.
Other prominent fields of research in the country include holography, teleportation, nuclear fusion, biological and genetic engineering, and robotics.
Space Program
Ed Island has historically been at the forefront of space exploration. A distinct space program has been operated since the 1950s when the continent's first artificial satellite was launched into orbit. The Ed Island Astronaut Corps was formed in 1961 as a subsidiary of the air force, and was given authority over all Ed Islandian assets in space. The Astronaut Corps is divided into military and civilian components.
After the end of the False War, much of the defense budget cuts were put towards the construction of a mass driver facility on the coast of Markland alongside the massive Arkbird maneuverable spacecraft. Originally conceptualized during the False War as an anti-missile and anti-satellite laser platform, the Arkbird became a symbol of peace and progress for its role as an orbital laboratory in the postwar years.
Sine the Wulfen reintegration into Ed Island, much of their space technology has been adopted and improved before being put into service by Ed Island. Most notable is the adoption of the Haunebu-V spacecraft. Essentially a modernized version of the Wulfen Haunebu-IV, as of 2018 it has become the primary method for space transportation within the Ed Island military. Other advanced spacecraft designs are being developed, including transports using repulsorlifts instead of rockets and starfighters to rival the TIE Fighter or A-Wing.
Ed Island possesses two facilities on the Moon, Moon Base One and the Wulfen-constructed Lunastadt. Soldiers stationed at Moon Base One are considered among the most elite in the military, and are equipped with some of the most advanced weaponry in the Ed Islandian arsenal. A Venus habitat for both military and scientific purposes was considered for construction, but the plans were deemed impractical with modern technology and ultimately discarded.
Nuclear Weapons Program
In 2014, despite the ban on the manufacture and use of nuclear weaponry, Ed Island was accused by the UAN of actively developing nuclear weapons. It was not unusual for nuclear material to be imported or manufactured by Ed Island; they had developed the first nuclear fusion reactor in Antarctica, and nearly all of the island is powered by nuclear facilities. On July 16, 2014, a nuclear detonation was reported in the ocean territories governed by Ed Island, which was claimed by the military to be the failure of a nuclear reactor onboard a naval cruiser, triggering detonation of ballistic missile warheards held within. Despite very few countries believing this (as fusion reactors by nature cannot meltdown like a traditional fission reactor), nothing more was done to investigate the matter due to the lack of evidence and the fact that Ed Island did not sign the treaty banning countries from producing nuclear weapons. By not acknowledging its possession of nuclear weapons and by not signing the treaty, Ed Island is technically exempt from the rulings on nuclear states. Constant vetoes by Shops Island typically prevent any further UAN action to be taken.
Current estimates based on leaked information place Ed Island's nuclear arsenal at approximately 100 weapons. Satellite imagery of suspected holding sites does not fully support this number, however, instead suggesting a much smaller number of weapons. Combined with ongoing classified Astronaut Corps satellite programs, a theory exists that Ed Island only posesses a small number of nuclear weapons - if any - and leaked false information in order to make the country appear more formidable than in reality.
Artificial Intelligence
Ed Island is a leading nation in artificial intelligence development, currently having several municipal and two military AIs in active use. The AI used by Ed Island can be broken into two categories; "dumb" and "smart" AIs. The terms dumb and smart are potentially misleading, however; the Superintendent, a dumb AI, has been found to have an IQ of 240.
"Dumb" AIs are created through traditional programming methods and are more limited in their cognitive capabilities, being incapable of the capacity to feel, perceive, or experience subjectively, and cannot learn subjects outside of their specialized role. These roles typically do not require strong decision making, and as such dumb AIs are generally used for municipal duties. Although they lack the ability to synthesize information like a smart AI does, dumb AIs are far more responsive and adaptable than normal computer systems. They are able to recognize new situations and make pre-programmed decisions to account for unexpected events, but lack the creativity, intuition, and ingenuity of a smart AI. Additionally, they cannot learn anything that is outside of their set limits of dynamic memory processing matrix. A well known dumb AI is the Superintendent, responsible for maintaining the Bridgestadt municipal network.
Conversely, "smart" AIs are created by scanning the brain of a recently deceased penguin in order to replicate the neural pathways as a computer matrix. Smart AIs are capable of intellectual development, and can actively learn from and adapt to situations and events. Unlike dumb AIs, however, smart AIs possess short lifespans due to the creation of more neural linkages as information is learned. This lifespan is typically between seven to ten years, after which the AI descends into rampancy and instability and is terminated. Because of the process used to create smart AIs, they may retain residual thoughts, feelings, or memories from the original being. A prominent smart AI is Myria, first created in late 2013.
Infrastructure
Highways and Bridges
The Reichsautobahn, one of the first modern highways of its kind, was constructed throughout the 1930s and 40s, though the first sections between Bridgestadt and Sudentor were constructed in the late 1920s. The highway stretches throughout the entire country, circling both 'inner' and 'outer' coasts of the island. The most notable part of the Reichsautobahn comes at the state border between Bridgestadt and Waldreich, where a grand victory monument was constructed in 1943 to depict unity between Neumenia and Ed Island.
Perhaps the most famous bridge in Ed Island is the Iron Bridge located on the coast of Bridgestadt. Connecting the east and west portions of coastal Bridgestadt separated by the Ivrea Bay, the Iron Bridge is one of the most prominent landmarks of the city, often grouped with the Volkshalle or Wulfen War Memorial as the most recognizable structures of Ed Island. Similarly, the Futuro Bridge was constructed in the late 1980s between the states of Acher and Neumenia, and is one of the longest bridges in Antarctica spanning nearly 10 kilometers. Unlike the Iron Bridge, however, the Futuro Bridge is built mostly out of Über Concrete.
Railways
Ed Island utilizes a unique broad-gauge railway system named the Breitspurbahn (literally meaning 'broad-guage railway). Developed shortly after the Wulfen War from original Khanzem plans for Antarctican rail lines, the three-meter-wide rails carry immense double-decked passenger cars throughout Ed Island. Secondary rail lines run between military bases and are restricted to armored military trains, though the rails can be linked in emergencies. Due to its concrete construction and fixed rails, the Breitspurbahn does not possess railway ties like conventional railways, serving an additional purpose as an idea road for maintenance and military use.
Due to the immense size of the Breitspurbahn, most cities have separate monorail subway systems for shorter distance travel within city limits. While most of these systems run below ground, some cities such as Bridgestadt or Dinsmarck, have above-ground lines specifically intended for scenic or tourist views around important landmarks. Similar to those in Rusca, underground subway systems were designed to be used as bomb shelters in the event of an attack on Ed Island.
Architecture
Many public buildings in Ed Island constructed in the mid- to late-20th century are designed in a unique blend of neoclassical and brutalist architecture commonly referred to as National Architecture or Stripped Classical Architecture. This style is distinct in its great use of stone and concrete in order to imitate that of the buildings constructed by the Penguin Empire. While less popular today in favor of more modern designs, nearly every city in Ed Island has at least one building in this style.
Most buildings in Ed Island are constructed using a building material known as uber-concrete, a specialized form of concrete produced using a type of limestone only found in Ed Island and the Comona Islands. Setting quickly and capable of withstanding incredible strengths, uber-concrete is the structural backbone of Ed Island, forming nearly every major construction project from bridges to homes to the grand Große Halle in Bridgestadt. Uber-concrete was developed in the early 1930s, and despite initial flaws in the mixture leading to outbreaks of mold growing within deteriorating concretewas further refined into a near-perfect building substance which continues to be used to the present day.
Demographics
Ethnic Groups
The majority of Ed Islandians are ethnically and linguistically Germanic Vikings (62%) with Nordlanders as the first minority (27%). While Nordlanders are descendants of the Vikings who settled in Ed Island from the 6th to 8th centuries AD, they are considered an entirely separate ethnic group.
Population
Ed Island has a population of approximately 17.3 million penguins. The most populous state in Ed Island is Acher with a population of 2.2 million, followed by Sudentor with 1.6 million.In accordance with an Ed Islandian law signed in 1830, an official population census is taken every five years, with the most recent occurring in 2020.
Traditionally, the Ed Islandian population was not centered in major urbanized areas and was decidedly rural in nautre, with low population densities in all regions. Over the last 150 years however, industrialization has formed three distinct conurbations; the greater Bridgestadt area (generally named the Ivrea Basin), the greater Dinsmarck area, and the greater Hoffnung area. The three tend to account for just under 50% of the population and house a majority of the industrial centers in the country.
| Largest population centres of Ed Island Source? | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | City name | State | Pop.
| ||||||
 Bridgestadt |
1 | Bridgestadt | Bridgestadt | 1,126,000 | |||||
| 2 | Dinsmarck | Acher | 810,000 | ||||||
| 3 | Lunastadt | Dark Side of the Moon | 768,000 | ||||||
| 4 | Lowpoint | Acher | 570,000 | ||||||
| 5 | Sotha | Neumenia | 510,000 | ||||||
| 6 | Redstone | Bloodstone Archipelago | 420,000 | ||||||
| 7 | Hoffnung | Neumenia | 390,000 | ||||||
| 8 | Neukirch | Sudentor | 325,000 | ||||||
| 9 | Himmelfeld | Arlon | 275,000 | ||||||
| 10 | [[]] | [[]] | |||||||
Language
English and German are the two official languages of Ed Island. Due to its federative origins, the nation is is inherently multilingual and 86% of its inhabitants indicated they could speak two or more languages proficiently according to a 2015 survey. The only language to be given official minority language status is Hungarian, and small French, Spanish, and Dutch speaking communities are also present throughout Ed Island's various territories.
The Ed Islandian government publishes most of its documents in German and encourages its citizens to use it as a first language, officially to 'preserve the language in an increasingly English-speaking Antarctica.'
Districts and Territories
- Main article: States and Territories of Ed Island
States
Acher - Founding state of Imperial Ed Island.
Anfang - Home of the Round Table mountain range, where pilots from across Antarctica have fought for aerial superiority.
Arlon - Location of Ed Laboratories and home to the emperor's estate.
Bridgestadt - Location of the capital of Ed Island with which the state shares its name.
Comona Islands - Small archipelago west of Ed Island, conquered from Frankterre in the 1870s. Location of the Werdenberg Nautica, an important aerospace research center.
Markland - Insular state that is the location of Ed Island's mass driver complex used to launch spacecraft into orbit.
Neumenia - Industrial state known as the ancestral home of the Nordlander people and origin of the Neumenian Reich.
Sudentor - Said to be the location of the first landing of Vikings in Ed Island. Name roughly translates to "Southern Gate."
Waldreich - Highly forested and mountainous state.
Wellow - Least populated state of Ed Island but rich in mineral wealth.
Autonomous Regions
Bloodstone Archipelago - Culturally distinct archipelago that joined Ed Island in a personal union in 2012.
Meerenge - Agricultural region purchased in 1922 that grows the vast majority of Ed Islandian crops.
Territories
Dark Side of the Moon - A lunar colony founded by remnants of the Neumenian Reich in 1943. Self-governing as a separate territory from other extraterrestrial holdings.
Ed Island Extraterrestrial Colonies -
Ed Island Ocean Territory - Small uninhabited insular territories claimed by Ed Island
Notable Cities
- Dinsmarck - Among the first cities founded in Ed Island, first capital of the Kingdom of Edsland.
- Grossbeck - Industrial city in Waldreich where two rivers converge to form the Mainz River, location of most of Ed Island's steel manufacturing capabilities. Alternatively spelled Großbeck.
- Hoffnung - Capital of Neumenia and the single largest concentration of industry and manufacturing facilities in Ed Island.
Megafloat - Seaborne city under joint governance of the Bridgestadt Pact and Axle Powers.- Steinburg - Capital of Markland and known for being the last line of defense during the Ed-Snowinn War.
- Tauberg - Site of a proposed anti-missile laser facility during the False War and later a massacre during the Ed-Snowinn War.
Transportation
Land
Automobiles, being by far the most popular form of land transportation (behind walking), are used daily by penguins all over the country. A significant portion of cars on Ed Island are powered by hydrogen engines that can instantly convert several gallons of water into hydrogen. Ed Islandian automobiles are popular among environmental activists across Antarctica for this reason, as they only produce oxygen as a biproduct.
Trains
Ed Island's primary passenger rail system consists of broad-gauge lines measuring three meters across, nearly twice as wide as the international standard. Immense double-decked train cars carry passengers and military equipment alike across the far reaches of Ed Island. Armored military trains run on separate lines than civilian ones, as to not interrupt travel for either line.
The Eisenpheil ("Iron arrow") is a high-speed rail system that traverses the entirety of Ed Island from Dinsmarck to Hoffnung, capable of reaching speeds of 200kph.
Most large cities possess monorail subways systems, but these rarely connect cities together. Most subways in the nation were constructed with the additional purpose of acting as a bomb shelter in the case of an attack on Ed Island, and in 2012 the subway entrances of Bridgestadt, Dinsmarck, and Hoffnung were rebuilt to withstand a nuclear attack.
Water
Boats are extremely common in the island country, and are utilized for a large variety of purposes. While fishing is extremely limited within the Lake Eclipse due to the delicate ecosystem, territorial waters have a heavy civilian presence where fishing is lightly regulated. The Ed Islandian government also operates ferries traveling between Ed Island, Snowjave, and the Comona Islands.
Most large coastal cities possess sophisticated dock and port systems, making them vital for international ocean commerce.
Air
Planes are by far the most common form of air transportation. Ed Island is one of the only countries to operate supersonic passenger jets, which enable trans-antarctic trips to occur in only several hours. These 'Super Jets' as they are commonly known are some of the most advanced passenger aircraft in Antarctica, and are a source of pride for Ed Islandians traveling abroad.
Civil aviation is allowed and encouraged by the Ed Islandian government for anyone wishing to become a pilot. Outdated and demilitarized military aircraft are sometimes sold to civilian pilots for use in air shows or private museums.
Space
Since 2008, Ed Island has operated short commercial spaceflights on WNE-211 spaceplanes launching from Markland. These flights merely take passengers to the edge of the atmosphere to experience micro-gravity, and only last several minutes in orbit. Commercial facilities in the lunar city of Soyuz are currently being constructed.
Military
Main article: Ed Island Military
| “ | While most states have an army, the Ed Island Army has a state. | ” |
Ed Island possesses a well trained, effective military considered among the best in Antarctica. All citizens are obligated to serve 15 months in the military, or alternatively, in civil protection organizations involved in disaster relief, emergency medical services, and peacekeeping efforts. After this service civilians are trusted to keep their rifle, and are expected to use their training in the event Ed Island is in danger (indeed, a significant portion of the population engaged in partisan activities during the Ed-Snowinn War). Further military service is completely voluntary, and includes further benefits for veterans. Breakthroughs with robotic manufacturing and materials research allow Ed Island to produce its own weaponry, vehicles, and equipment, reducing reliance on other countries.
Many military bases, ranging from small barracks to sprawling depots and camps, are spread out across the Ed Island countryside. Many large bases are located in the state of Waldreich, due to the mountainous terrain and low population allowing for larger weapon tests. The Bloodstone Archipelago also possesses several military bases, such as the recently-constructed Avalon Dam missile base. While not strictly a military base, the Comona Islands possess Comona Base, an aircraft testing range and launch facility for EIAC rockets and spacecraft.
Ed Island military uniforms are typically more decorative than other contemporary military uniforms. They consist of a field tunic in varying colors depending on the branch; Feldgrau grey-green for the Army and some SF units, light blue for the Air Force and Astronaut Corps, midnight blue for the Navy, and black for the majority of the SF. The tunic's collar possesses two tabs denoting rank and branch, and is typically constructed out of a darker material than the rest of the tunic. On uniforms prior to 1980, an embroidered phoenix insignia was located on either the front or sleeve of the uniform; after 1980, uniforms were given velcro patches on the sleeve with an infrared-sensitive Ed Island flag patch. Under the field tunic, soliders typically wear collared shirts or winter sweaters. In the field, soldiers wear either camouflage smocks or plate carriers over their uniform, which may be camouflaged as well depending on the location. The military dress uniforms are typically similar to the field uniform, but have Litzen tabs similar in design to the roman numeral 'II' in place of collar tabs as well as other decorative designs.
The standard helmet for the Ed Island military is the Stahlhelm, or Steel Helmet. The helmet's distinctive shape and flared neck protection has given it the nickname "Coal Scuttle" helmet. Variations of the design include variants without the neck protection in use with paratrooper divisions, firefighting helmets, and white field medic helmets. Other headwear used by the Ed Island military include field visor caps, brimmed field caps, and officer peaked caps.
Army
Main article: Ed Island Army
Ed Island's army is formidable when conducting ground operations. The Ed Island Army is fond of utilizing Blitzkrieg tactics, owing to its highly-mechanized nature. Like other military branches, many of the EIA's policies and tactics were taken from those of the Wulfen after the reintegration of Neumenia back into Ed Island in 1942. The Ed Island Army is notorious for keeping large amounts of outdated weaponry preserved in inventory, some even dating back to the Comona Campaign.
Several of Ed Island's main territories also possess their own defense forces, which fall under the jurisdiction of the Army; these include the Bloodstone Guard and Wulfen Heer. The Snoss Liberation Army and Glowus Defense Force, while not falling under the EIA's jurisdiction, are often trained and equipped by the army.
Air Force
Main article: Ed Island Air Force
The air force consists of many advanced 4.5th and 5th generation aircraft. Ed Island was one of the first countries to operate an air force, having created the EIAF in 1909 prior to the outbreak of the Khanzem War, during which these planes were used to great effect against the less advanced Antarctican aircraft. The majority of the EIAF's aircraft used are domestic aircraft, with few being license-built from other nations.
The Ed Island Astronaut Corps is a branch of the Air Force, operating as the main Ed Islandian space agency. The EIAC launches from Comona Base, as well as a special launch facility in Waldreich for SSTO launches.
Main article: Ed Island Navy
The Ed Island Navy is the second largest branch of the military and consists of a large number of heavily-armed ships, including some of the largest and most advanced vessels in Antarctica. Ed Island possesses the only blue-water navy within the Bridgestadt Pact, as the other members only possess destroyers and smaller patrol vessels.
The typical naval uniform consists of either a blue utility jumper worn when on duty, and a dark blue overcoat otherwise. Naval infantry, such as marines or coastal artillery, wear uniforms similar to the standard army uniform with gold detailing rather than silver, naval ranks worn on the left sleeve, and a cuff title of the sailor's ship.
The EIN's largest bases in Ed Island are Port Trident on the shores of Anfang and Sand Island in the Comona Islands. After the independence of Glaw in 2017, a naval base was leased near the city of Ketappe in the Tourte Bay.
Special Forces
Main article: Ed Island Special Forces
Often shortened to SF, the Ed Island Special Forces are an elite branch of the military involved in specialized tactical and clandestine operations, typically acting in areas that the EIA lacks jurisdiction. Members of the SF take an additional oath to the Ed National Party upon enlistment, leading many to view the SF as a paramilitary branch of the party itself. The SF employs its own armored divisions and aircraft squadrons in order to be completely independent as a military branch, although it often cooperates with the other service branches. In addition to specialized operations, the SF also possesses the SF Paranormal Division, a secretive organization tasked with locating and uncovering hidden historical and magical artifacts to put to use to further Ed Island's goals. The SF Paranormal Division operates across Antarctica in search of these objects, including past operations in Freezeland, Magyaria, Zhou, and the Yowien Sea.
Due to numerous visual and ideological similarities, many believe the Snoss SSS to be inspired by the SF.
See also
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Glaw |
Club Penguin Island |
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| Snowjave | 
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Sub-Antarctica | ||
 Ed Island 
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| Comona Islands Tropicalis |
Dorkugal |