Natopian Geographic: "South Mehlville"

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A booming oil-rich subdemesne on Eura.

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Christo Eucalyptos
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Natopian Geographic: "South Mehlville"

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Natopian Geographic Monthly
Inspiring. Connecting. People.
Vol. 12 Issue 8

"The Lost Nation of South Mehlville"


A look at one of Natopia's lost territories and how it affects the present-day Demesne of Alkhiva and why tensions are rising in this tiny oil-rich region.
By Thomas F. Millerson
Photographs by Alfred Rell

The Nation of South Mehlville, along with the state of Athlon, share a unique distinction. They were the two Natopian successor states during the Dark Age. South Mehlville, in fact, carries a bit more of the honor having remained independent during the Dark Age when Athlon sought refuge in Gralus. When Natopia rose from its ashes, Athlon and South Mehlville returned as protectorates, maintaining the unique cultures they developed while separated.

However, soon South Mehlville fell into disarray and Athlon, bolstered by the power and prestige of the Bovic Church, annexed South Mehlville to protect it. Athlon undertook a process of Athlonization, renaming towns and making Athlonic Greek official in the hopes of creating an Athlonic hegemony. Soon, however, in a bid to cement the new alliance between Natopia and Babkha, Athlon ceded the South Mehlville territory to Babkha. And then, after that, Babkha fell.
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Derelict oil well near the ruins of Aigialos.
The South Mehlvy people were left without a state in the great desolate, radioactive Green Void of Eura. Much of their original military-focused culture has been lost. Once a proud pseudo-Roman state, they now spoke Athlonic Greek. The harsh Euran desert has weathered and withered them. When asked by others where they came from, all they can say is "xechástike, it is forgotten." Soon they were not called Mehlvy anymore, they became the Xechasmenoi, the Forgotten.
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Xechas refugees, resting in the shade of oil-tank cars following the collapse.
When a Natopian presence was reestablished on Eura, many Xechas began to migrate north, "apo tin Alkina" or "near the Alkhiva" military base. Soon the refineries of Kamaltoon were at capacity, feeding the high demand for tariff-free oil throughout the empire. The original South Mehlville was on oil-rich land and many ancestors of the Xechas worked in the industry. Many young Xechas sought employment in the oilfields, refineries, docks, and various other industries out of a sense of familial familiarity.
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Many Xechas men must work in harsh and unsafe conditions.
Kamaltoon, when it was reestablished by the St Andre Trading Company, was inhabited by a mixture of people from throughout the empire. The other wandering Xechas of Eura began immigrating in larger and larger numbers, hearing of good fortune and stability. Soon they were the majority ethnicity and their voices were growing louder and louder. They wanted the name of the city changed to "Xechaspolis" and to have a greater say in the administration of Tinalkina, as they referred to the demesne as a whole. They presented themselves as being abandoned by the Natopian government and allowed to suffer and wander in the Euran desert. Their mistrust of Natopia was only outweighed by the lack of other large mainland settlements on Eura. They had a history with Natopia, regardless of it being a good history.
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The SAS Babkhan Tea being filled with refined oil, bound for Hazelwood.
It was only a matter of time before enough Xechas became naturalized and would be able to form a functioning government and send a Representative to the Frenzy. Until then, the Office of the Chancellor rules by dispatching marshals and deputies to maintain law and order. Unrest is common and pressure is mounting to either grant home-rule or crack down on protests.
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Xechas protesting in the streets of Kamaltoon.
One thing is for certain, Alkhiva is poised to become one of the richer demesnes in the empire. Whether those riches will benefit the Xechas or the Chancellor will remain to be seen.
Christophos Eucalyptos
Retired Natopian Statesman,
Writer for the Bagelcratican Sporadically
Played by Nathan

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