[hider=The Shin'na Federation]
[centre][h1]Shin'na Federation[/h1][/centre]
[centre][img]https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/436941809848025090/494237539411165184/thrace_and_macedonia_flag___thracedonia_by_viktorsart-dapiz8y.jpg[/img][/centre]

[b]Location:[/b]
[hider=In Mint Green, at the far West]
[centre][img]https://i.imgur.com/rmJ4jBo.jpg[/img][/centre]
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[b]History:[/b]
The Federation began life as a collective of independent, nominally sovereign states. Founded in response to rising powers of the day, the stated goal of the Federation was to protect the powers of the individual Prince's, both great and small. Smaller princedoms enjoyed not having to worry about larger princes stealing their land, and larger princes would really together to prevent their rivals growing in size and power. Ambitious warlords who tried to break free from the Federation would find themselves caught in a war on all sides. Their lands would be stripped from them and fed to their enemies, and they would be executed for their treason. Physically, it was a land of low, deep canyons and high plateaus; these high sites made great defensive structures and were often revered as holy places, but the low valleys were where most of the farming took place.

For the longest time, this system seemed to work. While there were shaky periods, where the Federation was on the brink of collapse, the promise of mutual protection proved too tempting for smaller princes to break off, and the larger ones wouldn't risk losing what trappings of power they could claim in the Federations legal body, the Council of Princes. With such political infighting, the Federation was incredibly decentralised. Most laws passed by the Council could be flouted with impunity.

The Shin'na people were united in culture, faith and language, but the ambitions of the Princes prevented unification. Whenever one seemed to gain power, the others would unite to take that away from them. Unification was a far-off dream of radicals and maniacs, and most Shin'na didn't believe it was a probability.

Radical, that is, until the water came. The low farming valleys were lost as commoner and noble alike scrambled up the steep mountains. Thousands died as food crops were lost, and riots began to fight over the scraps of what was left. The Federation all but collapsed, and order gave way to anarchy.

While the Princes that survived kept their power for some time, their failure to aid their starving people turned opinion against them. They were too concerned with their own positions, or too proud to admit there was a problem, or too weak to actually solve the violent deluge. The more time went on, the more embittered the people became. Desperate, they turned to the second most powerful caste of people, the priests.

They met at Nupuri Iwa, Where the Earth Touches The Sky. For days, they faster and prayed, trying to divine some kind of symbol from the Gods as to how they could repent their sins, and prevent the doomsday that was wrought upon them. The solution eventually came, and it was not a pretty one. They had to sacrifice all of the Princes and their families.

Before the rains, such an insane idea would have resulted in the death of the priesthood for daring to challenge the status quo. But people were desperate. The Prince's armies deserted, and they were brought to the great stone table at Nupuri Iwa. Not a single ounce could be spared. They killed not only the men, but the women and children too. Their beating hearts were ripped from their ribs, and the stones ran red with blood.

Some say that the rains stopped as the last noble child was executed. More cynical minds claim it took at least an hour before the sky stopped weeping. What is certain is that the day after the ritual, the rains had finally stopped and parted way for a bright, beautiful sunshine. 

No evidence was found of the bloody ritual that happened the night before - no bodies, no hearts, not even a speck of blood staining the rock. The gods had been fed. Their hearts were appeased, and the people of Shin'na could at last go back to a semblance of normality.

The political and social structure of the Federation has been radically changed. Were once being a noble was a sign of status, now even forgotten bastards hide their lineage for fear of being branded a traitor. The Priesthood replaced the warring Princes as the new rulers, and instead of many weaker states, there are now only three, one for each Island. These priests hold much more power than any mere Prince could ever have hoped for, turning the ragtag collection of tribes and clans into a trio of centralised theocracies. The three islands are still functionally independent, but the closer relationship between the priesthood means they are much more given to following each others suggestions, and progress is much easier to achieve. The Shin'na live on, though dramatically fewer in number, growing tough mountain plants for sustenance and carving homes into the very face of the mountain. 
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