"Two people. Two crowns. One Monarch to rule them all."

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The Lands of the Nakeshi Archipelago were one of mystery and wonder. Its lands had a long 7 centuries of history in Toria, yet its people and land were unlike anything found in the rest of the world. Aside from the equally mysterious people of the Empire of Vendradala, no other people shared the same appearance as the people of the archipelago.

The Lands of Nakeshi were very similar to other regions neighboring it: forests, mountains, and so on. Yet the fauna and flora shared no resemblance to those found in either of the regions of Nartika or Hodiqatia. This difference was even clearer in the two biggest cities of the archipelago, Kosata, and Shisaki, the cities built under the shade and protection of the Great Sacred Trees. Trees so tall and wide, that nothing would ever surpass them aside from mountains.

The main and biggest island of the Archipelago, Hanto, was home to the Naoshian people. They were formed of individuals with human-like features but with the presence of horns of various shapes and sizes. Every individual seemingly capable of wielding the yet not fully understood Makka alongside a high level of strength in comparison to those outside of the archipelago.

The islands of Kyenpo, Sonkashi, and Otsumi, west of Hanto Island, inhabited another group of people who were very different from the Naoshians. This group was called Akeshian, and much like the Naoshians, they shared a human-like appearance, an affinity for Makka, and quasi-superhuman strength, even more so than the Naoshians. What set them apart from the Naoshians was their lack of horns. Instead, they appeared to possess a pair of animal ears alongside their human ears and a tail covered in fur.

These people, so similar yet so different, lived in two different kingdoms: the Kingdom of Naoshi and the Kingdom of Akeshi, respectively. However, they were both ruled by the same monarch, a result of centuries of political marriages between the royalties of both kingdoms. The ruler of the two kingdoms was the Makotei, a figure that in the past held near-absolute power over the archipelago.

However, after a failed campaign of conquest against the continental powers of Nartika many centuries ago and the rivalry between the Makotei of that time and the nobility of Akeshi, the once absolute monarch rescinded much of its authority to a so-called parliament in Akeshi—a move that would soon be repeated in Naoshi.

The Makotei were now mostly relegated to ceremonial duties, even though they still held some powers. No Makotei would ever try to abuse their prerogative powers, lest they wanted to fight against the very nobility that supported them.

However, the failure of the invasion of Nartika wouldn't just bring down the absolute monarchy; it would also mark the beginning of an isolationist policy. The Dual Monarchy, protected from foreign invasion by the Sea of Tempests and with weak military power in comparison to the mainland powers, would abandon any continental ambitions and focus inward, unwilling to involve itself in international or regional affairs.

Over the centuries, the population of the isles started to grow, causing many to leave the archipelago in search of new opportunities, with most of them moving to an archipelago directly south of the Dual Monarchy's home islands. As more of their people emigrated to those lands, their influence in the southern archipelago became more significant.

The states known as the Kingdom of Naoshi and the Kingdom of Akeshi had thrived in their glorious isolation. They were too strong to be conquered by neighboring powers, yet too weak to conquer their neighbors. Located between the naval routes of Eastern Nartika and Ardaqatia, Akeshi developed a cosmopolitan trading culture, while Naoshi's fertile soils were able to feed its entire population at the time.

Yet, as with everything in the world, nothing was eternal. On the 8th day of the 6th month of the year 2387 of the Heavenly Calendar, the Dual Monarchy's isolation would come to an end. Ships clad in iron, unlike anything seen before, appeared from over the western horizon, carrying an unknown flag bearing a six-pointed star.

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The first contact between Courbury and the Dual Monarchy was dramatic yet peaceful. In some ways, it could be said that their contact was nothing out of the ordinary; there was no forced opening of their borders for trade, as the Dual Monarchy was already a mercantile nation. There was no attempt to influence the Dual Monarchy, for Courbury was stretched thin.

And, most influential of all, the Courburian Explorers felt nostalgic. The Dual Monarchy government wasn't so different from their nation's previous system. Yet, in this one, the monarchs willingly refused to abuse their prerogative powers against their parliament—a stark contrast to the all-too-common conflicts between the old Courburian monarchs and their parliament. In a certain way, the Dual Monarchy was a window to a past and present that Courbury could have gone through if their last king hadn't done what he did.

It wouldn't take long for proper diplomatic ties between both nations to form, and with it, trade, due to the Dual Monarchy's position as a gateway for trade between Courburian Solriha and Eastern Nartika. But with trade, come ideas.

The concepts of the revolution would begin to creep inside the Dual Monarchy. Due to the parliamentarian nature of the state, most of its concepts wouldn't gain as much traction as they had across the rest of Toria, but other concepts would. And this would slowly cause a divergence between the sister kingdoms of Naoshi and Akeshi.

In Akeshi, the more open and diverse half of the Dual Monarchy, the many concepts of the revolution would spread rapidly through its lands. While in Naoshi, its more conservative society would slow the revolution's spread and even censor it.

This difference in the reception of the revolutionary ideals would be seen in Akashi as the kingdom rapidly adopted more and more of the revolutionary symbology, laws, and rights, which would begin to affect the Naoshian portion of the Dual Monarchy. The people of Hanto would slowly begin to demand the same rights as those given to Akeshians. Without many options, the Naoshian government would compromise with the demands, granting many of them, but in forms that weren't as extensive as those of Akeshi, yet sufficiently acceptable to much of the population.

This event would create a stark contrast between the two kingdoms, as one portion would take a path closer to the ideals set by the revolution, while the other portion continued to defend its traditions and culture from foreign influence as much as possible. Differences that would occasionally cause sparks between their governments. Yet, between their divergent views on many of the revolutionary concepts, both portions would share one opinion brought by the revolution: the necessity of a single state.

The two kingdoms, ever since the rise of the personal union, had always been governed as two separate entities, each with its separate government that only responded to the Makotei—the only figure shared by both monarchies—who guided the decisions of both. However, the arrival of Courbury and the spread of the concept of a national state would disrupt that system. The people of the archipelago had to catch up to Courbury before anyone else could grow strong enough to invade the Dual Monarchy.

In an agreement between both kingdoms, the centuries-old Personal Union would be transformed into a real Union between the two monarchies, unifying their defensive, diplomatic, and economic policies directly under the Makotei. Yet, the two halves of this new union could still be considered as their own sovereign nations.

This new nation would become known as the Twin Monarchy of Naoshi and Akeshi, a nation comprised of two states unified by a single monarch.

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The years following the formal unification of the Dual Monarchy would see a rapid industrialization of both halves of the nation. Akeshi would become the main manufacturing center of the Dual Monarchy, while Naoshi would see a rapid mechanization of its agriculture, further improving its yields year after year. However, there was only so much that the archipelago's resources and trade could do to satiate the fires of industrialization. This would finally bring an end to the Dual Monarchy's glorious isolation as the nation began to create a colonial empire of its own.

The first target of the Dual Monarchy was the Anohan Archipelago, located directly south of their home islands. The Dual Monarchy would achieve a rapid and successful takeover of the southern islands, thanks to the presence of the many Naoshians and Akeshians who had emigrated to the region many years ago and held considerable sway in the region.

But this rapid expansion into the region of Hodiqatia would bring the Dual Monarchy directly into the way of renewed Courburian imperialism. Tensions over the control and influence of both states in the region would grow considerably. Yet, no war would ever happen, as both states were unwilling to start a war against each other at the time. Courbury was due to the distance of the potential area of conflict from their closest large-scale military bases in Solriha, and for the Dual Monarchy, it was due to the size and strength of Courbury's Republican Navy, capable of destroying their navy and blockading the entire archipelago to submission.

Instead, the two nations began negotiations to split the region between themselves. Courbury was given the Southern areas of Hodiqatia, and the Dual Monarchy was granted the northern portion of the region. This arrangement would prevent any territorial conflicts between the two nations as both sides would achieve their respective goals. However, the expansion of both nations wouldn't be without opposition.

Natives of the region would attempt to repel the imperialist forces but would be met with defeat after defeat in every revolt. Each island was colonized one after the other until one native state remained. In the easternmost region of Hodiqatia was located the largest island and Archipelago, known as Hodikane. The region was, for most of its history, divided between countless kingdoms and tribes. But as the imperialist forces of Courbury and the Dual Monarchy began carving their way closer to Hodikane, the various states would come together into a confederation, no different from the one found in Ardaqatia.

Although the armies of the Hodikane Confederation were woefully unprepared against the forces of either Courbury or the Dual Monarchy, its enormous population was substantial. This would severely impact the governance of the region for both states, as either side would have to administer a region under constant threat of starting a massive uprising. So instead, both Courbury and the Dual Monarchy would force the Hodikane Confederation to cede its westernmost and southernmost areas outside of their core regions and sign several unequal treaties.

Without any way of effectively fighting, the Hodikane Confederation would acquiesce to those demands in exchange for keeping their independence. It wouldn't take long for an opposition to this decision to spring up in the confederation. Rebel forces rose to undo the treaties, but they would fall under the might of the very forces that enforced those treaties. This conflict would last for years for all sides, but the only one who would truly suffer from it was the confederation, now under the complete influence of the two foreign powers.

In a matter of years, the imperialist policy of colonial expansion of Courbury and the Dual Monarchy would come to an end, as now every piece of unclaimed land outside of the frigid deserts of Nartika was under the control of a sovereign power, be it strong or weak. Yet, that wasn't the end of the Era of Imperialism; it was merely the beginning. As in Nartika, far beyond its many coastal mountains, a state born from the wide inland plains of the continent would begin to reassert itself across the continent it held under its banner—a state whose very existence was threatened by the revolution and was starting to awaken. The final player of this long odyssey had left its slumber.