"Mondlicht" is a German word literally translated to "Moonlight" which virtually every state in the Federation held as a common religious or cultural significance. Oral tradition throughout the nation share a common theme of a king, who under a black banner (or another dark color depending on the source), united the splintered kingdoms into one. One leader, who flew a banner consecrated in the light of the moon (traditionally in a lighter color), opposed the dark king's centralized power, however, with varying causes, they then become the king's highest advisor, and ensured that no country, dark or light, could overpower one another, just as the moonlight shines brightly but it does not overcome the night. This sentiment endures today that forms the foundation of the Federation of Mondlicht States.

The Peoples Place of Living

Many find this concept hard to understand, and so as to continue benefiting from the many advantages that come with being part of both Oatland and the World Assembly it was realized that some sort of false front had to be created. As both satire to the popular concept of nations and to keep with the Living tenants of anti-patriotism, the name of this "nation" was intentionally made as vague and meaningless as seemed reasonable.

The Peoples Place of Living

One interesting thing to note, however, is the supposed existence of one individual with the title "Leader". This individual is a combination of celebrity, legend, and depending on who you ask, cryptid. Rumor goes that early in the life of TPPOL there was one citizen who was so incredibly competent at being a leader that the rest of the citizens forced them into a position of power despite their reluctance to take on this position (reluctance to take power ironically being one of the supposed reasons the people liked them so much). Myths abound about the impact this individual's decisions had on the early shaping of this nation, and popular belief is that they are still alive today, still occasionally hounded for their input on some important decision or another.

Many theories circulate about how this person has been around so long, with perhaps the most believable explanation being the most mundane one, that this "person" is in fact a title that has been held by many over the years. Or, y'know, they might be an elf or something.

After a landslide victory a few months ago over the incumbent William, Kaede, a second generation immigrant from Nagakawa, became the third Head Executive Officer of the Second Federation of Mondlicht States, and its first female Head Executive. She ran on a platform of promoting personal freedoms, limiting government, deregulation and lowering taxation, which proved popular to a voter population distrustful of government, especially after former Head Executive William's detrimental decision to ban sexual reproduction. Her first days in office saw the reversal of the ban, as well as enormous tax cuts and essentially cutting government spending in half. Kaede's administration saw a return of the status quo as seen in Claude's popular administration before his assassination by the AI insurgency.

The Peoples Place of Living

A notable amount of our citizens can trace their origins back to refugees fleeing corrupt theocracies, so it's often hard to find respect for religious institutions within our populace.

The only exception to this rule comes from selection of Gendarmerie officers. Every member who earns the balaclava and brassard is expected to be free of any obligations to a religious entity. This is to ensure that all houses of worship or businesses that come under mass public protest are protected with the highest level of professional decorum, regardless of personal politics. A planned parenthood facility enjoys the same level of emergency security as a mosque or cathedral under this system.

Mourning period of 7 days. At 7 o'clock in the morning of the 7th day, all infrastructure is put on halt for 7 minutes on the capital, as the Kingdom's letter of transfer of power is read to the nation. By the end of the recital of the letter, the monarch's coffin should have arrived at the St. Paul Chapel in the middle of the capital, to be laid to rest.

The Wyles Lighthouse is a national monument located in Old Sigmund Cliffs, and served as a symbol of Mondlicht States, despite it being simple lighthouse structure and no longer being in operation. Actually, no one knows why the lighthouse was so important, yet people still go there, especially to the old museum lower down the cliff. The contents of the museum changes at irregular intervals woth strange assortments, so curious tourists come by multiple times to see what the museum shows what is next. Why this quaint little location is so important to the country and is so famous is a quite the paradox.

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This famous landmark was originally a fairly typical forest, plagued by issues of litter and human interference thanks to uninformed and uncaring visitors. Rather than a more typical response of education and oversight, the whole forest was closed off to the public for a number of years while the entire tourist experience was reinvented. When it opened back up, tourists were free to enter and explore a completely enclosed system of suspended walkways, accommodations and viewing platforms. Everywhere the public was allowed to go was enveloped in transparent walls separating the visiting humans from the nature around them. With no ability for tourists to pollute the woods or interact with any of its flora or fauna, the forest's ecosystem could stay wild while still being able to be experienced by humans.

While those seeking a more intimate interaction with nature can visit any of the other more typical forests in TPPOL, the Great Arborea Woods has become a very popular landmark because of the unique experience it offers. Many visitors prefer what has often been described as being "surrounded by nature without actually being in nature". Of course there are forest wardens who take care of the woods from outside the enclosed tourist experience, and repairs and maintenance needs to be performed on the whole system, but the only ones allowed to directly interact with the woods these days are people who actually know what they're doing.

If you want to know about another, much less well known but equally interesting forest, I just wrote my first non-factbook dispatch.

Hospe

The monarch of Hospe's full title is King/Queen of the Hospean Isles due to them ruling over all countries that make up the Hospean Isles: Hospe and the Hospean Border Islands.

The title given to the executive branch is "His/Her/Their Excellency the Head Executive Officer."

Our leading cause of death is heart disease. It’s the most popular food because the wagies living in the Subterranean Walmart Apartment Complexes are too ignorant to cook a healthy meal after working easy 16 hour shifts for their company store vouchers. Lazy.

-Ultor Regional Tourism And Culture Bureau

Our leading cause of death is heart disease. It’s the most popular food because the wagies living in the Subterranean Walmart Apartment Complexes are too ignorant to cook a healthy meal after working easy 16 hour shifts for their company store vouchers. Lazy.

-Ultor Regional Tourism And Culture Bureau

There isn’t a Brasilistan anymore. Like, at all. Not in a “the government was dissolved and the country was annexed” kind of way, I mean that the geographical region that used to be Brasilistan was obliterated at the atomic level.

Come with the Pearl Harbor, you get the Nagasaki.

The active stratovolcano Mount Rex within the Republic of Wotertau (Now the State of Wutertow within the Federation), infamously had a VEI-5 eruption. It was the largest volcanic eruption in the country, and lead to 4 billion caguias in damage (adjusted for inflation) and 48 deaths. President Hark, who was the country's leader, after surveying the destruction, described it as "almost like a barren nuclear wasteland."