Union State

The Union State, officially the Union State of Northwestern Talamor, is a country located in northwestern Talamor on the east of the River of Ravens and north of the Aephyr Mountains made up of 38 states and 1 Federal district, 4 territories and 12 minor outlying islands. It is the second largest economy on Talamor following behind Barenia and also the third largest country in the world by territorial land mass, despite this large amount of land the nation is home to 40,723,831 million people which is considered below average when compared to its colossal southern neighbor. The Union State borders Barenia to the south and XXX to the west along the river of crows and the Big Bull State having maritime borders with Barenia and XXX to its west. Unlike most other nations in Talamor, the Union State is immensely more authoritarian compared to the surrounding practicing an extreme form of social democracy and semi-dictatorial imperial  that rules for a unlimited amount of time as there are no term limits though elections are held every 8 years. Its capital is Huxley which is the first settlement established, named after the famed father of the nation Admiral George Huxley but however, the largest city in the Union State is 5-Point City which is a massive trade and financial hub.

Founded during The Great Breakoff in 16XX by Rejuvenated Kauranists seeking refuge or were exiled by Saesland on the grounds of heresy, the refugees eventually landed on the western shores of Talamor after former Admiral Huxley lead his fleet of refugees to their new home following an immensely bright white star that pierced the dark night that is believed to be a reward for the Kauranists as they adhered to the true faith in their plight. After the first towns were established, the Union State was formed with the December City agreement, George Huxley would become the first president reigning until his death. Soon the great migration begins as plentiful natural resources are discovered in the young country's lands, quickly overcrowding the nation with immigrants and forcing it to expand north and east into native lands so as to care for its rapidly growing population stopping east of the River of Ravens and the Big Bull Tribal Lands under the orders of then president Lyon Baker. Over the course of the next few years the Union State would attempt to appease its subjugated peoples dealing with minor rebellions until eventually giving full rights and citizenship to the natives under its rule, this would make many staunch conservatives who believed the Union State was a nation for Westerners only furious. The reforms would kickstart a civil war lasting from from 1829 to 1838 with the rebels losing to the government and loyalists finally ending resistance from both natives and extreme conservatives.

By the 20th century, the Union State was quickly becoming a trade hub and a informal but close ally to its southern neighbor, Barenia, being involved during by aiding it during the Barenian invasion via lend lease and letting even whole military units volunteer for Barenia in its defense. In the aftermath of the war, the Union State would join the Coalition of Talamor as a founding member aiding the reconstruction heavily. Even though part of the coalition the Union State still maintains its own currency, the Union Star that is pegged to the Barenian dollar's value. During the Great Serrataran war it would join as apart of Beranian forces with its troops serving for much of the war after entering it from 19XX to the end, the Union State also aided all its allies via lend lease providing vital amounts of firearms, uniforms, equipment and vehicles to other nations. After the war ended the Union State would help found the Tavaric Treaty organization remaining as a member of the alliance to the modern day and a essential contributor to it. The only significant amount of conflict that the Union State saw during the post Great Serrataran War era was in the state of Big Bull from the 1960s to early 2000s as the paramilitary organization known as the Big Bull Liberation Army in a period known as The Troubles begun to terrorize the state and even outside like with the Union State Embassy Hostage crisis in Buena Vista at its height in 1984.

As of 2023, the Union State is as mentioned before apart of the the Talamor Coalition and the Tavaric Treaty Organization, both as a founding member and major contributor. It also is apart of the jointly managed Talamor Aerospace Defence Command (TAC) with the other member being Barenia which monitors the airspace of Talamor for any potential threats. It shares close relations with Barenia and all other TTO member states with various trade agreements, non aggression pacts, mutual defense treaties and mutual cooperation agreements signed between the Union State and its allies. For other nations outside of the TTO, the Union State has less than favorable relations with some nations, notably Arsytia for being a socialist nation and Fengjiang for a multitude of different reasons on the moral level and cultural, in a poll conducted in 2020 on which nation does Northwesternites hate the most, 58% of responses named Fengjiang as the most hated nation in the Union State. Outside of the superpower alliance blocs, the Union State is a member of the World Trade Federation and the Atomic Ban Convention being designated a state with a unweaponized atomic program and atomic capable.

Etymology
Unlike other nations that have a name with significance, the Union State has its name because it is a Union of multiple different states when the first towns came together to draft up the nation. The land they occupied was split up and awarded to the towns to manage and rule, these towns and territories would become the original 7 states that founded the Union State. Before its Manifest Destiny expansion into the north and west, the official name was the Union State of the West Coast as the nation stretched along the west coast of Talamor above Barenia only. The name it has now, the Union State of Northwestern Talamor was only made official in 1785 by the Name Change Act after lengthy discussion between the president and congress.

Military
The Union State National Military like all TTO member states is standardized to the TTO standard, it follows closely to the Barenian military taking inspiration from it. The Union State National military is under the direct control of the president who is its commander-in-chief appointing its leaders like the minister of defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff. In total there are 5 branches, the Union State Army, Union State Navy, Union State Airforce, Union State Coast Guard, and Union State National Guard alongside 2 sub-branches which are the Marine Corps and Space Force managed by the navy and air force respectively. Out of 2 of the 5 branches, the army, navy, and airforce are managed by the Department of Defense and are headquartered in Fort Hill while the last 2 are managed by the Department of Homeland Security.