Aftermath of the Great War

[Niro]

The realm of Rock Country had been irreconcilably changed by the momentous event dubbed the Great War afterwards by its participants. Fertile lands to the south of the nation had been taken from them by Pebble Country; their people fleeing north into the mountains in hopes of being saved by Iwagakure shinobi or resigned to live their new lives as 'citizens' of Pebble. Rock Country's control of the lands to the west expanded considerably to the point many in the country's capital felt it offset their losses to the south. The country's border now reached far enough to touch the sea, threaten the domain of spirits to the south west, and remind those who rebuffed them during the War that they were not gone.

The impact of the war on the population of Rock Country had forced its government to rethink the idea of slavery with its potential to be used against them. Early on in the war, the slavery system began to become phased out. Slave owners were forced by the government and military to provide their slaves with 'contracts' with more favorable conditions lest they face punishment by the government or worse: revolution and revolt by the large slave population. Many of these contracts entailed joining the military effort with freedom given after their service or becoming managers or workers of large swaths of newly acquired land to be developed which they would be given a portion of upon completion of their contract. These contracts guaranteed better living conditions and more freedoms but were still long, the average being seven years and the most extreme being fourteen. Still, the 'former' slaves saw 7-14 years better than their entire lives and adapted to the shifting times.

Although at home in mountainous battlefields, the shinobi and other forces of Rock Country still had to contend with the difficult terrain. The Act of Tree Climbing did not last forever plus it was a drain on chakra, no matter how miniscule, while the samurai forces had to contend without even that luxury. The many complaints of both the shinobi and samurai forces led the Enkouten of Iwagakure to develop a harness to enhance mobility in such environments where verticality reigned. This harness encompassed much of the body below the neck with straps on the upper chest, waist, and feet with a set of gas cannisters of the back to propel them along grapple lines modified to be shot and reloaded from their blades. The development of such a harness allowed shinobi and samurai both to more effectively fight in the mountainous regions of Rock Country.

The development and deployment of railroads and trains by the Alliance was a major game changer during the course of the war. The engineers and artisans of Rock Country were not oblivious to the pros of such a rail system and what it could do for their own people. Although much behind Lightning Country, Rock immediately began devising a prototype train of their own half way through the war by way of Kouton and coal power. The founding of Shirosato in northern Rock Country and its abundance of coal and other ores had fast tracked its completion, although this was not until months after the war. Once completed, Rock Country mobilized shinobi and samurai both to clear paths through the abundant forests of the land and lay tracks connecting the main settlements. Rudimentary in comparison to their neighbors, Rock Country is still catching up to them when it comes to developing means of transportation.

The development of new settlements and population centers led to not only rail lines being laid but roads cleared and paved between each to facilitate faster travel by all throughout the region.

The acquisition of large amounts of minerals and natural resources to the west along with shared technological knowledge with Kirigakure led to several shipyards being built on the shores of the nation. The combination of surplus resources and the ability to manipulate metal has led to the development of a sizeable navy located on the far west shore of Rock Country.

The displacement and movement of peoples through the duration of the war had lead to several new population centers being born through Rock Country during the war:

Seiwa
The second largest military installation in Rock Country, Seiwa functions as a secondary 'Iwagakure' in case of a successful invasion of the village. It is located at the former crossroads of multiple countries in the middle of the country and hidden deep within its boreal forest and northern mountain ranges. The large stockpiles of major resources discovered in the region have allowed it to boom into what it is today.

Kadena
The first of several seafaring towns developed recently. Located on the geographical border of a boreal forest and frozen wastes, the town has been able to gather resources and develop from both. Access to timber/lumber has allowed the local population to build reliable homes while mineral and ore deposits located both in the forest and wastelands have allowed the village to form into the foremost naval force for Rock Country. The countries largest shipyard has been built and maintained here by the flow of natural resources around them. The village allows Iwa and Rock Country to keep an eye on the seemingly endless expanse of ocean on their western border.

Misawa
Another of several seafaring towns developed. Located on the geographical border of a boreal forest and open waters, the town has been able to gather resources and develop from both. Access to timber/lumber has allowed the local population to build reliable homes while mineral and ore deposits located in the forest and plentiful coastal waters have allowed the village to form into a success story. The village also contains another shipyard and allows Iwa and Rock Country to keep an eye on their enemies to the East.

Wairua
The last major military installation formed during the Great War, Wairua, also known as Spirit's Watch, is located within the combination of mountain range and boreal forest to the southwest and serves to keep an eye on Spirit's Nest and Owl Country. Large amounts of natural resources such as timber/lumber and minerals/ores allowed the colony to grow quickly and establish a foothold in the region as people fled southern conflicts.

Sawara
A major trade hub developed in the center of Rock Country on the Banas River. The Banas River flows throughout Rock Country and into several major and minor nations which allowed the village to develop from a small trading outpost during the beginning of the Great War into a trading hotspot. Hydroelectric waterwheels are used by the citizenry to power the village and many come for the growing water tourism industry.

Ikata
The last major town before venturing into the mountains, Ikata is found just at the entrance to the Minabe no Kabe. As the last town to gather supplies or rest before delving into the treacherous mountain range, Ikata grew from a small handful of shacks into a serious trade hub. Geothermal vents and natural hot baths also serve to draw in quite the amount of tourism from other regions.

Tsushima
A major trading hub located at the point where Rock, Iron, Pebble, and Holy Forests meet, Tsushima grew as refugees from the war traveled and settled. With an abundance of resources to start over, the small collection of refugees eventually grew into a major trade hub for Rock Country between the four nations. Designated by its people as a neutral zone, peoples from each of the four nations are able to mingle freely without threat of violence.

Kashima
The largest trading hub in the country, Kashima is located on the eastern shore of Rock Country and sees goods from most major and minor countries flow through it. A gigantic port, Kashima sees people wishing to come to and leave Rock Country in staggering amounts yearly with many factions setting up short term areas and leaving them once they've moved on.

Ashoro
Situated in the heart of the boreal forest covering the majority of Rock Country and located on a river, Ashoro is the single greatest exporter of lumber and timber in the country. Hydroelectric waterwheels are used by the citizenry to turn the raw wood they collect into lumber and a large portion of trade is centered around the river which allows faster transportation of goods through its extensive tributary network.

Shirosato
Nestled at the border between the northeast mountain ranges and Rock Country's thick forest, Shirosato is home to the majority of coal miners and charcoal burners in the country. Large amounts of coal and other minerals are pulled from the mountain mines while charcoal is crafted in large kilns and then sold to other villages in the country. As the main provider of coal, the village was the first to invest in and develop a working coal powered train in Rock Country and train station. From there, rail lines have been placed leading to each large village/town.

Matagi
The citizens of Matagi came together due to Lake Notoro and the wildlife it gathered. Small hunting communities formed along the shoreline until finally it became a village. The denizens of Matagin make their living by hunting the large wild game found readily available in the Rock Countries forests and the fish provided by Lake Notoro.

Ginza
Located to the northeast, Ginza is a large village made up of mostly herders. The peoples cleared large swathes of land until the ocean to the north and turned it into pasture lands for animals such as sheep. Ginza has become the primary producer of fleece and wool for Rock Country following the Great War.

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Transportation Revolution

The deployment and usage of railways and trains by Lightning Country during the Great War served to highlight to the daimyo of Earth Country just how far his nation had fallen behind when it came to technology. No matter how great their numbers, dragging their heels in developing technology due to the excuse of chakra only served to hamper them as a people. Ordering his forces to begin their own research and development of such a means of transport, railways and train cars were attacked and captured where able by Iwagakure shinobi.

R&D divisions from both the country capital and Iwagakure came together in a bid to quickly dissect and reverse engineer what they could from the captured vessels. Realizing they could not power their interpretations as Lightning Country did, the development of a steam engine powered by combustible material led to the first successful trial of their own train car. Such developments and the frenzy of production which followed helped the fledging towns of Shirosato and Ashoro boom and become powerhouses of their regions within Earth Country as demand for materials such as coal and wood. As the small villages grew into towns and travel to and from increased, roads and railways were laid down to facilitate and ease travel between not only them but other growing villages in the regions.

Cobbled brick roads connect each village in the Country to help and speed up lesser forms of transportation such as carriages while Earth Countries' single railway hosts 5 different trains and connects the major villages with a large loop although plans for more routes are in consideration. The technology still relatively basic, the trains and railways are currently unfit for warfare with plans for military train cars under development for the next large scale war.