The year is 1895 and the country of Elan is in an era of industrialization, upheaval, and societal progress.
The Second Northern War drags on along the Doragean border. The violence across Dorage continues to expand into the northern provinces of Killock and Abernathy. Scattered informal militias persevere in resisting eradication efforts where the military is not present. Blame for the prolonging of the war has been left at the feet of the governments in Elan and Dorage. Angered Elanites point their ire towards President Talbot for the Elanite military’s lagging movements and blame Prime Minister Pickering for the fiscal policies of the government. Military heads push for higher personnel quotas in each province, much to the protest from some provincial governments. There is a push among military leaders for federal conscription to return, which would be the first time since the Gold Heights conflict that Elan took such a measure.
While Elan continues to invest its funds and troops to the war effort, calls for aid from President Talbot to the government of Nepton have gone unanswered. Nepton seems reluctant to provide any form of aid to Elan, whether it's money or arms. Communities of Neptonite immigrants in Elan have faced strong resentment and aggression from Elanites as a result. Doragean immigrants and refugees, hoping to flee the conflict and the oppressive regime, face far greater hostilities in Elan, often the subjects of ridicule, abuse, and other hateful acts. Secretary Earp and Prime Minister Pickering have condemned such acts and call for greater peace and compassion among Elanites.
Since the legalization of sex work in 1885, Elan has rapidly become a home to a robust intimacy industry. Sex workers and those who wish to access their services come from all walks of life and all financial statuses. Sex work has already begun to impact and shape society throughout Elan, from the Capital to the most rural places in Elan. This is often in spite of a lingering, but less prevalent, social taboo and resistance from some members of society.
Rapid industrialization continues to dominate the country and create changes in the workforce of Elan. The railroad has allowed for the distribution of goods, services, and workers to build up industry. In major industrial centers, workers have started to engage in strikes to try and influence business owners to raise wages and costs of living for their workers. On several occasions in the past few years, these labor strikes have become riots which have hurt labor movements and put others' lives at risk. Many laborers look for new and safer opportunities, some hoping that the expansion into Thorpe will lead to better prospects.
Education has increasingly become more accessible as industrialization has boomed in Elan. From the lower class to the upper class, more Elanites have access to a basic education; whether it is provided by the community, the Churches, or from private companies. Universities in Elan have been the center of educational revolution in recent years, with increasing developments in their fields, which have benefited the people of Elan. Trade schools have also become more accessible to provide further education for Elanites who cannot afford the costs of higher education.
With the completion of the Thorpe railroad line, the town of Hargrove was resettled in 1892. The most recent push westward has largely been corporately funded, due to the Elanite government diverting significant monies to the ongoing conflict with Dorage, with the Dauntless Railroad Company and the Silver Pines Trading Company leading the way. In 1895, with the passing of A. Carver, the directorship of the Thorpe Line of The Dauntless Railroad Company has moved to A. Kingsman. He is the first and only Dauntless director that is not a member of the two founding companies: the Carvers and the Sillechs. The High and the Low Church have collaborated, for the first time since the Great Schism, to ensure the Churches have a presence in Hargrove. The news to the rest of Elan is that Hargrove is proving to be a great success.