El Quixote

General Info
The Kingdom of El Quixote was founded towards the tail-end of King Arthur's pilgramage from the human homelands in the lands now known as Central. The human pilgrims initially had little reason to stay, what with the exhausting climate and poor early interaction with the local Kalars, several of them decided to settle there after Quixote, one of Arthur's companions and a brave but impetuous man, discovered the Monster Burrow and declared that he would set down roots to guard it. Still others suspect that Quixote chose to settle in the jungle because of the Kalars, what with their exception from the sexual tenants of Mother Eve's blessing.

While El Quixote was originally one of the poorest human nations, it recently rose to the peak of international economics thanks to the efforts of the Bigbux Company, founded by Rocinante. The Bigbux Company developed plastics, which quickly became a must-have item across the globe, increasing the nation's finances. King Ben Quixote has redirected these funds back into production, covering the nation in numerous factories with an especial focus on military supply. Due in a large part to the need to guard the Monster Burrow, El Quixote has the world's largest military, and has resisted international pressures towards demilitarization.

With mountains to the west and north, and ocean to the east and south, El Quixote exists nearly in isolation from its nearest neighbours, Lancelot and Humpty. As a consequence, their closest neighbours are the Kalars of Kalar Village. While the Village and the Lost Woods in which it resides are technically part of southern El Quixote, the magic of the Woods leaves the Kalars mostly autonomous. Queen Mertel Kalar has helped arranged for "Kalar Break Rooms" in El Quixote, which the Kalar use when they are looking for partners with which to breed children.

Major Cities and Sites
El Quixote is divided into three regions from north to south. The mountains to the north serve as the home to the town of Maquipeach, which exists is far away from the heart of the rest of the country. This region rarely sees tourists outside of the occasional mountain climber, usually there to climb Mount Miguel to the east. Mount Abella, also in that range, is home to the Monster Burrow. Numerous windmills dot the mountainsides, and a Ruin of Mother Eve exists in the west.

Jungles cover the rest of the country. The city of El Quixote and the town of Vilfuente exist in close proximity towards the center of the land, while the company town of Bigbux exists further to the south, on the border of the Lost Woods.

The Lost Woods themselves are protected by magical illusion spells. While the Kalars will permit visitors who take the long route from the west (a means of collecting tolls), the direct route is sealed to outsiders.

El Quixote is the only human nation with no ports for sailing ships (although ports in Central are closed during the winter). A port does exist on the southern side of the Lost Woods, but it is essentially abandoned. Canny adventurers may discver a way into the Woods from this southern port, but there is little to find but the lair of a Megamonster, the Golden Hanny.

Trivia

 * Many place names in El Quixote are named from Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote, including the country itself and both of its major mountains, Mount Miguel (named for Miguel de Cervantes) and Mount Abella (named for Alonso Fernandez de Avellaneda, whose unauthorized sequel to Don Quixote serves as the target for Cervantes' ire in Don Quixote's Part II). The numerous windmills in the north can also be seen as a reference to Don Quixote.
 * The remaining town names are less clear in origin. Maquipeach may be a deliberate corruption of the Incan mountain city of Machu Picchu. Vilfuente can be translated from Spanish to "vile spring." It is said to be named after a plant-based Megamonster, though it is worth noting that the town is flanked by two waterfalls, or "springs."