--- note, this one is definitely a lot longer than previous chapters, but it explains Countryhumans and state/province/county humans former and current role in the human world. ---
For centuries they led their nations side by side with their leaders. In some cultures, they were worshipped as gods. But what happened? Why don't we see them anymore?
Countryhumans have no obligation to follow the will of their leaders, nor their people. They are the land. They are a separate species. Throughout history, they have juggled between representing the government and the people that have claimed their land. Some Countryhumans obey the government and its leaders completely, such as North Korea. Others have their leaders and government obey them, such as Third Reich. Some are willing to work with the government but follow the will of the people, like Canada. Some only follow the will of the people and reject the government like New Zealand. Some flip back and forth between the two like America. And a select few will reject both, like Imperial Japan (although this is highly frowned upon).
(From around the 1600s through the late 1800s Countryhumans had to follow every order their government gave. There are currently no clues as to why and they certainly aren't telling.)
Countryhumans, unlike states/provinces/counties, do not have a human form. They cannot blend in in the human world. Any attempts to create one have left them scarred at best, and mutilated at worst.
During wars, Countryhumans will fight along side their people. Before cameras and film, they were just rumors and fairytales. They were seen as a mystical protective force against evil and harm. With film and picture becoming more widespread in the early twentieth century, their image became crucial to raising moral. But as more and more was learned about these other beings, humans began to see them far differently.
Films were taken of Countryhumans taking an active role in the second world war. Countryhumans are far stronger than humans and they cannot truly die. These films were passed around and revere turned to horror, as the average person saw what they were capable of. Even those who represented morally better nations, showed themselves to be uncaring killing machines on the battlefield. This terrified the humans. Fear of them continued to grow until it reached its height at the end of the war and films of the Axis Powers and the Soviet Union showing them murdering entire towns were accidentally released to the public.
Humans led a campaign to contain and possibly kill all Countryhumans. They were too dangerous for the human world. Most were able to escape capture and flee to Pangaea. The weaker ones who were already collapsing, like the Axis Powers, were taken and hanged. The humans assumed they were dead because they had faded and were teleported to Pangaea.
The Countryhumans led raids were they would find and destroy any evidence that they had existed, for their own safety. Soon enough, the only sources that could be found on them were tales passed down by older generations.
A few decades after the war had ended and the purge had concluded a few Countryhumans of the more powerful nations approached their governments. They offered to work with them, on the condition that the public would not know of their existence. Some governments agreed, others rejected it, seeing them as a threat to their own power.
Currently, no Countryhuman is in charge of their own government. Some Countryhumans argue for their people in the government, others are the government's puppets. The Countryhumans send out their states/provinces/counties, who do have a human form, to interact with their citizens and report back to them on their needs and wants.
There are still plenty of Countryhumans who cannot step foot on their own soil. They have learned to live and work in Pangaea. Some nations are kind enough to let them help with their own duties in their own countries, as their people and governments have rejected them.
So states, provinces, and counties can interact with the human world, but how? They are not fully immortal like their Countryhuman counterparts. They were humans who died and were chosen by their nations to represent and preside over a portion of their territory. The practice is seen as unethical in the modern day, because it tampers with life and death and the person is changed so much physically and personality. They cannot die of old age, but can die from wounds. They are far more affected by damage to their territory than their nations. Their life is tied to their territory. Wars and natural disasters can kill them easily. Some nations have gone through dozens of humans representing the same territory, such as their capital. It is possible to resurrect the state/province/county, but it takes a toll on the country. It is possible to go without someone representing that area, but things run much more smoothly with someone to take care of things. They can change their human form easily. Those who don't have flags assigned to them will have a white flag with their name written on it in the center and their nation's flag in the top left corner.
But what about Countryhumans turned Statehuman like Texas and Hawai'i? They are still technically a Countryhuman. They don't have a human form and are fully immortal. But they often appear dazed and confused. It is seen as cruel to turn a Countryhuman into a Statehuman. It is seen as robbing them of a natural death and they suffer as a result. They are often in pain and have very poor memory.
What about nations who are annexed and puppeted? Or colonies? This is the closest any nation can come to being dead. They have no thoughts nor feelings. They are an animated corpse. If their territory is damaged it shows by their flesh rotting away. It is horrifying and unimaginably cruel. These nations know nothing but pain. They cannot speak, hear, or see. If they are freed they still will feel some kind of pain from time to time. They can lose their sight, hearing, and speaking abilities at any time.
--- it has taken me three months to organize my thoughts enough to write this :,D ---
