Erlgau (Shireroth)

This article is about the Erlgau during the period when it was part of the Apollonian Republic and later Shireroth.

Erlgau
Subdivision type:	It's complicated
Capital:	Nebelstadt
Population:	28,532
Largest Cities:	Nebelstadt, Blumenstrand, Wolfgang
Local Leadership Title:	Erlkönig
Local Government:	Töchter des Erlkönigs
Current leader:	Simon II of the House of Erasmus
Local language:	Related to South-Cibolan Saxon
Local Religion:	Derivative of proto-Tianchaodaoism

Erlgau is the name of an archipelago in the south of Apollonia, between the island of Gong and the Apollonian mainland. The archipelago consists of three islands, Blumenstrand, Nebelstadt and Wolfgang. The islands are formally part of the Gong province of Kildare, although Kildare refrains from trying to exercise power over the archipelago. Whether the islands are populated is a point of contention, as none of the stories, folklore and legends surrounding its population are formally confirmed by the government of Kildare. It is only formally said that it is strictly forbidden and highly dangerous to go to these islands. No effort is made by the emergency services in Kildare to locate or rescue individuals or groups that stray away from Imperial Autobahn 9 into the wilderness, and such individuals are seldom seen again.

The inhabitants of the islands are goblins, or goburins in Jingdaoese. They are supposed to be crew members of the nuclear submarine fleet that faced disaster under the ice shelves of Leng in ancient days, and their descendants. Their leader, Simon II of the House of Erasmus, former Goburin Emperor over Jingdao, is known as the Erlkönig. The goblins are said not to be keen on visitors and will murder almost anyone who visits their islands. Nothing is found of the people that disappeared on the islands, fuelling stories that they were eaten by the goblins. Some stories even state that the bones of the missing wanderers are even used in the electronic parts that the archipelago produces. Despite this, there are recorded visits from Jingdaoese dignitaries to the islands' ruler Erlkönig, such as the Haigui Emperor, who annexed the Apollonian Republic into the Jingdaoese Empire.

The goblins themselves have a highly hierarchical society, where the Erlkönig is the absolute monarch and the rest of society is designed primarily to act in his benefit. The inhabitants of Erlgau work in mines deep under Micras' surface looking for precious and rare metals, or are working in the underground factories that produce precision parts from these metals. Other goblins are said to work in the submarine docks that are located in tunnels beneath the island, it is said that the fleet of Erlkönig still consists of 14 nuclear powered attack submarines, and 10 nuclear powered missile submarines, all of them originally built in the first two decades of the 17th century AN.

Erlgau is an important supplier of the Kildari military-industrial complex, producing precision parts for the Obedience Machine and various missile systems. Historically the RasmOS computer system was developed in Erlgau, as well as extensions to that computer system which controlled various military installations including the Jingdaoese nuclear arsenal. In return for a policy of laisser-faire, the Erlgau maintains this trading relations with the Apollonian Republic's successor states. Since 1707 most of this trade is conducted through Goburin Imports and Exports in Nangang.

Imperial Autobahn 9 passes through the island of Nebelstadt, from Nangang to the island of Gong, but there are no exits on the island and it is strictly forbidden to stop vehicles on the island. Motorists who find themselves with broken down vehicles on the islands are instructed to not leave their cars, inform emergency services immediately, and not listen to any unfamiliar voices, especially if these voices try to lure them towards the forests. The autobahn connection between Nangang and Gong is only open during day, and shut down when visibility is low because of fog. Despite these precautions, there are roughly a dozen incidents each year that formally remain unexplained.