Baileneu Ma

Baileneu Ma, formerly Nou Danus, is a nation in central Avalonia with an area of 'x'km2. Formerly an Modrovian colony, it gained independence in 1926. Ruled by a decentralized agrarian socialist government called the Sowan Workers Union, the majority of decision making is made by council of representatives of the seven largest tribes in the nation. However, the actual power of the government is questionable as due to Sowan beliefs, there is deep-rooted distrust with political organisation. Because of this, tribal chieftains and community leaders are responsible for local collectivization and infrastructure planning. The official religion is Sowani, which led to many laws being created by the SWP to enforce its principles, such as a strict adherence to peace, which is why the nation has no official armed forces, although the Bailenese People's Army does receive the most funding from the government. The capital and largest city is Masazi, however, the majority of the population lives in rural areas, as the dense rainforest that covers most of the nation restricts the size of urban settlements.

Foundation
The earliest recorded civilizations in Baileneu Ma belonged to the four major tribes that ruled over the area, that were in a constant state of conflict for the duration of their rule. Countless alliances were formed and broken between them for centuries, until an agreement was made between them in 794 to formalize a ceasefire and borders between the tribes in order to stop the brutal war that had devastated everything. The new alliance strengthened trade and military co-operation between the tribes, and through economic and military dominance the tribes managed to expand their influence over other tribes in the Perkes/Agarak basin.

Expansion
The alliance allowed the four tribes to direct their military efforts at other, smaller tribes, leading to a period of rapid expansion from the 800s to 1050s. This pushed to area of influence of the four tribes much further, nearly encompassing the area of modern day Baileneu Ma, with other tribes becoming vassalized through economic and political means. The four tribes became very wealthy from utilizing the land they controlled, using the labor of peasants and slaves to extract rare metals such as gold and silver from the rich earth. Huge swaths of rainforest were cleared for new mines and farms as metal tools became more accessible, with sacred tribal lands being violated by the four tribes exploitation of the area. This resulted in much internal conflict as smaller tribes began to rebel against the four tribes due to their oppression and lack of representation in decision making. Eventually in 1087 a council was created, where tribal chieftains and other representatives from major tribes could gather and partake in discussions on policies and decisions.

Sowani
Sowani became prominent in the four tribes following the conversion of the Eza'qex prince Kalaqq, who became a devout Sowan and began converting much of population to Sowani.

Liberation Process
Decolonization first began in the late 1890s, when the Modrovian colonial Government in Nou Danus faced pressure from several Avalonian native countries such as Koryeo, Brigantica and Chezzetcook. This resulted in a policy known as the 'Liberation Act 97', where native parties were allowed to run against colonial parties in presidential elections, and was the first of many political changes to end colonial control. The first native party to come to power was the 'Native Representation and Progress Coalition' in 1913, led by Kedhan Miztaw, which promised to develop the rural native regions through infrastructure projects and unify the nation under equality. These infrastructure projects were partially funded by the Modrovian Government as part of a scheme proposed by Kedhan Miztaw, where Nou Danus offered increased trade and political ties to Modrovia in exchange for funding the decolonization process. However, during the Grand Campaigns, Modrovia was no longer able to fund these projects due to heavy economic toll of the Grand Campaigns, leaving many highways and railroads partially constructed, with no money to continue their production. Shortly after the war, where Modrovia's economy had been crippled, full independence was given to Nou Danus on the 29th of January in 1926.

Period of Stagnation
Whilst Nou Danus stayed fairly stable and democratic for decades, the nation was plagued by poverty and economic depression, with attempts at modernization met with fierce resistant by the native and colonial traditionalists. However, members of the Modrovian colonial elite held huge amounts of land and were vastly more wealthy than the natives, despite attempts from the government to redistribute the wealth. Much of the gold mines held by Portuguese aristocrats also went untaxed as they were protected by small private militias which threatened the impoverished nation with a potential civil war.

Robertson's Rule
In 1976, Sir William Robertson III became the new president of the nation, coming from a family of rich land owners of Modrovian colonial descent. It is thought that the election polls were rigged in his favor and his use of bribery and intimidation was a huge source of controversy at the time, however, his charm and charisma alongside his promises to bring wealth to the country were still very popular in Nou Danus and he won with the vast majority of votes. During his rule he imposed several laws restricting the rights of native ethnic groups, such as the 'Native Legal Restriction Act' which prevented Sidr and Nam people from prosecuting 'colonizer ethnic group'. Between 1978 and 1982, the Nou Danusian Colonial Armed Forces underwent rapid expansion and modernization, following the nationalisation of Wygen Armoury, where a new series of infantry equipment was adopted, including the VT-79 and the VM-79. Robertson then became very unpopular with the majority of the population, appealing only to the colonial elite, which led to mass protests against his rule. The largest of these demonstrations was held in 1979 where nineteen thousand people took part in protests outside the presidential palace, during the demonstration seven people set themselves on fire to protest his most recent law passed which preventing Sidr people from owning property. The mass civil unrest led to a huge military crackdown against the protesters, where roughly four hundred people died as a result of police and military personnel attempting to break apart the demonstrators. Despite attempts to create a media blackout surrounding the protests from the government, footage of the brutality reached international news channels and there were calls across the globe for the resignation of Robertson, however, no official action was taken until November 12th 1982, when Albaterriano forces, during a military intervention ordered by Leonardo H. Sapateiro, declared war on Nou Danus, due to Robertson's oppression of the Catholic minority in Nou Danus. During the Albaterran-Nou Danusian War, the Albaterran Presidential Army]] fought alongside native partisan groups to overthrow Robertson and bring down his regime. On June 15th, a detachment of the Albaterran special forces captured Robertson and on June 17th a ceasefire was signed between the Nou Danusian Colonial Forces and Leonardo H. Sapateiro, officially ending the war. Initially, there was lots of celebration surrounding the arrest of Robertson and a national holiday was created on June 17th to celebrate the incarceration of the tyrant.

Albaterran Rule
Following the deposition of Sir William Robertson III, the Albaterran government created a new regime in Nou Danus, with Pedro Oliveira as the new president. The Albaterran Presidential Army also continued to occupy regions in the east of Nou Danus that contained the majority of the nation's gold mines and Portuguese population. This continued until an official treaty was signed on November 3rd 1985 between Oliveira and Sapateiro that gave the land to Albaterra. Much of the Danusian Colonial Armed Forces were also cut, leading to many of the newly purchased rifles being sold on the black market to terrorist organisations and other developing nations, as well as many highly trained soldiers becoming mercenaries after their dismissal from the army. Oliveira was despised by the majority of the population as he began to reform and create new laws that reflected on his Catholic beliefs, representing the will of a small minority. This led to his policy of 'Peaceful Conversion' in 1987, where religious leaders were kidnapped by his palace guard and tortured until the converted to Catholicism. This led to more civil unrest, particularly in Masazi, where an attempted assassination on Oliveira led to a police lock down of the city until the perpetrators were caught and publicly hung. Militant groups from various folk religions began to operate across the nation, lynching catholic priests and bishops and sabotaging local infrastructure. This led to increased paranoia from the Government and Oliveira imposing martial law in villages suspected of housing insurgents, however, the army would often act with extreme prejudice against the locals and there were many mass killings of natives. The Seronbana Temple Massacre is the most well-known incident, where members of Oliveira's Palace Guard stormed a Sowan temple and killed over six hundred people with chlorine gas on the 26th of January 1991. Oliveira's reign of terror continued for several years until he was killed by a car bomb outside his palace, planted by the Nam militant group The Red Brotherhood, on the 18th of August 1994.

An Age of Prosperity (1994-Present)
Following the collapse of Oliveira's regime in September of 1994, the Sowan Workers Union was voted in by a national election, promising to repeal the discriminative laws created by Robertson and Oliveira. On the 14th of March Nou Danus was renamed to Baileneu Ma after a national poll, taking the name of the Sowan kingdom that was believed to have ruled over the nation thousands of years ago, as well as adopting a new currency called the Bailenese Crown. The party offered compensation for those who had been badly affected by the former regime, as well as introducing a local collectivization scheme, where local representatives, mainly tribal chieftains, would be responsible for the distribution of resources in their area. The excess resources that were not needed were then given to the government to be redistributed to others in need, this policy was very effective as it made sure that everyone was fed and provided with the resources they needed. Several infrastructure policies were also enacted, such as the creation of national roads and motorways to ensure that isolated regions could stay connected with the rest of the nation and enjoy the benefits of the collectivized resources. The abolition of the armed forces was also another popular decision made by the new government, instead giving power to local authorities power through the creation of Municipal Militias, which helped build trust with a nation that was weary from the last two tyrants, as well as followed in the beliefs of Sowani. In the early 21st century the Sowan Workers Union began a policy of conservation, creating 63 new national parks and 104 conservation parks, as well as converting almost entirely to green energy, using hydroelectric power from the vast river networks that span across the nation.

Politics & Government
Baileneu Ma is an agrarian socialist nation, led by the Sowan Workers Union made up of a council of representatives from each of the seven largest tribes in the nation, who are elected every 4 years. Due to the distrust in the government from the majority of the nation, the SWP avoids making internal decisions, instead giving power to local authorities to make decisions. Only one major party runs against the SWP, due to the popularity of the SWP and the religious teachings of Sowani, which instructs people to avoid involvement in politics and to instead look to God for guidance. The SWP is unwilling to get involved in international affairs, favoring an isolationist approach to global politics.

Religion & Government
The official religion of Baileneu Ma is Sowani, with many laws supporting its views, such as the outlawing of synthetic pesticides and herbicides in accordance with Sowani teachings surrounding food cleanliness. However, the SWP has also been very careful not to isolate other religious groups and has started a religious studies course in schools to teach tolerance towards the many religions in Baileneu Ma. The SWP passed a series of laws from 2005-2011 that essentially outlawed hunting of animals and unsustainable deforestation as well as other practices such as mining and trawling that are deemed 'unsustainable', this is partly due to Sowan beliefs surrounding nature and wildlife. This caused a huge surge in illegal activity surrounding poaching and mining due Baileneu Ma's mineral wealth and its rare animals, to combat this local militias have now been tasked with dealing with these activities.

ECOSEAS
In 2019 Baileneu Ma joined ECOSEAS, following a referendum in the nation, for the purposes of of economic growth and military protection against Albaterra. The SWP has also expressed its desires to encourage environmental conservation in other member states, in order to protect the nature of other Avalonian nations, as well as cutting down on carbon emissions to reduce their environmental impact. ECOSEAS has access to the various airfields and military bases owned by the Bailenese People's Army and other militias, to combat separatist and Albaterran threats. Baileneu Ma has also gained access to ECOSEAS members surplus and modern equipment exports at a reduced price, allowing the militias to expand their arsenals and have increased effectiveness at keeping law and order. Baileneu Ma did not accept the new currency, favoring its previous currency, the Bailenese Crown, as well as refusing direct investment from other nations, instead preferring the government to control the spending to avoid neo-colonialism from other nations.

Poaching and Illegal Mining
In 2015 the SWP tasked the Bailenese People's Army with stopping poaching and illegal mining activity in Baileneu Ma, which had become widespread following the environmental laws passed by the SWP. Baileneu Ma has vast precious metal deposits that were discovered in the early 21st century, which was largely untapped due to the environmental policies of the SWP, attracting international mining companies to the nation. Mining companies in Baileneu Ma often hired foreign in order to protect them against local militias. This resulted in frequent skirmishes between the PMCs and militias, often resulting in heavy civilian casualties, drawing the attention of the SWP. The high biodiversity of the nation also attracts poachers from across Anterra, who sell the trophies and skins of the rare animals as well as aspects of its body for use in medicine. Poaching is punishable by life sentence in Baileneu Ma, which led to poachers carrying military equipment in order to evade capture by local militias, often leading to violent confrontations between the two. Both of these growing problems were addressed by the SWP in 2015 during a press conference, where the party asked for the Bailenese People's Army to combat these threats. Since then there has been a steady decline in both, but they still remain a threat to the environmental goals of the nation.

Separatists
Baileneu Ma was plagued by separatist movements throughout its history as a free nation after the deposition of Pedro Oliveira and the collapse of his regime. Many of these separatist parties exist in the eastern provinces, in predominantly Portuguese areas, which demand unification with Albaterra or better political representation. The most powerful of these parties is the Portuguese People's Party, a Christian nationalist party, and is the only significant opposition party to the SWP. The PPR organizes rallies and protests across the nation in Portuguese areas in order to gain more power against the SWP, however, it is also thought that they are linked to the violent break-away state, The Republic of Novo Patria. From 2016-2018 the region was a hotspot for skirmishes between local militias and separatists, resulting in over 10,000 deaths until a ceasefire was signed between local authorities and the leader of The Republic of Novo Patria, Henrique Monteiro, for one year. In recent months the conflict recommenced, this time attracting the attention of the Bailenese People's Army, which stationed 1200 soldiers in the region for peacekeeping purposes.

Albaterran Border Conflict
The border shared between Baileneu Ma and Albaterra has been a recent source of tension, as the Albaterriano police alongside the army have began running counter-smuggling operations in order to stop the flow of cannabis and psychedelics into Albaterra. This led to fierce resistance from the smugglers and the local militias, resulting in an even stronger armed presence from the Albaterran Presidential Army, with intensive security checks at the border, as well as secret service involvement in order to eliminate big smuggling cartels. In response to this, the smugglers have began using more complicated and violent methods in order to overcome these obstacles, such as drones and gliders, as well as using children who can slip past the border guards easier. In April 2018, tensions reached international levels when four teenagers were arrested by border security and imprisoned despite having not committed any crimes. This led to protests outside the border check from locals, calling for the release of the teenagers, and on the 17th of April, a member of The Red Brotherhood militant group threw a Molotov cocktail at Adriano Cardoso, a sergeant in the Albaterran Presidential Army, killing him. This led to a violent response from the Albaterriano authorities, who were reported to have used CS Gas for crowd control alongside high pressure water hoses to disrupt the protests. As the protests persisted and grew in size, the order was given to the border forces to break up the protests decisively, and so riot police charged the demonstrators, using batons and shields to beat and dishearten protesters. During this push by the police and army, Muztawa, a local religious and tribal leader, was beaten to death by Albaterran authorities, which led to a huge outcry by Bailenese citizens, calling for justice to brought. The protests further grew in size, attracting citizens from across the country to sizes of over 300 hundred, as well as drawing the attention of Bailenese extremist groups, such as The Red Brotherhood. This resulted in an attack from an unknown group on the 23rd of April, where four technicals mounting stormed the border, killing four policemen and injuring many more. This was accompanied by several other attacks on other border checkpoints across Albaterra, where suicide bombers detonated, killing 52 people. This led to heightened security across all border checkpoints, with members of the Crusader Force patrolling the surrounding regions, tensions remained until the ringleaders were arrested and executed. Despite pressure from the Albaterran Government, the SWP never condemned the actions of the militant groups, instead condemning the Albaterran security forces for the death of Muztawa, stating it to be 'a prime example of neo-colonialism' and evidence that Albaterra is 'a fascist dictatorship'. Whilst the tensions are much lower, the occasional incident flares up, attracting international attention again, and the Albaterran Presidential Army still conducts counter-smuggling operations with limited success across the border.

Military
Despite Baileneu Ma having no official army, with local militias instead being used, the SWP funds the Bailenese People's Army the most, causing it to be the largest militia in the nation. The Bailenese People's Army has around 160,000 active personnel, whilst the total of number of active personnel in militias across the nation is estimated to be 730,000. Much of the equipment used by militias come from the former Nou Danus Armed Forces and was mostly designed by Wygen Armory. Militias have access to all kinds of weaponry such as planes, helicopters, boats and artillery, and each militia is partially funded by the SWP, tasked with defending the local area and enforcing the law. Following Baileneu Ma's admittance into ECOSEAS, militias have access to new weapons and vehicles from the various members of the pact, modernizing much of the obsolete equipment already in use within the militias and allowing them to perform at a much higher standard.

Agriculture
Agriculture is the main source of employment in Baileneu Ma, with crops such as rice, watercress and water spinach being the most common due to the large wetlands that span across the nation. Due to restrictions on pesticides and herbicides and the banning of genetic modification, large amounts of farmland are required to feed the population, meaning that crop fields is the largest land use in the nation. Agroforestry has been used for thousands of years in the nation, particularly in the swamps and mangroves of coastal and central regions. Livestock agriculture is very uncommon in Baileneu Ma, as most of the population is vegetarian due to cultural and religious beliefs, as well as the heavily forested land makes it very difficult to control large quantities of animals.

Lumber
Baileneu Ma offers various luxury woods such as Mahogany, Ebony and Dalbergia, which sell on the international market for high prices due to the good quality of the timber. These exports are responsible for 16% of the nation's exports and offer lots of employment to unskilled workers. Tupelo, Cypress and Oak trees are also a major part of Bailenese silviculture, typically grown in the swamp and bayou regions of the nation, as their hard, dense wood is used for construction across the world. Due to severe restrictions on tree farming, there are extreme limits on annual wood production for tree plantations, in order to encourage sustainability and to reduce the nation's carbon emissions.

Natural Tourism
Natural tourism brings in many international tourists who come to see the natural beauty of Baileneu Ma. The diversity in biomes of the nation offers a variety of different experiences, such as: mountain retreats, rainforest hikes and wetland kayaking and canoeing. Official statistics from the SWP state that the many national parks attract over 100,000 tourists a year, with Mt. Okanbayu being the most visited park in Baileneu Ma. Natural tourism continues to bring in lots of money due to conservation efforts from the government, that ensure that the natural beauty of the nation isn't compromised by human activity.

Religious Tourism
Baileneu Ma draws thousands of religious tourists from across the world who come to visit the many Sowan temples, the most well-known places of worship being Kubbari Temple and Attaranya Jumbar. Seronbana Temple, once a site of Sowan pilgrimage, is now a memorial site for the tragic massacre that occurred in 1991 that attracts Sowans internationally, who come to mourn the incident. Many other Sowans come to the nation to experience the spiritual services that are offered, such as soul cleansing, cannabis and psychedelics consumption and Kinnupe. A recent 'repatriation' scheme has been offered to Sowans across Anterra, where the SWP has dedicated land to housing religious immigrants and tourists in order to encourage Sowans to unite globally and return to the homeland.

Geography
Much of Baileneu Ma is covered in tropical wetlands and rainforest, from the nation's hot and humid climate. Brackish mangroves and salt marshes are mainly found along the coast, with riverine bayous and fens spanning across the floodplains of the great Perkes and Agarak rivers. Swamps and rainforest are typically found more inland in the western regions, where most of the human population is found. In the northern territories, along the Central Avalonian Rift, marsh and bogs are most common in the valley along the winding Keshnez Delta, with chaparral and heathlands found on the hills that run alongside the valley. In the southernmost mountainous regions, subtropical forests and cloud forests, due to the high altitude of mountain peaks. Much of Baileneu Ma is lowlands, due to most of the nation being in the basin of the vast Perkes and Agarak rivers, as well as the Central Avalonian Rift, however, there is a small mountain range known as the Mustawa Highlands that spans across the southern border.

Languages
The official languages of Baileneu Ma are Heltic and Ektete, with Ektete being the most widely spoken language and is taught in schools. Heltic was introduced as the official of Baileneu Ma whilst it was a colony of Modrovia, however it is rarely spoken now, and is only used in reference to legal and historical documents. Ektete was introduced as a universal language, as there are many native languages spoken in Baileneu Ma, it is a combination of the three most spoken languages Kez'areshi, Teknabi and Donkethi, all of which are from the same ancient language family. Portuguese is also spoken in a few isolated eastern provinces where Albaterriano migrants settled.

Ethnicity
There are many different ethnic groups in Baileneu Ma due to the natural barriers created by the dense rainforest that covers the nation, this led to many communities becoming isolated and it is thought that there are still tribes who live deep in the tropical forests who have not been discovered. The main ethnic groups in the nation include the native ethnicities of Sidr people (23% of the population) and Nam people (19% of the population), as well as Fukyian Tribesmen (12% of population) and 26% of the population who identify as mixed or other native ethnicities. 12% of the population identify as Modrovian or mixed colonial and 4% of the population are Portuguese or mixed Albaterriano, with another 4% identifying as other. Despite efforts from the SWP to encourage unity between the different ethnic groups, there still remains a large divide between the native ethnicities and the colonial ethnicities.

Religion and Culture
The majority religion in Baileneu Ma is Sowani, with Sowans making up 84% of the population, however, Sowani teachings also allow followers to practice other religions as long as the beliefs don't contradict Sowan principles. It is estimated that around 36% of the population follow Sowan-folk religion beliefs, whereas only 6% of the population solely follow folk religions. The next largest religion is Catholicism, of which 8% of the population identify as Catholic, roughly 2% of the population are atheist or agnostic. Religion plays a large role in the lifestyle and culture of Bailenese citizens, with several national holidays centered around Sowan days of celebration with huge festivals held in urban centers, as well as a focus on obtaining spiritual knowledge rather than material wealth. There is a large focus on consumption of psychedelic plants in native cultures, with many farms dedicated to the cultivation of psychedelic mushrooms and herbs, this is due to the Sowan belief that the hallucinations and other effects caused by these plants bring the individual closer to God and allows them to communicate with them. Cannabis consumption and cultivation is also a major part native culture, believing that it inspires free thinking and liberates an individual of their mortal burdens and sins, this has caused a surge in smuggling to Albaterra the extreme sentences on cannabis production imposed by the president. Mythology is another huge part of Bailenese culture, as written language was only introduced to the region once Modrovian settlers arrived, this meant that stories were passed down through generations as a major tradition spanning for for thousands of years. The oldest and most well-known myth is the Kingdom of Baileneu, which was ruled by a divine king for years until he was overthrown by an army sent by the Devil. This kingdom is the basis of the Sowani principles, as Sowans believe that by following the practices of the king then they too can reach his level of holiness. It is unsure if this story is true as there is no physical evidence to prove it, despite many trying to find the ruins of the city deep in the rainforest.