Pomara

Pomara, officially The People's Republic of Pomara, is a moderately sized country along the eastern coast of Avalonia. The majority of the population resides on or near the coast, while vast regions of the inland regions of the country are densely forested. The country is divided into 28 political districts, with the capital in Catamoto.

Pomara has a fairly monocultural society, with descendants of the Argrana y Griegro colonists comprising the majority of the countries demographic. Spanish is the only official language, although more than 11% of the country's population speaks various dialects of.

The lands that now comprise Pomara were once inhabited by many native peoples but mainly comprised of the Yucatecs. The majority of the native populations were forced to exile or died off when explorers from Agrana y Griegro arrived in 1521. The colony of Pomara was officially established as an organized territory in 1547 and became a plentiful source of emeralds, coffee, and shellfish for Artemia. Independence was secured after a violent war in the early 1820s and the Pomarian People's State was established. With international backing, a military coup in 1849 established the current government under the Covenant of Governance. Since then, a stable but corrupt parliamentary system has promoted steady economic growth.

Pomara is considered the Carita capital of Anterra. It is estimated that over 75% of the world's Carita is either produced or smuggled through the nation. The government has turned a blind eye to most smugglers, despite international pressure.

Pomara is one of the most vocal anti-communist nations in Anterra and has aggressively participated in anti-communist military action across the globe. The government maintains a constant struggle with communist guerilla movements with its southern states.

Ancient History
It is estimated that the first humans to populate the present-day lands of Pomara arrived around 5000 BCE Small, familial based tribes likely subsisted off the rainforests of the southern regions and the vast fishing resources of the Bay of Velcan. The earliest recorded history remains La Cueva Cadiz, a series of paintings and carvings in a cave series near the Pura River delta. Agriculture developed in the region later than most areas, due in fact to the rich natural resources. It wasn't until around 2000 BCE that the widespread cultivation of beans and squash helped spur population growth.

While written documentation from before the Mayan Empire is sparse, it is clear that sometime between 200 BCE and 500 CE, became the common language of the region north of the Pura river. This linguistic connection would help form the ties that would eventually spur the creation of the Mayan Empire.

The Mayan Empire (800 CE - 1500 CE)
The small tribes of the Yucatec people were based near the Cadiz Caves and rapidly grew in size during the 8th century. Historians contribute the rise to potential technological developments in the ability to control water flow from the delta, thus improving irrigation and field management. The ensuing population growth had two major impacts: a need for increased territory, and an increase in soldiers.

Emperor Yaputec (almost all Mayan Emperors would take up a new name that resided closely with Yucatec) began a vast campaign to unify tribes within the Pomara region. Many tribes stood ground and fought the campaigning army, but many laid down arms - becoming what would eventually be a vast network of tributaries. Tribes that fought back were almost always exterminated completely. Yaputec was quoted by assistants to have said, "Those who stand before us now will not lose that fear. Why should we risk our children with their subversive nature."

The empire spread from the Pura river in the south to the Lenienda Flats in the north. The network never traveled too far inland but remained tied closely to the coasts - the Mayans would not only develop a strong road network, but also a number of rudimentary ports along the Pomaran coastline. The original settlement along the Pura delta, where the city of Yucatec now sits, was the administrative capital of the empire. From there Yaputec and later emperors ruled with a gracious hand.

While the unification of the lands may have been harsh, the culture and laws of the land were the complete opposite. Family-based rituals promoted growth within communal ties, and the central Mayan emperor ensured that communities were taken care of when in need - a deep system of interdependence within previously isolated ties ensured a highly unified empire. While the Mayans never maintained a standing army, a system of military training ensured that in times of need, a large number of troops could be raised, dissuading uprisings and alleviating fears of invasion from other tribal empires. Those troops, however, could not have prepared enough for the arrival of the explorers.

Early Spanish Discovery (1500s)
The coasts of Pomara were first discovered by explorers from Agrana y Griegro in 1542. Attracted by both the rich delta of the Pura and the vast plains of the Lenienda Flats, the first major inland exploration took place in 1558. It is estimated, based on journal entries, that Lake Horeb was reached around during 1561 by Juan Esteban Correa’s canoe expedition up the Pura.

Correa would also be known for his first interactions with the Mayan people. Before journeying the Pura, he would engage with the Mayans at Yucatec, trading steel from Artemia for rudimentary maps of the region. This style of small scale bartering would dominate early interactions between Spanish explorers and local Mayans until they eventually would start learning Spanish and integrating in early colonial settlements.

In February of 1571, the Merida landed in the Izcaya Bay, establishing the Agrana y Greigro colony of Catamoto.

Early Colonial Era (1571 - 1700)
Early policies on colonization from Monte Real were focused on building up local populations to extract resources from the waters and caves of Pomara. Emeralds and iron became major exports to Artemia as Agrana y Greigro established additional settlements along the coast. Yucatec quickly was populated by Spanish settlers as local Mayans were forced to the outskirts of their once capital.

The Proclamación de 1575 established the modern-day borders of Pomara to its north and south. Settlers could not travel south of the Pura river. The inland borders of the west would not be formally settled upon until an 1867 agreement with the future country here.

In 1621, settlers in the Lenienda Flats discovered the soil was ripe for the growth of coffee beans. By 1650, Pomara was shipping over a billion cups worth of coffee beans to Artemia and Kesh every year. Meanwhile, the population of the colony was pushing 250,000 at the time.

The tension between Pomaran settlers and the Agrana y Greigro colonization policies started in 1675. Laws regulating the interaction between colonists and Mayans prevented pushing the natives out of urban areas. A desperate need for additional housing in Yucatec led to the local governor ignored that statute and pushing Mayans out of their homes in favor of Pomaran colonists. When Monte Real requested the homes be returned, locals rioted and burned down the royal port offices. Agrana y Greigro seized the city and put it under the direct control of the crown, removing the locally elected government.

The Influenza Epidemic and Operation Viviendo
Throughout January and February in 1849, a strain of Influenza was quickly spreading through the capital city of Pomara and the surrounding countryside. By March, an estimated 8,000 people were infected and over 75 people had died. On Monday, March 5th, the central government secretly devised a plan to eradicate the disease that would be codenamed Viviendo.

Over the next two weeks, the military was deployed within Pomara. Soldiers documented and tagged anyone who was infected and gave them information about where to go on Friday, March 16th, to receive "life-saving medicine." The central government planned to inform the soldiers on the morning of the 16th that would not be handing out life-saving medicine - instead, they would be executing the sick and burning their bodies. The orders were handed to military officers earlier that week, a critical error on behalf of the government.

A majority of the high ranking officers within the military immediately agreed amongst each other that they would not follow the orders given. Lead by General Hugo Figueroa, officers quickly disseminated the order to officers they knew would detest the prospect of executing civilians. By Thursday, over 750 soldiers were aware of the orders and had no intentions of following them. Military officers ensured that each "medicine hand-out center" was manned by a mix of loyal troops and a mix of troops who were planning on disobeying orders.

Fever Friday
Between 6 and 8am, every soldier in Pomara received their real orders for the morning, including their deployment location, and the actual plan for organized execution of infected individuals. By 9am, civilians were beginning to travel to their centers, where soldiers, loyal and disloyal, were waiting. At 9:30 am, executions were scheduled to begin across 12 different locations through Pomara and 4 locations in the outlying countryside. At 9:15, soldiers loyal to General Hugo mutinied. An excerpt from an unnamed soldier who had not been informed of the mutiny describes the situation:

"Our commanding officer and fellow soldiers suddenly had all raised their rifles. The sick and ill gasped, grasping for their children and shuttering, but the weapons did not aim at them. The fear pulsating through my body muddled the words I was hearing, but I understood what was happening. I had come to question the orders I had received myself. I dropped my rifle, and put my hands behind my head. Others beside me began to as well. It became clear that this had been planned and was happening all across the city. The only question was what came next."

- Unnamed Pomaran Solider's Personal Journal

The commanding officers had been given a short speech, written by General Hugo and his closest advisors. The speech was intended to incite civilian detest towards the government, and rally they them, en masse, to protest at the capital. Protests and mass outrage would provide the cover and chaos the military needed to infiltrate the capitol building and occupy it.

"To the People of Pomara,

You have been tricked. Your government saw your plight, your needs, and chose not to alleviate them. Instead, they decided you were to be disposed of, cast off and bodies burnt. They chose not to save but to purge. They did not love, they only hate. We were to have no medicine but only bullets and steel. Be grateful your fellow men knew this order to be wrong. Be grateful for the soldiers before you who have risked their lives to spare yours. Turn your anger to the politicians and fools who sit in the Capitol. Turn your anger those who turned away from you."

- General Hugo Figueroa's Decree to the People

Over 20,000 people in Pomara gathered to protest around the Administrator's Building. In the midst of the protests, the People's Guard were completely undermanned and unprepared to deal with the attack by the military. While no official reports ever confirmed the events within the building (most records were burned by the temporary military government), it is believed by most historians that the military took prisoner Lorenzo Gutiérrez and his cabinet, and proceded to execute them with no trial. Sometime in the aftermath, General Huge Figueroa emerged from the interior and proclaimed to the crowds that the Pomarian People's State was dissolved and that the military would temporarily take charge of the nation.

Covenant of Governance and the Early Parliment
In the aftermath of the military coup, the viability of a long-term military junta was obviously non-existent. The military effectively put down any remaining loyalist troops but had zero long-term plans for the implementation of a future government. General Figueroa gathered a number of popular local governors and called for political theorists from Artemia.

After a five-month deliberation, with multiple breaks and consultations with local councils, the political meetings produced the Covenant of Governance on September 6th, 1849. Ratification of the covenant would be by a popular vote that took place on December 5th, 1849, where the country overwhelmingly voted in favor of the new foundation.

With a unicameral parliament now in place, elections were set for March of the following year. Until then, General Figueroa would continue to maintain national peace. The country elected a full parliament and also chose Manuel Montero as their first president.