Paloro

Paloro, officially the Second Kingdom of Paloro, is a neutral country situated in Central Haven, upon the Northernmost tip of the Heart of Haven. With its fair share of inhabitants, Paloro is a Constitutional Monarchy with a Council headed by King-appointed advisors. Paloro holds its capital in Palovina, the center of the nation, and borders solely Uldarash. Paloro borders the Uldarashi states of Aurora, Sanctuary, and its core Imperial Land— formerly Eibenburg and Lormere. The primary language spoken in Paloro is Palorot.

Despite Paloro's central location on the continent, Paloro was largely historically only home to few coming cultures. Before Server Start, Paloro was even more isolationist than today, and barely made contact with the outside world. As such, Paloran history faintly mentions outside forces if any. Nonetheless, maintaining a fair population despite a disastrous plague thought to be exclusive to the country, Paloro has since maintained much of its old ideals caught from Uldarash and its time before it— including the Asharu Faith, "West for the Westerners", general anti-colonialism, and full neutrality.

During the early years after Server Start, Paloro was a nation in Haven that was planned to have served a similar role that of the Bimare Federation in Jagdas, being a union of towns and protecting those that had not joined a nation. However, a lack of communication and threats over the mesa caused Paloro to reform itself and join The Empire of Uldarash. When The Great Golden War occurred, Palovina seceded from Uldarash to form Paloro again. Following The Coup Of Paloro, Haven was seen as unstable, seeing as Paloro's usurper had now become responsible for Uldarash's collapse. Together, with the remaining nations of Haven, and Paloro's original leader back in charge, Paloro formed the Second Empire of Uldarash.

Ever since the formation of the Second Empire up towards The Expanding Period, Paloran nationalism had grown immensely, and desires for the country to take form again were common ideals within the population. With historical artifacts and lands being held by the Aurorans, the general population had urged for independence to take place. This was going to happen with peace or without— but ultimately, Uldarash had conceded and let Paloro resume its status as a nation.

Early History
The descendants of the modern-day Paloran (not including the Pothic population and other migrating peoples) are thought to have potentially descended from the North in Ummarnu, before settling permanently in the relatively cooler climate of what is now known as Palovina. The people from Ummarnu are presently referred to as the Paloroti Jegali, with those that arrived in modern-day Paloro being the Paloroti Hachava. A more nomadic group of Paloran peoples had settled throughout the Aufsdale territory, and remain less documented. They are referred to as the Paloroti Chejova. The Paloroti Hachava, or simply Ethnic or Eastern Palorans, are thought to have lived in relative peace, without any major military conflicts between them nor foreigners, whom rarely arrived if at all. It was only until a plague had struck the sole town of Palovina that Paloro had eventually made contact with the outside world, thus creating what is now known as The First Kingdom.

Lifestyle
The people of Paloro lived much of their lives stagnant in terms of progress and societal status. The general hierarchy could be split into three groups — the Peasantry, the Nobles, and the Royalty. Much of the peasantry lived quite adequately on gold, employed in farming, fishing, and quite rarely, as bartenders. Bartenders were generally seen as a more sophisticated form of farmer — capable of producing more expensive, but savory foods, that were used as desserts — such as the traditional sorbet that many peasantry indulged in. In terms of housing, Palovina was a largely rural town, where travelling a fair distance just to greet your neighbor was deemed common. As the population slowly dwindled due to the plague, however, many Palorans had instead moved closer to the towns center, inadvertently causing their own downfall.

The nobles were of their status solely to their riches. Many nobles worked off of low-paying jobs, referring to each other for economic advice. A large portion of nobles only held their title due to ancestral riches from decades ago. As told in typical noble legend, Paloran ancestors had once ventured into a land forged entirely of gold — so golden that the entire land was stained with a sort of yellow hue. Most likely referring to the mesa of Ummarnu, it is thought that the gold gathered by Paloran ancestors had destabilized the economy to such a degree that the nobles had, somehow, managed to stay rich in the economy with barely any semblance of work.

The royalty, however, have a peculiar veil of mystery to them. It is unknown exactly how the royalty came about, or how the King or Queen was chosen, or even much history about the ruler's names. It is thought that such documents are still yet to be revealed and translated into modern Paloran. Nonetheless, the general lifestyle of the royalty is roughly known. The majority of royals lived atop the mountain of Verdania, now known for the former settlements of Felsonsvhon's Landing and Gefail. In the castle, several nobles that were deemed close friends to the family, and the entirety of the royal family were housed. Another addition was the Royal Architect, whom contributed to the castle's creation. This is thought to have been a hereditary role, given many architects are thought to have worked upon the castle — alongside the fact the castle is of unknown age. The castle is also thought to have boasted cows — deemed more of a delicacy to the royals, who used their milk to create what are now known as Royal Sherbets, exclusive to the Royal family, and of which the recipe is still unknown to the wider world. Given the inherent strength of the alcohol within the drink, many royals used the milk of the cow alongside bread to attempt to appear more formal, as a drunken King was deemed dishonorable.

The First Kingdom
Paloro's exact early history is not entirely clear, though thankfully there is not anything of importance regarding Paloro's history that has not gone well recorded.

Founding
Paloro was not entirely an idea for a nation until September 28th (autumn 0SMP/400AJC), in which three major players are involved for the creation of Paloro. Keechoo of course had an idea for a nation akin to Paloro upon Palovina's founding, though at the time the server Dynmap was down, resulting in navigation of Haven being extremely difficult. This did not discourage Palovina's growth, however, as Keechoo was determined not to let his town suffer the same fate as Rovina, a poor town Keechoo had founded in Jagdas that he solely inhabited. But interaction between players was difficult as well, and typically done through the Heart of Haven, though neither Palovina nor Sanctuary were directly bordering this sea, so they were only able to meet each other through complete chance. Keechoo, hoping to rake in new players towards Palovina through the chat, soon met Dentro, the leader of Sanctuary, and another player, who had no town to their name.

Finding that they were all on the same continent, Keechoo provided them the funds to found the town of Truthless. Though directly after its founding, the town was disbanded and they requested to join Palovina. After being told that it would be considered, given they wasted what was considered to be a lot of money for the new nation, the founder of Truthless left and was never seen again.

Growth
However, this did not stop the creation of Paloro, as Palovina and Sanctuary still united under the nation. Establishing their flag, the two towns agreed that they would change the name later on, seeing as Paloro was fairly Palovina-centric (meaning Golden Swamp). Other name proposals included, in order of suggestion:


 * The Confederacy of Independent Cities
 * Redstone Union
 * The Western Confederacy
 * Paloran Covenant
 * Haven Covenant
 * Meshili Empire

The Meshili Empire was used as the name for a period of time, but quickly fell away as Uldarash was settled on.

The Mesa
The exact order of what towns joined Paloro and Talawa in forming Uldarash are not clear, as information spreading throughout the nation was very disorganized. What was fairly clear, though, was a rocky relationship with Yimmu-Audal, particularly the colony of Ardat Mosul. Currency in Rathnir is based almost entirely on gold, so control over the mesa was deemed incredibly important for a prosperous economy. Control over the mesa was probably the only clear line that united the towns of Paloro later on in its life. Though individual thoughts about who should own the mesa were heavily divided, the idea that Yimmu-Audal shouldn't have full control over the mesa was not. Through this belief, Paloro would continue to grow rapidly, now as the sole major Western power in Rathnir. Though by this time, Paloro was not a memorable name— and The Empire of Uldarash directly took its place, then quickly establishing itself as a large force with a strong economy to back it. Paloro would then be a name nearly forgotten, lost to history despite Uldarash's origins within it. Palovina, of course, would still stand by, embracing this history.

II Kingdom of Paloro
On 11/5/2020, Palovina declared its independence from The Empire of Uldarash, bringing a new town of Felsonsvhon with it. The exact reasoning for this declaration can be traced to The Great Western War, where Palovina stated its explicit discontent with the idea of Uldarashi engagement in the war. When The Empire of Uldarash did, indeed, end up engaging first, Palovina still fought by the Empire to attempt to salvage what they could, though would still refuse to associate with the Empire after the war ended. Palovina would then go on to call for anonymous patrons to donate a minimum of $20,000 to disembark from the Empire, to which Keechoo had stated that they had received "much more than requested." Paloro has now since stated it does not hold naturally negative relations with Uldarash, but has not said much more on the topic outside of private talks with the Empire.

Unfortunately, soon after Paloro's secession, Felsonsvhon's Landing collapsed. Thankfully, all items of historical and cultural importance to the cult have been placed into a museum located in Palovina. Entry into the museum is free, and all are allowed to enjoy what tales have been left behind by the members of Felsonvhon. Overall though, Palovina has seen a significant boom in population since its secession, meaning the future of the nation is looking bright.

Further Growth
Paloro had also seen the addition of more members, such as Mlgkiddoritofan, the leader of Lukka, and the town of Gefail which sits on Verdania near where Felsonsvhon's Landing once stood. Paloro would then slow down on its growth, but was diplomatically doing far better. Uldarash had already established a defensive and trade pact between the two nations. It is still very unlikely that Paloro will find itself going back into The Empire, though.

Subsequent Population Booms
On the third, fourth and fifth of February 2021, Paloro saw even more members flock to their banner, growing the population from 3 to 21. The borders of Paloro also grew tremendously, to accommodate for the population boom. Most people created their own town, though most of these players settled in Asahiri. Unfortunately for Keechoo, this population soon organized a coup in order to put Loic into power, which originally succeeded, only for The Kingdom of Aurora to step in and kick out Loic's supporters.

Loic's Reign
Simplified, the Coup of Paloro was an event in which Keechoo was demanded to step down in order for Loic to enact a plan of creating an Empire of Haven. The majority of the citizens being Hanuyamese were ambitious of a plan to unify the continent. Keechoo legally abdicated the throne after assessing the situation he was brought into, allowing Loic to enact his plan. This would effectively begin Loic's reign of Paloro. He would continue internal developments and increase war production in Paloro during the crisis. However, some of the foreign powers of Haven worried that this would cause conflict — Protestors from Western Haven were already organizing in Asahiri against the unification. As such, after hearing of a potential war that would take place, and fearing the worst for Paloro, Keechoo stepped back up to the throne and retroactively reclaimed his position as King of Paloro, despite lacking much support from Palorans. Keechoo allowed all countries that did not wish to unify to leave the deal. This peace would continue for some time, as the two weeks truce was enacted. Loic had planned to engage in vast diplomacy in order to gain a diplomatic solution. Hearing of the backing out of many nations in the plan to unify, there was a declaration made through the words of Zelious that they had abandoned plans to unify as Loic had intended to reject these ambitions in order to keep peace in Haven. However, due to rumors and miscommunication, tensions continued to rise and eventually Loic would once again take the steps for unification on equal grounds as he believed it was a last resort for perpetual peace. As such, not long after Keechoo's reclaiming of the throne, Caradog announced that there was a coup, taking Keechoo off of the throne once more. After a few days of tension between Loic's supporters and the foreign powers, The Kingdom of Aurora sent Loic an ultimatum, requesting Keechoo's reclamation of the throne among other demands. Loic accepted, and ordered Asahiri — the town in which he and his supporters resided — to be razed, leading to the end of such issues in Paloro specifically. Burning down the city was not within the ultimatum, but an order issued entirely by Loic.

Due to the instability linked with Asahiri, the town was temporarily occupied by Uldarash following Keechoo's reclamation of the throne. After Uldarash's collapse, it was quickly ceded back.

Haven Company
After Asahiri fell, the Haven Company was announced, and settled in Asahiri in attempts to rebuild it. However, having not told Uldarash, nor Paloro, of these actions, tensions rose quickly. Things did not fix themselves up, especially when MidgeApe, the leader of Haven Company, alongside two of his citizens, killed Keechoo in Palovina, taking his head and items. In response, the Sanctuary Raid was issued by Uldarash, fully expelling the Haven Company from the town. Atris was also founded as a Paloran city at this time.

The Second Empire of Uldarash
Soon after, Uldarash was invaded quite suddenly by Viodoxa, with little immediate explanation. Troubled by the server, Uldarash dissolved itself, leaving Viodoxa to puppet Hapatmitas — the capital — under the name Aruna. Seeing themselves as the oldest nation in Haven now, the King, Keechoo, felt it necessary to emphasize the idea of "West for the Westerners"— the idea that largely united Uldarash to begin with. Initially, the Empire was formed in a fear of Eastern powers, and the desire for a counterbalance. Now, with the Viodoxan settlement directly bordering Paloro, they and most, if not every, other nation native to Haven joined together to form the Second Empire of Uldarash, to pull politics away from Eastern control and secure their future independence from foreign powers.

This saw great success, as the formation, though purely defensive, provoked a plentiful amount of foreign powers to contact Uldarash, allowing them to take back Jcon and Hapatmitas despite tensions between both sides. Paloro still exercises itself as its own identity, despite being Uldarashi officially and on the map.

Following the formation of Uldarash, Paloro experienced a population boom, resulting in the founding of Ottilate, a Paloran city dedicated to fishing. A few weeks later, Paloro went on to declare its own Golden Age due to the expontential growth of Palovina and Paloro as a whole. King Keechoo adopted the mayors of both Atris and Ottilate, declaring Poldi as his heir. Only a few months later, Keechoo attempted to sacrifice his soul to the Asharu Pantheon, in a manner in which his soul would be "merged with that of Ashuntash". Keechoo recited his personal prayers and was struck by lightning, atop his fountain, and was never seen again. This left King Poldi with the title of King of Paloro.

Poldi's Reign
Still ongoing, King Poldi has seen the integration of a fair few new towns and peoples into Paloro. Paloro's political system was further solidified, and the king became well acquainted with his people, participating frequently in conversation. However, foreign diplomacy is, akin to King Keechoo's reign, not exactly prioritized. Intentional or not, Paloro has been fairly isolated in its diplomacy.

Secession of the II Empire of Uldarash
On 7/9/21, Paloro had organized with Uldarash to once again declare independence peacefully, promising to continue aiding the Empire even in its leave. Paloro had once more hoped to seek further international intrigue, and while this was gained, they largely found themselves drifting into complete, secure neutrality. This neutrality has gone largely unchallenged on a large scale, despite incidents such as The Uldarashi Civil War— though several have attempted to break Paloran neutrality since its independence. Furthermore, the fact that Paloro was even a former nation within Uldarash is a fact largely frowned upon by the Government, and further elaboration is typically not granted.

Events
Important events relating to Paloro. Some links may lead back to a category on this article.


 * Founding of Paloro


 * Founding of Uldarash


 * The Great Golden War


 * Secession of Paloro


 * Coup of Paloro


 * Founding of II Empire of Uldarash


 * Second Secession of Paloro

Geography
Paloro is located in Central Haven, above the Heart of Haven, between the general coordinates of 4100 to 6100 Y and -6300 to -4700 X. Paloro is home to several varying climates and biomes. The largest of which include the swamps, savannah, and plains that make up the majority of the country. Paloro holds few high-standing regions, with the tallest point being upon the peak of Verdania, a mountain just East of Palovina, which has historically been home to many cultures, including Felsonvhon's Hands and Gefail. Other general areas of high altitude, whether naturally or unnaturally, include the ruins of Asahiri and tall portions of the savannah.

Waters
Paloro's largest body of water solely within its territory is the Paloran Sea, or Paloran Lake, upon with Palovina is settled upon. The river extruding from the lake is also led by canal towards the general Atris area. Down South of the lake is a canal through Asahiri from which spills out into Calmare, or Calamare, which is mostly within Paloro's claimed territorial waters, and comprises the majority of the Ottilatesi Archipelago's North.

Paloro is home to many islands, including the Ottilatesi Archipelago upon which Ottilate is settled upon. Though much of the general land is actually connected to Sanctuary, historical misconception lead to this not being the case. Far South of the Paloran mainland, Paloro holds two islands and several artificial islands within its claim and territorial waters. This includes the Isles of Neu Misahr.

Politics
Paloro is a Constitutional Monarchy, and generally has been since its founding. Though the First Kingdom was ruled somewhat between Paloro and Sanctuary, the general ideal of a single, non-democratically elected ruler has always been in place. Briefly after its independence from Uldarash, however, Paloro had no established system of laws. At the time, the general rule was simply to act with morality. This was changed quickly after one of Paloro's larger population booms.

Government Function
Paloro is headed by a single monarch called a Tsoto (King), or Tsota (Queen), whom picks their own heir from the royal family, regardless of biological relation to them. Nonetheless, each monarch typically chooses a Pfutsro, or Prince, as their heir. The Tsote (Monarch) is allowed to pick from whomever in the country they please to act as an advisor within the Council. The general body of the council serves to advise the Tsote on what they should or should not do— and may scarcely pass laws of their own volition, typically with the Tsote's approval.

Foreign Relations
Paloro is a neutral country, and thus it rarely seeks out other countries to make deals with on its own. Despite foreign attempts to break Paloran Neutrality, Paloro has never taken a stance leaning to any one side throughout its modern history.

Military
The Paloran military is generally comprised of volunteer soldiers, who offer their services for the country's defense. This rarely sees complete use, however, as Paloro has not been in an organized conflict outside of its times in Uldarash, meaning Paloro has never lost a war, or especially acted as the defender in one. Paloro used to have its own War Uniform, but it was later changed to what was considered a more reasonable uniform, referred to as the Greensleeves.

Economy
Paloro's economy is largely self-sufficient, and the country itself is most typically funded by donation. Citizens are encouraged to make shops within the nation and support local businesses. Paloro's most frequent sales and exports include general building items and fishing materials, such as spruce logs and stone, as well as cod and fishing rods. The Asahiroti Brodrehto Tarati, (Globalized as Asahiran Copper Industries) is a copper business based in the ruins of Asahiri, which hold a considerably denser population of copper and similar materials in comparison to other towns within Haven and Rathnir.

Culture
The overall culture of Paloro, in its first kingdom, was heavily divided. The overall behavior of the nation was fractured between each town's beliefs. An overlapping culture between cities was minor, if any. This is to the point in which nationalism between towns is not really something to even be observed, as every town nearly acts independently until a major problem is brought to their attention. This is only furthered in the succeeding Empire of Uldarash, as they were given two capitals to govern the nation.

As for culture following the secession of Palovina from The Empire of Uldarash, most of the culture remained unchanged until the arrival of the Hanuyamese people who had become the majority population of the Kingdom, having grown to a substantial size throughout the swamps of the lands. However, the majority of the Hanuyamese people soon left following Loic's departure regarding The Coup Of Paloro. Afterwards, the culture was entirely united to being Paloran, as all remaining cultures had left.

Paloran culture as a whole is a complicated ideal. Despite isolationism, it still holds many similarities to its neighbors in Uldarash, and the states worldwide. One thing that appears unchanging is Paloran Neutrality. Other aspects of Paloran culture can be seen in architecture and lifestyle. Many Palorans partake in consuming a traditional Paloran Sherbet or Sorbet as dessert — both renowned for their history in the nation. Many houses in the swamplands boast arches and pillars to filter out the mushy soil from the wood used. Paloran culture as a whole can vary and change often, so attempting to summarize it can truly prove a difficult task.

Food and Activities
Traditional Paloran cuisine was largely made up of the same diets of other emerging countries at its founding. This included bread, carrots, or other foodstuffs that could be commonly farmed, and furthermore meats, such as pork. However, the divide between the royals and nobles and that of the general peasantry could be seen within the general food offered. Royals would typically enjoy cows, including beef and milk, while the peasantry typically subsided off of more frequently farmed goods and animals. It is thought that, at some point, beef was a taxed good, to the point in which many peasantry did not bother trying to buy it, and therefore trying to sell it as well— as the nobles held their own supply. Furthermore, cows were often used for the creation of Royal Sherbets. Royal Sherbets are a general Paloran delicacy, costly and meant for the royals. Nonetheless, as economic tensions between upper and lower class societies in Paloro were defused, both the Royal Sherbet and beef were brought towards the lower-class as a frequent, albeit sometimes costly, dinner. Before this, though, Sorbets were typically constructed by the peasantry to account for the lack of cows in the market, and were made through a variety of recipes across families.

Water Wrestling is a common sport unique to Paloro, largely held in Ottilate. Other general sports include typical sparring and fishing contests. On occasion, towns will hold other forms of activity for their citizens to enjoy in periods of long stagnation. Towns will also frequently celebrate on given holidays.

Holidays
Palorans generally celebrate many holidays, ranging from typical, widespread celebrations of founding to celebrations of other uniquely Paloran events. Founder's Day is a Paloran holiday dedicated to the celebration of Paloro's widespread introduction to the outside world, held on 9/26. Typical activities are held in Palovina, with Water Wrestling and beef being commodities during this period.

The Week of Prestige, as well, comes to celebrate the conflicts of the Golden War, which is deemed responsible for Paloro's independence. Though reception of Bardonia is neutral in Paloro, it is generally acknowledged the role they played in aiding Paloro. The general week begins on 11/1 and ends on 11/6. On 11/5 The Morning Festival is held, early in the morning of Palovina, when the sun is just rising. The general holiday bears resemblance to Founder's Day. This it not without reason, as the Morning Festival celebrates Paloro's independence from Uldarash. Similarly, the Noon Festival on 7/9 celebrates Paloro's independence from the Second Empire of Uldarash.

Two other holidays celebrate the founding of Atris and Ottilate, formerly some of Paloro's largest towns. Tradesmen's Day, on 2/17, is meant to be a day of giving gifts to one another in Atris. Fishermen's Day, on 4/6, is held in Ottilate, with a general fishing competition between citizens.

Territory
A collection of Paloro's border history, official and unofficial. Consult Sanctuary regarding the first official borders, as they likely held their own claim.