Zamotz Union

The Zamotz Union was a large country located in Eldham, cantered around the Isles of Zamotz in central Onthukhan.

The Union consisted of several provinces and territories, with certain provinces bounded under regional governments. At the national level, the Union is led by the National Council, a legislative body responsible for managing the day-to-day activities of the Union. The Triumvirate leads the Union's executive branch, with the three triumvirs responsible for executing the will of the National Council and handling foreign policy without a council vote for most measures taken.

Etymology
The Zamotz Union's namesake originates from the island of Zamotz, which in turn comes from the native peoples and language of Bibshmibbia, with the name derived from the Bibshmibbian word Zmtz, or "mainland." Lacking a unified name for the island, other native groups nearby Bibshmibbia would adopt the name for the island, with it eventually overtaking all other proposals.

Tesumasima
Main article: Tesumasima

The creation of the Zamotz Union began during the Tesumasima, a period of political instability in which the island of Zamotz was fractured and under the threat of colonization by the Viodoxa-affiliated Kingdom of Avaria. All native countries, such as the State of Suuntur and the then-unrecognized State of Elatsania began taking precautionary measures and were open to developing ties with surrounding countries that felt equally threatened by the colonizers.

Meanwhile, the nation of Limuria, which had already settled some territory between Elatsania and Suuntur, began its migration to the island of Zamotz from their homeland, located north of Skjoldrbrodir. The nation of Cyrillia, another native country on the island, declared itself a protectorate of Limuria around the same time for defense against the Avarian colonizers.

Creation of the Union
The State of Elatsania, following its unification with Suuntur on the same day of its independence (July 16th) was facing repeated bandit attacks allegedly hired by the Kingdom of Avaria whilst facing territory disputes with Limuria. The country, governed by a council and a head of the council (or King Councillor), was marred by heated discussions and a lack of ideas for pushing back the colonizers while simultaneously deciding its future relations with Limuria.

The nation of Limuria itself was engaged in discussions with Viodoxa, Avaria, and the United Burgamerian Socialist Republic, the latter of which held a colony of their own in the northwestern part of the island. Plans for a purchase were laid out, including a trade where Limuria would receive the territories of the UBSR and Bibshmibbia alongside a payment of $200,000 in exchange for the entire Limurian mainland. A lack of communication across the various governments that held jurisdiction over the colonies would cause the deal to shift between being accepted or declined, causing widespread panic across the island. Amidst the chaos faced in both countries, King Okomi I and Draphonaris met to discuss the future of their region, with the latter proposing a union. The Elatsanian council were largely supportive of the union, but divided on the government structure. By this point, the council had nine members:


 * King Councilor Okomi I
 * Señor Conejo
 * TheZipCreator
 * Xycle
 * Adranus Murphy
 * Sherandaz
 * Tingemr1
 * Dcrazydude
 * Crlsniper

The Valescan Model
Proposed by Limuria, the first major proposal for a government would be to replicate the government of the Valescan Senatorial State, a separate union that Limuria once was a member-state of. Five elected senators would lead the country while an assembly of nation leaders would be able to put checks on the Senate's power. A separate executive board and legislative board would also have a voice in the proposal of laws, while lower offices and ministries would handle the day-to-day work of the Union.

The proposal would receive support from several councilors, and was mainly backed by Señor Conejo, who claimed that the system would be straightforward and work for the country as it grew in size and numbers. Opponents of the model, including Adranus Murphy, claimed that the system was far too complicated and bureaucratic for practical use, and that the Union would not be able to properly work with a system this complex.

The Council System
Others, primarily Murphy himself, backed a system based around the status quo. Seeing that it had already worked throughout Elatsania's history, proponents claimed that the system had little reason to stop working in the future. Conejo, the primary opponent to the council system, stressed that the council government transferring to the Zamotz Union would lead to a packing of the council as the nation expanded, leading to a council with dozens of councilors and a dysfunctional legislature.

The Vote
Given that Limuria was mainly seeking the union with Elatsania above all else, the latter's council was left to make the decision of which government structure to use. Intense debate between Conejo and Murphy would dominate the meeting chamber of the Elatsanian council for several days, and the two would vie for the support of the other seven members. Eventually, the debates grew too much for some, and council members Tingemr and Xycle left the chamber during the meeting altogether, though never resigned their positions. This left seven councilors to be convinced; five of which had to be swayed to one option to constitute a majority.

Although Sherandaz had been swayed over to Murphy's side early on, the rest of the councilors eventually opted to side with Conejo. A poll on the night of July 17th showed five councilors favoring the Valescan model. However, the poll was unofficial; the results had to be finalized during a council meeting the next day.

The next day, Señor Conejo would be busy tending to other affairs, and did not appear on the council meeting floor. Architect and citizen Joseph Richardson, who had distinguished himself by developing the Indusian road system and several buildings across the city, would instead enter the meeting. Already having heard of the debates, he proposed an amended version of the status quo that would involve the creation of a diarchy between Okomi and Draphonaris alongside the council. Each council member would receive a ministerial title (i.e. Minister of Defense) and handle the roles of their title alongside voting on important matters. The diarchs' power would be largely undefined and left up to interpretation on the original draft. Winning Murphy's support, the council would be swayed to support Richardson's plan for the government. By the time Conejo was able to re-enter the meeting hall, all six councilors present would vote in favor of the proposal. The legacy of the final Elatsanian council meeting is mixed. While some, including Señor Conejo, argue that the foundations of the Zamotz Union were created to benefit Richardson, others will argue that this was done both transparently and without any sacrifice. Joseph Richardson did admit during the meeting that he intended to run for Prime Minister under this system, and also managed to convince the Elatsanian council to the system's effectiveness. Nonetheless, some councilors, including Okomi, expressed regret at voting in favor for the model, and would have voted and discussed differently in hindsight.

Ratification
The draft only needed to be slightly polished to be presented to Draphonaris in the form of a formal treaty, and on 7:42 AM (EST) on July 19th, 2021, the Zamotz Union was declared. Although the treaty did little to address the city and border dispute between the two countries, it allowed for both sides to effectively ignore the situation and focus on a common threat.

The Zamotz Union had five inaugural provinces, including disputed territories with Avaria and the UBSR:


 * Indusia (Elatsania)
 * Suuntur
 * Limuria
 * Cyrillia (Protectorate of Limuria)
 * Dasana (Protectorate of Limuria, would not be claimed initially)

The nation of Velithangka would also be nominally annexed by the Zamotz Union as part of its declaration, a claim that would never be contested by the country.

Unifying the Island
There was practical benefit for both Limuria and Elatsania's rulers to endorse Joseph. He was the only person in either country to appeal to both sides' populations, and would unite both peoples if he became the first Prime Minister of the new Zamotz Union.

July election
Six hours after the declaration of the Zamotz Union, Joseph Richardson announced his candidacy for Prime Minister. Some citizens hinted at running, but nobody sought to contest him. This was largely due to the necessity of uniting behind one candidate during the time period, and also because of the lack of time to campaign and garner endorsements.

On July 20th, a vote was held. Richardson won through a unanimous vote, and became the first Prime Minister of the Zamotz Union.

The First Deal & Banditry
Negotiations between the Zamotz Union and the colonizing powers resumed. Oftentimes, there would be negotiations with two or all three of the colonizers (Avaria, UBSR, and Viodoxa by proxy) at the same time, leading to confusion and miscommunication. The deal with the UBSR and the colony of Helgin eventually failed, as the governor of the territory, AmbitSkinhub, refused to sell the land. Bandit attacks were already frequent on Zamotz ever since the start of the Tesumasima, but they only grew in frequency during the period of negotiations. Eventually, Avaria would concede Bibshmibbia to the Zamotz Union, securing the eastern part of the island.

The Second Deal & Shirokaneza
The creation of a large city-state to the west would further destabilize the status quo. The city in question, Shirokaneza, had quickly become one of the largest cities on the island, and was located squarely in the UBSR colony. It quickly began pushing for independence and created a fierce military, but suffered a significant gear shortage. Before it declared independence, however, talks with the Zamotz Union led to Shirokaneza being incorporated as a province around July 22nd, 2021. Tira, mayor of Shirokaneza, would be declared a new leader of the country, turning the diarchy into a triarchy, formally called the Triumvirate.

The Zamotz Union made several early diplomatic ventures, including a gift of several alcoholic beverages to the Shirokanezan citizenry. The city-state eventually expressed its support for good relations with the Union by killing a bandit wreaking havoc in Indusia. It would mark the first victory against banditry on the island, and several more bandit counter-attacks would lessen the Shirokanezan gear shortage while simultaneously protecting the Union's citizens. Moreover, the UBSR began making concessions, going as far as to offer all of their province except for the settlements of Skingrad and Helgin.

The Final Deal & Unification
This offer would not be enough. The Shirokanezans would counter offer the UBSR by purchasing the entire colony for several pieces of a coal, a deal which was eventually declined. Moreover, negotiations with the Viodoxan representatives broke down, and war appeared to be imminent.

As the Union geared for its first war, the UBSR conceded to all demands made by Shirokaneza and yielded the entire colony in the Treaty of Shirokaneza, formalizing the unification of the island under one government and marking the end of the Tesumasima. Their concession was largely due to the absence of an active military in Eldham, with all active UBSR soldiers and their equipment still on Rathnir and unable to be reasonably transferred to Eldham in time for any conflict.

Culture
Coming soon..

Founding
On July 19, 2021 Okomi I (leader of Elatsania) and Draphonaris (leader of Limuria) signed an agreement brokered by an Indusian citizen Joseph Richardson officially tying their respective nations together in a powerful union.

Uniting the Island
The island was fully united aside from the Viodoxian colonies to the northwest, which was perceived as a threat. Due to having before utterly destroyed the nation of Bibshmibbia, which was once a native city state in the region. It was bought by Lord Draphonaris, which made a trade with the duke of Avaria (Viodoxia).

A new group appeared on the island, many warriors from an unknown lands far to the east. Settled on the island for it's good location. Unknown to them they settled on Viodoxia's colony. They began building their large city, they called their region Shirokaneza.

Shirokaneza would later on join the Zamotz Union, which saw governmental changes for the Union. Seeing more Ministers and a Triumvirate instead of a diarchy, Queen Tira would rule alongside Draphonaris and Okomi.

Expansion
The state of Neubaykonia would later join the Zamotz Union, after having spoken with Draphonaris and Okomi. This doubled the Zamotz Union's territory, and gave the union more influence in the region.

First War: The Battle of New Dorasterrock

The Zamotz Union aided Neubaykonia in retrieving their original homelands, giving rise to the first Eldham colony in Rathnir, it would be called after it's old name; Baykonia

War of the Black Flag: War of the Black Flag

A war which resulted in a Zamotzian victory, and saw the Barbossan banditry cease to exist in Eldham.

Altechian independence

Altechia peacfully declares independence from Neubaykonia, however continues to be apart of the Zamotz union.

War of the Broken Shield

Zamotz-Skjoldrbrodir War

Provinces
The Zamotz Union is divided into several distinct provinces.


 * Altechia
 * Augusta
 * Brena
 * Cyrilla
 * Indusia
 * Kolnor
 * Medena
 * Neubaykonia
 * San Konaco
 * Shirokaneza
 * Sondor
 * White Badlands
 * Yumarat

Government
The Zamotz Union is a constitutional triumvirate which means its executive is occupied by three Triumvirs who serve in perpetuity. The legislative body is headed by a Prime Minister who is elected each month. The PM serves as the leader of the council of ministers which comprises of at least one minister from each active province in the union.

Political Parties
The Zamotz Union has several official political parties.

In alphabetical order:


 * Conservative Party
 * Monarchist Development Party
 * National Monarchist Party
 * People's Party
 * People's Worker Party
 * Shiro Party
 * Tulipanist Party
 * Unity Party
 * Utopian Party