Posavaria

The Republic of Posavaria, also known as the Pos Republic, was founded on October 29th, 2020 in the subcontinent of Sparwood Minor, shortly after gaining independence from the Valdreach Imperial Republic. It was one of the first republics in Rathnir. The capital of the Posavari nation was Posopolis. The nation had no centralized theme and acted as a union of distinct cities.

The nation was created by a mysterious group called the Posses who originated from outside Rathnir. Their vision was to create a nation founded on certain ideals, such as libertarianism, isolationism, representation, stability, etc. However, these ideals were never explicitly defined, which became a source of contention later.

Shortly before its dissolution, the Republic faced many compounding crises. An influx of migrants to Rathnir had caused rapid population growth, and the Republic struggled to properly vet and assimilate the new citizens. A growing population with dubious loyalty to the Ideals of the Republic led to internal instability, and Posavaria faced numerous settle-and-secede attempts from new migrants. This was exacerbated by attacks from raiders and pressure from aggressive neighbors. When it became clear that the people were rejecting the Ideal of the Republic, the Posses disappeared, and shortly thereafter the Republic was officially dissolved on April 26th, 2021. The remaining land and cities that had not seceded were auctioned away to neighboring countries for cheap.

Following the dissolution of Posavaria, the region of Sparwood Minor was plunged into chaos, with ugly borders and rapidly-changing countries, governments, and territorial claims. It has never managed to reunify under a comparable nation again, and has frequently been ruled by foreign powers.

The Republic of Posavaria left a deep legacy on the region. Many revivals were attempted, but none included the Posses and none succeeded. Several of the key players in the collapse of Posavaria later expressed regret and attempted to restore it. Several nations claimed to be the direct successors of Posavaria. The Republic is a common subject of alternate history. To this day, the Republic is frequently mentioned across Rathnir and is regarded as an icon of simpler times.

The Posses
The Posses were a mysterious and small group of nomads originating far outside Rathnir. Their exact nature is unknown, but they were believed to be slightly more than human, but still mortal and imperfect. Each Pos possessed a different specialty. They were led by mpos, the chief upon them, by whose name they were known.

Once they arrived in Rathnir, the Posses decided to found a nation based on certain ideals, with themselves as the leaders. To them, Posavaria was a grand utopian experiment. As the burgeoning nation began to grow, some Posses left to continue wandering beyond Rathnir, including mpos, who visited infrequently. But some Posses stayed long-term.

Eventually the people rejected the Posses and their ideals, and the nation collapsed. The Posses continued to wander, leaving Rathnir behind forever. No one knows where they went.

There were 6 known Posses in Rathnir:


 * mpos (the leader)
 * McThuggin (administrator)
 * SlightlyOffKiltr (diplomat)
 * GalaxyStar (military general, was banished from the Posses for attempting to create a military hegemony)
 * Guge (architect)
 * NotStanley4330 (arrived later than the other Posses and never held a position on the Pos Council)

It is rumored that Viomelia, the head of the Von Valdreach dynasty, was related to the Posses in some way.

It is unknown whether there are more wandering Posses that never came to Rathnir. The Posses were notorious tight-lipped when it came to their past and the true nature of their race.

While Posses are a race, "Pos" is also a title of leadership, which is still used in nations of Posavari culture. It is important to note that just because someone claims the title of "Pos", does not make them an actual Pos by race. To use an example from Earth, it is similar to how Caesar was the first Roman emperor, so all emperors after him were called "Caesar", even if they were not actually descended from Caesar.

Location
Posavaria was located on the peninsula of Sparwood Minor, on the south of Sparwood. It rested south of the tundra and north of Aezenfjord.

Territory
The loose nature of the nation was well-suited for peaceful integration of neighbors, who could join the nation without sacrificing their city themes or local government types. This was by far the most common source of territory for the Republic.

While Posavaria was generally not expansionist, they did have minor territorial ambitions. A common stated vision was to unify the region of Sparwood Minor. The integration of New-Interland was a major step toward this goal.

However, Aezenfjord owned a small uninhabited patch of land on the subcontinent, south of Shirûn, and were unwilling to sell it. Ultimately, the Republic's ambitions were never fully realized.

At its height, Posavaria stretched across the neighboring seas and owned small colonies outside of Sparwood Minor, such as Loregal (Regonia), and briefly Arbalon.

Towns
There were 12 cities in Posavaria (at time of dissolution):


 * Posopolis
 * St. Gibersburg
 * Old Knosses (formerly Mengjing)
 * Certaria (formerly Noordsholm)
 * New-Interdam
 * New Kalaningrad
 * Askalon
 * Sparrenedge
 * New Flagstaff
 * Rostovgrad

Including 3 cities in autonomous regions:


 * Shirûn (in the autonomous region of the Khanate of Shirûn)
 * Loregal (in the autonomous region of Regonia)
 * New Archenrith (in the autonomous region of Avaria)

And not including 1 abandoned city:


 * Snoengrad (in the Socialist Autonomous Region of Posavaria)

Demographics
Posavaria had no official state religion nor any specific ethnic identity. All races and ethnicities were welcome in Posavaria. Citizens of Posavaria were considered "Posavari" both culturally and by nationality.

Melee HD
While Posavaria had no official state religion, the religion of "Melee HD" was followed by many heads of state, including the Grand Pos. A temple of Melee HD was built in Posopolis by the High Priest of Melee HD, SlightlyOffKiltr. It was not sponsored by the government, however.

Cult of the Immortal Dirt
The Cult of the Immortal Dirt was originally founded in Posopolis, where the Immortal Dirt was first discovered in a building being constructed by the lakeside. The Cult considers it to be a holy location, although the site has long since been desecrated.

Shirûnic Paganism
The region of Shirûn followed Shirûnic Paganism, a religion loosely based on sun worship (among other things).

Bonobobism and Shadowism
Much of the population of New-Interdam followed the twin religions of Bonobobism or Shadowism.

Soleannen
The region of Regonia and the city of Loregal were settled by refugees from the north that followed the religion of Soleannen, which worships the god Solaris.

Chawolfism
Chawolfism was originally founded in Old Askalon. Askalon is the only city with any Chawolfist presence.

Estabanianism/Louism
Estabanianism is a local religion in New Kalaningrad with roots from far outside Rathnir, based on the worship of King Louis of Estabania, a divine messianic figure.

Diplomacy
The Republic of Posavaria was once a member of the Crescent Concordant and participated in several trade agreements.

Officially, Posavaria had a strict policy of isolationist and non-alignment, choosing to stay out of all conflicts unless a direct threat was posed to the Republic. However, Posavari citizens were often allowed to participate in outside conflicts as volunteers or mercenaries if they wish.

Government
The official government form of Posavaria was a unique variant of republicanism termed a "Pos Republic". The government was split into two branches, the Senate and the Pos Council ('Pos' is a Posavari term translating roughly to 'consul' or 'minister').

Grand Pos
The ultimate authority in Posavaria was the Grand Pos, a constitutional monarch with ultimate power but limited interaction in the government - in essence, a figurehead. The Grand Pos presided over the Pos Council but rarely participated in decisions.

Pos Council
The Pos Council consisted of four Posses who each specialized in different areas of administration - the Pos of Military, the Pos of Architecture, the Pos of Diplomacy, and the Pos of Administration. These four Lower Posses could be thought of as ministers, and served under the Grand Pos. Together, they constituted a Council that could pass bills and veto bills passed by the Senate (although this veto power was never exercised). The Posses were not an elected role and served for life. The Pos Council was not meant to be the major decision maker in Posavaria, however - that was left to the Senate. The Pos Council simply acted as a check against the Senate and kept the nation from diverging too far from the original path the founders intended - a way for the founders to allow democracy in Posavaria without totally giving up control of the nation they created.

Senate
The Senate was the major legislature and judicial branch of government in Posavaria and was where most decision-making happened. The Senate consisted of one elected Senator from each city in Posavaria, each with voting power equal to their city's population. This allowed all cities to be represented but prevented citizens from flooding the Senate with new votes by creating countless small cities. Essentially, the total number of votes in the Senate was equal to the population of the nation as a whole. In tied votes, the Grand Pos acted as the tiebreaker, which could also be delegated to the other Posses.

By national law, Senatorial elections were required to be held in each city on the 1st of each month. Each city would democratically elect a representative and send them to the Senate. There was no limit on how many times a Senator could be re-elected. After Senatorial elections were held, the Senate would hold a vote to choose a High Senator from amongst themselves. The High Senator ran the Senate and was in charge of guiding discussion and submitting bills for an official vote, as well as acting as a representative of the Senate to the Pos Council and the public.

The Senate's duties were to


 * pass legislation,
 * approve treaties and make declarations of war, and
 * act as a court and make judicial decisions.

However, the Pos Council could choose to review and strike down any action taken by the Senate.

Centralism
Posavaria did not use federalism in the management of its lands. All cities were under the centralized authority of the national government and were not organized into territories or provinces. Each city was allowed to have whatever theme and government form it liked as long as it held democratic elections for the national Senate.

However, Posavari law did allow for the creation of Autonomous Regions, which were allowed to have their own regional government to create a unified theme for several cities if the citizens so wished. However, autonomous regions were generally discouraged, as regional governments increased the risk of separatism. Ultimately, they played a significant role in the dissolution of the Republic.

Officials (at time of dissolution)
The first Senatorial elections were held on November 1st, 2020.

In the final months of the Republic, internal chaos led to many Senatorial positions being unfilled.

Alternative visions
During the political instability near the end of the Republic, many of the ideals of the Republic began to be questioned more openly. Alternative visions for Posavaria were considered. These are a common subject of alternate history today.

Some of the newer citizens of Posavaria favored a more expansionist stance. They resented the lack of a Pos of Military following the border crisis with the Burgamere Socialist Republic and were friendly to the idea of an "Empire of Posavaria".

Under a more radical plan, one of the Posses could have become corrupted and staged a coup to seize absolute power, overthrowing the Republic and creating the "Pos Ascendancy", a highly militarist and absolutist dictatorship where the Posses are worshipped as god-emperors. However, to the Posses, this would have been an ultimate betrayal of their ideals.

History
17th of October, 2020


 * The territory of "Posopotamia" was chartered by Empress Viomelia of the VIR.

27th of October


 * Following a period of rapid growth, economic and cultural separation from the rest of the Empire, and culminating in nationwide instability following the coup against Empress Viomelia in Aezenfjord, Posopotamia voted to become independent. The transition to independence was peaceful.
 * Posopotamia reformed its government and rebranded itself as the Republic of Posavaria.

5th of November


 * The city of Noordsholm was founded as a bastion on the northern border but was later abandoned.

12th of November


 * The Khanate of Shirûn also seceded from the VIR and immediately became a tributary state of Posavaria.

29th of November


 * Shirûn joined the Republic as an autonomous region.
 * Posavaria accepted the membership request of the city of Arbalon to the north, sparking a border crisis with the Burgamere Socialist Republic.

1st of December


 * Arbalon seceded from Posavaria after political pressure from the Council of Sparwood City-States (CSCS).
 * Shortly after, the leadership of the Pos Council was restructured in response to several internal and external crises.
 * Under a treaty with Burgamere and the CSCS, Posavaria was required to banish the Pos of Military for allegedly attempting to create a military hegemony to counter the CSCS. The position was left unfilled.

2nd of January 2021


 * The Socialist Autonomous Region of Posavaria (SARP) was created as the Republic of Posavaria's second autonomous region. The city of Snoengrad was founded but was later abandoned.

14th of January


 * Posavaria voted to leave the Crescent Concordant.

15th of January


 * The neighboring country of New-Interland joined the Republic of Posavaria and the capital city, New-Interdam, was integrated into the Republic.

19th of January


 * Posavaria participated in the Battle of Aezenfjord on the side of the defenders, contributing the greatest number of soldiers. The defenders suffered a controversial defeat to the Sørveien Empire and the Republic of Bardonia.

2nd of February


 * Senatorial elections resulted in the controversial St. Gibersburg Beer Election.

12th of February


 * The Kingdom of Regonia and its capital of Loregal joined the Republic as an autonomous region.

14th of February


 * The city of New Kalaningrad was founded in the north by a surge of new migrants.

19th of February


 * As the surge continued, the city of Askalon was founded in the north.

24th of February


 * The Socialist Autonomous Region of Posavaria was disbanded to make room for the new northern citizens.
 * The old settlement of Mengjing was restored as Old Knossos by some of the original settlers.

25th of February


 * The Troyan Raids of Posavaria begun with a raid of St. Gibersburg.

27th of February


 * The Troyans were banished from Rathnir, ending the Troyan Raids of Posavaria.
 * The town of Sparrenedge was founded in the far south.

5th of March


 * Following the raids, some citizens desired a more formal military. They defied the Senate and created the Posavari Mercenaries/Law Enforcement Department, a paramilitary organization.
 * The crisis was de-escalated when the Posses agreed to reinstate a Pos of Military and formalize the military.

9th of March


 * Tensions rose again, and many citizens of the northern cities of (especially Askalon and New Kalaningrad) threatened to secede.
 * To prevent civil war, those citizens migrated to the abandoned city of Arbalon to the north and formed the Kelmar Union as a protectorate of Posavaria. However, tensions remained high.
 * The town of New Flagstaff was founded in the north by new migrants.

12th of March


 * The Kelmar Union encouraged New Flagstaff to also secede.
 * Instead, New Flagstaff started a communist revolution and occupied the neighboring city of Loregal, destroying the bridge crossing the sea from Snoengrad to Regonia.

13th of March


 * The New Flagstaff revolutionaries were easily driven back by a small militia and the city was razed. The leaders were banished and those who pledged loyalty were allowed to remain.

15th of March


 * Certaria was founded by a former citizen of New Flagstaff and other new migrants on the former location of Noordsholm.

19th of March


 * Posavaria granted land in the north to squatters expelled from Aezenfjord, creating the Automatous Region of Avaria. This would be a mistake, as the Avarians had intentions to undermine and conquer the nation.
 * Later that day, they founded the city of New Archenrith.

22nd of March


 * The Kelmar Union left Posavaria and was annexed by the growing Empire of Akratia.

6th of April


 * Following months of instability, the Posses mysteriously went missing.

14th of April


 * The town of Rostovgrad was integrated by Posavaria.

22nd of April


 * The region of Avaria seceded and annexed large swaths of the north, and promptly began preparing to invade the rest of the country with support from Leythe and Akratia.

26th of April


 * The Republic was dissolved.
 * The remaining land was auctioned to Aezenfjord, Akratia, Hinokuko, the UBSR, and Viodoxa to prevent the secessionists of Avaria from annexing it.
 * Viodoxa received the majority of the land for $1, including Posopolis and New-Interdam.
 * Hinokuko received 3 small southern islands for $20.
 * Akratia received a large island off the coast of New-Interland, colloquially called "Sh*t Island".
 * Aezenfjord received the region of Shirûn for $1
 * The UBSR received Certaria.
 * Avaria was extremely displeased and threatened to invade anyway, sparking war between Leyte, Akratia, and Avaria versus Aezenfjord and Viodoxa. They were forced to back down after their allies withdrew support.