Ohlonemark (The Kalmar Union)

The Kingdom of Ohlonemark, Ohlonemark, is a constitutional monarchy on the Western coast of Leifia. It has borders with South Yokutland to the East and Esselenmark to the South. Across the Great Bay to the North is Chinese Leifia. The capital is Romonan and the population around 3 million.

The Head of State is King Xigmacse II.

The official languages are Ohlonsk and Danish.

The currency is the Ohlone Kaknu (OHK).

History
The Ohlone tribe inhabiting the Great Bay area of Western Leifia was largely isolated from the events transforming Eastern Leifia and like most of the Western Leifian tribes was semi-nomadic and largely engaged in hunter gatherer activity. Organised into 'villages' covering a wide area the Ohlone did not resemble a nation as such, more of loosely allied collection of small tribes.

The arrival of Álengsk traders in the 14th century would catalyse their transformation into a regional power. Encouraged by the introduction of iron and domestic animals, the widely spaced villages recorded by those early traders had transformed themselves, via agreement and war into a unitary state under the rule of the southern chiefs by around 1400. Along the way the Ohlone adapted the local 'Kuksu' beliefs shared by most of its neighbours into a complex ritualistic religion reimagining the loosely defined gods into a rich pantheon. It also began to build pyramids, inspired by Mexic examples.

However this stability was soon undone by a vicious double epidemic of measles and the black death. Severely depopulated and with several outlying tribes completely wiped out, the remaining tribe were encouraged to properly settle on the land and soon the agricultural potential of the inland valleys began to be realised. the population bounced back within three generations. The chiefs of the North, specifically the growing town of Romonan, quickly secured their dominance but many previously Ohlone areas were lost to neighbouring states or independently minded warlords.

Their northern neighbours, the Patwin (see Chinese Leifia), had by this point galvanized the western tribes, mostly settled nation states, into a military league to oppose depredations by the Mexic to the south. The Ohlones declined to join however and conflicts with the Chumash and the Yokuts spiralled into war. The Patwin League would often end the campaign season with incursions to extract tribute from the outlying Ohlone settlements. Pressure from the Yokuts slowly wore away the southern portion and the Ohlones lost much of the bay. However their general neutrality was instrumental in encouraging the growth of trade and the city of Romonan soon became a favoured stop between Mexica and the growing states of northwest Leifia and the end of the overland Vinlandic trade routes. A concerted effort to reform the army and centralize the state stopped the erosion of the territory and laid the foundations of future success.

The declining fortunes of the Patwin league in the 18th century led to a massive expansion in the Ohlone state. A series of 4 wars, usually referred to as the Wars of Patwin Partition saw Ohlonemark triple in size as it swallowed its neighbours, but then shrink again as the defacto Chinese rulers of the old Patwin state resurrected the League under a new guise and pushed them back. It would be obliged to grant Esselenmark independence in 1803 but since then has maintained its present borders despite occasional wars, such as the Twleve-Day War in 1962.

The period of the Partions saw a great deal of interest from Eastern Leifia and further afield with many Europeans entering into service for the state. One of the army's finest generals at the time was an Aragonese, Jeroni Sunyer, while a large number of Danes, Svealanders and Hordalanders settled on the more sparsely inhabited west coast. Their descendants still live in largely Danish speaking areas now split between Ohlonemark and Chumashland (they were evicted from Esselenmark in 1866).

Still technically unaligned to any alliance bloc, Ohlonemark has much improved its relations with its neighbours. It allows the Kalmar navy to berth at Romonan, goes on joint manoeuvers with the Chinese led West Leifian League and guarantees the integrity of various Northern Leifian nations. However there are many voices in the Diet who would like to see Ohlonemark regain all of its historical territory and urge a more agressive stance. A partial sop to these advocates is a program to build a substantial Tyr-battleship and submarine fleet.

Government
Almost alone amongst the South-West Leifian states Ohlonemark has a well-developed parliamentary system. It is governed by a tri-cameral Diet with elections every 5 years.

The head of state is King Xigmacse II. The power of the monarch has withered since the Partition Wars and is little more than a figurehead. The head of government is Director is Onbi Chicutae.

The kingdom is divided into 16 'Kus', each with their own regional diets. The Danakus - the thin coastal strip where the population is Scandinavian descended - has wide autonomy.