St. Ark Federation

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==About==
The St. Ark Federation (Lithuanian: Šv. Arka Federacija) is a country bordering the Republic of Bistonia to the north. The country is known for its vast wheat fields in Goldfield in the north, their highest mountain called Mount Cromwell in the center of the country, and the most-remote city, Sauspas, in the southern part of the country. St. Ark is also widely known as "Little Columbia", due to its history as a Columbian colony and commonwealth for centuries, with government systems, judicial systems, postal codes, culture, and entire cities resembling Columbian ones. The country is a federal presidential constitutional republic, with the current president being Lukas Laurynas, who entered office in 2017. Lukas is one of the first Pelkians to be elected in the country since 1968, after Rimantas Aurelijus, who was the second president from 1961 to 1968. It is a federation comprised of 7 states, 3 territories, and one federal district called the Heightsbound Capital Territory, which also serves as the capital of St. Ark.
The contemporary history of the St. Ark Federation was a rather chaotic one. After having recently emerged from a military dictatorship that was led by Frederick Goldlock from 1979 to 1989, his policies had essentially turned the entire country into a pariah state, with the country descending into civil war between the forces of the St. Ark National Democratic Forces, comprising of political opponents to the military government and those who defected to their side, and the St. Ark Armed Forces, which placed the country under their thumb. After the civil war was put to an end after the St. Ark National Democratic Forces was destroyed, life under Frederick's rule led to its decline, with monopolies established by his oligarchs, which in turn established a ring. 
After the New Shingleton Incident on November 15th 1989, the St. Ark Federation went into a period of turmoil known as the Hadshellad Revolution, which spread to most of the cities in the north. Protests would subsequently become violent as the military government was unable to brutally crackdown on protestors. The military government was overthrown on November 20th 1989, leading to the establishment of a provisional government and beginning the Reformation Era, which began the St. Ark Federation's transition to a democracy. However, the Reformation Era was met with a chaotic turn of events, which soon led to a culmination which began the Heightsbound Crisis of 1995. After the crisis, the Reformation Era had been brought to an abrupt end as another dictatorship emerged in the country led by Oakwen Gordon, until protests in 2008 forced him to step down, beginning another Reformation Era.
==History==
=== Before the 14th century ===
The land which would be known as modern-day St. Ark was an uninhabited landmass, with little to no presence of human civilization anywhere existing on it during the human migration period. This was due to it being isolated over 80,000 years ago, when the landbridge connecting it to Bistonia had gradually submerged over time. The earliest signs of human civilization was dated during 1020 AD, during the time of the Serudian Empire, where the Serudians became the first known recorded people to begin settling in the area, establishing numerous ports, which were located along the modern-day city of Elycote on the mouth of the Pelka River.
Serudian settlers arrived to the land from boats from the Mazoji Region, where they established settlements and soon other settlers arrived to the region. It is unknown as to what region they originated from, but it is speculated to be another Bistonian indigenous group which lived closer to the Serudians. Ancient Serudian structures were also discovered in the areas around the city of Haufflerberry, which meant that the Serudians had a much larger presence than previously thought. However, the Serudian Empire would not last long. With the beginning of the Balt migrations into Bistonia, the Serudian Empire gradually declined, as diseases were brought over by the Balts, who would soon bring the destruction of the empire, forcing the Serudians to flee to the Scattered islands Archipelago.
Many of the Serudian settlers which were located along the northern coasts of St. Ark soon formed their own independent city states, which soon collapsed, leaving many of the Serudian city states there to become abandoned. The settlers either fled to the Scattered Islands Archipelago, or had went further into the interior, devolving into living a primitive lifestyle. Many of the ancient structures which were constructed by the Serudians on the northern coastal areas were left abandoned and taken over by nature, until their rediscovery in the 20th century.
=== 14th century ===
Around 200 years after the collapse of the Serudian Empire, from its ruins came the formation of the Bistonian Empire, which led to a large influx of many Lithuanian merchants and settlers which swept throughout most of modern-day Bistonia. Bistonian culture flourished throughout most of mainland Bistonia. However, with the rise of the Bistonians as a power in the region, saw the rise of Bistonian outlaws. The Bistonian Empire had dealt with problems concerning their merchants and settlers, as many of the border regions had been constantly raided by outlaws and pirates. Many of these outlaws committed crimes such as robbery, evasion of paying taxes to the emperor, and many other crimes which often ranged from minor to often brutal crimes. Many of these outlaws roamed throughout most of mainland Bistonia where there was no presence by the Bistonian knights. However, with the remaining tribes attacking many of these outlaws, most fled to the south, where they were either captured or killed by the Bistonian troops stationed there in the Mazoji region. Many of the remaining outlaws escaped through sea, and fled from mainland Bistonia. According to records, many of the outlaws were reported to have landed in modern-day St. Ark around the 1440s, and had possibly established their own settlements there, and had possibly interacted with locals.
In history, the land known as St. Ark was only given the name in its modern form. The landmass was initially known among those within Bistonian society as "Nesekme", as around the 1450s Bistonian outlaws returned to the Bistonian knights and were captured once again after they arrived to Mazoji, and had claimed that they fled to a land that gave them "bad luck". The term Nesekme was used to describe the land in the 1460s. It is uncertain how the presence of the Bistonian outlaws spread throughout the land, although it is presumed that settlements constructed by many of them spread throughout the Pelka River in modern-day New Shingleton. Many of the descendants of these Bistonian outlaws mixed in with the local population, eventually calling themselves as the Pelkians, and the region they live in known as "Pelka", named after a marsh that was discovered in the region. The Bistonian emperor attempted to colonize the land and establish settlements there, but attempts to discover any sighting of a land failed. The Bistonian outlaws, now known as the Pelkians, would eventually move on from their crooked way of living, and would then establish settlements in which they had cooperated and attempted to make a living along the northern coasts. However, these settlements had a scarce population, and would often decline due to the beginning of plagues and the hostility of natives within the region. The safe haven would continue on for centuries and would repeat often constantly, leaving remnants of settlements along Nesekme, which would become the graveyard of crime.
With the fall of the Bistonian Empire in the late 1600s, the land known as Nesekme would continue to be left unconquered, with many of the natives, including the Pelkians, continuing to live in the area for centuries. With the Beyliks conquering the last Crimsonian kingdoms in the early 1700s, the Beyliks were one of the first to begin mapping out the coasts of Nesekme, beginning an expedition to explore the coasts which brought knowledge of the land throughout the Beylik Empire. The Beylik sultan, initially had plans to begin settling on Nesekme, sending a fleet of ships on an expedition to the land which resulted in a failure, as the crew had suffered from what seemed to be bad omen from attempting to arrive to the land. One of the ships which was sent in 1764 to begin settling in Nesekme, was met with an unknown demise and the crew disappeared. Their remains were discovered in 1814 on the coasts along modern-day Grandport. However, with Mongravia's invasion into Beylik occupied Zedrutia in 1799, and the gradual loss of influence and power as their rule over Bistonia was fracturing, the Beylik Empire's plans to establish a settlement in Nesekme were eventually abandoned, but there were attempted efforts to revive the plan, before the beginning of the Crimmitonian Revolution in 1800 forced the Beyliks to withdraw from Bistonia and cede it to the newly founded Kingdom of Crimmitonia in 1802, after the Beyliks agreed to give it up in exchange for peace and to avoid further war.
=== Colonization and James Spence Monroe (1820s - 1824) ===
With Nesekme's fate being uncertain and left unconquered by any kingdom surrounding it, Nesekme was now once again known as a land of mystery until April 13th 1824, when an expeditioner from the United States of Megaton and Columbia, known as James Spence Monroe, arrived at the shores of what is now Haufflerberry, to survey the land which was unknown at the time, with its coasts only being surveyed by the Beyliks. However, in reality, James Spence Monroe had arrived there in an attempt to fulfill his beliefs in what was known to be his radical version of manifest destiny within the United States of Megaton and Columbia. James Spence Monroe believed that although settlers were destined to spread and expand through west, he had grown disappointed by the difficulties the settlers faced in expanding west, and thus went on an expedition to discover a land that many of his people could establish on. James wrote a letter back to the mainland claiming that Nesekme had much more opportunity, and had more resources than what the government had expected. James, along with a group of 80 settlers, half of them women and children, established the first settlement on Nesekme. This settlement would be eventually known as Haufflerberry, becoming one of the oldest cities in the St. Ark Federation.
James began a series of expeditions coming from the settlement, eventually discovering the Pelkans who were living beside the Pelka River. Many of the Pelkans strongly opposed James' presence, believing that his presence was provoking their livelihoods. James, despite distrust between his group and the Pelkan locals, established trade with the locals despite their lack of knowledge between them, and their lack of knowledge of the languages the locals spoke. However, as James allowed his town to expand further, bringing in more than a hundred people, many of the settlers started to overhunt, leading to many of the wildlife populations decreasing, and resulting in lower numbers for the locals living along the Pelkan River, the tribes and the Pelkans, angered by the consequences, cut ties with James' settlement, and began an attack in the morning. Pelkans and tribal fighters entered the settlement, breaking the settlements temporary walls and immediately slaughtering most of the settlers, including women and children, and scorched most of the settlement, leaving it in flames. Some of the women and children were kidnapped, to send a warning to James and his expeditionary force, who were causing trouble towards their livelihoods. James was severely wounded, with lacerations around his face. In the aftermath, his wife, including his children were killed, including many of his colleagues.
Despite having hundreds of the settlers surviving the attack, the losses were too much to handle for James, and according to many surviving witnesses, James went into a slow descent into total madness, beginning his journey of crossing the line and attacking the tribes, including the Pelkans, eventually doing the same to them. James led a journey along with his remaining expeditionary force, who were also injured in the attack, and began an attack on each Pelkan and tribal village. 17 ships, which had recently arrived to what was now a destroyed settlement, joined the fight. James went to many of the Pelkan villages first, slaughtering most of the women and children, and executing the men who were responsible. They then set fire on most of their camps, allegedly beheading Pelkans who resisted and surrendered, with many of their heads kept as trophies. According to a letter sent to the mainland from Nesekme, the Pelkan River for weeks was stained with blood, with corpses of mutilated Pelkans flowing through the river, including the remnants of their houses and belongings. James also led an attack on the tribes, punishing them severely and leading them to flee south to modern-day Meedluke. James eventually stopped his rampage, and attempted to lead in rebuilding the settlement. In 1824, word of James' massacre spread and was sent to the mainland. Despite the governments efforts in an attempt to stop him, many of his associates in the mainland had seen an opportunity, allowing the government to declare the establishment of the Colony of New Hope. James' massacre was a turning point in the history of Nesekme during its initial colonization by the U.S.M.C, with many locals telling the tales how his massacre brought a spell to break the curse of the land, as James had brought a massacre to the locals with such brutality that it had overcome the curse, and brought a new dawn and a new era for a land that was once known as mysterious for centuries.
=== The Colony of New Hope (1824 - 1892) ===
In 1824, due to his brutal campaigns which were seen as effective by the government back in the mainland, including the President, who saw the radical ideals of another manifest destiny, James was appointed as the first governor and leader over the new colony. Within his rule which lasted for over 5 years, the scars of the attack made towards James was still there, and James was still eager for revenge. James' rampage continued well over for years, being declared as a hero by many of the surviving settlers and his crew. During the first few years during his reign, he looked over the construction of several settlements along the northern coasts, which reached from the now rebuilt settlement of Haufflerberry towards Staffmond, in modern day Hainesbend State, which was made able due to James' brutal tactics. Hundreds and eventually thousands of settlers arrive in droves as the colonization of Nesekme was starting to begin, and the radical versions of manifest destiny were being fulfilled. The first group of slaves arrived on the colony the following year, including penal workers, who arrived from the mainland who were forced to do labor work. Plantations were established in modern-day Hainesbend, while ports were constructed to help with the growth. However, with the colony's prosperity, came a much more brutal administration which was becoming increasingly authoritarian.
Native tribes, which had been victims of James' campaign, no matter if they were the perpetrators, were met a terrible fate. James' administration ordered a majority of them to be heavily subjugated, having their children taken away in an attempt to integrate them into society, or have them used as slaves. Most fled further south to areas where his administration was out of reach. However, James' power over the newly founded colony did not last long through 1825, when an independent news journal reported the brutality of the administration and the crimes which were committed there as part of the governments plan to enact their radical version of manifest destiny, reporting the cruelties and rampages by James' forces. Following this, massive demonstrations in the mainland erupted, forcing the president to step down, and James was eventually forced out of his power by the government in 1828, despite a majority of senators voting to keep him in power. James was apprehended and sent back to the mainland awaiting trial. After the trial, he was sentenced to death for his crimes in late November 1828, and was executed by hanging in 1829. Despite his notorious reputation, James left a legacy behind in the history of what would be later on known as the St. Ark Federation, being widely known in the country's history as the founding father of the country.
After James' administration had been overthrown, the colony was now under the control of the federal government. Many of the colony's assets which previously belonged to James' administration, were confiscated aswell including the private armies of New Hope. With the colony now under the rule of the federal government, the Colony of New Hope's laws were abolished, being replaced with the federal constitution and the laws regarding slavery were also abolished. The private armies were eventually organized into the federal army, which would eventually become the St. Ark Armed Forces. New Hope's capital was also moved, from its former capital in Haufflerberry to Grandpert in modern-day Hainesbend.
Four years after the scandal which resulted in the execution of James Spence Monroe, the Colony of New Hope was now under the control of the federal government. This meant that the United States of Megaton and Columbia had a strong presence in its surrounding regions, bringing a balance of power to the region along with the newly founded Kingdom of Crimmitonia, which was expanding its territories in Bistonia. In 1828, a vessel during its voyage to Haufflerberry was suddenly attacked which resulted in the deaths of around 8 people, resulting in massive outrage towards the federal government regarding the safety of the settlers in New Hope. It was soon revealed to the public that the vessel had been travelling in waters around islands which were inhabited by the Serudians, around an archipelago which was still undiscovered. The discovery of the Scattered Islands Archipelago was revealed, but in retaliation for the attacks by the tribals, the federal government launched an attack on the Scattered Islands Archipelago. Not long afterwards, the Crimmitonians, which had taken over Bistonia years prior, proceeded to intervene, deploying many of its forces and scattering around many of them, allegedly attacking the tribes and the villages they inhabited. The Serudians, which were remnants of the Serudian kingdoms 800 years ago, surrendered to many of them, signing an agreement in which they werent aware of many of its contents. The Serudian kingdom was forcefully made into a protectorate and condominium for both the Kingdom of Crimmitonia and the Colony of New Hope. The Serudian kingdom was on the verge of collapse, losing half of its population and its economy was decimated. The kingdom's foreign affairs were also dominated, equally by both of the two powers.
The situation in the archipelago would change drastically in December 1833. A revolt led by the Serudian leader known as Akwa resulted in the king being overthrown and the Serudians reestablishing their control over the archipelago, proceeding to kill many of Crimmitonia's soldiers which were deployed to Pesca as guards. A new ruler assumed power and he was supported mostly by Akwa and his forces, and declared neutrality and independence from both of the two powers. As news of the revolt spread to the Tsar in Kradovo and the federal government back in the mainland, both sides sent ultimatums to the Serudians, demanding that Akwa turned himself in and that the Serudians placed the king back on the throne. However, the Serudians refused and attacked many surrounding vessels in the process, which led to a conference which decided on the future fate of the archipelago. It was decided that the archipelago was split into two and each of them controlled by them. The north, controlled by the Kingdom of Crimmitonia, and the south, controlled by the Colony of New Hope.
On the 22nd of January 1833, the invasion of the archipelago began, in which within a matter of hours, New Hope forces managed to capture few of the many islands and from the north the Crimmitonians had done the same. The Serudians attempted to fight back, only carrying spears and weapons which were stolen from the invading forces. By then it was already too late, as both New Hope and Crimmitonian forces had reached the capital of Pesca, sacking the entire city and destroying many of the Serudian tombs and temples established in the capital. Days after the Serudians were defeated, along with the death of Akwa as a result of a failed charge against Crimmitonian forces in the north, the remaining Serudian nobles signed their surrender, and the event would be later on known as the Partition of Pesca. The Kingdom of Serudiantu which lasted for nearly 810 years was finally dissolved, with the southern portion of the kingdom being absorbed into the Colony of New Hope. After the partition, the Serudian population began gradually dwindling as a result of rampant disease and famine throughout the island, whilst the new administration was sending in settlers to repopulate and consolidate control over the entire archipelago. The island, which was given the modern name of Pesca, was divided into two, with the south part of the city retaining its name, and the north part of the city, now under the control of Crimmitonia, was renamed to Mazojiodesa.
==== New Shingleton Gold Rush and massacre ====
Before 1845, New Shingleton was initially named Pelka, named after the Pelkan River and the Pelkians, who were descendants of the Lithuanian outlaws who mixed in with the local inhabitants of the land. Pelka was mostly uninhabited, with a majority of its areas being marsh. The only inhabitants of the territory were the Pelkians, who constructed settlements along the Pelkan River and made a living from the rivers, and had a unique type of language which derived from both the local language and the Lithuanian language. However, with the colonization of the territory, the population of the Pelkians and their culture began to decline gradually over the decades, which was further accelerated when James' led his army to massacre many of the Pelkians living north of the Pelkan River. Following the aftermath, most of Pelka was turned into an unorganized territory, as few groups of settlers arrived to the land that the Pelkians once inhabited. There were attempts to largely turn Pelka into a region that was largely dependent on agriculture, but most of that was shifted when fertile land was discovered in Hainesbend. Most of Pelka's coasts had been already colonized, with many settlements established along the ports. The islands off the coasts of Pelka were also colonized, with the first settlement on it, St. John, established in 1831. In 1833, the unorganized territory was renamed from Pelka to "New Shingleton", named after the town where the first confrontations began during the Columbian Revolution in the mainland centuries ago. Despite its renaming, the territory which was now known as "New Shingleton" continued to be an unorganized territory within New Hope, becoming a frontier.
In 1845, Eric Reece, was at his farm located in modern-day Meedluke, where he noticed some shiny flecks. He soon examined them, realizing that it was gold. Eric Reece eventually took these items to a caravan heading north, the metal was confirmed to be gold after tests were performed in the town of New Charlotte. News of the discovery soon reached throughout the region, and eventually, the whole world. New people and merchants soon flowed into the banks of the Pelkan River, where they soon established mining towns which flourished and exploded in large numbers. A gold rush soon eventually happened in New Shingleton, leading to a massive population boom. The New Shingleton Gold Rush soon propelled the region from a frontier backwater to a center of global imagination and the destination of around hundreds of thousands of people. Not also did the Gold Rush bring miners to the region, but it had also brought farmers from Hainesbend to bring large-scale agriculture to the region. Roads, schools, churches quickly came into existence along with a massive road network, and soon, the modern-day city of Jefferson was founded, which exponentially grew from just 2,000 to around 15,000 in just one year. In the end, New Shingleton's rapid growth soon allowed for the creation of a state in New Shingleton, giving it statehood, founding the modern-day State of New Shingleton. Not also did it lead to massive developments in the region, but it had also ramped up development in the Colony of New Hope, which made the region more valuable to the federal government in the mainland.
However, with the rapid growth, it came at a price. The human and environmental costs were substantial, especially amongst the indigenous populations which lived there. The Pelkians, who were descendants of the Bistonians who arrived here by boat and inhabited the Pelkan River for centuries, became the victims of starvation and disease as toxic chemicals soon polluted the Pelkan River. The surge in large-scale agriculture from farmers in Hainesbend soon forced the Pelkians away from their lands. Systematic attacks against the Pelkians and other indigenous tribes in the region occurred, and soon began growing in large numbers over the years. Conflicts were fought between new people, merchants and gold prospectors against the Pelkians and other indigenous tribes, and it was even reported that there were times when miners would kill up to over 80 or more Pelkians in one day.
==== Columbian Civil War (1862 - 1865) ====
The Columbian Civil War began in 1862, between the southern states which seceded and the federal government, over internal issues regarding slavery, and other factors. The Colony of New Hope remained neutral, despite being a colony. This stance continued up until 1864, when the Colony of New Hope was automatically brought into the civil war, participating on the side of the federal government, supporting and backing them during the civil war. Many of New Hope's armies were sent to the mainland as volunteers on the frontlines against forces of the southern states. However, New Hope's decision to participate on the side of the federal government was largely opposed by many in New Hope, especially among farmers in the regions such as Hainesbend or New Shingleton, and dissent was largely growing amongst the ranks of New Hope's militias. Soon afterwards in 1864, when the southern states were suffering from substantial losses, the New Hope rebellion had occurred. The New Hope militias which revolted against the federal government, soon approached Fort Hatters along the banks of the Jahresville River, forcing the garrison there to surrender to them. In Hainesbend, rebels had seized the towns of Westfield and Goldfield, before heading towards Kearney further south. The rebellion grew as the New Hope militias captured the city of Jahresville, and soon laid siege on Barview, where New Hope militias who opposed the rebels, were surrounded and cut off.
Soon afterwards, the Colony of New Hope began a campaign to retake most of the territories lost by the rebels, and, with the tides of the war turning in favor for the federal government, support was substantial towards the Colony of New Hope, along with activists who supported for equal rights. On April 9th 1864, the rebels in Hainesbend were confronted at Fort Hemming, where a heavy battle ensued which led to the New Hope militias, who were loyal to the governor, besieging the fort and forcing the rebel garrison there to surrender. They soon retook the town of Kearney, before surrounding the rebels in Goldfield and Westfield, where heavy battles were fought. In New Shingleton, the Pelkians soon joined the side of the rebels, occupying the towns of Marshcorn, and Estpelka. Another revolt occurred in Lausas, but was soon crushed. A bloody campaign was fought which led to the liberation of the towns in New Shingleton, which led to substantial losses between both sides. The New Hope militias soon moved towards Cowhoof, where they were confronted and were forced to retreat. The town of Jahresville was soon burned before the New Hope militias fled to their stronghold in Fort Hatters, where they were ultimately crushed, ending the civil war in New Hope.
Following the aftermath, the governor of New Hope soon used the civil war as a means of participating further in the civil war on the side of the federal government. The New Hope militias, who were still loyal to the government, soon participated in the frontlines and took part in infamous battles, up until in 1865 when the Columbian Civil War ended, when the southern states surrendered. The New Hope soldiers were soon commemorated as heroes back in New Hope, with monuments established dedicated to them. In Fort Hatters, a large monument was established there to commemorate the lives of those who were lost in the battle for the liberation of the fort. The federal government would soon praise the governors actions and support for them in the civil war, and soon resources from New Hope were being transported to the mainland, where they were used in reconstruction efforts.
=== Commonwealth of St. Ark (1892 - 1956) ===
On November 1891, 29 years after the beginning of the Columbian Civil War, the Colony of New Hope was in a state of crisis. A mutiny occurred in Fort Hatters, which soon grew to several mutinies which were reported all across the colony as New Hope militias soon grew discontent towards the Governor of New Hope, Warren Murdoch, which had refused to pay many of their soldiers stationed at their forts as he had used up all of his funds for personal use. The scandal soon worsened when most of the people in New Hope began a revolution in the cities, such as Haufflerberry, Grandport and Hainesbend. Warren soon took matters into his own hands and attempted to brutally suppress the uprising to no avail, and soon his options reached a dead end when the indigenous soon rebelled. Warren soon sent messages to the federal government, in which he demanded help to be sent to New Hope to brutally suppress the New Hope militias and those who were against the government. However, Warren was soon removed from power and the federal government had their forces sent to New Hope and had the uprising brutally suppressed. Knowing that another rebellion would soon rise up, and maintaining New Hope had become too costly, the federal government had soon finalized their decisions and decided to grant New Hope a certain level of autonomy and right to independence. In a bill which was signed in early 1892, the Colony of New Hope was officially dissolved which led to the establishment of the Commonwealth of St. Ark. The renaming of New Hope to St. Ark was after a ship which brought settlers to the region in the 1830s.
Despite the promise of a semi-independent state, and being granted the right of self-governance, the Commonwealth of St. Ark was still under the control of the United States of Megaton and Columbia. Most military bases and naval bases which were located in St. Ark were reserved and controlled, and their foreign policies were under their control. Most government decisions had to undergo a process of appeal from the federal government, and most of the cabinets were appointed directly by them. However, St. Ark was able to have a certain degree of autonomy, such as the New Hope militias, which were soon reorganized into the modern-day St. Ark Armed Forces. The federal government still continued to control New Shingleton, but by June 8th 1892 control over the region was handed over to the commonwealth, effectively ending any full control by the federal government on territory in St. Ark. Most of USMC's fleets in Mesothemia were concentrated mostly in the Commonwealth of St. Ark, which established a presence in the region of Mesothemia. Throughout the rest of the early 1900s, St. Ark's territories began to expand gradually as they acquired more lands from purchases to the native inhabitants, from Fort Hatters to modern-day Wilkaus. The rest of the unclaimed territory was unexplored, until it was claimed in 1907, and control over the entire island was completed by that time.
Throughout the 1900s, the Commonwealth of St. Ark saw a increase in rapid development due to the rising industry after being given a certain level of autonomy. It had turned from an mostly agricultural-based economy into an industrial one, which was mostly attributed to the opening of many industrial factories in Jefferson City, which brought more and more people into the country which contributed to its growth. St. Ark's first stock exchange was opened in the year of 1904 in Hainesbend, An investment boom starting from 1901 saw the increase of economic expansion, and soon St. Ark was on its way to becoming a prominent country, when oil was discovered in modern-day Sauspas. It was around this time that the country's population tripled from 2.1 million to over 4.4 million from 1900 to 1914. The first railway network in the country was opened in 1904, which extended from Grandpert to Jahresville.
==== Role in the First Great War ====
In the year of 1914, the tensions between the countries of Mesothemia soon led to the outbreak of the First Great War. Despite the chaotic situation which was created as a result, the United States of Megaton and Columbia along with many of its territories and commonwealths including St. Ark, maintained a neutral policy within the war, but a majority of the public opinion had grown to support the Crown Union and Mongravia's efforts in the war, while at the same time opposing the decisions made by the federal government. Despite maintaining a neutral policy, St. Ark was sending supplies to help the war effort in favor of Mongravia, which was not good for the Ruralians. The Crimmitonians, which were initially neutral, joined the war in 1915 when it struck a deal with the Ruralians, betraying its allies. With their entry in the war, the Crimmitonians acquired Vardarija and a portion of Aphreice. With Crimmitonia initially gaining the upper hand in the war, the Crimmitonians believed to have found a solution to halt the flow of aid being sent to the Mongravian frontlines; by attacking ports in St. Ark. Crimmitonian vessels soon arrived to the cities of Grandpert, Stafmond, New Charlotte and Elycote, and shortly after their attacks began in the morning. In New Charlotte, the entire port city was showered with oncoming shells, which led to the deaths of tens of thousands when the Crimmitonians relentlessly destroyed their cities, leading to the destruction of around a hundred vessels and greatly increased panic throughout the country. In Stafmond, over 78% of the entire city was destroyed as a result of the attack. 
The attack, and the deaths of the tens of thousands of civilians by the Crimmitonians, prompted the public opinion to demand more drastic actions. The day after the attack, the United States of Megaton and Columbia made a formal declaration of war against the Crimmitonians, and eventually the Ruralians, who were blamed entirely for the incident aswell. Many of the U.S.M.C's territories and commonwealths, including the Commonwealth of St. Ark, automatically entered the war, and when news of the commonwealth's entry had made it to every corner of the country, public enthusiasm had risen and St. Ark was getting ready for war. When the declaration of war was made, St. Ark's military occupied the entirety of the Scattered Islands Archipelago within the first few days, forcing the Crimmitonian garrisons there to lay down their arms and surrender. They soon moved towards the island of Bistonian Shingleton, occupying the entire island within weeks. They engaged their first battle with the Crimmitonians when they made landings in Silavetra. Throughout 1916, St. Ark's military was mostly concentrated on the frontlines of Bistonia, capturing most of the Silavetra Peninsula and putting it under occupation. By then, Crimmitonia had already exhausted all of their ways and began to stagnate as a result of the war, and was further exacerbated with the death of Jargus III to cholera.
Not also did St. Ark continue to hold onto the Silavetra Peninsula, but their efforts in the war had already made the Crimmitonians begin to collapse. Demonstrations in the city of New Vilnius demanding autonomy and independence soon turned into riots, and eventually an uprising in which the Crimmitonian army could not put down. Inspired by the revolution in 1816, an uprising occurred in the city of Mazoji, forcing the Crimmitonians to retreat from the frontlines of Silavetra, leading to the subsequent occupation of the city. In 1917, the Crimmitonians launched an offensive in an attempt to recapture the Silavetra Peninsula, initially surrounding St. Ark troops which were in Mazoji, but were soon pushed back. This led to the Ruralians and their allies to suspend relations with Crimmitonia for a month, till the Crimmitonians could guarantee their alliance. Jargus IV, who was still a young child at the time, had wanted to stop Crimmitonia from further participating in the war. In 1918, the Crimmitonians were finally finished off in the war. St. Ark had already occupied most of Southern Bistonia, and the Beyliks, which entered the war on the side of the Ruralians, surrendered, and the Crimmitonians on the mainland was met with an offensive which had driven them out from Vardarija. The Crimmitonians could not endure the war after the Beyliks surrendered, and soon the monarchy was overthrown which led to its surrender. The war eventually ended in 1918, after Ruralia surrendered.
=== Joint occupation of West Bistonia and Bistonian Shingleton (1918 - 1928) ===
With the aftermath of the First Great War, the newly established Crimmitonian government signed a treaty with the Commonwealth of St. Ark, in which almost the entirety of West Bistonia, Bistonian Shingleton, the Mazoji Region, the Scattered Islands Archipelago, and the Silavetra Peninsula were to be placed under joint occupation between the United States of Megaton and Columbia and the Commonwealth of St. Ark. It was guaranteed that if the Crimmitonians were able to fulfill the obligations of the treaty, the entire area would have been evacuated in less than 10 years, but if the Crimmitonians were unable to fulfill it, the occupation would have extended to more than 20 years. In the terms of the agreement, Crimmitonian troops were not permitted to enter or be in the zone, but the Crimmitonians would retain civil and criminal jurisdiction with the exception of offenses against troops who were occupying the regions, which were only subject to military jurisdiction. Crimmitonian military facilities in the zones were taken over and used to house occupation troops. Military authorities could use whatever means they believe they required to restore order when it was threatened.
Although relations between the Bistonians and the troops in the occupied zones were stable, others did not. Relations between the Crimmitonians and the troops in West Bistonia began turning sour, due to the harsh treatments of civilians by the occupation. In the occupied zones, there were harsh measures, in which martial law was imposed, and a curfew along with restrictions on communication have made life insufferable by the slightest. Not also did the joint occupation make lives unbearable, it heightened tensions between St. Ark and Crimmitonia, when the provisions were amended to establish another demilitarized zone. This meant that Crimmitonian troops were now forced to move 10 miles away from the border of the occupied zones. Most of the gold reserves within Bistonian Shingleton were stolen by occupation forces, and the administration there had suffered rampant corruption, as some of its high commissioners had been known to steal funds from infrastructure projects.
By 1928, the occupation had ended. The United States of Megaton and Columbia had their forces vacate the occupied territories, with their flags being lowered in Kagengrad. However, the Commonwealth of St. Ark had their forces continue to occupy the zones, and this lasted for a week until they were able to vacate the territories. The occupied zones were handed over to the Crimmitonians, which had already entered Kagengrad and raised the Crimmitonian flag over the city. The entire zone was remilitarized in West Bistonia, but in Bistonian Shingleton, the region continued to be occupied until they vacated and returned it to Crimmitonia the following year.
==== Interwar period (1919 - 1939) ====
With the aftermath of the First Great War, the Commonwealth of St. Ark entered into the interwar period. Like many other countries throughout the 20s, St. Ark experienced something known as the "Roaring Twenties", in which the country saw a rise in highly visible social and cultural trends including innovations, which was brought on from the mainland. The country gained economic prosperity, and with it enabled the social trends which became more visible in major cities throughout St. Ark, such as Hainesbend, Jahresville, Nation City, Rowlers City, and Hadshellad. The age of Jazz had begun and cities began rising with art-deco skyscrapers, which were visible in the skylines of Heightsbound, Grandpert and Hainesbend. Although the roaring twenties had led to the decline of St. Ark's farming industry, it instead gave way to more industries, such as automotive, film, and radio industries, which soon took off. In the city of Jefferson, where the city was seeing steady growth over the years, grew to over 3 million people, with the industry leading to the city's economic boom. The city had become one of St. Ark's most populous cities, surpassing the city of Grandpert. Industries soon switched from coal power to electricity, and people were beginning to have proper plumbing when the first sewer systems were constructed, and cities in the north were beginning to use electricity, when it was added to the first electrical grids which were established all throughout the country. Another important thing which became crucial in the history of St. Ark was the motorway, which connected many of its isolated cities in the south by roads. One of St. Ark's first motorways was in New Shingleton which opened in 1928, connecting the town of Estpelka to the road networks leading to Jefferson.
===== Great Depression =====
Although the Roaring Twenties had brought a period of economic prosperity to St. Ark, that period would be eventually put to an abrupt end. In 1929, the stock market completely collapsed, leading to what was known as Black Tuesday. The events which took place during Black Tuesday, eventually led to a worldwide depression which was known as the Great Depression. With this, it marked the start of economic hardship. In St. Ark, personal income, prices, tax revenues, and profits were beginning to fall. International trade fell by a quarter, and all of a sudden millions of people were now unemployed, and businesses all across St. Ark were beginning to experience failures. However, what had hit St. Ark in the Great Depression was the decline of foreign trade. Most of St. Ark heavily depended on industrial and agricultural exports, and when foreign trade declined, the Commonwealth of St. Ark became one of the hardest-hit developed countries. Cities all across St. Ark were hit hard, such as cities like Hainesbend, Grandpert, Tinkeraton, New Charlotte, and Jefferson. Farming communities, which were already declining by the 1920s, were suffering even more as their situations were further exacerbated by the Great Depression. Construction projects all throughout the cities were virtually put to a grinding halt.
All parts of society in St. Ark were suffering from hardships and challenges which were brought on by the Great Depression. In Jefferson, which was an industrial powerhouse and a melting pot of people from foreign countries which arrived to the city from work were now unemployed, with up to a million of them becoming jobless as a result. As most were unable to find jobs, they eventually lost their homes and were left on the streets, forcing most to move to the outskirts of Jefferson, where they lived in shacks and illegal camps that they built themselves. Jefferson suffered from constant civil unrest, as the police department there was unable to cope with the rise of crime on the streets. On September 1931, unemployed men led a rally in demonstration against the government, which led to more chaos as more cities began following. The economic downturn also led to a significant rise in suicide rates, and the limited jobs that had vacancies were often viciously fought for.
In the more rural areas and communities such as Goldfield, Westfield, and Belvidere, 
During the Interwar period, the Dominion of St. Ark would be like many other countries following the end of the war, it prospered and their economy had been gradually rising, along with its prominent ally the United States of Megaton and Columbia, as their industry including most of St. Ark's industry in New Shingleton was undergoing an economic boom throughout the 20s. However, despite much of the economic success, the prosperity would not last long, when in the early 1930s, the economy had crashed, and as a result most of the nations went into an economic depression, beginning the Great Depression. The Dominion of St. Ark was also heavily devastated, as most of the industry had either moved out or ceased operations, and during the mid 30s, organized crime within New Shingleton began rising in high rates, including a series of mass corruption throughout the government. As a result of the great depression, factions began rising throughout most of its industrial areas, and far-right political parties had begun to rise up. The United States of Megaton and Columbia, in an attempt to preserve democracy within its nation, would then begin a purge, banning far-right political parties which had affected the Dominion of St. Ark.
=== Second Great War and 1942 New Shingleton Bombing ===
In the year of 1939 to the early 1940s, Ruralia invaded the neighboring country of Prozhnia, resulting in a series of events which would begin the Second Great War. Initially during the 2 years prior to 1942, the United States of Megaton and Columbia and the Dominion of St. Ark would impose a neutral policy, and would only back up their allies with supplies and support, and remained neutral till the beginning of the 1940s, when Crimmitonia's government had been overthrown by the military and an authoritarian royal dictatorship under the de jure rule of Jargus IV replaced the government. Throughout most of the periods when Crimmitonia began a complete purge of supposed traitors, and the persecution of the Catholic and Protestant churches, tens of thousands of people had fled to the Dominion of St. Ark in refuge.
During the beginning of 1942, the Second Great War was at its peak. Ruralia had made significant progress along with its allies, and Crimmitonia, following their success in the annexation of the region of Vardarija, would then begin a plan to force the United States of Megaton and Columbia to halt their efforts into supplying allied forces, in which the Dominion of St. Ark had declined. An ultimatum was sent in which Crimmitonia would respond with bombardment, and despite the events that happened over 30 years ago, the ultimatum was not taken seriously. As a result of this, Crimmitonia would then begin to mobilize their airforce, and thus began the bombardment of New Shingleton once again in 1942.
In the morning hours of August 21st 1942, Crimmitonia would begin their surprise attack on that day. While those in New Shingleton would live a mostly typical life, commuting and making a living within the industrial areas, Crimmitonian planes then flew above the industrial areas of New Shingleton, and began directly shelling on industrial factories, killing over hundreds of thousands of people in an hour. Despite the destruction of these areas, the bombardment did not stop there. Crimmitonian planes then dropped bombs over residential areas, including police stations and would continue their rampage for another 3 hours. The surprise attack was unexpected, and the Dominion of St. Ark was unprepared for such an attack. Alarms were then set off in a majority of the cities in the Dominion of St. Ark, resulting in a panic aswell and the situation worsened from there. During the last phases of Crimmitonia's bombardment, the United States of Megaton and Columbia had been alerted of the bombardment from a message received from the Dominion of St. Ark's government. St. Ark's navy, which had been stationed in New Shingleton, had been destroyed, including over 65% of the city itself. In the aftermath, over an estimated 450,000 people had died as a result of the bombardment, and the Dominion of St. Ark declared a state of emergency the following day.
On August 28th 1942, 7 days after the bombardment and the panic which had been brought by the attack, the United States of Megaton and Columbia had condemned Crimmitonia's actions, and after knowing of their demands, declared war on Ruralia, Crimmitonia and their allies, marking the beginning when the United States of Megaton and Columbia would begin fighting in the Second Great War. The Dominion of St. Ark quickly mobilized their forces, preparing for an attack against Crimmitonia, and would begin their first battle in Bistonian Shingleton in the year of 1944, when Crimmitonia and it's allies had been mostly weakened throughout the course of the war, and the island had fell within a matter of days. The Second Kingdom of Crimmitonia attempted to create a counter offensive and retaliated by deploying some of their reserve units to Southern Bistonia, once they arrived, it had been already too late, as the United States of Megaton and Columbia had made efforts and seized the Silavetra Peninsula, and would begin their attack on West Bistonia.
During the offensive towards West Bistonia, Crimmitonian troops had made slow progress and recaptured several villages along the way, but however over time the Crimmitonian troops had been exhausted, and the United States of Megaton and Columbia had pushed deeper into the southern regions of West Bistonia, and months later, they were on the verge of capturing the city of Kagengrad. The generals which had controlled most of Crimmitonia, had anticipated them to capture Kagengrad, and attempt to ambush them through nearly all sides. However, the situation further escalated, as the Union of Orchrestran had began their invasion of Crimmitonia, occupying several territories. The offensive would continue in West Bistonia, but it was proven futile, as Orchrestranian troops arrived and surrounded the capital city of Kradovo, forcing the Crimmitonian authoritarian royal dictatorship to flee to the city of Ribolov as their temporary capital, with generals then further anticipating the liberation of Kradovo. After nearly weeks of the siege, the king of Crimmitonia, Jargus IV, one of the puppets of the generals controlling the state, had announced the unconditional surrender of Crimmitonia to the Allied Forces. Following this, authority in Crimmitonia almost collapsed, and once the United States of Megaton and Columbia was informed of the surrender, units launched a final offensive and pushed most Crimmitonian forces out of West Bistonia, putting it under brief occupation, including Bistonian Shingleton. Crimmitonian troops then surrendered, including Bistonians who volunteered for the war, as some were disarmed and became prisoners of war. Despite this, the Second Kingdom of Crimmitonia continued to fight for another week as a rump state in Ribolov, before most of the leadership in Ribolov was killed, and the remnants were forced to surrender. Crimmitonia was put under brief occupation, and they were then forced to sign a treaty with the Allied Powers, and had harsh punishments towards Crimmitonia, establishing occupation zones.
=== Post-war period ===
Following the aftermath of the Second Great World, the world began to rebuild and heal from the scars of the war. In the Dominion of St. Ark, most of the country remained intact throughout most of the war, with the exception being New Shingleton, with its capital city Jefferson having 65% of its areas destroyed as a result of bombardment campaigns. In order to rebuild the country and get it back on its knees, the United States of Megaton and Columbia initiated a bill to fund the country's rebuilding. and the country recovered in almost a few years. In the year of 1946 in the Scattered Islands Archipelago, Fort Luckworth was constructed. Despite the country's recovery from the Second Great War, the ideals of an independent state in the St. Ark Federation would begin sometime in 1946, and would succeed somewhere 10 years later. 
=== Second joint occupation of West Bistonia and Bistonian Shingleton (1945 - 1947) ===
After the Kingdom of Crimmitonia surrendered to the Allied Forces in 1944, the Kingdom of Crimmitonia was partitioned into several occupation zones once again, but this time compared to the ones initially following the end of the First Great War, Crimmitonia would then face harsh consequences along with its allies, and West Bistonia, including Bistonian Shingleton and their portion of the Scattered Islands Archipelago were then put under a brief occupation by both the United States of Megaton and Columbia. Although initially their occupation had been successful, the joint occupation did not last long, as resistance began rising in those territories, including a crisis which had sparked in Bistonian Shingleton with the Lithuanian majority residing in the west. During the beginning of 1947, the joint occupation only lasted for two years, and it did not take long for both the United States of Megaton and Columbia, including the Dominion of St. Ark to withdraw their troops from the occupied territories, after arranging an agreement with the democratic Crimmitonian government. A ceremony was held once again, with both of their flags being lowered and the Crimmitonian flag ascending.
=== Independence (1956) ===
In the year of 1955, during a series of rising tensions between the United States of Megaton and Columbia and the Union of Orchrestran in a event known as the Cold War, an independence movement in the Dominion of St. Ark began reaching its peak. A majority of the population had made huge demands to the United States of Megaton and Columbia for an independent self governing state, and the complete dissolution of the Dominion of St. Ark. This resulted in a culmination of riots throughout cities such as St. Thomas, Heightsbound and Hadshellad, resulting in the United States of Megaton and Columbia retaliating in a catastrophic event, where the military had shot at unarmed protestors. The government of the Dominion of St. Ark then declared a state of emergency, as a majority of its cities fell into chaos. Resistance sprung up, in which several small cities where the United States of Megaton and Columbia had no presence in were then seized by the resistance. Demands for an independent state continued well over for a year, and protests worsened into riots and ethnic violence towards the Lithuanians, resulting in a series of massacres.
Once the United States of Megaton and Columbia had realized the extent of the damages brought in the Dominion of St. Ark, the United States of Megaton and Columbia had issued the statement preparing to recognize the complete independence of St. Ark, in a deal that would ensure no further violence would be tolerated. In early 1956, a referendum was held, in which the United States of Megaton and Columbia had attempted to rig in several cities to prevent the region from seceding in an attempt to hold over a presence over the People's Republic of Crimsonia, and the crisis continued. After the referendum had finally ended which had took over 2 weeks, the votes were counted for over nearly months until it was confirmed, and a majority had demanded the complete independence and secession from the United States of Megaton and Columbia. Once the votes had been confirmed, the Dominion of St. Ark was dissolved, and the St. Ark Federation was proclaimed as an independent state away from the influence of the United States of Megaton and Columbia. Their flag was then lowered, with the flag of the St. Ark Federation ascending in Heightsbound.
Despite the promises made by the United States of Megaton and Columbia, this did not satisfy their government, as the newly created St. Ark Federation was on the verge of distancing themselves away from the United States of Megaton and Columbia, and promises for the United States of Megaton and Columbia to withdraw their troops from the St. Ark Federation were largely ignored. This culminated in a series of violent demonstrations once again, with the St. Ark Federation undergoing another crisis. Weeks after the culmination, the United States of Megaton and Columbia proceeded to take action. Their troops, still continuing to be stationed on the St. Ark Federation, would seize most government offices, and seize the city of Heightsbound, the capital of the St. Ark Federation, with the United States of Megaton and Columbia's main motives being the restoration of the Dominion of St. Ark. This was however, an ultimate failure, and after a brief series of conflicts, the United States of Megaton and Columbia was then forced to withdraw from the St. Ark Federation, with a guarantee that the St. Ark Federation would remain allies to them. The St. Ark Federation was finally independent, and the Dominion of St. Ark was finally no more. This was a major part in St. Ark's history, as it was under a colonial rule for over 132 years, and the Dominion of St. Ark lasted over 64 years. In the aftermath, it was finally recognized by the Commonwealth of United and Free Nations, and was provided membership despite the objections made back in the United States of Megaton and Columbia. A majority of the forts and military bases belonging to the United States of Megaton and Columbia were abandoned, with the naval base Fort Luckworth located in the Scattered Islands Archipelago being an example of it. Equipment, old and new, was also left behind by their army, which would later on be repurposed and used within the St. Ark Armed Forces as brand new arsenal. 
=== Golden Age (1950s - 1960s) ===
After the independence of the St. Ark Federation, the country had a bright future ahead, and so from the 1950s to the 60s, the St. Ark Federation would go on an event known as the Golden Age, as the St. Ark Federation would prosper, with the average civilian in the country earning around 60,000 a year, high GDP, and a surplus economy and a rich country, only behind the Republic of Bistonia and 5 other countries. Despite the St. Ark Federation being known as a federative state, the St. Ark Federation was mostly a unitary state instead of a federation comprised of states, with elections being held every 5 years. However, there was always a dark side to the St. Ark Federation, as it was mostly divided. The St. Ark Federation was ruled mostly by the Lithuanians, a minority group within the country. An apartheid system was also introduced, which divided communities varying on their race. In the year of 1960, the St. Ark Federation recognized the Lithuanian language as the second official language, with English being their main official language.
The St. Ark Federation would establish good relations with its neighboring country, the Republic of Bistonia, but had fierce relations with the People's Republic of Crimsonia, including countries within the Eastern Bloc. Despite being in the Commonwealth of the United Nations as a member, and having established relations with the global world, the St. Ark did not have much potential allies, and the only ones which were close to the Federation was the United States of Megaton and Columbia and the Republic of Bistonia, making the St. Ark Federation isolated from diplomatic relations. The Federation would also become a prominent ally with the United States of Megaton and Columbia, and would also intervene in a series of proxy wars, but the units which were involved in these series of proxy wars were smaller in size, and would then withdraw after a few months in combat.
In the year of 1967, as part of the St. Ark Federation's national focus on improving relations with Bistonia, both sides agreed to the construction of a transit system which would extend to the Moylston Island, located in Bistonian Shingleton, and connecting the two airports known as the New Shingleton International Airport, and the Bistonqwerty International Airport. This marked a major breakthrough in their relations, and things had peaked. Prior to that, in the early 1960s, after the independence of the Republic of Bistonia, the St. Ark Federation had made radical proposals to unite the two countries into a massive united federation, with the sentiment being known as the Greater Federation. This however, went nowhere, and the sentiment later on died following tensions against the Lithuanian minority in the country, until it was later on revived during the Federation War.
=== Fuel crisis and decline (1968 - 1974) ===
In the history of the St. Ark Federation, nobody knew when did the decline of the St. Ark Federation began, and why did the decline happen. Some had said that it happened in the year of 1969, when a series of conflicts culminated in a violent war being fought over oil fields in the deserts, and some had said the St. Ark Federation was always this way, and that it was the ultimate support of the United States of Megaton and Columbia which had only kept them afloat. However, the only main causes which were considered true and official at the time stated that it all happened back in 1968, when Rodney Faron Lenn was elected as president of the St. Ark Federation. Ever since some of these events, the St. Ark Federation was turned into what the modern world viewed, a miserable failed country run by an increasingly autocratic government. 
In the year of 1968, Rodney Faron Lenn was elected president of the St. Ark Federation. Rodney Faron Lenn, was a politician within the conservative political parties, and aimed to reform the St. Ark Federation into a proper country. However, his plans to reform and rebuild the country was part of a shady plan that Rodney Faron Lenn had initiated in order to consolidate power over the country. Conservatives within the St. Ark Federation, who now control a majority of the provinces, would then begin fighting eachother for power. Although Rodney Lenn's presidential term was initially going well and smooth, it was going to be a complete nightmare for the country's future and democracy. Rodney Lenn, being a politician with conservative views, would then pass a series of laws which would prohibit the Lithuanian minority in the country from marrying a non one. Rodney Lenn would also then ban abortion, which had been largely controversial considering most of St. Ark had democratically elected him to reform the country. 
Then, things would then become worse. With the beginning of the 1970s, the fuel crisis would begin, and many countries throughout the world were devastated. The St. Ark Federation was heavily devastated by the fuel crisis, as a majority of the populations cars were now abandoned and left, and fuel shortages spread throughout most of the country. Fuel prices then increased, and later on, the St. Ark Federation's economy was worsening and declining, along with the GDP of the country. As the situation worsened, it culminated in a series of demonstrations against the president, Rodney Lenn. In which, Rodney Lenn took the demonstrations too seriously. He then put the country under a state of emergency, and declared curfew in the capital city of Heightsbound to continue staying in power. Rodney Lenn would respond to the demonstrations and those who participated in it as, barbaric, and traitors to the country. Rodney Lenn would then slowly start to grow a cult of personality, when the St. Ark Federation government then began appeasing him and treating Rodney as a lord. This led to Rodney taking advantage, by introducing laws which were considered discriminatory towards the Lithuanian minority. This then forced the Lithuanian minority to retaliate, in which Rodney responded to them as disgusting, groups of people who do not deserve to be in the country nor represent the entire country. He then rallied his supporters to torch Protestant churches across the country. St. Ark's democracy was on the verge of being completely eradicated, and as journalists had claimed, to be replaced by an autocratic, increasingly conservative Catholic state. 
The St. Ark Federation would drastically change over the years prior to the year of 1974. Rodney Lenn would become the supposed savior of the country, with him providing promises which would never be met. Rodney Faron Lenn would then proceed to dismantle the rest of the government and replace it with his own, repulsive view of how things should've been done. He then removed autonomy from other states, including the unitary systems on all states. The governors of these states, which opposed against Rodney Lenn's actions, would then be exiled or jailed in the process of the promising reforms Rodney Lenn made. Opposition continued to grow, in which the public opinion would demonstrate against Rodney Faron Lenn for years, demanding more legitimate change, and the restoration of the country's democracy. Rodney Faron Lenn took this seriously aswell, and initiated a purge of political dissidents and journalists, sometimes even creating a list of those barred entry into the country. This resulted in his attempted assassination, which had failed, and Rodney would continue to then dismantle everything. By this time, the fuel crisis would temporarily end, albeit it would continue for over decades. 
In the year of 1973, after 5 years of being in office, Rodney's time was up for the 1973 presidential elections, with Clement Rian Jarrett being the candidate and claimed himself to be the future president of the St. Ark Federation. Clement Rian Jarrett, a politician within the Liberal Progressive Party in the St. Ark Federation, was Rodney's nemesis. Clement Rian Jarrett had openly demonstrated against Rodney's controversial policies and actions he had took, and the citizens at the time immediately began taking sides. Rodney Faron Lenn, had the largest side compared to Rodney, and had more support by the United States of Megaton and Columbia, while Clement Rian Jarrett had smaller groups of people on his side, and support by the Republic of Bistonia. After the elections were then held on October that year, the ballots had been counted in, and Rodney Faron Lenn then won the vote, and the 1973 presidential elections were over. This then however, almost sealed Rodney's fate, as those who supported Clement would then continue to demonstrate until Rodney was sworn in with the second term in office. Clement Rian Jarrett, who had been upset by the loss, continued to demonstrate, till in January of 1974, he was found dead in his home to a shotgun wound in the chest. Some had allegedly blamed Rodney Lenn for orchestrating the attack, in which Rodney denied claims and denied claims of alleged voter fraud, stating that the people have his back and claim that he was the legitimate leader of all things. 
After Rodney entered into his second term, Rodney would then begin to try and revive the St. Ark Federation's economy, and get most citizens easier ways of living. He then initiated economic laws, which badly became a recipe for disaster, as the economy further plunged into a deep crisis, and fuel shortage continued to run rampant throughout the country. As a result of this, Rodney had no other choice, but to resort to it's ally, the Republic of Bistonia, which was a bad idea by most of Rodney's allies, but a good idea and potential for Rodney.
=== Tensions with Bistonia and declaration of war (1974) ===
Since the 1960s, the Republic of Bistonia was once a prominent ally of the St. Ark Federation, till Rodney Faron Lenn took power in the year of 1968. Since then, the St. Ark Federation's diplomatic relations with the Republic of Bistonia began to deteriorate in a slow process, until the decline further escalated when Rodney introduced policies discriminating against the Lithuanian minority living in the country. The Bistonian government then responded to the policies and condemned Rodney and his recent statement regarding the minority in the country, with the Bistonian government calling Rodney a deranged lunatic who took power and pulled barbaric acts in the name of God, and stated that Rodney does not represent the masses nor did he represent for the religion himself. These responses would result in escalating tensions, and rivalry between the two countries. On both sides and media coming from both countries, Bistonian television would portray Rodney in an insulting caricature, and then both governments would then argue and debate over the status of Bistonian Shingleton, an island divided by ethnicity. Following a series of attacks which were carried out by Rodney's cult of personality towards Protestant churches in the St. Ark Federation, the Republic of Bistonia condemned the act, and suspended their diplomatic relations with the St. Ark Federation. 
Although the St. Ark Federation and Bistonia's relations had been suspended, there was no coming back, although a glimmer of hope for Bistonia's future together with the Federation was there, as Clement Rian Jarrett was facing Rodney Faron Lenn in the 1973 presidential elections. Clement Rian Jarrett, was an open critic and condemned most of Rodney's policies, and was in the Liberal Progressive Party, a centre left political party within the St. Ark Federation. Bistonia unconditionally supported him and wished him luck on the elections for his bravery. However, after the ballots were counted, and Rodney Faron Lenn was declared the winner of the election, Clement lost the election. Although Bistonia had been upset as they had highly anticipated him to win, the Bistonian government continued to back him, even portraying him in media as the savior of a country having its democracy threatened, and suspected foul play being involved. The glimmer of hope continued, until it was diminished after Clement Rian Jarrett had been murdered with a shotgun to the chest within his mansion. Rodney denied the claims of plotting an assassination on Clement, with Bistonia condemning the assassination and sending condolences for Clement, while then pointing the blame on Rodney Lenn. 
Into Rodney's second term, Rodney would then try and meet his promises again, by trying to revive the economy of the country, which would become a recipe for disaster as the economy further plunged into a deep crisis. Fuel shortages continued to run rampant throughout the country, and Rodney had no choice but to resort to most of its former ally, the Republic of Bistonia. Prior to the events of that, the Republic of Bistonia had discovered oil deposits in the Bistonian Sea, in which the Federation had needed badly in order to recover from the fuel crisis which had badly devastated the country. The St. Ark Federation would then send a proposal to the Bistonia wishing that Bistonia would provide barrels of oil to the country as part of a relief for the country, in which the Republic of Bistonia declined. Following this, Rodney Lenn, after being denied and condemned by its neighboring country, would then threaten war on the Republic of Bistonia, which led to global outrage which had went nowhere as the United States of Megaton and Columbia gave support to the Federation. The Republic of Bistonia would then respond with economic sanctions, which had then further plunged the country into a crisis as the lack of necessities had made people's lives unbearable, and the sanctions resulted in the Federation being depleted of any oil and resources from the Bistonian Sea.
Following the events which had happened, the St. Ark Federation would then deploy most of their battleships near Bistonia's maritime borders, which led to media coverage in mainland Bistonia on the morning of February 3rd 1974, not long after Rodney Lenn entered into his second term. The Republic of Bistonia, following threats received by Rodney Lenn, would take this seriously, and condemned Rodney and ordered his ships to withdraw from the sea. Rodney Lenn, who had been recently stressed out by the economic sanctions, would then issue a statement denying the supposed invasion and sabotaging Bistonian presence on the sea. As things began turning into suspicion, the Bistonian Navy would then deploy most of its forces on the Bistonian Sea, in hopes of defending their presence on the Bistonian Sea and the important oil deposits found. On the Scattered Islands Archipelago, where the epicenter of the fiasco was located, civilians were worried of an all out war breaking out, as a future war would potentially interrupt their main sources of necessities. The Bistonian Navy would send direct signal messages to the battleships, which had been crossing into the maritime borders of Bistonia. 
There were attempts to avoid a future war from brewing in the St. Ark Federation and the Republic of Bistonia, as an emergency meeting was declared within the Commonwealth of United and Free Nations, regarding the future war on Bistonia. The Commonwealth of United and Free Nations would then condemn Rodney Lenn's deployment of battleships along the Bistonian Sea, calling the future war as no means of being justified. In exchange for Rodney Lenn not declaring war on the Republic of Bistonia, the Commonwealth of United and Free Nations could've had provided relief funds and barrels of oil to the St. Ark Federation, and put an end to the conflict once and for all. This however, did not convince Rodney Lenn and the St. Ark Federation itself, with Rodney Lenn claiming that this was a military drill being performed on the sea, but would accept the relief funds if the Commonwealth of United and Free Nations did not order him to withdraw. At this point, all hopes of negotiating with the St. Ark Federation was gone, and only war was the final answer and only thing that the St. Ark Federation wanted, in return for oil. Along with this, the United States of Megaton and Columbia, a prominent ally of the St. Ark Federation, would then send diplomats to the capital city of Heightsbound in an attempt to convince the St. Ark Federation to avoid the war, claiming that the justification for war was useless and would only bring more misery and suffering. Despite this, the St. Ark Federation refused to negotiate, and ignored the warnings and consequences of the war. 
On the other hand back home in the St. Ark Federation, tens of thousands of people would gather in demonstration towards the war, but would later on be crushed and brutally put down by the St. Ark government. And on the opposite sides, a huge majority of people would support Rodney Faron Lenn and called for the declaration of war against the Bistonian government. Things in the St. Ark Federation began heating up, and things were not looking good for Rodney Faron Lenn. Because of this, his supporters would initiate a purge of those who were activists, and had a majority of them hanged in parks. By April 1974, the riots had died down, and Rodney Faron Lenn's decision to declare war was now clear. Next month, prior to that on May 16th 1974, attacks on Bistonian Shingleton occurred, although mostly common at the time following civil unrest, it was instead a military base which had been violently attacked, and by this point, the Republic of Bistonia was ready for war than ever. On May 18th 1974, Rodney Faron Lenn would then issue a statement officially declaring war on the Republic of Bistonia, beginning the 2 year long, painful event known as the Federation War. 
=== Federation War (1974 - 1976) ===
See also: Federation WarAn hour had passed after Rodney Faron Lenn declared war on the Republic of Bistonia, with the St. Ark navy occupying the Bistonian portion of the Scattered Islands Archipelago, then seizing a part of the Bistonian Sea, leaving Bistonia's presence and portion over the sea limited east of the sea, where there were defensive positions set up by the Bistonian Navy. Although the Bistonian Navy had handled the situation well, and had sunken over two ships during the early course of the war and a possible invasion onto mainland Bistonia was low, the defenses would only last for 3 days, as they had left the Bistonian Shingleton corridor mostly undefended. The St. Ark Federation would then begin to take advantage of this gap, with troops landing on the island of Bistonian Shingleton, marking the beginning of the ground invasion. Back home, Rodney Faron Lenn, had finally consolidated his power over the St. Ark Federation, and initiated a state of emergency including prosecuting those who demonstrated against the war. On Bistonian Shingleton, Bistonian units were deployed to the island to counterattack them, but some of the units deployed had been outnumbered by the larger enemy forces advancing through the island, and the Bistonian Armed Forces were then forced to retreat from the island of Bistonian Shingleton. This would become a major victory back home in the St. Ark Federation, and following the occupation of the island, Rodney Faron Lenn would uncover a series of plans which would ensure that the Catholic majority region of South Bistonia would be annexed into the St. Ark Federation, including the Bistonian Sea. Resistance would continue in Bistonian Shingleton after the fall, which would result in a series of bombing campaigns in Shinglederry, and during this point, St. Ark troops would then begin a series of massacres throughout the islands, massacring the Lithuanian minority on the island and burning most of their communities.
After the fall of Bistonian Shingleton, the St. Ark Federation would commence Operation West Bistonia, which would according to the St. Ark Federation, overstretch Bistonian forces and relieve most of their forces fighting in the south. This operation was however, was estimated to be a potential failure, as the St. Ark Armed Forces were not capable of such a massive operation, but would be commenced on the day of July 15th 1974, with St. Ark units rushing through the southern regions of West Bistonia after completely seizing the Silavetra Peninsula. After West Bistonia almost fell, the St. Ark Armed Forces would face fierce fighting and stiff resistance from Bistonia, but managed to secure parts of Southwestern Bistonia, but at a pyrrhic victory, as they failed to break through the defence lines up north. Operation West Bistonia was both a success and a failure by the St. Ark Armed Forces, but during this period, stalemates would begin to become frequent. The St. Ark Armed Forces would then gain another series of victories against the Republic of Bistonia during the Federation War, in an operation known as Moneta. This was considered to be a final blow for the Bistonian Armed Forces, and the St. Ark Armed Forces anticipated them to surrender after the operation. The main goal for Moneta, was to capture the main and second largest city in Bistonia, Mazoji, which had been heavily defended by the Bistonian Armed Forces, and a risky operation towards the St. Ark Armed Forces. As the war dragged onto 1975, it would begin the following year on April 9th, as the St. Ark Armed Forces would bombard defensive lines and seize most of the main loads leading into the city. The St. Ark Armed Forces then sustained heavy losses, as hundreds of troops would die in weeks. On April 11th, the Bistonian Armed Forces then withdrew from the city of Mazoji, leaving behind weapons and equipment for resistance to eventually pick up and defend the city. The St. Ark Armed Forces then arrived to the city of Mazoji, capturing downtown Mazoji with heavy resistance from the civilian population. In the end, Bistonia's second largest city was captured, but despite the success, Bistonia had refused to surrender, declaring that they will fight to the end.
Throughout most of 1975, it was now revealed that the St. Ark Federation was on the verge of losing a pointless war, and would then begin to decline from there on, with the beginning of the Battle of the Bistonian Sea, months after Operation Moneta. Between the mostly intact Bistonian Navy and the St. Ark Navy, which had been technologically superior compared to the Bistonian Navy. Heavy clashes began, which then escalated to a massive battle. Despite being superior, the St. Ark navy was on the verge of losing, as most of their ships had now sunk, with the Bistonian Navy only sustaining minimal losses. 5 ships belonging to the St. Ark Navy were sunk, which were a majority of the ships stationed in the Bistonian Sea, with the exception being Torpetta. However, this was then sunk near the Scattered Islands Archipelago, as it was shot by a torpedo and partially capsized and sunk. In the end, the St. Ark Navy was forced to retreat from the Bistonian Sea, beginning a series of huge losses in the Federation War, as the St. Ark Armed Forces were now trapped inside mainland Bistonia and surrounded by Bistonian troops. This then culminated in the beginning of Operation Nagorsk, commenced by the Bistonian Armed Forces. The St. Ark Armed Forces were then weakened following Operation Nagorsk, as they sustained heavy losses, and weakened their occupation presence in West Bistonia which would set the path for a revolution which would begin. In the region of Mazoji, Operation Nagorsk was devastating, as the roads leading to Mazoji were now littered with landmines, and littered with damaged vehicles. 
Months had passed, and in the middle of 1975, not long after the events of Operation Nagorsk, the incompetence of the military and the weakening of its command would result in the West Bistonian Revolution, which occurred in the occupied city of Kagengrad, located 2 miles away from the Bistonian frontlines, weakening troops stationed in the city. As the situation had worsened for the St. Ark Armed Forces, the generals had ordered the complete withdrawal from the city of Kagengrad, allowing it to be captured by Bistonian troops which had resumed operations along the West Bistonian front after Operation Nagorsk. This however was a temporary solution, as the revolt spread throughout most of their occupied regions within days, overwhelming most of St. Ark's military. In the end, the West Bistonian Revolution had been a success, and what Bistonian forces had uncovered in West Bistonia would eventually become an example of what the war had become for the St. Ark Federation. Following the events of the revolt, disagreements had been made between those in the St. Ark Armed Forces, and disputes eventually came resulting in an internal civil war between the divisions stationed in the occupied territories. St. Ark troops would then eventually began deserting and thousands would began defecting to the Bistonian Armed Forces, and as the situation for St. Ark worsened, troops would be forced to cannibalize most of their own, the example being William Mason Noah, a former veteran of the Federation War which had been forced to cannibalize his deceased enemy after having no food for over a few days. 
As the frontlines eventually collapsed, along with authority within the occupied territories, news began spreading back to the mainland, in which Rodney Faron Lenn responded with the mobilization of most of the reserve forces to mainland Bistonia, deploying over a thousand personnel to secure the frontlines once again and put down a majority of the resistance in the occupied territories. Because of the extreme brutality as a result of the mutinies, one soldier had described that a majority of the soldiers came out of the fields broken and wretched to the point they had to put them out of misery, resulting in an internal purge of approximately 40,000 armed personnel. The generals, which were responsible for the mutiny itself, were then sent back to the mainland, where they were fired and then executed by gunfire with orders from Rodney Faron Lenn. As the mutiny had ended, the situation for the St. Ark Federation was already too dire and it was late for the St. Ark Federation to continue operations into the mainland, and they had lost a substantial amount of their occupied territories. A majority of the equipment by these divisions were also left behind in the fields, leaving them to a majority of the population to seize the weapons and begin revolts deep into the occupied territories. By the end of the mutiny, the Commonwealth of United and Free Nations began their involvement in the Federation War, sending diplomats to the St. Ark Federation to negotiate with Rodney Faron Lenn and his government to halt their operations, and withdraw from mainland Bistonia. Despite the ultimatums being received towards the St. Ark Federation, Rodney Faron Lenn did not take this seriously, and as a result declined. The following month, the Commonwealth of United and Free Nations signed an agreement with the Bistonian government, allowing the deployment of thousands of peacekeepers to mainland Bistonia, where they were stationed to keep the peace and prevent genocide from happening in the war. 
In late 1975, the St. Ark Federation was finally close to having the final nail in the coffin in the Federation War, as the Bistonian Armed Forces began taking advantage of the weakness of the St. Ark Armed Forces, by recapturing highways and towns located nearby Mazoji, the second largest city in mainland Bistonia, and one of St. Ark's most strategically important cities in the war. Despite being on the verge of losing. the St. Ark Federation had declared that they were not going to leave without a fight, and would defend the city till the last man. They would then reinforce most of the frontlines located next to the city, with temporary defenses being set up. This was however, a major failure, as they had left the sewer systems unattended, in which the Bistonian Armed Forces began taking advantage of, and would lead them to emerge from the sewers and attack troops stationed in the city. Eventually, the chaotic events which occurred in Mazoji forced a majority of the divisions to retreat into the city, but this however was a planned trap, as the Bistonian Armed Forces pushed deep into the surroundings of Mazoji, resulting in a majority of the divisions being trapped inside the city. Bistonian forces would then begin to breach defenses located north of the city, and eventually captured the northern parts of the city. Both sides began bombarding eachother, and river crossings to the other parts of the city were destroyed. This would begin the events of the Siege of Mazoji, resulting in a 2 month long battle between the Bistonian Armed Forces and the St. Ark Armed Forces. 
The Siege of Mazoji began in 1975 after the weakening of troops and the mutiny by SAAF, as the Bistonian Armed Forces began to take advantage of the mutiny by seizing the highway leading to the districts north of the city of Mazoji, eventually troops began being aware of their movements and had secured any advantage points of the city, however they had left the sewer systems intact and vulnerable to attack by Bistonian forces, and eventually rebellions within the city districts began the Siege of Mazoji. During the Siege of Mazoji, Bistonian forces began breaching defenses north of the city, resulting in heavy casualties including civillians, with several buildings and utilities bombarded by artillery constantly throughout day and night. Bistonian troops began taking advantage of the sewer systems aswell and had creeped into the city underground. Eventually, after 2 months of the siege, several blocks in Mazoji fell under Bistonian control, and after Bistonian units broke through central Mazoji, SAAF units trapped in the city were forced to surrender to Bistonian troops, becoming a complete humiliation for the St. Ark Federation in the war. In the end, the liberation of Mazoji was declared a victory, and following the events, it did not take long for the frontlines to collapse into territories once again into bickering factions, that would then resort to survival.
After the frontline collapsed, the Bistonian Armed Forces began their operations further south, and secured the major roads leading to the Silavetra Peninsular. As the war had reached into 1976, it was very clear that the St. Ark Federation was on the verge of losing the war, despite many attempts made by Rodney Faron Lenn's government to convince the general populace that they had made significant progress against Bistonian forces. Due to the lack of command from the St. Ark Armed Forces, and the stiff resistance, the Bistonian Armed Forces secured many of these roads to the Silavetra Peninsula with ease, but this did not stop most troops, as some had deserted to form their own factions in the plains, where they would continue fighting the war in the hopes of winning it. Eventually, the St. Ark Armed Forces would make one of their last stands on the island of Bistonian Shingleton, the last held territory by the St. Ark Federation. Heavy fighting occurred along the coasts of Bistonian Shingleton, and on April 1976, Bistonian troops landed on Bistonian Shingleton, capturing towns and on the verge of besieging the city of Shinglederry. As they continued to lose more and more of their held territory, the military administration in Bistonian Shingleton was immediately dissolved, and many of their officials left the island in the hope of returning back home. After over a week of resistance, the Bistonian Armed Forces captured New Jefferson, one of the last holdouts. In the end, the Bistonian Armed Forces had completely pushed the St. Ark Federation from their territories, with the St. Ark Armed Forces not continuing operations to recapture many of the territories lost.
In the end, the St. Ark Federation had completely lost the war. On June 1976, officials of Rodney Faron Lenn's government and the Bistonian government gathered in New Shingleton to discuss peace terms, and on the following day, signed the treaty of New Shingleton, which guaranteed the complete end of the war between the two nations which had lasted for only 2 years. The St. Ark Federation would turn in a majority of the generals and personnel involved in the war, including so called weapons of mass destruction, and to pay heavy reparations for the Bistonian government. It was also forced to recognize Bistonia's control over the Bistonian Sea, and withdraw claims and revoke disputes and claims on their maritime borders. It also had to limit their amount of ships they had possessed, from 150 to only over 45. The treaty was ratified, and the St. Ark Federation was forced to accept these claims otherwise the war would've continued, and had already suffered massive losses. The treaty would soon expire in the year of 1993, almost 20 years after the war.
=== Aftermath and further decline ===
After the war, the St. Ark Federation was humiliated, and the St. Ark Armed Forces was exhausted while losing over half of their military personnel and equipment. The St. Ark Federation was also forced to pay their reparations to the Bistonian government, but with an already crippling economy, was unable to do so. Rodney Faron Lenn, despite being entirely responsible for the millions of lives lost in the war, continued to stay in power, and despite growing tensions with his own people, retained a cult of personality. Rodney Faron Lenn, who continued to stay in power, would claim that they had lost the war and that traitors were responsible for it. As a result, things would continue to further worsen. Despite the war mainly started over fuel and disputes over the seas, and with Rodney's plans to revive the economy and relieve the country with fuel, his promises were abandoned. Due to sanctions imposed by Bistonia with the help of connections, the average citizen in the St. Ark Federation could not afford groceries. Inflation rose, and abandoned cars began piling up. As these continued to worsen further more and more, the St. Ark Federation became diplomatically isolated, as a result of Rodney Faron Lenn's growing power. In the aftermath of the Federation War, the entire country was in shame after the war, and it was during this point that civil unrest finally escalated as the general populace was tired of Rodney Faron Lenn. 
=== Heightsbound Riots (1978) ===
In the year of 1978, 2 years after the end of the Federation War, political dissidents and those who had been tired of the government began their demonstrations in the city of Heightsbound, the capital city of the St. Ark Federation where Rodney Faron Lenn had been staying in the city for over a while, due to concerns regarding assassination attempts. The demands were all clear, for Rodney Faron Lenn to step down. Demonstrations continued for weeks, and instability began to rise. At this point, Rodney Faron Lenn began taking action once again, by deploying the National Guard to the city. This however was proven futile, as compared to other severe protests throughout the country against Rodney Faron Lenn's government, the Heightsbound Riots continued to worsen and worsened, and several districts of the city was under fire, and monuments had been vandalized. Rodney Faron Lenn, knowing that his grip to power was on the verge of ending, began deploying the St. Ark military to the capital. Afterwards, the Heightsbound Riots had been put to a stop, and Rodney Faron Lenn eventually issued a statement declaring the state of emergency across the country, with the media within the country being completely restricted. Rodney Faron Lenn issued another statement, declaring that traitors were behind the incident once again, and would later on initiate a purge within the country.
In the aftermath of the Heightsbound Riots, it was only put to a temporary stop, and it would only culminate in another series of riots which began in every city across the country. Hadshellad, Jefferson, Hainesbend, and Jahresville. Riots continued across the country nationwide, and local businesses had been torched. Police within the country were overwhelmed by the massive riots, and while some had managed to keep the peace in several communities across the affected cities, some of the districts were then torched similar to those in Heightsbound, and it became clear that Rodney Faron Lenn had no escape, nor was there any way for him to stop the attacks. Following the violent riots which had lasted for over weeks, Rodney Faron Lenn refused to step down, and continue his attempts to crack down on the demonstrations. Alongside this, Rodney Faron Lenn's cult of personality tried to counter against a majority of the demonstrations in the cities, but were outnumbered and beaten to death. Weeks passed by, and as the riots became too uncontrollable, the St. Ark Military Police began taking action, and the first shots were fired in the city of Hainesbend, where over hundreds died. This later on worsened the riots, as demonstrations began launching attacks on police departments across the country, which were heavily defended and armed to the tooth.
=== St. Thomas Incident (1979) ===
As the riots reached into 1979, and massacres had become largely common during the riots, rioters would then launch attacks towards police departments across the affected cities, in which the police departments responded by heavily defending and deploying more reinforcements to defend these police departments. The responses were effective, but at a large cost of killing over hundreds and possibly thousands of rioters who attempted to storm these local police departments. Some groups tried for dozens of times in some cities, but the worst of them all was in the city of St. Thomas, which would eventually become the epicenter of the armed revolution. On midnight, after hundreds of people died storming the police department located in the city center, the personnel attempting to defend these police departments had been heavily exhausted and traumatized, and severely weakened. Because of this, the next storming arrived, which picked off most of them with ease, immediately storming the police department in St. Thomas. Media coverage on the situation spread globally, as rioters stormed in and damaged a majority of the equipment, and possessing firearms. This was a breaking point for the Heightsbound Riots, as now rioters had possessed firearms. This would immediately lead to a majority of rioters storming police departments once again, with the last one falling in Jefferson days later.
After rifles and weapons were seized by the rioters, it did not take long for the military morale to drop instantly, and as a result, some of the St. Ark Armed Forces began defecting to the side of the rioters, along with those from the St. Ark Military Police. This then resulted in Rodney Faron Lenn and those loyal to him to only control a few dozen cities which had not been affected by the riots. Authority in the rest of the cities collapsed, and some who continued to fight against rioters were then forced to abandon their equipment in the city, allowing for some to seize convoys, and even military equipment. As Rodney Faron Lenn and his government was informed of the incident, Rodney Faron Lenn was completely at a loss. He soon later on discussed that he would admit his defeat, but refused to step down and would stay in power until his death. This then made further problems, as armed rioters had arrived at the capital city of Heightsbound. That following night, something unexpected had happened.
=== Coup d'etat and Fred Goldlock's rise to power (1979) ===
During the night when Heightsbound was besieged by rebels, Fred Goldlock, a commander within the St. Ark Armed Forces, who was brought back into the army due to the Heightsbound Riots in 1978, had admitted that he had failed to quell down the riots, and realized that his attempts to defend Rodney Faron Lenn and his government had failed. As a result of this, he would proceed to initiate a purge without the knowledge of Rodney Faron Lenn, in which he had generals and even some of his colleagues executed. He then had the military in Heightsbound to be directed to the presidential office, including parliament and government offices, and had them surrounded. The next day, they were stormed, and state funded media in the city were controlled aswell. As those who arrived to the city knew what was going on, Fred Goldlock and his army had the support of his own people, and Rodney Faron Lenn was eventually overthrown and strangled by military personnel. The next day, Fred Goldlock issued a statement declaring that Rodney Faron Lenn was overthrown, and that he would place himself as the leader for the temporary administration. This was however, the beginning to his true intentions, to become the sole leader of a country and reign terror on his own people and to fulfill his agenda. A 10 year martial law was also in place, lasting until 1989. 
=== Federation Civil War (1979 - 1984) ===
See also: St. Ark National Democratic Forces
After the coup d'etat, the St. Ark Federation was still in a chaotic state even after Rodney Faron Lenn was brutally overthrown by the military. Unfortunately, it came to realization that Fred Goldlock did not allow a peaceful transition of power to the country's politicians, and instead dissolved the transitional government and established a military government under his own supervision. With the promises being broken, politicians, including government officials, would condemn and lash out against Fred Goldlock and his new administration. This however, resulted in Fred Goldlock responding by purging nearly all of them, and dozens were killed in the process while some disappeared. Because of this, the resistance began turning their backs on the St. Ark Armed Forces, and launching dozens of attacks in retaliation. After Fred Goldlock had purged the country of politicians which had disobeyed him, some members of parliament, which survived the purge along with government officials, would then together help form a resistance group aimed at overthrowing Fred Goldlock's military government. Known as the St. Ark National Democratic Forces, or SANDF for short, it would be a resistance movement which would continue resisting against Fred Goldlock and the St. Ark Armed Forces. With the rebels now equipped with military equipment, and weapons, conflict eventually began, beginning the events of the Federation Civil War, between the St. Ark National Democratic Forces, with over almost 400,000 rebels, and the St. Ark Armed Forces, with possibly around 500,000 personnel. 
Several days after the founding of the St. Ark National Democratic Forces, the resistance movement called for all civilians in the country to arm themselves and wage a war for the restoration of democracy on the country. Civilians, which had been violently oppressed by Fred Goldlock's martial law, began taking up arms with the help of resistance groups in several cities, and joined the resistance movement. In the city of St. Thomas, the epicenter of the movement, the majority of resistance there joined the St. Ark National Democratic Forces, and over a total of almost 400,000 joined the resistance. The following day, the St. Ark National Democratic Forces launched their first attack, beginning the first fight in the Federation Civil War, by attacking National Guard units stationed in St. Thomas and several cities, this was later on known as the Catastrophe, in which nearly 200,000 National Guard personnel had died. In the aftermath, the St. Ark National Democratic Forces would gain popularity and support within the country, and those from the National Guard and the St. Ark Armed Forces began defecting on their side. Some units were trained and then taught combat tactics, which further improved their performance. 
The St. Ark National Democratic Forces grew in sheer size, as some began taking up more arms. As their numbers grew, so did their influence across the country. This gradually overwhelmed Fred Goldlock's rule over the country, and hampered his efforts to consolidate his power over the country. The St. Ark National Democratic Forces would seize major cities, such as St. Thomas, Jahresville, and Hainesbend. It was also on the verge of besieging the capital city of Heightsbound, in which SANDF earned support from countries in the west. Heightsbound however, was saved by the St. Ark Armed Forces, and over half their personnel and equipment were lost by their efforts to capture the capital city. This gradually led the resistance movement to decline, and would lead Fred Goldlock and his government to victory, as he launched a military operation which saw a majority of the cities captured by SANDF liberated by the St. Ark Armed Forces. The St. Ark National Democratic Forces continued to dwindle, and most of their organized units had been destroyed and were captured by the military. The resistance movement further dwindled, as the leadership were mostly killed, leaving some rebels without leadership or organization. Some units were then reduced to a shell of their former selves, only in several remaining pockets of resistance located beside Mount Cromwell. They continued to control smaller towns and highways in the rural countryside, but some had been already recaptured.
In the years between 1980 and 1983, some of the last organized units in SANDF were destroyed as a result of the St. Ark Armed Forces counter offensive, leaving only one organized unit left remaining, as a result, the organized unit would constantly migrate into temporary strongholds, where they would ambush convoys which had hampered Fred Goldlock's efforts to stabilize the countryside, however they were still struggling to find another area where there was no influence. However, when they were surveying the locations beside Mount Cromwell, they stumbled upon an abandoned town called Dimitri's Forest Roads, which had no signs of life, and after some had scattered across the town, there were no signs of the St. Ark military, including no signs of any civilians in the town. They eventually came to conclusion that the town was completely empty, and it became the perfect place for the unit to rest. Overnight, the town underwent major rebuilding, and the town was turned into a living fortress. The unit had gradually recovered after settling in, but they weren't prepared to fight once again. They also had dug several tunnels leading in and outside of the town as supply routes, and underground shelters and holdouts were constructed under the town.
However, despite their safe location and surroundings, their stronghold would later on would be revealed to the St. Ark military. Over miles away from Dimitri's Forest Roads, there was another town which was located south of their stronghold, which was properly functioning and only a thousand residents continued to live in it, although they had struggled for years, the remaining SANDF leadership did not do a proper survey of the area surrounding them, and as a result they were in complete grave danger if they did not decide to leave as soon as possible, however, the leadership had declined, and claimed that the village located nearby did not pose a threat to them. However, a few days afterwards, three men, who worked as scavengers to earn for a living, had planned to walk miles away to Dimitri's Forest Roads, and began their journey, however, the next day, only one returned to the town heavily injured. As he tried to explain the situation to the nearby police department, he had described that he along with two other men approached an abandoned town near their location, suspecting it to be a fraud, the local police department sent a few sheriffs to inspect the area, only for them to not show up a few days later, then, they proceeded to send more sheriffs, in which some of them were found shot in the head inside their own vehicle, once the local department sent even more sheriffs.
Suspecting rebel activity after the local police department had realized most of the groups they had sent did not return back, the local police department had called the military to report signs of rebel activity, and as a result several convoys belonging to the St. Ark military arrived to the town, and drove up north where they were ambushed by rebels, the majority of the soldiers were crucified infront of the former town hall. As the convoys had mysteriously disappeared out of nowhere, the St. Ark military then proceeded to send thousands of personnel to the abandoned town, where they were suddenly attacked by more rebels, as a result, they began retreating, and reported it to the command, and the highway leading to the area was then temporarily closed and destroyed beyond use. Artillery was then used in the clash and the abandoned town was bombarded nearly for days. Weeks later, Fred Goldlock began his preparation for an operation to take over the town and destroy the last organized rebel forces, and the following day the Battle of Dimitri's Forest Roads began, and so was the fate for the factions.
In the year of 1984, Fred Goldlock's final offensive against the St. Ark National Democratic Forces in Dimitri's Forest Roads began, and a massed attack by St. Ark troops weakened and overwhelmed rebel outposts, forcing resistance to retreat from the outskirts and into the town, after more heavy battles and clashes ensued in the winter, it eventually led to a stalemate, and the situation exhausted thousands of troops stationed in the winter. Finally, after weeks of heavy clashes, SANDF units in the frontlines were wiped out by mortar, and government forces marched into the center of the town, and tanks including vehicles rolled into the town center, officially marking the capture of the last rebel held territory. The remaining SANDF units which survived the wipeout, attempted to retreat northwest out of the town into Mount Cromwell where they aimed to establish a stronghold, but they were ambushed by government forces with the remaining survivors either shot by government forces or starved to death. In the aftermath of the defeat, Fred Goldlock issued a statement on national television that he had now finally secured his control over the country and continued his police of the 10 year martial law, including the creation of a new society. It also marked the beginning of Fred Goldlock consolidating his power, and reign of terror over the country for decades to come.
In the aftermath of the Battle of Dimitri's Forest Roads, the St. Ark National Democratic Forces ceased to exist as a resistance movement, and as a result the Federation Civil War had ended, in which Fred Goldlock began rebuilding the country from the ground up. Although it had been completely destroyed in the battle, remnants of the St. Ark National Democratic Forces continued to exist, although most of them were located in Mount Cromwell or otherwise rural areas which were hard to reach by government forces. Most of these remaining strongholds located in Mount Cromwell were isolated, and unorganized, and the majority of resistance members would not return to society for another 5 years. Although the military had wanted to destroy the remaining remnants of SANDF, Fred Goldlock denied any efforts to destroy the remnants, as they had been gradually weakened to the point they had not posed a threat to his regime.
If however, Fred Goldlock's final offensive was a total failure, and the St. Ark Armed Forces was forced to withdraw, Fred Goldlock would be devastated by the total loss, and as a result he proceeded to execute many of his generals in the process. As the last organized unit of the St. Ark National Democratic Forces survived the battle, their democratic revolution began to continue, and might potentially pose a threat to Fred Goldlock's regime. The Federation Civil War would continue to rage on for years to come. If this alternative scenario would of happened, the events of 1989 would've not occurred as the civil war raged on. However, despite their total victory, the St. Ark National Democratic Forces still lost almost everything, and it wouldn't be likely that the resistance movement would make a great resurgence and restore democratic rule in the country.
=== Military dictatorship (1979 - 1989) ===
After Fred Goldlock overthrew Rodney Faron Lenn's government, and took power and established a military government under his rule, Fred Goldlock would initiate a 10 year martial law, in which he would oversight the process of rebuilding the country and reviving its economy, including solving the gas problem which had culminated over the past few years. Fred Goldlock would also initiate an isolationist policy, essentially making the St. Ark Federation a pariah state, isolated diplomatically and completely from the rest of the world. International trade was also stopped, and Fred Goldlock passed a series of laws which prohibited and banned those from entering and exiting from the country, and several cities had become frequent for curfew. Fred Goldlock would then suspend the constitution, and appointed a new council to govern the crumbling federation by decree, albeit controlled by Fred Goldlock and his oligarchy himself. This council, now appointed to govern the unstable country, would be given the task of dealing with internal problems within the country, whilst Fred Goldlock and his military government dealt with the St. Ark National Democratic Forces. It was speculated that Fred Goldlock was not ruling the country all by himself, but according to intelligence from the United States of Megaton and Columbia, ruled by a series of top generals who had completely taken over the government. This was however not true.
After the end of the Federation Civil War, and the few years before the events of 1989, The St. Ark Federation no longer had any sort of democracy, nor free systems. Instead, as a result of Fred Goldlock's policies, the St. Ark Federation became an authoritarian police state, and the federation was controlled by oligarchs loyal to Fred Goldlock and his military government. Most of the countries provinces were not ran autonomously by governors, but instead, oligarchs connected to Fred Goldlock. Some of these oligarchs had most control over the St. Ark Military Police, and its main military force, which would serve under them. The St. Ark Military Police, was possibly now a shell of its former self. It was funded more by oligarchs compared to the St. Ark Armed Forces, and became a special branch and even serve for some of them. They are notorious, mostly for their kidnappings, and brutal crackdowns. Some stories originating from the country would confirm this, such as the disappearance of a little girl who was later found mutilated along the banks of a river, and rumors of them performing castrations on those who refused to owe money to one of the personnel. Because of this, Fred Goldlock had found a way to stop potential uprisings, using terror and force to terrorize the population. 
Meanwhile, throughout most of the cities, the St. Ark Federation was severely impoverished and undeveloped, with accounts describing that the cities had been stuck in time, with grime and several buildings abandoned, along with dilapidated cars. In the city of Jefferson, once the pride of the St. Ark Federation, it was deteriorating. Organized crime began rising, and the black market began gaining a presence in the country. Drugs eventually became a problem in the country, and had troubled the daily population, meanwhile Fred Goldlock and his elite were living in mansions with splendid views along Heightsbound. Private companies were then nationalized, with the example being General Technology. Information coming from in and outside of the country were heavily controlled, and workers were put under heavy surveillance. Despite Fred Goldlock's promises to fix the fuel crisis, it did sometimes work, but costed half of the workers salaries. The economy stabilized, but was unable to be restored back to its former status. Gang wars began rising, which forced a majority of the workers to move out of the cities in large droves, and the St. Ark Military Police being overstretched. 
=== Intervention in the Bistonian Shingleton Conflict (1974 - 1989) ===
Prior to the events of 1984, Fred Goldlock was beginning to plan big. He had plans to expand his country which he had recently taken over by conquering the regions surrounding the St. Ark Federation. Fred Goldlock would set his sights on the State of Bistonian Shingleton. Fred Goldlock, once a veteran of the Federation War, had thought of incorporating the island completely to the St. Ark Federation, or in other routes, annex the regions east of Bistonian Shingleton. He provided separatist forces with weapons, ammunition, vehicles and uniforms, despite the St. Ark Armed Forces being mostly overwhelmed by huge casualties in the battle for Dimitri's Forest Roads. After the St. Ark National Democratic Forces was almost eradicated after the St. Ark Armed Forces emerged victorious in the offensive, Fred Goldlock would proceed to shift the funds to invest in paramilitary forces in Bistonian Shingleton. All of these had performed well according to plan, until Bistonian coast guards discovered tugboats were illegally trespassing Bistonian maritime borders, and after they were seized hundreds of weapons and ammunition were discovered.
It was soon later discovered that Fred Goldlock was linked to the weapons, and it soon revealed that his intentions were to fund separatist groups and support them with aid. Because of this, paramilitary groups became more and more powerful, becoming heavily armed with weapons which posted a threat to Bistonian Shingleton. The Bistonian government was informed of this incident and later on condemned Fred Goldlock's actions, for attempting to declare war once again and violating the terms of the peace treaty. This went nowhere, and it later on calmed down. This did not stop Fred Goldlock however, as he later on continued smuggling weapons to Bistonian Shingleton, until the Crimsonian-Bistonian War broke out in 1987, while some claimed that it ended once the Dustreun was reported at sea. 
=== Bistonian refugee crisis (1987 - 1990) ===
On July 16th of 1987, tensions between Crimsonia and Bistonia which had exceeded at its most highest since 1960, culminated in a declaration of war by Crimsonia, beginning the events of the Crimsonian-Bistonian War. This resulted in Crimsonia capturing vast amounts of territory, and eventually, the occupation culminated in genocide of hundreds of thousands of Bistonian civilians, which slowly escalated over the months from those living in squalid conditions around the towns and cities and eventually reports coming from the occupied territories of Bistonian civilians being deported one by one to labor camps, where they had been worked to death or executed, as they posed a threat to the Crimsonian occupation zones. Some Bistonian civilians, who were immediately caught in between the frontlines, would then begin to flee in vast numbers. By 1988, over 340,000 people had fled the country alone, which began the refugee crisis of Bistonians all across Mesothemia, and eventually, the St. Ark Federation.
Initially, at the time, the St. Ark Federation had recently became a pariah state, information was controlled in and out of the country, and nobody was unable to escape the country or travel to any country unless given special permission to do so, which was only issued to high-ranking officials and of course, Fred Goldlock's associates and his oligarchy, which controlled the country internally. As the refugee crisis began, over 50,000 Bistonian refugees, coming from the Silavetra Peninsula and the Mazoji region in Southern Bistonia, arrived in the St. Ark Federation, with a majority of them not holding any documents or have permission to enter the country whatsoever. It would become a grave danger for these refugees, until fortunately Fred Goldlock would proceed to intervene. This was however unfortunately a disaster, when Fred Goldlock ordered the immediate execution of Bistonian refugees that did not carry any important documents, resulting in a mass scale massacre in which over an estimated 23,000 were dead. As reports of the massacre were spread throughout the global world, Fred Goldlock's military government denied the claims of a massacre, claiming that there was not a single refugee found crossing the maritime borders of the St. Ark Federation, although sooner or later the military government had claimed that the Bistonian refugees did come over, and they took them in, over approximately 30,000 refugees total. This claim was later on backed with state media filming Bistonian refugees in the country, in which according to remaining Bistonian refugees to this day, some claimed that they were forced to do so, otherwise they would not make the journey.
Following the aftermath of the massacre which had occurred that day, the bodies of Bistonian refugees would be dragged onto the vessels they arrived to the country on, or in some situations had been dumped into the ocean, where they were eventually set fire upon by the St. Ark Military Police, and sank on the shallow oceans. It came to conclusion to the Bistonian refugees that the St. Ark Federation was no such place to stay in, and for those who had been in grave danger, some Bistonian refugees fled to the country without documents into an unknown trail, known as the Green Line, which spanned from Jefferson to Bistonian Shingleton, becoming an only easy route towards the country. The same route would also become a haven for opponents including the resistance group known as the St. Ark National Democratic Forces. Some Bistonian refugees, over approximately 63,000, were provided political asylum in exchange that they would not provoke anyone. Bistonian refugees who fled the country were unable to get jobs, and some had lived in squalid conditions in apartments.
=== Deteriorating relations with Crimsonia and embassy crisis (1980s - 1990s) ===
Prior to the situations, the St. Ark Federation established ties with the People's Republic of Crimsonia, and during that point became one of their most prominent allies. Crimsonian products produced from the mainland were exported to the St. Ark Federation which helped relieve the country of decades worth of sanctions, which resulted in an outrage by the Bistonian government, although during this the condemnation had went nowhere and things relatively went peaceful from there on. Crimsonia, being a brand new prominent ally of the St. Ark Federation and recently relieved most of them from economic sanctions, would also have ties to Fred Goldlock and his oligarchy, with the Crimsonian elite having the ability to attend and host parties and have private residences in the country. Because of these ties, the People's Republic of Crimsonia was allowed to establish their own embassy in the country. All of this would continue well until the year of 1987, when the People's Republic of Crimsonia declared war on the Republic of Bistonia, resulting in a 3 year long conflict known as the Crimsonian-Bistonian War. Days went by in the war, and the People's Republic of Crimsonia had called for the St. Ark Federation to mobilize and intervene in the war, as part of Crimsonia's goals in the war. This however was not such a good idea within the St. Ark Federation military government, and Fred Goldlock, knowing Crimsonia's intentions, refused to join the war and instead mobilized his forces around his country, and declared a neutral policy.
Fred Goldlock, being paranoid of the war, would begin a series of events where he avoided a war with Crimsonia from happening. This however, backfired, as the People's Republic of Crimsonia had condemned his government for their actions, and as a result relations deteriorated. Fred Goldlock ordered that Crimsonian products would be banned and their imports would be halted from being in the country. He then ordered a raid on the Crimsonian Embassy, in which Fred Goldlock claimed the embassy had plotted for his assassination. This in turn, was a huge mistake, as the Crimsonian Embassy was heavily armed, resulting in a siege and eventually, resulted in the deaths of almost all personnel within the Crimsonian Embassy. Following this, Fred Goldlock ordered the expulsion of all Crimsonian foreigners in the country, and the seizure of assets which were provided to the Crimsonian elite. In the aftermath, the People's Republic of Crimsonia cut ties with the St. Ark Federation.
After the People's Republic of Crimsonia cut ties with the St. Ark Federation, things did not go well and it did not end there. Although most Crimsonian nationals were banned from entering into the country, Crimsonian intelligence established a presence there, and had blended in well with the civilian population. They had a main motive, and would not get rid of until they met that goal. This was however unfortunately, uncovered with the help of those who defected, and with the help of the St. Ark Military Police, cracked down on safehouses connected to Crimsonian intelligence, along with bases of operations and in some cases, all of the people involved had been shot. This did not make them back down, as Crimsonian intelligence still held a few base of operations in New Shingleton, along with Jefferson, a place where the St. Ark Military Police did not want to go to. Eventually, following the few days before Fred Goldlock's 10 year martial law would end, the St. Ark Federation military government reopened the country's borders to the international world, allowing Bistonian refugees who fled to the country to return back to mainland Bistonia. This was however, an advantage point for Crimsonian intelligence, as they could carry out attacks in large numbers.
=== New Shingleton Resistance (1985 - 1990) ===
Although resistance had been almost completely eradicated from all presence in the St. Ark Federation, and the St. Ark National Democratic Forces being reduced to only a few isolated pockets in Mount Cromwell, resistance would actually continue well until Fred Goldlock had been overthrown from power, in the State of New Shingleton. Jefferson, a industrial city, had been filled to the brink with organized crime, gangs and murder. Because of how dangerous the city had been for the military government, the St. Ark Military Police had little to no presence there, with the exception of a few suburban districts and areas which weren't hard to reach. The resistance would begin approximately in mid 1985, in which members allegedly tied to the St. Ark National Democratic Forces had killed 50 students in the Jefferson District School bombing. Following the aftermath, an armed resistance movement which had been secretly backed by remnants of the St. Ark National Democratic Forces would be created, and had alleged ties and funding provided and covered by the Free Bistonian Army.
Resistance would continue their activities later on the following month. They carried out activities such as arson, sabotage and carried out assassinations, in which their brutal tactics were proven to be effective towards the St. Ark Military Police presence in the city of Jefferson. Eventually, resistance quarters would be established all across the city hidden in plain sight, such as the Brewery in Jefferson, which was turned into a hidden headquarters by resistance. They also established a presence in the Shinglederry Market, where members of resistance had been disguised as shopkeepers located near the Shinglederry Market monument. One of their most largest base of operations, was the Jefferson sewage system, which was converted into a series of underground bases and connections. 
As the attacks further increased, Fred Goldlock would issue an order to the St. Ark Military Police, and would conduct a military operation in order to secure the city, in order to finally destroy the remnants of resistance across the country and finally quell a potential uprising. On the nights of November 11th 1989, Convoys of military police eventually arrived to the industrial zone and the ghettos of Jefferson, and carried out an immediate purge of over a hundred innocent civilians in an attempt to crackdown on the organized crime and those who were allegedly accused of collaborating with the resistance. Several blocks of residential apartments had been set on fire. St. Ark Military Police had been using these brutal methods in order to quell down the violence, but unfortunately it was almost little to no effective to pacify the city of Jefferson. In November 13th 1989, as the resistance grew, a counterattack would then occur in which hundreds of assassinations were carried out, and vehicles had been set ablaze. Following this, Fred Goldlock had been devastated that his operation would fail, and it would lead to a domino effect on his entire regime.
Afterwards, he then gave the order for the St. Ark Military Police to retreat from the city of Jefferson completely, in which resistance had gained a foothold and had already grew their presence and enlarged over almost the entire city. Fred Goldlock's 10 year martial law plan was on the verge of ending in over 5 days. St. Ark Military Police personnel, which had been captured by members of resistance as part of the counterattack, were then brutally tortured then executed by gunfire. The next day, the uprising in Jefferson had began, and there was not enough time left for the St. Ark Military Police to mobilize and repel their attacks. Unfortunately, the resistance would stop temporarily, as an incident would later on change the course of the country on November 15th 1989.
=== New Shingleton Incident (1989) ===
See also: New Shingleton IncidentOn the day of November 13th 1989, Fred Goldlock's 10 year martial law was only a few days ahead of its end date. Finally, for the first time since 1979, the St. Ark Federation military government gave the green light to reopen the country's borders to the outside world, and reopen their trade with other neighboring countries if their trade routes hadn't been blocked by sanctions. Along with the near ending of the Crimsonian-Bistonian War, these two factors culminated in an influx of Bistonian refugees, crowding a majority of St. Ark's airports and disrupting services. This was however, a loophole in which Crimsonian saboteurs could take advantage of, and on the days before the events of November 15th 1989, would commit terrorist attacks with brutal methods such as mass stabbings, shootings and eventually car bombs. As it had become more and more frequent, the St. Ark Military Police would mobilize in response to the attacks. On November 15th, the day of the incident, an Orange Airlines Boeing 747 was bound from the New Shingleton International Airport, to the city of New Vilnius, with a stopover to the city of Mazoji. 
Initially, a crew of 4 people which had connections to Crimsonian intelligence had planned to carry out a hostage crisis onboard the same plane, but were fortunately stopped by the St. Ark Military Police, and arrested, but were later on shot once inside the van, and later on buried at a secret location. This later on prompted Crimsonian spies to switch to plan B, which was to shoot down the plane incase if things had gone wrong. This plan was later on commenced, and over 8 hours after, the Orange Airlines Boeing 747 took off from New Shingleton International Airport to their stopover in Mazoji, before a missile originating from an abandoned military base. The aircraft immediately exploded into pieces, with what was left of the plane crashed into the ocean, south of the island of Pesca, in which everybody in the surrounding areas were alerted, including those who had stayed at the airport. 
As things would continue to culminate, things would eventually get worse with the direct intervention of the St. Ark Military Police once again. According to the survivors, a convoy of them had arrived at the airport, and gathered around at the entrances where people had gathered in an attempt to leave. The St. Ark Military Police at the entrance would continue to yell and repeat the same phrases, telling them to lay down on the floor or otherwise they responded with brutal consequences. The crowds inside the airport would continue to protest against the orders, with around dozens breaking through the windows through the side of the airport, where they were detained. Some unlucky personnel which were still in the building were beaten to death by crowds, and eventually the St. Ark Military Police at the entrance would provide a final warning. As the crowds continued to refuse and with some attempting to break through, the first rounds were fired, and the St. Ark Military Police would begin a massacre which resulted in the deaths of over 400 to 600 deaths, which later on combined together with the total amount of lives lost on the aircraft, around nearly 900 people. 
Following the massacre, the St. Ark Military Police would not end their spree of massacres. They later on sent a team to the Scattered Islands Archipelago, executing everybody on sight by gunfire in locations such as Petrusca Village, Zhukov's family home, and eventually, launched an illegal raid on Crimsonian territory, in the Georgi Dimitrov Military Base, and had most of their personnel executed. The next day, as things had gradually calmed down, and those who had survived the massacre at the airport had been forcefully evacuated and sent to random areas around New Shingleton, the process of attempting to cover up the incident began. The airport was temporarily closed, and the remaining firemen at the nearby fire station had been evacuated aswell. However, it was already too late, and the news of the massacre had begun to spread. 
=== Hadshellad Revolution (1989) ===
After the events which had culminated in the incident in November 15th, 1989, the entire nation was in shock and grief for the lives lost in the incident, and as more and more news began spreading around the St. Ark Federation about the direct massacre committed by the St. Ark Military Police, it later on culminated in the beginning of demonstrations in the city of Hadshellad in November 18th 1989, in which it later on worsened. Fred Goldlock, being overwhelmed by the demonstrations, shots were then fired by the St. Ark National Guard, and massacres were committed along with the St. Ark Military Police. This marked the eventual beginning of the Hadshellad Revolution, the first revolution in St. Ark since 1979, and the eventual collapse of Fred Goldlock's military government which would last for only a few days after the Hadshellad Revolution began.
The protests eventually begin to spread, with over 65,000 demonstrators gathered in the center of Hainesbend, and over 43,000 in Jahresville following along, calling for the military government and Fred Goldlock to step down and allow for the road to democracy in the country to open again. Violence continued all across the cities, in which the St. Ark Military Police would be overstretched as some had been already beaten or captured. It was also during that day in November 19th 1989, that the chiefs written letters to the lives lost, apologizing for their crimes and as a result committed suicide in deep regret and grief. The following day, the St. Ark Armed Forces, being ridiculed and treated as "weak puppets" for Fred Goldlock's military government, would also begin to mutiny, and some including one colonel would defect to the side of the protestors, in which Fred Goldlock retaliated with violent shootouts and even at one point panicked. On November 20th 1989, the 2nd day of the Hadshellad Revolution, the whole country had went up in flames once again. Hainesbend had been completely seized and taken over by rebels, with Hadshellad being controlled by protestors, who have now armed themselves with firearms and other weapons seized from the St. Ark Military Police, or from other places. In New Shingleton, where the attempted complete takeover of Jefferson was bound to take place, it began during the height of the Hadshellad Revolution, in which convoys belonging to the St. Ark National Guard and Military Police were completely destroyed, with a majority of their crew being deployed to the city killed. Jefferson was once again turned into a chaotic violent area of crime, and across several cities, lootings became common, including arson and assaults, with violent shootouts between protestors, military personnel who defected, and the remnants of those loyal to the military government.
Eventually, on the 3rd day of the Hadshellad Revolution on November 21st 1989, protests would eventually spread to the capital city of Heightsbound. The entire city was then surrounded and engulfed by blaze, as protestors and those in the military who defected would set fire surrounding the city in order to trap a majority of military personnel in the area, putting what was left of the Federation's military and Fred Goldlock at threat of being killed. After a brief amount of fighting on November 21st, amidst the blaze, military defectors would eventually storm the presidential palace where Fred Goldlock was residing and he had made an attempt to escape in an underground cellar. Civilians also joined in, and stormed his presidential palace. He was later on captured, and beaten along with his wife by angry mobs. He was later on escorted out of the presidential palace by military personnel who defected to the side of the protestors, and escorted him to a government building on a military truck and along with his wife, was tied up and later on shot without a brief trial and while they were about to be blindfolded. His corpse, along with his wives body, was later on filmed after the execution, broadcasted for the entire nation to see.
Fred Goldlock and his wife's body was later on wrapped in cloth and tied up, placed in the same military truck they arrived to the government building on. The truck returned to the presidential palace, where Fred Goldlock's corpse along with his wife's were later on tossed and rolled down the stairs, with blood continuing to come out of the cloth. Crowds then attempted to burn their corpses using lighters, until they were stopped by the National Guard, which had mostly stopped the crowd from attempting to escalate things. Their corpses were later on carried back to the truck, where their corpses were carried into the nearby hospital, where their autopsy had been carried out.
=== Collapse of Fred Goldlock's regime and provisional government (1989 - 1990) ===
After the death of Fred Goldlock, the St. Ark military government by Fred Goldlock subsequently fell and dissolved the next day on November 22nd, 1989, and on November 23rd, as things had largely calmed down, a statement was issued on St. Ark's national television, declaring the dissolution of Fred Goldlock's government and the takeover of the country by the military. Eventually, the military would give up their rule over the country and gave it to a provisional government, which was declared following the collapse of the military government. Following the aftermath, this would begin the decades long, agonizing process for the St. Ark Federation to recover from the decades long problems, and the instability which had grew in the country ever since. Despite the establishment of a provisional government, the St. Ark Federation was largely unstable. Due to gunrunning, there were numerous crimes committed in each city, with a majority of them being intentional murder. As a result of the rising violence, the provisional government allowed the creation of local police forces comprised of volunteers, and those who were formerly part of the St. Ark Military, the National Guard, and Military Police. These local police forces, carried out the task of keeping the peace within the country throughout a majority of the cities, and although their methods were brutal, it was effective in combating the rising violent crime.
Despite the overthrow of the military government and opening of the country once again towards democracy, what had happened following the overthrow of the military government went worse. The economy eventually declined and went back to the levels in the year of 1978, and most of Fred Goldlock's reforms, which were aimed at improving the countries economy, was reverse and had largely been undone, resulting in a domino effect. Gas prices started skyrocketing again, with 20 dollars for around 10 gallon. In the rest of the territories, the remnants of the St. Ark National Democratic Forces, which had been roaming around the areas in Mount Cromwell, emerged from the forests and laid down their arms, and remaining forces were provided amnesty by the provisional government. On June 8th 1990, the first free elections since the 60s were held, in which Ernie Clement, a long time dissident in the St. Ark Federation, won a majority of the votes, and entered office in 1990, officially beginning the Reformation Era, and the path of a new and rebuilt democracy within the country. 
=== Reformation Era (1990 - 1994) ===
On June 8th 1990, when the first free elections were held, Ernie Clement had won a majority of the votes within the country, with his liberal political party winning a majority of seats within the Federation's parliament. Ernie Clement entered office into his first term on August 10th 1990, becoming the first president of the St. Ark Federation since the military coup by Fred Goldlock in 1979. During his initial months in offices, he had made promises to restore the country's democracy and to stabilize the country with its current situation. He also aimed to improve and open relations with its neighboring country, Bistonia, to reconciliate after decades, and hoping that Bistonia would aid them in the process of rebuilding the country from the ground up, and hoping that Bistonia and its allies would lift the sanctions and lift the embargo which was crippling the economy. Despite all of the promises being made, Ernie Clement's administration would eventually become what would be several years of turmoil, and eventually, disaster for St. Ark's politics, leading to the near collapse of the St. Ark Federation. Inflation skyrocketed once again, and St. Ark's industry, which was the backbone of the Federation's economy, declined and collapsed under Ernie Clement's administration. Despite hopes of ending the decades of corruption within the country, Fred Goldlock's oligarchy which he established himself, still continued even after his death, with some of his closest oligarchs remaining as governors of some states, despite Fred Goldlock's death a year prior, and as Ernie Clement's government was showing the signs of a near collapse, the oligarchs would begin the fight for control over resources and power, resulting in numerous strikes and private security forces often clashing with the St. Ark Military or civilians, becoming a massive problem to the country.
Although the St. Ark Federation's democratic government by Ernie Clement showed a beacon of hope for the country, it was also severely corrupt, with some political opponents and activists claiming it was equal to that of Rodney Faron Lenn's government. Crime, which was a major problem in the St. Ark Federation, skyrocketed to the point the National Guard and the St. Ark Military Police were once again involved, and resulted in brutal crackdowns. Arms trafficking including human trafficking were rampant across the country, and by 1991, the St. Ark Federation became one of the countries with the highest crime rates, and becoming one of the worst countries to live at the time, which brought a crippling blow to the tourism industry in the St. Ark Federation. And with the St. Ark Military Police once again running in the streets, continuing their brutal crackdowns, almost all of St. Ark's civilians had begun to grow disillusioned with Ernie Clement's government. However, although there were common mistakes within Ernie Clement's government, there was also a positive side to his government, as his administration introduced laws which provided better funding to government sectors and reinstated the St. Ark Police Force, which had been dissolved in 1979 following desertions and most of them becoming disillusioned with the government. Laws were introduced, in which the ban on the Lithuanian language from being taught in schools were lifted, providing a major relief to the Lithuanian minority in the St. Ark Federation, which had been discriminated under both Rodney Faron Lenn's government and Fred Goldlock's military government, and had allowed Lithuanian minorities to enter politics, which ramped up the process of reforming the government of the St. Ark Federation. 
However, Ernie Clement's administration would not last long, as the 1993 presidential elections was arriving. One of the political candidates for the election was Vaughan Keegan, an open critic of Ernie Clement and his liberal party and government, and a conservative, who, recently, had started gaining support recently in the elections, as Ernie Clement's government was widely unpopular due to what had happened under his administration. However, Vaughan Keegan was no better than Ernie Clement, as he was known for being supported by Fred Goldlock's oligarchs and had his presidential campaign funded by them. He also had close ties to them, and if he was elected to office in 1993, Vaughan Keegan would eventually doom the St. Ark Federation and its path of a transition to democracy. Ernie Clement was supported by those who were widely against a conservative government from going into power, mostly being the Lithuanian minority in the St. Ark Federation, as his laws had introduced better lives for the Lithuanians in the St. Ark Federation, and he was provided support by most Lithuanian churches in the St. Ark Federation and numerous communities in the St. Ark Federation, who volunteered to help fund his campaign and help Ernie Clement earn a second term, in the hopes of not repeating the same mistakes, which led to Rodney Faron Lenn assuming power over most of the country decades prior. 
Ernie Clement and Vaughan Keegan's competition led to a heated exchange, resulting in violent clashes between Ernie and Vaughan's supporters, especially in the urban areas located in Hainesbend or New Shingleton, as it 
=== Constitutional Crisis of 1995 ===
The Constitutional Crisis in 1995 happened, when the St. Ark Federation's parliament made attempts to overthrow the president due to allegations of corruption, the president was informed of the parliament's attempts, and along with his supporters declared war on parliament, the St. Ark police force attempted to crush the angry mob outside parliament but were completely outnumbered, the parliament building was bombed by a tank causing it to go on fire, eventually parliament gave up and a system was implemented into the St. Ark Federation's political systems, creating a political structure for days to come within modern politics.
The president still gained control over the federation along with the oligarchs until the 2008 global economic crisis which ended up overthrowing the tyrant regime, a new president of the St. Ark Federation was assigned to control the federation with the heavy task of rebuilding the economy and stabilizing the now criminal haven of the federation. 
=== Economic Crisis of 2008 and collapse of St. Ark's autocracy ===
=== Second Reformation Era (2008 - 2010) ===
=== Modern era ===
The St. Ark Federation by the Commonwealth of United and Free Nations is still seen as a dictatorship running a democratic country, with several oligarchs pleading allegiance to the current government controlling the policies and reigning terror on it's opponents, despite having a stable economy and returning to a prosperous country, it still has bitter ties with the Republic of Bistonia and the United States of Megaton and Columbia.
In 2079, the St. Ark Federation declared war on the Kradovo Alliance, which resulted in the entire world's demise as entire countries were obliterated by nuclear bombs in 2 hours, forcing humanity to rebuild and fight for it's resources, the St. Ark Federation was also the epicentre of the New Vilnius Research Facility's new weapon that would contribute to the creation of The Void.
Humanity and the St. Ark Federation government officials were forced to hide in bunkers and attempt to rebuild the St. Ark Federation again, however these bunkers owned by a sheltering company were actually revealed to be bunkers to experiment on humanity in the future, causing the creation of deformed creatures and mutants and some were forced to be abandoned, only 150 nuclear bunkers were built by the company instead of the necessary 4000 bunkers required to build across the country, some of them incomplete and due to the high budget required to build them.
=== Third Great War and destruction (2079) ===
=== Wasteland era (2079 - 2300) ===
== Geography ==
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=== Commonwealth of United and Free Nations ===
Category:Country