Pool

Village
Name	Pool
Hexacode	SY-DI-PO
Population	513
Language(s)	English
Geography
Location	Sylvania; Discovery Isle
Trivia

Pool is a Lovian village on Discovery Island in the State of Sylvania, famed for its history as a key trade port. The settlement lies on the north west coast of the island, between the two streams Saven to the north and the smaller Fey to the south. The Saven floodplanes encompass the northern village borders and the plains there are known for their fertility. Rain is common in Pool during all seasons but summer, and due to a lack of any hills or land to act as protection from wind the settlement experiences high windspeeds all year round. Pool is neighbored to the south by the settlement of Shepby and across the Discovery Bay by Charleston.

Pool was founded by an expidition paid for by a rich Englishman who renamed himself Andrew Pool. The aim of this expidition was to set up a profitable trade port within Lovia. Pool was a major trade power in the late 1890s to mid 1920s, however it's power fell as the rise of criminal cartels occured over the period of prohibition, after the repeal of prohibition Pool went into isolation and it's trade power dropped even further. However during the famine period, it re-ermerged and started expanding again, using the weak economic climate and it's reserves to maintain growth. In current times Pool is still an important trade port and the Pool Trading Company is still vital to internal and external trade.

Politics

The Pudlian economy is one of the richest in Lovia by GDP per capita. The modern Pudlian economy is more mixed, with five major corporations (known locally as the Big Five) operating out of the settlement. The surrounding area features a few farms which supply the local businesses however almost all industry is based around the harbour and docks area. Pudlian business culture include long term to life employment, local government and the businesses are normally very close and social security is provided by employers. Major sectors are transport and storage followed closely by manufacturing and retail. Pool also has a prosperous high street with stores being operated by locals and the Big Five. Big import products are home and office materials, pulp and paper, oil and foodstuffs in general. Pool exports beers and spirits as well as tea related products in large quantities.

Etymology

The settlement is named for the streams nearby, as stream in certain old local dialects is pul or poole. Early settlers were British and many came from English port cities such as Blackpool and Poole. When the settlement was first settled, early letters from the inhabitants to relatives or associates reveal that the early spellings of the name varied. The name was spelt in the following ways at least more than once:

• Pol
• Pul
• Poole
• Pule

The name "Pool" was officially used for the first time in 1905, in the Declaration of the Founding of Lovian States during the statement on the lands that compromise Sylvania:

Discovery Isle, along with its settlements of Pool and Shepby are hereby granted unto Sylvania, by and with the consent of the Pool Trading Company whom shall be recognised to own the metioned lands and settlements thereforth.

This name was suspected to also be used before the signing of the declaration in the official documents of the Pool Trading Company, however due to the company's status as a private company unless it chooses to release the documents it cannot be proven although in inquiries spokespersons have often said that the name of "Pool" has always remained the same since the settling, suggesting the theory may be correct.

Despite these official usages of the name, alternate names have appeared since it was settled. Letters reveal it was also called "the port" and "the new-port" in very early history, "Savenston" was another name used by some long into the early 1920s. However more interestingly a dutch name of "Westerhaven" appears but only in letters the 1890s, these letters suggest that at the time the settlers were still divided over the name although this seems to have largely been cleared up by the declaration in 1905. Other possible alternate names appear once or twice however most if not all died out after 1905.

Seal and Flag

The seal of Pool is known for it's complexity, and while there have been suggestions to change it, it has remained the same. This is because the locals consider that the current seal holds great cultural value as it is based off one of the oldest maps in Lovia, showing the original plan to start a settlement where Pool now resides. The seal depicts Discovery Isle with a compass roughly over the area where Pool is now, there are also dotted lines showing proposed trade routes to Charleston, Hurbanova, Newhaven, Noble City and the north. Along with this there is writing, "Pool founded 1892" is to the top left of the compass and the motto of Pool "The sea is our home" is just below the compass. The map it is based off of can be found in the local village hall were it is preserved, there have been requests for it to be moved to a museum in Noble City however locals are staunchly against the idea.

File:Document Pool Seal.png

The simplified and restored seal of Pool

Due to the complexity of the seal, an alternative is used for official documents. The simplified seal is simply a restored version of the seal from the map with "Pool" above it. This seal can be found on all local government official documents and normally any state government official documents relating to Pool.

The flag of Pool is one of the oldest flags in Lovia, it was originally flown in 1895 on the opening of the harbour and docks from the harbour flagpole. While there are theories behind who designed the flag, the creator remains unknown however it is known that in 1894 Andrew Pool paid a large sum of money for the "design and manufacture of a bespoke decorative piece". The flag itself is a horizontal bicolour of red and blue with a white compass point based at the hoist and extending into the fly but not touching the edge. The flag is flown by most of the residents and can be found outside the village hall.

History

Pre-Settlement

The area of Pool was never properly explored before Andrew Pool himself investigated the land. Discovery Isle had remained targeted for colonisation due to it's large highland areas, which put off many farmers immigrating to the archipelago as they preferred easier flatter land like that of the Sylvanian plains or Kings coast. Despite it's well placed position, few attempted to exploit it's possibilities as they lacked the capital. What motivated Andrew Pool to look to Lovia as a place to start settlement is unknown however evidence points to the map that first detailed out about the possible colonisation of Discovery Isle, starting in Pool. It ended up in the possession of Andrew Pool at some point in the late 1870s however notes connected to it detail that another group may have planned to settle the island themselves but lacked funds and so sold the map onto Andrew during the period.

British Colonisation

The British settlers who established the first permanent settlement on Discovery Isle faced various problems during the colonisation of the island. A rich Englishman funded the beginning of construction of a harbour and docks using modern ships and tools for the time to make the constructions a reality in a short three years and also moved to the isle eventually renaming himself Andrew Pool, keeping his first name but changing his last. Amongst this colonisation, Pool benefited most, having gained a harbour and dock when most larger settlements had neither, these constructions would mark the beginning of an era for Pool however colonisation continued on into the 1900s.

Planning to establish the settlement began in Noble City in the late 1880s, when Andrew Pool (who went by a different name at the time) was gathering information on the Lovian archipelago. He took a small voyage in 1889 to Discovery Isle and camped there for some time before deciding that he would set up the settlement there. The next three years prior to the start of the voyage were spent planning and organising an expedition as well as gathering people to colonise the Isle. In late 1891 the expedition gathered in Charleston and prepared to set off in early spring next year so they may start farming immediately.

On 16th January 1892, the first expedition launched. Upon landing on the island they began establishing a settlement, using local resources. Quickly they started seeding farms, working long hours to ensure that they would be able to have a fruitful harvest and sustain the settlement until the second round of settlers could arrive to make their plans more permanent. However short of the harvest problems emerged after it was discovered supplies were running low. The leader of the expedition went north with some men and came to the stream that he would name Saven due to the bounty of fish he managed to gather from it. The settlement managed to endure until the harvest and the coming of the second expedition.

Pool maintained a large body of builders and workers as well as the settlers and continued to construct the settlement, building homes for a population of 50, purpose made buildings and a harbour and docks. The construction project was the largest thus far in Lovia and used vehicles to shorted time needed to finish it. The settlement took three years to be completed however some construction crews remained to build a large manor for Andrew Pool. The Pudlians moved into the settlement and began their work as operators of the harbour and docks as well as the Company store, a few locals however were also there to make their own enterprises under the umbrella of the newly founded Pool Trading Company. A local pub and brewery started as well as a tea room, all of which have survived to this day and are still operating.

Andrew Pool had carefully ensured that the Isle would be uniquely settled by him and his Company, in 1897 he paid for another expedition to colonise the rest of the island and create the southern settlement of Shepby. Pool remained the same size and did not expand, the colonisation of the island was left to the new expedition. The settlement would not grow for another 17 years, as the Company policy was that no-one who wasn't a Pudlian was allowed to stay beyond a week in the harbour or settlement, creating effectively an anti-immigration policy that kept out all newcomers.

When the negotiations for the signing of the Declaration of the Founding of Lovian States began, the locals agreed that a vote would be held on who would represent them at the meeting. The then owner of the Pool Trading Company, Andrew Pool won by a large margin and proceeded to take a small team to the meeting. While they were there they managed to negotiate a settlement that would give the ownership of all of Discovery isle (which was still largely uncolonised) to the corporation in return for stopping resistance to other various clauses. The men then stayed in Noble City for a while, leaving only a week before the election of the Governor Bruce Kennedy having negotiated with him to largely allow Discovery Isle to rule itself.

Trade Power

Extent of Pudlian influence on trade from 1900 to 1920

The Trade Power Era was marked by the opening of the harbour and docks in Pool in 1895, from which year prearranged trade deals created a quick influx of wealth to the settlement and quickly the Company brought out cargo hauling companies with the acquired wealth and soon owned a majority of the trade ships in Lovia's waters. This monopoly turned quickly into a bargaining chip that while rarely used by the Company became a reason for many regional leaders to seek favour with the Company, and after the founding of the States was used by various Sylvanian governments to exert influence and protect Sylvanian interests.

Due to the independence granted by the Governor in 1905 Pool didn't experience problems that Peace Island did in the early years of the State as the Company in conjunction with local government quickly adapted public life to being part of Lovia although Pool did face problems from outside of the community. Throughout the Trade Power Era rural workers maintained a different agenda to the more Company orientated workers in Pool and provided a palpable threat due to the lack of a police force on the island to the safety of the settlement several times. While forces were occasionally hired from the Peace Island police forces, they were often not used for much but defence as the local government favoured offers of money to coerce dissenters during the times of conflict.

Early years of the harbour and dock led to many traders and travellers using the island as a stopping point before travelling to their final destination within Lovia, ships from Collinia, Bostaat, Stephen's Land and The Pale used it as a safe haven especially during the rising period of conflict running up to and during the Short War. In 1901 on the outbreak of conflict, they were approached both by diplomats of the Three Pact Alliance and of Bostaat, however Andrew Pool led them both on a goose chase of gaining his favour in various humorous and humiliating ways. Eventually in 1902 half way through the conflict, he declared that Discovery Isle would not join the conflict but align itself with Bostaat however would continue trade as normal with both sides of the conflict, effectively staying completely neutral.

After Bostaat lost the conflict in early 1903 to the Three Pact Alliance, Discovery Isle feared repercussion from Collinia in particular due to the heavy demands Collinia was laying before Bostaat. However the lack of conclusion of the negotiations due to disagreement, quiet rearmament in Bostaat and the rise of dissent in Collinia against what the large Slovak and Polish underclass considered the ruling American class (hoping to overthrow them as the people of Bostaat did and establish their own independent state) provided the perfect protection from any possible use of force. These disruptions went on until the meeting to draw up the Declaration of the Founding of Lovian States, during that time the Pool Trading Company reduced activity in Collinia and looked to the island of Kings and the Northern Territory for expansion.

After the meeting that would eventually unite Lovia was declared by the King, almost every Pudlian was adamant that someone from Pool should go. Andrew Pool was nominated by a pubic vote and set off aiming to defend Pools lucrative trade powers. When the negotiations over the position of Discovery Isle began at the meeting, Andrew Pool faced heavy opposition to his ideas from Collinian government representatives as well as various economic liberals however found support from his trade allies and the Slovakian and Polish representatives (whom he in turn supported against the Americans ruling Collinia). Andrew argued for a long time on various points, and for a time he suggested Discovery Isle was deserving of it's own State. In the end though he had to compromise but managed to assure that the Pool Trading Company kept it's key influence over Discovery Isle and gained renewals of it's trade deals with respective authorities that took over the settlements it had signed contracts with.

After returning, major reorganisation occurred and the townspeople were informed of the content of the declaration. In 1906 the settlement held elections for Mayor with Andrew Pool easily winning a majority, he ruled the island competently as both owner of the Company and Mayor however was forced in 1909 to grant the rural workers across the island the lands they farmed to them as they refused for three years to give their produce to the Company and organised themselves to defend against any use of force, after the grant they began working with the Company again. Further in 1910 he had to concede more though as the citizens of Shepby used the rural opposition to the Company against Pool to force Andrew to allow them to maintain their own Mayorship.

Pool continued to prosper as a major trade port into the 1910s. After the establishment of democratically elected councils in 1911 by the States, Pool and Shepby were offered to elect a representative each, Andrew Pool was again elected to represent Pool (he was 47 by now). Holding almost a monopoly on the political power of Discovery Isle he managed to obtain many grants for the development of the area and due to his influence as the owner of the Pool Trading Company he was able to convince others in the council to work with him. During the 1914 meeting of the council was announced, most Pudlians favoured a neutral position in respect to the great war. The war period brought an influx of extra settlers as many Pudlians paid for their relatives to move to Lovia for their own safety, causing the population to leap from ~60 to ~200 over 4 years, while the population fell slightly afterwards to ~150, most had decided to stay rather than return to Europe.

The larger workforce and amount of children led to an increase in public works, the first school was started from a large unused house and a doctor's surgery was opened from another unused house to help the locals stay healthy and handle childbirth.

Anti-Prohibition

The anti-prohibition era marked a hard period in Pudlian history. Openly opposing the Temperance Act but making sure that in no case enough legal evidence existed to cause any problems, the early prohibition was a duck and goose chase. However as soon as the cartels rose in power, they turned towards the only non-criminal entity that was out competing them. Several attacks and attempts to infiltrate Pool occurred culminating in the infamous Pool Manor Shoot-out which led to a change in strategy by the cartels that led to the fall of Pool as a powerful and influential place in Lovia for the next 15 years.

In 1927 the prohibition movement was coming to a head, while in Pool it had never shown it's face, they had managed to influence national debate. A new Temperance Act banning the sale and manufacture of alcohol and additionally (making it more extensive than the American Temperance Act) banning the consumption of alcohol completely made it's way into law on the 21st of January 1928. The opinion of Pudlians was firmly against the Act, and so they kept operating their pub and brewery despite possible legal ramifications. Due to the lack of a police force on the island they were never caught being in operation, every time group of inspectors arrived at the harbour, the workers would signal to close down the pub and delay the inspectors for as long as possible.

The Pool Trading Company also worked to ensure that no manufacture or sale of any alcoholic beverages was traceable on records, and continued to sell alcoholic drinks around Lovia. This worked for a year however in 1929, criminals had risen in power dramatically and the cartels tried to eliminate Pool as competition. Chief amongst these were the Sylvanian Gallo Cartel and the Kings Jones Cartel. Until 1930 this extended only to offering cheaper alcohol, however when two Pudlians were killed in an attempt to sabotage the brewery by a Gallo cartel member who was killed himself.

At this point the Pool Trading Company realised that it couldn't rely on an absent police or the corrupt ones in Sylvania to protect their interests, all officials were given guards and the harbour and docks received a small guard force of their own, employees of the company were told to carry protection and residents of Discovery Isle were told to be ready to protect themselves. Sure enough soon Jones cartel members showed up in Pool, they were refused entry into Pool by the guards and despite high tensions were forced back onto the next ferry to Charleston. Andrew Pool was sent a letter containing a powder at some point in 1932.

Threats and attacks on cargo and offices occurred sporadically throughout 1932 and 1933, while attempts to infiltrate Pool occurred, the Company had decided to restrict visitors to one night stays and reserved the right to evict non-residents. Andrew Pool tried to appeal to the state and national governments for help and action but the appeals fell on deaf ears. Despite setbacks and attacks, the Pool Trading Company still managed to make dents in the cartels income with it's trade, this forced the Jones and Gallo cartels into an alliance. On 5th March 1934 a small force of Jones and Gallo men landed just north of Pool, hoping to seize Andrew Pool and use him against the Company. However Andrew had been offering money to cartel members for information and had received a tip off about the attack. 17 locals and the harbour and docks guards were waiting in ambush for the men, when the cartel members approached Andrew's Manor, they opened fire in what would be the Pool Manor Shoot-out leaving only a few of the cartel members alive and taking on only three wounded themselves.

The show of force made the cartels back down and they instead turned to bribing officials to seize cargo and hampering Pudlian trade. This turned the Pool Manor Shout-out into a pyrrhic victory as the new tactic the Pudlians forced the cartels into proved to be more effective at damaging their industry. The cartels started to win the conflict and eventually in 1935 the Pool Trading Company Agreed to keep it's alcohol trade in Pool, ending the alliance between the Jones and Gallo cartels.

Andrew Pool resented the Noble City government for this loss and blamed them as the reason for why Pool and his business were attacked so easily, being forced into the uncomfortable peace made the Pudlians share his sentiment. Pool went into isolation, refusing to allow people to settle and if they were it was only temporary, they also reduced their trade within Lovia, which already was a far cry from the strength it had seen in the 1920s. When the the repeal of the prohibition occurred in 1937, they didn't restart trading in alcohol. The final blow at the end of this period was the death of Andrew Pool at the age of 74 from a heart attack. Pool had changed and become an introverted society that didn't wish to concern itself with the outside world.

Isolationism

Little is known about the isolationist period as Pool slumped into a long depression and it's inhabitants did little but either emigrate or do normal Company work. The period is marked by the 1938 election of the very conservative Company shareholder Zachary Miller as Mayor, a follower of Andrew Pool who felt that the rest of Lovia had betrayed him by letting the cartels damage his work. One of his first acts as Mayor was to declare Andrews day of death a holiday in the settlement and after that ensured that the local school taught the life of Andrew in history lessons. The Pool Trading Company fell behind and was overtaken by other companies in the trade industry. The period lasted until 1954 when Miller died of old age.

Expansionism

The period of expansion was heralded by the death of Zachary Miller and his dispersal of shares amongst the inhabitants. The election of Peter Brooks to both Mayor and CEO lead to a combination which proved highly prosperous for Pool. Bairn Sawyer's alliance with Thelma Parr Sennett led to a subsidised Sylvania where Pool business rapidly grew, and thanks to the reserves of the Pool Trading Company those businesses survived the crisis of the early 1970s. Pool business also enacted several business practices that were aimed at helping the Sylvanian mainland. It was during this period also that Pool became an influential centre of public media.

After the death of Miller, he revealed in his will that he had left his shares that he was given by Andrew in the Pool Trading Company to be divided equally amongst the inhabitants of Pool. An election for the CEO position took place at the same time as election for Mayor and Peter Brooks took over the running of the Company and the Mayorship. Quickly Pool's isolationist policies were ended and as he discovered vast wealth from before the isolationist period left unused by Miller stored in the company safe he set about expanding the Company. Firstly he purchased an upgrade for the harbour and docks and used a loan to expand the trade fleet.

When the Lovian famines hit in 1956 the harbour and docks were halfway through upgrading and the expansion of the trade fleet was only in the purchasing stages. The loan was called back as Lovian banks prepared to weather the predicted economic depression as a of bad harvests, only partway through bringing Pool up to date Brooks decided to look for a loan in America as replacement. He repaid his loan and continued paying for the upgrades (although he reduced the trade fleet expansion as a precaution) using an overdraft he negotiated with an American bank. Luckily a loan was approved from the same bank in 1958 which he used to pay off a large amount of company debts and a small amount of his overdraft. During the famines many rural farmers migrated to Pool and were able to stay due to Brooks new policy on newcomers increasing it's population to ~300.

Quickly Brooks began organising the Company so that profits were coming in fast. Trade started to increase once more and Pool became an important trade port again and started to resemble the trade power it had been in the early years of the century. When Bairn Sawyer who was on the Royal Legislative Council in 1962, with the support of the Sylvanian Governor Thelma Parr Sennett, enacted an economic policy of low taxes and high spending and subsidisation of secondary and tertiary industry, with a discrimination against agriculture. Quickly the Pool Trading Company filed for as many subsidies as it could and offered locals funds to help them start their own businesses. Brooks also set aside some of the subsidies to pay off the company overdraft.

Many locals came forwards with suggestions, especially the rural farmers who had immigrated who wanted to show their appreciation for the company's treatment of them during the famine. Four ideas were taken upon by the company and funded. Two local businesses such as Harbour and Dock Brewery was given funding to re-enter the alcoholic beverage market it had been forced out of in the era of prohibition as well as the Wright & Wright tea room which planned to make deals with Shepbeians to farm tea plants for them as their farms were under threat due to the anti-agricultural position of Sawyer. The third proposal was made by a group of the rural farmers, they hoped to start a newspaper under the name of 'The Lovian Times', Brooks suggested that the business be called Poolmedia. Brooks himself was the creator of the fourth idea, called Brooks Motors.

These businesses all became subsidies of the Pool Trading Company, which owned a majority share in all of them but left profits to the owners. Each business quickly became successful, using the springboard of the Company's influence to quickly plant itself into several markets. The most successful however was Poolmedia whose paper became heavily read in Sylvania. Brooks Motors also took off as many families were making enough to purchase the cheap BM model 1964, popularly known as the Brookly, which became iconic of Sylvanian automobiles alongside American imports. Brooks paid off the company overdraft in the same year of these businesses starting. The strength and power of Pools businesses comparative to their population meant that at the time even common Pudlians were some of the most influential people in Lovia.

When public debt was declared to be rising too fast in 1969 by the now Sylvanian Governor Edward M. Roscoe (who had recently deposed Sawyer supporter Sennett from the position), the King told Sawyer to change his policies. Subsidisation was cut to all but a few service industries and taxes rose. Brooks responded quickly by using the wealth of the Pool Trading Company to subsidise the Pudlian businesses until they had stabilised their finances. This proved vital in helping Pool stay economically afloat as the rest of Sylvania largely fell into depression in 1971 and in 1972 when inflation began becoming uncontrollable. Pool also weathered the 1973 oil crisis, however Brooks Motors was forced to stop production.

During this period Pool prospered with complete employment and a large influence due to it's survival through the start of the depression that hit many other businesses hard. Pudlian business however tried to help Lovia through the period, Poolmedia lowered it's prices to help people stay informed, Wright & Wright started two new tea rooms to help unemployment and the Pool Trading Company offered cheap ferry transport. Pool maintained itself until 1978 when Rita D. Frances came to power in Sylvania and began reforming the economic system and brought Sylvania back from depression.

Francesism

During the late 1970s and 1980s Pool became more involved in state politics, becoming a stronghold for supporters of the Liberal Faction of the period. This led to endorsements and support from Pudlian businesses and individuals of both Rita and Rick Frances. Pool also became an international trade port during 1981. Radical Sawyerites threatened the stability of Pool during this period, with James Garfield attempting to break up the Pool Trading Company twice. When he was assassinated, the Pool Trading Company was blamed although this is considered unlikely. After the turbulent 1980s Pool settled into a calmer 1990s.

Rita D. Frances visited Pool in 1977 when she was campaigning against Donal O'Neill for the Governorship of Sylvania. When she arrived in Pool she reportedly was taken aback by how wealthy it was. She called the settlement "an icon of free enterprise in a land overshadowed with socialism" and took a keen interest in the settlement, ending up staying there for a week rather than two days as planned. She spent three nights in the local pub and met Brooks with whom she apparently got on well. The extended stay proved to be beneficial as the locals became keen to rally behind her campaign. Although they had been indifferent to the Governorships of Sawyerites like Sennett and Donal O'Neill, they became strong Francesites over the course of a week.

The Lovian Times endorsed her campaign and the Pudlian businesses put posters up outside their stores. Brooks even donated a small sum to the campaign. When Rita became Governor she enacted tax cuts and ended all subsidisation, instead focusing on grants for people trying to start businesses, she also increased police numbers to tackle extremist gangs that had grown in strength due to the depression. Pool benefited from the new order created in the mainland and the easier business climate, the situation was so lucrative that the Pool Trading Company began trading overseas in 1981. Pool became the second most used port for shipping to Lovia, although it was still behind Noble City, it's central location, local trade fleet and extensive harbour and docks meant it could be used to store cargo that would be distributed all around Lovia via the Pool Trading Company ships.

However in mainland Sylvania while many prospered, there were still many unemployed who were too poor and unable to qualify for grants. They rallied behind radical Sawyerite positions claiming Rita's actions weren't enough and that her economic plan only worked for the middle class and left the working class behind. When wealth gaps reached an all time high in 1984, they began rioting and attacking the homes and businesses of Rita's supporters. In public speeches some of their leaders promised to tear down the corrupt monopolies which they saw in Pool. In reaction to this statement Rita gave Pool a small detachment of armed police. While the worst of the riots had subsided by 1985, the forces remained.

In spite of an economic upturn in 1986 and a drop in unemployment, Rita was narrowly voted out of office and James Garfield a radical Sawyerite followed. He started to enact extensive welfare policies and expanded the public sector, soaking up unemployment, he also passed laws against monopolies, these seemed to target the Pool Trading Company, which he attempted to break up in 1987 but failed. After being re-elected he made another attempt to dismantle the corporation but was killed in a rally by a sniper. It isn't known who his assassin was or why they killed him however many accused the Pool Trading Company of hiring out the act although Garfield made many enemies across Sylvania so this theory is often considered one of the less likely scenarios.

After a year of Garfield's secretary ruling Sylvania in his stead and building up a large public debt again with spending projects (an act which greatly reduced the popularity of Sawyerites in general), Rick Frances was voted into power with Pool recorded voting with almost an absolute majority in favour of him becoming Governor. Rick settled for a more moderate governorship than his sister leading to moderate but stable growth and vitally he allowed exploitation of local gas fields. Pool enjoyed a period of relative quiet in the 1990s as Sylvania settled down after the turbulent 1980s.

Due to the new found stability Brooks, who had been planning to step down because of his age, commissioned another renovation of the Harbour and Docks, after which he planned to leave his position as Mayor. The work began immediately, although Brooks died in 1992 before the work was completed. His brother's son Charles Brooks was elected Mayor due to his proactive position in the community, promising to finish Brooks plans, Charles set about continuing the renovations. The new Harbour and Docks was completed in 1993 and a plaque dedicated to Brooks was inlaid into the ground of the docks.

Modern

In the 2000s Pool expressed support for various Freedom First governments and continued it's business expansion, with the Lovian Times becoming a national paper in 2005. When Dimitri and Yuri Medvedev appeared to form an alliance however Pool became strongly anti-government as they passed laws which were considered to be extensive regulations by Pudlians. This opposition continued into the 2010s and intensified even more when the state reform occurred. The Pool Trade Company also acted in open protest of the Green Energy Act (which has recently become defunct) by using imported clean coal energy. Modern Pool remains an important trade port and is the centre for many of Lovias most powerful businesses.

Geography

Settlement Map

Legend

Streets: *1 - Andrew Street *2 - Pool Lane *3 - Manor Lane

Colors: each color signifies the function/use of a lot full list: Map colors

Fonts: monuments and public buildings are in a bold font

Map

Pool Bay Pacific Ocean							Pool Harbour and Docks Warehouses Pool Trading Company 1 Dock Street
Pool Harbour and Docks Pool Trading Company Dock Street
Dock Street
Headquarters Brooks Motors 5 Dock Street	Factory Brooks Motors 4 Dock Street	*1	Headquarters Harbour and Dock Brewery 3 Dock Street	Houses Pool Trading Company 2 Dock Street	*2	Headquarters Pool Trading Company 10 Manor Lane	*3	Brewery Harbour and Dock Brewery 9 Manor Lane
Houses Brooks Motors 6 Dock Street			Houses Harbour and Dock Brewery 1 Andrew Street	Houses Harbour and Dock Brewery 1 Pool Lane		Houses Pool Trading Company 8 Manor Lane		Houses Harbour and Dock Brewery 7 Manor Lane
Houses Brooks Motors 7 High Street	Store FOR RENT 5 High Street		Store CE Store 3 High Street	Bank CE Bank 1 High Street		Store Pool Trading Company 6 Manor Lane		Pub Harbour and Dock pub 5 Manor Lane
High Street
Store Golden Isle Camping 8 High Street	Store FOR RENT 6 High Street	Restaurant Pool Chippy 4 High Street	Store Aronsson Financial Group 2 High Street	Tea Room Wright & Wright tea room 4 Manor Lane	Pool Manor Isle Local Government
Houses Brooks Motors 4 Andrew Street	Houses Wright & Wright 3 Andrew Street	Houses FOR RENT 2 Andrew Street	Doctor's Surgery Pool Trading Company 2 Pool Lane	Houses Pool Trading Company 3 Manor Lane
Houses Wright & Wright 8 Bottom Lane	Houses Wright & Wright 5 Andrew Street	School Andrew Pool Academy 5 Bottom Lane	Houses FOR RENT 3 Pool Lane	Houses Pool Trading Company 2 Manor Lane
Bottom Lane
Factory Wright & Wright 7 Bottom Lane	Headquarters Wright & Wright 6 Bottom Lane	Headquarters Poolmedia 4 Bottom Lane	Houses FOR RENT 3 Bottom Lane	Police Station Pool Security Company 2 Bottom Lane		Fire Station Pool Security Company 1 Bottom Lane
	Houses Wright & Wright 2 Hill Street		Houses Poolmedia 1 Hill Street	Waste Processing Plant, Water Processing and Storage Plant Pool Trading Company 4 Pool Lane
Hill Street

Pool Harbour and Docks

The harbour and docks warehouses lit up at night

The Pool Harbour and Docks are a major cultural and economic feature of the settlement. Having gone under several upgrades over the years, it looks different from its original design however still maintains a similar architecture that has made it into a tourist attraction. Construction started on the first harbour and docks in 1892 which was finished in 1895, it was further updated in the years of 1954 to 1959 and also in the years of 1990 to 1993. The harbour and docks are now heavily used for transport and inter-state commerce.

The warehouses of the harbour and docks

Politics

Mayorship

The Mayorship of Pool began in 1906 after Andrew Pool had negotiated for the isle to maintain a reasonable amount of independence over its governance. The position was normally occupied by someone who was related to the Pool Trading Company, and largely has been occupied by the managers of the business. While it originally encompassed the entirety of Discovery isle, protests by Shepbeian farmers forced it down to only Pool proper and the nearby coastal area. The responsibilities and powers of the position were largely to do with deciding where spending went and creating local laws.

Originally the Mayorship had been a life post, with the incumbents term only ending after death or by them stepping down. The Mayorship prior to 2010 had been held by the following people:

• Andrew Pool (1906 to 1938) - Founder of Pool, Owner and Chief Executive Officer of the Pool Trading Company - Elected with a huge majority, term ended due to death by heart attack.
• Zachary Miller (1938 to 1954) - Owner and Chief Executive Officer of the Pool Trading Company - Elected due to Andrews choice of him as a successor, term ended due to death by old age.
• Peter Brooks (1954 to 1992) - Chief Executive Officer of the Pool Trading Company, Chief Executive Officer of Brooks Motors - Elected due to his business reputation, term ended due to death by old age.
• Charles Brooks (1992 to 2002) - Employee of the Pool Trading Company - Elected due to his standing in the community, term ended due to him stepping down.
• Andrew Wright (2002 to 2010) - Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Wright & Wright - Elected due to his position as a community leader, term ended due to the State Reform which abolished mayoral positions.

The longest serving mayor was Peter Brooks, although the most remembered is Andrew Pool who has his own national holiday in the settlement. The most recent mayoral election was in 2002.

The position was abolished by the 2010 state reforms despite much protest and Andrew Wright was removed from his position, although he has remained de facto leader in Pool and is responsible for much of the anti-government actions going on at the moment. Pool has threatened several times to close the harbour and docks in protest of government actions however has never carried out such an action. Recently the 2010 state reforms were largely reversed and Sylvania State Law now contains provisions for local governments, the Governor Lukas Hoffmann has promised to re-establish a Mayorship in the town.

Political parties

Pool has largely ignored state and national politics until recently, although it does have a history of high turnouts for elections since the establishment of state councils in 1911 where Discovery Isle was awarded two constituencies for the Pudlian north and Shepbeian south. These constituencies stayed despite growth in the rest of Sylvania and readjustments by Governors over the decades. Historically the Conservative and Unionist Party along with the Liberal Party of Sylvania (and its successor party the New Liberal Party of Sylvania) competed for the Pudlian vote up until Freedom First and the Liberal Party of Sylvania merged however by the time they elected a Freedom First representative, the centralisation of 2003 that would take away the state councils was not far away.

There is also a local party called the Pudlian Party that has existed since 1965, while it has never achieved any positions in local, state or national government it has received widespread support from across Pool. It sports a wide range of policies: an increase in Federal Police numbers; low flat rate taxes; a collective capitalist economy; privatisation of the education system; privatisation of Ecompany; increased devolution and a Bismark health insurance system. It stands candidates in all elections concerning Pool.

Membership

Most Pudlians are not members of any political party. Although few people are members of a political party, Pudlians have been estimated to supply their party with almost ten times as much funds as the average member. 59 people are currently members of political parties, the current membership of various political parties is the following:

• Christian Democratic Party
  • 6 members, enjoys support due to meritocratic policies, receives small personal donations
• Conservative Christian Party of Lovia
  • 7 members, has support from the local Christian chapter, receives small personal donations
• Conservative Nationalist Party
  • 9 members, finds wide support for it's economic policies, receives personal donations and donations from the Big Five
• Labour Party
  • 4 members, youth vote was strongly used in 2011 State Elections, receives small personal donations
• Positive Lovia
  • 6 members, enjoys support for it's economic policies, receives personal donations and donations from the Big Five
• Pudlian Party
  • 24 members, local party holds meetings in Pool Manor, receives personal donations and donations from the Big Five
• Social Liberal Party
  • 3 members, finds wide support from the Pudlian left wing, receives small personal donations

The Pudlian Party has the largest membership and income from Pool, although the most popular parties in recent elections have been the Labour Party and the Conservative Nationalist Party.

Economy

The Pudlian economy is one of the richest in Lovia by GDP per capita. In the past Pool relied heavily on trade through it's harbour and docks to create wealth however the modern economy is more mixed, with five major corporations (known locally as the Big Five) operating out of the settlement. The surrounding area features a few farms which supply the local businesses however almost all industry is based around the harbour and docks area.

The Pudlian economy also works via a system that is not found anywhere else in Lovia, and more closely resembles the Japanese economy of the 1950s to 1990s. The Big Five's cross holding of shares and basis on the Pool Trading Company as a financial base allows them to be compared to the Keiretsu of Japan. Practices in Pudlian business culture include long term to life employment, local government and the businesses are normally very close and social security is provided by employers. Pudlian workers rarely find employment elsewhere in Lovia due to the lack of the existence of this business culture.

Big Five Corporations

The Big Five corporations are the Brooks Motors, Harbour and Dock Brewery, Poolmedia, Pool Trading Company and Wright & Wright. The oldest of the five is the Pool Trading Company (which is also one of the oldest businesses in Lovia), it also acts as a financial base for all five businesses and provides transport and logistics for them too. Each business owns a part of Pool where they house their workers. Even though Pudlian industry is highly automated and agricultural needs are outsourced, many workers are involved in the manufacturing process as almost all business processes happen on the island. Each have an office building within the settlement and three have some sort of manufacturing or processing plant.

Brooks Motors has it's headquarters based on the far end of the Harbour and Dock front, with most of it's workers living in the west of the settlement and it's factory right next to it's headquarters. Brooks Motors manufactures automobiles for sale throughout Lovia and in American markets. It's workers enjoy a free car made by the company upon their employment and get discounted fuel from the Pool Trading Company Store. The current CEO of the company is Jacob Brooks, who is famous for his motivational exercises and active lifestyle as a car trader within Lovia.

Harbour and Dock Brewery's headquarters are in the middle of the Dock Street promenade and feature a small store next to the reception inside. The old brewery and pub are still operated by Harbour and Dock, with the old brewery still being the manufacturing base for all of the company's beverages. Workers at Harbour and Dock are entitled to discounted drinks from the Harbour and Dock pub however there are suggestions that the company should change this due to one employees excessive drinking which led to his death. The CEO of Harbour and Dock is Jeremy Watts.

Poolmedia keeps it's offices, printing machines, broadcasting station and headquarters in one large conglomerate of buildings in the south of the settlement. Poolmedia workers get discounted access to all Poolmedia services, including their broadcasting service, newspapers and documentaries. The CEO of Poolmedia is Stuart Taylor, who is descended from the original Shepbeians who founded the company, he also owns a farm outside the settlement which he has contracted out to Wright & Wright.

The Pool Trading Company (sometimes abreviated to PTC) is based in the original headquarters that were built in the 1890s, it also owns all rented out property in the settlement as well as the harbour and docks and the warehouse. The Company also completely owns the local public services such as the Pool Security Company, Andrew Pool Academy, the Doctor's Surgery and the waste and water processing plant. As well as this the Company operates a company store in the east of the village. PTC workers enjoy cheap access to goods as well as free postage for small items and discounts on ferry travel. The CEO of PTC is Joseph Brooks.

Wright & Wright (sometimes abreviated to W&W) still operate the 1890s tea room in the east of the village. The business operates and houses workers in the south west of the village, having their processing plant in the south makes dealing with transportation of goods easier due to proximity to farms and the direct line down Bottom Lane and Manor Lane to the harbour and docks warehouse. Workers within the business are offered discounts on all W&W products and have held an annual picnic for the entire village since the establishment of the business. The CEO of W&W is Gregory Wright, a descendant of one of the original Wright brothers.

Sectors

The Big Five cover the vast majority of the economy in Pool and therefore the five sectors they each focus on are the wealthiest within the local economy. Transport and storage gross value is big due to PTC, with a huge lean towards Water transport, followed closely by manufacturing gross value due to the two factories and the brewery operated by various companies. Retail gross value comes third, Pool has a prosperous high street with stores being operated by locals and the Big Five although the Pool Trading Company rents out the stores on occasion to non-local companies.

Imports and Exports

Big import products to Pool from the rest of Lovia and outside are home and office materials, pulp and paper, oil and foodstuffs in general. Within Lovia Pool exports beers and spirits to all of Lovia with Hurbanova being the most profitable internal port for beers and spirit products, tea related products are also a large section of exports most of these go to Clymene, Kings and the rest of Sylvania. Pool also exports these products outside of Lovia to American markets.

Demography

Major Ethnicities

Ethnic group	Population	% of total
British	217	42.3%
Canadian	63	12.3%
American	44	8.6%
Belgian	43	8.4%
Dutch	37	7.2%

Pool has 513 inhabitants, with a birth rate just below the replacement rate, since birth rates began to drop Pool has relied on bringing in people from the outside to keep it's population growing. Ethnically Pool historically was founded by an almost completely British, American and Canadian group, minor immigration has been the largest effector on the change of ethnic composition in the settlement. Nowadays Pool is still predominantly British with 217(42.3%) inhabitants being of British decent, other major ethnicities are Canadian, American, Belgian and Dutch. Most ethnic minorities are European in descent.