The Nations and Governments of Yignisoul

 The Nations and Governments of Yignisoul

By Sir Orion Serpentingo

 

The Star Knights

 

History:

            The Star Knights were founded two-hundred years ago in the year 210 A.G. by Yugure Shadowmore I, under the building moral principle of Chivalry, created by King Rosa [1]. Along with Yugure, there were two other founding members, and two more would soon join them. These five later became the first of the Five Star Knight Commanders. First, they were but a fellowship of roaming heroes, saving, and protecting people weaker than them all around the world. Through these acts of heroism, they constantly gained new followers, and the best of these followers would be knighted. At the time, no one micronation’s seal of knighthood was any more official than another’s so the early Star Knights made do with their knighthoods coming from a consensus of what Chivalry was, and if someone well embodied it.

 

Knighthood:

            A knight is a great warrior and are expected to be heroic, protect the weak and innocent, be brave, be loyal, and most importantly be good. In the Star Knight system, Knighthood can only be granted by select people, including those in certain political positions, and all Star Knight officers. Anyone with the ability to grant knighthood who is not themselves a knight may not knight themselves, and knighthoods they give can be overturned, unlike those granted by officers.

 

Balance of Power:

            There are six official superpowers in the world. The Star Knights, an independent international military organization that seeks to keep peace throughout the world; and the Five of Six Nations, five countries that exist within the Star Knights system. Each are as powerful as any one of the others. But if any two of them were to make an alliance, that would be the end of the rest, or more likely the end of those two as the other four would ally against them. As such the six superpowers are in a constant stalemate, the five nations using their smaller regions to fight proxy wars, and the Star Knights trying to maintain their control over all of them without instigating a rebellion. There is also the cultural power of religion, but none of the religious institutions are recognized as political entities. Instead, expected to remain neutral, and only give spiritual guidance. However, there is one more superpower the other six all refuse to mention the existence of, instead claiming that part of the map as wasteland. It is an isolated nation part of the same continent as Skydia, and is only known as… the Hook Country.

 

The Five Commanders:

            The Star Knights are led by a committee of five commanders. Individually, they each oversee the Star Knights of a single nation. Together they command the world’s greatest army. The rank of Commander is typically held until retirement. Only twice in history has a Star Knight relinquished the title to a successor and remained a Star Knight on their own. Every Commander also designates a Vice-Commander, and upon retirement or death of a Commander the rank is bestowed upon their Vice. 

 

Star Knight Laws:

            Every nation has its own laws that the Star Knights are obligated to enforce. But the Star Knights also instituted the Universal Orders, a list of human rights and taboos that the laws of each nation must reflect. The list in long, but main rights include those related to democratic elections, and the protection of all from theft, rape, and murder. The nations gain their power through their ability to define what constitutes these things and being able to make any other laws that do not contradict the Universal Orders. Every year, the leaders of the Five of Six Nations come together to vote on new laws for the Universal Orders, repeal old ones, or change them. This meeting is known as the Holiday Summit. This meeting was originally called the Crownstar Summit, named for the country it is always held in, but later it was renamed to the more inclusive World Congress. Yet, over the years since many governments needed to shut down while the summit was in progress due to their leaders being absent, it became a time for national holidays to be held. As such the event was later renamed the Holiday Summit.  

 

The Five of Six Nations

 

History:

In the year 213 A.G. Yugure Shadowmore embarked on a one-man quest to bring his dream to the world, his dream of democracy. At the time, the nations of the world had collapsed, leading there to being 16,000 micronations, locked in an eternal stalemate war. Yugure was unable to unite the world under a single government, but in the span of just six years, he had managed to unite each of the five continents under their own single nations, each protected by the worldwide independent force of the Star Knights. The governments of these five nations are all slightly different but still some form of democracy, these are those five nations.

 

The Knightlands:

The first united continent, the Knightlands is a constitutional monarchy, with the reigning King of the Knightlands being the official head of state. Said title is held as it always has been, by the Rosa dynasty [2]. The King has no real power, but officially all laws must be approved by the reigning King, though none have committed the suicide that would be vetoing a law. The only real power the King of the Knightlands has is the ability to knight any citizen at their discretion. Once again though, the Star Knights are independent from all nations and their militaries, so doing this has no direct benefit for a king, but it can put loyalists among the Star Knight ranks. This power can also be delegated to any non-knight of their choosing, pending approval from the Star Knights.

            All real executive power that de jure belongs to the King, instead is used by the Lord Magistrate, a figure ‘chosen’ by the King and who acts as their ‘advisor.’ While a king can technically appoint anyone to be Lord Magistrate, they have always chosen whomever the People’s Council [3] elect whenever they hold a Government Referendum. There are other similar but less powerful titles that a king supposedly chooses, but truthfully elected by the council.

Whenever a Government Referendum is held even if no seats change, it is considered a new government, and the name changes. Names for governments range from extremely descriptive, to just the Lord Magistrate’s name followed by a number. There are also no consistent term lengths or term limits, one holds an executive office until they resign, die, or a petition passes to hold a Government Referendum. But while it is not officially required, it is practically impossible for anyone to hold one of these offices without also being on the People’s council. One of these executive offices is the Martial General, who’s command of the military is only seconded by the Lord Magistrate. The Knightlands military, it is also unique in that it is the only one that requires each officer in its ranks to also follow the code of Chivalry, harkening back to King Rosa.

 

Tanotonoto:

            The southernmost continent, and the second one Yugure united. Most of the land is sparsely inhabited desert, leaving the true economic and political power of the country in its capital, an island off the west coast known as Dagga. This island was previously isolationist until just twenty years before unification with the mainland, leading to a highly traditionalist culture.

            The governmental system of Tanotonoto is like that of the Knightlands, attributable to it being founded just a year after. Citizens vote on a People’s Council like in all the nations, and then after an election is complete, the members oof the Council vote on who among them will be Prime Minister for the next five years. However, the Council is not near as partisan as that of the Knightlands, instead they tend to pick the most long serving member to be Prime Minister, regardless of their political affiliation.

The federal government of Tanotonoto is the weakest of the five nations. In all the nations, the regional governments [4] are allowed to use any political system they want, as long as they send an elected representative to the People’s Council. They can also pass their own laws if they do not contradict any of the laws from above. But in Tanotonoto, if a region can prove a law that contradicts a national one existed in some form before the nation was formed, then it is allowed to stay. (Regional laws still cannot be contradictory to Universal Orders in any nation.) This results from Dagga being a mostly unified nation before Tanotonoto and wanting to be allowed to keep its traditional laws.

 

Hartja:

            Along with Tanotonoto, Hartja is often considered the most democratic, being a republic lead by a president. Still, many consider Tanotonoto to be the true winner in this regard, given Hartja’s limitations on who can run for office.

            Hartja was the third nation brought together by Yugure and his Star Knights but was already unified in a way due to the immense influence by the Shineblade Church of Lux [5]. A political power Yugure would have to make peace with to bring the continent together.

            Hartja is one of only two nations where the people directly elect their executive branch leader. In this case it is a President who presides over the meetings of the People’s Council and holds all the powers associated with an executive branch. The voting for president is a long and multi round affair that takes the entire election year, which occurs every three years. But to even begin to run, one must make either a large financial donation to the government directly, or a slightly smaller but still expensive donation to the Shineblade Church. The church donation is also the only way for one to guarantee their bid will not be instantly disqualified by the church on theological grounds. The final stage of presidential voting is not a vote at all, instead it is a matter of sortition. The final thirteen candidates will have their names put into a bowl, and then “Lux will decide who rules,” or so says the tradition. The first name drawn becomes President, the second Vice President, and the last eleven will need to try again the next election.

 

Crownstar:

            Crownstar is like the Knightlands in that it is a constitutional empire. But there are some very key differences, such as how the Emperor of Crownstar has far more real power compared to that of the King of the Knightlands. But the Emperor also has far more of that power limited by democratic checks and balances, whereas the King theoretically has absolute power, even if it has never been used. In practical terms, this translates to emperors exercising far more of their political power, but only ever at the advice of the Commoner’s Voice.

            The Commoner’s Voice is a position elected by the people directly through a simple process of every voter writing down a name, and the most common name receiving the position. The emperor does not have a say in this, they may not vote, and they can’t deny the position to the winner of the election. The emperor can destroy the position outright, but none have done this as it is believed to keep the monarchy safe from a revolt. The power of the emperor is also weakened by the Emperor Regent. Most of the Emperor proper’s time is taken up by all kinds of ceremony, so it is typically a resigned emperor, (A.K.A. the Emperor Regent) that takes the real political power. When an Emperor Regent dies, the then current Emperor of Crownstar will typically resign not too long after, allowing their heir to take over the ceremonial position of Emperor, while the now former Emperor takes political power as Emperor Regent. Between the Commoner’s Voice and the Emperor Regent, there is a constant battle for the ears and mind of the emperor, along with power they hold. Historically though, the Commoner’s Voice has been the one to get most of their wants to go through. There is however, one key point of power the emperor holds that no other world leader does.

            Crownstar also acts as the annual meeting country for the Holiday Summit. Due to a large series of legal loopholes, foreign politicians are not allowed to leave the country until they have ‘thanked’ the emperor, and due to religious traditions, the only way to thank the emperor is to kiss his or her ring. That is the first part of this loophole that gives the emperor a truly absurd power. The second part is that the Universal Orders state that while in another country, a government official has no power over their nation. Furthermore, amendments to the Universal Orders do not come into effect until the end of the Holiday Summit, which cannot end until all leaders have returned to their respective nations. This means the Emperor has the power to take away power from all other leaders and make them incapable to doing anything about it. This would be considered an act of war, not to mention the ability of the military powers of the world to act without their top leaders. This is tantamount to a self-destruct button for Crownstar, but it has always been a feared possibility if the emperor were to form a strong alliance.

 

Skydia:

            Skydia is the only Five of Six nation that does not have complete control over its own continent. This is because of the extremely tall mountain range and turbulent seas that keep it separated from its hook shaped peninsula. This does not stop the nation from having a strong government (lead by the General Secretary) in the part of the continent it does control.

            The government of Skydia, sometimes referred to as the Diet, is the strongest of the Five of Six. The various regional governments in the nation have the highest rate of following the standard model set up but Yugure Shadowmore. This likely results from how many of the cultures in Skydia care deeply about security, due to the highly dangerous environment of the continent they live on. As such, having a single way of doing things would help people survive wherever they are in this, particular land. This does not stop the cultures of Skydia from all being unique, but if the nation is facing some continental disaster, one would be hard pressed to tell the difference between a Vagotan, and Yanman.

            This government is officially administrated by a president who is democratically elected in a vote held every four years. The main and sometimes only policy presidential candidates ever discuss is their choice of General Secretary. This is because in the early history of the nation, as the first President grew old and weak his General Secretary (who at the time was literally just a secretary) discovered that she had the power to tell all important figures when meetings were being held, and they didn’t have to invite everyone. This essentially allows the General Secretary to decide who holds power at all at any time. It does not matter how popular or influential a politician is if they are never told when or where they can make their voice heard and cast their vote. Because of things like this, Skydia is often considered the most bureaucratic, and the government will rarely take any action, and is slow to act when it does. The only exception to this is frequently made expeditions to the Hook Country.

 

Hook Country:

            On the north-west side of the Skydia continent, there is a peninsula shaped like a fishing hook. This land is by all practical means, its own continent, and is known as the Hook Country. Calling it a country is most likely incorrect, as it is unknown if there are even people living there. This mystery comes from how difficult the Hook is to access, either by land or by sea. On land there is a massive mountain range, with the peaks of these mountains reaching beyond the point where humans can breathe. By sea, the currents and storms are so aggressive that no ship yet built can survive. The record number of survivors for an expedition to the Hook is two. Most expeditions never return, leading to the hope that the missing explorers may still be alive, but this is unlikely. What few survivors do return speak of dangerous wildlife, harsh weather, and cannibalistic people, though all reports of humanity in the Hook come from hundreds of years ago, leading many to believe they have all died out.

            Many theories have been proposed to explain the strange nature of the Hook Country. The most popular is that it is the land of the Demiurges, the byproduct of the gods’ creation of the universe. However, many doubt this if not call it outright heretical, because the realm of the Demiurges was said to have appeared outside of the gods’ intended creation. Others say that it is a prison for the first twenty-two humans who betrayed the gods and were cursed with immortality. Still, another common belief is that it is an ancient hermit empire far more powerful than anything the Six Powers could hope to control yet itself unwilling and/or un-wanting to take the world for its own. Regardless, if these or any of the other myriad theories are true one thing is for certain, no one can hope to make it to the Hook Country alive and come back unscathed.

 

Reference Glossary of Terms

 

[1] King/Emperor:

            Titles given to the monarch of a country of a region. In particular, the Knightlands, and Crownstar.

 

[2] Rosa Dynasty:

            Founded by Rosa I when she received the Sword of the Noble from the Demiurge of Lake Pinicfound. Rosa became a great hero, created the code of Chivalry, and eventually became a king. Her dynasty lasts to this day, though many say it has lost its heroic character that made Rosa worthy in the first place.

 

[3] People’s Council:

            One of the only parts of Yugure’s dream of a world democracy that survived. Each one of the Five of Six Nations has a People’s Council that acts as the legislative branch of the country. The exact powers change depending on the country but there are three constants. One is that as the legislative branch, they make the laws of a nation, that does not mean they instantly go into effect, they may need extra approval, but they make the laws none the less. The second is that each council is made up of one representative from each region in the country. The third and final is that elections for the council are held every five years, staggard between the five nations, so that each year, one of the nations is voting on what their next People’s Council will look like.

 

[4] Regional Governments:

            In order to secure unity on the five continents, Yugure Shadowmore had to make some concessions toward his dream of democracy. While many regions did adopt his specific model of local government, many only agreed to join a larger nation if they were allowed to keep their own system of rule. Because of this, there is no consistent way any one town, village, or city will be run. Some are straight monarchies, some are direct democracies, some are theocracies, many more. If a region does not violate the Universal Orders, it may run its government however it so wishes. The only two nations with any sort of restriction on local government are Crownstar and the Knightlands, both forbid any monarchies from having their primary titles be any more prestigious than that of a duke.

 

[5] The Churches:

            There are two major churches in the world of Yignisoul, one for each of the two creator gods. The more popular of the two is the Shineblade Church, which worships Lux the God of Light. This one is sometimes called, ‘the Seventh Power.’ (However, the other six powers all officially deny this.) The other is the Shadowcloak Church, which worships Tenebris the God of Darkness. These two churches were once one four-hundred years ago, but then the gods themselves clashed with one another. This caused a schism and war between those with souls of light who worshiped Lux, and those with souls of darkness who worshiped Tenebris. Eventually the war of gods came to an end, with one being slain, and the slayer falling into a slumber. No one is quite sure who won in heaven, but the vast majority believe it to be Lux who is the slumbering slayer. Since then, the Shadowcloak Church has faded out of public eye, sometimes rising to act as a religious terrorist organization who will do anything to awaken their god. Instead of the Shadowcloak Church, most with souls of darkness either worship Tenebris in private, or they are part of the Shineblade Church, where they are expected to do twice as much to atone for their sins.