Aeruillin
03-04-2005, 00:32
(OOC: Self-important historical post. Far too long, and boring as hell, especially the actual constitution excerpt. Ignore or acknowledge, it doesn't bear on international affairs in any way.)
Nation-wide Press release:
The Federation of Aeruillinyan Nations has finally been founded from the shards remaining from the last and greatest of the Civil Wars that have shaken our poor country. 298 years after the first settlement of the colonies, and 43 years after the breakout of war, we have finally refound unity. As the [...] (long nostalgic ramble on part of newspaper editor cut out.)
------------------------
IC:
"And who of us is willing to follow this pact, abide by its terms and enter the new union, please rise and signal with 'Aye'." Countess Ira Daranin III declared solemnly, rising from the makeshift chair that she had been sitting on earlier.
damn this "Neutral Ground" rubbish, she added mentally while managing not to grimace at the brief pain in her back - with her 69 years, she was not the youngest among those present, even considering the half-elven nature of many of the other nobles that she did not share. We've been sitting on these... these tree-trunks for half a day! Couldn't we at least have some decent chairs here?
Apparently not. The meeting had been held, after heated debate, on the only as-yet-extranational territory within the entire country: A tiny forest glade just north of the Angranakh mountains, well concealed within the woodlands and too close to the caves of the Drow kingdom of Zreach for any nation to dare extend its borders this far. Aerr'Wyll'Inya, the place was named in the old language, or Aeruillin, as most now made it. The pact would come to be known as the Pact of Aeruillin.
The choice of place had reason - intrigue was at an all-time high within the nations, and any non-neutral ground would have endangered the negotiations.
However, it also meant that the usual comfort of court negotiations, in well-heated chambers and on soft seats that deserved the name "thrones", was lost. It was the forty-sixth of Lauralas (OOC: 5th of September), and it was starting to grow chilly outside; many of those present were a little cold in their state robes.
Still, for all these discomforts, Countess Ira III would never have swapped with anyone in the world on this day. The high point of her career lay before her - as the ruler of the largest of the hundreds of tiny realms, it had been she who had proposed this pact. A first step towards rebuilding more strongly what had once been one. Not since the Colonial Era had the Atharellian Colonies been a unified entity, and even then they had suffered internal strife. Not to mention the hundred years of decline, the fifty years of warfare, that lay behind them. Finally, trade would be restored as the manifold border tariffs, infamous in their severity, would be abolished. It was said one could not cross the land from North to South without passing three dozen borders and paying as many times the value of any goods one was transporting. As for currencies, trade between the kingdoms had been reduced to bartering; and one should not even begin of the multitude of flags.
It grew worse as one travelled south, where the realms eventually grew so tiny one could nearly throw a stone across them. That explained the great number of southerners, most of them half-elves, present. The entire southern province of Nyrmal had the most to gain from a unification of its patchwork geography, while the larger nations in the North viewed this new alliance with doubt.
Even the reclusive Drow had sent an ambassador, representing both members of the Greydelving Pact, elves and sliths. They were only nominally interested in becoming part of the alliance, their official statement explained, since their pact had already benefited both their nations greatly and they had little need of further protection. They were mostly coming just to keep up on the political developments.
This apparent disinterest, however, was forgotten in the scene that followed.
As one, the ninety-odd rulers and ambassadors rose, and the storm of "AYE"'s was so loud it shook the very leaves of the trees around them. The enthusiasm was immediately apparent.
"I thank you, majesties and ambassadors." Most of the monarchs present in person were kings and queens of their sovereign countries, and while some had retained their original title of Prince, Duke or Count, dating from the colonial times, it was easier to just address everyone by the highest title. "Please, then, come forth to endorse the document with your signature, that it may serve to keep our pact whole."
"In an orderly fashion, please," Ira added almost as an afterthought, even as the mental image of a hundred politicians pushing and shoving through the crowded glade to get to the "signatory table" (another treetrunk, obviously) presented itself to her. The warning was hardly necessary; in their embracing the terms, it was like the negotiators had already unified, and were calm and composed as they formed a line in front of what would become one of the most significant documents in the history of the country - the Pact of Aeruillin, and the Constitution of the Federation of Aeruillinyan Nations.
In the years to come, it would grow as the other nations, too, saw the advantage in the pact, and for over four hundred years, the Federation was to govern the continent of Aeruillin in a way that was almost, but not quite, democratic, but also almost, but not quite, feudalistic.
---
The Terms of The Pact of Aeruillin
Preamble:
We the rulers and representatives of sovereign nations, sharing among us the soil of the ancient Colonies, have met this day the Forty-Sixth of the month of Lauralas, in the year Two hundred and Ninety-eight of the Colonial Conglomerate, to find Unity among our countries, to the benefit of each of us and all our citizens. Thus we declare the foundation of the Pact of Aeruillin, and we, the undersigned, shall keep these terms inviolate and self-evident, as long as the Pact exists. Henceforth, these terms are Law within all the sovereign nations of the undersigned.
I. International Relations
§1
Henceforth, all members of the Pact of Aeruillin shall collectively be termed the Federation of Aeruillinyan Nations. As one shall we speak to the world, and as one shall we act on the International stage. One Aeruillinyan embassy shall be sent by all of us, and one embassy of each nation we deal with shall be received on all our soil.
II. Economy
§1
No taxes, tariffs or other penalties or costs shall be imposed on the transport or travel from one member of the Pact to another.
§2
All members of the Pact shall impose the same tariffs and taxes on goods imported or exported from or into non-Member nations. These tariffs are to be arranged in enclosed negotiations, annually, by the rulers or representatives of all member nations. Changes to these tariffs without prior negotiation shall be forbidden.
§3
All member nations of the Pact shall utilize the same coinage, both within their own borders and in Federation-wide trade. The main unit of this coinage shall be named the Aeruillin Silver Crown (ASC). Each member nation has the authority to stamp these coins. They shall be made to not less than eighty per cent of pure silver, and each weigh no less or more than a total of one tenth of an ounce. Their valuation shall not fall below the value of their weight in silver, and not rise above twice that weight.
§4
Certain goods, deemed essential to the survival of our nation and its citizens, shall not be sold above these maximum prices:
* Wheat, of any variety or quality suitable for bipedal beings: 2 (Two) Crowns per sack.
* Milk, taken from a cow, goat, sheep or horse: 1 (One) Crown per pail
* Barley, of any variety suitable for eating or brewing: 3 (Three) Crowns per sack
* Beans: 1.5 (One and a half) Crowns per sack
III. Military
§1
All nations of the Federation shall be considered one nation. If one is attacked, it shall be as if all were attacked, and when one forges an alliance, it shall be as if all forged the alliance.
§2
No member nation of the Pact may attack another member. This action results in immediate concession of any member status the nation possessed, and condemnation of the nation for its treasonous attack.
§3
If a member nation is attacked, and any other member is able, in logistics and in power, to send troops to its aid and defense, shall do so. Failure to do so may result in an investigation.
§4
All member nations are to disclose their military intelligence and the state of their own military to all other member nations. Failure to do this will result in sanctions upon discovery.
IV. Education / Research
§1
All member nations shall share their scientific and technological advances, civilian or military, with any other member nation.
§2
To aid the common base of our nations and further its unity and state of education, the Federation shall set aside a part no less than ten per cent of its annual budget for the improvement of the education system, and for the funding of student exchanges between the various centers of learning within our nation.
§3
To ensure our nations' technological and scientific progress, the Federation shall set aside a part no less than fifteen per cent of its annual budget for the funding of scientific development, both military and civilian in nature.
V. Administration
§1
The member nations shall, within the terms specified, retain national sovereignty over their nations.
§2
* a. Legislative power within our nation shall be held by the Senate of Aeruillin. Each member nation of Aeruillin is allowed to send no more than two Senators. A Senator holds his or her office until recalled by their nation, impeached by the Senate, recalled by the High Court, or resigned of their own accord.
* b. Any Senator may be recalled by their nation's sovereign government within the terms specified by that government.
* c. Any Senator may be impeached by a movement initiated by no less than sixteen Senators, from a total of no less than ten different nations. The vote is held in secret, and a vote of 60% or more is required to impeach the representative under examination.
* d. New legislation shall be passed by the vote of no less than 50% of the Senators. If the vote is less than 75%, the triumvirate's approval is required to pass the legislation.
* e. The High Court has the authority to recall individual Senators, preventing the nation for no longer than three months from choosing a new Senator. This decision must be approved by two of the Speakers.
§3
* a. Executive power within our nation, as well as its representation to the international world, shall be held by the Triumvirate of Speakers
* b. The Speakers shall be elected from a number of candidates nominated by the nations' sovereign governments and voted on by the Senate. A Speaker holds his or her office for a period exactly twenty years or until resignation or impeachment, and may be nominated again as often as wished.
* c. No nation may nominate more than three candidates, and no two Speakers may be from the same nation.
* d. If two or more candidates from one nation win an election, the one with the highest approval is considered Speaker; the other candidates of this nation are discounted and the rest of the candidates considered.
* e. A Speaker may not be recalled by his or her home nation's sovereign government, for they do not represent this nation's government within the Triumvirate.
* f. A Speaker may be impeached by a unanimous agreement of the other two Speakers and a secret vote of 60% majority within the Senate OR a verdict of the High Court.
* g. One or two Speakers or the entire Triumvirate may be challenged by a vote of no confidence within the Senate, and then tried by the High Court.
§4
* a. Jurisdictive power within our nation shall be held by the High Court of Aeruillin. This consists of exactly seventeen High Judges.
* b. Candidates for the High Court are to be qualified members of the Guild of Lawyers, appointed unanimously by the Triumvirate and approved by the other High Judges in office.
* c. No two High Judges may be from the same nation.
* d. A High Judge may not be recalled by their own nation's government.
* e. A High Judge, if found to consistently favour his or her home nation in decisions of the High Court, may be challenged by his peers in a no confidence vote and tried for bias.
* f. Any number of High Judges, even the entire High Court may be challenged by a unanimous decision of the Triumvirate and then impeached by an individual vote of 60% or above within the senate.
VI. Rights
§1
The right of any sentient being to life, dignity and freedom is considered to be immutable.
§2
The Death Penalty is considered an archaic and barbaric punishment; it shall not be introduced or exercised within our borders or the borders of our allies.
§3
The High Court of Aeruillin may be appealed to by any citizen in the Federation to appeal against a verdict given out by a lower court. The High Court may also be invoked by two Speakers to challenge a decision by a lower instance.
[...] (further details left out)
Signatories:
[...]
Nation-wide Press release:
The Federation of Aeruillinyan Nations has finally been founded from the shards remaining from the last and greatest of the Civil Wars that have shaken our poor country. 298 years after the first settlement of the colonies, and 43 years after the breakout of war, we have finally refound unity. As the [...] (long nostalgic ramble on part of newspaper editor cut out.)
------------------------
IC:
"And who of us is willing to follow this pact, abide by its terms and enter the new union, please rise and signal with 'Aye'." Countess Ira Daranin III declared solemnly, rising from the makeshift chair that she had been sitting on earlier.
damn this "Neutral Ground" rubbish, she added mentally while managing not to grimace at the brief pain in her back - with her 69 years, she was not the youngest among those present, even considering the half-elven nature of many of the other nobles that she did not share. We've been sitting on these... these tree-trunks for half a day! Couldn't we at least have some decent chairs here?
Apparently not. The meeting had been held, after heated debate, on the only as-yet-extranational territory within the entire country: A tiny forest glade just north of the Angranakh mountains, well concealed within the woodlands and too close to the caves of the Drow kingdom of Zreach for any nation to dare extend its borders this far. Aerr'Wyll'Inya, the place was named in the old language, or Aeruillin, as most now made it. The pact would come to be known as the Pact of Aeruillin.
The choice of place had reason - intrigue was at an all-time high within the nations, and any non-neutral ground would have endangered the negotiations.
However, it also meant that the usual comfort of court negotiations, in well-heated chambers and on soft seats that deserved the name "thrones", was lost. It was the forty-sixth of Lauralas (OOC: 5th of September), and it was starting to grow chilly outside; many of those present were a little cold in their state robes.
Still, for all these discomforts, Countess Ira III would never have swapped with anyone in the world on this day. The high point of her career lay before her - as the ruler of the largest of the hundreds of tiny realms, it had been she who had proposed this pact. A first step towards rebuilding more strongly what had once been one. Not since the Colonial Era had the Atharellian Colonies been a unified entity, and even then they had suffered internal strife. Not to mention the hundred years of decline, the fifty years of warfare, that lay behind them. Finally, trade would be restored as the manifold border tariffs, infamous in their severity, would be abolished. It was said one could not cross the land from North to South without passing three dozen borders and paying as many times the value of any goods one was transporting. As for currencies, trade between the kingdoms had been reduced to bartering; and one should not even begin of the multitude of flags.
It grew worse as one travelled south, where the realms eventually grew so tiny one could nearly throw a stone across them. That explained the great number of southerners, most of them half-elves, present. The entire southern province of Nyrmal had the most to gain from a unification of its patchwork geography, while the larger nations in the North viewed this new alliance with doubt.
Even the reclusive Drow had sent an ambassador, representing both members of the Greydelving Pact, elves and sliths. They were only nominally interested in becoming part of the alliance, their official statement explained, since their pact had already benefited both their nations greatly and they had little need of further protection. They were mostly coming just to keep up on the political developments.
This apparent disinterest, however, was forgotten in the scene that followed.
As one, the ninety-odd rulers and ambassadors rose, and the storm of "AYE"'s was so loud it shook the very leaves of the trees around them. The enthusiasm was immediately apparent.
"I thank you, majesties and ambassadors." Most of the monarchs present in person were kings and queens of their sovereign countries, and while some had retained their original title of Prince, Duke or Count, dating from the colonial times, it was easier to just address everyone by the highest title. "Please, then, come forth to endorse the document with your signature, that it may serve to keep our pact whole."
"In an orderly fashion, please," Ira added almost as an afterthought, even as the mental image of a hundred politicians pushing and shoving through the crowded glade to get to the "signatory table" (another treetrunk, obviously) presented itself to her. The warning was hardly necessary; in their embracing the terms, it was like the negotiators had already unified, and were calm and composed as they formed a line in front of what would become one of the most significant documents in the history of the country - the Pact of Aeruillin, and the Constitution of the Federation of Aeruillinyan Nations.
In the years to come, it would grow as the other nations, too, saw the advantage in the pact, and for over four hundred years, the Federation was to govern the continent of Aeruillin in a way that was almost, but not quite, democratic, but also almost, but not quite, feudalistic.
---
The Terms of The Pact of Aeruillin
Preamble:
We the rulers and representatives of sovereign nations, sharing among us the soil of the ancient Colonies, have met this day the Forty-Sixth of the month of Lauralas, in the year Two hundred and Ninety-eight of the Colonial Conglomerate, to find Unity among our countries, to the benefit of each of us and all our citizens. Thus we declare the foundation of the Pact of Aeruillin, and we, the undersigned, shall keep these terms inviolate and self-evident, as long as the Pact exists. Henceforth, these terms are Law within all the sovereign nations of the undersigned.
I. International Relations
§1
Henceforth, all members of the Pact of Aeruillin shall collectively be termed the Federation of Aeruillinyan Nations. As one shall we speak to the world, and as one shall we act on the International stage. One Aeruillinyan embassy shall be sent by all of us, and one embassy of each nation we deal with shall be received on all our soil.
II. Economy
§1
No taxes, tariffs or other penalties or costs shall be imposed on the transport or travel from one member of the Pact to another.
§2
All members of the Pact shall impose the same tariffs and taxes on goods imported or exported from or into non-Member nations. These tariffs are to be arranged in enclosed negotiations, annually, by the rulers or representatives of all member nations. Changes to these tariffs without prior negotiation shall be forbidden.
§3
All member nations of the Pact shall utilize the same coinage, both within their own borders and in Federation-wide trade. The main unit of this coinage shall be named the Aeruillin Silver Crown (ASC). Each member nation has the authority to stamp these coins. They shall be made to not less than eighty per cent of pure silver, and each weigh no less or more than a total of one tenth of an ounce. Their valuation shall not fall below the value of their weight in silver, and not rise above twice that weight.
§4
Certain goods, deemed essential to the survival of our nation and its citizens, shall not be sold above these maximum prices:
* Wheat, of any variety or quality suitable for bipedal beings: 2 (Two) Crowns per sack.
* Milk, taken from a cow, goat, sheep or horse: 1 (One) Crown per pail
* Barley, of any variety suitable for eating or brewing: 3 (Three) Crowns per sack
* Beans: 1.5 (One and a half) Crowns per sack
III. Military
§1
All nations of the Federation shall be considered one nation. If one is attacked, it shall be as if all were attacked, and when one forges an alliance, it shall be as if all forged the alliance.
§2
No member nation of the Pact may attack another member. This action results in immediate concession of any member status the nation possessed, and condemnation of the nation for its treasonous attack.
§3
If a member nation is attacked, and any other member is able, in logistics and in power, to send troops to its aid and defense, shall do so. Failure to do so may result in an investigation.
§4
All member nations are to disclose their military intelligence and the state of their own military to all other member nations. Failure to do this will result in sanctions upon discovery.
IV. Education / Research
§1
All member nations shall share their scientific and technological advances, civilian or military, with any other member nation.
§2
To aid the common base of our nations and further its unity and state of education, the Federation shall set aside a part no less than ten per cent of its annual budget for the improvement of the education system, and for the funding of student exchanges between the various centers of learning within our nation.
§3
To ensure our nations' technological and scientific progress, the Federation shall set aside a part no less than fifteen per cent of its annual budget for the funding of scientific development, both military and civilian in nature.
V. Administration
§1
The member nations shall, within the terms specified, retain national sovereignty over their nations.
§2
* a. Legislative power within our nation shall be held by the Senate of Aeruillin. Each member nation of Aeruillin is allowed to send no more than two Senators. A Senator holds his or her office until recalled by their nation, impeached by the Senate, recalled by the High Court, or resigned of their own accord.
* b. Any Senator may be recalled by their nation's sovereign government within the terms specified by that government.
* c. Any Senator may be impeached by a movement initiated by no less than sixteen Senators, from a total of no less than ten different nations. The vote is held in secret, and a vote of 60% or more is required to impeach the representative under examination.
* d. New legislation shall be passed by the vote of no less than 50% of the Senators. If the vote is less than 75%, the triumvirate's approval is required to pass the legislation.
* e. The High Court has the authority to recall individual Senators, preventing the nation for no longer than three months from choosing a new Senator. This decision must be approved by two of the Speakers.
§3
* a. Executive power within our nation, as well as its representation to the international world, shall be held by the Triumvirate of Speakers
* b. The Speakers shall be elected from a number of candidates nominated by the nations' sovereign governments and voted on by the Senate. A Speaker holds his or her office for a period exactly twenty years or until resignation or impeachment, and may be nominated again as often as wished.
* c. No nation may nominate more than three candidates, and no two Speakers may be from the same nation.
* d. If two or more candidates from one nation win an election, the one with the highest approval is considered Speaker; the other candidates of this nation are discounted and the rest of the candidates considered.
* e. A Speaker may not be recalled by his or her home nation's sovereign government, for they do not represent this nation's government within the Triumvirate.
* f. A Speaker may be impeached by a unanimous agreement of the other two Speakers and a secret vote of 60% majority within the Senate OR a verdict of the High Court.
* g. One or two Speakers or the entire Triumvirate may be challenged by a vote of no confidence within the Senate, and then tried by the High Court.
§4
* a. Jurisdictive power within our nation shall be held by the High Court of Aeruillin. This consists of exactly seventeen High Judges.
* b. Candidates for the High Court are to be qualified members of the Guild of Lawyers, appointed unanimously by the Triumvirate and approved by the other High Judges in office.
* c. No two High Judges may be from the same nation.
* d. A High Judge may not be recalled by their own nation's government.
* e. A High Judge, if found to consistently favour his or her home nation in decisions of the High Court, may be challenged by his peers in a no confidence vote and tried for bias.
* f. Any number of High Judges, even the entire High Court may be challenged by a unanimous decision of the Triumvirate and then impeached by an individual vote of 60% or above within the senate.
VI. Rights
§1
The right of any sentient being to life, dignity and freedom is considered to be immutable.
§2
The Death Penalty is considered an archaic and barbaric punishment; it shall not be introduced or exercised within our borders or the borders of our allies.
§3
The High Court of Aeruillin may be appealed to by any citizen in the Federation to appeal against a verdict given out by a lower court. The High Court may also be invoked by two Speakers to challenge a decision by a lower instance.
[...] (further details left out)
Signatories:
[...]