Sovereign Heights
23-10-2006, 22:32
OOC: I haven’t role-played online since I was a freshman in high school some 10 years ago. I’ve had my little nation states country for a few months now and have been lurking on the forums thinking to myself, “hey, maybe I should …”
At any rate, after reading through a bunch of things I’ve decided to start RPing again, and the general consensus from what I’ve read seems to be to start up a fact book and just start in on the open RP stuff until you find something that interests you. In that spirit, here’s my factbook, I’m going to go RP stuff until I find something that interests me! ;o)
If you have any suggestions, tips, criticisms, etc. please send them my way – I do realize I’m new at this an the only way I’m going to figure stuff out is by making mistakes and learning from them. With that said, here's my baby:
Overview
Nation Name: Sovereign Heights
Full Nation Name: The Grand Protectorate of Sovereign Heights
National Anthem: The Imperial Battle Hymn
Government Type: Constitutional Monarchy
Head of State/Head of Government: Empress Amy Winter III
Capital: Winters City
Largest City: Port Scheumer
National Population: 500 million
Administrative Divisions (8 provinces): Heights, Scheumer, Delta Industrial, Stonewall Beach, Poseidon Beach, Pfizel, North Beach, Eastern Flats.
People
Population: 600 million
Gender: 56% female, 44% male. There is no legal distinction between the genders and same-sex marriage is legal.
Race: On the Isle, the population is 90% native islander, 5% native mainlander, and 5% foreign nationals. On the mainland, the population is 25% islander, 65% native mainlander, 10% other immigrants
Religion: 35% Deist, 25% Christian, 10% Atheist, 10% Native Mainlander, 5% Buddhist, 5% Jewish, 5% Islamic, 5% Other.
Politics
The vast majority of political power in Sovereign Heights lies with the Office of the Sovereign (OS), the formal name for the administration of the reigning monarch. The OS retains exclusive control over the military and police forces, and the monarch acts as both head of government and head of state.
The legislature is split into three branches, parliament (elected by party-based proportional representation), senate (appointed by administrative district leadership), and congress (elected by single-member plurality districts). Bills which pass any two branches become law, unless vetoed by a simple majority vote of the third branch, or vetoed by the OS. In the event a bill is vetoed by a legislative branch, the monarch reserves the right to override the veto, but a veto by the monarch is final. It should be noted that the legislature was intentionally designed to be frustratingly difficult to pass legislation.
The judiciary is appointed by the leadership of the administrative district in which they serve. Exactly how they are appointed varies from district to district, but the majority are selected by the regional governors. The monarch retains the right to act as the supreme justice, but such rights have not been exercised for several generations. Court decisions made by a justice in one district are not binding on those of other districts, although such conflicts are often resolved by the legislature. The courts of Sovereign Heights have not been given the authority traditionally referred to as “judicial review” and cannot circumvent either branch of government by declaring a law unconstitutional.
Families of influential individuals, usually corporate, military, or spiritual leaders, are also of substantial political power. The government’s historical policy of self-reliance and evasion of social issues has, as a result, created a system whereby thousands (and sometimes hundreds of thousands) of employees and occasionally whole communities are dependant on the continued economic support (usually in the form of jobs) of a relatively small number of people. While such families are not permitted to have separate armed groups, and economic practices are regulated to protect worker’s rights, they are an independent political and social force which cannot be ignored in Sovereign Heights politics.
The military is officially forbidden from questioning its political leaders or taking stands on political issues. Influential families do fill almost 80% of the officer corps, however, and such families can, and frequently do, quietly lobby as an independent political force.
Suffrage & Social Caste
Individuals residing within the boarders of Sovereign Heights are divided into three legally distinct groups: Citizen, Resident, and Other. To exercise the right to vote, a person must have citizenship.
Citizenship is earned only by completion of a term of government service which is usually military in nature, but women and persons who are not physically capable of military service are permitted to serve in an administrative capacity. Children of citizens are considered citizens until their 20th birthday.
Residents are persons who have not completed their term of service are required by law to register with the government and pay a yearly tax. Residents receive full protection under the law, including the right to own property, but may not vote or hold office. Children of residents are considered residents until their 20th birthday.
Those persons who have not completed their term of service, fail to register with the government, and/or refuse to pay taxes are considered members of a third, undefined group. These “other persons,” as they are referred to, effectively have no rights under the law. By tradition, they generally receive trials if they are found violating the law, but they are not permitted to vote, own property, work, or even live within the boarders of Sovereign Heights. Other persons are frequently summarily deported if suspected of a crime that cannot be proven.
The UN and several human rights organizations have cited the “other persons” clause of the Sovereign Heights legal code as a loophole which is used to deny suspected criminals and terrorists of their basic rights.
Titles of knighthood and nobility are regularly conferred upon deserving citizens of Sovereign Heights, but do not grant any separate rights or privileges under the law beyond those granted to citizens.
Political Parties
There are 38 separate recognized political parties and 4 major political parties in Sovereign Heights. By tradition, the name of each political party begins with the words “The Loyal” and end with the words “of Sovereign Heights” which have been omitted from the following list. The formal name, for example, of the Penguin Liberation Party is actually, “The Loyal Penguin Liberation Party of Sovereign Heights.” The tradition comes from earlier times when political parties were generally distrusted (if not outright outlawed) in the infancy of the current political system. Generally speaking, the prefix and suffix are not used in causal mentioning of the political parties.
Nationalist Party – The Nationalist party is the leading party in the country and has a long and mostly-stable history. It is a conservative, pro-business party that believes in a strong foreign policy, strict enforcement of the law, and restrictions on government spending. It is heavily divided on the issue of immigration. It generally approves of the OS. The Nationalists control the governing Parliament coalition with 45% of the seats and the First Speaker of Congress is a member of the Nationalists. It is well represented in the Senate.
Compassionate Persons Party – Also referred to as the Socialist Worker's party, the group changed its name in the 1930s to avoid growing concern over alleged ties to both communism and facism. The CPP regularly demands increased funding for the national education system and frequently cites the lack of a national healthcare system as the biggest problem in Sovereign Heights. The party lobbies for the abolition of the “other persons” legal classification. The CPP is anti-immigration and pro-working class. It is frequently divided on the issue of civil liberties, especially in law enforcement circles. It is generally critical of the OS. The CPP is the second most powerful party in Parliament and frequently wins seats in Congress. It is the only major party which did not win a Senate seat in the current session which has alarmed many of its leaders.
Christian Democrat Party – The Christian Democrats have had a troubled history in Sovereign Heights, attempting to cater to the conscience of traditionally conservative Christian voters and the self-interest of the working class. Of the major parties, the CDP is the most internally divided party, but they tend to be pro-union, pro-welfare, anti-abortion, anti-death penalty, and in favor of the abolition of the “other persons” legal classification. There are many issues that threaten to divide the CDP, among which are immigration, law enforcement, military funding levels, and civil liberties. The CDP has a consistent, if minor, presence in all three branches of the legislature.
Libertarian Party – The Libertarian party is a bit of an anomaly in representative politics, believing that their job as elected officials is to restrain the government as much as possible. The Libertarian party is in favor of civil liberties, free speech, rights of the accused, and immigration. They vote against virtually every other piece of legislation that comes up, unless that legislation happens to be the abolition of some other government program. The Libertarian party is fairly unpopular in major elections, and almost never wins seats in Congress, but it manages to win a few seats in Parliament every year. The Libertarian party’s strength comes from the provincial governors, which regularly appoint them to the Senate where their policies are of tremendous help to the influential businesses and wealthy land owners who can appreciate having as little government involvement as possible. The Libertarian party is a member of the Nationalist party’s parliamentary governing coalition.
Persons of Interest
Empress Amy Winter III, Monarch: Young for a head of state. A bit of a dreamer. Undisciplined. Personal views mirror the CDP, despite the low public support for it. Unmarried. Has instituted a 10,000 morale fine for proposing marriage to a sitting head of state to make people stop asking. The fine hasn’t worked. Tends to rely on her advisors for most decisions. One of the less active monarchs the country has seen. Most of her proclamations are supportive of the status-quo. Tries to let things work themselves out. Seen by all as reliable, a consensus builder, and a compromiser. High approval rating in all sectors.
Sir Janus Sanguine, Chief Advisor to the Empress and Chief Diplomat: Exceptionally charismatic. Exceptionally controversial. Immigrant. Despised by the traditionalists, absolutely loved by the meritocracy. Rumors of womanizing. Prone to speak unscripted. An all-or-nothing type extreme personality that either gets him loved or hated by just about anyone that meets him. Followed by the media everywhere. The unofficial public face of the state. Hollywood. Fiercely loyal to and very close friends with the empress.
Arch-Duke Peter Pfizel, President of Pfizel Industries and Governor of the Pfizel District: A ruthless business man. 90+ years old. Think Carnegie and Gates, minus the philanthropy, rolled into one. Ruled by one motivation alone: Self-interest. Helps his workers as long as it helps himself. Tends to mind his own business in politics – if it has no bearing on him he stays away from the issue. Asks the same in return. Donates heavily to and exclusively appoints Libertarian party members.
Arch-Duke Eric Scheumer, Mayor of Port Scheumer and Governor of the Scheumer District: A full time philanthropist and part time businessman. Heir. Accused of squandering his money. Makes so much money that it doesn’t really matter. Collects followers. Seen as dangerous in some circles because of what is perceived to be the buying of popular support and allegations that he uses it to intimidate rivals and shut down competitors. He agrees in principle with the policies of the CDP and the CPP, but usually appoints Nationalist Senators citing “problems of practicality” with their agendas.
Duke Willaim Fettern, leader of the Libertarian party: Older brother of the first general. A man who sees absolutely nothing wrong with playing politics for politics sake. A high profile man with a spotty ethics record. He has a history of making racist remarks and suggesting that the state shouldn’t care about the conditions of the little people. Liked by people who value results over ideology, hated by those who have a more altruistic bent. Generally supports the military, especially in foreign affairs. Tends to hold back when it involves domestic use of arms and the police.
Lord Christopher Masters, leader of the Nationalist party: Nobility. A low key political leader chosen for his seniority in the party and his ability to tow the line. He generally speaks for the party in very carefully framed and qualified remarks. Almost Alan Greenspan-ish personality. A conservative man leading a conservative party. He’s a safe bet and easy to guess what he will say and do before he does it.
Dame Samantha Andrews, leader of the Christian Democrat party: PhD. Favorite political leader of the Empress, partly because she is female. Knighted for political reasons and frequently criticized as undeserving of the privilege. She tries, but things rarely go her way. Fighting an uphill battle in a nation that is socialized unfavorably to her ideals. Revered by Christians, civil rights advocates, and those who think the nation needs more democratic reform. Distrusting of the military, and despises the idea of the military getting so much funding at the expense of social programs.
Lord Richard Irons, leader of the Compassionate Persons party: Nobility. Also the spokesperson for several humanitarian and non-governmental organizations. Takes his position as an ideologue seriously. Speaks in terms of black and white, right and wrong, holy and unholy. Believes his own propaganda. Tends to be adversarial to friends and foe alike. Not very well liked by the empress. Tries to support the military, but is usually rebuffed by the establishment as being weak on crime and other strong-arm issues. Not a communist.
Grand Marshal Alexander Sanguine, high commander of all armed forces: Knighted. Younger brother of Janus. Riding on his brother’s coat tails, but deserving of the rank. The antithesis of Janus: lacks even basic social skills. An extreme hands-on leading from the front sort of person. A great officer, but a very bad person to work directly for. A pit-bull of a personality – deadly loyal, and deadly fierce. Considered by many to be dangerous due to his loyalty to his brother and relatively low loyalty to anyone else, including the empress.
Admiral Michael Webber, First Admiral of the Navy: Knighted. Older. Respected or hated, and nothing in between. A hard man and a self-made officer. Will go down with his ship without hesitation. Extremely loyal to the crown, fairly supportive of the viceroy, has affinity and respect for the grand marshal. Dismissive of politics.
Field Martial David Fettern, First General of the Army: Nobility. Younger brother of Duke William Fettern. His father held the post before him. Plays favorites. Seen as a bureaucrat and a political appointment, but does not meddle in command decisions. Semi-competent. Vaguely contemptuous of the empress. Hates the viceroy. Hates all politicians except for his brother. Questions his brother’s methods. Supports Pfizel at the request of his brother. Rumored that Pfizel put him in his position. Tends to help him get military contracts, sees to it that the Pfizel administrative district is better protected than other districts.
Sky Marshal Samuel Breach, First General of the Air Force: Nobility. Aggressively champions the air force in government. A brilliant politician and a competent military mind. Responsible for the state of the currently extreme air power. Tends to miss the big picture. Brown-noses the empress at every turn. Wishes he was the viceroy. Respectful to and careful around the grand marshal. Friendly towards all politicians regardless of party. Tries to play all sides to advance his career and the air force.
Executive Director Catherine Demitri, commander of the police, coast guard, and marines: Knighted. A good officer, but not a multitasker. Spends most of her time with intelligence reports and the police and tends to delegate other responsibilities. There have been several proposals to make the marines a separate force since her appointment. Paranoid. Constantly pestering the empress with news of a new plot. Has a crush on the viceroy even though she’s never really met him outside of cabinet meetings, to the point of going along with his proposals for no other reason. Greatly respects the grand marshal, who she thinks is the only person who understands what’s really going on. Thinks of politicians as well-meaning but still part of the problem, and gets quickly frustrated by them.
Geography
http://img326.imageshack.us/img326/3803/sovereignheightsfl8.jpg
The nation of Sovereign Heights, like every other nation in the region, is located in a tectonically active area. There are half a dozen active volcanoes in the country, mostly in the northern mainland area, and the country generally experiences between five and ten earthquakes a year, mostly centered in the Stonewall mountain range.
The mainland territories occupy 325,000 square miles, making it slightly smaller than California, Oregon, and Washington put together. The island itself is 240,000 square miles, or about the size of Texas. It takes about 16 hours to drive the length of the mainland, and about 12 to cross the length of the island.
The officially recognized boarders of the country in the north extends from Grimswold Pointe, a cliff formation located where the Stonewall Mountains reach the Sea of Tears in the north, running east through a series of valleys to the Dry Acre, a desert flatland that extends for several hundred miles.
The protectorate claims the Stonewall Mountains as it’s eastern boarder, but has established an “eastern autonomous zone,” known officially as the Eastern Flats some 50 miles wide beyond them and the internationally recognized boarder is at the edge of this zone. There are no geographic markers to denote where the Eastern Flats district ends.
The southern boarder runs along the Sanguine River to the Sanguine Marshes. The official boarder between countries is the Sanguine River until it branches off into the Leech River, a tributary that runs through the marshes, but due to the nature of the Sanguine Marshes the southern boarder is ill defined. Sovereign Heights maintains two army bases on small hills in the marsh lands and generally regards everything beyond the hills as no-mans land due to the lack of solid ground, rampant disease, and proximity to the boarder.
The western boarder of the country ends on the western shores of the Isle. Sovereign Heights maintains an exclusive economic zone of 200 miles west of the Sovereign Isle, and actively exerts its naval influence to stamp out piracy both inside this zone and out.
Geologists estimate that the Bay of Poseidon is silting in from sand deposited by the Sanguine River and currents from the Sea of Tears, and that without regular dredging efforts the Isle could be one day be joined to the mainland by land.
The Isle itself is a rocky, mountainous island dominated first and foremost by human development. The northern end is the least populated area of the Isle, being the most precipitous and cold year round. Lake Everdeep is the only other major geographic landmark in the north. It is a manmade lake formed from the damming of Balsatier Valley in the 1930s. The Balsatier Dam is the largest electrical generation station on the island. The growing air force has its largest installation on the northernmost tip of the island, and both the air and home guard sections of the military have their headquarter bunkers in mountains in the northern region of the island.
In the central Isle area, the western shore is dominated by cliffs that tower above the ocean, plateau westward, and then become the central mountain range of the island before descending into a wide, flat lowland on the east shore. The Imperial Navy makes its home on the east shore of the island and a large majority of its major facilities are located at the Imperial Navy Shipyard.
Further south in the central mountain range is the tallest mountain on the island, Mount Graymon, named after the family of the first dynasty rulers who unified the kingdoms of the island and formed the Empire. Near the top of this mountain is the palatial town known as Winters City, residence of the Empress Amy Winters and capital of Sovereign Heights. Winters City attracts tourists from all over the world with its opulence, its picturesque scenery, and its thousand year old castle and palace ruins.
On the south and east ends of the island, flatter land has created massive, sprawling cities that have, over the last 50 years, grown into one another and created a single gargantuan metropolitan area that is generally referred to as the Great. The names of cities have become the names of neighborhoods and all growth in the Great City occurs straight up. Despite its name, the old cities are still governed individually. The largest and most important of these neighborhood cities is Watchword Harbor due to its internationally recognized port facilities and its place as the heart of all island trade and commerce.
Across the bay from Watchword is the city of Port Schuemer and the Sanguine Marshlands. Port Schuemer technically the largest city in the protectorate and sprawls almost half the size of the Grand City, but is composed of mostly single story structures and has much less population density than the cities on the Isle. Port Schuemer is the largest port on the Sea of Tears and is the main trade hub for all mainland goods in the country south of the Pfizel District. It provides extensive service to the mainland cities to the east via the Sanguine River.
Port Scheumer is the gateway to the Delta Industrial District, an area of extensive industrial development and one of the most polluted places on earth. Delta Industrial is the quickest growing district in the nation, has the lowest life expectancy rates in the nation, and spews out billions of morales a month in manufactured goods.
North of the Delta Industrial District are the Stonewall District and the Poseidon District. The rainforest of these relatively untouched areas are slowly being demolished in the quest for resources and cheaper labor. The populations of these districts is overwhelmingly native mainlander, and the two districts are generally seen as the next frontier of development for Sovereign Heights.
North of the Poseidon District is the Pfizer Industrial District, named after the monolithic corporation that first established the colony that grew into it. The old corporation is run exclusively by the Pfizel family, which collectively owns more than 70% the land in the district, controls the governors office of the district, appoints the district’s judges, and is in command of the ground forces on the mainland. The army’s main command and control facility is located in the mountains of the Pfizel district, and Pfizel & Sons Ltd. Is the largest manufacturer of both the nation’s weapons and ocean-going vessels.
The northernmost district is known as North Beach. Despite its welcoming name, the district is mostly tundra with temperatures regularly dropping below 50 f in the summer and daily precipitation. There are some mining operations in the North Beach District, but the region is the least populated in the nation consisting of conscripted army soldiers serving their mandatory service period, highly compensated miners and geologists, and native peoples who eek out an existence hunting or fishing. North Beach has the most intact wilderness in the country, and attracts tourists in the fall who come to the mountains to ski and escape the pollution of the southern mainland.
Economy
Exports: mined and quarried materials (including stone, copper, nickel, tin, steel, silver, gold, cobalt, uranium, and concrete), and manufactured goods (including personal electronics, arms, vehicles, ships, prefabricated structures, and appliances), fish, salt, glass, ceramics, distilled spirits, and lumber.
Imports: hydrocarbons (including plastics, oil, and natural gas), food stuffs (including fruits, vegetables, grains, and livestock), rubber, furs, coal, precious stones, textiles, pharmaceuticals, information technology, and tourists.
Sovereign Heights’ economy is based primarily around heavy manufacture and the harvesting of the country’s abundant natural resources. While pollution is out of control in developing areas, these areas exist almost exclusively on the mainland and out of sight of those citizens lucky enough to live on the Isle.
Sovereign Heights has little in the way of an education system. With the notable exception of military hardware, the vast majority of its technology is imported from other places, streamlined for efficient production, and sold back to consumer-oriented nations. Sovereign Heights has a massive trade surplus and a substantial amount of the government’s income comes from import and export tariffs.
Military
Sovereign Heights has a long and proud tradition of being a regional naval power. The navy is the most influential branch of military in domestic politics and one of the strongest symbols of Sovereign power in the region. Tasked with, in addition to simple defense, snuffing out all vestiges of piracy, preventing terrorism, and emergency response, the navy has been the leading force throughout the protectorate.
The army, by contrast, has been the branch that has received the vast majority of persons serving out their compulsory service term and, while well trained and moderately equipped, typically has lower morale and far less esprit decor. Indeed, since the founding of the protectorate in the 18th century, defense of the home island has fallen to the elite marines in the same way that the elite praetorians were the only legion allowed on the Italian peninsula. The army is primarily tasked with immigration control, but also trains to repel attackers from the eastern wastelands and against the tactics of Sovereign Heights’ southern neighbors in the event of war.
The air force has received a massive increase in government funding lately however. The combined efforts of the current Sky Marshal and the Empress’s chief advisor have lead to the creation and strengthening of a fighter wing tasked with achieving and maintaining air superiority throughout the region. Although the air force still lacks bombers and most of its pilots are young, training and drills have quickly molded the rapidly growing program into a competent force dedicated to ending the threat of enemy bombing campaigns before they begin.
Scientists working for Sovereign Heights have built several nuclear and chemical weapons, but neither have been allowed to be located on the Isle to minimize damage in the event of an accidents and to dissuade attacks on the Isle in the event of a preemptive strike by a foreign power. Most biological weapons, specifically infectious diseases, have been outright banned by Sovereign Heights out of fear that such weapons will harm the very people they are supposed to protect.
History
Since the birth of recorded history, the Kingdom of Sovereign Heights was a principate located on a plateau at the highest part of the Sovereign Isle. Like all city-states, it warred with its neighbors, developed a system of feudalism, and slowly evolved. By the turn of the 9th century, the tiny fortress village had turned into a thriving alliance of noble families lead by a general-king. The kingdom slowly expanded until, in 1352, the whole island was eventually united under a single ruler. The ruler was named Emperor of the Sovereign Isle and he and his descendants presided over a mostly peaceful, but militantly independent nation. The Emperor was said to be the protector of the people and the keeper of the peace, and people were left to their own affairs.
The culture of the island grew to become one of ritualized martial prowess rather than actual military force. Its people solved disputes with duels, codes of honor were drawn up, and a complicated caste system emerged that would not be abolished until 1890. The only real threat to the island came from the ocean, and the youth of Sovereign Heights leapt eagerly into the ocean to subdue the threats of piracy wherever it emerged. Its leaders dedicated themselves to great building projects and trade on a truly epic scale, and the nation developed a fierce nationalism and devotion to the idea of an empire.
As the industrial revolution began, citizens of Sovereign Heights began colonizing the mainland and exploiting the land for raw materials. When the natives disrupted Sovereign trade, the Emperor authorized the military to ensure peace and security in the region – under the enlightened policies of His Majesty. In this way, the nation of Sovereign Heights declared itself a protectorate. The emperor proclaimed that the lives of his citizens were his to defend, private property was sacred, and that economic progress was destiny. Any that threatened these ideals was an enemy of the state.
The fight to control the beaches of the mainland was a long and frequently bloody one, but one which was eventually won through numbers, technology, and organization. Emperor Adonis II, in 1713, declared that the protectorate stretched from the northern cliffs of the Bay of Poseidon to the marshes of the Sanguine River – a border that was as pragmatic as it was lasting. To the north were unusable and impassible mountains, to the south was an organized and potent federation of city states, and to the east, beyond the mountains, was a barren and uninhabitable desert.
Today, Sovereign Heights is slowly becoming more globalized. Its corporations are becoming multi-national conglomerates. Its powerful navy and growing air force police the waters of the region as the nation has done for centuries. Its relatively lax business regulations and completely lessee faire social policies have made it a magnet for foreign investment. In a world that is becoming closer and closer together, Sovereign Heights is emerging as a place of opportunity, where little stands between a man and the only two things that seem to matter these days: money and personal freedom.
At any rate, after reading through a bunch of things I’ve decided to start RPing again, and the general consensus from what I’ve read seems to be to start up a fact book and just start in on the open RP stuff until you find something that interests you. In that spirit, here’s my factbook, I’m going to go RP stuff until I find something that interests me! ;o)
If you have any suggestions, tips, criticisms, etc. please send them my way – I do realize I’m new at this an the only way I’m going to figure stuff out is by making mistakes and learning from them. With that said, here's my baby:
Overview
Nation Name: Sovereign Heights
Full Nation Name: The Grand Protectorate of Sovereign Heights
National Anthem: The Imperial Battle Hymn
Government Type: Constitutional Monarchy
Head of State/Head of Government: Empress Amy Winter III
Capital: Winters City
Largest City: Port Scheumer
National Population: 500 million
Administrative Divisions (8 provinces): Heights, Scheumer, Delta Industrial, Stonewall Beach, Poseidon Beach, Pfizel, North Beach, Eastern Flats.
People
Population: 600 million
Gender: 56% female, 44% male. There is no legal distinction between the genders and same-sex marriage is legal.
Race: On the Isle, the population is 90% native islander, 5% native mainlander, and 5% foreign nationals. On the mainland, the population is 25% islander, 65% native mainlander, 10% other immigrants
Religion: 35% Deist, 25% Christian, 10% Atheist, 10% Native Mainlander, 5% Buddhist, 5% Jewish, 5% Islamic, 5% Other.
Politics
The vast majority of political power in Sovereign Heights lies with the Office of the Sovereign (OS), the formal name for the administration of the reigning monarch. The OS retains exclusive control over the military and police forces, and the monarch acts as both head of government and head of state.
The legislature is split into three branches, parliament (elected by party-based proportional representation), senate (appointed by administrative district leadership), and congress (elected by single-member plurality districts). Bills which pass any two branches become law, unless vetoed by a simple majority vote of the third branch, or vetoed by the OS. In the event a bill is vetoed by a legislative branch, the monarch reserves the right to override the veto, but a veto by the monarch is final. It should be noted that the legislature was intentionally designed to be frustratingly difficult to pass legislation.
The judiciary is appointed by the leadership of the administrative district in which they serve. Exactly how they are appointed varies from district to district, but the majority are selected by the regional governors. The monarch retains the right to act as the supreme justice, but such rights have not been exercised for several generations. Court decisions made by a justice in one district are not binding on those of other districts, although such conflicts are often resolved by the legislature. The courts of Sovereign Heights have not been given the authority traditionally referred to as “judicial review” and cannot circumvent either branch of government by declaring a law unconstitutional.
Families of influential individuals, usually corporate, military, or spiritual leaders, are also of substantial political power. The government’s historical policy of self-reliance and evasion of social issues has, as a result, created a system whereby thousands (and sometimes hundreds of thousands) of employees and occasionally whole communities are dependant on the continued economic support (usually in the form of jobs) of a relatively small number of people. While such families are not permitted to have separate armed groups, and economic practices are regulated to protect worker’s rights, they are an independent political and social force which cannot be ignored in Sovereign Heights politics.
The military is officially forbidden from questioning its political leaders or taking stands on political issues. Influential families do fill almost 80% of the officer corps, however, and such families can, and frequently do, quietly lobby as an independent political force.
Suffrage & Social Caste
Individuals residing within the boarders of Sovereign Heights are divided into three legally distinct groups: Citizen, Resident, and Other. To exercise the right to vote, a person must have citizenship.
Citizenship is earned only by completion of a term of government service which is usually military in nature, but women and persons who are not physically capable of military service are permitted to serve in an administrative capacity. Children of citizens are considered citizens until their 20th birthday.
Residents are persons who have not completed their term of service are required by law to register with the government and pay a yearly tax. Residents receive full protection under the law, including the right to own property, but may not vote or hold office. Children of residents are considered residents until their 20th birthday.
Those persons who have not completed their term of service, fail to register with the government, and/or refuse to pay taxes are considered members of a third, undefined group. These “other persons,” as they are referred to, effectively have no rights under the law. By tradition, they generally receive trials if they are found violating the law, but they are not permitted to vote, own property, work, or even live within the boarders of Sovereign Heights. Other persons are frequently summarily deported if suspected of a crime that cannot be proven.
The UN and several human rights organizations have cited the “other persons” clause of the Sovereign Heights legal code as a loophole which is used to deny suspected criminals and terrorists of their basic rights.
Titles of knighthood and nobility are regularly conferred upon deserving citizens of Sovereign Heights, but do not grant any separate rights or privileges under the law beyond those granted to citizens.
Political Parties
There are 38 separate recognized political parties and 4 major political parties in Sovereign Heights. By tradition, the name of each political party begins with the words “The Loyal” and end with the words “of Sovereign Heights” which have been omitted from the following list. The formal name, for example, of the Penguin Liberation Party is actually, “The Loyal Penguin Liberation Party of Sovereign Heights.” The tradition comes from earlier times when political parties were generally distrusted (if not outright outlawed) in the infancy of the current political system. Generally speaking, the prefix and suffix are not used in causal mentioning of the political parties.
Nationalist Party – The Nationalist party is the leading party in the country and has a long and mostly-stable history. It is a conservative, pro-business party that believes in a strong foreign policy, strict enforcement of the law, and restrictions on government spending. It is heavily divided on the issue of immigration. It generally approves of the OS. The Nationalists control the governing Parliament coalition with 45% of the seats and the First Speaker of Congress is a member of the Nationalists. It is well represented in the Senate.
Compassionate Persons Party – Also referred to as the Socialist Worker's party, the group changed its name in the 1930s to avoid growing concern over alleged ties to both communism and facism. The CPP regularly demands increased funding for the national education system and frequently cites the lack of a national healthcare system as the biggest problem in Sovereign Heights. The party lobbies for the abolition of the “other persons” legal classification. The CPP is anti-immigration and pro-working class. It is frequently divided on the issue of civil liberties, especially in law enforcement circles. It is generally critical of the OS. The CPP is the second most powerful party in Parliament and frequently wins seats in Congress. It is the only major party which did not win a Senate seat in the current session which has alarmed many of its leaders.
Christian Democrat Party – The Christian Democrats have had a troubled history in Sovereign Heights, attempting to cater to the conscience of traditionally conservative Christian voters and the self-interest of the working class. Of the major parties, the CDP is the most internally divided party, but they tend to be pro-union, pro-welfare, anti-abortion, anti-death penalty, and in favor of the abolition of the “other persons” legal classification. There are many issues that threaten to divide the CDP, among which are immigration, law enforcement, military funding levels, and civil liberties. The CDP has a consistent, if minor, presence in all three branches of the legislature.
Libertarian Party – The Libertarian party is a bit of an anomaly in representative politics, believing that their job as elected officials is to restrain the government as much as possible. The Libertarian party is in favor of civil liberties, free speech, rights of the accused, and immigration. They vote against virtually every other piece of legislation that comes up, unless that legislation happens to be the abolition of some other government program. The Libertarian party is fairly unpopular in major elections, and almost never wins seats in Congress, but it manages to win a few seats in Parliament every year. The Libertarian party’s strength comes from the provincial governors, which regularly appoint them to the Senate where their policies are of tremendous help to the influential businesses and wealthy land owners who can appreciate having as little government involvement as possible. The Libertarian party is a member of the Nationalist party’s parliamentary governing coalition.
Persons of Interest
Empress Amy Winter III, Monarch: Young for a head of state. A bit of a dreamer. Undisciplined. Personal views mirror the CDP, despite the low public support for it. Unmarried. Has instituted a 10,000 morale fine for proposing marriage to a sitting head of state to make people stop asking. The fine hasn’t worked. Tends to rely on her advisors for most decisions. One of the less active monarchs the country has seen. Most of her proclamations are supportive of the status-quo. Tries to let things work themselves out. Seen by all as reliable, a consensus builder, and a compromiser. High approval rating in all sectors.
Sir Janus Sanguine, Chief Advisor to the Empress and Chief Diplomat: Exceptionally charismatic. Exceptionally controversial. Immigrant. Despised by the traditionalists, absolutely loved by the meritocracy. Rumors of womanizing. Prone to speak unscripted. An all-or-nothing type extreme personality that either gets him loved or hated by just about anyone that meets him. Followed by the media everywhere. The unofficial public face of the state. Hollywood. Fiercely loyal to and very close friends with the empress.
Arch-Duke Peter Pfizel, President of Pfizel Industries and Governor of the Pfizel District: A ruthless business man. 90+ years old. Think Carnegie and Gates, minus the philanthropy, rolled into one. Ruled by one motivation alone: Self-interest. Helps his workers as long as it helps himself. Tends to mind his own business in politics – if it has no bearing on him he stays away from the issue. Asks the same in return. Donates heavily to and exclusively appoints Libertarian party members.
Arch-Duke Eric Scheumer, Mayor of Port Scheumer and Governor of the Scheumer District: A full time philanthropist and part time businessman. Heir. Accused of squandering his money. Makes so much money that it doesn’t really matter. Collects followers. Seen as dangerous in some circles because of what is perceived to be the buying of popular support and allegations that he uses it to intimidate rivals and shut down competitors. He agrees in principle with the policies of the CDP and the CPP, but usually appoints Nationalist Senators citing “problems of practicality” with their agendas.
Duke Willaim Fettern, leader of the Libertarian party: Older brother of the first general. A man who sees absolutely nothing wrong with playing politics for politics sake. A high profile man with a spotty ethics record. He has a history of making racist remarks and suggesting that the state shouldn’t care about the conditions of the little people. Liked by people who value results over ideology, hated by those who have a more altruistic bent. Generally supports the military, especially in foreign affairs. Tends to hold back when it involves domestic use of arms and the police.
Lord Christopher Masters, leader of the Nationalist party: Nobility. A low key political leader chosen for his seniority in the party and his ability to tow the line. He generally speaks for the party in very carefully framed and qualified remarks. Almost Alan Greenspan-ish personality. A conservative man leading a conservative party. He’s a safe bet and easy to guess what he will say and do before he does it.
Dame Samantha Andrews, leader of the Christian Democrat party: PhD. Favorite political leader of the Empress, partly because she is female. Knighted for political reasons and frequently criticized as undeserving of the privilege. She tries, but things rarely go her way. Fighting an uphill battle in a nation that is socialized unfavorably to her ideals. Revered by Christians, civil rights advocates, and those who think the nation needs more democratic reform. Distrusting of the military, and despises the idea of the military getting so much funding at the expense of social programs.
Lord Richard Irons, leader of the Compassionate Persons party: Nobility. Also the spokesperson for several humanitarian and non-governmental organizations. Takes his position as an ideologue seriously. Speaks in terms of black and white, right and wrong, holy and unholy. Believes his own propaganda. Tends to be adversarial to friends and foe alike. Not very well liked by the empress. Tries to support the military, but is usually rebuffed by the establishment as being weak on crime and other strong-arm issues. Not a communist.
Grand Marshal Alexander Sanguine, high commander of all armed forces: Knighted. Younger brother of Janus. Riding on his brother’s coat tails, but deserving of the rank. The antithesis of Janus: lacks even basic social skills. An extreme hands-on leading from the front sort of person. A great officer, but a very bad person to work directly for. A pit-bull of a personality – deadly loyal, and deadly fierce. Considered by many to be dangerous due to his loyalty to his brother and relatively low loyalty to anyone else, including the empress.
Admiral Michael Webber, First Admiral of the Navy: Knighted. Older. Respected or hated, and nothing in between. A hard man and a self-made officer. Will go down with his ship without hesitation. Extremely loyal to the crown, fairly supportive of the viceroy, has affinity and respect for the grand marshal. Dismissive of politics.
Field Martial David Fettern, First General of the Army: Nobility. Younger brother of Duke William Fettern. His father held the post before him. Plays favorites. Seen as a bureaucrat and a political appointment, but does not meddle in command decisions. Semi-competent. Vaguely contemptuous of the empress. Hates the viceroy. Hates all politicians except for his brother. Questions his brother’s methods. Supports Pfizel at the request of his brother. Rumored that Pfizel put him in his position. Tends to help him get military contracts, sees to it that the Pfizel administrative district is better protected than other districts.
Sky Marshal Samuel Breach, First General of the Air Force: Nobility. Aggressively champions the air force in government. A brilliant politician and a competent military mind. Responsible for the state of the currently extreme air power. Tends to miss the big picture. Brown-noses the empress at every turn. Wishes he was the viceroy. Respectful to and careful around the grand marshal. Friendly towards all politicians regardless of party. Tries to play all sides to advance his career and the air force.
Executive Director Catherine Demitri, commander of the police, coast guard, and marines: Knighted. A good officer, but not a multitasker. Spends most of her time with intelligence reports and the police and tends to delegate other responsibilities. There have been several proposals to make the marines a separate force since her appointment. Paranoid. Constantly pestering the empress with news of a new plot. Has a crush on the viceroy even though she’s never really met him outside of cabinet meetings, to the point of going along with his proposals for no other reason. Greatly respects the grand marshal, who she thinks is the only person who understands what’s really going on. Thinks of politicians as well-meaning but still part of the problem, and gets quickly frustrated by them.
Geography
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The nation of Sovereign Heights, like every other nation in the region, is located in a tectonically active area. There are half a dozen active volcanoes in the country, mostly in the northern mainland area, and the country generally experiences between five and ten earthquakes a year, mostly centered in the Stonewall mountain range.
The mainland territories occupy 325,000 square miles, making it slightly smaller than California, Oregon, and Washington put together. The island itself is 240,000 square miles, or about the size of Texas. It takes about 16 hours to drive the length of the mainland, and about 12 to cross the length of the island.
The officially recognized boarders of the country in the north extends from Grimswold Pointe, a cliff formation located where the Stonewall Mountains reach the Sea of Tears in the north, running east through a series of valleys to the Dry Acre, a desert flatland that extends for several hundred miles.
The protectorate claims the Stonewall Mountains as it’s eastern boarder, but has established an “eastern autonomous zone,” known officially as the Eastern Flats some 50 miles wide beyond them and the internationally recognized boarder is at the edge of this zone. There are no geographic markers to denote where the Eastern Flats district ends.
The southern boarder runs along the Sanguine River to the Sanguine Marshes. The official boarder between countries is the Sanguine River until it branches off into the Leech River, a tributary that runs through the marshes, but due to the nature of the Sanguine Marshes the southern boarder is ill defined. Sovereign Heights maintains two army bases on small hills in the marsh lands and generally regards everything beyond the hills as no-mans land due to the lack of solid ground, rampant disease, and proximity to the boarder.
The western boarder of the country ends on the western shores of the Isle. Sovereign Heights maintains an exclusive economic zone of 200 miles west of the Sovereign Isle, and actively exerts its naval influence to stamp out piracy both inside this zone and out.
Geologists estimate that the Bay of Poseidon is silting in from sand deposited by the Sanguine River and currents from the Sea of Tears, and that without regular dredging efforts the Isle could be one day be joined to the mainland by land.
The Isle itself is a rocky, mountainous island dominated first and foremost by human development. The northern end is the least populated area of the Isle, being the most precipitous and cold year round. Lake Everdeep is the only other major geographic landmark in the north. It is a manmade lake formed from the damming of Balsatier Valley in the 1930s. The Balsatier Dam is the largest electrical generation station on the island. The growing air force has its largest installation on the northernmost tip of the island, and both the air and home guard sections of the military have their headquarter bunkers in mountains in the northern region of the island.
In the central Isle area, the western shore is dominated by cliffs that tower above the ocean, plateau westward, and then become the central mountain range of the island before descending into a wide, flat lowland on the east shore. The Imperial Navy makes its home on the east shore of the island and a large majority of its major facilities are located at the Imperial Navy Shipyard.
Further south in the central mountain range is the tallest mountain on the island, Mount Graymon, named after the family of the first dynasty rulers who unified the kingdoms of the island and formed the Empire. Near the top of this mountain is the palatial town known as Winters City, residence of the Empress Amy Winters and capital of Sovereign Heights. Winters City attracts tourists from all over the world with its opulence, its picturesque scenery, and its thousand year old castle and palace ruins.
On the south and east ends of the island, flatter land has created massive, sprawling cities that have, over the last 50 years, grown into one another and created a single gargantuan metropolitan area that is generally referred to as the Great. The names of cities have become the names of neighborhoods and all growth in the Great City occurs straight up. Despite its name, the old cities are still governed individually. The largest and most important of these neighborhood cities is Watchword Harbor due to its internationally recognized port facilities and its place as the heart of all island trade and commerce.
Across the bay from Watchword is the city of Port Schuemer and the Sanguine Marshlands. Port Schuemer technically the largest city in the protectorate and sprawls almost half the size of the Grand City, but is composed of mostly single story structures and has much less population density than the cities on the Isle. Port Schuemer is the largest port on the Sea of Tears and is the main trade hub for all mainland goods in the country south of the Pfizel District. It provides extensive service to the mainland cities to the east via the Sanguine River.
Port Scheumer is the gateway to the Delta Industrial District, an area of extensive industrial development and one of the most polluted places on earth. Delta Industrial is the quickest growing district in the nation, has the lowest life expectancy rates in the nation, and spews out billions of morales a month in manufactured goods.
North of the Delta Industrial District are the Stonewall District and the Poseidon District. The rainforest of these relatively untouched areas are slowly being demolished in the quest for resources and cheaper labor. The populations of these districts is overwhelmingly native mainlander, and the two districts are generally seen as the next frontier of development for Sovereign Heights.
North of the Poseidon District is the Pfizer Industrial District, named after the monolithic corporation that first established the colony that grew into it. The old corporation is run exclusively by the Pfizel family, which collectively owns more than 70% the land in the district, controls the governors office of the district, appoints the district’s judges, and is in command of the ground forces on the mainland. The army’s main command and control facility is located in the mountains of the Pfizel district, and Pfizel & Sons Ltd. Is the largest manufacturer of both the nation’s weapons and ocean-going vessels.
The northernmost district is known as North Beach. Despite its welcoming name, the district is mostly tundra with temperatures regularly dropping below 50 f in the summer and daily precipitation. There are some mining operations in the North Beach District, but the region is the least populated in the nation consisting of conscripted army soldiers serving their mandatory service period, highly compensated miners and geologists, and native peoples who eek out an existence hunting or fishing. North Beach has the most intact wilderness in the country, and attracts tourists in the fall who come to the mountains to ski and escape the pollution of the southern mainland.
Economy
Exports: mined and quarried materials (including stone, copper, nickel, tin, steel, silver, gold, cobalt, uranium, and concrete), and manufactured goods (including personal electronics, arms, vehicles, ships, prefabricated structures, and appliances), fish, salt, glass, ceramics, distilled spirits, and lumber.
Imports: hydrocarbons (including plastics, oil, and natural gas), food stuffs (including fruits, vegetables, grains, and livestock), rubber, furs, coal, precious stones, textiles, pharmaceuticals, information technology, and tourists.
Sovereign Heights’ economy is based primarily around heavy manufacture and the harvesting of the country’s abundant natural resources. While pollution is out of control in developing areas, these areas exist almost exclusively on the mainland and out of sight of those citizens lucky enough to live on the Isle.
Sovereign Heights has little in the way of an education system. With the notable exception of military hardware, the vast majority of its technology is imported from other places, streamlined for efficient production, and sold back to consumer-oriented nations. Sovereign Heights has a massive trade surplus and a substantial amount of the government’s income comes from import and export tariffs.
Military
Sovereign Heights has a long and proud tradition of being a regional naval power. The navy is the most influential branch of military in domestic politics and one of the strongest symbols of Sovereign power in the region. Tasked with, in addition to simple defense, snuffing out all vestiges of piracy, preventing terrorism, and emergency response, the navy has been the leading force throughout the protectorate.
The army, by contrast, has been the branch that has received the vast majority of persons serving out their compulsory service term and, while well trained and moderately equipped, typically has lower morale and far less esprit decor. Indeed, since the founding of the protectorate in the 18th century, defense of the home island has fallen to the elite marines in the same way that the elite praetorians were the only legion allowed on the Italian peninsula. The army is primarily tasked with immigration control, but also trains to repel attackers from the eastern wastelands and against the tactics of Sovereign Heights’ southern neighbors in the event of war.
The air force has received a massive increase in government funding lately however. The combined efforts of the current Sky Marshal and the Empress’s chief advisor have lead to the creation and strengthening of a fighter wing tasked with achieving and maintaining air superiority throughout the region. Although the air force still lacks bombers and most of its pilots are young, training and drills have quickly molded the rapidly growing program into a competent force dedicated to ending the threat of enemy bombing campaigns before they begin.
Scientists working for Sovereign Heights have built several nuclear and chemical weapons, but neither have been allowed to be located on the Isle to minimize damage in the event of an accidents and to dissuade attacks on the Isle in the event of a preemptive strike by a foreign power. Most biological weapons, specifically infectious diseases, have been outright banned by Sovereign Heights out of fear that such weapons will harm the very people they are supposed to protect.
History
Since the birth of recorded history, the Kingdom of Sovereign Heights was a principate located on a plateau at the highest part of the Sovereign Isle. Like all city-states, it warred with its neighbors, developed a system of feudalism, and slowly evolved. By the turn of the 9th century, the tiny fortress village had turned into a thriving alliance of noble families lead by a general-king. The kingdom slowly expanded until, in 1352, the whole island was eventually united under a single ruler. The ruler was named Emperor of the Sovereign Isle and he and his descendants presided over a mostly peaceful, but militantly independent nation. The Emperor was said to be the protector of the people and the keeper of the peace, and people were left to their own affairs.
The culture of the island grew to become one of ritualized martial prowess rather than actual military force. Its people solved disputes with duels, codes of honor were drawn up, and a complicated caste system emerged that would not be abolished until 1890. The only real threat to the island came from the ocean, and the youth of Sovereign Heights leapt eagerly into the ocean to subdue the threats of piracy wherever it emerged. Its leaders dedicated themselves to great building projects and trade on a truly epic scale, and the nation developed a fierce nationalism and devotion to the idea of an empire.
As the industrial revolution began, citizens of Sovereign Heights began colonizing the mainland and exploiting the land for raw materials. When the natives disrupted Sovereign trade, the Emperor authorized the military to ensure peace and security in the region – under the enlightened policies of His Majesty. In this way, the nation of Sovereign Heights declared itself a protectorate. The emperor proclaimed that the lives of his citizens were his to defend, private property was sacred, and that economic progress was destiny. Any that threatened these ideals was an enemy of the state.
The fight to control the beaches of the mainland was a long and frequently bloody one, but one which was eventually won through numbers, technology, and organization. Emperor Adonis II, in 1713, declared that the protectorate stretched from the northern cliffs of the Bay of Poseidon to the marshes of the Sanguine River – a border that was as pragmatic as it was lasting. To the north were unusable and impassible mountains, to the south was an organized and potent federation of city states, and to the east, beyond the mountains, was a barren and uninhabitable desert.
Today, Sovereign Heights is slowly becoming more globalized. Its corporations are becoming multi-national conglomerates. Its powerful navy and growing air force police the waters of the region as the nation has done for centuries. Its relatively lax business regulations and completely lessee faire social policies have made it a magnet for foreign investment. In a world that is becoming closer and closer together, Sovereign Heights is emerging as a place of opportunity, where little stands between a man and the only two things that seem to matter these days: money and personal freedom.