Alasdair I Frosticus
| |
| Flag of Alasdair I Frosticus | |
| Motto: Be of your frostiness, not with your frostiness | |
| Mapping a dreamed nation is at best difficult | |
| Region | The Dreamed Realm |
|---|---|
| Capital | Alasdairopolis |
| Official Language(s) | all languages are automatically translated in the Dreamed Realm |
| Leader | Alasdair I Frosticus |
| Population | >1 billion |
| Currency | nomismata |
| NS Sunset XML | |
This page is currently in the process of being significantly re-vamped in preparation for World Cup 34; as a result, sections may be temporarily incomplete. Grammar may also occasionally need work
Few details are known of The Holy Empire of Alasdair I Frosticus, a nation which exists in the Dreamed Realm, a mysterious plane of existence capable of intersecting with reality as we know it, and ruled by its namesake Emperor (or Basileus). The country remains famous mainly for having hosted World Cup 2, the second installment of the enduring football World Cup.
The nation is apparently continually dreamed into existence by the meditating monks of the Imperial Monastery of The Holy Wisdom in the capital city of Alasdairopolis. It is rumoured that should the monks be woken, the entire nation would crash out of the Dreamed Realm, killing untold millions. The nation consists of a fertile coastal plain, where most of the population live, and an arid highland called the 'chaco' - where a disproportionate percentage of its football stars came from in the days of the Empire's sporting activity. Politically, Alasdair I Frosticus combines elements of Byzantine-inspired Orthodox theocracy with the efficiency of Paraguay.
The study of the Dreamed Realm and the science of dream reality is referred to as oneirology.
Much of what is known about the Holy Empire comes from the arcane tome the Codex Frosticus, which exists in several different versions (the A, B, C, D and E texts). The reliability of sections of the Codex has been called into question by several Ordinary Reality scholars, but few can agree on which parts are reliable.
Contents
People
One of the great mysteries of the Holy Empire is whether its inhabitants are real, or are themselves artificially dreamed into existence. The Codex Frosticus texts are unclear and contradictory on this point.It may well be the case that some are real, and some are unreal, but separating the two is impossible for the casual visitor.
There is some question in Ordinary Reality as to whether Imperial citizens are immortal – national football team coach Juan Tzimisces has been involved in the national squad since World Cup 1. Imperial oneirologists deny that Imperial residents are immortal, but clearly both aging and time pass differently in the Dreamed Realm.
There appear to be roughly two ethnic groups in the Empire, the Coastal citizens and the Chacan citizens. They may appear identical to the outsider, but a Chacan in particular would consider it a grave insult to be mistaken for a member of the other ethnic group. Chacan surnames end with –es, while Coastal surnames end in –o.
Government
Government Structure
All of the Codex Frosticus texts agree on how the government of the Holy Empire is structured.
The Head of State, founder, and ruler of the Holy Empire is the Basileus, Alasdair I Frosticus.
In theory, the Emperor’s power is supreme, but in practice the government features constitutional checks on that power that have led to the Holy Empire being better known for its extraordinary political freedoms and civil rights than for autocratic imperial rule. These constitutional checks recognise the power of four other elements in the State: the Court, the people of Alasdairopolis, the provinces, and - to a lesser degree - the Orthodox Church of the Holy Empire. These elements are each represented by councils with certain powers; the first three are referred to as the Senatorial Councils, the latter as the Church Council. The Senatorial Councils are collectively considered to be the Imperial Senate.
The Court is represented by the Great Council. This body of approximately 50 members includes most of the High Ministers of State, representatives of the military leaders, and a selection of the City and Provincial aristocracy. Members are appointed by the Emperor, subject to approval by both the Great Council and one of the other 2 State Councils. Ministers of State and military representatives only serve while they hold their post, but the other members are appointed for life, and can only be removed if they retire, die, or at the request of the Emperor followed by a majority vote of the Council. The head of the Great Council – and the closest thing the Holy Empire has to a Prime Minister – is traditionally the Keeper of the Imperial Purple Inkwell.
The Little Council, consisting of some 150 members, evolved as the representative of the merchants and professional classes of Alasdairopolis through their purchase of Senatorial rank, though it has since become more broad-based. Suffrage is available to all registered adult residents of the capital who either meet certain property requirements or who practice certain protected professions (mostly medical and educational). Soldiers, clergy, and monks are specifically excluded from the suffrage. Members are elected every 2 years.
The Provincial Council (which meets in Alasdairopolis) represents the interests of the Themes (or provinces) of the Empire, and evolved as a response to the dominance of the capital, partially through the purchase (again) of Senatorial rank by Imperial residents outside the capital, and partially through the auspices of the landed classes. It is a bicameral legislature. Members of the Noble Provincial House is appointed by the Strategos (or governor) of the relevant theme, five per theme. The 333 members of the Common Provincial House are elected by Theme, broadly proportional by Theme, with additional members for certain important cities. Suffrage is near-universal, only excluding clergy and monks. Decisions must pass both the Noble and Common Houses to take effect. Members are elected for 5 year terms.
Legislation may be proposed by any of the three Senatorial Councils, or the Emperor personally, and must pass both the Great Council and one of the other two State Houses to be presented to the Emperor, who maintains the power of veto (though vetoing a law passed by all three Councils would be unprecedented). The power to propose legislation affecting the Imperial purse is reserved to the Great Council and the Emperor. Members of any Council are automatically granted Senatorial rank. In theory, all three Councils could sit together in a single body as the collected Senate, but in practice this would only happen to acclaim a new Emperor.
The Church Council, called by the Patriarch of Alasdairopolis at his discretion, and representing the Dioceses and major monasteries of the Empire, may not propose legislation, but it may rule on the theological soundess thereof. If the Council finds against a law in this regard, it is returned to the Great Council, and will become law if it passes a second time. Since the threat of excommunication is a powerful weapon, this power is open to abuse, and is the major area of potential contention in the constitution. Most meetings of the Church Council, however, only rule on directly theological matters – only under strong (or obstinate) Patriarchs does it enter politics. The Church Council may also be asked for its opinion on legislation before voting; this is usually little more than a courtesy, but the Byzantines take matters of courtesy extremely seriously.
Law and Security
To the casual observer, the only law of the Holy Empire appears to be 'that which is not expressely forbidden is permitted'. This is, of course, a gross oversimplification. The B, D, and E texts of the Codex Frosticus mention three Freedoms from Necessity guaranteed to all citizens of the Empire. These are Freedom from the Necessity of Death, Freedom from the Necessity of Want, and Freedom from the Necessity of Unhappiness. While citizens may choose to die, be poor, and be unhappy, no citizens need be any of these things. This raises interesting philosophical questions on the nature of death, poverty, and unhappiness in the Holy Empire, and the extent to which these are controlled by citizens or their government. Otherwise, all laws flow from the maintenance of these freedoms.
The A and C texts of the Codex mention a fourth freedom: Freedom from War. However, other legal scholars believe that this inherent in the nature of the Holy Empire's separate existence from ordinary reality rather than a legally codified freedom.
It may seem bizarre, given the nation's apparent total lack of prisons and inherent freedoms, that the Holy Empire has any need for internal security forces. Nonetheless, it is believed that there are two primary security units, the State Bureau for Internal Security (SBIS) and the Imperial Secretariat of the Purple Inkwell (ISPI). These organisations do not deal with what outsiders might consider petty crime (which may not in any case be illegal where it satisfies the Freedoms from Necessity without causing direct non-consensual harm to another citizen), but their precise duties are unclear.
The Codex D text has a nearly-illegible piece of marginalia suggesting that SBIS and ISPI are mainly involved in carrying out surveillance of non-citizens and either persecuting or controlling (the text is obscure here) the small cult that is said to worship the Oneiromancer.
There is little need to subject non-citizens to the Imperial legal system. Any outsider caught breaking the law is immediately transported back to Ordinary Reality, though there are rumours of detention without trial or even torture for outsiders caught delving into the Oneiromancer cult. These rumours have been consistently denied by the Imperial government.
Symbols
Flag
The Imperial flag is believed to be loosely-based on a supposed standard of Ordinary Reality Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, but coloured to emphasise the golden beauty of the Empire. The four B’s represent the Basileus’ personal motto: Βασιλευς Βασιλεων Βασιλευων Βασιλευσιν, or ‘King of Kings Ruling Over Kings’.
National Anthem
The National Anthem is the Imperial Hymn. It is an entirely instrumental piece noted for being both emotionally stirring and mercifully brief.
History
The precise nature and date of the founding of the Holy Empire remain a mystery, even to those who have studied the Codex Frosticus in detail.
There are myths and rumours that state that the Dreamed Realm was initially created by a figure known only as the Oneiromancer. The same myths state that the Basileus waged war on the Oneiromancer, casting him into the void between the different worlds of the Dreamed Realm, and eternally fearing that he might one day return to reclaim the Empire.
A small cult worships the Oneiromancer to this day.
The Holy Empire first came to the attention of Ordinary Reality through hosting the second football World Cup. In those days travel to the Empire was considerably easier, and could be undertaken by simply setting out to make the journey – though the precise transition from Reality to Dream was sometimes uncomfortable for those making the trip.
After the early period of activity that saw the Holy Empire host the World Cup, the nation withdrew itself from contact with ordinary physical reality for many years after the Basileus apparently decided that the corruption of the physical world was detrimental to the ongoing serenity of his people. The dreaming monks severed the link between the altered existence of the dream plane and the physical world, and the Holy Empire appeared to fade from contact with ordinary time and space.
The reclusive nation eventually revived contact with the ordinary world. Initially this was through The Archregimancy, which served as a gateway through which reality and the Dreamed Realm could intersect. It was said that if travellers can in fact reach the Archregimancy, they may be able to find a portal that will lead them to the Holy Empire.
Credence was given to these rumours by the shock announcement that a Holy Empire squad would enter World Cup 25 in honour of the tournament's silver jubilee. The Imperials duly played a friendly against World Cup 1 hosts Ariddia, winning 6-2 in an exhilirating display of Frosty Football. Unfortunately, the nation's lack of exposure to Ordinary Reality over the preceding years led to the team being infected with a fairly ordinary flu virus which, due to the lack of any built-in resistance to the diseases of Ordinary Reality, soon turned into a virulent plague. Tens of thousands - including all but one member of the party that travelled to Ariddia - died before the disease was brought under control by the Dreaming Monks.
This incident initially strengthened the Basileus' resolve to have as little to do with ordinary physical reality, and stringent quarantine measures were put in place. The nation has nonetheless continued to slowly open up to Ordinary Reality, and in World Cup 32 and World Cup 33, supporters of visiting teams were allowed to enter the Holy Empire for the first time since World Cup 7.
Comparisons between observations made by those making the trip and those surviving Ordinary Reality media reports from the Empire’s earlier period of interaction with reality seemed to indicate that there had been few developments that might be considered ‘historical’ in the intervening period. Government, culture, economy, and politics seem to continue not only unchanged, but also unchanging.
Culture
Architecture
Literature
The literature of the Holy Empire is particularly known for its poetry. The Imperial Epic of Guillermo B. Yeatses and the Love Sonnet of Isaac, Prince Imperial are the best known examples. These will be described more fully in the forthcoming entry on the poetry of the Holy Empire.
Religion
Languages
Geography
Physical Geography
Political Geography
Economy
Football
Overview
in development - following is excerpt from original entry
A hastily cobbled together replacement squad was still allowed to enter World Cup 25, despite but was forced to play its home games in the Archregimancy. While that team acquitted itself surprisingly well, winning 6 of its first nine matches through a near-comical sequence of accidents and odd incidents, a sour taste was left by the final qualifying match when it was revealed that midfielder Jorge Vatatzes had been surreptitiously replaced with Giant Zucchini legend Urk, almost forcing the Holy Empire to forfeit the game at half-time.
Famous Football Figures
Colours
Early Records
to be moved to new Imperial Poetry entry when latter is ready
Just about the only surviving historical record relating to the first phase of the Holy Empire's contact with physical reality (other than the World Cup) regards the victory of the Prince Imperial in an international poetry competition. The original report follows:
THE HOLY EMPIRE TIMES
PRINCE IMPERIAL WINS INTERNATIONAL POETRY COMPETITION!
Basileus said to be proud.
By Theodore Ducaso, Court Correspondent, Alasdairopolis
The Prince Imperial has won the People's Republic of Love Poetry's poetry competition with a love sonnet rather unimaginatively titled Love Sonnet:
I cannot live, though thou might love me not,
Without the sight of thy bright sun-cast face.
And all the crimes of man are long forgot
When I am bound within thy shining grace.
Why dost thou spurn my freely offered hand
And cast aside my heart as if w'out care
When we together might yet see all lands
United as if you shone everywhere.
Without you all is darkness without light
Come with me then, that we might shine anew,
Emboldened by your sun that stands so bright
And bid all other lovers sweet adieu.
Illume my path with love that I might know
The ways that I might see thy beauty grow.
"I don't care if it is the worst title for a sonnet since Shakespeare was
naming his sonnets 'XIV' and 'LIII', I'm still happy to have won the
competition" said the Prince. "Now maybe I can get my beloved Zoe
Carbonopsina to notice me!"
At this point, the Prince threatened to burst into song, and the press conference was abrubtly terminated by a rioting press who remembered all too well the Prince's renditions of his less impressive past efforts such as 'I love her like a cute little lovelorn puppy would', 'Luvvie-wuvvie-fuvvie', and 'You make me go all soft and gooey inside'.
The Basileus is said to be proud of his nephew, and hopes that his victory in the competition will temporarily put a halt to the Prince's moping about over his unrequited affections.
