Chirondom

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The Catholic British Empire of Chirondom
an1959vo2.gif halexnp4ug5.jpg
National flag Coat of Arms
Motto Hail Chirondom, Hail the Emperor! Hail God!.
Anthem Jerusalem
Capital and largest city de facto Novous Jerusalem
Languages
  - Official
  - Unofficial

English, Latin
Indonesian, Mandarin, Indigenous Australian languages
Government


  - Emperor
  - Regional Rulers
Absolute Monarchy'
Emperor's Children Party


Arthur I (PSC)
Various] (PSC)
Establishment
  - as Colony
  - as dual-monarcy
  - as Empire
  - as a Republic
  - as a revolutionary state
  - as a Second Empire
 
AD 1495
AD 1551
AD ?
AD ?
AD ?
21 November 1845
Population
 - Total (2006)

Over 3 Billion
GDP )
  - Total
  - GDP/capita

USD 79,416,967,168,000.02
$26,543.10
National animal
Lamb
National flower
rose
Currency
International abbreviations
  - Sport
  - Government

CHI
CHI
Internet TLD .ch
Calling code +4
The Catholic British Empire of Chirondom is an absolute monarchy with territories in China, Indonesia, Northern Australia, and Vanuatu. Its current Head of State and Government is Lord Protector James Sanctus, who is ruling in the name of his niece, Heir Apparent, Julia Sanctus. In China, it borders Velorya and Grand Central China to the south, in Australia it borders Kasnyia to the north and Eleytheria-Duo to the west. It has no land borders in Indonesia or Vanuatu. The Empire is bordered and surrounded in various areas by the Pacific Ocean. Chirondom is a predominantly white in ethnicity, followed by Asian and Pacific Islander. It was established as a secret colony of England in 1495. It's mainland eastern territories declared independence in 1536, and it's mainland western territories declared independence in 1554. The Mainland existed as two seperate nations until 1683. In 1845, it was annexed by the Empire of China, and gained independence in the 1900s. It is composed of five semi-autonomous provinces known as regions. Chirondom's economy is a mix of medieval feudalism and Manchester capitalism, and is based mainly on farming exports.

History

Founding

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A statue of Baron John, founder of Chirondom.
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In 1495, King Henry VII of England, in an effort to reassert England into the European political scene, planned an ambitious colonization project. The Kingdom was to send its best and brightest to North America, where it would colonize areas that would later be known as Newfoundland, Quebec, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. The colonization attempt was to take place over a fifty year period, since England did not at the time possess enough resources to colonize the entirety of what the King intended. It was decided that the English would first set up settlements in Quebec.

In July of 1495, the King summoned one of his Barons, John Harlington, as well the Bishop Alfred Westings. He told them both of his plans and made John Harlington the Governor of the future colony. He commissioned four boats (the HMS New World, HMS Rosemary, HMS Centaur, and HMS Shield) for the project. John Harlington managed to recruit 223 men, women, and children for the project, and on December 7th, 1495, they set sail. They carried a good deal of trade goods to negotiate with any natives in the lands to be colonized. A little over a month later, they landed in Greenland. Thinking this to be Newfoundland and, realizing how unhospitable Greenland was, set sail again, deciding to settle farther south. When they set sail, they were blown far North by the wind, and forced to go literally over Canada. As the land that far north was really too cold to camp in and the wind stopped the ships from turning back, the colonists continued over it.

Once they have traversed Canada, the battered colonists decided to turn south and go under South America to return to England. However, they miscaculated their journey and continued to the south west, not to the south. They landed in an area north of what is now known as Shanghai in June. This area is now known as part of the Chiron sector of Ruler's Isles. The colonists quickly began building a settlement. The native Chinese in the area, who were primarily farmers, didn't seem particularly worried about the European settlement, so long as the colonists left the natives alone.

Zhu Youtang (the Ming Emperor of China, better known as the Hongzhi Emperor during his reign), being a peace loving ruler, did not wish to war with the colonists. After sending messengers to John Harlington, a deal for a small bit of land in exchange for the trading goods that the colonists had brought with them, as well as a continous supply of such items from England for a few years. A message was sent to the English with Chinese trading ships, and King Henry agreed to the deal.

John Harlington was declared the Baron of the new colony. Though, in regnal numbering he is considered a King, he never possessed the title in his lifetime. Harlington decided to call the new colony "Chirondom", taking the first three letters of the host nation and adding in the name of his father, Ron Harlington, and then "dom". He changed his last name to "Chiron". Alfred Westings was made the Bishop of this new land.

In May, 1497, Baron John married the sister of Bishop Westings, Isabella. He had three children, Matthew, William, and Elizabeth.

Civil War

Baron John died in 1512. He was suceeded by his son, Matthew. Matthew married and had two sons in 1515 (Matthew and William). Baron Matthew lived in peace with the Chinese and in good standing with the motherland until 1525, when he died of unknown causes. The eldest of his sons, Matthew, became the third Baron of Chirondom.

In 1533, word began coming from England that the King, Henry VIII, had attempted to annul his marriage to his wife, Katherine of Aragon, but had faced opposition from Rome. The King had nonetheless gone through with marrying another English woman, named Anne Boleyn, and had thus been excommunicated. Parliament was also beginning to erode the power of the Roman Catholic Church in England. The young Matthew, raised as a devout Catholic, was shocked and stunned by this news, and sent the King a letter expressing his dismay. He did not get a reply.

In 1536, orders came from England explaining that the Kingdom had completely split with the Roman Catholic Church and declaring that Baron Matthew must recognize Henry VIII as Supreme Head of the Church of England. Matthew refused and declared Chirondom an independent Christian Kingdom, and began styling himself His Majesty, King Matthew II of the Chirons.

William Chiron, Matthew's brother, being more loyal to the Kingdom of England than the Catholic Church, sent word to England that he wished to regain control of the wayward colony. With money provided from the Kingdom, he purchased lands to the west from the Chinese and declared himself Baron of Chirondom. The lands purchased are known as the modern day Lord's Country and Royal Chirondom regions of Chirondom. The civil war broke out on January 11th, 1537. The Emperor of China, Zhu Houcong, or the Jiajing Emperor, caring more for personal gratification than his Empire, did not intervene.

The war lasted fourteen years. Not until 1551 did one of the sides (called West and East Chirondom) seemed to gain an edge. In October of that year, the West Chirons pressed into New London, where King Matthew was staying. Baron William of the West personally led the attack, thinking the East Chirons on their last legs. The residence of King Matthew was burnt to the ground and Matthew died inside. The West Chirons took the city on October 27th. Baron WIlliam planned to declare victory the next day, but never got the chance: the survivng East Chirons rallied outside the city, under the leadership of the newly crowned King Matthew II Chiron of all Chirondom, the son of King Matthew I. A hundred men attacked the city that was held by five hundred West Chirons. The East Chirons came in at dusk of October 28th and made a series of surprise attacks against the West Chirons, killing several generals, including Baron William.

William's son, also named William, was not interested in a continuation of the war. The English no longer expressed much of an interest in keeping the colony, and King Edward VI of England had been discouraged from keeping the colony by his advisors. He sent a messenger to Matthew II about a possible peace. Baron William and King Matthew II met in New London on November 7th. In New London, a division of territory was agreed upon, wheras William would be the Baron of the areas to the west that had been purchased by his father, also known as West Chirondom, and Matthew II the rest, known as East Chirondom. A relative peace would last between West Chirondom and East Chirondom until 1681.

The Long Peace

In 1553, Catholic Mary I of England ascended to the throne. She did not have an interest in the upkeep of an Asian Protestant colony, nor did she wish to reassert England's superiorty over the Catholic East Chirons. She sent a message to Baron William on March 12th 1554, declaring that West Chirondom was now independent. When William recieved the message in late April, he declared himself King William II of all West Chirondom, and founded the Western Chiron Established Church.

The reign of William II marked economic prosperity for West Chirondom. The existentance of the former Chiron colony had become an open secret during the reign of Mary I. Many English Protestants who were persecuted under the reign of Mary made risky voyages to West Chirondom to escape the Queen. The population of West Chirondom nearly doubled. East Chirondom under Matthew III, on the other hand, suffered economically. The Kingdom had suffered greatly during the war with West Chirondom. The Longqing Emperor of China had ordered the border between Chirondom and China patrolled, hurting Chirondom's trade with China. Being independent, East Chirondom also couldn't expect any help from England.

East Chirondom continued to detoriate economically as West Chirondom prospered. The institution of Protestant Elizabeth Tudor as Queen of England in 1558 reopened trade with England for the West. The East tried to establish trade with major Catholic powers in Europe, such as Spain, and while they suceeded in such an establishment, they continued to suffer economically. The East seemed likely to attempt to merge back into the West until 1582, when the Wanli Emperor of China decided to restore Chinese rule to Chirondom.

The Wanli Emperor sent an expedition force of about 1,500 men to Chirondom in early 1582. Kings William II and Matthew III entered into a formal alliance against the Chinese forces. They raised a combined force of 1,000 men to combat the Chinese. The Chinese attacked West Chiron settlements close to the border, such as Crossbourgh. The Chiron army made its way to Crossbourgh in February 1582. The Chirons, instead of entering the city, flanked the settlement and surrounded the Chinese, to contain them in Crossbourgh. This battle would become known as the Siege of Crossbourgh.

The siege lasted until late July. The Emperor of China did not send additional forces to support the Chiron invasion, as he was facing other problems in other parts of the Empire. In July, the Chinese surrendered and agreed to leave Chiron territory. They did so, and the Chiron army took a temporary position in Crossbourgh. The Chinese returned in early August and stormed Crossbourgh. However, within a week the Chirons had slaughtered the numerically superior Chinese army and forced out the survivors.

Following the rout of the Chinese army, the Chirons pushed into Chinese territory to the west and to the south, into what is now the region of West Chirondom and the Sector of North Chironshire. The Chirons forced the Chinese into embarrassing terms in exchange for the return of the lands to the west, but kept North Chironshire. It was at the time called Chironshire, the eastern half being given to the East Chirondoms and vice versa.

From the brief war against China on, West and East Chirondom existed side by side on the world stage. The two Kingdoms were locked in friendship, and they both economically prospered. Both Kingdoms peacefully co-existed with the China as the Manchu Qing Dynasty replaced the Ming Dynasty. Intermarriages occured between the Chiron noble families, and, in 1644, Protestant King Alfred I of West Chirondom ascended to the throne of East Chirondom. King Alfred's mother, Queen-Consort Matilda of West Chirondom had been the sister of King Jeremiah II of East Chirondom, and when Jeremiah died with no children, Alfred was his closest male relative. Alfred ruled all of Chirondom in a personal union, but did not merge them. Instead, he willed West Chirondom to his eldest son, Lucas, and to his younger son, Jeremiah, he willed East Chirondom. Both of the children were raised as Protestants.

In 1655, When King Alfred I died at the age of 61, both his sons inherited their respective Kingdom. An intense rivalry developed between the two nations, with Eastern and Western nationalism playing a huge factor. The two nation's Churches saw the other as a heretical institution. King Jeremiah III of East Chirondom converted to Catholicism to gain more support among his people in 1656. He raised his children, including his eldest son, the future King Elliot I (born in 1660), as Catholics as well. King Lucas I, on the other hand, remained fiercly Protestant, and, likewise, raised his only child, the future King Lucas II (born 1661) Protestant.

Government and Politics

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The Lord Protector of Chirondom, James Sanctus
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The Chiron Empire is an absolute monarchy ruled by an Emperor or Empress. The Emperor or Empress holds chief executive power and is the head of government. The monarch also has the power to appoint local government. The Emperor or Empress is usually the oldest living offspring of the former Emperor or Empress, but it is also legal for siblings, spouses, parents, uncles and aunts, or cousins to take power (in that order) if living offspring (or grand, great, etc.-children) are not available.

Chiron monarchs are not crowned until they leave their minority. If a Chiron monarch-to-be is in their minority, a Lord Protector, usually chosen from the monarch's relatives, assumes the duties of the monarchy. In cases when the monarch is not in his/her minority but cannot assume their duties for a permeneant or temporary period, an Imperator Regent takes their duties over.

The Genesian Catholic Church once had extreme judical and executive power in Chirondom, having the right to try citizens. The Church also directly governed certain areas of the Empire. However, because of the Common Slaughter, after which the Church fell out of favor, the Empire has largely secularized, and any role in government played by the Church is largely ceremonial, if existent at all.

The Empire is divided into smaller Kingdoms and Duchys (called regions). The rulers of these regions have the ability to tax and govern their subjects as they see fit, as long as they do not interfere with the Emperor's policies. Each region is not allowed to raise an army or navy of its own. There are five regions of Chirondom. Mainland Chirondom is controlled directly by the Emperor, while West Chirondom is ruled by a "King Governor". The Kingdom of St. Katherine and Larrimah, an Australian territory, is always ruled ruled by one of the relatives of the Emperor or Empress. Vanuta is. The Protecterate of Indonesia is directly controlled by the Emperor, who has the title of Protector.

Locally, the government is more complex. In each sector of Chirondom (which is a division unto the smaller Kingdoms and Duchys that make up the Empire), a Duke is decided upon by the ruler of the region (for example, the King Governor of West Chirondom may appoint a Duke for a sector in West Chirondom). The region ruler may also allow the Duke to be elected by the citizens of his sector. The Duke serves for twelve years, at which point the region ruler can decide whether to allow the Duke to continue to rule, to appoint another one, or hold an election. The Duke may draft legislature for his Sector, although these can be overuled by the ruler of the Region. The Duke then may decide upon Lord Mayors and Counts for large cities and smaller towns, respectively. The process is similar to the appointment of Dukes, except Lord Mayors and Counts have an eight year term.

There is no current monarch of Chirondom. It is expected the sister of the former Emperor Arthur, Duchess Julia Sanctus of Vanuatu will take the throne once she leaves her minority. However, it is also predicted that members of other prominent families in Chirondom, such as the Ren family who currently control West Chirondom, may make a bid for the throne. Until a monarch is crowned, the King of St. Katherine and Larrimah, James Sanctus, will serve as Lord Protector.

Law and Services

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A pie graph of Chiron spending
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Crime and the Judical System

Due to a well funded police force, succesful crime is rare in Chirondom. Criminals are almost always caught and apprehended by the police. The police are heavily armed. Many criminals are killed before they can be apprehended because of this fact.

There are three levels of jurisdiction in Chirondom: Imperial, Regional, and Sectorial. As the names would suggest, Imperial Laws are universal, Regional Laws are specific to a Region, and Sectorial Laws are specific to a Sector. Imperial Law is based on the civil law system. Judges are appointed by the Emperor. Regional Law may be based on civil or common law, depending upon the decision of the ruler of the Region. In St. Katherine and Larrimah as well as Vanuatu there is a common law system in place, but in Indonesia and West Chirondom there is civil law. Mainland Chirondom has no Regional Law but instead only has Imperial Law and Sectorial Law. Regional judges, instead of being appointed by the rulers of the Region, are appointed by the Imperial Office for Judical Appointments. Sectorial Law may be based on Common or Civil Law depending upon the decisions of the Duke, and judges are also appointed by the Imperial Office for Judical Appointment.

Juries are chosen at random from among the population of the Empire. For all trials, twelve jurors are selected, except in cases when the Emperor or Empress decides to try an individual at the Pleasure of the Imperium, meaning that the monarch may personally be the persons judge and jury, or that the monarch may create a tribunal. This ability is rarely used except at military trials, where trials are almost always at the Pleasure of the Imperium (with tribunals).

Capital Punishment can be used in Chirondom for the crimes of treason and murder. Chiron Imperial Law forbids torture and other forms of cruel and unusual punishment. Convicted criminals usually are sent to a correctional facility to serve out their sentences, or in times of war, put in the front lines.

Education

The Chiron education system is drastically underfunded. With a small 1% of the Chiron budget, the Chiron Ministry of Education focuses almost exclusively on vouchers and student loans. There are no public schools in Chirondom. The rich (usually in the nobility) as well with parents with gifted children often send their children to expensive secular privately owned school, such as the St. John Primary School in Hufei. For the poor and middle class, vouchers to pay for less expensive (and less educationally rigorous) private schools. There are also many monasteries that function as schools. These monasteries, however, have declined after the Common Slaughter, because they are mainly Genesian. Colognian monasteries also exist, however, and in recent years have flourished. These schools are usually free or relatively cheap. These monasteries teach basic maths, grammar, history, and job skills. Monasteries also often offer clergy training for those who wish to become Priests, Monks, or Nuns.

Home schooling is common among families in which the mother does not work (which are common in Chirondom). The standards of said education vary from household to household, with some home teachers teaching their children inaccurate information. Occassionally a mother from one household will assemble a class of children from her neighborhood. This is rare but not unheard of.

College is rare in all classes except the nobility. Chiron universities generally have high quality of schooling that is regionally recognized. Those who go to college who are not members of the nobilty usually are people that score extremely high in the Chiron Imperial College Admission Test (ICA, a nationally standardized test), who thus qualify for student loans from the government or scholarships.

Imperial Law requires that all children recieve some sort of education from ages 6-18. However, about 2% of the population have recieved no formal schooling.

Welfare

Unlike education, the Chiron Ministry of Welfare and Child Services is fairly well funded, and is rated the 3rd most comprehensive in Asia, according to several international sources. The government provides a monthly paycheck at taxpayer's expense to those who are out of work (for a period not to exceed five years) or cannot work for mental or physical reasons (indefinantly). In cases when parents have exhausted these payments and have no means to take care of their children, the government places the children in foster care, or, with both parents' permission, puts them up for adoption. The government may also place abused children in foster care.

Conversly, the government does not fund any form of healthcare whatsoever. Medical insurance is common among the middle and upper class (particularly the nobility). However, the poor generally have no acess to medical care. They will often go to church to pray for salvation from their illness, believing that God will cure them of their sicknesses.

Demographics

Population

Chirondom has a population of over 3,500,000,000. Of this three and a half billion, about 50% live in Chinese Chirondom (West Chirondom and the Mainland). For every female born in the Empire, 1.125 males are born. The average life expectency of a Chiron is 70 for males and 73 for females.

Race and Background

Racial Statistics
White 35.95%
Asian 33.05%
Pacific Islander) 12%
Black (African 11%
Other 8%

The majority, about 36% of the population of Chirondom is White European. Most of the white citizens of Chirondom are ethnically British or ethnically from the British Isles. The second largest group of White European is Italian, followed by German. There are a few Spaniards in Chirondom as well. After White European, the largest race of Chirondom is Asian (with about 33% of the population) which is dominated by the Chinese. Asian is followed by Pacific Islander and Black African, then followed by small groups of Hispanics and other minorities. Source: Chiron Reference and Census Document VI

Racism is strictly illegal in Chirondom, and is punishable with a fine. However, many of the white aristrocrats hold racist views towards Asians, often calling them "Indies", a derogatory term derived from the name Indonesia. These feelings are almost always only shared among other aristrocrats, however, do of course to racial law.

The poorer areas of Chirondom are suprisingly quite free of racism. This is most likely due to the strong influence of the Genesian Catholic Church among the poor, which strongly teaches that racism is a great sin. Poorer areas are generally racially integrated, except in Indonesia, where they are almost exclusively Asian. Indonesians tend to have a resentment towards whites, as they are considered to be the plunderers of the territory by the natives.

West Chirondom, which has the highest Asian population in the Chiron Empire, has a generally friendly view towards the white culture of the East. It is seen as a strange, yet benevolent force and is generally misunderstood by the inhabitants of West Chirondom. However, among the upper class (especially the nobility) there is a deep contempt for the influence of European culture and a hate for whites, blacks, and other non-Asians.

Smaller minorities (ie blacks, hispanics, arabs, etc.) are generally treated by whites the same as Asians are treated or as Asians would treat whites.

Language

English is the official language of Chirondom. It is taught as the primary language in most schools, and all government documents are written in it. All prospective immigrants to the Chiron Empire must demonstrate their profiency in English to gain entrance into the Empire. The English dialect of Chirondom is specifically British English, and most Chirons speak it with a British accent.

Religion

For years, the only legal religion in most of Chirondom was Genesian Catholicism. Until the Common Slaughter, about 96% of the population publically practiced it. It should be noted that it is estimated that at least 5% of the population was publically Catholic while holding different personal beliefs. The other 4% mainly believed in the "Three Eastern Faiths", as the government called them, which were the faiths of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism, which the government allowed in West Chirondom. The Genesian Catholic Church had the right to try and punish "heretics" and had great social influence. For example, the Chiron military (the Legion of Christ, discussed later in this article) swore allegiance to the Pope above the Emperor. Opus Dei, a Genesian Catholic extremist group, was founded in Chirondom by a member of the royal family.

After the Common Slaughter, in which three million people were killed by the Inquisition and Opus Dei to insure orthodoxy among the Chirons, the Colognian Catholic Church gained prominence. The Chiron population, distraught by the Common Slaughter, quickly flocked to the new Church. While, to this day the Genesian Church is the de jure state religion of Chirondom, the Church has de facto no influence in the government or among the populace. Today, it is estimated that about 70% of the Chiron population is Colognian, 10% is Genesian, 5% is "Other Christian", and 15% is other.

Religion, before and after the Common Slaughter, has been a guiding force in the lives of Chirons. Atheism is extremely rare. Most citizens attend Church or their religion's equivilant regularly and turn to religion for guidance in matters social and financial. The government, before the Common Slaughter, spent an exhobirant amount of their budget (30%) on the Genesian Catholic Church. Today, this money is gradually being spread to other areas of the Chiron budget, but, in the meanwhile, it is spent to establish Churches and other religious institutions throughout Chirondom.

Culture

Architecture

While attempts have been made to westernize Chirondom's architecture, it still is strongly Chinese. Most of older architecture is Buddhist styled. This older architecture has been spurned by the government as anti-Catholic and pagan. Much to the chagrin of native Chinese, many attempts at demolishing as many of the older Chinese buildings as possible have been made by the local government.

Newer buildings (ie those made after the British colonization) have a more western look about them and are generally more modern than Chinese architecture. Mainland Chirondom has the biggest concentration of westernized buildings in Chinese Chirondom.

Australian Chirondom, already having been colonized by the British before the Chiron annexation, is (in the urban areas) much more westernized with normal British buildings across the board.

Indonesian architecture is Chinese and Indian in nature. As Indonesia is a newer addition to Chiron territory westernization of said province's architecture is slower. Vanuata is in a similar situation.

Cuisine

A combination of British and Chinese dishes pervades throughout Chirondom (including the parts of the Empire outside of China). It is one of the least segregated aspect of Chiron culture, with dishes being mixed throughout the Empire. Chiron meals are almost always served with meat as a side or main course. This meat can be made into a traditional English dish, such as pork pie or bangers and mash. Rice is often served alongside meals as well. Meals often contain vegatables, although vegetanariasm is rare.

Chopsticks are rarely used, being ruled unpractical by western culture. Knives and forks have slowly forced themselves into the dining room of Chirondom, despite the traditional Chinese resistance of use of those utensils, as they were considered barbaric weapons in China. However, the Chinese tradition of not drinking cold drinks with hot food (as it is considered harmful to digestion) has become common in even the most British of kitchens.

Desserts generally consist of English style pies and cakes. However, among those who desire healthier food, the Chinese custom of eating fruit or drinking soup after a meal is also common.

As the mixing of different culture's foods is considered an artform in Chirondom, ethnic dishes from less common minorities are welcome into the kitchen. Italian pastas are a welcome addition to the dining room. Cuisine from the smaller provinces across Chirondom (Indonesia, Vanuata, etc.) is also common.

Morality

Chirondom, being founded by Englishmen, is culturally a blend of British and native Asian culture. Particularly among the rich in the countrysides, Victorian style morality is strictly enforced. Any of the upper class seen by their peers acting in a way that would hint at sexual affection is usually publically shunned. A majority of the upper class is made up of whites, and thus Asian culture rarely penetrates said social circles. However, behind closed doors affairs are common among the rich.

In richer Asian circles, sexual morality is also upheld; however, it is more oriented towards mating within your own race than being sexually chaste.

Among the poor throughout Chirondom, sexual morality varies. The poorer women will occassionally become prostitutes and pre-marital sex is somewhat common. However, many of the poor have stricter sexual morals than the rich because of the large influence of the Genesian Church upon them. Extra-marital affairs are much rarer than pre-marital affairs.

The middle class has an extremely varied view towards sexual morality. In some urban centers sexual promiscuity is seen as a fact of life but in others it is seen as a grave sin. Victorian morality pervades the capital, Novous Jerusalem, and the area surrounding, whilst in, for example, Indonesia, morality is nigh meaningless.

Sport

As Chirondom has exported British culture into Asia, the majority of sports played in the Empire are British in origin. Golf, football, and rugby are all popular, with cricket and other sports being less so. Chinese Martial Arts (though not exclusively used in a sporting manner) are also popular in Mainland and West Chirondom, despite attempts by the government to discredit them as un-Christian.

The most popular sport in all of Chirondom is football. It is played by a majority of physically capable Chirons. Chiron international teams are known for their prowess in the sport, coming in second place in the World Cup in the Amish Children. Football leagues are common throughout every corner of the Empire, with members ranging from young children to middle age laborers. Proffessional football teams pull in millions of Lord Pieces each year.

Golf (originating in Scotland, from which a fair number of white Chirons originate) is also popular, particularly among the rich. However, golf courses are hard to build in Mainland and West Chirondom, do to the geography of the area, so the sport is most popular in Australian Chirondom. It is common for the wealthier Chirons from the Mainland or West Chirondom to go to Australia with their family simply to play a round of golf in the territory's many courses. Golfing has become synonymous with wealth and prestige in Chirondom, with it being seen by the lower class as elitist. Golf tournaments and the like are rarely televised as they are disliked as spectator sports.

Rugby, while not as popular as football in the street, is more popular as a spectator sport. There is an obsesssion with the sport in the national concience. The sport is associated with the military, as the military televises matches of the Chiron Heroes Rugby Team, which is made up of members of the Legion of Christ.

Military

The Military of Chirondom is known in its entirety as the Legion of Christ, a title bestowed upon it by Emperor John II. It has about four million infantry members and a sizable navy and airforce. It is under the direct command of the Emperor of Chirondom, although those who join the Legion swear a vow to the Pope before the Emperor, so the Legion's first loyalty is to the Church, above homeland.

Imperial British Guard

The Imperial British Guard is similar to the national guard of most nations. Males between the ages of 18-25 are conscripted into four years duty into the Imperial British Guard. The Guard does not normally serve overseas-their mandate is to protect the homeland of Chirondom. The Imperial British Guard's ranks number 917,000. They are divided into ten divisions, each division defending another part of the Empire.

The Ruling House

The House of Sanctus

National Anthem

Jerusalem, by William Blake, adapted by Emperor Matthew IV

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon Chirondom's mountains green
And was the holy lamb of God
On Chirondom's pleasant pastures seen

And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among those dark Satanic mills

Bring me my bow of flaming gold
Bring me my arrows of God
Bring me my spears o'clouds unfold
Bring me my chariot of fire

I will not cease from mental fight
Nor shall my sword sleep in hand
'Til we have built Jerusalem
In Chirondom's green and pleasant land!