Macisikan

Macisikan

Flag of Macisikan
Motto: The Covenant Abides
No Map Available Yet
Region	Vårheim
Capital	Arn-Maciska
Official Language(s)	Ka'ani, English, French, Gaelic
Leader	Constantinus VII deMakra
Population	≈6.1 Billion (UIK Only)
Currency	Pan-Imperial Rachma
NS Sunset XML

Synopsis

The United Imperial Kingdoms of Macisikan (UIK) was formally established with the Act Of Union in 2002 (full name is The Act of Unity And Union Between The Seven Kingdoms [2002])

the nation called "Macisikan" (or variants thereof) has existed continuously in one form or another for over five thousand years.

The nation is profoundly neutralist and leans strongly, but erratically, towards isolationism, having been known to abruptly sever all contact with the outside world for years at a time with no apparent reason, and actively discouraging any and all foreign interest in its affairs. The populace tends to be tight-lipped and insular; Macisikani tourists are few and far between, and trade is often conducted by low-level foreign employees. This has made information on the UIK sparse at best, and often unverifiable.

This article was compiled by persons not of Macisikani citizenship, and with only perfunctory assistance from the Macisikani. Therefore we urge you to treat all information presented here with caution, as much of it is based on speculation and/or anecdotes.

Politics: Domestic

The UIK boasts one of the most complicated parliamentary/governing systems in the world, with no separation between the Maciskan Orthodox Church and the State, three houses of Parliament, a quasi-Federal system, and a hereditary monarchy, with a delicate balance of power between them. When the governing system of the Greater Empire, formally known as the Covenant, is factored into the equation, matters are complicated even further; it is known that there are at least twenty nations, each with their own governing system, in the Covenant with the UIK. Despite, or perhaps because, of this, the UIK is also among the world's most politically stable nations; political and civil unrest is literally unheard of.

Beyond the basic information outlined above, very little is known about the particulars of the UIK and Imperial Governments, however, we have here a list of the known officials of Macisikan. The list below is the sum total of officials whose existence is confirmed by verifiable documentary or broadcast evidence. The term "Imperial" here refers to the Covenant; other officials are noted according to their various specific nationalities.

Lord-President of the Covenant 

performs an unknown function within the Imperial System, presumably the leading official of the Covenant. The current Lord-President is Sir Edmund Foxworth, from the Royal Dominion of Akmadar.

An organisation called the "States-General" is known to exist in the Imperial system, and is believed to be the governing body of the Covenant. It is unknown what relation the Lord-President has to that body.

Stateholders 

Always referred to in the plural. Believed to be an office in the Imperial System. The relation to the States-General or the Lord-President is unknown.

Minister for External Affairs 

an office within the UIK system, currently held by Lady Justina Valdir. This individual is the international face of the Empire, however very few non-Macisikani have actually met the woman. The vast majority of communications have taken place electronically.

Minister of State 

performs an unknown function within the UIK system. The current office holder is believed to be a "Duke George McDettya" (only one reference exists).

Bloodlord of Takuliyet 

The head of government of the Empire of Takuliyet. The current Bloodlord is believed to be male.

[Head of State] 

currently an individual called Constantius VII, the actual title of the Head of State is unknown, however he is referred to as "His Most Serene Majesty", and the title "King-Emperor" has been employed more than once.

Secretaries of State 

The various departments of the Imperial Government are called "Secretariats of State" - presumably they are headed by Secretaries of State, who are the leaders of the nation's large and powerful bureaucracy. Only the name of Sir Silvanas Vasard, Secretary of State for Trade, has been verified.

The existence of Junior and Deputy Ministers is suspected, but has not been confirmed. The title of the UIK's head of government (assuming this isn't the same person as the Lord-President) is unknown, as is the identity, appearance, and history of that individual. Rumour has it that the individual is a woman, nicknamed the "Iron Maiden".

Politics: International

Outside of bilateral treaties (mostly non-aggression pacts) and a set of regional treaties, the UIK is not known to be party to any conventions or international agreements. It does not recognise the PDAS, CHDI, UNHDI ranking systems, nor does it recognise the NSUN. Whether the UIK recognises the Geneva Conventions, or the Wolfish Convention on POWs, has never been tested or confirmed.

The UIK is not receptive towards most diplomatic overtures, and the vast majority of requests tend to be coldly but politely rebuffed. At times this has been known to develop into fully-fledged isolationism and hostility.

Despite the UIK's apparent coldness towards outsiders, and reluctance to become involved in international affairs, the Macisikani themselves tend to be quite friendly towards foreigners, once initial suspicion is overcome.

It was originally thought that several smaller nations were politically dependent on the Imperial Government. However, recent information has come to light revealing that these states are a part of the Covenant. The exact details of how this is possible are not published; this tends to highlight a recurring theme of silence on the part of the nation as a whole, especially towards foreigners.

Unfolding out of this is an extremely strict immigration policy; the system is not open to scrutiny from the outside, but it is unbelievably hard for foreigners to get a simple working visa, let along permission to immigrate.

In recent years the Covenant has become steadily more insular, avoiding interaction with new nations; the cause for this remains, like so much else, unknown. A list of nations the Covenant has exchanged Ambassadors with, and therefore has ongoing relations with, is below.

Aztec National League

Farmina

The Federated Klatchian Coast

Granzi

Ilek-Vaad

The Ottoman Khaif

Rotovia

Southeast Asia

Tarlag

ViZion

Wisjersey

Economy

Macisikan's economy is an unusual system; while ostensibly a "free market", it would better be described as "Free, to members of the club". Certain vital industries are either fully or semi-nationalised, and most industries have the government as a major investor. In those areas where there is little or no regulation, the cartels (whose presence has not been confirmed or denied) step in, carefully maintaining their members' respective market shares, and sitting heavily on competition. The net effect is a carefully orchestrated, but massively powerful, economy, designed to provide for the needs of the Covenant as a whole.

Beyond that basic mentality, the Empire's economy is a massive machine, sucking in resources at one end, and producing vast quantities of goods at the other. The Imperials are not picky about the people who they buy from or sell to (except in the case of weaponry and the like); they are prepared to pay with solid currency, and require only that their buyers have equally solid funds. The Covenant imports vast and varied quantities of raw materials, ranging from titanium, tin and wood, to steel, diamonds, silicates, and rubber. Foreign corporations and governments looking to sell raw materials, of any sort, will usually find a willing market in the Covenent, and any nation looking to buy practically any kind of manufactured goods will find them available for sale.

The Imperials are not interested in buying manufactured goods, and do not buy slaves (though they've never objected to the use of slave labour in obtaining the resources).

Defence

If anything the Macisikani are even more closed-mouthed about defence then they are about any other issue. Most nations will disclose military developments, usually in grandiose demonstrations, or in press releases. Many nations will also publicise their defence doctrines, but when queried the UIK Ministry of Defence has simply referred to the Macisikani Official Secrets Act (1798) and stated "no comment".

Consequently, it is not known if the nation possesses nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, their level of alert readiness, the level of training their troops undertake, or even how many soldiers they have. What is known is that foreigners who attempt to uncover such details tend to be found floating face-down in a river, if they are found at all.

It is known that the UIK divides defence into two, not three, spheres of operations, reflecting a different set of operational concerns. The first, containing the traditional Army, Navy, Air Force, wings, is called "Planetary Deployments". The second is labelled "Space Division", and is centred around the Empire's space-navy (the details of which are also classified).

It is suspected, but not verified, that the UIK makes extensive use of mercenaries and privateers; given the sheer number of wars and conflicts in the world, the supply of willing personnel for such groups is literally endless. It would be more surprising if this suspicion were to be proven false, especially given the number of nations in the Covenant.

Miscellany

Human Rights; A word of warning

It should be noted that, despite the UIK's exemplary human rights record, such rights are accorded only to their citizens, or "the recognised citizens of a foreign state, or the recognised citizens of no state". People "without citizenship" are simply ground to dust beneath an uncaring Imperial bureaucracy. Visitors are therefore urged to exercise caution when visiting, and to check to make sure that the Imperials know about your nation's existence.

No-one has actually been told exactly what yardstick the Empire used to create these laws.

The Sticky Subject: Slavery

Slavery is a tricky topic at the best of times across the entire NS world; the Covenant has outlawed the practice within its domain, and imposes a severe penalty for violations. But as with citizenship, no-one actually knows on what basis this has been done. The Empire is known to tolerate the practice in other nations, and has never intervened to destroy it, although it has been mildly critical of those who do practice it. Many amateur scholars of Covenant affairs (for professional ones are few and far between) hold that the Imperials view the practice as "primitive", but there is no evidence for such a position.

Maciskan, Macisikan, Macisikani?

There has been confusion amongst foreigners about the words "Macisikan" "Macisikani" and "Maciskan", and at the request of Macisikan's Ministry of External Affairs, Secretariat of State for Immigration and Tourism, we are including a clarifying article here.

The three words look very similar, but are not the same; the first, "Macisikan", is the name of the nation (both the UIK and the Covenant). The second, "Macisikani", is the adjective and plural; the nation's name with an "i" on the end. For example; "This shirt is Macisikani", "My parents are Macisikani", "They are Macisikani", "He is Macisikani" "There were several Macisikani at the shops", "I met a Macisikani at the shops".

The third word, "Maciskan", is the adjective of "Maciska". Maciska is a region in the very heart of UIK; Arn-Maciska, the capital, is in that region. The only time the word is acceptable to use to refer to something that is pan-Imperial is when referring to the Maciskan Orthodox Church. Using it to refer to anything else will cause the Macisikani (both Covenant and UIK) to smirk and gently correct you; they liken it to referring to every person from the United States as "Texan" or to the US itself as "California".

The primary language is "Ka'ani". It is not spoken outside of Vårheim, unless by Covenant expatriates or Wisjersians (a nation of Vårheim even more insular than the Covenant).

External Links

Official Government Website