Difference between revisions of "Roania"

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{{Infobox_Nation |
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{{FAC}}
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flag= http://www.nationstates.net/images/flags/uploads/roania.jpg |
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{| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=340 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
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region=[[Fatal Terrain]] |
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|+<big><big>'''The Divine Imperium of Roania'''<br>
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motto= '''Amor Patriae Nostra Lex''' (''Love of the Fatherland is our only law'')|
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</big></big>
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map= [http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/Roania/NovarOhan.bmp]|
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| align="center" colspan="2"|
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language= Russian/French |
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{| border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 style="background:#f9f9f9; text-align:center;"
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capital= The Holy City of [[Tarnaqin]] |
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|
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population= 4.4 billion |
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|-
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currency= Imperial Mark |
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| align=center colspan=2 | <small>''Post Tenebras Lux'' (After the Darkness Comes the Light)
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leader= HDIM Tsar Adrik Alexei Chyornyev
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|}
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}}
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|-
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| align=center colspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;" | __TOC__
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|-
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| align=center colspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;" | http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/Roania/future-city.jpg<br>
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|-
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|'''Official Languages''' || <br>[[English]] (Galstandard), High Roanian
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|-
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|'''[[Wikipedia:Capital|Capital]]''' || Imperial City ([[Tarnaqin]]))
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|-
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|'''Flag''' || http://www.nationstates.net/images/flags/uploads/roania.jpg
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|-
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|'''Head of State''' || His Divine Illuminated Imperial Majesty Lord-Emperor Cassander Drakharn
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|-
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|'''ArchChancellor''' || Nicholas Darquis
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|-
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|'''Leader of His Divine Illuminated Imperial Majesty's Loyal Opposition''' || Celeste Laurens (Church Democratic Party)
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|-
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|'''Area''' <br>&nbsp;- Land <br>&nbsp;- Water <br>&nbsp;- Empire
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| <br>300,800,921 km²<br>175,596,006 km² <br> 200 lightyears
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|-
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|'''[[Population]]'''
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| <br>7 Billion +<br>
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|-
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|'''Establishment'''<br>&nbsp;- Unification of Altecrast (earliest nondisputed date in Roanian History)<br>&nbsp;- Colonisation of Rudan Prime<br>&nbsp;- End of Empire of the Twin Lamps<br>&nbsp;- Rudan Prime as independent Republic<br>&nbsp;- Rudanii Empire of Shadow<br>&nbsp;- as Divine Imperium of Roania<br>&nbsp;- Present Day
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|&nbsp;<br><br>CE 1700<br><br>CE 1800<br><br>CE 1922<br><br>CE 1922<br><br>CE 2440<br><br>IR 1 (CE 3350)<br><br>IR 2850 (CE 6200)
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|-
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|'''Government type'''
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|Oligarchy
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|-
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|'''Nation type'''
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|Aristocracy
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|-
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|'''National animal'''
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|Roanian Drake
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|-
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|'''[[Currency]]'''<br>&nbsp;- Exchange rate || 1 '''[[Imperial Mark]]'''<br>= US$1.7
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|-
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|'''National Charter of Rights''' || ''Charter of the Divine Imperium''
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|-
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| '''International Abbreviations''' <br>&nbsp;- government
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| <br>DIR <BR>DIG
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|-
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| '''Internet [[TLD]]''' || .dru
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|-
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|}
  
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The Empire of Roania (proper name: ''The Divine Imperium of Novar Ohan and the Sunset Isles'') is an imperialist nation coextensive with the entire continent of Novar Ohan in the Northern Pacific. It was founded first by Russian, and later by French, colonists fleeing from internal struggle.
 
  
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A rather introverted and defensive nation, the country consists of 5 States ([[Roan]], [[Agua]], [[Arquis]], [[Altara]] and the [[Sunset Isles]]), several territories ((Divine Imperial East Africa, the Red Sea States, the Micronesian Federation, and the [[Divine Imperial Western Territories]], as well as the Capitol, the Most Holy City of [[Tarnaqin]])), and two [[Free Cities]] ((Novaya Archangelsk and White Harbour)).
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The Divine Imperium of Roania (More properly, the Divine Illuminated Imperium) is an ancient and highly advanced extrasolar empire, home to several races (The Roanians thesmelves being the most prominent). The home system is Rudan, which is a class-M star on the Norma-arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. A moderate empire extends away from Rudan towards the galactic north-west, away from Sol. Much of its early history remains shrouded in mystery to humans, as the Roanians do not believe in speaking of their own past except when it appears relevant to the situation at hand.
  
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Its metropolitan territory spans across the entire North Pacific. The Continent of Novar Ohan is bounded on the south by the Pacific, on the east by the [[Western Marches]] (locally known as the White Sea), to the west by the straits of Tolemsky, and to the north by the Arctic Ocean. Its closest neighbour is the Republic of [[Iansisle]]. The Archipelago of the United Sunsets (to give it its full name) and their companion group, the Isles of Sleep, lie to the south and east of Novar Ohan.
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What is known is that the Roanians once lived in a Republic, with a President and a single parliamentary body (only three presidents are known to modern Roanian historians, but current discoveries might increase knowledge of the past), until ShadowLord Merrech led a magocratic coup and founding what he called the Empire of Shadow. Eventually Lord-General Joseph Black overthrew the ArchMage and united the Divine Imperium, with his colleague the War-Priest Asriel founding one of the most powerful state religions in the galaxy, the [[Imperial Church of the Light.]]
  
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The original Roanian home system was Altecrast, a fact which the Roanians recently established to their own satisfaction (The Shadowlords had a policy of 'cultural renewal', and Alexander I, who resettled Altecrast, wanted to be famous as an explorer, not as someone who used maps that were already there). This [[Empire of the Twin Lamps]] is almost completely unknown now, though the Roanians are hunting the wilds of Altecrast for more information. It can only be hoped that some margin of this would be shared with galactic historians in Sol and elsewhere, though the Roanians are an intensely private race, as said.
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== People of the Divine Imperium ==
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''See Article: [[Roanians]]''
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''See: [[Roanian Allied Races]]''
  
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== People of Novar Ohan ==
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The [[Roanians]] are now firmly established, despite their best attempts to hide their origin, as an independently evolved species, with roots neither in [[Humans]] or [[elves]]. The Roanians are, in so far as terran nomenclature can be applied to non-terran lifeforms, tentatively called Lucis Angelus. The Divine Imperium is also home to a number of elves, migrants from Terra or places even stranger, though the Roanians have on occasion treated them with either contempt or extreme violence.
  
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The Divine Imperium is a land of contrasts, not least amongst its people. There is an entire world's worth of difference between His Divine Illuminated Majesty Tsar Adrik Alexei Adrian [[Rulers of Novar Ohan|Chyornyev]] and the average Altaran farmer, or indeed that same farmer and a tribesman in the jungles.
 
  
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=== Generalisations ===
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==== Entertainment ====
  
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Broadly, the key fixation of many citizens of the most blessed Empire is with order. Many centuries of long aristocratic tradition and close cultural ties with the Confucianist states of the East (evidence of this includes the existence of a large Chinese community in the state of Altara) have affected the society of Novar Ohan in that there exists in many places a very united society in terms of cultural and social morès.
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On the whole, Roanians tend to avoid many of the extremes that mark other 'decadent' nations such as [[Der Angst]] and [[Pilon]]. While somewhat open about sensuality, nevertheless they feel that such matters are a purely private matter and should not be displayed too openly. Instead, Roanians on the whole have more traditional tastes in their public entertainment, such as sports and films. Privately, a Roanian might choose to watch his holovision, read from his library, or listen to music.
  
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This great cultural equality is at its lowest in Arquis, where the lords and commons live almost in parallel worlds to one another; and at its highest in Altara, where the [[War of the Shattered Imperium| Shattering]] effectively eliminated the vast majority of the population, with especial attention paid by Death to the ranks of the nobility.
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When it comes to sports the Roanians have what could be termed unusual tastes, preferring gladiatorial sports to team affairs. Fencing is a popular spectator sport, and it has more in common with the rapier and shortsword duels of the Medieval Dominion than with that generally practiced now.  
  
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The culture itself has been described as a mixture of Tsarist Russia and pre-revolutionary France. To the Roanians, (to speak vulgarly, as we are forced to do for lack of any uniting word for the entirety of the Imperium's citizenry) though, such a comparison would seem both an insult and a sign of a diseased mind. The Divine Imperium is, for all its faults, a fully democratic society, despite the existence of a mass of meddling nobles and monarchs. Over the past half century, more and more of the nobility have stopped interfering in matters within their territories, seeming content to let the people govern themselves so long as entertainment, profit, and food keep coming.
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One of the more disturbing traits of the Roanians is their love of pain. Roanians share a shocking similarity to the 'elves' of old European folklore, the 'faerie' people, in that they hurt and kill for the sake of hurting and killing. Roanians in the past were known to depopulate entire worlds in the name of these savage lusts, though over the past centuries of contact they have slowly reached what might be termed 'the point of tolerance', where they can accept that other sentients do not exist just for their amusement and other sentients can start to accept that the Roanian in the room might not be thinking of a variety of ways to kill them.
  
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Unless something interesting happens. Or their local elected official (Mayor, Lord Mayor, Premier, Lord Chancellor) acts rude. Or they get bored. Or feel like doing something. Apart from those instances, the elected officials are left free to run the country. More of this later.
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Roanians still torture animals for fun, and are perhaps unique in never truly developing a taste for 'pets', though they find it relatively easy to domesticate animals. Needless to say, animal rights activism has never been a force at any level of imperial society, and that's unlikely to change as the more prominent allied races (the Salamandri and Felinoids) are both also fans of the sadistic treatment of lesser creatures.
  
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There are certain similarities between the DIR and the aforementioned nations, though. Firstly, religion is an integral part of society. The [[Church of Novar Ohan]] is, despite repeated demands for reform from the Vatican and its officers, one of the largest landowners in the Imperium, controlling almost 5% of the territory (which might not sound over large. However, if that territory was brought together it would roughly cover France from the Pyreenes to the English Channel, with the addition of the Rhineland). This Church is the great column of Roanian internal society, maintaining stability and unity in troubled times. In recognition of this fact its Archbishops (One for each historical Duchy) and Patriarch (Currently His Beatitude [[Dionysius|Patriarchs of Novar Ohan]] always are welcome to address the House of Nobles, despite repeated protests by Papal Nuncios for the practice to halt.
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==== Names ====
  
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Even for those who, for one reason or another, decline to be part of the Official Church (including the roughly 20% of the population who schismed into the Aguan Orthodox Church in 1825), religion remains a vital part of life. It soothes the pain of labour and the hurt of war, and keeps the people reasonably content. After the excesses of the Order of Saint Michael (or Holy Imperial Inquisition for the Purity of the Faith) were wound down in the reign of Tsarina Malissa, freedom of worship was extended to all (though hardliners, led by the Archbishop of Arquis, continue to struggle against this, threatening a further schism.)
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The top 5 names for Roanian boys born over the past 30 years have been:
  
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On a further general note, education is guaranteed and mandated for all up to the tenth year of schooling, with further education open to those who can pass moderately difficult competitive testing. Education, however, means something completely different for most Roanians than it does for outsiders. A heavy focus is laid on practical skills and functional education, with little time being spent on interpretation or critical thinking in the years of  compulsory schooling. Post-modernist topics are unwelcome in any of the institutions of higher learning within the Divine Imperium.
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#Raphael
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#Aeron
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#Michael
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#Cassander (and derivatives)
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#Joseph
  
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For more information, which would probably be better placed in those sections anyway, go to the seperate pages of the states (when information is added).
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The top three names for Roanian girls born over the past 30 years have been:
  
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=== Religion ===
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#Ailis (Blessed of the Light; This vowel sound features in some way in the full name of every Roanian woman: Alysandra, Malissa, Ailisa, Eilasa. It will be either in the first name or, less frequently, in the second)
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#Rebecca
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#Danae
  
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Spirituality is a major part of the Divine Imperium's culture.
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=== Allied Races ===
  
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==== The Catholic Church of Novar Ohan ====
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The Imperium spans 12 systems, and has within its boundaries 5 other intelligent lifeforms. For the most part these are primitives, at black powder level or below, and not considered part of the Imperium excepting that they live on planets the Imperium has claimed. However, for approximately 2000 years the Roanians had been selecting and capturing members of the various races and taking them home to Rudan Prime to work as slaves.
  
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As mentioned above, the religion of the majority of the population is an affiliate of the Catholic Church of Novar Ohan or its schismed association, the Aguan Orthodox Church. It is the Catholic Church that concerns us primarily here, as it is the most powerful politically and socially. Headed by the aforementioned Patriarch, the church is split drastically on regional grounds. The Patriarch is the Bishop of Tarnaqin, and he holds that position either for life or until his underlings decide he's become senile and he's convinced to move aside.
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Recently, under Cassander Drakharn, the last remaining slaves (in reality, a minority of all Xenos on the planet) have been emancipated. The second largest racial group in the Imperium became overnight the Salamandros --a race of reptilian sapiens similar to the [[Sakkra]]ns. Out of a total population of 7 billion, roughly 800 million are 'non-Roanian citizens of the Divine Imperium'. Of that population, nearly 200 million are Salamandri. There are also felinomorphs, silicon lifeforms, and a variety of other unusual creatures.
  
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It is a heavily heirarchical body, and tradition dictates that the Patriarch is always chosen from amongst the Four Archbishops pertaining to the traditional divisions (there are two bishops for the Free Cities, but the only Patriarch from Novy Archangelsk split the church and their name has been low for sometime). Dionysius's predescessor, His Beatitude Patriarch Dmitri II, was chosen from Rome (previously he had been Bishop of Roslin and secretary to Patriarch Apollo) precisely to break that tradition, which he did by nominating his own successor (also slightly heretical, but it was confirmed by an election, so no harm was done). Dionysius has since broken with tradition and acted as a semi-mitigating force against the government and nobility, a fact which causes Adrik Alexei and Lord Chancellor Nicademus Darsalin no end of grief.
 
  
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The Archbishops (who are almost always the Metropolitans for their states), as is general Church tradition, always come from the Bishops in their broader dioceses, as the Bishops and their auxilaries are chosen from their local priests. Generally a city and its surrounding countryside will always have a cathedral and a Bishopric as a mark of prestige and tradition; however in Altara, where the vast majority of the great cities are ruins now only disturbed by squatters, rats and weeds, the bishoprics (apart from those of Alaitoc and Altara) are conferred upon priests put forward by the people within every pair of counties for special merit (a system not spoken of before the Roman Nuncio.)
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==== Native Rudani ====
  
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The Divine Imperium has three active cardinals of elector age, and four too old to vote. The three elector cardinals are Their Eminences Isaac Klemenoff, Louis d'Arquis, and Abram Chyornyev. In addition, the Divine Imperium has two saints: Saint Johannes of Ekaterinburg (Johannes Richelieu, a distant great-nephew of the original Cardinal) and Cardinal Isaac Zhiosky, a martyr for the church.  
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Prior to the arrival of the Roanians, the native sentients were an insectoid race known as the ch'ker. Their religion can best be described as a death-cult. It is believed that the majority of the race was wiped out 50 years prior to first contact during an event that subsequent data-records refer to as 'the sacred night'. The remainder was destroyed 100 years after contact during an attempt by the Rudanii to initiate their neighbours into the cult.  
  
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==== Other Religions ====
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Even today in some of the more isolated regions of the planet, pre-colonisation ruins are still visible, and archaeologists continually busy themselves in exploring the ancient past of their home planet. Many of these ruins, however, still have fully active[[http://roania.busythumbs.com/users/R/Roania/roania/images/ForestWalker.JPG]] security systems which require extreme caution. Rudani technology is constantly studied by Imperial Scientists, though any conclusions they make are normally uncertain, as just because an item can be used in a certain way does not mean that that's what the item originally was for.
  
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The Aguan Orthodox Church split from communion with Rome in the 19th Century, and is an acephalous body headed by a council of Bishops, with the Archbishop of Roslin being considered ''Primus Inter Pares''. Currently negotiations are underway for the church to recognise the [[Stephanus III|Patriarch of Constantinople]].
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== Religion and Spirituality ==
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''See: [[Imperial Church of the Light]]
  
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Other legally recognised religions include Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism. Other Christian sects have been heavily persecuted in the past and a severe secular and religious bias remains against such 'heretics'. 'Religions' such as the Church of Satan and the Mormon Church are banned within the Divine Imperium and its empire.
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Roanians are an intensely spiritualistic people in general, though not in the specific. The 'God', for lack of a better term, that they worship appears to be a cold and calculating force that created the universe out of a desire for cosmic order. This religion is focussed in [[The Imperial Church of the Light]], which is one of the most powerful institutions on the planet. The beliefs and the 'purity' of the Roanian race are protected by The Order of the Archangel's Sword (also known as the Imperial Inquisition).  
  
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=== Entertainment and Information ===
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Roanian prayer-services are very ritualistic, borrowing from the traditions of the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The major symbol is the Sun Cross:
  
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As befits a vast population, there is a broad variety of entertainment available. Here are some of the more popular options:
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/Roania/SunCross.jpg
  
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==== Fencing ====
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Services for the most part are conducted in contemplative silence, with only muffled amens to the words of the Ecclesiarch. The church is a very heirachical organisation, with numerous ranks for Ecclesiarch, from the Patriarch of the Light all the way down to the Parish Priests who make up the bulk of the Church's ranks. Higher-ranking members of the church, above Priest, are expected not to be married.
  
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The most popular spectator sport in the Divine Imperium is fencing, with vast arenas being built for the performance of this modern bloodsport. Fencing in the DIR differs from fencing elsewhere in that it remains a largely ruthless sport, with few forms being banned or cancelled and many of the players carrying, in addition to their main blade, small daggers or knives.
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The Church in its current form was founded after the Dark Years by War-Priest Louis DeRechelieu, whose goal was to inspire devotion to the Light in order to prevent a resurgence by the Darkness of Magic. Religious beliefs have been one of the primary forces in creating the Roanian mindset towards magic, though it must be stressed that at this point the culture is self-perpetuating.
  
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True fencing, with its rules and regulations, is largely the preserve of the nobles, many of whom are experts in the sport. (It is worth noting that Aleksandr Tyomny --Alexander the Dark-- is more commonly known as Alexander Duellist than with the style he earned through his cruel acts.) Every season (the season lasts from March to about June), hundreds of aristocrats gather in Tarnaqin to try their luck at the Imperial Cup, which for the past two years has been in the hands of Tyrell Matthias.
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Occasionally another faction will arise. Generally these 'alternatives' are far more fundamentalist and strict than the one they seperated from, and so far all of them have needed to be extirpated (to use the Holy Legion's term). The 'Holy Church of the Sacred Light' was the primary cause of the Second Reaction Against Magic (which grew into the Second Imperial Civil War) when Warlord Despan (an adherent like his master), on Lord-Emperor Damien's orders, ordered the use of experimental weaponry to destroy the elven city of (Old) Alaitoc and then attempted to eliminate the mainstream church as too defensive of magic.  
  
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==== Other Sports ====
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For now, the creation of any new religions in the Divine Imperium is strictly forbidden, and punishable as an act of civil rebellion and the Church of the Light receives a hefty amount from the government every year.
  
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Other popular sports in the DIR include cricket, skiing, soccer and polo. The opinion of most nobles is that such sports, except polo of course, are the provinces purely of the lower orders.
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== Roanian Economy ==
  
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=== Information and Entertainment ===
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The Roanian economy is almost autarkic, with little interest in external trade. The Imperium and its assorted worlds are estimated to have the raw resources to last at least another 5000 years. Assuming its population triples in size over that time. However, occasionally a wealthy Roanian will purchase a 'foreign' good, and the purchase of knowledge is fairly constant.
  
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==== Television and Radio ====
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Recently trade liberalisation policies have commenced, though the Roanians themselves remain intensely suspicious of foreign goods. Many of the drivers of economic change have been noveau rich Salamandri and felinoids.
  
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Television is a relatively new medium for much of the Divine Imperium, only really catching on in the past 10 years. Freed from the over-regulation placed on news services by the NSIWP government, there has recently been a Renaissance in programming, with eleven channels being available in most territories on the basic services.
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== Imperial Government ==
  
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Radio is being slower to slip out of political control, though independent stations are growing. Broadcasting remains the purveigh of the government, with heavy fines accruing to any 'disturbers of the peace'.
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Since Joseph the Great's constitution, the Imperial Government has been split between the overweening might of the executive, in the form of His Divine Illuminated Imperial Majesty the Lord-Emperor --an office to which there is as yet no legal binding then the force of constitution and precedent, which are admittedly very strong forces in the minds of even the mightiest Roanian-- and the two legislative assemblies, the Popular House (which forms the elected government) and the High Council, that arcane body that consists of the Great Houses and those Houses Minor welcomed into it.
  
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==== Newspapers ====
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=== Popular Council ===
  
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All major cities, and most towns, have at least one, and in many cases more, newspapers. Unlike some other countries, the newspapers in the DIR wear their political opinions firmly on their sleeves and won't hesitate to support their chosen parties in any way possible. Major, nationally respected newspapers include:
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The Popular Council is the elected body, and it is the house that holds the majority here that goes on to form government. It has 5900 members, and is in session for a third of the year, though tradition dictates that at least 1/3 of all members of the Council must remain in Imperial City, a tradition that stays in force despite the existence and deployment for over 4 millenia of both the Imperial Maglev networks and SuperSonic aircraft.  
  
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''The Imperial'' (Tarnaqin)
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The Popular Council is not a body designed for revolutionary change. When change comes, the Roanians and most of their allied races prefer for it to be evolutionary, and it is believed that the Popular Council is amongst the least radical of lower houses amongst theoretically democratic states.
  
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''The Times of Novy Archangelsk''
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Traditionally, the Popular Council initiates legislation, which must then pass onto the High Council for review and eventual submission to the Lord-Emperor. Occasionally the Lord-Emperor himself will introduce legislation into the House of Nobles, but only in that rare event will the process travel the other way.
  
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==== Publishing ====
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There are four parties that hold power in the Popular Council, seeming to cycle in and out of government in regular intervals without too much changing. The government of the day is the Union Party (Centrist), while its opponents are Movement for a Democratic Imperium (Very Conservative party), The Light's Democratic Party (Archconservative party), Worker's Party of the Divine Imperium (So conservative it tried to block the enfranchisement of the allied races), and Master Uriel Te'var of Rone on the Great Bridge ("left of center"), an elf who entered the Council as a bit of an experiment forty years ago and who has been consistently supported by the residents of his electorate in Alaitoc ever since, since none of them want the job.
  
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Major Publishing Houses exist in Port Agua and the Stronghold. Approximately 99% of the population of Novar Ohan is literate, and feeding the public's rapacious urge for reading material is very profitable.
 
  
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Scientific publishing occurs generally in the presses of major universities, such as those at La Belle Montagne du Soleil or Roslin.
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==== ArchChancellor Nicholi Darquis ====
  
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== Political Structure ==
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A distant cousin of the ArchDuke Simon Darquis of Derricks, Nicholi was Cassander's deputy when Cassander was ArchChancellor. Small, even for a Roanian, he tends to take a very lowkey role in the government, preferring to let his Chancellors get on with the job while he enjoys the perks. Has masterminded many of the Divine Imperium's international actions, including joining the Concordat and the 'triumphant' return to Mars.
  
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The Divine Imperium on a federal level is normally considered to be a constitutional monarchy, with the emphasis being on the monarchy. However, more properly, it is an oligarchy, where a limited body of high-ranking aristocrats, headed but in no way controlled by the Tsar, decide on broad public policy. However, in recent years this Council has been eclipsed by the elected cabinet.
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Is happily married with four children.
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==== Elections ====
  
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Broadly, the legislative branch follows the Westminsterian Parliamentary system, with proportional voting in all seats (seats are roughly divided on basis of population and in order to create balance between the states). There are two houses: The House of Burghers, with roughly 800 representatives, and the House of Nobles, where seats are held by the counts, dukes and poobahs of the land.
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The Divine Imperium has universal adult sufferage, where an adult is defined as having turned 20. The ArchChancellor must call elections within 4 years of the previous one. Voting is compulsory and failure to vote is punishable by jail-terms. The day an election is called for becomes a public and bank holiday, with schools and government offices closed in either the morning or the afternoon (or the entire day, if they so choose.)
  
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The Divine Imperium has a true multi-party electoral system, with approximately six parties in the House currently. The major parties are:
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=== High Council ===
  
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=== The Party for National Reconciliation ===
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The High Council of the Greater And Lesser Noble Houses of the Divine Imperium is perhaps the most powerful organisation within the Divine Imperium's boundaries. Capable of striking down the Lord-Emperor, the Popular Council, and the entire constitution should it feel the need, these powers exist only in theory.
  
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The Party for National Reconciliation is the current governing party, holding a plurality of the seats within the House of Burghers at 394. Its current leader is Lord Chancellor [[Divine Chancellery|Nicademus Darsalin]]. An Authoritarian Conservative party, the PNR has the support of some of the landowning classes, though its resistance to change has lead to it being castigated by the newly forming intellectual left in some of the major cities.
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In practical terms, majority of the High Council's 500 members are controlled from the eight thrones of the seven members of the Private Council, the Lord-Emperor and the Heads of the Great Houses. These six men (and one woman) control the Imperium right down to the bedrock, and may refuse to allow a vote in the High Council on anything they desire, barring a popular council vote forcing them to allow discussion.  
  
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Currently, its prospects are limited in the upcoming election. Repeated strikes brought on by the revolution in Iansisle, as well as constant attempts to enact emergency legislation and rule without recourse to the constitution, are damaging it politically. It is currently in a coalition with the Fatherland Front, which is causing even more damage to its electoral chances. Even this coalition occasionally loses because of backbench revolts.
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The Lord-Emperor, naturally, is president of this body and the Heads of the Great Houses are automatically members. Other aristocrats are voted in from each province by a body of their peers. The Patriarch of the Light is a member of the Private Council. 10 High Priests and Order Heads are nominated by him for membership as well.
  
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=== Social Justice And Democratic Party ===
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==== The Private Council in order of Precedence====
  
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The SJDP is the current leading opposition party, lead by Ekaterina Tolinsky, is the party of choice for a growing number of the DIR's inhabitants. It was the SJDP and Chancellor Clarissa Bencenoff that was overthrown by the National Socialist Imperial Worker's Party, a fact which has caused it to look with some bitterness upon the aristocrats who stood aside in their moment of need.
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1. Lord-Emperor of the Divine Imperium (Lord-Emperor Cassander Lucius Drakharn)
  
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Broadly speaking, the SJDP is a progressive party. It has the support of the union body and some of the more intellectually inclined minor nobles, though it lacks a broad base in the nation's rural areas. If the election trigger is an industrial relations form, the party is likely to take office. Its current position in the houses is 227 seats.
+
2. Patriarch of the Light (Gabriel VII)
  
−
=== Central Democratic Union ===
+
3. Head of Great House Darquis (Grand Duke Simon Aelius Darquis IV)
  
−
For much of Imperial History, the CDU held the Chancellery. Now it's only the third party, forever looking back on its past glories. In a continual slide from influence from its heights under Lord Chancellor Alysandra Ellestrea, this centrist party has little support outside of the urban upper middle class, with too many of its policies being stolen by left and right.  
+
4. Head of Great House Black (Prince D. Churiel "Charleston" Black III)
  
−
In a rather drastic collapse, it is currently standing at 132 seats, with only 50 of those being considered 'safe'.
+
5. Head of Great House Drakharn (Lord-Emperor Cassander Lucius Drakharn)
  
−
=== Fatherland Front ===
+
6. Head of Great House Darsalin (Duke Nicademus Darsalin XII)
  
−
The black sheep of Imperial Politics, the FF is the direct descendant of the NSIWP and its electoral ally, the National Coalition. Under a suppression order since 1943, when Tsar Daniel came to the throne with the backing of the enraged [[Battle of Vladivostok|Legions]], when Adrik Alexei came to the throne in 1948 the order was rescinded on Freedom of Speech grounds, over the objection of Nicademus.
+
7. Head of Great House Ai (Lady Rebecca Ai)
  
−
Currently, its policies have yet to win it its former glory, and it 'holds' only 39 seats, mostly in its former heartlands of Port Agua and Arquis. The current Chairman, Russel Guerrier, is quietly confident for an increase in seats at the next election, however, with disaffected PNR voters switching to the junior partner in the Conservative Coalition.
+
'''For more information on these families and the nations they head, see [[Rudan Prime]]
  
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=== Action! ===
+
=== The Imperial Family ===
  
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Action! is not a major political party, ''per se''. It holds only a single seat, which it won through a stalemate existing between the CDU and SJDP. More of a movement, in other countries Action! would be called a Communist Party. What it lacks in political importance and influence, it makes up for in loudness.
+
==== Lord-Emperor Cassander Drakharn ====
  
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Its list of policies include an abolition of the aristocracy, the abandonment of empire, the destruction of the Commerce Guilds, the imprisonment and execution of all generals as war criminals, and the immediate nationalisation of all industries. It exists purely in the hearts and minds of the fringe of the Imperium's university culture, with a bolted on group of far left trade unions and Marxist Intellectuals.  
+
[[Rulers of the Roanian Nation|Lord-Emperor]] [[Cassander Lucius Drakharn]] (''More properly: His Most Divine Illuminated Imperial Majesty Lord-Emperor (Elrond) Cassander Lucius Drakharn of the Imperium of Rudan, Keeper of the Twin Lamps, Master of the Salamandri, High Chief of the Maargans, Lord of the Mrer, Most Blessed Servant of the Light, The Supreme Autocrat, the Ultimate Arbiter, the Most Beloved Imperial Captain Commander of the Most Holy Legions, Elf-Friend, et al.'') came to power through the assassination of Lord-Emperor Alexander Adolphus Black. Upon Alexander's death, a will was discovered that named Cassander, his ArchChancellor, Lord-Emperor. Despite the prior claim of the Darquis Family (which wasn't pressed owning to Grand Duke Simon's close links with the hated Alexander), the Popular and High councils decided to accept, thereby creating a new dynasty. The Drakharns themselves have long been important members of Imperial Society, and many of the Emperor's cousins and ancestors have risen high.
  
−
Still, they can make a lot of noise so people are generally polite...
+
The Lord-Emperor's Reign has been marked by unprecedented liberalisation, including the emancipation of the slaves (in conjunction with ArchChancellor DArquis), a drastic reduction in the number of accidental deaths in the palace (under Alexander, several hundred palace servants died a year) and a slow reduction in the power of the state to pre-crisis levels. Currently the Lord-Emperor is roughly 200, and the role of rebuilding the nation and establishing his dynasty appears to be wearing him out.
  
−
== Military ==
+
==== On being Lord-Emperor ====
  
−
For 400 years the military has been a vital part of the Imperium's national fabric. Unlike in many other modern nations, conscription remains universal, though at the higher classes direct transfer to officerial ranks are available, with a university degree. Conscription is at 21, though deferments for completion of studies are available.
+
"A lot of people still believe that being an (Lord) Emperor is an easy job, where all you do is sit around and amuse yourself all day. I cannot speak for many of my brothers and sisters, but for myself every day is spent working hard for the benefit of my people." ~ On being asked if he considered Emperor to be an 'easy job'.
  
−
In the past, the three services were under the command of a single military officer, the Warlord. However, the pain of the Imperial Civil War when Warlord Matthias led the vast majority of the legions against the democratically elected government has placed the post in abeyance for 150 years. Currently, the military is headed by the cabinet official the Minister of the Armed Forces, a parliamentarian.
+
==== Keeper of the Twin Lamps ====
  
−
=== The Legions ===
+
A reference to the old capital world of the Roanian race, hundreds of years before the formation of the Divine Imperium, Altecrast Tertius (Altecrast having two suns).
  
 +
==== Half-Elf ====
  
−
First founded in the early days of the first Imperium, the Legions have been variously forces for stability, forces for change, and kingmakers. In the Shattering, it was the Legions' support for Rasputin Makayaveli's Republic that reunited the nations, as it was their eventual distaste for him that led to Warlord Eduard Chyornyev's coup and formation of the Imperial Stewardship. Now a tried force under civilian control, the Imperial Legions have become a large infantry force with a core of heavily armed mechanised companies.  
+
Unusually for a Roanian noble, Cassander's father not only had an affair with one of Roania's exceedingly rare pure elves, but also acknowledged the child as his own (with his wife's full knowledge). Details are sketchy, but it is believed that Lady Louisa Drakharn might have been sterile. The Imperial Palace is not forthcoming on the subject.
  
−
Unusually, the Legions are considered the more aristocratic of the branches. While respect and accolades are granted to members of the Navy and Airforce, it is the Legionnaires who go on to political fame and fortune, and become 'heroes' of the DI.
+
==== The Empress ====
  
−
Broadly, the list of Imperial Ranks follows those of the west until officer ranks are reached. From top to bottom, the ranks become:
+
A model for a tourist campaign. A public servant. An Imperial Governor. Treasurer.  Her Most Serene Illuminated Majesty Lady-Empress (Lúthien) Alysanndra Aliria Drakharn has been a tireless worker through-out her life, establishing her position in the Divine Imperium after nearly a century of struggle. Her first job after leaving the orphanage was in the Tourism Department, where a wandering Alexander the Dark happened to spot her. Suffering one of his occasional fits of brilliance, he promptly ordered his Tourism Chancellor to use her as a centerpiece for the ad campaign. Then decapitated the man when he deferred. His replacement was more than happy to obey.
  
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# Supreme Marshal of the Imperial Legions
+
The 'Where else but Roania Campaign' was an amazing success, pulling in thousands of marks of tourist revenue from across the eastern sectors of the galaxy, and even from Sol. Alysanndra's intelligence was also marked upon, and after a whirlwind of promotion she was sent to the North-Western province, whose revenues experienced a marked upswing after she took over, as well as a population boost.
−
# Field Marshal
+
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# Lord General
+
−
# General
+
−
# Lord Captain Commander
+
−
# Lord Captain
+
−
# Commandant
+
−
# Captain
+
−
# Lieutenant
+
−
# Staff Sergeant
+
−
# Sergeant
+
−
# Second Sergeant
+
−
# Corporal
+
−
# Lance Corporal
+
−
# Legionnaire, First Class
+
−
# Legionnaire
+
  
−
This, of course, is only a very limited analysis, leaving aside the specialty ranks for the elite forces or the artillery corps. It does give some idea of the ranking level, and the very long ladder which exists. Strangely enough, a promotion to Lord Captain does indeed qualify the officer as a member of the nobility, and upon retirement an estate is granted to him and his family, though the title is effectively that of Baronet.
+
Her romance with Cassander was very brief, and their marriage a year after they met was an event a weary capital finally had a chance to smile for. Currently they've been married for 80 years, and palace rumours hold that her support is all that's maintaining the increasingly tired Lord-Emperor.
  
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The Legions are dominated by Arquismen and Roanians, with very few Aguans joining and even less Altarans feeling welcome. As such, it is the character of these nations first and foremost that is the character of the legionnaire.
+
===== Affair with Alexander? =====
  
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The Legion's ethos, then:
+
It is rumoured that Lady-Empress Alysanndra had an affair with Alexander the Dark, a fact which would go some way to explaining how she progressed so rapidly through the ranks, though her survival is a powerful argument against this rumour.
  
−
*Victory is placed equal to honour, with honour being generally the loser in arguments between the two.
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==== Prince Imperial Caurentin Aeron Drakharn ====
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*There is no such thing as 'too much force'. In one notable battle Legionnaires firebombed an Ethiopian position that had already looked likely to surrender.
+
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*Every Legionnaire will always obey the orders of a superior officer, with debate being left at a squad level between supposed equals.
+
  
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The Legion's formal uniform consists of a black combat blouse with black trousers, both for male and female personnel. In winter a black overcoat may be added. Battledress varies with terrain, but generally consists of the same components. In combat, rank and medals are denoted by bars over the right breast.
+
A handsome young Roanian, Caurentin is one of the more prominent members of the Imperium's Social Register. It is widely believed that he has attempted to sleep with every woman available to him, and dark rumours hang over his desires in regards to those nature itself has kept from him, though only a brave (or foolish) man would dare to confront Cassander with any of this.  
  
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=== Imperial Navy ===
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==== Princess Imperial Aila D Drakharn ====
  
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The Imperial Navy has always been the junior member of the military, until the formation of the Divine Aero Legion. With approximately five sea-worthy battleships and several dozen new model destroyers centred in three locations, out of the major empires on Earth they hold one of the weakest surface fleets in traditional terms.
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Compared to her twin brother, Aila is a very meek and unassuming young woman. Widely considered one of the more desirable women in the Divine Imperium (for reasons more attached to the curves of her body than anything else, unusual for the power-lusting Roanians) Aila is, at least apparently, an elf-dominant half-elf like her mother, and so is lacking in wings.  
  
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However, recent advances in aerocraft technology, including the [i]Agua[/i]-Class Carrier, and constant evolution in submarine tactics and strategy (including the development of the submersible heli-carrier, which is undergoing testing now) show that it is more than capable of fighting a war and transporting the Legions to carry the battle to the enemy.
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==== X Drakharn ====
  
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[[Category: Roania]]
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News recently reached Sol of the Lady-Empress' recent miscarriage. The unnamed child has been laid to rest in the Drakharn Family's vaults. Lady-Empress Alysanndra has not been seen in public over the past three months, and a palace source says she is 'resting'.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
== Divine Imperial Justice ==
 +
 
 +
Roanian society relies heavily on an organised judicial system. Maintaining the nation's unity is one of the primary priorities of every Roanian government.
 +
 
 +
=== Police Forces ===
 +
 
 +
There are three tiers of police in the Divine Imperium. Imperial, National/Planetary, and Provincial. These are not neccessarily statements of precedence or priority. Rather, they are complementary. A criminal that escapes from the city police by crossing the county lines will still be arrested, imprisoned, and tried.
 +
 
 +
This is because all law in the Divine Imperium is Divine Imperial Law. What is law in one province is law in the next, what is law in Roan is law in Agua, and what is law on Altecrast is law on Ailisara. Nation and Planetary Assemblies are essentially little more than glorified local councils, which control public services and make sure electricity and hospitals are working.
 +
 
 +
==== Imperial  Security Bureau ====
 +
 
 +
The Imperial Security Bureau's officers patrol Imperial City, the more distant planets (And Darsalin Base) and provide security for embassies abroad. Their remit extends across the Imperium, though, and it is possible to run into them everywhere. In the event of the loss of a Visitor's Permit Card, it is the ISB office in the province which will be contacted to provide a new one.
 +
 
 +
ISB Officers wear white uniforms, with rank indicated by golden sigils over the heart. Their typical equipment is:
 +
 
 +
*RA95 (ISB Variant) Force-Pistol, which has two settings (Shock and Kill)
 +
*Omega Security Division's Pattern 7 Stun Baton
 +
*ISB Personal Armour, which is designed to withstand a shot from a military-grade force-weapon
 +
 
 +
The ISB armouries also include sonic weaponry, grenades (atomising/flash/explosive) and a number of assault vehicles, aerial and ground.
 +
 
 +
==== Divine Directorate for Special Investigation and Enforcement ====
 +
 
 +
Apart from the ISB, there is also the Divine Directorate for Special Investigation and Enforcement, colloquially known as the Shadow Angels. These officers can be anywhere at any time, rooting out treason and destroying contraband. They rarely wear their uniforms, instead preferring to act as plainclothes police. The law requires them to show their badge prior to making an arrest.
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 +
Shadow Angel uniforms are grey, though owing to the fabrics and chemicals used the grey appears as if viewed through a translucent black cloth. Equipment details are highly classified.
 +
 
 +
=== International Obligations ===
 +
 
 +
The Divine Imperium is a party to the [[Concordat]]'s security provisions and follows them to the best of their ability.
 +
 
 +
== The Empire ==
 +
 
 +
=== Rudan ===
 +
The Rudan System is situated on the norma arm of the galaxy, nearly 40000 lightyears from Terra, and orbits around a yellow sun roughly the size of Sol. There are 4 planets. The Capital World is [[Rudan Prime]].
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 +
 
 +
==== Other Planets ====
 +
 
 +
Rudan Secundus is roughly as far from Rudan as the asteroid field is from Sol. It is considered a nature world, and the only Roanian contact is from orbit. Currently life has reached a stage that could be considered Cambrian and seems unlikely to advance any further.
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 +
Rudan Tertiary is a saturn-sized gasplanet. Pinnacle3 (a relic station) is located in orbit, and robotically manned gas-collecting factories are occasionally lowered into the clouds.
 +
 
 +
Rudan Quanternary is a rocky world, without any atmosphere. Its sole settlement is a system defence post.
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 +
=== The Imperium ===
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 +
The Divine Imperium holds possession of numerous systems, including Rudan Prime and the Imperial Presence in Sol. Some of them are unsettled and uninhabited, simply held for strategic purposes or resources. Others have intelligent native life and are held for resources and to ensure that the natives cannot pose a threat to the Imperium, either independently or through assisting Imperial enemies. A significant number used to be inhabited, but now are not.
 +
 
 +
In order of population (defined solely as Imperial Citizens), the major communities are:
 +
 
 +
#The Imperial Star; Rudan (5.05 billion)
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#The Twin Lamps of [[Altecrast]] (1 billion)
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#The Sapphire Star; Ailisara(288 million)
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#Crossroad of the Light; Centerpoint (125 million)
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#Roanian Sol (105 million)
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#The Lizard Star; Rk (100 million)
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#The Cat Star; Nmmmr (60 million)
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#The Beacon Star; Flinders' World (15 million)
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#The Viewpoint Star; Light's End (15 thousand)
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#The Ruby Star;[[Belubog]] (15 thousand)
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 +
Other systems controlled by the Imperium include New Agua, Zorodnos and Whisper, but these worlds have at the moment only just been settled and their colonies are either small agrarian settlements or scientific bases.
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 +
== '''''Internal Links''''' ==
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 +
*[[Divine Imperial Etiquette]]
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*[[Imperial Church of the Light]]
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*[[Darsalin Base]] (Roanian Mars)
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*[[Rulers of the Roanian Nation]]
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*[[Roanians]]
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*[[Rudan Prime]]
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*[[Roanian Allied Races]]
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*[[Worlds of the Divine Imperium]]
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[[Category:Roania]][[Category:Nations]]

Latest revision as of 20:27, 3 July 2007

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The Divine Imperium of Roania
Post Tenebras Lux (After the Darkness Comes the Light)
future-city.jpg
Official Languages
English (Galstandard), High Roanian
Capital Imperial City (Tarnaqin))
Flag roania.jpg
Head of State His Divine Illuminated Imperial Majesty Lord-Emperor Cassander Drakharn
ArchChancellor Nicholas Darquis
Leader of His Divine Illuminated Imperial Majesty's Loyal Opposition Celeste Laurens (Church Democratic Party)
Area
 - Land
 - Water
 - Empire
300,800,921 km²
175,596,006 km²
200 lightyears
Population
7 Billion +
Establishment
 - Unification of Altecrast (earliest nondisputed date in Roanian History)
 - Colonisation of Rudan Prime
 - End of Empire of the Twin Lamps
 - Rudan Prime as independent Republic
 - Rudanii Empire of Shadow
 - as Divine Imperium of Roania
 - Present Day 		 

CE 1700

CE 1800

CE 1922

CE 1922

CE 2440

IR 1 (CE 3350)

IR 2850 (CE 6200)
Government type Oligarchy
Nation type Aristocracy
National animal Roanian Drake
Currency
 - Exchange rate 		1 Imperial Mark
= US$1.7
National Charter of Rights Charter of the Divine Imperium
International Abbreviations
 - government
DIR
DIG
Internet TLD .dru


The Divine Imperium of Roania (More properly, the Divine Illuminated Imperium) is an ancient and highly advanced extrasolar empire, home to several races (The Roanians thesmelves being the most prominent). The home system is Rudan, which is a class-M star on the Norma-arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. A moderate empire extends away from Rudan towards the galactic north-west, away from Sol. Much of its early history remains shrouded in mystery to humans, as the Roanians do not believe in speaking of their own past except when it appears relevant to the situation at hand.

What is known is that the Roanians once lived in a Republic, with a President and a single parliamentary body (only three presidents are known to modern Roanian historians, but current discoveries might increase knowledge of the past), until ShadowLord Merrech led a magocratic coup and founding what he called the Empire of Shadow. Eventually Lord-General Joseph Black overthrew the ArchMage and united the Divine Imperium, with his colleague the War-Priest Asriel founding one of the most powerful state religions in the galaxy, the Imperial Church of the Light.

The original Roanian home system was Altecrast, a fact which the Roanians recently established to their own satisfaction (The Shadowlords had a policy of 'cultural renewal', and Alexander I, who resettled Altecrast, wanted to be famous as an explorer, not as someone who used maps that were already there). This Empire of the Twin Lamps is almost completely unknown now, though the Roanians are hunting the wilds of Altecrast for more information. It can only be hoped that some margin of this would be shared with galactic historians in Sol and elsewhere, though the Roanians are an intensely private race, as said.

People of the Divine Imperium

See Article: Roanians See: Roanian Allied Races

The Roanians are now firmly established, despite their best attempts to hide their origin, as an independently evolved species, with roots neither in Humans or elves. The Roanians are, in so far as terran nomenclature can be applied to non-terran lifeforms, tentatively called Lucis Angelus. The Divine Imperium is also home to a number of elves, migrants from Terra or places even stranger, though the Roanians have on occasion treated them with either contempt or extreme violence.


Entertainment

On the whole, Roanians tend to avoid many of the extremes that mark other 'decadent' nations such as Der Angst and Pilon. While somewhat open about sensuality, nevertheless they feel that such matters are a purely private matter and should not be displayed too openly. Instead, Roanians on the whole have more traditional tastes in their public entertainment, such as sports and films. Privately, a Roanian might choose to watch his holovision, read from his library, or listen to music.

When it comes to sports the Roanians have what could be termed unusual tastes, preferring gladiatorial sports to team affairs. Fencing is a popular spectator sport, and it has more in common with the rapier and shortsword duels of the Medieval Dominion than with that generally practiced now.

One of the more disturbing traits of the Roanians is their love of pain. Roanians share a shocking similarity to the 'elves' of old European folklore, the 'faerie' people, in that they hurt and kill for the sake of hurting and killing. Roanians in the past were known to depopulate entire worlds in the name of these savage lusts, though over the past centuries of contact they have slowly reached what might be termed 'the point of tolerance', where they can accept that other sentients do not exist just for their amusement and other sentients can start to accept that the Roanian in the room might not be thinking of a variety of ways to kill them.

Roanians still torture animals for fun, and are perhaps unique in never truly developing a taste for 'pets', though they find it relatively easy to domesticate animals. Needless to say, animal rights activism has never been a force at any level of imperial society, and that's unlikely to change as the more prominent allied races (the Salamandri and Felinoids) are both also fans of the sadistic treatment of lesser creatures.

Names

The top 5 names for Roanian boys born over the past 30 years have been:

  1. Raphael
  2. Aeron
  3. Michael
  4. Cassander (and derivatives)
  5. Joseph

The top three names for Roanian girls born over the past 30 years have been:

  1. Ailis (Blessed of the Light; This vowel sound features in some way in the full name of every Roanian woman: Alysandra, Malissa, Ailisa, Eilasa. It will be either in the first name or, less frequently, in the second)
  2. Rebecca
  3. Danae

Allied Races

The Imperium spans 12 systems, and has within its boundaries 5 other intelligent lifeforms. For the most part these are primitives, at black powder level or below, and not considered part of the Imperium excepting that they live on planets the Imperium has claimed. However, for approximately 2000 years the Roanians had been selecting and capturing members of the various races and taking them home to Rudan Prime to work as slaves.

Recently, under Cassander Drakharn, the last remaining slaves (in reality, a minority of all Xenos on the planet) have been emancipated. The second largest racial group in the Imperium became overnight the Salamandros --a race of reptilian sapiens similar to the Sakkrans. Out of a total population of 7 billion, roughly 800 million are 'non-Roanian citizens of the Divine Imperium'. Of that population, nearly 200 million are Salamandri. There are also felinomorphs, silicon lifeforms, and a variety of other unusual creatures.


Native Rudani

Prior to the arrival of the Roanians, the native sentients were an insectoid race known as the ch'ker. Their religion can best be described as a death-cult. It is believed that the majority of the race was wiped out 50 years prior to first contact during an event that subsequent data-records refer to as 'the sacred night'. The remainder was destroyed 100 years after contact during an attempt by the Rudanii to initiate their neighbours into the cult.

Even today in some of the more isolated regions of the planet, pre-colonisation ruins are still visible, and archaeologists continually busy themselves in exploring the ancient past of their home planet. Many of these ruins, however, still have fully active[[1]] security systems which require extreme caution. Rudani technology is constantly studied by Imperial Scientists, though any conclusions they make are normally uncertain, as just because an item can be used in a certain way does not mean that that's what the item originally was for.

Religion and Spirituality

See: Imperial Church of the Light

Roanians are an intensely spiritualistic people in general, though not in the specific. The 'God', for lack of a better term, that they worship appears to be a cold and calculating force that created the universe out of a desire for cosmic order. This religion is focussed in The Imperial Church of the Light, which is one of the most powerful institutions on the planet. The beliefs and the 'purity' of the Roanian race are protected by The Order of the Archangel's Sword (also known as the Imperial Inquisition).

Roanian prayer-services are very ritualistic, borrowing from the traditions of the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The major symbol is the Sun Cross:

SunCross.jpg

Services for the most part are conducted in contemplative silence, with only muffled amens to the words of the Ecclesiarch. The church is a very heirachical organisation, with numerous ranks for Ecclesiarch, from the Patriarch of the Light all the way down to the Parish Priests who make up the bulk of the Church's ranks. Higher-ranking members of the church, above Priest, are expected not to be married.

The Church in its current form was founded after the Dark Years by War-Priest Louis DeRechelieu, whose goal was to inspire devotion to the Light in order to prevent a resurgence by the Darkness of Magic. Religious beliefs have been one of the primary forces in creating the Roanian mindset towards magic, though it must be stressed that at this point the culture is self-perpetuating.

Occasionally another faction will arise. Generally these 'alternatives' are far more fundamentalist and strict than the one they seperated from, and so far all of them have needed to be extirpated (to use the Holy Legion's term). The 'Holy Church of the Sacred Light' was the primary cause of the Second Reaction Against Magic (which grew into the Second Imperial Civil War) when Warlord Despan (an adherent like his master), on Lord-Emperor Damien's orders, ordered the use of experimental weaponry to destroy the elven city of (Old) Alaitoc and then attempted to eliminate the mainstream church as too defensive of magic.

For now, the creation of any new religions in the Divine Imperium is strictly forbidden, and punishable as an act of civil rebellion and the Church of the Light receives a hefty amount from the government every year.

Roanian Economy

The Roanian economy is almost autarkic, with little interest in external trade. The Imperium and its assorted worlds are estimated to have the raw resources to last at least another 5000 years. Assuming its population triples in size over that time. However, occasionally a wealthy Roanian will purchase a 'foreign' good, and the purchase of knowledge is fairly constant.

Recently trade liberalisation policies have commenced, though the Roanians themselves remain intensely suspicious of foreign goods. Many of the drivers of economic change have been noveau rich Salamandri and felinoids.

Imperial Government

Since Joseph the Great's constitution, the Imperial Government has been split between the overweening might of the executive, in the form of His Divine Illuminated Imperial Majesty the Lord-Emperor --an office to which there is as yet no legal binding then the force of constitution and precedent, which are admittedly very strong forces in the minds of even the mightiest Roanian-- and the two legislative assemblies, the Popular House (which forms the elected government) and the High Council, that arcane body that consists of the Great Houses and those Houses Minor welcomed into it.

Popular Council

The Popular Council is the elected body, and it is the house that holds the majority here that goes on to form government. It has 5900 members, and is in session for a third of the year, though tradition dictates that at least 1/3 of all members of the Council must remain in Imperial City, a tradition that stays in force despite the existence and deployment for over 4 millenia of both the Imperial Maglev networks and SuperSonic aircraft.

The Popular Council is not a body designed for revolutionary change. When change comes, the Roanians and most of their allied races prefer for it to be evolutionary, and it is believed that the Popular Council is amongst the least radical of lower houses amongst theoretically democratic states.

Traditionally, the Popular Council initiates legislation, which must then pass onto the High Council for review and eventual submission to the Lord-Emperor. Occasionally the Lord-Emperor himself will introduce legislation into the House of Nobles, but only in that rare event will the process travel the other way.

There are four parties that hold power in the Popular Council, seeming to cycle in and out of government in regular intervals without too much changing. The government of the day is the Union Party (Centrist), while its opponents are Movement for a Democratic Imperium (Very Conservative party), The Light's Democratic Party (Archconservative party), Worker's Party of the Divine Imperium (So conservative it tried to block the enfranchisement of the allied races), and Master Uriel Te'var of Rone on the Great Bridge ("left of center"), an elf who entered the Council as a bit of an experiment forty years ago and who has been consistently supported by the residents of his electorate in Alaitoc ever since, since none of them want the job.


ArchChancellor Nicholi Darquis

A distant cousin of the ArchDuke Simon Darquis of Derricks, Nicholi was Cassander's deputy when Cassander was ArchChancellor. Small, even for a Roanian, he tends to take a very lowkey role in the government, preferring to let his Chancellors get on with the job while he enjoys the perks. Has masterminded many of the Divine Imperium's international actions, including joining the Concordat and the 'triumphant' return to Mars.

Is happily married with four children.

Elections

The Divine Imperium has universal adult sufferage, where an adult is defined as having turned 20. The ArchChancellor must call elections within 4 years of the previous one. Voting is compulsory and failure to vote is punishable by jail-terms. The day an election is called for becomes a public and bank holiday, with schools and government offices closed in either the morning or the afternoon (or the entire day, if they so choose.)

High Council

The High Council of the Greater And Lesser Noble Houses of the Divine Imperium is perhaps the most powerful organisation within the Divine Imperium's boundaries. Capable of striking down the Lord-Emperor, the Popular Council, and the entire constitution should it feel the need, these powers exist only in theory.

In practical terms, majority of the High Council's 500 members are controlled from the eight thrones of the seven members of the Private Council, the Lord-Emperor and the Heads of the Great Houses. These six men (and one woman) control the Imperium right down to the bedrock, and may refuse to allow a vote in the High Council on anything they desire, barring a popular council vote forcing them to allow discussion.

The Lord-Emperor, naturally, is president of this body and the Heads of the Great Houses are automatically members. Other aristocrats are voted in from each province by a body of their peers. The Patriarch of the Light is a member of the Private Council. 10 High Priests and Order Heads are nominated by him for membership as well.

The Private Council in order of Precedence

1. Lord-Emperor of the Divine Imperium (Lord-Emperor Cassander Lucius Drakharn)

2. Patriarch of the Light (Gabriel VII)

3. Head of Great House Darquis (Grand Duke Simon Aelius Darquis IV)

4. Head of Great House Black (Prince D. Churiel "Charleston" Black III)

5. Head of Great House Drakharn (Lord-Emperor Cassander Lucius Drakharn)

6. Head of Great House Darsalin (Duke Nicademus Darsalin XII)

7. Head of Great House Ai (Lady Rebecca Ai)

For more information on these families and the nations they head, see Rudan Prime

The Imperial Family

Lord-Emperor Cassander Drakharn

Lord-Emperor Cassander Lucius Drakharn (More properly: His Most Divine Illuminated Imperial Majesty Lord-Emperor (Elrond) Cassander Lucius Drakharn of the Imperium of Rudan, Keeper of the Twin Lamps, Master of the Salamandri, High Chief of the Maargans, Lord of the Mrer, Most Blessed Servant of the Light, The Supreme Autocrat, the Ultimate Arbiter, the Most Beloved Imperial Captain Commander of the Most Holy Legions, Elf-Friend, et al.) came to power through the assassination of Lord-Emperor Alexander Adolphus Black. Upon Alexander's death, a will was discovered that named Cassander, his ArchChancellor, Lord-Emperor. Despite the prior claim of the Darquis Family (which wasn't pressed owning to Grand Duke Simon's close links with the hated Alexander), the Popular and High councils decided to accept, thereby creating a new dynasty. The Drakharns themselves have long been important members of Imperial Society, and many of the Emperor's cousins and ancestors have risen high.

The Lord-Emperor's Reign has been marked by unprecedented liberalisation, including the emancipation of the slaves (in conjunction with ArchChancellor DArquis), a drastic reduction in the number of accidental deaths in the palace (under Alexander, several hundred palace servants died a year) and a slow reduction in the power of the state to pre-crisis levels. Currently the Lord-Emperor is roughly 200, and the role of rebuilding the nation and establishing his dynasty appears to be wearing him out.

On being Lord-Emperor

"A lot of people still believe that being an (Lord) Emperor is an easy job, where all you do is sit around and amuse yourself all day. I cannot speak for many of my brothers and sisters, but for myself every day is spent working hard for the benefit of my people." ~ On being asked if he considered Emperor to be an 'easy job'.

Keeper of the Twin Lamps

A reference to the old capital world of the Roanian race, hundreds of years before the formation of the Divine Imperium, Altecrast Tertius (Altecrast having two suns).

Half-Elf

Unusually for a Roanian noble, Cassander's father not only had an affair with one of Roania's exceedingly rare pure elves, but also acknowledged the child as his own (with his wife's full knowledge). Details are sketchy, but it is believed that Lady Louisa Drakharn might have been sterile. The Imperial Palace is not forthcoming on the subject.

The Empress

A model for a tourist campaign. A public servant. An Imperial Governor. Treasurer. Her Most Serene Illuminated Majesty Lady-Empress (Lúthien) Alysanndra Aliria Drakharn has been a tireless worker through-out her life, establishing her position in the Divine Imperium after nearly a century of struggle. Her first job after leaving the orphanage was in the Tourism Department, where a wandering Alexander the Dark happened to spot her. Suffering one of his occasional fits of brilliance, he promptly ordered his Tourism Chancellor to use her as a centerpiece for the ad campaign. Then decapitated the man when he deferred. His replacement was more than happy to obey.

The 'Where else but Roania Campaign' was an amazing success, pulling in thousands of marks of tourist revenue from across the eastern sectors of the galaxy, and even from Sol. Alysanndra's intelligence was also marked upon, and after a whirlwind of promotion she was sent to the North-Western province, whose revenues experienced a marked upswing after she took over, as well as a population boost.

Her romance with Cassander was very brief, and their marriage a year after they met was an event a weary capital finally had a chance to smile for. Currently they've been married for 80 years, and palace rumours hold that her support is all that's maintaining the increasingly tired Lord-Emperor.

Affair with Alexander?

It is rumoured that Lady-Empress Alysanndra had an affair with Alexander the Dark, a fact which would go some way to explaining how she progressed so rapidly through the ranks, though her survival is a powerful argument against this rumour.

Prince Imperial Caurentin Aeron Drakharn

A handsome young Roanian, Caurentin is one of the more prominent members of the Imperium's Social Register. It is widely believed that he has attempted to sleep with every woman available to him, and dark rumours hang over his desires in regards to those nature itself has kept from him, though only a brave (or foolish) man would dare to confront Cassander with any of this.

Princess Imperial Aila D Drakharn

Compared to her twin brother, Aila is a very meek and unassuming young woman. Widely considered one of the more desirable women in the Divine Imperium (for reasons more attached to the curves of her body than anything else, unusual for the power-lusting Roanians) Aila is, at least apparently, an elf-dominant half-elf like her mother, and so is lacking in wings.

X Drakharn

News recently reached Sol of the Lady-Empress' recent miscarriage. The unnamed child has been laid to rest in the Drakharn Family's vaults. Lady-Empress Alysanndra has not been seen in public over the past three months, and a palace source says she is 'resting'.


Divine Imperial Justice

Roanian society relies heavily on an organised judicial system. Maintaining the nation's unity is one of the primary priorities of every Roanian government.

Police Forces

There are three tiers of police in the Divine Imperium. Imperial, National/Planetary, and Provincial. These are not neccessarily statements of precedence or priority. Rather, they are complementary. A criminal that escapes from the city police by crossing the county lines will still be arrested, imprisoned, and tried.

This is because all law in the Divine Imperium is Divine Imperial Law. What is law in one province is law in the next, what is law in Roan is law in Agua, and what is law on Altecrast is law on Ailisara. Nation and Planetary Assemblies are essentially little more than glorified local councils, which control public services and make sure electricity and hospitals are working.

Imperial Security Bureau

The Imperial Security Bureau's officers patrol Imperial City, the more distant planets (And Darsalin Base) and provide security for embassies abroad. Their remit extends across the Imperium, though, and it is possible to run into them everywhere. In the event of the loss of a Visitor's Permit Card, it is the ISB office in the province which will be contacted to provide a new one.

ISB Officers wear white uniforms, with rank indicated by golden sigils over the heart. Their typical equipment is:

  • RA95 (ISB Variant) Force-Pistol, which has two settings (Shock and Kill)
  • Omega Security Division's Pattern 7 Stun Baton
  • ISB Personal Armour, which is designed to withstand a shot from a military-grade force-weapon

The ISB armouries also include sonic weaponry, grenades (atomising/flash/explosive) and a number of assault vehicles, aerial and ground.

Divine Directorate for Special Investigation and Enforcement

Apart from the ISB, there is also the Divine Directorate for Special Investigation and Enforcement, colloquially known as the Shadow Angels. These officers can be anywhere at any time, rooting out treason and destroying contraband. They rarely wear their uniforms, instead preferring to act as plainclothes police. The law requires them to show their badge prior to making an arrest.

Shadow Angel uniforms are grey, though owing to the fabrics and chemicals used the grey appears as if viewed through a translucent black cloth. Equipment details are highly classified.

International Obligations

The Divine Imperium is a party to the Concordat's security provisions and follows them to the best of their ability.

The Empire

Rudan

The Rudan System is situated on the norma arm of the galaxy, nearly 40000 lightyears from Terra, and orbits around a yellow sun roughly the size of Sol. There are 4 planets. The Capital World is Rudan Prime.


Other Planets

Rudan Secundus is roughly as far from Rudan as the asteroid field is from Sol. It is considered a nature world, and the only Roanian contact is from orbit. Currently life has reached a stage that could be considered Cambrian and seems unlikely to advance any further.

Rudan Tertiary is a saturn-sized gasplanet. Pinnacle3 (a relic station) is located in orbit, and robotically manned gas-collecting factories are occasionally lowered into the clouds.

Rudan Quanternary is a rocky world, without any atmosphere. Its sole settlement is a system defence post.

The Imperium

The Divine Imperium holds possession of numerous systems, including Rudan Prime and the Imperial Presence in Sol. Some of them are unsettled and uninhabited, simply held for strategic purposes or resources. Others have intelligent native life and are held for resources and to ensure that the natives cannot pose a threat to the Imperium, either independently or through assisting Imperial enemies. A significant number used to be inhabited, but now are not.

In order of population (defined solely as Imperial Citizens), the major communities are:

  1. The Imperial Star; Rudan (5.05 billion)
  2. The Twin Lamps of Altecrast (1 billion)
  3. The Sapphire Star; Ailisara(288 million)
  4. Crossroad of the Light; Centerpoint (125 million)
  5. Roanian Sol (105 million)
  6. The Lizard Star; Rk (100 million)
  7. The Cat Star; Nmmmr (60 million)
  8. The Beacon Star; Flinders' World (15 million)
  9. The Viewpoint Star; Light's End (15 thousand)
  10. The Ruby Star;Belubog (15 thousand)

Other systems controlled by the Imperium include New Agua, Zorodnos and Whisper, but these worlds have at the moment only just been settled and their colonies are either small agrarian settlements or scientific bases.

Internal Links

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