Sax River

From NSwiki, the NationStates encyclopedia.
Jump to: navigation, search

The Sax River meanders through Central Province of Sober Thought. Its fresh water and hydroelectric potential have nourished several medium-large municipalities on banks of the Sax Valley, but it could not support a single very large city.


Sax
Origin Central Province
Mouth Caughburgh Bight
Basin countries Sober Thought
Length
Source elevation
Avg. discharge
Watershed area

Upper Sax River

The several headwaters of the Sax River are located in the uplands of Upper Sax County, which is full of freshwater springs and sits on the edge of two watersheds. Counting the urban core and rural hinterland, the county comprises 1.7% of the national population.

This area was originally settled by Germans, some of whom still cling to their traditional ways and language but no longer with the direct support of the municipal government. Modest falls of land supported a few watermills, so the settlement began as an agricultural service centre for milling cereals and forging farm implements.

Wisely, the county founders -- whose archaic designation of Obsachsland is still used by traditionalists and those wanting to coopt the established ways -- quickly branched out into secondary industry, chiefly food processing and brewing.

More recently, the general services sector has picked up as the wealthier people from surrounding cities flock to the quaint backroads and country fairs which dot the county. The quaternary sector is also active with a local polytechnic and theological institutions of some repute.

A Governing Mayor is elected for the county as a whole and Deputy Mayors for each quarter of the county, the five serving jointly as the executive committee. Each quarter has some districts which each return one Alderman (the semi-sexist title continuing as a nod to tradition).


Middle Sax River

Several minor branches come together in a somewhat more formidable river in Middle Sax County. In fact, the river was deep and wide enough for inland navigation before roads and railroads were widespread.

Hence, the early settlement pattern of English, Scots and Erse speaking peoples was overwhelmingly riparian. Unfortunately, some of these founders brought their old country bloodfeuds with them as well. The county has grown to 2.1% of Sober Thought, from the urban core straddling the river to the backcountry which is accessible mainly by quiet country lanes.

While still serving as an agricultural service centre as it did in the beginning, the economy here is clearly tied to the financial services sector and university education. This sense of old-world entitlement continues to live on, and its residents are known for their clannishness and small town values in a fair sized urban core.

A Lord Mayor is chosen for ceremonial purposes annually from a County Council of 31 members elected biennially. Although frequently subjected to the electorate, most incumbents are returned without even mounting serious campaigns, since frequent elections overwhelmingly favour incumbents.

Lower Sax River

As the Sax River feeds into High Lake, it passes through Sax-Caughburgh County. The former county of Lower Sax was settled chiefly by English speakers alone, while the former county of Caughburgh by Scottish speakers. Given that they were separated only by the band of water comprising the river itself, the two counties developed cooperative efforts for bridges, dams and water treatment facilities until they finally effected a merger creating a municipality of 2.0%.

In the industrial age, the county became heavily involved with automotive manufacturing and its associated military applications for Community Defence Forces armoured vehicles. Some satellite plants work upstream in Middle Sax and Upper Sax, but the biggest and most numerous ones are located here. Consequently, it is twinned with Devros (Antrium) and Gil (Baranxtu) with which it shares an industrial and pollution-rich heritage.

The governing system is a strange hybrid of English, Scottish and local customs. The ceremonial Lord Burgher is elected for four years by the residents across the entire city. In addition to functional committees for exclusive and associated jurisdictions, the Common Council has a Sax Grand Committee comprised of all councillors on the English-settled bank of the river and a Caughburgh Grand Committee on the Scottish-settled bank.

Higher government

The three chartered municipalities of the Sax Valley are represented by fourteen district members in both the House of the Federation and the provincial legislature:

  • Upper Sax East, West, North and South
  • Middle Sax East, West, North, South and Centre
  • Lower Sax North and South
  • Caughburgh East, West and Centre.

The valley constituencies tend to elect mostly centre-right members of a few stripes, an urban Socialist in Lower Sax North, perhaps a lone proletarian-loving Liberal Democrat and the odd agrarian Socialist thrown in for good measure. Top up members tend to be one or two Socialist Party and perhaps a lone Rural Alliance representatives.


Civil Guard

In keeping with its heavy automotive and defence industry back ground, the Sax Valley supplies the field battalions for the armoured brigades of the 9 series divisions of the Central Province Civil Guard. Additionally, it raises about three more battalions of service and combat support troops:

  • Sax-Caughburgh Armoured, main battle tanks
  • Middle Sax Armoured, light tanks
  • Upper Sax Dragoons, tracked APCs