The Resurgent Dream

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The Danaan High Kingdom of the Resurgent Dream is a large island in the Atlantic Ocean, just south of the equator, although the High Kingdom also claims adjacent islands and large territories in Ambara which it considers to be integral parts of its territory and not mere colonies.

The Resurgent Dream
the_resurgent_dream.jpg
Flag of The Resurgent Dream
Motto: "Fiat justitia, pereat mundus"
Region Tareldanore
Capital Tarana
Official Language(s) English
Leader Owain ap Cunedda
Population 2-3 billion
Currency Sterling 
NS Sunset XML

History

Danaan history started with the migration of people from what are today Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Indonesia, the Phillipines, Hawaii, Macronesia, and Micronesia, through the South Atlantic Passage into the Atlantic Ocean and specifically to the island of Dana. These Aboriginal Danaans have left evidence of their presence for at least the last two thousand years in the forms of pottery and tools. It is estimated that 537,000 lived in the Islands of Mists before European contact and the subsequent introduction of foreign diseases such as syphilis that greatly diminished the native population. While these early Danaans are well known for their advanced navigation techniques, they established no major urban centers.

Before the year 1000, Welsh settlers created a new kingdom in what is now Shieldcrest, founding Narich in 947. The first Indian settlement happened at roughly the same time, at Bharat. Within the next two decades, the Scots extensively colonized what is now Fireforge. In 1044, Greek settlers established a colony at Aristonople. All of these other settlements recognized the high kingship of the king of what Shieldcrest, then called the king of Narich. This high kingship was further legitimized when Rhygyfarch, the first high king, wed Maile ni Cunedda, the daughter of the aboriginal high king, Kamameha.

This state of affairs went undisturbed until 1375, when a large fleet of English settlers landed in what is now Wintermore. The Englishmen, allegedly lost, quickly set up a militarily strong colony. In 1381, the English settlers went to war with Shieldcrest, wresting the high kingship from the hands of High King of the Resurgent Dream John and placing it in the hands of their own King Thomas I.

The line of Rhygyfarch regained the kingship in 1478, under High King Dafydd, but only held it until the Homecoming War in 1511. This war was marked by the arrival of the Fae, under a High King Amrod, who claimed lordship over the Resurgent Dream. Amrod set about subjugating the humans of the realm and Dafydd met atrocity with atrocity, setting out to slaugher every Fae man, women, and child. While the Fae were winning, the war only ended when Timon ap Gwydion challenged Amrod, allegedly over the honor of a mortal peasant woman. Timon, after killing Amrod, was briefly declared king before dying himself. His daughter, Corrina ni Gwydion, made peace with the humans, signing the Treaty of Mutual Recognition. From then until the Shattering, Fae and humans lived together, although with Fae occuppying the highest positions of power.

During the early years of High Queen Corrina's reign, some settlers in Wintermore attempted to establish the institution of African slavery. Disconcerted by this practice, Corrina issued a number of edicts, beginning with a moderately worded edict in 1558, banning the enslavement of any Danaan subject on Danaan soil, and ending with a 1605 edict ending slavery and guaranteeing freedom to any slave who set foot on Danaan soil. The 1605 law remains fully in force today and has been responsible for the immigration of many run-away slaves to Wintermore. Wintermore was also settled by many others from the United States during Corrina's reign, soon making the original English settlers and their descendants a minority. While many of these American settlers were ultimately of English descent anyway, many were Spanish, French, African, Duth, German, or Amerindian as well.

During the 20th century, many new principalities were added to the original six as the nation expanded to occupy the other islands in Mists, unclaimed islands elsewhere in the world, and a large chunk of territory in Ambara. One of the new principalities, Pele, was designed as a haven for the Aboriginal Danaans who had been displaced from much of the rest of the islands.

During this period, the nation also became an industrial power. Industrialization was spurred on largely by trade with Menelmacar, Pantocratoria, and Lavenrunz, although it was able to establish firm roots within the Resurgent Dream herself by the early 21st century.

The most significant recent event in Danaan history is the Shattering, an event forcing almost all the Fae to return to the Dreaming for unknown reasons. This led to a large increase in the cultural diversity of the Resurgent Dream as well as the restoration of the line of Rhygyfarch to the throne. Danaans are still deciding what to make of the post-Shattering world.

Government

Democracy and suffrage

The Resurgent Dream is an example of a constitutional monarchy. It is also considered a liberal democracy, although purist Rawlsians and other critics dispute this claim. The government is formed according to and operates within a set of limited powers. The Resurgent Dream has no one document which qualifies as a constitution. Some consider the nation to have no constition while others consider that the Agwenian Edicts, taken together, constitute a written constitution. Government is conducted on four levels: National, Principality, Parish, and Municipal. The Resurgent Dream contains apolitical hereditary leaders for the nation as a whole and for individual principalities. Leaders of government on all levels are popularly elected. Judicial officials on all levels are appointed based on merit. All elected officials are chosen by secret ballot. Danaans enjoy virtually universal suffrage from the age of 17 without regard to race, sex, wealth, or education, with only the high king, his wife, the princes of the various principalities, and their spouses denied the right to vote.

Royal government

The royal or national government consists of the Parliament, the High King, and the Uasal Court. All of these powers balance each other, although the king reserves ultimate sovereignty. The primary functions of the royal government are defense, foreign affairs, the issuing and management of currency, the regulation of trade with foreign nations and between the principalities, and the protection of human rights. However, Danaan law is relatively flexible and ambiguous on the limits of the national parliament with regard to the principalities. The national government not only possesses a monopoly on the use of the aforementions powers but also shares many other powers with the principalities.

Parliament

Parliament is a unicameral legislative body which meets in the Parliament Building in the Marble City of Tarana. Parliament has 364 members, each referred to as a Member of Parliament or simply MP. Of the members of the Danaan Parliament, 339 are elected by the people according by principality, while 25 are appointed by the principalities. Elected seats are divided proportionally between the principalities, although every principality is guaranteed at least one seat. Each principality also appoints one member. According to the 2005 formula, the principalities elect one member for every ten million persons, always rounding up. As can be obviously seen, the rounding has a substantial effect, although demographers predict that the correspondence between overall population and parliamentary representation should even out within the new year or so.