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. Additional reference information is available in The Resurgent Dream's factbook.

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.

The Danaan Government is contained in the Parliament and is headed by the Prime Minister, who governs with a mandate from the High King and with the confidence of a majority of the Parliament. The Prime Minister is considered the Head of Government and is generally granted a large measure of discretionary power by Parliament, although this has definite limits.

The High King

The high king is charged with enforcing the laws and defending the rights of the nation. Unlike most constitutional monarchs, who have ultimate sovereignty but are not supposed to involve themselves in the actual running of the state, the Danaan high king has not only ultimate sovereignty but a specific list of enumerated rights and duties which fall to the throne. However, while he may become involved in government, the high king is expected to remain strictly apolitical, not even allowing his personal political preferences to be known. The primary principle of constitutional monarchy, at least in the Danaan understanding, is that it serves as a sovereign force above party disputes, unifying the nation across party and factional lines to avoid the kind of partisan division common in some states.

The courts

The highest court in the Resurgent Dream is the Uasal Court. This court can, upon the request of the High King, inform him as to the legality of any Act of Parliament which he feels might violate a more fundamental law, such as one of the Agwenian Edicts. The Uasal Court is also the ultimate source for the interpretation of all laws, including Acts of Parliament, the Agwenian Edicts, and the Common Law. The Uasal Court is also the final court of appeals for all cases involving national law. It has original jurisdiction in all cases involving piracy, treason, or violations of any of the Neutrality Acts. It is also the only civilian court to which the results of a courts martial may be appealed.

Principality and municipal government

The level of government with the most effect on peoples daily lives is the Principality. The principalities all have their own constitutions, written or unwritten, and all are presently constitutional monarchies, although this is not required by law. What is required is that the Danaan government guarantee each principality balanced, constitutional government. Principalities typically control education, transportation, infrastructure, and the social security net within their own borders, although Parliament can and often does interfere in these matters. They also may pass their own criminal laws so long as these do not contradict national laws. Principalities are headed by a prince, although not always called that, who heads up the enforcement of the law. The political executive proper is contained within the legislature of the principality and operates within the norms of parliamentary democracy. Principality's have their own judicial systems. Some have elected and some appointed judges.

Municipalities are responsible for waste collection, zoning, animal control, and local law enforcement. They are headed either by a mayor, a town council, or a mixture of these two forms of municipal government. Some principalities appoint municipal governments at the principality level while others allow them to be elected by the citizenry.

Political divisions

The original six Danaan principalities were considered to be sovereign kingdoms under one high king for at least the first nine hundred years of the nations existence. This gradually began to change in the twentieth century as the high throne increasingly centralized the government of the country. It was not, however, until 1990 that then reigning High Queen Agwene formally declared that the Resurgent Dream was a single, indivisible national unit.

The majority of the current 25 Danaan principalities, the result of rapid expansion over the last 15 years, were established after this declaration and have never been independent states of any sort. However, all Danaan principalities enjoy a fair amount of local autonomy and even certain definite rights against the Royal Government under the federal system which now exists.

The principalities are further divided into various parishes, with most principalities containing 100 such divisions. Parishes are then subdivided into municipalities.

The Resurgent Dream can be divided into four basic areas: Dana, the original island nation; Mists, the islands surrounding Dana (while Dana is technically located in Mists, it is considered large enough and of enough historical import to be classified independently; the other Atlantic islands, including Kagerlund; and Danaan Ambara. In addition to these lands, the Resurgent Dream also claims permanent sovereignty over four naval bases on the east coast of Sahor and operates a number of other military bases in Marlund, at the invitation and with the permission of that country's government.