Difference between revisions of "Weyr"

Latest revision as of 19:38, 22 June 2006

Weyr

Flag of Weyr
Motto: Leave us alone or else...
No Map Available Yet
Region	Arda
Capital	City of Wye
Official Language(s)	Weyrik, English, Sindarin
Leader	Kira li'Starhavven
Population	4 billion
Currency	the Weyr
NS Sunset XML

The First Distributed Kingdom of Weyr is a confederated democratic republic, situated primarily in the Central Pacific, with significant holdings on Mars, on the Jovian settelite Ganymede, and in Neptune. Its closest neighbors on Terra are Haven to the north, Hogsweat to the south, and Arda to the west. It comprises eighteen Distributions across three planets and has several extrasolar colonies with varying degrees of independence.

Since the middle of the second century, following the Sith Wars, Weyr has become less active outside its borders. The Second Weyrik Civil War contributed to the weakening of ties between the various Distributions. A revival of national unity caused by attacks against the Martian nations has led to numerous initiatives, including the Neutrality Acts and the Self-Defense Acts.

Quick Facts

• Traditional Long Form: The First Distributed Kingdom of Weyr
• Traditional Short Form: Weyr, The Distributed Kingdom
• Abbreviations: FDK
• Form of Government: Bicameral Representative Democracy
• Locations: Wyr Isle, Central Pacific, Terra; Kekkosmaa, Mars; Various orbital and atmospheric locations, Neptune, Jupiter

History

Archaeological and historical records suggest Weyr has existed for approximately two millenia prior to its reformation into its present form. The period prior to the death of Josiah Willard Leigh saw the decline of the central government, and the stagnation of Weyrean science and culture. During the reign of the High King Alicia li'Wye, extending one hundred-fifty years following the posthumous publication of Leigh's General Theorem of Magicka, Weyr experienced a national revival. At the end of the first century After Leigh, Journeyman 3 became the first Weyrean starship to breach the speed of light, heralding an era of unparalleled exploration and colonization.

After a disastrous involvement in the Sith Wars, Weyr entered a perior of relative isolation that would last until the end of the Third Weyrik Civil War. New expansion was curtailed, and aside from minor participation in skirmishes on the side of the Galactic Empire Weyrean foreign policy stressed non-intervention and resulted in the de-facto withdrawal of Weyr from the Galactic Empire. The Third Weyrik Civil War is considered to be a continuation of the Second Weyrik Civil War. While destruction during the Second Weyrik Civil War was limited to the city of Southport, the Third Weyrik Civil War saw the destruction of most Weyrean colonial worlds, the occupation of much of terrestrial Weyr by Shadowen forces, and the dissolution of Weyr as a cohesive entity, accompanied by significant damage to terrestrial infrastructure.

At the end of the Third Weyrik Civil War, the various Weyrik states were unified under the Articles of Distribution and the Weyrik Standard Law. In the four years since its reunification, Weyr has attempted to reconcile its self-imposted restrictions on the use of force with the need to guarantee economic and military security by assuming control of unclaimed territories in the Jovian planetary system, and by forming bilateral mutual defense pacts with Roania, the Zepplin Manufactirers, No-Endorse, and Tiburon.

Geography

Weyr has holdings on four planets. Private entities claim numerous astronomical bodies outside the Sol system.

Government

Weyr is a confederation headed by a constitutional republican government whose powers are enumerated in the Weyrik Standard Law. There are three levels of government: national, distributed, and municipal. Each level enjoys certain exclusive powers and obligations, and each retains powers of nullification against the level directly above it. Officials of each of these levels are elected by eligible voters via secret ballot or appointed by other elected officials. Power is concentrated in the municipal and distributed governments; the national government is predominantly responsible for defense and foreign policy. Suffrage varies between distributions and municipalities, although all permanent residents can take part in national elections and referendums.

National Government

The national government is comprised of a Legislative Branch (led by the High Council), an Executive Branch (led by the High King), and a Judicial Branch (led by the Ministry of Justice and the High Court). These three branches are designed to form a balance of powers. The Standard Law limits the powers of the national government to defense and foreign affairs. The national government also issues and regulates currency, and manages trade and relations between distributions.

Legislative Branch

The High Council of the Distributed Kingdom of Weyr is the legislative branch of the national government of Weyr. It is composed of the Distributed Representation and the Octagonal Council. The Distributed Representation consists of 2182 members, or representatives, each of whom represents a representative district and serves for up to ten two-year terms. Representation seats are granted to each distribution based on population. Each of the eighteen distribution also has two councilors in the Octagonal Council, regardless of population. One of a distribution's councilors serves for up to four six-year terms; the other coincilor may be appointed for life 'on good behavior'. One third of the elected councilors stands for election every two years.

Each chamber of the High Council has particular powers. The Octagonal Council gives advice and approval to all executive appointments. The Distributed Representation makes financial policy. Both chambers can propose legislation, and the consent of both chambers is required to make any law. The Octagonal Council always operates by unanimity minus two. The Distributed Representation requires a two-thirds majority for new legislation and major actions, and a simple majority for regular business. As enumerated in the Standard Law, the High Council also administers the armed forces, regulates inter-distribution commerce, and forms national and foreign policies.

Executive Branch

All executive power in the national government is theoretically vested in the High King. Actual responsibility is often delegated to ministries and other officials. The office of the High King is dynastic, although each High King must be approved by the High Council and by plebiscite.

The High King has no powers independent of the High Council, which can also vote to restrict the High King's executive powers, or remove her from office entirely, at any time. The High King's duties are outlined in the Standard Law, among them the requirement to host and attend interdistribution and international functions, to supervise Distributed Representation committees, to cast tie-breaking votes in the Distributed Representation, and to act when necessary as a facilitator in the Octagonal Council. The High King makes 180 executive appointments, including ambassadors and heads of the various government ministries, which must be approved by the Octagonal Council. Ministers appointed by the High King are responsible for administering the various government departments, including the Defense Agency, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These departments and department heads have considerable regulatory and political power, and it is they who are responsible for executing national laws and regulations.

Judicial Branch

The highest court in Weyr is the High Court, which consists of nine justices known as Judgemasters. The court deals with matters pertaining to the national government, including the interpretation of the Standard Law in relation to government actions and the resolution of inter-distribution disputes. Below the High Court are the courts of appeals, and below them in turn are the district courts, which are the general trial courts for national law. Quasi-independent from the national court system are the individual judicial systems of each distribution, each dealing with its own laws and maintaining its own rules and procedures. Within each distribution, the municipal court systems have comparable independence regarding local laws.

A case may be appealed from a municipal court to a distribution court only if there is a super-municipal question - an issue arising due to a distribution's local constitution or intermunicipal agreements. A case may be shifted from a distribution court to a national court only if there is a super-distribution question, arising due to the Standard Law or interdistribution agreements. Local High Courts are final authorities regarding the interpretation of local constitutions and laws. Court decisions for appealed cases are sometimes modified by local legislatures and enacted as law.

Distribution and Municipal Governments

The distribution governments have significant influence over most Weyreans' daily lives. Each distribution has its own written constitution, government, and code of laws. There are sometimes great differences in law and procedure between individual distributions, concerning issues such as property, immigration, crime, health, and education. The highest elected official of each distribution is the Coordinator, whose term varies between distributions. Each distribution also has an elected legislature (almost identical to the High Council in every distribution except Wye), whose members represent the voters of the distribution. Each distribution maintains its own judiciary, with the lowest level typically being supermunicipal courts, the highest being that distribution's High Court. In many distributions, court justices are elected by the people; in others, they are appointed.

Municipal governments share a similar relationship with their distributions. Each municipality has its own written constitution, government, and code of laws, and often acts as a miniature sub-distribution. There are sometimes great differences in law and procedure between individual municipalities and even between the municipalities and the distributions within which they are contained. The highest elected official of each municipality is the Director, frequently elected for four-year terms. Municipal governments vary greatly, but tend to have some form of elected legislature, whose members represent the voters of the municipality. Each municipality maintains its own judiciary, which is responsible for most criminal trials and proceedings.

Administrative Divisions

The eighteen distributions comprising Weyr proper include six former kingdoms integrated into the former High Kingdom of Weyr at its inception. Distributions frequently act semi-autonomously in internal matters, but approximate a federal unit when dealing with issues of common defense and national policy. Distribution boundaries are drawn along geographic and historic lines, or along cultural divisions. The Kekkosmaa Distribution administers Kekkosmaa on Mars; its residents are evenly split between Kekks and Weyrean immigrants. The 'virtual' distribution of Azure Skai and Azure Sea has no physical territory; its constituency is predominantly elvish. The Eastgard Distribution consists of a single city on the eastern shore of Arda; it functions as a military outpost and is the least-populated distribution. All other distributions are located in Weyr proper, in the Central Pacific.

Distributions are further divided into municipalities, which are chartered by citizens via petition to their distribution's legislature. A municipality consists of one or more settlements and their immediate economic assets such as farmland, mines, manufactories, and transportation terminals. Municipalities enjoy similar status within their distribution as distributions enjoy in Weyr as a whole. Representative districts districts are used solely for electing members of the Distributed Representation, and may spread across more than one municipality, but not across distribution boundaries.

Colonies, formally called colonial distributions, are split into three groups based on development, self-sufficiency, and population. Third colonial distributions are entirely dependent on their sponsors, whether government or corporate, and have no standing with the central government. Colonies attaining some measure of profitability are ranked as second colonial distributions. First colonial distributions are large, prosperous, self-sustaining colonies that have enriched their sponsors. While first colonial distributions recieve seats only in the Distributed Representation, they have great independence from the national government as compared to normal distributions.

Ministries

Government ministries are bureaucracies with significant autonomy from the national government, despite oversight from High Council committees. They carry out and enforce government policies, and have broad executive powers within their areas of specialty. Ministers are appointed by the High King, with aproval from the Octagonal Council.

Politics

The Weyrean electoral system is based on Single Transferable Vote system. Elections are held every two years for the Distributed Representation's 2182 seats, which are a major target for parties since only half of the Octagonal Council's 36 seats are available for elected representatives.

Political Parties

• (*)Independent or non-mainstream representatives and councilors are not listed.

Foreign Relations

Weyrean foreign policy is a direct response to its lack of native natural resources. Bilateral pacts with the Zepplin Manufactuters and with Roania aim specifically at securing Kekkosmaa and its vital mining industry against foreign aggression. Cooperation with Tannelorni authorities aims at curbing piracy in the Mars-Jupiter asteroid belt. Hydrogen-exporting colonies in the Neptunian and Jovian subsystems will most likely result in improved Weyrean relations with Der Angst and with the Snel.

Galactic Empire

Relations with the Galactic Empire have remained cool despite a century of peace. Weyr views the Empire as a potential threat rather than as an ally. It has been abscent from the roster of active members since the end of the Sith Wars, and has no ties to any current members of the Galactic Empire, preferring to leave the Empire alone politically and economically.

Arda

Weyr maintains an outpost city on the eastern coast of the Ardan landmass. The city, now under jurisdiction of the Eastgard Distribution, was leased from Melkor Unchained during the civil war. Its status is under negotiation. Despite this small presence on the Ardan mainland, Weyr was never part of the Arda alliance proper, and has never attempted to improve relations with any Ardan states. Continuing fortification of Eastgard suggests Weyr expects Ardan-Weyrean relations to deteriorate in the future.

Society

Demographics

Almost half of all Weyreans reside within Wye City or its environs. The remaining populace is approximately evenly distributed between the rest of terrestrial Weyr and Mars. The Kekkosmaa distribution's population has declined over the past year due to wars and planetwide disasters. Much of Kekkosmaa's Weyrean populace has migrated to Ganymede and Callisto, which may become the largest Weyrean population centers by the end of the decade.

Ethnicity and Race

There is no official government census data regarding ethnic and racial distribution. Various sources place the number of ethnic groups with more than one million members within Weyr between eight and forty-six. As many as sicty-five percent of all residents in Weyr are descendents of the indigenous population. Quendi elves make up a large minority; most are descendents of elvish immigrants from the second century After Leigh. Humans form a growing minority. Intermarriage between the different races and species is relatively common. Xenophobia exists among more insular communities. Racial and ethnic violence is uncommon. Questions of integration, assimilation, and immigration remain at the forefront of Weyrean politics on Mars and in the colonies.

Religion

The Standard Law forbids the government from directly interfering in religious affairs, although some faiths are prosecuted due to practices that violate standing laws. Most Weyreans look to religion for mythology, tradition, and social activities. They rarely consider religion a source of morals or laws pertaining to daily life. While most Weyreans nominally identify with secularism, they are not agnostic, and may hold a wide variety of beliefs drawing from an assortment of religious. Ancestor worship is common, and revolves predominantly around maintainign the memory of the deceased.

The Southgard distribution is unique in Weyr for maintaining a de-facto official religion. Most of Southgard's residents profess to Krimism, although only half of those identifying as devout Krimuk attend regular services. Like in much of Weyr, it is not uncommon fo the followers of Krim to celebrate holidays outside their faith.

Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are the major minority religions. Sufi Islam imported from the Federated Segments of Scolopendra has gained a limited following. Catholicism remains controversial due to its affiliation with xenophobic states such as Iesus Christi. Sirithilism enjoys a small but strong following.

Education

In Weyr education is usually the responsibility of the distributions and municipalities, and the laws and standards vary considerably. The national government plays a limited role through the Ministry of Education by setting uniform standards, providing oversight, and maintaining communication between various institutions.

Students are obliged to attend mandatory schooling starting with first grade, which is normally entered into at age 6, and following through 12th grade, which is normally completed at age 18. Parents may educate their own children at home, send their children to a public school funded with tax money, or to a private school charging tuition. Public schools are highly decentralized, and funding and curriculum decisions take place at the local level through school boards. Most distributions allow standardized proficiency exams to replace actual school attendance, virtual or physical.

After high school students have the option of pursuing higher education at a variety of public and private institutions. Public universities are funded by tax money and other sources, but students still pay a reduced tuition. Private universities charge significantly greater tuition, despite financial aid grants. Weyrean institutions range from competitive colleges and universities such as The Tower at Wye's University of Thaumaturgy and the Landing City College to thousands of local municipal colleges.

Culture

The mutability of Weyrean culture prevents any defined national musical, artistic, or literary traditions. Weyr is home to a wide variety of forms and styles from virtually every nation in the world.

Wye City is Weyr's cultural hub, and is home to the national film, record, and information exchange industries. Widespread file sharing allows for anyone to create and distribute their artistic vision, but prevents the large scale commercialization of the music and film industries seen in many other nations. While many Weyrean cities have nationally distinguished opera companies, museums, ensembles, and performance groups, they generate little interest abroad.

The only nationally-recognized holiday is the Festival of Sunreturn, celebrated annually from the middle of December to the middle of January and centered around the winter equinox. It is claimed by Weyreans to be the largest continuous bout of partying, drinking, and general debauchery in the world. Local festivals and holidays vary widely between distributions and municipalities.

Economy

As a market economy, Weyr’s private businesses make most economic decisions with little government oversight. The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry coordinates national investments and initiatives and provides a means of conflict resolution, but otherwise employs neo-liberal free-market policies. National, distributed, and municipal governments negotiate directly with private businesses for goods and services, which are financed via a small, efficient tax system.

Lacking easily accessible sources of raw materials, Weyr's manufacturing sector is dependent on imported raw materials for survival. Disputes betweenAllanean immigrants, indigenous Kekks, and established Weyreans in northern Kekkosmaa, Mars, have prevented full scale exploitation of the nation's only sizeable heavy metals deposits. Service is the largest economic sector, followed closely by data manipulation industries. The mining industry has suffered from international free market competition, forcing the premature closure of previously profitable operations. Weyr's manufacturers focus on the local market, producing cars, electronics, mitaril-steel, and ball bearings, among others. Agricultural production focuses on staple crops such as corn and wheat, with other produce imported from nations such as Pilon and the Resurgent Dream. Rice farming introduced by Osage settlers in southern Kekkosmaa and improved upon by native Weyrean companies is making inroads into agricultural operations across Weyr.

Transportation

A highly developed public transportation system links Weyrean cities and distributions. Urban and intercity 'steamer trains provide a regular, if crowded, alternative to highway driving. Road pirates make highways dangerous for unarmed intercity travel. Southgard, at the mouth of the River Wye, is the nation's largest port. Wye City International Skyport is a major hub for international aerospace travel. Earthbound Station II, in geostationary orbit over terrestrial Weyr, is a major passenger and cargo transit hub. Marsbound Station II, currently under construction, will become the central hub for Weyrean commercial interests around Mars.

Customs services struggle to keep up with the flow of cargo and travelers. A valid manifest verifiable through a company central office frequently allows a ship to clear inspection. Travelers are encouraged to register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since this makes it easier to resolve any problems later on. Quarantine is the only cause for denial of entry nationwide. Colonial distributions may have more stringent regulations for travelers in general.

Military

Weyr is in an unusual position of being a nation-state with a strong military tradition, that has chosen to forcibly restrict its armed forces. A subsection of Weyr's Standard Law prevents the military from procuring any offensive capabilities or deploying in force beyond Weyr's borders. As a result, Weyr's offensive military capability is severely limited.

The Weyr Self-Defense Forces are Weyr's regular armed forces, controlled by the civilian Defense Agency and subordinate to the High King. Although highly trained and fully qualified to perform the limited missions assigned to them, the Self-Defense Forces are small, understaffed, and under equipped for extensive military operations. Their international activities are confined to disaster relief and limited peacekeeping efforts.

Weyrean military doctrine is based on maintaining the integrity of Weyr's borders and ensuring the safety of shipping within its Exclusive Economic Zones and shipping columns. Repeated Skeelzanian attacks against Neptune, continued tensions between Martian nations, and a large-scale attack by rogue Tannelorni militants against the Martian orbital civilian infrastructure have prompted Weyr to expand its military capabilities, prompting debate over negating restrictions of the Weyrik Standard Law entirely.

Self-Defense Fleet

Main article(s): Weyr Self-Defense Fleet

The Self-Defense Fleet originated as a special arm of the now defunct Sky Guard, and rapidly expanded into its role as an orbital and interplanetary superiority force, becoming an independent military department in 81AL. Despite changes in force structure to deal with changing threats, the Self-Defense Fleet has retained an intact core of career officers, enlisted personnel, and traditions.

The Self-Defense Fleet is separated into four units, organized for their individual missions. The Fleet of the Arc patrols interplanetary lines of communications within the Sol system. The Fleet of the Main patrols interplanetary lines of communications within colonial systems. The Fleet of the Line is a rapid response force with no permanent basing that patrols all systems claimed at least in part as Weyrean territories. The Strategic Fleet handles acquisitions, logistics, intersystem strategy, and training. The Self-Defense Fleet consumes over two thirds of Weyr's defense spending.

An acquisition and maintenance drive scheduled to be completed by 314AL is expected to make the Self-Defense Fleet capable of carrying out its assigned duties.

Fleet of the Arc

The Fleet of the Arc is tasked with securing lines of communications for Weyrean transports within the Sol system. Despite proximity to two major orbital port facilities, Earthbound II and Marsbound II, the Fleet of the Arc's eighty-nine ships spend most of their time on maneuvers or on patrol in an attempt to discourage surprise attacks against massed fleet formations. Most of the ships in operation are cruiser or frigate hulls optimized for insystem patrol and pursuit missions - only the Necessary Evil has superliminal capabilities, and no ship except the Necessary Evil carries strategic armament. In addition to running regular patrols, it operates navigation beacons, scanner networks, customs points, and orbital security platforms. A unit within the Fleet of the Arc maintains over one thousand MIRV nuclear satellites situated in polar orbits over Terra and Mars in conjunction with the Ground Self-Defense Forces.

Fleet of the Main

The Fleet of the Main patrols lines of communication within all systems except Sol claimed at least in part by Weyr. Its composition and deployment is similar to that of the Fleet of the Arc. The Fleet of the Main does, however, have modern Ships of the Line deployed with its garrisons, allowing for rapid intersystem reinforcement without sacrificing the greater power offered by the elimination of superluminal systems and their supporting equipment. The Fleet of the Main also coordinates planetary surface garrisons and militias, and is responsible for orbital defense and customs.

Fleet of the Line

The Fleet of the Line was designed to provide rapid reinforcement to any system with or without known translation beacon coordinates, and embodies the new Weyrean strategy of not giving the enemy a static target to the point of not remaining in any single inhabited system for more than several days while on patrol. The Fleet of the Line has SIN-class Ships of the Line under construction by Paradigm Shipyards, to be delivered in late 306AL.

Strategic Fleet

The Strategic Fleet is headquartered in Earthbound II station, and coordinates logistics and strategy for the entire Self-Defense Fleet. It employs a rotating staff of active-duty officers drawn for year-long postings to various departments in an attempt to prevent stagnation and ensure active participation from field commanders. The Strategic Fleet manages the Weyr Defense Academy in conjunction with the Ground Self-Defense Forces.

Ground Self-Defense Forces

The Ground Self-Defense Forces are a direct successor of the High Guard, inheriting centuries of tradition and a capable core of professional personnel. Although severely during after the Second Weyrik Civil War, the Ground Self-Defense Forces have been brought back to their authorized strength of five hundred thousand personnel, and are planning further expansion to improve defensive cover for Weyr's Mars-based and extrasolar territories. The Ground Self-Defense Forces rely on superior equipment, shock tactics, and heavy orbital and aerial support in compensation for numerical inferiority. Lack of heavy transports and logistics capabilities, in conjunction with Article 9 of the Standard Law, prevent it from assuming the offensive far beyond Weyr's borders.