The Kingdom

The Kingdom is a theocratic government serving across the majority of what was once South Africa. Its goals are to provide stability, order and safety, claiming to be the only bastion of order in the world, and the only truly divinely ordained government to have ever existed. It acknowledges no other governmental system as even remotely feasible, and claims it folly to even consider man-made rule when there is a true celestially guided society such as this.

The Kingdom provides a regulated and secure society for all. It welcomes anyone so long as they accept the state-mandated religion and abide by the law. Although the restrictions can be stifling, and the introduction of taxes is a feature unheard of for many (Although generally this is just taken out of any excess stocks the village may have), villages generally accept the rule of the kingdom for the many benefits that it provides to all of its territory. Strict policing, while mostly used to snub any heresy or treasonous thoughts, also effectively removes petty crimes and violence in the area, and keeps it safe from raiding. Priests and chapels are provided at no cost, and as priests are trained as doctors, they effectively serve the community as the only source of medicine and treatment. Any lacking resources are provided for, building wells or importing seeds and crops, and providing a pair of breeding horses per village. It also provides trade with the rest of the kingdom for any other necessities or luxuries. The Kingdom has plans to restore plumbing and sewage, and create roads to allow for easier trade, but these are currently only available for the larger communities closer to the central government in The Heartlands

Structure

The Ascended Kings, The King and The Oracle all serve as divine figures of the highest echelons, although only The King exists to give orders to those below, and serves as the highest ranking military, religious and government figure. The Parliamentarians serve to enact the will of the government. The Commanders are each the head of an individual military outpost. The Barons are the large scale farmers that supply the armies. Together they are referred to as the Elite. The Priests are below, and are the most numerous educated ranking official. Below that are individual soldiers and guards, and finally civilians below that.

Public Agenda

The Kingdom is a theocratic government with goals to provide stability, order and safety. It claims to be the only bastion of order in the world, and the only truly divinely ordained government to have ever existed. It acknowledges no other governmental systems, as it is impossible to even consider man-made rule when there is a true celestially guided society such as this.

The Kingdom provides a regulated and secure society for all. It welcomes anyone so long as they accept the state-mandated religion and abide by the law. It attempts to provide for its people luxuries that it claims they cannot find anywhere else in the world, such as policing, access to medically trained professionals (Priests), trade, protection against raids, and food and water security.

Assets

The Kingdom is the wealthiest society in the explored world. It has wealth of the most precious resource of the new world: People. Its population numbers roughly 200 thousand. While this is a fraction of the population that was once spread across The Kingdom's Accumulated Territories this is the most populated society in the explored world. The Heartlands is the central province of The Kingdom, and its fertile golden landscape allows it to be covered in farms, producing food for both the citizens within, the armies of The Kingdom, and any excess provided to the outer territories.

A fair portion of its population serve as troops. They have mostly been used to protect the villages of The Kingdom and serve as guards and police, and are distributed across The Kingdom, with military hubs set up in each area to organise the troops and manage recruitment and training.

The fortifications - govenrment and military buildings - are set up in the stone structures of old. The military hub of The Heartlands is The Citadel, and the government serves and makes decisions out of Stellen, and the King lives in the Palace Of The King. The government is currently being relocated to a castle that is under construction, called Castle Augustus, atop a plateau-covered mountain.

Religion

The Kingdom itself, as a theocracy, is so intertwined with it's state religion that they are largely considered one and the same entity. Bishops and parliamentarians work in equal standing for the government, and the laws and the holy texts are one and the same. 'Heresy' and 'Treason', too, are effectively synonymous.

The King is as much a supreme pontiff as head of state. Deceased Kings are considered to truly ascend to divinity.

This religion proposes a central creator or divine entity from which all things stem. It has various aspects, but in the end, all are interconnected and intertwined into one central being. The Kings each embody an aspect of this God upon death. The Oracle is considered the aspect of Knowledge and Wisdom, and is most frequently attributed to the very first king.

The kingdom proposes itself the first ever truly God-ordained faction in the world. Its kings are selected and given power by God, so that he can right the previous wrongs of humanity and bring forward paradise on Earth.

Agriculture & Industry

The Heartlands are the agricultural hub of the Kingdom, and the most civilized and cultivated province. This is where crops are grown, animals are farmed and fish are caught in large enough quantities to supply the military and provide relief for the outer territories. This is also where the center of government is housed.

The outer territories are less regular in what they produce - it is largely dependant on each individual village: what their populace is skilled in, what they have surplus of, and how recently they have been integrated. The more recently integrated villages do not provide much, as they are still being aided by the kingdom in order to become more self-sufficient. Those that have been integrated for longer have the basic necessities for living covered and can work towards providing for individual niches.

Trade & Transport

For many places (especially in the outer territories) the only road systems are the remains of those from the previous world. 400 years of neglect has left them cracked into large gravel chunks, worn by the elements to be hardly different from stones. These roads have helped trade begin again, and after regular wear become akin to stone and gravel paths. They require significantly less work to restore to working condition than it is to create wholly new roads, and so are largely still used (with some exceptions).

In The Heartlands, roads are being built afresh. This is largely as traffic is more frequent, but also as in certain areas, such as around The Citadel, the ground is exceptionally worn and pocketed with small, dangerous crevices and caves - the remains of the buildings of the previous era. Fresh roads are paved over this to ensure that the uneven, bumpy and insecure soil and ancient roadwork does not collapse beneath the feet of anyone travelling over it.

Mythology & Lore

Divine Origins

This religion dates back to the very founding of The Kingdom. The Kingdom is said to have been created by a divine act - though not all believed so at the time.

The building that would become The King's Palace, but at the time was simply The Old University, had laid dormant for years, barricaded, and in a secure position nestled below what would eventually be named Mount Augustus. There were a few small settlements nearby, of note the Athlone Refuse Transfer Station, which was considered a safe haven for refugees, the sick and injured in the chaos of the time, with multiple trained doctors residing there to provide treatment. This community was plagued by pillagers, longing for the supplies of food grown inside the compound. A relatively large raiding party was planning on attacking this settlement, and although they had large walls, they did not have the able populace or weaponry to defend themselves against any organised efforts. The town was desperate. This is the point where records begin to differ. Some say the locals sought out for those within the University. Others claim that the aid was wholly unexpected. Whichever is true, on the day of the onslaught, where a band of raiders marched toward the community, they found it guarded by Golems; automatons created by King Romulus 1 - though he had not taken this name at the time - and imbued with divine power to enact God's will and protect the populace. The raiders quickly fled or fell, and the regions around the university were peaceful.

The Kingdom formed after this event as a protective and administrative body. It had skilled teachers and educated doctors from within the university, security servicing its protected area and a charismatic and intelligent leader. As it developed a heirarchy and more formal systems of government, other territories gradually joined into the protection and administration of the Kingdom. The golems eventually retreated into the Palace of The King after guards had been trained and the Kingdom could adequately protect itself, and the event took on a mythological and divinely provident aspect in the minds of many. The King did not seemingly actively foster belief in his divinity until many years later, but never refuted these claims and helped his coalition of qualified doctors to eventually form into the religious wing of the Kingdom.

Cosmological Views

The universe was created by God an inconceivably long time ago. Although the universe was vast, expansive and colourful, God eventually wished for something more. He created the Earth, and with it, life, to create a haven - a beautiful paradise and a place of relaxation.

God created life to be something wholly unique; something to change itself and develop without his constant guiding hand. God watched life grow and develop itself like nothing before ever had - God watched as creatures changed over generations, died out; God watched as new creatures formed to fill the gaps left by those gone.

God watched with most interest, however, as humans developed. These creatures were utterly unique; like God, they could think and feel in ways no other could before. And God grew to love these creatures as he had no other, and watched for years as they developed. God watched with pride at those who showed the virtues he embodied, and watched with scorn those selfish and ungodly folk, but never intervened.

This lasted for many years, until God saw that in the end, they were destroying both themselves and the rest of God's most treasured creation. Because of God's love for them, God knew that this could not be allowed to occur. Thus, God created the Holy Cleansing.

God could no longer allow his creation the freedom to destroy themselves; he would guide them in the new world to allow them to spread across his creation, and experience all it's splendor with respect and care. Thus he created the Kingdom, and now guides humanity on the correct path.

United Under King

Founding Date

27th of the Month of Creation, Year 43

Type

Geopolitical, Theocracy

Capital

The Heartlands

Training Level

Professional

Veterancy Level

Trained

Demonym

Citizens

Leader

King Romulus VI

Head of State

King Romulus VI

Head of Government

King Romulus VI

Government System

Theocracy

Power Structure

Feudal state

Economic System

Mixed economy

Currency

The official currency is referred to simply as 'gold' or 'gold coins'. In reality, the coins are not gold, but are made of recycled plastics left over from the previous era. Although this currency is used frequently in The Heartlands, in the outer territories barter is far more common as the currency is only slowly working its way into the trading system.

Legislative Body

The King has supreme executive power and as such his oversight and decision is required before any laws or commandments can be passed and inscribed into the holy texts. Smaller, more specific laws do still require his final approval, however are mostly handled by those in parliament and the archbishops.

The Oracle - the divine embodiment of wisdom and intellect - supposedly advises and guides the King in his decision making process, although this holy figure is shrouded in mystery, and some wonder whether this is purely metaphorical or a title held by some secretive chief adviser.

Judicial Body

The priests and religious order as well as the military wing of the Kingdom serve to enact the policies and interpret the laws made throughout the Kingdom.

Official State Religion

The Kingdom

Permeated Organizations