Imperial Union State

The Union State Of The Trinitist Empire (much, much more commonly known as the Imperial Union State) is considered by most scholars to be the sole and direct successor state to the Empire of Great Mountains (though some argue that the Montanakan Republic, with its control over the one-time Imperial capital is more deserving of this title), with the Imperial government itself seeing itself as a direct continuation of the Empire of Great Mountains. However, not only has the name changed, for its government is wildly different from that of the Ancient Empire. While the Great Mountains were formed around the House Ter-Chambadzor, the Imperial Union State is an elective monarchy in which the chosen sovereign has almost no power. Instead, the nation itself is ruled by a diarchy.   Following the Deluge, the last two loyalist holdouts were Zingitar and Sakarzor, who would re-affirm their federation in the post-war. However, to avoid the mistakes of the Ancient Empire, power would be entrusted to the visionary builders of this new state: Shaan kō Vivekananda, Sultan of Zingitar, and Narek III Aramyan Ter-Abovis, Lord-Protector of Sakarzor. While the Sultan is a more moderate Civicist and the Lord-Protector is an Absolutist, they agreed that the racial divides that brought the Great Mountains crumbling down could not be allowed to proliferate in the Imperial Union State. Therefore, they would abandon their old titles and take on the titles of "Prefect", and work to build a haven of harmony.   But to explain the powers of the Prefects, we must explain the role of the Imperial government. In the city of Arrajnord, constructed on an island in the Sickle Sea to serve as the Empire's neutral capital, His Majesty Emperor, Sword of the Faith, presides over the Golden Parliament. Once a month, all the landed noble houses of the nation send a representative to the Parliament. Here, they will voice their concerns to His Majesty and propose bills that will affect the entire nation, being similar in concept the Dyffryian Senedd or Qadjiki Kuraltay, but the people do not elect the men of the Golden Parliament. If a bill passes through the unicameral legislature, it must thereafter be given the assent of both Prefects, and thereafter the assent of the Emperor. The Golden Parliament also serves to elect a new Emperor from their ranks on the death of the prior one, this having happened once already after the death of Margos Ter-Chambadzor. The Emperor himself has little power. The "Second Charter Of Imperial Reformation", the constitution of the state, grants him (as it is always a him) the powers to give or refuse to give his assent to laws passed by Parliament, represent the Empire abroad, and call special sessions of the Golden Parliament. Furthermore, he serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Armed Forces, although this is more or less symbolic. It is the job of the Parliament to declare war and accept treaties presented to them by foreign nations through a simple majority vote. Because his position is an elected one, his powers are few, and the Prefects of the Empire hold a great amount of sway over him, the position of Emperor is more or less a symbolic one. The current Emperor is a Tengu, Bahadur kō Tshering, an aging conservative who commanded armies against the Republicans and retired into politics, more or less becoming Emperor by accident after the death of Margos I and his subsequent and largely unwanted (at least by him) election.   To this day, Shaan kō Vivekananda and Narek III Aramyan Ter-Abovis serve as the Prefects of Zingitar and Sakarzor respectively. They have absolute executive and legislative authority in their own Prefectures (providing they respect the rights of local nobles) and serve as the Commander-in-Chief of their Prefectural Militias. However, their real power is on the national stage. As stated before, both Prefects have to give assent to any law passed in the Golden Parliament, and if they do not, it will die. Additionally, they have the power to demand that the Golden Parliament address an issue that both diarchs see as important, although it is up to the Parliament to legislate a solution (though it should be said that the Prefects can ghostwrite bills for the parliamentarians). The Prefects also have the authority of appointing the Imperial Cabinet, a collection of ministers that serve as the head of the Imperial bureaucracy's various branches whose decisions all need approval from both the Prefects and the Emperor. The position of Prefect is a hereditary one, even though Zingitar's preceding position of Sultan was elective. This was accepted in the prefecture due to the greater amount of authority local nobles were given over Imperial affairs and the fact that the position of Emperor itself was now an elective one.   The Second Charter Of Imperial Reformation guarantees the local nobility the same authority they had in the Ancient Empire, more or less. The local lord, be he a member of a Tengese Great Flock or a Dwarven Baron, is in control over his locality's government, having to tend to public utilities, courts, hospitals, law enforcement, and the other monotonous tasks of small-scale rule. While the Golden Parliament sets the national tax rate and the Prefects set the prefectural tax rate, local nobles have the ability to set the tax rate for their lordship and have the responsibility of collecting the required taxes for all three levels of government. While the Imperial Union State is a decidedly undemocratic nation with an anti-democratic worldview, the citizens are guaranteed some rights. All citizens, no matter their race or sex, are equal before the law, protected from unjust imprisonment, have access to a speedy trial, and have the right of assembly, property, and speech insofar that it does not directly insult the Imperial or Prefectural governments. Because of these laws and a proud tradition of Trinitist Internationalism, the Imperial Union State is a haven of racial tolerance in a horribly racist world, being the only multi-cultural nation in which the races that make it up respect and honor the culture of the other.

Stretching across the Northern coast of Sahul, the Imperial Union State is a nation of rainswept forests, islands, and the high peaks of the Sakar. The federal nation is divided between two Prefectures (and the capital territory on Arrajnord Island): Zingitar and Sakarzor.   Centered around the Rajv and Nav peninsulas, the Prefecture of Zingitar is the larger and more populous of the two. Instead of proper nobles, Zingitar is ruled by "Great Flocks" who rule over "Nesting Grounds". A Great Flock is simply the name for a Tengu noble family, which has no family head. Instead, all the adult males within a Flock share power collectively, although the governmental duties the Flock is concerned with are usually delegated to individuals. The prefecture itself is one of both agriculture and industry. Due to the mountainous landscape of Sakarzor, Zingitar provides the Empire with a good portion of its food, the Tengu sharecroppers who call the peninsulas home growing corn, squash, beans, and fruit (most commonly apples and grapes). The prefecture also boasts strong industrial output, with the cities of Gaimipur and Lalmonisam producing many goods. The capital of Zingitar, Basam, is often referred to as the "Selguro of Sahul", as it is the largest port (and the largest city) on the continent and enjoys a constant influx of capital due to it.   While one would perhaps be tempted to call Sakarzor a junior partner within the Empire, this would not be true. It provides many vital assets to the Imperial economy, almost all of which originate from the Sakar mountains. First, though, the rural economy of the prefecture must be discussed. During the Imperial Depression, Narek III would begin to buy up land from bankrupt nobles, expanding his own domain across the mountains and Rohil peninsula, and bringing further prosperity to these rural areas. Despite this, as with the rest of the nation's farmers, the Dwarves who labor in the mountain valleys and lowlands, raising large flocks of goats and growing wheat, potatoes, grapes, corn, and even some tomatoes in the far East, are sharecroppers. The local Barons, who own all the farmland in their barony, will rent out plots of land, a home, and tools to sharecroppers, who will then pay rent and give a portion of the harvest to the noble for sale. While the Second Charter Of Imperial Reformation protects sharecroppers from overwhelmingly harsh debt contracts, this system is still inherently oppressive and shamelessly favors the gentry. But, as stated before, the Sakarzori economy is primarily industrial. The capital city and mountain hold of Sakarzor and the ports of Yeghavir (on the mouth of the Tandzut River) and Argichivan (on the mouth of the Argichi River) constantly churn out white smoke from factory engines, producing industrial goods in turn. Within the mountains, many Dwarves work dangerous jobs within nickel, iron, copper, zinc, lead, tungsten, silver, and gold mines. While the magical arts and Dwarven biology make such jobs safer than they would be, it is still a hard and sometimes short life, with very few worker protections being afforded Empire-wide (although a minimum wage and abolition of child labor have been granted).   While within the borders of Sakarzor, the city of Aalokata is unique indeed. It is found within the pristine and primarily agricultural Western Reach of Sakarzor, inhabited primarily by Tengu and governed by Great Flocks. The city itself is found in the interior of the region, being not too far from the Sakar mountains. Like all Tengu cities, it is one of high towers and strong bridges connecting the heights, but it serves an important purpose as the center of the "Western Reach Autonomy". Within this Tengu-majority region, all laws passed in Zingitar may also come into effect within the Autonomy if the Prefect of Sakarzor gives his permission. Otherwise, the Western Reach Autonomy is a territory of Sakarzor in totality for all administrative purposes.

The Imperial Armed Forces include both the Imperial Army and Imperial Navy, as well as the Grand Zingitari Militia and Grand Sakarzori Militia. These volunteer forces are almost entirely modernized, the army focusing on defensive formations along the border with the Montanakan Republic and the navy being made up of a large fleet of small, highly maneuverable ships. However, the Imperial Armed Forces are not a totally modern force. The upper echelons of the service are, through a purchase system, dominated by those of noble birth, as well as those coming from influential big business, clerical or legal families. Be this as it may, those of low birth can still become high-ranking officers, though it is much more difficult and requires a near insanely high level of skill. To become an officer in arms such as the Imperial Artillery, Imperial Engineers, or Imperial Aerial Corps (which includes both Tengu who are incredibly good fliers and the Empire's small force of sky monitors and dragonfliers), one must graduate from a Military College, which is an unattainable ask for most of lower birth.   The Grand Zingitari Militia is quite similar to the Imperial Armed Forces in that it is dominated by the landed or financial nobility. This is not so for the Grand Sakarzori Militia. Due to the long-standing tradition of Dwarven meritocracy, a purchase system is not in place within the GSM. Instead, would-be officers need to take a "State Examination" (just as if they were entering the Sakarzori bureaucracy), which is a test to judge their competency in their chosen field, as well as mathematics, culture, and history. Once upon a time, a Dwarf would need to make a high payment to even think of taking the Exam, but not after the reforms of Narek III. Instead, be they trying to enter the bureaucracy or the officer corps, a Dwarf will first need to take a smaller, but more difficult and specialized "Preliminary Examination". If they fail, they will be barred from trying again for 5 years, but if they pass, they will then be able to take the State Examination, strengthening the Sakarzori government's meritocracy.

In all things except government, the Imperial Union State is a modern nation. Both Zingitar and Sakarzor are internally connected with railroads, with both large and small ferry ports allowing the people to enter and exit their own prefecture with relative ease. While someone in one prefecture could, in theory, enter the other via rail, it would be an incredibly long journey, especially as the Imperials are unable to enter the Montanakan Republic. As such, the sea is the Imperial traveler's best friend. The invention of the wireless telegraph was also a great boon to the nation, as communication itself can now ford the waters of the World Ocean.   All the cities of the Empire are electrified, although most rural folks do not share in the light. As with the rest of the world, most within these urban centers are poor. While not to the degree of Dourado, the Empire has very little protections for its workers bar a small minimum wage and a ban on child labor. No pensions are afforded to the disabled or elderly, and while labor unions and strikers are permitted to exist, their actions are usually met with brutal police action.

The Imperial Union State recognizes the Cult of the Trinity as its official religion, with it quite literally being referenced in the nation's name. After the Deluge and the abandonment of the First Charter Of Imperial Reformation, the recognition of the Common Faith as a legally equal faith was abandoned. Trinitist moral law is enforced within the Empire, so as such, gambling, overconsumption of vice, "degenerate" sexuality, divorce, and "unwomanly" behavior (defined as women consuming drugs other than caffeine and medicine, and Dwarven women specifically going out without a headdress) are illegal. Likewise, the traditional Orthodox punishments for various crimes are in force, although state-owned jails are also maintained.

The Imperial Union State has long abandoned any ambitions of reclaiming (most of) the territory of the Ancient Empire. It is solely devoted to the development of its current territory. Despite the treachery of the nationalist states, the Empire carries cordial relations with them in the name of the economy. Likewise, Dourado and Sylvania are cordial with the Empire. This is not to say, though, that the Imperial Union State completely respects Sylvan domination. Naval buildup has been the order of the day almost since the country's founding, with the sailing fleet of the Great Mountains turning into the third-largest metal seafaring force, a direct slap in the Elven face.   One act of betrayal cannot be as easily excused, though. The Montanakan Republic, that dictatorship which so callously slew the Emperor of Great Mountains and sealed the old country's fate, is a symbol of everything that the Imperial Union State hates. Due to this, the Republic is not legally recognized by the Empire and is referred to as the "rogue military government in Chambadzor" when it is necessary to reference the country at all. The mountainous border is orbited by many outposts and forts, so that if the Republic ever makes good on its promise to reunite the Dwarves, Tengu, and Men, the remnants of the Empire are ready, though it is just as likely that they themselves strike into the mountains to take back what has been stolen.