The Celesterran Empire

Celesterra

Etymology and terminology

The adjectives "Celesterran" or “Celes” are commonly used to refer to matters relating to Celesterra and is used in law to refer to Celesterran citizenship and matters to do with nationality. People of Celesterra use a number of different terms to describe their national identity and may identify themselves as being Celesterran, Celes, Borlish (People From Borland) and Naarman (People from Naarmer) or as having a combination of different national identities. The official designation for a citizen of Celesterra is "Celesterran citizen".

Culture

Gender Tradition

Celesterra is built upon a patriarchal society where men hold much more power than women. This can be seen in lower levels of society as mostly men go to work while women stay home and watch over children and look after the house. Not only this, but women are not allowed to enter the military and some police forces. In the middle classes women also take on this same role. However, in the upper classes, women are used as bargaining chips for alliances between kingdoms within Celesterra and sometimes even outside of Celesterra. It is also tradition that a man and woman must be bound together in marriage before the void before having children, in the lower classes this is mostly ignored, in middle classes those who ignore this are shunned and in the upper classes you absolutely must be married to have children. Although that is not to say that you must be celibate before marriage, you just must not have children. Marriage is an unequal partnership and allows the man in the relationship to take control. Divorce is allowed but is mostly frowned upon as monogamy is encouraged.

Food/Drink

Celesterra is the largest producer of strawberries and one of the largest producers of potatoes in the world, Strawberries and potatoes are among some of the most consumed foods in Celesterran culture and are widely enjoyed around the country making them a staple food in Celesterra that has become synonymous with the culture. Celesterra is a large exporter of strawberries and potatoes although much of the production is consumed domestically.

Titles/Classes

The Glorious Void Envoy/The Envoy (Emperor) Hand Of The Envoy (Prime Minister) Void King (Local King) Void Duke (Local Duke) Void Baron (Local Baron) Void Viscount (Local Viscount)

Geography And Climate

In general, Celesterra has four main climate types: warm, moderate, arid, and freezing, all determined by the expanse across latitude, range in altitude, and relief features. Although the most populated areas are generally temperate. Celesterra has an exceptional amount of climate diversity, ranging from temperate in the south to almost polar in the far north. Consequently, there is a wide variety of biomes in the country, including temperate forests, semi-arid and arid regions, temperate plains and Tundras in the north. The average annual precipitation ranges from 150 millimetres (6 in) in the driest parts of Celesterra to over 2,000 millimetres (79 in) in some parts of the country. Mean annual temperatures range from 13°C in the far south to -10 °C in the north.

Government and politics

The Celesterran constitution is uncodified and consists of a collection of Statute Laws, International Treaties, Authoritative Works and Conventions. The House Of Dignity is the Judiciary aswell as the Legeslative and also contains parts of the Executive. The House Of Dignity is also the highest court of appeal in the Empire, acting as a kind of Supreme Court. In accordance with the Sovereignty of the Emperor, he has power to make or unmake laws, and to devolve powers or remove devolved powers as he sees fit. All power within the empire comes from the Emperor and can be removed at his will. The House Of Dignity consists of people appointed by the Emperor and acts as a de facto powerless Legislative branch (aswell as Judiciary). The House debates laws out forward by the Emperor or his cabinet and votes on whether the law should be passed or not. The Emperor can completely ignore the vote or skip this stage altogether, but often listens to the house as they are well educated and experienced individuals who help him in running the country. There is some devolution of powers in the Empire however, Kings are given powers to make certain laws by the Emperor. For example, a king could decide on speed-limits, or the level of gun restriction in the area. However, these powers are devolved on a case by case basis and some kingdoms have more powers devolved to them than others, leading to kingdoms having their own courts and penal codes.

Economy

Celesterra is a centrally planned economy, the "Imperial Ministry For Economic Management" (IMEM) is responsible for managing most aspects of the economy, including production, distribution, and consumption. The IMEM determines what goods and services are needed and allocate resources accordingly, setting production targets for different sectors of the economy. To achieve these production targets, the IMEM sometimes establishes state-owned enterprises and provides them with the necessary resources to produce the goods and services required by the population. But, more often than not relies on privately owned enterprises who are instructed how to run by IMEM for the reason of allowing for some competition to force companies to innovate or face the government contracting another company for the supply . The IMEM also sets prices for goods and services, aiming to ensure that they are affordable for the population. Celesterra is fairly self sufficient and does not require much engagement in international trade, however the government still often purchases from and sells to abroad to maintain positive relations abroad as well as to diversify the options consumers have when deciding on what to purchase. However, foreign companies often appear more expensive because of the regulation of the price of homemade goods often meaning foreign companies struggle to gain footholds in Celesterra, not only this but foreign companies can only sell goods in Celesterra if the government has permitted them to do so to make sure that the country does not have too much of certain things. The IMEM has established a comprehensive system of resource allocation, which involves identifying the country's resources and determining how they can be used most effectively. This involves prioritizing certain industries over others and allocating resources to those industries accordingly, aswell as allocating money to the state owned side of things. The IMEM also manages the distribution of goods and services to ensure that they are available to all members of the population. This involves establishing a comprehensive distribution network, such as some state-owned stores or asking private companies to distribute to certain areas as part of their contracts, to ensure that goods are available to all. To allow for efficient and effective distribution, IMEM has many different branches who do many different things, all while working closely with one and other to try and achieve the most optimal economy. Celesterra has limited welfare systems to protect those who are able to work but are temporarily unemployed aswell as supporting those who have children and do work but don’t earn enough to support themselves and their family.

Infrastructure

Transportation infrastructure is critical for connecting different parts of the country, facilitating the movement of goods and people, and enabling trade. Motorways and roads are essential for transportation of goods and people within the country, and the government often ensures that they are well-maintained and well-connected. Railways are also essential for transporting heavy goods and raw materials across long distances aswell as to allow workers to commute, and the government is investing in high-speed rail to improve transport efficiency. As of right now Celesterra contains one of the largest railway networks in Saurth. Air transport is necessary to connect the country's major cities and remote areas and is fairly extensive in celesterra. Communication infrastructure is also critical for coordinating production and distribution across the country. The government is investing in fiber-optic networks and satellite communication systems to provide high-speed internet and improve connectivity across the country to improve the logistics that are so vital with a centrally planned economy. Telephone lines and radio networks are extensive and also very important for communication between different regions of the country. Energy infrastructure is a key area of investment, the country generates enough power to support the needs of its large population and industries. The government invests in a range of energy sources, including fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas, as well as renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. Nuclear power is also be a viable option which is increasing in its use and replacing some other forms of energy. Water supply infrastructure is also essential in Celesterra. The government ensures that there is enough water supply to meet the needs of the population and industries, particularly in areas where water scarcity is a concern. Large-scale water storage and distribution systems, such as dams and reservoirs are extensive to supply the large population. In addition to these key areas of investment, the government also invests in other types of infrastructure, such as healthcare facilities, schools, and housing. These investments are critical for ensuring that the working population is healthy, educated, and well-housed. The government does this by providing free education up to the age of 16, with higher education being mostly limited to the upper classes by price. Healthcare is also free for children under the age of 16 and the working population, to ensure that the population is well cared for and able to work which reduces the amount of sick days. Housing is free for working age people who are temporarily unemployed, those with children are prioritised. However, if people are able to work and don't without a valid reason then all of these things are denied to them and they are branded "lazy" and refused help, also if you are older or disabled the state sees you as useless and doesn’t bother to invest into keeping you alive.

People

Emperor Nicholas III 1870-1899 Emperor Alexei 1899-1940 Emperor Ivan III 1940-1950 Emperor Nicholas IV 1950-2003 Emperor Alexander 2003-Present

Cartel

The Borlish Cartel control certain parts of Borland, and are the largest meth producers in the world (among other drugs they produce and traffic). Much corruption surrounds the cartel, including the fact that the government allows them to exist provided they pay taxes on their blood money and NASAT turns a blind eye to cartel activity due to huge bribes. In the regions under their control they produce most of these drugs and then export them across the country and the world. The situation is a win-win for all those involved aside from the cartel victims, NASAT gets government funding and bribes, the government gets a nice cut of the money and the cartel gets to earn billions. Cartel and mercenary forces sometimes clash as rival gangs hire mercs to fight the cartel (not having the resources to contest them themselves). However, cartel enforcers often manage to scare mercenaries away by having a long history of killing the entire family of mercenaries in front of them before killing them too. The cartel holds a lot of power in prisons due to the highly monetised nature of jails, cartel members often have lavish rooms and buy their way out of doing any kind of work by bribing guards of sometimes even prison CEOs. Prisons tend to be a cartel breeding ground in the higher security levels due to many inmates wanting to do the cartel members a favour inside prison just to make their cell nicer, and end up falling further into criminality otten leading to them never being released or being put back in just weeks after they leave. While the cartel have NASAT bribed within Borland and to a certain extent Westland, outside of these provinces NASAT and local police will have nothing to do with the cartel as the more religious provinces see drugs as against the will of the void and a scourge on society. Not only that but they will not put up with people being murdered by those who deserve to be judged by the void. The cartel struggle to make footholds in more religious areas although it is possible and they do have some footholds, law enforcement stomp on them the first chance they get.

Murder Of NASAT Chief (2010)

*In 2010 Former NASAT Chief Alexsei Semenov was found mutilated on the floor of his hotel during a visit to Borland, along with a cartel symbol drawn in blood on the wall. This action by the Cartel infuriated the Imperial Government and led to a breakdown of relations between the cartel and NASAT, resulting in several battles between police forces and the cartel. Tens of cartel members were killed in these battles and hundreds were arrested. Violence between the cartel and NASAT only simmered out once a peace agreement had been made where the cartel pays NASAT and hands over the murderers in return for NASAT not to get involved in Borland. The cartel ended up not handing over the murderers and NASAT continued to wreck cartel supply lines and manufacturing, it took two years for the cartel to hand over the murderers and in this time NASAT had delivered multiple heavy blows to the cartel which they haven't recovered from still to this day. No motive was found for the killing of the NASAT chief leading to the cartel being described as "Evil" by the Imperial Minister Of Justice. The long term aftermath of this killing is cartel activity being heavily limited to Borland, with NASAT and other Police and Security forces cutting the tendrils of the Cartel trying to reach out of the region.*