United Valleys
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The Matriarchy of These United Valleys | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
| Motto: "Mother Nature and Labor" | |
| Anthem: "The Harder They Come" | |
 Map of United Valleys | |
| Capital | Crabapple Cove |
| Largest city | New Meddybemps |
| Official languages | Downwind Creole |
| Religion | State Atheism, officially "Natural Humanism" |
| Demonym(s) | Valleysian, Downwinder |
| Government | Devolved Socialist Partitarian Democracy |
• The Matriarch of These United Valleys | Jeanne Freeman (disputed) |
• General Secretary of the Revolutionary Congress of Industrial Unions | Rina Oatfield |
• Fore of the Central Committee of the Red Triangle Party | Valerie Wellwater |
• Supreme Attorney of the Red Triangle Party | Elise Owlworth |
• General Executive Council Chairs of the Red Triangle Party (Gang of Six) | Reggie Bayside, Zelda Claret, Edith Greenriver, Pella Seres, Vera Steampot, Valerie Wellwater |
| Establishment | |
• Tribal Confederation of the Great Wave | 1649 |
• United Cities of the Reef | 1866 |
• United Free States of Plateria | 1932 |
• Free State of Enterprise Bay | 1976 |
• Free State of Enterprise Bay and Seacrest Valley | 1989 |
• Free Lands Economic Union | 2009 |
• Matriarchy of These United Valleys | 2026 |
| Population | |
• Census | 71,000,000 (estimated) |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | ∆ 4.87 trillion |
• Per capita | ∆ 66,000 (estimated) |
| HDI (2026) | 0.926 very high |
| Date format | yyyy/mm/dd |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | +207 |
| Internet TLD | .muv |
United Valleys, officially the Matriarchy of These United Valleys, is a socialist partitarian democracy located near the center of the Free Lands in Southeast Narushia, close to the Southern Circle. United Valleys covers large, ill-defined territory in the Free Lands area, and the privacy-concerned government has not yet released population statistics, but independent organizations estimate that there are about 71 million Valleysian citizens. The government is currently operated by a complex and devolved system of municipal councils, regional labor union offices, a centralized resource management apparatus, and an explicitly communist military. The country is notable for its implementation of "Street Officers," elected social workers who are expected to assist residents and visitors with issues, often mundane, such as providing directions to tourists, or assisting in filing a form. The officers are considered critical to the functioning of Valleysian society, and serve a secondary role as a reserve labor force. Notably, independent vehicular travel over land is extremely rare outside of bicycle use, which is abnormally high in United Valleys, given that personal automobiles have been made fully illegal. The nation's rise to prominence and international recognition in the Narushian Free Lands may fill a significant power vacuum on the continent if the young government can maintain stability and legitimacy.
Etymology
The namesake of United Valleys comes from the young, rugged terrain of the country, with most human settlements existing in valleys along freshwater rivers and lakes. The term "These" was chosen to denote that the land ultimately belongs to all humanity, and to "avoid promoting a reactionary national character." The term Matriarchy comes from the woman-led Red Triangle Party's position that the Supreme Executive be a mother, or at least act as a mother. This is enshrined in the Constitution of the Red Triangle Party and the Constitution of the Matriarchy of United Valleys.
History
Pre-History
The area comprising United Valleys has been settled by humans for at least 40,000 years, with strong evidence found as early as the 19th century of the "Green Rock Culture" within the Three River Basin, which built large pyramidal earthen mounds decorated by tourmaline gems as early as 14,000 years ago.
Chiefdom Era
Located downwind of the extreme Great Reef Current, and isolated on land by a series of treacherous mountain ranges and glaciers, the people of the Valleys developed a distinct culture, notably inventing a printing press as early as the 9th century. Despite some major achievements, the people were largely backward, with the vast majority of inhabitants engaging in hunting, fishing, and agriculture. Overseas, the region was known in rare foreign texts for its abundance of food, and the willingness of local Valleysians to help lost ships navigate upwind of the Current.
Great Wave Era
The end of this prosperous period is known as The Great Wave Era of the 17th Century, wherein many extinct and extant colonial powers began settling the area. The "Great Wave" in question was an unexplained shift in the tides that came before the first attempted conqueror arrived.
Free Cities Era
The liberatory politics of the 19th century were extremely popular in the post-colonial United Cities of the Reef. Despite Valleysians never experiencing chattel slavery, this period saw one third of Valleysian men volunteering in wars against the practice throughout Telrova. The cultural aversion to servitude and bondage was further influenced by the introduction of Duckbillism, an explicitly class-concerned form of socialism. Valleysian philosopher Gabrielle Duckbill, the theory's namesake, collaborated frequently with fellow Valleysian philosopher Evangeline Freeman (cousin of Hiram Freeman, a wealthy industrialist, and first President and founder of the United Cities of the Reef).
Free State Era
The frantic politics of the 20th century gave rise to "Free States," small upstart governments in the area that periodically attempted to consolidate power. The governments operating during this era only shared geography, with various factions wresting control and then collapsing.
United Free States of Plateria
After Hiram Freeman's death in 1879, the economy of the Free Cities began suffering repeated shocks at a rate similar to the rest of the world. In the 1926 presidential election (an election which saw the New Socialist Party of Narushia achieve 22% of the vote) the country elected Ophelia Silverstar as President, beginning an era of mass civil investment and the creation of a robust welfare system in the country. Upon reelection (The New Socialist Party faded into obscurity after their loss and the death of their General Secretary) in 1932, Silverstar led a supermajority to create a new Constitution, the United Free States of Plateria. The name was chosen due to romanticism toward the emerging Socialist Platypus, a common subject in Narushia at the time. The UFSP saw a period of tremendous progress and boons, until a decline of fish pricea in the 1950s led to young and influential left-wing opposition. One of these factions, the Sunshine Children, were founded by former members of the New Socialist Party. The faction attempted a campaign of struggle against the UFSP, but by 1973 the movement was largely imprisoned or inactive. The campaign against the Sunshine Children caused the military of the country to expand massively, which caused the country to collapse in 1987.
Evgeny von Patton 's Free Lands Economic Union
The Free State period continued until 2009, when Evgeny von Patton set up The Free Lands Economic Union as a first step to federalize the area as a capital-friendly liberal democracy. After establishing himself as President of the Free Lands Economic Union, von Patton quickly passed the Economic Security Fund Act, which budgeted the creation of a "security force" of privately-contracted paramilitary security. Within a year, this mercenary force numbered over 130,000. The following decade saw mass civil unrest, with thousands of inhabitants ultimately engaging in a prolonged armed struggle against von Patton, his mercenaries, and the police, which involved multiple instances of the FLEU deploying illegal chemical weapons against civilian and guerilla targets.
Valleysian Era
In March 2026, a small faction of young fighters known as The Red Triangle Party organized a revolutionary action, seizing many industries and government offices across the Valleys in a single night. After the legal trial and execution of von Patton, the Party established itself as a legitimate government body under the new Matriarchy of the United Valleys. By September, the country became the single internationally recognized state in the Free Lands.
Government & Politics
Government
The legislature of United Valleys is pseudo-unicameral under the Revolutionary Congress of Industrial Unions, with two "advisory organs" atop, these being the New Central System, which engages in day-to-day economic planning, execution, and coordination, and The Red Triangle Party, which also operates the Valleysian military. The Revolutionary Congress is comprised of 1000 Regional Industrial Union Offices, arranged porportionally to population every 5 years. The members of these Regional Offices elected to serve the Office in the Congress are known as "Congressors," and are subject to short, 12 month terms. The candidates are chosen by members of the Industrial Union List, a body charged with researching and vetting candidates from the unions via a process of caucusing. The Industrial Union List also has veto authority over all proposals (bills) sent to the RCIU for deliberation. The judiciary of United Valleys is the "Low Court," a devolved system of justice that relies heavily on attorneys and specialized legal professionals. The courts are federalized in reverse via "proportional judgement," in which appealed cases are seen by additional attorneys for higher judgements. Juries aren't used in United Valleys, instead, cases are preceded by the creation of small "posses" assembled by the Chief Attorney (judge). Posses are typically small, with two additional advisors to the Chief Attorney allowed for any and all cases. Chief attorneys can appeal the Low Court Bar to extend the size of the posse if the case's scope is large, especially difficult to parse, or novel. The system is considered odd, but open, with all criminal and civil cases open to the public, provided the defendant is over 20 years of age (20 years is the age of consent and adulthood in UV. A special exception allows under 20s to work as laborers, provided they are learning a safe and/or specialized industry and can provide guardian consent). The Executive branch is firmly captured by The Red Triangle Party, which engages in military recruitment directly from its membership. The original proposed military body, The Citizens Rifleer Militia, fully defected to the Red Triangle Party in August 2026, after the drafted Constitution guaranteed a non-aligned military. In the current Constitution, all members of the military must be active members of The Red Triangle Party, and all candidates for public office must swear an oath to defend socialism and serve with integrity.
Despite a complicated structure and ideological rigidity, the system is considered largely fair and democratic to internationl observers, particularly the legislature and judiciary. Other bodies include Municipal Councils, the lowest level of civil office, which are comprised of councilors presiding over porportionally allocated offices. Under the RCIU are Industrial Production Offices, which work with the New Central System and the United Valleys Commissariat to execute industrial policy (economic law/programs). Additionally, the United Valleys Tourism Board operates as an executive body under the Red Triangle Party responsible for the United Valleys Postal Service, international diplomacy, arranging national events, and monitoring the weather. The main building of the Tourism Board is shared with the United Valleys Commissariat, which administers Exchanges, public transportation, and other vital service industries.
Political Parties
During the revolution, several political parties and factions were active, predominantly underground. The momentum gained by the Red Triangle Party in early 2026 caused many organizations to be absorbed by the party, with the notable holdout being the International Industrial Union, which refused to align itself with any party. Currently, there are over 300 parties listed in United Valleys, but only the Red Triangle Party, International Industrial Union, and Green Valleysian Party hold more than one seat in the RCIU.
Civil Rights
The Constitution guarantees "Freedom of Rest and Leisure," which has resulted in a large effort to organize and modernize the nation while keeping personal privacy in mind. The Matriarch once explained the somewhat contradictory concept of collectivist privacy by stating, "No one wants to live in a fish bowl."
Vice and decency laws are largely unheard of in United Valleys. Marijuana was legalized by the previous von Patton regime in an attempt to pacify the public, instead, it now provides United Valleys with one of the largest hydroponic hemp farms on Telrova. The crop is also now seen as a staple, and part of the "Natural Lifestyle" popular in the Valleys. Other facets of the lifestyle are growing out hair, "dressing light" (wearing comfortable and/or confident clothing, or no clothing), "shared love" (not judging the love of others), and "living musically." The government has passed multiple laws protecting these practices.
Prisons and jails were closed afer the trials of von Patton's commanders, with capital punishment still legal but not practiced. Most crimes have punishments of parole and/or community service, while Valleysian criminals considered dangerous are subject to house arrest with monitoring. In particlarly dangerous or exceptional cases, attorneys or the Citizens Rifleer Militia can request special confinement, but this has never been requested as of 2026 November.
Valleysians practice a culture of soft shame or "humble confrontation," often mocking or criticising other Valleysians for living "unnatural." Unnatural living to Valleysians involves things seen as inhumane or ignorant, such as cosmetic products (particularly if they involve animal testing), wearing furs, eating meat, or vocally expressing a poor understanding of a topic. This practice has been promoted somewhat through the policy of "self-criticism," which at this point is limited to Public Media Announcements between television, radio, and UVNET programming.
One casualty of Valleysian humble confrontation is religious practice, which has been completely abandoned. In November of 2026, just two months afer the revolution, The International Pew Society polled Valleysians on the subject, finding that only 1% of respondents "Worshipped in the past week," and 63% of respondents considered themselves to have a "Very Unfavorable" view of religion, with only 6% expressing a "Favorable" or better opinion. Soon after the poll was released, the Eagle Pact Caucus of the Red Triangle Party drafted and passed a New Organizational Policy that stripped religious and charitible organizations of all special rights, and put hundreds on trial for charges of criminal thrift, privatization, and fraud. This policy recieved heavy international condemnation, but mass support among the Valleysian public.
Unions in United Valleys are allowed to organize however they wish, but must contact the Industrial Union List to recieve a List Auditor. List Auditors are tasked with inspecting dues for legitimacy, ensuring the union maintains a healthy strike fund, and also assisting in seeking attorneys to represent the union.