Nation/Acronis

The Acronian Empire
Motto: For the King. For the Elders. For the Empire.
Anthem: March On
Location of Acronis (dark green) on the continent of Gondwana (grey)
Capital and largest city		Zhrat Zaram
Official languages		Acronian
Recognised national languages		Acronian Sign Language Codexian
Demonym		Acronian
Government		Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
-	King	Mital II
-	Prime Minister	Zharis Nevran Alandar, MP
-	Deputy Prime Minister	Jeila Telan Vandravat
Legislature		Parliament of the Acronian Empire
-	Upper house	The Senate
-	Lower house	The Diet
Establishment
-	Signing of The Pact	February 20th, 1496
-	End of War of Foundation	June 10th, 1499
Area
-	Total	967,650‬ km2 373,611 sq mi
Population
-	2020 estimate	48,282,007
-	2017 census	47,386,944
-	Density	48.98/km2 126.9/sq mi
Currency		Nashdat (ACN)
Time zone		East Acronis Standard Time West Acronis Standard Time (UTC-8, -9)
Drives on the		right
Calling code		+422
Internet TLD		.ac

The Acronian Empire, known formally as the Empire of Acronis and colloquially as Acronis, is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy located in the northwest of the continent of Gondwana on Urth.

History

The land on which Acronis now sits was originally inhabited by several dozen loosely-affiliated tribes of elves that called themselves the Tavari. Elves are believed to have migrated to the area sometime between the first and fourth centuries AD. From time to time throughout history, various chiefdoms would unite under a single leader to gain strength and control over other chiefdoms. By the beginning of the 15th century AD, they were all united in a loose confederation under the banner of a single King.

Official state history says that some time between 1470 and 1480 AD, the Goddess known as Akrona appeared from the sea before a group of seven bathing women and blessed them, charging them with a mission to spread her word and her blessing. This religious movement, known as Akronism, quickly spread among the Tavari, and within ten years several chiefdoms had defected from the Tavari King in order to form a new polity under the faith of the Goddess. Non-Acronian historians generally characterize the emergence of the Akronist faith as a charismatic movement based on northern Tavari local religious beliefs, but agree that the religious upheaval caused a splinter movement and then a civil war.

The beginning of the war, known in Acronis as the War of Foundation, is dated variously between 1475 and 1490, with most historians settling on minor skirmishes in the late 1470s and the emergence of major hostilities sometime between 1480 and 1485. On the one side was the emergent faction of Akronists (called Akronians, now spelled "Acronians") who gradually formed themselves into a state, and on the other were the Tavari chiefdoms united under the King. Contemporary Tavari accounts refer to the conflict as the "cultist uprising," and modern Tavari historians tend to refer to it as the Tavari Civil War.

On February 20th, 1496, a document known as The Pact was signed. The parties to the Pact were the group of seven women who had established the Akronist faith, known as The Elders, and the various leaders of the chiefdoms who had declared their faith in Akrona. The Elders selected one of their membership, known as the Matron, to be their leader. One of the chiefs, a man named Davras, was selected to represent the chiefs to The Elders. The Pact laid out the relationship between The Elders and the people, as represented by Davras, and more broadly, the responsibilities of both church and state. The Pact is still in force today, and has never been amended. The date of its signing, February 20th, is celebrated as Acronis' National Day, known as Foundation Day.

In 1499, Acronian forces reached the island off the southern coast where the King of the Tavari held his base of power. They prepared for a siege, but the King of the Tavari - named Zaram - ordered his troops to surrender. He gave an order for those loyal him to leave the country, and then appeared before Davras, who was leader of the Acronian forces, and offered his life in exchange for the safe departure of the Tavari loyalists. Davras agreed, with the Tavari loyalists departing unharmed after Zaram's surrender and death on June 10th of 1499. Davras would become the first King of the Acronian Empire and adopted the city as its capital, naming it Zhrat Zaram ("the blood of Zaram" in Acronian) in honor of Zaram's sacrifice. The city, still named the same, remains the capital. The Acronian royal dynasty remains the House of Davras (known formally as Line Davras, which is one of 1,152 formally established clans among the Acronian people), with the current monarch, King Mital II, a direct descendant of King Davras and the 31st monarch in total.

The Tavari that refused to convert almost completely left Acronis, mostly by sea. There have been several armed conflicts between Acronis and what is now known as Tavaris, including five times within the first 150 years of the Acronian Empire and most recently in the beginning of the 18th century.

The religious government still functions virtually identically to the way it did at the foundation of the Empire. The civil government has been significantly altered, with a once absolute monarchy having developed gradually into a constitutional monarchy. In the second half of the 18th century, the citizenry began to demand a more active role in the governance of the Empire and formed local Diets that were bodies elected to present grievances to the King. In 1763, the King agreed to form a National Diet and ceded to it lawmaking authority, in exchange for the imposition of a tax on income.

In 1790, the National Diet proposed, and a referendum ratified, the document known as the Instruments of Governance. The Instruments of Governance established the office of Prime Minister and a bicameral Parliament with a new Senate as the upper house and the extant Diet as the lower house. Under the Instruments the monarchy disclaimed the rights to unilaterally initiate legislation, impose taxation, declare war, and repeal civil law, but the monarchy was retained as the head of state and was granted established reserve powers. In contrast to The Pact, the Instruments of Governance have been amended several times.

Government

The Acronian Empire is governed by two separate authorities, which are referred to as governments: the civil government of the King and the Prime Minister and the religious government, which is led by an official known as the Matron of the Empire. The Matron is elected by and from a body known as The Elders, which is the collective head of the Church. Both governments serve separate functions and act as a check on the other.

The state religion of the Acronian Empire is Akronism, a monotheist faith following the Goddess Akrona, for whom the country and the people are named. The Church of Akrona governs the moral aspects of life in Acronis and maintains and enforces the country's system of criminal law. Criminal law is adjuicated in courts organized and governed by The Elders. As examples, laws against murder and assault are the jurisdiction of the religious government. Additionally, the social safety net is administered by the Church, as according to Acronian jurisprudence it is considered a matter of morality. Pensions, unemployment benefits, food assistance and housing assistance are coordinated by the Church and paid for by mandatory tithes from Church members.

The civil government handles the temporal affairs of the country. Foreign affairs, economic affairs, military defense, and civil law are all the domain of the King and Prime Minister. Civil law is defined as all those areas of law outside the realm of The Elders and is usually described as "crimes against property, rather than people." For example, theft, embezzlement, drug crimes, and regulations of industries or occupations are all areas of civil law. Parliament debates and passes laws, and the King ratifies them. There is only a very limited veto power on the part of the King.

The powers of and the relations between the King and the Elders are governed by a document known as The Pact, which was ratified on February 20th, 1496. It is the signing of The Pact that is considered to be the moment the Empire was established, although it would not consolidate power over the entire area for three more years.

To be a resident of the Acronian Empire is to be subject to the civil laws of the Empire. To be a member of the Church of Akrona is to be subject to its religious law. To be a citizen of the Acronian Empire, one must be both a resident and a member of the Church. The protections of civil law are not afforded to non-residents, and the benefits of Church membership (including social programs) are only available to members in good standing.

Parliament

The composition of The Diet of the Acronian Empire as of January 2020.

Government:
     The People First: 40 seats
     Remembrance: 180 seats
Official Opposition:
     The Liberal Party: 173 seats
Other Opposition:
     The Greens: 17 seats
     Elder-Appointed Caucus: 12 seats

The Parliament of the Acronian Empire consists of a Senate and a Diet. Legally, a Parliament is elected to a seven year term, although it has historically been very rare for a Parliament to last that amount of time. When an election is called, both houses are dissolved at the same time, and all seats go up for election. A Prime Minister, who is selected from among the members of Parliament, must command the confidence of both houses of Parliament. The monarch, by law, must first offer the role of Prime Minister to the leader of the largest political faction in the Diet, but has some latitude to appoint the individual of their choice if that person cannot form a government. A Parliament serves from election for up to seven years, or until either an election is called by the monarch upon the advice of the Prime Minister, or the Prime Minister loses a vote of no confidence in either house and no suitable candidate can be selected from the current membership within 28 days.

The Senate of the Acronian Empire has 150 elected seats, a number fixed by the Instruments of Governance, and a non-finite number of members appointed by the King for a life term. Currently, there are 7 appointed Senators, making a total Senate membership of 157. Among the seats up for election, the Senate is elected proportionally. 110 members are elected from 5 multi-member constituencies, and 40 members are elected from a single, nationwide party list. Historically, the Senate has been seen as the more "collegial" of the two houses, with its membership typically comprised of more senior politicians. However, the Senate is the less powerful of the two houses, as it cannot initiate funding bills and it cannot block the passage of legislation on its own. It can pass bills as passed by the Diet, it can delay passage by referring a bill back to the Diet one time, or it can refer a bill "to the monarch," meaning it recommends to the monarch that they withhold Royal Assent.

The Diet of the Acronian Empire currently has 410 elected seats, with members elected from single-member constituencies in first-past-the-post elections. Additionally, The Elders have the right to appoint members of the Diet for terms coterminous with those of the elected members, with each Elder allowed to appoint two members. The Matron historically declines to make appointments except in times of war or other national emergency. Currently there are 12 appointed members, making the total membership of the Diet 422 members. The size of the Diet is set in statute, but the Instruments of Governance mandates that constituencies consist of no more than 120,000 people each. As in most parliamentary systems, the Diet is the more powerful body, with the right to initiate funding bills. While both houses can initiate any other kind of bill, only the Diet can reject a bill outright.

Historically, more Prime Ministers have come from the Senate rather than the Diet, a contrast to many other parliamentary systems. However, the current Prime Minister, Zharis Nevran Alandar, is a member of the Diet. By law, there is always a Deputy Prime Minister, who must come from the house the Prime Minister does not, and who leads government business in that house.

The Senate of the Acronian Empire as of January 2020.

Government:
     The People First: 27 seats
     Remembrance: 54 seats
Official Opposition:
     The Liberal Party: 45 seats
Other Opposition:
     The Greens: 30 seats
     Goddess and Country: 1 seat

The Monarchy

The Acronian monarchy is based in absolute-primogeniture from among the descendants of King Davras. In order to assume the throne, the designate must be a member of the Church of Akrona in good standing, must not have been convicted of any crimes, and must be resident in the country. The monarch is known as His or Her Royal Highness and also bears the title of Head of Line Davras (sometimes called "Chief of Line Davras.") There have been 31 monarchs, with 17 queens and 14 kings. Mital II, the reigning monarch, assumed the throne upon the death of his father King Kanor IX on March 31st, 2000. The heir apparent is Crown Prince Otan, born in 1990, who is the only child of King Mital II. The king's wife, and the crown prince's mother, was Princess Torevar, who died in childbirth. The King has never remarried. While the monarch does not use a family name like other Acronians, they do technically have them. King Mital's full legal name, as recorded on his certificate of birth, is Mital Davras Sholosar.

The powers of the monarch are established in both The Pact and the Instruments of Governance, as well as through historic convention. Officially, the monarch appoints and dismisses the Prime Minister, summons and dissolves Parliament, declares war and peace, imposes and repeals taxes, and promulgates laws. In reality, all of these powers are exercised only on the advice of the Prime Minister or upon passage of legislation by Parliament. The monarchy does reserve the power to appoint or dismiss the Prime Minister, or dissolve Parliament, on its own initiative, but has never done so since the ratification of the Instruments of Governance. By law, the monarch does not have a veto and cannot reject bills that have been passed by the Parliament, with one exception: the monarch may choose to withhold (or choose not to withhold) Royal Assent if the Senate votes to refer the bill to the monarch - meaning the Senate has, in effect, delegated its authority to the monarch. However, a monarch may always choose to refer a bill to referendum, in which case the bill only takes effect if approved in a national referendum. Also, the monarch may refer a bill to The Elders if he or she believes the bill to be unconstitutional.

The monarch, as Head of State, represents the Acronian Empire to foreign countries and receives ambassadors from foreign countries. Additionally, the monarch serves as a check against the Matron and the Elders. The monarch may reverse any decision of the Matron or The Elders if they believe the decision is unconstitutional. This technically includes any judicial decision such as a conviction or a declaration of a new crime, although this is rarely exercised. This power belongs to the monarch exclusively, and the Prime Minister, cabinet, and Parliament have no legal say in the process.

The Elders and The Matron

The Elders are the collective head of the Church of Akrona. They are a body of seven women and have been since the beginning of the Church. The first Elders are held by the Church to be the first people that the Goddess Akrona appeared to and blessed. As a body, The Elders have historically been very reclusive, and with the exception of the Matron are rarely seen in public. When they do appear in public, it is always as a group. The Elders have ultimate and total control over the administration of the Church of Akrona and over criminal law. The Elders are led by an official known as the Matron of the Empire. The Matron is the presiding officer of The Elders and serves as the Church's most public face - only the Matron ever appears alone, and she is generally considered to be a public figure.

Elders serve for life terms. Upon the death of an Elder, a replacement is named by the Matron. When the Matron passes away, a replacement is elected by the remaining six Elders. Other than being a woman, there is no other qualification set out under the law. Constitutional scholars have noted that there is not even a requirement that an Elder be a member of the church. The Elders have never disclosed any of the factors they use in deciding who should be a Matron. In 2018, the current Matron made an unprecedented disclosure, in response to a question from a member of the church, that for purposes of selecting an Elder the definition of "woman" is any individual who identifies as and "sincerely holds themselves to be, in their whole self and spirit" a woman - meaning transgender women are eligible for the office. It is unknown if any transgender women have ever served as an Elder - although it is equally unknown if any cisgender women have ever served in the role.

The Elders, as a body, are the highest judicial authority for criminal and constitutional law in the country, acting in effect as a court of last appeal. The Elders have the authority to declare any law or action of the government unconstitutional, although by convention they only do so if presented with a formal complaint or if asked to weigh in on the matter by the King. Additionally, The Pact does give The Elders the right to "un-throne" a monarch if that monarch acts "against the laws of Akrona or the interests of her people." This authority has never been used.

Political Parties

Politics in the Acronian Empire, since the establishment of the Diet in 1763 until the mid-20th century had been primarily a two-party system, with power alternating between the Liberal Party and Remembrance. The Liberal Party is, as the name suggests, a classically liberal party that advocates for smaller government, a lightly-regulated economy, and a monarchy with less reserve power. There are factions of the party that call for abolition of the monarchy and the established church. Remembrance defines itself as a centrist party, although it has significant center-right movements in support for the monarchy, the established church, and a strong military. As of 2020, Remembrance is the senior partner of the governing coalition.

Since the middle of the 20th century, the political system has re-organized into a multi-party system. The other major parties of Acronis include the Greens and the People First, both of which being largely aligned with the center-left. The Greens are a member of the international environmental movement and have served as a coalition partner with both of the oldest parties. The People First arose from the remnants an earlier party, the Social Democratic Party, which dissolved in 2005 due to finance violations, and continues to identify as a "party of social democrats and democratic socialism."

Smaller parties that have also had seats in Parliament at any point in time include the Acronian Communist Party; Goddess and Country, a religious conservative party; and Acronians First, a nationalist party most solidly associated with opposition to immigration. Of these, only Goddess and Country has current representation in Parliament, with one Senator appointed by the King.

Geography

A map depicting the major cities and geographical features of Acronis

Acronis is located on four islands off the northwestern coast of the continent Gondwana on Urth, south and west of Masceola. The largest island, which contains most Acronian territory, is known to Acronians as Avnatra, which is Acronian for "elder sister." (In comparison to the island to the west of Avnatra, which is Tanatra, "younger sister.") In addition to the southern and western portions of Avnatra, the Empire controls the island known as King's Island to the south, upon which the capital of Zaram is located, and two small islands immediately to the west of Avnatra known as the "Tears of the Moon." Both of these islands, known individually as the Greater and Lesser Tears, are restricted access areas owned by the Church of Akrona that are reserved exclusively for The Elders.

The equator passes through southern Acronis, bisecting the Greater Tear of the Moon. Given the country's location on the equator, the climate is tropical. All of Avnatra was once covered in rainforest, although the southern portions of the country have been cleared since ancient times. A large portion of the north of Acronis have been declared a nature reserve in order to maintain the rainforest, including nearly all of the country's border with Masceola. Most of northern Acronis is undeveloped and sparsely populated. Crystal Coast is the largest city in the region, and also the country's most popular destination for domestic and international tourism.

Southwestern Acronis is the country's industrial base and most populated region. Most of Acronis' major cities are located here, along the Bight of Acronis. Further inland is the primary agricultural region of the country. Off the southeastern coast is King's Island and the capital of Zaram. With the distance too long for a bridge, Zaram is connected to the mainland by a fleet of state-operated hovercrafts and private boats and ships. The portions of King's Island not taken by the Zaram urban area are primarily palm oil plantations, with some heavy industry. There are fewer large cities along the east coast, as this region has bore the historical brunt of Tavari invasion, but the city of New East Harbor is one of Acronis' major ports and the heart of Acronis' primary coffee and cocoa-growing regions. The body of water to the east of Avnatra is known as the Sunrise Sea.

Military

Acronis has a strong military tradition, including compulsory military service for all citizens who are not members of the clergy. This was shaped early in Acronian history by the frequent armed attacks from the Tavari. Despite the fact that there has been no such attack from the Tavari in some 300 years, the two peoples remain bitter enemies and there is still a belief that the country must be protected. As such, there are far more applicants to remain in the military after the period of mandatory conscription than the military has the capacity to take, and the military remains one of the most popular institutions in the country.

The Royal Acronian Armed Forces consist of:

• The Royal Acronian Army
• The Royal Acronian Navy
• The Royal Acronian Air Force
• The Royal Acronian Marshalls

All citizens, male and female, are required to serve eighteen months in the Acronian military, except those in the clergy. Mandatory enrollment is upon graduation from high school, unless enrolled in a post-secondary educational institution (in which case it is postponed) or training to join the clergy. Conscientious objectors are usually assigned to community/public service roles in the Marshalls (the national police) or the Coast Guard Division of the Navy, but cannot gain exemption from service without joining the Church. Those who enter clergy training but do not complete must enter the service upon leaving the seminary. Exemptions are made for medical reasons, or if a child is the only child of a family, although parents must seek such an exemption; it is not automatic.

After serving a full 18 months in active service, citizens enter into reserve status for another 18 months, eligible to be called on in times of need, as well as semi-regular training exercises. Citizens are fully released after three years, except in the event of war. In times of national invasion, all able-bodied citizens aged 30 and under are called back into reserve status and immediately begin training; reserves are drawn from as needed to defend the country.

The Acronian Empire is a signatory to international conventions banning torture and the use of chemical and biological weapons. It has not signed any international accord regarding nuclear weapons, but present government policy is to not develop such a capacity, and nuclear weapons remain consistently unpopular with the Acronian people.

There is a statutory limit on the number of active duty military personnel (in times of peace) due to the fact that there are more applicants to serve in the military beyond the period of mandated service than the Ministry of Defense believes the military can safely support. The cap is 710,000, slightly under 1.5% of the population as of the 2017 census. The cap, which is adjusted every five years based on the most recent census or estimate, has been reached before the end of the year in thirteen of the past fifteen years.

Economy

A coffee farm in northern Acronis

Largely the result of Akronist religious teaching that mandates stewardship of the environment, the Acronian economy is more strictly regulated on average, than other economies. Heavy industry is especially scrutinized, though recognized as necessary.

Agriculture still remains a central part of the economy. A tropical country, Acronis grows and exports timber, tropical fruits and nuts, palm oil, coffee, and cocoa, among many other products including paper and paper goods. Additionally, Acronis produces significant amounts of ethanol and bio-fuels, although these are not typically exported but used by the population instead, as the extraction of petroleum resources is illegal.

Akronist religious teaching has a significant influence on the economy in that it has led to relatively unusual proportions of land use in the country. Akronist religious teaching holds life as sacred, and killing animals in general, but especially to eat, is discouraged. As such, there is almost no livestock in Acronis, freeing the land to be used for the growth of planted crops. There is, however, one major exception to the Akronist rule on eating animals: seafood. Because Akrona is said to have emerged from the sea, the Church of Akrona teaches that everything that comes from the sea is a blessing and gift from Akrona to the people. A significant percentage of Acronian off-shore area is devoted to fish farms and other aquaculture. Acronians both eat and export large amounts of seafood and also engage in whaling within their territorial waters. Kelp and algae are also grown as bio-fuel resources.

Acronis has some mineral resources, including copper, nickel, significant cobalt deposits, and sand and gravel, but extraction of these is very strictly regulated and almost exclusively done by state-owned enterprises. Development of mineral resources is politically unpopular and production of these elements has seen very little growth over the past two decades. Refining of both domestically- and foreign-mined metals is somewhat more common, but still very strictly regulated as a highly polluting industry. Acronis does have domestic heavy manufacturing, including automobiles, watercraft, and especially arms and military equipment, but the manufacturing sector has long been on a decline as imports of these products increase.

The services sector, as in other countries, is the largest driver of the Acronian economy. While the strict environmental regulations result in difficulty in other sectors of the economy, they are largely credited with creating an environment that is very popular to visit. Tourism and hospitality are a major source of economic activity in Acronis, and the government leans hard into tourism as a way to make up for economic limitations elsewhere.

Technically speaking, taxes are low in Acronis, however this is only the case because the social benefits programs are paid by tithes to the church, not taxes to the treasury. Taxes and tithes combined result in total costs to citizens being higher than the world average, but the benefits afforded to Acronian citizens are considered to be better than average.

Language

The official, and most commonly spoken, language in Acronis is Acronian. However, as a religious tenet, Acronians also learn Acronian Sign Language and Codexian in schools - in theory, to be able to communicate with the most people in order to spread the word of Akrona. This is largely just a holdover, as there has been no official proselytizing in the Church in centuries. In order to graduate from high school, Acronians must be fluent in Acronian and "proficient" in both Acronian Sign Language and Codexian.

The Acronian language is strictly regulated by a civil government body known as the Council for the Acronian Language. It has gone through several major reforms, known as "revisions." Current Acronian is known as "Sixth Revision Acronian," as outlined in the Revision of 1987. Acronian is one of only two extant languages in the Tavari-Acronian language family, with the other being Tavari. Indeed, Acronian was once identical to Tavari. The family is a language isolate with no known relation to any other language families. The strict regulation of Acronian is largely a political effort to ensure the language retains an "independent identity" - which is to say, that it does not sound like Tavari. The two languages are no longer mutually intelligible, and in fact, many linguists believe that Acronian has become so altered from Tavari that it is no longer a member of the same language family and should be counted as a constructed language.