The Commonwealth
The Commonwealth is the name of the governmental body of the southern regions of Myr, created by the Vesperkin people. The Vesperkin have not always had a government. For many years, they simply kept to their own communities and everyone pitched in for communal needs. The Vesperkin have always had good relations with Humans, being of a shared origin and being born into the world on the same year. However, the Humans were much more ambitious and territorial, and after several other monarchies failed, the Rathmore Empire which now rules over northern Myr came into power. The Rathmore Empire has a very aggressive and militaristic mindset, and once they began to invade and conquer the Vesperkin territories, the Vesperkin realized they needed to unite if they were to defend against the Humans, and The Commonwealth was born in the mid Reckoning period.
Being the children of Umos, the Vesperkin form strong bonds and care about their communities. Though monarchies were the only form of government in existence at the time it was formed, the Vesperkin did not favor the idea of a single person making decisions for an entire people. They decided that everyone needed to have a voice, and that the people collectively would choose the best path for themselves. It is a direct democratic system, where a governmental body known as The Speakers collect complaints, advice, and requests from across The Commonwealth and collate them into decrees, which are then voted on to determine whether they should be codified into law. The Speakers have no real power themselves and are simply elected representatives that pass legislation based on the voice of their constituents. Citizens submit formal documents with their suggestions, and each year, The Speakers come together to review them and act on whichever issues seem the most important. Because having all these documents sent to the capital would be chaotic, The Speakers are spread out amongst their communities and do their work locally, and then travel to the capital for the annual Mediation.
There is also a judicial branch of the government known as The Arbiters, which enforce the laws agreed upon by The Speakers. The Commonwealth employs a fair trial system including a jury of peers unknown to the defendant. The burden of proof is always on the accuser, regardless of the case. The Arbiters at one point made use of a plant called Naughty Ostramire in complicated cases to extract the truth from both sides in case it was unable to be determined by evidence, but it was used so much that the plant eventually went extinct. In modern times, their only option for getting the unabashed truth is to request judgment from a member of The Truthseekers, one of Astix' two divine orders of Luminari, who use magical means to ensure that the truth is brought to the light. The Arbiters also employ a policing force known as The Marshals to bring criminals to justice, investigate crimes, and protect the defenseless. They function similarly to the Enforcers of Arak.
The final governmental body of The Commonwealth is its military, known as The Legion. They have a mandatory service period for all able-bodied men and women who come of age of a period of four years. Vesperkin believe it is their duty to serve their community, though many Human, Elves, and Lynoxi citizens of The Commonwealth find this forced servitude unjust, believing that being forced to fight , regardless of their beliefs, is unfair. However, this mandatory service period is a core tent of The Commonwealth and The Speakers ignore any requests submitted to change this law. Those who attempt to ignore the summons for their required service are exiled from The Commonwealth, and may not return, under penalty of death. They are exiled to a barren island off the western shores of Myr called The Scablands if they choose not to leave Myr, where survival is difficult and there are dangerous creatures abound. They do not receive any assistance from The Commonwealth after exile.
Things have been relatively peaceful between The Commonwealth and other nations, especially since Arak's solidification of The Synodical Republic centuries ago. The only threat they face is the Rathmore Empire, though the threat is a significant one, as aside from the Dwarves of Reshyk, the Myrmidons of the Rathmore Empire are the strongest military on all of Aellorah. The Vesperkin have good trade relations with the Dwarves, though the Dwarves refuse to take a political stance and do not offer assistance to The Commonwealth. The Synodical Republic has also been hesitant to take a stance on the Rathmore Empire despite their vast numbers because of the Rathmore Empire's military strength.
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