The Country of Harvenston (SC)

"Your goal has been accomplished, Jerem. Now that the land is Settled, it shall soon become safe to live off and farm, with far fewer monster attacks or natural disasters. Within a century or two, this could become a thriving country of its own right, and if developed further could eventually be the home of a civilization rivaling those which your ancestors left behind on the mainland. All that remains is to give it a name. Will you do the honours?" Marion smiled at the redheaded commander standing beside her, seemingly in midair, and gestured to the land below. While wreathed in the mists of her magic, it flickered with potential, showing flashes of the towns and farmsteads that might appear in later centuries. Jerem smiled back and patted her on the shoulder, before stepping away to gradually sink down to ground level. "Yes, I have a name," he said, "although I don't think you'll find it very original. This is a country united by the power of several gemstones fused into one, now acting as parts of a harmonious whole. Why not name the country after the artifact that created it? I propose we name this land 'Harvenston,' using elements of the Land Gem's three primary characteristics. What do you think? You're the goddess here." Marion stepped down onto the ground next to Jerem, sounding out the new name as she did. "Harvenston. Har-ven-ston. The land of seven harmonious gemstones. I think I like it. It fits this land well." The Land Gem, resting on a nearby plinth carved specifically to hold it, blinked encouragingly with colour. "Then it is official. The land is named, and the people have chosen you as its first king. Rule well, Jerem. Make your ancestors proud." Then, as if it had never been present, Marion's physical form dissolved into mist, vanishing in the next puff of breeze. Rule well... her words echoed, causing the air to flicker with the brief reflection of a castle's interior. Rule well, Jerem of Harvenston. You will make your people proud. -Taken from a damaged impression gem supposedly found in the palace basement by a band of kobolds, who had been hired to update the palace's plumbing. It was later stolen from them, and was only rediscovered when it was purchased by a gnomish adventurer off the black market, and resold to an unknown collector. After the collector's death, his possessions were reclaimed by the Archive of Archmagi, and the gem was put into storage until the Archmage Marion Spellweaver reclaimed it to activate its contents.

Structure

Harvenston is unique among the other countries because it uses multiple different democratic models as part of its political and organizational structure. While it could still be broadly described as a representative democracy, at the level of hamlets, villages, small towns, and other settlements of around or below one thousand people, along with certain organizations that operate more or less independently and have their own land, it quite commonly works as a direct democracy, with citizens or local leaders calling votes or proposing actions in which everyone has a say. Once a decision or compromise is reached with a majority vote, or even a complete consensus in the case of some Vinese locales, it is then carried out and, if necessary, enforced directly by the populace. Larger communities tend to be participatory democracies, with a mayor or community council being elected by the people but only serving to implement and pass news of the decisions and policies the citizens have made. The larger a settlement becomes, however, the more elements of a representative democracy are added, as past a certain size it becomes impractical to ask for the input of all citizens on every policy, unless the decision being made would only affect those in a certain district or part of a specific target demographic. As such, the leaders of larger cities have a great deal more independence in their decision-making, and only have to consult citizens directly for more important decisions or those that have been passed down from the levels above them such as law proposals coming directly from the Crown. After that, from sector lords and upwards to the ruler at the time, all leaders are elected but follow the model of a representative democracy more and more closely the higher up the hierarchy they are. As such, the overall rank of various titles from the lowest to highest levels of influence are Citizen, Councillor, Mayor (Small Town), Councillor/Mayor (Large Town), City Lord, Harvenstonian Council Member, Sector Lord, and the King or Queen. While certain Harvenstonians do rank among the country's nobility, a noble title alone carries no more political power than that of a tradesperson or any other citizen. The only way one's family can become ennobled is for a member to be elected King or Queen of Harvenston, although none of the royal titles are hereditary or persist once one's political term has expired. Instead, those who were once royal join the nobility along with their families, all of whom share the same rank as they are technically now of royal descent. However, those families with higher numbers of once-royals in their bloodline are generally held in higher regard, as are those have personally served one or more terms as royals but whose time in office, along with their title, has since expired without their re-election.

History

"Prior to the Settlement, Harvenston existed in a state of flux. The land changed constantly, rising and falling and moving at random, with creatures appearing and disappearing overnight while the earth quaked and volcanoes erupted, only to have all evidence of their existence erased soon after. It was utterly inhospitable to the world's primary sapient races, and as such could only be tolerated by powerful magical or elemental creatures. Foremost among these were the Spirits, beings of pure magic given consciousness and form by the chaotic energies of the universe. They were present in all shapes and sizes, as on other landmasses, but unlike in other locales they had no reason to remain hidden, and could roam freely wherever they pleased. Once humanoid colonists arrived, as pilgrims from a nearby continent, some of the strongest among the Spirits chose to protect the newcomers, lending them their strength and allowing them to survive in their harsh surroundings. It took many years, but after centuries of toil the original settlers' descendants forged an artifact of previously-unknown strength to unite the land and force it to become more hospitable. This artifact was named the Land Gem, and was tied to the essence of the continent, allowing it to keep the landmass as steady as any of its fellows. Thus, the Settlement occurred, and the land became safe, allowing the country of Harvenston to be founded. Since then, over sixteen hundred years have passed, with the Spirits, magical creatures, and sapient races living in relative harmony. Kings and Queens have come and gone, alliances have been forged and broken, but natural disasters and monster attacks have remained few and far between, because as long as the Land Gem remains whole, no true chaos can take root. This, my children, is your history. Remember it well, for this is the land you shall inherit, whatever state it may be left in." -A transcript of a history lesson given to a gathering of young orphans in the year 1600, by a travelling scholar. It was recorded in the journal of an anonymous citizen, which was later found abandoned in the Archive of the Archmagi.

Demography and Population

Harvenston is populated by members of all sapient races, although approximately 40% of its total population consists of humans or those primarily of human descent. Other races that make up a large percentage of Harvenston's population, ordered roughly from greatest percentage to least, are half-elves, elves, halflings, dwarves, gnomes, dragonborn, tieflings, goblins, catfolk or tabaxi, orcs, half-orcs, firbolgs, goliaths, genasi, and several others that make up only a small fraction of Harvenston's total citizens. Different races may be more or less common depending on the sector, but all races are present in each area, even if only in small numbers. As of the year 1600, birth rates were somewhat higher than death rates indicating a gradual increase in the overall population.

Military

Unlike most other countries, Harvenston prides itself on not having any sort of military. Instead, it has the Royal Guard, which can act as anything from a purely policing force to military police to a temporary military stand-in in times of crisis Most Guards spend their lives in a policing role, patrolling roads and cities and ensuring that both the citizens are protected and the laws are obeyed. However, some may be chosen to protect politicians and serve more of a tactical, militaristic role, especially those deemed as sufficiently skilled to protect the royals.

Religion

Within Harvenston, all religions are permitted and accepted. However, the most popular religions by far are the Old Faith and the True Faith, which are a neo-druidic variant of the religion followed on the continent from which Harvenston's founders originated and a faith almost completely unique to Harvenston, respectively. Various druidic faiths are, of course, common, as is agnosticism. Followers of the southeastern continent's solar pantheon are rare but are sufficiently high in number to warrant temples in a handful of major cities. Atheism is almost unheard of, however, and due to the violent and discriminatory tendencies held by many of Milister's priests, worship of that goddess is nearly nonexistent within Harvenston's borders.

Foreign Relations

As a country with peacefulness as one of its primary tenets, Harvenston generally tries to have either positive or neutral relationships with each of the countries with which it interacts. In general, it has very strong positive ties with the continent to its southeast, a neutral relationship with most of the countries to its southwest, a neutral-to-negative relationship with the continent to its northeast (due to that country's oppression of nonhumans, enslavement of tieflings, and continued practice of gladiatorial deathmatches between slaves and criminals as a form of entertainment), and a neutral-to-positive relationship with the sparsely-inhabited continent to its northwest.

Education

While schools exist, along with places of higher education such as universities, a large percentage of the population relies on homeschooling. As such, the government provides resources to aid in educating children, and multiple summer camps exist, many of which include educational options. The most popular of these, such as the Scutus Urbani, also give young people training in practical skills, jobs, or trades. Most educational opportunities are provided either in the summer, between planting and harvesting, when farmers' children are not required at home, or over the winter, when no crops are able to be planted and animals are all safely indoors. Overall, the majority of Harvenstonians are literate and numerate, although exact rates may vary between sectors.

Infrastructure

Most parts of Harvenston are connected by roads, and nearly all settlements have some form of plumbing and sewage disposal, even if it is primarily magical in nature. Wells and water pipes are somewhat common, although magical artifacts or spells that create water are more so, especially in dry areas or those near the coast where freshwater may be difficult to acquire. Due to Harvenston's peaceful history, castles or other fortified buildings are rare, although many settlements, especially in Pulse and Snow sectors, have walls or some other form of barrier, either to separate monsters or unwanted natural forces such as avalanches from the settlement's structures and citizens or due to the residents desiring a symbolic barrier to keep out spiritual threats. Most buildings are made of some combination of wood and stone, with sod also being a popular choice in grassier and more heavily-forested areas. While town and city layouts may vary, nearly all settlements have a building for a mayor or other elected representative, a jail, a courthouse, a guard precinct, a place to collect water or do laundry, and a gathering place with a notice board where citizens may present themselves for votes and political debates.

"A United Land at Peace"

Founding Date

0 AS

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Demonym

Harvenstonian, as well as Pulsar, Vinese, Rosan, Waver, Shinin, Snowfolk, and Flowi as sector-specific demonyms.

Government System

Democracy, Representative

Economic System

Mixed economy

Currency

Much like the continent from which Harvenston's first settlers originally came, the country's official currency is separated into three varieties, each made of a different substance. However, the country does not use silver, primarily due to a combination of the metal's rarity and the unsightly way it corrodes, especially underwater. In decreasing order of value, the three types of coinage are gold, copper, and glass, with the latter containing flecks of other materials and unique magical inks to prevent the circulation of counterfeits. Each sector also has a unique pattern included in its glass pieces, to distinguish their places of origin. However, alongside Harvenston's official currency, several local and sector-specific currencies have sprung up, including gems and crystals, carved tokens made of wood or shell, and spellstones.

Legislative Body

By law, any citizen may propose a law or a modification to an existing law and send it to the reigning royal. However, this requires many steps of processing, to minimize the number of frivolous suggestions that are made. Laws and bylaws can also be proposed at other levels of government, such as the district, town, regional, or sector-based levels. Along with citizens, officials elected to positions of leadership such as mayors, sector lords, and the royals may draft laws, but they must be approved by a certain number of others at, below, and above their position in order to become law, as well as gain the approval of a certain number of citizens. Additionally, even if a law is made, after approximately a year citizens will be asked to vote on the law a second time and share their opinions on its usefulness and enforcement, to make sure that all laws serve their purpose effectively and are not being ignored or abused.

Judicial Body

Once a criminal is captured by the guards, they are brought before a judge or magistrate, who has several years of both formal education and practical experience in applying the law. Judges are certified by their training academy with the approval of a past or presently ruling royal, and fit into one of four tiers of power and experience, with the highest consisting of only thirteen individuals at any given time. In order to ascend to a higher tier, judges must have a specific number of years' experience practicing law and pass an exam designed for their tier. Those accused of crimes are generally seen as innocent until they are proven guilty, and are allowed to hire legal counsel or represent themselves in court. If they see a court's rulings to be improper, unfair, or otherwise unjust, they may appeal to be retried at a higher level, by a different or higher-tier judge.

Controlled Territories

• College of the Silver Swords