Republic of the Obsidian Shores
The Republic of the Obsidian Shores is a social democratic republic primarily situated in the far east of the planet Evermorn. Diverse, wealthy, and progressive, but not particularly widespread, the Republic represents a geopolitical foil to the naked authoritarian ambitions of the Cinnabar Hegemony and the heroic traditionalism of the Cobalt Protectorate.
Culture
In general, the Republic of the Obsidian Shores is more cosmopolitan, socially progressive, and economically collectivist than their Protectorate neighbors. The many cultures of the Republic's ancient constituent tribes, now gathered into communities that define electoral districts, blend together in the multicultural metropolitan complexes that form near their borders with neighboring cultures. The Republic lacks the political centralization and authoritarianism of the neighboring Hegemony and lacks the emphasis on unifying tradition and supranational identity of the neighboring Protectorate.
History
The Republic of the Obsidian Shores was a federation of tribes who resisted, then ultimately chose to remain apart from, the Cobalt Protectorate as it expanded after the return of Wurth Harkin and his Sons of Evermorn. The Protectorate and Republic factions were divided from one another over political concerns which, while each valid in their own ways, ultimately failed to materialize. The Republic feared that the elitism inherent to the Protectorate 'merit score' system would lead to political repression and a concentration in power at the top by those willing to game the system. The Protectorate feared that the social democracy being constructed by the Republic would result in a squandering of vital resources, loss of individual autonomy and the dilution of constituate cultures to the point of extinction. Centuries of small-scale wars between the two factions over territory, resources, and the occasional cultural misunderstanding would eventually fizzle into peace. In the present day, the two nation-states are now in symbiosis with one another, each providing a 'release valve' for citizens of one who prefer the lifestyle of the other while participating in the mutual geopolitical marginalization of the Cinnabar Hegemony.
Territories
The Republic of the Obsidian Shores is the second largest polity on Evermorn, occupying a quarter of the planet's surface located in the eastern half of the eastern hemisphere. They border the Cobalt Protectorate along the east and northwest and the Cinnabar Hegemony along the southwest. The territories held by the Republic are several small continents and island chains, all of which are significantly geologically active, giving rise to the nation's name. While being hedged into a region prone to natural disasters was a source of contention between the Republic and Protectorate in the eras before modern technology, the Republic has ultimately come to cherish its homelands' natural beauty, wealth of mineral resources, and numerous prime locations for geothermal power infrastructure.
Military
The Obsidian Knights were created in emulation of the wildly successful Cobalt Knights concept and, in fact, sometimes participate in joint training exercises alongside them. Obsidian Knight indoctrination places less emphasis on cultural tradition than the Cobalt Knights and is not involved in diplomacy, the latter duty being the responsibility of the First and Second Representatives and their appointed diplomatic corps. The leadership of the Obsidian Knights answers directly to the First Representative and can be elevated to that role from any position within the Obsidian Knights at the behest of the Republic Legislature; merit is important within the Obsidian Knights, but political connections are often a deciding factor in how far a member might rise in rank and authority.
Though it remains a distinct political entity, the Republic of the Obsidian Shores is a member of the Protectorate Periphery despite its location on Evermorn and, thus, enjoys the benefits of a mutual defense treaty. An attack on Evermorn or on other inhabited worlds under the Protectorate umbrella would be answered by both forces in unison. Under such circumstances, operational command would likely be ceded to the Elder Knights of the Protectorate due to these individuals' greater experience with direct military conflict. It should be noted, however, that the punitive actions taken by the Cobalt Knights against Aniki Labs assets in Armoa do not qualify as such and, as a result, Obsidian Knight involvement in the Armoa Conflict has been comparatively minimal.
Religion
While Ancestral Patronism is a common religion among citizens of the Republic, it has no state-recognized religion and is, in fact, relatively cosmopolitan in this regard. A 'civic religion' of mutual respect, fairness, political representation, mercy, and justice is promulgated by social institutions; for the typical Republic citizen, giving and recieving one's 'fair share' represents the height of patriotic sentiment.
Foreign Relations
The First Representative assembles a diplomatic corps to help him or her represent the Republic of the Obsidian Shores to other nation-states. On the geopolitical stage, the Republic is known to tirelessly crusade for human rights and the equitable distribution of resources. Among human powers, the Republic is apt to push for peace but is, paradoxially, also among one of the first to push for military intervention to ensure that perceived abuses do not go unpunished. Elder Knight-Specialists from the Protectorate often must balance the insistence of Republic diplomats to directly engage in 'moral adventurism' against both the philosophical implications of what the Republic considers a 'right' and the advisability of enacting a military campaign against the target of the Republic diplomats' ire. The Republic and the Cinnabar Hegemony are eternally at odds and, if not for regular interventions by Protectorate diplomats, would wage total war until one or both were utterly destroyed. The Evermorn Strategic Colony Initiative is sure to include citizens of the Republic in their colonization missions because, while the Republic and Protectorate are often at odds on issues of moral or political philosophy, they do regard one another as important sources of outside perspective on important issues facing the human diaspora as a whole.
Beyond the Evermorn-Armoa Binary System, Obsidian Knights have made inroads with the Federated Queendoms of Feldea, wherein the Republic has been a key fundraising partner for the Feldea Ecological Remediation Society, a project to restore Feldea's devastated ecosystem in the wake of hyper-industrialization. Lepidosians tend to align much more closely with the Protectorate than the Republic, but the League of Lepidosian City-States has no official stance one way or another towards the Republic beyond a shared association with the Protectorate-headed mutual defense project. Like all Evermornans, the Republic of the Obsidian Shores is still sore about the whole 'alien enslavement' thing and, thus, has poor relations with the Chitiquish Consortium whenever the two meet; on the other hand, they hold the Vbyifabid Family-Flock in high regard for their successful implementation of social policies at every level.
The flag of the Republic of the Obsidian Shores. The star depicted in the top right is Armoa, the partner to Evermorn in the Evermorn-Armoa Binary System.
Type
Geopolitical, State
Alternative Names
Obsidian Republic
Head of State
Government System
Democracy, Representative
Power Structure
Confederation
Economic System
Mixed economy
Currency
Like the Cobalt Protectorate, the Republic of the Obsidian Shores enjoys the benefits of ubiquitous autmated manufacturing technology and, like the Protectorate, generally employs carbon-carbon resource chips as exchange currency. The Republic also has a centralized digital currency and banking system designed to help the government more effectively manage the economy in times of financial distress. The Republic is a social democracy; the state does have more extensive social programs than the Protectorate and, as such, a stipend of paper currency known as the 'Social Scrip' is issued to every citizen monthly and serves as a second valid unit of exchange for certain essential goods (e.g. food).
Legislative Body
The Republic Legislature is a unicameral legislative body whose members, called Representatives, are elected by the public every four years and may serve up to three terms in the course of their lives. Each Representative's electoral period is shifted by one- to three-year intervals relative to his or her peers, however, meaning that an election is going on for some subset of represented districts every year. Electoral votes are apportioned via a ranked-choice system. Attendance at elections is mandatory for every citizen, though 'none of the above' counts as an option in the ranked choice system as a measure of popular approval.
Judicial Body
Like Representatives, Justices in the Republic are elected on a four year cycle. The cycle upon which Justices are voted for within a given district occurs two years after the cycle for Representatives in a bid to prevent Justices and Representatives from colluding for power.
Executive Body
The First Representative is elected from among members of the Republic Legislature, whether previous or current, by current members of that body. The First Representative's position in the legislature must be refilled if he or she is a current sitting member, generally by whomever came second in the ranked choice votes for their district. The First Representative serves a single six year term, but may sit for an additional two years in times of national emergency. Once their term is completed, the First Representative stays on for two additional years as Second Representative, an advisory and support position for the new First Representative; this practice helps maintain continuity between administrations, especially when it pertains to diplomatic affairs.
Neighboring Nations
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