Fast Facts
- The Northwestern Fireflow state, ofifcially known as The Democratic Chancellery of Shemerion.
- Ruled by a parliament consisting of an elected representative from each area. From this body a small group that act as a kind of collective presidency are elected.
- Founded around 30 years ago in The Three Nations Schism.
Quick Reference
- Demonym: Shemer
- Languages: Feray (Dwarvish/Elvish bridge language), Common (Almost universal)
- Justice: Magistrates appointed by existing magistrates, with confirmation by the elected bond (local, national)
- Policing: The Bondguard
- Military: The Hammer of Freedom
State of the Nation
Changing the whole basis of governance in your society is not a simple matter, and is to the credit of the revolutionary leaders of Shemerion that 30 years after the Three Nations Schism the democratic republic feels established and basically secure despite the fact that there are still groups of nobles, and those loyal to them, keen to regain their old privileges, and The Grand Unity would be over the southern border in force were it not effectively garrisoned.
The Gelb influences so clear in the democratic principles on which the state was founded, have also enhanced other Gelb tendencies, and as this branch of the Fireflow culture has reconfigured itself it has been around trade and a myriad of manufacturing businesses of all sizes. The civic infrastructure of Shemerion has in many places suffered some damage or neglect, but everywhere there is a sense of industry, and the markets and trade routes are busy indeed. National infrastructure (such as the border defences and boardways) are now being actively maintained by the national government, but locally maintained facilities, especially those being picked up from previous aristocratic responsibility are looking very run down in some areas, particularly where local democratic institutions are not (yet?) proving as effective as might be hoped.
Governance
In Gelb culture each village or canton is entirely autonomous, with larger Gelbmeets only taking place in times of crisis, but the more collectivist Fireflow culture has adopted democracy but translated it into operation at a national level. This has been managed by each Electory (generally consisting of a market town and it's surrounding villages and farms) sending a representative to the parliament in Vel-Shosha known as the Bond of the Nation. It is now established that these representatives will be elected on a one citizen one vote basis, with citizens being those recognised as having been resident for at least a year, and being at least 35 years of age.
Great Elections, when all parliamentary representatives are elected, are now taking place every 6 years, and the members of the parliament then elect 6 of their number to act as the Bond of Governance, a kind of collective presidency modelled upon the aristocratic hearthbonds which previously held sway. The Bond of Governance has a good deal of day-to-day decision making power, but legislative changes must be taken to the Bond of the Nation for debate and ratification.
Local governance is commonly a similar process, with the election of representatives to the Bond of the Electory, which in turn selects a local Bond of Governance, but other systems of local democracy, such as the direct election of specific officials, is taking place in some Electories.
Geography and Economics
The Shemer Post
In order facilitate government and taxation a network of postal hubs has been set up spanning the larger Shemer towns. In accordance with democratic principles, use of this network is available to all citizens, paying on a per-message basis, the fee being dictated by the distance between hubs, with an additional fee being payable for delivery beyond the final hub (again, based on distance and whether ropeways and wildways are available to the endpoint) - this may be avoided by the recipient collecting the post from the hub.
Extensions to the network do exist to certain major cities outside of Shemerion, but these are generally only on a collection basis except for those sending on diplomatic business.
Key Locations
Vel-Shosha (Capital)
The largest city in Shemerion is its capital Vel-Shosha
History
Map
Img:360*1200*ShemerionMap.png Δ
(Note that mountain symbols indicate concentrations of tepui.) (Also note that despite the limitations of my current mapping software, the river actually forms the southern border.)