The Theocracy of Fyrdowsi

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The Theocracy of Fyrdowsi Factbook: Official Government Issue
v 1.0 - TBA: Maps, image figures, diplomatic relations
v 1.1 - Added: Bits of history, landmarks, politics
v 1.2 - Added: Maps
v 1.3 - Edited: History, Social
v 1.4 - Added: Head of State
v 1.5 - Added: Power Words
v 1.6 - Added: Chiefs of Political Parties
v 1.7 - Added: Insignias, languages

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Capital: Adl Justia
Currency: Deenar
Official Language: Arabasque, Latium
Official Religion: Submissio Pacem
Spoken Language Distribution: Arabasque 60%, Eastern languages 20%, Northern languages 8%, Old Arabasque 1%, Central languages 1%, Others 10%
Religion Distribution: Submissio 99%, Others 1%
Demonym: Fyrdowsum, Submittan Fyrdowsi
Calendar System: Fyrdowsia Lune Arabasque
Government System: Directorial Theocracy
Government Head: Cleric Council

  1. History
    ======

The land that hosted the nation of Fyrdowsi was not populated for several thousand years before the arrival of the Fyrdowsum settlers. Archaeological evidence pointed out to existence of temporary colonies from neighboring lands, but such colonies was found only in coastal areas and have too few artifact sediments to be considered a permanent settlement. As such, there are hardly any archaelogical human remains that could be dated back prior to the existence of the nation. The general consensus of many archaeologists is that the land was free of any human intervention until relatively recently.

Life in the diaspora

The nation was settled by a small group of Submissio Pacem (Arb: (The way of) Peace in Servitude) faithfuls, following an arduous journey they called the Great Exodus or Faithful March. Preceding the event, the Submittan lived in isolated communities across various nations, practicing their faith in accordance to the laws of their host land. Most of the Submittan in a diaspora were usually citizens of their host land, with exceptions of migrant Submittan who lived in the same diaspora. Depending on the laws of their host land, the Submittan usually tried to live and practice their faith within the framework of their host land’s law.

The global suppression

The universal doctrine of Submissio Pacem generally means that all its adherents are compelled to use the religious law set of the religion as the ultimate constitution, instead of their host land’s constitution. There were two views concerning the issue; the more liberal adherents preferred to ignore certain components of the religious law in tolerance of their host land’s law, and the more conservative faithfuls called for complete practice of the law, initiated within the compound of the community. The two views was kept in balance throughout the centuries.
However, the weight started to shift towards conservatism in 21 BE, when many nations adopted harsher policies towards the practice of Submissio. The religion, which many considered to be alien, strange and intolerant, was severely restrained under many policies. Only a few nations actually enforced such restrictions, but the effect rippled throughout the global diaspora.
Many communities kept silent and continued their tolerance practice under pressure. The liberal efforts was shattered in 10 BE, when a wave of destructive activities hit several nations that were affiliated with negative tolerance towards the Submittan. Activities that were considered acts of terrorism, such as public murders and vandalism, were rampant in cities with sizable Submittan population. Many media corporation took this as indication that the Submittan have snapped and were now a threat to the world, although until today there were no evidence that the terrorism activities were conducted by Submittan. Many nations afterwards viewed the Submittan as a national threat. As a result, many Submittan around the region suffered untold miseries under the persecution of their host security forces. By 9 BE, the regional population of Submittan has been reduced to only a quarter of their original amount only a year ago.

The Exodus Army

In Month 12 of 3 BE, a secretly conducted congregation of clerics from diaspora around the region confirmed that the lives of many Submittan were at stake, and the Submissio Pacem would go extinct at the hands of the unbelievers if things were allowed to continue. Cleric Flavius as-Saif proposed that all Submittan must take flight to avoid further persecution. He pointed out Islashima, an abandoned island situated quite far into the Pacific ocean that could serve as a new homeland for all Submittan. The idea was postponed until D4.M2.1BE in order to synchronize the mass migration efforts with communities of other region. On that day, all Submittan throughout the region who have made up their minds on leaving their host nations, started packing up and set out for a locally predetermined clandestine gathering point.
The idea did not escape the ears of several hostile nations, however. Almost simultaneously, ports were closed and community compounds were rounded up. Hundreds of Submittan were hauled out of their house overnight by security forces under the pretext of counter-terrorism. The Submittan knew by then, that their way out can only be achieved through violence.
A ragtag group of militants, headed by the charismatic cleric Humayrah Fogg, was formed to provide defense for the fleeing Submittan. Factions of the Exodus Army across the region provided cover for the escaping Submittan by fighting the armed forces of the nations that were trying to stop the escapees. Although all fleeing Submittan managed to reach international waters in time, only the Exodus Army faction headed by Cleric Humayrah survived. All other diaspora defender factions perished in the defensive skirmishes.
Commentaries and interviews of survivors told of many miracles performed by the martyrs under fire from the attackers, but none of the stories can be verified.

The Exodus; hardship and aftermath

Previously before the massacre, the migrants from all the different communities were given the coordinate of the island in case of emergencies. After the attacks, the survivors, huddled in a total of 77 boats from many directions, had to brave the open waters by themselves, while fending off sporadic attacks from relentless border guards, trigger-happy submarines and sharks. After floating about 3 months with few fresh water and no food, the migrants finally arrived onto the shores of Islashima. Of the 77 boats, 70 boats perished along the journey, leaving only 7 boats full of emaciated survivors. On the night of D7.M7.1BE or 7th July CE, the Submittan finally landed on the island.
It was well-documented, both in Fyrdowsi archives and international records, that shock troops sent by the nations involved in the anti-Submittan sweep, managed to chase the survivors right onto the shores of the island, having knowing the exact destination of the migrants well before the Exodus due to clever espionage attempts. It is unknown however, on why the shock troops never attempted to capture or annihilate the severely weakened survivors. Survivors’ account told on how the flyers and battleships simply moved past them, as if the island was not visible to them. The mental status of the survivors and the extreme traumatic experience suffered by the migrants has largely disqualified the account to be an evidence of a miracle.
It took several years for the Submittan to completely rebuild their society. Their exact way of progress was quite unknown; by the time the international community finally rediscovered them, the Theocracy was already sturdy enough to warrant international recognition.
International communities generally scorned the rampant assault on the minority community, but fears of retaliation by the more powerful nations, many of which participated in the sweep, forced many sympathizers to keep their silence. The Exodus event went on largely unnoticed by the global community, mostly due to propaganda-curbing strategies devised by nations which has participated in the Exodus onslaught. An edict issued by the Fyrdowsi government in 12 AE stated that the Submittan people of Fyrdowsi will forgive the sins committed by the hostile nations towards them, if the leaders masterminding the supposedly Submittan-approved terrorism acts and the subsequent assaults are brought to Fyrdowsi to be sentenced under the Sacred Law.

  1. Geography
    =======


Fyrdowsi is arid and dry almost all year long, with sporadic rainfalls nearing the year end. 70% of the landscape is arid, with grassy fertile plains lining up the most of the coastline and small forested terrain in the major river deltas. The highest point of the island is Mount Judy at 1300 metres above sea level.
The desert holds several large oil deposits, many of which are left untouched due to Fyrdowsi’s conservationist policy. The mountain ranges provide many iron, copper and aluminum deposits, as well as sporadic deposits of gold and silver. Most of the nation’s timber output comes from the forested area of the river deltas. The fertile plains was suitable for many tough cereal plants such as wheat and millet, as well as water-conservative fruits such as grapes and dates. Potable water is drawn from reservoirs around the Al-Aqua Mediterrania lake and seawater-processing plants along the shore.
The desert hosts a number of venomous but edible fauna, like the spitting lizards, giant centipedes and sand snakes. Most of the venomous desert creatures are nocturnal, with the exception of snakes.
Several genera of sharks previously thought to be extinct, like the mega-shark Carcharodon spp., infests the deeper waters around the northern points of the island, making it dangerous for recreational activities. However, such hazards makes Adl Morte, a barren rocky island in the northern part of the country, a perfect spot for security measures like penitentiary complexes and military outposts.

  1. Landmarks
    ======

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Adl Justia

Known as Adl Justia to the locals, or Fyrdowsi Majori Capital to the international community, the capital city of the Theocracy is home to several million people. It is only in the capital that foreign private businesses are allowed to operate, under supervision of the government. The capital is unique in that the limestone-basalt composite bedrock of the city’s foundation enabled the buildings of the city to be built downward, as well as upward. Living spaces are carved out of the bedrock to form dungeon-like buildings, while topside buildings are made in the usual ways.
As Adl Justia housed the center of the government, constant efforts are being made to ensure its defence. The House of Divine Providence, which housed the cleric council, is enclosed within a stone keep, which was further encircled by fortified crenelated walls. Efforts are underway to implement a magnet-propelled device which can lift off the entire keep in case of emergencies.
Most of the conscripted workers in the capital are involved in public service, and a small percentage of the citizens are stationed as supervisors in the foreign enterprises. Only a few citizens actually lived in the underground part of the city, although this would largely change in the future with the introduction of many new underground housing schemes.

Taam

The large city is situated on an elevated terrain overlooking the southwestern part of the Fyrdowsi coastal waters. The city is well-known as a gourmet city, as it is the main producers of foodstuff in the country. As such, farms and orchards formed a large bulk of the city, with most of its citizens living either on the city fringes or in the farms themselves.
Tourists frequented the town for its panoramic views of the sea and the variety of food. Tourism swelled nearing the year-end, where rain is plentiful and farm yield is massive.

Narr Ignis

Situated in a hard-to-reach and sandstorm-prone part of the island, Narr Ignis is home to the security and judiciary forces’ headquarters such as the army and the police. Prisoners will be sent here to be tried before finally being sent to the prison complex of Adl Morte. No ordinary citizens or foreigners are allowed into the city without prior approval from the council.
One of the final training of all clerics, police and army officer cadre would be to find their way into Narr Ignis through the constantly raging sandstorm. Survivors of the trial would graduate into full-fledged officer. Exemption permission is given to clerics who are ex-police officers or ex-soldiers.

Adl Morte

A lone, barren rocky outcrop in the northern part of the nation, Adl Morte housed the maximum security prison complex and military special operations outposts. The strong waves, megashark-infested waters and volatile storm-prone weathers created a perfect defense for the prison island. The prison complex is open for public in the middle of the year, when weather is calmer. Most of the inmates in the Adl Morte prison are dangerous, high-profile criminals who cannot be kept in urban prisons.

  1. Politics and Religion
    =============
    The Theocracy does not separate politics (or life in that matter) from religion. Thus it is inevitable that the foremost political parties in the nation are also the schools of thought within the Submissio Pacem.

Undying Faith

The most dominant party in Fyrdowsi, and also the public image of what foreigners would think of Fyrdowsi in general. It is a school of thought fiercely dedicated to full implementation of the Sacred Law and the complete restoration of the Great Messenger’s lifestyle. Their dogma maintained that to live a life as a true Submittan, one must live as the Messenger did millennias ago, by total rejection of all forms of technology and innovations conceived after the Age of the Messenger, 3000 years ago. The party members are recognizable by their rough linen attire, uncut facial hairs (for men) and full-body garment (for women). The Inquisitor chapter of the Order of the Hourglass draws the majority of its manpower from this party.
The party’s insignia is a white rectangular tombstone in front of a white eight-pointed star.
The current chief of the Undying Faith is Cleric Vitae Narri.

Divine Knowledge

The second most dominant party in Fyrdowsi, the Divine Knowledge committed themselves to a lifetime of archiving and recording of all forms of knowledge regardless of origin, seeing it as a duty for them to understand the vastness of the Creator’s might. Most of the party members are scholars from the capital universities. They are quite receptive to beneficial foreign influence, earning them a scorn from the Undying Faith. Most of the foreign books in Fyrdowsi library that are readily available in Arabasque, are translated by the Divine Knowledge. A number of the party members has been sent as visiting professors and ambassadors to friendly nations.
The party’s insignia is a white open book with one page bearing the Arabasque word ‘Knowledge’ and the other page bearing a white hexagon.
The current chief of the Divine Knowledge is Cleric Fatima Regulus.

Omnipotent Creativity

A school of thought regarded as eccentric and absent-minded, the Omnipotent Creativity rarely spend their efforts locally. Rather, the party members are quite prevalent in overseas location, in their search for innovations and inventions. Their dogma is centered towards harvesting creativity as a way to serve the Creator. They were responsible for the many innovative changes in Fyrdowsi’s policy of recent years, including the re-introduction of electronic equipments and automated factory, overturning previous anti-technology rules made by Undying Faith policymakers. The Innovator chapter of the Order of the Hourglass draws a majority of its manpower from this party.
The party’s insignia is an vertical white hammer in front of a horizontal white spanner.
The current chief of the Omnipotent Creativity is Cleric Asvad the Black.

Eternal Servitude

A splinter group of the Undying Faith, the ultra-conservative party has steadily gained popularity in recent years, due to growing international stigma towards the Theocracy. Their dogma is based on the Undying Faith, with an addition of their commitment towards the global conversion of the unbelievers throughout the world and preference for aggression over diplomacy in dealing with foreign unbelievers. The party members are notorious for bringing their swords everywhere, even into the government buildings where it is illegal. The three main parties generally stayed away from the hostile nature of the Eternal Servitude. Their senior members are mostly known for their expertise in combat-oriented power words. Hence, the police force and the military employ a number of the Eternal Servants as trainers in the boot camps.
The party’s insignia is two crossed white sword inside a white circle.
The current chief of the Eternal Servitude is Cleric Jalot as-Saif.

Order of the Hourglass

The only political force with no affiliations to any Submissio school of thoughts, the Order of the Hourglass is generally thought of as the shadow government of Fyrdowsi. They are more well-known for their role in combating corruptions in all the parties and government components, and in turn are personally supervised in secret by the Cleric Council. Composed of distinguished clerics, many with military or police background, the complete job scope of the Order is still classified for security purpose. The existence of the Order is still taught in basic education; the public are generally taught about the role of the Order in international relations and high-profile security cases. All senior agents of the Order are committed to a vow of anonymity in their daily life. They are prohibited from using their real names and images in daily transaction; names and images are the tools of trade for black magic practitioners and technology abusers, thus it is imperative for every agent to hide their identities the best way they can, usually via a meticulous system of nicknames and gestures.
It is an open secret that the Order has planted agents all over the world for intelligence purpose, and sometimes do intervene secretly in international affairs.
The order’s insignia is a half-full white hourglass with grey content.
The current chief of the Order of the Hourglass is ‘Lion-hearted Richie’.

Government
The government is headed by the Cleric Council, a 7-person council composed of elected representative clerics that may or may not be from the main political parties. The council is re-elected after 7 years, or after the council has less than 4 people in it. The council presides over the executive, legislative and judiciary activities.
Below the council is the executive, legislative and judiciary bodies. The executive bodies compose the publicly seen face of the government, such as the police force. The legislature is made out of 192 clerics from around the country, serving as lawmakers and interpreters of the Sacred Law. The Holy Office of the Temple serves as the umbrella judiciary bodies, with 3 courts underneath it, each handling different kind of cases at different level of national scope; the citizen’s court, the high court and the supreme court.
In addition, the Order of the Hourglass, the shadow government organization led by senior judge clerics, would gain both executive and judiciary authority in cases of corruption in the council or breakdown in the government. In non-crisis times, they serve only executive purpose.

Head of State
In formal documentations, the Cleric Council usually is stated as the de facto Head of State for simplicity purpose. Constitutionally however, only the Creator is recognized as the Head of State, with the Cleric Council serving as a steward.

Law
The Constitution and the subsequent laws of Fyrdowsi are derived from interpretations of the Holy Tome by the cleric council, usually stated as the Sacred Law. No new laws or amendment to the constitution can be against the Sacred Law. The Sacred Law is sacrosanct and cannot be modified unless in case of clerical misinterpretations.

Citizenship
Any Submittan who settled the island prior to the foundation of Fyrdowsi are automatically registered as a Fyrdowsi citizen. A Submittan who was born on the island and lived on the island are eligible for citizenship, although his/her citizenship will remain as a temporary resident citizenship until after the citizen completed the compulsory military service.
A Submittan from another nation who wished to be a citizen of Fyrdowsi would be required to sign a renouncement agreement, asking for him/her to renounce all previous connection to his original national identity, such as name, ancestry, job position and racial mentality. If the candidates wished to transfer any inherited assets, the assets will be under Fyrdowsi tax jurisdiction upon entry. Afterwards, the citizenship registration will proceed as normal.
The citizen will rise through the ranks of citizenship based on his hard work and number of working hours he/she had completed. Completion of Submissio religious study along with high working hours will grant the citizenship a clerical qualification.
Citizenship renouncement without valid reasons or for reasons deemed to be treachery by the Cleric Council, such as pursuit of wealth or apostasy, is tantamount to treason. Otherwise, anyone is free to renounce citizenship, as long as he/she is willing to comply to the Citizenship Act agreement signed during the initial citizenship application.
Unbelievers cannot be a full-fledged Fyrdowsi citizenship and is restricted to only temporary resident citizenship.

  1. Economy
    ======
    Fyrdowsi practices a variant of the command economy commonly used in socialist states, but tailored it to suit the framework of the Sacred Law and prevent any excesses of materialism.
    Under the Theocracy command economy, all citizens of suitable working age and abilities are required by law to register for a job in a local job allocation centers. Prior to job registration, job allocation officers will assess the citizen’s capabilities and capacity towards certain job scopes, to determine what kind of jobs can be offered to the citizen. Under normal circumstances, citizens are free to choose what kind of job they want to do based on their capabilities and the options available. In times of crisis and workforce shortage however, the job allocation centers will automatically assign specific jobs regardless of the citizen’s original choice.
    In cases of creatively-inspired jobs such as artistry and engineering where raw conscription may not work, job allocation officers will use the assessment results to find suitable workers, or conscript students from the local universities for extra-curricular experience.
    To circumvent the usual lethargy of command economy brought about by lack of moral drive, the government imposed a system of minimal rewards and punishment to bring up the morale of the workers, ranging from extra rations or money on the good side, and up to death by public hanging on the bad side.
    To ease up the job burden of normal citizens, criminals or prisoners serving their sentence are used as slaves in manual labor jobs.
    While free market is still allowed to be practiced among the foreign enterprises, the government generally frowned upon the practice. Citizens are allowed to operate private enterprises with a maximum of 50 deenari capital. These small enterprises are usually charged with applying implementations of cottage industries such as drink stalls, candy cart et cetera, to enable the government to focus more on management-intensive markets.

  2. Social
    ====
    Each citizen is guaranteed a limited freedom in the constitution. A low-ranking citizen is not allowed to use his given name in official procedures. Instead, the government-issued citizen number must be cited in place of the name. Citizen who have finished a required number of working hours (based on current needs) can apply to have an informal name registration for official use.
    The legal minimum marriage age in Fyrdowsi is 11 for girls and 15 for boys. Although various factions within the government disputed the age limit, the majority consensus agreed that supervised young marriages can promote better couple bonding and better parenthood in that the couple will usually have great-grandchildren at younger age than most of grandparents in other countries. The government imposes strict supervision on marriages of couples under 18 years old though, to curb social abuse. Several family welfare measures are enforced by the state, such as parental licensing, which mandates that all parents with children aged 20 and below, must pass rigorous tests to assess their parental abilities every 5 years, failing which can result in their children taken into the custody of the government.
    The government encourages miscegenation or inter-racial marriages between Submittan of different racial ancestry to promote universal understanding of the Submissio Pacem. Inter-racial couples will receive government allowance in form of personal farm lot and extra wage. The practice gained so much popularity that it was now quite difficult to differentiate racial origin of many younger citizens due to the racial blurring.
    Both man and woman can have equal say in government policies, although men tend to be more proactive and aggressive than women. Women command the most attention in cottage industries.
    While the government generally permits the practice of any religion apart from the Submissio Pacem, faithfuls of other religions must still abide by the Sacred Law, with the Sacred Law taking precedence over the faithfuls’ own religious law. The government does not tolerate atheism, animism and other forms of godless worship however, and goes to the extreme length to combat such philosophies. Propagation of other faith to the citizens is a criminal offence and carries the same criminal weight as apostasy, which is punishable by death and state seizure of assets under the Penal Code.

  3. Security
    =====
    The Zealot Angels is the national police force of Fyrdowsi. The police occupation is a special occupation that does not fall under the Job Allocation Act. It means that citizens willing to forgo civilian status to join the police cannot freely change jobs as opposed to other ordinary civilian jobs. The police force maintains both material and moral security of the citizens, as well as the protection of civil order.
    The Divine Wrath is the national standing military organization of Fyrdowsi. Like the police force, a soldier cannot easily change jobs. The Divine Wrath is composed of two divisions, the Land Army and the Navy; efforts are underway for the creation of a third division, the Air Battalion. Following a policy issued by the government, the military is prohibited to use any modern weapons.
    Supporting the police and the military at the civilian level is the Urban Swords, a militia organization composed of civilian militants. During normal peace time, any citizens can apply to a militant job under the Job Allocation Act. In wartime however, civilian-level conscription is permitted for the Urban Swords.
    Overshadowing the three legitimate security organizations, the Order of the Hourglass guides the organizations. Manned by senior champions from the three organizations, the Order does any work that is beyond the scope of the police, military or militia.

  4. Things of notes
    ======

Foreign perspective

Prior to the formation of Fyrdowsi, the Submittan populace is generally seen as a backward, aggressive community with a penchant for isolationist acts and zero tolerance towards foreign cultures. Though the perception has been diluted with the passage of time and the good growth of the Theocracy, the view still persists. Several oversea Fyrdowsi citizens have found their houses painted with graffitis saying ‘fanatical tree-huggers’ or ‘terrorist’. Such events reminded the government that impressions are hard to change.
The staggering amount of death penalty sentences, which account for about 90% of the government’s legal punishment system, has been cited as a cause for concern by several neighbor nations, although the extreme measure has made crime virtually non-existent in the nation. In addition, Fyrdowsi’s aggressive control on private enterprises has made the presence of foreign and local companies a rarity.

Power Words

The Fyrdowsum technology utilizes a mysterious and yet unnamed energy to power up their machinations. The energy in turn is manifested by a series of compound chants and movements generally named the Power Words. These power words are crafted out of a series of selected verses from the Sacred Book and specific body movements. The energy seemed to allow its user to violate laws of physics and create miraculous events like creating light out of thin air, speeding up body movements, handless metal-forging and the likes.
The Power Words are very central to daily lives of the Fyrdowsum populace, from normal children to clerics. Each power word has a native name of its own, although the ones usually seen by outsider has been assigned a unique international name for simplicity purpose, like the very common and simple power word, Create Food.
There are many power words in existence, and newer ones are being discovered each year by the Divine Knowledge’s researchers. Easier and simpler ones have short incantations and less movement, like the well-known Create Food and Create Light. Complex words have long incantations, sometimes reaching more than a thousand words, and a very complex body movement series. It is an open secret that some of the more complex words have a definite military purpose.
It is impossible for a non-Submittan faithful to utilize the power words. Currently, it is still unknown on why only those of Submissio Pacem faith can use the power words.