The Kingdom of Altona

[Altona]

Flag used when nation is at peace


Flag used when nation faces either war or crisis
The Kingdom of Altona

Population:- 8,500,000
Capital:- Altona

Altona is largely a sprawling city state located in Western Aranye and surrounded by forest. It was created in the 14th Century by a noble from Heimney who wished to carve out his own Kingdom and gathering together some loyal followers set sail. Over time his personal fiefdom grew and grew until today it stands as a geographically isolated state surrounded by what could be described by some as a natural buffer zone.

The nation made a reputation as a state that prided itself on militarastic and chivalric ideals and has a history of providing mercenary armies and navies throughout history. The nation still has a significant number of military businesses. The nation also has rather liberal rules regarding financial regulation for business once established and also rather liberal trading ideas. In the last 30 years or so the city state has attempted to carve itself out a reputation for being a vibrant centre of culture and recreation.

The Kingdom is ruled by a monarch. They may introduce any legislation they wish however they must gain the approval of the Altonan Witan to become law. The Altonan Witan is made up of 100 randomly selected citizens over the age of 18 who serve for a month. Their only duty is to vote on potential changes to the law. If they reject a law they make suggestions on how to improve it. It is a criminal offence to refuse to be part of the Witan unless you are either a single parent, currently at University, serving in the military or have some identified medical impairment to serving.

The current royal family are the Sülldorf Dynasty who have been on the throne since Queen Eleonora took the throne in 1941.

The crown does not pass down automatically to eldest child. The military serving at the time of the monarchs death elect the new monarch from those members of the royal family over the age of 21.

[Altona]

SIGYNISM

Altona largely clings to the belief in the Goddess Sigyn.

Sigyn is believed to have created the Universe as a place to hunt.

She is depicted as a a woman, usually naked except for a cloak, a cross belt for weapons and long hair. She often is shown riding a horse as though on a hunt or in battle.

Sigyn created all life as a form of entertainment for her hunts. However she took a liking to mankind and gave us special status among all other life.

In return for being given this special status mankind prays to her and hopes to one day join her in the hunt.

It is believed that at some point in the future a rival to Sigyn will appear with the intent of destroying all of creation and replacing it with their own version of the Universe. This will mean the destruction of humans.

It is believed that just as breeding strong livestock together Sigyn is capable of producing stronger beasts to hunt mankind can strengthen itself in a similar way.

All humans are born with Geisterkraft which is a form of spiritual power. During a persons life they can amass more  Geisterkraft through doing good deeds which is known as kraftesse and through doing other acts lose power known as schwächen.

The amount of Geisterkraft a person is born with is determined by the amount their mother and father have.

When a person dies their body is cremated and creates a new spiritual being made up of the Geisterkraft the person had on the day of their death. For the first week after a death all new spirit bodies are hunted by Sigyn. Those with a weak amount of Geisterkraft are destined to be slayed by Sigyn and their spirit body destroyed forever meaning they face oblivion. Those with a decent amount of Geisterkraft survive the hunt and are invited to join Sigyn in what is effectively a hunters paradise.

A family can improve a loved ones chances of surviving the hunt by cremating objects along with them which it is believed will help them. This includes such things as weapons, food, drink, clothing, boots and other such items.

The faith is managed by Priests known as Wildhüter which translates as Game-Keepers. They organise weekly prayers, carry out rituals such as naming ceremonies, weddings, funerals etc. They also help guide the faithful.

[Altona]

     

THE MONARCHS OF THE KINGDOM OF ALTONA

The first King of Altona was King Sigmundr Jundt. He was a noble from who raised a private army and colonised the present location of Altona sometime in the early 14th Century. He established the Kingdom's rules regarding inheriting the crown. Upon his death his nobles would select one of his children (assuming he had more than one) to succeed him. King Sigmundr had a golden crown made for himself while other royals wear a replica made out of Iron. Today the monarch wears the golden crown while his family wear replicas made of iron.

ALTONAN CROWN LIST

The Jundt Dynasty 1339-1555


1339-1371 - King Sigmundr I - King Sigmundr The Founder
1371-1377 - King Adam
1377-1402 - King Raginmar
1402-1451 - King Joschka
1451-1478 - King Gerhard
1478-1499 - Queen Adelias
1499-1522 - King Jelle
1522-1555 - King Jordis

The Krüger Dynasty 1555-1773

1555-1577 - King Gabriel
1577-1603 - King Theodoar I
1603-1607 - King Waldo
1607-1647 - King Tilo
1647-1656 - King Thorben
1656-1700 - Queen Svanhildr
1700-1729 - King Arthur I
1729-1741 - Queen Anneliese
1741-1773 - King Adalbert

The Krause Dynasty 1773-1941

1773-1801 - King Odo
1801-1816 - King Lothar
1816-1831 - King Theodoar II
1831-1863 - King Arthur II
1863-1887 - King Lucas
1887-1892 - King Theotman
1892-1899 - King Otto
1899-1913 - King Torsten
1913-1941 - King Thankarat

The Sülldorf Dynasty 1941 - present

1941-1978 - Queen Eleonora
1978-1997 - King Levin
1997-2009 - King Rolf
2009-2014 - King Oden
2014-2021 - King Gottschalk
2021-now  - King Rutger

[Altona]

GOVERNMENT OF ALTONA

KAISERPLAZA- The old centre of Altona where the matters of government are determined. The Royal Chamber is to the left and the Chamber of Swords which is where military matters are discussed.

The government of Altona is controlled directly by the monarch through Decrees supported by a form of representative referendum.

The monarch may issue any decree they wish at any time however it must gain the approval of a 100 person randomly selected Witan.

The Monarch is supported in their work by a group of Ministers, all of these are selected by the monarch and there are no rules governing who may be one or their remits. Any Minister is permitted to use the title Lord/Lady of the Royal Chamber while they hold the post. Any minister either resigning or being replaced is potentially given a honourable discharge meaning they are then forever permitted to use the title Knight/Dame of the Royal Chamber.

The Witan serves for a month and are randomly selected using their Draft Card. Every Altonan is issued a unique Draft Card six months before their 18th birthday. Upon receipt of it they get details of their posting to National Service for some point within the 18 months following their 18th birthday. This card features a series of unique numbers which are used to determine the make up of the Witan. The liklihood of serving on two back to back Witan's is low however there are no rules stopping it. Additionally there are no rules stopping a Minister also from serving on the Witan.

Should the Witan reject a decree then they must make their own version of the decree which the monarch can either accept and thus becomes law, or it is rejected and must be presented again to a further Witan.

An Altonan may only reject service on the Witan in a handful of conditions. Those conditions are ill health, being a single parent, current service within the military or studying at University. Should a person be called up to the Witan and either refuse or not show up they face a fine of $10,000 and up to 10 years in prison. A person may however excuse themselves from future call ups ahead of time for example if going on holiday, having hospital appointments etc by obtaining an exemption certificate. This requires filling in an application which is approved by the local magistrate. It is extremely rare for a properly filed request for an exemption certificate to be turned down.

The Witan's other role is to help select the new monarch when the incumbent one dies. This is done by narrowing down the Royal Family to three candidates. This is done by first considering legitimate children, then illegitimate children, then siblings, nephews & nieces, cousins and then finally uncles and aunts. If for example a monarch has 1 legitimate child and five siblings the child must be put forward as one candidate, the Witan will then narrow down the siblings to make up the numbers. The Witan's three candidates are then voted on by those within the military at the time. Should it end in a draw the General of the King's Heavy Cavalry (the oldest Regiment in the Army) has the casting vote.

[Altona]

ALTONA'S MILITARY

The Army, The Royal Altonan Navy, The Royal Altonan Flying Corps, The King's Heavy Cavalry

The military feature heavily in Altonan society. This is largely due to the fact that in the first century or so of the Kingdom's existence the monarch would regularly offer his troops as mercenaries. In addition it was not uncommon for Dukes, Lords, Barons etc to raise forces to sell off to foreign nations during wars. This practice meant that National Service of two years was expected from all able bodied male Altonans. This was later changed to include women in 1967. Upon completion of their national service an individual remains on a Reserve list until their 45th birthday. They are expected to attend a 48 hour refresher course every year to maintain their skill at arms. Each person on the reserve list is given a rifle and two magazines of ammunition which are expected to be stored securely and random checks by the military police are carried out to ensure security and that the weapon is being maintained.




The Army can trace its formal roots back to 1452 under King Gerhard who began organising what had been essentially a Feudal Army into a full time professional one. He formed the Army into Regiments under permanent commanders picked from within the ranks rather than by noble birth. Each Regiment today has a Battalion known as the "People's" Battalion and this is made up of those serving time under national service. Generally these Battalions are bigger in infantry regiments than in specialist groups like Engineers, Communications etc. Those doing National Service may not serve as officers.



The Royal Altonan Navy was formed in 1565 by King Gabriel. It had previously been a seasonal force that patrolled the coast line however King Gabriel briefly had considered expanding Altona to effectively try and form an Empire. Today it has a small number of National Service inductees serving, mainly these are taken from those who have opted to first study at University and quiet often have a background in maritime matters. Very few National Service people serve on long term patrols on boats and none on subs.



The Royal Altonan Flying Corps was formed in 1911 by King Torsten. It was originally the only force not to accept those undertaking National Service however since 1967 this has changed and has seen it become very similar to the Navy in so far that graduates from University with specialist skills can be sent there. The Air Force mains a reserve in which former pilots are expected to maintain their skills and so a large fleet of training aircraft are kept for them to maintain their hours. The RAFC also undertake flying operations for the Navy.



The King's Heavy Cavalry can trace its origins back to the foundation of the Kingdom when they were the personal guard of the King. In 1913 however King Thankarat remodelled the unit as a commando unit and enlarged them from 150 members to the current 800 or so. They do not accept National Service and anyone wishing to join must have served at least five years prior to joining. They maintain their own aviation assets and in effect a mini military in their own right. They also retain the function of their commanding officer having the determining vote should elections of monarchs even be a tie.

[Altona]

THE ROYAL FAMILY
The Sülldorf Dynasty

Up until 1st of June 2021 His Majesty King Gottschalk was the King of Altona. He had been monarch since 6th August 2014. The Sülldorf Family are the ruling dynasty and inherited a vast number of properties since taking the throne in 1941.

DETAILS ON MONARCH TO GO HERE ONCE ELECTED

The Water Palace

Built in 1412 the Palace sits on the Western edge of the city and is surrounded by several acres of forest. It is possible to travel from the coast to the Palace via boat. Today it is the home of Constance Sülldorf and her family.

The Southern Palace

The site saw its first construction in the 12th Century. Since then the royals have used it as a retreat from the fortress within the city itself. The site saw massive rebuilding in the 1800's following fire damage. Today it is the home of Rutger Sülldorf and his family.

The Hunting Palace

Located around 12km into the forest of Altona the Palace was built in the 1700's and added to extensively over time. It is traditionally the residence of the eldest child of the Royal Family as they are given the greatest emphasis in ceremonial duties until the reigning monarch dies. It is currently home to Lukas Sülldorf and his family

[Altona]

THE ARMY

40,000 Soldiers / Up to 32,000 National Service at any single time

180 x Goblin Mk.2 Main Battle Tank
40 x Goblin Mk.1 Main Battle Tank
165 x Elven Mk.3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle
110 x Elven Mk.2Infantry Fighting Vehicle
280 x Orc Mk.4 Armoured Personnel Carrier
150 x Orc Mk.3 Armoured Personnel Carrier
80 x Warg Armoured Personnel Carrier
500 x Demon Mk.4 Mobility Vehicle
280 x Heavy Demon Mk.1 Mine Resistant Vehicle
170 x Water Demon Mk.2 Amphibious Mobility Vehicle
40 x Kobold Mk.2 Self Propelled Howitzer
35 x Krampus Mk.4 Towed Howitzer
45 x Lindworm Mk.2 Rocket Artillery
30 x Drude Mk.2 UAV
45 x Troll Mk.6 Urban Patrol Vehicle

[Altona]

ROYAL ALTONAN NAVY
7,500 Sailors / Up to 4,000 National Service at any time

3 x Type 108 Submarine

1. Béatrix Beck
2. Maja Beutler
3. Teresina Bontempi

3 x Type 107 Submarine

1. Erika Burkart
2. Martha Burkhardt
3. Dominique Caillat

5 x Type 208 Frigate

1. Corinne Chaponnière
2. Anne Cuneo
3. Suzanne Curchod
4. Laurence Deonna
5. Isabelle Eberhardt

6 x Type 302 Corvette

1. Marianne Ehrmann
2. Ruth Erat
3. Marie-Louise von Franz
4. Valérie de Gasparin
5. Marthe Gosteli
6. Emilie Gourd

2 x Type 400 Amphibious Ship

1. Anne-Lise Grobéty
2. Anita Hansemann

3 x Type 507 Mine Vessel

1. Eveline Hasler
2. Jeanne Hersch
3. Mirjam Indermaur

4 x Type 609 Missile Patrol Ship

1. Fleur Jaeggy
2. Zoë Jenny
3. Hanna Johansen
4. Isabelle Kaiser

6 x Type 701 Unmanned Patrol Ships (Type do not hold names)
3 x Type 702 Unmanned Patrol Ships (Types do not hold names)


Names of ship classes followed a rule since 1950. The class is determined by the type of ship and it's chronological order of introduction. For example all submarines begin with 1, the first submarine class brought in since 1950 was therefore 101. When a new type of ship is introduced that will feature the starting number of 8, for example should Altona acquire an Aircraft Carrier it would be Type 801.

Individual ships are named after significant female scholars from Altonan Universities. The next ship to enter service, regardless of class will be Agota Kristof

[Altona]

ROYAL ALTONAN FLYING CORPS

42 x F-16 Fox Multi-Role Fighter
18 x A-11 Antelope Strike Fighter
23 x F-14 Firefly Air Defence Fighter
2 x E-2 Eagle AEWACS aircraft
4 x P-5 Penguin Maritime Patrol Aircraft
3 x K-13 Kingfisher Tanker
10 x C-13 Catfish Transport Aircraft
11 x H-6 Hellcat Attack Helicopter
17 x H-22 Heron Transport Helicopter
16 x T-3 Tiger Cub Advanced Trainer / Light Fighter
16 x T-2 Tapier Calf Basic Trainer
5 x U-1 Unicorn UAV
3 x M-1 Monarch Royal Aircraft (specially commissioned to have similar, less global, capabilities as Air Force One)

[Altona]

GEOGRAPHY

Altona possibly shares the desctinction of being one of the least densely populated lands on Mundus while at the same time being home to one of the most densely populated cities. In effect Altona is a large city numbering some 5.8million people. The rest of the nations 8.5million souls live spread among six towns, the largest of which is Eskberg with a population of around 300,000 people, or in the many small hamlets dotted among the vast forest. A network of highways allows speedy travel across the nation and this pattern is largely copied in a large train system. One of the highways, known as the Forest Road, marks a imaginary line beyond which King Levin in 1979 said most of Altona's future development of infastructure would take place. This was partly as it was believed it may be necessary to one day ensure border security but also as the nation began to explore nuclear power as a major industry it kept it as far  away from the City of Altona as possible.

Currently there are three full time nuclear power stations (red dots) which provide the vast majority of Altonans with their electricity. In a few rural places seperate networks exists utilising small scale hydro-electricity however the Altonans believe they could very well be free of fossil fuel use for energy production by the end of 2028.

TBC

[Altona]

ECONOMY

The economy of Altona is based around high tech manufacture, forestry, tourism and various IT based enterprises. The nations boasts a GDP per capita of $52,900.

Major Businesses


Altonan Electrical Syndicate (AES)


Established in the 1960's the company saw the merger of Altonan Power and Water with the newer Maven Electrical with the intention of harnessing atomic energy. The company has since opened two full size nuclear power plants within the nation as well as a test facility which see's a small scale power plant and several facilities for experiments particularly nuclear fusion. The company have also invested in Lijiang to provide atomic energy.

MORE TO COME.

[Altona]

LAWS OF THE LAND

• Abortion: Only permitted if the life of the mother is at risk.

• Adultery: Not a crime but along with violence and neglect is one of the three permitted reasons for divorce.

• Affirmative action: Not practiced

• Age of consent: 16

• Age of majority: 16

• Artificial insemination: Permitted.

• Assisted suicide: Permitted only as part of a living will and with approval of two medical professionals.

• Bestiality: Illegal.

• Birth control: Widely avaliable.

• Childcare: Subsidised for 15 hours a week between 0-4 years of age.

• Concealed carry: Permitted with permit from the Police. This is granted after background and medical checks and successful completion of a range safety course which must be renewed every five years.

• Death penalty: Used only for cases of multiple murder

• Divorce: Permitted only if there has been violence, adultery or neglect within the marriage.

• Double jeopardy: Not permitted

• Drinking age: 18

• Driving age: 16

• Education: School is compulsory for  all between the age of 4 and 18. There are a wide choice of educational options.

• Eminent domain: Permitted for projects of "National importance"

• Equal pay for equal work: Yes

• Felony disenfranchisement: Anyone convicted of a crime is suspended from being called up to the Witan for a period of five years.

• Flag desecration: No rules

• Gambling age: 18

• Gun purchase age: 18

• Homosexuality in the military: No rules

• Human cloning: Illegal

• In vitro fertilization: Legal

• Marriageable age: 18

• Military conscription: National Service takes place via lottery. Currently there is a 1 in 3 chance of serving. An individual called up serves 18 months.

• Minimum wage: Established annually by the Witan

• Parental leave: If married a couple may claim a total of 18 months, this for example could see the mother take all 18 months, or a man take six months and the mother a year.

• Polygamy: Not permitted. While anyone following a faith that permits it is not punished under law only the first wife is considered legal.

• Pornography: Proof of age required for 18

• Prostitution: Permitted but only within licenced premises with strict rules. Anyone found involved in prostitution outside of these venues is liable to five years in prison.

• Same-sex marriage: Not religiously permitted however civil partnerships are considered a legal contract and are permitted.

• School leaving age: 18

• Sex reassignment surgery: Permitted if privately funded.

• Sex toys: Permitted

• Sexually transmitted diseases: No set rules.

• Smoking age: 16

• Sodomy laws:- No legal stance

• State ideology: Non established.

• State religion: Sigynism however freedom of religion exists.

• Stem cell research: Permitted

• Taxation: Sliding scale income tax complimented by a general sales tax and a few other forms of specific taxation such as on cigarettes.

• Torture: Not permitted

• Trial by jury: Six randomly selected people.

• Universal healthcare: For non-cosmetic cases paid for by taxation.

• Voting age: No elections take place as government consists of a randomly selected Witan.

• Women's rights: Protected in law

• Working age: A person may not work more than 20 hours a week and no more than four hours in a day until 16 years of age.

• Working week: Overtime must be paid after 40 hours have been worked.