Silverfire Family/Random Plans/Empire

Charter for the Phoenix Empire

Preamble

The Empire of the Phoenix is founded upon the principle of being a force of balance on Atamara. The Empire shall seek to preserve the sovereignty of all realms while also expanding its own influence and power. The Empire shall oppose all attempts to subvert the sovereignty of realms and to establish hegemony over the island. The Empire also has the purpose of eliminating hidden intentions by realms seeking war and the random destruction of sovereign realms across the continent.

Structure

The Empire of the Phoenix will be a multi-realm empire based upon the cooperation of many entities across the island of (insert island). Leadership of the empire will be conducted by a cross-realm senate with a single political leader elected for a 3 month term. The ruler of the empire shall be elected from the rulers of the member realms, and shall change their title to “Princeps” for the duration of their term to designate them as leader of the Raven Empire. Realms within the empire shall be classified amongst four levels of membership(from highest to lowest): Partner, Member, Province, Protectorate. The two highest levels are full membership levels allowing full membership within the Senate, while the two lowest levels are vassal states of the empire and owe monthly tribute to the higher levels. Each level also has distinctive characteristics. The two highest levels, Partner and Member, are the levels where realms can peacefully enter into the Empire. They do so via application to the Imperial Senate through the Princeps. The two lowest levels, Province and Protectorate, are the levels where realms enter into the Empire via surrender in war.

Imperial Senate

The Imperial Senate shall operate through a guild. A guildhouse is to be built at least in the capital of every realm regardless of membership level. Voting members of the Senate shall consist of every member ruler and duke of the empire. Non-voting members of the Senate shall consist of all lords of the empire. The number of votes available to each voting member is determined by the membership level of that member. (Elders = Rulers, Full Members (voting assembly) = Rulers + Dukes, Aspirant ranks = Lords)

The Imperial Senate shall be tasked with determining overall empire policy. The Imperial Senate votes to determine the Princeps each three months. The Imperial Senate determines when the entire Empire sets aside other conflicts and goes to war as an entire Empire. The Imperial Senate also approves intra-empire realm wars and border conflicts. They are also tasked to mediate disputes between empire members and to determine what realms Protectorates and Provinces pay tribute to.

Unless formally stripped of the honor by the Imperial Senate, all former Princeps are granted full membership in the Imperial Senate for life, and a single vote should they not hold any other votes.

Empire membership levels in detail

Partner

• Rulers in the Senate receive the greater of 1 vote per region in their realm or 5 total votes.

• Dukes in the Senate receive 2 votes per city under their vassalship.

• Partner realms have priority for receipt of tribute from provinces and protectorates.

• All realms of the empire are bound to defensive military assistance of partner realms. (This requirement is not valid for wars of aggression by one of the partner realms and disregarded for intra-empire wars)

Member

• Rulers in the Senate receive the lesser of 1 vote per region in their realm or 5 total votes.

• Dukes in the Senate receive 1 vote per city under their vassalship.

• After 6 months of being a member realm, a realm may petition the Imperial Senate to be a partner realm.

Province

• Rulers in the Senate receive 1 vote and are only full members of the Imperial Senate.

• Dukes in the Senate receive no votes and are only aspirants of the Imperial Senate.

• Province realms are not permitted to declare war without the approval of the Imperial Senate.

• Provinces must give monthly tribute to one of the member realms of the empire based upon the number and quality of regions within their realm. (250 gold per city, 100 gold per townsland, 50 gold per mountain, 25 gold per other region)

• After 3 months of being a province, a realm may petition the Imperial Senate to be a member realm.

Protectorate

• Rulers and Dukes in the Senate receive no votes and are only aspirants.

• Protectorate realms are not permitted to declare war or make alliances without the approval of the Imperial Senate. (Upon becoming a Protectorate, a realm must adjust all of their diplomatic relations to peace)

• Protectorates must give monthly tribute to one of the member realms of the empire based upon the number and quality of regions within their realm. (500 gold per city, 200 gold per townsland, 100 gold per mountain, 50 gold per other region)

• After 6 months of being a Protectorate, a realm may petition the Imperial Senate to be a Province realm.

Duties and Powers of the Princeps

• The Princeps shall serve a term of 3 months and be elected from amongst the rulers of Partner and Member realms of the empire.

• The Princeps shall have power of tiebreaker in all votes within the Imperial Senate.

• The Princeps acts as the head of the Empire for all intents and purposes.

• The Princeps will be the primary contact for foreign rulers and nobles seek to conduct official diplomacy with the Empire, and shall work to relay all relevant information and discussions to the Imperial Senate.

• The Princeps shall work in coordination with the Imperial Senate to conduct internal diplomacy and mediate disputes between member realms of any level.

• The Princeps shall be the voice by which the Imperial Senate dictates its will to the rest of the continent.

• The Princeps, as its name suggests is a first among equals within the Imperial Senate. While the Princeps represents the will, the strength, and the diplomacy of the Empire, the Princeps is not a tyrant.

Intra-Empire Diplomacy

The Raven Empire recognizes the sovereignty of all member realms of the empire. Based upon this recognition it is realized that realms within the empire may have grievances against each other and seek to fight. Realms within the empire are allowed to fight wars against each other as long as they first bring the issue before the Imperial Senate. The Imperial Senate must sanction any intra-realm wars. The only considerations which the Imperial Senate may take into account when making this determination is whether the aggressor realm has publicly declared what compensation they seek for redress of grievances prior to beginning the conflict and whether or not such a war would interfere with any ongoing empire war against a non-empire entity. The Imperial Senate must sanction any war assuming the two conditions above are met, even if the aggressor realm has a weak reason for war.

The defending realm may petition the Imperial Senate for its own terms of what the aggressor must surrender should they lose the war. If approved by the senate, then these are terms which if met by either side would lead to an automatic ceasefire and eventual peace.

In addition to allowing intra-realm warfare, all empire member or partner realms are allowed to conduct their own independent diplomacy. The Empire does not in and of itself force all of its members into alliance or to fight every war together. Only when the empire is threatened and the Imperial Senate decrees empire wide diplomacy will all member realms cooperate on specific goals.

Border Skirmishes

One purpose of the empire is to allow wars to no longer be prolonged struggles of life or death. The Raven Empire will sanction wars between empire realms or between an empire realm and another realm in the form of border skirmishes if both realms agree to the terms. In a war such as this, one realm can petition the Raven Empire to arbitrate a war whereby each realm states a region on their adjoining border which they’d like to claim. Each realm places a claim to an equal number of regions. A realm may of its own accord seek to gain less regions than an equal number. The war is declared over when one realm manages to take and hold the opposing realm’s region(s) for a period of 6 consecutive weeks or if the realms agree to peace on their own. The empire as a whole will enforce such terms if one side decides to renege on the agreement.

Policy on Declarations of War

Upon declaration of war, any member realm of the Raven Empire agrees to state their intended terms for the enemy’s surrender, at the time of wars begin. Once these terms are met the war is to come to an end. Member realms may accept less peace terms if they’d like, but pushing for more will receive the condemnation of the Raven Empire.

Aggression against the Raven Empire

Any realm or alliance that seeks aggressive actions against what is deemed as the Raven Empire as a whole will face minimum surrender terms of the loss of one duchy per aggressing realm. The duchy will be selected at the time of surrender and will surrender in the form of capitulation into becoming a new realm as a protectorate of the empire. Terms will be set to require the duchy to have a minimum number of regions to function as a realm on its own. All lords, dukes, and nobles of that duchy will be allowed to retain their estates and titles, but would become a part of the empire.

Irrevocability Clause

The Raven Empire is very insistent upon the preservation of the sovereignty of its member realms. The Empire however must be an entity which protects its members and the island as a whole above mere whims of a few of its members. Therefore, membership within the Raven Empire is final and absolute. Lands that have become a part of the Raven Empire, are lands forever claimed by the Raven Empire unless lost to a foreign entity during a sanctioned war. Attempts for member realms or duchies to leave the Raven Empire will be viewed as an attack upon the empire as a whole