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Old 06-04-2023, 11:05 PM   #1
Johnny1A.2
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Default ORICHALCUM UNIVERSE: The Britainnian Federation...

This is another of the posts about the world a century from now in my Orichalcum Universe.

ORICHALCUM UNIVERSE: The Britainnian Realms/United Realms...

Population: 77,171,034 (England: 65,305,331, Scotland: 7,439,491, Wales: 4,321,903, other:105,309)
Capital City: London, England
Official Languages: English, Scots-English, Scots-Gaelic, Welsh
Government: Federal parliamentary monarchy
Currency: Britainian Pound
Demonym(s): Britainnian, English, Scots, Welsh, Manx, other

In 2123, the polities of England, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Mann, and various associated smaller islands and possessions are still monarchies, at least in name, but some of the details of the overarching union are different. At times over the course of the previous century, England and Scotland have been virtually independent, but in 2123 they are fairly tightly unified under a single, mostly ceremonial, king.

GOVERNMENT: A single hereditary monarchy reigns over the entire federal kingdom, with separate national parliaments for England, Scotland, Wales, and the Isle of Mann. The English Parliament is the youngest of the national parliaments in the United Realms, while the ancient Westminster Parliament now functions as the federal legislature.

All hereditary seating has ceased by 2123, the English and Scottish Parliaments each is made up of a Commons and a Lords, but the Lords are all created life peers, as is the membership of the Westminster Lords. It is illegal to hold a life peerage at both the national and federal level, a member of one of the National Lords must resign his or her national peerage in order to accept a federal peerage.

(This is actually a relatively common occurrence, many of the federal lords are former national peers.)

The English Commons consists of 400 members of parliament, elected by first-past-the-post, from 500 constituencies across England, together with another 100 members of parliament elected from larger electoral districts. Both classes of MP serve in the same chamber. The English National Lords consists of up to 200 life peers. There is a statutory limit to the number of life peers in the Lords, but this can be waived by a vote of the Commons. Elections to the English National Commons must occur no less often than every three years. An Englishman must be at least 18 to vote, and 20 to serve in the House of Commons or be granted a peerage (and custom dictates no peers under 40).

The Scottish Commons consists of 150 members of parliament, elected by first-past-the-post, together with 20 elected by plurality from at large in Scotland. A quirk of Scots law is that one must have been a subject of the Crown-in-Scotland for at least twenty years to hold a seat in the Scottish Commons, while England and Wales require only two years for the same purpose. There is no statutory limit to how many life peers can be appointed to the Scottish Lords, but custom limits the number to fifty, and thirty or less is more common.

(The addition of a chamber of life peers to the Scottish Parliament was controversial, but accepted as part of an overall set of changes that increased the powers of the Scots state relative to Westminster.) Elections must be held for the Scots Parliament no less often than every three years.

Scots may vote at 16, and serve in Parliament as an MP or a peer at 21. (Custom limits MPs to 30 and over, and peers to 35 and over.)

The Welsh Parliament consists of 100 Commons elected by plurality from their respective constituencies, and a Lords consisting of no more than fifteen life peers. Elections must occur no less often than every five years. Voting age is 18, eligibility for MP status or peerage comes as 22, with custom limiting peerages to 30 and older.

(The Westminster Parliament must approve any extension of the minimum time between elections at the national level.)

The Isle of Mann is governed by the Tynwald, which retains more of its ancient structure than the other national bodies. The Tynwald consists of 24 members of the House of Keys, and a Legislative Council made up of ten members elected by the House of Keys, plus five life peers. Voting is allowed at 16, membership in the Keys at 20.

By 2123, the large majority of the legislative and regulatory activity in the United Realms is handled by the national parliaments, Westminster retains supervisory powers, but mostly handles only specifically federal matters, or relations with foreign polities. Even taxation authority is mostly handled nationally, and significant increases in taxation at the federal level requires the consent of the national parliaments, and is usually time-limited. However, any constitutional changes to the national governments does require approval by Westminster to take effect.

In 2123, the Westminster Parliament consists of a House of Commons with three hundred members, elected from constituencies by first-past-the-post. Scotland and Wales are overrepresented in the Commons relative to their populations, but this produces few problems because so much power has been devolved. There are twenty Welsh seats, fifty Scots seats, and 220 English seats, with the remaining ten covering the Isle of Mann and other small dependencies.

Westminster elections must occur no less often than every five years, and any extension of this requires approval of all the national parliaments. Likewise, changes to the overall constitution of the United Realms requires approval of all four national parliaments. Federal voting age is 21, as is eligibility for membership in the federal Commons. Life Peerages at federal level can be granted at 21 as well, but very strong custom limits this to age 50 and older, and often to former national peers, though this is less strict.

As of 2123, the monarch is Henry X, by the Grace of God King of England, Scotland, Wales, and Mann, and all Crown Dependencies, Supreme Head of the Church of England, and Lord of the Isles. Henry the Tenth is 24 years old, and has been King for four years. Oxford educated, and married to a Welsh wife, he is relatively popular with the general public, and while behaving scrupulously properly in terms of his ceremonial roles, he has also had more influence on public policy and practical political decisions than most people realize in that time (albeit quietly and behind the scenes).

To be continued...
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Old 06-05-2023, 01:26 AM   #2
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Default Re: ORICHALCUM UNIVERSE: The Britainnian Federation...

ORICHALCUM UNIVERSE: The Britainnian Realms/United Realms...

Economics: The United Realms is extremely wealthy, with a broadly diversified economy, strong in manufacturing, services, and finance. Many of the natural resources of the islands have been heavily exploited for centuries, and several key raw materials must be imported, securing these sources and supply routes is a major concern for the British Government.

Agriculture continues to be a major activity, but much of the agricultural production is greenhouse based, and given the geopolitical situation, there is a strong drive toward self-sufficiency in food.

The North Sea oil fields are effectively exhausted by 2123. On the other hand, suboceanic mining activities are quite extensive in the region, as well as significant aquaculture projects. 'Fish and chips' is still an English specialty, but most of the fish comes from fish-farming rather than wild harvest in 2123.

The United Realms obtains most of its energy in 2123 from nuclear fission, though sunpower tubes are gradually displacing uranium and thorium reactors for baseload power and heat production. There is still some coal mining in Britain, but only a tiny amount of coal is burned, most of it serves as hydrocarbon feedstock for plastics production and chemical processing.

Geopolitics: The most important fact of the British geopolitical situation in 2123 is that they are surrounded by Imperial territory on the west, south, and east. Across the Irish Sea is the Imperial Province of Ireland, to the south lies the northern coast of Europe, entirely Imperial, and to the east and north-east lie yet more Imperial territories in Scandinavia. To the north lies open ocean, hundreds of kilometers to the north-west lies Iceland, the only non-Imperial neighboring polity.

The Empire is, on the one hand, the largest trading partner of the United Realms. Neighboring the British on most sides, the Empire engages in a vigorous trade in foodstuffs, manufactured goods, raw materials, and information. On the other hand is the fact that the Empire claims de jure rule over the British (as well as the rest of the planet), and there is substantial sentiment in Imperial ruling circles for enforcing the claim, a fact of which the British are all too aware.

Militarily, as an island state, the United Realms retains the ancient naval tradition of the English. In 2123, submarines make up the majority of the Royal Navy, a mix of fast-attack submarines, deep-diving long-cruise submarines, and strategic strike submarines carrying extensive arrays of WMDs. As of 2123, the British have pioneered a new generation of sonic weaponry for use in submarine warfare, the weapons are new, touchy, and extremely secret in their details. They are not yet fully reliable, but horrifically effective when they do work.

(Substantial ongoing espionage activities surround this technology.)

The British Army is not extremely large, but it is very well-equipped and trained to fight a defensive war in the event of an Imperial invasion. There are extensive fortifications and coastal defenses to make landings difficult, and the Army has fallback positions and supply reserves all over the islands. The vastly larger Imperial legions could very probably overwhelm them if it came to a full-on invasion, but they would pay a very steep price in blood and treasure to do so.

To be continued...
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Old 06-05-2023, 10:47 PM   #3
Johnny1A.2
 
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Default Re: ORICHALCUM UNIVERSE: The Britainnian Federation...

ORICHALCUM UNIVERSE: The Britainnian Realms/United Realms continued...

An especially important military and economic consideration for the United Realms is that they have laid claim to several relatively rich orichalcum seeps along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. A Scots company, McKinney-Ross Mining, is central to this. McKinney-Ross had their start (under other names) in oceanic petroleum extraction during the North Sea boom in the Twentieth Century. The North Sea oil was eventually exhausted, but a far more lucrative resource beckoned in the depths of the Atlantic.

Using a combination of proprietary technology and a very secret psionic technique, the McKinney-Ross prospectors were able to identify six points along the Ridge where the amount of orichalcum seeping up from below was substantially higher than along most of the rest of the enormous spreading zone. These sites are heavily fortified and guarded by a permanent standing task force of Royal Naval submarines, with support from the U.S. Navy. [1]

There have been several shooting incidents around these mines, with fatalities, but as of 2123 all parties have had an interest in sweeping the incidents under the rug, rather than risk escalation to full-scale war. The casualties (on all sides) went into the records as 'accidental deaths'.

So lucrative is the orichalcum mining operation that the taxes Scotland collects from McKinney-Ross alone are sufficient to make their national public budget almost equal to that of England, in spite of having less than one eighth of the taxable population of England.

The air power arm of the United Realms is the Royal Aerospace Force. Directly descended from the Royal Air Force that emerged in 1918, the 2123 RAF is a cutting edge force that relies on a technical edge to make up for the overwhelming numerical superiority of Imperial air power. That, plus an enormous number of missile and laser anti-aircraft emplacements, form the backbone of the air defense of the United Realms.

The United Realms has an active orbital and Lunar military presence, but makes little attempt to project power beyond the Earth/Luna system. The United Realms operates only three interstellar-capable warships in 2123, and they have no immediate plans to construct more.

The constant tensions with the Empire shape all of the Britainnian foreign policies and interactions. The United Realms is closely allied with the so-called 'Triple-A' or 'Triple-Alpha' or '3A' Coalition (made up of the USA, the Federal Republic of Australia, and the Argentinians), but is not formally a member of the Coalition. The reason is simple: nobody wants to risk immediate escalation.

The United Realms also maintains cordial relations with the Chinese and the Israeli-Saudi bloc. Though many difference would normally separate these three power blocs, all neighbor the Empire, and all are determined to retain their independence from that same Empire.

The result is that the situation of the United Realms, in 2123, somewhat recalls that of Taiwan a century before. The comparison is imperfect, but close enough that historians in 2123 often remark upon the parallels.

To be continued...


[1] Along with the immense monetary and strategic value of the orichalcum deposits, there is the complicating issue that the Empire claims default ownership of all orichalcum in the world.
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Old 06-06-2023, 06:29 AM   #4
Inky
 
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Default Re: ORICHALCUM UNIVERSE: The Britainnian Federation...

It seems like, if you're going for the adjective form of "Britannia", that'd usually be "Britannic", "Britannian" might work if you prefer but isn't usual, "Britainnian" looks sort of wrong and lopsided.

It looks like there's lots of juicy stuff in this!
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Old 06-06-2023, 04:29 PM   #5
warellis
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Default Re: ORICHALCUM UNIVERSE: The Britainnian Federation...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Inky View Post
It seems like, if you're going for the adjective form of "Britannia", that'd usually be "Britannic", "Britannian" might work if you prefer but isn't usual, "Britainnian" looks sort of wrong and lopsided.

It looks like there's lots of juicy stuff in this!
The name was making me wonder if the Brits were going to be developing certain mecha or have someone named Lelouch around :P
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Old 06-06-2023, 11:06 PM   #6
Johnny1A.2
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Default Re: ORICHALCUM UNIVERSE: The Britainnian Federation...

ORICHALCUM UNIVERSE: The Britainnian Realms/United Realms continued...

CULTURE: Though immigrant influences are significant, the overall culture of the United Realms remains recognizably descended from its ancient roots. The devolution of powers from Westminster to the new national parliaments was both a cause and a result of resurgent nationalism within the union. In general, the people of the United Realms are much more conscious of their specific national identities in 2123 than they were in 2023, though a sense of British identity is also present, and has been growing stronger again over the fifty years or so leading up to 2123.

One reason the component nations of the old UK/the United Realms did not fly completely apart is the existence of the Empire. Having a vastly more potent political/military power, with the stated goal of absorbing all local sovereignties and polities on Earth, surrounding one on three sides has a tendency to concentrate the mind. The constant tension with the Empire has driven the component nations of the United Realms back toward unity.

Though the national parliaments possess most of the legislative power in 2123, they coordinate very closely with each other and Westminster. Each parliament sends a non-voting delegation that sits with the lower chamber of the other parliaments, taking part in debate even though they cannot vote. The purpose of this is to make sure that the national parliaments remain more or less 'on the same page' on critical matters.

That said, non-governmentally, national identity is prized and people in the United Realms can be prickly about it. There are no formal restrictions on travel or marriage or other interaction between the peoples of the four main nations, but there is a certain tension at times. Sports rivalries are especially intense, and fan violence when the Scots and English national football teams play is by no means rare.

One cultural oddity is that the Scots, late in the 21C, began to take an interest in American baseball, and by 2123, several Scots cities have fielded their own baseball teams, and a Scots baseball league has emerged. No one is quite sure what brought this about, but by 2123 baseball was second only to soccer/football in terms of sporting interest in Scotland. There is talk of arranging matches between American and Scots baseball teams, but nothing has come of it yet.

People still make jokes about British cuisine in 2123, but with less foundation than ever before. One irony of the spread of the Empire across much of the world is that many local customs and cuisines became diluted or vanished, there are those who say that the best Indian cuisine in the world in 2123 is to be found in England, not the Indian Demesne.

The Scots still have a tendency to fry things that the English would not consider fryable, and they eat more haggis in 2123 than they did in 2023. The English still joke about haggis. The Scots joke that the English divide into two groups regarding haggis: those who mock it, and those who have tasted it.

Even a century before, the English were attempting to revive their ancient wine industry, with some modest success. By 2123, a combination of selective breeding, some genetic engineering, and a hybridization with a strain of grapes from a planet orbiting another star has produced a range of English wines that are widely considered among the best in the world (to the consternation of the French).

A point of pride for the Manx is the Royal Manx Orchestra, widely considered one of the best in the world. Mann is also home to a widely popular school of painting that emerged in the 2080s, and one of the world's most respected art galleries is located in the capital city of Douglas, a point of local pride made the more so because of the relatively modest size of the city.

Religiously, the secularizing tendency of the early 21C has partly reversed. Eighty percent of the subjects of the British Crown identify as Christian. The Church of England has not revived to quite the same degree, but it is thriving. The Scots remain strongly Presbyterian, with a significant strain of evangelical feeling as well.

There is a significant Jewish population, and a somewhat smaller Muslim one. As a percentage of the population, there are fewer Muslims in Britain in 2123 than in 2023, though their absolute numbers are greater.

Unfortunately, the identification of the Empire with the Catholic Church (more on that later) has also led to a certain amount of revived anti-Catholic feeling in some parts of Britain. It is by no means so intense as it was in past centuries, but it is present.

Linguistically, as noted above, the British officially recognize four national languages. The revived national feeling has brought about a certain limited revival of the old languages, but for the most part, Britain speaks, reads, and operates in English. The large majority of Scots and Welsh are not fluent in their old languages.

Accents and dialects, on the other hand, are another matter. Many Scots, Welsh, and Manxmen pride themselves on speaking their particular dialects and accents, sometimes belligerently so. Many sub-national dialects and accents have either reappeared, or new ones have emerged, as a way of expressing local feeling while still speaking English.

To be continued...
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Old 06-11-2023, 11:17 PM   #7
Johnny1A.2
 
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Default Re: ORICHALCUM UNIVERSE: The Britainnian Federation...

ORICHALCUM UNIVERSE: The Britainnian Realms/United Realms continued...

PERSONALITIES:

Henry X, by the Grace of God King of England, Scotland, Wales, and Mann, and all Crown Dependencies, Supreme Head of the Church of England, and Lord of the Isles

Height: 6'0"
Weight: 180 lbs

IQ: 12
DX: 12
ST: 12
HT: 10/12

(Note that in 2123, 12 is the standard HT for residents of the advanced polities, and so is worth 0 points.)

Speed: 6
Appearance: Attractive
Wealth: Multimillionaire (worth fewer points than usual because of the special constraints on the King)
Status: Crowned Monarch (7)

Advantages:
Alertness 1 (though he often deliberately conceals this)
Charisma 1
Common Sense
Empathy
Strong Will 1
Allies (Wife Lisa, appears often, modest value; Younger brother Stephen*), appears often, modest value)

Disadvantages:
Impulsive
Phobia (acrophobia at -15)
Duty (King of the United Realms, all the time, not hazardous, difficult)
Alcohol Intolerance and Severe Hangover
Leg Injury

Skills:
Dancing 14
Riding 14
Writing 12
Swimming 12
Guns 14 (+1 with pistol)
First Aid 12
Administration 12
Diplomacy 14
Fast-talk 13
Leadership 14
Politics 15
Detect Lies 14
Streetwise 13
Savoir-Faire 14 (oversight corrected)

Language(s):
English (native) 16
Spanish 12 (literate as well)
Russian 12 (spoken only)

Quirks:
Dislikes flying
Bored by court ritual
Fond of American 'bluegrass' music
Prefers cats to dogs
Amateur painter

Henry the Tenth was never supposed to be King. The third son of Henry IX, he unexpectedly inherited the Crown when his father and both of his older brothers were killed the same aircraft crash. Circumstances were peculiar, but subsequent investigations appeared to confirm the accidental nature of the incident. [1]

Henry surprised many by his success as the new King. The role of the monarch in the United Realms is mostly ceremonial, and Henry fulfills those roles without a flaw. What not many people realize is that Henry, highly intelligent, perceptive, strong-willed, and politically savvy, has had considerable influence on actual policy decisions since becoming monarch.

Henry keeps his influence out of the public eye, and he is subtle enough that he is often able to leave politicians and elected officials thinking that whatever they are doing is their own idea (thought the current federal PM is well aware of the influence Henry wields, and sometimes works with it and sometimes against it).

Henry received a leg injury in the same incident in which his father and brothers died. Excellent medical care and a bit of luck enabled him to almost fully recover. His left knee was damaged, and even the medical care available to a monarch in 2128 was not able to perfectly repair it. He can walk normally, his leg works normally, and most of the time there is no discomfort, but under stress or overload his knee can 'give out'. [2]
Henry and the court PR machine have mostly concealed this weakness.

Henry is afraid of heights, somewhat severely. This too is kept quiet, even his wife does not realize how severe the phobia is, because he is adept at concealing his reactions.

Henry rarely faces directly dangerous situations, that is not his job and palace security is efficient. He is, however, a good marksman with a pistol, and customarily carries a small one (he personally believes his father and brothers were assassinated, and is cautious about future attempts on his own life) and he is quite competent with the weapon. He would be fully capable of catching an unwary assassin by surprise, if other security measures failed.

* Yes, the previous monarch named a son Stephen. He himself was named Henry, and was impatient with superstitions about names.

[1] The incident was in fact sabotage and murder, but Henry X had nothing to do with it, and in fact never desired to be King.

[2] Whenever Henry is running at full speed, fighting, or doing anything involving heavy physical strain on that leg, a HT role is needed, on a failure the knee 'gives out' and will need time to recover, on a critical failure medical attention will be needed to repair the joint again.
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Old 06-12-2023, 03:43 PM   #8
johndallman
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Default Re: ORICHALCUM UNIVERSE: The Britainnian Federation...

They key skills for modern royalty, as far as I can tell, are Carousing (they spend a lot of time hosting and attending dinners and functions), Diplomacy, Politics, Propaganda (in a subtle way), Public Speaking (they have to give a lot of speeches), and Savoir-Faire (even if you're at the top, you still have to behave correctly).

For 4e, I created a Talent, "Capable Royal," for those skills. It's best acquired in childhood.
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Old 06-12-2023, 09:52 PM   #9
Johnny1A.2
 
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Default Re: ORICHALCUM UNIVERSE: The Britainnian Federation...

Quote:
Originally Posted by johndallman View Post
They key skills for modern royalty, as far as I can tell, are Carousing (they spend a lot of time hosting and attending dinners and functions), Diplomacy, Politics, Propaganda (in a subtle way), Public Speaking (they have to give a lot of speeches), and Savoir-Faire (even if you're at the top, you still have to behave correctly).

For 4e, I created a Talent, "Capable Royal," for those skills. It's best acquired in childhood.
Note that Henry X does have several of those skills. In his youth, he when he was third in line for the throne, he also got into some situations that a royal shouldn't, witness that Streetwise skill. There was some tension in the family over that, but then the sudden deaths of three members of the Royal Family made that point moot.
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Old 06-13-2023, 04:48 AM   #10
Inky
 
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Default Re: ORICHALCUM UNIVERSE: The Britainnian Federation...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny1A.2 View Post
Henry rarely faces directly dangerous situations, that is not his job and palace security is efficient. He is, however, a good marksman with a pistol, and customarily carries a small one (he personally believes his father and brothers were assassinated, and is cautious about future attempts on his own life) and he is quite competent with the weapon. He would be fully capable of catching an unwary assassin by surprise, if other security measures failed.
Is this supposed to be legally (implying that the rules have changed) or illegally?

It seems like, leaving out Savoir-Faire (High Society) is quite an omission, unless that's not a thing in 3e.
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