Hjaltland

Hjaltland (/yaltland/) is a large, widely respected nation that lies in the shallow -, far +. Under its jurisdiction are several settlements, the largest of which are Falstadt Proper, the capital, and Hjaltland Proper, the historical home of the nation. Hjaltland is revered by many and is seen as a power group on the server, and its many members are varied in skill and specialisation. The claims of Hjaltland stretch across the bottom and top of the world, and though it holds the second most claimed land on the server, it is largely undisputed. It shares land borders with Pacem and Yoahtl and water borders with Vinland, Stonewall, Resimere and Airhaven.

Hjaltland are currently members of SATO, who include Yoahtl, Vinland, The Commonwealth, Okashima, Southshire and Caledonia. They are also members of the Entente, with Gensokyo, Varkonia, and Nyasaland. Among their most noteworthy structures is the Hjaltland Vault, the oldest vault on the server and home of numerous high-profile prisoners.

Foundation and Political Revolutions
The kingdom of Hjaltland was founded on the 1st of June, 2017, the first day of CivClassic, by the remnants of Civcraft: Worlds' Falstadt and numerous established players from Civcraft 2.0 and before. Led by BlueSylvaer, the nation quickly built up its farms, aiming to become an economic power far from the drama of newfriend nations. As conflict brewed over the next months, the nation was forced to focus heavily on defense, ramping up experience production until the apparatus had become a well-oiled machine.

In the interest of closer relations with Hjaltland's staunch allies in Impasse and The Commonwealth, the nation collaborated in the creation of the Hjaltland-Impasse Transporation System (HITS), the first major international railway on the server. While HITS has since built long tunnels to cities like Gensokyo, the company has done little since.

In the midst of war, a splinter faction led by Crowned Prince Frensin led massive demonstrations in opposition to the Republic. Their primary issue was that the government had proven too weak to launch a blow strong enough to end the Nox threat, and their cause gained widespread support with the winter defeat in the Second Attack on Nox. Peace was restored on January 25th, 2018 with the union of the Republic of Hjaltland with Frensin's Revolutionary Sect for the Restoration of the Federal State of Falstadt, officially forming the U.F.R Falstadt. It was this combined government that masterminded the final assault on Nox.

On September 4th, 2018, a rogue military sect of the U.F.R. Falstadt was brought back into the fold. Its radical military policy preferences, specifically those advocated by Thoths (its leader), were considered worthy of acceptance into the governing coalition. Thus, the United Federal Republic of the Union State of the Republic of Hjaltland and the Revolutionary Sect for the Restoration of the Federal State of Falstadt of the  Union State of the Republic of Hjaltland and the Revolutionary Sect for the Restoration of the Federal State of Falstadt and the Rogue State of Hjaltland (officially abbreviated to U.F.R.U.S.R.H.A.R.S.R.F.S.F.U.S.R.H.A.R.S.R.F.S.F.A.R.S. Hjaltland) was formed.

Military Activity
Hjaltland's military tradition stretches back through the years, self-defense being one of the nation's core tenets. They have not yet lost a war, and their leadership are considered among the finest military minds of CivClassic.

Animal Farm
During the first month of the server, Hjaltland found itself settled in close proximity to a factions group called "Animal Farm." With no provocation, they launched assaults on the city's fledgling wheat farm and city bunker, although both brought little gain. In a retaliatory strike, THE Lil_Wayne (Thoths) led a force that managed to capture a high-ranking member of AF, resulting in repeated strikes against the city's vault (which was built as a result of this conflict). Hjaltland sought a quick peace, as the pearls held had attracted the attention of Lexington. Sintralin soon threatened force against Hjaltland, but a consequent attempt to broker peace by means of Animal Farm's relocation broke down. After another week of conflict the group, defeated, dispersed, its active remnants moving to Lexington.

Nudist Beach
Hjaltland fighters took part in the defense of Commonwealth against repeated attacks by the alt-raiding group known as Nudist Beach, a group later found to be made up by Impulca, xxDovahkiinxx, GeneralThomas4, PSN, daeshik, and other established players. As their house of cards collapsed, an attempt was made to falsely implicate Hjaltland. Again, this nearly precipitated deadly force by Lexington on Hjaltland, but again BlueSylvaer's alpha comportment protected the nation's innocent civilian population. The aftermath of this incident led the Council of Ministers to rapidly increase federal military funding.

Minor Pre-War Actions
The Laconian splinter faction in early Yoahtl attempted to seize control of the town, but was quickly found out after alt-raiding (on the accounts FartHarder, Masturbacon__, and OsamaBinPearlin). Thoths and Motown, among other Hjaltchads, mounted long overland journeys to defend the town, although Yoahtl ended up relocating regardless. Throughout the conflict, Hjaltland's government supported Yoahtl economically and with valuable intelligence, but multiple members of (overly-trusting) Yoahtlan leadership leaked the information to the very alt-raiders Hjaltland warned against. This precipitated the first major diplomatic squabble of the nation's history, which ended with the severance of all ties with Yoahtl, an alliance that would not be repaired until the Spring of 2018.

When Lexington affiliates began ceaselessly raiding Westminster (CW), Hjaltland was hesitant to enter the war for fear of being designated as the "world police." As the raids became more and more constant, fighters relocated to defend their ally at the behest of Hjaltland's High Command. On August 22nd, yet another raid by bewsiej ended with his flight into Lexington's (illegal) bunker in Westminster, where he logged out. Multiple members of the Commonwealth Militia, having been denied access and with no indication that Sintralin would remove bewsiej, disabled the bunker's doors to ensure his capture. They later tore down the bunker to ensure it would no longer be an issue. They did leave chests intact so that the damage to Lexington was minimal, but Sintralin nonetheless was livid.

Nox Police Action
Main article: Somber War

Declaration of War
On October 9th, 2017, Lexington declared war on Hjaltland and Commonwealth, the other top powers on the server and the primary force behind the Western Alliance. Citing the bunker that CW tore down (due to multiple instances of Lexington-affiliated raiders' using it as a safe spot) as well as TangentialThreat's cyberattack on her bots, they began the war by dumping a significant amount of reinforced obsidian onto Westminster. This "tactical griefing" has been called the single greatest instance of reinforced griefing in Civ-server history, perhaps beside Sintralin's DRO bomb of Aurora in Civcraft 2.0. Although the action was reversed due to Lexington leadership's dishonesty with the server administration, the attack set the tone for the war to come, one of few limitations inside and outside the game alike. Hjaltland launched an immediate assault that disabled Lexington's end portal fortification, a crucial installation.

BlueSylvaer, in his response, identified the Lexington threat and their vassals in Anguish as the natural resurgence of Nox, and indicated his intent to wage an unrelenting war against this stateless raider threat. Hjaltland's people do not consider the event a war because the war was just so damn easy, nor has their government recognized the vault-based-forces formerly known as Lexington and Anguish.

First Battle of Anguish
By chance, Mir and Anguish had settled in adjacent territory, and their relations had been cordial, but distrustful. With Anguish's declaration of war, Mir saw the attack as a chance to snuff out a dangerous force before it became a major threat. Hjaltland communicated extensively with Mir, as both nations were host to a great number of experienced players, and an attack was coordinated without hesitation.

In the early hours of October 11th, 2017, players from Hjaltland and Mir, alongside some allies from the Commonwealth, breached Anguish's 8-ring world border vault located at 12880,-1750. Due to the lack of a snitch grid that stretched all the way to skylimit, a simple bridge-based attack managed to penetrate to the heart of the facility, and was only discovered when Alliance forces descended onto the central bunker. After disabling the vault, multiple border skirmishes ended with the pearling of two Anguish fighters.

With their stronghold in shambles and Mirian forces running rampant through their cities, Anguish transported most of its resources to Nox at North World Border. While the decrepit vault would become functional months later due to negligence by the Western Alliance, this attack effectively eliminated the only location outside of Lexington's territory from which Nox could safely operate.

Defense of Westminster
Most of the war's early fighting took place around the Commonwealth, with few victories for Nox. The Western Alliance moved a great deal of resources to The Iron Bank, Hexcorp's small vault northwest of Westminster, and used it as a forward operating base. While hostile parties often walked the streets, few citizens were careless enough to get pearled.

A few half-hearted attacks on the vault ended with multiple members of Nox pearled, and a final strike on their forward bunker pushed their forces out of the Commonwealth for just about the duration of the conflict.

Assault on Lexington City
On October 17th, an Alliance force built an attack tunnel at bedrock into the heart of Lexington, precipitating the largest pitched battle of the war to date. Most of the bunkers there were disabled and numerous bastions broken, but only one Nox fighter was pearled that day. Meanwhile, two Alliance fighters were pearled after both were accidentally shot by roboninja77 with a Punch II bow into an enemy trap. Gregy never forgot this affront, and would sit out the rest of the war. While much damage had been done, the attackers were forced to withdraw.

With skirmishes in the intervening days, a final push was made on October 23rd. As the bedrock and surface of Lexington were a mess of both side's blocks, no defenders contested. By the end of the day, the city had been looted, its bunkers disabled, and all nearby territory thoroughly snitched. The city would never recover.

Intervening Skirmishes
On October 30th, two Nox fighters baited an Alliance force around Anguish's vault. In the chase, Diet_Cola, S4NTA, and Maxopoly were caught by a large bastioned sand-trap while others managed to avoid the hole. Through calm communication and careful fighting, everyone but S4NTA managed to escape. The pearl was a blow, but also a lesson, for the Western Alliance.

On November 5th, four Nox fighters attacked Hexcorp's vault again. SerQuaez managed to defend for a significant amount of time, but was knocked back into his own hole and pearled due to fall damage. A few bastions were broken by the time a large defending force could amass, but the attackers fled.

Defense of Mir
These victories emboldened Nox. On November 25th, a newly-repaired Anguish vault was used to stage repeated attacks on Mir's northern vault trench. These attacks continued for days, but a combined force held it from being breached even a single time. Throughout the campaign, incremental defenses were innovated to further strengthen the trench. An Anguish pearl was taken on December 2nd and consequently alt-banned an account-associated player. On December 3rd, a skybridge from the south breached deep into the vault and initiated a day of combat. No pearls were taken, but the offensive initiative changed the tide of the battle.

This evened out on the 5th, when numerous PvPers from the Big Dogs joined Anguish. JohnFairfax was pearled on the first day, but their attacks continued for a few days. On December 9th, a final skybridge completely rebroke the Anguish vault. This bridge was the first use of ladder-placed bastion breaking, an innovation that would eventually yield the Lexington Skybridge.

Governmental Structure
While at times a republic and others a kingdom, the nation's leadership structure has remained largely unchanged for years. The following descriptions are taken from Hjaltland's Constitution.

Kaiser
The Kaiser of the United Federal Republic of Hjaltland has supremacy over all national and international policy matters that pertain to the union state.

The official title at signing of the Kaiser in all formal documents will be noted as “The Kaiser of the United Federal Republic of Hjaltland”. Additional titles may be prescribed when appropriate authoritative or formal designation is necessary. The official title of the Kaiser supersedes all other titles.

The formal responsibilities of the Kaiser entail (1) calling all voting matters to order in the Council of Ministers, (2) closing all voting matters in the Council of Ministers, (3) creating, ratifying, or vetoing amendments to the Constitution, (4) overseeing and amending the decisions of the Judiciary,  and (5) attending domestic and international ceremonies involving dignitaries from other foreign powers.

The Kaiser has the exclusive power to create and dissolve governmental offices, order new projects, and propose new legislation to the Council of Ministers at will.

The second-in-command shall be appointed with the title “Crowned Prince” by the reigning Kaiser and take over the duties, responsibilities, and obligations of the Kaiser should they become incapacitated by their inability to log on to the server for a period greater than (3) three months. This may also be granted temporarily by the Kaiser under special circumstances.

Council of Ministers
The Ministry of the United Federal Republic of Hjaltland is the immediately subordinate organization to the Kaiser of the United Federal Republic of Hjaltland. The supreme authority within the Ministry is the Council of Ministers. This council shall be composed of individuals that are in-charge of ministries, or functions, of the greater union state.

The formal rights and responsibilities for the Ministers within the Council of Ministers are to (1) subscribe to or create parties along lines of ideology or other unifying causes, (2) cast one vote per member at each call to vote, (3) propose new legislation for voting consideration without majoritarian approval of the Public Council, and (4) act as representative of the union state locally and abroad.

Candidacy for appointment is first decided per majoritarian voting in the Lower Council. Prospective candidates must then seek approval from the Chairman of the Public Council, named the Chancellor. This candidate will be considered for appointment at the joint discretion of the Kaiser and the Council of Ministers only after majoritarian-approved candidacy and approval from the Chairman of the Public Council have been obtained.

Public Council
The public council is the second level of authority within the Ministry that is composed of individuals who meet the requirements of active citizenship in the union state. The Council of Ministers will determine eligibility. Individuals with dual-citizenship may not participate in this council, despite holding citizenship of the United Federal Republic of Hjaltland. Individuals are removed and added to this council every (3) three weeks, with an extension period of (1) one additional week that may only be granted once per session. One session designates an appointment and removal cycle of individuals in the public council.

Individuals within the Public Council have the right to (1) form independently-funded committees within the context of union state public affairs, (2) subscribe to or create parties along lines of ideology or other unifying causes, (3) cast one vote per member at each call to vote, (4) propose legislation for discussion in the Public Council, and (5) vote for the Chancellor of the Public Council.

Chancellor
The Chancellor of the Public Council is elected by majoritarian rules within the Public Council for a term of (2) months that may be renewed indefinitely. The Chancellor’s responsibilities include (1) calling and closing votes within the Public Council and (2) proposing discussed legislation to the Council of Ministers.

Legislation
The Legislative Process begins from discussion within the Public Council. One individual within the Public Council must initiate a minimum of (72) seventy-two hours of discussion for their proposed legislation. If more than three-fourths of the council approves beforehand and the legislation is sponsored by a party or coalition, the discussion window may be reduced to a minimum of (48) forty-eight hours. Multiple pieces of legislation may be discussed at the same time, however only (1) one piece of legislation per individual may be on the floor at any given time.

All official legislation discussion will occur over Discord in the channel #f-pc. The timestamp for discussion must be posted in both Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) and Central Standard Time, U.S.A. (CST); additionally, it must include the name of the bill, a brief description, a party (if applicable for the reduced window time), the start and end date and time in the format [YYYY-MM-DD], and a timestamp in 24-hour clock format [00:00]. This discussion window may only be closed by the Chancellor or the individual who proposed the bill at a period greater than or equal to the minimum time allotted.

A vote must be called within 48 hours of the close of the discussion. This vote will officially take place over Discord in the channel #f-pc-vote. Voting is opened by the Chancellor independently or at the request of the individual who proposed the bill. The Chancellor must fairly open the voting and close the voting after a period of (48) forty-eight hours.

After the bill’s authenticity has been verified by the Chancellor and approved by majoritarian rules within the Public Council, the bill will be presented to the Council of Ministers by the Chancellor for final deliberation and voting. This period of deliberation and voting will last no more than (24) twenty-four hours. Consensus approval from the Council of Ministers is required.

Following the approval of the Council of Ministers, the Kaiser may veto or ratify the bill. If the bill is vetoed, the individual who proposed it will be appropriately notified of any potential for expedited processing and necessary modification for ratification by the Council of Ministers.

Independently, the Council of Ministers may propose and deliberate on legislation that has not been discussed within the Public Council, however this window for deliberation and voting must remain open for at least (12) twelve hours or closed with the Kaiser’s approval. The Kaiser may order for any legislation proposed at the Council of Ministers to be returned to the Public Council for a voting session under his authority. The Chancellor may not open and close Kaiser-initiated voting or discussion in the Public Council.

Override of a Council of Ministers’ approval or disapproval is only possible pending approval of the Kaiser.

Justice
The Judicial Process of the United Federal Republic of Hjaltland aims to swiftly and faithfully execute the laws of the union state on any citizen, resident, wolfgirl, or foreigner within the national territory.

All individuals within the judicial process will be entitled to a decree by a Minister on the Council of Ministers. This decree will set a hard sentencing that may only be overturned in light of new evidence and the Kaiser’s approval. Individuals do not have the right to a public trial within the union state. If an individual has been caught violating the laws of the union state outside of the union state itself, they may be captured and prosecuted upon re-entry.

All discussion of the case must occur between the presiding minister before a decree is made, unless special circumstances are approved by the Kaiser.

The defendant has the right to a legal counsel to represent their case and speak with the presiding Minister. Once a legal counsel is assigned a case, the defendant loses the right to discuss their case with the presiding Minister independently. They must speak through through their legal counsel or with their legal counsel present. A legal counsel will not be provided by the state if the defendant requests one, but is unable to find one himself.

Decrees may be suspended if the individual is captured during a time of war and there are suspicions of their involvement within the process. Such individuals will have to wait until the conclusion of wartime in order to receive a sentencing. The conclusion of wartime is defined as victory, agreement ending in ceasefire or treaty, or defeat of the union state.

Individuals will have the option of having a public decree, upon unanimous approval of the kaiser and the council of ministers. This public decree should be held in the Hjaltland Capitol Building with the full government attending. The defendant is not entitled to speak or argue his case while at the decree.

The presiding Minister shall be appointed and designated to a case by the Kaiser at will, or upon electing to undertake the case themself. The presiding minister must (1) present the evidence against the accused, (2) point to previous precedent, if applicable, and (3) write a final decree in the name of the U.F.R Hjaltland that includes a hard sentencing and judicial rationale.

There are no minimum or maximum sentencing requirements and the Minister working the case is not required to strictly adhere to previous precedent, although it should be appropriately acknowledged within the decree.

Political Parties
Falstadt Expansionist Party

Led by r3kon and founded in Civcraft 2.0, the FEP is a notorious conservative voice in Hjaltland's government.

Democratic Justice Party
Led by tankbuster44, this party seeks to eliminate all forms of bigotry and discrimination from the server.

=Economy= The primary produce of Hjaltland has always been Experience. The Hjaltvault has long been considered the greatest concentration of wealth on the server, and indeed has the nation been successful in its business both before and after the war. They have had considerable competitive advantages, from their early megafarms to their skilled botters. These, along with hardworking grinders, made Hjaltland one of the largest economies very early in the server's life. This grew exponentially during the Nox Police Action, and the state remained quite wealthy even as it bankrolled the vast majority of the conflict.

The grand opening of the state's exchange program, Hjaltland Industries (HJI) occurred on November 12, 2017 in Westminster, CW.

=References= Layout based on the Wikipedia page for Germany.