Pythos

The United Provinces of Pythos (UPP), commonly referred to as Pythos, is a militaristic sovereign state consisting of four provinces in the region of South Eastern Brigidna. It borders the countries of Lanlania (Kingdom of Azreae) to the west, Ceribia and Assaria to the North and Angiris to the North East. Pythos is a developed country and is in the world's top twenty economies. It is considered to have a medium-income economy and a high Human Development Index.

History

Post-Unification

With the death of Aster Thrasymedes in 1207 CE, the last Lord Commander, the nation found itself in a precarious position. Though a handful tried to seize the title, none were recognized by the people and the Triumvirate remained the highest power until a suitable replacement was found. Without a leader, Pythians were not permitted to go to war as a nation. In response, the sitting Triumvirate signed a pact with the Holy Lanlanian Empire which allowed their military to be "loaned", as to gain experience, technology and fulfill their cultural and societal ambitions of war.

Governance

Political System

The United Provinces of Pythos are ruled by an Aloral'verde (Lord Protector) who is advised by a council titled the Pythian Triumvirate. The Triumvirate contains three elected positions, the Secretary-General, Chief-Justice and the Imperator, each bound to a maximum limit of up to three five-year terms. The Triumvirate is assisted by a council named the Directorate, containing two ministers for each following sector; Economy, Military, Education, Health, Foreign and Interior. These advisers are seated for five years and can serve multiple terms. For centuries Pythos has grown under the guidance of meritocracy and geniocracy; a system of governance where creativity, innovation, intelligence, merit and wisdom are required for those who wish to govern. Each position in the leadership requires a dedication and exceptional brilliance in their respective fields.

Aloral'verde

"Aloral'verdeis the name we give to our leader. Becoming Aloral'verde is the greatest honor any Pythian could aspire to."
-Imperator Epikrates

Aloraverd was the Lanlanian transliteration of the title used by the the supreme leader of the Pythian people and culture. In its truest, native rendering as Aloral'verde, the title meant "Lord Commander" in the Pythian language. Originating with Aloral'verde the First, the mythic leader of the Galasian warriors who went on to become the first Pythians, Aloral'verde became the title passed down for use by the subsequent leaders of the people for generations after. Functioning as a combination of both king and warrior general, the Aloral'verde was the closest to a head of state the wide-spread Pythian clans possessed, and in addition to holding the secondary title of Al'Ori'Ramikade—"Commander of Templars"—Aloral'verde was the de facto ruler of the Pythian lands. Outsiders to the Pythian culture often respectfully addressed the Pythian leader as Lord Commander or simply Commander. The importance of the Aloral'verde was reflected in the six tenets that outlined Pythian culture, the Resol'nare, one of which dictated that a Pythian rally to the Aloral'verde when called upon.

For years, the position of Aloral'verde was traditionally symbolized by the passing of the mask of Aloral'verde upon the death of the previous owner. A non-hereditary role, only a Pythian deemed worthy could claim the title of Aloral'verde, exemplifying the Pythian meritocracy ideal. When the previous Aloral'verde fell or stepped down, a Pythian with both vision and strength could make a claim for the title, but if the other clans did not accept the individual as the new Aloral'verde and recognize their authority, their duty was to remove the unsuitable claimant and institute a more favorable leader.

Since the death of Aster Thrasymedes, also known as Aloral'verde the Uniter in 1207 CE, none had ascended to Lord Commander due to the loss of the traditional helm. In 1572, Viktor Kratek rose to power, having gained both the people's support and the mask, how he retrieved the latter remains a mystery.

Directorate

Economy	Military	Interior	Education	Health	Foreign
Hippolyta Karkinos	Tiberius Radec	Aelius Aristides	Bardan Jusik	Varek Tarn	Archidamus Heliopos
Aelius Theron	Elissa Stark	Persephone Hicetas	Sedyn Kyne	Ellyn Herran	Gabriel Acacius

Ministry

The Secretary-General heads the Ministry, this branch deals with the economy and infrastructure of the nation. This wing houses the Senate and all the departments, committees, etc.

The Senate is comprised of senators elected by the people. When a city reaches a certain population size or ascends to a certain level of influence , it can petition for recognition by the government. If successful, the city is allowed to elect a Citizen to act as their representative in the Senate in Tyros. This Senator serves for five years and can serve multiple terms. Only the largest and most influential cities have multiple Senators.

Advocacy

The Chief-Justice and successive departments handle the interior, legal and law enforcement duties of the nation.

The Advocacy oversees the justice system and all similar functions, it also acts as an inter-provincial police force under the Chief-Justice. While most cities are expected to police themselves, the Advocacy handles crimes that crossed provinces, fugitives and even extra-jurisdictional extractions. Advocacy Agents are generally feared among the criminal community. They are well-trained in pursuit and apprehension techniques, equal parts trained officer and thorough investigator. Most Advocacy Agents operate alone but teams of them can be dispatched for high-profile targets or situations of implied violence. The real danger of the Advocacy Agent is what they represent. A criminal could kill a cop and could probably kill an Agent under good circumstances but they will just send another and another until they ghost him.

Foreign Relations

Since the unification of the Pythian states, an isolationist policy has remained in place by the Triumvirates and has led to a limited trade and contact with other nations. Recent policy changes have begun to foster more open foreign relations and allow embassies within the Pythian nation.

Military

Template:Main Article The Pythian Armed Forces (Pythian: одбраната, "The Defence") is the military organization responsible for the defense of Pythos. It consists of four branches, копје (Navy), нож (Army), штит (Home Guard) and ветер (Air Force), as well as several joint departments. The armed forces number 492,165 personnel and have a full-mobilization combat strength of 1,150,165. Pythos employs a weak form of mandatory military service for women and men. Pythos spends a tremendous amount of money on each solider, airman, and sailor ensuring that they are experts in their field and equipped with the latest and most updated equipment and vehicles. The military spends constantly on research and development to keep their military ahead with the help of homegrown defense contractors.

File:PYT-Recce.jpg

Pythian soldiers conducting a reconnaissance mission during a training exercise in Itanas Province.

Pythos spends about 4% of its GDP on military expenditures annually, mostly due to research and development. Pythos has a thriving domestic arms manufacturing industry with particular emphasis in aerospace design and land vehicle designs.

Law Enforcement

The law is enforced in Pythos by the Pythian Police Service. It is a Unified National Police Service made up of 32 Police Districts and several specialist agencies, such as the Pythian National Authority for the Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime, known as Arpat ; and the National Criminal Investigation Service, each headed by a chief of police. The Police Service is headed by the National Police Directorate, which reports to the Advocacy and the Police. The Police Directorate is headed by a National Police Commissioner. The only exception is the Pythian Police Security Agency, whose head answers directly to the Advocacy and the Police.

In general, the legal and institutional framework in Pythos is characterised by a high degree of transparency, accountability and integrity, and the perception and the occurrence of corruption are very low. Pythos' standards of implementation and enforcement of anti-corruption legislation are considered very high by rights groups in the country. Arpat has proven to be an efficient, professional and independent unit with a strong capacity to investigate and prosecute corruption in Pythos. However, there are some isolated cases showing that some municipalities have abused their position in public procurement processes.

Demographics

Language

Pythian, was the primary language spoken by the Pythian culture. Elements of Pythian were taken from the language of the ancient Galasian Empire, from which the culture stemmed.

Pythian was a primarily spoken language, rather than a written one, and was thus an expressive language that was often thought of as easy to learn, a trait highly desirable in a culture that regularly adopted adults from numerous races and nationalities. The language's grammar was relatively uncomplicated, but there were elements that necessitated adjustments for a speaker of Lanlanian, including Pythian's expression of tense, and its gender-neutrality. Because Pythian believed in living their history, along with the idea that a tomorrow was not always a certainty, past and future tense were colloquially done away with. Instead, the prefixes ru for "past", and ven for "future", were used in place of the more widely-used tense forms. There was also no passive verb form in Pythian ; a verb was either active or simply absent from the statement.

Religion

Pythians were once intensely religious but disillusionment with the old fanaticism and worship of war itself gave way to a far less supernatural belief system among modern Pythians. They now regard creation tales, such as Akaanati’kar’oya (The War of Life and Death), as parables to illustrate a deeper philosophical meaning rather than literal supernaturalism. The stars were mythologised as fallen Kings of Pythos, and there are tales of the mythosaurs, but the pragmatic and sceptical Pythians look for allegory in these stories.

The Pytha– best described as a combination of the collective state of being, the essence of being Pythian, and an oversoul – is not viewed as a literal heaven. Traditionally, the Pyth afterlife is seen as a plane of spiritual energy in constant conflict between stagnation, and the opportunity for change brought about by destruction – a parallel with modern theories of cosmology. In Pythian myth, this conflict is symbolised by the eternal war between the sloth-god Arasuum – the personification of idle consumption and stagnation – and the vigorous destroyer god Kad Ha’rangir, who forces change and growth on the universe.

Every Pyth warrior who dies is said to add to the army of the afterlife, defending wives and children living in its permanent, peaceful homestead – the only place Pythians believe they can ever reach a non-transitory state of existence.

Due to the passionate imposing of Pythian culture to newcomers, few religions have found a base in Pythos. Even though the laws allow the freedom to proselytize, the local population itself attempts to convert and if unsuccessful, drive out those that refuse to join them. Nonetheless, in some of the larger cities there lie small pockets of various religions.

Education

Over 99% of Pythians aged 15 and above are estimated to be able to read and write. Responsibility for educational supervision in Pythos is primarily organised within the individual provinces. A system of apprenticeship allows students in vocational training to learn in a company as well as in a state-run vocational school.

Optional kindergarten education is provided for all children between three and six years old, after which school attendance is compulsory for at least nine years. Primary education usually lasts for four to six years and public schools are not stratified by academic ability at this stage. In contrast, secondary education includes three traditional types of schools focused on different academic levels: the Dralshy'a enrolls the most gifted children and prepares students for university studies; the Atinfor intermediate students lasts six years; the Pakod prepares pupils for vocational education.

Most of the Pythian universities are public institutions, funded by the government, and students have traditionally studied without fee payment.

Academic education is open to most citizens and is increasingly common in Pythos. The dual education system that combines practical and theoretical learning, but does not lead to an academic degree, is typical for Pythos.

Martial Arts, military history and even weapons handling are taught within schools from an early age until students complete High School.

Health

Pythos has developed many reforms and provisions to ensure a balanced health care system. Currently the population is covered by a health insurance plan provided by statute.

Immigration

Immigration policies are relatively open, nonetheless, the Pythian society has caused for a stigma to be held for any immigrant does not unite their lifestyle with that of the Pythian culture. One either becomes Pythian, or is driven away.

Culture

Template:Main Article In their early years, Pythian culture revolved around battle, with war being a source of honor and pride in their community. It is believed to have begun as a religious warrior society, with sophisticated laws and customs that went on to become the Canons of Honor. War was practiced as a form of ritual worship to their multiple gods, but following the destruction of the Athani people, a rival tribe in the region, war itself became a god, personified by Kad Ha'rangir the destroyer god. The ancient Pythian Templars lived and thrived on war, seeking conflict, and attaining glory through conquest.

Pythians are people of contradictions. Their feared warriors have a savage reputation, but they cherish family life and will adopt children orphaned by war, rather than kill them as other people might. This odd blend of tough pragmatism, brutality and affectionate family life makes them a mystery to many. Their society places no emphasis on birthplace, race or gender. They ignore rank and status and prefer to judge by actions and achievement, a true meritocracy. Because they’re self-selecting, they attract and retain people with the same mindset and genetic predisposition, which reinforces these traits. The more that soldiers are inclined to co-operate on the battlefield, the more likely they are to survive and produce children with the same characteristics.

Many of these teachings remain active to this day, with the central tenets of Pythian culture, the Resol'nare, or Six Actions, still the focus of Pythian life. They consisted of wearing armor, speaking the language, defending yourself and your family, raising your children as Pythians, contributing to the clan's welfare, and when called upon by the Aloral'verde, rallying to his cause. Anyone who wished to be considered Pythian had to abide by these guidelines and live these actions daily.

Sports

Most Pythians are members of a sports club and almost every member of society pursues sports individually. Association football is the most popular sport. Other popular spectator sports include winter sports, boxing, cycling, handball, volleyball, basketball, ice hockey, tennis, horse riding and golf. Water sports like sailing, rowing, and swimming are popular in Pythos as well. Biathlons, Triathlons and obstacle races are highly popular in the nation. Motor sports are also famous in Pythos, partly due to the large number of invested engineering firms.