A Simple Transaction I

[Elero]

Prioritizing profit in a place as dangerous as the Voyaging Realm is ultimately shortsighted. If we want to ensure the safety of theses people, Elementalists is a far better choice. Money is useless if you are dead.

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First, any exceptional elementalist this produces will join Hunger's party anyway and not be in a position to ensure they stay not-dead unless Hunger himself is already intervening.

More importantly...a nation having a good economy is more than just 'caring about profits'. It means the government has more resources to allocate to basically everything! Health, education and of course defence. Do you think armor prototypes are cheap to build and upkeep? Don't act like the Traditionalist option just has them spend all their hard-won Elixit cash on filling giant vaults with money or gilding a palace. That is on top of the chance to acquire artifacts or sophisticated technology in trade. Do you know what's probably a great way to ensure your nation is safe? Technological progress!

 

[Sara]

First, any exceptional elementalist this produces will join Hunger's party anyway and not be in a position to ensure they stay not-dead unless Hunger himself is already intervening.

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Why? Hunger is perfectly willing to leave powerful people loyal to him behind in order to secure the future of innocent lives he feels in some way responsible for and so is the thread. It's not like we're adventuring around with Sten. Hell, Rihaku has literally been hinting at the option of leaving around but Aoboru in the sovereignty while we're off adventuring.

 

[ImperatorV]

I still don't care much about politics so... Vote selling time! Anyone willing to make me an offer?

 

[BrainInAJar]

First, any exceptional elementalist this produces will join Hunger's party anyway and not be in a position to ensure they stay not-dead unless Hunger himself is already intervening.

More importantly...a nation having a good economy is more than just 'caring about profits'. It means the government has more resources to allocate to basically everything! Health, education and of course defence. Do you think armor prototypes are cheap to build and upkeep? Don't act like the Traditionalist option just has them spend all their hard-won Elixit cash on filling giant vaults with money or gilding a palace. That is on top of the chance to acquire artifacts or sophisticated technology in trade. Do you know what's probably a great way to ensure your nation is safe? Technological progress!

Click to shrink...

The first part is just wrong. Both from a practical and narrative perspective there's limits to how many characters we can have with us at once.

As for the other argument; I don't know how what's basically a city state that relies on trade can keep up with the technology of the Human Sphere, especially because their current surplus equipment is not enough to protect them. They won't make any large technological strides given their man-power and resource base when compared to huge interstellar bodies.

That's why the Traditionalists focus on the Elixir water, which is the comparative advantage they do have. But using that to focus on the defense of the nation already is the Elementalist option.

Remember, they already had access to Human Sphere military surplus and it wasn't enough. They don't have the manpower or the expertise to produce more even if was. So they had to rely on the Surgecrafters for defense. That's still going to be true even if we choose the Traditionalists here, except there's going to be less of them because we decide to prioritize other pursuits.

If just trade to buy Armor Prototypes was enough, they wouldn't have been faced with an existential crisis with the Rotbeast. They will never be technological powerhouses. So why no focus on the one advantage they do have? Literally both options do that, just one focuses on the profit-based applications of the Elixir water; which as I said, is shortsighted given the nature of the Voyaging Realm. Safety is the far more important consideration here.

If Traditionalists just gave the benefits of Elementalists, this wouldn't be a choice at all, but it is, so I won't assume Traditionalists will magically make them safer too.

 

[Orm Embar]

The early elimination of None is unfortunate, but Justice has been sleeping so long that five more minutes barely matters. Sooner or later, she'll miss the snooze button and take up the scales once more.

[X] Constitutional Design
[X] The Traditionalists

Until the mage extraction problem is solved we can't use a Surgecrafter army for our Geas task anyway, so turning the Sovereignty into a trade hub and crafting waystation to be occasionally revisited on our voyages is fine. Favoring the Traditionalists gives the Constitution more legitimacy and institutional inertia, with the aim of a self-governing system that doesn't require too much active intervention (and with it, word count). If at all possible, I'd like to avoid Luseng 2.0; the Sovereignty doesn't even have chilled trout, more's the pity for Hunger! Alternatively, we could spend the favor we're purchasing with preferential treatment of their entrenched economic interests on gutting the preexisting Imperial framework and implementing a Constitution closer to Hunger's ideals. The biggest perk is potentially unlocking Elixir again, though, an 18-Arete EFB would be convenient despite its unsightly Heartlessness malus.

 

[Sara]

More importantly...a nation having a good economy is more than just 'caring about profits'. It means the government has more resources to allocate to basically everything! Health, education and of course defence. Do you think armor prototypes are cheap to build and upkeep? Don't act like the Traditionalist option just has them spend all their hard-won Elixit cash on filling giant vaults with money or gilding a palace. That is on top of the chance to acquire artifacts or sophisticated technology in trade. Do you know what's probably a great way to ensure your nation is safe? Technological progress!

Click to shrink...

If just trade to buy Armor Prototypes was enough, they wouldn't have been faced with an existential crisis with the Rotbeast. They will never be technological powerhouses. So why no focus on the one advantage they do have? Literally both options do that, just one focuses on the profit-based applications of the Elixir water; which as I said, is shortsighted given the nature of the Voyaging Realm. Safety is the far more important consideration here.

If Traditionalists just gave the benefits of Elementalists, this wouldn't be a choice at all, but it is, so I won't assume Traditionalists will magically make them safer too.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, this exchange earlier all but confirms that the traditionalist would leave them pretty vulnerable against the various threats of the Voyaging realm.

Regarding the factions pick, None requires more investment that we want to give, and Traditionalists leaves them richer but less able to defend themselves. Since we definitely aren't sticking around in the long term, and are likely gone in the medium term, it's going to have to be the option which produces powerhouses, regardless of my distaste for this option.

Click to shrink...

Indeed, there's something to be said for cultivating the martial abilities of the Elementalists in a voluntary fashion. Unless Gisena builds them a superpower capable of defending against Rotbeast-level threats, how will they fare against another Kaiju, or threats more fearsome still?

Click to shrink...

One thing to keep in mind even before the Rotbeast integrated a buffing surgecrafter, the Sovereignty was losing to the rotbeast in a war of attrition as per our last visit with the traditionalist strategy, and that it seems like without the elementalist strategy we'd need Gisena to build a superweapon to ensure their safety, which would eat up a lot of the time we'd get from the extra crafting speed in the short term and all but guarantee we'd need to go on the trip with only Aobaru so she can work on it before the party heads out.

That being said, it's not a unworkable strategy, just want to make sure people understand the upsides and downside.

 

[BrainInAJar]

I don't think taking the Surgecrafters out of the Voyaging Realm is going to be much of an impediment given we want to figure out how to do that anyway considering our current party. And some magical help would be more useful than money; give or take the mystery boxes of the Traditionalist faction. After all, it's not like Elementalists doesn't have mystery boxes of it's own considering Elite and Super Elite Units! All this gambling makes possible rewards uncertain, I will admit.

 

[Rah13]

I have written up a constitution for the Elixir Sovereignty! Please check it out and give me feedback lol. Hopefully I didn't forget anything important and yes I did slightly plagiarize the US constitution but only a little.

Spoiler: Constitution of the Elixir Sovereignty

Constitution of the Elixir Sovereignty​

We the People of the Elixir Sovereignty, in Order to form a more Just Nation, do Ordain and Establish this Constitution of the Elixir Sovereignty, under Our Majesty King Hunger.

ARTICLE 1:

All Legislative power granted shall be held in the House of Commons.

ARTICLE 2:

The House of Commons shall consist of elected members, chosen every 2 years, numbering in 1 member per 50,000 civilians of the Sovereignty. This number shall be updated every 10 years during the Decennial Census. The first session of the History of the Elixir Sovereignty shall consist of 400 members and the first Census shall take place exactly 1 year after the first day of the first session of the House of Commons.

The Decennial Census shall create common sense districts created by an Independent Council. These districts shall be as equal in population as possible.

To gain entry to the ballot for every biannual election a candidate must receive signatures from 2% of the District they hope to represent.

No Person shall be eligible to become a member of the House of Commons who has not reached the age of 16. Only citizens of the Sovereignty shall be eligible.

The compensation for any elected member of the House of Commons shall be equal to the median annual income of the citizens of the Sovereignty, disregarding the income of the top 5% of the Citizens.

ARTICLE 3:

The House of Commons shall have the power to:

Lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the Sovereignty;

To borrow Money on the credit of the Sovereignty;

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations;

To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization;

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the Sovereignty;

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

To constitute Tribunals;

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Elixir Sovereignty, or in any Department or Officer thereof;

All of these actions may be passed via the passage of a bill with the support of 50% + 1 of the members of the House.

Following the passage of these bills, King Hunger retains the right to veto any bill with no recompense for the House to pass the bill. When an Elected Sovereign holds the Executive Power of the Elixir Sovereignty, they may also veto any bill but following the veto the House may attempt to pass the bill again and will succeed in make it into law if it receives support from 67% of the House of Commons.

ARTICLE 4:

The Executive Power of the Elixir Sovereignty shall be held by King Hunger in perpetuity until his death. Following that, the Executive Power shall fall to the Elected Sovereign.

The Elected Sovereign shall serve for a term of 6 years, with the first election held exactly 2 years following the signing of this document. Every following Elected Sovereign's election shall be held exactly 6 years following the first election, this date may not be changed under any circumstances save through a vote in the House of Commons requiring 67% of the Commons in favor. The first Elected Sovereign who shall serve for 2 years until the first election shall be elected by King Hunger and serves at his pleasure and may be replaced for any reason.

At any point during his life, King Hunger may relinquish all Executive Power to the Elected Sovereign for any period and may take back said relinquished power at any possible time. At any time when King Hunger is present and serving in his role, the Elected Sovereign shall be treated as an advisor to the King.

To gain entry to the ballot for Elected Sovereign, a candidate must collect signatures from an amount of citizens equal to the 0.05% of population of the Sovereignty as determined by the Decennial Census.

The Elected Sovereign maybe be impeached and removed from office following the passage of Impeachment papers in the House of Commons with a 60% majority.

The holder of Executive Power of the Elixir Sovereignty shall be the Supreme Commander of the armed forces.

The Elected Sovereign must be a citizen of the Sovereignty and at least 18 years old.

In case of the removal or death of the Elected Sovereign, the 2nd​ in command of the administration shall take over as the Elected Sovereign, serving until the next scheduled election.

The compensation for the Elected Sovereign shall be equal to the median annual income of the citizens of the Sovereignty, disregarding the income of the top 5% of the Citizens.

ARTICLE 5:

Every Election shall be publicly funded with a budget going to every candidate who qualifies for the ballot an amount equal to 5x the median annual income of the citizens of the Sovereignty, disregarding the income of the top 5% of the Citizens. For the Elected Sovereign, this budget shall be 15x the median annual income of the citizens of the Sovereignty, disregarding the income of the top 5% of the Citizens.

No Elected official shall hold a controlling stake in any business. Any minority stake in any business must be reported 3 months before any election or they will be removed from the ballot.

An amendment to this document may be made in three ways. King Hunger at any time may amend this document as he sees fit. The House of Commons may amend this document with the support of 67% of members. The Citizens of the Sovereignty may collect signatures in support of an amendment, if signatures equal to 0.50% of the Population as counted by the Decennial Census are collected 3 months prior to any election the amendment shall be added to the ballot for that election. If the amendment gains support of 50% + 1 of the voters in the election, then the amendment shall pass and will become law.

The Elixir Springs are the lifeblood of the Elixir Sovereignty. As such they are considered to be too valuable to be held as private property and used to enrich only certain families and individuals. All Elixir Springs shall be nationalized and will held and operated by the state in the interest of the Sovereignty to protect the Elixirs longevity and handle any Tourist business associated with it.

Every Child shall have the right to make use of high-quality Elixir Springs to attempt to awaken their SurgeCraft Element. There shall be no reason to disqualify a child, up to the age of 18, to attempt to use the Elixir Springs.

ARTICLE 6:

Bill of Human Rights:

The following rights shall be given to every citizen of the Sovereignty, considered as inalienable rights that may not be taken away under any circumstance.

The Right to Food: No citizen shall go hungry, prepared food and groceries shall be provided throughout the Sovereignty for any who need it.

The Right to an Income: All Income from the Elixir Springs, after being Taxed, shall be returned to all citizens in the form of monthly payments equal to the average monthly value of the Net Income of all Elixir Springs from the previous year. The House of Commons may increase but never decrease this amount at their discretion.

The Right to Health: All Citizens shall have access to Healthcare at no cost to them beyond the taxes imposed upon them used to pay for this.

The Right to Just Representation: All citizens shall have a representative in the House of Commons, have the right to vote, and have the right to a lawyer when needed.

The Right to Vote: Every election day shall be a holiday and the House of Commons will take appropriate action to make Voting a fair process for all. Any election with below 67% voter turnout shall result in an Independent inquiry on the process. Every citizen over the age of 15 is considered an eligible voter.

The Right to Equality: Every citizen shall be considered the equal in the eyes of the law as any other citizen, regardless of SurgeCraft, class, income, family, race, or any other demographic.

The Right to a Job: All citizens shall have the right to a well-paying job through a Federal Jobs Guarantee including but not limited to Teaching, Health Care, Construction, and the Arts and Sciences.

The Right to a Union: All Citizens shall have the right to Unionize in their workplace, regardless of the opinion of the management or ownership of the company.

The Right to Freedom of Speech: All Citizens shall have the right to free speech. The House of Commons shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The Right to not be Searched and Seized: All Citizens shall have the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

The Right to Fair Trial: In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.

The Right to Housing: All Citizens shall have the right to a House or domain for them to reside. Abundant available housing shall be made available by the state for any citizen to make use of. The Rent of this Housing may not exceed 75% of the guaranteed Income given to all Citizens.

The Right to SurgeCraft: All Citizens shall have the opportunity to try to become a surgecrafter. Any child over the age of 6 shall be allowed ready access to the Elixir Springs until they turn 18. All attempts shall be made by the state to assist all Citizens eligible of SurgeCrafting to attain this power.

The Right to Education: All Citizens shall have the right to an education. School shall be free for all children. Higher education shall be made free for all those who want it at the Gisena Allria University.

The Right to Progressive Taxation: All Citizens shall be taxed in a progressive faction, so no one will face a higher tax bracket than someone who makes more money than them.

Word Count: 1908

This fits best with the following vote
[X] Constitutional Design
[] None

But since None is eliminated I've decided to sell my vote for what we focus on. Give me some offers.

 

[Elero]

As for the other argument; I don't know how what's basically a city state that relies on trade can keep up with the technology of the Human Sphere, especially because their current surplus equipment is not enough to protect them. They won't make any large technological strides given their man-power and resource base when compared to huge interstellar bodies.

Click to shrink...

They can...buy and license said technology, with the wealth they gain via trade. I thought that was obvious? Their surplus equipment is not enough to protect them, because it's exactly that, surplus crap that was probably all they could afford or get. The entire point of a better economy is being able to afford more and better artifacts and technology for protection. Not to mention (superpowered) mercenaries for whom healing water is especially valuable given their occupation.

In the end, their Elementalists were powerless to stop a threat that was defeated by Hunger, who was attracted by their Elixir, their truly unique advantage. 'People here have a unique magic system' seems to be a dime a dozen in the Voyaging Realm, from the civilisations we've seen so far.

 

[BrainInAJar]

They can...buy and license said technology, with the wealth they gain via trade. I thought that was obvious? Their surplus equipment is not enough to protect them, because it's exactly that, surplus crap that was probably all they could afford or get. The entire point of a better economy is being able to afford more and better artifacts and technology for protection. Not to mention (superpowered) mercenaries for whom healing water is especially valuable given their occupation.

In the end, their Elementalists were powerless to stop a threat that was defeated by Hunger, who was attracted by their Elixir, their truly unique advantage. 'People here have a unique magic system' seems to be a dime a dozen in the Voyaging Realm, from the civilisations we've seen so far.

Click to shrink...

It's not that easy. Or rather, the surplus is already what they were willing to let proliferate anyway, actual advanced weaponry would likely not be licensed with mere money. That's if they can even produce the technology given their industrial base anyway. Not to mention that they won't get such deals by the Empire, and as former Empire might not be trusted by the Republic, nevermind the latter's shady dealings; kidnapping Surgecrafters covertly would be modus operandi for them.

Relying on mercenaries is a gamble considering the nature of the Voyaging Realm unless they are on retainer permanently, which invites all the problems of having a larger part of our military power answering to coin. We know that Surgecrafting can scale up to interstellar range and have been compared to the Sayians by Rihaku himself, even. This is literally their first generation, when no one has even left school yet. It's not representative of their power in the least.

This is a GM quote:

Indeed, there's something to be said for cultivating the martial abilities of the Elementalists in a voluntary fashion. Unless Gisena builds them a superpower capable of defending against Rotbeast-level threats, how will they fare against another Kaiju, or threats more fearsome still?

Click to shrink...

It's not ambiguous. They won't fare well against the threats of the Voyaging Realm unless we have Gisena build them a superweapon with her Artifice. Just having more money won't be enough.

 

[Byzantine]

Yea, to not have to save them constantly we basically have to go for the elementalists.

 

[Sara]

They can...buy and license said technology, with the wealth they gain via trade. I thought that was obvious? Their surplus equipment is not enough to protect them, because it's exactly that, surplus crap that was probably all they could afford or get. The entire point of a better economy is being able to afford more and better artifacts and technology for protection. Not to mention (superpowered) mercenaries for whom healing water is especially valuable given their occupation.

In the end, their Elementalists were powerless to stop a threat that was defeated by Hunger, who was attracted by their Elixir, their truly unique advantage. 'People here have a unique magic system' seems to be a dime a dozen in the Voyaging Realm, from the civilisations we've seen so far.

Click to shrink...

It's not that easy. Or rather, the surplus is already what they were willing to let proliferate anyway, actual advanced weaponry would likely not be licensed with mere money. That's if they can even produce the technology given their industrial base anyway. Not to mention that they won't get such deals by the Empire, and as former Empire might not be trusted by the Republic, nevermind the latter's shady dealings; kidnapping Surgecrafters covertly would be modus operandi for them.

Relying on mercenaries is a gamble considering the nature of the Voyaging Realm unless they are on retainer permanently, which invites all the problems of having a larger part of our military power answering to coin. We know that Surgecrafting can scale up to interstellar range and have been compared to the Sayians by Rihaku himself, even. This is literally their first generation, when no one has even left school yet. It's not representative of their power in the least.

This is a GM quote:

It's not ambiguous. They won't fare well against the threats of the Voyaging Realm unless we have Gisena build them a superweapon with her Artifice. Just having more money won't be enough.

Click to shrink...

If mere money was enough to combat the terrors of the voyaging realm, you'd think the far more connected and larger Land of Towers with access to various advanced magics and a incredible knowledge base on top of these advantages wouldn't face any troubles. Yet, their even less prepared against the King of Serpents then the elixir is against the rotbeast, and their are even more terrifying forces in the VR still given the prescence of the thorn and the armanent fish.

 

[Elero]

would likely not be licensed with mere money.

Click to shrink...

Then it sure is convenient we have not mere money, but a virtually unique commodity with very hard to replicate properties, isn't it? Who says nobody in the Empire or Republic would be willing to trade military technology for 1)magical artifacts or 2) pieces of foremost technological salvage or even 3) healing water to extend the lifespan of their ruling elite or help a terminally ill leader? Nobles apparently rule their very own planets and are able to mostly set trade policy for said planets on their own (see what Letrizia said). Do you think none of them would be open for a deal that could potentially extend their lifespan a great deal or heal crippling injuries?

That's not even getting into under the hand deals, smuggling and more.

It's not ambiguous. They won't fare well against the threats of the Voyaging Realm unless we have Gisena build them a superweapon with her Artifice. Just having more money won't be enough.

Click to shrink...

That assumes that they are guaranteed to face a Rotbeast-level enemy in the near future and that Hunger can't just come and save them after outscaling the Voyaging Realm's Kaijus. And even then it is just an open question, it's not actually a hard and fast statement telling us they have no chance.

 

[Talace]

Hey, I'll take one too if you're still offering.

I'm thinking, hmm... for a Surge, maybe BioIteration?

Click to shrink...

[ ] Bioiteration - The heart that beats, the gears that turn. The body is a machine, with flesh for plating and blood for fuel. At first glance, a secretion of nacreous green that quickens the pulse and lightens one's steps. Changes gradual, growing in permanence and depth as time goes by. An imaginary element that iterates the biological and improves: evolution, distilled into a serum viridescent. Fight, evolve, repeat. This element roils beneath the surface, replacing your blood and strengthening your foundations. It is difficult to produce, as it naturally gravitates towards the nearest living being, which is normally you. This restricts most applications of your Surge to touch, barring further adaptation.

*Your Imaginary Element is fuelled by your experience. The challenges you face determine your growth, and the ideal to which your evolution strives towards.

*Bioiteration grants incremental but permanent gains to all stats over time. These gains are listed as traits, options for which are provided to you after a sufficiently challenging task. Essentially acts as modifier that doubles your effective experience gain, but only for the purposes of biological improvements.

*In battle, receive +Progression.

*Currently, receive ++Might, Charisma, Intelligence, Wisdom, Wits, and Willpower. These benefits will naturally grow over time.

*With experimentation, gain the ability to use your Surge to devolve an opponent, causing permanent regression in stats and powers. Eventually, mold life with a touch.

Sure! Runeblue threw SpireSun as a imaginary element for me. Probably something related to escalation and incandescence.

Click to shrink...

[ ] Cometwake - Wish upon a shooting star. A trail of luminescent particles, hazy and nebulous, a cloak of stardust and solar winds. Your imaginary element interacts only faintly with reality, the barest touch that leaves the faint impression of wonder and myth. Reject the modern world, reject the prosaic reality. Where we're going, we won't need reality.

*Your Imaginary Element is fuelled by your wonder. Never stop dreaming, and you will find your element always at the ready.

*Cometwake weakens the fundamental hold of native ontologies onto places it settles on. This causes supernatural incursions to unravel before it, quailling before a more assertive reality of dream and myth. Only by allowing it do you allow it to persist. This effect is not mere nullification; it is a refusal to be tethered by the base assertion of another's existence. This works for the first step of the Infinite Singularity Husk, and may grow with time.

*+20% to WITS, WISDOM, and INT, when within Cometwake.

*Within your wake, your fantasies may come to life, enchanting allies and assaulting foes. At present, they are mere figments, but advancements can reduce both their cost on your spirit and increase their overall potency.

 

[Sara]

That assumes that they are guaranteed to face a Rotbeast-level enemy in the near future and that Hunger can't just come and save them after outscaling the Voyaging Realm's Kaijus. And even then it is just an open question, it's not actually a hard and fast statement telling us they have no chance.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, the apocryphal curse hitting them with something like that while we're too far away too respond, a situation that's not exactly out of the realm of plausibility, would be pretty fucked up.

 

[Sara]

Then it sure is convenient we have not mere money, but a virtually unique commodity with very hard to replicate properties, isn't it? Who says nobody in the Empire or Republic would be willing to trade military technology for 1)magical artifacts or 2) pieces of foremost technological salvage or even 3) healing water to extend the lifespan of their ruling elite or help a terminally ill leader? Nobles apparently rule their very own planets and are able to mostly set trade policy for said planets on their own (see what Letrizia said). Do you think none of them would be open for a deal that could potentially extend their lifespan a great deal or heal crippling injuries?

That's not even getting into under the hand deals, smuggling and more.

Click to shrink...

Actually, this should be a extremely easy question to settle. @Rihaku how plausible does Letrizea and Aeira find this sort of solution to their military needs if we go with the traditionalists? Any roadblocks they can see thrown up considering what they know of Sovereignty and Imperial politics, Voyaging realm threats, their respective industrial bases, ect?

 

[Enohthree]

Voyaging Realm set the Rotbeast on them, it's not really crazy to think that they're going to be facing something of comparable scale or even worse without Apocryphal curse. It wasn't the apocryphal curse that was going to set the Armor prototype that had the potential to scale to even more danger than the Rotbeast on them after all, that was something that just sort of happened. The next one might happen while through no fault of anyone we're a week or more away from being able to help them even at top speed, and focusing on Surgecasting should help more with that.

The only way the Elixir Sovereignty has the ability to really contact us and tell us about threats at all in the first place is through a Surgecaster's emotional ties, and she's not attached to ourselves so much as attached to other party members while only being able to send messages somewhat infrequently. Focusing on getting more powerful Surgecasters who can better coordinate/move Hunger to where he needs to go would have been way more helpful if something like Mizuku's armor thing had happened while we were away instead of while we were already in the area.

 

[BrainInAJar]

Then it sure is convenient we have not mere money, but a virtually unique commodity with very hard to replicate properties, isn't it? Who says nobody in the Empire or Republic would be willing to trade military technology for 1)magical artifacts or 2) pieces of foremost technological salvage or even 3) healing water to extend the lifespan of their ruling elite or help a terminally ill leader? Nobles apparently rule their very own planets and are able to mostly set trade policy for said planets on their own (see what Letrizia said). Do you think none of them would be open for a deal that could potentially extend their lifespan a great deal or heal crippling injuries?

That's not even getting into under the hand deals, smuggling and more.

Click to shrink...

Why negotiate when they can just take? Could they have defended the Waters from something like the Republic Kill-Team? I don't think so. Besides, we don't know about the state of biotech in the Human Sphere, so I don't know how valuable the Elixir springs really are, though I assume they can't heal spiritual wounds like the springs can.

More importantly, think about the logistics of this. They wouldn't be able to produce the technologies in here given their lack of infrastructure, so they'd need to bring them wholesale. Since this would be state of the art tech, they would need appropriate escort. To the Voyaging Realm, a place with screw up navigation that requires advanced military equipment to even navigate, and hope they don't run into anything too threatening.

And then, finally and most crucially, they have to go back and hope against hope whatever they did doesn't trigger the rules against exploitation. And the more trips like this they make, the more likely that will be. It's not worth it.

 

[Sara]

Why negotiate when they can just take? Could they have defended the Waters from something like the Republic Kill-Team? I don't think so. Besides, we don't know about the state of biotech in the Human Sphere, so I don't know how valuable the Elixir springs really are, though I assume they can't heal spiritual wounds like the springs can.

More importantly, think about the logistics of this. They wouldn't be able to produce the technologies in here given their lack of infrastructure, so they'd need to bring them wholesale. Since this would be state of the art tech, they would need appropriate escort. To the Voyaging Realm, a place with screw up navigation that requires advanced military equipment to even navigate, and hope they don't run into anything too threatening.

And then, finally and most crucially, they have to go back and hope against hope whatever they did doesn't trigger the rules against exploitation. And the more trips like this they make, the more likely that will be. It's not worth it.

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That's not even going into how this supply chain might be disrupted, like say, a rival power seeing their enemy arming someone else in exchange for valuble resource sand deciding to snip that in the bud via proxy war or attempted regime change. Even we're not exactly immune to the sort of things the Human Sphere can throw at us if our resources are valuable enough, either for themselves or to their enemies.

 

[Zampano]

Word Count: 1908

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This is really Good! It is a lot better than what I would've come up with. I can eagerly support the vast majority of this document, with a few minor quibbles about very obscure details, which I will now comment on:

First, I'm not sold on the *order* of rights. Freedom of Speech is perhaps more important than the right to a job? It seems like you chose to address the hierarchy of needs with a constructive format, developing from the most urgent rights (eg food) to the most abstract (taxation). If this were a real document I might advocate a more idealistic format, and start with the rights that must not be infringed because they guarantee the protection of rights further down the list. (Freedom of speech above freedom to vote, etc)

The Right to an Income: All Income from the Elixir Springs, after being Taxed, shall be returned to all citizens in the form of monthly payments equal to the average monthly value of the Net Income of all Elixir Springs from the previous year. The House of Commons may increase but never decrease this amount at their discretion.

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A maliciously compliant activist could twist the wording of this to say that tax revenue must be paid out in its entirety, with no funding available for any government programs beyond redistributing income. Gisena will probably edit this to be less specific about payment totals, and more specific about what how share of income can be adjusted. If the payment value can never be reduced then it will trend upward without accounting for changes in economic structure. Clever bookkeeping could be used to shelter/hide "net income" from being distributed. This is called "Hollywood Accounting"...for example, Return of the Jedi has never made a profit, despite many many millions of dollars. (Sure George. Ok.)

The Right to a Job: All citizens shall have the right to a well-paying job through a Federal Jobs Guarantee including but not limited to Teaching, Health Care, Construction, and the Arts and Sciences.

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I love this. No further comment.

The Right to Housing: All Citizens shall have the right to a House or domain for them to reside. Abundant available housing shall be made available by the state for any citizen to make use of. The Rent of this Housing may not exceed 75% of the guaranteed Income given to all Citizens

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And a Super minor technical point about the right to housing: the US defines affordable housing as charging a rent no more than 30% of a family's monthly income.

 

[Rah13]

This is really and truly Good! It is better than what I would've come up with by far. I can eagerly support the vast majority of this document, with a few minor quibbles about very obscure details, which I will now comment on:

First, I'm not sold on the *order* of rights. Freedom of Speech is perhaps more important than the right to a job? It seems like you chose to address the hierarchy of needs with a constructive format, developing from the most urgent rights (eg food) to the most abstract (taxation). If this were a real document I might advocate a more idealistic format, and start with the rights that must not be infringed because they guarantee the protection of rights further down the list. (Freedom of speech above freedom to vote, etc)





A maliciously compliant activist could twist the wording of this to say that tax revenue must be paid out in its entirety, with no funding available for any government programs beyond redistributing income. Gisena will probably edit this to be less specific about payment totals, and more specific about what how share of income can be adjusted. If the payment value can never be reduced then it will trend upward without accounting for changes in economic structure. Clever bookkeeping could be used to shelter/hide "net income" from being distributed. This is called "Hollywood Accounting"...for example, Return of the Jedi has never made a profit, despite many many millions of dollars. (Sure George. Ok.)



I love this. No further comment.



And a Super minor technical point about the right to housing: the US defines affordable housing as charging a rent no more than 30% of a family's monthly income.

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The order of rights could def be changed! Year I started out with the most basic but there isn't a really set order to them.

And the income taxation thing could def be messed around with by malicious complaints so I don't mind rewording that. And by the payment value never being reduced I meant it as the House can't change the minimum of guaranteed income given to citizens but they can add on to it from other revenue streams if it is deemed as too low to live on. But would 100% appreciate help rewording it.

And for housing I was waffling on making it fully free or making it a percentage of the Guranteed Income, bringing it down to 30-40% shouldn't be an issue.

Also yea a federal jobs guarantee is amazing and should be implemented in every country lol.

Thank you for the feedback 🙏🏽

 

[Xalvitor]

[ ] Cometwake - Wish upon a shooting star. A trail of luminescent particles, hazy and nebulous, a cloak of stardust and solar winds. Your imaginary element interacts only faintly with reality, the barest touch that leaves the faint impression of wonder and myth. Reject the modern world, reject the prosaic reality. Where we're going, we won't need reality.

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I really like it! Feels very neat, and kind of difficult to visualize, but i feel like that's kind of the point.

 

[Sara]

Anyway, made this: 317 words. @Sara Soul evocation. No offense! I just think it fits

[ ] Soul Evocation – The Fool – For it is the fool who learns the most, for they have the least…

*Acquire the Soul Evocation of The Fool: unparalleled potential, and the fate with which to one day realize it.

*The Fool is not given any real power at first; only obtaining such in their journey. Your soul invocation manifests as Fool's Luck, this instantaneously activates one's rank, and magnifies its effects: Not only they will be better at all they do, but also events will conspire to grant them great power. The nature of what they gain is based around their needs and wishes, and it's effects increase as their rank does.

*While they receive immense luck, that luck is increased should they willing put themselves in the way of danger, and even more so should they put themselves in a "role". For example, should they put themselves into risk to save others, they take the role of a hero, and while heroes face great peril, they also receive great rewards. There are many possible roles, for example, the scholar, whom throw themselves at risk to gain knowledge, or the warrior, who fights for the pleasure of the act.

*The Soul Evocation of The Fool can eventually evolve into something else. The process is long and difficult, and must be done willing. They lose the luck and progression for the sake of a even greater power, such being the way of the world: Eventually the fool learns from their flaws and improve. Or do they?

*++ Progression until attributes are equivalent to a Rank 6. + Progression afterwards.

*++ Luck.

*+50% to value of Luck +.

*Increase rank gain by 100%.

*Decrease value of Int and Wis + by 30%. With effort, can decrease this debuff, and eventually negate it.

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Oh my god, I love this so much, thank you Xalvitor. Fits me perfectly.

 

[Rah13]

I have written up a constitution for the Elixir Sovereignty! Please check it out and give me feedback lol. Hopefully I didn't forget anything important and yes I did slightly plagiarize the US constitution but only a little.

Spoiler: Constitution of the Elixir Sovereignty

Constitution of the Elixir Sovereignty​

We the People of the Elixir Sovereignty, in Order to form a more Just Nation, do Ordain and Establish this Constitution of the Elixir Sovereignty, under Our Majesty King Hunger.

ARTICLE 1:

All Legislative power granted shall be held in the House of Commons.

ARTICLE 2:

The House of Commons shall consist of elected members, chosen every 2 years, numbering in 1 member per 50,000 civilians of the Sovereignty. This number shall be updated every 10 years during the Decennial Census. The first session of the History of the Elixir Sovereignty shall consist of 400 members and the first Census shall take place exactly 1 year after the first day of the first session of the House of Commons.

The Decennial Census shall create common sense districts created by an Independent Council. These districts shall be as equal in population as possible.

To gain entry to the ballot for every biannual election a candidate must receive signatures from 2% of the District they hope to represent.

No Person shall be eligible to become a member of the House of Commons who has not reached the age of 16. Only citizens of the Sovereignty shall be eligible.

The compensation for any elected member of the House of Commons shall be equal to the median annual income of the citizens of the Sovereignty, disregarding the income of the top 5% of the Citizens.

ARTICLE 3:

The House of Commons shall have the power to:

Lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the Sovereignty;

To borrow Money on the credit of the Sovereignty;

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations;

To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization;

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the Sovereignty;

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

To constitute Tribunals;

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Elixir Sovereignty, or in any Department or Officer thereof;

All of these actions may be passed via the passage of a bill with the support of 50% + 1 of the members of the House.

Following the passage of these bills, King Hunger retains the right to veto any bill with no recompense for the House to pass the bill. When an Elected Sovereign holds the Executive Power of the Elixir Sovereignty, they may also veto any bill but following the veto the House may attempt to pass the bill again and will succeed in make it into law if it receives support from 67% of the House of Commons.

ARTICLE 4:

The Executive Power of the Elixir Sovereignty shall be held by King Hunger in perpetuity until his death. Following that, the Executive Power shall fall to the Elected Sovereign.

The Elected Sovereign shall serve for a term of 6 years, with the first election held exactly 2 years following the signing of this document. Every following Elected Sovereign's election shall be held exactly 6 years following the first election, this date may not be changed under any circumstances save through a vote in the House of Commons requiring 67% of the Commons in favor. The first Elected Sovereign who shall serve for 2 years until the first election shall be elected by King Hunger and serves at his pleasure and may be replaced for any reason.

At any point during his life, King Hunger may relinquish all Executive Power to the Elected Sovereign for any period and may take back said relinquished power at any possible time. At any time when King Hunger is present and serving in his role, the Elected Sovereign shall be treated as an advisor to the King.

To gain entry to the ballot for Elected Sovereign, a candidate must collect signatures from an amount of citizens equal to the 0.05% of population of the Sovereignty as determined by the Decennial Census.

The Elected Sovereign maybe be impeached and removed from office following the passage of Impeachment papers in the House of Commons with a 60% majority.

The holder of Executive Power of the Elixir Sovereignty shall be the Supreme Commander of the armed forces.

The Elected Sovereign must be a citizen of the Sovereignty and at least 18 years old.

In case of the removal or death of the Elected Sovereign, the 2nd​ in command of the administration shall take over as the Elected Sovereign, serving until the next scheduled election.

The compensation for the Elected Sovereign shall be equal to the median annual income of the citizens of the Sovereignty, disregarding the income of the top 5% of the Citizens.

ARTICLE 5:

Every Election shall be publicly funded with a budget going to every candidate who qualifies for the ballot an amount equal to 5x the median annual income of the citizens of the Sovereignty, disregarding the income of the top 5% of the Citizens. For the Elected Sovereign, this budget shall be 15x the median annual income of the citizens of the Sovereignty, disregarding the income of the top 5% of the Citizens.

No Elected official shall hold a controlling stake in any business. Any minority stake in any business must be reported 3 months before any election or they will be removed from the ballot.

An amendment to this document may be made in three ways. King Hunger at any time may amend this document as he sees fit. The House of Commons may amend this document with the support of 67% of members. The Citizens of the Sovereignty may collect signatures in support of an amendment, if signatures equal to 0.50% of the Population as counted by the Decennial Census are collected 3 months prior to any election the amendment shall be added to the ballot for that election. If the amendment gains support of 50% + 1 of the voters in the election, then the amendment shall pass and will become law.

The Elixir Springs are the lifeblood of the Elixir Sovereignty. As such they are considered to be too valuable to be held as private property and used to enrich only certain families and individuals. All Elixir Springs shall be nationalized and will held and operated by the state in the interest of the Sovereignty to protect the Elixirs longevity and handle any Tourist business associated with it.

Every Child shall have the right to make use of high-quality Elixir Springs to attempt to awaken their SurgeCraft Element. There shall be no reason to disqualify a child, up to the age of 18, to attempt to use the Elixir Springs.

ARTICLE 6:

Bill of Human Rights:

The following rights shall be given to every citizen of the Sovereignty, considered as inalienable rights that may not be taken away under any circumstance.

The Right to Food: No citizen shall go hungry, prepared food and groceries shall be provided throughout the Sovereignty for any who need it.

The Right to an Income: All Income from the Elixir Springs, after being Taxed, shall be returned to all citizens in the form of monthly payments equal to the average monthly value of the Net Income of all Elixir Springs from the previous year. The House of Commons may increase but never decrease this amount at their discretion.

The Right to Health: All Citizens shall have access to Healthcare at no cost to them beyond the taxes imposed upon them used to pay for this.

The Right to Just Representation: All citizens shall have a representative in the House of Commons, have the right to vote, and have the right to a lawyer when needed.

The Right to Vote: Every election day shall be a holiday and the House of Commons will take appropriate action to make Voting a fair process for all. Any election with below 67% voter turnout shall result in an Independent inquiry on the process. Every citizen over the age of 15 is considered an eligible voter.

The Right to Equality: Every citizen shall be considered the equal in the eyes of the law as any other citizen, regardless of SurgeCraft, class, income, family, race, or any other demographic.

The Right to a Job: All citizens shall have the right to a well-paying job through a Federal Jobs Guarantee including but not limited to Teaching, Health Care, Construction, and the Arts and Sciences.

The Right to a Union: All Citizens shall have the right to Unionize in their workplace, regardless of the opinion of the management or ownership of the company.

The Right to Freedom of Speech: All Citizens shall have the right to free speech. The House of Commons shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The Right to not be Searched and Seized: All Citizens shall have the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

The Right to Fair Trial: In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.

The Right to Housing: All Citizens shall have the right to a House or domain for them to reside. Abundant available housing shall be made available by the state for any citizen to make use of. The Rent of this Housing may not exceed 75% of the guaranteed Income given to all Citizens.

The Right to SurgeCraft: All Citizens shall have the opportunity to try to become a surgecrafter. Any child over the age of 6 shall be allowed ready access to the Elixir Springs until they turn 18. All attempts shall be made by the state to assist all Citizens eligible of SurgeCrafting to attain this power.

The Right to Education: All Citizens shall have the right to an education. School shall be free for all children. Higher education shall be made free for all those who want it at the Gisena Allria University.

The Right to Progressive Taxation: All Citizens shall be taxed in a progressive faction, so no one will face a higher tax bracket than someone who makes more money than them.

Word Count: 1908

This fits best with the following vote
[X] Constitutional Design
[] None

But since None is eliminated I've decided to sell my vote for what we focus on. Give me some offers.

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Some highlights for people who want to just skim it.

Hunger is basically President in perpetuity until he dies, when he's not present he can pass his executive powers to an elected official (if Hunger Dies then this elected is treated as President always). Hunger has full veto power, even if 100% of the Legislature votes for something. He also has the power to add any amendment he wants.

Gisena wouldn't stop bothering Hunger until her name was also added to the document somewhere so now she has a university named after her.

 

[BrainInAJar]

But since None is eliminated I've decided to sell my vote for what we focus on. Give me some offers.

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Very cool document! Again, it makes me disappointed None was eliminated, it was too early in my opinion. Given the support demonstrated for it would be ahead by now!

Anyway, vote for Elementalists! We should help out high-school kids more than old moneyed interests. It would be safer for them too. Since I don't own you anything yet, why don't a give you a future vote from me in return for voting Elementalists now? If None miraculously comes back due to an upswell of support, then you can vote for that too. Join the club all your cool friends are in and get a vote from me!