Social Factbook of Veridia Prime

This social factbook shall be divided into two parts. The first part of this factbook will outline the basic government structure of the Dominion, the world state of Veridia Prime. It is important to understand the way in which the government operates to understand Veridian/Dominion society. Names of leaders and other officials within the government structure will be updated regularly (or as often as needed) to reflect the most update and current list of official. The second part of this factbook will be general information on Veridian/Dominion society in general such as Heath, Sports an Recreation, Entertainment, Religion, etc.

Government and Politics
Before the advent of the Dominion, there is no point in Veridian history where the planet was government by a single world government ran and operated by Veridians. Since the dawn of their species, Veridians have been a divided and warlike society. Aside from the past one hundred years, Veridia Prime was divided into various nation-states whose political ideologies differentiated themselves and often times, brought their species to war. Indeed, war was almost a constant force throughout the history of the Veridian race which brought a host of political, economic, and social problems. Indeed, the last great war on Veridia Prime was so devastating that it brought the Veridian race to the brink of extinction. With 90% of the world in ruin it was believed by many at the time to be the end of civilization as they knew it. However, it was during this uncertain time that the course of Veridian history was forever changed, that a new and unified society would be built upon the ashes of the own. One man is credited with not only bringing the Veridian species back from the brink of extinction but also laying the groundwork for the formation of the Dominion.

Chavek Argelian appeared on the political scene at a time when the people of Veridia Prime needed him the most. Though taboo only a decade prior, Argelian preached to the masses that the way forward had to come through unity or it would not come at all. Though a veteran of the war, he preached for a united of all sides so that a new, single Veridian society could emerge and built a future. Never before in the history of the Veridian race had an individual been able to move so many towards a single purpose. Revered as a political genius in today's Dominion, Argelian promoted a Veridia Prime that was to be led by a single government which promoted a national agenda that appealed to all people.  Around him formed a dictatorship of the willing, as millions of the surviving Veridians willingly gave their freedoms over to the state in return for the security and prosperity that Argelian promised. Though there did emerge some resistance in the early times of the Dominion, this resistance was soon resolved. His dictatorship was one of necessity, as he would later recalled, and under his lifetime leadership the political, economic, and social order of Veridian Prime was completely altered. However, despite his own dictatorship, Argelian envisioned a Dominion after his death that was ruled not by the one but by the many. A meritocracy eventually evolved after Argelian's death, one that still embodied the same principals and the same vision as Argelian had. Ruling on what back the Argelian Doctrine after his death, this meritocracy made a smooth transition and continues to this day, pushing forward with the Dominion dream as expressed by Argelian.

Today, the government of the Dominion is a three branch system. Executive power is invested in the office of the Executor whose powers, duty, and privileges are not entirely unlike those enjoyed by Argelian himself. Aiding the Executor is the Kuria, a council that serves as an additional administrative apparatus. Legislative power is vested within the Quorum, a unicameral legislative body made up of roughly a thousand elected officials from provinces throughout Veridia Prime. It is the Quorum that elects the Executor as well as gives its consent to the Executor's appointments to the Kuria. Both are accountable to the Quorum and in return, should the Quorum become deadlocked, the Executor has the ability to dismiss the Quorum and call for new elections. Finally, judiciary powers of the Dominion are invested within the Magistratus, the highest court of the Dominion. Though not officially a branch of the government, the Central Examination Board is as power a unit as any branch of the entire Dominion structure. The body many purpose is the creation, administration of, and evaluation of the various examinations administered by it to Dominion citizens. There is very little in the average Dominion citizen's life that does not require an examination. Careers, public office, and even procreation requires an examination. Taken very seriously by Veridians, many consider the examination system a hallmark of Dominion and civilized society.


The Executor
The office of the Executor is, under Dominion Law, the executive office of government of the Veridian Dominion. They are considered both the Head of State and head of Government, and is endowed with executive power. Among their many abilities and powers, the Executor directs and implements domestic and foreign policy, ensures the unity and territorial integrity of the Dominion, and supervises the activities of the Kuria in accordance with Dominion law . The Executor is collectively the supreme representative of the Veridian Dominion in foreign relations and as concludes all negotiations, agreements, and treaties with foreign powers.

With the consent of the Quorum, the Executor has the power to appoint all subordinate members of the Kuria, including all subordinate departments and councils. The Executor is also empowered with the power to remove members of the Kuria from their posts; create, combined, or abolish offices of the Kuria as they see fit, and submit to the Quorum a draft of the Dominion's budget after agreeing upon its basic content. The Executor also has the power to declare martial law and states of emergency. In such cases, the Quorum may also invest within the Executor Dictatorship powers, allowing the Executor powers similar to those enjoyed by Chavek Argelian. However, these dictatorship powers are limited to a brief period of three months but can be extended at the discretion of the Quorum.  With the consent of the Quorum, the Executor also has the power to halt the activities of subordinate government bodies; sign and promulgate laws; has the right to decide questions of citizenship and the granting of political asylum; grant pardons; and has the right to revoke acts of subordinate executive bodies. In terms of the military forces of the Viridian Dominion, the Executor holds power to direct military tactics as well as dismiss officers.

The office of the Executor specifically holds two major privileges. The first and formost is the power to create legislation through what is known as the enabling act. The Executor is given the power to introduce four new laws a year under the enabling act clause. This allows them to create laws without first having the Quorum debate and vote on them. The only restriction to this act is that the Executor cannot make a law which contradicts or changes already established Dominion Law or create such a law that would dissolve any body of government. The Executor also enjoys immunity from being arrested and having criminal proceedings instigated against them. Executor's are appointed by the Quorum, generally being a member of the Quorum itself. The term of office of an Executor is ten years and there is no set limit to how many consecutive terms an Executor serves.

Current Executor: D'Nal Jo'rek

The Kuria
The Kuria of the Veridian Dominion is an appointed body that acts as a cabinet of advisers to the Executor. The Kuria is composed of Kurians,, a Veridian word that most closely translate to minister. Each Kurian is the senior most officer of the various Kuriums. Kurians are nominated by the Executor and presented to the Quorum who then vote on the appointments. If approved, each Kurian is then sworn in and begin their duties within their respective office. All subordinate agents of the various Kuriums are proposed by a Kurian and submitted to the Quorum for their vote and consent.  The Executor also has the power to create, combined, or abolish Kuriums as they see fit. All Kurians either singularly or collectively, may be removed from their Kuriums by a decision and order from the Executor. Each Kurian and subordinate agent within their Kurium has a term limit of ten years however, there is no set limit to how many consecutive terms each Kurian can serve.

'The following is a current list of Ministries in the Kuria:
Kurian of Interiors: Nniol sihaer
Kurian of Foreign Affairs: Dhiemm Movar
Kurian of War: S'Tev Ruwon
Kurian of Justice: S'Talon Lhaihtrha
Kurian of Finance & Economics: Khiy Nanclus
Kurian of Intellectual and Enlightened Affairs : R'Imus Tela
Kurian of Culture, and Sport: Deletham Keirianh
Kurian of Agriculture and Environment Protection: S'Talon Terik
Kurian of Labor, Infrastructural, and Regional Development: Aev Barel
Kurian of Energy and Natural Resources: Llhran Raedheol
Kurian of Education and Science : Kalabam Lovok
Kurian of Transportation: Takaram Mas
Kurian of Public Information and Communication: Hvaid Liorae
Kurian of Health and Social Welfare: Aehkhifv Keirianh

The Quorum
The Quorum is the supreme legislative authority of the Veridian Dominion. It is unicameral body that has 1,000 members, known as Counselors, which are elected through single-member district plurality system, representing their constituencies. All members of the Quorum are elected for eight year terms and may serve consecutive terms without limit. According to Dominion Law, once first assembled for each new session the Quorum must first vote and appoint a Paragon, an official that sit as a presiding officer over the Quorum. Though there are no official rules or regulations in regards to who may be nominated for appointment, it is unofficially customary that the Quorum members nominate only senior members that have serve at least one consecutive term in the body. Acting as the Supreme representative body which affects legislative authority, the Quorum helps to determines the main directions of the country’s home and foreign policy, reviews the activity of the government within limits defined by Dominion Law and exercises other rights. According to Dominion Law, the Executor, the Quorum Paragon, a Quorum committee, or a member of the Quorum have the right to initiate legislation. Quorum committees and the Executor are the chief initiators of legislative proposals in the Dominion however. A draft law, prepared on the committee or received through legislative initiative, is discussed at a meeting of the relevant committee. The draft, with the view of the committee or explanatory note attached, is passed on to other committees.

If the committee decides that the draft is ready for discussion at the plenary meeting, it is passed on to the Paragon of the Quorum. The latter sees to it that the draft is put on the agenda of the body. The bill is then read carefully and a period of discussion ensues to clearly define, as best as possible, the pros and cons of the bill. The bill is then put to a vote of the entire body. All bills require a simply majority to be passed by the Quorum. Once the bill has been passed it is sent to the Executor who can either sign it into law or veto it back to the Quorum with editorial notes. The Quorum can then change the bill to meet the desires of the editorial notes or draft a completely new bill. The Quorum meets twice a year: for the spring and autumn sessions. These sessions generally meet on the first day considered to be the traditional start of each season and stay in session until that season is complete. Special sessions of the Quorum may be called by the Executor or the Paragon.

Current Paragon of the Quorum: T'maekh Hwersuil

The Magistratus
The  Magistratus is the highest and only judicial body in the Veridian Dominion. It consists of the High Magistrate and six Magistrates, who are nominated and appointed by the Quorum. Once appointed, Magistrates effectively have life tenure, serving "during good Behavior", which terminates only upon death, resignation, retirement, or a vote of no confidence by the Quorum. A vote of no confidence requires a majority by the Quorum to effectively terminate the tenure of a Magistrate from the Magistratus. The Magistratus is primarily an appellate court, but it has original jurisdiction over a small range of cases. The Supreme Magistratus also leads the Justicar Core

Much of the internal operations of the Supreme Magistratus are organized by the seniority of the Magistates; the Supreme Magistrate is considered the most senior member of the Court, regardless of the length of his or her service. The High Magistrates are then ranked by the length of their service. During Supreme Magistratus sessions, the Magistates sit according to seniority, with the Supreme Magistate in the center, and the High Magistates on alternating sides, with the most senior on the Supreme Magistrate's immediate right, and the most junior seated on the left farthest away from the Supreme Magistrate. In private conferences, the current practice is for Magistrates to speak and vote in order of seniority.

Supreme Magistratus: Giellun Ieithoedd
Current High Magistratus:
Lucilius Drusus
Deletham Tal'Aura
Vrih Rllaillieu
Nuhir Marrus
Giellun Galathon
[color=green]Lhaes Solius/color]

Justicar Core
The Justicar Core is the law enforcement army of the Veridian Dominion, serving in the field as Judge and jury (as well as executioner when necessary). After swearing themselves to the Code of the Justice, All laws enacted by the Quorum and interpreted by the Supreme Magistratus, Justicars monitor and patrol Veridia Prime and all other Dominion held territories upholding the law through their unwavering devotion to the Code of Justice. Justicar form a very important backbone to Veridian society as they are keepers of the peace. The Justice Code is the central force in every Justicar's life. The Code is composed of more than five thousand laws that describe every possible situation a Justicar may encounter. These laws are created by the Quorum and interpreted by the Supreme Magistratus and every Justicar is required to know the entire Code by heart. Living by the Code makes Justicar's choices simple given that if person follows the Code, they are deemed just. If they do not, they are deemed unjust. In compliance with the Justicar Code, there are no morally grey actions as every deed done falls clearly into right or wrong categories. In this, Justicars serve as an enforcer of the law and a judge of a person's actions.

Justicars swear oaths called the Oaths of Submission. These pledge protection of the innocent, the punishment of the guilty, and defense of law and the norms of Veridian society. This means Justicars will never overthrow the existing government, and will instead preserve the existing laws of the Dominion with their lives. Given their personal sacrifices, skill and rigid adherence to their Code, Justicars are highly revered in Veridian culture. The Justicar's Core is responsible to the Dominion government, more specifically the Supreme Magistratus who oversee the cores day-to-day operations. Beyond the Supreme Magistratus, Justicars have the power to police one another. If one Justicar finds that another Justicar is being unreasonable, the Code allows the Justicar to go into their accuser's custody for a single day. After that day the Justicar is bound by the Code to continue their duties, which may lead to violence between the two Justicars if the previously issue is no resolved. For a Veridian to become a Justicar they must complete an examination and then undergo training supervised by the Supreme Magistratus.

Central Examination Board
The Dominion's examination system is designed to accurately gauge the talents of all citizens and ensure each citizen's talent is exploited for the benefit of the entire Veridian Dominion. There are several levels to the examination and the system itself has a huge influence on society as it is the primary determinate of every citizen's future it terms of their place within the greater Veridian society. Seen as one of the greatest impacts of Julian Augustine's dictatorship over Veridia Prime, the examination system has ensured that every citizen has a place in society and an important role in shaping and influencing the entire civilization's future or so the government has made the citizens believe.

The system is governed by the Central Examination Board. The board holds no power in the functioning of the government but, given that it takes their seal of approval for a citizen to become a politician by taking the politician examine, the board does have a great amount of influence as to who in society can become a politician and leader. The Council was originally appointed by Augustine before his death and since that original board, all other members have been appointed by a vote of the entire board when a vacancy arises. The membership total of the board is seven, one director that is elected by secret ballot by the entire board every four years, and six associates. Normally, the powers and responsibilities of the board are simply as the board simply oversees each examination center through the Veridian Dominion and ensures each examination taken was completely honestly, without tampering or outside intervention from a secondary party. All results are considered final however, a citizen can file a an official protest with the board on a examination result. If a petition is filed, the board then conducts and investigation of the examination that took place as well as all materials provided, all proctors and examination aids that were at work at that examination center, and the test taker themselves. Once all evidence is gather, under the direction of the Director, the board then puts the petition to a vote. The board can either vote to dismiss the results and hold an new examination for the citizen or vote to uphold the results.

Education

Health

Religion
Historically, Veridia Prime once held several groups of societies which held a plethora of religious beliefs. Perhaps one of the most prevalent religious systems of Veridia Prime's past was a religion known as the Illuminate. This religion began within the Tacana Theocracy where the people believed in the existence of many Gods, known as the Illuminated Ones. It was the Illuminated ones who, through their own reasons, created all life in the universe. It was the Illuminated Ones who bore the child Astasia, the first Sacred Mother of the Tacana Theocracy. It was around Astasia that the religious institutions of the Illuminate formed and the Tacana revered their Sacred Mother as the Daughter of the Gods. Through her and her descendants, the word of the Illuminated Ones and their path to righteousness was set out. It was Astasia who wrote The Dividian, a book of scripture which sets out the basic tenants of the Illuminate, their religion. According to the Dividian, the Eight Illuminated Ones are the sole deities of the universe, heretics that speak against them or don't live according to the laws of the Dividian are to been burned at the stake, and conversion is the only path to salvation. For a thousands years this kept peace within the communities of the theocracy, centered around their capital of Illuminati. Indeed, as the theocracy spread and began making alliances with other nations, Illuminate spread and at its height it was the most populous of the religious orders on the planet. In fact, had the devastation of constant war not thinned the population as it did it is widely believed the Illuminate may have become the sole religion of Veridia Prime.

However, following the last great war and the rise of Julian Augustine, religion on Veridia Prime changed. Augustine believed that the role of religion was damaging to the united world that he was building. Through his dictatorship, Augustine not only began a slow program of phasing out religion in the day-to-day lives of Veridians, but he went further to wipe its existence from Veridian history and replace it with a new philosophy of life. What resulted out of Augustine's efforts was the Philosophate. Philosophate is centered around a single goal, which is the perfection of the Veridian race. To achieve this goal, Philosophate encourages the study of comparative religion, philosophy, and science. It also teaches the constant physical and spiritual advancement of the Veridian race, to the point that the race evolves towards perfection. Philosophate's works towards its intended goals by pressing the ideal of the attainment of Truth, the universal truth to which all is understood. Structures built towards Philosophate resemble libraries more than religious temples. They are repositories of knowledge where Veridians can access the accumulated knowledge of their species.

Culture
Culture in the Veridian Dominion is mostly based on the sole ideas of Julian Augustine during his life-long dictatorship over the early years of the Veridian Dominion. Fearful that the cultures of the old nation-states would eventually led the Veridians to more bloodshed, Augustine replaced the past values with what would become the traditional values of the united Veridian people. The various cultures of the old era, though not exterminated from society, were greatly suppressed to the point that citizens look to them more for historical value than actual ideas to still live by. The new culture was one that focused on the glory of the Veridian People as a united civilization. The culture that has developed is one of a nationalistic, xenophobic, militaristic, and capitalist people. Greed, self-preservation, and personal pleasure are among the highest priorities and strongest forces in Veridian society. Indeed, greed alone has helped propel the Veridians forward despite the relatively un-advanced nature of their society.

Visual arts focus on exemplifying themes such as racial purity, militarism, heroism, power, strength, and obedience to the Dominion. and are all designed to clearly define what it meant to be a Veridian. Indeed Augustine used many media mediums to project his new ideas onto the public and the public responded positively to the new ideas. Clothing was also changed in a revolutionary way, with an entirely new style adopted by the Dominion. Clothing was made more streamlined, resembling the more moderate and conservative clothing of Earth during the 1920-1950s. Architectural styles were also forever changed by Augustine, as he slowly demolished many of the competing designs and instead introduced a single style that invokes many of the styles of neoclassical and Art Deco. Most of the building built for government use during Augustine's dictatorship and since the first Triumvirate have been huge structures, all designed to embody the power and greatness of the Dominion. Some of the best examples of this architecture and enduring symbols of the Dominion are the: Imposing Quorum Hall, Foundation Arch (Celebrating Veridia Prime's victory over global war and the establishment of the Dominion), and the Augustine Monument.

Sex and Sexuality
Veridians are very promiscuous and highly sexual species, an aspect which is a product of Dominion social engineering. Julian Augustine's dictatorship focused on sex as one of several tools designed to make Veridians a more easily manipulated and controllable society through illusions of liberties that were previously afforded to them by past regimes. Even today recreational sex remains one of the many key aspects of society that helps keep the Veridian population under the control of the Dominion. Innovations in medicine and contraception has created a society that is free to experience and experiment with sex without the risks commonly found in sexual intercourse among humanoid species. Although highly conservative when it comes to discussing their sexual lives with other species (and sometimes with other of their own kind), Veridian culture has little in terms of cultural taboos against same-sex sexual partnerships and indeed a large portion of the species seems to engage in this sort of sexual activity regularly. This is also true in terms of cultural identifiable limits to the number of partners a Veridian can have in their life time. However, the society operates on a don't ask, don't tell policies when it comes to the sexual life of a Veridian. In this respect, Veridians are a hypocritical society given that they will openly judge harshly other civilizations that allow for multiple partners or same-sex relationships.

Veridians begin their sexual lifestyle around the ages of 10 to 13, a right of passage that is almost always overseen by an individual's parents or guardians. Parents are made aware by their family physician when a child has begun the biological changes inherit to beginning a sexual lifestyle, indeed it is scene as the physicians duty to do so. After being made aware, parents then take their child to a Veridian Social Club. Social clubs within Veridian society are not unlike Roman bath houses in the ancient world or the later modern versions known as gyms on Earth. Every settlement on Veridia Prime (and its colonies) have at least one community Social Club. A privately ran establishment regulated by the government, for a small yearly fee Veridian individuals or families are given total access to an assortment of amenities which include (but are not exclusive to): gymnasiums, workout-rooms, spas, pools, and brothels. Though not a career that is highly prized among most regular Veridians, the sexual workforce of Social Clubs are almost entirely manned by collared individuals. Due to their docile and compliant behavior, the collars make the perfect sexual partners willing to perform all request made. After their initial sexual encounter, Veridians are encouraged to remains sexual active and do so for almost the rest of their lives. Estimates suggest that the Average Veridian, if they became sexually active at age 13, will have had sex over ten thousand times by the age 20 and will have done so with several hundred partners. While Social Clubs make finding a sexual partner easy, Veridians also and often engage in sexual activity with other regular Veridians both for one-time encounters as well as in terms of forming long-lasting relationships.

Eventually, Veridian long-lasting relationships will lead to a union (the closest thing Veridians have to marriage). Although Veridians define unions as monogamous union, even in terms of sex, this again simply is not true and highlight the hypocrisy of Veridian society. In truth, even after joining a union, both Veridian males and females will continue to take sexual partners outside of the union itself. In some instances, it is even believed that Veridian couples will engage in group-sex situations although such instances are kept highly secret and few if any Veridian participants speak of it afterwards. This again, highlights the don't ask, don't tell nature of the Veridian society when it comes to sex. While officially a highly conservative race, in truth Veridian society is a very tolerate race. Indeed, the level of tolerance sometimes reaches levels that other society consider to be boundaries not to be crossed. In fact the only cultural taboo and legal regulation regarding sex within Dominion society is that no Dominion citizen may force another legal Dominion citizen into sexual situation of any kind. This law naturally excludes collars, given that by law those individuals are no longer legal Dominion citizens but instead considered property of the state.

Marriage and Family
The Dominion has no religion and therefore marriage does not exist in Veridian society in the religious sense. Instead, marriage in Veridian society is purely a social contract, known to Veridians as union (Union being the closest translations for the Veridian word). The main purpose of unions is for the purpose of baring children, but it also fulfills legal formalities for the purpose of record keeping, especially in terms of discerning lineage and in cases of inheritance. It is important to remember that Veridians are a publicly conservative society. Adultery, in a non-religious sense, is illegal although privately Veridians participate in adulterous acts often. Same-sex relationship is also frowned upon and technically illegal, solely due to the fact that same-sex marriages cannot produce children. However, privately Veridians are also known to participate in varying degrees of homosexuality, especially in Social Club settings. Veridians are socially engineered to believe it is their natural duty to continue the society forward through procreation. Veridians cannot procreate unless, among other legal and social stipulations, they've joined into a union and are of opposite sex. Dominion laws also bar Veridians from entering into multiple unions, due to various legal complications that can arise, however Veridian laws also makes it very easy for a union to be terminated.

When a Veridian is interested in joining in a union with a partner, a request of union is given. In Dominion society, a male is the one to initiate the request for union. If the request for union is accepted then the couple must apply for a union license, a process that requires the couple to take a union examination. Administered by the Dominion, the examination is designed to not only assess the psychological viability of the couple but also calculate the compatibility of the couple to ensure a long-standing union. If the couple pass their examination, the government issues a license to the couple. This license officiates the legality of union and to celebrate the couple then plan and hold a union ceremony. Union ceremonies, like the Unions themselves, are completely non-religious in context. They are usually presided over by a family member or close friend of the Veridian couple's choosing. Usually the one chosen by the couple is an individual already married and thus what is said by this individual during the ceremony is the same words of wisdom spoken at that person's union ceremony. Once these words of union are spoke, the remainder of the ceremony is mostly a festival of sorts with all individuals present enjoying food, drink, and music. Once a Veridian couple have join into a union, the couple usually spend only two to four years as a childless couple before it is typical that they make the decision to begin the process of having children. Conception is a process completely controlled and administered by the Dominion, with the Dominion operating within a system governed by the basic principals found in Eugenics. It is the aim of the Dominion to create the perfect, most genetically pure society as is possible. When a couple desires children, they must first file a request with the government to raise children and undergo the proper examination. Much like the union examination, the examination associated with having children is designed to not only further examine the psychological impact of a child on the couple but also the couples viability as parents.

If the couple pass the examination, the government begins the pregnancy process first by reversing the sterilization process of the male and female. It takes one Dominion year for the process to be reversed and the couple begin producing both the sperm and eggs necessary for reproduction. Once both the male and female are producing the necessary components in necessary volume, the government harvests both components so as to begin the pregnancy through an in vitro fertilization process. However, the sperm and eggs used to create the offspring aren't necessary both from the male and female to whom will receive the child. In their pursuit of the most genetically superior and pure race possible, the Dominion government actively screens the genetic material of both the male and female against themselves as well as their extensive database of genetic material from all citizens who have or could have children. Its aim is to pair the most genetically compatible sources in order to create a Veridian as close to genetic perfection as is possible. Due to this, it is not rare that the female's egg will actually be fertilized by sperm from another source and not the male that they're joined in union with. Veridians understand this and this does not create problems in society as each male and each female understand that if not used, their material is saved by the government and eventually used when the right genetic match is found. After the in vitro fertilization process, the pregnancy is similar, if not exactly like, other humanoid species. Veridian females remain pregnant for about six months, three months shorter than that of humans from Earth. This is due not only to the extensive evolution of Veridians during their thousands of years on another world but also due in part to genetic manipulation on the part of the government. Due to government regulations, in an attempt to control population growth, each Veridian couple is allow only two children.

Veridian Cuisine