The Germanic Empire of Zwitterjiund: Factbook (Closed)

[Zwitterjiund]

The Queen-Empress welcomes you to a)her Planet b)her Embassy or c) someone's pamphlet handing out stand this short and probably meaningless guide will inform you of things all things Zwitter...not all but some...we have secrets too ^_^

Wikipedia Copy and Paste

Long Name: The Germanic Empire of Zwitterjiund
Short Name: Zwitterjiund
Homeworld: Noravinia
Capital (and largest city): Yorkenberg
Official Languages: German, English
Motto: Deutsche, Engländer, Norse, Als Stehen Wir
Imperial Anthem: God Save the Queen
National Anthem: Blood Brothers
Ethnic Groups (Noravinia Only): 95% Zwitterjiundian 4% Horsian >1% Other
Demonym: Zwitterjiundian, Zwitter
Government Type: meritocratic, socialist, semi constitutionalist Monarchy & Unicameral Commisaariat.

Head of State: Queen-Empress Elisia Yorkenberg
- Spouse: King Leo Vörken
- Issues: Prince König Yorkenberg

Commisaariat - Legislative/Advisory Body
Grand Commisaar: Alexei Johaan Vandermut
External Affairs Commisaar: Eduard von Khil
Domestic Affairs Commisaar: Alexander Wordsworth
Military Prime Commisaar: Sir Alfred Yorkenberg

Formation: Kingdom of El Dorado - 0Nc (7989Bc)
Act of Yorkenberg - 22Nc (7967Bc)
Act of Union - 3722Nc (4245Bc)
Act of Empire - 8914Nc (943Ad)

Area: 701 planetary bodies
Population: 6 billion (Noravinia only)
Currency: N/A*
Gini: 10

*Currency has been abolished

[Zwitterjiund]

Government
Monarch
The Queen-Empress/King-Emperor is the Supreme Ruler of the Empire; it has direct control over all matters of foreign & military policy. It is able to act in the Commisaariat on behalf of the people if a Public Petition, signed by at least 45% of a planetary population, is admitted to the Imperial Council.

Imperial Council
The Imperial Council is primarily an advisory body to the Monarch (and now the Commisaariat); it is made up of up to twenty close members of the Imperial Family (and occasionally the monarch). Some parts of the Family tree are temporarily/permanently restricted from membership to ensure fair participation. Despite their official advisory role, the Council is responsible for choosing the next monarch upon the death or abdication of the incumbent monarch. The Council may assume the responsibilities of the monarch if the potential candidate is not old enough (minimum age sixteen).

Commisaariat
The Commisaariat is an elected body made up of 698 Representative Commisaars, its role is to oversee the management of Noravinia and to ensure the public’s voice is heard on all levels of government. Each colony has its own Commisaariat that operates in a similar fashion.

[Zwitterjiund]

Imperial Family

Queen-Empress Elisia Yorkenberg

Born in 9981Nc to the then King-Emperor Wilhelm Yorkenberg XXI & Queen Elizabeth, Elisia is the first member of the Imperial Household to bear the name Elisia -meaning Starchild in traditional Zwitterjiundian-. When she was eight years old she was fluent in German, English and Traditional Zwitterjiundian. At ten years old she accompanied her father on a diplomatic mission to Earth in the first physical meeting between the two races, she struck a chord with the people of London when she spoke of her favourite flavour of ice cream in fluent English. At 14 she attended the Carlsberg Institute of Science and Imperial Teachings graduating on her 18th birthmas. Her father died of natural causes when she was eighteen and was chosen to inherit the throne by an overwhelming Imperial Chamber vote of nineteen to one, on account of her skill in foreign and domestic policy (by this time domestic policy had shifted towards the duties of the Commisaariat) and also on account of her astoundingly high public approval ratings amongst the empire and (surprisingly) the people of Earth. Shortly after Elisia married her childhood friend Leo Vorken at the Imperial Palace, Yorkenberg aged eighteen Elisia completed her final semester at the Carlsberg Institute where she achieved Primes in Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Foreign Stratagems, Social Construct, Imperial History and Dialects (English & German). Upon ascending the throne she inherited the most costly war in Zwitterjiundian history, the Zwito-Vladistok War. Despite the often grim situation of the war, Elisia has managed to bolster popular support for the war effort and has turned the table on many of the fronts by concentrating on reinforcing Imperial Navy numbers and increasing the production rate of I.N. ship production.

Leo Vorken

Born in 9979Nc to Sir Artur & Maria Vorken. Leo was born into a strict regime of a childhood, unlike most Zwitterjiundian families, the Vorkens believed that every child must be brought up to fear their elders. When he was nine years old Leo was disowned by his parents when they caught him playing video games and listening to Heavy Metal “a most un-patriotic past time” as his father would say (which are completely false as the founding king was himself a metal-head). He was taken in by Earl Wilhelm Yorkenberg, youngest brother of the King-Emperor. When he was twelve he accompanied his custodian to the first ever physical meeting between Earth and the Zwitterjiundian Empire, it was on-board the HMS Starchild that he first met the future Q-E Elisia, they engaged in several games of tag and hide & seek in which he lost all but one which he blames on "her insistence on only playing in the most cramped conditions, working to her size advantage". He was enrolled into the Military Academy of the Machine Spirit (A top class institute dedicated to the theory and practice of mechanical warfare) at age fourteen, where he excelled in commanding armoured divisions from behind and on the frontline of sim battles. He passed with Primes in all fields (except engineering where he gained a Pass) and began his military career as a Kaptein in the 12th Horsian Hussars. As part of a special request from Queen-Empress Elisia, Leo was given extended leave to give emotional support after her father’s death. During this time their relationship flourished, culminating in their marriage just a year later. He is currently serving with the 12th Horsian Hussars on a peace keeping mission on Earth.

Prince Koenig Yorkenberg
Born in 10000Nc Konig is the only child of Queen-Empress Elisia Yorkenberg & Leo Vorken. He hasn't yet reached his first birthday and has accomplished nothing.

King Bruce Dickinson

Bruce Dickinson was the first King of what is now Zwitterjiund, in '-2Nc' he and five other companions with their families became the first Homo-Zwitundus to enter the Region of Norska. There he and his band mates constructed wooden fortifications and houses in what became El Dorado, he declared himself king of El Dorado two years later as more nomads came to the village. For twenty years El Dorado prospered greatly due to a large fishing and timber industry. Dickinson led the kingdom and the independent city states of Norska to victory in the Scilly wars against the Great Hobo Khanate. His death at the battle of Yorkenberg would unite the independent states to form Zwitterjiund and caused his son to take up the name Bruce Yorkenberg

[Zwitterjiund]

Society
The Empire is hardly diverse, its people are all from the same stock (including the Horshians but we cool with them). The Zwitterjiundian culture is similar to that of the Germanic peoples of Earth. They have a ‘well refined’ drinking culture which some describe as problematic whereas others say that life is too long to be too careful. They are fierce in war yet fun loving and laid back in times of peace.

Architecture
Their architecture is awe-inspiring buildings hundreds to thousands of years old, all finely adorned with gothic images of devils, daemons, angels and legendary figures; they exhibit an adept understanding of craftsmanship and artisanship that has existed for at least five millennia. Even some modern buildings have Gothic features only replacing slabs of stone with metals and an assortment of synthetic materials. The Zwitterjiundian fascination with grand buildings has however caused overcrowding problems, the masses of space required to construct Zwitterjiundian cities coupled with the strict Natural Preservation laws has forced a population limit on Noravinia.
And now we come to a very risqué area of society, Race, as said before the natural inhabitants of the Empire are all from the same stock, all are white, have light brown/blonde hair and are in the region of six feet tall or above. You can imagine the shock of King-Emperor Wilhelm when he saw a Brown Human for the first time (the Human response was even greater when he began stroking his face in an attempt to "remove the machine oil"). Naturally, Zwitterjiundians are very cautious of other races, especially humans "who come in all sorts of unnatural assortments" as Csar Vladimir XXXVIII of the Vladistok Empire described them.

Economy
King-Emperor Wilhelm XXI in his first year of rule attacked the use of moneys (self-sufficient nation with no trade partners dos not need evil monies), he constructed a state welfare system that would cater for the basic needs of the populace (Housing & fresh, clean water) and in return for this generous gift the working population has to contribute towards society by taking part in a rotational employment scheme (the employee will be trained to do a specific job and will do a set amount of days’ work e.g. five days, and would have a set amount of days off e.g five, (not including weekends). This ensures that all subjects contribute towards the Empires development without being extorted. There are alternatives within the system, for example a Scientist attached to one of the major institutes will more than likely work four or five days a week with no regular leave. The noticeable absence of food and electricity in the welfare package has a reason, if the subject works hard and remains punctual he or she will receive the added benefit of electricity and the right to T.V programming and an Internet box, however as seen as food is so essential for a healthy worker the government does provide very basic rations to individual Subjects (with improved rations for children), through hard work the Subject will receive 'Nom' tokens which allow them to purchase more extravagant consumables & recreational item etc. As the life of a soldier is tough, really tough (bloody tough) all servicemen and women receive luxury consumables, a grand ‘pension’ and much better accommodation (not that it’s bad anyway). Servicemen who complete twenty five years of service also receive an auto-mobile of their choice.

Civil Rights
It was decided long ago that what you do in your own time is your own business. You can love men, women, animals or a mixture of the three, the government doesn’t care. Everyone is allowed to rise through an institution as long as they are capable of doing so. You can question the government and if you have enough support can be part of changing it. You can be religious, just don’t press your beliefs on others. The press is free but is not allowed to harass individuals.
However, not all is as well as it seems as Xenophobia is unfortunately rife in the Zwitterjiundian population (although Sentient Ponies are an exception) this is due to the state Earth was in and the enormous frustration that was caused trying to correct the Human’s path. Transsexuals are also viewed as being pretty weird and are often ostracised.

Religion
Zwitterjiund probably has millions of religions created by insane individuals for the fun of it. There is a state religion, Norskanarianism. The four main Saints/Spirits (Deities) are St Germania - Goddess of War, St Britannia – Goddess of the Seas and Lands, St Vindico – The Machine Spirit, and St Leo –The God of Life. There are many other Saints and Spirits who help guide Zwitterjiundians through daily life.

Political Freedom
Every free Man, Woman and soon to be Pony (pending legislation) is able to vote in the Commisaariat General Election and is able to change policy with enough support from the rest of the public. Criminals are excluded from the political process.

Music
For centuries the people of Noravinia have listened to Orchestras, Brass Bands and in more recent times Rock and Roll. The Empire actively encourages musical talent; good musicians can become very well respected members of society and are often inaugurated in the Imperial Hall of Fame.
After intercepting radio-waves from Earth decades before the first contact Metal became very popular and still remains the favourite Genre amongst the subjects of the Empire. The unofficial anthem of the Imperial Army is ‘The Trooper’ by English NWOBHM band Iron Maiden.

Art
Zwitterjiundians pride themselves on their art, primarily because they view all the popular Earth art form ‘Ab-stract’ to be horrific and just plain garbage.
As said before Zwitterjiundians love their buildings to be Gothic and spend many years achieving the perfect look for their buildings.

Education
Zwitterjiundian is exceptional, there are no prestigious schools, universities or colleges, all are equal and it doesn’t matter thanks to the Job Rotation Scheme. All students are taught Literacy, basic Maths, basic Sciences, History, another language and are given the choice of Civil Duties, basic Computing and Geography. It is at age fourteen that their career will be decided, the preference of the student will be taken into account and more often than not they will be placed in their chosen field. The basic lessons are the ‘more advanced’ subjects that give an insight into what life is like working in that sort of field.

Sport
Sporting activities in Zwitterjiund tend to revolve around violence rather than acrobatics and nimbleness, for instance on Earth it is understood that Football & Tennis are very popular sports, they are laughed at here. Admittedly our children love to play Rugby and Hockey but the adult population plays Skrumball & Wabbajaky, more violent versions of the Earth sports. The homosexual act of Wrestling is incredibly unpopular, even amongst the homosexual population. Boxing is bare knuckle and often To the Death. Winter Sports are also very popular, skiing, ice swimming etc. are all high participation activities.

Ponies
The first Zwitterjiundian contact with sentient ponies occurred nearly a month ago when five homeless Ponies came across Noravinia. Their presence terrified locals, who aren’t at all used to animals larger than a medium sized dog let alone talking ones. When the ponies asked for refuge, offering friendship the local subjects greeted them with open arms and filled tankards. They have since proved themselves to be hard workers and have improved the Zwitterjiundian opinion on multiculturalism.
The Foreign Duty Commisaar, Duke Eduard Von Khil, has gathered Commisaariat support in his policy to advertise Noravinia as safe haven for Pony kind. It is expected that legislature allowing Ponies full citizenship will be enacted in the first quarter of the next Commisaariat term.

[Zwitterjiund]

Not a particularily important section but I want to display some of my citizens

Fashion

Formal Wear

This kind of clothing is generally worn to formal gatherings, albeit not as sparkly . Top image is of the world famous Musician Ant Adam who rose to prominence in the early 9980s. He started the Sparkly Fashion Era which lasted until 9991Nc. Bottom Image is of Commisaar Jarl Ulrik, a veteran of the 16th Zwitto-Vladistok war

Informal Wear

This type of clothing is very common, providing a sense of formality and representing the reserved nature of the Zwitterjiundian people

The Zwitterjiundian music scene is still dominated by Rock & Roll, Metal and the the like. As such Leather, Denim and lots of metal are a common sight, especially in Town and City centres during the night.

Off-Duty Wear

Servicemen and Women that are off duty while in their service term are required to wear this uniform, the main reason for this is that they are easy to identify so you can pat them on the back or shake their hand when they pass by (and also get freebies )

Markings
Zwitterjiundians tend to have a facial tattoo, usually the same as one of the parent's; it is on the left side of the face and usually confined to the cheek. There is no real reason for the mark, put simply, it's there because it is...and it looks better than bare flesh. The most common type of marking is a simple line or two, although there are many variants.

[Zwitterjiund]

External Affairs Commisaar - Eduard Von Khil

Reason for Choice: Elected Commisaar on account of his calm appearance

Likes:The Monarchs opinion, Ponies, Military Action
Dislikes: The elected system, lengthy meetings, Humans

Representative to The Coalition of Ponyist States - Prince Richard Yorkenberg

Reason for choice: Chosen on account of his reserved nature, he prefers a diplomatic approach to situations but will not hesitate to defend himself in an aggressive manner. He is a reliable representative and can be trusted to support the allies of Zwitterjiund.

Likes: Tea, Sensible Conversation, Ponies, Diplomacy over Military
Dislikes: Rude behaviour in general

[Zwitterjiund]

Military

Imperial Army
Strength: 4 Billion Active Troops + Entire Imperial population of Service Age
HQ: Yorkenberg
Head Commisaar: Field Marshall Sir Peter Wall


The Infantry come in hordes, not afraid to throw themselves into the Jaws of Hell they charge forward en mass for their Empress.

All Infantrymen wear Long Coats which regulate body temperature, a set of armour protecting the front of the arms, legs and the back and front of the body. The only real difference between Infantry types (excluding light infantry and Elite Infantry) is the helmet; Regular infantry wear plain helmets. Foot-guards wear Pickelhaube pattern helmets. Grenadiers have Kugelhaube helmets (has a ball instead of a spike).

Zwitterjiundian armour has five classes:
MESA Armour – Slight protection against small arms fire - Used by Light Infantry
AESA MKI Armour – High chance of deflecting/stopping small arms fire, small chance of deflecting larger calibre ammunition - Used by Regular Regiments
AESA Grenadier Armour - Medium chance of deflecting small arms fire, designed to protect from explosives and shot rounds - Used by Grenadiers and Bomb Disposal Engineers
AESA MKII Armour -Very high chance of deflecting small arms fire, medium chance of deflecting bigger rounds - Used by Foot-Guards
TITAN MK I Power Armour – Guaranteed small arms fire protection, good chance of deflecting high calibre rounds - Used by Elite Regiments


The Elite regiments are made up of veteran soldiers, all of whom have agreed to sell their bodies to the Empress's service. All have gone under an augmentation process to increase their combat capability. Arms and legs are replaced and sometimes the upper body is given a mechanical overhaul. Their use has been criticised by Human diplomats, but they have no say in our affairs.

Commisaars

or if you are of a kind nature

The Military Commisaar is often deployed on the front-line to ensure the loyalty of the troops and to instil fear into the enemy, they are excellent strategists and have command over Sergeants and lower ranked soldiers. They are allowed to execute those deemed as cowards.

Psykers


The Psyk Gene has only recently been discovered, only present in women it allows the full potential of the mind to be utilised, with rather interesting consequences.
Psykers are a rare sight on the battlefield and are only attached to units with Military Commisaars. They can tear the flesh from any living being, destroy their minds or manipulate their movements, they are feared even by Commisaars. However, their power comes at a price, they are...prone to exploding if over worked.

Armoured Korps
MBT

Kaiser tank

APC

CH2VI

Artillery

Vendetta

The Armoured Korps uses a variety of equipment, its MBTs range from the collosal 'Kaiser' to the humble Tiger tank. It's APCs are fast and well protected by escort tanks. Both conventional and Missile artillery vehicles are used.

[Zwitterjiund]

Imperial Navy
The Imperial Navy is tasked with defending Zwitterjiund's 700+ planetary holdings, from Xenos, Pirate raiders and on Occasion the Vladistok Empire.

Strength:
2000 - Battleships
1000 - Battle-cruisers
4000 - Frigates
200 - Carriers
4000 - Destroyers
600 - Torpedo Rams
2 - Super Carriers
4 - Home ships

Battleships

Image - Konig Class Battleship
Battleships are incredibly powerful vessels, they themselves can put up a fight against a fleet. Armed with an overwhelming amount of fire-power, Battleships are used to destroy other capital ships, they are more than capable of defending themselves from Fighter Bombers. The base armour of the BS is incredibly tough, some areas feature 30ft thick of Solidomide MKVI Armour. To accompany this BSs have incredibly powerful shields. Relatively fast for their size, they can outrun most Battleships of other nations and are capable of Individual Warp Travel.

They are armed with:
Battle Ram - Usually a decorative piece but any Captain who has the chance will usually risk ramming a hostile ship.
Star Cannons - Devastating weapons capable of obliterating other Battleships mounted in the Battle Ram, only fired rarely, in times of shear desperation or as final acts of sacrifice, the recoil is powerful enough to damage the whole ship if it is not in a fit state and will temporarily disable the ships power supply.
Gauss Cannons - Fire high explosive, armour piercing shells at alarmingly fast rates - Primary Armament
Ion Cannons - Destructive Beams of Energy used on targets that arent worth Gauss Cannon fire (Destroyers, Frigates etc)
Gauss Flayers - One of two Anti-Fighter Armaments, fires shards of Beronium (incredibly hard metal) in massive salvoes, excellent against massed assaults
Missiles - Missiles are a pretty much standard armament, typically used on lone craft to reduce the risk of sending dangerous munitions into deep space
Gauss Rifle - A huge piece with a slow firing rate, uses incredibly powerful munitions to target high value areas of enemy ships, upon penetration said munitions will release either Napalm, deadly acids or simple high explosives.
Flayer - Primary Anti-Fighter defence weapon which uses lasers.

As well as being armed to the teeth with so much weaponry, the Battleship carries a significant detachment of Royal Marines and is capable of transporting whole Legions to their destination.

Battle Cruiser

Fury Class Battlecruiser - HMS Smolg

The Battle-Cruiser (BC) is the younger brother of the BS, they sacrifice armour for speed and they carry a similar armament to BSs but are more orientated to an anti-ship role. They are often used as screens for battleships, providing added anti-fighter support as well as putting pressure on other capital ship's vital systems. They have shielding comparable to the BS.

Some BCs are reinforced to make Ram vessels, very powerful but require a substantial anti-fighter escort when not ramming.

Destroyers

Wilhelm Class Destroyer

Destroyers are the most common vessel, they are suited to attacking other vessels of comparable size and make up the bulk of most Planetary Defence Fleets

Frigate

Motorpoint Class Frigate

Frigates are the smallest ships in the Imperial Navy, they take on specialised roles but are very limited by their size. Most of these roles are tactical, such as EMP, Asset Jamming, Resupply Station or Multiple Ship Warp Travel. They are fast ships and are used to hunt down pirates.

[Under construction]