Lyras
From WikiStates
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Protectorate of Lyras
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| Motto: "Undaunted" | ||||
| Anthem: "In defence of the weak, undaunted" |
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| Capital (and ) |
Bredubar | |||
| Official languages | Lyran English | |||
| Recognised regional languages | English | |||
| Demonym | Lyran | |||
| Government | Protectorate | |||
| - | Warmarshal | Leon Krell | ||
| Population | ||||
| - | 2009 estimate | 8.604 billion | ||
| - | 2009 census | 8.604 billion | ||
| GDP (PPP) | 2009 estimate | |||
| - | Total | $159.03 trillion | ||
| - | Per capita | $18,483.32 | ||
| Currency | Varessan crown (VC) |
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| Internet TLD | .ly | |||
Lyras (officially the Protectorate of Lyras) is a large nation in the Greater Dienstad region.
It is bordered to the north by the Ironharbour Bight and Gulf of Kush, to the north and east by the Republic of Fehnmar; to the east by South Fehnmar and the Straits of Tal. The territory of Lyras is the largest within Greater Dienstad's Storn Archipelago, and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate, and the East-Dienstadi Current. With over 8 billion people, it accounts for the second largest population among the states of the Storn Archipelago and is home to two prominent trading entities, Lyran Arms[[1]] and Lambda Financial[[2]].
As a modern nation-state, the country was de jure established by Warmarshal David Lyras from the elements of the military of the Storn League that followed him into exile amidst the disintegration of the League in 1840. In 1890, after the First Lyro-Fehnmari War, Lyras expanded to include formerly Fehnmari territory north of the river Os. Lyras expanded again (and most substantially) in 1925, following its defeat of the Erukushi-Fehnmari alliance. The third expansion, circa 2004, has been through the colonisation of the Lyran Havenic Territories.
Lyras is a member of the Fedala Accords, and adopted the Norheim Doctrine in 2007.
Lyras is a quasi-unitary, sovereign stratocratic militarist state. The capital and largest city is Bredubar. It is a major power with Greater Dienstad's largest trade surplus by nominal GDP and the in purchasing power parity. By virtue of its unusual origins, the country has developed an extremely unusual national society and culture. It holds a key position in Greater Dienstadi affairs and maintains a multitude of close partnerships on a global level. Lyras prides itself upon scientific and technological innovation in several fields, all of which are connected to theorised or actual military applications.
Contents |
Etymology
History
Government
The Protectorate of Lyras is the world's oldest surviving true stratocratic state. It is not a state or national entity in most commonly held uses of the term, but is more precisely an independent military entity that is recognised as a state by virtue of it exercising sovereign control over a given territorial mass. Lyras is termed a protectorate due to its unique national character and extraction. Normally a term for national subordination to an extra-territorial power, in this context ‘protectorate’ is used as the land and state are together a ‘protectorate’ of the people of Lyras. Taking their name from the last Warmarshal of the Storn League, David Lyras, the collective personnel of Lyras are held to be the entity which the authorities are invested by, not the political entity itself. The Protectorate of Lyras, in all functional intents and purposes, can be understood to be a national entity, and will be referred to as such unless otherwise expressly indicated. Lyras is further held unique by the fact that every man, woman and child of its populace are considered to be a member of the military. From the youngest child to the oldest adult, all are held to be charged with a responsibility to do their utmost to uphold the security and values of the military which is the Lyran state. This is not simply a means of exercising full control over the populace; the very large Lyran population are, as part of the education system, trained as combatant soldiery. Training more specifically related to their anticipated tasking is provided subsequent to that. In essence, despite whatever actual task a Lyran may be carrying out, day to day, he or she remains, and is considered to be, a combat-effective soldier of the Protectorate.
Personnel are usually subject to three distinct facets of government, Executive Command, the Conclave, and the requisite Order. In all cases, authority is exercised by virtue of rank and title; rank and political power within Lyras are synonymous and indistinguishable, for the most part. There is no electoral representation within Lyras, save in the most informal of senses.
The Lyran government’s three arms are as follows:
- Executive Command: The Warmarshal is the commander-in-chief of the military, and is thus the supreme authority within the Protectorate. The Warmarshal is advised by Executive Command, which is normally composed of the eight most senior officers of Lyras, and appoints personnel to Executive Command, and is the nominal source of all appointments, commissions and offices who administer Lyras and hold responsibility within the Protectorate. Positions within Executive Command are not elected by direct vote, but by majority vote by the Conclave of Order Marshals, subject to veto by the Warmarshal. The exception is for the position of Warmarshal, nominations for which are only conducted upon the death or resignation of the incumbent, and said nominations can only be over-ruled by unanimous veto by Executive Command. Personnel nominated to Executive serve for life, until dismissed by the Warmarshal, or until their own resignation or discharge.
- Conclave: A body composed of the officers commanding each of the Orders within Lyras, the Conclave of Order Marshals is a para-authoritative monocameral legislative body which serves as the closest Lyran analogue to a parliament. While not nominally holding any authority in its own right, each of the Conclave’s constituent officers holds almost unchallenged authority within their own Order, and as such a consensus reached within the Conclave has defacto force of law. Further, a consensus or near-consensus (even a majority, to a lesser extent) within the Conclave possesses tremendous weight of moral authority, and many Order Marshals who would otherwise disagree with a determination will acquiesce, rather than break ranks with the Conclave, though the letter of Lyran law does not require it. Subordinate to Executive Command, at least nominally, the Conclave in recent years has been exercising more and more decision-making and deterministic power within Lyras.
- Order: An Order is the largest independent sub-division of military forces within Lyras. Originally an archaic term in western militaries, the phrase was brought back into usage when the Lyran forces outgrew all conventional standard unit sizes, and a few more. An Order is nominally composed of 24 Task Forces of 3 Army Groups each, for a theoretical norm of 39.8 million personnel. Given the amalgamation of political and military authority, each Order, subordinate only to Executive Command, is an independent entity in its own right, serving many of the factors of a state, province or region in a more conventional political sense. Each Order is responsible for its own training, staffing and equipment maintenance, and generally is self-governing itself, subject to overarching directives from Executive Command, and guiding determinations from the Conclave.
Broadly, Orders can be divided into Combatant and Non-Combatant Orders, although there is considerable overlap, and even the most ‘non-combatant’ Order will field many hundreds of divisional-sized combat units if pushed into combat. Combatant Orders tend to be numbered lower, numerically, and field higher proportions of dedicated combat units, while Non-Combatant Orders field higher proportions of agricultural, mining, manufacturing, construction or other strategic-support units. By Lyran tradition, it is generally Combatant Orders that are deployed overseas on tours of duty, although there have been exceptions. The Conclave (currently) has 247 Order Marshals, each representing a single Order until replaced, either by change of rank, death or retirement. Places within the Conclave are termed ‘chairs’, and are analogous to ‘seats’ in legislative assemblies throughout the world. Each Order being roughly equal in personnel numbers, and each Order Marshal thus representing an equal number of Lyran soldiers, therefore generates a parity that may not be immediately apparent by comparison of the ORBATs or ToEs of any given formations. Differences in casualties, birth rates and sub-cultures have given differing Orders unique character and tradition, and most personnel are fiercely loyal to their Order, as well as the Protectorate at large. Rivalries between certain Orders can be fierce, and even bloody, although Lyran culture at large and the influence and authority of Executive Command make bloodletting on any wider scale thus far unknown. All laws and governmental procedures are subject to Executive Command review, a task normally designated to directly controlled subordinate units, and any law ruled in violation of the ethos, culture, prevailing law or security of the Protectorate, is voided.
Politics
The Protectorate of Lyras, in theory, disallows political parties. For the most part, this position has held firm for most of its history. Officers commanding any given formation are assumed to speak for their commands, and political power rests upon this premise. However, there are pronounced ideological divides within Lyras, centred around the questions pertaining to what constitutes appropriate use of military force. Since the end of the third Lyro-Fehnmari War, the major factions have been the Guardians and the Enforcers. Since the founding of the Protectorate, only one Warmarshal Greagoir McAndrew, has held a rank below that of Field Marshal prior to nomination, although theoretically anyone may be nominated.
Within Lyran ideological culture, the pre-eminent concept is that upon which Lyras was founded; that honourable defence of the weak is the highest virtue. However the disparity between Guardians and Enforcers in the application of that philosophy can vary from ‘mild’ to ‘extreme and militant’. Broadly, Guardians hold that the proper role of the Lyran Protectorate is to employ moderated force to gradually bring about a geopolitical status quo where the weak are not oppressed, and where freedom is guaranteed. In this, Guardians hold that Lyras should act in accordance with treaty obligations, when Lyran assistance is actively sought, or when violations of human rights are too pronounced to leave unchecked. Enforcers hold that the most effective way to ensure that the weak and oppressed are protected is through the direct and unapologetic use of overwhelming force, in order to bring about an ever-widening sphere in which a Lyran-enforced peace for the purposes of freedom and the rule of law might prevail. Over time, certain commands, directorates, and even entire Orders, have become mildly or strongly characterised by an adherence to one of these two ideologies. Neither is officially recognised, although the power and influence the more significant philosophical theorists for either faction wield is undeniable, particularly within the Conclave.
Military
Leon Krell is the Warmarshal of the Protectorate and Chairman of Executive Command. The Lyran Military is the name for the collective armed personnel of the Lyran state. It is something of a conventional misnomer, however, as, technically, the entirety of the Lyran state and populace co-constitute the military. As such, the state is broadly (and unofficially) divided into ‘combatant’ and ‘non-combatant’ Orders. The combatant military has three branches: Army, Navy and Aerospace Forces, although implementation of available combat force in any given theatre is managed at Order level, rather than service level. According to the Varessan Commonwealth Foreign Ministry, Lyras has the third-largest military in the world, at an estimated 1.21 billion combatant personnel, with about 40% of persons aged 17–54 in the combatant arms of the Lyran armed forces.
Lyras has one of the highest percentages of military personnel per capita of any nation in the world, with approximately 1 combatant soldier for every 10 people. Military strategy is designed around the concept of ‘full-spectrum overmatch’, implying employment of complete numerical and technological dominance in any chosen theatre of engagement, prior to the onset of military action. Due to Lyras’ unique national composition and nature, it remains one of very few states reliably able to put such a policy into practice. The Lyran military operates a very large amount of equipment, including over 9,000,000 tanks, 15,000,000 APCs, 17,900,000 artillery pieces (incl. mortars), 11,000,000 anti-aircraft vehicles in the army; at least 90,000 vessels in the Navy and over 6,000,000 aircraft in the Aerospace Force, as well as an unknown but estimated to be extremely high number of MANPADS and anti-tank guided missiles. The equipment is a mixture of foreign and domestically produced vehicles and small arms, both widely proliferated technology, and cutting edge restricted-acquisition modern systems.
The Lyran military is considered to be one of the most highly trained in the world, with early training being an integral component of Lyras’ compulsory education system. Children undergoing training are thus also, simultaneously, being instructed in the art and science of war. Nearly 900 million personnel graduate into the deployable military forces each year, although the exact number is classified. Lyras has confirmed and extensive nuclear and ballistic missile weapons programs. The exact number remain unknown at this stage, but is estimated to be well into the thousands. Lyras is known to favour employment of FOBS-based ICBMs and ballistic missile submarines, rather than aircraft, in the nuclear weapon employment roles. Lyras has a large and near-totally indigenous arms industry, producing most of its own equipment, and exporting its military equipment overseas. Lyran Arms, the organ of the Lyran Governmental Trade Department responsible for overseeing trade in Lyran hardware, turns an operating profit of (estd.) NS$980bn per annum. Many sources claim Lyras as the world’s largest supplier of armaments, a position it has purportedly held since 2007, and accounting for 35% of the world’s recorded arms sales, exporting to over 200 countries .
Geography
Lyras is the largest country in the Storn Archipelago, and accordingly, Lyras's climates, vegetation, and soils span considerable distances. Lyras has a very wide natural resource base including major deposits of iron, petroleum, natural gas, coal, titanium. aluminium and other mineral resources.
Topography
The two widest separated points in Lyras are about 3000km apart along a geodesic line. These points are: the coastline southeast of Lughenti on the Straits of Tal, and the farthest northwest of the country, about 200km west-northwest of Dexter. Lyran maritime access is considerable, with major ports situated along most of its very long coastline. The Gulf of Kush is a major source of crude oil, and tensions between Lyras and Fehnmar remain high partly because of this.
Most of Central Lyras consists of large stretches of rolling steppe plains, which give way to alpine forests along the mountains to the north, and then in turn become lowland deciduous forests along the coastal areas south of the Ironharbour Bight. East of Central Lyras the ground rises up to the Barrier Ranges, the old border between Lyras and the Sovereignty of Kush. East of this is the rocky Kush Desert, with fertile lowlands along its northern extent, watered by coastal rains and extensive rivers. Lyras possesses 40% of the Storn Archipelago's arable land.
The Blackreach Mountains, rich in mineral resources, form a northwest-southeast range that divides Lyras and South Fehnmar. Major islands that Lyras occupies in the Gulf of Kush remain disputed, with both Fehnmar and Erukush also laying claim.
Lyras is well-watered, and has thousands of rivers and inland bodies of water, providing it with extensive surface water resources. The largest and most prominent of Lyras's bodies of fresh water is Lake Woy, which alone contains over 20% of the archipelago's fresh surface water. When it comes to rivers, Lyras is second to Varessa by total renewable water resources, although the figure is contested. Of the country's many rivers, the Tal is the longest, running for over 1,500km, but is second to the Os in water volume discharged.
Climate
The climate of the Lyran Protectorate is formed under the influence of several determining factors. The size of the country and the prevalence of maritime influenced weather patterns result in competing climactic zonings. Mountains in the south obstruct the flow of warm air masses from the east, whilst the plain of the west and north makes the country open to northern influences.
In winter, temperatures get colder both from south to north and from east to west. Summers can be quite hot and humid, even in the far north. A small part of southern coast around Port Finch has a subtropical climate. The continental interiors are the driest areas.
Economy
Lyras is the second largest national economy in the Storn Archipelago, has the largest governmental surplus in Greater Dienstad, and is a major manufacturing and financial center. Lyras is one of Greater Dienstad's top exporters with NS$26.604 trillion exported in 2009 and generates a trade surplus of NS$7.79 trillion.[1] The service sector contributes around 5% of the total GDP, industry 90.1%, and agriculture 4.9%. The vast majority of the country's manufactured products are in military engineering, especially in armoured vehicles, production machinery, small arms, and munitions.
Lyras is a strong advocate of closer pan-Dienstadi economic and military integration, and its commercial and trade policies are determined entirely subordinate to governmental oversight. Agreements among Fedala Accord (FA) members and FA guidelines also play a prime role in foreign trade decision-making. Lyras uses the common Nationstates currency, the Nationstates Dollar, and its monetary policy, such as it is, is set in Bredubar. Internally, Lyran personnel are paid a stipendiary, not remunerative, wage, in credits, and all transactions are purely electronic. Any credits not used within three months expire, as they are held to have been not needed. By this device, accumulation of wealth by an individual is impossible. Credits are utilised, in other senses, in the same manner as currency generally, although the available range of goods and services are extremely low. Lyrans generally live very austerely, and most essential items are issued by the government, as seen in militaries globally.
Lyran foreign trade is entirely conducted under the auspices of the Lyran Governmental Trade Department. The import of raw materials and export of high-grade military hardware, subject to government policy, is an important arm of broader Lyran foreign policy. Proceeds from the sale of military hardware are reinvested internationally where possible, with the Governmental Trade Department actively seeking to expand its ownership of foreign enterprises as much as possible. Dividend yields and wider profits are in turn reinvested and, as a consequence, Lyras is one of Greater Dienstad's most asset rich nations. Large amounts of international currency held within Governmental Trade Department accounts was one of the driving factors in the establishment of Lambda Financial, a multi-trillion-dollar banking and financial services house, designed to further expand Lyran access to international markets, and increase Lyran economic influence globally.
Education
Responsibility for educational oversight in Lyras is vested within the individual Orders, whilst Executive Command only has a limited supervisory role. Education starts from very early (~2 years of age), and is indistinguishable from the broader society in most applications of the phrase. Education within a ‘cohort-creche’ is provided for all children between three and six years old, after which education takes on a more pronounced military bent. Training and education within Lyras are synonymous; all students, and ergo all children, upon graduation are considered to have finished their military training, and are held to be ready for active service. All training up to and including primary level is common and non-stratified in most instances, and is residential at all levels, for all persons.
In contrast, secondary education is streamed towards a given arm of the military, by a combination of aptitude, likely positional availability, and student inclination. Students are normally given fairly broad latitude in selection of appropriate courses, and encouraged to seek subjects likely to provide knowledge and training that will benefit them in the arm to which they intend to graduate. At late secondary level (~14 years) the subject choices and student pathing tend to become more firm, as trainees prepare to undertake the final tests and gradings that will determine their position and rankings in the selection paneling.
The more gifted students (~1 in 30) are, at approximately 15 years of age, invited to switch out of conventional training and accept streaming into the officer training course in the area of their respective preference. Declining is rare, but does happen. Officer-trainees are then given a taste of combat in a program called ‘blooding’, which serves to ensure Lyran officers, regardless of position or tasking, are at least passably familiar with combat operations. After a year on the active list, Officer-Cadets are returned to education for the Lyran equivalent of university, with personnel provided with job-specific training and experience.
Lyras' tertiary training facilities are highly regarded internationally, benefiting from a very broad selection base and access to substantial resources, as required.
Demographics
Culture
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