Paludis

Paludis can be found on the northern peninsula of Nieden on the marshy coast of the Palagean Sea. It is a small city-state with few residents, but a rich history. Paludis was previously the capital of the Palus Provinces, a member nation of the former Silver Coalition. After the New Years Revolution, the city was one of the first to show support for the new Sterling Crownlands. The city now serves as a regional capital for the Petty Kingdom of Palus, a duchy of the Sterling Crownlands.

City History
Paludis was officially founded on October 27th, 2020 late into the night, but the first settlements were built on October 26th which marks its unofficial founding. After the first Silver Coalition meeting Paludis was a part of, Paludis' claims expanded beyond the swamp to the dark oak forest to the northeast. The cities expansion continued. Paludis wrote an official constitution on the night of 10.31.2020 creating the basis for their government.

Since the time of founding, Paludis was a city of great intial growth, with many members of the Silver Coalition praising the city for its prosperity. At one time, Paludis was the 6th richest town in all of Rathnir, and the richest in all of the Silver Coalition.

Paludian Culture
Being a town based in a marsh, Paludis' culture has been heavily influenced by such. The general architecture has strong foundations and a mix of darker woods for the upper levels. Moss and vines can commonly be found growing on these foundations and on the wooden tops. This architecture is both a reflection of the Paludian environment, but also its peoples. Paludian people are a warm welcoming community which can be seen through the cozy wooden adobes built on top of the strong stone foundations. Alcohol is a very important staple of the town and is important for bonding with others. The Paludian flag (seen on right) is representative of a few things important to Paludians. The green represents the town's connection to its environment, the surrounding swamp. The blue represents the importance of the harbor and trade to and from Paludis. Yellow represents a bright future of prosperity and hope for the small town. Black represents the dedication of each and every resident to making Paludis the best town it can be and the bravery it has taken to overcome the challenges of living in such a harsh environment. Finally, the white in the center represents the unity of each aspect of the town through its founding and expansion. These ideas are all very important to how each Paludian handles themselves and should be kept in mind when visiting or touring the small town.

Every year Paludis celebrates the holiday of Caenis. During this holiday, the residents go out and hunt slimes for a full night both as a kind of respect to the wicked witch and to ward off potential attacks on the town. After the hunt, the town celebrates with many a drink from the tavern and a long rest to follow that.

The Mythology and Founding of Paludis
The swamps of Khanji used to inhabited by a nasty witch known by the name of Palua. The original Paludians were seeking a new home and found a marsh rich in resources. After striking gold in some of the ravines under the area, they knew this was where they were going to make a living. Palua did not take kindly to these new residents in her marsh though. Palua summoned the largest slime the miners had ever seen. The miners picked up their weapons and armor and prepared for battle. After splitting the slime into many, many parts, its numerous slices retreated back into the ground from which they came. As for Palua, she received a flaming arrow to the heart. The wicked witch of the marsh had been slain.

This was not the end of Palua's legacy though. She left behind a nasty curse the inhabitants of the swamp call murepistul. This curse condemned the residents of the growing city to a future of vines, moss, and overgrowth rampant throughout the city. As is, this curse would've dragged the buildings back down into the mud of the swamp from which they rose, but the heroes tried to prevent this. They named the town after the witch giving it the name Paludis. They never broke down the witch's hut and they celebrate a holiday each year known as Caenis.

These small respects to the witch lessened the effect of the curse and saved the town from being completely drowned in mud. Instead, the town only suffers the overgrowth of moss and vines as a result of the curse.

Paludian Geography
The geography of Paludis is an interesting topic. Being one of, if not the only, town in a marshy environment, it is in a unique situation. As mentioned previously, the buildings of the town need to be made in a way that stops them from sinking into the swamp. The harbor is very shallow and as such, larger ships cannot approach the city directly. The imports, exports, immigration, and emigration of Paludis all go either by land or from a dingy to a larger ship in the nearby deeper waters. This access to the sea is vital to Paludis' very existence as it connects the town to other areas in the Palagean Sea such as Icarus and Najerajad.

Notable Citizens
Xandros (a.k.a. Xandros87) - Xandros was the original founder of Paludis, immigrating to the northern Paludian Swamp from the town of Hapatmitas. Since the founding of Paludis as a city state, and later the Palus Provinces, Xandros has been an active member of the town council, notable for drawing up the first plans of the city, as well as designing its iconic architecture. When Paludis was accepted into the Silver Coalition, Xandros servered as a member on the coalition's council. Later through a democratic vote, he was promoted as to the Chief of Infrastructure. Xandros is known for being one of the first supporters of the Sterling Crownlands, helping in the New Year Revolution. Since the founding of the Crownlands, Xandros has become the Petty King of the Palus region. He continues to create infrastructure in the region.

Spysean (a.k.a Spyseand6) - Spysean was the second founder of Paludis, joining the town mere days after Xandros. Spysean was responsible for building the town's Dock Ward, the Paludian Grand Library, as well as other naval-related construction. Spysean is also known for creating the Paludian Constituion, as well as a large amount of other local literature. Spysean was the second council representive for Palus within the Silver Coalition, and he was soon promoted to Coalition-Military General during his time on the council. Spysean has since retired from many of his government postions to instead live and work on his farmstead known as Arcus.

WhiskeredOne - WhiskeredOne is one of the first non-founding citizens of Paludis. He is known for being a miner of advanced skill. This lead him to create the Paludian Miner's Guild, as well as the Head of Underground Affairs within the city. WhiskeredOne s quite possibly the richest member of the city, boasting the most material wealth in the form of mainly minerals and heavily enchanted equipment. WhiskeredOne has since gone on to become the leader of Grovehelm, the second biggest town in the Palus region.

RagingFire (a.k.a. RagingFire76) - RagingFire is one of the first non-founding citizens of Paludis. He is known as a prominent architect, building the majority of the city's Uptown Ward. He is also a prominent fisherman within the town, gather most of the city's initial food and enchanted books. Ragingfire is the land-owner of the Silver Citadel, though does not technically have any immediate power within the Crownlands. Ragingfire has since gone on to work with WhiskeredOne to build the town of Grovehelm.

Government
Paludis describes itself as a democratic republic. There are three branches of government: The Institution, The Union Association, and The Paludonis. The Instituion passes legislature for the entire town and votes on whether or not to pass the legislature through a fully democratic vote where each citizen gets one vote. The three founders (Xandros87, Spyseand6, and Peanutmaximus) have veto power for any legislature that gets passed but such a veto can be overturned by the Union Association. The Union Association is comprised of one elector from every officially recognized guild/union. The Union Association acts as the judiciary body for Paludis and mediates on cases brought up to the top level of government. Finally, the Paludonis acts as the representative leader of the town voted in through a weighted system where the founders have slightly more weight than the average resident. Combined, these three branches form the government of Paludis along with the three founders having slight weight in each section. Everything in the constitution though is able to be changed via amendments. Finally, Paludis guarantees free speech, free press, a right to happiness, and the right to take up arms. The full constitution can be viewed below with everything being described with their exact functions.

The Paludian Constitution

The Three Founders:

Xandros87

Spyseand6

PeanutMaximus

Begun Writing: 11.1.2020

Paludis will uphold certain fundamental rights every person of Rathnir should hold. While other nations may oppress their peoples, Paludis shall be different. First is the right to a free speech. Speaking out against the government is not just allowed, but encouragaed in order to ensure a sound government that works for the people. Second is the right of press. No books shall be banned in Paludis and no writer shall be censored. Third is the right to be happy. If one isn't happy, they should not stand for such unless purposely taking such a burden upon themselves. Fourth is the right to take up arms. In case of invasion or detrimental government corruption, there has to be an ability for residents to deter such situations. The Paludian government will be structured to hear the people and pursue policies that the people of Paludis want.

The main governmental body is a democratic institution made to vote on legislature for the town. Abstinence is permitted although not reccomended. Each resident gets one vote including government officials and the founders. A two thirds majority is needed to pass legislature that goes through the Institution. The three founders have the ability to veto any legislature with a 2/3 vote from the founders. This veto can be overturned by the Union Association.

The Union Association is an elected body composed of one elector from each union comprising at least two members. An official union has to be recognized by the founders and a resident can only be officially part of one union. The Union Association acts as the judicial system of Paludis. The Union Association cannot propose any legislature itself, it can only rule on vetos and court disputes that climb the judicial ladder. If a case reaches the Union Association, a trial will be called with a council consisting of each union electorate and the founders to dictate the outcome of the case. A majority of the council needs to be in favor of an outcome in order for the case to be decided.

The third governmental branch is called the Paludonis (or Paludona) and is the elected official that will represent Paludis as a whole. This figure will be elected by every resident with weight given to the founders. Each citizen's vote will count as one vote while the founders' votes will have a weight of two votes. The elected official will not hold legislative or judicial powers, but will hold many other important positions. One such position is determining foreign policy stances with a council including the Paludonis and the founders. The Paludonis will also be the chief of the citizen's militia. They can settle minor disputes and has the ability to raise trials to the Union Association. In general the Paludonis should hold similar power to the founders and unspoken jobs will be either delegated to the Paludonis or to the founders to be determined case by case.

Term limits are of vital importance to keep the democratic values of Paludis alive. The term limit for Union Association electorates is one week with their elections falling on Saturdays at times determined by the unions. The term limit for the Paludonis is two weeks with their election falling on Saturday as well.

Certain measures will be taken to expunge any and all corruption from governmental elections to ensure the will of the people is heard and followed. Donations to political figures are banned for any and all reasons before, during, and after their terms unless they fully retire from politics. Influence of other kinds up to the discretion of the Union Association judicial council are permanently banned as well. Any case of such being found among elections will result in the perpetrators being barred from any elections in the future and will pay a fine who's value is determined by the Union Association's judicial council. All other crimes will be determined by the people, mediation, and if needed, the raising of the case to the Union Association's judicial council. It is assumed that each citizen will have good manners and respect one another. Respect includes the following:


 * No stealing
 * No griefing
 * No assault
 * Respectful discussion
 * No harrasment
 * Don't be an asshole, put simply

Anything unmentioned in this consitution is up to the discretion of the founders (or Palidonis if given the decision by the founders) and everything within the constitution is subject to change via amendments passed through the Institution.

"A beacon of democracy in the swamp of authoritarianism"

Copies of the constitution can be requested from Spyseand6.