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Qualifications for City Classification
In Rikutsar, for a populated place to be considered a city it must:

a) have an established, actively-updated (reports filed with the Department of Land Partitioning once every 1 year at the maximum), and accurate (to within 2 meters) zoning plan.

b) have a population density of at least 3,456 people per square kilometer OR have a total population (within a properly defined set of city limits via a report filed to the Department of Land Division updated once every 6 years maximum) of at least 50,000 people.

c) have a properly established (via laws and procedures established by the National Judicial Commission) city government.

d) have an established main artery road (as established by the Department of Transportation) within 1 kilometer of properly established city limits.

Rikutsaren Currency
36 = thuveidicu

18 = heiteneg veidicu

6 = enegveidicu

1 = veidicu (3 uzidheiric) (6 idheiric)

1/3 = idheir - equivalent to a quarter (1/5 or 0.2 in base 6)

1/6 = thuicu - equivalent to a dime (1/10 or 0.1 in base 6)

thuicu- "cent" (pl. thuicuc)

veid - "dollar" (pl. veidic)

As a result of this system, there are virtually no prices in Rikutsar that go beyond 1 decimal place.

Naming Children in Rikutsar
The Rikutsaren given name consists of 4 parts, corresponding closely to Roman naming conventions:

leagrov = the informal, friendly name. Not given at birth, chosen by the parents and often representing an adjective associated with the child, a part of nature they find beautiful, or honoring a past family member. Can change throughout life and is legally quite easy to change. Corresponds to the Roman praenomen or the Western given name.

volgrov = The clan (formal, extended family) name. Often refers to an adjective describing an important ancestor, whether it be their place of origin, their occupation, a personality trait, or their appearance. Never dropped, functions much like the western concept of a surname or the Roman nomen. Very difficult to change legally.

decugrov = the formal, immediate family name. often refers to their place of origin or the occupation of a recent ancestor. Sometimes dropped but not usually. Much like the Western middle name or Roman cognomen. Also very difficult to change legally and nowadays appears on most ID cards.

gwethgrov = the "life name", gifted to them by their community, family, or other close group describing their major attributes and accomplishments. Often dropped unless in very formal situations, nowadays only legally obtainable by the receipt of a groviug; a formal and legal traditional name gift. Much like a roman agnomen.

If I were to grow up in Rikutsar, I would have been given an identification number at birth and simply be named "daughter" (Tsorur) with my parents' clan name, perhaps in this case Lecíren and my parent's immediate family name, in this case Gumleoriri. Then, since I asked questions more than most as a child, I’d be named Massuour. Some children choose their own names, since what they're called normally might be derogatory or unkind. Then, when I'm older, my life name might be given (say I got into politics, it'd be Lithcherigur). I would retain my original identification number throughout my whole life. I would sign documents and such as Massuour Gumleoriri Lecíren unless I was really full of myself and thought including the life name was necessary.

Similar to in Spanish, such names would have their gender affix dropped in favor of the genitive affix:
 * Child of Farogur > Farogui / Farogutsor
 * Child of Nyrgraorur > Nyrgraoren / Nyrgraortsor
 * Child of Klurjordur > Klurjordi / Klurjordtsor
 * Child of Syrgaethur > Syrgaethen / Syrgaethtsor

Some of the clans of Rikutsar have existed since the very beginning, and a small few since even before that, having been repurposed from Roman gens.

Television
Televisions in Rikutsar are normally circular or oval, usually within a triangular or trapezoidal case of silver-copper alloy. Signals are sent to the television set from a camera via dense matrix of 15,000 to 20,000 selenium phototubes within the camera. The receiver is another matrix of similar size which projects the image onto a rapidly rotating metal disk within the television that has 500 to 1000 very small holes in it, similar to a very advanced Nipkow disc. The image from this disc is projected onto a translucent glass panel. Rikutsar has successfully managed to downsize selenium phototubes efficiently.

Television signal in Rikutsar was for a very long time transmitted over wire (in some areas as recently as 1960), but was quickly replaced with wireless once news of wireless research came in from Rikutsar's infamous "scientist spies" who were implanted in almost every university and government science lab in the world.

Televisions in Rikutsar are much older and far different from Televisions in the rest of the world. The ancestor of the modern version was invented in 1678 by Royal Scientists experimenting with the light sensitivity of selenium cell phototubes, which were also invented long before its contemporary versions (in the Rikutsaren Electricity Rush) and are different in certain aspects from them.

Astronomy
The Andromeda Galaxy was the first and foremost astronomical wonder of Early Rikutsaren astronomers. In 886 AD, the astronomer Laipnen the Young said the following:

“Zuos prurei cechwes, farricic tuvunu nes ésc siprurec batsedú hizai cefar.”

"It appears like a dove of the sky, with outstretched wings which fly through the endless cosmos."

It is from this description that the Elder Rikutsaren word "coulflis" (star cloud) was phased out, and the more popular "prurzuos" (sky dove) was used instead. In Rikutsaren, the galaxy was called “Lithonen Prurzuos", honoring the nation's leaders and their planet of origin, which lies within the Andromeda galaxy.

Classes:

Super-Jupiter > Class F (A)

Gas Giant > Class E (B)

Ice Giant > Class A (C)

Mini-Neptune > Class H (D)

Super-Earth > Class B (E)

Earth-sized > Class G (F)

Sub-Earth > Class C (G)

Mesoplanet > Class D (H)

Lithos is a Class B1b2 planet "Habitable super-earth planet with intelligent life" Earth is a Class G1b2 planet "Habitable earth-like planet with intelligent life"

Subclasses:

Type: Habitability: Life: e
 * earth-like = 1
 * oceanic = 2
 * desertine = 3
 * cold / frozen = 4
 * hot / lava = 5
 * uninhabitable = a
 * habitable = b
 * no life = 0
 * non-intelligent life = 1
 * intelligent life = 2

Civil Services
The Imperial Civil Services: a subdivision of the popular council, the imperial civil services are

Imperial Intelligence Service: who handle communications between the empresses and the cantons

Imperial Transportation Service:

Laws
The Truths, Laws, and Rights of man – Ychaec, Gumec, o Gusec Lithen – written originally in 430 AD by Farogúr, Nyrgraorur, and the Checesdiuz. Constitutional

Regulatory


 * Any racist, sexist, or otherwise prejudiced content conveyed via media, whether electronic or written, is Illegal regardless of what basis the content is created on. This law does not apply unless reported by a citizen to a government institution specialising in Media Content.
 * Hate Speech - Legal but not promoted. (Physically Harmful = Harrassment Charge)
 * could be rewritten as constitutional; Rights of all Humanity
 * Bullying/Cyberbullying - Illegal if Physically Harmful (see Hate Speech)
 * Any citizen of Rikutsar can and is urged to file a report to the Sisech Cherigorir if they find a piece of media racist, sexist, or otherwise prejudiced. If ??% or more of the Rikutsaren population files complaints on a piece of media, said media will be removed from public access.
 * The Removal of any Hard-Stemmed Perennial Plant by any other means than transferral and replanting at another location, is Illegal unless the Plant is diseased, dead, or otherwise dangerous to a building, roadway, or Pedestrian Walkway.
 * could be rewritten as a constitutional "Rights of all Life"
 * Disposal of any items onto the ground or floor of a public area is Illegal. Biological Food Scraps are to be disposed of into Compost Containers or Piles.
 * Gay marriage - Legal
 * Abortion – Generally illegal unless medical danger to mother.
 * Rights of all Life
 * The socioeconomic arguments in favor of abortion rights don't typically apply in Rikutsar due to its socialist economy and highly equalized class system.


 * Consensual sexual activities of any kind between two Human or Lithon beings at or above 21 years of age (in base 6) is legal.
 * Consent must be given verbally and not under duress or coercion for it to be legal.
 * Polyamory - Legal
 * Adultery – Illegal

Slavery - Illegal
 * Solar, Wind, and Geothermal Power are the only legal sources of electricity.
 * indirectly backed by the Rights of all Life
 * If a resident is found using any other source of electricity, they will be issued monthly fines until they transfer to a legal source of electricity.
 * All motorised vehicles are required to run on electricity alone.
 * The Drainage, Blockage, or other Removal of any Non-Oceanic Body of Water is Illegal.
 * Rights of all Land
 * Heavy Gun Restrictions; permit required, clear criminal record, minimum 20 years of age
 * No Death Penalty
 * Rights of all Humanity
 * No Murder/Homicide/Terrorism allowed
 * Rights of all Humanity
 * All drugs legal to some extent; narcotics, opiates, and alcohol heavily restricted
 * Limits on Street Lighting (due to Light Pollution) Certain voltage & Brightness, Downward facing lamp covers, etc.
 * Vehicle Operation - 18 years
 * Commercial Slaughterhouses Legal (Subject to restrictions based on the Rights of all Life)
 * Battery - Illegal
 * Child, Animal, or Spousal Abuse - (see Battery)
 * Rights of all Humanity

Roman Laws:

ius civile - laws of citizens

ius gentium - laws of foreigners

ius singulare - special law for certain groups of people, things, or legal relations

ius publicum - law to protect the interests of the state

ius privatum - law to protect individuals


 * Tai siceshab samai cárcherigúreasac roguir tegisethuchsur.
 * all must pledge their loyalty to the empresses only
 * Roguir báith tetechsur.
 * all must never kill
 * Roguir báith tecothugwensur.
 * all must never steal
 * all are born equal in dignity and personal freedom before the law and before the eyes of their fellow man.
 * all must be permitted their life and personal security
 * none must be held in servitude in any form
 * none must be tortured or treated cruelly, inhumanly, or dishonorably
 * all must be recognized as human before the law.
 * none must be subjected to arbitrary punishment or detainment
 * all must be allowed a fair and public hearing by an impartial jury
 * all must be presumed to be innocent until proven guilty
 * all must be allowed protection from slander, interference, or attacks of any sort against their family, home, or name.
 * all must be allowed the freedom of movement between regions or nations
 * all must be allowed the freedom of self-identification in gender, nationality, religion, or otherwise
 * all must be allowed to marry, so long as all parties consent freely and fully
 * the family, as a fundamental unit of society, must be protected
 * all must be allowed to work under equal, just,

Criminal Justice System
In 1929, after the events of the infamous Riots of Piiäs, the Rikutsaren police force and all its subsidiaries were disbanded by Royal Decree straight from the capital itself. In its place, the national police force was substituted by the military, transferring control of national justice from the benevolent Nyrgraorur to the authoritative Farogúr.

In the place of local police forces, however, Nyrgraorur created, for each city, a Giaan Stawo Säsitukoyi, or Local Council of Vigilantes. She sought the service of 1 vigilante per 1,728 people and 1 vigilante for towns smaller than 1,728 people. The capital city of Inkenonér is patrolled by the military, as is the special economic city of Luarntonér. Cities such as Fory Iorë, however, are controlled by these vigilantes, and Fory Iorë has 415 vigilantes!

In modern times, the vigilantes band together in Sintawog of various sizes to coordinate efforts, and generally operate bottom-up, meaning that reports on their effectiveness are given by the citizens they protect. The citizens have immunity and protection regarding these reports and have since the establishment of the program. Vigilantes face punishments ranging from a hefty fine to execution for crimes committed against citizens, and even in the lightest of crimes torture is often involved, although that is a practice put in place by Farogúr in the 1970s.

Prisons
Farogúr thought of the Rikutsaren prison structure early on. As the empress that was (and is) generally most interested in justice, order, and authoritative approaches, she wasn't particularly concerned about prisoner comfort. However, her past experiences (and the wisdom of her more people-oriented wife Nyrgraorur), told her that she needed to put those interests aside to create more peace and order in the long term (which would in turn further consolidate her power.)

Lithos is known to execute individuals for any crime, no matter how small, and the culture in which the Empresses had spent the previous 300 years, Rome, did much the same. The idea of the Freitgai, the classic Rikutsaren prison compound, was completely foreign to the world at that time, but Farogúr knew that the removal of freedom was the best, most humane way to punish criminals.

So the first true prison was built just outside the city of Hoegen in 760 AD. It was designed in a campus-style layout, with trees and gardens and lush interiors. Nyrgraorur, who designed the Freitgai Hoegei, believed that the purpose of a prison was not to punish criminals and treat them as animals, but instead to isolate them and exile them from society, making life safer for law-abiding citizens.

Great Earth War
In the 3rd Millennium BC, Farogur and Nyrgraorur independently came to Earth, not having yet met each other at this time. The Lithon were a colonial species, taking every planet in their path and warping it to their benefit. Earth was merely their next target. But Farogúr, Nyrgraorur, and many others had endured enough oppression, and rebelled, joining the movement of a Litho named Anthos the Great. The ensuing war was successful in driving off the invading Lithon, but at a great cost: nearly every Litho on Earth was obliterated by a powerful and coordinated attack by the Litho ruling class, the Theion. Only a handful survived, including Farogúr and Nyrgraorur, who were now close friends from the war. Meanwhile, Anthos and her closest confidants also survived due to her powers, and they disappeared into obscurity for the following few millennia.

The Empresses' Expedition
Farogúr and Nyrgraorur settled in place for 2 thousand years, living out of a cave in the forests of modern-day Finland, but in the first millennium BC they began to explore further and further from their base. They learned the languages of humans nearby, and in the late 5th century BC they left their camp and travelled down the coast of Europe. They lived among various people groups like the early Goths, the Suebi, the Gallaeci, and later the Romans.

Farogur and Nyrgraorur live with the Artabri tribe in their capital at modern-day Lugo, Spain from 422 BC until 131 BC Farogur and Nyrgraorur live among the Lugudonensi tribe of the Balares people from 130 BC until 68 BC
 * during this time they devoutly worshipped the Gallaecian deities and learned to speak their language fluently.
 * Farogur later becomes leader of the city.
 * Farogur was an Artabri commander during the Second Punic War, commanding a single group of 26 into battle, where only 1 casualty was noted. She also commanded during the Lusitanian War, indirectly commanding 3 groups (via 3 subordinate commanders) of 102 total. Only 12 soldiers survived in her legion during the Lusitanian War.
 * Farogur surrenders power over Lugo peacefully to the Romans: 137 BC
 * During this time both learn the trade of baking bread and become bakers. They make many friends among the Lugudonensi this way.

Farogur moves to Rome with a good friend in 68 BC. She takes on the name Marcia Duronia Aviena and quickly becomes involved with Roman politics. She becomes the praefecta urbi of Rome from 55 BC to 47 BC.

Farogur is removed from her position as praefectus urbi and arrested when she has a disagreement with then-emperor Augustus over the use of her police force to beat and kill homeless near the Forum Romanum.
 * Nyrgraorur escapes to Eryx, Sicily, but Farogur is imprisoned, where she is tortured, beaten, and sexually assaulted for 6 months before Nyrgraorur returns and helps her escape. She retains the scars from the hot metal rods to this day.

Farogur flees with Nyrgraorur to Eryx, Sicily (which was nearly abandoned at the time) to hide from Roman authorities. She remains here from 45 BC until 396 AD.
 * In Eryx, they are taken in as mother figures for the remaining residents of the town. They get to know everyone, their children, and then their children as well. In all, they live through 6 full generations of Eryx families.
 * Around 340 AD, within their inner circle, Farogur begins talk of creating an empire somewhere with a new language and a new identity. Most of them are on board. She spoke of an island to the far southeast that she had remembered from old Lithon charts.

Culture
Kalends = 1st day

Nones = 5th day

Ides = 13th day

The June solstice for western Australia was on June 21st in 433 AD although the solstice dates have since moved, the Rikutsaren new year remains on June 21st.

In Rikutsaren the month had 4 major days, each on the nearest weekend day to a date divisible by 18: the caognar, the heitunas, the gibnar, and the leatsedu.

Holidays
Leagwirnar- initially Parentalia, a nine-day festival beginning 13 February, where sacred offerings of flower-garlands, wheat, salt, wine-soaked bread and violets to the "shades of the dead" at family tombs. This holiday ended 21 February with the midnight rites of Feralia (Nyrorjeriachu), where the patriarch would would address the malevolent, destructive aspects of his ancestor spirits, and was followed the next day by Caristia (Nyrorsal), where the family held an informal banquet to celebrate the amity between them and the dead.
 * temples closed, marriages were forbidden, and magistrates walked without their insignia during this time, function effectively as a yearly renewal of the rite of burial
 * Other times could be times to celebrate ancestors as well, such as on their birthday or during the Kalends, Nones, or Ides of each month.
 * Lemuria which happened on the 9th 11th and 13th May was aimed at kinless and hungry spirits.
 * Also during this time, from the Nones of February to the 14th, Fornacalia, which celebrated Fornax the god of bread and grain, was held. In Rikutsar this was merged into the second day of Núrirnar.
 * As Beokornoru stood by the 800s AD, Nyrorjeriachu and Nyrorsal had been merged into the last 2 days of Leagwirnar, and Jajiornar was merged into the 2nd day. As such, the festival consisted of the following:

Beokorene Dasoamymzi - the "Festival of Ancestors"; a nine-day festival held starting on the Gibnar of the first month (The weekend day closest to the 3rd day divisible by 18.
 * Day 1: Núrirdiuz - the "Parental Mass"; a gathering of the heads of all Rikutsaren families, a convention of sorts centered around a mass rite.
 * Day 2: Jajiornar - the "Day of Bread"; a celebration of bread, and its offering to the ancestor spirits to satisfy their hunger after years of death.
 * Day 3: Guprotnar - the "Day of Wine"; a celebration of wine, and its offering to the ancestor spirits to quench their thirst (in the form of a libation) after years of death.
 * Day 4: Gaethnar - the "Day of Flowers"; families engaged in a rite where they would plant flowers, especially violets, around the ancestors' tomb.
 * Day 5: Cágunar - the "Day of Rest"; a day of rest and prayer where the family prays and sleeps at or near the tomb.
 * Day 6: Sevjugnar **the "Day of Giving Jewels"; a day where the family would bring their own valuables, such as jewelry, to the tombs of their ancestors.
 * Day 7: Naovnar - the "Day of Want"; a day of devotion towards the personal preferences of the ancestors, as recorded in the Lithgheos at the end of their life. Family would bring things the ancestors liked, after a long 6 days of devoting their own time, energy, and material possessions to the spirits.
 * Day 8: Nyrorjeriachu - the "Cleansing of the Spirit"; a day of reflection ending in a midnight ritual where the family addresses the evil, toxic, or malevolent aspects of their ancestor spirits. The family would also put salt on the tombs.
 * Day 9: Nyrorsal - the "Spirit Mercy"; a feast where the family comes to terms with their ancestor spirits and declares their amity.

Religion
Many older Roman Gods were retained or revived in Ancient Rikutsaren society, re-framed as Reporuthuc or "guardian airs", who were not thought to be beings but instead forces. Juturna - goddess of fountains, wells, and springs; later also watering holes, ponds, and small lakes and rivers Ceres - goddess of agriculture

Ancestor-worship is present.

Despite not being officially propagated by the state, 60-65% of the Rikutsaren populace believes in a system of myths and practices called Chenem. It mostly follows the premises of the Nyryc Liáithen, a biographical history set consisting of over 14,000 pages total co-written in the 500s AD by Farogúr and Nyrgraorur, the leaders of Rikutsar, outlining their lives on Earth, their lives prior to their arrival, the structure of their home society, and the creation (to their knowledge) of their race. It is also mixed with various Roman practices and borrowed practices from other religions encountered on the Ravfath Checesirei.

Having its foundation in Roman religion, highly influenced by the "faith-based" nature of Christianity and accounts of Lithon history by Farogúr and Nyrgraorur, the ???? religion is unique among semi-major world religions.

Ancestor worship

Polytheistic, multiple Sīrik ("high ones")

Creation Story:
The universe was unformed chaos for eternity. The chaos was the primordial god, Nuiθ. However, among this chaos was Graefur, the Goddess of Love, whose power multiplied without bound. Eventually it became too great to bear, and with Graefur Nuiθ birthed a child: Norūr, the Goddess of Light. With her birth, she brought order to the chaos, and as an unintended consequence another god emerged: Laon, the God of Dust and Stone. Norūr created all the stars in the sky, and Laon created all the planets and nebulae. Norūr fell deeply in love with Laon, and they birthed Liθon, the Goddess of Inorganic Life (like the inhabitants of Lithos), and Nerūr, the Goddess of Water.

However, Nuiθ also fell in love with Laon and they too birthed children: Gweθur, the Goddess of Organic Life, and Saraion, the God of Fire. Saraion was an evil child. He wished nothing but to see his own propagation across all the universe. He went to kill Gweθur and Liθon, for he hated life more than anything else. Due to his heat his own grandmother, Graefur, could not gift him with her love, so he only hated. When the deed was done, Gweθur rose again stronger and healthier, but Liθon died from the burning and shattered into a million pieces (representing the start of the Lithon species, with Lithos itself supposedly being Liθon's heart)

For this, Saraion was condemned by Nuiθ to spend the rest of eternity under the control of the other gods. This is why, the myth says, fire is extinguished by water (Nerūr made Saraion eternally weak to her powers, and Laon made it so that fire would turn to ash or lava to stone when it touched water), why it must emit light and light must carry heat (Norūr bound Saraion to her), why the centers of all the planets are made of fire (Laon encased Saraion in a prison of stone), and why organic life rebounds from fire (Gweθur was made strong against Saraion's power)

Nerūr and her parents were very close, which is why the seas are cradled by the land, and why water melts under the light. Nerūr nursed Gweθur back to health, and to pay that debt Gweθur promised that organic life would depend on water to live, and that the deserts where Saraion roamed would be devoid of life.

From the power of love that permeated that primorial chaos, all the emotions descended. From the void outside love, hatred, jealousy, and greed can be derived. From within love, kindness, and laughter are derived.

History
OUTDATED: Farogúr, Nyrgraorur, and the 35-person "Council of Establishment" created from scratch both the language of Rikutsar and the cultural practices people used initially, and from there both evolved according to the people. For the majority of its existence, the country has been ruled under a totalitarian monarchy, with Farogúr and Nyrgraorur holding absolute joint power. However, starting in the early 1900s, the government expanded to allow for a publicly-elected legislature and a checked judicial branch. Since 1311, the two have taken turns leading while the other remains mostly in the background, switching every 90 years on June 18th. The current primary leader is Farogúr, who has been so since 1941 and will switch out with Nyrgraorur in 2031.

1892 Olympic Games
The experimental 1892 Olympic Games were held in Luarít, Rikutsar. It was an agreement made by the Greek government, who was not prepared to hold such an undertaking, and the main governments of Europe at the time. The vast complex cost the modern equivalent of $3 billion US dollars and was one of the few Olympic complexes to see regular use after the games concluded. The sports stadium was turned into a convention center, the Olympic Center (Olympí Dyngae). It replaced the historic convention center, the Peace Channel Center  (Luaríti Dyngae), which was converted into Rikutsar’s largest University, the University of Luarít (Luarít Coullaegae).

The Elder Rikutsaren word for "college", gwirjaelgai, turned into curjaelgae in Swoorlac, which was borrowed back into Middle Rikutsaren as colejge due to association with Latin collēgium. This evolved into the modern word coullige, but the original word also evolved into modern birjaelgae, meaning "boarding school."

The Fortis
the Fortis had a complement of ~45 crew members

30 rowers (selected from the strongest of the passengers) 1 rower supervisor 1 captain and their lieutenant 1 helmsman 2 lookouts 1 ship's doctor & their 3 assistants 1 security officer & their 3 assistants

But there were also many passengers. the Fortis was the largest ship ever built in its time, as it had to accommodate the 255 additional passengers. Luckily, Farogúr's knowledge of mechanics and Nyrgraorur's knowledge of construction methods came in great handy during the construction of the Fortis.

Nyrgraorur:
I love humans. I will admit I was very selfish to have used them as a tool to fill my own ego, and I've treated humans poorly in the past because I lost hold of what is truly great about them: their freedom.

My species, the Lithon, are morally backwards, oppressing even their own kind so that those at the top can benefit. I admit humans have done much of the same, and they still have a long way to grow, but if you care for them and teach them correctly they can see that freedom isn't about individuality, it's about the collective.

One cannot be truly free until all are free and with the help of Anton, son of Anthos the great rebel leader who turned against the Theion she once called herself a member of, we can bring peace and freedom to all Lithon outlying colonies and then to Lithos itself.

Farogúr
Humans are one of the most ambitious races I've ever encountered. To pair them with Lithon is a recipe for disaster for any large empire that stands in their way. Anton is a gift to us from the powers that be, and with his help we can show the galaxy that Earth is a planet to be revered, and that the Rikutsaren people are its finest product.

an aside [future]
As part of the intergalactic federation, Earth is one of its most prominent members. But some righteous humans may be thinking that their great country of America or all the high-horse nations of Europe were the ones to spearhead the initiative. But in the federation Earth is not known as "Earth" or "Terra." It is known as Seil, the word for Earth in the Rikutsaren language. Rikutsar was uniquely positioned to handle first contact, and in doing so they became the face of Earth.

Rikutsaren National Minimum Wage List
- Controlled and maintained by the Bureau of Wages and Benefits, a subsidiary of the Department of Finance.

- lists primary jobs and industries individually

- leaves rest to provinces

- has power to set a national minimum wage for specific jobs via public petition of no less than 10% of a given province’s population, or no less than 3% of the national population

- uses multipliers of a base value determined from the level and rate of monetary inflation.

- 12/20: the Empresses have set a baseline minimum wage of V120 (equivalent to $15.78 USD) per hour. Provinces may go above this amount, but never below. - exchange rate; 7.6 RKV per USD

Rikutsaren Legislature
- Known as the “Birandyz” (from Elder Rikutsaren Gwirasdiuz “people’s group”)

- Unicameral

- Each province has one provincially-appointed* representative per 1% of the population, resulting in a constant 1,000 representatives elected every 3 years and term-limited to 4 terms. Currently, each representative oversees around 130,000 people.

- *Before 1956, some of the more people-oriented representatives were known to establish advisory committees of their own. In 1956, the government made representative advisory committees a requirement, merging this concept with the existing “neighborhood leader” system.

- Every committee consists of anywhere from 11 to 39 people, each representing a neighborhood** within the representative’s district. Each of these committees, since 1956, have elected from amongst themselves a chairman. This chairman serves as the representative to the Gwirasdiuz.

- Established after the Lovebay Revolution as the successor to the Ricudiuz, the original body of legislature.

- Functions merely as an advisory body. Has very little real power over the executive or judicial branches. Most laws made here relate to criminal and civil activity.

- However, the legislature may pass non-binding resolutions in an attempt to sway the decisions of a government agency in one direction or another.

- Does also have varying levels of power over some other civil issues, such as infrastructure projects, eminent domain, zoning, border drawing, and internet management.

- Has Committees on a plethora of topics, such as Taxation, Environmental Regulation, and Infrastructure.

- The Empresses may interfere in any part of the legislative process at any time for any reason. Rikutsaren Judiciary

- At the national level, the Empresses make direct judicial decisions with the advice of the Chief Attorney and the Legal Implications Committee. These decisions may or may not contradict established statutory law, but the former is rare. Decisions made by the Empresses are superior to existing law. Law, if the decision is not a single-case exception, is changed by the Records Committee (??) to reflect the decision. (potential conflicts arise when the committee’s wording does not match the decision(!!))

- At the provincial levels and lower, all courts are tribunals consisting of no fewer than 3 judges.

- Defendant and Prosecution are both guaranteed legal counsel and representation by highly specialized and well-trained attorneys hired by the state.

- There is no jury, but the appeals process is possible via petition of 24 people (with proof of relation(??)) or more, and then a retrial must be held in a higher court. The Empresses may choose to manually override the appellate process for any individual case, and appeals are not possible for decisions made by the Empresses.

- A type of court found in Rikutsar is Worker’s Court, where a worker can file a case against an employer for bad work conditions, wage violations, or unfair termination.

- The national system and appeals process are relatively new, established in 1804. Prior to this, a more medieval-type system was in place at the national level where no advisors were present and no legal representation was guaranteed to the defendant. There was also no consistent or established appellate process. - The provincial system has been in place more or less the same way since the nation’s founding, albeit also without guaranteed legal representation until 1804.

Rikutsaren Executive
- The Empresses may pass binding orders on any subject without approval by other entities. They may be amendments to existing statutes or other law, or they may be standalone. The Empresses may also pass non-binding resolutions.

- When one empress is in power, the other must receive their assent to pass an order (12/20: this implies that Empresses nonpotestiva still have the power to pass orders. very interesting). It is rare for one of the Empresses to block the other’s binding order.

The Executive Cabinet
- There are hundreds of departments, bureaus, commissions, and divisions thereof in the Rikutsaren Executive. Some of the larger ones include the Departments of Finance, Foreign Relations, Land Affairs, and Transportation.

- Each executive entity holds some power to execute its own duties, but major decisions require direct assent from the Empresses. The definition of “major decision” is outlined in Rikutsaren Statutes Chapter II Section 2.

Rikutsaren Constitution
- Serves as the Base Law

Chapter I - The Rikutsaren People and their Rights

Chapter II - The Government of Rikutsar

- Section 1 - Structure

- Section 2 - The Executive Branch

- Section 3 - The Judicial Branch

- Section 4 - The Legislative Branch

Chapter III - The Governments of the Provinces and their dependents

Chapter IV - The Guardians of the Rikutsaren People, their Powers, and their Duties

- Section 1 - The Great Empresses Faroguru and Nyrgraoru

- Section 2 - Members of the Government of Rikutsar

- Section 3 - Members of the Governments of the Provinces and their dependents

Chapter V - The Conduction of Internal Affairs

Chapter VI - The Conduction of External Affairs

Rikutsaren Code of Civil, Criminal, and Regulatory Law - more specific than statutes.

Rikutsaren Zoning
- **Neighborhood: an entity establishable by petition (with proof of ID from each signature) consisting of no fewer than 48 people and no more than 1728 people, whose representative sits on the advisory committee to a Koau representative.

- District: a group of neighborhoods, created by the government with consent of each neighborhood, whose representative sits on the Gwirasdiuz.

misc1
1377; We travelled in the 8th month to yonder new place they call "England," and we encountered a strange and new language and people. This Europe is truly different from the Europe the Empresses left. "Spricst thu Engliss?" they would ask us. We had a translator to help us, but it was still difficult. Some basic terms we learned I list thusly:

- "Huither árt thú fram?" Where are you from?

- "Gódne mergen" Good morning

- "Hú sagest thú _ in Engliss?" How do you say _ in English?

A linguistic party should come with us when we visit next to provide a more detailed analysis of the language.

misc2
A number of animals thought to be extinct can be found on Rikutsar.

The most prominent is their national animal: the Cazeioty (Megalapteryx didinus ricutaris), which was selectively bred from specimens imported from New Zealand in the 800s AD. Cazeiotyc are the only remaining Moas in the world.

Additionally, to control wild populations, the Haast's Eagle (Hieraaetus moorei, known natively as the Jathwil) was brought from New Zealand in the 1300s.

Later additions to this category, mainly surviving in Zoos, are the Chatham Rail (natively named the Meoric due to confusion with Dieffenbach's rail) and the Huia.

Additionally, many species found in Southwest Australia have differently-sized counterparts that have existed in Rikutsar for tens of thousands of years. Mostly birds and plants are shared in common, but one small marsupial also exists. A large counterpart to the honey possum (Tarsipes rostratus) exists in Rikutsar, known as the Gaethsmyd ("Flower mouse", T. rostratus gigantus).

Symbolism
White is bright. It is cold, harsh, and loud. It is the collective voice, the greater good, it is reason against emotion, it is intelligent and knowledgeable. It is the color you see when you open the door to a very real, harsh world and the sun beats down on your face. This is why Farogúr is the White Empress, the Empress of the Wind, the Flying Light, for she is all these things.

Black is dark. It is warm, soft, and quiet. It is individuality, it is emotion against logic, it is intimate, passionate, and understanding. It is the color you see when closing your eyes and looking within yourself. This is why Nyrgraorur is the Black Empress, the Empress of Fire, the Dreaming Moon, for she is all these things.

Together they are Grey, not because it is unknown, neutral, or lacking in conviction, but because it is the perfect balance. It is the sum of opposite parts. It understands restraint and compromise, and stands up for what it knows is best while ensuring that they hear the voice of others. This is why the dynamic between Farogúr and Nyrgraorur is The Dance of Grey, The Ballad of the Spring, The Flying Dream of the Sunrise, for they, together, are all these things.

Farogúr's Quirks
Farogúr in her modern setting, despite being away from Lithos for over 5,000 years as a free individual, carries on 2 formative rules that all Opoi had to follow: 1. You are not to speak unless spoken to 2. You are not to speak out of turn. These two rules greatly hinder her communication skills and relies on support to assist her through daily social interaction. The circumstances of her creation as well as her current ethics solidify these rules.

Firstly, she is incapable of interrupting people. On the floor of Rikutsar’s legislature, filibustering is not allowed as a result, and there are strict time limits on speeches and statements. In addition, she relies on another individual to interrupt people for her by providing them a hand signal.

Secondly, she is incapable of initiating speech. She can only speak in response to another. She has a special person employed, a tentir or “starter”, to help her start meetings and public speeches. Normally they simply state “Farogúr, sow ur detent” or “Farogúr, di nuvert” (“Farogúr, you may begin” and “Farogúr, your speech”), and then she starts speaking.

To many these seem like silly formalities, but these support systems enable Farogúr to be the leader she is, especially considering she needs these supports in informal conversation.

The Chamber
However, the most common yet horrendous punishment by far is the Chamber. An ovoid, glass chamber with tubes coming out of the top, the Lithon is locked inside the Chamber and exposed to a toxic substance called anti-dynamo. Dynamo being the substance between the nanoparticles in a Lithon body that allow them to coordinate movement and form thoughts, Anti-Dynamo is an odorless, colorless substance that burns away dynamo on contact. This results in the slow and excruciating death of the Lithon as the anti-dynamo effectively eats away at their "brain and organs" until they are no longer capable of holding themselves together and collapse into a pile of sand on the floor. Horrifyingly, this is not the moment of death for some Lithon, as thought processes may continue until just 1 nanoparticle remains, although their thoughts become simpler and simpler until their memories and senses turn to nothing.