User:Jonas Windsor
Jonas Windsor is a micronationalist. He has been active since July / August 2006. His first micronation was Brabantia. Thereafter he joined Batavia.
Current citizenships
Shireroth
International Mandate (Founder)
To do-list
| Task | Done? |
|---|---|
| Add or or update wiki-page for Duchy of Jingdao, Dutchy of Kildare, Duchy of Jinkeai, Duchy of Outer Antya, Duchy of Qyzylaystan to reflect integration into Shireroth. | |
| Publish detailed map of Greater Kildare + Benacia. | (Partly done) |
| Hold census for Greater Kildare, for each county (former provinces) and Barony (former districts). | Ok, should perhaps be updated nationwide for 1730. |
| Draw city map of Gaelen's Landing. | No priority |
| Draw map (groundplan + Inkarnate map) of Gaelen's Hold: mixture of Jingdaoese, Apollontean and Shirerithian architecture. Includes: the old keep, Jingdaoese-styled palace entrance and tea house, chapel (with stained glass of important figures, like Salome, Gaelen, Sisera, Chidao) | Less priority |
| Design coat of arms and flag for the domains. | Work in progress |
| Invest time in aiding the redevelopment of Shirekeep. Includes establishing a new Kildarian city quarter. | |
| Look into adding a lay-out for Shirerithian wiki pages (like Raz did for his nation's pages). | |
| Update Ministry pages to include a summary of its tasks, a short overview of its historic development as Ministry/Department, list of (former) Ministers (who, what party, when did they govern and under which administration). | |
| Read https://shireroth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=113&t=11259 and consider adapting parts of it for Shireroth's early history. + come around to unifying Jingdaoese (revised) history with Shirerithian. |
Concepts of Authority
Shireroth's form of authority leans closely towards that of Ancient Rome. To understand, is to understand a part of the inner workings of the Imperial Republic. Those terms work both in the Shireroth under a monarch or without one (as the Mango Throne is forever, seated by a royal or not). Following terms are mostly social constructs (based on Octy's remarks):
Imprion (Imperium)
- Definition in Shireroth: Refers to formal, legal authority granted to a position of power, often tied to the ability to command and enforce laws within a defined jurisdiction. This authority would be conferred explicitly by the Kaiser or other high offices of the empire.
- Role in Shireroth:In the Imperial Republic, imprion is wielded by those who hold official state or military positions, such as the Steward, governors, or commanders of the armed forces. It signifies the power to act on behalf of the Mango Throne (in the widest definition: the State) in an official capacity. During the Mango Anarchy, imprion was contested as revolutionary factions sought to delegitimize the imperium of the House of Kalirion. Revolutionaries did not fight to end the authority of the Kaisers, but simply to wield it. Hence even the republicans did not abolish the Throne, but rather left it 'empty' as in their point of view they replaced the long line of Kaisers, as the Landsraad did on several occassions before.
Potestias (in contrast with real Potestas)
- Definition in Shireroth: Refers to the practical power or capability to act, enforce decisions, or influence events, independent of formal legitimacy. This could include coercion, force, or other means of exercising authority.
- Role in Shireroth:Potestias often reflected the raw power held by factions, nobles, warlords, or organizations outside the bounds of official authority. During the chaotic years of the Mango Anarchy, revolutionary committees, the Mango Rangers, the Tegong and rogue military units exerted potestias as they took control of cities and regions without formal recognition by the imperial government. Throughout the ages, Counts and other nobles used potestias to enforce law and order in their territories, mostly whenever a grey zone was reached in lawkeeping.
Auctoritas (Auctoritas)
- Definition in Shireroth: Represents moral or societal authority based on respect, tradition, or influence rather than coercion or formal power. It is often tied to individuals or institutions perceived as legitimate or wise by their peers or the populace.
- Role in Shireroth:In Shireroth, auctoritas could be seen in figures such as revered scholars, religious leaders, or elder nobles who were respected for their wisdom or service. Even during the Mango Anarchy, some individuals wielded great influence through auctoritas alone, persuading others to follow them despite lacking official titles or raw power. The Kaiseress Salome's auctoritas waned during the revolution as her moral and symbolic influence eroded in the face of radicalism, but remained strong until her escape to Foley. Every pater (or mater) familias helds auctoritas over his or her family.
Context in the Imperial Republic
In Shireroth, the distinctions between these forms of authority often overlap but serve to illuminate the complexities of governance during the Mango Anarchy. For example:
- The revolutionary Erasmo Laegel claimed imprion by assuming official roles through popular mandate (like Prefect of Shirekeep), but his actual control depended on potestias from armed revolutionary groups and his auctoritas as a charismatic leader.
- The Kaiseress, stripped of her imprion, clung to the fading auctoritas of the Mango Throne but lacked the potestias to enforce her will.
Cedrism
Work in progress. Attempt to get the religious cults and religions within Shireroth (and Benacia) closer together. As spoken by a Cedrist Prophet, teller of truths, and scribe of the Gods:
The Song of Cato: The Forgotten Creator
As the ages passed, Cato withdrew into the flow of nature, content to let his creation thrive and falter in its own way. His name faded among the Shirerithians, who turned to the gods they saw and heard. Yet, in the far lands of Batavia, where the people had journeyed long ago from the ancient Realms of Audentes, over the Shire Sea and travelled across the Lands of Khaz Modan and first Brookshirerithians to finally settle in the far western point of the Benacian continent, the memory of Cato lingered. There, he was not a god like we could describe a god, and he never had any need to be worshiped with temples, churches and offerings, but a force to be revered in the rustling leaves, the roaring seas, and the silent stars.
The Jing, too, remembered Cato, weaving his essence into their rituals and honoring him as the source of all balance and Heavenly Purity. They knew that while gods quarreled and empires rose and fell, Cato remained eternal, his song resonating in the very bones of the world.
And that brings me to his most important accomplishment: the creation of our universe. In the beginning, there was neither light nor shadow, no sky, nor earth. There was only the great, endless Nyx (ancient darkness). And within this Nyx stirred a force, vast and unknowable, beyond the reckoning - and forgive me my blasphemous use of words - of the gods we rever today. This force was Cato, the One Who Is All. Cato was not a god in the way we know gods, with faces and forms and voices. No, Cato was the pulse of creation itself, the breath of the universe, and the rhythm of all life yet to come.
The Creation of the Universe
Cato sang the first note, deep and resonant, and from it came the stars, scattered across the Nyx like embers cast from a fire. With his second note, the heavens and the earth were drawn forth, the heavens rising like a great dome, and the earth spreading beneath like an endless ocean of possibility. And with his third note, he brought forth Time, so that the stars might move, the waters might flow, and the seeds of creation might grow.
But the Nyx resisted. It sought to devour what Cato had sung into being. So Cato gathered his strength and sang a great, final note: a chord of defiance and beauty. From this note burst forth the first gods, mighty and radiant, to stand as guardians against the encroaching darkness. Among them were Mors, the god of death; Viviantia, the goddess of life; and many more who bridged the worlds. Thus, the universe was set into motion, each element a thread in the eternal weave of Cato’s song.
The Marriage of Cato and Germania
Though Cato withdrew into the fabric of creation, his power still stirred, and he would manifest when the balance of the universe required it. Long after the first gods had taken their places, Cato appeared once more, this time in a form both terrible and beautiful, a figure wreathed in light and shadow, with eyes that saw the birth and death of all things. It was then that he beheld Germania, daughter of Mors.
Germania was radiant yet fierce, a goddess of order and destruction, her hands both builders and breakers of realms. She was the fire that reforges the sword and the storm that clears the land. Cato saw in her a mirror of his own nature—creation and destruction intertwined. He spoke not with words but with the silent harmony of the cosmos, and Germania, though wary, was drawn to him.
Their union shook the heavens. The stars danced, and the earth trembled. From their bond came forth a daughter, also named Sisera, but known to mortals as the goddess of War and Destruction. She inherited her mother’s ferocity and her father’s boundless power. Yet her nature was dual, for in war, she found both ruin and renewal. Her presence became a harbinger of change, sometimes as she destroyed out of malice, sometimes to pave the way for something greater and purify the world from evil.
The Journey to Balgurd: Myths of the Afterlife
The Approach to Mount Crestfall
When a soul departs the mortal realm, it does not yet find peace. For the path to Balgurd, the World of Death and Deamons, is treacherous and full of trials. First, the twins Yoktarh and Kohlarh, the Twin Gods of Lost Things, gather the soul like a misplaced trinket. They are mirror images of each other, their faces pale and eyes hollow, voices like wind through chimes. Some say they cry softly as they lead the soul, for they mourn all that is lost, including life itself.
The twins bring the soul to the foot of Mount Crestfall, which nowadays forms an impenetrable border between the poor divided Benacian and Shirerithians who are Cedrists brethern, and where a solemn shrine stands in eternal shadow. Here, the soul must enter a cavern of endless tunnels. Those who listened carefully and know their myths well will wonder: was the Gate of Balgurd not protected by Rrakanîtzan, the savage dæmon of Balgurd who was defeated by our good and noble Kaiser Raynor the First of His Name? True, but this shrine and the tunnels beneath it are what one would call a back entrance. Emphasis on the back entrance: the Shrine only provides access to Balgurd. No being, not even the gods, is able to enter the Mortal Realm from here.
No map, no guide can aid the lost. Only by confronting the illusions of Maju, the Trickster God, can the soul proceed. Maju will show them false paths lined with golden light or loved ones calling from afar. Many wander eternally, chasing visions of their own creation, lost in regret or longing. Only the pure of heart, who let go of their earthly attachments, can navigate the dark and find the true path.
The Nivrelis and its Ferryman
Once freed from Maju's illusions, the soul arrives at the banks of the Flow of Shadows, whose waters are called Nivrelis. This river flows like liquid night, glittering with faint starlight stolen from the heavens above. On its edge, the ferryman awaits. His name is lost to time, for it is said he abandoned his own name to ferry the nameless dead. Cloaked in tattered robes, he holds out a hand, not for greeting, but for the coin buried with the deceased.
The soul must pay to pass. Those who lack a coin are turned away. Yet even in death, the gods delight in mischief. Finanzia, the Goddess of Finance, emerges in such cases, her laugh echoing like a rain of coins, and - worse - with a grin of a banker awaiting her latest instalment. She gives these souls five tasks to earn their passage. These tasks are petty yet maddening—catching a slippery fish with bare hands, counting grains of sand on a beach, or balancing on a single blade of grass. The gods find this amusing, but the souls suffer indignity until their debt is repaid.
The ferryman then takes the soul upriver, his boat gliding as if it were an extension of the water itself. The journey is silent, for the river drinks all sound. Only the whisper of distant winds can be heard, carrying the echoes of past lives.
The Crossroads of the River
In time, the river splits into two tributaries. At this crossroads stands Germania, the great goddess of balance and judgment, her form towering like the mountains of the mortal world. Her face is serene but unyielding, her eyes pools of still water reflecting the soul’s truth.
Here, Germania places the coin from the soul’s journey on one side of the Scales of Mors. Opposite the coin rests the Golden Mango, the symbol of purity and justice, a gift of the gods. The soul’s heart, though invisible, takes its place beside the coin. The balance decides the soul’s fate.
If the heart weighs more than the Golden Mango, the right water wheel begins to turn, creaking like the groans of the ancient world. The boat is dragged on the Caranthor (the Blackened Tide) into the fiery waters of Balgurd. There, the soul undergoes torment, as dæmons peel back the layers of mortal sin like bark from a tree. Under Semisa’s gaze, the soul is broken and remade, until it shines pure. Only then, and only if deemed worthy, is the soul sent back to the Mortal Realm to try again.
If the heart weighs as much as the Golden Mango, the left wheel begins to turn, towards the Somnara (the Dreaming Current), its movement as gentle as a breeze in spring. This path leads upward, to the Divine Realm. There, Mors, the God of Death, and Viviantia, Goddess of Life, examine the soul.
Some souls, in their radiance, are elevated to the rank of Transcendi, spirits who wander the heavens in eternal bliss. A rare few may be touched by divinity and ascend to become gods themselves. Most, however, are allowed to rest and heal. When their time comes, they are sent back to the Mortal Realm to live anew, carrying only faint echoes of the divine wisdom gained.
The Eternal Cycles
Thus, the journey to Balgurd is not an end but a beginning. Some souls may wander for eons, lost in Maju’s caverns. Others might toil in the tasks of Finanzia or face the fires of Balgurd. Yet for all, there is hope, a chance to rise, to ascend, or to begin again. This, too, is the will of the gods, for life and death are but two sides of the same coin, passed endlessly between mortal hands.
So, I ask you, children of Cedrism: do you carry your coin? Do you seek the Mango’s balance? For the river flows, the scales await, and the wheels turn. All must walk the path to Balgurd, where the gods weigh not only your deeds but the very essence of your soul.
Memo to self: of course I found this AFTER writing above text: --> rewrite and expand the above story!!
- The Eight Reapers are Transcendi chosen as servants by Mors and let loose to the winds of Micras on each Day of the Dead upon the openning of his Temple doors to guide souls of the faithful back to his temple to be assigned their fate. When the temple doors are shut on Eightsday, these Reapers rest upon their deep thrones in wait. During this period of rest, the souls who are not aided by the Reapers' guidance wander in a frigid limbo until the Temple doors open once again.
Other things for the future:
- Increasing important role for Lumina and related gods ('House of Light'), at cost of the dominance of Mors (mostly important during the early Third Era, as is witnessed by the number of Kaisers with that name))? The Kaiser is the Radiant Sun, after all, and the most followed Cult (Tianchaodao) has the Heavenly Light, were the sun and light are important tenets. --> Conflicts between the followers of Mors and Lumina?
- Slow change from the Heavenly Light as dominating figure to a status of High Priest(ess). Let the Heavenly Light move (a part of the year), with the other nobility, to Shirekeep. --> good way to redevelop the destroyed parts of Shirekeep after the war. The Kaiser will gain more direct influence over the Tianchaodao, the Heavenly Light will play a more important prevalent role in the City's politics and at Court,... --> lots of intrigue, backstabbing,... opportunities.
