Syltheim

Sylthiem
The main city of Syltheim, Mallarfjoll
Leader Title	Chief Diplomat
Leader	Terranelm

Overview

Sylthiem is a large nation in the West, located north of kaab and south of Twiceland. Sylthiem is a democracy, with its population making up the legislative branch. There are regular elections to appoint a Chief Diplomat (the Sylthian head of state), meaning that any citizen can potentially lead the nation. Its economy is centered around alcohol.

Geography

Sylthiem is primarily located in a gravelly mountains biome. This plays an important role in the nation's culture and political ideas.

History

The nation of Sylthiem was founded on December 21, 2020 by Terranelm. After traveling through Twiceland and the land of Cascadia, he surveyed the majestic cliffs covered in gravel, quickly deciding that this would be a good place to settle. The population began to rapidly grow during Terranelm's first term as Chief Diplomat.

The Cascadia Purchase

The Cascadia Purchase book, authored by Chipt I and signed by members of Sylthiem.

Desiring to centralize Jugoslavijan territories, Chipt I began talks with Terranelm to determine whether Sylthiem would be a good candidate for a land sale. After a detailed tour of Cascadia, Terranelm accepted the offer (with price yet to be decided), concluding that the purchase of Cascadia would present many economic opportunities.

At the time, Sylthiem had little to no economy, with nothing to export besides alcohol to get the diamonds necessary to purchase Cascadia. However, thanks to the hard-working group of Sylthian citizens, Sylthiem was able to mine the necessary diamonds within two weeks.

On January 16, 2021, Chipt I met with Terranelm, goosejuic3, pdln, and Borg_Minion at Terra's Tavern to agree on the terms of sale. It was decided that Cascadia would be sold for 45 diamond blocks. The terms of the sale are as follows:

1. The Jugoslavijan political claims in the state of Cascadia will be ceded to Sylthiem.
2. The Jugoslavijan faction claims in the state of Cascadia will be maintained as long as needed for Chipt to transfer his items.
3. Jugoslavija will retain the faction claim to the ink farm, but Sylthiem will hold the political claim to the area as normal.
4. Sylthiem will commit to maintaining the Palaima National Forest as a nationally protected area.

These terms were written into a book titled "Cascadia Purchase" was authored by Chipt I and signed by all citizens at the meeting, sealing the deal and marking a new era of Sylthian growth. After Cascadia was bought and the Sylthian citizenry saw what it had to offer, they had a spur of patriotism, decorating many buildings with with the banners of Sylthiem.

The First Sylthian Debates

The two cauldrons Habit_Cat and Terranelm bathed in during the transfer of power, in the process of brewing apple mead with a hint of government official. The cauldrons are currently located under Habit's brewery.

The first debates for the Chiefdom of Sylthiem occurred on January 18th. Four candidates ran for office: _Racc00nn_, Habit_Cat, Terranelm, and pdln (although due to unforeseen circumstances _Racc00nn_ did not attend the debate). Habit_Cat put an emphasis on culture and the growth of Sylthian traditions, Terranelm called attention to his experience as a leader during the Cascadia purchase to appeal to the audience, and pdln asserted that he would increase the "epicness" of Sylthiem if he was in power. The debate lasted a total of 47 minutes, with the aftermath being a party in the Sylthian mead hall.

After the debates, citizens were given a week to vote for their preferred candidates. At the end of this week, the results were declared by Borg_Minion on January 22nd. Habit_Cat scored first place, meaning he would become the next Chief Diplomat. Terranelm received second place, pdln third, and _Racc00nn_ fourth. Terranelm spent his last day in discussion with Habit_CatTerranelm transferred control of Sylthiem to Habit_Cat with his blessing, while the two were in cauldrons brewing apple mead, setting the trend of each term being 32 days long.

Demographics

Syltheims population is steady at 12 citizens. 91.7% are native Sylthians, and 8.3% are from the Sylthian territory of Cascadia, previously a territory of Jugoslavija. Syltheims population remains non-religious. 33.3% of Syltheims population are employed as government officials.

Government

The government is set to be made of the executive and legislative branches. The executive branch is made up of the leader and their cabinet, while the legislative branch is currently made up of the general population.

Political Parties

Sylthiem's founder, Terranelm, expressed that the existence of multiple political parties is something the nation should strive for. Right now, three political parties exist, as listed in order below:

• Sylt Party (Dec 20th, 2020 - Jan 2nd, 2021)

• Vocal Defense League (Jan 1st, 2021)

• Green-Top Party (Jan 2nd, 2021)
• Epic Fire Dragon Party of Epicness (January 1st, 2021)
• Isolationist Party of Sylthiem (February 26th, 2021)

The Sylthian Flag decorating the main plaza, with a larger version hanging from the cliffs.

Elections

Elections are run using the Alternative Vote method to prevent two-party dominance. In-game ballots are used for voting since they were deemed the most secure way of casting votes during discussions on the topic. Borg_Minion counts the votes and is unable to run for any elected office despite being a co-founder of the nation.

Foreign Relations

Terranelm originally declared that Sythiem will attempt to stay neutral in most affairs. However, most citizens of Sylthiem have expressed that they want Sylthiem to be more involved, and it is likely that Sylthiem will form stronger relations with other nations in the future.

Government Finance

The ideas of a Federal Reserve as well as taxation through labor have both been discussed, but neither have been implemented.

Military

While the military does not exist yet, many players are willing to begin organizing a military force. There has been discussion of this topic by other players interested in making a political party which will be primarily focused on building the nation's defensive capabilities.

Law Enforcement

No law enforcement has been implemented but the general consensus is that law enforcement will be a branch of the military.

Economy

The prospect of exporting gravel has crossed the minds of a few individuals but this has been difficult due to the fact that it is a non-renewable resource in Sylthiem. Other things barring gravel exports are the words of the Sylt Party, who want to keep as much gravel as possible in Sylthiem. Farms will probably be the nations main economic drive, but members of the population have started to create breweries. The recent purchase of Cascadia will likely reinforce Sylthiem's economy; although the Sylthian government has yet to make use of the resources available to them due to how recently the purchase was made.

Infrastructure

Transportation

While a rail-system may one day be implemented, the nation is currently using pathways and simple roads as its main form of transport. Connections to other countries are available through the NELT, overland travel, and canals.

Energy

While coal is currently Sylthiem's primary energy source, the nation plans to switch to charcoal on the future, due to its easy renewability.

Culture

While no literature, philosophy, visual arts, or mass media have made any impacts on the population, Sylthiem's native faith has started to gain traction within the nation.

Notable locations

• Main Plaza
• Terra's Tavern
• Cliff tower and other cliff builds
• Animal pen (northeast of the Main Plaza)