Dorvik

Dorvik, officially known as the Kingdom of Dorvik (Dundorfian: Königreich Dorvik; Lorman: Dōrviskas Kunnegista) and often referred to as the Kingdom (Dundorfian: das Königreich) is a nation in the northern most point of Artania. It is bordered to the south-east by Kirlawa and to the south-west by Aloria. It is the fifth most populous nation on Terra with a population of roughly 211,234,029, and an area of 893,400 km. The population density for Dorvik is 236.438 per km squared. Dorvik is roughly the farthest nation north on Artania. It has several major cities including: Haldor, Vilnau and Fairfax. Dorvik is one of the preeminent world powers, and is noted for its long history as a military power and power-broker.

Dorvik is ranked as the second largest economy in the world behind Indrala and close ahead of Trigunia. Dorvik's natural resources located in the Black Mountains give is some of the largest reserves of natural resources in the world and providing for the administration and management of the Dorvish natural resources, Dorvik is likely to continue its dominance of natural resources for the foreseeable future. While Dorvik does dominate the natural resource game, the coastal areas of Dorvik are ripe for oil, alongside notable reserves of natural gas on mainland Dorvik. While the Dorvish economy is primarily resource-based, the Dorvish economy is also a post-industrial society in which the Dorvish financial industry is strong and a significant manufacturing sector exists providing a number of exports such as military equipment, automobiles, processed natural resources, and other items.

History
The foundation of what is known as "Dorvik" occurred during the waning years of the 13th century when Regismund III von Faust-Essen, who would later become the first King of Dorvik as King Regismund I, united the dozens of medium-sized and smaller noble holdings through conquest, marriage, and alliances to become a powerful warlord in the north. King of Dundorf and Ikradon Hans Otto III requested the assistance of the Dorvish warlord in order to put down a troubling rebellion by an Ikradonian noble and as a reward for his services, King Hans Otto III awarded Regismund III, then the Duke of Vohrau (a city near Vinisk on the island of Dorvan) the title of "King of Dorvik". The etymology of Dorvik is from the early Dunic tribes that settled modern Dorvik located in Largonia; though modern historians debate if the tribes were the Dorviki or the Dorvai. Regismund III would be crowned as the King of Dorvik, reigning as Regismund I and would centralize much of his kingdom over the next twenty years, finally passing in 1290 and being entombed in modern Haldor, a city that he founded as his base in Greater Kordusia.

Monarchy
The monarchy in Dorvik is lead by the King of Dorvik and the House of Faust-Essen. The current King of Dorvik is Odacer I, the patriarch of the House of Faust-Essen. His official title is His Majestic Highness, Prince-Elector of the Dundorfian Reich, Duke of Vohrau, Protector of Dorvik, Reich Regent of the Dundorfian Reich, by the grace of God, Odacer I, the King of Dorvik. His title is translated as Seine Majestätische Hoheit, Kurfürst des Dundorfisches Reich, Herzog von Vohrau, Beschützer von Dorvik, Reichsverwesers des Dundorfisches Reich, von Gottes Gnaden, Odacer I, König von Dorvik.

The King of Dorvik posses several unique powers underneath the Constitution of the Kingdom of Dorvik that make him elevated above a basic constitutional monarch. These functions include some basic constitutional authorities such as signing bills that are passed by the State Council into law. In theory, the King is mandated to do so by the constitution but no mechanic is implemented to enforce such a thing. The King is responsible for the appointment of the government and the State Chancellor of the Kingdom of Dorvik alongside their ministers. The State Chancellor serves at the pleasure of the King and their ministers the same, the King of Dorvik retains the right to appoint or dismiss the Chancellor at any point, for any reason and does not require the State Council's vote, though it is generally sought. The King also has rights to conduct foreign affairs, he is responsible for accrediting and receiving ambassadors, he is also responsible for concluding treaties and granting amnesties. Alongside this, the King of Dorvik possesses the rather unique power of being able to dissolve the State Council and call for new elections.

The King of Dorvik serves as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (Dundorfian: Oberbefehlshaber) of the Armed Forces of Dorvik, granting him complete and total authority over the armed forces. While the King leaves much of this to the armed forces, the King does ultimately serve as the highest officer of the armed forces. Generally, the reigning King is awarded the title of Colonel General in the rank of Field Marshal (Dundorfian: Generaloberst mit dem Rang als Generalfeldmarschall) due the fact that the promotion to General Field Marshal is considered to be a prestigious honor awarded to officers of the armed forces. Several times throughout Dorvish history there have monarchs, such as Odacer's father, Wilhelm X, who took the title of General Admiral in the rank of Grand Admiral (Dundorfian: Generaladmiral mit dem Rang als Großadmirals) due to their closer relationship with the Dorvish Navy.

Another unique power of the King of Dorvik is emergency powers that are somewhat shared with the State Chancellor. The King of Dorvik is empowered by the Constitution of the Kingdom of Dorvik if "public order and security [were] seriously disturbed or endangered" to "take all necessary steps to re-establish law and order". This section of the constitution granted the King of Dorvik the usage of Notverordnungen (emergency decrees) which granted him near unlimited power over the Armed Forces of Dorvik, the Dorvish Police and the various institutions of the state such as the State Security Service.

Executive
The Council of Ministers is the government of the Kingdom of Dorvik. The Council of Ministers is led by the State Chancellor (through the Office of the State Chancellor, better known as the State Chancellery) who is appointed by the King of Dorvik and, in theory, approved by the State Council, the national legislature of the Kingdom of Dorvik. Despite the Constitution of the Kingdom of Dorvik, the Dorvish King retains a wide-array of powers and serves as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Dorvik.

The Council of Ministers is comprised of 13 ministries plus the State Chancellery, they are as follows: State Chancellery, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of War, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Economics, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, and Railways, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science, Education, and Culture, Ministry of Forestry and Hunting

Legislative
The State Council is the unicameral national legislature of the Kingdom of Dorvik. It is comprised of 750 seats, each filled by a “Deputy of the State Council” who are elected via party-list proportional using the Sainte-Laguë method. As of January, 2019 there are two registered political parties in Dorvik, the Social Nationalist Party and the All-Dorvish League. The two have cooperated closely and have maintained a hold on Dorvish elections. Elections are held every 10 years.

The State Council is led by the President of the State Council and assisted by the Vice President of the State Council. The President is appointed by the King of Dorvik with the recommendation of the State Chancellor. The Vice President is appointed by the President and is assisted by a variety of secretaries, assistants and offices which coordinate the operation of the State Council as a whole.

The State Council is also comprised of roughly a dozen committees which are comprised of members of the State Council who serve as experts or have experience in respective areas. The State Council has the initiative to create, suspend and disband committees and commissions of the State Council. Committees are composed of members of the State Council deputies and are chaired by an elected Chairman, they are typically bi-partisan in nature with an equal amount of representation from political parties involved. The only permanent committee is the Standing Committee of the State Council which is chaired by the President of the State Council and the Vice President of the State Council.

The Dorvish political landscape is dominated by the All-Dorvish League which is comprised of several member factions, each operating as a distinct political party but underneath the umbrella of the ADV. The factions of the ADV include the Dorvish Democratic Party, the Dorvish Rural League, the Conservative People’s Party, the Octobrist (called the Social Nationalist Party) and the Liberal Monarchist Party. The largest of these factions as of January, 2019 is the coalition of the Octobrist via the Social Nationalist Party and the Liberal Monarchist Party. Other smaller factions exist but are largely neglected and run usually behind the scenes.

The Dorvish Democratic Party formed around the basis of a national liberal, pro-constitutional monarchy. The Dorvish Rural League formed around the Miktarian agrarian politics that were largely dominated by landowners but became dominated by farm operators and their workers, the two now share a relatively equal stake in the party. The Conservative People’s Party was formed from the industrialist, business and pro-capitalist forces within the country, they joined with the ADV due to its generally pro-business stance. The Liberal Monarchist are a national liberal, nationalist, pro-monarchy party that came into power largely through their dominance in the 2010 election where their leader took over the positions with the ADV.

Judicial
The judiciary in Dorvik is headed by the State Court of Justice is the highest court of the land, it is led by the Supreme Justice and assisted by 10 other Associate Justices, for a total of 11. The Supreme and Associate Justices are appointed by the King of Dorvik and their appointment is for life. The State Judicial Committee, which is responsible for the appointment of all judges and justices within Dorvik allows judges and justices to serve until age 70 and then forces them into retirement.

While the State Court of Justice is the highest court of the land, there are several courts that are responsible for specific areas if the State Court of Justice does not decide to take on the case or does not render a decision; likewise the special area state courts can recommend an issue to the State Court of Justice. They are the State Court of Administration, State Court of Finance, State Court of Labor, State Social Court and the State Court of Intellectual Property. The State Court of Justice and its respective specialty courts are considered appellate courts instead of courts of original jurisdiction or courts of first instance.

Beneath the State Court of Justice and the respective specialty area courts are the respective provincial courts. The Provincial Court of Justice is the highest court in each of the respective provinces, they are the only courts able to make a recommendation to the State Court of Justice or a respective specialty area court. Traditionally, the respective Provincial Court of Justice, which is divided into a Criminal Term, a Civil Term and a Specialty Term, makes the recommendation to the specialty area courts and then they can turn it over to the State Court of Justice.

Courts are divided into District Courts and local courts. All judges of these lower courts are appointed by the State Judicial Committee which is an agency of the Ministry of Justice responsible for vetting and appointing judges and justices. Provincial Ministries of Justice have the authority to handle their respective district and local courts, however, ultimate jurisdiction comes from the national Ministry of Justice.

Administrative divisions
The Kingdom of Dorvik is divided into several regions, primarily organized by the Ministry of the Interior. The Ministry of the Interior provides for 5 top-level administrative divisions. These are the Provinces (Dundorfian: Provinz) and are administered by a Head President (Dundorfian: Oberpräsident) who is appointed directly by the Ministry of the Interior and is overseen by the Main Office of State Administration and the General-Plenipotentiary for State Administration. The Provinces are administered by an appointed council known as the Provincial Council (Dundorfian: Provinzrat) which assists the Head President in carrying out the functions of ensuring that the Kingdom's laws are administered and carried out.

Beneath the Provinces are the Regions (Dundorfian: Länder (pl.); Länd) which are administered by an elected Region Commissioner (Dundorfian: Landeskommissar) and assisted by an administration that is administered by the State Administration Service. Beneath the regions are the General Districts (Dundorfian: Generalbezirke) which are administered by a General Commissioner (Dundorfian: Generalkommissar), the General Commissioner is likewise elected. General Districts also have an elected General District Council (Dundorfian: Generalbezirkrat) which is comprised of 50 members fixed by the Ministry of the Interior. General Districts can be organized into three General Districts: a City District (Dundorfian: Stadtbezirk), a Rural District (Dundorfian: Landbezirk) or a Greater District (Dundorfian: Großraum Bezirk) which is used specifically for major cities and towns.

The final level of administrative divisions in Dorvik are the Areas (Dundorfian: Kriesegebiete) which are similar to towns, villages and other minor sub-divisions in other countries. Areas are lead by a Head Commissioner (Dundorfian: Hauptkommissar) who often take the title of Mayor (Dundorfian: Bürgermeister) or Lord Mayor (Dundorfian: Oberbürgermeister). These are assisted by an Area Council (Dundorfian: Gebietsrat) currently fixed at 15 members by the Ministry of the Interior. One notable exception to this is that the General Commissioner for Greater District (Dundorfian: Großraum Bezirk) will take and use the title of Mayor (Dundorfian: Bürgermeister) or Lord Mayor (Dundorfian: Oberbürgermeister), often Lord Mayor.

Dorvik is divided into 5 primary regions: Greater Kordusia, Miktar, Largonia, Dorvan and Westmark. Peninsular Dorvik includes Greater Kordusia, Miktar and Largonia. The three islands of Dorvik are Dorvan and Westmark.

Demograhpics
The Dorvish people are descendants of the Dundorfian people and thus speak Dundorfian. The largest minority is the Lorman people, the Lormans are Kerisian settlers that settled in Miktar and makeup nearly 25% of the Dorvish population. The Lorman people over time have maintained their own language and culture yet have adopted many Dundorfian and subsequently Dorvish customs. According to the last census conducted by the Ministry of the Interior in January, 2010 the current makeup of the population is as follows:


 * 70% Dorvish (Dundorfian)
 * 25% Lorman
 * 5% Other (mostly Dundorfians, Alorians, Kirlawan ethnicities, and others)