Independent State of Caledon

The Independent State of Caledon is the name of a rapidly growing group of Victorian-themed sims owned by Desmond Shang. Caledon can be considered an example of a developing micronation.
==Sims==
	 	 	 	 	Cape Wrath	 	
	Rocabrannagh 	Eyre* 	Regency 	Inish* 	Brigadoon 	Arkham* 	Dundee
	Kittiwickshire 	Tanglewood 	Stormhold 	Wellsian 	Morgaine 	Penzance 	
	Sound* 	Lionsgate* 	Speirling* 	Middlesea* 	Burroughs*	Mayfair 	
	Llyr* 	Port Caledon 	Highlands* 	Caledon On Sea	Cay 	Rothesay* 	
	Stella Maris* 	Caledon 	Caledon II 	Tamrannoch 	Moors 	Victoria City	Primverness*
	Victorian Garden*	Steam SkyCity 	Glengarry 	Ahavah 	Windemere 	Loch Avie* 	
	Oxbridge 	Oxbridge Village	Kintyre* 	SouthEnd 	 	 	
	Cymru* 	Greystoke* 	Caer Firnas*	 	 	 	
*Duchies are denoted by stars.
=== Crown Colonies of Caledon ===
*Magellan, Crown Colony of the Independent State of Caledon
**Magellan Templemore
*Mondserrat Volcanis
=== Former Sims ===
*Saint Kitt Islands (first crown colony)
*Caledon Carntaigh (Duchy of Carntaigh)
*Nova Civis Caledon (NCI Caledon)
*Caledon Argylle (Duchy of Argylle)
*Caledon Cafall (Duchy of Cafall)
*Caledon Downs
*Caledon Glamorgan (Duchy of Glamorgan)
*Caledon Murdann (Duchy of Murdann)
*Caledon Perenelle (Duchy of Perenelle)
*Caledon Westmoreland (Duchy of Westmoreland)
*Mondserrat Verdis
*Magellan Kinvara
*Magellan Straits
*Caledon Strathspey (now Caledon Arkham)
*Caledon Sound (Duchy)
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==Description==
Caledon is a small, windswept forested country at a temperate latitude. Wild creatures, country estate life, sights and sounds that were common well over 100 years ago are the hallmark of the land.
Technology is approximately that of the 19th Century, though some astonishing breakthroughs have provided for incredible wonders. Ground vehicles, airships, and even a device known as a 'telehub' are made possible through the power of exotic material properties and the wonders of Steam Technology.
The government is an expansionist monarchy, supported by a strong aristocracy (i.e., residents). Caledon once offered the opportunity for residents to take their turn at "Stewardship", a post which can involve answering questions, restarting sims, banning obvious griefers &c. As the complexity of a large estate grew, the burden on one Steward's shoulders became too great, and the role is now filled by a corps of about 10 estate managers appointed by the Guvnah--some serving openly, some quietly.
As Caledon has grown, it has made contact with a number of other nations that share many of her values. Some of these nations now share direct sea passage and have formed a coalition known as the Realm of the Roses to promote their mutual interests.
==Facts==
(NB: All statistics exclude colonies.)
===Geographic===
* Location: The original Caledon sim was located on the main grid at (930,1023). When Caledon II was added to the grid farther out in the Western Ocean, Caledon was moved to join it, in order to secure room for additional expansion. Today, the original two sims of the Independent State of Caledon occupy sim coordinates 905 and 906 by 1023
* Borders: Caledon is surrounded primarily by water, but it does border on a few neighboring sims:
** To the north (accessible via Caledon Cape Wrath) is Winterfell Absinthe, part of the micronation of Winterfell.
** To the west (via Caledon Westmoreland) is Numantia.
** To the northeast (via Caledon Dundee) is Zeppelinheim.
* Area: 2,949,120 m2, land and water combined, and growing
* Maritime Claims: Under negotiation with several near neighbors
* Climate: Temperate Coastal
* Terrain: Low land dotted with streams and ponds; some elevated terrain includes Trans Caledon Mountain Range (north), Mount Caledon (Caledon On Sea), Sky Mountain (Morgaine).
* Elevation Extremes: Sea level (21m) to approximately 65m
* Natural Resources: 483,750 prims; the creativity of citizens; rich cavorite seams
* Land Use: Mixed Residential/Commercial (village style) and occasional Industrial; varies thematically by region
* Natural Hazards: Rolling Updates, Client Upgrades, Asset Server Crashes
===Demographic===
* Population: Over 800 landed gentry and friends, expanding
* Age Structure: Varies from young twenties to "old enough to know better"
* Population Growth Rate: Approximately a sim-full a month so far
* Sex ratio: This is Second Life - it changes by the minute
* Ethnic Groups: All manner of humans, Furries, Goreans, Catgirls, some aliens
* Religions: Christians, Wiccans, Buddhists, Atheists, Agnostics, Unitarians, more.
* Languages: English, Tagalog, Chinese, Hebrew, German, French, Japanese, Spanish, Thai, Norwegian, Esperanto, American, LSL
* Titles: Varied usage
* Organisations/Groups: Many.
===Government===
* Capital: Once the residence of the Steward (ala 10 Downing Street), it is now Caledon Victoria City
* Legal System: A corps of estate managers are the first line of enforcement, with appeal to Guvnah Shang possible
* Diplomatic Representation: Eight Ambassadors appointed by the Guvnah. Also see article on Foreign affairs of Caledon.
* Flag Description: Black/Red/Green tartan with gold bars; state name
* Military: Several military units on land, sea, and air. See article on Caledon military units.
* Intelligence: While there is plenty of intelligence in Caledon, there is no intelligence agency there.
===Economic===
* Imports: clothing, architecture, furniture, vehicles, ships, scripting professionals
* Exports: clothing, architecture, furniture, vehicles, ships, scripting professionals
* Expenditures: Forty-five sims worth of tier and growing
* Reserves: Months of tier in reserve, usually at least three months per sim
* Currency: The Linden Dollar, though land rates vary based upon the more stable USD.
=== The National Anthem ===
Actually, Caledon has two anthems, a National Anthem and a Civic Anthem. Rules and customs about which is sung on which occasion are murky. Sometimes both are sung simultaneously.
===Historical and Cultural===
* National Motto: "Tolerans, Civilis, Innovus, Laganum" (Tolerance, Civility, Innovation, Cake)
* Patron Saint: St Eam, Patron of Locomotion
* Also see articles on the Eight Wonders of Caledon and on plaques and seals
===Communications===
* Internet: The Caledon Forums (site link) run by Excalibur Longstaff.
* Media: The Caledon Herald run by India Ingersoll; dormant.
===Transportation===
* Tram: Created by Ordinal Malaprop (as discussed in her blog). Currently three routes are operating: the first between Port Caledon, Caledon and Caledon II, the second in Caledon Cay and the third in Caledon Victoria City.
* Caledon National Rail: Intersim railway project spanning numerous sims, with multiple main lines and local commuter lines.
* Roadways: Roughly 12 km of roadways as of January, 2008
* Ports and Terminals: Port Caledon,Caledon On Sea,Caledon Cay.
* Merchant Marine: One foreign-made keel (Jesrad's): Venture 
* Letter of Marque ship: privateer L'Espadon, the Crimson Pirates, centered in Caledon Middlesea.
* Airport: Joint-use airfield in Caledon Penzance, hosting both military and general aviation.
===Transnational issues===
* International Disputes: Currently at peace with all, as far as known.
* Refugees: Many, from all over the grid. Caledon is a nation of immigrants.
==Citizenry of Caledon==
===Directory===
*Directory of the citizens of Caledon
*Use of titles in Caledon
===Ambassadors===
Ambassadors serve as liasons between Caledon and foreign lands, and points of contact for mutual events and activities.
* May 7, 2006 - Phedre Aquitaine named as Ambassador to Neualtenburg
* June, 2006 - Bastillion Bachman named as Ambassador to Neufreistadt
* Date uncertain - Amber Palowakski named as Ambassador to Steelhead
* May, 2007 - Christine McAllister appointed as Steelhead Ambassador to Caledon.
* September 17, 2007 - Cale Vinson named as ambassador to Darkmere
* September 23, 2007 - Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (then in the person of Melanippe Karas) accredited as Consul from Europa Wulfenbach
* September 23, 2007 - Valentine Janus named as Ambassador to Adam ondi Ahman
* February, 2008 - ZenMondo Wormser named as Ambassador to Real World (Wherever that is!)
* April 4, 2008 - Galactic Baroque appointed as Adam ondi Ahman Ambassador to Caledon.
* Pym Sartre is also listed as Caledon Ambassador on the in-world rolls of the group.
* November 25, 2008 - Fogwoman Gray appointed named as Ambassador-at-Large.
===Knights===
====Knights of Caledon====
The Knights of Caledon recognize distinguished service "far beyond the call of duty, and to the benefit of all."
* Ordinal Malaprop, inventor of the first tram in Caledon.
* Leosanni Somme, for her leadership of Caledon's participation in the 2006 Relay for Life. 
* Lapin Paris, for service in the 2007 Relay for Life where Caledon events raised L$1,316,032.
* JJ Drinkwater, for his leadership of the Caledon Library.
* Erasmus Margulis, for service in the 2008 Relay for Life where Caledon events raised over L$3,000,000.
* Podruly Peccable, for service in the 2009 Relay for Life as co-captain of Team Caledon.
* Kiralette Kelley, for service in the 2009 Relay for Life as co-captain of Team Caledon
* Zenmondo Wormser, for service in the 2009 Relay for Life Recoding RFL's kiosks in 2009, which were no longer operational.
====Other Knightly Orders====
Several other orders of knighthood have been established in Caledon to recognise services to the nation or a portion thereof. These orders are not peerage orders, although a number of holders are peers.
The Knightly orders of Caledon are
* Order of the Black Thorn
* Order of the Dragonfly
* Order of the Library Militant
* Order of the Nightingale
* Order of the Red Rose
* Order of the Wounded Rabbit
===Peers===
The peerage in Caledon was defined by Guvnah Shang as follows:
: 1) Anyone with a Duchy or suchlike (all or part of a voidsim) 
: 2) Anyone with 1/4 sim worth of land 
: 3) Anyone with a foreign title they had been using prior to Caledon 
: 4) The Knights of Caledon . . . basically have to have gone SOOO beyond the call beyond what's reasonable that this is my way of saying: we honour you for this (but are completely incapable of thanking you in any truly substantial, matching way). . . .
: 5) The 'royals' . . . [Editor Note: These are principally estate managers and, in the Guvnah's words, "dear old supportive friends."] 
: 6) Anyone with sheer temerity who shows up and really plays the part! 
...but at the end of the day, we truly are equals. 
Peerage is reflected on the in-world rolls of the group.
===Stewards===
The office of Steward is no longer in use. The four who held that office, in order, were:
* Khashai Steinbeck
* Yuriko Muromachi
* Gerami Fizz
* Kamilah Hauptmann, now Vicereine of Caledon
==Historical Events==
===Grand Opening===
The nation had its official Ribbon-cutting celebration in the evening of April 1st, 2006, and was attended by a number of Second Life residents, and much of the population of Caledon. The party was organized by Caledon founding resident Yuriko Muromachi. Events included:
* Coronation of the first steward, Khashai Steinbeck.
* Formal dancing, with the opening waltz performed by Mr. Steinbeck and Dyne Talamasca.
* The First Annual Caledon Rose Hunt. The Caledon Rose is an extremely rare flower, only blooming for thirty minutes on this single day of the year. Nineteen (out of a set of twenty) roses were scattered across the two sims, and party-goers had to find and pick them before they wilted. Caledon Roses are limited edition (numbered and dated).
* Fireworks, set to the 1812 Overture
===First Annual Rose Hunt Winners===
(List currently incomplete)
* Weird Duport - 1 rose (#19)
* Puck Goodliffe - 1 rose (#12)
* Chrystin Hathor - 2 roses (#11 and #17)
* India Ingersoll - 1 rose (#2)
* Seiko LeMay - 1 rose (#8) (?)
* Kasmodian Nephilim - 1 rose (#4) (?)
* Arienrhod Remblai - 1 rose (#5)
* Dyne Talamasca - 2 roses (#3 and #7)
===Festivals and Long-Duration Events===
* September 9-15, 2007 - Caledon/Steelhead Harvest Festival
* October 2007-February 2008 - Caledon Social Season
* February 22-29, 2009 - Caledon Second Anniversary Celebration
===Real Life Events===
* August 29-September 1, 2008 - CaleCon
==Comme il faut (Rules)==
Caledon is a themed community with a relaxed attitude. Generally, period clothing and behavior are encouraged and welcomed, but not required. However, in spite of the continent's mature rating, proper class and decency in public areas is the rule. Some other restrictions:
* Externally out-of-theme builds are forbidden below 512 meters. Zoning is relaxed above that altitude.
* RL political/religious signs are banned outright.
* No camping chairs
* No casinos
* No scamming
* No ageplay within Caledon
* No racial slurs
Excerpts from the covenant of Caledon are available on the wiki.
==Links==
* Caledon Pictures 
* Forums: Original availability post
* Forums: HMS Venture discovers new continent
* Forums: CIA Factbook entry (and grand opening announcement)
* Forums: Ambassadorial appointment
* Forums: Announcement of Caledon Tamrannoch
Category:Role PlayCategory:SteampunkCategory:Virtual WorldCategory:Second LifeCategory:MicronationCategory:Caledon