Citizenship in the Lightning Country

One can claim and gain citizenship in the Lightning country through various ways. Most countries have their own methods on how to define and recognise one's citizenship. This page, however, will focus on the Northerners and how they recognise as treat citizenship amongst themselves.

## The Benefits

There are various benefits on why one would strive to acquire citizenship. The many benefits make it worthwhile enough that men flock to volunteer to join the military, seek to win the hearts and approval of the established citizenry or accumulate enough renown to be gifted one - in order to be drawn to the country. What follows is a list of benefits that are attached to citizenship within the Northern dominion:

* Hold property,
* Make legal contracts,
* Marry lawfully,
* Vote in community assemblies,
* Hold offices,
* Go to trial and appeal,
* Sue and be sued,
* Protection from certain laws and punishments,
* Exemption from harsh taxations

## Earning Citizenship

As can be read, citizenship is a most practical matter to acquire. It can help one's economic and or political prospect of life to be improved. But how does one acquire citizenship? There are various ways, both legal and illegal, of course.

* **Military Service**

As one can expect, military service can provide benefits when one has served for a long time. Respect, renown and even wealth can be acquired by serving well in the military. Those who lack citizenship will be even rewarded with a military diploma after serving fifteen years. This military certificate allows the individual to turn it into a document of citizenship - their service lending them credibility that they are loyal and willing to defend the nation.

* **Marriage**

An easier and perhaps, often, quicker way to achieve citizenship is through marriage. By marrying a citizen, a document will be established which dictates that both have citizenship. Of course, this document is only binding as long as the marriage is. Upon divorce or death, the record is no longer binding - making it sometimes a most precarious affair for both individuals.

* **Birth**

When a child is born, they will receive citizenship if one parent has a legal document. In most countries, both parents require citizenship, but the Northern attitude is less harsh on this matter. Most born into the citizenry tend to keep and use the document to justify and prove their citizenship. For most, it also tends to be a source of pride - capable of going back generations to a venerable ancestor that gained citizenship.

* **Granted**

A rare occurrence is when an individual is blessed with gifted citizenship. These individuals tend to have achieved something that has earned them renown or the grace of influential individuals. For it is only the lords of clans or the daimyo himself that can gift such a blessing upon an individual. These documents are the most binding and prestigious forms of citizenship. Often these documents are kept as precious heirlooms and used by noble and venerable families to point back to an honourable or prestigious ancestor - earning as demanding respect from others.

* **Illegally**

Of course, there are always ways to fabricate documents and fool officials with forgery. The Northerners have recognised this, and instead of constantly focusing their effort on combating it, they have focused more on a smooth and working system. The lack of modern technology also prohibits a lot of control on these illegal practices - as the whole system is based on trust and old documents.

## Documentation

As we now know, citizenship is an important matter and a source of pride. Documents tend to provide one with the benefits and can be used to avoid being harshly treated or taxed by the authorities. In many cities, state officials tend to keep a library worth of documentations together, forever working to keep it up to date. For such a bureaucracy, the constant flow of information tends to consume both labourers as wealth. However, it has allowed keeping the peace and order as many live with the comforts of citizenship - and the drive to achieve and preserve it