Constitution of Xyon

The **Constitution of Xyon**, more commonly known as the **Blackstone Constitution**, is one of the two foundations the current government of Xyon is built upon, and regarded as one of the most important documents in the history of Xyon as a whole. Adopted in 3842 YM, the Blackstone Constitution was drafted decades following the aftermath of the instability that came shortly after the end of the Unification Wars. Replaced by the internecine conflicts of the Shadow Wars, Xyon was racked by a series of violent attacks against urban center, political instability, economic collapse, and internal decay, as the households that governed much of the planet in complete disregard for the federal government, struggled to gain prominence over the other. When High Patron Valentin IX Vandame of House Vandame was murdered during a state visit to neighboring House Michaux, it was understood that Xyon's instability had to be resolved, leading to the push to completely do away with the inefficient laws and regulations of the Treaty of Chernaya.

Today, the Blackstone Constitution is credited with having been responsible for neutering the remaining political and administrative authority of the High Patrons of the species, vastly weakening their grip on the populace and the government, and transforming them into nothing more than vestigial figureheads. The constitution also serves as the basis for many of the laws pertaining the powers of the Supreme Director of Xyon, and the manner in which the government of Xyon is structured. The transference of reproductive power from the high patrons to the archons and the complete severance of administrative duties from the patriarchs as a whole, is viewed as having had a major effect on the internal stability of the planet's government and society, allowing for a more stable population and economy. Because of its vast implications and wide-reaching effect on politics, economics, reproduction, society, and culture as a whole and the peace it brought about, the Blackstone Constitution is considered a national treasure, and its chief proponent, Supreme Director Winter Kane, is considered a national hero and one of the greatest Supreme Directors to have ever lived.

## Background

*Main article: Shadow Wars*
*See also: Unification Wars and Treaty of Chernaya*
### Prelude

The origins of the Blackstone Constitution can be traced to the events of the Shadow Wars, a series of clandestine conflicts which took place almost immediately following the end of the Unification Wars. Following the conflict, the Mikaean Directorate of Xyon was established as the sole international government on the planet, and unified all thirty of the households into a single federal government. However, the power of the Supreme Director was limited in its scope, with the High Patrons still wielding significant political power as a concession for their cooperation with the new central government in Blackstone. Using this relative autonomy that granted them the right to maintain separate legal systems, taxation, public services, and most importantly, independent security forces, the high patrons carried their fight on in the background of daily life, maneuvering for greater power in the federal government, and fighting over resources and prestige in the public.

The Shadow Wars ravaged much of the planet's economy, society, and infrastructure, killing tens of thousands and greatly weakening the authority of the Supreme Director across much of the planet. Possessing nothing more than a hallowed out military and completely lacking a national police force, Blackstone had to rely on the tenuous cooperation of the households to maintain peace and security, both of which were lacking. The patrons had little incentive to keep the peace, seeking to mask their covert operations against the backdrop of social instability and skyrocketing criminal activity. However, this would be their undoing, as on 6 Siphon 3841 YM, High Patron Valentin IX Vandame of House Vandame, was killed during a state visit to Louange in Michaux's region, his vehicle sprayed with bullets by almost a dozen assailants near the outskirts of the district's urban center.

New of the assassination spread quickly following the assassination of High Patron Valentin, and there was a massive outcry across the planet by Mikaeans for an end to the decades' long violence plaguing Xyon. The act was viewed as an atrocity, as killing a high patron–the progenitor of an entire household's population–was akin to committing an act of genocide. The population of Xyon was briefly united in their outrage, and demanded that something be done to forever stop the violence once and for all. Up until that point, the conflict between the households following the Unification Wars was in general, limited to specific regions where open conflict was ignored by the central government. High patrons were considered off-limits during the fighting, and this rule was widely understood and obeyed by all parties involved in the post-war strife. The death of High Patron Valentin was the first of its kind in decades, and was viewed throughout Xyon as the ultimately sign of its growing instability.

Believed to have been targeted for his role in enabling Houseless raids throughout neighboring Hayes and Graham, as well as supporting the ascension of wildly unpopular pro-militant Prioress TBD in Basilisk, who agitated for a war between Graham and Boyd, Valentin IX had made numerous regional adversaries. While no household accepted responsibility for his murder, most historians originally pointed at the head of House Boyd and lifelong rival, High Patron TBD Boyd, whom most believed sought to do away with his longtime enemy. Given the thousands of deaths House Boyd suffered as a result of the Houseless attacks on their cities and infrastructure, most blamed High Patron Boyd for the atrocity and his house was disgraced throughout the media of the time. Though many blamed the Houseless Mikaeans for the death as well, only House Boyd and its progeny were present to be held to account for the murder.

### Federal response

Supreme Director Winter Kane intervened in the crisis, and immediately moved to punish all parties involved. However, lacking the necessary manpower and political capital to do so, Kane appealed to the households of the Western Region to aid him in punishing the assailants. House Kane and House Morgan immediately answered his call to arms, however, House O'Neill and the other major households refused to get involved. Witnessing the true limits of his power, Kane resolved to address the issue in a more permanent manner. Understanding that the Supreme Director had little authority outside of the Capital Region, and was only as powerful as the house he came from and the respect it commanded, Kane decided to exploit the death of Valentin and the outrage of the public to his advantage, to resolve the longstanding issue of administration in Xyon's government.

In a televised address to the people, Supreme Director Kane stated that in his attempt to avenge the death of High Patron Valentin, his constitutionally-granted authority had been defied by the high patrons of the households, and he expressed his frustration that justice could not be carried out. Kane further encouraged the people to demand that their leaders obey him, as what had befallen Valentin could most likely befall the high patrons of their households as well. The ploy had worked to Kane's benefit as anticipated, with the public rallying behind him and demanding that his authority be respected. Despite this support, O'Neill, Kordan, and Marshall refused to bow to Kane's demands, something he too had anticipated. Speaking to an emergency meeting of the Supreme Federal Congress, Kane announced that the unity and sovereignty of Xyon was at risk, and that he would pursue the enhancement of his powers and pursuing the administrative reprimanding of the high patrons, as enshrined in the constitution.

In laymen's terms, Kane would be enacting his emergency powers and removing the high patrons from their positions to bring law and order back to Xyon. Having activated his nuclear option, Kane forced to high patrons of Xyon to act out of fear and buy his bluff, forcing them to the table to concede to his authority. Looking to negotiate with Kane, none of the representatives sent by their respective households expected Kane to do much save demand that his call to arms against the murderers of Valentin be obeyed. Instead, Kane shocked both the representatives and the public, when he announced that he would putting into motion, the drafting and ratification of a constitution that would limit the powers of the high patrons, increase the powers of the federal government, and eliminate many of the laws from the Treaty of Chernaya that had weakened the state in favor of getting the households to accept it. Kane argued on the grounds that the high patrons were responsible for much of the death and destruction that had plagued Xyon, and that Valentin IX's death was the ultimate sign of Xyon's downward spire into self-destruction.

## Constitution

The Blackstone Constitution completely restructured the traditional systems of power and influence on Xyon, stripping patriarchs of their absolute authority, granting universal suffrage to all Mikaeans, barring households from controlling industries and corporations, and establishing a national military and police force free of the controlling influences of the households. It also granted the Supreme Director, the Supreme Federal Congress, and the Supreme Court of Xyon, with greater powers and capabilities, effectively strengthening the federal government as a whole and centralizing power in the three bodies of government for Xyon. It also established a series of checks and balances on the patriarchs by controlling who, how, and when breeding was permitted and within what parameters, helping to solve Xyon's historically erratic demographic growth rates.

### High Patrons

Following the end of the Unification Wars, the High Patrons of the Mikaean households were, as a gesture of good faith and cooperation, permitted by the new federal government to maintain private militias, political and administrative powers, and control over the reproduction of Mikaeans within their territories. Furthermore, they could continue to have as many male offspring as they wished, ultimately granting any patron with a high number of sons a considerable amount of manpower, political power, and regional influence, ultimately leading to region conflicts over wealth and resources to support the growing populations, even after the Unification Wars. The patrons as a result of these allowances, continued to bicker amongst themselves, giving rise to the Shadow Wars. It was thus deemed paramount that the power of the patrons was ultimately curtailed and controlled, so as to prevent them from destabilizing the federal government and the country as a whole.

Following the ratification of the constitution and amending of the federal laws, all High Patrons were stripped of their political power, prohibited from having any active role in politics or serving as an influence on the direction of state politics and operations. Under the edicts of the new federal laws as restructured by the constitution, the patrons now serve as "symbols of their households and protectors of their unity and stability", effectively transforming the once omnipotent patriarchs into symbolic leaders and figureheads throughout Xyon. Aside from providing new archons to maintain the demographic stability of their sectors, and helping to serve as negotiators between the federal government and their respective households, no High Patron wields any significant power in an official capacity.

The patrons were further stripped of their ability to field private military forces for the "protection of their households" as the Treaty of Chernaya permitted. Rather, all patrons were commanded to both demilitarize their households and hand over all military equipment in their possession to the federal government or face imprisonment and castration. Additionally, the patrons of the households would be forever prohibited from fielding any sort of militia or private army not directly authorized by the government. Finally, all reproduction within the households would be removed from the High Patrons, and delegated to their sons, who alone would be authorized to produce offspring for the house, and only within their assigned districts. The household would only be allowed to have as many archons as they had districts, and a second set to replace them.

### Archons

Originally known as "princes" prior to the constitution's adoption, archons were established as a state institution, with all archons invested with the new responsibility to provide all of the new Mikaean offspring after their High Patron fathers were stripped of the ability to do so. Archons were originally known as "princes", each one assigned to a city established by their father or founded by their own offspring, and governing the lands that surrounded their settlements. Because of the manner in which their lands were organized to support their and their father's offspring, the modern-day district system originated from the archons and their traditional method of household administration. Using this as the basis for the new system of federal governance in Xyon, the constitution elevated the archons to the status of district patrons and placed within the new dualistic governing system of the state. However, as with their fathers, they were placed under certain restrictions which prevented them from gaining too much power and authority.

Following the introduction of the constitution's restrictions, High Patrons would no longer be free to have as many sons as they pleased, and by extension, hundreds of thousands of loyal and obedient offspring. Rather, the Blackstone Constitution required that the patrons themselves have only as many sons as they had districts, of which the size and number of districts per holusehold would be set by the federal government. These sons would be the only ones permitted to produce offspring in the name of their father, and only as many as their district could support on their own. While many patrons protested this restriction on their power, they had no recourse against the Supreme Director. As a concession, in addition to the archons they would be legally authorized to possess, they would also have an equal number of sons without reproductive privileges, as "spares" so to speak. These sons would serve the role of replacement for the existing archons, as well as deputies in any capacity required for their household.

Notably, as with the High Patrons, archons would possess no administrative or political authority. Rather, they would serve the role of figurehead, wielding no true authority in their districts, but serving the crucial role of progenitor for their district and household. The archons would serve as a major check on the power of the patrons, in that they would take over the role of father in their district from the once all-powerful High Patrons, and given the natural rivalry of patriarchs among their brothers, weaken the absolute loyalty to the patron himself, making Xyon easier to rule for the federal government. All archons would be placed under the oversight of the Bureau of Reproduction, which would possess the authority to sterilize archons who overstepped their authority and defied the will of the state, effectively removing them as a threat to Xyon's political establishment.

### Federal power

One of the most important aspects of the constitution were the powers it granted to the Supreme Director and his federal government. Prior to the constitution, the High Patrons ruled with complete autocratic power, and their every will and whim was law of the highest order in the eyes of their offspring. Following the constitution's enforcement in 3842 YM, this was no longer the case. From then on, the Supreme Director was the indisputable power on the planet, his instructions enforced by the state government and military. No longer would the patrons of the Mikaeans rule with impunity, something which Winter Kane had made his goal from the first draft of the constitution. Because of the laughably weak nature of the federal government in the time prior to the constitution, it was understood that no limits on the patrons could be realized without some strengthening of those invested within the Supreme Director. The Supreme Director would possess the ability to declare peace and war, execute the laws of the state, carry out punishments against households, revoke the reproductive privileges of the patrons and archons with the backing of the Supreme Federal Congress, and passing executive orders without confirmation from the Congress.

These powers would effectively solidify the right to rule of the Supreme Director, and remove all threats to his power from the patrons who once threatened his ability to govern. As the head of a national military and police force, the Supreme Director and all of his successors would now have the ability to act in a productive manner and protect the stability and unity of the state from internal and external threats, and immediately deal with any patrons who wished to regain their former powers. Naturally, because of the fear that a new Supreme Director may attempt to reverse the gains of Kane and reinvest power within the patrons and weaken federal rule, the constitution stipulated that no Supreme Director would have the power to change the new constitution of Xyon without the authorization of two-thirds of the Supreme Federal Congress and the unanimous support of the Supreme Court of Xyon. Furthermore, the constitution stated that no patron would be granted the power to regain control over his reproductive rights, even with the backing of the Supreme Director, which were the sole property of the federal government, a harsh yet necessary measure to prevent the wars and instability of the pass.

### Legislature

The Supreme Federal Congress, the legislature of Xyon, which had once been toothless and beholden the will and antics of the High Patrons, was invested with a series of new powers that allowed it to better govern Xyon free of the will of the patrons. The first and most important power was that, under the Blackstone Constitution, the Congress would have the power to overrule the executive orders of a Supreme Director on matters regarding the patrons and impeach him if it had reason to believe he was acting on the orders of a High Patron rather than the laws of the constitution. Given that the Supreme Director was male, and all males were the sons of a High Patron and not of a lower archon, there was real fear that the next Supreme Director would be controlled by the vengeful patriarchs, and seek to restore their power and authority unilaterally. This would allow the pan-Mikaean body to prevent a Supreme Director with potential bias toward a single household to be prevented from exercising his vast power over the legislature. Furthermore, the institution would allow the female population to join and have a voice in the government, so as to augment the male members and their various responsibilities spawning new offspring and overseeing their districts during periods of recess.

### Administrative divisions

Another one of the major changes in Mikaean government was the completely restructuring and reorganization of the administrative divisions on the planet by the federal government. Prior to 3842 YM, the patriarchs governed the regions of Xyon directly and their sons governed the massive cities and their surrounding lands as governors. Because of the unique manner of reproduction by the Mikaeans, as well as the centralized nature of rule on the planet, Mikaeans did not create towns and villages outside of their cities, save for camps required for mining and lumber work in the countryside. The entire population of a principality resided in a single city, surrounded by farmlands and work camps, and little else between the natural landscape untouched by the Mikaean inhabitants. This allowed for a heavily-centralized governing system to emerge from the unique settlement patterns of the Mikaeans, with a single prince ruling over a city which contained the total population of his territory, meaning that he had little to worry about in terms of deputies in other parts of the territory to work with, and he himself only needed to report to his father.

Notably, as a result of this method of governance, the patriarch could simply have as many daughters as he wished, and divide them among his many cities, and thanks to the vast range of fertile land and growing space he had, expand rapidly across a region. As a result, warfare was a relatively easy affair to carry out, as entire armies could be raised from the centrally-located population of a single principality, and the number of cities could be increased on par with the number of sons a patron could send to govern them on his behalf. The resulting the population booms during wartime resulted in millions of Mikaeans in a single district living and dying within the timeframe of a single region-spanning conflict. The constitution completely separated the high patrons and archons from the day to day administration of their lands, while taking advantage of the traditional governing system that the Mikaeans had historically depended upon. By stripping patrons of their right to rule and produce millions of offspring themselves, delegating this task to the archons, and placing restrictions on the number of children each archon could have, directly limited the population of Xyon overall, and limited the overall influence patrons had on the population.

Households which were de facto independent countries and later autonomous territories within the federal government, were dissolved and transformed into sectors, which were governed by democratically-elected officials from the general population. The patrons were banned from influencing elections by prohibiting them from endorsing candidates, publicly speaking on the topic of politics, and barring them from financing election campaigns directly or indirectly. The same was made true for archons as well, who are prohibited from having any direct or indirect input in elections or political activities in their administrative regions. The principalities that once dominated the landscape were reorganized as districts, which too now had federally-mandated and democratically-elected officials and governments. The only role an archon would be permitted to have within the framework of a district would be to maintain the population levels in that area. By law, the archon was permitted to have as many offspring as his district could naturally support from the surrounding lands, and an additional 50% from food imports from the surrounding districts. Thus, if a district could only support half a million inhabitants, an archon could have half a million offspring plus an additional quarter of a million, representing the food imports to sustain increased population growth.

The new sectors of the nation would be named after the household which traditionally and historically resided in that region, and would contain a set number of districts which would be established by the federal government. Though many households opposed this idea, there was no tolerance for discussion or negotiation with the patrons and archons, and the change was put into law against their will. Many saw the change as putting into law the powerful interests of the great houses of O'Neill, Morgan, Marshall, and Kordan, as well as others, though the reality of the matter was that if anything, their power had been greatly reduced by the laws of the constitution. Whereas they once held a clear demographic majority over their peers, they were now legally obligated to reduce the number of offspring per district, stripping them of their once enormous populations. Though still much larger than the average minor household, the great houses had little to gain from the new restrictions. The sectors would be divided into four regions, each governed by a regional governor appointed by the Supreme Director and approved by the Congress, who would manage affairs in the area on behalf of the federal government, and assist with mediating disputes between sector governments. This new division of administrative regions would effectively block the patrons and archons from power, and give the federal government complete control over the affairs of state for the first time in Mikaean history.

### Security

One of the bigger changes to the government of Xyon in relation to the patrons, was the formation of a unified military and security force independent of the households. As a direct result of the growing conflicts between patrons and the effects of the Shadow Wars, Winter Kane did not trust the patrons with control over their own security apparatus, and sought to centralize military power in the hands of the federal government. With the support of the Black Cross Church and their Faith Militant forces, the Supreme Director forced all the households to dissolve their paramilitary forces and hand over all military equipment to the government. Afterward, the government of Xyon formally established the Xyon Armed Services and the Xyon Security Forces, which would serve as the military and national police forces of Xyon respectively. Membership to both forces would be open to all Mikaeans regardless of their household, and combat units would be completely desegregated and stationed in all parts of Xyon regardless of the household's views. The aim was to ensure that the security personnel of Xyon were loyal to the federal government and would enforce the laws of the land wherever they were stationed.

The Obsidian Guard, which was the old bodyguard of the Council of Patrons and the protector of the city of Blackstone, would be adopted into the armed forces as a branch of the military, and it would be given domain over the newly established Capital Region of Xyon. All military units of the regular armed forces, collectively known as the Xyon National Guard, as well as the Xyon Security Forces, would be barred from garrisoning units in the Capital Region in accordance with the new constitution, as a sign of impartiality and neutrality by the military. Rather, all matters of defense and security would be handed over to the Obsidian Guard, who would operate as the praetorian guard for the federal government and the army of the Supreme Director and the Supreme Federal Congress. This would ensure that the most elite and most loyal forces to the new government would be the ones responsible for ensuring its survival at all times. Another step of the constitution would be to ban all patrons from fielding their own bodyguard units and private militias, ensuring that they would no longer possess the capacity to operate their own security forces who could pose a threat to the federal government, and place their lives in the hands of the federal military establishment, an important and potent sign of the new power and authority in Mikaean politics.

The final change was one which came as a surprise to most Mikaeans and allies of Winter Kane. The Faith Militant which had played such a vital role in aiding the federal government in its attempts to completely unify the Mikaeans as a whole, were stripped of much of their power and influence as well. Kane, understood that while the Black Cross Church had played an invaluable role in supporting his attempts a reform, was too powerful an entity on its own to be trusted with its own military force. As such, the new constitution bared the church from fielding its own military units, and instead stripped them down to the role of heavily-armed security forces. The military traditions of the Faith Militant would not be infringed upon by the federal government, though all heavy weapons, armored combat vehicles capable of sporting heavy weapons, and aviation units, were banned from the Faith Militants arsenal. The force would no longer be allowed to execute its own patrol missions and combat operations, but would now be restricted to defending church lands and property, and places of spiritual and religious interest that were not significant enough to warrant direct protection from federal military forces. Though many within the church felt betrayed by these new laws, the church as a whole obliged the edicts of the constitution, and acquiesced to the demands as a sign of submission to the federal government.

## Legacy

House Boyd, long viewed as the culprit in High Patron Valentin's assassination, was ultimately absolved of any wrongdoing by Reverend Mistress TBD in XXXX YM, as no evidence linking them to the murder was ever found. The popular view of blaming the Boyds with the murder began to change almost a century after the assassination, when documents belonging to House Morgan surrounding the incident were found in 3973 YM. These documents detailed the plans of High Patron Jonathan Morgan III, to attain power in the federal government though his son, Justice Morgan, and contender for the office of Supreme Director, by killing Valentin and ultimately benefiting from his death. This would involve framing the High Patron of House Boyd to spark an international incident that would force the federal government to respond aggressively, allowing his son Justice to step into the political arena and ride the crisis into the Blackstone Estate as a savior and executor of justice.