Folkvangr

Folkvangr is a Type IV Union colonial mandate planet administered by the Folkvangr Garden, the Burning Man Traveller Society, the Federation of Independent Communities and 19 other Adam and Eve movements. Folkvangr is divided into two Colonial Territories: the Folkvangr Mandate CT and the Central Folkvangr CT. Folkvangr has 1,072,600 inhabitants as of 2218.

Folkvangr was discovered in 2034 and settled by the UAF in 2078. It functioned as the main extraplanetary military hub of the Union of Nation States. It was declared a Type IV UCM planet in 2188. In 2190, settlement by the new administrators of the planet begun. It is now a self-governing political body within the UNS. Folkvangr has five seats in the Assembly of Colonial Representatives.

Folkvangr is part of the Folkvangr Solar System. Two other planets within the Folkvangr Solar System, New Folkvangr and Deus are also inhabited. Those two planets have a combined population of 1,800, who operate the power stations of Folkvangr, generating almost all power used by Folkvangr.

UAF Area
Folkvangr used to be called Martius and was used as a an UAF Training and Research Area. More than 200,000 troops were stationed on the planet on a permanent basis during the late 21st and early 22nd, constituting the bulk of the extraplanetary divisions of the US army. Due to the discovery and subsequent colonization of more suitable planets, Martius was abandoned over the course of the late 22nd century. In 2190, a permanent UAF base called Santo Domingo, with 9,000 personnel, was the only UAF base left on the planet.

Folkvangr mandate
In 2188, a Type IV Union colonial mandate request was filed by a conglomeration of 22 Adam and Eve movements -the International Organization for the Establishment of an Ecological Society (IOEES)- that aimed to establish a non-authoritarian, ecological society on Martius under the name of Folkvangr, modelled after the 2186 establishment of Alma Mater.

In 2190, after a lengthy review of the request of 18 months, the request was granted. Preparations for the establishment of Folkvangr took 4 years. Already in 2191, the first representatives of the IOEES settled on the planet and helped preparing the planet for a power transfer to the IOEES. 18 focus areas were investigated and 26 so-called support settlements were built between 2192 and 2194 in the Central Folkvangr CT, as well as a space port and three cities. The Folkvangr Mandate CT was left alone, a wish expressed by the IOEES.

In the evaluation period between 2191 and 2198, more than 260,000 people settled on the planet. Most of them in 2196, when the IOEES sought volunteers to build and populate the new capital of the Folkvangr Mandate CT, Folkvangr City.

The first communities were started in 2193 and aided by air bridges that provided food, building materials and other goods that were ecologically produced in Central Folkvangr CT. This process of aiding communities with support goods and technical assistance in the first years or decades of their existence continues up until today.

Geography
Folkvangr consists of one large continental land mass simply called Folkvangr Continent, surrounded by an ocean, nicknamed the Blue Ocean by many Folkvangr citizens, but officially called the Folkvangr Ocean. There are a couple of islands and archipelagos in the Folkvangr Ocean, as well as two landmasses called Atlantis and Small Folkvangr. There are three landmasses on the southern hemisphere, almost adjacent to the Folkvangr Continent.

Folkvangr lies mostly above the equator. The southern coast, which lies on the equator, is covered by tropical rainforests. The Central Folkvangr CT lies at the northern border of the tropical rainforests. The regions south of the Central Folkvangr CT are called, from west to east, the West Coast Mangrove, the Southern Rain Forest, the Swan Lake Tropical Rain Forest, the Southern Lake Region, the Southeastern Rifts, and the Southern Savannah.

More inland, the tropical forests gradually make way for grasslands and dry tropical shrub. A broad girdle of deserts, the Dorian and Red Rock Deserts -separated by the Iron Badlands, extends from the west coast to the eastern part of the heartland of the Folkvangr Continent, where the extent of the desert is abruptly interrupted by the Folkvangrian Highlands, which is partly covered in coniferous forests. East of the the Folkvangrian Highlands lie the coastal regions of East Coast Forests in the north and the Port of Eden region in the south.

North of the deserts lie, from east to west, the Northern Forests, the Green Hills, the Dragonlands and Nova Terra, large regions covered by deciduous forests. The Folkvangrian Taiga covers the eastern part of the north coast, while Nova Terra extends to the western part of the north coast.

Human inhabitation
The Central Folkvangr CT is located in the center of the Folkvangr Continent, to the south of the Dorian Desert in a tropical region characterized by grasslands and forested hill lands. North of the Central Folkvangr CT lies Folkvangr City, in the Dorian Desert. Folkvangr City is the focal point of human inhabitation of the mandate, boasting 20,000 inhabitants. It is not the largest

Demographics
Folkvangr has 1,072,600 inhabitants as of 2218, according to the Union Census Bureau. 846,300 of those live in the Folkvangr Mandate CT. The remaining 226,300 residents of the planet live in the Central Folkvangr CT, mainly Grenada, Santo Domingo, Georgetown and Maryborough. There are still more than 9,000 UAF personnel in Santo Domingo, constituting almost 1% of the total population of Folkvangr.

Religion
New religions are well represented throughout Folkvangr, especially in the Port of Eden region, the southern parts of the Green Hills, Dorian Desert and the Red Rock Desert. Most inhabitants are without religion. There are several Christian denominations with missions and communities scattered throughout Folkvangr Mandate CT and Central Folkvangr CT. Buddhism and the Jewish faith are well-represented in the mandate by large communities of converts.

Most people consider themselves agnostic, atheist or simply without religion (all grouped under the "no religion" standard of the International Civil Registry). The second largest denomination is "Christian", encompassing various Protestant denomination, Catholicism, several New Age groups that identify as Christian, a couple of sects and new religions, and Eastern-Orthodox groups. A larger-than-average percentage of Christians identifies with a New Religion. The third largest faith according to the International Civil Registry is Buddhism. Most Buddhists in Folkvangr are converts. The Jewish faith is represented by a group of New Kibbutzim adherents that settled in the Vineyard of God and Jewish Grenada regions of northern New Grenada. There is also a Jewish sect that resides in Santo Domingo, Central Folkvangr CT. The percentage of people that adheres a non-Terran religion is much lower than average, owing to the fact that non-Terrans are underrepresented on Folkvangr.

Language
The principial language of Folkvangr is English, used by officials and the majority of its inhabitants. There is a sizeable Esperanto community throughout Folkvangr, consisting of some 80,000 individuals. Other languages of importance are French, German, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Polish and Spanish. Speakers of non-Terran languages are underrepresented: there are little to no large Harvian or Hularian minorities.

Politics and government
Folkvangr is divided into two CTs: the Central Folkvangr CT and Folkvangr Mandate CT. The Central Folkvangr CT is not part of the Union colonial mandate and directly administered by the Central Colonial Administration. The Central Folkvangr CT also covers many aspects of the administration of the Folkvangr Mandate CT, including communication, health care and disaster relief. Central Folkvangr CT serves as the only main entry point, consisting of two space ports. Central Folkvangr CT was founded in order to provide Folkvangr with basic public facilities without interfering with the mandate.

The Folkvangr Mandate CT is fully covered by the Union colonial mandate that was granted to the organizations that initiated the request for a Type IV Union colonial mandate. This mandate gives them the right to self-govern, without intervention from the Central Colonial Administration and the Union of Nation States. The Folkvangr Mandate CT is administered by the Folkvangr Council, consisting of representatives of the 22 Adam and Eve movements that are based in the Folkvangr Mandate CT. Most inhabitants of the "mandate", as it is informally called, are officially registered as members of one of the movements governing the Folkvangr Mandate CT.

The Folkvangr Council concerns itself with legislation and enforcing civil order. Its most important task is aiding the communities within the mandate when requested. By law, it has adopted a passive status and -except in the case of people breaking the law- doesn't interfere with the communities in the mandate. It is, however, obliged to help out when requested. The council is seated in Folkvangr City, a settlement in the Dorian Desert near the equator.

Law
While there are many misconceptions about the supposed "lawless" status of the Mandate, the same laws as elsewhere in the Union apply. The "anarchist" image of the Mandate is due to the fact that the government doesn't concern itself with urban planning. Other than a medical centre and some other basic facilities, the government has opted to not provide other facilities. Communities buy and build their own power grids and can request assistance in building clean water sources, shelter and other infrastructure.

Due to the relative absence of law enforcement officers, communities mostly enforce laws themselves. Grave crimes like murder, rape, assault and fraud are reported to the central administration and in those cases the Council will send law enforcement to investigate the situation. Drugs, military gear and weapons can be traded freely in the Mandate. Most communities have implemented some sort of regulation regarding gun use on their territory.

Administrative subdivisions
The planet is subdivided into two Colonial Territories: Central Folkvangr Colonial Territory and Folkvangr Mandate Colonial Territory. The Central Folkvangr CT is subdivided into seven districts, of which five have more than 10,000 inhabitants. The Folkvangr Mandate CT has no official subdivisions. The Council and several communities have produced maps with "provisional districts for travelling purposes". The Travellers also maintain an unofficial subdivision of the Mandate, that is used throughout the territory by many communities.

Economy
The economy of Folkvangr is mostly self-subsistent. In the early years, extraplanetary assistance was needed to quickly set up the first communities and to prevent a situation were the production of food and supplies would be extremely low and inefficient in the early years. Currently, there is a division between the economies of Central Folkvangr CT (CFCT) and Folkvangr Mandate CT (FMCT).

The CFCT is still trades with the rest of the Union. Foreign investment, however, is severely restricted. Expansion of urban areas and the primary/seconday sectors of the economy in CFCT are limited to several designated areas.

Trade between the CFCT and the FMCT is low. There is a general consensus amongst the communities of the FMCT that the Mandate will try to build a self-subsistent economy. In general, mostly end products are imported by the FMCT. The export mainly consists of food, precious metals, artisanal products, exotic plants and art. Important categories of goods imported by the FMCT are medicines, charged PSIs medical equipment, weapons, machinery, technological equipment, vehicles. Raw materials imported by the FMCT are textile, steel.

Infrastructure
The CFCT is well-equipped with several tens of thousands of acres of wind farms that are used to charge most of the PSIs used in Folkvangr. There is a small road network that connects the most important settlements in the CFCT.

There are virtually no roads outside urban centers in the FMCT. There are small, private strectches of unpaved road between several close settlements. Almost all transport is by air. There are several groups and communities that travel with recreational vehicles (RVs). PSIs are used in almost all communities and sold in most major settlements that trade with Folkvangr City (the main entry point for PSIs). Long-distance communication is routed through Folkvangr City to Grenada and Santo Domingo in the CFCT, the location of the main LDC data centers. Several communities, most notably Findhornia, produce OLDC broadcasts.

There are no ports of importance on Folkvangr, as the non-continental landmasses are uninhabited as of 2218.

Society
The inhabitants of Folkvangr, in particular those of the mandate, tend to identiffy themselves as liberal and anti-authoritarian. Many of them have founded their own, completely or partly self-sustaining communities in the middle of nowhere, in the spirit of the Adam and Eve movement. Certain laws, complying with basic Union law, prevent a complete anarchist situation. These laws are enforced by the the Mandate Volunteers, an official organization founded by the mandate government,that serves as the national police force of Folkvangr Mandate CT, a firefighting and disaster relief organization, and many other roles, such as schooling, health care and civil servants. Mandate Volunteers can pass an exam in order to become Volunteer Guard, which enables them to make arrests, lock people up in approved community jails, and enforce laws. Volunteer Guards need to be approved by the community they serve in, in a way decided by the community themselves (such as popular vote, a council vote, or certain qualifications). This system of Mandate Volunteers prevents chaos and civil unrest, as well as restricting possibilities to commit crimes.

The communities are generally characterized by their small size, libertarian/anarchist legislation, free spirit and reverence for nature. Most communities have opted to allow gun ownership. A small number of communities have been identified as sects, but according to the Folkvangr Council they generally pose no harm and are founded in good spirit. A couple of communities are monitored by the Organization for Prevention of Sectarian Schools of Thought, a small department of the Union of Nation States with an office on Folkvangr.

Most communities can be characterized as communes: often they regard the concepts "ownership" and "private property" less important than elsewhere in the Union. A limited number of communities is nomadic or semi-nomadic. Important examples include the Burning Man Communities, that maintain a permanent settlement as well as semi-permanent nomadic camps. Another, completely nomadic community is the Van Community of "vanners", people that travel using recreational vehicles in a certain area. The Lodgers is a loose association of people that travels from community to community to stay there for a limited amount of time in exchange for providing their services, including manual labor and teaching.

Many communities grow their own crops, produce their own goods and have founded small trading networks with neighboring communities. School attendance is low in many communities. Instead, many people are homeschooled or communities have adopted a philosophy of "schooling children by experiencing life". A number of communities have founded their own schooling systems, often incorporating practical skills in the curriculum.

Arts
A great number of communities are built around artistic ideals and host their own art and music festivals. There is a number of artistic communes. Especially in the Dorian Desert and the Red Rock Desert, land art is prevalent.

Nomadic

 * The Lodgers - A loose association of nomadic travellers that trek from community to community to exchange their services for food and shelter. The Lodgers are not a true community, as they don't really have a leadership or a concept of membership. They do have their own distinct culture and sociolect. They are found throughout Folkvangr, especially in the Green Hills, the Dragonlands, Nova Terra and the Red Rock Desert. There are an estimated 17,000 Lodgers. A survey of communities revealed that on average, they harbored 20-30 lodgers at a time. They mostly sleep at other peoples home.


 * The Travellers - A nomadic community similar to The Lodgers, but often travelling in larger groups. Another major difference with The Lodgers is that they are officially organized and maintain 14 permanent settlements called "Resting Camps".There are 2704 registered Travellers, divided over 52 Chapters, so-called groups of Travellers that travel together. The largest Chapter, the Old Travellers, maintains 6 of the permanent settlements and includes many retired Travellers.


 * Van Community - Nomadic community of "vanners", people that live and travel in recreational vehicles. There are currently five communities identifying as members of the Van Community: the original Van Community of the Dorian Vanners that travel through the Dorian Desert, two vanner communities that also travel through the Dorian Desert, the Vellow Vanners that travel through a part of the Red Rock Desert known as the Van Desert (and occasionally venturing into the Burning Man Territory) and the Vellow Vanners of the Sea, that drive up and down three established routes along the west coast of Folkvangr Continent. There is also a Van Community of the South, that officially distanced themselves from the Van Community after a dispute.

Settlements
Some settlements were started as "open cities" that welcomed anyone, regardless of political or social status. Other settlements require that permanent inhabitants comply with certain communal requirements. About half of the settlements adhere to some sort of religious or political ideology. Several of the religious settlements are essentially monasteries or sectarian communes. There are lots of socialist/communist settlements. A minority of the settlements are artistic communes. A couple of settlements are anarchist in nature and welcome anyone, regardless of lifestyle.
 * Dale - A small settlement that functions as a commune. The Dale Community is the oldest communal community in Folkvangr. It is geographically very close to Sky City. It has 200-300 inhabitants at any time. There are a couple of small villages that belong the Dale Community within a 20 mile radius of Dale.
 * Laketown - A large settlement with more than 2,600 inhabitants on the banks of Lake Bonnie. It is an open settlement with a distinct Buddhistic undertone.
 * Lodger's Watch Tower - The informal name of Newton of the South, a hotel and settlement. LWT is a hub for Lodgers. It has 170 permanent inhabitants, most of which work for the immense hotel. It is situated on the banks of Lake Bonnie. It is geographically very close to Port Bonnie and Laketown.
 * Martius  - Large settlement that has no ideological or social signature ("open" settlement). Martius was named after the original name of Folkvangr and has 16,000 inhabitants. Martius is the oldest settlement in the Mandate.
 * Northern Resting Camp - The Northern Resting Camp is the second northernmost resting camp of the Travellers. It is also the second oldest resting camp and the oldest settlement on the planet with a Buddhist temple. The settlement can harbor about 500 people at any time. The permanent population is a little over 100, but the actual day-to-day population is closer to 300. It is the location of the Northern Lights Festival every year in June.
 * Sky City - A large, open settlement that has 7,000 inhabitants. Sky City is situated on top of a large hill, overlooking the surrounding lowlands. Sky City is geographically very close to Dale. Sky City has an airfield.
 * Southern Resting Camp - This Traveller's resting camp is the southernmost resting camp of the Traveller's. It has a permanent population of 40 Traveller's and is the smallest resting camp of all. The settlement produces its own beer, called Southern Spirit.