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"Humankind has turned its back on the magical in favor of a new dream - a dream of a sterile, banal world with no mysteries or wonder. A world where all the questions have been answered and all the puzzles of the universe solved. And yet, in the quest for this Utopia, much of humankind has lost a little of themselves. They have forgotten how to dream...."
Quoted from
"Changeling: the Dreaming", Second Edition
Introduction, first paragraph
Here, we get down to how the Domain was formed,... and what its purpose really is. Feel free to read on, and get a better understanding of what it means to be Domani. And why the Domain came to be.
History
© 2004 to present The Domain and Realms of the Shadows and the Darkness...
The realm known in short as 'the Domain' has been a state of mind that began in the everyday life of then Micah Foster(also known as Micah Eden), back in 1993. A believer of all-things mystickal, magickal, mysterious and unknown, Micah imprinted his thoughts and dreams onto the internet: creating a site that soon became known as the Shadows and the Darkness. Micah always knew and felt that there was more to Reality than what was just beyond his nose, and knew of others who felt and knew the same. Over time, amid long, eye-opening, and sometimes painful personal growth, two things happened in the life of Mr. Foster: the realization of his spiritual name(ShadowDarkFyre), and his discovery of the White Wolf gaming system, upon which much of his micronational ideas were solidified. It wasn't until he met the woman who was to be his wife: her Majesty the Queen of Snowdonia, Debra Leigh Waisanen(known as Snowaidene), that his ideas started to slowly come into focus. It wasn't until he started extensively reading through the White Wolf book, "Changeling: the Dreaming Second Edition", and studying the ruling hierarchy and the division of the North American map in the game, that his ideas about the state of mind of his micronation started coming clearly into view. It happened then that, along the months of November and December of 2001, that ShadowDarkFyre began discussing the forming of the micronation of 'the Domain' with Queen Snowaidene(who already saw the Upper Penninsula of Michigan as 'Snowdonia') and Lady Traser SyberJedi: now-ruler of the Domani realm of FairyStone. It came to pass in the final weeks of December 2001 that Lord Shadow: on the basis of the DarkFyre Heart he perpetually wears, and the SnowStar he gave his Queen in Summer of 1998, that he purchased the first of several buttons: gold plastic in the shape of a heart, with a transparent plastic red ruby heart in the center. Which is the closest resemblance to the DarkFyre Heart. Calling it a HeartDarkFyre, he coined it as a 'badge of office' from him to whoever rules a realm of the Domain. With Queen Snowaidene's agreement to the foundation, Lady SyberJedi's acceptance of the rulership of FairyStone, and Lord Shadow's sending of her HeartDarkFyre to her on the 21st of December, the Domain officially was founded.
Since the founding, twenty of the twenty-seven Realms have gained rulers to the growth of the Domain: Snowdonia(ruled by High Queen Snowaidene), FairyStone, Sil Magra, the Black Hills, Pacifica, Snake Mound, the Dells, Lumina(formerly known as Roanoke), the Dreamtime, Orinoco, ArkenStone, Plainitia, Aquaterra(formerly known as UnderBridge), LoneStar, Remal(formerly known as Brittania), Cascade, Astoria, Celtica, Southron, and Cibola. It is hoped that the remaining realms: currently territories under Imperial governance, will also acquire rulers in the near future, and also that the growth of our population will continue.
Purpose
The Domain is patterned somewhat after the Kingdom of Concordia in White Wolf Publishing's "Changeling the Dreaming", as well as the makeup of the realms within the Society for Creative Anachronism(the SCA). The reasoning? There's too few of us who still believe in magick, faith, mystery, the unknown, and the possibility of what could be in the unknowns of God's creation, and all of Reality. Though the Domain is more or less a "virtual" or "model" country, it's a place for all those who believe in all the things I just mentioned. This isn't a game. All Domani take this seriously. Mortals are more than just bags of water and chemicals. We have hopes, dreams, desires, and feelings. That alone proves we are more than just a science experiment or an accidental byproduct of someone's Big Bang theory. Part of the reason why this world is slowly dying is because most people just don't truly believe anymore. For the sake of everything, dreams and hopes and faith. They must survive.. It's for that reason that the Domain exists.
When it comes down to it, basically, what the ruler of each realm of the Domain is supposed to do is keep a lookout for people like us. People who believe. We're all too few in this world. The Domain's a place for them to feel like they belong to a group who feel the same way they do. If you see any like that in your realm, ask them if they'd like to become citizens of the Domain. Free choice. If they want to join, cool. If not, that's cool, too. It's okay. Other than the usual things a ruler does. But basically, you're like a guardian or watcher over your respective realm. That means that whatever mystickal and magickal places there are in your realm, its your duty to sync yourself with them: so long as they're not evil. If they're evil, steer clear. But its doubtful that has to be overly emphasized. It's recommend that, when you get a chance, the first place you go to sync yourself would be what's considered to be the strongest or most potent mystickal and/or magickal area in your realm. And go from there. Every urban legend or myth. Every rumor of magick. Every place that has natural beauty or feels magickal, you get to know like your own soul, if you haven't already. That includes nature itself.
Rule and guardianship in the Domain is pretty much what it sounds like, minus a few things. The whole thing is going to be somewhat like an experience in modern-day medievalism. Rulership means becoming acquainted with anything and everything spiritual, mystickal, and magickal about your particular area: so long as it doesn't pose much of a danger to the Ruler. It means becoming a part of the Realm, and the Realm becomng a part of the Ruler. So if there's any knowledge to be had of anything in a Realm(such as hauntings, rumors of faerie glens, Wiccan/pagan/mystick societies in the area, urban legends along the line of mysterious or the like, etc.), it's part of a Ruler's responsibility to find out about it and learn it for the benefit of their Realm and the Domain as a whole. There are a few rules and guidelines around ho to go about the rule of a Realm. In the end, the stewardship of the domain is a practice in teamwork. In either case, we're not rushing the growth of this micronation. As the old saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day.
As for Commoners(civilians in Domani terms), all that's required to join is believe in magick. In dreams. In things mystick. In anything spiritual. Strive for good and fight against evil. Believe that there's more to the world than just science and technology. That's there's something else along with it. You believe and feel that way, then you have a place in the Domain. The Domain is for people like us to come together as part of a community, regardless of religion, path, and belief. In the end, magick is what binds us all here.
Overall, the Domain is to serve as a common ground for all mystick people and magickfolk. All of us are set on a certain path, and no two paths are alike. But there are always some commonalities, and all paths eventully converge into one somewhere down the road. The purpose of this nation is to bring us all together: Christians, Wiccans, Pagans, and others who believe in the magickal, the mystickal, the paranormal, the unknown. The Domain is that common ground for us all. All the different beliefs are part of the same puzzle, with the pieces all scrambled. The only way to solve the puzzle is to start putting the pieces together.
This is the true purpose for the founding of the micronation known as the Domain.
Remember the Motto of our nation:...
"There's magick in believing..."
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