Life in the Reich
Residency
There are four degrees of Residency within the Reich. Around 80% of the population could be described as being of North European stock, and individuals born into this racial group are deemed to be Reich Citizens. The next 10% is made up of Resident Aliens and Visitors, which covers all those born outside of the Reich, including representatives of the Aussenhandel der Reichsverband worlds (see trade) and visiting diplomats. To move from Visitor status to Resident Alien status, a person must live within the Greater Reich (defined as the Reich and the Sudetenland) for a minimum of six months, with the exception of diplomats, who have this status conferred on them after a month, assuming they pass the stringent security checks imposed on new diplomats.
The remaining 10% of the resident population comes from other ethnic groups, and begin life as Non-Citizens, although they can apply for citizenship later and can be awarded it, for example, for great service to the Reich. The number of representatives of other ethnic groups within the Reich has been decreasing, and is down from its original 15%, as many of these people have left the Fatherland for the disputed territories and beyond, or have been detained.
There is a system of Pass Laws controlling the rights of Citizens and Non-Citizens to residence and travel, as well as the carrying of ID papers. All Reich residents are subject to these: for example, all Citizens and Non-Citizens are issued with identity papers on their 14th birthday, and are expected to carry these with them at all times (not to do so is an offence liable to punishment with a fine for the first two infractions, and imprisonment for the third).
Citizens are required to have transit papers, signed by the local Party office, if they wish to travel more than a twenty-mile radius from their place of habitation. Travel outside of Reich-held lands is forbidden, unless the transit papers are signed by the Party chief for the applicant's home town or city.
The residence and travel measures are more stringent for Non-Citizens, Resident Aliens and Visitors, who cannot travel more than ten miles from their place of residence without authorisation. Foreigners are expected to carry transit papers at all times, proving that they are legitimately in the Reich. This includes diplomats.
Standard of Living and Life Expectancies
The standard of living within the Reich is surprisingly high, given that it is a land constantly at war, and there is a very strong, 1940s-level infrastructure (buildings, roads, railways, sewers, telephones, etc). As in Sable, the primary source of power is magic, and electricity is supplied either through magical means, or from magic-powered steam turbines. There is also a telephone system which works on more traditional industrial lines. The currency is the Reichsmark, and there is a fairly stable relationship of RM2 to £1. All private purchases are usually made by cash or cheque, although there is an inter-bank system of money transfers for larger transactions. The Reichsmark is the sole legal tender in the Fatherland, the Sudentenland and the Aussenhandel der Reichsverband, having replaced the native currencies of the trading Shadows when they became part of the Reich External Trade Association, although Sanguine does still have an exchange rate system with other currencies.
Employment is almost full (99%), as to be without any form of employment is strongly frowned upon: after all, there is a war on. In addition, the Reichsarbeitsdienst (National Labour Service) exists to assist with job seeking, and to run national projects which provide state employment (for example, road and rail building, construction). Poverty among the Citizenry is rare, although in the Non-Citizen population it is more common - about 30% of such people live in disadvantaged circumstances, and even those who are employed are in the lowest paying menial jobs. There are therefore a higher proportion of Non-Citizens than Citizens employed within the initiatives of the RAD.
There are those in government who believe that for the nation state to be healthy, the people should be healthy, and Reich Citizens therefore have a very high standard of healthcare. All healthcare for Citizens is also provided by the state, and is both mundane and magical in nature. Non-Citizens are entitled to a certain amount of healthcare under the state system, although they will often be expected to supplement their treatment costs. In addition, public health programmes are encouraged and there have been awareness campaigns on the dangers of smoking and drinking, although these have had mixed results. All public places have no smoking areas, and smoking is confined to specific places in many government and public buildings. There are also several Reich organisations which encourage healthy lifestyles, sports and leisure, including the Nordic Circle, which promotes health and suitable Aryan traits through sports and self-discipline, and Kraft durch Freude (KdF, literally Strength Through Joy), which provides affordable leisure activities such as concerts, day-trips and holidays for the lower and middle classes.
Despite this promotion of a healthy lifestyle, the natural life expectancy within the Reich (and on the rest of Magica Superior) is lower than that in Sable: between two and two-and-a-half times that of the human norm, or about 150-200 years. Of course, the hazards of living in a state such as the Fatherland can have a foreshortening effect, which most likely affects the average. Youth spells (which affect appearance and general health, but do not extend longevity) are available, as in Sable, but are usually restricted to mages, high Party officials and other faithful servants of the Reich. The usual age of retirement, both from government service and private concerns, is 140 for men and 130 for women.
Religion
The major mainstream religion within the Reich is a monotheistic one based on semi-Biblical principles, but with the Aryan race considered as predominant in its beliefs, known as the Universal Church. While not originally completely accepted by the Reich government, it was never suppressed, as it has always been very careful about its criticisms of Reich policy. Moreover, over the last thirty years or so, acceptance of it from the Powers that Be has grown, and it is allowed to operate openly, with all major population centres having churches or chapels dedicated to it, and many landowners building smaller chapels on their lands to enable their tenants and subjects to worship if they wish. Around fifteen percent of the population of the Fatherland and the Sudetenland attend services on a semi-regular basis, with another fifteen to twenty percent attending major festivals, including some members of the Reich upper hierarchy. The Patriarch within the Reich is Archbishop Henning Gerlach, who was appointed to the position by the Reich Council of Bishops about ten years ago. His seat is at Saint Rafael's Cathedral, in Berlin.
However, there is also a strong pagan element to Reich life, especially within both arms of the Schutzstaffel, which harks back to the old Norse and Germanic beliefs of old, and there is strong interest in ritual and the occult among certain elements of the population.
State Service
With the exception of the Talented, all men within the dominant racial group are encouraged to serve the Reich for a period of at least five years, unless they enter the Reich armed forces on a more permanent basis immediately on leaving school. Known as State Service, this can either be in the armed forces, or by virtue of physical or clerical work for the greater glory of the State (construction or other RAD projects, joining the bureaucracy, serving in a state hospital or other beneficial organisation, etc). While it is technically voluntary, and is not imposed by actual conscription, it is rare that anyone declines to serve because of the stigma and difficulties attached to doing so. The Talented are exempted from the requirement because they have key importance in other areas, although some do still choose to serve the Reich in this way.
For women, State Service is completely voluntary, although approximately 10% choose to join the forces, and another 15% choose to fulfil other functions.
For the racial minorities, State Service is sometimes the only way to get out of the rut that a person's circumstances of birth drive them into, but for those who choose to take the State Service route, they generally have to work twice as hard as the rest of the population to gain the trust of the establishment and be seen to be playing their part. That said, successful State Service is one of the best ways for these groups to gain some measure of acceptance within Reich Society, and may eventually lead to them being able to apply for Citizenship.
The Reich Media
The Reich Media is overtly controlled by the Reich Department of Propaganda (RDP). As in Sable, there is no television in the Fatherland and the Sudentenland, but there is one crystal station. All publicly available crystal equipment leaves the factory tuned to the specific frequency, and attempting to change that frequency, or possessing a non-authorised receiver, is grounds for a fine, and imprisonment for repeated infractions.
There is audio and some visual entertainment available, in the form of rented illusion crystals: these have a play, performance or other such programme set into them by means of illusory and entertainment magic, and a magical player is available which will perfectly reproduce (either by sound, or three-dimensionally) recorded material.
There are two State-certified newspapers commonly available across the Reich, and both of them are heavily State controlled.
Die Welt
Generally toes the party line, although it has been known to publish the occasional unbiased report - although it usually stops short of outright criticising the Kaiser. Its editorial bias is towards the greatness of the Kaiser and the Reich, although it is willing to give credit where credit is due. It is widely available within the Reich itself.
Das Tag
The more obvious propaganda mouthpiece of the Reich. Das Tag dwells on the greatness of the Reich forces and their commanders, especially Rupert Delatz and the Empress. It has never been known to criticise, or even particularly question, Reich actions, and is very vehement against left-wing, bleeding heart Sable.
In addition, each Province will have its own newspaper, which deals with issues specific to the Province, covering the national news in less detail. However, these, too, are heavily regulated and monitored by the Provincial governments.