TalossaWiki:New Citizen's Guide
Congratulations on becoming a citizen of the Kingdom of Talossa. This is an honor extended to few, and you should bear it with pride. Remember that within you is vested the immortal Talossan spirit: a man's room is his kingdom! The sky is the limit!
Now that you are a citizen, you can try to personalise your Talossan experience. For example by doing of these things:
- Read the History page for a nice overview of Talossan history, or this (dated, but still relevant) Wired magazine article on Talossa from March 2000. There's also much more to read at TalossaWiki:Library.
- Get a Talossan name. If you want help translating your name into our national language, you can start a thread on the Talossan Names board. If you decide to adopt a Talossan name you can make it official by sending a personal message to the Secretary of State asking your name to be changed in the Talossan database.
- Create a page about yourself here on TalossaWiki! Look through the pages of other citizens to see the kinds of information they list about themselves, and then put yourself in the ranks of Talossan figures of yore!
- Decide on a Wittenberg avatar and personal text! On Wittenberg, the official Talossan forums, everyone gets to choose their own picture avatar and personal text, which will appear below their name. As a new citizen, by default your avatar will be a Talossan flag and the text, "Citizen of Talossa," but you may wish to personalize this. Until you get a grant of arms, at which point your avatar will generally be your coat of arms, you can choose any picture you wish. Simply login and go to your profile, which lets you choose any new image you want.
- Get a coat of arms! As a Talossan, you are formally acknowledged as being of gentle blood, and thus eligible for a grant of arms. The College of Arms is delighted to help all new citizens consider and apply for a coat of arms. Word of advice: follow their instructions to the letter... they are known for standing on ceremony.
Seeing that now that you are one among the ranks of the mighty, you might also want to consider getting more involved with the country. It is every citizen's prerogative to remain uninvolved and merely happily spectate (as long as you vote in national elections), but most people get the full enjoyment out of Talossa when they get to work in playing around with our institutions. There are any number of ways to get involved:
- Edit TalossaWiki! Check out the Citizen's Portal and discover what you can contribute here. In the process of helping contribute, you'll find that you also learn a whole lot about your new country. Just remember to follow our
Manual of Style! - Become a lawyer! With a thorough knowledge of the laws of the realm, you can apply to join the Royal Talossan Bar the next time admissions are open. Someday, you might even get to argue in front of the Cort Pü Inalt, the highest court in the land!
- Volunteer in a Ministry! Every year, the Seneschal appoints a number of Ministers to help govern. They regulate the Ministries of Culture, Defence, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs, Immigration, Justice, and Stuff. Take a look at these Ministries and see if any interest you... most of them will be glad for the help.
- Enlist in the military! A great way to build good will and to learn about Talossa is to join the Zouaves or the Navy. At minimum, you will be required to conduct a monthly training exercise with your mates. To sign up, contact the current Minister of Defence. Your new country needs you!
- Join an organisation! Talossa has a rich cultural heritage, beginning with the colorful beadwork of our mythical Berber forebears and descending to the brilliance of our current savants. There is a Royal Talossan Opera Company, the Aßociù del Futbol Talossan (or Talossan Football League), the Gremiour Talossan dels Zesegneirs Telaragneschti (or Talossan Web Designers Guild) and even more. See if something interests you!
- Join a political party! Talossa is blessed with a multi-party system of governance. Take a look at the parties currently registered with the Chancery, and see if there is one that interests you. After you've gotten familiar with our political system, you might even want to start your own party!
- Run for office! Eventually, when you are confident and involved enough, it might be nice if you considered serving your country in elected office. Talossa holds regular provincial and national elections. It might behoove you to start off at the provincial level, helping your fellow citizens within the province, before one day moving on to the Cosa or even the Senäts.
- Learn the language! One of the greatest cultural strengths of Talossa is our unique language, with its own grammatical structure and thousands upon thousands of words. You can find out about the history and rudiments here, read some of the works of literature in Talossan, or try translating some words yourself.
There you have it... a rich and vibrant world, just waiting for you to explore it and help out. And just remember this: every one of these institutions was created by someone who was once a new citizen, just like you. If you don't see something you like... make something new!