The Voltarum has a long and sometimes dark history. The land originally was home to several dozen warring clans, constantly bickering over land, resources, and anything else they could think of. Seeing the constant cycle of war and destruction was bringing the country nowhere, several of the largest clans banded together and promised to form a new leadership, a government that would truly have no equal anywhere else in the world. Any smaller tribe that did not fall in line was "convinced" by the leader of this movement, Ulfgar Warcrown, head of the clan Voltaru.

Over the centuries, the present government was formed. The land was divided into 13 provinces, each given the ability to elect a minster to the High Order, the new nation Voltarum's senate, to represent them. The Order has absolute authority of all law and government in the Voltarum, with the exception of the judicial branch, which is held equally as high, and has the ability to impeach a minister. Every 4 years, an election is held to elect the Premier of the Order, basically the figurehead of the Voltarum, the speaker for the nation, and the tie break vote in the High Order. The premier must be a current minister in the Order, and it is voted upon by the 13 members. The member's vote must follow their home regions decision, however. Over the years, the Order has made all attempts to stray away from its barbaric beginnings and present a more civilized side to its politics.

Shaping Events

At its inception, the Voltarum leaders were bent on having an involvement in the world around them.  It began well, with the Voltaru people establishing a network of allies and connections, both on continent and off.  However, eventually the politics and back stabbing nature of their involvement eventually got to them.  A growing concern for the safety of the Voltaru people, and its culture, started to take shape.  It grew to a figure head when a misunderstanding between a Voltaru frigate and a ship from the small country of K'alarok started an international war.  In the years to follow, the "Great War," as it is called in Voltaru history books, went on, killing thousands on each side.  The Voltarum was much stronger, and more wealthy than the younger nation, and as a result ended up in the capital of K'alarok two years to the day of the fateful day at sea.  The two nations signed a peace treaty, calling an end to the war, and the death.  It was only years later that the full scope of the misunderstanding between the two ships was found, and the realization caused the Voltaru people to demand more and more isolationist views.  Nearly seven years after the war ended, all Voltaru embassies in other countries were withdrawn, and all visiting ambassadors expelled.  The country closed its borders to non-Antarcticans, and even their regional breathren had difficulties entering the nation.  In the years to follow, the Voltarum remained neutral in all world happenings - world wars, nuclear crises, political arguments.  The people, and the government preached a "better safe than sorry" philosophy.  Trade with Antarctican neighbors kept the nation sufficient through the decades, as the culture of the Voltaru came to full bloom.

Coming of Age

The spell was broken nearly 70 years after the Great War, as the leadership of the nation started to reopen its international dialogues.  Slowly, the nation opened up, and began to interact more with the rest of the world.  The nation even applied for, and was accepted to the United Nations.  Today it has open relations with hundreds of other nations, is apart of many international pacts, and has reestablished itself as a world power.

The current Voltarum is a democratic socialist state, providing free health care, free education, and a mandate that hard work is the right and orderly thing to do with one's life. The Order's current priorities are Law and Order (as they always have been) and national education. A Bill of Inherent Rights was drawn up by the first elected Order, which is still in use today. It has been amended 42 times since its inception, with the last change relating to the establishment of the variable work week.

The capital of the Voltarum is the huge inland city of Ohm, home of the Great Hall, the home to the seating of the Order. The Great Hall's foundation includes part of the foundation of the building where the first Order met to draw up the Bill of Inherent Rights so long ago. Over the years it has been restored, making it the most illustrious building in all of the Voltarum. The city of Ohm is not a part of any of the 13 provinces, and is surrounded by both an ancient set of walls and fortifications, as well as a new set of advance defense barriers.

The national currency has remained the Volt, although the Polar Crown (the regional currency of Antarctica) is welcomed and accepted everywhere. The highest point is Mt. Warcrown, a towering 1,142 m high ice covered mountain that has taken more mountain climber lives that the National Ministry of History can keep track of. The peak has yet to be conquered, and international climbers have been warned that any attempt to do so is at their own risk.