The Church of Satan

Season's greetings everyone,

It's been another year. Have you accomplished the goals you set for yourself? Are you proud of your actions this year? Have you come to terms with your faults and mistakes? More importantly how are you doing? We hope that this December 25th you spend your time with loved ones; family, friends or even the neighbor that nobody else pays any attention to. As the snow falls (weather permitting), the sun shines (weather permitting) and the roads freeze (drive safe) the community of Wintreath wishes you the merriest of Christmases, the happiest of Hanukkahs and the very best of Boxing Days. As a community that so strongly values the friendships developed here in NationStates we understand that while things may not always go well, whatever is happening your friends are here to lighten the load, talk you through it and carry you past it. It is with that in mind we send this to you. Whether you find your stocking filled with candy or coal, whether you find yourself in good fortune or bad, merry Christmas, happy festival, happy Yule and happy Solstice!

Most Sincerely,
The Citizens and Residents of Wintreath

Season's greetings everyone,

It's been another year. Have you accomplished the goals you set for yourself? Are you proud of your actions this year? Have you come to terms with your faults and mistakes? More importantly how are you doing? We hope that this December 25th you spend your time with loved ones; family, friends or even the neighbor that nobody else pays any attention to. As the snow falls (weather permitting), the sun shines (weather permitting) and the roads freeze (drive safe) the community of Wintreath wishes you the merriest of Christmases, the happiest of Hanukkahs and the very best of Boxing Days. As a community that so strongly values the friendships developed here in NationStates we understand that while things may not always go well, whatever is happening your friends are here to lighten the load, talk you through it and carry you past it. It is with that in mind we send this to you. Whether you find your stocking filled with candy or coal, whether you find yourself in good fortune or bad, merry Christmas, happy festival, happy Yule and happy Solstice!

Most Sincerely,
The Citizens and Residents of Wintreath

Orendi XXI: Summersend Edition #3
Our magazine-style Orendi has just returned for our third annual Summersend issue! Check out our full PDF Version, or take a look at the pages in image form below.
 
 

Embassy Collaborative Writing Activity
 
Hello there! Tired of embassies just having invitations and updates? Yup us too. Embassies are pretty boring so we thought we'd use ours for something more. Embassies are also a place of outreach. A place for one region to introduce their community to another region. So why is nobody doing that!? Well we are and hopefully you will too in the spirit of fun and good will towards other regions. That's why Wintreath is sending this out. The rules are below so you can read up on how this works as well as what's a no go.
The Rules


Prologue

When I was assigned this case I thought it would be easy and that I would finish it quickly. Just talk to the witness, learn what happened, learn who did it and let Homicide or Commercial Crimes take it off my hands. I expected to be home in time for dinner. What they didn't tell me is that I needed to be a therapist to make any progress. I mean I am a therapist but only because I got a degree online so I could get a raise. I'm not even a decent therapist. I am detective Brock Shepherd and this is my report. I'd started bright and early as usual. Well as bright as it gets in Medford, Oregon. As I passed through the gates of Rogue River Pines Asylum I could tell it was more dreary there than any rainy day could make the town. I flashed my badge, showed the director the warrant and made my way towards patient #67, located in Room #33 of the trauma ward. On the way there the director told me about his preliminary examination, "Mr. Parry Laeddis is in a fragile state right now, sir. What he experienced, the things he saw, the trauma was so great that he can't talk about it cohesively or coherently. If you aren't careful in your questioning he'll just shutdown. I cannot allow you to question him without my supervision." I thought he was overstating it at the time. Coddling the man even. I admit now that I was both careless and insensitive when I first spoke to Parry Laeddis. I walked into the room so arrogant and impatient. At the time I had no idea what kind of damage my brash attitude towards Laeddis would do. Even when I left the room having seen the look in his eyes I didn't regret that first encounter as much as I do now. I don't think that anybody who'd seen and endured so much pain would make it out alive. Looking back I'm not even sure he really did. The following is a transcript of my first line of questioning:

Wintreath is proud to present Mass-Effect themed Werewolf XIX: Just a Husk in the Masses, hosted by new Wolfmaster [nation]Ruguo[/nation]. Join our game, employ intrique and deception to advance your side, and have a blast with awesome people in Wintreath (including yours truly) while you're at it! Sound like fun? Great! The link to sign up is right below! Have questions? Then read on. The game starts on Saturday, September 7th, so join up quickly!

Werewolf Sign-Ups: https://wintreath.com/forums/index.php?topic=6075



Werewolf FAQs

What is Werewolf? How do I play?



Where is the game played?


How much time does it take to play?

 

Greetings to our partners and friends!

The Summersend Festival is our annual festival to celebrate the end of summer and the coming of winter with many fun games, contests, events, and friends, you you are invited to join us! For more information, check out the graphic below, and to check out our festival forum, just click here or on the graphic! Hope you can find the time to join us.

Orendi XX: Dog Days Dispatch
Our magazine-style Orendi is back for another issue! Check out our full PDF Version!

Hello hello to all of our friends and region-mates out there! It's time once more for a rousing game of Werewolf! For the 18th installment, the theme was put to a vote by Wintreath's citizens.  The votes were close, but Choose Your Own Werewolf IV was the winner!  That means that you'll choose how the game goes based on how you answer a set of questions...this time asked by a simple English gentlecat who just wants to make you tea and biscuits.  So stop by Wintreath for some tea, and take part in a friendly game of Werewolf!  The signup thread can be found here, and signups will conclude on June 10th at 8PM Pacific Standard time...so there's plenty of time to sign up.  I hope to see you there!

It's definitely nice to look at.
We're only too happy to share.  

Orendi XIX: Vernal Equinox Edition
Our magazine-style Orendi has just published its latest issue! Check out our full PDF Version, or take a look at the pages in image form below.

And we you. We do like to try new things.

Hey guys! I've been appointed as Wintreath's new ambassador to The West Pacific. With that in mind, here's our most recent update just released yesterday.
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Orendi XVIII: Holiday Special
Our magazine-style Orendi is back for another issue! Check out our full PDF Version, or take a look at the pages in image form below.
Orendi XVIII, Page 1 - Cover
Orendi XVIII, Page 2 - Culture Review
Orendi XVIII, Page 3 - Citizen's Corner
Ornedi XVIII, Page 4 - Roleplay Revival
Orendi XVIII, Page 5 - Roleplay Interviews
Orendi VXIII, Page 6 - Sorting Out The Storting
Orendi XVIII, Page 7 - News In Briefs
Orendi XVIII, Page 8 - Monarch's Holiday Message
 

I miss NS like it was in 2013-2014. Everyone knew who hated who. Now everyone is sneaking around behind each other's backs and nobody knows who they can trust and I don't like it.

I gotta be honest, this proposal is easily the most open and transparent form of governance I've ever seen for an NS region. I really do like this and I firmly believe that it can function well. Very good work Cormac! 

I gotta be honest, this proposal is easily the most open and transparent form of governance I've ever seen for an NS region. I really do like this and I firmly believe that it can function well. Very good work Cormac! 

I gotta be honest, this proposal is easily the most open and transparent form of governance I've ever seen for an NS region. I really do like this and I firmly believe that it can function well. Very good work Cormac! 

Introduction
 
This is a reform proposal to create the Union of the West Pacific. This proposal seeks to meet the community where it is, rather than where any individual or interest group would like it to go -- to provide a functional government to meet the needs and standards of the current community rather than some idealized future utopia (or, depending on one's perspective, dystopia). This is only a proposal; the point is to discuss the merits of it and then, once the details have been worked out, to formalize it into a constitutional document. I expect that this proposal will be competing with others' ideas, which is fine, and hopefully the constitutional document that emerges will incorporate ideas proposed by many participants. Comments on this proposal are welcome and encouraged!
 
The Union of the West Pacific
 
The Union of the West Pacific will aim to meet the following needs of the West Pacifican community:
Provide a functional forum government in which any resident will find it easy to participate, should they so choose; Ensure the autonomy of the in-game regional community and Delegate from the forum government; Ensure the autonomy of the forum community and government from the in-game Delegate; Provide a practical framework for cooperation between the in-game and forum governments when desirable or necessary. Relationship Between the Union and the Delegate
 
The Union will respect the absolute in-game authority of the Delegate as the reality of game mechanics, as well as the autonomy of the Union as the forum government of the West Pacific, by clearly adopting the following principles:
The legitimate Delegate of the West Pacific is the nation elected by the World Assembly endorsements of nations in the West Pacific, and the Delegate may exercise any power over the West Pacific granted to the Delegate by game mechanics. The Union will have no authority over the in-game region. The Union will respect the right of World Assembly nations of the West Pacific to elect a new Delegate at any time. The Delegate will have no authority over the Union. The Union will cooperate with the Delegate whenever such cooperation is desirable or necessary for the welfare of the overall community of the West Pacific. The Voice of the Union
 
The Voice will not be a typical legislature but will instead function as more of a town hall, comprised of any resident of the West Pacific who wishes to participate in the Voice. To avoid the development of complicated legalism and bureaucracy, the Voice will not legislate except to amend the Charter of the Union and to adopt and amend rules of order. Instead, the Voice will have broad governing powers exercised by simple majority vote, including:
The power to adopt and amend rules of order; The power to elect an Advocate to preside over government of the Union on behalf of the Voice; The power to hear complaints against members and to remove members from the Voice after such hearings; The power to propose treaties for the approval of the Delegate; The power to approve treaties proposed by the Delegate; The power to declare war against other regions or organizations, with the approval of the Delegate; The power to approve a declaration of war proposed by the Delegate against other regions or organizations; The power to amend the Charter of the Union of the West Pacific. A note on treaties and declarations of war: This is the one area where the in-game Delegate and the forum community are interdependent, in recognition that treaties and declarations of war affect the entire community. Naturally, as the Delegate can in reality do anything that game mechanics permits, the Delegate could still enact a treaty or declaration of war without the approval of the Union, but under this proposal such a treaty would not be recognized as valid or binding upon the Union and whatever military it establishes. Because of the negative effect treaties and declarations of war can have on the in-game region, the Union couldn't enact either without the approval of the Delegate.
 
Government of the Union
 
Government of the Union will be administered by the Advocate:
The Advocate must be a member of the Voice. The Advocate will serve terms of two months, with a limit of three consecutive terms. The Advocate will be elected by the Voice in elections that last ten days (five for nominations, five for voting). In the event that no candidate receives a simple majority on the first ballot, a run-off election will be conducted. In the event that an election results in a tie between only two candidates, the incumbent will be re-elected or, if the incumbent is not a candidate, the candidate who first declared candidacy will be elected. The Advocate may appoint officials to assist in government and may dismiss such officials. The Voice may dismiss the Advocate or any official appointed by the Advocate. Justice in the Union
 
The Union will adopt the following procedure for matters of justice:
Any member of the Voice may file a complaint before the Voice against another member for behavior that the complainant believes is unbecoming of a member of the Voice. The Voice will vote on whether to hear the complaint. If the Voice votes to hear the complaint, the complainant may present a case against the defendant and the defendant may present a defense, in a public hearing before the Voice. Hearings will be presided over by an Arbiter elected by the Voice at the beginning of the hearing, who will serve only for the duration of that hearing. Elections for Arbiter will follow the same procedure as elections for Advocate. At the conclusion of the hearing, the Voice will vote to find the defendant guilty or not guilty. If the defendant is found guilty, the defendant will be removed from the Voice for a period of time sentenced by the Arbiter. The Voice may commute a sentence imposed by the Arbiter before expiration of the sentence. OOC offenses will be resolved by the policies of forum administration. In-game offenses will be resolved by the Delegate.

Two things are certain though:
 
1.) Regardless of the relevance of the events in Lazarus, Kazmr's infiltration of The NPO was not the sole cause of the coup failing. Without the support of the native community, The NPO could not have been removed from power. Of all people, I should no. I was one of several people that continuously spoke with fellow Lazarene natives, keeping them informed of what the intentions of The NPO and The People's Republic of Lazarus were. The NPO failed because they did not seek the support of the native community. Instead they absolutely refused to address them, only occasionally posting on the RMB either to say "The rebellion is lying, we're what's best for Lazarus." or "Hi. What's up?"
 
2.) The events of Lazarus, while they can be referenced with regards to this in very few ways, cannot be fully applied to the entirety of the events here in TWP. I suggest we remain focused on TWP.

And you're right. I have no certainties as to its effectiveness in practicality. However that is why we should try it. Instead of dismissing it because bad things COULD happen, why not try it out because good things COULD happen? No progress is made without a chance of risk and it is that very reason why we should take a chance on it. After all, progress is the primary purpose of this convention is it not?

Actually there would be no reason, or jurisdiction, for any intervention by the forum "government"
 
The "rebellion" would come from the WA's present in the region, exercising their in-game right to remove a Delegate that does not consider the desires, customs and aspirations of the region as a whole.
 
If the region as a whole buys into the concept, any future candidate would be foolhardy not to agree to post such polls. 
 
If you want to set the Forum Government up as taking precedence over the in-game mechanics you may be better off joining TSP's Coalition
 
The whole point of an in-game chamber is, in my opinion, to show that political engagement can by handled there rather than through a third party medium