Lazarus

[Consular]

PDFs are such an inconvenient file format.

[Westwind]

*chuckles*  Pretty much why only a couple were done that way.

[Crazy Slots]

 

People's Republic of Lazarus Foreign Update
March 2014 Edition (Written by Fantome, Horse, Libetarian Republics, PERGAMON, and Milograd)
 
"Onward in the Glorious March to Harmony!"
 
Current Lazarene Government

Chairman: Kazmr (Endorsements: 145)
Vice-Chairman: Funkadelia

 

Cultural Governor: Bodobol
Diplomacy Governor: Dalimbar
Judicial Governor: Fortress Prussia
Information Governor: New Kervoskia
General of People's Militia: Hobbesistan

People's Congress: Pergamon, Horse, Stujenske, Libetarian Republics, The Grim Reaper, Feux, Llamas

 

Grand Marshal: Milograd

War Marshals: Hobbes, Horse, Kogvuron, Campinia, Aperi

Cultural Marshals: Tano, Cameron M. Romefeller

WA Marshal: Bruteland

State Police Chief: Fantome

 

The End of an Era, The Beginning of a New One: Chairman Milograd Succeeded by Chairman Kazmr
 

 

A new portrait is hung in the the Forbidden City. (From left to right: Milograd, Kazmr)

 

Perhaps the biggest event of the month was the surprise decision by Chairman Milograd to step down from power, thus concluding a 4-month reign as Chairman.
 
On March 5th, Milograd posted the following announcement in the Forbidden City:
 
Quote
Quote

So, as I'm sure you're all aware, Chairman elections and the delegacy transition are now underway. A few people have asked me why I'm stepping down, and I'm happy to clarify. I'll do it as briefly and succinctly as I did in my first announcement as Chairman, over a hundred and twenty days ago.
 
I think I've done good work and I'm proud of the work I've done. Under the guidance of Francoism, our community has made historic strides that defied all expectations and we're the most active sinker around right now -- for ten years before, we were known for being a chronically inactive pool. To have made such a turnaround so quickly is an incredible feat. We did that. We should be proud of that.
 
I'm also proud that we stand up for founderless regions and I'm proud that we do it better than most. And I'm proud of the work that everyone here has done to make it possible -- from people like Kaz, Funk, Pergamon, DYP, Hobbes and Harm, who have been here since the beginning, to people like Horse, Bodo, Ik, Fantome, and Llamas. This community has grown and the credit for that success is due to the people who have put work into making it happen, and that, in essence, is the Party.
 
With all that work done, I think it's time for me to let someone else try their hand at being delegate. The delegacy -- our delegacy -- isn't suited for the sort of long dynasties that once condemned us to the very inactivity that I've worked to eliminate. We need to be dynamic in our leadership but constant in our success, cause ,and beliefs. It's sort of how like during a baton race the lead will run as far as he can until he is ready to pass the baton to another teammate of his, who can keep their team competitive in the race. This transition is not as much the end of my delegacy as it is the continuation of our race to a better Lazarus.
 
It's been a please, and honor, and a great opportunity to serve as the Chairman of the PRL. I thank you all for your roles in making this time as much of a success as it has been. I'm looking forward to serving Lazarus in a different capacity once the transition process is completed.

 

A co-founder of the PRL, Milograd was appointed to serve as Chairman by Harmoneia. During his time as Chairman, the PRL achieved all-time regional records for activity, witnessed much cultural success, such as the revitalization of regional RP and the creation of cult, created an internationally powerful military, the Lazarene Liberation Army, revived the Lazarene Gazette, and fought off several invasion attempts by imperialists. A new bar for the region's potential was set and the status quo of Lazarus being a chronically inactive region was finally proven false. His Chairmanship featured a emphasis on representing the people with the efficiency of a dictatorship, the creation of a strong bureaucracy, and constant pushes to create a thriving regional environment.
 
But with change must come, well, change. Immediately after announcing his intent to resign, a snap election occurred amongst citizens of the region and Governor Kazmr -- the previous winner of the Vice-Chairman election and an endorsee -- won the delegacy versus Hobbes and Stujenske. He opened with the following statement:
 
 
 
Quote
Quote

Well, that was certainly fast! But I suppose that's the nature of the PRL.
 
Two days ago I was happily minding my own business as Information Governor, letting the world know about the great thing we have here. As of tonight, I am both Chairman and WA Delegate of Lazarus, and I know that I have you, my fellow Lazarenes, to thank for that.
 
The last four months has seen a landmark delegacy for Lazarus, and perhaps for NationStates itself. Harmoneia made the brave step to get this movement started, but it was Milograd who perfected it. Following such a world class performance will take everything I have, and that is exactly what I will give to my new role.
 
My first order of business is to do a bit of housekeeping for our header up top.
 
First off, I would like to announce that Tano will be stepping down from his role as Governor of Culture. He is a talented, devoted Lazarene, and though he has had a bit on his plate with other regional commitments. As those are winding down, I am sure that he will be able to contribute greatly to the harmony of the region in the role of Cultural Marshal. He has my full support with his future plans to help our region.
 
Replacing Tano will be Bodobol, who has done a bang up job in culture lately and is more than deserving of a seat on the State Council.
 
It seems that the other two appointments I had have already been masked by Milograd, but I'll go ahead and formally announce them. New Kervoskia will serve as as my replacement as Governor of Information. As a longtime NS player and incredibly talented journalist, he is more than qualified for this role.
 
Milograd will hold the position of Grand Marshal with an advisory, but non voting, role on the State Council as recognition of the perspective he can contribute to Lazarus.
 
The remaining appointments will remain the same for the time being. I very much look forward to collaborating with my Vice Chairman Fukadelia on a stronger level than has been done in the past. I am also thrilled to have Hobbes as our General, and am very happy with the work he has already done since taking that office.
 
The first little bit of my reign will likely take a bit of time, what with getting my feet wet in this whole delegate business and some exams in real life, but just ahead I have a tremendous amount of time to devote to our region.
 
There are several key parts of our region I want to focus on early. First and foremost is building on, and not just continuing, our recent activity. That is undoubtedly the lifeblood of the PRL and it, along with the people who are part of that activity, is what has made this region so great. To help foster this, I intend to get involved personally more than I have in the past in the Cultural district, as well as work with my Governors to find ways to increase activity in their own.
 
Though it ties in with activity, our military is a priority unto itself. As I said earlier, Hobbes has been doing a great job filling in DYP's huge shoes, and I want to give him whatever support he needs from me, ranging from helping to recruit new soldiers to building new partnerships abroad. I trust that he will be the leader we need to have the leading defender army in NS.
 
Another thing at the top of my list is working to get more people from within the region itself involved. While there will certainly always be countless nations in a GCR like ours who take no interest in the affairs of the region, there are certainly some individuals who we simply haven't done a good enough job of reaching out to.
 
Finally, I want to do what I can to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to contribute to our region. I wouldn't be here today if I hadn't taken the chance six months ago to write for the Gazette, and though our region has grown ever larger I want to ensure that everyone will have a place here.
 
Of course those are not the only things I intend to work on, but I hope that they can provide a kind of core vision for the beginning of my chairmanship.  Though we may have detractors, it is my firm belief that we can craft a region so fantastic that their little echo chamber is the only one which hears their misguided criticism. With all of your support, Lazarus will continue to be the best region on this site, and will only get better from there.
 
Hail Lazarus o/
Hail the People ; my Friends o/

 
Citizens are enthusiastic about Chairman Kazmr's delegacy and thus far the Chairman has succeeded in filling the big shoes left behind by Milograd. The PRL wishes him the best and asks for the same wishes from the interregional community.
 

Submarine Exterior Cleaning Squad prepares the LLA's finest submarines.

 
 
LLA Leads Major Liberations, Participates in Defenses Throughout Month
 
There is no slowing down the Lazarene Liberation Army, which is enjoying its fifth month of daily activity,
 
The LLA lead many defenses and liberations this month, with Communist Beach and Assassins serving as particular highlights. Both missions -- the former being significant because of its socialist community, and the latter being significant because it was lead by the Brotherhood of Malice -- were triggered by Milograd. Both triggers were on the dot and made successful liberations of the two regions possible, and the strong update showing of LLA troops in both cases also helped.
 
Otherwise, the LLA succeeded in missions in Halo, Western Assembly, Punahou, Christmas, The United Federation of Planets, Kingdom of Britain, United Nations Defense Force, and Coalition of Christian Communities, Mayville, Dragostea Din Tei, TDWU, BlueBerets, Northern P4, and HSA.
 

Hobbesistan training one of his new troops to cross the rivers of Fishmongolia. Skillful and precise, his technique is as effective as it is magnificent.

 
DYP Steps Down as General; Hobbes Replaces Him
 
This month has seen the sad departure of Drop Your Pants (better known as DYP) from the Lazarene Liberation army, from General of the LLA. DYP, serving from the creation of the LLA as general, resigned effectively on March 3rd in the monthly promotions of LLA troopers. Not citing the reasons for his resignation as General, he will be sorely missed. Not exactly known for his time spent on the IRC (heck, we even made a game of seeing how fast he came on and came off  ), his experience and skill as a defender will sorely missed at update, when he came  .The search for a new general did not take long, as within a day Hobbes was selected as the new General of the LLA . As of now, Hobbes has begun to change the structure of the LLA (super sekret stuff to come), and has begun to lead the LLA at update. Not much is known of Hobbes plan after this, but as the news comes in, we will report it to you, regardless of how much satire we put into it. My congratulations to Hobbes to his appointment, and my thanks to DYP to his service to the LLA. May this open up a new chapter in the LLA, even greater than the last!
 

Lazarus at the Defender Awards.

 
LLA Wins Defender Award for Best New Organization, Officers Win Awards
 
The LLA won the vote for best new defender organization for 2014 by a landslide. It was ... nice.
 
Officer Horse won the Sir Lans Award, and Campinia won the Dipes Award. Milograd was unofficially awarded the title of "Player Hater of the Year" for his work on the award images.
 
PRL Holds Cultural Exchange with The North Pacific
 
After a fair amount of planning by the Cultural Cadre and the Cultural Ministry of TNP, the PRL had the pleasure of kicking off its cultural exchange with TNP throughout the course of two weeks. A tournament was held between TNP and Lazarus to see who could win the most of the event's "trophy events", including spam games and trivia, and the PRL ultimately came out on top. However, the reward -- that is, to decide Kazmr's flag -- was offered to TNP and we are still awaiting their choice on what flag and pretitle he should use. Hopefully it won't be too embarrassing!
 

 

Cadre for the Beautification of Society Names the Provinces
 
The PRL has operated with a provincial system since its inception. The names have always been uninteresting and bland. But no longer!
 
New names have been proposed for forums throughout the PRL's off-site board, and thus far the following proposals have been considered for provinces or forums:

• Spectacor Immigration Island (This existed already.)
• Milograd Square (This proposal was approved.)
• Hobbes' Hall of Forum Administration (This proposal was approved.)
• Lies Incorporated University (It worked too well not to propose.)
• Harmoneian Diplomacy Province (This proposal was approved.)
• Kazmr Informational Province (This proposal was approved.)
• John Ashcroft Land Judicial District (No, not really.)

Why not?

Bruteland Replaces Auralia as GA Marshal
 
In the aftermath of the attempted Commendation of Auralia, Auralia officially made note to the People's Republic that he will tender his resignation on March 2, 2014. As GA Marshall, he was in charge of the People's Republic influencing the WA's General Assembly proposals and resolutions that were up for vote as well as giving his opinions on how Lazarus should vote on specific resolutions in the General Assembly. He had served since the early days of the People's Republic. He had a great run here as GA Marshall and we wish him best of luck. Codger Bruteland officially replaces Auralia in overseeing GA resolutions and proposals for Lazarus.
 
Informational Activity in the PRL
 
The Informational District created distributed the following updates this month:

• http://nslazarus.com...n-nationstates/
• http://nslazarus.com...milograd-lg-25/
• http://nslazarus.com...s-llamas-lg-26/
• http://nslazarus.com...e-lg-27-satire/
• http://nslazarus.com...iscarded-lg-28/
• http://nslazarus.com...-general-lg-29/
• http://nslazarus.com...eps-down-lg-30/

State Security Force Created
 
Prior to his abdication, former Chairman Milograd formed the Committee for Public Safety, an advisory council, and the State Security Force. The State Security Force is an independent branch of the Judicial District and deals with the report of rule violations. To do so, there are three kinds of agents.The first kind are RMB Patrol Officers, who control the Regional Message Board and need to report any violations. IRC Officers, the second kind of agents, moderate the IRC Chat of Lazarus. And finally State Security Officers are meant to report any internal threats, such as planned coups. Comrade Leningrad Union, who previously gained experience as soldier of the LLA, has been awarded first Chief of the State Security Force after Milograd expressed confidence in his skills, but Fantome replace him some days later.  We are sure the newly formed institution will do its best to help Lazarus and its community prosper.
 
New Solidarity Policy, New Embassies
 
Chairman Milograd announced this month that the PRL will permit both socialist and communist regions gain embassies with Lazarus regardless of existing size requirements and/or the existence of forum relations.
 
The PRL also had the pleasure of opening embassies with 10000 Islands, The Red Fleet, Liberty Riders International, United Communist States, and The Allied Communist Union this month.
 
Appointments and Elections
 
Lazarus' government underwent a handful of significant personnel changes this month.

• Chairman Milograd steps down, Chairman Kazmr assumes the delegacy.
• Governor Kazmr becomes Chairman, New Kervoskia appointed as his successor.
• Chairman Milograd is appointed as Grand Marshal of the People's Republic.
• Bodobol is appointed Governor of Culture, Tano takes over as Marshal of Culture.
• Stujenske is appointed as Vanguard of Regional Security.
• Llamas is elected to the People's Congress.
• Ikania is promoted to serve as Cultural Marshal.
• Auralia resigns as GA Marshal due his choice to leave the game. Bruteland assumes his responsibilities and takes the position of "WA Marshal", which has not been a single job since Hobbes was WA Marshal in the early days of the PRL.
• Leningrad Union is appointed as State Police Chief, but is quickly replaced with Fantome.

Thank you for reading our update. The People's Republic of Lazarus wishes you and your region a prosperous March and April!

[Westwind]

Thank you for the update, always good to hear from Lazarus.

[Crazy Slots]

Thanks. It's always a pleasure to post updates in TWP.

 

After all, this is on a board where I don't have to convert the code.

[Westwind]

If only the rest of the NS world would catch up with this new forum technology.

 

Hail Forum Enlightenment !

[Consular]

Hey, I actually rather like Zetaboards.

[Crazy Slots]

If only the rest of the NS world would catch up with this new forum technology.

 

Hail Forum Enlightenment !

 

Forever onward with Comrade Winnipeg!

 

Hey, I actually rather like Zetaboards.

 

You'll learn one day.

 

SMF is a superior alternative to ZB in terms of free software.

[Westwind]

Hey, I actually rather like Zetaboards.

 

I liked it before they changed invisionfree to zetaboards.

[Consular]

You'll learn one day.

 

SMF is a superior alternative to ZB in terms of free software.

 

 

I'm a slow learner. 

[Aperi]

*Get's the broom out and sets up shop.* Can I offer anyone a drink or three?

[Bhang Bhang Duc]

Me, me me me me !

 

(As well as being TWP's Official Welshman and Astronomer, I am also the resident alcoholic.)

[God-Emperor]

I could use a drink.

[Amerion]

 

The Official Newspaper of Lazarus

 

Issue VII • July 2016 • Inter-Regional Edition

---

FOREWORD: The State of the Gazette

 

By Frankender

 

 

I would like to thank all contributors and readers of the Gazette for helping make our newspaper one of the greatest. However, we are always looking for more writers to help contribute to the Gazette. Unsure of where to get started? Contact the current Minister Steward, who is overseeing all operations of the Gazette. The Gazette is the perfect place to begin involvement in Lazarus' government.

 

The Gazette would like to bid farewell to Loftegen and thank him greatly for the work he has done with Lazarus in his two terms. Not expecting Loftegen to be leaving Lazarus anytime soon, but it is important to acknowledge a great leader such as Loftegen. Loftegen is known for contributing comedic pieces to the rumors section of the Gazette, which is undoubtedly the most popular section.  Without Loftegen, I, myself, would not have gotten involved in the Gazette and I would like to thank him for the opportunity I was given by being nominated to the Grand Assembly as Minister Steward.

 

Starberry will soon be appointing a new Minister Steward soon and as I exit office I would like to encourage everyone to take initiative and write pieces for the Gazette. You do not need to be the editor of the paper to submit articles, nor do you need to be assigned topics to do so. If you are in need for an idea for an article, the editor-in-chief will undoubtedly have many ideas for you! Do not be shy! Get involved!

 

---

 

POLITICAL COMMENTARY

 

 

LAZARUS SUMMER ELECTIONS

 

By Frankender

 

Lazarus' General Elections for the March 2016 cycle have commenced and completed. New faces have quickly popped up around Lazarus within new positions. Nearly the entire face of the government has seen change. For the better? We'll have to keep paying attention in order to find that out.

 

First and most importantly, a new Sovereign has been elected. Out with Loftegen, who has finished his second and final term and was not up for re-election. Staberry has been elected as the new Sovereign and plans to bring great change to the government of Lazarus. Like most others, she plans to bring a prosperous and active state to the thousands of residents within Lazarus. Out with the current Minister Steward; Starberry will be submitting a new one to the Grand Assembly for recommendation soon. In addition, Starberry will be recommending her former opponent in the elections, Amerion, who is currently serving as a Grand Advisor, as the new Minister Herald.

 

Starberry will also be nominating Izon for the position of Grand Commandant of the Guards, a post he has previously held. The post was vacated when Horse resigned from his position as Grand Commandant and Starberry was clearly prepared for this. Starberry will also be appointing an entirely new panel of court officials, which has been nearly cleared in recent times with the results of elections and other situations.

 

Andrew has won the position of Grandee Secretary, stealing it out from underneath the Church of Satan, who ran against him as an incumbent. Let it be clear, though, that the vote was 16-7 and the elections were fair. However, Andrew plans on bringing great change just as Starberry plans on doing so: bring an active and prosperous state to Lazarus. Andrew plans on using the power of being a Grandee Secretary to influence the government. This is a new stance Lazarus has seen on the post of Grandee Secretary, which was previously just a position of security, similar to Grand Advisors. The Church of Satan is expected to become a Grand Advisor, which aligns perfectly with his own views of the region.

 

After running unopposed, Altmoras secured the spot of Director of Ceremonies for a fresh term after winning the position in a special election that resulted after Starberry had to leave her post as Director of Ceremonies. Altmoras' plans align with the Sovereign and Grandee Secretary so it is not expected that there will be any conflicts within the government during this cycle.

 

Congratulations to all of the candidates that ran and won, and the Gazette would like to wish all candidates good luck in future endeavors. Do not be discouraged by not securing a position this cycle; there are many ways to get involved in the government! The Gazette is the perfect place to start if you're unsure of where to go.

 

STATEMENT FROM THE NEW SOVEREIGN

By Starberry

 

It became apparent to me, at around the time that Funk was writing his concession speech, that there was actually a chance I would win the delegacy. Prior to that point, I knew I was a strong candidate, but I had thought I would lose out to the experience of Funkadelia, or the much better crafted platform of Amerion. I did not expect, though I've been told that I should have, the overwhelming swell of support for my candidacy during the election. I am humbled by the trust that you have all put in me, and I will strive for the entirety of my term to prove to you that I am worthy of that trust. 

 

To start with, and to make matters official, I hereby tender my resignation from the court; during my extraordinarily short tenure I was the primary author of one ruling; and it was a ruling that I felt was very important for us, as it concerned forum destruction, one of the most heinous acts that can be committed in NationStates. While I am not wholly satisfied with it; I can say that with the set of laws and definitions that we were working with, it was the best decision that we could come to. 

 

With that out of the way, I want to officially thank Funkadelia, Amerion, Constie and Caldariat; in the long years that I have been playing NationStates, one of the many things that I have learned has been that winning an election always means more when you do so in the face of strong competition, and the four of you most certainly provided it. There was a wide breadth of ideas presented during the campaign, and while some were less fleshed out than others, the presence of those ideas and visions for the future gave the region a real choice in its direction. Which is something that very few regions, even those that claim to be democratic, can truly say is the case. The five of us should be proud, because in the end, regardless of who ended up writing the victory speech, Lazarus won. 

 

I would now like to thank Loftegen; when you were first elected as a sovereign on a platform of "I don't intend to do much", I expected the absolute worst. I expected malaise and inactivity, I expected citizenship applications to be left sitting around for weeks at a time, I expected the worst you can possibly expect when an elected official tells you that the do not intend to do much. While not hard to do, you vastly exceeded the expectations that I had for you as sovereign. You were active, you got involved, and you presided over and helped contribute to the development of the most active sinker community in NationStates. Some abroad have criticized us for being mostly spam, which admittedly our activity is mostly spam, but when other sinkers can't even manage to drum that much up... it counts for something, and it speaks to the sense of community we've developed, and that you helped foster, that we keep coming back, day after day, for mindless spam games... and that more and more, we're stepping out beyond the borders of the Spam Zone and and have really begun breathing life into other areas as well. 

 

This is a process that will continue. Shortly, I will be opening up applications for the position of Minister Steward, as well as to fill both my vacated seat, and the one which was previously filled by Amerion, on the court. I will not be opening applications for the position of Minister Herald, as I've already approached my first choice candidate, and gotten a positive reply. His nomination will be forthcoming soon. The positions of Minister Herald and Minister Steward are going to be very important during my term, and while not much has been expected of them previously, I will be holding those who end up in those positions to a very high standard. 

 

My Minister Herald will be busy, at the start of the term, reviewing the massive amount of gameside embassies that we accumulated last term, and assisting me in deciding which of them are worth keeping, and which of them need to be removed. Activity within the regions themselves will be a primary criteria for this, but more important than their activity within their own region will be their willingness to actively engage with us. While silent partnerships are the norm on NationStates, and even the closest of allies can go for months, or even years, without a joint festival or cultural exchange of any sort that is not how I wish to conduct things; at the very least regions with whom we open gameside embassies must be willing to maintain an active forumside embassy with us as well. If they cannot commit to stoping by once every so often and letting us know what their region is up to on our forums, then I feel there is little reason or incentive for us to maintain our link to them. In the slightly longer term, the Minister Herald will be assisting me in reaching out to new regions, those that survive the embassy purge and others, in the hopes of forming new partnerships that will bring us increased security, stability, and activity, in the form of Mutual Defense Treaties, Cultural Exchanges, and various other treaties and agreements.

 

My Minister Steward, for that matter, will also be busy. Not only will he, or she, be responsible for making sure issues of the gazette are released in a timely manner, the Minister Steward will be responsible for planning and initiating at least one domestic festival during my first term, as well as coordinating with the Minister Herald to assist in the planning and actualization of at least one joint-festival with a friend or ally (provided that we can find someone willing to engage in one with us). I will not be accepting a rehasing of spam games with a festival twist, nor will I be accepting any half assed, last minute projects being pushed off as festival planning. This is a job that is going to require forethought, innovative planning, and out of the box thinking.

 

So; that is our gameplan for the start of the term. You can expect another of these speeches as the term progresses, to update you as to what we've accomplished. I am looking forward to an amazing term with all of you, and making Lazarus the best sinker in the game (which, really, it already is). 

 

GRAND COURT ISSUES RULING ON GANG OF FIVE APPEAL

By Saeturn Valerius Liberalis

 

In May, after a long period of constitutional issues, legal arguments, and failed trials, the Grant Court of Lazarus finally issued a ruling in the criminal trial of the so called ‘Gang of Five’, a consortium of players that plotted to coup Lazarus in 2015. The Court convicted Stujenske, Feux, Pergamon, Milograd, and A Mean Old Man of various criminal charges, including subversion, conspiracy, and forum destruction.

 

Soon after, Emperor Pierconium of the Pacific submitted an appeal to the Grand Court contesting the charges of Forum Destruction against all members on trial. His appeal was filed as an interested party, contesting that the evidence of forum destruction was insufficient proof of guilt and that a serious ‘out-of-character’ label should not be applied to ‘in-character’ actions if there is not a strong enough link. The Court accepted the appeal and began a slow deliberation process.

 

Almost a month later, after a resignation and the appointment of new justice Starberry, the Court issued a second, and final, ruling. The reshuffled bench, though discarding the argument about in-character actions, decided that the editing of Mandate 8 by Stujenske during the coup did not substantiate forum destruction, but that the turning off of the PRL forums did, given that the action was committed to deny forum service to the people of Lazarus. Because this was done by one nation without evidence of collaboration with the other members, the charge of Forum Destruction was overturned for all of the accused except Feux, for whom the conviction of Forum Destruction was upheld. All five nations remain banned from Lazarus due to the other guilty convictions.

 

With the conclusion of the trial, Pierconium briefly thanked the Court for its ruling on his appeal, and the serving of justice was done. For many citizens, it was a great sigh of relief. The long regional nightmare of the violent betrayal by the New Lazarene Order and the legal fallout afterwards was finally over. No longer would citizens have to look over their shoulders in collective anxiety over the looming spectre of past traumas gone unrectified. Finally, the matter was done.

 

A week later, the Pacific Order issued an official statement taking responsibility and apologizing for the April 2015 coup of Lazarus. In it, all of the members of the Gang of Five except Pergamon were declared personae non gratae in the Pacific. Then-Sovereign Loftegen made an official statement accepting the Pacific’s apology. 

 

---

RUMORS

 

 

RUMORS ABOUT THE LAZARUS ELECTIONS

By Sepharist

(who is totally, positively, definitely, absolutely in no way a puppet of Loftegen)

 

I.

 

A heavy summer snow was falling in Emerald Square; big, fat, round flakes that splattered -

 

"Hey, that's rain, dummy. Not snow."

 

I whirled to find myself face-to-face with Caldariat, Emerald Square's resident homeless lady. 

 

"Don't you know it's impolite to interrupt an inner monologue?" I demanded, snow running down my face.

 

Caldariat had a bottle of soju in one hand. She took a big swig from it, while making a rude gesture at me with her other hand.

 

"Your final term is almost up," she slurred. "And I'm going to succeed you."

 

"Cal," I said, "I've told you before; you need a press pass to be a reporter." I emphasized my words by pointing to the plastic card tucked in the band of my snow-soaked hat.

 

"Reporter, my kimchi," Caldariat sneered. "You're Sovereign Loftegen! And I'm running for your job!"

 

"I'm not nearly handsome enough to be our universally adored Supreme Autocrat, Cal," I said.

 

Then, pointing behind her, "Hey, is that Hyuna?!"

 

"Hyuna! Where?!" When Caldariat turned to look, I calmly ran frantically away.

 

II.

 

A safe distance later, I happened across famous street judge Amerion as he held court before a standing room only crowd of empty Night Train Express bottles.

 

"...and that is why paragraph two of clause five of section three of part one of the Mandate is un-Mandate-atory-tutional," the diminutive legal legend lectured the bottle by the bailiff in the dock.

 

"Hello, Amerion," I said.

 

"I'm not an Osiran deep cover agent!" Amerion shrieked, scattering his bottles and losing his 'Cormac fo' Lyfe' hat.

 

"Whoa! Never said you were. How are you?" I asked.

 

"Running for Sovereign!" the pint-sized pontificator proclaimed. "I'm gunning for your job, Loftegen!"

 

"I'm not Loftegen!" I shrieked. "You take that back, or I won't give you this!" I threatened, pulling out a full bottle of Mad Dog 20/20. 

 

"Did I say Loftegen? I meant Sepharist. I'm sorry, I've been under a lot of sobriety lately," Amerion explained.

 

"Apology accepted," I said, handing him the bottle. "I have to go. Tell Cormac I said 'hi'."

 

"Sure, whatever," Amerion answered, twisting the cap off his prize. I took that as my cue, and took my leave.

 

III.

 

A man on a soapbox is always worthy of attention, and Funkadelia was no exception. 

 

"Is that a genuine vintage Vladimir's Revolutionary Soap Flakes box?" I asked, having not seen one since the day before yesterday in the Socialist Workers Proletarian Hardware Store and Reading Room.

 

"INACTIVITY!" Funkadelia roared with, pointing an angry finger at me in an angry manner while glaring at me angrily.

 

"Pie?" I replied, startled.

 

"No, INACTIVITY!; and it's all your fault, Loftegen!" Funkadelia roared again, flailing to keep his balance.

 

"I am not our glorious and infallible Supreme Autocrat, Funk; I don't know why everyone keeps saying that," I said.

 

"It doesn't matter," Funkadelia said. "In a week I'll be re-elected Sovereign, and Lazarus will be saved from INACTIVITY!"

 

"Oh, you're running too?" I asked.

 

"I'm running ALSO!" Funkadelia bellowed, before getting hit in the face with a rainball thrown by a miscreant dressed like a reporter and falling off his soapbox into a puddle of snow.

 

IV.

 

"So you're running for Sovereign," I said.

 

Constie's thumbs flew across his smartphone as he stared into a virtual reality headset. At least I presume he was staring. He never took it off, so I never actually saw if his eyes were open.

 

"What?" he asked, jerking spastically.

 

"You're running for Sovereign?" I repeated.

 

"I am?" he asked, twitching violently.

 

"Are you?" I asked.

 

"Am I what?" he answered, ducking suddenly.

 

"Running for Sovereign?" I said.

 

"I've never played that one," Constie denied as he lurched to one side.

 

"It's not a game," I said.

 

"What?"

 

V.

 

"The leaves say that I will succeed you as Sovereign, Loftie," Starberry muttered mysteriously as she swirled her tea. I had sought shelter from the snow under the awning of her 'Starberry's Special Teas' cart, even ordering a cup of carefully crafted camomile to warm my snow drenched bones.

 

"Is everybody in the Emerald Square running to succeed our superlative Sovereign, Supreme Autocrat Loftegen, who for the last time is not me?" I demanded.

 

"No, just five of us," Starberry assured me.

 

"But you're going to win?" I asked.

 

"The leaves never lie," Starberry said, handing me her tea cup.

 

I looked into it. Sure enough, the tea leaf fragments at the bottom spelled the words 'Starberry will succeed Loftegen as Sovereign of Lazarus'.

 

"I don't know much about tasseomancy," I said, "But that is one detailed message."

 

"It's an art I learned from an old Gypsy woman called Grandma," Starberry related. "She taught me everything I know about hustling easy marks."

 

On a hunch, I looked into my own cup. My tea leaves also spelled out 'Starberry will succeed Loftegen as Sovereign of Lazarus'.

 

"What an amazing coincidence," I said.

 

"The leaves are truly mysterious," Starberry agreed.

 

VI.

 

I had to hurry. There was no time left, if I wanted to get out of the Emerald Square alive. Fortunately the bus pulled up right on time. Unfortunately, it was being driven by my arch-enemy, Rivercastle.

 

 

THE LAZARENE LIBERATION ARMY IS COMING HOME

By Izon

 

After months of being on the field, mobile units of the Lazarus Liberation Army are finally returning home. With our newly elected Sovereign Starberry endorsement count getting ever closer to that of Loftgen. The LLA top brass decided that it was time to head back and assist with the transition at home. Besides, the growing complaints regarding the unsanitary living conditions in the LLA forward operating base at Spear Danes and Launching point seem to be getting louder. An unhappy veteran had this to say regarding the squalid living conditions.

 

"I don't even go to the bathroom anymore over there( Spear Danes). One time, I had to go in the middle of the night but the stench of  used switcher puppets was just too much for me to handle."

 

When asked about returning to the LLA Barracks, the veteran had this to say:

 

"OH YES, I'M GLAD TO BE BACK.  I'LL BE ABLE TO USE TOILET PAPER AGAIN. NOW GET OUT OF MY WAY! I HAVE A DATE WITH THE TOILET SEAT"

 

The veteran has not reported back since then.

 

A LETTER TO LOFTEGEN

By Scani

 

One winter day, a nation named Loftegen ran for Sovereign. And he won, but not before contributing to the region for several years.

 

Loftegen has been with Lazarus since the times before the PRL, long, long ago. He quotes his time in the People's Republic, or should I say, the 'Commie Theme' -- "I ignored their endo cap and mocked them regularly, eventually Stujenske became delegate and banjected me," where his perseverant attitude is highlighted, no matter what happened.

 

Loftegen served various important government roles, before his first term as Sovereign, from January to March 2016. He particularly notes this first term as being quiet but pleasant. Our ex-sovereign helped reestablish relations with Balder, helped to improve our legal codes vastly, and within regional culture, helped establish the Lazies and a regional map. His second term was from March to June 2016, where he was reelected by a landslide -- being a hugely popular delegate. He achieved the court ruling of the Gang of Five and, as before, edited our mandate and wrote our new Mandate 10.

 

In my opinion, you've been the nicest Sovereign I've ever known, although the only other one I met was Stujenske. He also has contributed loads to the forum, having contributed over 13% total of the forum with thousands of posts.

 

Rest on your laurels, Loftegen. Thank you for being with us.

 

We thought you were a lady until a week ago. 

---

[Malviet]

This is very fun to read! Thanks for the update!

[Bhang Bhang Duc]

An excellent update, thank you.

[Andy]

 

 

 

 

Statement on Recent Events

 

 

On September 3, 2016, Ivo, AKA Knot, AKA T. E. Lawrence, approached Andrew privately to discuss Lazarus.

 

Ivo propositioned him to abandon his loyalty to Lazarus and coup it in the name of destroying the FRA and turning Lazarus away from being a defender region, abandoning all of our treaties and commitments to our allies.

 

During the investigation into these happenings, it was also uncovered that New Rogernomics was messaged by Ivo while he was Delegate, much in the same manner, suggesting that NR should give his nation to Ivo, similar to United RussoAsia in The West Pacific.

 

Lazarus has come far from the coup that gave rise to the Humane Republic and its predecessor the People's Republic. Despite still being a defender region, Lazarus is a region where individuals of different ideological views can come and call home. So allow us to be clear. We will not give in to those who want to see us bent to their will. We have been, are, and will be happy as a defender aligned region, with some of the greatest allies in the world. We have no desire to change the way we operate, especially in the disgustingly forceful manner with which Ivo has tried to push upon Lazarus. Ivo's multiple attempts to destroy the native Lazarene community will not go unpunished. We will seek the harshest punishments possible for him. Said individuals, despite their best (however feeble) attempts, will never break the harmonious bond shared by all Lazarenes.

 

This is a subversive attack on our sovereignty, and it cannot be allowed to stand, lest we invite further attempts.

 

Perhaps at some point Lazarus will decide to leave the FRA...the matter has hardly been settled. But it will be the will of this region that makes that decision, not the will of outside partisans with their own agendas.

 

Let this be a warning to all -- you are not welcome to waltz into Lazarus and attempt to subvert the popular will, attack our sovereignty or our defender roots. Lazarus will continue onward, despite the attempts of some few to destroy what has been built since our rebirth into the Humane Republic. We have and will always, stand together in unity against those seeking to do us harm.

 

Signed,

 

Andrew, Son of Fenghuang (Delegate)

Amerion, Grandee Secretary, Minister Herald (Foreign Affairs Minister),

 

Yuno, Minister Steward (Internal Affairs Minister)

 

Adytus, Minister Erudite (WA Affairs Minister)

 

Funkadelia, Grand Commandant of the LLA (General of the LLA)

[Yuno]

[big][big]

You are hereby invited to the Lazarus Fall Festival!

[/big][/big]

 

On the 16th of September, Lazarus shall be hosting a festival where we hope to foster good relations with your region and to celebrate all the good things that have happened with the Humane Republic! There will be:

• 
  

Spam - lots and lots of spam!
RP - for all you RP enthusiasts  
Polls - who doesn't like a good vote?
Debates - there will be a general debate where participants debate general topics and then there'll be a regional team debate where a teams representing different teams debate! So if your region want's to take part, come along and represent!
Movie Night!! - Every day there will be movie night. So get your popcorn!
Games and Contests - its a surprise *wink*
Discord and Chill - If you aint got Discord, join our discord channel here!

 

So come on down, finding something to do, it's not everyday you get to watch a free movie with your NS friends

. Hope to see you there!

 

[big][big]Lazarus; a Region Reborn!

[/big][/big]

[North Pacific Spy]

What does the characters mean on the mascot/coat of arms thing?

[Andy]

What does the characters mean on the mascot/coat of arms thing?

I have no idea

Also, forgot to include in the invite, we hope to host a sort of regional team debate, where members of different regions comes together to debate against other teams on certain topics. Looking for at least 2 people minimum for a team, and maybe also some judges to judge the whole thing. Come on down if your interested in representing

[Adorable Davelands]

Celebrate TWP Festival Oct 14-16

 
The Delegate and Guardians of
The West Pacific
Request the honor of your presence at a Weekend-Long Celebration,
Given in thanks for the many nations and regions that have supported TWP.

---

The festivities begin on the RMB, our forum and our Discord server on Friday, October 14th. Join us first thing in the morning for our Friday Karaoke tradition. The official celebration begins at 19:00 (USA EDT) with formal introductions, and will continue throughout Friday into Sunday. There will be games, music, an open chat party, amusing stories about The West Pacific and a panel discussion on the history of TWP. A highlight of the celebration will be a State of the Region address offered by Big Bad Badger at 20:00 (USA EDT) on Saturday. TWP will also hold joint military operations in recognition of the event. All nations or regions that would like to participate should contact our new Commander of TWPAF The West Pacific ANIME Force of Yuno owl.

Feel free to join us for any or all of the celebration, as your schedule permits. Whenever you arrive, you may describe your entrance and announce yourself, if you wish.

Residents of TWP and others are encouraged to change their flags to the one at the top of this invitation for this event.

No RSVP requested.

Should you have any questions about the party, please contact The Magical Cookie Queendom of Neenee

[Gatito]

Hey everyone, I'm the new diplomat from Lazarus! Looks like things haven't stirred much lately, hopefully we'll all be able to kick it up a notch or something.

[Saint Mark]

Welcome to your embassy, Gatito!

*dusts, vacuums and puts out fresh linens*

[Imaginary]

Due to Gatito leaving Lazarus, I've been sent as the new ambassador to The West Pacific. A pleasure to be here. 

[Saint Mark]

Welcome! We look forward to getting to know you and to strengthening our friendship with your excellent region.