Jahmurai
TNPer
Mordor Monthly – February Edition
Article 2:
Nazgul Selection
It's been a busy few weeks in Mordor as the build-up to the Nazgul selections got underway. Before the process could begin the Dark Lord Sauron was required to allocate the council's size for the next term (3,7 & 9 being the only choices available) and he opted for 9. Some were surprised considering the Council's inactivity in regards to legislation and thought the Dark Lord would be better served maintaining the seven seats in an effort to improve the Council’s activity in the current term.
With a Council of nine the two towers both appoint 4 Riders each while the Denizens elect the last remaining member. Although the campaigning period is somewhat hindered because of this the appointments were not without controversy and they certainly gave the Denizens something to talk about. Sauron had outlined earlier on in the term that recruitment would be a large factor in his considerations for this term and true to form his selections seemed to confirm this. His four appointees were Jahmurai, Barrowhaven, White Wizard Aule and Beian.
Jahmurai was most definitely the least surprising of the choices. He had already served one term as a Nazgul and Witch King Karputsk had appointed him to head welcoming where he did a fantastic job ensuring all new members were welcomed both on and off site. Without his efforts and dedication there wouldn’t be new members introducing themselves nigh on every day. Additionally, he has been a stand out member of the Mordor forces having taken to the battlefield vociferously and regularly to reign down pain on the enemies of Mordor. It is no surprise then that he has been tipped as a strong contender for Witch King for this term.
Jahmurai canvassing Denizens to prove his loyalty to the Dark Lord
Not as sure as Jahmurai but a safe bet for Nazgul nonetheless; Barrowhaven has been an active member of Mordor since he first joined in December. From the off he involved himself as a Deputy of Jahnmurai's upcoming welcoming department and he courted Sauron through his regular stints at recruiting. It’s not hard to see why Barrowhaven wasn’t a surprise then. Much like his colleague in the welcoming department Barrowhaven has been active in the Mordor forces and is certainly making a name for himself. Judging by his current trajectory he could be a decorated candidate for Witch King next term.
While the previous two appointees were effectively assured for a position Beian's chances weren’t as clear cut. Beian is a new member who has been involving himself in the spam and roleplay sections mostly, although he has been somewhat active with the military too. Like Barrowhaven but without the CV. He's certainly a new member with promise and perhaps Sauron is hoping a stint in the Council will encourage him to assert his mark on the region? Only time will tell.
Without doubt the most surprising of Sauron's appointments was Aule. The White Wizard had suffered a backlash after his election when he had taken advantage of the Mordor constitution to appoint himself as a Nazgul for its first session. It was this move that prompted Tadin and Jahmurai to form the Mordor Reform Council in an effort to combat corruption within the Mordor system and led to allegations of the MRC being a front for Gondor influence in Mordor. Although the appointment was surprising it was greeted with outright indifference as it was no longer a question of Aule manipulating the system for his own advantage and his membership was somewhat legitimised by the involvement of the other tower. It did, however, alert people to the possibility that Aule might not run for re-election and this might be a good way for him to prepare for such an announcement and hopefully endear himself to the future White Wizard.
Sauron's appointments lacked controversy despite making up for it to an extent through the surprise of Aule’s appointment. Aule’s appointments however were equally surprising and controversial. Aule appointed Tadin, Karputsk, Drop Your Pants and Joshua.
If you know anything about Mordor you will know about the recently concluded war with A Reach Too Far. This war led to the Founder, Joshua, being banned from Mordor and recently he appeared on the Mordor forums to 'surrender' and regain his citizenship. Despite what seemed like a sincere apology the Dark Lord had abstained on his application for Denizenship pending discussions. In a shock move however, the White Wizard bypassed the Dark Lord and utilised his powers of Denizen approval. In doing so Joshua was now eligible for a nomination to the Council. A former enemy of Mordor who was forced into inactivity within the region was now an integral part of the region and some couldn’t stand for this. The most notable critic was Jahmurai who has long felt Joshua has had hand in everything bad that has befallen Mordor. The appointment was so disputed it was rumoured that that several Riders would immediately see that he was removed by a majority vote. This has yet to materialise but it is an ever-present threat to Joshua and he will have to tread lightly and work hard in order to earn the trust of the Council and region.
If Joshua hopes to avoid removal from the Council he better not start singing...
Perhaps less surprising than it should have been, Drop Your Pants appointment was greeted with little to no comment despite his relatively short span in the region. This is more than likely because it had been rumoured for weeks that he was gearing up to run for Witch King and this position is filled by a member of the Council. Despite being new to the region DYP has been active on the forums and has brought a wealth of experience to a still developing region. Much like Jahmurai and Barrowhaven before him he has also been actively representing Mordor's military on defences and conquests into the Codger sphere of influence.
Although uncontroversial Tadin's appointment by Aule was surprising in that it was assumed Sauron would delegate a position to Tadin. It was also thought Saruman would never consider him due to his prominent role in the formation and continued presence of the MRC. But here we are with Tadin as a representative of the very tower he had fought so bitterly against. Tadin is a new addition to the military and has shown a determined interest in creating legislation and improving the constitution throughout his first term as Nazgul. Unlike his sponsor his inclusion as an appointee was not in the least surprising. This appointment also raises questions about Aule's motives. While his appointment by Sauron may be a way for him to entrench his position as a Nazgul this could also be an attempt to placate the MRC should he attempt to run for re-election. Despite this it has also been said he may be looking to secure the loyalties of a likely candidate for White Wizard in the future. This space is definitely one to watch in the next month.
Karputsk is the last appointed member of the Nazgul. As one of the longer residing members of the current community, Karputsk has been a fairly consistent presence in the region. It is not surprising or controversial especially given the support offered to Aule from the former Witch King. Karputsk has spread himself throughout the region involving himself in the Nazgul, as head of government, in recruiting, the military and for a while spamming. The only criticism could be that although his activity on the forums is consistent it is not especially high, and he had to resign as Witch King due to his commitments elsewhere. If things do not change he could certainly be an at risk Rider come next term's appointments.
Last but not least is the Denizen elected seat. Alancar took the seat with a landslide total of fifteen out of the 20 votes cast. Alancar's absence among the appointments was very notable considering the results he has produced as Head of Culture and the reputation he has made as a well-reasoned and creative voice within the Council. Was this an oversight by the two towers; and should we see Alancar continue the good work will we see the Dark Lord and White Wizard scrambling to acquire his fealty?
White Wizard Election
In Mordor there are two Heads of State. The founder Sauron, and a second, the White Wizard Saruman, elected by the Denizens. Traditionally these two heads of state have equal power and use their political appointments in the Nazgul to garner support for their best interests within the region. These two Heads of State are the basis of Mordor's politics and are designed to play off the interests of each other, with each using whatever loopholes they can to exploit political advantage.
Aule, co-founder of Mordor decided not to seek re-election for the White Wizard Saruman position, leaving the ever popular Mordor Rights Coalition party Chairman Tadin to announce his candidacy. This prompted Alancar, buoyed on by his Nazgul victory to run for the highest office in the lands of Mordor. Yet in a surprise twist, Sauron threw his name into the ring. Running on a platform to unite the Two Towers and promising that this would fix the legislation system which had been accused of being slow and cumbersome and worse ineffective. This move prompted outrage with new Delegate Beian stating we might as well elect a bunny in it's place, prompting, Wibblefeet a popular bunny activist and sporting avatar to run for office.
Wibblefeet's harmless bunny avatar
The move by Sauron prompted a number of other nations, such as 9002, Dictatorship of the Panem Nation, Alatar of the Istari to run for the position. In a tense and frantic election build up focusing mainly on recruiting in the first round of elections produced no overall winner, with Tadin, Sauron and Alancar receiving 17% of the vote each while Wibblefeet was slightly ahead on 30% but failed to reach the required 50% majority needed for overall victory. These 4 Candidates were due to be put forward for the run-off election. However early favourite Tadin later pulled out of the election citing Real Life circumstances. We at Mordor wish him all the best and hopefully look forward to his return in the future. This left Sauron, Wibblefeet and Alancar in the run-off election. Again no overall majority was achieved, with Wibblefeet and Alancar stuck on 31% and 40% respectively with Sauron left one vote behind. The founder of Mordor and Dark Lord failed in his bid of uniting the Two Towers. As we speak a third run-off election is taking place. We will bring the results as soon as polling ends.
*statistics taken from 23 ballots cast*
Sauron's bid to unite the Two Towers fails
And Finally
An Anti-Alancar movement has emerged in Mordor. Dismayed at the ever creeping 'brony' influence on Mordor the ever popular Denizen, TheMignonese aka Meeko, wrote a ''Legitimate and Timely Political Dissertation'' requesting Denizens vote against Alancar, removing him from political advancement. One such Anti-Political thread included a humorous video created by TheMignonese with a link below, if you do not read any of the rest of this update, I request you take 3 minutes out and view this video!:
*warning contains some bad language*
Youtube Video
This has been the Mordor Monthly.
Written by
Karputsk
Sauron
On behalf of the Mordor Government and the Witch-King Jahmurai.