Stacky
TNPer
Wintreath Foreign Update
Government of Wintreath
Monarch: Wintermoot
Jarl of Defense: Denth Kasten
Jarl of Culture: Drexyl Nox
Jarl of Foreign Affairs: Chanku
Jarl of Information: Stacky
Jarl of Integration: Alterra
Jarl of WA Affairs: Reon
Jarl of Mediations: Daylen Pheonix
Citizen's Corner
The Citizen's Corner Recording Studio
The Citizen's Corner Recording Studio
Citizen's Corner is a regular feature where we in the Department of Information select a Citizen new to Wintreath, and allow them to opine on current affairs and activity within the region. This month, our contributor is Stark! He's not entirely new here, having joined late April, but he's brought a lot of activity and different ideas to Wintreath. And here's what he has to say!
The Third Underhusen's Final Decision
UH Skrifa Alterra using private escort to get to the Underhusen Chambers in time - Article by Stacky
UH Skrifa Alterra using private escort to get to the Underhusen Chambers in time - Article by Stacky
One many things that makes our legislative body, the Storting, so unique, is that before each election the current Underhusen votes on how many seats there will be in the next Underhusen term. It makes for a very adaptable legislative body that can more efficiently and better suit the current needs of the region. With the rapid influx of several active new citizens to Wintreath in May, the current Underhusen chose to have 7 seats for the next term--the maximum number that our constitution allows.
With the ambitious number set in hopes of refreshing and increasing activity within the Underhusen, the elections approached. As nominations and candidacies began, it became apparent there would be an issue: while the Underhusen was correct in predicting an increased number of candidates, there were only nine total that ended up actually running for the position of Skrifa. All but two of the candidates would automatically be accepted into the Storting, which would make for a relatively uncontested election. In an emergency meeting, the Underhusen quickly decided to reduce the number of seats to 5, which markedly intensified the race.
It's interesting to see how activity is influenced by the ease of being appointed or elected to positions. Members of the current Underhusen later remarked that it was a bit premature to set the number of seats to maximum. Perhaps later down the road, the elections will become even larger. In any case, the new Underhusen term is sure to bring some refreshing and sweeping change to Wintreath.
The Fourth Underhusen is Elected
The newly elected legislative body assembling in their very own and completely unique chambers - Article by Weissreich
The newly elected legislative body assembling in their very own and completely unique chambers - Article by Weissreich
Wintreath's 4th Sitting of the Underhusen is underway! Once again, elections have proven to be a well-participated and well-enjoyed event throughout the region, with the most votes thus far counted: 26! Out of a pool of 9 candidates, some who came quite late into the running, the victors are:
[li]Daphne - Speaker of the House[/li]
[li]Weissreich - Speaker Pro Tempore[/li]
[li]Stark[/li]
[li]Polaris[/li]
[li]Drexyl Nox[/li]
Horse's Dismissal
Horse's departure from the region - Article by Polaris
Horse's departure from the region - Article by Polaris
Sadly, on May 08, 2014, Wintermoot, Wintreath's Monarch, announced that Horse was relieved of his position as Wintreath's Jarl (Minister) of Foreign Affairs and Field Marshal of our military strike force. An investigation concluded with him leaking private military and cabinet discussions to the FRA. Later, he willingly revoked his citizenshhip and exited the region.The melancholy situation is that Horse had many chances to plead guilty, but decided not to. This severe case of lack of trust made Wintermoot remove all his positions except his citizenship. We will move on from this regrettable action, but it shows the best solution is to prevent it from the first place. This removal from office caused an increased security in who is allowed to join the executive government of Wintreath. Finally, one of our main government leaders, Chanku, has replaced Horse's position as the Jarl of Foreign Affairs. Here's a statement made by the monarch on the situation:
Wintermoot's Statement:
An Exclusive Interview with Weissreich on his Establishment of Setting!
Polaris sits down for an interview with Weiss in his office
Polaris sits down for an interview with Weiss in his office
1)What exactly does this project value the most, and how do you think it will progress over time?
The project itself is aiming to look at Wintreath's culture - obviously a made up one, but one that's going to hopefully create a strong framework for role-playing in the near future. Within that, I think the most important focus of the Establishment of Setting is creating a balance of information and blank areas. One of the main things that drags down an RP is the lack of a good backstory - at first everyone is involved, but soon enough it becomes clear that there's no real content from which to build a direction. Of course, there can be great exceptions to this, but on the whole...
The EoS is aiming to provide for that issue: by generating enough detail in the world to make it believable, by creating something that's got a unique blend of entertainment, possibility and fun, I'm hoping this will allow people to hold incredible RP's within the setting. With the framework there already, it's down to those running and participating in the game to come up with the plot, the actual events, the story - and they're free to do so in a setting that's there already.
In terms of the future? Who knows? With the recent formation of a House system in Wintreath, I'm looking to come up with great ways to integrate that and the EoS. You can already see the beginnings of that in the timeline overview, but in the next couple of weeks I'm going to add content which will make Houses an integral part of this setting, adding a new social dynamic as well as all the business, backstabbing, pressures and pleasures of being part of a Family that's competing - or cooperating - with others like it, each with their own strong points and weaknesses.
So yeah, hopefully - big things!
2)What kinds of processes are in place to help you edit and finalize the EoS?
Right now the completion of the EoS is quite far off, a matter of weeks, but the development process itself should give a lot of people ideas they'd like to see added. When people get in contact, I'm more than happy to make alterations to include sensible suggestions that will add to the content, as well as ones that'll make it more interesting! This provides people with a sort of streamlining and first revision access-point, meaning there'll be something for everyone in the finished product whilst hopefully nothing being too much for anyone.
Beyond that, I myself am going to be running it through considerable evaluation as I go. Every time I start to write or update, I check over what I've already done, not only to ensure it's looking good, but to draw inspiration along similar themes for continuity and to come up with ideas which make sense. From there, I've got a period of time set aside from when I finish to double-check everything. All of the changes are publicly available the whole time, so feedback will hopefully be continuous, allowing for that extra layer of double-checking.
And at the end, of course, there's the comments and criticisms of the finished product - as much as there can be one. I don't see the EoS as something that will have a definite end, but instead a framework that's going to evolve as people use it, to suit what's wanted and needed to keep everything working in fine order!
3) In what area could the EoS use a little polishing?
Currently, I've not yet reached the main body of the EoS - the content on the places, the people and the major events. These will form the meat of the setting itself, along with the technology, history and society notes. Until that's complete I can't really say accurately what's going to need most work, but out of what I've got?
Probably the timeline and the detailing of places: the first is going to be the thing which grabs your attention and makes you think "Hey, this might be fun!" The places are what, to my mind, hammer home the mental picture, allowing people to really consider the fact that "I can work with this!" I'm pretty happy with the response I've got, but I want to ensure it's as grabbing and entertaining as possible, so I'm definitely going to go over this.
4)What’s the greatest achievement you earned from the EoS?
Hard to say, as there's so much more yet to come! I think I'll have to get back to you on this one when I've finished it and everyone's been involved and the role-plays have started, but until then:
Probably discovering the fact I can draw maps a lot better than I remember being able to!
5)What have you enjoyed most about working on this?
Even split between two things: firstly, how great everyone's responding to it. There's a lot of support and several ideas coming in for the Establishment of Setting and I think this is a positive indicator of how well this is going to go down. Wintreath has been and continues to be a great community that I'm enjoying being a part of, and being able to give back is something that makes me feel happy.
The second thing is actually writing it. Worldbuilding has always been something I've enjoyed but never really had the time to explore properly. I've written a lot, and most of my time is spent building up incredibly detailed settings that the ideas then just flow into like a mould for liquid metal. Being able to do that, knowing people are going to (if all goes well) enjoy it? That's something pretty amazing. A lot of what's to come is pushing me both imaginatively and in terms of my literary skills. It's a fun journey for everyone.
The News in Briefs
Here in the Dep. of Info, we like puns inside our puns.
Here in the Dep. of Info, we like puns inside our puns.
-Wintreath, after many hardships, has finally reached a milestone. It celebrates seven months as a region! With more than 500 nations, it has grown to be a diverse and lively region of all sorts.
Happy Birth...month? Wintreath!
Who has the rum and snow?!
-Polaris and Stacky, previously active citizens, have been announced to a greater level of citizenship, becoming a member of the Riksrad. Polaris has been granted Thane of Integration status, whereas Stacky was recently granted Jarl of Information status. Chanku has also become the permanent Jarl of Foreign Affairs.
-The Hvitt Riddaral and the Skydande Vakt have successfully completed the mission to reclaim a region and protect for one of our honorary citizens, Charax Romanov. Wintermoot has thanked the military units, the "irregulars", and all the others who devoted to the cause.
The military is readily awaiting orders for their next task.
Raiders be scurred.
-As you may have noticed above, a new ministry has been added to the region! Congratulations to Daylen Pheonix for his appointment to Jarl of Mediations, who will be responsible for settling any and all disputes that arise within the region.
Thank you for reading!