BraveSirRobin
TNPer
The long-awaited Wintrean Orendi XXII is finally here! Check out our news and cultural review as either a PDF or in the forum post below.
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Wintreath, 3 Oct 2020
Edited by Barnes
Summersend festivalgoers enjoying the Animal Crossing scenery while awaiting events. Unfortunately the game will not be mentioned here.
Summersend, Wintreath’s traditional end-of-summer get-together, held its closing ceremonies yesterday, marking the beginning of Wintreath’s eponymous winter season. Establishing Summersend Regional Park, the region welcomed tourists from all over the globe to showcase our esteemed wildlife preserves, fireside chats, and enviable gaming sessions.
As Thane of Gaming, Imaginative Kane has agreed to comment on his experiences managing Summersend this year.
Quotes Kane:
“Playing games sure is fun. I was a bit ambitious with the amount of games I planned for Summersend seeing how my available time has been cut off by classes. My whole set of plans was: a Marvel and DC themed game of Arena on the forums, a relatively simple game of Werewolf on Discord with the theme of Warcraft, and a complex Werewolf themed on the tv show Grimm (also on Discord) which is not happening anytime soon, and game sessions (basically video games or online games).
“The Arena game is ready, and sign-ups have ended for it, but it hasn’t begun yet because I haven’t really had the time to get my narration of the game started. It will happen though.
“By the time Summersend actually started, I had forgotten about the Werewolf plans and was a bit too focused on setting up Arena and getting ready for this semester of classes to get the Warcraft Werewolf game set up.
“I did get a game session going at one point but my own tendency to not actually have a plan ready for the session until the right before… messed that up. The session was Jackbox games with... two, three, and four players at different times on a Discord voice channel. The games were Guesspionage, Trivia Murder Party, Survive the Internet, and Fibbage 3.
“After remembering seeing other NS regions have [varying] .io games… depending on the day, I thought we could try it too. There were some issues there, though: one was that my classes happened to start the day before I started doing that and the day I had the first .io game day poll set up for (Narwhale.io won), I was stuck in about three or four hours in a row of Zoom meetings. Then I hopped on and had no idea if anyone was there and then I was in another Zoom meeting. (Although to be fair I did a bad job of communicating on Discord that day and never suggested a specific server to play on so that was on me.)”
Adding to his focus on .io games and comparing them to other online and offline gaming sessions, Kane notes:
“Agar.io is a famous game and the original of these .io games. Hundreds have been made since then in many different genres... features shared by many .io games are: the ability to play in different servers, being relatively easy to understand the basics of, having different modes of gameplay, being quite prone to lag, and often not requiring that many plug-ins or download on the wifi to play (some don’t even require Flash if I remember correctly).
“Pretty much all of the games are much easier to play using a computer with a mouse than a phone or keyboard and mouse pad because precise and quick action is often required. The Agar.io type games are some of the simplest since what you are doing there is controlling a cell and trying to catch smaller cells while avoiding bigger cells in order to grow to be the biggest in the game. Starve.io is a much more complicated game since players are trying to survive nature while also killing other players and gathering resources to become better at surviving attacks and killing players. The website .io games space has a whole list of the games and also gives a better explanation than I could in terms of the tech jargon.
“When setting up a game session, .io games can be good starters since joining them is often quick and does not require too much, plus they are flexible with timing. With most games, you have to be ready with other people to play with others, but with .io games you can… just jump in and pick a server and there will usually be people playing there at any time of day. Since coordination is so difficult, .io games can be played instead, while Town of Salem, [an online party game similar to Werewolf without the forum-centric format, for example,] would also work for similar reasons… that game does require Flash and probably not as many people have access to Flash as the wifi necessary for a .io game.”
The Thane of Gaming and the Wintrean community wish you all a merry harvest and winter season, and hope to welcome everyone back for Summersend 2021.
On July 26th, Wintreath founder and Monarch, Wintermoot, opened standing for the 41st Underhusen. 4 candidates initially stood, Ogunbiyi, Trader, Chanku, and Monkey; with candidate Doc entering the race at the last minute. Candidates Monkey and Ogunbiyi based platforms off of new ideas, such as re-examining the procedural rules or sponsoring new Wintreath Academy initiatives, while candidates Chanku and Doc built their platforms based off of opposing views of the role of the Underhusen in Wintreath.
The elections were opened on August 2nd, following a heated debate regarding the Seating Act which was hastily passed by the 40th Underhusen just in time for the election. Drama even followed the campaigns into the voting booth, where several Wintreath citizens continued their debate over whether the Underhusen should continue to exist. This ideological split was even reflected in the voting trends this election, with candidates either voting for the initial cluster of 4 that stood (Ogunbiyi, Chanku, Monkey, and Trader), or voting only casting a vote for Doc and abstaining on the rest of the ballot. The election was concluded yesterday, and Wintermoot announced the results: 15 votes cast, with 1 private ballot. The coalition of four received 8 votes, while the protest campaign received 7 votes.
The 41st Underhusen will be composed of Trader, Chanku, Monkey, and Ogunbiyi. Since the election, Wintermoot has also opened standing for Speaker: Chanku was elected to the post, with kingmaker Ogunbiyi appointed Speaker pro tempore. Given the heavy debate and drama that arose as a part of the last Underhusen campaign, it is clear that this Underhusen must take action--or it may be the last.
The 41st Underhusen is listed as follows.
Wintreath elected its Cabinet for fall 2020 last week, on September 6. 5 candidates were elected into office.
Nominations were opened on August 25 by Wintreath Monarch Wintermoot. The Monarchy sets the structure of the Cabinet as well as the selection process, but traditionally Cabinet members are elected into office.
All Thane positions were open for election this term. The Thane of Roleplay, Thane of Werewolf, and Thane of World Assembly Affairs were all uncontested elections filled by the incumbents. The Thane of Embassies and Thane of Foreign Releases had multiple citizens stand for the position, but one of the candidates for Thane of Embassies suspended their campaign shortly before the election, leaving the Thane of Embassies race uncontested. The Thane of Gaming and the Thane of Integration positions were both unfilled. All candidates were successfully vetted to run for office by their respective Jarls.
The election was opened on September 1 by Wintermoot. The only contested position was the Thane of Foreign Releases, with candidates Monkey and Barnes vying for a spot. Both candidates released platforms, and were active in engaging with questions in their campaign thread.
Barnes won the election by a vote of 9 to 1, with 2 abstentions. In his election results announcement, Wintermoot noted “That's not a slight against his competitor, Monkey, though, as most people indicated that they just preferred two separate people as FA thanes and he had already won a seat by default. Both candidates ran excellent campaigns that were very responsive and articulate, and I'm happy that there was a seat for both of them in the end”.
The fall Cabinet is listed as follows.
Burn It Down is a rallying cry I have taken up over the last few years. In and of itself, it's a fairly comedic notion: we should abandon the institution of representative democracy with a feckless heed for what comes after. I triple down on this by constantly and publicly vacillating between a desire for the direct-democracy-style Open Assembly and an absolute-monarchist position where Wintermoot appoints all his officials and makes all the decisions himself or through his bureaucracy. Which is insane, because those are basically two exact opposites of each other on the political spectrum, and I'm de facto endorsing both of them at the same time.
But then again, I find that to be sort of the point.
A Nationstates region, and really any online community in general, is sort of a low-stakes environment. Sure, there are decisions of governance that need to be made, whether administrative or moderative in nature. But this is all fairly low-stakes governance; issues of how people interact with each other in an online setting almost inevitably are.
In this context, there isn't really a need for the checks and balances we demand of our Real World institutions of governance. What's important is, essentially, two things: how representative we want our governance to be - which is to say, who should have a voice in how we self-administer our communities - and how efficient we want our governance to be.
Worse yet, the Underhusen doesn't actually govern. Most functions of governance are either handled by the Cabinet and its various Ministries/Jarldoms, or by the Administrative/Moderator/Operator staff who handle day-to-day operations and iron out quirks in the region. Sometimes the Underhusen passes legislation to proclaim a holiday, or award someone a commendation, but these are self-serving bills the community as a whole agrees on anyway, and which could thus be done in an Open Assembly.
I'm opined that the Underhusen exists because it has existed in the past and we allow inertia to carry us forward. To craft celebratory bills as an attempt for the chamber to justify its own existence is, quite frankly, foolish; it's rather like a manager constantly looking over your shoulder and demanding minor changes out of fear that if he didn't, everyone would discover exactly how useless he is.
Burn It Down isn't supposed to be a rallying cry for specific direction, just an observation that our present system doesn't work and that we're better off just replacing it entirely.
The Council prepare to make their sacrifices to the pumpkin gods, becoming heretics in the eyes of the Holy Potatoe.
The first meetings of the newly-proposed Citizens’ Council concluded this week, providing general updates on the state of the government and the Wintrean community. Focuses of the meetings included administrative agenda (revealing a new forum layout), status reports from the cabinet in foreign and regional affairs, and a question discussing what Wintreath means to its Citizens.
The Council was first proposed by Monarch Wintermoot in August as a response to decaying trust in the function of the Underhusen (Wintrean legislature’s lower house) after a divisive campaign that month. The Monarch noted that while the idea for the Underhusen as a body is controversial, legislative elections remain popular and bring activity for newcomers to the region.
The Monarch attempted to call for elections slated for September 10th, but cancelled the vote after a lack of available candidates. The four candidates who accepted nominations were automatically granted seats on the Council.
The inaugural Citizens’ Council is listed as follows.
Wintermoot hopes this experiment will foster discussions about the ideal representation for Citizens and create a liaison between His Majesty’s Cabinet and the general citizenry. As the demographics and purposes of Wintreath evolve, Wintermoot believes he’s formed a compromise between those who are weary of legislative inactivity and want to see a Cabinet-only government, those who want to see the legislature expanded into an Open Assembly, and new members who would simply like a say in regional happenings.
In a move that was controversial to some outside the region, Wintreath welcomed Dawcreek in February. Daw was banned elsewhere for making outbursts and threats against LGBTQ+ people and furries. While it may have raised eyebrows that he joined a group composed of both, in Wintreath it follows a tradition of second chances.
He's stuck with the region since, building a positive reputation for himself. He's run for office, served as an ambassador, and tested his own forum game. He apologized for his past actions in April. Most importantly, he's made friends in Wintreath and has become a fixture of the community.
Six months later, we check in with Daw to get his thoughts about the events that led him here, his time in Wintreath, and his hopes for the future.
Introduce yourself to us! What would you like people to know about you?
Hi, my name is Kaylum, but I commonly go by Daw on Nationstates. I am a twenty-one year-old cisgender heterosexual male, and I was born and raised in north-east British Columbia, [and] currently living in central Alberta. I am also an atheist and consider myself right-wing, despite some of my views not reflecting that side of the spectrum.
How did you get into Nationstates, and what is it about NS that keeps you playing?
Before I got into Nationstates, I was interested in the concept of being in charge of my very own country… I played various nation/political simulators here and there until I eventually discovered Nationstates. What's kept me playing for well over a year now is the often polite and compassionate community that's, for the most part, been an absolute joy to hangout with, especially with some of the friends I've made in the span of my time here.
Before joining Wintreath, you said some vile things toward LGBTQ+ and furry folk. What was going on in your mind at the time? Why would you say such terrible things?
Growing up, my parents were quite conservative and on no occasion would they ever want me to be exposed to either of those communities - particularly the LGBTQ+ community. Both of which I hadn't heard of them until my early-to-mid teens. From that age, all the way up to my late teens and now early twenties, I had thought about how gross and disgusting it was for the same sex to engage in anything romantic or sexual - or how I thought furries were extremely immature and childish for wearing those fursuits and acting a certain way I considered to be obnoxious in said suits.
The reason why I said the things I did regarding both the LGBTQ+ and furry communities was because I was skeptical of the people associated doing something I thought would be a nuisance to both me and the folks I cared about who didn't associate with those groups - coupled with my arrogance and irritability which made me absolutely despise the certain things they engaged in. I did however have a few exceptions: asexuals and aromantics, and demisexuals if they were into the opposite sex, those of which I mostly respected.
You’ve said that you joined Wintreath because we have so many LGBTQ+ people and furries. What led you to realize that your attitudes were wrong? Why did you feel you needed to be among people from the very groups you had attacked or threatened before?
After previously being banned from Karma and losing many friends and people I liked in the process, I quickly learned that if I wanted to become an accepted member of the Nationstates community, I desperately needed to overcome my biases for the groups I disliked that made up a large portion of the NS community, as well as change my attitude to a much more polite and pleasant alternative in order to get along better with the rest of the community. Furthermore, I felt that if I truly wanted to overcome my biases, I needed to educate myself on the communities I was biased against and give myself a proper understanding of why folks who associate with those groups often engage in activities that went against my views, and so I came to the final conclusion that the best method to do so would be to join a community which contained the very groups I was biased against and work towards being able to resonate with them.
How do you feel you’ve changed as a person over since your arrival, if you feel you have at all?
For the seven months I've been here in Wintreath, I feel that I've changed quite drastically. First of all, the biases I once had towards the furry and LGBTQ+ communities are practically non-existent. It should also be noted that my tolerance of said groups has also substantially improved, including the fact that some of the friends I've made here in Wintreath just so happen to associate themselves with either communities. I am also less rude and notably have a more polite attitude in my interactions with other peoples - as well as less arrogance when it comes to my own actions and opinions.
Let’s move to your experiences in Wintreath. What’s it been like being in the region for you? Are there any experiences that stand out for you?
Aside from a few moments, so far I've been thoroughly enjoying my time here in Wintreath - from the conversations I've had with certain members, to the games I've participated in on the forums and other websites, it's been a remarkable experience. Some of my most memorable experiences have been the several conversations I've had with Wintermoot on Discord.
However, despite none of the conversations truly sticking out to me, each discussion generally felt equal to one another. What's made them so equally memorable is Wintermoot himself: in almost every conversation I've had with him, he's shown nothing but kindness, compassion, willingness to listen, and in general his personality overall has made each conversation unique and meaningful. Most of which have genuinely made me feel comfortable and safe in his presence.
There's been a lot of upheaval in the region recently that has seen some long-time members leave. You've said that you'll stick with the region no matter what. What makes you feel so strongly about this?
To me, Wintreath is a sort of safe ground. Leaving it would not only result in being disconnected from several friends, but also lessen my progress in correcting my mistakes and overall becoming a better person - since I not only rely on the community to vouch for me as a display of support, but also to build tolerance and kindness towards the groups I discriminated in the past, as well as provide information / educate myself on said groups.
On top of all that, where would I go? I'm prohibited from several regions due to them having a presence in the Nationstates leaders, the group responsible for putting me on the blacklist. Even if I did end up finding a new community, none of them would feel remotely the same. Not to mention, having to spend a considerable amount of time getting to know a whole new group of people would mentally drain me due to how much I've been attached to Wintreath and it's community over the past few months.
Furthermore, I feel like I'm one of the few individuals that values loyalty, since I personally believe it's something we lack in today's world - coupled with the support and kindness I've received from being a member of the community, I felt that the region had truly earned my loyalty. Therefore, for all the reasons above, I decided to stay loyal to what mattered to me the most: Wintreath.
Where do you see yourself six months from now as a person and as a member of Wintreath?
Having changed drastically since my initial arrival in Wintreath and still continuing to improve to this day, I believe it's safe to assume that I see myself being looked at outside of Wintreath as a kind, respectful, and considerate individual who is accepting of those and their beliefs.
Finally, is there anything else you’d like to say to the people that will be reading this article?
Admittedly, I don't have much to say. I will continue to improve and learn from my mistakes, but I am by no means an expert. Other than that, thank you for taking your time to read this interview. Your dedication is much appreciated.
Thank you for taking the time to reflect on your time in NS and Wintreath. I know that there are many people in Wintreath who are glad you're here and are proud to consider you their friend. I for one am glad to have the opportunity to share your journey over the past months with others.
"Let those who love Spud and believe in Him rise up, overthrow the heretics, overthrow the oppressors, and fight, fight to save what they love, fight to save the Holy Potatoe, whatever it takes."
A new pope lurks in the shadows.
At the Cathedral of the Holy Tuber today, fellow Potatoist Remile Ogunbiyi av Devils announced his intention to challenge His Holiness Crushita Telcontar as Popetato of Wintreath and leader of the state’s unofficial official faith. Ogunbiyi’s challenge to His Eminence’s holy see comes with claims that His Holiness supports Tomatoists and the idea that “too much Potatoe is a bad thing”. Says Ogunbiyi, “I know many of us have been disappointed by our Pope's rule, join us, you will have a say in my Papacy, you will have the ability to determine how the church will go from here.”
Following the announcement, Ogunbiyi attempted to install The Right Honourable Chanku Kaizer as First Starchbishop and family member Kell Butter as Advisor to the Potatoe. Ogunbiyi, as Shadow Pope, also declared shepherd’s pie to be the official food of Wintreath and proclaimed it to be served at all Wintrean gatherings.
Internal conflicts escalated as the Shadow Pope proceeded to excommunicate Starchbishop Mathyland, as well as followers Potato Bagel and Elbbsas Shepard, for heretical actions and statements, along with His Eminence himself.
Meanwhile, His Holiness stands silent. As we wait for the snows to fall around the two thrones, the scores of Wintreath shall determine whether these events will be not unlike the Great Western Schism of 1378 or the peaceful coronation of a new bloodline.
I: Janth
Were it not for the sprawling marches of the Endless Plains, and the city-granary of Janth, one could argue entirely seriously that Wintreath's long and harsh winters would be too much for the nation to bear. When the winds and snows truly set in, almost everything north of Frost Lake itself is covered in thick blankets of sheet snow that make the warmth of summer seem like a distant memory.
Due to some twist of fate, and an accident of geography, the Janth River basin is mostly shielded from the storms and snows that might reach further south in other areas. The expansive floodplains that stretch out to the north and south of the river's meandering course are vast, and productive even late into the autumns. In ages long past, these lands were home to a hundred small kingdoms fighting for claim over the fertile agricultural lands of the Endless Plains.
But one rose above all others. Of all the Rides Kingdoms, the name of Janth is known to this day as one of the foremost powers of Wintreath's early history. Not through iron and blood was this acclaim won, but through the toil and sweat of working the plough, of tilling the land and cultivating fruit groves, of the careful study of animal husbandry and cross-pollination. Armies march on their stomachs, and those stomachs were more often than not fed by the produce of Janth.
Today the city appears to be a conglomeration of some great castle, its spires reaching towards the heavens. Its cavernous holds do not contain rooms or armouries, however, but granaries and silos full of produce that makes its way to all four corners of Wintreath in the holds of aerovessels and in the bellies of great river-going ships.
For generations, this granary-cityship has prospered under the watchful eyes of House Burdock, their guiding touch soft but profound on the Janth river basin's history and by extension, all of Wintreath's. Its citizens are friendly, often seen sitting on the wide mossy pavements and under the leafy awnings of their favourite cafés, pipes firmly in mouths and a joke never far from their lips.
As of writing this, all news outlets have been banned within Wintreath.
UPDATE: This article contains explicitly false information, and it is highly recommended that you do not read on, or do so and take everything with a grain of salt and form your own opinions...preferably that it is simply hatred being spewed by a now former head writer who has been rightfully sent away by his lordship Wintermoot.
It's a sad day folks, to see things go like this. But it was reported by one of our ace reporters that Wintermoot himself has banned any form of written media that speaks out against him as of last week. If that wasn't enough though, the Monarch himself has grown increasingly paranoid about bad press that he's extended the ban to all forms of news media overall. On top of that, the ever popular The Crew talk show hosted by Uncle and Nephew duo Tau and Robin Valeria has also been cancelled indefinitely after guest star Bernard “Barnes” Meindhert called the Monarch a "Poopyhead."
UPDATE: The Crew was cancelled after it was discovered that the financial numbers were off and that Tau and Robin were skimming profits from the top to line their pockets. Their cancellation has nothing to do with Barnes’s comment nor does it have to do with their other guest star Hannah Bee flipping off the camera in response to hearing the Monarch's name.
We asked ace reporter Gerion “Gerrick” Burdock about the stunning events developing, and we were able to thankfully get some info out of him before he was dragged off by the police. "It's crazy that such a thing has developed after the Monarch was told by our station that we'd publish such an article if he didn't agree with our ideas. Nobody ever thought that he'd actually go through with such a thing rather than deal with a tabloid article!" he stated before he was grabbed by police. "Support the news, viva la revolution! YOU CAN'T SILENCE THE TRUTH!" He added before he was bagged by the police and taken to parts unknown.
It has also been mentioned that Gerrick was also none other than a Duke of Wintreath! This just goes to show that the Monarch doesn't care at all who he takes away, making those of us here at HQ wondering if even Prince Trader is safe from the Monarch's nefarious ways. It's truly sad to lose an ace reporter in such a way, and before you read on I suggest you take a moment of silence in remembrance of this reporter's fine service.
UPDATE: Duke Gerion Burdock was arrested after it was discovered that he had extensive amounts of cocaine both at his place of residence as well as on his person during the time of the reporting. Police were sent an anonymous tip while he was out on the field, and just coincidentally arrested him during this moment in time. It should also be reported that the anonymous tip was from a citizen named AJ, who himself was carted off after it was discovered that he had also trace amounts of cocaine on him, and not because he supported an Anti-Wintermoot article many years ago.
All that's really known at this time is that the Monarch is banning all sources of news, following his recent ban against any words that cause him discomfort as well as the extensive pushback he's been getting with that. It's only a matter of time before Wintreath breaks out into an all out speech war, and we at Orendi HQ want you to know that we'll continue printing the the truth and finding ways to get the news to you regardless of the News ban.
UPDATE: After our head writer of this article was sent to parts unknown by the Monarch after it was discovered of their involvement of attempting to bypass the ban, we've decided to fully cooperate with the Monarch in order to keep the Orendi running. We at the Orendi ask that you please follow the ban and avoid any words that may harm his lordship Wintermoot, and we have even set a system where you can report any rule breakers to us. We'll inform his lordship so that they can be sent off to parts unknown. If you do have any leads on potential rulebreakers, please send a telegram to the Orendi Snitches office.
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WINTREAN ORENDI XXII
Wintreath, 3 Oct 2020
Edited by Barnes
Gaming Fun During Summersend 2020
(Imaginative Kane, 21 Sep 2020)
Summersend festivalgoers enjoying the Animal Crossing scenery while awaiting events. Unfortunately the game will not be mentioned here.
Summersend, Wintreath’s traditional end-of-summer get-together, held its closing ceremonies yesterday, marking the beginning of Wintreath’s eponymous winter season. Establishing Summersend Regional Park, the region welcomed tourists from all over the globe to showcase our esteemed wildlife preserves, fireside chats, and enviable gaming sessions.
As Thane of Gaming, Imaginative Kane has agreed to comment on his experiences managing Summersend this year.
Quotes Kane:
“Playing games sure is fun. I was a bit ambitious with the amount of games I planned for Summersend seeing how my available time has been cut off by classes. My whole set of plans was: a Marvel and DC themed game of Arena on the forums, a relatively simple game of Werewolf on Discord with the theme of Warcraft, and a complex Werewolf themed on the tv show Grimm (also on Discord) which is not happening anytime soon, and game sessions (basically video games or online games).
“The Arena game is ready, and sign-ups have ended for it, but it hasn’t begun yet because I haven’t really had the time to get my narration of the game started. It will happen though.
“By the time Summersend actually started, I had forgotten about the Werewolf plans and was a bit too focused on setting up Arena and getting ready for this semester of classes to get the Warcraft Werewolf game set up.
“I did get a game session going at one point but my own tendency to not actually have a plan ready for the session until the right before… messed that up. The session was Jackbox games with... two, three, and four players at different times on a Discord voice channel. The games were Guesspionage, Trivia Murder Party, Survive the Internet, and Fibbage 3.
“After remembering seeing other NS regions have [varying] .io games… depending on the day, I thought we could try it too. There were some issues there, though: one was that my classes happened to start the day before I started doing that and the day I had the first .io game day poll set up for (Narwhale.io won), I was stuck in about three or four hours in a row of Zoom meetings. Then I hopped on and had no idea if anyone was there and then I was in another Zoom meeting. (Although to be fair I did a bad job of communicating on Discord that day and never suggested a specific server to play on so that was on me.)”
Adding to his focus on .io games and comparing them to other online and offline gaming sessions, Kane notes:
“Agar.io is a famous game and the original of these .io games. Hundreds have been made since then in many different genres... features shared by many .io games are: the ability to play in different servers, being relatively easy to understand the basics of, having different modes of gameplay, being quite prone to lag, and often not requiring that many plug-ins or download on the wifi to play (some don’t even require Flash if I remember correctly).
“Pretty much all of the games are much easier to play using a computer with a mouse than a phone or keyboard and mouse pad because precise and quick action is often required. The Agar.io type games are some of the simplest since what you are doing there is controlling a cell and trying to catch smaller cells while avoiding bigger cells in order to grow to be the biggest in the game. Starve.io is a much more complicated game since players are trying to survive nature while also killing other players and gathering resources to become better at surviving attacks and killing players. The website .io games space has a whole list of the games and also gives a better explanation than I could in terms of the tech jargon.
“When setting up a game session, .io games can be good starters since joining them is often quick and does not require too much, plus they are flexible with timing. With most games, you have to be ready with other people to play with others, but with .io games you can… just jump in and pick a server and there will usually be people playing there at any time of day. Since coordination is so difficult, .io games can be played instead, while Town of Salem, [an online party game similar to Werewolf without the forum-centric format, for example,] would also work for similar reasons… that game does require Flash and probably not as many people have access to Flash as the wifi necessary for a .io game.”
The Thane of Gaming and the Wintrean community wish you all a merry harvest and winter season, and hope to welcome everyone back for Summersend 2021.
Wintreath Elects 41st Underhusen
(Monkey, 9 Aug 2020)
On July 26th, Wintreath founder and Monarch, Wintermoot, opened standing for the 41st Underhusen. 4 candidates initially stood, Ogunbiyi, Trader, Chanku, and Monkey; with candidate Doc entering the race at the last minute. Candidates Monkey and Ogunbiyi based platforms off of new ideas, such as re-examining the procedural rules or sponsoring new Wintreath Academy initiatives, while candidates Chanku and Doc built their platforms based off of opposing views of the role of the Underhusen in Wintreath.
The elections were opened on August 2nd, following a heated debate regarding the Seating Act which was hastily passed by the 40th Underhusen just in time for the election. Drama even followed the campaigns into the voting booth, where several Wintreath citizens continued their debate over whether the Underhusen should continue to exist. This ideological split was even reflected in the voting trends this election, with candidates either voting for the initial cluster of 4 that stood (Ogunbiyi, Chanku, Monkey, and Trader), or voting only casting a vote for Doc and abstaining on the rest of the ballot. The election was concluded yesterday, and Wintermoot announced the results: 15 votes cast, with 1 private ballot. The coalition of four received 8 votes, while the protest campaign received 7 votes.
The 41st Underhusen will be composed of Trader, Chanku, Monkey, and Ogunbiyi. Since the election, Wintermoot has also opened standing for Speaker: Chanku was elected to the post, with kingmaker Ogunbiyi appointed Speaker pro tempore. Given the heavy debate and drama that arose as a part of the last Underhusen campaign, it is clear that this Underhusen must take action--or it may be the last.
The 41st Underhusen is listed as follows.
[li]Speaker: Chanku[/li]
[li]Speaker pro tempore: Ogunbiyi[/li]
[li]Skrifa: Trader[/li]
[li]Skrifa: Monkey[/li]
Wintreath Fall Cabinet Elected
(Monkey, 12 Sep 2020)
Wintreath elected its Cabinet for fall 2020 last week, on September 6. 5 candidates were elected into office.
Nominations were opened on August 25 by Wintreath Monarch Wintermoot. The Monarchy sets the structure of the Cabinet as well as the selection process, but traditionally Cabinet members are elected into office.
All Thane positions were open for election this term. The Thane of Roleplay, Thane of Werewolf, and Thane of World Assembly Affairs were all uncontested elections filled by the incumbents. The Thane of Embassies and Thane of Foreign Releases had multiple citizens stand for the position, but one of the candidates for Thane of Embassies suspended their campaign shortly before the election, leaving the Thane of Embassies race uncontested. The Thane of Gaming and the Thane of Integration positions were both unfilled. All candidates were successfully vetted to run for office by their respective Jarls.
The election was opened on September 1 by Wintermoot. The only contested position was the Thane of Foreign Releases, with candidates Monkey and Barnes vying for a spot. Both candidates released platforms, and were active in engaging with questions in their campaign thread.
Barnes won the election by a vote of 9 to 1, with 2 abstentions. In his election results announcement, Wintermoot noted “That's not a slight against his competitor, Monkey, though, as most people indicated that they just preferred two separate people as FA thanes and he had already won a seat by default. Both candidates ran excellent campaigns that were very responsive and articulate, and I'm happy that there was a seat for both of them in the end”.
The fall Cabinet is listed as follows.
[li]Jarl of Culture: Ruguo[/li]
[li]Thane of Gaming: Vacant[/li]
[li]Thane of Gaming: Excalibur[/li]
[li]Thane of Werewolf: Red Mones[/li]
[li]Jarl of Foreign Affairs: Michi[/li]
[li]Thane of Foreign Releases: Barnes[/li]
[li]Thane of Embassies: Monkey[/li]
[li]Jarl of Regional Affairs: Doc[/li]
[li]Thane of Integration: Vacant[/li]
The Burner Manifesto
(Doc, 22 Jun 2020)
Burn It Down is a rallying cry I have taken up over the last few years. In and of itself, it's a fairly comedic notion: we should abandon the institution of representative democracy with a feckless heed for what comes after. I triple down on this by constantly and publicly vacillating between a desire for the direct-democracy-style Open Assembly and an absolute-monarchist position where Wintermoot appoints all his officials and makes all the decisions himself or through his bureaucracy. Which is insane, because those are basically two exact opposites of each other on the political spectrum, and I'm de facto endorsing both of them at the same time.
But then again, I find that to be sort of the point.
A Nationstates region, and really any online community in general, is sort of a low-stakes environment. Sure, there are decisions of governance that need to be made, whether administrative or moderative in nature. But this is all fairly low-stakes governance; issues of how people interact with each other in an online setting almost inevitably are.
In this context, there isn't really a need for the checks and balances we demand of our Real World institutions of governance. What's important is, essentially, two things: how representative we want our governance to be - which is to say, who should have a voice in how we self-administer our communities - and how efficient we want our governance to be.
Worse yet, the Underhusen doesn't actually govern. Most functions of governance are either handled by the Cabinet and its various Ministries/Jarldoms, or by the Administrative/Moderator/Operator staff who handle day-to-day operations and iron out quirks in the region. Sometimes the Underhusen passes legislation to proclaim a holiday, or award someone a commendation, but these are self-serving bills the community as a whole agrees on anyway, and which could thus be done in an Open Assembly.
I'm opined that the Underhusen exists because it has existed in the past and we allow inertia to carry us forward. To craft celebratory bills as an attempt for the chamber to justify its own existence is, quite frankly, foolish; it's rather like a manager constantly looking over your shoulder and demanding minor changes out of fear that if he didn't, everyone would discover exactly how useless he is.
Burn It Down isn't supposed to be a rallying cry for specific direction, just an observation that our present system doesn't work and that we're better off just replacing it entirely.
A New Citizen’s Council?
(Barnes, 23 Sep 2020)
The Council prepare to make their sacrifices to the pumpkin gods, becoming heretics in the eyes of the Holy Potatoe.
The first meetings of the newly-proposed Citizens’ Council concluded this week, providing general updates on the state of the government and the Wintrean community. Focuses of the meetings included administrative agenda (revealing a new forum layout), status reports from the cabinet in foreign and regional affairs, and a question discussing what Wintreath means to its Citizens.
The Council was first proposed by Monarch Wintermoot in August as a response to decaying trust in the function of the Underhusen (Wintrean legislature’s lower house) after a divisive campaign that month. The Monarch noted that while the idea for the Underhusen as a body is controversial, legislative elections remain popular and bring activity for newcomers to the region.
The Monarch attempted to call for elections slated for September 10th, but cancelled the vote after a lack of available candidates. The four candidates who accepted nominations were automatically granted seats on the Council.
The inaugural Citizens’ Council is listed as follows.
[li]Gerion “Gerrick” Burdock[/li]
[li]Sapphiron Heinrich[/li]
[li]Robin Valeria[/li]
[li]Wolfgang Amadeus[/li]
Wintermoot hopes this experiment will foster discussions about the ideal representation for Citizens and create a liaison between His Majesty’s Cabinet and the general citizenry. As the demographics and purposes of Wintreath evolve, Wintermoot believes he’s formed a compromise between those who are weary of legislative inactivity and want to see a Cabinet-only government, those who want to see the legislature expanded into an Open Assembly, and new members who would simply like a say in regional happenings.
Second Chances: An Interview with Dawcreek
(Dawcreek and Wintermoot, 29 Sep 2020)In a move that was controversial to some outside the region, Wintreath welcomed Dawcreek in February. Daw was banned elsewhere for making outbursts and threats against LGBTQ+ people and furries. While it may have raised eyebrows that he joined a group composed of both, in Wintreath it follows a tradition of second chances.
He's stuck with the region since, building a positive reputation for himself. He's run for office, served as an ambassador, and tested his own forum game. He apologized for his past actions in April. Most importantly, he's made friends in Wintreath and has become a fixture of the community.
Six months later, we check in with Daw to get his thoughts about the events that led him here, his time in Wintreath, and his hopes for the future.
Introduce yourself to us! What would you like people to know about you?
Hi, my name is Kaylum, but I commonly go by Daw on Nationstates. I am a twenty-one year-old cisgender heterosexual male, and I was born and raised in north-east British Columbia, [and] currently living in central Alberta. I am also an atheist and consider myself right-wing, despite some of my views not reflecting that side of the spectrum.
How did you get into Nationstates, and what is it about NS that keeps you playing?
Before I got into Nationstates, I was interested in the concept of being in charge of my very own country… I played various nation/political simulators here and there until I eventually discovered Nationstates. What's kept me playing for well over a year now is the often polite and compassionate community that's, for the most part, been an absolute joy to hangout with, especially with some of the friends I've made in the span of my time here.
Before joining Wintreath, you said some vile things toward LGBTQ+ and furry folk. What was going on in your mind at the time? Why would you say such terrible things?
Growing up, my parents were quite conservative and on no occasion would they ever want me to be exposed to either of those communities - particularly the LGBTQ+ community. Both of which I hadn't heard of them until my early-to-mid teens. From that age, all the way up to my late teens and now early twenties, I had thought about how gross and disgusting it was for the same sex to engage in anything romantic or sexual - or how I thought furries were extremely immature and childish for wearing those fursuits and acting a certain way I considered to be obnoxious in said suits.
The reason why I said the things I did regarding both the LGBTQ+ and furry communities was because I was skeptical of the people associated doing something I thought would be a nuisance to both me and the folks I cared about who didn't associate with those groups - coupled with my arrogance and irritability which made me absolutely despise the certain things they engaged in. I did however have a few exceptions: asexuals and aromantics, and demisexuals if they were into the opposite sex, those of which I mostly respected.
You’ve said that you joined Wintreath because we have so many LGBTQ+ people and furries. What led you to realize that your attitudes were wrong? Why did you feel you needed to be among people from the very groups you had attacked or threatened before?
After previously being banned from Karma and losing many friends and people I liked in the process, I quickly learned that if I wanted to become an accepted member of the Nationstates community, I desperately needed to overcome my biases for the groups I disliked that made up a large portion of the NS community, as well as change my attitude to a much more polite and pleasant alternative in order to get along better with the rest of the community. Furthermore, I felt that if I truly wanted to overcome my biases, I needed to educate myself on the communities I was biased against and give myself a proper understanding of why folks who associate with those groups often engage in activities that went against my views, and so I came to the final conclusion that the best method to do so would be to join a community which contained the very groups I was biased against and work towards being able to resonate with them.
How do you feel you’ve changed as a person over since your arrival, if you feel you have at all?
For the seven months I've been here in Wintreath, I feel that I've changed quite drastically. First of all, the biases I once had towards the furry and LGBTQ+ communities are practically non-existent. It should also be noted that my tolerance of said groups has also substantially improved, including the fact that some of the friends I've made here in Wintreath just so happen to associate themselves with either communities. I am also less rude and notably have a more polite attitude in my interactions with other peoples - as well as less arrogance when it comes to my own actions and opinions.
Let’s move to your experiences in Wintreath. What’s it been like being in the region for you? Are there any experiences that stand out for you?
Aside from a few moments, so far I've been thoroughly enjoying my time here in Wintreath - from the conversations I've had with certain members, to the games I've participated in on the forums and other websites, it's been a remarkable experience. Some of my most memorable experiences have been the several conversations I've had with Wintermoot on Discord.
However, despite none of the conversations truly sticking out to me, each discussion generally felt equal to one another. What's made them so equally memorable is Wintermoot himself: in almost every conversation I've had with him, he's shown nothing but kindness, compassion, willingness to listen, and in general his personality overall has made each conversation unique and meaningful. Most of which have genuinely made me feel comfortable and safe in his presence.
There's been a lot of upheaval in the region recently that has seen some long-time members leave. You've said that you'll stick with the region no matter what. What makes you feel so strongly about this?
To me, Wintreath is a sort of safe ground. Leaving it would not only result in being disconnected from several friends, but also lessen my progress in correcting my mistakes and overall becoming a better person - since I not only rely on the community to vouch for me as a display of support, but also to build tolerance and kindness towards the groups I discriminated in the past, as well as provide information / educate myself on said groups.
On top of all that, where would I go? I'm prohibited from several regions due to them having a presence in the Nationstates leaders, the group responsible for putting me on the blacklist. Even if I did end up finding a new community, none of them would feel remotely the same. Not to mention, having to spend a considerable amount of time getting to know a whole new group of people would mentally drain me due to how much I've been attached to Wintreath and it's community over the past few months.
Furthermore, I feel like I'm one of the few individuals that values loyalty, since I personally believe it's something we lack in today's world - coupled with the support and kindness I've received from being a member of the community, I felt that the region had truly earned my loyalty. Therefore, for all the reasons above, I decided to stay loyal to what mattered to me the most: Wintreath.
Where do you see yourself six months from now as a person and as a member of Wintreath?
Having changed drastically since my initial arrival in Wintreath and still continuing to improve to this day, I believe it's safe to assume that I see myself being looked at outside of Wintreath as a kind, respectful, and considerate individual who is accepting of those and their beliefs.
Finally, is there anything else you’d like to say to the people that will be reading this article?
Admittedly, I don't have much to say. I will continue to improve and learn from my mistakes, but I am by no means an expert. Other than that, thank you for taking your time to read this interview. Your dedication is much appreciated.
Thank you for taking the time to reflect on your time in NS and Wintreath. I know that there are many people in Wintreath who are glad you're here and are proud to consider you their friend. I for one am glad to have the opportunity to share your journey over the past months with others.
Declaration of a New Pope
(Barnes, 22 Sep 2020)
"Let those who love Spud and believe in Him rise up, overthrow the heretics, overthrow the oppressors, and fight, fight to save what they love, fight to save the Holy Potatoe, whatever it takes."
A new pope lurks in the shadows.
At the Cathedral of the Holy Tuber today, fellow Potatoist Remile Ogunbiyi av Devils announced his intention to challenge His Holiness Crushita Telcontar as Popetato of Wintreath and leader of the state’s unofficial official faith. Ogunbiyi’s challenge to His Eminence’s holy see comes with claims that His Holiness supports Tomatoists and the idea that “too much Potatoe is a bad thing”. Says Ogunbiyi, “I know many of us have been disappointed by our Pope's rule, join us, you will have a say in my Papacy, you will have the ability to determine how the church will go from here.”
Following the announcement, Ogunbiyi attempted to install The Right Honourable Chanku Kaizer as First Starchbishop and family member Kell Butter as Advisor to the Potatoe. Ogunbiyi, as Shadow Pope, also declared shepherd’s pie to be the official food of Wintreath and proclaimed it to be served at all Wintrean gatherings.
Internal conflicts escalated as the Shadow Pope proceeded to excommunicate Starchbishop Mathyland, as well as followers Potato Bagel and Elbbsas Shepard, for heretical actions and statements, along with His Eminence himself.
Meanwhile, His Holiness stands silent. As we wait for the snows to fall around the two thrones, the scores of Wintreath shall determine whether these events will be not unlike the Great Western Schism of 1378 or the peaceful coronation of a new bloodline.
Oh the Places You’ll Go in Wintreath!
(Weissreich, 15 Jun 2020)
I: Janth
Were it not for the sprawling marches of the Endless Plains, and the city-granary of Janth, one could argue entirely seriously that Wintreath's long and harsh winters would be too much for the nation to bear. When the winds and snows truly set in, almost everything north of Frost Lake itself is covered in thick blankets of sheet snow that make the warmth of summer seem like a distant memory.
Due to some twist of fate, and an accident of geography, the Janth River basin is mostly shielded from the storms and snows that might reach further south in other areas. The expansive floodplains that stretch out to the north and south of the river's meandering course are vast, and productive even late into the autumns. In ages long past, these lands were home to a hundred small kingdoms fighting for claim over the fertile agricultural lands of the Endless Plains.
But one rose above all others. Of all the Rides Kingdoms, the name of Janth is known to this day as one of the foremost powers of Wintreath's early history. Not through iron and blood was this acclaim won, but through the toil and sweat of working the plough, of tilling the land and cultivating fruit groves, of the careful study of animal husbandry and cross-pollination. Armies march on their stomachs, and those stomachs were more often than not fed by the produce of Janth.
Today the city appears to be a conglomeration of some great castle, its spires reaching towards the heavens. Its cavernous holds do not contain rooms or armouries, however, but granaries and silos full of produce that makes its way to all four corners of Wintreath in the holds of aerovessels and in the bellies of great river-going ships.
For generations, this granary-cityship has prospered under the watchful eyes of House Burdock, their guiding touch soft but profound on the Janth river basin's history and by extension, all of Wintreath's. Its citizens are friendly, often seen sitting on the wide mossy pavements and under the leafy awnings of their favourite cafés, pipes firmly in mouths and a joke never far from their lips.
Wintermoot Bans News Outlets!
(Michi, 20 Jun 2020)
As of writing this, all news outlets have been banned within Wintreath.
UPDATE: This article contains explicitly false information, and it is highly recommended that you do not read on, or do so and take everything with a grain of salt and form your own opinions...preferably that it is simply hatred being spewed by a now former head writer who has been rightfully sent away by his lordship Wintermoot.
It's a sad day folks, to see things go like this. But it was reported by one of our ace reporters that Wintermoot himself has banned any form of written media that speaks out against him as of last week. If that wasn't enough though, the Monarch himself has grown increasingly paranoid about bad press that he's extended the ban to all forms of news media overall. On top of that, the ever popular The Crew talk show hosted by Uncle and Nephew duo Tau and Robin Valeria has also been cancelled indefinitely after guest star Bernard “Barnes” Meindhert called the Monarch a "Poopyhead."
UPDATE: The Crew was cancelled after it was discovered that the financial numbers were off and that Tau and Robin were skimming profits from the top to line their pockets. Their cancellation has nothing to do with Barnes’s comment nor does it have to do with their other guest star Hannah Bee flipping off the camera in response to hearing the Monarch's name.
We asked ace reporter Gerion “Gerrick” Burdock about the stunning events developing, and we were able to thankfully get some info out of him before he was dragged off by the police. "It's crazy that such a thing has developed after the Monarch was told by our station that we'd publish such an article if he didn't agree with our ideas. Nobody ever thought that he'd actually go through with such a thing rather than deal with a tabloid article!" he stated before he was grabbed by police. "Support the news, viva la revolution! YOU CAN'T SILENCE THE TRUTH!" He added before he was bagged by the police and taken to parts unknown.
It has also been mentioned that Gerrick was also none other than a Duke of Wintreath! This just goes to show that the Monarch doesn't care at all who he takes away, making those of us here at HQ wondering if even Prince Trader is safe from the Monarch's nefarious ways. It's truly sad to lose an ace reporter in such a way, and before you read on I suggest you take a moment of silence in remembrance of this reporter's fine service.
UPDATE: Duke Gerion Burdock was arrested after it was discovered that he had extensive amounts of cocaine both at his place of residence as well as on his person during the time of the reporting. Police were sent an anonymous tip while he was out on the field, and just coincidentally arrested him during this moment in time. It should also be reported that the anonymous tip was from a citizen named AJ, who himself was carted off after it was discovered that he had also trace amounts of cocaine on him, and not because he supported an Anti-Wintermoot article many years ago.
All that's really known at this time is that the Monarch is banning all sources of news, following his recent ban against any words that cause him discomfort as well as the extensive pushback he's been getting with that. It's only a matter of time before Wintreath breaks out into an all out speech war, and we at Orendi HQ want you to know that we'll continue printing the the truth and finding ways to get the news to you regardless of the News ban.
UPDATE: After our head writer of this article was sent to parts unknown by the Monarch after it was discovered of their involvement of attempting to bypass the ban, we've decided to fully cooperate with the Monarch in order to keep the Orendi running. We at the Orendi ask that you please follow the ban and avoid any words that may harm his lordship Wintermoot, and we have even set a system where you can report any rule breakers to us. We'll inform his lordship so that they can be sent off to parts unknown. If you do have any leads on potential rulebreakers, please send a telegram to the Orendi Snitches office.
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