Rising from the Ashes
For the residents of Aura Hyperia, the morning of October 28th, 2014 was the same as any other. The day began with business as usual, but soon everything spiraled out of control. The first sign that things were not as they should be came when Emperor Mara Sargon (Rhina) began closing embassies. Not all of them, but enough to draw attention. The second warning arrived in the form of an error message recieved when one tried to access the offsite forum. Knowing Zetaboards and its history, no one was too concerned about this on its own. Soon after, however, our emperor's intentions became clear. Aura Hyperia was being shut down, and it was going in a fireball. Pleading with the Emperor, citizens of the region were left helpless as their region and forum were stripped away.
In the hours following the fall of Aura Hyperia, Hyperians sought refuge in a variety of places. Several of us found safety in Wintreath, and Anders Blakewood created a region to serve purely as a refuge for us. Beyond this, many other nations showed their sympathy and support for us in discussions on the NS Forum. We'd like to thank everyone who stood by us in those dark times.
It was decided that we would rebuild, adopting the name New Hyperion. A new region was founded, and forums were created. Rhina eventually allowed us to gather what we wanted from the old forums, and, through a team effort, a large portion of the old forum was salvaged. The collapse has actually served to increase the amount of forum activity, as many citizens have been working together to restore the region to working order. Autarch Zander Cerebella (Genesis) states, "The key to future major success requires us having a strong community." We are off to a great start.
The Imperial Council and Body Republic begin drafting policy as soon as the forums were online. It was an easy decision to continue following the philosophy of Hyperionism. Zander explains, "Instilling the Hyperion culture was imperative to the region's identity and allows us to continue down a path which we are already familiar with." The Governance Act was quickly passed, replacing the position of Emperor with that of Autarch. Zander, the original founder of Aura Hyperia and the serving Adeptus Trantor, was unanimously selected to fulfill that role. The Imperial Council itself was restructured, forgoing the "Adeptus" titles and adding several Council positions. After several months of discussion within the interim Senate, the last acts in the Law Codex were officially ratified and have since gone into effect.
The new year ushers in a new age for New Hyperion. We will strive not only bounce back, but to grow and expand. Aragonn, Lord of Culture, sums it up nicely. "It doesn't matter how hard you fall. It matters how high you stand back up afterwards. We had fallen with the nuking of Aura Hyperia. Now watch us stand taller in New Hyperion."
New Seats on the Council
Following the passage of the Governance Act, New Hyperion's Imperial Council has seen some restructuring. Prior to the fall of Aura Hyperia, the Council consisted of Chancellor Laurentus, Adeptus Trantor Zander Cerebella (Genesis), Adeptus Mechanicus Taulover (Rationalist Science), and Lord Inquisitor Colberius X (Colbentielle). In New Hyperion, the Adeptus positions have been eliminated, and their duties were divided amongst several new positions. The positions of Foreign Affairs, Culture, Development, Propaganda, and Speaker were added to the Council, and the responsibilities of existing offices were shuffled to accommodate the redistribution.
Taulover transitioned to being the Lord of Propaganda. Aragonn, a then-Patrician and avid participant in the regional roleplay, stepped into the position of Lord of Culture. Miricano, a former resident and delegate of Aura Hyperia who returned just before its destruction, accepted the position of Lord of Development. Zander became the Autarch of New Hyperion, and the positions of Chancellor and Lord Inquisitor have not changed. In addition, former Chancellor Frostmark has graciously offered his wisdom and advice by becoming the Imperial Council's first Praemonstrator. More recently, the Imperial Council has decided to assign appropriate Regional Officer powers to each Imperial Councilor, to better fit the Council's role in administrating the region. Only time will tell if this new structure is an improvement, but so far, the outlook is good.
Autarch Zander Leads Liberation of The Land of Power
In mid-December, the Hyperian Guard was officially mobilized for the first time since the collapse of Aura Hyperia. Nearly five years ago, Hyperian Autarch Zander Cerebella had held the delegacy in the RP region The Land of Power. After the founder went inactive, he led a refounding of the region and handed over the new founder nation, Turtleshroom, to a native.
Unfortunately, the founder nation Turtleshroom was deleted by moderators in early December, and the region was quickly seized by raiders. Zander wasted no time in organizing a liberation, leading his first military operation in over four years. With beautiful precision and execution, a joint coalition from New Hyperion, Balder, and the Association of Imperialism took the delegacy and ousted the invaders.
Most of the natives agreed to move to Stachelimfleisch, a region with close connections to The Land of Power, in order for a refounding to be performed to preserve The Land of Power’s name. Turtleshroom, however, remained adamant that the messages on the RMB, which had been used for RP for several years, were too valuable to lose, apparently not realizing that the messages would be lost just the same if raiders wanted a trophy, nor understanding that the RMB could easily be archived if he wished so.
After over a month, Turtleshroom was the only native still opposed to the refounding, going to such ridiculous lengths as to draft a poorly-written liberation proposal in the Security Council. Eventually, Turtleshroom agreed to a refounding conditional on the RMB being archived, and it was completed without any problems. The Land of Power now stands as a memorial to its previous incarnations, with its former natives now residing in Stachelimfleisch.
Since the liberation of The Land of Power, the Hyperian Guard has been mobilized several times to aid various military operations, such as the occupation of The Black Riders and the liberation of Lazarus.
Aura Hyperia Returned to Hyperion Administration
After nearly a year since the destruction of Aura Hyperia, former Emperor Mara Sargon has finally returned the region to New Hyperion, handing the founder nation New Hyperia over to Autarch Zander Cerebella.
In late July, Mara’s puppet nation Defenderon, which had once led the Army of Defenderon movement, was granted residency in New Hyperion, signalling a return of cordial relations between the former emperor and the new region. On September 13, Mara expressed interest in relaunching the Aura Hyperia region, but most Hyperians elected to remain in New Hyperion.
One week later, on September 20, Mara handed the founder nation New Hyperia to Autarch Zander, allowing New Hyperion to do with our former region as we please. Hyperian citizens decided, again, to remain in New Hyperion, with Chancellor Laurentus stating, “Our regional culture has grown into something different from the Aura Hyperia days,” and Lord Taulover noting, "After nearly a year over here in NH, I think we've changed substantially." Rather than dwell on the past, New Hyperion has decided to forge a new path into the future, and Aura Hyperia now lies as a memorial to great heritage shared by all Hyperians.
The following two articles are brought to you by The Times of Penguins vs. Cookies
. Anyone interested in the full story is welcome to follow the continuing drama here.RAMOS'S SON KIDNAPPED
Following the formation of the Cookie Alliance between the Aesir Empire and the Triple Entente (now unified as Miricano), events have been occurring that would raise an eyebrow for anyone who still watches the news. To everyone who doesn't still watch the news, this may just restart your interest in the goings-on of New Hyperion.
Not much is currently known about what our leaders are up to at the moment because of all the secrecy. It's worse than the Cold War between the US and the USSR all those centuries ago. What we do know about the current situation is that Roen, the son of Prime Minister Ramos, was kidnapped from his home in Fort Bragg by a group of terrorists based within the nation.
Earlier in the week, Majority Leader Isador was found dead in a train wreck caused by an electrical failure in the rail system. At first glance, it seemed that the train wreck was the cause of death, but a closer analysis showed that the Majority Leader was shot in the head hours before the crash. This would look like the work of petty criminals if Isador wasn't opposed to Ramos. Wait, I can't see the difference...
Following this assassination of the Majority Leader, Jarl Aragonn, leader of the Aesir Empire, took a surprise trip to Port Alexandria to meet with Ramos. Their discussion was completely secret, but we assume it had something to do with the declaration of wartime preparation and cookie factories.
Afterwards, the Jarl travelled to Fort Bragg to stay for a while. But upon arrival, Roen was nowhere to be found. Nothing was found on security cameras, the guards didn't see a thing, and there were no tracks. We still don't know where the boy is being held, but we are being assured that Roen will be found and brought home alive.
COLBENTIELLE COMMENCES INVASION OF SCIENCE
Responding to the Miricanian border attacks against Colbentielle, Regent Colberius X has ordered the invasion of the Democratic Empire of Science.
This invasion, the product of heightened tensions in New Hyperion caused by the resource depletion of soft chocolate chip cookies, was announced following the revelations that Colbentiellian, and likely Laurentian, agents were behind the kidnapping of Roen Ramos, son of the Miricanian prime minister. For those not keeping up with the news, Miricano fired missiles upon Laurentian aircraft approaching Miricano airspace, which Colbentiellian missiles intercepted under the grounds that they had entered Colbentiellian airspace. Prime Minister Ramos used this incident as
casus belli, launching attacks across the Miricano-Colbentielle border. Responding to these attacks, Colbentielle has released videos of Roen Ramos being held hostage by their agents.
In an official press release following the sending of surrender terms to Science, the Colbentiellian government revealed a “secret arms deal” between Miricano and Science and that the Democratic Empire “has chosen to ally itself with Miricano.” However, First Consul William Xavier of Science has responded, rejecting the surrender terms and instead framing the deal as a “collaborative research project... to advance the progress of humanity.” Consul Xavier refuted Colbentielle’s accusations of a Miricano-Science alliance, and portrayed the Colbentiellian attack on the Darwin Extremely Large Collider as a terrible atrocity against a university and thus intellectualism.
Despite the moral accusations of Science, it is easy to see that the invasion is a shrewd political move. Science’s territories provide a solid bargaining chip for an anti-Miricano alliance with nations such as Frostmark, and may provide a refuge for Colbentiellians should their homeland fall. Furthermore, with Science’s relatively nonexistent military, the conquest will likely be a cakewalk. Finally, and most importantly, it is rumored that Science is developing super-soft chocolate chip cookies, a valuable asset for any nation.
The Scientific government has declined to comment further on the situation; authorities appear to be disbanding on the fly, likely in preparation for a guerilla war. Oddly, attempts to contact the Colbentiellian government have also failed, with upper government levels appearing to be instituting a communications blackout. Political analysts suspect a coup is being attempted against the Regent, though
The Times has been unable to confirm these analyses. How this international conflict plays out remains to be seen.
New Hyperion, An Inside Look
Every issue, we endeavor to shine a little light on those behind the daily workings of New Hyperion. This issue, we are joined by Praemonstrator Alexander von Frostmark in an interview recorded in January 2015. Originally Aura Hyperia's Adeptus Mechanicus, he is responsible for many of our badges and graphics, as well as the Imperial Seal of Aura Hyperia. Frostmark replaced Anarakdos as Chancellor in the early months of 2014. However, after only several months in that capacity, Frostmark mysteriously disappeared from the forums, and his nation CTE'd. Quite some time went by with no word from him, but he returned to NationStates almost immediately after the nuking of Aura Hyperia. He has helped to rebuild the region, and currently serves as Praemonstrator.
Q: What do you think about the recent changes to the region? A: We have yet to really see everything become functional, or for the full effect of these "changes" to come into bloom, so I'll reserve judgement for now.
But as the continuation of Aura Hyperia it remains my NationStates home. I'm very intrigued that an interested (albeit small) core community seems to have developed, and I hope it can continue to grow.
Q: Do you feel like we're still upholding Hyperian ideals, or do you think the region has changed beyond recognition since our rebirth? A: Before I begin, I'd say that I consider "Hyperian ideals" and the concept of Hyperionism to be synonymous at this point.
Hyperionism is still a thing, but I'm not entirely sure if this would be the case if a few of us hadn't stuck our oars in when people were stirring for change, as there seemed to be some pronounced wishes for democracy. It did need to be pointed out by myself and a couple of others that the old system and our unique governance had become as much a part of our identity as the neat robes we wear during council meetings.
We developed and cultivated Hyperionism together over time, and I felt it was worth reminding people of its importance to our culture as a region.
As we're still in the fledgling stages of the rebirth, I'll be watching with interest for whether Hyperionism is actually utilized as a real basis of government, or whether it'll be treated more as some kind of philosophical ideal.
Q: How have you adapted to all that's changed while you were, ahem, away on business? After all, when you disappeared everything was still quite stable (or at least it seemed that way), you were still the Chancellor and Mara was still a solid emperor. A: In terms of my involvement with the region and its changes, naturally I have far fewer duties now than when I was chancellor, but I'm still in the habit of airing my opinions and advising others in an effort to steer us in the right way.
I can't pretend it was a hard adaptation, as I have always done the same even before I became chancellor and probably always will.
Q: Where do you see this region being in 2 years' time? A: Hopefully not nuked. Considering how I didn't foresee the end of Aura Hyperia, I'll need some more time to watch the wheels turning before I could make anything resembling an accurate prediction.
Q: Do you have anything else to add about the region? Like your thoughts on what went down when we were nuked?A: It was a strange one, considering how I came back only a couple of days after things started exploding. I assumed Mara had been hacked at first, and admittedly yes I was taken aback as I put a lot of work into the old region.
Considering how through periods of inactivity it seemed at times to have been only me and Mara, it defies my weird sense of pretentious modesty to point out that I probably put more effort into AH in the last year than most barring the old Emperor himself, but I'll do it anyway for the sake of the question.
At the same time however it was certainly interesting to see a determined few willing to carry on the flame, no matter the motive. I find it hard to judge Mara harshly as I'd still consider myself on good terms with him, and I had essentially been working with and getting to know him in Aura Hyperia for almost a year without interruption.
Q: Finally, I have to ask, just what led to your disappearance, and how did you manage to make it back? A: What happened to me? Where to begin. I had a rare opportunity when I heard about an... "operation" selling organs on the sly, and my reputation as a back street surgeon is, honestly, fairly well known. It was all very moral obviously, taking from the rich and giving to the poor in a sense... the poor just being overly rich people willing to part with a lot of money for good organs.
Now hear me out, this is the perfect foot in the door to an ultimate goal of world domination. How you may ask? Well it's pretty simple when you have a best friend who happens to be a biophysicist (we met through pilates class). I heard about a strain of virus (we'll call it "EbolAIDS" for the purposes of this interview) which functioned rather interestingly in the sense that one could implant it within a frozen receptacle (i.e. an organ) and it would remain dormant even post- thawing until being exposed to exactly the correct measure of Stinking Bishop cheese. As you may be able to tell by the name, EbolAIDS tended to mimic the symptoms of Ebola fairly well. And yes, after it was synthesised for me there was a bit of an unanticipated outbreak starting in the more cheese-friendly areas of the continent when a particularly quarrelsome macaque stealthed into the compound and stole a vial of the virus from my trouser pocket. I'm still unsure as to his motive beyond the fact that it smelled faintly of peanuts.
But this is besides the point, as clearly with our clientelle I had a chance to force very powerful and influential figures to heed my words. I had a few politicians after only a couple of weeks, one step at a time the world was coming closer. Anytime someone tried to step out of line I'd remind them of their little organ issue and spray a specially manufactured "Strong Cheese Cologne" onto them for effect.
Well, anyway, obviously this was a brilliant plan and would have remained that way if I didn't have to inject the virus into the organs pre-surgery, and there's only so many times you can tell your colleagues you're injecting love and care into your work before they start getting a little bit talkative. Long story short, the boss-man didn't exactly appreciate my efforts and oddly enough viewed my attempt to rule the world as some kind of coup. Yeah, crazy, I know, it's not as if I would have been directly in charge of him is it?
Well I ended up waking up in an ice-bath after a particularly drunken night, and little did I know at that point that my desire for revenge would become a blood-drenched rampage to get my kidney and left testicle back. But that's a story for another time, children.
Contributors: Laurentus, Aragonn, Alexander von Frostmark, Colberius X, taulover
Image Credits: WhiteRaven90 (DeviantArt), United Nations, Alexander von Frostmark, Mara Sargon, Panbalan (Wikimedia), James C. Mutter (Wikimedia)
