View Topic

Thanks for the update

Balder Bugle Issue II
A publication of the Ministry of Communications of the Realm of Balder.

New Regional Structure Lays Strong Groundwork
When he was re-appointed for his current term as Statsminister, OnderKelkia emphasized the importance of the position of Zander Cerebella as Minister for Regional Development. This position, tasked with suggesting cultural and thematic changes to the Statsminister to help guide the region back towards its Nordic origins, was most fitting for Cerebella. As a former Delegate, Vice-Delegate, and Statsminister as well as current Prince, he has extensive experience with the cultures and practices of Balder, past and present. Zander's work this term has been pleasing, and in conjunction with the release of the new forums at http://www.balder.boards.net/, a plethora of pleasing thematic changes were also implemented.

Firstly, the old terms "Citizen" and "Non-Voting Resident" were scrapped in favor of the terms "Viking Citizen" and "Viking Resident," respectively. Secondly, Viking Citizens and Viking Residents are now asked to pick a city based on excellent roleplay blurbs developed by the Minister of Regional Development. These cities are: Ribe, the city of trade and diplomacy, Aarhus, the city of culture, and Jomsborg, the city of the military. The Ministry of Regional Development is hoping to develop these three cities, and arrange events, such as competitions or festivities, between the three. It is excellent to see Balder returning to its Nordic origins.

King Appoints Three Experienced Princes
Using the powers vested in him as Monarch of Balder, King North East Somerset has announced the appointment of three princes as members of the monarchy. They are tasked with maintaining a higher endorsement count, along with other miscellaneous security tasks, as well as serving as advisers to the King. Their presence as border control officers with a high level of influence only solidifies Balder's position as the most secure game-created region in NationStates. The Princes were appointed based on the new cities - OnderKelkia for Jomsborg, ZanderCerebella for Aarhus, and Fuzzy for Ribe. We are glad to have these three highly capable individuals in these capacities and are pleased to see them doing excellent work.

Balder and The East Pacific Host Gala
On 2nd February, Groundhog's day, the Realm of Balder was pleased to host a gala along with our friends in The East Pacific. Although the Realm of Balder has typically hosted our events in the past on the regional forums, we had a unique change this time: the event was hosted on a Discord server that was prepared by the Statsraadet (Cabinet) of Balder in conjunction with our colleagues in The East Pacific. In addition to the formal roleplay of the gala that was hosted in the Manor's Ballroom, the Discord server allowed for games such as Chess, skribbl.io, Town of Salem, and many others to be played by the guests at the festival.

The Realm of Balder was encouraged by the high number of people (59) who joined the Discord server and participated in the gathering. Following the event, Minister Cinder, one of the organizers of the event, commented, "I think the event went very well. Everyone seemed to have a good time once it started, the games lasted for several hours, the music bot was active until after sundown." The Gala's participants enjoyed themselves and we were pleased to partake in this cultural cooperation.

Contact Vulturret, Minister of Communications, with comments regarding the Bugle.

Great to hear from you again, Zander. And it's also good to see you're having such a positive impact on Balder. Should I ever wish to get involved with NSGP again, I know exactly where I would go and who I'd want to have by my side.

Thank you Laurentus

Balder Bugle Issue III


A publication of the Ministry of Communications of the Realm of Balder.


Storting Elections Conclude

Last month, elections for five seats in the Storting (parliament) of the Realm of Balder were held. Incumbent Lawspeaker Linkin Maximus and MPs Akillian Talleyrand and Aexnidaral stood for re-election and all three of them were voted back into office by the entire citizenry of Balder. In addition, four other candidates battled it out for the other two positions: Minister of Regional Development Zander Cerebella, MP and Minister of World Assembly Affairs Griffindor13, Minister of Internal Affairs Theoden Sebastian, and Minister of Communications Vulturret. The latter candidate was the only parliamentary candidate to also announce their intention to seek election to the Office of Statsminister as well as to the Storting. Winning these two seats were Theoden Sebastian, a long-time Balderan, and Vulturret, a newcomer to the region whose work as Minister of Communications was well-received by the citizenry.

What is interesting to note from the full results below is that the top four candidates were all tied for first place. This is excellent for the region because it represents how satisfied citizens are with the plethora of candidates available. There was no clear-cut front-runner, which allowed all members of the Storting to enjoy a large base of support among the citizenry, thus allowing them to have strong support among the citizenry and govern with the people of the Realm fully behind them.

The full results of the Storting elections are as follows, with the members being elected (the top five) being shown in bold, ordered based upon votes received:
1. Vulturret
1. Linkin Maximus
1. Theoden Sebastian
1. Akillian Talleyrand
5. Aexnidaral
6. ZanderCerebella
7. Griffindor13


Storting Convenes to Elect Lawspeaker

Following the conclusion of the elections to the Storting, the new members of the Storting gathered in the chamber to deliberate on the Lawspeaker (presiding officer) for the term. Outgoing Lawspeaker Linkin Maximus announced his election to stand for the position once more, which was well-received by the other elected members. Speaking about his colleague Linkin, newly-elected MP Vulturret said, "based on his long record of service to the Storting and his excellent ministerial work, there is no question that [Linkin] is highly suited to continue in the role." Lawspeaker Linkin was confirmed by unanimous support of the Storting.


Crown Prince Selected and Confirmed

Additionally, in the State Opening of Parliament, the King, North East Somerset, revealed that after careful deliberation he had selected OnderKelkia, the Prince of Jomsborg and longtime Balderan governmental figure to be nominated to the role of Vice Delegate, styled as Crown Prince. In the confirmation process that followed, all members voiced their unanimous support for OnderKelkia. Speaking to the Storting, OnderKelkia said of his nomination,  “I would like to record my immense gratitude to the King and the region for the trust His Majesty has demonstrated in nominating me to serve as Vice Delegate and Crown Prince. I have enjoyed my many terms as Statsminister of Balder and I now look forward to meeting a new challenge. If my nomination as Vice Delegate is approved by the Storting, I hope to serve the King and region well in this capacity.” The Government is pleased to have Onder's senior leadership abilities in this capacity to assist the Crown and Government and ensure regional activities run smoothly. We look forward to what he will bring to the new position.


Nomination of a new Statsminister (Prime Minister)

Also on the legislative agenda for the newly-elected members of the Storting was to nominate a new Head of Government. Under the Instrument of State and Government Act, the Storting is responsible for making a recommendation of a Statsminister (Prime Minister) for appointment by the King. As almost all executive authority is held by the Statsminister, making the selection of a nominee a highly important function of the Storting.

Lawspeaker Linkin Maximus nominated MP Vulturret (who had previously released a platform for activities as Statsminister as part of his campaign for the Storting) for the position. He accepted that, thanking the Lawspeaker for the nomination, and proceeded to receive unanimous support of the Storting to form a government following an appointment by the King.


King Delivers First State Opening of Parliament of Reign

Additionally, the King bestowed four knighthoods (peerages) upon four deserving members of the region. These were made in accordance with the Ttitles and Honours Act. The following individuals were recognized for the applicable contributions:
Knight of Odin - HRH Prince Zander of Aarhus - for his idea to create the Three Viking Cities, and the associated Roleplay themes, as well as the great leadership and vision he has shown over the past two months.
Knight of Mimir - Sir Griffindor - for his excellent service in Cabinet as the Minister of World Assembly Affairs.
Knight of Thor - Sir Vulturret - for his role in creating and drafting the Balder Bugle, as well as his input into the TEP festival and setting up a new Discord bot.
Knight of Bragi - Sir Bran Triune - for organising and holding a successful cultural festival; the TEP-Balder gala.


Statsminister Delivers Opening Address and Appoints Cabinet

Upon the gracious appointment of His Nordic Majesty, Statsminister Vulturret delivered an opening address praising the success of Balder in the past and looking forward to how we can improve in the future. The new Statsminister touched on the importance of Balder sticking to its self-driven priorities as an Independent region and highlighted the critical nature of the term in shaping foreign policy. The Statsminister also highlighted his various goals for the term - including boosting the endorsement count of Delegate North East Somerset, the size of the piling force of the military, and various other cultural, civic, and diplomatic endeavors that will continue to boost the strength of Balder.

Additionally, the Statsminister appointed a team of dedicated statesmen, many of whom have been in Balder for years, to the Statsraadet, known in English as the Cabinet. The Statsraadet is as follows:

Minister of Culture: ZanderCerebella
Minister of Integration: Fuzzy
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Linkin Maximus
Minister of War: Cinder
Minister of World Assembly Affairs: Griffindor13
Minister for the Cabinet Office: Theoden Sebastian

The Realm of Balder is highly excited to see what we can accomplish this term.


Other News

Fuzzy, our Minister of Integration and the Prince of Ribe, won multiple prizes at the highly imaginative multi-regional festival organized by The West Pacific to celebrate their newly announced theme. Fuzzy was named the winner of the prizes for The Best Haiku, The Best Short Story and Best in Class for Writing. Balderans had an excellent time attending the festival and we appreciated the numerous contests that all attendees had the unique opportunity to engage with. The Realm of Balder could not have thought of a better way to celebrate with TWP than this magnificent event, which we thank them for organizing.


The regional military of Balder, the Jomsvikings, are currently deployed in Westphalia supporting the operation led by The Black Hawks.


Contact Vulturret, of the Ministry of Communications, with comments regarding the Bugle.

Thank you for the update from Balder!

Balder Bugle Issue IV
A publication of the Ministry of Communications of the Realm of Balder.

Storting Elections Held

April saw the election of a new Storting (parliament) in Balder. The election marked the end of the first full term on Balder's new forum, and Vulturret's first term as Statsminster. The many changes Balder faced over those two months continued to shape issues in the election, with Statsminster Vulturret looking back on the challenges met and the ones still to face as Balder continues to grow and prosper. The region went into the election with confidence, looking forward to another productive term. A number of candidates stood, and five were ultimately elected:

Vulturret
Theoden Sebastian
ZanderCerebella
Griffindor13
Akillian Talleyrand

Election of Lawspeaker

With the elections concluded, the Storting's first act of business was the election of a Lawspeaker (The Storting's presiding officer). Theoden Sebastian declared his intention to run for the office when he stood for the Storting, and upon election was nominated for the position by fellow member Akillian Talleyrand, recieving the unanimous support of his colleages. Seconding the nomination, Vulturret praised Theoden's previous service in the role, commenting "Based on his record of prior service that can be found on our old board, I have no doubt he will render the region an excellent service in returning to the role." Theoden thanked his fellow members for the support and accepted his nomination.

Statsminister Election

The Storting then moved on to the election of a Statsminster. Outgoing Statsminster Vulturret had announced his intention to seek a second term at the outset of the Storting election, and upon completion of the elections was nominated for Statsminster by Akillian Talleyrand. Accepting the nomination, Vulturret thanked Akillian, stating that he was "pleased to accept this humbling honor to be re-nominated as Statsminister." Vulturret recieved the unanimous support of the Storting, with fellow member Griffindor13 commenting "You did an excellent job last term as Statsminister, and I’m certain you’ll do better this term."


State Opening of Parliament and the Awarding of Honours

With the elections complete and the Lawspeaker and Statsminster elected, parliament was opened by King North East Somerset. Formally appointing Vulturret as Statsminster, the King voiced his support, saying that Vulturret's "service over the past two months has been one of dedication and perseverance, and those are qualities that I think will serve us well going forwards."

Praising the solidarity of Balder's citizenry and government through a tough time in the Region's history, the King stated "The transition to a new forum and from a Delegate who had served the Region for over half its history, simultaneously, would normally be one of significant upheaval, but any pitfalls have been overcome with a steady hand and determined grit to move forwards...I believe strongly that the correct application of our independent philosophy will equip us effectively for whatever is thrown at us"

Thanking those who had played a significant part in these transitions, the King went on to say "I would like to pay tribute to all members of last term's Government, many of whom I hope will be serving again - and also to my fellow Royals; Onderkelkia, Zander and Fuzzy - who have provided valuable and wise counsel, to the Government and Monarchy. Together we make a strong team, and one which I have the utmost confidence in. "

Honouring those who had served Balder with persistance and dedication, the King conferred the following titles:

Baron of Hovgården - Akillian Talleyrand
Baron of Malmö - Cinder
Jarl of Nordland - Linkin Maximus
Duke of Aalborg - Theoden Sebastian

The titles are all well deserved, reflecting a long history of service to Balder. Upon awarding these titles, the king said "I hope you will join me in congratulating these much deserved Peers for their service. Their cumulative service is too detailed to go into here, but they know what they have done for the Region and over such a length of time."


Appointment of Statsraadet and Announcement of Term Goals

Following on from the state opening of parliament, newly re-elected Statsminster Vulturret appointed his new Statsraadet (Cabinet) making the following appointments:

Minister of Culture: Zander Cerebella
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Fuzzy
Minister of War: Akillian Talleyrand
Minister of World Assembly Affairs: Griffindor13
Minister for the Cabinet Office: Theoden Sebastian
Minister of Integration: Jake

The cabinet includes a mix of experienced ministers and new faces, all of whom are looking forward to the term ahead.

Vulturret also took this opportunity to set out his plans for the term, stating that "Our continued success is owing to the long record of service by the Monarchy to ensure our region is secure and our high World Assembly statistics are maintained; the Government, meanwhile, has been engaging in the creation of many programs last term that will be ready for implementation this term."

The first of these is a plan spearheaded by the Ministry of Integration which aims, among other things, to improve community engagement on Balder's RMB and increase participation in the Royal Diplomatic Service. This will be supported by the recent completion of a new set of automated telegrams, which aim to increase the King's endorsement count and promote regional integration through increased participation in regional life.

Finally, the "Information for World Assembly Voters" programme was unveiled, which aims to increase co-operation on WA affairs between the various parts of Balder's government and increase the amount of WA vote information made available to Balder residents. This aims to strenghten Balder's influence in the WA, by better co-ordinating our position on resolutions, educating our residents and ensuring that WA nations vote in accordance with Balder's official stance.

Vulturret's plan to oversee the implementation of these programmes recieved the support of Balder citizens and royalty, with Crown Prince OnderKelkia commenting "A very fine speech. We can look forward to another strong term with Vulturret as Statsminister." and Lawspeaker Theoden Sebastian stating "A solid plan of action by the government that focuses on community engagement and participation. I look forward to serving with my esteemed colleagues."


Other News


The Jomsvikings had been assisting Balder's partners in The Black Hawks with their operation in Westphalia. That operation is now concluded, and the Jomsvikings are now training for further reinforcement missions.

Contact Vulturret, of the Ministry of Communications, with comments regarding the Bugle.

[/i]

Thanks for the update, and congratulations on your election to the Storting that isn't in Wintreath as well as your appointment as Minister of Culture.

Balder Bugle Issue IX

A publication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Realm of Balder.


Statsminster and Talman Elections

The nomination process for the May Statsminster election saw two candidates put themselves forward for the position. Fuzzy was the first to put himself forward, announcing his candidacy in Balder's upper house, the Lagting. Shortly thereafter, Fuzzy was nominated and seconded to the position by two members of the Odelsting. The incumbent Statsminster, Bowzin, put himself forward for re-election in the Odelsting and also received the support of two other members. Fuzzy went on to receive the unanimous backing of the Lagting. The Odelsting vote saw 7 votes for Fuzzy, 3 for Bowzin and 2 abstentions. With the backing of both houses, Fuzzy was put forward by the Storting as the presumptive Statsminster for the new term, awaiting his appointment by the King.

The elections for Talman (Speaker of the Odelsting) also took place in May, with the incumbent Talman, Zander Cerebella, putting himself forward for re-election. Zander was nominated and seconded to the position by other members of the Odelsting and was returned to the office with the unanimous support of those that voted.


State Opening of Parliament

With the Statsminster election concluded, King North East Somerset formally opened parliament. Speaking of Fuzzy's longstanding experience, the King said "His dedicated service to Balder over the past 7 years are an example to us all, and he has all the skills to help drive Balder forwards. Indeed, it was Fuzzy who served inaugurally in the Office of Statsminister when it was first created during my first term as Monarch in 2014."

Looking back at the previous term, the King noted that "The past term has seen some notable successes in the deployment of our military, the Jomsvikings, which in some respects represents the Constitutional reforms in late 2019 bearing fruit." The King also paid tribute to the outgoing Statsminster, Bowzin, for his service, stating that "His rapid and successful rise to the position of Head of Government of this Realm, is an example to all of the wealth of opportunities that Balder presents." The King awarded Bowzin the Chivalric Order of the Knight of Odin as a thanks for his service. 


Statsminster's speech and announcement of Statsraadet

Once appointed, Fuzzy took the time to set out his plans for the term. Seeking to increase activity in the region and move ahead with a number of cultural projects, Fuzzy stated that "Our highest priorities will be the engagement, retention and development of new members." He also noted that the establishment of Balder's university and the creation of city level charters and governments are priorities for this term, stating that "With the passing of the Princely Cities Act, we now have a fantastic opportunity to expand our region and create more ways for people to get involved."

Fuzzy also announced his cabinet, made up of the following ministers:

Linkin Maximus as Deputy Statsminster and Minister of Culture
Zander Cerebella as Minister of Foreign Affairs
Minethefirst as Minister of Integration
Charax as Minister of World Assembly Affairs
Vamperiall as Minister of War
Bowzin as Minister of Discord Affairs
Aexnidaral as Attorney General


Civil Service

As part of his drive to increase activity, Statsminster Fuzzy has continued his predecessor's drive to get people involved in the Civil Service, and has worked to make it more accesible to newcomers by integrating it into Balder's citizenship application process. All new applicants are now encouraged to join the Civil Service and get involved in Balder's Government. The Statsminster has also requested the creation of a number of Deputy Minister roles, to further increase the opportunities for newer members to get involved.


City Reform

The Princely Cities Act (March 2020) was signed into law on 13 April 2020, allowing for the creation of city charters and the appointment of mayors. The city of Jomsborg was quick to capitalise on this opportunity, with OnderKelkia, the Prince of Jomsborg, appointing Linkin Maximus as Marshal (Mayor) of the city. Linkin was quick to create a City Charter outlining the operation of the city government. The city of Ribe followed shortly afterwards, with its Prince, Fuzzy, creating his own charter and appointing Charax as Mayor. Mayor Charax has already been busy, and two citizens of Ribe have already been appointed to the City Council. A charter for Aarhus will hopefully be in place by the end of the term. All three cities have a different character, and this is already being displayed in the differences in their charters and operational structures. With so much more to now get involved in, it is hoped that the cities will drive another increase in regional activity as people join their governments and get involved in city level activites.


University nears opening

Balder's university project is another priority for the region, with Deputy Statsminster Linkin working on his proposal for a new and improved bill to found the university, which will be introduced this term. Once established, the university will become a centre for learning and scholarship, and will provide another hub for regional life. Amongst other things, the university will provide a home for Balder's history as well as providing a place to publish and store writings on a number of topics. The university may also play host to courses on various subjects. 


Military Operations

Last term saw the Jomsvikings complete a number of successful operations, including a very successful deployment to Boston led by The Black Hawks and LWU. This operation saw the Jomsvikings assist in securing the region and defending it against an attempted liberation. The Jomsvikings also participated in successful operations in Xedas and Asia.

The Jomsvikings are looking to expand on their operations and build on these successes, with Minister Vamperiall looking to increase training and help encourage more members to join the ranks, alongside planning future operations. 

Contact Fuzzy, Statsminster of Balder, with comments regarding the Bugle.

Thanks for the update!

And congratulations to our own @Charax for his rapid rise in Balder. Just don't forget who originally thought you'd be a great WA person (at least I think I was the first).

Thank you, and yes I believe you were.