THE WEST PACIFIC News & Info

[TWP Foreign Affairs]

 The West Pacific News & Info

We will be using this thread to keep everyone updated on the latest happenings in The West Pacific

[TWP Foreign Affairs]

The Delegate and Guardians of The West Pacific
Request the honor of your presence at a Weekend-Long Celebration
Given in thanks for the many nations and regions that have supported TWP

The festivities begin on the RMB, our forum, and our Discord server on Friday, October 14th. Join us first thing in the morning for our Friday Karaoke tradition.

The official celebration begins at 19:00 (USA EDT) with formal introductions, and will continue throughout Friday into Sunday. There will be games, music, an open chat party, amusing stories about The West Pacific and a panel discussion on the history of TWP. A highlight of the celebration will be a State of the Region address offered by Big Bad Badger at 20:00 (USA EDT) on Saturday.

Feel free to join us for any or all of the celebration, as your schedule permits. Whenever you arrive, please feel free to describe your entrance and announce yourself. Residents of TWP and others are encouraged to change their flags to the one at the top of this invitation for this event. No RSVP requested. Should you have any questions about the party, please contact Neenee.

[TWP Foreign Affairs]

The soft breezes of The West Pacific carry the news of change.

Our beloved Elelgarth has elected to end his term as TWP Delegate after 319 days for personal reasons.  He has served this region well. His firm, fun, snarky governance will be missed. Long Live Elegarth! Ascending to the vacated post is Big Bad Badger, the Commander of the TWP Armed Forces. During the transition, the legendary Mediobogdum, held the reigns.

Good friends of TWP, this is not a typhoon, wiping away the region’s familiar names and customs, nor is it a tsunami, resulting from a sharp shift away from TWP’s foundations. Although the timing may be a bit of a surprise, the transition has been well planned and will be smoothly executed. All treaties and relationships will continue unaffected.Some things never change. TWP is still the place to be for fun and island hospitality! Punday Mondays and Karaoke Fridays still amuse and entertain. Every Thursday, nations line up to submit their best acts to TWP’s Got Talent!

Many of the old guard still actively serve TWP as its Guardians. Elegarth has taken on the role of Security Guardian, Yy4u is the RMB Watchdog, Mediogogdum is the Grumpy Old Sage, Bhang Bhang Duc is the WA Minister/Snark Lord, Darkesia serves as Pollmaker and Wickedly Evil People is Emperor for Life. Some new officeholders (but not new to TWP) are Yuno Owl serving as The TWPAF Commander, Neenee as Internal Affairs Guardian and Davelands as Foreign Affairs Minister.

Finally, TWP Armed Forces are better than ever. Recruitment and training have been BBB’s top priorities as Commander… and it really paid off! Our talented soldiers have aided our allies in several important missions. The always energetic Yuno Owl plans to expand upon these improvements and has already recruited many new soldiers.

[Onderkelkia]

Congratulations to Big Bad Badger on his accession and to The West Pacific as a whole on their recent successes.

[Todd McCloud]

Best of luck to Big Bad Badger and great success in TWP!

[Luxdonia]

Best of luck guys!

[Yuno Owl]

Party!

[Cormactopia II]

Congratulations to Badger! Osiris looks forward to participating in this event.

[Big Bad Badger]

I want to thank everyone for the well wishes! We are going to have a great party!

[Pergamon]

That's the kicker. Congratulations btw. o/

[TWP Foreign Affairs]

Clippings FromThe West Pacifican

Big Bad Badger Talks TWP
By Halo



Why has TWP selected you to succeed Elegarth? What was their reasoning and what special qualities do you bring to the office?
In TWP, each Delegate is allowed to select his/her successor. Of course my selection was agreed upon by the Guardians and former Delegates that assist in making decisions. Elegarth selected me because of my enthusiasm for TWP and successes in the various positions that I have held in the game. My success in rebuilding and organizing TWPAF and making our military relevant played a large part in his decision. Many of the senior members thought it was important to get a younger, more enthusiastic person in the seat to work with new nations, getting them involved and invigorating TWP.

How long have you been in NS? Were you "born" in TWP? Can you tell us a little about your NS history?
I’ve been playing for about 2.5-3 years. My first nation was spawned in The Pacific. I stayed there for about a year answering issues. I posted occasionally on the RMB, mostly stats per tradition in The Pacific. I wasn’t really even aware that there were other regions. I knew they existed but never explored things. At the time, The Pacific was pretty sleepy. When the Lazarus incident happened, I became aware of the different regions and started exploring. As soon as I saw TWP and the witty banter on the RMB, I knew it was the region for me. I created Big Bad Badger and began life in TWP! At the time, they were going through the offsite government reorganization. I started chatting on the RMB and exploring the forum.

Along those lines, how do you think the roles have you played in NS and TWP have prepared you for the delegacy?
My first position for TWP was in the offsite government as Advocate, which was the head of the forum government. There wasn’t a lot going on in the forum. Once the creation of the government was completed, activity quickly dwindled. Ironically, I followed Elegarth in that position too. Just before Elegarth became Delegate, I was selected to take over TWPAF. Westwind and Punk Daddy had been working on revitalizing it, but there just wasn’t much interest from other nations. After the URAP Delegacy debacle and the ensuing DEN takeover of TWP, I was able to increase membership in TWPAF with people that wanted to help serve and protect the region and her interests.

With the advent of RO’s during the last Zombie invasion, I was allowed to assist in border control and communications. About that time, I also led TWPAF in taking Atlantic, an old historic region that had fallen on black days without a founder and was a constant target of tag raiders. With the help of Mediobogdum, Darkesia, Westwind, Fratellnoir and Brightonburg, I learned about the mechanics of influence and refounding. Eventually we refounded Atlantic and gave it to a long time native who is still running the region.
After the mission was completed, I was selected by Elegarth to become a Guardian. It was a great, eye opening experience, as I became involved in more interregional politics, working with a number of different interregional groups.

I had brought my original nation into TWP to assist with zombie curing and wanted to explore more of NS, so I decided to bring the nation to one of our longtime allies, Equilism. After some time as bartender, I won the first election for the Township government that was created in Equilism. The Mayor had much of the power in the region internally and in interregionally. In Equilism, I’ve had a chance to meet and work with so many great people.

Much of the focus for me this past spring and summer was involving TWPAF in interregional operations. I got the opportunity to lead and work with so many different military groups and see how they operate. Many of the successful military groups do a great job at creating activity for their members and getting them involved in the game.

What are your plans and aspirations for TWP?
I want TWP to become more active inside the region and abroad in the NSverse. As a feeder region we have 12,000 nations. Many nations are involved on the RMB and some are involved in government and the military, but we are capable of so much more. With this many nations, we can have a thriving community in multiple platforms with a common goal of betterment of the region. While working on activity, I want our rich history and culture to be preserved, cherished and even used as a focal point for our growth in the game. So many great, innovative, creative, and fun things in the NSverse have originated in TWP and I want our region members to be proud of this and the world to know!

Can you tell us a little about your philosophy regarding relations with other regions?
I believe that TWP will be a better region by standing with our friends and allies in the game! I want us to actively pursue improved relations with our friends and allies, keeping them updated on our goings-on, inviting them to participate in our celebrations, and joining them in their time of need and in their time of celebration! Improving our Foreign Affairs department will be a point of emphasis for TWP going forward.

What is TWP's special character, in your opinion? What makes it unique?
I believe that the individual people are what make this region special! We have a rich history because of the collection of great people involved in the region. We are smart. We are snarky. We are chill. We are loyal. We are innovative. We are engaging. We are The West Pacific!


Desert Island Discs
by: Overthinkers


Ever worry about what you would do if you were going to be stranded on a desert island, with a handful of CDs, a book, and a luxury item? After all, it could happen to anyone! Fortunately, the Pacifican has got you covered. I've picked some tunes for you, in no particular order, so you don't have to panic when reaching for the CD drawer when it comes your turn.

Song 1: "Castaway" by Zac Brown Band—For me, there's nothing like a Zac Brown Band song to lift your mood. Pair that with the power of reggae. Then add the coincidental fitting theme of the song. This song will either keep your spirits high or painfully remind you of your condition.

Song 2: "Beer for My Horses" by Toby Keith (feat. Willie Nelson)—It's upbeat, quite a ways off the beaten track, and brings together country greats Toby and Willie. Moreover, it's either fun, ridiculous, or offensive (depending on your perspective). May make you long for the pubs back home, however

Song 3: "Chariots of Fire" by Vangelis—Intrumentals are hereby represented by this timeless piece. It also has something of a calming effect, so you can put this on to sleep better after a scanty dinner.

Song 4: "Living for the Night" by George Strait—Whenever you get to feeling sorry for yourself and moping over your pitiful existence, put this baby on to provide music to match your mood. Putting Song 1 on afterwards is recommended.

Song 5: "Fishin' in the Dark" by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band—Feel an unstoppable urge to rock out to some bluegrass? Yes, those words can exist in the same sentence, because they exist in the same song!

Song 6: "What Makes You Beautiful (Five Guys, One Piano)" by ThePianoGuys—I've never heard the original of this number, but I don't think it could be much better than this bunch of guys melodiously torturing a piano. Of course, half the magic would be lost by having no video, but enough of it remains to keep you tapping.

Song 7: "Radio Ga Ga" by Queen—If I'm going to listen to rock, Queen is usually involved. And if I'm going to listen to Queen, "Radio Ga Ga" is always involved. And hey, where you'll be at, radios will be the future.

Song 8: "O Come O Come Emmanuel" by Phillips, Craig, and Dean—I mean, you have no idea how long you're going to be stranded, right? Might as well have something in stock for the holidays. This haunting rendition of the old hymn isn't exactly inappropriate year-round, either.

Book: Webster's New College Dictionary—Entertain yourself for hours! Expand your mind! This trusty old resource will always have something for the willing seeker. It's not like you'll have anything better to do, and you might as well educate yourself! More practical choices: Robinson Crusoe or Swiss Family Robinson.

Luxury: Wind-up Clock—Being Oklahoman, "gun" was the first thing that came to mind; however, that was quickly dismissed as impractical. A wind-up clock, however, needs no electricity and helps you keep track of time. After all, the diary of your adventures will look much better with dates and times.

And there you have it! Now you're prepared to take on the perils of isolated existence. Or, if you're smart, you could, you know...stay home? Live an average life? Eh, still, you never know when you'll be marooned with your choice of a bunch of music. Right?

[Big Bad Badger]

The West Pacific and Osiris are proud to announce the Treaty of the Occident, a treaty of friendship between our GCR’s! This treaty is a long time coming between our great regions.

As Delegate of The West Pacific, I am really proud of this opportunity to grow the bonds between our regions. I am extremely impressed with the people from Osiris and feel that we will have a long and prosperous relationship. The negotiations to produce this treaty were always respectful and friendly which is a testament to the people involved and the common ground that our regions share.

[Adytus]

Thank you, Badger! Everyone that I talked to from the West Pacific during the process was extremely friendly, and respectful as well!

[Neo Kervoskia]

Osiris echos the sentiments of our Feeder friends in The West Pacific. May this happy bond of friendship be long and enduring.

[Ambassador Halo]

As the new ambassador to Osiris, I would like to add that I have found the residents of Osiris to be most welcoming ... and fun! I am pleased that we are strengthening our friendship.

[The Holy Principality of Saint Mark]

The West Pacifican vol 4
Editor-in-Chief, The Holy Principality of Saint Mark

The Delegate’s Discourse

… a regular feature of The West Pacifican

By Badger

The West Pacific has proudly joined the Coalition Against the Ideologies of Nazism (CAIN). The Coalition began as a conference hosted by Brunhilde from Europeia. Mediobogdum, Yuno and myself represented our region in the conference. Hundreds of people from dozens of regions came together to form the treaty, which can be found here: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=393645

Through Brunhilde’s vision and work the conference quickly came to a consensus that Nazism in NS needs to be stopped. After weeks of public and private discussion, Brunhilde put together many different drafts of the treaty with participants looking over the document to get the treaty right.

As the treaty was being finalized the coalition acted militarily on a Nazi holding, The NSIA. With 84 updaters we took the region. Eventually our Delegate had 172 endorsements. Since then the region has been passworded and locked up! Several other military actions have been successful as well, including a recent liberation of a Nazi holding.

Proudly, TWP was one of the first signatories of the CAIN treaty! As of this moment there are 20 regional signatories with many others working on adopting the treaty via their governmental systems. Furthermore, TWPAF has participated in several CAIN military missions. We are the region the military leaders come to when they need troops!

This treaty is something that will have lasting effects on the NSverse. A large coalition of regions came together to make a statement and I am proud of our efforts.

big bad badger

The West Pacific Armed Forces

By Halo

Psssst ….

The path to total fulfillment in Nation States is no longer a secret!

It is no longer necessary to seek out gurus in mountain retreats, pour over ancient tomes of forbidden knowledge or even to call your mother!

The answer is here.
The answer is to join TWPAF,
The West Pacific Armed Forces!!!

Tired of answering issues, debating the finer points of trade regulations or redesigning your flag for the umpteenth time?

TWPAF is for you!

Raid, earn badges and promotions, endear yourself to your peers, leave funny messages about marsupials and chocolate on other regions’ RMBs, and annoy fascists, racists, Nazis and other trolls, while learning to lead and having a blast.

The time commitment is flexible and our beloved Commander and her generals will teach you everything you need to know.

To enjoy this Nirvana of NS life,
Simply go toTWPAF and complete the simple registration.

Fulfillment can be yours!

Foreign Affairs

… an introduction to TWP’s new Minister of FA

By Davelands

In January of 2016, I found NationStates and was born in The West Pacific. While answering issues, I began to read everything I could about the game and was fascinated with the larger community and all the other areas where people could interact.
I started out slowly by commenting on some threads in the World forums, then I introduced myself to The West Pacific’s RMB. There I found a great group of people who were very much like me; funny, snarky, intelligent, and nice to be around. Although I had looked at other regions, I had found my home in The West Pacific.
To become more involved in my region, I began to look for areas to contribute. One of them was to join The West Pacific Armed Forces.
While working in The West Pacific Armed Forces, I had gotten to know our current Delegate Badger, who was my commander. As we talked, it became apparent that we shared a similar view on the future of the region. Both of us realize that while The West Pacific has a great core group of people and a fantastic culture, we want TWP to become a leader in NationStates both militarily and diplomatically.
Around that time, I was asked to help plan a couple of high profile events for the region; The E-E-TWP Festival, celebrating our regions close ties and what became the Celebrate TWP Festival. It was there that I got a chance to closely interact with people from other regions. It is something I truly enjoy.
In the middle of the planning, Badger was chosen to become the new Delegate and one of the first things he did was to ask me to take over the Foreign Affairs department as Minister. It was a challenge I could not pass up.
Foreign Affairs in The West Pacific had languished for years … not through lack of effort, but it just wasn’t a priority. I am setting about to change that.
The goals are simple:
1. I want to use the Foreign Affairs department to promote The West Pacific’s activities throughout the NationStates world.
2. I want to see our people go out and get to know the people of other regions, participate in other regions’ activities, and bring them to ours.
3. I want to be able to engage the leaders of other regions to discuss common interests and come together over mutually beneficial issues.
The first thing I did was to contact the leaders of all 38 of the regions that we have embassies with, tell them about my new position, make sure that we have embassy areas in their outside forums, and post the latest version of The West Pacifican to start to get the word out.
The second part is more challenging. Finding the right people to be able to go out to those regions and start the process.
Our first search brought in 10 excellent people who I am sure will be a big asset to The West Pacific. I have already assigned a number of them as Ambassadors and given them regions. But there is more work to do and I need more people.
If you have an outgoing personality and want to see the wider NationStates world, the Foreign Affairs department is the place to be! You will get to see different cultures in action, meet a lot of interesting people, and help shape the direction of one of the largest regions in the game.
Telegram me [nation=short]Davelands[/nation] if you want to make a difference.

Internal Affairs

… fun in TWP … an update from our assistant Interior Minister

By Prole

The Tactician Behind The Office
Who exactly are you? I am [nation=short]Prole Confederation[/nation], Doppio Giudici, Vadia, and recently Pentaga Giudici, but I go as Tevo77777 or Warhead77777 off the site. You can call me Timothy though, since that's easier for a lot of people. I'm just a five year long user, who reads an ungodly amount, has a lot of experience with RPing, and knows social studies or economics like the Notorious BIG knows rap. Disclaimer, Timothy doesn't have 1% of the talent BIG had.
What exactly does your office do? My job is to support Paris (The minister of the Interior) in our collective duties of keeping the region active, entertained, and supportive. My methods of achieving this are mostly based upon four actions I commit to on a regular basis… answering questions people have, introducing people to each other, telling jokes that barely make any sense, starting ridiculous RPs, and being the spine of our beautiful D&D community.
How does the D&D go? So far we have three dungeon masters and four teams split among them, one shared canon, and between 12-15 players. The dungeon masters work together as a team to work on the canon and make sure the game runs smoothly, while each DM has control over his/her own parties and shapes the world in his/her own way. I hope that when we start up again in January, the players can really start to shape the world and news of their heroism can spread in world to other teams.
Why "The West Pacific"? The West Pacific is the most friendly region I have ever been in and has supported my actions as much as I have supported them via my actions. The people I work with and work at the command of are people I respect. Our residents are old and young, and we are a diverse community of respect and memes. I can see myself staying in my current position or replacing my boss for a long time, depending on timing and how busy we get; of course.

Cultural Corner

… a showcase for the talents of our citizens



The Storm Before the Tempest

This is a short story written by one of our active and very talented citizens.

By [nation=short]Fujai[/nation]

Enter Sycorax. Born of Bomardas, and born of magic. The town Bomardas was up in the foothills, not far removed from Algiers.
It was late in the afternoon, as Sycorax was cleaning her shop with her young son, Caliban, when Kharim dashed in the door. She had to wait a few moments for the boy to catch his breath before he could speak.
“Please,” he gasped, “You need to come with me!” Sycorax stopped and put down her broom, gesturing Caliban to bring some water for the boy.
“Can you explain some more, Kharim?” She asked calmly. This was not the first time someone had barged into her shop with an emergency, but panicking would never help.
“Quickly!” Kharim tried again, “He’s hurt! Blood and, and p-please!”
“Who is hurt?” She asked, placing a gentle hand on the boy’s shoulder and taking the cup from Caliban, she gave it to him, “What happened, Kharim?”
The boy gulped the water gratefully. “I-It’s Rashaad,” he stammered, “He-he was going along the ravine north of town and he slipped down… There were so many rocks… So much blood…” His eyes were wide and his words spilled from his mouth in between gasps of breath.
“Thank you, Kharim.” Sycorax spoke softly, directing the boy out of her shop, to the porch outside. “If you would, please, find your father and send him down there after me. I could use some help moving Rashaad, more than likely.”
“Yes, yes ma’am.” He answered, and taking one last drink of the water, he ran off to find them.
As Kharim left, Sycorax gathered up her supplies into her bag quickly but calmly. She was about to leave when she turned back to Caliban, “You must prepare the back room, there will be visitors. You know what to do.”
“Yes, mother,” he answered, “I can do it.”
“That’s my boy,” she said softly.
Rushing out of her home, she took the small totem of Setebos that she kept next to the door. She then dashed off to the north, toward the ravine Kharim spoke of. When she arrived there were already several men from the orchards making their way down the gully wall. She could see Rashaad at the bottom, his limbs bent and broken, his body battered and bloody. She had to act quickly if she were to save him.
She called out to the men in the ravine, “Watch out down there!” and nimbly leapt into the chasm, springing from rock to rock much faster than the men picking their way down carefully.
She arrived at the bottom well before the others. She made her way quickly to Rashaad, who was lying face down, motionless a short distance up the ravine. She could now see the extent of his injuries. He was considerably worse than she had thought at first. More of his bones were broken than she had seen someone survive from, and his body was bruised and cut as much as a deer caught in briar patch. Rocks were piled around him at the base of the ravine where he had fallen. She bent down and felt for the beat of his heart. After a few seconds, she found it, very weak, but still there. There may yet be time, she thought.
The men had finally reached her, and as they stared at Rasheed, dumbfounded, she snapped at them, “Help me move these rocks, hurry! We need to get him to my house.” she then muttered to herself, “There isn’t much time…”
Just as she was saying this, Kharim returned with his father, a middle aged man, starting to grow a little grey, but with a voice as clear as dawn. “What has happened here?” the village headsman asked.
“Ansar, Rashaad has been hurt and I need to get him back quickly now,” she responded shortly, tossing him a blanket from her bag, “Find some branches, make a stretcher, quick!”
And with that she bent down and, with the help of the others, began lifting the rocks off of Rashaad’s body. With their numbers, they had the area cleared quickly. Ansar had since returned with two sizeable branches and wrapped the blanket around them, creating a makeshift stretcher.
“Alright,” Sycorax said, “Let’s get him on there, gently now.” She moved around to Rashaad’s head, and the men gathered around his body, “And lift.”
They gingerly lifted the body of Rashaad onto the waiting stretcher. Sycorax grabbed one side and said to Ansar, “Come, take the other side, we must get him to my house quickly. The rest of you, I’ll have him fixed up, don’t worry.”
“But how, Sycorax?” one man asked.
“It will take some time, but I believe it can be done,” she replied, “Today is not his day to die.”
The men watched solemnly as Ansar complied, taking up the other side of the stretcher, and they moved off quickly among the rocks with Kharim following behind. The two carried Rashaad as swiftly as they dared, for she feared he may not last a rough journey, however short.
When they reached her cottage, Ansar and Sycorax brought Rashaad to her back room, where few people beside herself and her son had entered. Caliban had done just as she asked. The curtains over the cabinets had been drawn, a large carpet had been moved to the center of the floor, and the cover to her desk had been shut. Everything was hidden.
As they put Rashaad down on the floor, Sycorax said to Ansar, “I shall no longer require your help, Caliban shall assist me in my practices. You must go for now, and tell Rashaad’s family that he shall live if I have anything to say of it.”
“Why do you send me off? I am more than capable of aiding you,” he replied.
“No, I will need my concentration,” she answered quickly, “We have lost too much time, you must leave, go now.”
“Very well,” he said finally, standing up with a look of stubbornness on his weathered face, “Do what you must to save him.”
As he exited the house with Kharim, Sycorax said to Caliban, “Shut the door, quickly, we need to start right away.”
Caliban hastened to obey, and Sycorax began inspecting Rashaad’s wounds more closely. In the ravine she had thought he would need more major attention than her usual patients, and she could see now that she was correct. He was losing blood quickly, and she could not save him on her own, not even with Caliban’s help.
Once Caliban had returned she told him, “Get some bandages and stop his bleeding. We’ll be needing more help to save him than you and I.”
While Caliban ran out of the room to find bandages, Sycorax rushed over to the cabinet and threw open the curtains, revealing shelves full of bottles and vials of varying contents. She took down three bottles, with green, blue, and clear liquids inside them. Going to her desk, she opened the cover, put down the bottles, and brought the small cauldron sitting there to the center. She uncovered the small, everburning fire under the cauldron and poured in small amounts of liquid from each bottle. As the contents mixed at the bottom, she went to another cabinet and picked up a small wax figurine.
“This had better work,” she muttered to herself.
She took the figurine and dropped it into the now boiling cauldron. It melted into the other liquids, and Sycorax waited.
And waited...
And waited…
And then… When she was about to give up, a small wisp of smoke trailed up from the cauldron, growing thicker and thicker by the moment. The smoke had coalesced on the ground, and was now forming a humanoid shape. The smoke grew thicker until Sycorax felt as if she could touch it, when abruptly, the smoke fell to the floor, and in its place stood a person. It was a spirit, Sycorax knew, of middling height, and extremely pale features.
“Hello,” the spirit said, “my name is Ariel, why have you summoned me?”
“Quickly, quickly,” Sycorax responded, “A man is dying and I need your help.” Saying this, she strode to the carpet in the center of the room, and moved it off to the side, exposing three concentric circles carved into the floor, with a four-pointed star at the center, its points extending past the outer circle.
“Ariel,” she ordered, “I need you to make a draught of healing while I begin.”
“Yes, mistress, of course.” Ariel acquiesced, moving among the shelves, and desk, brewing the requested elixir.
As Ariel moved about, Sycorax brought Rashaad’s body to the center of the circles. She touched his neck, feeling for a heartbeat. She felt...nothing. There was nothing there, no life. She had been too slow… Slumping down, she began to weep and let out a cry of anguish. Caliban had been standing to the side, and asked, “Is-Is he going to be okay, mother?”
She could only look at the worried face of her son. There was no response that would work. She looked down. This could not be the end, she thought, there must be a way.
She could only think of one course of action… And she doubted that could work.
Nonetheless, she must try, for her own sake as much as for Rashaad’s.
“Yes, my son,” Sycorax finally responded, “he will be just fine, but you must wait upstairs and let mother work.”
Caliban looked at his shoes, muttered, “Yes mother, I will…” and walked out of the room.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Sycorax turned to the ritual ahead of her. Ariel was still busy with the healing draught, so she stood up and went to the corner of the room, where a small chest sat against the wall. She took a key out of her robes and unlocked the chest, then opened it and took out five large candles with runes carved on their sides; one red, one blue, one green, one yellow, and one white. She placed the white candle next to Rashaad’s head, and the four other candles on the points of the star on the floor. She went back to the chest and brought out a small stick of incense, lit it, and placed it near Rashaad.
“I have finished, mistress.” announced Ariel, as he handed Sycorax the healing potion.
“Thank you Ariel,” Sycorax said quietly. “We shall have more to do than I expected. I was too late, and now we must retrieve him.”
“I believe I can help with that,” Ariel offered.
“You can? That is wonderful news,” Sycorax replied, standing up to take a large tome from her desk.
Ariel looked past her, out the door. “I can help, but I will have to leave to collect some things. You can perform the ritual while I am out. Fear not, I shall return,” Ariel finished.
Sycorax, book already open and absorbed in her work, dismissed Ariel, “Yes, yes, do what you must, I will work.”
With that, Ariel went out the door, and Sycorax found the page she required. To save Rashaad’s life, she would have to coax his soul back into his body, a difficult task for even the most skilled of magic users. As the incense burned, she lit the candles one by one, finishing with the white candle. In her time, Sycorax had only ever once attempted this ritual, and had not succeeded that once.
She began her ritual slowly, chanting the lines from the tome, pleading with the spirit of Rashaad to come back to his mortal body. She did this for what seemed like hours, and slowly, she began to see a form taking shape over Rashaad’s body. It was impossible to make out features, but she knew this to be Rashaad’s spirit. There was only one final offering to make to conclude the ceremony. Sycorax reached into her pocket, still chanting, and placed onto Rashaad’s chest an exquisitely cut diamond. Rashaad’s spirit came closer to his body and formed into his likeness. The spirit looked at Sycorax, looked at his body, and floated down into the diamond, which then slowly disappeared.
Sycorax heard an immense gasp of air and Rashaad coughed and sputtered, barely able to lift up his head. She sighed with relief, and looked up, directly into the eyes of Ansar, standing in the doorway with Ariel next to him...
Ansar looked at Sycorax in disbelief. “What is going on here?” he demanded softly.
“I-I can explain, this isn’t what it looks like,” Sycorax insisted.
“I think this is exactly what it looks like. This is witchcraft, Sycorax.” Ansar accused.
“I saved his life,” she pleaded, “What matters how it was done?”
“This is… This… I never would have suspected you of this foul devilry,” Ansar snapped.
“I have been practicing my whole life without a single instance of misfortune, and now that I save your friend’s life you threaten me?” she argued. “Can you not let this be and forget what you saw? This is for the better.”
“No Sycorax. You are a witch,” he stated, “You cannot be trusted. You or your boy.”
“Don’t you touch him, Ansar!” she exclaimed., “You do what you wish with me, but you do not touch him.”
“This is out of my hands, Sycorax,” Ansar said simply. “The village will be notified.”
Throughout this exchange, Rashaad had been staring at both Sycorax and Ansar, but now Ansar strode to him and picked him up. And with that he walked out of the house with Rashaad weak in his arms.
“What have you done, Ariel?” Sycorax cursed. “Why have you done this? Do you know what will happen now?”
“I believed one of his loved ones would help the ritual,” Ariel offered. “I didn’t know I was doing something wrong.”
“Of course you did something wrong!” she yelled. “We have to run before the villagers arrive!”
Just as she finished, Caliban peeked his head around the doorframe. “Is everything alright, mother?” He asked softly.
“No, Caliban,” she replied quickly. “Gather your things as fast as you can, we must leave here, forever.”
“But why, mother?” he questioned.
“Because they have discovered me and what I do,” she responded, “but you don’t need to worry about that right now. Just get all of your things.”
“Yes, mother, I’ll get your things too,” he replied, running off to gather their belongings.
“Thank you, my boy,” she said to herself, hanging her head for a moment. Shaking off her stupor, she faced Ariel, “Don’t just stand there, gather everything up. We have to leave, hurry!”
“Me, Mistress?” Ariel questioned. “You aren’t going to banish me?”
“Of course I’m not going to banish you. I’m going to need your help now,” she responded gently.
“Oh thank you, mistress!” Ariel exclaimed, “Thank you! Thank you!”
“Yes of course,” she said exhaustively. “Now get everything together, quickly now.”
“Yes mistress!” he cried, beginning to gather Sycorax’s materials and place them into bags.
Already Sycorax could hear noise coming from the village. It seemed even though she had known them for so long, they would still stoop to such a low as this. She could not fathom their reasoning. But that did not matter. All that mattered was escaping this place and starting a new life somewhere else. She picked up the unused bottle with the healing drought inside and put a stopper on it. It might be useful in the future, she thought.
As the three were finishing packing everything they could into a few bags, they heard the mob from the village march ever closer. By this time it was almost dark, and the villagers’ torches were visible through the window. The three scrambled to collect the last of their possessions as the mob approached the house, and they could hear Ansar’s voice ring out over the shouting.
“Halt everyone! Hold up!” he bellowed. “We’ve given them plenty of time to get out, now throw your torches onto the house! Destroy the witch’s sanctuary!”
Sycorax heard this, her eyes wide with fear, and rushed out of the house just as they were throwing their torches.
“NO! Don’t! No!” she screamed. “We’re still inside!”
Even as she said this, one of the men that she had seen that day, held aloft a spear and aimed, throwing the weapon at her quickly. Taken off guard, it was all she could do to leap out of the way of the spear, hearing it thud against the wall of the house, not two feet from her. She looked with horror and despair at the man, who seemed…almost taken aback with what he had done. Seeing that, she fled into the now burning house as the roof on the upper level started caving in.
There was a horrible scream.
Gripped with sheer terror, Sycorax shrieked, “CALIBAN!” and she ran up the stairs, without heed of the danger to herself as the screams kept coming. She arrived at the top of the stairs to a world covered in flames, and saw, under a large, burning beam, her son, trapped, screaming, burning.
She yelled for Ariel, rushed to Caliban, and began pulling on the unburnt parts of the beam. Ariel came quickly and gestured for Sycorax to step aside. As she did, a look of terror still in her eyes as she tried to comfort the screaming Caliban, Ariel deftly clutched the beam and lifted it swiftly. Sycorax picked up Caliban as quickly as she could and brought him to the less destroyed main level.
“Ariel! Grab the things and take them outside!” she shouted as she fished in her pocket for the healing draught Ariel had prepared earlier. She took off the cork and, holding Caliban close to her and trying to calm him, poured it down his throat. Almost immediately he stopped screaming, and the worst of the burns began to close, leaving one arm broken and horrible scars along much of his body, but the pain had subsided. For that she was thankful.
She rushed outside to the waiting Ariel and saw the townspeople, torches and weapons in hand. But they didn’t look like an angry mob any more. They looked horrified. Horrified of what they had just heard. Horrified that this had happened. Horrified at what they had done.
Sycorax stared each of them in the eye and proclaimed, “You did this. You and you alone,” and she ran, holding Caliban, Ariel trailing behind.
She ran until she arrived at the ocean. There were a few small boats on the shore used by the fishermen. She looked for the largest one, and found a decent sailboat that would do. She told Ariel to put the boat to sea while she cradled her son in her arms.
Ariel made quick work of getting the boat seaworthy, and as they boarded and left Bomardas behind, Sycorax saw a splotch of red and orange in the distance. The remains of her cottage, of her life. She looked away, not wanting to see more.
After several days at sea, living off what food and water Ariel could summon with his magic, they finally saw a speck of land in the distance. Coming closer, Sycorax realized it was a small island, seemingly uninhabited.
They arrived on the beach of a small cove and surveyed their new home. There was a large hill in the center of the island, with trees around its base. From the beach that was all they could see. In the trees nearest to the group, something piqued Sycorax’s attention.
It was a pine tree, an incredibly large pine tree.
“There,” she stated, “There is where we shall build our new home, next to that pine tree, where no one can harm us again.”

[Yuno Owl]

♡!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TWP AND FRIENDS ^_^

[Tinhampton]

If TWP can't use Doll Guldur (for now) due to a Spear Danes takeover, then where will TWPAF jump from?

[Yuno Owl]

If TWP can't use Doll Guldur (for now) due to a Spear Danes takeover, then where will TWPAF jump from?

The irony being that we've been using Spear Danes for the past weeks.
Since you're expressing interest in TWP's operations, I'll let you know now- we're an active force, but we do not tend to report them in Gameplay forums. You can either register on our forums to see for yourself, telegram me, or join up ^_^

[Bhang Bhang Duc]

If TWP can't use Doll Guldur (for now) due to a Spear Danes takeover, then where will TWPAF jump from?

The irony being that we've been using Spear Danes for the past weeks.
Since you're expressing interest in TWP's operations, I'll let you know now- we're an active force, but we do not tend to report them in Gameplay forums. You can either register on our forums to see for yourself, telegram me, or join up ^_^

He's WA static Yuno, Regional Delegate.

[Altmoras]

If TWP can't use Doll Guldur (for now) due to a Spear Danes takeover, then where will TWPAF jump from?

They can bring the founder back whenever, we're just having a party.

[Davelands]

The West Pacifican vol 5
Editor-in-Chief The Holy Principality of Saint Mark

The Delegate’s Discourse

… a regular feature of The West Pacifican

By Badger

I am proud to announce that The West Pacific and the Kingdom of Great Britain have created the Treaty of Mercia
https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=158320.

Our new allies have a unique and complex culture that the more I learn about the more I enjoy. However, it is the people of the Kingdom of Great Britain that have drawn me in. I believe that our two regions will share a rich and exciting future.

The process began with conversations between myself and the KGB Foreign Secretary, Arthur Vasentius. He and I discussed our regions and the future and believed it would be positive for both to be allied. Our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Davelands, and I attended meetings held at the KGB forum. After these discussions, HBH Constantine and I got into the meat of the treaty. He drafted an initial treaty proposal. The Guardians and I discussed and offered some alterations and Constantine took the suggestions back to the King. They were further negotiated and we came up with the treaty!

The West Pacific is proud to develop new friendships with well-established regions in the NSverse with which we share commonalities. We will embassy with small regions that are well established but not new regions. Here in TWP, we believe in the old axiom, "you are who you associate with." We, either work with them militarily, have common friends, or share a mutually beneficial relationship. We take the relationship of embassy as a serious friendship between regions and only establish those relations with regions that we feel will be able to share in our successes, support us in our time of need and allow us to be there for them.

If you are interested in joining TWP’s Foreign Affairs team as an ambassador, please contact our Minister of Foreign Affairs Davelands.

The Social Scene

By Neenee

The event of the season was, without question, The Black and White Ball held in The West Pacific’s Embassy in The North Pacific, and hosted by our very own Halo. The hall and ballroom were elegantly decorated, and the embassies collection of Renoir’s really caught the eye!

Drall, one of our Ambassadors, was the first to arrive, in a splendid carriage, looking quite dashing in a suit with a white tie. After him, wearing a fashionable tuxedo and pricey Rolex, came Guardian Davelands, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. After those two calm entrances, things were a little shaken up by none other than our own Delegate Badger. I actually watched his Cadillac screech to a halt in front of the building, it was quite impressive, in the same way all near-miss accidents are impressive. Delegate Badger was dressed formally from the waist up, and casually from the waist down. That’s the Delegate we’ve all come to know and love.

Paris arrived in a stunning black dress, and very pink hair, the two things going remarkably well together. Just after she entered, I learned something I had never known before. Giraffes wear suits. Yes. Giraffes wear suits. This became clear when Syrixia, Cultural Minister of The North Pacific, made an entrance. He did look amazing in his suit though. I bet he has an amazing tailor. Prole, our own Vice Minister of Interior was the next to arrive, though he didn’t quite seem to be in the party mood.

Everyone had been mingling and drinking for a while, when TWPAF Commander Yuno arrived, looking lovely in a black and white dress that I swear made noise, but I was probably imagining that. Just after she arrived, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bootsie from The North Pacific, rushed into the room, very much like the White Rabbit, afraid of being late.

The crowd continued to mingle in the hall a while longer, drinks flowing so smoothly it was as though the glasses simply refilled themselves.

Once Halo got everyone into the dining room, he gave a wonderful toast, after which Delegate Badger said a few words, followed by Minister Bootsie. The theme was clear, one of continued friendship and cooperation, a celebration of the past, present, and future.

Dinner was served … a menu that makes me wish I could bribe the chef away. A string quartet played chamber music while everyone ate, and the dinner conversation was pleasant. During dinner, though, Tomb, Vice Delegate of The North Pacific, arrived fashionably late. Introductions were made, and the easy flow of conversation continued.

After dinner, and until the evening ended, there was dancing. The ballroom was filled with the sounds of The Big Bad Badger Band, and the dancing and drinking lasted well into the evening. Old friends caught up, new friends were made, and the entire night was wonderful.

TWPAF In The Spotlight ... An Interview With Captain Liliarchy

By Halo


How did you come to be in TWPAF?

My involvement in TWPAF pretty much begun with the founding of my first nation. I was looking for an online community of sorts and I stumbled upon NS. Politics aren‘t a strong interest of mine so once I’d figured out daily issues and world assembly resolutions, I knew that it wasn‘t enough to keep my attention. That‘s why I decided to respond to one of the countless recruitment telegrams I‘d received. Not sure if by choice or just by accident, I chose The West Pacific’s TG. I remember getting thrown onto a piling mission pretty much immediately, having absolutely no idea what was going on. I did know one thing though, I was having fun and that hasn‘t stopped since.

What is your role there?

I currently occupy the rank of Captain, which I was promoted to not too long ago. Real life is keeping me sort of busy these days, but I still keep an eye out on our Discord server, where I help out new recruits whenever I can. I can also set up missions in a pinch but I don‘t actively seek that out right now. Since day one, I‘ve been determined to be an active troop and now, almost a year in, I can proudly say that I‘ve attended every TWPAF operation I physically could and I‘m looking forward to continue doing so.

Is it a good place for a noob to join?

Absolutely, unconditionally yes! I‘ve seen many people go through TWPAF, from noobs to experienced players. We accommodate all different kinds of people, from ones that are just looking for a bit of fun, such as myself, to those looking to become serious players in NS gameplay. Complete noob to NS? We‘ve got you covered! Want to try your hand at leadership? We‘ve got you covered as well! If you‘ve got doubts then hear it from me, I wouldn‘t stick around for so long if it weren‘t a good place!

Can you tell us about one of your favorite battles?

Uhhhh...so many. While there were many great battles last year, the ones that had the biggest impact on me personally must have been my first missions. It was an operation called “Democracy No More“, coordinated via TGs immediately after I’d sent my TWPAF application. As a total noob to NS, I struggled with finding all the different buttons, having to send out multiple clarification messages. We managed the mission in the end, somhow! The funny thing was I hadn’t even posted a single message on TWP’s RMB up to that point! It was only after I was done with the mission that I got around to doing that. Good times! This one and subsequent training runs are what made me decide that this is in fact something I want to continue doing in the future.

What are your future plans?

My future plans…. Well, these are more like personal goals that I want to achieve. I’m definitely going to continue actively participating in TWPAF operations. Once real life allows, I’m also going to look into getting more involved in our organization in general. Leading my own training tags and missions is a thing I’ll definitely do in the future. Can’t let our commander do it all by herself after all!

New To NS? Get Involved!

By Drall

In December of 2016, I found NationStates, or, rather, my friend introduced it to me. At first, I was primarily interested in the issues, which at that time seemed to me to be the primary component of the game. However, as I played more, and became more and more addicted, I soon came to realize that the true heart of the game was interacting with the other players. I was born in the West Pacific and was happy to find this to be an intelligent, clever, and snarky community which fit me well. Naturally, I moved my focus in the game toward the Regional Message Board, and the gathering of endorsements.

Thus enraptured with the Regional Message Board and the game of gathering endorsements, I proceeded along such a path for a time. Eventually, as was inevitable in this course of action, I garnered the attention of our illustrious delegate, Badger. As one might expect, he warned me of the endorsement cap and my proximity towards it, but also offered me a position in the government, either in Foreign Affairs or in the Military. I choose to join the Foreign Affairs department, and was instantly catapulted into a new and intriguing world.

My new position as an Ambassador changed my entire relationship with NationStates. It gave me two other regions to interact with, and introduced me to Halo. Moreover, through my further involvement in NationStates, I expanded my view, made new friends, both in this region and in others, and attended a wonderful ball. Overall, my enjoyment of the game grew vastly as I invested myself in it, as have my relations with the wonderful members of our region.

TWP Advisory Committee Needed

To promote more community participation in TWP affairs, I would like to make some changes to our government, and am seeking your input as to the form this should take. If you are interested in serving on a committee to help with this, please respond here:
http://www.westpacific.org/forums/index ... roll-call/

Prayers Needed?

The West Pacific has formed a Prayer Circle. If you need some divine intervention, you are invited to post prayer requests on TWP's Forum in the topic devoted to these in the Clubhouse here:
http://www.westpacific.org/forums/index ... -requests/

[The Stalker]

Nice update guys! Really like Badger's picture.

[Davelands]

***SPECIAL***SPECIAL***SPECIAL***

The West Pacific Is Proud To Announce

The Manners of Governance of The West Pacific


Preamble

We, the nations of The West Pacific, heartily believe in the supremacy of the Delegacy and in-game mechanics of the region. We believe that the residents of the region determine the Delegate through daily endorsements. The Delegate will exercise in-game power as they see fit.


Delegate and Guardians

1. The Delegate of The West Pacific has all sovereign authority over the in-game region and the off-site government of The West Pacific and shall have the final say on all relevant decisions. The Delegate shall select their successor at a time of their choosing.

2. The Delegate shall appoint nations from The West Pacific to serve as Guardians. Guardians shall maintain a high level of endorsements and influence in the region and will serve as protectors of The West Pacific against risks to the sovereignty and security of the region and maintain civility on the RMB and off-site properties. Guardians may resign at any time or the Delegate may eliminate, replace, or add to the number of Guardians as they see fit.

3. All interregional treaties will be negotiated and ratified by the Delegate and Guardians.

4. Guardians may be assigned other duties to serve the region as determined by the Delegate.

5. In the event of the Delegate ceasing to exist, resigning the position or giving away his nation to a third-party without previously having selected a successor, he will cease being recognized as the Delegate and a new Delegate will be chosen by the remaining Guardians.


Citizenry

1. All residents of The West Pacific will have the right to citizenship providing that they declare citizenship via an oath on the off-site forum and maintain a nation in The West Pacific. A citizen will be in good standing if they maintain citizenship and post at least once per month in the off-site forum.

2. Citizens, in good standing, will automatically be allowed entry into the Hall of Nations the governing body of The West Pacific.


Hall of Nations

1. All citizens will be allowed one vote in all governmental referenda and elections that are brought before the Hall of Nations.

2. The Hall will elect a Speaker who will represent the Hall of Nations in discussions with the Guardians or Delegate.

3. The Speaker will serve a three-month term.

4. All votes unless otherwise noted will be decided by a simple majority of voting nations. There will be a three-day public discussion thread on all voting. It will be followed by a three-day voting period. All elections for officials will have a three day standing period, followed by a three day voting period. The Speaker will moderate all votes unless they concern the Speaker, in which case a member from the Hall of Nations will be appointed to moderate the vote.

5. The Delegate may ask the Hall for opinions and votes on various NS related topics and events as they occur in the region. Any citizen may also bring legislation to vote in the Hall which may not infringe the rights and responsibilities of the Delegate or the Guardians as realized by the in-game mechanics and/or listed in this document. Once a legislation has been called to be voted on, there will be a seven day discussion period followed by a seven day voting period.

6. The Hall may propose changes to The Manners as they see fit via a vote. However, only the Delegate may make any changes.


Ministries

1. The Delegate will distribute governmental business as needed and it will be handled through various ministries. The Delegate will create or take away new ministries as needed. A brief description will be added or struck from The Manners correspondingly.

2. The Delegate will appoint the leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Military Affairs. These Delegate-appointed ministries will have a deputy minister that will be elected by the Hall of Nations.

3. All other ministries will be elected by the Hall of Nations. They will serve a four-month term. They may resign or be terminated by the Delegate before the end of their term. Ministers may serve unlimited terms. The Delegate may replace a Minister at any time for any reason.

4. Any minister may appoint assistants as needed to fulfill the duties of the position.

5. Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be appointed by the Delegate. They will have an elected deputy minister that will assist in day-to-day operations of the Ambassadorial corp and report back to the Hall any news necessary. The Foreign Affairs Minister will manage the Ambassadorial corp and prepare monthly Foreign Affairs updates that will go out to embassies.

6. Military Affairs Minister will be appointed by the Delegate and will serve as the Commander of The West Pacific Armed Forces (TWPAF). They will engage in maintaining a force of soldiers along with recruiting and training new soldiers. The Commander is tasked with day-to-day field operations, and shall work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Delegate to meet the needs of the region. The Commander will appoint soldiers into ranks appropriate for experience, service, and availability. A Sergeant-At-Arms will be an elected Deputy Minister by the Hall and will aid the Commander and inform the Hall of goings on in the military. Furthermore, the Sergeant-At-Arms will also work internally in The West Pacific to check for endorsement cap violators.

7. The Ministry of Recruitment and Citizenry will reach out to residents of The West Pacific to encourage them to become citizens, participate in the military, newspaper, ambassadorial corps, and other governmental activities. The office will keep statistics of citizenship and recruitment activities.

8. The Ministry of Internal Affairs will work to promote cultural and other West Pacifican activities to citizens and residents, and encourage participation in such activities. When an activity will be open to members of other regions, the Internal Affairs Minister will work with the Foreign Affairs Minister to promote those activities to other regions. They will moderate the Role Play section of the off-site forum, appoint an editor for “The West Pacifican” newspaper, and gauge the interest of the citizenry of various events and run new events based on citizen interest.

9. The Ministry of World Assembly Affairs will maintain a presence in the on-site World Assembly forum and off-site TWP forum presenting relevant information to the citizens of The West Pacific. The WA Affairs Minister will be required to present their opinions on all GA and SA resolutions and poll residents to get suggestions as to how the Delegate should vote on resolutions. This should be completed in the off-site forum before the proposal reaches the floor for voting in the WA.


Judicial

1. The Delegate and the Guardians may banject nations from The West Pacific for breaking on-site rules, for uncivilized behaviour in the region, for attempting to forcibly change or undermine the Delegacy, or for any other violation to The West Pacific way of life. The Code of Conduct of The West Pacific shall serve as a useful guide to the accepted behavior of members of The West Pacific; however, the Delegate and the Guardians discretion are not limited by this document.

2. If a citizen is banjected they will appeal to the Delegate, The Speaker of the Hall of Nations and the Guardian who ejected them. The three shall make a collective decision on the appeal. If a non-citizen is banjected from the region, appeal will be decided collectively by the Delegate and the Guardian who ejected the nation.

3. All criminal and civil disputes which occur on the off-site forum of the region shall be arbitrated by a Tribunal comprised of the Delegate, a Guardian selected by their peers, and the Speaker of the Hall of Nations.

4. A Criminal and Civil Code and other legislation shall be established by the Hall of Nations and approved by the Delegate to provide for laws for all properties owned, operated and recognized by the legal Delegate of The West Pacific. The Delegate shall work with the owners of the various off-site properties to assist with the day-to-day operations over the respective property.

[Yuno Owl]

WE'VE GOT A CONSTITUTION <3

*EVILLY GRINNING*

(I have to say this is one of the best creation processes I've seen. All the nations of The West Pacific and friends were invited to the forum help us draft/discuss/formulate the new Constitution. And we've completed it :3 )
Extremely proud and honored to work with everyone.