Gunnish Media

[Gunnland]

Wherein political changes come more quickly

In a country with no true civil society, political events can happen quickly and with no real warning. The Stoke News Letter will circulate now for those willing to pay a high price for news from Gunnland.

John Chrysostom, 1957
The Stoke News Letter
No. 1

BLACKTHORN ELECTED. James Buchanan Blackthorn (Integrity) was elected in the Windhaven by-election, with 37% of the vote, in a closely contested three-way race on Saturday.

BLACKTHORN MADE LEADER. The Thing met on Monday. The MTs lack the Stone Chair's authority to replace the prime minister, but have created a new constitutional role for Blackthorn. By a razor-thin vote of 13-6 (4 abstentions; 2 absences), Blackthorn was given the title "Leader of Gunnland." His dictatorial powers are only vaguely defined by the Inn of Advocates: The Leader will simulate the powers of the King in relation to the Thing in all matters over which the Thing has legitimate authority, until such time as the Council of Thegns elects a candidate to the Stone Chair.

MEDIA NATIONALIZED. All newspaper, radio, and television production in Gunnland proper (except for the County of Arundel) has been consolidated under the direct supervision of the government. The Thing voted 18-6 (2 abstentions) in favor of Leader Blackthorn's proposal. The censor, Fr. Coemgein Gallagher, will published a "consolidated" newspaper, The Advocate, starting tomorrow (Tuesday) morning in the old Windhaven Free Press building. Its headlines:

• Back On Track: Leader Blackthorn Promises Jobs
• Experts Debunk Rumors of the "Hidden King"
• Bloody Socks Extend Division Lead Over Highlanders
• Two-Year National Service May Be Expanded

Walter MacAllister Matthew remains in confinement at the command of HH Cherra, the queen dowager, in St. Tears.
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[Gunnland]

Wherein more political change

Scholars would look back and call this a quiet political revolution. For her important role in Blackthorn's coup in Integrity, Elizabeth MacAllister Stoke became its chronicler and a major beneficiary. Meanwhile the losers, Stolmand on the left and Walter on the right, flee the capital city for the relative freedom of the provinces, where they can challenge the new order.

St. Notburga, 1957
The Stoke News Letter
No. 2

INN: NO NEW PM. A week after finding that some married women had the right to vote as representatives of their households, the Inn of Advocates has issued another high-profile ruling. The judges ruled that Leader Blackthorn may not appoint a new prime minister, since this was a royal prerogative, and the Thing could only divest its own powers to him.

WOMAN MADE PROFESSOR. I accepted a chair on the faculty of the Capitollium, and a fellowship at Sion College, and shall become the first woman to take up either kind of appointment. This was not without controversy. My former warder, Walter MacAllister Matthew resigned his fellowship, his appointment in the Trivium, and his seat in the Thing in protest. Catherine MacLeish Birmingham, who was also considered for the appointment, has called my placement "political."

UNI ELECTS NEW MTs. Yesterday I joined the Marian faculty to elect two faculty members to the Thing, since Alasdair Cameron MacIntyre retired due to age. Although both Matthew Stolmand and John Keith Skylaw, who narrowly lost the Windhaven by-election, were considered by the faculty, Ralph Rhyderch and Thomas MacDougall Tyler, both fellows of Our Lady's College and faculty of the Capitollium, were sent up to the Thing instead.

LEADER CAN MAKE LAW. Leader Blackthorn has been given the power to pass laws on behalf of the Thing by decree, and to call the Thing into session at his pleasure. The vote was 13-7, with 4 abstentions (the Leader recused himself). MTs Rhyderch and Tyler were crucial to get the 13-vote majority in order to pass the executive power law.

On Windhaven newstands, you can see the following headlines from the new national newspaper, The Advocate:

• Madam Professor: Marian Elects Woman to Faculty
• Fick Appointed As Seanchai; Two Junior Fellows As MTs
• Varinian State Visit to Black Keep Begins Tomorrow
• The End of the Diaspora? Hopeful Gunnishmen Come Home

Matthew Stolmand has reportedly left Windhaven at the invitation of Countess Mary of Arundel. Walter MacAllister Matthew has also left the city to move down the Wash to his childhood home of Dalmyre. He will lead the efforts of Integrity to establish a foothold against the Liberals and Covenanters in that struggling industrial city.
​

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[Gunnland]

Plus ca change... The rapid political changes in Gunnland have left powerful individuals even more firmly in charge, and are scarcely noticed in the country where rule is usually left to a small group of clan-affiliated elites.

St. Hildegard, 1957
The Stoke News Letter
No. 3

"INTEGRAL DEVELOPMENT" PLAN UNVEILED. Pointing to the cautionary example of [MENTION=125]Trivodnia[/MENTION], where the uncertainty surrounding a snap election is expected to shock the international bond market, Leader Blackthorn tells the Thing, "We shall not be like the Free State. Our task is to modernize without becoming modern; to stay true to the ancient faith; to remember the wisdom of our ancestors." The development model, similar to [MENTION=83]Kadikistan[/MENTION], will give state support to major industries in special economic zones: Ayr (in the Gunnish, not the Arundalian, half of the city), Dalmyre, and Seaguard. Kadikistan was not mentioned in the Leader's speech; rumors of the recent purge Tsjekovas, Burukovas, and other clans have worried the Gunnish clans, who wonder whether such things could happen in their own country as it looks to modernize.

SURPRISING BEST PERFORMER AT APO. Avigeya Anastasios, 24, was the surprising best performer at the Annual Public Offering. Professor Thomas MacDougall Tyler purchased her contract from Atteneye MacLeish Cooper, of Seaguard, for t1300. The price was somewhat lower than past years, where yearlong contracts approached two cumals. Miss Anastasios is a Kranislavian who has lived in Gunnland for six years, studies Greek at the Marian University, and plays half-forward on the women's hurling team. Catherine X Faolain, 27, the runner who was widely expected to sell a contract for over a cumal and a crone, ended up being transfered from Professor Robert Gunn Wylie to Professor John Keith Skylaw, recently a third-place independent liberal candidate in the Windhaven by-election, for t1000.

The headlines of today's Advocate, which is now distributed in all of the four major Gunnish cities: Windhaven, Dalmyre, Seaguard, and Ayr-St. Tears:

• Ill Queen Dowager, Age 94, Flies to [MENTION=18]Eiffelland[/MENTION] for Recovery
• Joachas, Prince of Purpoole, Age 4, Presides Over Thing
• MTs Vote 22-3 in Favor of "Integral Development" Investments
• Duncan MacLeish: Covenant Needs Vision Distinct from Liberals

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[Gunnland]

St. William Fitzgerald, 1957
The Stoke News Letter
No. 4

INQUESTS MADE ABROAD. The enqueter, Padraig Buchanan Smith, is traveling in [MENTION=125]Trivodnia[/MENTION] and [MENTION=18]Eiffelland[/MENTION] to investigate the claims of Ayr AP journalist Stephen Keith Lynn that Princess Julian was "kidnapped" and brought on an international caper. Princess Julian has filed a civil suit, Julian Regis Filia v. Lynn, claiming defamation. "I don't expect to find anything," Smith said, "But our investigation will be thorough and fair." Smith travels from Kretyn to Bergen to Aurich before returning home.

MATTHEW ANNOUNCES NOVEL. Walter MacAllister Matthew, formerly a member of the Thing and Professor of English at the Marian (Trivium), is returning to novel writing in his retirement from politics to his native Dalmyre. His novel, The Hidden King, will be a fantasy, he says, interweaving his political experiences with prophecies from the Book of Gunni, and creating a world where King Josias (mpl &c.) survived the tragic 1956 plane crash and governs the country wisely in secret. It is widely anticipated.

On Windhaven newstands, you can see the following headlines from the new national newspaper, The Advocate:

• HH Cherra Evaluated by Eiffellandian Experts at Wissenfels
• Lloyd & MacLeish GMG Drives Seaguard's Economic Growth
• SPORTS: He's Back! Floyd KOs MacIntosh In Fifth Round
• Huyldrich, Larkin, and Wellman Win Mathematics Prize

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[Gunnland]

St. Therese of Liseux, 1957
The Stoke News Letter
No. 5

CHIEFS APOLOGIZE. Lord Commander Robert Gunn and Harlan Keith appeared before the Thing to offer a public apology for mobilizing their forces this summer over the misunderstandings surrounding Princess Julian's alleged "kidnapping." An international investigation by Enqueter Patrick Buchanan Smith has cleared the powerful Keith ally, Chief Duncan MacLeish, of any wrongdoing. Leader James Buchanan Blackthorn accepted their chiefs' regrets on behalf of the country. Both chiefs pledged themselves to greater peace and understanding to overcome their ancient feud.

MILITARY REFORM. Leader Blackthorn has asked for a commission to integrate the National Guard and Highland Watch under the Army, and bring the unified military and paramilitary services under the command of Colonel Stephen MacAllister MacGarry by next year, which would coincide with Lord Commander Robert Gunn's retirement. The reforms would take historically clan-affiliated units and bring them under a national command, shifting power away from Clan Keith and, more significantly, Clan Gunn.

On Windhaven newstands, you can see the following headlines from the new national newspaper, The Sunday Advocate:

• Leader, Chiefs, Pledge to Overcome Highland Feuds
• Communist Forces Closer to Victory in Borovanger
• SPORTS: Bloody Socks Clinch Pennant for First Division

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[Gunnland]

St. Dionysius the Areopagite, 1957
The Stoke News Letter
No. 6

MacALLISTERS SLAUGHTER IN DALMYRE. MacAllisters openly wearing their red tartans struck a National Security Service station on the outskirts of Dalmyre, attacking with small arms fire and hand grenades, and killing at least 35 blueshirts and leaving at least a score of clansmen dead. It was the bloodiest clan-related violence since the 1945 Keith-Gunn truce. Leader Blackthorn and opposition leader Theo Gunn Larkin (L-Dalmyre) condemned the attack. Chief Yorc MacAllister, Mormaer of Finlaggan, remained recalcitrant, "This has been our duthchas since 1314. Let our allies and enemies conspire against us. We shall uphold the ancient laws in the ancient ways." It appears, for now, that the NSS station did infringe on MacAllister land on the outlying districts of Dalmyre.

LIBERALS CRITICIZE CLAN SYSTEM. In a report for the Parliament of Arundel, former Home Secretary Matthew Stolmand argued that the clan system is breaking down. The report shows that small highland clans concentrated in particular areas -- like the Buchanans, Keiths, and MacDougalls -- successfully fill roles demanded by a modernizing Gunnland: labor arbitration, legal defense, public welfare, community policing, and health insurance. The four larger clans, however, are in crisis. The report argues that the Camerons and MacAllisters show how the clan authority structure is not fit for the complexity of large urban economies like Dalmyre and Seaguard. It is also critical of "clans in name only," like the Gunns and MacLeishes. Because their members are spread across Gunnland and the diaspora, these "parasites" in government and large corporations tend not to provide traditional services to their members as effectively.

On Windhaven newstands, you can see the following headlines from the new national newspaper, The Advocate:

• Lawless MacAllisters Add to Dalmyre's Woes; City Lags Behind Seaguard
• The Cameron Denies Feud: "The Fallen Were Blueshirts, Not Camerons"
• SPORTS: Highlanders Face Ivernian Club In Windhaven for Play-In Game

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[Gunnland]

St. Fintan, 1957
The Stoke News Letter
No. 7

RECONCILIATION IN DALMYRE. The Inn of Advocates has determined that a Dalmyre NSS station did, in fact, encroach on the MacAllister duthchas. Enqueter Padraig Buchanan Smith, however, cautioned the clan not to use paramilitary means against the government. "This could have been handled in a way that did not leave sixty men dead," the state's attorney said, "All Gunnishmen want the clan wars behind us."

BLACKTHORN'S "LAST STAND" SPEECH. Leader James Buchanan Blackthorn made a speech before the Thing of All Gunnishmen yesterday in which he announced that the government of Gunnland is the "last stand" for Catholic social principles. Last week peaceful protests toppled the Civic Front-Blue Party government of Beira, making the Integrity Party the last ruling party in Europe that came to power in a wave of Catholic social revolutions in the 1920s and 1930s. Critics call these regimes fascist.

On Windhaven newstands, you can see the following headlines from the national newspaper, The Advocate:

• The Late King Josias's Diaries: J-J. Rousseau Actually Despaired of Gunnland
• Church in the East Under Attack: Kashtan Arrests Catholic Missionary
• Eiffellandian Queen Mother Dies; Queen-Dowager Cherra to Recover
• SPORTS: Highlanders Face Maseru Stars in Game 7 of World Classic

 

[Natal]

Secretário Geral da Partido Azul​

From: Danilo Pinto, Acting General Secretary of the Blue Party
To: James Buchanan Blackthorn, Leader of the Kingdom of Gunnland

Esteemed senhor,

While we understand the concerns of our brothers in Christ and ideology, we must state that as much as the Social Republic and the Civic Process have been ended, the Blue Party is as strong as ever. The people of Beira are still believing in the only true church, The Tiburan Catholic Church and are still building their lives around the social teachings of the Church.

The anti-Blue rhetoric has gained so many adherents only on the background of the Civic Process, but now that even we supported and participated in ending the Process, the anti-Blue coalition, led by the Radical Party, has lost the target that have brought them together. They are now divided, without a common goal and will surely lose the first elections.

Even now, the Blue Party is the most important member of the national unity government and from the polls it seems that will remain the most important party in Beiran politics for a long time to come. We assure our friends and colleagues from the Kingdom of Gunnland that the Confederation of Beira remains steadfast and will continue to be developed along the guidelines of the social teachings of our church.

Signed,
Danilo Pinto
Acting General Secretary

 

[Gunnland]

Ss. Crysanthus and Daria
The Stoke News Letter
No. 8

LOWER MARPESIA ANNEXED. With the untimely death of the childless Duke George, the ducal throne of Lower Marpesia passes to Countess Mary of Arundel, by ancient trothpledge of House Gordon to Clan MacLeod. The previously independent but largely Gunnicized country of farms and forests now officially falls under the suzerainty of the Kingdom of Gunnland. Although the Gordon's death was unexpected, the Gunnish Army has deployed to the borders. First Secretary James Harrington, the head of Lower Marpesia's government, appeared with his secretaries in the capital town of Ile-des-Pins waving small Gunnish flags.

COMPLEX POLITICS OF UNION. Clan MacLeod has been proscribed for sixty years; while everyone knows "Mary MacLeod" is the Countess of Arundel, she has no legal personage. It is unclear, therefore, whether the Thing of All Gunnishmen will permit the Duchy of Lower Marpesia to be incorporated along with the County of Arundel as an autonomous region. Though Lower Marpesia has a Gunnicized elite and majority, there are the issues of a Francophone independence movement and Visislavian separatists on the southern borders. It is feared that the country's change of status will inflame these questions.

On Windhaven newstands, you can see the following headlines from the national newspaper, The Advocate:

• Like Arundel, Lower Marpesia Will Bring Windhaven Tax Revenue
• PM James G Gallagher Assures Bourgogne and Srjbja of Peaceful Transition
• SPORTS: Maseru Stars Defeat Highlanders 4-0, Win 1st World Classic

 

[Gunnland]

St. Fulk
The Stoke News Letter
No. 9

THEGNS TO DECIDE UNION TERMS. There are three options for the incorporation of the Duchy of Lower Marpesia into the Kingdom of Gunnland: (1) as an autonomous region, ruled by Mary MacLeod, in a personal union with the County of Arundel, (2) as an autonomous region, ruled by Mary MacLeod, a legally distinct person from the ruler of the County of Arundel ("Mary X"), or (3) as an integral part of the Kingdom of Gunnland, since it is ruled by an outlawed personality who forfeits her rights to the states. The Council of Thegns will meet next week to decide on the legal status of Clan MacLeod, and whether to rehabilitate a clan for the first time in 250 years. Rumors are swirling that the Lower Marpesian parliament is prepared to declare independence if they are not given autonomous regions status.

On Windhaven newstands, you can see the following headlines from the national newspaper, The Advocate:

• MacGarry: Military Coördination Smooths Army Takeover in L. Marpesia
• Home Office Reports Increase in Geotrian Steel, Electronics Imports
• Kashtan, Ostrovakia, and Engellex Lead Rise in Global Anti-Catholicism
• Maseru Stars' First World Classic Win Raises Profile of Baseball in Loago

 

[Gunnland]

St. Frumentius of Nethia
The Stoke News Letter
No. 10

CENSOR EXPOSES INTERNATIONAL MASONIC PLOT. It seems that a sudden uptick in persecutions of the Holy Tiburian Church from Engellex to the Frontier Lands, including a possible false-flag terrorist action by agents provocateurs in Ostrovakia, has been coordinated by some international organization. The Censor of Gunnland, Father Coemgein Gallagher, appeared on KGB-1 last evening to warn of the threat of freemasonry. "This global secret society of religious indifferentists, atheists, and occult ritualists has always plotted against the Church," Fr. Gallagher said, "The discovery of the Ark of the Covenant, which they may control now in Kashtan has emboldened them." As I write this, dear reader, news has trickled in of the murder of holy priests in Beira and across Himyar. Gunnland braces for spiritual warfare.

LOWER MARPESIAN DEMANDS PUT ALL EYES ON CLANS. The parliament of Lower Marpesia may declare independence if the Kingdom of Gunnland does not offer it autonomous status on par with the County of Arundel, says First Secretary James Harrington. It is a precarious constitutional situation, however, since neither the Stone Chair nor the Thing of All Gunnishmen can change new ruler Countess Mary's legal status. Only the Council of Thegns can rehabilitate Clan MacLeod to armigerous status. Although the government would like this crisis resolved, the Gunns worry that their 4/7ths majority in the clans' ancient assembly will be lost with the addition of a liberal MacLeod leader to the council.

On Windhaven newstands, you can see the following headlines from the national newspaper, The Advocate:

• Freemasons Launch Global War Against Christians
• Balance of Trade with Geotri Concerns Home Office

 

[Gunnland]

St. Colmac mac Duagh
The Stoke News Letter
No. 11

THE GUNN RETIRES; A NEW CHIEFTESS. Robert Gunn, Duke of Clyth, has stepped down as the Chief of Clan Gunn and the Lord Commander of the Gunnish Army, if not resigned in disgrace. Leader Blackthorn commended his decades of service to his country in a written statement, although the summer's near-war between the Gunns and the Keiths, based upon a misunderstanding (the alleged "kidnapping" of Princess Julian that was proven to be a hoax), will taint his legacy. Secretly notified, the Gunn fine met almost immediately afterwards in St. Tears to select a new chief and thegn. William Gunn Wilson, Earl of Tayr, was widely expected to win the election, Prince Joachas being far too young. But in a great surprise, the clan fine elected Princess Julian their chieftess and thegn. It is only the second time that Clan Gunn has had a chieftess.

LOWER MARPESIAN SELF-RULE COMPROMISE. Lower Marpesia came one step closer to a regional autonomy agreement today. Countess Mary of Arundel agreed with Leader Blackthorn that the former Duchy of Lower Marpesia Army (DLMA) will be integrated with the Gunnish Army rather than the Earl of Arundel's Mounted Police. In return for the highly disciplined and well trained DLMA militias, Leader Blackthorn has asked the Thing to recognize some important lawmaking powers of the Lower Marpesian Parliament. The thegns will decide soon whether Mary will be able to rule both her county and duchy as 'Mary MacLeod,' or whether she will remain a split legal personality. The danger is that according to the Ban on Clan MacLeod, all property of the outlawed clan is forfeit to the Kingdom; in this case meaning all Lower Marpesia. The Council of Thegns has only once lifted a ban.

MASERU STARS PLAYER SPEAKS OUT. After winning the World Classic, black second baseman Jack Robinson made an appeal for social justice in Loago on KGB-1. "My country is proud of its independence," said Robinson, "but the price of keeping Engellex and its slavers out has been to allow white Gunnish and Burgundian soldiers and civil servants to build a caste system and exploit native Loagins." Recent comments by Lady Beth Cameron Cawdor, the wealthy Maseru heiress who said Loagins should be grateful to be "civilized by Christians from Gallia" instead of falling into the clutches the Engellexic 'human commodity system,' prompted Robinson's comments on Gunnish television.

On Windhaven newstands, you can see the following headlines from the national newspaper, The Advocate:

• Global Masonic Plot Is Testing the Pope's Fragile Health, Cardinals Say
• Leader Praises Lower Marpesian Parliament, Will Not Dissolve It
• Countess Mary to Be Crowned Duchess; Legal Status Waits to Be Ironed Out
• BUSINESS: Gunnoil Share Soars, But MacDougalls Corner the Profits
• Guard Arrests Storm Secret "Lodge" in St. Tears, Arrest 8 Freemasons

 

[Gunnland]

St. Raphael Kalinowski
The Stoke News Letter
No. 12

ROYALS SEEK EIFFELLAND PALACE. The royal family is reportedly searching for an estate near Weissenfels, Eiffelland. A spokeswoman for the Gunns said the residence was necessary "because of the increased rôle Princess Julian will take in her grandmother's regency." Queen-Dowager Cherra is now expected to reside permanently in Weissenfels, close to doctors treating her for a lingering internal medicine issue. Princess Julian is studying at university there. For many years it was customary for Gunnish royals to live abroad, especially in Bourgogne. The matter has not appeared in the Gunnish press, probably because it is reminiscent of the unpopular "Burgundian Captivity," as Gunnish nationalists call the years where royal Gunns lived abroad.

REIVERS SHIFT MILITARY BALANCE. As well-trained Duchy of Lower Marpesia Army ("Reiver") units are being integrated in Gunnish Army units, including a professional officer class for the first time, there are signs of a shift in the internal balance of power. Colonel Stephen MacAllister MacGarry appeared on KGB-1 to reassure clan forces that are suspicious of increased government power. "No new Reiver units will be moved into Gunnland proper," MacGarry said, "They will continue to secure our southern marches." The DLMA maintains a famous network of tunnels, holdfasts, airstrips, and fortresses in the mountainous south.

SPAT OVER MacLEISH DRUG ARREST. Prime Minister James Gunn Gallagher apologized for an official communiqué to the Empire that offered to "send rope" for the Pelasgians to hang three MacLeish clansmen accused of drug smuggling. "The Kingdom is committed to do its part in the War on Drugs," the prime minister said, "but we are also committed to upholding the rule of law." On Twatter, Chief Duncan MacLeish blasted PM Gallagher as the "puppet" of a "few kleptocratic families" who served as the government of "this wretched country." Star defense attorney Stratos Koressiopoulos will represent the MacLeishes.

On Windhaven newstands, you can see the following headlines from the national newspaper, The Advocate:

• Will the Smoke Be White? Cardinals' First Ballot Expected Any Day
• "Just Friends:" Leader Blackthorn and Countess Mary Appear in Public
• INTERNATIONAL: Still Popular, But Blue Party Loses Power in Beira
• TRADE: Who's Agata Salatic? Hopes for New Rurikgrad SR, Mledic Plan
• GSOC Announces Cycling, Swimming Rosters for Festival of Sport

 

[Gunnland]

Pope St. Gelasius I
The Stoke News Letter
No. 13

DEATH FOR DRUGS? The Thing is debating a proposal by Abraham Gunn Wilson (MT St. Tears, Integrity) to mandate capital sentences for drug traffickers. "Lawless clansmen are a major part of the international War on Drugs," Wilson told The Advocate, "and while we have no money to stem the tide of narcotics from the Frontier, we ought to send a message to the world that we shall severely punish our countrymen who ferry heroin and other substances to the wealthy countries of southern Gallia." The Leader and the party leadership are considering adopting the position.

NEW GUNN CHIEF? It appears that Robert Gunn Wylie has been quietly elected chief of Clan Gunn: his Political Thought I class at the Marian University now lists the instructor as Robert Gunn né Wylie. The new Gunn should not be confused with the retired Lord Commander Robert Gunn, who stepped aside several weeks ago for Princess Julian to become chieftess. She appears to have resigned, but her official communiqué sends mixed messages. Madeleine MacDougall MacNicholls, spokeswoman for the princess, released a written statement from Weissenfels: "Professor Wylie will serve as chief in Princess Julian's stead as she takes a more active role in the regency of her grandmother, the Queen-Dowager Cherra." An already convoluted leadership situation has become more confusing.

LITZBERG RELEASED. Joachim Litzberg, an author and translator with known ties to Kadikistan, was released from MacArthur Gaol on the Isle of Mar. He was being held for a protest of the election of Catherine MacLeish Birmingham (MT-Ayr, Liberal) that turned violent last year. The move is seen as an attempt to make overtures to Ivar in response to thawing relations and improved trade prospects with the Socialist Republic of Rurikgrad.

BESTSELLER LIST. The Inn of Advocates ruled 3-0 that the Windhaven Review of Books is not a "newspaper," and therefore not subject to the consolidation of private media in Gunnland (except for the County of Arundel). The WRB has just released its popular bimonthly bestseller list. Brienne Award winners are listed with a (*).

Nonfiction
1. Tibur: A Legacy of Crime, a Future of Violence? [History] Erkent Illan
2. Vinedia: The Last Battle of the Tiburian Empire [History] various
3. Brian Stafford: Himyar's Revolutionary Novelist [Biography] Joachim Ø Litzberg
4. The Party and the State [Politics] Leninov & Vinsko
5. State of Steel* [History] Vyzas Ionnides
6. Himyar: A People's History [History] Farid Bahar
7. The Holy Frankish Empire: A Short History [History] François Marceau
8. Christianity and Tragedy [Lit. Criticism] Stephen mA. MacGarry
9. Debating Faulkner's Modern Gunnish History [History] Alasdair mC. MacIntyre, ed.
10. Creative Nature: Rousseau in Burgundy's 18th Century [Politics] Emma Zdravko Grant

Fiction
1. The Hidden King, Walter mA. Matthew
2. The Son, the Brother, Armand Brossard
3. Pilgrimage,* Reinhard Marowski
4. The Vampyre of Venedia, Brendan G. MacCarroll
5. Revenge of the Warlords, Fr. Waldstein (trans., Edmund Woodstone, OSF).
6. The Heartache of Mary, Theochares Sartzetakes
7. Carousel Man, Stephen mA. MacGarry
8. Ramon's Year of Love Poems, Gregorius Keiper, OSF
9. The Sky Above Trier, Lothar Lenz
10. The Treehouse, Alexandra Glykatzina
​

On Windhaven newstands, you can see the following headlines from the national newspaper, The Advocate:

• Black Smoke Over Herzogenrode: No Pope Elected on the First Ballot
• Social Media Interruptions Not the Work of Home Office, Officials Say
• EDITORIAL: Inn of Advocates, Thing Must Address Caseload Backlog

 

[Gunnland]

St. Chrysogonus
The Stoke News Letter
No. 14

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ROYALS BUY EIFFELLAND CASTLE. The royal family purchased a thirteenth-century castle in the village of Radeberg, Schloss Klippenstein. It is close to the city of Weissenfels, where Princess Julian attends Robert Koch Universität. A spokeswoman for the royals, Madeleine mD. MacNicholls, said HH Cherra the Queen-Dowager would be discharged from the Universitätsklinikum Weissenfels to Schloss Klippenstein in the coming days. The castle will be the administrative center for the royal family for the rest of Queen-Dowager Cherra's regency.

A NEW RÉGIME OF ÉMIGRÉS? Iain MacDougall (MT-Highlands, Integrity), clan chief and Earl of Muir, gave a scathing speech in the Thing criticizing powerful Gunnish leaders living abroad. Implicitly criticizing both his Gunn allies and the MacLeish, he asked, "Are we to be ruled by the wealthy in Weissenfels and Bremen? Do they know the problems our people face at home?" The MacDougall went on to criticize his party, Integrity, for being "directionless" and stunned senseless by the collapse of the Blue Party's civic process in Beira: "Long have we sailed by that southern cross, only to see our leaders run aground."

On Windhaven newstands, you can see the following headlines from the national newspaper, The Advocate:

• HH Cherra to Leave Eiffelland Hospital, But She Plans to Live Nearby
• BUSINESS: Blackthorn Privatizes Gunnair, Sells 51% Stake to Atlas Air
• INT'L: Attempted Coup d'Etat in Vinedia Appears to Have Failed

 

[Gunnland]

St. Andrew
The Stoke News Letter
No. 15

​

ENGAGEMENT PARTY. Mary MacLeod, Duchess of Lower Marpesia and Countess of Arundel, has accepted an offer of marriage from James B. Blackthorn, leader of the Integrity Party and minister of the Home Office. It is widely known that both have, or until recently had, Borovangen lovers. Still, this political marriage should cement an alliance between the Gunn-backed and Church-backed ruling cadre of Catholic corporatists and a woman who rules over two autonomous regions that comprise the more progressive and economically developed towns and cities in the Kingdom.

PRIME MINISTER ATTENDS IOF. Prime Minister James G. Gallagher arrived in Shigö yesterday to attend the International Open Forum. Rumors from the Freehold suggest that Windhaven reversed course to send PM Gallagher in order to cement new regional trade and defense agreements with Geotri and Bourgogne.

FOUCOŽA GETS LECTURESHIP. Michabarach Foucoža, the famous Visislavian social theorist from the Institute for Social Research in Île-des-Pins, will lecture this spring at the Capitollium, the philosophical faculty of the Marian University. He will be a visiting fellow at Our Lady's College, at the invitation of Cyril mD. MacRogen. Foucoža is well-known for a radical materialist metaphysics and Left activism. The Patrimonium Institute published an open letter protesting this decision, which has so far attracted five philosophers that are fellows of Our Lady's: ranging from conservative Thomists to the nominalist metaphysician and former radical Thing candidate John K. Skylaw.

On Windhaven newstands, you can see the following headlines from the national newspaper, The Advocate:

• Leader Blackthorn, Countess Mary of Arundel Announce Engagement
• Bringing Gunnish Goodwill, Prime Minister Gallagher Arrives in Shigö
• Bank of Gunnland Considers Raising Interest Rates to Curb Inflation
• Army to Review National Defense Strategy, Update Missile Arsenal
• Facing Default, Clan MacAllister Seeks Foreign Banks to Extend Credit
• S.W.R. Added to Travel Ban; Business and Student Visas Excepted

 

[Serenierre]

Government of Serenierre | Commissariat for External Relations
It is with great concern that we note the Gunnish Kingdom's diplomatic overtures to the Grand Duchy of Bourgogne in the realm of enhancing the defense agreements. We urge the Gunnish Kingdom to make it publicly known whether the defense arrangements are of a nature which would threaten global security and whether there are elements of mutual defence involved.

Truly,
Bernard Lavosnier
Commissar for External Affairs

 

[Kadikistani Union]

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Office of the People's Commissariat for External Affairs
People's Federal Socialist Republics of

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The People's Federal Socialist Republics of Kadikistan wish to make it abundantly clear that we will not tolerate Burgundian military presence in the Kingdom of Gunnland. A potential deployment of any type of Burgundian military assets compromises the sovereignty of the People's Socialist Republic of Calidia, an allied nation who's independence is guaranteed by the Kadikistani State, and at large Kadikistan itself. While we acknowledge that a Burgundian military presence in Gunnland was not yet stated, we voice our concern as we see it as a logical result of these announced "defensive agreements". A deployment of Burgundian forces on our western flanks would be unseen ever since the Milesian Revolution in the 1950's, and we truthfully hope that another such atrocity can be avoided. A military alliance can not be interpreted otherwise than being a direct and immediate threat to the people of Kadikistan and stability in the region. Geotri is a different matter as it is part of the Germanian community, but here we also warn against provocation and large deployments in Kadikistan's periphery. As for Bourgogne, they should keep to their own matters in Gallia.

This affair also shows, yet again, the true purpose of the International Open Forum. An opportunity for the reactionary nations of the world to forge alliances and challenge the fragile status quo that exist in the world's various regions. A status quo that protects the people of our increasingly dangerous world from the devastating onslaught that war produces.

Signed,
Petar Kujundzic
People's Commissar for External Affairs
Democratic Socialist Republic of

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[Gunnland]

St. John Damascene
The Stoke News Letter
No. 16

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AN APOLOGY FOR AN INCIDENT. Well, it seems someone handed a copy of one of my circular letters to the KDI, and caused something of an international incident. Stone Bridge has been frantically cabling their counterparts in Ivar and Villesen to insist that Gunnland does not make secret defense agreements, will guard her sovereignty against both Kadikistani and Burgundian incursions, &c. &c. For my part, I confess to repeating a rumor from a strident critic of the Blackthorn administration and the Integrity Party, one that cannot be verified. I apologize to Prime Minister Gallagher, and to Commissars Lavosnier and Kujundzic - Elizabeth mA. Stoke

GORDON RECALLED FROM BERGENHEIM. In another embarrassment for the Foreign Office, Ambassador Martin MacLeod Gordon has been recalled from Bergenheim after a ruckus at a performance of The Snow Queen in Midweis. Apparently, after one too many whiskies, Gordon began shouting "What trash! MacAndrews had no philosophy of life!" -- a repetition of Severin Kirkyard's famous criticism of John Christian MacAndrews, who wrote the familiar modern form of the fairy tale. Gordon was unapologetic: "Kirkyardians make bad ambassadors."

On Windhaven newstands, you can see the following headlines from the national newspaper, The Advocate:

• "This Is a Trade Mission": PM Gallagher Denies Secret Defense Plan
• WANTED: 3 MacAllisters, GDWR Train Heist Near Elben Border
• ASEG Falls Amid Worries About Diplomatic Row with Kadikistan
  
• OPINION: Where Have Heretics Gone? 2017 Third Year Without a Trial

 

[Gunnland]

Immaculate Conception
The Stoke News Letter
No. 17

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GORDON SENT TO S.W.R. Days after being recalled from Bergenheim for disorderly behavior at a musical, Ambassador Martin mLd. Gordon has been sent to Deliverance, SWR. The new internet celebrity will have the difficult job of healing a diplomatic rift caused by a Gunnish travel ban to that distant country.

MacLEISH PROTESTS WFS. The apparent failure of all four Gunnish swimmers to qualify for the final heats at the World Festival of Sport led to angry comments from the GSOC women's swimming coach, shipping magnate, and clan chief Duncan MacLeish: "This is political, plain and simple. Like the Empire arresting my cousins. Like the arrest of Danilo Pinto. Now, even, rigging races against our swimmers? The pale of Christian civilization has entirely collapsed in Himyar." Gunnish diver Meaghan mA. Gilday has qualified for the final rounds.

On Windhaven newstands, you can see the following headlines from the national newspaper, The Advocate:

• Home Office Calls for Calidia Border Policy Review as Trade Booms
  
• Snowstorms Blanket Downwash Cities; First Snow in Windhaven, Ayr
  
• SPORTS: Swimmers Dudarien, Lang, Scrivener, Short Fail WFS Qualifiers
• Wolves Blamed for Deaths of Four Children in Isbre Glacier Villages