The Marcher Sentinel

[Caelia]

MARCHER SENTINEL

FRIDAY • AUGUST 03 • 2012​

VIOLENCE IN THE SOUTH​

ROYAL BORDER REIVERS AMBUSHED ON MONTERREY BORDER

VIOLENCE SPILLS INTO TERMINUS TERRITORY

Royal Border Reivers Commissioner General Cornelys Tilley III revealed in a solemn press conference that following an "incident of violence" near the border of Monterrey and Terminus Territory one RBR officer had been killed and two wounded. While the Commissioner General declared that the investigation into the incident was still ongoing it appears the routine RBR patrol was ambushed by a heavily Monterrey gangsters though the Commissioner General said it was still unclear if they were planning to ambush the patrol or if they stumbled into one another by accident. Either would be in the Commissioners word "disturbing." Notwithstanding the circumstances that lead to the encounter what happened next is much clearer: The surviving officers report they were driving a standard patrol route in their rover when the Gang openned fire unprovoked from concealed positions on the Monterrey side of the border. The driver, Constable Douglas Port, was killed immediately. Reportedly he was killed by a bullet of unknown calibre which somehow penetrated through the armoured windscreen. The surviving patrol officers bailed out and took up positions behind the bullet proof rover and proceeded to return fire. Surprise lost the gangsters were unable to dislodge the heavily armed Reviers and a after a gun battle lasting approximately "10-20 minutes" they broke and fled. Constable Alberic Gael was credited by his fellows for laying down steady volleys with his Hynde-Gun that pinned the gangsters in place; preventing them from flanking the outnumbered Reivers and ultimately forcing them to withdraw from the field. As for gangsters little can be confirmed at this point. The Reivers would not cross into Monterrey territory and did not pursue when the gangsters fled. According to interviews with the patrol at least six of them are believed to have been hit during the exchange and the helicopter which arrived to evacuate them reported seeing three probable bodies in Monterrey territory. Their rover was towed to the nearest border post and is reportedly being flown to Fort Terminus for forensic analysis. The RBR is particularly keen to discover what kind of weapon killed Contable Port, if as they suspect it was a large calibre Anti-Tank rifle it would both raise the question of how such powerful weapon had found its way to the borderlands and force the RBR to take further steps to protect it's officers. Also looming is the question of why Monterreys gangs are operating so far North. Unconfirmed - but widely suspected by knowledgeable observers - is that they were waiting to meet a contact from West March, likely intent on purchasing unlicensed Tequila. If true this would mean the notorious "Tequila Train" may be attempting to open a new Northern Route in response to the increased pressure for Monterrey and Frescanian authorities. The Commissioner General for his part refused to comment on anything concerning the Tequila Train, re-emphasizing that the investigation was ongoing. The Frescanian Consulate in Cobham has reportedly been briefed about the incident.

 

[Frescania]

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

We can assure the West March that the Republic, together with local authorities, is hunting down these criminals within the Commonwealth of Monterrey. We hope that our two countries can collaborate in ending these criminals organizations.

 

[Caelia]

MARCHER SENTINEL

MONDAY • AUGUST 07 • 2012​

LORD MARCHER: STRENGTH OF GUINEA "GREAT DISCOMFORT" FOR INDUSTRY​

GREGORIOUS DE FREY IV RAISES MUCH COMMOTION IN HOUSE

CALLS FOR END OF GOLD BACKING

Marcher Lord Gregorious De Frey IV, renowned industrialist and fourth generation proprietor of the Gregorious Steel Company, raised a great commotion in the house today when he when broke with fellow conservatives and opined during debate that the Marcher Guinea was appreciating "uncontrollably" which had caused "Great discomfort to manufacturers large and small". Noting that the Marcher Guinea was now the most valuable currency in the empire, fuelled by West Marches booming commodity and financial service industries, he declared the Lord Warden should repeal the "antediluvian" Gold Act of 1922 (which decrees the Guinea be backed by gold reserves equal to no less than 1/3rd of it's face value) and pursue an expansionary monetary policy for the sake of fostering domestic manufacturing industry. Lord Gregorious was swiftly decried by most of his peers (though to his enduring credit he remained dignified even as he was heckled & jeered by the multitude) who accused him of trying to undermine "sound money", with one lord memorably predicting any depreciation would lead to an "orgy" acquisitions in West March by "oil-drenched mohammedhan sheiks and talemantine princes." One of the most strident but reasoned critiques came from noted Liberal Rogue Lord Frederixc Ver who denounced "Germanic Monetarism" as a betrayal of the Engellexic tradition of sound money and free enterprise, if anything he declared West March should return to the gold standard. Wrll Lord De Frey found little support for his position among his peers it is one held (quietly) by many prominent industrialists and Doctors of Economics. The Guinea has grown strong on the sustained extraction of commodities from West March, the unimpeded flow of capital in the country and the Lord Wardens international reputation for fiscal prudence (enhanced by the Marches large gold reserves) and while this may seem a boon to the common worker buying goods manufactured in Cantignia and Franken or the farmer selling his grain abroad it is the prime antagonist fingered by industry captains in the decline of West Marchs once-substantial manufacturing. Many point ominously to the recent downsizing of the Rover branch plant in New Hammersmith as a portent for things to come. It is hard to argue however that the expropriation of natures bounty or the animal spirits Marcher financial entrepreneurs have not brought great prosperity to the nation. Outside the House of Marcher Lords one of the first to criticize Lord Gregorious was the Lord Mayor of Boreas, a city which has grown fat both through the harvest of local timber and as a hub for other commodities moving from the inland to the coast. Indeed the Lord Warden himself not two months ago made an unheralded visit to the mining town of Silver Creek, calling it a model for West Marches enduring and future prosperity. The gesture was widely seen as confirmation the Lord Warden fully supported a model of development leaning heavily on commodities, an interpretation reinforced by sources knowledgeable of the workings of the Privy Council. Timely then as it may seem to some in industry it is unlikely then that Lord De Frey's call will be heeded.

 

[Serenierre]

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Kingdom of Belmont seeks to expand upon our bilateral relationship in the areas of trade and understanding. It is our hope that the Government of West March will be interested in pursuing a similar policy of good neighbourliness.

 

[Great Engellex]

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DULWICH, THURSDAY, 9th AUGUST 2012

The Noble Lord The First Lord of Aldwych d'Evercy has received the Command of her Imperial and Royal Engellexic Majesty The Queen-Empress
to make known the following gracious Statement of her Imperial and Royal Engellexic Majesty
to the Lord Warden, Lords and Commoners of the West March.

An Extension of The Queen-Empress' Statement in Council.​

TO THE LORD WARDEN, LORDS AND COMMONERS OF THE WEST MARCH​

​

I am instructed to EXPRESS on behalf of her Imperial and Royal Engellexic Majesty;

The subject of Monterrey, and especially the border incident, is quite a difficult one, and from its nature it was almost sure to displease many European Powers whom it indirectly affected; but it was wholly unconnected with ideological differences, but that the incapability of the Monterrey administration to successfully govern its large territory has brought forward this increasing opportunity for crime, encouraged more so by the reformation of the Fresco-Monterrey Commonwealth Act. Nonetheless, the subject of Monterrey requires minute attention, and I hope after both Cobham and Dulwich have acknowledged the potential festering of criminality in Monterrey, that both capitals can carefully examine the potential together for a united endeavour to sustain a prosperous and civilised Occidentia.

The management of Monterrey by the Cabinet of Frescania has long been very unsatisfactory, and has now been proven quite injurious to all States and Realms of Occidentia and those with interests within it. It has also been disadvantageous to the public of Monterrey at large, as it had had a tendency to prevent improvement of civilian life.

A recent commission, the Lords Fresco-Monterrey Relations Commission, which had been appointed to inquire into the subject of the difficulty of Engellexic relations of the two republics, at the very least Monterrey, has quite swiftly informally determined that a greater supervision and administration directly from Fortaleza Real may prove excellent for the reversal of the difficulties encountered with Monterrey; and, with a formal publication to the House of Lords of their inquiry, I will endeavour to make good use of my fair offices to compel Fortaleza Real to intervene on the present situation in Monterrey.​

By the Grace of GOD, of the EMPIRE of GREAT ENGELLEX, CHARLOTTE, the QUEEN-EMPRESS, through the FIRST of LORD of ALDWYCH D'EVERCY, his Grace the DUKE of NONSUCH​

​

 

[Caelia]

MARCHER SENTINEL

FRIDAY • AUGUST 13 • MCMLII​

THE CHAMPION IN COBHAM​

NATHANIEL STALWORTH STOPS OVER IN WEST MARCH

EXPO MANIA REACHING A FEVER PITCH

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the March, I present to you the Colonial Heavyweight Champion Nathaniel Stalworth!" Clayton Whitaker proclaimed before a roaring crowd at the Imperial Gymnasium in Cobham. While the Champions "surprise" appearance at the Marcher Middleweight Semi-finals has been perhaps the worst-kept (alleged) secret in the Empire the deafening roar that reverberated through the dome as Stalworth strode confidently into the ring left no doubt what the people had come to see. It is by now common knowledge that a certain Stalworth Fever has infected the March since the announcement that the Great White Champion would be facing Torel Green at the World Exposition and no-one is sure of the precise cause. Boxing has always had it's place in West March, there being few other venues of repute in frontier mining towns and logging camps assures it, but the sudden celebrity of Nathaniel Stalworth easily eclipses any boxer before him. His Cantignian blood is perhaps a factor as the enthusiasm among the middle and working classes for all things Cantignian burns as fiercely as ever; not that this can be considered a novel phenomenon. Some learned commentators point to the great upsurge of patriotism among the masses that has followed the mother countries victory over the Germans as the culprit: it cannot be doubted that even lumberjacks who have never even seen the seashore are now overflowing with enthusiasm for Queen and Empire. According to one distinguished professor of psychology the forthcoming Match between Mister Stalworth and Torel Green has become a way for the people to redeem their subconscious feelings of guilt at having largely sat-out the August war. "By investing themselves in Mister Stalworths victory the people seek to fulfil their subconscious desire to prove themselves in the eyes of the mother, which is embodied by Great Engellex in abstract and the Queen Empress in person. They could not stand with her on the battlefield so instead they will stand with her in the arena." In any event it is little concern to promoters why the people come, knowing that they will is enough. A fierce bidding war is said to be under way between the Cinemas for rights to show footage of the match in their venues and travel agents have flooded the airwaves with advertisements of the latest deals on tickets and lodgings in Dulwich for the event. Hotel managers in Dulwich say that most of their rooms have already been booked or overbooked and many Marchers who make the trip are liable to find themselves in questionable lodgings far from the expo grounds. A prospect which does not seem to have dulled their enthusiasm in the slightest.

 

[Caelia]

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DULWICH, THURSDAY, 9th AUGUST 2012

The Noble Lord The First Lord of Aldwych d'Evercy has received the Command of her Imperial and Royal Engellexic Majesty The Queen-Empress
to make known the following gracious Statement of her Imperial and Royal Engellexic Majesty
to the Lord Warden, Lords and Commoners of the West March.

An Extension of The Queen-Empress' Statement in Council.​

TO THE LORD WARDEN, LORDS AND COMMONERS OF THE WEST MARCH​

​

I am instructed to EXPRESS on behalf of her Imperial and Royal Engellexic Majesty;

The subject of Monterrey, and especially the border incident, is quite a difficult one, and from its nature it was almost sure to displease many European Powers whom it indirectly affected; but it was wholly unconnected with ideological differences, but that the incapability of the Monterrey administration to successfully govern its large territory has brought forward this increasing opportunity for crime, encouraged more so by the reformation of the Fresco-Monterrey Commonwealth Act. Nonetheless, the subject of Monterrey requires minute attention, and I hope after both Cobham and Dulwich have acknowledged the potential festering of criminality in Monterrey, that both capitals can carefully examine the potential together for a united endeavour to sustain a prosperous and civilised Occidentia.

The management of Monterrey by the Cabinet of Frescania has long been very unsatisfactory, and has now been proven quite injurious to all States and Realms of Occidentia and those with interests within it. It has also been disadvantageous to the public of Monterrey at large, as it had had a tendency to prevent improvement of civilian life.

A recent commission, the Lords Fresco-Monterrey Relations Commission, which had been appointed to inquire into the subject of the difficulty of Engellexic relations of the two republics, at the very least Monterrey, has quite swiftly informally determined that a greater supervision and administration directly from Fortaleza Real may prove excellent for the reversal of the difficulties encountered with Monterrey; and, with a formal publication to the House of Lords of their inquiry, I will endeavour to make good use of my fair offices to compel Fortaleza Real to intervene on the present situation in Monterrey.​

By the Grace of GOD, of the EMPIRE of GREAT ENGELLEX, CHARLOTTE, the QUEEN-EMPRESS, through the FIRST of LORD of ALDWYCH D'EVERCY, his Grace the DUKE of NONSUCH​

​

OOC: I am not ignoring this. I just haven't had the energy to make a proper template for my official correspondence yet.

 

[Thaumantica]

Response from the Two Camps

Torel Green's Release

"I would think that it's important to clarify at this time, to the Marcher people, that Dulwich venue tenders will not be honoring refunds after you watch Nathaniel Stalworth get laid out in the fourth or fifth round. I would also think most of you should just consider staying home, save some of that white money and your white pride, because if need be, I'll lay you out too!"

Nathaniel Stalworth Release

"The West March is like a home away from the friendly confines, and I thank you for your hospitality - but I think every Marcher knows why my next stop is Dulwich, the true home of our Empire. I intend to represent Cantignia as the greatest boxer the Implarian has ever produced, and I was chosen for that reason by the Cantigian Athletics Commission to square off with the greatest boxers from every other corner of the Empire. Torel Green is a bump in the road to the World Exposition - like a sparring session - who will give me the opportunity to showcase a small percentage of my skills before the tournament itself."

 

[Caelia]

MARCHER SENTINEL

FRIDAY • AUGUST 28 • MCMLII​

MARCHER CORPS RESTORES ORDER TO BOREAS​

ROYAL BORDER REIVERS CONFIRM END TO RIOTS IN CITY

WORST VIOLENCE IN CITY SINCE 1912

Residents breather a sigh of relief today after awakening from their first good nights sleep in a forthnight. For the first time the hooligans and looters who had been rampaging across the city nightly since the shocking defeat of Nathanial Stalworth were nowhere to be seen, in their stead were the sharply dressed men and officers of the Second Marcher Division. The division arrived in the city yesterday, having been summoned by the Lord Warden after the bloody clashes between hooligans and Royal Border Reivers in the wee hours of Sunday morning. With over ten thousand soldiers now quartered across the city even the most rowdy lowlifes have been cowed and the streets have gone silent. Well the violence has ended the work of rebuilding the city has just begin. Shopkeepers on main street spent the morning pulling the boards from their windows and sweeping the broken glass from the streets, most have not done business since the riots began and are eager to return to work. Across the city the people have banded together to repair the damage wrought during the riots, a local industrialist has pledged to donate enough lightbulbs to repair every streetlight in the city and the first shipments of food and clothing donated by the parishioners of St. Longinus's Cathedral in Cobham was distributed at local churches. Battered though it may be the city is pulling itself once more together. The House of Marcher Lords passed an emergency resolution calling for a "prompt and thorough" inquiry into the riots and failure of the Constabulary and RBR to restore order without the Army's assistance. The Lord Warden has already indicated he intends to order one. Still unanswered is how a boxing match thousands of miles away led to the worst civic violence in decades, though many point to the longstanding tensions between white and native loggers; it is no secret that a native will work for a third of a white mans wage, something that has long outraged many workers in the city. The Marcher Corps has reported that nearly a hundred are known to have been killed in mob violence and clashed between the authorities and rioters, the total number wounded has yet to be tallied and may never be known with certainty. Barricades manned by the RBR remain in place around the native districts which saw some of the bloodiest fighting. General North has announced though that if there are no further incidents the city should be "back to business as usual" by the end of the week. It is not known when the Marcher Corps will be withdrawn.

 

[Caelia]

MARCHER SENTINEL

FRIDAY • AUGUST 28 • MCMLII​

STARRED CHAMBER EXILES 'DOCTOR' HIDEYOSHI​

COURT FINDS DISTRIBUTION OF POST-DELEGATIONIST LITERATURE HARMFUL TO THE CROWN

COURT STRIKES BACK AGAINST DANGEROUS IDEALOGUES

UPON being informed of the Courts decision Doctor Naoto Hideyoshi said nothing, the only indication he had even heard his sentence was the slightest nod of the head. The unassuming dentist is, according to Crown prosecutors, the 'godfather' of post-delegationism in the March. By day he ran a highly-regarded dental practice in Fort Terminus but on his off hours he translated and disseminated a steady stream Post-Delegationist literature into Engellexic which he disseminated to various radicals and other disaffected individuals. Though the full scope of the evidence against him has not been publically revealed the Royal Border Reivers claim he had access to a "steady stream of newly produced literature from Touzen, including material produced in Boliatur. Too our knowledge much of this material has not been translated in Engellexic anywhere else in Europa." The Crown refused to disclose when or how Doctor Hideyoshi came to their attention saying only: "Based on confidential information the Lord Warden and his Privy Council learned of the activities of Doctor Hideyoshi, that he was engaged in the translation and dissemination of Post-Delegationist literature and that he may be in contact with foreign elements. A warrant was obtained from the Starred Chamber to investigate his activities and based on the findings of that investigation the Chamber ruled that although his activities did violate any statute, they constituted a threat to the authority & dignity of the Crown and based on the principle of equity charges could be brought against him." The announcement of the verdict immediately touched off speculation that the Lord Warden was preparing to move against Post-Delegationist supporters in West March. The House of Marcher Lords was notably silent on the verdict, well-placed sources indicate house whips had strongly cautioned Lords against raising the issue "prematurely". In a similar vein one respected Marcher Lord who advocates a stronger official line against Post-Delegationism speculated to the Sentinels reporters "Why do you think Doctor Hideyoshi was not charged with sedition and locked up in Cobham? If he was truly the heart of this movement he must have known many of it's most accomplished luminaries, and what other bargaining chips could he have possessed?" The Sentinel attempted to interview D. Litt Duran Rames, Dean of Oriental Studies at the University of Cobham, who has written several scholarly works on Post-Delegationist thought and published accalimed annonated editions of key Post-Delegationist texts for this story. He declined to speak with our reporter.

 

[Touzen]

Jurchen Ministry of Foreign Affairs
​

It is a serious sign of crisis when the delegationist states of Europe have to resort to extreme measures against proponents of democracy, as can be witnessed in the case of Dr. Hideyoshi. Quite apart from considerations of whether Dr. Hideyoshi indeed ascribed to the ideals of Post-Delegationism (and he would be applauded for developing a sense of class consciousness and a commitment to progressive thought in the restrictive environment that is the complex of Occidentian Delegationism), the decision to exile this individual seems to foreshadow a more general crackdown to come on the democratic movement in the March. A revolutionary or a scapegoat: the nervosity of Cobham is showing. Suppression, however, always results in resistance, and it remains without a doubt that democratic aspirants in the March must continue to struggle to assert their rights not only for themselves, but for all future generations to come. The socio-economic deficits in the March necessitate a legion of Hideyoshis.

 

[Northern Cooperative Unions]

BOLIATURIAN MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
CITIZEN'S COUNCIL

​

Boliatur sees the blatant attempts to quell the rights of man as a threat to all free men, regardless of what was written within the book. All people should deserve the right to freedom of speech and opinion, but clearly West March has a knife to the throat of every citizen by denying them this right. The people of Boliatur will vehemently support any democratic parties within West March.

 

[The Federation]

DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
UNITED REPUBLIC OF SYLVANIA

​

The United Republic wonders, is the Crown and her authority so fragile, so sensitive that those nations under her authority would willfully circumvent their own domestic laws? Rather than put up a front of an enlightened and intelligent society, perhaps the Empire should reveal itself for what it is: a dictatorship, in every sense of the word. Is the Crown so fearful of its men speaking their minds that they will go to any extent to silence any thoughts that come close to representing an opposition? How long until the Crown does this to their own peasantry? I'd assume it already does. How long will West March continue to tarnish itself by enforcing every little wish and insignificant decree? These acts will only further incite your people to rebel against the crown. So we ask is it truly better to be feared than loved? Evidence would lead to the conclusion that it is not. As the United Republic's neighbor we find nothing but adoration for the strong will and spirit of the Marcher people, as for the March's government we detest its constant kowtow to the Queen's fragile ego.


Autumn Viklund,
Director of Foreign Affairs
United Republic of Sylvania

​