Outer Vinland
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| Flag of Outer Vinland | |
| Motto: Don't sell them weapons! | |
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| Region | Iron Curtain |
|---|---|
| Capital | Leifsgard |
| Official Language(s) | Old Norse, English |
| Leader | Thorstein Williamson Bloodaxe Bloggs |
| Population | 260,000 |
| Currency | Hacksilver |
| NS Sunset XML | |
Outer Vinland is a small separatist republic that declared its independence from Canada in 1991. Outer Vinland essentially consits of the Avalon Peninsula, including the city of St. John's (renamed Leifsgard), which is part of Newfoundland. It has a contested border with Canada along the 3 mile wide Isthmus of Avalon. Outer Vinland remains resolutely unrecognised throughout most of the world, being supported solely by states some would consider "rogue nations". Outer Vinland claims as its righful territory the entirety of the North American continent and surrounding islands, as well as Greenland, Iceland, and Scandinavia; some more radical citizens also wish for the incorporation of England, Ireland and Russia.
History
In 1991, the far right-wing organisation Norse Inhabitants of the Historical Islands of Leif (NIHIL) staged an uprising in St. John's Newfoundland. The organisation had about 4,000 militant members at the time, but other Newfoundlanders were quickly press-ganged into joining the NIHIL armed forces. NIHIL was able to quickly conquer most of the Avalon Peninsula because the Canadian government considered the uprising so insignificant that it sent ordinary police to crush it. By the time the military was called in, the rebels had already captured all of the Peninsula and were pushing across the Isthmus of Avalon. Rather than risking a bloodbath of its own population, Canada simply set up a supposedly impenetrable line of fortifications along the Isthmus of Avalon to contain NIHIL; in total, during the short war around 700 members of NIHIL (the "glorious seven hundred"), 312 police officers and three soldiers died.
Left to themselves, the rebels began to consolidate their rule by an eighteen-month reign of terror, officially known as the "purge of the skraelingr". Government was set up at St. John's, which was renamed Leifsgard. On 15 August 1992, the Republic of Outer Vinland was officially proclaimed; its official territory was the entirety of North America, Greenland, Iceland, and Scandinavia. In practice, however, Vinlandic rule was limited to the Avalon Peninsula. Thorstein Williamson Bloodaxe Bloggs (formerly Thomas Bloggs) was declared Jjarl (a post roughly equivalent to president).
During a twelve-day war in February 1996, Outer Vinland attempted a conquest of Random Island, Newfoundland, but this was repulsed. Subsequently, a NATO embargo was imposed on Outer Vinland, which has not yet been lifted.
Government
Outer Vinland is ruled by a group known as the Council of Thirteen, named after the thirteen warriors in Beowulf, which meets daily at the government headquarters in Leifsgard. At its head is the Jarl, currently Thorstein Williamson; the Jarl officially rules for life. In practice, he has dictatorial power. The other twelve members of the council are the ministers, responsible for the following areas:
1. Minister of the Interior (Aleifr Jimsson) - upholds law and order.
2. Minister of Foreign Affairs (Svein Georgeson) - in charge of Outer Vinland's foreign relations; since Outer Vinland is virtually universally unrecognised, he has nothing to do in practice.
3. Minister of Education (Thorgrimm Davidson) - controls the education system, which aims to turn young Vinlanders into fierce Nordic patriots.
4. Minister of Public Adoration of the Government (Eirik Robertson) - responsible for propaganda of all kinds, to propagate "Nordic" values, Vinlandic ideology, and loyalty to the government.
5. Minister of Skraeling Affairs (Ivarr Henryson) - responsible for dealing with "Skraelingr", i.e. everyone who is viewed as not being of "pure Norse descent".
6. Minister of Finance (Hasteinn Charlesson) - controls Outer Vinland's finances, which he directs to "the greater good of the Nordic race".
7. Minister of Justice (Harald Seanson) - in charge of the judicial system.
8. Minister of War (Ragnar Paulsson) - in charge of Outer Vinland's military, which he must ready for the "grand campaign to reconquer all our lands".
9. Minister of Nutrition (Egil Johnson) - responsible for promoting a "healthy Norse diet".
10. Minister of Exploration (Thorvald Wesleyson) - in charge of Outer Vinland's exploration navy, which exists to explore "unknown lands" to find out if they are suitable for settlement.
11. Minister of Public Planning (Knut Thomasson) - responsible for city planning, roads, and general infrastructure.
12. Minister of Fishing (Guthfrith Seamusson) - responsible for Outer Vinland's vital fishing industry.
