Outer Vinland
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| Flag of Outer Vinland | |
| Motto: Don't sell them weapons! | |
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| Region | Iron Curtain |
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| 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 consists 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 three 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 the British Isles and European Russia.
Contents
History
War of Independence (1991)
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.
Consolidation (1991-1996)
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 Jarl (a post roughly equivalent to president).
Random Island War and Aftermath (1996-1997)
During a twelve-day war in February 1996, Outer Vinland attempted a conquest of Random Island, Newfoundland, but this was repulsed. Subsequently, a UN embargo was imposed on Outer Vinland, which has not yet been lifted.
The failure of the Random Island campaign had significant domestic repercussions. Jarl Thorstein was faced with what amounted to a military coup by Dux Thorvald Henrysson Apricot, who felt the need to make sure the government's commitment to the grand reconquest of Vinland did not slack. After having issued a passionate pro-Greater Vinland statement and pledged to increase the size of the army tenfold, the Jarl succeeded in appeasing the conspirators. Thorvald Apricot was made Minister of War to increase his loyalty.
Administration
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 Paulson) - 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 (Thorvald Henryson) - in charge of Outer Vinland's military, which he must prepare 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.
Ideology
Outer Vinland views the exploration and settlement of parts of the eastern seaboard of North America through Leif Eiriksson and Thorfinn Karlsefni around the year 1000 as its founding event. Although the Norse colony in "Vinland" lasted for only a few years, the government of Outer Vinland nonetheless holds that it marks a rightful Norse claim to the entirety of North America - a claim which, they say, has been blatantly disregarded by early modern colonial powers. In this view, the foundation of Outer Vinland is the starting-point for a "reconquest" of Norse lands.
According to NIHIL ideology, the white population of Newfoundland is Norse by race (see below). This makes them superior to non-whites, who are called "Skraelings". The exalted status of Norse people over non-Norse people is one of the foundational principles of Outer Vinland. NIHIL believes in racial segregation and the right of Norse people to rule over the rest.
In terms of religion, NIHIL uses many elements of Norse paganism, although in reality this has little impact on day-to-day life and is used more as a cohesive social force. The battle of the gods against giants and monsters is understood as a metaphor for the struggle of Norse against Skraeling, in which the former must win, against the odds, through superior strength of will and ruthlessness.
Outer Vinland views itself as perpetually at war with the United States and Canada; these countries, however, take little notice of Vinland beyond policing its borders. Outer Vinland aims to unite all Norse peoples (by the most common Vinlandic definition, these constitute modern-day Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and Greenland) in a single racial community; additionally, it claims overlordship over North America (see above).
NIHIL believes in dictatorial government because this is seen to be stronger than democracy, but it also honours the Norse tradition of holding councils; this means that major decisions are discussed by the Council of Thirteen, though the Jarl is ultimately responsible for all decisions. There are very limited elections; these tend to take the nature of plebiscites in which only "Norse" men are permitted to vote.
Military
Main article: Military of Outer Vinland
The basic military unit of Outer Vinland is a here, usually 35 men strong. Outer Vinland's standing army comprises 30 heres, giving it an overall manpower of around 1050 men. Generally, the Vinlandic army is poorly equipped and has very few armoured vehicles or planes.
Education
The Vinlandic education system is divided into four parts: nursery, which children aged 3-6 must attend; primary school for 6-10-year-olds; secondary school up to the age of 18, followed by higher education at Outer Vinland's only university, the Ivar Lothbroksson University in Leifsgard. Nursery and primary school are compulsory for boys and girls, whilst secondary school is voluntary for girls; females are not admitted into university. Skraelingr are not permitted to attend state schools.
At nursery, children play and learn "Nordic values" by doing so. Playfighting is encouraged; during breaks children are entertained with stories and sagas of great Norse heroes of the past.
At primary school, youngsters learn essential skills, such as reading, writing, and simple mathematics; they also learn Old Norse from Year 1 onwards. Boys play a lot of sports, whilst girls are taught to sew, cook and do other housework.
When at secondary school, children (mostly boys by this point) learn more sophisticated skills. The core subjects are Mathematics, Natural Science, Norse Studies and Old Norse; Norse Studies is general learning about Norse culture, religion, and values, whilst in Old Norse pupils read Old Norse literature. History is another important subject, being concerned mostly with history of the Scandinavian peoples, particularly before the High Middle Ages.
After graduating from school through passing long and difficult examinations, men fulfil their martial duty by five years of compulsory service in Outer Vinland's military; from this, they move on to university, where the subjects taught are History, Mathematics, Norse Studies, Norse Literature, Norse Language, Physics, Biological and Racial Studies, Chemistry, and Military Science. Upon graduation, students then enter the labour market; they are, however, frequently encouraged to devote themselves to state service in the military or administration.
Skraelings
Main article: Skraelings in Outer Vinland
Skraelings - non-white Vinlanders - are treated as inferior to white people in every respect.
Culture
Outer Vinland attempts to replicate authentic Norse culture. The government encourages skaldic poetry, story-telling, and manly contests such as wrestling.
There are four radio stations: the Saga Station, Ragnarock, Wild Waves, and Norse News. The Saga Station devotes most of its time to sophisticated readings, or audio plays, of ancient or modern sagas, whilst Ragnarock plays rock and metal music by bands such as Iron-Bite, encouraging Norsemen to "savagely slaughter sly Skraelings, yeah!" Wild Waves plays pop music with a sentimental touch; many songs deal sensitively with the emotional issue of being among abominable Skraelings with not a noble, pure Norseman in sight ("For I am 'twixt ugly beasts / Skraelings' death me merry makes / Oh, if only thy sword could upon them feast / Come to me across the many shores and lakes"). Norse News, finally, brings news from around the world, or what the government would like them to be. All programs are interrupted at 18.00 every night, when families are expected to eagerly gather around their radio to hear Jarl Thorstein's daily word to his people ("A little bird told me some of you harbour fugitive Skraeling thralls. Stop doing that, will you? You all know that the Skraelings are just too lazy to work like honest Norsemen and must be forced to").
The only TV channel is Vinland Vision, although it more than compensates for this narrowness by the variety of programs on offer. Outer Vinland's favourite drama series is "Ragnar the Viking", which is inspired by the legendary exploits of Ragnar Lothbrok in the ninth century. The hero is played by Aski Asgardsson, who became famous through the role.
