Niamh can you get the Seaforthians on the phone please. King Finley instructed his PA. It took her about half an hour, Finley suspected that King Andrew would be rather snowed under. "Andrew its Finley. I'm just phoning to say that Ui Cenneslaig will be making a statement that we support Seaforth and that Real Marseille have no authority..........if you need anything you've my number." The conversation ended and Finley got busy with several other jobs. It wasn't really a matter he was too worried about but he was determined to show Celtic unity and that meant standing by your friends and that included Seaforth.

---

Following the fall of the Sorority of Materna it was clear that the people of the city of Troyes could not be supported by their homeland. The city relied on a huge humanitarian and economic support from Seaforth and it is no surprise that the inhabitants of the city owed a great deal of thanks to the Seaforthians who today make up 1/3 of the population of the city. In the aftermath the city then swelled to its current size of 3million. Since then the Seaforthians have ensured a strong economy, a stable justice system and a transparent democracy. We have now however seen an armed gang supported by a hoodwinked Aostan Empire convince the people change is needed. I firmly believe that this is nothing more than a rabble rousing minority manipulating public feeling to try and steal away from Seaforth territory they saved from disaster and have nurtured and cherished. King Andrew can be assured that Ui Cenneslaig will stand by our Celtic cousins in this situation and that we will pray common sense prevails and we see a peaceful solution.

King Finley.

UC for all please.

The time appointed by the message from the Gungnir had arrived. Just outside Uppsala was a tall stone circle of stones, each several meters high, that stood in a forest. It was here that the most sacred rites of the Odinist faith would take place from the swearing in of the modern Head Gothi to back in ancient times human sacrifices. The woods that ringed the sacred stone circle would be full of burials and gifts to the Gods. During normal circumstances the stone wall and gatehouses that had been built in the 16th Century ensured the site could only be accessed in a safe manner stopping anyone just wondering in and damaging the site. The site was so special that it even had a special squad of Police assigned to it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ensuring that it was not damaged. Today those police had been replaced by members of the Mjolnir Special Forces. They hadn't expected anything to happen but just after 8am a single black SUV turned up in the car park which was around 1km away from the grove. The soldiers had been warned of its approach and now as they watched from pre-arranged observation points. "Lets see what he does." The voice of Lt-Col Thorbjörn Ragnvaldsson came over the radio. He was watching from a command post some 5km down the road via a series of uplinks of gun cam and drone footage. The SUV door opened and a man dressed in military fatigues got out and then opened the rear of the truck, he picked out a long object that appeared to be wrapped in some kind of sheet or blanket. They watched as he made his way towards the actual grove. "Bravo team when he reaches you intercept and detain."

"Got it" the group of four commandos responded. As they watched the khaki clad figure appear on the forest path they sprung into action. Rifles levelled at him and screamed commands the team ordered him to place the object down and then lie down.

The man complied while speaking, "Just so you know you are being streamed" The man said as he slowly placed his objects down and then kneeling on the floor began to lower himself. "This is not how honourable warriors act" he said as though this was like a daily occurrence for him. The team moved forward, one taking control of dealing with the man the others fanned out keeping their weapons aimed at him. " I'm assuming there is no representative of either Ulfsson or Robertsson?" He enquired but was meet with no reply as the team conducted a search of him. "Under the rules of the Holmgång I therefore am the winner and declare Magnus Odinsson as the Head Gothi. As such I legally demand that you release me."

A Sergeant broke the silence having found an ID card. "Sivert Martinsen" the NCO spoke into his radio.

"Run a check Corporal" Lt-Col Ragnvaldsson instructed one of his team.

"No need Sir" The corporal said, "He's a member of the national Medieval MMA team.....guess if you're sending someone to a sword fight he's not a bad pick." The room went silent. The Gungnir were clearly up to something. It wasn't until a Private in the command post passed Ragnvaldsson a note. It was a screen grab of a social media live stream. "They've had the whole thing playing since the guy got into a car, some legal mumbo jumbo on the way to the scene and then what we've just witnessed, he's still streaming" she turned a screen to allow Ragnvaldsson to watch. The sound of the soldiers checking him and calling for a pick up could be heard but the screen was black as the body cam was now pointed towards the dirt in which he was lying. A quick radio call got the camera turned off and then the team moved him to the rear of an APC they'd brought along on the opposite side of the grove. Once Martinsen was in there he began to speak.

"I have orders from the new Head Gothi that you are to release me and convey me back to Krokom where we can begin the arrests of the traitors." The soldiers simply ignored him. The instructions continued for the 30 minute drive back to the command post where Martinsen was placed in a secure room. So far this didn't seem to make sense to anyone.

---

It was as though the cutting of the live feed was a signal. In the northern town of Östanåker was a small maritime college. It was home to around 500 students learning everything from maritime engineering to tourism. It sat isolated away from the town itself and for the new "Minister of Defence" of the Gungnir, Herleif Eriksen, it was where he would begin his work. Six large trucks rumbled into the college's gates at speed and ten men armed with rifles and in black fatigues exited making their way into the dorms, every person who they came across was ushered out into the courtyard and then into the large auditorium used for lectures. It took about 30 minutes to assemble everyone and then Eriksen addressed them. "Good morning Ladies and Gentleman, as you may have seen on the news Magnus  Odinsson is the new Head Gothi of the nation after the two candidates refused to show in a Holmgång. Under the reign of the last monarch of this land Holmgång's were still legally recognised as a way of settling disputes and when the nation became a Republic in the early 1700's all laws were simply transferred and then later some repealed, as access to courts for the common man became more simplistic the practice of Holmgång disappeared but no act of any government has officially ended it, therefore it remains a legal way to settle disputes and this dispute is now settled." The students turned and chatted with each other and a stern cough and raised hand from Eriksen silenced them. "Under the power of Head Gothi Odinsson we are here to enact the 2024 Immigration Act, that means that any of you here who are not Ålanders or Odinist are to be deported immediately. You will be taken from here today, placed on a ferry and taken out to one of the islands in Central Alucard Island Chain, from there you're homelands will be able to arrange your repatriation. If you are an Ålander and have your ID card on you please move to that side of the hall." He pointed and there were a few grumbles, a burst of gunfire into a wall made the process much speedier. "Excellent, now I need three groups, those who are Ålanders but have no ID on them." He pointed to the North wall, "Next those who are foreigners but follow Odin, you'll be taken to your rooms and need to show proof of either membership of a Odinic group or paraphernalia showing your faith." he pointed to the west wall. "Finally those who require the ferry" he pointed to the remaining wall. The students began to move, some faster than others and then once grouped the gunmen began escorting them off.

By the time the sorting was done of the 500 students all but 50 were in need of "deportation" and most of them were from Alucard nations. Eriksen spoke again, "Your embassies have been informed. You will be at your destination in 27 hours from there you can go home."

The nation was still coming to terms with the bomb attacks and the military had been placed on high alert. The Gungnir had already tried several other attacks on military instillations and now people feared to walk the streets incase a sniper or bomber was on the loose. The crew of ANS Hringhhorni were relatively confident that in the midst of Naval Establishment Malaren they were away from the chaos that the capital was seemingly becoming. The crew had been permitted to go visit family while the ship underwent routine resupply and only a skeleton crew remained behind, mainly counting boxes being loaded into the freezer onboard. "Did you feel that?" Santtu Bergström asked those helping him take inventory. With 15 years experience the self proclaimed "Head Chef" of the navies only and aging aircraft carrier was not someone to have imagined things but the three juniors shook their head and continued counting the tins of tomatoes. "There again" Santtu asked confident that he'd felt the ship moving but that was impossible, they were in dock and Malaren's harbour was like a millpond. The engines were silent and he couldn't think of any other explanation.

"You've been at the cooking sherry again" Milian, his "Commis Chef" jested as he ticked off the latest items on the list. The others laughed and continued the task at hand.

Up on the bridge the carriers captain Saku Sundberg was busy checking instruments, he too felt something wasn't right. All the read outs said nothing and an alarm would have blaring had even the slightest issue have been underway. Then it happened, there was a sudden jolt and the ship twisted to Port. Saku could see some of the deck crew outside stagger and then it was even more visible, they were listing. Saku picked up the intercom and called for one of the engineering team to check the ships systems but minute by minute the list began to worsen.

Below deck having ruled everything out Kauko who was manning the engineering control went down to check the ballast tanks. "Shit" he exclaimed and then called it in, "Sir, the three ballast tanks on that side have been opened. I don't know who by, better get the Marines to run security checks."

"Kauko get them closed, pump them out get us back level and then bring me someones head on a silver platter." The captain was reliefed that at least he wasn't imagining things. Below deck Kauko went to turn the first of the valves closed before turning on the pumps as he turned the valve the first of the required six twists to fully close it he had not enough time to register the strange object tucked behind it as it exploded throwing him across the room and destroying the valve ensuring it would now remain open. Alarms now rang out through the ship.

It took the crew nearly an hour to get the flooding stopped and fire the pumps up by which point the captain had evacuated everyone off the ship. Investigations began on how it had happened and Kauko was pronounced dead. The crew of leave having heard via the Navies jungle drums what was happening were lining the quayside to see what was happening to their second home. The investigation was also swift. The Navies investigation team spotted three individuals that Saku easily identified opening the valves and planting explosives behind them. Earlier in the day another individual had disabled the alarm systems and now Marines scoured the ship looking for them while others searched their lockers. The investigation team found footage of the four departing the ship in civilian clothing and driving away and now as their lockers were searched an envelope was found in each one with an identical letter inside.

We are the righteous warriors of the All Father.

We swore oaths to serve the Republic and the Gods, now the Republic is leaderless and our commanders dishonour Odin by their spineless inaction. We, the Gungnir, declare that Magnus Odinsson is the true Head Gothi. We placed our trust in democracy and the judicial system and this has been found to be misplaced. We therefore call on the ancient rite of Holmgång and thus challenge Stein Ulfsson and Olivia Robertsson to meet Magnus in single combat to determine the rightful leader of the only true Odinist nation on Mundus. If they have the courage of their convictions the Holmgång shall take place at the Sacred Grove of Uppsala in three days time.

 May the All-Father bless the righteous.

---

"They want what?" Stein Ulfsson bellowed as he was briefed on the situation. The heads of the armed forces had called him in and he had believed that this would send the nation the message that he was the rightful leader following the recent election fiasco. When he had seen Olivia Robertsson was already there he had thrown what could best be described as a tantrum and refused to come in until she had left, or would be briefed separately.  Admiral Jonas Stromberg was already in a mood following the news of the carrier disaster and he was not interested in dealing with political falling outs and so he had stated it clearly, Ulfsson could sit in the briefing or not be briefed and much to Olivia's amusement he had sat down but not before moving the seat to be further away from his opponent.

"Your a Gothi, you know very well what a Holmgång is." the Admiral mocked.

"There hasn't been one in about 600 years." Ulfsson explained

"Yes" Olivia recalled one of her high school history units that had been a study of the history of Crime and Punishment over the last 1000 years in her homeland. "But the problem was it was just removed as an option for the judicial system, technically if everyone is in agreement then have at it." Olvia shrugged. "I reckon I could take you" She mocked with a chuckle, "But this Magnus guy probably not."

"We're not considering it......are we?" Stein suddenly felt some panic.

"Of course we aren't" the Admiral screamed. "What kind of fucking precedent does it set that anyone with a sword can just claim control of our nation just because their a bit handy. We'd be balls deep in Morelanders by the end of the week. We're going to monitor the place incase this is some insane gesture and the moron turns up. Now as for the Gungnir in the military we've known its always been impossible to fully weed them out but the reassuring thing is those involved in this latest issue are in less than six months. Our plan is now to send a panel of five judges out the nation and have them make a decision on which of you two is going to be leader. Until then I'd ask you to put yourselves in our custody for protection."

"Agreed" Olivia said

"I suppose so." Stein grudgingly accepted.

"Excellent. We're sending you to the Isle of Tar in Lodja in the next twenty minutes. Get you out the way."

"At least its sunny" Olivia smiled, stood and shook the Admiral's hand, "Good luck sorting all this." She added as she left. Ulfsson meanwhile simply shook the Admirals hand and left.

---

Each of the ambassadors carried a letter for the monarch of each nation. Appointments had been made in order to ensure a face to face meeting with a request being sent directly from the desk of King Finley. Once in front of the monarch each ambassador had been briefed on what to say.

"His Majesty is hopeful that while not a formal member of this treaty and our neighbours you will heed to its call and more importantly its spirit."

---

Dear Cousins

It has been brought to my attention an important time in the Celtic world is approaching. It is a time that may see strife and difficulty for some whom we call our friends and therefore I wish to ensure that we as a community based largely in West Ardia are ready as the continent is not well known for its sanity or stability. I therefore would like to invite you to attend the Longmuire Loch Estate in the highlands of South Ui Cenneslaig to meet and discuss what I have rather cryptically discussed. I would value your discretion and therefore have arranged for a concert of pipes and drums to take place the evening of our talks featuring bands from each of your nation.

I am hopeful of your attendance.

In hope

King Finley of Ui Cenneslaig

OOC- Thanks to Dave for the loan of his people.

---

17th December 2023

It had been just over a week since the three person committee of General Tobias Dahlsson, Admiral Jonas Stromberg and Air Commodore Timothy Ravenburg had been forced to all but declare martial law on Nya Åland. In that time there had been sporadic violence across the nation but following the Gungnir being driven out of Uppsala yesterday things had been pretty quiet. The three men were due to meet at the Longhouse  with Andrea Jacobsson who as leader of the Odinic Rite had informed them that she had secured more than 50% of the Odinic Councils seats thus making her the Allsherjargoði in waiting. Each travelled in their own vehicle with a guard drawn from their men. With the Gungnir active it was not out the realms of possibility that they may be targeted. Each arrived at a staggered interval with a heavy military presence around them. Only once all of them had arrived did Andrea arrive in her own vehicle protected by members of the Mjolnir Special Forces. Thankfully for all concerned they had all arrived safe and sound.

"Mrs Jacobsson" General Dahlsson greeted her. "Welcome, we want to meet you as we don't want our military trio to become the defacto government of the Republic. We need a representative of the people and we see no real option other than that being you. Its clear you are going to be Allsherjargoði so for now that makes you our option for their representative. Now just to be clear we will brief you on all matters except any relating to the decision of the Head Gothi situation. I hope you understand?" Dahlsson said showing her to the forth chair round their square table.

"I understand" Andrea replied, "What I however don't see is why you are not ordering people to get this sorted, our nation is in limbo and you need to fix tha...." the words never were finished as a large explosion over the river ended their conversation. "What was that?" Andrea asked as the windows in the Longhouse building shook.

Three men appeared quickly in the room dressed in khaki with rifles across their backs "The Civil Service buildings just had a car bomb go off outside" the Sergeant of the guard informed them. "Follow me." The Sergeant walked them out the room and four teams of soldiers waited at the foot of the door each taking responsibility for one of the senior leaders and the future Allsherjargoði. There was a bunker in the basement and each were taken there. As they reached the door another boom could be heard and a corporal carrying a radio back pack pressed a finger into his ear. "Outside the Central Police station" he informed them.

"Don't worry" Captain Tuure Petersson of the Mjolnir informed them. "We've this building well locked down and this place is perfectly safe" Already as Petersson was talking armoured units were scrambling out of the barracks on the edge of the city.

---

The Mjolnir were the nations special forces, commandos who undertook some of the more complex operations the nation required. It was though the Huscarls who were the elite of the Mjolnir. "You're to take the kayaks to this point, from there find the target and take it out" Noak Heikke briefed the four men in front of him.

"Its a bloody Moose" Lt.Rowe of East Moreland's Red Legion explained. "You're briefing us like its a damn Borlander or something." he shook his head disapprovingly.

"Listen Rowe" Heikke continued, "This may not be the typical cowboy shit they let you do in East Moreland but the things caused thousands of krona of damage to the village and we're the closest people."

"Thousands of Krona......thats about five quid right?" Saxby made a play of doing sums on his fingers making the two Morelanders laugh. It was moments like this that frustrated Heikke about the Morelanders at times. They were great soldiers but they never seemed to take anything serious. Red Base out in the wilds of the north was a shared facility to give the Ålanders a chance to work alongside another elite while it gave the Morelanders chance to experience conditions very different to their homeland, but every now and again they got some interesting jobs helping control wildlife but even that could serve a useful purpose. Today Rowe and Saxby joined by two Huscarls were going hunting for a nuisance Moose. "Question skip!" Saxby asked "If we get it can we eat it. I mean there has to be a tonne of meat on a Moose." Once it was confirmed that they could indeed butcher the animal and bring some of its meat back the two foreigners seemed far happier about their expedition. The foursome headed off to draw supplies from the quartermaster when all of a sudden Rowe heard a tale tell whistle. It was almost instinct as he pushed the other three off the track as a "BOOM!" filled the air. "Mortar round" he explained as two more hit in quick succession. Alarms began blaring out across the base and soldiers, only around half clad in uniforms hurried out of buildings. Gun shots could be heard as the distant crack of rifles suggested a more sustained attack. In the radio shack by the waterside Sergeant Kimi Alfredsson began putting out a distress call. Sentries on the fence had begun searching for where the gunfire was coming from.

Rowe and Saxby managed to get to the armoury and found several of the Huscarls, including Heikke grabbing weapons and ammo. "Missions changed" the Huscarl said as he clipped up his webbing. "Still hunting though."

"We're not eating them, even we draw the line" Saxby said as he told the armourer which number his rifle was. It was handed over in quick time and more and more men were arriving. By the time Saxby had grabbed his rifle, three mags of ammo and a set of webbing around ten guys, a mixture of Morelanders and Ålanders were ready to get to work. "We got any eyes on." Saxby checked his comms.

"The guys in the boat house got a small UAV up. Spotted what looks like three mortar teams to the South, few marksman dotted around, then someone took a pot shot at the UAV and clipped it." Heikke glanced around the door, no clear target he burst out and slid behind a utility vehicle. Nothing happened. Soon others followed all taking up positions and examining the ground before them. "We're going to advance on the positions of the mortars, keep your eyes open."

"No need"  Sergeant Kimi Alfredsson had grabbed his radio pack and was with them, a rifle slung across his back. "Anvil 2-1 this is Red One we have target"

"Roger" that crackled over the radio, "Send grid when ready."

"Anvil 2-1 grid is 4-2-4-8-3-3. Five meters south of tree line." A Tuker trainer plane had been out using the targets off the coast but now its live ammo was being utilised for something else. The student on board may not have gained his wings yet but today his instructor was about to give a real life demonstration of strafing.

"Roger, beginning run" The buzz of the planes engine could be heard over the gunshots and mortar rounds and as the planes machine guns raked the tree line the ground teams moved up. Anvil 2-1 found itself getting a few holes but nothing too major and now the pilot performed a beautiful turn and passed a second time before declaring itself out the fight and poddling off back to base. It took five minutes before the ground teams reached the mortar positions and the teams had bugged out leaving behind three dead and one wounded. There was no sign of any of the gunman and despite an evening spent patrolling the woods and UAV's scanning the area nothing was found except a few blood trails that ran to a road. "Trails dead" Heikke informed them. The sneak attack had left two members of the Mjolnir dead and one Red Legionnaire being airlifted to hospital.

---

"We've a problem"  General Tobias Dahlsson informed Admiral Jonas Stromberg and Air Commodore Timothy Ravenburg alongside Andreas Jacobsson. "Thirteen strikes against government targets within the last two hours, and Red Base amongst them. We're going to have to get their ambassador up to speed and let Northfort know." The others agreed.

"Do we know who has done this" Jacobsson asked.

"I'd say it would likely be the Gungnir but who knows. What we do know is we've a total of 62 dead and triple that roughly injured"

---

As of going to press 67 members of the civil service, government security and the press have been killed in terror attacks mainly focused on the capital. A series of car bombs rocked the city of Krokom and Red Base has come under attack. As a result the capital is now going into lock down. Ambassadors of East Moreland have been informed and a spokesman for the Army has said Red Legion operatives were involved in the reaction to the attack. More news will follow as we get it.

As the confusion over the future of the position of Head Gothi enters its second week there has today been a worrying development. With the Armed Forces effectively taking control of the day to day business of government members of the military have been maintaining a kind of no go area around the government buildings denying both Stein Ulfsson and Dr.Olivia Robertsson access to the facility. This morning a group of around 200 supporters of Dr.Robertsson and her Liberal Odinic Rite arrived at the Longhouse and set up a static protest just outside the area established by the military. While initially things were peaceful at around midday two shots rang out sending the assembled crowd into panic. One protestor, 21 year old Miks Vasillson was shot in the stomach while the second shot luckily missed everyone. The Marine Commando soldiers who were on duty managed to reach the injured youngster and a smear of blood was left on the white marble stones as he was dragged to cover. The Commando searched the surrounding area however with exception of a single bullet casing from the roof of a nearby apartment block discovered nothing. A spokesman for the military have since announced that they are reveiwing security camera footage in the area in attempts to trace the shooter. Lt-Col Brigsmann of the Commando stated, "The distance and the nature of the shot leaves us to believe that this was someone with a significant skill and knowledge of firearms and marksmanship. We do not believe Miks was targeted for any reason beyond being there and as of yet we have no motivation that presents itself beyond the idea that this was politically motivated."

Miks Vasillson was evacuated to Krokom Infirmary using the helicopter kept on standby for medical evacuations from the Longhouse complex and was operated on upon arrival. His condition has been described as "Poorly but stable" Police have mounted an armed guard at his bedside however a spokesman for the police stated "This is a precaution taken in many shooting cases where we do not know the reason for someone being targeted nor have any idea who did this. At the moment this is a basic precaution in a live ongoing case."

As a result of the ongoing crisis over the future of the nations leadership a three person panel made up of General Tobias Dahlsson, Admiral Jonas Stromberg and Air Commodore Timothy Ravenburg have taken on day to day management of the nation. This has allowed payments to be made to public service workers which would normally be needed to be approved by the Head Gothi. The three person committee have said they intend to meet with judges tomorrow to discuss options on how to resolve the issue. Despite Stein Ulfsson still claiming the be Commander in Chief of the Armed forces the three men have released a statement saying "Stein Ulfsson's term is over. He does not command us, at the moment we answer directly to Odin and the people."

In a surprising twist to the ongoing saga over the disputed election results General Tobias Dahlsson has ordered the army to seize control of the Longhouse. The move came after the chiefs of the armed forces had their weekly meeting on Sunday and it was reported that they had denied incumbent Head Gothi, Stein Ulfsson, from entering meaning that it was the first time that no politician had been present during the meeting. Earlier in the day Dr.Olivia Robertsson, who many claim is the Head Gothi, had attempted to enter the meeting building only to be stopped by members of the Naval Guard who were on duty. Dr.Robertsson was joined by several hundred students from the National Union of Students who called upon Dr.Robertsson being recognised as the Head Gothi. Early this morning camoflauge clad soldiers of the The Republic Guard, an infantry unit who are more commonly seen guarding government facilities, seized key parts of Krokom. They were seen setting up positions in and around the Longhouse and the various Council buildings, they also took control of the train station, airport and dock yards. Shortly after a joint statement was televised from the General, Admiral Jonas Stromberg and Air Commodore Timothy Ravenburg. "We have seen that the courts have failed to settle this arguement. While the National Centre of Mediation (NCM) have begun offering to settle the dispute that is a process which can take weeks if not months. Tomorrow is a difficult deadline for the nation as with no Head Gothi to authorise the release of funds our public sector workers can not get paid. There is provision in the Disaster Management Act that states that if communication is lost with the government then the heads of the armed forces may act in the stead of government until such a time as communication is re-established. Consulting with our own legal teams we are now past the time when a Head Gothi should be in post, therefore I can not as leader of the military contact the Head Gothi, as such myself, Jonas and Tim are going to act as a triumvirate until this matter is solved. We will ensure the public sector gets paid tomorrow and we will keep the nation running. We give our word that we will enact no new laws or policies."

Throughout the day the Republic Guard were supplemented by extra members of the Marine Commando, Air Force Security Regiment and Army Engineering Corps who have hastily constructed metal barriers around the government complex. It was witnessed that the military denied all political representatives access to the complex however civil servants were permitted entry. A large group of students arrived shortly after midday calling for the military to recognise Dr.Robertsson as Head Gothi, a simultaneous and much smaller group gathered at the opposite end of the plaza in front of the complex supporting Ulfsson. There was a brief confrontation between a few of the two groups however members of the Air Force intervened and both returned to their places of protest.

In a statement Dr.Robertsson stated, "The military I hope are pushing this matter to a swift conclusion, however not only do we need a swift conclusion we also need the correct conclusion. The armed forces should not run our nation and the sooner we can send them back to their usal duties the better." Meanwhile Stein Ulfsson stated "The military now need to bring this matter to a close. I remain their commander in chief and they now need to clear the plaza of these borderline rebels and allow me to get back to the business of running the nation."

The seven person Supreme Court meet today in Krokom to determine the result of the recent election for Head Gothi. It was expected that the matter would be cleared up and the swearing in of the Head Gothi taking place later in the evening. This however has not been the case as a rather unique situation has occurred. The Supreme Court is made up of seven judges appointed by the Head Gothi and currently all those in position were appointed by either Daniel Stenberg or Stein Ulfsson. At the beginning of proceedings judge Lennart Omdahl recused themselves from proceedings saying "As someone who was appointed to office by Stein Ulfsson and therefore owing my career to the man's decision making I feel that it would be very easy for someone to look at me and should I support him in the decision then I am favouring him through bias. I therefore believe the only safe course of action is to not be part of the panel."

The court then heard arguements from the legal representatives of both the Odinic Rite and the Liberal Odinic Rite about the decision over who should be the Head Gothi, and therefore Head of State of the Nation, with the power to appoint the Allsherjargoði. The Odinic Rite argued that as the constitution states "The candidate who receives the greatest support of the people shall be elected." It requires an individual to have a minimum of 50% plus one vote to become Head Gothi and that if no individual has that then there should be a run off election. They cited that there are various precedents in other nations with similar arrangements. This was then followed by the legal representatives of the Liberal Odinic Rite who argued that the terms stated in the constitution amount to a simple case of whoever gets the most votes wins and like their opposition provided various examples of where that is the case. The judges went and deliberated for several hours after they confirmed that they would announce their decision verbally with a more precise written decision made available in the morning. They returned just after 6pm and announced that they had been unable to reach a clear decision with a 3-3 split. This has then plunged the nation into continued chaos as there is apparently no clear way forward. The decision was left that the judges would publish their written decisions in the morning at which time they would be given to the two potential Head Gothi's who would then consider whether they still maintained their positions.

Speaking after the hearing Stein Ulfsson indicated that he had no plans to concede saying "I believe that if the vote came down to a one on one between myself and Robertsson then I would emerge the clear winner as such it is my sacred duty to maintain the position of Head Gothi until the courts make the appropriate decision that ensures that the position has the fullest support in the nation." Meanwhile Dr.Robertsson stated, "I am hoping tomorrow this matter is concluded formally. We already know that I am the true Head Gothi and I fully expect to be in my office soon and getting down to work." While awaiting the decision Dr.Oliva Robertsson had visited the building belonging to the Head Gothi and sought to gain entrance stating that the guardsman "work for me now" when they prevented her going inside. The Head of the Guard, Major General Gerhard Jönsson, stated "The Republic Guard are in a difficult position. As a result we have made a decision that we will maintain the status quo until the court tells us the result."

Meanwhile some political commentators say that situation could soon become difficult as one expert told us. "On the 21st of every month those who work for the government get paid. That payment is technically authorised by the Head Gothi. If we have none in place then I wonder will these people get paid?"

Discussions in the Odinic Council have however been slightly more productive. It was confirmed that there had been discussions between Birgid Strand, the leader of the Liberal Odinic Rite in the Council, and Karina Ottosson who is the leader of the Liberal Alliance. Miss Ottosson confirmed that "if requsted" she would add her parties vote to the Liberal Odinic Rite meaning that party would enjoy 47.6% of the vote within the Council, 2.4% shy of being able to be the majority party. Meanwhile it is thought that Andrea Jacobsson, the leader of the Councils bloc of Odinic Rite members has been meeting with Astrid Stigsson of the Nords First Party which if the two made a deal would see them have an unassailable 51.8% of the vote. 

Following the recent legal challenge on the recent election results the spectre of the nations most worrisome terrorist group has emerged. A post has appeared on several social media platforms that has since been verified by several media outlets claiming to be from the Gungnir. The Gungnir have been active on several occasions most recently having briefly attempted to damage radio and broadcast signals across Mundus. The groups stated aim is "to drive the foreign faiths out of Albion and return the land to the All-Father." In addition they have stated that "Christianity has driven a wedge deep into the heart of Albion and that insult to our Holy Land must be avenged." In the past the group have even taken responsibility for attacks on sacred sites in Vanora. On this occasion though their statement has been particularly vague. The video shows groups of men training in military tactics somewhere in the forests of the interior on the nation. It then shows a man using the name Magnus Odinsson who claims to be the leader of the Gungnir Hearthguard Regiment. In the video Odinsson states, "The recent election results have not yielded a result that shows we have a strong leader. We now rely on the honour of our nations judges to do the right thing. We ask the All-Father to bless the judges with the wisdom to make sure that the true will of the faithful people of our nation is permitted to manifest. Should they fail to do so we will defend democracy and ensure that the government is just, pious and determined to ensure the Nords prosper above all." Security forces have moved to high alert.

Dr.Olivia Robertsson won the highest number of votes however incumbent Head Gothi, Stein Ulfsson, has asked the Supreme Court to rule whether the fact she did not get more than 50% should mean a run off election is needed. Dr.Robertsson has today called Ulfsson and the Odinic Rite Party "a group seemingly trying to cling to power. The courts are being involved when there is no need. On Monday I intend to walk into my new office, sit down and begin making the change we have promised the people of our nation. It is my hope Mr.Ulfsson will have packed up by that time."

Meanwhile Stein Ulfsson has said "The election should see the Head Gothi command the support of the majority of the nation. Dr.Robertsson has not done that and so as such until she actually defeats me then she is not able to run this nation." The statement from the Gungnir does not however state which of the two leaders they are calling for to be named the winner. The Supreme Court have convened a special weekend session in order to begin discussions on the matter at hand.

With elections for the Odinic Council and Head Gothi running today political experts are divided on their predictions for the final results. There are four candidates running for the position of Head Gothi however all believe that it will be a two horse race between incumbent Stein Ulfsson and the Odinic Rite party and political newcomer Dr.Oliva Robertsson who is leader of the newly formed Liberal Odinic Rite. It is thought that Astrid Stigsson of the Nords First Party and    Lucas Jakobsen of Conservative Futures are unlikely to worry bookmakers and there odds of 150/1 and 200/1 respectively reflect that. One expert is the Professor of Politics at Krokom University, Dr.Theo Larsson, he believes that in fact votes for Stigsson and Jakobsen are likely to be ones to help Dr.Robertsson. "The traditional power in Åland has sat with the parties right of centre. The Odinic Rite, Nords First and Conservative Future all often agree on matters within the Council however it is this block that have fielded in effect three candidates. Meanwhile the centre ground and the left have only got Dr.Robertsson to vote for with neither the Peoples Rights Party, Socialist Party nor Liberal Rights Alliance seeing their candidates for Head Gothi gain enough support in hustings. As a result its likely right leaning voters will see that their votes are split between three candidates while the centre and left between just one. The sad fact of the matter though is that could damage Dr.Robertsson's chances is that some on the left may feel no one fully represents their views and as a result may not vote at all." Turnout however by mid afternoon was described by observers as "higher than normal" and in particular the youth vote was "considerable". Many believe that this youth mobilisation will be the key to any victory by Dr.Robertsson as Dr.Larsson explained. " Since the independence of Nya Åland and then the disaster that saw the merger of the UNP young people have believed that they are not acturatley represented in politics. The arrival of the new Liberal Odinic Rite party has fed into this political homelessness. Its given the youth a way of expressing their love of their Norse culture while also being rather more globalist in outlook. I believe they could be a real threat."

Meanwhile elections for the Odinic Council are more problematic. Martja Larsson, formerly Minister of Defence and now member of the Norse Albion think tank explains, "We've gone from a system with six parties to a system with seven. The Liberal Odinic Rite have been very savvy. They've taken a position very central with a slight right wing lean. They are great at using modern communication and have been shown to be able to get people, particularly those under 30, many who have never voted in an Åland election before , to get excited about the change they propose. They speak of opportunities at a time when the nation has stagnated meanwhile Ulfsson has been talking about doing things which he's had several years to do and failed. This election has boiled down to a decision between the status quo or change. I think we'll see the new party take votes from some of the centre left who see a chance to get a tiny bit of what they want and I think the Conservative Future Party is in trouble as the Liberal Odinic Rite share a fair few policy ideas. I think the Council is likely to be very split between the traditional Odinic Rite and the Liberal Odinic Rite. If I was to put money down I think for the first time we'll have a Head Gothi from a different party than the Allsherjargoði.

Should the Liberal Odinic Rite succeed in becoming the most supported party in the Council it will be Birgid Strand, assuming she wins her seat, that would become Allsherjargoði. She spoke this morning as she cast her vote, "Naturally I'm voting for Olivia, she is the person who will actually make us a nation that doesn't self isolate. We're a nation that has the potential to lead the world in thing like science but we don't capitalise. If we can sweep both positions then we stand a fantastic chance of making our homeland the envy of Mundus."

Meanwhile Stein Ulfsson cast his own vote and said "I have every confidence that Odin will help guide people to making the right decision. As a nation we stand as the last of the Holy lands of Odinism, pure uncorrupted and strong. We have walked this path and I believe that it is right that we continue to do so. I am confident that once the election is done we can get on with building a strong economy built on good honest hard working people's commitment to the Gods."

Polls close this evening at 9pm and a winner is expected to be announced early tomorrow morning.

Finley thought for a second or two, he may be willing to offer a metaphorical olive branch but he didn't fully trust the Rokkenjimans yet. As such he was not willing to put all three of them onboard a ship controlled by the Rokkenjimans. "Unfortunately my sister and son have prior arrangements. Keane has I believe a night on the tiles in Northfort. He spent some time here as part of the CNN's attempts at ensuring our royal families are well connected and well now he's of an age to enjoy a beer or two he's meeting some old friends." The King explained, "After all we had no expected such an invitation and he's about to loose his chance to get of the 'sesh for a time." He smiled at his son before turning to his sister. "Meanwhile Una is scheduled to get back this evening, she's a few matters to attend to in Scordisci. However if it is acceptable I'd like my wife Riona to join us, she's currently out visiting the shops of Portworth with our daughter Isobel. If thats acceptable shall I see you at 6pm?"

"Well I'm glad you've been open to the truth" Finley said placing his hands on his knees, "Seems the jobs done, much shorter than the last time I meet a Rokkenjiman Empress" he pretended to stand and then smiled and sat down. "Sorry but couldn't resist" he said as he settled the folds of his kilt. "Look while I'm thankful it seems we've avoided the issue of sanctions the idea of waving magic diplomatic wands is not something I'm comfortable with" he reached into his sporon and removed a long green thread that he threw onto the table between them. On closer inspection it was actually wool wound into a long repeating pattern "Its called a sailors knot. Its one of many variations of Celtic knots" He arranged it so it was straight. "It has no beginning and no end just like the waves on a sea. Legend says sailors and their friends exchanged them before each voyage as a symbol that no matter what happened they'd be friends forever." He pulled another single red thread out of his sporran and began manipulating it while still looking at the Empress. "Like most kids in Ui Cenneslaig you make these growing up and share them with your friends, I never got really good at it, that one there was made by my daughter Isobel. Some kids can make them in pretty patterns but I never could master that." He finished after making just two loops leaving the knot incomplete. "That's where we are at the moment" he pointed to the bracelet he'd just begun "That's where people like me and East Moreland are" he pointed to the perfect one made by Isobel. "You don't get to jump from one to the other just by hopes and wishes." He leaned back for a moment as though pondering whether he actually wanted to make the next decision. He looked at the Empress then at Keane before giving a small nod, more to himself than anyone else, "A true friend is a rare gem, worth more than gold. But like a gem, they must be found in the dark" he said looking at McKenna to see if he recognised the old wife's saying. "I'm willing to take a punt in the dark to add another loop to the bracelet. You made the first loop by reaching out rather than following through with the sanctions so I guess its only fair I do the next. You see when you issued your sanctions I already gave orders for our ambassador to leave Rokkenjima, that means his accreditation is cancelled under traditions of such a role." Finley reached back into the tardis like sporon and removed a piece of creamy coloured paper before reaching inside his pocket and scribbling.

"You're handwritings still like a spider crawling across the page" his sister mocked him as the short note was finished and signed before being almost casually slid over to the Empress. Finley just ignored his sister.

I hearby declare on this date that Prince Keane Ó Séaghdha shall, until further notice, be the official ambassador for the Kingdom of Ui Cenneslaig.

King Finley Ó Séaghdha

"Three months, you've my son sat in your capital for three months." He replied "That gives you the speediest line of communication to me that any ambassador on Mundus has. At the end of those three months the lad has to drag his arse back to Claith to either go to University or go to the Army. I'm effectively giving you my heir as a kind of trust fall. Beside if anything happens to him we do have a spare." He turned to Keane and winked. "So do you want him or not?"

Following the suspension of Rokkenjiman sanctions we will obviously follow suit. We however will not be accepting the invitation of the Empress. In the past monarchs of Rokkenjima have accused both our nation and myself criminals. Having seen diplomacy between our nations fail in the past I believe neutral territory is the only fair compromise. With the Empress being currently aboard her vessel I have put forward the following two options. The first is Portworth in East Moreland. The second in Abertone City as I intend to visit for the World Cup.[1]. Should this be acceptable then I shall meet with the Empress shortly.

Signed

King Finley

1.	Assuming the voting has closed as I'm writing this past 7pm UK time

Following the imposition of sanctions upon the nation by the Empire of Rokkenjima it is our sad necessity to impose tit for tat sanctions. As Empress Serenity of Achkaerin has so comprehensively explained This was no way an act of Imperialism. As a nation we reacted first to terrorism, then to crimes against the Uppsala Convention which are still supporting terrorism and then a humanitarian crisis. Scordisci made its choice to become a special province of Ui Cenneslaig and has since flourished. In their elections to choose a Royal Governor and in 2024 the four year election cycle for this will take place again. Should the people wish a "independence" candidate then they can stand effectively making it a referendum.

With immediate effect the same sanctions as placed on ourselves by Rokkenjima shall be placed on them with one exception. We shall not be demanding diplomatic staff leave as we believe embassies are a vital route for all forms of diplomacy and should any Rokkenjimans visiting our nation require their homelands support we will not deny them that access.

We also request CNN nations extend services to any Cenneg citizen within Rokkenjima.

Signed

King Finley