Der Post - Sudmark News

[Kopsje]

Annual Pilgrimage to Depart the 18th

The 18th of December marks the beginning of an annual pilgrimage from Sudmark to the Ecclesiastical State. The Christian holiday of Christmas, or the Birth of Jesus of Nazareth, is not recognized as a national celebration within Sudmark as either a religious or secular holiday. Despite this the annual pilgrimage has become ingrained within communities of Christian Practitioners in Sudmark as both a spiritual and a cultural undertaking. The Pilgrimage itself can be dated back to the earliest settlements of Sudmark by Derusmian settlers in the 18th and 19th centuries in which faith is believed to have played a major role in the establishment and societies of said settlements. The new settlements, lacking the great cathedrals of the old country and often absent any major religious institution beyond a village chapel themselves, would look to the holy city of Celestis for inspiration and spiritual guidance given both to the ES closer distance and its prestigious status among the Celestian Catholic world. Thusly the faithful would band together and journey by sea from their settlements in Sudmark to the Ecclesiastical State each year nearing the 25th in celebration and piety. The earliest voyages due to limitations in nautical technology would initiate a month prior to the 25th however as developments in technological progression would reach Sudmark the time constraints for voyages would progressively lessen. Today the journey often lasts a little less than a week and can alternatively be bypassed via aviation means. The journey will be conducted via a cruise liner currently docked within Eilenburg from which it will traverse through the Sargon Bay and along the coast of South Ardia docking at the Ecclesiastical shore city of Miragliano.

The Defense Ministry has made an official announcement that this year the FNS Höffner, a corvette class, will accompany the Pilgrimage as Escort. Though today little more thana ceremonial gesture and part of Sudmark Naval Culture, historically it was necessary for the Pilgrimage to be escorted by naval vessels to deter pirates and hostile naval vessels. These escorts were first provided by the Faithful themselves with those who held Whaling and nautical professions offering up their vessels to protect the pilgrimages. When Sudmark officially became a colony of the Derusmian Empire, colonial naval ships would take up this endeavor. Since then, it has traditionally been customary for the Sudmarker Navy to accompany the voyage for 2/3rds of its trek from which the Sudmark Navy will ceremonially pass on the pilgrimage to ES own navy “escort” which will accompany the pilgrimage for the Remainder of its trek into ES territorial waters. It is said that this year’s voyage will be seen off by Premier herself, the first such appearance from a Head of State of Sudmark since 2014 and the Long Winter. 
OOC: Edited Duke to Premier

[Kopsje]

In Brief Clashes between religious groups The 25th of September has, historically, held importance among various faiths within the international community with the Chrstian celebration of "Christmas"; the Odinisit celebration of "Yule"; and the Namist celebration of "Life Day", all holding the 25th in a high regard to some degree. Within the Federation there is no special recognition of 25th and while this fact has often been the subject of debate and criticism, both within the Electorate and around the country, the government has remained firm on its stance on the subject. Recent events may prove to solidify the government's stance further. Violent Clashes have erupted throughout the country following a widespread video showing a disagreement between Odinists and Christian practitioners. In the video a young couple is seen cutting off a snipping from a mistletoe plant pocketing it supposedly to take home. Moments later a group of men can be seen approaching the two demanding the couple return the snipping and leave. This leads to an argument between the two groups resulting in eventual fighting. It is suspected the cause of the fight is the mistletoe. Within the Odinist faith mistletoe has spiritual significance and is often grown for religious reasons as is customary in the Republic of Nya Aland. Though the Federation has no official stance on this particular practice, such plant and tree farms or "Groves" by their spiritual name, are protected under private property laws and thusly are not an uncommon sight in regions with notable Odinisit practitioners.    A local legal case has found both parties guilty of breaking established laws, with the young couple found guilty of trespassing on private property, while the Odinists were found guilty of assualt. They have been sentenced to five months & 1 and 3 months in prison respectively. It is largely believed that this ruling, in addition to the video, have become the cause of an outbreak of violence by the two groups with vocal Christians voicing their anger at a government whom they see as unwilling to protect them in favor of Odinists. In contrast, vocal Odinists are voicing their own anger at the government for favoring Christians over themselves. The Government has yet to make an official statement on the subject. Firefight sees seven dead    A firefight in the Region of Luchöw erupted between Local Authorities and members of the Elsheim Syndicate, an organized criminal group known for human trafficking, among other things. The incident occurred in a raid by authorities following an anonymous tip about a warehouse where the Syndicate was supposedly holding captives. According to some accounts by nearby residents the incident lasted between 25-36 minutes the resulting in the deaths of two police and four syndicate members while three others were taken into custody. Though no capitves were found, authorities have confirmed that the warehouse was being used as an isolated surgical facility, most likely to perform organ harvesting operations. The incident has become one of many in recent years with the Government having vowed to "Adress and ultimately stomp out Sudmarks rampant crime". The country has seen an alarming rise in organized crime activity throughout all regions of the federation with an estimated twelve separate Syndicate groups having been identified by the Federal Security Bureau (FSB) thus far. The Rise in crime is largely attributed to the Long Winter and its economic consequences, with many individuals taken into custody often being rather young.          In recent years criminal elements in Sudmark have become infamous for establishing an elaborate and country wide network of organ harvesting and narcotic trafficking. Something that has seen the rise of many new and the thriving of old Syndicate groups

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