Lazarus regional update (April - May 2025)

Alignment change in Lazarus
By Eldarion

With the passage of the Amendment to Charter of the Lazarene Regional Guard, Lazarus has established a defender alignment for its military. While Lazarus has no standing military it is a direction in one orientation of R/D that will have its detractors and supporters. It will nevertheless represent a significant change in the foreign policy direction of Lazarus.

The new Lazarus flag

Order Returns to Lazarus
By Eldarion

As part of an April Fools event, the New Lazarene Order returned to Lazarus, with a large number of people applying to the next Emperor of Lazarus. It seemed that some in The Pacific weren’t too impressed of course, and this led to some interesting interactions.

The announcement read: IMKI SQUARE, Mar. 28 -- In a breathtaking act of political gymnastics, the government of Lazarus has executed the rare and majestic art of overthrowing itself, emerging triumphantly as the New Lazarene Order -- a name that might stir distant, uncomfortable memories for those familiar with history. But fear not! The leadership assures us that, “this time, it’s completely different.” After all, nothing says “stability” quite like deposing oneself.
State media has dubbed this self-coup the Revolution of Unity -- because, naturally, the best revolutions are the ones where everyone already agrees. The move was justified in a grand televised address by First Citizen Domais. He assured the public that this was an “inevitable and necessary political realignment” to restore the sacred Lazarene principles of Order, Harmony, and Prosperity -- three lofty ideals that, much like Lazarus’ leadership over the years, seem to be constantly in flux. Domais further clarified that these sweeping changes had the “unanimous and enthusiastic support” of both the Hegemon and the Herald -- because, when one orchestrates a self-coup, it's best done with unanimous approval from oneself

At the ceremonial helm of this resurrected regime sits none other than the now-former Hegemon, His Roundness, Tubbius, First of His Name. Weighing in at a stately twenty tons, the beloved monarch has magnanimously accepted the title Emperor of the New Lazarene Order. His coronation promises to be a lavish affair -- provided the venue can structurally withstand the ten-ton emerald throne upon which he presides. To commemorate this historic moment, an opulent banquet has been scheduled immediately after the ceremony, with His Imperial Roundness expected to heroically consume a 45-course meal in what can only be described as a truly Olympian feat of statecraft, demonstrating once again that leadership is, above all, a test of endurance. From atop his immovable monolithic seat, the newly anointed emperor issued his first imperial decree: “Mmph! Mmmmmph! Mmmmmph!” -- a profound statement that, though unintelligible, was met with thunderous applause by officials eager to maintain employment.

Meanwhile, the now-former Herald, His Fluffiness, Mr. Lazarus (with a capital M, as the new regime is keen to remind everyone), has assumed a yet-to-be-defined but undoubtedly critical role in the new order. Sources within the palace suggest his primary responsibilities now include overseeing intelligence operations and ensuring that those with “misguided political opinions” suddenly develop an unshakable desire for early retirement. His newly formed Imperial Office of Political Stability and Correctional Reeducation is reportedly already hard at work, though oddly, nobody seems to recall seeing any of its former critics lately.

As part of this bold new vision, the government has also undergone a dramatic rebranding effort. The Cabinet is now called the Senate, because -- as history has repeatedly shown -- merely changing the names of institutions instantly fixes all governance issues. In a move hailed as “a stroke of administrative genius”, First Citizen Domais has also promoted himself to President of the Senate. One anonymous insider reported that Domais spent the morning in a shroom-fueled fervor, pacing the Senate halls and repeatedly declaring, “I am the Senate!” in an increasingly intense and theatrical tone -- a statement widely regarded as both authoritative and completely normal.

Outside Lazarus, interregional observers, initially puzzled by the self-coup, quickly connected the dots. The signs had been there for months: the election of Domais, a then citizen of the New Pacific Order (NPO), to the highest office; the appointment of Feux, a former NPO Regent (and, coincidentally, an organizer behind the original New Lazarene Order coup), as Minister of Internal Affairs; and the elevation of Yao, a former NPO Deputy Senator of Foreign Affairs (where have we heard that name before?), to Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Yes, indeed, the cycle is complete. Long live the New Lazarene Order! (Again.)

Then a day later everything returned to normal, and Lazarus found itself with a new flag that wasn’t the New Lazarene Order one, which everyone can now see on our regional page.

General Updates
By Eldarion

- Lazarus pledges support for the sovereignty of the Outback
- Lazarus proscribes Lone Wolves United
- Lazarus changes regional guard act alignment to defender
- Lazarus opens embassies with Blue Ridge, Britannia, Starlight, Equiterra, Vibonia, and The Order of the Grey Wardens

The Lazarene Gazette
THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF LAZARUS
Issue 22 • 5/5/2025

What is the direction of Lazarus
By Eldarion

The direction of Lazarus probably isn’t always clearly understood by outsiders, as mostly Lazarus tries to keep to itself. Lazarus generally moves towards the central aim of making the community work more effectively, through constant experimentation, which can be beneficial sometimes and other times not work out so well. It is especially hard in a region like Lazarus, which has both its difficult past as well as the present to consider.

Historically, Lazarus has been a mix of pure democracies, autocracies, and monarchies, and the current Lazarus has had a mix of de facto monarchy with democratic elements, and depending on the leadership that can be both a good and bad mix. The People’s Republic of Lazarus came out of an ineffective political situation and major issues with activity, which then led to a more autocratic Lazarus, which ironically was one of the most active regimes, if not the most controversial. Whereas regimes like the Humane Republic, and then Celestial Union, were very democratic, to the point that they became unstable and prone to infiltration.

I’ve often pondered what is the best style of government, as Nationstates is different to real life, and approaches that are vastly different to real life can really work for the game, such as an enlightened but autocratic technocracy, or a RP theocracy, or even a region opposed to game mechanics themselves, as with the anti-WA/UN movement established by the defunct region of Gatesville for a time.

For Restorers, it seems that the consensus is some variant of a strong long-term Delegacy, coupled with some democratic elements in the legislature. This did not always work out well, depending on the administration, as if those democratic elements fought the delegacy and vice versa, it could lead to difficult situations internally. Despite this Balder, Lazarus, and Osiris are still standing however, so there is something to the argument that slow and steady can win the race, as far as longevity of a regime at least.

Lazarus at least so far has moved toward the direction of a more centralized government, through an Executive Council, and having elections in times of activity or request, rather than having elections for sake of elections in the past. And the next steps likely will move more into the direction of building a structure for more swift decision making, and refining institutions to use less positions for the same task. As Lazarus, even under the best of times can have personnel shortages. And perhaps there are better times to come in this regard, or Lazarus can at least hope anyway.

Government structure in Lazarus, as of 2025

Where from here for Eudaism?
By Eldarion

The new regional ideology of Eudaism sort of had a rocky start, with regions confused by it, as well as other nations, as they got some impression this was a theme change, rather than an ideological change. But I think it is best expressed by the axiom that hard work elevates us all, and those that engage in that work are moving the region towards greater heights of prosperity and happiness for the region as a whole. And I would have hoped that people didn’t confuse this with something as aggressive as Francoism for example, as this is much different from that as well, as the regional ideology is a reflection of what our region aspires to be, rather than something it seeks to impose upon others.

To put its aims in perspective, like a lot of ideologies, Eudaism is about the elevation of the self to a higher state of being. Under communism this would be to become the ideal worker of the proletariat, someone engaged politically, understanding of the wider struggle of the working class, and devoted to the wider aims of the international community and the unity of the workers as a whole. Under a more religious ideology, this might be to achieve some form of enlightenment or reach the level of being that they could be assured of a place in the afterlife.

Whatever Eudaism might become however, the general end game is to really keep people engaged, and be willing to put in all the effort they can to make Lazarus a better place. So while a term like “Lazarus for the Lazarenes” or the “Great Crusade” could be taken on face value very negatively, the end aim of these terms is not to divide anyone, but to inspire and create a community that is all together, one for all, regardless of class barriers, religious beliefs, or differences in political ideology between nations.

“Lazarus for the Lazarenes” would for instance in the case of Eudaism, mean that anyone who becomes part of Lazarus, and is truly willing to make it prosper becomes a Lazarene, and becoming a Lazarene is really something open to anyone who shares our values and aspirations for a Lazarus where social and political division doesn’t define the region, but regional unity does.

The “Great Crusade” could otherwise be termed as the Great Work, or the great goal, rather than something as devastating as a crusade where the forces of the ideology face their foes on the field of battle, though certainly it is possible for this to occur at times - especially if the community of Lazarus itself is put at stake.

If I could hope for a direction for it, then it will be for the regional ideology to become a positive part of our region, as much as a theme could become. Though these are different things as a regional theme can be more about how the region appears, whereas an ideology is more about how a region acts internally, and sometimes externally to outsiders.

Are regional ideologies a drain or draw to a region?
By Eldarion

Regional ideologies are curious aspect of Nationstates gameplay, as they can be used in a more basic sense as part of an organizational structure, and not really approach the level of an outwardly clear ideology, or they can be really pronounced and out there like with Francoism of the New Pacific Order, and the region of Unknown as it was in the past with a strong regional focus on a religious RP and some ideological RP seeping in. Though Raider/Invader vs Defender ethos was probably the ideology that for a long time really has been felt through the game, even if it has declined a lot since the early days of extreme defender moralism.

When I was involved in the sort of ideological scene of that early on I was very much a defender moralist, who viewed raiding as a constant evil, a destruction of communities, and threat to a game where everyone got along and we advanced through one voice through the mechanizations of good natured regions and the World Assembly.

But over time I began to lose my faith, as it was, in the defender ethos, as the ADN:DSA collapsed. I never really was inspired to join the Founderless Regions Alliance, in no small part to my differences with the leadership. And that eventually led me to becoming a Raider ethos convert, who viewed being a Raider kind of like being a gardener who prunes the dead and decaying regions from the game, so that new nations aren’t sucked into communities that are no real benefit to the game anymore.

But one of the regions I was in became corroded by its ideology, to the point that it ignored other regions' concerns, even to the point of breaking inter-regional taboos around allowing players to exist in a region that had been openly denounced for both IC and OOC behavior of poor conduct. This is where I think an ideology adopts a dangerous fortress mentality, and everyone tied to the region is then forced to fiercely defend even the indefensible. I do not know all the details of the recent situation in The Communist Bloc, though at times I feel that they have somewhat fallen into this fortress mentality trap. That to show external weakness is a direct threat to the regional community as a whole, rather than a recognition that even the largely infallible can make the wrong decisions in regards to how a community is run.

As far as regional ideology in Nationstates as a whole is concerned, I am inspired and really value regional ideologies, as they express that a region really cares about its community, how they view the game, and have aspirations beyond whatever their their regional theme might be to either shake up the game and build regional activity, or inspire others to do the same. As a player though, I hope that regions and organizations learn from their mistakes and move forward. As really that is possible for anyone, if they work hard at it, and are willing to put in the sincere effort to change. As regional ideologies really draw out the best of a region and its community as a whole, more often that not, even if there are bad actors, as in fascist regions that distort ideology into something really disturbing and cringe worthy.

Delegates through history
By Eldarion

This regional update was brought to you with all the best wishes of the region of Lazarus. Thank you for reading!