We Are the Herdsmen

[Cybil de Blanc]

(The wind is heard whistling in the background. Blue text fades onto the screen.)
[font="Palatino Linotype"]
[center][i][size="3"][color="#000080"]"Northanic Anthropology & Natural History...."[/color][/size][/i][/center][/font]

(Text fades out, and is replaced by new text.)

[font="Palatino Linotype"][center][i][size="3"][color="#000080"]"In collaboration with the Northanic Departments of Education and Environment...."[/color][/size][/i][/center][/font]

(Text fades out again, and is replaced by another string of text.)

[center][font="Palatino Linotype"][i][font="Palatino Linotype"][size="3"][color="#000080"]"Proudly presents...."[/color][/size][/font][/i][/font][/center]

(A steady drumbeat begins, the text fading out yet again. The black screen abruptly turns to a vision of the tundra in the daytime, with faint traces of snow being blown across the landscape. After about twenty seconds of the drumbeat, traditional Inuit throat singing can be heard.)

[center][i]"Cyneriice Northan."[/i][/center]

(Scene changes to a snowy owl looking around, sitting upon a nest of young chicks, who lay asleep beneath their mother's wing.)

[center][i]"Formerly known as Baffin Island, her name means 'Kingdom of the North' in the Old English dialect, with the original spelling altered slightly. It is a harsh land, home to a unique and fragile ecosystem."[/i][/center]

(As the narrator speaks, the scene changes a few times, showcasing various parts of Cyneriice Northan and its ecosystem, including a polar bear on the northern coast, a patch of Labrador tea in the middle of nowhere, and a ptarmigan walking slowly across the open tundra. The throat singing ceases for a moment, before starting up again, repeating this process over and over again as the intro song continues.)

[center][i]"Known for its Tintagylist-leaning government - or 'Tintagylyish' government, in the words of national slang - its people are as diverse as the flora and fauna within its borders. Shortly after it was founding, and save for a brief period of time after a political lockdown, it has always welcomed refugees and immigrants all over the world, embracing multiculturalism with the most open of arms."[/i][/center]

(There are flashes of the Northanic people, of natives from the Vinlandian times and newcomer immigrants, of the Inuit who have lived upon Baffin for millenia, and the Marchar originally from what was once Ireland.)

[center][i]"With such a large and diverse cultural quilt, subcultures and movements are nothing new in Cyneriice Northan, and it is not unheard of to see a Christian speaking to a traditional Inuit pantheon worshipper about the differences between the pair's beliefs."[/i][/center]

(Said people are show discussing such over a store counter.)

[center][i]"Or, a steampunk fashion-lover walking beside an East Asian cosplayer."[/i][/center]

(Once again, the aforementioned people are shown walking down the street, with one in a Haruhi Suzumiya costume, and the other sporting aviation gear and brass goggles.)

[center][i]"But it is not here where we will find what is one of the most unique groups in Cyneriice Northan, steeped in the growing traditions of the land, and the source of some of the country's most interesting dishes and fashions. They are found not in the big cities of this land - "[/i][/center]

(A picture of Northanholde is shown, before switching to the barren tundra.)

[center][i]" - But here, upon the vast Northanic tundra."[/i][/center]

(The screen goes black, there is a sharp whistle, and then, the sound of thundering hooves. The screen reappears to show a shot of a reindeer herd's feet, before snapping to a shot of their heads as the herd passes by. Whistles and yells are again heard, and the screen then shows a shot of the herd going over an icy hill covered in Labrador tea. Then....)

[center][i]"...And with the reindeer - the tamed herds of the native caribou - that live there. This...is the story...of the Northanic Herdsmen."[/i][/center]

(Riding reindeer with special saddles and harnesses, wearing snug winter clothing to keep out the cold, reindeer herders charge over the hill, some with barking dogs running alongside them. Blue text fades onto the screen, and a flute joins the music.)

[center][color="#000080"][b][u][font="Palatino Linotype"][size="5"]"WE ARE THE HERDSMEN"[/size][/font][/u][/b][/color][/center]

(A smaller string of text fades in below the main title's text.)

[center][i][u][font="Palatino Linotype"][color="#000080"][size="3"]"The Reindeer Herders of Cyneriice Northan"[/size][/color][/font][/u][/i][/center]


[center]- = = -[/center]

[b]OOC:[/b] A sort of BBC Presentation-esque thread showcasing the reindeer herders I've often wrote about. Feel free to leave OOC commentary, or have your characters flip the television channel to the Northanic channel and start watching.

[Holy Ruler]

You have great sense of imagination. I like your use of imagery. Its like I could see what you are describing.

[Pikachurin]

[quote name='Holy Ruler' date='30 January 2010 - 11:45 PM' timestamp='1264913104' post='2146589']
You have great sense of imagination. I like your use of imagery. Its like I could see what you are describing.
[/quote]
OoC: I agree, it's almost like I'm actually watching the show in real life.
IC:

Due to Disparu's proximity to Cyneriice Northan, the show could be viewed by most Disparueans who resided in the north. Disparueans who stumbled into the channel while channel-surfing would become glued to the show, and letters from Disparuean viewers inquiring about reindeer herders, or just Cyneriice Northan in general, would soon flood the station's headquarters.

[Fizzydog]

NTR citizens and government offials alike are loving this.


OOC: This is awesome. You should be a writer, I would buy your books.

[Jordosaur94]

The Chancellor was in his Estate, flipping through channels until he stumbles upon the Northanic channel, currently showing a new documentary called 'We are the Herdsmen'. Bismark says to himself "This should be most interesting.".

[Fizzydog]

Yiroshi missed several meetings to watch.

[Cybil de Blanc]

(The text slowly fades from the screen, and a montage of of the reindeer and their herders is shown for a little while longer. A short line of credits roll, mostly about the camera operators, directors and such, before the screen goes abruptly black. A final, loud drumbeat accompanies this blackening. Silence is heard for a few moments, before the sound of low grunting and hooves stamping fades into hearing range.)

[center]"Rangifer tarandus pearyi."[/center]

(The scene switches to a panning shot of a feral caribou herd grazing in a valley-like area. There is a [i]huge[/i] number of caribou grazing - at least a thousand of them - and they are loud enough to be faintly heard from the crag the cameraman is standing on.)

[center][i]"The scientific name of the Peary's Caribou - the subspecies of caribou, [/i]rangifer tarandus[i], indigenous to Cyneriice Northan, and just one of many among caribou-kind."[/i][/center]

(A map of Ice Age-era North America fades in, zooming in on what is now the Bering Strait.)

[center][i]"First hunted by the Inuit, whose ancestors crossed the Bering Strait land bridge during the Ice Age, they have been a source of food and clothing to Arctic peoples around the world for centuries. Not only were they hunted by the Inuit - "[/i][/center]

(A montage of photos fades in, showing reindeer hunters of various northern ethnicities and their kills.)

[i][center]" - But by other indigenous peoples of the Arctic as well, and those living in the Arctic all across Europe and Asia - and even farther south than that, back when reindeer could be found as south as former China and the United States."[/center][/i]

(The montage then switches to people raising reindeer instead of hunting them.)

[i][center]"Reindeer husbandry is nothing new either; since the late thousands B.C., the Tsaaten people of Mongolia have raised them, the Sami of Finland raised them, and in the 19th century, a program was set up in what was formerly Alaska to raise them. It was from these people that the reindeer economy of Cyneriice Northan was inspired, primarily by this woman - "[/i][/center]

(A picture of a regal-looking Cybil de Blanc is shown, sitting on a small stool as she poses for a portrait for the Northanic papers. Her face is slowly zoomed in on as the narrator speaks.)

[i][center]"Queen Cybil of House de Blanc, first monarch and founder of Cyneriice Northan, and a native of the upper Arctic."[/center][/i]

(The scene switches to an Inuit woman, who sits at her desk in the Northanic Department of Environment. A blue box, outlined by black, is "drawn in" at the bottom of the screen, with the name "Lacey Hawkesbury" appearing in white in the middle. Below her name, a string of smaller white text reads, "Representative of the Northanic Department of Environment.")

[i][center][u][b]Lacey:[/b][/u] Living in a protectorate, not as much...attention...was paid to the land, compared to the actual Vinilandian nation itself. For a long time, overhunting caribou on Baffin Island was a serious problem, and the global warming crisis was throwing off the breeding season for, um...for the deer. It was under control by the time, uh, Queen Cybil rose to power, but we were still...seeing...some problems with the population. It just wasn't safe for us to hunt them anymore without driving the numbers down enough to start problems with inbreeding.

[u][b]Female Interviewer:[/b][/u] And this is when your department stepped in with the research on Old World reindeer husbandry?

[u][b]Lacey:[/b][/u] Yes. It was originally to be pitched at the Vinilandian government, but when Baffin Island became Cyneriice Northan, we thought, "Why put it to waste?" The Queen wanted only the best now that Baffin Island could rule itself, and when she asked us about relieving some of the stress on the kingdom's environmental problems, we showed her pictures of the Tsaaten and the Sami, the Nenets...everything we could show her on how reindeer husbandry had worked all over the world.[/center][/i]

(The scene then changes to that of Queen Cybil and her council discussing something, with Cybil hovering over a map and pointing at something. It zooms in on the council and the queen, while alternatively switching and fading out to scenes of the royalty discussing and planning the program. It also shows the council and the queen evaluating several specimens of live caribou.)

[center][i]"The plan was simple - keep the traditional practice of using reindeer-based goods in one's daily life, but leave the native population alone. It was estimated that the population would need almost a solid ten years of being left alone before any real progress could be judged. Thus, only a few feral individuals were taken from the population - a hundred caribou, to be exact; fifty does and fifty bucks each - and used in the first founding stock. However, as one can see from these photos, Peary's Caribou are far too small to ride, in comparison to tamed reindeer nowadays...."[/i][/center]

(The scene switches to that of a Peary's Caribou in a side shot, wearing a halter, held in check by a Northanic government official holding its lead rope.)

[center][i]"So how did they get from this - "[/i][/center]

(Scene switches to that of a larger caribou - but not as large as a Scandinavian caribou - also wearing a halter, and its lead rope also held by a government official.)

[center][i]" - To this?"[/i][/center]

Edited February 1, 2010 by Cybil de Blanc

[Subtleknifewielder]

Unfortunately, the signal was too weak for most in Australia to watch the show, but a few high-placed individuals managed to pick it up, and it became an instant hit.

[Cybil de Blanc]

(The scene switches to an elderly Inuit man - somewhere near his seventies, to be precise - sitting at a desk, writing something down, surrounded by literature on Cyneriice Northan's environment and the caribou that live in it.)

[i]"Doctor Matthew Amaguq, an important figure in Queen Cybil's 'Operation Northern Husbandry', explains."[/i]

(The scene switches to the man speaking at his desk.)

[center][i][b][u]Matthew:[/u][/b] If you should read about the reindeer-herding peoples of Siberia, you will learn that the stock they tame - it is not usually a traditional practice to raise reindeer like cows or sheep - are significantly larger than what the Northanic variety of caribou are. Just as you wouldn't place a full grown man on a pony, you wouldn't go and take stock that is not structurally sound enough to be ridden and turn it into something someone's going to sit on. The Northanic reindeer you see today are a crossbreed of Peary's Caribou and the Siberian subspecies of caribou - local enough that more stock can be added to the bloodline in a short amount of time, and sound enough to be used for mounts. Cyneriice Northan has not yet been able to create ties with the Siberian nations - that was the challenge I and my colleagues faced - so, former Vinilandian zoos under the new government were turned to. From there, we acquired a hundred Siberian reindeer, matching the number taken from the local population, and the breeding programs began.[/i][/center]

(Scene switches to that of the Majesty's Environmental Advisor, Rebekah Brandon, lecturing a group of Northanic men and women in a fairly large room. She stands on a small stage, pointing at a map and various other diagrams as they are shown by the person working the slide projector. Following that, there is a montage of facial shots of the farmers, and of the education they went through - lessons on reindeer behaviour, feeding, health care, etc. There are also shots of the Northanics interacting with the tame reindeer, and even bonding with a few.)

[center][i]"The program was mostly a quiet affair at first. A random number of people, all with prominent agriculture and aquaculture backgrounds, were summoned to Castle Northanholde. There, they were informed of Queen Cybil's 'Operation Northern Husbandry', and given a course on how to properly raise reindeer. They were taught by individuals that included traditional Tsaaten, Samis and other reindeer-savvy ethnicities; Queen Cybil wasted no time in making sure her project went smoothly. There were twenty participants in all that made it to the end of the course, and each were given ten reindeer each - five Northanic bucks and five Siberian does, or vice versa. As soon as more reindeer could be acquired, they were to be given to the farmers upon request. A new way of life had been born."[/i][/center]

(The screen fades to black as the final sentence rings. For a few seconds, it remains so before a sharp whistle is heard, and the screen abruptly changes to a reindeer herder walking along with buckets in his hands. At his side are two [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samoyed_%28dog%29]Samoyeds[/url], all smiling and fluffy and glancing up at him.)

[center][b][u]Man:[/u][/b] It was...an interesting experience to be picked for, to say the least.[/center]

(The scene changes to a 3/4 facial shot of the man, who speaks with Texan accent. His house, and the shack attached to it, is seen in the near distance. At the bottom left of the screen, the blue, black-bordered box is once again 'drawn in', and white text fades in, saying, "Lee Crossby-Roan". Below his name, more white text fades in, saying, "Originally Chosen For Operation Northern Husbandry".)

[i][center][b][u]Lee:[/u][/b] It was really more of something around Northanholde, and in the northern areas too, where there's a bit of an unemployment problem. I used to be one of those shiny fishers - one of those guys who goes out and finishes aluminum recyclables from the shoreline - but I had a farm in the Texas Commonwealth once. When I was picked for the program, I was, uh...had been laid for about six months. I'd been staying with family, and then I saw this thing at a job centre, that the government put up...so I went to see what was going on.

[b][u]Female Interviewer:[/u][/b] Are you still in the business?

[b][u]Lee:[/u][/b] Absolutely. This is the best job I had since I left Texas - pay, health care...everything's covered by the government. I kind of missed the farm life, too, so this brings back a lot of good memories, me doing this. I also helped breed some of the first riding reindeer Her Majesty used before she disappeared.

[b][u]Female Interviewer:[/u][/b] Really now?

[b][u]Lee:[/u][/b] Uh-huh. The government co-owns the stock, so they take a part of the crop. They pay nicely for it, though, and its really nice to have money for the heating bills again. *laughs*[/center][/i]

Edited February 1, 2010 by Cybil de Blanc

[Fizzydog]

Next to the popelar shows "Can you sing?" and "Rock around the clock!", this is NTR's most favorited and recorded show.

[freakwars]

OOC: This is amazing

[Fizzydog]

[quote name='freakwars' date='01 February 2010 - 04:10 PM' timestamp='1265062216' post='2151191']
OOC: This is amazing
[/quote]



OOC: This guy has some talent in writing. How jealous I am.


IC: NTR government officials are loving this shows more then any other show they have.