The Heptarchy of Eboracum News Channels

[Eboracum]

ANNUAL EXECUTIONS GIVEN APPROVAL

Emperor Lucius III has today denied the final appeals of 12 individuals sentenced to death. The 9 men and three women have been prisoners for around ten years each with all of them having exhausted the appeals process having recently written to the Emperor asking for clemency. Of the 12 individuals nine are sentenced for murder, one for rape of a minor, one for kidnapping a minor and the final one for treason following a murder attempt on the Princess of Axelbourg in 2012. The group will later today be moved to the Imperial Guards HQ where they will be executed, individually, by firing squad beginning on the 20th of December. As is tradition once executed their blood will be collected and used in national ceremonies for the Winter Solstice known as the Night of Reflection and Rebirth. In ancient times slaves or prisoners were sacrificed in the Temple on the night however now when available the blood of condemned prisoners are used. Currently around 180 people are under sentence of death in the Empire which permits use of the death penalty for murder, kidnap or rape of a minor, treason, terrorism or anyone convicted of dealing drugs on three occasions. Speaking on the impending executions an Imperial spokesman said, "The individuals due to be executed should be grateful for the Emperors benevolence. Their crimes are amongst the worse imaginable and now through the Emperors connection with the God, Veridus, they stand chance at earning at least a tiny bit of redemption. Through their blood we will revitalise Veridus and life will flow through Mundus."  Only eight of the prisoners are actually needed for the ritual and several believe that the Emperor should leave four of the group on death row. One member of the prison service said. We have projections of when each prisoner on death row is likely to face their execution, our estimates are only four executions will be taking place next year meaning we would be four short for the Solstice ceremony. By postponing four of the ceremonies this year we would be more likely to make the number required for 2024." The Emperor though has yet to comment on that situation.

EMPEROR RENEWS LEASE ON AETHERIAN HAVEN

Aetherian Haven was built in the 1600's by a rather paranoid Emperor called Alexis II. It sits on the edge of a near unclimbable cliff face and is only accessible by either the cable cars installed in 1964 or via a small single track road controlled by the Imperial Guard. It is considered the most peaceful of the Emperors homes and provides quiet isolation. The property is actually owned by the King of Rochelac however it is leased to the Emperor for a period of 60 years at a time. The current lease runs out on 4th January 2024 but today the Emperors spokesman has explained that the lease has been renwed. "The Emperor enjoys mornings with a coffee on the balconies while watching birds of prey hover over the valley below. In summer the bright colours of the various crops growing in the farms at the foot of the cliff make a pretty backdrop and of course he has time to reflect and think on what his duties are." The Emperor is spending new year there.

[Eboracum]

PROTEST ON SOLSTICE EVE

As the nation finishes work for tomorrows Winter Solstice celebrations preparations have begun however outside the Grand Imperial Court in Ebora protests have begun. Around ten individuals arrived just before midday and unveiled a banner saying "Stop Executions", shortly after the crowd increased to around 20 people who began chanting aimed at attracting attention for their petition to call a halt to this evenings executions. The crowd were permitted to carry out their protest however very few people were seen signing the petition. In a recent poll 88% of the nation supported the nations current policy on the use of execution. Currently executions take place once a year on the morning of the Winter Solstice where the blood of those executed is then utilised in the evenings ceremonies. All executions are carried out by firing squad with the bodies then being drained of blood in a specially constructed chamber beneath the execution chamber. A total of 30 members of the Imperial Vanguard will execute eight people over two hours. At one point during the protest the Capital Police were forced to step in to protect the protestors from an over zealous group of worshippers making their way to Temple who criticsed the protestors for trying to stop the celebration of the solstice. One of the protestors explained why they were taking the stance they are saying "The idea of using blood to please a God is outdated. The ceremony serves only one purpose and that is to brainwash the public of Eboracum that the Imperial family are some heroic returnees from an afterlife sacrificing their place in paradise in order to help the rest of us reach there. As such we are expected to just let them quiet literally bath in blood. It must change."

Tomorrow Emperor Lucius will lead the national celebration from the capital where he will fill the Temple's blood pit with the sacrificial blood. He will also grant his son Crown Prince Henrik the title of Consul as of 1st January 2024 and use the ceremony to bless his heir and hand over all his rights and responsibilites as the heir. This means Henrik will formally take control of a whole wing of the royal palace, be permitted to take official consorts, propose laws and undertake religious duties on behalf the family. The Crown Prince will on the 1st January begin a 12 months consulship with his father, the Emperor, taking the other position. In a statement released by Emperor Lucius he stated, "I am proud of my son and know in many years time he will become a fine Emperor. Until then I expect him to serve the Empire with dedication and resolve. He has duties both in this and the spiritual realms and I am expecting great things from him."

[Eboracum]

EMPEROR NAMES NEW KING OF LYSACIEN

Under an Imperial Decree issued in 1754 it was made law that all the Kingdoms that form the Heptarchy must have a King and that this King must be approved of by the Emperor. Throughout the centuries that have followed succession down bloodlines descended from Emperor Geoffrey Archambault I have ruled each Kingdom with only rare instances taking place where direct father-eldest son succession has not taken place. In the 1810's the crown of Cyrain was ordered to pass to the deceased King's 2nd son as the 1st was deemed a "fool" by the first Emperor. In 1833 the crown of Céladonia passed to the then King's brother as he had no sons and only daughters. It has though become tradition that should only daughters exist in the direct bloodline she may rule as Queen for 12 months if unmarried, during that time she may take a husband with Imperial approval and he shall become King, if no husband is found within that 12 months then the Emperor may order a marriage which if not accepted will see the King select a new candidate. These traditions may seem strange to outsiders but have held the Empire peacefully together since 1751. However for the past six months the Kingdom of Lysacien has been without a monarch. In that time the Emperors half brother, Ghyslain Lyon, has held the Kingdom as Regent. Today however the Emperor has issued a decree that his eldest son, Renaud will be crowned King following the death of King Phillipe III of Lysacien at the age of 31 from a car accident. He had two daughters, aged 6 and 3.

Renaud was born in 1990 and his mother is the Emperors first consort, Her Highness Éloïse Roy a Princess of Montverde. Renaud currently serves as 2nd in Command aboard an Imperial Navy Destroyer and will be leaving the service in order to take control of the KIngdom. The Emperor explained his decision to the people of Lysacien saying. "You're previous Kings were not prudent enough to ensure a strong royal bloodline existed. As such I have no choice but to effectively transplant a new bloodline into your Kingdom. Rest assured your new King, Renaud I, will uphold and maintain the traditions of your Kingdom. Lysacien is a vital part of the Empire and I value its friendship and loyalty everyday. Renaud is a good man who will tie you ever closer to the Imperial throne, you will find the connection directly to me invaluable and he brings royal blood from Montverde too ensuring a sacred bond to Veridas that is indisputable. His first task though will be simple, ensure that King Phillipe's widow and children are provided for and cared for. While Phillipe may not have ensured the long term stability of his bloodline he was a man who loved his people, the Empire and his family and for that he will forever have my respect. Renaud will also be tasked with ensuring the Kingdom thrives, Phillipe, had made a start in making use of Lysacien's coastal resources and beauty a vital economic force and that will continue. I predict Renaud will do great things here."

The newly named King Renaud will be formally crowned on New Years Eve in a ceremony in Lysacien. The 33 year old is married to 27 year old Sylvia Krouse, the daughter of a noble from the Imperial Provience. She will become Queen Sylvia. The two have been married for seven years and have two children who will now assume the titles of Prince. Prince Timothee is six years old and Julian is four. The new King has yet to address his new Kingdom but has stated, "It is as big an honour as I can ever receive to help guide the people of Lysacien on behalf of Veridas. I shall do my best to ensure each and everyone of my new subjects are able to reach paradise and I am grateful my father trusted me with this task. I have, as a Naval Officer, spent much time here and always found Lysacien to be a wonderful part of the Empire. I am sad to leave the Imperial Navy behind after 10 years of service but other duties call and I wish everyone there well."

[Eboracum]

"SUPPLIMENT KING" TO HOST SPORTING EVENT

Achille Giraud, the owner and Chairman of AGPerformance, has today announced controversial sporting event to take place in the city of Ebora. The first ever "Performance Supported Games" will take place in late March at the National Sports Arena in the Imperial Capital and will be the first major sporting event to take place with no anti-doping procedures. Speaking at a press conference Mr.Giraud stated, "Our company has for just over a decade now excelled in producing a range of medical and sporting suppliments designed to fine tune and perfect the bodies performance. The problem is that we've got so good at what we do that many of our products are considered too potent for professional sports, they give the user such an advantage that the Mundus Games Committee has banned them. We, sports fans that is, often imagine what is possible and so we're going to find out. We will permit any athlete to compete in this games on condition of proving that they have meet certain qualification criteria in terms of previous performance. We want this to be a spectacle and if your simply someone seeking TV time then we're not interested, if you're someone with genuine talent and potential we welcome you. We are hopeful of attracting some excellent athletes willing to accept a showcase to let the world see what peak human performance really is."

It is understood that the games are not supported by the Eboracum Sporting Association who stated, "The use of performance enhancing drugs and supplements can be dangerous. Rules do not exist to limit performance but to help athletes stay safe. They exist to ensure that the rich nations of Mundus who could, if they were willing, pump their sportsmen and women full of every steriod and EPO going while the poorer nations would be relegated to second place simply because of lack of chemical enhancement. While we are not able to stop the games we can not officially sanction them meaning that things such as world records can't be set nor will the results appear in any official capacity. For any Eboracum athlete taking part we will also ensure that they are tested the moment they declare any intention to compete in sanctioned events in the future.

Mr.Duraid also confirmed that he has reached out to some of Mundus sporting greats in an effort to entice them to compete. Speaking at the launch he said, "We have offered East Moreland's Daisy Greechan a significant sum of money if she comes here and competes and a bonus if she can beat any of the world records. We're keen that this can become an ongoing event every year." AGPerformance currently are the largest supplier of steriod medication to the health care system in Eboracum and have over a hundred licenced suppliments on sale in health stores and supermarkets ranging from Vitamen C suppliments to Pre-Workout boosters. In 2023 the company made $78million profit and expect to do even better this year as they begin expanding into more global markets.