Author Topic: Lodjain Coronation 2022  (Read 1544 times)

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Offline Libby

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Lodjain Coronation 2022
« on: May 08, 2022, 09:56:38 PM »
OOC - A joint Nottingham post



The buzz of excitement around Gaia was huge. This was a once in a lifetime event, normally people would have said that about the coronation of young monarch anyway but in the last few years Lodja's crown seemed to carry a curse and for most Lodjains this would be the third coronation they would have witnessed but for each of them it would be the first time they actually could have seen it with their own eyes. The central square of Gaia had a huge statue to the Goddess of Sessifet hoisted high on a pedestal but today around the bottom a stage had been constructed and it was here that the coronation would take place, not in some cave under the Isle of the Goddess. The three large buildings that hosted the civil service and other organs of government flanked three sides of the square while the forth was left open with a large sloping park now filling up with a huge number of people. In anticipation of this large video screens had been erected and speakers attached to lamp-posts. The prospect of driving a car along the streets was impossible and only the road that lead to the Isle of the Goddess was devoid of crowds as members of the Police and military kept it open. Out of the eyes of the general public marksman lined to top of the government buildings and covert members mingled with the crowds.

Over on the island itself the new High Priestess, Maria Shvets, was putting the finishing touches to her preparations. She would today potentially be starting new traditions and what she wrote could last thousands of years. It was a pressure she was only too aware of and butterflies were doing barrel rolls in her stomach. Next door the future Queen was equally nervous. Unconstrained by tradition she had opted for a change from the blue dress with gold embroidery and instead had the colours reversed. The dress hugged her figure but was designed to float onto the floor in such a way that if the Queen took small enough steps it could give the impression she was gliding. Two of the Ladies in Waiting attended on her while the third was busily arranging some flowers that the Queen would carry. There was a knock on the door as Jasmina left her flower duty to answer. "I beg your pardon Miss." A tall Maori man dressed in olive green dress uniform, a cap tucked under his arm and a small box in his right hand. "My name is Lieutenant Hahona   Mere I was wondering if I could speak with Her Majesty."

Jasmina was about to turn this junior officer away as they were busy but Natalya had heard the voice. "Come in Hona" she yelled and removed herself from the attentions of the other two Ladies in Waiting in order to give the Maori officer a hug. The much taller Hahona leaned forward and the two pressed noses against each other. He was the heir to the Chiefdom of the Ngāti Paoa which had adopted the Kozel family several years ago. The two had become good friends and as soon as Natalya had been announced as Queen their militia had been part of her security contingent. The Queen stepped out of the hug and looked him up and down. "You look great" she'd never seen him in his uniform before and it did make him look rather handsome.

"It should be me saying that to you.....Your Majesty" It would take some getting used to having to address her formally. "You look beautiful. I'm sure you're Queendom will be very proud of their new Queen." He understood the vanity of the Lodjains and although he hoped Natalya wasn't going to be like them he wasn't saying it as a form of flattery. "It would mean a lot to our Iwi if you allowed us to be the first to present you with a gift." He handed over the box and flipped the lid open. It was a turtle shell bracelet with a solid silver clasp. The turtle was the Iwi's emblem and the silver clasp bore the date.

"Of course" Natalya took the gift and held it up to Hahona to make a show of inspecting it, a tradition among the Maori. She slipped it on and closed the clasp, "What do you think?" she asked her Ladies in Waiting who smiled approvingly. "I love it, please thank the Iwi" she added. Hahona held the box expecting her to take it off and replace it in the box. "Oh, I'm not taking it off." Natalya instructed him, "I was hoping to somehow show my connection to the people of the Commonwealth but wasn't sure how. You've saved my bacon so to speak." she kissed him on the cheek. "I'm sorry but I need to finish getting ready." She went back to the mirror and Hahona bid her goodbye as he headed out to find the rest of his Regiment down at the foot of the Isle where they would be part of the ceremony. By the time he got down there four columns of soldiers were putting the finishing touches to themselves. The Maori twelve were keen to hear of the Queen, each of them were members of the Royal Forest Scouts but also members of the Ngāti Paoa. Next to them was the green and red kilted members of the Cenneg based Highland Fusiliers each man carrying a ceremonial claymore that were recieving appreciative glances from the Royal Marines from East Moreland. A contingent of Lodjian Air Men completed what would be the escort for the Queen who was now making her way down the road from the Palace. Groups of staff from the Palace lined the road as the Queen's car passed. Once at the bottom of the hill the Queen was helped from the car by Lord Besarian Ivanov who escorted her to where a large open top boat was waiting. Carefully it was loaded, the Lodjains and Morelander escort in the front, the Queen, her Ladies and High Priestess in the centre while the Cenneg and Maori brought up the rear. Shvets had considered having rowers take them the kilometer or so across the bay to Gaia itself but instead had found a boat with a small engine that soon had them at the other side.

On the other side of the bay the King's of the CNN nations waited, no doubt the three of them Piripi, Finley and David had been chatting about the up coming rugby world cup before they were told the Queen was arriving meanwhile the Queens were probably complaining about the rugby. In a large square the escorts formed up, two nations in front and two behind. This was to be a symbol of the Queens closest friends being supportive of her coronation, something that would in the eyes of many Lodjains be important. The Queen came over and greeted each of the monarchs, David and Finley with friendly kisses on the cheek and Piripi with the touching of foreheads. She had a horse carriage for each of them which followed her own as they made their short journey from the quayside to the square where the ceremony would take place. The crowd was now huge. A lottery had taken place to give members of the public entrance into the square itself, something that had annoyed the nobility who had expected to be front and centre. On the stage several Priestesses stood all dressed in black. A large throne had been placed in the centre and a small table held a crown and several other objects. As the convoy reached the square the crowd began applauding. The CNN monarchs were given front row seats of course while their military contingent formed a circle around the stage.

Maria Shvets took centre stage now, her long red robe marking her as a person of significance today she gave a quick cough to clear her throat and check the microphone attached to her dress was working and then began. "We gather here today in a manner unusual for our nation. Today marks the beginning of a new era in Lodjain history and therefore it is perhaps fitting our coronation is done in such a way as we have never seen before. I would call on each of us to take a moment of silence to remember Queen Klara before we begin." The square fell silent and heads looked skywards as people offered prayers to Sessifet. After a suitable time Shvets began again. " The Goddess Sessifet sacrificed her physical form, the perfection of beauty, in order to save mankind. As an act of love and devotion to the supreme Goddess the young maiden Mariam offered her own body as a replacement willing to have her soul leave to allow the Goddess to remain. The Goddess though would not see such a beautiful soul lost and so the pair shared the physical vessel and Mariam ruled as Queen with the Goddess guiding her every step. From that day forward as one vessel completes it service a new is found. A vessel of great beauty, spirituality, intelligence and youth is required and so the Priesthood is tasked with such an endeavour. Today we name that person as Natalya Kozel." a ripple of applause went through the crowd. "Usually part of Sessifet's soul is trapped within the vessel and released with fire to be consumed by the new Queen. In this case the soul of Sessifet has already been released and so will have taken to nature in order to preserve her soul. We now welcome her back to our world." Shvets motioned for Natalya to come onto the stage and took from her the flowers she had been carrying. "The white rose has always been the flower of the Goddess." The High Priestess plucked the petals from the flower one by one while praying and placed it in a small container of boiling water. "Through flame and water we release the Goddesses spirit. We ask that she return to us and accept the physical vessel that we have provided for her. We ask that the two of them become one and guide our lands on the path that Sessifet has set before us." A large silver ladal appeared and Shvets scooped some of the rose petal infused water into a golden goblet. She then carefully picked up the container and poured it onto the ground. "Natalya Kozel. The Priesthood have consulted the scriptures, we have looked for omens, we have considered your heritage and your beauty. We believe Sessifet will be happy to accept you as her vessel. To serve her as Queen and act as a conduit between the Goddess and her children. You would be the mother of us all. Do you allow Sessifet to share you physical form for the rest of your worldly life?"

Natalya paused for a second, "I gladly share myself with Sessifet for as long as the Goddess needs me." Shvets handed her the golden cup and unable to help herself Natalya found herself blowing on the liquid incase it was hot. It was a little as she sipped and already she could feel the roof of her mouth forming a slight blister. She did her best not to react after all the Goddess was now joining with her. She wondered how long that process would take as she took further sips until the strangely sweet liquid had gone. As Shvets had instructed she held the cup upside down showing the crowd that she had drained it.

"We recognise you now as Queen Natalya, Guardian of Sessifet. Please take your throne." Natalya did as instructed and Shvets moved in front of her. A teenage girl with blonde hair in a white dress walked onto the stage. "The Patricians of Lodja present you with this crown." Shevts handed it the girl, the daughter of a randomly selected noble. The girl nervously guided it towards Natalya's head, "May it act as a symbol of your status as Queen." The girl completed her task of placing the crown, bowed and then stood to one side. A second girl of a similar age came on, she too was wearing a white dress and had fiery red hair. "The Plebleians of Lodja present you with this staff." A long golden appearing spear shaft with a four pronged top was handed over. "May it act as a symbol of your duty to protect the people."  Natalya held it upright as Lord Lubos Kubik approached. "On behalf of your people the Lord of the Conclave will take an oath of loyalty to you."

Kubik was a giant compared to Shvets and the High Priestess suspected that he could probably have done this without even needing the microphone. "I swear to the Goddess that I will serve the vessel appointed as Queen of Lodja as a humble servant. I am hers to command and shall to the best of my abilities serve her to achieve the will of the Goddess. My Queen Natalya-Sessifet have a long and joyful reign." He knelt and only now seemed a similar size to Natalya, she offered her hand and he kissed it before standing behind the throne.

Shvets pronounced her the new Queen and invited her to address the crowd. Natalya handed her new regalia to the Ladies in Waiting and then stood to face the people on the sweeping hillside. "We have been fortunate to have been part of the lives of three incredible people over the last ten years. First we were with Queen Sonya, a lady who gave nearly 90 years of dedicated service to our people. A woman who even now has family trying to serve us. Then we were Queen Viktoriya, a woman driven to help author some of the key documents of our time. Finally we were Queen Klara, a young lady driven to change Lodja but denied the time. Klara was our hope for a Lodja that made up for time. While Sonya was loving, kind and devoted she was nervous of change. Klara was not. She was intent on making Lodja a land of beauty, not just physically but morally. We shall continue her work. We shall complete her work. Each of you will be required to be open to change, to support it and embrace it. We have strong friends with us to help us on our path. King David of East Moreland has been a steadfast supporter of our nation and just as he has guided us in the past we hope we can still count on his friendship and patience as we walk our road. King Finley of Ui Cenneslaig has supported our efforts to make the Alucard a better place and between the two of us I....we are...committed to making the Alucard the safesty and most harmonious ocean in the world. Now to our beloved Maori brothers and sister. For five years you permitted us to reside within your borders, you helped us learn, helped us become the vessel that was selected to host Sessifet. We can not thank you enough and we say to you "Ka mau tonu tetahi wahi o toku ngakau ki aua whenua." Now though our work must begin to make us a nation that was worthy of the sacrifice of Miriam. That work begins tomorrow for tonight we celebrate. Thank you for your love." The crowd cheered and the Queen descended the steps. She presented each of the CNN monarchs wives with a white rose and each of the men with a smaller version of the goblet she had used. There was a pause before she spoke, as though she was thinking of how to word things. "I hope you will all join me for a private drink later tonight. There is much I'd like to speak to you all about. First though we need to get back to the Isle." The Queen mounted her carriage and was taking a roundabout route back to the Isle whereas the monarchs and various other guests were taken via a direct route, this time in cars.

The Isle was now in full party mode, and the Lodjains knew those matters better than most on Mundus. This time the tide had gone out and they could all drive across the causeway and up to the Palace itself. The quiant little inn at the bottom of the hill was already filling up with those staff not needed for the event and their family. At the top of the road stewards of the royal household had drinks waiting and the ball room of the Palace was hung with Gold and Blue drapes as a band began to play classical style music. Around the Palace various other small halls featured other musical artists and there was no shortage of booze flowing. The Queen arrived around 90 minutes after everyone else and now devoid of her crown she entered. "Honoured Guests" the Palace Chamberlain interupted the music. "Please be upstanding for Her Majesty Queen Natalya." the room parted as the Queen entered and for the first time today she felt a little self conscience. She scanned the room unsure how to proceed, if she favoured one guest over another than she would perhaps knock someones nose out of joint but then she spotted the towering Maori soldiers and among them Hahona, she made her way over.

"Hona they're going to expect me to dance and if I pick the wrong Lodjain its a mess so your it." She grabbed his arm and he followed, there were a few puzzled looks around the room as several well connected Lodjains questioned who the officer was. As the Queen nodded for the music to begin she motioned to the other CNN monarchs to join her. Queen Stasya didn't need to be asked twice, being back home she'd seen many admiring glances and she was enjoying the attention. She dragged David onto the dance floor and placed her hands around his neck after positioning his hands on her hips. Finley dressed in his kilt didn't need asking twice, he would have preffered something a bit more rowdy but after slipping the band a few whiskey's he'd hope that would come later. Queen Riona smiled as her husband tossed the tiny dagger from his sock to his brother Lennox before grabbing her to begin dancing. Piripi though was no dancer, he was perhaps the least elegant looking man here and refusing to take off his giant feather cloak made dancing difficult. Queen Maata was teasing him that at least one Maori could dance as she watched Hona and Natalya lead the dancing. The party would continue until around 6am the next morning although with business to get down to the next day the Queen headed out at about 2am after a brief nightcap with the other monarchs.

Piripi felt as though he should begin the toasts when alone, he felt Natalya in some ways was one of his people, she'd embraced Maori culture and he counted her father as a friend. "Natalya as you know we think the world of you back in the Commonwealth. As of late we've been pretty bad CNN friends with everyone, that will change and you will be the conduit. I am glad to be back among friends." He raised his glass.

David had a package under his seat and after he'd enjoyed a quick sip of the Cenneg whiskey Finley had brought David presented a book from under the fabric. "Its become somewhat of a tradition that when I attend a coronation I bring a gift of a book. The knowledge of books is something that helps guide us all. This one though is a little different." He handed over a book that was a little thinner than perhaps Natalya had expected it was made of leather but still had a lingering smell of newness about it. "Inside are all the communications between the monarchs of East Moreland and Lodja. You'll notice there are many pages left that I hope we will fill and that the book need never get passed on for a very long time." He drained his glass, "Now if Finley will top this up we'll hear what he has to say."

The Morelander and Cenneg King had gone through a great deal of the bottle and as he handed David the bottle Finley stood unlike the others. "I'm not a man for pretty words." David and Piripi laughed, "But us Cenneg like a toast, or six, so Natalya" Finley closed his eyes as he tried to ensure he got the words right. "May good luck be with you wherever you go, and your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow. May your days be many and your troubles be few, May all the God's.." He paused for a moment, "May all the Gods, Helus, Sessifets, Rangi and Papa's blessings descend upon you, May peace be within you, May your heart be strong, May you find what you're seeking wherever you roam and not matter how far and whatever the miles let your feet always find your way home." He opened his eyes satisfied that he had got things right. "Long live the Queen."

"Long live the Queen" the other two added. The three Kings looked at each other and remembered the good times they'd shared, usually over a rugby game, now though there was a new member to their inner circle and only time would tell if she would be a good fit.


OOC- Assume that you were invited if you want. If anyone would like to take the opportunity that the tradition is the Queen meets petitioners the next afternoon and foreign guests get first go then feel free to.