Professor Dominika Popova has today become the first female leader of the Conclave in 300 years. The 55 year old is the Duchess of Kisokan and also the Sheriff of Inarigda, two significant former coal mining areas that have become part of a large hydro-electric generation scheme. The announcement was made this morning during a series of proclamations connected to the Queen's intended reshuffle of the nations highest council, the Conclave. The first announcement signalled that this would be some major shake up when it was announced that Lord Lubos Kubik, the current leader of the Conclave, would be stepping down. The 77 year old assumed the position following the nations recent civil war and was the Minister of Defence before that. In her proclamation the Queen said, "Lubos has served the Queendom since he turned 18, first in military uniform and then as a minister. He was one of the most respected and incorruptable army officers we have ever had and much of the push to reform our military came from him. He has now earned a very long and happy retirement but he has assured me, as you would expect from a man of dedication such as him, that should I ever need his advice or guidance then he is only a phone call away. He has agreed to remain in the Palace for the next few weeks to help our new Conclave get up to speed." Moments later the announcement confirming his replacement came. "Duchess Dominika is more than qualified to fulfil this role. She has overseen an ambitious and innovative project in her home estates, she is a Professor of Geographical Studies and a well respected scholar. She has held a multitude of local government roles and I'm aware of many members of the Conclave seeking her advice from time to time. She is a perfect example of someone who is very wise and very well versed in the culture of Sessifetism. I am confident she will help me shape my vision for what I want Lodja to be moving forward."

Duchess Dominika later said that she was "honoured to be able to break 300 years of convention and serve the Queen." She is expected to arrive on the Isle in the next few days and will be joined on the new look Conclave by 10 other new members in a council of 18 individuals. Duke Maxim Schnoor retains his place as Minister of Education and Lord Besarian Ivanov remains as a special envoy. The swearing in ceremonies of the new members will take place over the weekend and will utilise the new cameras set up in the Conclave's venue to allow the public to witness the ceremony for the first time. The Queen has confirmed that one seat remains unfilled and that is for the Tribune of the Plebs who she hopes to have in place by the end of the month.

 

Hospitals...

There were a few things that Serenity didn't like, hospitals were high up the list she'd spent so much of her life in and out of them for one reason or another whether it be aplastic anaemia, pregnancy, leg surgery, physiotherapy or live liver transplant. And that was just her involvement, added to that were the various visits with her daughters and those always made her feel even worse, which ultimately made this one the worst yet. Serenity was no stranger to the scalpel, her left leg was a testament to that, but for her younger daughter Astrid this was a first, at eight years old, it was experimental surgery and it was part of the Scrivens Medical trial into reversing hearing loss. If things went as hoped then it was possible that Astrid's would be reversed. Serenity was sat in the hospital room that had been set aside for Astrid, there wasn't a bed as the surgery was in progress but there were a handful of Astrid's keepsakes on the bedside table there was her trio of soft toys a little teddy bear and two pokemon ones a Vulpix and a Pikachu, there was a team Achkaerin baseball cap from the Mundus Games and there also a white and blue patterned ocarina.

"Val's outside pacing and you're in here." Euphy said referring to Astrid's translator.
"Can't manage to take my mind off of it." Serenity said as Val came in with three paper cups of tea.
"It's going to be a long one." Val said handing the cups out "I've never been this nervous." she sat down.
"That makes two of us and I'm counting the Mundus Games." Serenity said
"Three and I married you." Euphy said

"What are we going to do for Dad's birthday?" Serenity said rubbing her eyes, it was a change of topic brought out of needing to move her focus away from the operating theatre and think about anything else.
"Surprise party?" Val suggested "He'll never see it coming."
"Star Wars music and all." Euphy said "I'll bust out the harpsichord for it."
"Do you all play a musical instrument?" Val asked
"Mum's influence." Serenity said, meaning Iona Azurewind her father's first wife "But yeah we do. Beatrice plays the organ, I play piano, Euphy's on harpsichord, Simon plays the trumpet, Cerys plays sax, Sakura plays violin, Jack plays guitar, Kyoko plays bass and Evanthe's harp right?"
"Yep." Euphy said "Then Lucinda's pretty good on keyboard."
"Lisa's learning the drums, Astrid's not bad with her ocarina and then Simon's girls play the clarinet and oboe." Serenity said "Not forgetting Katyusha and her balalaika."
"Quite the orchestra." Val said
"It is isn't it." Serenity said then she giggled "I just had a crazy idea."
"What?" Val asked
"Dad's birthday, what about getting the band back together?" Serenity said

"Now there's a thought." Euphy said sipping her drink "Three and a half months to pull that together."
"For one night at least one night for now." Serenity said "I'm sure we can find enough room in schedules to make it happen."
"Thank goodness Sakura's dating the Youth Orchestra's conductor." Val said
"Want me to make the phone calls?" Euphy asked
"Strike while the iron's hot as they say." Serenity said
"I'm on it." Euphy said
"And I'll talk to Becky when we get home." Serenity said

   "Naturally." Sadazane said with a nod before handing over a few folders which contained information on Fusan's present trade deals. "As it stands, the most significant to keep in mind is the ASDN—the Association of Shaw and Dauntel Nations—which does affect trade to some degree, mostly by requiring lower tariffs on imported goods between member-states as compared to countries not party to the Dunwich Declaration. I can't imagine that impacting Dunhart so greatly as to preclude a deal." He added before saying "Beyond that, there really isn't much of note beyond the standard dealings one might expect from a country like Fusan, none of which would impact Dunhart in any way."

There were advantages to being a nation that many would say was in decline, people kind of left you alone. Over the past 100 years or so around 30million of your own people had elected to seek a life beyond your own borders. That though had simply meant the vast resources the Gods had blessed them with went further and so while the nation struggled in some respects it was a nation where, if you looked beyond the fairly frequent religious carnage, life could be good. Life in Xerente was dominated by the faith. In a way everyone should have been worshipping Salvatrix for she would one day return and save every soul, others though believed that while the Goddess was powerful other actions must be taken for if she would save us all we need to make sure we survive in the best manner we can until then, that was where the problems started. Those in the Cults of Bellator believed being the best fighters and warriors would increase your chance of seeing this moment, meanwhile those who followed Mendax believed in the use of cunning and guile to position yourself in as strong a position as possible for when she returned. Throw into the mix that not only did the five sub-cults have a love/hate relationship with each other they also had their own sub-cults. Chief Magistrate Narcis Zappa now regretted this as he would need to try and navigate explaining this to an outsider. However he was not alone, thankfully the Primarch of the Covenant would be alongside him. Octavia Pax had the unenviable job of keeping the various Cults inline, a task some said was like trying to herd kittens. Attired in a simple black suiness suit she didn't radiate the image of a faith leader but that was just one of the Primarch's job. She also had a government role, acting as a check and balance to the Chief Magistrate Narcis Zappa who would be dealing with todays business. In truth he was rather nervous. It wasn't the cosy trade talk, or embassy expansion he had imagined but more like an inspection. He knew the Morelanders were rather well connected so perhaps this was a chance to make a good impression.

When the Morelander finally arrived at Xarqueada International Airport he found a group of black uniformed men holding historic looking rifles presenting a guard of honour from the bottom of his aircrafts steps to the two hosts. While foreign affairs were firmly Narcis' field of play he was also aware that protocol was potentially important and so he was happy to allow Octavia to take a lead and she confidently stepped towards King David. "Welcome to Xerente Your Majesty. We're delighted to welcome you. The background to your visit may not be the most joyous but we hope we can ensure you leave happy. I hope your young countryman is OK?" She enquired. "This is Chief Magistrate Narcis Zappa, he'll be doing most of the talking for our nation just with some of the talks likely requiring a religious input he thought it best that I should be here too."

"Your Majesty" Narcis bowed his head. "I agree this may be an unfortunate reason for our meeting but I hope we can make something good come from it." He escorted the King towards a waiting helicopter. "I would normally encourage you to enjoy the sights of Xarqueada, its a beautiful city, however its also a chaotic city in terms of traffic and so we believed it better to take a more direct route." The group boarded the helicopter and Narcis handed everyone a headset. Soon the helicopter’s rotors thundered through the early morning air, casting a shadow that skimmed the green fields crisp with frost. The city stretched like an intricate mosaic, where ancient history and modern life intertwined seamlessly. To the left, the mist covered hills flanked the city. The helicopter veered in towards the city itself, gliding over the terracotta-tiled rooftops of the Old Town which today was little more than a tourist attraction. The unmistakable form of Temples marking the skyline still dominating the heart of the city. Tourists and locals alike appeared as tiny, bustling figures, moving through its historic courtyards and beneath arches that had withstood centuries of storms and war. Beyond the Old Town, the city expanded into modern districts, where glass-fronted buildings and bustling streets signaled the pulse of modern life. The hum of life was almost audible even above the roar of the rotors—a blend of car horns, laughter from open-air cafés, and the faint strains of street musicians performing by the various Temple steps.

As the helicopter climbed higher, the view extended to the rugged peaks of the hills that formed the border with Abertone, their gray limestone faces streaked with patches of green. To the south, the green forests of Marjan jutted out from the mist their evergreen trees maintaining an otherwise missing spark of colour in the white dusted landscape. Joggers and cyclists braving the cold morning were visible from above, tiny dots weaving through a natural escape that seemed worlds away from the city’s vibrant core. Ahead, the Primarch's Palace building loomed—a modern architectural anomaly on the outskirts of the city. Its sleek, angular design and metallic sheen contrasted starkly with the red roofs and ancient stone of the Old City. Security vehicles surrounded the building like chess pieces on a board, their positions strategic and unwavering. Banners of the six Gods fluttered from the buildings roof. As the helicopter descended, the faint scent of damp soil gave way to the sterile, metallic tang of the landing pad. As the rotors stopped a young man hurried, head bowed, towards the door and opened it just as the blades locked into place. "Your Majesty" he helped unstrap King David before holding the door for him. Now free of their transport the Primarch and Magistrate took the King inside the building which despite its name was just 20 years old. "The old one was destroyed by earthquake then fire. It's on the opposite side of the city and being turned into something of a tourist trap." Octavia added as they made their way to her large lounge used for when she normally meet with the various Cult leaders. "So King David where would you like to begin?"