Author Topic: Lodja Times  (Read 37947 times)

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Offline Libby

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #90 on: September 02, 2020, 10:48:28 PM »




QUEEN CALLS SNAP COUNCIL ELECTION

Although not due to take place until 2023 the Queen has used her power to call a snap election for the People's Council. The Council is made up of 150 Patricians and 200 Plebs and was last elected in 2018. The Council exists to suggest legislation to the monarchy and guide the Conclave however it lacks any actual power to effect change that goes against the will of the Queen. The election will take place in two weeks and the Queen has already stated that she intends to create some positions within the Conclave for Plebs likely meaning she will use the election as a chance to see who enjoys the support of the people. The council is elected by splitting the nation into zones with each zone electing a set number of representatives dependent upon the population contained within that zone. For example the city of Gaia elects 4 Patricians and 6 Plebleians while the island of Alucard Minor elects 2 Patricians and 1 Pleb.

One of the people eyeing one of the new seats on the Conclave is National Conservative Assembly Party leader Marina Vasilev. Vasilev's party represent only Plebleians and is drawn primarily of those from religious minorities in Lodja, Vasilev herself is Jewish. Speaking after the election was announced Vasilev stated, "I believe regardless of the result there must be a non Sessifet following Minister or Junior Minister in the Conclave. We have seen Lodja become more and more debouched and something needs to be done especially after we have seen a corrupt regime on a scale Mundus has never witnessed. We need a fresh broom and a new set of expectations on the Conclave." It is likely that the National Conservative Assembly will get possibly one or two seats only and therefore experts believe that there is little or no chance of the party getting a representative on the Conclave.

Meanwhile the leader of the Lodjain People's Party, Nikolai Isaev, is highly tipped to do well. The Party was formed in 2019 and has picked up two seats in by-elections. Both of these seats were won in huge landslides meaning pollsters believe the party will make a huge impact on the Pleblian section of the council. Many of the parties supporters are already calling for the former military Sergeant-Major to be given a seat on the Conclave as a representative of the Plebs. Isaev however is a devout follower of Sessifet and believes that while the Plebs should have a voice to the Queen he believes that the position of Tribune of the Plebs is the way to do this, "Historically there have been regular meetings between the Tribune and the Queen. A time when the voice of the Plebs can sit down and one to one outline the concerns and feelings of the Plebs to the Guardian of Sessifet. This permits the Tribune to question the thinking of the Queen without having her degraded by having to answer questions of Plebs while in the Conclave. The Goddess gave us a hierachy to ensure we devote ourselves to following her so that we enjoy the rewards of her grace. We are beginning to see people believe they are entitled to Sessifets goodness simply by existing."

One big question that remains however is the future of the Priesthood after the High Priestess Alla Kohan was dismissed from service as announced in the Queen's TV conference. Many believe that either Maria Shvets or Arina Maksimov will be given prominent roles having seemingly revitilised the engagement of young Lodjains with the faith since assuming positions as "Priestesses for Youth" in early 2019. The Queen has already stated she intends to take a more hands on approach to the management of religion. The Queen has yet to confirm how this will be done and is expected to make an announcement on this in the next few days.

Offline Libby

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #91 on: September 05, 2020, 07:49:22 PM »




QUEEN CONFIRMS MAKE UP OF NEW CONCLAVE

Following her recent speech to the nation the Queen has been remodelling the Conclave. The Conclave is what many other nations would consider the Cabinet however in Lodja's case the members are unelected and sit in council with the Queen in expectation of them managing their area of responsibility on a day to day basis. Several members of the Conclave have been recently dismissed prior to the Queen's announcement and the Queen has spoken of increasing the size of it moving forward and adding for certain portfolios adding junior ministers. The Queen's Press Office has today released a list of the current Conclave and the names of the incumbant Ministers were appropriate.

Lord of The Conclave:- Lord Besarian Ivanov
Minister of Defence:- Vacant
Minister of Home Affairs:- Duke Maxim Schnoor
Minister of Social Affairs:- Vacant
Minister of Education:- Vacant
Minister of Finance:- Dragan Knežević
Minister of Housing:- Lord Yuily Shvets
Minister of Foreign Affairs:- New Post
Minister of Justice:- New Post (came under the remit of Home Affairs previously)
Minister of Environmental Affairs:- New Post
Junior Minister of Finance:- New Post
Junior Minister of Defence:- New Post
Junior Minister of Foreign Affairs:- New Post
Junior Minister of Social Affairs:- New Post
Junior Minister of Education:- New Post

In addition to the Conclave positions above the Queen has also confirmed that each meeting of the Conclave will feature a representative of the Priesthood and the Tribune of the Plebs who will be determined in the up coming snap election that the Queen called a few days ago.

With the Conclave only having 1/3 the number of members that the Queen now requires it is understood that until the positions have been filled the Queen will not be holding meetings with the Conclave and instead will be holding daily meetings with Lord Besarian and Priestess Arina Maksimov. While previously King Leopold had apparently used his royal privledge to sit in Conclave meetings it is understood that he has been sent to the Isle of Tar where the Queen has an estate, this is following allegations of the King bribing judges to ensure Queen Klara fulfilled an ancient marriage contract. It is not known whether the Queen will seek to reconcile her relationship with him or will simply become estranged.


Offline Libby

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #92 on: September 06, 2020, 09:59:23 PM »




QUEEN ADMITS CONCLAVE FACES LARGE PROBLEM

Queen Klara has today admitted that she has come upon the first stumbling block forming the new Conclave and one that she has not found a "satisfactory solution" too but rather a "Stop gap but excellent solution that may need to be in place several years." The Queen has reached the conclusion that she may be unable to find a Lodjain with the qualifications required to be Minister of Defence. The Queen admitted that she has a strict list of criteria she wishes to see fulfilled for each role in order to ensure that the Conclave is "staffed with experts in each field who have no connection to the scandals of the corruption we have just removed." The Queen confirmed that the Minister of Defence needed to be someone with "significant military experience in a unit which has either been among those that have undergone retraining with the Morelanders or came from units deemed free of irregularaties." The Queen went on to say, "We so far have discovered that all those who fulfil the criteria are serving members of the Armed Forces and at the moment are fulfilling an important role within the military meaning we struggle to have anyone who can fulfill the role."

The Queen later in the day announced however that until further notice the post of Minister of Defence would be undertaken by Prince Lennox of Ui Cenneslaig. The Prince currently serves as the Cenneg Envoy for Albion but has made for the last three years a home for himself on the Isle of the Goddess where sadly his wife died two years ago in a fall from a balcony. The Prince served in the Cenneg military as a Commando for several years and has experience of international diplomacy. He is expected to serve until a retiring Lodjian officer can be found to fill the position. Prince Lennox's appointment has recieved mix responses with some saying that the Queen has made the best of a bad situation while others are critical that Lodjains are no longer in control of the Conclave or that Sessifet's influence could be weakened. The Prince is currently in Lodja and is expected to begin in the post immediately.

Offline Libby

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #93 on: September 13, 2020, 10:39:05 PM »




RESPECTED SCHOLAR NAMED AS NEW MINISTER

Professor Borislav Andreev has today been named as the new Minister of Social Affairs. The 43 year old is the 2nd son of the Duke of Kalita and has spent a great deal of his life working at the University of Kalita as a lecturer in Sociology in addition to being the author of around 15 books on a variety of subjects. The announcement fills the 2nd of the vaccanies currently in the Conclave following the appointment of Cenneg Prince Lennox as Minister of Defence. Professor Andreev will now be responsible for overseeing changes to housing policy, public health programmes and various other fields helping support people's day to day lives. The appointment marks a stark change from previous appointments who have all been either noble title holders or the heirs to titles with the exception of Dragan Knežević the nations current finance minister. It was left to Lord Besarian, the head of the Conclave to introduce the new Minister to the media and he hinted this shall now be a common approach. "Queen Klara spoke to the press saying she wished Lodja to become a more meritorous society. That will mean those with the correct qualifications or experience. Professor Andreev is someone with a wealth of knowledge in how to position society so that all can benefit, at least in theory. He can now bring this tremendous wealth of knowledge to focus on many of the issues Lodja has."

Speaking at his introduction on the Isle of the Goddess Professor Andreev said he was "excited to have a chance to see if years and years of theory work in practice. I'm nervous to take up this role but at least its a period of vast change in the Conclave so I won't be alone. I am happy to be working for the Queen and hope I don't let her down." Professor Andreev is expected to travel to the Isle of the Goddess to take up residency in the coming days.




Offline Libby

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #94 on: October 10, 2020, 10:06:07 PM »




LADY NINEL LEADS "MERIT DRIVEN" CONCLAVE ADDITIONS

Lady Ninel Naoumov was today named as the nations first Foreign Minister as a raft of new appointments to the Conclave were made public. The 54 year old is the former Sheriff of Gaia and was for several years the editor in chief of the Lodjain International Journal, a prominent scholarly magazine reviewing international politics. She is perhaps the highest profile appointee in a new Conclave which has been described by Queen Klara as being "merit driven" with each position filled by someone with a "deep background in their field with a combination of book smarts and real world experience. The aim is to ensure that rather than just being a body drawn from those of prominent families who have for generations often been permitted to amass power based on a surname the Conclave will become a functioning and effective tool for managing the Queendom." In total the Queen made 11 new appointees meaning the Conclave now has a grand total of 15 members and is now at its full compliment of members in its new form.

New Look Conclave (new appointees in red)

Lord of The Conclave:- Lord Besarian Ivanov
Minister of Defence:- Prince Lennox of Ui Cenneslaig
Minister of Home Affairs:- Duke Maxim Schnoor
Minister of Social Affairs:-Professor Borislav Andreev
Minister of Education:-  Vissarion Novikov
Minister of Finance:- Dragan Knežević
Minister of Housing:- Lord Yuily Shvets
Minister of Foreign Affairs:- Lady Ninel Naoumov
Minister of Justice:-  Vlad Fedorov
Minister of Environmental Affairs:-  Isay Yakovlev
Junior Minister of Finance:-  Lidochka Andreev
Junior Minister of Defence:-  Radimir Konstantinov
Junior Minister of Foreign Affairs:-  Anatoli Bogomolov
Junior Minister of Social Affairs:- Professor Borislav Andreev
Junior Minister of Education:-  Borys Volkov

The new conclave also features two women, a new record with the former Social Affairs Minister Anna Utkin being the only other woman to have ever served on the Conclave. Lady Anna Utkin was also the first person born as a Plebleian to serve on the Conclave however both Borys Volkov and Lidochka Andreev, who serve as Junior Ministers, are Plebleians and are appointed in line with the Queen's commitment to have Junior Ministers appointed from a list drawn up and presented to the Council of the Plebs. The identities of those on the lists for Junior Minister have not been seen by the media.

Various members of the Conclave have spoken today about their appointment.

Vissarion Novikov - (Minister of Education) Novikov is a 48 year old who has spent the last ten years as a tutor at the University of Iskor where he oversaw teacher training. He had prior to that worked as a Maths teacher at the Coastal Academy for Boys. He has written several books on increasing engagement in education by plebleians. Making his first appearence in his new post the Minister stated, "It has always been the case that the Patricans have been the head of the nation and the plebs the muscle. We now live in a world where the intelligent application of muscle is needed more than ever. We have an education system that slants itself on the concept that Plebs do not need to be educated beyond the age of 16 while Patricians are educated until the age of 21 with many wasting places at University just to be able to say they've been. It needs to become to norm that your mind and not your birth rite gains you a place in education. That now needs to be made possible and I am proud the Queen has entrusted me with this job to make this happen."

Vlad Fedorov (Minister of Justice) - At the age of 70 Fedorov is the oldest person on the Conclave. Fedorov was the judge responsible for carrying out a review of the circumstances around the assassination of Queen Viktoriya and has overseen some high profile cases over his 20 years in the High Court. His brother is the Baron of Nilag a small town in the North West of the mainland. Speaking as he arrived at the Ministery building the new Minister said. "It has become clear we face a turning point in Lodjain judicary. We have had corruption and nepotism on a scale unseen across Mundus. If the practice is to be eradicated then it needs to begin at the top and I fully expect to take a broom to those unable to comply with what I believe to be normal bevahiour for judges and law enforcement."

Isay Yakovlev (Minister of Environmental Affairs) - Yakovlev is a seasoned operator in Environmental Affairs. Until last year he was the owner and chief executive of Yakovlev Green Consulting, a company based on Alucard Minor, that offers advice to businesses on how to cut their carbon footprint and save money. He sold the business for around $47million in November 2019 and has since spent his time cruising the Alucard on his sail powered yacht making a documentary on the region. He was also part of the Lodjain delegation that negotiated the Treaty of Wellow and helped fund the project to clear plastic from the Alcuard. Yakovlev spoke to the media from Gaia dockside where a ship returning from recovering plastic from the Alucard Garbage Patch Clean Up was unloading. "Lodja has not been a leading light in Mundus for a while now. The one place we have is in our protection of the environment. It is my hope that we can carve out a niche in green policy and green technology. I fully intend to turn the lessons we've acquired from the Alucard clean up to the waterways and lakes of Lodja."

Lidochka Andreev (Junior Finance Minister) is a 30 year old graduate of the Gaia Centre of Economic Studies and comes from the Andreev family who are a wealthy Plebleian family who made their money through metalworks. Lidochka became the first of the family to gain entry to University and won a scholarship to the prestigious institute where she graduated 2nd in her class of 82 in International Economics and Business. Since graduating she has spent the last 7 years working as an investment advisor for the Plebleian Business Alliance, a non-government think tank which aims to advise and support the growth of the Plebleian economy. She will be working alongside Dragan Knežević who was one of the few Conclave members to emerge unscathed by the recent scandals. Speaking at her arrival at the Isle of the Goddess she explained. "I think old fashioned ideals have seen Lodja fail to tap into it's potential. While Mr.Knežević has done a lot to shore up the nations economic dealings he has done so from the insights of a rich businessman and I think I can help him see a bigger picture now. I can't wait to get to work with him."

Many of the other junior ministers hail from the outlying islands of Lodja and have yet to arrive in the capital. It is expected that the elections for the People's Council will be held on the last day of October 2020. The Council is made up of 150 Patricians and 200 Plebs and all seats will be contested.

Offline Libby

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #95 on: October 21, 2020, 10:45:53 PM »




KING EFFECTIVELY IN EXILE

Following a leak of information several months ago it was revealed that King Leopold had bribed judges to find in his favour over a historic marriage contract. Not long after Queen Klara took the throne King Leopold produced a medieval marriage contract that stated that should a member of the Kohut family be unmarried and on the throne then an unmarried male member of the Hamrik family would be able to marry her if they wished. In a court hearing the nations judges ruled 4-1 that the contract was valid and thus Queen Klara accepted their verdict and married the man, 21 years her senior. Since then they have a six month old child, Prince Isaak. The news however that the King may have effectively bribed his way into the crown saw him fall out of favour. It has now been rumoured that in almost two months the King has been residing on the small island of Zoyhan where there is a small Palace maintained for use by the Queen although it has not been used in around a decade. Reports from those who live in the island, which has a population of around 600,000, is that the King spends his time running on the beach, sailing a small boat in the bay near the castle and confining himself inside the Palace.

Rumours from the Palace of the Goddess in Gaia are that the Queen has not even contacted the King after having him escorted from the Palace. While historically no Queen has ever divorced a King there have been several examples of when the Queen has effectively banished a husband cutting all ties with them while utilising the laws on female polygomy to simply replace them after which point they establish the new husband as King. While the Queen has yet to be seen to consider this action it is one that several leading members of the People's Council have called for her to take. One such member is former Priestess Angelina Schenkova who has stated "It is the duty of the Queen to not just rule the nation but to ensure the spirit of Sessifet exists in many children. Each child the Queen has is blessed and cared for by the Goddess and serves as someone who can help take the burden of authority and duty from the Queen as she ages. Look at Princess Anfisa, the grand-daughter of Queen Sonya, there is a young woman who has dedicated her life to serving this nation as an envoy and diplomat and has always done so with the grace and dignity of one blessed by the Goddess. Queen Klara is still young and I am sure she will have many many more children but for that to happen she must take more husbands. She can afford to simply cast aside a man with no respect for the Goddess."

The Queen is also married to Crown Princess Roksana who has remained at the Palace of the Goddess in Gaia and is thought to be free from any involvement in any scandal. Sources at the Palace say that the Queen and her wife, "appear very happy and not concerned about the fate of the King." It was understood that Roksana and King Leopold got along well and our sources describe them as being "good friends."




Offline Libby

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #96 on: October 29, 2020, 10:37:06 PM »




QUEEN ANNOUNCES CHANGE TO PRIESTHOOD

Following alleged corruption against the last two High Priestesses the Queen stated that there would be significant changes to the way the religion of Sessifetism will be organised in the future. The last High Priestess, Alla Kohan was discovered to have been filtering money away from the faith as well as allowing individuals to essentially purchase preferential treatment from the faith. Before Alla Kohan the position was filled by Raisa Chownyk who was responsible for the assassination of Queen Viktoriya Tar before committing suicide. The Queen has for several weeks refused to be drawn on the future of the faith's leadership but today appeared at the Residence of the High Priestess on the mainland end of the Isle of the Goddess to make the announcement on what will happen in the future.

Quote
"The nation of Lodja is built on the foundations of Sessifet. The Goddess sacrificed her physical body so that humanity could survive. We were left with the duty of continuing to make a society that enabled the great beauty and grace she created to thrive. It has become clear though that very people the average Lodjain trusts with helping guide them in the way of the Goddess have failed them. That stems from the top and while you will expect me to lay the blame firmly a the feet of Chownyk and Kohan I will not do that. I will lay the blame at my own feet if you permit me to explain. On the day I willingly agreed to become the host of Sessifet I joined with the Goddesses spirit and we joined as one being. For a long time now we have had the High Priestess responsible for guiding the faith which is from a theological standpoint utterly ridicoulous. I am more than capable of guiding the faith forward for I am Sessifet and Sessifet is me. I can think of nobody more qualified to guide us in the ways of the Goddess than having the Goddess guide us. From this day onwards there shall be no High Priestess, I shall be responsible for the duties that were once undertaken by such a role and I will be the one making the decisions the High Priestess would. Rituals she undertook I will perform, those requiring a High Priestess and the Queen to be present shall be either reworked or shall utilise one of my new appointments as what will essentially be my spiritual Ladies in Waiting, we shall confirm a title in the coming days. These ladies shall be responsible for carrying out my orders regarding the faith and will be part Priestess, part enforcer. They shall carry my authority in spiritual matters far and wide across Lodja and if requested to those following Sessifet beyond our borders. With immediate effect the following measures will be enforced on all Temples of Sessifet regardless of size.

1) No Temple may take offerings in the form of money either physically or digitally. Citizens wishing to make financial contributions to a Temple are to do so through a system being unveiled at midnight tonight where each Temple shall have a centrally controlled bank account overseen by my authority.

2) Any offerings of physical items such as for example jewellrey or flowers are to be recorded in the Temples inventory. Non perishable items must remain on the site and be presented for inspection on request by those authorised by me.

3) Weekly services shall be carried out using traditional prayers as approved by myself in the coming days.

4) Rituals shall select key participants by lottery not by any other means. Those eligible to take a role must give their name to their local Temple 21 days before hand and names shall be drawn 14 days prior to the ritual. This shall come into force for the Feast of Mariam which will take place on November 19th.

5) Training Schools for the Priestesses shall no longer discriminate between Plebleian or Patrician and eligibility criteria shall apply equally to both classes.

6) Upon becoming a Priestess an individual is no longer classed as Plebleian or Patrician. As a servant of the Goddess they are beyond such simple classifications.

These rules shall come in to immediate effect. I understand this more traditionalistic and more hard line approach to our faith may make non-followers concerned as they see other nations imposing strict religious, or anti-religious rules, I wish to reassure those not sharing the faith in Lodja that for them nothing shall change except in minor ways. From now on they can expect businesses to be closed on our four major festivals, they can expect more rigourous enforcement of rituals upon entering Temples if they choose to visit as guests or tourists and they can expect their children to have more focus on the Sessifet faith if they attend a mainstream Lodjain school. Beyond this we shall not change anything for those of other faiths. We are a nation built on a foundation of love and we shall cause no harm to someone mentally or physically just because they are yet to see the beauty and truth of Sessifet. I today give the people of Lodja my promise that under my role as Guardian of the Goddess our faith shall see a restoration of its good order and discipline."

The Queen later confirmed that there would be three people taking up these newly created roles of "Spiritual Ladies in Waiting" and that Maria Shvets and her fellow Priestess For Youth, Arina Maksimov shall take two of the three positions. The two ladies and the Queen took an evening tour of the Temples in Gaia and the Queen ordered two Priestesses to be removed from their office. The Priestess responsible for the Temple in the River Meadow District was found to have denied entry to prayers to Plebleians that evening because a rich businessman and his wife wished to pray in private. Roughly an hour later the Julianna District Priestess was removed for being unable to recite the Prayer of Purity[1]. The measures have been largely supported by the faithful who hope they will make the Goddess happy. One of those at the Julianna District Temple told us, "For about two years we've been unhappy with our Priestess. She does not make the Temple beautiful, the statue of the Goddess has not been given a new dress in months, it is yellowing in colour because she doesn't clean it. We complain but she is friends with the High Priestess and so nothing happens. We'd regularly see girls picked to play the parts of Sessifets servants in ritualistic plays come from the same two or three families, now my daughter who dreams of being in one has the same chance as everyone else."

There has however been some criticism by others. "The Goddess showed us that everyone has a place appointed for them in society. Those blessed by her either with physical beauty or lucky birth should be the ones favoured by the faith as they are favoured by the Goddess." The individual also believed that the lottery approach to selecting those involved in rituals is a bad thing, "Traditionally those in the rituals are the prettiest girls from the most noble families. They play the role of a servant of Sessifet, those servants in reality would not be somone fat and ugly, now to be seen to be promoting equality we risk offending the Goddess saying her servants were not worthy." This however was a point addressed directly by Arina Maksimov who stated, "This is ridicuolous, what people like this are saying is that the Goddess would not approve, yet they forget Queen Klara is in direct communication with the Goddess as Sessifet and her have joined into one being. Do they honestly therefore think the Goddess would allow an order to be issued which she does not agree with. To go against the Queen's new rules is to go against Sessifet."

In a rather quickly put together poll around 68% of the nation approve the Queen's actions while 14% are unsure as to whether they will be a positive or negative change, the remaining responses indicating their disapproval of the new approach to the faith.


 1. Would be the equivalent of a Christian Priest not knowing the Lords Prayer

Offline Libby

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #97 on: November 01, 2020, 09:37:40 PM »




GENERAL KOZLOV EFFECTIVELY SENTENCED TO LIFE

Following a series of charges connected to corruption while in charge of the nations Army the former General Ignatz Kozlov has been found guilty and sentenced to a total of 149 years in prison. In total Kozlov faced 16 different charges with treason being the most serious for which he was sentenced to 50 years without parole. At the age of 61 the sentence means that without a successful appeal Kozlov will die in prison. In handing down the sentence the judge said, "The Armed Forces of the Queendom are supposed to be a representation of what is best in our nation. People serving the Queen, and therefore the Goddess and putting the needs of their countryman ahead of themselves. A life in service requires mutual support and respect between those who serve and in the actions you have taken you put your own advancement and luxurious lifestyle above the safety and well being of those who put their lives in your hands. You were given an ultimate position of trust and you broke that and for those reasons it is only right that you are given the toughest sentence possible. It is also my hope that by handing down this large sentence you will serve as an example to those who would consider manipulating their position for their own gain at the expense of the nation."

The former General has already issued instructions to his legal council to lodge an appeal on his behalf based on the fact that he should have recieved a military tribunal as his alleged crimes were committed while in military service and on military facilities. It is however likely that these arguements will be refuted as it was considered that a military lead trial would be potentially compromised. The appeal will be considered and a determination given within 14 days. Until then the General will be held in the High Security Wing of the Gaia Prison.




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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #98 on: November 07, 2020, 08:52:28 PM »




NO CLEAR WINNER IN ELECTIONS

Following the Council elections which took place yesterday it has become apparent the new Council has no clear winner. With three parties in the Plebleian Council finishing with a roughly equal share of the vote it is likely that no single group will be able to exert influence in the body which is largely advisery in any respect. Meanwhile in the Patrician Council it was as expected that independent candidates have filled the majority of the seats.

The 200 seats avaliable for the Plebleian Council saw the Plebleian Alliance Party lead by Stilian Beruzekhy take a very slender lead with 67 seats. The Party ran on a ticket of supporting the Queen in continuing her reforms which will see Pleb's lives slowly change over the next few years as she introduces incentives to help them stay in education, end forced arranged marriages by their Patricians and also seeks to make it easier for them to own and operate businesses. They narrowly beat the Lodjain People's Party guided by Nikolai Isaev who wished to see more jobs created within the public sector for Plebs, add compulsory prayer to aspects of certain daily life and wished to see a reform of the Councils by giving them automatic seats on the Conclave which was a platform that earned them 63 seats. The last of the three parties to do similarily well was the People's Voice Party commanded by Timon Rodzovic. They earned 61 seats with their campaign focusing on improving education and ending automatic ties to a Patrician for Plebs. The National Conservative Assembly, the nations newst party, gained 4 seats in areas which are more or less exclusively resided in by those of faiths other than Sessifet. 5 other seats went to various independents.

Meanwhile in the 150 seat Partician Council 108 seats went to independents. These were largely minor nobles or the children of more senior nobles. One of those who earned a seat was former Minister of Defence Lubos Kubik. The remaining 42 seats were spread between the People's Voice Party, the Noble Alliance and Lodjian People's Party.

The new council will take its seats in the assembly chamber tomorrow and will be sworn in. It is likely that they may struggle to send legislation of their own to the Queen for approval with the spread of seats being so large.




KING LEOPOLD TO REJOIN MILITARY

Following being effectively exiled to the Isle of Zoyhan the future of the King has been a source of much speculation. Today however sources close to the King have confirmed that the 43 year old is rejoining the military. The King was an Army Officer between 1998-2006 however this was under the old regime of the military where ranks and even regiments could be purchased by the Patricians. In 1999 King Leopold won the Regiment then known as the Royal Watchman Guard in a card game as their former commander couldn't pay his debts. King Leopold gave himself the rank of Brigadier and took part in numerous military exercises with his Regiment. In 2006 he left military service but kept ownership of the Regiment until the beginning of the East Moreland military reforms at which point he handed the unit over in the first wave of Regimental takeovers. Noticably the Regiment, which is today known as the 1st Royal Rifles, earned gold star reviews in each of the East Moreland military reviews and many put that down to the control of King Leopold over many aspects of the Regiment. 

The King is not however rejoining the 1st Royal Rifles and is instead taking up a commission in the Zoyhan Defence Corps, a small unit of around 800 men tasked with providing a first line of defence should the island ever get attacked. He will be commissioned at his old rank of Brigadier and will largely be responsible for the day to day organisation of the units resources. A spokesman for the Army stated, "King Leopold expressed a desire to contribute to the good of the Queendom. Currently while staying on Zoyhan he is unable to offer his support to Queen Klara on a daily basis and so requested some kind of role within our local defence forces. While by his own admission he is not a experienced soldier he has proven time and again to be a superb organiser and leader so we are delighted to have him work with local forces."

There is speculation over the future of the King's marriage as source say since news broke of his allegedly bribing judges to approve his marriage to the Queen the pair have not spoken. Queen Klara has spoken in the past of embracing Lodjain traditions and marrying multiple times in order to "produce a gianomous royal family. Sessifet and me both love children and I intend to have many of them." This statement from shortly after her coronation and the King's apparent exile have lead to speculation she may embark on her third marriage in the new year.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #99 on: January 03, 2021, 01:59:19 PM »




THE MISSING YOUTH OF LODJA

Over the last few months a total of 33 youngsters from Lodja have been repatriated from various countries across Mundus after being rescued during operations to end human trafficking. The autorities in Lodja have identified that of the 33 just over 20 were on lists of people missing from Children's homes or foster placements. The remaining youngsters have however not been reported as missing but a large number are from children's home run by a charity known as Homes For Tomorrow which is now under investigation.

There is growing concern among the government that the actual number of people missing could be much more with currently 280 under 18's being listed as missing by their parents, a further 200 or so in the care system being missing and then an unknown number who may not have been reported. In investigations by this newspaper we have discovered that there is the possibility that some of these people may have been sold to criminal gangs. We spoke to a convict in Gaia Prison who agreed to speak to us on condition we did not publish their name. They were convicted in the early 2010's due to drugs networking however they admitted to use that their "organisation" also dealt in people. "It was simple we would use money from drugs to buy remote homes out in the countryside. We next would find families heavily in debt and offer them a large sum of money to send their children to these homes. From there we would send them out to the islands like Iskor or Tyr where it was easy to bring in boats or sea planes. We would film the children and take photographs of them and someone would take them away. I know of a lot ending up in secret brothels around Lodja that cater to what I'll call the less mainstream preferences. Some ended up in Hassfurt as mail order children to families who wanted certain hair and eye coloured, I think to help the family progress. Others I know ended up in some kind of servitude in wealthy homes. Those that we couldn't get rid of after a while we packed off to Zimalia where there was a surgeon who would remove organs for sale. We could sell a kidney from anywhere between $1,500 to $150,000 depending on its condition or the place we were selling it. After we'd processed a young kid we could make close to $3million easily and it was far easier to transport the kid alive and process them at the destination rather than try sneaking kidneys through." The situation described by the convict is supported by the fact that several Lodjain children found overseas were discovered with kidneys and corneas missing.

Other missing children have ended up in the sex trade. It is well known that Lodja has a rather relaxed attitude towards sex with the practice of prostitution being legal in licenced venues. It is hoped that this licencing process would have ensured the safety of everyone involved and kept criminal elements out of the trade. This however appears not to be the case. In the last two years around 20 individuals have been convicted of running unlicenced brothels. It is understood that several of these brothels permitted engagement in practices that are illegal in the nation such as also dealing with drugs, skipping the medical checks for workers and also in some cases permitting those under 18 to work there. The workers there aged under 18 tend to fall from two groups, the first is youngsters from poor families unable to make ends meet and the second is by utilising what can only be called slaves. One raid on such an establishment in the hillside town of Mezgad discovered locked living accomodation above the venue in which a 40 year old woman was imprisoning 4 girls aged under 14 who were forced to work in the brothel four nights a week. One of those survivors explained that they were sent to a childrens home at the age of 10 and that one of the workers there took them at about the age of 12 to the brothel telling them that they would be moving to a new home. This however was clearly not the case. It is understood that several daughters of poor Plebleian families are pushed towards the profession of prostitution as it is seen as easy money. One such example, who willingly entered the profession at the age of 19 was disqualified Miss Lodja, 22 year old Katerina Ignatiev. Miss Ignatiev made headlines last year when she was first disqualified from winning the beauty pagent and then writing a tell all book about her experiences in a brothel with many high ranking nobles. "My family were living hand to mouth. Both my parents worked, there were three kids of which I was the eldest. I was a good student and so I made the decision to work in the sex industry as it was the only way for me to get a University education. While working I was well looked after but many of the other girls had worked in other venues where they told me stories of how the owners were constantly trying to overwork them and underpay them. They would take short cuts to maximise profits and so I can only imagine using slave labour being a great way of doing that. Families who become so desperate if one of their family lose their job see the brothels as a perfect way to make fast money. Despite the laws in place to protect sex workers there will always be people taking advantage."

The charity Homes for Tomorrow have also been closed down following their connection. The charity was set up in 2015 and gave homes in their accomodation centres until youngsters could be found permanent homes. The charity also aided in finding such homes and carried out a large number of background checks to place children. It is now suspected that this charity did not place children in Lodja and instead trafficked them out of the nation. Several checks into the placement of children in their care come back to families who had died before 2015 or that had no knowledge of the children they supposedly adopted. The current Minister of Social Affairs is Professor Borislav Andreev who took position in August and stated, "There is now very clear evidence that people have been not doing their job correctly. We have now been exploring this situation for several months and I commend the investigators, including the Lodja Times, in uncovering what they have. Almost immediately we have seen the closure of these homes, children put into fully checked and approved homes or foster families. This is a crisis that must be tackled and is part of the blindness to the plight of the poorest in society we have seen. Since her coronation Queen Klara has sought to make more oppurtunities and chances in life avaliable to the Plebs and we have seen a growth in things such as average household incomes but now perhaps rather than looking at the top end of society we need to look towards the very very bottom. There is a lot to do and we shall when it becomes clear there is a problem we shall overcome it."

The government are beginning to co-operate with many nations across Mundus on the issue and are hoping to reunite several families in the coming days.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #100 on: January 12, 2021, 09:11:27 PM »




WHERE IS THE QUEEN?

Despite several functions being held at the Isle of the Goddess and a recent scandal based around human traffiking there has been little to no sign of Queen Klara. The Queen has been keeping a relatively low profile since the birth of her son Prince Isaak eight months ago which was followed almost immediately by the breaking of several scandals impacting the government and her own personal life. One such scandal was her husband King Leopold's legal case that lead to her agreeing to marry him to honour an historical marriage contract. The Queen initially responded with a large number of replacements in the Conclave and sending high ranking nobles into exile however since making heself not just Queen but also High Priestess of the Sessifetian faith there has been little evidence of the Queen appearing in public.

Prior to the current situation the Queen had been a very visible prescence in and around the Isle of the Goddess and at a vast array of public events across the Kingdom. During the annual summer ball season the Queen attended around 30 different balls including one held by Queen Stasya of East Moreland in Silverhills. Many have speculated that the Queen may be suffering from post-natal depression having seen the end of the summer ball season, an event she is highly supportive of, has ended. Many people around the capital have been discussing whether the Queen is still actively engaged with government however Lord Besarian Ivanov who is the leader of the Conclave has stated, "The inner workings of the Conclave are a matter for those in attendance. We have been busily dealing with a period of transition and we're ensuring the day to day business of the Queendom is being taken care of. The recent human traffiking news has seen a change in priorities and we will be working with our friends across Mundus to solve this problem."

Queen Klara's wife, Crown Princess Roksana has however been active at various functions across the Queendom having yesterday attended a orphanage recently taken out of control of the charity Homes for Tomorrow following the discovery of potential connections to child slavery and prostition rings. Following her visit the Crown Princess stated "The home is now under the control directly of the government and a full audit of what has been going on here has begun. I was pleased to see the children here appear safe and happy, perhaps more importantly they are all accounted for. If we can't look after our children then we have our priorities as a nation wrong." Crown Princess Roksana refused to answer questions about Queen Klara simply saying that she did not "discuss family business without my family being here."

With the Day of Purificiation, a ceremonial day where people have their evils from the previous year washed away approaching it will be expected that the Queen will take a leading role in the rituals and ceremonies of the day however as of yet no details have been released from the Palace.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #101 on: January 16, 2021, 10:10:53 PM »




KING CALLS FOR QUEEN TO BE SIDELINED

King Leopold has today called for the Conclave to look for ways of temporarily removing Queen Klara from power. The King is currently in a kind of exile in the Alucard Islands and has not seen his wife or child, Prince Isaak, for several months. Recently there have been reports of the Queen suffering from various mental health issues that many have connected to post natal depression and stress from having to deal with a large number of recent political crisis within the Queendom and the Priesthood. Some believe that the Queen has taken on too much herself and is not delegating enough. Reports from the Isle of the Goddess have spoken of her working 20 hour days and refusing the company of many of her friends and advisers including her wife Crown Princess Roksana. The King has pointed to the precident of when a Queen has been incapable of making decisions for the nation previously the Conclave have stepped in.  The last time this happened was when Queen Viktoriya was left in a coma following the 1st assassination attempt on her life. For the final two weeks of her life before she was murdered by the then High Priestess Raisa Chownyk the Conclave took decisions on her behalf.

One such barrier is that when previously this course of action has taken place the Queen has been physically incapable of taking decisions on behalf of the Queendom either by illness or injury. There have been no occasions when a Queen was deemed unfit to rule by the Conclave and so there is seemingly no legal support for the course of action King Leopold is proposing. The Queen is deemed to be the vessel containing, alongside her own soul, the soul of of the Goddess Sessifet along with all her knowledge and experience. With this in mind it is next to impossible in many legal experts opinions to rule that she is incapable of ruling while still being able to speak herself. The laws of the Queendom stating that the Queen and the Goddess speak with one voice. It is not yet known whether the Conclave will support King Leopold's point of view however the fact that he has publically called for his wife to be deemed unfit to rule is likely to further drive a wedge between the two.

The Conclave are due to meet tomorrow for a scheduled meeting and it is likely a response to this will come at that time.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #102 on: March 21, 2021, 12:17:53 AM »




PRINCE ISAAK'S BIRTHDAY TO BE NATIONAL HOLIDAY

In a rare statement Queen Klara has announced that April 13th will become a national holiday to celebrate the birth of her first child Prince Isaak. The Queen has ruled that from now on April 13th shall be Prince's Day and that special services in Temple should be celebrated in order to give thanks for the birth. The news came as a bit of a surprise for the nation as the Queen has been away from the spotlight for several months with many speculating that Queen Klara may be ill or suffering from post natal depression. This however has been downplayed by the Palace who have said, "The Queen is in constant touch with the Conclave and even though she may not publically be the face of the administration at the moment all decisions still flow through her. The Queen believes that the people of the Queendom need and deserve more time to enjoy the blessings of the Goddess and naturally she is very thankful for being the mother of Prince Isaak."

The Palace of the Goddess will be hosting a birthday event for the Prince however it has been confirmed that the Prince's father, King Leopold, will not be permitted to attend.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #103 on: March 28, 2021, 05:41:33 PM »




COUP ATTEMPT

Earlier today there was a simultaneous attack on the Island of the Goddess Marina and the Palace of the Goddess which has seen the kidnapping of the Queen's son Prince Isaak. A number of gunmen had sneaked onto the Isle as members of a scheduled tour group and accessed pre-prepared caches of arms. The attack was timed to catch the Queen returning to the island following a self imposed exile. The Conclave were in session at the time and were evacuated however an ambush within the Palace saw several Ministers also taken from the scene by the gunmen.

It is understood that a nearby team of East Moreland special forces responded alongside the members of the Queen's guard known as the Warriors of Gaia. The two forces were able to evacuate the Queen however the gunmen managed to escape via fast-boat across the bay where Gaia is located. The Morelander helicopter gave chase however came underfire by a disloyal vessel of the Lodjain Navy later identified as the Cyborg Class ship HMDS Morelander. It was later confirmed that the attack was orchestrated by King Leopold who has seemingly begun attempts to seize control of the nation and institute a new system of government. King Leopold and Queen Klara have been seperated for over six months and relationships between them have been described as "awful". King Leopold has stated that he is attempting to create the "Monarchy of Lodja" which will dismantle the current system of Lodjian society and establish a new heriditary monarchy overseeing a form of basic elected government. The HMDS Morelander has since put out the sea and elements of the Lodjain Navy were beginning a search for the vessel.

The Minister of Defence, Prince Lennox of Ui Cennesliag, was involved the military action attempting to defend the Ministers in the Palace and has spoken to the media saying. "This is a cowardly act of terrorism designed to try and undermine the whole of Lodjain society. Queen Klara has, in her short reign, taken huge steps towards helping change the lives of the Plebleian community of Lodja and has already indicated that more reforms are in place. Leopold is nothing other than a traitor and a criminal and will be hunted down."

The military is on high alert and the Queen has been evacuated to an undisclosed location. The following Ministers are currently missing.


Minister of Home Affairs:- Duke Maxim Schnoor
Minister of Education:-  Vissarion Novikov
Minister of Housing:- Lord Yuily Shvets
Minister of Foreign Affairs:- Lady Ninel Naoumov
Minister of Environmental Affairs:-  Isay Yakovlev
Junior Minister of Education:-  Borys Volkov






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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #104 on: April 16, 2021, 07:55:10 PM »




TRIUMPH AND "TREASON" IN LIJIANG

The last 48 hours in Lijiang have been a whirlwind for the Lodjain national rugby team. The team lifted the Rugby World Cup for the first time in the nations history having only established a professional Rugby Football Union four years ago under the guidance of Morelander Sir Clyde Woodward. The Morelander had already a strong legacy of coaching excellence following a string of victories with the usually dominant "Honeybadgers" before being persuaded to come and start professionalising Lodjain rugby. The team took the field with one eye on events back home leading some to think that the team would be distracted however the team overcame a determined Vaguzian team 27-25. At the final whistle the team celebrated and lifted the trophy before celebrating back at the teams hotel. Sir Clyde said at the final whistle, "Lets not forget what these men have achieved. In short order they've gone from people with full time jobs who played some rugby to being professionals to reaching the pinnacle of their sport. They have throughout this world cup consistently got the job done and most importantly did so at the most crucial time. Now we hope to go home and find the nation overcoming the recent tragedies."

With the team nursing likely hangovers and due to return to Lodja the next evening it was however discovered that four members of the squad had left the hotel and visited a Lijiang Police station to request asylum. Vissarion Filippov, Rurik Kovalyov, Avenir Ignatov and Konstantine Romanov all later in the day issued a letter of support to the proposed Monarchy of Lodja. The letter stated, "We as Plebleians have just brought great success to our homeland yet will for the rest of our lives be denied the same oppurtunities as people who have never done anything for the good of the whole nation. This highlights just one of many ways that inequality exists within our nation. We believe that King Leopold should be given a chance to make everyone equal." The request for asylum has yet to be approved or denied and Head Coach Sir Clyde refused to be drawn on the matter simply saying, "We will be catching our flight as scheduled. Its not unusual for squads to travel seperately and while I'm sad the team won't all get to greet the crowd back home together we'll be pleased to get home."

The team are due to arrive back at 9pm on Saturday and security is expected to be tight.




QUEEN "SECURE" AND SETS PROTEST LIMITS

Following a number of arrests that took place close to the Isle of the Goddess in the aftermath of Leopold Hamsik seeking to form the "Monarchy of Lodja" the Queen has issued new instructions to the Police. Some, including Rokkenjima, had been critical of the manner of arrests which have been described as "heavy handed". The individuals who were protesting in support of the Socialist Student Union had glued themselves to road barriers in the area around the entrance to the Isle of the Goddess.

The Queen has stated, "Protests are always permitted so long as they conform to laws. It is not permitted to obstruct anyroad in Lodja at all. The biggest concerns however are that these are people who are supporting the demands issued by an individual called a pirate or terrorist by many nations on Mundus. In future the following rules will be in place in regards to protests. First they can not take place within 1km of the roadhead that leads to the Isle of the Goddess. As a nation we are on a heightened level of security and having people so close to the seat of government is a security risk. Any banners than support Leopold Hamsik or the so called "Monarchy" are forbidden. Leopold Hamsik is a traitor and terrorist and his movement are an outlawed movement. Anyone seen giving them support of any kind will be called a security risk and dealt with accordingly. Finally anyone seen intentionally concealling their identity in a protest will be arrested. It is expected all protests are to be declared to the Police prior to taking place. I will give the Police the responsibility of giving any protest that fails to follow these rules one oppurtunity to return home otherwise they will be removed and if need be arrested. We can not have Gaia, or any other city, brought to a stand still. Roads can not and will not be blocked."

The Queen is currently at a "undisclosed" location where the Conclave is reconveening.   

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #105 on: August 19, 2021, 11:48:07 PM »




DECREE TO BRING ORDER

Following a week of various protests supporting both sides of the ongoing crisis in Lodja there have been violent clashes across the major cities. With the Queen staying out of public she has been in constant meeting with her Conclave at an undisclosed location. In an attempt to stop the violence within the cities the Queen has issued a decree that will take effect this evening. The measures in place will be in force for 30 days and will then need to be renewed if required.

Quote
Following consultation among the Conclave it has been determined that the following actions will be required of all Lodjains with immediate effect.

1. All Lodjains are to remain in their place of residence between 9pm and 7am. Exceptions apply to those working in essential services.

2. Security forces have the right to stop and demand ID of any individual. Failure to provide ID when requested will result in arrest.

3. No gatherings in public of more than 20 people may take place without licence from the local Mayor.

4. Local Mayors have the power to designate areas as Social Control Zones. Within these zones Security Forces can, if neccessary, forceably remove any indivdiual.

5. It is now illegal for any individual to carry a firearm outside of private property. Anyone caught with a firearm is to be fined $10,000 and sentenced to 2 years in prison.

6. All individuals except those Pleblians who reside there must leave the Isle of the Goddess within 48 hours. This includes ambassadors. Ambassadors are not prevented from acquiring other accomodation within Gaia and if they require it the Conclave will aide in finding this accomodation.

7. All Universities are to postpone lectures for the next 14 days.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #106 on: January 08, 2022, 08:08:08 PM »




DAY OF SHOCKING NEWS

The day has seen a series of shocking events that have rocked the Queendom. With the nation standing on the edge of a full blown civil war a few weeks ago it had appeared that the situation was calming down and any uprising was contained to the island of Zhoyan where forces loyal to the crown are working with CNN allies to clear the stronghold of Pro-Leopold forces. With the eyes of the media following that conflict it was then a devestating shock when news came from Noginsk that a missile strike launched by renegade Leopoldian forces had hit the royal residence there. What had been believed to be a highly secure area was compromised when an apparent covert rebel force managed to take part of the residences anti-missile defence system off line creating an oppurtunity for the strike. The Queen was resident at the time and roughly an hour after the strike took place her body was removed from the rubble and she was declared dead at the scene. As digging continued for survivors it was also discovered that the Queen's Chief Lady in Waiting, Anna Immich, had also been killed. A total of 16 people were confirmed dead in addition while 32 were taken to hospital. It is expected that the death toll will increase in the coming days.

As news of the Queen's Death spread through the nation the Conclave meet back on the Isle of the Goddess. Traditionally during times following the death of the Queen there had been a number of weeks before the announcement of a new Queen and during this time the Conclave had sole responsibility for running the nation. While many expected the Conclave to announce details of mourning and potential funerals the announcement that came this evening was that a new Queen had been selected already. In a huge break from tradition the 22 year old Emissary to Ardia, Nataliya Kozel, was selected. When Queen Klara was selected for Queen the then Lady Nataliya was considered for the position and having not been selected was given a diplomatic role with one of Lodja's biggest allies The Iwi, her duties also extended to representing Lodja throughout Ardia if the need required. The new Queen was in East Moreland visiting her friend Queen Stasya when she was informed and is currently in Northfort Palace. A representative of the Conclave stated. "The High Priestess and her advisers agreed with us that it was vital a new Queen was on the throne as soon as possible. They determined that it was clear under the circumstances that our nation finds itself in that the Goddess has the need for a stronger leader than we typically select and have, following consultation and prayer, determined that Queen Nataliya will be able to lead our nation forward."

As the news has yet to sink in across the Queendom it remains to be seen how the people will react to this break in tradition.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #107 on: April 20, 2022, 08:11:40 PM »




QUEEN MAKES LANDMARK ANNOUNCEMENT

The new Queen of Lodja has today announced that she intends to construct the first new Temple complex to Sessifet in 40 years. While there have been several Temples built across Lodja in that time no complexes have been founded. The plan is for an exact replica of the Temple of the Goddess which is located on the Isle just off the coast of Gaia which is considered sacred by those who worship Sessifet. It is said the first time the Goddess transfered her spirit into a human Queen was within that temple which was in effect carved out of a series of caves and is brightly decorated. The new complex will begin work next week and will be carved out of the rock with precision in a project overseen by Valentin Zima who is a respected sculpture from the capital city. The Queen explained her decision saying, "The Isle of the Goddess is a place that is not accessible to the general public for several reasons. The first that the Isle is a highly secure area and the second is that it is a site which must be protected and having thousands of people crowding to see it daily would potentially damage it. This way we can both honour the Goddess by building a new temple complex and at least allow the general public to feel as close to the Goddesses home as I am fortunate enough to be permitted to be."

The artists in charge, Valentin Zima, has explained the process they'll be taking saying. "21st Century technology makes the possible. We've been permitted to take 3D scanning equipment into every part of the Complex and ensure we've a map of the place. From there we will use the best system we can utilise to carve out of the rock the various chambers, corridors, staircases and the like. These will then be finished by being painted by the best artists we can find. It is our hope that when we have done someone will be unable to tell whether they are in our replica or the original." The news was not supported by the High Priestess Alla Kohan who said, "The Temple of the Goddess is a perfect place of peace and can never be replicated. To even consider doing so in an insult to the holiest place in our faith."

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #108 on: April 23, 2022, 11:36:40 PM »




KUBIK NAMED NEW LORD OF THE CONCLAVE

Former military officer Lord Lubos Kubik has today been named as the new Lord of the Conclave. The position is the seen as the 2nd most important in the nation after the Queen and has for close to the last decade been filled by Besarian Ivanov. The announcement marks the first appointment by the new Queen to the Conclave following her being proclaimed as Queen. Lord Kubik served under Queen Viktoria and Queen Klara as Minister of Defence before being replaced following a data breach within the military which cast doubts upon his ability to do the job correctly in the midst of the various scandals of military corruption. However Queen Natalya has since downplayed such concerns today as she visited a hospital where injured serviceman are being treated. "It is clear following investigations that Lubos was a stalwart supporter of the rightful Queens of Lodja. He is a man that has always acted in the highest ideals of service to his nation having served a long career in the military, reaching the rank of General and then as Minister of Defence. He is a man that has no need to prove his loyalty and I am confident that he will be a man that will continue to serve both the people and myself well."

Lord Besarian Ivanov however will not be totally leaving royal service as later he was named as the Queens Envoy. This is a position that has not existed before in the nation and has been described as "carrying the weight of the Queen's voice at times when she is unable to do so herself. The Envoy will allow the Queen to be in two places at once  and Lord Besarian is one of the most experienced leaders in our community. While he will now deserve some well earned leisure time he will also be avaliable to the Queen in order to aid her in making the best decisions for her new Queendom." At present a Royal Spokesman has confirmed that the Queen, Lord of the Conclave and the Queen's Envoy are currently working to ensure all seats within the Conclave are filled in a short space of time.

There is still no word on an official coronation ceremony and many people are suggesting this may be because of an inability to recover the body of Queen Klara for a formal cremation.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #109 on: April 24, 2022, 10:45:10 PM »




SURPISE APPOINTMENT AS FOREIGN MINISTER

Tamila Andreev today makes history as both the first Plebleian to hold a Ministerial title and as the first woman to be named as Foreign Minister. The announcement makes her the 2nd appointment to the Conclave since Queen Natalya came to the throne and begins to fulfil the promise to make it easier for Plebs to experience social mobility. The 60 year old has served as a member of the civil service for the past 35 years and was part of the CNN office for Lodja for the past two years. She entered the civil service having served two years in the military so as to potentially put her family on course to becoming Patricians and then attended University in Gaia to study Rus Linguistics, a course which saw her spend a year studying in Samantra. Queen Natalya introduced her new appointment while addressing the National Association of Patrician Students, a meeting which she has said she hopes to see it merge with the National Association of Pleblian Students before the end of the year. The Queen said, "In Tamila we have a woman who has already given nearly four decades of her life to serving the nation and most of them dealing with our relationship with other lands. She is like me, part educated overseas, and as such has insights that most Lodjians lack. The is someone that while perhaps not currently having a huge reputation in other nations is a part of the quiet backbone that has made Lodja the nation we are today. She is also part of the future of Lodja where the divisions of old become less significant."

The new Minister thanked the Queen for her words saying, "We have a brilliant group of civil servants in this nation quietly working at embassies and missions across the globe to serve our interests. I consider this appointment a victory for their work. I will naturally now be looking at appointing juniors and presenting the Queen with suggestions for embassy teams across Mundus. It is my hope that we can begin strengthening relations with our current friends while building new ones."

Some however have been critical of the appointment with the Duke of Zergeu saying "The Goddess Sessifet gave us a natural order to the world. It is clear we are moving away from this, our Queen does not yet even carry the soul of the Goddess within herself and is making changes to our land that will bring an end to the society the Goddess wants. We should wait until the coronation has taken place before we allow her to make any decisions."




PLAN TO "REHABILITATE" DISLOYAL SOLDIERS

An estimated 2,000 soldiers, 1,200 sailors and 300 airmen fought for Leopold Hamsik during the recent conflict. The vast majority of these are now in custody with around 1/4 dead and the question is beginning to be asked what should happen to those currently in various military bases around the Queendom. There have been calls from many that those who fought against Queen Klara should be put on trial for treason and spend long sentences in high security prisons, some are even calling for the death penalty to be returned into use. While the current Queen's stance on execution has yet to be confirmed she did spend several years in the Iwi which is renowned for using it against those guilty of crimes against humanity during the Seleucid occupation. There is also the added complication that some of those in custody are likely to be involved with the destruction of the East Moreland embassy and it is highly likely their extradition on terrorist charges could be requested and the Morelanders are known to push for the death penalty in these matters.

Lady Anna Utkin thinks though there must be a rehabilitation programme. Lady Anna is a former member of the Conclave who was born a Pleb but became a Patrician by marriage has worked for better Patrician/Pleb relations for several years. She says, "The problem we have is that while there are some rebels in custody there will be many more frightened to come forward. The way forward would be for us to consider why these people did what they did. Some will have done it out of fear that if they didn't support the Patrician their family is connected to they'd lose everything. Others will have done it because Leopold Hamsik was connected to their families business. We should give each person a chance to explain their actions. Those who acted out of a perception of neccessity need to be given a chance of redemption and rehabilitation. Those who acted because of other nefarious reason must be punished." Lady Anna has suggested that the process could see exile for a set time used as some form of punishment or that some deal could be struck with other nations to give people a fresh chance to reform their life.

This is a debate that will likely continue for many months but for now thousands of prisoners are being detained in makeshift prison camps on the playing fields of military bases.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #110 on: May 03, 2022, 09:28:27 PM »




QUEEN REPLACES HIGH PRIESTESS FOLLOWING FAST TRACK COURT DATE

Queen Natalya has today taken steps to replace Alla Kohut as the High Priestess. The move comes after Alla Kohut has been accused of putting obsticles in the way of Queen Natalya appointing members to the Conclave. Kohut has over the last few days attempted to state that Queen Natalya has yet to be officially coronated and therefore can't make any formal decisions. The Queen challenged this on two fronts and even went so far as asking for the highest court in the land to make a determination. Queen Natalya argued that having been declared Queen by both the Conclave and Alla Kohut it ensured that she had been proclaimed as the guardian of Sessifet's spirit and was therefore capable of taking the role on. Despite religious arguements by Kohut the Queen was supported by the prominent Priestess Maria Shvets who argued that while normally a coronation happens within 48 hours of the death of the old Queen that was not necessary. Shvets argued, "Sessifet is the supreme being who controls everything in the Universe. There are many occasions of her in holy scripture entering the body and possessing various people without the need to be consumed via ash. It would therefore be safe to assume that should the Goddess wish to have a new guardian, something Kohut has confirmed, then Sessifet could if she wished automatically appear within them and join souls." The Queen's legal team that produced evidence that Queen Klara had infact declared herself to be High Priestess as well as Queen therefore meaning that while Kohut was left as the highest status surviving Priestess the moment she, the Conclave and the rest of the Priesthood announced Natalya as Queen she also inherited the title High Priestess. Following the appereance in court Queen Natalya addressed the assembled media to say.

"I believe that there now needs to be a return to the formal seperation between the High Priestess and the Queen. As Queen I am viewed as the Guardian of Sessifet and therefore Sessifet lives within me. The High Priestess is responsible for ensuring those of our faith worship correctly and that rituals in praise of Sessifet are conducted. I don't need to be in a position where I have to ensure I am worshipped. So as such Maria Shvets will become High Priestess with immediate effect and as her first duty I am asking her to organise a coronation in keeping, as far as possible with the traditions that have gone before."

The date of the coronation is not yet known or the exact nature of it determined. One decision by the Queen though has been made and that in the coming days representatives from East Moreland will meet with her to discuss the rebuilding of the embassy in Gaia that was destroyed during the recent unrest. Currently the East Moreland embassy is operating out the Ui Cenneslaig one. The Queen is also expected to visit the site where an estimated 25 Morelanders were killed along with a similar number of Lodjains.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #111 on: May 05, 2022, 11:15:57 PM »




CORONATION TO TAKE PLACE IN GAIA SQUARE

Today the new High Priestess Maria Shvets has confirmed that the coronation of Queen Natalya will take place on Sunday 8th May at 1pm. Unlike all previous coronations it will not take place in the Temple of the Goddess on the Isle off the coast of Gaia but instead in the heart of the city. The High Priestess has said, "The coronation is happening in unique circumstances as much of the traditions involved in a normal coronation can not take place. We, by that I mean myself and a team of other respected Priestesses including Arina Maksimov, have studied various sources and sacred texts and believe we can undertake a coronation that will be just as acceptable to both the new Queen and the Goddess." The exact details of the ceremony are being kept under wraps but Shvets did confirm that the King and Queen of East Moreland, the King of the Unified Iwi and Ui Cenneslaig would be in attendance.

The Queen's new Envoy, Lord Besarian Ivanov, also spoke to the media saying, "Her Majesty is determined that many things will change in the coming months. It will therefore be fitting that her reign will start with something that is a change from normal. Queen Natalya was keen that the people of Gaia could be as much part of the ceremony as possible and the fact they will be able to attend the event in some form. We're excited that the event will now take place after so many hurdles have been overcome."




HUGE MILITARY SHAKE UP PLANNED

The new Lord of the Conclave, Duke Lubos Kubik, has today confirmed that there shall be a major shake up of the military heirachy. Currently all officers must come from the Patrician class and usually any Patrician joining the military recieves a commission. The new system will see all members of the Armed Forces undertake a basic 8 week "Soldiering Assessment Course" This will teach basic skills of map reading, first aid, marksmanship and various other basic military subjects. In addition all new airmen, soldiers or sailors will be expected to undertake exams after eight weeks in a range of subjects such as military doctrine, regulations and technical subjects. Those achieving the highest scores on each intake will then enter the Officer Training College for their particular branch of service, regardless of which social class they belong to. To make this possible any Plebleain who graduates from their Officer Training College will on their passing out parade receive not just their commission as an officer in the armd forces but also their acknowledgement as a Patrician for themselves and their descendants. Duke Lubos explained, "The move will ensure that we have people in charge based on the best avaliable talent and not just on social class. Our armed forces have been on a route towards becoming a proper meritocracy for a while and this will push it that final little step."

The move has been welcomed by some Social Mobility campaigners who have said, "The military was a long route for families to become Patricians, this provides a short cut that we hope many will access. There will still be much to do as many Patricians attend private schools with military traditions so will have a head start on this new course but in time I see more and more Plebs accessing Officer training. It will take several years for this to become even but it is a good start."

The new course will be designed by the East Moreland Armed Forces who have been supportive of the Lodjain military reogranising over the last few years. It will follow closely the East Moreland national services induction programme and is likely to begin with the September intake of military recruits. Duke Lubos has also stated that he intends to work with the Queen to find ways to make it easier for Plebs already serving in the armed forces as NCO's to access Officer Training and transfer onto a commission.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #112 on: June 25, 2022, 09:13:15 PM »




LODJA SIGN HISTORIC CRIMES TREATY

It was confirmed today that Queen Natalya had ordered Princess Anfisa to journey to Northfort to sign the Historic Crimes Treaty on behalf of the Queendom. The Treaty aims to provide a mechanism for those accused of what could be described as crimes against humanity to be brought to justice despite the crimes having taken place long in the past. The Treaty was authored primarily by King David of East Moreland and King Piripi of the Unified Iwi and scrutinised and amended by representatives from Chistopol, Nya Aland and Cassiopeia before being distributed for the rest of the world to sign up to. It is understood Princess Anfisa was furnished with a letter from Queen Natalya giving her authorisation to sign it on behalf of the Queendom. The Princess is both an envoy to the CNN and Council of Albion and often undertakes a role as a Royal Envoy. The Princess is the great-grandaughter of Queen Sonya and so permitted to use the royal title and has dedicated much of her time to supporting the work of Queen Sonya's successors, Queen Viktoriya and Queen Klara. This though is the first international treaty that she has signed.

The Princess spent time at Northfort Palace in private with her close friend Queen Stasya and saw Prince Llewellyn. Following the meeting the Princess said, "It was nice to see the little Prince who is doing great. Queen Stasya was someone who while a Lady in Waiting I became friends with and I have missed seeing now for a long time." It is understood that Princess Anfisa is due to travel to Eskdale soon to begin diplomatic talks with the Illumic nation.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #113 on: February 15, 2023, 11:14:15 PM »




QUEEN ANNOUNCES PROCUREMENT AGENDA

Queen Natalya has today confirmed that in the coming year the Lodjain military will go through what she called a "Procurement Agenda". During a visit to the newly built facility at the National Officer Training College the Queen said, "It is clear after the civil war we went through that our military has improved in terms of the standards of training and troop skill levels. What lets our nation down, and therefore also our allies, is the fragmented and chaotic list of equipment we deploy. This is a throw back to the old system where we permitted nobles to effectively manage regiments as they saw fit. This saw many of them buy equipment that was sub standard simply because they could buy it from a friend or even in some cases family members. This means we as a nation operate five different types of tank, that means five sets of spare parts, five systems to know how to maintain and all the problems that this brings with it. This chaotic system can not continue. A robust procurement agenda is on the cards that will streamline matters and make us more effective. One major part of this is the air-force where over the last few years we have invested in smaller aircraft not likely to contribute much to a major war. People can expect several announcements in the coming days."

The Queen also confirmed that she had reached out to Brigadier Richard Kelly, former commander of East Moreland's Red Legion, to become the new commandant of the Officer Training College. "Brigadier Kelly was able to create one of Mundus most effective fighting forces in Red Legion. The tales I have heard of their contributions to help us during the civil war makes me confident that if we can have officers trained under the shadow of his learning tree we as a nation can only benefit. It is my hope that he will accept our offer and take the role in the coming days. I understand however he may wish to enjoy a well deserved retirement and if that is the decision he makes I wish him well. We have several other candidates in mind but I want to make sure this is the best person possible so we will not rush the decision."




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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #114 on: May 08, 2023, 12:34:28 AM »




QUEEN'S LADIES RETURN TO FULL STRENGTH

Queen Natalya has today named Svetlana Schnoor as the forth Lady in Waiting meaning that after several months of being understaffed the Queen now has a full compliment of personal aides. The 23 year old is the daughter of Duke Maxim Schnoor and the heiress to his title. She has recently graduated Gaia University with a degree in Fine Art and Media and will take up her position alongside Jasmina Danailov, Tonya Bogdanovic and Zhenya Markov. The announcement also confirmed that Jasmina Danailov will now be named as the Lead Lady in Waiting meaning she is the closest aide to the Queen and has significant influence over who gains access to meeting the Queen. Currently Duke Maxim is convalescing at home following his abduction during the recent conflict in Lodja. The Duke however did release a statement saying "I am proud that my daughter has been called to serve the Guardian of Sessifet. She's a bright girl with a great future in front of her and I know that she will provide the Queen with companionship, loyalty and devotion."

The position of Lady in Waiting is undertaken by unmarried noble girls and is often seen as a route for many to secure extremely good marriages. In the past many Ladies in Waiting have gone on to become highly influential Duchesses and as women have become to take more of an active role in national politics their role has been seen to evolve into one as almost a diplomat. In recent years we have seen Duchess Roksana Pajari marry Queen Klara and now as a widow has retired to Noginsk where she has opened a music school. Meanwhile Stasya Pelagiya began a relationship with King David of East Moreland while in the role of Lady in Waiting and two years later the pair were married meaning she is now the Queen of East Moreland and more recently acquired through her business negotiations the title High Princess of Semelberg effectively gaining her own Queendom. It is also rumoured that Jasmina Danisilov has been romantically involved with Prince Lennox of Ui Cenneslaig however reports from the Palace indicate that this romance is now over. These apparent successes meant that when the applications for Lady in Waiting opened over 1000 applications were received. It is however understood that Lady Svetlana was not one of those who applied but instead was "headhunted".

The new Lady in Waiting will travel to the Palace tomorrow where she will take the various oaths associated with the position and then begin her duties. Among the first will be a trip to East Moreland where the Queen intends to visit to take part in the Festival of Greenflowers, an event that Morelanders consider their nations birthday. Lady Jasmina informed the press saying, "The friendship between East Moreland and Lodja is perhaps the strongest on Mundus. It is forged through years of mutual trust and co-operation and whenever we have been in need the Morelanders have always supported us. The two nations are, thanks to Queen Stasya, always joined it should be remembered that His Majesty King David also holds the title Baron of the Iskor Inlet making him a noble in Lodja. The Queen is looking forward to showing the people of East Moreland we value their friendship by paying respects on their national day and also helping our friend King David celebrate his own birthday." It was also confirmed that the Queen will be joined on the trip by Lieutenant Hahona Mere of the Parachute Regiment of the Unified Iwi, heir to the Ngāti Paoa Chieftan, will join her. The two are friends from the Queen's childhood in the Commonwealth of the Unified Iwi and are rumoured to be romantically involved, a matter Lady Jasmina refused to comment on.

 

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #115 on: May 31, 2023, 04:28:46 PM »




MORELANDERS IN FASHION THIS SEASON

Last night the first of the Lodjain Summer Balls began in Gaia. The annual "Ball Season" runs from late May until late July and marks a time period for the Patrician community to traditionally arrange the marriages of their daughters who have just reached "womanhood" . Traditionally girls having reached the age of 16 are expected to be presented to the Patrician community in their area having formally been classed as an adult. Many noble families run balls throughout the summer months with families often co-ordinating to ensure girls can attend as many of them as possible. There is also an expectation that the family will invite high profile and influential guests from their region in order to show their own prestige. The first ball of the year is always the Queens own ball on the Isle of the Goddess in Gaia and is attended by around 600 guests, many the sons and daughters of prominent members of society and this ball tends to set the trends for the year ahead. On this occasion it appears that being escorted by a Morelander man is the fashion for many. Three prominent Lodjain noble woman attended with a Morelander on their arm.

First was Lady Jasmina Danailov, the Head Lady in Waiting, who was escorted by Duke Peter Kade. The Duke is the cousin of King David of East Moreland and has been serving in various diplomatic roles for his nation. Lady Jasmina has previously been seen on the arm of Prince Lennox of Ui Cenneslaig and there had been rumours that the widowed Prince intended to marry her however despite the Prince being in the nation he was not in attendance leading many to speculate that their romance is over. This is not the first time an East Moreland royal has fallen for a Lady in Waiting as famously Lady Stasya meet her future husband through such a function. Lady Jasmina has now been the Head Lady in Waiting for just under six months. The next Morelander accompanied noble was Princess Anfissa Naumov. The 39 year old is the great-grand daughter of Queen Sonya and has, for a Lodjain, strangely remained unmarried having dedicated her life so far to acting as a foreign diplomat for the nation. The current CNN ambassador for Lodja was accompanied to the ball by Sir James Fitzroy who is the usual ambassador to Lodja from East Moreland.

The final arrival of a Lodjain with a Morelander was 19 year old Princess Yolana Kozel, the sister of Queen Natalya. The University student was accompanied by the 20 year old son of Duchess Orlaith Kade, the East Moreland Foreign Minister and also a cousin of King David. Theodore Osmett is the son of the Duchess and her husband Duke William Osmeet who is an investment banker. Theodore is currently studying at the Gaia Institute of Science and Technology on a one year study exchange as part of the CETO programme, he has been living on the Isle of the Goddess.

Sir James Fitzroy was asked about the heavy attendance by Morelanders and explained his opinion, "East Moreland and Lodja are close allies and the various treaties and schemes we have in place between us means that the two nations are open for education and business oppurtunities to each other. Its only to be expected Morelanders would love to come to see Lodja, the country is full of opportunity, the scenery is wonderful, climate much nicer than our own and the people extremely friendly. When you get the chance to attend an event like this you take it. Its been a wonderful evening and I wish everyone a good summer season." There will also be a summer ball this year in Silverhills, East Moreland, hosted by Queen Stasya of East Moreland.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #116 on: July 16, 2023, 02:48:37 PM »




MOST RADICAL CHANGE IN 400 YEARS

Today Queen Natalya meet with a large number of the nations key nobles on the Isle of the Goddess. The Queen spoke with them about several changes that will be made over the coming days. The news has lead many to celebrate them however some nobles have voiced concerns. Former King, Roman Chowyk, has called them the "most radical change in 400 years of Lodjain history".

Firstly the Queen has announced that she will be creating a new series of titles of nobility. These will not be able to be inherited but will allow the family to instantly claim the status of Patricians. The names of these titles have yet to be announced however the Queen has stated that those inheriting the titles will be people who have shown that they are willing to help the rest of the Plebian class. Many people welcomed this saying that the current nobility has become too insular and one person on Twitter said that the Queen's announcement would "go someway to ending a nation within a nation." There have already been calls for Anna Utkin to be given one of these titles. The widow of Lord Samuel Utkin, was born as a Plebian and as such was classed as a Patrician however there has been discussion as to whether she could have taken the title herself under current inheritance rules. The calls to grant her one of the new titles would ensure she remained a member of the Patrician class.

The Queen has also ended the practice of Patricians effectively accepting cash payments in order to permit businesses to operate. Under former laws the Patrician class must grant permission for a Plebian to open and operate a business. Many Patricians have demanded annual fees or large one off payments in order to give this. Occasionally some have taken shares in the business as an alternative. Queen Viktoriya meanwhile attempted to solve this with a royal licencing scheme but backlogs in this system mean that there is currently an 18 month wait for these which rather than demanding large fees asked for a small one off payment and a 2% share stake. The Queen today announced that Patricians would no longer be permitted to take money for this practice but may take up to 10% in shares. It is hoped this will help streamline the process and as a result boost the economy.

One of the biggest, and most exciting announcements for most is the creation of the Royal Preparation Academy (OOC-Name to be determined) . This will be a institute of learning that incorporates kindergarten, primary school, secondary school and University. It will eventually be the conveyor belt for many leading roles within the Queendom including the position of Queen. In future only people who have attended this school will be permitted to inherit the throne. In addition the Queen has raised the age of inheritance of the crown to 21. In order to streamline this process Queen Natalya also confirmed that while the throne will not be inherited there will be an heir in place. Each year there will now be a ceremony where a new heir is named so upon the death of a Queen a seemless transition of power can in theory take place. The Queen then announced Princess Alana Tar, the younger sister of Queen Viktoriya Tar, as the first heir. In years to come this will be a national holiday. The school will see only noble girls educated and at the age of 16 will be tested for the Lower School Diploma. Those doing well will proceed to study Highers for a further two years however any girl deemed "beautiful" will also be offered a placement. Those achieving well academically at the age of 18 will be offered a place for a further three years to gain a degree. The school will recruit its first University intake and kindergarten class for this September. The University shall be overseen by respected Morelander scholar Dr.Maddie Howard who Queen Klara says "is, with the exception of her faith, the epitome of what we want the scholars to become."

There have been some critics of the new systems saying it turns its back on traditions however the Queen was quick to point out that it wasn't until the 1600's that many of the traditions that people understand today began after historic corruption by Duke Vitali Eramenko seized control of the military. One person critical of the new measures described it as "unleashing chaos upon the structures of the nation." A series of ten decrees has been released to make the measures the Queen has passed lawful.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #117 on: July 30, 2023, 11:22:28 PM »




ZHARY PALACE TO BE RE-OPENNED

The Palace has today confirmed that Zhary Palace will be re-opened for use by the crown. The Palace was put into "mothballs" during the recent conflict and suffered some minor damage during local fighting there. The Palace was repaired by local artisans and Queen Natalya has today confirmed that the Palace will become the official residency of the newly created position of Crown Princess. The Palace was built in the early 19th Century by Queen Maria III as a summer retreat however she died before its completion. The Palace has been used largely for functions by the people of Zhary such as balls and art exhibitions. The Palace enjoys a position sat on the top of a cliff overlooking the Alucard and has access to a private beach. In addition the palace boasts a large complex of buildings, including the main palace, a theater, a small temple, and several outbuildings. The main palace is a three-story structure with a central dome. The exterior of the palace is decorated with elaborate stuccowork and balustrades. The interior of the palace is lavishly decorated with marble floors, crystal chandeliers, and gilt-framed mirrors.The palace is surrounded by a landscaped park with fountains, ponds, and gardens. The park is home to a variety of plants, including palm trees, cypresses, and magnolias. In total the main Palace has over 160 rooms. The Palace will now be home to Crown Princess Alana Tar who will be considered the owner of the Palace until July 2024. The new Crown Princess has already begun the establishment of a staff at the Palace and will be hosting her first formal ball in a weeks time.

As well as being the designated heir for 12 months the Crown Princess will also undertake various duties ranging from supporting diplomatic efforts as well as supporting good causes.




ZHARY PALACE TO BE RE-OPENNED

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #118 on: August 24, 2023, 09:57:46 PM »




ZHOYAN TO BECOME "NATURE RESERVE"

Queen Natalya yesterday visited the smallest of the Lodjain Islands, Zhoyan. The island is home to just 12,000 Lodjains most of whom work in the tourist industry. The island is very popular with tourists who enjoy its beautiful beaches, hillside forests and clear blue seas. The islanders though have become concerned that the island is becoming overcommercialised and as a result the environment on which they rely for their appeal is becoming damaged. A representative of hospitality industry members stated, "We have on Zhoyan a awkward see-saw act. We need tourists to come here for our income, yet at the same time the way some less than desirable elements of our industry operate have begun to damage the things people wish to see. Many of the beautiful mountain paths have been heavily eroded, we've seen a raise in people setting up spa's in the region of the mountain springs and vast fishing trips harming fishing stocks. If these things go unchecked then the island will eventually find its appeal gone. We therefore have been asking for a long time for some action as while the majority of us are happy to work together for the betterment of our whole sector others won't."

The Queen arrived at the island by helicopter after visiting the Helicopter Carrier HDMS Swevoo which was part of anti-piracy operations in the region. Having arrived at the island she meet with a delegation of representatives of the islands tourist sector at the Stasiuk Eco-Resort which has been held up as a beacon for sustainable tourism. The resort features several luxury cabins built from sustainably harvested timber and all electricity comes from either solar energy or wave generators. The resort also works exclusively with partners on the island it can show are working environmentally friendly. Following the meeting the Queen visited several businesses on the island before undertaking a hillside hike with a wildlife charity who seek to preserve habitats. While in the hills the Queen had time to go swimming in one of the many waterfall streams and helped at an orphanage for wildlife.

This morning the Queen made an announcement that there would be a "rotating nature reserve system" set up on the island. Under the new arrangements the island will have a rotating "no fishing zone" which will allow fish stocks to be replenished. No logging will be permitted unless companies first buy a quota and then replant on land logged. There will be small business loans made available for companies to go onto fully renewable energy sources as well as another scheme that will allow companies employing less than 50 people to make investments that can be shown to have positive environmental impacts. The Queen has also pledged that the Iskar-Zhoyan-Tar ferry service will be increased from one vessel every three days to one vessel a day. The trip takes two days between each island. The Queen made no statement about an international standard airport for the island which is a topic of contention among many with some of the larger resorts wanting one while smaller establishments believe the airport capable of taking smaller aircraft is sufficient.

The Queen intends to spend the rest of the day kayaking, a hobby she took up while spending her teenage years in the Commonwealth of the Iwi. She was not accompanied on the visit by the Maori Lieutenant and Envoy of the Commonwealth of the Unified Iwi, Hahona Mere, whom she has been romantically linked.

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Re: Lodja Times
« Reply #119 on: September 03, 2023, 08:43:55 PM »




CURTAIN FALLS ON SUMMER BALLS

This weekend has marked the final of the annual summer balls. The traditional final ball of the season took place in the Palace on the Isle of the Goddess and was attended by around 1000 guests, a number reduced from previous years due to "stricter security" as it was the first following last years postponement during the conflict that rocked the nation. This year the ball was reinstated and the Queen had invited 200 guests with the remaining 800 being made up of a random selection from those who applied and were vetted for attendance. Among those fortunate enough to be invited were several ambassadors including Peter Kade, the cousin of East Moreland's King David who is rumoured to have been accompanying Chief Lady in Waiting Jasmina Danilov. As always with balls on the Isle the Queen was in attendance however as people had expected the Maori envoy Lt.Hahona Mere did not accompany her, the second engagement he has not attended which has lead some to consider whether their relationship, if there was one, is over. Instead the Queen was accompanied by Henrik Pelagiya, the younger brother of the Queen of East Moreland and former Lady in Waiting Stasya Pelagiya.

The ball lasted until 2am when High Priestess Arina Maksimov called a halt to proceedings and gave what has become the formal blessing to end the summer ball season. The youngest High Priestess in the faiths history said, "We today mark another summer passing and have watched as Sessifet has weaved her magic in allowing young people to find love. To those now preparing to marry the Goddess wishes you well and to those yet to make a match the Goddess wishes you happiness until next summer. May the Goddess be with you all." Traditionally the summer ball season has been a time where young noble girls upon reaching the age of 16 are formally introduced to noble society as eligible for marriage. As Professor Mesalov who has written several articles on Lodjain culture explains, "The age may have varied throughout history, usually it was the summer following a noble girl being able to have children that they were introduced, now we have all seemingly without discussion agreed at 16. Appearing at your first ball as a young woman is sending a message that you are on the market so to speak and the would be suitors can get to know you in a safe and fun setting for everyone involved. Normally this was the best way for many young women to have their pick as many girls could easily have multiple men seeking their attention."

Traditionally all girls attending who are unmarried and single wear white, a colour no other person may wear, thus marking them out. Each of the girls carries a dance card which any gentleman interested in her can be asked to be added to. Traditionally it is seen as exceptionally poor etiquette to accept a gentleman's invitation and then not follow through. Many girls who are known to be attending certain balls can actually find that they have a full dance card before even arriving at the ball with their family sometimes making arrangements or as one girl explained the use of a more modern method. "Everyone has social media these days, instagram is the main one where this happens. You post a picture showing your dress, because frankly you don't want someone turning up in the same as you, and what ball your going to  Quiet often guys will then slide into your DM's and ask if you'll add them to your dance card. For two of the summer balls I had full cards before even walking through the door. Its a bit of an ego boost and actually means you can chat with guys a bit first before the ball and get a sense if they're someone you'd get on with before adding them to your card."

The Lodjains ball season has also become more international this year as Lodjains living overseas have organised their own balls. The biggest of these though was the one hosted by Queen Stasya of East Moreland whose Silverhills home saw some 1,200 individuals attend. The event also raised a significant amount of money for Global Childbirth Initiative projects. Several embassies in Gaia also hosted events including the Cenneg embassy which introduced Cčilidh dancing to the Lodjains in attendance. Next year there have already been several other embassies asking to be added to the traditional approved list of balls and rumours that other nations with Lodjain diaspora have also intended to host them.

With the main aim of the Summer Ball Season being to secure marriages the office of the Queen has received several requests to approve marriages between noble girls and boys. A Royal spokesman explained, "All of the official balls have a certificate from the Queen authorising them. As such it is traditional that any marriages resulting from meetings at these balls should be approved by the Queen. We have so far received 162 requests for approval. In the coming days the Queen will be issuing formal approvals to these but likely we'll get a few more over the next few months." One of those hoping for approval is 17 year old Tanya Akeeva who is hoping to marry Fedor Milakonov in February once they are both 18. The two meet at a ball in Zhony and their parents began discussions about marriage soon after. Tanya said to us, "I know its extremely rare the Queen does not give approval but there is a sense of nerves until that letter arrives giving her blessing. I think it will always make my marriage to Fedor more special because you know the Queen, and therefore Sessifet think you're a suitable couple."

This season has also seen the first same-sex request for a blessing. While this has never been outlawed most balls are very clearly the territory of hetrosexual couples. This year though there has been three official balls that have been advertised as "Rainbow Balls" which have been marketed as LGBTQ+ events. The first same sex couple to ask for royal approval for marriage is 17 year old Svetlana Ludmilla and 18 year old Anna Sharakova who meet as a ball in Luben. Svetlana told us "Sessifet is very clear that love and passion are beautiful and that it does not matter who you love. I meet Anna at Duke Rorias ball and we just clicked, that night our parents began talking and even though we both went to other balls during the summer we kept in touch and meet at a few of them and then two weeks ago our parents approved our marriage and now we just wait for Queen Natalya to give her and Sessifets blessing. We're hoping to get married on my 18th birthday in July next year.

For now though the white dresses and tuxedos can be packed away until May next year.