Natalya thought Henrik was making some very valid points regarding their diplomatic side of these talks. "I think we can agree that further meetings should take place. I think however we should release a joint statement saying that when we meet with you and TUNA we are going to, as a mere failsafe, form an agreement on matters between Lodja and Eboracium. That way I can state to the Conclave that we have made some progress, you get to return home with something and that makes your father happy I hope. Then we have a foundation that we can build on when we arrange the TUNA meeting. Perhaps just a short statement saying.

Following a meeting between the Queendom of Lodja and The Heptarchy of Eboracum the two nations have agreed to work together to forge mutually co-operative ties in the future in the realms of trade, transport, security and various other endeavours. While talks are productive the two parties believe that the aims of the two nations will be best served seeking co-operation through TUNA and as such Eboracum will be seeking talks with the organisation and Lodja shall work to ensure the membership are receptive to the approach. The future of Eboracum and Lodjain relations will be strengthened either through the medium of TUNA or if needed seperately.

Both parties are delighted with the initial talks and are hopeful of a great oucome in the coming months

The Queen then handed the document she proposed to Henrik. "We will need though a few moments to discuss amongst ourselves your other matter, we need to consider what approach we take. Svetlana perhaps you can take Henrik for a tour of the estate while we organise a few things."

"Of course your Divine Majesty." Svetlana stood and extended a hand to Henrik. "If you'd care to follow me Prince" she waited for him to stand and then lead him out the room walking a few steps ahead of him still holding his hand. As they left she turned and took him along the corridors which were festooned in art and scultpure. "So Your Highness I hope you don't mind me asking but a handsome prince like yourself must literally have girls throwing themselves at you. I know in Lodja a handsome Prince would be drowning in noble girls at our balls. Yet here you are asking our Queen to play match-maker. Is there some cultural thing we don't know about that makes Eboracumian ladies blind." She asked.

Meanwhile in the room Natalya and the three remaining Ladies began scheming. "Such a shame he's not Lodjain" Natalya began. "Now assuming Svetlana hasn't taken him on a tour of her bed chambers we need to think how to handle this. I think this is a useful tool and an opportunity to get some strong foundations in our neighbours household. I mean one day he'll be Emperor and then we'd have a friend in his house....or bed. Its almost like a less organic version of Stasya and David but on this occasion we aren't going to be getting a high status noble. I mean while I'm sure they'll be many girls up for the job, a chance to basically be a royal, live a life of luxury I think the idea of eventually playing second....or even third fiddle isn't going to go down well with the bigger families. So anyone suggest anyone?"

Jasmina was perhaps the most well connected of the group in terms of the movers and shakers within Lodjain society. "The Pavlovsky family for a start. Klavdiya turned 19 this summer and is a beautiful young lady. Her father though is a drunk and gambles far too much. Rumour has it that the Forest Palace they own is going to be sold to pay off the Lord's debts."

"Keep me posted on that Palace." Natalya said, "I like that place and if we've a chance to acquire it then we can have some awesome parties there."

"I would think Klavdiya would expect that the rumours would be enough to put off the potential suitors she'd otherwise get." Jasmina was tapping away on her phone. "Apparently she had only one marriage proposal this summer season which is insane."

"Mark it as a possibility." Natalya responded as Jasmina scribbled it down.

"What about the Zaytsev family?" Tonya pitched in. "The main branch of the family went against Queen Klara but the smaller part of the family remained loyal. They've a desire to show loyalty and something like this allows them to help Queen Natalya out and then gives Henrik a family that was once well connected, it will also marginalise the main branch and mean that Yuri Zaytsev would likely become the defacto leader of that family ensuring its loyalty. I think Katjusha is single, she's 20 and I hear that she turned down the new academy because she intended to join the Army in order to try and get the family back into favour."

"Excellent prospect" Natalya said, "I think Yuri Zaytsev has also petitioned me in the past to find a suitable husband for his older daughter, this could perhaps be a way to show some support for him."

"Alyona Feofilakt" Zhenya suddenly announced. "If you remember last summer she was caught up in that scandal of her father being involved in the whale farm thing. She got a lot of hassle online and she had been engaged to one of the great-grandsons of Queen Sonya. That's been cancelled. She's kind of now in a little bit of a limbo. Her family isn't hated but isn't respected. The Feofilakts are kind of being given a wide berth in high society. Suddenly having their youngest daughter tied up with a future Emperor is going to help them."

"Interesting I didn't know she'd had her engagement broke off." Natalya watched as Jasmina wrote a few things down. "Its 10am. I say we've realistically 8 hours before dinner tonight with Henrik. Lets see if we can't get at least one of them here to meet him and get the ball rolling. Jasmina thats over to you."

"No problem" Jasmina exited and began making the phone calls. It didn't take her long to track down all three girls and get their responses, all of them knew this was a golden opportunity not just for their families but for the Queendom. Beside Jasmina has done a great job on promoting Henrik and all the girls seemed rather intrigued.

---

4pm

Svetlana has finished her walk around the Palace with Henrik and now returned him to see the Queen who once Henrik was sat comfortably dismissed all the Ladies in Waiting. "While you've been away we've been rather busy." She giggled a little. "We've made some phone calls and we have three good candidates for your proposal of being consort. Now of course they could easily say no and I will not order them to do it, I don't think morally that would be acceptable nor is it what you want. I have however arranged for them to join us for dinner. We've Klavdiya Pavlovsky, she's 19 and while exceptionally beautiful there is an issue, her father is in debt and I think Klavdiya would see being consort as a way of wiping that shame from her family. Next we have Katjusha Zaytsev, she's 20 and a very sweet girl. Her family were torn a little apart during our civil war. The family want back in the royal good books and I think she would see this as a duty that could help her do that and ensure her famil honour is restored. Finally we have Alyona Feofilakt, was very highly regarded both in terms of beauty and family connections. Her engagement was cancelled to a Prince by descent after her father was caught up in some conspiracy. Now while each of these girls has families less than pristine they are the ones that we think you'll find beautiful enough to want to share your bed but also likely to agree to be a consort rather than wife and to do so in quick time. Is there any that you wish us to introduce you to first?"

Natalya couldn't help but give a little chuckle at the Princes compliment. "You did not cause offence" She said sweetly, "I'm grateful for your kind words" she knew that most men found her attractive in some way but it was always a nice boost to the ego to have someone say it. "The gifts are very sweet and I shall have Jasmina see if we can make a visit to your Solsitice festival. I enjoy a good party" she let go of Henrirks arm as they disappeared inside the Palace to start their discussion. In truth the Queen was not sure if they would attend the festival, there were a few cultural issues that she could think of but perhaps they could be overcome. She took time to examine the gift, it was clear whoever had given the Emperor or his son advice on what gifts to bring had done a good job, the colour scheme was a superb choice. When inside and sat down Natalya removed those earrings she herself was wearing and without need of a mirror slipped the new ones in tilting her head from side to side to give Henrik a view of them. "I like them" she beamed.

They had reached a small lounge where the group could sit and talk. Low cream coloured couches flanked three sides of a coffee table with a roaring fire place fulfilling the forth. Natalya sat on one sofa alongside Jasmina. Tonya and Zhenya sat on the other exchanging whispered exchanges while Henrik was sat on the remaining one, Svetlana next to him indicating her role in the talks. Once everyone was seating Tonya stood and poured them all some wine before taking a seat next to Zhenya. Henrik could just about hear her whisper to Zhenya "He is cute" and the pair smiled at each other.

Natalya ignored the girls apparent gossip on the Prince and continued. "Your fathers note said that you wished to discuss matters of trade and I think he said other mutually agreeable matters. Can I enquire what those things are?"

Rakalin was the most southern city in Lodja. If you went any further West you began climbing into the mountain range known as the Yeval Range and there only pretty little villages and hamlets existed. The city was just 15km from the border with Eboricum yet it had over the years had very little to do with its southern neighbour. The Sheiff of Rakalin was Borislav Nadjinik, in the grand scheme of Lodjain politics he was a mid placed noble but today he would be front and centre of the event about to take place. The Queen and her vast entourage had arrived the day before and of course the Sheriff had taken great delighted in making sure the Queen had a pleasant evening. While it had not quiet been a ball there had been a gathering of the local nobility and the wine had flowed. Natalya and her Ladies in Waiting had though excused themselves early and while they could hear in the Sheriffs estate house courtyard the revelries continue until the early hours they had long curled up to ensure they were fresh for the morning.

Jasmina had ensured the Sheriffs staff had prepared the Queen's pale blue dress with silver stitching and then laid out three selections of jewels for the Queen's approval and after helping her put her hair up helped fasten the selected set. Once the Queen was looking magnificent the Ladies ensured they were similarly attired in dressed almost identical to the Queens but with no stitching and a slightly darker blue. The five Ladies then made their way outside to the Palace courtyard once they had been told that the guests were in bound to the meeting. The Queen watched as just before their arrival Lubos Kubik arrived having ensured an honour guard had marked the Crown Princes crossing into the Queendom. "So far everything is going to plan" the large ex-general stated as the Crown Princes motorcade arrived.

Nadjinik opened the door of the Crown Princes car and bowed to welcome the visiting royal. "Crown Prince Henrik I'm honoured to be able to introduce you to my Queen, the Guardian of Sessifet, Her Divine Majesty Queen Natalya."

The Queen stepped forward with a smile. "Your Highness I'm happy that your father has sent you and I agree with him it has been far too long. Would you care to come inside." The Queen stepped to stand beside Henrik and in a manouver pre-planned Svetlana manouvered the other side of him. Natalya continued speaking. "While you are here my Lady in Waiting Svetlana will act as your guide, PA and anything else you need. She will take very good care of you." The youngest lady in waiting smiled up at the Prince.

"Its an honour to serve you" She said giving a little walking bob of a bow of respect.

Playing the part of the ever dutiful partner Rezakov made a play of helping Regina up and apologising to the group at the table. He reached inside his jacket pocket and removed a few high value bank notes as Regina took off towards the table. "Gentleman" Rezakov said politely, "I apologise but I would expect you to act like gentleman. Allow me to buy you a bottle of champagne as a gesture of good will." He placed enough of the bank notes to make it possible to buy one of the best the restaurant had to offer. He secretly hoped that the group would pay by card as one of the banknotes was his "safety note" it contained in the security features of the local banknote a hidden fraction of a millimetre wide RFID chip. They were given to agents working abroad so they could, if needed be tracked at short range. As he sat down he pulled out his own phone and tapped away before sliding it round to her so she could see. The message contained the words "RFID track" and the frequency of the chip. If Regina could get someone on it quick enough they'd be easily able to track the group even from outside of buildings. It may be useful and at this point was all he could think of contributing in terms of tracking people down.

As the men had left Rezakov removed the swiped phone from his pocket, checked whether he could access it but as was common it was locked by a fingerprint. "We should get this cracked" he said as he placed the phone back in his pocket. "Got any friends up this late?" he asked.

---

While Isidore may have been new to global politics Besarian was well versed. "I understand your upset and that is exactly why we're working extremely hard to find a solution and return a valued piece of ours, and yours, nations heritage. As for Queen Natalya as of yet she is not fully in the loop, she been aware for some time that we've a significant amount of art work missing. You need to understand we've had to massively restore the Isle of the Goddess, we've had the homes on the foot of the hills pox marked with bullet holes, we've had huge amounts of fire damage and theft. Those have been our priorities and the Queen herself has been busy making major reforms to our nation. We value our friendship with you which is why you've Rezakov wandering around tracking things down. Once he has something to report the Queen will of course be fully briefed."

Isidore took over "Your Imperial Majesty" she began "We've thousands of paintings and art works on the Isle in various formats, sadly we can't track them all but you can be certain our two nations together will find this. I trust Rezakov and I think you should to. He should report in soon and lets see what he's found so far."

Following leaving the office where the man had handed them the list Rezakov was forced to come clean. "If I'm honest I don't think I believe a word I was saying. I very much doubt on what we've got your people would send him to Lodja and I doubt even more if we'd ever get a conviction for terrorist stuff, but he clearly didn't know that so we've got what we need....for now." he shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't really in a role for espionage, investigation and the like back home and in some way he was kind of enjoying the new role. Perhaps when he returned home he might ask more about joining the intelligence services but for now he was simply protecting the Queen, her friends and Lodjain nobility.

The Ratskeller conversation was a little tough to hear. The Queen of East Moreland was highly respected back home, she may do all she could to appear a Morelander but everyone knew she was still a Lodjain at heart. He had however not really eaten properly since arriving in Neu Urburzis and so now turned his attention to the menu by ordering himself some sausage, some veal and the Black Cherry cake, he was just glad he'd not be paying. As he did his best to play the role of someone out with a loved one he also tried overhearing the conversation. He discreetly wrote on a napkin, "Recognise any?" and slid it to Regina.

---

Isidore and Besarian had just returned from the Isle's theatre where they'd been watching a "rock opera" neither of them had particularly enjoyed it but one of the children of Maxim Schnoor, a significant member of the Conclave, had been in the male lead role and so as Besarian wanted to keep Maxim in his good books they'd attended and applauded enthusiastically at the end while merely they were desperate to get away. Besarian had even arranged the Isle's kitchen to have them some pizza delivered on their short walk home and just as he'd flipped the lid open on a 12 inch Pepperoni Supreme his PA contacted him informing him the Emperor of Neu Urburzis was on the line demanding to speak to him or his wife. He summond Isidora to come out the bedroom where she'd been slipping into "something more comfortable" before planning on attacking her own ham and mushroom snack. She quickly slid on a plain black dress she had hanging on the back of the door and joined her husband who was still setting up the laptop. Once sat down he logged into the video call. "Good evening Your Majesty" He said unsure what the actual time difference was at that point. "I'm not aware we were expecting to talk so I can only imagine you need something from us here in Lodja. If I can help I will of course." He explained wondering what the hell was going on.

Date of Birth: Exact date unknown but believed to be around January 2001. Celebrates birthday on 11th August 2001 as that was the date of her adoption by the McCann family.
Full name (including titles, if applicable): Darina Klymenko-McCann
Place of Birth: Believed to be Secundas in Kaitaine.
Nationality: Kaitainite
Unedited and Up to date Picture:
    
Medical Records: Granted Class A Bloodline Potential Status by the Missionara meaning that considered perfect health with "exceptional genetic material"
Why do you think you'd be the right person to raise and bear the next Emperor or Empress:

The Emperor has undergone significant family tragedy in his life. As to have I. Having someone who can understand and share that at a young age is important. Neu Urburzis and my homeland have ties that are among the first the Theocracy ever experienced and the Bene Gesserit faith has escaped the mistrust many nations have given us from your lands. As a graduate of the Seitch Chapterhouse I am one of only a handful of the Bene Gesserit to graduate in two streams. As a Truthsayer I have experienced hardships likely to have been unseen by any other candidate. As an Honored Matres I am aware only too well of how important making strong bloodlines are. I believe a union between myself and the Emperor can be great for both parties and I look forward to meeting him.

With the 20th birthday of Emperor Orion of Neu Urburzis approaching the traditional competition to become his wife and therefore Empress has begun and two Lodjain noble ladies have put their names forward. Ophelia Danialov and Angelika Kubik have both thrown their name into the metaphorical ring. The two girls face competition from a local ice skater, a noble lady from Asadal and rather ironically the Royal Ambassador to Lodja from Rokkenjima. The competition is to start in the new year but there have already been several social media posts referencing the competition with Princess Sophia, the Rokkenjiman ambassador, already posting criticism of a post on social media by Queen Stasya of East Moreland. In a picture of Queen Stasya and her close friend Lady in Waiting Jasmina Danialov, who is the sister of Ophelia, posted that she hoped Ophelie would "Bag" an Emperor, something criticised by Princess Sophie. The East Moreland Queen has however laughed off the criticism saying, "There is a great deal about Neu Urburzis society that is competative. Their school system has competition built into it and they even love summer schools that pit children into contests. If the Princess things a nicely nicely approach to the competition sanctioned by the nation she's applied to be Empress of is the way forward good luck to her. I'll be hoping Ophelia wins and if for some reason she doesn't then Angelika would be an excellent choice too."

The two Lodjain candidates are both well connected with ancient family connections to nobility. Ophelia is the sister of current lead Lady in Waiting Lady Jasmina while Angelika is the grand-daughter of the current Lord of the Conclave Duke Lubos Kubik. The two girls are also friends with both of them having spent considerable time on the Isle of the Goddess, where ironically one of their rivals, Princess Sophie, has also spent significant time. Over the current summer season it was reported that Angelika had received at least ten offers of marriage however these had been rejected as her grand-father felt they "were not of sufficient standing". Meanwhile Ophelia has recently begun campaigning for Wild Mundus Organisation following Queen Natalya stepping down as their junior ambassador.

The Queen has sent both competitors her best stating, "If one of the two win it is a positive result for Neu Urburzis and Lodja. The country of Neu Urburzis will get an elegant and beautiful Empress to support Emperor Orion. Meanwhile Lodja will naturally feel more inclined to seek ever closer relations with them." The Palace also confirmed that the two will be invited to spend time on the Isle as an "extended part of the royal retinue" if it helps them in their competition. Ophelia has however turned down the invitation in order to spend time in East Moreland visiting Portworth where the founder of WMO, Matilda Osman is based. In addition she will be spending time with family friend Queen Stasya.

Angelika was born in 2004 in the small Southern town of Helaov. She is the grand-daughter of General Lubos Kubik who in 2023 became the Lord of the Conclave. Her father was Lubos' 2nd son Vasili and his wife Ruslana. She grew up on the families estate just outside town where she was, along with several of her cousins tutored by various home tutors including several significant priestesses. As such she grew up rather pious.

Once she reached the age of 16 she attended school on the Isle of the Goddess as she was considering a career path in the service of Sessifet. She however did not really enjoy the way the faith was rather strictly taught on the isle and so as a result wasn't too bothered about academic matters. She did reasonably well at school however and was offered a place at Gaia University studying Literature. Once out of the family fold she made the most of enjoying the social opportunities at University and even went so far as setting up a small business with a friend organising raves in disused industrial venues. She is on track to make a significant profit with that business. She however has been encouraged by her father to seek opportunities to advance the family name.

Imants Kozlov was used to extravagant requests. When you were the manager of the Labyrinth nightclub in Gaia it was part of the territory. The club was perhaps the most well known nightspot in Gaia and on any given night there was a huge number of celebrities frequenting its four floors of beach front opulence. If you were not lucky enough to know the right people it could take as long as six months to get your name on the guest list or you could take a gamble and just turn up and should the door staff deem you to have passed their largely arbitrary fashion dress code check wait for someone to leave. The line to get in was "one out, one in" and often that was even more desirable than some of the other clubs that were strung along the Zolotoye Naberezhnaya, or Golden Promenade. They opened at 9pm and at 6pm there had been "the" phone call. At first Kozlov had thought it was perhaps a wind up but when two large suited men arrived just after the phone call. They had introduced themselves with a flip of a shiny gold badge as members of the Queen's security detail and that the Queen was intending to come that evening with an entourage. Kozlov knew that potentially the night could become chaos, one the up side the Queen attending his club would be a PR coup, lots of people would see it and the Labyrinth would become even more well known however on the down side it would come with a lot of disruption. The Security detail quickly put one of the bars out of commission, it wasn't completely separate but with a few boths arranged to one side around its own small dance floor security could effectively rope the area off. That area though was one of the most popular  spots within the club but there was not much Kozlov could say.

The plan was all part of Jasmina's attempts to cheer up the Queen. During the past few weeks Natalya had been visibly down, the news of Hahona's impending nuptials had upset her. While she had been clear their relationship would need to change she had hoped they could somehow find a way to be together but it was now clear that dream was impossible and so Jasmina believed copious amounts of Vodka, Beyonce music and a good old boogie was the cure. There would be a whole entourage going with them and the traditional "uniform" was off the table. The Queen, her four Ladies in Waiting and various other noble women of the Isle had spent the afternoon getting ready and at 9pm the job was done. Semyon Lenin, the head of the Queens security detail, was not happy about the arrangement but having lost the argument with Jasmina he had insisted that a boat take them to as close to the Labyrinth as possible. A crowd was already waiting to get in and as the royal party arrived camera phones relayed the moment across Lodja by social media. The Queen wearing a little black dress gave a small glance at the crowd as Kozlov welcomed her and showed her to the area they'd reserved. The night started sedately enough with the eight or so girls ordering bottles of vodka yet by midnight things were getting more rowdy. Zhenya and Tonya had taken it upon themselves to go find people to "party" with the royals and soon a plethora of celebs, influencers and guys they thought were hot had been invited to join them. Each had been searched prior to getting anywhere near the Queen but with bottles of Champagne, shots and cocktails freely flowing towards their tables no one seemed to mind. Natalya was actually enjoying herself. She'd had a dance with friends, enjoyed several cheeky cocktails and even had the chance to meet some musicians she liked. "Your Majesty" Zhenya reappeared through the crowd. "I think you might know Kyrylo Stasiuk" she had lead a tall man with blonde hair and deep blue eyes through security. The name rang a bell to the Queen but she couldn't think why. "His mother is Ekaterina Stasiuk, Duchess of Potaki. The penny dropped with Natalya, Ekaterina was the head of a large company that owned hotels across Mundus, her daughter Oksana, for a short time at least, had been a Queen of Royal Seleucid.

"Nice to meet you Your Majesty" Kyrylo bowed deeply admiring the Queen as he did so. "Thank you for inviting me to join your little party." He added as he looked around.

"You're more than welcome" a slightly intoxicated Queen responded, she lifted a glass of champagne of the tray and handed it to Kyrylo. "Join me for a drink?" She asked and dutifully he of course did. Soon after the Queen and Kyrylo were splashed across social media as people at first were puzzled by who the man dancing with her was and the who it was the Queen was seen boarding the boat back to the Isle with. It was like Lodjian social media was more effective in working out people's identities than any national intelligence service as some several hundred kilometers inland from Gaia the Duchess of Potaki smiled seeing her heading back home with the Queen. Perhaps if her son played his cards right the Stasiuk's could once again consider themselves a royal family, but for now it couldn't hurt that Kyrylo was seemingly on the Queen's good side.

Sofya was born in 2005 in Gaia. Her mother was a poet who lived on the Isle of the Goddess and her father was a doctor. Her mother was extremely devout follower of Sessifet and has three husbands. She is the eldest of four children but the only one of her fathers children.

She spent much of her youth on the Isle and enjoyed spending time in the temple there. Her mother believed she'd likely become a priestess. Initially she was happy to go along with that however at the age of 12 she began to prefer spending time watching the dancers that often performed and practiced in the various courtyards and open spaces of the Palace of the Goddess. In 2017 she persuaded her parents to allow her to attend the Gaia School of Performance despite her not actually being the most elegant of dancers. Her mother was able to pull some strings and get her in. She however was quiet bright academically, especially in languages and by the time she graduated in 2023 she could speak Lodjain, Aostan, Rus and Norse. She graduated with mainly B Grades but an A in Languages, her teachers however said she would have done even better had she not spent so much time flirting with boys.

During the 2023 Summer season she received a lot of attention from many noble families and her parents had received fifteen different proposals for her marriage. Sofya was torn between marriage and University however when she was approached at joining the Royal Preparation Academy she accepted and has opted to include Linguistics in her studies. 

In 2023 Queen Natalya made several significant changes to the rules surrounding the selection of future Queens. With support from the Priesthood she changed the law so that any future Queens would have to be 21 at the time they inherit the throne and have been a graduate of a government backed school / university known as the Royal Preparation Academy. The school welcomed its first students in September 2023 as they began pursuing University education. In 2024 the school will welcome its first students aged 16, in 2025 those aged 11 will begin their education here. By 2030 the schools will offer education from ages 11-21. The school is female only and has strict entry criteria. In 2026 the school will see its first graduates and on graduation day the Queen, after consultation with the priesthood, will pick one graduate who will be named as Crown Princess and will, for 12 months, be the heir to the throne. Until that time the Queen and the priesthood will name a 21 year old each summer to be the the heir. If during their 12 months the heir does not inherit the throne they will, on the day the new Crown Princess is named, lose their title but gain the title Lady Protector and will give them the right to sit on various councils for the rest of their life.

The school also intends to create a new cohort of diplomats and civil servants as Queen Natalya believes that Queen Sonya permitted women to be side-lined in many of the government roles.

SELECTION

Once fully operational the school will have three criteria for admission. Each year there will be no more than 30 students in a year group. Students will be picked one a combination of "academic potential, beauty and patrician heritage". The decision about the cohort each year will be made by a combination of the Priesthood, the Principle of the School and a Royal representative. Once a student reaches 16 they may be removed from the school if it is believed they no longer fulfil the three criteria, additionally should there be anyone deemed to have "Undiscovered potential" they can be admitted for Higher Diploma studies and then again a final chance for admission is possible for degree at the age of 18.

CURRICULUM

When fully operational students aged 11-16 will receive a broad education identical to any student in Lodja. The students will however also receive lessons on matters such as etiquette and current affairs.

At the age of 16 all students will, in line with Lodjain High School Diplomas, take three subjects. One of those subjects must be either History, Politics, Geography or Theology.

The University section of the Academy will offer just a handful of options. Students will have the ability to pick whether they want to study just "International Leadership Studies" a degree that will feature the study of historical examples, international law, politics, Sessifetism, economics and management sciences. Students may opt to do a joint honours degree by also adding one of the following to their degree course, Dance, Music, Literature, Linguistics, Philosophy or Business Management.

FACILITIES

The Academy is a boarding school at all levels. There are three distinct living accomodation blocks.

The Home House - This is for students aged between 11-16. Students share a room with two other students. The block is a three floor stone built building with each floor being a "Fellowship". The Home House features four common areas, one for each Fellowship and one for general use. These common rooms include communal TV areas, gaming zones, hobby stations, a kitchen, small library and various other things required for socialisation and relaxation. Each room has its own bathroom and a small loft area for use as a lounge.


The Scholars Barns - These are a series of five converted barns arranged around a courtyard that feature self contained bedrooms, each with their own bathroom. Much like the Home House the Scholars Barn has in each of the barns a social area but also has a large communal area in a separate barn. Each student is also a member of a Fellowship


The Annex  - This is an old estate house set back from the main campus. It has a series of private ensuite bedrooms with a shared kitchen and dining room between four students. There is a large communal lounge and kitchen, a gym, swimming pool, computer lab, library and music room for students to use. In addition "The Annex" also is home to the schools ball room and theatre. These are accessed through an external entrance so no lower school student sets foot in the living areas of The Annex. One stark difference is that students in the annex have no curfew so long as their attendance to lectures is above 95%.

The Lodjain Football Association votes for Abertone

Following the end of the recent Lodjain Civil War the members of the Army responsible for the security of the Isle of the Goddess have undergone radical change. The 187 year old unit known as the Warriors of Gaia was disbanded and replaced with the new 1st Royal Guard Regiment. The new unit is not considered a special forces unit but just as its predecessor it does have higher requirements in terms of fitness and soldierly standards than the regular army. Since the formation of a specialist unit to guard the Isle, a role once undertaken by the Queen Marine Squadron, there has never been a female member. Today Lieutenant Violetta Matveev became the first to pass the final hurdle to enter the service, a 1km open swim followed by a 2mile run. This is undertaken across Gaia bay and then up the hill to the Palace itself. The 26 year old was formerly a member of the 2nd Horse Artillery and is the youngest daughter of the Sheriff of Karpovka, a small town in the North of the nation. In the coming days she will be formally inducted into the new regiment and presented the silver beret by Queen Natalya. Speaking following the announcement Lt.Matveev said, "A while back Queen Natalya spoke of the Queendom regaining its traditions of women taking the lead within the nation after for the last few centuries a corrupted priesthood and nepotism diminished most womens roles. I'm proud to be the first to join the Queen's guard and I now dream one day of being the commanding officer of it."

Queen Natalya has yet to meet Lt.Matveev but did say "I am very proud of Violetta and look forward to presenting her, and the other three new guards, their berets on Saturday. I have heard Lt.Matveev talk of her dream f one day commanding the Guard and I too look forward to seeing her achieve her dream. I pray that she is the first of many to walk this path."

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With the World Cup just a few weeks away it is expected that football will be in the spotlight of the media however today it is for the wrong reasons. 23 year old superstar of the Lodjain womens game Kristina Kovalyov first completed a transfer from Dynamo Gaia to local rivals CSK Gaia becoming the first player in either the mens or womens game to move between the teams. The news sparked an outcry online from Dynamo fans branding the winger a "Traitor" and calling for her to be targeted for "retribution" when the two teams next meet. That meeting, barring a cup tie, will not happen this season as Dynamo Gaia were relegated following a 10 point deduction last season for financial mismanagement. It was this relegation that saw Kovalyov push for a transfer. In August she went on record saying, "This coming world cup will see fierce competition for places in the womens team and I need to be in the top league for my chance to come about. Sadly that means leaving Dynamo."

Later in the day however CSK Gaia had police attending their training ground where Kovalyov was meeting fans for the first time. It was discovered that police had received warnings of at least six death threats against her. While many of these are likely to be simply angry fans using social media to vent their disappointment at what they perceive as a betrayal of their club the Police have said they will be giving Kovalyov a panic alarm for the time being. CSK Gaia have also confirmed that they will be providing her with security until those responsible have been caught.

Sabina was born on the Isle of Iskor in 2005. Her mother is Tatiana Volkov, a well respected ballerina and the sister of Duke Tobias Pelagiya. Her father is Radoslav Volkov who is a restaurateur owning several well thought of eateries across Lodja. She has an older brother called Max (b.2001) and a younger sister called Anastasia (b.2009).

Sabina was pushed at a young age in attempts to follow her mothers ballet route however never really became interested enough nor pushed herself to succeed. By the time she reached 13 she had dropped out of ballet school instead preferring to play netball. She attended the Iskor Academy and captained the school team.

Upon leaving the Academy in the summer of 2023 she spent some time in East Moreland visiting her cousin who she see's as a kind of role model. Upon return she was offered a place at the newly opened Royal Preparation Academy to study a degree in "International Leadership Studies".