Author Topic: Northfort News  (Read 93601 times)

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Offline DaveIronside

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #240 on: March 19, 2021, 10:01:25 PM »




NATION CELEBRATE FEAST OF JEKAR

The Feast of Jekar is seen as the 2nd most important festival in the year of the Cult of Helus and today members of the Cult across Mundus celebrated with sword ceremonies, competitions and feasts. The day is dedicated to the God of War and Swords and is used to give thanks to the "Scarred Legionnaire of Helus" who convinced Helus to intervene in the war between humanity and the Underlords. The day is now used to mark a celebration of those who have been loyal to the Code of Canley and also pay tribute to those who have served various good caused through the year. As with most feast days the day began with the King visiting the Temple of the God in Northfort. The King was accompanied by 7 year old Princess Rhiannon and the pair were attired in traditional tunics, Red for the King and Red and White for the Princess. The King took part in the morning ritual which saw the Royal Blacksmith, Maxwell Power, use the Temple's grinding wheel to put a new edge on the sword held by the statue of Jekar and the King's own blade. The Queen meanwhile visited the Sisterhood of Helus' Temple in Northfort where she presented it with its first sword for their own statue of Helus-Jekar which they believe is merely a personification of the "Goddess Helus'" warrior side. Just like the King she had opted to wear traditional red tunic marking the first time since her coronation she has been seen in public wearing the attire.

Following the time in Temple the King and Princess Rhiannon made their way to People's Park next to the Palace where a huge fayre was taking place including charitable stalls, craftsman and oppurtunities to take part in swordsmanship events and practice. Princess Rhiannon joined with school mates to take part in a demonstration of traditional sword fighting techniques before being presented with a ceremonial wooden training sword for being the "Most Improved Under 11" at the Townshend Sword Academy, considered one of the most prestigious places to learn traditional swordsmanship. The Princess has been studying with Sir Charles Townshend, who is the leader of the chivalric order known as the Court of Canley. Princess Rhiannon was watched by her father, step-mother Queen Stasya, aunt Princess Freya and her mother Matilda Osman. The Princess was permitted a brief conversation with the media after the presentation and said, "I like learning with the sword because its important to know. Sometimes though I make mistakes and that hurts a lot but then I know not to do it again. I'd like to say thank you for my new sword and I want to get another next year."

The King, Queen and the rest of the Ironsides then retired to the Palace where it is understood that they hosted a feast and ball for members of the armed forces nominated to attend by their commanding officer because of work they had done to support communities. One person invited was L/Cpl Robert Weathers who was nominated because they had helped set up a homework club for students at a nearby school where the Royal Signalman supported students with science work. L/Cpl Weathers said, "I'm honoured to get an invite to the Palace on a day like today. I've always been proud of serving the military and doing my best to follow the Code of Canley and to celebrate at the heart of the faith is exciting."

Across Mundus there were other celebrations in which the various East Moreland embassies played a key role. In Meybad, Royal Seleucid, the embassy lead an attempt to try and replace swords that had been confiscated during the food crisis of 2019. Blacksmiths across East Moreland had donated new blades that could be distributed, a total of 476 were given out however as Ambassador Edward Stackhouse explained, "We believe well over 2,500 swords were confiscated during this crisis which we know of. Many more family heirlooms were also taken and we believe the number could be as a high as 10,000 today we went a small way to trying and restoring some families honour." Meanwhile in Paracambi the embassy staff had arranged for a Medieval MMA tournament among members of its embassy and the Bakkermayan one with 22 year old East Moreland guardsman Andrew Preston coming out victorious. Following his victory he said, "We wanted to celebrate with the local people and thought putting on a demonstration of the skills Jekar told us we needed was a good way of letting them see some of what we're about. To celebrate the feast of the beach though rather than the hills of my hometown Roberton is odd but fun."

Tomorrow there will be a large military parade through the streets of Ostlake where the King and Queen are expected to take the salute.





VACCINE PRODUCTION HEADS INTO OVER-DRIVE

With scientists in Fleur having developed a vaccine to tackle the Yellowtongue virus which has been plaguing Ruminant species across the Kingdom for some time. The virus has impacted the deer population in the Northfort Royal Palace parkland as well as various farmers herds around Ostlake and Rockhampton. The new vaccine is said to be around 85-90% effective following scientists in Fleur taking advantage of an OsmanTech mapping of the virus. The company has now switched to mass producing the vaccine as it is estimated that around 400million doses will be required to vaccinate the majority of East Moreland livestock. Olivia Cole, the Kingdom's Science and Techology Minister toured the OsmanTech facility today and said, "It is vital that we now pump this thing out as quickly as possible and get it to our farmers and then see how we can perhaps get it into the wild populations. East Moreland as a nation relies a lot on wild game as a way of life meaning at present lots of traditional hunting has stopped because of the risk of this disease. We are now thankful that our joint co-operation on tackling this with Fleur has lead to them working out a path towards getting things back to normal and now its time to forge ahead and complete the journey we've been on side by side. The co-operation between Fleur and East Moreland has shown just how powerful large scale collaborations such as this can be in tackling problems and I know in the future we will look to build upon this fruitful and successful collaboration of work."

It is expected the first dose will be given next week however no details of how the vaccine will be made avalible has yet been confirmed causing many farmers to complain about the Agricultural Ministries lack of communication.





Offline DaveIronside

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #241 on: March 30, 2021, 10:15:41 PM »




KING SAYS "FAKE LODJA WILL BE DEALT WITH"

Following what appears to be an attempted coup in Lodja by King Leopold the King of East Moreland has issued a statement giving his support to Queen Klara. On his way to meet with members of the Representative Council the King stopped and briefly spoke with the media saying. "Several years ago I was able to meet a young and driven Queen called Viktoria, she was someone who after 90 years of rule be the previous Queen was committed and desperate to drag Lodja into a brighter future. We worked side by side and I was proud to call her my friend. Together with our friends King Piripi and King Finley we formed the CNN, an alliance not born out of anything that tied us together other than mutual friendship between monarchs all of whom wanted to see their nations prosper. Sadly that bright spark was snatched from the world by someone desperate to obtain and further their own power. Today we have seen history repeat itself. A young Queen, one who has already put in place so many changes for her people. One who has worked hard to ensure her people were on a path towards an ever brighter future. She now has seen her attempts halted through the use of violence again from someone close to her. Just as last time the people of East Moreland will stand side by side with our Lodjain allies and make sure that Leopold is brought to justice. His fake Lodja will be dealth with."

It is understood that several ships are making their way towards Ui Cenneslaig where it is likely a fleet to support Queen Klara will be formed. As of yet no details are known as to what support King Leopold has in Lodja or whether his attempt was supported by groups outside of Lodja. The King was asked about Queen Stasya's reaction however he explained, "The only reaction that is needed is one of supporting our friends. The Queen supports that aim and will not be making a statement on the matter." The Queen is friends and former colleague of Queen Klara's Ladies in Waiting prior to marrying King David and it is not known whether the Queen has been in touch with them.


Offline DaveIronside

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #242 on: April 04, 2021, 12:09:15 AM »




QUEEN STASYA SPEAKS ON HOMELAND'S HEARTACHE

Following a series of attacks in Gaia that have targetted Queen Klara of Lodja her former Lady in Waiting and current Queen of East Moreland, Stasya Ironside has today visited the Temple of the Sisterhood of Helus. Queen Stasya arrived at the Temple accompanied only by her own small household staff. She was seen meeting with the High Priestess of the Sisterhood, Jinny Denman. The Queen spent several hours inside before addressing the media on her way out.

"I would like to thank the various nations that have reached out to us and offered us kind words and other support. While nations such as Tytor have offered us use of embassy space and others like Fleur support in returning Morelanders home at this moment in time my husband and his team of advisers feel that this will not be needed. We are thankful to the Ui Cenneslaig embassy, our CNN allies for their support which saw members of their embassy security detail digging our own brave men and women out of the rubble just minutes after the cowardly attack on them. There was once a time when I considered Leopold Hamsik a friend, a man that I thought acted with honour and integrity but following revelations of his bribing judges which lead to him tricking a young 18 year old girl into his bed that respect faded fast. Now I see him for what many in the international community do, a chancer, a coward and someone hungry only for power for their own ends. Leopold Hamsik has shown no care for anyone other than himself. He is currently holding his own son hostage as a puppet in his power-game. I am proud to be a friend of Queen Klara and witnessed first hand the love and care she has for the people she is Queen of. She has made greater strides towards transforming Lodja than anyone who has gone before her and I honestly believe had this incident not happened then within a decade Lodja would have seen so many changes to benefit its people. The world must now work on two fronts. The first is to give support to an amazing Queen who has always put the needs of her people at the front of her thoughts. The second is to bring the human filth of Leopold Hamsik to justice for the vast array of crimes he has committed."

Later in the day Royal Press Secretary Malcolm Tucker was asked if the Queen's sentiments were shared by the King and he responded saying, "The words Queen Stasya spoke were unrehearsed and came from the heart. Her husband shares her sentiments but perhaps not her words. We thank all nations that have been in touch and as the Queen said at the moment we believe our CNN connections are the best route for continuing embassy conditions in Lodja we will take more advice as the situation changes."

It is understood that a Royal Naval fleet will be arriving in Ui Cenneslaig in the next 48 hours and from there proceeding to the Alucard. Mr.Tucker also confirmed that Queen Stasya had requested permission to return to Lodja to comfort Queen Klara however this was not permitted on grounds of "security". So far the location of the renegade HMDS Morelander has yet to be confirmed although several nations had now labelled it a "Pirate" ship.

Offline DaveIronside

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #243 on: April 06, 2021, 10:37:52 PM »




DRAGON-GHOST DRONE LAUNCHES DRONE

The EMAC Dragon-Ghost Drone which is due to enter service later this year has today completed trials of deploying a 2nd drone from its internal weapons bay. The UAV released a loitering munition drone (LMD) while at a height of 10,000 feet. The LMD weighed around 6kg and was carried within a bay capable of carrying weaponry or equipment to the weight of 150kg. The utilisation of the bay rather than hardpoints allows the Ghost-Drone to have fewer points to enlarge its radar cross section. The design is so unique that it uses engine gases to redirect airflows over its surfaces meaning the drone has no moving control surfaces further reducing points of observation for RADAR. The LMD was released and the Ghost-Drone returned to base with no incident. This follows the loss of one of the four prototypes in September 2020 due to issues that are believed to have stemmed from ineffective ice control. The LMD flew independently of the Ghost-Drone for around 90 minutes before being guided to strike a target boat in the Mhorish. The strike was considered a "great success" by the Admiralty and Air Force both of whom are expected to receive completed drones in time.

Sir Harry Samuelson viewed the tests and the Minister of Defence stated afterwards. "I was impressed, the last time I saw the Ghost-Drone it crashed and so this was always going to be an improvement. To be able to utilise this independent drone mid-flight could be a useful tool and one we will investigate further." It was explained by representatives of EMAC that theoretically a single Ghost-Drone could carry 25 LMD's meaning as Sir Alan Maybury of EMAC said, "Potentially we could fly a Ghost Drone close to the enemies air-space, perhaps even into it utilising the drones stealth credentials, from there we could launch these 25 LMD's, withdraw the Ghost-Drone and two hours later these mini-drones could be used to strike targets. Alternatively they could be used to swarm enemy air defences while a 2nd Ghost-Drone strikes targets with more conventional weapons. Today's test could be a useful tool for our military." One problem however as Sir Alan explains is "We need to look at a system for carrying so many, one issue is launching 25 successfully and the other is the volume of the weapons bay. The LMD is a light weapon all things considered but like anything it takes up room. We need to find a balance between the number carried and doing so without compromising the stealth features. Its a point for down the road."

The Ghost-Drone is expected to attempt carrier landings early next week to evaluate its usefulness for the Navy in addition to the Air-Force. The same weapons test saw the Spearhead Mk.3 missile complete a successful 700km flight meaning it is still some 300km off its final target distance.




Offline DaveIronside

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #244 on: April 14, 2021, 11:03:32 PM »




KING PREPARES FOR TOUR AMID INTERNATIONAL SHIFTS

The King and Queen of East Moreland are preparing to leave for a trip to Eskdale amid a series of international crisis. The decision to continue with the tour of Eskdale has been criticised by some as people believe that the King may be required to make some quick military decisions. This however was denied as a reason to cancel the trip by the Minister of Defence Sir Harry Samuelson who stated, "In modern times we have the ability to command troops from any point on Mundus. Decades ago it is true the Commander in Chief would have been expected to be in a bunker in Northfort, Ostlake or somewhere else making decisions. We can safely and securely relay that information to any point of Mundus so the King is perfectly capable of undertaking this tour and handling the situations as they develop.

The King visited the Royal Rifle Regiment Barracks in Northfort today for a scheduled inspection and spoke briefly with the media about the ungoing situation in Kaitaine and Lodja.

"Today is important to come here and see the work that the Royal Rifle's are doing in order to ensure that they are prepared for any scenario the current global situation may throw up. Currently we have eyes on two developing situations, Lodja and Kaitaine. If we take the situation in Lodja it goes without saying that we are standing squarely behind Queen Klara. She is and will remain the legitimate leader of Lodja until such a time as legally recognised processes change that. This therefore means that Leopold Hamsik is nothing more than a kidnapper and terrorist. We are holding him responsible for the deaths of our staff at the embassy, people who served their nation with dedication and skill. In the future a time will come when we shall ensure Leopold faces justice in front of a jury on charges of murder and terrorism. We are thankful to the Cenneg embassy for their support and co-operation. We currently have a fleet enroute to Ui Cenneslaig where they will resupply before crossing the Illumic in what we hope will be a move to sandwich the rogue ship that ironically we built. As for Kaitaine we are on the one hand pleased to see an end to conflict there and I believe the Cenneg, Tamoran and Chistopolian governments should be applauded for their action. While some nations are already talking of the West of Kaitaine being the "Theocracy" we do not yet recognise them as a nation. Currently the Truthsayers are classed as a terrorist organisation. This is a classification that is reviewed on a three monthly routine and we naturally will be watching the scenario there. Should the Truthsayers play any role in the West then we would be forced to do all we can to effectively put sanctions in place. This is likely to cause a few discussions as it is clear Ui Cenneslaig have a different approach to this matter. Should the Truthsayers in time provide evidence to further show they are taking actions to bring undisciplined and undisciplined members under control. Furthermore we have highlighted on several occasions our belief that the Truthsayers are engaged in the use of child soldiers and this must end. We however will end any and all arrangements with the East of Kaitaine under Soviet control including the closure of our embassy there in 3 days time. We have had in place a travel advisory in place for Kaitaine since the conflict and we repeat this now. It is our hope that the situation of the ceasefire can continue indefintley until a permanent solution can be found. While we are in Eskdale I shall be in constant contact with my sister Princess Freya who is going to be a steady hand at the briefing table. She is an experienced soldier in her own right and I trust her to ensure I am furnished with all the information I would need."

The trip to Eskdale marks the first meeting between the nation for quiet a long time and will see the King and Queen visit each of the three Kingdoms that make up the Commonwealth of Eskdale.




JOHNS SACKED.PETITION TO BRING BACK WOODWARD

Yesterday a Morelander coach lifted the Rugby World Cup however on this occasion it was while wearing a Lodjian tracksuit. Sir Clyde Woodward can now lay claim to be the greatest rugby coach in the history of the game having lead two nations to World Cup glory in his career. The former Northfort Royals player with 14 caps for East Moreland had what many consider an "average" rugby career however upon retiring and entering the coaching world his reputation has grown and grown to make him a legend of the game. Following his success at helping East Moreland become Munds Games Champions, CIS Nations Champions and World Champions for the first time and in their history and a runners up in 2016 Sir Clyde handed over the reigns of the National Team to his protege Steward Lahncaster who won the World Cup in 2017 before retiring on health grounds. The team however never truly recaptured that all dominating form that saw the Honeybadgers only narrowly lose a best of three series against the combined CIS team by a narrow margin under Woodward. Under the guidance of Eddy Johns the Honeybadgers have been criticised by some as not playing as expressive a game as under Woodward and of failing to bring through younger talent. It comes as no surprise with the team having on paper been expected to reach the final and failing to do so that Johns has had his contract terminated "in order to allow a full examination of the future of the National Team's set up."

Almost as soon as Lodja had lifted the trophy with Woodward at the helm a petition appeared online calling for the East Moreland Rugby Football Union to "do all in its power to bring Sir Clyde back to his homeland" and that he be given "full control over the sport in East Moreland." Within just a few hours the petition had reached 150,000 signatures however Mr. William Beaumont who is chairman of the EMRFU stated, "At the moment even if we wished to bring Sir Clyde back he is, as far as we know, under contract to the Lodjain national team. We naturally applaud what he has achieved with them and he rightly will go down as a legend within the sport. Taking a team such as Lodja which had hardly any rugby infastructure in place and 2017 and within four years turning them into World Champions is a story that cements his legacy as the best. Here though we must look at what has held us back. Part of it must be the coaching set up but as we saw Sir Clyde focused not just on ensuring we had the best and most cutting edge on and off field preparation but also an expectation of excellence. He started a mantra of "leave the jersey in a better place than you found it" and while I am sure every player has attempted to do that we have not achieved it. Over the next few weeks we will have to take a long hard look in the mirror and come up with a plan. The next chance for rugby success is likely to be the Mundus Games and whoever is in charge at that point must show just what we are capable of."

Bookmakers put the chances of Sir Clyde returning at 1000/1 as it is understood he has a two year deal left to run its course and has in the past stated how important he believes keeping your promises are. Furthermore the 65 year old has settled in Zhenya which he has turned into a centre of excellence for Lodjain rugby. There are also rumours the divorced father of two is in a relationship with a Lodjain journalist. The favourite for the job is Rob Backster who is the current coach at the Northfort Royals who seem on course to win their 11th National title. The 50 year old former back rower has 48 caps to his name as an international and was at one point the forwards coach at the Lodjain national side alongside Woodward.

Sir Clyde has spoken of his joy at the win. "It doesn't matter I'm not Lodjain as today I'm a very proud man. This team has grown over the last four years or so into a tight group who have essentially put their lives on hold to make their nation a rugby success. Let us not forget as well that they have won rugby's greatest prize while back home their is concern and worry about their family and friends. They took the field unsure what Lodja would be like on their return and I am sad to say I don't think they'll get the big celebratory return they truly deserve. My heart goes out to all those who have lost their lives over this and it really puts into perspective the insignificance of a ball game in a way. It is my hope that perhaps in some small way our victory can show just what a united Lodja can achieve."  Sir Clyde is expected to make a coaching return to East Moreland in the near future though as the annual end of season fixture between a Kings XV and the Honeybadgers takes place for charity. Sir Clyde said, "The traditional curtain fall to the season seeing the national side play a team picked by the King from the best in the league, and sometimes further afield, is always a lot of fun. King David reached out to me and asked me to coach his team on the day and naturally I've said yes. It'll be nice to come and see some old friends and enjoy a quality day of rugby for a good cause."

Offline DaveIronside

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #245 on: April 26, 2021, 10:00:26 PM »




KING SPEAKS ON MAEA "DEBACLE"

Following the final decision of where to locate the Mundus Atomic Energy Agency the King has asked the East Moreland liason to that body to cast the determining vote. Mr.William Zaha, a respected Morelander administrator of the "Kilotonnes to Kilowatts" programme was tasked with casting the determining vote. The King instructed the vote to be cast for Rokkenjima stating, "The decision was not an easy one. On the hand I would have liked to go to Dartfordia and utilise the CSU University campus. That though was difficult to make happen. The campus is tied to the CSU by legacy and it is vital that the organisation retains a political independence. Additionally being part of a wider network of institutions would give the impression of working alongside them when this is not the case. Rokkenjima however was not an easy choice to make. The conduct surrounding their bid to host was not one I would consider exemplary and my feelings on the matter have been communicated to Empress Evanthe in private. Rokkenjima however were one of the key authors of this treaty and therefore should be permitted to see what seed they planted flourish. The damage has been done now however it is rectifiable. The organisation now has an outstandingly well respected scientific organiser at the helm.  Dr.Ulf Gren has managed immense projects such as the Large Hadron Collider and the Global Seed Bank. Both these projects have brought researchers from across the world together and I hope that success can transfer into the MAEA. Supporting him is Duchess Anna Davidson, a woman who instituted the largest environmental clean up in the history of Mundus and then managed to unite nations behind an Environmental Treaty of great success.  The mistakes of Rokkenjiman PR must now be pushed to the rear and the excellent track record of the leaders of the MAEA must be pushed to the fore and allowed to do its vital work."

When the King was asked with future relations with Lijiang the King has not ruled out them joining the organisation in the future. "I'm due to head to Lijiang to be part of an opening of a Art and Cultural centre opening. There will be a chance for me to meet face to face with the Dragon-Emperor and I'll be doing my best to smooth over the situation. It is my hope we can make them see the huge number of ways they can prosper as part of the MAEA."

It is understood the King will be heading to Lijiang in the next few days to oversee the return of several pieces of art work.





EMAC SPORT PROJECT AIMING GLOBAL

The East Moreland Aircraft Company have in recent years branched out from simply being the producer of aircraft. They have created a reputation for being involved in ambitious and record breaking engineering projects as well as supporting programmes in education across the world. Upon becoming CEO of EMAC several years ago Sir Alan Maybury spoke of converting it into a "Multi-faceted global brand" In an attempt to do this the company has crossed over into the sporting world partcularly motor-sports by backing various East Moreland based Formula Mundus teams. Last season however they also provided support to the Lodjain teams making their first international partnership. The company have also sponsored the Keepton RUFC team for the last few years and this season paired with Roberton AFC, a team owned in part by King David of East Moreland.

The company have now teamed up with fellow East Moreland company to place an offer on the table for SK Albrektberg. Lord Lucas Osman explained, "We have recently seen King David conclude a deal with the government in Jugland to allow East Moreland businesses some access to their markets. I believe that the OsmanTech brand should be exposed to the Jugland people and sport is a great way to do this. We are pairing with EMAC as they have a great deal of sporting experience and we think if our offer is accepted we could have something exciting."

It is understood that the EMAC-OsmanTech bid would see the two companies each claim 50% of the clubs shares and in return they would clear the clubs debts and pay the current ownership $1. The consortium have put together plans for a referendum by fans over whether the club should retain its SK SK Albrektberg name or revert to its former name Albrektberg Sports Fotballklubb, the club would also have a new training facility built which would be shared by local youth clubs. A new "Nationwide Academy of Excellence" would be set up where the team would attempt to recruit the best Jugland players at under-11, under 14 and under 16 levels. Finally the consortium have stated that they would ensure the manager received a "significant war chest" to help in next seasons campaign. It remains to be seen however whether the investment by a pair of foreign businesses is passed by the Jugland F.A

Offline DaveIronside

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #246 on: May 03, 2021, 09:36:31 PM »




PRINCESS HINTS AT SPACE DREAM

Princess Freya was today visiting the Royal Aeronautical Society HQ at Chamwick and introduced the next step of the "Inflatable Space Station" project. The Princess also hinted that she had not ruled out visiting the Space Station herself one day. The Princess was seen trying her hand at several of the training exercises undertaken by astronauts and according to Dr. Steven Heanor the RAS's Chief of Astronaut training the Princess scored "reasonably well". The Princess was seconded to the Air Force from the Army for 18 months in 2018 where she qualified as a fast jet pilot, a route from which the RAS traditionally recruits astronauts crews. The Princess however believes that such an idea is "a mere dream for now." The Princess toured the latest replica of the station which is to be extended in six months time to give three interconnected pods that can be inflated and deflated at various times to increase or decrease the stations size. The pods used are expected in the future to be sent to other planets as a potential lab that can either be remotely or later manually operated. The first such test of these is to happen in the near future as Princess Freya announced. "Today we've agreed that the next Nergal (Mars) project will send one of these to the surface with the intention of monitoring its ability to survive the environment there. Its the first step towards exploring ways of long term manned missions to the planet and we're excited to be able to support it. Perhaps I can be the first person to conduct a royal visit to the planet."

There is expected to be a series of East Moreland based missions in the coming months as investigations into implementing a "spring clean" of space debris is examined by the RAS. Dr.Heanor explained, "We have the ability with the Golden Snitch project to move space debris and satellites that no longer function. We could be in the perfect position to safely de-orbit the material or send it off on a safe trajectory out the danger zone. With more nations joining the exploration of space we need to ensure we're not essentially walling Mundus in."

The latest launch to the "Inflatable Space Station" is due in early June.




OSMANTECH-EMAC PARTNERSHIP BAG SIR CLYDE

With news that the consortioum of one of the worlds largest medical and drugs companies and one of the leading aeronautical companies are close to taking over Juglander football club SK Albrektberg more news has come out of the consortiums plans. A spokesman for the takeover bid has stated, "There has been speculation in the local media that some fans are concerned. This is to be expected. We've a pair of companies coming in who have little understanding at the moment of the supporters passion. They need not worry as it is not our intention to make huge changes to the organisation of the clubs existing multi-sport structure. We have though secured the input of a sporting great. When the takeover is secured for three months Sir Clyde Woodward, the world's greatest rugby coach, will be part of the takeover. He will be given free reign to inspect the organisation of the club and make recommendations on how to improve the structure of something we believe is already in a strong sporting, if not financial position." Following his successful stint as coach of the Honeybadgers Sir Clyde lead the review of East Moreland sport that saw the team do extremely well in future Mundus Games by overhauling several institutions in charge of national games. He was also instrumental in helping create a national Medieval MMA Academy based upon the principles he used for his change to the Honeybadger. He then accepted the coaching job of the Lodjain national rugby team who became the most recent world champions. The spokesman went on to say, "I understand some of the fans are concerned about a reduction in the amount of sports on offer by the organisation. If I was them I wouldn't be worried. It is likely if anything that the number of sports on offer will grow. One good example is that we would very likely begin offering Medieval MMA lessons to juniors and then in five or six years time we'd likely see those juniors make their way into senior competition."

The takeover is due to be completed in the coming days once the Juglander sporting bodies green light the take over. The consortium have announced that they will install Sir Clyde as the clubs President for three months while he carries out his assessment and then replace him with "a person with a grounding in sporting excellence and if possible someone with inside understanding of what the people of Albrektberg want."

Offline DaveIronside

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #247 on: May 09, 2021, 10:36:44 PM »




MoD REPORT LOSS OF EKRABADGER

Sir Harry Samuelson, the East Moreland Minister of Defence, today has announced that the nations naval asset known as the Ekrabadger has been sunk in what is being called a "unconventional attack". The announcement came outside the Ministries HQ in Ostlake when Sir Harry stated, "I can today confirm that the Ekrabadger has been lost due to an unconventional attack. While transporting a group of Marines to help conduct operations in Lodja where our embassy was destroyed the vehicle had stopped for a self refuelling operation. While this was underway a visit from a group of Water Nomads was initiated. This visit was something that happens regularly to boats travelling through the Central Alucard Island Chain and the crew of the Ekrabadger believed the Nomads may have been a useful source of intelligence however it now transpires that the group initiated an explosion on the hull of the vehicle meaning it took on water and has since sunk. We are relieved that all crew were able to evacuate and are safe awaiting recovery. From this point forward we will be putting in place procedures halting groups such as this getting close to our assets and a robust search for the perpetrators will take place."

The Ekrabadger was often used by the military as a form of rapid transport for operations and has been utilised for a wide variety of uses including search and rescue and intercepting suspected smuggling. The vehicle was the largest serving ground effect vehicle in the world and was part of of the East Moreland militaries attempts at bringing in more of the vehicles for rapid response purposes. A second, smaller Ground Effect Vehicle is in service, the Ekrabadger II, however this is less capable of the range of operations undertaken by the now lost vessel.

An East Moreland fleet is enroute to the region and while the exact whereabouts of the crew have not been released it is understood they are "safe ashore" meaning it is likely they are on one of the hundreds of small islands that dot the Central Alucard. The Water Nomads have frequented these islands for centuries and have in the last few years at times called for independence or more control of the region. A standing TUNA agreement grants them an opportunity to gain citizenship of it's members nation but this has not really been undertaken. It is suspected at this point that this incident may be linked to the pro-sovereignty movement.






Offline DaveIronside

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #248 on: May 22, 2021, 02:50:11 PM »




DAY OF ROYAL ANNOUNCEMENTS BEFORE BIG DAY

The annual Festival of Greenflowers, which shares the date of the birthday of King David, is always a busy one for the Royal Press Office however it seems the various announcements that go along with the celebration have begun a day early. The Festival of Greenflowers celebrates the battle in which King Robert the Unifier defeated the Borlanders to essentially create East Moreland. When in 1982 King David was born on the same date it meant the Kingdom has enjoyed a double celebration as the monarchs birthday has been a day of festivity since the 16th Century. Traditionally the day has also seen various awards given to the military at the memorial service which takes place on the site of the battle at sunrise. Tonight will see the annual Vigil by Red Legion at the stone that marks the centre of the battlefield known as King Robert's Throne and then throughout the day they'll be various rituals carried out.

Today however the Royal Press Secretary made an announcement that the King had received an early birthday present from his wife and in-laws. The Byron Estate on the edge of Northfort was built in the 17th Century for a noble family who then passed the house on through their generations until 2007 when the Estate was sold to meet debts. The Estate was purchased by a consortium who planned on converting the building into luxury flats however the group struggled to finanicially fund the project and struggled to get permission to change the building significantly. It is understood that the Pelagiya family purchased the Estate several months ago and intend to convert it into a family home as well as permitting the public to enjoy the gardens and lakes. The price of the purchase has not been confirmed but Malcolm Tucker the Royal Press Secretary stated "King David is excited to be able to spend time at the Bryon Estate. Its a place he has visited many times as a boy and hopes that now Princess Rhiannon will be able to enjoy the site as much as he did. Naturally the King is thrilled with the apparent birthday gift." The House has over 300 rooms which Tucker explains it is planned to let the public visit much of. "Queen Stasya is setting out a programme that will see around 1/3 of the house converted for day to day use by the Royal Family. There will also be private gardens accessible only to the Royal's, however the vast majority of the building will be open to the public for them to enjoy the site, and East Moreland's history. The estate will also be open for a variety of leisure activities."



It was then later in the day that Tucker released a second statement on behalf on the Royals. The Royal Press Secretary meet the media at the gates of Northfort Palace and read a prepared statement saying. "It has been the wishes of Queen Stasya to wait until the 23rd to make this announcement however due to unforseen circumstances the decision has come a day early. It is my joy and duty to announce that Her Majesty Queen Stasya is pregnant with her first child. The Royal Family are overjoyed at the news and expect to welcome the newest Prince or Princess in late January. On behalf of the people of East Moreland we send Her Majesty all our prayers for her continued good health." The news was greeted with celebrations across the Kingdom. It is understood that the Queen has known for sometime before making the announcement and wanted to tell the King on his birthday however as of yet it has not been explained why the decision was made a day early.  The new child will be King David's third, however Prince Caspian passed away at the age of three following complications from a genetically carried illness known as Hunter Syndrome. The King split from his first wife, Matilda Osman, over disagreements about further children with the King being unwilling to risk having another child with the illness. However having discovered that it was Miss Osman who carried the gene it appears the King is keen to have more children.

The news of the new Royal arrival will be likely to make tomorrows celebrations even more memorable.


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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #249 on: May 28, 2021, 11:03:56 AM »




SFR TO RUN ATOMIC TEST AT SEABROOKE

The nations largest nuclear power station is based at Seabrooke. It has in the past been using the repurposed fuel from East Moreland's now defunct nuclear weapons however at the smaller "experimental reactor" nearby on the site SFR are expected in the next few weeks to carry out their own experiment into the use of a device known as the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST).

Initial results from an East Moreland based experiment could help clear a hurdle to achieving commercial power based on nuclear fusion, experts say.The researchers believe they now have a better way to remove the excess heat produced by fusion reactions. This intense heat can melt materials used inside a reactor, limiting the amount of time it can operate for. The system, which has been likened to a car exhaust, resulted in a tenfold reduction in the heat.

Mast Upgrade is one attempt to come up with a template for more compact, cheaper fusion reactors. It makes use of an innovative design known as a spherical tokamak to squeeze the fuel into a 4.4m-tall, 4m-wide space. By comparison, the containment vessel Iter will use to control its fusion reactions is 11.4m tall and 19.4m wide. But Mast Upgrade's tiny dimensions come at a price: "You're making something that's hotter than the Sun in a smaller volume. How you then get the heat out becomes a big challenge," said a spokesman
The core of the plasma within the tokamak reaches temperatures of 100 million C. Without an exhaust system that can handle this unimaginable heat, materials in the design would have to be regularly replaced thus significantly affecting the amount of time a power plant could operate for."

The new exhaust system being trialled at Seabrokke is known as a Super-X divertor. This would allow components in future commercial tokamaks to last for much longer; greatly increasing the power plant's availability, improving its economic viability and reducing the cost of fusion electricity. Tests of a Mast Upgrade have shown at least a tenfold reduction in the heat on materials with the Super-X system. Researchers said the results were a "game-changer" for the promise of fusion power plants that could provide affordable, efficient electricity. Against the background of climate change, fusion could offer a clean and virtually limitless source of energy.

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #250 on: June 09, 2021, 10:27:52 PM »




OPERATION DUCKPOND UNDERWAY

It was confirmed by the Ministry of Defence last night that a large scale aid operation is underway involved the Royal East Moreland Air Force and some Merchant Navy assets. What is being dubbed Operation Duckpond will see a series of flights by the Air Force utilising supplies kept at Ostlake military HQ for use on Joint Emergency Team missions or similar humanitarian operations. With Jugland currently experiencing a major water shortage caused by some as yet unknown contamination the supplies of water, filtration, rehydration packages and water purification tablets have been dispatched and are likely to be on the ground within 12 hours.  In addition to supplies being flown in the East Moreland Merchant Ship (EMMS) Steadfast, one of the nations four "Pre-positioning" ships has also begun to make a run towards Jugland. The Steadfast is usually deployed when the East Moreland military operate overseas and is generally fitted out to allow around 5,000 soldiers to operate using just the supplies on-board for 30 days. This means there is a substantial amount of bottled water onboard as well as equipment to help make more.  It is expected that the Steadfast will be in Jugland within 36 hours. As part of the airlift operation the military are also deploying a series of Watly filtration systems utilised by OsmanTech and used by the East Moreland military in several humanitarian operations to produce water from otherwise toxic sources.

The deployment has come at the first day of the annual Ostlake Military Games, a sporting and military spectacle that see's the various elements of the East Moreland military compete against each other in a wide range of events taking in such sports as cross country running, rugby and weightlifting. Alongside these events competitions testing military drill, shooting and marching bands also take place. Since 2014 there have been international attendees, originally from the CIS, then from "friendly" nations and more recently the CNN. This year however with the CNN heavily involved with the situation in Lodja it has been difficult to bring overseas teams over for the games and rather than the traditional four guest teams this year there are just two, Seaforth and Bakkermaya. This year in addition to the Ostlake Games tournament the final day will see a rugby match between East Moreland and Seaforth for what will be the first Rhodes-Ironside Shield. The opening of the games was attended by the royals and close to 100,000 spectators who will watch the events spread over the four military bases that surround the waters of Ostlake. King David spoke at the opening saying, "Seaforth and East Moreland have a long history together. We fought side by side to oppose Traansvaal expanding in the region, we united to ensure the USR would not return to the Illumic and through the CIS we have worked together across Mundus. Joshua Rhodes is a friend of mine and a Sword-Father to my son Prince Caspian. He is family. We miss him and hope that he is out there somewhere up to some mischief like he has in the past. Regardless I am pleased that Andrew Rhodes the King of Seaforth is co-sponsoring this shield in a sport both our nations love."

Air Commodore Edward Briggs has however made a cheeky statement regarding the Games and Operation Duckpond. "At short notice we have had to deploy a large number of our team to man the operation, we already had a large number of men flying things back and forth to Lodja and now this. With King David being a member of Pegasus Legion, one of the rival teams for the Games I believe he has only deployed the Air Force to weaken our rugby team" King David is expected to take part in the games, what will be his tenth, as part of Pegasus Legion's veteran rowing team. Several other members of the Royal Family are also expected to take part with Princess Freya representing Pegasus Legion in the rifle shooting, Archduchess Sophie Harrison-Ironside taking part in the marathon and cross country while the King's Brother-in-law Alex Redfern is expected to represent Red Legion in a running biathlon. King David responded to Air Commodore Briggs by saying, "The Air Force are a workhorse for our military, they get manpower to where it is needed in a speedy and efficent way. They provide vital air support however they are well known to not like hard physical work so their chances of winning the games is minimal at the best of times." The games are seen as a way of promoting friendly rivalry between the services and the Navy currently hold the record for the most number of Games wins with 21. The games are now in their 107th year.


Offline DaveIronside

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #251 on: June 18, 2021, 10:51:38 PM »




ARCHDUCHESS EYES HIGHMOOR RECORD

With the annual Highmoor Time Trial due to take place this Saturday the field of runners has been confirmed and among them is Archduchess Sophie Harrison-Ironside, one of East Moreland and Mundus' most successful athletes. The time trial has been run on the 3rd Saturday of June every year since 1887 and the current record for men stands at 1hour 11minutes and 32 seconds and is held by Carl Preston who set the time in 1994. The women's record is currently 1hour 15 minutes and 28 seconds which has stood since it was set by Rebecca Menson in 1992. The race is considered a challenge not just because of the distance of 19miles but also because the race is around the various sections of the ancient walls of the city which involves several hundred steps many of which have been worn smooth by tourists over the centuries. The field is made up of the top 20 ranked male and female runners who compete in distances over 10miles as well as four guest runners (2male and 2female). This year organisers have offered a place to the Archduchess who won the Cross Country for the third time at the recent Ostlake Games. This will be the second time the Archduchess has competed in the event having previously done so in 2017 and finishing in a time of 1hour 17minutes and 2 seconds which saw her finish 2nd in the female event.

The Archduchess spoke about her hopes for the course saying. "I've got an eye on the record. I have spoken with Rebecca Menson a few times over the last few months and my times for 19 miles on the flat are similar to hers when she set the record. The issue though is the unpredicatble nature of the steps. They sap the legs and obviously the weather makes them a nightmare if its been raining. The fact you set off in a staggered fashion at 1 minute intervals is also unique, if you catch up with someone on a narrow point is can be hard to get past but on the plus side it gives you someone to chase, unless of course you draw the number one spot." The fact the Archduchess is taking part in the historic event has lead some to wonder whether she is set to take part in the Mundus Games this year and add to her 13 medal haul from both Winter and Summer Games. However with the King's niece currently serving as a Force Protection Officer in the Air Force it is not known whether she would have the time to dedicate to qualifying for the games. The Archduchess last competed at a Games in 2018 at the Summer Games where she won two Silvers and a Bronze.

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #252 on: July 03, 2021, 01:58:27 PM »




PROFESSOR WALTERSON FORMS "ORDER OF UNASSON"

Controversal Professor of History Ross Walterson has a long history of making bold statements connected to the History of East Moreland. The 38 year old from Roberton has published various works that have in the past called Paul the Explorer a "elaborate and carefully crafted fraud." while also shining light on the 10th century massacre of Odinists living in the Alps by the Cult of Helus under the then High Priestess Jessymin. Today in his hometown of Roberton however Prof.Walterson has announced his formation of the Order of Unasson, a militant religious order based on the various examples that can be seen across Mundus. Speaking at the Order's unveiling he said, "I have spent the last three years or so fascinated by how there are various groups out there devoted to serving religions by actions and not words. Infact that very mantra is the corner-stone of the Cult, "Deeds not Words". It is strange to think therefore that in all the time the Cult has existed no such Order has existed. I have seen how effective the Bene Gesserit's Sisterhood is at forming an effective system for their faith, then we have the Odinic Rite, the various groups in Drenovia, even Luna Isle in Achkaerin and the Maiden Sisters. At the end of the war between Underlords and the Gods it was Raimond Unasson who formed what is closest to a religious Order the Cult has ever had, a group of loyalists to Helus who stood together against the worst evil Mundus has ever seen. It is in his honour I have named the group."

Professor Walterson will serve as the groups official leader known as it's Marshall. A total of 41 others, mainly military veterans who have attended classes run by Walterson, have signed up. Over the last four years Prof.Walterson has offered free classes to military veterans on History in order to help them gain degrees and other qualifications. One of those who has joined up is former Royal Engineer Sergeant Christopher Atkins who said, "As a member of the military you feel you belong to something and now out of service I miss that. I like the idea that this Order will work to try and help the Cult of Helus and gives me a way of making the most of my skills. We're not about to head off invading people but take for example the Seleucid genocide, we could help. I see us as a group who will live and breath the Code of Canley."

Walterson is a graduate of Royal Northfort University where he was in a year below King David. The two were both tutored by Professor Marcus Merriman. Professor Merriman has described Walterson as a "history whirlwind. A man who latches onto an idea and pursues it until he either feels enlightened or its consumed his every being. He is a young man with a drive to constantly know more and apply it to the world around him." Walterson graduated with a 1st in History before pursuing further studies at first Roberton University before returning to Royal Northfort.

Walterson spoke during the launch of his relationship with the King, who has been invited to join the Order. "Should His Majesty take up my offer I would be thrilled. He would become the Grand Marshall and guide us, when not guiding East Moreland. I had the privilege of attending classes with the King when we were both younger and while we often did not share consensus on the past I respected his passion and knowledge. He would have made a fine scholar had it not been for his royal duties. I however sadly can not call him a friend as we did not really have a relationship beyond the classroom and our books." The King has been asked for comments on the founding of the Order but so far Royal Press Secretary Malcolm Tucker has responded only with. "The King has his duties. So long as this Order does not infringe upon the laws of the Kingdom then we wish it, like any religious group, all the best."




ARCHDUCHESS FINISHES 2nd IN WALL RUN

Archduchess Sophie Harrison-Ironside finshed 2nd in the Highmoor Time Trial. She finished the gruelling route that takes in large sections of the cities old historic medieval walls in a time of 1hr 16 minutes and 22 seconds, a new personal best having taken around 40 seconds off her previous time. The winner of the event was 19 year old Anya Debdale who finished in a time of 1hr 15 minutes and 40 seconds, around 20 seconds off the women's record. The conditions for the day were considered "perfect" by experts however the Archduchess was seen to look like she had twisted her ankle slightly on one of the sections of steep uneven steps. For the first half the course she was within record breaking schedule. Following the medal ceremony the Archduchess congratulated the winner and said, "I had been considering a go at the Summer Games, however with my military commitments I don't think we'll see much improvement in my standards between now and then. We've great athletes like Anya who will carry the East Moreland challenge exceptionally well and they should be given a platform to shine. I have however secured permission from the Air Force to begin regular training back in the ice rink and will be making the Winter Games a target."

Debdale is also a member of the military. She currently has three months left of her national service and has been transferred to the Army Physcial Training Corps to help her prepare for the games. The native of Keepton said after her victory. "I'm full of mixed emotions. I know there are parts of the course I held back a little because of the nerves of the terrain. I could have got the record I think. On the other hand I've come away with a win, which is the main thing. I'm happy with my performance and will now be focusing on the Marathon and Cross Country for the Mundus Games. If I can perform half as well as the Archduchess has in the past I'll be proud of myself." It is understood that with the Archduchess being given permission to train for the Winter Games she will likely be transfered to base in Ostlake, the same place where the Army Physical Training Corps are HQ'd. "I hope if the Archduchess moves to Ostlake we can train together. She's a fountain of knowledge on the games and I'm sure we can help each other out."

The East Moreland National Championships in many sports begin in the coming weeks. The results of these often influence the way the Games team is selected.

Offline DaveIronside

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #253 on: July 10, 2021, 10:08:27 PM »




NIGHTINGALE SEAFORTH TRIP ENDS IN DISASTER

Chief Councillor Grant Nightingale has been murdered. The Kingdom's highest elected representative was on a visit to a memorial in Seaforth dedicated to the East Moreland service personnel who died during the Eugenics War. As the Chief Councillor was returning to host a reception at the East Moreland embassy a roadside bomb exploded. While none of the blast penetrated the vehicle he was travelling in the Chief Councillor had failed to fasten his seat belt and as the vehicle rolled suffered a "massive head injury" the four other people in the vehicle were aided from the stricken vehicle with concussion and bruising, two of them are said to have suffered broken limbs. The Chief Councillor was flown to a nearby hospital by Seaforth's emergency services however he was pronounced dead upon arrival. Nightingale is survived by his wife Victoria and two children Samuel and Gracie.

Hours after the death of Chief Councillor Nightingale was confirmed an organisation calling itself "The Lavandieres" claimed responsibility for the bomb in a message delivered to several media outlets. "All good things come for our Lord God who has guided our hand against the heretics from across the Illumic. In 2015 the vile worshippers of Helus and their associates saw fit to remove from these Celtic lands the authority of the Seafoth Triumvirate, a body of three wise guided by the most pious  Cardinal Anthony Jericho, may God have mercy upon his soul. Since then we have seen millions of Seaforthians turn their eyes away from the bible and the scriptures instead to embrace foreign Gods and ways. Even our once beloved royal family, the Rhodes, have turned into spineless puppets. The once powerful Rhodes spread the word of God far and wide, stood ready with a sword to defend it in the Crusades and yet now have become a liability. No longer will we tolerate heretical faiths coming to our shores to act as puppetmasters to our leadership. We call on King Andrew Rhodes to be baptised within the week, to restore the Catholic faith as faith of the Royal Family and to proclaim the Archbishop of  Eventide a member of the Royal Council. We have no ill will against the commoner worshipping a foreign God, in time the love of Jesus Christ will return them to the fold, we however no longer can tolerate our nation being a play thing of Satan."

King David spoke in the hours after the statement saying, "The nation of Seaforth have always been an ally of ours. Once more our two nations are facing a common threat. We shall stand shoulder to shoulder and face this. After all these years, trials and tribulations terrorists such as these Lavandieres should have learned we do not negotiate with terrorists." A similar stance was taken by King Andrew who stated, "We send our thoughts and prayers to the Nightingale family and all of East Moreland. We shall do everything in our power to ensure that the  Lavandieres, whoever they may be, are brought under control."

The Representative Council will meet on Monday and oversee the process of naming a successor to Mr.Nightingale. It is likely that the National Traditionalist Party which holds the largest share of votes will name their deputy Katharyn Ford as the interim Chief Councillor until the party elects a new leader. There will also be a need for a by-election in the seat of Keepton South.

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #254 on: August 08, 2021, 03:50:51 PM »




HUNTERS LEGION MOBILISES AFTER HEYRA REPORTS

After confusing reports have emerged from across the border in Heyra that suggest some sort of coup may have taken place the forces of Hunters Legion have begun to mobilise. The various units have begun moving towards the nations eastern border and elements of the Air Force and even Navy have been witnessed carrying out what appears to be moves towards a deployment. Sir Harry Samuelson, the nations Minister of Defence explained, "At present we are still gathering information but we appear to have problems within both Alba Karinya Heyra and Elysium in Mid-Aranye. With incidents seeming to happen simultanously across Mundus we are acting on a worst case scenario that this is some attempt to radically change the government of Heyra but at present by who we are not sure. As such we are acting to, at best support those looking to flee the situation, and at worse ensure no loss of life. Over the next few hours we shall be carrying out a multi-faceted response to the situation."

King David is also said to be looking at convening an emergency meeting of the Illumic Councils, MICA and AKO in what is being describes as an "Extra-Ordinary Multi-Agency Conference". It would be the first meeting of its type should it take place.

The situation also casts doubt on the future of the "Naval Unmanned Helicopter (NUH) project that was due to begin between the two nations in the coming days. The NUH as a project put forward by the Heyran government and taken up by EMAC after the East Moreland military also showed an interest.




OSTLAKE REPRESENTATIVE NAMED NEW NTP LEADER

Lucas Blakeslee who is the Representative Councillor for Ostlake West was yesterday announced as the new leader of the National Traditionalist Party, the largest within the Representative Council. While it is yet to be confirmed this would effectively make him the Chief Councillor replacing the recently murdered Grant Nightingale. Mr.Nightingale was killed by a Seaforthian Catholic supporting terrorist group while on an official visit vacating the nations highest elected post. It was expected that the parties deputy,  Katharyn Ford, would win the vote for the parties leadership however Blakeslee managed to gain 51% of the parties membership vote.

Lucas Blakeslee is a 42 year old who has served in the Representative Council since 2018. He was a serving member of the Royal East Moreland Air Force until his election and served as a pilot of a maritime patrol aircraft. He has long voiced his opinion of including the Cult of Helus in more of the decision making of the government and for a policy of East Moreland seeking closer ties with Cultist populations across Mundus. Blakeslee is married to 30 year old Eloise Hadfield who is the daughter of respected Priestess of Jekar Anna Hadfield whom many believed could have succeeded Joanna Ironside as High Priestess. He has a two year old son called Robert. Speaking following his appointment as the parties new leader Mr.Blakeslee said "Grant (Nightingale) was an exceptional public figure and was doing a great job uniting people of our faith. I will be attempting to carry on his work and intend to try and use our party platform to ensure our nation goes from strength to strength economically, diplomatically and culturally."

It is expected that Monday evening Mr.Blakeslee will meet with King David and officially be offered the position of Chief Councillor.

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #255 on: August 15, 2021, 12:49:55 AM »




GREECHAN DNA SECURES MORE GOLD

It is well documented that Daisy Greechan is considered one of the premier athletes to have ever competed in the Mundus Games. The Navy rescue diver won 17 medals in in five games before retiring in 2019. The Greechan family however are still represented in the East Moreland National Swim team by the 18 year old cousin of the legend, Maisie Greechan-Clay. The 18 year old won two gold medals at the 2020 games in 100m Butterfly and 200m Freestyle. This year she has extended her distances and the move has paid off with her taking gold in the 400m breaststroke before two days later taking a Bronze in the 800m Individual Medealy. This now leaves the youngster with four medals to her name. She narrowly missed out on a relay medal however having complained of a shoulder tightness she was replaced in the team that went on to win silver. In a move that mimics her famous cousins career the youngster has switched from shorter spirnts to longer distances and will compete in the open water swim which Daisy Greechan won on three occasions. Speaking following her success Maisie said, "I know I'm always going to be compared with my cousin. Its a hard load to carry everytime I step into the pool but its also a spur that drives me. I don't want to let her down. I've switched to longer distances as in three months time I take on my national service and we've already agreed that I will serve my time with the Navy as part of their physical training corps. This will allow me to keep most of my training together. At present I'm not planning on making a career out of it but I know lots of athletes who join up with the same intent, love it and manage to juggle a military career and a sporting future. For now I'm going to focus on my 10km open water."

Team East Moreland are 17th in the medal table however many of the events East Moreland traditionally excels at are yet to come. Team Director Frank Ellington spoke to us saying, "It is always the case that swimming kind of front loads the medal table, it is a discipline that has a vast number of strokes, multiple distances and combinations. Heyra are clearly very good in the pool and we're not this time around. Things will change dramitically in the next few days I hope as we begin to see the schedule switch to events we're stronger in, especially as things such as the rugby reach the medal stages or the bladed events come into play."

The performance so far though has drawn the concern of Minister of Culture and Tradition Katy Garrett who is out watching the Games and who has in her cabinet portfolio promotion of sport. "We've seen over the last ten years of so big investment into sport in East Moreland. We are a nation that expects a performance when it comes to sports and at the moment the system is not delivering. We need to ask questions, why are so many young Morelanders slipping through the net. What do we need to do to set them up for success. Once the games are over we'll review where things sit and make the best decisions for East Moreland sport moving forward."




GUSARD NAMED NEW HONEYBADGERS COACH

Paul Gusard has been today been named the new Head Coach of the East Moreland national rugby team. Gusard replaces the outgoing Eddie Johns who was removed following the poor performance of the Honeybadgers at the previous World Cup. Gusard leaves his post as Head Coach of Keepton RUFC where he has been in charge for four years. Gusard has lead Keepton to two domestic titles and a cup win and was at one point in the coaching staff of Sir Clyde Woodward who lead the Lodjains to their first world title. Gusard worked part time with the Lodjains as a forwards coach before leaving the Lodjains 12 months before their cup win citing a desire to spend more time with his family. The 45 year old had what could generously be described as an average playing career having turned out for Ostlake Marina RUFC, Keepton RUFC and King's Crossing as a blindside flanker. During his career he made two appearances for the Navy and also represented the Honeybadgers at Under-21 level on four occasions. His coaching style however has drawn major attention with the nations top club Northfort Royals having tried luring him away from Keepton on a number of occasions.

Gusard is currently out at the Mundus Games where he is working as a commentator for EMTV on the Rugby Sevens. Speaking from the stadium yesterday Gusard said, "We have a big job ahead of us. The shield of greatness the Honeybadgers carry has a huge dent in it. We need to straighten that out. We have a mantra in the Honeybadgers that you leave the jersey in a better place than you found it, last world cup we didn't do that and now we need to take a hard look internally and work out why." It is understood that Gusard has been given a two year contract and has been told that if the team fail to reach a semi-final his contract will be terminated. Reports of Sir Clyde Woodward returning to take the reigns of the Honeybadgers were proven to have been totally false as Woodward has signed a two year extension on his deal with Lodja.

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #256 on: September 04, 2021, 06:52:13 PM »




QUEEN CONFIRMS BABY GENDER

Queen Stasya has today confirmed the gender of the child she is expecting to give birth to in early January. In a slip during an interview with students at Northfort Universities Fashion course the Queen several times used male pronouns while speaking of the impending royal birth and was then asked outright by the media in attendance as to whether this was a slip of the tongue or whether the pair of them knew the child's gender. In response Queen Stasya said, "Following concerns about the King's previous children being born we thought it best to get as much information about the little one as possible, mainly to put our minds at ease. That included knowing the gender of the baby. We are really happy to be having a child together anyway but I know my husband is excited that we'll have a little Prince."

The audience at the students interview asked whether the couple had selected a name to which the Queen responded by saying, "We've discussed several names and have some in mind but that is something we will only announce once the child is with us." The Queen emphasised that the baby appears to be healthy and growing well.

Following the news bookmakers across the country began taking bets on what the new childs name would be, currently Sven, which was the name of King David's father is favourite at 2-1, while Joshua, after the King's close friend Joshua Rhodes, is at 4-1. Some suspect the King will select a name based on his love of history and the idea of utilising the names of his favourite historical monarchs and as such Paul and Robert are both at 6-1.





EAST MORELAND TAKE RUGBY DOUBLE

Following the disappointing rugby world cup expectations were high for the Mundus Games. Yesterday the Honeybadgers and the Honeybadgerettes both took gold under the guidance of new national coach Paul Gusard.

First the men's team defeated long standing rival Seaforth 21-18 before the women's team beat the hosts Arashkai 33-0. Following the men's success their captain Rollo MacAllister, who was a refugee from Seaforth at the age of 16,  spoke with the press saying. "I always have mixed feelings when we play Seaforth, on the one hand its my homeland, on the other is the nation that took me in no questions asked and gave me the life I love today. I sing both national anthems and in any other game I cheer as loudly for the Seaforthians as I do East Moreland. I'm proud to have been the captain today but its been a tough tournament and a great team effort. I'm just glad to get the new boss off to a strong start."

The men's team took to the stands to watch the ladies team romp home to victory with 18 year old winger Jess Breech scoring four tries and earning accolades as player of the match. Speaking with the press after the game the Ostlake University student said, "I've only been playing sevens for 12 months and I love it. The game could have been made just for me, a chance to get up to speed and run at people. I'm happy we've matched what the boys did and I can't wait to get home and show the University team my medal."

Paul Gusard applauded both teams performances saying, "Its been a tough 12 months for East Moreland rugby. We've now set the bar high and must continue to reach the high standards we have started with. We've a host of young talent coming through. People like Rollo are the cement that will hold a squad together and newcomers to international rugby such as Jess are going to take us to new heights." Gusard also confirmed moving forward that the men and women's teams will train together in all "non-contact aspects" of the game.

Following completion of the rugby at the Ostlake games it has been confirmed that a special five match test series will take place between the CNN and SUN. The series will feature two mens matches, two women's matches and a wheelchair rugby match. The first of the games is expected to take place in two weeks with Northfort hosting the first of the men's matches.

Offline DaveIronside

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #257 on: September 15, 2021, 10:19:52 PM »




CHIEF COUNCILLOR CALLS FOR "COUNCIL OF HELUS"

In one of his first proposals since becoming Chief Councillor Lucas Blakeslee has today put forward a call for King David to work towards creating a "Council of Helus." The leader of the National Traditionalist Party explained his proposal in the Council Chamber today saying, "We have several nations that have a proud history of love for Helus. We also have nations who are embracing the faith. Ourselves, Bakkermaya, parts of Lymm, Achkaerin and Royal Seleucid have Cultist connections. We have seen King David work for co-operation between ourselves and nations we share much less with, the likes of Heyra, Hassfurt and even as of late Lijiang. These are all nations we share nothing of note with but we've made a relationship of sorts work. Imagine how easy and more meaningful that relationship could be if it was grounded in the faith we share." Blakeslee went on to outline his hopes that a "Council of Helus" would forge cultural and academic links between the nations as well as eventually putting in place missionary work to help the spread of the faith before culminating in economic, political and even military co-operation.

The proposal received a response from the King via his Press Secretary Malcolm Tucker. "The King is always open to activities that promote co-operation with other nations. While the idea of one based on faith alone is intriguing East Moreland is already well connected with many of the nations and regions that Chief Councillor Blakeslee has suggested. In the next few days the scheduled meeting between monarch and his Chief Councillor takes place, the King will no doubt listen to the proposal and consider its feasibility."

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #258 on: September 25, 2021, 08:24:00 PM »




CNN LIONS 33 - 17 SUN ALL STARS

The first of a five test multi team series between the CNN and the Sovereign Union of Nations has been played today at King Robert Arena in Northfort. The match pitted the best players from East Moreland, Ui Cenneslaig, The Iwi and Lodja against opponents picked from Cassiopeia, Chistopol, Drenovia and Paracambi. The game was played in front of a full house with proceeds being split between the Global Childbirth Initiative and the Joint Emergency Team. The game is the first meeting between these two sides and in a weeks time the women's teams will meet to play the 2nd test in Cassiopeia.

The game saw long periods of domination by the forwards of the CNN however once holes had been punched explosive bursts from the back line saw tries run in at quick succession. The SUN team fired back just before half time however the 2nd half followed a similar pattern. The star of the game was Leo Vanapala from the Iwi who was playing at scrum half for the CNN. A total of 7 Morelanders were involved in the fixture with Rollo MacAllister taking the captaincy for the final 10 minutes following the departure of Ui Cenneslaig's Arthur McBarry with a suspected concusion. The match was watched by the Honeybadgers new head coach Paul Gusard who was impressed with the game, "Fixtures like this are a challenge for all involved. It takes time to gel as a squad and they had a few weeks following the Mundus Games. I hoped to see Morelanders like Ollie Smyth, Rollo MacAllister and Jamie George take the game by the scruff of the neck and they did well. I'm looking forward now to a trip to Cassiopeia next week."

The best of five series will see the women play next week in Cassiopeia before wheelchair rugby takes centre stage in Drenovia. Regardless of whether at that point the series being settled remaining fixtures will see the women play again, this time in Ui Cenneslaig before the men bring the curtain down on the series with a match in Paracambi.

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #259 on: September 27, 2021, 09:14:08 PM »




NATION READY TO PARTY

Tomorrow marks Honeybadger Day in East Moreland, an annual festival begun in 1791 to mark the first introduction of the Honeybadger to East Moreland. The creature was spotted by King Richard I who learned about the animal during a visit to Izhitza. The King was so impressed by the tales of the animals intelligence, bravery, feraciousness and family loyalty that he believed it was the embodyment of what he thought the "perfect" Morelander should be and was such acquired ten pairs to be brought to the Kingdom. Despite the original ten pairs being kept supposedly in captivity they soon escaped and after several nobles tried to emulate King Richard the number of the animals sky-rocketed and today it is estimated somewhere in the region of 1,000 in the wild. The animal has become synonymous with East Moreland, even being added to the flag in 1801 and in 1932 becoming the unofficial name for the East Moreland rugby team. Every 28th September the nation have celebrated with huge street parties, sporting events and feasts.

This year preparations have already been completed in Northfort with bars and restaurants booked up months ago. Venues have been adding additional space outside allowing more revellers to take part in the days festivities. People's park, which runs parallel to the Embassy Row has been converted into a music venue and around 65,000 free tickets distributed among the residents of Northfort. An additional 10,000 tickets have been handed to charities connected to the royal family in order to reward those who work for them or to be raffled off to raise money. One of those is the MPS charity that King David is a patron of. The charity works with families and children effected by Mucopolysaccharidosis and related conditions, such as Hunter Syndrome which shortened the life of Prince Caspian. The concert will be headlined this year by Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls.

The King and Queen are expected to make an appearence at the music concert however with the Queen being pregnant it is thought they will not stay long. The royals will however attend the annual Northfort Parade which will honour the military and various charities that work across East Moreland. Similar parades will take place at other cities across the Kingdom including Ostlake where Archduchess Sophie Harrison-Ironside is set to represent the Royal East Moreland Air Force in a charity Sevens rugby match against a celebrity team.

Embassies across the world will also host events having invited Morelander nationals in the nation they are based.

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #260 on: October 03, 2021, 01:54:26 PM »




RIVER CLASS TO GET "BEEFY" REPLACEMENT

The River class patrol boat that has been in service since 1985 is set to be replaced by what is being referred to by many who have seen the design as a "Tank Boat". The ship will be built by Portworth Marine Construction and will be the first military vessel built by the company which has in the past constructed civilian cargo ships, even providing two of the five East Moreland Global Pre-Positioning ships. The weapons systems will however be provided by a combination of the East Moreland Rifle Company (EMRC) and SmartWar. A model shown to the media by the Ministry of Defence shows a dual hulled ship that is to be made out of composite materials to provide a combination of toughness and lightweight. The design will also allow it to operate in shallow waters allowing it to operate close in to shore. The initial models will be equipped with a turret which looks very much like a tank turret and will be capable of firing conventional 105mm ammunition as well as  Gun Launched Anti-Tank Guided Missile(GLATGM) capable of hitting targets some 5,000meters away. In addition a  30 mm cannon that can be remotely operated is mounted on the turret. It is also being considered to equip the ship with an EMAC Drone giving it aerial observation capabilities. There are already plans for another version which will be equipped with a missile launcher rather than gun.

Speaking at the briefing Sir Harry Samuelson, the nations Minister of Defence stated, "We have had the River Class as a workhorse of patrols around our coast for many years. Its done well but it lacks real punch. Situations with piracy and various other issues though means we need a beefy replacement capable of a wider range of operations. With a longer range, higher speed, a smaller Naval compliment and an ability to carry up to 20 fully equipped soldiers we have a whole host of options. We can use it for naval interception of things such as drug smugglers or people trafficing. We can use it for close in fire support for amphibious operations and a whole host of other uses. These ships will also be cheaper to maintain and purchase. The River class cost us around $15million per ship whereas the most expensive version of this will be around $12.5million. We think this investment will help ensure the Mhorish and Illumic ports are kept secure for the future."

It is expected that like the River Class the new ships will have hull numbers and not names.

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #261 on: October 17, 2021, 11:44:12 PM »




CNN LIONS 52 - 14 SUN ALL STARS

The 2nd of the CNN v's SUN rugby test series has taken place in Cassiopeia as the women took centre stage. The men had already given the CNN a 1-0 lead in the test series however the women put in a bigger performance to keep the CNN in the hot seat. The 52-14 victory saw East Moreland's Jess Breech run in a hat trick of tries to give her the player of the match trophy. The series will now switch to Wheelchair rugby in Drenovia with the SUN All-Star's needing a win to keep the test series alive.

After the match 18 year old Breech said, "After the Mundus Games victory I wanted to keep my form going and now I'm excited to get my first international hat-trick, especially in a series such as this. We've now got to put our trust in the wheelchair team to mean that by the time we play again the series is in the bag." The final two games will see the women play again in Ui Cenneslaig and then the men will conclude the match by playing in Paracambi.





EAST MORELAND PREMIER LEAGUE GETS CASH BONUS

It was announced today that OsmanTech have agreed a major sponsorship deal with the East Moreland Football Association. The large pharmecetecul company will pay $50 million a year to have their name associated with the league, a $30 million increase on previous arrangements. The new sponsership will mean that the clubs in the league will have significantly more funds allowing possibly almost all teams to employ players full time. While the deal is by no means the richest in world it will mean a significant financial boost for the largely semi-professional league. One team that will not see much of a change will be AFC Roberton who are owned by the Ironside family and have benefitted from significant funding over the last three years. The manager of Northfort United, the nations most successful team is Cliff Winters who spoke about the news saying, "Over the last few years teams like United have found it difficult to keep up with Roberton this now semi levels the playing field. Don't expect us to start spending stupid money like you see in some leagues but it would be nice for all our players to go full time."

The new season starts next weekend and Northfort United will be looking to win their 32nd title.





SMART-WAR TO FIELD TEST PBUV

Smart-War yesterday unveiled to the media their Precision Battlefield Unmanned Vehicle (PBUV) and confirmed that it will be taking part in a series of exercises with the Army to assess its suitability for front line duty. The vehicle can be remotely operated from hundreds of miles away and carries six missiles capable of striking targets with precision some 70km away. The vehicle will be deployed in an anti-armour role during the exercise. Smart-War CEO Martin Dawson explained the vehicles strengths saying, "This vehicle can carry a much more effective arsenal than a normal infantry squad can. The vehicle will, eventually, be able to be controlled by squads on the ground rather than back at base as these will be during the exercise. By paring up with other assets to gather data the vehicle will be able to deliver weapons with pin-point accuracy and with significant fire-power."

The technology is also being used to develop equipment for all terrain search and rescue vehicles and even for rural firefighting.

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #262 on: November 12, 2021, 10:14:57 PM »




KING COMPLETES PILGRIMAGE

Over the last few days King David has completed the traditional pilgrimage undertaken by many members of the Cult of Helus before the birth of a child. The King was accompanied by his brother-in-law Alex Redfern who also accompanied him on his previous pilgrimage. The duo travelled via horse to Portworth where they collected metal from close to the Temple of Helus there, in this case the King was permitted because of his royal rank to gather metal from the "Forge of the Gods" cave complex. This metal was taken then to Ostlake where at the Temple of Jekar the King began the process of making a sword. It is traditional that a father begins the process of making a sword for their children just before they are born and that by the time the child has their "Sword Ceremony" the sword has been completed. It is though now not unusual for the father to begin the process however a skilled swordsmith completes the process. The King however has stated his commitment to completing the process himself and has even explained how he plans on applying to join the "Swordsmith Guild" upon completion of Princess Rhiannon's sword.

The King spoke with the press just before he began the construction of the future Prince's arrival. The Queen has already confirmed that they are expected a son and the King commented that scans have shown, "he seems to be shaping up to be a large baby in good health. Me and Stasya are very excited." The King was pressed to disclose the name for the child however stated instead, "We have several ideas but have not settled on a name yet. The first announcement will come when my Chief of Household fixes the notice to the Palace gates."

Speculation has already begun on the matter of Shield and Sword Parents with many calling for them all to be Morelanders following the debacle over the selection of those for Prince Caspian and Princess Rhiannon. With the Queen being Lodjain however it is likely some will be from her homeland.





REPLACEMENT EKRA-BADGER BEGINS CONSTRUCTION

Following the destruction of the Ekra-Badger by Water Nomads in the Alucard a replacement for the lost asset has been ordered. While the Ministry of Defence confirmed that there was always a plan to operate two Ekra-Badgers the one currently under construction is going to be equipped as a "rapid deployment vehicle" when the original plan was for it to be a specialist "Naval Interception" asset. The announcement came from Sir Harry Sameulson, the Ministry of Defence, who explained. "We have found it very useful to be able to move people and assets around the Alucard, Mhorish and Illumic. The Ekra-Badger was excellent for this and one day we will have two of them but that will now be pushed back."

The destroyed Ekra-Badger was targetted by a group of Water Nomads who were working alongside Leopold of Lodja who is currently waging an illegal rebellion against the government of the Queendom of Lodja. An inquest into the destruction ruled that members of the Royal East Moreland Naval Service operating the Ekra-Badger in the Alucard region had allowed "familiarity with the Nomads to allow security to become lax. This saw standard operating procedures ignored with terrible consequences that thankfully saw no loss of life." As a result it has been confirmed that two Naval Officers have been demoted, one sent to Ostlake Military Reform Centre for three months and two NCO's given formal reprimands and disqualified from promotion for six years.

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #263 on: November 16, 2021, 09:32:36 PM »




ROCKHAMPTON MARKET BEGINS

The annual craft fair in Rockhampton began today after being opened by the Chief Councillor Lucas Blakeslee. The market sees hundreds of stalls selling everything from home made Venison Jerky to Swords. The festival lasts until the end of the month and will see an expected 1million people visit the market during that time. The market began in the 14th Century and has continued to be held every year except two. In 1681 the market was cancelled because of an outbreak of plague and then in 1702 the market was cancelled because of flooding which saw the marketgrounds outside the city walls underwater. On the first day of the market the streets of Rockhampton were busy with tourists keen to be part of the first day when traditionally special prices are offered. Alongside the market a series of musical performances are taking place in taverns and bars around the city and all local galleries and museums are open for free.

Upon opening the market the Chief Councillor read the traditional Royal Decree sent from King David that granted the market permission to gather for longer than 3 days, an old traditional law that in truth is not enforced anywhere in the Kingdom today. The Chief Councillor then welcomed guests saying. "The annual Rockhampton market is not just a market. It is a showcase of the excellent craftsmanship, innovation and imagination that East Moreland has. Whether it is traditional woodwork or amazing flying machines the ingenuity of Morelanders is incredible and Rockhampton will for the next few weeks be the centre of that." Mr.Blakeslee visited several stalls talking with artisans and was seen buying several items after the traditional haggling with those on the stalls.

It is expected that King David and Princess Rhiannon will visit the market over the weekend and attend a traditional folk music evening with performances from youth groups throughout the nation. It is not yet known whether Queen Stasya will visit the performance.

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #264 on: November 23, 2021, 10:27:49 PM »




GENERAL YACOBS TO ASSUME HEAD OF MILITARY ROLE

It was announced today that General Katie Yacobs will assume the position of Chief of Military Staff following the confirmation that Air Marshall Conrad Drake would be standing down at the end of the year. 72 year old Air Marshall Drake has acted in a position to have oversight over all three branches of the East Moreland military for the last seven years since the military reforms following the Regency Crisis. General Yacobs will become the first female to assume the role and will be assigned the rank of Field Marshall. Yacobs has been in command of the Army since the Regency Crisis when she was promoted from command of Black Legion. Prior to that she had served in the 2nd Light Scouts Regiment. The announcement was greeted with optimism by Princess Freya who currently serves as a Major in the 2nd Light Scouts and is considered a protégée of Yacobs. The Princess commented on the appointment while visiting an EMAC factory where she was having a test flight of a light aircraft she is considering purchasing. "The General is an excellent career soldier. She's experienced in front line operations and an academic master. She has helped a whole generation of Morelanders become better people and serve our Kingdom and I can think of no-one better to help take our proud Armed Forces forward."

The Princess was also had praise for the outgoing Chief of Military Staff, Air Marshall Drake, "Following the Regency Crisis we had to reform our military hierarchy and the Air Marshall has been a superb organiser. We have in place now one of the finest militaries on Mundus and I am proud to wear the uniform. The Air Marshall is instrumental in that happening and I wish him a long and happy retirement." The Air Marshall has said that he plans to retire to the countryside and enjoy time with his grand-children.

It is expected that Lieutenant General Maurice Gee will replace General Yacobs as the head of the Army as he is the current commanding officer of Duke Legion and the longest serving of the Legion Commanders. The replacement is likely to be announced in the coming days. A formal ceremony to mark these changes will take place early in the new year and is likely to be arranged to coincide with the birth of the new East Moreland Prince, due in the first week of January.





EMAC EYE ELECTRIC SPEED RECORD

Sir Alan Maybury, the CEO of EMAC, has today announced that the company are setting their sights on yet another speed record. The innovative aviation company have made a reputation for themselves by undertaking prestige projects to establish new speed records and using them as test beds for new technology and concepts. The latest attempt is to build an aircraft powered entirely by electric to set a speed record for electric aircraft. Currently the fastest speed flown by an all electric airplane is  210 mph yet EMAC have said that if all goes to plan they expect their aircraft, to be dubbed "The Flying Spark", to max out at just over 300mph. Sir Alan explained that the aircraft is powered by a 400 kWh (500+ HP) electric powertrain and contains around 6,500 powercells.

Sir Alan unveiled the scale model of the aircraft at EMAC's HQ in Chamwick and said, "The future of aviation has to be something powered by something other than AVGAS. Battery power is one such pathway to carbon neutral aviation and for that to be realistic we have to start upping the speed. The Flying Spark will allow us to test some of the issues an electric aircraft has when it comes to producing power. We hope to set a number of records for electric aviation. So far Achkaerin have established records for endurance with a remarkable circumnavigation, as a result we go back to our wheelhouse of speed, and we also hope fastest climb to 3,000 meters. If everything goes to plan we perhaps will even set a speed record for the fastest battery powered vehicle on Mundus."

The aircraft is expected to begin manufacture next week. EMAC are still also refitting the SSC Honeybadger to allow Rebecca Dixon to attempt to break the Women's Land Speed Record which currently sits at 522.783 mph. With the SSC Honeybadger having already set a record of 768 mph with Danny Jules driving it is expected that the car will smash the Women's record when Dixon finally tries. EMAC however have not ruled out Dixon setting not just a Women's record but an overall record. One stumbling block at the moment however seems to be finding a suitable venue for the record attempt. 

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #265 on: December 21, 2021, 06:00:49 PM »




KING GIVES FINAL INTERVIEW BEFORE NEW CHILD ARRIVES

King David is expecting to take his family to Rockhampton in the coming days to prepare for the birth of his child, confirmed to be a son. It will be his third child but Queen Stasya's first. The King has been busy over the last few weeks preparing for dedicating some time to family once the new arrival takes place. The King meet with Shelly Coe from EMTV to discuss several issues prior to the New Year.

As we approach the end of 2021 its been a relatively quiet year on the Global stage. What for you has been the biggest challenge and the biggest success?

We've faced several key issues this year currently the ongoing situation in Lodja is the one we are most focused on. The potential for a bloody civil war there is still in the balance and we are doing all we can to ensure those responsible are halted and peace returned to one of our closest friends. Add to that the need to try and vaccinate hundreds of millions of animals against Yellowtongue in order to try and protect our agricultural industry then its been anything but quiet. We have though much to look back on with pride. Our partnership with Fleur that saw the creation of the vaccine for Yellowtongue helped push forward medical knowledge and our mass evacuation of Cultists from Argemento doubtless saved tens of thousands of lives. From where I've been sat in my office I'd certainly not call it a quiet year.

What do you think 2022 has in store for East Moreland?

There are several things I want to put on our agenda. The first is getting this business in Lodja sorted as soon as possible. Our troops there need to be able to finish the job and get home to their families. At the same time we've a promise to then fulfil to Paracambi in helping them and their neighbours in the region utilise Cobble Field for scientific and environmental uses. Beyond that I think there is a need to explore some of links with nations similar to ourselves that have not yet gone far. We had Chief Councillor Blakeslee call for closer co-operation with other Cultist communities across Mundus and at some point in the next 12 months we will be calling what at the moment we're naming a "Council of Helus" to get all Cultist communities in the same room for the first time in a long time. Be that Bakkermaya who are majority Cultist as are Seaforth, or even nations such as Lymm and Eskdale which have members of our faith in lesser numbers and in a minority. It is important our faith work more co-operatively and as the Holy Land as such we must take the first steps in that regard. Once this has been taken care of I want to get back to the business of ensuring every East Moreland can thrive and prosper.

Recent days have seen comments from Rokkenjima about two CNN nations what are your thoughts on these matters?

It puts us in a difficult situation. No one wants to get back to the days when we have power blocs like the CSTO, CIS and Warsaw facing off. We've shown huge amounts of co-operation between Cross Straits nations and CNN in the past. Be that the nuclear disarmament process, which I'm very proud of, or providing water aid to Jugland. The issue with the Maori and the FSC is one that places us in an awkward position. One the one hand I firmly believe that we as an international community have let down people like the Maori who have been victims of some of the most horrific crimes imaginable. Anyone visiting The Commonwealth knows only too well the deep scars that their communities have both physically and mentally. It is therefore easy to see why they would go to the ends of Mundus to bring those responsible to justice. At present this search for justice is one they have no chance of succeeding in and have clearly been pushed to extreme measures. On the other hand they have caused a nervousness in the region among shipping which is understandable. Escalating the situation by having stand offs between nations, and potentially the CNN and Cross Straits is not something any of us want and I have tried working with our contacts over at the Cross-Straits to avoid this. I believe a two prong approach is needed. The first prong solves the second in my view and that is to establish some global mechanism that will ensure not just those who targetted the Maori, but anyone who has been involved in historic crimes against humanity has no safe place to go to ground on Mundus. This I believe will automatically solve the second issue. However shipping has rules governing it and as such they need to be respected.

As for the issues between Scordisci and Ui Cenneslaig that was a scenario the likes of which Mundus has not seen in my lifetime, nor I suspect in many lifetimes. We had a nation in Ui Cenneslaig seeing its citizens slaughtered by terrorists for decades. After a brief cross border clash things seemed solved but flared up again and we stood prepared to act as peacekeepers however the use of chemical and potentially biological weapons against Cenneg forces being authorised by the Scordisci government was a travesty, this also brings me to my first point on historic crimes, no one has yet faced justice for this. In the aftermath disease and famine stalked the land and perhaps with hindsight things could be managed differently, however it is clear if you visit the region today that the impact of chemical weapons are still visible in regions and it is the Cenneg who are trying to clear this up. If any war crimes were committed by either side then naturally we must take action but to my knowledge only the government of Scordisci committed them.

For my part I will be making proposals to the international community in the New Year that I hope I can count on the support of all nations including the Cross-Straits, my CNN friends, SUN and any other part of Mundus.

After the birth of Prince Caspian and Princess Rhiannon you were very hands on with their care. Is this likely to be the same again?"

I pray to the Gods that the circumstances of that time are not repeated. Their birth was the best day of my life but also the most challenging. In one sense I had no choice but to step up and do everything, but in another I wouldn't have wanted to miss any of it. This time I pray it will be very different. For a start we know we are having a son, and before you ask no we will not be telling anyone the name, and Stasya will, I pray, be in much better health. Even now I try and do as much parenting of Rhiannon as possible and the same will happen with my son. I'm very excited.

There have been concerns raised by some that the new Prince would perhaps, as a result of Queen Stasya, be a follower of the Sisterhood of Helus rather than the Cult. Is this a concern of yours?"

I would not force anyone to follow a faith but choices have consequences. Our constitution says clearly the Monarch must be a member of the Cult of Helus. If either Rhiannon or my new son were to embrace a new faith then they may do so but in doing so they would renounce any claim to my throne. We have taught Rhiannon about the Cult, she knows about the Sisterhood just as she does faiths from across Mundus. Ultimately they will believe what they want to believe. With the constitution being only changeable by the subjects of East Moreland then if they wish this to change they have the power to do so but I will not champion this cause. East Moreland is the Holy Land of Helus and whoever sits on the throne accepts some responsibilities that go with this.
 


The King is due to announce in the coming days the New Years Honours list in which those Morelanders who have xcelled over the last 12 months are recognised for their achievements. This is one of three occasions in the year when such a list is produced, the others being on the King's birthday and the other on the Feast of Helus. It is expected that at this years announcements the Shield and Sword Parents of the new born Prince will also be announced.




Offline DaveIronside

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #266 on: December 28, 2021, 10:16:32 PM »




NEW PRINCE ARRIVES TWO WEEKS EARLY

East Moreland woke this morning to the announcement that Queen Stasya had given birth to a healthy baby in Northfort Royal Infirmary. There was some initial concern as the baby was not due until the middle of January however Head of Royal Household, Quinn Germaine, has confirmed that the baby has been declared "in exceptional health." The news caught many off guard and with the Queen going into labour at around 9pm last night there was little time for the news to circulate before the official announcement was made at the Palace gates just after midnight. A crowd of some few hundred had gathered, largely press, in comparison to thousands who had arrived to witness the announcements of both Prince Caspian and Princess Rhiannon's birth. The first indication of the new arrival came as Quinn Germaine, dressed in ceremonial dress of the Order of the Shield for which she is a member thanks to her actions during the Regency Crisis. She carried a framed copy of a notification which was read to the assembled masses before being attached to the Palace gate. With a wide smile Miss Germaine announced, ""Subjects of His Majesty King David of East Moreland, Third of his name, I bring you reasons to rejoice, on this day Her Majesty Queen Stasya of East Moreland, first of her name, has given birth to a child. May the God's bless Prince Llewellyn, Duke of Keepton " The title of Duke of Keepton is traditionally reserved for the first of the King's children as it was the first capital of East Moreland, the title Duke of Northfort is traditionally held by the second child of the monarch and is currently held by Princess Rhiannon. Following the death of Prince Caspian the title Duke of Keepton has been vacant.

Crowds left toys and flowers at the Royal Infirmary which saw a large military presence outside. While the King was said to be at his wife and son's bedside Princess Freya briefly addressed the press to say "The family are delighted to welcome Llewellyn. His full name will be LLewellyn Polonyus Ironside and the choice of Shield and Sword parents will be announced in the coming days. We'd like to thank the public for their outpouring of support and while we appreciate these gifts we would urge people to donate them to a local children's charity. As all Morelanders know the MPS Charity is very dear to our hearts and does fantastic work with children suffering from rare genetic disorders. For now we ask that the press give the King, Queen and Prince time to bond and relax." It is understood that Princess Rhiannon was not at the Infirmary as she was due to be spending new year with her Mother, Matilda Osman, at Portworth. It was however confirmed that the 7 year old would be flown to Northfort immediately to meet her new brother.

In regards to the childs name the choice has surprised many. Llewellyn is a traditional name with meanings associated with leadership, while Polonyus is a more traditional Morelandish version of the name Paul, likely selected for the King's fondness for the adventures of the semi-mythical King Paul. Despite the Prince not even being a day old there has already been calls from some that Prince Llewellyn be placed ahead of Princess Rhiannon in the line of succession. This however is unlikely as the 2014 Inheritance of the Throne Act states clearly "In the first instance the throne and all its powers laid out in the constitution shall pass to the Monarch and their Consorts eldest child regardless of gender." This act was brought in when King David refused to put his daughter ahead of Prince Caspian despite the boys Hunter Syndrome.

On behalf of the nation the Northfort News congratulates the King and Queen on their new arrival and prays that Helus gives them a long and happy life.

Offline Libby

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #267 on: January 12, 2022, 11:35:00 PM »




LODJAIN QUEEN GIVES FIRST INTERVIEW

48 hours ago it was confirmed that  Nataliya Kozel would be named as the new Queen of Lodja. This is a unique appointment for two reasons, the first being that at the age of 22 she is four years older than a Queen who normally inherits the throne of Lodja. The second, and perhaps most significant reason for her appointment being unique is that she has spent a significant time living outside the Queendom. For the last six years or so the Queen has resided in the Commonweath of the Iwi, first as her father was appointed Ambassador to the Commonwealth and then after not being selected as Queen four years ago she was appointed as an Emissary of the Queen, a kind of travelling ambassador. As Emissary she elected to base herself at Hunter's Bay, the capital of the Commonwealth, where she gained a degree in Geography. She is currently in East Moreland where she was visiting her friend Queen Stasya and her newborn son Prince Llewellyn. Keen to get word to her new subjects back in Lodja the young Queen agreed to conduct an interview with the East Moreland media.

As the new Queen of Lodja please accept our condolences for the death of Queen Klara. A tragic death caused by the ongoing situation with Leopold Hamsik. May we start by asking what are your intentions regarding that ongoing situaton

Thank you for you words. Klara was not just my Queen but my friend. That time we spent together before she was selected as Queen allowed me to see a funny, intelligence and magical girl who had begun to be a great Queen, she would have brought so much more not just to Lodja but to Mundus had she lived. Leopold has denied Klara a life, denied Lodja an amazing Queen and denied Mundus someone who would have grown into an incredible force of good. Someone who snuffs out a light that could have shined so brightly is not someone that can be permitted to gain even the smallest shred of power or control on Mundus. This self proclaimed Monarchy of Lodja exists only in the imagination of fools. I am saddened that so many people have been taken in by Leopolds insanity and must now be stopped. To any of those supporters listening or reading this you can extrecate yourself from the situation by laying down arms and turning yourself in. You have my word you'll be treated with the mercy and compasion Sessifet gave those who submitted to her. If you persist in this course of action then we have no choice as there can only be one Lodja. In the coming hours I'll be working with our friends to try and rectify the current confusion in my homeland and have this matter resolved sooner rather than later.

If it was possible to  set aside differences and negotiate with Leopold in order to bring peace and stability to Lodja would that happen?

If you had asked me that before the assassination I would have said it was a slim possibility. There was a chance that there could have been discussions on reforms, on accodating some of Leopolds ambitions. The moment though you send a missile into the house of your wife then any chance of such things goes out the window in my mind. While I believe Lodja is not a perfect nation yet and that some of the things Leopold is, in the media at least, calling for do make sense. There is though no way this can be done with Leopold at the helm or connected with it in anyway. Peace and stability will return to Lodja but Leopold will not be part of it. 

What can we expect from a Queen Nataliya set of reforms?

I think the first thing we need to do is recognise that the world Sessifet has created today is different to that when we first began recording her faith. Since the 3rd Century BC there has been some kind of Queen in Lodja, our current system of selecting a monarch was instigated in 1100 when Klara Zima was named as Queen. At that point it was an unmarried 14 year old girl destined to be he Guardian of Sessifet, the Goddess living inside her. Since then we've seen changes, as life expectancy increased and as the world's morals changed we saw it go up one year at a time until in 1859 East Moreland's Queen Staysa's ancestor,  Elena Pelagiya, was the first 18 year old to be named as Queen. We were lucky to have Queen Sonya for over 80 years on the throne bringing wisdom and guidance her experience allowed. We've now had three Queens in short order and all of us have been young, very young. We need to do something in that regard. I would hope the Priesthood would consider removing age as a qualification for Queen and instead looking at people who could do a great job in leading the nation.

I think the Conclave needs reform. Its been for too long the plaything of old men. We have only ever had one woman on the things, and no Plebs. While a Pleb may technically be from a family who have yet to give remarkable service to the nation that does not mean that service can not be on the Conclave. We have a Tribune of the Plebs appointed by the Queen to be the voice of the Plebs, but they are not a Pleb themselves, that doesn't make sense to me. I will be issuing orders that an election will take place and that any Lodjain aged over 18 may nominate themselves for Tribune of the Plebs. Only Plebs may vote and I promise the winner, whoever they are, a place on the Conclave.

In terms of the Pleb and Patrician relationship that needs to change to. There are too many restrictions on the Plebs. For example to be able to open a business they must have permission of a Patrician. This often comes at the price of the Patricians gouging a large share of the business for themselves. I am going to order the creation of the Queen's Business Portfolio. Any Pleb willing to pay a membership fee of $0.01 will be admitted and may use my name as their approval. Should however I find any business on the Portfolio acting illegally I will remove them and they will be forced to close. Any good honest business will have nothing to fear and Plebs will be able to run a business to benefit them not some already rich Patrician.

I will not though advocate the idea of removing the distinction between Pleb and Patrician. It is a central part of our culture, it has served us well and encourages people wishing to climb the ladder of social mobility to do something to benefit their nation. The idea though will be to make the process easier and less relaint on multi-generations being required to qualify. Currently four generations of family must serve in the military to qualify the family as Patrician. I will reduce that to two or maybe a system of a family contributing a set number of years service. I will also look at those working in the public sector in such jobs as teaching, doctors, nurses and other such professions also qualifying people.

Finally for now my ambition is to not be a Queen stuck out away from the people. The Isle of the Goddess is a beautiful place and a Holy home. It however sets the Queen apart from her people. I will be exploring the possibility in the short term of a home in Gaia itself, in the long term establishing some new royal house at the edge of the city. Rather than sitting in luxury in the Palace being an object to be marvelled at I intend to be a Queen that see's her people everyday. How can I solve their problems if I am so seperate from them.

You've spoken at length about domestic matters but as Queen you'll be responsible for interactions with many places across Mundus.  What is your opinion regarding the civil war in Centralia?

While Centralia sits across the Kyne from us it is always tragic when any war breaks out. I do not know enough about the Christian faith to comment on the Lord's Resistance Army. I do now Christianity has as one of its Ten Commandments "Thou Shalt Not Kill" and it is sad to see so many going against this from what I hear of the Guerilla Fighting. The recent broadcast of jets overflying their cities launching missiles is shocking and I hope it can be ended soon. The people must be given a chance to control their own destinies and while we ourselves are making tracks towards allowing that to a greater extent I recognise we ourselves are not there yet. Centralia I hope can walk a similar path.

Having spent a lot of time in the Commonwealth of the Iwi the next international incident is one that perhaps you will be more familiar with. What is your opinion regarding the navy developments in the Sea of Kyne?

Had I several years ago been on the cruise ship the Maori landed a helicopter on I would have been terrified. Would I have understood their reason for doing so, of course I would. Have the Maori technically broken the FSC, from my knowledge yes they probably have. However throughout history we have seen that at times for justice to come sometimes radical steps are needed. My question would be what harm came to the ship? To my knowledge none, while people may have paniced it became clear the Maori where there for one purpose. In the time since the apprehension of the Seleucid officer can we truly say Mundus has done anything to try and bring people who have committed horrific crimes to justice? I don't think we can. On the other hand we have seen the Maori do this once and Rokkenjima send a mighty fleet to their area. Yet we've seen other such breaches of the FSC, such as the capture of a Maori gas tanker by the Seleucid and nothing has happened. I know that during CNN meetings the Morelanders and Cenneg have talked of how they do not want to see repeats of the cruise ship incident, and they haven't happened again. Yet some five years later the time is right to take action. To me that does not make sense. A five year period in which the Maori have not broken the FSC and then they are effectively put on notice? One could argue a state of conflict still goes on between the Maori and the Seleucid as no formal peace was ever signed. I know first hand the Maori are a determined people frustrated that thousands of Seleucid perpatrators of genocide escape justice while the world does nothing, this is a bigger travesty than a nation who for the last five years have followed international law.

Lodja was a founding member of the CNN and has extremely strong ties with all three of its allies. What will relations with non-CNN nations look like under your reign?

One thing I like about the Isle of the Goddess was how easy it gave almost any nation on Mundus access to our highest levels of government. This is something I want to try and retain. I will never turn down an invitation to talk with anyone, nor will I ever close my door to them. Alongside the CNN Lodja are members of TUNA, an organisation that has probably done more than anyone else on Mundus to tackle ocean pollution. We are members of the Council of Albion, a body that is perhaps sometimes underutilised. Another underutilised agency is the Network of Crowns, Queen Viktoriya established it and yet we've allowed a creation helped by Sessifet to sit silent for too long. We've also neighbours we've done little to be true friends to such as Kermah and Paracambi. I think Aosta too are a nation that have been steadfast supporters of us in the current situation in the Alucard. With them applying for CNN membership I think I'd be delighted to build with them, especially as both nations are currently coming to terms with tragedy. A growing CNN is something that excites me.

Lodjain families, especially nobility, are traditionally from wealthy backgrounds. As you become Queen what is your net-worth? Do you follow that pattern?

I'm not going to try and deny the fact that the Kozel family is fortunate enough to be wealthy. My great-grandfather began an expansive property portfolio that the family have developed, sold off, reinvested in and sits comfortably on. It would be safe to say several generations of Kozel could get away without ever having what you would consider a job and still be fine. Personally though my bank account sits with very little in, I own personally very little property, a small beach house in the Commonwealth, a car and a few bits of gifted jewellrey. As heir to the Kozel estate though I know when, hopefully in the far off future, my father dies I would inherit everything however I've made it clear to family that this would be ridiciolous and so instead everything of value in the Kozel's will pass to my younger sister Yolana. As a family the Lodjain Times financial pages claim we're worth close to $50million, I meanwhile would be closer to $200,000. I suspect that makes me perhaps the poorest monarch on Mundus until such a time as I formally get coronated.

Thank you for your time. As a final question do you have any idea when you will make your way to your homeland

With the current situation there I'm not going to make a big target of myself by giving away such details. I will though first need to return to the Commonwealth of the Iwi to wind up some issues there then where in Lodja I go first is open for discussion with the people I need to communicate with back home. I want to be there as soon as is both safe and useful.



It is understood that King David has allocated a Red Legion security detail to the young Queen while she remains in East Moreland and has put Ironside One at her disposal to return to either the Commonwealth or home. The King today went on record to say. "I don't know Nataliya as well as many Lodjain nobles. She is though someone Stasya is very fond of and therefore I hope that is enough to allow me to call her a friend already. There is a strong bond between Lodja and East Moreland, even before my own marriage. I am confident that in the face of this tragedy we shall continue to build this relationship to become ever stronger."




Offline DaveIronside

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #268 on: January 17, 2022, 10:00:48 PM »




KING SUPPORTS NEW LODJAIN QUEEN. CONCERNED BY NEIGHBOURS "MAD SCIENCE"

King David yesterday made his first public appearance since the birth of Prince Llewellyn. The King attended the launch of this years Ozzie Awards which will be announced in early February. The King made time to speak with the media as well as mingling with members of the Ostlake Academy for Performing Arts who host the annual awards ceremony for the best of global film. The King confirmed that Prince Llewellyn was "doing brilliantly. He's at home in Rockhampton where things are a little quieter than in Northfort. We've enjoyed a few days of just family time and soon we hope to name the various Sword and Shield Parents. Princess Rhiannon is enjoying being a big sister and doing an incredible job at it. I had though forgotten just how loud a baby can cry, I suppose one saving grace is this time its just one baby."

The King was also asked about various international incidents ongoing, the first being the announcement of Queen Nataliya of Lodja. "I have very little knowledge of Nataliya beside what my wife has told me. I know the pair are close friends and rest assured Lodja and their new Queen can be assured of our ongoing support and co-operation. We are now at a point where it is very clear that Leopold Hamsik is a man of evil, he must be hunted down and brought to justice and we shall ensure that happens. Meanwhile Queen Nataliya is still in East Moreland while she puts together a strategy for her return home. Should she request it Ironside One will be put at her disposal and we'd naturally ensure everything that can be done to get her safely home will be done. Queen Klara was a friend to East Moreland and a young lady with a bright future ahead of her and I am certain she would have taken Lodja on that journey with her."

The King was then asked about the prospect of diplomatic actions being put in place against Heyra following long term scientific aims being announced that amount to a cloning project. "I find myself with a foot in each camp. One one hand my faith tells me that Helus is the creator of all of us, not some scientist in a white coat in a lab in Heyra. Meanwhile I was the father of boy born with an extremely rare genetic condition that lead to his death at the age of three. Caspian's condition is one that the process in Heyra to screen and engineer DNA would have removed. I can honestly say I don't know what I would have done if I'd been given the choice. His condition was something ordained by Helus, why I don't know and likely I'll never understand, meanwhile Helus granted us the ability to gain knowledge and as such temper his creations to improve our world. These are matters I've spoken to the High Priestess about on many occasions and my mind is constantly changing on this issue, which is why I have largely not sought to change much legislation on the matter in East Moreland. What concerns me though is the scale and purpose of this. This is not being done to prevent Caspian's condition forcing families to go through what we have it is being done purely for perceived economic reasons. While we have seen nations voice the prospect of sanctions and various other measures against Heyra we sit as their neighbours. We have a sizeable number of Heyrans who cross our border on a regular basis for business and pleasure. I am concerned about the future if those people are effectively clones and the implications it could have in the long term to have a large number of clones on Mundus."

Finally the King was asked on his views of the Kyne Naval situation. "I'm on record several times regarding that. The Maori should not have done what they have and steps have happened both publically and privately to put that message across. Since then the Maori have followed the FSC. To then take action so many years after the incident and with no issues even close to taking place this seems like overkill or an attempt to justify something else. Its a situation that needs to just end and Kyne co-operation be promoted. In the coming month I'm hoping to present to Mundus an idea to ensure that those who have experienced humanitarian crimes such as the Maori have can find justice but for now that is still a draft."

The King is expecting to go to Northfort at the weekend where Princess Rhiannon will return to school.   



Offline DaveIronside

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Re: Northfort News
« Reply #269 on: January 25, 2022, 09:56:56 PM »




KEEPTON WANTS GAMES

The northern city of Keepton has today unveiled its bid to host the 2022 Mundus Winter Games. At a media launch held in the city, King David, Archduchess Sophie, the cities mayor and cartoon character and mascot Stoffel confirmed that the city and the Alps that are close by are hopeful of getting the games. The bid would see East Moreland become a nation that has hosted both the Summer and Winter version of the games. Mayor Kelly Faulkes said she was confident of success. "Keepton is an amazingly beautiful city. I can't think of many places capable of hosting the games that will give such a stunning backdrop. The majestic Alps, a city full of historic buildings and the beautiful riverside. We're a city that despite being an ancient capital of East Moreland often plays second or third fiddle to places like Northfort, Portworth or Silverhills on the international stage but the games would plant us firmly in the minds of international audiences."

The King has co-signed a letter of application in which, as expected, he has agreed to abide by the spirit of the games to be inclusive and welcome all. "East Moreland has a huge extensive network of treaties with nations across Mundus, one of the things we've tried to do with all those is make it easier for cultural experiences and exchanges to take place. When Kelly asked me to support this bid of course I had no hestitation extending that to the world. Naturally I am biased when I say I believe East Moreland to be the most beautiful place on Mundus and I always like the idea of people coming and enjoying our nation. I'm a huge sports fan as everyone knows and I will be watching the games regardless of where they take place, however I'd be basing myself in Keepton throughout the games and taking in as much as possible. I'm confident our campaign will be well received but naturally we are not yet aware how many opposing bids will surface. I understand Tytor have put a bid in and they will be strong competition. I wish them good luck but at the same time desperately want us to be successful."

Stoffel, the cartoon sensation, appeared via video link but was also excited. "Honeybadgers usually don't like the snow, but we love fun. The Games look like everyone enjoys them and I want to see them myself. I'll make sure I get some special snow shoes and I'll be at every match, every race and every performance. No other Honeybadger on Mundus is as excited by the Winter Games as me and that's why we'll get to host them."

The final person to take to the stage during the launch was Archduchess Sophie who alongside throwing her weight behind the bid announced she will be attending national trials for long distance speed skating. "I've experienced the games as both a fan and an athlete. Regardless of where the games go I'll hopefully be there wearing the red and white once more. The chance of wearing that in East Moreland and in front of a passionate home crowd though is why every athlete goes into their sport. East Moreland is a nation that lives and breaths sport and competition. We've facilities that are the envy of the world, we have spectators who are knowledgeable and appreciative. The games in East Moreland will be a great choice." The Archduchess switched to speed skating following a successful long distance running career and has been granted leave from the Air Force to prepare for the games. The Archduchess currently has 13 Mundus Games medals of various colours to her name and is likely to have a chance to add to this haul in 2022.

There are still a few days left for other nations to get their bids in and at present East Moreland and Tytor are the only two nations to have bid.

« Last Edit: January 25, 2022, 10:06:55 PM by DaveIronside »