All Announcements pertaining to the actions of the Aegis Accord (Organisation) will be made here and we endeavour to answer all questions that may be raised in other press offices, news reporting and social media.

To the Government of the Unitary State of Mktvartvelo and the Empress of Rokkenjima,

I am personally disappointed that the application of a law against a Rokkenjiman company has been allowed to escalate to this point and both myself and the Achkaerinese Government are frankly tired of having to explain things to try and keep things calm. This has gone on significantly longer than it should have and has veered, and continues to veer, into very dangerous territory. It is clear that a resolution is required therefore I am inviting representatives of both Governments to meet with myself at the Marble Palace in the hopes of finding a solution to the current state of relations between your nations

signed

Empress Serenity

p.s - Asuna either bring Beatrice or McKenna with you please.

It's that time of year again- our version of the Olympic Games is back for its eleventh outing, as always there have been a few minor tweaks to the event list with some new events added, I'm also once again foregoing group stages in various competitions to simplify things. Bidding information is included in this post for anyone interested in hosting, if no one bids for hosting then we're all going to Marseilles.

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Bidding information

The bidding process requires nations wishing to host to submit requested information, what information is dependent on the event in question. There will be a deadline set for bid submissions in the case of the Mundus Games this is the 14th of July any bids entered after that date will not be considered unless the vote has not opened. As you can probably guess from that sentence once bidding closes there will be a vote conducted. By vote this will be in the form of a post in this topic and the format of that vote will be explained at the time as it depends on the number of bids received.

So with that in mind the following is the criteria for Mundus Games Bids:

• A list of venues for the events- you are expected to include the capacity of these venues and the athletics stadium must have a minimum capacity of 80,000 (please make sure to include which events are going where)
• Name of the Main TV Rights Holder (For example EMTV)
• Plans for the Athletes Village (just an image will do with a brief explanation)
• Importantly a written letter signed by a ranking member of your government stating a) that they will provide safe venues and protective services for all athletes and staff no matter which nation they hail from. (No refusing entry to a nation or holding people prisoner because you don't get along in RP with their nation) and b) explaining the legacy of the games in your nation (what will the venues be used for afterwards, will there be a focus on the next generation of athletes? etc) This is the selling aspect of the bid

Everyone is advised that the last bullet point is quite important as it involves something akin to the Olympic Truce.

Also as the controller of the Mundus Games Committee (our IOC) I reserve the right to refuse a bid should there be a legitimate IC reason to do so, e.g we wouldn't be having this in a country in the middle of a civil war. I would like to remind everyone that if they believe there to be a legitimate IC reason to question a bid they may do so icly, just please do it in a separate thread.

As a word of advice to any prospective bidder do bear in mind that you will require multiple stadia for events such as football and cricket. And please check that every event is covered. Also I strongly encourage creativity in bidding.

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As usual competing nations will have the opportunity to choose disciplines to specialize in that is those headings in YELLOW, you are permitted three specialisms. You may also suggest the addition of an event if you wish but please remember these are the summer games (so no snowboarding). Also this is just the event list I have not yet worked out the schedule as that is dependent on the number of nations in certain events.

Finally I am not simply assuming everyone competes in everything but I am instead letting you determine which events you enter however please note that some events have a set number of people involved and some have a minimum number, these are generally team events and are indicated. Also please remember when determining your team size what the size of your nation is and how sporty they are.

Event List

All events apply to men and women unless specified otherwise, and all relay events are one relay team per nation. Team events are also one team per nation.

Athletics and Field

100m
200m
400m
800m
1500m
5000m
10,000m
3000m steeplechase
110m hurdles (Men)
100m hurdles (Women)
4x400m relay
4x100m relay
Marathon
Heptathlon (Women)
Decathlon (Men)
Pentathlon (men and women)

Triathlon (ind and team) (team is 4 athletes in a mixed relay)
Cross Country (ind and team) (four athletes is assumed)

Shotput
Discus
Javelin
Hammer Throw
High Jump
Long Jump
Triple Jump
Pole Vault

Swimming

50m (free, back, breast, fly)
100m (free, back, breast, fly)
200m (free, back, breast, fly)
400m (free, back, breast, fly)
800m (free)
1500m (free)
200m indiv medley
400m indiv medley
800m indiv medley
4x100m medley relay
4x200m medley relay

10k open water swim

Synchronized Swimming
Water Polo (15 athletes per squad)

Weightlifting

Men’s 56, 62, 69, 77, 85, 94, 105, over 105kg
Women’s 48, 53, 58, 63, 69, 75, over 75kg

Rowing

Single Sculls
Double Sculls
Quad Sculls
Coxless Pairs
Coxless Fours
Coxed Eights
Lightweight Pairs
Lightweight Fours

Sailing

Men’s solo- RSX, Laser, Finn
Men’s Team- 470, Star, 49er
Women’s solo- RSX, Laser
Women’s Team- 470, E6
Surfing - mens ind, womens ind, team (team is mixed 3 surfers)

Gymnastics

Individual and Team all around competition (six athletes per team will be assumed)
Men’s disciplines, Rings, Vault, Floor, Pommel Horse, Parallel Bars, High Bar
Women’s disciplines, Floor, Vault, Balance Beam, Uneven Bars,

Ind Men’s Rings, Vault, Floor, Pommel Horse, Parallel Bars, High Bar
Ind Women’s Floor, Vault, Balance Beam, Uneven Bars

Ind Women’s Rhythmic Gymnastics (Ball, Hoop, Ribbon, Clubs, Rope)
Women’s all around (team and ind)

Trampolining (ind and team)
Trampolining Pairs

Tumbling (ind and team)

Fencing

Epee
Foil
Sabre
Kendo (ind and team (team is 3 athletes))
Katana

Diving

3M Platform (indiv and pair)
5M Platform (indiv and pair)
10M Platform (indiv and pair)

Cycling

Individual Pursuit
Individual Sprint
Team Pursuit (four riders per team)
Team Sprint (three riders per team for men, two riders per team for women)
Keirin
Individual Scratch Race
Individual Elimination Race
Individual Points Race
Individual Flying Lap
Individual 1km Time Trial
Madison (two rider event)
Omnium

Road Race (maximum of six riders per team)
Time Trial
Mountain Bike (Cross Country)
BMX (now split into racing and freestyle)
Cycleball
Artistic Cycling (split into pairs, fours and sixes)

Motocross (Mixed event)

Archery

Recurve Individual
Recurve Team (three archers per team)
Horseback Archery - Circuit, Cross Country, Cross Country Relay, Time Attack
Crossbow Individual
Crossbow Team (three shooters per team)

Boxing

Men’s 49, 52, 56, 60, 64, 69, 75, 81, 91, over 91kg
Women’s 51, 60, 75kg

Judo

Men’s 60, 66, 73, 81, 90, 100, over 100kg
Women’s 48, 52, 57, 63, 70, 78, over 78kg

Taekwondo

Men’s 58, 68, 80, over 80kg
Women’s 49, 57, 67, over 67kg

Karate

Men’s 58, 68, 80, over 80kg
Women’s 49, 57, 67, over 67kg

Mixed Martial Arts

Mens and womens individual events at lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight

Medieval Mixed Martial Arts

Mens and womens individual events at lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight
Duo events at lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight
Fortress Battle (teams of 20 in a capture the flag styled contest)
Mens and womens sword dancing with one or two blades (sword version of kata as seen in the RL olympics)

Football (squad size of 23 players)

Basketball (squad size of 20 players)

Rugby Sevens (squad size of 16 players)

Handball (squad size of 18 players)

Netball (women only, squad size of 14 players)

Cricket (T20 Format)

Ball and Stick Games

Hockey (squad size of 23 players)
Baseball (squad size of 20 players)

Volleyball

Volleyball
Beach Volleyball
Spikeball

Racket Sports

Tennis

Singles
Doubles
Mixed Doubles

Badminton

Singles
Doubles
Mixed Doubles

Equestrian

All Equestrian events are mixed i.e. men and women compete against each other

Dressage (ind and team)
Cross Country (ind and team)
Showjumping (ind and team)
Three Day Eventing (four riders per team)
Puissance
Polo (12 riders per squad)
Mens Jousting
Womens Jousting

Shooting

Rifle- 10m, 50m prone, 50 m three positions
Pistol- 10m, 25m, 25m rapid fire, 50m
Shotgun- trap, double trap, skeet

Skateboarding

Freestyle
Halfpipe

Cue Sports

Snooker
Pool

Rock Climbing

Individual Rockclimbing

Chess

Individual Chess

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Sign Up Information

Again this year we're using google sheets to create the Database as far as I understand it I believe you should be able to add in your athlete information without needing to sign into a google account, if for whatever reason you can't add yours in post it below and I'll get it added. I have already put Achkaerin's information in there to give people an idea of when numbers are entered and when yes/no isn't. If you aren't entering an event please enter either a zero or no into the cell or leave the cell blank.

And to save Dave his traditional annual post about this I'm going to point something out that happens every games. We get huge spam lists of people entering everything with 3 or 4 athletes. That is very rare. Usually qualification for Olympics sees each nation permitted to enter anyone who can qualify for the time. For the 2020 games that was 10.05 secs for the 100m for men. There are also caps. Keep in mind you only get to send ELITE athletes unless they pull a fluke like Eric the eel.

Also remember to include your nations three specialist disciplines in the sign up post you do. And don't hesitate to ask me if you're unsure about anything.

Back for the ninth time is the Mundus Rugby World Cup (which is most likely the most hotly contested trophy on Mundus). Last tournament saw the Charterlands take the World Crown defeating Lodja in the final, will the champions triumph again? The second Womens tournament saw Ruasliabh emerge victorious against plenty of odds and difficult opponents. And this year wheelchair rugby makes it bow, who will take home that trophy in the maiden tournament?

Ok serious stuff, as per the usual sports sign ups state in this thread if you want to enter your nation into this - all hosting bids to be posted by the 19th of April please, following which there'll be a vote for hosting which I'll explain if one is needed. The full explanation of the bidding process is below. If no one bids we're going to an NPC nation. Remember the host is hosting both the mens and womens tournaments. For the audience of doubt the wheelchair rugby is a mixed tournament (teams are a mix of men and women) and for those bidding it will require an indoor arena.

Bidding Process

The bidding process requires nations wishing to host to submit requested information, what information is dependent on the event in question. There will be a deadline set for bid submissions. any bids entered after that date will not be considered unless the vote has not opened. As you can probably guess from that sentence once bidding closes there will be a vote conducted by vote this will not be in the form of a poll but in the form of a post in this topic (this is to ensure fairness of the vote). Importantly I want to make clear that as I for the purposes of sport effectively play the governing bodies (in this instance Mundus International Rugby Confederation or MIRC) and I generally assume everyone to be a member, nations can protest bids, but please if doing so make it about something not just 'my nation does not like the bidding nation'. Also I reserve the right to invalidate a hosting bid if it would place competitors at risk  which I generally take to mean nowhere where there is a civil war or large scale civil unrest.

So with that in mind the following is the criteria for the Rugby World Cup bids

• A minimum list of eight stadia- you are expected to include the capacity of these venues at least one stadium must have a minimum capacity of 80,000 (for the final) and at least two must have capacity's of 70,000
• Name of the Main TV Rights Holder (For example Tytorian News Service or EMTV)
• Information relating to accommodation for teams and supporters.
• Importantly a written letter signed by a ranking member of your government stating that they will provide safe venues and protective services for all athletes and staff no matter which nation they hail from. (No refusing entry to a nation or holding people prisoner because you don't get along in RP with their nation).

Also a word of advice to those wishing to host. It has been brought to my attention that we've had an awful lot of "Image Parade Bids" of late i.e. bids which amount to venue pictures and a fairly generic letter. Therefore I strongly encourage all those who wish to host this competition to "Sell" their nations in terms of why they are the best host for it and to think about the legacy factor i.e. what will the lasting impact of your nation hosting the tournament be?

Final note I am limiting the number of tournaments to 32 nations if we get more than 32 nations then a qualification round will need to be held which I will explain if we get far. The participants shall be listed here.

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Mens Participants

1) Achkaerin
2) Iwi
3) East Moreland
4) Fusan
5) Themyscira
6) Mktvartvelo
7) Jugland
Asadal
9) Lodja
10) Kaitaine
11) Theocracy of Kaitaine
12) Ui Cenneslaig
13) Abertone
14) Gusano
15) Irtref
16) Renaku

Womens Participants

1) Achkaerin
2) Iwi
3) East Moreland
4) Fusan
5) Themyscira
6) Mktvartvelo
7) Jugland
Asadal
9) Lodja
10) Kaitaine
11) Theocracy of Kaitaine
12) Ui Cennelsaig
13) Abertone
14) Gusano
15) Irtref
16) Royal Seleucid

Wheelchair Participants

1) Achkaerin
2) Iwi
3) East Moreland
4) Fusan
5) Themyscira
6) Mktvartvelo
7) Jugland
Lodja
9) Kaitaine
10) Theocracy of Kaitaine
11) Ui Cenneslaig
12) Abertone
13) Gusano
14) Irtref
15) Renaku
16) Kalasin

The ADSN Declaration (Dunwich Declaration) Dunwich, 16th November 2023

[/b]

The nations of the Dauntel Sea, Rokkenjiman Sea and Strait of Shaw

MINDFUL of the existence of mutual interests and common problems among countries of the Dauntel and the Straight of Shaw and convinced of the need to strengthen further the existing bonds of regional solidarity and cooperation;

DESIRING to establish a firm foundation for common action to promote regional cooperation in the Dauntel and Straight of Shaw in the spirit of equality and partnership and thereby contribute towards peace, progress and prosperity in the region;

CONSCIOUS that in an increasingly interdependent world, the cherished ideals of peace, freedom, social justice and economic well-being are best attained by fostering good understanding, good neighbourliness and meaningful cooperation among the countries of the region already bound together by ties of history and culture;

CONSIDERING that the countries bordering the Dauntel and Strait of Shaw share a primary responsibility for strengthening the economic and social stability of the region and ensuring their peaceful and progressive national development, and that they are determined to ensure their stability and security from external interference in any form or manifestation in order to preserve their national identities in accordance with the ideals and aspirations of their peoples;

AFFIRMING that all foreign bases are temporary and remain only with the expressed concurrence of the countries concerned and are not intended to be used directly or indirectly to subvert the national independence and freedom of States in the area or prejudice the orderly processes of their national development;

DO HEREBY DECLARE:

FIRST, the establishment of an Association for Regional Cooperation among the countries bordering the waters of the Dauntel, the Rokkenjiman Sea and the Strait of Shaw to be known as the Association of Dauntel and Shaw Nations (ADSN).

SECOND, that the aims and purposes of the Association shall be:

1. To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region through joint endeavours in the spirit of equality and partnership in order to strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of Dauntel and Shaw Nations;
2. To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries of the region.
3. To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in the economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative fields;
4. To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities in the educational, professional, technical and administrative spheres;
5. To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilization of their agriculture and industries, the expansion of their trade, including the study of the problems of international commodity trade, the improvement of their transportation and communications facilities and the raising of the living standards of their peoples;
6. To promote shared Dauntel-Shaw studies;
7. To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional organizations with similar aims and purposes, and explore all avenues for even closer cooperation among themselves.

THIRD, that the Association represents the collective will of the nations which border the Dauntel Sea, Rokkenjiman Sea and Strait of Shaw, to bind themselves together in friendship and cooperation and, through joint efforts and sacrifices, secure for their peoples and for posterity the blessings of peace, freedom and prosperity.

FOURTH, that the Association is open for participation to all States which border the Dauntel Sea, the Rokkenjiman Sea or Strait of Shaw who subscribe to the aforementioned aims, principles and purposes.
(a) Any prospective member of the organisation must be admitted by majority vote of the membership

ARTICLE ONE: THE COUNCIL

1. The Council shall consist of ambassadors representing each of the member nations, each member shall have one vote on any matter.

2. Any member may propose a matter for debate, all votes on resolutions are by majority vote unless determined otherwise by the Council.

3. Only a resolution of the Council may amend this document.

ARTICLE TWO: TRAVEL

In order to ease the movement of citizens throughout the ADSN region members of the ADSN agree to the following measures.

1. There shall the the establishment of a four path system for visas. These shall be the Short Term Visa, Business Visa, Educational Visa, and the Temporary Worker Visa.

2. The Short Term Visa shall be available to any individual who books return or onward passage via any means at least 30 days before the date of travel. So long as these dates are no longer apart than 60 calendar days then the individual may enter visa free so long as the receiving nation do not believe that the person poses a risk to the security or good order of the nation. Holders of this visa may not undertake any work while staying in the receiving nation.

3. The Business Visa shall be available to any individual who is travelling on business purposes. To obtain this an individual must have a guarantor from a business within the receiving nation. This visa shall allow an individual to remain in the receiving nation for 180 days and they may undertake paid employment while based there. This type of visa may not be renewed for 90 days. Should the receiving nation believe the individual is a risk to security or good order of the nation then entry may be stopped.

4. The Educational Visa shall be available to any individual who has obtained confirmation of the offer of an educational course within a receiving nation. This visa shall cover the entire duration of the course and will permit the holder to a maximum of 20 hours per work employment during their course. Should the receiving nation believe the individual is a risk to security or good order of the nation then entry may be stopped.

5. The Length of the above visas may be increased at the discretion of the receiving nation.

6. Any individual breaking the conditions of any of these visa programmes is liable to deportation and may be banned from travel to the receiving nation indefinitely.

7. The home nation shall take all reasonable steps to ensure anyone deported and banned from travel is prevented from returning.

8. In the event of an individual traveler in one nation being believed to be responsible, whether individually or as a conspirator, for criminal actions within the jurisdiction of another member state, the individual shall be extradited subject to the following being provided to the visited nations relevant authority.
a) Evidence of the wrongdoing
b) An understanding that the individual will receive a fair trial in a court of law

9. There shall be no obligation for the visited nation to extradite an individual to the death penalty.

ARTICLE THREE: TRADE

In order to effect more prosperous trading oppurtunities the nations signed as members of the ADSN agree to the following measures.

1. Any export to a member nations shall be accompanied by a declaration that the export abides by all local laws. To ensure compliance the receiving nation may carry out any non-destructive test on any product arriving at their nation. Any product deemed to be not incompliance with local laws or not accompanied by a decleration shall see a fine of non more than 5 times the value of the consignment paid by the exporter.

2. On the anniversary of the signing of this document each member nation shall produce a list of tariffs to be paid by all member nations. Those tariffs may be set on any goods or items the nation wish. The tariffs set by each nation must be at a level lower than for any nation with which they do not have a current trade agreement with.

3. This agreement does not prevent member nations making their own trade agreements.

4. Any item with a value of less than $1million exported to a nation for temporary use shall be permitted to enter tariff free so long as it is for a period of less than 30 days.

5. ADSN nations agree to allow operations by businesses from other ADSN nations on condition that those businesses operate following local laws concerning taxation, employment, health and safety and environmental matters.

ARTICLE FOUR: SECURITY

In order to make the region a safer place for all nations members agree to the following.

1. That they shall first and foremost consider their regional neighbors as friends and as such shall do all that is reasonably possible to avoid armed conflict with them.

2. In order to protect citizens of all nations any intelligence gathered by one nation that would indicate a likely threat to another is to be shared in a speedy manner. Should a nation believe that by revealing this intelligence it would place its own safety or operations in jeopardy then they are excused from sharing this intelligence.

3. Each nation shall maintain in their embassy a military attaché who shall share relevant military details with their host nation so long as doing so does not infringe on the attaché's own nations security.

4. Nations hosting military exercises shall, so long as it is safe to do so, advertise via the attaché system the size, scope and nature of these exercises at least 3 days before they begin. They shall ensure all relevant notices to shipping and airmen are made in good time.

5. Nations agree that they shall take no action to prevent or interfere in exercises or movements of another nation so long as it does not impose on their own waters as laid out in the Fair Seas Concordat.

6. Nations agree that under no circumstances will they knowingly allow a third party nation to utilize their territory, waters or airspace to conduct a first strike or similar operation against another member nation.

DONE in Dunwich on the 16th of November, 2023.

Signatures

Members

• The Empire Abertone
• The Empire of Aosta
• The Empire of Daito
• The City Gowu (Snowflower Hold)
• The First Empire of Rokkenjima

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OOC - thread for any required internal ASDN communication and any further ideas, discussions, membership applications etc.

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OOC Explanation - Awards made firstly based on votes and nominations, for any fields without nominees I've then gone looking through RP for potential winners, in the event there's nothing that fits the time frame I've used rl plus a randomly generated name - assume NPC nations for these (this year a mathematician from Marseilles, an economist from Safraen and an ES playwright)

The Queen's Foundation Awards (otherwise known as the Queen's Medals), are a set of awards granted to people each year in acknowledgement of their accomplishments across a variety of different fields, are once more upon us. This year we intend to award prizes for accomplishments in the fields of Chemistry, Physics, Physiology and Medicine, Literature or Journalism, Peace, Economics, Engineering, Archaeology and Anthropology, Mathematics and Climate Science (OOC - this essentially combines various RL awards together). Nominations will be open until the 27th of October with the winners being announced on the 1st of November at a reception hosted by Queen's College of the University of Artaxia.

We look forward to another celebration of humankind's accomplishments.

Charlotte Youngson
Chair of the Queen's Foundation

OOC Explanation

Ok this is essentially modelled on the Nobel Prizes. You can nominate any of your own characters, someone else's character, or even an international organisation if you can justify it in any of the fields. There are some rules regarding nominations explained below. All I ask is that people be reasonable, this is intended as a fun RP event not a competition. Also, on the principle of every prize being awarded on the night I will award prizes without nominations myself.

The Rules

1) The reason for the nomination (I.e. what the nominee has done) must have happened between the 31st of October 2022 and the 27th of October 2023 - i.e. the period between last years nominations closing and this years nominations closing.

2) The reason must be a completed RP event - for example if the SSC Honeybadger was nominated then it must have achieved the speed record and not still be being constructed. This also means it must be something on the forum. The nomination period is deliberately long to give everyone the opportunity to complete RP's that may be relevant.

3) The reason must be feasible (within the RP rules) - self explanatory.

4) The Queen's Foundation reserves the right to reject a nomination should it deem it to be inappropriate.

The Nomination Form

Please fill out the following form to nominate for a prize

Name of Nominee: (Link to character profile if they have one desired but not essential, do include titles)
Field Nominated in: Chemistry/Physics/Physiology and Medicine/Literature and Journalism/Peace/Economics/Engineering/Archaeology and Anthropology/Mathematics/Climate - Delete as Appropriate
Reason for Nomination: What have they done to earn the nomination?
Supporting Letter: Why you (the person nominating) think they should be given the award, signed by the person doing the nominating (must not be the nominee and you can nominate someone from another nation).
If anyone has questions get in touch with me on discord or PM.

Ever since the bid had been successful, there had been a lot of anticipation in Achkaerin of what was to come from this event, the nation one of the world’s sportiest and ancestral home of the Mundus Games, albeit in a different guise, was finally hosting the great festival of sport - the Mundus Games had ‘come home’ the phrase had been trending in the build up and if anyone had felt the pressure in the build up it was Jemma Fox, the three time Ozzie winner was the person who had been asked to assume the great responsibility of the opening ceremony and now after all the rehearsals here it was at last opening night, the stands were packed, the performers assembled, the athletes waiting in the wings for their moment and the lights were down, the show was about to begin. The layout within the Djana Azurewind Stadium was something special, the set had a grassy meadow like scene in the middle of the stadium located on a platform, creating a lower level around the edge where the athletics track would be found, although it was covered for the evenings proceedings, off to one side of the stadium was what appeared to be a hill with a lake atop it, the low point of the hill and the central platform were linked by a bridge that initially at least looked like it was a stone dolmen, finally on a second platform at one side of the arena sat the Achkaerinese Youth Orchestra, picked to handle musical responsibilities for the ceremony.

It started with the countdown, for the minute before the ceremony started, the crowd involved and getting louder with each number they called and then the orchestra took over, playing Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, there were only eleven figures in the arena and all were female, ten of them were dressed in maiden sister robes of differing colours while the eleventh wore the attire associated with Triana, she had been the first High Priestess bearing the title “Keeper of the Songs.” and it was from her that the Maiden Sisters order had come, in her aging years she had according to legend given the knowledge of the Rhythm of Life, the ten songs to ten of her most skilled students as represented by the ten Maiden Sisters in the arena who had moved away from the Triana figure atop the hill, stepping across the dolem and onto the raised platform in the centre of the arena where they put themselves out into a circle and then out came the swords, the katana styled blades glinting in the stadium lights as the ten Maiden Sisters performed something not seen in Achkaerin for a long long time, each of the songs had a style of swordplay associated with it and now with the music playing in the background the ten songs came together as each style played its part in a sword ballet performance, each song’s individual dance was more commonly performed in isolation, but the ten combined alongside each other? This was rare but also very symbolic as this represented where Achkaerinese society got its underpinning. Once the ballet was done the music changed to Holst’s Jupiter as now more people flooded the arena, this now the story of how those teachings, those songs had created initially city states and then the nations of Rosemoor, Aelmoor, Greencliffe, Silverlea, Icebridge, Southvale and Rockmount before coming together as Achkaerin and the symbolism of that was on show as the “Hammer of Titus” was brought into the arena as the sequence reached its climax, it was one of the Achkaerinese crown jewels though given it was a simple blacksmiths hammer with the craftsman mark that the first Emperor had used marked in silver on the head it was probably odd to call it that, however the designation didn’t mean it wasn’t still a functional hammer. The music changed again this time to Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyrie’s as noted Achkaerinese actress Rachel Kilkenny, dressed in light armour, the white cloth and the chainmail vest she wore along with the silver circlet atop her head were symbolic of the great Empress Djana Azurewind, this was the tale of how Achkaerin had grown from the nation in the north keeping itself to itself to international player and the sequence showed not only that but the evolution of Achkaerinese society through the industrial revolution, it’s civil war and then right up to the Great War, Rachel made her way up to the lake where a gong had been brought it and the Hammer of Titus was waiting for her, when the music came to its end Rachel took a breath and spoke “The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.” her words coming from the great author J.R.R Tolkien, she then struck the gong with the Hammer of Titus, the screens around the stadium brought up the images of poppies, it wouldn’t be right, especially here to not acknowledge that part of the history, silence fell in the stadium for a few moments.

Attention now shifted to the screens, this served a few purposes not least that of distraction with the audience watching this segment they weren’t watching the arena where a little bit of redecorating was taking place - the main platform was having the grass removed to leave it looking closer to a snow covered grass than a meadow. On the screens, the audience could see the Royal Guard Band standing in the courtyard of the Marble Palace performing the Thunderbirds theme before the segment moved inside the Palace, to the Empress’s study where Empress Serenity sat at her desk working, a television on in the background, then the phone on the desk rang, Serenity picked it up “Yes?” she asked before glancing at the television which was now displaying a breaking news story of an emergency situation “On my way.” she put the phone down and got up from behind the desk and walked over to the wall. What now followed was a very cleverly filmed version of the Thunderbird One launch sequence, to those watching Serenity did exactly as the character of Scott Tracy did in the classic television show, she used a rotating wall to access a secret high tech area and then used an extending bridge to step into Thunderbird One and then of course they would see the iconic rocket moving through the underground section to its launch position, they’d even see Serenity wearing the International Rescue uniform associated with the character of Scott Tracy when the little cut backs into the cockpit happened. There was however one difference - it wasn’t a swimming pool that was retracting, it was the ‘lake’ atop the hill in the stadium and then right on cue as the moment to launch came Thunderbird One came up out of there amid the smoke.
“Ladies and gentlemen please welcome Her Majesty Empress Serenity.” the stadium announcer said as Serenity, wearing the same uniform as she had in the filmed segment stepped out of the smoke smiling and giving the crowd a wave, she’d make her way to the Royal Box and as she did so members of the Achkaerinese military brought in the national flag of Achkaerin, parading it from one side of the arena, up the platform and across the bridge to the waiting flagpole where it was raised. “Ladies and gentlemen please stand for the national anthem of Achkaerin. Performed by Luke Evans” it was the announcer again and then it was all eyes on the arena as Luke Evans performed the Achkaerinese national anthem.

With that first of the formalities was concluded and now it was onto the next segment and attention went to Renee Azurewind stood at the foot of the hill, dressed in a flowing white robe, this was now the tribute to Achkaerinese literature with a little sprinkling of show tunes thrown in. “And don’t mention it to anyone else unless you find that they’ve had adventures of the same sort themselves.” she said “What’s that? How will you know? Oh, you’ll know all right. Odd things they say – even their looks – will let the secret out.” this time the quotation came from the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe authored by the great C.S Lewis.

This section started with a small group of school kids stepping through a wardrobe and appearing out into the arena which now could easily fit the description of a cold and snowy Narnia. There was a short burst of the Narnia soundtrack as the children took in their surroundings and then various beasts began circling around them, then there was a moment where they bumped into the characters of Lyra Silvertongue and Will Parry along with others from Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials but still the beasts swelled around them, then came the first number as the kids put on a performance of When I Grow Up from the musical Matilda, this was shortly followed by the emergence of the great antagonists of Achkaerinese fiction, there they all were - the White Witch, the Magisterium’s minions, Captain James Hook and his pirates and of course the Dark Lord Sauron, the Witch King of Angmar, a Balrog and a fair number of Orcs. Then the music struck up again this time to The Final Battle from the Lord of the Rings musical, the performers playing the bad guys actually singing lyrics written in the Black Speech of Mordor was interesting enough but as Renee, playing the role of Galadriel in vocal terms, provided the female solo a mass charge entered the arena performers wearing various costumes, the heroes from those same stories had turned up the heroes from Middle Earth, the Pevensies from Narnia, from the skies above Peter Pan, they chased the bad guys off and then as most dispersed, the two characters of Aragorn and Arwen being played for one night only by Prince Jack Azurewind and Lady Katyusha Andronikashivili respectively stayed with the children that had been there at the start of the sequence, the music began again this time The Song of Hope, also from the Lord of the Rings Musical. Normally sung almost as a conversation between the characters of Aragorn and Arwen but this time used as a fitting means to direct the children back to the wardrobe they’d entered through and bring the sequence to a close.

Not for the first time applause resounded around the stadium as the performers cleared the arena, and then into the arena drove three cars a silver-grey Aston Martin Vanquish, a White Lotus Espirit and a grey Aston Martin DB5, three cars associated with the James Bond franchise, they drove up onto the platform and stopped, six people got out of these cars, they were junior level Achkaerinese athletes from a variety of sports very much the next generation, one of them carried a folded up Mundus Games flag which between the six of them they unfolded and then paraded across the bridge to another flagpole and raised it alongside the Achkaerinese one, before they made their way back to the cars and drove away departing. “Ladies and Gentlemen please welcome performing a tribute to the Achkaerinese film industry Alfie Boe and Michael Ball” the stadium announcer said, cheers greeted the singing duo as they took to the stage and accompanied by the Youth Orchestra and backing singers performed a Bond Medley and no sooner had the applause for that finished than coming over the stadium’s sound system was “Space the final frontier, these are the voyages of the starship Enterprise, it’s continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilisations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.” this was followed by a video segment that paid tribute to the evolution of Achkaerinese flight, spaceflight and ultimately space exploration and of course this being to do with Achkaerin it was hardly surprising that Star Trek was used to weave it together, the purpose of this part was again multi purpose and again it was about keeping eyes off the arena floor as practically an army of drummers began to filter in ready for what was to come as well as a life size version of the Games mascot Flint the Fox, smaller versions of Flint would be given to the medalists in all the events. As the spaceflight segment finished, there was a flyover of the stadium normally this was the responsibility of the Flying Foxes display squadron of the Achkaerin Air Force but not tonight and it wasn’t typical aircraft either as instead of the Blackbird fighter aircraft it was actually drones made to look like the various different incarnations of the USS Enterprise that flew in formation over the stadium, letting the smoke out as they did, much like the Flying Foxes would have.

“Ladies and gentlemen please welcome the athletes of the 2023 Mundus Games!” the stadium announcer said. It was time for the athletes parade under normal circumstances the first nation out, the first flag out would be the Achkaerinese one as per tradition, but this year it was Abertone that led the parade out, then Aquitaine, then Asadal, then Clysperis, then East Moreland and so on. Each flag bearer got a high five from Flint as they went passed, and a fair few athletes did as well, plenty of pictures were being taken and with the steady and lively drumbeat going on it felt very much like a carnival atmosphere and then came the moment the crowd had been waiting for “The Holy Empire of Achkaerin!” the words sounded over the announcement system and the roar was deafening as Becky Brittaine, Achkaerin’s most successful swimmer and the second most decorated athlete in Mundus Games history led the Achkaerinese team out wearing the white and gold tracksuit that the team were wearing for the Games and carrying the Achkaerinese flag. Once the Achkaerinese team had made its way around the processional route and joined all the others in the centre it was time for the final run of formalities to begin, first things first the oath and this was where Achkaerin’s leading long distance runner Saaman Saaccid, manager of the Achkaerinese mens football team Julia McCabe and then the head Athletics umpire for the Games Stefan Wearne stepped forwards each taking hold of the Mundus Games flag.

“In the name of the athletes” Saaman said
“In the name of all judges.” Stefan said
“In the name of all the coaches and officials.” Julia said
“We promise to take part in these Mundus Games, respecting and abiding by the rules and in the spirit of fair play, inclusion and equality. Together we stand in solidarity and commit ourselves to sport without doping, without cheating, without any form of discrimination. We do this for the honour of our teams, in respect for the fundamental principles of these Games, and to make the world a better place through sport.” Saaman said

As the trio went back to join the crowd of teams Serenity, having traded in the International Rescue uniform for a dark blue dress and having come down from the Royal Box during the parade stood before the athletes smiling “Ladies and gentlemen, those from just down the road and those from the other side of the world welcome to Achkaerin, welcome to Valtheim, welcome to the 2023 Mundus Games.” she said “Centuries ago, back before Achkaerin was formally a nation, at a place called Moonvale the peoples of several nations at the time, the constituent parts of modern Achkaerin, came together and competed against each other to see who was the fastest, the strongest and able to throw objects the furthest. In 2013 after many post war decades of uncertainty, rising tension, conflict and sorrow the community of nations came together and rekindled this festival of sport and in the years that have followed we have seen it grow. It is a great honour and privilege to have each athlete, coach, umpire, physio and supporter here for these Games and like every sports fan I’m looking forward to seeing just what new heights you will take sport to over the next eighteen days of competitions. Now if I may be forgiven for addressing all those first time competitors out there, I’ve been where you are now I competed in the Games for a good few years, it wasn’t always easy, it didn’t always go to plan, I had to battle injury and personal demons but I wouldn’t trade the experiences the Games have given me for anything, embrace the Games and the Games will embrace you right back, enjoy yourselves, compete with a smile on your face, show the world the joy of sport, the togetherness it brings, and if I may borrow and adapt the words of Rudyard Kipling “If you can dream and not make dreams your master; if you can think and not make thoughts your aim; if you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same; if you can force your heart and nerve and sinew to serve your turn long after they are gone, and so hold on when there is nothing in you except the will which says ‘Hold on!’ If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, then yours is the world and everything that’s in it, and which is more you’ll be whatever you’ll whatever it is you want to be my friend.” she took a breath “Take up the challenges before you over the next eighteen days in that fearless spirit, show us what raising the highest level of elite sport looks like and together put on a show on this stage that inspires future generations of athletes, coaches and umpires, not just in your own nations but across the world, let’s raise the level of sport in this world and let that be our legacy.” she smiled “Good luck to each and every one of you and it is now my great honour and privilege to declare the 2023 Mundus Games open.”

There was just one single formality left to observe and that was the torch lighting. Over the previous weeks since it had been announced that Valtheim would be hosting the torch had been on its traditional relay, historically likely to be the longest it had ever had owing to a few days on Enterprise while it did a run round the moon, without that little trip into orbit this would have in truth been the shortest trip for the torch due to geography. The Youth orchestra struck up one last time, and most would likely think Jemma Fox had decided to have some fun at this point, the piece was the extended version of the Star Trek Deep Space Nine theme as it started the torch was carried into the arena by Amy Bell, an Achkaerinese womens footballer who’d be playing at the Games, she jogged for about a hundred metres before passing it on to David Holst, the retired captain of the Achkaerinese rugby team, he took his turn taking the torch around to where Megan Harrison, two time Formula Mundus drivers champion was waiting, she took it on her leg around to the foot of the ramp of the platform where she handed over to Ren Nekhaga, he’d be in the Medieval Mixed Martial Arts towards the end of the Games, he took the the torch up the ramp and about halfway across the platform down the aisle, athletes formed up on either side, he would then hand over to Eleanor Hendry, a sailor with a few records to her name and rumour was she wasn’t done yet. Eleanor took the torch and carried it across the rest of the platform and over the bridge where the final torchbearer was waiting. Who was it? There was no real surprise about this, the responsibility for this moment could only really be given to one person and that was Sammy Lawson, the most decorated athlete in terms of Mundus Games medals, taking the torch from Eleanor Sammy carried it up the hill, past Serenity and stopped up at the top next to the foot of where the Thunderbird One still stood. At this point some might ask where the flame actually was but it would soon become obvious, during the various distractions the red nose cone of Thunderbird One had been removed, so now when a panel opened at the foot for Sammy to place the flame in, the reaction was near enough instantaneous, the flames burst out of where the nose cone would have otherwise been and there were some smaller flames coming from the top edges of the wings, it looked almost like a phoenix which was the whole point, according to legend the Mundus Games torch was the flame of Yve the Phoenix one of the great beasts of Achkaerinese legend, one of the guardians of the nation. And now with a flurry of fireworks the opening ceremony was over, the festival of sport was on and the competition could begin.

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Medal Table

Commonwealth House wasn't the best known of Achkaerinese royal residences but it was certainly up there in the picturesque stakes. The property, located in Rokkenjima, had been bought years earlier by the Crown Estate for the then Crown Princess now Empress Serenity back when she'd been about to serve as Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Treaty Organisation hence the name of the property, it had also been where Serenity's cousin Sakura had lived during her tenure for the same position and while the Palace of Nations was located well beyond the hills that dominated the landscape that distance was now symbolic of the changing times, and yet the house that bore the name of an organisation that had been intended as the world's diplomatic forum was the place, by virtue of geography, for a meeting of significance. As requested by Empress Asuna of Rokkenjima Serenity had arranged a meeting between her and the Eijiro the Emperor of Daito, keeping it quiet had been the hard part but with a little bit of help from both camps it had been achieved. The problem with grand summits was that good and well intended diplomatic efforts had a habit of losing out to politics and the nature of the beast was that people couldn't appear weak or appear to have caved. Quiet meetings that were kept out of the public eye until after the fact had a higher probability of actually making progress and producing results at least in Serenity's experience anyway, people tended to want the same or similar things, they just disagreed over how to do it. She'd been at those tables, she'd seen it for herself and so a tight lid had been kept on this one, the message had been clear any leak to the press and this was off.

Serenity's presence in Rokkenjima was a simple enough thing to explain if questioned, it being the school summer holidays she was taking her daughters on holiday and considering that she was dating Princess Euphemia, Rokkenjima was hardly a surprise in that regard. Arrangements with Rokkenjima had also been fundamentally straightforward, a few miles away there was a groundbreaking ceremony for a new university which the Viceregent had been invited along to as the guest of honour this meant that the Imperial motorcade would be in the area, it also meant that it was a simple enough task for one car in that motorcade to peel off and head to Commonwealth House, this car of course carried the Empress of Rokkenjima. Arrangements with Daito had been slightly more complicated because it necessitated air travel as the transportation method but it had been achieved, an unmarked private jet escorted over the distance by Achkaerinese jets landing at a private airfield in the vicinity followed by a car journey. The logistics of getting the two monarchs there without tipping people off had been, theoretically at least, the hard part of the equation but Serenity had a very sneaky suspicion that the hard part was in fact what was about to happen. She'd spent her time down at the quite conveniently located beach, where the girls could make sandcastles and she could relax with a good audiobook. The plan was simple enough upon arrival Asuna and Eijiro were to be shown into the 'Round Table Room' a name taken from the room of the same name at the Marble Palace which served as the decision making place when things got very serious. In Commonwealth House it served as the primary meeting room and as might have been guessed from the name of the room it's centre piece was a large oak circular table, while a few family portraits hung on the walls, from the rooms window one could take in the quite beautiful lake that the house sat at the side of.

Serenity was actually having a little bit of a paddle in the water with her daughters when she got the word that Asuna and Eijiro had arrived and were waiting. Leaving the girls with Val, Astrid's translator, Serenity slipped on her flip flops and made her way up to the house, this would quite possibly be the first time she'd ever walked into a meeting wearing a t-shirt and shorts, not to mention the swimwear underneath. Moving her sunglasses up to her forehead as she walked into the room she smiled "I'm quite aware I'm not dressed for a diplomatic meeting so we can move past that. You're here because I was asked to set this up, as I have done so I have no intention of saying anything unless given reason to. However this is my house, I expect you to show respect to each other and to leave your egos at the door. There's a little island about four hundred metres away that forms part of this property and I've promised both my daughters that we're sleeping in the treehouse there tonight." Serenity said "So let me be clear this is about the future relationship between you two and the nations you lead, this is not a rerun of the Ardian Assembly debate, it is not an opportunity for you to score points, it is not the means for you to try and blame each other nor is it the place for you to try and one up each other, there will be no mention of Charles Ofdensen, rogue generals, Grand Duke Lascelles or anyone else involved in the affairs of the past at the first whiff of any of that I will terminate this meeting. You are here out of a hope to forge cooperation and/or a equilibrium you are not here to rake over old ground. Do not presume yourselves to be at any sort of an advantage over each other for neither of you are, do not presume yourself alone to have Achkaerin's support for you do not, do not trade on that. If you're at a loss as to how to begin consider this one of you is my biological niece the other is someone I consider my brother, if that's who you are to me what are you to each other?" she took a breath and took a seat at the table "So which of you's starting?"

The day after the coronation was actually quite a nice one, considering that the climate was usually either harsh or slightly harsh this was after all the 'frozen north' for Serenity this was day one of business and she had a fair list of meetings to get through, mostly dignitaries from other nations but there were a few domestic ones, she was quite thankful that the coronation hadn't occurred a few weeks later because then the Covenant Address would have been forcing its way into the equation. This little chat with Eijiro was not one that particularly worried Serenity either, after all the Emperor of Daito had largely grown up in the Marble Palace, he was practically family. This wasn't really about grand diplomacy either it was just a little opportunism there were things in the pipeline, things that were lined up that gave her the chance to raise them with Eijiro while he was actually in the country. Due to her other meetings she'd arranged for Eijiro to meet her in what might seem an odd place - her garage come workshop, it was where her collection of cars lived, some were high end sports and super cars others were restoration jobs.

Stepping into the garage Serenity smiled "Like it?" she said with a slight giggle as she saw Eijiro admiring one of the vehicles "She's a fast one, corners great, a little bit of engine modding to get a little extra power out of her..." she stopped herself "Anyway I don't think we're here to talk cars, I think we're here to talk about the future. The landscape is far different now than what it was but there's always no accounting for every eventuality. That said I have a bit of an opportunity for you if you're interested." she paused "And then perhaps we talk about the more serious issue."

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OOC - if anyone wants to have a little chat with Serenity do let me know and I'll get it sorted.

to whom it may concern

You are cordially invited to the coronation of Empress Serenity Azurewind, it will be a day of celebration beginning with the coronation at the Temple of the Daughters, one of our holiest sites outside of Luna Isle, and followed by the Coronation Ball later in the day. For those that wish to meet with the Empress to have a friendly chat or discuss other matters, that provision has been made. We look forward to welcoming everyone both friend and stranger to Valtheim on this joyous occasion.

Consul Michael Williams

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It was a typical day weather wise in Valtheim, somewhat cool, regardless of the sunlight this was still the far north. This was to be a most unique coronation owing to the build up to it, the Constitutional issues had as far as the legalities went been successfully navigated but the ceremonial would play out during the day. Across the nation many different things were in readiness, street parties, concerts, ceremonies at temples to name a handful, in Valtheim the crowds that had commuted on the day were swelling up, while those that had camped out the night before reaped the reward of front row seats, it was an event the likes of which hadn't been seen in over twenty years and hopefully wouldn't be seen again for many decades. The Marble Palace stood atop its small hill overlooking the Djana Azurewind monument - a half size stone lighthouse come beacon with two figures representing Caleb Elsif and Djana Azurewind engaging in a sword duel around it, in Djana's hand there was a flag pole from which flew the flag of the Duchy of Rosemoor - the province of Achkaerin in which Valtheim sat, the whole monument sat on a roundabout. Were it not for the noise of other members of the crowd they might have heard the faint trace of piano music from the Marble Palace. The source of the noise was Serenity calming her pre coronation nerves by playing the piano and having a little sing song, this was not a day she'd imagined would come to her, she was the younger of two children it was only Simon's being held hostage by terrorists ten years earlier that had put her into the position of being heir to the throne and now here she was welcoming the day in as Crown Princess and knowing she'd be seeing it out as Empress.

Over at Valtheim International Airport preparations for VIP guests were finished, the honor guard was stood to, the band was tuned up to play national anthems as guests arrived and dispatched to handle the pleasantries was Princess Esme, brother to the former Emperor and aunt to the incoming Empress, she had enough experience and knew enough of Mundus's leaders to not put her foot in it. Taking a deep breath to steady herself she awaited the first guests.

To: Empress Kyoko

I had hoped that simply urging you to take a breath and re-read that which East Moreland have presented you with would have made you realise the folly of your actions, however it seems I have no choice other than to actually spell out the problems. But before I do allow me to address your "perplexion" as you called it. You seem to be of the opinion that Daito or any nation is required to take you at your word, that is not the case, this crisis began with a Rokkenjiman military aircraft shooting down a Daitojin military aircraft, within minutes of that the Daitojin authorities were informed that it was a renegade however those authorities were not provided with any evidence that supported that assertion, clearly yourself and Grand Marshall Rowe had something on which to base the claim yet both of you failed to make it available to Daito's Command at the moment when it would have been most useful - after the initial incident but before the attack on Southkeep, this could have been stopped at that point and wasn't. Put yourself in the Daitojin position they have just been attacked, they are provided with no evidence to back up your claim - why would they believe you? Absent that evidence, they declared war which as per article 1.4 of the Uppsala Convention they have the right to do. Like it or not to them and the international community Rokkenjima had committed an act of war to which they responded.

Turning now to present concerns you have stated "All data presently available points to the chain of command being subverted, just as data available shows that what would have otherwise been a close election instead returned an Ofdensen victory." this is correct however that is all it shows, East Moreland's analysis of the shoot down raises questions but does not directly tie Charles Ofdensen to the incident, the evidence against Charles is in fact very circumstantial while evidence against the commanding officer and crew of the IRN Kurogitsune is far more compelling. Likewise the report by the NIA shows numerous irregularities but at no point provides any link between them and either Charles Ofdensen or the Centre Party in terms of causality thus the order for the Centre Party to reform is concerning, if there were a smoking gun, then it would be a different matter but there isn't and therefore your actions in this respect call into question Rokkenjima's commitment to the principles it claims to stand for and your personal conduct of late has been very much of the same populist ilk as Ofdensen, stop trying to spin facts and instead deal in them. Look at what you say and what you have, take a breath and change course before it's too late.

Start talking to those who might actually have what you don't. My door is open.

Crown Princess Serenity

To: Emperor Antionio III of Imperio de la Bahia del Norte.

Having followed the coverage of the recent PSOF raid in your nation I would be very interested in meeting with either yourself or representatives of your choice, seldom few are the nations that take direct action against the scourge of slavery, it is my hope that a comparing of notes on our respective approaches toward combating slavery, though different to some extent yet sharing the same goal, may be of benefit to each other. With your permission i would also like to visit the Forest School to see the work that goes on there.

Crown Princess Serenity Azurewind, of the Holy Empire of Achkaerin

To: Queen Gamora of Azarath

On behalf of the Royal University of Music I would like to invite yourself and your family to meet this years final year class of students, speak to them about the music industry and if you would like to deliver a masterclass lesson for the students. Myself and my husband would also be honoured if you'd dine with us in the evening at the Marble Palace in Valtheim.

Signed

Renee Azurewind
Duchess of Rosemoor

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OOC Explanation - Awards made firstly based on votes and nominations, for any fields without nominees I've then gone looking through RP for potential winners, in the event there's nothing that fits the time frame I've used rl plus a randomly generated name - assume NPC nations for these (this year it's a Zimalian mathematician)