Kingdom of Alexandria

http://www.alexandria-ns.com/images/sections/ambutton.png

KINGDOM OF ALEXANDRIA

Information:
Archon-Basileus: His Grace, Joshua I
Proedros of Nomothetes: Polothin
Prytaneis of the Ekklesia: Daliwood

Regional Population: 88 | Delegate Endorsements: 6 | http://www.alexandria-ns.com

-Alexandria is going… Byzantine!-
More in the next update!

-Recruitment!-
Alexandria currently sits at eighty-eight nations as of this morning. Following a lull in recruitment during November-Feburary due to the pressures of real life, which saw Alexandria decline from 64 to 19 in terms of population, we’ve not just recovered, we’re better than ever before!In March alone, 20,000 stamps were donated to the region by its members and the Archon-Basileus has pledged to match that donation (which he promptly did with a 20,000 stamp purchase from the NSStore!). Special thanks to British Grand Pacific, Hobbes, Todd McCloud and Ramaeus for donating all those stamps to Alexandria’s recruitment fund!

-The Boule Goes Bye-Bye!-
At the end of December, the Archon-Basileus posted an amendment to the Constitution requesting within the Ekklesia asking them to abolish the Boule, or the Upper House of Parliament citing a lack of activity, citizens and it being a drain on resources that could be placed better elsewhere.

The bill required a 66% Majority to pass in the Ekklesia before it was elevated to the Boule, where it passed with a 75% majority (three ayes, one non-voting member). The Archon-Basileus signed the bill abolishing the Boule on the 20th of January 2015.

-Elections!-
In January, Alexandria went to the polls for the first time! After a slightly tedious race where one candidate withdrew and another would be Overlord tried to run for every position, started insulting other citizens and then promptly defaced a portrait of the Archon-Basileus’ cat, he was promptly beaten by Re-Open Nominations and urinated all over Alexandria Castle Gates in protest. The second round of nominations saw Polothin take the lead early and he now sits as Proedros of Nomothetes (WA Delegate) until the next election in May.

At the same time, Professor Henn ran almost unopposed for Prytaneis of the Ekklesia, he won handily and has so far been sighted pecking at chicken feed somewhere in the North Tower while two foxes prowl the lower levels.

-New Embassies!-
Since our first update, we’ve chosen to open an embassy with the Confederated East Pacific and the Britannian Empire. We’ve also reaffirmed our historical roots with Osiris by means of an in-game embassy and we’ve also recognised the Première Institute for former Feeder and Sinker Delegates by opening an embassy with the Beech Beach House, retirement community for former GCR delegates. We’ve happily offered TAO the coveted spot of Non-WA Delegate of our growing community. We are also pleased to report that we have opened an Embassy with both The North Pacific and The East Pacific (with an in-game embassy under construction for the latter!).

-New Citizens!-
Since October, we’ve seen a few changes in citizenry. Thus we’re pleased to welcome Varavano, Prussia, Andrew, Dazel, Pahin Mulani, Ducky MoMo, Lord Lore, BGP, Hobbes, Southern Yugoslavia, Todd McCloud, Nova Cromwell, Kialga, R0x4ry, Lanna, Escade, Tomb, Farengeto and finally, Bonnfeuer.

-Saying farewell!-
Since October, we’ve also said farewell to several citizens who have departed for one reason or another:
Applebane, Charax, HuAT, Delta, Drexyl Nox, Intelligent Holograms, Kris Montresor, Radicchio and Kingdom of Hyrule.

-New Map!-
In January, fraught with exasperation and seeking a Cartographer to reinvigorate Alexandria’s geographical boundaries, Lord Ravenclaw bemoaned his unfortunate cirumstances in the East Pacific’s Skype room, which has become a frequent perch for the weary Raven to mutter and bemoan his problems. Luck was smiling on Alexandria that day however as the big-hearted Sasquatch, also known as British Grand Pacific, the East Pacifican regional cartographer stepped in to save the day (and what’s left of Raven’s feathers) by offering to design a new map to his specification.

Delighted with the offer, and speechless that someone would offer so generously, he accepted. The finished product, which also sits nicely in the centre of an alternative TEP’s Urth map, can be found here. Thank you once again, BGP for creating such an awesome map.

-Administrative Changes and Server Move-
On the 9th of March, Alexandria successfully moved to a new provider, from shared hosting to a VPS with the capability of hosting its own Minecraft server. It has also began to internally assess its structure, direction and the price of biscuits at the local corner shops for price comparison websites, and we are looking at implementing “Compare the Bird” at the start of April to better allow our Residents to get the best price ever for their various amenities.

Lord Ravenclaw, announced some Administrative Changes on the community forum to bring some much needed experience to board staff:

[ul][li]Hileville is taking over from Joshua Bluteisen as Lead Technical Administrator (and has been hard at work due to the move and mail servers being difficult).
[li]Severisen Montresor has been promoted to Lead Administrator in a Supervisory role.
[li]Alexandrian Grand Pacific has been promoted to the Style and Graphics Administrator
[li]Todd McCloud has been promoted to Immersion and Features Administrator. [/li][/ul]

-Alexandrian Minecraft Server-
At the start of March, following our successful server move, Alexandria has now officially opened it’s new Minecraft Server. Currently it’s in building phase with Kialga, Belschaft, ProfessorHenn and Lord Ravenclaw working on the spawn - a visual interpretation of the capital city, so far screenshots of the builds, including a fantastic lighthouse and docklands outside the main gate have been well received by non-players.

IP: play.alexandria-ns.com
Map: alexandria-ns.com/minecraft.php

-Honourary Citizenships-
The Archon-Basileus awarded Honourary Citizenship to two members of Alexandria on two separate occasions this year, prompting calls that the man has finally gone mad! Cormac Stark and McMasterdonia were both recognised for their inspirational attitude and service to Alexandria and its foundations in an announcement from the Archon-Basileus.
Cormac was recognised on the 7th January and McMasterdonia was recognised on the 17th March. (We had the Archon-Basileus checked, he’s perfectly sane!)

-Cabinet Changes-
I was sad to officially lose Lennart as Archon of Culture, and McMasterdonia as Archon of Diplomatic Affairs, both due to real life circumstances. I am, on the flipside however, pleased to announce that I will be opening the Ministry of Education, to focus on the University-College System that is being worked on being implemented across Alexandria. I am also pleased to announce the following appointments to the Council of Archontes:

[ul][li]Alexandrian Grand Pacific, Court Cartographer
[li]Lanna, Archon of Diplomatic Affairs
[li]Royden Lore, Archon of Finance
[li]Tomb, Archon of Education
[li]Farengeto, Archon of Home Affairs [/li][/ul]

These shall be joined by the already serving members of Council:

[ul][li]Tano Holland, Archon of Justice and Legal Affairs
[li]Severisen Montresor, Archon of Security
[li]Polothin, Proedros of Nomothetes[/li][/ul]

There remains vacancies in The Chancellery and Cultural Affairs, with the Archon-Basileus working on possible occupants for those roles.

-Court Changes!-
The Council of Archontes has appointed ProfessorHenn as Heliastas Protos (Chief Justice), with Alexandrian Grand Pacific and Cormac being appointed as Associate Justices. The Archon-Basileus has been heard thinking aloud about whether the Ekklesia would like the chance to confirm them, but decided that would be too democratic… all complaints can be directed to the Ekklesia.

-Eaglesvigil University College-
See the next issue!

-That’s all for now folks!!-
We’ll be back soon with another update!

Updated 3/4/15[edit_reason]Updated[/edit_reason]

http://www.alexandria-ns.com/images/housemembership/ravenclaw/royalshield.gif
KINGDOM OF ALEXANDRIA

[right]Alexandria Castle, seat of Joshua of House Ravenclaw
The Enlightened City and the Crownlands, Alexandria[/right]

Greetings!

Over the past several months, Alexandria fought a bitter battle against the shadows of inactivity, as our best and brightest slowly succumbed to the gathering mists plaguing our community.

However, over the last month, renewed fighting has begun. From Wintergarde, the Prince Palatine led his forces against our dark foes, and cast them out. From Coronpolis to Terenuthis, life has found its way back to Alexandria’s shores. In the darkest moments of the mist, the Ekklesia gathered for one final time at the end of August, to dissolve the Constitutional documents of what has now been dubbed "Ancien Régime in a final act of defiance against the darkness bombarding our cities.

On 4th September 2015, one of the then Archontes-Antivasiléas (Minister Regents), Bran Astor confirmed that the Ekklesia had voted overwhelmingly to dissolve the documents which gave them legal authority. Fifteen members of the Ekklesia voted, which was 75% of the Legislative membership in a fateful vote that has forever changed how Alexandria views itself.

Since that day, changes have been proposed. Names have been adjusted, functions have been altered. Alexandria is adopting a system more fitting for the community it wishes to be, and with it, attempting to balance its off-site forum economy with a roleplay system that requires activity, dedication and perseverance to advance; a system which requires diplomacy, guile, bribery and contracts to bring you to the top of our House system, and claim the lands of the world map in your name.

The newly created Freeholders Assembly, open to those in Alexandria who seek membership shall serve as the legislative house. The Great Council of State, shall be open to Nobles and Masters of the system in Alexandria which shall oversee and work with the roleplaying community linked to our feudal system. Both of these bodies shall be residence in the newly renovated Palace of Nomothetes, now known as Ravenwatch Palace.

Recruitment efforts are ongoing. From 170 at its height, to 39 at its slump, Alexandria is back up at 90 member-nations, and growing thanks to the efforts of several of its residents.

The forum has been slimmed down considerably, and is now easier to access and navigate than ever before; with a new content management system to compliment vBulletin’s existing software bringing a new front page to visitors to the Kingdom. Currencies; one all purpose and two roleplay specific have also been added, to allow people to try their hand at a financial monopoly.

A newly revitalised military, adorning the independent banner has been created and is in the process of recruiting alongside a fresh cabinet of old and new faces to Alexandria.

No one knows what direction Alexandria will take… but for now, Alexandria is on the road to pastures green and unknown.

Thank you for maintaining your embassy with us during our darkest hours, we appreciate it and hope that you will walk with us as we continue this journey into the unknown.

I remain, yours most faithfully,

Joshua Ravenclaw
Sovereign of Alexandria
[hr]http://www.alexandria-ns.com

Thanks Raven

For The People, By The People, Of The People
Volume I, Issue I — January 30, 1822

Abdication: 11 Days of Flux
Editorial by His Sovereign Grace Joshua Ravenclaw I, Sovereign of AlexandriaThe Kingdom of Alexandria is a welcoming, and open community. We regularly welcome people from all walks of NationStates and vow to treat them fairly, which is something we hope contributes to our environment and strong sense of community.

Recently, over the past four months there was a growing movement within the Chancellor’s Office to restrict certain levels of Alexandrian Society to those who were not “cosmopolitan” players or had not received recognition for Service to Alexandria. This triggered a period of friction between the Crown and the Chancellor, as it sought to disenfranchise a large part of Alexandria’s community, some of whom had been residents and subjects of the Crown for nearly two years.

On the Second of December tensions finally hit bursting point, initially over a misunderstanding when a Member of House Ravenclaw (and the Emergency Technical Administrator) poked fun at one of the Forum userbars, believing they were created by the Sovereign (Joshua I) over a long running joke between them that has spanned three years. The Chancellor, who had designed those userbars, took it as a slight against his work and demanded the Sovereign accede to his demand that the Gameplayers be removed from the Kingdom of Alexandria or he himself would leave. Ordinarily, methods of mediation via Voice Chat would have successfully mitigated the situation but due to certain real life problems, it was not an option. The rising stress level, and health issues encountered by the Sovereign contributed to the breakdown of communication between the two offices, and torn between a rock and a hard-place, Joshua Ravenclaw chose to step away from Alexandria to try and find peace of mind, that had been for several weeks, lacking for him in Alexandria.

In his place, his eldest son James - of his Union with McMasterdonia - was Crowned King, being given only 10 minutes notice as to the intentions of Joshua, who was not thinking rationally and sought to escape an environment that had become toxic for him. Despite much outcry, there were over a dozen officials and people from foreign regions and states who sought him out to encourage him to stay within Alexandria and to keep working hard at his successful community, Joshua Ravenclaw stayed distant from the centre of government for eight days, until a member of the Privy Council sought him out.

In his absence, and in light of the heart-breaking events that consumed Alexandria, the region had been wounded. The Kingdom’s identity had been damaged by the divide, and Joshua’s departure had fractured it’s sense of community. The Chancellor had departed his office, and left for lands beyond the Sovereign’s Control, while James I was unprepared for the burden - both political and cultural - of overseeing the office of State to which he was appointed.

Regency

On the ninth day since his abdication, Joshua Ravenclaw received a request from the Crown Ministers of the Privy Council asking him to assume control of the Kingdom of Alexandria, by any means necessary. Having divested himself of all political, noble or otherwise authority, including headship of House Ravenclaw upon his abdication, he was left with very little standing, other than his membership of the Royal House which saw him petition the Great Council of Nobles for Regency.

In a vote led by the Dean of the College of Arms, the Most Noble, Lord Robert Aeron Astor, the newly crowned Prince-Palatine of Wintergarde, the assembled Peers, Noble and Stately voted within the Ravenwatch Palace on the Regency.

The votes, as overseen by Lord Astor were as followed:

[ul][li]“Ayes” - His Grace, Prince-Palatine Robert Aeron Astor of Wintergarde;
[li]His Grace, Benjamin Ravenclaw, Lord High Constable of the Royal Legion of Alexandria;
[li]His Royal Highness, Denrick Ravenclaw, Margrave of Itahca and Lord Steward of the Royal Household
[li]Their Graces, Prince-Palatine Severisen Montresor of Terenuthis, Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household and Lady Xoriet of House Montresor;
[li]His Royal Highness, Joshua Bluteisen-Ravenclaw, Margrave of Pharos;
[li]Her Sovereign Majesty, Dowager-Consort Hyacinth Ravenclaw nee Somerset[/li][/ul]

There were no Abstains, or Nays in the present numbers. Lord Astor confirmed Joshua Ravenclaw as Lord Regent of Alexandria promptly following the proceedings.

But, all was not yet decided for Alexandra; following the confirmation, Alexandria’s activity skyrocketed. The Lord Regent, who had assumed the office of Chancellor temporarily to discharge his duties, first chose to restore his original titles to best allow him to serve Alexandria in the future. He then named his Lord Father Diamete Ravenclaw as Crown Minister of Diplomacy, further confirmed the ascension of Robert Aeron Astor as Prince-Palatine of Wintergarde and Astoria, while recognising a Freeholder - Soranotsky - for Services to Alexandria, elevating him to the Privy Council as Crown Minister of Integration. His final appointment was to appoint George of House Holland (Abydos) as the Chancellery’s Cartographer to oversee the management of Alexandrian Worldbuilding until a Council could be created to ensure appropriate succession.

As his final edict in his Decree, he ordered the Lord High Constable to rearm the Royal Legion and the Fleet Air Service for active service once more. Alexandria began to wake up as Lord Montresor praised House Ravenclaw, with Her Majesty, the Dowager-Consort offering any and all assistance she could to assist the Kingdom.

Renewal

On the 13th Day of December, 11 days following Joshua’s Abdication and 2 days following his confirmation as Regent, James I announced his abdication. His successor? His father, Joshua I.

Since that day, Alexandria has shown record breaking activity, both on our out-of-character mediums as well as in our in-character mediums. Alexandria continues to stride forward, making new relationships, reaffirming old ones and exploring the depth of its cultural identity.

Joshua Ravenclaw retook the throne on the 13th December 2014, retaining his name as Joshua I. He shortly passed a decree to recognise James’ reign as a Regency Period for convalescence and renewal.

Freeholder’s Assembly Granted Autonomy
Queenie, Special Reporter
Ravenwatch Palace, Alexandria — A short time ago, the Freeholder’s Assembly presented a document describing their internal procedures to the Lady Crown Regent. The inaugural document achieved internal majority with a vote of ten ‘Aye’s, and has since been signed into law, allowing the Assembly to operate autonomously.

With this document, the Assembly now has the right to operate without fear of repercussions from those of higher rank, such as the Privy Council, and may discuss and vote on any legislation they wish to create, amend, or repeal. However, for such legislation to become law, the Voice of the Assembly or the Chamberlain must present it to the Sovereign or His Agents, who may then choose sign it into law or veto it for any reason.

It is our hope at the Herald that the Assembly finds success and continues to make strides towards improving Alexandria in any way it can. We wish the fledgling body the very best, and will be sure to keep you up to date with further developments.

State of the Legion Address
Benjamin Ravenclaw, Lord High Constable and Lord Marshal of the Royal Legion of Alexandria
Severisen Point, Alexandria — The Legion is not only a military branch. In reality, it is sort of a Kinship, brothers and sisters in arms. All of our Knights look at each other as friends and allies on a personal level. We look at the job as not only being the sword of the King, but joining under one legion to show the world what we are made of, what we can accomplish, and to have one hell of a good time.

The month of January is not in any way our most active month, but it has brought about some good changes. We relaid our foundations of ranks and principles around an order of Knights and Paladins, as opposed to our previous rankings as mages. This was not all due to the Battlemages being a bad theme, but more to bring our army in line with the description of an Independent army made to serve and promote Alexandria and the Sovereign’s interests abroad better.

The New ranking system has been implemented as such (from top to bottom):

[ol]
[li]Lord Marshal
[li]Master Paladin
[li]Senior Paladin
[li]Paladin
[li]Knight
[li]Adept
[li]Apprentice
[li]Initiate
[/li][/ol]
So far, we are very confident that these rankings will serve us well due to their relative uniqueness and their simplicity. The army will still be known as the Royal Legion of Alexandria (RLA), and I will continue to serve as Lord High Constable as well as the Lord Marshal of the RLA.

Throughout the month, we have deployed to the United Immaculate Empire, supported the attempted liberation of Belgium, and deployed to The North Pacific to help our Sovereign rise to the Delegacy and pacify our newest colony.[sup]*[/sup]

Discussions have opened with our friends in Osiris and The East Pacific about military collaboration in the near future, in line with our ever-persistent desire to grow the legion and branch out to others for mutual and friendly co-operation.

*This is a joke. A joke that has been taken way too seriously, despite many people being told multiple times that it was no more than a joke.

Feirmont, Lady Regent: The Interview
Mark “Malviet” Wrenburg, Field Reporter
Alexandria Castle, Alexandria — Taking a break from the labors of administering the Kingdom, Feirmont, Alexandria’s recently appointed Lady Regent, agreed to sit with one of our field reporters for an interview. Remarks have been edited for clarity.
Malviet:Greetings! It certainly is exciting to talk with you, Your Royal Syrupy Pancaekness!

Feirmont:Thank you for having me here today!

Malviet:The honor is mine! Now, let’s get started. For those who do not yet know you, could you be so kind as to introduce yourself?

Feirmont:Absolutely. I am Feirmont; married to James Kialga-Ravenclaw and Lady Regent of the Kingdom of Alexandria.

Malviet:
Do you have any history with this kind of thing?

Feirmont:Being the head of a region?

Malviet:Yup!

Feirmont:
Yes; I was once The South Pacific’s delegate for four months, and I was in their Cabinet for nearly 9 months until fairly recently.

Malviet:
Was there any particular reason why you decided to join the Kingdom of Alexandria and its community?

Feirmont:I consider Raven a good friend. I’ve known about the Kingdom of Alexandria for a long time. Once the switch to Discord happened, I decided to check out the region and its peoples. Everyone was friendly and I stayed.

Malviet:For those in the dark, can you explain what the Lord/Lady Regent does?

Feirmont:I act as the Sovereign’s hand while they are away.

Malviet:What do you think is the reason behind the Sovereign’s decision to appoint you above anyone else?

Feirmont:Experience and a level head when it comes to decisions. The Sovereign and I have worked together before and I assume that it was from those interactions that he made his decision.

Malviet:What would be your main goal for your term as Lady Regent?

Feirmont:Keep the region as it’s going now. From what I’ve noticed, the region is going up in terms of activity, politics, RP… I hope to keep that trend going until the Sovereign’s glorious return. I also want to make sure everyone’s time in Alexandria is as pleasant as possible.

Malviet:Now, into your NS life in general. How would you describe your Gameplay ideology?

Feirmont:R/D wise?

Malviet:Including R/D, but anything other than that is also fine.

Feirmont:I suppose I would consider myself pretty neutral when it comes to my Gameplay ideology. I like to focus on the internal culture of a region more than the inter-regional diplomacy aspect. When it comes to Raiding and Defending I’m very neutral on the matter.

Malviet:Finally, the most important question of them all. Above all other fine dishes and breakfast delicacies, why the fervor for pancaeks?

Feirmont:Pancaeks are one of the most customizable breakfast foods out there. They can be thin or fluffy, any shape, sweet or savory… Everybody has a different idea for their ‘perfect pancaek’. I love foods that are so customizable. Delicious to boot.

Malviet:Well, it was a syrupy pleasure talking to you!

Feirmont:And you!

Malviet:Godspeed in your duty as Regent, and I hope to see you doing great things in the future!

Mechanical Invention Sweeps Alexandria Off Its Feet
John Lange, Field Reporter

Soon to be obsolete?

Acanthus, Alexandria — Recently, a new invention has come into Alexandria, invented by an ingenious mechanic, near the tip of our Southern borders, at Acanthus. It’s a machine that will surely render horses obsolete in the coming years! This machine, called a bi-cycle by its maker, allows one to “ride” it, via straddling a seat they have attached to it, and to “pedal” the wheels, by pushing one’s feet on the “pedals”.

The origin of the bi-cycle came when the machinist’s son was born with a rare allergy to horses, and thusly having to walk everywhere. His sadness at his poor son’s torment was augmented when his daughter, conversely, started becoming fatter, due to sitting on horses all the time, and not having to walk anywhere.The man was stuck between two fragile lines. He needed to find a way to ease his son’s burdens as he traveled to places, and needed an exercising-alternative.

One evening, as he was struggling over his machines, the machinist, who has asked to remain anonymous, said “I watched a horse-drawn cart pass by my workshop, and as I saw the wheels turn, I imagined if I could somehow move that wheel on my own… That perhaps, if I could push the wheel 'round with my feet? It seemed like a silly notion at the time, but as I thought upon it more and more, it became clearer to me. I thought, ‘Hey, why not add another wheel, to make it more balanced?’, but then I got to the task of making the wheels spin, and it all came together!”

He then proceeded to show one of our onsite reporters how it worked, first spinning the front wheel with his hand.

“You see, this one spins freely, so you don’t have to ‘pedal’ as hard. The back wheel however…” He then pointed to the back wheel, with a “pedaling” device attached to it, which looked like foot stools on either side.
When asked for a demonstration, the mechanic mounted the vehicle, sitting directly on the seat between the two wheels, putting his feet on the pedals.

“You see,” He said, wobbling, “It may look unsteady, but once you get going… It really starts rolling!” He “pedaled” his feet, pushing down on the foot-platforms as they spun around in a circle, “See?”

The wheels of the bi-cycle began spinning as he “pedaled”, finally gaining traction on the dirt road.

“And you just use this little handle bar to steer the bi-cycle down the way you want!”

He began “pedaling” the bi-cycle for our reporters on-scene. One of our especially studious reporters noticed that he had no way of stopping, altering the machinist to this fact. “Oops!” was all our reporters could catch before he began bi-cycling wildly down the nearest hill. speeding off into the distance.

In the face of inevitable disaster, the mechanic attempts to right his mechanical steed.

However, when he was found later, he noted that all of the bi-cycles after this model would have a “brake system” so that they would be safer for riders to use. It’s easy to tell that this bi-cycling craze will sweep the nation with its ingenious way of traversing even the roughest of countrysides, all while getting that much needed exercise.

This is the Embassy Thread for the region Kingdom of Alexandria.

http://www.alexandria-ns.com/