Saint Lucia Day Parade and Ball [All Royalty Invited]

[Potenza]

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On July 15, 2012, the Grand Duchy of Potenza will be celebrating one of her most beloved national holidays: Saint Lucia Day. A commemoration of

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among the people, the day is a break for employers and students alike, and is celebrated by parades across the nation. The largest parade is held in San Salvo, where Lucia herself lived, which the royalty of Potenza attend before holding a special ball that night.

In celebration of the day, Grand Duke Eldizio I would like to invite the royal families of Europe to attend. The Grand Duchy recognizes that many may not be able, or choose not, to attend the parade, but they would still be cordially invited to attend the ball that night, which will be held at the palace in San Salvo. We see this as a perfect opportunity for those across the world to learn Potenzan culture, interact with the Potenzan nobility, and encourage further interaction between powers.

We would be happy to accommodate all who choose to attend either both events or only one, and eagerly await the response from our brothers and sisters in other lands.

Office of the Grand Duke
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[Danmark]

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Sekretariatet HKH Den Prins Christian
Hans Kongelige Højhed Prins Christian, Hertug Aabenraa og Vicomte Skanderborg, O.E.
Schackenborg Slot, Storkong Jørgensvej, Christiansborg​

We are pleased to announce that HKH The Prince Christian, Duke of Aabenraa and Viscount of Skanderborg shall represent HM The King and HM The Queen Consort and the peoples of the Great Danes at this most prestigious occasion, the parade and ball commemorating the day of St Lucia.

The event will also marked as the first international engagement whereby His Royal Highness represents the Great Danish realm.

His Royal Highness hopes and looks forward to this event and his visit to the Potenzan Grand Duchy.

 

[Natal]

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Casa Regala Demian
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We are pleased to announce that Veliki Knyaz Andrzej Demian and Oana Dabrowski will represent the Altaic Principality and people on the Parade and Ball on Saint Lucia's Day.

We also want to congratulate the Potenzans on one of their most important celebrations.

 

[Cœurléon]

L'Ambassade du Royaume de Cœurléon
San Salvo​

11 July 2012

I am pleased to announce HM The Queen will be making the official visit on behalf of her husband HM The King.

Her Majesty shall be attended by three ladies-in-waiting and an equerry. She will be traveling on a special chartered flight via AirCœur from Ste-Elisabeth International Airport.

Queen Isabelle is very excited to make the official visit, and looks forward with reunited with her family members.


SIGNED

Carlo Villargos,
Cœurlois Ambassador to San Salvo

 

[Potenza]

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Official Saint Lucia Day celebrations will begin tomorrow, and His Royal Majesty Grand Duke Eldizio I di Visconti would like the nobility of Europe to know there is still a chance to RSVP for either both or one of the events being held in San Salvo.

Office of the Grand Duke​

 

[Potenza]

San Salvo, Potenza
July 15, 2012
9:00AM

It seemed as if all of San Salvo had come out to view the parades. Every sidewalk was literally covered with Potenzan citizens of all ages, genders and classes, most with cameras to take pictures of the parade. The main street that ran through the historical district of the capitol had been cordoned off by city authorities, and a line of Carabinieri - twenty feet apart - made certain no one caused any trouble. Law enforcement officers patrolled the streets, speaking into their communicators to coordinate the security for the events. Above the scene, the skies were overcast, and though a light sprinkle had been predicted, no major rainfall was expected to fall. The gray sky provided a great backdrop for the highlight of the scene, which was the Cathedral of the Annunciation, the massive church which was the headquarters for Tiburan Catholicism in the grand duchy. It's tall towers rose up high, its gray steps dropped down towards the streets, and the stone imprints of the various saints looked down on the scene with quiet wonder. Especially noticeable was the stone statue of Saint Lucia herself, which was decorated with flowers and candles that passersby had purchased from the cathedral. It only seemed fitting - this was, after all, her special day.

Across from the cathedral, on a high rise, was a podium marked off by Carabinieri and the Grand Duke's personal scorta. At the moment, no one sat in the pews that rested behind the railings covered by red drapes, the flag of Potenza hanging off the side. The back of the podium led to a back alley that went into a private parking lot of the nearby restaurants and businesses, all of which had been sectioned off by security forces. It was from here that the nobility and leadership of the Grand Duchy would enter and leave. It would also be where the special guests who had RSVP'd with the Grand Duke's office that they would attend the ceremonies. The ball would be tonight, but for now, all of the Grand Duchy was out to enjoy the celebrations of this holy day, commoner and noble alike.

Fr. Teodoro di Grimaldi, officially a count of the Duchy of Turin, was the only Potenzan noble who was at the podium. He smiled as he looked at the cathedral rising up, the building seemingly standing out among the other structures and sights. As the episcopal vicar, Teodoro could have been with the Archbishop Conti at the cathedral, but he was granted permission to be the host for the guests to explain and take any questions regarding Potenza, the parade, or the holiday in general. He would be on the lower level, where the guests would be, whereas the rest of Potenza's nobility and leadership would be on the higher level. Teodoro was wearing his usual black robes, with little to no decoration to signify his royal blood. He would probably be the most humble looking Potenzan noble at the event.

"Oh blessed Saint Lucia," Teodoro whispered to himself, doing the sign of the cross, "bless and protect this day, and let this nation look to the glory of God as we celebrate your holiness."

A group of Carabinieri - wearing far more ceremonial uniforms, with cloaks and swords - stepped in, taking positions at the edges of the podium and looking around. In walked the guests of the events. The party was eclectic: Prince Christian from Danmark, Veliki Knyaz Andrzej Demian and Oana Dabrowski of Altai, and Queen Isabelle of Coeurleon with three ladies-in-waiting - to name a few. Two of the Carabinieri were glancing at the ladies-in-waiting and whispering to one another with smirks. As soon as the group had made their way to the lower level, Teodoro walked up and bowed before them all, stating in fluent English with a slight Engellexic accent:

"Peace be to you all. I am Father Teodoro di Grimaldi, the Episcopal Vicar of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Salvo, and servant to His Eminence Archbishop Conti. It is a pleasure and an honor to be of service to you all. I am here to provide you with guidance and exposition regarding our great holiday, and to answer any questions you might have. Please feel free to have your seat in the pews here - there is no assigned seating, so please make yourself at home."

Suddenly, an applause arose from the crowd around the podium. Teodoro glanced over and saw that the Potenzan leadership proper had arrived. On the higher level, at the very front of the second level, was Grand Duke Eldizio I di Visconti and Prime Minister Gaetano Merlino. The former was dressed in his usual ducal uniform, with the sword of Alexandria at his side. Merlino was dressed in a simple suit, not unlike he wore at the chamber. Both men were standing beside one another, their wives at their arms, and waving to the crowd. It was clear that much of the cry of the people was for Merlino, who was experiencing a high level of popularity. Since his election, he had brought down the murder rate and had steadily increased investment both within and without Potenza - for all intents and purposes, it seemed like he was living up to his election promises.

"Ah," Teodoro said, turning back to the guests, "I'm sure you're all aware of our leaders: His Royal Majesty Grand Duke Eldizio I di Visconti, and Prime Minister Gaetano Merlino. Here in Potenza, our form of government seeks to balance the power between the nobility and the common people. We call it Niccolism, after its creator, Niccolo di Niccola."

The rest of the Potenzan nobility then entered, and took seats alongside or behind the Grand Duke and prime minister. The men were dressed to the brim with their ceremonial uniforms, complete with the badges signifying their royal families. The women were dressed in fine dresses, most of them conservative and plain, as the fancier dresses had been saved for the ball that night. To the right of the grand duke sat the entire Visconti house, including his son and heir Drago, his daughter Giovanna and her husband the Torriani Gavino. To the prime minister's left sat the Grimaldi house, Teodoro's kin, including the Duke Silvestro and his brother Count Niccolo di Grimaldi. Also among them was Luigiana, the youngest child to the Grimaldi household. When she saw her older brother down with the guests, her little dark eyes lit up and she ran down, hugging Teodoro on his black robes.

"Brother! Brother!" she said in Tiburan. "Can I sit down here with you?"

"Yes, you may," Teodoro replied, poking the little girl's nose, "if you promise to behave yourself in front of our esteemed guests. Why don't you introduce yourself, and in the English I taught you?"

Luigiana gasped as if she had done something horribly wrong, and sought to rectify it by following her brother's orders. She turned and did a cute little curtsy towards the foreign dignitaries, saying in English with a heavy Tiburan accent: "Countess Luigiana di Grimaldi. It are my pleasure, esteemed guests!"

Teodoro loudly cleared his throat, whispering out of the side of his mouth, "It is."

Luigiana gasped again, adding quickly with two short curties, "It is! It is!"

Behind the Grimaldi sat the Morosini, who most Potenzans would have recognized as being two short, with the former Duke Gustavo having been sent in exile to Cantignia and with the Countess Adalina on self-imposed exile in the Talemantine Empire. Count Mauro, the former duke's younger brother, was acting leader of the Morosini household and the Duchy of Cremona, and as he didn't hold the title officially, he did not wear the badge of the ducal household. In fact, no one in the Morosini household did, save for those men who were counts, such as the heir Mario, who was undergoing military academy and would be granted the ducal title once he had finished.

Next to the Morosini, behind the Visconti, was the last house to attend - the Cornaro, being Protestant, were excused from attending a Catholic ceremony. This remaining house was the Torriani house, led by the young but handicapped Duke Guido della Torre. He limped in on his cane and fake leg, taking his seat of his own strength and will. The rest of the Torriani house followed behind him, and among them was his older sister Francesca. She was dressed in a long red dress, which actually covered up her entire body from neck to toe, and in her hand was a red fan. She sat beside her brother and kept to herself, not even lifting her eyes to make contact with anyone. Despite this strange demeanor, she seemed to have soft smile on her face, her red lips pursed as they often were.

 

[Rheinbund]

OOC: SHIT!! I missed this completely. Can I still RP that my Royals are there?

 

[Potenza]

OOC: SHIT!! I missed this completely. Can I still RP that my Royals are there?

OOC: Why no, in fact, Potenza has launched her secret nukes to Eiffelland and...yes you can still RP your royals here

 

[Rheinbund]

OOC: Thanks. However, when I went to sleep, I realised that my country was still in national mourning on 15 July because of that terrorist attack in my capital. Because of that, my Royals didn't feel that they could leave the country during that national mourning to celebrate something, and therefore excused themselves. Let's presume that they already did so, but now they do again. Herewith IC:

Schloss Charlottenburg
Trier, Eiffelland

We already informed you that we could not visit Potenza to celebrate Santa Lucia, because Eiffelland was still in national mourning after the terrorist attack in Trier on 8 July. Please know that we were honoured by your invitation despite the fact that we didn't come, and please accept our apologies for not attending the celebrations of Santa Lucia.

Albrecht von Dietz-Hadamar, King of Eiffelland

 

[Potenza]

OOC: :x

 

[Natal]

Andrzej smiled as he saw how Luigiana was struggling to see her brother proud of her. The applauses of the people when the Duke and the Prime Minister took their seats made Andrzej remember how the Altaic people celebrated the victory of Chancellor Alen Karin over the Greater Altai Party candidate, Ruslan Nikitin in the last year’s elections. Of course, a moderate liberal is more loved by the mob than a radical fascist, especially in a multicultural country like Altai.

As everyone was seated, Andrzej seated himself between Oana Dabrowski and Teodoro di Grimaldi. To try to open a conversation, he asked Father Teodoro in a Tiburan with Talemantine accent: “Forget my ignorance, father, but what made Saint Lucia so popular in Potenza?” He smiled for himself when he thought that he could have asked in Altaic and the Potenzans would have understood. Because of the Talemantine influences, the Altaic and the Tiburan languages were so similar that someone who didn’t knew Altaic but knew Tiburan could understand without problems what an Altaian would tell him.

On the other side, Oana Dabrowski, dressed in a navy blue dress was observing the Danes, especially Prince Jorgen. Before leaving for Potenza she heard that Prince Christian would be there and she prepared to flirt with him, even if she heard from Andrzej that he fell for Francesca’s “sorceries”. That was before she saw Francesca. She had something in her look that Oana didn’t like, and preferred to befriend Francesca rather than making her an enemy because of a love lace like Christian. But now, she saw Jorgen and now understood why Andrzej fell in love for Adeliza, those people from Scania had that certain something… something she felt attractive.

 

[Potenza]

"Ah yes, excellent question," Fr. Teodoro began, "Saint Lucia was a Christian woman who lived in the thirteenth century, and was a major servant to the Potenzan people. She offered medicinal services and miraculous healings for absolutely free, to rich, middle class, and poor alike. She spent much of her life setting up charities across the region, before the nation was united, and hiring women of ill repute for more respectable careers in charity. Many miracles are attributed to her, including the saving of orphans from a fire in Turin. She was well liked by the people, especially for one moment where the city of San Salvo was hit by the plague, and she refused to leave when many other doctors and professionals had already done so. When you love the people, the people love you - so she soon became the most beloved saint of Potenza, and it is our belief that she watches over the nation to this day. Ah!"

The crowd grew quiet as the doors of the cathedral broke open, and two deacons stepped out, taking positions on either side of the doors. Out - in full regalia - stepped Ildebrandino Conti, the Metropolitan of San Salvo. He was dressed to the brim in the silver and gold of an archbishop, with the white cloak and bishop's miter, and shepherd's staff in his hand. At the foot of the steps of the cathedral were several men in fine suits with yellow and white straps over their shoulders and under their arms. As the bishop stepped out, they proceeded to walk up the steps. As they did, there suddenly appeared down the street a line of four Potenzan soldiers in dress uniform, one of them holding the flag of Potenza while the other held aloft a standard with an image of Saint Lucia, the other two holding firearms. Behind them were further military personnel, each holding a musical instrument.

"That is His Eminence, Archbishop Ildebrandino Conti," Teodoro quietly explained to the guests, "he is the highest religious authority in Potenza. He blesses the parade - those men going to meet him are the parade organizers. They're hired by the Church to handle all the particulars and serve as the middle men between the Church and various organizations who want to contribute."

Conti began to speak to the men in Latin, holding aloft his hand and doing the sign of the cross in the air. The men proceeded to each kiss his knuckles, and then Conti held his shepherd staff aloft. At that, the entire crowd went into a cheer, and the soldiers carrying the flag turned and proceeded to face the nobility and prime minister. The flag was raised, the rifles held aloft in salute, and at that the area went quiet again.

"The Royal Army Band is going to play our national anthem, The Ducal March," Teodoro explained, "please stand."

The Grand Duke and Prime Minister had already stood, and the rest of the nobility did likewise. The military band proceeded to begin playing...

(OOC:

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At the conclusion, the people cheered once again. The drummers began to go into a march, and the standard bearers backed up, smartly turning back towards the street, and began to move. With them came the band. The parade had officially begun.

At the front of the parade, behind the band, was a group of young, teenage children wearing colorful traditional Potenzan dresses and clothes, and bearing various colored flags. They waved them about as they moved, each flag seemingly carrying different icons and banners. It seemed that each one was made of various skill level in regards to artistry and design.

"These are representatives from various schools across the country," Teodoro began to explain to the guests as they sat back down again, "each school in Potenza chooses students to come and represent them at the parade. They design their own flags as a way to let the kids have some fun with their participation."

Up among the Potenzan nobility, few were paying attention to the events. Francesca was watching the children walk by through her thick, dark eyebrows. Her brother, sitting beside her, leaned over and whispered:

"Prince Christian has graced our Grand Duchy with his presence."

"I am well aware of that," Francesca said curtly, beginning to fan herself.

Duke Guido smirked a little, stroking his cheek, "You put on quite a show with him last time..."

"We will see if he's worth my time here," Francesca replied...although she had Christian firmly in her sight, using her peripheral vision to keep an eye on what he was doing and saying. It was something like a hawk: always looking forward, but always keeping an eye on everything within their vision. She intended to test him and see what he intended to do at this event - especially at the ball tonight. Secretly, she desired to see him again...but she would not hand herself to him, as he had always expected women to do.

She glanced over quickly with her eyes, seeing the Altaic noblewomen catching a glance at her, and she smirked. The Altaic women seemed refined and elegant - much better than Germanic women - but she didn't think they would be able to survive against Potenzan wiles.

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