The Landgraab Dynasty

(Year 234, Winter) This morning a press brief hit news desks nation wide. The Landgraab business imperium is reorganizing. The top company, Landgraab Industries, Inc., is among Mazaloom's biggest companies, but there are numerous smaller companies owned fully or partly by companies within the Landgraab concern, or by members of the super wealthy Landgraab family.

Mr Malcolm Landgraab Mester Cacti posing at Landgraab Industries, Inc.'s head quarters.

Today Mr. Malcolm Landgraab (81) is Head of the family, including House of Landgraab and the low nobility title Mester Cacti. To many's surprise, the Landgraabs never held any real peerage, and the Mester status doesn't really qualify as real nobility. They were never involved with Politics, at least not as electable candidates. There's no doubt they had significant influence on our community, though.

Nobility Reform: Nobility Career

(Year 234, Winter) The second part of the Nobility Reform, is the new Nobility career. It is totally separated from the first part, the Dynasties. Technically a noble person won't need a dynasty, and a Dynasty member don't need the Nobility Career. In Mazaloom these two features do connect, though, as we use the career slightly different. Here, you can't have a peerage without also being member of a House, and all Houses had to register as dynasties in order to obtain their new crest emblem.

By design, the career is like most other careers, where you start on the lowest level and climb your way up through promotions. In Mazaloom and our neighboring nations, the career is used for categorizing nobility. This means you immediately get the nobility career level that suits with your highest ranked peerage. This category is static, and no promotions will be involved.

Swordsmanship to StrangerVille?

(Year 234, Winter) Mr Ted Rossell Mester Acres, residing in StrangerVille, has built another community lot based on his personal uncommon architectural taste and interest. Today he invited for a small show-off at Cliff Side Crest.

Rossell has been taking a central position in the little community. This coming election is their first to elect their own district Mayor, but unfortunately he can not run, as elders are not allowed. Instead he wants to bring Swordsmanship to StrangerVille - in his own way.

New Dynasty emblems for Dukedoms

(Year 234, Winter) Today there was another ceremonial event taking place at the Royal Palace of Mazaloom. It was time to hand the framed new crest emblems to the first nobles, this time all five dukedoms were present.

The event took place in Mazaloom Great Hall, which is the entrance area of the palace, regularly used for smaller exhibitions and concerts etc. The press was there, and a few curious commoners had arrived, to witness the whole thing.

One by one the five dukes stepped forward to get their new framing. The crest will identify their brand new dynasties, as Mazaloom had no such thing in the past. Someone might need to make a few adjustments to get the symbolic deco object up on the wall...

Nobility Reform: Dynasties

(Year 234, Winter) This morning the Royal Palace Office (RPO), on behalf of the Royal Chamber, announced upcoming adjustments to the set of rules for Houses of Aristocracy. Mazaloom kingdom had a well developed system for generations. This will continue, but as the global world adjusts to various expansions, the nations of Snorthia, Sea and Mazaloom have debated to find a common base for their aristocratic structures. This means, in all three nations some fine tuning will take place this coming Spring.

His Royal Majesty King Tarriot of Mazaloom is head of the Royal Chamber.

Before you read on - in all three nations the traditional culture will stand strong. While we will still have our national uniqueness, there are some fields where we can come up with common solutions. This should be possible for both the Dynasty sysem and Nobility (career). The idea is that if the three nations share bits of their aristocratic structure, it will be more relatable to all, accross borders.

One reason for the adjustments is the implementation of Dynasties. This is an old community form with origin in the Empire of Snorthia, but never established in the kingdoms of Mazaloom and Sea. However, while the main structure from Snorthia will now be used by all, there might be minor influences going the other way - such as our Houses having focus skills.

So, what is new?

Historical Society introduces new Genealogy Tools

(Year 234, Winter) These days anyone into genealogy will applaud new tools for researching your family tree. As usual, our very own Mazaloom Historical Society was involved making this available to residents of Mazaloom kingdom. With this genealogy as a hobby becomes even more interesting.

Club leader Mila Munch (80) is enthusiastic as always.

Prime Minister House Opened

(Year 234, Winter) Mazaloom kingdom got its own Prime Minister House! It was debated a couple years ago, and now the building is ready, just in time for the upcoming election.

Current Prime Minister, Mr Wilder, is too old for re-election, and he will not move in. But our future PM will stay here for as long as holding the PM position. The building is not exactly a castle, but provides good standard facilities for a Prime Minister's many working tasks, like meetings and receptions, and upstairs there is enough space for a small family to reside. Private needs will vary from period to period, and because most top politicians are quite old, children might have left the nest already.

This week there was a formal opening of Prime Minister House, that is located at Willow Field in Gloomville (Region Gloom).

The Royal Palace Cellar

(Year 234, Winter) It's about 85 years since the royal palace Chateau Peak was built in Del Sol Valley, but this far no footage showing the mostly locked off undergound were leaked to the public. Fact is that there was not that much to boost about, mainly the kitchen, servants' section and a prison cell. Well, that is what we all thought, anyway. The palace holds a full cellar, several sections holding daily activity. Recently a photographer was admitted access to explore some of the underground facilities. 

Let's start on ground floor, more precisely in the so called official quarters. Between the Throne Room and King Tybe's dining room there is a rather small kitchen (above). This room connects to the main kitchen right underneeth it, and is used for preparing food to smaller events. For the big gala events this room is where the servings line up before being brought out to the guests.

Crown Princess Emireza has left Windenburg

(Year 234, Winter) HRH Crown Princess Emireza completed her studies at Summerfield High in Windenburg and this Fall she celebrated her 23rd birthday. In jusrt two years she will celebrate her YA birthday, and the entire Mazaloom nation will follow her steps with even stronger interest.

Crown Princess Emireza (23) posing with Summerfield High's Principal, Mrs Hettie P. Fartingham (54).

The Crown Princess left Windenburg this Summer, as her studies at Summerfield High were completed with honors. The private boarding school offers a 9 years program, but students will normally not graduate until the year after, by following the regular schedule for their final year and exams. Summerfield High focuses on aristocratic values, like manners and other character values. The students are normally from high society, and right now also Emireza's brothers Prince Bazil and Prince Cecil are students there.

The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy - Hoods and geography

Oh my! The elegancy, nobility and scandals of the new EP makes it one of those packs flying straight into my game. It would be pointless to wait for a sale, and it would be wasted to debate with myself whether I want it or not. That I could have survived without it, is another dish - right now this is not so much about survival, but desire :)

Hoods Bellacorde, Dambele, and Verdemar. Each comes with dynasties claiming the vacant royal throne.

The worlds look awesome and different, and content seems promising. My only concern is that my royals already have crowns and most of what they need in their palace. And the throne is definitely not vacant. I play most of my nobility with quite regular lives, just a bit better outfits and more spacious estates. CAS look great on the ball/historical side, but we don't know yet whether there will also be a few more everyday high nobility outfits for a modern kingdom.

My biggest puzzle so far was to place the new world geographically into my existing map. And I found a surprising way!

Their Introduction to Society

(Year 234, Winter) The old term might be outdated, but this year a modernized version of the «debutante ball» made its return! Again, young members of Aristocracy can have their formal introduction to society - if their parents so wish. The format is slightly less formal and some of the traditional accessory were left out. And now, in this genders neutral era, also the young men are included.

This year's Debutantes: Ms Melida Dipperwell (24) and Mr Barros de Froux (24).

Time changes. While Mazaloom kingdom is nearly 250 years old, the recent monarchs focused a lot on gender equality. It started with King Tybe who stated that he would accept the Mazaloom Throne only if his main heir could be a daughter, so we finally got adjustments to the heritage laws, pointing at the oldest child rather than the oldest son. You may think this affected his daughter only, but such changes normally affect the broader community as well. Today it is the norm that oldest child will be anyone's main heir, regardless of class and gender. It was not that way before King Tybe forced the change 85 years ago.

Old Noble Emblem Restored

(Year 234, Winter) This Monday the RPO (Royal Palace Office) had announced a press brief - this time not in the Press Center where the weekly briefings usually take place, but in the Mazaloom Great Hall. This meant that the announcement was of a certain importance, attracting even more journalists.

The event centered around the restoration of an old noble symbol, by historiens connected to Mazaloom's first era, perhaps an early version of the crest emblem now used by the Capp dynasty in Tredony, but where the story is not yet fully unveiled.