STGOD?

[frigidmagi]

The Taiping do indeed proclaim themselves to be Christian, the Great King is the great-nephew of Christ himself after all (Hong the founder of the Taiping claimed to be Christ's literal brother)! They have their own Bible and countless missionaries across Asia. Whether or not the other Christian powers consider the Taiping to be Christian is an open question, I think it clear the Pope would not care for the Great King's claims.

Okay the Boxers were very anti-Christian and anti-western anything believing that through discipline and enlightenment they could gain super powers. They're goal was to run everyone out of China expect the Chinese. Clearly this part of the rebellion doesn't work for your goals. You can change it if you like, or have your boy be the one who smashes the Rebellion and uses that to take over, claiming the Mandate of Heaven to rule.

[General Havoc]

Well for what it's worth, according to the histories I've read, Yuan Shikai was planning to call his new empire the Xian Dynasty, though what that means, I cannot tell you.

[Hadrianvs]

I think Boxer Rebellion is too late. Realistically the Qing would collapse upon their failure to put down the Taipings. Granted the Taipings succeeding is not exactly realistic, but the more important part is that we want to give both sides enough to time to actually industrialize. The Boxer Rebellion started in late 1899, that only gives you 30 years minus however long the country was in turmoil. You won't get an industrial nation out of that. It should all start in the 1850s and '60s, as it did with Japan.

[Academia Nut]

Keep in mind that the British have apparently been shattered as a colonial power before they got very far off the ground with that, and that India was never gobbled up by the Europeans and remained independent and powerful. So any Opium Wars would likely have been against the Mughals, meaning that the timing might be off, perhaps earlier. Maybe anti-foreigner sentiment came to a head a few decades earlier because the Indians were already shipping out their opiates by the end of the 18th century. Something to think about at least.

[Slacker]

Hey, now...Poland-Sweden's got a little bite of India. *whistles innocently*

[Steve]

His Majesty King-Emperor Alexander Stuart, by the Grace of God Emperor of the Pacific; King Alexander I of England, of Ireland, of California, of Cascadia, of Australia, and of Zealandia, King Alexander IV of Scotland; Duke of Utah, of Arizona, of Columbia, and of Sonora; and so on.

Description: The young, somewhat idealistic King, only recently crowned after the death of his father Henry XI. Defying expectations, young Charles James Stuart adopted the regnal name of Alexander in honor of the late Aleksandr II of Russia, the liberal Tsar who promoted reform in Russia and ended the odious practice of serfdom and thus had been a childhood hero to the Stuart heir. Alexander hopes for a peaceful, prosperous reign that sees his nation and subjects further come together.



Her Majesty Queen Larissa Pallis-Stuart; Duchess of Klamath; Countess of Molokai in the Kingdom of Hawaii and Samoa and Claimant of the County of Corcyra

Description: A beautiful and young Greek-descended noblewoman, Larissa is from an aristocratic family of Roman Greece that took the Prince of Wales' heart upon meeting her as a teenager. She agreed to marry him, somewhat amused by the King's interest in her and very much in agreement with his liberal views on life. Sadly, their six year marriage has as of yet failed to provide issue. Much to her sadness and even irritation, this has prompted rumors about her relations with her husband and others, particularly those of more obscene kinds.



The Rt. Hon. Cmdr. Stephen Garrett (Ret.), MP Astoria (Liberal Party), Prime Minister of His Majesty's Government, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service

Description: A former naval officer and once Executive Officer of the dreadnought Orion, the Prime Minister is a descendant of American immigrants from the region of Maryland and Virginia. He turned to politics upon retiring from the Navy at the rank of Commander in order to marry his wife, of the lower titled gentry of California, at the request of his Father-in-Law, Baronet Rafael Galverdas of Vallejo. He became a prominent Liberal and was elected as MP of Astoria in the province of Oregon, succeeding Liberal MP Winston Churchilll as First Lord of the Admiralty under Prime Minister Sir Alexander Grant in 1919 through 1924 then acting as the Liberal Opposition's Shadow Secretary of State for War during the Conservative government of 1924-1929. Upon Liberal victory in the General Election of 1929 he was named Prime Minister.



The Hon. Mrs. Rachel Garrett nee Galverdas, wife of the Prime Minister

Description: The wife of the sitting Prime Minister, Rachel is herself a skilled linguist and is knowledgable in the field of metallurgy, though primarily self-taught and not formally educated. Her father is the Baronet Galverdas of Vallejo, though as his second child she and her children are not in direct line of inheritance to the minor title of gentry. She met her husband during his time in the Navy, having traveled to Port Moresby to join an anthropological expedition into the bush of New Guinea that he had volunteered to lead the protective detail for. The two of them became close during those harsh months in the jungle and decided to be wed, after which Rachel became a doting mother of an increasing family, first of sons then two daughters, the youngest born in 1926.



Rafael D.M. Garrett
Thomas R. Garrett
Sophie R.L. Garrett
Gabriela A. Garrett

Description: The children, aged 15, 12, 9, and 3, of the Prime Minister and his wife. The eldest, Rafael, is seeking admission into prepatory school and eventual admission into the Royal Naval Academy at San Diego. He is also considered second in line to his grandfather's Baronet title, as their uncle Diego has not yet married or had heirs.



The Rt. Hon. Lt. Winston L. S. Churchill (Ret.), MP Oakland (Liberal Party), Secretary of State for War

Description: Of the celebrated Churchill family and descendant of the Duke of Marlborough, Winston is a veteran of the Klavo-Pacifican War and is a long-time MP, briefly Prime Minister in 1924 after the passing of Sir Alexander Grant until Liberal defeat in the '24 elections. Upon victory in 1929 he was asked to take the post of Secretary of State for War, though his preferred posting of First Lord of the Admiralty went to another figure with which he has something of a rivalry.



The Rt. Hon. Captain Robert J. Dale (Ret.), MP Finley (Liberal Party), First Lord of the Admiralty

Description: Like the Prime Minister, the First Lord of the Admiralty is descended from Yankee stock, a farming family that emigrated from war-torn Kansas during the Yankee Civil War to the farmlands of open Australia in the 1860s. The First Lord attended San Diego's Royal Naval Academy and rose in the ranks, becoming a junior staff officer and later protege of the great Admiral Sir John "Jackie" Fisher as well as an avid advocate of Yankee naval theorist Alfred Thayer Mahan. Elected as an MP for the rural borough of Finley in New South Wales as the only Liberal to defeat a Conservative incumbent in 1924, he has been a solid Navy supporter and, upon the Liberal victory in 1929, was asked by newly-invested Prime Minister Garrett to take the post of First Lord of the Admiralty. The choice of the fellow Navy man over his predecessor MP Churchill has caused some tension in the Cabinet, as MP Churchill has instead been invested as Secretary of State for War, and the two men - one a conservative Liberal MP with a long family history of service and the other the grandson of a Yankee immigrant to Australia - are now set to compete for funds and places in National Defence.



His Lordship Baron Col. George Smith Patton III of San Gabriel, Royal Army

Description: The son of an immigrant from the conquered South of the United States and of the Baroness of San Gabriel, Colonel Patton has risen in the ranks of the Pacifican Army's Cavalry, which he is a strong advocate of. Though many conservative officers think the horse-back cavalry shall always be great, however, His Lordship the Baron of San Gabriel has seen potential in the future of the armored tractor vehicle, sometimes called an armored tread-wagon by the Army and "tanks" by the others due to their shape, and has written papers espousing a belief that with research these armored vehicles may become fast enough to keep up with the horse cavalry and provide much-needed firepower and protection against enemy machine guns and rifle fire.



His Grace Admiral Reginald von Gotha, Duke-Consort of San Joaquin; Earl of Esquimalt, First Sea Lord

Her Grace Danielle Verdes-Howard von Gotha, Duchess of Norfolk and of San Joaquin; Countess of Nueva Macedo; Baroness of Henley

Description: Husband and wife, the Duke and Duchess of San Joaquin are one of the more colorful couples of the Royal Court at Sacramento. The Duke von Gotha is only an Earl by personal right, the son of a family of German-descended nobility that joined the Stuarts in California and were invested as Earls of Esquimalt upon the Island of Carolina (named in honor of the daughter of King Henry IX - RL Isle of Victoria). Formerly a subordinate of the First Lord of the Admiralty during his naval service, the Duke was favored by his old CO to rise from Third Sea Lord to First Sea Lord, and now serves as military head of the Admiralty.

His wife, the result of the union of a Spanish-descended line in California and that of the old English nobility for Norfolk, is an avid Navy advocate and expert herself, as the Duchess Danielle is an intelligent woman - believed only matched by the Prime Minister's wife Rachel in raw intelligence amongst the women of Sacramento's elite, Danielle is the first woman in Pacifica to be given a license as an engineer, and is considered an expert upon the design and manufacturing of heavy naval guns, including influencing the decision to pursue 17" bore for the heaviest guns in the Royal Navy.

As for their personal relationship, it is a running joke in the banquet halls, ball rooms, and clubs of Sacramento that "the only passions that the Duchess of San Joaquin and her husband share relate to the Navy". It is rather the open secret that they are both of a homosexual preference and married solely for social reasons and to provide the Duchess with an heir so her lines remain extant.

Her husband is known for finding lovers amongst the discreet individuals of his preference that populate certain portions the civil service. The Duchess herself is more often noted as enjoying the company of the Countess of San Luis. The gossip of the Court and of scandal-seekers have particularly hunted and scoured to find hints of various debaucheries by the Duchess, including that she beds both the Countess of San Luis and the Countess' sister simultaneously, sometimes also with young prostitutes in raunchy lesbian orgies, and in connection with other rumors, that she is the secret Sapphist lover of Queen Larrisa and the primary reason that the King has not yet sired an heir (the worst of the rumors allege that the King is well aware of his wife's alleged trysts with the Duchess and that he often watches for his own pleasure - this is a particular favorite of the Socialist, Republican-sentiment papers).



Her Ladyship Amber Lucilla Kellius, Countess of San Luis

The Lady Sarina Lucilla Kellius, younger sister of the Countess of San Luis

Description:

The Ladies Kellius are the daughters of Earl Lucian Victor Kellius, the last descendant of one of the Roman aristocratic lines expunged by the First Consul Napoleon Buonapartus for trying to resist the overthrow of the declining Roman monarchy. The Kellius line ended up in Stuart territory, where Henry IX extended to them an Earldom in the San Joaquin valley that has now fallen to the eldest of the two daughters the last Earl fathered before his death. The young Countess of San Luis, age 28, and her sister Sarina - age 23 - prefer to live in the Royal city at Sacramento than to remain in their father's pastoral holdings in the San Joaquin Valley, the Countess justified in this by her seat in the House of Lords.

The gossip circles of the Court have labeled the sisters as the "Sapphist Sisters" due to their inclinations, though Amber has been actively seeking a proper suitor to marry her and sire the heirs to continue her father's ancient line. For the moment she has found a lover in Danielle Verdes-Howard, Duchess of San Joaquin, said to be the only person who can lure her back to her father's estate along the San Joaquin River for romantic summer getaways before returning to the strong formal atmosphere of the Capital. Sarina's matches are more varied, and without political limitations she has become an advocate of rights for those who "live differently" in various social-radical political circles, though she has drawn the line at embracing socialism it is often said.

[Screwball]

I think Boxer Rebellion is too late. Realistically the Qing would collapse upon their failure to put down the Taipings. Granted the Taipings succeeding is not exactly realistic, but the more important part is that we want to give both sides enough to time to actually industrialize. The Boxer Rebellion started in late 1899, that only gives you 30 years minus however long the country was in turmoil. You won't get an industrial nation out of that. It should all start in the 1850s and '60s, as it did with Japan.

Keep in mind that the British have apparently been shattered as a colonial power before they got very far off the ground with that, and that India was never gobbled up by the Europeans and remained independent and powerful. So any Opium Wars would likely have been against the Mughals, meaning that the timing might be off, perhaps earlier. Maybe anti-foreigner sentiment came to a head a few decades earlier because the Indians were already shipping out their opiates by the end of the 18th century. Something to think about at least.

Jumping on the independent India idea, how about something like this:

The Mughals take the role of the British in the Opium wars (if whoever's playing them is okay with this) and like the British, end up defeating the Qing. This takes place somewhat earlier than in OTL, setting the clock for extreme anti-foreign sentiment running earlier. The defeat makes China look weak, and results in the same sort of humiliating treaties that China was forced to sign OTL.

When the Taiping Rebellion breaks out (again, if Frigid is okay with this), things go mostly as per OTL until the Battle of Shanghai, which goes differently without a strong European colonial presence in the Orient, and thus no/fewer British and French troops in the city. The Taipings also break the Huai Army and the Ever Victorious Army, and kill Li Hongzhang.

This puts the Qing in an unpleasant military position, and leaves them even more overstretched than OTL when the Nien Rebellion breaks out. As a result, the Nien manage to take Beijing, and the Emperor and his family are slain attempting to escape from the city dressed as commoners. This causes the Qing to fall apart completely. The Nien and the Taipings then start fighting each other over who gets to control China.

My boy would be a Qing officer, not particularly good as a commander but an able administrator and possessing a knack for picking the right subordinates, who sets himself up as a warlord in the area West of the territory taken by the Nien. He doesn't like foreigners, in large part due to the humiliation of China after the Opium wars, but he served with Li Hongzhang and is smart enough to recognise that modern ways of war and weapons are clearly superior to the traditional Chinese way of doing things. He manages to gather portions of what remains of the Qing army to his banner, and spends time training, organising and equipping them in the style of the Huai army, while at the same time using them to consolidate his hold over the territory he controls. Once he feels ready, he sends said army against the Nien, who are exhausted from the fight against the Taipings and crushes them.

This leaves him in control of a large swath of northern China, but not strong enough to prosecute a war against the Taipings, and leaves him a loyal, experienced army with which to enforce his way of doing things. He claims the Mandate of Heaven and founds the Xian Dynasty (I'm not above stealing names from a genuine Chinese fellow who tried to set up his own Dynasty ) and sets about doing pretty much what Japan was doing, with an eye to eventually reuniting all of China and making it strong enough to avoid all the humiliation that had been heaped upon it in his lifetime.

[frigidmagi]

I was having things go alot different (for example the Taiping would seize Beijing but be driven back withKing Yangand King Weiboth being killed). But yeah this can work to. Let's discuss it in PMs.

[Academia Nut]

I am amenable to being the cause of the Opium Wars, perhaps something in the late 18th, early 19th centuries to help pay for conflicts elsewhere. I do own the large majority of the Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle, and I also have access to marijuana, so plenty of drugs to go around.

[Hotfoot]

Dramatis Personae: United States of America

President Jon Kincaid: Born to a middle class family in New Jersey, Jon Kincaid is known as being a powerful force unifying the Democratic party against its nature, Kincaid led the party to a surprise victory in the 1928 elections. While his rivals chalked up his victory to the "Women and the Coloreds", none can deny that he has managed to get things done. During his campaign, he demanded honesty from Capitol Hill, and in the light of the previous year's scandals, which nearly resulted in severe economic disaster for the nation. While a few of the most egregious examples had been made examples of, there are rumors of still more corruption, which President Kincaid has been quick to quash in the press.

Perhaps the most astonishing was the utter dismemberment of the Tammany Hall organization under the hand of President Kincaid, which was initially done quietly, but resulted in major news coverage when Al Smith was jailed for corruption.

Now in his third year in office, Kincaid seems to be focusing more on International Affairs, setting up trade agreements with numerous other nations and helping the United States re-enter the stage of world politics after a period of isolationism. While he still maintains the Monroe Doctrine, various world events have forced the Nation to focus primarily on the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, attempting to maintain the peace of the trade lanes that travel through those areas.

Vice President Alan Vicious: Alan Vicious was born to well to do family that at one point lived in New York City, but moved upstate as immigrants began to flood the city. For much of his political career, Vicious has been known to speak his mind very loudly, and is well known for a famous incident in Senate where he and another Senator nearly came to blows on the Senate floor. Often described as the most hotblooded man in politics, it has even been rumored that he is part Hispanic, a rumor that nearly ended with another altercation when he was asked by an overly curious reporter.

Vicious was chosen as a running mate by Kincaid largely to help balance out the ticket. Vicious was popular in certain circles for his anti-Mexico rhetoric, which proved to be considerably popular in the South, who still feel that the Mexican Invasion nearly half a century ago was unjust. Not to be limited in his ire, however, Vicious seemed to live up to his name, expressing disdain for nearly every nation except for the United States, often quoting that it was the greatest nation in the world.

It was Vicious who helped Kincaid root out corruption in the various levels of government, and for the last few years he has been laying the groundwork for a specialized division of the Justice Department specifically to investigate, expose, and punish public servants who take advantage of the public trust. At one point, he caused a stir by saying that if he had his way, all corrupt politicians would be stripped of their wealth, save for a nickel, which would be used to pay for the bullets for the firing squad.

[frigidmagi]

and for the last few years he has been laying the groundwork for a specialized division of the Justice Department specifically to investigate, expose, and punish public servants who take advantage of the public trust

Damn if that don't sound filmilar

[Hotfoot]

and for the last few years he has been laying the groundwork for a specialized division of the Justice Department specifically to investigate, expose, and punish public servants who take advantage of the public trust

Damn if that don't sound filmilar

Why I don't know what you mean.

[rhoenix]

Dramatic Personae: Imperio del Sol de Oro (English: The Empire of the Golden Sun)

Emperor Miguel del Fuego - Nominated at the age of 19 to this lofty office by the age of the previous Emperor's & the Council's choice, Emperor Miguel del Fuego has already shown cunning, uncanny insight, and great care for the people from which he was picked. Showing leadership from the beginning for his people, Mexico is now very much a player in world affairs, even showing wonders of invention and engineering from her greatest minds.

Together with those who seat at the College, Emperor del Fuego has guided Mexico into what may very well be the beginning of her Golden Age, and all involved intend on taking advantage of the wondrous opportunities, if it would be prudent in the short- or long-term to do so. Great investment in Mexico's learning has resulted in a near-elimination of illiteracy through universities, electricity and running water for all cities and towns, and hospitals that have already been toured by several foreign doctors, who bring Mexico's example of care back to their mother countries as inspiration. "Jesus was a doctor," Mexican Catholics like to say.

Pope Luke II - Born of a poor family two decades before the War of Confederate Expansion, Pope Luke II adheres strongly to the Exile's Credo, which has been the Catholic custom followed by all Catholics since the great Exodus from the Vatican. The Credo is the same spoken of in simple terms of countless great men in the Bible who forsook earthly possessions in favor of only paying attention to the things that mattered: God's children, their healing, and their trials.

He advises the Emperor in spiritual matters when he visits the Imperial College, having known the Emperor for many years before he became Emperor. Still though, he refuses permanent residence at the College, preferring instead to simply have an office there with which to administrate all those of his faith and clergy across the globe, and traveling to tend the people in their own towns and cities.

[frigidmagi]

Still though, he refuses permanent residence at the College, preferring instead to tend the people in their own towns and cities by his travels.

Hmmm, No. He's the leader of the world's largest religion, he needs to act like it. That means he needs an administrative center to deal with the fact that there are bishops all across the world. Also I find the election of a black pope unlikely given that most of the cardinals aren't black but Euro or Hispanic at this point and time.

[rhoenix]

He's the leader of the world's largest religion, he needs to act like it. That means he needs an administrative center to deal with the fact that there are bishops all across the world.

Hmm, you have a point. I've edited to reflect that.

Also I find the election of a black pope unlikely given that most of the cardinals aren't black but Euro or Hispanic at this point and time.

Unlikely, perhaps. To me however, it still fits nicely.

[Steve]

Technically they were always Italian anyway from 1523 and the death of Adrian VI (also the only Dutch pope) up to John Paul II in 1978, but that's a bit different here. And his father being descended from African slaves wouldn't necessarily mean much, given the centuries you'd probably find lots of people with African ancestry of some sort.

[General Havoc]

Dramatis Personae: Senatus Populesque Romanum

Senior Consul Ivanus Bonomius Mediator - Originally from Mantuae, Ivanus Bonomius Mediator has been a fixture of Roman politics for nearly thirty years. While the perpetually nebulous nature of Roman politics results in a patchwork of ever-shifting allegiances, Ivanus Bonomius has long had a reputation, even by Roman standards, of shifting positions and altering allegiances. A founding member of the FSIR or Roman Imperial Socialist Party (Factio Socialistus Imperialis Romanum), Ivanus Bonomius sided with the conservatives in the Syrian Affair, and was expelled from his own faction, only to return to the fold two years later as part of the senatorial coalition of the centre-left during the first Consulship of Iacobus Mattiotius. Presently serving in his third term as Consul, the second as Senior Consul, Bonomius Mediator has a reputation as a skilled navigator of the Roman political system, having managed to avoid being tarred as a demagogue while riding the currents of senatorial politics. Though he is not an outstanding leader, he is considered a "safe" choice by much of the Roman electorate for his moderate political views, negotiating skill, and disinclination towards extremist factional ideology. This will likely guarantee him a prosperous political future in the years to come.


Junior Consul Mustafus Cemal Paterturcii: Hailing from the Turcian capital of Ancyra, Paterturcii (called Ataturk in his native Turcian) is a legend within the Roman Empire. As the first non-Roman, non-Greek Consul since the restoration of the Republic, Cemal Paterturcii's career is already a storied one. A Vir Militarius or "military man" (a former officer or soldier who has managed to parlay his military career into a successful political one), Mustafus Cemal, like many Turcians, joined the Legions at the age of 17, rising eventually to the rank of Legatus Imperialis, and the command of the elite X Legion Turcii, the famous "Turcian Tenth", seeing conspicuous service during both the Syrian Uprising and the Fourth Hispanian War.

The position of the Turcians within the Empire has always been something of a complex one. The gradual collapse and partition of the Ottoman Empire under pressure from the Russians, Romans, Hungarians, and Poles, complete by the early 17th century, left the bulk of the Turcian people within the boundaries of the Roman Empire, primarily in the so-called "Turcian Heartlands" of central Anatolia. Though the Ottomans had been crushed, the Turcian people remained both numerous and uncowed, as evidenced by the three separate "Turcian Revolts" of the 17th century, the longest (the Second, still called the "Great Revolt" even outside of Turcia) lasting nearly eight years. Yet as Mustafus Cemal himself has been quoted as remarking, while the Romans are no stranger to ethnic uprisings, they have also become exceedingly efficient at both suppressing and defusing such explosions of discontent, using the carrot of individual enfranchisement, economic and infrastructural development, and provincial autonomy, balanced against the omnipresent stick of the inflexible Roman Legions. While a handful of Turcian ultra-nationalists may insist otherwise, it is a documented fact that the Auxiliary Legions that suppressed the abortive third Turcian revolt were themselves nearly half-Turcian in composition, the Empire having extended its legionary enticement programs to Turcia decades before the revolt even began, both as a counterweight to Russian expansion into the Near East, and in recognition of the valuable military resource that was to be found in Turcia.

The reforms of Napoleon Buonapartus Magnus Restutitor established the Roman Republic as an Empire of Senatorial (Franchised) and Imperial (Non-Franchised) provinces. Partly as a political move due to the support he had derived from Turcian officers and provincial officials, and partly in recognition of the importance of a peaceful Turcia to Roman imperial security, Napoleon Buonapartus established Turcia as one of the former. Due to the disproportionately high legionary enrollment levels within Turcia, and consequently the relatively high number of Turcian Roman Citizens, the effect of provincial enfranchisement was less dramatic than anticipated. Nevertheless, for the first century of its existence as a Roman Senatorial province, Turcia played little part in the administration of the Roman Empire, save as a recruitment ground for soldiers and the occasional Tribune or Legatus Auxilius. It was not until the early 20th Century that Roman and provincial integration proceeded to the point where a faction of Romano-Turcian nationalists (the term 'nationalist' having a somewhat different connotation in Rome than elsewhere) calling themselves the "Young Turcians" began to demand and seek a more active role in the Empire for their people, of which Mustafus Cemal Paterturcii became unquestionably the most successful.

Though this is Cemal Paterturcii's second consulship, he is presently the Junior Consul by virtue of having placed second in the Consular elections (winning a hard-fought victory over his fellow ex-consular Eleutherius Benizelus Ethnarchus). Nevertheless, his Auctoritas (an untranslatable Roman term meaning something approximating 'clout') plainly exceeds that of his senior colleague by an order of magnitude. Praetorian Governor of Turcia as well as several other provinces, former Magister Militum, and front-bench Senator from the Province of Turcia for eighteen years, Cemal Paterturcii has gravitated to the center of Roman politics since he first set foot in the Comitia. Drawing his support primarily from the non-Roman, non-Greek provinces of the Empire, primarily Turcia, but also significantly from Africa, Phoenicia, Thrace, and the Hispanian provinces, Cemal Paterturcii has long been a proponent of so-called "Third-pillar Romanism", a movement away from the traditional centralized Roman authority based around the twin poles of Rome and Constantinople/Athens, and towards a Roman world wherein Turcia forms the "third pillar" of Rome. His governorships have been marked by radical reforms to the provincial governments, legal systems, and laws of the province in question, reforms which he maintains are perfectly in keeping with the best traditions of the Empire itself (Rome is nothing if not tradition-minded). Though many conservative Romans decry his efforts as those of an ignorant Turcian hayseed from the backwaters of the empire seeking to deform the purity of Roman tradition (Rome is also nothing if not snobbish), Cemal Paterturcii's administrative and military achievements have managed to achieve for him the periodic support of several staunch arch-conservatives such as Quintus Marcellus Rienzus Princeps Senatus, Bernardinus Grandius, Galeatius Cianus Comes Orator, and Francis Rapagnetus Poetarum Laureatus

"What can be said about Mustaphus Cemal Paterturcii?" once asked his long-time rival, former Chairman of the FSIR, and ex-consul Benitus Andreas Mussolinius Fabricus. "He is most dangerous man in Rome."

[General Havoc]

Legatus Imperialis Marcus Sarpaedius: The Sarpaedii clan are one of the "Familias Militarii", the quasi-professional officer-families that have fought in and commanded Roman armies since the days of Rienzo the Tribune. The eldest scion of the famous family, Marcus Sarpaedius was born in Rome itself, and (as was more or less guaranteed), joined the Legions at the age of 17 like his father, grandfather, and ancestors before him. Badly wounded and crippled at the siege of Caesaraugusta during the Fourth Hispanian War (while serving under the command of then-Legatus Auxilius Mustaphus Cemal Paterturcii), it was believed that his career was over before it had begun. Yet rather than retiring to his family estates in Latium, Marcus joined the Imperial Staff College instead (the Comitia Bellas Romanum), and applied himself to the theory of war, rather than the practice. Within ten years he had been promoted to Tribunus Laticlavicus, and made Praeses Comitia of the CBR. Ten more years saw him rise to the rank of Legatus Imperialis, the youngest Sarpaedian to ever do so, and to take a seat (the first for his family in over two hundred years) on the Consularum Militarius, the high military command council of the Roman Empire.

Though physically crippled, and at 38, the youngest member of the Consularum Militarius, Marcus Sarpaedius is regarded by even his family's enemies as the foremost military theorist on the counsel, and his reputation as a strategist, combined with the political and social connections of his family, have made him the forerunner for the position of Magister Militum (Supreme Commander) should a major war erupt involving the Empire. He, as well as his compatriots in the Roman Navy and Air Force, believe fervently that the geopolitical situation of Rome is becoming increasingly dangerous, and that a major war, as large as any since the days of Napoleon, may be on the horizon. Should they be correct, all Rome will look to Marcus Sarpaedius to ensure the triumph of Roman Arms over their enemies.


Navarchus Paulus Cunturiotes: By tradition, in the Roman Empire, it is the Romans who fight on land, and the Greeks who fight on the sea, with the result that the Navarch, or Admiral of the Imperial Roman Fleet, is traditionally a Greek officer. Pavlos Kountouriotis (as he is called in Greek) is an Arvanite, a linguistic minority living in Southern Greece and the Aegean Islands, who have been supplying sailors, captains, and admirals to Empires in the Mediterannean since antiquity. Born on the Saronic Island of Hydra, south of Athens, Paulus has upheld the Cunturiotes family traditions of twinning politics with naval command since the age of 20. Former commander of the Hispanian Station of the Roman Fleet, and victor of the Battle of Cape Trafalgar during the Fourth Hispanian War, Paulus Cunturiotes was named Navarch some eight years ago, and serves to this day. In his time, he has been responsible for the re-organization of the Roman Fleet, forced now to split its duties between its traditional domains of Mare Nostrum with those that take it as far afield as the Mare Caribicum.

A long-time associate and compatriot of Legatus Imperialis Marcus Sarpaedius, he and Sarpaedius have worked closely together with the Roman Imperial Staff college, preparing the Roman military for the war that both of them believe is coming. Paulus' son Theodoros Koundouriotis is presently Captain of the Cruiser Lycurgus, and considered a promising prospect for further promotion.

[frigidmagi]

For those of you who keep asking, you're not getting a new map until Silence declares his claims. On the flip side if he doesn't declare his claims by PM or on this thread (no Steve him telling you doesn't count) by 2am Saturday morning he's out of the game and you're getting a new map.

[Steve]

He said he'd get them up tomorrow. he'll be completely don with Finals then

[Charon]

We're starting in 1930 right? This is going to be one of those few cases where the month actually matters, because Haile Selassie wasn't technically crowned Emperor of Ethiopia until Late 1930. I mean, he was Emperor in all but name before that point in time, but it is a curiosity for me. Partly because he had a big Ceremony for the event and most everybody would be invited.

[frigidmagi]

We are starting in 1930, week 1 will be January/February.

[Steve]

May I propose that if we end up with WWI (and given the way things are shaping I imagine such will happen) we have the potential for a slowing in timeframe so people can keep up with war developments?

[frigidmagi]

I'll take care of it when it happens Steve.

[Charon]

I'd also like to put consideration for political events and big diplomatic meetings (Or we could just create a new thread for them to take place in).